card

Dreaming of a Serene Silhouette Sunset

/ Jodi / 17 Comments

serene silhouette paper players button challenge 207

I thought it would be fun to play along with the Paper Players Challenge again this week, and this week’s Challenge #207 is a Button Theme Challenge.

pp207

The guidelines were simply to include a button of any sort on your project. It can be an actual button, or it could be stamped, embossed, patterned paper, anything…

My card reminds me of the time of year we are at – August – nearing the end of Summer – and kind of a postcard also – from a vacation where you got to spend time watching the gorgeous sunset.

serene silhouette paper players button challenge 207

This card used the StampinUp Serene Silhouette stamp – one of my faves to use.  I used a brayer technique to create the background sunset, and a masking technique to create the “sun” and the mountain range.  The “postcard” language was embossed with a folder (can’t remember the name) that has a pretty script.  I just drew on the “birds” with a dark marker, added a couple dark brown candy dots and SU Naturals Designer Button and some twine to finish it off.

I hope you are enjoying your August, some nice weather and beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Cheers! It’s Friday!

/ Jodi / 2 Comments

happy hour cheers

CHEERS!  It’s Friday!  Another week flew by, and it’s the Yippee Skippee Weekend again!

I’m sure hoping it’s a summertime weather weekend.  These silly Fall-like temperatures need to go away and come back another day – much later in the year.

For my Friday card this week, I had fun with StampinUp’s Happy Hour Stamp Set making fun looking cocktails and thinking festively of celebrating time with family and friends.  The “Cheers” is embossed in silver, and I thought the silver ribbon added just what it needed.

Hope your weekend brings lots of things to cheer or “cheers” about!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

There’s always a reason for a “Woo-Hoo!”

/ Jodi / 10 Comments

Just Saying in Black and White with Faux Enamel Dots for Freshly Made Sketches 147

I’m almost embarrassed to post this card – it was so simple and easy, but sometimes I think I try to “embellish” toooooo much!

(Nick – my son and oft harshest, but completely honest critic – tells me he likes the simpler ones more often)

I’m in a card “challenge” mood it seems, so I decided to just stick with the sketch layout for Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #147 for this card.

untitled

There’s something elegant about the simplicity of black and white, but then a glittery silver “woohoo” in front of a red starburst background, some red and white baker’s twine and a splattering of faux enamel dots (which I showed how to make back here on this blog post) just gave it a bit of a pop.

Just Saying in Black and White with Faux Enamel Dots for Freshly Made Sketches 147

Ingredients:  StampinUp Whisper White Card stock, Black & White DSP, Just Saying Stamp Set and Framelit Die, Starburst Framelit Die, Bakers Twine and Crystal Effects for “faux enamel”

Tomorrow’s Recipe is NOT a card 🙂 – looking forward to sharing my “almost famous” recipe for homemade Cinnamon Chip Scones.

Cheers & Hugs

Jodi

 

Christmas in July

/ Jodi / 25 Comments
jai 224

Just Add Ink Challenge #224

I can’t believe I made a Christmas card…..

in July……

Not at all ready to do the Christmas thing yet – though the crazy chilly weather this week almost makes it feel like Christmas!

Well – that might be exaggerating a bit…  but I did have a sweatshirt  (can you believe SWEATSHIRT) on last evening it was so chilly.  55 degrees F on July 29 in Western PA is CRAZY!  Practically a record low.

When I first saw the Christmas in July Card Challenge at Just Add Ink a few days ago (when the weather was normal 80 degree July weather), I thought – NOPE – no way – not doing this one….

Then, I just kinda got intrigued by the inspiration pictures that were provided to create a card from:

JAI224

and came up with this one.

Well – at least I have my first Christmas card done.

Thanks for the inspiration and the fun Christmas in July Challenge Just Add Ink Team.   Merry Christmas! (in about 147 days)

jai 224

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Hope Anchors the Soul

/ Jodi / 19 Comments

Hope Anchors the Soul

What a great weekend we had.  A little fun friend time at a Margaritaville Party Friday night.  Thanks Andy and Donna (and Hazel!) for inviting us….

