Saturday, May 31, 2014

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #9 - R is for...

...RIBBON!

That Edna....she's always in some sort of trouble!
So, the Snarky Sisters want to see you use ribbon on your projects this time around - I disappeared a whole bunch of little scraps.



Supplies: Tiddly Inks robot digi; Bic markers; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic; ribbon scraps


After colouring the image, I added the Dimensional Magic to the balloons, and *koff* dripped some on the panel. So I went with it & did a few more to make it look like I meant to do it :)

You know you're swimming in ribbon - go dig it out & play with us in the next two weeks. The linky will close Friday June 13. Check out what my sistahs got up to:

Donna (off this time around)

And don't forget our fab guest designer, Shoni! Wait until you see her project - we're all in awe! 

xoxo,
Jessi

Friday, May 30, 2014

Molossi Mood Board challenge

I just realized I forgot to post my first take on the Molossi Mood Board challenge - squeaking it in before the deadline tomorrow! This card was directly inspired by that sweet blue butterfly:


Supplies: Paper Smooches leaf stamps; Martha Stewart butterfly stamp; PTI sentiment; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Versamark & black detail EP; distress inks in Salty Ocean & Peacock Feathers; Sharpie white paint pen & black; Tattered Angels glimmer mists in Sapphire Blue, Turquoise Blue, Blue Skies


I embossed the butterfly & painted it with the glimmer mists, and gave a light wash to the background as well. After drying, I added the leaf stamping, and the white paint pen dots to soften the dark edges around the butterfly. 
Here's the inspiration board:


xoxo,
Jessi

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Seize the Sketch #21!

Thank you!

Welcome to a brand-new Seize the Sketch! Lori Turner is our sketch artist this week, and I LOVE the simplicity of this sketch - you can dress it up as much as you like, or go completely CAS. 


Supplies: paper from MME; stickers from Penny Black; sentiment from Lawn Fawn; Vintage Photo distress ink & clear detail EP; scrap vellum; clear glitter glue (studio G) 

My stash of thank you cards is running low, so be forewarned you might be seeing a whole bunch soon! I added some clear glitter to the butterfly for that extra 'something'.

Here's the fab sketch:



Check out what the rest of the amazing DT did with this beauty:

xoxo,
Jessi

Shopping our Stash #153 - Background Check!


I had SO MUCH FUN making my card for this week's Shopping our Stash! We want to see you use a background stamp OR stamp your own background. Since I don't often use background stamps I decided to go with the more challenging option.

Here's the card, then I'll explain what I did. 


Supplies: music background from Inkadinkado; Versamark; Black Detail embossing powder; Clear detail EP; Paper Smooches sentiment; vellum scrap; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Distress inks in Broken China, Worn Lipstick, and Squeezed Lemonade; Tattered Rose glimmer mist; homemade enamel dots

I began by stamping & embossing the music background, and then I sponged the various distress inks over top. I love how just three inks gave this great variety of colour!  Then I flicked it with some pale glimmer mist to get some shiny bits of water droplets. Adding the sentiment strip on an angle wasn't my original plan but just seemed to work so well I went with it - and that made a much better backdrop to add the enamel dots. Like I said, the kids are addicted to making & sorting those, so I have all these perfect little baggies on my desk just begging to be used :)

So, what kind of background check can you pass? lol! Come and play with us before next Monday, June 2! 
- and don't forget to check out what the rest of the gals made:

Tuesday Morning Sketches #251 - Zap Pow!

Good morning! We have a great sketch for you this week at Tuesday Morning Sketches, and a fabulously fun new sponsor - Zap Pow!  I had a blast making my card, and the kids love it :) I'm featuring Unimpressed.
Best of all, Jenee is back with us! Woohoo!


