Digital Ink Co. Design Team Call

I am posting 2 of my fave projects for the Design Team call going out over at the Digital Ink Co. This is tough, because one of my new faves is the sympathy card I just posted and another is coming up in the next few days. But I don't want my faithful blog followers to keep seeing the same ol' stuff over and over again, especially in such a short time frame! ;) I'm trying to think of y'all!

So here we go waaaaaayyyyyyyy back in time..................

2 oldies but goodies!

Jacksonbelle Embellies Challenge Sympathy card

Another post for the day ~

I had been wanting to complete the sketch challenge over at Jacksonbelle Embellishments for this past week, but just didn't seem to have enough hours in the day. Then David told me over the weekend that we needed a sympathy card. So I tossed this idea around in my head and finally got it to paper today. I know many people tend to make sympathy cards in bulk and keep them on hand, 'cause they are never easy to make emotionally. Sometimes I will make up a few, but I tend to prefer to make them as I need them. I put a lot of thought into the person I'm making the card for and the person who has passed away. This also gives me a chance to pray for the family as I am crafting. It's a special time for me to just spend in quiet reflection on the people who are in sadness and grief and bring them to our precious Father's feet. Not trying to be super pious, it's just my thing I do.

So I knew from the start that I wanted to use this beautiful stamp from Inkadinkado. This is one of my most favorite stamps ever. It just brings me such peace to look at it. And oh my, the pleasure I had creating with it! The pages of the Bible are painted with butter cream shimmerz and the flowers are highlighted with my spica glitter pen. I used my SU! ink squirty tool (I am ALWAYS forgetting what that thing is really called!) to spray choco ink on both the main image and the amethyst cs. Then I washed the entire main image in gold ink prior to embossing for my fave technique - cracked glass. Papers are Basic Grey Wisteria, flowers by Prima, leaf punch by Martha Stewart, trims by Webster's Pages, JoAnn's, & SU! Oh yes, the main image is popped up on foam tape and the edges are inked with vanilla craft. The card is sized to fit in a legal envie - 3 3/4" x 9".

Check back tomorrow for the fun new digis by Sewn Together - my newest DT!!!

Hey Sugar Sugar! ;)

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

Over the weekend I was able to play in a challenge at the SNR site for Digi Day. It was sponsored by Modern Sugar Blvd. I made 2 cards using the images given.

My first card I made with one of my best friends in mind. School starts back up here on Tuesday, so I wanted to send her a 'Back to stamping' card. This digi image was perfect for that! I actually made a teeny tiny card to go on the desk that our crafty cutie is working on. (I added a little message to my friend after I scanned this). For whatever reason my scanner is all catty-whompus and making my colors wash out, so they really are much more vibrant irl. I gotta look into this before much longer.......

anyhow - I painted the woman to look like me, right down to this crazy top I used to have that was bright saffrony yellow with turq. polka dots all over it. Boy was I ever hot stuff when I wore it - or so I thought! ;) The little shimmerz pots are painted with real shimmerz that I keep on my stamping table all the time. The dp is actually on the inside of the card - the scallop border is the edge of the card front. Paper is from Making Memories Vintage Findings collection, flower by Prima.

The next digi just shouted at me to use some Basic Grey papers, so I did - from the Sugared collection, of course! :D I added some pink shimmerz to the balls at the top of the building as well as part of the awning. I used my spica glitter pen to outline the building name, open sign, and hearts. I lightly sponged white craft ink over the curry building to 'whitewash' it. The little decorations above the awning ended up looking like little olive slices once I finished coloring them, but oh well, what is a girl to do?! ;) and by the way, the new SU! in colors go with this BG line VERY WELL!!! (I used the in colors on the card above also. lovin' 'em!!!)

Everyone have a great week! May it be sugar, sugar sweet! (that happens to be one of the ringtones on my phone - I always did have a thing for the Archies! grins!!)

Take me to the Harvest Dance!

