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

Playing in Paradise #80 - Back to Nature

Ah, happy Friday! This week Nina is our hostess, and she's challenging us to go Back to Nature - here's what she has to say about it:

     It seems that every weekend there are so many people that head out to go camping, hiking, fishing  or even to the beach, a few may simply enjoy gardening. Summer to me means a tons of outdoor time and enjoying what mother nature has to offer. So the theme for my challenge is Back to Nature. Interpretation is in your hands :)

I am in serious need of some masculine cards for my stash, so I decided to use a timeless image from Stampin' Up:

Supplies: kraft cardstock;
paper from Basic Grey "Little Black Dress;"
tree stamp from Stampin' Up;
Vintage Photo distress ink;
sentiment from Digital Princess;
Hemp twine from Dee at the Farmer's Market;
wood button from Michaels

Something about kraft paper evokes a 'natural' feeling for me - so it seemed a 'natural' choice here :)

How would you like to go back to nature? This theme is really a terrifically versatile one, so I hope you can find time to play along with us (there's always a great prize up for grabs!). The linky is open until noon on Thursday, August 23 (holy moly, it's almost the end of August!).

Don't forget to see what the rest of the team has been up to:

Nina

Angela

Allison

Merlie

xoxo,

Jessi

Squeak!

Down to 7 hours left - I thought I could get another card in for the Young Crafters Unite button challenge that ends today. Woot! Got it in :)

Supplies: papers from Fancy Pants;
buttons from stash

Well, that was a short supply list! The owl scene is on a piece of paper designed to include birth info, which I didn't want to use. Enter a scrap full of fun baby-related words, and voila. The buttons are from a jar that I got from a friend a couple of years ago when she (gasp) gave up scrapbooking, and matched the colours in the paper perfectly. 

Still hot & humid here - although we're supposedly expecting rain, the humidity is down below 70%. Seems strange to regard that as a break, but I'll take it compared to the 90+ we seem to be stuck with. It's hot enough that poor Abby, panting at my feet, is panting hard enough to shake the computer table. Time for some more ice cubes for her. We made a big cube with milk bones in it (saw it on FB ages ago) - she loved it, even though the bones came out a little mushy. She didn't care! 

xoxo,

Jessi

Last-minute entries & inspired by Lindsey!

I was definitely flattered to see that I was in the top 3 over at Inspired By Stampin' Inspiration Challenge for last week's sketch  - I knew I wanted to play along with the inspiration photo this week, but for some reason I just couldn't get an idea going until this morning. There are only 7 hours left in the challenge - hey, still lots of time! IBSIC has a bit of a different take for their inspiration challenges - they provide a photo, and some guidance as well. Here's the inspiration photo:

And the directions: This week we have a Garden Theme for the challenge. Please use Pink, Green and Creams as your main colors.

I knew I wanted to use this particular rose sticker - it just took me some time to bring it all together.

Supplies: rose sticker from PSX;
all papers from Bo Bunny;
standard & lacy circle Nesties;
Peeled Paint distress ink;
Hero Arts sentiment

The cream circle is on a layer of foam tape, and the pink is on another. If you have time in the next 7 hours (or so, lol), check out this challenge at IBSIC - and stay tuned for the new one, posted Thursday.

And talk about mulling over a design for a long time - the Young Crafters Unite button challenge (#12) has been open for weeks, and I kept adding buttons to cards that were for other challenges. This morning, I was adamant that I would make a new card, with a button frame - something I love to do. What popped into my head was this really lovely card that Lindsey at Bashful Blogging posted on Monday, clean & simple tulips. I love how she embossed the tulips in white, and kept a white border around the main panel, and I included that in my card. Thanks for the inspiration, Lindsey :)

Supplies: tulips stamp from PSX;
Versamark & white EP (Stampendous);
Dusty Concord distress ink (for envelope & inked edges);
standard circle Nesties;
corner rounder; purple buttons from stash

Because I sew my button frames, I wanted to do that on an extra layer of card stock to hide the back of the stitching. Once I was done, I trimmed the edges carefully & rounded the corners of the panel, and inked the edges directly with the ink pad. The panel is then glued directly to the card base.

There are 10 hours left for the Young Crafters Unite challenge, so hardly last minute at all! Actually, that's enough time that I might end up being able to come up with another card...stay tuned :)

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #159 - with Sparkle Creations!

Happy Tuesday! Thank goodness Monday's out of the way, right?
It's a new sketch over at Tuesday Morning Sketches, and this week we're being sponsored by Sparkle Creations:

There are stamps up for grabs for a lucky winner....but you have to play along! Here's this week's sketch, designed by Melissa:

...and here's my card:

Supplies: papers from Kaisercraft "Madame Boutique;"
Hero Arts sentiment;
Versamark & white EP;
embossing folder from Cuttlebug;
Washi tape from We R Memory Keepers;
cake sticker from Wilton;
'dew drops' from stash

I heart washi tape - I adhered it to the card stock before embossing,
and LOOK how crisply the tape embossed!