Supplies: Unimpressed from Zap Pow!; papers & stickers from DCWV; Spectrum Noir markers & Prismacolor pencils; Corner Chomper; classic small oval Nesties; Stampendous Cotton Ball fun flock; Sakura black glaze pen; homemade enamel dot

The party hat seemed like the ultimate insult to this poor grumpy kitty - and perfect for that element on the sketch. Score! Here's the sketch - I modified it for a vertically oriented card.



This sketch is open until next Sunday, June 1st - be sure to hop around & see what the rest of the team created!



xoxo,
Jessi

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Head in the Clouds

I didn't think I was going to squeeze in a card for the Tiddly Inks "Head in the Clouds" challenge, and then I made two. Apparently the ideas were just hiding in the back of my brain...you've got to love that. This first one is my favourite:


Supplies: Tiddly Inks digi; Spectrum Noir & Bic Markers; Sakura Stardust clear glitter pen; Broken China distress ink; sentiment from Unity; Stampendous Cotton Ball fun flock; American Crafts glitter in red, yellow, green, blue


After colouring the rainbow, I used a two-way glue pen to add the coloured glitters. I also added Fun Flock to the clouds. The sad little pixie's wings & hair rainbow are glittered with the Stardust pen, and then I sponged the edges of the panel with Broken China.

Here's my second card:


Supplies: Tiddly Inks digi; Spectrum Noir markers; Paper Smooches clouds die; Lawn Fawn alphabet stamps; Peacock Feathers & Broken China distress inks; Sakura Stardust glitter pen



There are so many perfect 5-letter words to fit in that sweet banner - Happy, Party, SMILE :) After stamping the letters I used the glitter pen - and of course the pixie wings had to be glittery too.

You've still got until Tuesday to link up your Head in the Clouds creations :)

xoxo,
Jessi

Merry Monday Christmas Flowers

You'd think a challenge to use Christmas flowers would be easy! I dug through my stash & was almost ready to concede defeat this week, until I spied this poinsettia button. *cue crafty angels singing*


Supplies: Sentiment from PTI; Versamark & Pirate Gold EP; Martha Stewart branch punch; button from Dress it Up; scraps of green & kraft card stock; paper unknown

I embossed the sentiment in gold to go with the gold flower centre - it was hard to get a photograph of but it's legible in person, I promise! 




xoxo,
Jessi

Friday, May 23, 2014

Smarty Pants!

The Pink Elephant is hosting a Graduation challenge this week, and with it being that time of year I've got a whole bunch of grad cards on the go. Here's one:


Supplies: pants/sentiment from Stampin' Up!; papers & bingo card from Simple Stories; pencil stamp from Alley Way; Karen Foster adhesive cork; classic small circle Nesties; 1 1/8" circle punch; Faded Jeans distress ink; stapler

I used scraps to paper piece the pencil & really just went to town having fun with the cork. 

xoxo,
Jessi

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Molossi Mood Board Challenge

My snarky sister Lee recently joined the Molossi DT, and they're hosting a Mood Board challenge - and as soon as I saw it I knew I would have to play along. I've already created two projects, and I can see me giving it another crack before the deadline of May 31. There are so many inspiring details!

 

This will be a picture-heavy post :) I created a mixed-media journal for my friend Denyse. We were talking a few weeks ago about them, and so I decided to surprise her with one! First I'll show you the completed project, and then tell you a bit about how I was inspired by the mood board.


There are so many supplies that I'm sure I'm going to miss some.
Supplies: spiral-bound journal; digital stamp (fairy with raven) from Sweet Pea Stamps; Spectrum Noir and Bic markers; Distress Crackle Paint in Antique Linen & Broken China; Memory Box sunburst stencil & leaf die; Tim Holtz bubble stencil; Dreamweaver Embossing Paste; flourish & bird stamps from PTI; Barn Door & Antique Linen distress ink; Versamark; Black detail, Clear detail, and Carnelian opalescent embossing powders from Stampendous; Dylusions purple spray; May Arts twine; Making Memories leaves; Jolee's daisies; Fancy Pants chipboard; Studio Calico butterfly veneer; ribbon, sheer fabric, buttons, beads & wire from stash

A special thanks to Glenda for the Making Memories leaves & that fabulous 'remember' veneer piece! 

