Top o' the mornin' to ya!

Good morning everyone! I hope today finds you well.

I got a little of my mojo back yesterday. Not much, but enough to make a couple cards. When I make cards I generally make at least 2, sometimes 4 unless I am making something special for someone - then it's just one - or if I'm in a swap then it's however many. I think that it is an OCD thing. I just cant make an odd amount of something. Yes, I know. Mrs. Monk honey. (He calls me that a lot!)

One things first! I'm not sure I mentioned it last week or not. My DD and I got into an argument last week. She had to prepare a speech for her floral class and she did not want to get up in front of the class and do it. I tried to tell her I understand, but we all had to do it. Well, it did not end well. She said she'll just take an "F" and she stormed upstairs. Then the next day she's down here asking me how this sounds and how that sounds. She did it!! The speech was to be anywhere from 4 to 6 minutes. She was just over 6 minutes and she received an A+! Well, the best part was her teacher kept her after class and told her that she wanted Danielle to speak at this FFA thing for horticulture in front of judges and Danielle said ok. Yes, I did remind her about the argument we had and she said she was nervous and excited too!

For her class she had the whole week to prepare, but for this they gave the topic and she had 20 minutes to prepare. Well she did it!! And I was as proud as can be!! To top it off she was chosen to go to regional's!! How cool is that! I told her she could do it, she just had to put her mind to it! So now I'm as proud as a peacock!!

Ok, enough ramblin' you came to see something creative!

I sat down to create something for St. Patrick's Day and this is all that came out. I've been looking for some paper and of course they don't have it in town. They are waiting for the items from CHA to arrive so I have to improvise!

The image is from Darcie's and I colored it in with my pencils and gamsol and sponged it with Glorious Green ink. The base card is Kiwi Kiss and I layered it with some Garden Green that I ran thru the CB with the textile folder. I then stamped some clovers from My Sentiments Exactly in gold ink and embossed them with Judikins detail gold powder. That is the best EP I've ever used. I layered that on to a piece of Glorious Green added the image with a photo corner and I was complete.

Another card I made was with some stamps that I love! They are from Ann-ticipations. I know that they are not St. Patrick's ~ but I love them and thought if I made them in green no one would know..... he he he.....I've had this silly stamp for years, it's from Ann-ticipations. It is an old Scandinavian saying and it tickled me the first time I read it.

The base card is Dark Green. I layered the card with Certainly Celery that I ran thru the CB with the Swiss Dots folder. I stamped the saying and undies on white paper. I also stamped the undies again on green polka dot paper and cut out and paper pieced it on to the white. I colored the ruffled and the frog in with my pencils and gamsol. I sponged the two layers with Green Galore ink and I was complete. It was a quick card, but it tickles me to read it!

I hope that's enough for today. I'm waiting for the Fed Ex guy and I think that I'll go stamp something!

Have a great day!
Hugs,

Joani

**Edited for Poem on Card:

May the light always find you on a dreary day, When you need to be home may you find your way. May you always have courage to take a chance, and never find frogs in your underpants.

Good (cold, snowy) morning everyone!

Brrrr. It's been a little chilly here the past couple of days. We've been hit by a storm. Actually this is our first real snow since we've been here. It's snowed a little here and there, but this is the actual first bit of weather we've had.

Yesterday hubby came home from work because 1/2 the plant didn't show up again and there was no work so he came home. To his amazement there was no TV!! It really was not too bad without the TV because we've got movies to watch, it's just listening to the news on the radio was no fun. With the TV we can re-wind if we missed something. And of course I was moving from the front window to the back one to catch a glimpse of what was going on. There's been some houses on the street around us that have lost their trees, they've broken off or fallen. I'm worried about our huge weeping willow out back. It keeps leaning farther and farther over. Then of course we put in some Italian Cypress trees 2 years ago, we paid to get the larger ones ~ they are even leaning over. I hate to see the trees break, it takes so long for them to grow.

Well enough of that jibber jabber... Wanna see a card?

I'm still working on Valentine's cards. Just got a few more to make. I've had a piece of this paper from Darcie's for a long time and I've been wanting to use it. I keep it on the table next to me in case something pops into my head, and it finally did!

The paper is from Darcie's and I got it a long time ago from a show. I kept looking at it thinking that I wanted to do something with it and finally remembered that I had this cookie stamp. And of course, brown and pink ~ I think the perfect color combo ~ so voila! the card!!

The base card is Pink Pirouette that I layered with Chocolate Chip (of course!) and a piece of the Darcie's DP. I then took a piece of Chocolate Chip cs and used the Martha Stewart lace border punch along the bottom edge. I stamped 3 chocolate chip cookies from Ann-ticipations in Close to Cocoa ink, and highlighted the chips with my Chocolate Chip pen. I cut them out, sponged Close to Cocoa ink around the edges and layered them on to the Chocolate Chip panel. I added a length of brown and pink ribbon at the top of the panel.

I then stamped the sentiment from SU! Oh So Sweet set in Close to Cocoa ink and used my Pink Passion and Garden Green pens to color the little flower. I sponged Close to Cocoa ink around that panel and layered it on to a pieces of Pink Pirouette and Chocolate Chip scraps. I used pop dots to adhere to the card. The word "Valentine" is also a Darcie's stamp. I stamped that in Chocolate Chip and sponged Close to Cocoa around the edges, layered that on to a piece of Chocolate Chip scrap and adhered that to the card.

You can see the inside of the card at the bottom. I sponged Close to Cocoa ink around the edges, and added a piece of DP that I used the Martha punch on. I stamped the chocolate chips from the Oh So Sweet set in Chocolate Chip and the sentiment from Whipper Snapper that I shaded in with Close to Cocoa and Pink Passion ink.

I love this card. I may have to give it to myself Ü

That's all for today. I hope you like it!!

Have a great (warm and safe) day!
Hugs,

Joani

2 Posts in one day? My goodness!

I guess you cant get rid of me that easy, this is my 2nd post for the day!! But there are just a few things that I need to show you other than a blog award, even though I'm proud of it!

The other day when I was blurfing I stopped by Stamp a little love and had seen what she made. My goodness, just in time too. I was needing to make something other than post it note holders for Christmas. I love doing the mini desk calendars, and I did some last year on coasters, remember? Well anyway, I saw these and they were perfect! Actually she got the idea from Nancy Littrell on SCS. Then another of her friends, Nancy Morgan posted the tutorial here. So please go give them all some love for these awesome calendars! Here's my spin on them.

I basically used random paper from Heidi Grace, Crate Paper and SU! Since I don't have the Top Note die from SU! I traced and hand cut those pieces. I used my square scallop punch and Mega scallop punch to cut out the images from A Tree for All Seasons. Then just random eyelets, buttons, primas, flowers and ribbon. The base card (the Chocolate Chip part) is cut 6 1/2" by 11. They are not small, but they are not too big either. I hope that you like them.

Everyone has their own way of doing things, so make sure that you check out the other blogs, and make sure that you tell them how great they are, because they really are!!!

Remember the cute Christmas planners that I did? I made one yesterday that looks just like a long card. I just attached the lists to the inside with brads and covered them with the card front. I am sorry, I neglected to get a photo of the inside, but you can go to Organized Christmas to find different print outs to customize your own.

Basically I just cut a piece of Ballet Blue cs to fit the planner inside. I think it was 3 1/2" wide by 7" long. I stamped the snowman from Ann-ticipations and colored what there was to color with watercolors. I used the paper I got from Walmart last year, some ribbon and a saying from an old foam D.O.T.S. set I had with Ballet Blue ink and that was it. To keep it closed I just added some of the DP from the pack and ribbon to a small binder clip and that was all. It's perfect size to slip in your purse. I always write things down at Christmas. What I get who and such. If I don't then I'd go way overboard or forget to buy something for someone.

Well, that's all for today. Please be sure to go and check out those other calendars and let them know how cool they are! I need to be off to create something else for you to look at. Hopefully I will be back tomorrow, but we've got some family things to do - so I can't promise.

If not, have a great weekend!
Hugs,
Joani

I told you I'd be back - and a sketch

Good morning everybody. I told you I'd be back ~ and I have a sketch for you!

I created a little yesterday and I thought that I'd start doing some sketches. I did just a couple a while back - but I think that I may start to do them weekly. Or at least try to do them weekly. I do have a book full that I've made up, I just never seem to use them. Go figure.


So, here we go.



If you've been around my blog for any length of time you may of seen this one already. I thought that I'd just start from the beginning of my book. This is the sketch. Now for what I made with it.

I still have to work on some Thanksgiving cards, but I thought that this would be good for a Christmas card. I just love snowmen - and these little guy's are no exception!

The stamps I used are from Great Impressions and Ann-ticipations. The base card is Bashful Blue and I used Pacific Point (love that color!!) and Ballet Blue. The DP is from that Walmart stack I bought last year. I used my Mega Scallop Circle punch and my SU! scallop circle punch. I colored the snowman in with pencils and if you look close you can see that I put fun flock on his hat and I used ultra fine glitter on the snow. The big scallop circle I used my white gel pen and made the dots. And the sentiment is stamped in Brilliant Blue.

I'm still working on the site I was talking about. I think that I may be almost finished with it. You know it takes a lot of time to work up a site. It's not something that you can just push a button and say "poof! It's done". But that is taking a lot of my time, so soon - fingers crossed - I will be back at my craft table!!

If you'd like I'd love for you to try out my sketch. Leave me a comment and I will stop by your blog and take a peek!

I will be having a blog candy coming up really soon. My blog-aversary is in the next couple of weeks and I hope you all enter!

Have a great day!
Hugs,
Joani

I did it again!

Yuppers, I made another organizer. This one I made with the traditional Christmas colors or red & green. I made this for my SIL and she's more traditional than I am. I used a paper pack of DP that I purchased last year at Walmart. It has a name on it of Imagine That. It was a great buy for textured double sided cs so I had to get it.

To make this I used a piece of thin cardboard that my hubby brought home. I cut it to the size of 16" x 16". I then scored it at 8" from the top to fold up the flap to make the inside pocket. I turned the sheet 1/4 turn and scored it every 4" to make the folds. I then decorated each "compartment" with a different paper on the inside and outside to keep it festive. All the paper that I used was from that one paper pack ~ it sure made it easy!

For the inserts I went to a site called Organized Christmas. It is a site you will have to check out for sure, there is more than just Christmas there. So many lists and such ~ I could spend all day hunting around there!! But for the lists for this planner you can print them out here. The tabs that are on the planner pages came from some Heidi Grace die cut pages that I have.

I used stamps from all different companies. Great Impressions, Darcies, D.O.T.S., Ann-ticipations and All Night Media. I used whatever I thought that she might like. You cant tell too much by the picture unless you click on it, but I used some glitter on the snowman & mittens and I used some fun flock on the hat for Santa. I'm still debating if I should use stickles on his beard to give it some "umph".

I think that this is the last one that I will make for a while. They are a little time consuming. Oh, they are fun ~ but I'm not getting anything else done doing these. I hope you enjoyed them ~ and I hope that they spark a little holiday spirit in you.

If I don't pop in - have a great weekend!
Hugs,

Joani

It's almost the weekend!

Yup, it's almost the weekend! And I'm excited it's finally Thursday. I've been waiting and waiting for today to come. Why? Because the season of CSI finally starts!! I love all the CSI shows, and this one is my favorite. Bad news though that Grissom is leaving this season. How?! He's the biggest part of the show!! I'm not sure how it will be without him, especially since they've got Laurence Fishburne taking his place. Well, we can only hope that he comes back....

I've got a couple of things to show you today. I've been in my craft room working away. I hope that you like them.

The base card is Basic Black that I layered with Pumpkin Pie and some DP that I bought a long time ago that does not have any maker on it. I stamped the images from Best Fiends and Web Wishes and colored them in with pencils. I used my Sakura gel pen on the web as you can see it's sparkly! I also added a length of orange ribbon.

I added a piece of Pumpkin Pie layered on to Basic Black to the card with the sentiment before I added the image panel.

I sponged around the image panel with black ink, layered it on to Basic Black cs and attached it to the card with pop dots.

Here's a fall card that I made for a swap that I am in. I was a little behind on getting these out. Actually when I sign up for a swap I do the cards right away so they are ready. This time I slacked a little, but they are still in the mail be deadline time.

The base card is Really Rust. I layered it with Chocolate Chip and some DP that I punched the corners with my corner punch from All Night Media. But before I added that to the card I laid down a piece of gold ribbon to tie. The image is from Great Impressions that I've had for years. I stamped it and colored it with my pencils and gamsol. I sponged Chocolate Chip ink around the image and layered it on to a piece of Chocolate Chip and a piece of Gold cs. I added the sentiment Autumn from Ann-ticipations that I stamped on Really Rust with Chocolate Chip ink. I layered that on to Chocolate Chip and Gold cs and attached it to the card with pop dots. I added some stickles to just parts of the image for just a little "pop".

