It seems like manufacturer's blog are always hosting fun giveaways and contests and so while I've many times left comments for giveaways, this week I found a card sketch on a manufacturer's blog which I thought would be fun. Bo Bunny posted a card sketch last Friday and you have until Thursday evening to play along. I had these papers left over from design team work for Scrappy Jo's. They are from the Beau Jardin collection which she has on sale right now as part of an amazing St. Patty's sale. The sketch was simple but fun and it was great to pull out papers that I haven't worked with in a few months. I trace chipboard to create the flower and added some baby pink Stickles to highlight them. I have lots more to share but don't want to create super long posts so I'll be posting a few times today. Feel free to check out my other projects.
I've recently discovered an online community and challenge blog called Let's Scrap. This month Dayna created a sketch for everyone to use and I based this card off the sketch. I used the SEI papers that you can get at Scrappy Jo's during her awesome clearance sale. I also used some Colorbok chipboard and a Studio G Stamp. I've spent the day organizing my Christmas goodies in preparation for my return for school. I'll be moving back to my dorm on Sunday and want to have all my new supplies witih me to enjoy.
For this card I combined the challenge at Card-A-Licious (which was to make a "for you" card using green and letter stickers) and the sketch at 2S4Y. I've really enjoyed working with the SEI papers that Scrappy Jo sent me for the DT in January so I found myself reaching for them again. I love how others interpretted the sketch with an exposed inside and so I used the same idea. It's been freezing here in New Jersey so it's nice to stay inside with my craft supplies.
I made this card using the SEI Poppy papers from Scrappy Jo's and with the Pagemaps sketch posted as a challenge at Caardvarks. It was a fun sketch and a great way to use little scraps I thought I wouldn't be able to find a use for. The design team has some adorable interpretations of the sketch and the challenge is open until the 17th so you still have time to enter. I also spent some time working on a submission for a new DT. My time with Scrappy Jo's is coming to an end and I liked it so much I would love to be part of a new DT. Also check out Michelle's blog for some fabulous adorable valentine blog candy.
I made this card for the Scrappy Jo's Design Team with the CPS sketch #98. I loved the simplicity of this sketch and its a great way to show case bold paper designs. Again I worked with the SEI Poppy Line. I just recently purchased the silver Cat's Eye ink that I have been using and its absolutely perfect with this line and impressive in its pigment. I also got those bits of Michael's bling for Christmas and they are so cute and its easy to find uses for them. They are self-adhesive but come in strips so you have to cut off the amount you want to use. This weekend at the mall I just found out about Aerie's a-list club. Aerie is a loungewear store that was started as a division of American Eagle and the a-list club is free to join and then one Thursday a month you can go in and pick up a free gift. This month is supposed to be a journal. So if you have an Aerie in a mall near you check it out. Also check out Rach's blog for a bit of awesome blog candy.
I created this using the SEI Poppy papers and KI Memories Lace Cardstock Scrappy Jo sent me as part of her DT. The paper and cardstock are both available in her store. I also used Sketch This 75 to create this card. I was only recently introduced to this fun sketch site and I like how challenging the past sketches have been and look foward to using more in January when they post new sketches.
I designed this for the Scrappy Jo's design team using Laura's Sketch 16. I used the fabulous SEI Poppy papers and KI Memories Lace Cardstock which are available at Jo's Store. Even though I created this early last week I just got around to posting it and didn't make it in time for the weekly deadline. But speaking of sketch sites, CPS choose my Happy New Year card for their Reader Spotlight which certainly made my day.
Here's a Happy New Year card I made with my Design Team materials from Scrappy Jo's and CPS 97. She sent me the SEI Poppy Line and which has beautiful metallics running through it. I used Cat's Eye silver ink on the chipboard and Frosted Lace Stickles around it. You can find ink and Stickles at Jo's store. The Poppy Line is great because on one side is the beautiful bright metallic but on the other is a more subdued tone and you can use both sides on one project. This two sided nature was extremely important in making the paper cupcake I made. I found the project in the January issue of Scrapbooks Etc magazine and decided to make one for my mom's birthday. I used styrofoam for the base and dress pins to put it all together. I will be sharing the tutorial with everyone at the Scrappy Jo's forum soon so everyone can try. I love Leah Fung's original design but I did make very slight changes to my method and decoration.
I used the CPS Sketch #95 to make this card. I made it with the materials sent to me by Scrappy Jo's for the December DT work. It was made with the beautiful BoBunny Beau Jardin line that is available in her store. Also I used the awesome Glitz Frosting that she has for sale. Also check out Kath's blog for an awesome blog candy giveaway and some gorgeous card inspiration. I love the Christmas cards she just posted.
I created his Christmas card with some adorable papers my mom bought for me in November. Those little pink and blue reindeer are adorable. And that cute little tree I received in a swap so can't take credit for it's cute little bling embellishments. I used the sketch at CPS but flipped and tweaked it a bit. They have some really cute work from the DT this weeks so go check it out if you need some inspiration for holiday cards. I received my package from Scrappy Jo's and will be working on some DT cards this weekend. I can't wait to share the beautiful papers with you.
I created this card for the Scrappy Jo's Design Team using CPS #89. The sketch was so simple and I was able to make this card quite quickly which was good considering my current schedule. I once again got to use the adorable Cosmo Cricket Hello Sunshine line. If you are loving this line as much as me head over to the Scrappy Jo store where everything is 10% off currently and you can also use the first order bonus featured on the side of my blog. So if you have a little bit of time and need some scrapping therapy then check out this week's sketch.
I created this card for Scrappy Jo's Design Team using Joke's bonus sketch from 2S4Y. Jo sent me some adorable Cosmo Cricket papers from the Hello Sunshine Line including Hopscotch and Clover. I really love the stitched owl on Joke's card and was inspired to use some of my fibers for stitching. I love stitching but embroidery floss is getting a little old. The fiber was much harder to deal with though I must admit. Also today my DBF took me to the LSS to spend some of my birthday money. It was great to get to see some of the new products I've only seen online so far. I bought some materials for flocking and my first pack of Thickers. I can't wait to get working on some more projects.
I created this card for Scrappy Jo's Design Team using Kazan's Sketch 12. I used the Eerie and Nevermore papers from Cosmo Cricket's line that she sent me. I loved how this line is rather subtle so it can be dressed up for cutesy kid pages but is also great for more adult pages. The adorable little witch is from Punch Studio. The papers she sent me gave me a great excuse to use some of the Halloween goodies I collected last year on sales after the season.
I created this card for Scrappy Jo's Design Team using CPS #88. She sent me Eerie and Nevermore from Cosmo Cricket's Haunted Line which are both used on this card. The paper is great because its not too cutesy and the patterns aren't too bold so you can use it for almost any Halloween event. The cute little vampire is from Punch Studio. The fabulous Unity Stamp company is sponsoring this week's CPS sketch. I've been subscribed to their blog for awhile and they have adorable stamps and a very talented DT.
I just wanted to share some of the beautiful cards that I received from a recent card swap. I loved all the cards but couldn't fit them all in one pic. It was the first swap we held at Scrappy Jo's and the ladies had so much fun Karry started a birthday card swap. Since my birthday was Monday I am so excited to be receiving some handmade birthday cards and will share some I'm sure.
I really loved the sketch this week at 2S4Y and by the fabric owls by Elizabeth from Creating Keepsakes which you can find under fabric projects at her blog. I'm still making my way through the Mellow pack because its easier than pulling out all my papers. I love paper piecing and this cute little owl helped me use up my Mellow scraps. Soon I'll be getting my supplies to make projects for Scrappy Jo's DT in November. I'm so excited and can't wait for the package to show up and get started.
A set of six stamps from Autumn Leaves designed by Maryann Wise. The stamps are generally 5 to 6 square inches a piece. They have a subtle stitched pattern that shows up well when stamped.
What projects can I use them for?
These stamps mostly work for layouts but can be adapted to cards with some creativity. Also they are great for smaller layouts created for mini books and such.
Below I used two stamps to get more journaling in:
The arrow works to journal but also as an embellishment drawing attention to the photo:
Also they combine well with other stamps including the Autumn Leaves swirl stamp used below:
So are there any drawbacks?
The amount of space to write the journaling on is limited so if you have a long story to tell consider another journaling method. As an alternate method you could use more than one of them stamps on the same layout. Also because of the size they may look a bit small on a 12x12 layout but would work very well for mini albums.
Anything else I need to know?
You can find this Autumn Leaves stamp set as well as many others in the Scrappy Jo store. The stamps don’t absorb ink as readily as some others and are easy to clean.
I have been making cards for an upcoming swap but it has been a slow going process because of school work and other things but I really liked the Scrappy Jo Week 3 Sketch and knew I could make a simple fast card with it. I used some older paper and some ribbon from a color swap. I've also worked on a quick tip and a review for Scrappy Jo's this month which I'll share later in the next few days.
Two weekends ago my sister had a graduation party and we had lots of fun playing badminton and playing on the trampoline. Here's the layout that resulted from that awesome summer day. I thought the challenge at Stamp Something for a summer project would be perfect and I used Studio G snails and an Autumn Leaves journaling block. The more I use the stamps the more I want more stamps. I also used the Adorn It stickers I received from participating in their Teen Talent Search awhile back. I love the T-shirt they sent as well. Tomorrow I will be posting a quick tip over at the Scrappy Jo's forum so go check it out for some advice and also they are having a 50 cent sale so you might find some deals as well.
Here's my review that was recently posted at the Scrappy Jo Blog.
Sassafrass Lass Oliver and Friends Stamp Set Review
What is it?
This is a seven piece stamp set from Sassafrass Lass that coordinates with the Owl Pal collection. But these stamps that range in size with a total 4x4 area, go great with plenty of papers and themes.
What projects can I use them for?
The stamps are the perfect size for cards and will look great with all the new trendy nature inspired products. Below is a card I made using three of the collections stamps. First I stamped the images and then highlighted them with pastel pencils.
Also branching outside of the nature theme they make cute accents on simple cards like this Valentine card.
The set also works well with other companies stamps so they’ll blend right into your collection. On the journaling tag below I used Autumn Leaves bracket journaling stamp (which can also be found in the Scrappy Jo store) and Technique Tuesday swirls. So have fun mixing these cute fellows with your collection.
But the stamps are not so small that they can’t be used on layouts as well. Owls have long been symbols of wisdom so I used them on the graduation layout below. This time in a more masculine way.
So are there any drawbacks?
The only drawback I have found with these stamps is that they discolor immediately. Each time you use a new color the stamps become that color in my experience. This doesn’t affect the performance of the stamps though. A word of caution: make sure the stamp is nice and juicy for best color coverage. I used Cat’s Eye Chalk Inks to create solid and more faded images depending on the look I was going for.
Anything else I need to know?
If you love these little guys there is a sister set, Olivia and Pals, also available in the Scrappy Jo’s store. So choose your favorite or pick up both and get stamping with these cute stamps! If you plan to pick up these sets and maybe even some ink to go with them remember you can use the code JMREF and receive 15% off your first order of $10 or more.
