IBSIC #11 & Little Red Wagon

I've been meaning to play along with my blog pal Tammy over at Inspired by Stamping Inspiration Challenge for the last few weeks, and kept running out of time. Look at this week's inspiration photo and challenge, though - use crochet trim or lace, and be inspired by this pic:

Supplies: papers from Basic Grey "Hopscotch;"
Martha Stewart butterfly punch;
Doodlebug 'happy birthday' sticker;
blue pearls; standard small & lacey circle Nesties;
mat crocheted by me

A challenge practically made for a crocheted mat, right? 

IBSIC #11 is open until Wednesday night, and you can find all their challenge details here.

I've also got a last-minute card for little red wagon's current woodgrain challenge, which ends Tuesday night. 

Supplies: papers from My Mind's Eye;
chipboard ruler from Fancy Pants;
sentiment stamp from Studio G;
vintage photo distress ink;
vintage buttons from my sweet mother-in-law

This is another 'use up those paper pads!' cards - there is a strip of woodgrain paper nestled into the middle, and I used some funky vintage buttons from the container that my mother-in-law gave me. A couple of them have a faint wood pattern (the largest ones).

xoxo,

Jessi

CCC-Circles!

Well, that was a resounding failure! I tried to get Connor to name my post, and that is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. So, I'll settle for the fun stuttery alliteration of Crafty Creations Challenges - Circles (#172), which is open until Tuesday night.

Supplies: papers from Fancy Pants;
embossing folders from Cuttlebug;
'feet' sticker from Hallmark;
EK Success circle punches & standard small Nesties;
hand buttons from Dress it Up!

Supplies: image from Phindy's Place;
watercoloured with Stampin' Up pencils;
standard circle Nesties;
EK Success circle punches;
Liquid Pearls;
sentiment from Paper Smooches; Palette Noir ink;
patterned paper from Echo Park; scrap cardstock

I just cleaned out a bunch of paper pads, and this one from Echo Park was one of them - if I'm down to only one or two sheets of an entire pad, plus dozens of little bits & bobs, time for it to go! This is a great way to use them up.
xoxo,
Jessi

Let's (try to) Get Trendy, Now :)

I have a bunch of cards I was inspired to make after seeing all the fun trendy goodness in the Let's Get Trendy Now workshop (go check it out here - Yvonne's got a new subscription form for an encore presentation if you missed it - it's free, so you've got nothing to lose!)
I have a feeling that I'll be sharing even more, since I really found this workshop a kick in the rear to USE some of that trendy stuff that I HAD TO HAVE....it's not just to look at, silly!
First up, a sketch:

Supplies: paper from Fancy Pants;
flowers from Prima;
brads from Basic Grey;
Liquid Pearls, 1"circle punch; corner rounder
Sentiment from Hero Arts; Bundled Sage distress ink;
'wedding day' brad from stash;

As soon as I took this picture, I realized rounding the top left/bottom right
corners was the way to finish it off - yes? 

For the heart shape, I sketched it out on scrap white cardstock, cut it out, and laid out & attached all the flowers to that piece. That way all those brad prongs don't show on the inside. Here's the sketch it's based on (pretty literal interpretation):

Next up, a two-fer: banners and baker's twine. These just go together for me.

Supplies: gingham paper & lion die-cut from K&Co;
green dotted paper & green/yellow buttons from Basic Grey;
scrap green cardstock & orange button from stash;
Baker's twine from Paper Smooches;
banner die from My Favorite Things; Martha Stewart fringing scissors

I always want my banners to curve, so I snip between each pennant to allow the whole line to bend slightly (you can see this better if you click the picture to view full-size). I added the twine afterwards by using a very thin line of Zip Dry glue, and the little bows were tied separately & glued on as well. Besides fringing the grass, I also snipped along the patterns in the lion's mane for added dimension.

Finally, another baker's twine card:

Supplies: papers from Memory Works 'Summer Fresh;'
baker's twine from Paper Smooches (red, blue, yellow);
Versamark & Barn Door distress ink; clear EP;
sentiment from Daisy Bucket

I tied the multi-loop twine bow following Emily's tutorial when she was a guest blogger at Do More With Less. Guess what I did, though? I put the camera down immediately after taking this picture, snagged the tails of the twine, and pulled the bow undone.

*blue air*

Since everything was already adhered it was a bit of a trick to re-tie the bow in a way I was happy with, but I did manage. 

