Baby Girl Nature Journal Cover

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Thyme mint tea

Winner at Outlawz main challenge

Hello! I'm back after spending almost a week in Maryland with one of my sons and his family for Mother's Day. so wonderful to be with them, playing with granddaughters and enjoying their company. unfortunately I had troubles with my car, but they were able to help me find an excellent repair shop in the town where my car broke down. I was able to stop at one of our favorite antique stores as I was driving back. picked up several vintage items to use in journals. that's always a plus! :)  

Today I am sharing with you the cover of one of the baby journals. I have used Graphic 45 papers for the cover, adding a vintage baby card and advertising, postage stamps, woodland ephemera, tickets, and pretty trim. the spine is covered in a thin weave burlap for durability and to go along with the nature theme.

Now that I am back home, I'll be getting back to crafting again. trying to do as much as I can before the chaos of summer begins. I'll be working every day at camp, so not a lot of time to craft. 

have an amazing day!

Jennifer

Challenges:

A Perfect Time to Craft - anything goes

Crafting From the Art - anything goes

Crafts Galore Encore - anything goes

Daisy Chain - layer it up

Love to Craft - anything goes

Craft Rocket - not square

Outlawz - anything but a card

Outlawz main challenge - linked to anything but a card challenge

Stormy Lighthouse ATC cards

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Cinnamon French Toast coffee

Hi there! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. :)

I'm sharing some ATC cards I made for the new monthly ATC challenge over at Gecko Galz. As I work on the two baby journals, I'm also redoing the nautical themed journal I made for Tyler and Danielle several years ago. yep, nothing like adding more crafting to my schedule! ha! so this month's sheet works well.

the card edges are distressed with scissors as well as ink. I cut apart the title of the page and used parts of it on the cards. because these will be going in a journal, I added graph paper to the backs for writing space and accented with some vintage sea/ocean ephemera I recently purchased on Etsy. burlap ribbon finishes each card.

thank you so much for stopping by, and I hope all of you have an amazing week! 

Challenges:

Gecko Galz ATC - use provided image

Tag Along (and ATC) - anything goes or add some pink

Creative Crafters - anything goes

ATC Around the World - anything goes

Fairy and Baby Accordion Tag

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Mango green tea

Hello!

Today's project is an accordion tag. This will fit into a pocket in the baby journal. I'm hoping to get my sewing machine out of the garage in the next week or two so I can start making pockets and the signatures for the journal.

The single fairy image is a freebie on the Gecko Galz blog. the image of 3 fairies is from the Gecko Galz Breath of Spring collage sheet. I used images from this same collage sheet on the altered envelope from last week.

papers are from Carta Bella and 49 & Market, in addition to some of my avocado dyed paper. vintage baby ephemera and clip art are also added. mulberry flowers and May Arts wrinkled ribbon, and hole reinforcement stickers finish the trifold tag.

I'll be back in a few days with more to share. I've been under the weather for a bit, so not getting as much crafting done as I would like.

thank you for stopping by! have an amazing day!

Jennifer

Challenges:

Gecko Galz - Fairy Lands

Boho Baby Journal Cover

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Mystery coffee (hubby made it this morning before leaving for an early breakfast meeting)

Hooray! another weekend is upon us!

as I work on several other projects, I thought I would share photos from journals I have previously made. I'll get pictures of more of the pages from the completed baby journals as I visit family over the next few months. 

This is the cover from our oldest granddaughter's journal. they had gone with a boho themed nursery, so I tried to incorporate that into the journal. 

the precious sleeping animal teepee image is surrounded by a painted chipboard frame, wooden heart, metal Tim Holtz arrow, mulberry flower, and real feathers. I am forever picking up feathers from the ground. I don't know the birds from which they come most of the time, but I do think they add a beautiful, natural touch to craft projects.

I try to incorporate as much actual vintage ephemera as I possibly can in the journals I make. that could be advertisements, book pages, sheet music, greeting cards, post cards, and of course beautiful vintage buttons. 

sharing what I have made in the past invigorates me to keep crafting. it's inspiring. do you feel the same way? do you ever go back and look at the things you have made?

I hope you have an amazing day, knowing that you are truly and deeply loved!