I chose this particular fairy & raven image because Dee LOVES ravens, and she's really liked the other things I've created with the fairies & mermaids from ching chou kuik. Alrighty, so here's how I did it: first I painted some extra-thick card stock with the Broken China crackle paint, and the big chipboard piece with Antique Linen. Once they were dry, I applied embossing paste to them - the chipboard piece has the Sunburst and plain white paste. I used the Memory Box leaf die to make my own paper stencil for the purple leaves. I mixed wayyyyy too much Dylusions spray into the paste, and so the leaves didn't come out as sharply as I'd hoped - the paste still gave it texture, but the ink bled out around the stencil part itself. Never fear, unintended results are just an opportunity for embellishment, right?


I used the Carnelian embossing powder on the flourishes because on white it gives a nice orange-ish red colour - on blue it comes out more coppery. I then stamped the same flourish around the edges of the page with Barn Door distress ink, which is more muted - you can see in the right-hand corner where the truer red shows up. I just used a tissue to wipe the excess ink off the embossed areas. I then stamped & embossed the bird. At this point I hadn't added the white bubbles yet! The flourishes & crackle paint were inspired by the third picture, which seems to be of a door with some ornate detailing. My colour choices were also inspired by the board - purple was definitely necessary because it's Dee's favourite colour. There's a smidge of purple in the beautiful heart bubble in the first picture :)

To highlight the single word (I was going to use Thickers to say "daydream" like the photo, and then found this perfect veneer in the goodies Glenda sent me!) I swiped it across the Barn Door inkpad, and then embossed it with 3 layers of clear embossing powder. 


I just couldn't get the detail that I wanted on the raven - it's hard to colour something iridescent black after all :) I used gray & navy markers, and then painted it with Sapphire glimmer mist - which completely obscured all the feather details in the illustration. White Sharpie pen and a dampened finger to smudge it helped - and then I found that perfect little feather! I highlighted the eye & beak with a Sakura Black Glaze pen. 

The flowers were originally a sort of tan colour, and had doo-dads in the centres that I didn't really care for. I pulled those off, and dyed them with water & some reinkers....and after that, gave them a healthy spritz of Dylusions. The sheer fabrics were frayed & then zapped with the heat gun to melt them. The red feather I found in the bottom of a drawer when I was getting out a new bottle of Tombow glue. Score!



Once I was finished embellishing, seriously, the very last step (I do not recommend this, lol) I decided I needed to cover up a bit of the purple leaves. Trying to get a stencil to lay flat on an essentially finished piece? Not so much. It still provided the bit of extra "something" I was going for!


Here's a shot that gives you an idea of the dimension - the fabric & flowers really pop! 


To decorate the binding, I used plain jewelry wire & a variety of beads. I don't have any special pliers or anything for using the wire - I just looped it around a coil, twisted it several times, and then used large beads to cover up the twists. Every few inches of beads I would wrap it around another coil, looping back & forth to anchor it & give it a random pattern. I find it easier to work with shorter pieces of wire, so there are 6 altogether. To anchor the ends, I twisted it back on itself & then tucked it into the already-strung beads to hide the end. The wire lets the beads move on the binding so that you can still use the journal functionally. 

I had so much fun making this - my fingernails are still purple ;) and the best part? Dee LOVED it! Thanks for the inspiration, Molossi!

xoxo,
Jessi



Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Seize the Sketch #20 reminder

**note to self - you have to hit publish in order to make the post show up. Facepalm**

I have my second take on Lesley's sketch for Seize the Sketch #20 to share with you - I scavenged some of those small strips of paper I hoard save for just the right project, and made a kid card:


Supplies: Stamps from Stampendous; papers from Bo Bunny; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Squeezed Lemonade Distress ink; classic small oval Nesties; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic; Bic Markers; twine from stash


I stamped, coloured, and fussy cut the spaceship, adhered the twine pieces to the back, and then coated it with a liberal amount of Dimensional Magic. Spaceships are shiny, right? RIGHT? :)

There's still time to play along with this sketch - you've got until Sunday!


xoxo,
Jessi

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Happy Blogaversary, Shopping our Stash!!


