Our Change of Art

I'm a Cover Girl!

2012-02-10T17:28:00.003-05:00

No, not a CoverGirl....I've landed my first magazine publication cover! I've known about it for awhile, but I didn't want to say anything until I actually got the issue in my hands. Today was the day it came! (I've been so patiently waiting!)

Yeppers, that box is mine! Yay! Now I can check "magazine cover" off of my infinitely long list of things to do in my life :)

While I'm here, I've got a Valentine's Day card for my husband (good thing he doesn't read my blog...)

It's for my husband because we both love video games, and usually a pixellated heart is used to help you determine your HP (the amount of health your character has in the game).

I used my trusty paper cutter to make those vertical strips to weave the ribbon through, so this card is headed to the Moxie Fab World for the cutting and trimming challenge! (I might try to upload a clearer pic of it if I can)

SP and Company February Release Blog Hop!

2012-02-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

This month's color is Bright Red! After you're done hopping around today, make sure you play along with this month's Red challenge (click here for details) for a chance to win some awesome SP and Company prizes!

Join us for our Release Celebration that is happening today and tomorrow on the SP Forum HERE. You can talk to all of the designers, discuss projects and chit chat with other stampers!

Don't forget that the random prize patrol is watching so leave a comment on every blog to be eligible for the prizes!!

Today, I'm featuring 2 of the new sets, Easter Bunny Sentiment, and Lucky Mini Set:

As you probably read above, the color theme for this blog hop is red. It was so hard to try to use red on my cards! The Easter sentiment makes me think of pastels, and the Lucky set NEEDS to be inked in green, right? Well, I tried to get creative to get red to work, so here's what I made:

Make sure you check out the SP Blog to see what Samantha did with the new stamps! We also have the Stamp Team and the Challenge Team teaming up today to show you lots of amazing projects with the newest stamp sets!

Here is the list of designers that will inspire you today:

Chrissie
Lori
Amber
Britt
Vicki
Kelli
Michelle
Stephanie
Patty
Bonnie
Susan
Tella

PTI 5th Anniversary Day 5

2012-02-09T21:31:00.001-05:00

Today, as part of the Papertrey Ink Day 5 festivities, the challenge is to make a project based on a Pinterest image. I was drawn to the image that Ashley used, shown below:

And I was also inspired by this image I found on Pinterest:

...and here's my card:

I used a double-layer of foam tape to really pop up that sentiment!

Edited to add: A few of you have commented on how I made the card. I wish I could tell you I masked and stamped (oh how impressive that would be!)....but it was a whole lot easier than that- I used washi tape. Makes me think though...I do have a woodgrain stamp, so it would be fun to try stamping to get a similar effect!

mint

2012-02-09T03:01:00.000-05:00

Today is another Design Team Thursday for My Thoughts Exactly!

I love this card, because one of my favorite ice cream flavors is mint chocolate chip (well, more specifically, mint chocolate Oreo- but that's harder to come by!). When I saw the "mint" sentiment in the new Lovey Puns Food set, all I could think about was ice cream!

So here's the card, sans Oreo:

And be sure to swing by the other gals posting today:

Lenae

Ashley

ric#5

2012-02-07T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today I'm here with the brand new Runway Inspired Challenge. This week, our sponsor is Simon Says Stamp, and we have this fun inspiration photo for you to work with, from Honor's Spring 2012 Collection:

source: nymag.com

I think this girl is so cute...I was inspired by the colors, and the squares on her blouse:

Can't really tell, but the the patterned paper has silver foil details, and the sentiment is embossed in silver.

As always, you need to check out the amazing DT:

Now head on over to the Runway Inspired Challenge to play along!

PTI 5th Anniversary Day 2

2012-02-06T23:06:00.000-05:00

I've got so much to do tonight before bed, one of which is posting this card for the second day of PTI's 5th Anniversary celebration!

My buddy Laura was lucky yesterday, so I'm hoping I could be the lucky one to win today :) The challenge this time is to make a card using one of the great freebie images on their blog. Here's what I made:

I used a technique I learned from a past Make It Monday to make the "chipboard" vine. I love the dimension it adds to the card!

PTI 5th Anniversary

2012-02-05T22:22:00.003-05:00

Today is the first day of the 5th anniversary festivities for Papertrey Ink. The challenge for today is to take inspiration from one of the DT members....they each chose their fave projects and products.

I decided to make something based on Jessica Witty's card:

You can see her original post here. I love the texture with the bold red circle....so this is what I came up with:

I used a different impression plate, and changed up the middle a bit, but otherwise it's a pretty direct CASE.

You still have a little bit of time left to play along, so hurry up!

My Thoughts Exactly February Release

2012-02-01T03:00:00.000-05:00

How are you doing on your Valentine's Day cards? If you need some inspiration, check out the February release from My Thoughts Exactly!

The stamps actually went up for sale 2 weeks ago, but we (pretty much) always have our blog hops on the first of the month. Now on to the goodies!

There are 7 new Valentine's themed stamp sets- today I am sharing cards I made with 3 of them. Up first is a simple card using Lovey Puns Food.

...and this next one uses Candy Hearts and Candy Hearts Add-On 3:

I know you can't really tell, but I put acetate in the window of the candy hearts box.

You can check out the rest of the new stamps HERE (there are discounted deals if you buy more than one set!), and make sure to check out what the rest of the DT made:

Alyssa - http://www.mythoughtsexactly.co

Ashley - http://hearthugsdesigns.blogspot.com/

Bee - http://dare2beecreative.blogspot.com/

Belinda - http://beeshiveofdrama.blogspot.com/

Benedicte - http://benelun.over-blog.com/

Jen - http://ourchangeofart.blogspot.com/ (here!)

Jessica - http://craftyrktsci.blogspot.com/

Kendra - http://luv2scrapnmakecards.blogspot.com/

Lenae - http://sugargemscrafts.blogspot.com/

Tracy - http://queeniesscrapmad.blogspot.com/

Kim - http://hellocutiecrafts.blogspot.com/ (guest designer this month)

------Giveaway------

One random commenter from all blogs will win the "I want it all" bundle. Yep- that includes all 7 stamp sets!

------------------------

Your next stop is Jessica!

Happy for You

2012-02-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today I'm sharing a card using one of the new releases from SP and Company, the Large Polka Dot Background. (oh yea- and we are going to ignore the fact that I stamped it slightly crooked...)

I love how the fuchsia dots look with the teal in the twine and the rub-on. Hope you have a great Wednesday!

For Cath (sans CHA) with Love Blog Hop

2012-01-31T00:01:00.000-05:00

Have you heard? Sadly Cath (of the Moxie Fab World) is unable to attend CHA this year due to pain in her shoulder. Lorena and Virginia organized a blog hop to cheer her up....sweet, huh? And since I jump at most opportunities to participate in a blog hop, I knew I had to join.

Here's a card just for you, Cath!

I think I need to get more Nestabilities....the ones I used on my card are from my one and only set! I love how easy it is to make a layered label with them. I'm putting them on my wishlist! I used some fun Hambly goodies on this card too. This overlay, and these washi tapes.

By the way, this card is headed straight for Cath's Die Cutting Challenge :)

colorful congratulations

2012-01-29T22:28:00.001-05:00

I've had such a nice, relaxing weekend. Don't you just love those? I had time to get crafty too- here's a card I made for the recent Patterned Paper Challenge at Lily Pad Cards.

I had a lot of fun with the colors and pattern on this card. I cut the banner out of the Hambly Screen Prints paper you see below, called "Banners."

The washi tape and label sticker are from Hambly too.

Speaking of Hambly Screen Prints, have you seen some of the new products!? Holy moly- they sure are awesome! Check them out on the Hambly blog:

OCC Hip to be Square

2012-01-28T06:54:00.002-05:00

Today there's a new challenge over at Our Creative Corner, and sadly, it will be my last challenge as a member of the OCC DT. This was a tough decision for me to make- OCC was the first design team I ever served on, so it definitely holds a special place in my heart. It has been a blast to design with those wonderful gals each week over the past year, and I hope to continue to play along with their challenges from time to time.

Now onto this week's challenge. Lori, our hostess, is giving us this sketch to work with:

For some reason, this one really stumped me! I sketched out a bunch of ideas, until I finally came up with something:

Now, don't be fooled by the humongous picture- this card is just shy of 3" square....so it's teeny tiny!

