Is it a sunflower or a black-eyed susan? Not sure… but that’s the beauty of art – and especially watercolor painting. The freedom to create something new, something different, expand OUTSIDE the lines.
Whatever it is, it is bright and cheery and for a special young lady’s birthday!
Happy Birthday Week Liz! 🙂
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Any coffee lovers out there?? Do you ever sigh after that first sip of joe in the morning like I do? Does anything taste better? (with the exception of red wine after dinner?) I love my coffee pretty bold (like my wine) with a nice splash of Italian Sweet Cream in it.
I created this card for The Paper Players PP246 Sketch Design Challenge.
The design was inspired by an awesome card I saw done by Paula Sievers at Stamping with Paula. I don’t often use Designer Series Paper, but I loved how Paula framed and layered it and then cut out the coffee cup and embellished the cup holder with chevron.
I have been wanting to use the StampinUp Perfect Blend Stamp Set and thought it would be so fun to put a lipstick mark on the cup like us ladies get so often. Can you relate?
I had another stamp set from Fiskers with this sentiment on and the coffee beans that I thought complemented it and went well with the sketch challenge theme. Some Gorgeous Grunge “coffee splatters” added just the right finishing touch.
I’d love to give this card away to one of you lovely “lifeinbetweeners” out there. Leave a comment with your favorite coffee brand, flavor, shop, or how you like your morning java to be entered into a random drawing to win this card. I’ve left the inside blank so you can write your own special thank you message to the person you choose to send it to. (Winner will be drawn Sunday, 5/31/15.)
Cheers & Happy Friday Hugs,
Jodi
Albert of “Albert’s New York” Blog – Best Tour Guide Ever!
I just returned from a jam-packed three-day trip to New York City. Two days were spent at a business meeting, but I was also fortunate enough to have some free time to explore the city on my first visit with one of the best tour guides ever… ALBERT!!!! My buddy from Albert’s New York Blog. Here we are on the roof top of his apartment building where we had the chance to view the sunset and a beautiful view of the city.
And this little cutie is as charming in real life as he is on his blog. I hope you will check it out. I’m guessing you will fall in love with him as I have. And what a wonderful gift after our loss this week to get to hug and meet this beautiful new friend.
When I found out I was heading to New York, I immediately wrote to Albert and asked if he wanted to meet up and wondered if he had time to show me around. He and his Lady and Guy were so amazingly gracious to spend the afternoon and evening with me.
I’ll have more to tell and photos to show soon, but for now I promised to announce the winner of my One-Year Blogiversary card today.
I was so overwhelmed and truly humbled with the response and the amazing comments. Thank you all so much for all the love!
I asked hubby to pick a number from one to…………. and before I could even give an end number, he firmly stated, “7.”
So the W I N N E R of my One-Year Blogiversary Card is the 7th person to comment – BILLIE MOAN!
Congratulations Billie! (Please email me your address at mckinneyjodi@gmail.com – and it will be on its way!)
I am back in Mars – and though I adored New York – there really, truly is no place like home. (even when it’s Mars!)
Happy Friday everyone!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
My Most Pinned Card on Pinterest – Birthdays are for the Birds!
How about that? Pretty exciting stuff – eh? (at least in my little corner of the world)…
I am so honored to be asked and super excited to participate as a Guest Designer for the next three months at ThePaperPlayers.
My second most pinned card on Pinterest – Dots Big Day Birthday Card
The Paper Players is a fun community of artsy crafty paper peeps who love to stamp or draw or paint handmade paper crafts. The design team is a group of amazingly talented, inspiring individuals that are as kind and encouraging as they are artistic. They truly embody creating HeARTwork!
I originally discovered The Paper Players when I started stamping, and for those that have been with me here a while know this is a weekly challenge I often participate in – – – and have actually won a few times!
One of my winning cards
I will be creating one card per week as “inspiration” for the challenge in hopes that others will join in and play along.
I hope some of you that love or would like to try paper crafting will check it out and join in with us weekly or as you like from time to time.
