Excitement is in the air (or at least the UPS truck!)

Happy Friday, my scrappy friends!

I'm back, and though it's been a long week, I'm starting to feel a little normal again!  Thank you all for your condolences and kind words!

This is just a short post to get me back into the swing of things, and share some things I have created over the last two weeks.

I made this little bag using the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge, but I can't wait to get my Big Shot to make these with, since I know it will go so much faster.  The squirril is from Create a Critter, and the tag is EK Success's Curly Label punch. I have two people in my life who are having baby girls this month, and this little creation is destined for one of them!

Paper: Designer paper is from my stash; all other paper is Stampin' Up!, which is cuts awesomely on the Cricut.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Stampin' Up! Melon Mambo

This is the gift bag I made for my husband's birthday last week.  The font comes from the A Child's Year cart (one of my favorite fonts), and the arrow is from Going Places. 

Paper: Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip & Whisper White; Orange striped paper is scrap from my stash.

Ink: Chocolate Chip

And finally, a picture of my favorite creation of all time with my favorite husband:

Isn't he cute?  Since it was his dad's birthday, I let him wear a shirt that says "Rad like Dad".  I am blessed!

Before I go, I have to say that I am uber excited, because I just found out that my two (yep, that's right, I ordered enough to fill two boxes!) boxes are in route from Stampin' Up! and will be here Monday!  Hence the title of this post.  I can't wait! Come on, Brown Man! 

Thanks for looking, and please leave a comment to let me know you were here!

Until next time,

Jessica

P.S.  Don't forget the new Idea Book & Catalog was just released!  Check out my site using the link at the top of the page to get all of your scrapping goodies, and if you are in town, plan to stop by my house on the 17th sometime between 2:00 & 4:00 to get a book, see some great projects, and make a couple for yourself! If you aren't in town, contact me and I will get one in the mail to you!

My first blog award!

So, as for that goal of posting every day...well life happens, right?  I have to say I'm sorry to my loving and fabulous followers for my unannounced absence, but it has been a rather difficult week.  After a long life lived blessing others, my grandmother passed away Friday night.  She had been ill for some time, and losing her was expected, but it has been difficult none the less and has made my attention span extremely short.  In fact, it has taken me nearly a week to write this post.  But on to the good stuff! 

My first blog award!  My good friend from high school, Sarah over at SaySomethingSarah.blogspot.com has blessed me with the Beautiful Blogger award!

Isn't she sweet?  Sarah's blog brings out the best in it's readers, reminding us to cherish our blessings, do our part in making the world a better place, AND eat our veggies.  (You can't blame her-she is a dietician!) 

The rules of this award are that I am to tell you a few things you may not know about me and then pass this award on to other new bloggers.

Here are five things you might not know:

1) I love lima beans and asparagus, both of which disgust my husband.

2) I have an immense fear of the dentist.

3) I continued being a band nerd long after high school by being a color guard sponsor (and I didn't even twirl in high school!)

4) I was addicted to the CW show Gilmore Girls; I've seen every episode at least once.

5) My husband first picked me up in a parking lot.  Literally.  Picked. Me. Up. 

So now to pass this on to new bloggers.  I'm not really sure that all of my blogs will count as new, but I do love them!

1) One of my lifelong friends from my college years, Adam Frazier, is the amazing photographer at www.artisticimaging.com/blog.  Adam actually flew all the way from Vegas to Kansas City to photograph my wedding, and everytime someone new views my photos for the first time they always say "These are the most amazing wedding pictures I have ever seen!"  Check him out, and you will see why!

2) Number two goes to a new friend (I can hear that old Camp Fire song running through my head now!), Stephanie, over at www.stephanieandthebug.blogspot.com/.  She is a wonderful artist, a soon to be fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator, and loves her "bug" as much as I love mine!

3) The third slot goes to a blog that details the (sometimes) weekly musings and adventures of a high school friend of mine.  I would never have known about her blog, except that she posts her updates to Facebook, and now everytime there's a new FB update, I'm sure to drop by.  What can I say?  I'm a stalker.  Want to know the random, amusing, and sometimes thought provoking events in someone else's life?  Check out http://www.thebenicas.blogspot.com/. 

