Happy 1st Birthday, Lyra!

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Hazelnut Spice coffee

Hello to everyone!  :)

Please forgive my long absence. I have what is now being called 'long covid', having been sick since Christmas. thankfully the vaccinations and booster shots prevented me from being hospitalized or being any worse than it has been, but oh my goodness, I am so ready to be over this. ugh.  

anyhow, on to crafty stuff! :)

our first grand-daughter celebrated her one year birthday last weekend. oh my heart! she is such a delight! because we live so far away, plus with me being sick, we weren't able to go to her celebration, but we did have a fun video chat after her big party. she doesn't just walk, she RUNS everywhere! :D  

because I haven't been feeling well, my inking and coloring skills are at a minimum right now. along to the rescue came Lily of the Valley pre-colored digital images! they are called Simply Prints in the Etsy store. so many adorable designs to choose from. (P.S. they currently have a BIG sale, so now would be an excellent time to add some of these cuties to your stash!)

for this card, I used the Birthday Fairy simply print paired with some of the pretty designer paper from the Backing paper collection.  I also added a pastel pink gingham paper, I think from either Carta Bella or Echo Park. it was a piece in my stash that no longer had the markings.  .A Wink of Stella glitter pen was brushed over the fairy wings, wand, antennae, and package bow. gotta have some sparkle! :) The image was cut with a Spellbinders die, pale pink seam binding and bright pink floral trim are topped with a flower from Wild Orchid Crafts. a small pink ticket butterfly & cupcake ephemera, and vintage buttons complete the card. 

I am trying to finish Easter cards so they can be mailed out tomorrow. I'll be back next week to show you those.

I truly hope all of you are well. I have missed sharing with you on my blog, but really am going to do better posting. I plan to start work on a baby journal for our newest grand-daughter, due the end of August! :)  I'll share the process of creating that, as I take a VERY long time to make a junk journal. 

much love to each of you! 

Jennifer 

Enjoy Every Moment Mice

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

It has been YEARS since I took out my poor little mousies, my House Mouse stamps I mean. I was leaving comments on some blogs I follow when I came across a fellow blogger who was playing in the current House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge. it reminded me of the days when I use to play with my  mousey stamps all the time! not only do I have a bucket load of these cuties, but a friend I knew at the time let me play with a bunch of hers, too.

so up into the attic in the barn I went to track down my stamps. yes, it's a sad day when the mice are left in the barn.....and out came this cutey patootie stamp. it's called 'Walking in the Rain', but I am having a doozie of a time trying to track down anything on the House Mouse store site to try to link it. so very sorry.

the card is larger than the average bear to accommodate the large stamp. thank goodness I still buy 12x12 cs! grins!

papers are from the Basic Grey Fresh Cut collection, flowers are a combo of Wild Orchid Crafts, Petaloo, & Prima, buttons are from my vintage collection, gorgey ribbon is SU!, and tickets & doily are from my stash once again. used my label maker to create the remainder of the sentiment. the little banner is part of the Basic Grey collection, too.

raindrops were highlighted with my clear spica glitter gel pen, and tiny accents were added to some of the flower centers with a white gel pen.

boy howdy, I forgot how detailed these stamps are to color and tough to get a nice, clear stamped impression, too. I've been playing with digis so long, it's kinda nice to be using an actual big stamp again. :)

enjoy your weekend! it's Maple Festival here, which of course means lousy weather. we've had snow for several days, but now it's just cold. good to keep the sap running though.

don't forget to enter my blog candy while you are here. :)

Challenges:
House Mouse and Friends Mon Ch - April Showers
Sweet Sketch Wed - sketch
Pile it On - April Showers bring May Flowers
Craft for the Craic - die-ing for Spring or Easter (Spellbinders die)
Crafts 4 Eternity - anything goes
The Crafter's Cafe - ribbon or lace
Time Out Ch - 'You Can't Make a Rainbow Without a Little Rain' (I went with the rain portion of the theme)
Gruffies & Guests - patchwork with anything goes option
My Time to Craft - spring flowers
Lia Stampz - use ribbon
Art by Miran - anything goes
Dragon's Lair - add an animal
Art Impressions - April Showers bring May Flowers
Dream it Up - showers of showers
Throwback Thurs - any stamp older than 1 year (oh yeah, this poor guy has been in my barn longer than that!)
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Cuttin' and Stampin' - cute critters
Digi Sketch Ch - not sure if the theme is furry friends or flowers because both are mentioned, but thankfully my card covers both. ;)
Stamp and Create - anything goes
Sentimental Sundays - Animal Love
Whimsy - color an image