Growing Our Roots Page

Hello there!

I am in the middle of a great afternoon of hanging out with three cute kiddos!  They had a half day at school and came home in great moods!  Right now, we are taking a break from the fun for homework... even on half days we can't skip that! :)

I thought I'd pop on while everyone is quite and busy and share a quick page I made recently:

It really was quick to put together, too!  I used the Everyday Eclectic collection by Echo Park again for this one- the soft colors and trendy patterns went perfectly with this Instagram photo of my sister and brother-in-law.  They bought a house over the summer and lucky for me it is pretty close to where I live!

This page was made by cutting rectangles of patterned papers out and layering them onto my background cardstock.  I added the photo, title block, my hand journaling and lastly, a few denim covered brads for embellishment.  It didn't take a whole lot of time and the the photo stands out.

Well, looks like homework didn't take very long! :)  Off to do a little bike riding before the winter cold comes back to our neighborhood... we are having another unseasonably warm day and I love it!

-tessa

CAS Birthday Card for a Boy...

Hello!  I was in such a good mood yesterday, I decided to join in the fun of the Clean and Simple Card Class 2!  It is the second class I've taken with Online Card Classes and I love their set up.  Their teachers and guest designers are the best, too!  I started the class a day behind but I am in no hurry to catch up!  Their first day alone has inspired me so much!

There were three great sketches to choose from for homework and I chose Jennifer's look:

I've used the Trendy Teen set by The Craft's Meow (thanks Anita!) with some manly ink colors to create this look.  I stamped the paint swipe in different colors and then added the sentiment with white embossing powder.  In the case of this card, CAS was also super fast!  I created a handful of these to have on hand for a few of the many men I need to send birthday cards to this year.

Like I said above, I've been so inspired by this class so far- I think I'll go create another look using one of the other sketches!  Thanks for peeking today!

-tessa

An Overdue Birthday Card

Hi there!  Today is a beautiful day here in Northern Virginia!  The sun is shining and it has had a wonderful impact on my mood- I'm feeling so good today!  I am inspired, too so hopefully I can get some creative time in before the girls get home from school.

I am one of those people who is always late sending birthday cards out!  Today's card is proof of this- hee!  Here it is:

I've used the Dewey Decimal set from Lawn Fawn and paired it with the pretty papers from Pebbles Seen & Noted line.  This stamp set is so clever!  I have a lot of friends who love to read so I should get lots of use out of it.

Well, I'm going to keep this post short and get started on the rest of my day!  Hope you have a great one, too!

-tessa

You Rock Card

Hello!  Hope you are having a great Monday!  We are off to a late start today because of some freezing rain we had in our area.  It's kind of nice sleeping in on a Monday!  Hee!

Today I want to share a card I made for the latest Paper Crafts Magazine call- it didn't get picked up but I still love it!  I used some fun Paper Smooches stamp sets for this one:

I had so much fun piecing this little (juke box?  radio?) together! It is from the Perpetual Bliss set which has fast become my favorite stamp set! The sentiments are from a few different sets that I paired together for this look.  Can you tell it was for the sketch challenge call?

I usually don't share my rejected call cards but this one made me smile so I had to!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

-tessa

Fun in the Sun

Hello!
Today is a snow day for us!  We only got an inch and a half of snow but it was enough to close the schools and let us play!  It has been so refreshing!  I love having my girls home with me! :)

I'm sharing a layout today!  And of course, since there is snow on the ground, I was thinking about summer! lol!  I scrapbooked some Instagrams from our 2012 summer vacation...

My nephew's spent part of the summer with us.  They were a little surprised by the heat here- they are from the Seattle area and summer isn't quite as hot there! :) We really did try nearly all the pools and waterparks in our area out while they were here!  It was so much fun!

During Summer CHA, I won these great stencil cards from Fancy Pants Designs.  I cut them into banner shapes, added some paint to the edges and patterned paper behind them.  They are lots of fun to use!  The patterned papers are all from the Everyday Eclectic line by Echo Park.  I gesso'd the hexagon print close to the pictures so the pictures would be what your eye went to first.  I really love how it turned out!

And, because I took a few pictures this morning, here are my girls and their little buddy Quincy ready to play in the snow!  They lasted about an hour before they got too cold and came in!  It's amazing to me what kind of magic a little bit of snow brings to children!

Well, I hope you are having a great day today!  Thanks for stopping by to see what I made!

-tessa

Thankful Owl Card

Hello!
I made a card today for another new-to-me challenge, the Lawnscaping Challenge!  Lawn Fawn stamps are one of my favorite companies and one that I can find locally which makes them even better!  I love supporting the few smaller stores in my area!

Anyways, here is the card I made for their winter wonderland challenge:

This little owl is such a fun stamp!  I colored him using Copic markers and then added some black ink around the outside edges. 

The paper pieced scarf and background panel are from the Sn@p line by Echo Park.  These 6x4 project life fillers are perfect for card fronts, aren't they?  

This week has been going by fast!  I guess they usually do after a three day weekend.  I am looking forward to a crop with my scrappy friends on Friday so I'm OK with that!  

Well, I hope you are having a good evening!

-tessa

**Edited to add**

Thank you for all your comments!  I am so excited to be one of the top mow it alls this time around!!

You're Just My Type

Hi There!
How's your day going so far?  I always have a hard time getting back into the swing of things after a long weekend so today is feeling kind of lazy for me!  We were busy painting our living room and family room over the last few days so at least I earned it!  Hee!

Today I want to share a valentine I made using the You're My Type set by Stampin' Up!:

I started out creating a manly valentine but my girly style still came out... note the pink!  Oops!  I don't think I can help it!  I love the color combination I ended up with though- Blushing Bride, Basic Gray, and Summer Starfruit- don't they look nice together?  The patterned papers are by Lily Bee Designs and they matched the Summer Starfruit perfectly!

Well, I'm not going to stay on the computer long today- I've got some scrapbooking to do and some Downton Abbey to watch!  :)  Hope you enjoy your day!

-tessa

Inspired Blueprints and our Christmas Photo

Hello!

I thought I'd pop on and share that I'm featured on Inspired Blueprints today!  I shared a little bit about myself as well as a layout I made that was inspired by my favorite Inspired Blueprint, #74:

For my first layout as a design team member, I decided to scrap my recent favorite photo- our family Christmas portrait!  We try to take one every year to use for our Christmas cards and this one is especially memorable because we took it on our favorite local hiking trail- one of our favorite places!

I used such a mix of products on this layout- I had made myself a little Christmas kit in order to make a December Daily that never happened.  I had plenty of fun goodies to mix and match together!  I see Echo Park, American Crafts, Pink Paislee, Crate Paper, October Afternoon, We R Memory Keepers and Jenni Bowlin Designs in the papers and embellishments.

I've been reading about the other design team members for the last week or so and it is so fun getting to know everyone!  If you'd like to read my Q &A, please pop over to the Inspired Blueprints blog!

Hope you are having a wonderful day and thank you for stopping by!

-tessa

Oh, Hello!

On my search for new challenges to play along with, I found the Retro Sketches site, a blog dedicated to card sketches.  I couldn't help but play along with this week's great sketch!  Here is what I made:

Goodies:
Stamps: Oh, Hello set by Stampin' Up!
Ink: Going Gray, Pear Pizazz, Regal Rose inks by Stampin Up!; Versafine Onyx Black
Paper: Naturals White cardstock and First Edition DSP by Stampin' Up!; pink and gray patterns from Woodland collection by October Afternoon; pink cardstock by Bazzill
Accessories: Oval die set, Chantilly crochet trim, linen thread, Dazzling Diamonds by Stampin' Up!

I ordered the Oh, Hello bundle as soon as the Stampin' Up! Spring mini went live!  I am still kicking myself for not ordering the patterned papers right away... they are in my next order for sure!  I want soooo many goodies from the mini this year!

Isn't that sketch great?  I will definitely be checking Retro Sketches out again!

Well, since today is Friday, my hubby is home and we are going out to a fun lunch!  I think I'm going to talk him into Cheesecake Factory... one just opened in our town and we haven't tried it yet- I've heard their cheesecake is awesome!

Hope you have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa

Smile Crocodile

Hello There!  How's your Thursday going?  I'm taking a break from folding laundry to share a card with you!  This one features the Critters Down Under set by Lawn Fawn:

All the animals in this set are so cute!  I wanted to make it look like he was heading into the water.  I think the patterns I chose made it look a little too busy... oops!  Patterned papers are my favorite!

I can't wait to get some of the new Lawn Fawn goodies they're coming out with this season!  I have my eye on quite a few and luckily, my lss has them on order all ready!  If only I didn't have to wait...

