The Little Book of Gratitude

"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart." A.A. Milne

Babies, sweet memories, beauty in nature, a loving touch...We get so busy with our everyday lives that we forget to appreciate the beauty around us...the leaves changing, spending time with those we love, just being still.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (one of my favorite holidays!) I made a Little Book of Gratitude. ( Click here for an awesome video tutorial on how to make one of these for yourself!)

[caption id="attachment_3772" align="alignnone" width="5184"] JFFRS Stamptangle Pumpkin image embossed in gold, Funwire vines and glitter leaf embellishment. Club Scrap Literature Lite cardstock.[/caption]

I filled it with quotes and stamped artwork to remind me ( and whoever happens to read it) to be grateful for the things we have and people we love.



I always look forward to the "fall back" time change this time of year. I like to get up early, so having the sun shine when I wake up is a GREAT way to start the day. I also love the cooler weather, a warm fire and the harvest moon at night!

[caption id="attachment_3778" align="alignnone" width="2448"] JFFRS Harvest Moon stamp image stamped with Versamark ink and dusted with Perfect Pearls.[/caption]

My little book is a reminder to enjoy the little things.

[caption id="attachment_3781" align="alignnone" width="2448"] JFFRS Acorn stamp image embossed with gold embossing powder.[/caption]



Here's a peek inside!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBmduhoseZA]

Do more of what makes you happy!



Challenges entered:

LTCCB #4 November Anything Goes!

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #30 



TT 318 Thanksgiving 

Cute Card Thursday Challenge #450 Anything But a Card 

Creative Artistes Challenge #20 Anything Mixed Media

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge 218 Holiday

PDE Linky Party #145 Anything Goes

Club Scrap Literature Blog Hop and Linky Party

Read More »

The Happy Return! #PSL

I ♥ coffee. I'm  a bit of a coffee snob though. I don't like weak "McDonald's-like coffee". I like the good stuff and Starbucks is my favorite! I make a bee line for the Starbucks counter when I hit the grocery store. That's my treat while I'm grocery shopping. I know fall is around the corner with the return of Pumpkin Spice Latte! YUM!



I'm ready for cooler weather so I can enjoy it!

Here's to cooler temps, warm sweaters, hot spiced drinks, FALL BACK time change and best of all my husband's homemade pumpkin cheesecake topped with brown sugar bourbon whipped cream!



Mmmmmmmmm...

[caption id="attachment_3694" align="alignnone" width="2310"] JFFRS Stamptangle Tall Pumpkin stamp, sentiment designed in Photoshop Elements. [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3697" align="alignnone" width="2448"] Pumpkin image painted with a mix of Perfect Pearls and water. Metal vines made with Funwire. [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3698" align="alignnone" width="2448"] Highlighted the font with a Perfect Medium pen and dusted with Perfect Pearls. Added a little sparkle with lime green Stickles. [/caption]

Be sure to check out the JFF Rubber Stamps November 2016 Challenge  Give Thanks going on now!

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Read More »

Yes, I Can Drive a Stick!

In the mid 1970's, before the "Disney Channel", there was The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday night! We would have Swanson's TV dinners on TV trays while we watched (salisbury steak and mashed potatoes with the little brownie was a favorite!). We weren't allowed to eat in front of the TV any other time, so this was a big treat. For dessert...Mom cooked chocolate Jello pudding on the stove and put it in little red Tupperware cups with the plastic lids to chill in the fridge. The "skin" on top was my favorite part! Halloween was the beginning of Disney movie holiday season, so there was lots of excitement when the commercials would play during Saturday morning cartoons! I can still recite every word from this mini movie feature...I think we had the album of Disney Halloween sounds too. Dad would play it on the stereo on Halloween while he was handing out candy!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skdVouumMk4]

My kids weren't as interested in cartoons when they were growing up. By then Pixar had taken off and cartoons were "boring".  My kids grew up with the Disney Channel and daily replays of Halloween Town and Hocus Pocus. Sigh, cartoons were the good 'ol days.

My last Halloween card for 2016, and it's a shaker card! This witch is not as kid friendly as Witch Hazel, but I like her sense of humor!

[caption id="attachment_3637" align="alignnone" width="750"] JFFRS Flying Witch and Tiny Black Kat stamps. Sentiment created in PSE and printed on a full moon image I took with my DSLR camera. Cricut Happy Hauntings frame. Club Scrap cardstock.[/caption]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lLI--_j_Mw]

I even made a pair of Shrinky Dinks plastic earrings to match my card!

[caption id="attachment_3696" align="alignnone" width="5184"] JFFRS Flying Witch and Bats stamps on frosted Shrinky Dink plastic.[/caption]

Hope you have a FA-BOO-LOUS Halloween! Dang, I wish I had some homemade chili and cornbread about now...



Challenges entered:

Craft Your Passion Challenge #336 Always Anything Goes

Crafty Cardmakers #176 Explosion of Color

Sweet Stampin' Challenge Inspired by a Book or a Film or a Song

Cut It Up Challenge Blog #108 Halloween in Non-Traditional Colors

Read More »

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

Read More »

What's Up My Witches?!

We don't usually get many trick or treaters on Halloween, but I decorated anyway. I like to see it when I come home! I really need to paint my front door, but it goes with the spooky decor.

