Under the Sea Altered Nuts Can

Top 3 Pick at Sparkles Monthly Challenge
Highlighted Project at Use Your Stuff
Winner at Sunsational Stamps
Top 3 Pick at The Fairy and the Unicorn
Coffee/Tea of the Day - Sweet Pear tea

Hello! Happy Monday! :)
I hope you had a great weekend! I apologize that I haven't had a craft project to share with you in a while.  These seizures and migraines are really doing a number on me. Unfortunately they seem to be getting worse rather than better, much to my dismay. I am using my cane to get around much more often, as opposed to just 'holding on to the walls' as I usually do to get around the house. Yesterday it was easier to just stay in bed, because I found myself falling down  every time I tried to stand or walk.  this is not fun, folks. :( I want to be out enjoying the sunshine and bird songs and the smell of grass and good stuff of summer. oh well. maybe soon.

 anyhow, enough of the icky stuff.  I had wanted to have this project completed in time to celebrate World Oceans Day and the March for the Oceans. I had planned to attend a nearby march, but of course I couldn't. taking care of our waterways and the beautiful creatures that live in them is very important to me.

So I created this altered project using a mixed nuts can. Since becoming a vegetarian over the past few years, we eat lots of nuts. :) I save the cans for my projects, and thought it would be fun to make this for Tyler and Danielle to put the shells and beach glass they collect on their honeymoon this fall.

I gathered images from The Graphic Fairy (anchors), Create with TLC (fish), and SU! (fish rubber stamp).  papers are from the Authentique Sea Maiden collection, and flowers are from both Wild Orchid Crafts & Petaloo. all ribbons and trims are from Really Reasonable Ribbon. sea horse and sand dollar dies are by Tim Holtz.

The background base paper was sprayed with Tattered Angels pearl glimmer mist. This is one of my favorite sprays for a glorious all over sparkle, but especially for water scenes. Essentially every piece of paper or cardstock used on here was sprayed with this glimmer mist at least once. :)

From there I created the sand portion. I used the actual sand designer paper from Authentique, but then sprayed it with the Tattered Angels walnut gold & pearl regular glimmer mists and the Hot Chocolate Chalkboard glimmer mist. once these had dried I stippled a bit of gesso over the top to give a bit of texture. this piece of dsp was then adhered around the bottom with foam tape.

The seahorses were distressed with white craft and crumb cake inks and then sprayed with the pearl & Atlantic glimmer mists. I added a little bead for the eyes. torn cardboard was distressed with white craft ink. the floral anchor piece was edged in gold glitter glass. I used a little fern punch by Martha Stewart to replicate sea plants. they were distressed and inked. The top has a wonderful burlap doily and neat flower that I came across a few years ago in my travels, knowing that it would be perfect on some project. looks like this was the one! :)

Pearl beads and metallic beads by Prima add more texture along the ocean floor. Real shells & beach glass pieces, along with postage stamps and vintage laces & buttons help to complete the project.

I hope you have enjoyed my little altered project today. Enjoy your day!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Canvas Corp - To the Sea (Tattered Angels pearl, walnut gold, Hot Chocolate, & Atlantic glimmer mists)
613 Avenue Create - anything goes w/optional buttons & bows theme
Dragonfly Dreams - anything goes
Corrosive Challenges - anything goes
Catch the Bug - make a splash
Fairy and the Unicorn - anything mystical/mythical (mermaids, on card)
Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media - layers
Let's Craft and Create - anything goes w/punch it optional theme (Martha Stewart fern punch)
Not Just Cards - anything goes
Sparkles - sea shells
Sunsational Stamps - beach
Crafter's Cafe - tic tac toe: lace, patterned paper, ribbon
CRAFT - add ribbon and sparkle (sparkle comes from the numerous glimmer mists, pearl beads, and beach glass. it has a lovely shine irl)
Use Your Stuff - magical (mermaids, on card)
Altered Eclectics - anything altered or mixed media

Happy Easter!

Coffee of the Day - Moon Pie (I'll drink their coffee until it's gone, but we no longer eat their treats. discovered that they sadly use palm oil in their products. insert sad face here....)

