Monday, December 31, 2012

Digi Galore Challenges: Something New With Floppy Latte



Happy new year!  I can't believe 2012 has come and gone.  I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to 2013 and the many goals I have set to achieve!

Our first challenge of the year over at Digi Galore Challenges is "Something New", and our sponsor is Floppy Latte Designs.  I chose to work with this gorgeous silhouette fairy image.  I have to say that I loved that I didn't have to color anything!  That certainly helps to make the card come together quickly.

You can't tell in this picture, but I added some Stickles to the stars in the image.  I just had to embellish it a little.  I added some pink gem stones and some gorgeous cherry blossoms.


Here is a close-up of the pretty flowers.  I added Stickles to the edges to add some sparkle to the card.


The sentiment is from Ginger's House.  I thought this saying went perfectly with our theme and with the image.  I added some Stickles around the sentiment to add some sparkle.  Overall, I wanted to add shimmer to the card to give it a sort of magical fairy feel, matching the digital image.

Well, that's it for my first post of 2013.  One of my goals is to create a LOT more this year, so you will be seeing a lot more posts!  Thanks for stopping by.  I wish each of you a very happy and prosperous new year!

Entering into the following challenges:

Kaboodle Doodle Challenges:  Anything Goes
Charisma Cardz Challenges:  Anything Goes




Friday, December 28, 2012

Corinne's Surprise Birthday Blog Hop!


It's December 29th, and the Simply Betty gang is surprising Admin Corinne with a blog hop.  Betty provided us with this awesome digi image she drew of Corinne for us to use on our projects.

Corinne has been quite vocal about her dislike for LEAVES, so I searched through my paper to see if I could find anything that would fit the bill.  This paper is the closest I could get.  I think it's pretty!  It's from the My Mind's Eye All Spice paper pad.

I colored the image with Copics and then added some flourish bling.  The sentiment is from a Unity set, and I thought it went perfect with this sassy image of Corinne.  I hope she likes it!

In closing, I have to say that Corinne must be an AMAZING woman because AMAZING women are born on December 29th.  How do I know?  Because today is also MY birthday!  WOO HOO!  My hubby is off tonight, and he is taking me to dinner.  Looking forward to it, especially dessert!  HEE HEE

Now, please hop on over to Tanya's blog next to take a look at her project.  Thanks for stopping by!

Entering this card into the following challenges:
Aud Sentiments: anything with a sentiment
Charisma Cards: Anything Goes
Little Miss Muffet Challenges: Anything Goes



Monday, December 24, 2012

In Memory Of The Newtown Victims


Many of you are well aware of the tragic event that occurred less than two weeks ago in Newtown, CT.  My heart goes out to the families of the innocent victims, and I pray that the Lord brings them healing in their time of sorrow.  In memory of the lives lost that tragic day, I have made a card with a digi so graciously provided by Betty of Simply Betty Stamps.

Betty drew this beautiful angel and has offered it to anyone wanting to make a card (or cards) to be sent to Sandy Hook Elementary.  All you need to do is join the Simply Betty Group on Facebook.  She occasionally gives out freebies, and the gals there are really great.  So, be sure to check it out.

I decided to go with a simple card using a white-on-white color scheme.  The white background cardstock was embossed with a Swiss Dots embossing folder. The angel was colored with Copics and her wings Stickled to add sparkle.


I wanted the angel to look even more heavenly, so I decided to add clouds.  I used a cloud template that I've had for many years.  It's definitely one of the handiest tools I have.  I used it to sponge the clouds onto the background with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink.  I first made sure to print a duplicate image of the angel and then cut it out to use as a mask before sponging.  This protected the main image from being sponged while adding the clouds.  

I then finished off the card with a simple white ribbon bow.  I really love this image and will definitely be using it again in the future, not just for sympathy cards but also for cards with scripture quotes as well.

Thank you for stopping by.  If you feel so inclined, please take a moment to say a prayer for those affected by the Newtown incident.  I appreciate all of you who take the time to stop by my blog.  I wish you all a safe and merry Christmas filled with love, peace, and joy.  Aloha!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Christmas Card Swap Blog Hop



Welcome to the Christmas Card Swap Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from Sandra's blog.  




The best way to brighten a person's day is to send them a card, and the holidays give everyone the perfect excuse to do that. When you add talent to the mix, you have the perfect hand-made holiday card to brighten anyone's day.

That brings us to today's hop. We have gathered some of the most talented card makers around to bring holiday joy to each other while showing off their talents.

Today, some of these wonderful ladies will be showing off the cards they made. We hope you have fun hopping and hope you get inspired to send out cards if you haven't already!

If you've just joined the hop, please hop on over to Lorby's World where you can find all the details on the blog hop candy.

Now, on to my project:




For me, the key to making multiple cards is sticking with a fairly simple design and an image that is easy to work with.  In this case, I turned to a pre-colored digi from The Paper Shelter.  That's right -- PRE-COLORED!!!  All I had to was print and then cut out with my Nesties.  I used a snowflake embossing folder and some cute striped paper from Doodlebug.  The "jingle" sentiment is a stamp from the Perfect Ending stamp set by Stampin' Up!  How cute is that?!  

Thank you for hopping today and please continue on to Shawnee's blog and check out her beautiful card! Below is the complete blog hop lineup in case you get lost along the way.

  1. Jearise ~ http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com
  2. Melissa Pinter ~ http://pinkpolkadotscrapping.blogspot.com
  3. Shelly Lynn ~  http://kccroppers.blogspot.com
  4. Sandra Merritt ~ http://merritt-vergaray-connection.blogspot.com/ 
  5. Dena Jones ~ http://missdjones.blogspot.com/
  6. Shawnee ~ http://quiverofangels.blogspot.com
  7. Beth ~ http://motherdaughterdesigns.blogspot.com
  8. Tonya ~ http://www.creativeaddictiontopaper.blogspot.com/
  9. Ashley W ~ http://marinewifesscrappinlife.blogspot.com
  10. Dana T ~ http://danascraftycorner.blogspot.com
  11. Sharon ~ http://simplysweetbysharon.blogspot.com/

Friday, December 7, 2012

Warm And Cozy Winter Blog Hop


It's another blog hop!  Today, it's the Warm And Cozy Winter Blog Hop hosted by Lisa at Honeybearz Designs.  You should have arrived here from her blog.  If not, you'll want to be sure to start there to get all the details on today's hop, including the blog candy.

I love gift bags and always have a stash on hand.  The plain Kraft ones are always handy to have so you can decorate them according to the occasion.  That's exactly what I did for a cocoa gift set.  It's a super cute mug and two packets of Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa.  YUM!



A while back, I cut a bunch of Gingerbread men from a Sizzix die and embellished them for a swap.  I made extras to have on hand, and it sure helped to make this project go quickly.  I started by matting some cute patterned paper by Doodlebug.  I then glued to a plain Kraft gift bag.

Next, I added the gingerbread man using dimensional foam stickers.  My teenager wanted the words "for you" on the front of the bag, so I took white alpha stickers by American Crafts, stuck them on brown cardstock, and then fussy cut each letter before gluing to the bag.



Sheer red ribbon, Christmas twine, and some red jingle bells hot glued to the bow were the finishing touch.  I love pretty packaging, and I hope the recipient of this cocoa set loves it, too!

Thanks for stopping by.  Please hop on over to Ashley's blog next to check out her cute project!  Below is the complete lineup in case you lose your way:



Dena ~ http://missdjones.blogspot.com/  (YOU ARE HERE)


Thursday, December 6, 2012

Cookies Make Everything Better Blog Hop


I'm in another blog hop today called Cookies Make Everything Better hosted yet again by the amazingly talented Lisa over at Honeybearz Designs.  You should have arrived here from Haidee's blog.  If you are just joining us, you will definitely want to start at the beginning so you don't miss any of the projects created by the talented designers in today's hop.  Lisa's blog is also where you will find details on the blog hop candy and eligibility rules.

Now, on to my project:

 (click on pic to enlarge and read journaling)

It's been a while since I've done a digital layout, and I've forgotten how much I love the ease of digi scrapping!  I found a super cute digi kit over at  The Shabby Shoppe.  All of the digi paper and elements used in this layout are from the Superplum Dreams digi kit and add-on.  I just love the yummy colors and elements.  This is a pretty simple layout considering all of the elements that come in the kit.  There are soooo many cute items to choose from.  I really wanted to use everything, but that just wouldn't have looked right.  LOL

Since this hop is about cookies, I decided to do a layout about one of my favorite cookies to make:  Rolo Cookies.  You can click on the picture to read the journaling and get the recipe.  It's an easy-peasy one!

Thanks for looking!  Be sure to hop on over to Diana's blog next.  Below is the complete blog hop lineup in case you lose your way:

Lisa ~ http://honeybearzdesigns2011.blogspot.com/

Ashley - http://thebloghopprincess.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

12 Days Of Christmas Blog Hop


Today, I am a guest designer for Lisa's 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop.  This hop started on November 24th and today is the last day!  There has been a blog hop each day with many talented crafters participating.  If you haven't already, you may want to go back and visit some of the hops for some Christmas crafting inspiration.  For more information, please visit Lisa's blog.


I created a Christmas card using an adorable digi from Tiddly Inks.  I have a few favorite digital stamp companies, and Tiddly Inks is definitely one of them.  I especially love this cute little gal named Wrynn.  She is so adorable and easy to color!  


I colored Wrynn and her snow friend with Copic markers.  In the last card I posted HERE, I used Flower Soft in Polar White to add dimension to the jacket collar and trim.  On this card, I decided to use some white Fun Flock.  I'm on a mission to use stuff that's been sitting in my stash unloved for far too long, and my jar of Fun Flock was definitely needing some attention.  LOL


The sentiment is also from Tiddly Inks.  I love the playful font!  After printing, I used my oval and scallop oval punches to cut out the sentiment and matte.  I used some 3-D foam squares to add dimension.  The card was finished off with red ribbon, twine, and a sticker that I've had in my stash.

Thanks for looking and be sure to check out the rest of the stops on this hop!  Below is the complete list of the guest designers and participants:

Guess Designers:



Blog Hop Lineup:



Friday, November 30, 2012

Digi Galore Challenges: Anything Goes


Can you believe it's already December?  Where has the time gone?  YIKES!  Well, it's the first of the month and time for a new challenge over at Digi Galore Challenges.  This time, we are sponsored by the awesome Kenny K. Downloads, and the theme is:  Anything Goes.

I had the pleasure of working with Movie Star.  I decided to have some fun with her hair and use two colors.  My teenager went through a phase where she was dying some of her hair in bright, funky colors like pink and turquoise, and that is what inspired me when inking up this gal's hair.

It might be a little hard to see in the pics, but I also added some sparkle to her eyes and lips.  I love adding little touches like that.  Sometimes, little touches add a lot to a card!  I also took some Flower Soft and added it to her collar and cuffs for a fun effect.  The patterned paper is from the Amy Tan Sketchbook 6 x 6 paper pad.  The papers are just so bright and fun!  And, what's a movie star without some bling and glittery stars, right?




The turquoise cardstock is Bazzill Bling.  I used a brick wall embossing folder, and I must say that I love the look!  I've actually had the embossing folder for a while but just haven't used it.  I know a lot of us crafters have supplies that just sit in our craft rooms unused.  I've decided that I'm going to make a real effort to actually MAKE USE of my stuff!  So, on this card, I have used several things that have been sitting in my stash for far too long! What's the point in buying stuff if I don't use them, right?  Overall, I love how this card turned out.

Thanks for stopping by.  Don't forget to check out the latest challenge over at Digi Galore Challenges!



Saturday, November 24, 2012

Lollipop Crafts Challenge: We're Thankful


Hello, Bloggers!  Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We had a nice, quiet Turkey Day luncheon at our home.  As usual, I ate way too much.  I sure did enjoy every bite, though! 

I'm a little late with this posting (OOPS!), but you still have time to enter the current challenge over at Lollipop Crafts: We're Thankful.  The challenge runs through the month of November.

Recently, a friend of mine RAK'ed this super cute Latte Anya stamp to me!  I was so surprised and excited! I'm a coffee gal for sure.  I have a cup every day.  Before we bought our Keurig last year, I made a daily stop at Starbuck's for an Americano.  When we were dating, my hubby would surprise me at work with Starbuck's.  I think he just wanted an excuse to come and see me.  TEE HEE  It was very sweet!

Well, I just had to use Latte Anya right away.  I knew I wanted to go with brown paper and include some pink and green.  I had the perfect 6 x 6 paper pad by Simple Stories.  It's their Baby Steps line.  I'm sure you never would have guessed that this paper was from a baby line, huh?  LOL

I wanted her hat to have a pattern to it, so I paper pieced her hat using paper from the same line.  The button was also paper pieced.  Ribbon was from my stash.

Thanks for looking!  See you in a few days with another project!




Friday, November 2, 2012

Simply Betty's Blog Hop Nov. 2nd (Caramel Apple Inspired Card)



***  I have three posts today.
If you are looking for the All Girls Are Princess Blog Hop, please CLICK HERE.
If you are looking for the Digi Galore Challenge post, please CLICK HERE.


Welcome to the Simply Betty Fans Blog Hop!  You should have arrived here from Anita's blog.  If you are just joining the hop and wish to start from the beginning, please hop on over to The Simply Betty Blog.

I discovered Simply Betty Stamps over a year ago when I was searching for a Jack Skellington digi to create a card for my oldest daughter.  Jack is her absolute favorite character.  In fact, she has an adult-sized Jack Skellington doll in her room.  Since then, Betty's stamps have become one of my faves to work with.

Recently, she released The Betty Villains, and OH MY! I just had to have the entire set!  I was hoping to enter one of the recent Halloween challenges over at the Simply Challenged Challenges blog with one of the images, but with everything going on at home, I wasn't able to complete it on time!  So, I decided to finish it up and use it for this hop.

The challenge was the Sweet Treats challenge with a choice of using candy corn or caramel apples as your inspiration.  I decided to go with caramel apples.

I used brown and green for my color scheme.  I went with Betty Sea Witch simply because I was dying to color her.  I know she doesn't really "go" with the sentiment, but like I said, I just HAD to color her!  I used bright green Copics as well as browns that I thought resembled a caramel brown.

The sentiment I used was actually the sentiment meant for the Evil Queen (Snow White) digi, but because this was a caramel-apple-inspired card, I decided to use it on this card.  I had some Halloween paper in my stash that was bright apple green and covered with eyeballs.  LOL  I used an apple embossing folder on some brown cardstock, added bright green ribbon and twine, and also added an apple charm to complete my card.

I really had a lot of fun coloring Betty Sea Witch even though it took me about six tries before I was satisfied!

Thanks for stopping by!  Please hop on over to Veronica's blog next!

Below is the complete lineup in case you get lost along the way:

11. Dena http://missdjones.blogspot.com (YOU ARE HERE)
12.Veronica www.artbyveronica.blogspot.com (GO HERE NEXT)

Digi Galore Thanksgiving Challenge


*** I have three posts today!
If you are looking for the All Girls Are Princesses Blog Hop, CLICK HERE
If you are looking for the Simply Betty Blog Hop, CLICK HERE

It's November!  I can't believe there are only two months left in the year.  BOO HOO!  The year is flying by, but as sad as I am that it's coming to an end, I am still excited because I love the holidays!

The big holiday this month is Thanksgiving, and that happens to be the theme of  our latest challenge over at Digi Galore.  This challenge is sponsored by The Stamping Boutique.

I inked this cute digi with Copics.  For the paper, ribbon, and twine, I made sure to stick with fall colors.  I finished the card with the perfect charm:  a cornucopia!

Thanks for stopping by!  Please be sure to enter your Thanksgiving-themed project in our challenge over at Digi Galore!

Entering into the following challenges:


Thursday, November 1, 2012

All Girls Are Princesses Blog Hop Nov. 2nd






** I have three posts today!
If you are looking for the Simply Betty Blog Hop, CLICK HERE
If you are looking for the Digi Galore Challenge post, CLICK HERE

Hello and welcome to the All girls Are Princesses Blog Hop. You should have arrived here from Nataliya's blog.  If you are just joining the hop and wish to start from the beginning, please hop on over to Gill's blog.

We have TWO sponsors for this hop.  The first sponsor is CDee Designs.  The winner will be awarded 3 digi images!

Our second sponsor is Crafty Card Gallery.  The winner will receive one free digital edition of Creations by Crafty Card Gallery, a card making magazine with techniques and opportunities to learn new things in addition to card images.   

Details on how to become eligible for one of the prizes are on Gill's blog.

Now, on to my project :



I love The Saturated Canary's images and have acquired a small collection.  I have so many favorites, and so many of them are fit for a princess-themed card.  It was difficult to choose one.  I finally settled on Rose Red because she reminded me of a sweet, innocent princess out in the woods, enjoying nature.  I love her full skirt.  My oldest "princess", who is now 16, still has a great love for full poufy skirts that go SWISH! when she spins around.  When I saw Rose Red's outfit, I immediately thought of my daughter, and that confirmed that Rose Red was the perfect choice!

I colored Rose Red with Copics.  Since we are going with a princess theme, I just had to go with PINK!  I added sparkle to her dress with pink Stickles.  After all, a princess has got to have some sparkle, right?  Here are some close ups of the details.



I also added tulle, sheer ribbon, a rhinestone gem, and flowers.

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed my project.  Please hop on over to Anita's blog next.

Below is the complete lineup in case you get lost along the way:


Dena http://missdjones.blogspot.com/ (YOU ARE HERE)
Anita - http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com (GO HERE NEXT)

*** Entering this card into the following:

Aud Sentiments Challenge: Storybook Theme
Unique Crafts Challenge: Sugar and Spice
Charisma Cards: 2 backing papers, 3 embellishments/flowers, 1 stamped image, sentiment


Friday, October 26, 2012

UnBOOlievable Blog Hop Oct. 27th







Hello, everyone!  Welcome to the UnBOOlievable Blog Hop hosted by Lisa of Honey Bearz Designs.  Lisa is giving away some awesome Halloween blog candy, so be sure to leave a comment with your contact address at all the stops for a chance to win!  I'm the second stop on this hop, so you should have arrived here directly from Lisa's blog.  The full blog hop lineup is listed at the bottom of this post.

For my project, I created a cute Halloween card for my little cousin.  The image is from Tiddlyinks.  I colored her up with Copics and then fussycut her.  The patterned papers are all from Echo Park's Chillingsworth Manor collection.  They have been inked with Black Soot distress ink.  I added a Cheery Lynn spiderweb diecut and a Jenni Bowlin Bingo card.  I just love the JB Bingo cards and the spiderweb die. They make me want to create more Halloween cards just so I can have an excuse to use them again!  LOL!  Here is a closeup of this cute little batgirl.  I love to add little touches to my colored images.



Please hop on over to Ashley's blog next to check out her spooky creation!  Below is the complete lineup in case you get lost along the way.  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a safe and fun Halloween!

1. Lisa ~ http://honeybearzdesigns2011.blogspot.com/ 

2. Dena ~ http://missdjones.blogspot.com/ 


** I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Splendiferous Creations: witches and goblins
One Stitch At A Time: Use A Digi
Totally Papercrafts: Spooky Halloween
ATC's With Attitude: Halloween/Anything Goes
Stamptacular Sunday: Anything Goes
Crafts 4 Eternity: Ghouls, Ghosts, and Goblins

Altered Journal Blog Hop Oct. 26th



Welcome to our Altered Journal Blog Hop! If you arrived here from Robin's blog, you are on the right track! If you happened to stumble upon this hop, you can begin hopping at our host, Melissa's blog.

Our sponsor for this hop is :


She is donating two Cuttlebug embossing folders and ten Colorbok embellishments! You must comment on everyone's blog for a chance to win.

Now, on to my project :



I altered a composition book for my teenager. All the papers and elements -- with the exception of the purple ribbon -- are all from Echo Park's Chillingsworth Manor collection. My daughter selected the papers and elements she wanted me to use. I did the rest. This is actually a pretty quick project to throw together!

This composition book has unlined pages, and my teenager plans to use it to record sketches and ideas.  I asked her what she would write on the first page or what she thinks she might sketch first. Spoken like a true teenager, she looked at me, shrugged, and said, "I don't know". LOL The main thing is that she's happy with it. I'm sure it will be put to great use.

Your next stop is Maria's blog. Here is the lineup just in case you get lost along the way!


  1. Melissa -http://pinkpolkadotscrapping.blogspot.com
  2. Ashley W - http://marinewifesscrappinlife.blogspot.com
  3. Jenn J - http://scraphappensembellishit.blogspot.com/
  4. Robin C - http://cutonedesignsbyrobin.blogspot.com/
  5. Connie - http://conniecancrop.blogspot.com
  6. Robin S. - http://scrapandchat.blogspot.com/
  7. Dena - http://missdjones.blogspot.com/
  8. Maria Matter - http://JoyfulStamper.blogspot.com
  9. Lucy ~ http://love2createitall.com
  10. Sandra ~ http://merritt-vergaray-connection.blogspot.com/ 
  11. Rachelle~http://creationsbyrachelle.blogspot.com
  12. Sharon ~ http://faithhopecherrytea.blogspot.com 
  13. Shawnee ~http://quiverofangels.blogspot.com
  14. Pam L. ~ http://mzlavr2.blogspot.com/
  15. Suzanne - http://www.zannieberry.blogspot.com
  16. Cathie~ -http://cathiescafe-scraphappy.blogspot.com/