Make your Gift Cards and Stocking Money Go Further!

Are the Gift Cards you received and the money from your stocking burning a hole in your pocket? (like mine!) I just updated the Crafting Coupons section on my blog. How about 50% off one item at Michael's or 30% off one item & FREE cardstock at Archiver's? Make the most of your gift cards and stocking money & print off some coupons before you go shopping!

I'll be back to my regular blogging and crafting schedule starting on New Year's Day. Stay tuned...I've got some great things to share with you!

Have a wonderful New Year!


Smiles,
Jennifer

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Wishing you all...

... a very Merry Christmas & a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

Thank You to all of you for visiting my blog everyday & for all of the wonderful comments I've received from you. I'm truely thankful!

I'll be taking the Holiday week off from blogging as I will be busy spending time with my family. Please make sure to check back after the New Year when things quiet down from the Holidays. I'm eager to find that relaxing time again where I spend a little part of each day creating greeting cards and projects to share with you!

May you find your Holiday filled with Joy and wrapped in Love!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Holly-day Season!

The Holidays are here! Are you ready?

I'm not! I still have 2 more gifts to buy, and an entire house to clean! We're having my husbands family over for Christmas Eve. And because my husband liked the turkey I made a few weeks ago so well, he begged me to make it again for his family. There's a big difference between a 10 pound turkey compared to an 18 pound turkey! I hope this one turns out just as well.

This past weekend I spent lots of time doing crafty things, like working on a scrapbook calendar my sister & I are giving to my mom & finishing up more cards. Here's one last Christmas card I made for more of my Stamping Friends.

The holly images and sentiment are by DRS Designs.



I colored the holly with Prismacolor Pencils and layered them with some foam tape for some extra dimension. After stamping the sentiment, I ran it through the Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, giving the card front some extra texture.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Triple Holly, Merry and Bright Christmas Greeting
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in green and Lipstick Red
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by Bazzill
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Cuttlebug & Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, 3D-Dots, Brads by Recollections, Michael's Holiday Ribbon Bow-tique
Finished Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Thanks for visiting today! I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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DRS Designs Bling Challenge & Sparkling Poinsettia

'Tis the season for......BLING!!! The new DRS Designs challenge is to use bling on your cards! We would love for you to play along with our challenges and I'm pretty sure almost everyone can play along with this one!! You can use jewels, sparkly paper, shiny ribbon...whatever you consider bling goes!!! If you play, please leave a direct link to your project on the DRS Designs Bling Challenge Post. If you upload to an online gallery, please use the keyword DRSC11. There are no time limits and anyone can play. Don't have any DRS Designs images yet (because they are in the mail right?!) that's ok, you can still play! Tell a friend...the more the merrier!

Here's my Bling Challenge card: A Sparkling Poinsettia! I used the latest Splitcoast sketch Challenge (SC207) for this card.

I colored the poinsettia image with Prismacolor Pencils and blended the colors with Gamsol. Then, I painted the image with Shimmerz!



All of the cardstock used on this card (except the smooth white cardstock used to stamp the images on) has sparkle or a shimmer to it. The red and green cardstock is Bazzill Bling, and the white cardstock is actually DCWV Glitter cardstock, but the glitter didn't show up too well in the pictures. As you can see in the picture below, there is alot of shimmer & shine to this card that it was hard to photograph! I tried to take more pictures than I normally do so you get the entire effect of the card.

I created the tabs from the sketch using the red Bazzill Bling cardstock & overlapping them with sheer white ribbon with metallic silver stripes running through it.

The Happy Holiday sentiment was made by stamping with Jet Black Staz On on the DCWV Glitter cardstock and using the SU Word Window punch.



As a finishing touch I added some small pearls to the corners around the image and then some larger pearls in corners around the outside edge. I was going to use rhinestones, but liked the soft elegant touch the pearls gave this card better.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Framed Poinsettia, Holiday Multi Greeting
Ink: Staz On Jet Black
Paper: SU! Smooth white, Bazzill Bling, DCWV Glitter Cardstock
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Shimmerz in Sagebrush and Burgundy, Hero Arts Pearls, SU! Word Window Punch, Michael's Holiday Ribbon Bow-tique
Finished Card Size: 5.75" x 5.75"

Make sure to check out these other awesome Bling cards from the other DRS Designs DT members:
Angel Rivera
Cathy Indelicato (Team Coordinator)
Dawn Knight
Etha Schuette
Heather Lee-Reppen
Janette Olen
Jessica George
Jessica Knutsen
Vicki Parson

The DRS Designs DT will be back with a new challenge on January 12, 2009!!!

Thanks for visiting today!

Happy Holidays!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Stamp Something Challenge!

DRS Designs is this weeks sponsor of the Stamp Something Challenge Blog! They have generously donated stamps to the Stamp Something DT for creating inspiration samples and also a free stamp for one lucky winner! All you have to do to be eligible to win the free stamp is participate using the sketch and post a link to your project on this post.

