Stamping

She is Beautiful

/ Jodi / 44 Comments

scan20161220_11004501

“She was beautiful,
but not like those girls in the magazines.
She was beautiful for the way she thought.
She was beautiful for the sparkle in her eyes
when she talked about something she loved.
She was beautiful for her ability to make other people smile
even if she was sad.
No, she wasn’t beautiful for something as temporary as her looks.
She was beautiful deep down to her soul.
She is beautiful.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Let’s teach this to our daughters
and granddaughters
and sisters
and friends.

And….
let’s teach this to
ourselves.

#BestGiftEver #LoveYourself

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A Bevy of Birthday Best Wishes

/ Jodi / 52 Comments

abstract watercolor happy birthday card

I have a number of special February birthdays, so I had fun making a bevy of birthday cards to send out to family and friends.  This first one above is my fave (and it is already on its way to a special cousin whose birthday is Monday!).  I love the combination of purple, turquoise and yellow, and I used texturizing paste on the watercolor paper before painting to add some fun drama and dimension.

PP280 2

The Paper Players Challenge (PP280) this week is a Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge, so I chose, the diagonal of Purple, Pink, and Yellow which I did in Brusho Watercolor after embossing the coneflower silhouettes on these two cards – one in black and one in white.

pp280

PP280

Some of you may recognize this card below.  I had made this random abstract watercolor a while back, so I topped it off with this fun  Happy Birthday Die Cut I cut out in several colors.

Birthday card red white blue black abstract watercolor

For this last one, I splashed some fun green-gold olive and burnt umber watercolor paint and then spritzed it all with some gold glimmer mist.

birthday card gold green brown watercolor abstract

Wishing all February birthday friends and family the best of birthdays!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Love is in the Air

/ Jodi / 27 Comments

valentines pink and gray wondrous wreath

Love is in the Air….

Only a few weeks until Valentine’s Day, so time to play with all things lovely and pink and red and hearts and lacy  or whatever makes you feel Valentiney.

This card was made for a special someone that requested a “girlie and pretty” card for someone very special to them.  I had a lot of fun creating it with that special someone in mind.

For this card, I used the StampinUp Wondrous Wreath that is typically used for Christmas cards, but I made it in shades of pink and gray, added some tiny pearls, and backed it with a lacy doily to make it feminine and delicate and Valentiney.

This week’s Paper Players’s Challenge  #PP275 is a CAS Valentine’s card.  My card is not quite “clean and simple,” (I’ve created a few more layers than that!) but it is Valentine’s!

Our little corner of the world is bracing for a bit of a snowstorm in the next few days.  We will see.  No matter the weather – hope you are feeling warm and safe and loved wherever you are.

Remember love is a not only a noun – it is also a verb.  It is something we can give as well as receive.  And it is in giving that we receive.

Cherish the Moments.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

 

Mixed Media Hug

/ Jodi / 34 Comments

PP277

Time to join The Paper Players and play along in the color challenge Claire put out this week for all our crafting, painting, stamping friends.

I couldn’t resist participating with the fun colors this super sweet lady chose: Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo, and Real Red!  Oooo Laaa Laa!

I wanted to do something different and had bought some fun new stuff while shopping this past weekend with Hubby at Tuesday Morning before our movie date to see “The Revenant.”   (Did YOU see it yet?!)   I bought the corrugated papercraft cardstock paper and the Tim Holtz Alpha Parts Punch Out letters.  Combined that with some fun flowers sweet Eileen at My Creative Resolution gifted me with that just happened to exactly match “Melon Mambo,” embellished with one of my fave new dies – the pine branches from Gina Marie Designs, die cut some paper with my favorite stitched rectangle dies, added a pearl, and Voila – my Mixed Media Hug card!

It’s a bit of a quirky card, and I’m still trying to decide if I like it, but I’m guessing there will come an occasion or a person who it will end up being just right for at just the right time one of these days, so I’ll be holding onto this “hug” until then.

I sure miss being on the design team with the amazing creative Paper Players team, but it’s great to still play along!

Oh – and check out the amazing new guest designers!  WOWZA!  They have so much creativity to share!

Happy Friday!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Thank You!

/ Jodi / 60 Comments

 

watercolor thank you christmas 2015 1

Happy New Year friends, and thank you for being here with me this past year at lifeinbetween.me!

I had fun with one of my Christmas gifts from hubby – my new art easel – one day this week on my holiday break and spent a little time watercolor painting.

easel art

I thought it was a good time to design a holiday thank you note,

watercolor thank you christmas 2015 2

so I goofed around with a few loose pine tree designs that I can copy and create cards from.

watercolor thank you christmas 2015 3

Wishing you a happy new year filled with many moments to cherish!  Take the time to notice them,

to appreciate them,

to truly cherish them –

for it is these moments

that create a lifetime.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Oh Christmas Tree

/ Jodi / 46 Comments

Christmas Tree Watercolor Card Minimalist 2015

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are your branches!
In beauty green will always grow
Through summer sun and winter snow.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are your branches!

Are you singing with me?

Only a week until Christmas Day, but it’s time to begin celebrating already.

I think it’s more fun to spread the fun out over the next two weeks, so partying and gathering with friends and family is what we will be doing!

This is another of my little minimalist watercolor Christmas cards I was able to print and duplicate.

Just a simple little tree,

but filled with lots of joy and love and happy wishes.

Have a great Friday!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Paper Players Guest Design Team Post

/ Jodi / 59 Comments

PP275 Watercolor Color Challenge Christmas Mittens

It is my last week as a Paper Players Guest Design Team Member.

For this week’s color challenge, I decided to watercolor some Christmasy mittens and hang them from some greenery and red button “berries.”

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The sentiment is from StampinUp’s Endless Wishes stamp set.  The greenery is cut from a Pine Needle Gina Marie die, and I simply mixed and matched some cherry red buttons to use as berries.

PP275 Watercolor Color Challenge Christmas Mittens flat closeup

I hope you will continue to follow and participate in the Paper Players Challenges.

It has been a fun six months, and I so enjoyed challenging myself, sharing with all of you, and the wonderful ladies of the Paper Players Design team!  Thank you all!  It has been an honor and privilege to be a part of your team.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

Let it Snow

/ Jodi / 29 Comments

PP274 snowflake card

This week’s Paper Players’ Theme Challenge is “Let it Snow.”

pp274

Well – no snow happening here in Mars, but we can dream, can’t we?  I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…

My design team inspiration card this week is stamped and heat embossed with a glittery embossing powder for the snow and snowflakes to sparkle, and I added some miniature pearls for an extra special touch.

pp274 inside

Stamp sets used are StampinUp’s Endless Wishes & Gorgeous Grunge.

Time to get this card in the mail, and Celebrate the Season!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Festive Flurry of Snowflakes

/ Jodi / 32 Comments

Turquoise Brusho Festive Flurry Sparkle Snowflake Card

This week’s challenge at The Paper Players is a Tic Tac Toe Challenge.   These are always so fun to choose which way to go.

For my Design Team Inspiration Card this week, I choose the Diagonal: Snowflake-Sparkle-Die Cut.

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I had an idea in mind, but when I saw a card done by one of my favorite stamper/ cardmakers, Sharon White of Copy Cat Cards, I was totally blown away and completely inspired to create my version featured here (with her permission of course – gracious CAS’er that she is!)

Turquoise Brusho Festive Flurry Sparkle Snowflake Card 2

This card combines Brusho Watercolor Crystals with embossing and stamping and die-cutting.

I started with Arches 140lb watercolor paper.

Using the StampinUp Festive Flurries Stamp Set, I randomly stamped a few snowflakes with VersaMark Ink and then heat embossed with Sparkle Embossing Powder.

I then taped the watercolor paper down, masking off the edges with painter’s tape and painted the paper with water.  I then sprinkled Turquoise Brusho Crystals onto the paper and spritzed with some additional water before letting it thoroughly dry.

While that was drying, I stamped a festive flurry snowflake in turquoise on white card stock for the the first card and one in Versamark on Pacific Point Blue card stock for the second one and then heat embossedwith some more Sparkle Embossing Powder.  Once dry, I die cut them with the matching Festive Flurry Die.

I then attached each to a card base, the first to Whisper White, and the second to Pacific Point.  I used some different fun sparkly ribbon for each and added a snowflake embellishment to the center of the large snowflake.

I’m thinking these will make beautiful Hanukkah cards for a few dear friends!

Hope my stamping and paper crafting friends will join us this week for our Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge at The Paper Players.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

A Turkey Day Card for The Paper Players

/ Jodi / 47 Comments

Thanksgiving Turkey Paper Players Sketch Challenge PP272

“Soon will be Thanksgiving Day – Gobble Gobble Gobble!
Children run and laugh and play, but I think that I will stay,
and hide until the day is done – Gobble Gobble Gobble!”

This is a silly Turkey Song my kids and I sang when they were little (and I have to admit I still get it stuck in my head this time of year!)  I sang it with my family as a little girl, so it is hard to think of Thanksgiving week without singing it!

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This week is Sketch Challenge #272  at  The Paper Players , and I had turkey on the brain for my Design Team inspiration card.

Thanksgiving Turkey Paper Players Sketch Challenge PP272 Close Up

My turkey looks a bit concerned – doesn’t he?!   I’m guessing turkeys are not so fond of Thanksgiving!

I had fun making this whimsical card and giving it to my sweet daughter-in-law with a few of those decadent Heavenly Hot Cocoa Brownies I made last week as a little surprise.  She works really close to our house, and I practically pass her office to get to mine, so it is fun to drop by with a little surprise every once in a while.  (And sweetheart that she is, sometimes I find little surprises in my mailbox from her too!)  🙂

For my stamping and papercrafting friends, below are the supplies and instructions.  You can certainly improvise with colors and shapes and scissors and stamps, but I thought I would share what I used.   There are lots of cute ideas on Pinterest to inspire you and which inspired me.  I just made due with things I had on hand.  Hope you will join us for this week’s Paper Players Sketch Challenge.  So many fun things you can do with it and lots of other great inspiration from our creative design team.

Supplies & Instructions

  • Card Stock:  StampinUp (SU) Hello Honey Yellow, Pumpkin Orange, Real Red, Chocolate Chip Brown, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Papercraft Nordic Noel DSP
  • Ink:  Stazon Black for greeting, Tim Holtz Ranger Tea Dye Distress Ink for sponging around all pieces
  • Stamp:  Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler for “Celebrate”
  • Signo White Gel Pen for white stitched outlines and eyes
  • Paper Studio Embossing Folder for feather texture and swirls
  • Punches:  SU Owl Punch and SU Bird Punch for cutting out turkey parts and SU Scalloped Tag Topper for Tag
  • Framelits:  SU Circles (second smallest for head, third smallest for round body part, largest for scalloped circle for cutting out feathers) and SU Ovals (smallest oval for body)
  • Tombow Mutli Mono Liquid Glue and Tombow Mono Permanent Adhesive Tape
  • SU Linen Thread to put on top of tag

Happy Thanksgiving Week!  I sure am thankful for all of you!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi