card making

Autumn Trees – to doodle or not to doodle

/ Jodi / 49 Comments

autumn trees watercolor doodle card

Happy First Day of Fall!

The other day – as I continue to convince myself how much I love Fall (and it really is happening!) I dabbled with a couple abstract watercolors of Autumn trees.  One I “doodled” up and the other I didn’t.

autumn trees watercolor card

Interesting what a different effect it gives.  And more interesting – I kind of like both.  (what do you think of that Charlie O and Laura!?!?)

So I asked my guys that evening, “Which do you like better?”

Hubby picked one… and my son, Nick, picked the other.

I knew that was going to happen!

Which one do you pick?

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Warm Thoughts of Fall Card

/ Jodi / 44 Comments

PP263 Fall CAS Challenge

This Wednesday, September 23, 2015 is the first day of Fall – the Autumnal Equinox – here in Mars and the rest of us in the Northern Hemisphere, so Happy Fall Y’All!

And this week’s Paper Player’s Challenge (#PP263) is to “Create a Fall Scene.”

PP263 Fall CAS Challenge 2

I’ve been having warm thoughts of Fall as this past week has to have been the most gorgeous ever that I can recall in recent history.  Seriously amazing here in Mars!  Crisp, cool mornings and evenings, pure blue sunny, sunshiney days, and NO humidity!  The birds seem happy, Charlie is in his glory, the windows and doors are wide open, and I even got hubby to sit out on the deck with me a little bit!

I am cherishing these glorious Fall moments!

For my Paper Players Design Team Inspiration card this week, I used:

Hope my paper crafting friends will join our challenge, and those who aren’t just enjoy the warm thoughts I send with this card and post!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful

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Fall Leave Doodlewash Watercolor Card 091315

Like the beautiful leaves of Autumn…

each unique

individual

and beautiful in their own way…

Fall Leaf Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful Watercolor Card

Be your own kind of Beautiful.

Wouldn’t want you any other way!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

A Color Challenge Card for The Paper Players

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PP262 Wplus9 Hello Die Cut

This week’s Paper Players Challenge (#262) is a color challenge rich with Fall colors – Tangelo Twist, Lost Lagoon, and So Saffron.

For my design team inspiration card this week, I stamped the three colors randomly onto an acrylic block, spritzed it was a light mist of water, and then placed my paper on top to transfer the abstract image.

Once dry, I added a simple wreath of twine,  a black die-cut ‘hello’ sentiment, and finished it off with a few coordinating sequins.

PP262 Wplus9 Hello Die Cut 2

I matted this with black onto white card stock to create my simple Fall color-inspired greeting card.

For those that remember the wedding card I posted last week, this is the other card I mentioned that would feature the twine wreath.

Hope my paper crafting friends will join us with your creativity for this week’s color challenge at The Paper Players!  We love seeing what you do with it.

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

A Sprinkling Can Doodle Wash

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sprinkling can watercolor card

Today I am celebrating my dear, sweet Joyce.

Today is her birthday, and I made this little card for her that I hope she receives in time!  (Yikes – just sent yesterday – so she may see it here before she gets it in the mail!)

Joyce is my second cousin by family, but she is also one of my dearest friends by choice.  She and her adorable hubby, “Oh Rob,” are some of our besties for so many reasons.

Joyce and Rob are true inspirations in the way they live their lives.  They truly CELEBRATE life!

They are creative and soulful and kind to others.

They are respectful of the environment.

They are generous with their time and money and gifts.

They are teachers, and they also love to learn.

They share their home (and their friends) in a way like no others.

They cook and preserve and eat with gusto!

They have open minds and open ears and open hearts.

They give REAL hugs – the kind where you really squeeze and hang on like you might not have another chance and like you really, genuinely mean it!  And they give kisses too – right on the lips!

And they have helped me through a lot of “stuff.”  (you know that kind of stuff we all have but don’t always talk about…)  Joyce and her family really helped me get through a tough time and period in my life, and for that, I will be forever grateful.

It’s funny how a post about Joyce turned into one about Joyce and Oh Rob…. but they are such a perfect pair and complement each other so beautifully, it is hard to  think of one without thinking of the other.  And that is a compliment and tribute to their marriage and the kind of people they are.

So please join in in wishing one of the world’s best a best birthday!

Joyce is, among so many other things, an avid gardener, so her card is a little “doodlewash” of a sprinkling can that I was inspired to do from a painting I saw by an amazing artist that I want to learn more from, RoseAnn Hayes.  Joyce is also an amazing watercolor artist, so I hesitate to even send my humble, feeble attempt to her, but she will love it anyway just because it was handmade for her from me.  🙂

On the inside, I wrote:

Thank you for sprinkling my soul with your kindness
and feeding my heart with your love.
You have helped me to blossom.

