Spooktacular Recipe Pages...and more challenges

~ I've had so much fun this weekend creating three sets of recipe pages for some swaps I signed up for. Each was inspired by a sketch that came across my inbox last week!

The first is for Home-Baked Macaroni & Cheese...an incredibly easy and delicious recipe from Kraft. The layout was inspired by Laura's Sketch 9 on the 2 Sketches 4 You blog.

The second recipe page was for a swap which required me to use a bat, ghost, or witch on the page somewhere...be it stamped, die cut, etc. I also challenged myself to used the Weekend Sketch Challenge #59 from the Fresh & Fun blog. Here is the sketch and how I interpreted it.

Finally, the third recipe page design followed a Sketch #83 from the CardPositioningSystems blog. The recipe is Chili Casserole with Cornbread...mmm...mmm...good!

I've had a fun weekend. Hope you have, too!!! Can you believe that October...and Halloween are just around the corner??!!!!!

Hugs to you,

Jessica in Kansas

Two-Bean Minestrone - a fall slow cooker recipe page

~ Another recipe page completed...and this one is for fall! I love soups...and I love using my slow cooker...so this is a recipe I have used over and over again. Therefore, I decided to make a 6X6 recipe page of it to add to my collection! For this layout, I was inspired by Card Sketch #63 on Sketches! {by tamara}'s blog. I put a bit of a twist on the layout by cutting a silk leaf in half and using it in place of the swirl element. I tried different kinds of leaves, but liked the look of this one the best. The scalloped square was cut with my Klic-n-Kut. Some leaf stamps, inked edges, subtle corner punches, and doodling around the edges completed the simple layout.

Thanks for letting me share,

Jessica in Kansas

Monkey business...and orange banana cheesecake

~ I think I mentioned before that one of my favorite types of swaps in which to participate is for 6X6 recipe pages. I enjoy making these so much, as they go together quickly and allow me to easily try new stamps, techniques, etc. without feeling too committed. That may or may not make sense, but I know what I mean!! ;-) They also serve another purpose by allowing me to collect all of my favorite tried and true recipes in one format...and in one place.This recipe page is for Orange Banana Cheesecake...mmm...mmm!! It was great fun to create, and yes, I used some sources as inspiration! First, Sketches! {by tamara}'s Recipe Challenge #16 for this week encouraged me to used the following on a layout: real or faux stitching, ribbon, and paper tearing. The white background, rather than the light yellow I originally intended to use, was called for in this week's challenge by Sisterhood of Scrap, which was to create a card or layout using a white or black background. I felt that the white had no borders, so I used some orange ink around the outer edge and was much happier!! Last, but certainly not least, the layout was inspired by Page Plans' Week 23 Sketch. My new stitching stamp and the spotlighting technique added extra layers of cuteness to this fairly simple design.

Hugs to you,

Jessica in Kansas

Cherish Forever wedding gift set

~ I'm having a blast creating these box-bottom gift bags as part of gift sets. We attended a wedding this weekend, which called for a handmade card, gift card holder, and bag to put it all in! How perfectly beautiful did this set turn out?!I had lots of inspiration for this set! First, the cutting files for the box-bottom gift bag was designed by Sam & Hailey Designs. It cuts and assembles like a dream, and it's cuter than ever...I'm hooked!!! The front of the bag was inspired by last week's sketch on the 2 Sketches 4 You blog. Instead of applying it to a card, I thought it would fit perfectly on the front of the bag. The sketch is below...see what you think! The card layout was based on the Our Creative Corner card sketch posted on Sept. 13th. I followed it pretty closely. The pillow box was one I had purchased a while back. The band wrapped around it was crimped with one of my favorite tools that I always forget to use. My SB Anon challenge for last week was to pull that tool out and apply it to a project! It was perfect for this! I attached the tag with a brown safety pin. This set also followed last week's recipe challenge on Sketches! {by tamara}'s blog, which called for the use of brads, scalloped edges, and a monochromatic color scheme. If you haven't noticed, I'm LOVING INSPIRATION right now!!!

2 Sketches 4 You Sketch #9

All of the stamps I used were clear stamps by Studio G except for the tag stamp, which is SU! The brown cardstock is from SU!, and the patterned papers were created by ScrapWorks and Sunburn. Some of the flowers are Primas; others are silk. The ribbon is craft ribbon from Hobby Lobby.

I hope you find it to be inspirational,

Jessica in Kansas

Baby Whale Gift Set

~ I posted this baby card several days ago, but I just completed the matching gift set. It includes a box-bottom gift bag, which I easily created with my Klic-n-Kut using a pattern by Sam & Hailey Designs. Isn't it adorable?!!!! The set also includes a custom CD case that holds the CD I copied all 81 pictures (yes, I'm a camera freak) I took the day my nephew was born. My brother and sister-in-law will appreciate this, I think. The case cover includes a coordinating die-cut whale from Sam & Hailey Designs' Baby Animal Silhouettes file...and note the paint chip strip that matches the one used on the card! I feel very creative after seeing the finished products of this gift set!!! It was a blast to design!!