Before I sign off, I wanted to say thank you to the girls at Our Creative Corner- it's been a wonderful year :)

a do over

2012-01-27T20:26:00.002-05:00

Have you ever looked at your old projects? For me, it is always strange to look back to things I have made \with a new pair of eyes. Sometimes I get that overwhelming "what was I thinking"?" feeling.

Amber recently set up a challenge for her readers- to go back and find an old card to re-do. I looked back into the archives to find my most heinous creation. Well folks, this is it:

(and yes, I am SO embarrassed by it, that I refuse to make that picture any larger than it is now!)

Let's see....2 different patterned papers, a terribly ugly/poorly sewn ruffed fabric border, a twisted wire tree complete with seed beads at the end, an arbitrary fuchsia square, and a random bow. Yikes- what a mess!

For my remake, I kept a few things- the tree, the green color, and....well.....I guess that's it. Oh yea- it's also portrait orientation:

Ahh...now that's better!

(quick update...someone had asked about that tree stamp. It's from Inkadinkado, although I got it a while ago, and cannot find it on their website)

CASE Study 4

2012-01-26T00:01:00.000-05:00

Well, this is it. My last week as the January CASE Study muse :( It's been a lot of fun...so thanks again to Chupa and the CASE Study DT!

Today's inspiration card is one that I originally made for the September PTI blog hop challenge.

Wow...that embroidery floss is so classically "me," isn't it? Which is why I'm sure you'll be shocked to find out that I didn't add any embroidery floss to this card! Instead, I took a big breath, braced myself, and opened up a container of glitter (This was 3 days ago, and I am STILL plagued by miniscule flecks of blue!)

I hope that dealing with the glitter was worth it for my card:

Ooooh...shiny!

It might be tough to tell, but the glitter is actually flush with the white cardstock. I used my craft knife (that's in bold for you, Cath, so you know why I entered into the Cutting and Trimming Challenge!) to cut the three rectangular openings, then put a piece of packaging tape behind the opening so the sticky side was facing out, and sprinkled on the glitter! I learned this technique from Lisa, here.

So glad you could stop by! And if you play along with CASE study, tell 'em I sent ya! :)

a true friend

2012-01-25T22:19:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd join in with the PTI blog hop festivities!

The challenge is to share a favorite card from 2011, then to create a new card inspired by it. Here's one that I love, which I originally posted back in February:

And here is my new version:

I am also linking up to the Penguin Suit challenge at CAS-ual Fridays!

stitched sunburst

2012-01-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

It's "old stamps week" at SP and Company, so today I am featuring the set Sewing Chic.''

I have to admit- my card is a complete CASE of this awesome design (scroll down the post- you'll find it)

With all of the shininess, the stitching, and the layers, I figured it was best to keep things simple and omit the sentiment. (by the way, that amazing shiny paper is from Hambly Screen Prints)

So glad you stopped by!

Penny Black

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Just popping in to let you know that I am guest designing over at the Penny Black blog today!

YCU Challenge #6

2012-01-23T03:00:00.000-05:00

Today I'm here to help deliver a brand spakin' new challenge for Young Crafters Unite. This month, we have a sketch challenge:

And here's my card:

I don't often use colored card bases, but I thought red was just perfect for this card! For you non-French-speakers out there, "je t'aime" means "I love you."

Here are the links to the DT:

I hope you decide to play along...there's a $25 GC to Simon Says Stamp up for grabs!

Home

2012-01-22T22:38:00.001-05:00

I just got out of my craft room, and am happy to share this card I made for 2 different challenges. The first one is the Map to Your Heart challenge at the Moxie Fab World. The other is the very first Virginia's View challenge at Lily Pad Cards.

Here's what I got (inspiration explanation below the pics)

I used the map for the Moxie Fab challenge, of course, and I printed the sentiment. I put the heart near the window of the house not only because it worked so well with the sentiment, but because the inspiration photo for Virginia's challenge was a bunch of paper hearts in a window.

Thanks for visiting....I'll be back soon with my card for YCU!

OCC Photo Inspiration

2012-01-21T08:50:00.001-05:00

Good morning, today there is a great photo inspiration challenge over at Our Creative Corner, hosted by Lori Rider.

Check it out:

Sweet, huh?

Here's my take:

Today is my wedding anniversary.....I probably should have made an anniversary card!

You can check out the rest of the DT samples over at OCC

CASE Study 3

2012-01-19T01:01:00.000-05:00

I'm so sad that my month with CASE Study is already half over! It's been such an honor to be the muse, and I love seeing everyone's creations. We only have this week and next week left, so if you haven't yet- please play along!

The challenge for today is based on this card below:

And here is my updated version:

I'm linking this card up for the die cutting challenge at the Moxie Fab World.

I hope you go check out what the DT made over at CASE Study!

sweet baby

2012-01-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

Hey there,

Today I'm posting using SP and Company stamps (by the way, you can check out the project I made yesterday using balsa wood on the SP Stamps blog).

The 1, 2, and 3 on my card below are from the set "One Two Three," (haha, perfect!). I stamped them in VersaMark ink to keep the look subtle.

So glad you could stop by!

ric#4

2012-01-17T00:01:00.000-05:00

Good morning! I am extremely excited to share today's Runway Inspired Challenge. Our sponsor is Clear and Simple Stamps, and the DT got to use the Lucky Charm set. It goes so perfectly with our inspiration pic, from Christopher Kane's latest resort collection:

Wow! Check it out- this girl loves rainbow, and isn't afraid to let everyone know!

I love rainbow colors too, which is why I was so excited to make this card. I haven't done a rainbow floss card in a while, so I thought this was a great opportunity to bring it back:

Also cool - Since Clear and Simple Stamps is sponsoring the challenge, I was able to make an extra project to be featured on their iPhone App!

The DT has some fabulous projects to share with you as well:
Aga

Cristina

Laura

Sarah
Angeline

What are you waiting for? Get your butt over to the Runway Inspired Challenge to play along!

Flashback Friday 19.0

2012-01-16T21:14:00.001-05:00

Today I am participating in the current Flashback Friday Challenge. This time around, Hazel is asking:

Post your first Clean and Simple card

Oh wow- 99% of everything on my blog is CAS! So I went back through the archives, and found my first CAS card that I have not already submit to Flashback Friday, from January 23, 2010.

(I tried my best to salvage the dark, poor-quality photo)

Thanks for dropping by!

Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-15T19:04:00.000-05:00

Last week, I posted a giveaway for my favorite stamp set from My Thoughts Exactly. I asked everyone to share- "What was the last thing you ate?"

I can't tell you how much I loved reading the responses! Every time I got notification of a new comment, I started to crave whatever it was that the commenter wrote about :)

Now onto the winner. I used the all-powerful random.org to choose the lucky gal....

ulli said...

Hi Jennifer,
the last thing I ate was an apple a peach and a kiwi. It was this morning for breakfast. Now I am sipping the rest of my coffee happy to enter your giveaway!!

Sending love,
Ulli

By the way, your blog is inspiring and amazing!! Thanks for sharing your work!! really, I am grateful!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Woohoo! Ulli, please email me at ourchangeofart@gmail.com with your mailing address to claim your prize! (I tried to track down your email address, but could not find it anywhere on your blog/profile). If I don't hear back within 7 days, I'll have to choose another winner.

Bye!

CASE Study 2

2012-01-12T07:02:00.000-05:00

(to see my DT post for My Thoughts Exactly, scroll down)

In case you forgot (haha..in "CASE!" get it?), I'm the muse this month at CASE Study! (now do you get it? Okay, I know....bad joke....)

The card this week is this one that I made in August:

I took most of the elements- butterflies, the SP and Co background stamp, the negative die cut, white on white, rhinestone, and the fact that it is a thank you card. Redone, and now we have this:

Please play along!

MTE DT Thurs

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

Hey all...It's my day to post for My Thoughts Exactly Stamps! Today I am featuring an older set, the Birds and the Bees. (Oh yea-before I forget....I wanted to remind you that you have until tomorrow to enter my MTE giveaway!)

Now onto the card:

In addition to the My Thoughts Exactly sentiment, I used some goodies from Hambly Screen Prints: washi tape, a branch sticker, and an owl rub-on.

Please check out what Lenae and new DT member Ashley Newell have for you today!

quick post before a deadline

2012-01-11T22:06:00.000-05:00

I've got 4 words for you: CAS-ual Fridays Chipboard Challenge

Told you this would be a quick post! Off to bed I go....

