Blog Candy Winner is.....

The winner of the Fall Blog Hop Blog Candy is:

CRAFTY MATH CHICK!!!

Congratulations Meredith!!

I have posted a picture of the Blog Candy that will be sent out to you (picture is below this post) as soon as you email me your address! {Should you decide are not interested in receiving what I am offering in the Blog Candy, please don't hesitate to let me know!}

Otherwise shoot me an email with your address @:

barbermjl@yahoo.com

and my little package of goodies will be on it's way! 

Thank you everyone for the sweet comments you left on my Fall Blog Hop card! Each one made me smile!

Until next time!

~jenna

Blog Candy and a little chit chat....

Hey Everyone! 

Here's ANOTHER blog post where I am NOT posting a card...HOWEVER, I think you'll enjoy this post anyway! 

 Here is a photo of the BLOG CANDY that I'm giving away from The Fall Blog Hop!!!

I hope you get a chance to take a peak to see what exactly I am giving away. 

There's some seam binding, a vintage style stamp, some VINTAGE buttons, some linen and some lace (of COARSE!) you also get that card sitting in the background! There is still some time left. So, if you want to let any of your friends know about my Blog Candy give away... feel free! 

I will announce the winner tonight!

Good Luck, everyone!!

 Are any of you familiar with Karen B Barber or Michelle Zindorf?? Well, they happen to be friends of mine and we recently got together, along with some other fellow stampers, for some lunch and STAMPING!! I thought I'd share some pictures of that day. 

Here we all are (except me, I'm taking the photo) at lunch at an adorable little Tea House. There were 7 of us. Pam (whose on the far left), Cindy (sitting next to Pam), and Michelle (sitting in the back on the left). The there's (Karen's mom) MaryLou (sitting at the far right end), Karen sitting in the center, and Alivia.

 

After a really nice lunch, we headed over to Michelle's house to get some stampin' done! Here's Michelle showing us the first card that we were going to be creating. 

 

 Here are Karen and Alivia sponging away...

 

 We completed three cards that day and had a lot of laughs! 

At the very end I wanted to get a photo of myself with the two people I thought you all would be familiar to you.

 So here are Michelle (left), Karen (right) and me (center) after all the stampin' was over. I'm looking forward to our next stampin' meeting!

Hope you all enjoyed my blog post today!

I'll be back a bit later to announce the Blog Candy winner!

 

~jenna

FALL BLOG HOP IS HERE!!!

Hi! Welcome to the Fall Fun Blog Hop! A group of online friends decided the holiday weekend in the US would be a GREAT time to get inky together, and so we've put together a fall themed blog hop to inspire you as the autumn approaches. As you meet our stampy bloggers today, you may discover that some have goodies for you, so be sure and visit everyone on the list. We have hoppers from all over the globe today, and they are AMAZING artists.

Thanks for visiting us - grab yourself a nice fall beverage and enjoy!

Here is the full list of our blog hoppers today:

Lydia Fiedler
Libby Hickson
Kim Williams
Michelle Single
Lee Murphy
Sara Henton
Yapha Mason
Lisa Adametz
Jimmi Mayo
Jeanne Streiff
Bev Gerard  
Dana Keith
Joan Ervin
Maren Benedict
Teresa Kline:ME
Hannah Clark
Dina Kowal
Wanda Cullen
Korin Sutherland
Taylor Usry
Monika Davis
Harriet Skelly
Kim Schofield
Cathy McCauley
Mary Marsh
Julia Aston
Bridget Finlay
Alison Habetler
Leslie Hanna
Sue Farrant
Michelle Hanway
Misti Oblander
Judy Rozema
Jenna Barber
Tammy Hershberger
Eva Dobilas
Kerri Michaud
Cheryl Navarrete
Neva McMullen
Marianne Baugher
Samantha
Cindy Wallach

This is my Fall Blog Hop card:

I recently acquired some linen while visiting a garage sale a few weeks ago. This man took out a huge box of fabric swatches and asked if I would be interested. At first I said, "No, thank you!" But then I thought I should look through the box just to humor him. When I found a book of linen swatches in that box, I kinda did a little, "Oooooh!!" And then he told me to just take it! He was really looking to just get rid of it! I was happy to take that book of linen and so there's a piece of it on my card!

