Little Reminder

Yesterday for my crafty day I got to make some cards - one of them was this card that I made for my little guy who turned 3 yesterday!  I used Sketchy Thursday sketch #157, ESS157.  I also used this month's Stamp of the Month, Little Reminder, along with the Fanfare papers, some retired Outdoor Denim accessories, Sunny Yellow Bigger Brads, and White Daisy Ribbon.  Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I even got out some of my old shaped scissors that I haven't used in forever - my kids sure like them, though so I just can't get rid of them and I'm glad!  I used those to cut around my yellow month circle.

Thanks for looking!

Terrific Tuesday - Cards or Pages

This week I have a selection of pre-cut cards and scrapbook pages that you can choose from to create.  You will just need to bring scissors and adhesive.  Cost is $1 per card or $1.50 per page.

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If that project is not your style, feel free to bring something else to work on or you can even come just to visit and let the kids play!

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As usual, we will have a potluck lunch so if you will be here during lunch, bring a dish to share.  I am going to be fixing Creamy White Chili - my favorite!

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Date: Tuesday, January 24th

Time: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Place: my house (contact me if you need directions)

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I hope you can join us and feel free to bring a friend.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Here is a small sample of some of the projects I have pre-cut and available to create. 
CARDS
The first is a personal favorite - M&M's are not included.

PAGES

Virtual Garage Sale - NEW items added and updated prices!

I have some crafty goodies for sale - new and used stamp sets, paper packs, accessories, flower hair clips, hats, and more!  Pictures, prices, and shipping info is located with each category below.  E-mail me at jvdevries22@hotmail.com to make an offer or if you have any questions!  I will accept payment through PayPal, or check (will wait for it to clear before shipping), or cash if you are local.  All shipping quotes are for U.S. buyers - if you are out of the states, contact me for shipping options and prices.

NEW stamp sets - shipping included

E sized - $18 (40% off retail price)
D or S sized - $12 (34% off retail price)
CC (double set) - $20 (43% off retail)

B sized - $8 (20% off retail price)

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E1025 - Rock the Block
D1307 - Annotations *retired*
D1377 - Around the Block
D1421 - Cherish the Moment *retired*

D1352 - It's Your Day
S1201 - Little Reminder
CC1014 - Pair-a-Phrase

B1348 - Bowl of Cherries *retired*

USED stamp sets

- shipping included

E sized - $15

D sized - $10

C sized - $8

B sized - $6

E1007 - Homestead Alphabet *retired*

D1409 - Flower Pot

D1347 - Confidential *retired*

D1177 - No Peeking

D1220 - Typewriter Keys *retired*

D1025 - All You Need *retired*

D1204 - Delight in Everything *retired*

D1053 - Kid Power *retired*

D1309 - Heartthrob *retired*

D1003 - Girly Girl *retired*

D1266 - Baby Steps

D1363 - Santa's List

C1041 - Month Blocks *retired*

B1337 - Hello There *retired*

SOLO Alphabet Stamp Sets - shipping included
I *thought* I had a complete alphabet of the Solo Stamp Sets (now retired), but when I pulled them out to prep them for sale I realized I am missing the letter Q.  I either have it and it is stored somewhere else, or I never bought it because I figured I could use the letter 'b' upside down since I don't use a Q very often.  If I find it in my craft room cleaning frenzy, I will update, but for now this is what I am offering.
The following Solo stamps I will sell for $6 each, unless you buy 5 or more and then they are $5 each.  If you would like to buy the entire set of 25 stamps, I will sell it for $120 - shipping included for all options.  Most are gently used but a couple have never been used.

Scrapbook Papers

You pay exact shipping - contact me for shipping quote.  If you would like detailed pics of the papers, patterns, or contents of any of the following packs, contact me at jvdevries22@hotmail.com.

Retired Level 2 Paper Packets include:

10 – 12" × 12" Cardstock (4 sheets neutral, 2 each of 3 colors)

12 – 12" × 12" B&T Duos® (2 each of 6 patterns)

 

Unforgettable Level 2 - $10
Floral Tapestry Level 2 - $10

Everlasting Level 2 - $10

Sweet Home Level 2 - $10
Passages - $10
Free Spirit - $10
More to Adore Level 2 - $10
Fanfare Level 2 - $10 - SOLD
Back Country Level 2 - $10

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Creative Basics packs include 12 – 12" × 12" B&T Duos® papers (6 each of 2 designs) and 4 yards of coordinating ribbon.)

