Hedgehog or Porcupine?

These are stick pins I received from a swap I hosted on the SOC (Scraps of Color) .NING network.   This is how I am displaying them.  Poor little guy looks like a porcupine.  Good thing those stick pins are not poisonous quills. OUCH!  Thanks ladies and gent (RJ) all the pins are great. 

Weight Watchers Point Guide Book cover



Achievement stickers



I made this cover for the WW point guide book hoping to motivate me to track my points and record what I eat.  Yeah....uhhhh....it's working...that is if I get credit for making the cover (LOL)


Patterned paper(???)
ribbon from stash (it was on a gift)
Monogram I received for hosting a swap

Tea Cards



You're my cup of tea



You're tea-rific

 Here are some tea themed cards that I give with a jar of  homemade chai tea.

The recipe for the tea is on the inside of the card.

DCWV Card stock
Scallop square punch
Stickers
Fiskars border punch
ribbon from stash

Thanks to my online friends

These are a couple of greeting cards that I received from my online friends recently.  When I first receive cards (RAK's, swap thank you's, gifts)  I have them displayed on my dining room table.  When the kids in my neighborhood stop by that is the first thing they see.  They admire the cards and gifts just like I do.  They are always so amazed when I tell them what states the items came from and that I have never met these ladies or men in person.  The other day a little boy asked me "Miss Tina, why do people who don't know you give you stuff...it must be because you are a good citizen..."  How thoughtful was that!  ( I was just going to say because folks are kind and want to do nice things) I took that as a teaching moment...helping them to realize that their hearts and actions can go far beyond their front yards.  And that they, too were good citizens, friends, and neighbors.

I love how the generosity and thoughtfulness of my online friends has blessed me and brightened my days.  I am so grateful that your kindness reached beyond me to a wonderful bunch of kids.  What a wonderful gift, to be a vessel in the pay it forward journey.  My friend Angie instructs her blog viewers to 'craft it forward'...and that is what we are all doing.  Love it! 

I have not captured it in pictures, but I am sooooooooooo honored and thankful for my online buddies who send me e-mails and leave comments.  I look forward to those words of inspiration, encouragement and affirmation.  In my mind those are gifts too.  I truly appreciate all the various expressions of love. Warm fuzzy!

Low down saggy and soggy and blue...

Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh sang this song.  I may have gotten the words wrong, but that is what I remember and lately I have been feeling that way. Just a blue haze. 

Right now, I am overwhelmed with all that is on my plate (health, finances, relationships, work etc.)   Today I am escaping by doing things around the house.  I am borderline compulsive (lol) so my house is kinda neat, but lived in too.  But I can always ORGANIZE!!!!!  I am reorganizing my craft room. Yes, again!   I am constantly reorganizing.  I think it is a disease.  See, I am one of those strange people that likes to be surrounded by order.  However, there is this other side of me that lets things get messy sometimes.  Then when 'I've had all that I can stand and I can't stands no more' (Popeye)-I reorganize (LOL).  Messiness steals my motivation and organizing the mess takes time away from the creative process.  Having these two things in one body doesn't always work as I have not mastered having balance yet.  There are times when I just spin my wheels and very little gets done.  Then are times when I just breathe and go with the flow.  Thanks to God for not allowing me to stay in this blue funk.

So, no craft project today.  Just...uhhhh...life

In spite of what I feel I am going to praise God in the midst of my crazy circumstances.  After all this is only a light affliction.

II Corinthians 4:17 NIV
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.


This too shall pass...so my make melody in your heart song for today is "SMILE" by Kirk Franklin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_FZ-HIcygI

The Blog Hop winner...

Thanks KATIE! I received your e-mail and your prize is on the way to you. 

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the Hippity Hoppity blog hop sponsored by the altered page.  You can check out Angela of the Altered Page on Mondays and Thursdays at 7:00 pm CST on USTREAM at  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/create-with-the-altered-page
Join the .ning network at http://thealteredpage.ning.com/
or follow her blog at http://theblingtheory.blogspot.com/

The hop may be over, but it is not too late to be inspired by all the wonderful projects that the ladies posted on each blog.  So start at the bling theory blog and have at it!!!  Whooo Hoooo!

Happy Scrapping.

And the winner is...

Wasn't that fun!  Thank you for visiting my blog.  A special thank you to Angela from the Altered Page and the blingtheory blog for facilitating the Hippity Hoppity blog hop.  All of the participants created very inspirational projects.  I just may have found my scrapping  mojo once again. lol

The winner of the giveaway on Joy in the Journey is: Katie.  Congratulations!  Please send your whole name and mailing address to my e-mail so I can mail out your prize. 

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the blog hop.  Come back soon.

