Blog Bon-Bons!

I've sailed past 25k hits...and I'm almost within the top 100 stamping sites, so that seems like a good reason to celebrate. Plus... you all have been so kind to listen to my ramblings about all these trips...even though I don't stamp or post for days on end when I'm traveling! I appreciate all that!!

So, here are some bon-bons for you. As always, I've included some yummy chocolate (Belgian this time!) along with a few spots, some SU! hemp, some cuddled cardstock and some stamped Bellas, some Schmuck (which can be translated to jewelry/bling) and some felt flowers. Oh yeah....and a stamp set! I ended up with an extra SU! hostess set, Riveting over here, so I want to pass it along to one of you. However, I apologize - there is no wood or plastic case with it, just the rubber and sticker sheet.

So to enter, leave a comment on this post telling me someplace you've always wanted to visit. Greece is perhaps the top of that list for me, and I'm truly ecstatic that we're going there in less than a week! I'll pick a winner on Tuesday evening, June 5th, before we leave. Good luck!

TFL!
-Jana

Another SC card with PTI

German Phrase of the Day: Ich kenne ein schoenes Lokal. = I know a nice restaurant. Not that we eat out when home very often, but I just love the restaurant that is close to our home. We had a farewell dinner there with my sisters on Monday evening, and it was DEE-lish!!! Mmm-Mmm good!!!

As I said yesterday I loved that sketch and I just needed to make another card using Green Thumb (sorry Linda!) I really love this set...especially being able to bend the flower stems any which way I want!

I used the color wheel for my color combo (Regal Rose, So Saffron, Brocade Blue and Mellow Moss) and stamped some of my own DP as well as used the new Pallet o' Prints paper I recently got for the 2 strips. I added some tiny bling to the centers of my little blue starburst flowers, and I LOVE it!!

For the main panel I stamped everything, then decided I needed to pop up the watering can. What is it with my lately, I'm cutting images out!! I NEVER do that! Ah well...must be this gray weather getting to me again. So, I cut it all out with my scissors, but decided it would look better with the handle cut out completely, so I pulled out my SU! self healing mat and hobby blade and went to work. I'm happy with the result.

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Green Thumbby PaperTreyInk
CS: Confetti White, Whisper White, Brocade Blue, So Saffron, Mellow Moss, Pallet o' prints DP
Ink: Brocade Blue, So Saffron, Mellow Moss, Regal Rose
Acc: Bling from Pippoos, sponge, dimensionals, hobby blade and self healing mat

TFL!
-Jana

More mud!

German Phrase of the Day: Bist du mude? = Are you tired? YES! I think I need a week to recover from all my traveling...but we head to Greece in a week, so I have to prep for that trip next! mude (it's supposed to have the 2 dots over the U) is pronounced MEW-deh. I like that word...and often use it to describe my daughter when she gets whiny.

Today's card is a combination of this week's color challenge and sketch challenge over on Splitcoast. I'm still not sure about these colors, but I love the layout. I'll have to make a few more with this layout...and this set! I haven't even gotten to play with the flowers in this set yet, or the adorable watering can. Can't wait!!

I love these boots...and will for sure use them scrapping because Julia has some adorable boots like this but pink, with green handles and toes. And they are USUALLY muddy. Actually, I shouldn't complain because the sun did come out today. But I think it will take a while to dry up all the mud around here!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Green Thumbby PaperTreyInk
CS: Garden Green, Cool Caribbean, Chocolate Chip, Confetti White
Ink: Garden Green, Cool Caribbean, Chocolate Chip
Acc: Cuddlebug embossing folder, dimensionals

TFL!
-Jana

Trier ROCKS...and a quick card.

German Phrase of the Day: Ich mochte einen Wein trinkengehen. = I would like to go and have a glass of wine. While in Trier, my sisters and I took a drive over to Luxembourg and returned via the scenic route along the Mosel river so we could stop at a winery along the way. It was loads of fun! I have never seen so many vineyards in one place - and I used to visit Napa and Sonoma when living in California rather frequently!! We loved our time in Trier as well...might have to take Julia back there to see the Porta Nigra. I'll be posting photos to my family blog soon...I've already posted the photos from our Bavaria/Austria trip! Now to write them all up!! That's the tricky part.

I wanted to make a quick card for you all this morning using my new PaperTreyInk sets. My sisters bought them for me for my birthday and brought them over...but since I was having fun playing tour guide, today is the first chance I've had to stamp! I copied the idea from Julie Masse's blog and stamped the faux ribbon images on the bottom (using some scratch paper to make the line even) and then stamped the berries on the top and tied some ribbon across to hide the line.

I messed up the stems a little...I used some of the plain lines from the Green Thumb set to link the berries together and didn't quite get them perfect. Oh well! I really liked making this quick and easy one layer card...and am TOTALLY loving my new PTI sets. Come on mom...I need the Ladybugs!!! :-) I think I will give this card to my daughter. She always loves the cards I make, and is always asking if this or that card is for her. I thinks this will be a special "I missed you" card for being gone over the weekend.

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Green Thumb and Faux Ribbon by PaperTreyInk
CS: Kraft
Ink: Ruby Red, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy
Acc: Polka Dot ribbon from Mike's

TFL!
-Jana

Beautiful RAK from Michelle

German Phrase of the Day: Ich liebe Spargel! = I like Asparagus! It is asparagus season over here, and everywhere you go restaurants advertise their Spargel specials. So, Spargel is the first word my sisters learned of German after arriving.

This beautiful card was sent to me by my good friend Michelle. I love the paper (I use it all the time myself, and am still holding out hope that it makes the new catty!) and I'm very proud of Michelle for keeping this card relatively simple and clean. Michelle loves to make very complicated, technique heavy cards that are gorgeous...but not always easy to replicate. And she does that for swaps where she needs to make over 30 cards!! So, I think this card is absolutely perfect!! This was a thank you card for some chocolates and bling I sent to her from my trip to Spain. Thank you Michelle!! And I'm glad to see you've already started using your new bling!

Speaking of chocolates, I think I'll have to post some more Blog Bon-Bons soon...I'm getting close to 25k hits, and you've all been very patient through my recent downtimes as I'm traveling. I'll look for something fun this weekend down in Trier and over in Luxembourg. If anyone has any requests let me know!! :-)

Thanks for visiting today!

-Jana

I did a Jacob's Ladder!!!

German Phrase of the Day: Mai ist der schoenste Monat. = May is the nicest month. That certainly seems to be true. Ever since the day after my sisters arrived from the US we have had PERFECT weather on our travels. I actually have some color again!! :-) It rained here in Dusseldorf yesterday before we got here, but now today it's beautifully sunny again. Hooray, I've been waiting for some sign of summer's arrival here.

So, this projects was SOOO much fun to make. It really isn't that difficult if you follow Beate's wonderful tutorial, or watch the video if that's easier. I made this for my friend Julie of Stamping with Julie and her new baby boy. (sorry to spoil the surprise Julie...it will be in the mail soon!!) For the picture I just showed 3 of the panels...since they just continue in the same way except for the top one.

I used some retired SU! paper (sorry...can't remember what it's called) but I figured it was perfect for her adorable little boy. I stamped the giraffe from Bundle of Joy on whisper white and colored it in with an aquapainter and reinkers (barely banana and only orange) I embossed the word baby from All Year Cheer in clear ep after stamping with Ballet Blue craft ink. Lastly I made the corner with some Ballet Blue CS, and then added the white polka dots. I used white and celery grosgrain ribbons.

Now, the best part is how I obtained the coasters. I mentioned that my daughter's kindergarten had an ubernacht (overnight) recently. So my husband and I had a date night. We took the train into downtown Dusseldorf and had lots of fun. Of course, at every biergarten or pub we went to (ok...so 3 of them!) I had to snag a few coasters...and since the first place we went had round coasters, I then decided that all future stops had to have square coasters!! So Julie, your sons jacob's ladder book is made with genuine German beer coasters! I hope he enjoys them!! :-) I think I have to break down and actually BUY some plain coasters now...this was too fun!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Bundle of Joy, All Year Cheer
CS: Ballet Blue, Whisper White, retired DP
Ink: Jet Black stazon, barely banana, only orange, ballet blue craft
Acc: Aquapainter, white gel pen, clear ep

TFL!
-Jana

Wedding Bells?

