Happy Mother's Day!

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Ginger Peach green tea

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms, grandmas, great-grandmas, aunts, and other significant women out there! :) Celebrate you today, and the many ways you bring love and contribute to your families!

I do know that this day is not always an easy one for those who have lost crucial people in their lives. to you, know that I pray you find some measure of comfort in the love of those nearby.

I haven't yet been able to craft the way I used to, but I did manage to make a few cards for my MIL, aunt, and new mom, Lauren. :)

They are all similar in style, with just a few minor differences. The lovely vintage woman image is a freebie on the Gecko Galz blog. The background paper and roses are from a post at the Graphics Fairy about cabbage rose wallpapers. I cut the flowers from one of the wallpaper images. 

I stitched around the main image and background papers after matting. The button and floral stamps are from my vintage stash, and the crochet trim has been avocado dyed.  a paper doily and sequins were added to complete each card.

Thank you so very much to all of you who have left comments or contacted me about our new granddaughter! you are so wonderful! :) her parents are asking that her personal details not be shared online or on social media, so we respect their desire for privacy. but oh my goodness, she is such a sweetie! we had a fabulous time visiting them for a few days. maybe one day we will all live closer to one another again. 

before I forget, those of you who follow my blog via email, I have received notice that this option will no longer be available after July of this year. I am absolutely awful about visiting the blogs that I follow, and I appreciate the convenience that email alerts provide. hopefully something else will come about so that we can continue to get notices in our inbox. 

know that you are all loved!

Jennifer 

Challenges:

Gecko Galz monthly ch - Secret Garden using a product from GG

Floral Wedding Card in Greens and Purples

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Spiced Hazelnut Rum

Hello and Happy Friday to you! :)
I am sharing the first of several projects that I have recently created. I will spread out the posts over several days, as I am feeling well enough to get to the computer. btw, thank you for the kind and encouraging comments left on my previous post! :) y'all are amazing!!!

The first card was created for our son's wedding last month. the card is a bit larger than a typical size. sorry, I didn't get it measured.
digital papers and images are from Roxy's Creations. She has some gorgeous paper kits and vintage ephemera pieces in her store. if you sign up for her newsletter, she occasionally sends out freebies. I think the pieces used here are from the green and purple kits. I printed both out at the same time for this and another project I will be sharing shortly.

flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, word die is by Tim Holtz, seam binding is from Zipper Stop, and the vintage buttons, doily, burlap ribbon, & sequins are from my stash. "Love" was embossed with copper ep.

Thank you very much for stopping by! I hope you have a most amazing weekend! :)

Strength Anchor Alcohol Ink Resist

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Caramel Rum

Happy Monday as we begin a new week! I hope you all had a most wonderful weekend and are ready for the adventure ahead as a new week sits before us. :)

I was able to do a bit of crafting, thankfully. bad healthwise, but still grateful for the time in my craft room.

At the beginning of the month, Jennifer McGuire shared on her blog several stores that were doing promotions to raise funds for the Bahamas in the aftermath of the hurricane. I was able to do my share and purchase several items. The stamp today was one such benefit product. here is her post if you would like to see some of the promotions and the companies that participated. a few are still active.

The stamp set is called 'Anchors the Soul' is in available from Honey Bee Stamps. I see now that there is also a coordinating die set for it. adding it to my wish list for Santa. ;) proceeds from the die set will also go to the relief efforts.

it's such a beautiful stamp set with such meaning. a friend of ours is going through some difficult times right now, so I wanted to create a card for her. we go to church together, and she also works with Dave out at Camp. both she and her husband and struggling with their health. I know how much those cards can mean when your health is weak. the knowledge that there is someone out there who is thinking about you can be so encouraging on a rough day.

I created a shadow effect with both embossing and craft ink in white on photo paper. the background is created with an assortment of alcohol inks. the teals, purples, and aqua shads don't show in the photograph for whatever reason, so I do apologize for that. it is a much more cohesive card irl.

the image was then cut with a Tim Holtz stitched rectangle die. I wanted to try the off the edge look for something different after seeing this done in several samples. it's matted on white cs and a white cs base as well. the pale blue layer is stamped with a Prima script mini bg stamp and the little greenery flourish. The word 'strength' from the sentiment is stamped along the side, and the full sentiment is stamped inside.

a tiny twine bow in red and rose from Wild Orchid Crafts help accent the anchor. sequins in red and iridescent white add a bit of sparkle while a distressed ticket adds another pop of color and interest.

