That Little Jar...again!!!

Hello!
Well, we survived Monday!  I wasn't feeling very good yesterday and was pretty much down for the count all day.  I am SO thankful I was at my mom and dad's for most of yesterday and my mom let me sleep in the afternoon and made all the meals for my boys.  My parents are so good to me!  What would I do without them?  Today I feel MUCH better!  My mom and I took the boys to the beach this morning for a bit (picture below).  The water here is very low due to a severe drought so there wasn't much water in the Ottawa River for them to have fun in...at least the marked off swimming area but they still managed to have fun!

Okay...I used the jar again.  I can't help myself...I LOVE it!  I am not using it for my Freshly Made Sketches card this week though...I promise!  Today's card is for the Dynamic Duos and Create with Connie and Marie challenges.  I needed to kill two birds with one stone today!  I love Early Espresso and Crumb Cake!  They have to be my favourites!  The new Early Espresso Core'dinations cardstock has to be one of my favourites.  I didn't have an SU sanding block handy but my mom did happen to have some sandpaper in her craft room today!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla
DSP: Natural Composition Specialty
Stamps: Perfectly Preserved
Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
Other: Cannery Set Framelits Dies, Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder, Early Espresso Ribbon, Adorning Accents Edgelits, Bitty Banners Framelits Dies, Dimensionals, Basic Pearls

Bathing Beauties! 

Caleb and my mom are planning an Olympic party to have later this week.  Today Caleb decided he wanted to make flags for different countries for decoration for this party.  So this afternoon he and my mom made all 13 of these cute flags.  I thought he'd maybe sit through 2 but he did all 13.  She cut the paper and he glued it all together!  It was so sweet!  I can't wait for the party on Thursday!

Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great day!

Jen

Sunday Stamps Challenge #10

Hello!
Happy Sunday!  I hope everyone is having a great weekend!  I can't believe it's Sunday already!!!  Where does the time go?

Today's card is for the Sunday Stamps challenge!  I was asked to be a guest designer this week for them which is such an honour!  This is a great challenge and if you haven't had the chance to check it out you need to hop on over to their blog and give it a whirl.  They alternate between sketch and colour challenges and this week is a great (but challenging) sketch challenge!  Most of you know how I feel about shapes that don't have 4 corners but my fellow FMS Design Team member Jen Mitchell reminded me that ovals and circles are just square with really round corners!!!

I decided to use the Tea Shoppe stamp set for my card.  I also wanted to crack out the Natural Composition Specialty DSP from SU.  I have wanted to give it a try since it arrived at my door!

In hindsight I think I should have cut out the tea cup handles but alas!  I do love those little teacups!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Midnight Muse
DSP: Natural Composition Specialty, Comfort Cafe,
Stamps: Tea Shoppe, Sentiment....I can't remember..I just found it on the table!!!!
Ink: Midnight Muse, Cajun Craze,
Other: Basic Pearls, Midnight Muse Satin Stitched Ribbon,  Oval Punch, Scalloped Oval Punch, Word Window Punch, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great day!
Jen

So Grateful

Hello!
Did you have a great day?  We had a good day!  The boys got some new binoculars so had to go around this morning investigating things!  Caleb still isn't feeling 100% yet so we're hoping for some improvements tomorrow...poor little guy!

I created a very clean and simple card this afternoon.  It's for two "challenges".  The first challenge is the Clean and Simple Cards challenge on Splitcoast Stampers.  I was so glad they had a sketch this week since I needed something to work from !  The second challenge is the Sunday Stamps Challenge. This week they had a colour challenge.  The colours chosen were Red Riding Hood, So Saffron and Soft Suede.

I really do love the French Foliage stamp set.  It's perfect for almost any type of card...versatility is paramount when ordering stamps!  I love fall cards and fall colours and thought these two challenges combined would be perfect!  I used the sentiment from Apothecary Art and then cut it out using the Bitty Banners Framelits Die!  I decided to mount vanilla on vanilla just to give it a little added dimension!

Here's a picture of my little spies!  They sure love being at Grannie and Papa's!  So much so that we've decided to spend next week here too!  Poor Grannie!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Very Vanila
Stamps: French Foliage, Apothecary Art
Ink: Soft Suede, Red Riding Hood So Saffron
Other: Bitty Banners Framelits Dies,  Basic Pearls, 3/4" Circle Punch, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great day!
Jen

Chocolate Ornament!

