Furry Friends!

Furry friends is the challenge this week at little red wagon - perfect for this sweet Sami Stamps image for a cat lover!

Supplies: Sami Stamps image; Paper Smooches paw prints; unknown sentiment stamp; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Distress inks in Tumbled Glass & Twisted Citron; Copic, Sharpie, and Spectrum Noir markers; Cuttlebug embossing folder; Doodlebug paper; Tim Holtz design ruler & embroidery supplies; Lil Inkers stitched rectangle die; button & twine from stash

This is one of those cards that I had no particular plan for but just kept going until I liked it - love when that happens :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Cool Colours with Little Red Wagon

Little red wagon is looking for cards made with cool colours this week - greens, blues, purples - and conveniently I am truly addicted to that colour combination right now!

Supplies: floral stamp from PTI; sentiment from Reverse Confetti; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; distress inks in Twisted Citron, Mermaid Lagoon, and Wilted Violet; Spectrum Noir markers; Diamond stickles; Tim Holtz design ruler & embroidery supplies; Sakura Stardust glitter pen

I'd initially intended for the flower to be a single layer but found my markers reacted with the distress inks and I didn't like it. So I stamped the flower again, coloured & fussy cut it, and painted it with Diamond Stickles before paper-piecing it to the base. The sentiment is traced with the Stardust pen, and then I used the Tim Holtz design ruler to pierce a simple stitched border. 

You have until Tuesday to enter your cool card over at little red wagon :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Thank You Butterfly

Now that the Christmas rush is over, time to start stocking up the other card categories - I was down to a single thank you card. Conveniently little red wagon is hosting a thank you challenge this week!

Supplies: butterfly stamp from Gina K; sentiment from PTI; Sizzix embossing folder; Tim Holtz stencil; May Arts twine; Versamark & black detail EP; Distress Inks in Mermaid Lagoon, Twisted Citron, and Wilted Violet

I began by embossing the butterfly on watercolour paper and painting it with distress inks. After stamping the sentiment I wanted a little something else for the background, so I sponged Twisted Citron ink using the bubbles stencil. I didn't mask the butterfly but rather just sponged lightly towards the middle of the panel. Having the time to just play and create again is awesome :)

If you'd also like to enter the little red wagon challenge the details can be found here. 

xoxo,

Jessi

Let it Snow!

I know - nothing but regularly scheduled posts for months, and two weeks before Christmas I pop up out of the woodwork? And I'm going to post more than once? Go figure.

Popping in real quick to share this card I made for two challenges - The Paper Players & little red wagon, both of which would like to see snow:

Supplies: Rejoicing snowman image from From The Heart stamps; Spectrum Noir markers; glitter snow paint; pearls & snowflake buttons from stash; Bo Bunny paper; distress inks for background (Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick, Broken China); Lil Inkers stitched rectangle dies

I printed out two copies of the snowman so I could attempt a background on one, and paper-piece the snowman. As you can see my printer ink didn't react well to the distress inks, but overall I still like the effect.

The Paper Players

Little Red Wagon - Snow Much Fun!

xoxo,

Jessi

Shake it Up Baby!

I've been making quite a few shaker cards lately - I used to use microbeads & confetti for the 'filler', and always found problems with static & just generally avoided them in the summer because of that. Enter sequins and suddenly WOOHOO I'm all over it. Also, these dip-dyed backgrounds ala Becca seem to really suit the fun of a shaker card. Since little red wagon is having a shaker card challenge this week I made sure (twist my arm) to make another one:

Supplies: various distress inks for background, Neat & Tangled sequins & sentiment; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; classic small circle Nesties

This one is fairly simple but with that fun splotchy background I didn't want it to be TOO busy. 

xoxo,

Jessi

Watercoloured Gerberas

Please don't hold the intervention yet - I'm still enjoying watercolouring too much! I've been playing around with making the large 'splotches' and although I still need practice with how much water's needed I am pretty happy with this one:

Supplies: Flourishes daisies; sentiment from PTI; Palette Noir ink; MME enamel dots; distress inks for watercolouring

Enamel dots just seem like the perfect embellishment for watercoloured images. Since this is a birthday card I'm popping in at little red wagon; and I was also inspired by the painted wall photograph at Open-Minded Crafting Fun:

xoxo,

Jessi

One Last Dad card

One last Father's Day card to show you - I just love how  the watercolouring turned out and couldn't resist sharing :)

Supplies: unknown bird stamp; PTI sentiment; Palette Noir ink; Distress inks for watercolouring; Tim Holtz design ruler & embroidery supplies

