Sympathy card - Friends with Flair 5-29

"There are times when mere words cannot bring the comfort that comes with holding a cat."


Hi, Friends...

I am here with a sympathy card for this week's Unity - Friends with Flair link up.  This was one of those cards that was particularly difficult to make.  Some neighbors lost their college-age daughter to cancer recently.  So very, very sad.  Because she was so young and in the prime of life, I decided to go with brighter colors instead of pale or somber ones.

I used another of my Brusho backgrounds from this project and applied some Picked Raspberry Distress Ink to the Darice - With Sympathy embossing folder and misted it before running it all through my machine.  I trimmed off the sentiment part and sponged the words with additional DI for more definition.

For my background, I chose a piece of lavender colored cardstock and a Unity lace background stamp (discontinued, apparently) that I've had for quite some time.  I stamped with Versamark Ink and heat embossed it with WOW! Embossing Powder - Opaque Bright White Regular.  Then I sponged over the lacy embossing with more DI in the Picked Raspberry and Salty Ocean, removing the excess with a baby wipe.

That's it for this simple, but pretty, sympathy card.  Do you think it is too bright for this kind of occasion?  I hope it isn't.  

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NEW FOLLOWER INTRODUCTION TIME!!!!!
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Today I am introducing two new followers with the same name!
(Different spellings, although very close.....but it still isn't really the same name...I know this from having a less-common spelling for my own name.  Janice and Janis are NOT the same name!!  lol...)

By the way.....do you notice how close I am to 100 followers????  A giveaway is just around the corner........

Mandi Mance of Faith, Hope and Crafts is the enabler that introduced me to Brusho!!!  LOL...  She lives in NY, but is originally from Scotland and continues to bring that lovely Scottish charm to her blog entries and awesome projects!  I was the very lucky winner of her blog prize recently that included the turquoise Brusho that I can't keep my crafty fingers away from now.  Ha.  So, you can call Mandi an "enabler excellence"!!!  Thank you so much, Mandi, for becoming a follower....and for introducing so many of us to Brusho!!  This ginormous new-follower smile is all yours!!!

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

Next up is Mandy Dodd of A Teacup of Scrapisms from down under in Tasmania, Australia!!!  WooHoo...I think this is my first follower from Australia.  I was first introduced to Mandy's AMAZING artwork in Jennifer Grace's recent blog event, where Mandy's mojo went totally nutso and she pumped out zillions of inspired and inspiring paper and 3D projects in the course of a week!!!  WOW!!  Such beautiful and fun pieces that went with the camera and focus theme.

Here's a fun little story about Mandy and me: I was so inspired by Mandy's spectacular creativity and number of projects for Jennifer's event that I spontaneously decided to send her a little prize myself!! Since Jennifer Grace is in the UK, I figured Mandy was, also. Imagine my surprise and delight to find she is from Tasmania!! I told her it was exciting for me to send something all the way to Australia and she wrote back and said it was exciting for her to receive something clear from the UK!!! Hahahaha..... She figured I was in UK because of Jennifer's event, too! LOL!! We had a great laugh over all of that when I told her I actually live in the USA!!! Hooray for the world wide web!!! :)

Mandy, thank you so much for becoming a follower of my blog.  I am so glad to get acquainted with you!!!  This is the smile that spreads over my face seeing a new photo on my sidebar!!

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

NOTE TO SELF: Check spellings of new followers before posting. Then check them again!!! I had Mandy spelled Mandie....and Mandi spelled Mandy!!!!  ARRRGGGHH!! I am not totally sure I have it straight, yet!!!  I hereby declare that anyone who has ever misspelled my name is officially pardoned.  :)

Thank you, everyone, for stopping by today.  I appreciate your visit and each and every comment.  Have a good weekend.

<3

Janis 

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1.  Unity - Friends with Flair Link Up
2.  Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
3.  Sentimental Sundays Challenge #260 - With Sympathy  
4.  Word Art Wednesday Challenge #185 - Anything Goes Family Friendly
5.  The Sisterhood of Crafters - Photo Inspiration

Guest Designer....Scrappin' Great Deals!

Wish I had one of these for my house!! 

"It is difficult to obtain the friendship of a cat.  It is a philosophical animal...one that does not place its affections thoughtlessly."
                                                                                -------------Theophile Gautier


Hi, Friends.....

