In the Garden with Kaboodle Doodles

for my Paper Cupcakes post, please click here.


Hello! back again with my Kaboodle Doodles challenge post......

as I had mentioned before, these are going to be short posts since I'm feeling icky. I'm sure I'll be back to my chatty self by the week's end. lucky y'all! ;)

The challenge this week at Kaboodle Doodles is 'In the Garden' and we are sponsored by Lexi's Creations. I found this adorable little ducky over in Lexi's shop and couldn't resist adding her to my shopping cart. isn't she precious?! The winner of the challenge will receive 3 images of their choice from the store.


Papers used are Cosmo Cricket DeLovely. ribbons are just some from my stash. the little button actually has a flower on it, but it's kinda hard to see in the scan. the tag has flowers stamped on it. the flowers on the main image have all been outlined with my spica glitter pen. the little pink roses are some resin ones I picked up on Etsy. love them!

please play along in this great challenge with us! if you are anything like me, gardens are one of my fave places to be and to create projects about. :)

Digital Tuesday - in the garden with things with wings
Sentimental Sundays - garden party
Paper Play - in the garden
Stampin' Sisters in Christ - all creatures great & small (listening to Chris Tomlin & David Crowder today. grins!)
Mami Doodles - flowers

A Magical challenge at Paper Cupcakes

Coffee of the Day - Mocha

Good morning everyone! This is going to be a short post, I apologize, but I have been so sick since the end of last week. an icky staph infection has set in and seems to be quite at home. blech!

Anyhow, thankfully I had created a few cards ahead of time, so I do have something to show you for the challenge this week at Paper Cupcakes - Mystical Creatures. Nina has a wonderful freebie for you on the blog, but it's only available today, so race over to collect it. you will be so happy you did!


As soon as I saw this precious little fairy, I knew she was going on my card. isn't she so sweet? Papers are from the Basic Grey Hello Luscious collection. The ticket sentiment comes from Paper Cupcakes as well. Butterflies were punched with a Martha Stewart punch. her wings were coated in stickles for some sparkle, as were the little flower hearts. I used my spica glitter pen for accents as well.

Please play along with us in the challenge this week. One winner will take home 2 images of their choice from the Paper Cupcakes store. you don't have to use PC images to play, but if you do you get a double entry!

Polka Doodle - in an English County Garden (well, I would love to find a cutie like this in my English country garden! grins!)
Sparkles Forum - for the girls
Card Mad Fairy - girly
Little Darlings - girly
Make My Monday - things with wings
Little Claire's - things with wings

New Challenge and New Releases at Jellypark Friends!

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Creme


Hello to you! I hope you are as excited as I am that new stuff is going on today at Jellypark Friends! oh gosh, I can't even tell you what an honor it is to be part of this team of kind, amazing people - and the talent! we must never forget how much talent all of these ladies possess! from Claire and her adorable artwork to each member of the Design Team, I am constantly in awe of what creativity pours forth!

So onto our new challenge!



We are doing a photo inspiration challenge at Jellypark. you can interpret this cute picture any way you choose - from the wooden swing to the ribbons to the colors to the stone pavers. whatever it is about this picture that brings creativity to mind. It actually was taken from a wedding I saw featured at Style Me Pretty, so if you want to make a wedding card, that would be great, too! 3 winners will be chosen at random to display the winners badge on their blog, with the first place winner receiving a free digi image of their choice from Claire's store.



I decided from the get-go I wanted to use the wooden swing as the base for my card with the new Grandpa image. somehow I wanted to also incorporate the gingham from the ribbons into my project as well. so off I went to create! I stamped the SU! woodgrain bg onto my basic grey cs, wrinkled that up a bit to help distress, sponged over some white craft ink, and inked the edges as well. I then found some Cosmo Cricket gingahm papers in the Material Girl collection that were the perfect colors. as I was watercoloring the image, I realized that we don't have a Grandpa that we would send this card to. So then my shading took a wee little turn - lots of gentlemen help out at Camp doing volunteer work and David is always grabbing cards to use for thank you's. This would be perfect to add to the stash! so he is now a rather generic older gentleman. tee hee! his glasses are covered in crystal effects. the buttons were added 'cause pretty much everything I make has buttons somewhere on it, but this oldie zipper was sitting on my desk calling my name. it may not be very masculine, but I betcha every guy has a zipper on his pants! ha! so into a flower it went. card is now complete and ready to give!

I do hope you play along with all of us. and stop by the Jellypark store to see what else Claire has recently added. you will load up your shopping cart quicker than I can say Jellypark Friends, I am certain! ;)

PaperCraft Stars - anything goes
Digi Doodle Shop Best - anything goes
Paper Shelter - anything goes
Ai Factory - handmade by me (zipper flower)
Amber's Crafts - patterned papers
Paper Pretties - no markers (easy for me since my copics still scare me!)
Your Next Stamp - 3 embellies, 2 papers, 1 image
Clear it Out - anything goes (zipper is old, old)
Craft Us Crazy - anything goes

What I was doing yesterday......

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Nut

This is what I was doing yesterday, and oh, my soul is still singing! I had a surprise phone message from my Aunt Eleanor yesterday morning. She and my Aunt Diane, who both live in Texas, were going to be passing through my area for a few hours with Aunt Diane's grand-daughters, Sadie and Maddie. Would I be interested in meeting them for lunch? Heck YEAH! it had been probably about 15 years since I last saw Aunt Eleanor and almost 20 since seeing Aunt Diane. you bet your sweet bippee I wanted to see them!!!!! :)

but instead of going for a schmancy fancy lunch out, I asked it they would be interested in grabbing sandwiches and heading for a whirlwind trip to see my fam at their various locales. well they were all over that like a Texan on bbq, so we made plans to meet. Ryan has been at Band Camp all this week, so he made special arrangements with his band director for us to stop by for a few minutes. it brought back lots of fun high school memories for my aunts to see the marching band out on the field practicing! and they were most impressed Ryan gave me a hug in front of everyone. ;) awwww...... my guy!

then we were off to Camp Burton to meet up with everyone else. Camp's current session is a very special one called Camp Sue. it is for special needs children and teens to have the opportunity to attend an outdoor camp and experience swimming, ropes courses, zip lines, etc,. just like everyone else over the summer. it is a great time for everyone, and I am so glad my family had the chance to drop by during this amazing time! Tyler took Maddie and Sadie on a quick tour of Camp while the 'grown ups' visited, and Sadie even went down the Thunder Tube, a really cool enclosed ride that you go down on a sled - summer or winter. She had a blast!

So my heart is filled to overflowing at getting to see my precious precious aunts and cousins! oh how I love them so dearly! thanks for letting me share a special part of what matters the most to me with all of you. now go give YOUR family great big bearsized hugs right now! :)

Vintage, vintage, how I adore thee! :)

for my Paper Cupcakes post, please click here.

Yes, 2 posts today! Mondays and Tuesdays will both have multiple posts from here on out, so I do appreciate all of you who hang in there with me. It means a lot that you come back and visit! :) In fact, next week I am finally going to post my long awaited blog candy. so Aug. 2 you can expect to see a picture that is hopefully filled with lots of goodies for you to possibly win! another announcement will accompany it, so be sure to stop by!

A big announcement comes along with this card today,too, so here we GO!!!!

Leah at Heart Song Designs has so kindly asked me to join her wonderful Design Team!!!! I am thrilled to be part of this wonderful team of women! Leah is such a strong, Christian woman that I have long admired. to work alongside her is an honor indeed! thank you, Leah, for allowing me the privilige of joining your team. I am humbled, truly.


The challenge this week is to create a project that utilizes your favorite techniques and/or Anything Goes. This card encompasses so many of my fave techniques you are going to be hard pressed to keep up! giggles! first off we have this beautiful vintage dress form image, which was just recently released. I added stickles to the ruffles for a little shine. you know I like just a little shine! ;) I used my spica glitter pen on the stand. the entire piece was sprayed with the SU! ink squirty tool and soft suede marker. edges were distressed with my own water/ink technique. love the way it just soaks into the cs to create such a neat look! a vintage dress pattern was used for both bg paper and for the pretty flower. the bg piece was sprayed with walnut ink. the flower was sprayed with rose glimmer mist. a baby prima rose was added to the center and then a scrap of pink organdy ribbon was wrapped around the flower. the other dsp is K & Co. and actually has little bits of glitter on the flowers. trim and buttons are all vintage. I added a little hook for a touch of whimsy! voila! such a girly girly vintage card, that so suits evrything about me! why look at all that glorious PINK that happened to sneak on there....... how did that happen?! wink wink nudge nudge ........

I do hope you will stop over at the Heart Song Design challenge blog to see the other lovely creations by the Design Team. so many of them are also new, so please tell them hello while you are there. and play along if you get the chance. Leah has a free image for you to use if you would like.

Cupcake Craft - shabby sparkle
Karen's Doodles - bingo (buttons, sparkle, lace)
Sweet Stampin' - fashion
Daisy Doodles - Anything Goes
Come and Get it - make your own flowers
Lollipop Crafts - anything goes

Lazy Days of Summer

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Macadamia Nut

Good Morning, everyone! What a most glorious day it is here. still hot of course, but beautiful nonetheless. I had the best time yesterday while sitting at my compy watching a baby squirrel that was playing on our front porch rafters. my computer sits on a desk at a window that overlooks our front porch. This little squirrel spent what seemed like hours playing some game of his own making running along the rafters and into the tree that is on the corner. oh how much joy there is to behold if we only take but a moment to look up from whatever we are doing to see it. ;)


Now onto this week's challenge over at Paper Cupcakes - layers. I love to play around with lots of layers, so this was a fun one to do! I grabbed my Basic Grey Lauderdale papers to go with lovely Miss Gigi cooling herself on an innertube. doesn't she look so stylish?! :) The umbrella & sunglasses were both popped up on foam dimensionals for extra layers. The ticket sentiment was layered over a real ticket I saved from a band banquet raffle. my guys have just learned to ignore me when I save things like this, 'cause they know I really will use them in my papercrafting! tee hee! The felt flower ribbon came from a blog candy win, so I do apologize that I don't know the mfg,. but the little accent on the ticket was cut from the strip. a rhinestone flourish adds the necessary bling for our piggy babe, 'cause I think this stylish cutie just deserves it! ;)

Please do play along with all of us in the layers challenge. One winner will receive 2 free images of their choice from Nina's store. Plus as always, there is a free image provided on the blog for you to use if you would like. Paper Cupcakes images are not required to play along though.

