Shopping our Stash #223 - I Can See Clearly

I'm not going to link the video but I *am* going to say woohoo earworm! 

We want to see you use acetate this week at Shopping our Stash - make a clear card, a shaker card, use those hoarded acetate die cuts (don't try to hide it, we all have them! lol)

I found some ancient Halloween-themed confetti in my stash - and realized why I'd become disenchanted with shaker cards. Sequins and beads will actually SHAKE, this confetti becomes a static monster. Oh well, it's Halloween, sposed-ta be monsters about.

Supplies: Doodlebug paper, and a ridiculous amount of stash! 

Next time I'll try throwing some sequins in as well & see if it helps!

Can you see clearly now the rain is gone? Check out what we made!

Leslie

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Donna

Chris

Barb

And you have until Monday October 19 to come play!

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #321 - Digital Delights!

*Don't forget! The Hop to Stop continues until October 14!*

Happy Tuesday! I couldn't resist a little Halloween fun for this week's sketch at TMS -  don't forget to check out the adorableness at our fab sponsor, Digital Delights by Looby Lou!

Supplies: stanps from Reverse Confetti; papers from We R Memory Keepers; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Citrus Adirondack ink; labels Nesties dies; sparkle cardstock, twine, and button from stash

oooooh witchy!

Our sketch this week was designed by the lovely Debbie:

This challenge will be open until next Sunday, October 11 - hop on over & see what the rest of the team has made! 

Debbie

Jenee 

Kris

Melissa 

Nina

xoxo,

Jessi

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - B is for...

Boooooobs :) Everybody loves boobs in October! The Snarky Sisters want to see your boobs (wait, that came out wrong)...um. Your card featuring boobs. 

Supplies: Vampire from The Stamping Chef; Spectrum Noir markers; Doodlebug papers; Pink Paislee letters; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; classic small oval nesties

Sparkly boobs even!

Ready to play? Get some more boobspiration from the sisterhood:

Barb

Chris

Donna 

Karen 

Lee

Lindsey

Lynne 

Michelle

You've got until Friday, October 16 to join in! 

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

xoxo,

Jessi

Twist my arm...

...I was all done with Halloween cards, and then two of my favourite challenges had Halloween themes this week. Twist my rubber arm, shucks, I guess I can make *one* more? Tiddly Inks wants to see a black color combination or include black cats!! And at Open-Minded Crafting Fun, they'd like to see Halloween or Dress-up. 

Supplies: Cat Love Fever digi from Tiddly Inks; Spectrum Noir markers; papers from MME; black gem things from Forever in Time

This kitty lover is adorable! She's got her cutie pie costume for Halloween, and even better - cooperative kitty accessories!

xoxo,

Jessi

A Jolly Halloween!

First of all, I'd like to share a fellow blogger's post with you - I just read Becca's story last night, and shared it on Facebook, but I wanted to draw more attention to it. Today I'll be making a card for this cause in solidarity. Domestic violence encompasses far more than physical violence, and affects far more people than we know. Please head on over to The Damsel of Distressed Cards, Becca's blog, and be inspired to join in.

And now for something completely different...10 points to Gryffindor for recognizing the reference!

Supplies: clip art from The Graphics Fairy; Cuttlebug embossing folder; kraft card stock; Versamark; black EP; Timeless Twine; Tonic distressing tool

This card was inspired by the Kraft Journal colour challenge (and the vintage feel of the graphic). I'm also popping it in over at Open-Minded Crafting Fun for the Pumpkin/Jack o' Lantern challenge. 

It's the end of October. I'm not sure where the rest of the year went but ACCCCCK!

xoxo,

Jessi

Vintage Halloween

I was recently trying to sort out some of my image files and came across several printable Halloween posters from The Graphics Fairy. One of them was perfect for Lesley's The Challenge #17. I'm also entering it over at ALBC - BOO!

Supplies: clip art from The Graphics Fairy; papers from MME; Tonic distressing tool; yellow glitter fabric paint; glitter buttons from Dollarama; Kraft twine from Paper Smooches

The verse reads:

When the Owl & Witch

to gether are seen, 

There's mischief brewing 

on HALLOWE'EN.

There's just a smidge of kraft but I combined both the sketch & colours this time around. 

Be right back with another vintage Halloween card!

xoxo,

Jessi

The Stamping Chef Facebook Challenge

Did you know that The Stamping Chef has a Facebook group?  If you love Tamara's images you should totally join. They've recently resurrected their FB challenge, and I *had* to play. It took a couple of tries, because it's a tricky recipe!

Your project should include:

Zombified Stamping Chef digi

gauze

cotton balls

The Zombified image, sure, but the other two ingredients? ...my SOS card from Tuesday was my first attempt. This time I did it! The gauze is there, I promise:

Supplies: Zombified digi from The Stamping Chef; Spectrum Noir markers; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; black and grey card stock; purple rhinestones from Dollarama; cotton ball and gauze

I coloured the image first, and then thought to have her bursting out of the card. As I sliced an "x" in the middle of each piece of cardstock I said to hubby - well, this is either going to be spectacular or a hot mess! I used a distressing tool on each exposed edge of the cardstock, rolled & glued the black pieces, and then the grey. 

After peeling back the cardstock to make the window, I taped the gauze down on three sides, leaving the bottom open so I could tuck the zombie in. She's adhered using different heights of foam tape to enhance the looming feel. Then I pulled apart the cotton pad to look misty and used double sided tape to stick it underneath the other elements so the tape wouldn't show. 

There's a touch of glitter pen on her hair, and on her eyes, and my Walking Dead-loving fourteen year old said she's hot for a zombie. Win!

Check out the Stamping Chef FB group, and of course their challenge & shop as well - I'm entering this in Challenge #52 as well :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping our Stash #174 - Halloween!

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

One of the best things about being on the Shopping our Stash design team is the constant inspiration to look 'outside the box' for craft supplies. Last week my husband came home with onions in a black mesh bag (instead of the usual orange) and I thought OH! I need that! It's perfect for the loads of Halloween cards I'm making at the moment - and not coincidentally, our challenge is all about Halloween this week! 

Supplies: Zombified digi from The Stamping Chef; Spectrum Noir markers; PTI sentiment; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; papers from MME; black rhinestones from Dollarama; onion bag

Once again Connor helped me out with colour choices. I'd coloured her skin grey and eyes & lips red (creepy as heck!) and he suggested purple for her outfit and aqua for her hair. I love the wonky layout that came together. The netting was hard to secure - it's wrapped around each corner and taped down, but the edges continued  to shed a little. Probably a dab of glue on the cut ends would solve that problem for next time.

Ready to create something spooky?  Join us before next Monday,October 27th!

Leslie

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Donna

Chris

 Chana

Barb

I'm also going to pop this in as my third entry for The Stamping Chef #51.

xoxo,

Jessi

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - H is for...

We have a fun twisty challenge for you this fortnight at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - Hopeful Halloween. Doesn't Edna look awesome? Now, what do we mean by Hopeful Halloween? There are choices! You can make:

1. A Halloween card

2. A Breast Cancer Awareness card

3. A Pink Halloween card

Awesome, right? The team went nuts with all different stuff - fun, pretty, hilarious, cute. I went with cute!

Supplies: Tiddly Inks pumpkin; PTI sentiment; Spectrum Noir markers; Purple Twilight Adirondack ink; Cuttlebug embossing folder; WPlus9 banner die; classic small circle Nesties; googly eyes & sparkly buttons from stash

This pumpkin's eyebrows make me happy!  Pretty straightforward creation.

Check out the AMAZING inspiration pieces by my teamies:

Barb

Chris

Donna

Karen

Lee

Lindsey

Lynne 

Michelle

You've got until Friday, October 31st, to join in with us! 

And don't forget to stop by and leave our guest designer PAMELLIA some love!

Since I'm using a Tiddly Inks image (I don't see it in the store, it was a long-ago freebie) I'm entering their current challenge of Non-Traditional Halloween Colours.

xoxo,

Jessi

Fang-tastic Fun!

I don't think I mentioned it on my blog, but my Maggie Mittens escaped Saturday night - and didn't come back. All our cats are indoor cats & although they've gotten out before, they always come racing back within ten minutes or so, desperate to get back inside. She JUST came back this morning - more than four days. No idea where she was all that time - and we SEARCHED. She's filthy, starving, and definitely lost some weight, but right now she's laid across my arms while I type purring to beat the band. I didn't realize how certain I was that she'd been hurt or killed until she came back and I burst into tears. I'm SO relieved (especially since it was me she snuck past to get out). 

Moving along to my card - I know I say this every.time. but I love the spunky Stamping Chef images. 

Supplies: The Stamping Chef "Bite Me"; Spectrum Noir markers; PTI sentiment; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; black sparkle paper

It's time to get the kids rustled out of bed & ready for school! Before I go, this card is for these two challenges:

little red wagon - Spooky, Spooky

The Stamping Chef #51 - Anything Goes

xoxo,

Jessi

I'm Batty for You!

I'm right into the Halloween cards at the moment - and although it's not a big 'card' holiday the images are just too much fun. This digi is one that I have from before I was conscientious about saving artist names with the image - if you recognize it, let me know! 

Supplies: unknown digi image; Spectrum Noir markers; MME papers; PTI sentiment; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; spider brad from Dollarama

The look on her face just cracks me up. I think of Wednesday :) I'd originally left her dress black & white, and Connor said it should be purple - so that ended up influencing my paper choice as well. The edges of the pumpkin paper & the image panel are distressed & rolled. 

This is for the following challenges:

Little Red Wagon - Spooky, Spooky

The Pink Elephant - black & orange plus your choice (I chose purple)

Open-Minded Crafting Fun - Pumpkins & Jack-o-Lanterns (hey, there's both!)

Be right back with another Halloween card!

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #270 - All Dressed Up!

Good morning! You are going to love this week's Tuesday Morning Sketch - and our sponsor, All Dressed Up, is definitely a popular place to shop these days.

I'm featuring this absolutely adorable Halloween image - A Magical Day:

Supplies: A Magical Day digi stamp from All Dressed Up; brad & papers from MME; Spectrum Noir markers; sakura stardust glitter pen; timeless twine; classic small and lacy oval Nesties

I had a heck of a time getting a nice clear shot - I promise it's my not-crack photography and not the digi itself! The banner piece is hand-cut from a scrap of cute punkin paper.

Here's the sketch:

This challenge is open until next Sunday, October 12th -  hop on over & see what the design team has created for you!

Debbie

Jenee 

Kris 

Melissa

Nina

xoxo,

Jessi

Halloween Kitty

First of all - this digi is from years ago, and was before I saved images with the company/artist name in the file. If you recognize it, please let me know so I can give proper credit!

Second of all, the fence made me think of the great inspiration photo at Just Us Girls this week - the decorations aren't specifically Halloweeny but it still spurred me to go print this out & colour it up :)

Supplies: unknown digi stamp; Spectrum Noir markers; PTI sentiment; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; papers from MME

Here's the inspiration photo:

I'm still suffering from a head cold, so sticking close to home & taking lots of naps & eating lots of soup. I found this on Facebook the other day, and every time I think of it I giggle (and then cough, and blow my nose. lol!)

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #269 - Stitchy Bear's Digi Outlet!

Happy Tuesday! This week at Tuesday Morning Sketches we're sponsored by Stitchy Bear's Digi Outlet, and I am in love with the digi I get to feature, Belladonna! 

Supplies: Belladonna digi stamp from Stitchy Bear's Digi Outlet;  Spectrum Noir markers; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; PTI sentiment; Versamark & white detail EP; classic small circle Nesties; Wplus9 banner die; patterned paper from Simple Stories; glitter buttons from stash

This is my first attempt colouring in greyscale - the shading in the digi made it an easy first attempt. I added some sparkle to her dress, eyes, and hair. I think Belladonna would look amazing coloured green as well :)

To do the bunting, I used a Nestie as a template to pierce the paper, stitched with black embroidery floss, and then added the buttons. 

Here's our sketch, designed by Bonnie - who has decided to step down from the TMS team. She'll be missed, I can tell you!

This challenge is open until next Sunday, October 5th -  hop on over & see what the design team has created for you!

Debbie

Jenee 

Kris 

Melissa

Nina

xoxo,

Jessi

Quoth the Raven

I couldn't help having The Raven popping into my head while I coloured this image - I tried mightily to have the raven feathered in that gorgeous iridescent blue-black plumage....I have more to learn about colouring. I still like how it turned out - and I really like the sunset in the background!

Supplies: digi stamp from Sweet Pea Stamps; Spectrum Noir markers; leaf die from Memory Box; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; Cuttlebug embossing folder; chalkboard lilac glimmer mist from Tattered Angels

I sprayed the embossed black cardstock very thoroughly with the chalkboard mist, hoping for a bit more of an opaque effect. Since the sprayer part of that mist is broken (argh!) it took some finagling with a sprayer from a mini-mister and very carefully not spilling the thus-open bottle of mist all over the carpet. I'm not sure that plan was well thought through, but hey, it worked! And my carpet is only a littttle bit sparkly ;)

I've only used this image once before, so it was my first choice when I saw the current Sweet Pea Stampers challenge "All Creatures Great & Small" . Today was a grand productive crafty day while I finished binge-watching season nine of How I Met Your Mother (lots of quilling!) so I should have lots to share here & on my Facebook page in the next couple of days. 

xoxo,

Jessi

Trick or Treat!

Ooooh! When choosing a sentiment for this fabulous sexy witch, I decided to go with one that could be taken in a naughty way (if your mind works that way, which apparently mine does! lol)

Supplies: Broomstick Bella from The Stamping Chef;  Spectrum Noir markers; paper from Cosmo Cricket; Wplus9 banner die; sentiment from PTI; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Sakura Stardust glitter pen

Bella has a saucy outfit on, but unfortunately the new card stock that I bought (same brand, no idea why this happened) is allowing the marker ink to bleed & feather if I blend much. So instead of a belly button peeking out, Bella had a purple stomach. Um, nope. Creative banner placement it is! I added a bit of sparkle to her eyes & to the pumpkin's features. 

The Stamping Chef has a weekly Anything Goes challenge - you should pop over & check it out!  I'm entering my card in challenge #47.

xoxo,

Jessi

The year's first Halloween card!

I managed to hold off until September to start making Halloween cards - but the paper pad has been on my desk waiting for a few weeks now. I don't think this image is specifically Halloween, but the cats just really wanted it to be spooky, and as Maggie Mittens will tell you, I'm a sucker for doing what the cats want.

"What do you mean I don't fit? I sits, therefore I must fits."

The current Sweet Pea Stampers challenge is to use lots of layers, so I also went paper-crazy with three patterns plus an inky doily:

Supplies: digi stamp from ching chou kuik, Sweet Pea Stamps; Spectrum Noir markers; Sharpie white paint pen; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; Doodlebug papers; doily inked with Memento Tuxedo Black ink; classic small circle Nesties; glitter buttons & black rhinestones from the dollar store. 

The smidge of glitter pen on the cats' eyes (and goth girl's) makes them appear to glow - love it when it works the way I want it to! 

xoxo,

Jessi

Drunken Stampers go Goth!

**I will not be at the Sackville Farmers Market this weekend - I am attending the Handmade Assembly sale at the Sackville Legion on Lorne Street, from 9-5 on Saturday. Hope to see you there!!**


We are back around to PERSON in our person-place-thing challenges at Drunken Stampers, and could this one be more perfect for the upcoming week of ghoulish fun?? Remember, you can enter using either the main or the related alternate theme - for this week, it's Halloween. 

I unfortunately do not know who this digital stamp is from of the girl & pumpkins - please, please comment & let me know if you recognize it so I can give proper credit! I know I got it years ago, and this is the first time I've used it. 

Supplies: unknown digital image; PTI bat & sentiment stamps; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Milled Lavender distress ink (sponging around circle); Dress it Up RIP button; Bic markers; Cosmo Cricket paper; classic small circle Nesties. 

I can practically see my little Goth girl rolling her eyes at the corny sentiment, can't you? And I love the 'chipped corner' detail on the gravestone button. 

Come play with us up until next Friday night, November 1st. 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

Jacki - Scullduggery

Jessi - that's me!

Lindsey - Bashful Blogging

Lynne - Scrapbook Lynne's

Vicki - The Cheerful Stamp Pad

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping our Stash #124 - Halloween OR black & orange!

**For my Tuesday Morning Sketches post, please scroll down or click here - thanks!**

I know, it's crazy - a Halloween challenge? But you know we had to! Don't celebrate Halloween, or you're all done making cards for this year? That's ok! Shop your stash for an orange & black creation for another occasion. We like to make it easy at Shopping our Stash :)  

Supplies: papers from Cosmo Cricket; banner die from WPlus9; sentiment from PTI; Seedless Preserves distress ink; ghost button from Dress it up; googly eyes; classic small oval Nesties

That ghost button? At least 5 years old. It had funny eyes - I have no idea why it took me so long to think of using googly eyes over top of the 'slits' the button has....I suppose because the button just HAD to be on THIS card? I can envision this turning into quite the digression, but I'll spare ya. Not much sleep last night, and it's showing. I think I might be too old to stay up that late ;)

Come & play along with this challenge until next Monday,October 28th - hop on by & leave the rest of my teamies some love!

Leslie

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Michelle

Paige

It feels strange to be so excited about a nap when it's only 6:30 AM, but I am. *yawn*

xoxo,

Jessi

My Little Pumpkin!

When I saw Jen's card for CASology's PUMPKIN prompt, I knew I wanted to use the same sentiment - and then when I went to her blog & realized OMG I HAVE THE SAME SET I was super excited & got right on it. No clue what else I wanted to do, but I had that whole 1.5 inch piece of the card figured out. Cute paper to the rescue!

Supplies: papers from Cosmo Cricket; sentiment from PTI; Mowed Lawn distress ink; cream twine

LOOK AT THOSE PUNKIN FACES!

AND THE MICE!

I kept flipping past this pattern because I couldn't bear to cover up any of the cuteness. Solution: don't cover it up, silly! Because I distressed the edges, the twine had some 'tooth' to grab on to so it doesn't slip. 

xoxo,

Jessi