Can you believe it? Shopping our Stash is turning 3! We've got a grand easy challenge to celebrate - we want to see your birthday OR anniversary creations. I've dug out some ancient stash:


Supplies: papers from Basic Grey; sentiment from PTI; Dusty Concord distress ink; classic small oval Nesties; Spellbinders butterfly dies; Crafty Concepts butterfly embossing folder; mulberry paper

The papers are several years old, as are all the dies & embossing folder. The mulberry paper is from who only knows - it was crumpled up in the back of the drawer! I salvaged what flat parts I could and made them work :)

Let's see your birthday/anniversary creations! Come link up with us by next Monday, May 26 - and don't forget to check out what the rest of the gals made:


Tuesday Morning Sketches #250 - Stitchy Bear!

Good morning! We've got a new sketch up at Tuesday Morning Sketches, and a great sponsor - Stitchy Bear Digital Outlet. They carry a variety of artists, so there's something for everyone!

My card today features Crafty Honeys Shopper by Scrapper's Delights.

And there's a story behind my card - a young girl about to turn 16, with a rare health condition, and a mom who wants to give her a huge birthday surprise. You can check out the story here on Facebook.



Supplies: Crafty Honeys Shopper digi stamp; Spectrum Noir and Bic markers; papers from Echo Park; Spellbinders dies; AC Thickers letters & numbers; Sakura Stardust clear glitter pen


I had a great time colouring her hair - and had to give her some sparkly eye shadow :)

Our sketch this week is designed by Debbie


The linky for this sketch will be open until Sunday, May 25 - check out what the rest of the gals got up to!


xoxo,
Jessi

Monday, May 19, 2014

Curtain Call & Paper Smooches

Looking at the inspiration picture for Curtain Call I kept thinking about the popcorn - and came up with an idea that made me flappy with happy! The littlest cloud dies from Paper Smooches look just like popcorn :)


Supplies: Paper Smooches cloud dies, sentiment; home made enamel dots; Wplus9 banner die; distress inks in Barn Door & Squeezed Lemonade


After die-cutting the clouds, I sponged them with the Lemonade ink for the buttery popcorn look. I free-hand the popcorn box, and used washi tape as a mask to create the stripes. They're a little wonky but I think it works :) The enamel dots are melted pony beads, which are going to be popping up a lot around here. Both kids LOVE the idea of melting them, and they were arguing yesterday over who got to sort them all by colour. 



And I'm also entering this in the Anything Goes challenge at Paper Smooches SPARKS:

xoxo,
Jessi

Tis the Season to Jingle!

I love the sketch that Jingle Belles & Tis the Season have teamed up on! I could have kept going & made more cards with it but had to check my Christmas spirit & get back to trying to increase my stash of birthday & thank you cards :)


Supplies: papers & stickers all from Bo Bunny; tiny lights from Jolee's; green rhinestones from Dollarama


I added the lights, and then thought OH I need some bling too - so a small scatter of green gems, and ta-da!
Here's the sketch:

The Tis the Season linky is open until Tuesday, and the Jingle Belles linky is open until Wednesday - if you combine the sketch with bling, you can link up in both places!

xoxo,
Jessi

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Graduation FUSION

This card took a lot longer than it seemed like it should - probably because I didn't measure anything ;) I ended up going with a true FUSION of the inspiration & the sketch once again, loving the idea of bright yellow, black, and white for a graduation card.


