Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - Q is for...

Quick! Go ahead and start having palpitations, because the Snarky Sisters have a real challenge for you this time around:

*panting*

Oh now come on, it'll be ok. You can figure out what you're doing first, and gather your supplies. I'm a super show off so I have two cards...because patterned paper makes this ridiculously easy:

Supplies: paper from Simple Stories; unknown sentiment & doily stamps; Walnut Stain distress ink; Spectrum Noir marker (for edging); Corner Chomper

Supplies: paper from MME; Memento Gray Flannel ink; unknown sentiment stamps; pearls from Stampin Up; Corner Chomper

Even better, the sympathy card? I muffed up edging the rounded corner with marker, so grabbed the doily stamp that was already out & wah-la. *whew*

C'mon, have a little panicky fun with us!

Barb

Chris

Donna

Karen

Lee

Lindsey

Lynne 

Michelle

You've got until Friday, May 1st to join in! 

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

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

I'm here for you

I played with this great medallion stamp and some watercolour paper for this simple card:

Supplies: Stampendous medallion stamp; Flourishes sentiment; Spellbinders butterfly dies; vellum & watercolour paper; Distress inks in Mowed Lawn & Peacock Feathers; Route 66 Tattered Angels glimmer mist

Using watercolour paper REALLY makes a difference! I inked the stamp with distress inks, and spritzed very thoroughly before stamping. The butterfly was made with two layers of vellum and one of white cardstock for each size. 

I'm entering this over at CAS-ual Fridays Must Love Watercolour challenge, and one more for Open-Minded Crafting Fun's no pink & no red. 

xoxo,
Jessi

With Heartfelt Sympathy

This week I made a number of sympathy cards - I find it so much easier to make them at the same time. I kept the Kraft Journal "make it in minutes" challenge in mind while I was creating, and hit on just the right idea. 

Supplies: stamps & mat stack die from PTI; Cuttlebug embossing folder; kraft card stock; Distress inks in Brushed Corduroy and Antique Linen

I was smart and cut out two of the mat stack pieces, because I knew I would (and I did) muff up the stamping on the first one. The sentiment initially had a period on the end, which I cut off - somehow the period just seemed rude. Offended by punctuation? I was. After embossing the white cardstock I sponged it with Antique Linen to tone down the brightness a notch, and attached it & the sentiment panel with foam tape. 

Even with my stamping boo-boo this came in at around 15 minutes to create :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - L is for...

LAYER. As in, one layer. One single, measly, flat layer. Enough to strike fear into a stamper's heart.

To make it a bit more fun for the Sisters, Lee created Flat Edna for us - and we took her to show her the sights!

The terrific rugs you see above are all created by my friend Lisa Remington - so many creative designs! Edna loves  texture, and pretending to be a moose's willy. She loves the farmers market, but didn't particularly care for the giant rat at the car show - or for waiting interminably at the doctor's office. Currently she's having a wee snooze in my purse - I think she may've overindulged a bit. When Edna lets loose, she REALLY lets loose!

To make a left turn, my card for the one layer challenge is not at all fun or drunken - although I did use alcohol markers...

Supplies: stamps from Wordsworth, Annabelle Stamps, and PTI; Memento Gray Flannel ink; Spectrum Noir markers; Tumbled Glass distress ink

You've got 2 weeks to link up (by August 8th)) - and stop by & say hello to my sistahs:

Barb

Chris

Donna

Karen

Lee

Lindsey

Lynne

Michelle

And don't forget our fabulous guest designer, KAROLA! 

xoxo,

Jessi

Seize the Sketch #16!

**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**

Good morning again! Time for another fun sketch at Seize the Sketch - this one designed by Jen N!  I was working ahead for the month of March so that I wouldn't miss any design team posts, and a friend sadly had to say goodbye to her kitty. I hadn't really planned to use this sketch for her card, but it came together perfectly once I got started creating:

Supplies: Paper Smooches stamps (from 3 different sets of course); Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Spectrum Noir markers; Shabby Shutters distress ink; W plus 9 banner die; Corner Chomper; Studio Calico heart veneer; papers from MME; kitty veneers from Lindsey 

The banners were cut from white cardstock and then inked directly with the Shabby Shutters distress pad.  In a crazy coincidence, they exactly match the green paper on the bottom - not planned but I like it!

Here's the sketch - the linky will be open until Sunday March 30th:

Don't forget to check out the design team's fabulous projects!

Amy

Cathy

Jen N 

Jen M

Jessica

Jessi - that's me!

