Christmas Gift Idea #2

Hi friends.  Today's gift idea is a fun way to give money.  I saw this idea on several different blogs and really liked it. Hubby helped me make a bag header in Word.  Then it was just a matter of rolling up each dollar and tying it with ribbon. I nestled the money on a bed of red, shredded paper, stapled the header on to the plastic bag and it was done.  See Christmas Gift Idea #1 here.

Challenges:
Hiding in my Craft Room #176 - Freestyle!
Paper Creators Crafts #33 - All About Christmas
We Do Doobadoo - Get Festive
QKR Stampede #115 - Anything But A Card

Blessings:

• My MIL is doing very well after a bad knee injury.
• My niece has grown in the Lord so much this year.  
• It's back to being warmer here!  The cold weather is very painful for the Trigeminal Neuralgis in my face.

Have a wonderful day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Christmas Gift Idea #1

Hi friends.  I hope that those of you who are American had a lovely Thanksgiving.  We sure did.  Did any of you brave the Black Friday sales?  I did my shopping online and found several good deals.

I'm hoping to share a series of Christmas gift ideas, that will make your gifts a bit more unique, yet are quick and easy to make.  Today I'll share the first one and I hope that this busy season and my health allow me to get back on here soon with my other ideas.

I packaged two pairs of soft socks, a nail file and some nail polish on a bed of red, shredded paper in a plastic bag and cut a topper to fit the bag size.  I stamped the words with alphabet stamps and stamped the flourishes.  I added a few touches of color with markers and used Stickles to add some sparkle.  I inked the edges, stapled the topper on my bag and I was done!  As I look at this picture, I wish I had taken the tag off of the pink socks. :(   This gift isn't my original idea.  I saw it online somewhere and thought it was a cute idea.

Challenges:
Completely Christmas #40 - Anything Goes, Something beginning with S - My S thing is Stickles.
Hiding in my Craft Room #176 - Freestyle!
Paper Creators Crafts #33 - All About Christmas
We Do Doobadoo - Get Festive
QKR Stampede #115 - Anything But A Card

Blessings:

• A cozy, warm home.  (We've been hit with cold temps even here in Florida.)
• Our friends were uninjured in a bad car accident.
• White chocolate - My special holiday treat.

Have a fabulous day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Timely Advice

Hi friends.  Living by the woods, as we do, brings a variety of interesting critters to our door step and it seems like my little dog, Princess, encounters most of them.  I guess it's the Terrior side of her.  Her latest encounter was with a large Blue Land Crab.  These crazy crabs climb the stairs up on to our back porch and that's where Princess found one today.  She wanted to play chase with the crab and the crab wanted to give Princess a good pinch.  Thankfully, hubby saw this happening and intervened before Princess got pinched.  These crabs are actually rather shy, unless they get cornered.  They're about 6 inches across and live in burrows that they dig about 5 feet deep.  They go to the ocean, which is 5 miles away, to deposit their eggs.  They're pretty amazing critters.  Okay, lesson is over. lol  I love nature and find things like that fascinating.

Today I have an art journal page to share with you.  I started art journaling in the beginning of 2014 and absolutely love it.   For this page I started with an old book page, which I smeared some paint on, stenciled a bit and then stamped the number background with three different number stamp sets.  I adhered some of the awesome watch faces that I've been hoarding, a time theme postage stamp, and an hour glass and sun dial that I stamped and fussy cut.  I put some dimensional crackle gloss on the hour glass to make it look more real and antique-like.  I adhered some watch and clock hands and some tiny watch gears.  I used some bronze Twinkling H2O's around the embellishments.  I typed and printed a quote I like.  I finished the edges of the page with some sepia ink.  Sorry, I don't know who makes any of the stamps.  They're all unmounted stamps from my stash.

You can see the details a bit better in this close up shot.  It's so fun to just do this for the shear joy of creating.

Linking:
Art Journal Every Day
Artistic Inspirations - #113 Make Your Own Background
Creative Every Day
Fantasy Stampers - #21 Time Flies - Stamps used: 3 different numbers sets, hour glass & sun dial.
Not Just Cards - #4 Anything Goes
Make My Monday - Numbers
Scrapbook Blessings Club - #31 Anything Goes
Scribble and Scrap - #29 Anything Goes
Sunday Sentiments
Treasured Times Stamps - #26 Anything Goes
The Order of Opus Gluei - #193 Time


Blessings:

• The constant, heavy rain has finally stopped.  
• I found an excellent sale on some clothes I needed & I had a gift card.
• Online shopping.  
• Hubby found some paper craft magazines for me at a garage sale.
• A husband who steps in and runs errands seeing I can't.

