Save the Tatas!!!

As you probably already know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I have two friends who were recently diagnosed with this life changing cancer. I can also say that I am proud to be related to a strong survivor of breast cancer. This is not a little thing. It's huge. But, together, as women, we can make a difference.

Please join me in visiting Pink Together today to make a connection with other women with a passion for this cause. If you have a story, as so many do, please, take the time to share that story. In talking about Breast Cancer we are able to encourage those who are fighting right now, we are able to get the word out and remind those who have not been diagnosed to FEEL YOUR BOOBIES! Do regular self checks, have your annual exams, and, if you are at the appropriate age - get those suckers SQUISHED! Together, we can fight this. And, together, we can work towards a cure.

I will have a giveaway in the next couple of weeks from My Blog Spark and Pink Together, however, I wanted to post today because IN ADDITION to the $2 Million that General Mills is already donating to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, they will ALSO donate $1 each time a comment of encouragement is posted, a virtual flower bouquet is sent, or a story is shared on PinkTogether.com through October 31st (that's today, folks!). So please, head on over to Pink Together and just be there. Be a part of something great! Thanks, guys! And Don't forget:

*GIVEAWAY!* 100 Custom Postcards for TWO Winners! (CLOSED)

*Note: Please scroll down to see the tutorial posted, as well!*


I am excited to share a timely and WAY fun giveaway with you today! My awesome sponsor, Uprinting, is offering TWO Just Jingle readers a set of 100 4x6 glossy Custom Postcards printed on their 14pt. Cardstock in COLOR on BOTH sides!!!!

I know...go ahead...read it again. Yup! It's an awesome giveaway! Just to give you some ideas on how you might use these wonderful postcards....

...Holiday Cards
...Holiday Thank You Cards
...Save the Date Cards
...Freebie enclosures for your blog or shop
...Monogrammed postcards to give as a gift
...Tile your bathroom...

....okay...so maybe that last one won't work, but there are SO many more ideas for these, too! I'm just excited!

Here's how you win:

1. MANDATORY: Visit Uprinting and tell me how you would use these postcards!

Extra Entries (all are optional)

* Follow my blog and leave an EXTRA comment letting me know you follow. (1 comment)
* Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway. Leave an EXTRA comment with a link to your tweet. (1 comment)
* Blog about this giveaway and leave THREE extra comments with a link to your post. (3 comments)
* Create a button for my blog, email it to me, and post FIVE extra comments letting me know! (5 comments) ***I really need one and I don't know how to make them, so I will look at all those created and consider them. Know that I may or may not end up using the button you create. Thanks for the help!***

Note: You MUST post the comments individually in order for them to be counted. Please also be sure to leave your contact information in the comment. If I can't contact you - I will draw a new winner. This giveaway will end at midnight Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, November 5th. The winners will have 48 hours to contact me. Giveaway is open to US Residents only.

Disclosure: UPrinting has kindly given me the same 100 post card prize as a gift for hosting this giveaway on my blog. Thank you!

Tutorial: My Gnomescape: Cosmo Cricket and Pink Persimmon Make Me Happy

This.
Is my Gnomescape.
What is a Gnomescape, you ask? A Gnomescape is a happy little 3-dimensional gnome home created by MEEEEEEE!!!! And it happens to be on the list of cutest things EVER! Today, I am going to share with you how to make a Gnomescape like mine (or a similar type of shadowbox piece if you happen to not be into gnomes and mushrooms and such. Although, I'm not sure why you wouldn't be into those things because they are pretty much just GREAT!!!!)

Here is what you will need. Cosmo Cricket Earth Love collection (LOVE is RIGHT!!!), Pink Persimmon Ribit Stamp set, Nikoart gnome stamp, a 6x6 shadow box frame (mine is Jolee's by EK Success), various inks and applicators, a sheet of vintage book paper, a chipboard house, colored pencils and/or markers, some glittery stuff, adhesives, and some wire. That should pretty much cover everything.

Begin by cutting your background paper to the correct size to fit the back of your frame. Mine was not quite 6x6, so be sure to use the backboard as a guide. Ink the edges (you will be doing a lot of this).

Stamp your images onto cardstock. I usually stamp a few of each that I want to use just in case I don't like the coloring the first time around. I think I colored 3 of that large mushroom before I was happy with it! LOL!

Cut out the images that you plan to use in your scene. Be sure to leave the black ink line when you cut out your images so that they really pop when layered onto the background.

Cut two more layers to add to your background. I used the bird paper in the middle and then used the rolling paper for the 'ground' in my scene. I simply used the patterns on the paper to guide my cutting. Adhere with multiple layers of foam adhesive. Note: If layering onto different levels your adhesive may have to be different thicknesses on the top and bottom - be sure to watch for this so you keep it all even.

Cover the chipboard house with the vintage text paper. Assemble the elements onto the background as you want them.

Be sure to add your elements at a variety of depths to give your piece a lot of dimension.

For the very bottom of the frame I wanted to add something that looked fantastical, but also added some fun to my piece. I chose to cut a strip of cardstock to fit the bottom of the frame and cover that with a shimmer flake. I spritzed it with some Glimmer Mist to change the color a bit and added a few pearl beads, as well. I then adhered the strip to the frame.

Because this is such a dimensional piece, it only seemed right to have something hanging in my shadow box. I cut these fun flowers from the Earth Love papers out to dangle from the top.

To adhere them, simply add a glue dot to the back of the flower and attach a piece of wire. Coil the top of the wire (the part not glued to the flower) and use a glue dot to stick that to a circle of cardstock (I chose to use the center of more flowers to keep them decorative) and then adhere to the top of the frame at various depths. Trim off any excess wire.

Once you have everything in place all you need to do is assemble your frame and hang! I love this thing! It was TONS of fun to create and even more fun to have in my studio! It makes me SOOOO happy!!!!

What do you think? It's totally a happy-making kind of project! Really! I promise! It is! You could totally make these as gifts! And...it actually doesn't take all that long. I know it looks like it would take forever, but it really doesn't!

***Also, don't forget to check out the giveaway posted above!

Have You Finished Your Halloween Crafts Yet?

If not, here are a few fun ideas that I created this year! I had a lot of fun with these!

This is a fun giant pin that I created. I die cut the felt scallops using my Revolution and Spellbinders dies. I love those things! I added a fun little pumpkin to the center for a fabulous and quick project that can be added to anything from a purse, jacket, backpack, to a home decor item of choice!

This is a fun Halloween wreath that I made by wrapping a wreath base in a black-based silver fabric. I added some fun embellishments to it to jazz it up!

Distressed and crumpled scalloped circles with fabulous gem centers.

I hand lettered the 'boo' and then cut the letters from cardstock. They are simply layered with just a fun touch of ribbon added.

And THIS!!!

This was probably my favorite Halloween craft this year! It's a tiny little pin cushion and I absolutely ADORE it!!! It makes me happy.

So...show me what YOU made for Halloween this year! I can't wait to see it!!! (If you don't have pics, at least tell me about it!!!)

***Don't forget to check out the post below to enter the awesome Postcard Giveaway!***

A Messy Desk Is a Happy Desk {Wordless Wednesday}

For More Wordless Wednesday Posts check out Here, Here, and Here!

And...just to give you guys an idea of what is to come....

...A super fun tutorial.

...Some fabulous Halloween crafts.

...Postcard Giveaway!

...A product review for something both CUTE and USEFUL! (My favorite kind of stuff!)

So stay tuned and come back daily!!!

You Want To Spread Your Wings....

Do you ever have one of those days when you stop and it hits you? I mean it really hits you. You get that burning question in your mind.

"Ummm....Can someone please tell me when I became a grown-up?"

Yup. That one. I was driving up Rt.495 this morning and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I COMMUTE! Not only do I commute, but I have a 'big-girl' JOB! When the HECK did that happen?

Maybe it's just me, but every now and then it all just hits me.

