Art. from the heart.

Good morning!

I'm popping in with a 'made just for fun' card I designed recently.  I love the Friendship Mason Jar stamp collection from PaperTrey Ink but haven't played with it as much as I would like to... but I sat down and did some coloring a few weekends ago.

A few notes: I used a couple of different scallop border dies from My Favorite Things for the 'ruffly' trim to the side of the jar.  I die cut a vellum jar and overlaid it on the stamped jar image and like the transparent look it gave.  I tried to use Copics to do and it ended up smearing the ink a bit (ahhh!) so a vellum overlay was the best way to salvage all that coloring!  I used an orange and light brown marker with my marker spritzer to add a few dots of ink to the upper right of the jar.  Finally, I stamped the button with black stazon ink from the polka dot jar image in the stamp set.

Have a great day and I hope you get to have some time to play today!
Jessica

Card Details

Stamps: Friendship Jar & die cuts (PaperTrey Ink)

Ink: Memento; Versafine; PTI; black stazon

Card stock: PTI solid and patterned; vellum

Other: Copics; SU ruffle ribbon; PTI twine; sewing machine; button; MFT scallop border dies 

oh baby!

Good morning!

I'm back with my last Scattered Showers card with you today - at least for a little while!  This was another fun one to make because of the bright color scheme!  This was actually the very first card I made out of all of the ones I've shared.  And, although I said the last one was my favorite, this one is right up there because of those colors.

I used the Baby sentiment and coordinating stamp set on the little ticket die cuts (a My Favorite Things ticket border die) and had fun playing and experimenting with the placement.  I was thinking of adding some ribbon to the right side of the card by the doily but decided to do some stitching and add some flowers instead.  Fun design element that I should try more often I think!

Have a wonderful day, friend!  Thanks for checking in on me!

It's a baby shower.

Good morning!

Are you ready for the next Showers of Blessings card from me?  I still have one more that I'll share this weekend with you - I hope you're not sick of them yet!  I'm so in love with this set, I think I'll be pulling it out soon to make some encouragement cards too as there are some great sentiments in the sets for them!

This card today is one of my favorites of all I've made with the set because I love all the colors, textures, and elements on it and how they 'evolved' into being.  I have someone in mind that I'm going to save this one for as she just found out she is pregnant with her first child - so exciting!  She's actually a former student of mine when I taught fresh out of college and now she's all done with college and just starting her own family!  I love making cards thinking of specific people who may like them and getting inspired through the process of creating something for them while thinking about them and what they like, etc.  (or, at least what I THINK they would like! ha!)

Since no one know if she's having a boy or girl yet, I went color crazy with this one, again using my 'rule' that there can be a bit of pink on a baby shower card for a boy since the MOM is a girl and is the one who will actually be enjoying and receiving the card!  ha!  It's my story and I'm sticking to it! 

This time, I used the sentiments from the Wonderful Words: Baby set for the tags, not the coordinating die sentiment.  So fun to make!

Have a great day and I do wish YOU showers of blessings today!
Jessica

Bridal Shower blessing.

Good morning!

I'm back with another Scattered Showers card to share with you today.  I shared several cards last week with this set and today I have a soft and delicate bridal shower one to show.  I played around a bit with a small glassine bag, trying some different techniques with it.  I watercolored it and embossed it and by the time I was done it was so delicate that I knew there was no way that I could use it as a pocket (because it would just fall apart!) but thought it was pretty so I didn't want to trash it... so, I used it as the starting point for this card!

I've always liked the colors blue and yellow together and decided to add just a pop of pink for a feminine touch.  One of the young ladies in our church is getting married soon, so this card was made for her - I hope she'll like it! 

Have a wonderful Monday!

Jessica

Bright Bridal Shower congrats.

Good morning!

I'm back with another Scattered Showers card this morning for you - I still have three more but I'll wait until next week to share the rest of them with you since you may be getting tired of the set by now!  Today's card was a fun one to make with all the bright patterned papers and colors.  

