Wow!

Well, I'm here wandering around the convention center!  I picked up a bag full of goodies and strolled the display area... so many cute things!  I thought I would share a quick picture of my Artisan Awards project display- I till can't believe that I am among the winners!  Wow!  All of the projects are so creative and well done.

Ok... better go!  I just walked in to Memento Mall!

-tessa

Little Bird Card

Hello!

Today I'm finally on my way to the Stampin' Up! annual convention! Hee! I'm so excited to experience it first hand! I'm one of those people who lurk online during convention time in hopes that someone will post about all the fun they're having and the exciting announcements being made... I can't wait to be there in person this year!!

I created some swaps to share with some of the people I meet this week- I guess swapping is quite the thing but since I've been travelling, I've only been able to make about 30 swap cards all together and 14 of those are for the Artisan Award winners swap... (I'll post that one after our dinner!).



Goodies:
all products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Fifth Avenue Floral, Hope happens
Ink: Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Early Esspresso classic inks; Versamark
Paper: Crumb Cake, Rose Red, Confetti White cardstock; Pumpkin Pie textured cardstock; Greenhouse Gala DSP; Newsprint DSP
Accessories: Pretty in Pink satin ribbon, Two step bird punch, Curly Label punch, Champagne Shimmer paint, Scallop Edge punch

I tried to keep this one simple but add lots of different textures at the same time. I added shimmer paint to the center dots of the flowers with a tiny paint brush for a little bit of glitz and also distressed all of the edges with a little Crumb Cake ink and a sponge dauber. They were fun to put together, especially since I've been having withdrawls from my craft room! Hee!

OK! Hope you are enjoying your day! I can't wait to see what Stampin' Up! has in store for us this year!!

-tessa

More from our cross country trip...

We've been enjoying our trip so much! We arrived in Washington State a few weeks ago and have been spending our time camping and visiting friends and relatives all over the state. I love it! Hee! Here are a few pictures from our trip...

Farmland in the Skagit Valley, WA

Desert landscape in Wyoming

Mount Rushmore

My family at the Badlands National Park in South Dakota

Zoey by the prairie lands in South Dakota

Isn't it amazing how beautiful America is? I don't think I truely appreciated our country until this trip. I really loved seeing the rolling praries, mountains, and farmland between the coasts. And the people? We've met so many nice people along the way! Telling us what to do and see... visiting with us like we were old friends... it really has been great!

Up next is my first Stampin' Up Convention! Yahoo!! I'll post my swap cards in the next couple of days and hopefully I can take some pictures of my Artisan Award projects to share with you, too! All of the winners are planning a little blog hop when we get back from convention so don't worry if you aren't going- we should have plenty to share! Hee!

Hope you all are enjoying the summer as much as I am! It truely is one to remember!

-tessa

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