Gratitude Journal - Frogs

Hi, everybody! Before I get started, I would like to welcome my newest followers - Margreet Burger, Chandhini Swaminathan, Shartl H., and Mia; and on Bloglovin', Katie Baird - thank you for joining me!

I usually share only my cards, but lately I have shared a gratitude journal and today I'm sharing another one!  I made it as a gift for my Dad; he has always had a fondness for frogs.  He loves the journal and uses it every day - I knew he would!  If you missed the hummingbird gratitude journal I made for my Mom, you can see it here.  

I love mixing vintage images with modern and that's what I've done here.  Since this is a journal meant for writing, I added a lot of blank pages (which I haven't shared here).  Each blank lined page was stamped with either a frog or gratitude sentiment.  I also made a coordinating gift envelope, shown towards the bottom of this post.  There are a lot of photos in this blog post.  Feel free to click on the photos to enlarge and scroll through.

The first photo below shows the cover. The patterned paper used on the cover and throughout the journal is from K and Company.  The frog image is from Beccy's Place - Frog Hop.  The cattails and dragonflies are Impression Obsession, and I used some word dies and stitched ovals from my stash.

On the inside front cover I created a pocket to hold gratitude prompts, a 2019 calendar, and a personalized frog bookmark (closer look below).  The image on the pocket is from Frog Fun Printable Vintage Junk Journal from TlcCreatesVintage.  The sentiment on the pocket is from Naz Beheshi.  On the right-hand page, I used another cute frog from Beccy's Place - Frog Hop, and the sentiment is from TLC Creations.

Below are the gratitude prompts, bookmark, and calendar. The gratitude prompts came from MayMay Made It but I changed a few to make them my own. I also stamped a frog from Colorbok Friendly Forest (received in happy mail from Lisa Lynn, thank you!).  I found the calendar and personalized frog bookmark image through a Google search.  The digital sentiment added to the frog bookmark is from TLC Creations and was a freebie at one time.

On the page below, and throughout the journal, I used a printable journal kit called Frog Fun from TlcCreatesVintage.  I also added a strip of washi tape.  On the lined page, I stamped a sentiment from Pink and Main - Fall Bouquets.

The frog image below is a freebie from Graphics Fairy, which I adhered to a die-cut scalloped oval (Gina Marie Designs). The digital sentiment under the frog is from Imagine That Digistamp Pumpkin Kitties, and I did some inking around the edges with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.  The tiny dragonfly that has captured this frog's attention is from Cheery Lynn Tiny Things with Wings die set.

Below is another page from the printable journal kit called Frog Fun from TlcCreatesVintage.

Below, the funny musical frog is from Sweetly Scrapped, and the digital sentiment is from Craftin' Desert Divas.

Below is another page from the printable journal kit called Frog Fun from TlcCreatesVintage.  

On the right-hand page below, I used another cute frog from Beccy's Place - Frog Hop.  The scripture word art is from Fred She Said - Sunflowers and Thankfulness Pre-coloured Set, and the dragonfly is from Impression Obsession.

Below is another page from the printable journal kit called Frog Fun from TlcCreatesVintage.  I used baker's twine to bind the journal.

The funny frog below is another one from Beccy's Place - Frog Hop, and the sentiment is from TLC Creations.  The circle sentiment is from Digital Delights, and I coloured the leaves with markers. The dragonfly is from Cheery Lynn Tiny Things with Wings die set.

Below is another page from the printable journal kit called Frog Fun from TlcCreatesVintage.  The frog stamped at the bottom is from Colorbok Friendly Forest, and the sentiment stamp on the blank page is Clearly Besotted Butterfly Wishes.

Below I used a fun frog image from Little Scraps of Heaven, and the sentiment is from TLC Creations. Both were freebies at one point.

Below is another page from the printable journal kit called Frog Fun from TlcCreatesVintage, and I stamped a frog from Colorbok Friendly Forest at the bottom.

The frog image below is from Doodle Pantry; sadly this company is no longer in business.  I added a dragonfly die-cut from Impression Obsession, and the word art was found in a Google search.

Below is another page from the printable journal kit called Frog Fun from TlcCreatesVintage, and I stamped a frog from Colorbok Friendly Forest at the bottom. 

Below is the inside back cover, and I made a pocket on the right-hand side.  The frog on the pocket is from TLC Creations (a freebie at one time) and I doodled around the edges and added a scalloped border (Spellbinders).  Inside the pocket are some altered paper clips and more personalized frog bookmarks like I shared above, but with different gratitude sentiments.  The sentiment on the left-hand page was found in a Google search and die-cut with a stitched circle.

The frog images on the altered paper clips are from Beccy's Place - Frog Hop. I used a 1" circle punch to cut the images and placed epoxy circle stickers over them. Then I adhered them to paper clips with wet glue, adding a punched circle on the back to hide the glue. To hold the paper clips, I used a My Creative Time tag die and stamped a sentiment.

I mentioned at the start of my blog post that I made a coordinating gift envelope for the journal. Below are two photos. On the front I used a frog and sentiment from Beccy's Place - Frog Hop, along with some doilies from my stash and more of the Impression Obsession Dragonflies.  On the back of the envelope, I added a frog sticker and stamped my custom stamp from Joy Clair.

Below is a photo showing the gift envelope and journal together as a set.

I would like to support the following challenges: A Gem of a Challenge AG 3/3; Beccy's Place March UE; Crafty Creations AG 2/2; Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper March UE; DL.ART March Linky UE 1/d; DL.ART Thankful Thursday Always Thankful 1/2 wk3; Get Creative AG Optional Anything But a Card 2/3; Incy Wincy For the Men and Boys 1/5; Mini Album Makers Challenge March 2/3; Simon Says Stamp Wednesday AG 1/5; Wednesday's Creative Inspirations Spring Greens 2/3; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 1/5 wk1

Thank you for looking at my journal!  Wishing you a joyful day!

Purple Day for Epilepsy (Blog Hop and Giveaway)

Hello, everyone! Today I'm joining my friend Fikreta in a blog hop for Purple Day in support of epilepsy awareness. Each participant in the hop has made a card featuring purple.  Fikreta is generously offering a giveaway, and so are many of the other blogs on the hop, including me!  Please hop around and leave a comment on each blog to be entered in the giveaway draw.  Details about my giveaway are below.

For my Purple Day card, I made a spring scene.  I coloured a cute cat image called Francoise from the Les Chats digi set by Vera Lane Studios. I won this set of four cats last fall (thank you, Carole!), and you can see the first card I made here.  This type of image is fun to colour because you can make the cat any colour you want.  I went with purple!  I also added some doodling.

Digital image:  Vera Lane Studios - Les Chats digi set (Francoise)
Clear stamps:  Sentiment (Momenta), grass (free with magazine)
Ink:  Peeled Paint Distress Oxide, Versamark
Die:  Avery Elle Scalloped Banner Set
Embossing folder:  Cuttlebug Simple Flowers
Other:  Ranger white embossing powder, purple polka-dot washi tape, Sharpie pen and Posca white paint marker for doodling, tiny flower gems

Purple Day

Purple Day is a global grassroots event formed with the intention to increase worldwide awareness of epilepsy, and to dispel common myths and fears of this neurological disorder. Further intentions of this movement are to reduce the social stigmas commonly endured by many individuals afflicted with the condition; to provide assurance and advocacy to those living with epilepsy that they are not alone in their ongoing endurance; and to initiate individuals living with the condition to take action in their communities to achieve these aims. The day occurs annually on March 26.  

Supporters are encouraged to wear a purple-coloured item of clothing. Lavender (and thus its color purple) is strongly associated with epilepsy because it has even been proven to act as a central nervous system relaxant and anticonvulsant.

Formation and History
The concept of Purple Day was initiated by a 9-year-old named Cassidy Megan, and was motivated by her own struggle with epilepsy. The Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia helped to develop Cassidy's idea, and the first Purple Day event was held on March 26, 2008, and is now known as the Purple Day for Epilepsy campaign.

What is Epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder of the central nervous system, specifically of the brain. It is characterized by the tendency to have recurrent seizures.

A person would be diagnosed with epilepsy if they have at least two unprovoked (or reflex) seizures, or one unprovoked (or reflex) seizure and are very likely to have another, or diagnosed with an epilepsy syndrome.

Epilepsy Myths

Myth 1: You convulse (shake and jerk) when you have epilepsy.
Fact 1:  Not every seizure means a person jerks convulsively, nor is a person always unconscious during a seizure. Convulsions while unconscious are usually associated with tonic clonic seizures. There are a range of seizures which have different side effects and can affect people differently. 

Myth 2: Flashing lights cause seizures in everyone with epilepsy.
Fact 2:  Around 1 in 100 people has epilepsy, and of these people, around 3% have photosensitive epilepsy. Photosensitive epilepsy is more common in children and young people (up to 5%) and is less commonly diagnosed after the age of 20. Triggers differ from person to person, but common triggers include a lack of sleep, stress, and alcohol.