Supplies: Hats Off sentiment from Studio G; text background stamp from Unity; Versamark & black detail EP; Mustard Seed distress ink; grad cap confetti & black gemmy things from my stash; classic small oval Nesties

That confetti has been in my stash for years - those little caps are just the right size for everything :) 


xoxo,
Jessi

Merry Monday Stars

The current challenge at Merry Monday (well, for a few more hours!) is to use stars - and I was planning on using star die cuts, and while I was looking for something else happened upon this package of rub-ons. I managed to use the whole thing on this card. Sorta.


Supplies: Snowman & snowflake rub-ons from Royal Langnickel; sentiment stamp from Autumn Leaves; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; paper from Graphic 45


I'm hoping Blogger keeps playing nice - I tried to post several times this morning & couldn't upload photos. Sigh. 

There were originally 4 snowmen in the package - the very first one I tried to use ripped & couldn't be salvaged. Then snowflakes were sticking to each other. I ended up flipping the panel over & starting again rather than trying to cover up the boo-boos. Some days you've just got to roll with it.


xoxo,
Jessi

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #8: C is for....

CRAP
Why did I buy that?
Oh, we're all guilty, even the Snarky Sisters. It was on sale. It looked awesome in the package. Everyone else is using them. I was drunk while shopping. However you ended up with that crafty crap, we want to see you use it - and make sure you tell us what it is!


My crap? Packages of numbers-only Thickers. Why? WHY? Sales. I have more packages of number Thickers than I do of letters - but I hardly ever use them. Oh, and these weird teardrop shaped bling things. I bought a bunch of them years ago, and have used maybe 5. 



Supplies: Sentiment from Unity (definitely not crap! lol); Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Thickers chipboard numbers; Doodlebug & Basic Grey number stickers; teardrop gems from some dollar store in Vancouver. 



All the chipboard numbers are glittery. That probably helped convince me that I NEEDED THEM. 

Dig around for your own crap, and come play with us for the next two weeks! The linky will be open until Sunday June 1st - and don't forget to check out the beauties my Sisters made with their crap!


And last but not least, our amazing guest designer this week, Carol! 

xoxo,
Jessi

Thursday, May 15, 2014

SPLASH at CASology

When I saw this week's cue card at CASology, I knew I wanted to play with paint splashes - not sure this turned out as CAS as it could have, but I still love it!


Supplies: Paintbrush stamp from PTI; sentiment from Paper Smooches; splat from Neat & Tangled; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; water brush; Bic markers; Distress inks in Vintage Photo, Antique Linen, Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean, Shaded Lilac; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic; Martha Stewart fine crystal glitter


I watercoloured the brushes & bristles, and used a marker for the 'silver' parts & paint. After stamping all the splats, I coated them & the painted bristles with Dimensional Magic for some wet paint gloss, and added glitter at the top & bottom with Scor-Tape. Handy dandy easy peasy! And extra points for the NBUS paint brushes - I can't believe I've never inked them up, but it's true.


xoxo,
Jessi

I'm so far behind....

....I can see my own rear end! At least that's how it feels at the moment. Kid problems, med roulette for Connor & for me, and the side effects....so far for Connor it's just playing with dosage (medicating a growing teenager is an interesting challenge) but the doctor prescribed a second cholesterol drug for me. Add in the side effects from THAT with the stress going around here? My arse is seriously dragging.

So, I'm ignoring the chunks of stuffed animal littering the floor (along with the remains of tissues scavenged by the dogs, sigh) and getting some crafty stuff going. It's been ages since I played along at MUSE, and ages since I did some collage stamping, so off I went! I had intended to follow the colour scheme of Therese's card as well, but it veered to a more rainbowy palette & I went with it.


Supplies: stamps all from CTMH; washi tape from WRMK and Recollections; Studio Calico arrow; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic; Neat & Tangled crystal clear sequins; distress inks in Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Salty Ocean, Mowed Lawn

The extra splots of Dimensional Magic were to make up for an accidental splot where a sequin wasn't going to work. I rolled with it. Those sorts of things always happen at the last minute. I masked the green circle, and the washi is wrapped around  the edges of the panel.


xoxo,
Jessi