Crafty Purple Frog - take a dip
Paper Sundaes - beach or summer
Fairytale - summer, sun, or sunshine
Creative Craft - 3D
Ai Factory - layers
Die Cut Dreams - animal antics
Pink Elephant - fun in the sun
Stamping Scrapping - bling (Basic Grey Lauderdale paper)

Doing a Guest Spot over at Create with TLC

Howdy Peeps!

Thought you were done with me for today, didn't ya?! ;)

well I received a very kind email from Paulette over at Create with TLC asking if I would be interested in making something for her. any time she asks, I always jump up & say YES very loud! I so love her sentiments and vintage images! This wonderful 'Gentleman' is part of the new Fall club that is currently going on.


I had received a sample pack of Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 papers from an Etsy seller, but hadn't yet used any of them. this seemed like the perfect opportunity! I glanced around blogland and found a great sketch over at Willow that seemed to suit also, so off to craftyland I went! The mirror is actually covered in crystal effect while the letters are outlined with a black spica glitter pen. of course none of that shows in the scan, but when I lightly misted everything with my soft suede marker and SU! ink squirty tool, the red on the roping bled just a teensy bit. THAT shows in the scan...... go figure! I did mask the image while spritzing to help keep that area highlighted. the ticket is an actual vintage one. isn't that fun? clock faces are Making Memories. buttons are just some from an Etsy purchase.

do put Create with TLC in your favorites to check out every day. and just to let you know, there is a Design Team blog hop this coming Friday. I am really excited about that!

See you tomorrow! :)

Willow Sketchie - sketch turned on side
Ruby's Rainbow - vintage
ABC Challenge - Y is for Yesterday
Shelly's - Anything Goes
Totally Papercrafts - one for the boys
Frosted Designs - buttons (I just had to play in this one more time!)
Our Creative Corner - All the B's (I went with black & buttons)
Simon Says Stamp and Show - anything goes

Shaped Cards with Happileigh Scrappin'

for my Kaboodle Doodles post, please click here.

Happileigh Scrappin' is asking everyone this week to create some kind of shaped card or one that uses special folds. well when I read this, I went straight to my box of chipboard to see what kind of neat shapes I could find. I do like to make cards with them every once in a while, so pick up the chipboard albums when I see them at the craft stores. don't think I have yet made an actual album with one yet! ;) maybe some day.......




Being a Texas girl, this cute set of cowboy boots appealed to me, so out came the chipboard star. I covered the star with bandana paper from Flair Designs. I am sure it has long been retired, but you could probably find something similar at your local craft store. the paper was sanded to roughen it a bit, then sponged with vanilla craft ink. the edges of the star were also covered in the same ink. A star was punched from a handy dandy Starbucks coffee holder & then inked with the vanilla craft. buttons, some black yarn, and finally that wonderful red gingham ribbon were added to complete this project.


I do hope you will play along with us this week at Happileigh Scrappin'. Leigh has some adorable new images that she has just released and a cute clock that is free with any digi purchase. Buy 3 images from the store and you can choose ANY image for free as well. isn't that a great deal? Challenge winners also receive free images from Happileigh Scrappin', so what are you waiting for? Head over to the blog to see the AMAZING DT creations. then get busy crafting! :)

Frosted Designs - buttons (well that is an easy one for me!)
Lexi's Creations - shaped card
Crafts 4 Eternity - shaped card

Stitching with Kaboodle Doodles, and oh how you know I can't sew!!

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Spice

For my Happileigh Scrappin' post, please click here.

Hello! I know it seems like it's been a while since I last posted, but I promise behind the scenese I have been crafting up a storm for upcoming posts! ;) Lots of fun things coming for (hopefully) your viewing pleasure.

The challenge at Kaboodle Doodles this week is stitching. well y'all know I can't sew to save my life, so faux we go! even that leaves a lot to be desired, but I gave it the ol' college try just the same..... Our sponsor is The Crafty Pad who will provide the winner with 2 images from the store.

I used papers from the Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety collection, which were perfect to accompany this cute strawberry trio. the little seeds were highlighted with my white gel pen, which was also used for all of the faux stitching. buttons, a Prima centered with stickles, and a big splashy red ribbon finish off this simple little card.

Do come play along in the challenge at Kaboodle Doodles this week! You are sure to have a great time! :)

Craft Your Days Away - summertime (we pick strawberries in the summer....)
Fussy and Fancy - summer
Charisma Cardz - sunshine colors
KB Cute Monday - food & beverages
ECP - summer
Paper Playtime - digi & summer
Stamps & Fun=Creativity - no sentiment
Scrapalicious - summer

Embossing with Kaboodle Doodles

Third time is a charm, right?! ;)

for my Happileigh Scrappin' post, please click here.

for my Paper Cupcakes post, please click here.