Coffee of the Day - Almond Roca

I am having fun using these wonderful bits of art from Mo's Digital Pencil. This one is called 'Harvest Dance', and it was such fun to get inky! A bit intimidating at first, I admit, but once I got going, I was having such fun! I tried to use colors that were found in nature. What I am also discovering with my digis and watercolors is the difference that the cardstock makes. I already had found out the hard way that the better quality inks in your printer work best for digital printing and coloring with watercolors. But when printing this image and another one on SU! vanilla cs, I discovered that it reacts much differently to watercolors than the whisper white. Too bad I can't get thicker paper through my printer. I've tried hand feeding it, but to no avail. That is okay, I kinda like the different effects achieved.

On to the card! Once I had finished coloring these fun guys (and I couldn't get the little fellas from the movie 'Willow' out of my head while I was making this!!!), I sprayed the main image with walnut gold glimmer mist to give a nice old world sheen. The cs base was distressed with sand paper and then the edges inked with caramel. Same with the dp. Papers are from the Basic Grey Archaic collection. Buttons are some cool ones I found on sale at JoAnn's that I picked up just for this card.

After posting this card over at PCP and SNR, some other INCREDIBLY talented ladies posted some of their creations. I had been pleased with the way my card had turned out, but then was really humbled after seeing some of the other things being done with Mo's artwork. But then I realized that this papercrafting gig isn't about comparing our stuff with other people's. Sure, we are human and can't help it. But what is most important is the process of creating. I am not supposed to be anyone else except who I am. I can't compare myself to anyone else. God made me to be just who I am. Sure, I'm supposed to improve myself with His help, but that is to be the best ME I can be. and to recognize that I have my own style, as goofy as that may be! :) and to bring that style about to its fullest.

So I share this with all of you in case someone else might be feeling a little intimidated by another person's creativity. Work on establishing your own style and then just keep at it. That is what I intend to do. Like the old saying from the 70's "keep on truckin'" or in this case, "keep on stampin'"!!! :D

love ya! Jennifer

Be an Original!

Coffee of the Day - French Vanilla

I haven't had a chance to take part in any challenges in a while, so I decided to try out the one for the week over at Shirley's 2 Girls. We were to follow a sketch as well as use a punch on our design. I chose to use this adorable digi that just makes me smile every time I see her! The scan doesn't show just how super shiny and glittery the card really is irl!

I started with my go-to papers of late, the K & Co. Wild Raspberry collection. Of course I had to do some distressing, so the edges of the main card were inked with vanilla craft and then painted with buttercream shimmerz to glimmer-ize! The glasses she is wearing are just like my reading glasses, right down to the rhinestones! I love these glasses!!!! They were painted with pink shimmerz. Her cute cami top is painted in pink and buttercream shimmerz and the straps are outlined in a spica glitter pen. The fab hat is covered in polka dots that I added with my white gel pen, and the fun arrangement on top is outlined with the glitter pen as well. I used the spica pen to outline other various areas of the card & painted the smaller of the Prima flowers in the buttercream shimmerz, too. Buttons are SU!, border punch is Martha Stewart, ribbon is a remnant I picked up at WallyWorld the other day for less than 10 cents! The word 'original' is painted with the pink shimmerz also. I told you this little puppy is shiny!! :D The card measures 6" x 6" square.

Play in a challenge over the weekend if you get the chance. They really are fun and do stretch your creativity! And remember to 'be an original'! No one else was made to be you! :)

p.s. and I forgot to tell all of you that I made the DT for Sewn Together Digital Images! I look forward to creating all kinds of things with these unique digis! Congrats to the other ladies! I'll get their blogs listed this weekend.

A Pretty Kitty Tag Card

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

Just a quickie poo post to show you this card I made using another faboo cat image from Angel's Landing. It is the same kitty as the mini lunch tin, only bigger.

