Maybe It Would Work For Shaving, Too!!!

"Her function is to sit and be admired"
                  -----Georgina Strickland Gates

Hi, Friends.....

What to do....what to do.....  Little Peach and her mommy are still gone and I could get the house straightened up since hubby is coming home from a work trip.......or I could make another card.  Ha.  That's a no-brainer.  I can always pick up the house!!!  But when do I get to make two cards in one day????  :)  :)  :)

This card is for the MFP Tutorial Time on Speedy TV Challenge - Shaving Cream Background.......except I didn't have any shaving cream.  So, guess what I used.  

You guessed it, I used spray whipped cream!!!  LOL...  And it worked!!!  Time will tell if the cats try to eat my card.  Ha.  (I actually was truly worried about this happening, so I rinsed off my glossy photo paper extra well with a generous amount of water!!)

I used (or possibly abused) the wonderful tutorial included on the MFP Challenge for making my pretty background, choosing refiller colors that I planned for stamping my floral images (Distress Ink - Worn Lipstick) and some generic green ink.  

The two-part flower stamps are a prize from Serendipity (I love you, Serendipity!!!) and the leaves are from Technique Tuesday - Two Steppin' that I received as a prize (THANKS, TT!!!).  I love the arty effect of these two-step flower and leaves!!!  I masked and stamped the outlines with black Staz-On and used an extremely ancient (to the tune of ~20yrs old!!!) green Marvy Marker for the leaf color.  Yep, it still worked after all these years of being buried in who knows what box!!  I mounted the image on DCWV pink cardstock. I also layered a couple different ribbons and some pretty rick-rack and then used some of the same pink ribbon for the bow.  

After I got the card together, I decided to try stamping a couple more flowers and popping them up on foam.  I have two thicknesses of 3-D foam, so I made one higher than the other.  I like the effect.  As you can see in this photo, just about everything is up on foam!!

Hope you like my whipped cream background card!!!  ;)  Have a lovely day!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenge:
1.  MFP Tutorial Time on Speedy TV Challenge #111 - Shaving Cream Background

MFP Inspirational Challenge

Awwww.....sweet kitty who loves the horse!

"Way down deep, we're all motivated by the same urges.  Cats have the courage to live by them."
                                                                      --------Jim Davis

Hi, Friends......

I am finally getting a chance to sit down at my craft table to make a card!!!  Whew....things are crazy here....and crazy hot!  Even having the lights on in the house raises the temp by about 4 degrees.  But Little Peach is with her mommy this afternoon, so I made a card!  YAY!!!

This is for the MFP Inspiration Challenge - Casual Luau Table that ends in about an hour!!  The real challenge for me on all of these is actually getting the chance to make the cards when my brain isn't so fried that all I can do is watch a movie!  Ha.

Do you like my blue corrugate???  I just got that yesterday at my wonderful local thrift store!  A whole big bunch of it for 50 cents.  :)  It was already cut in the wave pattern....probably for a bulletin board border.  I am afraid my white embossed "breakers" look like icicles.  Alas....

Other supplies I used include:  DCWV Glitter Card/Envelope, DCWV Juniper Berry paper, Prima flowers, Want 2 Scrap self-adhesive pearls, white sparkle embossing powder. Soft Navy SSS ink pad, and TY stamp from my stash.

Hey, I have a new follower!!!!  Rachel from Inky Fingers Are Me.  She is brand-new to blogging, so I hope you will go over to her blog and leave her a welcome.  She already has posted a challenge card AND has done one of the most courageous things I can imagine:  posted BEFORE pictures of her craft room as she begins redoing it!!!  Yay.....you go, girl!!  She also is an avid cyclist and triathlete!!!  WOW!!!  Thanks so much for becoming a new follower, Rachel.  This ginormous smile is for you!!!!!

:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Okay, I better get this posted so I can meet the challenge deadline by more than 7 minutes this time!!  Ha.

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenge:
1.  MFP Inspirational Challenge #74 - Casual Luau Table

Do you like giveaways?????

Awwwwwwwww........so sweet.

"The phrase 'domestic cat' is an oxymoron."
          --------George F. Will



 








Hi, Friends......

This is just a quickie post about giveaways.  I love them!!!  

Since Little Peach takes up a lot of my time and attention, I don't have long periods of time to make cards and to search out challenges, but I can do a quick comment here and there on a giveaway.  :)  So my prizes have begun arriving in the mail again.  LOVE that!!!  (Happy dance!!)

If you visit this blog regularly, you are always seeing me thank this company or that company for a prize of some lovely product they sent me.  Some of the giveaways ask me to Tweet about them....and I gladly oblige.  :)  So I got to thinking that if I have readers who are interested in giveaways, too, I would post a Follow me at Twitter button on my sidebar so you can have ready access to any giveaways I tweet about. (If I were smarter about Blogger I could even put a button right here in my post.....but forget that!  Ha.)

I got two prizes in the mail yesterday!  Woohoo!!!  

 I received from the lovely Laura Williams (Laura Loo Loo) this
pretty card and these yummy Spellbinders stamps and miscellaneous die-cuts and goodies.  THANKS, Laura!!!

 

This fabulous stack of stamp sets is what I received from PaperCrafts and Scrapbooking.  Wowza!!  What a haul!  THANKS, PC&S!!! 




Now about a giveaway of my own, right here at My Peaceful Garden.  I am slowly getting closer to 50 followers and then I will announce a giveaway here.  I am on the hunt for goodies here and there to be part of the prize.  I'm super-excited about this and I hope you are, too! 

That's all for now.  Hope your week has been lovely and your weekend is even better!!!

<3 
Janis

Colored Pencil Stencil Thank You

"We cannot, without becoming cats, perfectly understand the cat mind."
                                                           -----Saint George Mivart

 Hi, Friends.....

What????  Another post so soon?  I haven't even been to bed since my last one!!!  Ha.  I will be sorry in the morning when a little 3 year old is ready to get up and I am not!!!  But I threw caution to the wind and tried out this MFP Tutorial Time Challenge of stenciling with colored pencils.  They included a wonderful tutorial which I took a few liberties with, but I think my entry will still qualify.

I was so excited to get to use this stencil I had won from ArtistCellar.  It's a portion of the Flower Garden stencil in Tam's Whimsy Series by Tamara Laporte.  LOVE this set!!!  (Thanks, Tam and ArtistCellar!!!!) 

I wanted to keep this card fairly simple, but I did dress up the flowers just a tiny bit.  I used a sequin on the daisy-ish one and a dot of gold gel pen on the stamens of the other flower.

The hardest part of this card was finding my edge punch!!!  How can I lose something that big????  I found it, finally.  It's a Martha Stewart one that hubby found on clearance and bought for me as a surprise.  I hardly ever use it (and feel terribly guilty because I don't!), but this gave me a good excuse!  Yay!!!  

Okay, that's all.  As always, thank you so much for stopping in.  I appreciate your comments and emails.....which I will answer in the morning...which is when all of you will be reading this anyway!  :)

Have a lovely rest of the week!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenge:
1.  MFP Speedy TV Tutorial Time Challenge #110 - Stenciling with Colored Pencils

Luau Thanks

"It is a very inconvenient habit of kittens (Alice had once made the remark) that whatever you say to them, they always purr."                                                              
                                                                     -----------Lewis Carroll




Hi, Friends.......

I already wanted to make a card for the MFP Inspiration Challenge - Food for the Luau, but when I was also asked to make a Thank You card for our wonderful Vacation Bible School director I thought I could perhaps combine these two tasks.  Since our VBS was tropical beach theme, the luau idea worked!!! Yay!!!  

Here's one of the inspiration photos.  I didn't really go with a food theme, obviously, but I did love the pretty tropical flower shapes on this luau food tray. 

So here's the card I came up with.  Take a look at the festive gathered crepe paper ruffle.  Isn't that totally fun???  This is the first time I've used it, but  it reminded me of leis and grass skirts, etc.  :)  It was part of a lovely prize from Glitz .  (Thanks, Glitz!!!)                        

Other supplies I used include:  K&Co. Citrus Bliss, Coredinations cardstock, Lil' Inker Rainbows and Clouds sentiment stamps, and some adorable Hero Arts Flower Sequins. 

 

Here's a close-up of my little Thank You tag.  I used a Serenades variegated green ink pad and sparkly embossing powder from my stash for the sentiment.

I just love how this turned out!!!  

Okay.....now I have a thank you to Samantha at Scrapmaster's Paradise for some sweet blog candy I received as a prize this week.  (THANKS, Sami!!!)  Did you know that she has a giveaway each week???  You should visit her blog to find out more!!  Of course, she is so excited about being pregnant that you never know what you might find on her blog.  :)  So happy for her!!!  Here's a picture of what I received:

Fun blog candy from Scrapmaster's Paradise!  Yay!!!!

Now for the fun part..........NEW FOLLOWERS!!!!!  Wow.....I have 5 new members to welcome.  That makes 36....wow...I am very excited.  Several of these are because of Darnell's shout-out.  Thanks, Darnell!!!

1.  Irish Cherokee -- You really have to visit Jim's blog, Love the Details, to see what an amazing artist he is.  Also, he has this alter-ego side-kick he calls Cherokee that makes occasional (and hilarious) comments on some of the blog posts.  Always entertaining!!  Thanks, Irish Cherokee, for your consistent witness and for sharing your inspired artwork!!!  Also, thanks for your support by becoming a follower here.  This ginormous smile is for you!!!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

2. Linda Harris -- Her blog, Such is Life!, is full of her amazing projects which cover papercrafting and stitching!! There is even a sweet post currently of a darling grandkid!! Thanks for becoming a follower, Linda!! This ginormous new-follower smile is for you!!!!

:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

3. Verna Angerhofer -- Be sure to visit Verna's blog, VA's Creative Clutter, to see her new grandbaby!! She also has some wonderful cards!!!! Verna is a farm-girl, too. Love that! Thanks so much for becoming a new follower. This ginormous smile is for you!!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

4. Sharyn Polesel -- You will for sure want to visit Sharyn's blog, My Crafty Place, to see her fabulous cards. She really has a way with color and die cuts. Her projects are a feast for the eyes!!! I can only hope to someday make things this beautiful! Thank you for becoming a follower, Sharyn. This ginormous smile is for you!!!!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

5. Theresa125 -- I am having trouble locating info on you, Theresa, but I would love to introduce you better. Email me or post a comment with your blog info or other site url and I will do another intro for you! Thanks so much for becoming a follower!!!! This ginormous smile is all yours!!!!

:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 

Wait.........did I just get another follower while I was posting all these??????? Woo-hoo....that's 37!!!

6. Shartl -- Welcome to another one of my pals in the MFP challenges!!! Please visit her flickr page to see her lovely cards!!! It seems that somewhere I saw your name was Shannon, but maybe that was in a dream! Ha. Do you have a blog???? Maybe I am suffering from grandma-brain and have seen it. Anyway, let me know and I will give another shout-out for it. Thanks for becoming my newest follower!!! Here's your ginormous smile!!!!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Thanks so much EACH of you for your support!!! LOVE all your comments and love seeing what you are creating, too!

Have a lovely day!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenge:
1. MFP Inspiration Challenge #72 - Food for the Luau 

Second Post Christmas in July

"There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat."

                                                                  ------------Tay Hohoff 

Hi, again......

I can't believe I got a chance to finish this second card!  I had started it last night, too, in a different size format but went with the smaller one to finish first to enter.  Here's my big card:

I used a lot of the same supplies, but added an evergreen sprig I won from Great Impressions  (THANKS, GI!!!)  Take a look at that little Christmas tree light.  Isn't it cute???  Thrift store find, of course.  A whole little bag of them for pennies!  :)  The ribbon was thrift store, too!!

Here's an angled shot so you can see the glittery gleam.  LOVE it!!  Thanks for visiting!

<3
Janis


Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenge:
1. MFP Speedy TV Sketch with a Twist # 107 - Christmas/Holiday

Christmas Challenge in July

Today's Funny

"In the beginning, God created man, but seeing him so feeble, He gave him the cat." 
                                                              ------Warren Eckstein 

Hello, Friends.....

I'm here with a quick post for the MFP Sketch with a Twist Challenge with a Christmas theme twist.  Have you noticed that I'm always the last one to get my card in for these challenges????  Well, it's not that I procrastinate...it's that I am chasing Little Peach around and don't have much time to make cards.  At night after she's in bed is usually when I try to get my things out to play.  Well......note to self:  don't use glitter glue and hope to make a "quick" card!  Ha.  Takes time to dry.....duh!  But I love glitter glue on my Christmas cards, so what's a grandma to do????  :) 

Here's the sketch: 

So here's the card I made.  It was fun getting out my Christmas things and playing with some of the terrific products I had won that I didn't get a chance to use before last Christmas.  The darling mittens are from the SSS Big Holiday Wishes set that was in the December 2013 Card Kit I won.  (THANKS, SSS!!!)  

The little Merry Christmas stamp was in a Serendipity grab bag I chose as part of a prize .  (THANKS, Serendipity!!!)  By the way, these grab bags are an amazing deal....10 adorable cling foam-mounted stamps for a buck!!  Great add-on when you are ordering other terrific products from them!!!

You can see the silver glitter glue I used around the three DCWV patterned paper vertical panels.  Again, don't use this stuff when you are in a hurry!  Ha.  For the white panels, I inked around the edges and heat-embossed in silver.  Love this look!!!  The image and sentiment were stamped and heat-embossed in red.  The green metallic twine was a thrift store find.....40 cents for a generous skein!  :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog!!  Love it when you visit and leave a comment.  Also, love all my followers!!!  Thanks so much for your support!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenge:
1. MFP Speedy TV Sketch with a Twist # 107 - Christmas/Holiday
 

Turquoise and Orange -- Yummy Combo!!!

"If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow, but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much."
                                              --------Mark Twain


Hi, Friends......

Here with a quick card I made after Little Peach was in bed tonight.  I couldn't resist the delicious colors that were in the MFP Friends of Speedy TV challenge - turquoise and orange.  Yummy!!

I love emboss resist, but for some reason I usually reach for patterned paper, instead.  (Might have something to do with the countless stacks of it I have!!  Ha!)  Tonight, I was inspired by the lovely background that Janine Brain made in her sample card and decided to do a simple embossed floral background. 

I wish I could say I masked the Thank You banner, but it is a piece of cardstock.  I purposely did not put it up on foam or mount it on a contrasting color so it would blend into the background.  I love that in the photo it looks masked.  It doesn't blend quite that well in real life, but it is close.  I like that effect.

Supplies I used include:  Serendipity flower stamp, Distress Ink - Broken China, Prima flowers, Coredinations orange cardstock, and misc stash items:  rhinestone, TY stamp, etc.

Hey, I have another new follower.....#31:  Karen Ladd.  Welcome!!  Karen is another of the MFP Challenge regulars and makes some a-m-a-z-i-n-g cards and LOTS of 'em!!  Eeek!  How does she have time????  She's good, that's all.  She doesn't have a blog (we need to urge her gently in that direction!!!) but she does have a Flickr account which I linked with her name.  Thanks so much, Karen, for becoming a follower.  I feel like we are already friends from seeing each other's cards in the challenges all the time!!  This ginormous smile is for you:

:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

I am very slowly creeping toward 50 followers.....which will mean a giveaway!!!!  Hooray!!!

Thanks everyone for stopping by my blog!  Hope you are having a lovely weekend!