Exciting news! I am the guest designer for Scrappin' Great Deals for this month's challenge.  

I was the lucky random winner in their March challenge and the prize was a nice gift voucher to their store and the opportunity to be their guest designer for May.  Shopping plus Show & Tell.....Hooray!!!  The new challenge was delayed a bit so it doesn't come out for a few more days.....the 28th, I think, so I will not reveal the challenge inspiration.  However, they very generously gave me an okay for posting a few days early because I wanted to enter this card in the current Waffle Flower Challenge.

Here are the wonderful colors and inspiration photo for Waffle Flower's challenge:

Now I bet you are curious how I put that with the inspiration for Scrappin' Great Deals, aren't you?  :)  You'll see in a few days!  lol...



I couldn't resist making a cheery card inspired by those daisies in the photo!!!

I used two different Waffle Flower stamp sets for the words on my card.  The Hello is from Flower Circles and the others are from On My Mark.  All stamping was with Olympia Green Tsukineko - Versafine Ink.  It's quite dark and really looks very close to black both in the photo and in real life.

I also used a stamp from Inspired by Stamping - Garden Seed Packets
for the white embossed daisy.  It is actually a sunflower image, but colored this way I think it looks like a white English daisy.  :)  I used Gelatos and my waterbrush to paint the center and around the petals.  Then I used Distress Ink to shade the edges.  

I hadn't really made a card with little squares of different media in them before.  I was inspired by this post in Jennifer Grace's Focus Your Craft & Soul blog event that is wrapping up today in a few hours.

My green squares are from Core'dinations Vintage Collection cardstock which I dry embossed using my Darice - Floral folder and then sanded to bring out the contrasting core color.
(I'm glad I got that embossing folder when I did because apparently it is discontinued. See my Product Links - click on link or on tab at top of page - for a very similar product.)



I used a variety of flowers and sequins to adorn my card.  Please check out my Product Links for some of my favorite flowers.  I am slowly adding more links on that page.  :)



Hope you enjoyed this sunny card today!!  I want to thank the kind people at Scrappin' Great Deals for giving me the chance to be their guest designer.  It's been a real challenge, but a lot of fun!!!  Thanks so much!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Waffle Flower Challenge May 11-24
2. Jennifer Grace Creates - Challenge to be Inspired Linky Party
3. Tombow May Flowers Challenge

Happy Birthday, Karen!

To my friend, Karen.  Which of us is the crazy one?  lol...

"By associating with the cat (or with a good friend), one only risks becoming richer."

                                                                                 --------Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

Hi, Friends.....

I am here with a birthday card for my crafty friend, Karen Ladd.  Happy Birthday!!  

 

I am entering this into Jennifer Grace's Focus Your Craft and Soul blog event challenge since I was inspired by her post about Framing a Sentiment.  

I dug around in my stash and found some frames from Fancy Pants - Beloved collection that would work.  Well, then I couldn't just frame the sentiment....I had to make a shaker, too!!  :)  

I filled it with sequins and some of my little glass beads that I use for mixed media art journal pages....yes, literally "filled" it.  lol...  I put it together and you couldn't even read the sentiment because of all the sequins and beads.  Hahahaha!!!  My second attempt worked better.  :)

I used a scrap of patterned paper to angle onto the card base, but felt like it needed something more.  So I pulled out a doily and flowers.  I was laying this all out before gluing anything on, when I decided to stencil the white card base with a thrift store stencil and some Simon Says Stamp - Sea Glass Ink.  I love the pretty, but subtle look!

A big fluffy chiffon bow finished it all off.  This bow probably will get crushed in the mail....so, Karen, here's a close up of it before it gets a once-over by the postal rugby team.  :)

Bonus:  this turned out to be a stash-busting card since so many things came from thrift stores or had been lurking in my stash for some time!

Hope everyone enjoyed seeing my card for Karen.  Happy Birthday, again, my friend!!  Hugs!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Jennifer Grace Creates - Challenge to be Inspired Linky Party
2. Eureka Stamps Challenge #141 - Shaker Cards
3. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Stencil It
4. Tombow May Flowers Challenge 
5. The Paper Girls Challenge - It's Party Time

FOCUS on Tags - Friends with Flair 5-22 (maybe...)

