Thursday, February 27, 2014

Another Week...Another Mojo Monday Sketch!!

This week over at Mojo Monday, the challenge is to create a tall & skinny card using the measurement 3 1/2 x 5 1/2.  I actually REALLY like this size!  It still fits in a regular envelope, yet is a bit smaller and sweeter.  In addition to creating a skinnier card, I put the fold at the TOP of the card instead of on the side.  WHEW this is a LOT of change for me in one week!  LOL

Here is the sketch from the blog...

And here is my version....


For my card, I used the elegant papers from Skylark, sentiment from Holiday Tags and flowers cut from Art Philosophy.  The wooden button is from the Wooden Medley Assortment, Lagoon Baker's Twine is from the Paradise Baker's Twine Assortment and the Sparkle Flourish...well that is from the Sparkle Flourishes (small, I believe).  

Lagoon Scalloped Circle is 2 1/2", Large Flower is 2 1/2", Smaller Flower is 2", Kraft Scalloped Circle behind button is .90mm.  The 1" scalloped circle was too large, the 3/4" scalloped circle was too small.  SO I changed my Cricut setting to mm instead of cm so I could get an in between size.

Thanks SO much for stopping by!!

I hope that this has inspired you to play along this week over at the Mojo Monday Blog!!

Happy Scrapping and Stamping!

Jen


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Score Big with Embossing



The new CTMH embossing folders are THE BOMB!!  If you have not seen them, you should check out the video that Close to my Heart has created showing how to use them.  Did you know that cardstock has a grain?  I had NO clue till I watched this video.  Made a HUGE difference in how I cut and emboss my papers when crafting now.  




This month my team swap card needed to be a 3 1/2 x 8, which is a bit out of my comfort zone.  BUT after watching this video, I knew EXACTLY what I was going to do with my card...try out our new embossing folders!!  




After creating my swap card above, I decided to create a 2nd one for my team meeting so they could also try out the new embossing folders.  I LOVE how the embossing adds just the right amount of added detail to make these cards simple, yet sweet!

Both Sentiments are from the stamp set "For A Friend" and the colors used on both cards are Kraft, White Daisy, Lagoon and Sweet Leaf and were inspired by the  colors in the Skylark Paper Pack.  Embellishments used are: Twine and Flower Badge Button from the Wooden Medley, wooden flower from the Trinkets assortment, Aqua Dots, Sparkles and Lagoon Twine from the Paradise Baker's Twine.

Thanks SO much for stopping by!!

I hope this has inspired you to check out Close to my Heart's new embossing folders!!  They really are the BOMB DIGGITY!!  lol

Happy Scrapping, Stamping and Embossing!

Jen


Saturday, February 15, 2014

My New Business Adventure

LONG before I fell in love with paper crafting, I fell in love with sewing!  When my daughter was about 1 year old, my good friend taught me how to sew.  That was almost 19 years ago and I have come a LONG way from the sweet little dress that I made for my Rachael to wear.

Since then, I have learned how to sew on zippers, make perfect (well, almost perfect) button holes, sew lace to lace, smock and hand embroider on timeless little girls dresses and baby boy bubbles.   I joined the world of machine embroidery where I embroidered on anything and everything I could think of!  Then when my kiddos were too old for handmade clothing and embroidered t-shirts and blankets, I discovered quilting.

AAHH QUILTING....Quilting reminds me of scrapbooking/card making.  Both crafts require you to start with something whole, cut it apart and re-assemble it to create something beautiful.  Both crafts allow you to leave a legacy to those that you cherish, your friends and family.

SO when I heard about My Lazy Daisy from my friend Stacey, I had to check it out, of course!  LOL  What I felt when I landed on the website was something VERY similar to when I discovered Close to my Heart.  It was LOVE at first sight!  The fabrics were SO FUN and CHEERY!  The quilt kits using the fabrics were ADORABLE and the patterns for the bags, tea towels and other sewing kits were fun yet practical!


Needless to say, I signed up to become a My Lazy Daisy consultant THAT SAME DAY and I wanted to share it with all of you...just in case you had not heard of it!  I received my kit this week and have been busy familiarizing myself with the contents and created my first project from one of the kits that was included in the consultant kit.


This is my VERY first try at a flower made from a 2 1/2 x 20 inch strip of fabric!  I think it turned out PRETTY DARN GOOD, if I do say so myself!!  LOL  This little Petal Pusher pin cushion took NO time at all to make and would be a GREAT gift for the quilter in your life.


Go ahead...I know you are curious...check it out at MyLazyDaisy.net/jenbennett and let me know what you think!!  I also have a facebook page facebook.com/jensscrappysewing where I will be posting my completed projects, monthly specials, classes and opportunities to host a Trunk Show.  