Happy Happy Easter to each and every one of you! well, at least those of you who celebrate the holiday, that is. ;) Happy Sunday to the rest of you. :) may your day be glorious whether you celebrate the holiday or not!!!

I want to share with you a project I made for our son's fiancee's family. I also made one that I gave to our neighbors.

I started with a cardboard cheese box, pained it several shades of green with acrylic paint, added cs grass, and then topped with some fabulous wooden veneer fencing pieces I found at JoAnn's. the fence pieces were distressed with Tim Holtz distress markers. various sizes of Prima flowers dotted with stickles were added to complete the little garden boxes.

This sure does say 'springtime,' doesn't it?! :)

Have a wonderful day! Jennifer

An Altered Bottle for GIU, but you have to keep it a secret!!! shhhh.......

Coffee of the Day - Black Nutty Fudge

oh so sad...... today is my final Growing in Unity (GIU) day..... I have had a wonderful time both making and sharing my projects with all of you! I hope you have enjoyed stopping by for your daily coffee and inspiration! :)

I've saved the biggest of my projects for last, but you have to keep it a secret. you see, this is a present for my husband and he can't see it before Christmas! ;) I tell ya, keeping him from seeing it as I was making it was a doozy! all of the layers took a while to dry, so keeping this in different places he wouldn't come across it was quite the challenge!

I started with an empty bottle of his favorite Rye whiskey. after first painting with a layer of gesso, I added at least 8 different layers of various colors of acrylic paint. I then lightly sanded the bottle to reveal the assorted layers underneath, at times sanding all the way down to the bare glass.

I then stamped leaves from the Layers of Life "Love Never Leaves" set all over the bottle with Prima chalk ink. I used the SU! ink squirty tool to spray ink droplets.

one side of the bottle is stamped with the "What the Buck" stamp. the other side is stamped with trees and the deer from the "...A Joyous Season" sentiment set.

seed pods and moss, in addition to mulberry flowers, decorate the bottle.

I also made clay leaves by stamping the leaves from the same Layers of Life "Love Never Leaves" set right into clay and then baking. small holes for hanging were made prior to baking.

distress crackle paint was applied once all of the other elements were added. I just love the way this ages and distresses any project! it is great on these altered bottles! :)

Thank you again for all of your lovely, encouraging comments this week! you have brought such joy into my heart, that is for certain!

be sure to leave a comment on any of my GIU posts for a chance to win your very own Unity grab bag of stamps!

I hope for you and yours a most blessed Christmas and Happy New Year! I'll be seeing you in 2017! may your days overflow with peace and joy! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Crafty Gals Corner - anything goes
Sunny Day - anything goes
Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends - anything goes
We Love to Create - anything mixed media goes
Crafting with an Attitude - anything goes

Altered Floral Bee Hive Bottle

Winner at Card and Scrap
Winner and Top 3 Pick at Quick Quotes
Winner at Country View Crafts

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Hazelnut

Welcome to my stop on the Really Reasonable Ribbon blog hop! grab a cup of coffee and get ready for some fun inspiration with the current monthly ribbon kit! this is my last post as a member of the Design Team. Bonnie is one of the most gracious people I have had the opportunity to work for. thank you, Bonnie, for your kindness!

now you have probably arrived here from GINNY'S most fabulous blog. if at any time you lose your way along the hop, you can always head over to the RRR main blog for the complete list. you'll also want to stop by there at the end for a chance to win your very own ribbon kit!

as soon as I saw the maize honeycomb satin ribbon, I knew I wanted to create something with a bee theme, but wasn't sure what. then I was inspired by this beautiful altered bottle with the adorable bee skep on top, and got busy making my own.

I created the bee skep on top with the 4 mm twisted hemp rope. I wanted to keep the natural color rather than coloring it, as was done in the inspiration bottle.

the bottle took a bit of preparation, first getting a coat of gesso to get it ready for several coats of different shades of acrylic paints. stamping was done with black Staz-on ink and Prima chalk inks. stamps are from Heidi Grace and SU!   honeycomb stencil is by Studio Calico.

pretty little bee charms were inked with alcohol re-inkers and Staz-on to give them a bit of age. straw sunflowers are from my stash and go so perfectly with the overall feel of the bottle. Tim Holtz distress crackle paints in 2 shades were painted over the bottle in small areas to help give an aged look.

maize taffeta ribbon from the club kit was distressed with several shades of ink and tied into a big fluffy bow along with the honeycomb satin, moss mini ric rac, and brown burlap string.

if you would like to see more detailed photos, just click on the pic. it will take you to a larger photo. I'm probably going to send this to my MIL for her upcoming birthday. I think she will like it! :)

now head on over to CHERYL'S beautiful blog for more inspiration! be sure to leave her a comment to let her know how much you love what she has made for you. :)

thanks so much for stopping by! y'all are the best!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Country View Crafts - crackle
Anything But Cute Mixed Media - birds and bees
Crafty Addicts - anything goes/summertime
Classic DT Open Ch - anything goes
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
Cupcake Inspirations - photo inspiration
Dragonfly Dreams - say it with flowers
Eclectic Elapu - midsummer
Fashionable Stamping - beautiful blooms (stamps by SU! and Heidi Grace)
Left of Center - stenciling (honeycomb stencil)
Penny Black - flower power with stamping
Altered Eclectics - anything altered mixed media goes
Card and Scrap - altered
Let's Craft and Create - hearts and/or flowers
Not Just Cards - anything goes
Allsorts - fancy bows and ribbons
Creative Corner - shabby
Incy Wincy - alter something
Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media - texture
Quick Quotes - upcycle

Altered Gift Basket and Tag for Baby Girl

Woooo Hoooo! It's the weekend! (this is the 2nd post today. scroll down, please, for my Bugaboo guest post)

I am excited to be the Guest Designer over at My Sheri Crafts! the theme for this fortnight is "Let's Go 3D". I am combining this project with my post for Really Reasonable Ribbon, especially since I use Really Reasonable Ribbons on almost every project I make. ;) thank you, Sheri, for asking me to be a guest with your fun blog! :)

Here in the United States we are celebrating Mother's Day tomorrow, so I thought it would be fun to share a little project I made for our neighbor who is expecting her second little girl anytime in the next week.

I started with an old fruit basket that hubby & I found on one of our adventures antiquing. a coat of acrylic paint, sponging with a few more, then several squirts of different shades of glimmer mist, and I was ready to decorate!

The edges were trimmed with a ruffled crepe paper border topped with Priscilla white crochet lace and  wild rose grosgrain ribbon. the same wild rose grosgrain also formed the bow, when combined with  pink burlap string. you can see that I also used the grosgrain and burlap string on the tag to continue the theme.

the flower cluster is formed with a pink chrysanthemum, pink aster daisies, and sweetheart blossoms, a mini sweetheart blossom decorates the tag.

The tag was also sprayed with glimmer mists. the adorable baby image is from Free Pretty Things For You and papers are from the Authentique Crush collection. (I made it all to match the card from back at this post.)

the basket is filled with diaper bag sized essentials every new mom will need. and she loved it when I delivered it several days ago! :)

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there! :)

don't forget Really Reasonable Ribbon's current challenge going on, too!

Challenges:
Crafting With Friends - anything goes
Creative Fingers - anything goes
PDE linky party - anything goes
Simply Papercraft - anything goes
Crafting With an Attitude - anything goes
In the Pink - for a child/baby
Crafting By Designs - anything goes
Little Red Wagon - anything but a card
The Crafty Addicts - anything goes/use ribbon
Classic DT Open Ch - any project made for a DT goes
Sisters of Craft - anything goes

Mixed Media Coffee Wall Hanging

Top 5 Pick at Eclectic Ellapu

I had mentioned before that I have been playing around with digital images printed onto watercolor paper and gelatos. I have another project to share with all of you using this technique.

Not only is this for the new Crafts Galore Encore challenge of 'Anything Goes,' but for the next 3 months, I'll be a Guest Designer with Bugaboo Stamps! I was so excited when Tammy asked me to join this fun group of crafters for several months of challenges! :) so I hope you will join me with ALL of the crafty fun going on!