Veranda Creative Basics - $6.50
Cherry-O Creative Basics - $6.50 - SOLD
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Summer Celebration Textured Cardstock Combo - $8 each (I have 4 available) - includes 24 sheets (4 each of 6 colors)
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Everyday Celebration Cardmaking Kit - $30 each (I have 2 available) - includes 4 - 12" × 12" B&T Duos® papers (2 each of 2 designs), 2 Coordinating Cardstock Sheets, 16 cards and envelopes, 1 Everyday Celebration stamp set D1400, 1 Chocolate Mini-Medley Collection, 5' Ribbon, 1 Chocolate Distressing Ink, 1 Dutch Blue Distressing Ink, 50 3-D Foam Squares, 1 Sponge, 1 Instruction Brochure
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Tickled Pink Scrapbooking Kit - $12 - includes 4 - 12" × 12" B&T Duos® papers (2 each of 2 designs), 6 - 12" × 12" Textured Cardstock Sheets, 1 Textured Die-Cut Shapes, 1 Instruction Brochure - does NOT include the I Am stamp set.

Miracle Scrapbooking Kit - $12 each (I have 2 available) - includes 2 - 12" × 12" B&T Duos® papers (1 each of 2 designs), 2 Printed Die-Cut Shapes, 6 Coordinating Cardstock Sheets, 1 Stickease Sheet, 1 - 6"x9" Irresistibles Chipboard Die-Cuts, 1 Colonial White Mini-Medley Collection, 12" Colonial White Waxy Flax, 3 Flip Flaps, 2 Sponges

Other Items - all NIP - shipping is $1 for the first item, and $0.50 for each additional item.

Colonial White Mini-Medley Collection - $4 - includes tags, brads, ribbon, and buttons
Tulip Mini-Medley Collection - $4 - includes buttons, ribbon, brads, and photo clips

Chocolate Re-inker - $3.50
Create-A-Shade Pearl Paint - $2.50

Winter Cozy Brads - $4 - (160 brads in 3 sizes - Blush, Crystal Blue, Petal, Twilight) - SOLD

Spring Harmony Brads - $4 - (160 brads in 3 sizes - Baby Pink, Heavenly Blue, Key Lime, Sunkiss Yellow) - SOLD
Twinkle Brads - $4

Waterbrush - $6

Monthly Calendar - $7

Fancy Cuts Botanicals - $4
Spellbinders Nestabilities (scalloped oval, scalloped circle, star) - $10 each or all three for $25 - PENDING

Cuttlebug Alphabet Dies (Fancy Pants and Typewriter) - $20 each or both for $30
Ribbon Organizer - $8
License Plate Frame - $5
Color Ready Kraft Borders - $5
Mistletoe Stickease - $4
Fanfare Stickease - $4 - SOLD
Cherry-O Stickease - $4
Jingle Stickease - $4
Sonoma Stickease - $7
Festive Memories Card Kit - $10 - PENDING
Merry & Bright Card Kit (2 available) - $10 each
Primavera, Across the Board, All-Out Adventures Rub-Ons - $10 each
Mischief Rub-Ons - $4.50
Newsprint Rub-Ons - $8
Perennials Dimensional Elements - $5
Monogram 'E' Dimensional Elements - $3 (retired style, not new style)
Star Dimensional Elements - $3
Fresh Shapes Dimensional Elements - $5
Simple Number Dimensional Elements - $5
Framed Fun Dimensional Elements - $5
Fiskars Cutting/Scoring Blades  (for use with Fiskars Triple Track Personal Trimmers only) - $4
Not Pictured - Irresistibles Lots of Dots Alphabet Stickers - $4.50

  

Flowers and Hats

Through the months of January and February I will be giving 10% off all Flower Clip and/or Hat orders.  Visit my craft sale blog to see info on prices and sizing.  These are some of the flowers that I currently have, but if you're looking for something specific let me know as I have lots of supplies on hand to make more - lots of colors and varieties and I can even dye and do custom colored flowers.

http://www.jenabeecrafts.blogspot.com/

Genuinely Appreciated

I got to participate in some more challenges this week.  This time I piggy-backed a few different challenges for the following card that will be a thank you card for a new crafty friend.

I started with this week's Color Challenge PLUS over at H2H to use Amethyst and Crystal Blue and glitter.  It's hard to tell in the pics, but I mixed Prisma Glitter with Clear Embossing Powder and heat embossed the Dimensional Element Snowflake.  Then I took my Embossing Pen and traced the words Thank You and embossed them with the powder/glitter mixture as well.  The stamped image was inked in Amethyst and rolled in Crystal Blue.  

