April Rudolph Days at Scrappy Mo's

Hi, Friends......

Quick post......I am starting to do a little more crafting and realized that I better get my April entry into the Rudolph Days linkup!

A couple of winters ago, my crafty pal Karen Ladd sent me two lovely rustic stamps. I thought they would be perfect stamped on white cardstock for a wintry look. So I pulled one out today to play with. Love the snowy village look!! Thank you, Karen!!!

Products used include:
Art-Kure - Gold Hill, Shaftesbury
Versafine Ink - Majestic Blue
Clear embossing powder
Winnie & Walter - Essentials: Katharine Cutaways die set
My Favorite Things Die-namics - Stitched Oval STAX die set
Sizzix - Fancy Labels die set
Sentiment Sticker from Echo Park - Winter Wishes collection
Weird 7-pointed snowflakes that I am stiiiiiiiiiilllllll trying to use up!!!!
DCWV papers

Thank you for stopping by and taking a look!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenge:
1. April Rudolph Days Challenge - Anything Goes Christmas

Crafty Nomad's Bunny Hop Celebration

Hi, Friends......

I have been in a huge crafting slump lately.....partly from losing my Dad, I think, and partly from having a huge backlog of cards I made several weeks ago and haven't blogged. For some reason, I lost all my motivation. Then when the weather started warming up I decided to get out in my garden and haven't gotten crafty since.......until today.

My crafty pal, Gail, over at Crafty Nomad is turning the Big 50 this month (April) and I nearly missed it!!!! Happy Hoppy Birthday, Gail!!! She is having a Bunny Hop with prizes to help celebrate her BD. So much fun.

Look at the fun badge she made for her hop.....did you know she had that many rabbits???? I sure didn't!!! She's looking fabulous....Can't be turning 50!!!

So.........even though there is only ONE MORE DAY to enter......Wouldn't you like to whip up a bunny card to help her celebrate???? See her LINK-UP POST for all the details on how to enter. Did I mention there are prizes for randomly drawn entries???? YAY!!! I will be sending my entry to her by snail mail all the way over to Norway as a late BD card, but that is not required for being in the draw for the prizes.

I made a gardening themed card for Gail since I have been spending a lot of time lately getting dirt under my nails in my garden. A friend gave me this adorable stamp ages ago. I watercolored it as a lady-rabbit with a little girl bunny. I don't wear bib-overalls in the garden....but if I did, I know mine would be as dirty as these are on the card! :)

Supplies used include:
Winnie & Walter - Essentials: Audrey Cutaways die set My Favorite Things Die-namics - Stitched Square STAX die set
Ancient rubber stamp from stash
Memento Ink in Rich Cocoa
Mixed media paper
Distress Markers for watercoloring
Wink of Stella - can't see the sparkle, but I used this on the hat band and the blouses
Scraps for panels
Sparkly butterfly from Dollar Store

Thank you for stopping by. I really hope you can enter Gail's Bunny Hop even at this late notice!!! Happy Birthday, Gail!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenge:
1. Crafty Nomad's Bunny Hop Celebration

Merry Christmas with Deer

Hi, Friends.....

It's been a bit of rough week here. I lost my 94-year old Dad. This was not unexpected. So glad that we were able to go see him a few weeks ago. He was a believer in Christ and a man of God. He lived a long life, died peacefully in his sleep, and is now in heaven. I am comforted in this sure knowledge....but I still have some weepy times. We will be having a memorial service in a few weeks.

I didn't get much crafting done this week, but did make this Christmas card that I will enter in the current Winnie & Walter Rerun challenge. I don't have the adorable Rerun set for this month, so I drew inspiration from one of the featured cards: Shay's lovely card HERE in green and blue with the wonderful starry and dotty background.

I used some free W&W printables that have been sitting in my stash for some time....hooray for stash busting!!! I adore that peaceful deer digital image and I think this is my last one of them. (Eeek!! I will prob have to print out some more now!!!) The bokeh background is also one of their freebies. :)

Products used include:
Winnie & Walter - Essentials: Audrey Cutaways die set (scalloped panel)
Winnie & Walter - Essentials: Katharine Cutaways die set
My Favorite Things Die-namics - Stitched Oval STAX die set
Daily Grind Collection Vol. 1 - Holiday Mint (FREEBIE!!)
Winnie & Walter - Comfort + Joy stamp set
Versafine ink in Onyx Black

Hope you liked my simple Christmas card. I love the peaceful, serene look. Thank you for stopping by today.