[caption id="attachment_3300" align="alignnone" width="1893"] It took me two Halloweens to finish my witch hat, but I ♥ it! Wire mesh template I designed and covered with cheesecloth and plaster of Paris, then painted and decorated.[/caption]



I even let it overflow to the dining room...



[caption id="attachment_3547" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Check out this link for the spooky crystal balls "how to"![/caption]



Then I went to visit the Chapman Blondies and helped spread a little Halloween spirit there too!



So worth it to see this kid excited when we turned the lights on!



Since I was in Halloween mode, I saw these on Pinterest and thought I would make a t-shirt for Halloween...



I should have just ordered one and been done, but NOOOOOOO!!! I wanted to make one (rolling my eyes).  I didn't make a t-shirt, but I did make a card! I had to keep that witch theme going!

[caption id="attachment_3521" align="alignnone" width="3299"] JFFRS Bubble,  Bubble, Toil and Trouble stamp  stamped and embosses with black ink, then painted with Perfect Pearls mixed with water. Sentiment created in Photoshop Elements and printed on Club Scrap cardstock. The sentiment was highlighted with a Perfect Pearls pen and dusted with Perfect Pearls to match the stamped image.[/caption]



Jeez, it looks like Halloween threw up over here! I sure hope we get some trick or treaters on Halloween, or I will be the one to eat all the candy!



Challenges entered:

Tuesday Throwdown #317 Add a Border

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #29



The City Crafter Challenge #335 Hallo-ween

Fab Funky Challenges Blog #324 Celebrate Halloween

That's Crafty Challenges Friday the 13th Part 2

Read More »

You Say Witch Like It's a Bad Thing!

My sister would fling this childish insult at me when I would pull big sister rank on her as children, "You are a witch with a "B""! I was a good kid most of the time, but we all have a dark side...MUHAHAHAHAHA! Not all witches are bad. There's Wendy the Good Witch from Marvel Comics, Glinda from the Wizard of Oz and of course Harry Potter's  Professor McGonagall.

[gallery ids="3464,3466,3467" type="rectangular"]

This Mae West quote was the perfect sentiment for the Just For Fun Rubber Stamp (JFFRS) The Good Witch!

[caption id="attachment_media-2" align="alignnone" width="3456"] JFFRS The Good Witch, Tiny Black Kat, and Mae West quote. Club Scrap cardstock. Perfect Pearls mixed with water to color the witch image. [/caption]

If the broom fits...RIDE IT!



Click here to leave a comment on my blog post Les Chats Noirs for a chance to be in the drawing for a JFFRS Candy Corn Fence stamp,  then click here to join the JFFRS Halloween Challenge for a chance to win a JFFRS gift certificate. Winner of the Candy Corn Fence stamp will be announced on my blog on Saturday October 29, 2016. Go make something Fa-BOO-lous!

Challenges entered:

All Sorts Challenge Blog # 386 Sparkle and Shine

Sweet Stampin' Challenge Blog "Favorite Color Combo"

Just Us Girls #366 Photo Week 



 

Read More »

Les Chats Noirs!

I haven't decorated for Halloween in a few years. I always decorated when my boys were little, but when my youngest started high school and then football started...well, decorating for holidays took a back seat! I was inspired to decorate this year after I received my Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (JFFRS) in the mail. These two are my favorites...

[gallery ids="3274,3273" type="rectangular"]

A few weeks ago I made some Shrinky Dink plastic earrings for my JFF Design Team post with the Stitched Mouthed Jack-o-Lantern stamp. This week, the Candy Corn Fence was begging to be stamped!  I started tooling around Pinterest looking for Halloween scenes ideas and this popped up, Le Chat Noir!



I remembered I had an awesome full moon photo I had taken with my DSLR camera and the Tiny Black Kat stamp image from JFFRS... combine these with the candy corn fence...I love when things start falling into place! Le Chat Noir was the perfect sentiment for my card idea, but I wanted a trio of cats to sit on the fence. Somewhere in the recesses of my hazy memory of elementary school French, I knew that I need the plural version but couldn't grasp it. I sent a text to my aunt (a French teacher) and waited for a response, not realizing that it was almost midnight in Europe where they are on vacation! After she sent the correct phrasing, I edited my moon photo in Photoshop Elements and added the text.



In my rush to print,  I left off the "s"on noirs. Of course I didn't realize it until the next morning, AFTER I was finished. Lesson learned, don't make things when I'm tired!

The moon needed a little something, so I stamped some black embossed bats from JFFRS!



I wanted the three cats' tails to be different, so I clipped them off when I cut them out and added tiny pieces of black pipe cleaners. I painted the fence with Perfect Pearls mixed with water for a nice shimmery effect!



And here are Les Chats Noirs bathing in the moonlight!



I have a challenge for you...leave a comment on this post for a chance to be in the drawing for a Candy Corn Fence stamp of your own, then click here to join the JFFRS Halloween Challenge for a chance to win a JFFRS gift certificate. You don't have to use a JFF Stamp to be considered for the gift certificate,  but if you DO use a JFF Stamp you will receive a 2nd entry into the drawing doubling your chance to win!! Winner of the Candy Corn Fence stamp will be announced here on my blog on Saturday October 29, 2016. Go make something Fa-BOO-lous!

Read More »

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!

Read More »