A family wedding celebration – Congrats Jeff and Terri!

A little time to cook and bake on Sunday – – – more on that later this week – but a couple of master bread bakers (ahem Rob and Nancy 🙂 ) had me hankering to bake some fresh crusty rustic bread to go with the sausage stuffed banana peppers from my garden for Sunday dinner.

And a little time to play with my card-making when a thunderstorm busted in on our afternoon.

This card was inspired for someone special I’ve been thinking about and designed for The Paper Players Challenge #206.  I’ve just started trying these out.  It is a fun way to be inspired and challenged with a sketch to see what you can create.  Here is the sketch that inspired my card:

PP 206I love the sentiment on this Neat and Tangled stamp, and had fun using Punchinella, which is basically the leftover sheets from the machine when sequins are made.  Pretty cool – huh?

hope anchors the soul 2

The rest is done using StampinUp products:  Watercolor paper with Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, and Bermuda Bay inks stamped on a block, then spritzed with water and then pressed onto the water color paper.  I heat embossed the sentiment with gold and used some StampinUp Gold Soiree Designer Series Paper, burlap ribbon, and Chalk Lines stamped onto kraft brown paper for the banner strips.  Natural linen thread was used for the string and bow.  A couple sequins in complimentary colors finished it off.

hope anchors the soul 3Have a great week friends!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

Hello Friday!

/ Jodi / 6 Comments

Stampinup By the Tide
Hello there Friday!   Friday is always my day to share a card I made this week, since it is #FreebieFriday for my WheretheRubberHitstheRoad gang.

(and is it just my screen or does the seashell look 3D to you?  Like it is floating off the page?  I think it is so cool how it looks in this shot, though there was not a good shot that I feel captures the essence of this card because it has so many elements of glitter and dimension and wet droplets, but hard to get in one shot – though it could be this amateur photographer’s lack of ability too!)  🙂

stampinup by the tide 3

Anyway, I had so much fun making this card.  I was inspired by a Stamping “Challenge” on JustAddInk’s Website (Challenge #223) when I designed this card, but alas, I was TOO LATE!  The deadline was in Australian Eastern Standard Time AEST – 14 hours AHEAD of us back in little ole’ Mars, PA USA!)  Oh Jodi!!!

I still love the card and can’t wait to share it with someone special to hopefully brighten their day.

stampinup by the tide 2

Stampinup Products Used:
By the Tide Stamp Set
Lost Lagoon, Whisper White and Night of Navy Card Stock
Lost Lagoon, Pacific Point, Pool Party and Stazon Black Inks
Bubble Circle Embossing Folder
Circle Framelit Dies
Crystal Effects for water bubbles
Alcohol Markers for coloring
Wink of Stella Brush for Glittering
Sentiment:  Jillibean Handwritten Sentiments

Happy Weekend!  We are off to some fun picnics and parties and wedding celebrations!  (I’m getting a new sis-in-law Saturday and celebrating a special day with my brother, Jeff and family!!) 🙂

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

You Overwhelm Me with your Awesomeness

/ Jodi / 6 Comments

flower patch awesomeness with kinda eclectic

I had SOOO much fun making this card.

I stamped

and I punched out

and I glued

and embellished

and got a bit carried away…

A little overwhelming???….

I think the sentiment matches the card perfectly – a little overwhelming…

a little awesome….

flower patch awesomeness with kinda eclectic 3 inside

I can’t wait to share this card with someone who deserves to know how awesome and BeYouTiful they are.

Happy #FreebieFriday!  Hope you have an overwhelmingly awesome weekend!

flower patch awesomeness with kinda eclectic 2

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

PS   For my SU friends, I used the new Flower Patch and Kinda Eclectic stamp sets for this card, and it was inspired and CASE’d from Nance Leedy.

A little Kindness goes a Long Way

/ Jodi / 6 Comments

Kinda Eclectic Kindness CASEd ilina crouseBack in January (could that really be six months ago!?), I was all gung ho on participating in the One Little Word project.

“Kindness” was the word I had chosen.

Then I decided to take it a little “deeper” and changed my word to “Accept.” (but that is probably for another day…. another blog….)

I followed the project for a couple months, but for some reason, I just didn’t stick with it.  (I applaud a few friends who I know are sticking to their “reflections,” “choices,” and “moxie!”)

Well – Even though I changed my “one little word”…. and didn’t stick with the program, I am still reminded of my original and “gut instinct” word when I look at something I wrote on the chalkboard in my home office:

“A Hug is a Blanket of Kindness”

Do you ever stop and think how SIMPLE it is to make a difference in someone’s life?

An impact on the world?

Have you thought about how much a real, genuine, T I G H T, last-to-let-go hug means to someone?

I held a training session at work yesterday for one of our teams on one of my favorite topics:  Customer Service – and specifically – how a Complaint is a Gift!  No matter how many times I talk about it, or how many times I present the same topic, I get excited….   I get energized…  I get downright giddy about the endless opportunities at our fingertips and on the tip of our tongues – both personally and professionally – when we simply display kindness.

You see – customer service, handling complaints, and simple acts of kindness – are really such basic concepts.

Why do we try to complicate things so?

Why do we look for magic bullets?

Miracle creams?

Quick fixes?

What happened to the simple act of kindness?

The simple gesture of a genuine hug?

Do you let the world around you affect your day or do you make an impact on others?

I make it my daily goal, even if it is simply with the teenage boy or middle-aged woman working the cash register at the local grocery store, to share KINDNESS with everyone I interact with.

Do you let that “grouchy” checkout lady ruin your day or your shopping experience or your moment? Or do you make it your personal challenge, like I try to do, to make that person smile…? leave them with a positive, kind thought?

It’s kinda fun really.

It’s kinda eclectic.

Hmmm…  That is the name of the new stamp set I used from StampinUp to make this card:  Kinda eclectic

Can’t wait to decide who to send it to and share a little kindness.

Don’t underestimate the power of simple kindness, random acts of kindness, and the value of a TIGHT, last-to-let-go hug.

A little act of kindness goes a LONG way!

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

 

PS   For my stampin’ friends, this card was made using the new in colors, Kinda Eclectic stamp set, and Gorgeous Grunge Stamp set.

Love ya

/ Jodi / 10 Comments

big dealI wasn’t going to post today, but it’s a friend’s birthday, and she asked me to write a blog post today for her birthday – “not about her – just something fun” is what she said.

PRESSURE!!

It got me thinking about all the birthdays we are celebrating right around now – FUN! FUN!  We will continue to celebrate our Colleen tomorrow with a family dinner and then my BFF Jill’s birthday is Monday and a couple more right around now.  (And one that I forgot about last night at JB for a sweet friend that I must make up!!)

Thinking about all of these birthdays and these wonderful friends and dear family members makes me smile.  I am so fortunate to have these wonderful people in my life that I love so much and that love me back!  Go figure!

One of my (many) weird quirks is the need to have the last thing I say be “Love Ya” when hanging up the phone with family or friends or saying good-bye after being together.

Marty tells me I’m a pessimist because I always think the worst.  I really don’t think I am.  I think I usually see the bright side in most everything.  I always like someone until they give me reason not to – you don’t have to prove yourself to me.  I automatically like you.

I fall in love very easy too!  I love people!  I’m not talking in the “I want to marry you” kind of way.  Already got that covered!

I mean I genuinely love people.  Love meeting new people.  Love learning about their “story.”  Love making people happy.  I enjoy being with people – nope – not a loner here.

So back to the pessimist comment.  I always end conversations with “Love ya” because I always think – If this is the last time I see this person  – or the last time I talk to them – I want the last thing they remember I said to be that I love them.

Pessimistic?  I don’t know…  I do worry.  About E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G when it comes to my family and friends because I love them so much and don’t want anything to happen to them.  I know it’s unproductive and I’m working on that, but in the meantime – I am just going to keep making sure that every time I hang up the phone or say goodbye –  I say “Love Ya.”

…and oh how I love it when they say it back!

Yep – that’s me – life in between.

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

PS And Happy Birthday Julie!  Hope this was ok!  Love ya!