Have a terrific day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Creative Blog Hop

Hello friends.  My very creative and uplifting friend, Susan, over at Faith Words Faith Expressions invited me to join this blog hop.  Be sure to hop over and see what Susan has going on at her blog.

This is a flip card I made for a birthday using the fun spinner from the Spinner2stamp set by The Stamps of life.    If you haven't tried their stamps yet, I highly recommend them.  They're super quality clear stamps.  None of that sub par stamping that you get with low quality clear stamps.  (I don't work for them, just love their stamps.)

This is a zendoodle I did.  I mostly use my doodles on cards or in my journals.  Some I color and some I just leave black and white.

This is a journal spread I did about being a wife and mother.  The journals I share with others mostly contain Bible verses and quotes and art experiments.  My journals where I write my prayers and  private feelings are kept just between me and the Lord.

4. How does your creative process work?  I work on things in bits and pieces.  I never finish a  project all at one sitting.  Partially because I am in too much pain to sit and work on something that long and partially because I like to work on things in stages and come back the next day with a fresh perspective.

This is a background that I have started.  It's not at all what I was aiming for, but I ended up liking how it turned out.  That's the fun of experimenting.  You'll see this background again, either for a journal page or card.

Blessings:

• A phone visit with my sister.
• A friend is home from a long hospital stay and doing well.
• A gorgeous Monarch butterfly in my yard.
• Sweet newborn calves.

Have a fabulous day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Bling It Up!

Happy Monday, friends!  I hope this is the beginning of a great week for you.  We've had some slightly cooler weather here in Florida the last few days, which has made it feel more like Fall.  We're really enjoying that.  Did any of you get creative on World Card Making day?  I didn't actually get a card finished, but had lots of fun playing with paint and glitter to make backgrounds.

This card was difficult to capture in a picture due to the mirrored silver card stock background.  The poinsettia was made with the Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia die set.  I highlighted the gold petals with silver ink.  The leaves are cut from silver card stock.  The flourishes are made with the Sizzix Flower & Accent Set.  Again, I highlighted the gold card stock with silver ink.  The corners are made with a Stampin' Up punch.  The letters for the greeting were stamped on silver card stock, embossed in gold and punched out.  I used a typewriter key alphabet set by Rebecca Sower.  The finishing touch was lots of bling.

Challenges:
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge -#197 Something Beginning with P - Poinsettia
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra - Anything Christmas Goes - Oct. 2014
Gltter n Sparkle Challenge - #105 Anything with a B - Bling
QKR Stampede Challenge - #107 Anything Goes
Sentimental Sundays Challenge - #227 Bling It Up
We Do Doobabdoo Challenge - #16 Christmas
Weekly Christmas Card Challenges - #45 Layer It Up
Word Art Wednesday - #152 Anything Goes

Blessings:

• Friendship :)
• A family picnic - even the dogs came along.
• A devotional book that I'm learning so much from.
• You Tube Craft Tutorial Videos

Have a terrific day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Pretty Pink Petals

Hi friends.  I hope you're having a great weekend.  It has been a quiet weekend for me, because I did something to my back and am having a hard time getting around.  I'm good at entertaining myself though, so quiet time is fine with me.

Isn't this a beautiful evening sky?  Even though storm clouds were moving in, it was still so pretty.  God's handiwork. :)  I wish the wires weren't in the middle of the picture, but I can't begrudge my neighbors phone and electricity. lol

I'm not sure who makes the flower and butterfly stamps.  They're unmounted stamps that I've had for ages.  The sentiment stamp is from Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Company.  One of my favorite stamp companies.  I put some foam tape under the upper portion of the butterfly's body to give it some dimension.

Challenges:
Inspirational Challenges - Inspirational Word Challenge Flight #65

Kitty Bee Designs - In the Sky #32

Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge - Anything Goes #46

A Creative Romance - Anything Goes

Alphabet Challenge - P for Pretty Petals

QKR Stampede - Things with Wings #104

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes #149

Blessings:

• The beautiful birds in my back yard and the woods behind my house.
• My hubby was able to get a much needed upgrade on his phone for free.
• Sweet, chubby baby cheeks. :)

Have a wonderful day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Vintage Birthday

Hi friends.  My little dog, Princess, had another encounter with a critter the other day.  On her first trip out in the morning she found a possum.  Princess has hated possums since one lived literally under the bathtub in our house for close to a year.  She kept telling us something was under the tub.  Our house is built up off the ground, so we thought she was just smelling an animal under the house.  However, we later discovered that there was indeed a possum living in the space under our tub.  So now anytime Princess gets a chance, she nails a possum.  She had never bothered the possums before the possum lived under our tub.  She's such a gentle little dog, other than the possums.  She has cornered bunnies inside the fence and never hurt them, but she hates those possums. lol

I tried a new coloring technique on this card and was happy with the way it turned out.  I was trying to give it a vintage look.  The compass is a digital image from Handmade by Paula.  I printed it out four times, colored it, fussy cut the different pieces I wanted and layered it so that it is four layers. The anchor is a digital image from The Graphics Fairy.  The map is from Artefacts.  The sentiment is an old, wood mounted stamp by PSX.  Everything is layered on a Kraft card.

You can see the layers of the compass better in this picture.

Challenges:

Word Art Wednesday - #148 Anything Goes

A Creative Romance - A Touch of Kraft - The card is Kraft.

Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - #73 Vintage

Craft for the Craic - Something with Circles on it - The compass circles fussy cut and layered.

Crafts 4 Eternity - #192 Digital

Crafty Catz - #245 One for the boys

Daring Cardmakers - September Colour Combo Dare

Frosted Designs - Include Stamping

Simply Create Too - #69 Show Us Something New - I used a new coloring technique

Sister Act - #73 Anything Goes

Sweet Pea Stampers - Use Lots of Layers - The compass is four layers, plus the other layered papers on the card.

Blessings:

• A fun and relaxing day with my daughter.
• New stamps in the mail from my sister.
• A family picnic. Great food and even better company.

Have a fabulous day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Christmas Memories

Hi friends. When I let the dogs out yesterday there was a large, black snake climbing up the side of the rain gutter on our house.  One of the dogs went after it and knocked the snake down.  The snake slid right up our back steps and on to the porch.  Totally freaked me out.  I had never watched a snake go up stairs before. lol

With approximately 16 weeks left before Christmas, that means it's time for me to panic get serious about making Christmas cards.  On this card I used a digital image by Inger Harding.  I added some Crystal Lacquer to the window panes.  The flowers are from my stash and I adhered some flat back pearls to the centers.  The sentiment is computer generated.

Challenges:

Crafty Hazelnuts' Christmas Challenge - #192 People Matter

Lacy Sunshine Challenge - #41 Include a window

Scrapbook Blessings Club - #28 Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge - #274 Early Christmas Makes

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra - Sept. 2014 Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday - #147 Anything Goes

Blessings:

• My husband and his mom sang as part of a trio at church this morning.  It was so beautiful to see them singing together for the first time. (This was his mom's first time singing in public.)
• Extra family time tomorrow as hubby gets part of the day off for Labor Day.
• Butterscotch hard candy to satisfy my sweet tooth occasionally. :)

Have a fabulous day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

When Life Hands You Lemons.....

Hi friends.  When life hands you lemons, throw them back and ask for chocolate!  That's great advice and also the sentiment in this card. :)

This card makes me smile.  I love these little mice.  They are a free digital image from Mary Ellen at Dearie Dolls Digi Stamps.  Be sure to check out the rest of her adorable digi stamps on her blog.  She's an incredibly generous lady and very gifted.  I love the places that her imagination takes her in her drawings. :)

I added glitter to the sugar cubes to make them look real and because it's fun to play with glitter. lol

Challenges:

C.R.A.F.T. - Animal/Pet

Crafty Little Fairies - Cute and Cuddly

Brown Sugar - #109 Anything Goes

Sister Act - #72 Anything Goes

Blessings:

• My sister had her 2nd surgery in 4 months for the same problem and came through well.  Please pray for her a she heals.
• The great things we accomplish when we work together as a family.  Not only do we get things done, but it's so sweet to work together.
• A friend, who has been seriously ill, is doing much better.
• My hubby found a new paper cutter for me at a thrift shop for $2.00!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Stacked Hearts

Hi friends.  Life took some unexpected turns and kept me from posting for awhile and from visiting other blogs too.  I'm hoping to get around to visit my blog friends this week.

My mom sent me the materials and instructions for making the hearts on this card.  She said her friend cut the hearts on a Cricut.  I stacked four hearts for this card.  I kept the card simple, because I wanted the hearts to have all the attention.

Here's a close up of the hearts.  Thanks for making it possible for me to make these fun and beautiful hearts, Mom.  I really enjoyed making them.

I'm entering this challenge:

Scrapbook Blessings Club - Love Is In The Air

 Blessings

•  Our family member that has been sick is continuing to improve. 
• A visit from a friend I hadn't seen in a long time.
• Our heater stopped, but it was something simple that my hubby could fix.  

Have a terrific day!!!

Inky hugs!
Shelly

Something New

Hi friends.  I'm coming to you with something totally new for me - an art journal page.  My online friend, Marsha, inspired me to start art journaling.  It's a more vulnerable feeling for me to share this than it is to share a card.  But I tell you I am absolutely loving art journaling.  I can't get enough of it. 

This page is about my "word" for 2014.  My word is "Determined".  I'm determined to make progress in a number of areas of my life, but exercise is one of the biggies and that is what I had in mind when I made this page.  And btw, I'm happy to report that I have been exercising faithfully so far in 2014.

Challenges I'm entering:

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Blessings:

• Discovering art journaling.
• Blueberries
• Safety for my mom when she found herself in a bad situation on slippery roads.

Have a joy-filled day!!!

Inky hugs!
Shelly

Snowflake Legend

Hi friends.  This week just flew by for me.  It's hard to believe the weekend is already here. 

Today I have a Christmas card.  The snowflake legend stamp I used on my card is from Heart and Soul Rubber Stamps.  They have awesome stamps.  The spatter stamp is from My Paper Moon, which is another terrific place to shop for stamps.  I don't know the origin of the flourish stamp.  I embellished my card with ribbon, snowflake punches and a couple stick pins.

Challenges I'm entering:

All Sorts - Use Ribbon, no bows.

Catch the Bug - Winter Wonderland

Crafty Calendar - Let's Celebrate - Christmas Card

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - Winter Weather

Crazy Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge Extra - Anything Goes

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper Challenge - Anything Goes

Scrapbook Blessings Club - Celebrate Winter

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Blessings:

• I'm so thankful that I know how to mend and alter clothing.  I use these skills nearly every week for myself or my family.  
• We're back to warm weather!!!!  I'm a cold weather wimp. lol
• I was able to do my exercise this week, despite a high pain level and a migraine.

Have a fabulous day!!!

Inky hugs!
Shelly

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Add A Little Zip To Your Card!

Hello friends.  Happy Saturday!  Are you enjoying the weekend?  I'm having a nice, quiet day at home today.

I used two new techniques on this card: The zipper flower and the chevron technique.  The instructions for the zipper flower are here and here is the link to the chevron technique.  The dp is my "shopping sin" on this card.  I really liked it when I got it, but then never used it until I made this card.

 Here's a close up of the zipper flower.  I find that the flowers can be varied quite a bit depending on the zippers you use, how tightly you pull your gathering stitch and how you coil the flower.  I finished my flower off with some ribbon and a couple stick pins.

Challenges I'm entering:

A Gem Of A Challenge - Something New - The two new techniques I used.

Allsorts  - Free & Easy

Totally Gorjuss - Ribbon - Used ribbon under my flower.

Suzy Bee's Bloomin Challenge - Anything Goes

Our Creative Corner - No More Shopping Sins! - MY shopping sin is the dp.

Blessings:

• Purple Band-aids - They make any cut feel better. :)
• A warm home on the rare, really cold days we have here.
• The ability to laugh at myself when I need to. 

Have a terrific day!!!

Inky hugs!
Shelly

A Little Sparkle

Hi friends.  Do you have your Christmas decorations down now that we're into the new year?  Hubby took our outdoor lights down, but we still have our indoor decorations up.  We really enjoy the tree lights, so we're hanging on for a bit.  I'd imagine we'll take everything down this weekend.

Another birthday card today.  This one had to have some sparkle on it for a special person, who I can't name, because the card hasn't been given yet.  The papers I used for the sunburst are glittery and the flowers have a sparkly center.  I used a glitter embossing powder on the sentiment, to draw it in with the rest of the card.  You can find a very easy to follow video about the sunburst background here. 

I'm entering these challenges:

Scrapbook Blessings Club

Twist of Faith

Word Art Wednesday

A Little Bit Crafty

Cards Galore Encore

Treasured Times

Charisma Cardz

MilkCoffee

C.R.A.F.T.


 Blessings:

• Hubby and I have been working together on some paper craft projects. 
• New Beth Moore books!
• Improvement in a relative who is having medical problems.

Have a fabulous day!!!

Inky hugs!
Shelly

A Sunburst Card

Hi friends.  Happy New year!  We definitely knew when midnight arrived last night.  There were tons of fireworks going off in our area.  It's that way every year. :)

I've been working on birthday cards.  We have several birthdays  right in the beginning of January and I always have to be careful not to miss them with being busy for the holidays and getting things started for a new year.  I used a new pad of Eva Basic Grey paper for this card.  I love the colors in this paper.  There's a great video showing the sunburst technique here. 

I'm entering my card in these challenges:

Scrapbook Blessings Club

Twist of Faith

Through The Craft Room Door

Cuttin and Stampin - Used a new paper pad for this card and new pink card stock.

A Little Bit Crafty

Card and Scrap

Cards Galore Encore

Treasured Times

Blessings:

• Christmas cards, letters, and pictures from family and friends.  I love hearing from so many people.
• Helping with my daughter's community outreach so that kids in need had Christmas gifts.
• White chocolate - It was sooo creamy and delicious.

Have a wonderful day!!!

Inky hugs!
Shelly