I Really Really Love Cosmo Cricket, but...

...the question is do they love me? LOL! So here is the deal, I made this fabulous mini. And yes, I do think it is fabulous, I actually sort of totally love it. I am really pleased with it.

I used a fabulous Cosmo Cricket blackboard album, super stupendous Cosmo Cricket patterned papers, and an absolutely fantastic Cosmo Cricket die cut along with a few other products.

This lead me to begin pondering. Hmmm...self...you really do love Cosmo Cricket stuff. Perhaps you should consider trying out for their design team. Hmmm...self....you get really sad when you don't make teams and the like. Hmmmm....self....you have no idea what to do, you should post this mini and ask your blog readers.

SO...after this lovely conversation with my self. Whom, by the way, I actually don't call self. I usually call her either Jingle or Wifee, but every now and then Jennifer comes out. It totally depends on the day. Yeahhhh....so anyway....

Here is the mini album. You have all seen much of my work (at least those who have followed for awhile) so, I'm thinking if I create a few more totally fabulous Cosmo Cricket laden masterpieces maybe I will do it. What do you think? Should I do it or should I avoid the heartache? It's so hard to decide!!!

Here is my album....







So, seriously. What are your thoughts. On both the album and the fact that I get so darned upset when I don't make it, but I still always want to try, so I am so amazingly torn on this topic. Right now...I feel like I can handle it if nothing comes of it...but that's right now....not at the point of rejection. What should I do?

P.S. I am de-stashing! Check the next post for more info!

For Sale! By Owner!

I have a few things that I would like to clear out of my stash. I was going to go straight to my usual ebay, but I decided to post here first, just in case anyone was interested! Please leave a comment (BE SURE TO INCLUDE EMAIL!) here with what you are interested in. Shipping is not included and will be based on weight of total purchase. I am open to reasonable offers. Payment can be made through Paypal (you don't have to have an account to make a payment).



Stamp'n Up! Fun Filled - Brand New, uncut, in package - $12



Close To My Heart - Totally Chic - Used - $10


Close To My Heart - Random Thoughts - Gently Used - $10


Close To My Heart - Seasonal Thoughts - Gently Used - $10


See-D's flower stamp - new in package - $1
Teresa Collins Our Trip stamp - new in package - $3
Holiday Clear Stamps - new in package - $2
Autumn Leaves sets - new in package - $1 each


Fiskars craft knife - new in package - $3


See-D's unmounted rubber sets - the bottom one is complete in package, brand new. The top set is brand new, but does not have the full plastic CD case.
$7 each set


Studio G stamp sets - I am pretty sure these are all new...if they were used, it was only once or twice. 75 cents each or all 15 sets for $10.

Thanks for checking them out! I have a creative post to put up today, too, so more fun stuff to come!

You Know...Sometimes Customer Service just totally....

ROCKS!

No, seriously. Let me tell you about my recent experience with The Tape Depot! I am thrilled, so I just have to share!


You see, I own one of these:



Yes, that is the Scotch ATG 714. I love that stupid thing. It is huge and bulky and difficult to pack, but I love it anyway. WHY do I love it you ask? Well for a couple of reasons.

A. I can't lose it. No, seriously, I've had it for over a year and I've never lost that sucker on my desk! It's easy to find!

2. The tape rolls are REALLY long so I can go a long time without having to change them out.

III. The tape is super sticky and works really well keeping my pages, cards, etc. from falling apart, which is always a good thing.

Yay! Right? Right.

There is one down side. The tape can be a little hard to find and it can be VERY expensive. Thus, my search for a great deal on tape last week.

Well, it just so happened that The Tape Depot carries tape for my ATG and not only do they carry it, BUT, alas, they carry it for a great price! Yes, you have to order in bulk, but, at this price that doesn't kill you, so it's totally okay! So, what did I do? I ordered a 12-roll sub pack of refills for my sweet and wonderful ATG. I was on my last roll, with plenty left on it, so it was time. Well. Here is the thing. I ordered my tape. I paid for shipping. (I could have got free shipping if I had ordered more, but my budget only allows for so much 'boring' purchasing at a time - I need pretty papers, dagnabit!) My order arrived in a timely manner over the weekend.

All good right?

Well, sort of. I mean, I was thrilled that the ordering process was so easy, I was happy to see that the order came in quickly, and I was also pleased with the communication from the company as far as confirmations and such. The thing is...there was a problem with my order that I didn't even know about!

You see, The Tape Depot is apparently located in Miami, FL. It gets a tad bit warm down there. And, unless you take proper measure to ensure safe transport, apparently tapes can melt down to a gooey MESS in Miami, Florida. This is what happened to an entire shipment being delivered to The Tape Depot! NOT even kidding! They lost 20,000 rolls of tape in this mess!

But....that was not my shipment, so why am I writing about it? Well, the thing is, that shipment DID have the product that I ordered on it. Sad. Day.

...but yet not. Here's why.

The Tape Depot could have easily back ordered my product and chosen to not ship based on this incident. I mean, it's not like it was actually their doing. They didn't take a heat gun to 20,000 rolls of tape or anything crazy like that. A back order would have been justified.

BUT, they didn't do that. Nope. Instead, they UPGRADED my order to a better quality tape that actually costs more. Not ONLY did they upgrade it, but, as it turns out the rolls of this nicer tape are only 18 yards, as opposed to the 36 yard rolls of the other tape I ordered, so they sent me 24 rolls instead of 12 to make up for the difference! Wow! AND...not only did they do all of this without me having to fight for anything of the sort, BUT, they sent a very nice letter in my package explaining all that had happened and why they made the upgrade and such.

I. Am. Impressed.

Here's the thing. I just got 24 rolls of tape delivered to my house, so I really won't need to order again for a long time, BUT....they so deserve the business, which is why I'm writing this post today. Please check out The Tape Depot and give them your business if they carry a product you can use! They are a wonderful company from all I have seen!

....Oh...and they carry like a BAGILLION colors of Duct Tape so if you want to make dresses or wallets or other fun stuff you can SO stock up!

This is simply a personal experience review - no solicitation has occurred.

Uprinting Summer Photo Contest

Uprinting, one of my wonderful blog sponsors is hosting a way fun Summer Photo Contest!

The prize is $250 and one of their amazing 16x20 Gallery Wrapped Canvas Prints! How stinking cool is THAT?! Pretty darn stinking cool, that's how! I'm way excited about it!

I thought about which photo to choose quite a bit. Because I don't have kids, the 'cute kids playing in water' idea was out, so...I decided to find one that was just so true to life...very real. And, my friends, I have a fun photo to share with you today!

Welcome to life with my family! :-)



In this fabulous summer shot you see my marvelous Mom, Me, and my sassy Sister, Sarah. Seriously. Are we not the cutest things ever? It's funny because the three of us couldn't be more different and yet more the same if we tried! This photo shows that SO well, it just cracks me up. There you have all three of us doing something we all love....eating ice cream, while each of us is totally doing our own thing! I love it! This is my awesome family! And my awesome husband took the photo, making him even more fabulous! So fun!

If you haven't already, check out Uprinting by clicking on the links to the left or these ones in my post! You will love what you see there! All kinds of fun with photos!

UPrinting.com is a leading online provider of business cards, color brochures and mailing postcards.

*Friday Feature!* Nothing But String Etsy Love ***GIVEAWAY!***

I am excited to share with you a fairly new Etsy shop that carries very fun and unique handmade goodies!

I don't usually do this, but Em says it so well in her shop announcement that I wanted to share this with you. It is taken directly from Nothing But String.

"Whether it's beading, crocheting, knitting or sewing, it all has one thing in common, the thread that holds it all together. Here you'll find unique pieces and designs for both you and your home decor.

Whether your need a little something to decorate a teasured gift for a friend or just something to spice up your home, use your imagination and turn the chaos into harmony."

I just love that idea of turning chaos into harmony! What a fabulous analogy for string work! And now for the fun part! Let me show you just what she means by that! I can't even begin to imagine how she does this because I SO couldn't! LOL!

We start with this amazing White Rose Necklace! Wow! Just look at the detail on that thing! I love it! Absolutely LOVE IT!


But you are worried that you don't have a bracelet to go with that amazing necklace? Not a problem... This Tiffany Crocheted Bracelet was inspired by Breakfast At Tiffany's!



Em doesn't just create jewelry, though! (Although, I must admit that the jewelry is my favorite part!) She also creates other fabulous things with those hooks of hers! Check out this wonderfully fun purse!



Em from Nothing But Strings has kindly offered a WAY CRAZY FUN giveaway! Seriously...I love this!



These are her floral motifs! Aren't they awesome? Okay...remember...you are talking to a crafter here...I could SO use these on a card, or on a scrapbook page or a journal front! ...Oooo...that is a really good idea! But...if I wanted to go a bit further I could add them to a blanket or a handbag or...okay...you get the point. These are fabulous! LOL!

How to Enter: (This is required to enter)

To enter to win these floral motifs (Em will also customize them to the colors of your choosing because she's just pretty much awesome like that!) simply visit Nothing But Strings and leave a comment here with your favorite item (not one mentioned in my review, please).

How to get Additional Entries: (These are not required, but will give you extra chances!)
1. Follow JustJingle and leave an extra comment letting me know!
2. Follow JustJingle and Nothingbutstring on Twitter AND Tweet this giveaway. Leave the direct link to your tweet in a separate comment. You can cut and paste the following:

RT: Enter to Win Beautiful Crochet floral Motif from @nothingbutstring & @JustJingle http://tinyurl.com/n6yn98

3. Make my blog a favorite in Technorati. Leave a separate comment letting me know!
4. Post this giveaway on your blog for 2 extra entries. (This should be a blog that is used for blogging...not for the sole purpose of 'posting' links so that you can be entered. The idea is to share it with your readers.) Leave TWO separate comments with a link to your post.
5. Heart Nothing But Strings in Etsy. Leave your Etsy name in a separate comment.
6. Make a purchase from Nothing But String during the giveaway for FIVE extra entries! Leave 5 comments with a link to what you purchased!

Giveaway closes 11:59 Eastern Time on 4 July 2009
Giveaway is open worldwide!
Have a super fabulous day!!!

The King of Pop has left us

I have to say that this is the first time in my life that the death of a celebrity has actually made me cry upon hearing the news. Despite his faults, he was an icon and did much to define a generation. He will be missed.

Vintage Thingies Thursday 25 June 2009

Aren't these just fabulous? Vintage inks in all their brilliant colorful glory! I just love them! They were at a local flea market and I just had to grab a photo! They make me happy.

For more Vintage Thingies Thursday posts check out A Colorado Lady! Actually, you should check out her blog anyway because it's pretty great!

What types of things just catch your eye and make you happy?

Some Days Are Like That....Even in Australia

Yes, folks. Today has been a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Quite frankly. I don't like this day. I'd like a new one, please.

It started out with me getting up at my usual time, but I was insanely tired and it was hard to get up. That's not actually all that uncommon, but still...not the best start in the world. I get in the shower and attempt to get myself clean at 5:00 am. Yes, I say attempt...that part comes soon.

I get out of the shower and walk over to the sink to brush my teeth, grab q-tips, etc.

OWW!

I stepped on a small piece of glass and cut my heel! NOT FUN!

Why was there glass on my bathroom floor? Because the maintenance guys were in our apartment (all of the apts. actually) putting in new, more efficient lighting in the bathrooms and hallways. Apparently, they broke a bulb in our bathroom because when I looked there were a few more pieces of glass on the floor sort of brushed together. In other words...someone had made some lame attempt to make it look like they cleaned up the mess, but left the danger there. I am SO grateful that the dogs didn't get cut! We weren't home, so if they had we wouldn't have been there to stop the bleeding and they often lie in that bathroom, so it isn't a far fetched idea! Anyway...I'm mostly over that now. Annoyed, but over it.

I DID, however, have to go get the Dyson out and vacuum my bathroom at aroun 5:45am, which I'm sure was JUST what my neighbors were hoping to hear at that hour on a Wednesday morning.

THEN....After doing a little dance across the apartment to the other bathroom where I have my Diego bandaids (yeah, at least I got to use a fun bandaid!) and then made my way BACK to do my hair in our master bathroom. So, my hair wasn't working...like...at all.

It was scary.

I looked kinda baldish.

Bad plan.

Still a bit sleepy, as I am not really a morning person, it slowly dawns on me what would cause my hair to feel the way it does....

I NEVER WASHED IT!

Seriously. Who forgets to wash their hair in the shower? Yup! That would be me. Yes, I will pause for your laughter now.

...


...


...


Okay. That's enough of that. SOoooo....I'm starting get concerned about time here. I have to leave at 6:30 and this morning has been hell, so I figure I'm probably running late. Well, I got lucky on that one. It was somehow only 6:00. I still had half an hour and while trying to decide if I should bother with my hair or not I had already packed my lunch, so actually, I pretty much had plenty of time.

Good.

Into the 'other' bathroom to wash my hair using the great sprayer attachment thingy that we got to wash the dogs. (It's great for hair! I use it a lot, when Hubbums cuts my hair...anyway...back to my day.) So, wash, rinse, towel dry.

BACK to the master bathroom to do my hair AGAIN! Only this time it worked better because it wasn't all gunked with product and disgusting.

So that was my morning.

I left for work and got onto 495 to find that every cop in the entire state of MA had apparently decided to be on my route to work today. Yay. As if my 60 mile drive isn't long enough as it is.

I got to work okay and in a reasonable amount of time. I just didn't have fun doing it.

I logged on to my usual stuff and...

And I got some bad news...sad news. The kind that makes you cry. A friend lost her husband to illness far sooner than anyone should lose their best friend.

And I'm out of Diet Coke.

And it's raining...AGAIN!

My day didn't get any better. It just pretty much sucked.

Sorry, I know I'm usually all chipper and cheary and such, but you know sometimes you just gotta vent! You have no idea how much better I feel after typing all of this.

So, Alexander, my dear boy...yes...I understand!

Some days are just like that. Even in Australia!

(What about South Africa? That's where I want to move, so I'm hoping days aren't like that in South Africa. Just say'n.)

Jingle Out.

HA! It STILL makes me laugh to type that! Even after a Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day! HA!

And the Winner Is.....(Jen Kiaba Photography)

It is time to announce the winner of the gorgeous print from Jen Kiaba Photography!


Random.org assisted me in choosing comment #3!

Congratulations, Mia!!!!

Please contact me withing 72 hours to redeem your prize! I will pass your info on to Jen so that you can choose your photo!

Wordless Wednesday June 24th, 2009

I love this man.
And today, I am extra super proud of him.



For more Wordless Wednesday posts go here!

No More Monkeys Jumping On The Bed!

Happy Monday!!!!

Okay, a couple of things really, quick...One...don't forget to check out this AWESOME giveaway for Jen Kiaba print! I received mine in the mail this weekend and it is stunning! My husband simply LOVED it! I can't wait to get it in a frame and put it up!

Also, you will notice a couple of fun things in the sidebar to the left. I now have a couple of sponsors. No, I don't plan on going nuts with that sort of thing, but I like these folks, so I figured I'd give it a shot! If you are interested, please click on the Fabric.com button for crafting purchases and the Uprinting tips for great printing opportunities! I received my order from Fabric.com on Saturday and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fabric that I got! I will share more of that later this week.

And today I want to share with you this wicked crazy cute card that I made!!!! I do love it. Even thought I made it. LOL! It was so much fun to piece together the different parts of the scene. I don't usually do this sort of thing, so I really enjoyed it!



Also, you will notice that I dug deep in my scrap stash for this one! LOL! The Use Your Stash challenge for this week is up and it is all about mixing and matching your patterned papers! Use three different papers from three different manufacturers! Well, I took it a bit far and used a WHOLE LOTTA patterned papers form a WHOLE LOTTA manufacturers! LOL!

Here are a couple of close ups!





Those fabulous little monkey stamps are CTMH and I used Prismacolors and Sharpies to color them! They are SO stinking adorable!!!!

I started a new project this weekend too! Nothing I've ever done before, so I'm excited about it! I'm doing an embroidery. What I have learned so far is that it TAKES FOREVER AND A FREAKING DAY to do, but I'm okay with that! LOL! I need a craft that will teach me patience, anyway! HA! I'm totally winging it! I found a neat piece of fabric with a cool pattern printed on it, so I'm using that as my pattern and sort of making it up as I go. We'll see how that turns out. It was a perfect project for yesterday, as it rained, I had the fireplace going, the dogs were lying in front of the fire and I had cupcakes in the oven....

....okay...so I may have been channeling my inner old lady! L.O.L.! Seriously, though, it was pretty fabulous!

What did you do this weekend?

It's A Sin.

Dude. This video is just a wee bit creepy, but I love the Pet Shop Boys and the song serves as a great sound track for today's post, and while I could have just imbedded the song..this seemed like more fun. Okay. Moving on.

Sinful! I tell you!

There are just some random things I've noticed lately that are just plain WRONG and I decided to share them with you today on this fine Friday.

Let's start with these:

I realize the photo isn't great, but look closely. Do you even SEE what those are. If you read yesterdays post than you are aware that I love Sharpies. HOWEVER! These, my friends. Are sinful. They are, indeed, NOT Sharpies! But rather...some imposter! These were at the flea market and they were actually selling! Of course, when people think they are getting a pack of Sharpies for two bucks....Oh, for the shame of it all!



Sinful. No, seriously. Did you even SEE the season premiere? Holy cheese, Batman! Now, granted...I am a Buffy fan. I know Buffy was cheesy, but STILL! This was almost painful to watch! I mean really...sap, sap, and more SAP! Oh...and crazy hateful nutjobs. Who even WRITES this stuff? It's a sad day when the vampire lore has become a new HBO version of Dawson's Creek! Seriously, folks! Dawson's with vampires and southern accents. Oh...and nudity. 'Cause Dawson was network and couldn't do that whole 'real' nudity thing. It's a sad state of affairs, I tell you. A sad state of affairs.

This song:

1 2 3 4 - Plain White Ts

Seriously. This song makes me throw up a little bit in my mouth every single time I hear it. I know! Let's write a song that demonstrates JUST HOW desperate we are and then maybe girls will think we are the 'sensitive type!' This MUST have been what they were thinking! I don't know. All I know is that it is a horrible song that should never be played. Like...ever. Period. I thought Delilah was the worst song ever....until I heard this one. How sad is THAT?!

This one strays a bit...it's sinful, but in a good way! Dairy Queen is trying to kill me. That's the sinful part. They FINALLY added a peanut butter sauce (previously the only good one in the world came from Friendly's) and now I can have the wonderful sweet soft serve that is Dairy Queen ice cream WITH my absolute favorite combo of all time: Marshmallow sauce and Peanut Butter sauce. With Whipped cream. And a cherry. This is SO not a good thing.





And...the final item on my list of sinfulness....

Yup! The Old Navy Modelquins. OH MY CREEPINESS! For real, though...these things are down right frightening. Be afraid, my friends! Be very afraid!



So...there you have it. Really.

It's a Sin!

Have a great weekend everyone! Let me know in the comments what you think is Just a Sin!

*Disclaimer: This post is in no way intended to offend anyone. Just a fun little things that bug me post. If you like the Plain White t's, well, I feel sorry for you, but I don't hate you for it. Please don't hate me for not liking them.

All The Colors of the Rainbow!

Just look at that! No. Really. Just LOOK! Isn't it the most wonderful thing you have seen today?! I love Sharpies. I really really really love them. They make me happy.



