TGIF

It's been one long week- how tough it is to juggle having a career and being a mama on a good week, never mind when little ones are sick!  Oh well, we're plugging along.

Gettin' in lots of scrappy time though, so that's a plus:

I really loved making this page because it captures such a sweet moment, one of those little glimpses into just how much they love each other.  Boy can they squabble, but when it comes down to it, there's such a precious relationship growing here.

I used the adorable products from Paper Posies August kit.  I've never really been too much of a kit girl because shopping for everything and putting them together on my own was half of the fun.  However, now that I'm back to work and pressed for time, I love the convenience of kits and how everything is all together and ready to go when I sit down and set to work.  I'm finding them very inspiring.

Another quick and easy layout.  I kept this one pretty simple because I wanted the picture to be the focus.  Most of the items are from another Paper Posies kit, July maybe?  I added in a few bingo chips and Thickers.

  

I made this card last weekend for a VIP in my life.  The stamp sets are PTI's All About You and Background Basics Text Style.  

I cut the flower out to add some dimension to the layers and gave it a dusting of glitter because, why not?  Glitter makes everything better!

We got a new computer in the last week or so and now I've lost my Adobe bridge... favorite way to edit and touch up my photos.  I'm a little lost without it, so I'll be putting the hubby on the case this weekend!  These photos look terrible, such dark backgrounds.  Hopefully we'll be looking better soon!

Have a great weekend!

xo,
Jennifer

First Day

Hello friends!  It's been quite a while.  A lot has changed in the past 6 months and it all took a bit of adjusting, but I must say, I'm in a good place now.  My days as a stay-at-home mama have come to an end as I accepted a new job back in April.  It was a huge adjustment for us with lots of ups and downs and each one of us having a difficult time here and there.  Life always has a funny way of working out and we're now well on our way in this next chapter of life.  I'm loving my work as the Director of an amazing early childhood center and have found my way back to some creative time as well.  I've missed my blog and my friends online, so I'm going to make an effort to start posting and sharing again.

I couldn't believe it when I woke up one morning this week as the mother of a second grader!  Where does the time go?  She's so adorable at this age and is loving every minute of second grade so far, already declaring this "the best grade ever"! 

I was sad that I wasn't going to be able to be there for the first bus pick-up of the year and would be leaving for work before her little eyes opened, so I got a few little goodies to leave for her for a little surprise when she woke up.  I wrapped them up in a little handmade bag and created a card to share a few thoughts and wishes for her first day.

She was thrilled!  I love that about her- she loves surprises, and surprising others, more than anyone I know!  I love to make her things because she appreciates them so greatly. 

Well, friends, I'm so glad to be back on my little blog and hope to chat with you all some more over the next few weeks.  Thanks for coming by!
~ Jennifer

Simple Joys

I've rekindled my love affair with white embossing powder.

Can't stop using the stuff.

I was in the mood for a carefree springy card today and naturally turned to an old favorite- PTI's Green Thumb stamp set, choc full 'o springy, flowery images, and I immediately knew what I wanted to do with these little blossoms...

smother them in white EP of course!

So, they're stamped in versamark, embossed, and filled in the centers with stickles.  I added some stems in SU's old olive ink, which the background cardstock is too.

I die cut the little butterfly using PTI's Love Lives Here die set and inked the edges a bit with some pumpkin pie ink from SU and attached the little cutie to some white twill with a safety pin. 

Spring is really pushing it's way into New England and I couldn't be happier!
We were treated to some warm, sunny 60's for St. Patrick's Day, and with the exception of a few bits of snow mounds scattered here and there still hanging on from the monstrous snow mountains from the plows, it's almost all gone!
I was beginning to think we wouldn't see the end of that stuff until June!

In the spirit of my trying harder to finish the inside of cards to coordinate with the outside...

... I finished this off with a strip of patterned paper to match the front, distressed with some light sanding, and stamped the butterfly image using the rock and roll technique with so saffron and pumpkin pie inks.

I've got to get dinner going for the little ones and then I'm going to check out a Bob Marley tribute band tonight with some friends. 
Enjoy your weekend!
~Jennifer

Heavy Hearts

My heart is so heavy today... the events of the past 24 hours have been so devastating.  My heart goes out, and my prayers go up, for all of the people of Japan and all of the people around the world who are worried about their loved ones today.  There just aren't words.  All we can do this moment is to hold our loved ones close.  This is yet another reminder of how fragile life is.

I was in the mood to create some bright and cheery spring cards this week, and so I turned to Melissa Phillip's second Creative Mint photo inspiration challenge.  It's such a lovely, inspiring photograph again and certainly sparked some creativity in me.  Here's a picture of my card for the challenge:

  I used some new, and old, PTI favorites for this card, along with a Martha Stewart doiley, SU dsp, and seam binding from Prairie Bird Boutique etsy shop.  I continue that cute little zig zag stitch stamp from the Button Boutique stamp set right onto the inside of the card with the sentiment.

If you're looking for some inspiration, hop on over to Melissa's blog to check out the sweet photo for this challenge.  I'll bet you can't resist creating with this spring-y color combo!

Time to get messy creating with the little ones right now.  We're making a Leprechaun Trap to put out the night before St. Patrick's Day... wish us luck!
~Jennifer

Favorite Things

Happy Saturday everyone!  Despite the snow that continues to fly around and pile up here, I'm really gearing up for Spring : )  

When you walk through the stores, all you see are adorable, colorful, playful Easter & Spring products- yummy candies (you know the ones I'm talking about), home decor, clothing... it sure puts a girl in the mood for some much needed sunny days.  

So I'm dreaming, looking ahead, and pretending that, indoors anyway, it's almost springtime!  To really satisfy the mood, I bought a new candle today that is just filling the rooms of our home with the most delightful, sunny, fresh aroma.  It's Fluffy Towels from Yankee Candle, my new favorite spring scent.  If you're looking for a new one, this would be my recommendation!  

I also stumbled upon these most adorable felt cupcakes from Martha Stewart and, once I got myself over the fact that I couldn't eat them up, I decided I could at least start slapping them onto some paper crafting projects!  They're just too cute, my little Emma even snagged a few! 

Plus also (now I'm talking like Junie B. Jones.  Have you read these books? She the funniest kindergartner/first grader ever and we've been reading them non-stop lately), but anyway, so yes, I also LOVE Papertrey's 2011 Birthday Tag stamp set.  Just got it a week or so ago, and can't stop using it!  I'm gonna be so prepared the next time a birthday rolls around!  I knew these cupcakes would go so well with the images in this set.  I think I'll pair them up a few times more! 

Melissa Phillips is starting up a weekly challenge on her blog in conjunction with Leslie at a Creative Mint that's so inspiring.  A visit to Melissa's blog is so inspirational any day and Leslie's work is so beautiful, so it's a win-win!  Each challenge will be based on her brilliant photographs.  I'll definitely be playing along whenever I can because they always inspire me!  Here's a link to the challenge post and this is the picture, from Leslie at a Creative Mint, that I chose to use as my inspiration...

and here is the card that I created based on the above photo...

I've been waiting for the chance to ink up these darling buttons from PTI's Button Boutique stamp set, which I'm head over heels for too!  Anyway, they immediately popped into my mind when I saw Leslie's photo in Melissa's challenge. 


There are a few more lovely photos to choose from over on Melissa's blog.  I definitely recommend playing along if you're looking for a little creative boost.  Thanks so much to Melissa and Leslie for the inspiration!

That's all for me today... my indoor springtime is coming to an end, as two little cherubs and a dog are begging me to take them outside into the cold winter air!  Hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend!
~Jennifer

Memories

I've been looking back through some older pictures of my little ones recently, missing the chubby, soft, cuddly baby stage!  Anyway, it got me in the mood to scrap some pictures that I just never got around too- I'm one of those people that have tons of pictures trapped on my computer, waiting to be printed and shared.  I do use a lot of them, but I take so many photos and can't always get to them all.  When I have extra time on my hands though, I really do enjoy going through them to revisit those memories.

This page was so much fun to put together, using some of my favorite October Afternoon products.  My mom and Emma have always had such a special, close relationship that just melts my heart!  I adore my mother and can see why my kids love her so much.  Everything here is OA, except for a stamp and rub-on from SU, the cute little felt flowers are oldies from my stash by K & Company, and the larger blue letters are from Doodlebug Designs.  I keep making these 8 1/2 x 11 pages, so I need to buy an album to house them in.  I enjoy this size when I'm creating single photo layouts.

Next up is a layout about how wonderful my days were with Emily when I was on maternity leave.  I was so excited to be a mommy and loved every second of every day at home with her, knowing they were numbered because I'd be going back to work.

I truly enjoyed all of it... middle of the night feedings, soothing her tummy troubles, folding all those tiny socks and onesies, making and washing bottles, but most of all, I loved knowing that I could spend hours just being with her, watching her, snuggling her, and wasting time doing nothing but being with her!

The background paper of this layout is from the Newsprint DSP collection from SU along with the full heart punch.  I also used some adorable patterned paper and stickers from Iron Orchid Designs, Making Memories chipboard, and baker's twine.  I stitched the hearts down through the center so I could pull the edges up a bit.

I also left the chipboard bare here on the frame just because I liked the soft, natural look of the neutrals on this page against the bright reds.

Well, my favorite brown truck just delivered a box of scrappy goodies that I'm dying to dig into, so that's it for today!  My friend, Siobhan, recently asked how I make my bows on cards, so I'll be back soon with a quickie tutorial... nothing special, but I'll show you what works for me.
~Jennifer

Use It

Have you had a chance to check out Use It Tuesday?  Such a fun idea!  There are many things hiding here and there around my scrap room that are very unloved, not for any special reason, I just haven't gotten around to using them.  So, I love the idea of playing along with these challenges, plus the creators are two of the most fabulous ladies I've *met* in the blogosphere : )

This first challenge calls upon participants to use a stamp that they've never inked up before... yup, got those!  Not sure if I'm too late in playing along, but I wanted to do it anyway to challenge myself to do this.  I love this little party banner stamp from A Muse, purchased quite a while ago and never inked up, along with the background stamp.  I know this little birdie has touch an ink pad or two in it's life, but not very often, so I figured I'd incorporate her too. 

The background image is stamped all over in crumb cake ink from SU, the banner and bird are colored with some copics and I added some glitter and a pom-pom to her hat to dress her up a bit for the occasion. 

I created a little border at the bottom of the focal point with a scalloped lace border punch, machine stitching, and a bit of very vanilla ink.

Thanks to Samantha and Siobhan for the inspiration to use it!  This was lots of fun and I'm looking forward to the next challenge.  Hope you'll play along too!

Happy Friday!
Jennifer