DYSU #104 - Turquoise - Guest Designer!

How about cramming everything into the title? Not bad! Thank goodness for Barb, because spending the last few days sick in bed threw off my internal calendar and I CANNOT BELIEVE that I nearly forgot to post something I've been incredibly excited about for weeks!

Me! Guest designing with the DYSU team for their last challenge! I'm honoured & humbled to have been asked to help celebrate this fun challenge - because I have had a blast playing along with them :)

I received this SUPER sweet image from Sweet & Sassy Stamps to play with, and right away knew I wanted to make a winter hello! Here's Kiwi Koala's Cuppa:

Supplies: Kiwi Koala's Cuppa digital image from Sweet & Sassy Stamps; papers from My Mind's Eye;

standard small circle Nesties; Timeless Twine; Sentiment stamp from The Cat's Pajamas; Gray Flannel Memento ink; bells from Michaels; rhinestone strips from Dollarama; coloured with Prismacolor pencils; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic 

I had to glossy up the cup! And, drinking my own morning cup of coffee right now, I kind of wish I had a cup that was half my size to warm me up :)

There are 4 generous sponsors for this last DYSU challenge - which means 4 chances to win some fun crafty prizes! Head on over to the DYSU blog to check out what you can win, and the design team's beautiful projects. 

A FEW RULES 

• Our DT would love to leave comments on your blogs, please remove word verification to make this process easier (see right side bar for a how-to guide).
• Only 3 entries per person per Challenge.
• Make sure to link back to this challenge and mention it on your blog in your blog post.
• No back linking.
• Entries that do not fit the requirements will not be eligible for Winner or Top 3.
• Mr. Linky closes at 5pm on Tuesdays.

I know I'd love to see you play along this week - maybe with some new stamping goodies from Santa??

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #178 - Anything Goes!

Do we ever have something crazy for you this week at Tuesday Morning Sketches!  Anything Goes. Sort of. We really want you to challenge yourselves - try something you haven't before, like a new technique or a new kind of project. The design team has pulled out all kinds of crazy stops, and I know I'm pretty excited to share mine with you. Melissa, our fearless leader, has assembled a fabulous prize package for the winner of this week's challenge, so show us what you've got! A few weeks ago Theresa was the kind sponsor of the TMS challenge, and my package was busy hitch-hiking to get to Canada. My stamps came JUST in time for this challenge, so I want to thank Theresa for her generosity - and the perfect stamps she chose for me!

For my something new, I tried a Side Step card  using the Splitcoast tutorial. I made two, for kids whose awesome parents get me to make them cards every year. Trouble is, I made my layers kind of chunky, so I couldn't fit them in envelopes. Enter my moment of brilliance: I figured out a box. On my own. (I'm still VERY excited about that!)

First, the picture you may have seen on the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog - this card is my favourite, since I do have a soft spot for the girly ;)

Supplies: Close to my Heart stamps - Flakey Friends; Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam- blizzard; Glimmer Mist - blue skies; Aleene's Glitter Snow; Stampendous Shabby Blue embossing powder (on the tree); AC fabric thickers - pink; Jolee's by You lights; EAD Designs rub-ons for the sentiments

I painted the Glimmer Glam & Glimmer Mist on a full piece of cardstock with a paintbrush. LOVE that stuff! It is perfect as a watercolour paint. The Glimmer Glam has some glitter in it as well as a fine shimmer. The snow paint is done the same way - it's very thick & messy, so I spread it on with my fingers over the whole sheet (of glossy paper) & let it dry. It's VERY sturdy, though, and after it's dry you can tear or die cut the paper without the snow paint flaking/chunking off. 

So, to make the card (after following the scoring/cutting instructions at Splitcoast), I cut the blue painted cardstock into the sizes I needed to cover JUST the front-facing panels. This allows the card to fold shut. Then I embossed & added the lights to the  tree die (from Barb's stash - love that girlie!) 

and attached it. Then cut out & coloured the snowgal, layered 2 strips of snow paper, glued the Thickers on with some Tombow Mono-Multi (and using baby powder as an adhesive neutralizer on the top parts of the letters that extend above the first fold). The EAD rub-ons are the perfect little something to add without overpowering the background.

