Shopping our Stash #132 - Use the Last of Something!

Such a busy day on the ol' blog today! Here's post #3

**For my Flourishes Guest Designer post, please scroll down two posts or click here**

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

Thank you SO MUCH for coming to visit - it means the world to me!

So this week at Shopping our Stash we have a *gulp* real challenge for the hoarders among us. (Waves hands wildly - yep, that would be me). Use the last of something. Come on, we all have SOMETHING kicking around at the bottom of a drawer that you haven't been able to use - noo.....it's the last one! USE IT. 

I will be the first to admit that this was a tough challenge for me! I didn't have a project in mind when I started, so what I did was pull out a bunch of nearly-done packages of embellishments to see what happened. 

Supplies: clip art baby from Crafty Secrets; little yellow bicycle wooden SMILE pin; Labels 5 nesties; papers from MME; cameo from....huh. Girls Paperie? Not sure. Partial doily & pearl strip from dusty drawer. 

So the 'last' things I used here are the partial pearl strip (not sure what I was saving 1.5 inches for...this, apparently); the half doily (which really truly is my last doily - gasp - and I need more!); and the navy cameo, which influenced the colours of my card. I nearly used up all of the navy patterned paper but not quite. Still, finishing off 3 things is not so bad for someone who was struggling with it!

Come & play along with this challenge until next Monday, January 6th- hop on by & leave the rest of my teamies some love!

Leslie

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Michelle

Chana

And joining us from the new crew this week:

Donna

Barb

Well that's a heck of a lot of posts for one day - even for me - with two tutorials! I think more coffee is needed before I continue with life. We're headed out for New Year's Eve tonight, for the first time since I was pregnant with Riley. I plan on requiring a wheelbarrow to get me home! If you don't hear from me for a few days, send water & Tylenol :) 

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #230 - Anything Goes, Continued!

**For my Flourishes Guest Post, please scroll down or click here. Thanks!!!**

Welcome to week two of our annual Anything Goes challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches! A few of us have additional projects to share this week as we remind you that you still have until next Sunday, January 5th, to play along with us! 

I've made a gift card holder that I'm rather proud of. I made a lot of these in Christmas designs, and made another one for a birthday so that I could take pictures & show you how it's made. Math, yo. Not my strong suit!

Start with a piece of card stock measuring 5.25" X 11". Score on the long side at 3", 5.5", and 8. Fold on the score lines into a W shape: (Remember, don't clean your desk if you're taking pictures!) Also, this looks more like an M. WHATEVER.

The centre piece (the valley of the M) will be your gift card slot. This picture is blurry but hopefully you get the idea. Centre a gift card along the fold, marking lightly with pencil the edges of the card. 

Choose a die large enough to accommodate your gift card - here I've used the 2nd largest Labels 4 Nesties die. Line it up with your pencil marks & use the partial die cutting technique to have it cut on the fold - you may need to run it through the machine twice for a solid cut. 

Again with the blurry - sorry! - line the outer parts of the panel with scor-tape or similar adhesive. Make sure not to fill in close to the aperture, since you need room for your card to fit! 

Final step - check that your gift card does indeed slide into the aperture. I've made a few dozen of these now, and I still check every one. It should be a tight fit so the card won't fall out. This 'holder' flap is on the inside of your card. 

Decorate the front however you like!

Supplies: papers from Bo Bunny; Labels 4 Nesties; Versamark & white EP; sentiment from PTI; little bunny die cut from stash

The finished size of this gift card holder is 5.25" X 3", so it will fit nicely in invitation size envelopes - which was my goal in futzing around with measurements. Not buying more envelopes.

Don't forget to check out the TMS blog today to see who else has a new project for you - and link up YOUR project with us by Sunday January 5th :) 

xoxo,

Jessi

Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday #252 - Shake it Up!

Oh em gee, it's finally here! Today I'm the guest designer at Flourishes - eeeeeeeek! This week's challenge is to make a shaker card - with all the sequins taking the crafty world by storm you're sure to have some fun stuff to shake! Here is a quick link to a Splitcoaststampers tutorial on how to make a basic shaker card, click here!

