It's a Country Western Kind of Day!

Happy Friday!

With the American Holiday this past Monday & since I was off work yesterday, this week really flew by for me. Don't get me wrong, I have to work both Saturday & Sunday this weekend--I could only wish to have two 3 day weekends in a row! LOL!

My missing mojo temporally came back to me the other night as I tried to work on this weeks Fun Filled Friday Challenge--to use our brayers. I'm very happy with the way it turned out.

I heat embossed the Cowboy Silhouette image from DRS Designs with black embossing powder on white glossy cardstock and then masked off a 1" circle punch. I brayered the background in blues to create a night sky. Then I sponged in the moon area with yellow inks and sponged a little bit of the sky with yellow too, making it look like the moon was shining down on the cowboys.

I embellished this image with some square gold brads and some twine I had laying around in my ribbon box.

Stamps: DRS Designs-Cowboy Silhouette (M316)
Ink: Versamark, SU! Bashful Blue, Brillant Blue, Night of Navy, So Saffron, Summer Sun, More Mustard
Paper: Glossy white cardstock, Colored Cardstock by American Crafts
Accessories: Heat Gun, Creative Beginnings Black Embossing Powder, Post-Its, Nesties, twine unknown from my stash, square brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials, Sponge Daubers, Brayer
Finished Card Size: 4 3/8" x 5 5/8"

Have you brayered lately? If so, let me know by leaving me a link in the comments section of this post so I can see what you did. If not, why not get it out & ink it up!?!?!? I'll be waiting...

Thanks for stopping by today!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Tassel Hassle!

Thanks to the loud clap of a thunderstorm this morning I was up very early & found the courage to get back into my stamp room. I've seemed to have lost my stamping mojo some time last week & have been struggling to complete 4 different projects. Today I attempted to finish up this week's CPS Challenge #117 that I started the other day, and I'm glad to report that it was a simple success!

I started by heat embossing the sentiment with white embossing powder. Then I cut it out & layered it using my Nesties. I stamped the Tassel image with green ink and then shaded it in with green chalk. I used a yellow glitter gel pen to color in the metal clip on the tassel. I assembled the card as displayed by the sketch, embellished it with some brads that matched the color scheme, and adhered the entire piece onto a green cardstock base.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Tassel Worth the Hassle Sentiment (E729), Tassel Image (D007)
Ink: Versamark, SU! Handsome Hunter
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by American Crafts
Accessories: Creative Beginnings White Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Chalk by Inkadinkado, Star Lights Yellow Glitter Gel Pen, Nesties, Black Brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials and White Brads by American Crafts, EK Success Corner Rounder
Finished Card Size: 4.5" x 5.25"

Well, with my lurking mojo, I can't promise that I'll have another project to share with you for tomorrow, but stay tuned for my Fun Filled Friday Challenge card posted on time this week. It's another partially started project, but I'm going to give it my all! With that being said, I just remembered I still have to finish last week's challenge as well (to create a card & decorate the inside too). Note to self, put that on the to-do list for when my mojo returns full time!

I hope your skies are much sunnier then we have today.

Thanks for visiting!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Slowly, But Surely, Popcorn is a Start!

I'm not going to get overly excited about today's post because I'm still struggling with my MIA crafting mojo. I was able to make today's card work, but it only took me my entire 3 day weekend to come up with this one card. I still have 4 unfinished cards in my craft room that I can't get to fall into place. It's so frustrating, and even more so that I have DT deadlines to meet soon & I'm not happy with how my work is progressing. I thought that by having 3 days off that I'd get so much done & get some blog posts typed up a head of time etc, but no such luck! I'm wondering if my best work is created under pressure--time/deadline pressure. Are any of you like that? Maybe it is because I had 3 days off that my mind, my body, and my mojo all wanted a break & relax.

Well, regardless of the reason, as my title states today's project is a start, so hopefully things are on the mend & my mojo is on it's way home!

Here's the one and only, I came up with this weekend, and I'm very happy with it! (Yeah!)

Both the image & the sentiment are by DRS Designs. I find this pair very clever, and cute! I colored the Popcorn Bag image with Prismacolor Pencils and blended the colors with Gamsol. It's a little difficult to see, but I added Yellow Stickles to the buttery popcorn on top, Yum! I didn't add it to the card until it was completely finished, but it's exactly what this card needed & gives it just the right kick!

I stamped the sentiment in black ink and colored in the word "popped" with a red marker.

Some black ribbon, yellow brads and the Martha Stewart Zig Zag border punch helped me finish this card.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Popped Up Birthday Greeting (H924), Popcorn Box (H920)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by American Crafts
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Bic Markers, Nesties, Ribbon by Offray, Brads by The Paper Studio, Yellow Stickles by Ranger, Martha Stewart Zig Zag Border Punch
Finished Card Size: 6.5" x 4.75"

Thanks for visiting today & sticking by me during my times of lost mojo! I know things will eventually turn around. I just hate waiting for it!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend & that you're having a great Tuesday.

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Where O Where are you?

This title refers to lots of things today...

1. Me! You've probably noticed I haven't posted in a few days. I haven't necessarily been MIA, it's just that...

2. My Mojo and inspiration to create are gone, and seems like they are no where to be found! I've made several attempts in my craft room to get something started & I don't like anything that I've been coming up with over the last few days. Rather then get frustrated & put everything in the garbage, I have several unfinished projects laying around my craft room that maybe when my Mojo comes back I will be inspired to complete them.

and finally #3. My Fun Filled Friday project is missing as a direct result of #2! Last weeks theme was to decorate the inside of our cards to match the outside. Once I finally get my mojo back to finish the outside of a card, I'll be able to complete the inside as well...if I should ever get to that point any time soon...

How frustrating this is!!!!!!! I am home for a 3 day weekend and had huge plans of getting caught up and crafting the weekend away & what a bummer it is to have my inspiration just up and leave me! Maybe it's because I just need a break and after a few days I'll be inspired once again. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed!)

So, now you know why I haven't posted in the last few days. I honestly just don't have any new projects to share with you. I'm going to stay out of my craft room for today & spend time getting some things done around the house & spend some time with DH since he is home today. Then, tomorrow when he is back to work & I'm enjoying the last day of my weekend with a nice, quiet house I'll venture back in to that craft room & see what I can complete. (Maybe I just need to clean that room...I bet I'll find my mojo in there hiding under a pile of cardstock!)

With that being said, it is Sunday & it's time to announce the next Fun Filled Friday Challenge. (Although I don't feel right posting another one before the other has been completed--just seems a little backwards to me...) Maybe a different challenge is just what I need to get my inspiration jump started! So, what's the challenge you ask? Get out your brayers & brayer away! Kimmy decided on this weeks challenge & I'm wondering if she had the Zindorf blog in mind when she decided this. Good thing for me, is I sort of already have an idea in mind for this challenge, so hopefully when I sit down to do it, this project will come easy for me. If you get a chance to play this week and want to play along in our Fun Filled Friday challenges, please do so. Make sure to leave a link with your project for us to see. I'd love to see what you do with your brayer!

So, for now I'm off to enjoy the day at home and tomorrow will be a new day for me in my craft room. Hopefully I have a project to share with you soon.

Until then...if you see my mojo send it back home, ok?

:-)

Have a Wonderful Holiday weekend!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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This Time, A Baby Moose!

As I've mentioned before, I'm on a roll with baby cards lately. After making this card, I assure you that I'm officially "babied out" & it will probably be a while before you see me make another baby card! LOL!

This Baby Moose image is from Sunflowers and Dragonflies. Isn't this little moose just the cutest ever with wobbly legs & it's diaper pinned on? I made this a unisex baby card by focusing on light green and yellow colors. I colored it with Prismacolor Pencils and blended the colors with Gamsol.

I decorated this card using my Cuttlebug & Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, 3 kinds of ribbon, and some buttons!

Stamps: Sunflowers and Dragonflies- Baby Moose
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company, American Crafts
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Cuttlebug and Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Yellow Ribbon by Offray, C & G white Sheer Ribbon, and striped ribbon by American Crafts, Green Button by Fancy Findings, Yellow Button by Sticko Adhesive Button Ups
Finished Card Size: 4.75" x 4.75"

Well, happy Thursday to you all & Happy almost holiday weekend for those of us in the USA!

Until next time...

Smiles,
Jennifer

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All in a Can of Worms!

Today I played with this sketch and created this "Good Things Come To Those Who Bait!" card.

A simple sketch means a simple card, right? Feel free to use this sketch in your card making today, and please leave me a link in the comments section if you do. I'd love to see your version!

Here's my challenge card. I colored the DRS Designs Can of Worms image with Prismacolor Pencils and blended the colors with Gamsol. It's a pretty simple design that I decorated with brads, 2 colors of ribbon and a spiral clip!

