A Vintage Ornament Line-up

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice of course (it was hubby's choice today - see below for funny story!)

Today, as is every Sunday, is Doodle Beans day for me. Not designated by Randa, the owner, just by my own choosing. I think because so many of her images have such a special meaning to me in regards to my faith. So it just seemed appropriate to make every Sunday the day I showcase something with the neat digis from DB! :) yep, I'm a goofball, but we all knew that anyway!

One of the new holiday images is this beautiful line-up of ornaments.I love the way they look and immediately wanted to pair them with this gorgeous paper from Basic Grey's Fruitcake collection. I tried to color some of the ornaments to match those in the paper as best I could. I then took my spica glitter pen and outlined each ornament as well as any little swirls, lines, or curlyques within. so irl ther is a lot of shine! This fabby-licious trim is more of my JoAnn's stash - you have just GOT to go check out their trim section to see what they have!! you will be amazed! :) Poinsettia is from Prima, leaf punches are Martha Stewart, and vintage buttons are from my Etsy stash. card base is edged in white craft ink.

Now for the funny story about today's coffee. David chose our flavor today. Actually we had two - the pumpkin spice and creme brulee. but I have to tell you a secret - my hubby is a closet pumpkin spice latte lover! he will go through the drive-thru at Starbucks so he doesn't have to get out and take a chance someone he knows will see him with a pumpkin spice latte & give him a hard time! it makes me giggle every time I think about it!!! I have to order them when we go to Starbuck's together. He is afraid that the guys at the church district office will razz him big time for being a latte lover, so he goes 'undercover' to get his. now understand that my hubby is a 6'4" guy who looks quite intimidating at times. our middle son, Mick, is even taller than his dad. so the idea that he sneaks through the drive-thru just cracks me up!!!!! Obviously he drinks as much pumpkin spice coffee at home as he possibly can!!! Sorry honey bunny, you have been OUTED!!!!

everyone have a great and glorious day! love ya!

Jennifer

A Beautiful Flower for YOU! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Another beautiful image for you from The Rusty Pickle. I love the simplicity of this flower. and the great thing about it is that you can color it for any season and to match any papers. Put a few together and you have a lovely bouquet. Big news is that sneak peeks start on Monday for a neat line Michelle has designed! All of the DT will have peeks, so be sure to check out everyone's blogs!!

I went back to one of my all time fave EVER Basic Grey paper collections for this card - Stella Ruby. I haven't used any of these papers in a while and figured it was about time. I love the colors, flowers, gosh, just pretty much everything about them!!! Only certain parts of the flower have been painted with my shimmerz. Much to my absolute horror, I discovered that I was almost out of my beloved, treasured, pink shimmerz paint. oh my goodnes gracious me!!! what was I to do?!?! I just automatically grab that paint for EVERYTHING, so didn't rally pay attention to the fact that the pot was almost empty. So thankfully i {heart] papers came to the rescue!!!! my new pink shimmerz will be here the first of next week - phew....... what relief..... I was almost in panic mode!!! grins! doesn't take much to keep me happy, but what does is usually pink and shiny! giggles! The pink trim is from Webster's Pages. The little leaves are from some May Arts leaf ribbon. a few buttons & baby primas with distressed stickles in the centers complete the card.

Enjoy your day! Talk to you soon!

It's A Beary Dust Christmas! :)

Coffee of the Day - Almond Roca

The most talented Sue Spiller of Beary Dust has asked me to do some design work for her! Boy, am I one thrilled chica over here!!! So I used some of her fun digi stamps to make some Christmas projects for my Secret Sister. That is one of the great thing about digis - you can make them whatever size you need for that particular project. so stinkin' cool!!! Be sure to head over to Sue's blog and become one of her followers! Tell her I sent you over and she'll get a kick outta that! actually, tell her I sent you for some coffee - she will giggle! :) She is also debuting as a designer with Squigglefly tomorrow!!! yipppeeeee Sue!!! hooray for you, girlfriend!!!!

The gift tags were easy peasy to print out on the compy. Once you insert the photo into your document, format the photo for a text document that wraps around the picture. Then you can choose your font and go from there. There are some really fun fonts for free on the internet. One of my faves for the holidays is called 'Santa's Sleigh'. The paper is from Making Memories. flowers and leaves are from Prima. the gingies are painted with shimmerz for some sparkly shine. the cute holly buttons are from a Christmas assortment I picked up at Michael's.