<3

Janis

  

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenge:

1. MFP Friends of Speedy TV Challenge #133 - Turquoise and Orange

Oriental Sketch Challenge #45 Card

"Kittens are born with their eyes shut.  They open them in about six days, take a look around, then close them again for the better part of their lives."
                                                                            ----------Stephen Baker

Hi, Friends.......

CARD THERAPY time!!!  :)  

Little granddaughter is getting some uncle time right now (THANKS, Uncle James!!) amidst giggles and stories and I am escaping to my craft table to make a last minute card for this week's MFP Oriental Challenge.  There are a lot of entries this week which is very exciting!!  I really am keeping my fingers crossed to be drawn for the wonderful stamp set that is up for the prize, so I wanted to make an entry.  :)

Here's the sketch for this week:

I stayed very simple with this card.....one thing I love about Oriental cards is their simple geometrics.  But I backed my images with glittery olive green cardstock which I think really adds.


I used stickers from Graphic 45 Bird Song collection and NO stamping!!! Eeeek!  I hope stamping isn't required for the challenge.  It doesn't say it is in the rules, so I hope I am okay.  No wonder this card went together so fast!  Just what this busy grandma was hoping for today.  :)  It's an easy mailer, too, since it is all two-dimensional.  Yay!!

Supplies I used:  DCVW cardstock and paper, Graphic 45 Bird Song stickers, Scrapbook-Adhesives E-Z Squares Permanent adhesive.  That's it.  Wow!

Hey.....I have a new follower!!!!!  Please everyone give a big welcome to granmargaret.  She runs the Feeling Sketchy Challenge Blog  where I have entered several times.  They have wonderful sketches which really fit my style of cards!!  Thank you, granmargaret, for becoming a new follower.  I really appreciate your support!!  This ginormous smile is for you!!!!!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Also, I want to give a shout out to Sarah Biswabic of Crazy About Cards!!!  She has been a follower for awhile now....before I was giving out ginormous new follower smiles on my posts.  But she left a comment on a post mentioning her blog, so I want to let you know about it, too, so you can visit her!!!  Thanks, Sarah, for following me and for your sweet comments.  This smile of thanks is for you:

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Hey, if you are already a follower and didn't ever get a ginormous smile or want a shout-out, leave a comment on this post with your website and an invitation for us all to visit and I'll do that on my next post!!!

Thank you all for stopping by today!

Have a lovely day!

<3

Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenge:

1.  MFP TV Oriental Card Challenge #45 

MFP Inspiration Challenge Card

"It's impossible to keep a straight face in the presence of one or more kittens."
                                                              ---------Cynthia E. Varnado

Hi, Friends......

Sorry it has been awhile since I posted anything.  It's no picnic caring for a sick 3 yr old......and especially no picnic when you are sick yourself!!!  We are still coughing and such, but I am HOPING we are headed toward being on the mend.  Ugh...  Naptime for little granddaughter has been naptime for Grandma, too, so no cards!!!  I have missed it!  I lay down with her this afternoon, too, but got up in time to make this naptime card for this week's MFP Inspiration Challenge of Amazing Backyards.  Here are the two inspiration photos I drew from:

 Aren't they amazing!!??

So here's my card where I took the pastel colors from the playhouse picture and the checkerboard pattern from the other photo:

Supplies:  Serendipity butterfly, thrift store flowers, Hampton Art embossing powder, JoAnn clearance ribbon, stamps, and glitter glue. 

Super short post today (I heard those hoorays!) because naptime is about over!!!  Have a lovely day.

<3
Janis

Edited to add:  
Just saw this very cool Anything Goes challenge celebrating the 1st Anniversary of the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge Blog.  They are giving away some very cool prizes and so I am entering my card in there, too.  :)

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenge:
1.  MFP Speedy TV Inspiration Challenge #71 - Amazing Backyards
2.  Curtain Call Challenge Inspiration Challenge #15 - Anything Goes

Baby Card

"One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives."
                                                                         -------Mark Twain

Dear Friends......

Quick post today to share my baby card I made for the MFP Sketch with a Twist Challenge with the Baby theme.  It seems the trend among young couples in my area is to wait until the birth of their baby to find out the gender.  So I wanted to make a generic baby card to have on hand that would be good for a little boy or a little girl.

For my watercolor  background, I used some second generation photo paper from that Cling Wrap Technique that went a bit awry for me.  (But I am not about to let all those supplies I used go to waste!!  Ha.)  This time, instead of rewetting one of my bizarro-looking products and transferring onto watercolor paper, I transferred it on to another piece of photo paper.  I loved this pastel result.  

I used a rubber stamp that was part of a thrift store grab bag I snagged last year and teamed it up with some DCWV cardstock and some Candi that I won as part of a prize from Simon Says Stamp.  (THANKS, SSS!!)  Fun!!  I don't use these very often, but they were just right for a baby card.  

Here's the MFP Sketch I used from this week's challenge. 






That's all for now.  A little 3 yr-old just informed me that it is time to go look at the chickens......again.  :)  It's interesting how little ones always like the animals a lot more than the animals like them!!  Ha.

Thanks so much for taking a look at my card!!  As soon as this Grandma readjusts to having a 3 yr old in the house again, I will resume plans for a giveaway when I reach 50 followers.  

Have a lovely day!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1.  MFP Speedy TV Sketch with a Twist #105 - Baby 
2.  Southern Girls Challenge - You Spin Me Right Round (use something round)
3.  Brown Sugar Challenge #101 - Anything Goes 
4.  Suzy Bee's Challenge #36 - Anything Goes
5.  AAA Cards Game #10 - Watercolor 

Just a (set of) Note(cards)

"One is never sure, watching two cats washing each other, whether it's affection, the taste, or a trial run for the jugular."
                                                                            ---------Helen Thomson

Hi, Friends.....

Well, in between my three-year-old granddaughter's forays of chicken chasing and cat tormenting, I managed to make this project for the MFP Friends of Speedy TV Notecard Set Challenge.  These are easy mailers, since they are barely layered and have no 3-D foam or sticky-uppy thingies.  :)

Does the watercolor background I made look familiar?  (Long story can be found here.)  I have a bunch of these and notecards were a perfect use for one sheet, at least.   I may have to make 20 additional sets!!!  Ha.

I used this lovely Technique Tuesday: Glee stamp set I won quite some months ago (THANKS, TT!!), but which they have since retired.  The music motifs are faves of mine since I play the piano and compose some......and now that I think about it, so does my little granddaughter, in her own way!  Ha.  (crash bang bang crash...)  At least when she is playing the piano, I know right where she is!!  :)

Hey, I have a new follower!!!  Or maybe two....I can't tell.  EEK!  I had 27 followers, but now it says 29......but I only see one new picture.  If you are my other new follower, please write me a note in the comments or use the email form in the sidebar and let me know!  Thanks!!  I don't want to miss anyone!!

My brand-new follower that I can see is:  Mary Steinemtz of Scraps with Mary.  She is on the DT for Feeling Sketchy and I think that is probably how she found my blog.  I had a lot of fun looking at Mary's blog and guess what.....she has a picture of two gorgeous cats, Ozzie and Milo, looking out the window together with their sweet tails hanging down.  Great photo!!!  You'll want to go see it and all her wonderful projects!!  Mary, thank you so much for becoming a follower of my blog.  This ginormous smile is for you!!!!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this project in the following challenges:
1.  MFP Friends of Speedy TV Challenge #131 - Set of Notecards 
2.  Tuesday Throwdown Challenge #202 - Anything Goes 
3.  Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes 
4.  Ladybug Crafts Ink Challenge - Bloomin' Fabulous New Release - Anything Goes 
5.  Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge #110 - Anything Goes  

Oriental Card in Green

"Cats are to dogs what modern people are to the people we used to have.  Cats are slimmer, cleaner, more attractive, disloyal, and lazy.....  Cats are irresponsible and recognize no authority, yet are completely dependent on others for their material needs.  Cats cannot be made to do anything useful.  Cats are mean for the fun of it, in fact, cats possess so many of the same qualities as some people (expensive girlfriends, for instance) that it's often hard to tell the people and cats apart" 
                                                                                 -------------P.J. O'Rourke

Hi, Friends......

I am back with a quick post to show you my Oriental card for this week's MFP Oriental Sketch Challenge.  

I got to use my daughter's old DCWV Far East stack.  <3 <3 <3  This isn't the new one with the foiled pages, but the old one with some wonderful hues and patterns.  I stamped a floral image onto some crinkly mulberry paper framed in kraft.  The little metal embellishment is from a blog prize I won...fun!!  I placed it on top of a Prima flower and added stick-on pearls for fun.

Here is the sketch I used.  Very simple....which is one thing I love about Oriental challenges.  There is much beauty in simplicity.

MFP is offering this very lovely stamp set to the lucky winner.  They have been offering it each week for the month of June and I haven't been drawn yet, so I am very much keeping my fingers crossed for this last chance.  :)  Wouldn't this be a gorgeous set to work with?


That's all for now!  Hope all Americans are having a wonderful Independence Day.  I have my little 3 year old granddaughter here with me for a little while, so I have a very strong suspicion that I won't be on my blog quite as much.  Ha.  She was up at 5:30 am this morning!  And I am not a morning person.  :D  But we've been having a lot of fun working in the garden and trying to not chase the kitties and chickens!  The world is a sweet and lovely place in the eyes of a child.

Have a wonderful day!!!

<3
Janis 

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenge:
1.  MFP Speedy TV Oriental Sketch Challenge #43 

*************************************
CAT STATUS UPDATE:
Most of my cats have mysteriously vanished in the wake of our 3-year-old visitor!  Othello is doing amazingly well and will let Andrea pet him.  Outside, Tiger Lily warily allows Andrea to approach and pet her.  All other cats have become invisible!!!
*************************************
 

Thank You with Blue Rose

"The trouble with a kitten is that.....

Eventually.....

it becomes a cat!"

-----Ogden Nash

Hi, Friends.....

I've been busy the last several days with family things, so I haven't been making any cards!  Today, I was finally able to sit at my craft table to put a card together for the MFP Color Challenge -  using purple, blue, and yellow.  

It's kind of weird because this challenge had technical difficulties last week, so they extended it until July 3rd.  However, this week when they posted the new challenge, they also posted a winner for this challenge ....before its submission deadline ....(shrug...)  Oh, well, even if my card isn't eligible to be in the drawing, I still wanted to play with this awesome color combo!!!

I have been itching to watercolor a blue rose ever since I snagged this rose stamp at a thrift store.  This challenge gave me the ideal chance!!   I had to free-hand (EEEK!) my leaves as this stamp didn't have any.  I used a stamp from my Denami Leaves and Stems set as a guide.  Whew!  I didn't want to use the actual stamp and mask it off because the lines were a lot heavier than the rose lines.  So free-hand it was.  :&

I also followed the fun sketch from Feeling Sketchy.  I put an embossed vellum butterfly instead of a flower embellishment, as you see....and added a bit of bling.  Hope you like how it turned out!

Now for the fun part......

I have another NEW FOLLOWER!!!!!!! And you know what that means........

Welcome to Ina Ftacek!! I was delighted to meet a new bloggy friend today when Ina joined up and introduced herself. She has recently received eye implants so she can SEE again to do her crafts and artwork. Isn't that totally awesome??!!!??? She has two blogs and I joined up with them both: Ina's Inklings and Artful Adventures. Wouldn't you all like to join up there, too, to give her a boost? I think it would mean a lot to her!! So, anyway, here is a ginormous new-follower smile just for you, Ina. Thanks for becoming my newest follower!!!

 :)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Hey, and I get to put a new badge up on my blog from Techno Stamper.  

For some reason, there were only 4 players in her latest sketch challenge, so Mary Jo decided to let each of us be in the Top 3. LOL... So, hooray!!! Thanks, Mary Jo!!! As I said before, I LOVE these badges and am not above accepting one.....even if every entry received one!!! :) I am such a goose. This card was my entry.