If you LOVE what you see, find out if there is a My Lazy Daisy consultant in your area.  If there is not, I would LOVE to talk to you about the AMAZING opportunities there are with this new and upcoming company that is truly unique!

Thanks for stopping by!!

I hope this has inspired you to learn more about the sewing/quilting world!  Whether you are new to it or experienced, My Lazy Daisy has something for everyone!

Happy Scrapping, Stamping and Sewing!!

Jen

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Distressed Version of Wild About Love Card

Because I really liked the way my card turned out that I entered over at Freshly Made Sketches using Balloon Ride papers and the Wild About Love February SOTM, I decided to re-create it by adding different embellishments and distressing the edges of the papers using Saddle Ink.

Putting these 2 cards side by side, I honestly cannot decide which one I like better.  The first card is clean with just a pop of glitter and a few accents.  The second card is all dirty and sparkly and full of different elements from the Brown Glitter Paper behind each of my layers to the birds flying off into the distance...


At first, I was not sure if the Brown Glitter Paper behind each layer was a bit overkill...but the more I looked at it with and without the glitter, I found that I liked the glitter better.  I think that the Burlap Ribbon and Hemp Baker's Twine help bring an earthy element to the glitz of the paper.  


Even this sweet little fox ended up with some Saddle Ink around her edges to help her stand out against the Crystal Blue CS used for the image background.  If you look close enough, I took 1 strand of the Baker's Twine and used it for the stem of the flower.  Adding it in addition to the Pink Glitter Gem gave a bit more dimension to the flower that I cut out of Creme Brulee CS and popped up.


The wooden heart on the stump and the birds in the upper right corner are from the Color Ready Trinkets Wooden Shapes.  I colored the heart with Sorbet ink, but left the birds the natural wood so they would bring the natural look of the Burlap Ribbon and Baker's twine to the upper part of the card.  I think it helps bring it all together!

Thanks SO much for stopping by!!

I hope that this has inspired you to take a card and challenge yourself to use the same sketch, papers and stamp set but add different elements to see how different they can end up looking!!  This was a SUPER FUN challenge for me...one that I just may end up doing again!

Happy Scrapping and Stamping!!

Jen 

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Wild About Love and Freshly Made Sketches

Those who know me, know I LOVE LOVE LOVE to distress every single edge of every single scrapbook page, card or paper crafting project that I create.  A project is NOT complete unless there is either ink, sand or edge distressing on it!

SO when I ran across Freshly Made Sketches, I was not sure I wanted to participate in their sketch challenge.  Don't get me wrong, I think that the cards on the blog are BEAUTIFUL with no distressing!  I have even made cards, like the Washi Tape cards with no distressing.  BUT to me, there is something about a distressed edge that completes a project or brings all of the elements of the project together.  It is like sewing a quilt, but not putting a binding on it...got it?  LOL



This sweet little fox from "Wild About Love" is just adorable and I could not wait to get my hands on the set to play with it!!  Because I needed a small sentiment to fit on this card, I could not use the ones that came with this set.  SO I found the word "love" in the Hostess Rewards set "Doodle Signs"...which is a really cute set as well!!  


When thinking about which paper pack to pair this sweet little fox with, the NEW papers from "Balloon Ride" immediately came to mind.  The soft browns, tans and blues are the perfect complement to the woodsy feel that I get when I think of foxes.  I stamped the fox in Sorbet which gave her a soft reddish brown tone and accented her eyes with sparkles from the Tan and Brown Sparkle assortment.  


The dark brown Glitter Paper that comes in the Brown and Tan Glitter Paper 3 pack enhances the Saddle CS that is included in the "Balloon Ride" paper pack.  It gives it just enough POP without being too much on this card with no distressing.  The scalloped border on the Burlap Ribbon was creating using CTMH's Scallop Border Punch.  I also used it to create the scalloped corner of the image.  

Thank you SO much for stopping by!!

I hope that this has inspired you to participate in the Freshly Made Sketch Challenge!!  This was fun for me to go out of my comfort zone and NOT distress anything!!  

If you LOVE this little fox, you can earn it for just $5 when you purchase $50 in CTMH products.  PLUS if you order from me now through February 27th, you will be entered in my Online Mystery Hostess Party and have a chance at winning a minimum of $25 in CTMH Hostess Rewards!!  All you need to do is go to www.lovinscrappin.ctmh.com and join the ONLINE MYSTERY HOSTESS PARTY and place an order.  I will notify the lucky winner on the 28th!!

Happy Scrapping and Stamping!!

Jen