"Cats, by means of their whiskers, seem to possess something like an additional sense; these have, perhaps, some analogy to the antennae of moths and butterflies."                                                                                        -----------Reverend W. Bingley


Hi, Friends......
I am here with another project for Jennifer Grace's Focus Your Craft and Soul blog event.  There are still a couple of days to get your comments in for the giveaways and your projects in for the challenges.  The deadline is 10 pm BST (British Summer Time) on Sunday, May 24, 2015.  That is 3 pm Mountain Daylight Time on Sunday for those of us who think better in USA time zones.  (THANKS, Em!!)

I gathered inspiration from two of Jennifer's projects involving tags:  Tags that Draw Attention and Art in Miniature.  I also wanted to combine this challenge with this week's Unity - Friends with Flair Link-up, but they seem to have closed early for some reason.  Maybe they are on British Summer Time, too, today!!  lol...

For these tags, I used a wonderful product called Brusho.... concentrated water color crystals. It was new to me when I first heard about it on Faith, Hope, & Crafts.  Mandi made some gorgeous projects using Brusho for her backgrounds (Squeeeeeal....You know how I LOVE backgrounds!!) and I was IN LOVE!!  Then, guess what....she had a giveaway (that included a pot of Brusho) and I WON!!!!  Talk about being thrilled!!!  So I wanted to use them for my FWF project today, since that's how I met Mandi....but now FWF is closed early...oh, bother!  (Anyway....THANKS A MILLION, Mandi!!)

Here's how I made my tag backgrounds.  First I completely drenched a piece of watercolor paper (under the faucet in my kitchen!!) and then set it on a flat surface.  While it was still wet, I sprinkled Brusho crystals on it.  This product is super-concentrated and I used way too much.  It looked too "undersea" for this project.  After it was dry, I got a second sheet of watercolor paper wet and laid the first one face-down on top to transfer some of the excess pigment.  LOVE!!!!  The pebbly look is from the two textured surfaces only partially contacting each other.  Love that, too!!!  Then I needed to make the paper into tags....it was kind of scary, but I cut these shapes all by myself.  lol....  (You don't know how much I depend on pre-cut tags and die-cuts for making things end up the right shape!!!  This was a big step for me!!!  Ha.)

The butterfly is from a Unity - Antique Butterfly Itty Bitty.  I stamped it on a scrap of glossy paper background I had in my stash. (YES, it was from this whipped cream experiment!!!  Hahahaha!!!  I still have some pieces of those backgrounds, but I slowly am getting them used.  lol...)  I stamped two images with Smokey Gray Tsukineko - Versafine Ink and then fussy cut them out.  I mounted them on foam squares and lifted the wings a bit for dimension. 

The sentiments are from Unity grab bags.  :)  I stamped them each with the same ink as the butterflies. 

I finished the tags with some ribbon and thrift store yarn...that I just got yesterday!!  On one of them, I loosely braided the ties for some variation and on the other I left them loose.  I had to fight the urge to add more "stuff" to these tags, but I am trying to follow Jennifer's theme of Focus....so I kept them simple.  With the artsy background and butterflies, they seem busy enough, anyway.  What do you think?

Hope you like my project!!  I had so much fun playing with my new Brusho and trying some new things with old stash.  :)  

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NEW FOLLOWER INTRODUCTION TIME!!!!
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I would like to welcome Em Louise Fairley of Creative Em.  She's a Stampin' Up gal, so you know her work is going to showcase some amazing products!!!  I love the project she has up front and center right now with the gorgeous card and coordinating envelope.  I need to try doing that!!!  Thank you so much, Em, for becoming a follower.  This ginormous new-follower smile is what spreads all over my face when I see a new person on my sidebar:

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

Hey, I am another step closer to that 100 mark on my Google Friend Connect followers.  I better get ready for a giveaway!!!!  Woohoo!!


Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I appreciate all your wonderfully supportive comments.  Have a lovely weekend!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering these tags in the following challenges:
1.  Jennifer Grace Creates - Challenge to be Inspired Linky Party  Inspired by the Tag Projects
2.  Unity - Friends with Flair Link-up Except link-up closed early!  lol...
3.  Pixie's Snippets Playground Week #177  Just playing for fun this week.  :)
4.  City Crafter Challenge Week #262 - Inky-nes"S" - Use one or more inky techniques listed.
5.  Craft Stamper Take It Make It May Challenge - Take a Stamp

"Make a Mark" Birthday Card

"The cat lives alone, has no need of society, obeys only when she pleases, pretends to sleep that she may see more clearly, and scratches everything on which she can lay her paw."
                                                                       ------------Francois R. Chateaubriand


Hi, Friends.....