German Phrase of the Day: Ich bin mude. = I am tired! I just got back from our whirlwind Bavaria/Austria tour, and LOVED it! But now, I have to catch up on laundry, cleaning, and continue to show my sisters around Germany for another week! :-) Such a life to lead I know.

Here's a simple card I made with marriedafellabella (isn't that a great name? Looks like it could be German it's so long!!) on my Fabriano notecard. Very simple card, colored in with aquapainter and Watercolor crayons (using more of the neutrals, and I LOVE them!) Don't they just look so cute together??

Ok, gotta go download my photos now...I took about 500 again (Neushwanstein is an amazing place - and my husband and sister when paragliding there...how cool is that?!) Some day, I'll actually get my family blog up to date...maybe when our traveling slows down!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Marriedafellabella by StampingBella
CS: Fabriano note card - white
Ink: Jet Black stazon
Acc: Aquapainter, WWC, lavendar narrow organdy ribbon

TFL!
-Jana

Barbella meets CC114

German Phrase of the Day: Lass los! = Let go! So I guess you could say lass los meine Eggo! :-)

I really did have trouble with this color combo. But I do love my Bellas, so when in doubt, use a bella, right??

I cuddled the apricot layer, and had planned on leaving it plain...but I got some ink on it. So..I had to swipe it! Perhaps I'd like it better layered on some Rose Red...hmmm, maybe I'll try that when I get home!

Anyway, she's colored in with aquapainter and ink pads this time - and that really is turquoise ink even though it looks like Cool Caribbean! At the end, I added the hardware and ribbon just for a little extra oomph trying to get it to a point where I was happy with it. It helped a little..but still not one of my favs! Oh well. Trust me...they'll get better! :-)

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Barbella by StampingBella
CS: Tempting Turquoise, Rose Red, Apricot Appeal, Confetti White
Ink: Jet Black stazon, Tempting Turquoise, Rose Red, creamy Caramel
Acc: Aquapainter, apricot grosgrain, HPH, ticket corner punch, cuttlebug swirls embossing folder

TFL!
-Jana

Arivaderci

German Phrase of the Day: Ich fahre uber das Wochenende weg. = I am leaving for the weekend. By the time most of you read this, I will probably already be in Munich with my sisters, husband and daughter. We'll be there for a few days, then on to Salzburg for a couple days, then Vienna. Not sure how often I'll get online to post...but I'll try!

I LOVE this card! I made her last week and have been just waiting for today to post her. Isn't her luggage to die for??? I did a little paper piecing, using my au chocolate paper, and brayered over to make it pink and brown! I LOVE it!! THen, I had to color some of the polka dots pink too...just so it all would match. Isn't she just adorable? I had to wait to share her as we leave for our latest trip...which was VERY hard for me to do since I love her so much. Let's see, how many times can I type LOVE tonight?? I'm actually typing this Wednesday night my time, so like the middle of the day for you all...then I"ll post her as we head out the door at 6am tomorow...so some of you will still be/are up!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Arivadercibella by StampingBella
CS: Pretty in Pink, chocolate chipConfetti White, Au Chocolat
Ink: Jet Black stazon, chocolate chip, pretty in pink
Acc: Aquapainter, WWC, brayer, pink narrow organdy ribbon

TFL!
-Jana

CC114 with Big Blooms

German Phrase of the Day: Ich moechte mich jetzt entspannen. = I would like to relax now. Boy isn't that the truth!! Altho, I can't complain...I had a pretty relaxing weekend. And, we're leaving for another vacation tomorow morning!

This is actually the second card I made for this week's color challenge. I'll share the first eventually, but this one is better! :-)

I stamped the background piece first with all 4 colors, then stamped the biggest blossom with the tempting turquoise. I punched the center with the 1 3/8" circle punch, then I used the slit punch to punch out the petals, just trimming between them to get the excess pieces off. A little trick I picked up from Alli Miles's blog! Worked great!! Then, I covered what was left with Versamark and irridescent ice and heat set it. I just love sparkles!!