Well, I better get back to my chores- if i finish up quick, I might have time to squeak out a card before dinner time! :)

Thanks for stopping by,

-tessa

A Cup of Thanks Card

Today's card is inspired by this week's SPARKS sketch challenge!  I used my newest set of Paper Smooches stamps, Cyber Cafe, to make this card:

Goodies:

Stamps: Cyber Cafe by Paper Smooches

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight cardstock by Stampin' Up!; patterned papers from Sn@p line by Simple Stories

Accessories: Copic markers, red baker's twine by We R Memory Keepers

I stamped the cup onto yellow cardstock and cut it out.  I pieced it onto my white panel and added a sentiment before adding it to my card front with dimensional adhesive.  I punched a small hole into the card to add the twine bow.  To finish off my card, I added a little coloring with my Copic markers to create some shadows.  

I'm so glad I had time to play along with the SPARKS challenge this week! It's a fun one and if you have time, make sure you check it out!

I'm off to finish a scrapbook layout I've been working on for the last two days... I was having a hard time coming up with a title but I'm just going to commit and finish it up today. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

-tessa

The Sky is the Limit

Hello!
Today I have a fun rainbow card to share:

Goodies:

Stamps: Up, Up, and Away set by Stampin' Up!
Ink: Versamark Onyx Black
Paper: cardstock by Stampin' Up! and Bazzill
Accessories: clouds and rainbow stripes were cut with my Cameo

I relied heavily on my Cameo for this card.  I used two different shapes, one for the clouds and one for the rainbow.  It's a happy little card and makes me smile on an otherwise gray day... we've had rain all day!

Well, I'm going to try to go find a challenge or something to motivate me into creating something.  What are your current favorite challenges?  Anything I should check out?

I hope you are having a great day!

-tessa

Howdy Friend!

Hi There!  Hope your Monday is going well.  I thought I'd pop on really quick and share a card I made a little while ago with a western theme:

I know the stamps are from Stampin' Up! but I can't remember which sets I used.  The paper is from the Sasparilla line by October Afternoon.   Don't you love the bandanna paper?

I don't make a lot of western themed cards but I like how this one turned out! Maybe I'll try it again, soon!

Anyways, I'm going to keep this short- I have three little ones looking for help on homework today!  Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a great day!

-tessa

Birds on the Wire Card

Hi!
Yay!  It's Friday!!  My hubby is home with me today so we are going to go out for a yummy lunch and then prep our dining room for painting.  I am happy to be painting this weekend!  I also get to wish a happy birthday to my sweet little niece Seyla!  The girls are happy about the party! :)

Today I'm sharing a card I made awhile ago using the For the Birds stamp set by Stampin' Up!

This card is pretty cute in real life but now that I'm looking at the picture, it looks like these poor birds are yelling at each other!  Hee!  The little pink one looks hopping mad!  the patterned papers are from the Cakewalk collection by October Afternoon- perfect for springtime!

Well, I'm going to keep this short so I can get out the door early today!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a  great weekend!

-tessa

Let's Chat Card

Hi!  Today I have a card for the current SPARKS Challenge by Paper Smooches. I used my new favorite stamp set, Perpetual Bliss to create this card:

Goodies:

Stamps: Perpetual Bliss by Paper Smooches
Ink: Pitch Black Adirondack pigment ink by Ranger
Paper: Naturals White, Real Red cardstock by Stampin' Up!; Seen & Noted, Walnut Grove collections by Pebbles, Inc; Dewey Decimal 6x6 pad by Lawn Fawn
Accessories: Copic markers, White Signo gel pen, White twine (craft supply)

The SPARKS challenge this week is to create something with a vintage feel. Isn't this telephone perfect?  I love how it looks with the bright floral paper- kind of a calico feel, right?  I colored the telephone with Copic markers.  I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of them!

My sister got me this stamp set for Christmas and I have had so much fun playing with it!  I even have a card using the camera stamp being published!  Thank you Trish!  You really picked a great set!!

Well, after typing this up, I am in the mood to stamp something!  Hee!  I guess that's what talking about stamps does to you! :) Hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

-tessa

Best Butterfly Friends

Good morning!

Hope your day is going well so far!  I have a fun springtime card to share with you today:

Goodies:

Stamps: Miss Caroline Favorites stamp set by My Mind's Eye
Ink: Regal Rose, Peach Parfait, Soft Suede, Early Espresso inks by Stampin' Up!
Paper: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake cardstock by Stampin' Up!; patterned papers from Cakewalk Collection by October Afternoon
Accessories: Delicate Decorative brad by Jenni Bowlin Studio; Basic Rhinestones by Stampin' Up!