First I'll show you my finished card, and then I'll share some of the step-by-step photos I took while I was making it:

Supplies: Flourishes stamp set Joy is In the Air; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Spectrum Noir markers; Tumbled Glass distress ink; May Arts ribbons; foam tape; acetate; bits & bobs for the shaker; Sakura Stardust glitter pen

This set with its snow globe fillers is such a natural setting for a shaker card! Stamp the snow globe twice, and on one panel stamp the inside scene as well. That will be the piece that shows through for the shaker scene. 

The 'unfilled' snow globe will form the aperture for your shaker - carefully trim out the inside of the globe with a craft knife.

Colour the base of the globe, stamp the background if desired (I desired! lol)  and turn the panel over to adhere your piece of acetate

 

Colour the scene inside the snow globe - I've coloured the base again, even though it won't show in the final card just in case :) 

I like to make my shaker cards nice and thick so  there's lots of room for STUFF to shake - I use foam tape on a roll from the dollar store, doubled. Make a frame around your image, making sure not to leave any gaps where filler can leak out (especially if you're using microbeads...those suckers are escape artists!)

FILL WITH STUFF! I've used shaped confetti, microbeads, and glitter. You can use sequins, buttons, anything that is thinner than your foam layer will work. 

Carefully remove the adhesive from the foam frame (so much static - the next couple minutes will be spent picking confetti off of the exposed adhesive. I've never found a way around that yet!) and line up your top panel & adhere. Make sure you press all around to ensure a good seal!

Finish your card however you like! I've added ribbons here. This card & scene are perfect for a wintery thank you card! 

SHINY!

You definitely need to head over to the design team's blogs & see what they've created for this challenge - I can't wait!

Allison Cope

Cheryl Lea

Deborah Anton

Jenny Gropp

Katie Sims

And even more? I can't wait to see what YOU create for this challenge! You don't have to use Flourishes stamps to participate (but if you do, you get 2 chances to win!) Link up at the Flourishes blog by Monday January 6! 

xoxo,

Jessi

'tis the season

This is probably one of the easiest cards I made this year, and I LOVE IT! 

Supplies: paper from simple stories; poinsettia die cut from K & Co; 'tis the season sticker from SRM; rhinestone strip from Dollarama

I bought two packages of these great SRM stickers (on sale! Woot!) and have only used about half of one of them. Such a great buy :)

I'm entering this in two challenges:
little red wagon - anything Christmas
Simon Says - BLING it on!

And now I'm going to go break out some new crafty goodies & play at my desk for a bit!

xoxo,
Jessi

Deck the Halls!

More Christmas cards! I know :) Just a few, I promise. I won this sweet little stamp from Crafty Creations Challenges & it arrived just before Christmas, and I just had to ink it up & colour it.

Supplies: stamps from Whiff of Joy; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Bic & Spectrum Noir markers; Sakura Stardust clear glitter pen; Ranger white enamel; Picket Fence distress stickles

Very simple layout with the large stamp - I just used some grey paper for a border. After colouring, I added glitter pen, stickles, and enamel - I've covered the snow splotches in the stamp with enamel & then added more for extra snow.

I hope that everyone had a merry Christmas, if you celebrate it - we had a gloriously relaxed Christmas, including a big dinner in our pajamas. We're buried under what feels like a ton of snow & ice - in the last two weeks we've had about a metre of snowfall, plus a two day long ice storm. We've been incredibly fortunate in that we only lost power for a few hours a couple of times (I know many in the same storm have been without power for days). 

I'm entering this in three challenges:

little red wagon - anything Christmas

Crafty Creations Challenges - anything goes

Simon Says - BLING it on

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping our Stash #131, week two

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

It's the half-way point for our current Shopping our Stash challenge, but today we've got some more projects for you - and you get to meet our new designers, who will knock your socks off!!

Here's my monochromatic card for this week:

Leslie also has a card for you, and say hello to some beautiful ladies - Donna, Chris and Barb! 

With all the panic & prep for today I completely spaced on it being Tuesday. Sorry about being late - you can return to your regularly scheduled programming now :)  Mine involves rum and Chinese food, and Christmas movies with the family!

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #230 - Anything Goes!

Oh my - well, it's Christmas Eve, and I completely forgot it was also Tuesday! Time for my Tuesday Morning Sketches post!  Here's the nitty-gritty on our annual two-week holiday time challenge - anything goes!

This week's challenge will run until January 5th as my design team has earned a much needed break from TMS.  And it's that time of year for our Annual Anything Goeschallenge.  You know I typically don't like these types of challenges but we all need to create with no rules and show some reckless abandon once in awhile.  So no specific sketch, no specific technique or embellishment - just whatever you want to share with us.  The prize a $10 gift card to Michaels!  If you happen to be a friend from outside the United States that wins, we'll work something out as you may or may not have a Michaels in your area.

Melissa likes us to give a little extra something with an anything goes challenge, so I made my first money holder!

Our market manager recently got a new job & moved to Moncton, so the market vendors wanted to thank him & also collect some cash to wish him on his way! This was easy to make - 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, scored on the long side at 3.5 and 7.25 inches.

As you can see in the second photo, the Scor-Tape still has its protective backing on. This allowed everyone the full inside to sign, and then when we were done sealed the pocket. That way Guy could open it & read everyone's wishes :)

This challenge will run for 2 weeks, until January 5th - make sure to hop by & see what the rest of the team created! 

 

Angela

Bonnie

Debbie

Jenee

Kris

Melissa

xoxo,

Jessi

faux faux patina christmas

An orange Christmas card? Somehow it just works. Once again using the same technique of faux faux patina :)  

Supplies: sentiment stamp from Inkadinkado; Versamark; Carnelian EP; die cut from K & Co; background: Distress inks in mustard seed, spiced marmalade, worn lipstick, spun sugar; gold sparkle EP; glimmer mists

Popping this in over at ALBC - Christmas Cheer, which is open until the 28th :)

xoxo,
Jessi

Reindeer!

I'm oddly relaxed for it being Christmas Eve...not sure that the actual date has fully sunk in to my addled brain. That or I've finally reached the state of nirvana where the important things will get done, and the rest don't matter? I'm betting on not sunk in.

Also, I require more coffee. STAT.

I can't believe I missed Andrea's last challenge at Savvy Handmade Cards - I had my card made, but spaced on the deadline. So I'll share it after my card for the current challenge, which is reindeer games. I have this lovely reindeer stamp that hadn't been inked up yet this year:

Supplies: reindeer stamp from Inkadinkado; Versamark; White Detail EP; Silver Tinsel EP; paper from MME; rhinestone strips from Dollarama

After embossing the reindeer in white, I thought I'd try something new - adding a second colour of EP to my stamped image. I reheated the white embossing over the snowflake trail, and quickly added the silver tinsel EP. It made for a bit of a messy addition, but I like it - like magical reindeer sparkle :)

Here's the snowman card I made for the previous challenge:

Supplies: Large snowflake stamp from Stampendous; all others from CTMH; Colorbox Frost White pigment ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Versamark; White Detail EP; Tumbled Glass distress ink; Spectrum Noir & bic markers; Labels 4 Nesties

The Reindeer Games challenge runs until New Year's Eve, so you've got lots of time to play :) Perfect for those holiday thank you cards!

xoxo,

Jessi

Sweet Snowflakes with Buttons!

A rare triple-challenge combo for me - the current {PIN}spirational Challenges photo, the Curtain Call photo, and the naturally evolving non-traditional colours that came from those for little red wagon. Getting so close to the Christmas wire I haven't been taking the time to sew on buttons, and I missed it. This was just the relaxing ticket - sifting through my buttons for the right colours, singing along with the radio while I sewed them on...it's important to remember to do the things you enjoy during the holidays, even when you're feeling the time pressure!

Supplies: snowflake stamps from Stampendous; sentiment from Flourishes; Distress inks in Shaded Lilac, Tumbled Glass, Spun Sugar; Versamark & clear EP; vellum & buttons from stash 

I've used Versamark & the Lilac ink for embossing the sentiment - it's subtle but I love the look of the vellum overlaying the stamped snowflakes! 

The {PIN}spirational Challenges photo:

The Curtain Call photo:

xoxo,
Jessi

Warm & Fuzzy Wishes

As soon as I saw the CASology prompt KNIT, I knew I wanted to break out this sheep again. Since Melissa used it also for her card, I thought & thought about how I could change it up a bit...so I went with masking. I really like how it turned out! I also went with non-traditional Christmas colours to play along with little red wagon - it's been ages & I missed it!