 Hello!
I hope you're having a good week!  We are still enjoying our time at Papa and Grannie's!  We're enjoying ourselves so much we've decided to stay an extra week!   Yesterday was mini golfing and a swim in a friend's pool!  We had a low key day today since Caleb wasn't feeling well.  I'm hoping he's back on his feet tomorrow!

Today's card is another workshop card that we made the other night.  I really do love the new Ornament Keepsakes stamp set and it's corresponding dies.  They sure make "cutting" these out a breeze!  This ornament is embossed in the upcoming Early Espresso Embossing Powder!  The new Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder is also one of my favourites!

The Candlelight Christmas DSP is also from the upcoming Holiday Catalogue.  It includes one flocked window sheet which is pretty neat!  I really do love the traditional red and greens!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Real Red
DSP: Candlelight Christmas
Stamps: Ornament Keepsake, Petite Pairs
Ink: Real Red, Versamark
Other: Real Red Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Early Espresso Embossing Powder, Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder, Holiday Ornament Framelits Dies, Dimensionals, Word Window Punch


Okay so here are some pictures of our beloved Mommy Groundhog!  This is my mom petting her!  The groundhog lets my mom pet her, scratch her and comes when she's called!  She is so cute for being 9 years old!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #45

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I trust you're having a great week so far!  We visited the Bonnechere Caves yesterday (Tuesday) with the boys!  The caves are pretty interesting and the story behind their discovery is pretty wild!  It was a great morning out and the boys had fun.  We had a delicious picnic lunch by the Bonnechere River which was wonderful!  My mom makes the best picnic lunches!

Today's card is a for our weekly Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  You can hop over to their website and check out the Design Team's fabulous creations!  I am so thankful to be working with a great group of ladies!  They are an amazing group!

Cindy brings us this week's sketch...there's a circle there BUT it says "any shape" so I took full advantage of that command and chose to use my new favourite stamp set "Perfectly Preserved".  I love that little jar!  I had to go with the pear again...sorry!  I'll go with something different for next week, I promise!  Sorry about the picture...my camera died (I'm so sad) and I'm using my mom's camera for the time being.  It's taking me some time to adjust from an SLR to a point and shoot.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Island Indigo
DSP: Orchard Harvest
Stamps: Perfectly Preserved
Ink: Island Indigo, Early Espresso, Gumball Green
Other: Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon, Woodgrain Embossing Folder, Cannery Framelits Dies, Small Oval Punch

Here's some pictures from our adventure today!  The boys weren't too thrilled to be posed together...well, Caleb wasn't happy...Jacob loves his brother!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day!

Jen

Dynamic Mojo!

Hello!
I'm still at my mom and dad's house and enjoying being spoiled!  Jacob had a rough day today...he wasn't feeling well.  Not sure what happened there but he seems to be better now!  No pictures of the groundhog today.  She came out first thing this morning but my camera wasn't quite ready and when she came out later tonight my camera wasn't (and still isn't) working :(  Tomorrow we're heading to the Bonnechere Caves!  The boys have never been so I'm sure they'll be pumped!

I love being at my mom's house because she also has a wonderful stash of craft supplies and better yet...she has poppy parade ink AND the matching ribbon which I needed for today's card!!!

This week's Dynamic Duos challenge is to create a card using Poppy Parade, Basic Black AND use a punch!  I decided to combine this challenge with the Mojo Monday challenge.  I needed a good sketch to work from!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Stop back on Wednesday morning for this week's Freshly Made Sketches card!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Poppy Parade
Stamps: Betsy's Blossoms, Itty Bitty Banners
Ink: Basic Black. Poppy Parade, Versamark
Other: Poppy Parade Ribbon, Fancy Fan Textured Embossing Folder, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 2 3/8" Scalloped Circle Punch, Bitty Banners Framelits Die, Black Embossing Powder, Dimensionals

Have a great day!
Jen

So Grateful

Hello!
I hope you had a great day!  The boys are still in Papa and Grannie heaven!  They are having so much fun!  I got to pet my first groundhog today!  My mom has had the same groundhog ("Mommy") living in her backyard for 8 years.  She has managed to "tame" her and she comes when she's called, eats out of my mom's hand and lets my mom pet her.  I've always been a tad skittish of the furry little friend but today decided to give it a whirl and pet her!  She is very soft.  She is so sweet too!  I will try and get some pictures of her uploaded for tomorrow!

This is a card we'll be doing at my upcoming workshop.  I LOVE the Wonderfall stamp set (which coordinates perfectly with this Autumn Accents Die) but decided to cut the leaves and texturize them instead!  I really love the new Orchard Harvest DSP from the Holiday Catalogue!  It's super fun and has some fantastic colours in it!

This card is a sort of case from the most recent SU Demonstrator Magazine.  I altered it slightly to make it a bit easier for people at the workshop to make!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso Core'dinations, More Mustard, Cajun Craze
Stamps: Apothecary Art
Ink: Cajun Craze
Other: Brushed Bronze Designer Buttons, Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Autumn Accents Bigz Die, Woodgrain, Perfect Polka Dot and Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great day!

Jen

CAS-ual Fridays Back is Black!

Hello!
So sorry I've been MIA much of this past week!  We packed up Thursday and headed out Friday morning to visit my parents!  The boys are in Grannie and Papa heaven!  Mommy is now the least of their concerns and they only listen to Papa!!!  They have played monster trucks, driven RC monster trucks, had many water gun fights, played trains and read stories...little boy heaven!

So, I'm trying to get ready for a workshop I'm having on Tuesday night.  So far it's not going so well.  I decided to tackle the CAS-ual Fridays challenge this week to see if I could help the Mojo along...needless to say it's not helping so far!

This week's challenge is to create a Clean and Simple Card using black as the card base.  I knew right away I wanted to do a Christmas card using the new Ornament Keepsakes stamps from SU!  I couldn't resist.  The coordinating dies make these stamps SOOOOO easy peasy!  The new Holiday Catalogue is jam packed with so many wonderful goodies!

I added some rhinestones and then backed my sentiment in silver glimmer paper to add a little sparkle.

I may have brought almost all of my card making supplies on the airplane with me BUT I realized now I did forget many things that I could have used!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Basic Black. Whisper White, Silver Glimmer
Stamps: Ornament Keepsakes, Petite Pairs
Ink: Basic Black
Other: Basic Rhinestones, Bitty Banners Framelits Dies, Lacy Brocade Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll try and have another card for you tomorrow...hopefully I'll have my workshop cards done too!!!

Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #44

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far! We are having a more relaxed week and are completely enjoying it!  My oldest (Caleb) has come down with an eye infection.  The suspected source is a swimming pool but we won't get into the slimy details!!!  He isn't too happy but he's a trooper and will be fine!  Thankfully we have the most wonderful eye doctor on the planet and she saw us as soon as I called and we are hooked up with some drops!

This week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge sketch is brought to us by the lovely and talented Jen Mitchell!  Some of us on the design team have decided we want to be just like Jen when we grow up!  She comes up with the most amazing creations!

So you all know how I feel about shapes that don't have 4 sides...Jen had to go and pick not just one of those dreaded shapes BUT two!!!!  I wanted to try out my new Chevron Embossing Folder and my new Patio Party paper and this is what I came up with...I thinking I'm lacking a little in the mojo department!

I will see what I can get done in terms of cards this week.  The boys and I are headed to visit my parents next week.  We are all very excited!

Supplies: 
Cardstock: Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit
DSP: Patio Party
Stamps: Itty Bitty Banners
Ink: Midnight Muse
Other: Midnight Muse Ribbon, Dimensionals, Bitty Banners Framelits Die, Chevron Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Circle Dies

Thanks for stopping by!
Jen

Welcome Baby Girl!

Hello!
Sorry that I've been MIA!  It's been a crazy long week!  Our kid's camp at church is over now.  We had a great week and my boys had a blast.  They're sad there isn't another week of camp!

So a friend of mine announced this weekend that she is pregnant with her 5th bundle of joy.  Now, she has 4 beautiful boys and are expecting a precious bundle wrapped in a pink bow!  I am very excited for them!  Now my friend is a fabulous mom and is totally into her boys.  I know she will be getting lots of cards with pink but as a mom of boys the pink thing doesn't necessarily come naturally!  I wanted to break her in easy!!!!

I decided to try out the Dynamic Duos challenge along with the Sunday Stamps challenge this week.  The colour combo for Dynamic Duos was perfect for the card!  I decided to add 4 blue flowers for the four boys and one little pink flower for the family's soon to be princess!

