Junk Journal July Day 23 - Maximalism

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Peach Ginger green tea

I have another project for the Junk Journal July challenge. for more information, please see this post.

today's prompt is 'maximalism'. I wasn't sure what to do for this one, but as the layout came together, it seemed perfect. isn't it wonderful when that happens? I think this might be my favorite project for this challenge so far.

you can never go wrong combining anything Tim Holtz with vintage.  I used his fabric to create a ruffle added to the side of the page on the right and the same fabric to tie the two tags in the pockets. the cardstock for the pocket element on the left page is also from Tim Hotz. the pockets are filled with some fun vintage cards and decorated with vintage ephemera. the little pocket flip on the top of the right side is made from a piece of manila paper. I like the different texture this paper adds. 

this layout is in Ryan and Elizabeth's Family Fun journal.  Ryan spent many years playing baseball when he was growing up, so it definitely needed a spot in his journal. :)

thank you so much for visiting my blog today! have a good one!

Jennifer 

Junk Journal July Day 15 - Texture

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Turmeric citrus green tea

I have another project for Junk Journal July to share with all of you today. for more information about the challenge, please see this post.

Today's prompt is 'texture'. boy howdy, is this ever one of my favorites!  :) so I pretty much went all out for it.

I started with a brown paper bag, cut it to size, and then embossed with a Tim Holtz folder.  I stitched around the edges and at the bottom to seal. to this I added patterned papers and some coffee dyed tissue paper. some little leftover thread snippets were stapled to the corner of the bag. a patent drawing for a bicycle creates the focal point. some of the tissue paper covers the lower corner of the image, which helps it to blend. 

the tag was super fun to make.   I had washed a rug in Ryan and Elizabeth's room the day before. unfortunately it just shed these little pieces of fabric inside both the washer and dryer. not one to let anything go to waste, I sewed them to the top of the tag. isn't it such a cool look? the base paper was crinkled and inked to add more of a textured look. a tricycle image and chunk hemp rope finish the tag.

I hope you are inspired to use some of those fun little bits and bobs you come across on your craft projects. Have an amazing day!!

Jennifer

Junk Journal July Day 13 - Mirrored

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Lavender Mint tea

Hello and welcome back to another day of Junk Journal July! for more information about the challenge, visit this post.

today's prompt is 'mirrored,' and it really had me stumped. that is until I came across a vintage image of 2 scallop shells mirroring each other. inspiration! :)

so I took this wonderful scallop seashell image from The Graphics Fairy, printed it twice, and had the 2 shells mirror one another. easy peasy! 

the tag is fairly simple - some beautiful paper by Mintay Papers, a bit more of the onion bag netting I have used on a previous project, simple stamping, a vintage button (because of course!), and finished with seam binding. I used the new Tim Holtz Uncharted Mariner distress ink. oh my goodness, that color is FABULOUS! absolutely perfect for any pieces made to add to Tyler and Danielle's nautical journal.

I appreciate you stopping by today! I hope you have a good one. :)

Jennifer

Junk Journal July Day 12 - Dyed

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Caramel Nut coffee

it's another project for Junk Journal July!

for more information about the challenge, please visit this post.

knowing my love for all things coffee, it was easy to choose a dying method for today's prompt of 'dyed'. 

front of tag

I have re-purposed a cardboard insert that came with some fabric quarters I had purchased. the cardboard was covered with coffee dyed pink copy paper on the front and coffee dyed pink ledger paper on the back. to this I added a floral image from The Graphics Fairy, adorable little coffee dyed fairies from Crafty Cat, coffee dyed tissue paper, and coffee dyed paper towel. whew....that's a lot of coffee dying! I even coffee dyed the fabric for the topper before sewing it into a ruffle.

back of tag

fabric tape, a vintage button, and a dried, pressed flower and leaf were added. using a paint brush, I lightly covered the flower and leaf with Mod Podge to seal. the cut out elements appeared a bit too stark with their white borders, so I took a make-up brush and sponged ink around the edges to soften. I really like how they blend into the papers. 

thank you very much for stopping by today! I hope you have been inspired by this challenge to try some new ideas in your crafting. :)

Jennifer 

Junk Journal July Day 11 - Fussy Cutting

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Spiced Hazelnut coffee 

Welcome back to another project for Junk Journal July. for more information about the challenge, see this post.

front of card

Today's prompt is 'fussy cutting.' oh my gosh, is this ever my nemesis. I love the look of fussy cut ephemera, but good golly is it ever hard for me to do. my tremors make it difficult to hold onto any paper to cut. I also can't do it for very long or else it triggers seizures. that is why if you ever see fussy cutting on something I have made, you know that it is a special project for a special person. ;)

back of card

I created a journaling card to add to Tyler and Danielle's nautical journal.  I have used a junk mail postcard covered in coffee dyed paper. other papers are from Fancy Pants and Mintay Papers. fussy cut pieces are from Ronda Winstead, Mintay Papers, and 49 & Market.