SP and Co January Release Blog Hop!

2012-01-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

That's right- it's release day at SP and Company!

This month's color is WHITE (or Cream)! After you're done hopping around today, make sure you play along with this month's White challenge (click here for details) for a chance to win some awesome SP and Company prizes!

Join us for our Release Celebration that is happening today and tomorrow on the SP Forum HERE. You can talk to all of the designers, discuss projects and chit chat with other stampers!

Don't forget that the random prize patrol is watching so leave a comment on every blog to be eligible for the prizes!!

Here's one of the new background stamps being released this month, Large Polka Dots Background:

I love how long the stamp is- it'll cover a landscape-orientation card with a bit extra overhanging. Below is my super simple card, with matching polka-dot envelope:

OCC Show Us Your Shape

2012-01-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday! Today's challenge at Our Creative Corner is being hosted by Vicki. The theme is "Show us Your Shape"- to make a card that is NOT square or rectangle!

I put my trusty ol' electronic die cutter to work, and made this card (it was hard to get a clear picture, so I took 3 from different angles):

Thanks for stopping by! Follow THIS link to see what the DT made and to play along!

My fave set (a giveaway!)

2012-01-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today I am being re-introduced on the My Thoughts Exactly blog! There is a new DT for 2012, with some new gals, and some old familiar faces.

Today I am featuring my favorite MTE stamp set. It was tricky to choose (I LOVE the Sweet Thoughts sentiments), but I ultimately went with Many Thanks:

I love the different fonts and cute phrases you can make with it!

I curved the stamp to make my little rainbow....sweet, huh?

------------------------------

Giveaway!

Do you want to win Many Thanks? Leave me a comment telling me what was the last thing you ate (sorry...I'm just curious!) by Friday, January 13th at 11:59pm ET. Good luck!

YCU Challenge #5

2012-01-05T03:00:00.000-05:00

This month's challenge at Young Crafter's Unite is a great one! It's my favorite card-designing style....CAS! Yep, that's right- you can enter with any clean and simple card!

I reallllly wanted to make a one-layer card, to epitomize CAS, but instead it evolved into this (still clean and simple nonetheless):

And here are the links to the DT:

I hope you find time to play along...you just might win a $25 GC to Simon Says Stamp!

CASE Study

2012-01-04T23:16:00.001-05:00

Good morning! I have some exciting news....I'm the new muse at CASE Study! I was blown away when Chupa asked me- I didn't know what to say other than "yes!"

Below is the card for this week's challenge...

And here is my re-interpretation of it:

You should definitely play along (and while you are there check out the amazing samples from the DT)...I can't wait to see what everyone makes!

true love

2012-01-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

For the new year, SP and Company has changed some things around. There is no more "DT Wednesday," but instead designers have been assigned different days during the week to post projects. And guess what?! My day is Wednesday! So....things will pretty much be the same 'round here :) For more inspiration, including special posts like tutorials/videos, you can check out the new SP Stamps Blog.

My card today features a sentiment from "Bold Sentiments I," and that houndstooth paper is from this month's kit.

Well, that's it for now! I'll be back tomorrow with 2 fun posts!

ric#3

2012-01-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Hello! Today is a brand new Runway Inspired Challenge, and I just know that we are going to get some great submissions with this one!

source: fashionrogue.com

The stripes, the black and white, the platform shoes, the model's dramatic makeup- there's so much to take inspiration from!

For my card, I made a zig zag pattern by cutting up some black and white striped paper on the diagonal and adhering the pieces side by side. The zig zags and the black sentiment strip are popped up with foam tape- mount it all on a black card, and here's the result:

Don't forget to check out the drool-worthy entries from the DT:

Aga

Cristina

Laura

Sarah
Angeline

Oh yea- and please play along....you just might win that $15 GC to Simon Says Stamp! :)

2011

2011-12-31T14:02:00.000-05:00

(if you are looking for my OCC post, scroll down or click here)

Well, here we are. Another year older, another year wiser, and another chance to reflect. I'd have to say that I have grown more in 2011 than any other year. Not only in my personal life, but through my crafting as well. I thought this would be a good chance to look back, and see my crafty progress from month to month.

But first, some highlights - and no, I am not doing this to brag...just to give myself a little pat on the back for all of my hard work! :)

In 2011....
...I joined my first Design Team (and my 2nd, and 3rd, and 4th, and 5th, and 6th!)
...I got into the 2011 Paper Crafts Gallery Idol competition, and actually made it to top 5 :)
...I started to make relationships with other bloggers- until this year I was always too shy
...I was published! (a few times!)
...I started my own challenge blog
...I reached 100 followers- then 200!

Now onto the projects! It's weird for me to look at them, especially since I hate some of the things I made! (I think "ick...why would I make that?" when I look at some of them...). Unless I missed a few, below is every project I blogged about in 2011:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Did you make it this far? If so, here's a prize:

Have a safe and happy new year :)

Bright and Happy New Year

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year's Eve! (and happy birthday to my dad!)

Today's challenge at Our Creative Corner is hosted by Anne Marie- and this time we are using a fun and bright color combo on a card for a celebration:

I chose to celebrate a birthday! I paper-pieced the flowers and stem, but only on that center white section:

I hope you choose to play along!

Some Hero Arts cards + CAS-ual Fridays

2011-12-30T11:33:00.001-05:00

Last night I was able to whip up some (last minute) entries to the Hero Arts December Contest. I used 2 of the sketches provided (you can see them here).

And here are my cards!

And below is a card for the current challenge at CAS-ual Fridays. The houndstooth background is from SP and Co, and the cute birdcage rub-on is from Hambly Screen Prints. I'm also linking this up to colourQ- Black and White plus any color! (in this case, I chose kraft)

See ya!

Giveaway Winner and Buttons!

2011-12-29T09:55:00.001-05:00

Thanks to everyone who commented on my 200 followers/500th post giveaway! Your comments are so sweet, and I really appreciate each one!

Here is the winner, selected by my good friend random.org:

Ronnie said...

Congrats on hitting 200! Your work is wonderful, and I'm sure your numbers will keep going up!

Woohoo! Ronnie, please email me (ourchangeofart@gmail.com) your mailing address so I can send out your goodies!

Now, the next order of business is a card for a challenge! I made this cute and simple card for the LilyPad Cards button challenge, using some AWESOME stickers from Hambly Screen Prints:

Those trees are from this cardstock sticker set. I love that they are printed on kraft!

OCC Home for the Holidays

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-05:00

Good morning, I hope Christmas Eve is treating you well! I'm currently at my in-law's in NJ...it's always nice to see family at the holidays! Today Sharon is hosting at Our Creative Corner, and this week the theme is "Home for the Holidays." Take inspiration from something in your home to make a paper crafted project.

This year, my Christmas tree only has handmade paper ornaments on it- that's where I got my inspiration for this card. (Sorry I don't have a pic...)

(look familiar? Yea...I CASEd Maile Belles. I've been in a bit of a design rut recently, and her card is so awesome!)

One more thing: a few weeks ago I got a cool goodie in the mail that I had ordered...check it out:

I hope that even with the busyness of the holidays you find time to join us at Our Creative Corner!

Hambly goodness!

2011-12-22T14:29:00.002-05:00

My first project as part of the Hambly DT is live today on their blog!

Check out what I did with an awesome holiday overlay by clicking HERE!

DT Thursday

2011-12-22T00:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday! Today is my last day of work before Winter Vacation...sweet!

Today is also DT Thursday at My Thoughts Exactly. I'm using the Holly Jolly Phrases:

I love that these teeny sentiments can fit in small places, like the cutout in my card below (which was TOTALLY stolen from Cristina!)

....and I also had some time to make a tag, which is reminiscent of the card I posted a few hours ago. I LOVE those fun stripes of glitter!

(thanks again, Aimes, for those tags!)

Be sure to visit Jessica too, to see what she did with MTE stamps!

Do you ever wonder how I keep non-card items like tags standing up when I photograph them?

...no?

Well, I'll show you anyway. I've been using this "method" for about a year now:

Haha...trusty ol' Sonic is always by my side :)

Lawnscaping- Texture

2011-12-21T19:36:00.000-05:00

Sorry for 2 posts in one day (did you see my giveaway?)

Today I took a personal day off from work today to do some holiday baking, and catch up on some Christmas cards. Here's one of the cards I made, with Lawnscaping's Texture challenge in mind. I just love how the strips of glitter paper adds sparkle and shine, as well as texture!