I was able to whip something up last night for the sketch.

Here's my Candy Cane Cottage!

I colored the image with markers and added Glitter Glue to the areas where there's snow. I created the other 2 panels in the sketch using DRS Designs background stamps, and created the Happy Holidays tag using my Nesties.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Candy Cane Cottage, Tiny Happy Holidays, Open Plaid Background, Interlocking Snowflake Background
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink Lipstick Red
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Craft Cardstock by The Paper Company, Bazzill Cardstock.
Accessories: Bic Markers, Brad by Joann's Scrap Essentials, Michael's Holiday Ribbon Bow-tique, Nesties, Glitter Glue, SU! Sponge Dauber
Finished Card Size: 5.5" x 6"

Good Luck playing in the sketch challenge. Don't forget to post a link to your sketch project so you have a chance to win a free stamp from DRS Designs!

Wishing you a Wonderful Weekend & a very, Merry Holiday!

I'm off to make another attempt to finish my shopping! (sigh!)

:-)

Smiles,
Jennifer

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No Stamping Christmas Card!

Happy Friday!

Kimmy picked this weeks Fun Filled Friday Challenge for us to create a card with NO STAMPING! How do you tell a Stamper to do that? I guess that's what makes this a challenge after all, right? I had a lot of fun with this & I'm eager to see what Kimmy came up with. Make sure to run over to her blog to see her version!

I sent out store bought Christmas cards this year. I know it's a terrible thing to do when you make cards yourself, but I send out over 50, and the thought of making all of them just overwhelms me. (I do, however, make just a few to give to my stamping friends.) So, as I was writing them, I made a few errors by spelling peoples names wrong or leaving words out etc. and when I was done I had 4 cards that I couldn't send out because of my mistakes. That's when the light bulb went off in my head & I knew I could use one of them for my "No Stamping" challenge this week!

The front picture on this card is actually cut from one of the store-bought cards I made a mistake on. I just cut the front image out & layered it with red, green and gold cardstock. Then, I added some ribbon around the front of a red base with a couple of gold brads for some accent color and adhered it to the front of a green cardstock base. I'm really glad I made this card & it was so quick and easy that I might just do it with the other cards I made mistakes on as well and re-use them for next year. The image is really pretty isn't? I'd hate for it to go to waste.

Stamps: No Stamps, image from Carlton Cards
Ink: No Ink
Paper: Colored Cardstock by Bazzill
Accessories: Square Gold brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials, Ribbon by Bobbie M. Designs, Heidi Swapp Edge Distresser
Finished Card Size: 4.25" x 6.75"

Stay tuned for Sunday when we announce next weeks Fun Filled Friday Challenge.

Hope all all have a Safe & Wonderful Weekend!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Tree of Lights, Take 2!

How's the Hustle and Bustle of your holiday going? I can only imagine it is as crazy & hectic as mine. Since my days are packed so full, the days actually seem so much shorter without a lot of free time to break it up. I have to assume many people are not reading blogs or commenting as much either with a shift in free time that is more focused on shopping, baking, wrapping etc. I know I'm not, and from the few blogs I have managed to keep up on it seems to be the same story all around the blogosphere. So, I apologize for not posting as much as I usually do. I'm sure you all understand.

With the bits and pieces of free time I had earlier this week, I was able to finally squeak out several cards identical to this one. I felt I was cheating some of my stamping friends by sending them store-bought Christmas Cards, so I made it a priority to come up with something that I could mass produce in tiny steps and send to them. I was really happy with how this turned out and I'm glad to report I'll have these in the mail tomorrow!

I've recently used this Tree of Lights image by DRS Designs for another card. It's rare that I would use the same stamp in 2 different layouts so close together, but I had an idea in mind & just had to put it to work!

For this card, I've again colored it with Prismacolor pencils, but this time I've added Diamond Glaze to the bulbs, making them really look like glass! I added gold Stickles to the star to make it sparkle just like the white cardstock I layered behind the image. It is white Glitter paper by DCWV that has a nice elegant sparkle to it. I'm sorry the sparkle doesn't show up very well in this picture.

I don't normally stamp the inside of my cards either, but this sentiment by DRS Designs was perfect for the image on the front of my card! I think it really gives this card that homey Christmas feel.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Christmas Tree of Lights,
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Yellow Ochre and Green
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Bazzill Cardstock, DCWV White Glitter Cardstock
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gold Stickles, Diamond Glaze, SU! Ticket Corner Punch, Holiday Ribbon Bow-tique by Michael's, Nesties
Finished Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Wishing you a great weekend as well as a safe & very Happy Holiday!

Smiles,
Jennifer

PS: Stay tuned for my Fun Filled Friday challenge card. I'll post it later today.

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Birthday Series Continued

Yesterday I mentioned that I have been taken over by the holiday spirit and have only created Holiday cards for over 2 weeks now. I've decided to break things up a bit by posting several Birthday cards I've recently made. Make sure to scroll down for yesterday's card.

Today's birthday card features one of the Birthday themed postage frames by DRS Designs, however I did not ink the frame part when I stamped it. This created a really nice birthday image for my card front.

I colored the image with pencils, and layered it with different colored cardstock using my Nesties. I ran a small piece of red cardstock through the Cuttlebug with the Happy Birthday Embossing Folder to add some dimension to the card. I matted it with dark blue cardstock and used a decorative corner punch on all the corners. If you look close enough, you'll be able to see that the ribbon I used is yellow but with a touch of red plaid--the red is really faint.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Happy Birthday Postage Frame
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by Bazzill
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Cuttlebug, Happy Birthday Embossing folder, Nesties, Ribbon by Peebles Inc., EK Success Decorative Corner punch, Brads by Recollections
Finished Card Size: 4.25" x 5.75"

Hope you're enjoying my birthday series! I'll have another birthday card for you tomorrow (I hope! I'll be busy working on it this evening!) Then, it will be more holiday cards for the rest of the week. Tis the season! :-)

Happy Holidays!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Blog Candy and Birthday Kisses!

First, I want to start today by sharing a Fabulous Blog Candy find with you. Please see all of the goodies being given away over at Suzy's Blog--it values over $200! May the best stamper win!

So, with Christmas right around the corner, my card making has been focused on creating Holiday cards. I'm going to attempt to change things up a bit this week by showing you few Birthday cards I've recently made.

Who wouldn't want chocolate for their birthday? I'm sure many of us women would love it and I'm sure you know someone who this card would be perfect for! This sweet Birthday card would be perfect with a gift basket of chocolate and for any birthday occasion! (Now I wish I would have put together a basket of goodies to show you too! Maybe I'll do that later this week!)

To make this card, I first used brown ink and stamped the Chocolate Chip Background stamp on white paper & cut it into three pieces. I then matted each piece with brown cardstock and added brown ribbon to the outside corners of each of the larger panels. I arranged these 3 panels as shown on burnt orange colored cardstock and adhered it to a white cardstock base.

I used my oval and circle Nesties to create the layout for the sentiment. I added a single chocolate chip by inking only one chip on the corner of the background stamp and then used my Stamp-a-ma-gig to position it right above the sentiment. I also added 2 word window tabs on either side of the sentiment to "pop in" some color!

Stamps: DRS Designs- Sweet Birthday Sentiment, Chocolate Chip Background Stamp
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Chestnut Roan,
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company,
Accessories: Nesties, Ribbon by Peebles Inc., American Crafts White Brads, SU! Word Window Punch, Stamp-a-ma-gig
Finished Card Size: 6" x 5"

I'm off to finish my shopping today!

Hope you have a 'Sweet' Monday!

See you tomorrow!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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No Stamping Allowed!

...That's the theme to this weeks Fun Filled Friday Challenge. Kimmy picked it! I'm really going to have to think about this one. It's been a very long time since I've made a regular paper-crafted greeting card. I thought I had an idea, but the sentiment required stamping...so I'm off to think up another idea.

Won't you join us for this challenge? Since stamping is not involved, I'm going to see if I can make a quick 10 minute card like you see in Take Ten Magazine. Wonder if my perfectionist side will let me accomplish it? Stay tuned for Friday and I'll tell you all about it and show you what I come up with.

Well, I'm off to shop for the rest of the day! I'm bound & determined to get my Holiday shopping done between today & tomorrow!

Wish me luck!

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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No Fear, Santa's Here!

Yesterday's Fun Filled Friday Challenge was all about Santa! Sorry for the delay in getting him posted--Good things come to those who wait, right?

I love the way this cutey-pie Santa turned out!

I colored him with Prismacolor pencils and blended the colors with Gamsol. Then, I added Diamond Glaze to his beard, moustache, eyebrows and cotton parts of his hat & sprinkled it with white Fun Flock. This Santa is soft and fluffy! Next I added some Sparkle to the snow around the chimney to make it look like real snow and ice--I love all the texture in this image!

As you can see, my background uses the new snowflake Cuttlebug Embossing folder. DH bought it for me for Christmas, but he doesn't know it yet! (Wink!)

Stamps: Image by Penny Black, Sentiment by DRS Designs
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Lipstick Red
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by Bazzill
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Diamond Glaze, White Fun Flock, Stickles, Brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials, Nesties, Ribbon by Bobbie M. Designs, Heidi Swap Edge Distresser
Finished Card Size: 5.5" x 5.5"

Here's Kimmy's Santa Card!

Kimmy and I have been debating about whether or not to continue our Fun Filled Friday Challenges in the new year. Please help us decide! I've placed a poll on my blog for you to give us your feedback. Please vote and/or leave me a comment with your thought and opinions. This poll will run through New Year's Day when we'll decide to keep it or not.

