You Perk Me Up!

Hello, Hello!

It feels SO delightful to actually have an internet connection again.  We were without for 7 full days!

We are going to give ATT Uverse a try.  They are to install it on the 5th of July. Sure hope it's good...

Stamps: Stamping Bella 'Perk Me Up Peeps', DP: Gina K. Designs (Blue) and Bazzill (Red), Copic Markers, Kraft CS, Hammermill 100# CS, Colorbok Black CS, E.K. Success Scallop Punch, Perfect Layers Tools for beautiful border (see sidebar for details).

I just have a Sunday creation to share with you.  This is what I did after church :)

It's going to someone very special, along with some Starbuck Via Packages.

Hope they like it!

Happy Monday, dear friends - will be around to see you very soon!

Hugs and smiles,

Patti J.

Happy Thursday!

Goodness, it's Thursday!  Woot woot!  DD is flying in tomorrow afternoon for the weekend. We are so excited!  She's coming in to run the Go St. Louis Half-Marathon on Sunday, and will fly home later that day, but a short visit is better than no visit!  I will more than likely be MIA for the weekend...you all understand!

Short post today!  There's a new artist in town. His name is Robert Jackson, and he's one amazing artist! I was lucky enough to win one of his images last week, so I'm entering it into his very first challenge at Jackson's Digital Expressions.  Hope you like it!  The sentiment is from Great Impressions. I've had it for a long time, and it's a go-to for me!  I really wanted to make this card CAS in order to show off the artist's beautiful creation!

Image: Fine Arts by Robert Jackson, DP: My Mind's Eye "Miss Caroline", Copic Markers, Sharpie Pen, EK Success Zig-Zag Punch, Bazzill Basics CS, X-Press It Blending CS.

I hope that you will stop in and check out his fabulous work!  I'm also entering this card in the challenge at Oozak.com!  Thanks for stopping by!

I wish you well this weekend. If I don't see you again before, I will see you on Monday!

Hugs and smiles,
Patti J.

Happy Sunday!

Happy Sunday!

It's time for another challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ!

This week, the hostess is Grace. She's chosen John 4:10, 13, 14 (NIV) for today's Scripture:

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

This week's challenge is to create a card or project that refers to water in some way. This can be in your image or your sentiment. I was going to use a darling cow in a swimming pool, then thought about a workout gal with a water bottle, but changed my mind! Here is my card...

This is my first week as a design team member with Stampin' Sisters in Christ. I'm very happy to be a part of this wonderful group of ladies. Each of them brings her own special talents, personality, and steadfast faith. I'm very much looking forward to spending some time with them!

The stamp set I chose, was chosen because of the rippling of the water under the boat... I once read a devotional about how we are like drops of water, and how one drop of water by itself is insignificant. It doesn't last long, it evaporates quickly in the sun or wind. By ourselves, we won't last long either - we're made for fellowship with other believers. A drop of water that's put into a larger body of water will cause ripples, and become more significant. As more drops are put into the body of water, the ripples begin to overlap each other. The way that we influence others along life's journey, can have that rippling, overlapping effect as well, by our words and actions.

Have a great week, dear friend, and don't forget to ripple!

Can't wait to see your creations!

I am also entering this at: Alphabet Challenge Blog (S is for scallops).

Hugs and Blessings,

Patti J.

Supplies:

Stamps:The Angel Company, DP-DCWV, CS-Bazzill. All coloring is done with Prismacolor pencils and LOMS. An EK Success edge punch, and Kaiser Craft Pearls were also used.

It's Bugaboo Week at Iris' Spot!

Good morning everyone!

If this post looks familiar, it's because it IS! I posted this last week, and the challenge just begins this week. Just another reason for the OOPS on the card! Sorry, Iris - when you said the picture was due on Monday, I thought you meant LAST Monday! lol...

It's time for Challenge #4 at Iris' Spot!

The challenge this week, should (WHEN) you decide to accept it is to use Black, White, plus two other colors of your choice!

Iris' sponsor this week is Bugaboo Stamps, and Jodie will be giving

one lucky winner SEVEN digi's!!!

So...what are you waiting for? Hurry over and join in the challenge!

Above is my card for Challenge #4. I used black, white, pink, and brown. It's probably not very clear in the photo, but not only is the bench brown, but my ribbon is brown as well.

I had to use the OOPS sentiment for two reasons...(three now!), 1. because, I botched it while trying to do the nestie outside the box thing at Shirley's, and 2. because it looked to me like this little pulled a petal off of the flower and was thinking "oops"! Of course 3. is listed above :)

The image is from "Oh, No She Didn't", one of The Angel Company's newest sets. The sentiment is Stampendous. All coloring is done with Copics on a girls night out at my friend Shirley's! She has a tote full, and I just can't resist coloring when I go there :) The edge punch is EK Success, and the clouds are Die-namics, by MFT Stamps. I won the cloud die a few weeks ago in a Blog Candy from Steph C. (wahoo!)

Hope you like it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Patti J.

I'm a bit late with my mask....

Lol...Just kidding! No, it's not a Halloween mask...

I am the 'leader' at Stamp Club today. I am going to fearlessly lead where no leader has lead before! (Well, it's true, all but the fearlessly part - I HATE being up in front of other people!)

Actually, I was asked to do some beginner masking for our meeting today. There will be possibly 10 ladies at Stamp Club today, and of these, only my DF Shirley has masked before. So, we will do these basic projects, and it it goes well, the next time it's my turn, we'll turn it up a notch and do some collage type masking projects.

I'm certainly not a pro at this stuff, but I've been doing it long enough now that it is really hard for me to tune my mind into words like 'basic', 'easy', 'clean and simple', 'quick', etc....

Anyway, thanks for looking, and I really hope you will drop me a comment letting me know what you think - it's still early enough to do something different!!!

Enough jabber - here are my prototypes...

For this first card, I used an ornament image by Inkadinkado, a sentiment by Great Impressions, and this fabulous script by The Angel Company.

I wanted it to look a bit vintage, and be super fast and easy, so only Colorbox Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink was used. The only embellies are the three mini brads at the bottom of the card.

This next card uses a TAC sentiment, and a Great Impressions Tree Image. At club today, we will also have the option of the Stampin'Up multiple tree stamp. Members can choose whether they want a tall card or a wide card. The Stampin' Up Bashful Blue Ink was stippled on for the sky, and the tree was then stamped multiple times using Adirondack Denim Blue. I dotted the trees with my Uniball Signo white pen, and also with the Sakura Starburst Glitter Pen.

Since the card is dark blue, I figured we'd need something on the inside for writing to show up on, so we will put a piece of white on the inside, and will punch a snowflake (EK Success) out before adhering. The glitter pen will also accent this snowflake (I don't think it shows up on the photo)

So, I've been seeing a TON of pink this year - it appears that pink is the new red!!! So...I thought I would spunk things up a little with some color!!!

So.......last, for this card, I simply 'punched' out a circle from a piece of CS using a circle nestie. Using that circle, again, I stippled the Marvy Magenta Ink into the center using a circular motion, and keeping it a little heavier to the outside edge. I stamped the snowflakes by PSX, and the sentiment by Paper Salon with the Magenta ink. The only embellies were a 2" piece of silver trim, and a bow.

The inside needed 'something', so I stamped the snowflakes once in the top left corner.

So, would love to hear what YOU are all doing today!

Hope to have some blog candy posted by tomorrow! Wahoo!!!

Only a few days and a few hits late, right??? Oh well, better late than never!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Patti J.

~Food for thought: Some peoples minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set!

Gift Cards

Hello, and Happy Friday to you all!!!

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So, 34 years ago, today, at 1:31 p.m., our firstborn child arrived! Happy Birthday John!

John lives far from us, in California, and his birthday is always terribly hard for us, as we can't be together. The last birthday he celebrated with any of us was in 1993! We hope to see him next month for Turkey dinner!

Feel free to drop him a Happy Birthday wish at jbg1443@gmail.com

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Today, I have some gift card holders that I've made for an upcoming swap. I don't think that there are very many of the 'swappers' that check out my blog, so I'm going to post them, so that you know what I have been doing when I was supposed to be blurfing!

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So, you know how sometimes you make something, and you just feel like, "oh well, these are cute" la de da.... no big deal... and other times, you make something that you just fall in love with? Well!!! I really love how these turned out! I love the bright colors,

and these little snowfolks are the

CA-UTEST (as Barb would say) stamps to color!!!

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Let me know what YOU think!

Recipe:

Stamps - The Angel Company

Ink: Versafine Black

DP: The Angel Company FREE DOWNLOADABLE Papers

Punch: EK Success

CS: Stash Stuff...

Ribbon: Hobby Lobby

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One last item - I actually cased myself! Don't you love it when that happens? I went into my photo album and found a photo of the card I did a while back with the Inky Impressions 'ribbon' stamp. The challenge at Pals Paper Arts this week is to use pink, in honor of breast cancer awareness. One of their own DT members has been battling breast cancer now for three years, so I made this card for her - Karol Harris, this one's for you!

Have a great Friday! I'm off to do a bit of shopping, and to Sherwin Williams to pick some brains! Hope the men or women in blue can help me figure out what to do with my sunporch!!!

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Patti J.

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Another silly church sign: Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall as soon as the B.S. is done.

Take Three!

I was actually able to make today's card for three different challenges.


I started out by following the sketch at Mojo Monday. I'm pretty proud of myself - I didn't flip it on it's side OR upside down! I simply followed the sketch (new concept for this rebel!!!).

Loretta Lock, the August Host over at Our Creative Corner, has created a fun color challenge for us. The theme is: "When I am old, I shall wear purple". I think this card definitely qualifies as a shade of purple!!!

Last, but certainly not least, Day 158 at 365 Cards was "What's your sign?" day. We were to create a sign on our cards.


No pixies were injured in the making of this card as I paper pieced only the clothing!

Stamp: CC Designs Swiss Pixies "Heidi" (from All That Scraps), Ink: Versafine, Black, Tombow Markers, Sharpie Marker, EK Success Buckle Punch, Nestabilities Circle Dies.



Well, dear friends, I am off to paint a wall, and hopefully stimulate some very weary brain cells! Today's 365 challenge is to create an Indoors scene. As I have absolutely zero inside stamps, I am going to have to really think about this one!!! Lol....I have a few ideas floating around... can you say 'freehand'???



Have a great Thursday!



Patti J.
~Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude. Denis Waitley

First time for everything this week...

I am actually on time with a challenge! Of course, there are 15 more that I've printed out and have on my desk that I just can't seem to get to this week. I've been painting and cleaning, and just setting aside a little window of time to play, instead of the other way around!

So, here is my 365 Cards challenge card for today. The theme was "She said, and I quote'... We were to include a quotation on our cards. I decided on this cute stamp. I purchased it a couple of years ago when it was approaching my sister's birthday. And since I only have one sis, I've only inked it once! I thought this was a good opportunity to use it again!



This was one of those 5 minute cards! Here is the recipe:

DP - Cloud 9 Designs
Ink - Stampin' Up Wasabi Green
Stamp - Stampabilities
EK Success Edge Punch
Tombow Markers
Martha Stewart Pre-Tied Bow
Pop Dots for the sentiment
That's all folks! - Easy peasy! - 5 minutes - no kidding!

Well, I'm off to blurf for a while and check out YOUR blogs! Haven't gotten to do that in a while, and I have about 35 minutes before DH gets home.

Take care everyone.

Patti J.
~If I were paid a nickel for every kind word spoken, or charged a nickel for every unkind word spoken....would I be rich or poor?

Jewels Galore...

My friend Caryl blogged about a challenge over at Stacey's that is a Jewelry Color Inspiration Challenge. How much fun! I like new and challenging projects, and this one was so much fun! Hope you will all run over and play - I will certainly be going back!

Here was the challenge - we were to make a card using her designated colors...

Here is what I did:

Supplies:

Stamps - The Angel Company

Paper - Basic Grey

Cardstock - DCWV

EK Success - Edge Punch

Flourish Punch

Green Gemstones

Bottle Cap - (I stamped and colored the circle, glued it in the bottle cap and put Crystal Lacquer in on top of the image)

I had some tiny gemstones that I put in the centers of the circles, and on the flower centers in the bottle cap as well.

Enjoy! Hope it makes you smile!

Patti J.

~Go CARDINALS!!! Happy Fourth to All!

Thank Goodness Wrinkles Don't Hurt...

Hard to believe that tomorrow is Wednesday already! Hope you have all had a good week so far. Mine has been busy, but not too bad.

I finally had time to work up another challenge.

This very silly card is for the Mojo Monday challenge. The sketch was fun, as it was sized for a business envelope - something different!

I looked for a tall and skinny stamp, and found this one that I'd forgotten about. There is no 'name' on it - only the copyright sign and the letters PSX. The sentiment is from River City Rubber Works. You can't really read the sentiment - it says "Thank goodness wrinkles don't hurt".

All papers are Three Bugs in a Rug. Base card stock is DCWV. I used the EK Success Bubble Edge Punch, my Fiskar's deckle edge scissors, and although you can't tell from the photo, this babe is all glitzed up with the Starburst Glitter Pen by Sakura.

Hope she makes you smile! (I think she is so ugly, she's cute!) Maybe Caryl will come up with a snazzy name for her!

Have a great night!

Patti J.

~A faultless person is possible only in a faultless world.

