Thursday, October 31, 2019

Seize The Birthday #177


The prompt over at the Seize the Birthday Challenge Blog is Candles.   







I opted for an "implied approach" to my card as you can see below.



I absolutely LOVE this extinguisher carrying old bitty from Art Impressions.  
She just makes me giggle.  


To create the card I stamped and then colored the image with Copic markers.  
I then stamped the front of a lavender card base with a chevron background stamp (MFT
using white pigment ink for a very subtle pattern effect.  
I added a few clay hearts and called her done.   


I wonder what "lucky" friend will be getting Gladys?  
(Have no fear Catherine, I won't be sending her to you again.  LOL!)


Thanks for stopping by!  I hope to see you on the crafty side.

Jules

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Sisterhood Challenge #146


The current challenge at The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Blog is P for Pink and from the looks of things, Edna is very serious about Halloween. 






I didn't go "full on snark" but I am continuing with my tried and true, go-to alcohol theme.  What can I say...it just works.  :-)









I pulled out a variety of products in order to create my own sentiment.  Here's the run down...

Spellbinders - Ghost and Boozy alphas are from past Small Die of the Month Clubs
Altenew - Thick and Thin Alpha Stamps
Paper Smooches - Martini Die
MFT - Striped Paper
Ranger - Distress Oxides
Heidi Swapp - White Glitter Paper


Thanks for stopping by!  Your time is important and always appreciated.  I'll see you all on the crafty side....

Jules



Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Inspired By Challenge


I created my grandson's Halloween card based upon the inspiration photo at the current Inspired By Challenge Blog.  I love all of the prints represented in this table runner!




It's too bad I purged all of my Halloween papers about a year ago.  But I improvised using the color combos.  






I think he'll like his "not so scary" ghost.  All stamps and dies are from Simon Says Stamp brand products.  



Thanks as always and hope to see you on the crafty side....

Jules


Monday, October 28, 2019

CAS Colour and Sketch #344


Hello Monday!  After a month of traveling here and there I think I'm finally home long enough to do some (consistent) crafting.  With only hours left in the challenge, I'm playing along with the folks at the CAS Colour & Sketch Blog where my color themed card was chosen as one of the winners last week.  Today's card however is based on the current sketch challenge. 





I pulled out some new to me stamps along with some tried and true older products from my stash to create my card.




I made this card specifically for a dear friend of mine who is recuperating from a really nasty surgery.  I know she will enjoy a little "pick me up" to her day.  

My supplies include the Doctor's Helpers stamp set from Create A Smile stamps....a really old border die from PaperTrey Ink....and the Candy Striped Background stamp from MFT Stamps.  I added the stripes using Versamark Embossing Ink for a more subtle tone on tone pattern than I would have gotten had I added designer paper.  I think it came out rather cute if I'm allowed to say so myself.  

Thanks so much for stopping by my little corner of blog land.  I hope to see you all on the crafty side.....


Jules



Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Library Craft Challenge - Guest Host


Hello Friends.   I am very excited to share that Marina has invited me to be a Visiting Librarian over at The Library Craft Challenge Blog.  You all know how much I love challenges and hers is definitely one of my favorites.  She's designed it for "Crafters Who Love Books" and that most certainly includes me.  (If you're interested in my current reads, stay tuned to the end of this post.)




I have chosen a book by one of my favorite funny authors, Dave Barry.  We are both long time Floridians and his humor with regards to our state is hilarious.  The one I picked for my challenge is geared towards Middle School age kids however I still found it a very enjoyable read.  And more importantly to us today, I thought the cover was super fun and full of inspiration.






Don't you think this illustration is full of crafty choices?  I honestly had a difficult time narrowing down the options but in the end I decided to focus primarily on the large title.  Here is my example....




I must apologize for my choice of products.  I am a firm believer in pulling out from one's stash and apparently I managed to choose quite a few that have been retired however there are many companies that have similar products which can easily be substituted for mine.  Again, I am so, so sorry.

The Seriously stamp is from Concord and 9th.  Retired but still available here.  
The car and balloons are from The Greeting Farm.  I was unable to find them online.
The skyline die is another very old one from Momenta.  I was unable to find it online. 
The clouds were masked from a Lawn Fawn and can still be found here if you're quick.


Please check out Marina's challenge blog and consider playing along with us.  I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

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My current reads are ....

Deck Z by Chris Pauls.  It's a fictionalized tale of zombies aboard the Titanic.  ROFL!  I chose it because it's the current selection over at the Literary Lushes podcast, hosted in part by one of my personal friends (and local book club member) Samantha.  I will be honest.  I love the idea behind this book however the writing is very unpolished so I won't be recommending it.  

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  I'm listening to this one on audio and it is fantastic!  I've never seen the movie (and probably won't...I'm kinda that way with books I love) but I highly recommend the audio version.

If you're a podcast listener please consider tuning into Literary Lushes.  I am going to be a guest on their show in early November to gush over my all time favorite book....Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.  I listened to it on audio over a year ago and plan to re-read it in book form this week.  I couldn't recommend it enough.  (On a scale of 1-5, its a 10.)  


That's it for me this time.  Hope to see you on the crafty side....


Jules


Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Inspired by Laurel


I'm playing along with Laurel once again over at her Inspired by Challenge blog.  But before I get to this week's inspiration photo I'd like to share this bit of news...







My pumpkin laden truck card was chosen as last week's winning entry!  Thanks Laurel!  It's always so fun to get recognized.  

The current challenge is pumpkins....sans the truck.  *wink*  I just love those festively painted pumpkins!




I still had the Spellbinders die set from my last card out on my desk so I grabbed it once again to create a very, very simple Thank You card with traditional styled pumpkins.  





A closer look at the design.


Doesn't get much simpler than this.  I do hope you'll visit her site and play along.  If not, I hope to see you on the crafty side....


Jules



Friday, October 18, 2019

Seize the Birthday #176


My October is filled with lots of birthdays for family and friends.  In this house we start with my husband and then move to mine the following week.  (For eight days every year he is "officially" ten years my senior.  LOL!)  After that it's my mother-in-law's turn.  She just turned 95 and is still happily living on her own and driving a cute little red Kia.  :-)  On top of that I have a beaucoup number of friends with October birthdays.  I think I have mailed/am mailing out twelve birthday cards this month alone.

All that to say THIS is why I love playing along with the gang at the Seize the Birthday challenge blog.  My birthday stash has taken a huge hit and I need to replenish it.  What better way than to participate in this challenge?


The current theme is For the Kids. 




As you know, I made several boy themed shark cards over the summer so today I decided to do a pretty whale themed card for a little girl.  




I used the Extraordinary narwhal set from Avery Elle which unfortunately appears to be retired.  You can purchase it here if you're interested.  I colored the images with Copics and then added an extraordinary (obnoxious???) amount of Cupcake Rhinestones from HoneyBee Stamps.  (Little girls like LOTS of bling, right?  LOL!)   




So one card down....lots to go. You will probably see me incorporating birthday cards into many of the upcoming challenges.  I appreciate your time and hope to see you on the crafty side. 


Jules


Thursday, October 17, 2019

CAS Colour & Sketch #343


Today I'm once again playing along with the gals at the CAS Colour & Sketch challenge blog.  (Notice my new little gadget there on the side. So fun to display.)  The colour scheme this time around is ....







I decided to "embrace the white space" and kept my card super simple today.  I just love these little aliens from Lawn Fawn which I colored with Copic markers.







My photo below better shows the stitched line I added just beneath the aliens to ground them.




It couldn't get any simpler than this and I just love them!  Thanks for taking time out of your day to spend a few minutes with me.  Hope to see you all on the crafty side.....


Jules

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This is the second post for me today.  Scroll down if you missed my latest tag for the Tag You're It Challenge.  








Tag You're It Challenge #98


I'm still wishfully dreaming of fall.  *sigh*  Since it's not in the cards for this Florida gal (again) this year I'm resorting to my annual Faux Fall where I make pretty things in autumnal colors just for fun.  That's where the latest Tag You're It challenge comes in.  Can you guess the theme? 



Yep... Fall Leaves


I pulled out my one and only fall leaf stamp set once again to create my tag.  It's one of the past Simon Says Stamp Stamptember collaboration releases with Neat & Tangled.  I have certainly gotten my money's worth out of this set.  





To create my image I did some masking in order to place my pumpkin behind the stack of leaves.  I heat embossed them (and the sentiment) in rose gold embossing powder, also from Simon.  If you like the sentiment it is still available here on the Avery Elle website.  The tag die is from the Arch set available here from Pink and Main.  To create the shadow tag I traced around the main die and then cut it out with scissors.

Full disclosure....I'm not entirely digging the blue border I created with the Copics but "what is done, is done."  I think these would be great to attach to my mini pumpkin bread loaves that I give away around Thanksgiving.  (Read that as....you might be seeing these again, minus the blue.)

With all of the great inspiration out there I appreciate you taking the time to stop by my little part of the blog-osphere.  Hope to see you on the crafty side.


Jules

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Just Us Girls #509


I'm working my way through the challenges.  Today I have a very simple card for the current challenge over at the Just Us Girls Challenge Blog.  The theme is Frame It. 





I happened upon some clearance goodies at Hobby Lobby where I picked up the cute Thank You metal stamp that I used on today's card.  It's actually meant for foiling but I used it in a faux letterpress technique to create my focal image.  





I achieved this look by carefully applying ink to the raised area of the metal shim then running it through my die cutting machine.  Since there aren't any cutting edges the ink is debossed into the card stock.  Here's a closer look....





For my colors I chose ink and card stock from The Stamp Market, this one being Citron.  The border die is from the Scalloped Frames set available only at the Pretty Pink Posh online shop. With such a great focal image there wasn't a need for much more.  I finished it off with some of the citron colored gems from the Unicorn Rhinestone Mix at Honeybee Stamps and called it done.  

I'm pretty happy with how this turned out and may make a complete set in different colors.  I hope you like it as well.  I had a fairly productive crafty day so I hope you'll stop back by this week to see what else I created.  Until then, I'll see you on the crafty side.


Jules


Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Inspired by Laurel


Today is all about the Inspired by Challenge hosted by Laurel Seabrook.  I absolutely adore her current prompt and photo....




I could have made so many cards from this inspiration piece.  (Maybe I still will!)  With so many options I had a hard time choosing products but in the end, this is what I came up with for my card.




Unfortunately what you can't see in the photo is the barely beige brick background that I stenciled on to the white card stock.  You'll just have to trust me that it's there.  

The products I used are from GinaK (the wreath die), Pink and Main (the gingham paper), Kat Scrappiness (the kraft border die), Taylored Expressions (my fav Simple Strips to the rescue again!) and Nuvo gloss drops.  

Thanks for the inspiration Laurel!  Hope some of you play along.  Until then, I'll see you on the crafty side....


Jules


Monday, October 14, 2019

Sisterhood of the Snarky Stampers #145


I've once again been named a Princess of Snark at the Sisterhood for my most unbecoming Sh*t Happens card.  (What can I say?  I'm on a roll.  LOL!)




I promise this next card won't be quite so disgusting but does carry a bit of sass.  The theme is Zaphrod Beeblebrox which I will admit meant absolutely nothing to me.  Apparently its a character from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which I will also admit, I DNF'd several years ago.  Just wasn't my thing.  (Sorry Sistahs!) 





They've graciously extended the prompt to include anything galactical which is something I can work with.  Here's my card.... 




I created a Distress Inked background to which I added plenty of stars using black and white paint splatters.  The dies are an older set from Spellbinders.  The sentiment is still available from Hero Arts.  I thought it coordinated well with the outer space theme and provided just a hint of appropriate sass.  I have no recipient in mind for this one but I'm sure I will put it to good use at some point.  :-)

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Another bit of "news."  My coffee card was featured on the most recent CAS Colours & Sketches challenge blog so I get to display this neat little badge.  



Their next challenge is a sketch.  I have another short crafting week this week but am hoping to get to play along.


Thanks for your time!!!  See you on the crafty side....


Jules






Friday, October 11, 2019

Library Challenge #43


I'm back today playing along again with one of my favorite online challenge groups. If you haven't checked out The Library Challenge, you really should.  If there's anything better than crafting, it's reading.

At the time of writing I am currently in the middle of several books.  I'm listening to Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes and really enjoying it.  I'm also reading a couple of books on my Kindle.  The first is At the Wolf's Table by Rosella Postorino; the second is The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict.  If you're interested in my reviews you can catch me @what_is_jules_reading_now on Instagram.

On to today's book inspiration.  I am ashamed to admit that I have never read this children's classic.  *blush*  But isn't that a gorgeous cover????




Because I haven't read it I took my inspiration directly from the cover illustration.  Here is my version....




I created the design by stamping the floral images onto a dark grey card stock using Versamark ink and then heat embossing with different colors of embossing powders.  The stamps are a mixture of several sets, all from Simon Says Stamp.  The embossing shows up better in the closeup below.....




My less than stellar photography skills don't do the card justice.  It's beautiful in real life.  (What can I say?  I'm a card maker.  Not a photographer.)

I'm off to see what new challenge is calling out my name.  Thanks so much for your time and if you happen to check out my Bookstagram, please say hello!


💖  Jules

Thursday, October 10, 2019

JUGS # 508


I'm coming in on the last day to play along with the gals at the  Just Us Girls Challenge blog where the prompt is Designer Paper.





I do have quite a stash of patterned papers and certainly don't use them nearly enough.  I dug through my stash and found two patterns that drew me in.  Unfortunately they were loose in my stash so I don't know the manufacturer and I'm guessing they're fairly old.  Here's my card....



The floral paper made this card so easy to create.  I layered the floral on top of a coordinating stripe and then die cut out the Happy using an alpha die set from CZ Design/Simon Says Stamp.  I added some ink to just the lower portions of the letters and the stamped the birthday sentiment (also from Simon) onto a banner.  I finished it off with a few Nuvo crystal drops.  Easiest card ever.  

Are you a pattern paper lover?  Do you use it or just hoard it like me?  

I always appreciate your time.  Thanks so much!

See you on the crafty side....