There are loads of inspiration to be had from the TMS team and from our guest designer Shelby - go check them out!

Shelby, guest designer 

Angela 

Bonnie

Cheryl

Dawn

Debbie

Laura

Theresa

Melissa

Okey-doke, time for me to get some more crafting in before the heat returns...July was our hottest month on record ever. I really hope August isn't going to keep trying to beat the record - it's hard to try to work with paper when your hands are sweaty!

xoxo,

Jessi

Four-Legged Friends at DYSU

So, check out this sweet as pie prompt photo:

I KNOW, right? And I knew I had the perfect little elephant to go with. How did I know? Because I was a crafting machine last week & did a big baby card blitz, and had just seen it in my stash of baby-related die cuts. I'm crafting like crazy (when I can stand the heat at my desk) because I'm leaving for Vancouver on September 5th, and need to be all stocked up to bring lots with me! (It's only just starting to hit that OMG my sister is getting MARRIED in less than a MONTH!) And let's not underestimate the excitement of going sans kids....ok, anyhow, onto my cards for the DYSU Four Legged Friends challenge (which ends Tuesday, that would be today!) The first is just so directly inspired by the prompt photo:

Supplies: all die cuts from K&Co;
foam tape; corner rounder

And for a teeny peek into how my crafty brain works - I of course had to dump out the whole package of die-cuts to get to the elephant I wanted. It's the same size as the purple elephant below, and originally I thought I'd have them face each other on the same card. AND THEN, ding ding ding! I thought "hey, wait a sec! I have a card to make for Ellie, who's going to be 3, and SHE'S a sweet girl. Hmmm..."

Supplies: 5x7 card base;
Die cuts from K&Co;
chipboard banner & heart from Martha Stewart;
lacy circle Nesties;
letter & number stickers from Echo Park

I gathered all the animals together & clapped my hands with glee...
and then couldn't fit them on a regular sized card. Boo. But I would not
be discouraged - because I HAD A PLAN, darn it.

More of that 'white' space - it's getting a little spooky around here. Like a pod-person has taken over my desk. So here's a more normal Jessi card: 

Supplies: Miscellaneous papers (blue dots);
yellow & green from Simple Stories "Summer Fresh;"
stamps & twine from Paper Smooches;
Palette Noir ink;
Cotton Ball white Fun Flock from Stampendous

The sheep is paper-pieced with white cardstock,
and his/her head popped up on foam tape for dimension.
I pierced & stitched around the sun using the Outline Stitch &
a full 6 strands of thread. The 'rays' are done with 3 strands.
The 'hills of frolicking' are cut free-hand, the top one popped up
on foam tape.

I had planned to post these sooner, but my arm is only just now not killing me - I got a new tattoo on Friday, and it's much larger than any of the others. I really truly underestimated how much it was going to hurt. It's roughly the size of my palm (a bit larger). I don't have pictures to share yet & won't for a while, because it's covering up another tattoo, and with all the swelling & so on it does NOT look its best yet. I can show you the design, though. It's an amaryllis, and I chose it for two of its meanings: strength in adversity, and success in the arts. (I've linked up the design - just to be sure of not violating the copyright). 

Photo source

OK, enough blathering on for now! Check back in later for my Tuesday Morning Sketches card!

xoxo,

Jessi

CASology #5 - POND

More white space. I think it might be becoming some sort of addiction. Between that & my corner rounder, I think I'll need an intervention shortly!

This week's cue card from CASology had me stumped for most of the week, until I found this hilarious fish stamp while looking for something else.

Supplies: Fish stamp from All Night Media;
sentiment & bubbles from Hero Arts;
Tumbled Glass distress ink;
Palette Noir ink;
Sakura Stardust glitter pen;
standard circle Nesties

It took several tries to be happy with my inked circle - I cut it out from scrap paper, and sponged ink over the negative. And then recycled it a time or two...when I was happy with this one, then I stamped & coloured the fish & bubbles. The main panel is trimmed shorter than the card front (but the same width), opposite corners rounded (natch, apparently now an addiction), and the edges inked directly with the Tumbled Glass pad. Then the whole panel is mounted to the card base with foam tape. 

xoxo,

Jessi

Playing in Paradise #79 - Colour Inspiration

Good morning! Merlie is challenging us this week at Playing in Paradise, and her colour inspiration couldn't be more perfect after Angela's fab Cup-Litre-Gallon lesson last week.

How delicious are those colours? Love them together! As Merlie says in the challenge post, you don't need to match the colours exactly - any orange/yellow/green combo will do! For my card, I chose to do some quilling - I picked my closest matches for the colours & got twirling:

Supplies: white cardstock;
EK Success medium corner rounder;
yellow and orange rhinestones;
Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink;
Citrus Adirondack ink;
envelope stamps from Studio G;
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Pearl;
flowers quilled by me

As always, you can click for a full-size picture. Some of the details are just hard to see in a smaller photo - the shimmer, for example. I had finished the card, and rounded opposite corners, and was thinking "OK, it needs a little something...." when I decided to give it a spritz. I made sure to spray from more than the recommended 12" distance to be sure I got even light coverage. And I held my breath :) Also, the leaves are done with two colours of green - a little trickier to do, but well worth the subtle effect.

So, how are you going to interpret these colours? Check out the challenge post for more amazing ideas, some tips from Merlie, and to see who our guest designer is this week (and our winner from last week's challenge!) This challenge will be open until next Thursday, August 16. Don't forget to see what the rest of the team has been up to:

Nina

Angela

Allison

Merlie

xoxo,

Jessi

Ermagerd, Shopping Our Stash!

Well, I just spent entirely too much time looking for a suitable ERMAGERD picture to capture how I feel just now, and although I thoroughly enjoyed myself I came up empty. The sentiment's still the same though - ermagerd, guess what? I'm joining the DT at Shopping our Stash!!! Knock me over with a feather, guys. I'm super stoked. There are four of us joining the team throughout August as we get ourselves settled in - make sure you head over & check out the announcement with this week's challenge.

Speaking of this week's challenge, it's Monochromatic. I've gone so far back in the stash that I even used up some stuff!

Supplies: Barn Door/Spiced Marmalade distress ink;
Versamark, clear UTEE;
standard oval Nesties;
paper from Basic Grey "Indian Summer;"
brads from Basic Grey;
red-orange fibre from stash;
sentiment from Studio G

I used the Cracked Glass technique on the oval panel - and used up the last teensy bit of my jar of UTEE. Seriously. Recycled the jar & everything. And, years ago, I bought $70 of 2-yard lengths of different fibres. I still have a lot, as you can imagine, and now I don't have this one. I used double-sided tape to adhere the fibre to the back of the oval die (learned my lesson with liquid glues a while back...still scarred, I think) and then foam tape to attach the whole thing to the card base. To get the red-orange colour I used first Spiced Marmalade & then Barn Door distress inks.

OK, I've got kids starting to battle each other verbally (physically will be right behind) - go check out this week's Monochromatic challenge & what the talented DT has come up with. 

xoxo,

Jessi

Tuesday Morning Sketches #158 - Birthday Twist!

Happy Tuesday! We were "promised" two days of rain, but only got about 2 hours yesterday morning. Just enough to make sure the humidity stays up around 90% and the heat is in the high 20s, so the humidex levels will be in the high 30s all week. I feel like I'm living in a wet towel. *whine* This is the first summer that our lawn has started to die, and I refuse to waste water on it. Less mowing for me ;)

Without further ado, let me show you the fab sketch we're working with this week at Tuesday Morning Sketches, designed by my teammate Debbie:

This week's challenge is also the Judged Challenge for August, so there's a twist. Your card must use the sketch AND be a birthday card. (Check the sidebar at Tuesday Morning Sketches for the details - they are under the heading "How to Participate.") We also have a pretty exciting feature series starting up - but you'll have to go to the blog to read all about it!

Digi Doodle Shop is the wonderful sponsor this week, and here's a letter from the owners:

Digi Doodle Shop is the results of a mother and daughter’s love for the arts and crafts. It was started a little over 3 years ago with a little more than 100 stamps, and has since then grown to almost 500 stamps. Joy (the mother of this team) designs realistic images, while Judy (aka/daughter) loves the “fun side of life”, and create images with a cartoon flair. Having these two complimenting styles have enabled

Digi Doodle Shop to offer a wide variety of stamps.

It is a real honor and pleasure to sponsor this challenge, and we look forward to seeing all the amazing creations. We thank the design team for their incredible creations, and wish all the participants the very best of luck in this challenge.

Thank you so much for having us, and again the very best of luck to all of you.

Sincerely,

Judy and Joy

It was great fun having a look through their diverse offerings to choose an image to work with - and as soon as I saw Stinky, it was love at first sight. Thank you :) Right away I knew what kind of birthday card I wanted to make with my smelly friend!

Supplies: STINKY from Digi Doodle Shop;
papers & brad from Basic Grey "Piccadilly;"
flowers & button from stash;
letter stickers from Jillibean Soup;
Velvet Flock from Doodlebug (white & black)

I wanted to preserve the detail of Stinky's face, so I chose to highlight his back with the Velvet flock.
I used Tombow Mono glue to make the layer of flock extra thick & soft.

I always hand write the inside of my cards, and my tongue-in-cheek greeting for this one is "you're old now!" I have a feeling all my teasing about age is going to come home to roost when my next birthday rolls around....eeek!

Don't forget to visit the rest of the design team from Tuesday Morning Sketches and see what they've created - some beautiful cards in the lineup today! And link up your own creation using the sketch by Sunday for a chance to win from Digi Doodle Shop! And I'll be back later today with some more fun stuff to share :)

Angela

Bonnie

Dawn

Debbie

Laura

Theresa

Melissa

xoxo,

Jessi