Didja Miss Me??

Sorry I've been kinda MIA this week. It's been SO SO busy! Today's card is inspired by the Bradford Pear trees that are blooming. I hate them, but they are pretty! They just irritate allergies and don't smell very pretty, right Emma? ;) But I used this Spring Tree by justjohanna and colored it using Copic markers. Thanks, Drew, for the new colors! :) I added liquid applique in small dots on the branches to look like the first white blooms on the Bradford Pear trees. Simply, but puffy and pretty! Hope you have a wonderful Friday! I love Fridays!!! :)

Stamps: Spring Tree (justjohanna). Paper: Stamper's Select White, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip. Ink: Palette Noir. Accessories: Copic markers, Liquid Applique, sponge.

He Is Risen!

Happy Easter! :)

Gone Fishin'... ;)

Okay, wanna see something REALLY cool? I thought you might, so I'm going to share an idea I had with you! Every time we go to Concord Mills Mall, which is about 45 minutes away from where we live, we HAVE to take Cameron to the huge fish aquarium at Bass Pro Shops. I often wander over to the tackle box section of the store, which is right next to the aquarium. I kept thinking, I should buy some of these tackle boxes because they would be lots of fun to alter and give as gifts! They are clear and have little compartments...perfect for treats and small gifts! Well, I finally did it. I bought three boxes, small ones, because I had a really cute idea for them!

It made sense to me to fill these with Swedish Fish! My husband contributed the (better) idea to also include gummi worms. How cute! And how perfect is the sentiment?? I used just the worm wishes part of wishing you worm wishes. Get it?? WORM wishes?? Cuz it is a tackle box! Ha! I kill me... Anyway, here is another one I made (there is one for each of Cameron and Katy's grandfathers) as well as a shot of the inside.

With tomorrow being Easter, I HAD to fill one with jelly beans!! :)

Hope you are having a great Saturday! And I hope you will try one of these boxes! These are GREAT for their versatility (oh, the possibilities!) and their PRICE. Very affordable. If you make one, I hope you'll link your box in a comment to this post! ;)

Worm Wishes Box

Stamps: Cute as a Bug. Paper: Heidi Grace It's My Party DP, Stamper's Select White, Pixie Pink, Tempting Turquoise. Ink: Pixie Pink, Tempting Turquoise (Apricot Appeal on one box). Accessories: Scalloped Oval Punch, 1 1/4 circle punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, White Signo Gel Pen, Pop-up Glue Dot.

Springtime Box
Stamps: Hoppy (A Muse). Paper: Heidi Grace It's My Party DP, Stamper's Select White, Pixie Pink. Ink: Palette Noir. Accessories: Karen Foster bottlecap, Copics, Stickles, Scalloped Oval Punch, White Signo Gel Pen.

It's Friday...But Sunday's Comin'...

Happy Good Friday to everyone. It seems a little ironic that we call the day in which we commemorate Jesus' death on the cross "Good" Friday, doesn't it? "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) See? It really IS Good Friday after all. :)

Here's a mini-movie (it's less than four minutes long) that I absolutely love. It's very much worth watching. Please check it out, and then tell me what you think of it! http://www.ignitermedia.com/products/iv/singles/20/Sundays-Comin

Purple Poodle!

Hello! I have a simple, but sparkly!!!, card to share with you today. This card uses justjohanna's Fifi LeChien. Isn't she so cute?!? I started to color her pink, but I quickly stopped myself. It seems that EVERYTHING is pink lately, everywhere you look. Now, don't start throwing rotten tomatoes at your computer monitor just yet; I love pink as much as the next person! But for this card, I wanted a break from the usual. And besides, Fifi IS wearing a pink collar! :) Happy Thursday to you! Tomorrow is Good Friday, and I will have something very cool to share with you then. ;)

Stamps: Fifi LeChien. Paper: Stamper's Select White. Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, AquaPainter, Stickles, Black Satin Ribbon.

Look! I'm using a Stampin' Up! set that has been quite neglected! And it's perfect for creating a cute quick card. I love the funky shapes and size of this set. I made this for a birthday card I needed this week. Have you tried the Hero Arts sequins? I used one in the center of my flower, under the brad. I LOVE these things! They are really pretty and just, well, different. I decided to layer the brad on this one, but normally I leave them plain. They come in a package of assorted colors and are great for borders, in place of brads, centers of flowers, and much more. I haven't seen too many people using these, but I thought I'd mention them to you because I LOVE them!

Stamps: Build A Blossom, Happy Everything. Paper: Stamper's Select White, Purely Pomegranate. Ink: Palette Noir, Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava, So Saffron. Accessories: Silver Brad, Hero Arts sequin.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

Hippity, hoppity, Easter's on its way! So, can you believe that Easter is THIS Sunday??? Wow! I am excited that it is nearly here, but it doesn't feel like it should be so soon! I made this Easter card using a sketch that I *THINK* was from Beate, but I am not sure. I just know I liked the layout. It's simple, but cute enough! I used Pierre LeBunny (don't you just LOVE his name?!?) for my Easter bunny, and I also used the Happy Easter sentiment in the whimsy font. The patterned paper is from the Imaginisce For Peeps Sake line. LOVE those papers.

I hope you are all having a wonderful day. I also hope you are able to have time to just be quiet this week, time to consider Christ's sacrifice and abounding love for you. Isn't that an astounding, humbling thought? That God not only "just loves us", but that He loves US as individuals. :)

Stamps: Pierre LeBunny, Happy Easter (justjohanna). Paper: Soft Sky, Pixie Pink, Marigold Morning, Imaginisce DP. Ink: Palette Noir. Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, AquaPainter, Prima Flower, Pearl Bauble (StampingBella), Liquid Applique.

Movie Star!

Katy was wearing her Movie Star shirt, so I put her sunglasses on and snapped some pictures! Look at that smile! What a little ham! Of course, when Cameron saw what we were up to, he ran and got MY shades, then put them on and proceeded to strike a pose! Funny kids! And cute, too, if I do say so myself!

Funny Stuff...

Check this out. We were grocery shopping at Harris Teeter the other day, and they had cheese on sale. And what a sale it was, too. Oh, yes, it wasn't just ANY old sale.....it was a holy sale. An immaculate sale. It was, after all...the MANGER special. ;)

Easter Egg Hunt

Cameron invited a few of his friends over last night (he let their mommies and daddies come, too) for an Easter Egg Hunt. We had the BEST time! Drew "hid" a ton of plastic eggs in the yard for the kids to go find. The kids enjoyed finding the eggs, putting eggs in their baskets, and eating cupcakes! We parents had fun watching the kids get so excited, interacting with other "big people", and...well, munching on yummy treats, too! :)

Timon liked helping Cameron find the eggs!

It turns out that Lanny (David's dad) is VERY good at finding Easter eggs! :)

Colton was so into finding the eggs! He has three eggs in his hands in this picture! So cute!

Little David was content playing with his eggs in the grass! He held onto the same yellow speckled egg that Drew gave him all night!Even Katy wanted in on the action! Look! She found an egg! She is a genius! :)

Wedding Invitations

Well, the season is nearly upon us. We have started receiving this year's wedding invitations. With the warm weather beginning, it was bound to happen! What an exciting time in the bride- and groom-to-be's lives! I am so grateful to God for my husband. It is SO important to find the right person. Drew is such a wonderful, godly man, and there is never a doubt that he loves me and our two children. He is all of those things that I am not (good things!) and keeps me in check. ;)

I made wedding invitations for justjohanna recently. I was a little nervous when I set out making them! You know how it is...wedding invitations (even FAKE ones!) are so special, and you want them to be just perfect. I am very happy with how mine came out. Weddings speak "simple, effortless elegance" to me, and I think my invitations convey that feeling. Enjoy!

Stamps: Small Floral Flourish (justjohanna). Paper: Stamper's Select (PTI). Ink: Black (printer), VersaMark. Accessories: Silver Embossing Powder, Scoring Blade, Wide Sheer White Ribbon.

Stamps: Flower Garland, Really Wide (justjohanna). Paper: Stamper's Select (PTI), vellum. Ink: Black (printer), Palette Noir. Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, AquaPainter, 1/4" Rectangle Punch, Wide Sheer Lavender Ribbon.

Blog Candy Winner!

It is so nice here today! The kids and I went out for a walk earlier this morning and then we colored on our sidewalk with chalk. What? You don't want to know what we did this morning? OOOOOHHHHH....You must be wondering about the blog candy! I see! Well, it just so happens that random.org chose Lucky Number 17! That means the winner is Veronica, who said:
Veronica said...
Adorable stamps! My fav non SU ink is Versafine, and my fav non SU embellies are Prima flowers!

Congratulations, Veronica! Please e-mail me with your snail mail address, and I'll get Allison Little and Mini Cupcake out your way! :)

Thank you to everyone who entered. I really enjoyed reading about your faves...
Tune in soon for pictures of the kids and a project or two. Really pretty, elegant ones. :)

Phoebe Balloon

Good morning! If you haven't already entered to win my blog candy I posted yesterday, please be sure and do that!

Today I want to share with you a card featuring justjohanna's Hot Air Balloon. I love paper piecing, especially on images with large areas. It helps a card to not feel so, well, empty. I love this Basic Grey Phoebe paper, too. BG has the best papers! Cute and shabby!

Stamps: Hot Air Balloon (justjohanna). Paper: Ruby Red, Certainly Celery, Stamper's Select White, Basic Black, Basic Grey DP. Ink: Black. Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Black Satin Ribbon, Hole Punch.

Doodles Fuzziwugs, Reporting for Duty!

I think name generators are hilarious! I was directed to an Easter Bunny one on Aimee's blog. Try it out, and don't forget to post your bunny name here!

Click here to find your Easter Bunny name!

Blog Candy!

How would you like to win two of justjohanna's SUPERCUTE little stamps? I happen to have a brand-new Allison little stamp and Mini Cupcake stamp for the taking! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite non-SU! ink to use and your favorite non-SU! embellishment! It's as easy as that! Good luck to you! ;)

I'll choose a (random) winner this Friday morning and announce it here!

Pink justjohanna!

I made these projects for the new justjohanna boutique in California! I had found these key holders at the dollar spot at Target probably a year or two ago. I just recently got around to altering one, believe it or not! I love the result. I may have to make one to go in our kitchen! (Drew, whaddya think?) ;) The original pieces started out with two tiles with wild animals on them (I covered them with cupcake paper tiles, obviously!). The candle is just a simple candle, probably from the dollar store, which I altered by stamping and coloring an image on plain tissue paper and sealed onto the candle using wax paper and a heat gun.

Stamps: Cherry Cupcake (justjohanna). Paper:Groovy Guava, Stamper's Select White, Basic Black, Crate DP. Ink: Palette Noir. Accessories: Copic Markers, Stickles, Hero Arts Rhinestones, Key Rack (Target $ Spot a while ago).

Stamps: Al with Stars (justjohanna). Paper: Tissue paper! Ink: Palette Noir. Accessories: Wax Paper, Copic Markers, Sakura Pen.

Happy Birthday, Colton! :)

I used an oldie-but-a-goodie to make this simple card for Cameron's buddy Colton. Happy second birthday, friend! :)

JustJohanna March Special!

http://www.justjohanna.com/

Easter Egg

I made this egg card as a result of a JustJohanna DT project for another team than the one I was on. The challenge was to create a Faberge egg-inspired, egg-shaped card. As I've said, I LOVE Easter, and the challenge really got me thinking about this idea. I made this card using the Coluzzle oval template and hand-drew the crack in the egg. It opens up to a cute little chicklet and an Easter greeting! :) I love it!

Stamps: Chicklet Right, Happy Easter (Whimsy), Floral Flourish Right. Paper: Very Vanilla. Ink: VersaMark, Palette Noir. Accessories: Shimmer Chalks, Coluzzle with Oval Template.

New stamps taking the stage...

Look! Look! Johanna has released some FABULOUS new images! Like this new stage stamp. Can't you just see all the cute little birdies taking center stage for a solo debut? Also among my favorites are the cute little chubby cow and the sentiments. By the way, the "ciao!" stamp was inspired by.................ME!! (I am patting myself on the back right now.) I just really think ciao! goes along with the scooter (especially, but not exclusively) so well! Don't ya think?

Run, don't walk over to this page to see the new releases: http://shop.justjohanna.com/category.sc?categoryId=5

How 'bout some pictures?

Here are a few recent pictures of Cameron and Katy! :) Aren't they cuties??

Happy March!

So, can you believe it is March already?? I definitely can't! Easter is right around the corner. I LOVE Easter, perhaps even more than Christmas! I love the baskets and the little chicks and the spring colors and the warm weather and the fun Easter candy.... And above all else, I love knowing that my Savior Christ Jesus not only loves me enough that he willingly DIED for me (get that? for ME) but also is powerful enough that he rose again, conquering death and the grave. My God reigns! I am of course, also looking forward to making Easter cards and projects. I have made five or six cards already. Go figure, I NEVER finished my Christmas cards, but EASTER cards...about halfway done already!

This card I am sharing today is a simple birthday card I made for one of the youth in our church. It uses justjohanna's Cupcake Row. I love using this stamp several times on a card to make LOTS of little cakes! :) I don't know if you can tell because of the black background, but the edges of this 4 1/4" square card are inked in black.

Stamps: Cupcake Row (jj). Paper: Stamper's Select White. Ink: Palette Noir. Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Basic Grey DP, Stickles, Pink Hero Arts rhinestone.