Shopping our Stash #258 - How Does your Garden Grow?

This week at Shopping our Stash we'd like to see what grows in your garden....of paper, that is ;) I tried to go beyond the typical flowers to use an image that doesn't see much ink, and found this cutie from an old PTI baby set:

Supplies: stamps from PTI; Shabby Shutters distress ink; Tim Holtz design ruler & embroidery supplies; buttons from stash

So what grows in YOUR paper garden? Dig into your stash & show us, and come link up by Monday, July 4 :)

Don't forget to check out what my talented team mates have created: 

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Donna (off this week)

Chris 

Barb

Chana 

Stacey

Cyndi

Mimi

Maria

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #352 - Crafty Sentiments!

Good morning! Our sponsor this week at Tuesday Morning Sketches is Crafty Sentiments, which has all sorts of different things to spark your creativity!

Supplies: Stamps from Clearly Besotted; distress inks in Bundled Sage & Shabby Shutters; papers & buttons from stash; Cuttlebug embossing folder

I used both inks to get a better match for the papers I'd chosen to work with :)

Here's the sketch:

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

Debbie

Jenee 

Kris

Lee

Melissa 

Patti

Wanda

xoxo,
Jessi

Shopping Our Stash #240 - One is a Lonely Number!

Well, this is one of those challenges that will either scare the pants off you or make you say YAHOO! This week at Shopping our Stash we'd like you to make a true blue single layer card. (as an aside, it did scare the pants off me!) I'm impressed with myself that it only took two tries:

Supplies: stamps from Waltzingmouse Designs; Worn Lipstick distress ink; Sakura Stardust clear glitter pen; Corner Chomper; unknown heart dies

I used a small set of 5 heart dies to make my own stencil from cardstock - slightly larger than a usual card front - and sponged through it with Worn Lipstick to make the background. 

I think most of the team was of the 'scared' persuasion, but we really came through! 

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Donna

Chris

Barb

Chana

And you have until Monday February 29 to come play!

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #314 - DRS Designs!

Good morning sketch fans! It's my week at sketcher for Tuesday Morning Sketches, and I think this one works well for those snippets of paper we all hoard! DRS Designs is our terrific sponsor this week - so many fun images to choose from. My stamps didn't arrive in time but I promise to make you giggle when they do!

Supplies: unknown baby feet stamp; Stampin Up sentiment; AC paper; Corner Chomper; Gathered Twigs, Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick distress inks; buttons from stash; Tim Holtz design ruler & embroidery supplies

I didn't have quite the right shade of pink, so I inked up the stamp first with Worn Lipstick & then with Tattered Rose, and yay! it worked! 

Here's the sketch:

This challenge will be open until next Sunday, August 23 - hop on over & see what the rest of the team has made! 

Debbie

Jenee 

Kris (off this week)

Melissa 

Nina (off this week)

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping our Stash #212 - Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend!

For my TMS post please click here - thanks!!

Oh but this challenge will appeal to your magpie eye :) This week at Shopping our Stash we want to see lots of bling! I know I use it a lot, so I decided to pull out some great big gems for something a little different. 

Supplies: Versamark & white detail EP; Waltzingmouse 'hello'; PTI 'baby'; all other stuff from stash

It's been a while since I played with quilling, and it was nice to get back into it. I imagine there'll be more this week since I have *guilty pleasure* season 7 of True Blood on loan from the library!  The ribbon was a great find by my friend Carrie at a thrift store - and the pearls woven at the top made it perfect for this card. 

Check out all the OOOOOH SHINY!!!

Leslie

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Donna

Chris

Barb

Chana

And you have until Monday,August 3 to come play!

xoxo,

Jessi

Baby Shower!

I pulled out all sorts of yellow, orange, and green supplies this week, inspired by The Challenge - and then proceeded to use them in all sorts of different combinations. I did make this baby card, which was inspired by the palette but uses more pastel shades:

Supplies: unknown stamps; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Dried Marigold distress ink; papers from American Crafts; Tim Holtz design ruler & embroidery supplies; buttons from stash; classic small circle Nesties

I'm really excited with how well I've managed to get the stitched corners to turn out - who would've thunk it'd be that hard to pierce a 90 degree angle? Maybe I'm just special, lol

xoxo,

Jessi

Hello Little Girl!

I realized that I have mainly boy cards in my baby stash - so I got to work on some baby girl cards! This one just warms my heart. 

