Tag #1 for 2011

Yes, I am aware that I am approx. 5 days behind.  It just couldn't be helped.  But I am in the thick of it now.  I completed tag #1 this evening while playing with Mario with his BTS tweets and facebook post.  I still don't have all the Christmas crafty goodness out of the hole but I was able to get my hands on enough to get this done.

One of the instructions for making this tag was to slit the top of the embossing folder to accommodate the tag in the proper direction.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was the same folder that I used last year to complete this same technique. (lol) I know it's extremely difficult to read but the glitter phrase says "Peace on Earth".  (I cut it on my cricut, it wasn't what I expected but I continued with it to the completion)

One of the items that was suppose to be on this tag was a paper pinecone, I coped out and stuck a paper flower on it.  I got tired of fighting my hands and spent some energy in making this flower look tattered and dried.  I think T!m's pine cone die would be something for me to consider investing in if I were to make some paper pine cone wreaths or other home decor, maybe next year.

The other thing I did get done today was to "ink" a tea light block that my son Lance made for me while we were in Oklahoma City visiting him and his wife during Thanksgiving.  I had originally thought I would paint it and possibly add some scrapbook paper to it to make it Christmas specific.  (But, if I did that then I would have to pack it up and I already have so many Christmas decorations I fill up 8 huge containers that have to get put up in the attic and its a constant fight with hubby Vince).  So, as you can see, I took the easy way out (much more generic, I can use it year round), I used Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs and Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and a good old fashioned blending tool.  Easy peasy!  Done.

Thank you for stopping in to check on my adventure.
Til tomorrow.
~Jill

We saw Santa!

My hubby and I had a holiday date on Friday, we went to Bass Hall in Ft. Worth, Texas to watch an on stage performance of "White Christmas". 

Bass Hall (Ft. Worth, Texas)

Hubby (Vince) and I

We purchased this pretty ornament as a keepsake.

This tree was gigantic! 

After, we walked around downtown, even got to stop and visit with Santa!  (It's been about 40 years since we've chatted)

We had friends over for dinner last night, church this morning....then, I get to start playing with T!m and the 12 tags of Christmas.  I have been reading the post and following Mario on Twitter so I'm super excited to try some of the wonderful techniques he's been teaching.

Have a wonderfully crafty week, enjoy the remainder of the weekend, and as always, thanks for stopping in to check out my life adventure.

~Jill

#12Tags has begun

Yes, another year of the 12 Tags of Christmas with Tim Holtz.  So excited.
I will be playing along again this year, however, it will be delayed.  Hopefully not to be stretched out past Christmas but wont be happening immediately as it did last year.  I've too much other stuff going on but trust me I WILL be playing along.

thanks for stopping in to check out my life adventure.... I am going to return to being more dedicated to my crafty journey's blog posting.  I sort of got sidetracked and didn't do much, of any, postings, but did a lot of layouts (I sort of think they are boring, so that's why I didn't do much posting).

Happy Crafting.
~Jill

No longer a virgin.

I did it!  Yes, I attended my very first weekend crafty retreat.  I had a wonderful time and met some lovely ladies, which I'm hoping I have many more opportunities to craft with.
I packed way too much stuff, much more thought needs to go into the packing of a retreat.
Spent 3 days watching movies, went for a wonderful walk, ate Chipolte's 2 times (and loved it both times).
All in all, it was a wonderful experience.  One that I can't wait to repeat.

 I was inspired to work on the layouts from my Grandson's 2nd Birthday because we watched Cars 2.

 Crafting in my jammies, comfy and loving it!

Candy at the Redbox picking up 6 more Chick Flicks!!

Hope you have a wonder Thanksgiving, enjoy your friends and family (and take great pictures, they make great layouts)!
~Jill

Here's the Deal...

Okay, here's the deal.  I grew up (during the school year) in Phoenix, my Mom and I moved there in 1970, we didn't have a professional baseball team but that was okay, we had spring training and it was too hot to watch a game in July.  I spent more than my fair share of time paying $1.00 to watch the Cubs, Padres, and Giants play baseball before the rosters were set.    My summers were spent in Missouri with my Dad and his family where I was taught (and learned the lesson well) that if it wasn't done by the Cardinals or the National League it didn't count.  Life was good with what I knew about baseball, it was a sport I never played, but it was still in the core of who I was.
As I got older I discovered boys in baseball pants with their team socks pulled high was about the sexiest a man would ever look, (okay, I was an impressionable youth).  I had many highs and lows watching "my" team through out the course of my years.

The only thing that is constant, is change, or so I've learned.

In 1990 I found myself living in the Dallas, Texas area.  Home of the Dallas Cowboys, oh yeah, they have a baseball team too, but for far too long they were horrible, and on top of that they play in the American League.
With time things got better, they built a new ball park.  The doubleA team for the Rangers play in the town we live in so it was fun to watch the players mature and go up the rungs of the ladder of growth and success, so I found myself paying attention to the Rangers.  It got to be not so painful to be a fan, then, when Nolan Ryan bought the team everything changed... The Rangers got real exciting.

My life was still fairly uncomplicated as far as baseball was concerned, my beloved Cardinals play in the National league and my new team is in the American league...No problem, right?

Stay tuned...it's fixin' to get real complicated.
It is, after all, October.

Thanks for stopping by to check on my adventure.
Have a great week.

~Jill

New layouts... (Echo Park)

These two layouts are from events from June 2011, while I was in Austin seeing a doctor, I was fortunate enough to have some wonderful moments.  One of those events was the day after my Granddaughters 4th birthday (I wasn't there for her actual birthday) I had the opportunity to take her on a shopping date to the mall.  It was just the two of us.  She was really "into" the movie Tangled (the story of Rupunzel), and her birthday party the day before had a Hello Kitty theme, so there was inspiration everywhere. 

Everyone should be blessed with a day as special as this one, plus the cute photos to be able to "relive" the day doing layouts.

While I was in Austin I purchase the Pixar movie "Cars" for my Grandson, he watched it once and was HOOKED!!  It is a cute movie and I even enjoyed it the first 50 times!  One of the "side effects" of JT watching the movie was he learned how to sit down and play with his cars while watching.  He was not only entertained, he was extremely entertaining.

The layouts are done using the Happy Days collection from Echo Park.

Thank you for stopping in, to check on my life adventure.
Hope you have a wonderful week.
~Jill

I surprised myself,

I uploaded my photo card to my computer and was surprised to find this....

Taken Labor Day Weekend @ Lake Fork, Tx.  We went with my Father and his wife and stayed at their lake house.  Saturday we spend junk shopping in Mineola, Tx.
Taken on my "point and shoot" Canon, it's about 5 years old and I love it more today than I did years ago.

Thank you for stopping in to check on my life adventure, hope you are having a wonderful week.

~Jill