At first I was unhappy with how the inks bled, but once the panel dried....love it. Some stitching on the corners for a little somethin' without too much dimension or frilliness, and tada!  Popping in over at little red wagon for the stitching challenge. 

xoxo,

Jessi

Moo & Moo

Trying to be a better blogger - I've been making so much but just so freaking busy I've been bad about challenges & even photos. Plus I think my computer needs a tune up...or bloglovin hates me. Either one. Anyway, the farm animal challenge at little red wagon had me playing with Paper Smooches again:

Supplies: Paper Smooches stamps; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Spectrum Noir markers; Peeled Paint & Spiced Marmalade distress ink; Mod Podge Dimensional Magic (on the cows' eyes and farmer's teeth); Tim Holtz design ruler & embroidery supplies; unknown paper; googly eyes

The expression on this farmer's face just cracks me up :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Father's Day!

Father's Day is just two weeks away, so I've been crazy busy making the Dreaded Man Cards. Trees seem to be my go-to this year, and there's one to follow, but I also saw a great mug Amy shared with the Coffee Lovers FB group and that saying just had to go on a card! Both cards are for The Kraft Journal's Father's Day challenge, and this first one is also for little red wagon's Use it Up - first time this embossing folder has seen paper!

Supplies: light kraft & chocolate cardstock; Walnut Stain distress ink; embossing folder from Crafts Too; unknown alphabet stamps

Supplies: light kraft and chocolate cardstock; all stamps from PTI; Distress Inks in Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Walnut Stain, Gathered Twigs

Loving the kraft, green, and brown combo on my dad cards this year! 

xoxo,

Jessi

So distressing...

...well, paper distressing ;) I've been having a grand time distressing lately - the dog is always covered in teeny bits of paper, and so am I. The current challenge at little red wagon is distressing, so here are a couple cards to share for that challenge:

Supplies: stamps from PTI; Versamark, pirate gold EP, Frantage antique gold enamel; AC glitter paper; Tonic edge distresser; glue pen

To emboss the random dots with enamel I made spots with a glue pen.

Supplies: paper from MME; unknown stencil; Distress Stain Picket Fence; Pumice Stone distress ink; PTI 'mom' stamp; Webster's Pages lace; button & seam binding from stash; Stampin' Up pearls; Tonic edge distresser

After using the Pumice Stone ink & stencil I lightened it by swiping stain over top. I felt very Becca-ish while making this one :) 

Supplies: papers from Simple Stories; Recollections brown burlap; Paper Smooches sentiment; Gathered Twigs distress ink; Tonic edge distresser

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

A Simple Valentine

Hey, for once I'm entering Vicki's Flashback challenge before the last minute! Woot! I kept several challenges in mind while creating this card. The Kraft Journal is celebrating Valentine's Day, and at Little Red Wagon they're playing Peek a Boo.

Everything on this card has been in my stash for at least a year - the rose button is probably closer to 6 or 7 years, as is the embossing folder. The Studio G sentiment has got to be 3 or 4 years old, and this is the only time I've used it this year, even though I absolutely love the font.

Supplies: kraft card stock; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder; Studio G sentiment; Brushed Corduroy distress ink; Labels 5 Nesties; Paper Smooches kraft twine; Bow Easy; rose button from Dress it Up

I embossed the card stock and then die-cut the label. I used foam tape to adhere it to the card base for some dimension - which also made it easier to attach the rose button, since despite my 20 minutes of sawing away at it I was unable to remove the shank backing. (grumble)

xoxo,

Jessi

Merry Monday Mixed Media!

This card was a custom order for a specific person who occasionally visits my blog, but since it doesn't have a name on it I think it's still safe to share it :)

Supplies: Tattered Angels turquoise mist; Peacock Feathers distress ink; sentiment from MSE!; snowflake stamp from Unity; quilling paper; heart button from stash

Super shimmery goodness! The snowflake is quilled in two layers since this will be hand-delivered. I love the frosty detail of the snowflake - this card was my first time using it. 

I'm entering in three challenges:

little red wagon: anything Christmas

Just us Girls: mixed media (mist, inks, and quilling)

Merry Monday: Winter Wonderland

xoxo,

Jessi

Christmas Angel

It took nearly all week for me to be able to come up with an idea for Merry Monday! *phew* made it. This close to the end of the year it would be a shame to miss my goal of completing all of the challenges there! It's a colour challenge - gold, silver, white, plus one colour of your choice. I'm also entering at little red wagon, where this week's challenge is So Flaky, and The Kraft Journal, where the challenge is White on White.

