Scrapbooking Page... a Challenge!

It is weird because I started out as a scrapbooker. I started making cards as a way to use up my scraps from my pages. Somewhere along the way, cards became easier for me! Today though, I am posting a page! My friend Nicole swapped color challenges for the month of June and challenged each other to make a few cards and a scrapbook page. Here is mine using her challenge for me, to use Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, and Basic Black all together:


Here is a closeup of the floral embellishment:


Funny, this didn't come together very quickly! I had the idea for the layout in my mind at the beginning of the month and added a little here and there until this morning, when it finally came together! I had to alter the letter stickers a little, I used the same stamp as the blue flowers and I think they look OK.

I also made one more card for her challenge:

This one is growing on me! At first, I thought it was way too busy to look at but now I like it. I love the way the outer floral pattern came out. The idea for this came from my friend Dawnette! She did this with another stamp and I just loved how it turned out!

Anyways, as you can see, I had a lot of fun with Nicole's challenge this month! I'll post a few from my own color challenge tomorrow!! Mine was a little more difficult...

Have a great day!

-tessa

From the Garden and My Girls

From the Garden is a great set from Stampin' Up!. It is currently a hostess set and since the new catalogue is coming out in August, it won't be around much longer! That means, I will be using a lot of it until then... after August, it is bound for my friend Tegan's house... she's had her eye on it for awhile...

Here is the card:

Stamps: From the Garden set, Warm Words set by Stampin Up!
Ink: Basic Black, Rose Red, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, and So Saffron by Stampin' Up!
Paper: Rose Red, Old Olive, So Saffron, Basic Black, and Whisper White card stock by Stampin' Up!; grey by Bazzill Basics
Other: Stickles, by Ranger; ribbon, unknown

I stamped the image first on white card stock and creatively cut around it, keeping a rectangle behind the image. I then watercolored the image starting with the light colors first and then adding the darker on top. When it was dry, I added stickles to the center and stamped the sentiment. I created the background by color blocking with different colored card stock. This involves a little math but isn't as hard as you would think.

I'll post this one, too, because it uses the same colorblocked background idea.

A Close Up:

Stamps: Heartfelt Thanks set and Warm Words set by Stampin' Up!
Ink: Apricot Appeal, Certainly Celery, and Basic Black by Stampin' Up!
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Apricot Appeal, Certainly Celery, and Cameo Coral by Stampin' Up!
Other: brads by American Crafts; ribbon, unknown

For this card, I stamped the image and matted it onto black card stock. I tied a ribbon around it and adhered it to my colorblocked background. Then I added brads and the sentiment before adhering it all to the card base. This one was incredibly simple! And, I love how it turned out!

OK. Last picture, this time of my sweet girls. I've been trying to put together a little mini book of them for Jeremy's birthday (yesterday) and needed a shot of the two of them together for the first page. I think I'll use this one, don't they look cute!

Thanks for stopping by!

-tessa

Everything, a color challenge!

Nicole and I swapped color challenges this month for the first time. I chose this as my inspiration, thinking it looked simple enough:

The colors are Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, and Going Grey... OK. So what I though was simple ended up being a little more difficult then I thought! Here is the first card I made:

Goodies: all are by Stampin' Up!
Stamps: Always set
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie
Paper: Going Grey, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue card stock
Other: ribbon, unknown
Technique: Emboss Resist

The Always stamp set is one of my favorites. I absolutely love how this heart looks when I use the emboss resist technique. I know, I've posted a few of these... Funny, I thought this would be a simple color combination for me. It ended up being quite a challenge! Next time we play, I am so picking something easy!

This weekend I attended the Great American Scrapbook Convention (GASC) in Chantilly, VA. I did some shopping but didn't stay for the crop or any classes. I did find some fun stuff on the sales floor though!

Here are my favorite finds:

I love Doodlebug and when they came out with this flocking velvet, I knew it was a must have! I love all those fuzzy papers and now I can make some of my own with all the stamps I have!

Lasting Impressions is always a favorite of mine. I have about 100 templates in my collection already but I couldn't pass up these ones!

I found a lot of paper and other little goodies, too. Mostly Scenic Route, Crate Paper, and Rusty Pickle, which can be hard to find around here.
I saw lots of people from Recollections there, too which is always a treat! Glad to see that they are still scrappin'!
Anyways, off to Steph's stamp camp!

-tessa

Bloom From the Garden

Happy Wednesday! Today, as promised I am posting another card from Nicole's color challenge using Not Quite Navy, Basic Black, and Whisper White. Here it is!



Goodies:

Stamps: Beautiful Blooms set and From the Garden set by Stampin' Up!

