Giving Thanks

I'm not sure how you feel, but I think 2014 has flew by way too fast! Maybe it's just because I'm getting older, or maybe because I'm really enjoying life and as they say, "Time flies when your having fun!"  Or, maybe it's because I'm the Mother of 2 small children.  It makes me so sad seeing my 9 month old son growing so fast. Just after the holidays we will celebrate his first birthday and I just can't believe it! Seems just like yesterday that my Doctor was worried about me going into pre-term labor and his big arrival, 3 weeks early.  Despite all of the changes and growth 2014 has brought into my life, I am more Thankful than ever!  Thankful for being blessed with a wonderful Husband to share my life with and thankful for our 2 little blessings that help make our lives challenging and fun all at the same time! 

In honor of the Thanksgiving season that is right around the corner, the new challenge on the DRS Designs Blog this week is "So Thankful,"  and this CAS card is my challenge entry.  The focal point of this card was stamped with the new Giving Thanks Greeting (160H) and the Simply Pumpkin (304G) was stamped overtop of it using orange ink. I hope you like it!
What are you thankful for this year?

Thanks for stopping by!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Autumn Greetings

Hi Everyone! 

 Today I'm showing off one of DRS Designs newest Autumn stamps, Indian Corn (151H). Lately, I've been all about diagonals and I've incorporated them into the last few cards I've made-- this one is no exception! 

I started by coloring the image with Copic Markers and then fussy cut it out. I used Nestability dies to cut the oval and scalloped pieces of card stock out. The oval was embossed with an embossing folder to add some texture to the card front. I love this look and need to remind myself to do it more often! I think it's unique and it really makes the eyes focus on the image that lays in front of it. For the background, I created my own pattern paper by stamping the Splatter Background (855H) repeatedly using yellow, green, and orange inks to match my color scheme. I also embossed the green strip of cardstock that was used to hide the seam between the 2 background layers. The Small Autumn Greeting sentiment (422B) was stamped just below the divided border with black ink and for the final touch, 3 green rhinestones were placed in the lower right corner of the card front. 

Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your visit! 

Smiles,

Jennifer

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Brilliant Fall

Gotta love technology these days! It's been about a week without my desktop computer thanks to a virus and some other unwanted programs. It only took me about five days to use the virus scan protection program on our computer to figure out what was wrong and to clear up the problem. I'm glad to be back online without having to squint to see everything on my little phone!

So without having a computer to distract me for the last week, I was actually able to get some stamping done! Here's my latest creation that I made for the latest DRS Designs blog challenge. It's for a color challenge that's perfect for Fall! 

I used their new Sunflower Hurricane Candle (167K) as the focal point on this card. I colored it with Copic markers and used a new embossing folder in the background. I still had vellum laying out on my desk from one of the last cards I created and thought it would be perfect to highlight the Brilliant Fall Greeting (502D) on this card as well.  Hope you like it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Smiles, 

Jennifer

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Autumn Is Calling

I have a fun post to share with you today! Not only am I showing off what I created for DRS Designs latest blog challenge, but I also get to show off one of their new Fall stamps!  

Their blog challenge this week is to use twine. As you can see I used orange twine on the button embellishment. I thought it had a perfect Autumn feel and would go great with this Autumn card! The background was stamped with the Fall Leaf with Acorn (471F), the Medium Silhouette Leaf (701D), and the Open Leaf (584D). Then they were heat embossed with clear embossing powder and I sponged orange and yellow inks over top to make them stand out.

The Autumn Is Calling Greeting (150F) was just released this weekend and is now available for purchase.  I stamped it in brown ink and then matted it with dark brown card stock to make it pop.  I love the play on words here where the word "falling" is actually falling off the text line.  

Interested in seeing what other Fall stamps were included in this release?  Check out their new stamp page HERE and/or stay tuned to my blog to see more in the upcoming days! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Smiles,

Jennifer

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Halloween Is Almost Here!

Posted by Jennifer E.

I'm still playing with DRS Designs new Halloween stamps. I can't seem to get enough! Maybe it's the weather or the fact that Autumn is my favorite time of year, but I'm really excited about all I've created recently.  On the card I made for today, I'm showing off The Raven (125G) and the Spooky Tree Limb (136F), and with October just days away, I thought it was appropriate to show off the Run In Fear Halloween Greeting (532E) as well. 

