Playing in Paradise #86 - Peek-a-Boo Abby!

Good morning! I got my Playing in Paradise post all done up last night and completely forgot to do my post here - but at least it's still morning :) I also appear to have woken up with a cold - please knock wood that it's not...ain't nobody got time for that!

So, what have I got up my crafty sleeve for you this week? Looky:

The world's cutest dog wants you to play. How can you say no??

On the Playing in Paradise post I've shown how I created my pocket (as well as what I put inside!) so head over there to check it out. Here's my finished project:

Supplies: paper from Basic Grey "What's Up;"
stamps from Annabelle Stamps;
Palette Noir ink;
Lacy Oval Nesties;
embroidery floss, fun fibre, Prismacolor pencils

We have a surprise guest this week (my dear friend Barb - you've got to check out her creation!) as last week's winner wasn't able to play. 

DID YOU KNOW - every single week there's a prize to be won? Products from the Scrapbooker's Paradise store, worth $20-$25, EVERY WEEK.

DID YOU KNOW - this challenge often has only a few participants? 

DID YOU KNOW - Prize winners are not limited by geography - Scrapbooker's Paradise will ship prizes anywhere in the world?

DID YOU KNOW - those are some REALLY good odds of winning??

BUT, you can't win if you don't play :) 

The linky is open until noon on Thursday, October 4th! 

Don't forget to see what the rest of the team has been up to:

Nina

Angela

Allison

Merlie

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping our Stash #70 - Fur or Feathers?

It's Tuesday, which means this is my second post for today!

**For my Tuesday Morning Sketches post, please scroll down or click here!**

Good morning again! Shopping our Stash has a great challenge this week - as usual! We want to see your creations using up some of your stash (natch!) and featuring something with fur or feathers! We're looking for critter pals, and definitely not insects :)

For all that I love my Abby-dog to death, I also love my cats....not for this particular activity, but this stamp is one I've owned for years that I don't think I'll ever be tired of:

Supplies: cat & sentiment stamps from Inkadinkado;
Palette Noir ink;
Sizzix label dies;
orange Fun Flock - Stampendous;
all papers from scrap stash!

As a funny aside, a couple of months ago there was a hairball...with 3 cats this is pretty much a weekly thing. I moaned about it, and Riley said he would clean it up for a penny. I gave him 65 cents, and he cheerfully (!) cleaned it up, and said I had pre-paid for 64 more hairballs. 

I am definitely taking him up on it. He has yet to complain about doing it!

Go check out what my SOS teamies have been up to for this challenge, and don't forget to leave them some love!

• 
  Carla
• Leslie
• Alica
• Deena
• Paige
• Lauren
• Lynn
• Linda
• Michelle
• Sandie

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #165 - There She Goes!

Good morning! I'm all caught up with Mount Laundry, and found some time to get inky over the weekend. Hurray! There's another great sketch for this week's Tuesday Morning Sketches challenge, designed by the lovely Theresa:

Love those stars! And while I was in Vancouver, I finally got my hands on a little square punch, which made snipping the ends of the banners SUPER easy:

Supplies: Papers from Basic Grey "Konnichiwa;"
hedgehog sticker from Penny Black;
party horns from Jolee's by You;
stacking stars die from My Favorite Things;
standard circle Nesties;
birthday greeting clear sticker from Mrs. Grossman's

Our sponsor this week is There She Goes - and they're celebrating their birthday! Go check out how.

 

This sketch will be open until Sunday, September 30 - I hope you get a chance to play along! Don't forget to visit my teamies:

Angela 

Bonnie

Cheryl

Dawn

Debbie

Laura

Theresa

Melissa

BRB with my Shopping our Stash post!

xoxo,

Jessi

Playing in Paradise #85 - Have a Cuppa!

Happy Friday! I'm home - after a chaotic and convoluted trip home, being bumped from my flight, sent to a different city, arriving home 4 hours late (so, 2 am), and then having my luggage lost...I now have a very clear picture of what people are talking about when they talk about hating Air Canada. BUT, that said, I got home safe, and my luggage eventually did as well. I'm deep in the throes of jet lag, though, and the laundry is threatening to become sentient.