I am sooooooooo excited!!!  First off, this week continues the festivities for Jennifer Grace's big weekend blog event Focus Your Craft & Soul.  If you are not familiar with Jennifer's twice-yearly blog events, then you are in for a treat!  There are a bunch of giveaways and one big challenge link-up for all the wonderful things we make inspired by the awesome projects.  Did I mention prizes??....Whoa, Nellie!!  There are prizes and prizes galore!!!  

You will need to register by commenting on the welcome post in order to be eligible for the giveaways....so start with this link.  All the giveaways and challenges end May 24 at 10 pm BST....that must mean British standard time.  Who knows when that is for those of us who live on this side of the pond.....but I know I better have my stuff done by Saturday night!!!  :)

Okay, now what is really getting me excited (as if the blog event weren't enough on its own!) is that in this post by Jennifer, she used a photo editing site called PicMonkey.  I had never heard of it, but I checked it out and I am SO impressed!!!  Not only are they currently offering a Free 30-Day membership, but they offer FREE no-registration-required photo editing right there on their site!!  Yowza!!  You often see me bemoaning my lack of photographic prowess on this blog, but now I should be able to present you with better shots of my cards.  Yay!!!  So let's get started........

Monday was my dear son's birthday.  I was excited to make a "naughty kitty" card for him by curving the loooooong cat from my Waffle Flower - On My Mark stamp set (like I did here), but this time he is wreaking havoc with a big birthday present!!  :)

 
Here is an unedited version of the same shot.  See how much clearer and sharper things look in the one above?  In addition to adjusting the clarity and sharpness, I cropped, resized, and also adjusted the color to look more realistic.  These were all free options on the PicMonkey site. LOVE!!!  I didn't get fancy with overlays or such, but this is a huge step for me.  Thanks so much for the inspiration, Jennifer!!!! 





Here is a close-up so you can see how naughty the kitty has been in shredding the package!  lol....  He certainly has "made his mark"!!

I used my DCWV Burlap Paper Stack for the little rug that I cut free-hand.  The present is made from the DCWV Spring and Summer Print Corrugate stack.  I used a gold marker to make the lines on the edges for some depth.  I tore up the corrugate with a craft knife.....cats come naturally endowed with ten of these!  Please notice the little shreds of the "gift wrapping" on the rug.  :)

In order to get the "make a mark" phrase, I did a bit of stamp surgery using parts of "make a list" and "on my mark" from this same WF stamp set.  Fun!!  All stamping was done with Onyx Black Tsukineko - Versafine Ink.  The kitty was heat embossed with WOW! Embossing Powder - Primary Ebony Regular. 

Hope you enjoyed this card.  I had a lot of fun making it.  My son loved it.....especially since I used a black cat like his Othello.

Have a great mid-week!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this into the following challenges:
1.  Jennifer Grace Creates - Challenge to be Inspired Linky Party  (Using Photo Software Challenge)
2.  Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - X.Y, Z (I used an X-tra long, X-tra naughty cat plus X-tra teX-ture!) 
3.  FairyTale Challenge #117 - Use Corrugated Cardboard
4.  Sentimental Sundays Challenge #259 - Use a funny or Cute Sentiment
5.  The Paper Girls Challenge - It's Party Time 
6.  Craft Stamper Take It Make It May Challenge - Take a Stamp
7.  Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday - April 2015

Better Things Ahead - Friends with Flair 5-15

Well, I have 20+ cats right now....so what does that tell you?  lol.   BTW... Hubby and I are very happily married, so you know that's not the particular "bad relationship" I am talking abt!!  Ugh...

 
Hi, Friends.....

I am here with a springy card for this week's Unity - Friends with Flair.  I used a lovely sentiment from the Unity - Far Better Things Ahead that Crystal Rodner sent me.  (THANKS, Crystal!!!) 

I had a watercolor background in my stash.  I stamped a swirly Unity grab bag stamp all over this watercolor paper using Simon Says Stamp - Sea Glass ink.  (THANKS, SSS!!!)  This ink is subtle and really pretty, but doesn't show up too well in my photo.


