Holiday Gift Ideas with GIU

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

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

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

now on to my gift ideas ~

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jennifer

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

A Cup of Joy Fold-a-Long cards for GIU

Coffee of the Day - Maple Fudge

Hip Hip Hooray! the long awaited day is finally here! Today begins my stint as a Growing in Unity gal, or GIU gal for short! to say I've been a Nervous Nelly is putting it MILDLY! my lawsie, do you have any idea how humbling it is to be chosen, but then to be assigned the week prior to Christmas?! ack!!! ;) no pressure..... nah..... NOT!

okay, so here we go....
I am a coffee lover. alright. some MIGHT say I'm an addict. of course I don't, but then I do drink out of a cup that can hold 30 oz. of the beverage of my choice! tee hee!

so to start off my GIU week, yep, I had to go with coffee projects!
now I'm going to warn you. all of my projects this week are going to be all mixy matchy. I've used stamps from various sets, so I will link them all in the body of my posts. I'm not very conventional. and my projects are about as far from CAS as you can get. that's just how I roll. :)

yeah, I also tend to 'talk' a lot! you should hear me irl! (insert my hubby's eye roll here....)

I came across this way cool card die from Sizzix and knew it would be great fun to use at some point this week. the die is called the Ornate Label Fold-a-long. papers are from Basic Grey, sniff sniff sniff..... okay, no more lamenting my fave paper company closing it's doors.....

I decorated the outsides with vintage button cards and distressed seam binding. each was stamped with a sentiment from the "Joy to Go" set. poinsettias from Hobby Lobby were then added.

inside I added images from the "Hello Love" and "Joy to Go" sets. the sentiment is also from "Joy to Go" and accented with vintage holly sprigs & pearl-ex drops. each image has accents of white gel pen stickles, shimmerz paint, and/or Viva Decor pearl paint.

thank you so much for stopping by! if you would like a chance to win a Unity grab bag of stamps, just leave a comment on this or any of my GIU posts this week. see you tomorrow! :)

Jennifer

Challenges:
613 Avenue Create - holiday happiness (coffee is my happiness every day & season!)
Come and Get it - Christmas
The Stamping Boutique - fancy folds
52 Christmas Card Throwdown - any previous challenge (May dies/punches combined with August watercoloring, since that is how I color all of my images)
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed - anything goes
Pattie's Creations - anything goes that's Christmas or winter
Color Inspiration Monday link up - anything goes as long as it's hand colored (water colored with SU! inks)

A Holiday Cookie Swap Blog Hop with The Digi Bells! :)

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Peppermint, just the thing to go with an assortment of cookies! :)

Hello to all of you on this bright and beautiful Sunday morning! :) I am so not ready for Christmas to arrive, but I know by the time it gets here, my house will have been tinseled and hollied and bedecked in ribbons gallore! you see, I've been so very busy working on holiday projects for everyone that not one decoration has been put up yet. that changes as of next week! I am almost finished with projects in the craft room! hooray! :)

but you are here today because you want to taste a yummy cookie, don't you? you have arrived here from LYNDA's absolutely gorgeous blog if you are on our hop with The Digi Bells. if you are just starting out, please stop by The Digi Bells blog for the complete list. you don't want to miss even one stop of the fun, since everyone is sharing cookie recipe cards and this adorable new digi stamp, "Home Baked Christmas," that is making it's way into the store today. :)

every year for Christmas, each of my sons gets to choose at least one Christmas cookie that I will bake, plus we have several favorites that are always on the list. the recipe that follows is one of the 'always' cookies! if you follow my blog, you know that our oldest son, Tyler, became engaged just this past week. I decided to make this card for his fiance, Danielle, so she could have one of Tyler's favorite cookie recipes for her collection. :) we all know that Santa's favorite cookies are Daddy's favorite cookies! :)

Because the recipe is a bit long, I wasn't sure how I was going to fit it into a standard card format. that is when I came up with the idea of making a 'Z fold' card.

papers are from a pretty vintage pad I picked up at Hobby Lobby.

all of the dies are by Spellbinders.

flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts with the exception of the poinsettia on the frosting page. that one is by Making Memories.

buttons and lace are from my vintage stash. accents were made with shimmerz paint and crystal effects.

digital images on the recipe pages are some of the free ones Elisabeth so kindly sends out each week to her newsletter subscribers. you can sign up here if you aren't already on the list. you'll receive a free image every week in your mailbox! :)

If you would like to see any of the photos larger, just click on them and they will open in another window for you.

