Something different...

No stamping or cards today! I thought I'd post something else crafty I made! It is a homemade fruit bouquet. They are simpler then you would think...

I made this bouquet in honor of Jess for her wedding shower a couple of weekends ago. I used fresh strawberries, pineapple, cantelope, honeydew, and red grapes. I even dipped some of the fruit in chocolate! A head of lettuce is hiding in the pitcher as an edibile 'frog'. I was suprised that it didn't take that much time to do. I thought it turned out pretty cute!

We've been busy celebrating the girls' birthdays this week! Zoey turned 3 on April 24th, and Natalie turns 1 on the 29th! Here are some pictures from thier birthday party we held on Sunday:

Can you tell it was a luau theme? We tried to hold it outside but the rain wouldn't let us... We had lots of fun though and Grandma Becky and Grandpa Bill were there with us so that made it even better!!

Have a great weekend!

Fast & Fun- Get Well Soon Card

I thought that today I'd share a card with some of my favorite things on it!

Some products used are from Stampin' Up!

Stamp Set: Fun and Fast Notes

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Summer Picnic Design Series Paper

Ink: Basic Black- to stamp with; Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, and Real Red for watercoloring

Accessories: Rub-ons, ribbon, Liquid Pearls (by Ranger)

So, my favorite things???

The Fun and Fast Notes stamp set is great because it has a little image for just about any occasion. I can create a card for a birthday, a shower, a baby announcement... it is great! I feel like I get more for my money when I can make so many things from one set! I also like it because it is a drawn set that you get to color in. If you knew me when I was young, you would see how true this was! I remember coloring pictures for my friends, even when I was in high school! I just loved to color!!

The Color Combo I chose is also a favorite of mine. I love bright colors and these were inspired by the colors in the Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper. They are classic and pretty! I also like to use black to make things pop off my pages and cards. The black mat around the image really brings your attention to the sentiment! I also love the look of the black rub-ons on the green patterned paper.

Rub-ons have long been one of my favorite embelishments. They are easy to use and very versetile! This was the first time I've used the ones from Stampin' Up. They were easy to transfer and went down very smoothly! No weird halo to worry about! Fresh out of the package, they smelled a little weird. I had to let mine air out a little and now they are fine. I added Liquid Pearls to the centers of the little flowers after I put them down. Don't you love them!

And, last but not least, my favorite technique, Watercoloring! I've long been a fan but never truely mastered it until recently! I've tried watercolor pencils and crayons; chalks with blender pens; even watercolor paints! This way is definitly the best for me! I use an aqua pen and water-based dye ink pads! Since this post is already a little long, and my babies are getting hungry for breakfast, I better save the 'how to' for another day...

Happy Crafting!!

-tessa

Birthday Whimsy

With Zoey and Natalie's Birthdays coming up, I've been in the mood to celebrate!! I made these cards last weekend and am just now finding time to add them to my blog...

All products are by Stampin' Up.
Birthday Whimsy & A Little Birthday Cheer Stamp Sets
Inks: Real Red, Bashful Blue, Only Orange, Certainly Celery
Paper: Summer Picnic Series, Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Old Olive

The Birthday Whimsy stamp set was part of the freebies I earned during Sale-a-bration! I love freebies and this one has been very useful! The Summer Picnic paper series is also very cute in real life. They are double sided patterned papers that work together soo nicely! The colors in this set are very vibrant and perfect for celebrating! I've almost used my whole pack already making little things to display at my workshops...

Anyways, the cards are pretty straight forward. For the 'happy birthday' card, I cut my papers for the background first and adhered them to the card base. I added ribbon around the middle and tied a knot on the side. Next, I stamped out plenty the balloons in different colors and cut them out. I stamped the sentiment and cut around it, leaving room for an eylet on the right. Then I matted it with orange paper and popped my eyelet in. After that, I just adhered it all to my card using dimentional pop dots. I then added the hemp balloon strings to tie the balloons down to the sentiment. Pretty cute!

For the 'make a wish' card, I started by cutting and adhering my background papers. Then I stamped plenty of balloons in different colors on white paper. I also stamped some on the white strip in the background to give dimension to my balloon bouquet. Then, cut out all your balloons! After cutting them out, I adhered a couple straight onto the card, added the next few with demensional pop dots, and added the last one with 2 layers of dementionals. I stamped my sentiment at the bottom and just drew in the balloon strings! Pretty easy really!

I am planning my first workshops now so hopefully I'll have some more exciting things to post soon! If you see something you like in my cards, or in the Stampin' Up catalogue please send me an email and I'll get them ordered for you!

-tessa