Stamping

Bloom with Hope – Always and The TOUGH MUDDER!

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Bloom with Hope Always

StampinUp Bloom with Hope Watercolored in Shades of Blue

Tomorrow is THE BIG DAY!  Jackie and Matt’s Wedding!!

Hopefully she is much too busy to be bothered reading my little ole’ blog post (or she will see her wedding card!)

This card is my #FreebieFriday post for our #WheretheRubberHitstheRoad group, and I couldn’t be more excited for a Friday!

Tomorrow’s celebration will be followed by an overnight with some of our besties, Joyce and Rob, followed by the #ToughMudder Event on Sunday, where Jake and Nick are participating in a team with Nick’s best buddy, Jon and his sister, Kelly.  Go Team McKinney/Randza!

#ToughMudder is a 10-12 mile (18-20 km) obstacle course designed to test all-around strength, stamina, teamwork, and mental grit.  The idea of Tough Mudder is not to win, but to have a story to tell!

Check out this video:


Oh Boy!  Eh?  It sounds like a lot of fun (for us spectators!) and is for a great cause – the Wounded Warrior Project.

Hopefully, I will get some fun photos and have some good stories to tell, but until then, have a great weekend all!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

PS – In perusing some new bloggers and blogs, I came across a fun new challenge site:  Addicted to Stamps Challenge Blog and Laurie’s beautiful entry into the CAS Challenge #109.

CAS means “clean and simple” in the stamping and cardmaking world, so I thought I would give it a try with this card I made last week for Jackie and Matt’s wedding.

Clean and Simple can often be a challenge for me – I tend to want to over-embellish, but I think I kept this one pretty clean and simple 🙂 .

Color Challenged in a Color Challenge

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PPC 228 swallowtail

For my card-making/stamping escapades this week, I sure was stumped on a color challenge.

I have been enjoying participating in various card challenges as a way to expand my creativity.  The challenges typically give you a sketched layout, an inspiration photo, a particular embellishment that must be used, or a grouping of 3 -4 colors to incorporate into your project.

So…. after feeling a little bit proud (woohoo! I’m easily excited) for being recognized as a “Cut Above” the past two weeks – last week for the Paper Players Challenge #207 Button Challenge (thanks Andrea!) and the week before in the Paper Players Challenge #206 Sketch Challenge (thanks Claire!), I just couldn’t figure out what to do with the Paper Players Color Challenge #208.  I actually made three different cards three nights this week until I settled on the watercolor swallowtail card above to submit.

The challenge was to incorporate 4 colors into your project:  Calypso Coral, Blushing Bride, Hello Honey, and Basic Gray.  Here they are:

pp208

I was having trouble being creative with these colors.

This was my first attempt:

PPC 228

Didn’t love it….

Then I made this one:

Joy PPCUsed the same colors….  different techniques….

Didn’t love it….

Almost gave up…

Then this one came to me:

PPC 228 swallowtail

Still the same colors…. Yet more different techniques….

As I look at all three, I see such a vast difference in all three despite the same four colors being used.

For the one I chose, I watercolored the inks on water color paper with a water brush starting with the blushing bride on top, then calypso coral, and finally hello honey.  After it dried, I stamped the swallowtail on with Memento black ink, then outlined and shaded with some glittery dazzling effects.  I then simply mounted that on the gray card stock, and then onto a white base.  With all the glitz of the butterfly, I thought I should keep the rest muted and simple.

So now I have three cards I can use – all because I was seriously color challenged in this week’s color challenge.  Thanks Nance!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

She left BEAUTY wherever she went

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All Abloom DSP She left beauty wherever she went

Another little treasure from our trip to Hobby Lobby last weekend was this this little stamp set Janet found in the clearance rack.  It “spoke” to both of us, and I had to have it.  It reminds me of so many amazing women in my life.  I wanted to list them – starting with Stella Star all the way through life, but I am afraid I would accidentally forget someone…

I wanted to show pictures, but again afraid I don’t have all that I would want to post and/or forget someone.

But I think this sentiment should really speak to ALL women.

Be your own kind of beautiful….

Know that there are many kinds of beauty…

Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and even senses….

Beauty can be visual or it can be something from the heart – the way someone makes you feel – maybe with the words they use – spoken or written…

Beauty can come from the way something or someone smells…  like flowers or freshly baked bread or cookies or a favorite perfume…

Beauty can be the way something feels – like a tight hug from a friend, your favorite slippers or comforter, your favorite sweater, or the warmth of a kiss.

Know that you have the potential to leave BEAUTY wherever you go!

Happy Friday!  We are off to “The Best Book Club Ever” tonight!  Woohoo!  “People of the Book” by Geraldine Brooks and lots of discussion and wine!  🙂

The layout of this card was designed from the Freshly Made Sketches Sketch #148:

FMS Final 148-001

Go out and be your own kind of beautiful!

All Abloom DSP She left beauty wherever she went

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

25 Things that Make Me Happy

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never too much happy mojo monday 357

A Short and Random List of Just Some of the Things that make me HAPPY:

  1. Lots of people in my home
  2. The phone ringing at 7:03 am – and my Dad on the other end saying “Good Morning”
  3. Marty’s laugh
  4. Seeing my boys in love
  5. Seven Deadly Zins Red Zinfandel
  6. When my boss sends a reply email to a project I’ve done with a one word reply:  “Perfect”
  7. Mikey’s tail wagging and the greeting I get EVERY time I come home – even if I was only gone 10 minutes
  8. Girlfriends – deep conversations and belly laughs
  9. Sunshine and blue skies
  10. Bombay & Tonic with lime and lots of ice on a hot evening
  11. Sending a card to a friend “just because”
  12. My first cup of coffee in the morning with sweet Italian cream
  13. Text messages from Rob and Ella
  14. Brady Bunch songs
  15. The beach
  16. Tight hugs
  17. Smiles from strangers
  18. Christmas music
  19. The smell of Apricot Nut Bread – Grandma’s recipe
  20. Baking cookies for friends and family
  21. Thursday date night to John’s Bar
  22. Finding and giving just the perfect gift
  23. Allowing myself to get lost in a good book
  24. Marty snoring – because that means he is there beside me
  25. People saying “Love ya”

You can NEVER have too much happy – right?!

never too much happy mojo monday 357 flat

So I had fun making this card for Mojo Monday Challenge #357 and using this Stampinup Yippee-Skippee Stamp sentiment:  “You Can Never have Too Much Happy,” which I heat embossed with white on Blackberry Bliss cardstock.

This is the sketch we were to follow:

mojo357

I used some Park Lane DSP, some more of the new In Colors: Hello Honey and Tangelo Twist with some classic Old Olive, and stamped and cut out the flower and leaf from SU Flower Patch.  I embellished with a few of my homemade faux enamel dots, and the finishing touch was a spritz of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist (which I picked up on our brief shopping trip to Hobby Lobby this weekend).  Fun!

never too much happy mojo monday close up shimmer mistI love how the light catches the Shimmer mist, but it was hard to capture in a photograph.  I can’t wait to share this with someone and hopefully make them happy.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Cheers! It’s Friday!

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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!”

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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

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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

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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!

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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

Stampin’ Grateful!

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stop and go neat and tangled

As some of you know, my Marty is a “Traffic Guy.”  He has also been the light of my life for 32+ years.  After putting up with me hosting Girlfriend Camp #GFC2014 this past weekend, I thought he deserved a little “appreciation.”  After all, he did “get out of Dodge” all day Saturday, but was our hero Sunday morning preparing us a breakfast fit for…  well…. the princesses we are! 🙂

Yippee Skippee I Freakin Love You and Chalk lines hearts

I freakin’ love him – for so many reasons.  So when I was in a crafty mood and found a card stamping challenge at Muse (Muse Challenge #77), I strangely thought this matched the challenge criteria.  I used a fun stamp set from #NeatandTangled called Stop and Go, #Stampinup Yippee Skippee and Chalk Lines stamp sets, DSP, card stock and ink, and a vintage Stampinup sentiment stamp from 2002.  My interpretation of the challenge card was in the design of a single object with a single sentiment and a simply framed layout.

Wink of Stella on Traffic Light Stop and Go Neat and Tangled

What I really love about this card, and the pictures just don’t do justice is the “Wink of Stella” Brush I used to glitz up the traffic lights.  Saw #JenniferMcGuire demonstrate it and am not sure if I like it more because it has the name “Stella” in it (my Grandma’s name) or the fun way it adds shimmer with NO glitter mess!

Anway – mailed this to Marty at work to let him know how much he rocks my world.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi