You Had Me At Woof

Well hello there again! Today I have the last card from my marathon craft day, phew that was a lot of cards. As I'm sure you know by now I love my fur babies so I was super excited when Sweet Stamp Shop came out with some doggy stamps, I'm sure you'll get sick of seeing them before I ever get sick of using them :) I'm using the Doggy Dog, You Had Me At, and Speech Bubbles sets today. I saw this adorable card by Chrissy Larson on the Sweet Stamp Shop Blog one day and just had put my spin on it.

I kept the layout of the card very similar, and the little heart eye patch on the pup that stayed for sure!

We know a pup that has an adorable patch over one of his eyes so I had his owners in mind when I made this card, his patch is dark so I went with grey ink for it. I used some patterned paper from DCWV's Pet Stack to make my 3"x4" card. Both the pup and the speech bubble are cut out and popped up on foam dots. I'm also linking this up to the Simon Says Monday Challenge: ATG. Until next time happy crafting!

Jessica

You Had Me At Vino

Hello there! I have yet another card I created on my marathon craft day. I really need to have those more often, I got so much done it was awesome. Today I have a fun card I created using the You Had Me At set from Sweet Stamp Shop and the Wine & Friends set from Unity Stamp Company.

I used some nesting cloud dies to cut out the image and sentiments. The designer paper is from Fancy Pants Designs (it's the little things). The word vino is popped up on foam dots to add dimension and for a little shine I had some flat sequins I had laying around from an old shirt. Yes you know the extra ones they give you in case you want to replace one that fell off...I'm never going to do that so I just throw them in my craft stash! I'm also linking this up to the Simon Says Monday Challenge: ATG. Until next time happy crafting!

Jessica

Hello Little One

Hello! I just wanted to pop in tonight to share a card I whipped up for a dear friend who just had a baby. I used stamps from the Panda Face at Sweet Stamp Shop and Hello Little One at Unity Stamp Company.

Just ignore the slightly crocked front panel :) I'm linking this card up to the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: ATG with Buttons. Until next time happy crafting!

Jessica

Meow Meow Meow

Hello again! Today I have another card I created from my marathon crafting day. It is another super CAS card that I just love. I created the patterned background by stamping each image over and over and over again...it took awhile but I love the way it came out. I used stamps from the new Kitty Cat and You Had Me At sets from Sweet Stamp Shop (I think I have an obsession with their stamps :P).

The meow meow meow sentiment is popped up on foam dots for some dimension, the edges are also shaded with purple to add a little more pop. To create the ombre effect I just inked my stamp once and stamped it three times. I love how this card turned out and I just might try another one with a dog theme :) I'm linking this card up to the Simon Says Monday Challenge: ATG. Until next time happy crafting!

Jessica

High Five Dude

Hello again! It is a gloomy rainy/sleety/snowy day today here. All the schools in the area and my husband's office were all closed because we're having a blizzard, yes a BLIZZARD the day before April 1...

Anyway, I thought I'd pop in quick and share a card I made for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: The one with lots of rules (really it's anything goes!). I used the new High Five and Just the Basics sets from Sweet Stamp Shop. It's a super CAS card perfect for any dog loving guy (guy cards are so hard sometimes)! I think the best part about this card was it was created with a good friend of mine that wanted to have a crafty day. So I brought out a bunch of craft supplies we just spend the entire day crafting and chatting! It was so much fun and I have a few more cards to share from the day later on.

I just love the mustache paper I had in my stash and though it was perfect for the cool high five dog paw. The paper has a little shimmer to it in person which makes the card a little more dynamic. The sentiment and the paw print are popped up on foam dots as well. I used my Stampin' Up! Bitty Banners dies and a Spellbinders circle die to cut them out. This is a super short post but I'll have a few more cards later this week. Until next time happy crafting!

Jessica

Our Bond is Ionic

Hello and happy spring! Being from the frozen tundra of North Dakota I anxiously await this day each year, unfortunately it is cloudy and damp today as the moderate 40 °F is melting all our snow and ice finally. I just wanted to pop in today and share a card I made for a few challenges.