Only 4 days left!

Giveaway Time!

2011-12-21T17:56:00.000-05:00

I'm here to celebrate! A little over a week ago, I reached 200 followers! I decided to freeze that moment in time with a screencap:

In addition, I am approaching my 500th post (I'm at around 498..I think. Blogger says I just hit 500, yet I think it is counting draft posts....)

Here are the goodies I'm giving away:

Chipboard stickers and embellishments from Bella Blvd, Pink Paisley, and Sassafrass Lass.

Just leave a comment below (by December 27) for a chance to win! You don't need to be a follower, and the giveaway is open internationally. Good luck!

ric#2

2011-12-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

I first want to thank everybody for their support of the Runway Inspired Challenge. It's taken a lot of work to get everything organized, and I am grateful that so many wonderful people have embraced it!

A new challenge is starting today (sponsored by the Twinery!), and this one is inspired by this outfit below, from Fendi's Spring 2012 collection:

source: fashiongonerogue.com

I love this outfit! She looks so cute...yet stylish.

My card takes inspiration from the print of her dress which has all of those white accents. The yellow twine was inspired by her mustard-yellow shoes.

Thanks for looking! Make sure to check out what the rest of the DT made over at the Runway Inspired Challenge, and while you're there, check to see if you won the last challenge! I hope you play along :)

OCC Holiday Color Combo

2011-12-17T05:00:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for the Hambly Screen Prints DT blog hop, scroll down to the next post, or click here!!

Today Anne Marie has a great color challenge lined up for Our Creative Corner! Check out the fab inspiration below:

I don't always love pink, but it sure does look great with the blue and red! In addition to the colors, your project must have sparkle! Here's what I came up with.....

The sentiment is from MTE's Holly Jolly Phrases, and I got bells in the mail from Alyssa when she sent me the stamps....thanks, Alyssa!

My sparkle comes from the bell, and this great 3D star sticker....you can see the silver details here:

...and do you see that blue houndstooth in the background? I stamped that strip about 2 weeks ago when this challenge went up on the Moxie Fab World, and was finally able to use it on a card!

Thanks for visiting, and be sure to check out the challenge at Our Creative Corner!

Hambly Design Team Blog Hop!

2011-12-17T03:01:00.000-05:00

Good morning, and welcome to the Hambly Design Team Blog Hop!

We'd like to introduce you to the new design team members through a blog hop (and giveaway!). Visit all 16 designer's blogs, where you can read a little bit about each member and see a project and/or tip about Hambly products. Leave a comment on each of their blog hop posts, then go to the Hambly blog and leave a comment. On Dec. 19th, 2011 at 12 noon PST we will randomly pick and announce the winners on the Hambly Blog.

This should be a lot of fun, since each designer is posting 10 random facts on their blogs. Followers of mine probably already know most of these things about me, but here they are for anyone new who might be stopping by!

1. I work full time as an elementary music teacher, and I teach private lessons most days after school
2. I play many instruments including the viola, violin, flute, and piano
3. My favorite way to spend a sunny afternoon is skateboarding with my husband in Boston
4. I love to paint watercolor fashion illustrations
5. No kids or pets (yet!)
6. I hope to skydive one day
7. My handwriting was used for the opening credits in a movie
8. I’ve been a video gamer for as long as I can remember...my favorite games are the Castlevania and Mario Brothers series.
9. Although I love listening to classical music, my favorite bands are Metallica and A Perfect Circle.
10. I wish I knew how to dance!

...And now onto the projects! The first one uses some white Holiday Reindeer rub-ons. Although it's a little hard to see in the pic, I rubbed them onto metallic silvery cardstock. The sentiment is embossed in white, and I made the "snow" from layering hand-cut cardstock with foam tape:

(sadly, this card didn't make it into Card Creations Vol. 10. boohoo!)

My next card features a negative die cut layered with what might be my favorite overlay. I had fun trying different ones behind the cutout, and I just loved the look of the Lattice!

And lastly, I have one more card with a rub-on. This one is a silver Apothecary Jar. Oh my gosh...I can think of so many things to "fill" these awesome rub-ons! For this card, I printed and cut out peppermint candies, applied some glossy accents, and popped them on with foam tape. For the sentiment, I printed "have a" and "Christmas," and applied glitter letters for the "sweet." Lastly, I applied a strip of Hambly washi tape across the bottom.

Make sure to check out the other DT gals....I know I sure will!

Angela Gutshall PA
Corrie Jones GA
Felicitas Klink Germany
Iris Babao Uy Philippines
Janna Werner Germany
Jaz Lee Soo Hui Singapore
Karine Cazenave France
Kirsty Neale UK
Leeann Pearce Australia
Leah Farquharson FL
Maisa Mendonça Brazil
Marie Ramirez CA
Mou Saha FL
Paige Evans CA
Pearl Lui NY

And if you're hopping along in order, your next stop is Karine!

SP and Co DT Wednesday (&CFC31)

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Good morning! Today is DT Wednesday at SP and Co, and I love these big, bold numbers from the set "One Two Three."

I was inspired by this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge, which is to use mist. I tried to channel my inner Karen Baker on this one- I hope I did her justice!

I don't have any misting products, so I turned to my trusty old watercolor set. (and when I say old, I mean old! I got the set when I was in middle school, and although I paint quite frequently, I've only had to replace a few of the tubes!)

I always like the look of mist, but have never really tried it 'til now. I always told myself that if I got into misting, I wouldn't use red. I don't want my projects to look like they have blood splattered all over them, ya know?

Well...after all was said and done....I used red:

I hope it doesn't look too gory! I knew that with the messiness of the splatter I wanted a hand-drawn image to complement the imperfectness, so I sketched out the poinsettia with a fine-tipped pen.

I really like how this one came out, even though I was crafting waaaay out of my comfort zone!

PS. Don't forget that you have until Friday at midnight to link up for the very first Runway Inspired Challenge!

SP and Company December Release Day!

2011-12-10T00:49:00.001-05:00

This month's color is GREEN! Not only does the Design Team get to play with this color, but YOU do too! After you're done hopping around today, make sure you play along with this month's green challenge (click here for details) for a chance to win some awesome SP and Company prizes! And don't forget that the random prize patrol is watching so leave a comment on every blog each day to be eligible for the prizes!!

The set above is called One Two Three, and although it's the only set being released this month, Sami has 2 new single stamps too. I adore the Circletastic background....and today it's on sale for only $5.75!

I made a card for a 4th birthday.....I always have trouble making cards for kids. I think that CAS is not usually what they want. They want glitter, and a rainbow of colors, and 1,000 layers. Yikes! I think I need to get better at balancing my style with what a kid wants. Hopefully a little girl would be happy with this butterfly card:

Make sure you check out the SP Blog and see what Samantha did with the new stamps! Also, Patty, Stephanie, Kelli, and Chrissie all have projects for you today, so stop by their blogs and check out what they have been up to.

Whoops!

2011-12-07T16:26:00.001-05:00

I totally forgot to add a deadline for the MTE stamp release comment-to-win contest! I'll draw a winner from the comments I currently have at this point....

And now for the winner, (chosen by random.org)

cards by cara said...

Wow - I am loving your creations! I think Christmas festivities should not begin before December ... that way we enjoy it but it is not already Christmas as soon as the Halloween stuff is packed away ... :)

I agree! Cara, please send me an email so I can get you the gift card code from My Thoughts Exactly! Thanks to everyone who left comments :)

Hopefully I'll be back soon with some cards. I have been so busy recently, between getting ready for Christmas, holiday concerts at work, my private students' winter recital, DT work, and organizing my new challenge. It certainly is a crazy time of year!

ric#1

2011-12-06T00:01:00.002-05:00

Today is the day I have been waiting weeks and weeks for! It is the premier Runway Inspired Challenge!

source: fashionista.com

Here's the card I made, based on the dress above:

I love the repeated details in the dress, especially along the bottom hem- which inspired me to have a repeated pattern on my card.

The winner will receive a $15 Gift Card to Simon Says Stamp....

Be sure to check out the projects from the amazing DT!

I can't wait to see what projects everyone makes for our first challenge :) I hope you play along!

I'm Moxie Fab!

2011-12-05T12:12:00.000-05:00

Did you see?