Ink: Basic Black, So Saffron (bee) by Stampin' Up!; Versamark

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Not Quite Navy card stock by Stampin' Up!; grey card stock by Bazzill Basics

Other: Ribbon by SEI


Stamp the large flower image from the From the Garden set (really it isn't a set... this is the only stamp in it!) with black on white paper. Trim it to fit on your card base. Using Versamark, stamp on a strip of Not Quite Navy with the blossom definition stamp from the Beautiful Blooms set. Adhere to your card base covering the bottom part of the flower. Add ribbon to the seam. Stamp bloom from Beautiful Blooms on white paper. Trim and mat on black and navy paper. Use dimensionals pop dots to pop up from page. Stamp the bee. Watercolor using a water pen and yellow inks, here I used So Saffron. Cut it out carefully and then pop it up with the dimensionals! Not too bad, right? One of these days I'll have to do a tutorial on watercoloring...



Anyways, I thought I'd share a few pictures of my family on my birthday:


Our tradition is to go to Krispy Kreme!

Here is Zoey enjoying her first donut!

Jeremy and Natalie posing for me!

We had a great time! We get to go back for Jeremy's birthday next week!

Have a good day!

-tessa

Nicole's Color Challenge!

Today I am posting my first of a few things I made for Nicole's color challenge! For June, she challenged me to use this as my inspiration:

She chose Not Quite Navy, Basic Black, and Whisper White as her colors! So, here is the first project I came up with:

Goodies:

Stamps: Fresh Cuts set, Together Forever set, and Baroque Motifs set, all by Stampin' Up!

Ink: Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy, Certainly Celery, Old Olive

Paper: Not Quite Navy, Basic Black, Whisper White card stock by Stampin' Up!; patterned paper by American Crafts

So, I love how this turned out but I totally cased a card I found on SCS! There is always such great inspiration there! If you haven't already checked it out, do! You can search by Stampin' Up sets as well as by other companies and by techniques!

I made the white background paper by stamping one image over and over. To get this just right, I used a Stamp-a-ma-jig! It is a must have for stampers who have the need to be perfect. I inked around the edges of both patterned papers before adhering it to the black card base. I then added the Not Quite Navy strips, which are bordered by black and faux stitched. The sentiment comes from the Fresh Cuts set. I just cut it out and rounded one end. i also inked around its edges and added a brad before adhering it. The main little image is two different stamps from the Together Forever set. I stamped both separately and cut them out, delicately. I watercolored the floral design and then popped it up with dimensionals in the center of the second stamped image.

I'll post more from our color challenge tomorrow!!

-tessa

Baroque Butterfly

So, I am finally posting my 5th card for the Collector's Club Series- Baroque Motifs class that I am holding on July 12th. This one is my favorite, by far! I love the way the butterfly turned out!

For this card, I will be teaching the masking technique, heat embossing, and fussy cutting... It will be a fun class so don't miss it! Give me a call or email for more details!!

Hope you have a fun weekend! If you get a chance, stop by Two Peas for their Worldwide Stamping Week Celebration. It is starting tomorrow with classes, challenges, and prizes!

-tessa

Baroque Again... plus a couple other goodies!

For some reason this week is just crawling by. I woke up thinking it was Friday- maybe because this weekend is my birthday and Father's day and I am cropping at one of my favorite stores on Saturday... really not fair though! Wednesday is definitely not a Friday!!

I am posting another card from my upcoming Collector's Club Series: Baroque Motifs class. If you would like to attend, the class is on July 12th at 7pm. It costs $35. Please email me for more information!

Here is my card:
I've been working on some other stuff, too, just playing mostly but I may use these for an upcoming workshop I'm planning...

Goodies: all are by Stampin' Up except for the ribbon

Stamps: A Tree For All Seasons set

Paper: Soft Sky, Groovy Guava, River Rock, Not Quite Navy, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Ruby Red, and Whisper White

Ink: White Craft Ink

Other: White Embossing powder, Ribbon- American Crafts

This one was pretty quick! I just stamped and embossed the 4 images on different colored paper. Then cut them into the same size squares. I matted them on white, then on river rock, added the scalloped edge, matted it again on guava and finally on the card base!

I'll share one more:

Goodies: all of them are by Stampin' Up! except the ribbon

Stamps: Fresh Cuts set, Baroque Motifs set

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow, Whisper White

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow

Other: Antique copper brad, ribbon- Martha Stewart Crafts

People have been posting such cute things to SCS lately with this set. This was inspired by one I found there... It was made with Stampin' Up!'s Fresh Cut notes, the flower is precut and sooo cute! I just stamped the main image with Sage Shadow right over the top. I added a couple of cut out flowers to the center with an antique copper brad. The paper behind the flower is sage shadow card stock with chocolate chip swirls from the Baroque Motifs set. I glued it on from behind. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment with Chocolate Chip and added the ribbon to the top. I mounted the entire card on a piece of chocolate chip card stock to anchor it a little.

Hope you are having a great Wednesday and I hope that your week isn't dragging by like mine is!!

-tessa

Cherished Motifs

Back again with another card from my upcoming Collector's Club Class! Can you tell I'm excited about it??

Here is sample #3:



On this card, we will be using a few different techniques! We will stamp with Versamark; we will use the Stamp-a-ma-jig; we will heat emboss; we will do 2nd generation stamping; and we will be doing some fussy cutting! Funny, since it is a fairly simple card!

Hope you are enjoying my cards!

-tessa

Fresh Cut Kindness

Happy Friday! I always love Fridays because the weekends are always packed with fun, out of the ordinary activities! Tomorrow I am planning to hit Starbucks early and garage sale for a couple hours with my sister- something we haven't done in years! Then we get to take the kids to their friend Judah's birthday party- with promises of a rocket cake, we are pretty excited! After the kids have their fun, I have a girls night planned at my friend Dawnette's house. We plan one almost every weekend and I always look forward to hanging out and making cards...

My post for today is another card from my Collector's Club Class coming up. I used a new product Stampin' Up is offering as part of the Sneak Peek Promotion- the Fresh Cuts Notes. They are 4x4" note cards with a laser cut flower in the middle. It is fun coming up with ways to use these little guys! I kept it simple this time and used the Baroque Motifs set to decorate it!

The class will be held in Woodbridge, VA on Saturday, July 12th, at 7pm. If you are interested in joining us please email me for more information!

Have a great weekend!

-tessa

Cherish Flowers

This is the first of my 5 cards I made for my Collector's Club class coming up. I loved the idea of using the swirl stamp as vines with flowers growing on them. I used the rock-n-roll technique to stamp the larger flowers, giving them the duo tone color. I love their pearl centers, too!
I still have room in the class so if you are interested in joining us, please let me know! The class will be held in Woodbridge, VA on Saturday, July 12th, at 7pm.

All products by Stampin' Up!

Pretty Baroque Class

I thought I'd share a picture from an upcoming class I'm holding:

Collector's Club: Baroque Motif Edition

Cost: $35.00



I got the idea from SCS of a monthly class where we make 10 cards (2 each of 5 designs) with one stamp set. The best part? Everyone gets to take the set home with them! For my first go around, I chose Baroque Motifs as the stamp set used. I really like this one because it is so versetile and pretty. I chose Cameo Coral, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White for my color scheme. I tried to make the cards with all different techniques so that the people who will be attending will be able to play with all sorts of different tools... I always think that's fun so I hope they do too!


It should be a fun one! If you are interested, check out my Stampin' Up website or email me!
-tessa

The Dress...

Just a quick card today! Almost every weekend I go to my friend Dawnette's house to hang out and scrapbook/make cards. This was one I made last weekend! It is funny because both of us really struggled using this template. We tried cutting it out first, which was harder then I thought it would be. She tried it on some funky patterned paper with no luck either. Finally I just thought K.I.S.S.! Sometimes simple is better! Here is what I came up with:

Goodies:

Paper: Lasting Impressions, Bazzill Basics

Other: Lasting Impressions- dry emboss template #L9589- The Dress, brads

Have a great day!

-tessa

Mixin' it up!

Today I'm posting another dry embossed card! I just love the mixer- I'm not sure what I'll use it for but it sure is cute!

Goodies:
Paper: Lasting Impressions- all the mixer goodies!; Making Memories- patterned paper; Bazzil Basics- cardstock

Other: Lasting Impressions- dry emboss template #L9232, Sugar & Mixer

I've been busy preparing for my summer class line up! I'll be posting some of these later this week so check back if you get a chance!!

-tessa

Color Inspirations...

Today when I was checking in on my favorite blogs, I found a color inspiration challenge by Kristine Werner. I thought I'd give it a shot! Her challenge was to use these colors together in one card:






Not Quite Navy
Old Olive
So Saffron
Bashful Blue
Whisper White


I decided to use the Always stamp set yet again!! I think I am addicted to it! Here is my card:



I used the emboss resist technique on the heart with basheful blue and not quite navy ink. The flowers in the background are stamped with versamark for a subtle look. Here is a closer look at the heart:

If you haven't tried a Color Inspiration Challenge before, you really should! It is lots of fun and keeps the creative juices flowing!!

Thanks for looking today!

-tessa