Next, Iadhered the circle of window sheet to the back side of the flower, and then put a circle of dimensionals around to create my shaker, which I filled with rich regal beads. Then, I adhered this to my stamped background piece, clipped the corners (as usual!) and adhered to the tempting turquoise layer, added the brads, and adhered to the apricot card. I wanted to add a greeting, but couldn't figure out where or how, so I decided the greeting for this will have to go on the inside. That's ok!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Big Blooms
CS: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Apricot Appeal
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Apricot Appeal, Rose Red, Green Galore
Acc: Coluzzle, circle punches, versamark, irridescent ice ep, dimensionals, ticket corner punch, silver brads

TFL!
Jana

Sunday's Featured Stamper Challenge

German Phrase of the Day: Hast du einen Lieblingsschriftsteller? = Do you have a favorite author? Don't you love how Germans can just make up new words by trailing a whole bunch together? I think technically, they can create endlessly long words! To break down that last word, Lieblings would be favorite (it also means 'Darling',) schrift is handwriting and steller is job. It really makes looking words up in the dictionary challenging, because I have to look up 3 words, not just one - and you have to know where to break it down!! Speaking of authors...I've started re-reading the Harry Potter books and have come up with a theory (altho apparently I'm not the first) I think Harry is the 7th Horcrux! What do you all think?? I'm dying to talk to someone about this - someone else who is as crazy about Harry as I am! Please...write me!

So yesterday I managed to get to Sunday's Featured Stamper Challenge. I love that challenge because I LOVE to CASE other people's amazing work...and this lets me without the guilt! :-) This week's artist is just amazing! She has so many beautiful creations in her gallery it was difficult to pick one! However, I chose this card by Candy to case. And of course, I decided to make 2 since I had all the cs out!

Since I love that color combo, I couldn't change the colors, but I could easily change the set since I didn't bring Natural Beauty with me to Germany. I decided to use 2 different sets and settled on Polka Dots and Paisley for one and Spring Garden for the other - since I just LOVE that set and always forget to use it.

I had a HARD time with the ovals. Usually I'm pretty good with my coluzzle, but I was in a bad way yesterday I guess...and messed up many pieces of CS before finishing. Then...I wanted the Cool Caribbean layer to be a size between...so I needed to find my layering tool. You remember, the really cool one SU! used to sell, the little round disks you put your pencil in and trace around a shape? After searching for like 15 minutes, (on a clean desk mind you!) I finally found it in my Crafter's Tool Kit front pocket. Good place to keep it...if only I can remember! SO, then I had to cut...and I really don't cut very well by hand! Think I may have to get more punches...or perhaps re-purchase the CM cutting kit that I sold in my craft yard sale before moving. Oh well!

The thing I forget was the cool corner piece. Might go back and add it to the Polka Dots and Paisley card since there is space on that one...we'll see! Anyway...it was lots of fun to CASE this card, and I will certainly be visiting Candy's gallery more often! Hmmm...wonder if she has a blog!?! May have to go searching! :-)

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Polka Dots and Paisley, Spring Garden
CS: Basic Black, Whisper White, Cool Caribbean
Ink: Basic Black, Cool Caribbean, Certainly Celery
Acc: Coluzzle, circle punches, Textile cuttlebug embossing folder, May Arts ribbon

TFL!
Jana

Another Beate sketch card...

German Phrase of the Day: Sie ist sehr glucklich. = She is very happy. (Glukcklich is pronounced GLEWK-lihkh with that very hard to do guttural ch sound) Doesn't Bella look happy in her tub?? Looks good to me!

I figured since I was upstairs working on the FS challenge from yesterday, and I had all the pieces available, I'd do one more card for Beate's sketch challenge. For Bubblebella, I had colored her in last week, and then did the embossed watercolors for her bubbles. Except...Veramarker apparently causes even Stazon to run!! She ended up with very gray looking bubbles. I put her aside not sure if I would ever use her. Well...when I saw her there and only had a few more minutes to do another card, I thought...what the heck. I colored over her embossed bubbles with my Bashful Blue marker and left it for a little while, then wiped off the excess color. Fortunately, some stayed! I already had the cuttled cardstock in my stash, so this card came together REALLY quick. The hardest part was deciding what flowers to use for the corner. I finally settled on these things I had picked up at Real (pronounced RAY-all) just had to remove them from their little clips - no problem!