Today's been a waiting day - waiting for the restoration company to come pick up the last of their equipment and put the sanitized pallets back in place. Then begins the next round: sorting & reorganizing what's left, finishing insurance documents (which involves tracking down prices for everything), and filing the insurance claim. However, after a good round of cleaning upstairs I feel like we might be almost back to normal!

xoxo,

Jessi

Sugar & spice and all things nice...

....that's what little girls are made of! Challenge #167 at Crafty Creations Challenges  is to make a feminine card for a little girl. Yay! One of my favourite cards to make! You have until Wednesday to play along :) I made a card for the littlest kind of girl there is: a new baby.

Supplies: papers & stickers from K & Co;
ribbon from Paper Smooches;
sentiment from Stampin' Up; Broken China distress ink

I love including tactile elements, and wouldn't this card be perfect for a new baby who happens to have a toddler big sister? The heart & lamb are made of felt, and the ribbon is stitched so that the ruffles are securely fastened.

*Another one for the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp*

xoxo,
Jessi

Paper Smooches Marathon

This is the good kind of marathon, the kind that doesn't involve running. Zumba I like, running? Not so much.

Anyway, as soon as I got my Paper Smooches order, it hit my 'gotta use it NOW' pile on my desk, and it hasn't left. Here's what I've made so far (that didn't get shared already, that is):

Supplies: Papers from Echo Park;
stamps from Paper Smooches;
sun stamp from Studio G; Palette Noir ink;
standard & lacy circle Nesties

Supplies: papers from MME;
stamps & twine from Paper Smooches;
Palette Noir ink;
Cloud stickers from Echo Park; Martha Stewart fringe scissors;
Sakura clear glaze pen; white Fun Flock

Supplies: papers from Echo Park;
standard small oval Nesties;
stamps from Paper Smooches;
Palette Noir ink;
googly eye; Mod Podge dimensional magic

The turtle is paper-pieced & popped up

Supplies: papers from MME; standard oval Nesties;
stamps from Paper Smooches;
buttons from Basic Grey & stash

Supplies: papers from Basic Grey "Little Black Dress;"
stamps from Paper Smooches;
Palette Noir ink; Liquid Pearls;
black & clear Sakura glaze pens

The sentiments and cat's eyes are glazed 

Supplies: paper from K & Co;
stamps from Paper Smooches;
London Fog Memento ink;
sparkly chipboard hearts from Martha Stewart;
yellow Fun Flock;
brad from Basic Grey; felt flower from stash;
standard & lacy circle Nesties

Busy times ahead - Mother's Day and university graduation are right around the corner!
xoxo,
Jessi

Chipboard Fun with Little Red Wagon

Chipboard seems to be one of those things that I buy sparingly, and then hoard once I've got some...why is that? So this week's little red wagon challenge (#121) is to use chipboard, and I got really into it. All the chipboard I used is from a single Martha Stewart package that has quite a bit left in it.

Supplies: papers from MME;
chipboard cupcake & sentiment from Martha Stewart;
standard circle Nesties; Cuttlebug embossing folder

Supplies: papers from MME;
chipboard cakes from Martha Stewart;
loads of foam tape!
rhinestone flower strips from $ store

Supplies: papers from Kaisercraft "Chapter One;"
standard circle Nesties;
chipboard from Martha Stewart;
sentiment from The Cat's Pajamas; Palette Noir ink;
blue & teal rhinestones 

Supplies: papers from MME;
sentiment from Inkadinkado; Palette Noir ink; Sakura Stardust glitter pen;
chipboard from Martha Stewart 

Supplies: papers from Fancy Pants;
chipboard heart from Martha Stewart;
'congrats' stamp (no maker's mark, unknown);
Spun Sugar distress ink; Sakura Stardust pen;
lots of foam tape!