This sentiment is really meaningful to me as our family is going through some very difficult times right now.  I post this card as a hopeful statement of faith.  I stamped the sentiment with Smoky Gray Tsukineko - Versafine Ink.  I didn't intend to have the sentiment bleed along the swirly background stamping, but I kind of like the imperfect effect.  I also spattered around a bit of Lime Green - Dylusions Ink Spray which did the same bleeding trick along the SSS ink swirls!  (shrug...)

Then I layered some pretty Prima flowers and put them in a cluster in the corner.  Sweet!

I had this yellow embossed vellum butterfly leftover from a previous project and combined it with a gorgeous Zva swirl.  Love it!! 

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NEW FOLLOWER INTRODUCTION TIME!!!!!
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Have you noticed how close I am getting to 100 Followers????  I think I hear a giveaway sneaking up.....  :)

A big welcome to Connie Wallenbrock of Connie Can Crop.  Connie has a little bit of everything on her fun blog:  terrific cards, LOs, challenges (see my sidebar....ROAR!!!), hops, guest designers, and so much more!!!  Thanks, Connie, for becoming a follower!  I appreciate it so much!!!  This ginormous new-follower smile is for you: 

:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 

Thank you, everyone, for stopping by today.  I hope your weekend is lovely.

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Unity Friends with Flair 5-15
2. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Use a Simon Product
3. Tombow May Flowers Challenge
4. Design Memory Craft May 2015 Challenge - Spring
5. Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday - April 2015
6. Craft Stamper Take It Make It May Challenge - Take a Stamp

Happy Mother's Day to MOMMY

 CELEBRATING MOMS OF ALL KINDS!!!!

 

 

"It is impossible to keep a straight face in the presence of one or more kittens."

                                                                                 ------------------ Cynthia E. Varnado

A PERSONAL NOTE:  Mother's Day is a sweet and joyful day for many moms (including me!) but can also be a painful, and even sad day for some ladies.  I want to recognize and to give appreciation for the role that ALL ladies play in the development and growth of young people.  Whether one is "technically" a mother or not, you are an important and valued influence in the raising up of our kids and grandkids.  Thank you so much for the contribution that you make each and every day!!!  Happy Mother's Day to Moms of All Kinds!!!  <3 J

Hi, Friends.....

I am here to share a Mother's Day card I helped my granddaughter make for her Mommy.  :)   Little Peach is only 4-1/2, so she needed a bit of assistance getting things lined up.  But she chose the letters and the colors of the cardstock.....a combo of her favorite color--pink and her mommy's fave--green.  :)

 

She did a very careful job of gluing the letters and panels.

And she chose the placement of the flowers and butterflies that she had selected all by herself.  :)

She also wrote her name inside.








She is bursting with excitement to give the card to Mommy with some snapdragons she picked out.  Despite my instructions to keep them a secret, she had to ask me numerous times (in her mommy's presence) about the secret snapdragons the evening before!!!  lol....  So adorable!!  

Happy Mother's Day!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering Little Peach's card in the following challenges:
1. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Let's Get Sentimental
2. Frosted Designs Friday Challenge - All About Mom
3. Simply Create Too Challenge #85 - Favorite Color Combo
4. Monday Morning Challenge #6 - Pretty Flowers 

Make a Wish - Waffle Flower Challenge

Our Brian and Othello nested together.  Othello was missing my son (his best bud) who was away for a few days and so I laid down my fuzzy pink robe on the bed for him make happy feet on.  He was so relieved and overjoyed to have a soft blankey, he BIT it!  lol...  Brian is not quite 1 year old (look at that magnificent striped coat!!)  You can see how massive Othello is compared to him....although some of it is camera perspective.   He probably outweighs lanky and lean Brian close to 3 to 1.  We grow big cats!

"Cat names are more for human benefit.  They give one a certain degree more confidence that the animal belongs to you."
                                                                                           -----------Alan Ayckbourn

Hi, Friends.....

I can't believe it!!  It has been a full four weeks since I have had time to make more than one card or project in a week.  I've just barely gotten a Unity FWF project done each Friday.  Grandma-ing, mom-ing, and wife-ing has been keeping me busy, busy, busy....and tired!!!

 

The current Waffle Flower Challenge has such a beautiful inspiration photo and color palette in cool tones that I really wanted to participate using my new Waffle Flower - On My Mark stamp set. (THANKS, WF!!!)
 