Hope you all enjoy!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Bubblebella and Chill Out by Stamping Bella
CS: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Blush Blossom, Confetti White
Ink: Jet Black Stazon
Acc: Aquapainter, WWC, Versamarker, Crystal Clear EP, white narrow organdy ribbon, jewel flowers, cuttlebug embossing folder

TFL!
Jana

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

German Phrase of the Day: Meine Mutter ist die Beste! = My mother is the best!

Happy Mother's day mom...sorry your card is late...but it's done at least!! I used Beate's sketch for this card, and started with just the designer paper. My mom loves paisley...and she really likes the colors in this particular DP. So, with DP chosen for the stripe across the bottom, I went about selecting other colors to use from the DP. Since mom also loves flowers, I decided I'd go with a floral/paisley theme...and I stamped the Floral background in Celery on my Certainly Celery card base (card is 5.5" square!)

Next, I used ballet blue for the bottom panel, and I stamped that in ballet blue with the Paisley background. I went through my primas I had won in some blog candy a while back, and pulled out two pale yellow ones, and some matching blue jewel brads for centers. I then knew I would use Barely Banana for the focal panel...but had no idea what to stamp on it! On to ribbon. Mom is also very textural...she loves all kinds of textures, so I knew I had to use some of my velvet ribbon from one of Jody's shares. I layered that on top of the organdy to add some more elegance.

Ok...back to the focal image. I flipped through all my stamps, and finally settled on Doodle This, because I know she really likes that one. I stamped the flower twice, once on the panel, and once on some scrap. Colored them both, then put glitter on the scrap one and cut it out. I stamped the stem with Old Olive, then sprayed some green ink using my color spritzer tool on to the piece, then popped the cut out flower on top of the main panel flower. Then, after clipping the corners with my ticket corner punch, I sponged on some Summer Sun.

Finally...I needed a sentiment, but didn't have much space. I decided to use that tab punch I keep avoiding...and stamped My Mom from Fancy Flexible Phrases (hope that makes it into the new catty!!) in Ballet Blue ink. Finally...I popped the main panel up over the bulky ribbon and voila! Completed Mother's Day card!! (ok...so it will definately arrive late, but at least I got it made, right??)

I hope all you moms out there have a wonderful day today! I am...I got to stamp! :-)

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Doodle This, Fancy Flexible Phrases
CS: Certainly Celery, Ballet Blue, Barely Banana, Whisper White, Sarah DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Ballet Blue, Barely Banana, Summer Sun, Old Olive
Acc: Aquapainter, ticket corner punch, rounded tab punch, sponge, white organdy ribbon, May Arts velvet Ribbon, primas, jewel brads

TFL!
-Jana

Chill out!

German Phrase of the Day: Welche Farbe gefallt dir am besten? = What is your favorite color (or literally, Which color appeals to you the best?) This is always a tricky question for me, because I love so many colors. I suppose if I had to pick just one though, it might be purple!

This was another VERY quick card, as I have to get moving to run some errands before 6pm when Julia gets to back to kindergarten for her sleep-over! :-D

I colored PMSabella with my WWC and aquapainter as usual...and then decided to stick with the plums from the chair for the card base. Flipping through my scraps drawer (still haven't put them in my cool folder I made yet!) I found some leftover Enchante paper which I thought would match perfectly. Added some May arts ribbon with a little eggplant grosgrain, layered Bella on some Old Olive, and then finally stamped the sentiment in black. Voila...quick, easy card!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: PMSabella and Chill Out by StampingBella
CS: Perfect Plum, Old Olive, Confetti White, Enchante DSP
Ink: Jet Black stazon, Basic Black
Acc: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, May Arts Ribbon, eggplant grosgrain

TFL!
-Jana

Happy Birthday Linda!!

Ok...I'm terrible at getting things in the mail. I have all the RAKs from my Bella RAK giveaway 2 weeks ago addressed and ready to go, and I have my friend Linda's card in the same pile!! I will try to get to the postbank tomorrow!

