Brrr...Baby it's Cold Outside

Today's card was inspired by yet another night of freezing temps in the Central Valley.  Friends actually went skiing over Thanksgiving!!  My azaleas are blanketed but the poor crepe myrtle has withered & dropped all remaining leaves.  Hopeful that these traditional Winter temps are just another sign we're in for that promised wet winter.

So here's Gerda's little digi bear enjoying his hot cocoa.  He's colored with prisma color pencils & nestled on his snowy bank amid a few lawn fawn die cut trees. The clear embossed lawn fawn snow flakes resist the peacock feathers distress ink background.  I created the sentiment to match his scarf using Word.  

I'll be entering this card in Gerda's November progressive challenge.  Now I'm off to get my cocoa.  Stay warm my friends!

Get Moving!!

MOVEMBER is November's challenge at Words to Scrap By: Changing the Face of Men's Health.  I know that after 30+ years at a desk job my health is suffering.  As my husband & I  age we struggle to stay active outdoors.  He  always had very physical jobs & was extremely active.  His tendency, like many men I know, is to  ignore his declining  health rather than be proactive.

I'm inspired by Jim the Gentlemen Crafter's new exercise regimen.  Jim's posts of his daily walk on social media are encouraging. So even though I'm late to the party my goal is to get in 2-3 walks during this week and build back up to that minimum 20 minutes a day before the Holidays.   No need to wait for 2016 to make a resolution!

Now back to Words to Scrap By challenge.  Pleased to see Kristie Marcotte The Best Things in Life are Pink as a guest designer at W2SB this month!  All my fellow OWH alumni will recognize her from those awesome 6x6 tutorials.  She made a gorgeous card using a brusho background.

I created a clean & simple card by combining a few scraps of Graphic 45 Come Away With Me with a vintage Tim Holz image for the W2SB challenge.  Thanks for stopping by.  Time to get moving!!

A Tiddly Halloween

So one last visit to Halloween 2015 before moving on to the Holiday Season.  

Last weekend I broke out the Prisma Color pencils one more time and I colored this Nightmare Before Christmas inspired card for a dear friend.  She loves all things Disney, so Jack & friends visit her home from Halloween through Christmas.  

I'm really pleased with how the balloons turned out.  It was fun adding a few extra squiggles & stitches to make her  more like Sally.   

I'll be entering "Sally" in the current Tiddly Inks Spooky Dooky Challenge

Ice Skating Penguin

I know it's Halloween Eve & a little early for Christmas but my friend Gerriann at Scrap and Stamp Creations was hosting a Christmas Card Swap!!  We have a fun bunch of gals that get together on Monday's to chat & craft along with Gerriann during her UStream broadcasts.

About the Swap:  Gerriann has a big heart & agreed to facilitate our desire to share our crafty talents with each other.   Swaps are great fun & rewarding. However, they are a lot of work for the coordinator.  In return for my 9 cards I'll receive 1 card from each of the other crafty ladies participating in my group.  So you can expect a follow up post sharing those cards here in a couple of weeks.    

About the Card:  I stamped, die cut  & colored these little Lawn Fawn Penguins weeks ago but just couldn't pull together a card.  The original idea was playful - bright green card base, candy stripes of lime greens, pinks & reds, glittered snow flakes.  Totally scrapped that idea....

Luckily I was inspired by Sandy Allnock's  Interactive Rainbow Ride video..  Loving the end result! My penguin now skates atop a snowy hill (Spellbinders Elegant Designs) just like that little fox on the rainbow.

The white card base was too plain so I inked the edges with Evergreen Bough distress inks.  Then made up a few envelopes with matching liners using my Envelope Punch Board.  

I hope the card recipient will enjoy playing with their ice skater as much is I did!

Lawn Fawn's Winter Penguin

Gerda's Prickly Pumpkin

Boy a few weeks away from the blog & I've totally forgotten how to make it look pretty!  Or schedule a post for that matter.  So you get a second one tonight!!

I guess I'll just blame it on the crisp cool nights & promise of rain later this week.  Last year it rained so hard on Halloween that not a sole came to our door.  I'm fine with all those little goblins, storm troopers, princesses and minions opting for the mall & church festivities to stay out of the rain again this year as we desperately need the wet stuff.  

Wow, I certainly could use a tutorial from my kid on taking card photos!  I lose so much detail using my dear little IPhone & slapping them up here.  You'll just have to take my word for it when I say this card is awesome from the multi colored spines to that pile of punched leaves.

Gerda Steiner's images are so cheerful and a lot of fun to color.  I'll be entering this little guy in her October Monthly challenge   I encourage you to download her images & play along each month.  Gerda is so kind to provide you with a new image next month when you link up your project.  She's also added a Share Your Design element to her blog that showcases other images.

Well until next time my friends.  Blessings, Jan. 

Tiddly Inks Fall Colours Fun

Its Challenge Time once again over at the Tiddly Inks Blog.

This week's challenge

Fall Colours!!

so... anything you fancy using this delicious colour palette.

(**remember...We love to see any new creation, a card, 3D project, journal page etc 
but you must use a Tiddly Inks stamp or image **)

And here's my card using the adorable Birds in a Row digi.

I used a dry stipple brush & Broken China distress ink for the sky.
Those colorful birds were done with Prisma Colored Pencils.
The sentiment was simply written with my new favorite Illustrated Faith Bella Blvd .35 pen.

I used Crushed Olive & Scattered Straw distress ink to color some crochet thread.
Which perfectly matched the stripes from the My Minds Eye Come Away With Me 6x6.
I'm afraid my lighting doesn't do the colors justice at all.

Be sure to check out the other entries and design team projects.  I'm always astounded by the creative talents of this talented group of ladies.

Thanks for stopping by.  Blessings, Jan

The Mind of a Child: A New Perspective

So exactly two months ago today I began my journey into Bible Journaling.  I'm enjoying carving time out for Jesus.  For me it's a way to illustrate a favorite passage or song in a way that makes my heart sing.  

Job 22: 21-23

If you haven't heard about this wonderful way to spend time with Jesus let me suggest that you check out Stephanie Ackerman's Documented Faith and Shanna Noel's Illustrated Faith.  There are many ladies leading studies, journaling challenges, and teaching via their blogs, YouTube, or Periscope. There are Facebook Communities dedicated to this as well.

I'm no expert but there seems to be at least three stumbling blocks to a getting started.  (Which coincidentally coincide with My Faith Walk). 

The first is simply not knowing about it, followed by a strong desire to learn everything you can.  This results in not in fact spending time creating in the Word but searching the Internet: Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest for ideas and reveling in the wonderfully creative expressions of faith shared by fellow Christians.

Psalm 94:19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

The second is doubt - I'll never be as good as they are.  I can't draw, paint or letter like that.  I don't have the correct tools.

And finally acceptance.  Here as in my Walk, I'm good enough and won't grow unless I try.  He equips us differently and speaks to each of us on our own level.   Sometimes it's just colored pencils or a few stickers from my Scrapbook stash,  Other days it's tracing and coloring my favorite digital images or stamps to summarize my Pastor's Sunday teaching.

I encourage you to try it.  Whether it be in a journaling bible or faith note book.  Take some time this week to doodle out & color your favorite verse or worship song.   You'll be glad you did!

Mark 10:15 ...whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
Digital Image: Tiddly Inks 'Swinging By'