The first challenge I played along with was the monthly Unity {be inspired} Challenge. I love the color inspiration this month but I chose to use the card sketch as my inspiration.

I also played along with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Glitter It. I used the adorable Our BOND is IONIC stamp set from Unity which pairs perfectly with my all time favorite paper line: Rocket Age by October Afternoon. I added some glitter to the little electron paths in the atom stamp to give the heart electrons some movement. I also used a little glossy accent on the electrons and nucleus for more dimension.

I made this card a fun size too, or so I think, it's 4" by 6". That's all for today, until next time, happy crafting!
Jessica

There is Always a Silver Lining

Hello! Two posts in two days, phew I better pace myself :) Today I wanted to share a fun card I made based on the Fusion Card Challenge #6. 

Now I did use just the sketch as my inspiration but it may not be completely obvious, see I took the idea of nested boxes and ran with that. I just changed the sizes of my boxes and made a few the same width. I used the retired Sweet Stamp Shop Chemistry set. This set is perfect for my "inner" nerd (yes I know it's not so inner).

I stamped the sentiment on some vellum to make it stand out a little better against the glittered background. The vellum is also only glued down behind the atomic rectangle so in person it has a little movement to the card.

That's all for today, just a quick post. Until next time happy crafting!
Jessica

Hello Puppy Style

Hello again! Today I just wanted to share a really fun card I made based on a sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch #68

I could not wait to break out the new Doggy Dog set from Sweet Stamp Shop! It is beyond perfect for scrapping our two fur-kids and for making super cute cards. I also used the new Speech Bubbles set from Sweet Stamp Shop.

I just love the glittered ombre background so I left the little doggy plain to not take away from it. I used the paw print and heart from Doggy Dog to create my own patterned paper. I like this card and just may have to keep it for myself (I'll just pretend someone else sent it to me haha). Before I go Captain and Darja wanted to say hello in their usual way by offering you their bellies to rub!

Until next time, happy crafting!
Jessica

Let's Get Blogging Again

Well hello out there! It has been way too long since I last posted here. There has been so much going on in life that blogging just took a back seat. Don't worry it was all good things going on and I never stopped crafting! Let's see I got married, graduated with a masters degree, adopted another dog, and passed all the requirements to become a Ph.D. candidate meaning I'm one step away from being a Dr. :) Phew I'm exhausted just thinking about everything that has happened in the last year or so.

Being the crafty lady I am of course our wedding was all do it yourself. Everything from the pew bows, the centerpieces, and even the lace wrapped around my bouquet were all handmade little projects of love. Oh yea I even designed printed and assembled all our invitations and programs. I did have some helpers along the way but it was all worth the effort. Here are a few of the crafty little touches. Here is one of my favorite pictures of us and one of my bouquet. The lace the bouquet is wrapped in is from my mother's veil that she helped me die blue. The mason jar vase is also wrapped in more of the lace from her veil that we left white.

So enough of the catching up part and on to what you really want to see, some cards! I thought to help myself get back into the swing of blogging I'd play along with some challenges. Now I didn't want to just post one card so I picked out a few challenges and made a card for each of them.

First up I played along with the Runway Inspired #55 challenge: Pamella Roland

I just love the metallic sequinsy (is that even a word?!?) dress! I knew I had to use some glitter paper I have been hoarding from Stampin' Up for ages now, some fun sequins, and the sentiments from Sparkle and Shine by Sweet Stamp Shop.

Next up I played along with the Unity {be inspired} Challenge, I just loved the color combinations in this challenge.

I wanted to keep this card very simple so I chose to use the light blue and green colors on some kraft paper. I used the oh so cute penguin and love you sentiment from Hello Little One, this whole set is just to die for! I used a slightly different card size too for this one, it's 3.5" by 5.5" so it fits in a standard A2 envelope with a little room to spare. It's just a fun little card size I think. 

And finally I have one last card just for the fun of it. I have been dying to use the Too Hip set from Sweet Stamp Shop so I made up a fun birthday card to have on hand. The nerdyness of this little hippo is just to cute for words! This is also a 3.5" by 5.5" card! I think I have a new obsession with these tall and skinny cards :)

That's all for today, until next time happy crafting!
Jessica

Trendy Twine Guest Design

Hey everyone! Today I am guest designing over at Trendy Twine! Now as you all know I am a paper crafter, but I am also a knitter...just knitting I can't crochet to save my life >.< So when I heard I'd be guest designing I just knew I had to knit something out of Trendy Twine :)

I used lots and lots of Stormy Trendy Twine for this project and a little bit of In the Navy. I found the pattern here.

Isn't it cute?!? I did have to use some regular old yarn as the twine wasn't quite think enough for a coffee cozy but I think the Stormy looks really cool with the umbre pink and white yarn.  I used the Dainty Doilies and Many Thanks stamp sets from My Thoughts Exactly to decorate my cozy. It's suppose to look like a tea bag but I'm not sure about it...Here's a close up of the cozy. Not sure how clear it is but there is a cable pattern to it.

Well that's all for me today! Happy crafting!

Jessica

Oh wait I forgot my big announcement...my fiance and I are officially first time home owners! We just closed yesterday! So if it's a little quiet around here for a little while don't worry I'm just buried in boxes and boxes and boxes of craft supplies :)

Hello! Is there anyone home?!?

Hi there everyone! Seems my blog has been taken little vacation these past few weeks...no I haven't forgotten about all of you. There has been a LOT going on up in my little nook of the world. I have a BIG announcement to share next week along with a really awesome project I've been working on for a guest design spot on Friday. So stay tuned I promise we will get back to the regularly schedule crafting very soon!

Happy crafting,
Jessica

Spooktacular Treats

Hi there everyone! It's my day over at My Thoughts Exactly and I wanted to share my take on a project a dear friend of mine shared with me. You can find the original project here. There are 3 stamps sets used in this project and one of my favorite stamping techniques with MTE stamps!

Aren't these the cutest little treat holders?!? Oh you didn't know they were treat holders? Well, they are! Each little spooktacular jar holds 4 of the Hershey's nuggets. MMMM I found a new flavor too, creamy milk chocolate with toffee...I think I ate more than I wrapped while I worked :) Anyway the front of each jar is decorated with some awesome MTE stamps and the backs have a little window so the cute nuggets inside peek out. Each nugget is just wrapped in designer paper to make them pretty looking. Here are some close ups of the jar fronts.

I used the Halloween Subway Art and Fright Night Phrases. See how the spooktacular and the candy are curved? That is by far one of my favorite things about MTE stamps, you can make them curve however you'd like!!! It's adds a little fun to the project :)

For this jar I used the Fright Night Friends set and Halloween Subway Art. Both jars are tied with some lovely exclusive Trendy Twine in Grape Limeade, you can only get this twine in the exclusive MTE & TT Spook-tacular Set (by the way there are only a few left so pick yours up before they are gone forever). Now here is one last look at the jars and the cute little wrapped nuggets inside them.

Well that's all for me today! A little birdie told me there is a sale on in stock Halloween stamp sets so be sure to stop by the MTE store and pick up all your favorites! Happy crafting everyone!

Jessica

Fa-BOO-lous Halloween Guest Designer

Hello everyone!!! Today is a super fun day, I'm guest designing for Tamara over at Happy Life, Crafty Wife! Why you ask? Well this week she's hosting the Fa-BOO-Lous Halloween Inspiration Week!

Each day this week a different awesome brand will be featured, today is Trendy Twine's day! Are you ready for my project?!? Well here you go:

Isn't that cute? I had the urge to top the awesome Frankenstein candle I made last year (you can find it here).  I also knew I wanted to make something a little cuter. I just knew I wanted to use the Fright Night Friends stamps from My Thoughts Exactly too! I was snooping around on Pinterest and found a cute jar candle that had been wrapped in burlap and decorated with a rosette ..well I really liked the idea of burlap and thought hey I could stamp on it! Enter that awesome burlap covered in creepy cute eyes and BOOs :) I wrapped my burlap around an orange candle I had lying around and tied some pretty Halloween Trendy Twine around the top. I then used the matching SVGs to the Fright Night Friends stamps to create my spooky cute friends. My little ghost is on a homemade wobble so he has a little wiggle in him. The bats and the moon are just flying around on some twisted craft wire. So I would have inputted cute close ups of all the fun things on this candle but I got the brilliant idea to keep it on my craft table while I finished up some other projects (I took this picture last week when I finished it so I could get it to Tamara)...well I'm not sure about you but I must be a little spastic when I craft because two cards later and only one bat remains flying around the moon, Mr. Ghost is also no where to be found. I'm going to blame the dog... :) Note to self next time get all the pictures at once!

