Shopping our Stash #195 - No Foolin'!

For my Tuesday Morning Sketches post, please click here. Thanks!!

Since tomorrow is April Fools' Day, the crew at Shopping our Stash are celebrating with faux techniques - there are so many out there! I dithered for a bit and finally settled on the Faux Tile technique. Rather than using Glossy Accents I used three layers of UTEE on each 'tile' piece, which made for a labour intensive process but LOOOOOK:

Supplies: unknown poppy stamp set; Memento Tuxedo Black & Gray Flannel ink; Spectrum Noir markers; unknown stencil; Spiced Marmalade ink; Versamark & clear UTEE; buttons from stash

My panel began as just white card stock, and I did all the stamping and colouring before I stenciled the orange pattern. It measured 4"x4", so it was easy to cut into 1" pieces for the tile effect. After the triple embossing (so messy but so worth it) I used foam tape to assemble the pieces on some dark aqua cardstock. The button frame I'd sewn about a month ago for a card that didn't go in that direction, but it worked perfectly here. And yes, this card is HEAVY. 

The team has used a huge variety of faux techniques - check it out!

Leslie

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Donna

Chris

Barb

Chana

And you have until Monday,April 6th to come play!

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #294 - SVG Attic!

Good morning sketchers! This week at Tuesday Morning Sketches we have SVG Attic as our sponsor - so much goodness to check out there. I've created a card with no sentiment - something I don't seem to do very often any more!

Supplies: Papers from MME; unknown scallop border die; Stampin' Up ribbon; May Arts twine; Corner Chomper; button from stash

A lot of the crafty goodies I received from my friend aren't labelled but I am certainly having some serious fun playing (still lots of organizing to do but that's not nearly as much fun!)

Here's the sketch - I've flipped it:

This challenge will be open until next Sunday, April 5 - hop on over & see what the rest of the team has made!

Debbie

Jenee 

Kris 

Melissa 

Nina

xoxo,

Jessi

Sunny Funny Bunny!

Creative Card Crew wants to see your Easter Critters this time around, and The Pink Elephant has a great Eastery inspiration photo. 

Supplies: Bugaboo bunny digi; Pink Cat Studio sentiment; Sizzix embossing folder; scalloped oval Nesties; Li'l Inkers sun & clouds dies; 1.5" circle punch; Spectrum Noir markers; Mowed Lawn & Broken China distress inks

Here's the inspiration photo from The Pink Elephant: 

xoxo,

Jessi

Trees at Merry Monday

What's more iconic for Christmas than the Christmas tree? Spoiled for choice this week at Merry Monday!  I used just patterned papers for my card.

Supplies: papers from Simple Stories; buttons from Dress it Up; Tim Holtz design ruler & embroidery supplies

I sewed the tiny buttons on over top of the buttons printed on the tree, and then added some more stitching for texture. 

xoxo,
Jessi

One more for The Challenge

I really wanted to use the colours from this edition of The Challenge, so I brought out some Paper Smooches to play.

Supplies: Paper Smooches stamps; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Spectrum Noir markers; papers from Pebbles; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic; classic small circle Nesties; Corner Chomper; silver Liquid Pearls; Googly eyes

The cat's eyes, bunny teeth, and balloon are all coated with Dimensional Magic. 

Another mass-post day, I'll be right back :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Junk in My Trunk!

Squeaking in at the last minute, just finished my project for Our Creative Corner this morning - lots of drying time for this one. I altered a little wooden package from some veneer pieces that I bought (waytoolongago) and saved for just this sort of thing.

Here's the start:

Each compartment measures 1.25". I began by coating everything with Picket Fence Distress Stain, and gave it 3 coats. I didn't take step-by-step photos because I honestly didn't think it was going to be share-worthy at the end.

I then used Mod Podge to apply Tim Holtz patterned tissue to the back of each compartment, and the back of the entire piece. Some Hero Arts lace around the outer edge, some seam binding, an antiquey key, some quilled flowers, and voila!

Just a tiny little piece of art - I love how it turned out!
And thank you to Our Creative Corner for the kick in the butt to USE my hoarded "I should do something with thats"!

xoxo,
Jessi

I'm not missing FUSION again!

I am bad for printing out the FUSION challenge and then not writing down when it closes. I've made stuff the last 3 times I think and missed the deadline each time...grrr...so I'm playing EARLY! (Don't expect this to become a thing, lol) And not only did I play early, I made 2 cards with the sketch.

Supplies: stamps from Reverse Confetti' Walnut Stain & Frayed Burlap distress ink; MME paper; May Arts twine; spellbinders die

Supplies: unknown stamp set; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Spectrum Noir markers; MME paper; Spellbinders die

Lining up the split backgrounds was definitely harder than I expected it to be! Here's the FUSION info:

xoxo,

Jessi

Tenia is my MUSE!

ok, so everybody knows the ever-fab Tenia Nelson from Jazzy Paper Designs, right? She's the guest MUSE at MUSE this week, and as soon as I saw her card I thought OOOOOH! (As an aside - she is also one of the organizing forces behind a terrific blog hop coming up on April 2 in support of Autism Awareness - Light it Up Blue for Autism Awareness - come join the Facebook group & check out all the fab crafters & sponsors coming together for a cause that is so close to my heart.)

So my card - I was inspired by Tenia's layout, the smidge of vellum, the embossing, the kraft, the splatters - and came up with this:

Supplies: Gladiolus & splatter stamps from PTI; FAITH stamp from Stampabilities; Frayed Burlap distress ink; Versamark & Pirate gold EP; Tim Holtz tissue tape; kraft card stock; cream vellum; stitching supplies

As an extra wink to Tenia I used the music tape :) Here's her card:

I'm also entering my card over at The Kraft Journal for this week's CAS-Faith challenge. 

Whew, three posts before 5 a.m....gotta love it!
xoxo,
Jessi

Mission Emboss-ible!

Sometimes the trouble with a seemingly easy challenge like embossing is that you can't narrow down what you want to do....it took me ages to decide on this! Jingle Belles is hosting Mission Emboss-ible! this fortnight & here I am entering on the last day :)

Supplies: stamps from PTI; Versamark, Pirate Gold EP; Aged Gold Frantage EP; distress inks in Barn Door and Festive Berries; Tattered Angels glimmer mist in Copper and Gold

I stamped & embossed the poinsettia & sentiment on watercolour paper, and then coloured it using distress inks & my water brush. After it dried I added more Festive Berries to intensify the colour. I also added Frantage EP to the centre, heated it, and smushed in some extra grains while it was still melty for added texture. Final step was flicking on some gold & copper splatters. 

I think I may have finally figured out a lamp set up that works for photos :) woot! 

xoxo,

Jessi

Curtain Call: Jelly Bean!

Squeaking in at the last minute for the current Curtain Call challenge, Jelly Bean.  I am really going to have to start writing down dates with my list of challenges (I missed Fusion again, dangnabbit!)

Supplies: Bunny stamp from The Alley Way Stamps; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Spectrum Noir markers; woodgrain paper from MME; buttons from PTI

I stamped the bunny three times so I could pop up the head/ears and paw. She's sitting in a field of buttons :) I was inspired by the woodgrain in the image, the bright blue mug, and the pastel colours of the eggs!

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping our Stash #194 - Neon Rainbow!

For my Tuesday Morning Sketches post, please click here. Thanks!! 

This week at Shopping our Stash we want to see COLOUR! Use rainbow colours, or use neon. I love having a choice :) I was ohsotempted to go with rainbow colours because well, RAINBOW. But I decided hey, challenge yourself, use neon. And it WAS a challenge. I pulled out my package of neon card stock, and my neon washi tape, and ended up with this:

Supplies: Stamps from Annabelle Stamps; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Recollections card stock & washi tape; MME enamel dots; Gold Wink of Stella; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic

Again, I'm still having trouble finding a good place for my lamp in the new desk set-up - but here you can see his shiny nails (his eyes & tooth are glossy too) and his sparkly crown.

I paper-pieced the monster with the different neon papers, and stamped & embossed the balloon on washi tape applied to cardstock. The clear EP stuck all over the washi, so it's got a neat rough-shiny texture. Some neony MME enamel dots & here it is, a great simple card for a kid's birthday. 