I hopefully will be back tomorrow with another card!  I'm in the middle of filling a few card orders so it will be a bit busy BUT I will give it my best shot!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, Pink Pirouette
DSP: Elegant Soiree (Retired)
Stamps: Perfectly Preserved, Itty Bitty Banners
Ink: Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, Crumb Cake
Other: Baja Breeze Seam Binding, Basic Pearls, Bitty Banners Framelits Dies, Cannery Set Framelits Dies, Dimensionals, Finishing Touches Edgelits Dies

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week!
Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #43

Hello!
Sorry for the lack of cards lately!  Our church VBS started this week and we have 530 kids!  I'm exhausted!!!  Man I feel old!   I've been getting home, getting the boys lunch and then realizing that there isn't much time left in the day!  Tonight I had great intentions of card making but the main light in my card room blew both lightbulbs and my husband hasn't quite gotten in to change them!

Tui has a great sketch for us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  LOVE the rectangles again!  I decided to change up the sketch angle a little since I really wanted to use my Perfectly Preserved again!  I do really love that little jar!  I added some Dazzling Diamonds to the flowers to make them sparkle a little more!  I sometimes go a little too far with the bling!

Thanks for stopping by!  My husband just informed me that we're out of "regular" lightbulbs so he's replaced my "regular" lightbulb with a halogen so I imagine I'll be wearing sunglasses in there tomorrow!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Whisper White, Early Espresso
DSP: Chock Full of Cheer
Stamps: Perfectly Preserved
Ink: Early Espresso, Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Versamark
Other: Dazzling Diamonds, White Embossing Powder, Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Basic Rhinestones, Cannery Set Framelits Dies, Bitty Banners Framelits Dies, Early Espresso Bakers Twine, Rhinestones,

Jar of fun!

Hello!
How is your weekend going?  We had a good day...my husband is starting to feel good again though I believe I may be succumbing to the dreaded plague!  My body is fighting hard.  Mommies can't get sick can they?

I have another sneak peek card today!  There will hopefully be one tomorrow too if I get it finished!  I absolutely loved the new Perfectly Preserved stamp set (and coordinating dies!!!)!  It's so cute and perfect for any season really!

It's hard to tell from the picture but my pear is actually embossed in the new Gumball Green Embossing Powder!  Who doesn't love that?  I think Gumball Green is my new favourite colour!  The ribbon slides are also new and work perfectly with the ribbon!!!  Just something different from a knot or bow!

Thought I'd include a picture of the boys this afternoon!  Caleb decided to create a "car" out of a Stampin' Up! box...well, after I pulled out some ocean life stickers for them his car quickly turned into a submarine!  Hilarious!  They had a ball Friday and Saturday decorating their submarines!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White
DSP: Be of Good Cheer
Stamps: Perfectly Preserved
Ink: Early Espresso, Raspberry Ripple, Versamark
Other: Whisper White Embossing Powder, Gumball Green Embossing Powder, Cannery Set Framelits Dies, Ribbon Slides, Early Espresso 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Argyle Texted Impressions Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!
Jen

Clean and Simple Maple Leaf

Hello!
I hope you all had a great day!  It was hot here today...very hot.  42+ degrees C (or about 108 F) with the humidity.   The boys played outside a bit this morning but by this afternoon it was WAY too hot!  We did however go to see Madagascar 3 with them late afternoon.  Caleb loved it...Jacob got bored!  Go figure!

Okay, another sneak peek at some new Holiday Catalogue goodies.  Unfortunately my picture does not do the new Champagne glimmer paper justice.  It's just beautiful and more coppery to me than champagne but none the less!  I also love the new buttons...The metallic colour is so perfect for fall!  It's also hard to tell from this picture but the leaf is embossed with the new Early Espresso Embossing Powder! Oh and don't forget my favourite...the new Woodgrain Textured Embossing Folder.

This week's CAS-ual Friday's challenge card is to create a Clean and Simple card using "Text".  I think my maple leaf qualifies perfectly!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Champagne Glimmer
Stamps: Wonderfall, Falling Leaves (retired)
Ink: Early Espresso, Versamark
Other: Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Autumn Accents Bigz Die, Brushed Bronze Designer Buttons, Early Espresso Bakers Twine, Early Espresso Embossing Powder, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll be back tomorrow with another Holiday Sneak Peek card!

Jen

Merry Monday Ornaments

Hello!
I hope you've enjoyed the week!  I'm not sure where the week has gone though!  I think that's a good thing!   My husband has developed the plague that is going around our house.  Well...I shouldn't say that.  He has something completely different.  He has a VERY bad cold...almost a flu.  We have our church's VBS program next week so I CANNOT get sick.  My hands are raw from washing!

So I have a few card orders to fill this week BUT my Holiday Catalogue pre-order arrived today!  How could I not crack it all open!  Tomorrow I'll have to just look at it instead of actually using it!  The new ornament stamps were so fun to use especially when there were framelit dies available to cut them out!!!