Anyway, be sure to stop by Happy Life, Crafty Wife to check out all the guest designers projects and to see what adorable thing Tamara came up with. While you are there be sure to check out how to enter in the giveaway for today, see all that awesomeness down there in those pictures?!? Yup you could win all of that! What are you waiting for hop on over to Tamara's!

While you are out surfing the Internets be sure to stop by and let the lovely sponsors of the prize pack know how awesome they are :) My Thoughts Exactly and Trendy Twine are both on Facebook, go leave them some love and let them know we sent you over from the Fa-BOO-Lous Inspiration Week!

Well that's all for me today, happy crafting!

Jessica

A Manly Birthday

Hey everyone! Today I wanted to share a card I made for my soon to be father-in-law. He has a birthday this week and every year I have the need to top the previous year's card...I know this is proving to be challenging now. But I think I may have done that! I found this really funny card on Pinterest that had this funny face made from a huge mustache on the front...Pick a 'Stache anyone?!? Yes I immediately went to work, but I wasn't a huge fan of the first card (I gave to another male last week for his birthday and forgot to take pictures first). I knew I could do better...

Well what do you think?!? I embossed my Pick a 'Stache with white embossing powder to hint that he is getting old (we'll see if he picks up on that one ;) ). The glasses were all too fitting as he wears glasses and yes at one point he had ones this big! They were a free SVG I picked up from Oh My Crafts and last but not least the little sentiment is from Mustache Mania. The paper is from Hambly screen prints and quite shiny (a pain in the behind to photograph that's for sure!)

Well that's all from me today, happy crafting!

Jessica

Happy Halloween!

Hello everyone! Today is my day over at My Thoughts Exactly. Today I want to share a little Halloween or fall decoration I created and a fun little tag. I know two projects...can you tell I'm avoiding my school work :P

I found this really cute pumpkin made out of rosettes on Pinterest and I thought I'd give a try at my own version.

I used some Trendy Twine that I curled around a straw for the dried up vines (they are also dusted with glow in the dark glitter...really can't remember why I did that!). The Happy Halloween pennants are stamped from the Halloween Subway Art set. It was so easy to put together, you really should try one yourself!

And I also made this super cute little tag using Sugar Gem's Flip Up Tag set.

I used the Interactive Card Phrases set for the little lift at the bottom.

On the inside I used the Fright Night Friends set to create the star background and for the Trick or Treat sentiment. And that awesome green and purple twine, well you can only get it by purchasing the new MTE & TT Sppok-tacular set. If you'd like some of this awesome twine and some super cute Jack-o-Lantern stamps be sure to buy your bundle now because they are in limit supply and once they are gone...they're gone for good! What are you waiting on, go buy your set right now!

That's all for me today! Don't forget there are still a few days to get your treat bag or box entered in to the September challenge for a chance to win some MTE stamps and a guest design spot with us in October!

Happy crafting!

Jessica

MTE and TT Spook-Tacular Blog Hop!!!!!