In the meantime, go shower Linda with some love for her Birthday!! Her blog is great, with lots of fun tutorials and some super creations.

So, Happy Birthday Linda!! Hope it's a great one!!

Feeling a little Gloomy?

German Phrase of the Day: Ich muss eine Pause machen. = I have to take a break. I find myself saying this a lot (in English at least!) and usually it means, I need to take a break from cleaning so I can go stamp!! :-) Now I can say it in German to my husband...even better!

A while back my phrase of the day was Heute scheint die Sonne = Today the sun is shining, and I thought it was funny when Jan Marie down in Florida emailed me saying how it was a rare thing for the sun to shine in Germany. Well...I think I spent most of my German summer traveling elsewhere, and now I'm getting a German spring! It's been cold and rainy all week. Yuck!!! I miss my California sunshine.

So, when I saw all these beautiful black and white cards everyone has been making lately (see Alli's B&W Bella here) I had to join the crowd (I know, I'm such a follower!) I thought Grumpy here would be perfect. I colored her in using my Neutral WW Crayons, but then HAD to have a dash of color, so her bathrobe tie got to be red! I stamped the floral background with Going Grey on Whisper White, then sponged the edges with more Going Grey. Grumpy herself is also sponged with a little Grey before being layered onto some black. I finished her off with some May arts ribbon, and hand wrote the sentiment at the bottom. If you can't read it, it says "Another Gloomy Day?" I need to add something inside that says "Don't worry, the sun will come back someday!" then I can send it to myself!!! LOL!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Grumpybella by StampingBella, Floral background
CS: Basic Black, Whisper White, watercolor paper
Ink: Jet Black stazon, Going Grey, Real Red marker
Acc: Neutral Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, May Arts Ribbon

TFL!
-Jana

A little beefcake ...

German Phrase of the Day: Es ist shon Mittwoch. = It is Wednesday already. And on Friday, we get a wonderful break because my daughter's kindergarten is having a sleep-over!! Woohoo!! Parents night out!!!

Today, I have some beefcake for you ladies. I have truly fallen in love. I mean, isn't he just adorable?? How could you not love that winning smile, those adorable little eyes, and that spiky blond hair??

I got 8 new Bellas and Fellas in the mail yesterday, and HAD to ink them up! So, I stamped a whole bunch while crafting with my daughter, then made up a few cards in the evening after her bedtime. I think he's my favorite!

His shorts are the blue striped paper from last summer's SU! designer paper...and the DP behind him is the other side of that same sheet. I colored him in with Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Creamy Caramel (he needed to have a tan!) and summer sun for his hair. Oh...and I used some more gray from my neutrals pack to do his whistle and sun glasses!

Since I couldn't use ribbon (too girly for this hottie!) I gave him some hardware - brads! Guess I could call him Brad, huh?? But, I tried to make him look like my hubby...he's a swimmer you see, so he has these incredible shoulders. Well...I don't want to brag, so I'll stop here! ;-)

Hope you all enjoyed him...I'll probably post more of my bellas this week, and try to get some Big Bloom cards done as well! Trying to stock up for our next trip which starts a week from tomorrow...Yikes!!!

Supplies:
Stamps: Surfafella and Life's a Beach sentiment from StampingBella
CS: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, watercolor paper, SU! DP
Ink: Jet Black stazon, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery
Acc: Black Brads, WWC, Aquapainter, word window punch

TFL!
-Jana

Got Java??

German Phrase of the Day: Meine Lieblingsfarbe ist blau. = My favorite color is blue. Meine is pronounced mina with a long I sound. And it's the cutest word to hear out of an 18 month old mouth (and quite possibly the most often heard from that age!)

Today's card does not in fact have any blue though. Since I still had some celery out and this lovely striped paper, when I went back upstairs last night I decided to do up another quickie card with Javabella! As I think I've mentioned before, I LOVE flavored coffee...and I just can't find it here. Vanilla nut creme, hazelnut, or other things are fun, but there is a coffee company in Florida called Barnie's which makes some of the most amazing flavors, my favorite being Santa's White Christmas, which has chocolate, coconut and other wonderful things. When my mom and dad came over last month, my Aunt who lives in Orlando sent a pound of SWC to me, and I've been enjoying it ever since!

