My Mind's Eye: Halfway There!

Soooo - if you are a regular visitor to my blog, you probably realize that I am in love with, infatuated with, totally obsessed with My Mind's Eye paper!  Hello, I am Jenn and I am addicted to buying MME 6x6 paper pads.  I think if I had to guess, I'd say I use MME paper/cardstock on at least 75% of my projects.  Probably more.  Yet somehow, some way, I managed to totally not realize that they have their own challenge blog!  I stumbled across it last night and of course, the deadline was today - so I busted my butt today and made this little ATC mini album all for ME.  I almost always make stuff for others, to sell or give away, but this one is for me.  The challenge is:

My Mind's Eye: Halfway There

The challenge, Halfway There, is to somehow incorporate the fact that we are halfway through 2012 already into our project.  I sat down and thought about what that meant to me and decided to do a little reflecting on my life, who I am, what I feel, and this is what I came up with: 

The paper I used is all from MME's Follow Your Heart - Be Amazing 6x6 pad.

This is me - I'm a Leo, and I'm all these things and more (at least I try to be):

Peace.  Need I say more?

I've always loved this saying, and it feels appropriate right now for me.  I added a little starfish charm and done:

This is how I feel about my recent move to California - scary, but exciting:

Create yourself.  Be unique.  I think creating yourself is an ongoing process, but being unique is an important part of it:

And this last one - I loved the "laugh" on the kite, so I just kind of went with the kite theme.  You fly, you soar.  Sounds good to me:

Hope you like it - I had fun making it!  Peace signs & kite dies are from My Favorite Things.  Peace.

All That Scraps, DYSU, & A Day for Daisies

Hello there!  I can't believe it, but today I'm taking my "baby" to register for her college classes.  I'm really proud of her, and hopeful that she makes some friends at school.  It's so hard to move so far away, and she's really been so great about it.  Love her to pieces, and I just want to see her happy and not wanting to go back East.  I need her with me!  :)

I have a couple of cards today, my first one is for the:

All That Scraps Challenge - Paper Piecing

and

Do You Stack Up - Friendship

I used Goth Girl digi image from the All That Scraps store, and a rub-on sentiment from SU!  DP is from Authentique - I went a little overboard with the paper piecing theme - hee hee - and did her hair, dress, and tights.  The flower is also fussy-cut from the DP and applied with a pop-up dot.


My next card is for the:


A Day for Daisies Challenge:  Add Some Script

I used Ladybug and Me from A Day for Daisies - I printed out the "Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home" poem in a script font in a light gray, then printed the image over the script and colored with Prismacolor markers. Added a silver fairy charm, some ladybug embellies, and a piece of ribbon.  DP is from My Mind's Eye.  Peace.

Cheerful Stamp Pad Week 2 - Give Me Five, Simon Says Stamp, & Sweet Stamping Pixies

Hello there!  My first card today is for:

The Cheerful Stamp Pad:  Give Me Five!

and

MelJen's Designs Challenge:  Anything Goes

We are on week 2 at The Cheerful Stamp Pad, and we're sponsored by MelJen's Designs so I figured I'd pair the 2 challenges up!  :)  I used Boy and Dog, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.

My next project is an ATC I made for the:

Sweet Stamping Pixies Challenge: Blue/Tan/Yellow
and

Simon Says Stamp:  Anything Goes

I used the Facebook freebie from Pixie Dust Studio, Little Miss Pixie Dust, colored with Prismacolor markers.  My ATC base is a playing card that I painted with Gesso, creating peaks and texture on the card.  I then used a light blue acrylic paint over the Gesso.  The image & sentiment are applied with Mod Podge and then I sprinkled clear glitter over the entire thing.

Peace.

Saturated Canary: B & W & One Other Color

Cleaned the house yesterday and did lots of laundry, so today I can have a guilt-free day of crafting!   Jeremy & I went for a walk in the park next door after dinner last night, it takes us a half hour to walk to the park and all around the walking trails and then get home.  It's a nice walk.  We should do it every night.

I had fun with this one, this is for the:

Saturated Canary Challenge:  B & W & One Other Color

I chose red, obviously.  :)  I used "Roger That" from Saturated Canary, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  I added some silvery glitter to her "can phone".  ;)  DP is a mixture of some from MME and some from my stash.  Added some gemstone and pearl stickers, a metal heart charm, and a sticker sentiment from SRM Stickers. I have so many Saturated Canary images, it's ridiculous.  Every time she releases new ones, I go add them all to my cart.  Then I take a deep breath and tell myself I should probably color up the ones I've bought already before I go buying more.  LOL  I get so busy with my DT commitments and some of the challenges that I regularly participate in, I realized I don't get a chance to use all of the gorgeous images that I buy!  So I'm making more of an effort to do that (just what I need, an excuse to do more crafting... hee hee).  And I SWEAR I'm opening an Etsy shop one of these days when I have some time to sit down and do it!  LOL  Hope you are all having a great weekend.  Peace.

WW, JSL, & KennyK

Hello all - it's Saturday and have a reminder post for you over at:

Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge:  Sugar & Spice 

 

Our sponsor this week is:

I altered Frida's Sugar Skull from Dilly Beans, printed on Kraft cardstock, by covering up the Sugar Skull in her hands with a cupcake fussy-cut from my DP, which is from Nikki Sivils.  The alphabet stickers are from the same pack:

 Please head on over to link up!

We also have a new challenge for you at:

Just Some Lines - Sand & Surf

I used Emo Amber at the Beach from Just Some Lines with a cute background digi from Little Musings.  Added some shells and sprayed with Silver Foil Smooch Spritz.  DP is from My Mind's Eye.

AND I have a card for the:

KennyK's Krafty Krew - Strawberries & Cream

I used Download Diva, printed large and cropped, and a sentiment from Ginger's House.  DP is from My Mind's Eye - ribbon is from SU!

Peace.

Dilly Beans - Ribbon

Hello there - happy Friday!  So Oliver did just fine at the vet and I'm happy to report that "he" is still a "he", and he is just fine.  He weighed a whopping 1.11 lbs. and has "big feet".  hee hee He's been eating fine and using the litter box. He is playful and curious and he is, like, the cutest little thing I've ever seen in my life.  Did I say that once already?  LOL 

The girl's pretty cute too, eh?  ;)
 
We have a brand new challenge for you at:

Dilly Beans - Ribbons

Head on over to see the rest of the DT's creations and to play along with our ribbon madness challenge!  :)  Peace.

Tiddly Inks - Sketch

Hi there - just posting today's card quickly for the:

Tiddly Inks Challenge - Sketch

I used Cowgirl Wryn, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits. "Howdy" sentiment is from Pink Cat Studio, DP is digi paper from The Dwelling Place.

Peace.

WW ATC: Sugar & Spice/Birdie Brown Retro TV

Hello everyone!  It's Wednesday, time for a new challenge at:

Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge:  Sugar & Spice

I made a fun pair of ATC's with Dilly Beans images Heart Strings and Skullie Girl:

Head on over to see the rest of the DT creations and play along with us!

Next up is a card I made for the:

Birdie Brown Retro TV Challenge

Thanks to Birdie Brown for the freebie provided for this challenge!  :)

Peace.

Simon Says Stamp Sketch/TGF Summertime Fun

Squeezing in quick for the

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Sketch

and

The Greeting Farm FFF Summertime Fun

I used Syren, one of my all-time favorite TGF rubber stamps, I stamped her directly onto some DP and colored her with Prismacolor markers.  Added glitter to her tail and some pearls to her hair... sentiment is a clear sticker from SRM Stickers.  Peace.

Sassy Studio & MazyArt

Off to bring little Oliver to the vet this morning - keeping my fingers crossed that he's healthy and will just need his normal vaccinations, etc. Wish us luck!

Today I have 2 cards to share - my first one is for the:

Dare to be Sassy Thursday - Hit the Beach
and


The Crazy Challenge - Under the Sea

I used "Pirates Mermaid" from Sassy Studio along with "Rock and Seaweed" from All That Scraps (digi), both colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits along with Stickles.  DP is an old one from Stampin' Up!  Sentiment is from Scrapalicious Times Sentiments.

My next creation is a tag I made for the:

MayzyArt Challenge - Anything But a Card

 I used the Clown image from MayzyArt, colored with Prismacolor markers.  I altered a tag I had from product packaging to make this tag - see the before and after:

I have been having a love affair with alcohol inks!  OMG they are SO. MUCH. FUN.  The bottle of blending solution makes it even MORE fun.  I used the browns for this one, and added some pieces of DP from DCWV, little embellies from Stamping Bella and ribbon from Stampin' Up!

Peace.

Cheerful Stamp Pad & MelJen's ATC

First things first:

Happy 19th Birthday to my son, Trev!  <3

Well, the poor little kitty has fleas.  :(  We gave him a bath and washed him with some Dawn detergent, and the fleas were hopping off him and committing suicide by drowning, which was just fine by us.  Nasty little critters.  Then we rinsed him off and Cass spent about 3 hours just sitting outside with him in the sun, drying him off and using a flea comb to pick the rest of the fleas off him.  He was so darn cute, he just laid there snuggled in letting her comb him.  Poor little thing.  I'm so glad we found him.  I mean, LOOK at him...

hee hee

OK so we have a new challenge for you this week at:

The Cheerful Stamp Pad - Give Me Five!

Head on over to play along with us for your chance to win a prize from our sponsor, MelJen's Designs!

And I also made a little something for the:

MelJens Challenge - ATC's

I used Flutterby Fairy along with a rubber stamp sentiment from All That Scraps (got it free for spending mucho dinero... hee hee).  She's colored with Prismacolor pencils and mineral spirits and I added some gemstone stickers.

Peace.

New Kitten & Altered Coaster

Cass came home with a freaking kitten yesterday.  Look how cute the stupid little thing is - how can you not rescue a kitten you see abandoned on the road?  How can a kitten this tiny be out on the road if it's not abandoned?  Well, we have a new kitty:

His name is Oliver:

 

I would guess he's about 8-10 weeks old maybe?  He is very skinny, you can't tell because of all his fluffy fur but you can feel it when you pick him up.  He is a little dirty and he was very hungry - but he is a friendly little guy!  My older cat looks like a giant next to him.  LOL

Today I have another altered coaster:

I used an image that I have since discovered is from Judit - printed on copy paper and colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits before adhering with Glossy Mod Podge.  I used purple sprays/spritzes and black paint with stencils - then I added 3 layers of UTEE for the background. I added a silver crown charm to Marea.  I haven't decided what I might turn this into - a magnet, wall-hanging, something.  Peace.

WW Reminder & Digi Stamp Boutique

Happy Saturday!  :)  We had a friend of Jeremy's over for dinner last night, I'll call him "X" - he's probably about 10 years older than us and he lives in a tent.  He owns nothing except clothes, a bicycle, a backpack and some utensils.  California is so... different.  In a good way.  People have properties where they allow people like "X" to set up their tents and stay, as long as they don't cause any trouble.  There are portable toilets on these sites.  "X" goes to bed when it gets dark out and gets up with the dawn.  He rides his bike every morning to the local coffee shop, then off to work he goes - he does side jobs, basically whatever is needed, wherever it's needed.  He relies on working and the kindness of friends to survive.  And do you know what?  He's one of the nicest, happiest, most intelligent people I've ever met.  I talked to him for hours last night and I look forward to him coming back.  My point - never judge a book by its cover.  I'm glad I didn't.  The first time I met "X" he was wearing a cool poncho and I asked him where he got it - he laughed and said the local coffee shop (the local coffee shop is also super-cool - people leave donated items and other people can pick them up and take them, everything from freshly picked lemons, herbs, and vegetables to used clothing and household items).  The next time Jeremy went out and ran into him, "X" gave Jeremy the poncho and told him to give it to me.  This guy has nothing and gave ME his poncho.  That kind of stuff speaks volumes to me.  I'm honored to know this man who most people, especially back East, would not look at twice.  I'm really glad I moved to California.   I belong here.  :)

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So today we have a reminder post for you over at:

Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge - Famous Monsters

Come play along for your chance to win some digi images from our sponsor:

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 My next card is for the:

Digi Stamp Boutique Challenge - Anything Goes

I love this image called Molly and Tom (freebie from last year) - I colored them with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  I wanted to keep them nice and Summer-y so I paired them with some bright cardstock, digi paper, a button and ribbon from my stash.

Peace.