Please pardon the weird colors from my scanner, but irl she is a tortoiseshell like a stray that we have been taking care of for a while. (Periodically she will let me pet her, but not too often.) The papers are K & Co. Wild Raspberry, glitter flowers are Heidi Grace, coolie-o punch is Martha Stewart, trims are from JoAnn's, and seam tape is from Etsy. Edges were sponged in SU! vanilla craft ink.

Have a great weekend!

Love ya!

Jennifer

New Blog Candy Winner for Angel's Landing & Announcement!

ANITA.........
Come on down! you are the new winner of the 2 free downloads at Angel's Landing! Email me your choices and Judi will get them sent right to you! Congratulations! :)

and be on the lookout for my own blog candy coming soon!

Blog Candy Winner

Hey Kathy S.,
I need to hear from you by Thursday at the latest. You are the winner of the blog candy drawing for Angel's Landing, but I need to receive an email from you pronto! :) Otherwise I'll do another drawing on Friday.

So send me an email!!!!!! I know you want some new digis!

Angel's Landing Blog Candy Winner!!!!

It's time to announce the winner of the wonderful blog candy from Angel's Landing!!!!!

Kathy S. - please send me an email with your choice of 2 of the fantastic sets available. (you can find my email addy in the 'my profile' section listed in the upper right hand corner under my photo) Enjoy your new goodies and have fun playing!!!!! Congratulations!

and thank you to everyone who joined us! Thank you as well to all of you who left such kind comments! You made me purrrrrr with delight! ;)

The Joy of the Lord is my Strength! :)

Coffee of the Day - Hazelnut

"This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

Nehemiah 8:10

Today's card is a very special one to me. The artwork is from my special friend, Mo, of Mo's Digital Pencil. She created this illustration based on a posting I made the day I discovered that I had 3 new tumors. I smile every time I see this beautiful drawing. I can't say that I have done it justice, but I have tried. of course my printer went wonky as the cs was coming out and smeared just a bit, but there was absolutely no way that I was going to waste it. So I decided to just go ahead and color the image anyhow and hope that people could overlook the little extra bits of black.

Doesn't this girl just make your heart smile?! even her homespun doll is full of joy and worship to God, our most amazing Creator and Abba Father. gosh, just looking at this brings me such peace and joy! The little girl's tutu is painted in pink shimmerz, 'cause if you wear a tutu (and what little girl doesn't?!), it had better be sparkly!!! The butterfly is painted in beeswax shimmerz. The flowers and hair ribbon also have a light coating of the pink shimmerz. Paper is from the Wild Raspberry collection by K & Company, the trim is from JoAnn's, the cool felt flower is from Wright's, and the button is from SU!. I added my usual distressing with the white craft ink and distressing tool. All coloring is done with SU! inks and watercolors.

God truly has filled me with such joy. I am blessed in overflowing abundance! Every day try to take time to find even the smallest thing to make you smile. God wants you to feel His love for you ALL THE TIME!!!! and if you ever need a big cyber hug, come on over and have a cuppa with me! :) I'm here for you, just as all of you have been there for me! love ya!

and don't forget that tonight is the deadline for the FANTABULOUS BLOG CANDY from Angel's Landing!!!!!! Make sure you leave a comment on this post to be entered to win!

"My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song."

Psalm 28:7

Your Next Stamp 1st Design Team Call

"Your Next Stamp" is having their first Design Team call, so I am placing my application. I am to post 2 of my best cards featuring coloring. Since I have just featured 5 cards in my previous post, in the interest of my faithful blogger friends, I will post 2 different cards for this application so you don't get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again! :D

Inky Sewn Together Design Team Call

Coffee of the Day - Toffee Nut

I am applying for the Sewn Together Design Team. The request is for 5 projects that showcase my coloring abilities. I am trying to also show some of my cards that use digis - something I am becoming soooooooo addicted to!!! :) Most of these have been colored with watercolors.

It's a Blog PROWL with Angel's Landing! Meow.......