'tis the season

2011-12-04T15:49:00.004-05:00

Good afternoon! I'm posting today with a card inspired by CAS-ual Fridays (and Kristina's holiday card day 16)

It's a tic-tac-toe challenge, so I chose to use green, kraft, and chevrons:

I made the chevron pattern by adhering tape onto 4 kraft cardstock panels and sprinkling on some glitter. It doesn't look too sparkly in the pic, but it certainly is in person!
This must be a chevron weekend for me, since last night I made this little fabric pouch:

At work we are doing a Secret Santa-type thing called "Secret Angel," and we are supposed to give $1 gifts leading up to the big gift. $1?!?! What in the world can you give someone for a buck?

Well, the pouch ended up costing nothing to make, since I already had the fabric scraps and recently won a set of 25 zippers. Sweet! (oh yea, and don't bother asking for the pattern if you are interested in making the pouch. I didn't use one, and I didn't measure anything as I made it. Sorry!)

I just hope she likes handmade presents...because that's all she's getting! haha

Don't forget....the first Runway Inspired Challenge is on Tuesday! See you there!

OCC Haul out the holly..it's time to decorate!

2011-12-03T05:00:00.001-05:00

This week at Our Creative Corner Wendy is hosting a sketch challenge!

Check out the great sketch below:

Wendy wants you to take the simple sketch, and decorate it for the holidays!

My CAS style usually doesn't lend itself to too much decorating/embellishing, so I chose to use a patterned paper to help me step outside of my comfort zone. I REALLY like how it came out!

(BTW, that amazing paper is from Martha Stewart. I love every design in the collection, and used some on this card too!) The wrapped twine was inspired by Day 15 of Kristina's holiday card series. Only 10 more days to go!

This week the Cards challenge is Christmas.....I'm sure Paige will receive many entries!

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you join us for the challenge this week at Our Creative Corner!

Joy

2011-12-02T18:56:00.004-05:00

I'm about to go out to meet some friends for dinner.

Well, I'm not being completely honest. I'm going to meet friends for a Harry Potter get-together, complete with themed food...

...and I'm dressed like Hermione. hah!

I've never gotten into the Harry Potter movies (or books for that matter). I made it through the first 2, and wasn't all that interested. And now, friends from work organized this whole shindig tonight so that I can watch the 3rd movie, which they claim is the best. I think this is the first step in an attempt to eventually get me caught up with the rest of them.

I'm going along with it because:

1. I like hanging out with my friends

2. I like themed events

3. I like dressing up (if you really want to see something interesting, check out this video that my husband found yesterday of the two of us at New York Comic-Con. So embarrassing to see myself talk on video!)

Now onto the card:

Remember my self-issued challenge to make cards inspired by Kristina's Holiday card series? Well, I'm totally behind. Here's one loosely based on Day 14:

I'll be back tomorrow with the next challenge at OCC!

---edited to add--- I was asked about the ribbon on this card. I got it at Michael's- it is the "celebrate it" brand of basic satin ribbon.

SP and Co DT Wed

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've got a bright one for you today! It's the last DT Wednesday before the December release at SP and Company, and this past month I have been focusing on the Vintage Varsity Numbers.

I chose colors that pop- limey green and electric blue for this fun birthday card:

Thanks for visiting!

My Thoughts Exactly December Release

2011-11-28T03:01:00.002-05:00

We're starting December a bit early at My Thoughts Exactly! There are 2 new stamp sets being released this month:

Holly Jolly Tags

...and Holly Jolly Phrases
Today I have 2 projects using the great new tag set. I love that it comes with 5 snowflakes- perfect for making a background!

(see the "love and joy?" Those are actually from the Sweet Thoughts set!). I love the polka dot tag- it works great for any occasion!

My next card features the ornament tag. I paper-pieced them for added color, punched the hole at the top, and strung each with silver embroidery floss.
Here are the rest of my tags....just waiting to be used on future projects!

---Giveaway---

Do you want to win a $5 Gift Card to My Thoughts Exactly? Leave a comment on this post telling me:

When do you think Christmas festivities should start?

Do you want to see holiday decorations in the mall, and Christmas music on the radio right after Thanksgiving? Do you think they should wait until December? Or are you one of the people who think it should start earlier than Thanksgiving?

I personally think it's crazy when I see Santa pre-Thanksgiving. I like to focus on one holiday at a time! Although a friend of mine says she "officially" gets in the Christmas spirit right after her birthday- and her bday is October 13!!

For more fabulous inspiration, please check out the rest of the DT:

Alyssa (My Thoughts Exactly)

OCC O Christmas Tree

2011-11-26T08:05:00.002-05:00

Good morning! Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, it's time to jump right back into Christmas! Wendy is hosting this week's challenge at Our Creative Corner, and she's asking for cards with Christmas trees/pine trees.

I made an 8.5x11 piece of wall art that I think I'll frame and give to one of my grandparents. For my "tree," I designed a die cutting file of birds in a tree shape. I cut it out of shimmery white cardstock, and layered it on top of green with foam tape:

Don't you just love glitter letters for the holidays?!

I hope you join us this week at Our Creative Corner!

One quick thing...

2011-11-24T13:47:00.001-05:00

Sweet!

Thank You

2011-11-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

It's DT Thursday at My Thoughts Exactly! Do you wish you could be on the team too? Maybe you can- There is a DT call happening right now :)

Since today is Thanksgiving, it is so perfect that my card uses Many Thanks, the newest sentiment set.

For a chance to WIN this set, click here (you'll also find a fabulous new challenge while you're there)

My card was actually inspired by a lovely design by Joy Taylor. She is a master of rhinestone placement! I stamped the large "Thank you" from the set, and the script below is the sentiment "from the bottom of my heart."

I layered the flowers with foam tape:
Please go visit my buddy Jessica too to see what she did with MTE stamps!

SP and Co DT Wed

2011-11-23T07:00:00.001-05:00

Scroll down for my Young Crafters Unite post :)

For today's DT Wednesday, I'm once again using one of SP and Company's new sets, Vintage Varsity Numbers.

In my card you'll clearly see the SP and Company sentiment, but can you see where I used a number stamp?

I stamped the "0" along the right edge in watermark ink to create a border!

Don't forget: you only have until Sunday to enter to win the great prize over at the Runway Inspired Challenge. I hope you will join us !

YCU Challenge #4

2011-11-23T01:01:00.004-05:00

Today marks a brand new challenge with Young Crafters Unite! The theme is.....

Die Cutting

I die cut the frame of the card, as well as the leaves:

I took my color inspiration from the current embellish magazine challenge.

Well, you'd best be on your way now- there's a whole DT's worth of inspiration to check out!

I hope you join us this month at Young Crafters Unite

Make It Mondays #41

2011-11-20T22:47:00.004-05:00

I just realized that I am only 10 followers away from 200! I'll probably have to have some sort of giveaway once I make it there :)

Here's a tag I made for this week's Make It Monday. The challenge is to use a glue pad to stamp and image, then to add glitter, flocking, etc. I stamped out a decorative tree, then glittered it up!

(and thank you, thank you, thank you, to Aimes for sending me those blank tags! I'll get that die some day.....)

So glad you could come check it out.

BTW.....have you visited the runway inspired challenge yet??

OCC Thanksgiving Inspiration

2011-11-19T05:00:00.005-05:00

Happy Saturday! Today there is a brand new challenge at Our Creative Corner! Holly has provided us with a gorgeous inspiration photo this week:

She wants you to use the inspiration to make a Thanksgiving, Holiday, or New Years project.

I just love the tablecloth, and I had the perfect paper to match! The orange roses on the table are also very striking. I was totally trying to channel a bit of Maile Belles with this one....I always adore her style!

I hope you join us this week at Our Creative Corner!

(btw...have you seen my big announcement?!)

It's coming...

2011-11-17T00:01:00.003-05:00

I've been keeping a HUGE secret from you all for weeks. It has been so hard. I really wanted to tell you, but I couldn't!!

Well, today is the day I get to spill the beans:

I'm starting a new challenge blog!

Yep! It all started with this post. I revealed my love for fashion, and made a card inspired by a cool design I saw online from the runways of New York Fashion week.

It got me thinking.....I know that there are hundreds of challenge sites out there (and its doubtful that the world even needs another), but I have never come across one that is completely devoted to fashion. So I created....

The Runway Inspired Challenge!

Yep! Twice a month my team and I will provide fashion-forward inspiration for you to use in your next papercrafted project. And did I mention prizes?!

The DT is still top-secret, but I promise that you will be blown away when you see who they are. I can't even believe that I was able to round up such an amazingly talented group.