I added some netting from an onion bag as well as a blue ticket. I kept the back a bit more simple to allow room for a photo or writing. some white paint was spattered across the card front. 

thank you for stopping by today! 

Junk Journal July Day 10 - Time Out

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Peach Turmeric Citrus tea

Welcome back to my projects for Junk Journal July! we are a third of the way through. it's going fast, but I am having a great time. I hope you are as well. :)

for more information about Junk Journal July, please see this post.

Today's prompt is 'time out.' I decided to use a time card for a journaling tag and then stamped the phrase 'vacation time'. A suitcase cut from a Tim Holtz die decorates the bottom of the tag. a clock sticker was added to the actual page. I found a retro vacation type illustration online and have used that as a belly band. a star sticker and fabric ruffle complete the rag. I thought possible vacation destinations could be added to the back.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! :)

Junk Journal July Day 7 - Bouquet

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Caramel Vanilla Hazelnut coffee

Hello and welcome back to another project for Junk Journal July! let me know in the comments if you are playing along. :)

for more information about the challenge, please visit this post.

Today's prompt is 'bouquet.' I may have stretched the theme a bit. there ARE flowers though. :D

I have created a tag using a junk mail postcard covered in coffee dyed paper as the base. I make up quite a few of these at a time so that I have them on hand. this is for Tyler and Danielle's baby journal.

papers are from Mintay Papers Joy of Life collection. I fussy cut pieces from the elements page and added a little fairy baby in a nest image. since their nursery is in a woodland animals theme, I am convinced that creatures from the fae world are in the forest, too. :) some dried flower pieces were added in addition to a bit of doily, ticket, and vintage button.  the word 'baby' is a die cut. my colors are a bit off, but it was cut from a piece of pastel pink cs.

I should also mention something regarding the quality of my photos. they are not the best, I know. with my tremors it is very difficult for me to take photos of decent quality. I shake so much that it is a challenge to take a picture that isn't blurry. my time on the computer is limited because of my seizures, so I can't always work on editing for as long as is needed. the basics are about all I can accomplish. I appreciate your understanding.

See you tomorrow! have a most amazing day!

Jennifer

Junk Journal July Day 3 - Layered Tag

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Caramel Vanilla coffee

Welcome back to another Junk Journal July post. I hope that some of you are participating or getting new ides for your  journals and other craft projects.

More information about Junk Journal July can be found on this post.

 Today's prompt is 'Layered Tag'. I created a tag for the nautical journal I am updating for Tyler and Danielle. the base is a paint sample card. lots of layers here, even though they are not all apparent at first glance. there are snippets of coffee dyed copy paper, tissue paper, and paper towel layered with some neutral scrapbook papers.  the ship digital is from Gecko Galz and part of their stamp challenge for the month. their challenge is to color the image, but I instead chose to print it directly on this gorgeous paper from Asuka Studios. I tore around the edges to add a bit of grunge and shabbiness. 

some netting from an onion bag was adhered behind the ship and to the tag with staples. vintage buttons and striped ribbon finish the tag. I thought it was neat that one of the paint colors on this card is called Shimmering Sea. :)

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! 

Jennifer 

Challenges:

Gecko Galz - wanderlust

Junk Journal July Day 1 - Begin

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Spiced Hazelnut coffee

Hello! 

Sorry I have been away for a bit. life got crazy, as happens to all of us from time to time. I have been sick, kids and grandkids have been sick, you know the fun stuff that keeps life interesting. ;)

anyhow, today is the start of Junk Journal July, a challenge event started by Meg's Junk Journals. I am not on most social media, so the link is for her YouTube channel. there you can find more information about her and her other social media links.  Here is the link to subscribe to her newsletter.

Today's prompt is 'begin'. This is perfect since one of the journals I am working on is the Family Fun journal I gave Ryan and Elizabeth for Christmas a few years ago. I am re-doing the journals that I gave to everyone that year. not only was I unable to include all of the signatures, but the spines were too small. it's been bugging me since then, so I asked for the journals back so that I could fix them. I love how crafting, or anything really, is a process in which we learn from our mistakes, understanding that each of us has a beginning. :)

'Begin' to me, in the context of this journal, brought to mind the start of a game - picking your game piece, learning the rules, etc. So I made a tag using the game board image from Carta Bella's Family Night collection. I have this in both the printed and digital forms. the checkerboard paper (digital) is from the same collection, as is the game piece sticker (sticker sheet). I can't remember if the little sentiment piece is from this collection or Simple Stories Family Fun collection, as I am using both. I have all of my cut out pieces in one container, so didn't get them labeled as to which collection each item is from. (I tend to lump like items together so they are easier for me to use. ) the game instructions are vintage ephemera. I like combining the old and the new. :)

I don't know that I will get to upload a project every day of the challenge, but I will do my best. I hope some of you play along! there are some fun prompts that are helping me think outside of my comfort zone.

all of you have a wonderful weekend! :)

Jennifer

Sending Love and Hugs Two Cats Tag Card in Pink

Coffee/Tea of the Day - White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice coffee

Hello and Happy Friday! :)
I am here with an entry in the Cat Lover's Blog Hop. There have been very few moments in my life when I have not had at least one cat in my family. I was a cat lover long before ever having our precious pups in our lives. Our current feline king of castle is Moon Pie. he is a rescue kitty who completely rules the roost! he and Palmer are the bestest buddies. :) in fact, he is sitting on the computer desk beside me   as I am typing.... silly guy! :D

My project uses some of the paper that I made for the breast cancer ribbon awareness cards from this post. rather than use it for the bg, this time I die cut a tag from it. Prima doily and script stamps were used on the tag as well. I die cut another tag from kraft cs and stamped it with one of the sentiments from the retired SU! Ribbon of Courage stamp set. edges on both tags were distressed with ink.

The gorgeous vintage cat clip art is from The Graphics Fairy. they were fussy cut and popped up on foam tape.  flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, vintage buttons, doily, and pink crochet trim are from my stash, and pink ribbon tying together the tags is from Really Reasonable Ribbon. decorative papers, as with the cards from the other day, are by Echo Park and Kaisercraft. oh yes, distress stickles were added in various places for a touch of sparkle and vintage loveliness.

Thank you to everyone who has left such heartfelt, loving comments about my cancer battle. all of you are simply the best!!!!

enjoy your weekend! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
SUYP - Meowleween or furry anything goes (featuring a cat)
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Crafting with an Attitude - anything goes
Krafty Chicks - gift packaging, tags, or anything goes (2 tags on the card)
A Bit More Time to Craft - anything goes
Crafty Animals - anything goes w/an animal
Creations in Pink - anything goes in mainly pink
Daisy Chain - pink or Halloween
Papercraft Business Ch - tag, you're it
Creative Crafters - anything goes
Bastel-Traum - favorite animal
TTCRD - anything goes
QKR Stampede - anything goes
Brown Sugar - anything goes
My Time to Craft - Halloween or cats

Floral Pink Ribbon of Courage cards

Top Pick at Path of Positivity
Path of Positivity DT Favorite
Path of Positivity Most Inspiring
Coffee/Tea of the Day - Spiced Pumpkin Hazelnut coffee

Happy weekend to everyone! :)

As most of you know, I am currently battling the dreaded 'C' again. yeah, it pretty much stinks, as I feel lousy most of the time. as with any disease, there are good days and the not so good ones. the past few weeks have been rough, but I am really trying to get crafty time to help combat the doldrums that easily come with being sick for so long.

I created 2 cards for Breast Cancer Awareness month. they are almost identical, with only minor variations. imagine my shock as I was creating these to discover that I have NO pink 12x12 cs! none! what is up with that?! as much as I love pink in my crafting, I obviously rarely use it as a card base unless I am making something different than my standard 6x6 card. almost every card I make has a kraft cs base. guess I had better ask Santa for some pinky goodness in my stocking this year. ;)

the bg piece was created with distress inks stamped over distress oxide. I used the gorgeous Tim Holtz Glorious Bouquet as well as several Prima tiny bg stamps - script and doily. 2 shades of crackle paint were added sporadically and then topped with splatters of white Mr. Huey's spray. edges were distressed with ink.

the pretty awareness ribbon is from the SU! Ribbon of Courage stamp set. the sentiment is from the same set. the hearts in the ribbon were colored with SU! markers. I then used an aqua painter to mute the colors. after fussy cutting, I wrinkled the image to add a vintage feel.

beautiful flowers are from Michael's and altered with inks and Frantage embossing powder. bg papers are from the Kaisercraft Magenta and Echo Park Wedding Day collections. pink tags were stamped with a Prima bg script stamp. doily is from my stash and was distressed with ink. vintage buttons, lace, ribbons, and iridescent sequins are also stash items.