And now for a happy card filled with fun embossing with this week's challenge over at Kaboodle Doodles! Our sponsor is Paper Shelter digi stamps who provided this adorable little flower for me to use. One winner will receive a $10 gift certificate to use in their store.



My papers are from K & Co. Que Sera Sera. I embossed the card base with the Cuttlebug swiss dot folder. I then used my white craft ink to accent the embossing. I used this same inking technique on the embossed Prima flower. some vintage lace trim, a photo corner, and a handful of buttons finish off the card.

I myself don't emboss as much as I should, so it was great to pull out my folders and use this fun technique. I'm already planning more projects in the future with some embossing. Please join us. I would love to see what neat ideas you have for your crafting! check out what the rest of the Design Team created to inspire us as well! :)

I think that gets me caught up for the moments..... now let's hope Mr. Blogger cooperates this time and posts everything properly while I go apologize to all of my DT friends and bosses...... :)

Stamps R Us - through the garden gate
One Stitch at a Time - flowers
Scrappy Frogs - summer flowers

Handmade Embellies with Happileigh Scrappin'!

Hello again!

for my Paper Cupcakes post, please click here.


The challenge this week at Happileigh Scrappin' is to create a handmade embellishment or two. I really had been wanting to try the twisted ribbon flower technique ever since I first saw it on several blogs, so this seemed the perfect time to try it out. Little did I know when I printed out this adorable butterfly kitty fairy image by Leigh that I would finish making the card the night Eliza died. it was so very therapeutic for me though and helped me recall the happy memories we had together.

Papers are Basic Grey Kioshi, buttons are from my vintage stash, lots of little polka dots were added with my white gel pen, sentiment is a SU! rub-on, and the leaf is a SU! die. ruffled ribbon is created by laying down a strip of sticky tape and then applying organdy ribbon in a haphazard pattern, being sure to press down firmly to adhere.

Please play along with us! Winners will receive free images from the store as well as a great blog badge. It's fun to make an embellishment or two for your crafting projects! and the other Happi Sisters have created some absolutely adorable things to inspire you as well! :) check out the new store releases, too!

Everybody Art - dots
Die Cut Dreams - animal antics
Magical Monday - texture
Alphabet Challenge - K is for kitty
Cardmad Fairy - include an animal
Stampin for the Weekend - wings and things

A Sketch Challenge with Paper Cupcakes

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Macadamia

Good morning! Well my Monday posts are all a day late since they didn't post as scheduled.... they played a lovely little disappearing trick on me and vanished into thin air while we were away in Pittsburgh, so I am trying to re-write all of them. short and sweet today, friends!


The challenge this week over at Paper Cupcakes is to use this fantastic sketch. You don't need to use a PC image to play in the challenge, but Nina has provided a freebie image for you on the blog, so be sure to grab it since it will be available only for a short time.

photo removed for publication

My papers are from the Basic Grey Hopscotch collection. the scallops are actually punched circles glued behind the rectangle piece. the library card comes from Jenni Bowlin, flower is Prima, button is from my vintage stash, linen thread is SU!, and the crochet trim is Wright's.

I do hope you will play along with us this week. The winner will receive a free digi image from Paper Cupcakes! :) also stop by to see the other fabby projects by the Design Team!

Sisterhood of Crafters - give thanks
Scrapbook Sisters - thank you
I Did It - animals
Cupcake Craftroom - polka dots

Jellypark Friends Friday Challenges begin today! ;)

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Peppermint


Today is the big day over at Jellypark Friends Friday Challenges! We have our very first challenge kick off, as well as some cutey cute cute new digi releases by Claire! you MUST stop by the blog and then the store to see everything going on. Fun abounds, dear friends! :)


My first card features the new image, 'Rabbit and Balloon'. I love this precious little girl bunny! She was of course watercolored with my SU! inks and stickles were added to her happy balloon. Papers are Basic Grey Hello Luscious. flowers and turquoise trim are Prima. stickles was added to the flower centers as well. of course I had to add a few buttons to finish off the card! :)



My next card is for the challenge we have chosen to start things off, Christmas in July, and features the adorable freebie snowman Claire is giving away on the blog. be sure to pick yours up and play along with everyone! You aren't required to use a Jellypark image for any of the challenges, but gosh, who wouldn't want to make something with this little guy?! ;)

I tried the 'out of the box' cutting technique again with the snowman, which was printed onto kraft cs. I used white craft ink to color him and MARKERS! shock, I know! your jaw just dropped to the floor, didn't it? he was then covered in rock candy stickles for a little sparkle sparkle shine shine. Papers are Basic Grey Out of Print, one of my new faves from BG. so right up my alley! that tree gave me more fits than I can possibly tell about in one post, so let's just leave it at, yep, the snow is partially green no matter how much white stickles & glitter I put on it. it was die cut from cardboard and covered in button ornaments. oh, if only my guys would let me decorate our tree one day in button ornaments! a little snowflake decoration, crinkled seam tape, and faux stitching finish off the card.

