Happy New Year

I haven't had a whole lot of time for crafting, but I did cover two boxes.  I made these from two candy boxes that I had on hand.  One box will be given to the lady that was my Mother's best friend for over 60 years and the other will go to my sister.   Usually, we would have gotten together for a Christmas lunch by now, but everyone has been too busy to schedule a time where we can all three get together so...It will be next week sometime.  Actually, I'm glad it's late this year, gives me more time to get some Greeting cards together to fill their boxes.  

Last night I was able to be with the  two  crafting friends that usually get together with me every week..   But, Again, with everyone so busy this season..,  we didn't have our Christmas party till last night.  Wonderful time, we did NOT craft this week, but, boy we sure did EAT!  and it was all so good. ( And lots of fun)!

I probably won't get to post again before the New Year, so I want to wish everyone a Wonderful New year with this post.   Thank you for all the visits and wonderful encouragement I received from so many of you visiting my blog.  Blogging has been such a blessing in my life.

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."
~ Oprah Winfrey

Blessings,
Jill

Christmas Cards that I made Part 3

This is the last batch of the cards I made using the Make Christmas cards magazine.
As I said in an earlier post, I mostly used papers and ideas from the magazine to make
the cards.  (added a few supplies from my stash)  I also made more cards but in my struggle to get my cards completed and get them in the mail...there were many cards that I forgot to photograph.

May your days be merry and your heart be light;
Your holidays happy and your season bright!

Thank you for visiting my blog today,
Blessings,
Jill

More Christmas cards that I made...

I made most of these Christmas cards using design papers and casing some ideas that were in the Make Christmas Cards Magazine (2013 edition)

I admit pink isn't usually the color I grab for first when I make Christmas cards!  smile.
But I liked the idea of having something that was sort of out of the box for me.
And Using the magazine made it easier for me to get my cards finished.


Wishing you Blessing this season.

Thanks for stopping by,
Jill

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

Some of the above cards were made using papers and (inspiration ideas from a magazine I purchased)

I hand made about 50 Christmas cards that I mailed (and handed out)  and I am still not done.  It seems to work that way for me every year.  No matter how hard I try, I always run out of cards to send and I run out of time and "steam" to get them done!

There were many cards that I made that I sent out before I even remembered to take pictures of them.

May the blessings of Christmas be yours this holiday season and throughout the coming year.

Thank you for visiting my blog today,

Blessings,

Jill

Still working on my Christmas cards

I'm still trying to finish up my Christmas cards.  I was really struggling to find motivation to get them done.  Then I remembered my Christmas magazines that I had purchased a while back and still had not used the free papers, stamps and stickers that came with the magazines.  I also like the fact that there are some nice card ideas too on how to use the papers, etc.  (I need all the help I can get these days...smile)  Some of my cards are pretty much a direct case from the magazine and some I created on my own.  I have at least a dozen more card pictures that I can post.  (So I am finally on a roll)  I'll try to post more tomorrow.

  The magazine that I used for the above cards was "Make Christmas Cards!  Christmas 2013 issue.

"I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars
and open a jar of it every month.
~Harlan Miller

Thanks for visiting my blog today
Blessings,
Jill

Birthday Card for My Neighbor

I made the above card for my neighbor who has been showing me how to bead...  And yes she helped me make the necklace that I posted below the card.  I did the beading, and she showed me how to separate my chain and how to use crimp beads and my crimp er.    She did the clasp for me (which she said will be my next lesson).  I  have to say, I really enjoy beading, but I am still struggling with it a bit.

My card was made using a spellbinder die for the background and an embossing folder from Stamping Up, the butterfly was made using my Martha Stewart punch.  My stamp is an oldie (But goodie) Made by PSX.  

Hope anyone reading my blog from US had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  Mine was wonderful,   I didn't have to cook,  My daughter did all the cooking.  I just had to bring a dessert.
Always a nice day when I can be with my family.

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtures but the parent of all others." Cicero

Thank you for visiting my blog today,
Blessings,
Jill

I'm also adding this card to The Word Art Challenge which
can be found here...

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/

I cased another one of my own cards...

The above  Card was originally made and posted to my blog 3 years ago...

I tried to case one of cards that I had made before, and this time my card ended up to be two cards instead...smile

I used the same Dreamweaver Stencil for the first card.
LL493.  I also used a spellbinder border die and sponged my stenciled images with Tim Holtz distress inks!

