Congrats to all Grads!!

~ It's so hard to believe, but my first classroom of kiddos are graduating this spring. One special (not so little anymore) guy made the point to invite me to his ceremony this past weekend, so I needed a masculine card to take with me. Here's what I came up with:


For this card, I used a card sketch from Sketches! {by Tamara}. The pre-cut card base is from JoAnn Crafts. The patterned papers are Earthy Milestones from Creative Memories, and I added a little texture to them using the Cuttlebug and some sanding. The chipboard on which the sentiment was placed is by Heidi Grace; I just used Tim Holtz Tea Dye distressing ink to make it match better. The stickers, metal "graduate" embellishment, and ribbon are from unknown sources. All in all, I'm pleased with this masculine effort...one that usually creates a challenge for me!

Happy graduation,
Jessica in Kansas

Sweet and simple Valentine's Day cards

~ Tis the season...for love, hearts, and Valentines!!! These elegant cards were simple to put together using a sketch required for a swap I had committed to. I used Jan Bryson's Itty Bitty Valentines cutting file for the hearts and sentiment, which worked out perfectly for this card. The scalloped border wrapped in silver ribbon was created using a border punch by Fiskars. The shimmery silver, burgundy, and purple cardstock are all from Cutcardstock.com. The elegant patterned paper is from ScrapWorks. I was challenged to avoid the typical V-Day colors of pink & red, which wasn't as easy as I had thought it would be!!!

Love is in the air,
Jessica in Kansas

Creamy Seafood Pasta - It's All Fun Stuff!!

~ I created this recipe page for the monthly Iron Chef recipe swap I host. My challenge was to find a yummy fish or seafood recipe that used the secret ingredient of mushrooms! I was successful!

I followed a sketch, which was not an easy one to use. I also challenged myself to use various coordinating patterned paper. The adorable button mushrooms and bird were cut with my KNK from a file designed by Carrie's Creations: It's All Fun Stuff! They are both simple, girly, and fun...the theme I was shooting for on this layout. The shimmery pink paper that I printed the recipe on is from CutCardstock.com.

Jessica in Kansas

Snowflakes, clippies, and recipes...oh my!!

~ I was busy last week working on some wintery recipe pages inspired by this cold, cold weather that won't make its way out of Kansas!! This set of three coordinating pages was based on the color combination in a ribbon collection (by American Crafts) I purchased, and I used all kinds of fun snowflakes cut from my Klic-N-Kut. The cute "Snow"flake Clippies were designed by Carrie's Creations, and the elegant snowflakes of various shapes are from Jan Bryson's Itty Bitty Snowflakes file. All of the "snow" was cut from Ice Gold metallic cardstock purchased from CutCardstock.com.

I also used some sketches as layout inspiration (see below), Stickles (waterfall), stick-on jewels, & cardstock/patterned papers by The Paper Studio.

Inspired by Sketches!{by tamara}'s Card Sketch #65.

Inspired by Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #36 sketch.

Inspired by Laura's Sketch #10 from 2Sketches4U.

Wintery hugs from Kansas,
Jessica

I'm back!

~ Sorry it's been awhile! I was first busy balancing work with preparing for the holiday...then I was busy trying to recover from several days of wonderful family get-togethers. Now I'm ready to settle back into my routine of work and play...papercrafting play, that is!!!

I finished a couple of recipe pages, but hadn't had time to post them. The first is a slow cooker recipe page, which follows a sketch on Page Plans. This was created for the Iron Chef recipe swap I host on a monthly basis. I love this ribbon and was excited to find these chipboard button pieces and the perfect-colored flowers to use with it.

The second is a more simple page, for which I challenged myself to use stickers. I tend to keep my stickers put away, but a special girlfriend sent me these fun cardboard cooking stickers, which I could not wait to put to use. I love the distressed look of them!! I also added a touch of ribbon and pulled out the Fastenator to staple it on.

It's nice to be back,

Jessica in Kansas

~ Birthday, birthday, birthday

~ I never have enough birthday cards ready to send, so I chose to take on the weekly challenge from The Cat's Pajamas, and create birthday cards this morning. The challenge was to use any cake image from the stamp line. Perfect...as I'd been dying to use this adorable penguin image! I also chose to combine the Color Inspiration #31 from the kwernerdesign blog. The colors are below...I wasn't sure what to think about the combination, but I love how the card turned out as a result of using them! Additionally, I followed Sketches! {by Tamara}'s Card Sketch #71 for the design of this project. With so much inspiration, I have to think less about what to create...and get to enjoy "playing" more!!! Can't beat that!

