My Friend the Sock Monkey...

Yes, I like the sock monkey set! Hee! I know a lot of people are against him (I've even had a customer draw red creepy eyes on him in class) but I love him... or her on my card today! Here it is:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Sock Monkey set, Full of Life set
Ink: Basic Black Classic ink; Close To Cocoa and Pretty in Pink markers
Paper: Kraft, Bashful Blue, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink cardstock; The Write Stuff Specialty DSP, Thoroughly Modern DSP
Accessories: Soft Suede polka-dot grosgrain ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Crystal Effects, Whisper White Jumbo Grommet, Dimensionals

I had fun paper piecing this gal together! The little polka-dot print from the Thoroughly Modern DSP pack is perfect for these types of jobs.

Thanks for looking today!

-tessa

Hoppin' Frog Card and My Stampin' Space!

Good Monday morning to you all! I hope you had a great weekend... I sure did! Relaxing and fun... who could ask for more!

Today I'm sharing a card I made this weekend. These little frogs from the Hoppy For You set always make me smile and I love their funny pun sayings! Hee!

Here is my card:



Goodies:
All Products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Hoppy For You set
Ink: Basic Black Classic ink
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Close to Cocoa, Kraft cardstock; Dusty Durango textured cardstock; The Write Stuff Specialty DSP
Accessories: Soft Suede polka-dot grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals

This card included a lot of cutting out but I love the way it turned out in the end! The die cuts from The Write Stuff Specialty DSP are really usable and I love how they look on cards!!

Since we moved in to our new house, I tried my best to get my crafting area set up and I think I am finally done! My area is in a corner of our walk out basement and family room. I was going to put it upstairs in our extra bedroom but since I work a lot in my craft area during the day and my girls are still so young, I thought this set up would work a little better... I can still watch them play in the yard and in the family room while I am busy making things! I thought I'd share a couple of pictures of it while it is still clean- I tend to work in a mess so it won't be like this for long! Hee!


The full view- I like to shop at Ikea!



My main storage unit- lots of paper!



Stamps and other goodies:



Thanks for taking the time to pop by today! Hope you have a wonderful week! I am still playing catchup with things around the house and for my crafting jobs!! I am excited to get a great big shipment of SU goodies this week, too! That is always the best!

-tessa

A Raspberry Suite Color Challenge!

What isn't better then a fun color challenge to get me in the crafting mood! Dawn McVey challenged us with this:



And here is what I made:



Goodies:

Stamps: Chic Boutique set by Stampin' Up!; Amy Butler Lotus Greetings set by K & Co.
Ink: Basic Black Classic ink by Stampin' Up!, Versamark
Paper: Kraft cardstock by Stampin' Up! pink cardstock by Bazzill
Accessories: Flowers by Prima and Making Memories, Rhinestones by Basic Grey, ribbon by American Crafts, Scallop Edge punch by Stampin' Up!, Signo White Gel pen, paper piercer, DMC floss, buttons by Making Memories

Most of this stuff I pulled from my scraps stash. I have too many saved up from various classes I teach. I keep them in color order so it was pretty easy to pull colors for the challenge that way! I've been hoarding these flowers for way too long and the rhinestone swirls were a impulse buy a few weeks ago at the LSS... they were too cute to pass up! Hee!

Anyways, I'm glad I could play along this week!

Hope you have a great day!

-tessa

CKC Valley Forge...

Hi everyone!

Although I went a month ago, I still wanted to report back my thoughts on my CKC Valley Forge experience. I had a great time overall! The classes were fun and the projects were really cute!

We cropped on Friday and Saturday and here is what I made- it's a framed 12 X 24 piece:





Here is a list of my favorite things about CKC Valley Forge...

1. The Vendors Fair- even if you can't attend classes or crops, attend the Vendor's Fair! Valley Forge CKC is scheduled just after the Summer CHA so some of the brand new products pop up here before you can get them at the local stores! It was a real treat to pick up new goodies! Also, you are able to shop at vendors who aren't local and see their items in person. I love it and spent way too much money! Hee!

2. Bank Creek Creations- I spent a lot of time and money at their booth in the Vendor's Fair. They had some great papers from companies that I cannot find locally. They also create their own line of chipboard albums and embellishments that are unique and interesting. I got the frame above from them!


3. Melissa Francis- She was there working in the booth and teaching classes. Her products are really nice- pretty, vintage, and fun! I took one card class from her and loved it! She is very down to earth and seemed easy to get along with. The cards we made were really cute!

4. My Creative Keepsakes sponsored classes- I took two of these and left with smiles both times. The teachers, Marnie Flores and (I can't remember her name!) were fun and made it easy to enjoy the class. The kits were more than plentiful and I came home with lots of extras to play with!

5. The Button Farm- I missed out on their classes but stopped by thier booth while I was shopping around the fair... beautiful mini album kits! They were unique and very well put together.



Things that I wouldn't do again next time...

1. The hotel! We stayed on an adjoining property, the Raddisson. The lobby was clean and the restaurants were OK but there were some problems with the room... We were happily surprised at check in because we had been upgraded to a luxury Fantasy Suite room! We trudged to the elevators and headed up to the top... the elevator stopped a floor below ours and we had to walk up the stairs- they were so secluded! We opened our doors to this!





The room's name was Venus... Our friends stayed next door in Timbuktu... Since we weren't there for a romantic getaway (even then, I don't think I'd ask for this treat again) we weren't exactly thrilled with our room. Also, something that bothered me was the fact that they had no behind the house elevators. The housekeepers, engineers, and food service people were always there with you, stopping at every floor and talking to people on that floor while holding the elevator- it really annoyed me! I used to work in hotels and I couldn't imagine doing that to our guests!

Over all, I had a great time with my friends Kristen, Andrea, and Camisha. I hope we can do it again next year!!

-tessa

Hello Again!

It has been along time since I've last posted! We finally moved into our new house and it took nearly a month to get our internet hooked up here... We also have been playing tourist here in our area! We had family in town and took the time to do some really fun stuff! We hit the beach, went to Busch Gardens amusement park, hit a local waterpark, toured the National Museum of Natural History, looked at all the great DC monuments, went to the zoo, shopped a lot and even went to the movies! Needless to say, we've been busy! Hee! We've had a lot of fun, too!

Here are some of my favorite pictures over the month...

Nat at Rohobeth Beach


Zoey on the Metro heading to the museums


The fam...


A great coaster at Busch Gardens


I'll post soon about some projects I've been working on! It seems like I've got a lot of things planned for the coming months... The blog should be hopping with some fun ideas!

Thanks for peeking today!

-tessa