I love the smaller card size and need to try to use it more often.  I like letting the design elements hang a bit off the sides and with the 3.75" side there's plenty of room to do that while still having the card be able to fit in a standard envelope.

This time I made the card for a bridal shower and added the 'congrats' die cut sentiment from the tag.  Remember how I told you that usually my cards 'evolve' from the previous ones?  Since I already have everything out anyway, I usually try to make several cards at a time - it's just what has always worked for me!

Have a great day and thank you so much for checking in on me today!
Jessica

Girly showers of blessings.

Good morning!

I'm back today with another Scattered Showers card I made over the weekend for my card stash.  This time I was thinking of a girly shower - like for a baby girl or even a bride!  Lots of fun playing with washi tapes in all shades of pink!  Love that subtle pop of Aqua Mist on the tag.

My second card uses pinks and purples with just a touch of turquoise.  This time I went all baby with the adorable 'baby' die cut sentiment as part of the tag.  In my mind, just because the mom may be having a boy - there can be a bit of purple and pink on her shower card because SHE is a girl!  ha!  

You can see that I mimicked the colors on the card with my baker's twines from The Twinery: Blossom, Caribbean, and Lilac - so fun!

I'll be back soon with some more Scattered Showers cards - when I work on a new set, I always make several cards as that's how the design process seems to work for me!  Each card evolves out of the last!

Have a great day!
Jessica

Showers of blessings.

Good morning!

Has it been raining like crazy this weekend where you live too?  Saturday night into early Sunday morning we had some pretty big storms with thunder, lightning, downpouring rain and even some hail mixed in...which made for not the best sleeping as we all woke up to our house shaking with the loud thunder claps!  It's been pretty dry, so I know we need it but YIKES!  It was a rather rude awakening!

The good thing about April showers is (well, you know the rhyme!), they help bring in May flowers and green grass and buds on the trees... ah!  Love Spring and all the new colors that emerge after such a long, cold, white & gray winter.

Over the past few weekends when I've had a bit of free time, I pulled out a new to me stamp set collection from PaperTrey Ink called Scattered Showers to make some Bridal & Baby shower cards for my stash.  I didn't have a set quite like this one in my stash and I've been eyeing it for quite awhile as it's a pretty old set of theirs.  I'll be sharing several cards I made over the next week or so that I made with the two stamp sets and coordinating dies - they were so fun to play with!

For my card today, I stamped the scene on some white cardstock and embossed the entire panel with the Guidelines Impression plate - one of my favorites for the subtle texture it adds.  Then, you can see that I added the tag and umbrellas on top to finish it off.  Just a bit of buttercream baker's twine from The Twinery was the only real embellishment I added besides the button to the sun.

A pretty flat card, easy to mail that can be used for just about any occasion, don't you think?  Most of the others I made are specific to babies or weddings but not this one.

It's always great to get a chance to play with stamps just for fun, isn't it?  I love working on assignments too, don't get me wrong but playing just to play - is pretty great. 

Have a great day and I wish YOU showers of blessings on the Monday morning!
Jessica

One in a melon.

Good morning!

Today's card was a fun one to make, with lots of patterns, colors, and textures!  I love October Afternoon patterned papers!  I used the adorable Fruit Fusion: melon stamp set from PaperTrey Ink for the stamps and just began to play with scraps from my scrap bin, using the papers as my inspiration.

Thanks for checking in on me today!

Have a 'one in a melon' day!
Jessica

Happy 17th birthday to my son.

Good morning!

Today I'm sharing the card I made for my son's birthday a few days ago.  He loves the color green so I thought I'd use that color with silvers and blacks.  Masculine/teen boy cards aren't the easiest to make for us card makers but I have to say that this one was pretty fun to work on!

I used dies and stamps from PaperTrey Ink - I love the size of those candles & numbers!  

Birthday Trio die collection

By the Numbers die collection

By The Numbers mat die collection

Suffix Style die collection

Polka Dot Parade #12 die

Polka Dot Parade #12

The 'birthday' sentiment was die cut twice - once with soft stone patterned paper and once in vellum, to soften it a bit.  The gunmetal twine is from The Twnery - love their shimmery baker's twine line!

For Isaiah's birthday note, I almost always try to put a list of things I love about him at the age he turns, so it was fun writing the 17 things I appreciate right now.  He is such a good kid and is becoming a great man - I'm blessed to call him my son.

Here's my favorite photo of him just shortly after his first birthday:

He looked like such a big boy with his hair trimmed around his ears and sitting so big and tall.  In all reality, he was a tiny little peanut - not even 20 pounds yet and in the 3rd percentile for his height.  He is still pretty small for his age - and he probably always will be on the shorter side since it's in his genes.

'

And, here he is today at Christmas time.  Almost all grown up but still my little guy at his heart.  Love this little man.

Thanks for endulging this mama today who is counting her blessings.  

I hope YOU have a great day, filled with lots of blessings & things to be thankful for too!

Jessica

XOXO

Good morning!

I have a card to share with you today that I made using an adorable snowman from PaperTrey Ink's Made of Snow Mini stamp set and coordinating die.  I didn't realize until I took this photo that one of his arms was tucked behind himself... oops!

The sentiment is from Verve, stamped on a tag from PTI.  The jingle bell border is a Memory Box die that I die cut from silver foam sticker paper - so delicate and fun!  I even added a snowbank cut from felt, embellished with some stickles for snow.

Have a great day!

Jessica

Silver Bells Thank you

Good morning!

Are you in need of thank you cards this season as much as I am - I always like to keep them on hand for a quick thank you!?  I had fun making a couple for my stash using a variety of products for them.  I love stamping for fun, don't you?

Both of my cards today use some stamps from PaperTrey Ink (snowflakes and tags) along with a thank you sentiment from Stampendous.  I also used the same Memory Box jingle bell die with the silver glitter fun foam sticker paper.  I added some of my old felt snowflakes that I've had in my stash FOREVER... glad to use them!

My first card uses some charcoal stripe baker's twine for a quick wrap along with some stone stripe baker's twine for my second one.

Have a great day!

Jessica

Birthday wishes

Good morning!

Today I have a bright birthday card to share with you today that I made using PaperTrey Ink's Baby Button Bits and coordinating dies.  I think this cupcake image is one of my very favorites and since it can be used for birthdays and not for babies... it's perfect, in my book for my collection!

I colored the image with Copics and then pulled out some fun turquoise, red, and black papers for my card - love them together!  I embossed the card front with PTI's grid lines impression plate, one of my favorites from their line and one I use often.

I also used Wonderful Words: Birthday die cut and coordinating stamp set (for the wishes sentiment).

Have a great day!
Jessica

Wintery Thank you card

Good morning!

Today I'm sharing the last of my thank you cards that I made using this Stampendous thank you sentiment.  Once again, I used some PaperTrey Ink's tags, stamped with coordinating stamp sets and the Snowflake Medley stamp set.

I used some snowflake plastic die cuts from my stash - I'm not even sure who they are from since I don't have the packaging anymore.  Both cards also have some stone stripe baker's twine along with the fun jingle bell die from Memory box on my second card.

Have a great day!

Jessica

Shades of Red - Winter Thank you's!

Good morning!

I have three more thank you cards to share with you today that I made using a thank you sentiment from Stampendous stamped on PaperTrey Ink stamped tags.  These ones all use the same color scheme: red, green, and linen... so traditional and fun.

My first two cards also uses some maraschino striped baker's twine and more of my felt and plastic snowflakes from my stash.  I also used PTI's Made of Snow Mini stamp set with the coordinating die - those little snowmen are adorable!