This week's (or this month's) Merry Monday challenge is to use an old challenge sketch to create a card.  I found this sketch from Challenge #6 and decided to use it!

So...this isn't a traditional coloured card but I still decided that it would be fun to make!  Hopefully on the weekend I'll get a chance to make a more traditionally coloured one!

I have a card done for tomorrow so hopefully I'll get a chance tomorrow night to get it posted.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Island Indigo
DSP: Festival of Prints DSP Stack
Stamps: Ornament Keepsakes, Petite Pairs
Ink: Basic Black, Island Indigo
Other: Holiday Ornaments Framelits Dies, Labels Collection Framelits Dies, Chevron Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Lacy Brocade Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Basic Pearls, Word Window Punch, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #42

Hello!
Happy Wednesday, Happy Independence Day to my American readers and Happy Birthday to my Father-in-law!  I hope you all have a great day celebrating!

Today also brings us our newest sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  This sketch comes to us from the fabulous Jennifer Timko!  I must say my first month on the Freshly Made Sketches design team has been fabulous!  I am so fortunate to be working with such a talented group of card makers!  Jen's sketch was fun to work with and the rectangles made my life a little easier!

I really wanted to use my "Up, Up and Away" set for this one...not sure why but it sat there so lonely looking!!!  I also wanted to get out my new Polka Dot Parade DSP.  I love polka dots so I couldn't wait to give it a try!

Just a little head's up that I won't be blogging much this week.  We have a busy week with lots going on and will need the afternoons to get some of my house work done and the evening to fill quite a few card orders!  Be sure to keep checking back though as I'll try and get a card up later in the week as my Holiday Catalogue Pre-order is scheduled to arrive tomorrow!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Basic Black, Marina Mist, Whisper White
DSP: Polka Dot Parade
Stamps: Up, Up and Away
Ink: Real Red, Basic Black, Bashful Blue
Other: Basic Black Scalloped Dots Ribbon, Dimensionals, Stripes Textured Embossing Folder

Thanks for stopping by!
Jen

Dynamic Duos Butterflies

Hello!
I hope everyone had a great weekend!  We still have one more day off in Canada!  Yeah!  I put my Holiday Pre-order in today!  I'm super excited!  I can't wait to get it!
We have two kids who are feeling good today so I'm happy! Monday morning we are heading to the flying field to watch my husband fly some of his planes!

So today's card is for the Dynamic Duos challenge.   This week's challenge was to use Crumb Cake and then a colour of our choice.  Naturally I started off picking pink!  I don't get a lot of pink at my house so it's usually my go-to colour!  I couldn't think of what I wanted to do with it.  I then tried some crumb cake with island indigo...that didn't work so well either.  I moved onto Daffodil Delight!  Sometimes cards don't come together easily!

I decided to emboss the butterflies (using Papillon Potpourri) in white on the crumb cake and then add Beautiful Wings butterflies in Daffodil delight!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake
Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, A Fitting Occasion
Ink: Versamark, Daffodil Delight
Other: Daffodil Delight Ribbon, Modern Label Punch, Circle Punches, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Basic Pearls

I hope you liked today's card!  Thanks for stopping by!
Jen

Sunday Stamps Challenge

Hello!

Happy Sunday!  Today is exciting for THREE reasons!!!

1. It's Canada Day!!!  Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians out there!  

2. It's Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalogue Pre-order day!!!

3. I have been asked to be a guest designer (for today) for Sunday Stamps!  I am so excited!  What an honour!  Design Team for is new for me so I am loving every opportunity I get!

Holly had a great sketch today!  I couldn't wait to get started and couldn't wait to crack open the Raspberry Ripple Ink!  I totally LOVE that colour!  Okay, I think I love a lot of colours!

I wanted to use Betsy's Blossoms again!  I really like that stamp set and have seen some fabulous cards done with it.  I tried stamping my bird in basic gray but it didn't look right so I decided to emboss the bird in silver.  I got to try out my new Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack which I must say is so much fun! I can't wait to use it more!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Raspberry Ripple
Stamps: Betsy's Blossoms, Lacy and Lovely (sentiment)
Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Versamark
Other: Adorning Accents Textured Embossing Folder, Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Adorning Accents Edgelits Die, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack, Silver Embossing Powder, Raspberry Ripple Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!  Hopefully I'll get some time tomorrow to get back into my craft room!
Jen