picture frame

so i'm currently have this altered picture frame kick.  you can find this "naked" wooden frame at michaels for $1.  this one i covered sheet music (picked up a book of it at the thrift store for uber cheap!) using modge podge, stamped the swirlys (stampin' ups boraque set), then sanded the edges with sand paper.  i inked the edges with holtz distress ink. 
those fabulous flowers i learned how to make at the portland scrap expo last month.  it's a circle of paper (i used sheet music), cut edges with those crazy scallop scissors and crumple, crumple, crumple.  unfold your circles and mist with shimmer inks (this is new, i'll post more about this great product later) and let dry.  k.  here's where it gets tricky without photo step-by-steps:  make fist with your hand and hold hand with thumb up.  place circle on top of hand centered  with hole created between index finger & thumb.  push paper down threw hand and grab from underneath.  twist, twist, twist.  now the top is a pretty flower!  once bottom is finely twisted, cut bottom half of twisty off and adhere (wet glue works best) to a scrap piece of paper. 

it's nice to be back, i have lots of other projects i can't wait to share!

new rubbah!

isn't this just the cutest?!? i got new stamps from TAC and then have been BEGGING me to use them! i haven't created anything in awhile, i just transfered, again, to another 'new' job (same company this time). i have been learning lots and it has been very humbling to go from knowing everything and being great at it all, to having to admit that i'm new and know nothing! to be honest though, i'm tired of making mistakes! =)

recipe:
ink- SU Ccelery, Rred, and Bblue. SU markers Cchip & Ssaffron (for the tree trunk & bird beak/legs)
paper- DP is from autumn leaves, SU Ccelery (textured), Bblue & Wwhite
stamps- TAC "springtime"
accessories- small flower punch, SU Wwasabi ribbon, dimensionals, sanding block (sanded edges, corners, and some misc. parts of the DP)

well, it's tuesday, almost september. the kids are almost back in school. is it wrong of me to be looking forward to stamping on my days off while school is in session? that and watching the price is right! have a super week!

laurieU sketch challenge #128

did this card for laurieU's challenge over on a shade of blue, see her challenge here. i knew that i wanted to make a faux layer using the masking technique and sponges, turned out great and saved me some paper!

recipe:
ink- SU Llace
paper- SU Ppink, Bblue, Wwhite, and Wwasabi
stamps- SU "she's all that"
accessories- sponges, CB die (used Llace direct to paper on embossing), wasabi ribbon, sakura glitter pen (for top of cake)

fun sketch, thanks laurie!

tape transfer method

so after i posted the challenge and link to the tutorial, i had yet to participate in the tape transfer method. here it is! i got this cute little chicken from some home magazine (it holds your kitchen scrubbies in it's butt, i cut that part off!). once i saw it, i knew that i had to use it with black, red, & white for a card using this method. i actually made this card last week sometime and just haven't had time to post it yet.

thanks to my candy winners for not yelling at me for my lateness in sending out their winnings, i just worked 8 days in a row, all of the days averaging 11 hours each! i promise i haven't forgotten you!

recipe:
paper- SU Bblack & Wwhite CS, DCWV DP
ink- SU Rred
stamps- SU "carte postale"
accessories- ribbon, white gel pen, black gel pen, SU Rred marker, scallop punches, window punches, corner rounder punch

so i am about to embark on a HUGE stamping change, i am going to fax in my demo application for TAC on monday. i'm going to be an angel! SUPER excited!

have a great weekend!

monday makeover challenge & BLOG CANDY!

andrea over at 'sunny stampin' had a monday makeover challenge and i decided to play! her challenge was to take a card or some other project that you really like and is non-SU and re-make it using only SU products!