I do hope you play along in our challenge. 3 winners will be randomly chosen with blog badges awarded and a free image for one player. Challenges will post every other week, so you have plenty of time to make something. and do stop by to see everything that the DT has created. They are some of the most talented ladies I have come across and have worked so hard to get ready for today. :)

Love ya! Jennifer

both cards challenges:
Digital Tuesday - Spellbound (use 1 or more dies - both cards use 2)
Little Darlings - buttons, brads, or eyelets

Snowman card challenges:
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - Christmas in July
Crafty Sentiments - stitching
Rainbow Lady - stitching
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
Crafty Pad - texture
Basic Grey - doilies & ribbons
Word Play Weekend - Christmas in July
Pollycraft - Great Outdoors
Stamp Something - Christmas in July
Do You Stack Up - stitching

Bunny & Balloon challenges:
Colour Create - pink, aqua, & cream
Pixie Dust - girly, girly
Crafting for All Seasons - furry friends
Paper Pretties - animals
Creative Craft - pretty blossoms
Use it Tuesday - animals (both prima flowers & trim are eons old, as is the stickles glue. grins!)
Totally Papercrafts - girly

Great Escape Seashells

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Nut

hello my dear friends! sending our much love to each of you!

we are a bit melancholy here as our most precious kitty, Eliza, died yesterday. I had just returned from the grocery store to find her on her last breath. She spent 15 wonderful years with us, beginning as a stray we took in when she was a kitten. In fact, that is the reasoning behind her name. She was named after the character Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady. Hopefully her life was truly transformed, as she touched our lives in so many ways. Goofy to get this way over a cat I know, but our pets become such treasured family members. Every time Tyler came home from school, you would know to find Eliza cuddled up in his lap. She would join Ryan as he played video games on his bean bag chair. She followed me every where I went, inside & out. thank you for letting me share for a moment.



Now on to my card for today. Several nights ago, Paulette over at Create with TLC asked for a few people to help out as guest designers. I quickly volunteered since I so love everything she comes up with. Lo and behold she was needing people to print out some of her fabby new vintage labels, which happen to be in color. yep, I'm out of color ink. so she asked instead if I could make a project using a new free image she had just posted. well of course I was all over that! ;)

I printed out the shell 4 times on kraft cs, punched with the new SU! postage punch, lightly watercolored the shells & painted with opal shimmerz, and then inked the edges in white craft. papers are Making Memories Great Escape. in fact, everthing except the vintage trim is Making Memories. how's that for sticking with one company? I really do love their vintage products.

Please stop by Create with TLC and see Paulette. she posts at least one freebie if not lots more every day. sometimes a sentiment, sometimes a most amazing vintage image. and be sure to leave her some bloggy love in the comments section! :)

have a great one, my special friends! thanks again for letting me share a few memories with you! Jennifer

Lexi's Creations - at the beach
Everybody Art - marine
Scrap Creations - recipe: 2 dps, 2 embellies
Crafty Calendar - Under the Sea
Mami Doodles - at the beach
Totally Papercrafts - beach

Big Birthday Wishes with Paper Cupcakes

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Hazelnut

Happy Birthday to you! or perhaps it is your un-birthday! are you singing that song from 'Alice in Wonderland' now.... a very merry un-birthday... to You... to You! giggles! that is one of my most favorite scenes from that Disney classic.

So let's celebrate birthdays over at Paper Cupcakes! Please come join the challenge to create any kind of birthday project. I know I always try to keep a stash of birthday cards around because I never know when I am going to need one, or someone in the house is going to need one.


I love the look on this cute little ant's face. it just gives me the giggles every time I see it! Nina has such a fun assortment of images, and each week she gives away one free on the challenge blog. isn't that so nice? I used papers from the Basic Grey Life of the Party collection. The little cuppie was made with a piece of cardboard and some of the BG paper. lots of stickles were added to give that cupcake some birthday sparkle! I added a tiny bit of faux stitching, a Prima, some fun pom pom trim, & sentiment. ta da!

Please stop by the Paper Cupcakes challenge blog to say hello to all of the new Design Team members, like me!, and grab your cute freebie. then get busy making your card for the challenge! :)

Wags & Whiskers - birthday
KB Cute Monday - something cute
Simon Says Stamp and Show - stitching
Paper Creator - Special Occasion
Digis with Attitude - anything goes
Stamp Something - bugs or butterflies
Shelly's Images - celebrate & use 3 faves
Penny's Paper Crafty - Happy Birthday
Ruby's Rainbow - birthday
Simon Says Stamp - stitching

Cute Critters with Happileigh Scrappin

for the Kaboodle Doodles challenge post, please click here. thanks!