Lesley

Lori

Lori T

Rose

Sarah

Sherry

Stacey

Tangii

Vicki

xoxo,

Jessi

Contrasts!

There are so many possibilities with this week's CASology prompt, CONTRAST.  I needed to make some more sympathy cards for my stash, and clean & simple cards are perfect.

Supplies: Unity sentiment; Stampendous medallion; Distress inks in Faded Jeans & Tumbled Glass; Versamark & clear detail EP

I used light & dark blue inks for colour contrast, and embossed the sentiment for textural contrast. I inked the edges of the panel as well, for contrast from the white card base. I really love this sympathy sentiment because it acknowledges the truth that grieving happens on its own timetable. 

 

xoxo,

Jessi

Avian Sympathy

Unfortunately I need to build up my sympathy card stash, so a couple of low-key card making sessions are in my future this week.

Supplies: kraft cardstock; stamps from PTI; Brushed Corduroy distress ink; Paper Smooches kraft twine; scrap of HOTP printed vellum

Not really much to describe here - I just stamped directly on the kraft layer, and added a stamped piece of kraft over where I attached the vellum, to hide the adhesive, tied the bow, and ta-da. 

Popping this is in at The Kraft Journal - Buttons, Bows, or Bangles and 

Simon Says Stamp: Use a rubber/clear stamp

xoxo,

Jessi

Monochromatic at the Pink Elephant!

Monochromatic cards are some of my very favourites - and looking through my recent cards, I've apparently been in a monochromatic creative mood of late. The current challenge at The Pink Elephant is to make a monochromatic card/page, so here are a whole bunch! Turns out that my favourite monochrome themes are baby, sympathy, and thank you ;)

Supplies: striped paper from Stampin' Up!; sticker from Echo Park; buttons from stash

Lots of dimension for this baby card - and buttons are generally a favourite on those too!

Supplies: stamps from Unity; Memento Gray Flannel ink; Versamagic chalk ink (Aegean? I think?); patterned paper from Making Memories; Corner Chomper; pearls.

 I stamped the bird 'cameo' onto white cardstock with several inks before deciding on this one. I then fussy-cut around it, and added it to the card with foam tape.

Supplies: paper from Amy Tangerine; sentiment from Paper Smooches; rub-ons from Basic Grey (I think?); Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Corner Chomper

Another super simple card - the doodly paper from Amy Tangerine was perfect for using up some random rub-ons left over from another project and shoved into a random package. 

Supplies: All stamps from Paper Smooches; Labels 5 Nesties; Peacock Feathers distress ink

All the stamping was done with the Peacock Feathers ink - this card was inspired by this card that I made several weeks ago. 

Supplies: more pink striped paper from Stampin' Up!; onesies fussy-cut from Echo Park paper; sentiment from PTI; Memento Gray Flannel ink; pink pearls; classic small & lacy circle Nesties; crochet mat

Another twins card! The 12" Echo Park paper has motifs large enough to fussy-cut and use as focal images. Love that!

Supplies: all stamps from PTI; Memento Gray Flannel ink

Butterflies are an image, like birds, that I reach for over & over again for sympathy cards. Grey is appropriately soft without being as harsh as black. 

SO! If you too feel monochromatic, link up over at the Pink Elephant by Sunday :) I'll be back tomorrow with my second card for this round over at Jingle Belles, and Saturday will be a special post for me as well!

xoxo,

Jessi

Unity Sketch .05!

So I bought this lovely stamp set from Unity a few weeks ago, and the sentiment is just so perfect. There are simply some times that people are expected to "get over" what happened, and that's not the way it works. Sorrow is on its own timetable.

This month's card sketch at the Unity {be inspired} Challenge was perfect for its first inking.

Supplies: Unity stamps; papers from Making Memories; Memento Gray Flannel ink; classic small circle Nesties; pearl strips from Dollarama; Corner Chomper

Here's the sketch:

You have until July 17th to enter - and there are 2 other challenges as part of it, so you should head over & check it out if you haven't already. 

xoxo,

Jessi

Doodle Pantry #35

I am seriously addicted to these gorgeous lily images from Doodle Pantry - they are perfect for Easter, but they also make beautiful birthday cards & peaceful sympathy cards.

Supplies: Pre-coloured digi image from Doodle Pantry; papers from Echo Park; sentiment stamp from Paper Smooches; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; classic small circle Nesties; yellow sparkle fabric paint

I have used a toothpick to brush & dab the yellow glitter onto the stamens & petals for a little shimmer. I printed out 2 copies of the lily, and fussy cut one & popped it up.

Supplies: Pre-coloured lily digi from Doodle Pantry; yellow Stampendous Fun Flock; sentiment & background stamp from PTI; Shabby Shutters distress ink; classic small oval Nesties

For this second card, I also printed out 2 copies of the flowers and fussy cut one to pop up. The stamens are covered with fun flock for some texture. The background layer was created using a small flower from PTI, stamped so that the images overlapped & formed an abstract pattern. The edges of the oval panel & the rectangular panel were both swiped with the Shabby Shutters pad to help them stand out.

The Doodle Pantry challenge runs for another couple of weeks - you just need to use a Doodle Pantry image to play along, and they have freebies available! The rules request one entry only - I hope that combining both cards in one post is OK! I wanted to show how versatile I find this set :)

xoxo,

Jessi

With Sympathy

A rare just-because post...so often I'm scrambling to share cards before challenge deadlines that my photos folder gets full of things I've made & not shared. These are from before Christmas! 

Supplies: Grey Flannel Memento ink; sympathy stamp set from PTI (from Barb!) 

Supplies: Cuttlebug embossing folder; Grey Flannel Memento ink; vellum stickers from Jolee's; PTI sympathy set

So this morning, right as the kids are heading out into the -30C windchill on their way to the bus stop, my husband calls in a panic, unable to find his wallet. Do you know WHEN he noticed it was missing? AFTER filling up for gas. Yep, we are one of the few places (it seems) that don't have to pay before filling up (yet.) A coworker came to bail him out, but it was an hour of him desperately thinking & calling around, and me searching around the house. The funniest part, to me, was how insistent he was that he zipped it into his jacket pocket....and then I found it, in the pocket of his sweatpants.

I have sympathy for him - after all, how many times have I ended up searching around my desk for something that was stuck to my shirt or (*koff*) held in my hand?

Oh yeah, and that -30C? We're also expecting 40+cm of snow starting late Friday night. *shudder*

xoxo,
Jessi

Shopping our Stash #79 - Odds and Ends

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

This week's challenge at Shopping our Stash is really aimed at purging some of those little bits from your stash - you know, that package with only one sticker left? A single brad from that collection you loved? Those kinds of things! Here's what we want you to do:

use two different types of embellishments (odds and ends in your stash- the lone white pearl and a scrap of ribbon for example,  or two red buttons and one green pearl, or scrap of twine and a button, or the leftover brad from the package with a sticker) any amount/combo is fine as long as two different types are included.

Supplies: paper from Bo Bunny; die-cut butterfly from K&Co; sentiment from Papertrey Ink; Peacock Feathers distress ink; pearl cluster strips from Dollarama

I've been hoarding the last of these die-cut butterflies forever. Obviously it was waiting for this project! And the pearl strips come in a package of 2, each about 6 inches long. I had two end snippets left in a package - you know how it is, you can't toss them but you can't figure out how to use them either? I think this works :)

This odd (and end, lol) Shopping our Stash challenge will be open until next Monday night, December 3rd (holy moly!)  - and don't forget to check out all my awesome teammates:

• Carla
• Leslie
• Alica
• Deena
• Paige
• Lauren
• Linda
• Michelle
• Sandie

Off to do more panicked Christmas crafting!

xoxo,

Jessi

Ten-Minute Craft Dash!

A ten-minute craft dash? Are you nuts? It doesn't sound possible, does it...but you know what, it really is. Head over to Pretty Pink Posh to get the nitty-gritty details, and then play! I had quite a lot of fun with mine.

So, you're allowed to decide what you're doing first - which is good, because otherwise I'd never have made it. Jenny from Crafting in the Country sent me some die-cuts, and I was looking through them when I spotted this floral wreath. I always cut & score my card bases ahead of time - they are tucked into a drawer with the envelopes right in easy reach. So, I started with these items:

-wreath die-cut, already cut out
-sympathy sentiment
-blue pearls
-Spectrum Blue Frost ink pad....to be continued, there!

Here's my card:

Supplies: die cut from Jenny;
Martha Stewart butterfly punch, scrap vellum;
blue pearls from $store;
Blue Aegean chalk ink - Colorbox;
Martha Stewart butterfly stamp (envelope)

It took 9.5 minutes. I stamped the sentiment first on scrap paper, to check the colour match - nope. None of the three blues in the Spectrum pad were a good look, either full-strength or stamped off. Crud. Enter the Blue Aegean chalk ink - perfect. So, a couple minutes were sacrificed to the ink choice. The rest fell right together - stamp on card, adhere wreath, pop pearls on....5 minutes in. Needs something else. But what? Die? Too much time. Punch! OK, where's the vellum....I've used pearlescent vellum, because it was the best match in the bunch I pulled out. Punch two, fold them in half, stick them down, put some pearls on. Ta-da!

