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Bear hugs are the best

/ Jodi / 44 Comments

bear hugs

Don’t you just love a “good” hug?!

A hug where the other person grabs and squeezes and embraces and holds on tight?

I always try to make it my thing to be the last to let go; and it is funny how sometimes I get into holding on battles with some of my friends and family who take me up on the challenge, and we keep hanging on and laughing and squeezing and hugging.

It’s just the best!

Did you know the average length of a hug between two people is three seconds?

But researchers have discovered when a hug lasts 20 seconds, there is a therapeutic effect on the body and mind.*

The reason is that a sincere hug produces a hormone called oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone.”  Oxytocin has a calming effect on the body and mind and can help us relax, feel safe and calm our fears and anxiety.

The best part is… this wonderful gift (a simple hug) can be offered free of charge every time we have a person in our arms.

Isn’t that empowering?

Doesn’t it give you hope in kindness and love and goodness and grace in our world (especially amidst crazy things happening like the awful Paris attacks yesterday) that you have something you can give at any given time to any person you choose right now that can make them feel better?

Not only are hugs a great gift, we all NEED them.  It has been said:

“We need 4 hugs a day for survival,

8 hugs a day for maintenance,

and 12 hugs a day for growth.”

So we better get busy!

Give somebody a bear hug today.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

*Psychology Today

Black + White + Silver + a Color Challenge

/ Jodi / 35 Comments

pp270 1

My design team inspiration card this week for The Paper Players Color Challenge #PP270 is a relatively clean and simple  card.  I made three Christmas cards before I decided I wanted to share this one for my inspiration – a not-Christmas card.

This week’s challenge is to use Black + White + Silver or Gold + One Color, and the other design team members have some awesome inspiration cards (including lots of Christmas cards!)

For my card, I stamped the dragonfly onto watercolor paper in black and then dropped in some W&N Prussian blue watercolor paint (surprise surprise!) very loosely and shook it a bit to make it move and drip.  I also threw a few splatters on just for more freedom and artistic flair.  Once dried, I added some silver brads to complete the front.

One the inside, I stamped the dragonfly again in Night of Navy stamped off twice before stamping on the third hit to make it more subtle and muted.  I then stamped the sentiment on top of it.  Just for a bit more sparkle, which you really can’t see in the photo, I brushed this one with the Wink of Stella.

pp270 inside 1

Card “Ingredients”

Hope my paper player friends will join us in the fun.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

And the WINNER is…..

/ Jodi / 11 Comments

Ann Coleman!

Congratulations Ann!  You are the winner of the card give-away from Sunday’s post.

PP269 Let us Give Thanks Fall Theme Card

I asked hubby to choose a random number from all the lovely comments you left on my post, and he picked Number 37.

So Ann, if you will email me your address to mckinneyjodi@gmail.com, I have a package ready to send with this card and a few more goodies.

Thanks ever so much to all of you, and I’m sure we will do it again soon.

Happy Weekend!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

The Winsor & Newton “Prussian Blue”bird of Happiness

/ Jodi / 54 Comments

Winsor and Newton Prussian Blue Bird of Happiness Watercolor Card

So yesterday I spoke about learning
to wait for paint to dry.

While I was waiting (for the paint to dry)
on my “real” painting that I showed yesterday,

I quickly sketched this little bird
just dying to use more of my
“Professional Artist” Winsor & Newton
Prussian Bluuuuueeeee.

A simple, small, quick, pass-the-time, wait for paint to dry birdie
that I kinda fell in love with…

My Winsor & Newton Prussian Bluebird of Happiness!

Happy Friday!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Thanks ever so much and a Card Giveaway!

/ Jodi / 73 Comments

PP269 Let us Give Thanks Fall Theme Card

How did it get to be November already?!  (And as hubby reminded me yesterday, only a little over seven weeks until Christmas!)

I do enjoy this time of year with all of the holidays and preparations and family time.

November reminds me to be thankful, and our theme for this week’s Paper Players Challenge seems so fitting:  Let Us Give Thanks – Fall Thank You Cards (PP269).