<3
Janis
Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Winnie & Walter Rerun #29: The Big, the Bold and Baby
2. Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #380 - Anything Goes Christmas
more coming soon.... :)

Autism Awareness Blog Hop - Special, Unique, Beautiful

This must be why I have so many cats!!!  lol....

Hi, Friends.....

I am here with a card for a very important cause:  the 2018 Autism Awareness Blog Hop. As you already know, there are many crafters in our blogging community with family members affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder. My family is one of them. Our beautiful and very smart 31-year-old daughter has Asperger Syndrome, which is often called high-functioning autism. We are coming to realize that my brilliant husband and highly intelligent 28-year old son (still living at home) also share many of those same Aspy traits....and very likely are somewhere on the spectrum, too. I am "neurotypical", as they call those who are wired more like everyone else.

So what's it been like for me as a "neurotypical" being married to an Aspy and raising Aspy kids??? Crazy!!!  lol.... Sometimes life just blows up!! I deal with their "Aspy-ness" on a daily basis....but a good sense of humor and knowing that there is an explanation for why they are "the way they are" helps me so much in coping!!! I love them all so dearly and just chuckle to myself as I scratch my head over their quirks (that is....when I am not in the middle of pulling my hair OUT!!) and chalk it up to "Life in an Aspy House!!!" If I ever write a book about it, I will totally call it that. :)

I am thrilled to be able to participate in this Autism Awareness event. I made a card that celebrates my daughter, in particular, with her unique talents and gifts. I love this stamp by Penny Black!! I stamped it on a watercolor paper background I had made with my leftover marker refill water. :) The sentiment is from Unity and the butterfly charm is from an assortment that my dear daughter gave me some time back. <3

Products used include:
Penny Black - Wistful cling stamp
Versafine Ink - Deep Lagoon
Clear embossing powder
Distress Ink - Salty Ocean
Unity stamp from an assorted grab bag
Butterfly Charm

Thank you to all the sponsors of this event and to Veronica for her example and hard work in organizing all of this. Thank you to each of you that is hopping along and to all my regulars who put up with my sometimes sporadic blogging!!! Hugs from me and my Life in an Aspy House!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. 2018 Autism Awareness Blog Hop
2. Butterfly Challenge #97 - Butterfly + T for Teal, Tomato, Thistle &/or Triangles, Twine, Two Identical Objects (I am playing again just for the Butterfly + Teal....that's about all I can manage right now!!)
3. Word Art Wednesday #328-329 - Anything Goes
4. Crop Stop April Link Party #38 - Anything Goes using products from company CS sells (I used Distress Ink and Tsukineko Versafine Ink)
5. DL.ART April Linky Party
6. Joy Clair April Challenge - Anything Goes/Spring
7. Cardz-TV Anything Goes Challenge #42
8. The House that Stamps Built DCC44 - All Creatures Great and Small
9. Creative with Stamps Challenge #25 - CAS + a Sentiment

 

10. City Crafter Challenge Week #406 - CASE this card

New Mercies I See

Hi, Friends.....

I am so glad that a few of the March challenges have some spillover days into April. Life was so insane in March that I really didn't get any creating done at all.
 
I suddenly remembered about the Verve March Inspiration Challenge and....hooray!...it hadn't closed yet...but today is the last day. The theme is Green and here is the inspiration photo Julee gave us.

 
Here's what I made:

That wispy dark shadow you see across the lower part of the card is tulle ribbon wrapped numerous times around the panel and tied into a bow. It looks hideous in this photo, but is soft and dreamy IRL. You will have to take my word for it..... LOL!!

Products used include:
Verve - New Mercies stamp set
Core'dinations Vellum
Versamark Ink
Stampendous - Clear Embossing Powder Clear Bark: Item #EP505
Prima flowers
Verve - Sprightly Sprigs die set
Scrap of K&Co. paper for background
Scraps from my stash for leaves
Spring green brads from stash
Tulle ribbon from thrift store

This card reminds me of spring because of its deep colors that look like a rain-drenched woodsy area. We get lots of rain here this time of year.....relatively speaking, that is. Idaho is very dry, so "lots of rain" means maybe 2 or 3 inches in a month!!! lol... The deep greens and browns in this card remind me of the verdant growth and moist soil that come with the spring rains.