I added a bit of color to the image using Copic Markers, embellished it using a spider web border punch, an embossing folder, twine, brads, and my favorite Halloween Bat punchies!  I even added some extra dimension to this card by popping up the image/greeting panel by adhering it with foam tape. 

I hope I've inspired you today to get inky! If Halloween isn't your thing, but Autumn is, check out DRS Designs latest Blog challenge.  I promise you won't be disappointed. It's perfect for Fall images and this link has a ton of inspiration too.  Give it a try, one lucky winner might just be you! 

Have a wonderful day!

Smiles,

Jennifer

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The Beauty of Autumn

It's the perfect time of year for the "Leaf It To Me" challenge on the DRS Designs blog this week! It's time to show off all different kinds of leaves, and, best thing about the card I made was that I was able to use a leftover embossed piece from a previous project! Woo hoo, half the work was already done!

The Fall Leaf and Acorn (471F) panel was embossed with copper embossing powder on ivory card stock and then colored with Copic markers. This panel was matted on orange vellum that was cut to size and then embellished with a decorative border punch.

I used copper card stock for my card front and embossed it with a leaf embossing folder.  The One Line Beauty of Autumn (704D) Greeting was stamped with brown ink on vellum, decorated with a border punch, and adhered to the bottom of my card front. I embellished it with a spiral clip and brown ribbon. Three brown square Brad's were placed in the upper right corner for the final touch.  The card front was then adhered on to an A2 sized ivory cardstock base.

I hope you'll be able to get out this weekend and enjoy the beauty of Autumn! I know I will! 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! 

Smiles, 
Jennifer

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Halloween Village

Has the weather changed already where you live?  The Fall-like temps are here and  the high temps these days is only about 60*! This kind of weather definitely gets me in the mood for apples, cider, pumpkins and pie! Can't forget the ghosts and goblins too!

This card shows off the new Silhouette Spooky Village (141H) from DRS Designs.  I added a bit of color with Copic Markers and then used the Accent Bats (517A) and the Halloween Arc (043E) to complete the scene. The edges were distressed to give it a spooky feel and my focal image was complete.  I created the card front using orange cardstock--the top was dry embossed and the bottom was stamped with the Large Original Plaid (641P) maker stamp. I layered it with yellow cardstock and then with a back panel that was adhered with a single yellow brad at each end.  The stamped image was adhered in place as shown and then the card front was adhered to a black cardstock base.  Finished card size is 5.5" x 4.25."

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Smiles,

Jennifer

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Fall Colors

T'is the season to start playing with the color orange and fallen leaves! There's a new color challenge on the DRS Designs blog this week that is perfect just to do that and I'm lovin' it!

Here is the card I made for my challenge entry, "Happy Fall Y'all!"

I created this as a note card which measures 3.5" x 5".  The card base and card front was made using Ivory card stock. I stamped the Medium Silhouette Fall Leaf (701D), the Fall Leaf and Acorn (471F) and the Open Leaf (584D) randomly with Versamark ink and heat embossed them using clear embossing powder. Then I sponged a combination of yellow, orange and blue ink over top. Boy, did that make the Fall images stand out! Next, the Happy Fall Y'all (635B) sentiment was stamped with brown ink and an orange ribbon was tied in a knot at the bottom. 

Hope you're enjoying the change of seasons as much as I am!

Thanks for droppin' in today!

Smiles,

Jennifer

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Halloween Knot

I love when challenges force me to do things that I wouldn't normally do, or things that I've forgotten to do. Although, I guess that's what makes a challenge, a challenge!  The latest challenge on the DRS Designs blog challenges you to use knots.  Below is the card I created for this challenge, and it allowed me to look at my embellishments and use a spiral clip to add the knot to my card front.  I haven't use spiral clips in forever! DRS Designs is also the current sponsor over at the Loves To Scrap Challenge Blog. I am entering this card into their "Anything Goes Challenge"[ as well. Interested in playing along in their challenge? You could win a $10 store voucher to get free stamps from DRS Designs online catalog.

I am still playing around with the new Halloween stamps I received from DRS Designs. I used the Silhouette Spooky Village (141H) as my focal image and distressed the edges with black ink to give it a spooky feel.  I used Copic Markers to fill in the windows and color the moon.  The Accent Bats (517A) were stamped to make my own pattern paper on one of the vertical panels, and the Large Original Plaid Maker (P641) was used to create the other one. The Halloween Arc (043E) was stamped so that it curved around the image in the background.  

I hope you'll take this opportunity to check out both of these challenges and enter them if you're able for a chance to win free stamps from DRS Designs! 

Good Luck!

Thanks for stopping by!

Smiles,

Jennifer 

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Witch Feet

I can't believe that it's September already, can you?!? Hardly seems like Summer has even started yet and it will be October and time for pumpkins before we know it! I admit though, a small part of me is almost giddy that Autumn is near. It's my favorite season! I'm in love with the new Halloween stamps that DRS Designs has just released and nothing gets you ready for the next season like stamping up cards for it.  I've been inking them every chance I get!

Here's a card I made showing off the new Halloween Shoe Fits Greeting (143D) and the adorable Witch Feet (140H). 

I colored the image with Copic Markers and sponged green ink around it while it was in a Nestie die.  Using the Out-Of-The-Box Technique allowed me to use a smaller die that looked better with my layout--that's why the broom is hanging out of the oval shape a bit.  As you can see I split up the greeting above and below my image and three bat punchies embellished this card nicely.  A white gel pen gave them eyes and made them creepy. It's almost like they're looking at you! Hope you like it!

Thanks for stopping here today.  I appreciate your visit! 

Smiles,

Jennifer

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Count Porkula!

Hi Everybody!  
Does my title have you curious? 
Well, now that it's September, it will be time for the ghosts and goblins to come out soon and DRS Designs is getting ready with some awesome new Halloween stamps! They are now available for purchase and the one seen below is Count Porkula (134D)!  How cute is he?!?!?!? Leonard Pig is all dressed up for Halloween and he even has his Trick-orTreat bag!

I used him as the focal point on my card below for this weeks DRS Designs blog challenge.  The theme is to use gems or sequins on your project!  Not a real challenge for me lately as I seem to be using gems all the time. 

I made my own pattern paper by stamping the Accent Bats (517A) repeatedly on the bright green card stock. I trimmed it with gray card stock and then added a spiderweb border and black card stock to both ends. Count Porkula was colored with Copic Markers, matted with a pink scallop rectangle and adhered in the center of the card stock. Next, I used a die to cut out the bright green banner and then stamped it with the Tiny Happy Halloween (938A) greeting.  I added a bit of spider web to it to match the pattern paper at the bottom before adhering it in place as shown. Finally, I added 3 green gems at the bottom right side of the card front and my card was complete!

Thanks for stopping by!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Halloween Raven

It's Thursday again and there's a new challenge posted on the DRS Designs site today! I'm excited about this one because the theme is "It Gives Me The Creeps," and it is the perfect opportunity to show off some of their new Halloween stamps!

One of these stamps is the new Raven (125G) and to me it is the perfect definition of creepy!  If you look close, it has a very evil eye!  Eeek!

There wasn't much coloring to this image. I used Copic markers to color in the tree branch, the birds feet, and beak. Once I trimmed down the image to fit the size of my card, I distressed it with black ink to give it a spooky feel. I trimmed it in orange card stock at the top, and added a decorative border made from black card stock on the bottom. Orange gems decorated it nicely, and I hid the seam with an orange ribbon.  I stamped the Accent Bats (517A) in two places around the image and then added 2 bat punchies which made it complete.  Next, I created the card base from gray card stock and distressed it with black ink as well.  I stamped the Halloween Arc (043E) at the top and randomly placed more of the Accent Bats over the entire card front. Then, I added a little texture by running it through the paper crimper.  Then, the decorated image was adhered in place as shown, and a final bat punchie was placed at the bottom of the card front.

We hope you're in a creepy mood and excited to get out your Halloween stamps as well. Want to play along? Please see all of the details for this creepy challenge HERE.  We'd love for you to be the winner of the next prize given away for free from DRS Designs!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Smiles, 

Jennifer

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Dashing Through The Dough

Just the other day, one of my friends posted on Facebook that there are only about 17 Fridays left until Christmas!! Can you believe that? I know it's right around the corner, but in that perspective it makes it seem like it will be here so much quicker!

To make light of the situation I created this comical Christmas card--one that all of us stampers can most likely relate to. Isn't it true that buying stamping and crafting supplies can really make you feel like you're dashing through the dough?? I really like this card because it's perfect to send to a fellow stamper who you know could appreciate the humor!  