This stamp set has everything you'd want in a great stamp set... fun sentiment, woodgrain plank, pretty patterned butterflys... there are also doilies and flowers included!  Hee!  The sentiment was the reason it had to come home with me though- I love a friendly sentiment like that!

It has been so warm here lately that it feels like spring is just around the corner.  We are supposed to be up in the 60s again next week!  Crazy weather for this time of the year.  Not that I'm complaining... I'll take it over snow and ice any day!

Hope you are having a great Wednesday!

-tessa

Inspired Blueprints

I'm excited to announce that I've joined the Inspired Blueprints design team!  Inspired Blueprints is a sketch challenge site featuring the sketches of Lisa Warren.  Look for their first sketch of 2013 on February 1st!

I'm really looking forward to being a part of this team and I hope all my scrappy friends will have a chance to play along as well!

Have a great day!

-tessa

A Birthday Card

I've been trying to get a head start on some birthday cards to use through out the year.  I made this quick one to add to my stash:

Goodies:
Stamps: Wacky Wishes set by Stampin' Up!
Ink: Black Onyx Versafine ink
Paper: Basic Gray, Lucky Limeade cardstock by Stampin' Up!; Seen & Noted 6x6 pad by Pebbles Inc.
Accessories: Red baker's twine by We R Memory Keepers

I have lots of nephews to wish happy birthday so I am in need of boy cards- something that is so hard for me!  I tried to let the patterned papers do most of the work here and left the other elements simple so they wouldn't end up too frilly.

Well, I've got lots to do today!  Hope you enjoy your Monday!

-tessa

A Homemade Christmas

Hello!
I thought I would share some of the Christmas gifts I made this year.  I didn't make as many as I usually do but the ones I did make, I really tried to put my heart into!

The first one is a canvas I made for my Dad.  He has always talked about building a barn.  He likes farms.  So I made him some barn art:

The whole thing is collaged using book prints from dictionaries and other old books.  I learned how to collage like this from Stephanie Ackerman.  Her work is beautiful and so inspirational!  I was lucky enough to travel up to Groves in Huntingdon, PA with my friend Kristen for the class in the fall.  If you ever have a chance to take a class with Stephanie, don't hesitate!  She is great!

The next gift I made was a blanket.  It is the first I've attempted and it took me about a week to get the first row done. :)  Once I got the hang of it, the crocheting wasn't too bad!  I might even make another one for my family!  Here it is:

This was for my brother-in-law who is hard to shop for.  He is a huge University of Alabama football fan so I used Crimson Tide colors. I followed the ripple pattern tutorial from Attic24.

My daughters and I also made quite a few homemade ornaments.  The girls used Perler beads for theirs.  Here is my favorite that Natalie, my five year old made:

She followed a pattern for the snowman and came up with the taalll hat herself!  Cute!

The ornaments I made used wine corks, beads, and charms:

Sorry about the picture... I used the recipients favorite wine's corks.  The original idea came from the Lavender Clouds blog.

The last gifts I made were for the girls' teachers.  I made them simple cups with the schools name and mascot on them.  I added a gift card inside, too:

Since the cups were not flat all the way around the bottom, I had to keep my design on the top portion.  I used vinyl and my Cameo to make these.

I really enjoyed making each of these gifts!  If I had more time, I would have made even more!  Giving gifts is one of my favorite things and something homemade feels even better to give.  Did you make any of your gifts this year?

-tessa

Another Bicycle Card

Yes, another bicycle card... I really can't help it!  It is my favorite stamp! :) Here, I've colored it with a blend of Stampin' Up! markers and Copic markers:

Stamps: Bicycle by Hero Arts, Sweet Essentials set by Stampin' Up!
Ink: Onyx Black Versafine Ink
Paper: Naturals White, Melon Mambo, and Peach Parfait cardstock by Stampin' Up!; pattern papers from Farm Girl and Make it Merry lines by October Afternoon
Accessories: Linen Thread by Stampin' Up!; Copic markers; Stampin' Up! markers

Denim patterned paper has become a favorite of mine.  I have a hard time passing it up when I see it at my scrapbook store.   It looks very pretty with bold, bright pops of color and it has an easy, casual feel to it.  