I liked last week's challenge (to use a never been used stamp set) so much that I decided to use it again, and I would like to continue using it throughout the year!  I have used some of the other stamps in this set but not this particular one until now.  It's one of the stamp sets that comes in the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Collection so I cut the coordinating tag from my Cricut. 

Then I was looking for inspiration for my card pattern so I turned to Unscripted Sketches and chose their most recent Sketch Challenge #141.

I didn't use any patterned papers on this card, just some of CTMH's retired Textured Cardstock that I sanded, along with an Amethyst spiral clip.  This card features a sneak peek at a new product featured in the upcoming Spring/Summer 2012 Close To My Heart Idea Book.  It's the new Color-Ready Ribbon featured on page 30 - I love that I can make it any color I need!  I used a Sponge Dauber and my Crystal Blue ink pad to color it.  It was still pretty fresh when I took the picture of my card so I'm not sure if it will lighten or not, but I'm excited to play with this ribbon some more!

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I hope you like it - thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day!

UFO No More!

If you saw my last post, I posted this UFO (Un-Finished Object) that I was going to finish on Tuesday...

... and I am happy to report that it's done and I'm so thrilled!  I don't remember how the original idea board looked at Super Saturday (it was over three years ago) as I ended up with 3 extra rectangle pieces - I'm thinking they were supposed to go behind the F, H, and E but I wasn't liking how it was looking, so I chose to do it this way.  I was going to add some flourishes and more embellishments like fibers or buttons or something, but I decided to keep it simple, and I'm glad I did.  Here is the finished project:

I used Apple Barrel Barn Red paint for the board.  For Christmas I got the Calligraphy Cricut Cartridge, and I used that for my big letters.  I was going to cut the names and other words with the Cricut, also, but decided it would be easier to stamp them.  I used the Felicity stamp set on the names and A Typeface stamp set for the assignment stars.  The papers and Stickease I used came from the retired CTMH Heirloom collection.  After I attached everything I used Liquid Glass to go over the Stickease and the large letters - love the dimension and shine that it adds.

I found another project that I haven't shared here yet.  This was one of my Creative Tuesday projects just before Christmas and I made it for a family gift.

I used the Passages paper and some black grosgrain ribbon.  The name is cut using the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, and the date is stamped using the Friendship Small Alphabet.  I attached the Opaques Licorice Gems and the rolled flower (also cut from the Art Philosophy Cartridge) directly to the glass.

Thanks for looking!

Introducing...Terrific Tuesdays!

I haven't been to a "Super Saturday" in a few years, and I miss it. For those of you who don't know what Super Saturday is, it's something we did in our church - we would set aside one Saturday (usually in October or November) and there would be a bunch of projects available - it was always a source of inspiration for homemade Christmas gifts, and a great chance to get them done.  This past November and December I did something similar that I called Creative Tuesdays - it was a great chance to get together and get crafty stuff done with friends, plus it provided me with the motivation to get some gifts done.  This year I want to try something a little different, and going with the Super Saturday name, I'm going to call it Terrific Tuesday!  I am hoping this will help us ALL be more ready with ideas and projects for gifts not just for Christmas, but any occassion all year long.  Every Tuesday anyone is welcome to join me at my house and work on a project - some weeks will have a small, simple, inexpensive project, some will be an 'Open Craft' day, and one week each month I will feature a larger project.  Stay tuned to see what I have planned!  I am also open to suggestions and if there is anything that YOU would like to teach, please let me know - I would really like to get a good variety of projects.

I will officially be starting this week - we will start with a 'UFO' craft day, which stands for Un-Finished Object.  Sue Ellen - I hope you don't mind that I stole your clever name ;-)  If you're like me, you might have a few UFO's around your house. 

Date: Tuesday, January 17th
Time: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Place: My house
Bring: Any project you would like to work on
Lunch: If you will be here during lunch, bring a dish or snack to share and we will have a potluck lunch.

Kids are welcome to come - they can play while we play!  Anybody is welcome to join us so feel free to bring a friend.

Here is a peek at the UFO that I am GOING to finish this week!  I got this at a Super Saturday over 3 years ago a I FINALLY started it today!  That's the only problem I had with Super Saturday, I was usually teaching one or two projects so I had to take the other projects that I signed up for home to finish on my own...which didn't usually happen right away.  Anyway, I can't wait to finish this and share with you.

Thanks for looking!

Nature's Gift

One of my goals this year is to participate in more online challenges.  I have set aside Tuesdays as our crafty day so the kids and I can create together at home and I can get some creative time to myself as well.  This week I participated in the Heart 2 Heart Challenges Blog - the challenge was to use a stamp that hasn't seen ink yet - click here to see the challenge and what the design team created.  I sadly have a few stamp sets that haven't been used yet, but I picked Nature's Gift to play with. 

I used an old favorite, Collage pattern from the Wishes Book. I also used the Wonderland papers, my super cool Ruler, Piercing Tool, and Chocolate Waxy Flax to add the stitches. I used the stamp rolling technique on the focal image and the sentiment as well.  I finished off the image by adding Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel to the flourishes.

Thanks for looking and if you get a chance, go check out Heart 2 Heart, they have fun weekly challenges and are full of inspiration!

December Crafty Projects

Okay, lots of posts lately but I am determined to catch-up so I can move on!  Here are just some quick pics of some of the projects we worked on during the month of December.  Sorry for the poor picture quality but they were all taken with the iPod because I was usually in a hurry to get a pic before sending off the gift ;-)  I will post the rest of our projects once I can share!

This one was fun - I was asked to make a crown for the Boy winner for a local Snowflake Pageant.  I made it out of felt and it's fully adjustable in the back with velcro.  I came up with my own pattern, cut it with pinking sheers and sewed it with contrasting thread.  Here is Trysten trying it on for me.

I made a couple custom glove pom pom puppets.  The picture here is really bad, but this is Old McDonald with his chicken, cow, pig, and sheep.

I already posted the pic of the can Brailee and Trysten took to their preschool teacher, but here are the cans the older girls took to their teachers.  The big tall one was for the ladies in the office so we could fit all three of their gifts inside.

I think this idea was in last month's Family Fun magazine - I love that magazine, it's the only subscription I have and it's well used!  I've always loved the fingerprint creations but never tried them before.  We started with these snowmen using the whole finger - next year I want to do the reindeer, I'm hoping to do a new one each year.  The kids wrote their name and the year on the back.

Along with the Peppermint Oreo Balls, Peanut Butter Balls, cookies and dipped pretzels, I also included these little individual packets of hot chocolate mix layered with Andes Peppermint chips and marshmallows for our goodie plates that we delivered.  The tags were cut using my coluzzle and stamped using the A Sip stamp set.

Remember this Flower Topiary that I made for my MIL?  Well, I got one done for Brianna as well.  The furniture in her room is black so I used the black pearl corsage pins.  I used the retired Breeze cardstock - glad I stocked up on lots of that before it was gone as it's her favorite color plus it matches her walls.  I sponged the edges of the flowers with Pacifica ink to tie in the darker blue from the pot that I picked up on clearance.  These iPod pics really don't do the colors justice - it's much brighter a prettier in person!  Maybe I'll get some better pictures later.

Here is one more project that I started but haven't finished yet.  It features a product from this month's Close To My Heart special, Rock the Block.  If you order just $25 in product, you can get this set for just $15 and it includes an E-sized stamp set!  The blocks will be available in the new Idea Book starting February 1st for $14.95, but the E-size set, exclusive to this special, is a $29.95 value!  It's really a great deal and a fun project!  I can't wait to finish it up and post it all - for now here's a quick peek!  Click here or contact me for more details on this special.

Thanks for looking!

Birthday Girl

Brailee had quite an eventful week - not only was it Christmas and her first ER visit, it was also her 5th Birthday!  I'm so glad she was feeling better in time for her big day.  The day before I took her to get her hair cut and she wanted a feather in her hair.  Here she is as we were leaving the salon.  You can't really see it in the pic but she ended up with yes, a PINK feather - surprise, surprise!

I had wanted to hold a birthday party for her but I was hesitant to invite anybody if I was just going to have to cancel due to her reactions.  On Thursday since she was clear we decided to go for it.  She insisted on having the party ON her birthday so it was really short notice but we gave it a try.  We actually had a pretty good turnout - two of her friends and their families were able to come over from R-ton so that worked out great, so glad they made the trip.

The kids each made their own owl cupcakes - I found the idea HERE but used what we had on hand in place of some of the recommended items.  I didn't have coconut to tint, and I only had hard life savers instead of gummy ones for the eyes, but it worked.  I still had some gummy orangle slices from the Angry Birds party that we cut up for the beaks again.  Gpa T and Gma Shelly gave Brailee an Ice Cream Sandwich maker - we used it to make some Italian Pizzelles (waffle cookies) that worked perfectly for the wings!

Here she is with my sample owl.

Here is Brailee and her owl.

After they had their goodies, the kids played for a while and then we headed to the Dinosaur Museum.  She held hands with this friend almost the entire time.

Trysten got really into it this time.  That is until he remembered the toy/play area that all the kids had found.

That night she opened gifts with the family (I always request no gifts from friends who come to my kids parties so we didn't do gifts then)  Anyway, I was going to make her an apron before Christmas but found this fun set at a great price online so I ordered it instead.  You can tell she loves to help me in the kitchen - she got lots of fun kitchen related items for Christmas and her birthday.  My mom sent her a fun Mom and Me cookbook that she is excited to try.  It arrived on Wednesday and Thursday morning when she woke up she told me she had a dream that we made bread from her new cookbook ;-)

We sang to her so she could blow out some candles since I forgot to do that at her party.

Here Trysten is trying to help again ;-)

Christmas ER Visit

In my 10+ years as a parent I have NEVER taken a kid to the Emergency Room - I've been pretty lucky.  Well, that all changed on Christmas Day.  Here's how it started.

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On Friday night just before bed, Brailee mysteriously got a fat lip and a couple of hives around her mouth.  I gave her some Benadryl and sent her to bed.

Saturday morning she woke up with a few more hives on her torso (the lip was fine, though).  I gave her some more Benadryl.  She flared up again at least one more time later that day so we did more Benadryl before bed again.  Sunday (Christmas Morning) she woke up with a swollen upper lip.  She was thirsty when she woke up so she took a drink of water and immediately threw it up.  We got some crackers and some more water in her and she kept it down this time.  Luckily she felt okay to open presents then after some breakfast we gave her some more Benadryl.

More views of the swollen lip:

She started to get worse so we decided she would stay home from church so it was just me and the two older girls that went.  By the time I left she was covered from head to toe in hives.

I worried about her all through church - I didn't like how it kept getting worse and worse as soon as the Benadryl would wear off.  I felt like I should take her in to the ER but didn't want to be an over-reacting mom, either.  I talked to a couple of friends at church (some with medical backgrounds) and they helped me trust my gut and realize it really was nothing minor.  By the time I got home from church she was clear and feeling better, but as soon as the Benadryl wore off it came back the worst I had seen it yet.  I gave her some more Benadryl and a soda bath to relieve the itching but this is what her back looked like:

We knew it was time to take her in and we couldn't wait any longer, and the ER was our only option.  David gave her a blessing and then he stayed home with the rest of the kids while I took her in.  She was so good at the hospital.  She took her 'Pink Ploodle' that she got for Christmas (it was the only thing she asked Santa for) to keep her company.  She never whined or cried and she let the nurse and doctor do what they needed.  They never discovered exactly what caused the reaction - it may have been something viral or it could have been a food allergy, though she hadn't had anything new lately so we have no idea what it could be.  They recommended she avoid peanuts/peanut butter for a few weeks, but I was really skeptical since she has eaten it almost daily for the last four years.  They gave her a steroid to help with the hives.

Since no stores were open because of the holiday, we had to wait around for them to find some meds for us to take home.  She played with her 'ploodle' and the iPod for a few minutes.

Then she fell asleep.  We finally got some Zyrtec and the steroid and we were good to go.

She was starting to feel better that night after we got home.  She put on a little show for us...

Gpa T and Gma Shelly gave her a smoothie maker for Christmas (yes, a real one - she loves it!) and one of her friends gave her an apron.  She couldn't wait to use them both and make some strawberry smoothies for everyone.

Here is what she looked like the next day - still spotty but no new hives.

Once the Family Practice that we go to opened again on Tuesday, we went in for a follow-up.  They confirmed my thoughts and told me it probably wasn't peanuts/peanut butter since she did eat it so often and never had shown any other signs.  They said maybe after 4 or 5 exposures maybe but not hundreds of exposures.  On Wednesday she had one more flare-up on her hips/thighs but after a quick dose of Benadryl it finally completely went away and all the spots did too and she's been good ever since!  If it happens again then we will end up doing blood work to try to figure out what's causing it.  For now it's still kind of a mystery!

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It was definitely an memorable Christmas but I'm just glad it wasn't any worse.  It was really the best kind of ER trip to break me in, but I don't look forward to ever have to take one of my kids again!