If you have any questions about how I made this card or what I used, please do not hesitate to ask!


Oh! And did I mention that I have put together a little BLOG CANDY for you!?! Just leave me a comment and let me know if you are interested in being entered. I will select the winner on Friday, September 9th 2011. 

I'm looking forward to hearing what you all think of my Fall card! 

Now head on over to my AMAZING Dirty Dozen Sister, Tammy Hershberger's blog and check out HER Fall Blog Hop card!!

Thanks for stoppin' by!
~jenna

An Antique Shop Excursion (and the goodies I found)...

Hello Everyone!

It's been a little while since the last time I blogged. I have been pretty busy since my daughter has started school. I am trying to get used to the new routine and so my blog has kinda been the last thing on my mind. But, I am back now and excited to to share with you how my Labor Day weekend is going. 

My husband and I decided we'd start our Labor Day weekend by taking a little trip about an hour and half North from where we live here in, OH. We went and visited some antique shops with the girls and seriously had an amazing time. I have been visiting antique stores since I was about 11 or 12 years old. I know I shared a little bit about that with you in an earlier post.

I apologize for not posting a card today however, stay tuned... I'll be uploading one card tomorrow.

Here are the pictures from our day of visiting 3 different Antique shops.

The first shop:

The photos above were taken outside of, "The Little Shop of Antiques." They had THREE huge rooms FILLED with lots and lots of goodies. 

 Here's a photo of my husband, Mike checking out some super old photos. It was nice to see him enjoy going through all the different things they had at the shop. Thank goodness they had some old tools for him to go through and some old fishing gear, too.

 Layla and Brooklyn made themselves right at home. Here they are looking at some old jewelery and a bunch of other stuff on this little table. Layla is 6 years old, so my husband and I knew she'd do very well going in and out of each shop and listen to us when we tell her not to touch something. Brooklyn on the other hand is 2 and a half. We thought we might run into a little trouble with her touching too much stuff, and possibly breaking something, but she was amazing. In fact, we were told several times throughout the day how well behaved our children were and how pleasant they are! My husband and I were so proud of them! 

 Here's Layla and her dad checking out some old tools. Again, this place was chock full of goodies!

Brooklyn saw me taking a picture of her daddy and her sister and BEGGED me to take a photo of her. So, so cute!

 The girls each got a little gift from the shop. Layla picked out a beautiful antique hand fan for a $1 and Brooklyn picked out some grapes on a vine for .50! Then, the owners son asked if we would like to feed the chickens. The girls were so excited. 

Here's Layla feeding two of the many chickens that were there. Brooklyn and Layla were given a whole piece of bread each. Brooklyn thought the boy was giving her the piece of bread for her to eat herself. It just so happened that when my husband put Brooklyn down to feed the chickens, one of the chickens grabbed the whole piece of bread from her hand and ran. Brooklyn started crying hysterically. She definitely got a little freaked out. But, she enjoyed the rest of the time watching Layla feed the chickens. 

And then we were off to the next shop which was right up the road from the one we were at!

 This was another HUGE barn filled with MORE goodies! Check out that awesome baby carriage above!

 Mike found this awesome wrought steel stove.

Here's Layla checking out some things she thought were way cool! (Can't you tell by the look on her face??)

 Then, my husband couldn't find me for a bit. He was calling my name and I yelled out to him, "I'm over here." And he found me...

 I found this little nook FILLED with all different types of vintage lace and seam binding. There were some buttons and fabric in here, too. And so many other FUN things for ME to look at.

 Here are my girls and I still hanging in this little nook.It took me a while to get out of there. I wanted to make sure I saw EVERYTHING!