Supplies: papers from MME;
chipboard from Martha Stewart;
standard oval Nesties; Cuttlebug embossing folder; Old Paper distress ink;
orange rhinestones

Supplies: papers from MME;
Wilton doilies;
chipboard from Martha Stewart;
'dew drops' from $ store

It felt good to make a dent in the stash...making room for new stuff is always a good idea, right?
The kids are on another snow day today, and so far no fighting. I expect pod people to burst out of their chests any minute now to take over the planet. I'll let you know how it goes ;)
xoxo,
Jessi

Playing in Paradise #54 - stitching challenge

Supplies: paper & chipboard from Fancy Pants;
ribbon from May Arts;
brad & letter stickers from Basic Grey

Stickers were used as a template for the stitching - I laid out the stickers,
pierced through them, and then peeled them off before stitching with 3 strands
of embroidery floss

Supplies: paper from Basic Grey "Oxford;"
sentiment from Digital Princess;
Peeled Paint & Vintage Photo Distress ink;
peacock feather



Stitching done along the paper's pattern

Wow, this post will be short! My hard drive is having the disc drawer replaced, and I'm using the kids' Netbook...with Internet Explorer, its tiny keyboard, track pad, and none of my links. I thought pre-loading my pictures would be enough & could go from there....um, no. Ugh.
These cards are for Scrapbooker's Paradise PIP Challenge #54, which is to use stitching, real or faux, on your creations. You have until tomorrow at noon to play!
I can't wait to have my computer back - although something tells me, without blurfing & Facebook I just might get an awful lot done today...lol!
xoxo,
Jessi

A patterned paper challenge? Cool!

So Lily Pad Cards has a challenge running for us to use patterned paper.

I'm yer huckleberry...I looooove patterned paper. I try not to hoard it, but you know it still happens. So for this challenge I wanted to do a few different things with my patterned paper, rather than just enter every card I've made since it started :) There are already well over 300 entries, and still 3 and a half days left to link up, so lots of inspiration to be had! Anyhow, here are my entries, with a brief 'why' I thought it was a special use of patterned paper.

1. Lots of paper piecing, using 6 different patterns total.

Supplies: papers from MME;
Palette Noir ink; Vintage Photo distress ink;
Stamps from Market Street Stamps;
Black Sharpie

 2. Using up scraps of hoarded paper - in this case those adorable owls! - and trimmed 'just so' to extend the size of the scrap.

Supplies: papers from MME "Fine and Dandy;"
yellow gingham scrap; dew drops from $ store;
London Fog Memento ink;
sentiment from Cloud 9 designs

 3. Stamping & embossing on patterned paper; using textured paper.

Supplies: papers from Basic Grey "Sweet Threads;"
Vintage Photo distress ink, Versamark, and clear EP;
scrap of bronze corrugated paper;
clear rhinestones coloured with brown Sharpie

 4. Stamping on patterned paper; cutting out along design for added interest & dimension. The little

'pennant' shapes are part of an argyle pattern, and I left the points loose & bent each up

slightly for more dimension.

Supplies: papers from Basic Grey "Out of Print;"
swirl stamps from Autumn Leaves;
Worn Lipstick & Bundled Sage distress ink;
Martha Stewart banner;
London Fog Memento ink;
sentiment from Inkadinkado; silver pearls from dollar store

 5. Paper quilting. Fussy as all get out, but I love how it looks! I use a plain piece of copy paper

as the base for my 'quilt' so that I can fiddle around with the layout on the final card. These squares

are 3/4".

Supplies: papers from DCWV; scraps of solid cardstock;
Susan Branch letter stickers;
fuzzy ducks from Carlton;
labels 4 Nesties

 6. Cutting out elements - in this case the rose label - and using up tiny scraps. That lovely damask

piece was not quite half an inch wide.

Supplies: papers from MME;
Wilton doily; Palette Noir ink;
sentiment stamp from Wordsworth; velvet ribbon from stash

So, anyhow, if you use patterned paper, hurry up & link up a few cards to Lily Pad's challenge - and get some amazing ideas from the folks who've linked up already :) 

xoxo,

Jessi

World Card Making Day? How great is that?

I think this is such a fantastic and fun idea - celebrating something that gives me such peace in my life. To a lot of people, what I do is 'only' a hobby, but to me it means so much.

Choosing which cards to show as part of my stop on the WCMD blog party was a bit tricky! I decided to go with several that I really loved making, even if they didn't turn out quite like I'd intended. As so many crafters know, a mistake is simply an opportunity for embellishment. And as long as you're having fun and expressing yourself, the end result is just the proverbial icing on the cake.