Dilly Beans: Orange & Pink

Happy Friday everyone!  We have a new challenge for you at:

Dilly Beans:  Pink & Orange

I used Frida's Sugar Skull, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits.  I used a piece of DP that I had in my stash along with a peace sign sticker.

Head on over to see the rest of the DT's gorgeous creations & to play along with us.  Peace.

Corrosive Challenge & Graphicat Sketch

This is really outside of my normal type of card, but I love the way it came out!  This is for the:

Corrosive Challenge - Sentimentally Yours

and

Graphicat Sketch

 

I used a sentiment with DP from Teresa Collins - funny thing was I bought this paper pad on accident and ended up really liking it.  I added a key charm and kept it simple.  Have a great day!

Peace.

Wicked Wednesday ATC: Famous Monsters & HDH MM: Music Mayhem

Hi everyone!  We're heading out this morning to Santa Cruz - SO excited!  We're getting a late start to avoid all the rush-hour traffic through San Francisco and San Jose, and we're not in a really big hurry to get there early, anyway.  We're going to spend some time on the beach (if the weather cooperates) before checking into our hotel and then hitting the boardwalk/amusement park after dinner.  Tomorrow we'll head to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I am looking forward to getting lots of great pictures!

Today we have a new challenge for you at:

Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge:  Famous Monsters

I am also entering this into this week's (hang onto your hate it's not Sunday yet...):

HDH Macabre Monday:  Music Mayhem

My ATC is based on the song... wait for it....
Monster Mash!  hee hee  My Frankenstein image is from our Wicked Wednesday sponsor this week, Strange Skin, isn't he fabulously freaky?  Head on over to see the rest of the DT's creepy creations and to link up!  Peace.

My Mum's Craft Challenge - No Cards

This is my new obsession, I just thought I'd share with you:

It's salty and spicy and sweet and sensational... Cass and I could eat the entire bag in one sitting.  Ugh.  It's sinfully good.

Got a fun little project to share with you today, it's a little wall-hanging I made by altering a chipboard coaster.  I'm entering this into the:

My Mum's Craft Shop Challenge - No Cards Allowed

So the funny story about this is that I made it for the Pixie Dust Studio challenge, but totally missed the deadline (I mistakenly thought it was a 2-week challenge!).  But I love the way it came out and realized it would fit this challenge, so here we are!  I have been having a blast with these chipboard coasters, I love the way they look like tiles after you coat them with a few layers of UTEE.  I've been using Gesso as a base, then adding alcohol inks with or without a layer of paint, then adding the UTEE.  The "tile" is shiny and smooth - I attached the image and sentiment (from Scrapalicious Times Sentiments) with pop-up dots.

Peace.

Cheerful Stamp Pad & TOFF

Life can just be so funny sometimes.  After feeling kind of down the other day, I got a random e-mail from one of my favorite aunts.  I haven't talked to many people in my family over the past year, so it was an unexpected surprise.  Made me feel really good, actually.  Sometimes it really is the little things that make a big difference.

My first project today is an art journal page for our reminder post at:

The Cheerful Stamp Pad:  Silhouettes

 I have been checking out thrift stores for old books that I can alter, turn into journals, etc.  This page was my first page in one of the books I found recently, here it is:

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My next project is a tag for:

The Octopode Factory:  Tags

Now when you turn an old book into an art journal, you have to pull out half of the pages from the book (because you make your pages thicker by adding stuff to them, so you have more room if you do this).  One of the things I do with my ripped-out pages is to recycle them, of course!  I use them as background papers and in this case, I printed directly onto the text paper and colored my image in.  I used Paddington Bear because my son had a Paddington Bear that did not leave his side when he was little.  :)  Memories.

Have a great week, friends.  Peace.

DICC & Simply Challenged

Happy Sunday - new day, new perspective.  :)  First up, we have a new challenge for you at:

Desert Islands Crafts (itinerary)

My bunny image is from Jellypark and the tree is from Make it Crafty. Head on over to play along!

Next is a chipboard coaster that I altered for the:

Simply Challenged Challenge - Anything Goes

I slapped a magnet on the back to make a fridge magnet - I used Pan Slingin' London from Simply Betty and a sentiment from MelJen's Designs.

Peace.