Then, my girls found this neat little basket filled with these things that looked like Maracas. They were Darnings. (Thanks Grandma for letting me know what those were). The girls kept shaking them, thinking that they'd make a sound of some sort. It was super cute!

 Here are the girls again at another table filled with goodies. Layla found this necklace of pearls and thought they were so pretty. I think Brooklyn thought they were pretty neat, too! 

And then, once again, we were off to the next shop....

This place is called, "The Secret Garden." WOW, was this place GORGEOUS! Do you see those canvas' hanging outside the barn? They are weather proof paintings that you hang outside your house. They were so very beautiful! I wish we could have taken one home with us!

Check out this awesome chair! It was made from an old door and some amazing branches. And check out that hand painted "Welcome" sign... So BEAUTIFUL, right?!?

And here comes a picture of one of my most FAVORITE things that I saw that day...

Check out this OLD Chevrolet GREEN truck!! 

WHAT A BEAUTY, RIGHT?!?

 

 I think I might have taken like a HUNDRED photos of this truck. I think i am going to have to make ANOTHER vintage truck card using THIS green truck as my inspiration.

 

And my last photo of our travels for the day is one of my two girls sitting on this awesome bench @ "The Secret Garden." Mike and I were surprised at how they STILL had their beautiful smiles on at the end of our VERY long day.

 Later on that night, Brooklyn and I were talking about our day together and she said to me, "Mama, today was a great day!" I seriously started tearing up, that MADE my day! Both of the girls thanked us and thanked us over and over! It was really hard to see this day end.

You thought I was finished, right?? Well, I thought you might like to see some pictures of a few of the things I got that day and mixed with some awesome finds from previous weeks.

 So, i think you all know by now that I LOVE anything vintage! I use a lot of lace on my cards to give it that Vintage look. Well, I don't think you'll believe me when I tell you that this lace right here... well all of it combined MIGHT have cost me a total of $10! Yup, You heard me right!

 I found these spools of Wool/Cashmere thread a few weeks back. They are from the 70's. They each cost me less than $2 each! Pretty fantastic find, huh?? I have already used some of the thread on some of my cards!! The thread is perfectly usable!

 I also have a "thing" for buttons. VINTAGE buttons especially! I found this huge jar of buttons at an antique shop a few weeks back. I had sold some cards and decided I was going to go back to that shop and get this jar of buttons! The jar was priced at $15 but she sold it to me for $12! Pretty flippin' sweet, huh??

Lastly, here are some lose pieces of lace that I got for .75! There's quite a bit of it and so I store it in this little drawer set I have.

I hope you enjoyed this post, even though it didn't involve any cards or crafts! Remember to check out my blog tomorrow for a special FALL BLOG HOP card! 

I also hope you are all enjoying this Labor Day weekend!

~jenna

Back to School...

Yup! Summer vacation is over here in, OH. It really went by so fast.

My daughter Layla is officially a 1st grader and I just can't believe it! She is growing up and becoming quite the little lady!

I want to share with you the card I made for her teacher for the first day of school. I was able to meet her teacher briefly and I think Layla is really going to like her!

Here's the card I made her:

 

I had so much fun creating this card. I used an old alphabet set and stamped it onto the lined dp. I then used a notebook hole punch to create the "notebook page" look. The apple was my favorite piece to make! I used my MS punch and punched out the apple with my red glitter paper. Then I punched the apple out in Early Espresso cardstock and Limeade cardtock and used those to create the leaf and stem. I love the three buttons at the top! Again, I had a lot of fun creating this one! 

Here's my daughter Layla Paige right before getting on the bus.

 She was beyond excited! I, on the other hand, was a wreck. But I will let you know, she saw no tears from me! I saved it all for when I got inside and closed the door! then I had to put myself back together for my youngest, Brooklyn Sophia, who cried quite a bit during the day. She would all of a sudden look up at me and say, "Mama, I want my Layla!" And then cry when I told her, "I'm sorry, Brookie! Layla's at school!"

I hope you like my "Back to School," card!

Till next time!

~jenna

Shabby Chic/Vintage- Estabished Elegance

Hi Everyone!

It's been a little while since I last blogged. My best friend for more than 20 years came from NY to visit my family and I here in OH, for a few days. We had such an amazing time! My daughters love her as much as I do. We are so blessed to have her in our life! I miss her very much. I am really looking forward to seeing her again at Christmas time!

Onto my card:

I created this card for the Inspiration Challenge over on Splitcoaststampers.com. 

I absolutely LOVE the new Established Elegance set from SU! It's a beautiful Vintage style set which is RIGHT up my alley! 

I used the small floral stamp in the set to create my handmade dp. I then colored the flowers in with Pink Pirouette and then added a bit of Blushing Bride to give the flowers some depth. I used Certainly Celery and then enhanced it with some Pear Pizzazz. 

Next, I took the flourish stamp in the set and inked it up using Sahara Sand. I then stamped the flourish all around the flowers. Next, I took some Crumb Cake ink to give my paper that old distressed Vintage look. Next, I roughed up all the edges of my paper. I then took some Soft Suede ink and dusted each edge with that. After my dp was complete, I started to play around with it and created the above design! 

I hope you like my Shabby Chic/Vintage -Established Elegance card!

Until next time...

~jenna

My DREAM truck....

Hey Everyone!!

 I was asked  to be a "guest designer" over on SplitcoastStampers.com for the color challenge this month! I am still so thrilled that I was asked!

The colors this week are: Pool Party (New SU! In Color), Wild Wasabi and Chocolate Chip.

I am not sure I would have ever thought to put these colors together, however I LOVE the way they look!

This is the card I created for the challenge:

Yes, ANOTHER vintage truck card! lol I DREAM of owning a truck like this someday!! (in this color, too!) You may have already picked up on the fact that I have a love for anything vintage! Well, my dream is to have all rustic vintage style furniture inside and out of my home! :o) A girl can dream... right??

Hope you like my card!!

Off to bed now...

~jenna

My Doily Card....

Hey Everyone!!

 I had the time to create another card today! This card was inspired by a wedding cake called, "Petite Cake." Here's the website where you can find the cake. You'll have to go through the portfolio to find it. For some reason, I can't get a direct link! :/

My card fits perfectly in a 5"x5" card. I wish I knew someone who was getting married! I guess I'll just put it away in my stash of cards and wait till I have someone to give it to!

Hope you like my card!

~jenna 

Sunflower....

Happy Friday!!

I just recently got this Scallop Square die for my BigShot and I absolutely LOVE it!! I have cut quite a few these scallop squares out, but haven't put them to use on any cards yet. So, this morning, after I stamped down this new stamp from SU! conveniently called, "Sunflower," I thought the scallop background would look cute! I started off with my image panel being 4.5x4.5 and all of a sudden it was cut down to 3x3! This card is pretty small measuring 4.25x4.25!

I absolutely LOVE this stamp and I think my card turned out pretty cute! I would say this stamp is a must have for anyone who has a love for Sunflowers. 

Here are the deets on how I made this card:

Using my SU! marker Daffodil Delight, I colored all the petals directly on the stamp. Then, I took my Chocolate Chip marker and started to color the inside of the flower. The, I grabbed my Early Espresso marker and just colored in the center trying to blend the Chocolate Chip and Early Espresso together. Next I Stamped down the Sunflower onto my paper. The cardstock size I started out with was 4.25x4.25 but then I cut it all the way down to 3x3! 

Next I sponged some Crumb Cake all around my image panel. Next I roughed up all the edges of my cardstock and the took some Early Espresso and sponged all around the roughed up edges.

Next I chose some Crumb Cake  cardstock (3 1/8" x 3 1/8") to place under my image panel and then I used some Early Espresso cardstock (3 1/4 x 3 1/4) to place under that! I texturized the Early Espresso to help my image panel POP a bit more! As you can see, I LOVE layers! lol 

I thought it needed ONE more layer... so, I chose some Very Vanilla cardstock (3.5" x 3.5") and sponged all the edges with some Crumb Cake and then a little Early Espresso.  Then roughed up all the edges and added it to my base which is the Scallop Square that I cut out with Early Espresso. 

Next, I used some twine and an Early Espresso button in the center and added a tiny tag (I LOVE the tiny tag punch and stamp set) and then sponged it a bit with some Crumb Cake. 

Hoe you all like my Sunflower card!!

Happy Friday, everyone!!

~jenna

Collaging some new GOODIES!!

Hey Everyone!!

Well, I just want to begin by saying, I am sorry it has been so long! I have to be honest, the past few months were a little difficult around here. My husband had gotten laid off THREE times since he got back to work in March. He was laid off the whole winter (He's in the Union) and was lucky enough to be called back to work in March. We were SOO happy! Then, shortly after he was laid off AGAIN! Then called back, then laid off another time. It was rough around here. Thank GOD for family and ALL th support they gave! After a lot of praying and a lot of phone calls, my husband received a phone call from someone he had worked with and was asked by this man if Mike (my husband) was back to work yet. Mike said, "No. I keep getting called back and then laid off." Well, this man asked if Mike wouldn't mind being his "Right hand man." Mike responded VERY quickly with a, "YES!" So, after a few days (The man that needed Mike had to clear it with the Union first) He called Mike and asked if he could start that Monday! 

That black cloud has finally lifted! With the Union, you never do know exactly what is going to happen, but for now, we are all smiles!! :o)

So, I now feel I can continue with my blog! I have been scrapping and creating cards the past few months, I just didn't really have much to say and quite frankly I didn't think anyone was really viewing my blog! Until I checked my email and noticed some messages asking where I have been! It was nice to know people are reading!

So, now I'm back and with a TUTORIAL on how to create this collage look.

 

Below are the colors that I used to create my card.

Sahara Sand

Pink Pirouette

Baja Breeze

Certainly Celery

Soft Suede

Regal Rose (Not Shown)

River Rock (Not Shown)

 

These are the stamps I used from SU! 

French Script background stamp

These are the sets I used:

My Friend

Forever Young

Creative Elements

 

The size of the cardstock I used is 4x4 and I used Very Vanilla Cardstock.

 Using my Baja Breeze ink, I sponged (in a circular motion) around my cardstock.

 Next I used, Pink Pirouette and in a circular motion I sponged around the inside of the Baja Breeze.

 Next, I used the Sahara Sand and again, in a circular motion I sponged inside and all around my cardstock. I find Sahara Sand really blends colors together well without altering the colors.

 Now, using my large French Script background stamp, I inked it up with Soft Suede ink and stamped onto my cardstock.

 Next I chose the flower from Creative Elements and inked it up in Regal Rose ink and stamped it down a couple times in my cardstock. Be sure to re-ink your image every time you stamp.

 Now I used the clock image from Forever Young stamp set and inked it up in River Rock ink. Then I took the flower silhouette from My Friend and stamped it down at the bottom right corner.

 At this point, I added a little more Baja Breeze to the edges of my cardstock to darken it a bit. Then, I grabbed another sponge and inked it up with some Certainly Celery and went around the silhouette flowers to add a it of green. Can you see it??

 Now, I took some Soft Suede and went around the edges of my card. As you can see I used the direct to paper technique. I just "wacked" the edges of my carstock so it gave and "aged" look.

 After I was finished with the Soft Suede, I began to "rough" up the edged of my cardstock. This again helps with the "aged" and vintage look I was going for.

 

Once your "collage" is finished, you can begin to embellish it if you'd like! I felt like there was so much going on with the collage that adding too much more would just look ridiculous. So, I let it speak for itself and added some wrinkled seam binding, a button, some linen thread and some PEARLS... OF COARSE!! :o)

I really hope you like my "Collage" card and tutorial! I really did enjoy creating this one!

Til next time!

~jenna

BTW: I believe you can click on the photos for a larger view!