I did the butterfly differently this time - I folded them, and adhered half of each butterfly. The folds are in the centre & just barely touching. This gives more dimension (and more stability!) to the butterfly than stacking them directly on top & bending the wings upward. Why didn't I think of this before? Probably I thought I was saving time by not un-folding them after? Who knows, but I like it!

I'm terrible at trying to edit in HTML, so I'm going to tuck the graphic in at the end & hope it shows up properly! The inaugural 10-minute dash ends August 25, and give it a whirl - you might have a lot of fun :)

xoxo,
Jessi

Photographing white-on-white...

...it's not for the faint of heart. Or the impatient. My first card is for a challenge new to me, Catered Crop, and this edition (ending tomorrow) is White Pages. I decided to really challenge myself and create a completely white card. In fact, I made two - completely brain-farted over the fact that one of them is for an upcoming DT assignment that I can't show you yet (oops!) and so I went back to the drawing board & came up with this:

Supplies: Frost White pigment ink - Colorbox;
white detail EP - Stampendous;
stamps from Inkadinkado, Kaisercraft, Glitz;
standard small & lacy circle Nesties;
mat crocheted by me

Honest to Pete, you can read it/see it if you click it & view full size.

If it's any consolation (no, it's not) I took even worse photos of my DT project. Honestly, this is legible in person. 

My second card is for this week's challenge at Our Creative Corner - denim plus 3 ribbons/twine & 3 buttons/brads. I wasn't going to play along, because I didn't have any ideas, and then while I was looking for something else I found some denim-patterned paper, and an idea was born!

Supplies: Faded Jeans distress ink;
papers & clips from Simple Stories "Summer Fresh;"
buttons from Basic Grey;
sentiment & twines from Paper Smooches

So, I've got the denim-patterned paper panel, the denim pocket on the little tag, Faded Jeans distress ink (how could I resist?); and then black, red, and kraft twine; and three teensy buttons to finish off. I really like how it turned out - these kind of cards that happen by accident are my favourite. You'll have to hurry if you want to play along at OCC in this recipe challenge - the linky is open til midnight.

And now to go cook supper - mmm, pasta....garlic...onions.....and lots of big smooches all around afterwards, I'm sure ;)

xoxo,

Jessi

Moxie Fab Stuff!

There's always something fun going on in the Moxie Fab World, and today's the last day to get projects linked up for the Card Creations Week challenges (extended while Cath heals from shoulder surgery). There are also another 5 challenges open for Stamp It! week, and those are open until July 23, so lots of time to check them out.

My first card was hard to photograph. It's for both the Damask & Brocade challenge, and the Congratulations challenge.

Supplies: black cardstock; black detail EP;
damask stamp from Fiskars;
congratulations stamp from Studio G;
black rhinestones; Palette Noir ink for envelope

I have a hard time using black embossing powder since I find I generally make a mess with it. I love how this turned out - and the shine is perfect in real life. You can click it to big it to see the detail.

My next card is a baby card - which to me suits the Congratulations challenge as well! - and has a hand-crocheted mat, which I consider a doily, so it's for the Doilies & Lace challenge too.

Supplies: polka dot paper from MME;
stamped in Worn Lipstick distress ink with a tiny heart from PSX;
Feet from All Night Media;
sentiment from Studio G (London Fog memento ink);
embossing folder from Cuttlebug;
standard small & lacy circle Nesties;
mat crocheted by me

The Stamp It! challenges require that stamping be the primary technique, and I think this suits - all those little hearts! I used 'generation' stamping to create a gradient effect with the hearts on the background paper - the top & bottom areas are stamped with full-strength ink, and the centre dots are done with the second impression. The heart by the sentiment is also done with a second impression, and the feet are full-strength. I stamped the feet & sentiment before embossing, and the heart after.

My last two cards are both for the Doilies & Lace challenge - I love doilies. Love them, and use them often. 