The ornament was a ton of fun to make! Again, the polka dot paper is Making Memories. the blue paper is Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses. The big felt snowflake is a glitter sticker. I applied frosted stickles to the papers to give some glitz. The hat band on the snowman is painted with royal red shimmerz. The pattern is from SCS. You actually get 2 from each 8 1/2" x 11 piece of paper. I recommend printing on the wrong side of cs. This one is filled with a fun variety of ribbons for my SS. I hope she likes them! :)

See you tomorrow! Have a great weekend! :)

In the Meadow We Can Build A Snowman

A new challenge has begun over at IldiCo! Pick a Christmas song to use as an inspiration for your creation, and then link your project to the challenge blog.

I decided to use the line from the song, 'Winter Wonderland', for my card. I love this new digi that happens to be a freebie today over at SNR!!! and while you are there, tonight is a great Digi Event with chatting, prizes, and fun from 8-10pm CST, so come join us!

My card uses Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses papers. The bow on the snowman's hat is painted with royal red shimmerz. I added some chunky glitter for snow to the ground and the snowman. The bear was stippled with several colors of ink to add extra dimension to his fur. The trim is by Prima. isn't that stuff beautiful? love it!!!! I added a few polka dots to the scarf with my white gel pen.

hope to see you tonight over at SNR!! :)

A Vintage Coffee Grinder

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin spice (hubby bought almost all they had yesterday, so there won't be much left for long!)

Wanted to show you a card I started out making for last week's color challenge at DZ Doodles, but didn't get done in time because of being sick. Went ahead and finished it up anyhow this week and will try to get a card made for the current challenge. Check our the freebie image Diane is giving away. A new one will be up tomorrow, so hurry over to the site.

I used the new Basic Grey Nook and Pantry papers. The color challenge was to use light blue, dark blue, and yellow on your creation. My blues are a bit more teal-ish, but I just loved these papers with the image. Added a few fun buttons and some vintage seam tape. The borders were punched with my Fiskars apron border punch - a new to me purchase. love the look of this!!! The main image is popped up on foam tape. easy peasy pumpkin pie, but a neato card nonetheless.

Now for a completely off topic mention - some of you know that I am about as nerdy geeky as can be. My fave show to watch, 'must see t.v.' that the whole fam gathers around for EVERY week, no fail, is Big Bang Theory. We love Star Trek - all versions, when we get bored, play 'name that alien species from the ST series' (believe me - that can go on for hours!! grins!). I am enamoured with X-Men and can tell you about many of the characters and their histories. well, the list could just go on and on. (but I do draw the line at going to conventions - go figure) One of the weekly emails I get is from a site called 'How That Works'. The one this week was super cool! and both Tyler and I were able to figure out most of the gadgets. Check out this article, "Top 10 Star Trek Technologies that Actually Came True" . Just too neat to pass up!!! And while I am at it, I may as well post this one, too. We cracked up that there are actual directions and a website. We first heard about this extension on Big Bang - Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock. Check out the episode and then check out the directions. don't forget, as it always has, rock crushes scissors!

Button Bugs are invading! :)

Coffee of the Day - Almond Roca

Welcome to the new release blog hop for Angel's Landing!!! Once again I have been blessed to be asked by Judi to be a part of this fabby hop! I am so excited!!! :) Two new sets of digi images are being released this month - Polar Bear Cubs and Button Bugs.

If you have arrived here from *Cheryl's fabby blog*, you are cruising right along. If at any point you get off track during the hop, just head back over to *Judi's blog* and she will get you fixed right up.

Want to give you a bit of background on my projects for today. I am using images from the cute set, Button Bugs. I received an email a few weeks ago from Cath, the editor over at PaperCrafts Magazine. They are creating a Christmas tree to donate to the Festival of Trees, which benefits the Primary Children's Medical Center in Utah. In addition to the Christmas tree, some of the crafters who have contributed to the magazine have been asked to create cards which will be auctioned to also raise money for the hospital. I decided to use these wonderful images from Judi and Angel's Landing for my gift set. In addition to the cards, I have made a card storage box. I hope that the recipient enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it! :)

The items were all created with the beautiful Prima papers and flowers. The large harlequin paper is actually a glitter paper - oh so fabby-licious! The adorable little bugs were painted with shimmerz glitter paints. Each 'trail' was highlighted with my spica glitter pen. Various trims and buttons have also been added. The letters on the box are also by Prima. They are covered in the most delightful chunky glitter! super fun!

Your next stop on this marvy tour is *Cindy's amazing blog*, so be sure to hop hop hop on over to see what wonderful things she has created! You may also join in the fun chats going on over at PCP and SNR all day long!

Thanks for stopping by! :)

A Vintage Guest DT Dream Come True!

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

One of my dreams came true the day that Cora from Digital Two for Tuesday told me that I would be one of her Guest Designers!!! Boy, you coulda heard the yippppeeee clear over in the Netherlands I was so thrilled!!! I happened upon this amazing site about a month ago and have been addicted ever since. You know my love for all things vintage, and this wonderful lady offers FREE vintage digis every week! Guest designers spotlight the images, and she has graciously allowed ME to be one of the chosen ones!!! what an honor for this humble papercrafter I tell you what.....

For the 'football' card, I watercolored the image using my inks and watercolor brushes. I then used my ink squirty tool (I can never remember the official term for that thing! grins!!) to help give an older feel to the piece. I took a piece of Making Memories paper and aged it by first crinkling it and then rubbing my ink pad over the top. the edges were torn and inked as well. I added some wonderful embellies from the MM vintage findings line - cloth tag, 'wish' coupon, button tied with twine and then attached to wide grosgrain ribbon, & school paper stapled to corner. the main image was popped up on foam tape for added dimension. the edges of the card base were inked with vanilla craft.

On the 'brother and me' card, I used this beautiful paper by Webster's Pages, Terri Conrad collection. the edges of it were covered in brown glitter glue. The digi image was colored with inks and watercolor brushes. the girl's headband and collar were painted as well with pink shimmerz. this pieces was cut out and popped up on extra thick foam tape for added dimension. I used a wonderful circle paper doilie and velvet ric rack trim from JoAnn's to frame the digi. Vintage buttons from my stash helped to complete the look. A velvet leaf from Prima and velvet flower from Making Memories finish off the card. I kept the sentiment fairly generic so that it could be used for a thinking of you, Mother's Day, card for my hubby to send to one of his sisters, or whatever other occassion might happen to arise in the future!

Have a most glorrious day! love to you all!

Jennifer

A Whimsical Take-out Box for my Secret Sis! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Sorry that my post for the Whimsy Stamps Challenge is running late today, but I pretty much spent my whole weekend in bed sleeping. I have been reallllllllly sick lately. haven't done any crafting to speak of, so have LOTS to get caught up on. hence my late post for the day. anywho - the challenge for this week at Whimsy is to create a non-card project. I have something special for my Secret Sister (shhhhh...... can't tell you what is tucked inside, but it is something yummy for the belly she will adore!! grins!!!) so made a cute little chinese take-out box all decorated for fall.

I used the cute Whimsy Fall Raccoons for the box. the papers are Making Memories. added some fun buttons and Prima flowers with rhinestone centers. tied a bunch of neat ribbons to the wire handle to add a festive touch and the box is ready for gift giving!

Join the challenge this week! and be sure to check out what the rest of the Design Team has created! there are some really neat things being shown! :)

see you tomorrow!

Friends of Faith Blog Hop!!!! Our God is SOOOOO Awesome!!! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice of course! :)

Welcome to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine's A Faith Perspective Thankful for Friends Faith Blog Hop. Today, we're out in force on the internet -- showing our faith and giving the glory to God. United, we stand as Christian paper crafters and blog owners to make a presence on the internet for all to see. We're celebrating the theme of friends and we're happy to share our projects with you based on the verse:

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. " Eccl 4:9-10a

If you're just joining in on the fun, you can find the start of the train here. If you have arrived from the fabby blog of *KAREN* then you are in the right spot! :)

First, we would like to take a moment to thank our generous co-sponsors: Layers of Color Stamps, Gina K Designs Stamps and Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. Together with Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, these companies have donated some wonderful prizes for today's blog hop.

Prizes? Oh, yeah! There will be three lucky grand prize winners for today's event.