The Altered Page Hippity Hoppity Blog Hop

Do you hear what I hear?  Loud lawn mowers, chattering children, scurrying squirrels, and buzzing bees are all just a few signs that SPRING is in the air.  And soon it will be Easter.  What better way to celebrate the melting of the snow and the arrival of Spring than with a "Hippity Hoppity" blog hop.

What a joy to be a part of this particular blog hop.  I have always enjoyed studying history and now I get to be a part of the Altered Page's first blog hop. I wonder if folks will write about the bloggers and hoppers in history books LOL.

The theme for the Blog hop is Easter.  With calendars being so full and scrap "to do" lists growing longer everyday, I decided to do a really simple project.  I made an Easter basket out of one sheet of card stock.



score at 4" and 8" Then fold each corner in half diagonally



Punch holes in each corner.  Decorate the four center squares.  (the top of the square is the outside edge of the paper)





Fold in the four corners and tie a piece of ribbon through the holes.



Fill with colored grass (and don't forget the sweet treats)













And that project went so fast that I decided to make a pop up card.





 

The sentiment says: Knowing you makes my heart happy

Use a 4 1/4'' x 11'' card stock scored at 1/2", 3" 5 1/2", 8" and 10 1/2" Cut a slit on the 5 1/2 line.  Fold on the score lines.  you will see that the card just sort of naturally bends together.  The pop up card is 4 1/2" x 3" After image is stamped round the top edge.  Adhere pop up portion to 1/2 " flap (make sure the image is facing the correct direction when card is folded.  Adhere the two 1/2" flaps together (the pop up portion will be sandwiched between)

Here's another one:

For this blog hop we were instructed to choose one word that depicts what spring means to us. So many words came to mind and it is difficult to choose just one. I think of Spring as a time of renewal, new beginnings, cleansing and redemption. A time when the old things are made new; and those thoughts remind me of the sacrifice that Jesus made for the world to have new life. I thank God that Jesus was hung up for my hang ups; but in addition to the sacrificial death and burial I am grateful for Jesus' RESURRECTION! 

Romans 10:9 KJV That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Now lets have a giveaway!  This is a "FRIENDS" chipboard album that I made.  It is ready to add pictures and journaling.  All you need to do to win this prize is become a follower of this blog and leave a comment on this post by midnight EST.  I will use Random.org to pick a winner.  I will announce the winner in a blog post on Sunday, April 17th.  Remember to check back to see if you won so you can e-mail me your address.   Sorry only residents with a mailing address in the continental U.S. are eligible to win the giveaway. Good luck!

Thank you for visiting my blog.  If you just came from Itzathoughts http://www.itzathoughts.blogspot.com/  then you are in the right place on your journey through the Hippity Hoppity blog hop. 

Now your next Hippity Hoppity blog is:

Dawn Jatharius http://www.dawnscrafts.blogspot.com/

If you just stumbled upon this site you may want to start at the beginning and check out all the blogs in the hop so as not to miss any scrappy goodness, juicy giveaways or to be inspired by these wonderful artists along the way.  The first blog in the hop is Angela Holt http://www.theblingtheory.blogspot.com/   There you can also find all the blogs in the hop just in case you lose your way. 

Thanks again for stopping by and happy hopping!

The Hippity Hoppity Blog Hop

Hey Folks!  Thanks for stopping by to see what is going on.  I hope you have a chance to come back tomorrow, April 16th, for the blog hop. 

Some may be wondering "What the heck is a blog hop?"  Blog hop, also known as blog hopping, is to move from one blog to another to read the entries or to leave comments.  Sounds serious huh? LOL  In scrapworld it is a great way to view various projects, possibly learn new techniques and celebrate other artists.   Also, by doing a blog hop one can discover new blogs, meet new people,  and be inspired.  Oh yeah, and sometimes there are giveaways too. Whooo Hooo!

The Hippity Hoppity Blog Hop is sponsored by the Altered Page (check out the link on the left of this page)
And you guessed it...Hippity Hoppity is the name and the theme is EASTER!

Yall come back, ya hear!

Color challenge

The challenge was to use orange, black, green, purple, yellow.  I was inspired by a KWerner design.
Recipe:
Ribbon from stash
thickers
kraft card stock
recollections candy corn
core'd 'nations paper
patterned paper

ATC

"We Wear the Mask" a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar depicted on this ATC.  How befitting for a true Drama Queen.

Look at me...

For this ATC I made a collage all about me.   Made from magazine, and newspaper clippings.  The bling is stickles and glitter.

Card Sketch books

I was watching a video where the card being made was drawn out in a sketchbook.  How handy is that, I thought.  It is way prettier than my graph paper notebook.  More organized than those slips of paper or post-it notes (not that I use those-I am just saying-LOL).  I looked, and looked online for a template of the insert.  Finally, I found Kristina Werner's blog.  Each page has several blocks/squares which represent cards.  I want to make a sketch book for 12 x 12 pages as well.  The template I used for the card sketch books was so graciously shared by Kristina (thanks, you rock!) and the link is http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/wp-content2/uploads/2009/09/create-book-pages.pdf

Stick pins

I recently hosted a stick pin swap on the SOC(Scraps of Color) .ning site. The theme was Spring, but we could do anything goes.  I used a happy face silver bead, dragonfly button and a heart topped pin.   

So, I am in the thrift store looking for deals and inspiration.  My online buddy, Sharon, has already planted the idea of using a doll to package the pins (She is a part of this swap too).  I was thinking find four little dolls as a prize for the group that mailed their pins first. I had looked at some cool pin cushions, but they were too costly for my budget.  Then I see this sign above the stuffed animal bin: "1 bag for $1.00-See store associate for bag."  I think hmmmmm...I can afford to get one for all 20 of the swap participants.  I picked out 20 and then asked the store associate for a bag.  At first he told me that the stuffed animals were sold individually.  After I asked him to check and make sure, he came back with this recycle size garbage bag.  I was like wow...are you sure this is the right bag?  He insisted that it was the correct one.  So, I kept digging and looking and getting ideas for the kids in my neighborhood, prizes for outdoor games etc.  I mean, I couldn't let a whole bag go unfilled (lol)  Finally, I thought there was no way I needed that many stuffed animals.  Well, I have my 20+ mini stuffed animals (most of them beanie babies).  And people are starting to buzz around a once deserted table.  I tell others about the great deal and they all ask for bags too.  Just as I was walking away, another associate came towards me yelling "Miss!  Miss!   That is the wrong bag."  I disappointingly turned around and asked for the correct bag.  When she brought it out I was expecting some terribly miniature bag, that wouldn't fit four beanie babies let alone the 40 or so I had picked out.  To my surprise, thankfully all of my selection still fit in the bag with a little room to spare.  Whoo hooo!

I packaged the pins in these mini stuffed animals.  That way all the swappers would have a pin cushion of sorts.  This was a fun swap to host..

Altered Clipboards

These thank you gifts were for some aspiring writers in my circle.  I recently had a small gathering (a writing pass-it-on party) for adults.   I was so wowed by the excerpts that the attendees shared.  I expect to be reading books by each of them in the near future.   So many times day to day responsibilities prevent us from being artistic and creative.  I wanted to encourage them in their craft.  In an effort to keep the creative juices flowing, we wannabe writers are going to get together regularly.  The words say Create, Inspire, and Imagine.  The note pads are monogrammed.

Recipe:

Mini clip boards

Mulberry paper

Mod Podge

Crackle Paint

Weathered Wood ink (TH)

Acrylic paint

Glimmer Spray

Ribbon and fibers from stash

Shaker card

My friend and I were scrapping together and she made a baby shower invite using a shaker box.  My take on the idea was to make a card to go with one of my baby shower diaper cakes.  This was fun.  I found it kind of difficult to use the fiskars circle cutter.  Now I recreate this card using the MS (Martha Stewart) circle cutter.  What a difference.  My girlfriend still uses the fiskars circle cutter to make her baby rattle shaker box invitations--she says I am probably tool challenged.  (LOL)

Baby Saftey pin confetti

DCWV Cardstock

Argyle card base(from Offray grab bag)

Cuttin Up Cricut Cartridge

ribbon from stash

Dimensional stamping

I was playing around with inchies.  Well not real inchies, but really little stamps.  In my book they count as inchies too (LOL)  I do not think I have the patience for these mosaics.  The flower was done  with two different stamps from one stamp set- a background and then I think the other one is called an outline.  I like the affect of dimensional stamping.  The bumblebee was a CTMH hostess gift.
Recipe:
CTMH stamps
CTMH inks
ribbon from stash
TH black soot, and mustard seed embossing powder

You're never too young...

...to pay it forward.  My girlfriend was visiting with her two sons.  I was poised to give out food that day so she and I had the boys to help.  In fact, they did a great deal of the work.  The were very eager as they  helped to separate, bag and load up food.  This was a small giveaway, only two bags per family.  It was still hard to steer the rolling cart full of groceries, but this little guy insisted that he could and wanted to push the cart.  

 

The brothers worked together and shared the tasks. 

The younger brother ran ahead so he could knock on the door of each house.   

When the people didn't come to the door right away he said "Do you think we should answer the doorbell?" So sweet, we all knew he meant 'ring' the doorbell.

The children were a delight to watch as they greeted the people and gave them the bags of groceries.  It is so easy to wear the tee shirt that says "WWJD", but it is great to take action showing kindness and love to others.  These little boys proved that you are never too young to learn to share and give.
 
My heart and mind are full of so many passages of scripture about selflessness, giving, sharing and the poor, but Proverbs 22:6 KJV encompasses all those messages:  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.