Jennifer 

Challenges:

Try it On Tuesday - make it feminine

613 Avenue Create - anything goes w/things with wings option (do feathers count?)

Little Red Wagon - include an animal (several sleeping critters at the tent)

As You Like It - favorite main color and why (PINK - as the mom of 3 boys, I really appreciate pink. it helped me maintain my femininity when surrounded by so much testosterone)

Creative Inspirations #36 - anything goes

Crafty Gals Corner - anything goes w/heart option (wooden heart)

Paper Funday - anything goes w/fur or feathers twist (both)

Outlawz - anything but a card

Vintage Romantic Valentine

Winner at Gecko Galz

Hello again!

The card I'm sharing this afternoon is the Valentine I sent to Tyler and his wife. (I'm so very blessed to have such amazing sons and daughters-in-law!)

The image is from Gecko Galz and was a freebie on their blog this month. I just love the vintage feel to it! Papers are from Carta Bella and Stamperia. the beautiful lace seemed the perfect addition, especially with the pink doily.. a pretty rose sticker is along the side. again, doing what I can to make nice, but flat, cards for easy mailing.

I hope you have an amazing weekend!

Jennifer

Challenges:

Gecko Galz - All You Need it Love

Junk Journal July Day 30 - Favorite Quote

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Vanilla Nut coffee

Only two projects left for Junk Journal July! it's been so much fun using the prompts to create things for various journals. I hope you have had fun, too! :)

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

Today's prompt is 'Favorite Quote.' while I have several quotes that I really love, none of them seemed to fit any of the journals I am working on. 

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park

you can see that it doesn't really work for a baby journal. tee hee! 

pocket on coffee dyed page

so I went for one of my absolute favorite quotes for babies: "Let her sleep for when she wakes she will move mountains." (this can obviously be changed to 'him') this is for Tyler and Danielle's baby journal. Echo Park has a baby girl collection that uses this saying several times - on journal cards, stickers, etc. perfect!

individual items for pockets

I created a pocket to hold ephemera.  the edges were sewn and dried flower stickers accent. there is a long tag in the back pocket and the front one holds the journal card with the saying as well as an antique postcard. it dates to 1919 and is from Belgium. so cool! the image on the tag is from a digital baby set by Gecko Galz. a ticket serves as the tab, and it's finished with a vintage button. (added after the bottom  photo was taken)

thank you so much for stopping by today! take comfort in knowing that you are deeply loved. :)

Jennifer

Junk Journal July Day 29 - Geometric

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Melted Marshmallow coffee

it's time for another day of Junk Journal July, and the prompt is 'Geometric'. for more information about the challenge, see this post.

My project for today is inspired by an amazing crafty creator I follow on YouTube - Margreth from Seven Plaza. it's because of her that I am playing along in the challenge. :) in this video, she made an ephemera wallet. on one page inside was this fun pocket element. I have the Tim Holtz die that cuts something similar, but I can't seem to find it. it's off on vacation with my tiny attacher stapler. ;) ugh. the downside of trying to create while having a craft room in boxes and disarray. someday I will finish organizing it....

anyhow, I used this great geometric paper from the Carta Bella Family Night collection. (here is a link to the digital format. I have used both digital and printed items in the journal for Ryan and Elizabeth.) Margreth's tutorial makes creating one of these pockets super simple. 

the pockets are filled with vintage cigarette and game cards as well as pieces from the Carta Bella collection and Simple Stories Family Fun collection. I know I have said it before, but I really am impressed that these collections work so well together. 

thank you so much for stopping by today! :)

Junk Journal July Day 26 - Memento

 Coffee of the Day - Bourbon Pecan coffee

Only a few days left of Junk Journal July. it's hard to believe that it is almost over. I have had such a good time creating! I hope you have been able to use several of the prompts in your own craft projects. :)

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

today's prompt is 'memento'.  I am sharing the cover for Ryan and Elizabeth's Family Fun journal. the finished journal ended up being so big that I had to separate the 5 different signatures and cover them individually. I am waiting on more fabric to arrive. we are also going to build a small open box type cabinet to hold all of the pieces. once it's completed I will share photos.

I used fabrics from Tim Holtz and vintage game cards & pieces. lots of sewing. Ryan's very favorite game is 'Life.' so it seemed appropriate to use a card from an old game. We all enjoy playing Wordle every day, so some Scrabble tiles were a close bit of ephemera. so while not exactly mementos, they are still poignant. the journal does have many old postcards and first day of issue envelopes, as well as movie tickets and comics. none of those projects seemed very exciting to post for this prompt, so I thought I would share the cover instead.

I hope you have a most fabulous day! thank you so much for stopping by! 

Junk Journal July Days 25, 27, and 28

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Lemon Lavender Mint tea

 It's time for another multi day project for Junk Journal July. for more information about the challenge, please see this post.