The card folds shut, but it's chunky, like I said. Probably about a centimetre thick when folded, plus I let the tree hang over the top fold. So, what now? Make a box!

Here are the directions for the box, using a piece of cardstock 8.5" by 11" :

on the short side, score at 5/8" and 7 7/8"

on the long side, score at 5/8", 5 2/8", 5 7/8", 10 3/8"

on the long sides, snip along the score lines (4 of them) UP TO the short side score lines, for creating the folding tabs. Secure the folding tabs with some scor-tape, and ta-da! The box will need to be secured shut in some way, and twine is the perfect re-usable way to do that. I stamped a little tag to go on top with each recipient's name.

Supplies: Close to my Heart stamps - Flakey Friends; Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam- blizzard; Glimmer Mist - blue skies; Aleene's Glitter Snow; Doodlebug letter stickers; Salty Ocean distress ink; PTI snowball lettering, hand-drawn sign; 3/4" punch for snowballs; Dollarama bells; trees cut from Fancy Pants paper (from the sweet JEN!)

Since the construction is the same, I'll leave it there!

I really hope you find time to play along with us this week - push yourself to try something new, perhaps with some new presents?? We are maintaining a regular challenge schedule at Tuesday Morning Sketches, so this linky will be open until Sunday, December 30th, and a new special challenge will be announced on the 1st! 

Make sure to hop over to the design blog and see the amazing creations by all my teamies: 

Lee, the Best of the Best designer

Angela 

Bonnie

Cheryl

Dawn

Debbie

Laura

Theresa

Melissa

Merry Christmas!
xoxo,
Jessi

So many cards...

I learned a little bit from last year, realizing that there was NO WAY I was ever going to be able to blog all the Christmas cards I make. I didn't even bother photographing all my cards this time around, and I still have a bunch to share (and no more time). Here's a few more of them, and I'm linking up again with DYSU's "Anything Goes" challenge and Simon Says Stamp's "Merry Christmas" challenge.

Supplies: paper from Memory Box; washi tape from We R Memory Keepers (thanks to Lindsey!!); deer die cut from K&Co; Frost White pigment ink (Colorbox); standard & lacy circle Nesties; Fun Flock; sentiment rub-on from EAD Designs

Supplies: Fancy Pants paper ((from Jen!!); EAD Designs rub-on; bling strips from Dollarama

And I even have more challenge cards to share...last minute crafting burst last weekend :) I'll be back tomorrow with a new (fabulous!) challenge for Tuesday Morning Sketches, but I've already written that post - so for now I'll wish you a very Merry Christmas! Time to go wrap some presents...finally...

xoxo,

Jessi

Is it food? Well, there ARE olives...

The challenge home for all my favourite cards....Drunken Stampers' lastest challenge is Eat, Pray, Love. It doesn't mention drink, but how could I not share this?

Supplies: papers from Bo Bunny; awesome Stella image from Bugaboo; computer-generated sentiment inspired by the Appletini set from MFT; bells from Dollarama; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic; exasperated bird rub-on from Basic Grey; watercoloured with Glimmer Mists and Distress inks

You have until next Friday the 28th to enter!

I'm also going to toss this into these challenges:

DYSU #103, Anything Goes: because I totally feel like anything goes after swimming in a martini ;)

and 

Simon Says Stamp - Merry Christmas; because ELF! 

xoxo,

Jessi

Connor, in Thriller!

If we're friends on FB you've already seen this, but I got requests to share it more widely, so I hope that this coding works & you can view it :)

Playing in Paradise - Merry Christmas!

 Happy Friday & Merry Christmas! This time of year is so very busy that we wanted to have a just for fun Christmas challenge this week at Scrapbooker's Paradise.  Each of the design team is sharing a little something, and we'd love to see you join us. No prize this time around, but we'll definitely come visit!

I don't think it's any secret that I love patterned paper, and when it gets down to crunch time for Christmas creating that is my definite go-to for a quick card. I have two to share today, each of them made in less than 10 minutes!

