Hairball Awareness Day - Friends with Flair 4-24

You get a "special surprise" in your stocking today...two cartoons!  :)

Today is "Hairball Awareness Day"......so, with that in mind, here is the cat quotation for the day.....although I can't imagine someone actually putting this into a book!!!

"The sun rose slowly, like a fiery furball coughed up uneasily onto a sky-blue carpet by a giant unseen cat." 

                                                                  -------------Michael McGarel 

Hi, Friends.....

Okay, so I really...ummm..."dropped the ball" today because I do NOT have a cat card for you for Hairball Awareness Day!  But who had ever heard of that special day until maybe yesterday????  (Besides, what cat owner is NOT already verrrrrrry aware....and wary...of hairballs???!!) With more Grandma duty than usual and my trusty back-up gone for a few days, I hardly had time to finish this project for the Unity Friends with Flair today....much less "cough up" a clever cat card for the holiday!  Ackkkkkkk!

What I did manage (barely) to finish up was a mixed media tag.  It is the first tag that I've ever made!!!  I have put them on cards before, but never made just a stand-alone tag.  Everyone always says how easy they are, but for some reason I find them incredibly intimidating.  EEEEK!!! 

I used a Unity - Susan K. Weckesser stamp from The Garden {What-Not} Collection that I won in a Susan Weckesser giveaway.  Was I thrilled to see a fabulous Unity set in that package???  Oh, YES!!!  :)  (THANKS, Susan!!) 

I heat embossed the image in white on a kraft tag.  Then I misted and sponged and sprayed all sorts of different products all over it.......not having any idea what I was doing!!!!

Then knowing it couldn't look any worse than it already did, I took my gigantic circle punch and went willy-nilly punching (mostly partial) circles from a text page I use for my art journal book.   I glued them on and...............it looked worse than it did before!!!  Ha!!

Then I spied my dried up and crumpled baby wipes I had used for wiping off some of the sprays and tore them up and glued those down, too.  (I saw someone that did this recently...was it on FWF???  Grandma-brain can't remember!)  Finally, I was getting an effect that I almost liked!!!  :)  Then it was time for more inking and sponging on top of all that.  (Oh, my....this isn't really how you are supposed to make a tag, is it????)








I added a little mini-tag using a Sending Love stamp from the Unity - Antique Butterfly set with some layered Prima flowers.  Then I tied on some twine and feathery yarn to finish.
 
 
What do you think????  Oh, my....personally, I don't know what to think!!!  Hahaha!!!  But it is done and I hope to have lots of opportunities to keep practicing!  :)

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NEW FOLLOWER INTRODUCTION TIME!!!!!
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I am delighted to have two new followers:

A big welcome to Patti J of Cherish Each Precious Day.  Patti is an amazing designer whose cards always have such a sense of fun!!!  You will enjoy seeing all the things she makes for the many teams she helps with!!!  Thank you, Patti, for becoming a follower.  It really means a lot to me!!!  This ginormous smile is for you!!!!

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

Next is Dawn from Designs by Dragonfly.  Oh, my....Is there even one challenge that Dawn does not enter and win?????  She is a regular at Unity - Friends with Flair and her cards are just always so amazing.....not to mention that there are tons of them!!  Where does she find the time????  I am in awe!  Thanks so much, Dawn, for becoming a follower!!  This ginormous new-follower smile is all yours!!!

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

 

Okay, friends, that's all for tonight!  Thank you so much for visiting and for your wonderful comments!!!

<3

Janis 

Thank you for the honor of entering this tag in the following challenges:
1. Unity - Friends with Flair
2. I will find a few other challenges soon..... :)

Bunny and House Mouse - Friends with Flair 4-16

 Naturally, I found this top image containing the sweet little message after I had already made my own caption below....lol...

All was well, until the kitten got a little too curious.......

"Watch a cat when it enters a room for the first time. It searches and smells about, it is not quiet for a moment, it trusts nothing until it has examined and made acquaintance with everything."
                                                                                ------------Jean-Jacques Rousseau

A Personal Note:  I want to thank each of you for all the wonderful comments you have left on my blog lately.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all your support.....especially on my Light it Up Blue - Autism Awareness Hop project, a tribute to my daughter.  She loved the art journal page I made for her and was touched, in particular, by those comments that sent greetings and hugs to her.  

I am astounded that so many of us share this road!  (It makes me wonder if there is a creativity component to the genetics!)  I am comforted and encouraged knowing you are out there and that you understand the challenges I am experiencing.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I am way behind in replying to each of your very kind comments, but I am getting there!!!  :)

Hi, Friends......

I'm here today with a sweet little card I made with my Stampendous! - House Mouse Designs - Carrot Friend stamp I won from them a while back.  (THANKS, Stampendous!!)  I am so excited because this is my first ever House Mouse card and I think all the images are soooooo adorable!!!!

I also am linking it to this week's Unity - Friends with Flair since I used a "Thinking of You" Unity grab bag stamp.  (THANKS, Unity!!)  I stamped the image with Tsukineko - Versafine Ink onto a watercolor paper tag from Paper Smooches - Gift Tags Dies, which was also a prize.  (THANKS, PS!!!)

I watercolored my image very simply using my aquabrush and Crayola watercolor pencils.  Such a sweet image.....and so fun to paint!!!



The papers are scraps from previously made cards.  (I've been making so many of my own backgrounds, lately, that I haven't posted a "scrap" card for quite awhile!  I have missed visiting your Playground, Di!!!)

I finally discovered (maybe) how to use some flat silk flowers I found a long time ago in a thrift store.  I have layered them before, but this time I tried layering and then folding the layered stack in quarters and gluing the bunched-up bundle onto my card.  I really like how this two-toned blossom turned out!












A couple of Prima flowers with pretty centers and a length of twine finished off this cheery card.  Hope you like it!!

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Ding, ding, ding.......NEW FOLLOWER INTRODUCTION TIME!!!
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I am delighted to introduce Alena Tenriero of AnelA's Creations
Do you see what she did with her name there?.....Alena / AnelA's Creations.  :)  Cute, huh!  (It would never work with Janis....SinaJ....Huh???  Epic fail!! lol...)  Alena is on the Creative Crew Team for A Creative Journey with Melissa with a big emphasis on CREATIVE!!!  I got acquainted with her work on a recent hop and was so impressed with the super-clever and fun ways she used the new release items!!!  Alena, thank you so much for becoming a follower.  I appreciate your support and encouragement more than you can know!!!  This ginormous new-follower smile is what breaks out across my face when I see a new pic on my sidebar gadget!!!

:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 

Thank you to all my readers.  If you are a follower and I somehow missed getting you introduced...(or if you just want to be introduced again!!!).....please mention it when you comment.  I don't want to miss you!!!

Hope you have a lovely start to your weekend!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:  
1. Unity - Friends with Flair Link-Up
2. DL.Art Thankful Thursday Challenge #154 - Use orange (alt. Thank You)
3. House Mouse Challenge HMFMC #192 - April Showers or Anything Goes
4. Verve April 2015 Inspiration Challenge - Bunnies and Babies
5. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - In the Middle (My image is in the middle of my card.)
6. Pixie's Snippets Playground Week #172 - Use Snippets
7. Cuttin' and Stampin' Bi-Weekly Challenge #12 - Cute Critters

Waffle Flower - The Sun Always Comes Out Again.

“The only thing a cat worries about is what's happening right now. As we tell the kittens, you can only wash one paw at a time.”
                                                                                 ---------Lloyd Alexander from Time Cat


Hi, Friends.....

I am back with another card for the current Waffle Flower Challenge with this sweet inspiration photo:  

For this card I die-cut several clouds from DCWV patterned cardstock and Add a Little Dazzle craft metal (the black diamond color and the silver reverse) using dies from Lawn Fawn Into the Woods and Lil' Inker Rainbows and Clouds sets.  I arranged the clouds where I wanted them on my white cardstock  using repositionable adhesive so I'd know where I wanted to stamp my sun.

Next, I took my clouds off and stamped the sun with Versamark ink using one of the circles from my Waffle Flower - Flower Circles stamp set.  I heat embossed it with bright yellow powder and then sponged over and around the sun with Distress Ink - Mustard Yellow for a shining halo.....making sure I put enough ink on the disc itself to show the lines of the stamp.  You can see the detail of the sun in the shot below.

I also sponged around the edges of the cardstock with Distress Ink - Worn Lipstick.  Then I adhered my clouds using Beacon 3-in-1 craft glue. 

Next, I stamped a wonderful sentiment from my PaperTrey Ink - Hello Sunshine stamp set using Versafine - Smokey Gray ink.



Now that I had everything place, I put on my raindrops.  I sketched out with a pencil some parallel lines....so my rain would be all going in the same direction!!!  lol...  This clearance rack package of little rhinestones (in smoke and clear colors) had them individually and in strings which I cut to length and adhered with additional liquid glue.  By using the glue instead of only the adhesive that came on the back, I had some wiggle room for getting them arranged in the right place.

I really love how this card turned out and hope you do, too!!!

Thank you for all your wonderful comments.  They are very much appreciated!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Waffle Flower Challenge March 23 - April 12
2. Tombow USA April Challenge - April Showers

 








3. Dreamweavers Stencil April Challenge - Showers
4. Add a Little Dazzle - Dazzling Diva Challenge #70 - Mood Board or Anything Goes 

Waffle Flower "Hello, Friend"

"If you are worthy of its affection, a cat will be your friend but never your slave."
                                                                                        ------------Theophile Gautier


Hi, Friends......

I am here to share a card I made for the current Waffle Flower Challenge, that has a really fun inspiration photo this time around:

I decided to go with flowers instead of clouds for my card, but stayed in the charcoal, pink, gold, and white color scheme. 

I have been playing around with my Waffle Flower - Flower Circles stamp set and discovered I could make cute flowers that look a bit like the Waffle Flower logo using a couple of the pieces.  How fun is that?!!

When I am playing around with my stamps, I generally use an old black ink pad that isn't very juicy and some scratch paper to try out my ideas.  In this case, I loved the almost shadowy effect the dry-ish pad gave.  Turns out it was perfect for what I wanted for this challenge!!!  So I used the same old black pad for these flowers.  :)

Can you find the two pieces I used?  The flower center is the lined circle and the petals are the little half circle next to the Hello word.  Isn't it cute how they fit together???  Love how this set is designed to construct so many different flower styles!!





Here's a close-up shot of my flowers.  I stamped them on cardstock and covered them with Glossy Accents to give them dimension similar to the puffy clouds in the inspiration photo.  Then I fussy cut them out to put on my card.  I also added a pink felt flower from my stash (as a nod to the felt in the photo) and some gold sequin shapes that I've had for years...are they flowers or snowflakes or stars???  Hard to say!!  lol...




In this angled shot below, you can see that I added shimmer spray to my background.  I also used my scallop scissors on the edges to echo the petals of my flowers. 





















The sentiment is also from the same Flower Circles set, but I added my own comma.  I stamped with Versafine - Onyx Black and heat embossed with clear powder.  I made the comma free-hand (eek!) and covered it with some new to me black Ranger - Enamel Accents.  This gave it a raised glossy finish that is virtually indistiguishable from the heat embossed words.  (Note:  Do not store these little Enamel Accents on their side!!  Good thing my caps were on securely.....!)

Hope you enjoyed my card.  I had a lot of fun playing with my Waffle Flower stamps!!!  I have one more Waffle Flower card to post, so I will see you soon!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Waffle Flower Challenge March 23 - April 12
2. DL.Art April Linky Challenge - Anything Goes
3. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - April Showers and/or Spring Flowers
4. Clear It Out Challenge - Anything Goes with Stash item:  Anything Goes

Birthday Card #5 - Balloon Fun!

"Who among us hasn't envied a cat's ability to ignore the cares of daily life and to relax completely?”
                                                                              --------------Karen Brademeyer




Hi, Friends........

Whew...relaxing time is almost here...I am here with #5, the last of my birthday card marathon for Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday.  Their Wednesday Challenge is 6 years old and they are giving away 6 prizes this week.  I am getting this one in with about an hour to spare and I see I am not the only one!!!  There are several others competing for those last spots.  :)

For this card I once again used my Darice Birthday with Dots embossing folder.  After the cardstock was embossed, I gently shaded the raised spots with Distress Ink.  

The balloons are from a thrift store set with no identifying info.  I had the stamped images in my stash leftover from a project many moons ago.  I thought they would look nice with this embossing.  What do you think?

I used a sparkling gel pen to draw in the string.

Well, that's all for tonight!!  Thanks for stopping in.  I will add more challenges in tomorrow, but for now all I am doing is linking up with SSS.  

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday
2. Add a Little Dazzle - Dazzling Diva Challenge #70 - Mood Board or Anything Goes
 












3. Cards in Envy Child's Play Challenge
4. Waffle Flower Challenge March 23 - April 12 - Inspiration Photo

Birthday Card #4 - Iridescent Rainbow

"A kitten is chiefly remarkable for rushing about like mad at nothing whatever, and generally stopping before it gets there."
                                                                                              ---------Agnes Repplier
 
Hi, Friends.....
I am racing around here completely fueled by egg-shaped fruity gumdrops that come in pesky "hard-to-hide-the-empties" cellophane wrappers!!  I have card #4 in my Birthday Card Marathon for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday and I am in a hurry to get all five of my cards posted before their linkup closes. Their Wednesday Challenge is 6 years old and they are giving away 6 prizes this week, so I want to get these posted!!  :)

This might be the prettiest one of my cards in this group, although I always wish I could photograph better!  Does this look iridescent to you???  It sure does in real life!  

