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jessica frost-ballas

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600 miles in 36 hours…

28 Jul

This weekend was quite jam-packed; we headed to Pittsburgh Friday morning, came home Saturday morning, and then drove two hours down Skyline Drive for a wedding gig Saturday afternoon.  That’s the short version…

Steve and I have been trying to plan a trip out to the Pittsburgh area to visit his grandma for awhile now.  We ended up deciding it would be easier to do over the summer when we could also include his mom and brother.  Unfortunately the only free weekend for everyone also involved a wedding gig for me which meant that the trip had to be a little condensed.  And then we decided to make it even more complicated! 🙂

Our kitten has been adapting to our family marvelously except for her stomach…she has random digestive issues and has unfortunately been on an assortment of meds for the last few weeks that haven’t always helped the situation.  Because Rogue is so young we decided that we didn’t want to leave her alone for the night so on Friday morning we packed four people, two dogs, and a kitten into my van and headed out!  Luckily it turns out that Rogue is a good traveler.  Except for a steady stream of meows she handled all the traveling very well.

We arrived in Canonsburg, PA (a little south of Pittsburgh) around 1 on Friday and met up with some of the members of Steve’s extended family (on his mom’s side) who traveled in from Ohio.  It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed a nice potluck picnic lunch outside while we visited.  I love his aunt’s house.  All the houses in the neighborhood were very different and interesting looking but I especially liked the way hers seemed to be built into the hill.

IMG_0879

And she had beautiful landscaping and flowers all around the house.  Unfortunately, by the time I took my camera out, the wall of morning glories on the side of the house had closed up for the day but these were some of my other favorites!

IMG_0863 IMG_0870 IMG_0876It was wonderful seeing Steve’s extended family.  It’s the first time we’ve seen some of them in several years.  I had the role of photographer (which suits me just fine…I’d rather be behind the camera than in front of it!) and I enjoyed taking some group shots!

Dan, Grandma Bonnie, Steve, and Mrs. Ballas

Dan, Grandma Bonnie, Steve, and Mrs. Ballas

Grandma Bonnie and her children

Grandma Bonnie and her children, Ron, David, Nancy, and Judie

Later in the evening Steve, Dan, and I traveled in to Pittsburgh to do a little shopping!  We stopped at The Milkshake Factory for a quick snack and then went to Eide’s Entertainment!  Over the last couple years Steve has gained a renewed interest in comic books so whenever we travel to a new place we scope out any local shops.  There were a few listed in Pittsburgh but this one seemed the most promising.  It was quite the store…I think Steve could have easily spent a whole day browsing through all of their comics!Eides 1Eides 2

After that we drove back to Canonsburg, dropped off Dan, and picked up Rogue, Merlin, and Archimedes to go off to our hotel in Washington, PA.  Saturday morning we loaded everything (and everyone) back into the car (along with 8 dozen ears of sweet Ohio corn!) and headed back to Virginia.  We got home around 2, let the dogs and the kitten rampage through the house for an hour or so and then Steve and I packed up the harp and left for my gig.

The wedding ceremony took place at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park but the bride was very considerate and did not ask me to drag my harp through the woods to the ceremony site.  The flutist I perform with, Charlene, played the ceremony solo and then I played for the cocktail hour and dinner inside Big Meadows Lodge.  Unfortunately I only had my iPhone for a quick photo but the view out of the window was spectacular!

harp at big meadowsIt was a charming wedding and I played a fun mix of classical and contemporary music.  I don’t often play receptions and it’s nice to see the more lively side of weddings sometimes.  I especially enjoyed getting to hear the toasts from the maid of honor and best man.  They did a wonderful job!

When they were done with dinner and ready to start dancing we packed up the harp and finally headed home for the night!  We didn’t see any bears but did see quite a few deer on the road.

Luckily today was a fairly laid-back day.  Neither of us had any private lessons so after church we mostly spent the afternoon settling back into the house and relaxing.  We tried a new recipe for dinner: honey-lime marinated chicken breasts with a grilled corn, peach, and tomato salsa and fresh honey glazed cornbread and finished off the day with peach dumplings and True Blood!

All in all, a busy but enjoyable weekend…tomorrow is my last day of summer lessons and then we start gearing up for the start of the school year!!  Eeek! #ineedmoretime!

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Hi, I'm Jess! Thanks for visiting my blog where I share my adventures in cardmaking and papercrafting! I hope I can inspire you to craft with a little sparkle!

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Jessica Frost-Ballas

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How many ways do you use distress oxide inks? 🤔 Today I’m sharing several ways to use them including heat embossing, ink blending, and more over on the @ellenhutsonllc blog! I’m also combining one of my favorite floral set sentiments with the cutest otter pair! 😉 Head over to the Ellen Hutson blog for more detail! ❤️🦦❤️ ••• LINK - https://blog.ellenhutson.com/2021/01/06/embossing-two-ways-with-distress-oxide-inks/ (clickable link in profile) ••• #ellenhutsonllc #ehambassador #essentialsbyellen #distressoxideinks #cardmaker #cardmaking #cardmakersofinstagram #papercrafting #papercrafts #diycards #handmadecards #cardinspiration #cardideas #cardmakingideas #allthesparklejfb

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Instagram post 17926526323490990 How many ways do you use distress oxide inks? 🤔 Today I’m sharing several ways to use them including heat embossing, ink blending, and more over on the @ellenhutsonllc blog! I’m also combining one of my favorite floral set sentiments with the cutest otter pair! 😉 Head over to the Ellen Hutson blog for more detail! ❤️🦦❤️
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LINK - https://blog.ellenhutson.com/2021/01/06/embossing-two-ways-with-distress-oxide-inks/ (clickable link in profile)
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There’s a new release from @waffleflowercrafts and some fantastic layering stencil sets! I’m using the Heart Blooms set with distress oxide inks and a fun new sentiment set! Head to my blog for more details and hop along for a chance to win a gift card to #waffleflowercrafts!! 🌸❤️🌸 ••• LINK - https://www.allthesparkle.com/wf121/ (clickable link in profile) ••• #waffleflower #cardmaker #cardmaking #cardmakersofinstagram #papercrafting #papercrafts #diycards #handmadecards #cardinspiration #cardideas #cardmakingideas #allthesparklejfb #stencil #distressoxideinks

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Instagram post 17946345070411377 There’s a new release from @waffleflowercrafts and some fantastic layering stencil sets! I’m using the Heart Blooms set with distress oxide inks and a fun new sentiment set! Head to my blog for more details and hop along for a chance to win a gift card to #waffleflowercrafts!! 🌸❤️🌸
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LINK - https://www.allthesparkle.com/wf121/ (clickable link in profile)
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Instagram post 17980797202329692 The new My Monthly Kit from @heroarts is now available and it’s Bee-utiful!! 🐝💛🐝 I’m sharing four cards from one watercolored background over on my blog and YT channel! Head over for more details and snag your kit before it sells out!! 💛💛💛
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LINK - https://shrsl.com/2ph6v (clickable link in profile)
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LINK - https://www.allthesparkle.com/lfch92/ (clickable link in profile)
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🐝 Today we’re kicking off the countdown for the @heroarts January My Monthly Hero kit and it’s the perfect cheery way to welcome a new year! 🐝🌸🐝 Head to my blog for a closer look and comment for a chance to win a kit before you can buy it! 💛🐝💛 ••• LINK - https://www.allthesparkle.com/hacd121/ (clickable link in profile) ••• #heroarts #mymonthlyhero #cardmaker #cardmaking #cardmakersofinstagram #papercrafting #papercrafts #diycards #handmadecards #cardinspiration #cardideas #cardmakingideas #allthesparklejfb

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Instagram post 17938042399439973 🐝 Today we’re kicking off the countdown for the @heroarts January My Monthly Hero kit and it’s the perfect cheery way to welcome a new year! 🐝🌸🐝 Head to my blog for a closer look and comment for a chance to win a kit before you can buy it! 💛🐝💛
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Starting off 2021 with a clean and simple card featuring one of my very favorite companies! 🖤💛🖤 I love the new Lovely Letters alphabet set from @concordand9th and how nicely it pairs with the other alpha sets to create this card! Lovely Letters is a stand-alone alphabet set that looks like hand lettering and it’s designed so you can stamp and build whatever sentiment you want! Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! 🎉🎉🎉 ••• LINK - https://www.allthesparkle.com/hny21/ (clickable link in profile) ••• #concordand9th #cardmaker #cardmaking #cardmakersofinstagram #papercrafting #papercrafts #diycards #handmadecards #cardinspiration #cardideas #cardmakingideas #allthesparklejfb #happynewyear

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Instagram post 17856831182398826 Starting off 2021 with a clean and simple card featuring one of my very favorite companies! 🖤💛🖤 I love the new Lovely Letters alphabet set from @concordand9th and how nicely it pairs with the other alpha sets to create this card! Lovely Letters is a stand-alone alphabet set that looks like hand lettering and it’s designed so you can stamp and build whatever sentiment you want! Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! 🎉🎉🎉
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LINK - https://www.allthesparkle.com/hny21/ (clickable link in profile)
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🎆 HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE! 🎆 Today I’m sharing a look back at my favorite cards from each month of 2020 and hosting a $50 crafty giveaway over on my blog! I am honored and thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with so many of my favorite crafty companies this year! These companies are the heart and soul of this industry and I love to support them! ❤️❤️❤️ Swipe for a closer look as well as a look at my favorite cards from 2015-2019! 😳 It is really fun for me to look back and see my growth as an artist and cardmaker (and it shows me that there’s always room to keep growing)!! 😉 I hope you have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve and I’ll see you in 2021! ❤️❤️❤️ ••• LINK - https://www.allthesparkle.com/mfc2020/ (clickable link in profile) ••• #allthesparklejfb #inkblending #alcoholink #distressoxideinks #copicmarkers #cardmaker #cardmaking #cardmakersofinstagram #papercrafting #papercrafts #diycards #handmadecards #cardinspiration #cardideas #cardmakingideas

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Instagram post 17866448675260868 🎆 HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE! 🎆  Today I’m sharing a look back at my favorite cards from each month of 2020 and hosting a $50 crafty giveaway over on my blog!  I am honored and thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with so many of my favorite crafty companies this year!  These companies are the heart and soul of this industry and I love to support them! ❤️❤️❤️ Swipe for a closer look as well as a look at my favorite cards from 2015-2019! 😳 It is really fun for me to look back and see my growth as an artist and cardmaker (and it shows me that there’s always room to keep growing)!! 😉 I hope you have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve and I’ll see you in 2021! ❤️❤️❤️
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LINK - https://www.allthesparkle.com/mfc2020/ (clickable link in profile)
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jessicafrostballas

Today I’m sharing a card over on the @heroarts blog for the newest Stay Crafty with Hero challenge! We’re challenging you to create a card using a creative team member’s card as inspiration for your card! If you swipe you can see the beautiful card @thecardgrotto created that I used as inspiration for my card! ✨🌌✨ I hope you’ll play along with the challenge! 💙💛💙 ••• LINK - https://heroarts.com/blogs/hero-arts-blog/galaxy-focal-point-inspired-by-michelle-short (clickable link in profile) ••• #heroarts #staycraftywithhero #cardmaker #cardmaking #cardmakersofinstagram #papercrafting #papercrafts #diycards #handmadecards #cardinspiration #cardideas #cardmakingideas #allthesparklejfb

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Instagram post 17915304478546934 Today I’m sharing a card over on the @heroarts blog for the newest Stay Crafty with Hero challenge! We’re challenging you to create a card using a creative team member’s card as inspiration for your card!  If you swipe you can see the beautiful card @thecardgrotto created that I used as inspiration for my card! ✨🌌✨ I hope you’ll play along with the challenge! 💙💛💙
•••
LINK - https://heroarts.com/blogs/hero-arts-blog/galaxy-focal-point-inspired-by-michelle-short (clickable link in profile)
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#heroarts #staycraftywithhero #cardmaker #cardmaking #cardmakersofinstagram #papercrafting #papercrafts #diycards #handmadecards #cardinspiration #cardideas #cardmakingideas #allthesparklejfb

jessicafrostballas

So earlier today I posted the most liked alcohol ink work from 2020 and here are the cards you liked the most this year! ❤️ There are definitely some surprises in there 😂 but it’s fun to see what you liked best! It appears that ink-blending is popular! 😉❤️😘 ••• #allthesparklejfb #cardmaker #cardmaking #cardmakersofinstagram #papercrafting #papercrafts #diycards #handmadecards #cardinspiration #cardideas #cardmakingideas

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Dec 30

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Instagram post 17855338049408350 So earlier today I posted the most liked alcohol ink work from 2020 and here are the cards you liked the most this year! ❤️ There are definitely some surprises in there 😂 but it’s fun to see what you liked best! It appears that ink-blending is popular! 😉❤️😘
•••
#allthesparklejfb #cardmaker #cardmaking #cardmakersofinstagram #papercrafting #papercrafts #diycards #handmadecards #cardinspiration #cardideas #cardmakingideas
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I design for several companies because I truly love their products! Anything I recommend on my blog is something that I genuinely love and regularly use. I do not get paid for product reviews and I will never recommend a product that I do not like or would not use.

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