Thank you so much for stopping by and your lovely words of encouragement as I post here again in the midst of my illness. y'all are the best! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Dare 2B Artzy - favorite color (blue is so soothing and comforting!)
Addicted to Stamps - for a lady/girl
Creative Fingers - anything goes
QKR - anything goes
Aud Sentiments - anything goes w/a sentiment
Creative Knockouts - anything goes
Southern Girls - tic, tac, toe: die cut, stamp, blue
Crafty Creations - anything goes

You are Somebody!

Coffee of the Day - Pecan Turtle coffee

Happy Friday and welcome to the weekend! Don't forget to enter my Birthday Blog Candy before the end of the month! new additions are being made to all of the prize packages, including the international packages, almost daily. :) you know you want to win. :) right now the odds are pretty good since only a few people are entered. looks like a few of you are going to possibly get LOTS of goodies! grins! you can gain more entries by linking up a birthday themed project. I have heard back from my friend, Mo, of Mo's Digital Pencil, and I'll be buying gift certificates from her store later today. you can't win in you don't enter!

now on to today's project...
I received these beautiful stamps from Reverse Confetti in the mail after having a lovely gift certificate arrive in my mail box from the owner, Jen Del Muro. What an incredibly nice person!!!! I wanted to make something with them right away, but had a few other projects that I had to complete first. But then God put someone on my heart. you know how that goes. and I have learned that when He speaks, I had better listen. He might be quiet, but He is mighty indeed. :)

so I got busy yesterday. I have used the sets "Tall Blooms" and "My Tribe".  Around here, during late summer and early fall, there are some wildflowers that grow along the roadside in the most vibrant purple. they are absolutely gorgeous! they stand out so beautifully from the brown wheatgrasses they grow alongside. I wanted to try to recreate that if I could. it's not easy to see the purples in my photo, but they are there.

(you may click on 

the photo to be taken to

another page to see it larger)

after the Coffee Loving Cardmaker's blog hop, I was so blessed to have won a neat kit from WOW embossing powders, filled with all kinds of goodies. included were the powders that I used on this card: Perissa and Caramel Macchiato on the flowers, and Skinny Chai Latte on the sentiment. The Perissa is probably more suited to scattering like you would do with frantage powders, but I really love the look here on the flowers. it is a gorgeous silver and copper color when melted. the caramel macchiato is a shade of copper.

The sentiment from "My Tribe" was stamped onto vellum with brown ink. it didn't show up so well, so I added the skinny chai latte embossing powder to see if it would help make it pop a bit. once embossed it created a neat marbling effect. this is only a portion of the entire stamp, but the person the card was for needed to know that she is somebody in God's eyes. :)

a few years ago I attended a women's leadership conference. one of the most powerful moments was when we were all told to stand up and repeat over and over again, "I am somebody." for this woman, who had been abused since the time I was a little girl, to say that was difficult because I have never believed it. the young woman receiving this card needed that encouragement yesterday. she immediately sent me a text letting me know how much it meant to her. so to Jen Del Muro, that portion of your stamp is powerful. it's not so much the card, but the message of the stamp you created. thank you. :)

The flowers were stamped onto watercolor paper, embossed, and then painted with SU! inks. after heat setting and painting, I double stamped the other images with ink to make it appear that they were in the bg. I used my SU! ink squirty tool in shades of brown and purple over the top.

beautiful die is by Spellbinders, copper glitter ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and miscellaneous sequins & lace are from my stash. flower is from Michaels, distressed with ink, and then a bit of distress stickles were added. paper is from my beloved Basic Grey, the Vivienne collection...sigh....