(Fun Filled Friday is where Kimmy and I host card making challenges on our blogs every week. We call them Fun Filled Fridays (FFF). We take turns every other week giving a challenge. These challenges are announced every Sunday, and we display our finished cards for that challenge the following Friday. Kimmy and I keep the details to ourselves regarding these challenge cards, so until her challenge post Friday, I have no idea what she is planning on making until I see it, just like the rest of you, and vice versa. I think it is so much fun to see how different or similar our cards turn out.)

Thanks for vising my Santa today!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Late FFF, Turkey Dinner Recap, and DRS designs Update

Happy Friday!

Well, I'm still behind! (Yikes!) Tis the season I guess!

Sounds like we're all very busy this time of year!

My Fun Filled Friday Santa Challenge will be late this week! I'm so sorry to have to postpone it.

I hope to have it posted tomorrow.

Not sure what Fun Filled Fridays are? Well, Kimmy, one of my best friends, and I host card making challenges on our blogs every week called Fun Filled Fridays (FFF). We take turns every other week giving a challenge. These challenges are announced every Sunday, and we display our finished cards for that challenge the following Friday. Kimmy and I keep the details to ourselves regarding these challenge cards, so until her challenge post Friday, I have no idea what she is planning on making until I see it, just like the rest of you, and vice versa. I think it is so much fun to see how different or similar our cards turn out.

Kimmy and I have been debating about whether or not to continue our Fun Filled Friday Challenges in the new year. Please help us decide! I've placed a poll on my blog for you to give us your feedback. Please vote and/or leave me a comment with your thought and opinions. This poll will run through New Years Day when we'll decide to keep it or not.

Remember the post from the other day about me telling you that I was making my first Turkey dinner. Well, it was a hit! My sister joined my DH and I for dinner & they both ranted and raved about how moist and flavorful my turkey was! DH even mentioned that most often he needs gravy to eat turkey, but didn't need it for this one! I have 'his approval' to make turkey again soon!

I bought a 10 pound turkey and used this brine recipe to soak it in the day before I made it, and then baked it in one of those Reynolds Oven bags following the directions on the box. I also made this Sweet Potato Casserole. I didn't make the topping as it says in the recipe, I just sprinkled it with cinnamon and after it was done baking, I put mini marsh mellows on top and then put it back in the oven for 10 minutes to brown them. This was also very, very good, but almost a touch too sweet. Next time I make them I'm going to try 3/4 cup of white sugar instead.

On another note, I received an email from Samantha from DRS Designs saying that she'll be updating the DT card galleries on the DRS Designs website very soon. You can see all summary of all my cards by clicking here. Enjoy!

I promise next week will be filled with new projects!

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Until tomorrow...

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Tree of Lights!

Sorry I missed Card Sketch Wednesday yesterday. Things are just too busy for me right now and I'm going to put it off until the new Year. I'm sure you can all relate as well--Does anyone have spare time this time of year? I'm finding it very hard to get into my craft room right now. I guess you could say that I'm choosing sleep over crafting! LOL!

However, I do have a card to share with you today...it's taken me all week to work on it!

All images on this card are by DRS Designs, and were colored with pencils--no Gamsol. I also lightly sponged the tree with green ink to fill it in a little. The red, green and yellow bulbs are ribbon slide images, with green grosgrain ribbon threaded through them. I tried my best not to make them look like a traffic light, but I should have thought of that before I colored them!

Stamps: DRS Designs- Christmas Tree of Lights, Wonderful Christmas Sentiment, Single Bulb Ribbon Slide
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Warm Green
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company and Bazzill
Accessories: Red Brads by Recollections, Green Grosgain ribbon by Michael's
Finished Card Size: 5.5" x 5.5"

Happy Holidays!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Sunflowers Out of Season!

Sorry to share this "Fall" card with you today--I know it's a little out of season, but I forgot to post it back in early November when I made it for a contest on the Stamp Shack. To be honest, I'm glad I forgot! I think going to bed late all last week and then cutting down our Christmas Tree this past Saturday in the 20 degree snowy weather has finally got to me & now I'm sick! So, my time in my craft room over the last few days has been limited and my free time is being spent in bed & on the couch! I do have some card layouts and ideas on paper, but I just need to get my energy back so I feel up to crafting. So, I'm glad I have something to share with you today.

Both the image & sentiment were stamped in black ink. I colored the image with Prismacolor Pencils and blended the colors with Gamsol. It's a little difficult to see, but after stamping the sentiment on the yellow cardstock, I ran it through my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Embossing folder.
The edges of image and the yellow cardstock were inked with orange Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink.

Stamps: Sentiment by Amuse, Image by Great Impressions
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company,
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Cuttlebug and Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Ribbon by Maya Road, EK Success Decorative Corner Punch
Finished Card Size: 4.25" x 6"





Wish me luck...not only that I feel better and get some energy soon, but also because I'm planning on baking my first turkey (ever!) for dinner on Wednesday. There's no changing my mind now, as the bird 's been thawing all weekend! (Darn this cold!) I'm even planning on soaking it in a Herb Brine solution today! To add to it I'm even attemping a Sweet Potato Casserole. Sounds like Thanksgiving doesn't it? I figured I've never made a large meal like this before, so who better to practice on than DH! Plus, he eats so often and never complains about what's for dinner as long as there's food to eat. A 10 pound Turkey with a few fixin's should do him good for a few days, don't you think? Let me know if you have any advice to share about brining or making a turkey. I'll gladly accept any tips you may have, like I said this is my first Turkey ever!




Well, I hope you enjoyed today's card. Hopefully I'll be back in the swing of things soon!




Smiles,
Jennifer

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Tis the Season for Ornaments!

Today starts a new biweekly challenge over at the DRS Designs Blog. Tis the season for making your own Ornaments! DRS Designs has a TON of holiday images perfect for the job! Anyone can play along in the challenge and we hope you will! There are no limits on time or supplies...feel free to use other images while you are waiting for your DRS order to arrive, and to catch up on past challenges as well. Just be sure to post a direct link so we can check out your creation. If you upload to an online gallery, please use the keyword DRSC10 for this ornament challenge.

Here are the 2 ornaments I made for this challenge:

The Merry Christmas Holly wreath was colored with Bic Markers and then I used my Nesties to add layers of different colored cardstock. I used a white Gel pen to add the white dots and then added Red Xmas Stickles to add a little sparkle!

This Holly and Bells Tag Ornament was colored with Prismacolor Pencils and blended with Gamsol. I added the Season's Greetings Sentiment using brown ink and paper pierced the edges. It's difficult to see, but I also used Diamond Glaze on the bells to make them look like metal.

Don't forget to check out inspiration from the other DRS design team members:

Angel Rivera

Cathy Indelicato (Team Coordinator)

Dawn Knight

Etha Schuette

Heather Lee-Reppen

Janette Olen

Jessica George

Jessica Knutsen

Vicki Parson

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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How about Santa?

Just a quick post today to announce this week's Fun Filled Friday Challenge Announcement! I'm busy baking Christmas cookies today with my mom and sister.

I've challenged Kimmy to a Santa themed challenge this week.

This should be fairly easy to do, since Santa is so in season right now. So, pull out all your favorite Santa stamps and join us this Friday, December 12th and post your Santa projects!

Speaking of Santa, my sister and I went to see him at the Mall last week...See for yourself!

He even asked us if we've been good! LOL! :-)

He's a pretty good looking Santa, don't you think?

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Geometric Note!

When I stamp & create my cards I usually have a plan. Either I've already colored the image that I want to use, I have a sketch drawn out on a piece of scratch paper, or flat out, I have the finished card pictured in my head. Yes, that last one happens, but not too often!

Earlier this week I sat in my studio wanting to do something different, or should I say, create something different. I came up with the idea that I was just going to stamp away without any type of plan & just let my fingers do the creating without putting any major thought into what I was going to come up with.

The outcome...is this Geometric Note Card!
Definitely, not my usual style, but that's what I was going for!

This card features one of the new Ribbon Slides by DRS Designs. However, I've used it like an embellishment here, rather than a ribbon slide. I added a brad to the center, which is where you would remove the 2 small portions to thread the ribbon through it.

I had fun using brown ink, and lots of cuts with my Nestabilities. I also used the Easy Dot Background stamp to make my own pattern paper. I thought it would go well with the dots on the button ribbon slide.

I didn't plan for a sentiment on this card at all (well, there was no planning anything, remember?) but when all was said and done it needed something. I managed to use my Stamp-a-ma-jig to squeeze "Just a Note" right in between all of those dots and the scalloped squares! Turned out pretty well didn't it?

Then I added the matted ribbon slides on with foam tape and added some dark brown and copper ribbon to the bottom for a little umph.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Button Ribbon Slide, Easy Dot Background Stamp, Just a Note...Sentiment
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Chestnut Roan
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company
Accessories: Nesties, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials, Ribbon by Bobbie M. Designs and Midori Double Faced Satin Velvet Brown ribbon
Finished Card Size: Approx. 5" x 6" (Sorry, again I forgot to write down the size of the card before I sent it to DRS Designs.)

So, Do you have any big plans for this weekend? Today, we were going to go and cut down our Christmas Tree, but we woke up to an unexpected blizzard outside and it's only about 20 degrees. I think we'll try again tomorrow! Tomorrow my mom and sister will be coming over because it is baking day at my house--Christmas Cookies that is! I'm so excited!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Penguins are Winter-Like, Right?

DRS Designs has released some new stamps not too long ago & one of them was this cute little Penguin, named Percy!