I am combining prompts from days 25, 27, and 28 - peaceful, stripped back, and stenciling.

I thought it only appropriate to make a project for Christmas in July in addition to the others.

I have started with a junk mail postcard covered in coffee dyed paper as the base. for the 'stripped back' prompt, I used paper tearing, leaving an exposed corner in the upper right hand corner that reveals stenciling. this was done with a Tim Holtz mini stencil. 

the beautiful postcard image is from The Graphics Fairy. when I think of 'peaceful', nature always comes to mind. the snowy portions were covered in stickles. a fabric ruffle, vintage milk cap, ribbon snippets, and vintage buttons were added.

my prayers are with all of you who are experiencing such extreme heat. please stay hydrated and take care. even though our 160 year old house does not have air conditioning, we are blessed that it stays fairly cool, even on the hottest days. 

thank you for stopping by today! have a good one! :)

Jennifer

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 16 - One Sided

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Melted Marshmallow coffee

It's another day of Junk Journal July. I hope some of you have been playing along, whether using the prompts for junk journals or other crafting.

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

The prompt for today is 'One-Sided.' I had no idea what to do for this challenge, so I instead used the word 'side' as my inspiration - the pocket I made is turned on it's side. yep, not a brilliant use of the prompt, but I really couldn't figure out what else to do. ;)

I took a cute bag from my stash and sewed it into a pocket piece. not too much to the project, but it is a nice element to the journal for Ryan and Elizabeth. an old Monopoly game property card is tucked into one of the pockets. I thought it was fun because they live in Indiana. :)  the back pocket, created when the bag was adhered to the page, contains a vintage bridge rule book. other elements are from the Carta Bella Family Night collection (link to the digital version) and Simple Stories Family Fun collection.

Have a wonderful day! thank you so much for stopping by my blog. :)

Jennifer

 

Junk Journal July Day 14 - Nature

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Spiced Hazelnut coffee

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

today's prompt is 'nature,' never a difficult project for me to make. ;)

I created a nature themed page for Ryan and Elizabeth's journal. the page next to this one has a heading of 'Parks and Rec'. I have added several pages like this through the journal so that they can make notes, lists, etc. based on the heading. our entire family are nature buffs. we love hiking, camping, visiting parks, kayaking, etc. 

the corner piece comes from a digital label set by Crafty Cat.  I added a pair of mushrooms, (I think these are also from a Crafty Cat digital) to a Prima journal card. tucked into the pocket are 2 vintage postcards from Indiana parks, which is where Ryan and Elizabeth live. I used a sticker from a set I found on Amazon that feature parks from around the USA, as well as a few fantastical ones, like the Endor Forest National Park one on the next page. lots of fun!

thank you for stopping by today. I hope you have been inspired to try some of these prompts in your own crafting. :)

Jennifer

Junk Journal July Day 8 - Wallpaper

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Highlander Grog coffee (rum and butterscotch flavor)

Hello again! back with another project for Junk Journal July. for more information about the challenge, go to this post.

front page, front of flip

today's prompt is 'wallpaper, ' and I have used actual wallpaper to create my project. it's been years since we last had this wallpaper hanging in our house. I think we bought it when we first moved in, more than 20 years ago. it's always been one of my favorites of all the wallpaper we put in the house. now I think the kitchen is the only room in the house that has any. 

front page, back of flip

the colors in my photos are all off for some weird reason. the background of the wallpaper is actually a lovely soft green. in the photos it shows up as a grey. some of the papers in the background appear blue when they are actually green. I have no idea what was going on with the camera on my phone, but I can't seem to edit to get the colors closer to real life. please bear with me...

back page, front of flip

I took a strip of wallpaper, folded it in half, sewed around the edges, and created an over the page flip piece. the poems are by Robert Louis Stevenson and come from a book I purchased on Amazon. it's terrible quality and poorly printed, so perfect to rip apart for crafting!! :) all of the other elements are by Graphic 45. the fold over piece sits on some coffee dyed paper. this is actually green, but looks blue in the photos. 

back page, back of flip

a few ribbons, a postage stamp, and vintage buttons were all it took to complete the project. it will be perfect in the baby journal! the journal uses almost all Graphic 45 papers. several of their collections were perfect for a woodland animal theme. of course I have also added some fairies, because we all know that they live in the forests, too. :)

thank you for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Jennifer

Junk Journal July Day 5 - Fold Out

 Coffee//Tea of the Day - Lemon Lavender Mint tea

It's another fun project share for Junk Journal July!

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

for today's prompt of 'fold out', I used an image from the free collage sheet offered by Gecko Galz for newsletter subscribers.  This provides the cover for the fold out journal ephemera, created with a sheet of coffee dyed copy paper. 

Tim Holtz rubber stamps and actual postage stamps decorate the various sections.  it's hard to post the photos of inside the fold out because they are so long. to see the details more clearly, just click on each photo. it will take you to another larger image. you can then navigate back here to the main post.

the last page, actually the back cover, has a little side pocket into which I have inserted a vintage train ticket. seems appropriate for a travel themed journal ephemera piece. Tim Holtz tiny metal clip keeps the piece together. I think it would be fun to jot down places to visit and then later check them off. :)

thank you so much for stopping by!

Jennifer

Challenges:

Gecko Galz - wanderlust

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

Easter Blessings

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Turmeric tea with ginger and orange

Sending Easter blessings to all of you who celebrate the holiday. He has risen! :) oh, what hope lies in those three words! I am often overwhelmed by the depth of God's love and faithfulness. He never once leaves us. what comfort!

I have several cards to share today. I had to keep them fairly simple because I wanted to mail them through regular first class. 

Main images are found for free at Create with TLC. vintage fussy cut images are from The Graphics Fairy. Papers are from 49 & Market and Asuka Studios. 

Simple embellishments. Organza ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon and little flowers are by Prima. Stamps are from Tim Holtz. inside of each card is decorated similar to the envelopes. 

 

This last card was made for a very special young lady. our youngest son, Ryan, and his wife, Elizabeth, have become foster parents to a 13 year old girl! she moved in this weekend. she is someone they knew from their church youth group. I wanted to send her a little something to say hello. :)

and lastly I ask for your prayers for our daughter-in-law, Lauren. she had a mini stroke several days ago. she is currently resting at home, with more tests to come in the upcoming week. We are so thankful that God kept her safe in the midst of all that happened. She is currently taking baby aspirin to help thin the blood. Our daughter-in-law, Danielle, who is pregnant, is also taking baby aspirin. She was told that mothers who have had covid, which they both have had, are at a higher risk of stroke. so lots of prayers and trusting in God's healing.

May you know how much you are treasured and loved! Happy Easter!

Jennifer

Ribbon and Fabric Banner for Bedroom

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Caramel Vanilla Hazelnut coffee

Hello and happy Monday to all of you! sorry I didn't get this photo posted when I promised. With out of town guests and then a quick trip to St. Louis to see everyone there, I lost track of time. I do apologize.

This was a fun banner to make! I used ribbons and trims from Really Reasonable Ribbon, fabric strips from an old flannel sheet, and denim from some worn out blue jeans. I really do like to repurpose, can you tell?! ;) some of the ribbons and tulle were from Tyler and Danielle's wedding, so they were perfect to include in the banner for their room. the colors in the room are artichoke green, burgundy, and mustard yellow. 

my husband made the sign using word art from Hobby Lobby and some old fencing boards. he has made several signs like this for all around our house. one of his favorite things to do is take old windows and doors and turn them into neat wall hangings. we also have an old screen door as a trellis on the back of our barn for the passion flower Mick gave me last year. it's fun to take old things we find in antique stores and give them new life. :)

Starting the big craft room clean out this week. I will TRY to not get distracted by all of the wonderful things I uncover! :D 

much love to all of you!

Jennifer

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

Happy Easter!

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Earl Grey Lavender tea

Happy Easter to all of you! I hope you have a most blessed day, surrounded by those you love. :)

I apologize for not being around. My health has really been struggling these past few months, seeming to get worse. :( I spend most of my time either in bed or on the couch. The upside is that I am getting a lot of reading done as well as watching some wonderful programs through various streaming services.  of course nothing quite beats the beautiful bird song I hear each day or cuddles with our cat and dog.  those are the best!

our sweet little grand-daughter is to be born within the next few days. to say we are all excited is quite the understatement! :) I did make her a journal, but finished within an hour of leaving to visit Mick and Lauren in St. Louis for their virtual baby shower. hopefully we will be able to visit the entire family in May, so I will try to remember to take pictures of both the baby journal and Mick's garden journal then.

(both vintage images from The Graphics Fairy)

With so much divisiveness and antagonism in our county, no, in our world, please remember that love is the great unifier. We are told by Jesus to love our neighbors, all of our neighbors. Let compassion and kindness prevail in our lives, always. :)