Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Back to the regular grind...

Love, schmove! {lol!}

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...hopefully I can keep on this semi-regular posting schedule. We'll see!

So, how about another 30 Days of Creativity post? It's been a while. I got stuck on the one that asks us to create a self-portait by drawing or photographing...so I'm going to skip it & maybe come back to it later.

Day 10: Create something today inspired by nature!

I think a lot of what I create is inspired by nature. It's hard not to be inspired by nature, with its riot of colours and creatures.


Supplies: paper from Basic Grey "Curio;"
Yellow/grey bird die-cut from K&Co;
lace trim from Hero Arts


Supplies: paper from Mariposa Mat Stack, DCWV;
Happy Birthday stamp from Kaisercraft, stamped with Memories Art Print Brown
& glittered with Sakura Stardust pen;
bird die-cut from K & Co; cream lace "leaves" from Hero Arts;
button from Basic Grey; red flower crocheted by me
 Birds are one of my favourite natural inspirations. Realistic birds, cartoon birds, stylized birds...all gorgeous, and can be elegant or fun.
xoxo,
Jessi

Friday, February 11, 2011

The last Valentines, I promise.

Since tomorrow is the last market day before Valentine's Day, I thought I would just post the rest of the cards that I have photographed & ready.There are plenty more than these to choose from.
Supplies: Robot stamp from My Favorite Things;
coloured with Prismacolor pencils & coated with Mod Podge Dimensional Magic;
Black Magic Coredinations paper circle embossed with Spots & Dots cuttlebug folder
& sanded to show gray core; blue paper & tag from Cogsmo by Cosmo Cricket


Supplies: Stamp by Stampin' Up!;
 coloured with Prismacolor pencils & Dove blender solution
Paper from My Mind's Eye
Buttons from stash, heart buttons from Dress it Up!


Supplies: journaling cards from Webster's Pages "Hollywood;"
butterfly & flower heart sticker from PSX;
ampersand sticker from Cosmo Cricket; paper from Basic Grey "Curio"


Supplies: sheep stamp from Pink Cat Studio;
coloured with Prismacolor pencils, covered in Stampendous fun flock;
grass drawn by hand;
all papers from Basic Grey "Sugar Rush;" letter & heart stamps from PSX


Supplies: All papers from Cosmo Cricket "DeLovely;"
Pear stamp & sentiment from Hampton Art;
Pears stamped using Versamark & Adirondack citrus ink, embossed with clear EP


Supplies: Zebra journaling card & heart stickers from Fancy Pants;
coated with Stampendous Fun Flock;
baby blue patterned paper by Fancy Pants;
 pink dotty paper & blue button from Basic Grey "Hopscotch;"
pink layer cut with Nestabilities Labels 4 & cut in half to form frame;
Valentine sentiment from Studio G; pink mini heart button from Dress it Up!


Supplies: Journaling card & stickers from Fancy Pants;
'looseleaf' paper from My Mind's Eye "Tickled Pink;"
word search paper & blue button from Basic Grey "Hopscotch;"
heart buttons from Dress it Up


Supplies: Papers from Fancy Pants;
quilled flowers all made by me;
Valentine sentiment by Studio G;
stamped with Palette Noir ink & traced over with Sakura Stardust pen


Supplies: Heart drawn by hand;
flowers punched with Martha Stewart hydrangea punch;
rub-on by Making Memories;
rhinestones from dollar store


Supplies: Patterned papers from Bo Bunny "Crazy Love;"
vases punched with McGill punch;
flowers quilled by me;
'with love' rub-on from KaiserCraft


Supplies: Black dotted paper from Making Memories;
everything else from My Mind's Eye
 Happy Valentine's Day!
xoxo,
Jessi

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Owl never stop loving puns!


Supplies: Owl die-cut with Sizzix sizzlet die;
Papers from Bo Bunny "Crush;"
Owl sentiment from CHF Kim Hughes set;
black/white layer cut with Nestabilities Labels 4;
Stampendous fun flock on the birdie's belly


Supplies: Paper from Bo Bunny "Crush;"
Owl journaling card from Fancy Pants;
sentiment "Who loves You?" from CHF Kim Hughes set;
faux 'dew drops' from the dollar store;
Sakura stardust glitter pen on the sentiment
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Frank.
Frank who?
Frank you for being my friend!

lol...
and one more funny, for those who love Big Bang Theory...
xoxo,
Jessi


Running out of titles...

...besides "Hey, look, another Valentine!"


Supplies: Monster stamp & sentiment from Daisy Bucket;
papers from Basic Grey, "Wander;"
buttons from stash & Basic Grey;
yellow layer cut with Nestabilities Labels 4


Supplies: All papers from Basic Grey, "Wander;"
letter stickers from various Basic Grey sheets;
triangle borders cut using My Favorite Things mini banner die
That little monster stamp has been kicking around for quite a long time, but I never get tired of him. I think it's the teeth - he must be a boy. As for the cheesy Wheelie sentiment, I saw it somewhere, but heaven help me if I remember where! I thought this cutie car paper was perfect for it, and perfect for a son's valentine.
xoxo,
Jessi

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Anything Goes challenge for All That Scraps

I've followed the Wednesday Challenge blog for All That Scraps for quite a while - it's my go-to online store, with the best service I've experienced anywhere. However, I never seem to remember to post the things I've made for challenges - or, usually, what happens is that I don't photograph it in time. For once, I was determined that I was going to participate in the challenge, darnit, and here I am squeaking in at the 11th hour.
Whatever. Better late than never!
And, what better challenge for the first round I made it into than anything goes? Can't go wrong with that.

Supplies: World's Best Doctor by My Favorite Things;
coloured with Salmon Adirondack ink (skin), prismacolor pencils;
papers from Bo Bunny Crazy Love;
letter stickers & "I do" from the Crazy Love combo sticker sheet
Masculine valentines are HARD. Too much pink and hearts and frou-frou at this holiday for it to really be for guys, but I figure the sentiment might just make this one OK ;)
xoxo,
Jessi

Creative people that make me happy...

Day 9: Make a list of creative people you are grateful for today.
Well, it's kind of a long list...so I think I am going to narrow it down to maybe 10 people? And say something about each one, maybe? Each one has a blog that I follow, something I do nearly as religiously as I drink my coffee in the morning. Usually I do it at the same time. These aren't meant to be in any particular order...so try not to read too much into it!

Allie of Hyperbole and a Half. She never fails to make me laugh. I get giddy when I see the bold text that means she has a new blog post...and seriously, a lot of the time I wonder if she secretly knows me. Case in point, This is why I'll never be an adult. Go. Read. Love. If you don't think she's hilarious, then I can't talk to you any more.

Stephanie Severin of Ingenious Inkling. From her Thursday Link Love posts, which feature all sorts of fun things from her own trips around the internet, to her inspirational Quotes of the Week, to her fabulous art collection and photographs from all sorts of trips and vacations...and last but not least, her own card creations. One of my very favourite things about Stephanie's blog is that she posts cards she's not happy with, and explains why...most of us shy away from embracing those creations.

Jill Foster of Inspired By. I think I already covered this last week when I used a card of hers as inpiration myself...but not only is she a talented and creative stamper herself, she features new artists each week, showcasing their creations and those of her own that have been Inspired By the guest artist. In a sense, she teaches me how to be influenced and inspired by other artists while still making my own creations.

Lydia Fiedler of Understand Blue. She makes beautiful things - and tucks them inside the funniest stories. The other day she talked about raccoons and vegetables...and then shared a gorgeous simple card. And, she commented on my post the other day, and had me all unable to post anything for a few days...so she's gracious too :)

Susan Liles of Susiestampalot. She's a designer for two of my favourite companies to drool over (My Favourite Things and The Cat's Pajamas), she loves bright colours, and she has such funny tips, called Susie Q-tips. They range from the truly useful hint to the totally hilarious mishaps that, as she puts it, "Don't ask me. I don't want to talk about it."

Allison of Stampin' When I Can and the newly created Share the Mojo. I don't think I've seen a crafter who does more to share what's out there. Allison has two regular features on her blog - Sketch Links sorted by day, and Newly Discovered, which shares blogs as she comes across them. Allison also blogs regularly about her crazy funny kids, and includes a "positive note of the day," something that all of us might do well to think about as it applies to our own lives.

Susan from Simplicity by Lateblossom...now, I will never be a "clean and simple" stamper. I love it, I love to drool over it, but it's not my own style. The grand thing about Susan's blog is that she discusses design principles - not just as they apply to her beautiful CAS cards, but ones even messy cardmakers like me can use. And, not particularly related to crafting, but she also has a son with autism, and a blog called  Questioning Autism that I find very thought-provoking.

Mel from Mel Stampz...she doesn't post as frequently as she once did, but her blog is unbelievably full of ideas, links, more ideas...and loads of how-tos. Mel shares TONS of free things - templates, digital images, etc - and has an incredible ability to breathe new life into paper projects. Mel is also thrifty - and I must say, finding cheap ideas is always fun. I may love spending money, but getting more for less is always better :)

Carole from Mother's Little Helper...cracks me up. We share the same quirky sense of humour, and there's many a card of hers that I've sneaked a sentiment from. She loves bright colours, as I do, she works with some really fun stamp companies, and she just comes across as a truly fun & generous person. I love reading every new post.

Beate from Fresh & Fun...her creations are amazing! She puts so much effort into providing step-by-step instructions for what she's made, and the list of tutorials she's done for Splitcoaststampers is unparalleled, and as long as my arm. At least.

There you have it!
xoxo,
Jessi

Saturday, February 5, 2011

I'm glad you're mine, Valentine!

Supplies: Papers all from Bo Bunny "Crazy Love;"
journaling card from Fancy Pants; buttons from Dress it Up!;
turtle shells, eyes, and heart coated with Mod Podge Dimensional Magic


Supplies: Papers from Bo Bunny "Crush;"
journaling card from Fancy Pants; buttons from Dress it Up!;
clear acetate hearts from Heidi Swapp
It's hard to capture shine in a photo if you're camera-disabled like I seem to be, but I *think* I got a half-decent angle on these babies...by now you're probably realizing that I am totally man-Valentine impaired. Yep. I have tried for years to overcome that, but the best I can do is offer a risque sentiment....hopefully the one I'm working on today will be worth taking a picture of & sharing. We'll see!
xoxo,
Jessi

Friday, February 4, 2011

You & Me Fishies!

Supplies: blue paper from K & Co 'Citronella;' heart bubble paper from Bo Bunny 'Crush;'
Fishes & heart fussy-cut from a Fancy Pants journaling card;
"You & Me" sticker from Cosmo Cricket;
miscellaneous acetate for window, confetti from Amscan


I love making shaker cards! They are notoriously hard to capture in a photo - the whole joy of them is in the holding & shaking. The confetti inside is a mix of hearts & the word "love...." now, all together, {awwwwwww}
xoxo,
Jessi

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Love-ly rose

Supplies: rose stamp from Stampin' Up!; stamped with white Colorbox ink & embossed with white EP;
coloured with Fired Brick distress ink in the 'floating reinker technique';
all papers from Bo Bunny "Crush"



It doesn't even say Valentine's Day on it, but this might be my favourite Valentine yet. This stamp is so perfect for the floating reinker technique that I haven't ever used it another way...maybe I never will :) I coloured two flowers, and after choosing my favourite for the bottom layer, I cut out around the centre petals and adhered them with foam tape to make the flower pop.
Back to the terrible grind of a second snow day in a row...filled with funny kids, music, and card-making. It's an awful hard life some days, I tell you!
xoxo,
Jessi

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Valentine's Day is fast approaching...

...and I'm busily creating as many cutesy cards as I can. I bought some truly sumptuous velvet paper, and I'm trying very hard to use it and not hoard it.

Supplies: Fluffles in Love stamp, fun flock by Stampendous;
velvet paper...love.....cut with circle Nesties; kitty panel cut with Labels 4;
'sweetheart' stamp from Studio G; all ink Palette Noir;
grass drawn by hand, colouring done with Prismacolor pencils & Dove blender;
spotted background paper from Basic Grey Nook & Pantry;
heart eyelets from ancient stash
  All the same, I don't plan to do anything crazy like use it for an entire cardfront...and I can bet I won't be tossing any of the teeny scraps either. Not sure what I can do with a piece only 5 mm x 3 cm, but there must be something....right?

Supplies: pink paper from Fancy Pants; velvet hearts cut freehand;
pearls from Dollarama; "Love" button from Dress it Up!;
'Happy Valentine's' stamp from Studio G, stamped with Vintage Photo distress ink
 It's freezing here today - back below -20 C again {shiver} - and we're anticipating another big snow storm mid-week. I don't know where we're going to put it - already the snowbanks along the sidewalks are close to 5 feet tall in spots. I guess we usually have more temperature fluctuations, because even though we've been here for 9 winters (whoa...) I don't remember having this many snowfalls without a melt in there somewhere.
Keep warm!
xoxo
Jessi