I'm the last hop on the stop, so thank you very much for popping over! head to The Digi Bells blog and leave a lovely comment for Elisabeth!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Jennifer

p.s. to my regular blog followers, tomorrow begins my Growing in Unity week. I am so VERY excited to share all of my projects with you! I hope you check back each day, not only to see what I have created, but for a chance to win some fun stamps!

Challenges:
The Stamping Boutique - fancy folds (Z fold)
Dragonfly Dreams - Christmas
Pile it On - any holiday/celebration
The Ribbon Girl - any image with ribbons/lace/trim
A Gem of a Challenge - anything Christmas
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - cute Christmas
Di's Digi's - winter holiday
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed - anything goes
Morgan's Art World - anything goes
Little Miss Muffet - anything goes

Christmas is Love AND Gingerbread Men

Top Pick at Crafty Catz

Coffee of the Day - Starbuck's Holiday Blend

It's Saturday and Christmas is right around the corner! How are your preparations coming? I feel a bit like a hamster on a treadmill, to tell you quite honestly. ;) lots of running and running and not getting anywhere! grins!

I'm sharing a new card with all of you today, made with one of the cutey freebies Elisabeth Bell so graciously sends into the mailboxes of all of her newsletter subscribers. I sure hope each of YOU has signed up for the newsletter! if not, just pop over here right away.

The little image is called "Gingerbread Man Corner" and I've paired it with a sentiment from Create with TLC. by using png formatted images, layering is super easy!

papers are some fun ones I found on a recent trip to Michael's. main and matting die are by Spellbinders, tree die  from Sizzix, and holly flourish die is by Cheery Lynn. little poinsettias are from Petaloo. vintage buttons and twine are from my stahs. some little accent dots were added to the card base border with my white gel pen for interest.

enjoy your weekend!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Art by Miran - anything goes
Crafty Catz - anything goes
Jingle Belles - I think it's an anything Christmas theme?
DL Art - any winter holiday
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - cute Christmas
Die Cut Divas - layer it up
Polkadoodles - traditional Christmas

A Merry Hot Cocoa Canister

Coffee of the Day - Salted Caramel

Wooo Hooo! it's Friday! phew.... I am actually taking the day off from crafting once I finish typing up this post. and one of my treats for the day is making the journey into Starbuck's to celebrate! I am very excited about that, I tell you! the closest one to me is a 30 minute drive, so it's not often I am able to treat myself to one of their yummy coffees. today is the day though! :D

I'm sharing a fun project I have made for the family of my oldest son's fiance. yes, you read that correctly. I said FIANCE! Tyler and Danielle became engaged a few days ago! we are over the moon excited for the two of them!!!

last year I made a container of hot cocoa mix for Danielle's family and they all loved it so much. they asked for more of the mix, in fact, before winter was over. so I thought I would make more for them this Christmas, but wanted to create a different type of container to  hold it, so I have re-purposed a coffee can.

I used digital papers and elements from the Bo Bunny Father Christmas collection with the exception of the stripe base paper which is from Michael's.

all buttons are from my stash, as is the wonderful rustic plaid ribbon.

pretty red polka dot ribbon at the top is from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

snowflake die is by Sizzix. the pretty Christmas pick on top is also from Michael's.

thanks so much for stopping by! enjoy your day! :) I'll see you again tomorrow.
Jennifer

p.s. you can find the recipe for my hot cocoa mix here on this post. the mix I have made for today's container uses hazelnut flavored creamer. it smells simply divine! :)

Challenges:
Winter Coffee Lover's Blog hop
Alphabet Ch - use something red
Brown Sugar - red, green, and white
Craft for the Craic - anything but a Christmas card
Crafty Calendar - Christmas Time
Eclectic Ellapu - anything Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Wed Ch - gift it

A Bittersweet Christmas Post....

Winner at Holly Jolly Christmas Challenges

Coffee of the Day - Maple Fudge

Today's Christmas card marks my last as a Design Team member over at Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra challenge blog. it makes me sad, but all good things come to a close so new ones can begin. :) I am so grateful to the time I had with these lovely ladies!

I'll be on the lookout for a new year round Christmas challenge blog to join, so will keep all of you posted as to how that goes. I love to make Christmas cards! :)

for my card, I used the cutey Winter Bird House image by Bugaboo, our constant, image was printed onto kraft cs and snow was colored with a pencil.  stickles was added over the top for a touch of shine and sparkle. wonderful sponsor. papers are from a neat pad I picked up at Target.

holiday twine was wrapped around the main image, which was cut with a Spellbinders die. upper corner is embellished with a poinsettia by Petaloo and holly leaves & berries from Wild Orchid Crafts. a little ribbon snippet peaks out for a touch of fun and whimsy. :) a doily and vintage button add interest along the border while a Unity Stamps sentiment completes the card.

enjoy your day and I'll see you back here tomorrow with another crafty project! :)

Challenges:
Creative Moments - anything goes
Fab 'n Funky - glitter & sparkle
Holly Jolly Christmas - anything Christmas
Tuesday Throwdown - anything goes
Christmas with the Cuteys - anything Christmas and cute
Dream Valley - Christmas
Melonheadz - winter is here
Creative Knockouts - winter wonderland/festive fun

Collect Moments Christmas Tea Cup Card

Coffee of the Day - Creamy Chestnuts

I have been such a VERY busy bee in my craft room, so be prepared to be inundated with a LOT of crafty goodies. :) it's been fun, but I am a whooped puppy! still going at it until my list is done...

Today I'm sharing with you a card I made for one of my bestest friends in the whole world. she used to be a coffee buddy, but she no longer drinks coffee. she does still drink tea, though, so I was happy to make a card for her with several yummy tea bags added. we used to go to a wonderful tea room here in town until they sadly closed their doors.

the stamp is by Prima and was added to a library pocket. the pocket and the library card the tea bags are adhered to are sprayed with several shades of glimmer mist. I also used my SU! ink squirty tool. little ribbon snippet is from Really Reasonable Ribbon and pretty lace trim is from Hobby Lobby. holly flourish die is by Cheery Lynn and doily die is from Little Darlings Rubber Stamps. paper & poinsettia are from Hobby Lobby as well. button is from my vintage stash.

have a most amazing day! see you back here tomorrow! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Winter Coffee Lover's blog hop
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Everybody Art - doily (die)
Inky Chicks - Christmas card in traditional colors
Ike's World - photo inspiration
Crafty Boots - Christmas

A Cup of Christmas Joy

Coffee of the Day - Moon Pie (yes, it's an actual coffee flavor!)

The long anticipated day is finally here! I have a crafty post on my blog once again! hooray! :) Thanks so much to those of you who have left such kind and encouraging comments as well as emailed me. you have been so sweet and patient. :)

Today also kicks off the Winter Coffee Loving Cardmaker's blog hop. while I might not have something for every day of the hop, I hope to have several projects to share. :) you know me and my love of coffee!

My card uses the precious 'Willow with Hot Chocolate' image by Elisabeth Bell and a sentiment from the 'Joy to Go' stamp set by Unity.

main image and die for polka dot paper are both by Spellbinders while the holly leaf flourish die is from Cheery Lynn. papers and poinsettia are some I found at Hobby Lobby. buttons are from my vintage stash.

tag was sprayed with glimmer mist and then also sprayed with my SU! ink squirty tool. seam binding is from Zipper Stop & distressed, and that gorgeous trim along the side is a vintage find. :)  other flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

have a most lovely weekend! hope to see you back here again soon! :)
Jennifer

p.s. I'll have some new DT news to post shortly! so excited! now just need to find a new year 'round Christmas team..... I LOVE to make Christmas cards all year long! grins! yes, I'm strange that way.... ;)

Challenges:
Winter Coffee Loving Cardmaker's blog hop
Choux Choux Paper Art - Visions of Sugar Plums Christmas challenge
Christmas Cards All Year Long - anything Christmas Goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - vintage or anything Christmas
Crafty Calendar - Christmas Time
Christmas with the Cuties - Christmas and cute
Scribbles Designs - Happy Holidays
Crafty Ribbons - Christmas
613 Avenue Create - Holiday Happiness (you had better believe that coffee is my happiness! ha!)
Morgan's Art World - anything goes

While You are Waiting....