ANYWAY, it's time for Playing in Paradise!

Nina is our challenger this week, and she's chosen one of my favourite things as an inspiration for this week's Playing in Paradise challenge: cooooofffeeeeee. The stuff of life!

I was super lucky to win some golb ydnac from Amy at Tsuruta Designs before my trip, and I had to combine this awesome paper with this week's challenge:

Supplies: papers from Basic Grey "paper cottage;"
fabric brad (also from Amy!), BG Paper Cottage collection;
stamps from Market Street Stamps;
Palette Noir ink;
Vintage Photo distress ink;
red and black rhinestones

Nina & I used very similar techniques in creating our cups - paper piecing & foam tape. I've tucked a length of bamboo thread under the tea tag & then under the top layer of the cup as well. 

This theme is really a terrifically versatile one, so I hope you can find time to play along with us (there's always a great prize up for grabs!). The linky is open until noon on Thursday, September 27 (my mommy's birthday!)

Don't forget to see what the rest of the team has been up to:

Nina

Angela

Allison

Merlie

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #164 - Guylou's Inimitability

Popping in real quick to say hi, and to wave to the gals over at Tuesday Morning Sketches! Our sponsor this week is Guylou's Inimitability, where you can find all sorts of fabulous digi images.

The sketch for this week's challenge is a lovely, basic, versatile sketch - check it out:

I didn't get time before I left to make a card for this round, but my GOODNESS did I find some goodies here in Vancouver, so I hope I'll be sharing my card for this challenge with you after I arrive home. These last couple days of vacation are the lowest-key so far, and thank goodness for that. I am apparently not 20 any more, and my body isn't keeping up!

Can't wait to be back home - as much fun as I've had here, I do miss my little family. (And by family I mean Abby, of course....lol). Talk to you soon!

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping our Stash #69 - Embossing

This week at Shopping our Stash we're challenging you to use wet or dry embossing in your creations - I decided to use my trusty Cuttlebug & one of my favourite folders, and the last full piece of paper in a K&Co pad. After embossing, I used a sponge to rub distress ink over the raised sections to make them stand out more. I didn't want to cover up the embossing too much, since I love how it looks over the subtle paper pattern, so I pulled out a butterfly die & made a wobbler:

Supplies: butterfly & patterned paper from K&Co;
embossing folder from Cuttlebug;
Old Paper distress ink;
sentiment stickers from Doodlebug

If you don't have jewelry wire in your stash, check your ribbon stash - the wire I've used here is from the edge of a wired ribbon. 

Check out the Shopping our Stash blog to see the DT's cards, and find out more about them at our individual blogs:

• 
  Carla
• Leslie
• Alica
• Deena
• Paige
• Lauren
• Lynn
• Jessi - that's me!
• Linda
• Michelle
• Sandie
• xoxo,
• Jessi

Playing in Paradise #84 - Colour Inspiration! - Sept 14

Happy Friday! Welcome back for another challenge from Playing in Paradise! This week our hostess is Merlie, and she'd like us to create something inspired by this colour story:

I made two cards for this challenge - once I got started I really loved this combination.

Supplies: standard circle Nesties; lacy circle Nesties;
(crocheted by me);
stamps from Annabelle Stamps;
Tumbled Glass, Bundled Sage, and Antique Linen distress ink;
Palette Noir ink;
Pearl Shimmer Spray from Tattered Angels

sparkly!

Supplies: papers & tags from Kaisercraft "Madam Boutique;"
stick pins from little yellow bicycle;
lace from Hero Arts;
sentiment stamp from Annabelle Stamps;
Palette Noir ink;
peacock feather & button from stash

I took the picture before the glue dried...ignore that! This is for the close-up
of the cool vintage button, loops of lace, and pins!

 Our linky over at Scrapbooker's Paradise will be open until next Thursday, September 20th, and as always there's a great prize to win. We're always looking for new players - and let me tell you, there are GREAT odds of winning...but you have to play to win :)

Don't forget to check out what the other ladies have cooked up this week:

Angela

Nina

Allison

Merlie

I'll be home before our next challenge - I can't wait to play along in "real" time :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping Our Stash #68 - 3,2,1 - Sept 11

This week at Shopping our Stash we're challenging you to use 3,2,1 as a recipe - on my card I've used THREE brads, TWO punched butterflies, and ONE stamp. You can use other elements on your card, but be sure to include a description of your 3,2,1 elements!

Supplies: papers from Bo Bunny;
butterfly punch from Martha Stewart;
brads from Basic Grey;
sentiment from Studio G;
Wild Plum Adirondack dye ink;
Sakura Stardust glitter pen

I traced over the stamped sentiment with the glitter pen, and traced
the wings of the folded butterflies as well. 

Don't forget to check out the design team's cards at the Shopping our Stash blog, and find out more about them at our individual blogs:

• 
  Carla
• Leslie
• Alica
• Deena
• Paige
• Lauren
• Lynn
• Jessi - that's me!
• Linda
• Michelle
• Sandie
• xoxo,
• Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #163 - Welcome Fall!

Good morning & happy Tuesday! Time for a new sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches - and this week we're sponsored by Designed2Delight. They just released all sorts of fab seasonal images - check them out! Speaking of seasonal....this week is our monthly Judged Challenge, and that means a twist - create a project using the sketch, and the theme of FALL :)

Supplies: papers  from We R Memory Keepers;
letter stickers from Kaisercraft;
leaf punch from Martha Stewart

Autumn is hands-down my favourite season - the crisp air, falling leaves, cooler temperatures....and Halloween! Here's the sketch for you, designed by Dawn this week:

This sketch will be open until Sunday, September 16 - and don't forget to check out what the rest of the design team created to celebrate Fall!

Angela 

Bonnie

Cheryl

Dawn

Debbie

Laura

Theresa

Melissa

xoxo,

Jessi

Playing in Paradise #83 - The Rule of Thirds

Happy Friday! This week at the Playing in Paradise Challenge, Angela is teaching us about one of the major 'rules' of composition, the Rule of Thirds:

As you know, I'm away on vacation the next couple of weeks, so my chat is minimal - hopefully you can see how I've implemented the rule of thirds!

Supplies: papers from Bo Bunny;
sentiment from Stampendous;
resin flower from May Arts;
Adirondack dye ink, Wild Plum;
Versamark, clear EP

Love the embossed shine! 

To emboss any colour ink, I first load up my stamp with a good coat of Versamark. (I have 2 pads - one for pure clear Versamark, and one for messy inking). Then, without stamping yet, I add the coloured ink, then stamp & sprinkle the embossing powder.  I use this technique with all my dye inks, and have for years, and have never noticed any issues with how the dye pads function (in case you're worried about getting Versamark on your other pads).

Our linky over at Scrapbooker's Paradise will be open until next Thursday, September 13th, and as always there's a great prize to win. We're always looking for new players - and let me tell you, there are GREAT odds of winning...but you have to play to win :)

Don't forget to check out what the other ladies have cooked up this week:

Angela

Nina

Allison

Merlie

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping Our Stash #67 - Wooden it be Nice?

This week at Shopping our Stash we're challenging you to think wood: trees, woodgrain patterns, wooden embellishments...that sort of thing!

I've dug down deep into the stash to find both woodgrain & wood veneer flags - I bought the Cosmo Cricket "Wanted" pad thinking it would be a lot more cowboy-ish. I've struggled to use most of the patterns, so this was a good opportunity. Likewise, I won the veneer flag pieces, and have only used a few. So:

Supplies: papers from Cosmo Cricket "Wanted;"
wood veneer flags from Studio Calico;
hemp twine from Dee at the Farmer's Market;
sentiment from Paper Smooches;
Vintage Photo distress ink

I tied a knot in each end of the twine, and adhered it with the arc I wanted for the banner with a little dab of Tombow Mono-multi glue. I weighed it down with a book until it was dry, and then used the Tombow glue to adhere the flags to both the twine & the card.

Check out the rest of the design team's takes: 

• 
  Carla
• Leslie
• Alica
• Deena
• Paige
• Lauren
• Lynn
• Jessi
• Linda
• Michelle
• Sandie

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #162 - Doodle Pantry!

Happy Tuesday! This week at Tuesday Morning Sketches we're working with a really versatile sketch from Melissa:

We're being sponsored by Doodle Pantry once again, home to some truly adorable images & some fab freebies - check them out! I just love the pre-coloured digis - they make cards so quick to come together.

Here's my card:

Supplies: fish images from Doodle Pantry;
sentiment & bubbles from Hero Arts;
Spiced Marmalade & Tumbled Glass distress inks;
Mod Podge Dimensional Magic;
spots Cuttlebug embossing folder

The Dimensional Magic is applied with a toothpick to both fishes - they really shine!

This sketch is open until Sunday September 9th - don't forget to see what the DT has for you:

Angela 

Bonnie

Cheryl

Dawn

Debbie

Laura

Theresa

Melissa

xoxo,

Jessi

The craziness is upon me...

I'm there. That panicked part of getting ready for a big trip. I'm going to forget something, probably something important. I have lists, and more lists. I'll probably have to make at least 2 more lists. In the midst of my scattered thoughts, I wanted to come & share a few cards, link up one last time to Simon Says Stamp (Anything Goes), and freak out a little!

I will be online sparingly in the next few weeks - all my DT posts are drafted, but not ready to go quite yet...that's on a list. I feel so very attached to visiting with all of you that I know I'm going to miss you - but I also know catching up will be beyond me. I can't wait to see what you've been up to when I come back!

So, before I start supper, here's a few cards:

Supplies: sentiments from Paper Smooches;
flowers from Stampin' Up!;
Palette Noir ink;
Spun Sugar & Tumbled Glass distress ink;
pink & blue rhinestones

Supplies: papers from Kaisercraft;
stamps from Paper Smooches (from Barb!);
Antique Linen, Barn Door, Vintage Photo distress inks;
Palette Noir ink;
GOOGLY EYES!

Just for fun cards? Paper Smooches to the rescue :) 

Love you guys - I'm gonna miss you!

xoxo,

Jessi

Numbers Game at little red wagon

One of my regular customers is actually the whole family - since they moved to the area I've made a personalized card for each child for their birthday. This little man has one for every year - I still remember getting to snuggle him as a wee babe! Every year the parents give me a heads up for what the kids are into (or the party theme they requested) and off I go. In fact, delivering this card this morning, his sister asked where HER card was (her birthday's coming up in October). I love that they look forward to receiving them - and as a kid who could NEVER find my name on anything, I love being able to put nontraditional spellings on things. 

All that to say, I also include the age of each child on these cards, so it's easy to look back & remember when each card was for - and so enters this week's little red wagon challenge, Numbers Game:

Supplies: Pokemon clipart from web;
sentiment rub-on from Pebbles;
small letter stickers - Basic Grey;
large letter stickers - October Afternoon;
circle punches, standard circle Nesties;
Dimensional Magic - Mod Podge

I printed 2 copies of the Pikachu image so I could pop it up, and then used a toothpick
to apply the Dimensional Magic to the letters, number 6, and the facial features. 

I'm also throwing this in for Simon Says Stamp's Anything Goes Challenge :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Best intentions, and all that

I really did mean to come back & post yesterday, and then life happened. You know how that works :) Simon Says Stamp is having an Anything Goes challenge this week, so I've got to throw my crafty hat in that ring. And some of my favourite challenges made their way into cards this week - starting with A Summer Scene over at Crafty Creations Challenges. I made two cards, reflecting two very different summer feelings: the ocean & the fair!

Supplies: carousel sticker from Jolee's;
polka dot embossing folder from Cuttlebug

Supplies: clipart from the Graphics Fairy;
patterned paper from MME;
sentiment from Annabelle Stamps;
Palette Noir ink

I printed two copies of the digi image, and fussy cut & popped the sailboat
on a layer of foam tape for some dimension.

I've entered the 'chicken with its head cut off' phase of readying for the trip. We finished getting the last of the school supplies today, so now I just need to get those labeled & ready. And now I've been staring at the screen thinking of the rest of my to-do list, so I think I'd better go DO some of it soon!

xoxo,

Jessi