SPARKS, redux

For a challenge that seemed so difficult to get going on, I want to keep making cards for it now! You have until tomorrow night to link up with the current PS SPARKS challenge.

This time I did change up the colours a little bit, including some grey tones.

Supplies: Paper Smooches stamps; Distress inks in Pumice Stone, Brushed Corduroy, and Antique Linen, brown rhinestones from Dollarama

Except for the Antique Linen images, all of the stamping was done with stamped-off-once ink. Finding brown gems to match was one of those awesome shopping my own stash finds - Dollarama stopped carrying these little packs of different sized gems, so the stash is getting low. 

Here be the inspiration pic:

xoxo,

Jessi

10 Minute Craft Dash #20

Holy moly! For some reason I thought there was more time, and  then WHOOPS - I nearly didn't get my card for the current Craft Dash linked up in time. It was a bit of a gong show making this card - my mp3 battery died partway through timing (not to fear - from habit I kept looking at the wall clock), I dropped my scissors, the stamps...honestly.

Supplies: grey and pink cardstock from Bazzill; Memento Gray Flannel ink; Dried Marigold distress ink; Stampendous floral block stamp; Lawn Fawn thanks; pink rhinestones from Dollarama

I didn't have any cardstock that matched the orangey colour, so I began my time by swiping white cardstock with the Dried Marigold pad so it had a little time to dry before stamping on it & punching it out. The floral block was stamped, the images cut apart, and then reassembled into a graphic flower. The gems were a last-minute touch & ta-da! Squeaked in just under 8 minutes. Now, if I could stop DROPPING things, maybe I could shave a minute off? 

xoxo,

Jessi

PS Sparks - thanks!

Initially I was truly stumped by this week's Picture Perfect inspiration photo at Paper Smooches SPARKS - the design team really rocked it in twelve different directions. And then I saw my new as-yet-uninked Reflections set. Lightbulb!

Supplies: Paper Smooches stamps; Bazzill card stock; Mr. Huey's white mist; Distress inks: Vintage Photo, Brushed Corduroy, Old Paper, Antique Linen; Colorbox frost white pigment ink; Stampendous white EP

The white mist drops were a last-minute 'oh crap, I missed some stray embossing powder' additions. Ahem. Just keepin' it real.

Here's the inspiration photo:

The challenge doesn't close until Sunday night - maybe I'll have another kick at the crafty can with some of the greyish shades included....

xoxo,

Jessi

Muse #23

Always one to leave things until the last minute...today, Friday, is the last day of school. The boys had 19 teachers & staff that they wanted to write thank you cards for (and that's doubling up on the ones they have in common, like administrators. 19 individual people). That pretty much cleaned out my thank you card stash, so the next few days will be seeing a number of thank you cards here on the ol' blog. Nothing like a few challenges to get the mojo going.

This card is going to the guidance counselor, who is well-loved by both boys. I was heavily inspired by the current Muse, Anita (in France), specifically by the use of rhinestones & sequins, pink & blue, and lots of white space. I also love the horizontal lines. And, since I pulled out sequins again, throwing my crafty hat in the ring over at Let's Get Trendy Now 3 as well.

Supplies: piercing tool & Tim Holtz design ruler; stamp from Lawn Fawn; Memento Gray Flannel ink; Martha Stewart pink rhinestones; sequins from Emily; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic

I didn't measure the distance between the pierced lines - I just lined up the ruler with the bottom edge, and then from each subsequent pierced line. The sequins stay on perfectly with a little toothpick dab of DM (I use the clean end of the toothpick to push the sequins flat onto the glue dab). This felt very outside my comfort zone but I like how it turned out!

Here's Anita's card:

The Muse challenge linky closes on Saturday, and the Let's Get Trendy challenges all end on Sunday. 

xoxo,

Jessi

ETA! Linking up with Muse, I see that they have changed their voting/submission deadlines. WOOT! The linky will now stay open until Monday mornings, and voting will start then. I think that's fabulous - I have a terrible time getting linked up on Saturday morning ;)

Textured Krafty Layers

Another three-fer for you this morning - the current challenge at The Kraft Journal is to use ink, paint, or markers. I've used crackle paint, which is FULL of texture for the Textured Layers challenge at Let's Get Trendy Now 3; and Simon Says Stamp is having an anything goes week. 