Coffee of the Day - Hazelnut Spice

It's not a blog hop today, we're cats on the PROWL............ but of course we're COOL cats, man! ;) I'm a huge fan of the Disney movie, 'Aristocats' - it was a fave of mine ever since I was a little girl. So when I saw these fabulous images being released this month from Angel's Landing, I knew that rather than a hop, we were going to be crazy hip cats on a jazzy cool prowl at this happen'in blog! So sit back, grab a cuppa joe, and hang your hat on this slip slappy slick sweetness! :D But if at any time you ever lose your way, just click here to head back to Judi and our home at Angel's Landing. She'll get you back singing in harmony again in no time!

I saw this adorable little, and I mean LITTLE (2 1/2" x 3 1/2"), lunch tin at Target the other day and knew in an instant that it held the potential for something great! Ryan's girlfriend, Chelsea, just happened to have a birthday this past weekend, so what better than to turn this little treat into a fun birthday gift box! To keep with the whole cool kitty theme, we filled it with Swedish fish (which just happens to be one of Ryan's fave ever candies!!). Had to add some sparkly shines to catch that kitty cat's eye, so out came this faboo glitter glue from Studio G. Our cool cat (from the Cats and Kittens set) is painted with SU! inks and a watercolor brush. Being a digital image, I was able to resize everything to fit this small size. For another project I was working on, I took these exact same images and made them 4x as large! And each image came out just as clear, regardless of the size. Added lots of baby Prima flowers with rhinestones and plenty of ribbons - you know how cats love those ribbons! ;) The tag was made from the Cat Paw Prints set. I embossed it immediately after coming out of the printer with glossy glaze ep from SU! There are lots of cute tags to choose from in this set. I happened to pick the 'Best Friends' tag because Ryan and Chelsea have been close friends since 1st grade when they sat next to each other. They were boyfriend and girlfriend back then, too! so neat!!!

Now if you have kept the bee-boppin' beat going with me through all of this, then you are in for a treat! I am giving away BLOG CANDY to a winner chosen at random on Sunday, August 16 at 11:00p.m. What is the prize you ask? Well, you get to choose any 2 Angel's Landing sets for FREE! and that includes the 2 new sets - Cats and Kittens and Cat Paw Prints. Once I have posted the winner on Monday, you will contact me and let me know what sets you have chosen. Soon you will have brand new, wonderful art to use for your snappin' stampin'!

Thanks so much for stopping by! The next purrrrrfect place to visit is over at Alma's place - Me, Myself, and I.N.K..

Be on the lookout tomorrow!

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

Here is a teaser for you - tomorrow is New Release Day over at Angel's Landing! and there is Blog Candy floating around on 2 blogs!!!!! I have something purrrrfect to show you, so make sure you check back!!! ;)

Busy getting layouts together for my workshop on Friday! The ladies are getting excited from what I've been told - me too! It's been over a year since I've taught one 'cause of my health ickies, so prayin' that all is a hit. Working on a sample mini book to use for display. I'll post it later, perhaps over the weeked.

Have a most wonderous day, my dear friends!!!

A Lovely Prayer Journal Set!

Coffee of the Day - Almond Roca

I know it has been a bit since I have posted, and I am very sorry to have been away from all of you. I haven't been feeling all that whippy, so I haven't had a chance to do any stamping. no stamping, no posting 'cause no pretty pictures! ;)

Anyhow, today I have a pretty picture!!! I received the most beautiful package in the mail over the weekend - a gift set from one of my stamping/blogging friends, Alma. She made this gorgeous set for me to journal through the ups and downs. Isn't it wonderful?!?! I was so very, very touched when I opened it, and of course she made my day be wrapping it in lovely pink tissue! The note she enclosed just touched my heart. THANK YOU, Alma!!!!! It means so much to me! Click on the photo to see all of the details and read the sentiments.