I made this next card for a friend of mine, Betty last week. I did not want to post it because she did not have it yet. Our "play date" was cancelled and she did not come over. But she stopped by this week and I gave it to her so now I can post it. She was Member of the Month on my MSN site and I wanted to give her a card to make her feel a little special.

The base card is Chocolate Chip. I layered it with Bliss Blue (yes, I still have a pack of it), Chocolate Chip and some DP from Paper Trey Ink that Betty gave me Ü

I stamped the image from On the Move and colored it with my pencils. I sponged Chocolate Chip ink around that panel and layered that with Bliss Blue and Chocolate Chip paper. The sentiment in the corner I stamped in Chocolate Chip and layered on to the scraps. I'm happy to say that she liked it!

Well - that's enough for today. I do have a couple more things to show you but they will have to wait til tomorrow.

Have a great day!
Hugs, Joani

Good Morning!

Howdy everyone!

I have a quick post to show you. Yesterday I sat down and I was having trouble working on things. I would stop and pick up another project or start to tidy up my craft room. I just could not concentrate on doing anything. I actually did finish a card ~ but I think that my brain was sidetracked and you could tell on my card.

I have this HUGE tubby filled with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas stamps. I put all those holiday stamps in it and tuck it away through the year. There is no need for me to keep them all out when I don't use them all year. Besides, it makes more room to buy other stamps! Well the crazy mood I was in yesterday I pulled it out. I had to make the first card with this little guy. I bought these stamps years ago. The hat, kitty, kettle and saying stamps are all from Ann-ticipations. This sour faced kitty can be used with so many different things.


So I preceded to make the card. The base card is Basic Black. I added the background paper from Cloud 9. I stamped the kitty and the kettle and colored them in with my watercolor crayons. I then cut out the image panel and adhered it to a piece of Tangerine Tango. Isn't it perfect how SU! came out with another orange color just in time for Halloween?

I used my mega and giga scallop punches to punch out the orange and purple circles. I placed them on the card before I added the image panel. I also added a ladle in the kitty's paw and another hat to his head with pop dots.

I wanted to add the sentiment panel to the front of the card ~ but I kinda ran out of room so it had to go where it went. Told you I was in a strange mood yesterday! I then added some stickles to the steam coming out of the pot and I was finished - thank goodness.

This is a good idea gone bad! It totally goes to show that if you are not feeling right or in a "mood" that it reflects on your work. It reminds me of a saying I once read when my DD was little "Don't let your Mom brush your hair when she's mad at your Dad". But in this case it was "Don't create anything until your personal black cloud blows by".

On another note....

Danielle is in a class in school called floral design. She is really having fun with this class to the point where she'd like to work at the local florist but you've got to be over 18. Anyway, I wanted to show you what she made and brought home yesterday. I think that it's adorable! What looks like shaved ice in the glass is just smooshed up Styrofoam. Cool, huh?

Well ~ that's enough from me today. I think that my mood has changed a bit and I will try to create something better today to share with you.


Have a great day!!

Hugs,
Joani

Boy what a day..........

I'm so behind on making my St. Patrick's day cards. Considering that Easter is just over a week away after that! So I went into mass production mode :)


The main image on this card is from Whipper Snapper. I stamped him and colored him with pencils and gamsol. I sponged the edges with Green Galore ink and mounted that on to a piece of Basic Black cs.

The card base is Green Galore. I too a piece of Basic Black and adhered a piece of BG paper from the Paper Patch. I then tied a length of green ribbon around it before I placed it on the card. The sentiment is from DOTS (yes, it's a very old stamp. One of my first) that I stamped in Green Galore and layered on to a piece of Basic Black also. I stamped the shamrocks over the top of it in Gable Green. That stamp is from a set by My Sentiments Exactly.

This card was inspired by SCS Koopdedoo. I saw her card, and with the twisted humor I have I HAD to make one!!!

The bra stamp is from Ann-ticipations. I've had it for a few years, and really don't remember why I bought it. But with my humor it does not suprise me!!

The main card is some green cs I have. I adhered a piece of dark green and then a piece of green plaid paper also from the Paper Patch. The image is colored in with pencils and gamsol. I added a little flower and brad to the center to add some "cute" to the card. The saying is from Whipper Snapper stamped in Green Galore. It is also layered on to a piece of dark green.

The saying Erin-go-Bra was generated on my computer and layered on to a piece of dark green also. You must go to SCS and check out Kathy's Gallery, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!!

This was a quick card. The base of the card is Old Olive. I cut a piece of dark green and layered a piece of the green polka dot paper to it, then tired the knot around it before adding it to the card. I then stamped the word "happy" above the panel with my stamp-a-ma-jig and the words St. Patrick's day below also with my stamp-a-ma-jig. I then placed the image on a piece of dark green ~ after coloring it with my pencils ~ and layered that to the card with pop dots.

Both saying and image are from Whipper Snapper.




I left these cards for last. I joined Gabby's swap on SCS (yes, my first and I'm nervous!!) Bra and Panties swap. Well, I needed to "practice" before I made the actual cards. I had already made hubby's card for Valentines, but it was a little more serious ~ so I thought that I'd make these for fun. Two birds, one stone-right?

Well, they are totally easy. Now, little story "behind" the panties. My DD likes to wear thongs. Yes, it's hard to say that your teenager likes that - it means that she's growing up. And another yes to hubby always saying NO when she wants them (but little does he know she gets them anyway). Well, of course being the teenager that she is teases me because she calls my undies "granny panties". No, let's get this straight first of all, they are not granny panties. I've got at least 20 (give or take a few) years before that sets in. But anything to my DD that is more than lets say a string is a granny panty. So, that brings me to the card. I had to make the panties a little more "realistic" let's say. I had originally wanted to stamp the "tattoo" a cool Harley Davidson emblem I have, but the darn panties were too big to stamp that image ~ so I went with the lips! ha ha ha.... The paper is from the EK Success Harley Davidson papers so I was 1/2 way there. And when you think of HD you think "tough" so I thought ok, this pattern will work. I then added the "elastic" which is Rick Rak I purchased at Walmart.

Well, I hope that you enjoyed today's LONG post. I hope to chat more tomorrow ~ see you then.

Cocktail Swap

Now I know that I have a stamp someplace of a martini glass, but do you think that I could find it? NO!! So, I had to settle for the wine bottle again. In my MSN group we are having a swap right now called "cocktail swap". I searched everyplace for the martini glass and could not find it! I found the paper, but no glass. So I had to settle for the wine bottle stamp. And no, the card did not turn out how I wanted it either!! Nothing was going right. And I was off line all day yesterday because we were having some awful thunder storms. I think my poor dog aged quite a bit yesterday, she hates thunder.

Ok, now the card.

It was a pretty simple card. I stamped the wine bottle and glass from Ann-ticipations. I colored them with ~ yup you guessed it pencils and gamsol! I layered it on to Certainly Celery CS then on to Pretty in Pink CS that I stamped with my Fresh Fillers set. I love that set, you can use it in a pinch for backgrounds or any empty spaces that you have. I also used a DP from SU! I cant remember which one, it is a scrap from an old paper... To make the "scallop" edge I used my slot punch and just taped it to the back of the main image. Then I stamped the saying, I beleive it is from Rubbernecker - it is a UM image that I've had for years - and sponged around it with Pink Passion ink.

I topped it off with some stickles on the glass and "diamonds" to make them sparkle and then I was done.

Happy New Year!

Just getting past Christmas, not far past ~ but past it to say the least.

I was thinking of something that would make me think of New Years. Well, I did not have a chamagne bottle so wine will have to do... The wine bottle and glass stamp is from Ann-ticipations and the saying is from Hero Arts.

I stamped the bottle and glass in black ink and colored it in with pencils and gamsol. I guess by now you all know that I love gamsol and pencils. I think it's my favorite method of coloring...

Anyway, I sponged Brilliant Blue around the edges and I layered that on to silver CS. Then I layered that on to dark blue linen that I had got from my LSS in California.

For the saying I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig and broke the words apart so they would fit. I stamped them with Brocade Blue and sponged Brilliant Blue around that panel as well. I layered them as I did the image panel.

I used a peice of BG paper that I got from a stack at Walmart to layer the panels on. I used my corner punch from All Night Media on that and layred that on to the same dark blue CS as on the panel.

I hope you like the change from Christmas to New Year's!!! Let me know.