A little Hot Cocoa anyone?

Hi Everyone,
Here tonight with a card I made all about hot cocoa.  Yesterday it was cool and overcast here in Seattle and my son wanted to go swimming (luckily in a heated pool...).  When he got out Grandma Jackie brought him a mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows to drink while he was drying off all bundled up in a beach towel by Mommy.  Aren't Grandma's the best!!!!  I think so.  I wonder if Seattle is the only place where you need hot cocoa in the middle of Summer?  Anyway the hot cocoa and marshmallows inspired this card:  

Thanks for taking a look at my cocoa card!
: ) Jill

Entered into:  Simon Says Stamp Challenge : Anything Goes:  HERE

A Birthday card for my sweet Mom...

Edited to add:  updated picture of card.  I placed one of the buttons on backwards and one of my sentiment stips was stamped on the wrong side...this is what happens when you make cards at 5am because you can't sleep! :)

Hi,
I wanted to make a special card for my Mom's birthday which is coming up next week. 

I followed this sketch and am entering my card in the Waltzing Mouse Stamps Sketch Challenge #108:  HERE. 

I am also entering this card in the Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge #38 - Celebrations!:  HERE.  My Mom's birthday is always cause for celebration!!! I used Cheery Lynn's beautiful French Lattice die on my card and added various design papers and cardstock into the spaces to create my background. This is such a wonderful die and you can create so many fantastic backgrounds using scraps of papers you may have sitting in your scrap pile!  You can purchase the die: HERE.  I hope someday they make a die like this with hearts cut out!  I think it would be so fun for Valentine's, Anniversary, and Wedding cards - not to mention just to tell someone that you love them!  And I am always looking for ways to use up scraps! :)

Here is my card:

This is updated picture added on 7-29-12

 I created a tiny little tag with a flower and added it to my ribbon at the top of the large tag with some hemp cord.

I cut out the hearts from Waltzing Mouse Stamps "Sewing Box Hugs" set and placed dimensionals between them to creat a puffy heart for my focal point.

I love the sentiments for the women in our lives in the "Roses in Bloom" set!  I also placed an additional die cut and sentiment inside the card which says "Happy Birthday" and is from WMS "Say it Loud" set.  NOTE: The inside of the card is not pictured.

Thanks for taking a look at my card!  Happy weekend!

: )   Jill

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink - sweet blush and rustic cream
Designer Papers:  Authentique - Uncommon Collection
Dies:  French Lattice Die:  Cheery Lynn Designs, Tag and Banner dies:  Papertrey Ink;
Stamps:  Waltzing Mouse Stamps: Sewing Box Hugs set: hearts and small flower on mini tag and background; Roses in Bloom set:  sentiments on outside of card; Say it Loud set: sentiment on inside of card - not shown.
Ink: Tea Dye duo and Berry Sorbet: Papertrey Ink; London Fog - Memento.
Other supplies:  Buttons: Papertrey Ink and Crate Paper, Dimensionals, score tape and glue, die cut machine, hemp cord, scissors, and ribbon

A sunny card on a cloudy day...

It is a cloudy day here in Seattle-land and it may even rain, again!  I know for some of you stuck in the heat and droughts in other locations this would be heaven-sent!  But here in Seattle we are lucky if we get 4 weeks of real sunny summer days (usually in August, each year).  While it doesn't bother me most of the time the summer season is when it sort of does!  So I thought I would make a sunny feeling card today to use for a friend's birthday that is coming up.

Thanks for taking a look! Rainy or Sunny, Hot or Cold - Enjoy your day!  Each one is such a gift and a blessing!   

                                                                        : ) Jill

A card for: The Play Date Cafe challenge #142

Hello,
Today, thanks to an incredibly beautiful post on my friend Kara Lynn's blog HERE I was inspired to make a card for the Play Date Cafe challenge #142!  This is the first time I have joined this challenge I believe and I just love the photo inspiration.  These warm summer colors appealed to me as soon as I saw them...perhaps because it is overcast and grey here in Seattle today!  So thanks Kara!!!! You warmed up my dreary day! :)

Here is the inspiration photo and the link to The Play Date Cafe's blog:
http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.com/



And here is my CAS card:

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink

Die:  butterfly - Cheery Lynn Designs

Impression Plate:  Cheery Lynn Designs

Glitter glue: Stickles Diamond

Adhesive: Scrapbuck.com 1/4" dimensional tape

Other challenges posted to:   52 Card Pickup

Thanks for taking a look at my card!

Happy Crafting!

: ) Jill

Papertrey July Blog Hop Challenge

photo credit

                                                
                      Hello!  We are just home from Day Camp and I am taking a quick moment to upload a card I made last night for today's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop.  I loved the inspiration photo and was inspired by the soft water colors, the floral patterns and the countryside in the background.  I started several cards last night but this is the only one I have finished so far.  I hope I get to upload more before the deadline tonight - we shall see! 