Supplies: Inkadinkado angel stamp; PTI dot stamp; Versamark; Stampendous white detail EP; shabby white, shabby gold, shabby silver Frantage EP; vellum; kraft patterned paper from American Crafts; Tim Holtz design ruler & embroidery supplies; doily, ribbon, and tiny bells from stash

Although I find myself gravitating more towards a clean and simple style in general, sometimes it's just fun to get shabby chic. I began by stamping and embossing the angel, and then I stamped all the dots. I sprinkled the Frantage powders on one at a time, trying to get a good mix of the three colours. The silver really doesn't stand out, but it's there! Then I tore the edges of the vellum to size, and stitched it over top of the doily & patterned paper. I didn't want to take away from the effect of the torn vellum so I just stitched enough to keep the vellum securely attached. 

This ribbon has been in my stash for a while - it's absolutely gorgeously shimmery, and although I've tried to use it a few times, it must have been waiting for this! I sewed the bow on, and then strung the bells to nestle underneath it. I do so love a jingly card!

xoxo,

Jessi

Lacy Thanks

My sweet friend Denyse brought me a whole bunch of crafty goodness for my birthday - beads, buttons, and tons of lace, and when I saw the sketch at The Kraft Journal I knew I wanted to break out some of that brand new lace!! A super layered card, I'm also popping in at Little Red Wagon, and Open-Minded Crafting Fun's Grateful challenge.

Supplies: lace from Denyse; kraft card stock; Studio Calico kraft butterfly stickers; sentiment from Paper Smooches; Vintage Photo distress ink; Wink of Stella clear glitter pen; classic small oval Nesties; Cuttlebug embossing folder; ribbon and metallic brown paper from stash

I've been doing a bunch of faux-faux patina cards lately, and apparently I should have washed my folder, because there was unplanned shimmer transfer here - so I glittered up the sentiment too. Sometimes those 'mistakes' are just opportunities, right?

Here's the sketch:

I've got a few more posts today - I was in a sketchy mood, lol!

xoxo,

Jessi

Monochromatic Love

The challenge at little red wagon this week is to use 50 shades of....any one colour ;) I wanted to play with this beautifully romantic Bugaboo silhouette, so got inky with it. I made two backgrounds at the same time, so I have two cards to share.

Supplies: Love Blocks - Day after Forever - from Bugaboo Stamps; distress inks in Peacock Feathers and Salty Ocean; Tattered Angels mists in Turquoise and Sapphire Blue; Studio G clear glitter glue; Versamark; Kaleidoscope embossing powder; Corner Chomper; Cuttlebug embossing folder; bling strips from dollarama

After inking the background of the silhouette, I painted it with Studio G clear glitter glue, and got to work on the background. I used the faux-faux patina technique but with a single embossing powder for the sparkle factor. 

My second card is 5.25" square, and features the background primarily.

Supplies: Distress inks in Peacock Feathers and Salty Ocean; Tattered Angels mists in Turquoise and Sapphire Blue; Versamark; Stampendous embossing powder - shabby silver frantage and Moonstone; bells, flower, and bling from dollarama

The frantage powder has a mixture of colours & textures in it, which makes it fun to play with & see what the finished effect looks like. After finishing the faux faux patina, I didn't want to cover it up, so played around with embellishments to see what I could come up with. Once I added the bloom & rhinestone swirls, I thought stitching the bells on would make it a nice subtle holiday card. It jingles :)

I'll be back later on with another Christmas card, this one for the new Stella Says Sketch at Bugaboo!

xoxo,

Jessi

The Forever Card

Sometimes you get an idea, right? BRILLIANT idea, love it, can't wait to get it on paper. And then when you start getting it on paper, not.one.thing. goes the way you expected. I started by quilling a snowflake. Then I made the card base out of kraft paper, and sewed on some snowflake-embossed vellum. You'll note you don't see these things on this card. I stamped a sentiment, and that's not on this card either. After about 2 hours of fiddling, I decided to add some more vellum, and that's where it became pretty trash. It wasn't until after I'd done all the piercing that I realized my ruler wasn't aligned properly. Sigh.

Supplies: kraft paper; metallic brown card stock; Cuttlebug embossing folder; doily, vellum, and canvas from stash; classic small circle & snowflake Nesties; Martha Stewart large snowflake punch; 3/4" circle punch; button from Basic Grey; Snowflake stamps from Stampendous; Antique Linen distress ink; Tim Holtz design ruler; chocolate brown embroidery thread

I broke two needles while sewing this by hand. It's hard to see in the photos but the kraft is stamped with snowflakes. There's a small circle of metallic brown cardstock behind the button.

For all the annoying things that went wrong trying to make this, I love how it turned out. Now back to my desk to try and turn my original vision into a card!

I was inspired by the Merry Monday recipe challenge, and the little red wagon Kraft challenge.

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

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