To enter, simply hop to the blogs of all of the participating staff members of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, take note of the staff member's name, and leave a comment on their posts. Then send us an email at
games@scrapbooknewsandreview.com listing each of the staff members who participated in today's hop. It's that easy. All entries must be received by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 12 noon, EST and three winners will be randomly chosen to win.
What are the prizes?

*One $100 gift certificate from Layers of Color Stamps AND a 6 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.
*One basket of goodies -- four stamp sets from Gina K Designs and a 6 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.
*One set of digital stamps from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and a 3 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

In addition, every participating staff member of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine will offer a free one-month subscription to the magazine to one of their lucky visitors by simply leaving a comment on their blog. That's a lot of chances to win, so let's get to the Hop!

I know how much my friends mean to me and how precious are those times we spend together. Many of those times seem to be spent over coffee, yeah, I know most of you are in shock. grins and giggles! but really, it is the conversations and the fellowship with these beautiful people that means more to me than the coffee. REALLY! :) and I have been told that one of my spiritual gifts is that of encouragement. I think because I have been through so much in my life, especially my battle with depression, I don't want to see other people suffer the way I did. And so I want to always try to fill people with hope, especially the hope that comes from knowing God in the most personal way. He is such a huge part of my life that I can't help but talk about Him to people and share about all that He does for me.

So this wonderful image from IldiCo seemed like the perfect one to use for a card to send to a friend when thinking of what to make for this blog hop. I have several friends going through some tough times right now. We all have them. We can't escape them. But no where is it said that we have to go through them alone. God brings friends into our lives for a reason. One of my favorite musical groups EVER is Jars of Clay. Honest to goodness, this one CD of theirs, Who We are Instead, I have gone through TWICE!!! and I am gonna have to go buy another one it looks like..... one of the songs on it is titled, "I'm In the Way". They lyrics are so very poignant. They are short, so I will post them here.

You sit and stare out at the sky/And think of ways to fake a smile.

But life is never what it seems/ Sometimes it only takes a while.

I'm in the way of fallin' down/ I won't let you go that far now.

If you think that hope was left behind/ I picked it up a mile ago.

And I am running close behind/ So don't give up and don't let go.

For my friends, I am here for you. You are not alone. Hope is in your hands. You may not see it, you may not feel it, but it is there nonetheless. And God will never ever leave you. He can't. He doesn't do that to His children. And He loves you more than you can possibly imagine. so do I. :)

so now on to the wonderful blog of *DANIELLE*!!!! and thank you for hopping along with us! have a marvy weekend!

A Yummy Gingerbread Girl

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

I made this card with the cute new digi from Digital Delights by Louby Lou. Isn't she just the cutest little thing? She is covered in shimmerz and stickles to give her a bit more shine and sparkle. The paper is Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses. I also used my spica glitter pen to add some extra touches on the card - some dots by the scallops of the trim on the right side of the card, outlined the main image rectangle, and outlining of the left side of the card.

thank you for the kind thoughts and prayers about my health. all of you mean so very much to me! you are just the best! I am still resting as much as I can and not getting much else done, but that is okay, too. I have more drs. visits for next week, so we will see how those go.

Everyone have a great weekend! love to you all! :)

From Me to YOU! :)

Coffee of the Day - Almond Roca


Sorry for the lateness of the post and to have been missing for a day or so. I haven't been feeling so great lately, so haven't been able to do much crafting. Have had some setbacks with my health and we are in the process of trying to get things all straightened out, but so far no luck. yucky poo icky blech! :( I really don't like not feeling well - but guess no one does. we're trying to avoid the i.v. meds - I soooooo don't want to go that route. anyway, enough of that mess. trying to rest as much as I can.


on to my card with these great new images from The Rusty Pickle! I love the cuteness and sweetness of this one. just makes me say "awwwww....." everytime I see it. Paired it with papers from both K & Co. Wild Raspberry and Basic Grey Dasher. The snowman is covered in clear glitter glue and the ground in chunky glitter. Added this fun felt snowflake glitter sticker along with baby buttons and trims from Webster's Pages. Thought the snowman would look so adorable with some bright pink cheeks.


Have a wonderful evening, and I will check in with you later! love to you all!
Jennifer

p.s. there is a Grand Opening drawing for 5 free digis going on until Nov. 15 on the website! hurry over to get your name in the drawing! :)

Are you the Cat or the Fish?