Jules

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Inspired By Challenge


I'm back with another Challenge du Jour, this time playing along with Laurel and her team at the Inspired By Challenge Blog.  The theme this week is Truckload of Fall.

Fall in south Florida is pretty much nonexistent with the only noticeable change (if we're lucky) being a drop in the humidity.  I always refer to it as Faux Fall.  We pretend.  We don our shorts, tank tops and flip flops and head to one of the many piles of pumpkins set up along side the road where we take sweaty Faux Fall Photos. (Totally serious.)  Fall is definitely one of the things I've missed most in my 36 years as a resident of this lovely state.

Enough babble.  On to the challenge.  I am totally in love with this inspiration photo!




I love the colors, the truck and the pumpkins to I mimicked it with my supplies and came up with this...




You will probably recognize the truck die.  It was part of Spellbinders Large Die of the Month Club last fall.  I grabbed a subscription JUST to get this truck.  LOL!  The Thanks and the pumpkins are also part of the same set.  The stamped sentiment is from a set by Honey Bee Stamps.  I did some minor stamp surgery to use just a portion of the included sentiment. I also used some rustic cream cardstock by PaperTrey Ink (one of my all time favs) as well as wood grain cardstock by  Ellen Hutson LLC. It's a fabulous 110 lb weight and perfect for card bases.  

Here's a closer look at the details....





Is it shameful to admit that you love one of your own creations????  'Cause I do love this card.  I may have to hoard it.  If any of you happen to receive it one day, you will know you're definitely loved.  

Your time is always appreciated.  Go out there and take some non sweaty fall photos for me, will ya?  Til next time...


Jules





Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Tag You're It Challenge #97



It's time for another "drive by" blog post.  Today I'm sharing a birthday tag I created with the current Tag You're It challenge in mind.  The theme this time around is Fun with Flags.  




I kinda cheated.  *blush*  Instead of a pennant type flag I cut a strip of colorful triangle patterned paper to serve as my flags.  (I go where the inspiration takes me folks.  LOL!!!)





Supplies...
MFT - tag dies
Simon Says Stamp - turtle and sentiment stamps
Crate Paper - background patterns


Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a wee bit of time with me.  See you on the crafty side....

Jules



Monday, October 7, 2019

Seize the Birthday #175 and (another) Self Pat


Hello all.  I had a very productive day in my craft room yesterday so I'll be sharing lots of challenge cards this week.  Before I get in to today's challenge of the day though I'd like to share a bit of Happy Monday news.  A card I shared several weeks ago was chosen as one of the monthly winners at Lil Inkers Designs this morning.  It's always a thrill to have one of my creations recognized and even more fun to get to display a cute little blog badge.  


Remember this one?

Thanks for the shout out Laura!

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On to today's challenge...


The Topping this time around at the Seize the Birthday blog is Geometric Shapes.  



After many unsuccessful attempts at triangles (I just kept seeing Jack o Lantern faces) I switched gears and went with squares.  Boring squares.  But I added some "oomph" by using some bright Catherine Pooler inks to make a "very vanilla design" a bit more vibrant.


The squares were created using the smallest two dies in a set by MFT Stamps.  I used Neenah Solar White cardstock in the 80 lb weight and then colored them by blending with ink.  (I also ink blended the blue background)  I then dipped each side of the squares in Versamark ink followed by a dusting of white embossing powder which, after heat setting, gives the squares a bit more pop.  

The sentiment is from one of my all time favs....the original Simple Strips stamp set along with the coordinating Simple Strips die from Taylored Expressions.  This set is ingenious!  A MUST HAVE in my opinion.  (She currently has several sentiment sets that work with this die.  Well worth the investment.

So that's my card for today.  Another completed challenge and another birthday card to add to my masculine stash.  I really appreciate that you took some time out of your day to visit.  Thanks!

See you on the crafty side.....

Jules


Sunday, October 6, 2019

I'm Back!!! .... with CAS Colours and Sketches #341


Hello friends.  I am home again after my back to back trips to Missouri and Western North Carolina.  I enjoyed MO but my heart is still in NC.  My son and his family are still in search of their dream home so maybe, just maybe, I'll sneak in another trip later this fall.  :-)

I do believe this is my first time playing with the folks at CAS Colours and Sketches.  This time around they are doing a color challenge with the colors rose, gray and mint. 






I pulled out some "not new but never opened" (GASP!) products from Reverse Confetti and got to work.  No matter the season, it's always the right time of year for coffee.






I used less than a handful of Copic markers and some gray ink to do the coloring.  This is actually a Thank You card as you can see from the inside view.






I felt a bit rusty in JulieWorld (yes, my craft room has the name emblazoned in large red letters above my main desk...I'll save that story for another post if you're at all interested) but hopefully I will find my mojo soon.  

Thanks for visiting!  See you all on the crafty side.....


Jules