Aside from cooking and baking, I also love other things – sewing, crafting/DIYs and cross stitch. Um, those are before the busy days – long moons ago. 😀 But I have to confess that I can’t create my own style, which makes me so uncreative. I feel so amazed by the people who could create such beauty; that’s why I got hooked with Jodi’s cards. Just check one of the cards… AH-MAH-ZING!! I was surprised when Jodi emailed me, telling me that she’d love to do a guest post for me. She asked me what do I want and I was not shy to say that DIY would be great. She loves cooking and baking as well, so her blog is really wonderful to visit. So for today’s FF, I want you to meet a new friend with such great talents. Friends, I bring you Jodi – Hi All – My name is Jodi McKinney. I am a relatively new blogger who blogs at lifeinbetween.me. I have come to “know” Jhuls through the wonderful recipes and posts she writes at TheNotSoCreativeCook. I don’t know a lot about Jhuls, but I do know: She is a more creative cook than her blog title gives her credit for 🙂 She was one of the first bloggers that made me feel welcomed into the blogging world, and is a continuous source of encouragement and kindness When she wrote a post in early August that she was needing to take time off from her blog in September and asked for volunteer guest posts, I knew I wanted to help. I know this blog is typically filled with great recipes (and I do love to cook and bake and share recipes), but Jhuls asked if I would share a “DIY” post, as that is another passion of mine. So for my guest post, I want to share a card I made. This card is dedicated to Jhuls, because though I do not know the reason for her need to be off for a month, I want her to know the joy she brings to her readers and wish her continued joy in her life. The card I am sharing was an early card in my stamping/card-making hobby days, but is still one of my all-time favorites, and one I still have saved and have not sent to anyone yet. I think I love it more because my son, Nick, who is one of my best critics, told me it is one of his favorites. 🙂 For the card, I used a patterned embossing folder to create the pattern on the orange card stock as well as the embossed part of the top white layer. I then stamped the butterflies with black ink, colored them in using markers and a water brush to create a watercolor look. I then used some glitter glue to embellish, cut them out, and used dimensional foam pieces to adhere them to the card and raise them up a bit from the card stock. I then stamped the “JOY” sentiment and added some rhinestone jewels to add a pop of embellishment. In this day and age of computers, tablets, smart phones, and all the other various technology we love and use to communicate with quickly and instantly, there is a real joy in receiving a handwritten (and even more so in a handmade) card or letter that someone had to take the time to write/make, address, and place postage on (or hand deliver) that can be kept and cherished and show the recipient how much they mean to the sender. I hope Jhuls, as well as all of her blog readers, feels the “Joy” I hope to convey through this handmade card. Take good care, Jhuls, and we will all look forward to welcoming you back in October. Cheers & Hugs, Jodi (lifeinbetween.me) You are right, Jodi. There is a joy in receiving actual card – it means a lot to the receiver. It is made with love. Thank you so much for making this and I must say that your message really made my day.