Trio of Owls

I just can't get enough of these little guys!!  Oh the possibilities using just this one punch with ALL of my different papers and stamp sentiments!!  This card started out as kind of a "love" card by random stamping little hearts from the set Something to Say.  But as I started playing with this sketch from Freshly Made Sketches, I found myself using the sweet owl from the Owl Builder punch and my thought process changed.

I dug into my new box of SU! goodies yesterday and grabbed the Large Polka Dot embossing folder to emboss both the Real Red and Whisper White CS.  It's hard to tell from the pic, but it's there I promise!  lol 

The owl in the middle sports paper from the Santa & Co. Designer Papers.  The other 2 are sporting paper from the Back to Black Designer Papers, as well as the background that I used for my photo.  I am LOVING this 1/8 inch Real Red Taffeta Ribbon!!!  Gonna be ordering MORE of this ribbon in the different colors!  For sure in the Basic Black as it would have worked as a GREAT accent color at the top.  Of course, no card is complete without a little sparkle!!  Well, maybe not, but I sure like adding them to most of my projects!

Thanks SO SO much for stopping by today!!

I hope that this just inspired you to create something...anything...as soon as you have some free time!  If you don't have any free time, MAKE some free time for YOU!!  You deserve it!!

Happy Stampin' Up!

Jen

A Sweet Thank You Card

OH MY GOSH!!!  This little owl from the Owl Builder Punch is the CUTEST THING EVER!!!  Where has he been all my life??  LOL  I am like a kid in a candy store when it comes to the SU! Catalog!!  My wish list is seriously like the WHOLE catalog.  I can hardly control myself with all of the cute stamp sets, punches, dies, ribbons and embellies!!

I placed another order last week and it just came in an hour ago.  Looks like I'll be playing with my new goodies ALL DAY today, tomorrow, Thursday and Friday!!  Need to get my play time in while I am on break from school as it starts back up again next Monday.

Once again, I followed along with the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge and once again, they did not disappoint!  This week they featured one of my favorite sized cards, the 3 1/2 x 5 1/2.  They call it "tall and skinny", I call it SUPER FUN size!  lol

I made a few cards earlier this year using a similar color combo.  I really LOVED the way the colors looked together, so when I received my Kraft CS from SU! yesterday, I knew I wanted to use it with the All Is Calm papers.  The CS is Soft Sky and Pear Pizazz.  I kept the embellishments simple, I guess as I always do, and only used Whisper White Seam Binding Ribbon and one lonely little sparkle for the center of the heart.  

I stamped the trees from the White Christmas stamp set as a background for my cute little owl to sit on.  The embossing folder is not SU!, it was one that I purchased years ago.  I really like the touch of embossing on the front of the owl.  Just gives him even more dimension.  The Thank You sentiment is from the Gifts Of Kindness stamp set.  GREAT set for all occasions!

Thanks SO much for stopping by today!!  

I hope this inspires you to either pull out your Owl Builder punch that you purchased, OR purchase one TODAY so you can start playing with it by next week!!!  I am already envisioning all the different cards this little guy is going on!!

Happy Stampin' Up!

Jen

A Merry Little Wish

I have to say, it feel GREAT to be creating again!!  I know that I am truly in a happy place when my creative mojo is back!!  Plus, I think I have found my niche'.  I like making cards.  Whooda thunk when I started scrapbooking years ago, that I would end up as a card maker??  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I will NEVER scrapbook again.  After all, I have a TON of pics that really need to be printed and put into SOMETHING.  Just not quite sure what that something is at the moment.

 Have you checked out the sketch for Mojo Monday this week?  Well if not, here it is!!  I have been searching for some new sketch blogs and have found a couple that I am going to start participating in.  It was sad to me however, that a few of the sketch blogs that I used to visit no longer exist.  I think I will cry if the Mojo Monday blog ever stops their challenges!!  

 The card I created uses some GORGEOUS papers from the SU! Holiday Catalog called All is Calm.  They are SO wintery and soft when you put them all together.  I love the soft look of the Pear Pizzazz and Soft Sky papers and inks.  I inked both trees in Soft Sky, going over it twice to darken it, then inked over it with Pear Pizzazz.  There is also a tree punch that coordinates with the stamp set Festival of Trees, but I don't have it quite yet!

LOVING this Lost Lagoon 3/8" Silky Taffeta Ribbon that is featured in the SU! Holiday Catalog!!  The color is gorgeous and the feel of it really is silky!  I tied some Linen Thread in a knot around the trunk of each tree just to give them a bit more dimension.

I normally don't embellish or stamp the inside of my cards.  BUT this stamp set has a sentiment that is meant for the front of the card and the inside.  SO I figured, as long as I was stamping on the inside, might as well put some accent paper in there as well!!  Sorry the pic is blurry...using my iPhone to take the pics right now.

Thanks SO much for stopping by today!!  

I hope this inspires you to head on over to the Mojo Monday Blog and give this weeks sketch a try!!  You will have fun playing with it, I promise!!

Happy Stampin' Up!

Jen

White Christmas

It snowed here in Omaha ALL day yesterday!!  It was a pretty snow.  Until you went outside to drive anywhere!  LOL  It was a soft snow, but left the roads super slick.  SO as long as you didn't have anywhere to go, it was peaceful to sit inside looking out, with a cup of hot cocoa or hot coffee in hand.  We even called for pizza to be delivered so we didn't have to leave the house last night!  

I wanted to play along with the Freshly Made Sketches challenge this week, BUT I ended up using the distressing tool to the edges of the Whisper White CS cuz it made it look "frosty" and went along with the snow theme of the card.  

Overall, I am pleased with the way it turned out.  However, it feels a bit top heavy to me.  Guess it's ok to leave part of the card "plain".  I got to play with the White Christmas stamp set finally!!  I LOVE the little car, snowman, polar bear and dear that you can add to the center of the trees.  There is even a banner that says Merry Christmas that fits between the trees as well.  Add a couple of little birds to put in the trees and it ends up being a super versatile stamp set!!  I have to admit though, the sentiments in this stamp set were a bit big for the space I had...SO I used a sentiment from the Get Your Santa On set.

Once again, I used the Aqua Painter to color the car and the trees.  I added probably more glitter than I should have, but I do love me all things sparkly!!  Paper used is from Santa & Co. plus Basic Black and Whisper White CS.  Ribbon is Whisper White Seam Binding Ribbon.  I LOVE having ribbon to play with again!!  The twine in the center is the Neutral and Old Olive Baker's Twine with the Neutral removed.  I just wanted a touch of green...so separating the Neutral from the Old Olive allowed me to do just that!!

Thanks SO much for stopping by today!!  

Hope this inspires you to create a snow scene or just get out your new goodies from the SU! Holiday catalog and just play!!  Especially if you were lucky enough to have a fresh blanket of snow covering the ground today as you woke up!!

Happy Stampin' Up!

Jen

A Card Re-Visited

I know that I have posted before about re-visiting old cards that you have created and re-doing them with new papers and embellishments.  But maybe you are new here.  SO Let me explain a bit.  Have you ever created a card that you just LOVE??  You know, the one that you keep going back to and saying to yourself "WOW That's such a cute card!"  Why not re-create it using different papers, embellishments and stamps?  I do!!

That is what I have done with this one.  However, I was not exactly thrilled with the Real Red cardstock that I used as the base of the card and the square for the sentiment.  Last card I created using Washi Tape using this LO, I had matching CS and Washi Tape.  BUT since I don't have the coordinating CS for my Washi Tape, I used a color to match the red in Santa's suit.  It's cute and all, just think it would pop a bit more if I used a coordinating color for the Santa & Co. Designer Washi Tape.  Guess I'll just have to re-make it when I have the coordinating cs colors on Monday!!

Without further ado....my card!

I just LOVE the chunky Natural and Old Olive Two-Tone Trim that is featured in the SU! Holiday Catalog!!  It really adds a pop of color down the side of the card!  I stamped the image onto Whisper White CS two times.  One I colored and cut out to pop up onto the first image I stamped.  I only cut out the Santa suit, leaving the top of the hanger and the boots for my first layer.  I just love the added dimension this gives to my stamped images!!  

Like the last card, I used the Aqua Painter along with Real Red and Old Olive Ink to color in my Santa suit and the present in the corner.  This really comes in handy when you don't have any or all of the markers to coordinate with the designer papers that you purchased.  

Thanks SO much for stopping by!!

Hope this inspires you to pull out one of your favorite cards and re-create it using NEW papers, embellies and stamps!!

Happy Stampin' Up!!

Jen

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

What's the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT you might ask??  Well, here it is....drumroll please....  I have recently joined Stampin' Up!  YUP you read it right!!  This might come as a surprise to you all, but I have been tossing the idea around for a little over a year now.

There have been a LOT of changes in my life over the past 7 months, like leaving my marriage of 25 years in April and filing for divorce in June, going back to school FULL TIME at the age of 43, plus recently leaving the company that I was a consultant for, for 8 1/2 years and joining SU!

All of these changes, while difficult, have made me a much stronger and more determined person!!  I LOVE school and have learned SO much about myself in the process.  Who knew I could be a straight A student after not being in school since I was almost 16!!!  WOW!!  I even surprised myself with that one!

Joining SU! came after not paper crafting for almost 7 months.  Just did not have it in me.  BUT I am finding my happy place again and my creative mojo is coming back to me.  I really can't wait to share with you all my new found love for SU!  Not that it really is a new found love, because I have always loved the products and purchased them even when I was a consultant for CTMH.  BUT I am rediscovering their papers, punches, dies, stamps, ribbons and embellies!!  OH BOY!!  I am in trouble...there is not much that I DON'T want out of the catalog!!

SO on to some art....  I created this card using my FAVORITE sketch blog Mojo Monday and thought it turned out pretty sweet!  Gotta LOVE this little santa from the Get Your Santa On stamp set in the Holiday Catalog!!!  The DP is Santa & Co. that is also featured in the Holiday catalog.

I colored in Santa using the Aqua Painter and Real Red ink.  I have LIMITED supplies right now, so am working with what I picked out for my demonstrator kit.  Good new is...I have a fresh shipment of goodies coming on Monday!!  

This pic is a little blurry, but wanted to show you that by using the Aqua Painter and Real Red ink, I was not only able to color Santa's suit, I also colored in his face!  I just bled out most of the ink onto extra paper, then brushed lightly in his face and it turned out kind of flesh colored!

Thanks SO much for stopping by!!  

I hope this has inspired you to follow me on my new journey with Stampin' UP!

Can't wait to share more with you all!!  

Happy Stampin' Up!

Jen