My Craft Table

Hello, hello!!

It's been six months since I've been here in this pretty paper world of mine. I've missed it so much. With the move, home repair (which has not been completed),family moving from Michigan here to Oregon (they are currently living with me), first year of homeschooling for my 5 year old daughter (which is not fully in effect) crafts all stored in boxes... etc. I simply lost my creative fuel. But one cannot remain inactive for too long. Especially if your recommended therapy for everyday stresses is a dose of paper, scissors, glitter, stamps and ink. I went to the garage and pulled out my dusty (I know sad) craft boxes. Got myself somewhat organized and then sat at the table and stared in awe at all the pretties... Then I got up from the table and went to cook lunch. Later that afternoon I came back sat at the table and touched some of the pretties to no avail. A few minutes later went to finish laundry. I came back the next day and sighed, I wonder if I still have it in me. I have to admit I've been wanting to jump right back but haven't found the inspiration-that is until I looked outside myself. I immediately pulled out my iPad and went in search of creativity. Fluttering around through some familiar blogs I couldn't help but ooh and ahh. I mean, seriously? You girls get better and better by the day. Here are just a few of the blogs that pulled me out of the rut.

On my cyber journey I visited Therese from Lost in Paper. I just love her coloring technique and simple yet perfect card designs. Then I went to Ashley C. Newell I was thrilled to find out she's designing for PTI which in all honesty didn't surprise me. She fits right in with those awesomely talented gals. Besides that, Ashley's vintage modern designs is what always draws me in. Then I stopped by Cath's blog over at Moxie Fab World... Do I need say more? Cath is always up to date in everything trendy. Honestly, inspiration flows from the screen when I'm there. Then there's Ayana, and Betsy and I could go on and on. Literally there are hundreds of bloggers that inspire me. And I'm so glad to have them as "coaches" to bring me back to the place I love... My craft table.

I didn't turn my iPad off yet. There's one place I hold near and dear to my heart. I'm talking about the super cute company Lawn Fawn with Kelly and her design crew. These girls have a way of making stamps come to life in the sweetest way. I've ordered 4 stamps in the last couple of months (still new) and while visiting her fawn world I found just what I needed to bring me back from this stupor...Winter CHA Challenge. I grabbed my Admit One stamp set and for the first time inked it up. Mind you it's been with me for at least two months. Once the wheels got spinning, saw all the inspiration and took the challenge. It didn't take long to realize I was in the right place.

Oh the joy of creating. There's something magical of turning individual pieces into a complete and beautiful whole. Why I love this hobby? I'll never be able to pinpoint it but one thing I do know and I'll say it in the words of Elbert Hubard, "Art is not a thing; it is a way" and I have certainly found mine-at my craft table.

Thanks for joining me once again on this my creative journey.

Hugs,
Jessica

Materials:

Cardstock: Basic off-white, cardboard

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Admit One

Ink: Palette burnt umber, Martha Stewarts aqua

Others: yarn, color pencils, stickles  

Celebrate

Well hello there...

*Click image for clearer view*

I didn't mean to be gone for so long. But we are currently in transition. As of two days ago we are officially in Oregon.  The weather has been great and the scenery spectacular. On the downside we are still in search of a home. Some great friends of ours were gracious enough to allows us to stay in their home for the summer till we find a place of our own. So we are really pressed with time and praying that God will lead us to the right place.

My craft studio is in boxes in California and to say that I miss them would be a huge understatement. But I do have some cards I created before packing up which I haven't shared with you all :) 

-And while I may not be in a celebration mode there is plenty to be grateful for like this sweet card I'll be giving to a great friend of mine on her birthday :)

I love the newsprint pattern paper and the splash of colors. The sentiment was both handwriting and a stamp. The sweet flower from Lawn Fawn's petite florals with a dab of shimmer adds the perfect amount of embellishment to this sweet birthday card. 

Thanks for coming by I'll be back soon with pics from around the area I'm currently at and more.

Hugs,

Jessica

Coolest Dad

Hi!