I dug through the Splitcoast Sketch Challenge Archives and thought sketch SC124 would be a perfect way to show off Percy for my Winter Fun Filled Friday Challenge. (You can see the announcement post here.)

I think of shades of blue when I think Winter, Snow, and ice. This card doesn't fit that impression, but penguins live in cold areas where there's snow and ice, just like Winter, right? So, see, it fits!

I colored Percy's hat, scarf, beak and feet with Prismacolor Pencils, and a touch of Gamsol, since these areas were so small. I added Glittler Glue to the Cuttlebugged snowflakes and this really wow-ed the card, as the glitter took on a pink hue from all the red around it. By far, I must say this is one of my favorite cards! Not to mention, that I used my favorite Snowflake Background stamp AGAIN! LOL!

Stamps: DRS Designs- Percy the Penguin, Interlocking Snowflake Background
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Warm Red
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by Bazzill
Accessories: Michael's Holiday Ribbon Bow-tique, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Cuttlebug and Snowflake Embossing Folder, Nesties, Brads by Recollections, Opal Glitter Glue
Finished Card Size: 6 1/8" x 5 1/2"

Don't forget to check out Kimmy's Fun Filled Friday card.

Percy says, "Thanks for visiting today. We hope to see you real soon! Have a Wonderful Weekend!"


Smiles,
Jennifer

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Howdy Cowboys!

Howdy Ya'll!

Any Country Western fans out there?

I am, and I was drawn to this Cowboy Silhouette image as soon as I saw it in the DRS Designs catalog! I jumped for joy when I saw it in my recent package of DT stamps.

Woo Hoo, Lucky Me!

This card also features one of the new Ribbon Slides just released. (You can see all of the DRS Designs new releases by clicking here.) The square illusion of this ribbon slide reminds me of a belt buckle--not the typical kind of belt buckles cowboys wear, but I think it's fitting for this card, Don't you?

I used my Cuttlebug and the Traffic Jam Squares embossing folder to create the background. I thought the raised squares went well with the square ribbon slide. See, it all kind of fits together! LOL!

I coordinated the 2 main layers with my Notched Corner punch, and then added yellow bling jewels to accent the golden colored background.

I distressed the edges around the cowboys to give it a smoky feel. Hey, maybe they're riding along the Great Smokey Mountains!

Stamps: DRS Designs- Square Illusion Ribbon Slide, Cowboy Silhouette
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Charcoal
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company,
Accessories: Cuttlebug and Traffic Jam Embossing Folder, Ribbon by Bobbie M. Designs, SU! Notched Corner Punch, Hero Arts Gem Stones
Finished Card Size: approx. 5" x 7" (Sorry for the approximation here. I forgot to measure it before I shipped this card off in a package to DRS Designs. It was a large car though, as the Cowboy Silhouette image measures 3.25" x 3" itself.)

Thanks for stopping by today. I appreciate your visit!

See Ya'll tomorrow!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Sketch Wednesday, There's Nothing 'Sweet' about Fish!

Yeah! It's Wednesday, so it's time for a new sketch challenge, you ready?

Use this sketch to create a card and post a link so I can see how you've used it!

Scroll down to see mine!

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I received this cool fish image from DRS Designs last week and thought this would make a great masculine Birthday card! I love the way this card turned out--too bad I don't know any Fishermen who would enjoy receiving this!

So, you're probably wondering what my title has to do with this card, right?

Well, there's more to this sentiment then what you see here. This sentiment is a new release by DRS Designs, and it actually reads "it's your birthday ~" like you see, and then underneath, it reads "sweet!" I just could not include the "sweet" part on this fish card. Why? Because there's nothing 'sweet' about fish!!!! (My thoughts are "Yuck!") LOL!

I colored the image with pencils and blended the colors with Gamsol. I sponged the sky, and added Shimmerz to the fish--it almost makes him look scaly, doesn't it?

Stamps: DRS Designs- Jumping Fish, "Sweet" Birthday
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Chestnut Roan
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company and Bazzill
Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, Brads by All My Memories and Joann's Scrap Essentials, Sagebrush Shimmerz, Cuttlebug and Spots and Dots Embossing Folder, Chalk by Inkadinkado, Ribbon by Michael's, Nesties
Finished Card Size: 5.5" x 5.25"

Hope you've enjoyed today's version of Card Sketch Wednesday!

Please let me know if you have any questions/concerns/comments regarding any of the projects I make. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for visiting today!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Meet Oswald, a New Hooter!

We all know Owls are one of the latest crazes among the stamping world. Did you see the new owl image from DRS Designs?

Let me introduce you to Oswald the Owl!

I created this fun card to make it look like he was up in the trees. Do you get this effect?

I created the background by stamping the Pine Tree image, alternating one up, one down using both dark & light Olive green ink. Then, I filled in the trees with chalk. I used a decorative corner punch on each of the four corners and matted it with dark green cardstock. I added 4 copper brads in each corner for a little contrast.