Stamps: DRS Designs- Worm Can (G847), Good Things Who Bait Sentiment (F840)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, SU! Bravo Burgundy
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Yellow Ribbon unknown from my stash, Burgundy Ribbon by Bobbie M. Designs, Brads by O'Scrap, Spiral Clip by The Paper Studio
Finished Card Size: 6.5" x 4.25"

Sorry for the short and sweet post today. I'm still trying to catch up from being out of town last week. The rest of this week will be pretty hectic so hopefully I'll be back on track by this weekend--at least I better be, with 3 days off of work in a row! I guess I have my work cut out for me...I'll be making a check list & sticking to it!

Stay tuned for tomorrow. I have a cute card to show you using an image from Sunflowers and Dragonflies!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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It Must Be Love!

Today is my day off of work & it's a lazy day for me. I played in my craft room this morning & put together this week's CPS sketch challenge.

I've had this Cutie Pie Kids image from DRS Designs colored for a long time. I thought it was time to finally put it to use & created my challenge card with it.

The image was colored with Prismacolor Pencils and blended with Gamsol. I used red Stickles on the little hearts above their heads.



Such an adorable image that reminds me of high school days--a cheerleader and her first love!

Stamps: DRS Designs- First Love from the Cutie Pie Collection
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Lipstick Red
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by American Crafts
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Ribbon by Bobbie M. Designs, Yellow Brads by The Paper Studio, Red heart brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials, Spiral clip by The Paper Studio, Xmas Red Stickles by Ranger.
Finished Card Size: 4.75" x 6.75"

Well, that' s it for now. I'm off to shop with my sister!

Make sure to check back tomorrow to see my Card Sketch Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by...

Smiles,
Jennifer

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DRS Designs Flap Card Challenge

Today begins a new challenge on the DRS Designs Blog! The Designs Team was challenged to make flap cards this week. You can find the tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers here. We would love for you to play along...leave a comment on the DRS Designs Blog Challenge #21 post with a direct link to your creation so we can check it out. If you upload to a public gallery, please use the keyword DRSC21.


For this challenge I made a Butterfly Birthday flap card.

I started this project by stamping and coloring the butterfly ribbon slide image twice with markers. Then, I cut one of them out with scissors and used a circle Nestie die to cut out the other. I layered them and used 3 black brads to attach them and create the butterfly "body." I bent up the wings of the top butterfly for some dimension and for the look like it was flying. Then, I matted it again with a red scalloped circle.

I followed the tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers, and created my card base from black cardstock, using my largest scalloped Nestie to trim the "flap." I adhered the matted butterfly to the center of the flap and then matted it again with a larger white scalloped circle, that was put behind the black flap.

I decorated the front by layering it with red cardstock that was stamped with the Lots of Lines background stamp, which added just the right amount of texture to the front of the card. I tied a small black and white plaid ribbon to the bottom and layered it with the Happy Birthday sentiment stamp that I punched out and matted with the SU! Word Window Punch.

Since there was so much going on, on the outside of the card I decided to keep things pretty simple on the inside. I stamped the Flitter, Flutter Butterfly sentiment in red ink on white cardstock, cut it out with my Nesties, and layered it with a panel of red cardstock that was decorated with a border punch.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Butterfly Ribbon Slide (D681), Lots of Lines Background (H366), 1 Line Happy Birthday Sentiment (B250), Flitter Flutter Birthday Greeting (G604)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, SU! Real Red
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by American Crafts
Accessories: Bic Markers, Nesties, Ribbon by The Paper Studio, SU! Word Window Punch, Brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials, Fiskars Treading Water Border Punch
Finished Card Size: 4" x 4 1/8" folded, 4" x 11 1/4" open

I had a lot of fun making this card. I love how it's different from the regular cards I make, yet simple & easy enough to do more often! This kind of card would make a great gift card holder as well by using the bottom flap as a pocket.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my challenge card today. I appreciate your visit.

Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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National Police Week 2009

On Wednesday my Husband and I left to go to Washington DC for a long weekend in honor of National Police Week. May 15th is National Police Memorial Day and this week recognizes the service and sacrifice of U.S. law enforcement. National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.


Thousands of Police Officers from around the U.S. gather together to take part in many of the events that take place during this week. One of the most popular is the Candle Light Vigil that was held Wednesday evening. This first picture is of my DH and the second picture is of Kimmy's Husband. I love the soft look of the candles in these pictures. It's really neat to see all of the officer's in their uniforms and to see all of the different styles of uniforms. They are all so unique!

This was my 5th year going with my Husband. He is a Police Officer and this week is especially important to him since one of his co workers was killed in the line of duty in 2002 and even more so now that his is in the Metro Detroit Pipes and Drums Band.

Also during this week, the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is decorated with flowers, wreaths, pictures of the Fallen Officers and name etchings. Here's some pictures of what the Memorial Wall looks like.

Jessica Nagle-Wilson was the officer my Husband worked with.
In case you are interested, you can find more information & more pics about this event here, at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memoral Fund website.

Well, it's always nice to be home after time away, and now it's back to stamping & card making for me. Stay tuned for another DRS Designs Blog challenge posted bright & early tomorrow morning.

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Inside is just as Important as the Outside!

Sorry for the delay in posting pics of our long weekend trip. We just got back in yesterday & I still have to upload some pics. You can expect to see them later tonight.

This week's Fun Filled Friday challenge focuses on the inside of our cards. I challenged Kimmy to make a card of any theme or occasion and decorate the inside of the card to match. I see so many card designers decorating the inside of cards lately that the insides of my cards are feeling neglected--they will not feel left out this week, cause I'm going to spice them up since the inside should be just as important as the outside, right?

I hope you'll join us and decorate the insides of your cards this week too. Make sure to leave me a comment with the link to your project if you get a chance to play along. I'd love to see what you do!

Hope you're having a great weekend & stay tuned to see my trip pictures later on.

until then...

Smiles,
Jennifer

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For Baby!

Happy Friday! Today is Fun Filled Friday and Kimmy challenged us to make baby cards. I'm still playing with the Dustin Pike, Jenny Giraffe image & the "Cute as a Button" sentiment from DRS Designs, and I couldn't help but show you another baby card I made using these 2 stamps for today's challenge.

I used the latest Splitcoast Stampers sketch challenge (SC227) for the layout. The giraffe image is colored with Prismacolor Pencils and blended with Gamsol. I inked the edges with pink ink and matted it as shown using the Fiskars Treading Water Border Punch to fit the scalloped border on the sketch.

The horizontal panel in the background was created using the Open Plaid Background stamp and light pink ink. No need to buy expensive designer paper when you have this stamp on hand--it's reusable & you can create the plaid in any color you want! I love how it looks on this baby card!

I stamped the "Cute as a Button!" sentiment in a darker shade of pink & cut it out using my SU! Word Window Punch. I layered a paper flower, and a yellow button behind it for some added dimension.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Jenny Giraffe (G859) , Cute as a Button Sentiment (B753), Open Plaid Background (P631)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, SU! Pretty in Pink, and Pixie Pink
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by American Crafts
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Fiskars Treading Water Border Punch, Prima Flowers, Fancy Findings Buttons, SU! Word Window Punch
Finished Card Size: 4.25" x 5.75"

Here are the other 2 baby cards I've made using the same 2 stamps in case you missed them.

If you need to make a baby card soon, I hope I've inspired you to order the Jenny Giraffe and the "Cute as a Button!" sentiment from DRS Designs. As you can see there is so much you can do with these 2 stamps, whether you need one for a baby girl, a baby boy, or for when the baby's gender is unknown, these 2 stamps have you covered!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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A Need For God's Promise

The DRS Designs DT was asked to use this poem as they've had a high demand for it and needed some card samples to send to stamp stores that ordered it. So, I put my thinking cap on and this is what I came up with...

I stamped the God's Promise poem in dark blue ink and then stamped the Rosary Heart on top of it in a light blue ink. I inked the edges around the image and matted it in dark blue & gold cardstock. I added gold brads and matted it on a light blue cardstock base. I wrapped the bottom of the card front with blue and gold ribbon & added a bow in the center.

When making a Sympathy card, I try to keep things simple. Adding too much, and a Sympathy card quickly loses it's meaning. Since I find that these types of cards are usually the hardest cards to make, I often run to shades of blue when I make them and I chose to do so with this one as well. I feel blue is a calming color and it is a perfect choice for a Sympathy card or whenever you are trying to portray a sincere and serene feel. Here, I also used gold as my accent color to create a feeling of elegance and understanding as is reflected in this poem. Using blue and gold ribbon helped to pull each of these aspects together.

Stamps: DRS Designs- God's Promise Sentiment (K445), Rosary Heart (M524)
Ink: SU! Brillant Blue, and Ballet Blue
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by Bazzill and American Crafts
Accessories: Ribbon by Michael's Holiday bow-tique, Brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials,
Finished Card Size: 5" x 5"

Well, just a heads up that I won't be holding my usual Card Sketch Wednesday on my blog tomorrow. DH and I will be leaving to go out of town first thing in the morning and I'll have another kind post that I'm sure you will find quite interesting--I'll be taking many pictures throughout the day, so you can expect a later than usual post.

Stay tuned...

Smiles,
Jennifer

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For the Love of a Rose!

This is going to be another busy week for me. My Husband & I are going out of town on Wednesday so I've been working hard in my craft room to be able to share some things with you while I'm gone.

Over the weekend one of the projects I finished was this card using last week's sketch challenge on Splitcoast-SC227. I love the way it turned out! This was one of those cards that didn't take me very long to create because everything sort of fell right into place. I love when that happens!

The rose, "love," and the background stamp are all images by DRS Designs. I colored the rose with marker and inked the edges with red ink. I layered it as shown & used my Fiskars Treading water punch to fit the scallops in the sketch.

Both the "Love" Heart Silhouette and the Silhouette Branch Background were stamped in SU! Handsome Hunter ink. I used my plain & scalloped Oval Nestabilities to isolate the "love" portion of the Silhouette Heart and added it to my layout as shown. I think it goes perfect with this red rose!

Stamps: DRS Designs- Brush Rose H752, Love Silhouette Heart D213, Silhouette Branch Background H363
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Lipstick Red, SU! Handsome Hunter
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by American Crafts
Accessories: Bic Markers, Fiskars Treading Water Border Punch, Ribbon by Bobbie M. Designs, plain & Scalloped Oval Nestabilities
Finished Card Size: 4 1/4" x 6 1/8"

I'm finding this sketch so easy to work with that I've used it in another card that you will see later this week. It made making this card fast, fun, & so enjoyable. No struggles or hardships at all with this one!

So, what did you do for Mom yesterday? We took my Mom out to Brunch yesterday and visited with my Husband's mom for dinner on Saturday night & yesterday afternoon. It made for a great weekend, cause the weather really cooperated. Last year it was cold, rainy & dreary!

Well, I'm off to pack for my trip.

until next time...

Smiles,
Jennifer

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When you want your prayers to stand out...

...you need a bold card to write them in! I know this isn't your typical Communion or Get Well card, but I love the look of the pink and black together on this card. What do you think?

I used the new Praying Girl Silhouette image by DRS Designs, simply stamped in black Versafine ink on white cardstock, and decorated with pink & black ribbon, and the Fiskars Treading Water Border Punch.

Stamps: DRS Designs-Praying Girl Silhouette
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Paper: Smooth White cardstock by Office Depot, Colored cardstock by American Crafts
Accessories: Pink Ribbon-unknown from my stash, Black Ribbon by Bobbie M. Designs, Fiskars Treading Water Border Punch
Finished Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

For this week's Fun Filled friday challenge Kimmy has challenged us to make Baby cards or cards for a Preganancy. I've been on a roll lately with the baby cards, I'll have to see if I can come up with something different!

Sorry for such a short post today. I have a long to-do list & have to limit my computer time today.

Hope you have a Fantastic Weekend!

Smiles,
Jennifer

PS: Happy Mother's Day to all you Mom's out there!

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White Dove Sympathy

I'm so glad it's Saturday! DH & I are hanging out at home all day today except to go to dinner later with his family. As soon as I'm done with this post, I'm going to hide in my craft room & finish up some layouts that I've started. I just love lazy weekends!

Today I wanted to share with you a Sympathy card I made a while ago, but never really got a chance to post about it until now. I love the color scheme and layout, but I think the sheer white ribbon I used makes it look more like wedding card than a Sympathy card. I suppose I could make it a wedding card just by changing the sentiment. What do you think?

This was pretty easy to make, since there's not a lot of coloring to this image. I just outlined the Dove image with a gray Copic marker & used a Bic marker to color the leaves. I matted both the sentiment & the image first in light green cardstock & then again with gray cardstock and added a bit of sheer white ribbon to both pieces. Then I just assembled the card as shown on the cardstock base, adding some green brads to dress up the white cardstock a bit.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Brush Dove with Branch, Many Hearts One Sorrow Sentiment
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company & American Crafts
Accessories: Copic Marker Cool Gray C1, Bic Markers, Brads by making Memories, Chiffon White Ribbon by C & G, SU! Horizontal Slot Punch
Finished Card Size: 6.5" x 5.25"

Stay tuned for tomorrow for the next Fun Filled Friday challenge announcement & another card using one of DRS Designs new images.

Thanks for visiting today, and Happy Mother's Day to all of you Moms out there!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Birthday Window Card!