Hello again! I am back with my first posting as a member of the Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge Design Team! lots of exciting things have been happening in my little world, as you can tell! :)

For the challenge this week, we get to use our fun critter images. any kind of little animal will do - mice, cats, dogs, even..... horrors........ monkeys, although I would be the very last to call them cute or cuddly. ;) wouldn't you know it, Mick is dating the most amazing girl whom we love dearly, but goodness gracious me, her favorite animal in the whole wide world is those dreaded monkeys..... poor thing. my goal is to tell her of their ickiness if it's the last thing I do. but I digress.....

ahhhhh.... cute bunnies. much better! lovely little bunnies! and this one is about the cutest of them all! and isn't she sporting an adorable PINK bow in her hair, I mean ears?! giggles! I will be sending this off to Jocelyn, so I used her 'other' favorite - purple. I will craft the days away with purple..... can you tell how much I am scared of monkeys? well God tells us not to have a spirit of fear and I really work on it around those guys! ;)

on to the deets - papers are from K & Co. Flora & Fauna collection. the vintage book page was sprayed with a purple shade of glimmer mist.... sorry I don't have the exact color in front of me right now. the 'friends' tag was made using one of my vintage book page scraps. the gorgeous flower was made using some petals sent to me by one of my favorite Etsy sellers. I added a vintage button to the center. a scattering of dew drops across the bottom finish off the card.

Now I know we all have some fun animal images, so I do hope to see you at the challenge! have a great day! :)

Sundays with Crissy - distressing
I Did It - floral
Creative Craft - pretty blossoms
Stampin' Sisters in Christ - fave stamping item (gosh, they are all on here - vintage papers & buttons, trims, flowers, tags, florals, PINK!)
Try it out Tuesday - flower power
Crafty Pad - texture
Paper Shelter - lots of dots

Cut it Out at Kaboodle Doodles

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Macadamia Nut

Good morning! I hope you are starting out your week on a happy, happy note!

I am sharing my first post as a member of the Kaboodle Doodles Challenge Design Team! in fact today is going to be one full of several first posts, so please check them all. :)

This week we are being asked to cut out something with our scissors. I decided to do this on a few levels. First I tried a new-to-me technique - out of the box. gosh, it was so fun that you are going to be seeing a lot more of this, I can tell you! also, this cute little sun was cut out after being printed on that gorgeous yellow paper, which is part of the Basic Grey Junebug collection. then the leaf, heart at the side, & flower were all popped up on dimensionals. the clouds were die cut from writing paper & edged in stickles. the tips of the sun rays were also dotted with stickles. oh gosh I almost forgot, this cutie little bear as well as the sun come from The Stamp Fairy who is sponsoring the challenge this week. The prize is 3 images from her store. so cool!

I do hope you will play along this week & welcome the other new DT members, too. :)

One Stop Craft - summertime
Totally Gorjuss - summertime
Wee Memories - summer
Fresh Brewed Designs - 2 shapes, 2 patterned papers, 2 embellies
Stamp Fairy - try a new technique

Cool Beans!

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

no card for right now 'cause I have been busy behind the scenes. boy howdy, you are gonna start getting slammed on Mondays with 3 posts a day - just warning you ahead of time! ;) you are going to need a majorly big cup o' joe before you settle in for a visit, but hopefully it will be worth it.

anyway, I just found out that my Patriotic Butterfly appeared over at Craft Crave this past week. I was pretty excited! if you search for 'Magical Monday sketch' it will pop right up on your screen! :)

to be honest, I am feeling a bit melancholy today. I miss my precious family after having them home for a short while this weekend. most times I am okay when they return to Camp, but this time it has really been hard for me when they left. my heart just feels empty. so I think I am going to spend my day crafting & listening to music. and praying - lots & lots of praying. they are right where God wants them to be. and that brings me great comfort & peace.

love to you all! Jennifer

Ever Grateful for So Much

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

Good morning to my wonderful friends & family! as the song goes, it is well with my soul...... that song is playing right now - the Jars of Clay version that is, so a little pumped up & oh, so funky and fab! ;) I couldn't sleep last night, (thank you dear doggies), but I think it was more a gentle nudging from God just to say hello. how often do you get caught up in your life and forget to "be still...." as He so often asks of us. as I lie in bed, I was overcome with just how very blessed my life really is. now don't misunderstand - we are dirt poor financially, have illness to deal with, but are rich in love of friends & family, a house to protect us, & food to keep us from going hungry. our needs are met every day. and I am blessed & filled with joy to be loved by my husband and sons. what more could I need?

so I got up and made this card. word of warning - cards made at 2 a.m. by me are rarely pretty. tee hee! you would think I would have learned my lesson by now, but no.......

I hadn't used this new SU! set, The Open Sea, yet, so wanted to make a card to send off to the guys at Camp next week. with the theme this summer being 'Anchors Away', I think it will be perfect for them - plus no ribbon which is the number one criteria for any card going to them! :) papers are from the Basic Grey Oxford collection. the little sentiment tag is actually a scrap of vintage book paper I had saved from trimming. perfect for this tag! everything else is pretty self-explanatory.

have a most glorious day!
love ya! Jennifer

Aud Sentiments - sentiment with at least 2 words
Paper Crafting Journey - for him (how about for 4 hims? grins!)
Your Next Stamp - buttons
Crafter's Companion - one for the boys

Joy to the World with Shady Tree Studio

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog, of course! using the last bit from the holidays.... so tasty!

Hello and Merry Christmas to you! :)

I'm singing 'Joy to the World' to each and every one of you this morning! If you go by the Shady Tree Studio blog, you will get to see all kinds of wonderful holiday inspiration this week with the fabulous creations by the Design Team.