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice ( I MIGHT have enough of this to last me almost every day of the year.... grins! )

As you patiently wait for me to post something new on my blog, (tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow!!!), head over to the Digi Bells blog to see all of the fun flash back holiday creations that the DT are sharing with you. so many pretty Christmas projects sure to inspire you and make you break into carols galore! :)

soon my blog will overflow with lots of cards and blog hops and my long anticipated Growing In Unity week with Unity Stamps. what an honor to be among those chosen this year! :)

see you back here tomorrow! love ya!
Jennifer

Just Hang in There....

Coffee of the Day - Salted Caramel

Hey there! I know it has been ages since I last posted anything crafty here on my blog. I am so very sorry about that.

My hubby and I took a trip to Standing Rock Reservation the first part of November. it was truly an amazing experience and quite eye opening.  Unfortunately,  I have been sick ever since we returned. haven't been this ill in a very long long time. to add insult to injury, the seizures started up again in the wee hours of the morning today. yuck.

but I was finally able to get into my craft room this past weekend. have been busy working like a crazy woman trying to get a LOT of projects completed that are due for my sons of all people in the next few weeks. they are hard taskmasters! :) actually they need gifts and cards for girlfriends & their families.

so if all of you can bear with me, I'll start sharing some things in the next few days. thanks for not dropping me! I appreciate it! :)

see you in a few days!
Jennifer

Happy Thanksgiving!

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice, of course! ;)

just a quick post to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of my special friends here in the States! thank you for your continued support of both myself and my little blog! :) you are so kind to me and fill my heart with sunshine every time you stop by to say hello! :)

Pretty Breyer Horses in Pink

Winner at Creative Knockouts

Coffee of the Day - Bourbon Pecan (yes, I'm drinking a lot of it this fall. it is so very tasty!)

Hello all of you lovely Digi Bell fans! I'm  here to share a bit of crafty inspiration with all of you today from Elisabeth Bell's archives.

By now all of you are probably aware that I am a HUGE fan of her weekly newsletter. I urge each of you to sign up if you haven't already. Elisabeth so very kindly sends out a free image to her subscribers every weekend. can you believe that?! free!!! and they are adorable!!!

the digi I am sharing today is probably the one that got me hooked on her cuteys to begin with. it's called "Breyer Horses" and was once a rubber stamp. isn't it precious? although I am certain I say that about each and every image that lands in my mailbox. giggles!

papers are from the Basic Grey Sun Kissed collection, flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, and buttons are from my vintage stash. the main image die and the matting one are both by Spellbinders while the banner die is from SU!. the gorgeous horse die is a new to me one from Memory Box. isn't it great?! I sprayed the doily with granite glimmer mist. little distressed seam binding and ric rack snippets were attached with the Tim Holtz tiny stapler. sure do love that thing! :)

don't forget there is a great challenge going on over at Elisabeth's fun challenge blog. the theme is Autumn or Halloween. you could win some digis from the store!

I hope you have a most amazing weekend! now go get your craft on. ;)

Challenges:
Craft Rocket - pretty pinks
Crafting with an Attitude - anything goes
Creative Knock-outs - doily delights
In the Pink - lots of layers
Through the Purple Haze - add embellies
Fab 'n Funky - animals
Crafty Boots - in the pink (as a fighter of breast cancer myself, I appreciate your challenge theme!)
Dream Valley - for the girls (the young daughter of a pastor friend of ours saw my card posted on Facebook and fell in love with it. my oldest son will be delivering it to her over Thanksgiving as a surprise!)

Boys and Their Pumpkins...

Winner at Joy Clair

Coffee of the Day -  Bourbon Pecan

Please forgive the tardiness of my post, but a new challenge began YESTERDAY over on Elisabeth Bell's beautiful challenge blog. I was so busy working out at Camp for several groups that were there through yesterday that I completely forgot to schedule my post. shame on me! please pop over to see the lovely projects created by my teamies to inspire you for our new theme, 'Autumn or Halloween.'

I chose to go with the 'Autumn' theme for my card, using this adorable little fella from Elisabeth's line at Whimsy Stamps. he is 'Little Jack Happy Harvest' and just as cute as can be! I stamped him with a neat ink by Ranger called graphite that looks just like pencil lead. it is super cool irl. almost gives that 'no ink' look you see on some digital projects that some of the really talented folks do, but is easy for the not talented people like me! :)

papers are from the Authentique Grateful collection, seam binding is from Zipper Stop, and flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts. pumpkin template is from Shape EZ and little wooden veneer leaves are from SU!. matting die is by Spellbinders. some vintage buttons and ribbon snippets along with a sentiment from a label maker complete the card. the little pumpkin he is holding was paper pieced.

thanks so much for stopping by! hope your week is fabulous! :)

Challenges:
Catch the Bug - color inspiration
Double D - plaid
{pin}spirational  - photo inspiration (plaid, pumpkin, colors)
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Joy Clair - color inspiration
Crafty Gals Corner - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wed - anything goes
Sisterhood of Crafters - pumpkins or orange
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed - anything goes
Dare 2B Artzy - fall

Welcome Autumn! and a Digi Bell Blog Hop!

Coffee of the Day - Bourbon Pecan (it's a tasty new one! yum!)

Welcome to my happy little spot on the Digi Bells Blog Hop today! Grab a nice piping hot cup of coffee to keep you toasty warm on this rainy Ohio Friday.... let me tell you, God is truly in His splendor this fine Fall day. it's absolutely GORGEOUS here! while it might be raining and cool, the changing leaves are fabulous to behold! squirrels and chippies scurrying here and yonder, birds serenading us at the feeder - oh, life is so very beautiful indeed! :)

so let's celebrate it all with this precious new image Elisabeth has brought forth from retirement called 'Fall Errands.' she is just as sweet as can be with her packages and jaunty little hat! and that messenger bag! adorbs!!! of course I had to color my cookies to look like Walker's shortbread. ;) if someone were bringing me a tin of cookies, that is what I would love to have delivered. tee hee!

you should have arrived here from the absolutely AMAZING blog of FIKI, my sweet friend!!!! if at any time you get lost on the hop, just head over to the Digi Bell's blog for the complete list.

for my card I've used papers from my most fave ever fall paper collection, Basic Grey's Indian Summer. main die is by Spellbinders, pumpkin die is from Sizzix, and leaf dies (sprayed with glimmer mist) are by Tim Holtz. seam binding on tag is from Zipper Stop and crochet trim across top is vintage as are teh buttons. little wood veneer pieces ans washi tape are from SU! all flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. sentiment stamp is from Shady Tree Studios.

now hop on over to my dear friend, LYNDA's blog to see what simply breathtaking project she has made to knock your fluffy socks off! she is some kind of talented! :) be sure to leave her a comment, too. it just makes people feel a little extra special when you take the time to say hello on their blogs. :)

thanks so very  much for stopping by! enjoy your weekend!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Fussy and Fancy - shades of autumn
Love to Scrap - anything goes
Cardz 4 Galz - use at least 1 die
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Crafty Ribbons - ribbon or lace
Moving Along with the Times - trees and/or leaves
Sasayaki Glitter - Autumn/Harvest/Halloween
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed - anything goes
{pin}spirational - photo inspiration (colors, leaves)
Scribbles by Sandy - fabulous fall
Ooh La La - shades of autumn
Whoopsi Daisy - die cuts/punches
Eclectic Ellapu - autumnal
Ribbon Girls - use any image
Dare 2 B Artzy - fall

Hop to Stop - Domestic Violence Awareness

While I don't think I'm going to be able to participate in this amazing blog hop, I do want to let all of you know about a very special one going on right now. Becca, The Damsel of Distressed, put together the Hop to Stop several years ago to bring about awareness for domestic violence. the numbers of those affected by this are staggering.

I encourage you to head over to her blog post and read more about it. there are some wonderful sponsors for the hop, and if you feel so inclined, create something using the color purple as your main focus.

I hope to see you as I hop along!