Red and Orange

I decided to do a quick Less Is More Challenge card tonight. I loved the Red and Orange color combo and haven't played along in TOO LONG, so I just decided to jump right in! I used the Dandelion Wishes set from Skipping Stones Design.



The sentiment banner is My Mind's Eye paper and the twine is from May Arts. The brads are Creative Impressions.



I chose deep, autumnal red and orange tones and I just love them! So pretty! Anyway...that's all. We went to Jose Murphy's for 10 cent tacos and beer for dinner. Every Monday, baby. It's a good thing. Just say'n. But...it never ceases to make me sleepy! I will be back tomorrow with an all new sketch challenge from Skipping Stones!!!! It's a GOOD ONE, too!!!!!

Jingle Out.

Sending You Some Monday Morning Love - 100 Proof Press Style!

Yup. It's Monday. And today, we are sending out BUCKETS of Love! YAY for buckets of love! Doesn't that just make you smile? I should. 'Cause buckets of love is totally a good thing. Just say'n.



I created this card using Crate Paper's Portrait Collection. I pulled out the paper, the stickers, and the buttons! I love this collection! The tin pail is officially now one of my favorite stamps from 100 Proof Press! Seriously! I am totally in love with it!!! It's actually called the Shiny Metal Pail and is #1959-Q.



I stamped the pail three times and cut it out and then I filled it to the brim with punched hearts! I used foam dots to raise the hearts at different levels. WAY FUN!!!



So....I'm pretty much just sending out BUCKETS of LOVE!!!! Once again, YAY for buckets of love!!!! Heee-hee!

As for the time change, well, I was taught to save ALL the time, not just when it is convenient, so I think we should have stuck with our 'savings' plan, but hell, what do I know? HA!

I hope you all have a stupendous day! I look forward to your comments and to visiting your blogs today! *Smiles!*

Jingle Out.

If you are a Dr. Who fan, you just might like this one. Just say'n.

There is some SUPER CRAY WICKED FUN stuff going on over at Retro Cafe Art Gallery right now! First of all, RCA had teamed up with 100 Proof Press to offer one heck of a contest/giveaway! Ummm, why yes, I DO design for both of those companies and I do happen to do that because I LOVE them BOTH!!!! There are awesome prizes up for grabs including gift certificates for BOTH stores!!!! YAY for fabulousness!!!! You SO need to enter. I want to see what you create and, obviously I can't enter so you have to do it!!!!!!

K. Good. Now that we have that settled. Retro Cafe Art has some BRAND new shrines in stock and they are so cool! They have working doors on them! I created two of them and want to share them with you today! Oh, and in the event that you need to create your own, RCA just so happens to be GIVING SOME AWAY!!!!

Okay, let's start with my Dr. Who inspired door shrine. This piece, while not a specific fright from Dr. Who, was inspired by the brilliance behind each and every creature the Dr. and his Companion come across in their travels.



She is comprised of the Traditional Door Shrine Kit (spray painted red), the Steampunk ATC Collage Sheet, Masonite Wings, and several found items from my studio.






She is simply called, "Do Not Be Afraid." (Although, I wouldn't suggest listening to that advice from her. Just say'n.)

My second shrine piece is on the lighter side. I created a toy shop! I used the Baroque Door Shrine Kit for this one (spray painted a cream color).



I backed the inside with a Toys image from the Vintage Grunge ATC Backgrounds Collage Sheet. It was PERFECT! I also used a bit of gold Dresden on the front of the piece. Inside I filled a Tim Holtz Corked Vial with sprinkles to add a huge dose of fun color! The other items, the pig, the car, the bear, were all found items in my studio. Don't ask. HA!



The Charlotte on the front is actually clear, so, obviously, not an authentic one. I actually created her using Amazing Clear Cast after creating a mold using Amazing Mold Putty! AWESOMENESS!





So, leave a comment and let me know what you think! I had a BLAST with these!!!! You totally need to head on over to the Retro Cafe Art Gallery blog and enter the giveaway to win a free shrine AND enter the contest, too!!!!

I hope you had a super fabulous day entirely uninterrupted by creepy Dr. Who character-types. Just say'n.

It's Your Day! So you should probably play with glitter. Just say'n.

Mostly because I love glitter and it is shiny and it is sparkly and it makes me happy. You should play with it because it will make you happy, too. Oh, and it will probably make your dog happy, too, as if you play with it, she will likely be wearing at least some of the wonderful shimmery stuff. Not that I know this from experience or anything. Purely conjecture, here folks, purely conjecture. Just say'n.

OH! Before I get on to the glitter don't forget to check out the TWO open giveaways listed above! Awesomeness all around! And I have another one coming hopefully this weekend! Yikes! It's a regular party around here!

Now...on to the GLITTER!!!!!!!!!



Hmmmm...glitter makes me happy. Did I say that already? Probably not enough if I did. 'Cause....it REALLY makes me happy. I created this card based on the fabulous Beads and Baubles Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World. I've had this sucker made for like three days and I have been DYING to show you! I love it! HA! This is the trigger photo:

All I saw was sparkle and fabulousness! I loved the flow of the piece from the top corner the bottom right, as well, so I had to play on that in my design, too! The colors influenced my choice in glitters and I added that simple, final touch of the cabochon flower based on the gorgeous flowers in the inspiration photo.



I used Helmar ZapDots to adhere the glitter in perfect little circles. The glitter is Martha Stewart and Pink Paislee. I pulled out my Samantha Walker for Unity Stamp Sweet Life set for the sentiment! I added just a bit of twine from The Twinery to ground it.



I don't know about you guys, but I had a SPECTACULAR day yesterday! So, today, It's YOUR DAY!!! Make it a spectacular one! A Stupendous one, even! Pretty much just be awesome and stuff. K? K. Good. Glad we got that settled.

Happy Friday, folks! Shine on!

Jingle Out.

The Christmas Village by Melissa Ann Goodwin - Review and Giveaway!

I am so excited to share this with you today! As some of you may know, I used to be a teacher. I loved it. Given the opportunity, I would do it again in a heartbeat. The part of teaching I loved the most was watching as students learned how to read. I collect children's literature and find that there is nothing more magical than a wonderful story and a child discovering that story and all it has to offer.

So...when Melissa Ann Goodwin asked me if I would like to review her book and give a copy away on my blog, I JUMPED at the opportunity!

Let me begin with the synopsis provided by Amazon on Melissa's book:

When Jamie Reynolds comes to his grandparents' Vermont home for Christmas, he just wants things to go back to the way they were before his dad disappeared. Time and again he is drawn to Grandma's miniature Christmas Village, where he imagines that life is perfect. Late one night, the village comes to life before Jamie's eyes, and his fantasy of escaping into it becomes very real indeed. He discovers that the village is called Canterbury, where the year is 1932. Jamie becomes fast friends with Kelly and Christopher Pennysworth, and is taken in by Ida, who runs the local boarding house. But he also makes a dangerous enemy of the mysterious and menacing Jim Gordon, whose return to town is nothing but trouble. As Jamie desperately races against time to find his way back home, he is suddenly faced with a terrifying choice: to go ahead with his plan to leave, or to stay and help his friends, at the risk of never going home again. The Christmas Village is an adventure the whole family will love, filled with suspense, secrets and surprises to the very last page.

What an Adventure!!! This book is so very magical and so very fun to read! I was surprised at how much I wanted to just keep reading! Melissa paints an absolutely beautiful picture of the wonderful, 1932 town of Canterbury. It feels so very real and I honestly felt as though I could smell the crisp winter air, feel the crunch of the snow beneath my feet, and even feel that odd sensation when walking past VanderZee's place! The characters are beautifully developed and feel like friends. When you reach that last page it is ever so hard to say goodbye. The wonderful story is centered around Christmas and would be such a wonderful choice for family reading time during the holidays! I honestly think Mom and Dad will love this one as much as the kids! And...if they have any book report assignments for school there could be NO better book for that diorama project! (Do they still do those? I LOVED THOSE Reports!!! LOL!)

You don't want to miss out on this wonderful book! You can find it on Amazon and Smashwords (ebook version). A few small local stores also carry the book. You can find those on Melissa's blog, as well as the Christmas Village Book blog. If you happen to live in Massachusetts, Melissa will be doing a book signing on November 12th at the Andover Book Store in Andover, MA. She has another signing scheduled at the Santa Fe Children's Museum in Santa Fe, NM on December 11th.

Would you like to win a copy of The Christmas Village by Melissa Ann Goodwin? Well, you are in luck! I've got one to give away!

Mandatory Entry:
To enter, please visit Melissa's blog and come back and leave a comment about something you read there that you found interesting!

Optional Additional Entries: *PLEASE leave a separate comment for each one. Thanks!*

* Follow @GoodwinMelissa and @JustJingle on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can cut and paste the tweet below. Come back here and leave a comment with your twitter name to let me know you did! :-)

Check out this review of The Christmas Village and win a copy of your own! @GoodwinMelissa @JustJingle http://tinyurl.com/3jj7nqu Please RT!

* Like Melissa's Facebook Page and Just Jingle on Facebook. Comment on Melissa's wall letter her know @JustJingle sent you! Leave a comment here letting me know you did

This giveaway is open to US and Canada only. This giveaway will end Thursday, November 10th 2011. I was provided a copy of the book to review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Babies and Sugar Skulls. Not to be confused with Sugar Baby Skulls...'cause that would just be weird. Just say'n.

DO NOT FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE BLISS HABITS GIVEAWAY! There is $100 in Creative Spending money up for grabs!!!

Well, actually, it wouldn't be ALL that weird, considering the Day of the Dead tradition in Mexico. If you are not familiar with it, the idea is that on November 1st the spirits of children who have died are allowed to come back to visit their families and then on November 2nd the adult loved ones join them. It is a great celebration and all quite fascinating, actually. I found this wonderful website with more information if you are interested. BUT...the reason I am speaking of the Day of the Dead today, this fine November 2nd, is because I created my own version of a sugar skull. I didn't use sugar, of course...that would have been disastrous. Yup. A yummy, yummy, delicious disaster. Just say'n. HA!



I created mine with air dry clay and you can find the complete tutorial over on the Creative Paperclay® blog! Get out the glitter, folks, 'cause this one is gonna be fun!!! I really enjoyed making this piece. I've wanted to do a sugar skull for quite some time and having the blog assignment for this day was the PERFECT excuse! You should probably follow that blog. We have LOTS of fun stuff for you over there. Just say'n.

BUT, alas, that is not all I have to share with you, today. Nope. I've got more! I've got a baby card (hence the title...) to show you! A super wicked crazy cute baby card at THAT!



*sigh* CUTENESS!!!! I used a fabulous Danita stamp from 100 Proof Press, called Danita with Bear. Isn't she just the cutest thing you ever did see? She is. I'm telling you and I'm always right about these things. Just say'n.



I paper pieced the image with Simple Stories papers. They are SO cute!!!! I love the colors! The stickers are from the same collection.



The ribbon is May Arts polka dot grosgrain cuteness and the corrugated heart is from Jillibean Soup. The puppy hair is from either Maggie and/or Thatcher and came free of charge! HA! I added the adorable clothespin and just about fell in love!

And...so that is what has been on my busy workdesk this week. HOWEVER, when one looks at that desk now...well, it looks pretty boring...



...boring, but READY and WAITING for the next project! I may be feeling a creative surge coming on!!! I love those!!!! To see more fabulous workspaces, check out Julia's blog! It's so much fun!!! And join us any Wednesday!!!

DO NOT FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE BLISS HABITS GIVEAWAY! There is $100 in Creative Spending money up for grabs!!!

Jingle out, folks! Have a wacky Wednesday!

ONE HUNDRED SKETCHES with Skipping Stones Design!

If you haven't entered the Bliss Habits giveaway yet check it out in the previous post!  There is $100 in crafty spending money up for grabs!

Ummm...WOW!  This is the 100th Skipping Stones Sketch Tuesday!  That's a lot of Tuesdays and a lot of fabulous sketches, folks!  And it is also the first sketch of NOVEMBER (I know?!  Right?) so we have a fabulous roster of new guests playing along with us this month!  The beautiful Chan Vuong is our sketch artist for this month.  We have three FABULOUS guest designers as well.  This is a really great line up this month!  We are welcoming Betsy Veldman, Jimmi Mayo, and Jessica Griffin!!!

And...now that November is upon us, it seemed like a good time to pull out some fall colors and leaves!



I used the absolutely beautiful Everyday Blessings set. I love this leaf stamp! And seeing it stamped in these pretty CTMH ink colors just makes me happy! I added bits of ribbon from Creative Impressions who is AWESOMELY partnering with Skipping Stones Design this month along with one of their brads on the twine.



So...check out the sketch over at Skipping Stones Design and check out what the other girls have created then head on over and link up YOUR OWN card based on the sketch! You don't have to use SSD stamps, although, if you have some we love to see them! And don't forget to check out the Bliss Habits giveaway I posted yesterday! It's pretty amazing and one of the possible prizes is a Gift Certificate to Skipping Stones!

JoAnn
Kandi
Karen Baker
Katie
Shannan
Stephanie
Taylor
Wendy Price
Wendy Jordan

And don't forget to hop up to the top to visit the guests, too! YAY!!!!

Jingle Out.