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Good morning! This is my first post as a member of the Whimsy Stamps Challenge DT! How exciting!!! Denise, the owner of the company, was so kind and sent me some stamped images to play with until my stamps arrive. The challenge this week is to use watercoloring on your creation. No prob for me, since that is how I have been doing all of my coloring as of late.


I chose this cute cat with fishbowl for my card. I immediately was thinking of a twist on the old saying, "some days you are the cat, some days you are the fish." So with that in mind, I created my sentiment. The cat was covered with several shades of ink and then stippled with vanilla craft and brown to help give a bit more definition. The technique for the fish bowl I came upon accidentally. I had covered the whole bowl with crystal effects that was taking forever to dry. I decided to give it a quick shot with my heat fun from below the cardstock, when it started to bubble from overheating. I thought this would make a cool look to the bowl, so just continued heating for a few more seconds.

Paper is from Michael's Recollection series. trim is from JoAnn's, buttons are from both my vintage stash and Making Memories.

Have a great Monday! and no matter how your day is going, remember that you are not alone. Cat or fish, God is there! and me, too! love ya!
Jennifer

A Color Challenge from DZ Doodles

Wanted to post my card for the color challenge over at DZ Doodles - use pink, red, and brown. I am also using this beautiful freebie image that Diane has so graciously offered on the blog.

I added stickles to the image to imitate snow. also some in the center of the Prima poinsettia. added these precious little vintage buttons as corner accents as well as on the vintage trim bow. Not a lot of brown, there is more on the pinecones that shows in the scan, but heavy on the pink and red. I masked the flourish on the ornament for a bit more flair and then painted it with pink shimmerz. Oh yes, papers are Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses and Dasher.

A new challenge starts tomorrow, so be sure to play along. :)

Snowman in Plaid

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Biscotti

Thanks to a reminder on a blog that I visit, I realized I need to get a jump on my Christmas cards! So this cute snowman from Doodle Beans fit the bill quite nicely! I have been wanting to get him all inky, and this seemed like the perfect day....... maybe 'cause I'm longing for snow and it is supposed to get up into the 70's today. gorgeous - don't get me wrong, but I am ready for winter. the trees here are all bare, so it just seems like we need the snow. :)

I used papers from Basic Grey Dasher, added some neato trim from JoAnn's, a beautiful stacked poinsettia and holly leaf from Prima, and ta da! card is done! of course he needed a bit of sparkle, so I added some shimmerz on his mittens, coal buttons, snowflakes, and holly leaves. I used my white gel pen to make a few polka dots on his scarf - he needed something fun around his neck to keep him cozy! :) Chunky glitter snow completes the image.

Have a wonderful day! We have the windows open all through the house, and it is really quite glorious! :)

Hot Chocolate Holder with a cutie bear!

Another card to show you using a fun image from IldiCo. I thought it would be fun to paper piece the coffee mug with this adorable little guy, so went looking through my papers for one that would work. Lo and behold, Basic Grey to the rescue! These fun new papers are from the Nook & Pantry collection. Paper piecing digis is so easy to do - don't let them intimidate you.

You will see the open and closed version of the hot choco holder here. The paper on the front covers the staple backs, always important if you can help it. Added in some fun brads and ric rack trim. Pretty easy peasy for a fun little giftie! the whipped cream topping is the white flower soft I have had fun playing with! yep, using it again! it just seemed perfect. stippled the bear again to give him a bit more depth. As you can see, the thin dec. paper piece on the far right side is actually on the inside of the card.

Enjoy your weekend! :)

Another little card for Jaimie

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Wanted to make another card for Jaimie, and when I saw this cutie from IldiCo., I knew it would be perfect. (for more info about cards for Jaimie, head to Stamp Something...For Jaimie or see my post below for Monday) I kept trying to remember that this card was for a 11 year old girl, so it is a bit different from my others. wanted it to be fun and full of smiles. (gosh, that makes it sound as if all of my cards are grumpy depressing ones!)

Anyhow, today is the release day for this new line by IldiCo called SnoPals. these precious snowmen and women are seen doing all kinds of fun activities! go check them out if you can. there is also a blog hop with them in conjunction with The Stamping Boutique and Sunshine Stamps going on today. It starts here if you would like to hop along and have a chance to win some cool prizes!