On to another neat note ~ I have been invited to teach a scrapbook workshop this coming Friday. I will be doing a 'mini scrapbook in a morning' crop, my first in a while. I am soooooo excited! It just came up yesterday, so I hope that I am feeling well enough to do a good job. I always loved the parties and workshops aspect of being a SU! demo - I can't tell you how many people I have helped become addicted to this wonderful craft of stamping!!!!! In fact just last week I ran into a dear friend, Lora, whom I met while in the crafting aisles of WalMart several years ago! We hit it off and have become great stamping buddies ever since! Whoda thunk it?! ;) (waving 'HI', Lora!!! It was great to see you again!!!)

All of you take care and have a wonderful week! Keep your eyes open for the AMAZING blessings God has in store just for you!!!

A Bloomin' Time Challenge Card

Coffee of the Day - Toffee Nut

Good morning! I wanted to post the second card I made for the Simply Sassy Design Studio Grand Opening Challenges over the weekend. I only had the opportunity to play in these 2 challenges, but want to try to tackle some of the others later on when I am up to it. It really was a fun time at SNR.

The challenge for this card was both time and following the rules. Each participant had 1 hour to complete their creation. Each project had to utilize the following:

• cardstock
• butterfly or bug
• punch
• ribbon
• border
• glitter
• salutation

The wings on the bee and parts of the flower were painted with butter cream shimmerz to add to my glitter. I used 2 punches - the MS border (this is one of new fave punches!!!) and the scallop square. I added little dots of fruit punch stickles to help 'bling' it up slightly, but wanted to keep it to a minimum and have the shabbiness be the predominant style to come through. you know me and shabby!!! ;) I used my ink spray/squirty tool from SU! to add some brown specks on both the main image and the card base. Patterned paper is K & Co. Wild Raspberry collection (lovin' this stuff, too!) and buttons are a great clearance find from JoAnn's in the notions section. More vintage seam tape completes the card. Main image is popped up on extra thick foam tape. Oh gosh, I forgot to say that the stamps are from SU! Bloomin' Beautiful set and were watercolored using SU! inks.

Have a beautiful day!

Jennifer

Answering a few questions ~

I wanted to have a short post to answer a few questions that have posed to me over the months that I have been blogging. Please feel free at any time to contact me! I'm not always great about getting back in touch with you right away, so please forgive me. It's nothing personal - it's just me and my health stuff and my sometimes lack of tech savvy!

1. What is the Coffee of the Day? It is the coffee that I happen to be drinking that day. nothing too scientific about it - no grand guru telling you what concoction you should be sampling - just what happens to be perkin' in my pot! :) and it's all decaf, which is tough because I really like the flavors and many don't come in decaf.
2. How do you color your images? I have been doing a lot of watercoloring lately. I don't have any of the fancy markers like Copics that you see on many of the blogs. I just have my handy dandy SU! markers, which I do enjoy, but don't use as often now as I used to. I primarily just use the SU! inks (from the lid of the ink container), a little cup of water, and 1 of the 2 cheap watercolor brushes I own. I do a lot of shading with the inks, just like the pros do with the Copics. I'm a big fan of 'use what you have' since I can't afford the higher priced products. I also like to use my blender pens.
3. Where do you get your supplies? I buy a lot of my supplies from Michael's and JoAnn's using those faboo discount coupons!!!! But I have several online stores that I really enjoy. You can find those listed on the sidebar of my blog. But I try to keep my eyes open for great finds everywhere! I am a bit of a snob when it comes to certain product lines, I confess. With the exception of the black ink, all of my ink and solid card stock comes from Stampin' Up! For decorative paper, I like Basic Grey, Daisy D's, and K & Co. the very best. My flowers are almost always Prima.

Hope that helps with any answers you might have been seeking! Have a great day!

A Simply Sassy Princess - doesn't that sound like me?!

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

I had the opportunity to do a wee bit of stamping yesterday, so I played in several of the Grand Opening challenges for Simply Sassy Design Studio. This card I made uses one of their cute digi images, Princess Aria. As I've been doing lately, I watercolored her with my SU! inks. Her dress and hat were first painted with pink shimmerz prior to watercoloring. this gives a wonderful glimmery base - perfect for any princess! The papers are K & Co. Wild Raspberry collection, flower is Prima, rhinestones are Darice, and the little heart pin came from the sewing section at JoAnn's. The ribbon is vintage seam binding. Edges of pink card stock base were inked with white craft ink.

