Winter Cards

It's amazing how fast time flies this time of year! I thought I'd better post a few of the holiday cards I've done so far before Christmas gets here! :)

I was inspired by the colors in the Candy Cane Christmas papers... they are so pretty together! I also made another cute penguin guy...hee!





I'm going to keep it short so if you have any questions, please ask...
Hope you are enjoying the last few days before the holiday season really starts going fast! Thanks for stopping by to peek!

-tessa

Christmas Treats- Penguin Style!

I loved the design of Allison's treats and have been wanting to CASE them for some time now. Here is my version of her great idea:



Stamps: Christmas Greetings
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie cardstock
Accessories: Top Note die, Owl Punch, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Real Red polka-dot grosgrain ribbon.

Aren't they fun? Hee! I've seen these darling penguins popping up on Splitcoast and on other blogs I read lately and had to make some of my own! It's my first try at punch art and they were super easy to do- they only extra cut you have to make is to trim the owl's ears off- everything else is the punch as is!

Hope you enjoy your day!

-tessa

Sweet Little Boo Card

Hi! I thought I'd pop on really quick and post a fun little card that includes a gift I made yesterday:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up! (except for the felt)

Stamps: Tiny Tags, Woodgrain
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Crumb Cake classic inks
Paper: Crumb Cake cardstock; Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie textured cardstock; In Colors DSP
Accessories: Sanding Block, Jewelery Tag punch, Linen Thread; white felt and black DMC thread

While perusing through my blog reader yesterday I found this write up about a fun book called Witch Craft. I thought the little ghostie pin was too cute so I decided to give it a try! And of course, when I was done with it, I had to put it on a card! :) Hee! It has a pin, too so that when I give it away, the recipient can wear it.

I love it when I'm inspired to try something new! How about you? Have you ventured into new crafts on a whim lately?

Hope you are enjoying your day!

-tessa

A Fun Felt Flower

Hi!

Today is rainy and gloomy outside so my girls and I are getting our craft on! Nat and Zoey have been busy creating play-doh treats and boy is it keeping them busy- they've been at it all afternoon! Since they were having so much fun, I sat down and made a fun card to play along with the latest Embellish Magazine Challenge. Here is what I made:



All Supplies by Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, A Word for You
Ink: Early Espresso classic ink; Versamark
Paper: Very Vanilla cardstock; Pink Pirouette textured cardstock; Playdate DSP
Accessories: Subtles designer buttons, Clear embossing powder, paper piercer; baker's twine and felt- craft supply

I created the flower by hand. I started by cutting five ovals out of the felt. I folded each of them in half and ran a running stitch through the folded side. When they were all finished, I knotted the ends of thread together tightly to create the flower shape. It didn't take too much time and I think it turned out pretty cute!

I wanted to keep the design simple so that the flower would really stand out. I added a few swirls using the Baroque Motifs set to the background and heat embossed them with clear powder.

OK! I better get dinner started- I'm going to make curry so I have lots of fresh veggies to chop. Hee! It's all worth it though- curry is my favorite! Hope you are enjoying your day! Thanks for popping in to check out my card.

-tessa

A Christmas Swap

Hi!

One fun thing about winning the Artisan Award has been swapping with the other winners! They are so talented and it is such a treat to receive such great cards from them all! Our swap this season was for winter or Christmas cards using a Clean and Simple design. Here is what I came up with:


All products are by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Cute Christmas set; Four the Holidays set
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Perfect Pear, Real Red, Basic Black classic inks
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi cardstock; Candy Cane Christmas DSP
Accessories: Linen Thread, Pretty in Pink satin ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds

I tried to keep it Clean and Simple but added a little envelope on the front for a picture, money, or a little love note.



I had lots of fun playing along! Hopefully the other girls and Richard will post their cards soon because they are beautiful! I've got links to all of their blogs over ----> on my sidebar.


Hope you enjoy your day! Thanks for stopping by!

-tessa

A Sympathy Card

A friend called and asked me to make a sympathy card for her. I don't know the person it's going to but I wanted to create a pretty and soothing card for them. I automatically thought of the Just Believe set and the watercolor technique that was used in the SU! convention make and takes. Here is what I came up with:

All products are Stampin' Up!

Goodies:
Stamps: Just Believe set, Thoughts and Prayers set
Ink: Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake classic inks
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Rich Razzleberry cardstock; Soft Suede textured cardstock; watercolor paper; Parisian Breeze DSP
Accessories: Color Spritzer, Scallop Edge punch, Decorative Label punch, Linen Thread, Paper Piercer

I hope this card lets the recipient know that her friend is thinking of her!

Thanks for stopping by,

-tessa

Autumn Thank You Card

Hello!

Hope you've had a great week! I'm up early today so I thought I'd pop on and update while my girls are still asleep! I've been busy creating lately so I have lots of cards to share- I've been very busy with life, too, so getting on the computer has been a little tricky! Hopefully I can add them all in the coming days.

Anyways, today I thought I'd share this simple card I made last week:

All products by Stampin' Up (except for the thread :))

Goodies:

Stamps: Day of Gratitude set; I {Heart} Hearts set
Ink: Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake classic inks
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White cardstock; Play Date DSP
Accessories: Build-a-brad, Paper Piercer, Play Date Quick Accents, DMC Thread

My daughter had a shirt on that totally inspired the layout of this card. I loved the stitching intermixed with the patterns and am very happy with how it turned out.

Are you ever inspired by things you see on clothing?

Have a great weekend!

-tessa

Christmas Swaps for Regional!

Tomorrow morning I'm on my way to the Stampin' Up! regionals in Baltimore, MD! I'm excited to spend the day with lots of people who are just as excited about stamping as I am! Hee! Of course, with all those stampers gathering, we bring lots of swaps! Here is what I created for mine:

All products by Stampin' Up!

I did the faux letterpress design on the background piece by brayering Whisper White craft ink onto one side of my Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and then running it through my machine with Crumb Cake cardstock. It is really pretty and adds a whole new dimension to the texture.

Well, hope you are enjoying your evening! I'm off to gather all my goodies together for tomorrow...

-tessa

First Christmas Card of the Season...

I decided to break out the Christmas goodies finally... I've been looking at them for months now, and even though it's a hot 70 something degrees outside, I felt like making something for the holidays. I seriously think fall is going to skip us this year!

My inspiration for this card comes from the most recent Just Add Ink sketch challenge. Isn't it a great one? Here is the card I made:

All products by Stampin' Up!

I realized with this card that I don't have any nice sized snowflake stamps. I've added them to my wishlist- it would have been nice to have a few different sized flakes going on with this card.

OK! Off to make something yummy for dinner! Hope you are having a great day!

-tessa

Simple Apple Blossom Card

Hello!

Today I'm sharing another card using the Apple Blossom hostess set. I just love it! It has become my favorite go-to stamp set of the moment and it's easy to see why! Pretty focal point stamps; great background stamps; and heartfelt sentiments, too! What more could a girl want out of a stamp set. :)

All Products by Stampin' Up!

I opted for a simple look with this card and only added the patterned paper at the bottom when I stamped my first attempt at a sentiment lopsided... hee! Thank goodness for happy mistakes, right?

I hope you are enjoying your day!

-tessa

A Fall Card

Hi! I made this card awhile ago but thought I'd share it today- I was waiting for more fall like weather but where I live it's still 90 degrees outside! Now, I'm not complaining... I'm not looking forward to winter being here yet but it does seem a little weird being so nice outside!

Anyways, here is my nice, fall-like card:


All products by Stampin' Up!


This one was a lot of fun to make! I stamped the leaves onto Crumb Cake cardstock and heat embossed them with white powder. Next, I watercolored the entire background with my favorite fall colors. I love how it looks!

Well, I hope you are all enjoying Autumn wherever you live! Thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa

Little Witch Card

Good Morning!

Today is Zoey's 3rd day of kindergarten and she is loving it! I am still getting used to the new routine... and Natalie is still getting used to not having her big sister around all the time! Hopefully by next week it will be a little easier for us. :)

With school starting, I've been thinking about fall (ha! the weather here is a little behind- it's been in the 90s still!) and Halloween, too! I made this cute card over the weekend:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Greeting Card Kids, Tiny Tags, Paisley Party Wheel
Ink: Pear Pizazz, Rich Razzleberry, Peach Parfait, Soft Suede, So Saffron, Basic Black, Basic Grey, Blush Blossom, Blushing Bride classic inks; Jet Black Staz On
Paper: Confetti White, Rich Razzleberry, Peach Parfait, Pear Pizazz, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake cardstock; Blushing Bride textured cardstock
Accessories: Decor Elements Applicator tool, Scallop Edge punch, Jewelery Punch, Linen Thread, Aqua Painter, Blender pens

This little cutie is painted using my Blender pens and residual inks from my ink pads. I tried to use my aqua painter first and some spots were so tiny, it was much easier for me to just use the pens. I traded for my painter though in some of the larger areas.

Also, I want to point out that if you haven't used your Decor Elements Applicator tool in your card making, try it! I used it on this card to curl up the edges of my background strips. I love how soft it makes them! You could probably use your bone folder to get the same effect as well!

Well, I hope your week is going well! I am thankful mine is going by fast and that the weekend is almost here! I've got some stamping planned for Saturday night and I can't wait!

Thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa

Cowboy Card

Good morning! I am so excited that today is Friday! My hubby has an extra-long long weekend, too so I can't wait to relax!

Today's card was inspired by the cross country trip we took over the summer- Wyoming and South Dakota, in particular... These were two of my favorite states that we visited. The scenery was amazing- painted deserts, beautiful mountains, prairies... and in some spots, it still felt like the wild west. The archeologist/ historian in me would love to live there but, being married to a guy who loves the city, I know it will never happen! Hee! So, when I got home and put in my giant SU! order, I had to add this cowboy to my list:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Out West, Style Beautiful
Ink: Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Not Quite Navy, Going Grey classic inks; Jet Black Staz On; Versamark
Paper: Dusty Durango, Marina Mist, Early Espresso, Confetti White cardstock; Newsprint DSP
Accessories: Clear embossing powder, Hemp Twine, Aqua Painter

I used one of the stamps from the Style Beautiful set in the background- they kind of remind me of the west, too... maybe a belt buckle or something? I watercolored the main image using residual ink from my stamp pads and an aqua painter. I also pulled apart the strip of Early Espresso to give it that soft suedey look- have you tried that yet? Such a fun way to make texture for your card!

I love the simplicity of this card and now, I can't wait to make more using this set! I may have to order the In Wilderness set next... I found a new love for buffalo, too while driving through Yellowstone!

Thanks for visiting today!

-tessa,

New Glittery Paper!

I always love Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Mini Catalog... and this years is the best yet! I seriously want everything inside it! Hee! One of my favorite things is the variety of patterned paper they are offering. I couldn't resist and ordered two of them already! Today's cards are made with the Candy Cane Christmas DSP pack- it is a specialty DSP so there is beautiful red glitter added to some of the designs! Here are my cards so you can take a peek:




Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes, Sock Monkey
Ink: Crumb Cake, Real Red classic inks; Jet Black Staz On
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze cardstock; Garden Green textured cardstock; Candy Cane Christmas DSP
Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, paper piercer, Candy Cane big designer buttons, DMC thread

Can you tell I'm not in a Christmas mood yet? I thought these papers could work for a variety of occasions- not just Christmas! I love the look of this paper pieced little monkey! Also, can you tell how big those buttons are?? They are big and hearty!

The next card is a mini card using a new set out of the mini- Paisley Prints:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Paisley Prints
Ink: Blushing Bride classic ink; Versamark
Paper: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Wild Wasabi cardstock; Garden Green textured cardstock; Candy Cane Christmas DSP
Accessories: Clear Circle Rhinestone brads, Clear embossing powder, Scallop Edge punch, Decorative Label punch

I had lots of fun playing with these new goodies! I think the buttons and the new Decorative Label punch are going to be my favorites this season...

If you haven't taken a peek yet, sneak over to the Stampin' Up! website to check out this years holiday mini! I'm sure you'll love everything in it just as much as I did!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

-tessa

A Trio of Projects

Hello there!

Well, I made it across country for the second time this summer and I'm finally home and getting back into the swing of things! Today I thought I'd share a few little projects I've been working on this week.

My mojo is still on vacation so this first one is a CASE of Twila Mooningham's card- I think her designs are so clever and cute! Here is my card:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake
Paper: Chocolate Chip textured cardstock; Whisper White, Crumb Cake cardstock; Greenhouse Gala DSP
Accessories: Certainly Celery satin ribbon, Scallop Edge punch, Curly Label punch, Basic Pearls


Since I liked how that one turned out, I decided to keep the color scheme and make a few other things with it! Next up is a hand sanitizer holder- my sweet friend Kiesha brought me these last year and I loved the idea! I think she got the tutorial here, from Natasha Zandbergen- isn't it a great idea! I think it will be the perfect little gift for Zoey's teacher on her first day of school!



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Apple Blossoms
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizazz
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White cardstock; Greenhouse Gala DSP
Accessories: Whisper White 1/2" taffeta ribbon, Decorative Label punch, Basic Pearls
Other: Foaming hand sanitizer from Bath & Body Works

I was tickled with how that one turned out!

I've been wanting to scrapbook lately, too so I thought I'd have a go at a page using this color scheme, too! Here it is:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, I {Heart} Hearts, Lovely Letters Alphabet
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizazz
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip cardstock; Greenhouse Gala DSP; Newpsrint DSP
Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, Top Note die, paper piercer, White Signo gel pen, Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, Decorative Label punch

I love this picture of my dad and his brother and sisters when they were young! I wonder what was making them laugh? I was picturing my Grandpa Herman standing off to the side doing something silly... hee!

For the title and journaling, I printed the text first and then stamped in the 'young' part... I had to make a few test prints to get it how I wanted it but I love how it turned out!

Well, I hope your week is off to a great start! I'm expecting a HUGE package from UPS today so I'll hopefully have lots to share this week!

Thanks for stopping by!

-tessa

Play Scrapbook Page

Here is my last entry for the Artisan Award Contest! It is a scrapbook page of my daughter Zoey. She was playing at the park when I took this photo so that is where the inspiration for my title came from. Here it is:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts
Ink: Ruby Red classic ink; Versamark
Paper: Whisper White cardstock; Chocolate Chip textured cardstock; Sweet Pea DSP, The Write Stuff DSP, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
Accessories: Dimensionals, Photo Corner punch, On Board chipboard alphabet, Crystal Effects

I wanted to piece together the panel at the bottom sort of crazy like a quilt. I loved putting all of the patterns from my left over DSP together to create the look. I left the chipboard letters in thier original color but added a little Crystal Effects to each one to make them glossy. I also originally didn't put any stamping on the page and then had a second thought about adding some- I mean really- the contest is for a stamping company after all! Hee! I love how it turned out though!

Don't forget to stop by the other Artisan's blogs as well:

Heather Van Duker
Elizabeth Price
Renee Ballard
Angela Timms
Jodie Olver
Becky Cowley
Andrea Munro
Richard Garay
Tessa Wise (you are here)

Thanks for hopping with us for the last two weeks! I've had so much fun and it's really kept me on my toes with blog posts!

-tessa

A Recycled Cereal Box

Who knew an old cereal box could turn into something so cute! Hee! I created this magazine holder with a recycled cereal box for my last 3-d project for the Artisan Awards contest. Here it is:





Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Vintage Vogue, Always, Hope Happens
Ink: Versamark; Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, Pale Plum classic ink
Paper: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Whisper White cardstock; Rich Razzleberry textured cardstock
Accessories: Soft Suede polka-dot grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Edge punch, Clear circle rhinestones, Hemp Twine, Circle Punch, Dimensionals

It's pretty easy to make at home- I just used a marker and a ruler to draw the lines where I wanted to cut the box and then cut it out. Then, just decorate and you've got a fun, cute place to put all your Stampin' Success magazines! I think I might make another one of these for my studio area... I did a lot of hand cutting for the front of the box. I wanted to add a pretty detail that framed the quote. I love how pretty the branch flowers from the Always set turned out.

Don't forget to checkout the other Artisan Award winner's blogs! We've got a few more days on our blog hop!

Heather Van Duker
Elizabeth Price
Renee Ballard
Angela Timms
Jodie Olver
Becky Cowley
Andrea Munro
Richard Garay
Tessa Wise (you are here)

Thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa

Birthday Wishes Card

Here is the last card I made for the Artisan Awards contest. I love the bright colors with the Soft Suede and Crumb Cake... don't they just pop? Here is the card:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: A Little Birthday Cheer, Crazy for Cupcakes
Ink: Soft Suede, Basic Black classic ink
Paper: Soft Suede, Real Red, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Crumb Cake cardstock
Accessories: Polka-dot Impressions folder, Bermuda Bay Polka-dot Grosgrain ribbon, Crystal Effects, Scallop Edge punch, Dimensionals, Hemp Twine

This one was fun to do- I actually made it for someone's birthday but since I was down to the wire for the Artisan Award deadline, I decided to send it in instead. Hee! The shiny balloons are my favorite!

Here are the links to the rest of the Artisan Award winners who are participating in the blog hop:

Heather Van Duker
Elizabeth Price
Renee Ballard
Angela Timms
Jodie Olver
Becky Cowley
Andrea Munro
Richard Garay
Tessa Wise (you are here)

Thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa

Grow Scrapbook Page

Today's post is a scrapbook page of my daughter Zoey. I wanted to create a bright, graphic type of page that showed off the picture more then anything. Since the picture was of Zoey in the fall, I grabbed Season of Friendship yet again for a fun fall tree:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Season of Friendship
Ink: Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry classic ink
Paper: Very Vanilla cardstock; Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie textured cardstock; Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, chipboard letters, dimensionals

I'm loving this color scheme! I'll have to make some fall cards when I get home...

Here are the links to the rest of the Artisan Award winners who are participating in the blog hop:

Heather Van Duker
Elizabeth Price
Renee Ballard
Angela Timms
Jodie Olver
Becky Cowley
Andrea Munro
Richard Garay
Tessa Wise (you are here)

Thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa

Simple Birds Card

Hi!

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend! I've got a full day of driving ahead of me- we should be in Bismark, ND for dinner tonight. My mother in law and I are heading to the Mall of America for a couple of days and then down to my house in Virginia... I can't wait to be home! Hee!

I'm participating in the Artisan Award blog hop again this week. Today's card is probably the simplest one I did but I loved how it turned out! Here it is:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: The More the Merrier, Woodgrain
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie classic ink;, Versamark; Jet Black StazOn ink
Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink cardstock; Not Quite Navy, Melon Mambo textured cardstock
Accessories: Corner Rounder punch, Scallop Edge punch, Latte' button assortment, Hemp Twine, Aqua Painter, Dazzling Diamonds glitter

The birds are watercolored and I added a little glitter to thier hearts for some sparkle but really, that is it! Really simple!

Be sure to check out the rest of the Artisans who are hopping with me this week!

Heather Van Duker
Elizabeth Price
Renee Ballard
Angela Timms
Jodie Olver
Becky Cowley
Andrea Munro
Richard Garay
Tessa Wise (you are here)

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by!

-tessa