Here are some of the details on how I created it:
All of the stamps I used are by DRS Designs.  The Christmas Village Craft Store (101D) was stamped, colored with Copics, die cut and then sponged with blue ink for the sky. Glitter was added to the snow caps on the building and the ground. The Flying Cash (547F) was stamped repeatedly and colored with Copics as well to create the background. The card front was stamped with the Dashing Through The Dough (545D) sentiment before embossing it for some added texture. Once all of the pieces were assembled as shown, I added a green bow and several small pearls to embellish it perfectly. 

Well, regardless of how many days are left until Christmas, I hope you've been inspired by all of the Christmas cards you've seen here lately and that you've enjoyed today's post.  Are you making your Christmas cards already?

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Smiles,

Jennifer

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Halloween Can Be Creepy

Yikes!! The latest challenge from DRS Designs has snuck up on me!! This challenge is an inspiration by color challenge using the colors in this photo on your challenge card. 

Best part about this challenge is that the colors are perfect for Halloween and I have some new Halloween stamps to play with!!! I'm sneak peekin' DRS Designs new Bump Into Me Halloween Greeting (149G). I split it up to fit my layout and sponged green ink around it while it was still in a Nestie die.  

I used the Large Original Plaid (641P), stamped in different colors, to create the pattern paper panel that I used to hide the seam where I split up the stamped text.  I thought the purple and green "Boo" brads were the perfect embellishment!

Well, I'm not sure which is creepier right now...this Halloween card or the fact that Halloween is only 9 weeks away!!!  

Have a great day!

Smiles,

Jennifer

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Out Of This World Birthday

The little boy next door just turned 8 and he's always climbing the trees in his backyard.  He doesn't have a tree house like what is shown on this card, but if he did I know he'd be in it constantly!  I created this card to go with his birthday gift and for this weeks DRS Designs birthday card challenge. 

I started with a 5" x 5" card stock base. The yellow card front was stamped with the Polka Dot background (688P) and then I distressed the edges. I added a light blue decorative panel that was layered with embossed green card stock and embellished with 3 brown brads. The Tree House (087K) was stamped, colored with Copic Markers, and then matted with brown card stock. I adhered it to the left side of the card front as shown. Finally, the Out Of This World Greeting (267F) was split onto 2 banner tags, distressed and then adhered into place to fit the layout.  

I hope you had a wonderful birthday, Jack!

Thanks for stopping by!

Smiles,

Jennifer

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Happy Thoughts This Christmas

Oh Man, it seems like forever since I've had a chance to stamp, and because of that my blog has been very slow lately.  So sorry about that, but life with 2 little boys under 3 has become hectic! But, just look at them! It's hard to resist these adorable, loving faces when they need me! Anthony is 3 and Alex is a shocking 6 months old in this picture. (He actually just turned 7 months earlier this week.)  We also went on a mini-vacation to visit family up North for a wedding a few weeks ago and I finally unpacked the last bag just the other day.  Things are slowly getting back to normal now and I was able to stamp for this week's DRS Designs Blog challenge!

                                   

The challenge this week features the hot trend using chevrons and arrows.  I used one of DRS Designs newest Christmas stamps, the Christmas Village Post Office (114D) and 3 other stamps from their catalog to create my challenge card: 

Double Chevron Card Edger (904P)

Peace Heart and Home Christmas Greeting (986F)

One Line Happy Thoughts (951D)

I used the Chevron card edger to decorate my red card base before adding any other elements to it.  Then the white layer was stamped with the last 2 lines of the Peace Heart and Home Greeting and then it was embossed with the Swiss Dots folder for some texture.  Next I stamped the Happy Thoughts greeting on beige card stock, trimmed it with blue card stock, and then added red ribbon before adhering it in place.  The final step was to stamp the Post Office image, color it with Copics, and then mat it on a blue oval.  A bit of fine glitter was added to the snowy areas of the roof top and the ground.  That little bit of glimmer really pops on this card! 

Well, that's it for me today.  I hope to be able to stamp and blog more often in the coming days and weeks--and I have every good intention of doing so, but if things are quiet here for a while, you know why.  No worries though, I'll be back soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Smiles,

Jennifer

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From Our House to Yours

Hi Stampers!

Here's a card I made for my Sister. She recently moved into her own condo after living with a friend for many years. The newest Bee-themed stamps from DRS Designs were perfect for her "new home" card:

Our House to Yours Greeting (1150D)

Honeycomb Design (019C)

Beehive (1143L)

Bee Trail (1147B)

and the Bitsy Bumble Bee (1020A) is an older image that is still available in the current catalog.

