HOMESICK . . .

Literally. I'm home sick today - fever, headache, stomach upset. I slept in until 8a.m. at which time DH woke me up throwing clothes on the bed. He was looking for hangers to start laundry. Can't complain about that when he does the laundry now can I???

I got up, did the bathroom routine, checked email, checked Splitcoast and decided to make JUST ONE card before going back to bed. Card making for me is like eating Lays potato chips - I can't stop at just one - but since my head is pounding it was much easier to stop today.

There were three challenges on Splitcoast that I wanted to participate in so I decided to combine all three into this one card. The first challenge is the Color Challenge for the week which was to use Very Vanilla, Kiwi Kiss (or Old Olive), and Baja Breeze. The second challenge is the Card Sketch and the third is the Ways to Use It which required participants to use a charm on their card. (No! Harry Potter fans- NOT that kind of charm the kind you would find on a charm bracelet.) Check out this link to a post by Biggan. I loved her card. It's so modern looking with such clean lines.

This is my entry for the challenges:

The main image is Froggy Gift from High Hopes and was colored using Stampin'Up Markers. The key to coloring this way is to use 140# Watercolor paper. It allows the colors to flow and blend into each other. The Old Olive print paper is a scrap piece from the Little Boy Simply Scrappin kit. I used two Cuttlebug Folders - one for the main background and one to apply texture to the Baja Breeze square. Silver brads finish the piece.

Hope you enjoyed looking at all the cards on Splitcoast and here on my blog. It's really fun to play along with the challenges - they stretch your style and cause you to try out things that you normally wouldn't do. There is also a technique challenge on Mondays - some I like, some I don't - but you don't know until you give them a go.

Thanks for taking the time to visit.

Jill

HE'S HERE!!!!!

Yes - he arrived. He flew into town this morning and was waiting for me on my front porch when I arrived home from work and WOW! IS HE EVER GORGEOUS!!!! No, no, no - I'm not throwing over my darling husband of 26 years for someone new - It's my new BigShot!!!! I was so excited to get to home this evening to play with it - but then, as usual, life got in the way. As I was coming up the hill towards home my van started making this awful rattling sound, lost it's 'oomph' and shot white smoke out the back end. Hmmmm. Think maybe there's something wrong with the engine??? The emission light started flashing like a firefly in summer and I knew then it was definitely a BIG problem. It is now safely housed at the dealership awaiting official diagnosis.

But enough of the boring stuff - HERE HE IS!

Isn't he gorgeous???

I got a little play time in tonight and made two cards. The first one is made from PINK PIROUETTE and WHISPER WHITE cardstocks. The main layer is embossed using the Cuttlebug Snowflake embossing folder run through the BigShot. The image is a stamp I picked up on sale at Big Lots. It is stamped with Pretty in Pink ink and cutout with a circle NESTBILITIES and then trimme to the embossed edge. I die cut the scallop circle behind it out of Whisper White with a scalloped circle NESTABILITES of the same size as the original circle the placed a Stardust Stickles covered snowflake cut from the Stampin'Up! Sizzlits set of 4 dies in the middle of the image. The tiny snowflake in the center of the snowflake is a button with the threadholder removed. I punched slits using the horizontal slot punch and ran a length of pink ribbon I purchased at JoAnn's around the card and tied in a knot.

The second card is a birthday card for a friend of my son's. It was a last minute request (are there ever any other kind???) and HAD to be purple. The base card is from a set of pre-cut and folded linen cards I purchased years ago from Joann's. It blends perfectly with SU's Lovely Lilac and Almost Amethyst which are the colors I used to color the image from IN FULL BLOOM. The base card was embossed using another Cuttlebug embossing folder. The metal piece is from the SU Hodgepodge hardware and houses an image from the stamp set: IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY.

That's it for tonight - and probably my final chance to play with my new toy for a week or so. I'm shooting a wedding this weekend and another next weekend so I think my evening hours will be spent in a different creative pursuit: photo editing.

Enjoy your weekend - take time to rest, take time to worship, take time to love, take time to play.

Jill

WHERE ARE ALL THE MEN?????

or should I say "cards for men?" I needed a card for my nephew whose birthday is tomorrow so I went to my stash of more than 300 cards and do you think I could find even ONE masculine birthday card in the lot? Of course not! There were birthday cards for children - male & female alike and birthday cards for women but NOTHING for a guy. I know where my future lies now - I'll be remedying that situation soon.

Anyhoo - here's the card that I came up with for tomorrow's birthday. My nephew is a bow hunter and each fall/winter he searches out the perfect buck. Don't be too angry - I know I find it hard to think that such a beautiful animal falls prey to his arrow - but he DOES use it for food too.

I embossed a piece of Bravo Burgundy cardstock using a Cuttlebug Embossing Folder as well as Night of Navy and Kiwi Kiss cardstock, Old Olive 1/4" ribbon, a piece from the current Stampin'Up! Hodgepodge hardware set, and silver brads. The image itself is from a retired Stampin'Up! set called Noble Deer that I colored with markers then sponged using different colors for the sky. The mountain range was originally a cloud in the sky as is shown in this card by KristineB at Splitcoast, but I used the night of navy marker to "re-draw" a few lines and to color in the mountain shapes. By doing that, part of the lower sky then became a lake. The last bit to the image was to add highlights with a white gel pen.

The brads in the hodgepodge look off kilter but are actually evenly spaced using a piercing tool and the Stampin'Up! mat pack. I think I moved it a little when I was gluing it in place. I added dots and "faux stitching" to add a little interest but now wish I had used the piercing tool around the edge instead. Maybe on my next one - AND THERE WILL BE A NEXT ONE! I've got to build up my stock of cards for men. So in answer to the original question "where are all the men (cards)?", they are waiting to be created. Let's get busy ladies. Here's a challenge for all of you: create a masculine card, either email it to me or send it through snail mail and I will post it on my blog so that we can all be inspired by each other. It's time to get busy -

Have fun and get creative.

Jill

MARK YOUR SPOT!

The SCS challenge for today is called "Mark Your Spot". Intriguing isn't it? Basically the challenge was to create a "non-traditional" bookmark. I thought about it all afternoon, had the design in my head, and decided to use the little gnome reading a book from the SU Gnobbly Gnome set. When I got home tonight I sat down at my desk and saw a scrap of Kiwi Kiss cardstock sitting there and began playing with it. It coordinates so well with the Bella Rose Designer Paper but I didn't want an elegant bookmark - I wanted something a little more homespun so the red & white gingham paper from that set was the perfect choice. Once I pieced it together it cried out for scallops and buttons, so those came next. The last thing to go on would be the stamp itself - but somehow the little gnarled gnome just didn't seem the right choice. I wanted to make the bookmark for a friend that enjoys reading - and the gnome doesn't look a thing like her!!!! Maybe words would be the best thing. So much for my well thought out design. This isn't ANYTHING like it! :) The bookmark is the top right corner and slips off to reveal a hidden message.

I demonstrated the BIGSHOT at a workshop yesterday afternoon. What fun!! I spent the day Saturday playing with it and a variety of dies, embossing folders, stencils and materials. I have to tell you - I CAN'T WAIT TO ORDER MINE!!!! It is so lightweight (especially compared to the heavy ended old red Sizzix) and very user friendly. I definitely prefer it to the Cuttlebug (which can do the same things). It appears to be more durable, it can cut a greater variety of materials and can accept even the largest of the dies currently on the market. It makes dry embossing a breeze!

These are some of the items I made using it.

The owl treat bag was made using one of the exclusive Stampin'Up dies called "Top Notes". I demonstrated that die first. When I started to introduce the next die which was the scalloped envelope my great-niece Annabelle wanted to know if this one was the "bottom notes"? Don't you love the way a child's mind works? It makes perfect since really - if there's a top note there HAS to be a bottom note doesn't there???

The butterfly is cut from a glittery piece of felt and glued to the card front which was embossed using a Cuttlebug embossing folder run through the BigShot. I cut a second one from the black felt, another from hot pink felt which I cut apart for the body then sewed both pieces to a light pink t-shirt. It turned out pretty cute (if you don't look to closely at my hand stitching) but unfortunately I forgot to take a pic of it before giving it to Annabelle.

In case you haven't guessed by now, "I LOVE THE BIGSHOT!!!" I can't wait to start playing with the snowflake dies that I'm ordering - I have several ideas for those.

Thanks for visiting my blog and reading my ramblings.

Have a great day and make sure to schedule a little play time today.

Jill

A DAY LATE AND ...

more than a dollar short at this point - but in this economy who isn't???

This was supposed to have been my post yesterday as my entry into the SCS color challenge which is always posted on Tuesdays on their website - but I work on Tuesdays and by the time I get creative and actually finish my card it's bedtime. I don't know about you but my fingers don't work to type after 10p.m. on week nights even if my brain were alert and willing (which of course it isn't).

The challenge was to use Going Gray, Riding Hood Red and Always Artichoke. The challenge for me was making the Going Gray work. Actually the first challenge was coming up with Going Gray cardstock in the first place since I don't own ANY gray cardstock. I created it by coloring the edges of Whisper White Cardstock with a Going Gray Stampin' Write marker.

The image is a current hostess set called "Serene Spring". I colored it using markers on watercolor papers and an aqua painter. I pierced holes around the edge of the image and it's mat with a piercing tool and pad from Stampin'Up!'s Mat Pack then added faux stitching with the small end of a Stampin'Write marker. The circle was first stamped in Craft White on Always Artichoke with the snowflake stamp from "SU Seasons of Joy" and then punched out. I punched out the middle to leave a hole and then punched a circle from Whisper white that was the same size as the Always Artichoke Circle and layered it underneath. I stamped a greeting from Fancy Flexible Phrases and added faux stitching around the edge. The shiny circles are acrylic pieces I purchased from Scrapadoodle in Peoria.

On a personal note: hubby's blood sugar level continues to fall. He was down to 237 this evening which is a 100 point jump since last night! The medication appears to be working as does his dedication to his new healthy diet.

Thanks for taking the time to view my blog. Have a good night's rest and a great tomorrow.

Jill

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAULA JACOBS!!!!!!

I'm having a little difficulty with my blog - not sure exactly what's happening - but I created a new post yesterday with several photos of what's been happening in my life the past week - hit the post button and BAM! it disappeared. Today I got as far as the title and it posted all by itself - so I'm trying the third time with some changes.

The first change is the card is at the bottom of the post.

The second change to yesterday's blog post is that today is a different day and today is the birthday of one of my newest friends: Paula Jacobs. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAULA!!!! Hope it's a great one!

The third change is I'm NOT going to post the photo of my "broken" nephew Roland. He was in a car accident on Saturday morning and is broken from the orbital bone to the ankle on his left side. After a 4 hour surgery on Saturday he is pinned and the elbow and knee and has a rod holding his femur together. This is the reason is important to get plenty of rest before you get behind the wheel of a car. It is GUARANTEED that if you fall asleep at the wheel and run off the road there will ALWAYS be a tree to stop you!

This week was a bit of a rough one - my hubby was diagnosed with diabetes after ending up in the emergency room last Tuesday with a blood glucose level of 853! It has been quite an adjustment to our lives - I'm actually cooking meals now! If you know me you know that this really is a HUGE adjustment because John has been the main cook in our family for years. But he is not very knowlegeable about carbohydrates, proteins and lipids and how to balance them so the meal planning and cooking is now my "thing". His sugar level remains higher than normal (in the mid 300's now) but he is feeling better and is doing EXTREMELY well with the newly imposed diet restrictions. I'm really very proud of him - I know how hard it is to give up the foods that you love the most.

Then - there was the water. Did anyone else get water in their basements this weekend? Cindy C. sure did! 6" of standing water in a basement that hasn't flooded in the 10 years she's lived in her home. We got about an inch in various places throughout the basement which meant that the Ava, our little blind dog slept upstairs with us overnight. Fortunately everything that is stored in the basement had been put up on shelves this summer so we didn't lose anything.

With that week behind me I created ONE card after returning home on Saturday night at 11:00 p.m. I was beginning to get the "shakes" from having stamping withdrawal and just 'HAD' to stamp and color something. THIS is the result.


Hope you all have a wonderful day today - that you are rested, dry and healthy.

Thanks for reading.

Jill

SNOWFLAKES AND CUPCAKES

Was at home today working on baby shower and wedding "stuff" so didn't get to play until later this evening. I participated in the Splitcoast's TECHNIQUE LOVER'S CHALLENGE and was totally at a loss because I don't have any Pearl Ex or Lumiere- but after seeing the sample card I thought I might be able to substitute with Archival Brilliance Pearlescent Ink Refills.

Supplies Used:

Archival Brilliance Ink Refills: PEARLESCENT PURPLE; PEARLESCENT YELLOW

4.25" X 5.5" piece of acetate

Stipple Brush

Cuttlebug Snowflake Embossing Folder

Big Shot, Sizzix or Cuttlebug Machine

Whisper White, Certainly Celery & Lavendar Lace Cardstock

140# Watercolor Paper

Inkadinkadoo Clear Acrylic Cupcake Stamp Set

Stazon Jet Black Ink

Markers

Nestabilities

Stickles

Crystal Effects

Dimensionals

Ric Rac

Directions:

Using a stipple brush, apply the lightest color of Pearlescent Ink to the bristles and stipple (bounce) the color onto the acetate - leave some open areas.

Repeat process with a second (darker) color of reinker in the open areas.

Apply clear embossing powder to entire surface and heat emboss. BE CAREFUL NOT TO STAY TOO LONG IN ONE SPOT OR THE ACETATE WILL MELT.

Place the painted acetate sheet in the embossing folder with the painted side down.

Finish the card as desired. NOTE: acetate does not bond well using Snail Adhesive or other glue runners.

From this point I stamped and colored my images, applied stickles and Crystal Effects to blend with the shimmery background, adhered the layers, added ric rac, etc.

That's it - today's SCS Challenge - and let me tell you - I found it VERY challenging!

Hope you have a restful Tuesday and remember:

Start every day off with a smile and get it over with. W. C. Fields (Just kidding!)

Jill

CHRISTMAS CARDS ANYONE???

I had a very busy but productive weekend and even managed to get some stamping time in tonight before calling it a day - which by the way was supposed to have been an hour and half ago. Oh well! It's not the first time I've stayed up past my bedtime to play.

This is the card I created this evening which was inspired by a lovely card by "Notimetostamp" on Splitcoast Stampers. You can view her card here. This was fairly quick and easy to complete. I used my Sizzix to emboss the Cuttlebug folder and cut out the Nestabilities shapes because I don't have the BigShot yet. That minor detail will be remedied tomorrow btw. Fantastic machine!!!! I used it last night at a scrap and decided it is a "must have" afterall. The stamp set I used is a retired Stampin' Up set called Seasonal Sprays. The greeting is also SU bt from the current set: Season of Joy.

The second card many of you have seen up close and personal as it is one I was going to demo at a workshop in August. I'm adding it here at the request of one of the workshop attendees.

I must be off - have to get my beauty sleep cuz we all know how desperately I need it!!!!

Have a great day tomorrow (if you so choose) and remember:

The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks for your friendship.

Jill

TODAY IS A THREEFER...

just in case you don't know - that means 3 for the price of one! Seriously - I'm posting 3 cards I made this week as part of a Splitcoast challenge to use fancy designer paper as part of our card. It could be glittery, embossed, flocked etc. This TRULY was a challenge for me. I like touches of Stickles on my projects but to use that as basis for the card - what to do, what to do. These are what I came up with.

I started this first card with Designer Paper from K&Company called "Halloween Whimsy". I don't know why it's called that - it doesn't look anything like Halloween to me! I colored the image from Inkadinkadoo directly on the rubber using my SU markers, lightly spritzed the stamp then stamped it onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock then stamped the greeting from SU Small Script in Bravo Burgundy. The edges are sponged in Old Olive and are bordered by Old Olive Cardstock and a piece of SU Bella Rose Designer paper. The leaves are a sticker I found at a local scrapbook store and the faux brads were created using Green Stickles.

This scraggly little scarcrow is from Rubberneckers. He was a freebie a couple of weeks ago on their Treasure Hunt Tuesday promotion. Isn't he cute???? The paper I chose for this card is from SU's Fall/Winter Collection 2007 entitled: Creepy Crawly. To make it fit with the SCS challenge I added stickles to some of the lines. The image was stamped with Jet Black Stazon ink onto 140# watercolor paper, colored with SU markers then layered onto Old Olive and Basic Black cardstock which was cut using Nestabilities. I added Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon, a few dots with the white gel pen, and stickles to the harvest moon to finish.

The last card uses the same image and coloring technique as the first one. Though I did add some speckles using SU's Itty Bitty Backgrounds. Obviousy the colors were changed to coordinate better with the background paper which was from Best Creations. The designer paper has just a touch of Cameo Coral marker applied to the center leaf to blend with the outer image border which was cut with a Nestabilites. It also has glitter and shine which does NOT show up well in the photo. The inner image border is a piece of the Bella Rose DP from SU. The main cardstock is Mellow Moss and stamped in Always Artichoke with some stardust stickles applied randomly throughout. I added organdy ribbon that I died using the Handsome Hunter inkpad and a spongedauber.

That's it for today. I'm off to Galesburg this afternoon to scrapbook. We are making a scrapbook using the new 8 1/2 x 8 1/2" On Board Album from SU and one of the Simply Scrappin' kits. It's supposed to be able to be completed (photos and all) in 4 hours! I'll let you know how THAT goes!!!!

Hope you have a quiet and relaxing weekend.

Remember - God created for 6 days and rested on the 7th. I think we should follow his example and be creative and "play" the majority of our time don't you???? :)

Jill

GOT MY RUBBERNECKER STAMPS

Remember last Tuesday I told you about the Treasure Hunt Tuesday at Rubberneckers? Well, I wanted more than just the one freebie so I ordered a few stamps. They arrived in the mail yesterday and I was able to get in a little "play" time last evening. Here is one of the cards I made using a sentiment stamp and the candy corn image. I originally ordered this thinking it would make a cute candy bag topper for the nieces and nephews - but the image is really quite large so I don't know how it will look. Guess I'll find that out on another play day.

The second card is a birthday card for one of my nieces who has an October 29th birthday and loves cats. She usually gets a "dark" card - its kind of her sense of humor. The stamp is called "Midnight & Jack" from Rubberneckers and the greeting is handwritten and says "Hi! just witchin' you ...", The inside says "... a totally wicked birthday!" I used Tango Tangerine, Kraft, and Basic Black carstock as well as the Halloween Designer Paper from the Spring/Summer 2008 catalog.

That's it for today. Thanks for taking the time

to check out my blog. Have a good one!

Jill

SU WHEELS, NESTABILITIES AND RUBBER STAMPS

I know some of you are wheel challenged - you've told me so yourselves. If you like the designs of the SU wheels but can't seem to roll them in a straight line - and are ONLY interested in using them for cardmaking and NOT scrapbooking - here is a link for you. No more rolling - no more storage problems, etc.

I have been cheerfully creative this past weekend - but can't show you ANYTHING I worked on until mid September because the recipient of some of these things reads this blog. So, I have no new card(s) or items to show you today. BUT, I DO HAVE NEWS. If you are interested in purchasing any of the NESTABILITIES sets, Rubbernecker has them on sale for $6 less a set than you can buy them at Hobby Lobby. I don't know how long the sale will last so you might want to check it out soon.

The image at left is from an online rubber stamp company called "I brake for stamps". The company is based in the U.S. and their images are well drawn. Lori L. - I thought you might be particularly interested in some of the sets with this company. Check them out if you have time.

The last item of interest is that the BIG SHOT went on sale today through Stampin'Up! If you order the Special Edition Starter Kit you have technically "hostessed" your own workshop. So in addition to receiving the starter kit contents (- Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, -Multipurpose Platform, -Standard Cutting Pads, -2 Stampin’ Up! Exclusive BigzTM Dies [(Scallop Envelope and Top Note, shown on page 3)], -1 Stampin’ Up! Exclusive Sizzlits 4-Pack [(Birds & Blooms, shown on page 3)], -1 Stampin’ Up! Exclusive Decorative Strip [(Join in the Cheer, shown on page 4)], and the Decorative Strip Cutting Pads and Extended Spacer Platform)] at a discounted price, you also receive a free hostess Level One Stamp Set and $15 worth of free product. If you purchase the bag as well, you have bumped up to the next hostess level.

113481 Special Edition Starter Kit $195.95
113482 Special Edition Starter Kit with Bag $259.95

Have a great Tuesday and remember to take time to "play" a little everyday.

Jill