So on this first day of November, I want to say Thank YOU ever so much my “lifeinbetweener” friends.  I so enjoy sharing this journey with you and appreciate your comments and kind words whether in the form of a like or comment here, on Facebook, Twitter, an email or card, or in person.  Thank you for sharing lifeinbetween.me with your family and friends.  I am always amazed when someones comes up to me and says something like, “My friend told me about your blog, and I read it every day,”  And then I love when they tell me what they like best – whether it’s the recipes or stories or photos or DIY cards or watercolor art or crafts or chuckles with Charlie – all the stuff I love to do “in between.”

I would like to send this card to one of you to use to send to someone you want to thank.  Simply leave a comment –  a simple hello or anything that is on your mind, and I will do a random drawing on Friday to choose someone to send this too.  I may even add another bonus card or two!

PP269 Let us Give Thanks Fall Theme Card flat

For my stamping and papercrafting friends, here is how I made this card:

  • I masked off an oval in the center of a piece of very vanilla card stock and stamped it with the Penny Black Script Letter Background stamp in Memento Black ink.
  • I then randomly stamped on top of the edges with the Inkadinkado Maple Leaf stamp.
  • This was followed by sponging the edges in three layers of color beginning with StampinUp Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, and finally Cajun Craze inks.
  • I cut out two ovals with StampinUp Oval Framelits using #2 and #3 from the smallest – #2 in very vanilla and #3 in black.
  • Same sponging was done on the small oval as the larger piece, and then I stamped the Thanks ever so much Sentiment on using the Paper Smooches Pretty Phrases stamp set.
  • To put it all together, I matted with another piece of black onto a Crushed Curry Base.
  • Embellishments to finish it off included some dark brown candy dots, a bow of linen thread, and a ribbon of burlap.

Be sure to check out the other design inspiration cards by our amazing design team at The Paper Players and play along with us.

Thanks again friends, and be sure to leave a comment for the drawing!  I can’t wait to share this with someone.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A”pear”antly Pears!

/ Jodi / 43 Comments

pears in watercolor

I am having so much fun loosening up and watercolor painting while learning online with Art Tutor.  What a great way to learn and grow at your own pace with lots of great tutorials!

These pears are a practice in negative painting in watercolor that I did last weekend.

I lightly sketched two pears in pencil, loosely dropped some yellow and red in them, let dry, and then negatively painted in blue and red.

Trying to get my creative groove back – loosening up and having fun!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A Sketch Challenge for The Paper Players

/ Jodi / 40 Comments

pp268 sketch challenge bloom with hope and timeless elegance dsp

This week’s challenge at The Paper Players is a sketch challenge, so I created this sympathy card for my design team inspiration card.

A little designer series paper from Stampin’ Up’s Timeless Elegance, a little watercoloring on the stamped flower from SU Bloom with Hope, and a cute little bee cut out of English Garden DSP and bedazzled with some Glossy Accents to make it pop and shine!

pp268 sketch challenge bloom with hope and timeless elegance dsp closeup

On the inside, I stamped off the Bloom with Hope flower stamp a few times before stamping in the card to give it a lighter watermarked look and then added the sentiment on top.

pp268 sketch challenge bloom with hope and timeless elegance dsp inside

Hope my papercrafting friends will join us in The Paper Players sketch challenge  #PP268 this week.  I also have to say the other design team members’ cards are exceptionally amazing this week.  Check out these talented ladies!

Claire Creates Cards
Stampin! with Jaydee
The Crafty Owl
Stamping Up North
Week Inklings
Canopy Crafts
Stamp with Sandy
Stamp with Amy K
My Paper Tales

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Awesomely Autumn

/ Jodi / 56 Comments

Fence and Autumn Tree Watercolor Card

It is awesomely Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, and I can’t remember the last time I have enjoyed this season so much!

Is it a more beautiful than ever one this year?  

It seems to be peaking a bit later or lasting a bit longer this year…

The sky seems bluer…

the sun warmer and brighter…

the air fresher…

the colors more vibrant.

Or has it always been like this and I am just learning to appreciate it?

Charlie and I try to talk a walk every day, and there is a beautiful yard we walk by that has this fence that has often attracted me and I have photographed before.  The colors of the trees around it yesterday were so amazing! They inspired me to come back and paint late afternoon.

I have been struggling with my watercolor painting lately… I keep thinking that I should be doing much better at this point, but then I don’t do it as much as I would like.

This little painting just felt good to do.  I was relaxed and just took a half hour to unwind and enjoy.  It is surely not a work of art, but it is a work of heART, and I’m okay with that.

Some wise artist friends have been offering great advice, and I am learning that sometimes trying too hard or not just enjoying what we are doing can stifle our creativity.  I am trying to worry less about what the end result will be and let the art speak for itself, so this is what I ended up with.

My “Mom 2,” Carole, has been an inspiration to me in the journey to learn to love Fall.  She chooses a special tree each day to appreciate, and has influenced me think about it too.

This was my tree yesterday, and I am going to send her this card to let her know how much I appreciate and think of her.

Hope you are having an awesomely amazing Autumn (or Spring for those in the Southern Hemi!).  Happy Weekend!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Charlie’s Thank You Card

/ Jodi / 48 Comments

PP267 Leaves thanks

This week’s Paper Players Challenge #267 is a Clean & Simple Leaves Theme.

I needed a thank you card to send to Charlie‘s “Aunt” Tracy who babysat him while we were away at Krautfest last weekend.   (After all, the sweet “Aunt” that she is, she even let him sleep in bed with her – and hog the covers – and woke up at 6am with him on a Sunday morning to go for a walk!)  THANK YOU my dear friend Tracy!

So this was a great reason to turn my CAS leaves Paper Players Design Team inspiration card into a special thank you card.

Charlie Falls Leaves

Charlie in the Fall Leaves

Trying to keep it “clean and simple,” I chose the StampinUp “For All Things” stamp set with oak leaves that stamp in a watercolory kind of effect.  I stamped them in Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, and Cajun Craze Ink colors, and stamped the sentiment in Chocolate Chip Brown Ink.

PP267 Leaves thanks

Charlie and I wrote her a note of thanks inside, where I also stamped some acorns, which should remind her of the acorns Charlie likes to chomp on our walks and that I like to crack and smash when I step on them to hear that awesome crunching sound.

PP267 leaves thanks inside

You see – Tracy has been my walking partner for the past 20 years or so!  We are neighbors with a path through the woods to each other’s homes now and were neighbors before these homes!  Wow – another testament to how time flies!  We have been walking together all this time and neither of us is skinny yet!  LOL!  But we sure do enjoy the company and the “therapy” our walks provide – both physical and mental.

So thanks, Tracy, for your great friendship.

And thanks to all of you for visiting today.

In all things give thanks, for there is so much to be thankful for!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi (& Charlie)

Maple Leaf Birthday Card

/ Jodi / 26 Comments

PP266

It’s a color challenge at The Paper Players this week, and the colors are “cucumber crush” green, “crushed curry” gold, and “real red.”

I took a bit of a different twist with them for my Design Team inspiration card this week.

For my card, I took sponge daubers and dotted a sheet of very vanilla card stock with all three colors to pretty much completely cover it.  I then heat embossed maple leaves in white over top it, allowing the colors to seep through like Autumn leaves.  I then sponged Memento black ink over the entire thing, and rubbed it off the embossed parts with a baby wipe to give this dramatic masculine effect.

PP266 2

I layered this on top of real red and crushed curry card stock to frame it.

On a strip of vellum, I heat embossed Happy Birthday in black, wrapped it around and glued underneath, adhered to a very vanilla base, and added three black candy dot embellishments.  Oh – and a Wink of Stella 😉 to give it a bit of sparkle that you cannot see in the photo, but adds just a nice shimmer and festive spirit to the card.

PP166 inside

I added another green maple leaf on the inside, and this is a birthday card for my dear oldest son, Jake, who turns 28 this week!   Where did the time go?!  Seems like yesterday I held you in my arms for the first time.  One of the best days of my life!  Love you Jake!  More than you could possibly know! ❤

Hope my stamping and paper crafting friends will join us at The Paper Players this week and you were inspired to create something from my post.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Stamp Sets Used:

  • StampinUp Big Day Stamp Set for Happy Birthday sentiment
  • Inkadinkadoo Maple Leaf Stamp