Do you want to know what else makes me happy? The Hubbums. The Hubbums makes me really really really really happy. I love him even more than I love Sharpies. Really! Guess how I got these fabulous brand new, wonderfully scented, brightly colored sticks of goodness! GUESS!!!! Yup! I came home the other day and right there hanging on my key hook was a HUGE package of wonderfulness! Pure, unadulterated Sharpie goodness!!!! The Hubbums bought them for me 'cause he knows I love 'em like crazy! They have these great 'limited edition' cafe colors! PLUS...there are TWO, count 'em, TWO different greys in there!!! Combine that with the greys that I already have and I can do some seriously fabulous shadowing and shading! Oh, for the joy of all things Sharpie!!!!

Sharpies make me happy.

The Hubbums makes me super duper happy.

Scrapbooking makes me happy, too. And I actually did some!

The Use Your Stash challenge this week was to use PAINT! So, I grabbed my can of chalkboard spray paint and had a little bit of fun!



I used a pre-made die cut as a mask to create the paw pattern on the bottom of the page. I was running late with this one, so it didn't go up as my official DT page, but I wanted to share it with you guys in hopes of encouraging you to get out your paint and participate in the challenge! Don't forget...if you do all of the challenges this month you will be eligible for one great big prize!!!

To add some extra detail to my layout I created a border using my VersaMark pen on the bottom of the page and then I heat embossed it with clear powder to give it some extra oomph! The top border is just a thin strip cut from patterned paper. Super easy and it made such a difference when I added it to the page! Here are a couple of close ups.





I also used a bit of acrylic paint under the 'unconditional' sticker so the words could be seen clearly. I love the way that part turned out! Overall, I am actually really happy with this layout! The subject matter doesn't hurt, though. A man and his dog. It's a wonderful thing!!! I really love the photos I have of the two of them together. They are always better off when they are together.

Let me know what you think! And don't forget to stop over at Use Your Stash to check out the challenge!

A Thousand Words Thursday & Vintage Thingies Thursday 18 June 2009

Welcome to the combination of Vintage Thingies Thursday and A Thousand Words Thursday! As you may know if you are a regular reader, we like to take A Thousand Words Thursday to a new level around here. I post a photograph each Thursday that I think holds a story. Not just one story, though, but rather, many, many stories. Stories yet to be told, yet to be conceived. I challenge you to write the story that you see in the photograph. As adults we tend to not do much in the way of creative writing. Well, this is your chance! Pull up a new document file and start typing, grab a pink legal pad and your favorite pen and put that ink to paper, or steal a stack of plain white beautiful paper and grab a pencil! I don't care how you do it...just write! It's fun!

I can't take credit for today's photograph. This one was taken by the wonderful Hubbums! But I do love it!

For more Vintage Thingies Thursday check out Colorado Lady.
For more A Thousand Words Thursday check out Cheaper Than Therapy.

Wordless Wednesday - 17 June 2009

Hee-Hee...get it? Wordless?
Scrabble board...all messed up....Ahhh.....
I crack myself up!

(It's a good thing because everyone else just rolls their eyes! LOL!)

For more (and probably less amusing) Wordless Wednesday posts check out the list here!

*Etsy Love* Jen Kiaba Photography *GIVEAWAY!!!*

Hello, everyone! I am excited to introduce to you an extraordinary photographer! Her work is simply fabulous! I am quite sure you will fall in love just as I did!

Jen Kiaba specializes in what one might call poetic photography. Each of her photographs tells a story and you know how I love photographs that speak!

She has several series in her shop right now including Gothic Prints, Fantasy Art Prints, Steampunk Prints, and Vintage Prints. Each photograph sings its own song in such a beautiful collection of light, color, and imagery! They are simply a pleasure to take in!

Here are a few of my favorites.

For Remembering. The color is so strong and the light is just amazing!


A Lazy Dream. The playful nature of this print captured me as soon as I saw it in Jen's shop! Whimsy and stillness brought together. What a wonderful juxtaposition.