thanks for your patience with my long post. :)
have a most fabulous weekend!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Reverse Confetti Stock Your Stash - hello/just because
Crop Stop - anything goes w/a product they carry (Spellbinders, distress stickles)
As You Like It - favorite type of embossing and why: heat because I can use so many neat colors of powder for lots of neat effects. I do enjoy dry embossing, but it doesn't compare to the fun things I can do with embossing powders, such as here.  thanks!)
Aud Sentiments - anything goes w/a sentiment
Moving Along with the Times - June Blooms
Creative Crafters - anything goes
Back to Basics and Beyond - heat embossing
Crafting By Designs - flowers, flowers, flowers
Crafty Addicts - anything goes/w say it with flowers option
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Die Cuttin' Divas - embossing
Tuesday Throwdown - you are on my mind
Crafty Catz - anything goes w/beautiful blooms option

Birthday Cats, Mice, and Old Cheese

Winner at House Mouse and Friends
DT Favorite at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies
Coffee/Tea of the Day - Dunkin' Donuts Vanilla CupCake coffee

So today is my birthday and we are having a party here on my blog! Gourmet cupcakes, ice cream, balloons, music, and lots of dancing! chips and nachos, too! something for everyone!

Don't forget the candy, BLOG CANDY!!!!! Head over to this post and get your name entered for a chance to win some fun prizes! it doesn't matter where in this big, happy world you  live, because everyone has a chance! :) you have until the end of the month to enter. more entries if you link a birthday themed card or project!

so now on to my project....

I pulled out one of my oh, so neglected House Mouse stamps, "Gift for Kitty" and combined it with elements from one of my most favorite ever online stores & blogs, Create with TLC. you have probably seen me use Paulette's sentiments and digital elements if you are a follower or frequent visitor here. she  is a doll. really and truly. she gives away free stuff ALL the time. honest. go check out her blog. now. well, maybe after you finish reading my post. and linking your blog to the candy. then go visit Paulette. tell her hey and ask her what she has against coffee. she will laugh. ;)

speaking of Paulette, she has a few freebies for y'all. talk about party favors! check out the blog candy post for a few more. :) a few of the International participants will win gift certificates to her Etsy store! cool, huh, ?!

(to save these images, click on the photo 

which should take you to another page.

right click and then 'save as' to

the file of your choice

on your computer.

if you have any troubles, 

pop me an email.)

so now we really will get to my card.

card:
cute House Mouse image: check
great Create with TLC elements: check

story: this thing drove me up the freaking wall to get done. I was worried about that cat. it just wasn't right. But here it is finished. Ta da! :)

digital papers are from the Echo Park Celebrate Spring collection, flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, lace trim is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and seam binding is distressed & by Zipper Stop. little ticket and burlap doily are from my stash. no clue whatsoever where the pretty pink sequins came from, but I do like them ever so much. Die is by Spellbinders and punches are from SU! I used a wink of stella glitter pen to go over the jingle bell.

thanks for hanging in there with me. y'all rock the casbah! let's party!
now go get some cake!

Challenges:
House Mouse and Friends - anything goes w/birthday option
Ike's World - anything goes/song inspiration (Happy Birthday, kinda obvious, sorry)
SUYP - furryything goes with cats
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Cute 'N Crafty - birthday
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Cupcake Inspiration - color challenge: pink, green, yellow
Use Your Stuff - inspired by a song: Happy Birthday, of course ;)
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - anything goes w/a critter
Ching-Chou Kuik - cats or dogs
Crafty Animals - anything goes w/an animal
Dream Factory - Nine Lives

Autumn and Apples Are Here - Digi Bell Blog Hop

Top Pick at Crafty Ribbons
Winner at The Stamping Boutique

Coffee of the Day - Pecan Toffee

Today is a fun hop for The Digi Bells featuring the adorable 'Apple Blossom and Milkshake Baking' image. you might remember that this used to be a stamp over at Whimsy, but then it retired. well now you will be able to get it as a digi! hooray! :)

if you are following the hop, then you will have arrived here from LYNDA's absolutely GORGEOUS blog. if at any point along the hop you ever get lost, just pop on over to The Digi Bells blog for the complete list.

for my card I've used papers from the Basic Grey Nook & Pantry collection, a fun sentiment by Create with TLC, apple from a Shape EZ card template file, and leaf dies by Prima. main die is from Spellbinders. little flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and seam binding (which I distressed with several shades of ink) is from Zipper Stop. vintage buttons, sequins, a tiny ribbon snippet, and some fun little dots with a marker around the border were added to complete the card.

now off you go to SEBRINA's lovely blog to see what wonderful goody she has created to inspire you! :) be sure to leave her a comment while you are there!

Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

Challenges:
Brown Sugar - anything goes
Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes
Stamping Boutique - apple season
Digital Delights by Louby Loo - anything goes
Crafty Ribbons - sweet treats with ribbon (seam binding, twine on button, and ribbon snippet on apple)
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed - anything goes
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Come and Get it - lots of layers
Anything Goes with TLC - anything goes with a TLC image

Merry Christmas Santa Tree Stocking Card

Top 3 Pick at Dream Valley

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Bread Pudding

It's time for the midway posting over at the Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra blog. I love to make holiday cards, that is for sure. :) so this gives me a chance to work on them all year long. have you made any yet this year?

I have been on a shaped card kick lately, as those of you who visit my blog frequently can tell. I decided to pull out my long forgotten SU! stocking die for this one. why don't I use this cute die more often? it is so much fun! :)

I also used the AKV Santa - tree image by Bugaboo to make more lighthearted card. I like to have a nice mix of fun as well as pretty cards in my collection so I am always sure to have just the  perfect card on hand for each person or family!

a few sequins, vintage button, ribbon, pom pom trim, mulberry poinsettia, and adorable little rusty bell are all the decoration this seemed to need. I added in a few hand drawn dots with a white gel pen and marker. simple, but festive! :)

hope you have a most wonderful day! thanks for stopping by!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Christmas at Sweet Stamping - Christmas die cuts
WAW - anything encouraging goes
A Snowflake's Promise - anything goes
Crimbo Crackers - shaped Christmas card
Cards and More - no designer paper
Glitter 'n Sparkle - add some metal (little rusty bell in top corner)
CRAFT - Christmas
DL Art - anything goes
Dream Valley - no squares allowed

Purple Wall Hanging for Word Art Wednesday

Coffee of the Day - Salted Caramel

Well, once again I am late getting my post up for the Word Art Wednesday challenge. so very sorry about that. I'm sure they are happy that my guest designer time is up with them. I've not been a very good guest since my last 2  posts were late on my blog. at least I had the projects finished on time. :)

for my final project I decided to make a wall hanging with the beautiful scripture that they provide. you can find it on their blog. I added a lovely piece of vintage art from Create with TLC and printed it all out on a piece of watercolor paper. I do apologize for the rubbish photo. it was hard to capture all of the shine from the sparkle of the paints with the glare from my lights. I am terrible at photo editing, as you can tell.

I used gelatos as well as ink refills to color the background. this was adhered to a chipboard piece that was painted with acrylic paints and distressed. various ribbon & trims were added, in addition to sequins plus a bit of rubber stamping. you know I had to add a vintage button! it's a gorgeous mother of pearl button, too.

I gave this to Tyler's girlfriend at the end of summer so she could either have it in her room at home or take it with her to school. she ended up hanging it in her new apartment at school.

I do apologize for not being around. still fighting the migraines and seizures. I really hope they go away soon so I can get back to crafting. I have another post to share in the next few days with all of you. thank you for your patience! :)

love to all of you and enjoy your week!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Fairy Tale Ch - make a decoration
Creative Moments - Anything Goes w/wedding or anniversary twist
Sunny Day - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Kraftin' Kimmie Wonderful Wed - anything goes
Craft-Dee Bow-Z - anything goes with a handmade bow
Craft Your Passion - anything goes
Ooh La La - girly
Ecletic Ellapu - gifts (wall hanging I gave to my son's girlfriend)
Creative Fingers - anything goes
ATG with TLC - anything goes with a Create with TLC digi

Snow Friends at the Window

Top Pick at Emerald Faeries

Coffee of the Day - Irish Creme

as we battle warm summer temps, it's nice to have cool thoughts of Christmas in July! today begins a fun week long celebration over at the Bugaboo challenge and inspiration blog, with each day having a new theme to jump start your holiday card making. you will also find that the entire store is on sale through the end of the month! :)

today's theme is 'Some of My Best Friends are Flakes - use SnowMen or SnowFlakes.' I'm using the 'Snow Friends Window' image on my card along with papers from the My Mind's Eye Winter Wonderland collection.

seam binding is from Zipper Stop, snow flake dies are from Sizzix, main image & matting die is by Spellbinders, buttons are from my vintage stash, and glitter rose is from Michael's. touches of stickles were added to snow of main image. stitching stamp is by Gina K and 'joy' sentiment was generated on a label maker. a few sequins were added for some final sparkle.