(Remember, you can always click the picture to make it larger & see more details!)

 Supplies: paper and stamps from My Mind's Eye; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; blue pearls; Gray Flannel Memento ink; Pearl Glimmer Mist from Tattered Angels

Supplies: paper from Memory Box; Pearl Glimmer Mist from Tattered Angels; Making Memories rub-on; Mod Podge dimensional magic

To see what the other designers are sharing, click on over to the Playing in Paradise post - and don't forget to leave some love along the way :) The just-for-fun link up will be open for 2 weeks, and our regular challenges will resume in the new year with new designers & a big 100th challenge celebration coming up!

Allison

Nina

Angela

xoxo,

Jessi

Friends with Flair!

I have the loveliest friends :) Emily sent me this super-sweet Unity stamp for my birthday, and I thought it would make a fun Christmas card - especially because I often call little girls "dolly!"

Supplies: Unity stamp; paper & mini alphabet stickers from Kaisercraft;Palette Noir ink; coloured with dye inks; sprayed with Tattered Rose glimmer mist from Tattered Angels; snowflake stamps from PTI; Spun Sugar Distress ink; Martha Stewart snowflake punches; snowflake brad from stash

I spritzed the glimmer spray very lightly since I didn't want to have a blotchy look - hard to capture the glimmer, but this picture does a bit. 

Of course I'm linking up with this week's Unity Friends with Flair :) I'm off to make my very last Christmas cards for the year - a special order for a special family. I can't wait to share those - if they turn out as planned I'll be geeking out big time!

xoxo,
Jessi

Drunken Stampers - Stripes!

I was going to call this post "Drunken Stripes," but of course that brings to mind a whole different look, doesn't it? The current challenge at Drunken Stampers is to use stripes, and instantly I knew I *had* to play. I LOVE STRIPES!

Supplies: striped paper from Bo Bunny; image from Bugaboo; computer-generated sentiment; lacy circle Nesties; 1" circle punch; coloured with dye inks & glimmer mists; Dimensional Magic on her glasses

I shared this card previously on FB but HAD to link it up for this challenge...somehow I feel like the gals there will appreciate the snark! I've also got another yellow snow card - I TOLD YA it was my favourite!

Supplies: paper from Bo Bunny; standard small & lacy circle Nesties; kraft, white, and black cardstock; Palette Noir ink; puppy & sentiment from Inkadinkado; Liquid Applique; googly eyes; Tattered Angels glimmer mist- Yellow Daisy

I love that the stripes on this paper were wide enough to fit the sentiment perfectly. 

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping our Stash #82 - Winter BUT...

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

We have a fabulous challenge up for you this week at Shopping our Stash - and with the holidays fast approaching, we have 2 weeks to work on it! For the current challenge, we want to see your winter themed project, BUT:

Winter, NOT HOLIDAY! 

snow, mittens, penguins, polar bears, sled, fireplace, hot cocoa, snowmen, etc.

Personally I think it would be a perfect time to work on those holiday thank you cards, or perhaps you know someone celebrating a birthday soon? That's what the card I'm sharing was purchased for - a December birthday card.

Supplies: paper from October Afternoon; pearl strips found in a box while I was looking for something else (score!); snowflake quilled by me :)

I used a Nestie to trace very lightly to have a guide for placing the pearls in a circle. 

This challenge is open for two weeks, until Monday December 31st, and don't forget to check out what everyone else has been up to!

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

I have a rather busy day ahead getting cards in the mail, getting cards ready for the 20 teachers & staff the boys want to give cards to, and anxiously waiting to hear how Connor's talent show rehearsal went. He performs on Thursday, and he is SO EXCITED he can hardly bear it. He's doing Thriller. Seriously. 

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #177 - Bugaboo!

I got smart and worked ahead when I made this card...and I've wanted to share it since I made it! This week's sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches was designed by Angela, and its clean lines and large focal point were PERFECT for playing with a fun & snarky Bugaboo image. I've been lucky enough to win a Bugaboo-sponsored challenge before, and let me tell you...trying to choose? And their customer service is top-notch.

I am (probably not surprisingly...) a fan of Stella :) I've used Stella Calendar Month - November (and just found a bunch of awesome new ones in the Stella collection - and there's a sale on!)

Supplies: Recollections cardstock; Bugaboo digital image; EAD Designs rub-on sentiment; miniature lights from Jolee's; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic

I've used inks & glimmer mists to colour in the image - and I forgot to write down which ones. Sorry about that! The Dimensional Magic was added to her glasses, and a tiny dab under each light to keep them placed the way I wanted. The three circles on the sketch had me thinking snowflakes at first, and then I saw this rub-on....and she looks so NOT 'ho ho ho' I had to use it :)

Here's the sketch:

We are maintaining a regular challenge schedule at Tuesday Morning Sketches, so this linky will be open until Sunday, December 23rd, and a new special challenge will be announced on the 25th! 

Make sure to hop over to the design blog and see the amazing creations by all my teamies: 

Lee, the Best of the Best designer

Angela 

Bonnie

Cheryl

Dawn

Debbie

Laura

Theresa

Melissa

xoxo,
Jessi

Seize the Birthday Linky Party!

 Seize the Birthday? Now here's a challenge I think I'll be playing along with often! Birthday cards are by far the most popular, and I am always running short (especially of masculine ones, which is what makes the concept of this challenge so appealing). The first linky party is open until tomorrow, the 18th!

I have an extra-girly card to share with you - although of course the female peacock is not the one with the glorious plumage...let's just ignore that little factoid, shall we? okthanks.

Supplies: stamps from Raisin Boat; Palette Noir ink; paper from Bo Bunny; crepe paper from Dollarama; Peacock Feathers distress ink (how could I not? lol); Picket Fence distress marker for highlights; Martha Stewart markers for beak & green feathers; Sakura Stardust glitter pen

I LOVE this image, and this sentiment. Too often we equate aging with a fading of beauty, and I don't believe that is true. Every wrinkle and grey hair is an experience lived, earned, and survived, and if surviving isn't beauty? I don't know what is. 

xoxo,

Jessi

Celebrate & LINK UP with Annette!

What a fabulous idea Annette has - a linky party to celebrate the FUN and FRIENDSHIP that we've found by crafting & blogging. I know 2012 has been a huge year for me craft-wise - first publication, being lucky enough to join 3 design teams, being asked to guest design for even more, being Moxie Fabber of the week....the list goes on! But as exciting as those things are, the true day-to-day fun comes from sharing it with other people who *get it* - who understand how exciting it is to get the kind of crafty news you hope for, and end up being just as excited about it as I am.

So, let's see....a fun project to share to celebrate all that?

Supplies: Distress marker (Picket Fence); Kaisercraft mini letters; stamp from Inkadinkado; Palette Noir ink; Prismacolor pencils; standard small oval Nesties; kraft paper; plaid paper from Cosmo Cricket; buttons from stash; sentiment borrowed from Paper Smooches!

One of the things I love to share from real life is my pup - and Annette's got a wonderful dog too, so there you go! I really couldn't help but use this phrase from Paper Smooches - as I was colouring up my dog I was snickering to myself about it. 

Hey, I'm easily amused. 

You've got until December 30th to link up with Annette's party - I hope you join us! Check out the post on her blog for the rules & the linky.

xoxo,

Jessi 

DYSU #102 - Christmas!

A Christmas challenge? Stand back, folks, I GOT THIS. Remember, DYSU is closing at the end of the year - let's see them out with a bang, shall we??

Supplies: paper from Bo Bunny; miniature lights from Jolee's; penguin stamp & Fun Flock from Stampendous; Mod Podge dimensional magic. 

I've had this penguin stamp for years and I still love it :) I've used Fun Flock on the bellies & white parts of the hats, and then used a toothpick to put Dimensional Magic gloss on the lights, beaks, and feet. Fussy work but it is SO worth the final look!