I used papers from the Basic Grey Figgy collection. The snowman is covered in stickles and then a bit of chunky glitter. The chunky glitter also covers the bottom left portion of the main image. I added in some clear dew drops for added fun. The great trim is by Webster's Pages and a few little buttons sit in the corner. I sure hope she likes it.

Have a great weekend, and I'll be back to post more later! :)

A Rusty Santa...

I wanted to show you this fun new digi from The Rusty Pickle. Isn't he just wonderful?! I love the rustic look to him.


The papers are not even Christmas ones, which goes to show you that you can use lots of different kinds of papers for the holidays, just dress them up a bit with your images and embellies. Same goes in reverse for the holiday papers. Try it out sometime and see how neat it feels to put a neat twist on your creation!


These papers are from the Basic Grey June Bug collection. The beautiful poinsettia and leaf are Primas. The garland I found at Pat Catan's several years ago, and ahem...... forgot I had. (shhhhhhh...... you can NOT tell David 'cause he would have fits thinking I had stuff in my stamping room that was LOST! grins!!) I tell him all the time that "there is a great bit of organization in this stuff you call clutter." I didn't tighten up the scan so you could see the full impact of the bow. when I tried cropping, the bow just got lost - thus the larger scan. There are frosted stickles along the mittens, coat front, and hat. A tiny bit brushed along the ground gives the feeling of a light coating of snow. The card base was edged in 2 shades of ink to help give the more rustic feel.

Happy Weekend to you! Jennifer

A Frothy Cup of Coffee with a Friend!

Coffee of the Day - Spiced Hazelnut

Good morning! It is a Freebie Friday over at Digital Delights by Louby Lou, and I was privilged enough to get a sneaky peek!!! This is such an adorable digi! Even Tyler said "awwww... how cute!" when he saw it! :)

I decided to use the sketch provided in the challenge over at Delightful Sketches. My papers are K & Co. Wild Raspberry. I added some white floral soft to the frothy part of the coffee - yep, we all knew it would happen just as soon as I used it for the first time! now I can't stop! :) Put on a few little buttons, this beautiful bow tied with some of the silk ribbon I won at I {heart} papers, tossed a baby Prima on the sentiment tag, and we were ready to go! Both the Prima flower and the coffee cup flower have little beads in their centers. The petals of the coffee cup flower were also painted with pink shimmerz. I am thinking that this is the perfect holder for a Starbuck's gift card....... grins! now to find someone who likes coffee.......... maybe YOU?!?!

Grab this cute freebie while you can and play in the sketch challenge, too!

Have a happy Friday! :)
Jennifer

A Beautiful Holly Fairy that shines!

This is quick 'cause Ryan really really really wants to get on the compy, and I have to get this uploaded for a challenge that ends at 5pm!!!! ack! Actually using it for 2 challenges - 1 over at Sweet n Sassy for the challenge to use holly on your creation. 2 for Mo's Digital Pencil to use 3 sparkly shiny things on your project.

I added lots of shimmerz to her dress and holly wings, put stickles on the snow in the globe as well as on the church roof, and of course the holly leaves (Prima) and glitter button. snowglobe is also covered in crystal effects. paper is Basic Grey Figgy. sorry to be quick, but he REALLY wants on! :)

Coffee with a Cuddly Bear

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice


Today is a brand new challenge over at IldiCo. and my first challenge as a Guest DT member! woooo hooooooo! So of course I had to use the cutie coffee bear (1 of 2 of them ..... maybe you will see the other in days to come?!?! hmmmmmmmm....... gotta check back! grins!) I mean how else would I start my inaugural adventure with them than with a coffee card?! :)


Kept the card fairly simple, but modified the sketch a tad - flipped it over on its side and scooched the circle elements closer together. The papers I used are from the Jenni Bowlin mini pack, Red/Black Line Extension. used my stitching stamp across the edge where they join. The Starbucks' circles actually come from the bags they use to hold cookies, scones, etc. I punched them out and saved them for a future project - TA DA!!! the trim is one of my remnant finds, the mat of the main image is distressed, and the buttons were added right below a cute sentiment I use ALL the time 'cause I love it so!

wanted to fill you in a bit about how I colored our bear friend - did my usual watercoloring, but then took 2 different shades of ink and a dry watercolor brush to stipple ink over the bear. this helps to give him a furry look with more dimension. just a little tip for something fun to do! The card base is more of my coffee paper. I think it is my last sheet, so it's time to make some more! :) Dave really likes this card so I think it's heading with him to work........ :) gotta keep MY honey bear happy, too!