I just love the looooooong cat on this stamp set, don't you?  I was dying to curve the stamp to make the cat stand up against something!!  :)   In this case, I tried to make a little outdoor scene with the curious kitty sneaking up on the butterfly.   Guess what her wish is!  :)

I already had the lattice background made from scraps as a card starter and added the other elements.  I stamped the cat in Onyx Black Tsukineko - Versafine Ink and then heat embossed it with black powder for a lovely deep black coat.



I debated whether or not to use the vellum.  I like all the white space on the inspiration photo and there wasn't any on my card, so the vellum tones down the colors.  Also, I was afraid the butterfly would get lost amid the lattice work in the bright background, so putting the little thing on top of the vellum keeps it in sight.  Of, course, you can't see the glossy black coat of the cat with the vellum over top, but she is still visible so I think I like it with the vellum.

The little sentiment is from the same set.  I stamped and heat-embossed it the same way I did for the little huntress.  My family wasn't too impressed with this card (What do they know???  lol...), but I really like it!  Hope you do, too.  

Have a lovely rest of the weekend!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Waffle Flower Challenge - April 27 to May 10
2. Quick Quotes Friday Challenge #51 - Add a Flower or Butterfly
3. The Paper Girls Challenge #79 - Cute Critters
4. Pixie's Snippets Playground Week 175-176

Cookie Tag - Friends with Flair 5-8

"The cat is the only animal without visible means of support who still manages to find a living in the city."

                                                                                       ----------Carl Van Vechten


Hi, Friends....

I am here with a project for this week's Unity - Friends with Flair.  Recently, a neighbor came to the rescue while my guys were gone and changed my empty propane tank for me.  (How do the tanks always know when my guys are gone for a few days??  Ugh..)  This same Good Samaritan neighbor had a birthday this week, so I made a plate of cookies for him for both a thank you and a birthday gift with this cookie tag.  Fun, huh?

I used two Unity stamps I received in grab bags.  The focal point stamp says "Happy Birthday - Make a Wish".  The other one that I used as a background stamp can be found in the Unity Aug. 2014 KOM. 


Since this tag was for a guy, I wanted to give it some texture.  I just got this new DCWV Burlap Paper Stack and wanted to see if it would die cut very well.  I used my Sizzix Fancy Labels Dies and met with what I would say is a measure of success.  This material is paper-backed burlap, which is great for being fray-resistant, but it was a little thick for my dies.  I ran it through several times and only had to snip a few of the more recalcitrant threads.  I am satisfied and will die cut this and similar material again.

I wasn't as successful at getting a good result with my stamp.  I used Tsukineko - Versafine Ink in Onyx Black.  I probably should have brushed some tinted gesso over the burlap first to give a better platform for the sentiment, but the "birthday" word is readable and that's what counts.  Our friend will be kept busy trying to decipher what the other words say while he eats his cookies!!  Ha! 

Here's a close up of the top of the tag.  I snipped a bit off the corners of the tag to give it a more pleasing look to my eye.  You can see a glimpse of some my new DCWV Corrugate Neutrals Stack which I tore at the top and bottom for more texture.  The yummy cookie paper is a scrap from the DCWV Snack Stack (not sure if you can still buy this...I got it on a Hot Buy at JoAnn's).  

Other products I used for the tag include:
Inspired by Stamping - Fancy Labels 3 Dies
Distress Inks - Aged Mahogany, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo
Beacon 3-in-1 Craft Glue


Here's a shot of the plate of cookies with the tag.  Would you like my favorite Peanut Butter Cookie recipe?  I use this one from Jif with these tweaks:  use dark brown sugar, any brand peanut butter, substitute real butter for the Crisco, and reduce salt to 1/2 tsp.  Oh, YUM!!! 

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Ding, ding, ding:  New Follower Introduction Time!!!
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Donna Bowman (corgidusty) of Donna's Crafty Place
is my newest follower.  Donna is the creative genius behind the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge blog and makes some awesome projects.  She also makes gorgeous cards, including ones for her position on the DT for Christmas Card Challenges.  This almost makes me want to drag out my Christmas things again...(which have only been put away for about a month!!!!  Ha!)  Donna, thank you so much for becoming a follower!  This ginormous smile is for you!!!

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

   

Thank you for stopping by today.  Now.....how many of you are hungry for some cookies???  :)  You're welcome!  lol... 