Oswald was colored with Prismacolor pencils and blended with Gamsol. I used my Nesties to cut him out and mat him. I created the polka dots with a brown Zig marker. I tied dark brown ribbon and orange & olive green ribbon together in a knot & wrapped it around the front of the pine tree background. I used foam tape to adhere Oswald on top of the pine tree background.

I had an itching to use my sewing machine on this card. I haven't used it in a while & figured I should make it a point to use it if I can. So, I did! I sewed a horizontal line at the top & bottom portions of a lime green cardstock panel that I placed behind the pine tree background. It's definitely different, but I really like the look!

Stamps: DRS Designs- Oswald the Owl, Pine Tree
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Olive Pastel and Lime Pastel
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company,
Accessories: EK Success Decorative Corner Punch, Janome Sew Mini Sewing Machine, brown thread-unknown, Copper Brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials, Ribbon by Joann's Autumn Inspirations and Midori Double Faced Satin in Velvet Brown, Nesties, Brawn Zig Marker, Chalk by Inkadinkado, 3D-Dots
Finished Card Size: 5.75" x 5.5"

Hope you've enjoyed meeting Oswald today!

Stay tuned right here to Ink N Scrap Habits for tomorrow's Sketch Challenge!

Have a wonderful day!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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You're Invited...

If you read my post from yesterday, I mentioned that we were under our first winter storm warning of the year. Well, as it turned out it wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be, but we did receive a solid 3 inches of snow. The largest part of the storm came yesterday afternoon and it snowed big fat flakes! It was so pretty that I snapped a few pics of the snowfall looking out at my backyard to show you.

This last pictures shows the flakes the best. Do you have an pics of a recent snowfall to share? let me know if you do. I love looking at them!

So, anyways, on to today's project...

It's that time of year again to send out your Christmas Party invitations!

DRS Designs has some new stamps to help you complete the job creating them!

Here's a quick and easy sample Christmas Party Invitation I made using the new "You're Invited," Square Button Snowman, and Triple Holly images. I also decorated the area around the text using the Snowflake Background stamp (My Favorite!). Overall, I think this took me about a half hour to make, including the computer time actually creating the text for the invitation. This sample would be very easy to mass produce.

I printed the text from my computer on white cardstock with red ink. Then, I trimmed it down to the size I wanted to use & matted it with red cardstock.

I matted it as shown and added the Holly image to the upper right corner with foam tape, and the Snowman was adhered directly to the bottom right corner. I colored the Holly with pencils and the snowman with markers. Of course I had to add Stickles for a little bling! The center of each snowflake in the background, the Holly berries and the snowman all sparkle!


What's even better is this finished card size measures 6.25" x 4.5," so it will it perfectly in a 5" x 7" envelope--Ideal for snail mailing!

Stamps: DRS Designs- Vertical You're Invited, Lil Stretch the Square Button Snowman, Interlocking Snowflake Background, Triple Holly
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in French Blue
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company, Bazzill Cardstock
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Bic markers, Icicle Stickles, Xmas Red Stickles, 3D-Dots
Finished Card Size: 6.25" x 4.5"

Any of you love owls? Make sure to check back tomorrow to see what I've done with the new owl image from DRS Designs. I promise you'll love it!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Fun Filled Friday-Winter!

Today is Sunday, so that means it's time for a new Fun Filled Friday Challenge announcement.

Not sure what Fun Filled Friday is? Click here to read all about it.

With December right around the corner, Kimmy has challenged us to create a "Winter" themed project this week.

Is it looking like Winter in your neck of the woods? We're expecting a winter storm tonight that could leave us with up to 6" of the white stuff!

I'm glad I'm off of work tomorrow...the first major snow fall of the season tends to make the roads very messy here, if you know what I mean.

Have you subscribed yet? Don't miss another Fun Filled Friday challenge or the new stuff I have in store for you this week. Subscribe now!

Hope you're having a Great Weekend!

See you tomorrow!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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May I Have Your Attention?

So, did you all have an enjoyable Thanksgiving? Ours was busy, busy, busy! Read on...

First, Thanksgiving Day started at Noon with my Dad's side. There were 5 of us: My Dad, my Sister, my almost 93 year old Great-Aunt, and my DH and I. My Great-Aunt wanted to go out to dinner since she doesn't get out much. I can't blame her! Well, it was more like a big lunch for her and ended up being breakfast for my DH and I. Since I work afternoon's and my DH works midnights, Noon usually ends up being our breakfast hour! Then, afterward we went back to my Great-Aunts house and watched football and had Apple Pie--one of our Thanksgiving favorites!

Round 2 was at my Aunt's house to celebrate with my Mom's family at about 3:30pm. There were about 40 of us there! Yes, really, and literally! My Grandparents had 7 children and now all of them are married and have children of their own. I'm the second oldest of 16 Grandchildren, and there are 2 Great Children as well, plus some of the In-Laws attend too. See, Big Family! DH and I ate "lunch" here and dug into the desserts. We also took a big plate of leftovers home too!

7pm started round 3 at my DH's Aunts house to celebrate with his Mom's Family. There was a smaller group there, about 8. We talked and enjoyed each other's company over some cocktails and just had munchies. Nothing to fancy, but it was a good time!

Then, finally around 10:45pm, DH and I arrived home and shared the plate of leftovers from my Aunts. DH soon fell asleep on the couch after & I dragged him to bed about 12:15am--What a day! (But it wasn't over yet!)

Yesterday/Friday, our Thanksgiving Festivities continued...Round 4 at my DH's Dad's house with his family. Dinner at 5pm with 9 people. The food was excellent, and we always know to bring our plastic containers if we want to take home the leftovers. We ended up having so many containers that we needed a box to carry it out to the car! But, I don't mind at all...We shouldn't have to cook at all this weekend with all the leftovers we have, which is good, because DH and I are both working all weekend.

Let me just say with Thanksgiving finally over, I'll sleep good tonight! It was busy and exhausting, but so good and lots of fun too!

Was your Thanksgiving as busy as mine?

Now, onto today's card...It's not me asking for your attention, it's this cute singing frog from DRS Designs!

I was already in the process of making this card, when I got an idea about what a cute birthday/Party announcement this image and sentiment would make. Perhaps I'll make one later this week if time allows...

I colored the singing Frog with pencils and blended the colors with Gamsol. I used sponge daubers to shade the light and dark blue ink around him, and cut him out and layered him using my Nesties.



I stamped the sentiment in Olive Green ink on yellow cardstock and then matted it as shown. I created the cardstock front with dark green cardstock and created the base from blue cardstock.

The Finished Card Size measures 5.5" x 4.25."

Stamps: DRS Designs- Singing Frog, Ladies and Gentlemen
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Olive Pastel, French Blue and SU! Ballet Blue
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Nesties, Brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials, EK Success Decorative Corner Punch.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's Fun Filled Friday Challenge announcement.

Thanks for visiting today!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Fun Filled Friday House Mouse Holiday!

This week I challenged Kimmy to create a card using a House Mouse image, since it's been a long time since we've played with them! You can see my Fun Filled Friday Announcement post here.

I colored with image with pencils and blended the colors with Gamsol. I matted the image with red, craft, and green cardstock as shown. I mounted the Holly pattern paper with green cardstock and added 1 large green brad and 2 small red brads to the upper center as shown. Next I adhered this layer to my red cardstock base, and mounted the matted image to it with foam tape for added dimension.

Stamps: House Mouse by Stampabilities
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Chestnut Roan
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company, pattern paper by DCWV
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Brads by Recollections and Joann's Scrap Essentials, 3D-Dots, SU! Notched Corner punch, Red Satin Ribbon by Offray
Finished Card Size: 6.25" x 5.5"



Did you see Kimmy's Warm and Cozy House Mouse card?

So, how many of you braved the crowds and went shopping today? I stayed home, slept in, and enjoyed my morning. Did you get any really, really good deals? Leave me a comment & let me know what I missed out on. I'd love to hear from you!

Hope you all had a Wonderful Thanksgiving!


Smiles,
Jennifer

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Happy Thanksgiving!

To all of my Blog Readers,

Wishing you the many blessings of Thanksgiving today, and may your home and hearts be filled with family, friends, and much happiness!

Hope you all have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Card Sketch Wednesday & Cats Have Staff!

Welcome to Card Sketch Challenge #21!

Every Wednesday here at Ink N Scrap Habits, I have a card sketch challenge, and I participate as well. Hope you'll have a little free time this week with the holiday and join me! I love seeing what other people do for the same sketches.

I created this fun Cat card for today's challenge. I love the way the pink and brown go together, and this sentiment is hilarious! All of the images seen here are from DRS Designs.

I used the new sitting Kitty stamp, colored with pencils and blended with Gamsol. Then I used a sponge dauber and pink ink to sponge around him while it was still in my Nesties Die. Next I matted it as shown.

I created my own background paper using the fun Cat Paw Easy Background Stamp with brown ink on light pink cardstock. Can you say Cute, Cute, Cute?

I used foam tape to adhere the cat image to the paw background layer and then again to adhere the paw background to the card front.

Here's a close up of that adorable Kitty. If you like this Kitty image, then I'm sure you'd like the other DRS Designs new Kitty Image seen here.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Happy Cat Sitting, Dogs Have Owners, Cats Have Staff Sentiment, Cat Paw Easy Background
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Rose Coral and Chestnut Roan
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company and Bazzill
Accessories: Ribbon-Confetti by My Minds Eye, Brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials, Nesties, Sponge Daubers
Finished Card Size: 5.75" x 5"

I hope you've enjoyed this Sketch Challenge today. I appreciate you visiting here today and I welcome your comments.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday tomorrow!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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