I actually have a rule - anyone who comes to visit HAS to bring me a pound of flavored coffee, and sometimes, they have to bring Cheerios, since I can't find those over here either.

So, stamped the bellas with Stazon ink onto watercolor paper, and colored with my aquapainter and Watercolor Wonder crayons. I floated in the pavement below them with the gray crayon from the Neutrals pack...I love that neutrals pack and am so glad I have it!!

Hope you all enjoy!

Supplies:
Stamps: Javabella by StampingBella
CS Certainly Celery, Old Olive, DCWV patterned paper
Ink: Jet black Stazon
Acc: WWC, Aquapainter, May Arts ribbon

TFL!
Jana

Dryabella quickie

German Phrase of the Day: Rufst du mich an? = Will you call me? As for pronunciation, I am TERRIBLE at my German ch's. It's not really a soft ch sound like the English children, nor is it a hard ch/k sound as in the English Christmas, it's somewhere in between with a little something extra from the throat thrown in. My daughter can make the sound correctly. I, however, can not. Fortunately, if I use the softer ch sound, most people understand me, which is good.

So, my stamp room isn't totally clean yet, but I did get my desk cleared off pretty well, so I decided I could treat myself and make one quickie card for you all. Since I had this already stamped Dryabella from Stephanie, I decided to use her, and some more of my Die Cuts With a View paper.

I colored her in with markers, because I had to be quick. However, she did need a rug to stand on, so I had to make a quick mask for those shapely legs of hers. Hard to do when you don't have the stamp, but not impossible! Then, I clipped her corners, matted her on Lavender Lace (it was a handy scrap - and it even matches the paper!) and then added the hardware. I was going to use some more May Arts ribbon, but I had to move my Ribbon Originals to get to it, and I decided this stitched ribbon would look nice with the stripes.

I really love these quickies!! ;-)

Supplies:
Stamps: Dryabella by StampingBella
CS Certainly Celery, Lavender Lace, DCWV patterned paper
Ink: Lavender Lace, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Summer Sun, Barely Blue
Acc: HPH, Ribbon Originals, Dimensional, Ticket Corner Punch

TFL!
-Jana

Pixie Pink, a very schwierig color fo rme!

German Phrase of the Day: Er ist ein sehr schwieriger Mensch = He is a very difficult person. I thought this phrase was quite funny...and I have been fortunate enough not to meet any of these yet in Germany! Schwierig (difficult) is pronounced SHVEE-rihkh.

So, this card was for a color challenge, and I had to use pixie pink. Of all the 48 standard SU! colors, my least used color is Orchid Opulence, with Pixie Pink coming in a very close second. The purple on this one is Lavender Lace, so it's really not as dark as the photo looks!

Even though it is using one of my least favorite colors, I was happy with how this card turned out. It is for a good friend of mine...and I hope she likes it! I used the Doodle That set on the background, then did the faux stitching all the way around. For the focal piece, I colored in the stamp (from That's Nice) with markers. Then, I added the May Arts polka dot organdy ribbon along with some white grosgrain to add substance. It was a pretty easy card...and didn't take long except all that faux stitching!

Ok...back to keep cleaning my craft room. I did take a before picture because it's quite a disaster, so when I'm done I'll take the after picture and share both. I can't stamp til I'm done, so hopefully I can be quick!! Otherwise, you all may get stuck with old cards again! :-)

TFL!
-Jana

Dictionary fun!

I rarely post these little blog quiz things, but I love to do them! However, this one was lots of fun, and I found it on Nancy's blog. (I'm taking a 20 minute computer break from cleaning...getting ready for our Cinco de Mayo Fiesta this afternoon - I made Sangria, and REAL pinto beans imported from the US!!) I think I'd much rather be defined as she is (way to go girl!!) but I liked that I got 2 different answers when I used just first name versus both first and last. Maybe I should try my full name!!

Ok, here they are:

Jana
[noun]:

An alien (oh no, my secret is out!!)

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Jana Weaver --
[noun]:

A master blogger (how did they know?! )

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

OR

Jana Christine Brown Weaver --
[adjective]:

Pretentiously academian

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Have fun playing!
-Jana

Thank you Julie!!