Supplies: kraft card stock; misc. patterned paper; Antique Linen Distress crackle paint; Tonic edge distresser; Spellbinders butterfly die; Hero Arts sentiment stamp; Colorbox Frost White pigment ink; Stampendous White EP

I die cut the butterfly from kraft card stock before painting it with the crackle paint. It curled as it dried, but I was able to fiddle with it & get it back to shape by bending & flexing it. The edge distresser was used on the kraft layer after the smudges of paint dried. I used double-sided tape to adhere it to the white card base but left all the corners loose for extra dimension. The patterned paper flag panel was hand-cut, I tied the floss bow around it, and then attached it with foam tape. The butterfly is also adhered with foam tape. I was a little off plumb with my sentiment stamping (of course, my last touch before sticking it to the card) so I adapted that by adding the panel to the base at an angle. The sentiment is parallel with the card base. And it even looks like I did it on purpose! Woot!

xoxo,

Jessi

Let's get Mixy & Matchy with a Pink Elephant!

Inspired by Lyndal's awesome blog post this morning, fun with titles!  I got so inspired by the Let's Get Trendy Now 3 series that I went out and bought some neon stuff for the challenge. And then of course, I couldn't decide what to use out of what I'd bought.

The sketch this week at The Pink Elephant was perfect for including everything. (Seriously - well, not every colour of cardstock, but I opened every package.) And this has ended up mixing so many fun patterns that of course I've got to pop it in the Mixy-Matchy challenge at Moxie Fab World. 

Supplies: washi tapes & neon cardstock from Recollections; Wplus9 banner dies; Adirondack Citrus ink; Squeezed Lemonade distress ink; argyle stamp from Unity & thanks stamp from Lawn Fawn - both from the super awesome Jen Wills!; Stampendous motif stamp; 1.5" circle punch; rhinestones from Dollarama; sequins from the fabulous Emily Leiphart!

I used the ikat patterned washi to create a solid sheet of paper to work with. The three flag tabs were created the same way - putting the washi on cardstock first, and then die-cutting it. You can just barely see the yellow Stampendous image on the argyle panel. It didn't really work by itself, so I stamped the argyle over top (without conditioning the stamp first - it's brand-spanking-new, but I wanted that distressed effect). 

So, challenges:

Mixy-Matchy at Moxie Fab World:  there's ikat, argyle, animal print, and chevrons. Check!

Let's Get Trendy Now 3: Neon: neon orange, yellow, green, blue, and pink. Check! 

The Pink Elephant sketch:

And now I've completed all 5 of the Let's Get Trendy Now 3 challenges - but I'm also right into all those trends, so expect to see a couple more kicks at the can! 

xoxo,

Jessi

Textured Layers at Let's Get Trendy Now!

I really love cards that ask to be touched - like this one, with its crepe paper ruffles and shiny rhinestones. This card is for the Textured Layers challenge at Let's Get Trendy Now 3.

Supplies: stamps from Raisin Boat; paper from Amy Tangerine; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Bic & Spectrum Noir markers; crepe paper & rhinestone strips from Dollarama; Sakura Stardust glitter pen 

The paisley pattern made me think of this stamp - one of my favourites :) 

Remember, you have until the end of June to play along with all of the Let's Get Trendy Now 3 challenges! I made my neon card this morning - still waiting for it to finish drying. And there are sequins on it! 

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping our Stash #107 - Your Oldest Embellishment

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

You know the drill - we want you to shop your stash & use it! This week at Shopping our Stash the challenge is to dig out & use your oldest embellishment! Is it something you've been saving for a rainy crafty day? Something you bought too many of? (*koff*) Something you bought & then really didn't know how to use? USE IT!

I'm particularly proud of myself because the newest item on this card is just the markers I used to colour. And a new bottle of Dimensional Magic because, well, I use that stuff up! Everything else is a minimum of a year old.

Supplies: papers from Fancy Pants; stamps from Inkadinkado; Bic & Spectrum Noir markers; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic (on her glasses & surfboard); Distress EP in Old Paper (for sand); Memento Tuxedo Black ink; pink rhinestones; OLDEST EMBELLISHMENT: my sailboat button from Dress it Up. 

I bought SO MANY of these buttons - and I made the mistake of buying lots of 'variety' packs because they were a good price. They were a good price likely because I was never going to be able to use a large number of them...so I had lots of these to choose from. Oh well, one less!

So what's YOUR oldest embellie? Come & play along with this challenge until next Monday, July 1st - hop on by & leave the rest of my teamies some love!

Carla

Leslie

Alica

Deena 

Lauren

Michelle

Linda

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #204 - CC Designs!

Good morning! This week at Tuesday Morning Sketches we are being sponsored by the fabulous CC Designs - and the team is working with some of the really cool Tickled Pink line - I hope I've done Futuristic Christina justice!

Supplies: Futuristic Christina from CC Designs; Bazzill cardstock; Colorbok sparkle paper; Memento Gray Flannel ink; Stampendous sentiments; Martha Stewart fine silver  glitter; Bic & Spectrum Noir markers; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic; classic small circle Nesties; bling strips from Dollarama

So, 'futuristic'....she's gotta have awesome hair, right? I completely coloured in the image, using grey for her hair. I used the Dimensional Magic on her goggles & let it dry completely to avoid getting stray glitter stuck on them. Then I used a Quickie Glue pen to colour her hair again, sprinkling on silver glitter as I went. Once it was dry I found she was still shedding stray glitter, so I coated her hair with the Dimensional Magic too - bazinga! Awesomely glittery, with little bulk and no shedding. 

The sketch for this week is by Laura, and it is easy to adapt to any style - gotta love that!

This sketch is open until next Sunday, June 30th.

Don't forget to visit the rest of my teamies!

Angela

Bonnie

Debbie

Jenee

Laura

Melissa

xoxo,

Jessi

Let's Get Trendy Now 3 - Stitching!

I'm slowly working my way through the 5 challenges for Let's Get Trendy Now 3 - including, for the first time ever, going to buy stuff BECAUSE of a challenge. I had really opted out of neon altogether, and well, look at that. I've been converted! Now to go play with it. All these challenges end when June does!

So today I've got a card with some stitching on it. I hand-stitch, and I really enjoy it. On cards only (no fabric stitching...there be dragons). One of my favourite ways to add stitching is to sew buttons in a frame, so I did that - and a little something extra:

Supplies: Stickers from Penny Black; papers from Bo Bunny; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic; Tim Holtz design ruler; piercing tool; needle & embroidery thread; buttons from stash

Hard to capture the shine, but the balloon is covered in a THICK layer of Dimensional Magic....there may or may not have been bad words said about how much poured out.

I used my handy dandy Tim Holtz design ruler to evenly pierce holes underneath one of the 'happy birthday's, and then stitched with bright yellow embroidery thread. Piercing the paper before you stitch is a huge factor in your success. Same thing with the buttons - I fiddle until I have the placement the way I want, then pierce for 2 or 3 buttons at a time. Without an 'anchor' of a sewn button, it is way too easy to pierce in the wrong places...and there may or may not have been bad words the day I figured THAT out. 

The link for the Stitching challenge at Let's Get Trendy Now 3 is here, and stay tuned for at least 2 more projects from me. Once I make them *koff*

xoxo,

Jessi

Cardstock Capers!

Last week little red wagon wanted us to use lots of patterned paper - and this week, we aren't to use any. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with this than I used to be!

Supplies: Paper Smooches stamps; Brushed Corduroy distress ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Bic Markers; Cuttlebug embossing folder

Supplies: Unity stamp; Memento Gray Flannel ink; Bic & Spectrum Noir markers; Cuttlebug embossing folder; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic

With both cards the embossing provides tone-on-tone interest. And gets my embossing folders used for a change ;)

The boys just finished carrying in the groceries, so now I have to perform 'fridge magic'!

xoxo,

Jessi

Drunken Stampers #133 - Edward Scissorhands

I can't believe it - we're at the Midnight Margaritas' last challenge of the term! I have had so much fun with the great gals of the Designated Designers...do YOU want to join us next term? There's a call for fun crafty folks - check it out here.

Now to this week's challenge - be inspired by the movie "Edward Scissorhands" or sewing. I  went for sewing - I actually wanted to re-watch this movie for the challenge but couldn't get my hands on it. It's been at least 20 years since I saw it, and I KNEW I wouldn't be able to remember anything accurately. (Except, was Winona blonde? With long hair?)

