Ooh La La for Freshly Made and Watercooler Wednesday

Hi Everyone

Firstly, a very happy New Year to all of you.  I hope 2019 brings you all health and happiness and all the wonderful things you wish for each other.

Before Lou and I left for our Christmas cruise, I did a major sort out and re-organization of my crafting space.  That sort out - and the break - left me energized after what was a long and sometimes stressful year.  Being re-energized meant that I was able to do some crafting!   It took me quite a long time to get into the rythym and make my first card, but once I got going I managed to make 12 cards.  Might not seem a lot - but that's more cards than I have made in a long time!

I needed some inspiration to get me going and went in search of some of the challenge sites and found a great sketch across at Freshly Made Sketches and a theme from Watercooler Wednesdays.

I needed to make a card for one set of our besties who live in England.  They love the cafe culture, so I thought a coffee themed card would be a good idea.  I brought out an old set from Fun Stampers Journey called Le Cafe.  I love the images in this set and realized that two of the images would fit perfectly onto the circle from the sketch.  I had fun coloring them in.  Here's a closeup:

Hopefully you can see the shimmer and shine I added to make the croissant look glazed and the coffee wet :-)

I found some very old patterned paper in my stash.  I think it came from a Simon Says Stamp card kit from a couple of years ago.  The color was perfect - my friend loves pink!  I added that behind the focal image, along with a couple of strips of metallic and textured paper.

Here's my card:

Of course, I had to put a sentiment into the inside and found the perfect one from Altenew's Coffee Love.  The steaming cup image is also from the Fun Stampers Journey - Le Cafe.

Then, I added a little touch to make the envelope special.  Both the blackboard and sentiment stamp are from Le Cafe.

I don't generally do soft, feminine colors, but I know my friend loves these soft shades of pink, so I think they will appreciate it!

On a personal note:

2018 did pose a lot of challenges - I won't bore you with them, but it did impact a lot of areas of my life, including my creativity.  I'm a pretty organized crafter and like a very clean space in which to create, but with so much going on, I found that I wasn't as organized as normal - and that really impacted my ability to craft.  Also, I generally practice the "one in - one out" method of keeping de-cluttered.  The last six months or so, I hadn't been doing that either.  Consequently, I found that I had a lot of stamps that I had purchased but just wasn't using.  That made me feel guilty every time I went into my craft room.  I felt that I SHOULD be using the things that I had bought, but they just didn't "fit" when I tried them out.  Am I the only person who feels like that?

I also had left over cardstock from my SU days - anyone remember Kiwi Kiss?  I had 3 packets of it... I do still love the color, but so rarely use colored cardstock, that I decided it was time to go through EVERYTHING in my craft room and clear out.  Let's say that our local charity store got a lot of unexpected crafting items just before Christmas.   It felt so good to clear out and sort everything.  I also found things that I had forgotten about - and was so happy to see them and use them - like this Le Cafe set!

Once I was finished clearing out, I cataloged the remaining stamps so that I could look through them all at a glance whenever I sit down to create a card.  I cannot tell you what a huge difference that has made to my crafting!

Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow morning with my Addicted to CAS challenge card.  In the meantime, a huge thanks to all of you who have patiently waited for me to put up a blog post and haven't given up on me and unsubscribed.  I really do appreciate that - and I appreciate all of you.  Warm hugs and prayers for those of you who need a little lift tonight.

Hugs

Jaydee

Card recipe:

• Cardstock:  Neenah Solar white 110#
• Stamps:  Fun Stamper's Journey:  Le Cafe.  Altenew:  Coffee Love

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Kim S]

Such wonderful stamps! I love them on the soft polka-dot background. Thank you for playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches.

[Kathryn Ricks]

I hope the new year treats you well, Your images fit the sketch perfectly! Thanks for joining us at Watercooler Wednesday Challenges!

[Heidi Weaver]

Wow, Jaydee, your crafting mojo really came back, didn't it? I love the card! Coffee is an essential if one wishes to face the day and your wonderful French press and croissant are perfect images for this card. I'm sure your friend love it. For me 2019 is going to be the year I de-stash and sort my crafts. It takes a weight off, getting organized and uncluttered, doesn't it? Thanks so much for joining our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge this week.

[Stef Perry]

Oh Jaydee, I know that feeling of relief to expunge your craft room (or anything else in life ha ha) of long neglected items, and the pleasure of knowing someone else will put them to use! I've got one more decluttering coming up. I hope 2019 puts behind those things you no longer need (tangible or otherwise) freeing you up for all types of new horizons! Thanks for all the wonderful inspiration!

[Jaydee]

Hi Judy, yes... I got rid of a lot of 12x12 paper, too! I bet the preschoolers were very happy when you donated yours.
Hugs
jaydee

[Jaydee]

Thanks, Sally :-). Have a wonderful 2019
hugs
jaydee

[Jaydee]

Hi Kristine - you would have gone away with quite a few things had you lived closer :-). Wishing you a wonderful 2019, too!
Hugs
Jaydee

[Jaydee]

Thanks, Evelyn. Must admit.. the cataloging has really worked well for me when crafting this weekend:-). Hugs
Jaydee

[Jaydee]

Thank you, Colleen. Wishing you a wonderful 2019, too!
hugs
jaydee

[Sally A. Davis]

Welcome Back. I have missed you and your posts. Glad you are taking care of yourself and enjoying life now.

[Kristine A Markham]

Great card. Wish I lived closer so I could check out your donations of unused supplies.

Have a great New Year!

[Judy Rozema]

I did a major clearing out as well, with MANY things - and a lot of 12x12 paper I wasn't using - going to a local preschool. I know how that feels! I love the colors you chose for your card, and the shimmer looks awesome! Thank you for joining us at Freshly Made Sketches! We hope to see you again in our next challenge!

[Evelyn B]

Love you card!! I cannot imagine how relieved you must be to have a catalog of your stamps - how wonderful that would be. So glad you were able to re-do your room - it sure does make a difference for me too when I want to create. Thanks for sharing.

[Colleen Begley]

Ohh la la, this is one SWEET card. Love how you colored the images. Wishing you a very happy 2019!