I won't be participating every day since I'm still not doing very well, but will play along in several of the challenges.

thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you have a good weekend! :)

Challenges:
Creative Corner - anything goes
Cut it Up - anything goes with die cuts (Sizzix and Spellbinders)
Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes
Crimbo Crackers - anything Christmas goes
Holly Jolly Christmas Ch - add a ribbon
Crafty Boots - Christmas
Robyn's Fetish - Christmas in July
Emerald Faeries - winter blues
Sparkles Christmas - snowflakes
12 Months of Christmas - anything Christmas goes with optional blooms theme

Thanks a Latte Cup Stack

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Cupcake

Hooray, it's Saturday! the weekend is upon us! :) hope you have all kinds of relaxing, good for the soul kinds of things planned to do today.

this is the first of two posts, so be sure to check back in just a little bit for my Digi Bells Challenge post. :)

There is a new challenge over on the Bugaboo challenge and inspiration blog. it's all about the beautiful colors found in the photo.

I'm still on a coffee kick, well, I guess to be more accurate, when am I not?! but I truly need quite a few thank you cards, so it's fun to combine the two. :)

I'm using the cute digi set, 'Coffee Time - Thanks a Latte' on my card. I created the background by inking the inside of a padded envelope that I received and stamping that directly onto my card base. normally I recycle all of my padded envelopes, but some just can't be used again for mailing. those I save for stamping. :) I then sprayed a beautiful shade of aqua glimmer mist over the top for some pretty shine.

cup dies are by Tim Holtz, main die is by Spellbinders, sentiment & banner punches are by SU!, and sequins are from Lawn Fawn. twine is from Target, I think. pretty little flower is from Wild Orchid Crafts. foam on latte is created with liquid applique. accents on main image were highlighted with shimmerz paint. little flourishes are actually saved from the die I will be showing you in today's later post. :)

see you in just a bit! :)

Challenges:
Alphabet Ch - 'I' is for ink it up
Polkadoodles - use a die cut
Scribbles Designs - sip and savor
Southern Girls - anything goes
Inspiration Destination - anything goes
Crop Stop linky party - anything goes with a product they carry (Tim Holtz)
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Simon Says Stamp Wed Ch - add some shimmer (glimmer mist, sequins, & shimmerz paint)

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

Find Your Wings Butterfly

My 2nd post for the day, with one more to follow. I told you it was going to be busy here! :)

We have a new challenge over at Aud Sentiments and it's a fun one! there is a bingo board for you to use, and our sponsor is none other than the very talented Art by Miran.

I have used the beautiful Maria Mariposa on my card along with a pretty butterfly template from Shape EZ.

papers are from the Basic Grey Urban Prairie collection, sentiment is by Create with TLC, flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, black seam binding & pink burlap string are from RRR, and button is from my vintage stash. sequins are by Lawn Fawn. lovely butterfly die is from Cat's Pajamas, and sentiment is punched with an EK Success tag punch. her wings are accented with a wink of stella glitter pen.

Bingo: ribbon, paper punch, 2 patterned papers and die cut, flowers, 2 patterned papers

don't forget to stop back for my last post of the day! and be sure to play along in the bingo challenge, too! :)

Challenges:
Outlawz Paper a la Mode - National Butterfly Day
Jade's Sparkling Butterflies - anything goes/use die cuts and punches
Creative Knockouts - Spring is on the Way
Star Stampz - think Spring
Inspiration Destination - anything goes

A Leprechaun's Pot of Gold

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Macadamia Nut

Sharing another St. Patrick's Day card with all of you, this one with an image from Aurora Wings. He is the 'Whimsical Leprechaun with Shamrock' and always makes me smile. :)

I added a felt shamrock from Michael's that was inked a bit to help tone down the brightness of the green, once again the paper is from the Authentique Charmed collection, both ribbons are the lime juice grosgrain from RRR with the bow being tied with the olive burlap string. a few sequins complete the card. little touches with distress stickles, a white gel pen, and the wink of stella glitter pen to the main image.