Supplies: PTI stamps borrowed from Barb, who rocks; Sassafras paper; Webster's Pages trim; Distress inks: Spiced Marmalade, Old Paper, Peacock Feathers; Memento Grey Flannel ink; green embroidery thread & needle

You'll have to click it to see full-size, but the little green cross-stitching was part of the patterned paper, and I sewed over it for some more dimension. The spool of thread is stamped twice, fussy cut & popped up. And that wonky trim just went perfectly with the shabby layers of the patterned paper - and the whole thing says 'crazy', which draws it back to the sentiment. (Yes, I patted myself on the back. Why?)

Our linky will be open until next Friday night, June 28th. Check out what the rest of the Midnight Margaritas made:

Spike

Jackie

Barbara

Chris

Vicki

Barb M. 

And don't forget to check out the details for the DT call while you're at it!

xoxo,

Jessi

The Kraft Journal + Tuesday Morning Sketches = Awesome!

So I LOVED this week's sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches - and decided to give it another whirl while making my card for this week's challenge at The Kraft Journal.  Burlap, felt, or twine....hmmmm....I don't have any felt. Burlap and twine it is!

Supplies: Echo Park phonebook paper; kraft canvas; gardening burlap; Spellbinders butterfly die & circle Nestie; Paper Smooches twine; Mrs. Grossman's sticker sentiment; OLD pearls from stash. 

I couldn't believe it, but my handy-dandy ancient paper cutter that I got for $3 years ago? It cut canvas. Colour me impressed! The burlap wasn't happy about being die cut, but I used scissors to trim the stubborn bits. There are 3 butterflies stacked & bent up for dimension, with twine wrapped around the body for antennae. There's also twine wrapped & tied around the sentiment flag - using the same sticker I used on my original card. I love how much texture is on this card - it just begs to be touched!

Both The Kraft Journal & Tuesday Morning Sketches challenges are open until Sunday night! Here's the sketch:

Now for the child abuse portion of my day...making the kids sweep the driveway while I mow the lawn. Oh, the drama. Something tells me they might not like my plans for their summer....*evil cackle*

xoxo,

Jessi

Drunken Stampers #132 - Monty Python!

It's the Bahama Mamas' turn to play at Drunken Stampers this week, but I could not pass up a chance to join in. Rabbits! It's just a flesh wound!

Well, THIS is no ordinary rabbit. It's perhaps a little...vicious? (Full disclosure - my husband says I'm screwing it up by referencing different parts of the movie & not quoting properly. :P)

Supplies: The Cat's Pajamas stamps; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Bic markers; Amy Tangerine paper; classic small oval Nesties; Cotton Ball fun flock from Stampendous; googly eyes!

The ears are flocked, of course.
So, love Monty Python? Rabbits? Killer rabbits? Play along before Friday & you might just be our Life of the Party!!
xoxo,
Jessi

It's Twins!

A friend is expecting precious twin girls - identical! - and so OF COURSE there had to be special baby blankets made. Also a card!

Supplies: papers & sticker from Echo Park; buttons & pearls from Dollarama

The onesies were fussy-cut from a piece of patterned paper. Woot! Insta-embellie.

For the blankets, I wanted to have matching-but-not-identical blankets. I modified an existing pattern from Red Heart to use the 'bobble' motif, with shorter & fewer strips.  I also added a frilly border to suit a baby girl. (By the way, you should totally check out the original blanket. I had fun showing that picture while I was working on these...)

One blanket is done in yellow & pink with a white border; the other is in purple & white with a pink border. You can click to get a better view - it's hard to photograph something this big. (Actually, what it is, is hard to find a big enough clear space to lay it out...)

Each blanket measures 39" square.

AND, here's an awesome 'jeez I need a maid' shot: notice the dental molds sitting on the desk? Empty camera box? Cat on the right, on a sleeping bag that doesn't belong in the living room? 

If you are interested in the modifications I made to the pattern, drop me an email & I'll write them down for you!  I love the texture of the bobbles - each blanket used the equivalent of 2 large Super Saver balls of yarn, baby/sport weight. They will be nice & warm!

xoxo,
Jessi

Shopping our Stash #106 - Geometric Shapes

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

This week at Shopping our Stash we want you to pull out those geometric shapes! Squares. Circles. Triangles. Those oh-so-trendy hexagons. One of the DT gals even pulled out PARALLELOGRAMS.

Supplies: MFT Stacking Stars die & Emerson stamp; Memento Gray Flannel ink; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; yellow sparkle fabric paint; scrap papers

I fussy-cut the hexagons from patterned paper, and traced around them with the glitter pen. I coated the stars with the fabric paint for some extra glam (AFTER sticking them to the card, natch, so that was interesting). In person this card is BLINDINGLY sparkly :)

Come & play along with this challenge until next Monday, June 24th - hop on by & leave the rest of my teamies some love!