Supplies: MME paper; Tattered Rose & Stormy Sky distress inks; stamps from PTI; Hello stamp unknown; Wplus9 banner dies; vellum scrap; Mossy Made button; unknown hearts and dots stencils

I first stenciled the hearts, then decided to overlay them with the dots. The sentiment banner is sponged with Tattered Rose ink and laid overtop of a vellum banner, and the edges of the panel are sponged with Tattered Rose as well. 

Perfect for the Pastel challenge at The Pink Elephant!

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #288 - Sweet n Sassy Stamps!

Welcome to our first brand-new sketch of 2015 - and thanks so much for playing along with our favourites from last year! It's fun to revisit older sketches with new creations :) This week's Tuesday Morning Sketch is designed by Melissa, and has lots of room for embellishment! Our sponsor this week is Sweet n Sassy Stamps. 

Supplies: Papers & stickers from Doodlebug; sentiment from PTI; Brushed Corduroy distress ink, Versamark, clear EP; Corner Chomper

I popped up the little duckie and the blue star, and embossed the sentiment to help it pop on the patterned paper.

Here's the sketch - remember, the shapes on the sketch can be changed to suit your design!

This challenge is open until next Sunday, February 22 - hop on over & see what the design team has created for you! 

Debbie

Jenee 

Kris 

Melissa 

Nina

xoxo,

Jessi

Cute & Cuddly!

So this week I was addicted to making baby cards. Lots and lots of baby cards, and lots and lots of buttons. I find it therapeutic to do the repetitive sewing. When I saw Vicki's challenge this week for Flashback Friday was BABY stuff, I pulled out some stash & went to it.

Supplies: PTI stamps; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Spectrum Noir markers; Stampin Up paper; Corner Chomper; classic small circle Nesties; buttons 

I had a piece of off-white paper sitting on my desk - no idea what manufacturer - and decided to use that for the image panel. The colouring turned out mottled & textured and made the bear look furry, almost like I know what I'm doing! The buttons are a recent gift from a crafty friend who knew I have had a heck of a time finding green buttons in any amount. All the other stuff has been kicking around for at least 2 years, especially that paper. I pull it out & then put it away again, and I think this might be the first time that bear has made it onto a card. 

Since a bear is a critter, I'm also entering over at Simon Says All Creatures Great & Small.

On to the therapeutic side of things - this has been a tough week. Riley was diagnosed with depression in December (which we knew was coming). Unfortunately the meds weren't working, so on Tuesday the psychiatrist changed his med regime and I kept him home all week to keep an eye on him. So far it's not worse but it's not better yet either. I realized Friday that it's been two years since one or the other of my kids has been depressed and/or suicidal. Add that to the obsessive nature of autism and I am just.so.tired.

Abby cut her foot a month ago - necessitating an emergency vet trip, pain meds, and complete rest for a week. And then last week she reinjured the same foot, which seemed to be healing well UNTIL Thursday morning she didn't wake up with me (which is very weird) and when I went to check on her, her foot was swollen and obviously infected. Another emergency vet trip, antibiotics for minimum three weeks, and pain meds. 

And I'm diabetic - and my sugars have been crazy for months, despite med adjustments. So last Tuesday I thought to myself gee, my toe hurts - and lo and behold, with no injury, a blister had formed under the nail pushing the nail nearly all the way off. And it's not healing. So I predict antibiotics are in my future as well, when I finally get in to see the doctor tomorrow. 

Add in the snowstorm we just got that has left 5-7 foot drifts by my back door, and I am so ready to scream UNCLE I can't even tell ya. Thank goodness for crafty things, good friends, and the Internet for bringing me distractions and support! If you made it through all that, thank you :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Cutie Patootie!

Ohhh I am excited with how this card turned out! I have really been having a great time just playing around lately. I was inspired by the current Kraft Journal challenge, and once I'd grabbed my tag and doily (knowing I'd add twine as my third option) I just had fun with it. I wanted to create a vintage-y feeling baby card that would work for either gender (as well as the Open-Minded Crafting Fun no pink/no red challenge!)

Supplies: Crafty Secrets vintage photo clip; kraft tag; Paper Smooches kraft twine; Doodlebug patterned papers; PTI sentiments; Brushed Corduroy distress ink; Versamark and clear EP; buttons from Dress it Up; doily and lace from stash

I was working on baby cards this week, and these papers are from a Doodlebug pad that is primarily boy-ish. Lots of scraps and odd sizes left, so I just chose a few and fiddled around until I was happy with the layout. The doily is wrapped around the side of the tag - somehow creating a cleaner look than trimming the doily. All the edges are distressed. The tag has a smidge of lace and kraft twine tied to hold it in place. 

I usually find that maybe every few months I get a card that I say to myself SELF you rock. Lately it's been happening every couple days - which keeps me making more & more! 

Here's the challenge board for The Kraft Journal: (I used Doily, Tag, Twine, and Top Fold)

And the link for Open-Minded Crafting Fun:



xoxo,
Jessi

Shopping our Stash #187 - Gettin' Inky! Use your OLDEST ink!

**For my Snarky Anniversary blog candy post, please click here**

**For my Tuesday Morning Sketches post, please click here**

Now here's another fun challenge for you this week at Shopping our Stash - use your oldest ink! The oldest ink that I still have is a PSX pad called Bubble Gum, and I bought it about 10 years ago on clearance. Who knows how long it had been on the shelf at that little store that didn't even carry craft supplies any more! It's still juicy as ever though. I paired it with another ink I've had for ages, Citrus from Adirondack, and an ancient stamp, and made a bright baby card.

Supplies: Bubble gum PSX ink; Citrus Adirondack ink; baby feet stamp unknown; dots & sentiment from PTI; classic small circle Nesties; banner die from Wplus9; buttons from stash

Simple and sweet and so cheery!

So what's YOUR oldest ink?  join in with the SOS crew and get your inky on!

Leslie

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Donna

Chris

Barb

And you have until Monday,February 9th to join in!

xoxo,

Jessi

Babies EVERYWHERE!

Babies and weddings, they seem to come all at once, don't they? There've been a whole bunch of new little people welcomed into the world lately, and I've got a whole bunch of baby cards to show you. How perfect that Little Red Wagon is having an "Oh, Baby" themed challenge this week!

Supplies: papers & elements from Echo Park; Timeless Twine; AC Thickers letter stickers; home made enamel dots; Corner Chomper

The banners & 'little man' element were part of a piece of patterned paper, fussy cut to add some dimension. 

Supplies: sentiment from PTI; Memento Gray Flannel ink; die cut train border from K &Co

Supplies: Papers from Doodlebug; stickers from Basic Grey; classic small circle Nesties

I'm particularly excited about this card, because the circle cut out was a piece of scrap paper & I made it into an "on purpose" element. Yay!

Supplies: Baby Love sticker from Basic Grey; papers from MME; Corner Chomper; classic small and lacy circle Nesties; Crochet Mat (available here)

Another scrap card - the striped piece of paper is missing a corner, and I just arranged my layout around it :) 

Supplies: stamps from PTI; Spiced Marmalade distress ink; classic small circle Nesties; buttons from stash

You surely know by now that any time I go on a baby card binge, there are gonna be buttons :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Shopping our Stash #170 - Shower Time!

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

Time to take a shower! Shopping our Stash has a plethora of shower curtain eye candy for you this week, and we'd like you to use one of our curtains as inspiration to create! I've always wanted a rubber duckie curtain...well, at least for the last 20 years or so. 

source

Supplies: hoarded rubber duckie paper from Doodlebug; fuzzy duckie stickers from ?; PTI sentiment; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; ribbon from stash; classic small circle Nesties

The fuzzy duckie stickers have been in my stash for I don't even know how long. Long enough that I had to pet them for quite a while to get all the cat hair off, if that clears it up at all. 

We have such a huge variety of inspiration for you over at the Shopping our Stash blog - there really should be something to whet everyone's crafty appetite!  Join us before next Monday, September 29th!

Leslie

Alica

Deena

Lauren

Donna

Chris

 Chana

Barb

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #263 - Sami Stamps!

I'm not going to lie to you - it took several attempts to come up with my card for today's Tuesday Morning Sketches!  As some of the best ideas do, it came to me once I stopped trying so hard. Last week I worked mainly on baby cards, and *poof* my idea showed up. Love that :)

Sami Stamps is our sponsor this week - if you haven't checked out her images, you should! Sweet & whimsical.

And, sadly, Angela has stepped down from the TMS team - she's been there since I joined the team, and I know I'll still be seeing her awesome work over at Just Monkeying Around!

Supplies: papers from Echo Park; dress stamp from Unity; sentiment from Studio G; Spun Sugar & Victorian Velvet distress inks; heart button from Dress it Up

It was hard to get a crisp picture of the light pink stamping. I inked the stamps first with Victorian Velvet & then Spun Sugar to get a mid-tone pink. 

Here's the sketch, designed by Debbie:

This sketch is open until next Sunday, August 24th -  hop on over & see what the design team has created for you!

Bonnie (off for August)

Debbie

Jenee 

Kris 

Melissa

Nina

xoxo,
Jessi

Seize the Sketch #26 - Katie!

**For my Tuesday Morning Sketches post, please scroll down 2 or click here**

**For my Shopping our Stash post, please scroll down 1 or click here**

This week at Seize the Sketch we have Katie as our sketch artist - and oh em gee, the possibilities are endless with this sketch! I can see using this one again & again.

Supplies: stamps from Paper Smooches; Spectrum Noir markers; Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Now I'll tell you, my husband is not generally a fan of CAS. When I showed him this one, he said "look at that! It doesn't look unfinished!" I take that as high praise :)

Here's Katie's sketch:

The linky will be open for two weeks - play along by Sunday August 17!

Check out what the rest of the amazing DT did!

Cathy

Colleen

Jen

Jessi - that's me!

Katie

Lee Ann

Lesley

Lori Turner

Lori Tecler

Marybeth

Mona

Rose

Sandy

Sherry

Vicki

xoxo,

Jessi

Seize the Sketch #25!

**For my Tuesday Morning Sketches post, please scroll down 2 or click here**

**For my Shopping our Stash post, please scroll down 1 or click here**

Mona is our sketch artist this week at Seize the Sketch, and I decided to go for a baby card! 

Supplies: bunny stamp from Unity; sentiment & cloud dies from Paper Smooches; Memento Gray Flannel ink; papers from Doodlebug; Spectrum Noir markers; button & twine from stash; 1.5" circle punch

I had fun playing with the very palest markers to create the sky. The button was threaded with twine & then I perfected the bow before sewing the button onto the card with embroidery floss. 

Here's the sketch:

The linky will be open for two weeks - play along by Sunday August 3rd!

Check out what the rest of the amazing DT did!

Cathy

Colleen

Jen

Jessi - that's me!

Katie

Lee Ann

Lesley

Lori Turner

Lori Tecler

Marybeth

Mona

Rose

Sandy

Sherry

Vicki

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #256 - Sweet n Sassy Stamps!

Good morning! This week at Tuesday Morning Sketches we have Sweet n Sassy Stamps as our sponsor, and a great simple sketch. I love these ones that can be made fancy or simple - and the team did a fabulous job of showing off both styles!

Supplies: Papers from Doodlebug; sentiment stamp from Studio G; Mowed Lawn distress ink; classic small circle Nesties; home made enamel dots

I really have to build up my baby card stash - one card at a time!

Here's the sketch:

This sketch is open until next Sunday, July 6th - be sure to hop around & see what the rest of the team created!

Angela

Bonnie

Debbie

Jenee 

Kris 

Melissa

xoxo,

Jessi

Mom & Baby Love

I've got two cards to share for the current Paper Smooches SPARKS Anything Goes challenge :) The colours on the first card aren't showing particularly well - the purple looks brown. Oh well.

Supplies: rainbow stripe stickers from stash; all stamps from Paper Smooches; Bic markers; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Versamark & black EP; Distress Inks in Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean, Seedless Preserves

Supplies: all stamps from Paper Smooches; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Bic Markers; Mowed Lawn distress ink; Dress it Up baby buttons; Spellbinders die; American Crafts card stock

I've been crafting like crazy for Mother's Day, and now I have to get busy taking some pictures so I can show you!

xoxo,
Jessi

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #6 - E is for...

...EMBELLISHMENTS! The Snarky Sisters want to see you use at least 2 embellishments on your project - you can use two different ones, two of the same kind, a billion or so of the same kind....we're easy that way :)

Supplies: Bunny stamp from Unity; sentiment from Cloud 9 Designs; Memento Gray Flannel ink; Spectrum Noir markers; ALL THE BUTTONS!

I was actually thinking I'd make something snarky this time around, but then I got sidetracked with a project that started as a card and turned into a mixed media/altered art frame - and thus ran out of time. I can't wait to share that with you, though :) And isn't it funny - I use embellishments on pretty much EVERYTHING, but when it came to a challenge to USE embellishments? Brain farts all around. 

Want to get embellishy? The linky will be open until Friday May 2nd,  and you should definitely go check out what the other Sisters have been up to:

Barb

Chris

Donna

Karen

Lee

Lindsey

Lynne

Michelle

And for our Guest Designer this challenge, we have the lovely Princess Judy, who rocked it! 

xoxo,

Jessi