You know you want to get your colour fun on!  Join in with the SOS crew: 

Leslie

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Donna

Chris

Barb

And you have until Monday,March 30th to come play!

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #293 - Sweet Pea Stamps!

We have a brand-new sponsor this week at Tuesday Morning Sketches - Sweet Pea Stamps! I have been in love with their images for quite some time, so I'm excited to have them partner with us. I chose the lovely Regan Kubecek's Easter fairy to showcase:

Supplies:  Regan Kubecek's Easter fairy from Sweet Pea Stamps; Spectrum Noir markers; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; Diamond Stickles; Petal Pink liquid pearls; papers from american crafts; classic small circle Nesties; wood veneer banner from Studio Calico; MME enamel dots

I'm still playing around with my desk set-up - especially the lamp, because now that I've moved my shelves around I'm stuck with backlighting, too high, or too low. Work in progress. 

I added a smidge of glitter to her eyeshadow, and wanted her wings to be colourful and sparkly. The little bunny on the veneer is fussy-cut from the paper pad. 

Here's the sketch this week, designed by Debbie: 

This challenge will be open until next Sunday, March 29 - hop on over & see what the rest of the team has made!

Debbie

Jenee 

Kris 

Melissa 

Nina

xoxo,

Jessi

Hey Dude!

I tried several times to make a card for this edition of The Challenge and kept getting sidetracked - and then this one just sort of happened without me planning to use the sketch. Go figure!

Supplies: Stamps from Paper Smooches; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Spectrum Noir markers; Versamark & black detail EP; classic small circle Nesties; Wplus9 banner dies; Echo Park papers; googly eyes

The "hey dude" was an unplanned part of the sentiment but it totally works as far as I'm concerned. And I love this spazzy excited little monster :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Waiting...

...so hard. I'm terrible at waiting to give people presents - the whole month of December I am just about bursting with BUT I WANT YOU TO OPEN IT NOWwwwwww! That's the look on this little girl's face waiting to see what's inside the box:

Supplies: Pure Innocence stamp from MFT; papers from American Crafts; Doodlebug doily; Spectrum Noir markers; green Wink of Stella pen; Corner Chomper

I tore some card stock to make "snow" underneath the present as the image looked more like grass to me :)

Merry Monday - Gifts!

xoxo,

Jessi

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - E is for...

Easter! And doesn't Edna look gorgeous with those fluffy bunny ears - she's totally into the Easter spirit :) So an easy challenge this time around with the Snarky Stampers - we want to see your Easter creations. Once again I'm snark-less...I attempted a bunny poop card, but the finished card got resounding "um, nope"s from everyone at my house, so I went with cute. Cute never fails. (Note to manufacturers - there aren't enough choices for embellishments that look like feces. You might wanna get on that.)

Supplies: Penny Black stamp; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; papers from American Crafts; Spectrum Noir markers; embroidery supplies

I stamped two images so that I could pop up the ribbon & the body of the chick, and played around with paper scraps to come up with the layout. I'm really loving the stitching in the opposite corners from the paper - and for once I got the corners perfectly aligned! Go me!

Easter is just a couple weeks away, so perfect time for you to join in with the Sistahs: 

Barb

Chris

Donna

Karen

Lee

Lindsey

Lynne 

Michelle

You've got until Friday, April 3rd, to join in with us! 

And don't forget to stop by and leave our guest designer MAJO some love for her project! 

Easter Lilies

I've been cleaning out my desk area this week - in about a million years I might be done. Besides finding some awesome fun stuff I'm mostly disgusted by just how many things I put under my desk because I "might" use them - old pair of jeans? Package of sponges? EGG CARTONS?? Dear heaven. And I won't even mention the size of the dust animals under there. I'm taking a break from it for a couple of days so I can make some pretty things & remember exactly why I am spending all this time *ugh* cleaning.

Supplies: Inkadinkado lily stamp & sentiment; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Mowed Lawn distress ink; Spectrum Noir markers; yellow glitter fabric paint; Timeless Twine (peapod); white and kraft card stock

A very simple layout letting the lilies be the stars - and it has such a different feel from the card I shared with this same stamp earlier in the week! Love that.