It's Sorta Like Friday - Yippee!

Well dear friends and family - I'm a new woman already, as it's a three day weekend!!! DD and I plan to go to the city tomorrow and shop until we really DO drop! I'm very much looking forward to just doing the 'girls day out' thing!

My post for tonight is for the Mojo Monday Challenge. All stamps are Verve Stamps, again from the Abundant Blessings set, and one of the Verve Plain Jane's. All card stock is DCWV, and all ink for stamping and distressing is Color Box Chalk (Chestnut Roan).



I tried to stay true to the sketch, but I wavied up the inside strips a bit with the EK Success Wave Border Punch. The brads and bible were just in my 'everything' boxes, so I'm not sure which company produces them.

Hope you like it!

I'm off to relax a bit! Take care!

Patti J.
~Sorry, but my karma just ran over your dogma.

Happy Tuesday...

Ugh....it's Tuesday. Tuesday's have been known at my workplace as THE day to be anyplace else. They have always just been plain old icky days. If my friend Tami is reading, she is probably smiling right now and saying "yup"! (miss you chatdumpgirl!).

So...before you read any further... I could say that my title is an April Fool's Day joke, or that I did it on purpose to see if anyone is paying attention and really READING this blog, but that would be pretty far from the truth. The real truth is that I thought today was Tuesday, silly me. Our daughter, who is 28, and VERY intelligent, has moved back home just in time to rescue me from the calendar monsters, and set me straight on the date! So...without further ado....

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!!

I have a couple of cards to post today that I did for a challenge. For the life of me, I can't get the sketch photo to transfer to my blog, so you will have to look at both of my cards and used your imagination! It's the the Saturday Sketch Challenge over at Paper Craft Planet. I did two using the same sketch to show you how differently they can look. Hope you like them!

I also wanted to let you know about Korin's birthday. She's giving away a wonderful HUGE assortment of things in honor of her birthday and she's spreading it out over the month of April.

Head over to her blog and sign up to win! http://www.inkydoodleblogspot.com/

Card one details: DCWV Pink c.s., Best Creation, Inc. DP, Best Creation Inc. Pink Glitter c.s., EK Success Bubble Punch, Inkadinkado Stamp, Color Box Pink Pastel Chalk Ink, Black Staz-On Ink, Sharpies

Card two details: The Robin's Nest Striped Lavendar c.s., Inkadinkado Stamp, Pearl Brads (source unknown).

Must go to my 'pay for my toys' J.O.B. Have a great day - see you later!

Patti J.

~Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

Mmmm....cupcakes.....

Cupcakes seem to be all the rage these days! I saw a sketch challenge on Taylored Expressions that I decided to try. I'm not crazy about the way the card came out, but I'm going to post it anyway - lol!

I used white and orchid cardstock, and TAC Gentle Beginnings patterned paper. The large cupcake stamp is by Vap! Scrap (a $1 Michael's treasure!), and the sentiment is by Ann-Ticipations. The mini cupcake is from the "Party Time" set from The Angel Company. Inks used were Palette Noir, and Color Box Lavendar Que Chalk Ink. The EK Success Edge punch, silk flower, gemstone, and ribbon were just what I could find to finish it up!

I hope you are having a great weekend. It's cold and rainy here, with a chance for more snow (ugh...wish those newscasters would get rid of four letter words!). Here's hoping the white flakes will pass us by this time!

Melissa got her car back today and it looks beautiful! YAY for good bodyshops!

Have a great Sunday - it's monthly report time for me, so I will probably not be at the computer much.

Patti J.

~"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory. "~ Betty Smith

Happy Spring!

It is finally spring! Of course, we live in Missouri, so it only stands to reason that it's rainy and cold! Go figure!


Anyway, in honor of spring (and a spring swap due tomorrow), this cutie patootie just screamed "stamp me, stamp me". What's a girl to do? I had to stamp him!


This is the "Little Stinkers" set from The Angel Company Serendipitiy Catalog. I colored his bibs with my Kooh-I-Noor pencils and Mineral Spirits. You can't really tell, but his little flower has been done with a yellow glaze pen, so it's shiny. The sentiment is from The Angel Company set, "Trendy Greetings". All paper is DCWV. I used the Martha Stewart edge punch for the sides, and the EK Success edge punch for the bottom of the red strip. Hope you like it!




Well, it was really tough getting up this a.m. - I stayed up too late last night! I think I'm headed off to get ready for snoozeland...


Hope to find a little time to craft tomorrow - 'cya' then!


Patti J.

~A friend is a person who knows your sensitive spots but will never poke you there.