I daubed distress inks directly onto my Darice Birthday with Dots folder in rainbow stripes and then misted it with water before inserting the cardstock.  The colors turned out so soft and pretty!!!  Then when I used my Perfect Pearls shimmer mist, the whole piece took on a glow of its own.  I LOVE this!!!



 I tied a big bow with some sheer iridescent ribbon to put on top.  Almost looks like a birthday present, doesn't it?

I daubed a bit more distress ink around to show the raised portions of the embossing.  Here's an angled shot so you can see some more of the shimmer.  (swoon....)

Okay....four cards posted and I am racing on to the next.  See you soon!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday 
2. Scrappin' Great Deals Mood Board Challenge - I was inspired by the blue table surrounded by white in the lower right.


3. Design Memory Craft April 2015 Challenge - Creativity - Creativity to me is experimenting around with products in new ways and finding an effect that I love!!!
4. The Paper Girls Challenge #77 - Pastels
5. Connie Can Crop Monthly Challenge #33 - Over the Rainbow
6. Power Poppy - Pop of Pastels Challenge
 

Birthday Card #3 - Becoming Bokeh - Friends with Flair 4-10

"In its flawless grace and superior self-sufficiency I have seen a symbol of the perfct beauty and bland impersonality of the universe itself, objectively considered, and in its air of silent mystery there resides for me all the wonder and fascination of the unknown."
                                                                                            --------H.P. Lovecraft 

Hi, Friends.....

I am here with card #3 in my Birthday Card Marathon for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday.  Their Wednesday Challenge is 6 years old and they are giving away 6 prizes this week.  Crazy, huh?  Yah, I know....

This card is the only one of the five using a different embossing folder.  This time I used my Darice - Swirly Circles folder.  I first used my daubers like round stampers with my Distress Inks and made what I think looks like a bokeh effect.  Do you?  I am not usually big on bokeh, but I just LOVE how I accidentally stumbled on how to do it!!  

After dry embossing my background, I sprayed it with some Perfect Pearls shimmer mist in the original flavor...lol...  Then added a simple birthday sentiment from a Unity grab bag.  I will edit this post on Friday to enter the Unity Friends with Flair. 

This angled shot shows the shimmer and texture a little bit better.  I really love how this card turned out.

Okay....three cards posted.  On to the next.  I will line up a few more challenges for this tomorrow, but for now I am in a hurry to get all my cards posted.  :)

See you soon!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday
2. Scrappin' Great Deals Mood Board Challenge - I was inspired by the pink and blue flowers together in the lower left.  

3. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - A is for.....Accidentally discovering a new effect with my daubers!!!
4. Craft Stamper Take It Make It April Challenge - Technique: Color
5. Design Memory Craft April 2015 Challenge - Creativity - Creativity to me is experimenting around and accidentally discovering a new effect...like my bokeh!! 
6. Unity Stamp Co. Friends with Flair Link Up

Birthday Card #2 - Beware: Alchemist at Work!!

I can never resist a chemistry joke!

"The way to get on with a cat is to treat it as an equal --- or even better, as the superior it knows itself to be."

                                                                                     ------------Elizabeth Peters

Hi, Friends....

I'm here with #2 in my Birthday Card Marathon for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday.  Their Wednesday Challenge is 6 years old and they are giving away 6 prizes this week.....so after I finally remembered on Tuesday afternoon I got busy and made five cards....not without a few changes of plans and concepts!

You might not realize this about me, but I am a science nut.  I have long said that I'm a mad scientist and an alchemist at heart because I love mixing stuff together to see what happens!!  Ha.  I used to spend hours as a child mixing all manner of household items together.  Fortunately, nothing dangerous ever occurred!!!
  ( I did present a first grade teacher with some "perfume" I had "made".  Oh, my....I don't remember what I put in it, but she was a sport and said she wore some when she and her hubby went out for the evening!!  And you know what?  I bet she really *did* wear a dab of it!  You can see what an impression that made on me that I am still talking abt it over 50 years later!!)

Oh, did I digress???  Just wait till I am on Card #5!!

So, with my natural curiosity, you can see why I LOVE embossing powders, right?  This metallic card is a mad chemist's dream!  I dry embossed some heavy duty cardstock with my Darice Birthday with Dots folder and Versamarked all over it......smush, smush, smush....then I covered it with silver embossing powder and zapped away with my heat gun.  I did that two or three times and then started adding copper powder, too.  My inner crow....yes, my mad scientist has to move over to make room for the crow, too.....loves anything shiny and gleaming, so I love playing with metallic powders!!