have a great day! love ya!
Jennifer

A Soft and Fluffy Cheers! :)

Once again here I am sliding in to get a challenge card posted right before the deadline. :) With this one I kept putting it off 'cause I was INTIMIDATED by the challenge twist over at Shirleys 2 Girls - use something soft like flocking or flower soft on your card. everyone kept crying for help on the forum, and I grew more and more scared as the days passed. Mind you I can sit and watch all of the Saw movies and laugh and laugh at them with my middle son, but the idea of trying my flower soft for the first time had me in fits. But I overcame............. yes, I did it. Held my breath and jumped right in! It was much easier to use than I thought, and I will gladly pick up those round containers of fluff again in future days!

As soon as I grabbed my Basic Grey Wassail papers, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. That great chair in this fun digi was screaming at me - PAPER PIECE ME!!!!!! Well, not being one to deny my papers or embellies EVER, I whole heartedly responded, "SURE !" :) but once I started printing on the fun paper I couldn't stop. So look at how much of this cutie got pieced! almost the whole ever lovin' thing! Glorious, isn't it?! I want a chair just like this one, and an outfit just like hers, too! the slippers are so close to my pink fluffs that Dave so kindly bought me, but if Santa felt the need to get me some just like these, oh no, I would not complain! :D grins! Added the white flower soft to the hat's brim and pom pom in addition to the slippers' pom pom. It should be a crafting law that all pom poms must be 'fluffed'. kinda like all things pink need sparkles. 'nuff said! :D Added this gorgeous trim from Webster's Pages that makes you wanna rub it up against your cheek, it is so soft and cuddly velvet. The poinsettias flowers and leaf are from Prima.

Thanks for putting up with my rambling......... time for me to grab my book and head to bed! See ya in the morning! Don't let the bedbugs bite! unless of course you bite back! :)

A Pretty Posy for YOU! :)

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Biscotti (p.s. the holiday creamers are out at the stores now - eggnog, peppermint mocha, etc. !!!! grab them while you can!)

A pretty Posy for you, courtesy of Kraftin' Kimmie! isn't she just precious?!?! I have all of the first release girls, and now need to work on getting the new ones that just came out. Santa, oh Santa, are you listening???? I have not been so good all the time, but I will try REALLLLLLLLLLY hard the rest of the year...... month...... okay, the rest of the week to be the best I can! I promise!! grins! :D Kimmie is also doing a call-out for Guest Designers. man oh man, that would be a dream come true, but my work pales in comparison to so many out there. So I will submit my humble little creations and cross my fingies tight, but just keep on keepin' on in my happy little style 'cause that is what I have gotta do! :)

My card is for the challenge this week, to use a tag. I incorporated these fabby new papers from Basic Grey - Nook and Pantry. Added some teeny tiny buttons on her dress, some neat trims (the flower trim is May Arts from my wonderful prize pack the other day over at I {heart} papers) and these gorgeous Prima flowers I layered. leaves are punched with a Martha Stewart punch. Her barrettes, flower centers, tights, and scarf have all been painted with pink shimmerz. the main image was outlined with olive green glitter glue by Studio G. I think I really like Stickles best - they seem to have more glitter, but I will use these up since I got 'em! :)

Have a great day! More goodies to come later in the week! Love to you all!

Jennifer

Just a Girl in the Garden....

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

Happy day to you! Hope it is truly glorious wherever in this big wide world you happen to be! :)

Wanted to show you the other happy card I made the other day - in my vintage style I love so very much. Used an image from ETC., an Etsy company that is truly faboo in my book! Owned by the amazing Julia Stainton, Becky Olsen, and Lisa Strahl. These women are each so talented on their own, but when you put them all together it is like an volcano of creativeness just erupting form the ground!!!! glorious indeed!!!! Here is a link to their blog so you can check it out.

Off to my card ~

I pulled out my new to me K & Co. papers, Classic K Charlotte. The border was so pretty that I didn't want to cover it up, so I made sure to offset the main image. Stamped a tag, added some fun vintage seam tape in a skrunchy kind of bow, and adhered it over this beauiful trim remnant I found at Wally World of all places. tossed on some vintage buttons from my wonderful Etsy stash and the card is done! oh yes, used that infamous ink squirty tool over both the tag and main image, which were also popped up on foam tape.