I want to add a little message here about the sentiment:
for anyone dealing with a terrible disease, courage is required on a daily basis, sometimes by the hour. but that also goes for the members of their family. there is courage needed to face the diagnosis and what it means for the changes that take place. courage is needed when dealing with medical appointments and procedures. courage is needed the most when trying to wrap your head about what the future means and not giving up hope. sometimes courage is needed when people who mean well say things without thinking of how it comes across. (no, my  multitude of sins did not cause my cancer, but I will smile and say thank you for trying to be encouraging.) courage is needed as the person diagnosed deals with the numerous changes that their body is going through, tasks that can no longer be easily accomplished, and the multitude of emotions that can, at times, be overwhelming. we might be a bit tattered, but we are not broken. and we will fight with all we have because that is what courage means - bravery in the face of adversity.

Thank you so much  for stopping by! I hope you enjoy your weekend! remember that you are truly loved! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
SSS Mon. - All Things Pink
Alphabet Ch - 'O' is for one word sentiment
Creative Fingers - anything goes
Craft Rocket - pink
Southern Girls - anything goes
Unicorn Ch - pretty in pink
Creations in Pink - anything goes in mainly pink
Creative Craft Cottage - make it pink
Digi Doodle Studios - black and/or pink
Path of Positivity - courage

Missing You - Honoring the Hundreds of Native American Women who go Missing Every Year & Blog Candy

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Salted Caramel

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the Women's March. I was privileged to join with over a million of my sisters and brothers in solidarity for so very many important causes in Washington DC at that first march two years ago. I would love to be able to march again this year, but my health prevents me. as of a few days ago, I really wanted to, but it's hard enough for me to get up and down my stairs right now, much less walk a few miles.

Yesterday was the very first march of Indigenous People in DC. oh, how I wanted to be there for that, too. so many things trouble our native people right now - their sacred lands are being destroyed by oil & gas pipelines, their beautiful women disappear at alarming rates, basic health care and housing is lacking, and yet they are some of the most peaceful, kind, loving people I have ever had the honor to meet. I have learned so much from the time I have spent in their presence. to say my life has changed would be an understatement.

so when I attended the very first Women's March, I carried a sign on behalf of our Native People. (I actually have the water vessel from that poster tattooed on my arm now!)  I planned to do the same today. But since I couldn't attend the march, I thought to make a card honoring the women who disappear each year.  it's a very serious problem here in the US and in Canada. a new bill has been put through Congress called "Savanna's Act," which honors a young woman brutally murdered about a year and a half ago. David and I met her family at the Standing Rock healing ceremony just after she was murdered.

I embossed a panel of watercolor paper with the bg stamp from the Dare 2B Artzy set "Feathers." using WOW Perissa powder. the same bg stamp was stamped directly onto the card base and embossed with WOW Primary Goose powder. the feathers were stamped onto both watercolor paper and recycled cs and embossed using the WOW Perissa powder. feathers were then fussy cut and watercolored with various shades of SU! ink. I wanted to give everything the look of ombre, but also feminine and a sunrise over the prairie.

flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts, pretty little crystals are by Prima, ribbons & trims are from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and ticket & vintage button are from my stash. "Miss You" sentiment was stamped with an alphabet set. tag was cut from the same recycled cs as the feather. a real feather was added to the bundle. (it's a found treasure! no birds were harmed in collecting it!)

I now have the blog candy ready for all of you who follow my little blog. :)

the candy will run through Sunday, January 27. I will announce the winner here on Monday, January 28. this will allow enough time to mail the candy to the winner before Valentine's Day.

*please leave a comment asking to be entered. . this is open to followers from all around the world! :)

some of the items included in the prize:

• House Mouse 'Shower of Love' stamp
• Unity Itty Bitty 'You Melt My Heart' stamp
• Treasured Times 'Baby Doll in the Garden' stamp
• SSS 'Hot Mama' dye ink
• assortment of Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbons
• flower shaped eyelets
• My Mind's Eye chipboard tags
• Crate Paper hearts & lips puff stickers
• Doodlebug Designs tiny hearts stickers
• adhesive mini pearls
• Valentine themed sequin mix
• more little goodies, some not pictured here :)

the blog candy is for anyone who is a follower or would like to follow my blog. if you follow by email or some other method, please be sure to let me know in the comments. I am offering this as a way to say thank you for those of you who offered your kindness while I was not around due to my illness. it really does mean a lot! :)

even though I only have one physical prize to give away, those of you who have been involved in my blog candy giveaways in the past know that I often will surprise a few of those entered with gift certificates to digital stamp companies. so be sure and get your name in the drawing! :)

Thank you for reading about a cause and people that are so very dear to my heart! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! :)

Challenges:
Crafting With Friends - anything goes
Simply Create Too - anything goes
Crafting With an Attitude - anything goes
Just Add Ink - something new (Prima crystal dots)
Crafty Creations - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes

America, Wild & Free

Winner at Eclectic Ellapu
Coffee/Tea of the Day - Cranberry Mango tea

Happy 4th of the July to all of you who live here in the USA! :) to my friends from other parts of the world, hello to you and happy Wednesday! :)

Even though it's just Moon Pie the cat and I here at my house today, spending the day with Netflix and books, I hope that those of you who have the day off are enjoying the holiday and celebrate safely with your loved ones.

I made today's card for all of the staff out at Camp. Dave took it with him as he and Palmer left this morning. this week is Family Camp, with some of those attending having once been staff members themselves and now back married with their children.  some of the family members have been coming to Family Camp for more than 15 years! isn't that so cool?

The flag image is from Paulette at Create with TLC.  you might remember it from the card I made for Memorial Day. I had printed out 2 copies and thought it would be perfect for a card for today, too. our nation's flag never fails to inspire a sense of pride in me, no matter how I feel about things going on around the country. I believe that we CAN come together and be better if we unite in love. :)

The paper and neat added elements are from a free kit I picked up at Raspberry Road Designs. The kit is called "American Freedom." There is currently a store wide sale going on with everything 50% off.  but there are LOTS of free goodies over there to check out, too. this was my first time to print out any of the things I had bought, and they printed quite nicely. that is always a good sign!

behind the flag image is a piece of paper packing that I stamped with a SU! cheesecloth bg stamp then crumpled before adhering. the tag is stamped with a star stamp and then distressed. twine, rick rack, and Zipper Stop seam binding are tied through with an aged Wild Orchid Crafts rose bloom added. vintage buttons, a ticket, and re-purposed denim belt loop give more fun to the card. faux stitching borders finish the card.

Have a fabulous day no matter what you do! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Always Fun - patriotic
Simon Says Stamp Monday - red, white, and/or blue
Crafts Galore Encore - anything goes
DL Art - red, white, and blue
Eclectic Ellapu - red, white, and blue
Crafty Gals Corner - red, white, and blue

You are Amazing, for a sloth! :)

Coffee of the Day - Maple Fudge (it's Maple Festival weekend here in Chardon, Ohio! we are the Maple Syrup Capitol of Ohio! grins!)

It might be Spring everywhere else, but here in NE Ohio, it's cold and rainy, because it's the Maple Festival. :) it is almost always yucky weather for it, that is just tradition! the first two days had sunshine, but now it's our standard overcast, rain, and cold. some years we have had snow, but then again, we can have snow into May. that is NE Ohio for ya! but I love it here. :)

and I love the maple caramel corn and maple stirs and maple ice cream and maple flavored EVERYTHING!!!!! :)

anyhow, I am here to share with you the card I  made for the fun Tiddly Inks Springtime blog hop. be sure to head over to the Tiddly Inks blog to check out everyone's projects in the links. there will be so many amazing things to see, I am sure! :)

I have merged the oh, so adorable sloth's life image with the pretty quince floral image to make it look as if this cutey is hanging from a flower branch. I also flipped the sloth. I added a few of the extra flower images that come in the quince set. digis are so much fun to play with. :)

You might want to click on the card image to see any of the details in a larger photo. it will take you to a separate page when you do that. ;)

that fun little fella took me about an hour to paint all on his own. but I love the way he turned out. Mick's girlfriend, Lauren, loves sloths. so guess who is getting this card? yep. we are going to see them this weekend so I'll be delivering it tomorrow!

