Paper Sweeties November Inspiration Challenge #25 - 'Holiday Joy'

Hello Friends,
Today I get to join the incredible Paper Sweeties Design Team as a guest designer as we kick off the November Inspiration Challenge #25 - Holiday Joy!  Here is the lovely inspiration graphic:

Red, white and turquoise!  Such a pretty color combination and with such a pretty picture to inspire!

Here is what I came up with:

I used two of the October release sets to make my card and an older stamp set called "Naughty or Nice" for the sentiment "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas".

To create my banner I actually used an upside down Christmas Tree stamp from the "Trim the Tree" stamp set.  I used both the back and front of the stamp to create the banner.  I stamped the back side twice in red and once in aqua.  Then I flipped to the front side of the stamp and stamped the actual image on top of each colored banner piece. This is a quick way to add color to your stamped images without having to use markers.  I then hand-cut the entire piece out and used a stamped and die-cut word "JOY" from the Sweet Cuts "JOY" set to create the letters for my banner. A piece of vellum and a thin strip of turquoise card stock finish the bottom of the card along with the black-embossed sentiment and a twine bow.

 There are tons of beautiful projects using this inspiration on the design team's blogs.  Here is a list so you can visit them all:

  

Monthly Challenge Team Blog Hop List:

Amber Kroening

Annette Witherspoon

  Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz

Kerin Sylvester

Larissa Heskett 
 Lisa Elton
Lysa Rohrer

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir
Tammy Hobbs

                                                                               and

                                             November Guest Designer: Jill Norwood

Thanks for taking a look at my holiday card!  I hope you will join in this fun challenge.  There are free digital stamps on the Paper Sweeties blog under the "about" section if you do not yet own any of Debbie's incredible stamps!  And if you win the lovely prize of a $20.00 gift certificate you will be able to buy some of your own to love! :)
Happy Crafting!
Jill

Sweet Cuts - JOY	Joy - stamp/die bundle	Joy Sentiment Stamp Set - Paper Sweeties	Trim the Tree Bundle - stamps and dies
Naughty or Nice Stamp Set - Paper Sweeties	Trim the Tree Sweet Cuts Dies	Trim the Tree Stamp Set

Festive Friday Challenge #43 Ocotber 25 - Nov 5, 2014

Hello Friends,
Are you ready for the most wonderful time of the year?  I am trying to get ready hence I joined in the Festive Friday Challenge #43 today!  Here is the wonderful inspiration graphic:

 

I was inspired by the deep red and dark grey tones in the photo as well as the pops of white.

I used a new stamp and die set from Paper Sweeties called "Trim the Tree".  This tree actually stamps and die cuts all in one piece but from the first moment I saw this set I knew that I would be cutting the sections apart to make some cute "wonky" Christmas trees.  I actually made 3 cards today but will share the other two later on. 

I selectively inked the sentiment so that the word "wonderful" could be in red!  I love it!!!


Thanks for taking a look at my card!  So nice to be adding to my Christmas card stash!
Christmas Crafting is my FAVORITE!  Did I just sound like Will Ferrell in ELF or what?!  LOL!  Anyone ready for some spaghetti with maple syrup?
Hugs,
Jill

Make the Season Bright Stamp Set - Paper Sweeties

Trim the Tree Sweet Cuts Dies

Trim the Tree Stamp Set

Trim the Tree Bundle - stamps and dies

Some Christmas Cards.....with Purple Onion Designs Stamps...

Hello Friends,
I finally got a non-rainy morning to take some pictures of some Christmas cards that I made over the past few days for gift giving this year. These two cards use stamps from designer Stacey Yacula with Purple Onion Designs.  I also used my brand new snowglobe stamp and die from Taylored Expressions!  LOVE IT!!!!!  And a puffy "snow" pen for the winter sky in my snow globe.  You hit the snow dots with your heat gun and instant 3-dimensional snow in your snow globe!  Too fun!!!