Supplies: patterned paper from MME;
doily from Wilton;
sentiment from Wordsworth stamps;
bird from Inkadinkado;
London Fog memento ink; blue pearls

Supplies: paper from K & Co;
cake sticker & doily from Wilton;
scrap vellum;
Studio G sentiment; Versamark ink; Moonstone EP from Stampendous;
silver brads from Making Memories

So there you have it - another 4 cards, this time for 3 challenges. I guess four cards seems to be a good number in a post :) Like I said previously, the Card Creations week challenges are over tonight, so link up quick! And the Stamp It! week challenges are open until July 23.

xoxo,
Jessi

Flowers from my Stash

None of you were any help for naming posts! lol
Maybe I should ask the kids to start naming them for me...oh em gee, that's what I'll do. Of course, that means that said kids will have to be around while I'm blogging. File it as an idea, anyhow.

The current Shopping our Stash challenge, #53, is to use flowers. Easy-peasy! And since Simon Says Stamp is hosting an Anything Goes challenge this week, I'm linking up to them too :) Shopping our Stash ends Monday night, and Simon Says ends Tuesday night.

Supplies: cardstock from Coredinations;
embossed with Cuttlebug folder, sanded, traced with Sakura Stardust pen;
standard circle Nesties;
flower die cut from K&Co

Supplies: flower digi stamp from Squigglefly;
watercoloured with reinkers sooooo long ago;
yellow paper from Basic Grey "Piccadilly;"
orange paper from scrap bin;
sentiment from Kaisercraft; Palette Noir ink;
bamboo crochet thread

The first card is an all-stash star - that embossed piece of paper has been rustling around in the ol' scrap bin for a very long time, with a circle cut out of it. I made a recessed-frame sort of thing by popping that piece up on foam tape over the card base, and then tucking the flower die cut partially into the frame.
As for the second card, the flower is the stash here - my printer doesn't like digis. Well, to be fair, what I mean is that no matter what I do, no matter what sealant, heat gun, whatever, I apply, the ink smudges. So, I thought to myself, after applying a coat of sealant, why don't I emboss over the lines? So I used a glue pen and clear EP to super smudge-proof the image....without thinking ahead that as it melted, the EP would cover slightly more area since I don't have the steadiest hand. I finished colouring, let it dry, and tossed it in the scrap bin for another day when I wasn't annoyed with how long it had taken.
Riley's teacher had her baby over the weekend - everyone is healthy, which is fantastic.
There's no way to follow that without seeming churlish, but I'm going to anyway. It's really difficult for any child to lose their teacher partway through the year. Add several other factors: large, difficult class; last year at that school (as in, many transition meetings for staff between the elementary & middle schools); and less than a month before the end of the year & report cards; and autism? I have no idea how the school plans to compensate for these things, and I know things will fall through the cracks. One small saving grace is that the school was prepared enough to have a substitute already hired & ready to finish the school year (last time, when Connor was in her class, it took nearly 6 weeks to find a permanent substitute.)
Add to all these things the fact that the grade 6 class had some pretty in-depth lessons about procreation this year? Boy howdy, have I been getting interesting questions. Parenting is not for wimps!
xoxo,
Jessi

Sentiments Required - Shopping our Stash #41

This week's challenge at Shopping our Stash is a great anybody-can-play kind of thing - you just have to use a sentiment. Easy-peasy!

I made quite a few cards with this challenge in mind, and here are two of them. I don't think I could have gone for more different creations if I'd tried! The first card...my husband's birthday is in a few weeks, and I totally thought of him while I was making it.

Supplies: stamps from CHF; coloured with markers;
Palette Noir ink;
standard oval Nesties, scrap cardstock;
orange paper from K & Co;
letter stickers from stash

Supplies: papers from Basic Grey;
sentiment stamps from Kaisercraft;
floral silhouette from Inkadinkado;
Peeled Paint distress ink & London Fog memento ink;
green fibre from ancient, ancient stash

The second card...I was pulling out something else from the 'fibres and confetti and microbeads' drawer and this piece staticked itself to my leg. Exactly what I needed! And, this used it up - the piece was the perfect length.

Now, on a totally different subject...I often show pictures of Abby, and as I was sitting at my desk Saturday morning I thought, oh, I haven't taken any pictures of my kitties lately. I should do that. And they obliged even! (Well, two of them did...the one known now as Sharp Parts doesn't hang out with us much anymore.)

Maggie and her many toes

Maggie should have this look on her face most of the time...she's not all that bright ;)

Gertie. Yikes.

After taking a whole bunch of shots of Maggie across the room, I looked down and saw Gertie giving me this evil eye. I'm not sure she could scowl harder if she tried.
xoxo,
Jessi