Myth 3: You can restrain someone during a convulsive seizure and put your finger in their mouth.
Fact 3:  During a convulsive seizure you should never hold the person down or put anything in their mouth. It's important to know exactly what to do when someone has a tonic clonic seizure so that you can act quickly. Here are 10 first aid steps for someone who has a convulsive seizure.

Myth 4: Epilepsy is rare.
Fact 4:  Epilepsy is anything but rare, over 500,000 people in the UK have epilepsy. That’s about one in every 100 people. There are also around 60 million people with epilepsy in the world. Anyone can develop epilepsy, it happens in all ages, races and social classes.

Myth 5: The only side effects of a seizure are tiredness and being confused.
Fact 5:   Having epilepsy can affect people in different ways. Knowing that a person ‘has epilepsy’ does not tell you very much about what happens for them or how epilepsy affects them. For example, some people may have problems with sleep or memory and for some people epilepsy may affect their mental health.

Edited to add:  I was asked in the comments about the recovery position mentioned in the graphic above.  Please see here for detailed instructions and photos.  Thank you for asking such a great question, Bunny!

Blog Hop

Sandie

Ike

Fit Kitty (you are here)

Annabel

Darnell

Janis

Olga

Vicki

Fikreta (Host)

Giveaway (Closed)

I will be giving away Stitched Sky Die Set by Gina Marie Designs (not sponsored).

To be eligible to win my giveaway:

1. Please leave a comment below and include the word Purple.
2. Comment on all blogs in the hop by Sunday, March 31, 2019, 8 p.m. Atlantic. 
3. You must be a Follower of my blog.
4. Open worldwide.  Winner to be announced here on Monday, April 1.

Challenges

I would also like to support the following challenges: Cardz TV AG 3/3; Crafting by Designs Blooming Flowers 2/3; Crafty Friends Use Spring Colours 2/3; Creative Moments AG No Twist 3/3; DL.ART March Linky UE 1/d; Jo's Scrap Shack AG 3/3; Lil Patch of Crafty Friends AG 3/3; Papercraft Business AG Optional Animals 3/3; Penny's Paper-Crafty AG 3/3; SUYP Cats Only AG UE; Unicorn Challenge Spring 2/3; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 3/5 wk2

Thank you for hopping with us!  Wishing you a joyful day!

Tiny Winter Forest Scene

Hello, everybody!  Today I'm sharing another clean and simple holiday card!  This year I have noticed there are more crafters getting started early on their holiday cards and it's been great inspiration for me!  I exceeded my goal of two cards this month; I ended up making eight - yay! 

Behind this little scene I used a scrap of an alcohol ink background that was left over from another project.  I save all my leftovers as they always come in handy!

This die was received in friend mail (thank you!) so I don't know the manufacturer, but I love this tiny forest scene with all the critters.  The sentiment is from Your Next Stamp Holiday Snow Globe, ink is Memento Danube Blue, and the embossing folder is Taylored Expressions Winter Flurry.

I would like to support the following 10 challenges:
2 Crafty Critter Crazies Animals 4/5
Creative Moments AG No Twist 2/3
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas AG Optional Inspired by Song or Carol ("Walking in a Winter Wonderland") UE

DL.ART March Linky UE 1/d

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends AG 2/3

Papercraft Business AG Optional Animals 2/3

Penny's Paper-Crafty AG 2/3

Rudolph Day March AG Christmas 1E C10

Winter Wonderland Fuzzy Wuzzy 2/3

Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 2/5 wk2

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a joyful day!

Deer in Gold

Hi, everybody!  I'm back again today with my third and final holiday card!  If you missed the first two, feel free to scroll back.  All three cards are clean and simple, and feature deer die-cuts.  This deer is die-cut from gold holographic poster board.  It looks amazing in person!

Die:  Top Dog Dies Darling Deer (deer and snow drifts)
Embossing folder:  Taylored Expressions Snowfall
Tool:  Fiskars Wave Crimper (snow drifts)

I would like to join the following challenges:
2 Sisters on the Blog Make a CAS Card (Clean and Simple) 2/3
ABC Christmas G for Glitz UE
CAS Christmas March Deer 3/3
Crafter's Castle AG Optional Glitter 1/3 C10
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas AG Optional Inspired by Song or Carol ("Walking in a Winter Wonderland") UE

Mod Squad One or More Metal Dies and No Digital 3/3
Pammie's Inky Pinkies AG 3/3
STAMPlorations March Anything CAS Goes Optional Colour Twist Coral Pink 2/3

Thank you for looking at my card! Wishing you a joyful day!

Grand Stag Oval Frame

Hi, everyone!  I'm back again today with my second of three holiday cards!  I'll return shortly with the third.  All three cards are clean and simple, and feature deer die-cuts.  For this one, I created a background using the ink-smooshing technique with Distress Inks.

Dies:  Memory Box Grand Stag Oval Frame, Hero Arts Snowflake Confetti (the three tiny snowflakes are off-cuts that were left over from another project)
Ink:  Distress Inks - Blueprint Sketch, Shaded Lilac, Seedless Preserves

I would like to join the following 5 challenges:
CAS Christmas March Deer 2/3
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas AG Optional Inspired by Song or Carol ("Walking in a Winter Wonderland") UE

Jo's Scrap Shack AG 2/3

Mod Squad One or More Metal Dies and No Digital 2/3
Pammie's Inky Pinkies AG 2/3 C5

Thank you for looking at my card! Wishing you a joyful day!

Deer Ornament

Hello, everybody!  Today I have three holiday cards to share!  This is the first one, and I'll be back shortly with the other two.  All three cards are clean and simple, and feature deer die-cuts.  The circle background behind the deer is a leftover scrap of an alcohol ink panel I made a while back, so it felt great to use it!

Dies:  Cottage Cutz Deer and Birch Ornament, Yinise Life Bow Frame (bow only)
Embossing folder: Darice Snowflake Background
Clear stamp:  A Creative Journey with Melissa You're Snow Wonderful
Ink:  Ranger Alcohol Inks (various greens, blues), Simon Says Stamp High Dive (for sentiment and bow)

I would like to join the following challenges:
2 Sisters on the Blog Make a CAS Card (Clean and Simple) 1/3

CAS Christmas March Deer 1/3

Christmas Kickstart Moves on Hooves 3/3 C8
Mod Squad One or More Metal Dies and No Digital 1/3 

Pammie's Inky Pinkies AG 1/3

Pixie's Snippet Playground 348 (leftover snippet of alcohol ink background) 1E
STAMPlorations March Anything CAS Goes Optional Colour Twist Coral Pink 1/3

Thank you for looking at my card! Wishing you a joyful day!

Gratitude Journal - Hummingbirds

Hello, everyone!  Today I'm sharing something different!  It's a gratitude journal that I made in December as a gift for my Mom.  She loves hummingbirds (as do I), and we often talk about the hummingbirds that come to our feeders every spring.

This journal is meant to be written in, so I added lots of blank pages (which I haven't shared here).  I stamped a small hummingbird on each lined sheet.  I also made a coordinating gift envelope, shown towards the bottom of this post.  There are a lot of photos in this blog post.  Feel free to click on the photos to enlarge and scroll through.  By the way, Mom loves the journal and says she writes in it every day!

The first photo below shows the cover.  The patterned paper used on the cover and throughout the journal is from K and Company.  The hummingbird image is from a set of greeting cards I found at Dollarama.  I fussy-cut the image a second time to pop it up on foam tape. The Journal word is from TLC Creations and I believe it was a freebie in Paulette's Facebook Group, Printables for your Junk Journaling with TLC.  I also used a Gratitude word die from my stash.  The crinkle ribbon used to tie the journal is from DL.ART.

On the inside front cover I created a pocket to hold Gratitude Prompts, a 2019 calendar, and a hummingbird bookmark (closer look below).  I stamped some gratitude sentiments (Clearly Besotted, Whimsy Stamps) at the bottom of each page.  I used the same stamps on some of the blank pages throughout the journal.

On the right-hand page, I used a pop-up greeting card.  The photo below shows the card open with the pop-up.  This card came from my late mother-in-law's belongings.

Below are the gratitude prompts, bookmark, and calendar.  The gratitude prompts came from MayMay Made It but I changed a few to make it my own.  I found the calendar and hummingbird bookmark image through a Google search.  The crinkle ribbon is from DL.ART.

On the page below, and throughout the journal, I used a printable journal kit called Hummingbird Song from TlcCreatesVintage etsy shop. 

On the right-hand page below, I used another pop-up greeting card.  This card came from my late mother-in-law's belongings, but I added gratitude sentiments.  The sentiment in the die-cut oval is from TLC Creations and was a freebie at one point.

The following photo below shows the card open with the pop-up.  The added sentiment in the die-cut rectangle is from TLC Creations and was a freebie at one time.

Below is another page from the Hummingbird Song Journal Kit from TlcCreatesVintage etsy shop, and I've added a fussy-cut hummingbird image (upcycled from a health brochure). 

On the right-hand page below, I used a free hummingbird image from Lunagirl Moonbeams, layered onto a doily.  The digital sentiment under the hummingbird is from Imagine That Digistamp Pumpkin Kitties.

Below is another page from the Hummingbird Song Journal Kit from TlcCreatesVintage etsy shop.  On the right-hand blank page, I've stamped a sentiment from Clearly Besotted Butterfly Wishes that I stamped throughout the journal.

The hummingbird image below is from Fred She Said - Hummingbird and Columbine Pre-coloured Set, and I've layered it onto a doily.  The digital sentiment on the left-hand page is from Doodle Pantry, which sadly is no longer in business.

Below is another page from the Hummingbird Song Journal Kit from TlcCreatesVintage etsy shop, and I've added a stamped sentiment.  I used baker's twine to bind the journal.

The oval hummingbird images below are from TLC Creations and were a freebie at one time.  The scripture word art is from Fred She Said - Sunflowers and Thankfulness Pre-coloured Set.

Below is another page from the Hummingbird Song Journal Kit from TlcCreatesVintage etsy shop.

The hummingbird image below is from Pixel Scrapper; the sentiment is from TLC Creations, and the flash card words are from Hummingbird Song Journal Kit from TlcCreatesVintage etsy shop.

I made good use of the Hummingbird Song Journal Kit from TlcCreatesVintage etsy shop; another page is below.

Below I used another pop-up greeting card from my late mother-in-law's belongings. I added a digital gratitude sentiment from Naz Beheshi, die cut with a stitched circle and inked around the edges.

The following photo shows the card open with the pop-up.

Below is another page from the Hummingbird Song Journal Kit from TlcCreatesVintage etsy shop.  I added a stamped sentiment from Pink and Main Thankful.

Below is the inside back cover.  The hummingbird image on the left-hand page is from Gecko Galz - Pretty Birds Digital Collage Sheet, which I layered onto a doily.  The circle sentiment is from Digital Delights, and I coloured the leaves with markers.  The flash card words are from Hummingbird Song Journal Kit from TlcCreatesVintage etsy shop.  On the right-hand side, I made a pocket to hold a bookmark and some altered paper clips.  The hummingbird image on the pocket is from Gecko Galz - Free Birds Digital Craft Kit.

Following is a close-up image of the bookmark and altered paper clips stored in the pocket above.  The hummingbird image on the bookmark is from Imagine That Digistamp - Pretty Petunias. The bookmark die is Spellbinders Shapeabilities Filigree Bookmark Tag.  The hummingbird images on the altered paper clips are from QueenBeezDesigns on etsy.  I used a 1" circle punch to cut the images and placed epoxy circle stickers over them. Then I adhered them to paper clips with wet glue, adding a punched circle on the back to hide the glue.  To hold the paper clips, I used a My Creative Time tag die and stamped a sentiment.

Below is the back of the journal, which is stamped with my custom stamp from Joy Clair.  

I mentioned at the start of my blog post that I made a coordinating gift envelope for the journal. Below are two photos. On the front I used the same greeting card image that I used on front of the journal.  I added a die-cut flower and hummingbird, as well as a stamped sentiment.  On the back of the envelope, I added a freebie oval hummingbird image from TLC Creations and stamped my custom stamp from Joy Clair.

Below is a photo showing the gift envelope and journal together.

I would like to support the following challenges: 2 Crafty Critter Crazies Animals 3/5; Allsorts Feathered Friends 1/3; Ally's Angels AG 3/3; Cardz TV AG 2/3; Crafting by Designs AG 3/3; Crafting by Designs Blooming Flowers 1/3; Crafty Friends Use Spring Colours 1/3; Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper March UE; Creative Moments AG No Twist 1/3; DL.ART March Linky UE 1/d; DL.ART Thankful Thursday Always Thankful 1/2 wk2; Gecko Galz Customer Challenge Bless this Nest UE; Gecko Galz Facebook Group For the Birds; Get Creative AG Optional Anything But a Card 1/3; ITD Creative Playground Always AG 3/3; Jo's Scrap Shack AG 1/3; Kitty Bee In the Garden 1/2; Lil Patch of Crafty Friends AG 1/3; Mini Album Makers Challenge March 1/3; Penny's Paper-Crafty AG 1/3; Simon Says Stamp Monday Miniatures/Tiny Things (hummingbirds are a tiny bird) 1/5; STAMPlorations TAGplorations All About Spring/Optional Twist Birds UE; Unicorn Challenge Spring 1/3; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 1/5 wk2


Thank you for looking at my gratitude journal!  Wishing you a joyful day!