You can find all the information about the Papertrey July Blog Hop on Nichole Heady's blog:  Here

Here is the card I created.  It is a collage type card I guess.  I just played and had fun while making it!
Thanks for taking a look!

                                        : ) Jill

Sculpey Clay embellishments

Hello everyone,
I made some fun clay embellishments with sculpey clay.  My son had seen a video on You Tube and wanted to try working with some clay and molds.  So we ordered a few from Molds4You on Etsy and Moldsrus.  He also picked out one with stars that was by Martha Stewart on a trip to Michael's for adhesive on Monday.  The other night we worked on them and he and I both had a lot of fun making different things.  He even made a little clay man!  I made some fun light pink embellishments.  Here is a quick video on my You Tube channel with the results if you are interested:

Happy Crafting!
: )  Jill

My farewell to Stamp-a-faire....

Thought I would post a farewell to 2012's Stamp-a-faire event at Papertrey Ink.  Thanks to everyone who made this incredible event so wonderful!  I had fun working on my projects and seeing all of the wonderful inspiration added to the inlinkz posts!  Wow - what a great world wide event! 

Here is a final pic of my projects:

I am still hoping to try some of the other wonderful techniques and ideas supplied by the design team.  But for now...farewell!  And thanks again!

: )  Jill

A mini-book for my son's 8th Birthday...Edited 7-23-12

Hello,
Tonight I wanted to put together a mini-book for the stamp-a-faire event over at Nichole Heady's blog for Papertrey Ink: HERE

I watched all of the videos over the past two days and decided to go with something similar to Melissa Phillips book after re-watching her wonderful video a second time.   The album is for my son's 8th birthday.   I really wanted the birthday photos to take center stage so I kept the book fairly simple.  I have never made a mini album from scratch like this before and I enjoyed the process.  I also learned a lot of things that I would do differently next time but I still like my final product.  I still need to add some embellishments to the pages but I added my journaling while the memories from the party are still fresh in my mind.  I also think I need to stamp on the "happy" die cut (or color it with my copics) to help it stand out but I am out of time tonight so that will have to be done later too!

This was Tim's first birthday without his beloved Papa Stu and we both struggled with how to celebrate it.  Some of you know that my sweet Stuart passed away from brain cancer 5 months ago.  We are still trying to figure out how to celebrate special days without him - these are the times when his absence is the hardest for us.  Tim did not want to have a party with his friends this year - he asked that only his immediate family celebrate with him.  So I planned a very impromptu pizza and salad party for the evening of his birthday and invited the family to come.  I have 6 siblings so it was a full house and it ended up being a very nice evening which helped the sadness of Stuart's absence to be less overwhelming.  I wanted to make an album of this birthday especially as I know as Tim grows up he will wonder and have questions about what his life was like after his Papa went to heaven. 

Here are some pics of my mostly finished mini album:

 If you have any suggestions on how to make the "Happy" look better I woud love to hear them!

 My sweet boy at breakfast - we have a tradition that you get to choose something special for breakfast on your birthday each year!  We always light a candle and sing with just "us" on the morning of each other's birthdays.

 My sister Beth who lives out of state sent a Tim a special package with his favorite - Mad Libs!!!

 The back of the mini-album.  I used light weight cardboard sandwiched between two pieces of die cut cardstock and a sheet of patterned bittdy dot paper for the front and back covers to make them sturdier.

A side view so you can see the pages and the colors used.  I think I can make a much better product now that I have this one mostly under my belt so to speak!  Thanks to all the designers that made such great videos and tutorials.  I learned a lot and had fun with this project!  Thanks for taking a look.  Stamp-a-faire was such a fun event! I hope I can participate more fully next year!

New cover picture - see edit notes below:

7-23-12:  Edited to add an updated picture of the cover.  I received some wonderful suggestions on fixing my "happy" as I wasn't pleased with it.  I changed the color and I tried to move the  hat but I will have to re-do the whole cover if I want to do so.  For now I am happier with just the new color!  Yeah!  Thanks for the lovely suggestions in my comments area!  So appreciate it! :)
                                                                    : )   Jill

A card for Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge #37 - White on white

Hello all,
I made a card for the White on White Challenge #37 over at the Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge blog: HERE. 

I made an oblong card...8" x 4".  I used the new Cheery Lynn Flower die for my flower and I just love it!  I put the flower together very easily with a sparkly brad and used tons of layers to make it nice and full!  I made it from vellum and it is so beautiful!  I think the photo doesn't do it justice!
I also used the decorative corner die - not sure of the name or die number and I can't find it on the site tonight.  Edited to add:  It is the Victorian Romance Flourish die DL151 - thanks for the info in your comment Kathi! I usually mark the die's number and name on the back of the die in permanent pen but I forgot to do so on this one. Edited to add: (Off to do so right now...)I used two of these corner diecuts arranged towards each other to make the focal point before adding the flower to the center of it.  I distressed the edges of the main panel (for added dimension) and then adhered the entire thing to the white 8x4" card.

