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Author Archives: Jennifer

Some More Father’s Day Cards

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For some reason, I thought last Sunday was Father’s Day and I was rushing around, all concerned since I wasn’t finished with all the Father’s Day cards that I planned to make. It worked out that I was wrong and I got a week reprieve.

This first card is for my father-in-law. I thought he might like this digital image of golf clubs. Apparently, he used to golf fairly regularly. Unfortunately, his me time isn’t in long enough stretches to accommodate a round of golf anymore. Or maybe he doesn’t like golf anymore, although I hope that isn’t the reason. I used Jen del Muro’s current Sketch for You to Try. This week is a sponsored sketch, so I have a chance to win some stamps from Skipping Stones Design. I love how this card turned out and I think I will have to use this sketch again.

Father's Day Card for my Father-in-law

Stamps: TLC Creations Dad’s Golf Bag
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Whisper White, Basic Black
Designer Paper: Stampin’ Up To the Nines
Ink: Dell printer
Accessories: alpha brads
Coloring Tools: Stampin’ Up Basic Black, Sage Shadow, Apricot Appeal; atYou Spica silver; Prismacolor pencils

This second card is for my Dad. My parents are big dog people, so I thought he might enjoy this digital image. I picked up this cute Ragga Mutts “Stanley” image from the Digi Doodle Shop as a freebie during the OWH Memorial Day Weekend Blog Hop. It is no longer a freebie, but you can purchase it here. I used the June card sketch found at Sketches! {by Tamara}. I think this card needs something, but I don’t know what. What do you think? Although, I have to say I am really happy with how Stanley’s coloring turned out.

Father's Day Card for my Dad

Stamps: Digi Doodle Shop Ragga Mutts Stanley; Stampin’ Up All-Year Cheer II (sentiment)
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie
Designer Paper: Stampin’ Up Sweet Pea
Ink: Dell printer; Stampin’ Up Craft White
Accessories: A Muse grosgrain stitch ribbon French Roast
Tools: Prismacolor pencils; Stampin’ Up markers Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie; Cuttlebug embossing folder Star

8 Months Old

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My baby girl is now two-thirds of the way through her first year. We’re having so much fun being her parents.

James and Jessica, 5/31/10

What Jessica is Up To

My sister let us borrow some foam squares to put on the floor. It is working way better than the blanket we were using. However, Jessica knows how to take it apart and likes to chew on it. I’m not sure  that it is a good long term plan. Maybe we’ll eventually decide on a rug we both like.

Tearing Up the Floor, 6/9/10

She loves to play. Our living floor is taken over by baby toys, but that is okay. We recently set out her Talking Garden Activity Table she got for Christmas. It is technically aged for children 12 months up, but you don’t have to use the legs. Jessica loves to push the buttons. She turns it from English to Spanish, on and off. She attempts to crawl over it. It has gotten her up on her knees quite a bit.

Pressing Buttons, 6/8/10

Up on her Knees, 6/14/10

She army crawls all over the place and is getting very fast. She hasn’t starting crawling on hands and knees yet, but it’s just as matter of time, since she has started getting up on her knees a lot more.

Jessica now gets baths in our bath tub. Once she started sitting up really well without slipping too much, we decided she was ready. Now she has lots more room to splash around.

In the Bath, 6/10/10

Jennifer and Jessica, 6/10/10

She does really well in the car, although she doesn’t spend much time in the car. She definitely knows how to keep herself occupied. I wish I was that flexible.

On the Way to Visit Aunt Sarah, 6/4/10

Eating

Jessica now has one tooth and a second one is coming in to the left of the first. We’ve given her puffs and she will hold the puff up to her mouth and gnaw on it with her little tooth. This video shows her puff eating in action. Plus, you can see her first tooth really well.

Homemade foods she’s tried: sweet potatoes, butternut squash, bananas, acorn squash, green beans, sweet peas, peaches, applesauce, eggplant with olive oil. Bananas are her favorite food. She’ll eat them up like there’s no tomorrow. Lima beans or lentils will be the next new food we try.

Getting a Pea Facial, 6/2/10

Purchased baby food she’s tried: rice cereal, oatmeal, Yoplait Greek yogurt, Happy Baby Organic Green Puffs (has whole grains and spinach in it) and Stonyfield YoBaby flavored yogurt. She really digs the yogurts and puffs. I want to try the sweet potato puffs Julia makes or the broccoli bites Sarah makes, but I’m not quite ready for Jessica to have a food with egg in it yet. Soon, though.

Let’s Celebrate

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I really liked last week’s Mojo Monday Sketch #142. I had planned to use it for the Father’s Day card I made for my brother, but the image I wanted to use was a little too big. However, I had already cut the background papers and picked out all the buttons, so I put it aside for a few days, so I could continue working on Father’s Day cards (more to be posted soon). I looked through my stamps and came across this little dog and it was just the right size. The party pup and sentiment allow this card to meet the requirements of Donna’s Den of Crafts Challenge #1 to make a birthday card. It also meets the requirements of the current Stamp Something challenge to make a happy something. I’m really happy with how this card turned out. Now to decide who will receive it.

Mojo Monday Sketch #142

Let's Celebrate Card

Stamps: Stampin’ Up Ruff Day, On Your Birthday (sentiment)
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Whisper White, Basic Gray, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue
Designer Paper: Stampin’ Up Summer Picnic
Ink: Stampin’ Up Basic Gray
Accessories: Stampin’ Up Old Olive 5/8″ satin ribbon; Papertrey Ink Vintage Holiday Mix button; Stampendous Fun Flock cotton ball white
Tools: Quickie glue pen; colored pencils

Weekend in Keller & Jessica’s First Haircut

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Last weekend, James took Friday off from work and we traveled up I-35 to Keller to visit my sister and her family. The main purpose of the trip was so Sarah and I could go to the Great American Scrapbook convention in Arlington, but we did a bunch of fun stuff outside of the convention too.

Friday afternoon, the kiddos had fun playing together.

Jessica and Trevor

Babies don’t quite understand the concept of sharing. Fortunately, there were two of those orange things.

Jessica and Trevor

Cameron Getting a Ride from his Daddy

I even got a rare picture of Jessica and me, courtesy of Sarah. Of course, Jessica isn’t quite looking at the camera. That’s tough to do sometimes.

Jennifer and Jessica

Trevor Smiling

Jessica enjoyed Trevor’s piano walker toy.

Jessica Playing

Here’s a little video of James playing with Cameron and a puppet.

After dinner, we took a walk and stopped at the swings. There was only one baby swing, so Trevor and Jessica had to share. See the cute pictures of the two them Sarah posted on her blog.

Saturday morning, Sarah and I took the kiddos to Homestead Farms. There were three baby goats, a rabbit and some chickens. The farm wasn’t quite what we were expecting, but they had a great produce stand. We got some unusual squash you don’t see at the supermarket and some peaches. Sarah made Trevor and Jessica some peach baby food and Jessica loved it. I thought it tasted pretty good too.

After lunch, Sarah and I left for the scrapbooking convention. We had a ton of fun doing a workshop, wandering the vendor fair and then cropping the night away. It was nice getting to spend some sister time together. I plan to post what I worked on during the crop night soon.

Jennifer at the Crop

Jennifer and Sarah

Sarah Showing Off Her Productivity

While we were at the scrapbooking convention, James and Brian took the kiddos to Brian’s parents’ house to go swimming. It was Jessica’s first time. James said she did okay. The next time, I bet she will enjoy it even more and I will get some pictures.

Sunday morning, Jessica got her first hair cut. Sarah did the cutting and I kept Jessica from moving, well moving too much. James took the photos (I was very impressed with the quantity of photos he took).

Jessica Before Her Haircut

Jessica's First Haircut

Taking a Break during her Haircut

Jessica's First Haircut

Afterward the kiddos played together. Apparently Jessica’s hair cut gave Cameron ideas as he wanted to cut his mama’s hair with his toy pliers.

Cameron, Sarah and Trevor

Trevor and Jessica Playing

We went to lunch at Rosa’s and then headed home. It was such a fun weekend. I’m glad we live close enough to have this kind of weekend.

Some Father’s Day Cards

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Since I sent Mother’s Day cards to my sister and sisters-in-law this year, I thought it only fair that I send Father’s Day cards to my brother and brother-in-law too.

This first card is for my brother-in-law Brian. He is a fan of John Deere. I used OWH Stars & Stamps Sketch Challenge #20 and the OWH Stars & Stamps Mid-week Throwdown to make masculine cards. To qualify for the mid-week throwdown, I made a second of the same card, but changed the sentiment to read “a happy hello.” This second card will be sent to Operation Write Home.

A Father's Day Card for Brian

Stamps: Riley and Company Tractor Riley; Hero Arts CL053 ClearDesign June (sentiment)
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Whisper White, Garden Green, Summer Sun
Designer Paper: Stampin’ Up Paper Prints Certainly Celery
Ink: Stazon Jet Black; Stampin’ Up Garden Green
Markers: Stampin’ Up Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery,  Garden Green, Bashful Blue, Summer Sun, Basic Black
Accessories: Fun Flock Caramel Latte Tan (applied using a Quickie Glue pen)

For my brother Jason, I made this card using his favorite colors of blue and green. This card meets the requirements of All That Scraps Weekly Wednesday Challenge #32 to use buttons and ribbon.

A Father's Day Card for Jason

Stamps: Stampendous Changito Piggyback
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Whisper White, Basic Gray, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue
Designer Paper: Stampin’ Up Summer Picnic
Ink: Stazon Jet Black
Accessories: Stampin’ Up Old Olive 5/8″ satin ribbon; Papertrey Ink Vintage Holiday Mix button; DMC embroidery floss #740; colored pencils