New Baby SSS36 CCC71

Hello everyone! I have really been enjoying my husband being off of work this week. I have had some extra time in my stamp room as a result. Well I made 2 cards today, but am only sharing one for right now...since the other one is still drying.

So...I made this card for the Cupcake Craft challenge this week, which is A Time for Celebration, and I used the Sketch from the Sweet Stop. I made a new baby card...since new life is always a time for celebration. Here is what I came up with.

The little froggie in the stroller is a new image from The Angel Company. As a rep, I was able to pre-order some of the new sets coming out in the new catalog this Spring. There are so great new sets coming our for sure. I am very excited to share some of these images with you too. This little guy comes from a set that has lots of other cute little animals and sentiments. I colored him in with colored pencils, then sprayed him with a "home-made" glitter spray. I recently attended an event at my LSS and learned this great new trick. All you need is water, a mister bottle, and some liquid pearl. You put a drop or two of liquid pearl into the mister bottle and add some water. Then...shake it. After coloring your image, you spray it with the mister bottle mixture, and it adds a really cool shimmer to the paper. I wasn't able to get a good shot of the shimmer due to the lighting in my dining room today, but trust me it looks really cool, and is very simple. Most of us already have the supplies in our craft rooms anyway...so just another way to use those liquid pearls. (Thanks to Buffalo Stamps and Stuff for sharing the technique with me.) I also added a homemade brad to this card too. I got and I-top for Christmas! Which is a very very cool tool to have on hand. You can use any paper or photo to make your own brads. So I was playing with it today, and wanted to add the homemade brad to this card. I used some paper that came with the set I purchased from Oh My Crafts...the paper was pre-punched and ready to go right on the brad. I know I have seen this tool at the LCS also...very fun! Here is a close up of the brad I made...my first time with my fun new gadget.

Well that is all for today. In case I don't get to post my other card in time, I wish you all a very Happy and Blessed 2010! May GOD bless each of you and your families in the coming year.

Jessica

ABC Book CBC81

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was very musical. Santa brought the girls a karaoke machine, as well as some instruments. Very fun! I also had the joy of finally holding my newest nephew this weekend. He was born at the beginning of November, but lives in a different state. So exciting to hold such a special little miracle.

Well, today I have a project to show you that I have been talking about doing for a very long time. I even purchased the supplies over the summer, and well like most things...never did it. I became inspired to do it from this weeks Creative Belli Blog Challenge. The challenge this week is Tags. I had originally seen this idea on SCS and loved it. Mine isn't as elaborate as THIS one, but still does what I was hoping for. So without further ado...here is my ABC tag album.

I can't give credit for all the stamps used since I really did use so many different ones. I attacked the stamp stash to create this. Each page has the "lines", which is a roller stamp from SU (retired I think). I then found some sort of stamp from my massive supply to represent each letter of the alphabet. I used a marker to print the letter and write out the word for the image too. The cover I made using some PP from TAC and chipboard letters. I used a binder ring to hold the tags together. Oh, and the tags I purchased at a LCS. Some of the pages have glitter or other bling on them too. Now hopefully my youngest daughter will take extra care of these and use them to help her learn her ABC's.

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick post to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy and Healthy New Year. Don't forgot the real reason for this whole season of giving. God gave us his Son. That was His gift to us, now it is our job to share that with others. Take a few minutes this holiday to stop and reflect on the TRUE meaning of the holiday, and be sure to share with your children the gift of God's love. The Gospel of Luke makes a great bedtime story for Christmas Eve!

Happy Birthday W & J!!! SASSC45, CCC70

Today is my older brothers' birthday. They are twins. So I decided to share a birthday card with you today. I actually have 2 cards for you today. So we will start with the birthday card.

I made this card in honor of my big brothers, but also for the Cupcake Craft Challenge this week. The challenge this week is to make a 5 X 5 birthday card...something different from all these holiday cards we have been doing. So here is what I came up with.

I used the fox from Sweet 'n Sassy "Birthday Buddies" set. I colored him with markers, and layered him onto some yellow CS. I used a bright blue CS base, and added some PP from basic grey. The used the same bright blue, and yellow to make some "stripes" along the side too. I also added some glitter to the little hat on the fox.My second card today is also using a Sweet 'n Sassy image. I used the sketch from the Fresh Batch Challenge this week. Here is what I came up with.

