Birthday card from Sher

German Phrase of the Day: Bedien' dich! = Help yourself! Like, help yourself to some cake!! :-)

Isn't this the coolest card?? I love how it came inside this cute little sleeve. My friend Sherri Retton made this for me. We were Diva Swap Sisters this last month, and she sent me 4 amazing creations which I'll show you while I'm traveling. This first she claimed is because she's sure she forgot my birthday (since she was a little busy in April having a new baby!) and I'm so glad she did. I just LOVE it!!! Definitely an idea I will have to CASE. And there's some sparkle on there...it's just really hard to see. I've included 2 photos...one inside the sleeve and one out so you can see just how cool it really is.

Julia and I are headed to the airport in another 30 minutes. California here we come! Right back where we started from. Which is true. We're going "home" to the area we lived in and haven't been to in a whole year! We're so excited to see so many of our friends that we've been missing!

Hope you all have a great Monday. Oh yeah...I already ordered my new MFT stamps this morning...LOVE that new jungle set. If you haven't checked them out yet, you must!!!

TFL!
-Jana

Make a Wish

German Phrase of the Day: Das ist Geschmackssache. = That is a matter of taste. Well, you could say that about most things...my cards included! But not about this stamp set...I just love it!

I finally pulled out my Make A Wish set from GinaK Designs. This set is awesome - and did you know that $7 from the sale of EVERY set goes to the Make A Wish foundation?? How cool is that?!

I only had a few minutes, so I couldn't play like I want to (can't wait to color in that wishing well on some good watercolor paper!!) but I did make a quick cute card. I used a sketch I found on my desk and I have no idea where it came from! I've gotten into the habit of sketching ideas I get online onto scrap paper, and when I first started I was not including the source. Since then I have learned to write that down as well!!!

Anyway...I still had my Cutie Pie paper out from doing dd's bday invitations...so I thought those colors would be great with the birthday cake from this set. I colored the cake with a combo of aquapainter with ink refill (for the Purely Pomegranate) and markers for the celery and bashful blue. I also added a light shadow around the whole image using the going grey H2O color crayon and my aquapainter...then added a slightly darker shadow under the cake plate. I punched off my corners and layered on Bashful Blue - also with punched corners. Finally, I mounted on some Purely Pomegranate and added the silver brads. I cut my circle with my Coluzzle, and tied the Purely Pomegranate double stitched ribbon over that. I think I should have used the textured cardstock for the base...but I don't have the soft subtles textured cardstock yet. Oops!

I mounted my central image on dimensionals, and lastly I stamped the greeting and added some gold stickles to the star shaped flames. Pretty darn cute if I do say so myself! And also, very simple. No sponging whatsoever so that I could maintain the nice clean lines of the patterned paper...and I'm ok with that! :-)

Hope you all are having a great Sunday!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Make a Wish from GinaK Designs
CS: Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Purely Pomegranate, Cutie Pie DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Summer Sun, Bashful Blue, Purely Pomegranate
Acc: Purely Pomegranate double stitched ribbon, Coluzzle, Silver Brads

TFL!
-Jana

Baby card

German Phrase of the Day: Verschluck dich nicht. = Don't choke. Yup...that really is in my living language calendar for Sept. 21. Maybe that's national Heimlich month or something! Hey...that name sounds German to me...wonder if there' s a correlation.

Don't mind me today...Julia has been in high gear all morning and has both her dad and me completely worn out, so she's having "quiet time" and I'm supposed to be re-energizing so I can deal with her in 30 more minutes. Wish me luck!

This is the card I made to go with yesterday's frame. I haven't used this Bundle of Joy set very much and thought it would be a cute way to continue the pink and brown theme. When my friend came by yesterday to pick them up, she did indeed love them...so I'm glad!

I colored the bear in with close to cocoa and chocolate chip inks using my aquapainter. His interior arm doesn't look that white in real life...at least I hope not! For the faux stitching, I just free handed some xxx all around. I wanted to use my all in a row set, but I can't find it anywhere! Oh well. I also stamped the swirly dots with stars up the side of the close to cocoa cardstock, but it's hard to see. And...this is almost the end of my narrow chocolate grosgrain. I'll have to break down and buy the wider stuff soon I guess. Oh well!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Bundle of Joy
CS: Pretty in Pink, close to cocoa, chocolate chip
Ink: close to cocoa, chocolate chip
Acc: pink gingham ribbon, chocolate grosgrain

TFL!
-Jana

Baby Kiyo

German Phrase of the Day: Bald gibt es wieder Kastanien. = Soon we will have chestnuts again. Soon equals now in our case...at least in London! Julia loved going to the park near our friend's home because she was able to pick up a TON of chestnuts right off the ground. Now what she will do with them I have no idea. She just tells her dad "They're for crafting daddy!" Now...where has he heard that before???

Today's project was "commissioned" by a friend of mine to give as a gift for a new baby. She wanted a name frame...and chose pink and brown for her color scheme. She's going to be here in 10 minutes...and I hope she likes it!! I used the Simon on board lower chipboard pieces, and a flower my friend in London gave me. The k and y are covered with some retired SU! paper (I think that was Rebbecca?) and the O is covered first with Regal Rose craft ink, then stamped on with the paisley stamp with close to cocoa craft ink, and the i is just covered with regal rose craft. All the pieces are then embossed a few times with glassy glaze ep to give them a nice shiny look. The flower over the i was covered with some of that wonderful Blonde Moments ultra thick embossing powder I talked about over here. The color is called Festive Berry, but it's a nice metallic pink in real life. I quite like it!

I used a variety of ribbons to finish off the letters and make them extra girly. For the base, I stamped the paisley from Polka Dots and Paisleys set and a flower from Polka dots and petals set with versamark ink. Then, I added a strip of close to cocoa cs, and some leftover ribbon from the winter mini ribbon originals set. The frame is about 7" by 9.5" and I bought it at a local store here for two and a half euros (about $3.50.) Tomorrow, I'll show you all the matching card!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Polka Dots and Paisleys, Polka dots and petals, paisley background, retired SU! paper
CS: Pretty in Pink, close to cocoa
Ink: regal rose, close to cocoa, versamark
Acc: Glassy Glaze ep, blonde moments ep, simon on board lower, pink gingham ribbon, taupe grosgrain

TFL!
-Jana

Invitation...

German Phrase of the Day: Wir freuen uns, euch dort zusehen. = We hope to see you there. This is the last line on the inside of my daughter's birthday party invitation. I actually took what i had written to a German friend of mine here to make sure my Deutsch wasn't too awful. She only had to make 6 corrections. The invitation details aren't that long! Oh well.

So, all that blog surfing I did yesterday paid off...because I was inspired by this card here for the invitations! Isn't this just the cutest? Her party is at a place called Jungle Town, so I figured these cute little animals would be perfect!

I used the prints designer paper in Rose Red, So Saffron and Almost Amethyst. I also used Cutie Pie, because it matched the best of what I had on hand. I think it turned out very cute! Ok...now I just have to make 8 more of these tonight, print the inside, and deliver them all tomorrow morning. Then, I have to finish some stuff for a couple swaps, and make a name frame for a friend to give to a new baby. Phew!!

ETA: Ok...I just finished them up. I started around 8:45, finished around 10:45 - even includes addressing the envelopes (not easy to spell these German names!!) Now I'm off to bed!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Zoofari, sincere salutations
CS: Regal Rose, Basic Black, Whisper White, Prints Designer Paper, Cutie Pie DSP
Ink: Basic Black, So Saffron, Rose Red, Almost Amethyst
Acc: 1 3/8" circle punch, black gingham ribbon

TFL!
-Jana

Pretty Primas

German Phrase of the Day: Einen Kaffee, bitte! = One coffee please. I've actually given up coffee...again! I tend to get quickly addicted to caffeine, and when I first moved here and realized it's next to impossible to FIND decent decaf coffee, I switched back to caffeinated. But...after many migraines, I decided it was better to just drink tea. So now I'm totally addicted to Rooibus tea. That stuff is awesome! And..this way I don't have my daily sugar/cream intake, so I've cut back on fat and calories at the same time. Woohoo! ;-)

I have a list a mile long of things to get done before leaving for the US. I just returned from London yesterday (Thank you Karin, it was sooooo much fun!!!) and have barely unpacked, but I already need to start getting ready for our trip back "home." I've brought the BIG suitcases up from downstairs (the ones which ONLY get used for trips to the States!) and need to begin gathering all the gifts I'm taking, as well as get a few things done here like make birthday party invites for Julia's party we're having 2 days after getting home (Yes, I am insane!) and make a name frame for a friend to give as a new baby gift. And as Julia says, we only have 5 more sleeps 'til we leave. So what did I do? I made a card for you all!

In my defense, I only had about 30 minutes until my dh came home with the car so I could go pick up the dog at the kennel...which really wasn't enough time to finish anything else. This card literally took 10 minutes to create - and that includes opening up the mini paint can my new primas are in without a screwdriver, and selecting a paper that would go well with them.

It's a super simple layout using my Basic Grey Perhaps paper and some Purely Pomegranate cs, but it's lovely just the same, right?? And it really showcases these incredibly gorgeous new Primas I got, right?! So it HAD to be simple!! And look...not even any stamping! Of course, when I decide who to send it to I'll stamp a greeting inside.

Ok...gotta finish cleaning out the cupboard and taking stock. Tomorrow I have to shop and get enough food so my husband doesn't starve during the week he's home without me. Poor guy. He'll have 3 whole days of being home all alone with no child to look after, no work (he gets a holiday while we're gone) and no wife to nag at him. Can I sign up for that?!?

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: NONE
CS: Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White, Basic Grey Perhaps
Ink: Purely Pomegranate
Acc: Double Stitched Purely Pomegranate ribbon, ticket corner punch, primas, rhinestone brad, sponge

TFL!
-Jana

I'm really not that old yet, am I?

German Phrase of the Day: Guten Morgen! = Good Morning. This was one of the first phrases I learned...and I use it almost every day!

This stamp just called out to me at the Stempel Mekka. I had recently had an MRI of my knee, and the radiologist informed me that I have the knee of a 60 or 70 year old woman. I'm only 36. Oh well!! The sentiment reads: "Inside this old body is a young voice asking me 'What Happened?'"

This is another super simple one using my glitter paper stack and an Emerson stamp. I colored her in with aquapainter and ink pads. I punched the corners with SU!'s retired notch corner punch to add some interest.

London has been wonderful. We're really enjoying our time with friends Karin and Dave, and seeing lots of fun things. Today, we're heading out to Hampton Court Palace, the former playground of King Henry VIII and where he courted Anne Boleyn, his ill-fated second wife. Have a great day!

Stamps: Emerson stamp

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Purely Pomegranate, THe Glitter Stack from DCWV

Ink: Basic Black, purely pomegranate, chocolate chip, always artichoke

Accessories: aquapainter, corner punch TFL! -Jana

I had a nightmare...

German Phrase of the Day: Das stimmt doch gar nicht. = That's not true. Well, I guess the title isn't true...but the sentiment on this card certainly could be!!

Having a great time in London...hope you all are having a good weekend.

This is one of the 3 stamps I purchased at Stempel Mekka. I mean, with a saying like that, how could I resist?? If you can't read it it says. "I had a terrible nightmare. I dreamed I was disconnected from the internet." I can think of a few bloggers this would be good for, but I have a special one in mind for this particular card.

It was a super quick and easy card, using some more of my new glitter paper, this time from a Die Cuts With a View (DCWV) glitter stack. I started with a black card base, put a slightly smaller layer of whisper white, then the slightly smaller layer of glitter paper. For the central image, I stamped her with Basic Black on whisper white, and colored her in with creamy caramel and summer sun. I layered that on a larger piece of basic black and tied on the black gingham ribbon, then decided it needed one more layer there, so added the little bit of extra whisper white. I super simple, easy-peasy card - but I like it!
All supplies by Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Stamps: Emerson stamp

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, The Glitter Stack from DCWV

Ink: basic black, summer sun, creamy caramel

Accessories: aquapainter, black gingham ribbon TFL! Jana

Grateful

German Phrase of the Day: Endlich Wochenende! = Finally, the weekend! And, we're off to London! I can't wait, we're going to see one of my good friends who I haven't seen in about 1 1/2 years already! She moved to London while we still lived in California...and was so excited when I told her we were moving to Europe too...but it's taken me a year to get over there to see her!!!

I'm hoping Karin doesn't check my blog this morning, because this is a card I made for her and her husband. It is loosely based on this week's sketch challenge, using my new With Gratitude stamp set.

I stamped the Old Olive card base with the linen background stamp in old olive ink. For the next layers, I wet a piece of naturals ivory cardstock, then stamped the different leaves with More Mustard, Old Olive and Elegant Eggplant inks (a color combo from the Color Wheel!) and then spritzed them lightly to make the color run more. Debbie Olson had done a card like this I just loved, so I was trying to imitate that somewhat. For the focal image, I embossed the large leaf with gold detail powder, then watercolored in some of the 3 colors I was using. I sponged the edges, roughed 'em up, and layered on more eggplant. I used gold metalic ribbon around the middle layer for some texture, and mounted the focal image on dimensionals. When stamping my greeting, I screwed up and used the wrong color marker. It didn't turn out too bad (artichoke instead of olive) but it bugs me. Oh well...no time to fix it as I had to get the dog to the tierpension (pet hotel) and come home to pack. Sorry Karin!!! Hopefully the other goodies I'm bringing will make up for this. :-)

Sorry...no time to do the full supply listing...will try to add later!

TFL!
-Jana

Another color challenge card, for Victoria!

German Phrase of the Day: Ich bin sehr faul heute. - I've been very lazy today. Well...I guess that's true so far since I've just been sitting here quickly scanning my google reader before I go get some cleaning done!

Today's card was actually made yesterday with the color challenge for Victoria. You can read more about her here on Courtney's blog...and even enter to win blog candy by sending her a card both from Courtney and on Beate's blog!

I really liked this color combo, and since I had just received a package from my parents with last months Papertrey Ink order, I NEEDED to use those stamps!! And I have to say, this may be the first time I've EVER stamped a card and mailed it in the same day!!!

The card itself is pretty self explanatory...I sponged all pieces (a first for me!) and used only the 3 colors of ink, and the 3 colors of cs, plus naturals white. I stamped off once for the solid bloom image, and I outlined the leaves with the chocolate chip ink since the River Rock was too light to stamp off for the inside of the leaves. I LOVE this flower center stamp...and I think the chocolate goes so perfectly with the rust!!

I used my photo corner punch to make the really rust ribbon ends. Just use any punch with a right angle to cut a triangle out of your strip of paper. Turns out much better than trying to cut freehand...at least for me!! I loved using the photo corner punch for the first time...finally! I sponged that too...then did the faux stitching, then even added brads. I think I have a new favorite punch. Well, at least until I get a chance to really plan with my scallop punch!

Lastly, I finished up the card by stamping the "Make a Wish" sentiment from GinaK's Make a Wish set. That was also in my package, and I had just finished cutting it out. LOVE it, and can't wait to play with it more!!!