Of course, then I realize that while, yes, I am thirty years old, I commute, I have a big-girl job...I'm still not a grown up. Why? Because I refuse to be one.

I DON'T WANNA!

I'm cool with that whole taking care of things part of it, I'm not trying to get out of that, but I'm still going to play and have fun and do cool stuff. Cool stuff like dress up like Robin (as in Batman and...) for Halloween. Why? 'Cause it's fun.

And fun stuff like make stuff. With my hands. A lot.

Which brings me to this little number that I created for the Gutter Girlz Challenge this month. I was actually quite inspired by the challenge this time around and thrilled that I was able to play along!

Here are the challenge guidelines:

THE PROMPT:
Tender. Human.
THE SONG:
Afraid by Nelly Furtado
PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE:
Bra Straps

You can use one or all of the above to inspire you.

First of all - one may find it a bit odd that the 'product' they chose was a bra strap.

Second of all - one may find it a bit MORE odd that I had a couple of those sitting in my stash just waiting for the perfect project! HA! NOT EVEN JOKING! LOL!

So, I used one!

The challenge really inspired this art doll. I pulled lyrics from the song to use along the strap, which, of course, is a bra strap. While I did not directly use the words "Tender. Human.", they did serve as a fabulous source of inspiration while creating her personality. She is, indeed, a tender human. A tender human wishing to break free and fly.

She is a paper doll on acrylic wings (edged with Gold Leaf) and hangs from the elusive bra strap. The words are stamped on vellum and mounted on bits of leather paper. She is clipped to her strap, but not permanently attached because someday she will break free and fly.

She will never be a grown-up.

Some Weekends are Just Good Weekends

Here is what mine included:









I attended a card workshop hosted by Judi Dugas. We made FIVE of each of the above designs I SO have a stack of Christmas cards totally done and that makes me a very happy girl! Plus...there were margaritas and candy - really...who could ask for more?

I got to hang out with The Hubbums for a bit, which was also quite nice!

AND...I got some creative time....more to come on those fabulous projects later, but you can see my fun girly frilly Abigail cone in the previous post.





I got to open a few more of my 13 Days of Halloween Swap gifts! Super cute magnets, a wonderful candle, a fun blinkie pumpkin pin, and JELLY BEANS!!!!! Happy days for me!

And, as if all of that were not enough...THIS fabulous headband arrived in my mailbox! I won it over on Kendahl's blog and it makes me SOOOO happy!!!! It came from It's the Little Things on Etsy and it is absolutely beautifully made and I just love it to pieces!



Soooo, all in all I had a great weekend! How was yours?

Who Loves RUFFLES????

ME! Me!!! I DO! I DO!!!! And other fun frilly stuff. Toss in some glitter, and seriously, folks, we have a picture of heaven. My own personal glitter and ruffle and ribbon filled heaven. It's a beautiful place.

And if just so happens that the amazingly fabulous Moxie Fab World has issued an official challenge to use ruffles! Well....that sounds like my kind of gig, so I jumped right onto that boat and created this fun and fabulous glittery, ruffle-tastic cone! It's totally fun!

Her name is Abigail. I don't know why she managed to get a name, but she did. Maybe I should create a cool art doll to live in her and the ARt doll can actually be Abigail....hmmmm....not THAT'S a fun idea!!!!

Anyway, as you can see I ruffled the wide pink ribbon and then layered the scalloped goodness that is ruffle-happy crepe paper above it. I added some wired beads and fun ribbon, pearls, and lace to dangle from the bottom. The glittery rim is the perfect girly-fab touch, if I do say so myself! LOL! For reals, though. this was so much fun to make! I really love it!

Have you ever tried to make one of these cone thingies? Seriously. Do it. It would be great for Halloween, but I might stray from these colors if you do it for Halloween. Just say'n and all.

I hope you have a super Moxie Fab DAY!!!!

Oh, and leave a comment. They keep me sane. And if this is sane....I am QUITE sure you don't want to see INSANE!!! MWAAAA HAAA HAAAAAA!!!1

HA! Seriously. I crack myself up! LOVE IT!

Bye now.

Jingle's Top Ten Grammar Pet Peeves

Grrrrr! Seriously, though - I know I don't have perfect grammar. I don't claim to be the most eloquent of speakers, however, I do make an effort to observe at least somewhat reasonable grammar and speech patterns. I must say, I am quite easily driven to insanity by poor grammar. Really. It's sad, I'm aware, but nonetheless, it is, indeed, the truth.

Here are my top 10 Grammar Pet Peeves.

10. Ain't. Honestly, this one isn't THAT bad, it's just an obnoxious word in general. I don't like it. It's occasionally useful for making a strong point or mocking former presidents, but other than that, I really don't see why we need it.

Bad: I ain't going to the party.
Good: I am not going to the party. (Doesn't that just feel better?)

9. Where is it at? Umm.....can we say dangling preposition, much? *Insert eye roll here.* It's not as common here in Mass, but it was unavoidable when I lived in Oklahoma!

Bad: Where is the party at?
Good: Where is the party? (Look! This one even takes less effort! That's a good thing!)

8. Fix'n To. Yes, I just typed that using the spelling with which it is most often pronounced. The thing with this one is really rather simple. When this statement is used, it seems that nobody is ever fixing anything. For that matter, nothing seems to be broken! (More on that broken thing later!)

Bad: I'm fix'n to go out tonight.
Good: I'm planning on going out tonight. I'm going out tonight. Either of these two options will work.

7. The misuse of the word 'Irony.' This is a new one for me, but it is quite noticeable as of late. Many people misuse 'irony' when the word they are looking for is actually 'coincidence.'

Bad: A death row pardon two minutes too late is a coincidence. And a bad one at that.

Good: When the warden picked up the phone to answer the pardoning call from the Governor the phone caused an electrical short that triggered the electric chair, causing the death to occur as the pardon was being made, and more specifically, caused BY the pardon itself. THAT, my friends, is ironic.

6. Mixing up They're, There, and Their. It's really not that hard, folks!

Bad: Their coming for dinner this evening. (That just hurts to type.)
Good: They're my friends. (They're = They are)
I left my jacket back there. (There = a location)
These cupcakes are theirs. (Their = the possessive case of 'they')

5. Their(s) used in reference to a single individual. Being that, as stated above, 'their' is the possessive case of 'they' it cannot be used in reference to a single individual. The same can be said for 'they.' These are both indicitative of a plural, therefore, must be used in reference to groups of two or more.

Bad: That person said that they will bring their radio to the crop.
Good: She said that she will bring her radio to the crop. (If gender is unknown 'he' can be used or 'one' may also be chosen.)

4. Perfect Grammar Users. Yup. I'm serious. While I'm a stickler for reasonable grammar, I also believe in using the language in a way that makes sense to people. It's just annoying when people are overly perfect in their speech, making it almost like Old English or something. Loosen up a bit!

3. The me/I issue. You know, when people use 'I' all the time and never actually use me even if it is the correct word to use! Drives me nuts!

Bad: My mother gave beautiful gifts to both my sister and I.
Good: My mother gave beautiful gifts to both my sister and me.

Why, you ask? Well, let me tell you WHY! You would never say, "My mother gave a beautiful gift to I." That just sounds dumb. That's because 'me' actually belongs in this sentence. Adding the second antecedent does not change that rule.

2. Broke/Broken. Seriously. This one is one of those nerve grating ones that makes me want to rudely correct people. I try to avoid it, but sometimes I can't help it. Sorry.

Bad: This computer is broke.
Good: This computer is broken.
Good: I am broke.

I don't believe the speaker intended to tell me that the computer has run out of money.

1. Seen. OH MY GOODNESS. This word is used incorrectly so often and it actually HURTS my ears. For real. It's painful to me.

Bad: I seen that movie.
Good: I HAVE seen that movie.
Good: I SAW that movie.

