Note to Self: Don't Be too Busy!

Last Christmas my husband started the daunting task of transferring our VHS/Beta home movies to an external drive on our computer. Of course when you do things like that you get distracted and the task takes FOREVER...we still haven't finished it. BUT, we have all thoroughly enjoyed watching them while they are uploading! One of my favorites is a video we made of our boys (17 years ago!) on an average Sunday. My husband was filming, I was washing clothes and cleaning house, and the boys were running around being crazy. My almost two year old was running around naked and wearing only his big brother's cowboy boots because he was potty training. I would stop every little while and take him to the potty...my husband likes to capture "real life". At the time it was annoying, but those "real life" home movies are my favorites. I especially liked the clip where I filmed myself saying, "Future self, don't be too busy," then I panned to my boys all tucked in a twin bed together while my 7 year old read his little brother a book. Those are precious memories that I forgot we made and I'm so glad we have them. They are worth more than gold.

Today is the first day of the month and time for a new monthly challenge at JFF Rubber Stamps. The theme for the month of May is Mothers/Moms, of course!



I thought of my mom when making this card. She always had petunias in hanging baskets on our patio. I remember, I had to water them! The sentiment reminded me of my home movie, I love that quote. It reminds me to slow down and enjoy the moment.

[caption id="attachment_6247" align="aligncenter" width="635"] JFF Rubber Stamps Bunch of Petunias stamp image. Images colored with Derwent colored pencils and blended with gamsol. Club Scrap® card stock.[/caption]

I just have to share this...my mom used to sing "I'm a Lonely Little Petunia" when I was a little girl with ALL the sound effects! I need to learn to play it on the ukulele so that she can sing it for the grand kids, they would LOVE this!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-w5FcEWRQU]

Thanks for walking down memory lane with me, those were fun times!

Click here to see what the rest of the design team has to share and play along with us this month. You have plenty of time before Mother's Day to make a card AND enter the challenge for a chance to win a gift certificate to shop at jffstamps.com!

Do more of what makes you happy!



Challenges entered:

Sketch Saturday week #461 Pick ANY sketch 215-460 ( I chose sketch #228)



Time Out Challenge #82 Flowers with the optional twist of Kissing

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Happy National Candy Corn Day!

I'm a day late posting this, but TODAY is National Candy Corn Day!  The winner of the random drawing for the JFFRS candy corn fence stamp is...Happy Ink Designs!

[gallery ids="3273,3390" type="rectangular"]

I am not a fan of candy corn, but I like candy...especially chocolate! I bought two big bags of "our" favorite Halloween candy to hand out on Halloween. Whatever is left, I'm sure will get gobbled up, probably by me!

Here's to "Trick or Treating" and leftover candy...

[caption id="attachment_3549" align="alignnone" width="3209"] JFFRS Stitched Mouthed Jack-o-Lantern stamped on Kraft cardstock, colored with Derwent colored pencils and blended with Gamsol. Club Scrap sunflower image and cardstock.[/caption]



Keep calm and eat chocolate!



 

Challenges entered:

Pile it on Challenge #120 Scraps/Cutoffs

The Card Concepts #60 



4 Crafty Chicks #322 Coloring on Kraft

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They're Not Just For Kids Anymore!

In 1979, I was in the fourth grade. We had just moved home to Alexandria and I was making new friends. I joined the Girl Scouts troop at my elementary school and started attending the meetings. Mind you, I am NOT the outdoorsy type. I don't mind camping as long as I can shower, but sleep in a tent on the ground?! All new to me. The first campout was a little stressful.  Black mark #1. The troop leader made spaghetti over an open fire and used my brand new Girl Scout knife to cut the onions! I HATE onions! #2. I was assigned latrine duty. Pine Sol + an old broom to "clean" the outhouse. Are you kidding me?! That place was full of spiders and a garden snake! No way was I going to use THOSE facilities.  #3 The girl next to me wet the bed and cried all night and we heard an animal prowling around the tent most of the night. I went home hungry, tired and constipated!

Mom made me attend the next meeting and I wasn't happy about it. Until...they brought out the Shrinky Dinks (SD's) for crafts! Yeah! Now they were speaking my language! I think my dad still has the Snoopy and Woodstock keychain that I traced off of the cover of my Trapper Keeper! Girl Scouts wasn't my thing, but I had discovered crafting!

While I was perusing the aisles at Hobby Lobby over the weekend, I found the modern version of Shrinky Dinks. Yes, I bought all four kinds. This is what I made with them!



(Keep reading if you want details or click here to grab this cute stamp for yourself at Just for Fun Rubber Stamps!)

I used the "frosty" SD's and colored pencils. I stamped the Stitched Mouth Jack-o-Lantern with Staz On ink on the shiny side and colored with the colored pencils on the rough side.



After they were colored, I cut them out with detail scissors and punched little holes at the top with a 1/8 inch sized hole punch.





Then the magic happened, I put them in the oven and watched them shrink! When they were cool, I sprayed them with a coat of Mod Podge acrylic sealer so that the color wouldn't rub off. I added some jump rings and earring hooks and they were ready to wear!


I also made the little box to gift them in, even though I gifted them to myself!



I cut some panels to cover the sides and lid of the box and decorated them with the JFF Stamptangle Tall Pumpkin and gold embossing powder.







Ready to gift for Halloween, or put them on immediately! (I put them on immediately!)



Come visit the JFF blog to see more Fall/Halloween creations by the JFF Design team and get in the spirit by linking up your own spooky creations to the Just For Fun October Challenge - Halloween!!  You might just win a JFF gift certificate to buy these stamps for yourself!

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