The penguin is from the Sweet 'n Sassy set "Waddle I do". I colored him with colored pencils, and layered him onto some PP from TAC's holiday paper pack. I ran the red base through the cuttlebug with the snowflake folder. I added some crystal stickles to some of the snowflakes, and also to the ends of the scarf, and penguin's cheeks. The sentiment is also from the same stamp set.

That is it for today! Thanks for stopping by!

Jessica

Ornament attempt #2!!!!

IT WORKED! I don't know why I do this to myself. I HAD to make an ornament...I could have just gone to Target and bought one, which would have been much less stressful. Well here it is...I also included a few shots of the process to make it too.

I used 1" x 1" square pieces of PP (from TAC holiday papers), and I used 3 different papers. I used Mod-Podge to attach the pieces to a Styrofoam ball. I used the more "solid" Styrofoam...there are 2 different kinds you can buy at the craft store. I used the hook from one of my poor broken glass bulbs, but you could probably use anything for a hook. I also did this over a period of a day. I did some, let it dry, did some more, let it dry....well you get the point. I recommend putting the hook in first too...so you can add some ribbon to hang it to dry once you get far enough along on it. Last I added some numbers for the year. The numbers were stickers from the TAC holiday paper set. Last thing I did was put a final layer of mod-podge on the whole thing for extra shine. Well that is it...I accomplished my goal! Thanks for stopping by.

Jessica

More gifts...

Well I FINALLY finished the last 3 coaster sets. Actually I have had them done for awhile, just needed to spray them. The weather has not allowed for me to spray outside, but I did it anyway yesterday. I couldn't' put it off any longer. I just did it on the front porch, so they remained covered while drying. So here are the dance teacher coasters.

I used the TAC set "Twinkle Toes" for these. The "poem" is just a stamp I purchased @ my LSS, but I liked the saying and since it says dance it fit well with these. I used twinkling H2Os to color most of these, so they had a little sparkle to them.
Here is what I put on the bottom of each coaster. I mentioned it previously, but never took a photo of it. You can buy these things pre-cut @ Lowe's...they are pre-cut circles, but I purchased the bigger sheets and cut them myself to save a little money. This just adds some cushion, and table protection.
Finally here is how I decided to wrap them for gift giving. I was even able to recycle some ribbon while doing this. The cream colored ribbon is from the bouquets my girls carried back in September for a wedding they were in. Gotta love reusing things!

I am hoping to be back later with my 2nd attempt at an ornament. I posted the pretty one yesterday, but it is just too fragile for a 7 year old. So I ran around yesterday for ideas, and ended up leaving the stores empty handed, and using what I had at home. Here is a preview, and I will post the finished product as soon as the mod-podge dries.

Messy Fun!!!!

Jessica

My attempt at an Ornament

So as I mentioned before I was attempting to make ornaments. My DD is doing an ornament exchange at her girl scout meeting this week. I thought it would be fun to make one. I was inspired by THIS. Here is what I made.

I thought it turned out really cute...however I am now thinking this is going to be way to fragile for the exchange. I started with 3 of these bulbs...this is my last one...lol. Yes I broke 2 in the process. At least I got a photo proof that I did make this before I break this one. =) I think I am going to go back to the drawing board as to what to make. I did just find some lovely white Styrofoam balls in my basement. Going to see what I can do with those maybe. Well thanks for checking it out...by the time some of you even see this I am sure I will have broken this one...lol.

Jessica

A mousy birthday MOJO117

Happy Tuesday! I am stuck in the house again. I really wish this stomach bug would leave my house. Last night my DH and I were woke up at 1:30 for my poor sick 2 1/2 year old. 2 nights in a row for this poor thing. Well since I am stuck in the house, what better thing to do then ignore the laundry, and stamp instead! I decided to play along with the Mojo Monday Sketch this week. Here is my take on the sketch. Very simple card, but cute. I used the mouse image from the Sweet 'n Sassy "Birthday Buddies" set. I colored the image with colored pencils. I used my CM cutting system to cut the star. The ribbon is from Target $1 spot, green PP is actually from a kid's scrapbook kit my DD got for her b-day last year and didn't use. I used the boarder punch from SU for the scallops on the bottom pinkish purplish CS. The sentiment in the corner is in a very pale purple ink, so it didn't photograph super well, but it says "wish big".

That is all for now. I am working on some ornaments today too, but they are drying...so hopefully I can share them with you later today, or tomorrow. Have a great Tuesday!

Jessica

A little Valentine's Red...Early SSS34

I'm back again today. One thing about being stuck in the house with a sick child...you get soooooo much done. Laundry is almost done, dishwasher is done, and I got some stamping done...which I am hoping to get more done. I have a card to share with you I made for this weeks Sweet Stop Sketch. This weeks sketch is really neat. Here is what I came up with. I used red CS for the base, and ran it through the cuttlebug. I then took a black ink pad and lightly ran in over the little dots to make them look like ladybug spots. The ladybug image is a digi stamp from Sweet 'n Sassy, that I colored with marker and layered onto a white CS circle. I used some red glitter CS and cut it into a heart. I used the sentiment from the Sweet 'n Sassy stamp set "Gone Buggy". The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby. I guess I got an early start on Valentine's since I have done so many Christmas cards lately. It was time for a change.

Thanks for looking!

Jessica

More gifts....BSS1214

Hello, and happy Monday. I am very tired today...my little one is still sick. The poor thing got sick again last night. In our house that is a ticket to sleep in the living room, which also means mom sleeps in the living room. I must say better this week then next! Anyway...I decided to show you some of the other nugget boxes I made a couple weeks ago for my dad to sell at the craft show he was doing, but I sadly only sold one. The good news is I now have to them to use as gifts for some people I didn't get stuff for yet. I also thought these were perfect for the challenge on my LSS's blog this week. Which is to make a small gift. Here they are.

The papers are all from TAC except the sliver and blue trees which are SU. Hard to see from the photo, but the nuggets not in PP, have little stamped trees or snowflakes on them. I now have gifts for the 2 ladies at the gym childcare, the secretary @ the school, and the Principal...oh and the girl scout troop leader. Seems like making stuff is the best way to go for gifts for these types of people.

Well have a great day! Happy Holiday crafting.

Jessica

Crazy Cookie Weekend!!!!

Wow...I am totally baked out. My mom came over Saturday all day and baked cookies with my girls and I . What a fun time. We didn't go as crazy as last year, we only made 5 different kinds this year. Last year I think we made at least 10 different kinds. We tried something new this year...homemade marshmallows. What a fun sticky treat! The girls had a blast baking with mom and Nana all day. Today we were SUPPOSED to have friends over for our annual gingerbread house decorating, well that didn't happen. We were getting ready, and my poor 2 1/2 yr. old got sick all over the place. So much for guests today. I made her rest while the other girls and I decorated marshmallows, cookies, and gingerbread houses. She did start to feel better enough to do some gingerbread house at least...since we don't' eat those I don't worry as much about her breathing the sick germs on them. FUN weekend for sure. I love passing the tradition of holiday baking on to my girls. I still remember baking with my mom and my grandma as a little girl. Here is a photo of our freshly decorated cutouts. After all that hard work I needed a trip to the stamp room to relax. I worked on a couple different projects, and am going to share this one with you. Next Monday is my DD's 7th birthday. I still can't believe she is going to be 7 already...time flies! I made this cute little card for her. I used PP from TAC for the background, added some ribbon, and wrote the sentiment with a gel pen. The image is a high hopes image, which I stamped and added some glitter to the collar of the blouse.I think she will love getting this...she is always admiring my cards. She wants to stamp with me, which I have let her, but I definitely need to let her do more. She is such a creative little girl, and I love her so much. Well enough bragging about my adorable little girls...=)

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a great week!

Jessica

Princess Birthday CBC80

SNOW SNOW SNOW!!! What a storm! This winter storm traveling across the country has finally made it to Buffalo. No school today due to the wind mostly. We really don't have that much as far as snow, but the wind is brutal. I guess there was even a double decker bus that blew over on one of the highways this morning. I guess there was 12 people on board, and some were taken to a local hospital, while others were treated at the scene. Scary!!!! Well the winds have died down for now, and the snow is coming and going, so we are staying warm inside today.

I figured since my DH was home from work for the day I would take some time to myself and stamp. I needed a birthday card for my Goddaughter, so I decided to use the Creative Belli Challenge to inspire me to make this one. The challenge this week is flourishes. I will admit...it took me some time to think what to do for this one. I looked through my chipboard stash, rub-ons, and papers for this one. I ended up with this card...

I used a SU set for this one. I stamped the crown and embossed it in gold. I colored it in with twinkling H2Os for some more sparkle. I used the flourish from the same stamp set for the background paper. I stamped it in 2 different shades of purple, and stamped the "Princess" sentiment in pink over that. I added some pink ribbon, and some pink buttons in the corner for some added embellishments. I thought the little squiggle buttons looked like a flourish also, so I added them on.

Well that is all for today. Stay warm, and I hope you and your family aren't getting hit too hard from this big country wide storm.

Jessica

17 More Days!!!!! Are you ready? CCC69, MOJO116, SASSC43

Hello all...yes there are only 17 more days until Christmas. The excitement in my house is growing more and more each day. We were able to get our tree up this weekend, and some outside lights. We usually put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving, but with my DD's slumber b-day party last weekend, we had to wait until after. Which, by the way, the slumber party was a HUGE success. The 8 girls ages 7 and below had a blast getting make-overs, and watch the Hannah Montana movie. I did learn that 8 is the maximum number of sleeping bags in the living room though. =)

Well I have a couple cards for you today. The first one I created for this weeks Mojo Monday Challenge. It is prize week this week too, so stop on over and check out the sketch to play along. Here is what I came up with.
I used the gingerbread stamp from the TAC set gingerbread fun. I just LOVE this set. I colored him in using colored pencils. I also did some paper piecing on his hat and hearts. I added some glitter and googly eyes too. The PP is from TAC also. The ribbon I got in the Target dollar spot the other day. The sentiment is from SU.

My second card today is for two challenges. First I used the sketch from The Fresh Batch this week. The second challenge is for the Cupcake Craft Challenge this week, which is Sing a Christmas Carol. So Here is what I came up with.

Last year for Christmas, my DH took my girls to the LSS to get me some gifts. This was one of the stamps that was chosen for me. I honestly can say I didn't know if I would ever use it, but since it was picked out by my DDs, I couldn't return it. I thought the Christmas carol "We Three Kings" would be perfect for this challenge with this stamp. So I colored the image with bright (royalty) colored colored pencils. I ink distressed the edges, and layered it onto the star PP from TAC Tuscany Spice Collection. I added raffia in place of the ribbon, and a couple brads. I hand wrote the "We three Kings of orient are..." This was the perfect use for this stamp, and I am so glad I was finally able to use it.

That is all for today. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Jessica

Red and Green Candy boxes CCC68

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Buffalo. We are finally getting some snow...yes I said finally. I am not a huge fan of snow, but it doesn't feel like the holiday season without it to me. Growing up in NY state I wouldn't know Christmas without it. My girls were so excited to see the white stuff too. My youngest was fascinated to walk in it and see her little shoe prints...guess it is time to find the boots, or go buy some. Well I have been working like crazy in my little "dungeon" stamp room on some more gifts and projects. I really miss doing some challenges, so I decided to tie another project into a challenge.

This weeks Cupcake Craft Challenge is red and green. I was making some nugget boxes for my dad to sell at a craft show this weekend (not sure how they will do, but it is worth a shot), and made this one for the challenge too.

I used some PP from The Angel Company. I used the 12 count box template from Splitcoast HERE. I wrapped 1/2 the nuggets with the same paper, and the other with green. I found a little snowflake stamp that I added to the green paper. The stamp I have had for YEARSSSSSS...from back in the day when I first started stamping. The tag is from the same paper set, I reinforced it on some thin chipboard.

Not sure if they will sell or not, so if not, I will at least have some extra last minute gifts ready if necessary. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Jessica