Vintage Dress. This photograph is beautiful. Yes, that is an ordinary word, but I still believe that it describes the simplicity and the elegance that you see here. It. Is. Beautiful.


And this print...this is my very favorite from Jen's shop! I feel the chill and I am lost in a wonderful, magical world the moment I set eyes on it. This print makes me happy. It is called Narnia Fantasy Landscape. Narnia. *sigh*


You simply MUST check out Jen's work both in her Etsy shop and on her blog!

Also, Jen has kindly offered a wonderful, generous giveaway! One VERY lucky reader will receive a choice of ONE print from either the Black and White Prints or the Photography Prints section! (Jen can help you out if you aren't sure when you win which you can choose!)

Here are the rules to enter:
***To be entered you MUST go to Jen's shop and come back here and tell me which print you liked the best. Don't worry...if you win you can choose something else. This entry is MANDATORY.***

These are all optional entries to earn extra opportunities to win!
Remember to leave a separate comment for EACH.

1. Follow my Blog and leave a comment letting me know you follow. Current followers do count!
2. Follow Jen's Blog and leave a comment here letting me know (feel free to leave her some love, too!)
3. Follow both Jen and Me on Twitter AND Tweet about this giveaway. Leave a comment with a direct link to your tweet!
4. Make me a favorite in Technorati (see small green widget on the right).
5. Make a purchase from Jen's shop for THREE extra entries! Leave THREE comments to let me know what you bought! (This will be confirmed.)
6. Blog about this giveaway and include a link to this post. Leave a comment here with a link to your post.

Contest closes at 11:59pm on Tuesday, June 23rd.


This contest is open world-wide and will be shipped by the featured vendor.

Thanks for checking out Jen's amazing shop!!!! I can't wait to see what you guys love about it!

Ummm...so I changed some stuff...and...a WINNER!!!!!

So, you may have noticed a few things are a bit different around here....LOL! After the slight mishap yesterday, I decided to go ahead and make some changes. I will probably start switching things around even more, but for now, I think I like it. I don't know. The header is fun, but I really should learn to do a digi-scrapped one. I'm not sure. I do like it, though. I am LOVING the three columns and I hope to expand that a bit, as well. It turns out this HTML stuff can really be fun...as long as you have LOTS of help from friends and random online tutorials! LOL!

I'd love to know what you think! I know many of you will miss the old header photo, but it always bugged me because it wasn't mine. I didn't take it. Maybe I can replicate it with my own legs someday! HA! ROTFLMAO!!!!

Anyway...I have some good news for one of you!!!!

The Winner of the Works In Progress Ring (I'm totally jealous, by the way....) is.....


#41

Elsie said...

The hot air balloon necklace, come on get higher....is just charming and delightful, brings back memories of a ride that I took...
with the magic balloon and colors, this necklace has special meaning!

Also the giveaway ring has a color that I believe is related to pure water in nature (as in glaciers)....very pretty!



Congratulations, Elsie!!!! YOU WON! Please contact me within 48 hours to claim your prize! I am sending you an email shortly!

I hope you have all had a fabulous Monday. Mine was a bit crazy, to be honest! LOL! I have a great shop to share with you in the morning along with another AMAZING giveaway! So come back and check it out!

YIKES!!!!!!

***Update! Thanks to the amazing Marilyn I now have my old template back up and running! Everyone go over to her blog and tell her thank you because she is my hero for the day!!!! ***

***Other update: Incidentally, I think I will still be doing a redesign tonight. Just in case.***

Okay...if you are reading this in a reader than you haven't seen the problem yet. If you are not reading this in a reader, then you are quite aware of this problem, however, you probably can't read this!!!! It appears that the host of my free blog template no longer has the information in their photobucket account, which pretty much eliminated all of my background and header code! I am at work, so I can't really focus on it at the moment. If I get a chance to toss something up there temporarily I will do so asap. In the meantime, I apologize for the YUCK!

And yes. This is me panicking because my blog looks like it exploded.

Yikes.

*Reader Special!* Fabric.com Discount!