this first pic is of one of my favorite cards! it was featured in the feb. '08 issue of 'cards' magazine, found on page 112. jennifer roach did a fantastic job on this card, i could ever only hope to not disgrace her! so here is my only-SU version. there are a couple of big diffrences... i don't have any SU rhinestone brads on hand (i buy 'em, i use 'em!), so i used crystal effects w/ dazzling diamonds glitter instead. card is 4.5" x 7.5"
recipe:
ink- Llace, Wwasabi, Ssaffron, PIpink, Ccelery, & versamark
paper- textured Wwasabi CS for CB, Llace, Wwhite, and DSP is enchante'
stamps- new hostess level 3 set "hapiness always"
accessories- new scallop edge punch, wasabi ribbon, crystal effects, dazzling diamonds, corner rounder, sponges (for ink distressing the edges of CS), and pastels (for chalk distressing the oustides of the center panel)

so, i have finally answered another challenge! and did you see my funky fingernails?!? i just LOVE them! my stamping friend does my nails and she just got this fabulous new green acrylic called 'sour apple' and i think i will always have green fingernails now! =)

enjoy your week!

OH! don't forget about my challenge for the two (2) stamp sets & a whole lot of misc. embellishments! click here for my blog candy giveaway! hurry, ends 8/1/08!

masked blue/brown wedding card

first off, have to give credit where credit is due. cased card from rgrohall on SCS, to see her card click here. this is a wedding card for a friend that's getting married this month.

first off, i stamped bird on CS and cut out. folded a post-it note in half and used that to stick bird mask to white CS. stamped weathered in Ssky over bird. stamped french script in Bbayou over that. ink distressed the edges of Wwhite Cs w/ blue inks, then brown. used sponge to ink blue around body of masked bird. removed mask and stamped bird in walnut ink. paper flowers & silk flower was dyed with sponges & ink pads. used backward brads in corners of CS as i really wanted to use photo turns there and couldn't find them in my stash!

recipe:
stamps- SU "always"
paper- SU CS Cchip, Ssky, Bblue, Bblue, & Wwhite
inks- SU NQnavy, Ssky, Bblue, Bblue, Bbayou, & Cchip. jim holtz 'walnut stain' distress ink
accessories- small circle punch (for punched corners), silk flowers, paper flowers, silk ribbon, dyeable ribbon, pewter brads (for flowers), black brads (in corners, backwardes), and SPONGES! this card would not have been possible without the sponges!

don't forget to get your piece of blog candy! click here for details! open till 8/1/08!

have a super-duper weekend!

shabby, baby!

well, we all know that jenn really likes her stuff to look... old, used, distressed, shabby. so here's the newest "used" project.

recipe:
ink- jim holtz 'walnut stain' distress ink
paper- SU Wwhite CS, TAC DP, lined notebook paper
stamps- SU "doodle this" (stamped flower on backside of DP & cut out) & sentiment is from SU "spring solitude"
accessories- bling blue rhinestone, corner rounder punch for scalloped edges, crop-o-dile for small circle punches in the scallops, sponges for applying the ink to the edges of EVERYTHING!

the new 'batman' is out! can't wait to go see that! or wall-E is out, too! my sister is coming to visit this weekend, haven't seen her since she got married last year! so my weekend is full! whatever you do on yours, hope it's safe & fun!

marker-ing your stamps

have you ever wondered how to get multiple colores on your stamped bold image? you use markers! that's what i did for my little bird and my branch & leaves.

the bird is actually 4 diffrent colors. i started by coloring his legs with the paint brush side of my SU Aappeal marker. for his body, i started by coloring BashfulBlue all over, then used BalletBlue on most of his back, then finished him up with BrilliantBlue on only the middle of his back.

for the branch, i colored with the paint brush side of my Cchip marker, then colored the leaves with the Oolive marker.

the flowers on the side of the card were done with the '2-step stampin' technique. i stamped the outline of the flowers in SU Ssaffron, then stamped randomly the bold flower image on top to fill in the large flowers with SU Bblue.

recipe:
ink- SU Aappeal, BBlue x 3 (see above), Cchip, Oolive, & Ssaffron
paper- SU Wwhite. colored CS is from the cheap-o colored CS pack from wal*mart
stamps- SU "spring solitude", sentiment is from 'stugio G' ($1 michaels acrylic set)
accessories- blue/yellow ribbon is from $1 bin at michaels, used small circle punch on corners

keep checking back! i'm starting to gather stuff for the fabulous BLOG CANDY that i'll post when i get to 5000 hits! have a super week!