 The sentiment "You're Snow Special" is from a Paper Sweeties stamp set. The stitched rounded corners diecut is from Lil Inkers.  :)

 The embossing folder and the snow-globe stamp/die are both from Taylored Expressions.  I glued 5 diecuts together to make the snow globe dimensional like chipboard...see next photo:

Thanks for peeking at my cards!
:) Jill

Waltzingmouse October 2014 PJ Party - Challenge #3: Old Pajamas

Hello Friends,
I am here today to join in with the "Old Pajamas" challenge #3 at Waltzingmouse Stamps October Pajama Party.  I have been working on some Christmas tags over the past few weeks and I created some using the "Very Vintage Christmas Stamp Set" as well as a sentiment from the "Compliments of the Season" Stamp set. The plaid bows on the vintage-style tags are made from fabric that I tore and frayed the edges of.   

 Thanks for taking a look!  Enjoy the pajama party!
:) Jill

SSCB#36 Autumn/Fall

Hello Friends,
I had some time today to make a card!  I went to the Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog and took a look at their newest month-long challenge for October 2014, SSCB#36 Autumn/Fall.  I hope you will take some time to play along! 

Here is the card that I came up with: 

 I embossed Serendipity's "Bayleaf Wreath Large" stamp in "copper" colored embossing powder and colored the image with my copics.  This card did not photograph well this morning as it was too early when I took the picture but I could not wait if I wanted to post it.  My crafty time is at a premium these days! LOL!  And my poor blog is sadly neglected so I really, really wanted to post a card!!!!  I played around with trying to add a sentiment to the front of the card but ended up leaving the card with the beautiful wreath as the focal point.

 Inside the card I used a "Happy Thanksgiving" sentiment to finish things off.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog to take a look at my card!  I hope you are enjoying the Autumn weather and the changing of the leaves and the yummy fall harvest as it arrives at the Farmer's Markets!

Blessings,
Jill

Get Well Soon....Lawnscaping Challenge #90 - Critters Galore

Hello Friends,
Here with some fairly simple "Get Well Soon" cards that I whipped together this morning in less than 20 minutes using a sweet little stamp set from Lawn Fawn!  I am entering them into the "Critters Galore" Lawnscaping challenge #90.   Birds are critters - right?

A dear friend just had hip replacement surgery and I took one of these cards to her this afternoon.  And the other card went to my sweet mom Jackie this morning.  She is recovering from two different accidents - one involving a semi-truck back on July 17th and the other a fall 9 days ago due to injuries from the first accident.  Our family is working together to give her full time care as she works very hard at recovering.  She should make a full recovery but it could take several months.  I try to bring her little things on the days that I care for her and today I brought her this card and a wee bit of Toblerone candy.  Mmmmm!  Chocolate is a great healer right?!?!  I think it is our time with her that is the greatest healer!  Family is so wonderful!  We are so blessed to have our families when we go through difficult times! 

Here is the sentiment I placed on the inside of the card from Amuse:

 

I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this little Get Well Soon stamp set from Lawn Fawn!  So fun to make sweet cards of well wishes with!  Thanks Kelly Marie Alvarez!!!

Thanks for peeking in at my somewhat neglected blog!  Life is hopping along at a quick pace these days and I am finding it hard to get things posted before I give them away!  LOL!  But I managed today and it is only 7:47pm!  :) Jill

Guest Designing for Paper Sweeties Inspiration #23 - September 2014 - Pretty Pumpkins!

Hello Friends,
Here with a card I made as this month's Guest Designer for the September Paper Sweeties Inspiration Challenge.  Here is the lovely graphic:

  I earned this lovely chance to guest design for this month via the card I made on this post for the July Paper Sweeties Inspiration challenge. Yeah!  So fun to be part of the hop this month and I thoroughly enjoyed the lovely $20.00 gift certificate which was my prize!  Thanks Debbie!  I hope you will join in the fun this month and you can be in the running for a lovely prize also! :)

My card uses the sweet Abigail stamp and die set.  The pumpkin Abigail is holding and the pile of leaves by her feet were stamped with the "Stand Add-on : Fall Harvest" set.  I believe the sentiment is from a set that is retired but Debbie has many lovely Autumn sentiments in her store on a variety of sets!

Thanks for taking a look at my card!  If you are wondering about the flowers in the picture they are some fabric and crepe paper flowers that I have been creating in the evenings while watching television with my son.

Here are the links to all of the lovely Paper Sweeties Designers:

Amber Kroening

Annette Allen

Annette Witherspoon

  Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz

  Jeanne Jachna

Kerin Sylvester

Kristi Schurr

Larissa Heskett

Lesley Croghan

Lisa Elton

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala

Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Tammy Hobbs

                                               September Guest Designer: Jill Norwood (You are here now! :) 

I hope you will find some time to post your take on the lovely inspiration this month!  We would love to have you join us over at the Paper Sweeties blog for the September challenge!
Hugs,
Jill

Stamp-A-Faire 2014: Challenge #6 - Needlepoint Elegance with Melissa Phillips

 

Hello Friends,
Here is my Stamp-A-Faire entry for Challenge #6 taught by Melissa Phillips:

S.A.F. 2014 Morning Timer Challenge

Hello Stamp-A-Faire Time Travelers!
Here with my Morning Timer Challenge!  I found this card easy to make in 20 minutes though I wish that this set had dies as it would have made it less heart-racing at the end! LOL!  Racing was part of the fun really but my fussy cutting of the flower is not as neat as I would have made it if I had had just one more minute or so! Here is the sketch/colors I chose to use:

 And here is my card:

This is a wonderful sketch to keep on hand when you need a fast card!  Had I chose to use a stamp set with dies for my focal point I could have finished it in about 10 minutes for sure!  I hope you are having fun today with all of the wonderful Stamp-A-Faire challenges!  I am off to start the next one!
:) Jill

Stamp-A-Faire 2014 - Friday Night Meet and Greet!

 

Hello Friends,

Happy Friday Night!  Well it is finally here!  I am so very excited for tomorrow's Stamp-A-Faire 2014 event at Papertrey Ink!  Tonight is the meet and greet event so I thought I would post a photo of my desk with all of my stamps ready and waiting to be inked up! 

I cleaned up and got as organized as possible so that I would be all set to go bright and early in the morning! So excited to share in the 3rd year of this wonderful event!

Thanks to everyone at Papertrey Ink for all of the preparations and the wonderful welcome video!

I am off to look at all of the "Meet and Greet" posts on the inlinkz list at Nichole's blog.

See you tomorrow!

:) Jill

Merry Monday Challenge #121 (Pine Cones, Greens, and Plaid Ribbon)

Hello,
Well I made one more card on this lovely Saturday before heading off to run errands.  It is another Christmas card - this one for the Merry Monday Challenge #121.  Here is the inspiration graphic:

If you have been visiting my blog for the past few years then you may know that I have a true LOVE for pinecones!  I have a pine cone wreath in my living room that stays up all year and I collect all different sized cones and keep them in a milk glass dish in my kitchen too.  We also enjoy burning them in our outdoor fireplace when we roast marshmallows for s'mores and they once saved me from a rainy camp site in Montana when I scouted under the canopy of some large conifer trees for dry wood and found - you guessed it pinecones!!   I enjoy having nature's beauty around me all the time!  So this challenge was inspiring as soon as I read about it!  Here is what I made:

I used the lovely Peaceful Pinecones set from Papertrey Ink for my focal point and sentiment.  The dies for the sentiment are from Top Dog Dies and I just love them and how they can be layered together.  I added some mercury glass stickles to the card to give it that home-spun Christmas feeling that I love! 

Well that is it for me today!  Two cards on a Saturday - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. 
 Thanks for your visit!
:)  Jill

Festive Friday Challenge #38

Hello Friends,
It has been a while since I posted again.  Crazy busy summer this year!!!! Taking some time on this lovely Saturday morning to post a card for the Festive Friday Challenge #38.  Here is the lovely inspiration photo:

And here is the card I made:

I was inspired by the earth tones in the photo and the snowflakes and textures shown. I used the lovely Rustic Wreath set from Papertrey Ink along with the Lovely Layers set to create my dimensional flower/snowflake combo. 
 
 As always there is incredible inspiration from all of the Festive Friday Designers!  I hope you have time to go and take a peek at the blog and check them out!  I am looking forward to some holiday crafting time as school gets started again here in Seattle in early September!  Right now I am still focused on finishing projects on the exterior of my house! Praying the rains hold off a little while longer! It has not been the case this week however! :)

P.S.  I had a visit this morning while I was making some cards from my neighbor Mariko who just turned 10 years old.  She and my son play together almost every day.  She made this beautiful card all on her own.  I only helped her tie the twine bow!  Didn't she do a wonderful job!!!! So fun to have company in my craft room when I am working on a crafty deadline!   Thanks for joining me today Mariko!  :)

 See you all soon!
:) Jill