My second card was made using a stamp from Stampin' Up to make the leaf background. Autumn days.  The large leaf was a free printable I found many years ago.  I used Versamark on the leaf and then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  My Hello sentiment is a die from Our Daily Bread Designs.

"The Beauty of Life does not depend on how happy you are, 
But how happy others can be because of you."

Thank you for visiting my blog today...
Blessings,
Jill

Iris folded leaf

I found the pattern for the above card here...

http://www.circleofcrafters.com/irisfolding/irisfoldingmapleleaf.html

I'm still struggling with computer problems...sorry I haven't been around commenting as much.  Sometimes I can log into my computer...sometimes NOT!
I still have my hubby stumped as to what is wrong...

"Autumn is a second spring When every leaf is a flower." ~Albert Camus

Thank you for visiting my blog today...
Blessings,
Jill

Christmas card for my doctor.

 Click on Picture to enlarge

 

I made the above card for my eye doctor who did my eye surgery last year.  I never sent him a thank you card, so when I send out my Christmas cards...this card will go along with my thank you letter.

 

The card was made using three dies.  Two dies were borrowed from friends.  Tree die is borrowed from Cherie, and she told me that she thinks it's a die from Cheery Lynn. The glasses are a die I borrowed from Kathi, it's from Taylored Expressions, The star die is from SweetNSassy stamps.  I also used an embossing folder from Stampin' Up, (Textured)  and my ribbon is from Stampin' Up.

 

The card fold is a center step fold, I found the instructions at Split Coast Stampers.

 

I am so sorry that I have not been around as much lately with posting or commenting.  I have been having computer problems.  My hubby is usually very good with correcting any problems that I have with my computer.  This time I have him totally stumped.  He has spent many hours on my computer running all kinds of programs (cleaner, malware check, virus check, etc. etc.)  Everything shows up as being okay.  He even spent lots of time on the phone with our ISP...but my problems still exist!  Sometimes I get into my blog, and sometimes not!  If this post publishes, obviously, it will be one of the times I can.  It's not just blogger that is giving me grief.  It's also google, and Firefox.  Anyone else reading this been having any of these difficulties with the programs mentioned above ?

 

So when I can't get into my programs I have been doing fall house cleaning.  Below is a pic of one of the things I have been gathering together to make their way out the door.

 

The above pic is just half of the books and magazines going out the door.  Can you tell at one time I was a magazine addict?  My pile has sewing, quilting, crochet, knitting, cross-stitch, embroidery, plastic canvas, craft, and paper crafting magazines ( and books) in the pile.

This is the third time that I did a clean out with my magazines.  It is so difficult to let these things go.  I had to get it through my head that I would have to live to at least age 150 to use every idea in these books that I have marked with a sticky note...smile.

"Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it.
You're just passing it on to someone else."
~ Mitch Albom

Thank you,
for visiting my blog today,
Blessings,
jill

Carol and Cherie's birthday cards

 Carol's birthday card

Carol of  http://ourlittleinspirations.blogspot.com/

is celebrating a birthday today.  My card looks crooked...but it honestly isn't in real life.

I tried photographing it twice and I just couldn't get a good photograph.

Carol, I'm sorry I didn't get it in the mail in time...So you get to see your card on the day of your birthday anyway.  Carol's favorite color is PURPLE!

I made my card using  Graphic 45 paper, added a bow and some brads.

Hope you have a very special day Carol.

My crafting buddy Cherie is celebrating a birthday too.  Last night we celebrated her birthday along with our weekly craft night.  Cherie's blog can be found here...

http://paperinspirationsandcreations.blogspot.com/

I just wish she had the time to update her blog.  She had made so many neat cards since her last post on her blog.

Obviously, Cherie has cats.  I made my card using Graphic 45 paper, and my sentiment was stamped with a stamp from SweetNSassy stamps. I also  added some twine.

"As you get older three things happen.  The first is that your memory goes,

can't remember the other two."   

~Sir Norman Wisdom

Thank you for visiting my blog today

Blessings,

Jill 

Back to School

 I made the above card using a stamp from Serendipity Stamps!  and a  "Thanks" die from Stampin' Up. I also added a ribbon and brads.

I made this  for a young girl who acted as our guide when we visited a local school near us.  It's a school that we have driven by, and walked by too many times to even begin to count...
I had never been on the school campus, and I always wanted to see what was behind the gates.  I called the school to see if we could have a tour.  