Don't forget to send a card to Jaimie if you can. It sure will mean a lot to her! and link it back to the main blog, Stamp Something... For Jaimie, for a chance to win a prize.

have a great day! :) love ya!

Jennifer

An Extreme Guitar for a Special Girl....

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Truffle

Welcome to my stop on the Spread the Love Blog Hop!!! If you have arrived from the fabby *CRAFTY CREATIONS CHALLENGE BLOG*, then you are hopping along the right path! :D if at any point you lose your way, just head over to the *STAMP SOMETHING....FOR JAIMIE* blog for the master list. If you are just beginning, start at the wonderful *KATHARINA* blog spot!

Now for a bit of the history behind this hop:

"On October 4th, 4 teenagers armed with knives broke into a home in a small town in New Hampshire. Alone and sleeping inside were a mother and her 11 year old daughter. These 4 boys broke into this home with the intent to rob and kill anyone inside. They stabbed the mom, Kimberly Cates, to death and left her daughter, Jaimie, for dead in their driveway. It was a completely random act, their home was chosen only due to its secluded surroundings."

Our hope is that everyone hopping around today will stop for a moment and think about Jaimie and her father and what life must be like for them now. One moment in time has changed their lives forever. We are asking that everyone reading this message please take a moment to make a card and send it off to Jaimie. You can make something very simple or much more involved, but please share some words of hope and love and let her know that people do care and want the best for her. Please send your card to the address below:

Jaimie Cates
c/o Mont Vernon Fire Station
Main Street
Mont Vernon, NH 03057

I really wanted to make something for Jaimie that would appeal to her tastes, but couldn't find any extreme outdoor stamps in my collection. So I went to my Extreme music instead - hopefully that will be okay, as most teens and preteens I know are into their tunes as well. (I know I still am... grins!) I went with her fave hot pink and black, but mixed it up with some of the other colors found in the spunky funky fabby-licious K & Co. Greenhouse papers. Added some cool-io rhinestones and black grosgrain ribbon. kept it fairly simple and managed to limit the frou frou frills. The guitar player is embossed and the edges haphazardly stamped with the Extreme Elements set.

Please please consider sending a card to this precious child. Just a note to let her know she is not alone. If you do so, please post to your blog and link back to the STAMP SOMETHING...FOR JAIMIE blog. Some amazingly generous companies have donated prizes for everyone who sends out a card.

Now hop yourself on over to the truly spectacular *LAYERS OF COLOR* blog! these are some amazing blogs I am surrounded by on the hop! giggles! Have fun! :)

Counting Blessings

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Biscotti

I am sorry for the late post today - haven't been feeling well and couldn't get around easily. the compy was really rough on my head, so have avoided it. but did want to get my card posted for one of the challenges, so this will be short. Please be sure to check back tomorrow for the big blog hop for Jaimie.

I checked out the new challenge over at Stampin' Sisters in Christ for the week. It is to make a card that honors the times when God is unseen based on the verse in Deuteronomy 31:8 "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (NIV) I know that so often I feel God's presense when I am in worship, not necessarily in a building, but when listening to music. I can close my eyes and get lost in the notes, the rhythms, the feels of the stanzas, the words. I love to stand in a church service among my fellow brothers and sisters and get carried away to God's feet. I can feel the angels singing along, and I know God smiles. But I can also hold tight to those feelings when times get tough, such as now when I am physically so very weary, and know that He has not left me. He is still holding me, the angels are still singing, and the music still plays. I may not feel it as strongly, but it is all still there just the same.


So I printed the church image from Doodle Beans on this beautiful Prima paper, as a subtle reminder, that not all has to be so 'in your face obvious'. The sentiment comes from the Count Your Blessings Leaves digi. Using my circle punch, I punched out just the words, distressed the edges, and then popped it up in the center of this wonderful Prima flower. I added some neat glitter flourishes from Making Memories, pretty crochet trim, and vintage buttons. I followed a sketch from Whimsy and their challenge for the week.



Try something new this week with your digis - print them on decorative paper, use only a portion, mix several together, or whatever floats your boat! Then post back 'cause I would love to see! See you tomorrow! Jennifer