Away In A Manger...

Hello-Hello

It's the 15th of the Month (December is just flying by this year!) and it's time for our monthly Duel between the Divas and Darlings. Our theme this month is "A Christmas Story". I absolutely fell in love with this month's kit that Kelly sent us! This Manger scene image from Inky-Antics is just too cute! (so cute, I actually ordered it about a week ago with a few other Inky Antics Stamps! 

Christmas is always a special time of year for me, when my family and I celebrate the most important Birthday of all, the birth of baby Jesus. It's also a time for me to reflect on the many blessings in my life, including my family, faith, and health. 

Friday, Mom, Dad and I went to see Trans Siberian Orchestra here in town. While it's not an annual tradition. (we try to go when they are here), this years' performance lifted our spirits, and truly put me into the Christmas mood. My hope is that everyone finds "something" to put them in this holiday spirit, whether it's a church service, a Christmas song on the radio, or volunteering with those in less need.

Thanks for stopping by today! Hugs ~ LJ

Spooky Owl

Hello ~ Hello

Here's a swap card I created recently for Barb's Halloween/Thanksgiving Swap over on SCS. I used the SU! Owl punch. The arms are made from the retired SU! Bat Punch.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs ~LJ

October Duel

Hello ~

Here's my October Duel card. Judy sent us the cutest halloween kit this month to play with. I'm a little late this month but found some time over the weekend to play with the kit and create a card with it. I think this mummy is so cute and I love the My Minds Eye papers that were sent!

Our two hostesses (Judy and Paola) wanted us to share some thoughts about Halloween. While Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays - I do enjoy making halloween cards. I like friendly spooks, although you will never see me watching any of the freaky flicks that are out there.

This year will be exciting for me because I actually will be "home" this year. The past couple of years I have been in Arizona on Halloween. It will be fun being around and seeing Tavi dressed up & collecting her treats!

Thanks for stopping by ~ Hugs ~ LJ

Globetrotting the world

Hello Hello ~

Time for this month's Duel between the Divas and Darlings. Kadie is our hostess this month for the Divas, and our theme is "Globetrotting and Getting Down To Your Roots". This was a travel-themed kit. Kadie sent us two image choices - Melanie of Canada or Felina of Mexico from Kraftin Kimmie Stamps. I chose Melanie, as Canada is the one country outside of the US I have been to. :) I have been to both Toronto and Montreal. The paper is from Basic Grey (Carte Postale), fibers from SU!, and buttons from Basic Grey. I used some white twine of my own on the buttons.

The last time we were in Toronto we stopped at Niagra Falls......I can't wait to get back to this place and see it again!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs ~ LJ

MOJO Monday #308 - Hope

Hello~Hello

Stopping by with my MOJO Monday Sketch Card. I used flower fusion #12 (Paper Trey Ink) this time. I really like the plaid flowers in this set. The pattern paper is from October Afternoon.

Thanks for stopping by,

Hugs ~ LJ

MFTWSC138 - Happy Birthday

Hello Hello ~

Here's my card for this week's MFT Sketch. The sentiment is from Western Sentiments. I love this set because of the font, and it works really well for masculine cards! The patterned paper is from one of my favorite October Afternoon Collections (Sasparilla). I also used some MFT Chevron Stripes Die-namics

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs ~ LJ

SS #191 National Dog Day!

Hello! Quick post - thought I would pull out one of my favorite whipper snappers (Good News Puppy) for the latest Sweet Sunday Sketch #191. DP is from Basic Grey, buttons are from October Afternoon. Twine is SU!. 

It is National Dog Day, so be sure to give your tail-wagger and extra treat or two :) 

Thanks for stopping by ~ Hugs ~ LJ

Kicking Off - DD August 2013

Hello ~ Hello 

It's time for this month's duel between the Divas and Darlings.....This month Terry and I are the hostesses and the theme we chose was "Fall Kick-Off" ~ which could be anything fall-themed.....but of course since football starts in August I had to create a football-themed kit for the my lovely Divas :) 

Main image is from MFT (Pure Innocence Line), sentiments (inside and outside of card) are from Hampton Arts. Patterned paper is from Sn@p studio (yellow polkadots) & Jillibean Soup (Game Day Chili Collection). Also used some SU! Crumb Cake Ribbon Seam Binding, MFT Star Border Dienamics (these were part of the kit), and a PTI Button. My card measures 5.5" square. 

Here's the inside of the card: 

Terry and I also asked the DD's to share some of our early fall memories. One of my favorite times during the fall is Badger Game Day :) I've been fortunate to have a season ticket for the last five years. There is nothing like being with 80,000+ cheering on the Badgers in mad-town. 

thanks for stopping by today! 

On Wisconsin! 

Hugs ~ LJ

Summer Sweets!

Hello ~ 

It's time for this month's duel between the darlings and divas. Barb is our hostess this month the theme is "Cool Creations".  We (the divas) received a yummy kit this month! Barb never disappoints! The image is from Whipper Snapper Stamps (Haagen Daz Bear). 

Recently I was going through some of my stamping stash and I found my SU! Watercolor Wonder Crayons. I haven't used them in a long time so I thought this would be the perfect image as I wanted to keep the colors softer to match the sweet paper barb sent us :) 

Our extra challenge this month is to share our favorite summer "cooler".  My favorite summer treat is Drumsticks. I like the ones with the caramel in the middle. My niece Tavi Pearl likes them too, so I have to make sure I keep them stocked well during the summer months :) I also like a Pina Colada once in awhile.  If a beverage is fruity - I'm more than likely going to love it :)  My other summer treat addiction is ice cream from a local place called the Chocolate Shoppe :) Mint Avalanche is my favorite flavor! Yummy! 

Thanks for stopping by today! Hugs ~ LJ

Flip Flops and Sunshine

Hello ~ Hello

I can't believe how fast the month of June has flown by! Here is my card for this month's duel between the Divas and Darlings. Carol is our hostess for the Divas this month and she sent us a cute summery kit to play with. The image is from the Greeting Farm (Miss Anaya).

Thanks for stopping by!  Hugs ~ LJ

Mystery Image Swap

Hello Hello

Popping in with my card for the latest Mystery Image Swap over on SCS. Paola was our hostess this time and she sent us the cutest Whipper Snapper images :) I colored these while I was on a "stamping retreat" in Waukesha about 5 weeks (has it been that long??) ago. One of the best parts of the weekend is when Paola surprised us by calling to chat :) (Paola is also in our monthly Duelings & Darlings Duel).

Most of the supplies used are from SU! on this card, although I did squeeze in some October Afternoon DP (red and white pattern).

Thanks for stopping by! Hugs ~ LJ

Let's Celebrate YOU

Hello ~ Hello! 

I hope you are enjoying your Monday! The weather is finally gorgeous here - after a week of dreariness and quite a bit of rain. 

Just popping in with my card for this week's MFT Sketch (#126). I love this Birthday Girl PI and when I recently got the October Afternoon 8X8 Cakewalk pad I knew it would be a perfect match.  

Thanks for stopping by ~ Hugs LJ

Sketch Challenge 21

Hello ~ Hello

Have one more card swap to share with you. Another sketch card for Viv's swap. Images and sentiment are from Gina K Designs - Trees Silhouettes. I used some retired DSP from SU! & SU! Pearls. 

Below is the sketch: 

Thanks again for stopping by today! 

Hugs ~ LJ

Sketch Challenge 38

Hello Hello ~

Back with another card today. This one is for Viv's Sketch Swap. She listed about 10 sketches from the SCS Sketch Challenges to choose from. This one is SC38 (sketch is below). both the owl stamp and image are from Stampin Up. 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day! 

Hugs ~ LJ

Enjoy The Journey

Hello Hello ~

Hope you are enjoying your friday.....popping in quick with a card I made for Viv's Any Shape Swap over on SCS. The card can be any shape but standard A2 size. The sentiment is from Tim Holtz, inside stamp is from an old retired SU! set. The patterned paper is from Little Yellow Bicycle. 

Thanks for stopping by ~ Hugs LJ

Celebrating Special Moments

Greetings ~

It's time for our monthly duel between the divas and darlings and this month Kelly is our Diva hostess :) Our theme this month is "Making Memories, Celebrating Moments". Kelly sent us a beautiful kit to play with this month, featuring "Tessa Tassel" from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. I had a fun time coloring Tessa, as I just recently learned some new tips with coloring.

Kelly and Jeanette (the darlings hostess this month) asked us to share some a current or past memory/moment to us that is close to our heart. Years past, I remember spending a lot of time at my sister's dance recitals. My niece is performing in her first dance recital on Saturday morning (the 18th) and while I'm so excited to watch Tavi and her friends put on an awsome show, I'm just as much looking forward to seeing my sisters' reactions and tears......as now the tables have turned and her little girl is on the stage doing the same thing her mommy did.... :)

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ LJ. 

Here is the inside of my card :)

Fun Times

Hello ~

Last weeks' October Afternoon Sketch challenge was the perfect opportunity for me to use some left over Farm Girl Scraps from a previous project. In addition to the OA patterned paper, I used an OA Sidewalks Chip-N-Stick image (boy on bike) and a couple of pieces from the OA Sidewalks Flower Sack. The button is from OA as well (Farm Girl) 

Thanks for stopping by! Hugs ~ LJ

FYI - Here's the sketch: 

Dueling Darlings - All About the Flowers

Hello ~

Here is my card for this month's Dueling Divas. This month Tami is our hostess for the Divas.... and boy did she not disappoint with a beautiful flower-themed kit. We should finally have some flowers popping up soon around here.....It's been raining nearly every day for the last 2-3 weeks. I think we have only had 2 or 3 days of sunshine within the last month.

The beautiful image is from Delta Creative Sunflower II. I think Sunflowers and Peonies are my favorite flowers.......I love yellow flowers. I colored it in with various copic markers.

Thanks for stopping by! Hugs ~ LJ

Wishing You Luck

Hello Hello

Welcome to the March Duel between the Divas and Darlings. This month the Divas received a fantastic kit from Kadie :). I was so happy to see a MFT ala mode (Wishing You Luck) in my mailbox with some pretty papers and embellishments. As most of you know I LOVE MFT Stamps :) I love the purple patterned paper Kadie sent too! It goes so well with green (which is one of my favorite colors)

Sorry my post is a little short this time, much else going on. 

Hugs and thanks for stopping by! 

Best of Luck

Hello - Hello

I'm here quickly sharing another MFT Challenge card of mine, this one is for MFTWSC114. I used the 4-leaf clover Pure Innocence set this time around. This was one of my first Pure Innocence girls :) The patterned paper is from My Minds Eye (Dolled Up 6X6 pad)

Thanks for stopping by! Hugs - LJ

MFT Guest DT Challenge

Hello ~ Hello

Hope you are having a fantastic weekend so far. Today I am sharing my entry for the My Favorite Things Guest DT Challenge for this month which is a sketch.  I saw the sketch and knew it would be perfect to give this lil' Pure Innocence girl (Little Shutterbug) some love (and ink). 

Here's what I used on the outside of my card: 

Stamps: Little Shutterbug (MFT) 

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: Craft, Bordering Blue (SU), DP from October Afternoon Farm Girl 8X8 Collection, White, Bashful Blue (SU) Fresh Asparagus (GKD) 

MFT Die-Namics: Fishtail Flags STAX,  Woodgrain Fence, Fresh Cut Grass

Other: Circle Spellbinders, Silver Brads. White fibers (unknown), pop-dots

I also did the inside of the card as well, using the MFT Fishtail Flags STAX Die-namics again, and also the Cute Camera Accent Die-namics

Here's the sketch: 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed my card :) 

Hugs ~ LJ

Herd it's Your Birthday

Hello ~ Hello

Sharing a card I CASED from the latest issue of Paper Crafts Magazine. Absolutely LOVE this month's issue & there were lots of samples with one of my favorite PTI sets :)

Supply list is below.....Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hugs ~ LJ

What I used:
Stamps: On the Farm (PaperTreyINK
Paper: Sasparilla 8X8 Pad (OA), White
Ink: Cherry Red (GKD), Fresh Asparagus (GKD), Summer Sun (SU), Black (SU) 
Accessories: Yellow Twine (American Crafts) Farm Animal Die (MFT), Instaframe Die-namics (MFT), Black Copic Marker (coloring the spots on the cow), dimensionals

MFTWSC111

Hello ~ 

Thought I would do a quick post tonight and share the card I created for the latest MFT Sketch Challenge (#111) . I used the country charm dienamics and the latest Triple Scoop Set from MFT on my card. The patterned paper is from October Afternoon (Sasparilla 8X8 pad). The cardstock (Craft & Fresh Asparagus) and Ink (Fresh Asparagus) are both from Gina K Designs. I also used some twine from American Crafts. The corduroy button in the corner is from SU! 

Thanks for stopping by.  Hugs ~ LJ

Sending You My Love

It's the 15th of the month so it's time for another DD Duel, here's our inspiration for the month :) 

 It’s February and your Dueling Darling hostess’s Paola for the Dazzlers and Judy for the Divas have chosen this theme of love based on the Bible verses from Corinthians 13: 4,7,13 ~  “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud….It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres… And now these three remain:  faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.” (NIV)  

I had a lot of fun with this months' kit that Judy sent us.....the patterned paper was so pretty I tried to incorporate as much of it as possible. :) I colored the image (from Stampin Up!) with copics. Right now I am really into putting "banners" on my card. I do have some banner dienamics but lately I have been just using a square punch to get the banner effect on the strips of cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by today :) hugs ~ LJ

Unidentified Image Swap - Feb 2013

Hello ~ Hello

here's my card for the latest Unidentified Image swap over on SCS. This month's swap was hosted by Linda. She sent us some really cute doggy images to play with. This is a swap where every other month there is a hostess that supplies an "unidentified" image. The participants make 4 cards (all the same usually using the same image) and mails them back to the hostess. The hostess then sends the participants back 3 cards & images for the next round. The hostess gets to keep the 4th card for their collection (or to use) .

 The full image has a drawn square around the image with a butterfly floating around, however I chose to use just the dog portion of the image so I could make him valentines themed. The patterned paper is all from Imaginisce (their latest valentine's line) I used some MFT Die-namics as well and some ribbon from SU!

Thanks for stopping by! Hugs ~ LJ

Favorite Things

Hello Hello

I have another sketch challenge card to share today. and this is for MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge #109.

Stamps: MFT

Ink: Cherry Red (Gina K) 

Patterned Paper: Lost & Found 3 (My Minds Eye)

Other: Brads, 3 Heart Punch (SU), MFT Jumbo Monach Border die-namics. MFT Fishtail Flags Layers STAX

Here's the sketch:

Thanks for stopping by ~ Hugs ~ LJ

Grattitude & Thanks

Hello ~ Hello

Trying to get back into some challenges again. This one is for Deconstructed Sketch #87. This is one of my card spots for Barb's Thank You Swap .

Stamps: Beautiful Butterfly (PTI)
Ink: Ocean Mist (Gina K) Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye
Other: Twine from American Crafts, Oval Spellbinders dies, Square punch (to create the banner ends)

Here's the sketch:

Thanks for stopping by ~ Hugs LJ

January DD

Hello ~ Hello

Time for our monthly visit with the DD's and our theme this month is "National Book Month" both Terry and I agreed as the hostesses this month, that we were tired of winter and decided to focus on something different for a change. I Know I would LOVE to see all of our snow piles gone ~ Well they can be gone on my blog for today's post at least. 

I hope all the ladies liked this month's kit I put together. The stamped image is from Graphic 45 - ABC Primer. I sent some supplemental images as well. For my project, I decided to make a little chipboard album. The papers are from Echo Park and that's what I used the most. I saw the collection at a store and knew the warm colors would fit perfect with the image. I used only a couple of embellishments in the kit, some ribbon from American Crafts and a PTI Button. I'll probably decorate the inside pages later. 

As a challenge bonus, Terry and I wanted the DDs to share any books they are reading lately. I've recently started to read a new sports book titled "What It Takes to Be A Badger". I'm enjoying it so far, as it's about the great Badger Football players and coaches of the past. I think they will need to make a 2nd edition one of these years though, for Russell Wilson, JJ Watt and Montee Ball. :)

Please be sure to go check out the other Divas and Darlings and see what they have created...

Judy, Barb,  Laura Jean (me) Judy, Tami,  Kelly, Kadie and Carol

Please start here, at Jeanette's blog for our friendly duel

Thanks for stopping by ~ 

Hugs ~ LJ

Hello ~ Hello

Today's post is for some cards I made for a recent Valentines swap on SCS. The stamps are from the set "Valentine Defined" from Stampin Up. I thought these turned out really cute :) I haven't used my SU! Markers to color directly on the stamps in awhile. The small hearts are from the SU! 3 heart punch.

Thanks for stopping by ~  Hugs ~ LJ

Love Card

Hello ~ Hello

Thought I would quickly share some Saturday morning mojo :) I picked up the scrabble adhesive letters at JoAnn's recently (they are from Basic Grey). The washi tape (from Maya Road) heart was really easy to create (I'm sure this has been done before, but when I got into my craft area this morning it was the first idea that popped into my head) .  I layered 4 or five short pieces on to white cardstock, and then hand-cut a heart out. added some leftover DP (from Crate Paper- Fourteen Collection) & some ribbon and twine (both american crafts) and it came together quite quickly.

Thanks for stopping by.....Tomorrow I will be sharing another card I made with the Crate Paper DP :)

Hugs ~ LJ