We have a winner! and... Itty Bitty Blog Candy!

Good morning!

Okay, dear friends!  The winner for the Bunny Box Hop from my blog (drawn randomly) is Redanne.  Congratulations Redanne!  Please email Adela at: 

creationsbyAR at sbcglobal dot net

Enjoy your fabulous new template from Creations by AR, my friend!!!

Please check out my fabulous fellow AR teamies for their winners - you might be lucky too!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now then,

I have an "Itty Bitty Blog Candy" for one lucky reader!

Yes, I did it again.  Really.  How many times will I re-purchase something that I already have?

One of you will win a Tim Holtz Distress Ink "Dried Marigold"!

No hoops to jump through...just leave a comment on this post and tell me that you want to win!  I'll draw a winner on Tuesday, April 3rd - and I will send one of YOU a present on my birthday - 

how much fun is that???

Have a good weekend friends and family!

Hugs and smiles,

Patti J.

Get Hoppy

Hello!

Hoppy Thursday, and welcome to the "Get Hoppy" Mini Hop with Creations by AR ladies.

Adela has done it again!  Wait until you see this adorable Bunny Box!  

I don't have any electronic cutting machines, so I created my Bunny Box using the PDF files.  The template was printed directly to the cardstock.  A little cutting with scissors, a little adhesive, and voila!  A Bunny Box!

Supplies: Creations by AR Bunny Box Template, a*muse Bubblegum Gingham Check Cardstock, Twine from Really Reasonable Ribbon, Marvy Matchables Bubble Gum Pink Dy Ink, Copic RV21 Marker, Cotton Ball, Googly Eyes, Stampin'Up! Square Lattice Embossing Folder

Be sure to hop on to the rest of the blogs.  Each of the team members will be randomly drawing to give away a free template to one lucky commenter, so be sure to leave comments as you hop!  We will each announce our winner on our blogs on Saturday, March 31st.  Good luck!!!

Hop to:

Adela Rossol

Julia Moss

Lisa Somerville

Magdalena Cortez

Me

Sue Kment

Thanks for hopping with us!  I'll be back Saturday with a winner!

Hugs and smiles,

Patti J.

Just Saying Hello...

Happy Wednesday!

I've had a bit of fun today with my newest a*muse studio stamp set, "Friend to Friend".

Again, I was looking for a card to send a special friend.

Thought I'd pull out this set and see what happened...needed a 5 x 7 card, 

as I'm sending a small gift in the envelope too.

Supplies: a*muse Friend to Friend stamps, Marvy Matchables Jungle Green Dye Ink, Copic Marker YR16, Apricot, Ribbon from stash, a*muse Grass Gingham, a*muse Grass CS, a*muse bellini Venetian Patterned CS, Gina K. Designs Pure Luxury White CS, Layering Weight.

 Oh.   My.   Gosh.   These stamps make up into the cutest cards SO fast!  I didn't time this, but my guess is 15-20 minutes, tops.  Gotta love that!

Next...

Some of the Creations by AR ladies will "Get Hoppy" at 5 a.m. CST tomorrow.  

As always, there will be winners...each blog will be giving away one of the darling Bunny Box templates. Hope to see you tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by - have a good night.

Hugs and blessings,

Patti J.

Food for thought:
Worry never made a day last longer, or the hours go faster...

Time for Apple Pie...

Hi folks!

It is a glorious Sunday in Missouri!  Goodness, I hope you have all gotten outside today for a while. I'm just coloring like crazy, and Steven Tyler's singing to me while I work.

Have lots to do today, so it shall be a short post.  I'm using Carly's great sketch today.  Carly is Kristine B.'s daughter, and is a wonderful young artist.  Stop by her blog and check out her very own digi images :)

Supplies: Authentique DP, Copic Markers, Kaiser Craft Pearls, Colorbok CS, Spellbinder's Circle Dies

Today's share is a sweet little Sarah Kay image, "Time for Apple Pie".  This card was created for my chemo angel patient, and I'll enclose a little apple something or other.  For the flowers, I punched a few circles, cut them in a spiral and rolled them, finishing them off with a pearl.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Sketches by Carly: Sketch
CAS-ual Fridays: Use pastels and black
7 Kids College Fund: Anything Goes

Thank you so much for stopping by.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  I'm off to peel potatoes.  See you all soon.

Hugs and blessings,
Patti J.

Food for thought:  Patience is the one thing that I can never get fast enough to suit me :)

CAS Glam...

Happy Saturday!

It's a good day here today. Weather is beautiful, and DH will be on his way home soon.  He flew out 9 days ago and met DS in Orlando. They've been zipping around Florida, following the St. Louis Cardinal's for Spring Training games.  It's going to be good to have him home again.

I'm sharing a CAS card that I made for a special lady.  I'm enclosing a great little gift pkg. of tissues, and the sentiment on the tissues says "If the shoe fits, buy one in every color".  I love how well my hand tied bow (Really Reasonable Ribbon) turned out!

Supplies: Cardstock: a muse (dots), DCWV (red), Xpress It Blending (white), Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, Tombow Marker, Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Enjoy your weekend, and I'll be back on Monday with some Itty Bitty Blog Candy.

Hugs and blessings, my friends...
Patti J.

Food for thought:  Laughter is a great medication! Get your prescription filled today!

Wish You Were Here...

Greetings!

Wow, here comes another weekend.  Once again, someone or something has snuck away with my week.  Hoping that your week is going well, and quickly, and that you have a nice weekend in store.

Today, I thought I'd share a card that I made to send to our son in law in Afghanistan.  I'm attempting to keep his cards as lump-proof as possible, so this is a one layer card.

Supplies: Copic Markers, Tim Holtz Distress Inks, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, Hero Arts "Wish You Were Here".

This features Hero Arts' "Wish You Were Here" set.  That is also the sentiment on the inside of the card. I very much liked the old fashioned type on the sentiments in this set.  Using post it notes, I masked off each area, and stipple brushed on each ink color, hoping for the look of a floor, wall, and a second room.  I'd seen something like this one time on Michelle Zindorf's blog, and stored it in my tiny brain to try later.  Thought it turned out pretty well and made up nicely for a masculine card.  Masculine and sympathy are my two 'walls'. I really have to work on those!

Have a good night, my friends!  I'm headed to my recliner to put my feet up for a bit.  I'll be taking my friendly laptop with me, and plan to scoot around to your blogs to say hello, and check out your fabulous creations.


Hugs & Blessings,
Patti J.

Food for Thought:  Putting the past behind requires putting the future ahead.

Joyful Spring

Hello friends!

Woohoo....spring has made it to Missouri!  Looking a bit like a storm outside now, but I had the top down on the little car today, and OMG it felt so nice! 

Well, I needed a card for someone special.  I'm a card angel for a lady with cancer, and I wanted to make something bright and perky that looked like spring.  The challenge at the Impression Obsession Blog this week is "Spring is in the Air", so I got out some I-O stamps, and here's what happened...

Supplies: Cardstock, a muse, DP Echo Park Victoria Gardens, Colorbok Black CS, Coloring with Copics, Flower Soft, Stamps: Impression Obsession "Decorate the Season Fence" (G8614) and "Joyful Spring" (B5428), misc. flowers from my stash.

This is the inside of the card. You can barely see a flower peeking at you on the left. There are three flowers on that panel, actually, covering three very nice ink smdges.  Bwahahaha....happens to the best of us!

Don't you just LOVE that dotted background?  I ordered a couple of items from my friend, Shirley, who is an a muse demonstrator.  And free with my order was an adorable set of note cards!  Yup, a rainbow of dots! So you will be seeing spots for a long while...just sayin'.

Hope that you have all had a nice day!  Some of you had contacted me that you'd like to do an RAK for our DD, whose DH was deployed three weeks after their wedding.  I'm sorry, but there were several of you, and  except for a couple of you, I don't recall who wanted some 'ideas'.  If any of you still do want ideas, or addresses, I have some now, so feel free to email me.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart to those who have sent cards, emails, or commented on her blog posts.  (If you want to read a heart wrenching entry, go to Melissa's blog, Marrying the Army, and read the post about the USPS losing her mail from Afghanistan.)  She is so touched that my friends think enough of me and of her to send a handmade card.  We both thank you so much!

Have a wonderful evening!

Hugs and smiles,
Patti J.

Beautiful Life Together

Hello Friday!  Even though I'm retired, there is still something about weekends that makes me go "aaahhhhhhh".

We have friends who's first of three sons has just gotten married.  Today, I'm sharing a card for the newlyweds.

Before I get started, I want to thank those of you who have sent mail to our DD or her DH.  If you would like to see just how much one kind word from a stranger makes a difference, please read this blog entry of DD's. If you don't have time or money to send cards, even a simple caring comment on her blog might make the difference in her day.  Thanks everyone!

Now!  Some of you have emailed me asking for a tutorial on how I did this card:

 

I wish I could take full credit for this beautiful card/technique, but if you recall, this was one of the projects Shirley had for us to do the last time I went to her 'playroom' for a girl's day in'.

Since this technique is perfect for the wedding card I needed to make, it seemed the perfect time to post a tutorial.  Warning - LOTS of photos!

Here's what you need: Stamps (Gina K. Designs 'Beautiful Life'), Inks (Colorbox Fluid Chalks), White CS (GKD Pure Luxury White), Stamp-a-ma-Jig, and sponge daubers.

Working with your lightest color first, daub ink on the flowers.  The chalk ink that I used, will remain moist for some time, no need to huff before stamping.

Using darkest color, finish daubing on color.

Stamp image onto cardstock, being sure to place even pressure for full covrage of image.

Now, you will need some inks for your butterflies. Again, daub on your lightest color first, then your darkest color.

Voila!  Ready to fussy cut!

For the sentiment placement, I use a Stamp-a-ma-Jig.  If you don't have one of these, it is probably the best ten bucks I've ever spent.  Seriously!

First, you will place your stamp on an acrylic block.  Taking the plastic square, you will butt it up against the corner of the Stamp-a-ma-Jig.  (Some people do this at the bottom of the tool - I prefer working at the top of the tool. Your choice!) Now, take your stamp, ink it up, and place it in the corner, flush against the tool, and stamp image.

Now, place the plastic over the main focal image.  When the placement is exactly where you want it to be, move your tool up to the corner of the plastic, and be sure that nothing moves.  When it's exactly where you want it, remove the plastic....

and replace the plastic with your inked stamp.

Your sentiment should be exactly where you wanted it to be!

I should add that the green band at the bottom of the example card is simply a piece of a muse cardstock, cut to size, scored repeatedly, and sanded.  

Thanks for stopping by today!  Hope to be by soon to visit with you, but the lightning has begun again, so it might be a while!

Blessings,
Patti J.

Basket of wishes to cheer you...

Hello there my friends!

Wow, it's Wednesday.  How in the world did that happen, and who stole Monday and Tuesday?  My mom always said that the older I got, the faster time would fly by.  I'm thinking she was right!

I have a 'shaped' card to share with you today.  This was made for the Stampendous March Challenge, which is, shaped cards.  I only have a couple of Stampendous stamps, so you will just have to bear with me as I use them over and over!

Supplies: A Muse CS, Kraft CS, Copic Sketch &21 & Y28, Stampendous "Narcissus" Stamps, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, Recollections Dimensional Squares

Last year, when I went to the stamp show at Collinsville, Ill., I bought the template for this sweet basket from Rubber Cottage.  I altered their pattern a bit, by putting two drop down basket handles on it, where the template called for just one single handle in the middle.  Some teensy brads (from my stash), were added, and the image was stamped twice on the yellow A Muse ginham, so flower in the center could be fussy cut and popped up for dimension.

Hope you like it!  Thanks in measures of OODLES for stopping by today!

Smiles,
Patti J.

Food for thought: 
 "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."  ~Scott Adams

Just Sittin' Here

Good morning!

I'm enjoying this beautiful day, and hope that you are, as well.  On a little hike around the yard with the dogs today, I realized that nearly overnight, our Bradford Pear trees are all beginning to flower.  They are so pretty!  I'll share a photo tomorrow or Thursday after a few more blooms appear.

Today's share is a fun card.  The day is so bright and cheerful, that this card had to be cheerful too.  Hope little Heidi gives you a smile.  This is for a brand new challenge, "Sweet Stamping Pixies".  The theme is "Spring", and you must use a Pixie, Sprite, or Fairy on your card. 

Supplies: DCWV CS., Echo Park Country Drive CS,  Really Reasonable Ribbon's Baker's Twine, Kaiser Craft Pearls, Wal-Mart Nail Heads, C.C. Designs "Heidi Among the Flowers", C.C. Designs "Leafy Branch" Die, Martha Stewart Border Punch, Pink Sharpie Marker, Copic Markers, Amy R. Stamps "Wish You Were Here" Sentiment, Recollections Dimensional Squares, White Vision Pen, Diamond Stickles

Inisde of Card

So, hurry into your stash, and find a sprite, fairy, or pixie, and get creative!  You have lots of time to get into the very first challenge at Sweet Stamping Pixies!

I will also be entering this card in the following challenges:

My Mum's Craft Shop Challenges - Spring
Little Darlings Challenges - Pearls
The Pixie Cottage - Things with Wings
Totally Stampalicious - Flowers
Totally Papercrafts - My Favorite Things (Patterned Papers!)
Crazy 4 Challenges - Spring is in the Air
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
That Craft Place - Anything Goes

Have a great day - hugs!

Patti J.

W I N N E R S ! ! !

Random dot dear hubby chose two winners from the comments on the Creations by AR New Release Projects post!

Drum Roll, please.........

Winner #1 - Gvendalen (Helena) has won the template "Ees in the Bag".   Congratulations, Helena!  Please email Adela for your template.  You will need to let her know which template you won.

Winner #2 - CT girl - Congratulations, CT girl!!!  Your prize is the 'Craft Hutch template'!!!  Please email Adela for your template, and be sure to tell her which template you won!

Adela can be emailed at:  creationsbyar at sbcglobal dot net

You can check out each designer's blog for their winners, as well!

Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments!!!  See you with another new release in a few weeks!!!

Hugs,

Patti J.

Creations by AR - March Release Hop!

Creations by Ar's new releases for March are here!  I'm so happy you could join us for today's New Release Hop, featuring Adela's wonderful new 3-D Templates!   Hopefully, you began your hop at Creations by AR - if not, you can go back at any time.  Below is a list of each designer, with a link to their blog...

As usual, there will be prizes!  You will have several chances to win, by hopping to each designer's blog, and leaving a comment about their projects. Two random winners will be chosen per blog to each receive one of the new templates.  Check back on Saturday to see if you were one of the lucky winners!

My first project today is the Craft Hutch.  This template comes with two different heights for the back piece, as well as three different sizes for test tubes, as they vary in shapes and sizes.  I printed the templates directly onto the DP, cut them out, scored them, and put them together.

Decorating them was fun, too!  The sentiment and image are from Impression-Obsession. (B5578 When I count and H4161 Thanks Collage).  DP is A Muse blue gingham.

Next is a darling St. Patrick's Day Hat!  This is called Hat's Off.  I printed the pattern, cut it out by hand, traced it onto the CS (Best Creation), and cut again on this one.  The CS has some slickness to it, and didn't want to go through my printer.

This hat is so cool, as it's two separate pieces!  The top lifts off, revealing a special hiding place for candies, jewelry, rubber stamps, etc.  What a darling favor for a party - the template includes a patriotic look too, with stars and stripes!

Last, is the new purse template, "ES" in the Bag.  I chose to finish mine as a gift bag for a spring candle.  I think you will like it as well.  Again, there are two different looks - this pretty scalloped look, and more of a straight edge, with a funky shaped handle!  SO much fun!

I used some glittery CS from Best Creation, a beautiful die from Our Daily Bread Designs, the Bird Punch from Stampin' Up, DP from Simple Stories, Kaiser Craft Pearls, a doily from Dollar Tree, and some flowers and ribbon from JoAnn's.

Hope that you are enjoying the hop!  Hop on, my friends, to Sue's blog, and I'll see you back here on Saturday, with two winners!!!

Adela Rossol:   http://cbyar.blogspot.com/

Amy Park:   http://tethered2home.com/ 

Lisa Somerville:   http://www.lisasomerville.com/

Magdalena Cortez:   http://axesdesigns.blogspot.com/

Mandy Gill:   http://littlespaceofmyown.blogspot.com/

Patti J. Gilliam: http://www.cherisheachpreciousday.blogspot.com/

Sue Kment:   http://suesstampingstuff.blogspot.com/

Have a great day - Patti J.

Tray Chic...

Hi there, and happy Tuesday!

What a glorious day we have in Missouri!  Mostly clear skies and 70 degrees.  Lots of wind, but no complaints from this hillside.  Edited 30 minutes later:  Okay, I take it back.  It is now windy AND cloudy. Ugh...

I found a little project that I created in Feburary and never posted, so thought I'd share it with you.  It is a template from Creations by AR, called Tray Chic.

CS: A Muse, DP: Doodlebug Design, Sweet Cakes

This tray is as easy as falling off a log, to put together.  If you have a cutting machine, it's REALLY quick.  I don't have, so all of my samples for the DT are cut by hand.   And, although, I've used Valentine's papers, can't you just imagine this for St. Patrick's Day next Friday?  The template is is available here, and is quite reasonable.

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to stop back by on March 8th, for a new release for Creations by AR.  I will be sharing three amazing new templates with you!

Have a good day,
Patti J.

Lots to share....

Hello friends, and Happy Thursday!

I have a lot to show today, beginning with a card that my friend Shirley and I made yesterday after watching a video on Stamp TV.  To see Shirley's card, check out her blog!  As there are SO many photos, I'm keeping the verbage to a minimum, so if you want to know anything, ask away!

This uses the Stampendous "Narcissus" stamp.  Beautiful isn't it?  And, Oh My!  That Amuse yellow dot CS is perfect!  I've become a huge fan of their CS.  It's just the right thickness to work with, and looks so pretty.

Next, we created another card fashioned after a video on Stamp TV.  It features the Stately Flowers 2 Stamp set by Melanie Muenchinger that I guest designed for a few weeks ago.....

The sample in the video was done in greens and dark colors, but I wanted to try some pink!

Next up, are the gift bag sets that the ladies created in my workshop at the YMCA Women's Wellness Weekend event at Trout Lodge last Saturday.  Every single set was different - we used a ginormous paper pack from K & Company that had such beautiful prints.  The morning workshop was sort of shabby chic, and the afternoon had fun with Easter/Spring colors.

Last, I made up some diaper shaped favors, some candy bar favors, and some Thank you cards for a lady in town who is co-hosting a baby shower this month.  This darling image is from Just Some Lines, and the sentiment is Hampton Arts. Again, Amuse CS was used for everything.  The favors were pretty simple, and I didn't even take photos (sorry!), but here are the cards, and the little box that I made for them...

In closing, I am asking for your thoughts, well wishes, and prayers if you are one that prays...

Our wonderful new son-in-law had to leave Colorado this week on his third deployment.  Of course, we pretty much wanted to tie him up and keep him 'stateside', but that could not be....   It looks like it will probably be several months, at best.  If you are interested in putting Nick on your card ministry, please get in touch with me, and I'll pass on his mailing address.

Prayers are needed for our dear daughter, as well, as the bright spot in her days is on assignment elsewhere.  Please keep the newlyweds in your thoughts, as well as Nick's parents, who must be devastated that he's had to go again, for the third time. Thanks!

I'm entering the Narcissus card here:
CCEE Stampres - Spring Scene
Cute Card Thursday - Signs of Spring
Delightful Sketches - Spring Colours


Have a great day - I think I'm almost caught up on visiting all of you!  Will be back to see what you've been up to tonight. Hugs and blessings,

Patti J.