Happy Summer!

Hi friends! I got the Serenade cartridge on Friday, so of course had to play with it all weekend! I thought this cute flamingo looked like fun, so he was my first completed project!

I thought I'd enter this little guy into the challenge at A Crafty Little Place. This week their challenge is to use Green, Pink, and Blue, the colors of Delovely. I've been wanting the beautiful Delovely papers, but do not have them yet, so I used my Anna Griffin papers. This is my first time playing along with a challenge, but I'm hoping it's my first of many more to come!
Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by! I hope you're having a wonderful week!
Until Next Time,
Jess

You're Purrr-fect!

Hello and Happy Friday!!! Just a quick post today to share a card I made last night.

Anyone that knows me will tell you I love cats! The sentiment is one of those little $1 (Studio G, I think) sets from Michael's I picked up last weekend and wanted to use. The funny/ cute thing about this sentiment is it reminds me of what my husband wrote on the inside of my birthday card, "What we have is purr-fect". Awwww, right? He's the best! The clouds are actually from the Home Accents cart, and I used the hide contour feature to hide 'Dream'. See, I'm getting the hang of my gypsy! Well, really, that's about all I can do so far. lol. It's frustrating, cause I want to build elaborate designs like I see everyone else doing! *sigh* In time, I suppose. Anyway, my papers are Basic Grey, and I think those are all the deets! I always appreciate you stopping by! I hope we all have a great and crafty weekend!
XOXO
Jess

Love You a Latte

Hello, my lovely friends! I hope you are having a nice week! As you may recall, I was hoping my gypsy would arrive last Thursday, on my birthday. Well, it sure did, and it really made my day! Yay! I have been constantly playing around with it since. I figured out a lot of stuff right away. Then again, a lot of stuff, like layers, sizing, and extensive design work is definitely going to take some time!

I made a simple little card last night. I'd had this sheet of Dazzles stickers in my stash for the longest, and decided to focus on using them, and this was what I came up with:

This was my only Cricut cut off the Just Because Cards cartridge.

I thought about it, and now as I'm looking at the picture I'm wishing I would've added some faux stitching around the edge of the base. Hmmm....I just might still...Actually, I'd like to buy a sewing machine, learn to sew, and add some real stitching! But, I'm also seriously contemplating joining the Cricut Circle, and there's about 10 cartridges I just have to have, and I need some copics, and I need that new October Afternoon Fly A Kite paper, and I have to buy stuff for my Secret Sister from the Cricut MessageBoard! Oh, and I have husband who likes to spend money just as much as I do! What is a girl to do?
Oh, well! That's all for today! It's not much, I've been in a bit of a creative funk, and hoped that making this card would help me push though it...we'll see!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
XOXO,
Jess

Father's Day card

Since Father's Day ofter tries to steal my birthday's thunder, meaning many years they fall on the same day, I find it only fitting that I share with you the Father's Day card I made for my husband, on my birthday! I spent weeks trying to figure out a good Father's Day card to make for him. We have no children together (yet) but he has an 8 year old son who still lives in Florida. Anyway, I struggled with ideas for a card until I saw a card posted on the blog of a very talented woman. Her card uses the classic cars cut from the Heritage cartridge. I have this cart, and my husband love classic cars, so I knew I wanted to do something like this. A couple days later I came across a simple tutorial for the side step card, I'd wanted to try this type of card anyway, and I thought the two ideas would work well together...

It also gave me the chance to play with my new Martha Stewart Score Board, which I LOVE! The papers are K&Company Amy Butler, Lotus. I wish I'd had that sentiment in a stamp, but I can live with having to just write it in this time. I tell ya, it is hard toning down cards, and skipping over all the pretty papers to use the muted patterns, but you know this! :)

So, that's it for today, I'm off to stalk my mailman! Please, Gypsy, come today!

Have a great day! I'll save you some cake!

XOXO

Jess

hi....

I hope you are staying cool...the heat out there is no joke! We got a little rain yesterday, which supposedly cooled it off some. I guess technically it did. The head index did drop to 96 from the 106 it's been at for days, but I can't really tell, and when I step outside I can't breathe, either, the air is so thick! Sounds like a good reason to stay in the craft room to me! My poor garden will never be completely weed free! But, I've been enjoying the late evenings, sitting on the back porch with my hubs, and watching the hummingbirds drinking nectar from the flowers and sugar water I've set out for them! Aren't the the coolest and cutest birds ever!?!?

So, here is a quick little card I put together over the weekend. The paper is Green at Heart by Basic Grey. I punched the middle strip with a Martha Stewart punch. The flowers and "hi" are chipboard the I painted with Tim Holtz distress paints, and filled in the center of the flower with a Viva Decor pen. I love it when a card goes together quick and easily, and I don't have to strain my brain too much, don't you?

Until next time, stay cool and crafty!

XOXO

Jess

Fly

I hope you're having a good week, so far! I am getting ready for a much needed 4 day weekend! WooHoo! It'll kick off on Thursday, which is my birthday! So, that works out really nice! For my birthday, I bought a gypsy! I bought it off ebay on Friday, and I'm just hoping that it makes it in time for my birthday! I will have a nice long weekend to play with, and get acquainted with my new best friend! ;)
I don't think I've mentioned, but my husband is a Jeweler. He has just gotten into designing and making some custom pieces. So, he has made me something for my birthday, and he's really bad about waiting to give gifts, so this one is really killing him! lol. I can totally relate though, cause he is the first person I show all my cards to, and over the weekend I made a Father's Day card for him, which I am still shocked I got it done a whole week early! lol. I can be so bad about waiting to the last minute! But, I've been dying to show it to him! Maybe that is why it's better if I wait until the last minute??
So, enough about me and my birthday, I am old enough that I should really care less, and even dread it by now. But, comon' who doesn't LOVE getting presents!?!? Even the ones we get ourselves!

I do have a fun and easy little card to share today. It's another one that I got the idea while reading a card magazine. I actually made it last weekend, but it sat on my desk for a week needing *something* in the top corner where I'd left room for a sentiment or *something*. I finally decided I needed to just do something to finish it, so I cut "Fly"...

The background is the technique I saw in the magazine. It is achieved by taking those adhesive tabs, and placing them in that checker board  pattern on a piece of cardstock. Then all you do is sprinkle your embossing powder on, and heat until melted with your heat tool! The dragonflies I cut on the Pagoda cartridge with my Cricut, and Viola! I hope you like it, and I'll be back soon to post a couple more cards I just haven't taken pictures of yet, including my husband's Father's Day card that I am really happy about, and at least I can show YOU now! lol. Have a great rest of the day, and thanks so much for stopping by and all the sweet and supportive comments that mean the world to me!

XOXO,

Jess

Dandelion Card

Just a quick post to share a card I made last weekend after my trip to Jackson, using some of the paper I bought at Michael's. My husband and I had such a great time, we're planning to go back on Saturday!

and the inside...

The base is Recollections brand card stock, and the patterned paper is the new Anna Griffin line. I cut the dandelion from the Home Accents cartridge, and added the 'skittles' or 'dew drops' in cream pearl to the tops, and in a few colors on the bottom. I hope you like my card, this one makes me really happy!