(the little car in the piccy is part of the watermark, NOT part of the wall hanging! grins!

sure didn't mean it to cause confusion. 

the watermark was given to me for being a Guest Designer at Bugaboo)

I printed the 'Coffee Words' digi right onto the watercolor paper and went to town with the gelatos. a few accent touches with watercolors were also added.

glimmer mist in several shades was sprayed over the top and then the watercolor paper was adhered, first to cs and then to a piece of paper board cut from a Bisquick box. you know how I love to re-purpose things around the house. ;)

distress stickles was added along the edge. Prima micro beads in copper & bronze were mixed in with sequins & seed beads from Neat & Tangled. sweetheart blossoms are from Wild Orchid Crafts.  finally, a bow was made from tan diamond satin ribbon so that I can hang it. yep, I am keeping this one! normally I give away almost everything I make, but this one is hanging in my craft room. :) just couldn't resist! fell in love with it right from the start!

oh yes, I did use my SU! ink squirty tool, too. the entire wall hanging measures about 9"x12".

thanks for stopping by! and I do hope you will play along with the 'Anything Goes' challenge over at Crafts Galore Encore! as you can see from my project, anything really DOES go! ;)

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Mon - home decor (does craft room decor count?)
Eclectic Ellapu - anything goes
Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends - anything goes
Outlawz Paper a la Mode - anything goes
Stamping Sensations - anything goes
We Love To Create - anything mixed media goes
Hiding in My Craft Room - freestyle
Morgan's Art World - anything goes
Classic DT Open Ch - anything made for a DT
DL Art - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wed - anything goes

Things with Wings Challenge at RRR

Ooh La La Winner at My Sheri CRAFTS
Color Spotlight Project at Outlawz Color Challenges

Coffee of the Day - Maple Fudge

We have a new challenge over at the Really Reasonable Ribbon blog starting today, and the theme is 'Things with Wings.' I hope you will not only play along with us, but also stop by the blog to see the beautiful projects made by some of my team mates! they are so talented and constantly inspire me with the things they create! :)

Several weeks ago, my hubby and I were out for a walk at Camp. I came across this gorgeous piece of wood and knew it would make a neat piece of art.

the wood was first mod podged to seal it. I added moss and a wonderful piece of rusted and painted chicken wire I came across at Hobby Lobby. tiny sweetheart blossoms by Wild Orchid Crafts were added.

the birds were created from templates I found online and a box that once held microwave popcorn. ;) nothing like re-purposing what's around the house! each bird is several layers thick.

Birds were covered in Prima Anna Lee digital papers, edged in SU! glitter glass and stickles, and then tied with peacock alley & baby pink seam binding. I used vintage buttons for their eyes.

even the little nest is made from ribbons! I used a fabulous tutorial by my creative muse, Melissa Phillips, found here on her blog, Lily Bean Paperie. I used copper forest hand dyed silk, chestnut mini ric rac, and natural burlap string.

I searched and searched the stores for little bird eggs, but couldn't find them anywhere. ended making my own out of modeling clay. think they turned out cute! used my SU! ink squirty tool to add little speckles. of course the nest needed to sit on some branches, so grabbed a few from my yard. 2 cottage roses surround the nest.

just a reminder that if you want to see more detail on any photo, just click the piccy and it will take you to a larger one in a separate page.

this is going to my MIL for her Mother's Day gift. sure hope she likes it! :)

I hope this project inspires you to see art wherever you are and try something new!
enjoy your weekend! :)

Challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft - anything goes
Outlawz Tues color - color inspiration with nature twist
Altered Eclectics - anything altered/mixed media goes
Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media - wings
Sisters of Craft - anything goes
As You Like It - fave non-card project (found treasures! I like coming across something and seeing what kind of artwork I can turn it into. I also enjoy taking something like the popcorn box and re-purposing it, such as I did with the little birds. recycling at its best!)
Whimsy Inspires - spring colors or Easter
Crafting for All Seasons - tic tac toe: flowers, ribbon, backing paper (Prima, on birds)
A Place to Start - up-cycle a common household item (microwave popcorn box - at least in our house they are commonplace! also buttons)
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
Critters and Creatures - anything goes with a critter or creature
Not Just Cards - anything goes
The Crazy Ch - spring is here
My Sheri Crafts - Mother's Day flowers
The Stamping Boutique - flowers
Scrapping 4 Fun - birds

Wooden Deer Hanging

Coffee of the Day - Creamy Chestnuts

Hey there, ribbon fans! :)

I have a different kind of altered project to share with all of you today. Back in January, some friends invited my husband & I to their cabin in the woods of Pennsylvania for a weekend getaway. we had such a lovely time, walking in the snow and watching the deer come right up to the house.

As we were putting wood into the stove one evening, I saw this cute little piece that I knew would make 'something' special one day and asked if I could have it. our friend handed it right over.

I decided it would be the perfect 'thank you' gift for our friends when a few little doo dads were added here and there.

Really Reasonable Ribbon to the rescue!

here is that piece of wood, all gussied up and pretty-fied!

the deer tag image from Polly's Paper Studio was mod podged to the base, topped with a small piece of 2 1/2" plain cotton ribbon, die cuts added, and then decorated with Wild Orchid Crafts mulberry open roses & Chrysanthemums. the same cotton ribbon was used as a hanging loop and tied with hand dyed silk.

die cuts are from Memory Box and Cheery Lynn.

try something new and try an altered project! it's so much fun! :) and I do apologize for the shine on the deer tag image. I was trying a different photo editing software, and frankly am not too impressed with it. will be using my regular one again.

be sure to enter the current challenge at Really Reasonable Ribbon, too!

Challenges:
Craft for the Craic - anything but a card
Morgan's Art World - for the men (it was the gentleman of the couple who gave the wood to me)
Creative Card Crew - die cut (Cheery Lynn and Memory Box)
Digi Choosday - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
2 Creative Chicks - anything goes
Altered Eclectics - anything goes
Classic DT Open Ch - anything goes
Sweet Stamps - anything but a card
Fresh Brewed Designs - ribbon or twine
Paper Sweeties - photo inspiration

Happy Easter!

Top 3 at {Pin}spirational Challenges
Winner at Crafty Gals Corner
Top 3 at Double D Challenges

Coffee of the Day - Carrot Cake

A most blessed Easter morning to all of you! It is the hope of all of us at Really Reasonable Ribbon that you are surrounded by your family and friends as we celebrate this most special day! :)

The projects I am sharing with you today as similar to the ones I posted on my blog for the monthly ribbon club blog hop, is you stopped by for that. I had several requests for some of the wooden rabbits I had made, so I was busy these past few weeks getting them ready to hop to their destinations before Easter morning. ;)

The first pair were going to the same house, so ribbons and flowers are similar.

items used:  pearl pink roses with scalloped edge grosgrain, brown micro gingham, 5/8" robin's egg satin with stitched center, bay leaf seam binding, moss green gingham, ivory burlap string, parrot green netting, spring moss mini ric rac, Wild Orchid Crafts: magnolias, cosmos, lilies, rosebuds, hip rosebuds, daffodils, aster daisies, light turquoise open roses, and leaves.

The next bunny was going to a home that had a similar color pattern, but I tried to mix up the ribbon choices a bit. this wooden rabbit is larger than the other ones. it was already packed up and mailed when I realized I didn't get the measurements of it. to give you an idea, it's actually larger than the aqua rabbit above.

items used: pearl pink roses with scalloped edge grosgrain, brown micro gingham, aqua seam binding, aqua gingham plaid, celery gingham plaid, ivory burlap string, Wild Orchid Crafts: magnolias, cosmos, cottage roses, daffodils, rose buds, mini sweetheart blossoms, and leaves.

I used vintage buttons for the eyes and tails. the little cards are from Cameo Shoppe.

Don't forget to play along in our 'Welcome Spring with Ribbon or Trim' challenge! we'd love to see what you make! :)

Challenges:
Creative Craft Cottage - anything goes
Petal Lu - anything goes
Crafting with Friends - anything goes
Creative Corner - anything but a card
Fussy and Fancy - pastel colors
Crafty Girls - anything goes
If You Give a Crafter a Cookie - photo inspiration
Crafty Gals Corner - Easter or Spring
Li'l Red Wagon - Easter/Spring
{Pin}spirational - photo inspiration
Decorate to Celebrate - anything goes
Double D - Easter
Our Crafty Corner - anything goes
Where the HeART is - anything goes/Easter
Choux Choux Paper Art - Easter/Spring linky party

An Altered Almond Can for Easter

Top 3 Pick at Through the Craft Room Door

Coffee of the Day - Caribbean Hazelnut

I made quite a few gifts to either send out or give away for Easter this year. the one I'm sharing today is something Tyler will be taking with him tomorrow as he heads to PA for a visit with his girlfriend's family.

I have altered another almond can, this time for Easter. it is filled with yummy pastel M&M's. I hope they like it! :) if nothing else, they will enjoy the treats inside!!!

someday I will think to take step by step photos, but I'm usually on a time crunch when making these. sorry, for those of you who have asked in the past. will try to do it the next time I make one.

decorative papers are all from various collections by Basic Grey, silk flowers were purchased at Michael's & Pat Catan's, and mulberry flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. buttons are from my stash.

ribbons & trims from Really Reasonable Ribbon include:
yellow circus dots
pink silky crush
violet burlap string
Elise crochet lace

you can't really tell from the photo, but I used a pretty doily die from Sizzix under the ribbon spool and outlined several of the pieces in stickles. yes, the bag of M&M's really does fit inside! :)

thanks so much for stopping by! I'll see you tomorrow with another Easter project.
Jennifer

Challenges:
A Snowflake's Promise - a touch of spring
Clear it Out - Easter & buttons (there are a ton of buttons on here. you might have to click on the photo to see it larger in order to see them all. they are at the base of the ribbon spool.)
Inky Chicks - Happy Easter
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
Not Just Cards - anything goes
Eclectic Ellapu - flora and fauna
Decorate to Celebrate - anything goes
Choux Choux Paper Art - Spring/Easter linky party
Just Us Girls - color inspiration
TTCRD - anything goes

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Winner at A Bit More Time to Craft
Best Technique Winner at Champion of Champions Worldwide Challenge

Coffee of the Day - Irish Creme

I would like to say Happy St. Patrick's Day to each of you! I hope you have your green on today. :) if not, grab a smidgen of green ribbon you picked up in the Really Reasonable Ribbon store, pin it to your lapel, and you'll be good to go!

To get you in the mood for festivities later in the day, I'm sharing with you an altered project I made for one of my sons. He saw it while it was a 'work in progress' in my craft room, so  he actually thinks it was made for his brother. what a sneaky mom I can be when I need to be! grins!

I started with a wooden shamrock wall hanging I found on the JoAnn's website. I did quite a bit of work on it to get it ready to alter. I sanded off all of the glitter and added many coats of paint of different shades of green with some browns in between.

papers are from the Authentique Charmed collection, with a ripped piece of a paper bag thrown in for good measure! felt shamrock was from Michael's a few years ago, little applique is vintage as are the buttons, and flair buttons were found at the dollar store. fun vintage dog image is from an Etsy store called Vintage by Me. I actually burned the edges before adding it to the collage. beer stein die is from Find It Media.

plain cotton blend ribbon was tied and added to the shamrock face, green burlap string was tied in a bow around the stem, and 5/8" emerald green gingham plaid ribbon is used for the hanger. I did add some kraft ink to the gingham to age it a bit.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! have fun celebrating!

Challenges:
Champion of Champions - anything goes if a previous winner
Craft Rocket - anything goes
Crafty Ribbons - green with ribbon
A Bit More Time To Craft - anything goes
Craft for the Craic - St. Patrick's Day

An Altered Wooden Easter Bunny for the RRR Blog Hop

Top 3 Pick at Crafting Musketeers

Coffee of the Day - Carrot Cake (just seemed appropriate!)

Welcome to my stop on the Really Reasonable Ribbon blog hop! as we do every month for the hop, the DT shows projects made with the fun ribbon club kit. if at any time you ever get lost while hopping, just head back to the RRR blog for the complete list. plus you will want to stop there at the end for your chance to win your very own set of the monthly ribbons! :)

you should have landed here from GINNY's wonderful blog. she always has such neat projects, doesn't she?! :)

our oldest son, Tyler, is going to spend Easter with his girlfriend and her family. he is even going to meet the 'grands' so this is BIG! I made a little something for him to take to her grandparents.

I found this little wooden bunny on the JoAnn's website. actually I first saw it in their sale flyer, but couldn't find it the one time I was able to get to a store. so I ordered it online. I knew it would be fun to fix up!

you can see the various ribbons from the monthly club kit that I used. I also added my fave Wild Orchid Crafts magnolia (I added a bit of watercoloring to make the color match), aster daisies, cosmos, tiny rosebuds, and a sweetheart blossom. I also used a bit of  the iridescent string to tie on the little tag, but it is currently out of stock in the store. you could easily use any of the wonderful burlap or jute strings that Bonnie currently has.  or even some of the thicker baker's twine. :) you could really go for fun with the metallic gold or silver!

the pretty floral tag is from a great new vintage digital company I have found on Etsy called Cameo Shoppe. I promise you will be seeing much more from them on upcoming posts! their sheets print out so crisp and clean! bark heart is from Live and Love Crafts and the safety pin is a found treasure from Tyler's girlfriend. I thought she would appreciate seeing it on here! ;) she is always picking up little goodies for me to use on my projects. what a sweetie!

----> I'm adding another bunny project at the last minute because my youngest son, who has been home this past week for Spring Break, asked me to make one for his girlfriend after seeing this one.

I used this larger aqua wooden bunny from JoAnn's and another tag from the same digital sheet by Cameo Shoppe. here I used the yellow gingham plaid ribbon from the monthly club kit, the aqua version of the pink scalloped edge roses grosgrain found in the ribbon kit, iridescent string, 1/8" pink diagonal stripe ribbon, and light pink mini ric rac for the bow.

parrot green netting is the base for the floral arrangement made of WOC chrysanthemums, lilies, hip rosebuds, and daffodils, a 30mm leaf was added to the daffodil at the bunny's ears.

your next stop on this fun hop is at the most amazing blog of AMBER. you know she is going to have something fabulous to knock your socks off! :)

thanks so much for stopping by!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Allsorts - Spring is in the Air
CRAFT - Easter/Spring
DL Art Thankful Thurs - Easter
Crafting Musketeers - use 3 ribbons (I actually used a lot more than 3 on each!)
Crafty Enjoyments - Spring or Easter
WAW - anything goes
Champion of Champions - anything goes if previous winner

Altered Vintage Valentine Bingo Card for RRR Blog Hop!

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Peppermint

Hello to all of my fellow ribbon addicts! tee hee! I know there are secret (and not so secret!) ribbon hoarders out there who have a ribbon addiction like myself. well today is your day to swoon as the Really Reasonable Ribbon Design Team shares projects featuring the ribbon club kit for January on our monthly blog hop. :)

If you have come here by way of GINNY's gorgeous blog, then you are indeed in the right spot! grab a cuppa and settle in! :) if at any time you get lost during the blog hop, just head back over to the Really Reasonable Ribbon blog for the complete list of players.

Many of you know that I love to find vintage goodies for crafting while my hubby and I are out antiquing. we came across these fun old bingo cards a while back, and I knew immediately that they would make some neat projects.

wouldn't you know that I actually had an old bingo marker in my collection, too?! just had to add it on here. :) a beautiful old Valentine, dated 1921, steals the show. normally I would scan the vintage piece and then print out a copy rather than use the actual old card on a project - at least with something that old. but this project is being sent to someone very precious to me, so I was glad to put the real deal on here for her. :)  this has already been mailed to my dear cousin, so she will be quite surprised when she receives it in the mail. :)

papers are from the Authentique Crush collection, chipboard cupid is by Blue Fern and was brushed with gold ink & gold spica glitter gel pen, rose flair button is from Pink Paislee, flourish die is Sizzix, banner die is SU!, sentiment stamp on banner is by MFT, buttons and button card are vintage, and doily is from my stash. all ribbons are from the monthly club kit with the exception of the little piece of Judy crochet trim, which is dyed with glimmer mist. Wild Orchid Crafts flowers were used: sweetheart blossoms, baby pink aster daisies (these are my new fave flower!! I love these precious little sweeties!), 2 tone pink large rosebuds, as well as hip rosebuds and lilies.

your next stop on the blog hop is to AMBER's  lovely blog. please be sure to tell her hello! :)

thanks so much for stopping by! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Deep Ocean - something new (paper, chipboard cupid, little flower asters, ribbon)
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Bunny Zoe's Crafts - hearts
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
613 Avenue Create - anything goes
Craft Your Passion - anything goes
Inky Chicks - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Crafty Gals Corner - buttons and bows

Garage Pallet Grunge Art

Coffee of the Day - Bourbon Pecan

Well life is slowly but surely get back to normal as we recover from all of the craziness that led up to the holidays....

Today I want to share with you a fun gift I made for my husband. he loves wooden pallets and the neat things people make with them. one of  his favorite things to do is look at all of the clever ideas on Pinterest for projects made with reclaimed pallets.

when I saw that one of my favorite online craft stores was carrying miniature pallets, I immediately ordered several so that I could make a Christmas gift for my hubby! when we would visit the auto parts store, I would find little odds & ends in the parking lot and put them in my pocket. the same when we would go to the car wash. since I am always picking up little doo dads and putting them in my pocket, no one in my family ever questioned what I was doing! guess the pack rat tendencies finally paid off! :)

While most people don't tend to think of ribbons and flowers as masculine, plaids, like the blue/gold I used here, and burlap string are perfect for any project you make for a guy. neutral flowers also go well. most guys like flowers as long as you don't go overboard. a few can add a nice touch.

the pallets were painted with numerous coats of paint and then sanded. I used a stamp by Prima and their chalk ink along one edge of the large pallet. I filled in the pallets with Prima products along with the hardware goodies I found. flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, Michaels, and Petaloo.

I challenge you to make a masculine project (or several!) in the upcoming year. I promise we'll have some challenge themes over on the Really Reasonable Ribbon blog that will work well. grab some plaid ribbon and get busy! especially while that amazing sale is going on! go check it out! :)

Challenges:
Crafty Creations - anything goes
Deep Ocean - anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown - anything goes
Not Just Cards - anything goes
L'il Patch of Crafty Friends - anything goes
The Stamping Boutique - anything goes

Another Hot Cocoa Gift Set

1 of 5 Designer Picks for Holiday Coffee Lover's Blog Hop 

Coffee of the Day - Blueberry Cobbler

This year, thanks to Really Reasonable Ribbon, I made many of my Christmas gifts. Today I'm sharing a Hot Cocoa set we have given to a very special family. Please forgive me that I didn't get photos of the individual bottles, as they were also decorated. I was in a hurry to get the photos taken, since this gift was immediately being passed along. :)

I started with a Starbucks Frappucino drink pack that was spray pained white. Authentique Tidings papers and embellishments were added to decorate, and of course pretty ribbons from the RRR store! :)

the Frappucino bottles hold marshmallows, chocolate chips, and mints - everything you need to take your hot cocoa from yum to YUMMERS! :)

ribbons, flowers, and paper also decorate the large canister that holds the hot cocoa mix itself.

products used:
3/8" Plaid Christmas red/green ribbon
Delicate Stitched Satin Forest Green
1 1/2" Red Gingham Ribbon
Red Burlap String
Catherine White Crochet Lace
Shimmer Satin Red Ribbon
WOC Gardenias
WOC Open Roses Red

thank you so much for stopping by today! it means a lot to me! :)

Challenges:
Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop
Holly Jolly Christmas Ch - anything Christmas goes
Choux Choux Paper Art - Visions of Sugar Plums Linky Party