Since I've spent nearly a week writing this post, I think I must leave it there, but there are so many other blogs that I follow that deserve Beautiful Blogger awards!

Thanks for your patience with my lack of posts.  I have been able to spend some time in my Craft Cave this week, thanks to my wonderful husband who knows that sometimes a girl just needs to clear her head by making a mess with paper, and I will have plenty to post soon because I JUST PLACED MY ORDER FROM THE NEW CATALOG!!! Can you tell I'm excited?  I've been plotting and planning my projects for my display board and my make and takes for the open house I'm hosting on July 17th.  I can't wait until the great big box lands on my doorstep.  Hopefully that will be very soon--there isn't too much time left for me to prepare!

Need to place an order for yourself, or just want to see what all of the hubub is about?  Check out my SU! website by clicking on the tab at the top of this page.  You'll be hooked!

I had planned to leave you with a quick project I made using my Cricut and my SU! products, (I LOVE the way they work together!) but the photo loader isn't working for me.  Let's hope it's just a glitch in the system and not my memory card!  Guess I'll have to try again later.

Thanks again for hanging in there, and have fun checking out some beautiful blogs!

Until next time,

Jessica

My Creations

Happy Sunday!

I ran downstairs this morning to find a card for one of my husband's college buddies who recently got married and was inspired to pick up my camera and document some of my past creations, so I thought I would share a few with you!  I'm running against the clock (read: Caden is sleeping), so I'll have to keep the recipes to a minimum, but if you see something you have a question about, let me know!

I cased this pop-up card formula from a YouTube video, but I can't remember the lady's name.  If you recognize it, please leave me a comment, and I will edit this post!  I do have the measurements needed to make it, if anyone wants them.  The Mr. & Mrs. and the rings are both from the Sweethearts Cricut cart, the shiny cardstock is Bazzill Bling, the punch is Martha Stewart Scallop Dot, and I'm not sure about the stamps or the ribbon.

Here are  a couple more views of this card:

This is one of the thank-you cards I made for my baby shower:

The monkey is from the New Arrival Cricut cart and the scalloped frame is from the Storybook cart.  The background is embossed with the Cuttlebug Spots & Dots folder.  Sadly, I'm still working on sending out thank-you's, and my son is two and a half months old.  Perhaps I should be doing that instead of blogging...... ;)

I made both of these cards using the Paisley cart:

I must say, I was hesitant to buy that cart, but I really love it!

I made this card for my friend Stefanie's wedding, but she got married in Georgia (we live in Missouri), and in all of the hustle and bustle of getting a seven week old ready to fly for the first time, I left it here.  I should probably mail it, now that I'm thinking about it!

Inside:

The entire card, base and all, was made using the Sweethearts cart, another one I use all of the time!

I cased (aka scraplifted) this layout for my son's baby book from a lo in Creating Keepsakes several months ago.  I know I still have it; if you want more info, just let me know!  I've taken pictures of important things that we use to make this a comfy place for Caden, such as the nursery rocker and his playmat, and I will place them in each of the "balloons".  The print font is from the Alphalicious cart, the cursive font is from Opposites Attract, the circles were cut using Plantin Schoolbook, and the house is from Going Places.  I also used the Scallop Dot and Doily Lace border punches from Martha Stewart.

This last lo is also cased, but this time from a book called Oh, Baby! by Memory Makers. 

The font is also from Opposites Attract, and the circle at the top is from Plantin Schoolbook.  I cut the heart freehand and embossed it using-you guessed it!-the Cuttlebug Spots & Dots folder.  A 5x7 of me and my son goes onto the blue mat, and all around the edges I've written a list of my favorite things, like rainy days, the beach, and Garth Brooks, though it's too tiny for you to see very well in this picture.

Thanks for stopping by and sticking it out with this really long post!  I hope you found something that you liked, and I would love it if you posted a comment to let me know what you think!

Until next time,
Jessica

P.S. Don't forget to use the tab at the top of the page to stop by my Stampin' Up! business site to get the latest and greatest products for your scrapping and stamping needs.  Remember, the new catalog goes live on Thursday, so you only have a few more days to shop before the retiring products are gone for good and only a few more days to wait for the great new colors and sets that are coming!