I'm back today to share my take on this weeks Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World. I found this challenge to be quite irresistible and the reason being I just bought 12 molds to make the cutest popsicles and I also found a yummy recipe book ;) 

So my inspiration from the scrumptious looking image was the popsicle itself. I've been wanting to create one for sometime now and this challenge just pulled me right over.

To create it I used PTI's summer rise & kraft cardstock, studio G frame and a handwritten sentiment to go with it. And just to add to the look I wrapped it up in a clear sheet. From top to bottom of stick this card measures 6" x 21/2 (at the widest end). 


Today seems like it'll be sunny and warm day, might be tempted to make a few popsicles ;) 


Thanks for coming by! 
Hugs,
Jessica

Just Saying Thank You

Hello.

Hope your week is going well so far. Mine has been wonderful!! I wanted to stop today and share a couple of cards I created for the latest Lawnscaping Challenge #11: CAS. This one was very fun and I decided to go with bright, summery fun colors.

This card is very straight forward. I stamped a single flower from the Lawn Fawn's petite florals in different hues and then added a sentiment. What added the detail was the rounded corners. 

This second card is just as fun. I used the same exact color combo but did something totally different. I used Lawn Fawn's judy's blooms on the circle rims and the tiny asterisk from harold's abc and created a collage. Again the details are what makes a CAS card stand out. 

Here is a close-up of where I added some of the detail. Each little asterisk has a drop of glitter. The rounded corners also add detail to a card without distracting the eye-keeping the end result CAS :) 

Thanks for coming by! Have a happy hopefully warm day ;) 


Hugs,
Jessica

Sewn With Love

Hello.

Aren't you excited it's Friday!! Well I know I definitely am especially because I have a card I created for the new Moxie Fab World: I'm Sew Excited Challenge!!!  

A bit about how this card came to be...

Inspired by a childhood dream: I think every little girl admires her mommy. Well I was no different and growing up I remember going into her room and seeing all the pretty things mommies have in there vanities like make-up of all colors and shapes, shoes of all kinds; flats, heels, boots and then there was the powder, oh how I loved that big fluffy powder pad (or however you call it) and then the perfumes... and if you grew up with a mom who knew how to sew (which I didn't) you'd get to see her creations on the maiden form and perhaps even get measured up for something pretty (this is where the dream part comes in)  I always wished one of those pretty dresses on the form would be mine. I remember going to Manhattan and looking into those french stores and all the pretty dresses displayed on the windows would make my eyes glow as if enchanted by their beauty... how I dreamed I'd get to try one on. Well that dream did come true and I did get measured up and I did get to play pretty for a day; it was my wedding day!! But that's a whole different story ;) 

Now for the card and some details... I used some fun materials for this one.

For the "mirror" I used a sheet of high gloss faux aluminum cardstock from Paper Source. Then To create the pretty frame I used a 4" paper doily. Which I cut in half then glued it to create an oval and then using my oval shape nestabilities cut out a frame. I then used pigment ink (dabbed right on to it)to add the coordinating color

Because I had different elements on the outside of the card and had sort of created a room theme I decided to add the sentiment on the inside.  Sorry for the quality of this image I'll try taking a better shot ;) 

And of course the highlight of this my card is the actual sweet  little form. I used Lawn Fawn's sew lovely stamp set and dressed it up. I used tulle, silver pen and a measuring tape line rub-on which I adhered to vellum. I think it's so feminine and pretty. 

I think my best friend (which was also my maid of honor way back when) will enjoy this card so much especially if I pair it up with some memories of that special day when we were princesses for a day :)


Thanks for coming by!! Enjoy your weekend.


Hugs,
Jessica  

Congrats

Hello.

I'm here to post my creation for this weeks CAS-ual Friday Challenge #4. This time it's all dedicated to graduates. My card was inspired by an old good friend of mine. When I graduated from HS he told me not to think I was over yet.. but to embrace the beginning of a new chapter. I think this is true whether you're graduating from pre-school, JH, HS or  college. Life is about ending chapters and beginning new ones. With those thought in mind this is what I came up with:

Here's what the card looks like. 

Overall is a fun collage of school themes. The quote is from PTI's All booked up set and reads: "The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all the sweet serenity of books". ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Thanks for coming by!! 

Hugs,

Jessica

::Supplies::

Cardstock: Martha Stewart's ocean

Stamps: PTI's All Booked Up, Mixed Messages, Vap Scrap graduation cap, recollections numbers

Ink: PTI's smokey shadow, memento tuxedo black,

Others: zig millennium pen, silver pen, watercolor (for book, small black brad

Thinking Of You

Hello.

I just wanted to pop in quickly to post this card I've had sitting on my table for a week now. I've been purging my craft room getting it ready for it's trip to Oregon and had a few scraps I thought were too cute to trash and I'm glad I didn't because this card wouldn't exist :) 

Thanks for coming by. I have a few creations I'm working on for some challenges. I'll see you later!!


Hugs,
Jessica

Heureux Day

Hello.

I hope you all had a wonderful memorial day weekend. It's amazing how much our nation has gone through in order to keep the freedoms we so much enjoy.

Today I want to share a card I created for the Embellish Text Challenge. Lately I've been experimenting with my very own handwriting. It can be a bit intimidating because of all the wonderful fonts out there. But still there's nothing like a handwritten detail. This card has just that a tiny detail. I stamped the sentiment using Cavallini Papers & Co. alphabet stamps and then wrote the word "heureux" which means happy in french with zig millennium pen 01. 

Here's the complete card. I thought of adding some embellishments but then decided to allow the sentiment to be the focal point of this card.

Over all it's a simple, fun and easy card to create. Thanks for coming by. I'm off to enjoy the sun :) 

Heureux day!!

Jessica

Doodles & Watercolors

Hello.


The weekend has finally arrived!! I love a 7 day cycle, don't you? I mean you live, love, laugh & rest :) Can't complain when described that way, huh. 


Anyhow I don't know if any of you noticed the mess I had on this website since last night. Boy, I tell you playing around with codes and all the tiny pieces a blog requires is quite the task. Especially if one knows nothing about the matter. However, I'm pleased to announce that I survived it and quite frankly found it very interesting. Something I'll definitely try again.


I wanted to share a few images of how the header came to be. This morning I was in my craft room and didn't really feel like stamping for some odd reason. But I still had a desire to create something. So instead I grabbed my watercolors, a pencil, paper and this is what I came up with.

I began to draw a few of the things I enjoy, like stamping, cooking, painting and day dreaming of a distant time and land where life will be complete where loved one will be together, sickness won't exist, etc...


This is what my sheet of paper looked after 30 minutes.

Here's a close up of the now header of my blog. I imagined myself sitting on a puffy cloud waiting for a kite to give me a lift :)

Through all this I learned a lot, most importantly the fact that if you can imagine it; it's because it {can} be done. Simple and  yet so profound. In the next few weeks I'll be working trying to make some more updating on my blog. So please pardon any glitches you may encounter (though I don't perceive anything major). 

Thanks for coming by. Hope your weekend is full of sunshine and laughter together with loved one.

Hugs,

Jessica

Papertrey May Blog Hop Challenge

Hello.

*Click on the image(s) for clearer view*

Welcome to my blog... I'm glad you came!! For today I have a card made exclusively for this months Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. Just in case you missed the details you can check them out {here}. The card as usual is very simple. To create it I used My Minds Eye Out & About pre-folded double side card. To it I added a scallop oval in Lushes Hip & Luxurious pattern paper also by My Minds Eye and then I stamped the Silhouette image on vintage cream cardstock by Papertrey Ink. I then added pearls to the image and finalized my project with some pretty felt flowers. 


Here's a close up of the flowers. I used Papertrey Ink melon berry & spring moss felt. The template is Papertrey Ink Flower Fusion #2. To make them a bit more ruffled I simply used my glue gun cut a slit on one of the petals and folded around. The leaf was just an oval scissor cut :) 

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a wonderful day full of inspiration!!
Hugs, 
Jessica