Light it up Blue!

Just popping in briefly to let you know that Saturday, April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day. The chosen colour for this day is blue - wear a blue shirt, put a blue light bulb on your porch, heck, maybe I'll paint my face blue. (OK, probably not). Even if your family isn't directly affected by autism, someone you know is. Everyone knows someone who has this disorder - and not every child is as lucky as mine are, to have benefited from early diagnosis and intensive intervention.

The statistics are scary, and you can find them anywhere. A more sobering statistic than the oft-quoted 1 in 110 children is to look at the statistic for boys alone: one in every 70 boys will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. If you have kids, there will probably be an autistic child in the classroom. In my oldest son's classroom, there are 3 kids on the spectrum - in a mainstream class of 19. The entire school has probably 8-10 kids, out of a student population of about 225.

http://www.lightitupblue.org/

Have a look, share it with Facebook, Tweet it, raise some awareness. My kids & I would love to have some company on Saturday.




Supplies: Papers & brads from Basic Grey, "Hopscotch;"
vintage ad  & sentiment from Crafty Secrets;
butterfly diecut from K & Co;
flowers crocheted by me

Support really means everything - families can't do it without help. Thanks for reading!
xoxo,
Jessi

Birthday Tulips

Supplies: Tulip stamp from PSX;
stamped with Versamark & embossed with black detail EP;
coloured with Prismacolor pencils & Dove blender;
paper from DCWV "Mariposa Mat Stack;"
sentiment stamp from Inkadinkado, stamped with Palette Noir

I thought that colouring this detailed image after embossing it would make it easier to colour...and the answer to that would be NO. It was very difficult to avoid chipping off little bits of the embossed portions, and of course the paper underneath wouldn't take new colour. Live and learn - it took a long time to do, but I really like the richness and depth of colour achieved by colouring on a dark background. The envelope paper is too thin to withstand much blending, so I used a light hand & ended up with a neat shabby look. I can't get enough of this tulip stamp - PSX was my favourite company for stickers & their huge detailed stamps, and every once in a while I have to check out Ebay and drool over the few stamps that are still out there.
xoxo,
Jessi

Rainbow Butterflies





Worn Lipstick Distress Ink

Fired Brick Distress Ink

Dried Marigold Distress Ink

Citrus Adirondack Dye Ink

Tumbled Glass Distress Ink

Purple Twilight Adirondack Dye Ink

All of these cards use the same basic supplies with a different ink colour. The floral flourish & small butterfly silhouette are from Inkadinkado; the label shape is the second-largest Labels 4 Nestability; and the main butterfly images were created by running a sheet of scrap cardstock through the Cuttlebug with a Spellbinders butterfly, and then sponging ink on the negative. The edges of the label & the stamped mat are also sponged with the matching ink.

Not sure how this post is going to look when it's published - right now the pictures are gargantuan, and it took me 3 tries to get this far!

(Edited to add: and the pictures took over the entire page...so hopefully re-editing this fixed. Fourth time's a charm, right?? Right??)
xoxo,
Jessi

Another two Triggers for Citrus Celebration

This week's Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World is just awesome - I think I may leave it pinned up at my desk for a few more weeks. I made another two cards inspired by this photo yesterday morning, before ending up feeling so sick that I left the market early. Those of you who know me, know how utterly out of character that is. I also ended up staying home from a movie we'd pre-purchased tickets for...Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. Now, I can't say as I missed the movie itself, but it sucked having the kids resigned once again to me being too sick to do anything. Connor even asked me the other day if I was going to go live somewhere else until I get better. Ugh. Back to the doctor tomorrow - and with any luck, new meds that a) work! and b) don't make me sick.
Anyhow, I digress...hah! How out of character! Here are the cards:

Supplies: Papers & brads from Basic Grey "Lemonade;"
Labels 4 Nestabilities, edges sponged with Spiced Marmalade distress ink;
Sentiments from Hero Arts, stamped with Spiced Marmalade;
flowers from Recollections;
envelope stamped with Autumn Leaves flowers, with Spiced Marmalade & Adirondack Citrus

Supplies: Bella on a Cupcake stamp from Stamping Bella;
coloured with various Distress inks & black marker;
papers all from Basic Grey "Nook and Pantry;"
buttons & letter stickers from Basic Grey;
liquid applique for cupcake frosting;
yellow layer embossed with Cuttlebug folder & sponged with Dried Marigold distress ink;
standard circle Nesties, edges sponged with Dried Marigold

The first card was primarily inspired by the colours - and once again I reached for papers with a Citrus name, Basic Grey "Lemonade". The second card has slightly more muted colours, but within the same spectrum of orange/yellow/green, and I was also inspired to use the embossing folder to include the polka dots of the cupcake liners. They didn't stand out enough against the patterned paper, so I sponged them with Dried Marigold Distress ink to help them pop a little more. And, my choice of image was directly inspired by the liners as well.
The competition for this Trigger is fierce, with over 90 entries already (whoa!) and they are all incredible. So many people have entered more than once, which is fabulous - a true sign of an awesome Trigger. Way to go again, Cath!
xoxo,
Jessi

Moxie Fab Citrus Celebration!

This week's Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World is a fun and whimsical scene...to me it just hollers "BIRTHDAY!!!!!"

Supplies: Image & sentiment by Pink Cat Studio;
buttons from Basic Grey;
papers from K&Co "Citronella;"
Mod Podge Dimensional Magic on eyes & noses

I finally scraped together a card with the single image that I coloured this week...as soon as I saw this Trigger, I knew I wanted to use Unicycle Clowns by Pink Cat Studio. They have polka dots all over them - and they make me happy! It's hard to see, but I decided to trim the yellow strip along the lemon pattern to mimic the scallops of the cupcake liners, and then I outlined it with a Sakura Stardust pen. The Citronella collection from K & Co was a natural choice for the papers, since nearly every print features either citrus colours or citrus images...or both...and it allowed me to use up some of the skinny scraps since I've nearly used the entire pad. Must.Find.More.
xoxo,
Jessi

What do you mean, the power's out??

Oh, yesterday was a humdinger. The power went out at about 2 a.m, and stayed off until after 4 p.m. Nearly the entire town was affected, including all but 2 schools...the boys were NOT impressed that their school was open but our house had no power. I found it a rather heaven-sent occurrence, since judging from the level of shrieking going on at 7 a.m. it would have been a very long day. And, all that with no coffee. We drove around after dropping off the kids, but nothing was open - at least, nothing that served coffee. I was tempted to go get the coffeemaker & stop at the school to plug it in...I'm down to one cup most days, but that is a very important cup. Feeling crummy all week means I haven't made anything new - I did some colouring on Wednesday, but that was it - and I had intended to spend a few hours at my desk yesterday, but the natural light is poor there, and it was so cold in here that I ended up wearing my hat & several blankets on the couch reading instead. Oh, and no hot water either, so no shower until after the power came back on. No caffeine, no shower, no fun. What a whiner, I know, boo hoo.

Supplies: papers from Basic Grey "Curio;"
image panel from the packaging on the Curio buttons!;
scrap of velvet ribbon & Hero Arts lace;
corner rounder; Nesties labels 4;
'best wishes' rub-on from Kaisercraft

I love being able to recycle pretty little bits, and the packaging on the Curio buttons I bought was far too gorgeous to toss in the recycling, so I carefully cut the package open rather than ripping into it as usual. I love the scripty overlay and that big beautiful rose, and that teeny little bird hanging out...
xoxo,
Jessi

Some for the Boys

Supplies: All papers & buttons from Basic Grey "Wander;"
sentiment stamp from Digital Princess; Palette Noir ink

Supplies: All papers from Imaginisce

Supplies: Happy Birthday stamps from Inkadinkado;
Palette Noir ink; miscellaneous rhinestones;
guitar/flames stickers from the dollar store (score~!)

Feeling super crummy today, but this is the third time I signed in to post, so obviously I felt the need to share :) That's all I've got, though. At least it's only 5 hours or so until bedtime!
xoxo,
Jessi

Two by Emerson

Supplies: papers from Basic Grey basics "Kraft,"
Cosmo Cricket "Boyfriend" and "Togetherness;"
stamps from Inkadinkado (grasses) and Digital Princess (flowers);
Emerson quote from My Favorite Things, "Clearly Sentimental about Emerson;"
Palette Noir ink (sentiment), Distress inks: peeled paint, fired brick, wild honey;
corner rounder for scalloped edges; bamboo crochet thread;
button from Basic Grey



Supplies: Emerson quote from My Favorite Things, "Clearly Sentimental about Emerson;"
stamped with Versamark & embossed with black EP;
kitty image a freebie from Motivet;
watercoloured with distress inks: Black Soot, Worn Lipstick, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo;
background paper from stash (unknown); 
standard oval & lacey circle Nestabilities 

 The first card is my favourite of the two - I struggled with it, but the red scallops and the bamboo/button ended up being just what I wanted. Bamboo is not the best material for tying bows...too soft, I guess. I love how it looks, but every time I use it I end up cursing while it slips through my clumsy fingers!

The kitty card didn't photograph so well - the fur actually turned out so much better than I had hoped. Colouring large images is a challenge for me, and often I think the end result is too streaky, or not shaded well enough...this time I felt it turned out looking like I wanted it to, shading included. (As Connor would say, FIST BUMP!)

xoxo,
Jessi

Day 15 of Creativity...

Day 15: Do you like to try new things?  What about trying something new do you like or dislike?

When it comes to crafty things, I like to try new techniques, but I do get discouraged easily. I definitely have my comfort zone of things I feel I'm good at - and I have to be in the right frame of mind to push outside that zone.

My most recent "new technique" is one I learned about from Splitcoaststampers - a beyond-fabulous resource for anything stamping related. Last week's Wednesday tutorial was on Delft Tile, and it looked simple enough for me to give it a shot...and I liked it so much I did two.

Supplies: white cardstock, scored at 1" with Martha Stewart scoring board;
floral & butterfly stamps by Inkadinkado;
sentiment by Studio G; silver eyelets from stash;
Dusty Concord distress ink; sponge; oval Nestabilities;
earrings by Cheryl Mosher

Supplies: white cardstock, scored with Martha Stewart Scoring board at 1";
floral & butterfly stamps from Inkadinkado;
sentiment from Wordsworth;
Tumbled Glass Distress ink; sponge; 1 1/8" circle punch

I really like how these turned out - I think I'd like to try it again using coloured cardstock.
xoxo,
Jessi

Some random funnies...

Supplies: Papers & tag from DCWV Animal Stack;
Stampendous Cotton Ball Fun Flock on the beaver's belly;
letter stickers from Basic Grey

Supplies: recycled card front;
letter stickers from Basic Grey;
snowflake punch by Martha Stewart

Supplies: Stamps from Inkadinkado;
coloured with Distress inks & markers;
papers from Cosmo Cricket "Delovely;"
doodled borders with Martha Stewart writing marker

Supplies: stamps from The Greeting Farm;
coloured with Distress inks & markers;
papers from Cosmo Cricket, "The Boyfriend;"
pig is fluffed with Cotton Ball fun flock;
balloons are cut out, popped up on foam tape, and glossed with Mod Podge Dimensional Magic

 So, the first three may be obviously funny...groaners, but still obvious. The reason the pig one is funny?? Well, when I was trying to pick what paper I wanted to use, this paper just screamed BACON. As soon as I thought that, I couldn't shake it...so I just had to use it with the piggy :)
We trekked out to the sugar woods yesterday afternoon for fresh maple goodies. That was depressing! It was my first year not being able to eat the treats, although I hope I'll be able to one day figure out how to have an occasional treat without spiking my blood sugar through the roof. I did have a teeny slice (about an inch) of ice cream cake last night for Rob's birthday, and then felt sick & fell soundly asleep on the couch with my glasses on. Not good! Apparently they tried to wake me up to say goodnight, but I have no memory of it. I think I won't be eating any more of that. Back to the sugar woods - the boys had their first 'syrup on snow' candy yesterday, and they absolutely loved it! It was fun to watch their faces for that first taste :)
xoxo,
Jessi

MFW Tuesday Trigger: Button, Button

Once again, Cath at Moxie Fab World has provided us with a great inspiration photo, this week calling the trigger "Button, Button." I am in awe of the amazing cards people have submitted all week - I've been doing my best to visit the links all week so I can make sure to leave comments, instead of waiting until the last minute like I did the last few weeks...70 comments is a lot to hop around to in one day! lol

Here's the inspiration photo:

(From Country Living)

Gorgeous, right? I had all kinds of ideas going on, and in the end the execution was just, well, not what I had hoped. I was first inspired by the grid pattern of the buttons, and the greyish colour of the button cards. I also liked the idea of stitching, and the neatly trimmed ribbons.

Supplies: Grey cardstock (stash);
Cuttlebug embossing folder;
Buttons & stamp from Basic Grey;
Palette Noir ink; Tim Holtz design ruler for piercing;
banner cut by hand

Yeah....not exactly what I was hoping for. The stitching was a lot more difficult to keep even than I'd thought - I wish I had not used blanket stitch. The wonkier it got, the more I tried to make it look 'wonky on purpose' but really, I was just too far into the stitching to quit. Plus, I'd already sewn the buttons onto the panel and felt like I HAD to make it work. I love doing the Tuesday Triggers, but it seems like when I finish them on time I'm not happy with how they turn out! Oh well. It's still fun to play along.

xoxo,
Jessi

PS - Happy Birthday to my hubby Rob, who's 43 today...and doesn't look a day over 69 :)

Sympathies

Supplies: Sympathy stamp from Kaisercraft, stamped in Palette Noir;
All other stamps from Inkadinkado, stamped in Versamark & embossed in clear EP;
Labels 4 Nestabilities



Supplies: flower stamp from Fifth Avenue Floral, Stampin' Up;
stamped with Versamark & embossed with white EP;
coloured with Prismacolor pencils & Dove blender;
"Thinking of You" stamp from Inkadinkado,
stamped with Versamark & Worn Lipstick Distress Ink & embossed with clear EP;
debossed side of Cuttlebug Victorian folder;
standard & lacy circle Nestabilities



Supplies: painting from a book;
papers from Basic Grey "Curio;"
gold sentiment banner from Martha Stewart;
"With Sympathy" stamp from Kaisercraft, stamped with Palette Noir & embossed with clear EP

I don't particularly enjoy making sympathy cards, but when I do manage to find myself in the mood to make one I try to make several. Sympathy cards just need to be less...frou-frou?...which is a challenge for me.
xoxo,
Jessi

Just a note...

Supplies: typewriter rub-on from Michaels;
kraft paper from Basic Grey; lace trims from Hero Arts;
"Just a Note" stamp from Studio G, stamped with Versamark & embossed with black EP;
base is black cardstock - 'grey' layer is white vellum, as is the typewriter paper

It seems that typewriters are experiencing a surge in popularity - well, so far as their images go, anyway! I picked up a sheet of typewriter rub-ons a few months ago on a trip to Michaels & just finally broke them open. I nearly caved & bought a stamp set featuring typewriters this weekend, but I figure at the very least I should finish the rub-ons first. I made a slit in the proper area of the typewriter, and tucked the note into it so that the paper appears to actually be coming out of the typewriter. I know that I saw this idea somewhere, months ago, but can't for the life of me remember where to give credit.

The kids and their dad have been to visit Grammie for the last few days - up there they still have enough snow to go sledding, thank goodness! That's all the kids had talked about doing when they went, and our snow is reduced to crappy piles of grey icy ick. It's rather pathetic, but with all the snow we had this year, this has been their only sledding adventure. The places we normally go have been basically inaccessible for our little car. I managed to fill my days while they were gone, although I got very little done. A break was definitely in order - and I miss my boys, but I was glad to have some time to myself. I even took a plunge & coloured my hair for the first time in about 10 years. Still not committed to loving it...it looks strange to me without the grey! At least it's one that only lasts a month or so, in case I decide I hate it.
xoxo,
Jessi

All That Scraps Weekly Wednesday Challenge: Buttons!

With a challenge theme like buttons, how could I not play along?

Week 70 Challenge:

The challenge this week is to use buttons on your creation.  Have fun with it and let's see how creative you can get. 
Remember, every week there is a new and exciting prize being offered and in order to be eligible to win, your project must include a stamp that is sold in the All That Scraps store.Whether it is any of our wonderful in house designs or from the various other stamp companies that ATS carries, the choice is yours. Then be sure to link up your creation with Mr Linky by next Tuesday at 10pm est and only one entry per person please!   This challenge runs until March 15th.

I decided to pull out one of my favourite stamps - the birthday penguins from The Cat's Pajamas. Here's my card -

Supplies: stamps from The Cat's Pajamas;
stamped with Palette Noir ink;
papers from Cosmo Cricket "Delovely" (yellow) and AC "Abode" (red);
Cotton Ball Fun Flock from Stampendous;
buttons from Basic Grey;
Sakura Stardust glitter pen; Martha Stewart markers; Adirondack Citrus for the grass

And as you can imagine, this card is reaaaaally front-heavy. I should have made it as a top-fold card so that it would have a chance of standing up independently, but oh well. My scissors were just solid enough to keep it from tipping over for the photo - barely! I love this sentiment - every birthday I wonder if I'm going to feel like a grownup, and I have yet to do so.
xoxo,
Jessi

Paper Piecing Challenge in the Moxie Fab World!

Nothing like the last minute to get creativity flowing...here are three entries for Moxie Fab World's paper piecing challenge.

Supplies: Sweet puppy & sentiment from Inkadinkado;
papers from AC "Abode;"
orange flower from Recollections;
Distress ink (antique linen) & fineline marker for ground;
Puppy is paper-pieced using Basic Grey brown scrap & white cardstock



Supplies: cake stamp from The Cat's Pajamas;
All papers & paper piecing done with My Mind's Eye "Tickled Pink" papers;
pink polka dot layer cut with Nestabilities Labels 4;
Mod Podge Dimensional magic used on the cake stands, heart, and cherry on top;
Martha Stewart markers used for the dotty background



Supplies: stamps all from Cornish Heritage Farms Kim Hughes Collection;
banner paper from My Mind's Eye "True Blue;"
Owl & branch paper-pieced with Basic Grey "Origins" and white cardstock (eyes, beak, toes);
hat paper-pieced with K & Co "Citronella;" coloured with Martha Stewart markers;
buttons from Basic Grey; banner tag from Martha Stewart

I think my very favourite is Mr. Owl up there - I love his expression! I really, truly suck at creating scenes with masking - I am just too impatient, and I nearly always smear the ink. This particular owl card I had attempted via masking, and after the 4th botched image I decided I liked him better paper-pieced anyway. So there. (*blows raspberry*)
xoxo,
Jessi

Wishing you Well!

"Get Well" cards are something I don't make very often - I was going through my stash of cards last week & realized that the get well cards I had, I've had for quite some time. I received this darling little Pure Innocence doctor as a Teaser Time prize from My Favorite Things in January, and had only had a chance to use it once, so I pulled him back out & gave him a whirl. He's watercoloured using reinkers. 

Supplies: papers from Basic Grey "Archaic;"
doctor stamp from My Favorite Things;
coloured with Adirondack Salmon, and Distress Vintage Photo & Antique Linen;
"wishing you well" stamp from Hero Arts, stamped with Vintage Photo

I am nearly finished with my second package of "Archaic" papers...they have been my go-to paper for masculine cards for a long time, and I wish I could find some more! I really like how this turned out suitable for a guy, even though the PI image is pretty cutesy.
xoxo,
Jessi

The Ultimate Insult...

...my child wanted to buy his friend a STORE BOUGHT CARD. My shame and horror know no bounds. Sigh. I have no more words.

On that note, I have another challenge card to share for Moxie Fab World, this time for the Tuesday Trigger "Oh So Lovely." As Cath says, check it:

(image via Pinterest)

How gorgeous! I love the shabbiness of the painted chair, and that luscious bouquet of warm colours...so here's what I made:

Supplies: papers all from Basic Grey "Curio;"
flower silhouette stamp from Digital Princess;
stamped with Versamark & Adirondack Salmon ink, embossed with clear EP;
sentiment stamp from Kaisercraft, stamped with Memories Artprint Brown;
standard & lacey circle Nestabilities, lacey circle sponged with Memories Artprint Brown.

Basic Grey papers are so beautifully distressed, and the "plain" pages in the Curio collection really bring shabby paint to my mind, and the colours were perfect, so I knew I wanted to use them for this Trigger. I also knew that I didn't want to cover up any more of the scrumptious background paper than necessary!
xoxo,
Jessi

The Cityscapes are on the Rise Challenge

So, I picked up a copy of Paper Crafts magazine a few weeks ago - and have been practically carrying it around the house with me. The Moxie Fabs article was about Cityscapes - and lo and behold, an idea for that paper from Basic Grey's "Wander" that I'd been hoarding was hatched. Kim Kesti's card on p. 24 uses the paper, and I cribbed my sentiment from Courtney Kelly's awesome card on p. 26 (also featured here, the first card shown). And now Cath's challenge -

Create a paper crafted project (card, gift bag, tag, layout, home decor item, mini-book cover, etc.) that incorporates a cityscape in an innovative way.

Not sure that this qualifies as innovative, but I love how it turned out - simple, even suitable for a masculine card (yay!), so I'm sharing it for the challenge. I may even dare to try again before the challenge closes March 28.

Supplies: papers all from Basic Grey "Wander;"
stickers from Basic Grey "Kioshi" (yellow) and "Oliver" (green);
teal layer popped up on one layer of foam tape, and the yellow layer is popped up on two.

xoxo,
Jessi

More Pink Cat Fabulousness!

Ah, I was going to make you wait longer to see the last two cards I made with Pink Cat Studio's St. Patrick's Day digital release, but hey, I have no patience, so here they are :)




Pink Cat Studio

Supplies: Leprechaun digi from Pink Cat Studio;
coloured with Spiced Marmalade Distress ink (hair & beard),
Adirondack Salmon (skin), and prismacolor pencils;
"Little Leprechaun" sticker from Karen Foster;
Shamrock button from Dress it Up!;
loose gold glitter on the hat & belt buckles & the pot of gold

Supplies: Shamrock bear digi from Pink Cat Studio;
coloured with Prismacolor pencils;
flocked with Quickie Glue Pen & Stampendous Cotton Ball Fun Flock;
dotty paper from Colorbok;
teeny shamrock stickers & banner from Jolee's;
loose gold glitter for buckle & pot of gold;
quilled shamrocks by me :)

Saint Patrick's Day isn't traditionally a big card-making day, but there are always folks who have someone with a St. Paddy's birthday who are looking for something different than the 2 options H***mark gives...and I am more than happy to fill that niche :)
xoxo,
Jessi

Pink Cat Studio St. Patrick's Day Digi Release!!

Well, that title is a bit of a mouthful, but I wanted to get it all in there!

I am super-beyond-excited to share these new images with you - and I hope you rush right back over to Pink Cat Studio and take advantage of the package deal Melissa's offering so that you can get that sweet little shamrock-sitting pixie for free! While you're there you should look through the loads of digis she has to offer, including free sentiments. I *want* Blobby! and Rex & Bronty...and the incredible Gnome series...and...well, you get the idea. I love them!

So, in no particular order, here are 4 of the cards I made for the release - you'll just have to come back to see the other two ;)

Supplies: Pixies & Pot of Gold digi from Pink Cat Studio;
coloured with markers;
glitter paper from Colorbok;
shamrock confetti & clear microbeads from Michaels;
loose glitter (gold & green, for the coins & shamrock on the pot);
Jolee's stickers - coins, vellum shamrocks, small pot of gold

Supplies: Shamrock Bear digi from Pink Cat Studio;
coloured with Prismacolor pencils;
covered with Quickie Glue Pen & Stampendous Cotton Ball Fun Flock;
loose gold glitter for hat buckle & coins;
shamrock from stash - embossed with Cuttlebug folder & sanded;
"Lucky Clover" sticker from Karen Foster

Supplies: Leprechaun digi from Pink Cat Studio;
coloured with reinkers (hair & skin) and Prismacolor pencils;
gingham paper from Cosmo Cricket "Material Girl;"
Shamrock buttons from Dress it Up!;
sentiment stickers & hat on evelope from Karen Foster;
hat & balloon sticker from Jolee's;
loose gold glitter & Quickie Glue Pen;
Nestabilities oval die

Supplies: Itty Bitty Shamrock Betty digi from Pink Cat Studio;
watercoloured with reinkers: Spiced Marmalade; adirondack Citrus & Salmon;
paper roses from Recollections;
paper from K & Co adhesive pack;
standard circle Nestabilities die;
hard to see, but her shoes & belt buckle have Mod Podge Dimensional Magic

All right, now head over to the Pink Cat Studio blog and see what all the other fabulous designers have created, and don't forget to pick up your own set!

Thanks again, Melissa, for this fantastic fun opportunity!
xoxo,
Jessi

Shamrock shakes rock!

We got a McDonald's coupon flyer in the mail yesterday, and Shamrock Shakes are back! We haven't seen those as long as we've been in Amherst. I'm more than a little stoked...I know I won't drink a whole one, but someone will HAVE to share with me!

A few weeks ago I experimented with Distress Ink backgrounds and I had a blue-green piece left over that I wanted to use. I paired it with this gorgeous shamrock bouquet from Waltzingmouse Stamps (found in the Freebies section). I watercoloured three bouquets with the same combination of inks that I used on the background paper: Broken China, Faded Jeans, and Peeled Paint, and sponged the edges with Peeled Paint. I love how it turned out. I cut out just the shamrock portion of the second bouquet & popped it up on foam tape for dimension, which cast some shadows in the photo :) I cut just a portion of the third image with a circle punch to decorate the envelope.

Supplies: Shamrock bouquet from Waltzingmouse Stamps;
Koi waterbrush, makeup sponge, foam tape;
Distress inks: Broken China, Peeled Paint, Faded Jeans;
Standard Circle Nestabilities

Stay tuned for some incredible, brand-spanking-new Saint Patrick's Day images from Pink Cat Studio...I went nuts making cards that I hope you'll love!
xoxo,
Jessi

Par-TAY!

I love Sandra Boynton. Her books are wonderful little gems - we went through three copies of Barnyard Dance before the boys finally tired of it. I was lucky enough to find a Mom's Calendar book on clearance last year, and I've been doling out some of the illustrations for cards. Mostly I like to just leaf through the book and giggle to myself.

Supplies: Illustration by Sandra Boynton;
paper from K & Co; acetate sheet & googly eyes;
confetti from Amscan, microbeads from Michaels;
envelope stamped with Inkadinkado stamp & Fiesta Kaleidacolor ink

I've said it before, but shaker cards are really hard to capture. Nearly all the fun is in the motion. This baby's got balloons, happy faces, and wee little hearts.

I finished up all 6 (!) of the St. Patrick's Day cards that I made for Pink Cat Studio, and I'm so excited to share them with you on release day...I really enjoyed making them, and I think they turned out pretty well. Oh, that little leprechaun is adorable...

The boys had excellent report cards - both of them improved in several areas, Riley in particular in some areas of concern, so that's fantastic. It still kills me that the teachers are unable to mention autism anywhere on the report card - so many things have to be mentioned, and are obviously autism-related, but heaven forbid we document the problem we all know exists. Sheesh. I mean, seriously, they are graded on SPEAKING, but you can't mention the autism-related speech impediment or language issues. Bah!

My stomach is still killing me. It's about a full month now of this with the new diabetes medication, and the increased dose last week has just made it that much worse. It's very hard to eat frequently when eating makes you feel worse - and not eating spikes my sugar, so it doesn't work either. Everything I've read says that the side effects should abate after several weeks at a consistent dose, and I suppose I haven't actually had that yet. So, week after next, dang it, here I come. Oh, yeah, right, that's when I go back to the doctor...and probably change the dose again. *sigh* Well, that's a downer. Go back and look at the happy monsters, and skip to the end -

xoxo,
Jessi

Maybe a cupcake will help?



Supplies: Sheep with cupcake stamp from Pink Cat Studio;
coloured with Prismacolor pencils;
fuzzified with Stampendous Fun Flock;
papers and buttons from Basic Grey "Lemonade;"
sentiment from TLC Designs

Well, really, isn't a cupcake helpful most of the time? At least it's rare for a cupcake to make things worse...ah, unless you have crazy blood sugar like I do. I suppose a cupcake actually would make things worse for me. Boo, hiss. Paper cupcakes are good, though. I will continue to love on paper cupcakes :)
xoxo,
Jessi