Wishing you the happiest of birthdays with lots of love, my Joyce!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Lunchbox Love – Notes for Kids

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PP261 Cheerful Critters Schoolhouse DSP

Happy Sunday!

It’s time for another Paper Players Design Team inspiration card.  This week’s challenge (PP#261) is a theme challenge:  Lunchbox Love – Notes for Kids.

It is back-to-school time for many, and how sweet is it to put a little note in your child’s lunch box or bag to brighten their day?

I recall writing little notes on napkins or cutting out heart-shaped pieces of papers on occasion when my boys were little.

That time flew by so fast.

My boys are grown, but they still get handmade cards.  And oh how I love when I receive a handmade card from them – even now!

So here is my design team card, and I can’t wait to send it to a sweet little one that needs some encouragement or a congratulations on a job well done.

For this card, I used the StampinUp Cheerful Critters Stamp Set and Schoolhouse Designer Series Paper.  I purposely offset my “framing” to show our kiddos that they don’t have to be perfect or “stay in the lines” (since I obviously didn’t!).  A silver metal button and white baker’s twine bow finished it off.

You know – no matter how old we are – any of us would appreciate a little “lunchbox love” – eh?   I hope this will encourage you to send a little note to someone you love.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

Wedding Day for a Perfect Pair

/ Jodi / 39 Comments

CJ Candace Wedding Card hello life simply wonderful bird punch

It’s wedding day for C.J. and Candace!  (You might remember photos from Candace’s shower a few weeks ago.)

I couldn’t wait to make a special card to celebrate these two cute lovebirds.  They are a Perfect Pair.

My youngest son is a groomsman in the wedding, and we are looking forward to celebrating this special day.  Nick and C.J. were “roomers” in college and have remained good friends.

CJ Candace Wedding Card hello life simply wonderful bird punch 2

Candace is a country girl at heart and their wedding has a rustic theme, so I loved using some leftover burlap ribbon and lace from Jake and Colleen’s (my oldest son and daughter-in-law’s) wedding two years ago for this special card.

I had recently seen Dawn at Petals. Paper. SimpleThymes make a twine wreath and loved the look.  Thanks for the great idea to CAS Dawn!  (You’ll be seeing another card next Sunday for The Paper Players Challenge #262 using this twine wreath too on a completely different card).

I used the StampinUp Bird Punch for the leaves and love birds and the Hello Life Stamp Set to heat emboss the “love” sentiment in gold.

Looking forward to celebrating love today!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Follow the Path of Love

/ Jodi / 39 Comments

follow the path of love watercolor card

Follow the path of joy.
Follow the path of happiness.
Follow the paths of justice and righteousness and goodness, loyalty, equality, and freedom.

But mostly….
Follow the path of love.

A simple card
with a simple message.

Why do we complicate things
so much?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Lovely as a Tree

/ Jodi / 28 Comments

PP259 Lovely as a Tree Masculine Birthday Card
It’s Sunday again, and that means design team inspiration for The Paper Players!

This week’s challenge (#PP259) is a sketch challenge, and here is the sketch we were to use to design a card from:

I needed a birthday card this past week for a dear friend who is hitting one of those biggie decade birthdays so thought I would use the design to make his card.

pp259 2

I used my ALL TIME favorite most versatile stamp set in the entire world (I might be exaggerating a teensy bit, but hopefully you get my point).  Lovely as a Tree from StampinUp was one of my very first stamps I bought, and one that I still use often – Winter, Fall, Summer, Christmas, Masculine, Feminine.  Such great versatility.

pp259 3

I think I did pretty good sticking close to the design sketch and like how this birthday card turned out for our special friend.

Play along with us – any of you paper players!  I’d love to see what you design with this sketch.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Expressing in Abstract Watercolor

/ Jodi / 15 Comments

blue flower abstract watercolor card

Sometimes I just want to splash water and paint on paper.  Can anyone relate?

I have no subject in mind, don’t feel like sketching, just want to express….

color….   feelings….  heart…. love…. maybe a little bit of peace or beauty.

abstract purple watercolor flower card

These two cards were the result of that – done a week or so apart when I just needed to splash in paint puddles.

Not much talent at all involved here, but a great experience.  And… if my very un-educated expressions in watercolor inspire anyone to step outside their comfort zone and try – and then find the joy – my heart is filled.

These turned into note cards I needed to use recently to express sympathy to a few friends who lost loved ones.

I hope they feel the love, and it brings them a bit of peace.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi