Cows in The Play Date Cafe?

That's quite a headline, huh??!!

I love the 'Pitter Patter' Collection from Making Memories.

It seemed the perfect fit for this week's color challenge

at The Play Date Cafe.

I adore this color inspiration photo.

It's unique and really causes me to look at things

with new eyes.

The card itself is pretty self-explanatory.

But there is a little 'technique' involved that I

am happy to share with you.

The challenge this week is being sponsored by
Technique Junkies Newsletter.

The 'technique' used for this project is called

'Clipped Corners'

For my little card, I chose to highlight the corner of

the crescent moon, so I 'clipped' from the edges

of the corner of the moon.

How would you like to win a 3-year online

subscription which would give you nearly

300 tutorials??!!!!

Head on over to
The Play Date Cafe
for your chance to win!

Birthday Hopping with Ippity!

It's H{ippity} Hop Monday

and I am coming to you from the Hilton Garden Inn

in beautiful Middleton, Wisconsin.

I LoVe the internet!

I spent seven whole hours....

creating...shopping...chatting...shopping...playing

and shopping at Archiver's today.

I will share more on my little excursion on Tuesday,

but here is a little photo that Paul snapped after I finished

the project for this post...

Now...back to The H{ippity} Hop!

For a complete list of the other talented

folks who are 'hopping' with me, click here

for a direct line to the Ippity Blog.

I really enjoyed making the 'elements' for this card.

I pulled out the 'Tattered Flowers' die from Sizzix/Tim Holtz and

started making a whole bunch of blooms.

These particular ones were created by using VersaMagic inks

in a variety of colors...just layered one on top of the other

to 'build' the color.  I then stamped each one with 

Ippity's 'A Bit of Burlap' stamp.

I then shaded the edges using Distress Inks and VersaMagic.

I then stamped this fun journaling image from

Ippity's 'Fall for You' set.

Placed the blooms randomly, added a few pearls,

shading around the borders and done.

If you have not tried Ippity stamps yet or have and do

not own the above images yet,

this week is a great time to add them.

It's time for the Ippity Double Deal!

Purchase 'Fall for You' for only $24 and get

'A Bit of Burlap' for only $3 and

free shipping for both!

I have them in stock and ready to send.

I accept PayPal and money orders

from USPS & Walmart.

Just email me at julieranae@hotmail.com

with your request.

Of course, you can order all your Ippity from me

and let me be your 'Ippity Chick'!

Click here to see the newest images I have available

and click here to see the others I have in stock.

Thanks to Maria at Ippity for choosing not only my

turquoise snowman card from last week's GIU,

but also the creations of fellow PDCC teammates,

Savannah & Suzanne as her Sunday faves!

Click here and check them all out!

Thanks for popping by!

Celebrating the First 50 Years...

What a day!!!

It is indeed a milestone birthday for me.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes that I have

been receiving over the past few days.

It has definitely been a time to contemplate the question

'how did this number come so quickly'?

I was thinking about it earlier today that 10 years

ago, there were a few celebrations for my

40th because at that time, I still had my store open

and between a variety of stamp clubs, regular customers

and other surprises, it was an easy time to celebrate.

Here I am 10 years later...10 years older...

with a whole new batch of friends from virtually

all over the world...thanks to your visits to

Julie's Open Window.

How will I be celebrating?

I enjoyed a lovely dinner with parents last night

and will be having a fun dinner out with my children

and 3 grandchildren tonight.

On Saturday, Paul and I will be heading up to Madison, WI

for a couple of days and staying at the Hilton Garden Inn

which is 'literally' attached to ... wait for it ...
an Archiver's Store!
So over the weekend, I am going to spend an afternoon
using their workroom to have a little creative time.
Paul is going to bring the laptop and some movies
and have a little relax time.

I have the best husband!

As a little tribute to him, I created a card that
shares my heart towards my dear Paul...

Today is my last day hosting

It has been such a terrific week!
For my last 'official' post for Unity,
I thought I would share 3 different projects
using their newest stamps called

'Itty Bitty'

 Most of you know that I am not one to do a lot
of coloring, but these stamps make it so easy!
This set is called 'Rain or Shine'.
I used my Paisley EF from Cuttlebug for the base card.
I have been waiting for just the right project to use these
sweet blue rhinestones.  When I bought them, I had always
envisioned using them as raindrops.

Another fun set is 'Sit.Eat.Enjoy'
What a great little set for all sorts of invites.
I called on my Swiss Dot EF this time.
Labels One from Spellbinders create a nice frame
and I pulled out some really old designer paper for
the faux tablecloth.  That's my BOO for this week!

 My final project is a little something for the holidays.

 This is 'Merry & Bright'
Lots of possibilities...lots of fun!

Have you seen Unity's 'Itty Bitty' stamps yet?

Now you have!

So how would you like an opportunity to
win a set of Unity stamps?
All you have to do is leave a comment on each of my
GIU posts for this week (M-F).  That's it.
You will have through Sunday to do so.
On Monday, when I return home from the weekend,
I will randomly draw one winner from the comments left
and announce it here on my blog.

Thank you for joining me this week for 'Growing in Unity'.
I've had an absolute blast!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

To join me for 'Growing in Unity'

scroll down or click here

It is my turn to host the challenge over at 

The Play Date Cafe.

I think it's really 'brave' to decorate in this bold design.  

Granted, back in the 90's, I happily painted 3 walls of my 

dining room hunter green and one wall merlot..  I even did my

living room with the bold shade of 'goldfish'

by Martha Stewart.  One wall only!

So I get it.

The question is....

are you willing to go outside the box?

I used great papers from Graphic45 (the dark blue),

Stampin' Up (the polka dot green) and American Crafts (silver).

I put my Distrezz-it-all from Zutter (my fave tool at the moment)

to good use on the edges of each layer.

How fun are these stamp images!?!

This week's sponsor is

 and I had a blast playing with them.

You could win over $60 

in rubber stamps!

Pop on over to The Play Date Cafe

and see what 'the world's best design team'

has done to inspire you to play.

Right Where I Should Be...Growing in Unity

I have to admit, this is one of my

all-time favorite sentiments from Unity Stamps.

I received this set as a birthday gift from my

dear friend and fellow PDCC designer,

Savannah O'Gwynn.

It's a bittersweet week for me as I was supposed

to be celebrating my 50th birthday (this Friday)

with her and her sweet husband this coming

weekend...but scheduling just wouldn't allow it.

But for now, she and I both believe the above quote.

This is already Day Four of hosting 'Growing in Unity'.

This week has flown by so quickly, but I have enjoyed

every single minute of creating and sharing with you.

At the end of this post, don't forget to leave a comment

to be eligible to win a set of Unity stamps.  

You must leave a comment on each GIU post, 

which began on Monday and will go through Friday.

This set is called 'Where You Are'.

The stamp images in this collection are really large and substantial.

I love the elements of nature and enjoyed using subtle shades

from Memento and Ranger to achieve the various greens.

The sky shades were done with VersaMagic and

Tim Holtz Distress Inks.

While I worked on this project, I continued to layer

the soft tree branches to give the idea of being 

alone in the wilderness ... knowing that

in that moment, I am right where I should be.

Well....one more day of 'Growing in Unity'

and a special day for me as I reach the milestone of

50 years old.

I hope you will plan to stop back on Friday, say hello

and check out my next project...see you then!

Growing in Unity...Unity Addicts...it's ALL about Unity!

It has been so refreshing to post a project for you each day.

Reminds me of when I first started my blog 15 months ago.

Of course, this week I have had something very specific to

share, but I want you to know that I have great intentions

to continue sharing more often.

If you have been visiting this week, you know that I

am hosting 'Growing in Unity'.

 

I am really excited to share that you can

read a bit more about me as 

I am being featured on the Unity blog today!

Today's post has an extra spin on it as

I am also participating in the Unity Addict's Challenge.

You too can play along by heading over to the

Unity Challenge Forum at SCS.

The challenge is this inspiration photo...

and here is my interpretation....

I love the new 'Simple Blessings' set from Unity.

There are a variety of pumpkins, leaves & more in

this wonderful set.  I stamped one of the pumkins on

cork paper and the leaves on a variety of patterned papers.

I love the small-checked paper from Graphic45's

'Halloween in Wonderland'.  The pumpkin paper is

from the new 'Apple Cider' collection from Imaginisce.

I couldn't resist using the border punch from Martha Stewart.

Here is a look at just a few of the stamps that come in

the 'Simple Blessings' set from Unity....

Don't forget....you could win a set of Unity stamps!

Leave a comment on each of my GIU posts for this week

(I began on Monday)

and on Friday, I will be drawing from all of the comments

and one lucky person will be a winner!

I will see you at midnight, EST tonight for the 

brand new challenge at The Play Date Cafe

and join me again as I continue to bring more Unity inspiration.

Quick Holiday Cards & Tags-Growing in Unity

Are you working on holiday cards yet?

I'm not really, although I have been sharing a few

over the past couple of days.

It's day two of hosting

and I have been enjoying playing with my

newest set of Unity called

'Bright & Merry Winter Wishes'.

I have been trying to create a few things that would 

give you ideas on how to make quick 'assembly-line'

type of cards.  Anything I can do to inspire you to

'make' rather than 'buy'!

The snowflake was actually stamped first and then

die cut using a Spellbinders die.  I also used

'Labels One' for my frames.

A little Stickles in garnet highlight a few of the letters

on the sentiment and a rhinestone center for a little more shine!

The satin ribbons are from Anna Griffin.

These really make up so quickly that using the same

design for matching gift tags just makes sense.

I am really enjoying playing with my Unity stamps this

week and now here's a chance for you to

win your own set from Unity.

Make sure you leave a comment on each GIU post

which began yesterday.  Come Friday, I will have a random

drawing from all the comments left on these posts.

So glad you stopped by!

Growing in Unity & Hippity Hoppin' all in One Day!

It's going to be a very busy week here at The Open Window!

I am so excited to be this week's hostess for

'Growing in Unity'

Each day, I will be sharing a new project that will hopefully

inspire you to use your Unity stamps in new and creative ways.

If you are new to Unity, then you have got to get over to 

their website and check out all their wonderful images.

Along with each daily project, I will remind you to leave a

comment because on Friday, I will have a random drawing

from the comments left all week.

You could win a set of Unity stamps!  

So make sure you stop by each day!

This was a fun card to work on.  

You could totally switch it up and use different color combos.

The ornament image is from the brand new holiday set

 from Unity called 'Bright & Merry Winter Wishes'.

I heat embossed it (which I rarely do anymore) with

metallic bronze from JudiKins.

The letters were cut from a Sizzix/BasicGrey set and

the designer papers are from The Girls' Paperie 'On Holiday'

and My Mind's Eye 'Lost and Found'.

The satin ribbon & pearls are from Martha Stewart.

I added depth to each piece by using Tim Holtz

Distress Inks in 'Old Paper' & 'Vintage Photo'.

Now it's time to share with you my offering for

H{ippity} Hop Monday with Ippity Stamps.

If you are new to the 'Hop', each week a great group of 

{Ippity} 'chicks' and {Ippity} fans create a variety of projects

to share with you.  To get the complete list of who is

hopping with me, just click here to visit the {Ippity} blog.

Again, I think this is such a great card to do in a variety

of colors.  It's a simple one to put together and would be

a great 'assembly-line' card if you need to make alot.

The fun and funky snowman is from 

{Ippity}'s 'Kissmas & Mistletoe' set

and the other images are from 

Unity's 'Bright & Merry Winter Wishes' set

used for the first card.

I cut the silver metallic cardstock and red circle using my

Spellbinders die cuts and added gems and checked ribbon

for fun little embellishments.

Each time I participate in the 'hop', I offer

a great deal on the {Ippity} stamps I used.

This week, you can get....

'Kissmas & Mistletoe' for only $18 

which includes free shipping!

I would so love to be 

your {Ippity} Chick!

If you are interested in this set or any of the

others listed in my {Ippity} page here,

just email me at julieranae@hotmail.com

There are several sets not yet listed on my page,

but all are available through me.

So glad you stopped by today!

Don't forget to stop by each day 

and

leave a comment if you would like a chance

to win the fabby Unity set on Friday.

See you tomorrow with more 

Growing in Unity!

In Love with Doodles & Daters & Paperbag Studios

I am so glad to be back on my blog this week.

Things get so busy from day to day, don't they?

I have a very busy few days ahead and the good news

is I will be sharing it all with you...so stay tuned!

I have been really excited about this week's

Play Date Cafe Challenge...from every possible angle.

First....I love the inspiration photo...

I also love the fun, vibrant colors that came from 

Sarah's 'color story'.

I took a few liberties with my green shades, but all in all,

I stayed as close to the colors required by my dear friend.

This card is made up of a variety of papers and cardstocks

in really random themes...and it was all paper-pieced.

There were six different rubber stamps used.

Which brings me to the final thing about this week's

challenge that I love...our new sponsor!

Paperbag Studios is easily one of my

newest favorite companies and the stamps we

used were a perfect fit for these colors.

This set is called 'Doodles & Daters'

and is so dang versatile.

Don't believe me? 

Just head on over to The Play Date Cafe

and check out what the

World's Best Design Team

have to offer for inspiration.

We also welcome Roben-Marie Smith, owner

and designer of Paperbag Studios as

this week's Guest Designer.

Sharing an RAK with my Loved Ones

I am really busy in my creative space working on some

deadlines for this week, so I don't have anything of my

own to share with you until tomorrow.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share this photo, though.

This is my 7 year old grandson, CJ.

So far, of my 3 grandsons, he is the one who really

loves to create.

My dear friend Michele from Studio MSG sent me the

fabby Martha Stewart 'Iron Gate' border punch.

It was on my birthday wish list

(which is not for a couple weeks yet)

and the next thing I know, it shows up in my mailbox!

What a sweetheart!

Anyway...CJ saw it and just had to have a play with it.

I am blessed to have these two sweet men at my house

a couple times a week after school and I can't take

enough photos of them.

Caleb will be 5 in November. 

I cannot believe how the time flies.

Thanks for indulging my little personal stories once in awhile.

Will You Marry Me? The Play Date Cafe Challenge

It's my favorite kinda challenge over at The Play Date Cafe...

I LoVe working with 'color splash' challenges

and this one is a little 'different'.

Usually, we require black and white with just one

option of additional color.  This time, there are

three colors to choose from...

pink, copper or gold.

I chose a combination of the pink for the dress and a bit

of a copper-tone for the tuxedo shirt.

I layered vintage lace around the bodice of the dress

and embellished with Prima rhinestones and a paper flower.

The tux shirt & silk rose were inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink

in 'Tattered Rose' and the buttons are birthstone pearls 

from Martha Stewart.

We are being sponsored this week by

They provided the our team with these wonderful

die cuts in a wedding theme.  You have got to see what the

rest of the world's best design team came up with to inspire

you to play along with these fabby colors.

There is a terrific $40 prize package up for grabs to the

winner of this week's challenge, so you have to play!

Head on over to The Play Date Cafe....

I'll see you there!