German phrase of the day: Erzahl mir von deinen Ferien = Tell me about your holidays.

Jana's German pronunciation guide: All letters are pronounced, except when a word ends in er, then you pronounce that like you're from Maine (ah) Also, a terminal e (as in Beate) gets pronounced the same way. When there is an i and an e next to each other in a word, just pronounce the second letter (opposite of English!) J=Y, W=V, V=F, and F=F, and a beginning S=Z. So (or as we now say in our household, Zo) the above phrase would be pronounced "erzahl meer fon dinen fereen" or at least that is how I would pronounce it.

WOW!! I just got the most gorgeous birthday gift in the mail from my blogging friend and fellow Mainiac, Julie Masse. She made me this amazing clip, and beautiful card which matches!! And, she just had a baby!! She must be wonder woman!! I have to admit, I did get a sneak peak at the gift. I tried not to look, but I didn't see the title of her blog post until I had already seen the photo. But, it's WAY better in person! To see all the details of how she made this, visit this post.

Thank you Julie!! And congrats on your little boy...we can't wait to see pictures!! :-)

TFL!
-Jana

More Flowahbella...with some Prints!

German phrase of the day: Du machst mich wahnsinnig = You're driving me crazy. This is a good one for me to learn to use with my daughter!! I've had a request for a pronunciation guide. Ok, time for me to fess up...I don't always pronounce things right, and most of these phrases are coming from a wonderful calendar my good friend Michelle bought me before we moved. So...I will try, but I make no guarantees!! Maybe tomorow, I'll give a lowdown on German pronunciations as I understand them!

Today's card is another using a flowahbella image my mom left me. She's just so cute!! I also used the new Pallet o' Prints paper that Michelle sent me this week. I LOVE it!!! Can't wait to get my own pack (just 2 more weeks!!)

I colored her in with markers today (was too lazy to pull out ink pads, plus no room on my craft desk - time to clean again!) and I had to fold down a corner of the paper to show both sides...it's just too pretty not to.

Oh...and isn't my new Bella watermark ADORABLE?? My friend Stephanie made it for me, she also made my new banner, and the watermark even matches!! Thanks Steph!!!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Supplies:
Stamps: Flowahbella from Stampingbella, Sincere Salutations
CS: Almost Amethyst, Pixie Pink, Apricot Appeal, Pallet o prints DSP, white
Ink: SS markers plus Really Rust and Pixie Pink, black inkpad
Acc: NONE! (am I lazy today or what?!?)

TFL!
-Jana

2 pretty girls.

German phrase of the day: Wie alt bist du? = How old are you?

Ok...one more "vintage" project from LAST April...this project is one of my favorites! I picked up a bunch of these frames at the Target dollar spot when they had them over a year ago. I used them for a fun kids class for father's day, but I used one to make this frame for my sister.

Last February when we were still living in California my sister and her wife invited Julia and I to come to Captiva Island in Florida with them to their timeshare. We had such a wonderful time, and Flo snapped this really cute picture of my sister with my daughter. At times, Julia looks more like her aunt than her mother!

This was another super easy project, just stamping directly on the frame using Lovely Lilac, Pixie Pink and Green galore.

TFL!
-Jana

PS I'll post a photo from Italy once I finish uploading them all and can find them on my computer! Picasa has been having trouble locating some of my photos it seems!! On the good side, I have finally uploaded photos from Holland and Paris and have links to them from the family blog if anyone is interested. Some day I'll actually take the time to scrap all of this!!

Bleached flowers

German phrase of the day: Heute scheint die Sonne = Today the sun is shining.

**Quick update - heading home tonight, Italy has been great (amazing food!!) but we're glad to be heading home, I'll try to post a good update about the trip tomorow after I've had a chance to process it all! :-)

I really liked this card, and it was super easy. I stamped on the black cs with bleach, then after it dried I brayered ink on from my celebration kaleidacolor pad. How simple is that???

For the center flower, I colored with markers on the rubber... only orange and pink passion. The base is only orange, and I used the tangerine grosgrain ribbon.

Hope you all are enjoying these oldies but goodies. I'll be back soon!

TFL!
-Jana