Enjoy,

Jessica in Kansas

Baby Landon Michael ~

~ It is with great joy that I post this message!!! My nephew, Landon Michael, was born a healthy little guy on September 18th!! Here's a picture of him being held by his proud Aunt Jessica!!!I may be a tad bit biased, but I think he's the most beautiful baby I've ever held in my arms!!! Just had to share my excitement!!

Jessica in Kansas

Fall is in the air...

~ Check out this super fun acorn card I made last night. The pattern and inspiration came from PaperCrafts Magazine. The original pattern was converted into a cutting file, so I was able to easily create using my Klic-n-Kut. Some patterned paper, inked edges, stamps, punched squares, and fiber completed the card!!

I love it!!!

Jessica in Kansas

Color My World...

~ I participate in a monthly Designer Page Kit swap, and this month, I appropriately chose fall as the theme. I design a 6X6 2-page layout, and send all of the finished pieces packaged together with a picture of my finished layout. The hostess then sorts them out, and I receive 6 different page kits in return each month. It's so much fun!! Here is what I came up with for September (sorry it's crooked...I'm still not good at all of this editing stuff): I was happy with the end product, complete with a title, embellishments, a photo mount, and a space designated for journaling. I used some cutting files for the title and leaves. Jan Bryson of Sam & Hailey Designs created the large leaf (Autumn Leaves file...which you can currenty find for FREE at the Paperthreads online store) and the scalloped photo mat, which was actually intended to be a page in an adorable scalloped mini album (Scalloped Mini Albums file). The title and small leaves were designed by KreationsbyKatie (Color My World file).

The layout was adapted from this week's Layout Sketch #62 on Sketches! {by Tamara}'s blog. The supplies I used were also inspired by Tamara. This week's recipe challenge #15 called for the use of scalloped edges, brads, and a monochromatic color scheme...thus the brown tones! Great inspiration!!! I hope the ladies in my swap appreciate it!

We're having lots of wonderful sunshine today, but it sure felt like fall last weekend!

Hugs to you,

Jessica in Kansas

Friends leave footprints...

~ Here is a card I completed this weekend:I used the red, white, and blue color challenges (appropriate for the week of 9/11) from both my Scrapbookers Anonymous group and the Color Throwdown #10 challenge. The layout was inspired by Card Sketch #61 from Sketches! {by tamara}. I just found out that my favorite Aunt Carol's father passed away this weekend, so I made this card with her in mind.

Recipe:

• cardstock: The Paper Studio
• patterned paper: Ivy Cottage
• stamps: the quote is by Heidi Grace Designs; all others Clear Stamps by StudioG
• ink: cherry red and white pigment ink - both Stampabilities
• punches: scallop circle, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circles - all SU!
• other supplies: ribbon (unknown source), acrylic stamping blocks, adhesive

~ "Stop, drop, and worship"...when life throws more at you than you know how to handle. This was the message at church today, and I felt compelled to share!

Hugs to you,

Jessica in Kansas

Birthday Girl - new layout

~ I am so excited about the layout I just finished...and yes, you guessed it...I was inspired by challenges for this one, too!!! The layout design loosely follows the sketch chosen for the Creative Impressions Yahoo Group September 8 Sketch Challenge. Here is what it looks like:
I'm also a member of the Scrapbooking_Friends Yahoo Group, which has weekly challenges. This week's called for the use of 2 paperclips on a layout with a coordinating photo mat. That's what inspired the "paper" clippies, which came from a fabulous cutting file designed by Carrie Schwartz of Carrie's Creations.

Besides the adorable birthday themed "paper" clippies, other cutting files of Carrie's I used for this layout include the cupcake with the #1 candle and the playful frills banner. All of her files can be found at Paperthreads, a wonderful place to check out if you use a cutting machine.

The color scheme was inspired by this week's challenge posted on the Sisterhood of Scrap blog. The goal was to create a layout (of any theme) using the colors of fall: red, orange, yellow, green. I think I accomplished that...with a hint of black to balance it out.

Other products I used on this layout include:
- eyelets (unknown source), yellow and orange Stickles, chipboard letters & tags by Provo Craft, and ribbon by Offray.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!

Happy scrappin'

Jessica in Kansas

Creamy Vanilla-Caramel Cheesecake

~ This recipe page was also created for a swap. I was inspired by the Scrapping Recipe Challenge #14 posted Tuesday on the Sketches! {by Tamara} blog. It called for the use of lace, buttons, and flowers on a project. This was just the encouragement I needed to pull out that lace I've never used! This 6X6 page was easy to create. I used a subtle corner punch, some inking on the edge of the cream colored Prima, Sharpie marker to draw the stitch lines onto the buttons, and subtle inking/distressing (applied the ink pad directly to paper) to the cream cardstock. I love the look of buttons in the center of flowers!!

Recipe:

• Cardstock: The Paper Studio


• Patterned paper: ScrapWorks


• Font: Berylium


• Primas: gray/black/cream


• Buttons & lace: source unknown


• Ink: SU! Classic Black


• Other supplies: corner punch (source unknown), Sharpie marker, mini glue dots, tape runner

Enjoy,

Jessica in Kansas

White Wine Cake - using House Mouse

~ This recipe page was created for a swap. I had three sources of inspiration:

1. The first was from a weekly challenge posted by an e-mail group, to which I belong {Scrabookers Anonymous}, which encouraged me to use punctuation on the page somewhere besides the text/journaling.

2. I also accepted Challenge #4 - On a Budget on the House Mouse Monday Challenge blog, which required me to not only use a House Mouse & Friends stamp, but also to make a card/layout for under $2 in cost...excluding the price of ink, stamps, punches, and other tools that I already owned. A breakdown of the cost for this project is included in the recipe below.

3. My personal challenge to use the paint chips I've been collecting.

Recipe:

• Cardstock - light green and shimmer purple, source unknown ($.75)


• Ink - SU! Classic Black


• Markers - SU! Always Artichoke, Blush Blossom, Elegant Eggplant


• Colored pencil - purple, source unknown


• Stamp - House Mouse & Friends


• Fonts - CK Vogue & CK Man's Print


• Punches - SU! 1 1/4" & 3/4" circles, decorative corner punch source unknown


• Paint chips - Home Depot ($.00)


• Brads - Making Memories ($.25)


• Flowers - Michael's clearance stem ($.50 for a handful of them)


• Brackets - designed and cut on my Klic-N-Kut

Grand total of project: ($1.50)...and that's being generous

This was a fun project...I hope you enjoy it!!

Hugs to you,

Jessica in Kansas

In the Mood for Fall!

~ In my small Kansas town, we've had a beautiful cool-down for the past week, and it has really put me in the mood for fall! I've enjoyed opening up the windows, digging out the sweatshirts, and thinking about the fun my hubby and I had playing in our leaves last year!! Being the first fall in our new home, we were quite overwhelmed by the quantity of leaves that covered our rather large yard!. We ended up raking, and raking, and jumping in them, and buying a leaf vacuum/mulcher, and still not getting them all picked up before winter set in! Regardless, it was a memory worth capturing! I just put the finishing touches on this layout and thought I'd share!

Jessica in Kansas

A Little House Mouse

~ I guess I'm really enjoying my newfound source of inspiration...challenges!!! I've completed yet another one! This birthday card was inspired by the Sketch Challenge #3 on the House Mouse Challenge blog and my personal goal to work with the many paint chips I have collected! I also used my SU! blender pen, which sits in my toolkit too often, and some patterned paper that I've not known how to use. The mouse stamp, of course, is from the House Mouse & Friends collection, and the sentiment is SU!

Inky fingers & hugs,

Jessica in Kansas

Another challenge card...

~ This Z-fold birthday card was inspired by challenge posted on the Scor-PalPals Yahoo Group , to which I belong, and the Weekly Color Picks chosen by Color Throwdown. It was fun & easy to combine the two!

I did not have the new SU! in-colors, so I used cardstock and patterned papers that closely matched.

Recipe:

• Cardstock: Making Memories & The Paper Company
• Patterned Papers: DCWV paper stacks
• Stickles: baby blue, cotton candy, gold
• Stamps: SU! Birthday Whimsy
• Ink: Brilliance Pearlescent Sky Blue & Stampabilities Pigment Pink

Enjoy,

Jessica in Kansas

Inspired Baby Card...

~ If you ask me where I get my creative inspiration, you better be prepared for a long answer!! It comes from sources galore!! Sometimes it's a magazine article, sometimes from a link sent through one of the Yahoo groups to which I belong, sometimes it's a colorful napkin, and sometimes, it's just the stuff I have lying around! Recently, however, I've been inspired by challenges posted by others on their blogs, swapping sites, etc.

~ For this project, I was inspired by the sketch challenge #28 on Papertake Weekly, a new & exciting blog I just discovered. I've also been seeing great projects using paint chips, so I challenged myself to add one to this project. In addition, I used my Klic-N-Kut and wonderful cutting files designed by Jan Bryson of Sam & Hailey Designs. Don't you just love the adorable whale, ribbon buckle, and scalloped mats?! I am excited about how this baby card and matching envie turned out...and about my new source of creative inspiration!!!

Recipe:

Cardstock - SU! Taken with Teal, The Paper Company White

Patterned papers - DCWV paper stack

Paint chip: WalMart

Stickles: Turquoise

KNK cutting files: Sam & Hailey Designs - whale (Baby Animal Sihlouettes) & buckle/mats (Itty Bitty Fixtures Collection)

Stamp: Clear Stamps by Studio G

Ink: SU! Taken with Teal

Ribbon: Michael's Craft Stores

Other supplies: adhesive & dimensionals, SU! 1 1/4" circle punch, envelope (source unknown), sponge, acrylic stamping block, Fiskars 1/16" circle punch

Hugs to you,

Jessica in Kansas

Bit by the blog bug...

It's official...I've been bit by the blog bug! I don't tend to jump on the bandwagon too often...but...everyone else is doing it, so why not?! This will be a place for me to share my creative energy with anyone and everyone who is interested. I may post daily at times, while other weeks may keep me too busy. Regardless, I think I will enjoy having a place to share my ideas and favorites, and hopefully you'll enjoy it, too!

Hugs to you,

Jessica in Kansas