Hope you liked my card. Thank you so much for stopping by!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Verve Inspirations March 2018 Challenge - Green
2. Butterfly Challenge #97 - Butterfly + T for Teal, Tomato, Thistle &/or Triangles, Twine, Two Identical Objects (I am playing for the Butterfly + Teal....for the foiling on the background and butterfly)
3. Word Art Wednesday #328-329 - Anything Goes
4. DL.ART Thankful Thursday #225 - Flowers or Thank You
5. Crop Stop April Link Party #38 - Anything Goes using products from company CS sells (I used Tsukineko Versamark Ink, Core'dinations Vellum, and Prima flowers)
6. Joy Clair April Challenge - Anything Goes/Spring
7. Card Mania Challenge #103 - Spring
8. Craftyhazelnut's April Patterned Paper Challenge - Use patterned paper
9. The House that Stamps Built DCC44 - All Creatures Great and Small
10. Love to Scrap #108- April Showers Bring May Flowers

Your Kindness Brightens My Day

Not my cat, but I LOVE this photo. Looks like an old kitty enjoying the warmth of the sunshine on his old bones.

Hi, Friends......

I am here with another Rainbow Color card for the Winnie & Walter March Color Challenge. There's only one more day left, so if you want to join in you need to hurry! Here's the gorgeous inspiration photo Heather chose for us. So pretty!!!

I used another one of my "rainbow-swipe" backgrounds.  :)  I made a bunch of these to play with for the rainbow challenges, but wasn't satisfied with any of the ones I did on the glossy photo paper.   This particular one had a big white streak right across the rainbow.....which I managed to disguise (mostly) with a lovely big, bold sentiment.  :)  This time, I kept everything else black and white to show off the brilliant colors, and it turned out to be my favorite of this series of cards!

Products used include:
Winnie & Walter - Essentials: Audrey Cutaways die set (scalloped panels)
Winnie & Walter - Essentials: Katharine Cutaways die set (straight edge panel)
Distress Inks in Candied Apple, Carved Pumpkin, Fossilized Amber, Mowed Grass, Salty Ocean, and Wilted Violet Winnie & Walter - Kindness with Evelin T Designs stamp set
Versafine ink in Onyx Black
Studio Katia - Clear Round Drops Mix
Glossy photo paper
Core'dinations black cardstock

Thank you for taking the time to stop by today. I appreciate your visits and comments so much!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Winnie & Walter March Color Challenge - Rainbow Colors
2. Word Art Wednesday #328-329 - Anything Goes
3. Cardz-TV Anything Goes Challenge #41
4. DL.ART Thankful Thursday #225 - Flowers or Thank You
5. Die Cut Divas April Challenge - Anything Goes (must use die cut or embossing folder)
6. Crop Stop April Link Party #38 - Anything Goes using products from company CS sells (I used Distress Inks and Tsukineko Versafine Inks
7. DL.ART April Linky Party
8. Joy Clair April Challenge - Anything Goes/Spring
9. Card Mania Challenge #103 - Spring
10. Simon Says Stamp March Work-It Wednesday - Ink Techniques

Rainbow Happy Birthday

Hi, Friends....
I am back with another Rainbow Color card for the Winnie & Walter March Color Challenge. There's only another couple of days left, so if you want to join in you need to hurry! Here's the gorgeous inspiration photo Heather chose for us. So pretty!!!



I had this great idea (I thought)......I will put some side by side lines of distress ink on an acrylic block (using the edge of the mini ink pads) in spectrum order and try swiping an arc of rainbow colors across some cardstock. I got my acrylic block all inked and thought I better try this on a scrap first. I grabbed the back of an old commercial greeting card.....it was semi-glossy and had a large enough blank space to give this a trial run.

Oh, my goodness.....I loved the effect of the ink beading up on the surface and giving a transparent effect to the rainbow arch intermingled with the brilliant colors!!! I was so emboldened that I tried the same thing on glossy photo paper and mixed media paper.  Predictably.......NONE of them looked nearly as nice as that one on the scrap of an old card!!! (Doesn't that just figure???? Ha.) So what choice did I have????? I die cut my original practice piece and made this card!! :)

Products used include:
Winnie & Walter - Essentials: Audrey Cutaways die set (scalloped panels)
Winnie & Walter - Essentials: Katharine Cutaways die set (straight edge panel)
Distress Inks in Candied Apple, Carved Pumpkin, Fossilized Amber, Mowed Grass, Salty Ocean, and Wilted Violet
Winnie & Walter - Scenery: Bigger Bang Confetti stamp set - sadly discontinued (Happy sentiment)
Winnie & Walter - In a Word: Happy stamp set (birthday sentiment)
Winnie & Walter - In Bloom: Hollie's Festive Florals stamp set (flower and stem)
Versafine ink in Blue Lagoon
Clear embossing powder from stash
Shimmery twine from dollar store

Hope you liked my card. It makes me think of spring....even though we are still having snow mixed with rain here in Idaho. I know warm weather will be right around the corner....and I can't wait!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Winnie & Walter March Color Challenge - Rainbow Colors
2. Word Art Wednesday #328-329 - Anything Goes
3. Cardz-TV Anything Goes Challenge #41
4. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday
5. Double D Challenges - Twine
6. Crop Stop April Link Party #38 - Anything Goes using products from company CS sells (I used Distress Inks and Tsukineko Versafine and Versamark Inks)
7. Tuesday Throwdown #386 - Rainbow Colors
8. Joy Clair April Challenge - Anything Goes/Spring
9. Card Mania Challenge #103 - Spring
10. Die Cut Divas April Challenge - Anything Goes (must use die cut or embossing folder)
11. Off the Rails Scrapbooking - April Mood Board 

 

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday

Hi, Friends......

I am here with another Rainbow Color card for the Winnie & Walter March Color Challenge. Here's the gorgeous inspiration photo Heather chose for us. So pretty!!!


I decided to do some coloring with my Spectrum Noirs on this card.  The result is a birthday card suitable for any age....and could be for a guy or a gal. 

Products used include:
Winnie & Walter - In a Word: Happy stamp set
Versafine ink in Onyx Black
Spectrum Noir markers
Versafine ink
WOW! Embossing Powder - Opaque Bright White Regular
Red sequins from my stash

Hope you liked this happy, happy card. :) Thank you for your sweet comments!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Winnie & Walter March Color Challenge - Rainbow Colors
2. Word Art Wednesday #328-329 - Anything Goes
3. Cardz-TV Anything Goes Challenge #41
4. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
5. HeARTful Stamping Challenge - Anything Goes + A Stamp
6. DL.ART April Linky Party
7. Tuesday Throwdown #386 - Rainbow Colors
8. Simon Says Stamp March Work-It Wednesday - Ink Techniques (I did simple coloring, but made a rainbow spectrum across the stamped words.) 

Spring Flower and Critter Congrats

Hi, Friends.......

The theme for the Winnie & Walter March Color Challenge is Rainbow Colors. Here's the gorgeous inspiration photo Heather chose for us. So pretty!!!



Here's my card. I've had this fun (and BUSY!) background paper for ages, from an old MAMBI stack. I've been wanting to put speech bubbles with some of the critters and this was great chance to do so. I added glossy accents to the critters and I used a tall format, because I have tons of these long scraps. This size fits in a business size envelope.

Products used include:
Winnie & Walter - Sketchy Thoughts stamp set
Winnie & Walter - Sketchy Thoughts die set
Distress Ink in Picked Raspberry, Salty Ocean, Mowed Grass, Fossilized Amber, Carved Pumpkin, and Wilted Violet
Versafine Ink in Onyx Black
Ranger - Glossy Accents
Big scrap of MAMBI patterned paper
Scraps of white cardstock

Hope you liked this colorful and BUSY springy card....lol.. It was a lot of fun to make.

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Winnie & Walter March Color Challenge - Rainbow colors
2. Word Art Wednesday #328-329 - Anything Goes
3. Cardz-TV Anything Goes Challenge #40
4. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
5. DL.ART Thankful Thursday #225 - Flowers
6. DL.ART April Linky Party
7. HeARTful Stamping Challenge - Anything Goes + A Stamp
8. Tuesday Throwdown #386 - Rainbow colors
9. The Artistic Stamper April Challenge - The Birds and the Bees