Sandy Claws is coming...

I really love this set. I mean...isn't this little guy adorable? On Tuesday before Julia and I left Germany we were all ready to go and had about 30 minutes before the taxi was scheduled to arrive, so I thought what the heck...let's make a quick card!

I needed something simple since we had to be fast, and I had some snowflake paper from Wintergreen DSP pack handy, so that became my background layer. I stamped Sandyclaws and quickly colored him in with markers. Red for him and his hat, bashful blue for the sleigh, and going grey for the details on the sleigh. I mounted him on basic black, and then real red, tied the Mike's ribbon around the card, and stamped the greeting. I truly believe you can only make these kinds of simple, quick cards with great stamps, because that is where all the focus is when it's something this simple. And sandyclaws here certainly qualifies!!

I can't wait to get home and play with my GinaK stuff some more. I haven't had nearly enough time to test it all out yet, which is driving me a little mad! ;-) But, once I get home, since Christmas cards will be in the mail, and the Weinachtsmarkt is the weekend I arrive, I will be able to stamp for pure fun again!! :-)

I'm heading to NH this morning to meet Julie Masse. I can't wait to meet her in person. I'm bringing my daughter and my niece, because my nephew is having surgery today. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers today...he needs all the help he can get! Have a wonderful day today everyone!

TFL!
-Jana

Remember that "special project" ??

Well...here it is. I made 15 of these favors using the tutorial on Beate's site, and made them place cards as well for the Thanksgiving Table. I used a TON of sticky strip, but they still pulled apart a little. I think if I had used less sturdy cardstock they would have held together better - but who wants to use cheap cardstock?? I used almost one whole package of Apple cider DSP, and then I used some River Rock and Chocolate Chip for the names and edging. They are tied shut with some River Rock double stitched ribbon. A little time consuming, but everyone thought they were adorable, so well worth it!

Yesterday, I got to spend several hours at the hospital holding my little nephew. He's so cozy.. and very content to just be held. I was in heaven! Julia went to the Boston Children's museum with her aunt, uncle and cousin and had a wonderful time. I think today we'll take the girls to a local zoo (where they have a giraffe named Jana!) before visiting with Camden again.

Here are a few pictures of Julia and me with Camden. The first was taken by Julia (not too bad, is she??) and the next of her was taken by me. She does such a great job when she holds him, and tries to sway a little even as she's seen her mommy do.

Asela Snowfamily card with Mojo week 12 sketch!

Boy...I was pretty happy when I saw this week's sketch challenge from Julee. This card matches almost perfectly...except I used a circle instead of square for the center. I totally case'd this layout from one I recently saw on SCS - I'll update with from who when I can go look. ETA: I found it! It was Amy on her pickles blog...check it out, she has some AMAZING creations, and Alison just featured her this week also!!

I'm up in Boston now...and got to hold my nephew for the fist time today!! He is just so darned cute!!! Julia got to hold him too, and she loved it.

So, the card uses Asela's snowfamily which I just got from Cornish Heritage Farms when I arrived here in the US. Isn't it adorable? Looks like our family to me...well...except I never wear an apron, LOL! For the card I used Soft sky, Whisper White, Blue Bayou, and wintergreen designer paper. I sponged all the layers except the white ones. I love the photo corners on there, and the silver brads.

I colored the image with my new copic markers for the blues (I just got a few to try) and I used SU! Ruby Red, Garden Green, and Summer Sun for the other colors (the only markers my sister happened to have!)

Hope you enjoyed the card...gotta check my email quick and hit the hay!

TFL!
-Jana

Watching the kids play...

I'm in the States. New Jersey to be exact. Yesterday was VERY long (up for 23 hours straight, and back up again after less than 6 hours sleep) but I'm doing ok.


This card is one I dreamed up while waiting for my new GinaK stamps, but I'm not happy with the execution. I need to keep working on it, because I love the concept of watching the kids make the snowman through a window. When I get back home though you can rest assured that I will rework this card until I'm happy. For now, I'll take any feedback you all have!

I stamped the kids on a half sheet of Stamper's Select cardstock and watercolored it with reinkers an dmy aquapainter.. Next, I trimmed my River Rock cardstock to fit over it. that wasn't easy. Then, I decided my wall needed some wallpaper, so I trimmed the designer paper to fit over the river rock, leaving some trim around the window. Then, I added the window sheet and put some very thin strips of river rock cardstock on it to mimic muntons on the window.

Lastly, I added the greeting in the hodpodge. I think I need to reorient the card, and re-think the greeting part...but I'll come up with something. Fo rnow...I still love the idea!

Hope you all are having a great day...I'm enjoying getting to spend time with my family here, and Julia is having a wonderful time with her grandparents, aunties, and little cousin Maddie! Soon her other Aunt and Uncle will arrive, and then on Friday we'll drive up to Boston to see her newest cousin, Camden at Boston Children's.

TFL!
-Jana

BFF!

German Phrase of the Day: Vergiss mich nicht! = Don't forget me! I promise Ill try to post as often as possible...and I'll try not to just leave you hanging like I did when I was in California!! :-)

Here's the card I made yesterday morning super quick. I had gotten the cardstock out earlier in the week because I wanted to make a card for the color challenge but never had time. Finally, I decided to make the time.

I love this saying in the Garden Whimsy set, because it really is so true. It seems like best friends just KNOW when somethings wrong, and often what it is. I've been lucky in my life to have many such friends...even inside my own family! :-)

I started by stamping polka dot on the purely pomegranate card, and then sponging those edges. Next, I but a piece of Kraft cardstock, stamped the Aida cloth background on it with close to cocoa, and then sponged that. I love that background stamp, it really makes the card just pop with texture...see this close up shot? Doesn't it look almost 3D??

Finally, I cut my focal piece, stamped the images, and cut the mat for it from kraft, which I then lightly sponged. I tied my pomegranate double stitched ribbon around the card, then attached the focal piece with dimensionals. Super fast, easy card!!

Ok...I'm heading to the airport. Think happy thoughts for me...and wish me luck with Julia's jetlag - it's got to be better than our last trip to California was...at least it's only 6 hours this time instead of 9!!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Garden Whimsy, Polka Dot, Aida Cloth
CS: Whisper white, purely pomegranate, kraft
Ink: purely pomegranate, close to cocoa
Acc: purely pomegranate double-stitched ribbon, sponge, dimensionals

TFL!
-Jana

Another Christina Card...

German Phrase of the Day: Wann kommst du wieder nach Deutschland? When are you coming back to Germany? I'll only be gone for 9 days...don't worry! ;-)

Here is another card I made on Friday with my friend Christina. Remember this card I made last year?? Well, here's another origami tree card! These are super fun, and once you have the fold down they are quite easy to whip out!

Christina used some Fall Flowers paper for this, and doesn't it look perfect for a snowy day and a Christmas Tree?? I love it!! If you haven't tried this yet, I strongly recommend it. You can get directions many places, but here are the directions I used last year from Splitcoast Stampers.

Speaking of that, have you checked out all the awesome Holiday projects they've been posting?? I'm actually using one of the tutorials (or at least a modified one) for the project I'm working on for dinner at my sister's house on Thursday. I'll be able to show you a photo of that project from the States, when they are all done. And I did make one quick card this morning, so I'll try to take a photo this afternoon so I can post it before I leave in the morning.

Have a great day everyone!

TFL!
-Jana

Snow Bursting Wreath

German Phrase of the Day: Wir gehen Schlittschuh laufen. = We're going ice-skating. We've never actually taken Julia ice skating, but I hope to remedy that this year. I think she'll really enjoy it, and since she's been learning to Rollerblade, I think she'll do ok.

On Friday morning my friend Christina (check out her new blog!!) had a card class. I like going to get new ideas, and to hang out with other stampers. We had lots of fun, and I got to meet a few new people which is always good. Christina borrowed my Snow Burst set when we went to Pipoos on Wednesday, and she designed a great card with it. Isn't it adorable?!? She drew the circle on the shimmery white paper for us all so we just had to stamp the snowflake all around. Super quick and easy card, and turns out sooo cute!!!

In addition to Snow Burst, we used a retired Christmas set, and an old greeting set to complete this card. To make the wreath, we actually went around the circle twice, we stamped full strength, then twice more along the circle before re inking and starting again. Once we went all the way around, we started again full strength between a 2nd and 3rd stamping to offset the full strength images, and after the second circuit, we back filled anywhere it was looking bare. I think Christina did a great job coming up with this card, and everyone loved it! On the close up image you can see the shimmery paper better, and the individually stamped images.

This whole weekend has been a mass-production nightmare! I've been trying to finish up my 120 Christmas cards so they will be ready to mail from the US (I"m cheap and don't want to pay 2 Euros each to mail stuff from here!!) Plus, I made up 20 more of the snowflake ornament card you saw here for the kindergarten's booth at the weinachtsmarkt, because it's the day after Julia and I get home from the states and I won't have time to finish them up when we get back. Plus, I had to do all the ribbon for the ornaments the kids made at school. And then, insane woman that I am, I decided to make a special project for Thanksgiving dinner at my sister's house in Jersey...so I'm getting everything ready here so I can assemble them there (so they don't get crushed en route!) Yes...I've been a little insane this weekend. Luckily, Julia has been very agreeable and wanted to craft with mommy when she's not playing with Daddy, so it has worked out so far. He leaves for Israel tomorrow, then we leave on Tuesday. Oh...what I wouldn't give for a normal life one of these days!!! :-)

I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post from the states...but I'll try to get a few things on deck and ready to publish so it's not too long of a dry spell from me here!! ;-) I actually made a card except for the main image which I will stamp once I get it in the states to post - it's an Asela stamp, and I can't WAIT to use it!!!

Ok everyone, enjoy your Sunday!

TFL!
-Jana

Baroque Candle

German Phrase of the Day: Viel Spass! = Have fun! This is a phrase I use quite often...usually when I leave Julia at kindergarten I will say it as I leave. And the good thing is...she usually does!

This candle is one I made very quickly as a sample to show the mom in charge of our kindergarten's booth at the Weinachtsmarkt. I wanted her to see a variety of projects I can create to sell at the booth to let her choose what she thought would work best. I probably won't make lots of these, just 5 or 10 so there will be some if people are interested. I used Baroque Motifs and River Rock and Purely Pomegranate ink for the candle itself, and then stamped the medallion in River Rock on Very Vanilla CS, stamping the small flower in the center with pomegranate, and putting in a rhinestone brad. I wrapped some purely pomegranate cardstock and river rock stitched ribbon around the candle, and then attached the paper medallion with a glue dot. All in all, this project took about 10 minutes to make, and most of that was melting the wax to get the tissue to stick on. I love making candles...so easy and so fast!

Hope you all are having a good weekend...gotta go finish up my Christmas cards!!

TFL!
-Jana

Gute Nacht!

HI everyone...sorry no post today - it was a massively busy day! Just got home from a wine tasting, so my typing is not worth much right now...sorry! I'm going to bed (it's 11:10, I think i deserve to go to bed, don't you?) but I promise to have a great project for you all tomorow!

Gute Nacht! Sweet dreams, and I'll be dreaming of the preview brochure I still haven't' seen but which better be up when I awake in the morning!

TFL!
-Jana

Snowflake Ornament card and Kids ornaments

German Phrase of the Day: Machst du Witze? = Are you joking? Fortunately, none of the kids said this to me this morning when I went to kindergarten to do our project. It went quite well, with me speaking my limited German, and Julia translating for me on occasion when I needed some extra help. The final balls created by the kids are below. I just have to add the ribbon now and they will be all set! Phew!!

My card for today was a super fast and easy one - sorry for the lousy photo...this one was tough to get the lighting right for!! I'm going to make up about 20 of these to sell at the weinachtsmarkt - hopefully they will all sell! I started wtih a half sheet of the PaperTrey Ink Stamper's Select white cardstock. It really is wonderful for doing single-layer cards with because it is so sturdy!! I made a mask by cutting a circle from some copy paper with my coluzzle, and held it in place with some dotto. Next, I sponged some Soft Sky ink onto the edges of my circle, then I stamped with snowflakes from Snow Burst in Blue Bayou, and I think there's one from The Snowflake Spot in Soft Sky. Finally, keeping the mask on, I put versamark direct to paper on the exposed circle, removed the mask, and embossed with Irridescent Ice EP. I just love the beautiful sparkle it adds!! Lastly, I drew on the hanger with my Zig painty pen and adhered the bow with a glue dot. Oh yeah..and I stamped the greeting with my Blue Bayou ink!

The card takes about 5 minutes, including the embossing, so will be VERY easy to mass-produce. Now to make sure I have enough II ep to use!! :-)

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Snow Burst, The Snowflake Spot
CS: Stamper's Select White
Ink: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Versamark
Acc: Iridescent Ice ep, soft sky double-stitched ribbon

TFL!
-Jana

Pay it Forward

Have you seen this going round in blog world? I think it is the coolest idea and I an excited to be able to play. I just saw this on my friend Yvette's blog, so I jumped right on the bandwagon!!

1. Leave a comment here on my blog requesting to join in the pay it forward exchange.
2. The first three people to leave a comment agreeing to join in will receive a handmade gift from me within 365 days.
3. You pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

You have a whole year to do it (which I personally am very thankful for) and it can be anything at all - how fun is that?? So come on and join in and

Pay it forward!

Ornament project with kids!

German Phrase of the Day: Wie schoen, dass du gekommen bist! = How nice that you could come! Schoen (truly spelled with an oomlot instead of the e - you know..the two little dots? and it's pronounced by trying to make an e sound with your mouth making the movement for a long o - it's just not a sound we have in English!) is a very versatile word. It literally means "pretty" but it's used here like we use nice in the States. So, dankeshoen truly means pretty thank you! I like that.

Today's project is one I am making with the kids in Julia's Kindergarten class tomorow morning. Wish me luck, as I have to explain how to do it to 20 German speaking kids, and 2 who speak English. I'm hoping the two who speak English will help me a little (one is Julia, the other is her British friend in the class) We are making these to sell at the local Weinachtsmarkt here in Strump the first weekend of December. I got the idea from some I had seen on Splitcoast (of course!)

I was not able to find the class balls here but I did find plastic ones that are actually in 2 pieces. So after making the paper swirls and putting them inside ( I now have some fake glittery snow to put in too...much better!) I closed up the ball and wrapped the celery grosgrain around hiding the seam. I adhered that with a little bit of sticky strip at each and and the bottom. Then, I added the silver cord and finished it off with the organdy ribbon. Super quick, super easy. The kids will just wrap the paper strips to make the swirls, and I'll do the rest. I have less than 1 euro into each of these cost wise (the balls were .58 euros, and it's 1/6 sheet of cs plus ribbon!) and I'm hoping we can sell them for at least 2-3 Euros at the market, making a nice little profit for the kindergarten.

Have a great day!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: NONE
CS: Wintergreen DSP
Ink: None
Acc: plastic ball, celery grosgrain, celery wide organdy, silver cord

TFL!
-Jana

This year's Christmas Card...

German Phrase of the Day: Sonntags fruehstuecken wir gemeinsam. = On Sundays we have breakfast together. Actually, we all have breakfast together most days, unless Phil is out of town, and then it's just Julia and I.

This is the card I'm making for Christmas this year. Of course, this photo is old...about 8 years old! It's amazing how young we all look! Now, everyone in this photo is married, and 2 of the 4 coulples have had babies since then. A lot changes in 8 years!!

This is the first time I have mass-produced a lot of the same card since leaving California, and my Carl Cutter behind. I miss it!! It's taken me a lot longer to cut cardstock this year than in the past, that's for sure.

I'm making 3-4 different versions of this card with different colors, and all three of the stamps from this Big on Christmas set. But they will all have stickles...because I think it just adds so much, without adding any bulk.

I got the great idea for this card size (the cardstock is 12" by 4", scored at 3" and folded over - thus leaving room for a 4 by 6 photo and still room to have a msg inside the folded part!) on another blog...but for the life of me I can't remember where right now! If it was yours please let me know so I can give you credit...and I'll look back through my starred items to see if I can find it!!

On the detail photo here you can really see the glitter of the stickles. Aren't they awesome?!?

Have a great day everyone!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Big on Christmas
CS: Soft Sky, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, pumpkin pie, basic grey, glorious green, real red, going grey
Acc: red grosgrain ribbon, stickles

TFL!
-Jana

Glitter is Snow Fun!

German Phrase of the Day: Gibst du mir bitte die Butter? = Can you pass me the butter, please? Guess that could be useful at Thanksgiving dinner...if I was having Thanksgiving dinner over here! Maybe I'll remember to use it in NJ at my sister's home, since her wife's BIL will be there and he sprechts deutsch.

So...I'm still sick. I spent all day yesterday on the couch or in my bed. This is one nasty cold!! Therefore, I have not stamped, and I didn't even post yesterday...sorry! I was concerned that anything I tried to type would come out as gibberish...since that's how my speech has been! My husband was crinkling a candy bar wrapper in his and and moving his shoulder around. I asked what it was and he showed me so I said "Oh good, it's not a joint" meaning his elbow or shoulder. He of course that I was just loopy from my cold and had accused him of "rolling a joint" something neither of us has ever done (nor have we smoked one...I think we are some of the only people we know who have never tried it!) Oh well...at least I am semi-coherent today! Maybe?

I am finally posting this 6 by 6 page I made last month for my Diva Sister Swap. I started with a 6 by 6 piece of Soft Sky cardstock and stamped Snow Fun across the top with my outline alphabet using Blue Bayou ink. Then, where the letters overlapped, I colored in with a versamarker so that area would be a little darker. Next, I stamped the jumbo snowflake using soft sky ink onto the page. Then...using my glue pad, I stamped a few different snowflakes from Snow Burst all around, and then applied dazzling diamonds glitter. Finally, I tied some soft sky double stitched ribbon around a blue bayou photo mat, and I was done!


Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Snowburst, Supersize snowflake, outline alphabet
CS: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou
Ink: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou
Acc: versamarker, glue pad, dazzling diamonds glitter, double stitched soft sky ribbon

TFL!
-Jana

MFT Sketch Challenge #4

German Phrase of the Day: Ich werde dir einen Brief schreiben. = I am going to write you a letter. I don't know the last time I sat down and wrote out a letter the old fashioned way. Although...I did write in a few cards today...I suppose that's pretty close!

Sorry I'm so late today, I've come down with my husbands cold so I'm a little out of it! Here's a card I made a few nights ago for the MFT sketch challenge #4 over on Splitcoast. Have you checked out the member company forums yet? It's a great way to connect with all the others who love the same stamps as you! Of course, the love for Stampin' Up! is great, and always my first love in the stamping world, but I think my SU! stuff can be complemented with other stamp companies now. :-)

SO...I loved this sketch, and used my old Holiday Thyme paper for it. I stamped the tree first, then the presents, then I masked them all and stamped the rug. A little tedious cutting out the masks, but I'm happy with the results. I colored the balls in with my zig painty pen to give them some good gold glimmer, but all else is colored with ink pads and an aquapainter on shimmery white cardstock. Everything is of course sponged, and it was finished off with some true thyme stitched ribbon. Voila!

Ok...I'm going to bed now! Guten Nacht!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Home for the Holidays by MFT
CS: Shimmery White, True Thyme, Cranberry Crisp, Old Olive, Holiday Thyme DSP
Ink: Jet black stazon, True Thyme, Cranberry Crisp, Old Olive, brocade blue
Acc: , sponge, aquapainter, slot punch, zip painty pen

TFL!
-Jana

PS I finally cleaned off my desk this morning though...finally some space to stamp in. If I"m feeling better tomorrow I'll play with my brand new just arrived today GinaK's!!! :-)

By the Seashore double challenge card

German Phrase of the Day: Kann ich mir dein Auto ausleihen? = Can I borrow your car? Since we have only one car over here, we are often checking each other's schedules before making plans to go anywhere so we know who will have the car. So far, we haven't had any problems surviving with just one...but I have to say the worst is when it's raining and I have to walk Julia to kindergarten because he has taken the car to go swim. I guess a little rain never hurt, right?

So, here is my double challenge card, for Sketch Challenge 149 and Color Challenge 139. I'm not a huge fan of this color combo (Ruby Red, Wild Wasabi, & Soft Sky) but I was happy to discover that my Fall Flowers paper pretty much went with those colors...I really like this spotted background.

I was having issues with my stazon pad...I did buy some reinker...guess I should use it now, huh? My images didn't stamp as crisply as I like...but I went with it anyway. The hat has sortof a sketched look! I really love this new set from MFT, and am so glad to have it now. I did color the dog in as a yellow lab even though my sweet doggie is black. I just can't find my neutrals WWC right now - they are buried under the mess on my desk somewhere!

I used a few ink pads on this one for the soft sky and blue bayou (her jeans) and wild Wasabi for her flipflops, but otherwise, I used my watercolor wonder crayons. I used watercolor paper for all my stamped images, allowing me to really enjoy the process of coloring everything in. You can use other papers for watercoloring...but this works SOO much better!!

I think my favorite part is the seagull on the pilings. I mean, didn't he turn out just perfect? He looks so cute sitting up there, and I'm quite happy with the shading on the posts.

Last night I had a few minutes and decided to try out one of the paper bows that were recently posted up on Splitcoast Stampers. They are super easy and quick to make. I think I'll have to decorate all of my packages with these this year!! If you haven't tried to make them yet I strongly encourage you to...they really are VERY easy!

Have a great day everyone!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: By the Seashore by MFT
CS: watercolor paper, soft sky, wild wasabi, ruby red, fall flowers dsp
Ink: black stazon, basic black, creamy caramel, chocolate chip, soft sky, wild wasabi
Acc: WWC, aquapainter, sponge

TFL!
-Jana

CPS#38 with GinaK

Ok...It's another 2fer day here...because I've been busy again and can't hold back this card. I used this week's sketch from Card Positioning Systems and paired it up with my GinaK Make a Wish set, and I LOVE the results!!

I started with a half sheet of the wonderful Stamper's Selectt white cardstock from Nichole and the gang over at PaperTrey Ink. This cardstock really is wonderful if you haven't tried it yet. So much sturdier than ultrasmooth varieties, it's perfect for white one layer cards, or minimal layering. Anyway...I then punched circles using my 1/2", 3/4", and 1" circle punches from SU! out of Soft Sky, Blue Bayou and Purely Pomegranate cardstocks. I adhered them to the bottom half of my white card randomly, trimming the overhang. Next, I added a strip of Purely Pomegranate, and then tied a piece of Soft Sky double stitched ribbon around that.

I stamped the cake image onto white cardstock, and proceded to color it with my ink pads and aquapainter. I used blue bayou for the main part of the cake, and looking at it now I realize I should have made the cake plate a different color. Oh well...next time! I used soft sky for the filling (blueberry maybe?) and Purely Pomegranate for the top icing. After coloring in the candles, I layered it on basic black and then purely pomegranate. I applied my dimensionals to the back and stuck it on the card, and then stamped my greeting from the same set. Lastly, I added my burgundy stickles to the top layer of frosting to make it really sparkle. I'm actually amazed at how well the photo has captured the 3D effect the stickles give. I'm really becoming addicted!!

Hey, speaking of GinaK, did I tell you all that I WON something from her??? Remember this card I did before leaving for Istanbul?? It WON the sketch challenge over at SCS. I was so excited to come home to that great news...and now I get one of the sets I had talked myself out of for FREE! How cool is that?!?!

Ok, that's all for today, you'll have to wait until tomorow to see my new MFT card for this week's color and sketch challenges over at SCS. :-)

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Make a Wish by GinaK Designs
CS: Stamper's Select cardstock, purely pomegranate, soft sky, blue bayou
Ink: Black stazon, purely pomegranate, soft sky, blue bayou
Acc: burgundy stickles, circle punches, soft sky doublestitched ribbon

TFL!
-Jana

Hanna's got Mojo!

German Phrase of the Day: Wir werden eine Loesung finden. = We will find a solution. Isn't that always the case? No matter the problem, there is always a solution, although often not as easy as we would like it to be. But, that's the way life works. Right now, the big "problem" or question in our life is where are we going to be 1 year from now after my husband's contract has expired and we have left Germany. It's kind of liberating knowing that we could go ANYWHERE! We don't own a house, we don't have that much stuff here with us (except all my craft stuff!) and the stuff in storage back in the States can stay there as long as we need it to, and can move anywhere in the States when we return. It's also a little scary...not knowing where Julia will start school. But...we'll figure it all out in the next 6+ months and start another adventure. :-)

Wow...that was a lot of rambling! And here I am excited about another Hanna card! Isn't she just the cutest? I love her expression...and this Hanna has eyes that can be colored in, so she has dark hair and blue eyes, like my mom! Mom is a complete shopaholic (a trait I seem to have inherited, at least for ONLINE shopping!) And since she claims her "other" name is Hanna, I thought this was perfect for her! :-)

I used Julee Tilman's Mojo Monday #10 sketch for the layout, and did LOTS of sponging for Kimmie's challenge #9, Let's Get Dirty. I watercolored Hanna with an aquapainter and inkpads, and paper pieced her dress and one of her bags. It was lots of fun! I couldn't figure out a way to add any ribbon or hardware, so I paper pierced 2 corners to add some additional interest. With all the sponging, I decided that sparkle might look a little odd, so I didn't add any bling for poor Hanna, but think I'll have to back and fix that. Maybe some cute bling on one of her bags would work!!

A friend saw my Hanna stamps and has decided she may have to use them to make her Christmas cards...we'll have a great time working on those while the kiddos have a fun day out with their Daddies! :-) Can't wait!!

Hope you're enjoying my new Hanna stamps...I sure am! And don't worry, I also made a card with one of my new MFT sets last night too!! :-)

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: But I Need it by Hanna Stamps
CS: Watercolor Paper, Chocolate Chip, retired SU! dsp
Ink: Black stazon, chocolate chip, bashful blue, certainly celery, blush blossom, pretty in pink
Acc: aquapainter, sponge, crafter's toolkit

TFL!
-Jana

Hanna, meet My Favorite Things!

Have you ever had a card that just HAD to be made? It arrives in your head, and you can't do anything until you make that ONE card?! Well, when my new Hanna Stamps and My Favorite Things stamp sets arrived yesterday, this card popped into my head and I couldn't wait to get it on paper!

So finally, after getting Julia to bed I was ready for some quality time with new stamps...but my husband had other ideas! He gave me 20 minutes to go work in my room, and I did manage to get her stamped, colored and dressed. The card had to wait for the morning (which was SOOO hard for me!)

I really wanted a card with Hanna under the mistletoe calling to her honey to come give her a kiss! Isn't she cute? I stamped her with basic black on shimmery white cardstock, omitting her hand holding the star. Then, I stamped the Mistletoe where her hand would have been. I colored her with watercolor wonder crayons and an aquapainter, and I paper pieced her sweater from the Holiday Harmony DSP. I like how the texture makes it look like a handknit sweater! But...I need to remember to use my stazon...the ink bled a little and gives her a grayish tone.

As for the rest of the card...I had this Wintergreen paper on my desk and thought the colors would work well, and went from there. I love the addition of the Pomegranate satin ribbon...it's just so luscious! Oh..and of course I had to add some glitter. I used my fine point glue pen to add glitter to the mistletoe berries. Lastly, I stamped the Hey Sexy greeting from the new MFT Essential Sentiment set, and on the inside I stamped "Wish You Were Here" from the same set. I'll save this card to leave for my husband when Julia and I fly back to the states in 2 more weeks.

Have a great day everyone!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Tis the Season by Hanna Stamps, Essential Sentiments by MFT
CS: Shimmery White, Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky, Wintergreen DSP
Ink: Basic Black, always artichoke, soft sky, purely pomegranate
Acc: purely pomegranate satin ribbon, dazzling diamonds glitter, sponge, aquapainter, WWC

TFL!
-Jana

Clear Snowflakes

German Phrase of the Day: Wir waren zusammen im Konzert. = We have been to the concert together. Actually...I couldn't tell you the last time I went to a concert. Oh wait, yes I can! It was a Ralph's World concert in San Francisco!! We were in a dive bar near the Mission District at 10am on a Saturday surrounded by 3-6 year-olds all dancing in the aisles to Green Gorilla! If you have young kids...check him out! We LOVE his music...it's great when mom and dad enjoy singing along as much as the kids!

Today's card is one I made after my recent Pipoos trip. I used more of my stained glass stickers as I call them and made an acetate card. Pretty cool, huh? I started with a half sheet of acetate folded in half, then I applied the snowflake outline stickers randomly. I colored them in with my Sakura 3D gel pens and left them to dry.

For the inside, I trimmed a piece of Brocade Blue, stamped on it with Versamark (for the large snowflake) and Night of Navy for the greeting, and then sponged the edges and adhered it inside the card. Voila...SUPER easy!

If you look at the detail photo you can really see the translucent effect of the gel pens. I just love those things!!


Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Snowflake Spot, Season of Joy
CS: acetate, brocade blue
Ink: brocade blue, versamark, Sakura 3D gel pens
Acc: snowflake stickers

TFL!
-Jana

I make somebody Smile! :-)

It's been a great (but busy) day...I got tagged by my friend Yvette with a You Make Me Smile badge. How cool and sweet is that? And I got 4 (yes FOUR!) new stamp sets in the mail today. The 2 Hanna stamps sets, and my 2 MFT sets that I ordered on Thursday morning before leaving for Istanbul. Can you say SPEEDY??? WOW Kim, that was AMAZINGLY fast!! Thank you...gotta play tonight, that's for sure!!

So, for the You Make Me Smile Award, I get to tag some folks of my own! All of my readers make me smile...so if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged!! This blog has been such a wonderful thing for me - it's really helped keep me connected to the crafting world through our relocation to Europe. I love living over here, and it's been a wonderful experience, but I truly would have missed all the cool things, and the joy of sharing my creations with others if it weren't for blogging! So, thank you all for coming and validating me!! ;-)

TFL!
-Jana

Color Challenged Stem Sillhouettes

German Phrase of the Day: Du hast immer Probleme. = You always have problems. I definitely always HAD problems with Groovy Guava...but it's starting to grow on me!

For last month's Diva Sister Swap, the color challenge was Vanilla, chocolate chip, and groovy guava. I HATE groovy guava. I mean...how do you use this color?? I hemmed and hawed, and then remembered the beautiful sample using Stem Silhouettes in the catalog and thought I could try that stamp but have the blossoms guava. So, I inked it up with guava, colored over the stems and leaves with old olive and stamped. Hmmm...not too bad. I sponged the edges with creamy caramel first, then lightly with chocolate chip, and mounted it on some chocolate chip, and again onto some guava (all layers sponged...of course!)

Now, for the main part of the card. I decided to go with three layers again, starting with a chocolate chip base, then guava, and then more vanilla (stamped with linen background using creamy caramel) To finish off the card, I used some wide chocolate grosgrain under the main image, and added 2 antique brads to the lower right corner of the main image. They seemed to ground it a little more for me. Finally, I needed a greeting to balance out the brads, so I stamped From The Heart at the top in Chocolate Chip ink. Ta-da! I think Groovy Guava is starting to grow on me! Perhaps next time I should add a tiny bit of sparkle to the flowers either with some of my mini rhinestones, or a spica glitter pen (just ordered one from Ellen's store!!) Definitely need to make more cards with this set, it sat neglected for TOO long!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Stem Silhouettes, Holidays & Wishes
CS: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava, Old Olive marker
Acc: Antique brads, 5/8" chocolate grosgrain ribbon

TFL!
-Jana

ClickaBella for a friend

German Phrase of the Day: Das Wetter ist schrecklich. = The weather is horrible. Well, I guess it's not horrible...it could be raining! But it is cold and dreary...just another typical fall day here in Deutschland I guess.

I made today's card this morning for a good friend who just started a new job today. I hope her day goes very smoothly and that she is enjoying getting to know all her new (German) colleagues! She's braver than I to go work in a German office all day...but then again, her German is much better than mine also!

I decided Clickabella was the best I had for a working girl...and Bellas are perfect for my friend Lisa who is cute and skinny just like Bella. I stamped her with black stazon onto watercolor paper, then colored her in with my aquapainter and WWC. I keep going back and forth on which I prefer for watercoloring, my Crayons (WWC) or my inkpads/reinkers. I think you get more vibrancy from the reinkers, but you can move the color from the crayons around more, and therefore have a little more control over it. The most convenient thing about the crayons is that I have all 48 colors available in just one place, and that does help. Guess it all depends on my mood (as do most things in my life! LOL!)

Anyway...after getting her all colored in, I added some glitter to her necklace, the flower on her jeans and her waist, to give her a cute sparkly belt. However, that was NOT enough glitter for my friend Lisa. This woman would BATHE in my dazzling diamonds if I let her!! (Hmmm... good idea for a Christmas present...a load of glitter!) So after LIGHTLY sponging the edge with some Regal Rose, I rubbed my glue pad along the edges and added MORE dazzling diamonds. You can really see the sparkle in the detail photo!

Anyhow...I mounted the main image on some Rose Red CS, then used some designer prints paper (sponged of course) with some rose grosgrain wrapped around to add some more color to the regal rose card base. I added the swirly hardware because I thought it continued the swirls from her desk quite well. I popped Ms. Bella up with some dimensionals, and finished off the card with the sentiment from my Faux Ribbon set from PaperTrey Ink. Perfect! Now I just leave it for Lisa at Kindergarten, and hopefully it will make her smile at the end of her first day.

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Clickabella Stamping Bella Sentiment from Faux Ribbon by PaperTrey Ink
CS: Watercolor paper, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Rose Red Design Prints
Ink: Black stazon, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Rose Red, H2O crayons
Acc: Sponge, aquapainter, rose grosgrain ribbon, HPH, dazzling diamonds glitter

TFL!
-Jana

Blog Bon-Bons winner!!

It was interesting to see how many people enjoy silence while stamping! And others who listen to the tv. We don't watch a lot of tv around here...and haven't since Julia was a baby so I always love to see what others are watching. And...there are a few new singers/bands I'll have to check out thanks to all the great comments!

And the winner is....

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

33 

Timestamp: 2007-11-05 09:18:12 UTC

Comment number 33 is from

mathstamp said...

Actually, I like peace and quiet. I have an eighteen month old and babysit a 3 and 4 year old. So, I treasure any quiet that I can get. Thanks and Congrats on the 50k hits.

10/30/2007 10:40:00 AM

So, Mathstamp, please email (you can use the link over to the right side) me your snail mail address so I can get your bonbons out in the mail!

Thanks for playing everyone!

-Jana

Vellum Snowflake

German Phrase of the Day: Frierst du? = Are you cold? I sure am now since I just got back to 11 degree C weather. It was a little warmer in Istanbul, although not as much warmer as I would have liked!

I hope you all have had a good weekend. We really enjoyed our trip to Istanbul, although I ended up with food poisoning and spent all day Saturday in our hotel room while Phil and Julia went out for a boat ride on the Bosphorus River and toured the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome. Oh well. At least I got to see several other really cool sights, and even got a beautiful new leather jacket at the Grand Bazaar!

This card was inspired by a beautiful card created by Terri and her instructions for Vitalized Vellum you can find here. It's really easy to do, and the results are quite pretty.

I used Brocade Blue and Night of Navy as the ink colors on the vellum, and stamped the ink away with the Snow Burst stamp set. After mounting it on whisper white, I then tied the silver cord around it. Then, I used The Snowflake Spot to stamp the greeting and embossed with white ep on the Night of Navy card, and then attached the vellum piece.

On the detail photo you can really see the snowflakes stamped in the background. I loved this technique...and many thanks to Terri for doing such a great tutorial!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)

Stamps: Snow Burst, The Snowflake Spot

Paper: Night of Navy, Whisper White, Vellum CS

Ink: Night of Navy, Brocade Blue

Accessories: silver cord, white detail ep, versamark

TFL!
-Jana

Beate's Weekend Sketch challenge Wishing Well

German Phrase of the Day: Sie ist sehr begabt. = She is very talented. How appropriate a phrase is that for a Beate sketch challenge, huh?? You all know Beate is my stamping hero, right? I can't wait to meet her in February when I'm in Florida...it's going to be sooo much fun!! Good times, Good Times! ;-)

This z-fold card was super easy to make, and lots of fun too! I started with my chocolate chip base, and wanted to have my card in the portrait orientation instead of landscape like a lot of z-folds tend to be. So, I scored at 4 1/4" and again at 2 1/8" then I stamped the flannel plaid background on the "front" bit.

I stamped the Wishing Well from GinaK's Wishing you Well set on watercolor paper with brown stazon and watercolored with aquapainter and some ink lids. This is SOOO fun to watercolor, I really enjoyed it. Then...I mounted on Brocade Blue. I attached this to the front of my card, trying to center it.

Next, for the inside, I layered on some designer paper (sponged of course!) and then centered underneath the well piece some very vanilla with the greeting stamped. I kept it simple and didn't add any ribbon or anything to keep it masculine looking. Think I'll have to send this card to my dad since it is such a nice masculine card (a rarity for me!) and he's the only man I know who actually appreciates my cards!! Love you Daddy!!

Don't forget to enter to win Blog Candy here!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Wishing you Well by GinaK
CS: Chocolate Chip, Brocade Blue, watercolor, retired SU! dsp
Ink: brown stazon, chocolate chip, close to cocoa, mellow moss, always artichoke, brocade blue, going gray, basic gray
Acc: sponge

TFL!
-Jana

Great ideas for Designer Paper

German Phrase of the Day: Kannst du singen? = Can you sing? I like to think I can, but my husband informs me I'm really not that good. Of course, he has to listen to me when I have my ipod on and therefore can't hear myself! Poor guy!! Now, someone who CAN sing is Terry Fator. Since I don't watch TV much, I was quite impressed when I saw this guy on YouTube this week.

This project was inspired by a project featured in I believe a Papercrafts magazine. I saw it and loved it. Then...I saw it again on Polished to Perfection, and knew I HAD to make one. She has made 7 different trees over there, so be sure to go check those all out! They are totally awesome.

This tree was quite simple to make. I used 1/2" by 6" strips of the Wintergreen DSP. I used 1/2 of the first sheet I used for the bottom, and then progressively less as I worked my way up. I started with a styrofoam cone that I bought at Pipoos...but you all in North America should be able to get them anywhere! I used flat headed straight pins to attach the paper, and just lined up the two ends before sticking them on. No adhesive required. However...before I make another I will be getting a thimble...my finger and thumb are in GREAT pain tonight!! So, I highly recommend using one.

Oh...and there are lots more ideas of things to do with your pretty new patterned paper. I'll have even more things to show you over the next few weeks!

Don't forget to enter to win Blog Candy here!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: NONE
CS: Wintergreen DSP
Ink: None
Acc: styrofoam cone, straight pins

TFL!
-Jana

One more for GinaK!

Ok...one more really quick post before we leave. I made this for the sketch challenge on GinaK's launch party over at SCS this morning/last night. Isn't he cute? The inside will say "Get Me OUTTA here!"

Honestly, it's probably going to take me longer to write this post than it did to make the card. It was a 10 minute card, because I had to be fast and finish before hubby returned from his run! So...I cut the card base itself, then the dp, and sponged the edges. Then I decided I was going to clip the corners, so I had to go grab that punch and punch em off. I punched my scalloped circle, then cut the vanilla circle with my coluzzle and sponged the edges of both. Next, I stamped that cute little crab and colored him in with markers (faster!) Oh...and then I decided to doodle in the scallop marks...just getting a little obsessive I guess! :-)

I assembled everything, decided I needed brads in the corners, and then tried to think what would work for a greeting. I wanted "Hey Babe, what's cookin'" but knew I couldn't fit it with my Karen snap stamps...and no time to print from computer. So, I pulled out my GinaK Make a Wish set, omitted the ! from the end of the greeting while inking, and added the question mark with my marker. Don't you just love him?!? I sure do!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Stamps: seafood surprise, make a wish

Paper: Real Red, Dashing DSP, Very Vanilla

Ink: real read, basic black, going grey, basic gray

Accessories: marvy giga scallop circle punch, coluzzle, ticket corner punch, word window punch, antique brads

TFL!
-Jana

Glitter Sticker Fun!

German Phrase of the Day: Die Musik war grossartig. = The music was fantastic. Speaking of music...don't forget to tell me what YOU listen to while stamping to win some candy! Scroll down to see the blog bonbons post.

Ok...I'm heading off to Istanbul in a few hours, but don't worry, I have lots of posts lined up for you all...and my wonderful friend Michelle is going to be publishing for me while I"m gone...even though I was terrible and forgot her birthday! Thank goodness she's the forgiving kind!! Love you Michelle...thanks!!!

This card was made using some of those glitter stickers that are included in my blog giveaway. The tree and present are both clear sparkly stickers. I adhered them to different colored paper (Wild Wasabi and Purely Pomegranate respectively) and you get a lovely shaded, glittery image! I cut out around each piece so I could then adhere to my white cardstock. I also colored in the balls and star with my 3D gel pen from Sakura, as well as the bow on the present. I really like how these stickers look...the sparkle is amazing!

I decided the greeting for this card needed to sparkle too, so I used my new K & Company glitter rub-ons for the greeting. You rub on your image, then remove the top bit of plastic and it's sticky. Then, you can add the included glitter (they give you 4 colors) to make your image truly sparkle. SOO much fun!

In this detail photo you can really see the sparkle of these stickers. I can't wait to play with them some more and see what else I can create!

Don't forget to enter to win Blog Candy here!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: None
CS: Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White
Ink: None
Acc: Clear Glitter sitckers, K& Company glitter rub-ons

TFL!
-Jana