Our tour was an hour long, but it seemed like 10 minutes...I so enjoyed it and would have liked to see even more.  Many of the buildings at this school are almost a 100 years old...  Such wonderful, beautiful architecture.  The grounds are immaculate and so beautiful.   It was indeed a treat to have a tour and our young student was very informative and gracious.  She made the day so pleasant so I wanted to send her a thank you card.

I made the above necklace and bracelet at craft night with the help of my neighbor.  I did all the stringing of the beads...but she had to help me with the clasp.  I think I am getting more and more addicted to beading.  The beads were from a kit that I purchased at Walmart...A LONG TIME AGO...I'm just so happy that they finally got used (thanks to my neighbor.)

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."
~J.M. Barrie

Thanks for visiting my blog today,
Blessings,
Jill 

Card #3 for the NBUS challenge

 I Made the above card for my hubby's recent birthday.

I made a quick simple card...since he is home almost 24/7...It's difficult for me to make something that he doesn't see me making.

I think the stamps from Lawn Fawn are so cute, and I think this is the first set of stamps  I have that are from Lawn Fawn.  I've had the set for a couple of months now...so I thought it was time to use this NBUS stamp.  The clouds and waves were cut with dies from SweetNSassy Stamps.

I made this card to enter into Darnell's Challenge

Darnell's challenge can be found here...

http://www.djkardkreations.com/2015/09/its-here-nbus-challenge-5.html

If you haven't ever visited Darnell's blog...What are you waiting for?  Darnell has one of the nicest blogs around.  She posts such creative projects, and has such a great sense of humor.  I always have a smile on my face after a visit to her blog.

Thank you again, Darnell, for having this challenge for us.  

"Age is merely the number of years the world has been Enjoying you."


If you have an extra minute...Please stop by my hubby's blog and wish him a Happy Birthday!  Thank you!  The link to his blog is below...

http://irishdreamweaver.blogspot.com/

Thank you for visiting my blog today
Blessings,
Jill 

My second card for the NBUS challenge

http://www.djkardkreations.com/2015/09/its-here-nbus-challenge-5.html

This is my second card for Darnell's NBUS Challenge.  The link to her great challenge can be found above.  My NBUS items is a 3d sheet that I had printed out last year and hadn't used yet to make a card.  Also (my other NBUS) acorn and leaf embellishments were given to me as a gift from my sister in law, ages ago so I could use them to decorate my cards.

Anyone who has been following my blog for a while may remember the story I shared on my blog last year..

http://ribbonchallenged.blogspot.com/2014/09/to-everything-there-is-season.html

I told about the day we celebrated my dear friend Cherie's birthday.

I mistakenly thought the name for the restaurant that we were meeting in was named Squirrel something?...  Wrong.  I was teased all day about that.  Then Cherie goes home after our day together and finds a squirrel in her house!

You know that they couldn't let me live that down....So on my birthday they each made me a birthday card with squirrels on the cards.

Cherie, also has been sending me (from time to time) Pics that she finds of squirrels on pinterest.

So, since her birthday is coming soon,  I naturally had to send her a card with a squirrel on it.

"The beauty of life does not depend on how happy you are,

but how happy others can be because of you." 

Thank you for visiting my blog today,

Blessings,

Jill 

 

NBUS Challenge #5

 My Crafting Buddy, Kathi, just celebrated a birthday, and the card above is the one I made for her birthday.

I knew that Darnell said on her blog that she was going to have another NBUS challenge, so I thought I would try and make Kathi's card using something NBUS from my stash.  The stencil that I used in the above card I had won at the Dreamweaver Challenge blog ...LAST WINTER!  I thought that I was way overdue in getting it out and using it.  Darnell's challenge always encourages me to do so.

 Instead of making Kathi a cake for her birthday.  My other weekly Crafting buddy, Cherie.  Came up with the idea of making fruit tarts.  Let me tell you they were Delicious!

 My card above was made with Dreamweaver Stencil LL437.  To say that I struggle using embossing paste...is an understatement.  It only took me 6 tries to get a good image with my paste.
They say practice makes perfect!  It took me two days to get Kathi's card done, (because of all my flops with the embossing paste)   I was still working on my card when she was driving over to my house for craft night.  That was a really close call!  Didn't know I could glue a card together so fast.  (But I think she did like it). 

Darnell's fabulous NBUS challenge can be found here...

http://www.djkardkreations.com/2015/09/its-here-nbus-challenge-5.html

http://www.djkardkreations.com/

I have entered ALL of her other challenges, and was fortunate  to win a prize in one of the

challenges.  This time, Darnell has a big surprise...Lot's of Sponsors offering challenges!

Wow!  

Thank you so much, Darnell, for doing this for all of us.

"These is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship." 

Thank you for visiting my blog today,

Blessings,

Jill

I Received more Happy Mail...

 Card made by Darnell

Darnell's website can be found here

http://www.djkardkreations.com/

 

Card by Kathi

Kathi's blog can be found here

http://katscreativebliss.blogspot.com/

It's so nice to go to your mailbox and find something besides junk mail and bills.  It's especially nice when it's mail from two very talented ladies.

When you receive a card from Darnell you feel like you've received a masterpiece in your mailbox.  Every card she makes is so well done and creative.

Kathi, is one of my friends who comes to my home almost every week for my weekly craft night.  I get to see her creative cards and projects in real life.  I wish she had more time to post on her blog so you could see some of the wonderful work that I get to see.    

Both Darnell and Kathi make me feel like one blessed lady.

Darnell, thank you for helping to make our special day even more special.

"The best kind of friendships are fierce lady friendships where you aggressively believe in each other, and think the other deserves the world."

Thank you for visiting my blog today,

Blessings,

Jill  

Beads

http://our--beautiful--world--365.blogspot.com/

I've enjoyed looking at the photos in the past that have been posted for this challenge.

I never entered before...because sometimes I just couldn't think of a picture that I could post  for the weekly prompt.  Plus, I am not a photographer,  my photos often leave a lot to be desired.  I know nothing about Photography.  (That's why I purchased a point and shoot camera...smile)

But this week I thought I would be brave and post my photos since I had some photos that would fit this week's  theme.   The theme for this week's challenge is BEADS!

My first photo is another side step card, again using some paper from Paper Wishes, and a Victorian image that I purchased at a craft show.  I thought that one of the tags that I added to the card looked like a purse.  So I added some seeds beads to look like a handle on the purse.

I have a new neighbor that moved into my neighbor hood a few months ago.  I asked her if she did any crafting and she said. "Yes"!  She likes to work with beads.  I told her about our weekly craft night and asked her if she would like to join us.  And again she said, "Yes"!  She has helped me to learn how to do some beading.  She helped me to make the necklace and some of the bracelets using memory wire.

(I also made some more snowflakes ornaments made out of beads).

I, in turn, have showed her to make a couple of cards.  

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.

Art is knowing which ones to keep."

Scott Adams

Thank you for visiting my blog today

Blessings,

Jill

Yes, Another side step card

Another side step card...

Yes, it's still obviously one of my favorite ways to make a card...
(I have a link on how to make a side step card in my previous post)

I've been having summer doldrums...I guess that what's you could call my mood.
The humidity and allergies of summer don't help.  Plus I think I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself because we haven't been able to take even  a one day overnight vacation in years.  Sorry for my complaining.  I try to keep my blog light, but this does
explain part of the reason why I have not been on my blog  (Or computer as much) lately.

I am thankful that I was finally able to find some motivation to make some cards again.
It does help to lift my spirits.  I do have my craft night friends to thank for that, they have been able to get together with me more lately.  I feel very blessed to have people come to my house and
craft with me.

The above card was made using paper from Paper Wishes, and I cut the teapot out using a die made by Serendipity Stamps.  The flower is a sticker from K & C company.

"The best cure for worry, depression, melancholy, brooding, is to go deliberately forth
and try to lift with one's sympathy the gloom of somebody else."
~Arnold Bennett

Thank you for visiting my blog today,
Blessings,
Jill

I cased my own cards...

Yes,  I decided to try and case some of my own cards...
So you may remember seeing me post  cards similar to these  two before.
I did try and change them up a bit.

 Click on cards to enlarge

Made this card using papers from Paper Wishes.  I added some dimensionals to pop up my center image and some stickles.

I used the instructions from here to make the Center fold card.

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/centerstepcard/

I also used paper from Paper wishes for this card.  I used some dies from Stampin' Up  to make the button embellishments.  My hubby colored the butterfly for me with copics.  My "Hello" greeting was cut using a die from Elizabeth craft designs.

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/sidestepcard/

"All you need is Love
and maybe a little ice cream."

Thank you for visiting my blog today.
Blessings,
Jill

Side Step card for a friend

I made this  card for a dear friend.  It's a side step card..
  
To make this card I used the directions which can be found here...
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/sidestepcard/

I used some paper from Paper Wishes and some Designer paper from Graphic 45, I added a bow,  cut some paper lace from a die to embellish the edge of the card.

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart,
and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

Thank you for visiting my blog today,
Blessings,
Jill