the results are in ...

Today I went to the school to see the halloween parade in the gym. Asha was totally cute in her little "princess witch" costume and Carter was a blue "ninja".
They announced the winners of the Pumpkin Decorating contest: Carter received a prize for 3rd place; and Asha got a 2nd place prize. Yeah!!!!! They were really excited & so were their mom & dad. I never did see the winning pumpkin -- apparently it was a little porcupine & her baby(ies) created by a fellow Kindergarten child??? Wish I could have seen it.
Anyway....that's all I have for today. Tomorrow we veg until the evening events of treating (no tricking). Did I ever mention the story about the Halloween night when one of our sheep got spray-painted green. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the barn that night. A few neighbours decided to play a little trick on us; stack some bales on the lane, move some machinery, spray-paint a sheep. All in a night's work {lol}.
Ron mentioned we might tackle our kitchen backsplash tomorrow -- yikes!!!! Now, that's alittle over-the-top for a Saturday, don'tcha think?!? Better rest up.
later {from the farm},
j.

any guesses...

...as to how many little packages of blue jello will fill a large pumpkin? Only I would ask such a question {lol}.
Well, we found out. We made 6 packs and didn't even come close to filling Asha's pumpkin to the top. So, we sawed off the top and created fabulous "Pumpkin Beach". Some cardboard sand, a few shells, a plastic turtle & a starfish in the jello, felt little towels & some Polly Pockets in bikinis -- you got yourself an entry for the Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest at school.

We had so much fun!!!

happy carving to you {from the farm},

j.

altered pumpkin

The kids' school is holding its Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest. This what Carter (age 8) came up with. Talk about your Geography enthusiast!!! The title is "The Pumpkin of Places". Very suiting, isn't it?
He will bring it to school tomorrow for the judging that happens on Thursday.


I will share Asha's creation on Wednesday -- we have to finish tonight. I'll leave you with a hint though:

It involves blue jello & bikinis.

Interesting for a 5 year old?!?

in my element {from the farm},
j.

Hard choice

Daria's school photos didn't quite turn out the way she imagined, so yesterday after school we ventured off around our farm to take a few photos. This is what we came up with.

Couldn't decide on ONE favourite so, of course, I had to post a few.

Now she has to decide her favourites and we'll print them out for her friends.

Comment on your favourite so you can help her decide.

I am a mom to a beautiful girl .

{from the farm},

j.

weird things happy in October

So....last week I thought I would get all prepared with some draft posts so that I could just simply post them for you from day to day. Well.......they ARE posted -- they are just not posting in the place I want them.
Lesson learned? Don't be too prepared!!!!!
Scroll down alittle .......






............. to see all the details on the cards I created last week.
sorry, folks.
hope you find them.
later {from the farm},
j.

Going Horizontal

Here's the 6x12" layouts that i just finished creating. loving this size. because i print almost everything in 4x6" size, this is a fantastic size for me. :) i created these layouts in a morning -- seriously {lol}. they are such a great size to make a whole album out of. i may create my own using my Zutter Bind-It-All and some 6x12 page protectors.

this one was totally created using scraps from my desk. love that!!!!

love this transparent one. so many possibilites.love the Hambly paper here. and i just purchased the jenni bowlin bingo cards at this store. i splurged the other day and picked up some great finds for the crop i'm attending in November.

hey......three layouts created with every one of my kids on them. yeah!!!! that doesn't happen often.

all for now {from the farm},

j.

She practically darned me.

so, i was chatting with my great friend, Leica the other day on the phone (or maybe i read her comment on my blog)......totally forget, but it doesn't matter. anyway, she was commenting on me finally scrappin' some 6x12" vertical layouts. she had seen this post the day before on my blog. She made some comment about if i had tried some horizontal and i had a light-bulb moment. "NOoooooo, but i'm gonna". thanks, Leica.

so, here's some little sneak peeks at some horizontal 6x12 layouts that are laying on my desk, waiting to be blogged. can't wait to share 'em with you, Leica!!!! love ya'!!!!

'til then {from the farm},

j.

your turn

Hope you have been trying some cards of your own this week. Here are the last two cards for now:

Card #5: forever

This wedding card is created using an incredible background stamp & black StazOn ink. I stamped the image over light blue & tan Alcohol Inks. A silver Krylon pen frames the whole image. I then adhered the image to the front of a salmon-coloured cardstock card (I made the card myself -- not pre-purchased). Using a fabulous vinyl rub-on from this ingenius company, I rubbed the butterfly onto the front of the card, butting it right up to the edge of the card. I added a violet flower, which I first stamped with a multiple word stamp using black StazOn ink. For the finishing touch, I pop-dotted a MM Signage embellishment to the center of the flower; "forever". I would be happy to give out this wedding card to a friend or relative.