papers are from the Carta Bella Cowboy Country collection, sentiment is by Create with TLC, flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, buttons & lace trim are from my vintage stash, twine is by Webster's Pages, ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and beautiful die is by Spellbinders. everything else is stash stuff. :)  the sloth's little claws are covered in crystal effects to help them stand out a bit.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you know that YOU are amazing, too! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
CRAFT - add a charm
Tic Tac Toe - floral, metallic (charm), punch/die cut
Craftaholics R Us - charm
Creative Craft Cottage - include an animal
Bastel-traum - Mother's Day/flowers

Engagement Gift

Coffee of the Day - only drinking green juice right now. out of almond milk, which I need for my coffee. have a cup of Victorian Earl Grey tea brewing, which is a fabulous Earl Grey with lavender, rose hips, and rosemary.

That horrid migraine came back to rear its nasty head, so I've been in bed ever since we came back from Indiana. yuck. :(  But I did want to share with you how I wrapped the engagement gift for Ryan and Elizabeth.

Please excuse any typos.... the headache makes it hard for me to see. having to rely upon my typing skills from way back in the high school days. can't see the monitor very well as it's all a blur.

I had picked up some neat typeprint style wrapping paper at Michael's a while back, thinking it would be great for crafting. since we don't tend to give many wrapped gifts that aren't holiday based, this seemed to work out well for the engagement present.

Elizabeth really enjoys period type television shows such as Downton Abbey and Save the Midwife, so I knew that going with a pretty floral stamp would be perfect. I chose 'Strong and Beautiful' from Unity Stamps to stamp across the paper in various shades of her favorite colors - plum, sage, and lavender.  vintage lace was used for the bow.

I also stamped the flower in plum ink on a tag made from the same cs used in the card for her letter. (see previous post) it was stamped again in sage ink as a shadow effect. a doily portion was adhered in addition to some crochet trim and pretty little Wild Orchid Crafts blossoms & leaf. a cheesecloth bg stamp was used on the tag base and then the SU! ink squirty tool. Zipper Stop seam binding that was distressed was tied at the top and a re-purposed bit of plum twine anchors the tag to the lace bow.

and here is a photo of what was inside. We gave them a Lladro bride and groom figure. Dave and I had one on our wedding cake. I used to collect Lladro pieces. it seemed only fitting to give them one as they begin their happily ever after together. :)

Challenges:
Crafty Creations - anything goes
Creative Moments - anything goes w/optional spring theme
Inspiration Destination - #147 anything goes
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes

Feathers and Pearls Progressive Challenge

Coffee of the Day - Salted Caramel

Hello again! I bet you are surprised to see me back so soon. :) While I was in my craft room, I decided to get my card finished for the Simply Betty Facebook group's monthly progressive challenge. the deadline is in just a few days, so I'm cutting it close this month. nothing like losing time from computer crashes and illness....

The theme for our challenge is pearls and feathers. we were given this neat roaring 20's image to use.  isn't she pretty?

I decided to go with a bit of a retro feel with my card. I found some neat digital feather paper online that fit with the entire 1920's look. I wanted to paint her hair blue to show her independence and rebellious streak that was so prevalent in women of the era. :)

flowers and leaves are from Wild Orchid Crafts, ribbon & twine are from Really Reasonable Ribbon, crochet trim, vintage button, & tag are from my stash and little pearl accents are by Studio G. the little pearls on the image are painted with shimmerz.

thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a most amazing week! :)
Jennifer

Love and Joy Snowman Tag Card for Season's Greetings Challenge

I realize this is a late night posting for those of us here in the States, but over in the other hemisphere, it's early morning on Valentine's Day and the start of the very first challenge at the Season's Greetings Christmas blog! :)

The theme for our new challenge is "Anything Goes with an optional - Love" and of course any kind of Christmas project, too. it's a huge help to get started on those holiday cards and projects early, let me tell you! so I do hope you will join along! :)

for my card, I have used an assortment of stamps from the Unity Stamp Company: snowflakes from "Layers of Life Magical Bliss and Wonder," sentiment from "...a joyous season", and cutey little snowman from "One of a Kind Winter."