Thanks so much for reading all the way to the bottom of my post.....all one of you! Ha. Hope you are having a lovely day!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1.  MFP Color Challenge #28 - Purple, Blue & Yellow
2.  Feeling Sketchy Challenge #94
3.  The House that Stamps Built #72 - Fur or Winged Things
4.  Crafty Creations Challenge #266 - Things with Wings 
5.  Crafty Boots Challenge - Thank You

6 New Followers!! --- Shall I plan a Giveaway????

"Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been?

I've been to London to look at the Queen.

Pussy-cat , pussy-cat, what did you there?

I frightened a little mouse under the chair."

                        ----------Mother Goose

Hi, Friends.....

I am soooooooooooooooooo excited to see that I have 

SIX NEW FOLLOWERS!!!   

That makes 26 right now....plus a few that follow by email.  Thank you, one and all, for the kindness and support you show me with your lovely comments and by choosing to become followers.  Since I am still so new to blogging, it is a real thrill to see that number inch its way a little higher every few days.  

So you might have gotten a clue from the post title about what I am thinking of doing to celebrate my new followers.  But first.....I want to take a moment to acknowledge my brand-new followers and show them the ginormous smile that spreads all over my face whenever I see a new follower.  These are not in any particular order:

1.  Shirley Q at My Pinkie is Inkie in Boxertown.  Isn't that one of the cutest blog names ever???   Thank you so much, Shirley, for becoming a follower.  I appreciate your comments and your beautiful sample cards on MFP challenges!!  This ginormous smile is for you!!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

2.  Darnell Knauss at djkardkreations.  I have you to thank for several of my new followers in addition to yourself.  Thanks again for that wonderful NBUS challenge and for introducing me to some new bloggy friends!!!  Here's a ginormous smile for you, too.....and NO those are not double, triple, quadruple chins!!!  Ha!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

3.  Lynn Wallan-Smith at Lynnz Cards.  Ah, yes..."Here crafty is a good thing!"  :)  Thank you so much, Lynn, for choosing my blog to comment on in Darnell's NBUS challenge.  I am so happy to get to meet you.  Here's your ginormous smile for becoming a new follower!!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Can you see that in my invisible yellow font color?  Hope so, cuz I cannot!  Ha.  Yah, I really can....sort of.  :)

4.   Angie at I would rather be stamping has a must-see adorable photo of her black kitty named Storm on her sidebar.....looking extremely regal.  LOVE it!!!  Storm might actually be a dark Tortie, I can't tell for sure.  Angie, along with all the rest of the MFP Challenge DT members, leaves such sweet and supportive comments.  They are so encouraging and each of them are the bloggers I want to be when I grow up.  That might take awhile....  :)  Angie, this ginormous smile is for you!!!

:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

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5.  Desire Fourie at Doing Life.  Desire is on the DT at the Path to Positivity that held a challenge I entered.  Thanks so much for choosing to become a follower.  I know DT members comment on countless blogs, but I appreciate that you visited mine and decided to hit the Follow button.  Here's your ginormous smile!!!

:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

6.  Nancy Williams at What's on My Kitchen Counter.  Nancy is another MFP Challenge DT member that is wonderfully supportive and encouraging to me.  Thank you so much for going the extra mile and signing up as a follower.  It means a lot to me!!  Here's one of those trademark ginormous smiles for you, too!!!

:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

THANK YOU to EACH of my followers, new ones and those already on board with me, for your amazing support!!  

Now..............I am thinking of having a.........

GIVEAWAY!!!

Is anyone in favor of that???????

I am getting close to 30 followers, but I think I would like to set my sights a little higher than that and shoot for a giveaway when I reach 50 followers......also thinking that will give me about 3 years to gather some goodies together!  lol.....

So.....what do you think?  Does a giveaway sound good???  Did you read down this far????  

Hello.  Hello.  Can you hear me now?...

<3 

Janis