Card #6: baby

The Alcohol Ink colours used and the stamped image on this card are my fave!!!!! They turned out exactly how they are supposed to -- thanks to all the tips & tricks from the "Queen-of-Stamping", Heather. I know it's hard to see from the photo, but I stamped the word "baby" with CTMH White Daisy ink using those cute little letter stamps from ki memories. just discovered them again in my stash and love them!!! :) The puffy sticker of the little slug in the corner is from atd: a division of Momenta. Found them in the aisles at Walmart -- am I supposed to tell y'all that??!? Anyway, love the dimension & whimsey they give to projects. And that's my baby card. Not the conventional type of baby card; but one with a jill-twist.

Thanks for tuning in to read all about these cards.

Now it's your turn to create.

happiness {from the farm},

j.

More Cards

Card #3: Happy Birthday

For this card, I used blue & yellow Alcohol Ink colours. It's very bad that I don't have the exact colour names on me but, like I said yesterday, I borrowed them from Heather and I gave them back already. ooops!! Anyway, the two stamps I used are a very cool written background stamp (in blue StazOn) and a pretty tree and bird stamp over top (in black StazOn). I actually covered up the bird part of the stamp with the raised foam & felt embellishment because the image kind-of smeared when I stamped it. ooops, again!!!! But, like I stand by, "Mistakes make for Creative Possibilities". I stamped the "happy" part of the title with ki memories letter stamps & CTMH Breeze ink. I then hand-wrote the "birthday" part with a black journaling marker.

Almost forgot: I used my Marvy Paper Trimmer {the scalloped edge} to give some funk to the top edges of all the cards.

Card #4: Thankful

This card is one of my favourites for two reasons: 1. the stamped image worked out really well; 2. this pretty new butterfly that I found in the fabric department at Walmart.

Alcohol Inks used are in the green & tan hues. The stamped image is framed in gold Krylon pen. I added some ribbon trim to the side of the card. One of the ribbons is actually backwards because it was a little over-powering for the image. I created a loop with the ribbon at the top of the card and stapled the edge over. I then added another little piece of ribbon with some colour to the side as well. Nothing Rocket-Science; just some ribbon that was laying on my desk. I love the little butterfly that adds some dimension to this card. Butterflies are so "in" right now. A nice, quick "Thank You" card.

Tune in tomorrow for the last 2 cards.

smiles {from the farm},

j.

Celebrating with Cards

So, I promised you some more details about those Alcohol Inked cards that I created last week.

Card #1: Hello



This card was created using the light shades in the Alcohol Ink collection. I actually do not own them; my dear sister-in-law borrowed them to me for some projects. This daisy motive is actually the sample that she first taught me at her house one evening.

Sidebar: If you want to talk "Queen-of-Stamping" -- she's it; Heather Hildebrand. I definitely want to feature some of her & her creations on here one of these days. She is amazingly talented and definitely knows her way around an ink pad & set of stamps {and, of course, all the little extras that give things glimmer & shine}!!!!!

Anyway......I used glossy accents paper, alcohol inks (by Ranger) & StazOn black ink. Because this stamp has A LOT of negative space, I had to put a piece of fun foam under the paper to get a good impression. I framed all the Alcohol Ink images with a silver or gold Krylon paint pen, that you can purchase at any Canadian Tire store. Mat in turquoise cardstock, add some funky lace cardstock, a popped up MM embelly & some letter stickers........et Voila!!! A great little "hello" card to give to a friend.

Card #2: "Hoppy Easter"

For this card, I used Alcohol Inks in more red & pink hues, with a touch of Sandstone. The image is framed in gold Krylon pen and pop-dotted onto the front of the card. I love the little stamp on this one. The back strip of {what you think is pp} on the front is actually this really funky & edgy decorative packing tape {that I always use!!!!!} from this company. Love them!!!!!! I think I have every colour, but not every style........yet!!!!

I used the MM Word Fetti II: Garden Party to create all the titles on this card. Love these little sticker words. :) Some staples & doodling to seal the deal ........ and it's complete.

Stayed tuned for cards 3 & 4 tomorrow.

later {from the farm},

j.

