Turkey Day is on Its Way!!!

~ I just LOVE this time of year!! Spending time reminiscing, eating, relaxing, laughing, and playing games with family is something I love more than a lot of things! I'm getting really excited as next Thursday approaches...and then, as we all know, the rest of the year flies by!

In my excitement about the holiday season, I've completed a few festive papercraft projects. They are both from cutting files designed by Shirley Clark. The first is a Turkey Treat Box. How cute is this?? I filled one with Hershey's Nuggets and gave it to the receptionist at work today! She was extremely appreciative!
The second is a turkey holding a sign. I plan to use him on a layout with holiday pictures and hand write our family's last name on the wooden sign!
I hope you've been inspired to be excited about the upcoming holiday!!! Have a super weekend!

Gobble, gobble!
Jessica in Kansas

Hanging On To Warm Weather & Fun Colors!!

~ So, I just heard on the news that we may get some of that white stuff early next week. I'm shivering just thinking about it!! I always look forward to the first snow, which is usually beautiful in Kansas, but then I'm ready to bid winter farewell!!!

Just thinking about the arrival of winter has inspired me to think warm!! Therefore, this post includes bikinis and fun summer color combinations! I'll soon be posting some Thanksgiving & fall projects, but in the meantime...This tear bear is ready to soak up some rays at the pool or beach! Isn't she cute??!!! She was inspired by one of my favorite patterns from myscrapchick.com. I tore and assembled this Teeny Bikini Bear from thick mulberry paper, added a few details with chalk, pens, and punched shapes for the eyes & nose. The bikini was cut using my Klic-N-Kut from the myscrapchick.com pattern. I embellished it with a swirly background stamp, a Prima flower combined with a pink jewel, and some fun Stickles...a staple in my scrap room! She's one of my favorite tear critter creations yet!!
~ Check out these fabulous gift ideas! My friend, Shirley Clark, developed this Post-It Cover pattern and sent me the cutting file. Talk about incredibly easy, fabulously fun, and very versatile...
These went together quite quickly, and I love the possibilities. The band can be left plain or embellished in numerous ways. I was obviously in a flowery mood the day I made these!! I think I'll create and give these to the ladies at work this holiday season!!

~~~ One of my favorite blogs to visit is Lisa's Stampin! Weblog, and she's offering some awesome blog candy this week. Follow the above link to her site and tell her "hello"...even if you don't win, you'll benefit greatly from the ideas on her blog!!

~ Warm, wintery hugs from Kansas,
Jessica

A few cards...

Happy November!!! I have some catching up to do with my blog, so here it goes!! Below is a menagerie of greeting cards I have made and given to special people in my life over the past few months.
This card was made for my precious nephew on his 1st birthday! I used a Stampin' Up! stamp set, different patterned papers, paper tearing & various inks, some twisted fiber, and lots of bright colors. He did not know any better, but I thought it was super cute and boyish...especially with a googly-eyed elephant!
This one was made for some great friends of ours who got married. I got to use my new scalloped oval punch from SU!, some fun clear stamps, and the silver cardstock, which I just LOVE! The color combination is a little different, but I am trying to steer clear of my habits when it comes to choosing colors for my projects!
Here's another challenging color combination. A good friend and co-worker of mine turned 50 last month, and this image & sentiment called her name!!! This card was pretty simple, with layers, mats in black, and a colored image. I had to tie in some black since she's officially over the 2nd hill now!!
This last card was fun to make. It was for Joe on our 3rd wedding anniversary. I used different stamp-type stamps on 1-inch squares, and cut the "3" from a template. The different blues were intentional since that's his favorite color. He was as impressed as a guy gets about these things!!

~ Happy fall,
Jessica in Kansas

Cute Purse Bag & Card

~ I created the gift set below for my secret sister at church. She loved it!!! I used files designed by Jan Bryson of Sam & Hailey Designs. The Super Quick Mini Purse Card was extremely easy to cut and assemble, and the Extra Tall Purse Bag was perfect for a bag full of homemade peanut clusters!!!

~ Pretty cute, huh?!!! I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the coral colored paper, then cut the flowers out with a big punch. One center is chalked, and the other is embellished with a flower sequin, sent to me by my great friend, Lisa! I love how the set coordinates...and how easy it was to create!! Thanks to Jan for the great cutting file...and my Klic-N-Kut for simplifying my life!!

Crafty hugs from Jessica in Kansas ~

Stuffed (pizza & envelopes)

~ This recipe page was created for my monthly Iron Chef recipe page swap. The challenges were to use the same color on color, add some dimension, and find inspiration from a provided sketch. This is what I came up with!I was in the mood for brown, paisley, and punches the day I created these!!! My Cuttlebug did the paisley embossing for me, and I simply punched out the squares and inked the raised images to distress them a bit. The paisley pieces on the bottom left were punched from a Creative Memories punch. Mini brown envelopes and some crinkled dark bronze paper made their way onto the pages, too!

Ready for a new week!!
Jessica in Kansas

Giraffe, Baby, & Cuteness, Oh My!!!

~ A few months ago, I completed this layout. I've had it hanging on my wall to enjoy since then because I just love it bunches!!! The fabulous giraffe paper piecing was cut from a design by myscrapchick.com. Is it cute, or what??!!! The title is made of glittery chipboard letters, and I used glitter around mats, some magic mesh, and the oval cutter to finish it off. The soft colors, wonderful pix, and no blue make this one of my favorite baby boy layouts ever!!

The pictures don't do it justice. The colors are soft oranges on white.

On a blogging role tonight!!!
Jessica in Kansas

Butterfly Tear Critter

~ I created this spring butterfly tear critter several months ago, and she's been patiently waiting for her spot on my blog!!! She's made from torn mulberry paper, flower, heart & swirl paper punches, ink, chalk, and detailing with pen/markers. I also included a few gems as the flower centers.

Enjoying fall, but ready for spring temps again,
Jessica in Kansas

Baby Shower Invites

~ My previous post showed a baby shower gift and card I made for my good friend's shower. I was responsible for helping to throw her fabulous shower, and one of my tasks was to send invites. Of course, they needed to be handmade since they were coming from a papercrafter's home!!! This is what I came up with.
I just love the pregnancy stamp by Studio G, as it even sort of looks like my friend, Jessie! I used gel pens to outline the image, and some shimmery flower pieces attached with brads. The pre-cut cards of shimmery cardstock is from CutCardStock.com. The BABY stamp is a single dollar stamp from Michael's, I think. I really like the blue ribbon best, but I ran out and had to finish some up with the pastel stipes.

Happy Saturday,
Jessica in Kansas

Baby Blocks & Shower Gift

~ I had the pleasure of throwing a baby shower for one of my best girlfriends last month. It was fabulous!! I wanted my card to be extra special, so I chose a cutting file designed by Shirley Clark. The Baby Blocks card was made using my Klic-N-Kut, various pastel colored cardstock, a swirly background stamp, ink pads for edging, and Crystal Effects for the binky & bottle nipple!

It was created to compliment my gift and wrapping. She loved it and truly appreciated the handmade effort!!!Hugs from Kansas,

Jessica

Super Sweet Shopping Bear

~ I'm so excited to show you this little lady!!! I created her months ago from a cutting file designed by Carrie of Carrie's Creations. This Shopping Bear is ready for a day at the mall with her girlfriends...or a night out on the town! She's going to be part of a scrapbook page soon! I'll share that once completed! I've been having fun making tear bears, but this cutting file called my name!! It was so easy to cut and piece together! The funnest part is choosing the papers and adding details to the face!! It's a blast to make them come alive!!

Hugs from Kansas,
Jessica