Carla

Leslie

Alica

Deena (parallelogrammer!)

Lauren

Michelle

Linda

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #203 - Paper Pretties!

I really love how my card turned out for this week's Tuesday Morning Sketches! It practically seemed to make itself. I love it when that happens. Paper Pretties is our sponsor this week - so many cute images to choose from there :)

Supplies: Penny Black sticker; papers from Amy Tangerine (pink) and Memory Box (purple); Cuttlebug embossing folder; Timeless Twine; Wplus9 banner die; Mrs. Grossman's sentiment sticker; classic small circle Nesties

The embossing added just the right amount of pop to the white background - the image circle & sentiment flag are both popped up on foam tape for dimension. I LOVE IT!

Here's the sketch:

This sketch is open until next Sunday, June 23rd.

Don't forget to visit the rest of my teamies!

Angela

Bonnie

Dawn

Debbie

Jenee

Laura

Theresa

Melissa

xoxo,

Jessi

Doodle Pantry #35

I am seriously addicted to these gorgeous lily images from Doodle Pantry - they are perfect for Easter, but they also make beautiful birthday cards & peaceful sympathy cards.

Supplies: Pre-coloured digi image from Doodle Pantry; papers from Echo Park; sentiment stamp from Paper Smooches; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; classic small circle Nesties; yellow sparkle fabric paint

I have used a toothpick to brush & dab the yellow glitter onto the stamens & petals for a little shimmer. I printed out 2 copies of the lily, and fussy cut one & popped it up.

Supplies: Pre-coloured lily digi from Doodle Pantry; yellow Stampendous Fun Flock; sentiment & background stamp from PTI; Shabby Shutters distress ink; classic small oval Nesties

For this second card, I also printed out 2 copies of the flowers and fussy cut one to pop up. The stamens are covered with fun flock for some texture. The background layer was created using a small flower from PTI, stamped so that the images overlapped & formed an abstract pattern. The edges of the oval panel & the rectangular panel were both swiped with the Shabby Shutters pad to help them stand out.

The Doodle Pantry challenge runs for another couple of weeks - you just need to use a Doodle Pantry image to play along, and they have freebies available! The rules request one entry only - I hope that combining both cards in one post is OK! I wanted to show how versatile I find this set :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Jingle Belles Sketch - and not at the last minute!

This is my second attempt at the jingle belles sketch - the first one is in a time-out in the 'bad paper' basket. We'll see if it can play nice later ;)

Supplies: K&Co dimensional poinsettia; papers from MME & Prima; sentiment from Stampendous; Barn Door distress ink

I kept trying to force more patterned paper onto my card, and it just wasn't gelling. My bad. Even though the various reds don't match, I think the fact that there are LOTS of shades helps them all go together. Here's the sketch, since you still have several days to play along:

I still have loads of stuff to share, so there will be SO MANY POSTS all week :D

xoxo,

Jessi

Pattern mixing and Sequins!

I was stoked to see this month's Mixy-Matchy Style challenge at Moxie Fab World, because I love mixing & matching! And while I was at it, I decided to give some sequins a whirl, since not only are they featured at Let's Get Trendy Now 3, but I happened to get a little baggie of them in a bunch of crafty stuff from a friend. Lots of lace and ribbon, and way down at the bottom was a sandwich bags with beads & sequins. Score!

Supplies: papers from Amy Tangerine; washi tapes from We R Memory Keepers; sentiment stickers from Mrs. Grossman's

I used tiny dabs of Mod Podge Dimensional Magic (using a toothpick) to stick the sequins on. For the patterns, there's a mix of washi tape & paper smidges. I've ripped the edges of the paper to give a washi-edge appearance there as well, to draw them together. So, from the top:

yellow woodgrain - washi

pink stripe - paper

blue floral - washi on top of paper

blue houndstooth - washi

pink chevron - paper

yellow floral - washi

I had been planning to stamp the sentiment but then eyed up these stickers & thought the mix of fonts would totally suit the mix of colours & patterns.

There's lots of time left to play with both of these challenges - what have you got up your crafty sleeve?
Let's Get Trendy 3 - Sequins
Moxie Fab World - Mixy-Matchy Style

xoxo,
Jessi