Challenging Me

Happy Saturday!

I've always wanted to join a blog challenge, but for one reason or another, I've never actually done it.  That's all about to change this week, though, because I'm joining the Tuesday Challenge, Spots & Dots, over at madebymomo.blogspot.com.  I thought this challenge was the perfect opportunity to use some of the many supplies I have accumulated in my craft room and get a head start on a card for my friend Kristi's bachelorrette party next month.  Right now there isn't a single Stampin' Up! product on the card other than adhesive, but after I place my order from the new catalog (!!!) I will probably use my new tag punch to add a sentiment.

Here's the card:

The card is a standard A2 size, cut from a pink Bazzill cardstock.  The layer is Core'dinations Black Magic with a pink core embossed with the Cuttlebug Spots & Dots folder (I didn't even realize the name of the challenge matched the name of the folder when I decided to to use this!) and lightly sanded with a nail file.  The flower is cut from the Walk in My Garden Cricut cart in off-white Bazzill Bling at 3 1/2", 3", and 2 1/2" (four times for each size).  I messed with the petals to get them to stand up a bit.  The ribbon and button are random selections from my stash. 

So that's it!  Pretty simple, but I like the way it turned out and I got to try something new with the flower.  I think next time I use this technique I will use a lighter weight cardstock.

Before you go, I'd like to know what three things are at the top of your crafting wishlist.  My wishlist is pretty long, but the expensive three would have to be: a rockin' new printer that does it all (photos, cardstock, paper); a Gypsy; and a box full of all of the items I've marked with green post-it flags in the new catalog--especially the Elements of Style stamp set.  I love that thing!   

Stamp, Snip, Stick!

Happy Thursday!

When I first started this blog it was my goal to post something new every day for a month, but life isn't always cooperative.  Before Caden was born in April, I was a high school English teacher, and now that I've turned in my Teacher hat for my Mommy hat, I'm left with a classroom full of years worth of accumulated papers and materials to go through, pack-up, and/or throw away.  Luckily, my mom is retired and enjoys driving two and a half hours to help me, or it would never get done!  She came up yesterday and we spent several hours taking down posters and packing things up.  I'm ecstatic with my new job, but I must admit that the experience was bittersweet and left me a little emotional. 

So on to the good stuff!  I've been focusing on ONLY using the items that came in my starter kit, since I don't have any other Stampin' Up! products in my craft room, and I want to be able to show you what you can do with just the basics.  I have to say it is strange for me not to adorn everything I make with ribbon at the very least, but I really like the way that both of these cards turned out.  Best of all, it was so easy--just stamp, snip, and stick!

Here's the first one:

For this card I used Elegant Eggplant cardstock for the base and Old Olive for the background.  The image and the sentiment are from the Trendy Trees stamp set, and are stamped on Whisper White cardstock in Certainly Celery and Chocolate Chip Classic Ink. 

I love the way this card turned out!  I used Close to Cocoa for the base and Elegant Eggplant for the two and a quarter inch frames.  The flower, from the Eastern Blooms set, is stamped in Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip, and Tempting Turquoise on two inch squares of Whisper White cardstock, and I popped the Chocolate Chip flower up with Stampin' Dimensionals.  The sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set, and is stamped in Chocolate Chip ink.

 I think that I may make a second version of each of these to jazz up, so that I can show you what you can do with just the basics AND what you can do with just a little more. 

I've had so much fun playing with my new goodies, and I hope that you are enjoying my blog!  Please leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by, and hit the Follow Me button before you leave!

Until next time,

Jessica

Let's give this stuff a try.

Happy Tuesday, Part 2!

Boy, Caden is sleeping like a trooper these past two days!  He's just getting over a head cold, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I am.  Since he was taking a nap when Eric left for work, I thought I would rip open some of my new paper and play.  I must say, I was amazed.  I had never used any Stampin' Up! products before (I know, crazy right?), and I don't think I will ever want to use anything else again.  This could be a significant problem, considering the number of other products I have stored in my craft room, but I'm sure I'll figure it out!