I am excited to offer you a fantastic special today!
Fabric.com has offered Just Jingle readers a $5.00 coupon to be used on their site!

Do you have a summer project list that you are dying to jump into? This is your chance to get a great deal and get started! Every order over $35 gets FREE SHIPPING!

Enter the code blogjustjingle for $5.00 off your Fabric.com purchase!
This coupon is good between from today (June 12) through June 19.

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Just a quick note from me...I am currently working to become a Fabric.com affiliate, so if you wait a day or two you may just see the fantastic fabric.com widget on my sidebar (as soon as I get approved!) and then you can quickly and easily do your fabric and notion shopping right from here! I'm pretty excited about that!

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Train Cars. Vintage Thingies Thursday & A Thousand Words Thursday

Thursday is a little different around here. I like to take A Thousand Words Thursday to a different level. I like to challenge you to look deeper and to really see a thousand words. Not only see them, but write them! Let the image carry you away. Let it tell you who the characters of the story are. Let it tell you when and where and perhaps even why. As adults, we tend to stop writing creatively even though we are so capable. Give it a shot. Grab a pencil or sit down at your computer and let this photograph guide you. Tell the story. It may be a few lines, or it may be several pages. Just let your creativity drive you!

For More A Thousand Words Thursday Posts check out Cheaper than Therapy!
For More Vintage Thingie Thursday Posts check out Colorado Lady!

Don't forget to check out my tutorial below and also don't forget to enter the amazing giveaway I posted on Friday! It's a good one!

Tutorial! Coffee Filter Flowers with Glimmer Mist

Hello, everyone! So, I got some time tonight and I was so excited about what I made that I decided to write up a fun tutorial for you! These are super easy and way fun to make! I sort of channeled a couple of sources for this one, so I'm not in any way claiming that these are my original idea or anything....I'm just excited about them!

Coffee Filter Flowers with Glimmer Mist

Supplies:

3 Cone Coffee Filters
1 pair of pinked edge scissors
1 pair of traditional scissors
Glimmer Mist (or Maya Mist or similar product)
Ink in a couple of coordinating colors
Super Tape
Vintage Button (or a center of some kind)

Step 1: Open the first coffee filter and squish into a round shape.


Step 2: Cut the second filter about an inch and a half down with the pinked scissors.



Step 3: Cut the third filter about half way down with traditional scissors. (You may choose to pink this edge as well, but I liked the straight line. It's totally up to you.)



step 4: Crunch all of the filters down into the circle shape like the first.


Step 5: In a controlled environment spray all three scrunched circles with a glimmer spray.


Step 6: Use a heat gun to dry the pieces after misting them. Be sure to keep the gun at a safe distance as this is thinner than regular paper. If you do not have a heat gun, you can wait for them to dry. I don't have patience, but I DO have a heat gun!!!


Step 7: Go all Tim Holtz on these suckers and ink up those folds! Use a couple of colors to really get a lot of dimension.


Step 8: For this step we are going to channel the fabulous Donna Salazar. Layer your three pieces and then from the back pinch the center, twist slightly, and fold. Use a piece of Super Tape to secure.



Step 9: Flip your flower back over so that it is right side up. Take out your wicked crazy awesome "Head of Christ" Parchment Notes box and choose a super-fantastic vintage button to go in the center.

....WHAT? You don't have an awesome "Head of Christ" Parchment Notes box filled with vintage buttons? Oh. For that I am very sorry. You can use whatever it is that you have. You will just have to be a little sad that your box is not as cool as mine. Hee-Hee. I do so LOVE that box!


Step 10: Attach your button with Super Tape and add your flower to some amazing project that you are working on!



Fair Warning: These are addictive.

Fair Warning #2: While this looks like it would be WAY cute on a headband...if it rains you are pretty much fracked, so I would suggest INSIDE projects only. Just say'n. Unless you like the 'glimmer mist running down my face' look. In which case...by all means...go for it!

Make some flowers! Please let me know what you think of this tutorial in the comments section! Thanks!!!