Anyway...guess I better do some cleaning or my stamping budget may get cut! LOL!!

Supplies (all are by SU! unless otherwise noted)

Stamps: Beautiful Blooms by PTI, Make a Wish by GinaK

Paper: Naturals white, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, River Rock

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, River Rock

Accessories: photo corner punch, crafter's tool kit, white gel pen, vintage brads, sponge

TFL!
-Jana

Color Challenge with Zindorf Case...

German Phrase of the Day: Liest du viel? Do you read a lot? As I've talked about before, I definately do read a lot. In fact, I ordered 6 new books through Amazon.com to pick up in California when I'm there in a few weeks time! I can't wait!!!

This card was inspired by Zindorf over on SCS. She was this week's featured stamper, and I was completely blown away by her amazing creations. I especially loved her amazing backgrounds. The card this one is loosely based on can be seen here. Hers is so much more intense!!!

I wanted to use my new Spooky Sweets set that I just got yesterday, which was purchased solely (well, ok, let's get real here!) for this particular greeting. Now I just need to get Julia to make some cards and use this greeting on them!! I inked up the pumpkins in Pumpkin Pie, then rolled them in some Really Rust (because I was trying to stick with the color challenge!) then stamped them on naturals white CS. The stems are all stamped with River Rock. For the background, I sponged on river rock, then really rust, then a little ballet blue, and finally night of navy before running the piece through the embossing folder. Finally, I added the Old Olive and Night of Navy with DTP method.

The background piece was then sponged all around with chocolate chip, and layered on Really Rust, and Chocolate chip. I added the greeting inside the HPH and attached with Chocolate grosgrain, then finally mounted it onto the river rock card base. Lastly, I attached the pumpkins, with 2 of them up on dimensionals. This was a fun card...but I must keep working at those amazing backgrounds by Zindorf!!!

Stamps: Spooky Sweets

Paper: Naturals white, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, River Rock

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, River Rock, ballet blue, night of navy, old olive, pumpkin pie

Accessories: HPH, Chocolate Chip grosgrain, oval punch, Cuttlebug swirls embossing folder

TFL!
-Jana

Technique Lover's Challenge

German Phrase of the Day: Die Unterhaltung war sehr interessant. = The conversation was very interesting. Unterhaltung is pronounced "oohn-tehr-HAHL-toong" - quite a mouthful, huh??

Last night I decided I had to make one of these fabulous 2,5,7,10 boxes like everyone else. They really are quite quick and easy, just like their sisters the 2-4-6-8 boxes...but I like the shape much better. I've never been one for squares.

For the box I decided to use some of my GORGEOUS new glitter paper that I purchased at Stempel Mekka. This piece came from a package of K&Company Christmas Glitter paper. Isn't it just gorgeous?!? It's super glittery in person, the photo just doesn't capture the beauty of this paper. I'm loving the glitter lately!

My box came together fairly quickly, and so I went up this morning to finish it off, and realized that my Merry & Bright set was perfect with this paper, so I stamped Merry on some SU! Shimmery White CS with Pomegranate ink, then sponged the edges. I wanted to mound it on a scallop, but of course don't have the right shape and size, so I made it longer but squatter by cutting 2 scalloped squares together. GinaK did a great tutorial on how to do this on her blog sometime last spring I think. I didn't do a great job...but it's hard to see the lines in the photo at least! ;-)

Lastly, I added the double stitched Purely Pomegranate ribbon at the top. I'm quite pleased with how this turned out...now to fill it and find a recipient!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Merry & Bright
CS: Shimmery White, Purely Pomegranate, Glitter Paper from K& Company
Ink: Purely Pomegranate
Acc: Purely Pomegranate double stitched ribbon, Marvy square scallop punch, 1/8" circle punch, scalloped scissors.

TFL!
-Jana

Tagged...

Julie just tagged me so I get to play along in this newest game of Bloggers tag!! Thanks Julie!! (I used Julie's modified tag list, which works well since I don't like perfume!)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) -Happy Audi
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Moose Tracks Spritz
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) JWEA
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) - Purple Panda
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)- Christine Bangor
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) - Weaja
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put “The”) The Blue Tea
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)- Ernest Sydney
9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) XXX Ralph (my mom actually didn't have a middle name until she got married and was able to use her maiden name there...and I'm not listing that one, so I guess my witness protection name really is protected!)

Thanks for the fun!!
I hereby tag Stephanie and Rachel - so hopefully they'll both update their blogs!!

My purchases...

So, here is a photo of all my purchases yesterday. I think I did good only buying 3 new pieces of rubber. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a card showcasing some of that. And that glitter paper? It was just to die for!!! I can't wait to break into that stuff! And look...I got some scalloped scissors for only 2.50 Euros - what a bargain! Oh yeah, some fun primas, some silver metal sheets that I can't WAIT to run through a cuttlebug embossing folder, a bow tying template, some masking paper, ultra clean and a water misting bottle. Phew! Seeing it like this it doesn't look like all that much...especially when I think about how much I paid for it all! Oh well...at least I had fun!

TFL!
-Jana

Blonde Moments...

