Tree of Hearts

Just a quick post to show what I did for Kristina Werner's latest color challenge. I love having my hubby home... so much time to play! Hee!

Here is what she challenged us with this time:



and, here is my card:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Season of Friendship set, A Happy Heart set, Baroque Motifs set
Ink: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa classic inks; Versamark
Paper: Kraft, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Regal Red, Old Olive card stock
Accessories: Hearts Trio punch, Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals

I made this card 5x7" so that I'd have more room to play... I LOVED the grass shown on this card and decided to use it, too! It sets up such a nice little scene.

Anyhoo, hope you are all having a nice afternoon! And, Happy New Years, too!

-tessa

No Layers

Today I am posting a card I made last night as a challenge to myself to use only one layer on my card! I've seen so many great, simple, one layer cards lately, This is my cousin's birthday card for next week but I may have to revamp it a little... I'm not sure if this "no layers" thing is for me!! I do love the colors though, and the way the balloons turned out (my first try with my SU! markers!) so we'll see... Here is the card, anyways:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes set, Big Deal Alphabet set, ABC Alphabet Lower set
Inks: Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze Classic Inks; Black Staz On; Pretty in Pink marker
Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze card stock
Accessories: none! I'm kind of sad...

Ha Ha! After editing the first picture, I HAD to add something!! Here is the revamped version...



I also found a home for the heart embellishment that just didn't work for this card. Here it is on it's new card:



Goodies:
All product by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Little Something set
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic ink
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Regal Rose card stock; Sweet Always DSP
Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, Pewter Build-a-Brad, Rhinestone Brads, Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain ribbon, Dimensionals

Yesterday's Dutch Baby was definitely worth the drive out!!



It came covered in powdered sugar and had loads more on the side along with butter and lemon... SO Good! Their regular pancakes are yummy, too! My girls cleared their plates quickly and we all left happy and with full bellies!

We are taking it easy today... I want to work on some scrapbook pages and check out QVC... I know... pretty nerdy but I swear Lisa Bearnson will be on! Hee!

Have a great day!!

-tessa

A Birthday Resolution!

January starts a new year and one of my resolutions is to send a handmade birthday card to everyone on my list! I decided to start a little early this year... January is pretty busy with birthdays- I've got seven! This is the first I've made, going out to Grandma R on the 23rd. I used my new Petal Pizazz set which will be in the new SU!Spring and Summer Catalog! Here is the card:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Petal Pizazz set, Best Wishes and More set
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Old Olive Classic inks; Versamark
Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Bashful Blue card stock; Maine Blueberry DSP
Accessories: White embossing powder, Rhinestone Brad, Dimensionals

We went in to DC yesterday and had a fun day picnicking on the mall and hitting the National History Museum. We didn't get to see much of it... too many people!! I guess I should have waited until after the holidays but with Jeremy home, I couldn't resist! We didn't even get off the main level or into any exhibits. The interior is really pretty though! It has a great modern feel to it.

Today we are planning to try out a new restaurant for brunch. New to us anyways! A while back, the Travel Channel did one of those "best places for breakfast" shows and on it they had the Original Pancake House and their amazing looking Dutch Babies! I've been drooling over them ever since. I researched a bit and found one of their restaurants close by! Today is Dutch Babies day!! Hee!

I hope you guys are having as much fun as I am! Thanks for stopping by!

-tessa

Valentines Leftovers

When I started building this card I was planning on using my new stamps from Stampin' Up! As a demo we are allowed to order some sets early and I am dying to show them off!! I stamped out a pretty heart from one of the sets and matted it out... taking lots of time to get it just right! Then I set it down on the base of the card (already decorated with the stripes, the scallop edge, and the ribbon) and it just didn't fit! I racked my brain trying to think of ways to make it work but in the end, I ended up using some of my left over paper from yesterday's card and my brand new Hearts Trio punch instead! Here it is:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Love You Much set, Happy Heart set
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic ink
Paper: Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip card stock; Sweet Always DSP
Accessories: Dimensionals, Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Edge punch, Heart Trio punch, Corner Rounder punch

I layered the hearts so that some of them popped up a bit to create some dimension...


I also made another quick project. A Valentines binder clip photo holder. I am planning to send it to my Mom with a current picture to set on her desk. Here it is:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Love You Much set
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip Classic Ink
Paper: Candy Cane Lane DSP
Accessories: Dimensionals; ribbon by Lasting Impressions, Binder Clip from Office Depot

We're off to the National History Museum today... I've been wanting to go since it reopened in November but I've had to wait. I am looking forward to seeing what they did with all the exhibits! It is sunny here and looks like it will be a beautiful day so I know we will have lots of fun!

Hope you all have a great day, too! Thanks for stopping by for a peek!

-tessa

The first Valentine of the season...

I always love making Valentine cards and this year, I am starting a little early! Partially because I have new stamps and I want to play!! Here is what I made last night:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Love You Much set, Happy Heart set
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink, Regal Rose Marker
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Whisper White card stock; Sweet Always DSP
Accessories: Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain ribbon, Pewter Build-a-Brad, Dimensionals, Scallop Edge punch

The size of this card is 4x4". I like it because it allows the heart to really stand out! Sometimes it is fun to play with the size of cards... I always try to keep it a size I have an envelope for though! A lady came into Recollections once looking for an odd sized envelope for 70 wedding invitations she had made with out thinking about the size... she ended up having to make 70 envelopes! Yikes!!

I am planning some more stamp time this afternoon... I love having my hubby home! He takes the girls outside to play everyday and that means some quiet time to myself!! I love it! I always break out my secret stash of See's Chocolates, too!

Hope you are having a great day!

-tessa

Tree of Life card...

Hi! I hope everyone out in blogland had a wonderful Christmas! I am having a great time... my hubby is off work for two weeks so we've been having fun doing things we don't usually do! Santa brought us all we had on our list this year- I finally got my SU! markers and a couple of new sets of stamps to play with. My hubby got a few things he's been asking for... a Nintendo DS and the game RISK. Now, hopefully we can find someone who will play with him! For Zoey, it is the year of Barbie and My Little Pony... she loves them so much! Natalie got a new playhouse with a stove and pots and pans. They had such a great time this year!

I haven't made any cards since before Christmas... too busy finishing up presents and getting everything done! I finally got a chance last night to play a little. Here is what I made:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Full of Life set; Season of Friendship set
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip Classic inks; Cameo Coral Craft ink
Paper: Whisper White, Perfect Plum, So Saffron, and Cameo Coral card stock; patterned paper by K & Company
Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, Dimensionals, Rhinestone Brads, Clear embossing powder; Ribbon by American Crafts

I loved this metallic paper by K & Company. The colors were so pretty to me and in real life, you can see the shimmer on some of the designs... like the old oil stickers for all of you girls who collected them in the 4th grade!

I've gotten a lot of use out of this tree stamp. I will be very sad if it doesn't make it to the new catalog... especially with spring coming up! Think of all the cute cards!

I am hoping to get some time to stamp tonight so hopefully I'll be back soon to post some new creations!!

Thanks for stopping by!

-tessa

A rare, quiet day...

Today a rare thing happened! Both my babies napped!! Zoey passed out on the couch during her favorite Strawberry Shortcake DVD... Hee! I am tickled pink! Here is Zoey:



I am working on getting my Mom's Christmas present done on time and I think I should get it in the mail tomorrow!! Here are the latest pages I've worked on. I kept them simple in order to not over do it... I would hate to want to redo this book in a few years!





So, hope you all are on time with your holiday projects! I am working hard to get some things done so hopefully by Friday, I won't have any more worries!!

Thanks for peeking!

-tessa

Valentine's for You!!

Hi! I had a great Saturday at Scrapdoodles!! I had class, swapped cards with some great cardmakers and cropped all night!! What scrapbooker could ask for more!

I wanted to share the cards for my next card class in January. I stuck with the Valentine's theme since it is the next holiday... and they are fun to make! Here they are:

The Group Shot:


My favorite:


Shabby Heart card:


Funky Valentine card- Thanks Sarah for doodle on this!


And, one not too Valentinesy one...


The class will be held at Scrapdoodles in Fredericksburg on Saturday, January 17th, 2009. Class starts at 1:30pm. Please bring your basic supplies (adhesive, trimmer, scissors, pencil) with you to class. Call Scrapdoodles at 540-548-3788 to sign up!

Hope you all had a great weekend! I am hoping to work on some scrapbook pages tonight so hopefully I'll have them to share with you tomorrow!!

-tessa

Shabby Heart Card

I thought I'd share my card from another swap I'm participating in this weekend at Scrapdoodles! I used paper from October Afternoon... a fast growing favorite of mine! Here it is:



I can't wait to see what everyone else makes!! Hope you have a great day!

-tessa

Friendly Little Birdies Card

Hi! I've been working a lot all week on different class samples, swaps, Christmas gifts but nothing is quite ready to share yet! Hopefully I'll be able to get some finished this weekend and have lots to share next week!

Today, I thought I'd share something I did get done. Little birdies for one of my swap groups! Here it is:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Full of Life set, Love You Much set, Polka Dot background stamp
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black, So Saffron and Pretty in Pink Classic inks
Paper: Bashful Blue, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Perfect Plum, and Whisper White card stock; Summer Picnic DSP
Other: Scallop Square punch, Kiwi Kiss Striped ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Dimensionals

I pieced the birds together by stamping them on patterned paper and cutting around the little bodies. Then I stamped them onto the white circle piece and added the patterned pieces to the top. I think they are too cute!

Well, it is a gray day here! Perfect for card making so hopefully my little girls will keep out of trouble and let mommy work for a little bit! Hee!

Thanks for looking today!

-tessa

A Fabulous Flower Card

When I first discovered Stampin' Up! this was the first set that caught my eye! I love the huge flower and the sentiment... Today I am using it as part of a color challenge on the demo side of Splitcoast Stampers. For this month's WICKED color challenge, we had to use Tangerine Tango, Always Artichoke, Bordering Blue, and Basic Black. I had fun trying them out! Here is what I came up with:



Goodies:
All goodies by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Fabulous Flowers set; Dreams DuJour set; En Francais background stamp
Ink: Bordering Blue, Always Artichoke, Tangerine Tango, and Basic Black classic inks
Paper: Basic Black, Always Artichoke, Whisper White, Bordering Blue card stock
Other: Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Basic Black narrow grosgrain ribbon, Paper Piercer, Filigree Designer Brads, Sponge Daubers, Blender Pen, Stamp-a-ma-jig

I started by stamping the flower three times with Tangerine Tango ink on Whisper White card stock. I cut one out whole, one out around the middle section of petals and one out around just the center of petals. I used dimensionals to build them up into a three dimensional flower. I used a 2 way glue pen to trace one side of each petal and add Dazzling Diamonds glitter to it. What a mess I had! All those petals... hee!

Next, I got busy on the background pieces. I knew I wanted to use En Francais on the Bordering blue so I cut a square and stamped it out with Bordering Blue ink. I sponged around the edge- I think it gives it a more finished look. Then I added the piercings around the edge and gave it a mat. I distressed that a little bit with my Decor Elements tool- it is what you are supposed to use to put those giant rub-ons on your wall but it makes a great little distresser, too! Hee!

For the Always Artichoke piece in the background, I got out my trusty Stamp-a-ma-jig and the butterfly stamp from Dreams DuJour. I stamped a pattern using Always Artichoke ink. I also sponged around the edges of this piece, too.

I decided to create my sentiment panel next, stamping it onto Whisper White card stock with Basic Black ink. Since I don't have the Stampin' Up! markers yet (please Santa bring them!) I used a blender pen with the residual ink from the Always Artichoke stamp pad to color in the 'fabulous' part. I cut the piece to the right size, added piercings around the edge then matted it in black, using dimensionals for a little more pop!

This is when I started the layout part of the card... I was planning on a square card so I cut a piece of Basic Black card stock to 11 x 5 1/2" and folded it in half. Next I set out my pieces where I thought they would go and moved them around until I saw what it needed... ribbon! I added a little piece around the bottom of the Bordering Blue panel. Then, I felt it needed a little something along the side... Filigree brads! I haven't used them yet and I love how they look here! I glued down the panels and added the sentiment and flower with dimensionals. And then I was done! I almost added leaves but my husband thought it would be too busy... I do love how it turned out though!

OK.... now that I've written a short novel about how I made the silly card, I better get back to my real job! My babies are pulling at my legs this morning wanting all of my attention! Off to play dress up and doll house!

-tessa

Heritage Pages

Hi! I am working on a couple of cards today but they aren't finished... my girls are acting like loony toons! I swear, they're nuts- keeping me very busy!!

So, instead of cards, I thought I'd share a couple more pages from the Howatson family Heritage album...

This one is about my Great Grandma Hazel Howatson. I thought it was neat that she saved her high school calling card and that my mom saved her obituary. She was a really neat lady!



The next is of my Grandma Donna on her wedding day! I absolutely love these photos of her!



Like the rest of the album, the patterned paper is nearly all by Scenic Route, the card stock is by Bazzill Basics, and the embellishments are by Making Memories, Heidi Swapp, and Prima.

Hope you are having a great Wednesday! Hopefully I'll be back a little later with some cards! Hee!

-tessa

A Crazy Color Challenge...

Today, Kristina Werner posted a new color challenge! She is forever posting cool stuff on her blog! Here is this week's inspiration:



So, Taken with Teal, Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White! I think these work great together but I was a little shy of them at first... Teal always scares me a little... Here is what I came up with!

My mom's birthday card (I actually made it on time!):



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Season of Friendship set; Cute and Curly set
Ink: Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie, Taken with Teal classic inks
Paper: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Taken with Teal card stock; Sweet Always DSP, watercolor paper
Other: Scallop Edge punch, Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain ribbon, Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds glitter

The idea for this card came from the December WICKED challenge on Splitcoast. I thought the sketch was perfect for the Season of Friendship set! I typically don't use ovals but I'm glad I tried it out... I stamped the tree and leaves onto the oval. I stamped the bird and flowers onto white card stock and cut them out. I added them next, using some dimensionals under a few of them. I wanted to bring some more teal into the card but the card stock itself was sooo dark! I decided to use some residual ink and my aqua painter to watercolor onto watercolor paper. When it was dry, I stamped my sentiment and punched it out. I think the rest is pretty self explanatory but if you have questions, just ask! I'm always happy to explain anything I make...

Here is my nephew's birthday card (a little late...):



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes set; Sprinkles set; Cute and Curly set
Ink: Certainly Celery, Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip Classic inks; Versamark; Timber Brown Staz on
Paper: Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery card stock; Summer Picnic DSP; Bella Rose DSP; watercolor paper
Other: Scallop Square punch, Scallop Edge punch, Curly Label punch, Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds glitter

So, after failing many times at watercoloring on Whisper White card stock, I finally bought some of the watercolor paper. I am soo glad I did! It really makes a big difference in the blending! I love it!

For this card, I wanted something a little funky and a little less girly since all my cards end up pretty foofy! I think I did OK... The only thing that isn't very easy to see how I did is the scallop around the square in the center. I used the Scallop Square punch to punch four pieces out. I didn't know how big my center should be for them to line up but I guessed at 2 1/2" and it worked perfectly! I just stuck them to the back and lined up the corners and voila!

So, I hope you are having a great day! It is gray and cold here and we are stuck inside today... At least I had time to stamp! Hee!

-tessa

Card and a few pages...

Hi! Today I am sick and feeling a little loopy from taking cold medicine... I hate that! I am glad though that I wasn't sick over the holiday weekend! I had fun being lazy and relaxing a little... I didn't even have to cook this year and that was even better!

I went to my friend Dawnette's house on Saturday night with a mission of getting some more pages done in my Mom's heritage album. But, what do you think I did... forgot the pictures! Can't scrap with out them, right! I ended up finishing one page I had started already and working on cards. I had lots of fun though!

Here is what I made:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Inspired by Nature set
Ink: Kiwi Kiss Classic Ink, Versamark
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Basic Black card stock
Other: Kiwi Kiss striped ribbon, White embossing powder, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Embossing Buddy

I stamped the grass onto the Kiwi card stock first in Kiwi ink. I rubbed over it with my embossing buddy so that the embossing powder wouldn't stick to the grass. Next, I stamped the daisies with Versamark and sprinkled on the White embossing powder and heat set. I embellished it with the black card stock and ribbon and then decided it needed a little more sparkle! I added the Dazzling Diamonds using a little Tombo multipurpose adhesive. Last, I matted it onto white card stock and a black card base.

Here are a couple of pages from my Mom's book, too!

Vernon Howatson- he was a lumber jack in Preston, WA



Four Generations



As always, thanks for taking a peek!

-tessa