Hello everyone! Yes you read the title right, My Thoughts Exactly and Trendy Twine have teamed up to bring you an AWESOME bundle! I have been keeping this a secret for so long I was about to burst if this hop didn't come soon :) If you have arrived from Candi's blog then you're on the right track. Now if you are just joining us please hop back over to the Trendy Twine blog where all the fun starts! If you get lost along the way here is the whole lineup:

Trendy Twine Blog
Belinda
Candi <- You were just here
Jessica <- You're here
Sukie <- You're next stop
Kendra
Yvonne
My Thoughts Exactly DT Blog

Now before I get to my project there are few details about the bundle you should know. First it's ONLY $10!! Can you believe that?!? My Thoughts Exactly and Trendy Twine for just $10! It's called the My Thoughts Exactly and Trendy Twine Spook-Tacular Set. Ok so what do you get in this awesome bundle? Well, you get 10 yards each of the Lime Licorice, Grape Licorice, and the EXCLUSIVE can only be received through this bundle Grape Limeade Trendy Twine!!! On top of all that awesome twine you will also get the EXCLUSIVE can only be received through this bundle 4" x 2" Build-a-Jack Stamp set!!! So what does it all look like? Here it is:

Here is a close up of the stamp set:

How awesome is this set?!? Now you are being warned now this is a LIMITED set so once they are gone they're gone! It is available at BOTH My Thoughts Exactly and Annie's Paper Boutique. So if one store is sold out be sure to check the other. What are you waiting for head over to My Thoughts Exactly and pick up your bundle right now, my project will be waiting for you when you get back! There are also a few prizes so be sure to check out the Rafflecoptor at the end of this post for all the ways you can enter!

Are you ready for my project finally? Well here it is!

I have had this super cute tea dispenser box SVG from Sugar Gem forever and have been just waiting for the perfect time to break it out. Well, what better time than Halloween? It pairs perfectly with the Eat, Drink, and be Scary sentiment from the Fright Night Phrases set. AND it just so happened I had orange tea on hand that comes in that awesome orange package to match my rosette :) It really is the little things in life that just make your day huh? Anyway I digress! See all that awesome time? I just wanted to wrap up in those awesome bright green and purple colors. Here's a close up of the rosette.

The 25 cent stamp is part of the EXCLUSIVE Build-a-Jack set. I used an Epiphany Crafts shape tool to cut out the stamp and add a little shine and texture. Now here is a close up of that scary Jack-o-Lantern.

I do pretty awesome fussy cutting huh? Ok I can't lie there are free MATCHING SVGs for the stamps! I cut out the pumpkin shape, the eyes, and the mouth before stamping them and assembling that scary dude. I stamped the eyes and mouth with Versamark and used heat and bond to apply the glitter, I thought it would be a little creepier looking. I tried giving the pumpkin a creepy looking texture too by using a baby wipe and an ink refill to apply color (I didn't stay in the lines very well, pretend you don't see that).

Well that's all I have for you today but there are plenty of more stops on this hop! Your next stop is Sukie's blog. Don't forget to pick up you Spook-Tacular Set. Don't forget the MTE September Challenge is still open so be sure to get your treat bags/boxes in for a chance to win some awesome prizes. And one last reminder there's blog candy up for grabs down there in that Rafflecoptor :)

Spooky crafting,
Jessica

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just a Little Greeting...

Hello everyone! It's my day to post over at My Thoughts Exactly. Did you see that cute little Halloween stationary set I posted for the September stamp release on Sunday?!? Did you notice how the cards and tags were a little blank? Did you also notice all those cute little stamped cutouts I had in the vellum envelope? Well today I thought I'd show you how a little glue, stickles, glossy accents, more stamps, and ink can turn those blank cards in to frightfully cute little creations! Now I have a million pictures so I will just let them speak for themselves, but before I get to them let me tell you which stamp sets and SVGs I used. ALL four of the Halloween stamp sets are featured here, Fright Night Friends, Fright Night Phrases, Ghostly Greetings, and Halloween Subway Art. Also all the cute little Fright Night Friends have matching SVGs! I am so excited about the new matching SVGs, they take all the fuss out of fussy cutting stamped images! Ok are you ready for picture overload? Here goes!

2x3 tags:

3x3 Cards:

I learned a lesson here...don't put your vellum tape right under the sentiment >.<

Another lesson learned...don't close your card if the sentiment is still wet >.<

See I told you there were a million pictures! Well that is all for me today but don't forget to pick up your favorite Halloween stamps before they are gone because once they're gone they're gone! Also don't forget to enter the September Challenge for a chance to win a $10 gift card to MTE or some MTE stamps and a guest design spot with us for the October!

Happy crafting!
Jessica