Only a couple more challenges EVER at DYSU - come on & help celebrate! This linky closes tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5 pm!

xoxo,

Jessi

Pink Christmas with little red wagon

PINK! Probably my favourite non-traditional Christmas colour. I went NUTS with it on this card, and I'm linking up with little red wagon's Pink Christmas challenge:

Supplies: metallic pink paper from Kaisercraft; stamp from Inkadinkado; Palette Noir ink; sentiment rub-on from EAD Designs; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; Prismacolor pencils; tinsel trim from girls paperie; BELLS!

To make sure the tinsel trim hangs on, I've stitched it on with a simple couching stitch every inch or so. The trim is high-quality and braided, so it didn't require more thorough attachment. 

xoxo,

Jessi

CCC #200 - Wise Words

Crafty Creations Challenge #200 is to use Wise Words on your card. It doesn't have to be a Christmas card, but since I'm still in the midst of creating them (not to mention writing them!) it was a natural choice for me. I would apologize for AGAIN using Lovely as a Tree, but seriously, this stamp is perfection.

Supplies: Stampin' Up's "Lovely as a Tree;" Aleene's Sparkle Snow paint; Faded Jeans distress ink; sentiment from PTI; Pearl Glimmer Mist from Tattered Angels

A shot of the sparkly!

Crafty Creations Challenges end on Tuesday nights, so you have time to play along still :)

xoxo,

Jessi

CAS(E) this Sketch #9 - times two, sorta

The current sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch! is so perfect for ornaments. I don't remember if I've already shared one of these on the blog but here are the 3rd and 4th I've made (I'm pretty sure...crafty bits are getting pretty blurry this close to Christmas, I must admit.)
The first card is much truer to the sketch - but the second is so very close to the first in design I thought I should share it at the same time.

The fabby sketch:

Supplies: same for both cards, except Mowed Lawn distress ink on card #1, Peacock Feathers distress ink on #2; sentiment from My Sentiments Exactly; ornament die cuts from K&Co; Tim Holtz design ruler for piercing; needle & embroidery thread

Both cards were made using a panel to hide the back of the stitching. I inked the edges of the panels in ink to match the sentiments, and used foam tape to attach them to the card bases. Even though it's a little fussy doing the cross-stitching, I think it's a fabulous way to class up a card that will still mail easily & with one stamp!

This is  the last CAS(E) this Sketch challenge until the New Year, and you've got until Tuesday to link up :)

xoxo,
Jessi

10 minutes + red = FUN!

I had a chance to play again with the current 10 Minute Craft Dash (open until midnight tonight, Saturday the 15th). Not only did I have fun, I think I outdid myself for time - between 6 and 7 minutes. I used a heat gun to speed up the mist's drying time. I am certain I've used mists more in the last month than I have in the entire last year!

Supplies: stamps from two different PTI sets, from Barb; Barn Door distress ink; red rhinestones; Pearl Glimmer Mist from Tattered Angels

Hard to capture the sparkle! The good news is that using the heat gun cuts down on the paper warping - just give it a blast on the 'wrong' side and the paper will uncurl a little. 

xoxo,

Jessi

Playing in Paradise #97 - Christmas Sketch!

Happy Friday! You know what that means around here - a new challenge up at Scrapbooker's Paradise! Allison is our hostess this week, and she's got a fabulous sketch:

Supplies: papers all from My Mind's Eye; corner rounder from EK Success (for making the green scalloped layer); yellow timeless twine; Mustard Seed Distress ink (inking around the puppy panel); Yellow Daisy Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels) for the puppy piddle; kraft paper; Liquid Applique; standard small circle Nesties; snowflake buttons from Dress it Up!; Palette Noir ink; Inkadinkado stamps

I've said it before & I'll say it again - this stamp is one of my very favourites ever. 

Have an idea for this awesome sketch? Link it up with us by next Thursday, December 20, for a chance to win a fabulous prize & be a guest designer with us :) And don't forget to stop by & see what my teammates have created:

Allison

Merlie

Nina

Angela

Depending on how much I get done today I'm hoping to be back with another post - best laid plans and all that jazz :) 

xoxo,

Jessi