Here are some photos:

I  love the simple elegance that you attain with an all white card.  I think it is perfect for this wedding card!  Thanks for taking a look and letting me know what you think!  There are some gorgeous creations this week over on the challenge blog.  I hope you get to go see them!   
                                                          : )   Jill

A ribbon flower and leaves for Stamp-a-Faire 2012

Stamp-a-faire Ribbon Techniques Challenge


Here with a quick card following a card and technique shown by Melissa Phillips for Stamp-a-faire 2012 over at Nichole Heady's blog for Papertrey Ink:  HERE

I loved this "leaf" technique and decided to follow Melissa's card to the "t" as I loved it so much!  It came together very quickly.  This is a great card if you need one quickly someday.  It took me less than 5 minutes to put it together not counting the ribbon flower which I had made last night.


Here is my card:

I want to try the other ribbon techniques too and hopefully I will have time as the weekend progresses! Thanks for taking a look at my card.  And thanks to everyone at Papertrey Ink for such a wonderful event!  I am having so much fun - Camp for Creative Adults!!! Love it!  I hope to do this every year!
                                 :  )   Jill

Some Tie-Dye fun for Stamp-a-faire

Stamp-a-faire Tie-Dye Techniques
Hello,
I am here with a quick card I just made in minutes for the Tie-Dye Technique over at Papertrey Ink's Stamp-a-Faire!   I have been out most of the day playing with my little one in the water and just arrived home this evening.  I enjoyed watching all the videos for this technique and wanted to try them all but I didn't have the right kind of shaving cream.  Here is the one I made with ink and water.  I used hearts instead of circles because I needed an anniversary card.

Thanks for taking a look at my card.  I am off to check out some of the other videos posted today!  Hopefully I can spend some more time participating before Monday! This sure is a lot of fun!  Thanks to EVERYONE at Papertrey Ink for all of the work that went into putting this awesome world-wide event together!
All I can say is WOW!!!!  And Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

                                    :  )  Jill

A birthday card for the My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge #80

Hi All,
Just a quick card for the My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge #80.  I tried my hand at a little coloring - very straight forward coloring - since I am not copic trained and am just trying to learn as I go.

Here is a picture of this week's sketch:


And here is my card:

I used Pure Innocence Birthday Girl and colored her very simply. 

 For the two circles in the sketch I made ribbon and button embellishments with pink hemp cord tied through their centers.  The border is my MFT scallop border cut out of white tissue paper and design paper from my scrap stash.

I used several pieces of MFT flower diecuts to make this flower and the turquoise rose is from my stash.

One last picture...I added some bling to her little shoes to jazz her outfit up! :)

I am using Neenah cardstock for my coloring but the weight is not heavy enough or I used too much ink?  If you noticed it her sweet little face got marred slightly while being colored.  I need to invest in some 130lb that I read about on one of the MFT Design Team members blogs - Barbara's?  I always seem to mar my paper and this might help me out a bit.  Either that or some training since I am a total amateur colorer.

Thanks for looking at my card! 

: ) Jill

A Get Well card for my sweet Mother....

Hello All,
Sorry I haven't been posting as much or visiting as many blogs lately.  It is summer and the sun has finally come to Seattle (most days at least) and my son is out of school which means lots of good Mommy and son time.

My sweet Mother also had to have surgery yesterday and we learned (most joyfully!) that the tumors removed were benign - or NOT cancer!  This is a HUGE relief!!!!  I have been trying hard not to worry (and to pray more instead) since I learned that she needed the surgery but in light of having just lost my sweet Stuart to cancer almost 5 months ago now not worrying doesn't come as easily anymore.  I am so blessed by my family and my mother, the mother of 7 children, is the most beautiful woman I know!!!!  She has always been my rock but these past two years while Stuart was fighting brain cancer she was by my side the whole way, along with my sisters and brothers and my Dad, and I just cannot imagine a world without her in it. 

I made a card for my Mom to take to her today.  I used challenge #36 with the theme of Silver and/or Gold over at the Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge Blog: HERE.  

Here are some pictures of my card:

The sentiment says:  "A Mother's love is richer than silver and gold" and is one I just wrote and printed out on my computer to go with the "silver and/or gold" challenge theme. 

 I used some Maya Road chipboard pieces with crackle paint and silver glitter glue to make the angel wings and dress form sparkle.  I wrapped the dress form in silver gray satin ribbon to make it look like one of those layered dresses that are so popular right now.

I used various cheery lynn dies - a border die and corner die as well as the scalloped square dies to line the inside of my card (for writing).  I did not take a picture of the inside though - whoops!  The cardstock is silver pearl cardstock from Paper Zone and is so beautiful. 

The background paper is from My Mind's Eye and had that lovely gold glittered Damask pattern already on it!  I also used a gold paint pen to make a border around the piece of patterned paper to help frame the card.  The photo doesn't show the glimmer in it as well as it does in person. 

Thanks for taking a look and leaving me some love!  I enjoy reading everyone's comments and cannot wait to visit other people's blogs to see what everyone does with this challenge.  Thanks Cheery Lynn for hosting!

Happy Crafting everyone!  And Heal Super Fast MOM!!!

: ) Jill

Christmas in July!

Hello all,
Here this morning with a card I made for the Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge #35 - Christmas in July.  You can find all the information about the challenge:  HERE.  I hope you decide to play along!

I was blessed this past week to win a wonderful prize from Cheery Lynn Designs via their card challenges for entries I made during the month of June.  My name was put into a drawing for the grand prize for each weekly challenge I entered during the month.  The prize was a wonderful Big Shot die cutting machine and I just found out last night that I actually won it!  I truly can't believe it!  I was shocked when I read my name.
I feel so blessed! Thanks to BJ and Mike Dywan and the wonderful Design Team at Cheery Lynn for hosting these wonderful challenges!  Their company provides an outstanding quality product with great service and absolutely tons of inspiration and tutorials from their designers and staff.  And I get to play with my favorite purple dies and win prizes via their challenge blog!  What a blessing!

On to my entry for this week's challenge - here is my card:

 I chose to use die DL142 - O Tannenbaum Christmas Tree and angel wing as well as the scalloped french flair stakers (XL-13) for the card base.  These scalloped french flair dies are my very favorite card shape EVER!

 The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Signature Christmas sentiment set.  I added first and second generation stamped mini-snowflakes to the background of the card and dotted the centers with Stickles "diamond" glitter glue.  I also edged each of the sections of the tree and the star with glitter glue.

This picture shows the dimension I was able to add to the tree.  I ran the tree through my fingers to slightly curve it up in the center.  Then I added adhesive to the outside edges of the tree die cut and adhered it with the slight "bow" in the middle.  This gives the tree popped up dimension on the card front which I just love!  You may also notice that I inked each one of the tree's tiers with kraft ink (PTI) and this also added dimension to the tree itself.

  The paper I used for the tree is from a CD by Crafty Secrets called:  Creating with Vintage Typography - CD #3. I love how this paper makes it look like the tree is decorated with roses - my favorite flower.
 I am also going to link this card to the Crafty Secrets linky party they are having currently:  HERE

Thanks for taking a look at my card.  Hope you get to spend some time crafting this weekend!
                                                                     : )  Jill  

A wedding card for some dear friends...

I am here today with a card I made for some dear friends that just got married and are starting their lives together as a couple.  I was going to enter this into the Cheery Lynn Designs challenge by Sunday 7-1-12 but I missed the deadline so now I am just posting it for fun!

Here are some pictures:

 

  Thanks for taking a look at my card!  The beautiful rose patterned paper is from K and Company and is called "Bloomscape petite rose".  I just love this paper and bought 5 pieces of it!  I hope I find it digitally somewhere, someday!  I just think it is so pretty!

That is it for me today!  Hope you are enjoying your summer.  We just got out of school on June 22nd and Seattle is still all rain and clouds but they are saying we may have some sun on the 4th or 5th of July....here's hoping!!!

                                    : )  Jill

Spread the Love - new stamps from Waltzing Mouse and a chance to win lots of product for free!!!!

Hello Everyone,
You may have heard that Waltzing Mouse Stamps is releasing some new sets today - including new miniture sets for a lower price point!!!!  I am so excited about these new mini sets!  A lower price point and more versatility in our purchases for stamping!

They are also having a "Spread the Love" contest with a lovely $100.00 prize from their store!!  Please go HERE for all the lovely details.  You may win some fabulous new stamps and supplies!

Here are some pictures from the release post at Waltzing Mouse Stamps showing some of the new sets! 

I am loving this polka dot strawberry and these lovely sentiments:




A set fit for a princess:



Surfs up friends!  Now if the sun will just come out....LOL!



Some lovely stamps to go with the jar below:

Here are some samples of what you can make:



This is only the tip of the iceburg!  There are also some gorgeous new 6x8 sets....pics below
and new cut files too...plus other fun new items that Claire is adding to the store.





I hope you "Spread the Love" too so you have a chance at the great prize available and get to see all the loveliness on the release post as well as the links to the design teams inspiration!  Wow!
So excited!

: )  Jill