Have a lovely weekend!!

<3

Janis 

Thank you for the honor of entering this tag in the following challenges:
1. Unity Friends with Flair 5-8
2. Pixie's Snippets Playground Week 175-176
3. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Let's Get Sentimental 
4. Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday - April 2015
5. Word Art Wednesday Challenge #182 - Anything Goes Family Friendly

Mayday!! Mayday!! Inventory Folder - Friends with Flair 5-1

"The cat is nature's beauty."

                                                                                    ------Author Unknown

Hi, Friends.....

MAYDAY!!  MAYDAY!!  Ugh....do you ever have one of those weeks when you just never quite make it to your craft table????  Well, this has been one of them for me.  A number of things kept me from crafting:  I've been busy Grandma-ing, hubby got home from a month-long work trip, the weather has let me work in the garden some, did a bit of canning, but mostly I think my crafting mojo has just gone south.  Ugh...  So I am hoping to get inspired again with this project for my May Day post that has some cheery spring flowers.

Front Cover

Today I am sharing a Unity Friends with Flair project I finished up last week.  It's a folder for my church inventory checklists.  A friend and I keep track of the kitchen supplies at church so we don't run out of important stuff.....like plates for goodies!!!  (Hey, that totally could be a CRISIS!!!)

We only do this task twice yearly, and I live in fear that I won't be able to find my inventory sheets when I look for them.  A lot can happen in my household in six months!!!  Ack!!!  So I thought if I made a brightly decorated folder for them it would help me not lose it! (Hahaha....there are weeks when I feel like I am "losing it" on a daily basis, but that's a different kind!  LOL....)
 

Back Cover

  
I received this cute little smiling coffee carafe stamp in a Unity grab bag...(THANKS, Unity!!)...and didn't really know how or when I would use it....until I thought of this project!!!  Is it perfect or what???  

Of course I had to prep my notebook by misting and spraying with all kinds of different products.  I even used a starry stencil.... super fun!!!











I stamped my adorable carafe with VersaFine - Onyx Black ink and then used my Faber-Castell Big Brush white pen to make a white zone around the image so it wouldn't get lost.  I used my Sakura Glaze black pen to draw in the face a little darker, too.
 
  
Can you tell that I went a bit crazy again with my little glass beads in glitter glue????  I can't begin to tell you how giddy I get when I play with these tiny bits of gorgeousness!!!  :)  I wish I could capture the gleam for you in these simple flowers (the ONLY thing I can really draw!!!  Ha!!)

My centers are old defunct glue dots that I don't trust to hold layers together anymore, but will stick on enough for a flower.  :)  I applied them to my notebook (This was done before the glitter glue and bead step!  Sorry I am out of synch!) and then I brushed on some gold Perfect Pearls for shimmer.  Then I gently warmed them a bit with my heat gun to make them soft and sticky and smooshed down on them again to make sure they weren't going anywhere!!   I outlined the flowers with my Faber-Castell Black Big Brush pen.  

To make sure the beads were attached securely onto my notebook, I not only laid down a good layer of glitter glue first, but also covered the beads with another thick goopy layer.  It doesn't obscure the beauty of the beads to do that, and even enhances it with more glittery goodness!!  Love how the inks and sprays beneath still show through the beads on this silvery flower.

So what do you think???  Did I go a little nutso with my inventory notebook???  I am looking forward to having this new and more reliable way of keeping track of the kitchen supplies.  I know the ladies at church will think I am regressing back to the 70s with my flowery, starry notebook, but I bet they won't be able to keep their fingers off the wonderful texture of the flowers!!  I might just leave it on the counter down there and watch them play with it!!  Hehehe....

Hope to get my crafting mojo back soon and do more posting.  I am so glad for Unity's Friends with Flair which motivates me to be on here once a week, even when I am struggling.  

Hope your week went well and your weekend goes even better!!!  I understand that tomorrow is National Scrapbook Day with all sorts of contests and giveaways.  Not sure how much I'll be able to play, but maybe some!!  In the meantime, Happy May Day to you!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this project in the following challenges:
1. Unity-Friends with Flair Link-up
2. Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - May Flowers
3. The Paper Girls Challenge #78 - April Showers Bring May Flowers (Since it is May, I used flowers.)
4. DL.Art May Linky Challenge - Anything Goes
5. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Anything Goes