So what are you up to today?  I've got a little shopping to do and my favorite 2 year old coming to visit in the afternoon!  I am looking forward to silly little smiles and lots of giggles!

Well, I hope you enjoy your day and thank you for stopping by my blog!

-tessa

A Jar Full of Love Card

I am in such a good mood this morning!  The kids are back to school and my hubby is back at work and I finally have a little quiet time!  Hee!  I love having them home but the first day back is always sooo nice! :)  I hit the gym first thing to get it out of the way and now I'm just trying to figure out how to spend the rest of the day.  I am thinking of either heading to the movies to see Les Miserables or doing a little shopping at Target and Joannes... hmmm...  I could also go downstairs and catch up on last season's Downton Abbey and stamp!  :)  I think the last one might win!

Today I thought I'd share this Valentine's Day card I made recently featuring the Perfectly Preserved stamp set from Stampin' Up!:

Stamps: Perfectly Preserved set, Create a Cupcake set (heart), Tiny Tags set by Stampin' Up!; Calico Borders by Hero Arts/ Studio Calico
Ink: Pool Party, Sahara Sand, Raspberry Ripple, Pink Pirouette, Crumb Cake inks by Stampin' Up!; Versafine Onyx Black ink
Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Pool Party cardstock by Stampin' Up!; patterns from Everyday Eclectic line by Echo Park
Accessories: Sentiment rub on by Karen Foster Designs; Linen Thread, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Jewelry Tag punch, and Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch by Stampin' Up!

I stamped the jar first and then masked around the outside of it before I stamped the hearts inside.  I like how it turned out and will be reaching for this set again soon!  The sentiment is a rub on I've had for many years.  I found them recently and figure I should start using them!

Well, I'm off to do a little stamping and enjoy my quiet time at home today!  I'll leave the shopping for tomorrow and just relax! :)  Hope you are having a great day, too!

-tessa

Happy New Year!

I'm sure it will take a few weeks of writing it to get used to the idea that 2013 is here!  Hope you had a wonderful night last night, ringing it it- did you stay up?  We had our New Year's celebration at 10pm- after an evening filled with many games, ice cream sundaes, and a visit from our good friends.  The girls loved the count down and clinking their fancy glasses full of sparkling cider!

Now I am just thinking over some goals for myself in the new year.  I have one- an important one, too.  It is to find some direction.  I have been feeling a little lost lately, both on my blog and in my personal life.  It is weird how things change and you find yourself saying what was I doing again?  lol!  Luckily, no drama is a part of my reasons for being lost.  I think it has to do with my girls going to school full time.  I have been board at home ever since... I need to figure out what to do next.

As for my blog, I think I've been a little lost since I stopped being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.  It has taken a long time for me to find my spot here- what stamps I like, what style I like, what I like to make... I am feeling much more confident going into this year that I will have something worthwhile to contribute to blog land!  I may not have a 'home' like I did with Stampin' Up! but I am feeling content in where I am now.

One thing I will be doing this year is learning some new skills.  I am planning to focus on something different every month and learning all I can in that field.  For January, I am focusing on family history research.  I have done a lot of my research all ready but I really want to focus on it and learn all I can through the internet.   When I go back to Seattle over the summer, I am planning to scan as many old pictures and documents as I can as well as record some of the stories my grandparents tell me.

I haven't made plans for each month but maybe later today I will make a little list of the things I'd like to learn  more about.

Well, after all those deep thoughts, I guess I should share a card!  I made this card yesterday with a new stamp set I received from my secret santa:

Goodies:

stamps: Picnic set by Basic Grey/ Hero Arts; Hey Day Sentiments by Studio Calico/ Hero Arts
ink: Memento ink in Tuxedo Black
paper: Naturals White, Basic Black cardstock by Stampin' Up!; pink cardstock by Bazzill Basics; patterned paper from Hip Hip Hooray line by Pebbles, Inc
accessories: Copic markers, Dazzling Details and Scallop edge punch by Stampin' Up!

I have been trying to practice my coloring more and here I used some new Copic markers I picked up over the weekend.  I am lucky to have a couple of friends who really know their stuff when it comes to Copics and I am hoping they will teach me all their tips and techniques!

A Blog Named Hero is challenging us this week to use something new and since I got this set for Christmas, I thought I'd link up!  If you have time be sure to check out their current challenge.

Well, I hope you are enjoying the first day of the new year and thank you for stopping by my blog today!  Sorry if reflections aren't your thing... I promise to not do it too often! :)

-tessa