 The hive image was colored with Copic Markers and cut out with a Nestie die. Then I cut a Post-It Note mask and sponged blue ink around the edges while it was still in the die. It was matted on a black scallop.  The black card base was cut and folded to make an A2 size card.  I stamped a yellow piece of cardstock for the card front with the Honeycomb design using yellow ink and then split the "Our House To Yours" greeting and stamped it as shown so it would fit around the image. Black grosgrain ribbon was tied across the lower portion of the card front and then the matted image was placed in the center. Next I stamped, colored, and fussy cut the Bitsy Bee and adhered it to the upper portion of the hive image using dimensional tape.  The final stap was to stamp the Bee Trail to make it look like the bee had just flown into place on the card front.  For the most part, this card was pretty simple to create. 

My Sister really liked this card and has it displaying on her mantle.  I hope you like it too!

Have a great day!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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Christmas Church

Hi Everyone! 
I hope you're all enjoying the new Christmas in July release from DRS Designs.  I'm really enjoying these new stamps and the adorable Christmas scenes that can be created with them.  However, for today's post I've taken a different approach by using the new Christmas Village Church (107D) image alone for the focal point on my card, rather than pairing it with the other village stamps that are available. 

 I used kraft cardstock to create the base for an A2 size card.  I added some texture to the card front by matting the dark brown panel with white and red cardstock and then embossing it with the Swiss Dots embossing folder.  This was placed vertically on the left hand side of the card front as shown.  For the scene I created here, I used the Christmas Village Four in One Accessories stamp (119D) to add the pine trees to either side of the church.  The image was then colored with Copic markers and fine glitter was added to the snowy areas for a realistic look. It was matted with dark brown cardstock and then again with a red scallop. Then it was adhered it to the center of the card. I split up the Richly Blessed Christmas Greeting (865G) to accommodate my layout and highlighted the word "Christmas" by stamping it on a banner and matting it. The look was completed by adding a red brad to either side of "Christmas" and then adhering it in place just below the image as shown.

Like what you see? Make sure to run over to the DRS Designs site and check out all of the new Christmas Village stamps that are now available for purchase! I promise you won't be disappointed and while you're there, enjoy all of the great scene cards create by the DRS Designs DT.  

Thanks for stopping by and have a Happy day!

Smiles,
Jennifer

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From Our House At Christmas

Whoo hoo! New stamps are available from DRS Designs! They are celebrating Christmas in July with adorable stamps that can be made into cute, little village scenes. This is exactly what I did for today's card.  The new challenge on the DRS Designs Blog this week is a color challenge that I used to drive my thoughts for the Christmas Village scene I created.  The challenge colors are "strawberries and cream."  

I started by stamping the Christmas Village House 1 (117C) repeatedly and then I used the Christmas Village Four In One Accessories (119D) to add the snowmen and pine trees in between the houses. I used Copic Markers to color the scene and then I added fine glitter to all of the snowy areas. I matted the image as shown and layered it on top of a red card stock base that was embossed with the Swiss Dots embossing folder.  The Christmas From Our House Greeting (120C) was stamped and matted and then adhered onto the lower portion the image.  This turned out to be a CAS card, but the glitter for the snow really makes it glisten! It gives me that serene Christmas feel. What about you?

Check out all the details for DRS Designs "Strawberries and Cream" challenge HERE to see how you can win a $10 voucher to DRS Designs online store. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Smiles,

Jennifer

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Hot Diggity Dog!

Some of my favorite cards to stamp are birthday cards. I usually have quite a few to choose from when a birthday card is needed. However, last week when I went to write out a card for a friend of mine, I noticed my stash was gone!! The good thing about this is that it actually worked out to my advantage! She is a dog lover and I was able to stamp this cute doggie birthday card just for her.  It was a win, win situation for us both!

I started by coloring the Doggie Dilemma Dog With Fence (254H) with Copic Markers. After matting it I put it to the side to work on the card front. I stamped the Dog Bone (080A) on white card stock to create a border around the card front. I colored them lightly with Copic Markers and then distressed the edges with brown ink.  Next, the card front was matted with blue card stock. I created an A2 dark brown card base and adhered the card front to it. The matted dog image was adhered to the upper center area and the Hot Diggity Dog Birthday Greeting (732E) was stamped below it as shown.  I didn't add any bulky embellishments to it since it was going to be mailed.  It was a nice change keeping my card front clean and simple! Hope you've enjoyed my post today. 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Smiles,

Jennifer

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