Tomorrow is a BIG day for posts on my blog, so be sure to stop back by! see you then! :)

Challenges:
Cr8tive Hands Friends - anything goes
City Crafter - make it green
Going Grey with Scrap Creations - go green
Outlawz Color Ch - color challenge plus twist (green, orange, & black plus felt)
Aurora Wings - fave season (I actually like all but summer. spring is wonderful with things blooming and turning GREEN again. grins!)
Dragonfly Journeys - go green
Choux Choux Paper Art - St. Patrick's Day linky party

Paper Sweeties Guest Designer!

Hello everyone!
I have the honor of being a Guest Designer over on the Paper Sweeties blog this month! what a privilege this is for me, especially if you have ever been to their blog and seen the absolutely GORGEOUS projects their team creates time after time!!!!

The new challenge inspiration photo is this gorgeous one....

isn't it fabulous? so many things to choose from for your project!

you will see the various elements I pulled from the photo in my card. I began with the wonderful Happy Wishes stamp set, embossing it to create the chalkboard effect. turning the image on its side adds a nice twist! a white colored pencil was used to draw in the extra lines and white craft ink for more shading.

paper for the card base is from the Authentique Legacy collection. just LOVE this paper! :) a bit of copper striped vellum tops the banner and is wrapped in lovely Robin Egg baker's twine. do you see the little smidgen of a doily peeking there at the top of the banner? every coffee cup needs a doily! ;)

flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, lovely shabby bark heart (which mimics the wooden frame) comes from Live & Love Crafts, and coffee cup was die cut from aqua felt with a Simon Says Stamp die.

now you have to take a look at those precious little floral sequins. they are absolutely precious irl! these are from the Cupcake collection. it was SO hard to choose just one pack! Paper Sweeties has so many adorable colors of these lovelies! :) you will be seeing these sequins on many upcoming projects!

the highlight of the entire card is that wonderful seam binding though. what makes this ribbon stand out is that Debbie, the owner, lovingly tea stains every batch by hand. I used the Robin Egg and Oatmeal.

Check out the Paper Sweeties Facebook page for more updates and fun.
thanks so much for stopping by today! and thanks again to the lovely folks at Paper Sweeties for having me! :) I hope you are inspired to join the challenge.

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wed - anything goes
Artistic Inspirations - anything goes
Stamping Sensations - anything goes with a stamp (Paper Sweeties)
Petal Lu - anything goes
Sisters of Craft - anything goes
Frilly and Funkie - layer it up

Have a Merry Fairy Christmas!

It's time for a new challenge over at Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra. Our theme is always anything Christmas goes! There is a chance to win a great prize from our sponsor, Bugaboo Digis. I sure hop you will play along. :)

For my card this month, I used the lovely 'Fairy Christmas' image. isn't she just so sweet?

papers are from Basic Grey, gorgeous dies are by Spellbinders. all flowers and holly leaves are from Wild Orchid Crafts. the pretty ombre red satin ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, as is the lace trim. sequins, vintage buttons, and a doily complete the card. the main image is decorated with shimmerz paint, stickles, and touches of a spica clear glitter pen.

I'll see you back here tomorrow with several more fun posts! :)

Challenges:
Christmas Card Ch - anything Christmas goes
Crimbo Crackers - die cuts and Christmas
Little Miss Muffett - anything goes
Fab 'n Funky - Christmas
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes

A Sweet Bunny Bug Fairy

Coffee of the Day - Maple Fudge

So it's Monday. yep. just gonna leave it there. hope this sweet little bunny bug fairy
 brings a bit of sunshine to your day and makes you smile!

The image is called 'Bunny Bug #314' and is making her debut in Sandra Caldwell's Etsy store.

believe it or not the base paper is the stripe from the Basic Grey Aurora collection. it was topped with a beautiful piece of floral vellum from the paper store I go to several times a year called Hollo's. I love the way the stripes peek out beneath the roses. :)

the lilac seam binding is from Really Reasonable Ribbon. the gorgeous satin and crochet trim is as well, but came in one of the fun variety pack assortments. I try to grab one of these every time I place an order. it's always neat to see what goodies I'll get in the pack, plus it's fun to try new ribbons I might not purchase in full sizes. and who can beat $1 for 10 yards of ribbons?! I mean look at that wonderful piece?!?!

if you hurry you might still be able to get some of these lovely Wild Orchid Crafts English Roses from Bonnie. they have flown out of her store! isn't it gorgeous? she has more on order, so keep your eyes open for more to soon be in stock.

I added some sparkly touches to the bunny with shimmerz paint and a clear spica glitter pen. some precious little floral sequins from Paper Sweeties accent the card. fun matting die is by Spellbinders.

thanks for stopping by! lots to come tomorrow, so please hop back over! :)

Challenges:
613 Avenue Create - anything goes with optional arsenic and old lace
Glitter 'n Sparkle - things with wings
Crafty Friends - floral
Suzy Bee's - anything goes with a fantasy twist
Outlawz Fri - Tell a Fairy Tale
Wags 'n Whiskers - furry friends
CRAFT - Mother's Day/female

A Fun Little Shamrock Shaped Card

Coffee of the Day - Spiced Pecan

So how is your weekend going so far? is it sunshiney where you are? cold? warm? we have bits of snow on the ground, but not too much. it's been a fairly mild winter so far.

Today I am going to share with you a card I made using the freebie image given out over at Sandra Caldwell's Facebook page as part 3 of the Facebook challenge. You can also find the image in her Etsy store here.

The shamrock card template comes from The Cutting Cafe. I will warn you now that it is small. I had to print the digi out super teeny tiny in order to get it to fit. but it sure is cute! :)

paper is from the Authentique Charmed collection. I intentionally offset the pale green piece. little doily is from Etsy and pale green rose is from Wild Orchid Crafts.  pretty ribbons can be found at Really Reasonable Ribbons. for a bonus, the light green grosgrain is even on sale right now! gotta love sale stuff. ;)

of course every St. Patrick's Day card needs it's spot of gold, so I added some fun sequins.
enjoy your day! I really appreciate you stopping by! see you tomorrow. :)

Challenges:
Choux Choux Paper Art - St. Patrick's Day or green
Come and Get It - monochrome
Great Impressions - Let's Celebrate (St. Patrick's Day)
Hiding in My Craft Room - any holiday (St. Patrick's Day)
Fussy and Fancy - shabby and fun bingo (cute image, ribbons or bows, shaped card, anything goes - sequins)
Creative Knockouts - go green
DL Art Thankful Thurs - frogs and/or green (do leapin' ladybugs count?! grins!)
Star Stampz - monochromatic

Follow Your Heart Sailor Pup

Coffee of the Day - Spiced Pecan

As we begin a new month, I am so excited to share with all of you the news that I have been asked to be a Guest Designer over at Sandra Caldwell Stamps' Facebook group for all of February! this is going to be so much fun!!!! if you aren't a member of the group yet, it's super easy to join. and everyone there is super nice and encouraging. there's also a neat progressive challenge going on that lasts for 2 months. do join us! :)

Every Monday, Sandra has been adding new images to her Etsy store. today she'll be adding this cutie I used on my card, 'Doggie Sailor, #254' in addition to several others. head on over to see what's new!

papers are from the Basic Grey Adrift collection. I hand cut the half circle for the sun, using my protractor as a guide. triangles were punched with a SU! punch.

the sentiment on the tag is a stamp is from My Favorite Things. main image die is Spellbinders and light house die is by Whimsy Stamps. flower is by Petaloo, sequins are from Lawn Fawn, and poppy red diamond satin ribbon & light blue burlap string are from Really Reasonable Ribbon. buttons are from my vintage stash. accent dots were made with a white gel pen.

I also added highlights to the main image with my wink of stella glitter pen & spica clear glitter pen.

thank you so very much for stopping by my blog today! :)

Challenges:
Creative Fingers - anything goes
Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes
The Stamping Boutique - punches (triangle & tag)/dies (light house & main image)
Kraftin' Kimmie Wonderful Wed - anything goes
Crafty Friends - animals or birds
Simon Says Stamp Mon Ch - ray of sunshine

Happy Valentine's Day, Deer! ;)

Coffee of the Day - French Vanilla

yes, why it HAS been ages since I last posted! I have still been doing a wee bit of crafty stuff, just haven't really had a way to get decent photos to upload to my blog. and y'all really don't want to know about my every day, hum drum life, so I save you the agony of those boring tidbits. that goes on Facebook! ha!

I am finding that I can get tolerable pix with the camera on my phone. if Dave is around, he actually takes pretty good ones since he doesn't have the 'shaky hands' problem I do.

so I will try to post some craft things a bit more often from here on out. :)
some will still be of sub-standard photo quality if I take them, so please be patient with me. thanks!

Today's card is going to one of my sons for Valentine's Day. I don't want to give away toooooo much info on the off chance he stops by. none of my family normally does, so I am not too worried. ;)

the deer image comes from A Day for Daisies. I needed it to be a buck rather than the fawn (which is how the image comes) so I could hang the heart sequins from the antlers. handy dandy antler die from Memory Box to the rescue! :)

papers are from the Basic Grey Persimmon collection, brown satin ribbon is May Arts, leaf sprig die is also Memory Box. buttons, heart doily, and ticket are from my stash. little heart stamp is from a MFT set that has been retired. (sorry)

Thanks so much for hanging in there with me.....it means a lot!

Challenges:
ADFD - Valentine
Add a Little Dazzle - Matters of the Heart (colors - I used the dark brown or anything goes)
Meonheadz - hearts/love
Crafts 4 Eternity - with love
Sweet Stampin' - add a heart
Simply Create Too - Valentine's Day or use hearts
Crafter's Cafe - hearts
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Cards Galore Encore - stamp or digi ( both)
Cuttin' and Stampin' - masculine
Eureka - All is Love
Kraft Journal - kraft cs plus pick 3: doily, hearts, top fold card (also have ribbon & twine)
Ooh La La - Love
Stamp and Create - All You Need is Love
Come and Get It - Love is in the Air
Great Impressions - love, love, love
Allsorts - Love is All Around
Natalie and Amy's - All About the Love

Merry Christmas and a Special Blog Hop!

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Merry Christmas, one and all! and God Bless Us, Everyone! :)

I pray for all of you, peace, good tidings, and blessings in abundance!

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today. grab a cup of yummy coffee while I tell  you about a most lovely lady by the name of Alyce that some of us are recognizing with a special little blog hop.

if you are following the trail left by Santa and his reindeer, then you should have come here by way of Jamie Peters. if you have a moment, please stop by our esteemed Santa, Mari, who worked hard to put all of this together and tell her thank you! :)

a full list of the hop can be found here, at Carol's blog. :)

if you don't know Alyce and her AMAZING class group called Kit and Clowder, then I suggest you head straight on over just as soon as you can! not only is she one of the nicest people you will ever meet on this big blue marble, but she is super dee duper talented with Copic markers. I haven't even started my classes full throttle yet, and I have learned so much from her. I could sit and watch her color for hours, if given the chance. she has a Facebook group that is such fun, filled with kind and encouraging people. as the new year begins, I am jumping in with both feet to Copic markers, so be on the lookout! :)

we were encouraged to create either a regular Christmas card for Alyce or an ugly card. I chose to go the 'ugly sweater' route, using the adorable image from Saturated Canary, 'Ugly Christmas Sweater.'  papers are from the Basic Grey Nordic Holiday collection, flower is Petaloo, and mini flourish dies are Cheery Lynn. a paper straw tied with baker's twine and some sequins complete the card. I did add some sparkly touches with  stickles and a clear spica glitter gel pen.  her glasses are coated in crystal effects.

I think my card works for both the 'ugly' and 'ugly sweater' portion of the challenge, don't you?! ;)

your next stop on the hop is Carline Samedy. be sure to wish her a Merry Christmas when you get there! :)