what a touch of sparkle can do

i should have taken a picture of the card BEFORE adding the glitter to show just how much a touch of a glitter pen can really add to your projects! i use the sakura 'gelly roll', it's like a fine ball-point pen that writes sparkles!

recipe:
ink- Oolive & Bblue markers, Bblue ink
paper- SU Bblue, Ccelery, Wwhite & DP from a SU scrap-pack
stamps- flower (unmounted, got it in a $1 bin at the stamp convention earlier this year), and SU 'small sayings'
accesories- SU Ccelery grosgrain & made a little photo corner & paper peirced it

well, i have a few more projects that i have made and have yet to post. keep checking back! i'm at 4700 hits, getting closer to that 5000 mark! and then, blog candy!

using flower punches

so i, probably like most of you, have these flower punches (at least 4) that i hardly ever use. in fact, i think it was the first time i used one of them! so i decided to put them to use!

swirls are so in right now, vines, flourishes, doodles.... i picked one and added my little flowers!

recipe:
ink- SU Oolive, stazon black
stamps- vine & sentiment are from 'studio g' ($1 bin at michaels)
paper- SU Ssun, Bblack, Rred, Ssaffron, & Wwhite
accessories- flower punches (???, i've accumatled them over the years), circle hole punch (for flower centers)

so i challenge you----- get out your unused punches and see what you can create with them!

photo distressing

found some old pictures of my youngest after bath time, she used to just love to be naked!

i have seen lots of cool arrows lately and have been wanting to try one out, so i did! took a piece of chipboard (the kind that comes in the back of packs of papers to keep them from bending, they're like a bonus in the pack of paper!) and freehanded drew an arrow. over and over i drew the arrow until i got it to look half decent, then used craft knife to cut it out! covered it with DP, sanded the paper, attatched some ribbons, whala! is that how you spell it?!

saw the photo scratching in a magazine lately and wanted to try that for a photo-distressed look. i took a thumb tack and scratched the edges of the photos downward to the edges. i rubbed walnut ink on the scratches, then dabbed the ink off with a cotton ball. i gave you a close-up of the edge of a photo so you can see it a bit better. i really like the look it gave my photos!

ingredients:
paper- SU scrap pack, lined notebook paper, cardboard (tore it open and used the insides outward for the photo corners), brown packing paper (for title mat)
ink- jim holtz walnut distress ink, SU Cchip
stamps- SU 'baroque motifs' & 'headline alphabet'
accessories- chipboard, misc. ribbons, SU spriral (for the notebook paper) & tab (for the journaling block under the middle photo) punches, sizzix flower dies w/ my cuttlebug (sanded the edges, used dimensionals to pop up the diffrent layers), big green brad, sanding blocks (used on all DP). used misc. chalks on edges of photo mats for soft distressing.

well, today was the first day of the rest of my life. and it went well! thanks for all the well wishes! have a great day!

long watercolored flower card

so with as much watercoloring as i have done, i have never used watercolor paper, so i had to try it out. i am pretty dern pleased with the outcome! this card was for my moms birthday this last weekend.

recipe:
ink- Ppink, Llace, Oolive, Ccelery, Ssun, PIpink, Ssaffron, & stazon black
paper- watercolor paper, SU Ccelery & Wwhite CS, DP is from the scrap pile
stamps- SU "in full bloom" & "small sayings"
accessories- aquapainter, circle punch, chalks (for distressing the edges w/ cotton balls), used sakura glitter pen on interior of flowers to make them look oh-so-beautiful!

i start my new job tomorrow! i am filled with that "oh my goodness! what did i do?!?" feeling. i am scared, nervous, excited, anxious.... wonder if i'll get any sleep at all tonight! wish me luck!

oh! just fyi, i will be posting a challenge for blog candy when i get to lucky number 5,000 on my hitcounter, so keep checking back!

pumpkins scrap page

since i am currently unemployed, i have had lots of time on my hands. when i haven't been sleeping or enjoying my newly installed hot tub, i have been paper crafting! i know i haven't posted in quite awhile, thanks for your patience with me!
my girls love to scoop the 'guts' out of the pumpkins, and making a mess is part, er, most, of the fun. there is journaling on the back of the pictures mounted on the orange circle. used SU scrap pack & alpha sets, if you have any questions on anything else used, just comment or email me!