I have to say a huge 'thank you' to all of you LOVELY people who have stopped by to express your encouraging thoughts and prayers. It makes my heart sing! I may be feeling yucky physically, but my soul is soaring with the eagles! :) You are the best!

Here I am to Worship......

Coffee of the Day - Almond Roca

This is a tough post this morning, so please bear with me. I'm going to try not to cry, because I'm afraid that if I start, I won't be able to stop.

I came home from the hospital yesterday afternoon with some distressing news. My husband was relieved that we are finally getting some answers - but I confess, I'm not really liking the ones we're getting. But life is like that - we don't get to pick and choose our circumstances or situations all the time. My dr. has found tumors in my esophagus, stomach, and intestines. He biopsied all of them and will have the results mid August. I also have colitis. The tumor on my pancreas can't be reached by scope to be biopsied, so we'll determine the end of August how to address it after a few more scans and tests. I'm still trying to come to terms with all of this. The colitis doesn't really bother me - just one more life-long thing in my ongoing list: seizures, tremors, migraines.... But all of these tumors.... goodness, they are growing so quickly and spreading into so many places.

So I've been trying to keep all of this in the proper perspective - and spending time in worship at my Father's feet. He is and always will be mighty. He is and always will be good. He is and always will be in control. And I am surrounded by beauty everyday that He has placed before me. I just have to remember to look for it. And to see the many abundant blessings in my life. I am rich, beyond my wildest dreams, because I have a precious family, amazing friends, a house, nature in its splendor all around me, and the list just goes on and on.

Today I ask you to find the beauty around you and tell God 'thank you'. Soak it up, fill yourself with the joy that He has for you EVERY DAY! and that will be your act of worship to a God who loves you more than you can possibly fathom.

I send you hugs! May your weekend be glorious! :)
Jennifer

Splish Splash digi fun!

COFFEE of the Day - Toffee Nut (did you notice it says COFFEE?!?! yippeeeeee!!!)

I am playing with some wonderfully fun digi images today - from Digiments and Mo's Digital Pencil. and guess what - both are FREEBIES!!!! cute and free to boot - can't beat that with a stick! and I had a blast creating with these babies!! so run to the sites so that you can have your very own to play with!

The main image is watercolored, with Crystal Effects added over the water. I used a white gel pen to fill in the polka dots and a glitter pen to highlight the star on the ball. My boys always had play balls that sparkled! I traced around the sentiment with a gold glitter pen to add some extra fun on the banner. It is curled to add extra dimension, in case it doesn't show well in the scan. The dp is from Flair Designs, ribbon is from SU!, and flowers are Prima. Buttons are from an ancient stash that has been hiding in the depths of my stamp room for eons. I'm surprised they didn't crumble into dust as soon as they hit sunlight! ;) oh, and the card is a long 9"x3 1/2" to fit in a legal envie. Perfect to send to someone, they expect a bill 'cause of the size, and VOILA, a cutie pie summer card!

Have a great weekend! Have your own 'fun in the sun'! :D

Jennifer

p.s. I'm also using this card for a neat challenge over at Bee Crafty - another fun digi stamping site. Check out the great images there as well! super cute!

It's the Angel's Landing Blog Hop!

Blog Hops are so much fun and I'm so glad you have come along for this one featuring the new July releases from Angel's Landing! If you have come from Lynn's blog, you are right on track! (Anytime you find you have lost your way, you can head back to the master list found on Judi's digi stamps blog.) To start at the beginning, head over to Judi's blog and follow the links.

Now on to the fun! There are 2 sets of exciting digital images in the releases this month: Marching Band 1 and Marching Band 2. I am featuring a few little guys from both on my card. I used the smallest images of the set and watercolored them. While the paper was still a bit damp, I sponged with the darkest ink to help add a bit of texture to their cute little bodies. The horns were first watercolored and then covered in a wash of candlelight shimmerz to give the instruments that extra shine. I knew that these little guys were going to be announcing some big news, and what could be more exciting than the news of a brand new baby! The bright colors, which are all the rage right now, echo the happiness! And you know I had to give it my own little shabby, distressed touch, now didn't you?! ;) Papers, flowers, and buttons, come from Making Memories. Charm is a cute little one from my stash. Ribbon is May Arts. Punch is from Martha Stewart.

Now head on over to Sparkle's blog to see what amazing things she has done! This is a VERY talented Design Team that Judi has put together, so you will be truly inspired! And you might find a bit of blog candy along the way!

Have fun hopping!

Jennifer

I stamped!!!! :)

Tea of the Day - Green tea with Mint (thank you, Eva!)

Guess what? I have stamped 2 days in a row now!!!!! Woooo hooooo! This is so exciting! And I am going to get to play in the super uber exciting blog hop for Angel's Landing coming up on Wed., so I hope all of you please check back and hop along with us!

Now on to my card......

I used this faboo craft stamp from Stamps Happen by the Janlynn Corp. called "God's Window". I wanted to make a card to send to my friend, Eva, who's mom passed away several months ago. Eva came over last week to help me out with some errands after I went 'sailing' off the porch with my dogs onto the driveway and ended up in the ER with a nasty concussion. She also brought me some absolutely delish tea (see above tea of the day) since my tum's not quite ready for coffee yet. I wanted a thank you card, but also something to hopefully be a bit encouraging, since she is really missing her mom. I can surely sympathsize. I'll get to that later, 'cause I wanna tell you some more about the card.

The paper is from my preciously hoarded Daisy D's collection. I'm still heartbroken that they are going out of business. I added these wonderful little roses by Prima and some vintage buttons from Etsy. The trim is Wright's. All coloring is watercolors. I used shimmerz on the angel's wings (buttercream) and the opening to Heaven (candlelight).

Yesterday I took a drive - yeppers - a typical Sunday drive! :) It was truly glorious!!!! David, Mick, and Ryan were all out at Camp and Tyler was at work. So I went out for a drive. The day was so beautiful and I was feeling better. My dad and I used to go driving all the time when I was growing up. I had bought a CD for my birthday using a gift card from my FIL. It's the 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters' CD by Simon & Garfunkel. This was one of my dad's faves and one we listened to together MANY times. I guess I should interject here that my dad died almost 17 years ago. I am an only child and he & I were very close. He was really my best friend. Since I hadn't had a chance to listen to my new CD yet, I took it along with me on my drive. What a great time I had, driving through the beautiful countryside, my memories and me. I laughed and cried. But it was amazing. And yes, I still miss him as much today as I did 17 years ago. But I hold tight to the knowledge that I will see him again someday. So I know how Eva is feeling right now. And that is why my special friend needed a little card from me. :)

Love to you all! Thanks for putting up with my rambles!

Jennifer

Still here!

Yep, I'm still around. Just going to lots of dr.s' appts. and hanging in there. But I did want to pop in to say "hello" to everyone. Haven't had a chance to stamp yet, but still longing for the day when I feel up to it again. Hopefully it won't be much longer!

In the mean time, there are a few 'must see' sites you need to check out if you are the least bit interested in the digi stamp craze. I am so very impressed with the quality of work that I see available, and so much of it is for free or next to it! With the exception of one, I'm not involved with any of these sites, just WOWed by the artistry and wanted to share.

*Angel's Landing
*KLM Designs
*Mo's Digital Pencil (this is the blog, but a free download appears!)
*Mel Stampz (this is her blog, but check for the free digi downloads)
*Hambo Stamps (look for the freebies, too. the cat that Edith used in her cute card that she sent me is one of them.)
*Shirley's 2 Girls (this is the challenge blog that has 2 free digis - also check out their other cute digis for sale on the home page!)


obviously MANY more exist out there in cyberspace, but these are some of my faves. now if someone will just create some vintage digi images.............

love to all of you!
Jennifer

Great Friends Coffee Card

Lemon Lime Gatorade - yum, yum!!! :) Back to coffee again soon!!!!!!

I did manage to do a wee bit of stamping last night - most certainly not my best effort ever, but glad to be getting inky again! Seemed to take me forever to get even the most basic things done. That is okay. Sure does prove that you need to stay in the groove to keep the creativity flowing.

I had printed out this sentiment from the free samplings over at Digiments a while back. (go check out the site in case you have missed any of the weekly giveaways that Michelle has provided. new releases are out, too!) Printed on some of my infamous 'coffee paper' that I am just loving. Used some of my lonely craft stamps from Stamps Happen by the Janlynn Corp. that I have sadly not inked in a while. I used a marker and omitted the rectangle borders around the cups. Stamped each one a second time, cut out with those amazing paper snips from SU!, and then mounted on super duper thick foam stickies to give lots of lift and 3D effect (after coloring, of course). Paper is Basic Grey Archaic collection. Lightly sponged artichoke ink over the word 'friends' to help highlight and sponged edges as well. Pulled out those swanky new corduroy brads from SU!, and gosh, are they swell! Added a few more baby buttons in the other corner, (after dropping some on the wood floor which will stay there until I can go track down my glasses and then start crawling around 'cause those little buggers BLEND!!! and then of course Mocha thinks I want to play with her which starts a whole other story.........)

anywho....... will try to catch up on my blogging comments this weekend. I am so dreadfully sorry that I haven't been able to leave love for all of my marvy peeps! But I think of each of you daily and will venture into blog land pronto! Have ideas perculating in my head for a project with some great images from Angel's Landing, so hopefully will have something PHENOM to show you next week. If not, then maybe you will settle for something adequate?!?! ;)

love you and take care!
Jennifer

Just Chillin' from Edith!

Tea of the Day - Orange Ginger Mint with Chamomille (not quite ready for coffee yet, but hopefully soon!)

It has been for-ev-er since I last updated everyone on what's going on - and I am sooooo sorry about that. Been feeling icky and just not up to gettin' on the computer. But the funky fog is s-l-o-w-l-y starting to pass ( we're whispering here so no bad mojo comes creeping back in! wink, wink!! ) so I decided to come do a quick post. And I had to share this ADORABLE card that my super special friend Edith sent to me the other day. Isn't this just a 'make ya break out in a big ol' goofy smile' kinda card?!?!?! :D She is just the sweetest thing this side of the Mason Dixon line (even though she does live in Canada!) and that says a lot comin' from this transplanted Southern girl! Thanks so much, Edith! I love it!!!!

Well, esentially we stilll have no clue what is going on with me. yeah, no big shocker there! ;) I'm a mess, plain and simple! I went to the surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and spent several hours meeting with him, and his diagnosis is "you have lots of problems, but none of it is related to what is going on with your pancreas. go see your hematologist/oncologist." so I had to wait for him to get back from vacation to make an appointment, which is now set for next week. aggghhhhhh! feels like we are back to square 1 again. but I am starting to feel a wee bit better - so that is the great news and I am happy. May even attempt to stamp a little bit in the next few days. (crossing fingers here!)

so thank you mega tons for your prayers and sweet words of encouragement!!! I was able to go to Tyler's graduation though, although none of his announcements ever got sent out (yep, horrible of me!), but I think I'll just send them with pix of him in his cap and gown. Better late than never I guess. He is home taking care of me this summer and doing such a great job. Mick and Ryan are working with David out at Camp Burton for the summer. I'm proud of the work they are doing as well.

Everyone take care and I will hopefully be back soon with some stamped items. Love to each of you!!!

Jennifer