papers are from the Basic Grey 25th and Pine collection, snowflake die is by Sizzix, holly flourish die is by Cheery Lynn, buttons and holly sprig are vintage, and everything else came from my stash. little accents to the sentiment, tag, and card base were made with a gold spica pen. isn't the little straw a fun accent?!

thanks so much for stopping by! I do hope you will play along in the challenge with us! :)

Holiday Gift Ideas with GIU

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Welcome back for my second Growing in Unity (GIU) gal post. How's your holiday shopping going? have you finished? started? ;) my husband used to have a tradition of waiting until Christmas Eve to actually BEGIN his shopping! thankfully after 30 years of marriage, I can happily say that is no longer a tradition of his! grins! he likes to start in October or so like the most of us....

today I want to share with you a few somewhat 'quick' little ideas for gifts using Unity stamps. now bear in mind that quick for me might not be quick for you, I am a VERY slow crafter. I kinda like it that way, as it gives me plenty of time to think about the people I am making things for. once upon a time I could whip up a card in less than 10 minutes, but these days it takes me several hours just to paint my images. but it is sooooooooo relaxing! my cat, Moon Pie loves to come into my craft room with me, so it's really a special time. :)

now on to my gift ideas ~

first up is a tag I made to go on a candle that was sent to my Mother-in-law. if you have a Michael's craft store nearby, these jar candles are fabulous! every once in a while they go on sale 4/$10. otherwise I'll use my 40% off coupons on them. the fragrances are quite nice and even when I burn the candles all day long, they'll still last almost a week.

when my MIL came for a visit this spring, I hooked her on them, too. so I found one in a scent I knew she would like and added it along with some other goodies for her for Christmas.

the tag is made using the pretty "Peace Dove" image, stamped in versamark on one of the freebie tags that came along in the 'thank you' gift Unity sent in my last order. I then embossed it in copper ep, once that dried, I added some frantage powders and spritzes of a few shades of glimmer mist. touches of distressing to the tag's edges, a vintage holly sprig, and pretty ribbons turn this into a fabulous gift!

Next up are some cutey little gift bags that I also found at Michael's. These use a combination of stamp sets that might cause you to scratch your head at first, but they really look great together!

I stamped various snowflakes from the Layers of Life Magical Bliss and Wonder set in Prima chalk inks on the muslin bags as well as the little wooden tags my husband made. I then stamped the snowman from Susan Weckesser's "One of a Kind Winter" set using Staz-on. Tim Holtz distress markers were used to color it in, and the snow drops were made with a Viva Decor pearl pen.

several shades of glimmer mist was sprayed to add a bit of sparkly shine.  poinsettias are from Hobby Lobby. finally, the 'joy' is from a sentiment from the "Joy to Go" set.

Thank you so much for stopping by for a cuppa with me! be sure to leave a comment on any one of my GIU posts this week for a chance to win a Unity grab bag of stamps! :)

Jennifer

Challenges:
Crafty Boots - Winter Wonderland (gift bags)
Love to Scrap - anything goes
Melonheadz - time for Christmas
Marker Pop - winter (gift bags, colored with Tim Holtz distress markers)
Use Your Stuff - Merry Christmas ( buttons, ribbons, twine, and Viva Decor pearl pen are all from my older stash)
Simon Says Stamp Wed Ch - gift it

Christmas Mice are Stirring Tag

Top 3 at SLS Lines

Coffee of the Day - Pecan Toffee

Today's Christmas in July challenge on the Bugaboo challenge and inspiration blog is all about making holiday tags. there are some great prizes up for grabs as well as half off everything in the store through the end of the month! :)

For my tag I have used the cutie 'Scene It - Christmas Mice' image. I used a card template for the tree since my tag is rather large and edged it with Prima chalk ink. tag is sprayed with glimmer mist.

lots of little accents of distress stickles and spica clear glitter gel pen on the main image for added holiday sparkle. some of the same distress stickles was added to the poinsettia, too.

a tiny snippet scrap of 25th and Pine Basic Grey paper added to the upper corner along with a vintage button and Zipper Stop seam binding make this a fun tag for any Christmas gift! :)

I'll have one more holiday project for the Bugaboo excitement this week, so please check back. sorry I couldn't play along in all of the challenges. this being sick is no fun whatsoever.

Challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft - anything goes
Winter Wonderland - Let's See a Christmas Tree/make it cute
Star Stampz - celebration
Creative Fingers - anything goes
SLS Lines - anything but a card
Sisters of Craft - anything goes
Left of Center - animals