I'm popping this in the linky at The Kraft Journal for "anything goes - spring!"

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping our Stash #193 - I made this!

For my Tuesday Morning Sketches post, please click here. Thanks!!

This week at Shopping our Stash we want to see your hand made backgrounds - (not just stamping a background stamp) - could be collage, paint, tape, stamp, stencil, or even to alter patterned paper with doodles. I made two cards using the same background technique and stamps, but I think you'll agree they've made entirely different cards!

Supplies: Flourishes daisy stamps; Paper Smooches sentiment; PSX dragonfly; watercolor paper; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; Versamark & black detail EP; Festive Berries & Spiced Marmalade distress inks; classic small & lacy circle Nesties; dark red rhinestones from Dollarama

Supplies: Flourishes daisy stamps; Memento Gray Flannel ink; Faded Jeans & Mowed Lawn distress inks; clip art from The Graphics Fairy; doily from stash; Tonic edge distresser

To create the backgrounds I began by stamping the daisies with the listed colours of Distress inks, and then painted over them with water. On the dragonfly card I used the inks as well, resulting in a much more saturated colour. Once it was dry, I stamped the daisies again - on the red/orange card, I used the distress inks again and then added some black with the smaller daisy stamp. On the blue/green I used just the grey ink and lined the daisies up with their initial impressions. I also sponged the vintage clip with some Mowed Lawn ink to help it match the background better. 

The only thing I found difficult with this challenge was deciding what to do! There are just so many options when it comes to creating your own background.   Join in with the SOS crew: 

Leslie

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Donna

Chris

Barb

And you have until Monday,March 23rd to come play!

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #292 - Debbie!

This week at Tuesday Morning Sketches we have our own Debbie as sponsor - she's offering a great prize of a set of Spellbinders dies! One of my crafty friends just gave me a huge gift of new supplies, and I keep having to stop and make stuff with them (to my family's chagrin...right now I have craft stuff in every room!)

Supplies: Papers & enamel dots from MME; buttons from Mossy Made etsy shop; Versamark & clear EP; Barn Door & Peacock Feathers distress inks; sentiment from Reverse Confetti

All those bright springy colours - so very happy to see something other than snowy white, since we just got another 2 feet of snow on Sunday. Ew. 

Here's the sketch:

This challenge will be open until next Sunday, March 22 - hop on over & see what the rest of the team has made!

Debbie

Jenee 

Kris 

Melissa 

Nina

xoxo,

Jessi

Lily Sympathy

I may be addicted to Leslie's latest sketch.  I pulled out this lily stamp to use for an Easter card and thought ohhhh this would also be a good one for a sympathy card.

Supplies: Lily stamp from Inkadinkado; Sentiment from Wordsworth; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Broken China distress ink; Labels 4 Nesties; 1.5" circle punch; Spectrum Noir markers & Prismacolor pencils; Cuttlebug embossing folder

Fairly simple - I sponged the edges of the panels with Broken China, and overtop of the embossing to help it pop. 

I'm entering in these three challenges:

Crooked Stamper Sketch #2

Virginia's View #13 - Embossing

 

The Paper Players - CAS Floral

xoxo,

Jessi

Cute Crooked Sketch!

Ever make a card and think to yourself "THIS. This is why I love making cards!" That was me with this card - I really love how it turned out. I used the second Crooked Stamper sketch (again) and since this is such a cute image I'm entering over at little red wagon as well.

Supplies: image from Tiddly Inks; sentiment from Pink Cat Studio; 1.5" circle punch; Spectrum Noir markers; Mowed Lawn, Broken China, and Mustard Seed distress inks; Tim Holtz design ruler & embroidery supplies

Making the sentiment into the sun wasn't planned but that's what made me fall in love with this card. I sponged each panel with the appropriate colour of ink to suggest the scene, and used my design ruler to pierce the sun's rays & guidelines for adding cross stitching (which would appear to be my latest crafty addiction). At this rate I may use the embroidery thread from my cross-stitching days (20 years ago) by the time I'm 50!

Here's Leslie's sketch:

xoxo,

Jessi