Here's a shot of the words.....

Oh, this was so much fun!!!  I kept it completely unadorned to be suitable for a masculine card.  I think the metal look is perfect for a guy.  

Okay....two cards posted.  On to the next....  See you soon!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday
2. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - A is for.....All covered with an alchemist mixing of metallic embossing powders!!  :) 
3. Design Memory Craft April 2015 Challenge - Creativity  - I like getting creative with embossing powders!  
4. The Male Room Challenge #07 - Use Metallic Embossing 
5. DL.Art April Linky Challenge - Anything Goes

Birthday Card #1 - Rainbow Extravaganza!

My kids used to color on our cats, too!  lol...

"The cat is above all things, a dramatist."

                                                                                     ------------Margaret Benson

Hi, Friends......

I am here with the first of five birthday cards I made for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday.  Their Wednesday Challenge is 6 years old and they are giving away 6 prizes this week.  Well, I forgot completely about it until Tuesday afternoon!!!  Eeeek.  I couldn't let a chance like that go by, right?  So I got a bunch of my toys out that I hadn't used before and got to work making five cards, including this totally experimental rainbow mess of UTEE and distress inks!!!  Ha.  

I hadn't made a really messy embossing powder project for a long time and I missed it.  Wow...let me tell you...this ultra thick embossing enamel is really something!!!  It's like a sloppy lake of thick glossiness all over my card!  Yum....you can't keep from touching it to feel all the texture!!!

First I daubed distress inks in a rainbow pattern.  The circles of color you see are from the round dauber sponge.  Then I misted the extra thick cardstock with water before "dry" embossing (not too dry in this case!!) with my new Darice Birthday with Dots folder.  Then I went crazy with the UTEE.  I even added some fun shaved ice glitter flakes on for fun.
(What really will be "fun" is getting all the UTEE and flakes off every surface within a 8 foot radius of my craft table where my heat gun blew them...even though I heated from below first!! I told you I missed doing a messy craft project!!! Ha!)

I had a bunch of failed procedures with the actual Happy Birthday portion of the card.  Suffice it to say that Spectrum Noirs react with UTEE in a most unexpected way....!!!!  One hour plus several different kinds of silver markers (and more embossing powders to seal over the silver markers) later ....I finally had that botch taken care of.  I really like the final result of the letters.....but don't even ask me to recall my procedure(s)......groan.......!!!

Okay....one card posted.  I figure by posting this mixed media extravaganza first, maybe most of you won't actually scroll down this far to see it!!!  Ha. On to the next.....  See you soon!!!

<3
Janis



Thank you for the honor of entering this chaotic symphony of colors in the following challenges:
1. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday
2. Wow Embossing Powder April 2015 Challenge - Rainbow
3. Add a Little Dazzle - Dazzling Diva Challenge #70 - Mood Board

 









 


4. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - A is for.....All the Colors of the Rainbow!!!
5. Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #11 - April Showers - I made a mixed media rainbow  
6. Design Memory Craft April 2015 Challenge - Creativity  - I like getting creative with embossing powders! 

Happy Resurrection Day!!! -- The Wondrous Cross

He has risen, just as he said!

                                                                                From Matthew 28:6

Hi, Friends......

I'm here with an Easter card to share with you today and to wish each of you a blessed and joyful Easter.

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God's son, on the cross to pay for the sins of each of us.....and His resurrection on the third day....is central to my life.  Because of that, I am sharing a sacred Easter card for my Resurrection Day post.  

I made the background by applying Distress inks (Salty Ocean and Picked Raspberry) directly to my Darice - Crosses embossing folder.  I misted it gently with water, and ran it through my Big Shot with watercolor paper.  LOVE this pretty pastel-to-bright watercolor look!!

The crosses and sentiment are from a retired Clear Dollar Stamp set - Jesus Paid it All.  Perfect for Easter!  I stamped the crosses once on scrap paper and then onto watercolor paper for a muted effect.  The sentiment was stamped directly.  I used Distress Ink - Salty Ocean for both.



















Blessings to each of you this special day of celebration!!!!  I pray that you also know the love, forgiveness, and new life that comes through Jesus Christ. 

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Add a Little Dazzle Dazzling Diva Challenge #69 - Photo Inspiration or Anything Goes
2. Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday - March 2015 - Stamping
3. DL.Art Thankful Thursday #153 - Easter (alt Thank You)
4. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Pastels
5. Craft Stamper Take it Make it Challenge - Colour