Supplies: stamps from The Cat's Pajamas; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Bic & spectrum noir markers; WPlus9 banner die; Tumbled Glass & Picket Fence distress stickles; Stampendous Fun Flock; buttons from stash

See all the sparkle on the background? WELL. That came about by being a messy crafter. I painted the stickles onto the snow hill, and then I touched it while it was still wet (naturally) and accidentally transferred some glitter up near the purple scarf. WAY too far up to be part of the snow hill. Dang. So first I cursed at it, and then I realized "hey, it's still wet..." and repeatedly dabbed my finger in it & made more fingerprints over the rest of the background. Hallelujah, new background technique saves the day! 

xoxo,

Jessi

Drunken Stampers #155 - Thing - Embossing!

*screams* Christmas is four days away! Time for a new Drunken Stampers challenge, and this week's "thing" is EMBOSSING.

You've got to be getting tired of seeing it, but I've made another card with my faux Faux Patina background: 

Supplies: digi stamps from The Alley Way Stamps; classic small circle Nesties; liquid pearls; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic; Paper Smooches twine; heaven only knows what inks, etc.

I wasn't ACTUALLY drunk when I made this, but the background was made long before the card, so I have no recollection of what inks & mists I used. I'm thinking yellow, green, and blue. lol

Should you get time to create during this hectic week, come play with us up until next Friday night, December 27th. And don't forget to go see what my fellow Yellow Canaries have created for you:

Barb - Barb's Creative Corner

Donna - Challenge Host - Yellow Dog Greetings

Jessi - that's me!

Lindsey - Bashful Blogging

Lynne - Scrapbook Lynne's

Back to running around like a crazy person!

xoxo,

Jessi

Jolly Holiday

Still making Christmas cards? Chocolate, Coffee, & Cards is hosting a "Happy Holidays" challenge. I hadn't yet inked up these penguins for Christmas this year, so got busy - and added some tissue paper to make it look like they really are rooting around in a gift.

Supplies: papers from Imaginisce; stamps from The Cat's Pajamas; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Bic Markers; rhinestone strips from Dollarama; tissue paper; classic small oval Nesties

I carefully cut along the box design on the stamped image to give the tissue a place to peek through - and used tape on the back to hold it in place once I was happy with how it looked. I would have taken a picture but my hands were too busy patting myself on the back for being a genius *facepalm*

xoxo,
Jessi

Nice list? HAHAHA!

I wanted to use this Santa image again, and I thought I'd pair it with a sentiment I hadn't inked yet...and then my horns sprouted & it turned for the funny:

Supplies: Paper Smooches stamps; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Versamark; Barn Door distress ink; Clear EP; Labels 4 Nesties; Wplus9 banner die; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic; Bic & Spectrum Noir markers; Stampendous Fun Flock; red rhinestones from Dollarama

Basically I'm laughing at the thought of the recipient BEING on the nice list. I'm fun like that. 

I used Versamark & Barn Door ink to allow me to emboss the sentiment - I wanted to add more shine because of his glossy specs. There's fun flock on the white parts of his suit.

Remember the new deadlines for SPARKS challenges is Saturday night - slowly getting used to the new schedule :) This week is ANYTHING GOES, so what are you waiting for?

xoxo,
Jessi

Something New at the Kraft Journal

So you just saw me use this angel...well, she wanted to play again. Can you blame her? At The Kraft Journal they want to see us use/try something new, and so I put my thinking cap on. The layout's not new, and neither is the stamp...hmmm...

Supplies: stamp from Inkadinkado; Versamark; Pirate Gold EP; patterned paper from Bo Bunny; Kraft card stock; glitter paint; Shabby White Frantage EP; Tattered Angels Gold glimmer mist; Tonic edge distresser; paint brush; background 'splatter' stamp from Unity; ribbon from stash

I wanted to use Frantage powder, but I find when I stamp with Versamark not many of the enamel chunks stick. So I used glitter glue to stamp the splatters, and the end of my paint brush to stamp the dots (this is on the kraft paper) - the result was super thick Frantage! Yay! I used the paint brush to add some Frantage to the music paper too, but this is very hard to see even in person. After embossing, I saturated the card stock with Gold glimmer mist, and let it dry overnight. I then distressed the edges with a tool, and rolled the paper in every direction to further distress it - since it's card stock you can see some folds & bends. I used foam tape to adhere the kraft to the white base, and more foam tape to adhere the music panel - this card is THICK and loving it :)

xoxo,

Jessi

White on White

Oh, how this card makes me happy - so many fussy bits, and it was so fun to just not look at the clock & play! (This feeds into my 'don't think about the housework or 6 days until Christmas' plan really well). The white-on-white colour scheme was inspired by The Paper Players' current challenge, and the vellum layers were inspired by the Flourishes' challenge to use vellum - this week Greta is the guest hostess!

Supplies: So much random stuff! Angel stamp from Inkadinkado; sentiment from Stampendous; Versamark; Moonstone EP; White detail EP; Mulberry paper; plain vellum; holly patterned acetate; stick pins from Little Yellow Bicycle; Offray ribbon; Tonic edge distresser; classic small circle Nesties; We R Memory Keepers stitch thingy

The holly acetate is from ??? - we still had a local craft store when I bought it, so at least 6-7 years ago. I purposely cut it off-set so that some of the plain white base would show, and stitched a snowflake pattern along 2 of the edges. The vellum was stamped & embossed, then distressed & curled. The mulberry circles help to hide the adhesive behind the vellum, and also anchor the pins & bow. I really, really love how this turned out....as you'll see from my next card!

xoxo,

Jessi

Chickadee Noel

Chickadees are one of my favourite birds - they are just such fun little creatures, and they always seem so happy. They're also quite friendly, at least around here, and if you have something they'd like to eat, they'll land right on your hand! I've made quite a few versions of this card this year, but I think it's the first I've blogged. Popping it in over at CAS on Sunday - Christmas challenge.

Supplies: chickadee stamp from Impression Obsession; noel from PTI; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Peeled Paint distress ink; classic small & lacy oval Nesties; Bic markers; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; Stampendous fun flock; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic; crochet mat by me 

I've added glitter pen to the ornament hanger & sentiment, and glossed up the ball part of the ornament. After colouring the chickadee, I added Fun Flock to all the white areas, because they are just so FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE (um, Despicable Me reference. It's early in the morning). 

I'll be mass blogging pretty much the whole week trying to get everything shared! I've been a busy crafter plus I'm trying to avoid housework as long as possible...

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping our Stash #131 - One Colour!

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

It's Tuesday, and time for a new challenge at Shopping our Stash! This week we ask you to use one main color on your creation. It can be ombre (gradient colors), tone-on-tone, or a mix of all one-color scraps. Neutrals are allowed.

This is a TWO-WEEK CHALLENGE, because next week is Christmas, and we know how busy some people can be this time of year.  You'll have until Dec. 30th to play!

One reminder: Our Mini DT Call closes tomorrow (Wed, Dec. 18th), so if you're interested, there's still time to apply. Details can be found here. 

The Sackville Farmers Market does a gift basket draw every year, and this year I made a bunch of gift certificates for vendors to fill in. This is the one I made for me:

Supplies: papers & snowman from Bo Bunny; Paper Smooches twine; bells from Michaels; lights from Dress it Up!

I printed the inside of each card with the market logo & 'gift certificate'. 

Remember this challenge will run for two weeks, so you've got until Monday, December 30th, to link up your projects. 

Leslie

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Michelle

Chana

Back to panic mode...8 days til Christmas? YIKES!

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #229 - Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

Good morning! It's getting down to the wire for those holiday greetings, and luckily we've got a nice simple sketch for you this week at Tuesday Morning Sketches. Our challenge this week sponsored by Sweet n Sassy Stamps.
I've used the second background that I made during my 'faux Faux Patina' tutorial:

Supplies: sentiment stamp from MSE!; Versamark; Pirate Gold EP; Martha Stewart snowflake punch; gold glitter paper; background supplies given in the tutorial

SO MUCH SHINY! This card makes my inner magpie happy :)

Here's the sketch:

This sketch is open until next Sunday, December 22nd - be sure to hop around & see what the rest of the team created!

Angela

Bonnie

Debbie

Jenee

Kris

Melissa

xoxo,

Jessi