have a super day!

county fair scrap pages

last years fair pages, finally complete! once again, if you have any questions on anything that i used or did with these pages, feel free to comment or email me!
have a great rest of the weekend!

thank you notes

running low on thank you's, got some inspiration from the newest/current issue of 'take ten'. these cards were simple to make, not time consuming at all, involve raiding the scrap drawer, and give me lots of thank you's to have on hand!

there's lots of misc. stuff involved in these that i am completely unsure of (paper is scraps, sentiment stamp i got in a bin at the stamp show), so i won't fill you in with the recipe. if you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me!

i start my new job next week, looking forward to the change with deep anticipation and excitement!
hope you all had a safe & happy 4th!

fathers day cards

card #1-
standard 5.5"x4.75"
recipe:
ink- stazon black & Ccelery
paper- Wwhite CS
stamps- SU "loads of love" and sentiment is from great impressions
stamped truck on card and then 4 more times on seperate CS. colored all images w/ watercolor pencils & blender pens. cut out fenders, doors, & wheels and popped them up with dimensionals. on CB, masked truck then stamped sentiment over it, then put final truck on with dimensionals. tried to take a pic so you could see how nice & 3D this is, didn't quite turn out. looks much better IRL.

card #2-
tall 7"x3.5"
recipe:
ink- SU Oolive, Ccrisp, Ssaffron, Ssun, & NQnavy, versamark, & colorbox silver
paper- Wwhite & textured Ppie CS
stamps- penguin pants "fathers day" set, & judiths starburst
stamped outline of ties all over in versamark and heat embossed with glassy glaze powder. stamped over outlines with colored ties.

well, hope you enjoy your holiday!
jenn*

cheers!

LOVE IT! CB is 7x6.75. a nice tall, thin one! so this is my favorite this week!
recipe:
paper- CB is WWhite. used textured SU Ppie on bottom
ink- SU Ccelery, Ppink, Ppie, Oolive, and versamark, silver is "colorbox"
stamps- "cheers" from penguin pants (this is a 2 dstep stamping set), and little starburst if from "judith"
accessories- stamped glasses in versamark then heat embossed w/ glassy glaze, some A$1 michaels ribbon

love the simplicity and lack of layers! and all those wonderful colors! these colors are much more 'me' than those bold brights were!
have a super day!

50th anniversary card

this looks SOO much better IRL! have a 50th celebration we're attending this weekend, i know that 50 is gold, so i laid it on!
recipe:
paper- CB is Wwhite, then used SU Bblack CS & handmade gold paper
ink- versarmark
stamps- some generic thing i got at the stamp show a few weeks ago
accessories- "pharoah's gold" embossing powder & narrow black ribbon

pretty simple! love the look of that paper on it!
have a great day!

cosmo bella birthday card

so this didn't turn out the way that i wanted it to. i am a bit disapointed. however, due to the lacking number of posts that i have, i feel obligated to post this, as un-appealing as it is to me.

recipe:
paper- CB is from some generic set of blank cards w/ envelopes (5x7). rest of CS is SU bold brights & Wwhite
ink- Ppink, versamark, & stazon black. colored image w/ sakura souffle pens in bright colors.
stamps- "cosmobella", & "cheers" by penguin pants (this is a great set! i got this at the stamp show a few weeks ago!)
accessories- bright blue eyelets (used crop-o-dile to set), corner rounder, silk flower, wide green satin ribbon, and narrow hot pink ribbon.

wedding invite

this is for my brothers wedding invitations. card is 5x7.
recipe:
paper- CB is Vvanilla, peach vellum
ink- SU Ssaffron & versarmark
stamps- SU "wonderful words", "baroque motifs", and "so swirly" jumbo wheel
accessories- used handmade peachy paper shards (tore off very small bits at a time) and glued to edge of torn vellum. stamped sentiment in colored in, then again in versamark and heat embossed w/ glassy glaze enamel.

so it's been almost a month since my last post! EEK! well, i've kinda made up for it and have a few posts for ya! thanks for being patient, ladies! and thanks for letting me know that you miss hearing from me! it feels good to feel wanted!
have a great day!