Seen should never be used without HAVE before it! Period. Crazy, I tell ya! It actually made me shudder just to type that bad example!

So...what are your grammar pet peeves? I have more, but I decided to stick to ten today! LOL!

Plastic Beaded Necklaces Make Me Happy - Just Say'n. {Vintage Thingies Thursday}

For More Awesome Vintage Thingies Thursday Posts Check out The Colorado Lady!

I love vintage plastic beaded necklaces. There is just something fabulous about them. This one is one that I just got recently and I love it because it is super-SUPER long and when you double it, it is STILL super long!!!! You can triple it or even make it four stranded if you want to! It makes me happy! So do jeans and a white button down. Add my favorite red pumps, and I'm pretty much a very happy girl.

Look! They even make a sort of heart shape. That's how much they love me and how much I love them. Just Say'n.

I also wanted to share with you the fun little giftie that I got to open yesterday from the 13 Days of Halloween Swap that I told you about (are you seeing why this would be way fun for Christmas?)

Ummm....can you say CUPCAKES???? These adorable little picks will make PERFECT little toppers! I love them! So fun! And they are tucked into a fabulous little cauldron! SO cute!

Apple Picking! {Wordless Wednesday}

We went APPLE PICKING over the weekend!!!! It was a last minute decision since it wasn't raining and I've really been wanting to go! (This is the part where my Mom is scrunching up her cute little face and saying, out loud, "Why didn't you CALL??? We would have gone with you!!!" Mom - read that last minute decision part...that's why. Love you lots! Don't hurt me.)

Anyway... I love apple picking! We always get such fabulous photos at the orchard! I am just sharing a few with you today!






P.S. It was cold. Very cold. Hence his face. He doesn't much like the cold. Just say'n.


For more Wordless Wednesday posts check out here, here, and here!

AND....I got to open gift #2 from the Halloween Swap yesterday and Marilyn sent me this ADORABLE Halloween Scrubby! Totally hand knit (and really really well, I might add!) I love it!

My New Friend, Jack and a Halloween ATC

I am SOOOO excited! Harley over at Koala Fuzz hosted this FABULOUS 13 Days of Halloween swap and we are FINALLY at the point where we can start opening! The count down to Halloween has officially begun! We have a small gift to open each day all the way up to the 31st!!! It's great! I am so excited! My partner, Marilyn, created a totally cute looking package making it REALLY hard to wait to open stuff! LOL! I opened my first gift last night to find this delightful tiny ceramic pumpkin! I LOVE HIM!!!!! He has been named Jack. Original, I'm aware. You are totally jealous of my naming skills. Just say'n.

Jack decided to help me out while photographing my Halloween ATC that I created last night.

This ATC began with a heavy cardstock base over which I layered a sheet of a vintage math text book. I sprayed some very crumpled purple tissue with Glimmer Mist and then decopauged that over the vintage math book paage. That created a fabulous textured background that I just fell in love with! I inked, coated, glazed, etc. to create the various elements of the ATC. The black clouds are some neat lace I had tucked away in my stash! I love the way they look! I finished off the piece by gilding the edges with copper.

...Or at least I thought I was finishing it off. Something wasn't quite right. I stared at it for awhile as I watched Flash Forward on Hulu and then finally decided that even though I had already taken my photos...it wasn't done. I grabbed my paper piercer, punched holes all around the edges and then hand stitched it to really finish it off. WOW! The difference that made was incredible! I really love the finished product now!

I'm kind of loving the whole tag/ ATC thing lately. I don't know why, but I've been really inspired to do these tiny little pieces of artwork. I hope it continues because they are WAY Super stinking fun to create and I always feel GREAT after I make them!

Soooo....I opened my little Jack on day one of the swap...I wonder what will be today's treasure?!!!

OH....and because I am loving this swap so much, I am highly considering hosting a 12 days of Christmas swap or something similar to that here on my blog. Please let me know if you think you might be interested. This is NOT the sign up...I'm just toss'n out a feeler to see if you guys would like to do that. It's way fun. For real. Just say'n.