My card today uses the set, Nativity. I love the beautiful images Nancy drew that take us back to that glorious time several thousand years ago. I used my SU! inks & watercolor brushes to color the image. The sentiment was stamped onto a small tag that was also sprayed with glimmer mist and then popped up on foam tape. Papers are Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather. I found one of my oldie but goodie SU! bg stamps, Script, to use on the card base. Some crochet trim and crinkled seam tape (also sprayed with glimmer mist) help add to the shabby feel. A few dew drops finish off the card.

I am so excited to see what everyone else has to show us! and please be sure to extend a kind welcome to both Carla as a new DT member and Joanne as our Guest Designer. :)

House That Stamps Built - Christmas in July
Little Red Wagon - Christmas in July
Sweet Stamps - Christmas in July
Tuesday Throwdown - Christmas in July
Christmas Card Challenge - Night Before Christmas
Christmas Stamping All Year Long - kraft as main color

Home Tweet Home

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Nut

Good morning! oh what a day yesterday.... I took the dogs out first thing and was attacked by the most ferocious vampire ants! eek! We so rarely have any ants around our house at all, so to discover these nasties was a true horror. and to make it worse, I am SOOOOOOOOOO allergic to them. so I got to spend the day taking loads of medication trying to ward off a really bad reaction. virtually nothing accomplished other than a wonky head that visited the outer nebula, Saturn, and other interesting places in infinity & beyond. plus lovely little bitesies that completely cover my feet & legs. add that to me hobbling around already on a twisted ankle from a Starbucks misadventure over the weekend and I am one funny looking old lady!

so on to something much more fun - a card! Claire at Jellypark is offering up this adorable little bird house & set of sentimetns as a freebie in her store. be sure to check out all of the delightful things she has up and down every aisle! :)

I used Cosmo Cricket Togetherness papers, dies from My Favorite Things, a SU! punch, some ribbons, (dyed the golden one exactly to match for the first time ever! cool way to get all matchy matchy!) and little buttons from both my vintage & regular stash. someday I will get a sun die, but until then I thought the flower punch worked out okay.

have a good one, folks! and only about a dozen followers needed before July 17 for some fun blog candy! I have been gathering some goodies together! :)

---> there is a contest going on over at the Jellypark Friends Friday challenge blog, so hurry to check it out! also, as soon as the Jellypark Paper Craft Planet group reaches 100 members, Claire is going to offer up a freebie! wooo hooooo!

Bearly Mine - Anything Goes
City Crafter - Birds of a Feather
Paper Take Weekly - Anything Goes with optional buttons
Craft Your Passion - anything goes
Polka Doodles - Home Sweet Home

Check this out....

Just had to come make a quickie post ~

I was checking out a neat tweet from Claire at Jellypark when I saw my pink fairy card smiling back at me! how cool is that?! so go to Craft Gossip to see what the scoop is all about! :)

Happy 4th with PIE! :)

Coffee of the Day - Maple Pecan

Happy 4th of July to all of my friends who live here in the good ol' USA!!!!! hello to all the rest of you, too! :) As I mentioned in a previous post, I am so proud to be an American. Last night David & I watched Extreme Home Makeover. They were honoring a soldier who was shot in the deadly spree of Ft. Hood, TX back in 2009. Oh, how we teared up watching all that this young man had been through. Such courage & bravery from both he & his fiancee. I do pray for our troops stationed both here at home & overseas. I can not even imagine all that they endure for us. Please please, if you have never done so in the past, I encourage you to look into Operation Write Home. This is such a phenom organization that collects cards to send to our troops so that they in turn can have a homemade card to send back home.




I have a card to share with you today with a delightful patriotic image from Sassy Cheryl. you can also find it at Squigglefly. We love our pie here in the Scull family, and since I couldn't be with my family today, it seemed fitting that I send them a pie somehow! ;) Papers are from the Americana collection by K & Co. used a button salvaged from David's shirt, the banners were die cut from card board & writing paper. the bases were edged in white craft and then stickles. the writing paper was sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist. On the pie, the hearts & button were painted with shimmerz. the polka dots were accented with stickles. A prima flower & ribbon finish off the card. Hope my family likes their 'American Pie' for the holiday! :)

have a wonderful day celebrating with your family & friends!
love ya dearly! Jennifer

p.s. I just saw that my Patriotic Butterfly card for Paper Cupcakes is being featured on the blog today for the sketch challenge. play along if you get the chance! thanks, Nina, for showing my card! You are so kind! :) she has some cute freebie patriotic tickets available for the week, too, so be sure to stop by!