One of my faves – Stamin Up By the Tide Hello There Card
The guidelines are very simple:
1. Create a new paper or digital project.
2. Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to ThePaperPlayers. (Please provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge entry as opposed to you blog home page.)
3. We also ask that you link your project to no more than three challenges.
4. Have fun!
Wish me luck, and I hope this inspires YOU to do more of what makes YOU Happy!
Happy Life Watercolor Card
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
On May 18, 2014, I wrote my very first blog post at LifeinBetween.me. I imagine many of you weren’t with me then…
I just re-read it – and found a TYPO! Ugh! I thought about correcting it, but then…. it is what it is… (Can you find it?)
I’ve posted every day for the past year, and I can’t believe how much I have enjoyed it. I can’t believe the wonderful friends who have followed me through this and the wonderful friends I have made along the way.
THANK YOU, my 1,150+ friends at LifeInBetween.me for sharing this journey with me!
To thank YOU, I’d like to give away this card I made in honor of the occasion.
It’s not much, but it is from my HeART.
Here’s the plan….
Add a comment to this post letting me know what you enjoy most about LifeInBetween.Me.
Is it the recipes? the cards? the “art”work/crafting? photography? poetry/writing? personal stories…?
To all those that comment, I will randomly draw one name to send this blank card to so that you can use it to send to someone to thank them for a thoughtful gesture.
I will allow a few days for comments and draw a winner on Friday.
I had so much fun making this card on a rainy Sunday morning. I didn’t know where I was going with it or how it was going to turn out, but it evolved into a card I love.
Not only was I inspired by my desire to thank all of you, but The Paper Players Challenge is for a “girly” thank you card, and the Can You Case It Challenge was for May flowers, so I am entering this card into both of these “challenges.”
For this card, I used the StampinUp Pleasant Poppies Stamp stamped on Typeset Designer Series Paper with Black Stazon Ink, which I “watercolored” with an aqua paint brush using Tangelo Twist, Real Red, and Old Olive Inks. The sentiment is from StampinUp’s Lots of Thanks stamp set. I embellished with some linen thread, an antique button, some olive candy dots and a lace doily. I also used my favorite Lil’ Inkers Stitched Rectangles Die Cut to create the “stiched” rectangles.
I am a StampinUp Hobby Demonstrator, so if you are interested in learning more about StampinUp or ordering products, feel free to let me know.
Thank you all for a wonderful year of blogging at lifeinbetween.me. I look forward to sharing more in the coming year, and I hope you will share your thoughts with me.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Today we are celebrating “our” youngest “McHendy” son.
For those of you that know me or have been following along at LifeInBetween.me for a while know that our family has an extended BFF family – our “chosen” family – the Hendersons. Together we had six kids – two McKinneys and four Hendersons. We now have eight as two have married, so we have one more McKinney (our amazing daughter-in-law) and one more Henderson (which is actually Kallis now) in our McHendy son-in-law who we also love.
The oldest is Jake McKinney and the youngest is Jake Henderson, so we fondly refer to them as Big Jake and Baby Jake. (And just for a fun point to know – if Baby Jake was a girl, his name was going to be Jodi – so we have a very special bond.)
Baby Jake just graduated from Penn State this week, and today he is being commissioned into the Navy. We are so proud of him and are so happy to be celebrating this special day with him.
So today’s card is for our Baby Jake.
The ship (from the StampinUp – SU – Traveler stamp set) represents his Navy branch. The world map stamped background (SU World Map stamp) represents all the places he may go and see and how the whole world is at his fingertips and ahead of him for his future. The anchor (from SU Sea Street stamp set) not only represents the Navy, but the anchor of support he has from us – his extended McKinney family, so that he knows we are and always will be here for him.
The colors I chose were for the Color Challenge at The Paper Players Challenge this week: PP#244.
So here’s to you Jake!
“Baby” Jake & His Beautiful Mom, My BFF, Jill
With much pride and hugs and love,
Momma M
Today is the “official” “unofficial” monthly Draw a Bird Day, and with the support and encouragement of my buddy, Laura at Create Art Every Day and inspiration from Jill at Jill’s Art Journal, I was brave enough to draw and watercolor my very first bird.
I used the photo I took the other day of the downy woodpecker hopping on the back deck as my inspiration. (Don’t laugh – – – too much! It is my FIRST!)
I had a bit of a block about doing this, so first I stamped a bird from the StampinUp Love Life Stamp Set and watercolored it.
Then, still worried about trying to actually draw something that resembles a bird, I decided to do a silly owl drawing and paint it. And to be even more fun, I added some nut brown Flower Soft to make fuzzy feathers, a couple of googly eyes, and a linen thread bow.
After doing these is when I allowed myself to try drawing a bird. I have a long way to go, but I made the first step and drew my first bird.
And it was FUN!
Happy Bird Day Friday!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
There is ONE single joke I can remember to retell, and it is my favorite….
If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?
(ready?!)….
Pilgrims of course!
We have lots to celebrate in May, so I’ll be busy making special cards for a lot of very special people this month, including this May”flowery” card for a special Mom in my life I fondly refer to as “Mom II.”
Sunday is Mother’s Day – a very special day for those of us who have been blessed with the privilege and honor to be called a “Mom” or “Mum” or “Mother” or “Momma” or “Mommy” or “Mummy” or “Mom II”…
Carole (aka Mom II) is my Dad’s wife. When I reunited with my (birthfather) Dad five years ago in July, the first thing she said to me after I said “Hello” was, “Your Dad always promised me a daughter. Now I have one.” That was followed by a big tight hug from a beautiful, petite woman. A pretty warm welcome – eh?!
I will never forget that moment.
So this fussy, frilly Mother’s Day card is for Mom II.
The design was inspired by the CanYouCaseIt #68 Sketch Challenge.
And I’m also sharing this card on the Paper Plunge #32 Mother’s Day Theme challenge.
For the card, I used a variety of Stampin Up flower paper punches, Best Day Ever Designer Series Paper, and lots of buttons, pearls, and linen thread. It was fun to create and flower up!
So Happy Mother’s Day this coming Sunday Mom II! I hope your day is as special as you!
Cheers & Hugs and Motherly Love,
Jodi
This week I went in a little different direction with my watercoloring…
Wanting to loosen up and just create FUN like my artsy bloggin’ buddies, Laura at CreateArtEveryDay and Jill at JillsArtJournal, I poked around on Pinterest and found some super fun work by Lucia at StressieCat. Such unique, original, crazy, zany, whimsy! I used Lucia’s inspiration to draw and paint this first crazy green and purple polka-dotted bird. You should check out her blog – crazy awesome talent! Mine turned out nothing like hers, but I still kinda like it.
And any card that has a crazy green and purple-polka dotted bird on it naturally needs some green birdie doo doo on the inside! Right?
Then I made this other silly guy from a photo I saw that stuck in my head, but I’ve lost the source (since I did it over two days – starting one evening and letting the base dry and polka-dotting the next day). It was a paper mache bird, but I thought I’d recreate it in watercolor and for a card. I just tore off a piece of watercolor paper and went to town.
I really had fun making these silly guys, and this green one is already on its way to a friend who is celebrating a birthday this week. He’s a pretty great guy – so he even gets a Superman stamp!
Have some fun today – and EVERY day!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
I sadly needed a sympathy card for a special co-worker friend.
I hope he and his family feel the heartfelt hugs I sent when they receive this card.
This card was a labor of love and a combination of water coloring and stamping.
I first dropped some green watercolor paint into the bottom left corner and then blew through a straw to push it up to resemble blades of grass. I then brushed watercolor paint onto the Stampin Up Too Kind flower stamp and lightly stamped it, letting it loosely spread.
The “hugs” sentiment is from the Paper Smooches Sentiment stamp set. I love the font, and this set has a bunch of other fun ones I’m sure you’ll be seeing in future cards. I finished it off with some “signature” jodi splatters, then distressed the edges of it and some complimentary colors of card stock. I wrapped it with some linen thread and adhered it to some vanilla cardstock.
Cheers & HUGS & Happy Friday,
Jodi
the creative life in between 