Yesterday was a busy day for me. I had a nice leisure morning with breakfast & coffee while I checked on my email & all of the daily blogs I read. Then it was go, go, go nonstop all day long--I went grocery shopping, cleaned the kitchen, researched & put together a beef stew recipe in the crock pot, worked 8 hours at my real job, watched Gray's Anatomy, and finished my Fun Filled Friday Window Card Challenge in time to be able to write up this post today! Whew! So, now you know why today's post is later then normal! LOL!

I tried really hard to stay away from the computer and keep my mind focused on everything on my to-do list. I'm amazed at what can be done when I set these little challenges for myself! I love my computer to death but it's so addicting & such a waste of time--However, I am intrigued by the plethora of info on the internet. I'm always clickin' around on something and of course the addiction is enhanced by my papercrafting and stamping hobby as I'm always looking at other peoples work. Recently my time at home has been spent more on the computer then ever as they are now limiting our internet access at work. So, in between patients, I've been trying to come up with layouts and ideas for many of the weekly sketch challenges that I often do. Soon I'm going to need a new sketch book! But, once I get a nice chunk of time in my craft room I'll be able to share them all with you soon!

So, on to today's FFF card. I challenged Kimmy this week to make a window card. Here's the Birthday card I came up with for this challenge.

Not exactly how I thought this card would look when it was finished, but I'm happy with the color scheme.

I used my Nesties Labels One Dies to cut out the window from 3 layers. That was a little tricky to get everything to line up, but it worked out well in the end.

I colored the flowers with my glitter gel pens. This card has a ton of sparkle & shine to it!

The inside is on the plain side--I wish I had a bit more time to decorate the inside a bit. I might still stamp the flower image you see on the front, once or twice on the inside & use my glitter pens to spice things up a bit. I'll post a picture if I get a chance to do it.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Daisy Flower Corner (F696), Birthday Wishes Come True Sentiment (E508)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, SU! Rose Red
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by American Crafts
Accessories: Starlights Glitter Gel Pens, Nestabilities Labels One Die Set, EK Success Decorative Corner Punch, Brads by Buttons Galore & More, Ribbon unknown from my stash
Finished Card Size: 4 5/8" x 5 7/8"

Some of you may have noticed that Kimmy hasn't posted her Fun Filled Friday Challenge cards in a while. She's had some computer issues and has recently hurt her back so bad that it is extremely painful for her to sit. Her Dr. took her off work for a while and she's waiting to have an MRI done. The most comfortable position for her right now is just laying down--she's trying to figure out how to stamp in that position! So, if you could just stop by her blog & send her a get well message & some prayers hopefully she be back on her feet soon. You can find Kimmy's blog here.

So, any big plans for this weekend? Doing anything special for Mom on Sunday? I'm hoping to get a lot done in my craft room over the next few days. I'm a bit behind & have some DT projects in my head that I need to get put together on paper. Hopefully Sunday won't be too hectic for us as holidays always are--DH & I have 3 Mother's to celebrate with, but one of then is out of town and we're taking the other 2 to brunch at a nearby banquet hall. I'm looking forward to a good meal!

Whatever your plans are this weekend, I hope you have a great one!

Thanks for visiting today!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Don't Sweat the Petty Things!

More from the jungle...

Here's the new Allie & Callie Monkey images from DRS Designs. It's one of Dustin Pike's Drawings. The sentiment is new too. Think monkeys can be sweaty??? Yuck! LOL! I created this card a few weeks ago on my stamping retreat. Lots of layering on this card, but I'm happy with the result.

I colored Allie & Callie with my Prismacolor Pencils and blended the colors with Gamsol. I used my Nesties to cut them out & layer them. The sentiment was stamped and inked with brown ink. You know I can't have a card without ribbon, so I added a little in the upper left corner by punching a small hole & tying the ribbon through it. Now that I'm looking at this card, I realized I didn't use any metal embellies on it. I guess you don't always have to use them, huh?

Stamps: DRS Designs- Allie & Callie Monkey, Don't Sweat the Petty Things Sentiment
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, SU! Close to Cocoa
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by Bazzill & American Crafts
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Nesties, Ribbon by The Paper Studio.
Finished Card Size: 5.5" x 5.5"

Hope you're enjoying all of the new images from DRS Designs. Did you order your share of their new animals? You can see them all here.

Well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get my Fun Filled Friday card finished on time to post on Friday. This weeks challenge is to make a window card. I have to admit, I'm running behind & with work & Gray's Anatomy on tonight I'm pressed for time. I'm going to try hard to get it done. Wish me luck!

Have a great Thursday!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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First Communion Sketch

First of all, today is May 6th also known as Nurses Day. I want to start today by saying "Thank You" and "Happy Nurses Day" to all of you Nurses out there. It truly takes a Saint to be a Nurse and to put up with all you do, yet, still be the patient, kind, and loving people that you are. I work in the Medical field and from seeing all that Nurses do first hand, I know that I could never do it! The work of a Nurse is never done, it is always appreciated and never goes unnoticed! Hope you have a Wonderful Nurses Day!

(If you know a Nurse or have a favorite one, make sure you call him or her today!)

Today is also Card Sketch Wednesday here on my blog. Here's today's sketch.

For this challenge, I created this Boy's Communion card.

The Praying Boy Silhouette image was just released this past Saturday by DRS Designs. I embossed it in black embossing powder and then cut it out using my Nesties Labels One set. I added 5 black eyelets to the right side and black ribbon tied in a knot. I matted it as shown and stamped the sentiment, also by DRS Designs, directly on the cardstock base.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Praying Boy Silhouette, Your on My Mind Sentiment
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company, American Crafts
Accessories: Nesties labels One, Creative Beginnings Embossing Powder, Ribbon by Bobbie M. Designs, Eyelets by Joann's Scrap Essentials.
Finished Card Size: 4.5" x 5.25"

I made a pretty simple card with this sketch. Now, lets see what you can do with it! Make sure to leave me a link in the comment section if you do. I'd love to see your version!

Thanks for visiting today & for all of your wonderful comments. I love reading them!

until next time...

Smiles,
Jennifer

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CPS 114 Cute As A Button, Take 2

A new week means a new sketch over at the CPS, Card Positioning Systems Blog. I created this cute card for this weeks sketch challenge & for my Girlfriends new baby boy. I'll be meeting him soon & I needed a card to go with my gifts. I thought this sketch was perfect for the occasion!

After making this other baby card last week, I once again used the new Dustin Pike image, Jenny Giraffe, by DRS Designs for this baby card along with their "Cute as a Button" sentiment too. Jenny was colored with Prismacolor Pencils and blended with Gamsol. I used this technique to cut her out & emboss the edges using my Nesties in one pass through my Cuttlebug. Before I took it out of the Nestie die, I sponged blue ink around the image, creating the frame look.

The rest of the card just follows the sketch, but I used the SU! Word Window Punch to accent the sentiment. I layered it on a yellow button & then set it inside a Prima flower. Then I actually sewed the yellow thread in the button holes & adhered them on both sides of the layered sentiment.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Dustin Pike's Jenny Giraffe, Cute as a Button Sentiment
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, SU! Bashful Blue & Ballet Blue
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company, Bazzill
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Nesties, Prima Flowers, Fancy Findings Buttons, SU! Word Window Punch, Ribbon by Making Memories, Spiral Clip by The Paper Studio
Finished Card Size: 5" x 6.25"

Well, after having a day off yesterday, it's back to work today for me. It's my Monday! Ugh!

Stay tuned for tomorrow to see another episode of my Sketch Challenge Wednesdays.

Hope you have a great day!


Smiles,
Jennifer

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These are a Few of My Favorite Things!

It's time for Challenge #20 in the DRS Designs blog challenge series. This week the DT is challenged to create a project/card using their favorite technique. We hope this inspires you to pull out your stamps and get stamping! We would love for you to play along and share your favorite technique with us...you just might introduce us to something we've never tried before! If you play along, please post a direct link to your project in the comment section of the DRS Designs Challenge #20 post. If you upload to a public gallery, please use the keyword DRSC20. If you play along, you'll enter yourself into a drawing for some blog candy! Drawing will take place Sunday night, May 17, 2009. **You do not need DRS images to play, but if you have them, by all means use them!

**DRS Designs and the DRS DT Thanks everyone who played along with us in our past color challenge!!! We loved seeing your creations!****

So, you want to know my favorite technique...I'd have to say it is the Gamsol Magic technique. I love coloring with my Prismacolor Pencils and blending those colors with Gamsol. If you're a regular reader on my blog, then you already know this--I color my images this way all the time!

So, here's the card I have for this challenge today, but not only does this card display my favorite technique, but it is also full of a few of my favorite things!

The DRS Designs image on this card is "Lion Love" drawn by Dustin Pike. I (of course!) colored it with Prismacolor Pencils and blended the colors with Gamsol. The layout for this card also uses the CPS 113 sketch from last week. Another one of my favorites--card sketch challenges!

I'm also a big fan of ribbon. I love ribbon & have tons of it, which is why you see it on practically every project I make! The yellow rick rack I used on this card is by Making Memories and the brown ribbon, just tied in a knot & adhered with glue dots is by Ribbon & Bows Oh My!

Metal embellishments is another aspect of paper crafting that I love and I'm a sucker for all kinds of brads and clips in all different colors and sizes when I'm in a store. I just stocked up on a ton of metal embellies last week at Hobby Lobby's 50% off Scrapbooking sale!

My Cuttlebug and Embossing Folders is another one of my favorite tools! I love the embossed look of cardstock when it's pressed in the CB! Love how it cuts cardstock with my Nestabilities too! I also love Bling! This card uses Bazzill Bling cardstock and Shimmerz as well. This photo angle really shows the shine--it's really difficult to capture!

Stamps: DRS Designs- Dustine Pike's Lion Love
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Yellow Ochre
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock is Metallic Bazzill and Bazzill Bling
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Cuttlebug and Cuttlebug Divine Swirls Embossing Folder, Brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials, Yellow Rick Rack Ribbon by Making Memories, Chocolate Ribbon by Ribbons & Bows Oh My , Beeswax Shimmerz, EK Success Corner Rounder
Finished Card Size: 7" x 5"

So, what's your favorite technique? Why don't you get out your stamps & get those fingers inky and show us! I'm looking forward to seeing your projects!

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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FFF Challenge Announcement

Sorry for the delay in posting & not having a card to share with you today, but working day shift this weekend for my real job (rather than my normal afternoon shift) has just pooped me out tonight. I'm just too tired to get myself into my craft room, but I'll be in bed shortly for a good nights sleep. I'll get in there tomorrow for sure because I have a few layouts already in mind that I'd love to put together very soon!

It is Sunday, so for this week's Fun Filled Friday Challenge, I have challenged Kimmy and the rest of you to make a window card. You know, cards that have a window in the front panel & you can see something that is on the inside panel through the window.

This challenge should be fun. I haven't made one of these cards in a long time. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to seeing your window card creations too. Make sure to leave me a link in the comment section of this post if you do.

Tomorrow starts a new blog challenge on the DRS Designs blog, so stay tuned to see my project for that soon.

Hope you all had a weekend that was much more relaxing and restful than mine. I'm excited cause I'll be sleeping in tomorrow!

Have a good night!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Good Things Come to Those Who Bait!

Today's title couldn't be more appropriate...not only because it pertains to today's card, but also cause I made you wait half the day to see it! I've gotten a little behind this week and I had to work bright & early this morning, so now that I've had more coffee & have made it home, I'm catching up on blogging.

Whoo Hoo! It's release day over at DRS Designs! This card uses a few more of the images released TODAY. Make sure to run over there & take a peek at all of their new releases, especially the new Dustin Pike images as well.

This sentiment & image go together like 2 peas in a pod, don't they?!?!? I love the way this image turned out! I colored it with Prismacolor Pencils and blended the colors with Gamsol. Then I cut it out with an oval Nestie and inked blue around it before I took it out of the die. Then I pained the worm with Burgundy Shimmerz and the hook with Opal Shimmerz for a little sparkle and shine!

The background was created by cutting the light blue cardstock down to size and then stamping the sentiment near the bottom in brown ink. I used my new border punch to create the waves on the edge and then ran it through the Divine Swirls Cuttlebug Folder. I adhered it to dark blue cardstock and then added the copper brads and copper ribbon bow. The card front was adhered to a brown cardstock base.

Stamps: DRS Designs- Good Things Who Bait Sentiment, Worm on Hook
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in French Blue, SU! Close to Cocoa
Paper: Smooth white cardstock by Office Depot, Colored Cardstock by The Paper Company & American Crafts
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Opal and Burgandy Shimmerz, Nesties, Cuttlebug and Cuttlebug Divine Swirls Embossing Folder, Fiskars Boundary Waters Border Punch, Brads by Joann's Scrap Essentials, Ribbon by Bobbie M. Designs.
Finished Card Size: 4.25" x 6"

Just a reminder that Sue, from the Staff at DRS Designs is looking for more "Tips and Tricks" to share from readers on the DRS Designs Blog. Please email her with your tip at submitdrs@yahoo.com for a chance to receive blog candy in the form of new unmounted stamps as an incentive!! We all have shortcuts and easy ways of doing things when stamping & card making, so why not share them & earn some new stamps!?!?!?

Hope your having a fabulous weekend!

Thanks for visiting today!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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