It's a bit hard to see, but there is an acrylic die cut snowflake layered under the sentiment tag, cut from some old packaging I saved for just such a reason.  The snowflake die is an older Sizzix/Stampin Up die - not sure if that's still available or not but it's a favorite of mine.  I added some flax stripe baker's twine on this card to help soften the reds.

Have a great day!

Snowflake Thank you

I have some more thank you cards to share with you today that I made using lots of fun products in my stash.   I love the soft colors of these ones today.  It may be hard to see, but I layered an acetate snowflake over the white one.  

I used the same Stampendous thank you on the PaperTrey Ink tags for both of my cards today.  Once again, I wrapped some stone stripe baker's twine on this first card - love how well it matches the papers.

My second card is a bit simpler, but still with the same colors... love them so much! 

Have a wonderful day!

Jessica

Hugs and Kisses

Good morning!

Today's card was made with Valentines in mind, using The Craft's Meow Hogs & Kisses and Rustic Greetings (for the stripes).  Both of these stamp sets are on sale and available for a limited time... so get them while you can if you love them as much as I do!  

(The links may not work if they have already sold out...)

Card Details

Stamps: Little Angels & Rustic Greetings (TCM)

Ink: Stampin Up; Memento

Cardstock: PTI white

Other: seam binding ribbon; PTI fillable frame die & stamp set; Copics; Corner rounder; PTI heart die

Have a great day!

Jessica

hello new baby.

Good morning!

I have another baby card to share with you, and no... I don't have anyone I know that is having a baby at this time - I just love this PaperTrey Ink Baby Button Bits stamp set and coordinating dies, so I'm adding these cards to my stash!  lol!

This card is quite bold with and interesting color combination.  The tones match better in person than they seem to online.  I added some stone stripe baker's twine for my ribbon treatment - you just can't go wrong with twine on your cards in my book!

I also used PTI's new Wonderful Words: Baby stamp set with its coordinating die.

Have a great day!
Jessica

Class Birthday cards

Good morning!

Today, I thought I'd share the cards I made to give the students in my class this year on their birthdays.  I have a 'monkey/jungle' theme in my classroom so I used some products to echo that theme a bit.  The stamp set is PaperTrey Ink's It's a Jungle Out There along with the coordinating dies.  Such a fun set to play with for these cards!

I used a Sizzix leopard print embossing folder for the background and PTI's Mat Stack 5 stamp set and coordinating die to anchor the animals onto the card front.  I added a scallop border die cut along with some Caribbean stripe baker's twine for a quick embellishment to finish them off.

I even decorated the envelopes!  

Fun set of cards to have on hand for all the little birthdays this year!

Have a great day!

Jessica

cute as a button - baby cards.

Good morning!

Today I have 3 baby cards that I made recently using PaperTrey Ink's Baby Button Bits stamp set with its coordinating dies.  I've been in love with this set ever since it came out and am happy to have it in my collection now.

Such a cute baby rattle - with lots of purple!  A color I hardly ever use or wear for that matter...

My next card is all about pink with a splash of red.  This teddy bear is one of my all time favorite images in this set and so easy to use for lots of occasions, don't you think?

My last card isn't as photogenic as the first two... the greens look terrible together online but I promise they are prettier in person.  This little snail is so adorable with his button wheels...

Check out my 'cute as a button' niece:

Have a great day - and thank you for stopping by!
Jessica

do not give up.

Good morning!

I have another PaperTrey Ink Autumn Abundance stamp set and coordinating die paired with Verve's Plain Jane scripture sentiment card to share with you today!  Whew - that was a mouthful!  lol!

I went soft and pretty in blues for my card today, adding just a bit of patterned paper, doily, sewing, and seam binding ribbon to it.

In other news, today is my daughter Ashley's 13th birthday!  

She is such a treasure - I'm blessed to have her as my daughter and look forward to lots more years with this little princess.

Have a great day!
Jessica