First up is a card that got me inky:

Supplies: papers from Basic Grey "Out of Print;"
ballerina print from Degas book;
May Arts sheer ribbon;
sentiment banner from Martha Stewart; stamp from Studio G;
embossing folder by Craft Concepts;
Spun Sugar, Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage, & Worn Lipstick distress inks;
Sakura Stardust pen; misc. pink rhinestones;
flowers quilled by me

I found this oval cut-out of a Degas ballerina in my great desk clean-up a few weeks ago, and kept it in my 'ooh, I want to use that!' pile, along with the butterfly embossing folder. Something I don't really do much of is embossing on patterned paper, and once I'd run this piece through, I thought sponging the distress inks would bring out the pattern of embossing more sharply. Not so much, although I do like how it looks. The banner simply looked strange left flat, and the way I'd stamped the sentiment didn't allow for much wiggle room. The ribbon just really wanted to be a part of things, but all the bows I tied just didn't go. So, 'tails' for the banner were born. The card probably took 2 hours with all the fussing and fiddling, but for once I didn't feel frustrated when it wasn't doing what I pictured - I just kept fiddling and enjoying myself.

Supplies: Papers from My Mind's Eye "Lost and Found 2;"
'write' and typewriter rub-ons from Michaels;
'for you' stamp from Studio G;
Emerson quote from MFT; Memento Tuxedo Black ink;
velvet ribbon from stash; black rhinestones

This is a card that I made with no specific occasion or recipient in mind, just enjoying myself. And, for extra fun, I thought I'd finally try sealing the edges of ribbon with a flame. Eeps! Let me just say kids, don't try that at home. Also, grown-ups, matches probably aren't the easiest way to do that. 

Supplies: Papers from Fancy Pants;
stickers from Basic Grey;
crocheted mat by me (basic pattern here)
standard & lacey circle Nesties

Baby cards are some of my favourites to make, and this one includes crochet, my other favourite craft. I'd wondered what to do with these sheets of Basic Grey baby stickers for months, and when I saw them next the paper...*monkey clapping* 

Thanks for stopping by my little place, and know that I treasure each and every comment you take the time to leave. I can't wait to see what fun and exciting things are going on in blogland this weekend to celebrate!

xoxo,

Jessi

Baby Boys are Booming!

Funny, how things seem to happen in cycles. The last few years, everyone I knew that was having a baby, had a girl. This year, it's boys everywhere I look! My niece had a sweet baby boy a few weeks ago, one of the day camp leaders is expecting a boy, and any second now one of our former babysitters is going to meet her little boy. (He was due Monday, stubborn thing!)

This little guy has already had his room decorated in shades of ocean blues, so when I got started on his blanket I knew I wanted to incorporate that with a ripple pattern. Here it is (it measures about 30" x 36" or so):

Now to get a special card made with the little guy's name on it...

And on the topic of babies, here are a few baby cards I've made in the last while:

Supplies: pages from Cicely Mary Barker Fairy Book;
Cloud 9 Designs sentiment stamp;
Memento Tuxedo Black ink; black Sharpie (edges); black rhinestones
My all-time favourite baby quote!

Supplies: embossed cardstock from ACD;
hands & feet  flatback buttons from Dress it Up!;
all other supplies misc. that my sweet sister scored for me at a yard sale :)

Supplies: paper from Basic Grey "Sugar Rush;"
quote from Cloud 9 Designs;
Memento Tuxedo Black ink;
standard oval Nesties; flowers quilled by me

Supplies: papers from MME Fine & Dandy "True Blue;"
buttons from Basic Grey;
standard oval Nesties;
'congratulations' outline sticker - Elizabeth Allan designs;
puppy stamp from Inkadinkado; Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Supplies: papers from Basic Grey "Sugar Rush;"
buttons also from Basic Grey;
sentiment from Cloud 9 Designs;
Memento Tuxedo Black ink;
black sharpie for the edges

....aaaand that's about it. Nothing big is happening around here lately. I view it as the calm before the storm of school beginning. Now if only I could kick-start my crafty mojo to get some things made up ahead of the back-to-school chaos, that would be great! Abby the pup is doing great - she's a clever little thing, and is really learning quickly. I've got several books out on dog training - she's got a few commands under her belt, but I know I've got lots to learn about how to teach her. And lots of  people-training to do as well...a certain adult has a bad tissue-littering habit that's GOT to stop - apparently to Abby that is a wonderful, delicious, shreddable-all-over-my-carpet treat. At least based on the amount I'm picking up, she's not really eating much of it :)

xoxo,
Jessi