Here's what I loved: 1) The stamps' images come out so crisp and clear.  I must admit I was a little nervous when they came unmounted in the clear boxes, but it was worth it!  The stamps didn't smudge like so many others do, especially the clear acrylic ones.  (These seem a little extra smooshy to me.) 2) The ink is on a firm pad and dries quickly.  This again prevents the smooshing problem I've had with so many other products, and eliminates the issue of ruining my images by accidently smearing them before they are dry.  As an added bonus, the lid is attached to the ink pad.  It's designed that way to keep the ink near the surface of the pad, since it stores the pad upside down, but in addition to that ingenious reason, it kept me from losing the lid on my messy craft table and digging for it for five minutes!  Sweet! 3) The paper is perfect for stamping.  Ironic, I know, *insert sarcastic eye roll here* but it's true.  I haven't stamped on any of the colored cardstock yet, but I can tell already that I am going to use a LOT of Whisper White.

So here it goes.  My first two projects using the Stampin' Up! products:

This first card uses an image from the Fun & Fast Notes set stamped with Chocolate Chip Classic Ink on Whisper White cardstock.  I colored the image using Stampin' Pastels. The layer is Always Artichoke and the base is So Saffron, both from the Rich Regals collection.

This second card (cased from a sample image of a card) uses images from the Eastern Blooms set and a sentiment from the Tiny Wishes set.  The flowered branch is stamped in Chocolate Chip, the flower is stamped in Melon Mambo, and the sentiment is stamped in Certainly Celery (all Classic Ink pads).  Again, I used Whisper White, Always Artichoke, and So Saffron.  (Can you tell they love alliteration at Stampin' Up!? ;)

I accomplished both of these cards from start to finish in less than forty minutes, and that includes looking over the products and running up and down the stairs to fetch needed-but-forgotten items like scissors! (Chalk another one up for New Mommy Brain...)

I had fun putting both of these cards together, and I can't wait until I have more playtime!  I'm also really looking forward to incorporating my Cricut and Stampin' Up! products into projects for myself soon, so check back Cricut lovers!

Thanks for stopping by, and let me know what you think about my first two creations!  

Until next time,

Jessica 

It's here!

Happy Tuesday!

Caden decided to take the nap of a lifetime yesterday and slept until 4:15 (nearly three whole hours!) when the UPS guy knocked on the door with THE BOX.  He probably would have kept sleeping, but the dogs felt the need to greet the man in brown as though he were coming to steal their kibble.  I knew the box would be big, but I didn't realize it would be so heavy!  I thought I was going to have to open it on the front porch in front of the whole neighborhood--what a way to announce my new adventure that would have been!  Here's what the box looked like when I first opened it:

And after I spread everything out on the table:

So much stuff! I can't wait to play with everything.  Hopefully by tomorrow I will have a demonstrator website where you can check out the Stampin' Up! line and a first project to show off! 

Thanks for stopping by, and please follow me or leave me a comment to let me know you were here.

Until next time,

Jessica

It's about to arrive!

Happy Monday!
Welcome to my in-progress blog, and thank you so much for joining me.  This is my first official post, and I'm choosing to launch myself into the blogosphere today because I'm SO excited!  My Stampin' Up! demonstrator kit is on it's way and is scheduled to arrive sometime today.  I can't wait!  Last night the last thing I said to my husband, Eric, before falling asleep was "My kit arrives tomorrow!".  (Don't worry, I told him I loved him right before that :)

I'm looking forward to opening that box and spreading out all of the new goodies on the floor around me so I can ooh! and aw! all over them.  Plus, I've got the brand new catalog coming so I will have plenty to look at and wish for--with my trusty Post-It flags handy.  Let's just hope I don't meet my monthly sales goals with my own purchases!

I can't wait to schedule my first "Chics & Chocolate" party (the name is still in-progress as well--hence the quotation marks--so bring on the suggestions!), and launch my website.  And if your thinking This blog could use a facelift... don't worry; my up-line (aka recruiter) has promised to help me make this thing a little more exciting.  I'll be adding links to my demonstrator website and pictures of my fun projects very soon!

Thanks for stopping by, and of course I'd love to have you back again, so please follow me! 

Until next time,
Jessica