Thankful Fall Card

After yesterday's storms in my area, today finally feels like fall!  I have all my doors open to let the cool breeze freshen up my house and I love it!  This year may have been the first year I didn't mind the heat of summer in Northern Virginia-- I may have finally gotten used to it actually (and being from Seattle, it has taken many years!)  but I'm SO glad to have Autumn again... it's my favorite season.

With fall in mind, I made this card:

Goodies:

Stamps: Wonderfall by Stampin' Up!
Ink: Baja Breeze, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler inks from Stampin' Up!
Paper: Crumb Cake and Naturals White cardstock by Stampin' Up!; Splendor and Bingo Cards from Harvest Lane Collection by Simple Stories
Accessories: Victoria Crochet Trim and Linen Thread by Stampin' Up!; Harvest Lane Expression Cardstock Stickers by Simple Stories

Durring a recent shopping trip to Scrapdoodles, my local scrapbooking store, I picked up the entire Harvest Lane line by Simple Stories.  I couldn't help myself! :)  I thought it would be great paired with the new Wonderfall set by Stampin' Up! (found in thier holiday catalog) and I'm happy with how it turned out.  I am not happy about my inks though... I've put an order in for some new Stampin' Up! pads because of this card- have you tried them yet?  I have the new incolors and have fallen in love with the new formula!

I hope you are enjoying a beautiful fall-like day where you live!  Thanks for visiting and commenting!

-tessa

Everyday Gratitude Card

Well, it's Monday again!  Funny how it rolls around each week.  Monday is usually welcome in my book- I love a fresh start to the week- but this weekend was extra fun and it felt like it went by extra fast!  I wish it could have lasted a little longer!  :) 

Today I want to share a card that I had published over the summer in Paper Crafts Magazine's Card Creations  v9 Special Issue.  I am glad they picked it up because I really did love how it turned out.  It has a lot of my favorite elements together- colors, ribbon, brads, stamp set, and paper company... Here it is:

Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Stamps: Day of Gratitude set
Ink: Basic Gray, Pool Party, More Mustard
Paper: Naturals Ivory, Basic Gray cardstock; Farmhouse collection by October Afternoon
Accessories: Victoria Crochet Trim, Linen Thread, Antique Brads

Nothing but stamping and fussy cutting on this card so pretty easy to recreate.  Sometimes the basics are all you need!  Today though, I'm going to play around with some fun techniques to try in my next class- I hope they turn out! :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa

Fishies Thank You Card

Hello there!

I thought I'd take a baby step today and post a card.  It has been so hard returning to a school year schedule for me, especially since both my girls are in school full time this year.  I have all day to do the things I need to do but most of the time, I don't want to do them... I don't much like being a stay-at-home mom when there is no one else here with me!  I'm thinking about getting a job... anyone need a card sample maker?  Hee!

Anyways, here is a card I made recently using some fun papers from Little Yellow Bicycle's summer line:

Goodies:

Paper: Crumb Cake and Poppy Parade cardstock by Stampin' Up! Splash Collection patterned papers by Little Yellow Bicycle
Accessories: Basic Rhinestones by Stampin' Up!;  Tiny Attacher by Ranger Ink; Splash Collection Tear Out Ticket & Journaling Card Book; Hemp  Twine by Stampin' Up!; Aqua Mini Market letter stickers by October Afternoon

I know parts of this design were influenced by a card I saw in Cards Magazine but now that I need to find it, I can't.  I loved the tag element and the staples.  For my tag, I cut the fish from the patterned paper and popped them using a dimensional.  I added the rhinestones for bubbles- you gotta have a little bling, right?

So, hopefully this baby step will help me getting back into a routine of sorts... I love sharing what I make!  Thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa

Hello Card and a Winner!

Hello there! How is your week going so far? I am recouping today after having my sweet nephews and niece come to stay with me for a week. We had so much fun but caring for 6 little ones is a lot of work! I tried to keep them busy with lots of fun activities! Here is my daughter and two of her cousins showing off the tie-dye shirts they made:

Needless to say I've only made one card over the last week! I played along with Kimber McGray's Saturday Sketch Challenge at Two Peas in a Bucket. Here is my card:

Goodies:

Stamps: Country Picnic set by Pebbles Inc.
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black by Tsunkeniko
Paper: Amy Tangerine Sketchbook by American Crafts; cardstock by Bazzill Basics
Accessories: baker's twine by Pink Paislee

Isn't it a great sketch? I couldn't help but play along! I used my AT Sketchbook patterned papers finally (I've been hoarding them!) and I love all the fun, bright colors!

I also have a winner to announce from the Shaping Up Blog Hop:

Karenladd said...
Oh my goodness, this is so darn cute! First of all, I love S'mores, and secondly...well, this is such a fun shaped card! I can almost taste that pillowy sweetness! Ha ha! Thanks for your giveaway! I'm already a follower of your blog!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012 10:41:00 PM EDT

Congratulations Karen!! I'll email you today for your shipping information!

And thank you all for such nice comments on my S'mores card!

Hope you all have a great day!

-tessa

Watercolored Marker Background

Hello! If you looking for my Shaping Up Blog Hop post, it is just below this one! I have a giveaway going on so check it out if you'd like a chance to win!

Today I'm sharing a card that was published in the July/August edition of Paper Crafts Magazine! It is my first publication with them so I was pretty excited when I got the email saying they were interested in it! Here is my card:

Goodies:

Stamps: Hooray set for Studio Calico by Hero Arts
Ink: Calypso Coral Classic pad by Stampin' Up!; Versafine Onyx Black by Tsukineko; Stampin' Up! Markers in Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Pool Party, and Calypso Coral
Paper: Sahara Sand cardstock, watercolor paper, and First Edition DSP by Stampin' Up!
Accessories: Baker's twine by Pink Paislee

For the background technique, I spritzed my watercolor paper panel with water and then drew stripes with my markers. I spritzed the paper again and let the markers bleed into each other. When it was just how I wanted it, I set it with a heat gun. Doesn't it make a funky background?

I haven't submitted many cards but it sure is fun when one gets picked up!

Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day! Thanks for stopping by!

-tessa

Shaping Up Blog Hop and Giveaway!

Hi There!

Did you come from Laurie Willison's blog? If you did then you already know that today I'm hopping along with a great bunch of girls I met during the Paper Crafts Magazine Gallery Idol contest last month! We were all part of the top 20 together and have been chatting online since the beginning. These girls are a total hoot and all so talented! I hope you can find the time to visit each of their blogs today!

Each of the girls participating has created a card for the Paper Crafts July Gallery Challenge which is running now through the end of the month. Want to see what summer themed shaped card I made? Here it is:

Goodies:

paper: cardstock by Stampin' Up! and Bazzill Basics; polka-dotted print from Cakewalk collection by October Afternoon
ink: Crumb Cake by Stampin' Up!
diecut: Cute Smores by Sarah Bailey for Silhouette; Cameo


S'mores are one of my favorite summertime treats! I used the Cute Smores shape by Sarah Bailey in the Silhouette store as the base for my design. After cutting out the main pieces, I inked the edges and put it together. I added the polka-dotted heart and sentiment to finish it off.

To say thank you for all your support during the contest, I am going to give away two of the stamp sets I received for being part of the Top 20 this year:

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post between now and Sunday July 29th 11:59PM EST and I'll choose a random winner to send these great sets to! Good luck!

Next up in the hop is the wonderful Nina Yang! Please check out our Facebook Event page for the full list of participants. I hope you have fun looking at all of their cards! These ladies are seriously talented! Each one of us is giving away a fun prize as well so don't forget to leave lots of comments! :)

I hope we've inspired you to create something for the Paper Crafts July Challenge! If you do, please join our linking party:



Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!

-tessa

Cute Summertime Card

Hello!

I thought I'd pop on and share a fun card I made back in January for the Paper Crafts Magazine July/August call. It didn't get picked up but I still love it!  I followed one of the Go-to Sketches that was featured in the magazine:

Goodies:

Patterned Papers: Sidewalks Collection by October Afternoon
Cardstock: Stampin' Up!, Bazzill Basics
Die: Waves Die by Lifestyle Crafts
Sticker: Sidewalks Collection by October Afternoon

I created the rays by die cutting the waves from two different colors of cardstock.  I cut them apart in a ray pattern and then pieced them back together.  The boat is hand cut to look like a paper boat. 

This one was a lot of fun to create!

Thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa