Hoppin' with the Artisan Award Winners!

Hello!

I am so excited and honored to be part of the 2010 Artisan Award winners! With convention still so far away, we thought it would be fun to do a hop now so you can get to know some of the winners beforehand... a couple of the ladies aren't bloggers but most of us are! Hee! Everyone is super talented and I'm sure you will find inspiration on each stop along the way...

Heather Van Duker is our hop hostess this time. Thanks Heather!

We all stuck with a patriotic theme this time around- and since I'm camping this weekend, that is what I used as my inspiration to make a quick card:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Under the Stars
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Soft Suede; Versamark
Paper: Confetti White, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Cherry Cobbler cardstock; Not Quite Navy textured cardstock
Accessories: Hemp Twine, Aqua Painter, Signo White gel pen

I'm very happy that this little set made it into the new catalog- I've only used it twice! Hee! Now I have a whole year to get my money's worth out of it! I thought it was so fun and different from other stamp sets I have but I think it's a little hard to pair with sentiments... any suggestions? Maybe I'll try something with the mosquito next time...

Incase you are popping in mid point in our blog hop, here are the other stops along the way:

Heather Van Duker
Andrea Munro
Elizabeth Price
Jodie Olver
Renee Ballard
Richard Garay
Tessa Wise (You are Here)
Angela Timms

Be sure to check out everyone's blog! If you are hopping in order, you've got one more stop to go- Angela's blog is next!

Thanks for stopping by today! I am usually a pretty regular poster but right now, I'm trekking across the country with my family- I'll be back with my regular postings after Convention!

Have a great day!

-tessa

Hello from Sioux Falls, SD!

Just a little update from our summer vacation... We left Wednesday morning on our cross country road trip and we've been enjoying every minute of it so far! We've made four stops already- camped in thunderstorms for 3 nights and hit a hotel for 2 nights... It's fun to camp but I'm loving the free wi-fi at the hotel tonight! Hee!

Our favorite memories so far...

Watching our girls learn the ropes of camping... ha ha! My hubby and I had to relearn them, too! I bet it's been 10 years since our last camping trip!



Eating at fun, new restaurants along the way- Mmmm! Who knew Cheese Curds tasted so good!




Hot, sunny days... Cool, rainy, LOUD nights! I've never slept outside during such horrendous thunder and lightning! It is so much louder in Wisconsin then at home in Virginia...



We've got a few more nights and some fun sights to see before we meet up with our family in Washington state... I can't wait to see them!

Hope you enjoyed your weekend! Be sure to stop by on the 30th- I'm participating in the first 2010 Artisan Award winner blog hop.

-tessa

Something Different...

Well, I'm heading out to a going away party for one of my favorite people, Andrea, who is moving to L.A. in a few weeks... I will miss you! She is a crafty girl, too and blogs about what she makes. I think that will make me feel a little more connected, even if she is all the way across the country! And, we are facebook friends so that helps, too.

Anyways, I thought I'd share what I made for her- it's a little different from the normal things I make. Andrea and I always joke about cards and scrapbook pages that are intentionally empty and artsy- sometimes we get what that style is about and other times we don't! I made her this intentionally and I'm sure she'll get it! Hee!



Goodies:

Paper: Confetti White cardstock by SU!
Ink: Electric Blue Glimmer Mist
Accessories: Retro Diamonds embossing folder by Quickutz


I also tried my hand at making a necklace out of Sticky Back Canvas. I recently took a class from Claudine Hellmuth and it was so much fun! I was really inspired by her and her products. I got this idea straight from her- a video about how she made her own can be found here.

Here is my necklace:



I know, a little different from my normal but I had so much fun making these for Andrea! I hope she likes them!

OK! Off to say good bye and work on my Convention swaps some more!

-tessa

A Quick Card

Hello!

Sorry I've been MIA this week- I've been busy around the house getting ready for our summer vacation! We will be taking an adventure across the USA- driving from our home in Washington, DC all the way to Seattle to visit our families. We have a handful of stops to make between here and there and we are really looking forward to getting out and seeing some stuff! I am going to attempt to blog from the road about what we are up to- at least if it is interesting! Hee! You never know, right!