Heart Song - red, white, & blue and/or paper piecing
Come & Get it - patriotic
Creative Inspiration - red, white, & blue
Ellephantastic - July Celebrations
Mark's Finest Paper - patriotic
Our Creative Corner - last minute July 4th or Christmas in July (made only a few hours before it went off to Camp with hubby!)
Stamp, Scrap, & Doodle - stars & stripes
Sugar Creek Hollow - patriotic w/your country's colors
Alota Rubber Stamps - Star Spangled Banner (broad stripes & bright stars, banner itself)
Fairy Tale - America
Stamp Something - digi
Aud Sentiments - food or drink
Pixie Dust - red, white, & blue with optional stars
Rainbow Lady - July 4th
Crafting for All Seasons - red, white, & blue
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - red, white, & blue
Little Red Wagon - patriotic
Party Time Tuesdays - July 4th
Amber's Crafts & Stuff - red, white, & blue
Shabby Tea Room - photo inspiration

A Hodge Podge of Stuff

Coffee of the Day - Toasted Coconut

Good morning!
I am going to warn you ahead of time - no project to show you today, but several items of crafty interest.

To start - on Friday I received a most glorious package in the mail - the brand new Stampin' Up! Idea Book/Catalog. oh my goodness gracious me, I think this is truly the best on EVER EVER EVER!!!! each page is filled with such beauty! the samples seem to far surpass any I have seen before. the new 'in colors' are gorgeous, even though I am still in love with the past ones. so happy they are now keeping them for 2 years rather than 1 like in previous years. the new stamps are such fun. I think I want almost every single one. all of the seam tape from the minis made it into the 'big book', thankfully, along with the most delightful ruffle ribbon. so get ahold of your demo & get this catty. you will turn to it time & time again for inspiration!

next up is a quick little announcement about a joint venture between Tiddly Inks and Make it Crafty. July 14 they will release a collection of Victorian and Steampunk images. I can't wait to see these! you can head over to Christy's blog for a chance to win several of your own!

Whiff of Joy is having a big giveaway for blog candy here. I have long admired these cute stamps & would love to win a few! How about YOU?! grins!

Cheryl of She Stamps has a great Copic blog candy giveaway going on through the end of this month. I don't know about you, but I am always adding to my Copic collection! ;)

and finally, I discovered yesterday that I have been accepted to the Kaboodle Doodles Challenge blog Design Team! this is going to be such fun! there are some amazingly talented women who are a part of this challenge team, so I look forward to working with them every week! I hope you will play along from time to time! you know how much I enjoy challenges! :)

Enjoy your weekend & I will see you tomorrow!
Jennifer

--> edited to add: if I reach 260 followers by July 17, a certain person's birthday in our family, I will offer up my own blog candy package! :) gosh, I might just do it anyway for all of you who have so faithfully stood by my side through the ups & downs......

The Day has Arrived - Jellypark re-opens! :)

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Almond

The big day is finally here! Jellypark is now open in all of its brand new glory! Claire has been working non-stop to fill the aisles with so many lovelies for you to see! Please race over and take a looksie! you might even find a freebie digi if you take a peek! ;) Be prepared to smile a LOT though..... just warning ya!

Now once you finish there, refill your cup with your fave morning beverage, (or stop by here and I will top you off with some of my fresh brew!) and then hippity hop over to the Jellypark Friends Friday Challenge blog for the big Design Team announcement! Challenges will begin on Friday, July 15, but you will want to meet the new DT. so many amazing applications were received, and I truly thank each one of you who applied. A new term will begin Sept. 1, so another call will go out soon. Think about becoming a follower so you don't miss any of the challenges or news. Don't forget our group over at Paper Craft Planet. always lots of chatting going on!

In the mean time, be sure to stop by the new members' blogs and wish them a hearty hello!
Diane, Ruth, Suzie, Mel, Lisa, Tracey

I have a quick card using one of Claire's cuties. I wanted a card to celebrate our big day, so this adorable little girl with her mag cuppie seemed just perfect! Papers are from the Basic Grey Sweet Threads collection (and they have new releases today, too! hooray!!), with buttons from my collection, pink ribbon is May Arts, ric rac is from JoAnn's I think, and the little baby flowers are Prima. I added some shimmerz paint to the cherry, bow, and her pretty pink shoes. the cupcake is covered in this wonderful thick chunky clear glitter I just love!

The other day Claire gifted me with a fun blog award, so I would like to share this today. I am passing it along to my new Jellypark DT friends.

Here are the instructions:
1. Make a post linking back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 random things about yourself.
3. Award 7 recently discovered bloggers with this award and contact them to let them know they have won.

7 Things about me ~

I have a heart tattoo on my ankle and am searching for a new one. am trying to decide btwn getting it on the base of my neck or my foot.

Have always had a cat my entire life.

was never supposed to have children, but then had 3 sons in a 3 year time span. oh, that was a lot of diapers at one time!

attended Oxford University in England. hubby had to propose to get me to come back to States, otherwise I was considering a transfer from Univ. of Texas.

love to watch UFC. if the Octagon is on t.v., I am probably watching. :)

have a collection of 3 tiaras so far. yes, this seems to be in contradiction with the above factoid, but I am a unique individual!

hubby and I were the Bridal Couple of the Year for the state of Texas the year we got married as chosen by Bride's magazine. we were one of 8 couples in the running for the National title.

Fetch a Sketch - sketch (this challenge is run by new DT member, Ruth!)
Ribbon Reel - 2 trims, brads, fruit element (cuppie cherry!) & photo colors if desired