German Phrase of the Day: Die Liebe geht durch den Magen. = The way to a person's heart is through the stomach (or more literally, Love goes through the stomach - which is a little more humorous!!) We all know this is the truth...I mean...our husbands have to love us because they'd starve without us! (except you lucky women with husbands who cook...I envy you!!)

I took a little time this morning to play with my new toys from Stempel Mekka. One of the products I was most excited about it a new Ultra Thick Embossing Powder from Blonde Moments. It is a 2-tones powder that gives stunning effects. For this card, I embossed my chipboard frame with 3 layers of the Festive Silver powder. Since I'm a slow embosser, I have to use a layer of Versamark in-between layers because I can't seem to get the powder on quickly enough when it's still hot! Oh well. Oh this close up photo, you can see the cool crackled effect that happens with this powder. Honestly, I didn't make it happen...it just does!! So between my friend and I, we bought 6 different colors we were so enamored!

For the rest of the card, I used some of last year's Halloween DSP from SU! on an 8.5 by 8" card base folded in half. I sponged the edges of my designer paper with black ink to help it blend in a little better. I colored the images from Batty For You with my markers so I wouldn't get the words, then mounted the images to the back of my frame (it's from the On Board Blossoms and Basics set of chipboard) After mounting this on to the card with sticky strip, I decided I wanted the ribbon, so I had to gently lift it up and slide the ribbon under...but it worked! Lastly, I stamped boo on the right side of the card using my Big Deal alphabet and some white craft ink. Probably would have been better to emboss with white to make it really stand out, but I didn't think of that until it was too late. Oh well.

This last photo was taken at Stempel Mekka during the demonstration of this product. She did a lot of samples stamping into the still hot powder to leave the impression behind...but I like leaving it plain better...shows the incredible 2-tone effect much better I think! But...she sure sold a lot of the stuff!!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Big Deal Alphabet, Batty for You
CS: Basic Black, old Halloween DSP from SU!
Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive markers, versamark, white craft ink
Acc: On Board Blossoms and Basics chipboard, black gingham ribbon, UTEP in Festive Silver by Blonde Moments

TFL!
-Jana

Stempel Mekka!!!

German Phrase of the Day: Ich bin so hungrig. = I am so hungry. And I was very hungry earlier today because I went to Stempel Mekka, and was so excited to be looking at stamps, paper, ink, and embellishments that we forgot to eat lunch until almost 3 o'clock!

The Stempel Mekka was fantastic. Just like going to a stamp and scrap expo back home in the states! There was a Judykins booth, booths for several stores here in Germany and in the Netherlands, and even a few other American companies. The cute Dutch stamps that Allison was talking about on her blog last week were there (see the second photos with the samples up high) And there was even some REALLY cool new ultrathick embossing enamel made in the UK that was TOTALLY AWESOME!!! I'll be making something with that this week to post here for you all to see.

Sorry I don't have any new samples for you all today, but I promise to show off some of my purchases throughout the week.

Hope you all had a great Sunday!

TFL!
Jana

California Christmas

German Phrase of the Day: Das Leben ist kurz. = Life is short. (therefore, eat desert first, and don't forget the Cosmos!)

This weekend is VSBD over at Bellaholics Anonymous. This card was for last night's Sketch Challenge, which was a wonderful yet simple sketch. Someone on the Bellaholics group is hosting a swap for non-traditional Christmas Bellas on Christmas cards, and so that is what inspired my little Cosmobella here. I LOVE the dashing paper, and have been using it a lot lately. Guess I should pull out the wintergreen so it doesn't feel unloved!

I stamped her with Stazon black on SU! watercolor paper, then colored her with refills and my aquapainter. I used some liquid applique on the hat (does that stuff expire? Mine isn't working so well!) and some crystal stickles on her tank top. Recently, Sharon Harnist has been featuring some GinaK design stamps and she talked about using pencils to color in an image instead of watercoloring it because she wanted to use stickles, and stickles over watercolored images run. Well...she's right! I actually had this little Bella all colored and ready to go, put the stickles on and let them dry (I thought) turned her over to apply adhesive, and there was pink all over!! Oh well...good thing I stamped her twice!!

I also added some Dazzling Diamonds to the rim of her glass to give her a little sugar. I used the same piece of paper, just both sides, of Dashing, layered it on a little bit of black, then tied the red grosgrain around with a touch of silver cord, and finally put it all on the red card base. I think she turned out pretty cute, I hope you enjoy her!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Cosmobella by StampingBella, Crab & Company
CS: Real Red, Basic Black, Watercolor paper, Dashing DSP
Ink: Jetblack Stazon, Real red, Buckaroo Blue, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive
Acc: aquapainter, red grosgrain, silver cord

TFL!
-Jana

Cutie Pie Birthday

German Phrase of the Day: Alles klar? = Everything ok? Klar is one of those words that can mean a few different things depending on context. It seems to sometimes mean clear, as in are these instructions clear? And other times just mean ok, as in the above phrase. And it's one of those words that is pronounced just like it looks...just like car, with an l thrown in!

Today's card was a last minute birthday card for our young neighbor. She turned 3 yesterday, and Julia was invited to the party. German birthday parties are much the same as American ones, you have crazy kids, cake, candy, games, and of course, presents! We had a great time!!

It is also based on this week's sketch challenge since I had been wanting to try that and hadn't taken the time yet. I'm pretty happy with the results...but I think I would love anything with the cutie pie paper!!!

Now, I'm off to scrap with friends this morning...yeah!!! :-) Have a great day everyone.

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: It's Your Birthday
CS: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Purely Pomegranate, Cutie Pie DSP
Ink: Certainly Celery, Purely Pomegranate,
Acc: Double Stitched Purely Pomegranate ribbon, silver brads, ticket corner punch, giga scalloped square punch

TFL!
-Jana

CASE of Julie's oh so Pleasing Card

German Phrase of the Day: Interessierst du dich fur Kunst? Are you interested in art? I am very interested in art...in all different forms! I used to paint (not very well!) and have always tried to find a way to express myself creatively. I also enjoy art created by others, and so today's card is my attempt to emulate an incredibly beautiful creation by an amazing papercrafting artist, Julie Buhler!

Julie's card (seen on her blog, Paper Pleasing Ideas!) struck me as jaw-dropping gorgeous the first time I saw it. Earlier this week there was a card done in a similar style on SU!'s Stamper's Showcase, but I thought Julie's execution was much better. After having a discussion with my friend and downline about how to do this card as a make and take at a workshop last night, I really wanted to try and recreate the card myself. But alas, hubby got home, and time with him took precedence!

Then, I took Julia to kindergarten this morning, only to discover they had an ausflug today (field trip!) and I had forgotten. Since they carpools had already left, I had to drive her over and was lucky that one of the other mom's had room to bring her back at the end. Then, off to the airport with my husband's credit card to get our flights to Istanbul changed (remember, that's the trip we had to postpone because of my gallstones!) and I finally got back home around 10:30 and declared I NEEDED to make this card now!!!

I used one of my precious Fabriano cards for this one, deciding that if it wasn't going to have layers, it was going to be top-notch paper! Then, for my reverse mask, I decided I wanted rounded corners. So, I found a piece of CS on my desk, rounded the corners, traced it onto copy paper, and cut it out. Using my dotto, I adhered it to the card and sponged in some mellow moss. I think I was a little heavy-handed, and would go much lighter next time. Next, I stamped the trees with mellow moss and close to cocoa for the trunks - although I think the trunks are a little too dark still. Finally, I removed the mask and stamped the tree in the foreground with Always Artichoke and chocolate chip trunk. Instead of using the liquid applique like Julie did, I decided to just use some dazzling diamonds - make it look like a light frost. Finally, I stamped the Merry Christmas sentiment from Holidays and Hugs in Basic Brown ink, and added the artichoke grosgrain and gold organdy ribbons to finish it off.

It's not quite as good as the original which inspired it, but I'm satisfied. Might have to make a few more to use this year as Christmas cards!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree
CS: Fabriano Card
Ink: Basic Brown, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
Acc: Artichoke grosgrain, gold organdy ribbon, glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter

TFL!
-Jana

Naughty??

German Phrase of the Day: Du bist sehr geistreich. = You are very witty. I thought this phrase would be appropriate for today's card.

I really love this new set from My Favorite Things! I got it in my huge box from mom a couple weeks ago, and just finally got to play with it last night. I thought of this card back when I first saw some of the sneak peak images from the design team...and I still chuckle about it! I have a feeling DH will want me to make up a few of these for some of our friends this year! I masked the feet, stamped the log and flames, then stamped again on some scrap paper to cut out the log and interior flame to pop up in front so his feet really look like they are in the fire. I think I need to add some stockings to the mantle as well though.

I haven't printed the phrase for inside the card yet...as I still haven't decided on the final one. My husband had some GREAT ideas last night..."Good thing I'm wearing my asbestos undies!" "When the house fills up with smoke they'll call the fire department to get me out of here" and my favorite, "Note to self: Move this house to the Naughty list!" Now, my question to you - what do YOU think should be the phrase for this card?!? Leave me a comment on this post with YOUR phrase, and when my hubby is finally home again on Saturday I'll have him pick his favorite. The winner will get a RAK with a few fun goodies inside. I'll be having another Blog Bon-Bon giveaway for hitting 50K hits soon...but I thought this might be a fun warm-up!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Home for the Holidays by MFT
CS: Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Dashing DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, Summer Sun, Ruby Red, Bravo Burgundy, Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, Only Orange, Pumpkin Pie
Acc: Aquapainter, red gingham ribbon, dimensionals

TFL!
-Jana

Business cards...

German Phrase of the Day: Wie schlau du bist! = How cunning you are! Schlau is pronounced shlow...I'll have to remember this one! Oh, and for those of you in Maine, this is the sly kind of cunning, not "cunnin'" which means cute to a Mainer! :-)

So...a few weeks ago Amy at Heartfelt Greetings had a challenge to folks to make their own business cards. It was around the time that I was in and out of hospital, so I finally got to it last week. I wanted some cards to take to an activities fair I was going to for the American Women's Club of Dusseldorf, and thought it would be fun to stamp on them and make them pretty. (Sorry, the whited out bits are address and phone)

They took almost no time to make, and I like how they turned out with the soft sky and pomegranate colors. You know me, I can't give up my pomegranate!!

Anyhow...I'll try to get upstairs to stamp today. Yesterday afternoon Julia and I made Whoopie Pies! It was tons of fun, but ended up taking so long I didn't get any good stampin' time in....especially since we spent the evening planning a trip to London in 10 more days! :-) Can't have 3 weekends at home in a row can we?!?

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Baroque Motifs
CS: Whisper White, Purely Pomegranate
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky
Acc: MS Word

TFL!
-Jana

One more criss-cross pocket card...

German Phrase of the Day: Bald ist wieder Herbst. - Soon it will be autumn again. Soon?? I think we just skipped summer and went from spring to fall over here!!! Oh well. Only a few more weeks and I"ll be in Sunny CA. It will be sunny...right girls?????

So...I really loved this card layout, and had to make another. I was so excited to get my Cutie Pie paper, but still hadn't used it...and the same is true of my In the Spotlight stamp set. I have an idea of this set which I'm having trouble executing...so hopefully I'll have that done soon to share too. In the meantime though...I did create this!

Originally, I was going to put the rhinestone brad into the center of the larger "flower" but decided that the Hello would work better. Then, I had to try out my 5 petal flower punch, so I decided that might work better for the rhinestone brad. It's stuck over the top of a rounded corner punched tab...which was stamped with the solid image from Totally Tabs in Certainly Celery on whisper white. I was trying to continue the small white dot theme...but you really can't see them since they got covered up with the flower.

I'm very happy with this card...although I'm not sure it will fit into a regular sized envelope with that extra flower on top there. Hmmm...will have to figure out someone to give it to over here then maybe!

Tonight I'm hoping to play more with some more of my new stamps that haven't seen ink yet. I think I need to start working my way through...pick one set and use it a few times, then move on to the next. Wish me luck!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Totally Tabs, In the Spotlight
CS: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Purely Pomegranate, Cutie Pie DSP
Ink: Certainly Celery, Purely Pomegranate, So Saffron
Acc: Double Stitched Purely Pomegranate ribbon, circle punches, rounded tab punch, corner rounder punch, rhinestone brads fire

TFL!
-Jana

Another card for my WCMD class!

German Phrase of the Day: Wollen wir tanzen? = Shall we dance? The family and I just returned from a very fun weekend away with 6 other families from Julia's kindergarten. So...my German is a little better! I had to speak Deutsch with all the children...and tried to communicate with the parents in German as much as I could...but I usually had to resort to English for any involved conversations. But it was just nice to go hang out in the country with other families and shat with the adults while the kids played. I don't know that schools in the States do that kind of thing...but I know when we return I would definitely try to arrange something similar! We all had fun!

This card was also lots of fun. I used another piece of chipboard from the On Board Trimmings set and covered it with some Wintergreen DSP this time. The circle was cut using my coluzzle from Blue Bayou textured paper, and then I did the faux stitching. I wheeled Bold Snowflakes along the bottom, but for the class we'll be using the Snow wheel from the Holiday mini. I just inked the wheel up on my versamark pad because I didn't feel like reinking my cartridge for just a small bit...it worked great.

The "let it" is from Big on Christmas...and I was able to ink up just those 2 words on my Blue Bayou inkpad pretty easily. I think the hardest part of this card was sanding off the extra paper from the interior parts of the snowflake chipboard and doing the faux stitching...but even those were pretty easy. Oh...and I CASE'd this layout from the projects Stampin' Up! has featured on the World Card Making Day website.

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Big on Christmas, Bold Snowflakes jumbo wheel
CS: Wintergreen DSP, Soft Sky, Blue Bayou textured
Ink: Blue Bayou, Versamark
Acc: White gel pen, crafter's tool kit, coluzzle, On Board Trimmings

TFL!
-Jana

RAK from Mo!

Look at this beautiful card I got in the mail today!!! Thank you so much Mo...I just love it! The coloring on this card is exquisite, with beautiful shading and everything. I am in awe! It even came in a handmade envelope!! I mean, wow!!

Mo is also from Maine, although she doesn't live there any longer. My mom emailed her after reading a comment of hers on my blog and they have now discovered they have much in common. Although, I think it would be tough to find someone with nothing in common with my mom - she's a true jack-of-all-trades, and master of many!

Mo, I don't know if you have a blog...I couldn't find one in your profile...but if you do please let me know so I can link to it!

Thanks again for your thoughtfulness,
Huggs,
Jana

Christmas Ornaments

German Phrase of the Day: Kochen macht Spass. = It's fun to cook. Kochen (pronounced KOH-khehn) is to cook, Kuchen (pronounced KUH-khenh) is cake. So, I could also say ich liebe kuchen kochen meaning I like to cook cake! :-)

Today's project was SOOO much fun to make. I really love the new chipboard from the Holiday mini catalog. For this ornament I used the On Board Trimmings. I punched out the star from the center, then covered the remaining circle with real red craft ink. I like how the ink gives the chipboard a suede look. Then, I adhered some Dashing designer paper to the back of my piece...with the stripes showing through the star. You could probably use this for July 4th too...stars and stripes forever, yeah? (or I guess I should say Ja?)

Anyway...that wasn't all. On the back side, I decided to attach the star I had removed. So, I again covered it with the real red craft ink...let that dry a little, then covered it with Versamark and embossed on a layer of iridescent ice ep. Then, I put on another layer of versamark and did two layers of Glassy Glaze to seal it in and make it nice and smooth. Isn't it purdy?? I really liked this paper...and I love that I can showcase both sides so easily. I think I'll make a whole series of these and string them up like a garland across the divider between my living and dining rooms. Strung along on white taffeta ribbon, it will look simply perfect!! Can't wait to get a whole pack of this stuff...I just got a few pieces from my wonderful friend Michelle (Thanks Michelle!!) in the mail so I could play with them before I get to California. This is one of the fun projects (minus the embossing) we'll have available at our World Card Making Day event on October 6th! If you live in or near the Bay Area of California and would like more information about the event just drop me an email and I'd be happy to give you the details!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: none!
CS: On Board Trimmings, Dashing DSP
Ink: Real Red Craft ink, Versamark
Acc: White taffeta ribbon, iridescent ice ep, glassy glaze ep

TFL!
-Jana

Blogroll update!

I finally went through and added all the sites I have in my google reader to my blogroll on the right. Phew! That was not a quick and easy task, but I'm glad to have finished it. If you discover you are listed and would rather not be, please feel free to send me an email asking me to remove your site. If you see yourself listed and want to link back to me, please feel free to do so!

Thanks everyone for continuing to inspire me!

-Jana

Halloween Criss-Cross Card

German Phrase of the Day: Ich will mich nicht argern. = I don't want to get angry. Well...no one really wants to get angry, do they?? Sich argern is pronounced zihkh AYR-gehrn for those interested in the pronunciation. It's supposed to have an oomlot over the a to make it more of a long a sound.

I was a busy girl yesterday. I actually completed 4 projects yesterday! Woohoo!! Love it when I get time to stamp, especially now that I'm feeling so much better. This is the last project, which I completed around 10pm last night. I just loved Beate's wonderful tutorial for this card, and had to try it out. It's a really fun project to do.

I considered just completelly CASEing her card because it is so perfect...but then had the wonderful brainstorm of making a Halloween card instead since I had just been looking through all my new designer paper. I was so excited to use not only new designer paper, but my new Party Time stamp set. I just love this little cat...especially since we have a wonderful little black kitty ourselves!

The spider and inside greeting is from a retired set...I think it's called Creeping By?? Oh man, now I'm going to have to go look it up! Found it...it's called Web Wishes. How could I forget that?? Anyway, I used the adorable little spider from that set for the front, and colored her in with markers. I think she's the perfect little accent for that spot, and she covers up where the belly-band doesn't quite reach together! I'm going to have to make more of these cards...it's just too fun!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Web Wishes (retired), Party Punch
CS: Whisper White, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Creepy Crawly
Ink: Basic Black, Perfect Plum, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard
Acc: Black gingham ribbon, circle punches, rounded tab punch, corner rounder punch

TFL!
-Jana

The Weavers

German Phrase of the Day: Die Hose ist viel zu lange. - The trousers are far too long. Since I haven't been posting, I'm way behind on my calendar...that was from August 22nd!! I'll work hard to catch up again, I promise!

So, I finally played with my new All in the Family set. I just think it's the most adorable thing ever!!! First I stamped our name at the top, then I started with my daughter so I could center her in the middle, and worked out from there. I colored all the people with ink pads and my aquapainter. I was able to just line things up without the Stamp A Ma Jig, except for the glasses on my husband. Those I just didn't trust myself to line up properly. I guess this is the nice thing about having my stamps unmounted...I can eyeball things even easier.

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Big Deal Alphabet, All in the Family, Karen Foster Snap Stamps
CS: Whisper White, Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate
Ink: Blue Bayou, Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky, Basic Grey, Wild Wasabi, Summer Sun, Blush Blossom, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocao
Acc: SAMJ

TFL!
-Jana

Happy Jana...

There's nothing better than listening to the ocean, and looking out over that intense expanse of blue. Julia loves the beach, and playing in the sand...and when she can get someone to go with her - the ocean! I am now sitting up on our balcony overlooking the ocean at our wonderful hotel here in Wikj an See called Het Hoge Duin. The photo of Julia is from when we were here in March (I don't have my card reader so can't put any photos on hubby's laptop right now!)

Last night, we ate in town at a restaurant called "Little Switzerland" and it was fantastic!! We had some cheese fondue and mixed grill which included 2 different shish kabobs (one chicken, one pork) some grilled fillet of beef, the most amazing spare ribs I've ever tasted, and of course the sides of veggies, a salad, and fries. Oh, I was in heaven!! So nice to eat good food again after last week!!!

Anyhow, just wanted to let you all know we're having fun, and I'm getting my stamp sets all ready so that when we get home I can start stamping! :-)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

TFL!
-Jana