I've been stamping this week but I can't share too much of what I've been up to... been working on my convention swaps! Who knew how big of a thing it was! I won't be taking many supplies with me while traveling so I am trying to make a good number of them before we leave. I feel like I'll have so many things to share after convention! Hee! I can't wait to share my Artisan Award projects!

Here is a card I can share today- I made it last week and posted it to the online galleries at Splitcoast and at the Stampin' Connection but didn't share it here. It is great because it is a one layer card! I didn't even mean for it to be but somehow, that is what happened! Hee! Here it is:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Apple Blossoms
Ink: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Early Espresso
Paper: Confetti White cardstock
Accessories: Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon

I think the circles stamped at the bottom give it a lot of texture! I also love how the classic inks stamp on Confetti White paper. Kind of earthy looking in a way.

Anyways, off to finish up a few more projects! Hope you all enjoy your day!

-tessa

Fairytale Romance Card

Yesterday was me and hubby's 9th wedding anniversary... kind of hard to believe we've been together 10 years now! We celebrated by doing one of our favorite things- getting gelati at Rita's.



Mmmm! Yummy Italian ice mixed with some of the best frozen custard. We even won a free quart of Cotton Candy ice- one of my favorites!

I must have been in a romantic mood when I was cardmaking, because here is what I made:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Full of Life
Ink: Early Espresso, Pink Pirouette
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Cameo Coral, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White cardstock; Newsprint DSP, Greenhouse Gala DSP, The Write Stuff DSP
Accessories: Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Edge punch, Modern Label Punch

The colors and use of a label came from the most recent Embellish Magazine challenge. I love yellow and coral together and I think Cameo Coral is one of the retiring SU! colors that I will miss most. Isn't it pretty with the new Daffodil Delight?

I created my own patterned paper using a stamp from the Artistic Etchings set and Early Espresso ink- stamping onto the Cameo Coral cardstock using my Stamp-a-ma-jig to guide me. I think there is a pattern like this in the new color family DSPs...

I hope you enjoy the rest of your day! I'm gearing up for a weekend crop at my favorite local store, Scrapdoodles! I've got a list of things to work on including swaps for convention! Hee!

Thanks for stopping by!

-tessa

A Newsprint Rose Card

So, when I got my Stampin' Up! preorder last week, this idea was on my list of things to try with the new Newsprint DSP. I used the rose from Fifth Avenue Floral...



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Artistic Etchings, En Francais
Ink: Crumb Cake; Versamark; Whisper White craft ink
Paper: Perfect Pear, Concord Crush cardstock; Tangerine Tango textured cardstock; Newsprint DSP
Accessories: Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Hemp Twine, Black embossing powder, paper piercer, blender pen

I stamped the rose onto the newsprint with Versamark and heat embossed it using black powder. I added some low lights to the rose with my blender pen and Crumb Cake ink. Next I cut it out for the card.

I chose Perfect Pear for the cardbase because I thought it would go well with the new Concord Crush- a really pretty purple shade that I hadn't used yet. After stamping it with the En Francais background, I pierced holes around the outside edge. I added the black newsprint band to the front and decided that the card just needed one more element near the bottom. At first, I grabbed for my Rich Razzleberry- it is a go to color for me right now- and as I was searching for a scrap, Tangerine Tango fell out- wouldn't you know, that was just the punch of color I needed! I texturized the textured cardstock piece using the new Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. I added the Concord Crush scallop to my design last, mostly because I just wanted to use that color. Hee! I stamped it first with the medallion from Artistic Etchings and then roughed up the edges just a little with my Decor Elements applicator.

In all, a simple card that looks somewhat complicated! I love it!

Hope you are enjoying your day!

-tessa

Apple Blossoms Card

Hello!

I thought I'd share another card I made with the Apple Blossoms hostess set from the upcoming SU! catalog...



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Apple Blossoms
Ink: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Perfect Pear, Basic Black
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait cardstock; Greenhouse Gala DSP
Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, Real Red satin ribbon, paper piercer, half-back pearls (from Pretties kit)

The papers in the Greenhouse Gala DSP pack are so pretty- I love all of the designs and the color scheme. I kept this card simple and really like how it turned out!

So I am in need of a little advice... I've decided to go to convention this year (yes... a little late!) and I've never been before so I am asking for any tips some of you convention veterans might have for a noob like me! I haven't found a room yet or even registered... I'm hoping to get it all done this week.

Thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa

Sock Monkey Card

I am on team Sock Monkey. I know a lot of stampers out there don't like this little guy but I think he's cute and I'm happy to say he made it into the new Stampin' Up! catalog. And, the artists at Stampin' Up! must like him, too because they gave him a whole new set of goodies to accessorize with! Hee! It is on my list for July 1st when the catalog goes live... until then though, here is a card with the silly sock monkey:



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

Stamps: Sock Monkey
Ink: Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Versamark
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Confetti White cardstock; Greenhouse Gala DSP
Accessories: paper piercer, aqua painter, white Signo gel pen, corner rounder(CM), red DMC thread

In honor of Just Add Ink's current challenge, I got out my needle and thread and did some real stitching on this one. I think the red thread gives it just a little something extra! The monkey is paper pieced on to the background. I softly inked each piece with the new Crumb Cake ink to give it a little more depth.

I know not everyone likes sock monkey... I've had students (Camisha) in classes do this to him:



Hee! He's got his eye on you!

Thanks for peeking and hope you have a great weekend!

-tessa

Pretty new DSP... *Sneak Peek*

Good morning!

I thought I'd post before I got to wrapped up in my day. School is out and I'm still getting used to having both girls home all day every day... Today, we made a list of all the things we wanted to do. I added grocery shopping and stamping to the list; Natalie added go to the park to the list; and Zoey added paint her nails, paint a picture for Uncle, eat candy, play games on the computer, and stamp with mommy to the list. At least she likes to stamp, too! Hee!

I got to play with my new goodies last night. We were offered two packs of DSP for preorder and I bought both of them! This little card shows a little of them both:



A Close up of the Crumple Flower:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Ink: Pretty in Pink, Soft Suede
Paper: Greenhouse Gala, Newsprint DSP
Accessories: Real Red satin ribbon, Latte button assortment, hemp twine, Extra Large Scallop Circle punch

I love the look of these crumpled scallop flowers and thought they would look cool with the black and white newspaper prints. I sponged pink ink around the edges of each scallop to give it a little tint. I know there is no way you could send this in a normal envelope but I love the dimensionality of this and plan to make the flower into a pin for my sister.

Also, I took new pictures of the cards from last night's post and edited it... gotta love the sunshine today!

Thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa

Oh! And a PSA for all you donut lovers out there... it's National Donut Day and Dunkin' is giving them away for free! Check it out if you get a chance!

Oh, how I love new goodies! *Sneak Peeks*

Today I received my first copy of the 2010-2011 Stampin' Up! catalog... if you haven't seen it yet, you're going to love it! So many pretty things to inspire us!

My catalog came with my preorder goodies... stamps, paper, and accessories that SU! sells early to us demonstrators to make samples with. Of course, I got right to stamping! Hee! Here is my first card made with a new level 2 Hostess set, Apple Blossoms:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Apple Blossoms
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Rich Razzleberry, Perfect Pear(marker), Early Espresso
Paper: Crumb Cake(AKA Kraft), Confetti White, Perfect Pear cardstock; Pumpkin Pie textured cardstock
Accessories: Hemp Twine, paper piercer

I wanted to keep this one simple and I just love that vine stamp!

Here is the next card I made using the Artistic Etchings set and the beautiful new Vintage Wallpaper texturz plate, which will be available for purchase in July:



Here is a detailed shot of the stamped part:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: So Saffron, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede
Paper: So Saffron, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Confetti White cardstock; Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry textured cardstock
Accessories: Hemp Twine, Fire Circle Brads, Curly Label punch, Jewelry Tag punch, Vintage Wallpaper texturz plate

With this one, I wanted to showcase the awesome new texturz plate so I kept my stamping area pretty small.

In all, I am pretty happy with my new goodies! I am going to break open my new patterned paper tonight! I have a few fun ideas for the newsprints!! Hee!

Hope you are all enjoying your day...

-tessa

Embellish Magazine Blog Hop Winner!

Hi! Hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend! We sure did! I wanted to post really quick to announce one of the winners from the Embellish Magazine blog hop...



Congratulations Dana! Please email the Embellish Magazine staff to collect your prize! The details are on their blog and you need to contact them within the next week.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by during the hop. You all left such nice comments! I really enjoyed reading them all!

OK! I'll keep this short for now so I can get stamping! Hee! Enjoy your day!

-tessa