Spent the day yesterday creating some Alcohol Ink / Stamped cards.

no special occassion.

just needing to do something while all the kids were at school.

could have baked.

could have read.

could have done bathrooms or laundry.
but decided to do cards.

let's celebrate days like this as well.

i'll spend next week on some more detailed explanation about the making of these cards.

enjoy.

{from the farm},

j.

Thanksgiving Blessings

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!! This past weekend, my family spent a wonderful {cold} time at a beautiful B&B in the smalltown that I grew up in. This has been a tradition of our's for the past four years and I have a feeling that we will continue this tradition for many, many years to come. My family consists of my two parents, my two sisters with their husbands, Ron & I, 4 grandsons & 4 granddaughters for my parents. This retreat is the perfect place for rest, relaxation, eating, crafting, sleeping, eating, hot-tubbing, games, hiking, eating & more.

Every year, "the girls" {my daughter, Daria included} bring a craft to do on the Saturday afternoon -- used to be while the kids were napping; but now it's while they run around. This year, I brought some pre-drilled Dominoes to create beautiful Alcohol Inked necklaces. I think it was a big hit, as we left only 4 Dominoes in the bottom of the container uninked. The photo above is the result of just a few hours of crafting & laughing together in the afternoon. Lots of messy inking, but a beautiful result.


I was also privilaged enough to have siblings that could grab my camera once in a while and snap a few precious photos with me in them. I love this one of Dare & me; just hanging out on the porch. I am sooooo lucky that my 11 year old is so cool with me lovin' her this much -- and in public!!!! I love that she is so helpful with her siblings & younger cousins. I'm thankful that she is so crafty and lOVES to be included in "the girls' afternoon" with us. I will cherish this photo forever.

Also lOVE this photo of me with my mom & my sisters. This is a photo I have wanted for a while now and we just never have the time to snap one. Well, this weekend Ron took a whole collection of them. Thanks, babe.

The kids spent a ton of time in the outdoor hot tub again this year. They had so much fun just hanging out in there, "practicing their swimming" (the little ones) and running in the snow around the deck with their suits on (the older ones). What a blast!!!!

Thanks to my parents for giving us such a lasting & precious memory to share together as a Family. We love you so much & are so incredibly BLESSED to have all of you.

blessings to all {from the farm},

j.

totally inspired

Kay...I was browsing some of my favourite blogs the other day and was totally inspired by what this cool chick has been working on lately. She has such amazing talent and completely blows my mind sometimes ... and NOW she is working on these awesome 6x12 inch layouts. Love it!!! Thanks, girl -- keep inspiring me. :)

So...of course, I had to get out the supplies this evening and try a few of my own. I love this size because a 4x6 inch photo fits exactly across the whole layout -- and, for the longest time, that's basically all I have been printing. It makes printing so easy and deciding on what sizes to print even easier!!!

I've done 3 layouts so far and I know I will be working on some more this coming week. I'm even thinking of creating a 6x12 homemade album of our Florida trip (2007!!!). yikes!!! That would be a great project to complete at an upcoming crop I'm attending in Nov.


Here are some little things I did on each layout to give them a little *pop*.

"some sweet mommy kisses":
1. I used some of my odds & sods letter stickers up and mixed 'em up in the title. love the look.
2. I stitched the stem of my flower with my sewing machine -- just some zig zags and some straight stitching.

"e -- love you":
1. I used my brand new!!!!!! Close To My Heart acrylic stamp set (Treasures) and first stamped 2 images in Blush ink; then I used the *new Cocoa embossing powder on the 3rd image of the dandelion.
2. I stitched some ribbon onto the layout that was just laying on my desk. Using Kraft as a cardstock background gives you tons of options to add any colour you wish to your layout (the brighter the better) -- the photo here was pretty neutral as well, so really, anything worked. Rules??!? You said there were rules??!?

"my favorite 3":
1. This time I used a very bold pattern paper as the background -- love the graphic look.
2. I stamped on the edge of my photo to frame it.
3. Butterfly is by jenni bowlin {love her!!!!} - sanded, inked & stamped with StazOn black.
4. Vinyl butterfly is by CutYourWay.

So....what r u w8ing 4?? Go get your supplies and start creating some 6x12 layouts.

enjoy your day {from the farm},

j.

yeah, yeah, yeah ...

I know, I know. Another photo of Asha. But when she's your last one at home and she's this photogenic, you can't help but take hundreds of photos of her.


This one's taken in the morning before school.

Love this new little hat.
Love those eyes -- blue like her daddy's.
Love her crocked little smile.

Favourite photo of the week. :)

enjoy the weekend {from the farm},
j.