Have a great Saturday,

Jessica in Kansas

Little Fishy ~ a layout

~ This project has been a work in progress, and I finally finished it up this morning!! It's a layout about the fish and frog pond that we inherited with the purchase of our house. I love, love, love the pond and cannot wait to enjoy it with kiddos! When we moved in over the summer of '07, there were frogs (parents and babies) and goldfish calling the pond their home. Unfortunately the fish did not make it over the winter because our pump broke and the pond froze.

This summer, we purchased more goldfish and a few coy. One (or possibly more) of the fish had babies shortly after we bought them, so I enjoyed watching the fish multiply and grow over the summer. As my journaling strips illustrate, one of the highlights of my days has been to feed them. They were easily trained to feed in one spot of the pond. So much fun to watch...
This layout loosely followed Sketch #68 on Sketches! {by Tamara}'s blog. The banner, title, and adorable fish paper piecings were cut with my KNK and used Sam & Hailey Design's Itty Bitty Little Fishy file, found on Paperthreads.com. I also used some patterned paper by Sunburn Two Cool, a border ruler, and Aqua Stickles. This was my first time to use journaling strips, and it may be one of my new favorite ways to journal.

Enjoy,

Jessica in Kansas

Snowy Days, Frosty Nights, Warm Hearts

~ I am having a great time with the shimmer contest at CutCardstock.com and my new pre-cut cards I ordered from them!! I also love this sentiment from the Fairy Christmas stamp set by The Cat's Pajamas: Snowy Days, Frosty Nights, Warm Hearts! It was perfect for this snowy card following the sketch below from PageMaps, which was a swap challenge in one of my favorite Yahoo groups.

I also used a swirly flourish stamp from Hero Arts and white Staz-On ink, various snowflake confetti pieces in blue & silver, glittery snowflakes from Jolee's, patterned paper & ribbon from unknown sources.

Not quite ready for the real white stuff!!!

Jessica in Kansas

Fall is in the air...still!

~ I needed a fall card to send a friend, and I ran across a great sketch by 2 Sketches 4 You that I really liked and wanted to use. The Gold Leaf Metallic card back is from my new collection of shimmery pre-cut cardstock by CutCardstock.com, which I am LOVING to use! Aren't the transparent leaves gorgeous?!!

Hope you're enjoying the beauty of fall,

Jessica in Kansas

A little Christmas Kitty fun!!

~ It's a little early for me, but I created my first Christmas card last week! I love the shimmer of this fun project!!! This card was inspired by the Make it Glitter & Shimmer Holiday Contest at CutCardstock.com, by Color Throwdown #19, and by Sketches! {by Tamara}'s Card Sketch #70. I also used my new set of Pink Cat Studio stamps from My Little Stamp Shack. Materials:
- base: shimmery Curious Metallic Ice Gold pre-cut card from CutCardstock.com
- cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Bravo Burgundy, Bordering Blue (all SU!)
- stamps: Pink Cat Studio & Studio G (sentiment)
- dry embossing: brass snowflake stencils by All Night Media
- heat embossing: Rainbow Glitter embossing powder
- miscellaneous: 1" circle punch, ticket corner punch (SU!), silver shimmer ribbon, white gel pen, Not Quite Navy & Bravo Burgundy SU! markers

Meow!!!

Jessica in Kansas

Thankful ~

~ I'm feeling the holiday spirit!! I designed this layout for a page kit swap. It's quite metallic and shimmery, inspired in part by the "Make it Glitter & Shimmer" Holiday Contest through CutCardstock.com. The shimmery leaves are actually confetti, but I thought they were the perfect accent for the journaling strips and the large leaves, which were cut with my Klic-N-Kut (Maple Leaf & Acorn file, designed by Carrie's Creations). I added some shimmery bronze colored ribbon and used a leaf corner punch (EK Success) on the photo mats. The background cardstock is DCWV, the light and dark orange leafs are cut from Sunburn paper, and the shimmery bronze & tan papers are from CutCardstock.com. The layout design was inspired by Sketches! {by tamara}'s Layout Sketch #69. Thanks for letting me share!!!

With lots for which to be thankful,

Jessica in Kansas

A Whiff of Joy...

~ I just love my new Whiff of Joy stamp...isn't this image awesome?!! I love the detail on her jeans and the wispy hair! I used a sketch posted for the card contest on one of my Yahoo groups as inspiration for the layout. The top strip is actually a paint chip, which inspired my color choices. The blue strip was altered with a floral border punch. I used Golden Wheat ink, and the following SU! markers: Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, More Mustard, & Ruby Red. The cardstock is So Saffron, the brown patterned paper is Wild Asparagus, and the blue paper is from ProvoCraft. Prima Obsession flowers , and brads and fiber of unknown sources complete the embellishments. Ovals punched from the paint chip provided a great space to stamp the sentiment.

Enjoy,

Jessica in Kansas

The Colors of Fall

~ I was looking for inspiration for a recipe page layout I needed to complete for a swap, and I found it in "The Colors of Fall" contest being hosted by CutCardStock.com. I just LOVE fall color combinations, and am reminded by the goodness of God during this season, in particular!! How refreshing it is to see the beauty of what surrounds us...especially during such a chaotic time for our nation!

For this recipe page, I used a version of Card Sketch #67 posted by Sketches! {by Tamara} for the layout design. Copper colored Stickles, chipboard buttons by Colorbok, ribbon from Hobby Lobby, border punch by Fiskars, and a swirly background stamp by SU! help complete the design. I love the red patterned paper, designed by Sunburn. The picture just doesn't do the page justice...but do they ever?!

Enjoy,
Jessica in Kansas

There's a new sheriff in town!!!

~ I got a new stamp set from The Cat's Pajamas line of "Clearly Swanky Stamps", and I could not wait to put them to use. I love this wild western version of Poochie!!! This recipe page was inspired by this week's The Cat's Pajamas stamp challenge and by a card sketch posted on Di Hickman's blog.

Besides the new stamp set, I used a SU! paisley stamp from the Fresh Fillers set. Ink colors include Night of Navy, Golden Wheat, and Holly Berry Red. Marker colors used are Rose Red, Night of Navy, and Creamy Caramel. "Bang" is applied using a dimensional adhisive dot.

I almost forgot to mention that this is a very yummy recipe if you're interested in slow cooker soups this fall!

Have a great day, Pardner!

Jessica in Kansas

Check it out...I was featured as a guest designer!!!

~ The blog known as Sketches! {by tamara} is one of my favorites for daily inspiration. I have used several of their sketches as designs for my projects in the recent past. Several weeks ago, I was honored when Tamara invited me to be a guest designer. My charge was to create an original card from any one of my favorite sketches posted on her blog. I could not choose just one favorite, so I chose two and sent both of my creations to Tamara for her choosing. Well, she posted both a week ago Saturday when I was featured!! Here is the link to the actual post featuring none other than...ME!!! There, you can see the projects and sketches I used. The cards I submitted are posted below, too!

This card used an interesting color combination that I was unsure about, but I ended up liking it quite well. It was also the first time I used this embroidered paper and fun lime green ribbon. don't you just love the monkey stamp, dragonfly brads, and silk flowers?!!!

This card, I am intrigued by!!! It is a stand-up tag card. When opened, the tag stands up and sits inside the little box base. When closed, it's flat and fits perfectly inside a regular card-sized envelope!! It was the first one of its kind I created, and I'm hooked now!!

I used a cutting file by Sam & Hailey Designs to make this awesome card in a jiffy!!! I just easily assembled and added fun foil paper, stamps and ink, fiber/ribbon, and some metal birthday embellishments!!

I hope you visit the link and see the nice write-up Tamara did when I was featured!!! Thanks for letting me share!

Hugs to you,

Jessica in Kansas

It's a Boy!!

~ Here is a card I made for a baby shower I'm going to this afternoon. My cousin is having her first child...a little boy!! I love the soft masculine color combination of blues, greens, and yellows. The card layout was inspired by this week's Card Sketch #66 on Sketches! {by tamara}'s blog...one of my favorite sources of inspiration.

The giraffe stamps are from the Mindy's Zoo set by Autumn Leaves Clear Stamps, and the sentiment is from a set by Stampabilities. The patterned paper is from DCWV and The Paper Studio. The So Saffron and Bashful Blue cardstock is SU! I also used the SU! circle and scallop punches, and markers in So Saffron, Bashful Blue, and Certainly Celery. Ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.

Enjoy!!
Jessica in Kansas

Blimey Birthday Card

~ Joe's nephew turned 11 on Friday, so we needed a cute boy birthday card! I got this new set of Pirate stamps by The Cat's Pajamas, and just had to put them to use! I needed a little inspiration, so I used a TCP Tuesday sketch that was shared a few weeks ago, which is below. I also loved the combination of last's week's color inspiration on kwernerdesign's blog.

I enjoyed digging out the embossing powder and heat gun for this one!!

Thanks for letting me share,

Jessica in Kansas

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