I've got a launch giveaway going on over there right now, so why don't you go check it out?

SP and Co DT Wed

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Good morning, folks! Thank you so much for all of the sweet comments you left me yesterday....I really appreciate each one :)

Today I have a card using one of the November release stamp sets from SP and Company, Vintage Varsity Numbers:

I made so many masculine cards last week, that I wanted to use these numbers to make a card that could be used for a guy or a girl.

Ehhh...it still looks mostly masculine to me! I love how the numbers look as a background behind the medallion. This one is getting linked up at the Moxie Fab World for the "Championing Award Medallions" challenge.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

a FABULOUS announcement!

2011-11-15T07:55:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to pop in to announce that I am now on the Hambly Screen Prints DT!

I saw the list up on the Hambly blog when I woke up this morning, and didn't see my name. It was probably because I was still half asleep! It wasn't until I started clicking on the names (to see the blogs of those who made it) when I stumbled upon "Jennifer Rzasa." Haha, that certainly woke me up!

I'm so excited to be on this amazing team :)

PS. Today I am the Guest Designer at Lily Pad Cards. To check it out (and see 2 new projects), click here.

A Winner!!

2011-11-14T21:43:00.003-05:00

Hey! A quick post to announce the winner of the 31 Thank You Cards eBook from Ella Publishing.

Rae said...

I love the beauty and simplicity of your cards, Jennifer. I have recieved a handmade thank you card. I have a sister who also makes cards, I recieved one from her. I LOVE getting handmade cards in the mail!

Rae, please email me at ourchangeofart@gmail.com so I can send you the code to download the book.

Thanks to everyone who left comments...I loved reading your responses!

one more negative die cut...

2011-11-13T21:47:00.003-05:00

I have just 10 minutes before submissions are due for this week's Mojo Monday contest.....so I'll keep it short and sweet.

Here's the sketch:

Here's my card:

Make it Mondays and a question

2011-11-13T13:54:00.003-05:00

Hey there!

Before I share my card for this week's Make it Monday, don't forget you have until tonight to enter my giveaway!

The challenge this week is reverse applique. Such a fun technique, and I love having another excuse to make a card with a negative die cut! (are you with me, Sarah, Cristina and Laura?)

Can you recognize where that ornament hanger stamp came from? It's from this PTI set!

---Update---- Someone asked what die I used....it's this one from, Memory Box.

One last thing: Over the weekend, I got my first DSLR camera. (woohoo!) I didn't buy it for blog pics, but since I have it, I might as well use it, you know? The pictures above were taken with the new camera, and I definitely think they look better than the old ones. But getting a nicer camera does not make one a better photograper.

Although I understand how the manual settings work (aperture, shutter speed, iso, etc), there are a million different ways to take a picture of a card.

So here's my question: If any of you use a nice camera and a light tent to take your card photos, what settings do you use? I'd love to try out different things to learn how to make my blog pics really nice :)

SP and Co November Release Day!

2011-11-10T00:05:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the SP and Company November Stamp release!

This month's color is Red! Not only does the Design Team get to play with this color, but YOU do too! After you're done hopping around today, make sure you play along with this month's red challenge (click here for details) for a chance to win some awesome SP and Company prizes! And don't forget that the random prize patrol is watching so leave a comment on
every blog each day to be eligible for the prizes!!

This month is going to be huge! There are 6 sets being released today, and I'll be featuring the new numbers set-Vintage Varsity Numbers:

This card is inspired by Day 13 of Kristina's Holiday Card Series. The "25" is for December 25th, hehe....although it looks like a sports jersey number! I think I'll definitely be making a jersey-inspired card with these new numbers.

Oh yea- don't forget to check out the SP and Company DT Call!

-------

And one last thing- did you see the giveaway I posted last night?

Christmas and a Giveaway!

2011-11-09T17:59:00.007-05:00

Today I'm sharing 3 holiday cards- the first one is for this month's sketch challenge at the Craft's Meow:

....and the next are inspired by Kristina Werner's Holiday Card Series, days 11 and 12 (I'm working up to 25! Pretty much halfway there....)

-----------------------------------------------

...And now for the giveaway!

Do you remember when I was guest blogging at Ella Publishing? Well, they were so kind to offer a chance for one of my readers to win a free eBook! The fabulous book is 31 Thank You Cards.

Here's some more info:

31 Thank You Cards

Try 138 card-making tips, tricks, and tutorials

by Kimber McGray, Heather Nichols, and Kristina Werner

The experts agree: there's no better way to say "thank you" than with a beautiful, hand-crafted greeting card! Card making pros Kristina Werner, Heather Nichols, and Kimber McGray have teamed up to share their best tips for stamping, stitching, designing, heat-embossing, misting, pattern-matching, embellishing—and SO much more!—on 31 gorgeous greeting cards.

About the Authors

Kimber, Heather, and Kristina are all card-makers, stampers, teachers, and paper-crafting enthusiasts who share their expertise via their blogs, published books, design teams, online and in-person classes, and more! They hail from Indiana, Minnesota, and Utah, respectively.

Sounds awesome, right? Well, it is! I was able to check out this eBook, and I love it- there are so many great tricks and tips on each page.

Do you want to win a copy? Please leave a comment on this post and let me know...

Have you ever received a handmade thank you card?

You have until Sunday, November 13th at 11:59pm (ET) to comment. I'll draw the winner sometime Monday or Tuesday!

Thanks, Ella!

SP and Co sneak peek

2011-11-09T07:00:00.002-05:00

Good morning! Today I have a sneak peek of one of the new sets from SP and Company, releasing tomorrow!

Check out the numbers, below:

(if you are curious why I put "2012," it's because I currently have no one in mind to give this card to. And since 2011 is almost over, I think I'd have better luck giving it to someone next year!)
I think those numbers are sooo great for masculine projects, but they would work for any other themes as well. I'm thinking new years, graduations, and more! Check back tomorrow for the release of this and other new sets from SP and Co.

PS. They are currently having a DT Call! Details are here.

Flashback Friday 17.0

2011-11-06T10:35:00.002-05:00

Good morning! Just popping in to share my entry for Flashback Friday 17.0:

---post your first banner---

Below is my first banner card. I don't think I have ever made an actual banner. I don't throw many parties, and when I do, they don't require banners.

Well anyway, this is the card, first blogged about in March 2010 here.

Over a year later, and I still like it! (The same cannot be said for all of my Flashback Friday entries!)

You should definitely play along!

OCC Masculine

2011-11-05T05:00:00.002-04:00

Wow...between the current YCU challenge, the YCU blog hop, and now this challenge at OCC, there sure are a lot of masculine cards being made over here!

Once again, the hostess is the fabulous Tui, and not only does she want to see masculine cards, but she wants you to challenge yourself by using colors that are not typically thought of as manly.

I went with a dark red, purple, and white. I "manned" things up by stamping some stripes into a plaid background, and for some reason, the old-timey bicycle looks liked a guy thing...

(and I'm submitting this to the always fun and amazing CAS-ual Fridays Challenge! This week, the theme is "Over the Edge")
I hope you join us this week at Our Creative Corner! And don't forget- you can link up for both OCC and YCU!

YCU Blog Hop

2011-11-04T02:00:00.003-04:00

Good morning! Today is the 2nd Young Crafters Unite blog hop! You likely got here from Tania, but you can always go back to the YCU blog to start from the beginning. The hop officially begins at noon CST, so you might want to wait until then to hop through. Make sure to comment along the way, for a chance to win some great prizes (details here)

This time, the theme is "Masculine," and I'm sharing a manly Christmas card. (haha...can a Christmas card really be manly?)

Last weekend I picked up this cool wood paper, and I tried die cutting it. Sadly, it didn't really work, but I was pleased to see that it debossed the wood instead. Even cooler than if it cut all the way through!

I've had those acrylic letters in my stash for about a year, and I was happy to finally use them. (I hope the card is still masculine even though it has stitching. I figure the wood and twine make up for that....)

Now I must send you on your way....Bee is up next!

ultra CAS

2011-11-02T23:37:00.002-04:00

Well, it doesn't get anymore CAS than this. The challenge this week at CAS-ual Fridays is to use the sketch above. I flipped it, and simplified it. My card is tone-on-tone, and has no sentiment. I think that this may be the most Clean and Simple card I've ever made!

Deja Vu

2011-11-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today I am revisiting yesterday's card. I liked the layout a bunch (and that new butterfly die!), so today's card is a re-interpretation of it.

It's Wednesday, which means DT Wed with SP and Co. I'm using October's Just a Note set (the November release is on the 10th!):

...and I'm also linking up for the die cut challenge at embellish magazine.

Here's the card. As you can see, I pretty much kept everything the same except the colors, and sentiment treatment:

So glad you could stop by!

My Thoughts Exactly November Release

2011-11-01T03:00:00.005-04:00

Good Morning! It's the first of the month, so I have a new release to share with you from My Thoughts Exactly! The set is called "Just a Note" and it is my favorite so far!

Here's my card:

The set has so many options, and with Thanksgiving coming up, it will be a great one to have!

I wish I had more projects to share, but as I mentioned in my last post, we've been without power. I'm lucky I was even able to get this project up in time for the release!

For more fabulous inspiration, please check out the rest of the DT!

Alyssa (My Thoughts Exactly)

Christmas Cards

2011-10-31T19:23:00.004-04:00

I have to apologize for my last post....I was very cold, and very frustrated! Luckily, power is back, and I'm nice and toasty! I made some holiday cards this afternoon that I'll share in a moment, but first, here is one I made on Saturday.

I went to my LSS to get some goodies, and they had an "art bar" with these great stamps! Here's what I made:

If I had more $, I would have definitely purchased that tree stamp- but I spent it all on dies and paper!

Now...back to this afternoon....

I wanted to catch up on making Christmas cards, so I decided to chip away at my self-issued challenge: to CASE everything from Kristina's Holiday Card Series.

inspired by day 6:
inspired by day 7:

inspired by day 8:

inspired by day 9:

inspired by day 10:

No Power

2011-10-31T08:40:00.002-04:00

Yikes. No work (the schools are closed). I'm at a Panera using internet, but there are no outlets available because everybody who lives in MA is here. (and I can't go home b/c my apartment is freezing)

OCC Fancy Folds

2011-10-29T07:24:00.003-04:00

Good morning! I'm excited to say that Tui is the hostess this week at Our Creative Corner! She is so amazing! If you've never been to her blog before, you certainly need to check it out. You won't be disappointed!

The challenge this week is fancy folds.....and here is a tutorial I found for folding my card. It was tough to get the 2 halves of the stamp to line up like that on the front, but I think it was worth the work!

(sorry for all of the gold in the pic...I got a little crazy there! I like shiny things, hehe)

Hopefully you have time to play along with us this week at Our Creative Corner!

Halloween Treats

2011-10-27T00:05:00.002-04:00

Happy DT Thursday! I've got some cute candy containers I made to bring to my friends at work, using stamps from the most recent release at My Thoughts Exactly. (Check out the Halloween sentiments here)

I sewed them up following a simple tutorial I found online, which for some reason I cannot currently locate. Once I find it, I'll link it up here- but it's nothing new....you should easily be able to find similar tutorials if you do a search.
(damask stamp from SP and C0)

And check out the back. It says "trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat." Haha, I love that.

Yum. I was able to fit 5 of the fun-size candies into each before sewing them up.

Make sure to visit Jessica too.....she did a cool thing with ribbon that you don't want to miss! Thanks for stopping by!

Flashback Friday 16.0

2011-10-26T21:47:00.002-04:00

Hey! I just decided to play along with Amy's awesome Flashback Friday challenge.

The challenge this time is to post your first tag. Yikes! A tag? I almost never make tags, and it is probably because I hate cutting them out. I should get some tag dies....a great shortcut! (I really like some of the ones from PTI...especially the one with the embossed dots around the edge that all of my blog friends seem to have).

I don't even know if this counts as a tag. Posted here in June 2010, it's really more of a card with a pull-out panel. And it's square...not tag-shaped. But it's the earliest occurrence of anything tag-ular, so it's what I'm submitting!

You should totally check out the challenge!

DT Wed and CAS-ual Fridays

2011-10-26T07:00:00.003-04:00

Today is SP and Co's DT Wednesday, and once again, I'm using one of this month's new sets, Just a Note:

I stamped the sentiment on the top, then printed out the "thanks." I colored it in with colored pencils (intentionally letting some white show through) for this week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays.
I liked the card so much, that I made another!

Thanks for visiting!

PTI Blog Hop

2011-10-25T23:03:00.003-04:00

A quick post before bedtime (and before the PTI blog hop deadline!)

I was inspired by the oranges and patterns in the pumpkins above. The strip to the far left is patterned paper, and the others I stamped to match the stripes, woodgrain, and polka dots in the photo:
Oh yea- and I used an x-acto knife to cut out the little heart before I popped up that strip on foam tape.

YCU Challenge #3

2011-10-23T01:01:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the third challenge at Young Crafters Unite! This time, the theme is masculine cards. A tough task for most of us, I'm sure. Luckily, I had some manly supplies on hand and I really liked how it came out!

I bought that star embossing folder a few months ago on clearance for about $2, and I don't think I have ever used it! I'm glad it saw the light of day when I made this card. I hope you choose to join us this month, and make sure to check out the samples from the DT:

OCC Fabulous Faces (and Comic-Con!)

2011-10-22T05:00:00.006-04:00

Yep...it's Saturday.....which means a new challenge at Our Creative Corner! Marjie is host once again, and she wants to see projects with faces! Any faces will do.

I LOVE the graphic look of the face below. I printed it and the sentiment onto cardstock, and hand-cut the thought bubble.

....which brings me to the second half of this post. You can stop reading now if you are not interested. I won't feel bad!

Last weekend my husband and I were in NYC for New York Comic-Con. We try to go every year since they brought the convention to the east coast. Until then, it was only in San Diego (I've been to the SDCC once). Comic-Con is but one of the geek conventions we go to- and we always cosplay.

This year, we went as X-Men. I sewed my costume, and Dave's was a compilation of stuff he had already and things he bought at the thrift store. I went as Rogue (in a twist on her Legacy costume, if that means anything to you, hehe), and he was Gambit.

The pic below was taken at my parents' house- they live on LI so we stayed at their place and took the train into the city Saturday and Sunday.

When you get dressed up for one of these events, people want to take your picture. Soooo many people, in fact, that I imagine it is what celebrities must feel like when the paparazzi tails them. I got my photo taken on the way to lunch, while testing video games, and even when headed to the bathroom. It's fun to look for pics of yourself in online galleries that others have posted. Below is one of our faves that was taken of us, found here:

Even while we were having lunch at Subway about a block from the convention hall, people were taking pictures through the window. We wanted to join in the fun, so we took these pics of each other.

Below is another favorite of mine...a picture of me and someone I found dressed up as Ms. Marvel, who Rogue steals powers from in the comics:

One last picture- there was a Spiderman green screen set up so you can be a cool webslinger, just like him. Look at my costume. Notice the problem?

Sorry for the long post. I don't often share anything personal on the blog, but a few people had mentioned that they wanted to see some pics. I'll be back to normal in the next post, I promise!

Oh yea- don't forget to check out the challenge at OCC!

sparkle and shine

2011-10-21T06:55:00.004-04:00

Good morning! I hope I don't run late to work with this post.....

I'm here with a card for the Moxie Fab World's texture challenge. My texture comes in the form of dry embossing. Boring, I know. But I always love the look! I guess the foam tape, rhinestones, and twine all give it texture too:

My layout was inspired by Kristina Werner's Holiday Card Series (day 5). I've been having so much fun making my holiday cards!

One last thing-

Amy had a fun little set of questions on her blog, and I decided to play along.

1. Name your favorite color?

Red or Teal (or red AND teal, hehe)

2. Name your favorite song?

probably "One" by Metallica...or "Master of Puppets"....or "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" by Vaughan Williams

3. Name your favorite dessert?

Cheesecake

4. What ticks you off at the moment?

People who treat other people like crap

5. Your favorite pet?

Dog, of course!

6. Black or white?

Black

7. Your biggest fear?

death (I'm with ya on that one, Amy)

8. Best feature?

Physical, or personality? I love my hair, and I think I'm a thoughtful person.

9. Everyday attitude?

the glass is half-full!

10. What is perfection?

Being near people I love

11. Guilty pleasure?

Any sweets (and I indulge daily!)

12. When you're upset you...?

Cry. I'm very sensitive

SP and Co DT Wed

2011-10-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

(check out my Guest Blogging post at Ella Publishing!)

Good morning! I've got a fun and simple card this morning for this week's DT Wednesday at SP and Co! I'm using one of this month's new sets, Just a Note.

Although the card looks simple, it took a long time to do! I tried to be as precise as possible when lining up those cardstock stripes.

So glad you could pop by!

Guest at Ella Publishing

2011-10-18T23:34:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I am guest blogging at Ella Publishing today for Card Making Month! Check it out HERE!!

Karen's Super-Amazing Birthday Blog Hop Party Extravaganza!

2011-10-18T05:00:00.008-04:00

Good morning, and welcome to the party! Today we are celebrating a very special occasion- the birthday of the on and only Karen! Karen is the sweetest when it comes to commenting on the blogs of others, organizing fun things for her crafty friends (like her carbon copied posts), and of course she is an amazingly talented card maker! I first started following her last year when she made Gallery Idol- and I was instantly hooked. I only wish I had "discovered" her sooner :)

Now, onto the festivities. You may have gotten here via (the also fabulous) Aimes- if not you can start the hop from the beginning. If you get lost, here's a list of those of us partying today:

Jen R ---you're here!

Lisa

Lynn

Of course I had to bring a card for Karen to the party. I was actually inspired by this awesome card she made a few weeks ago. I'm loving the nice big circle cutout with the image inside. Here's what I made:

(Color combo taken from the PDCC103)

I also wanted to bring something for us to snack on, so I made pumpkin bread!

(haha, they look radioactive on that bright green plate!)

I hope you have fun partying with us today, and make sure to leave an extra sweet birthday message for Karen. I also think Erin deserves a super big thanks for organizing the party!

OCC Totally Transparent

2011-10-15T05:00:00.002-04:00

Quick post this morning for Our Creative Corner:

The wonderful hostess, Marjie, is challenging us to use transparencies! I have a few sheets of these cool Hambly overlays, and they make perfect card bases! If you choose to make a transparent card base, make sure you figure out where you will write the message on the inside. I chose to adhere a small rectangle behind the lettering, with a corresponding (same size) piece of cardstock adhered inside the card for the message.

I hope you join us this week at Our Creative Corner!

count your blessings

2011-10-14T16:59:00.002-04:00

Hey there! I have been sooooo busy recently- sewing my costume for Comic-Con! Newbies to my blog may not know the full extent of my geekiness, but it includes dressing up in costume to go to conventions. It's a world far from paper crafting, but I love it nonetheless!

New York Comic Con is this weekend, and I am dressing up as Rogue from X-Men, and my husband is going as Gambit. I'll see if I can get some good pics to share with you guys (if any of you care, that is....)

Today I made another card inspired by Kristina Werner's amazing Holiday Card Series. The one below is card #4 (I know...I'm really behind!)

Love the bold trees, and the cool layout. Here's my take:

I love that this card also fits the sketch at clean&simple. Cool!

Trendy Twine Winner!

2011-10-12T06:59:00.004-04:00

I'm back to share the winner of my Fang-tastic Halloween blog hop giveaway....

Vannessa said...

I already like trendy twine:) Loved your cards. Thought the room view was really creative:)

------------------

Vanessa, I'll be contacting you soon about your prize!

SP and Co October Blog Hop- RELEASE DAY!

2011-10-10T00:23:00.003-04:00

This month's color is Orange! Join us as we share orange projects using brand new SP and Company stamps that will be released on the 10th. Not only does the Design Team get to play with this color, but YOU do too! After you're done hopping around today, make sure you play along with this month's orange challenge (click here for details) for a chance to win some awesome SP and Company prizes! And don't forget that the random prize patrol is watching so leave a comment on every blog each day to be eligible for the prizes!!

Here's just one of the sets being released today- check out the other DT blogs to see the rest! I love the different fonts in this set:

And here's my card, complete with handmade washi tape (thanks, Make it Mondays!):

I also recently made this set of notecards using these sentiments.

Make sure you check out the SP Blog and see what Samantha did with the new stamps! Also, Patty, Stephanie, Kelli, Chrissie, and Emily all have projects for you today, so stop by their blogs and check out what they have been up to.

Thanks for visiting!

OCC Fall Colors

2011-10-08T05:00:00.008-04:00

Good morning! Check out my 3 posts from yesterday for chances to win some awesome prizes! Scroll down to see them all :)

Lori is hosting this week at Our Creative Corner, and she chose some lovely Fall colors for us to work with! When I saw them, I immediately loved their warmth, and thought "Christmas." As you may (or may not) know, I've been CASEing Kristina's Holiday Card Series cards. The one below is #3:

I love the dry embossing in the background (she used a faux letterpress technique), and the simple layout.

Here's my version:

I hope you can see the dot texture in the background. I also inked up my embossing folder before rolling it through my die cutter, but I used a pale blue for a subtle effect (it was actually a little more subtle than I wanted....). I used some foam tree glitter stickers that I got a few years ago for a dollar at one of the big chain craft stores. They have been in my stash so long, I almost threw them out, but I'm glad I didn't!

This card is also headed for Lawnscaping's current challenge. I hope you play along with us at Our Creative Corner!

Operation Julie's Smile

2011-10-07T08:00:00.003-04:00

(for the SP and Company October stamp release, scroll down)
(for the Fangtastic Halloween blog hop, scroll down even further!)

Welcome to the next stop on the Operation Julie's Smile blog hop! Hopefully you got here via Lisa's blog. If not, you can go back to beginning at the Sweet Stamp Shop. Let me tell you a bit about this hop.

The creative blogging community is coming together this weekend to help one of our friends, Julie Ranae. You may know her as the Design Team Coordinator for many wonderful companies from bakers twine, die cuts, rubber stamps and more. What many people don’t know about Julie Ranae is that she has had some pretty major dental surgeries in her lifetime due to medication she had to take as a child. It was in her plans to think about having all of her teeth replaced at some point in the next 5 years, a decision that was pretty easy to plan out.

But then it happened…she chipped her front teeth on a weekend a month ago. The dentist told her there was no way to save them & that it was his recommendation that she give in and have them all her teeth removed soon, but for that day, they needed to get her front teeth done so her gums could begin to heal. He said he would 'work out payments with her to have ALL this work done...but when she called to make her appt for the first step of impressions, they told her the amount of money that was needed and that the 'payments' applied only to the two teeth that were extracted that day. Her husband Paul was with her & that too, was his understanding as well. So this is how she has found herself in this situation…Needing at least $4000 to get started and another $3000 to finish the process…a total of $7000.

Nicole Rixon, owner of Sweet Stamp Shop put together this benefit after finding out about this situation and before Julie Ranae knew it, it took flight! Because she is an event organizer by trade, she has taken on the job of organizing all of the blogs in this hop as her way of ‘working overtime’ for what she needs, the same as if she were able to work overtime at an outside job to pay for the work to be done. It is the goal of all of these generous friends & sponsors to help make this situation more do-able for our friend so that she can share a brand new smile with all of us soon.

If there is anything you can do to help with a financial donation, there is a donation button in my sidebar (right under my blog archives). Any amount is appreciated and ALL DONATIONS will be eligible for prizes from our sponsor pool of over $2500.

I decided to make a notecard set for today's blog hop, to give to my newly married friends. I think that when giving card sets to others, it is important to keep them mailable so that no extra postage is needed. My cards are one-layer, super simple, and just perfect for writing a quick little note.

Above are 2 of the designs, and here's the whole bunch together:
I made 2 of each design, then packaged them with envelopes in a clear plastic box wrapped with lace and ribbon.

SP and Co October Blog Hop- Day 1

2011-10-07T07:00:00.003-04:00

(For the Fangtastic blog hop, scroll down!)

Welcome to the SP and Company October release blog hop!

This month's color is Orange! Join us today through the 10th as we share orange projects using brand new SP and Company stamps that will be released on the 10th. Not only does the Design Team get to play with this color, but YOU do too! After you're done hopping around today, make sure you play along with this month's orange challenge (click here for details) for a chance to win some awesome SP and Company prizes! And don't forget that the random prize patrol is watching so leave a comment on every blog each day to be eligible for the prizes!!

My card below uses a sentiment from the new set, "Just a Note." The full set will be revealed on Monday!

Sorry I only have 1 photo of my card...I was battling with my camera on this one! I just love the orangey-yellow (or yellowy-orange?) paper on the side of the card, with a little bit of purple floss peeking out along the bottom.

I'll be back in an hour with a card set that also uses these great sentiments, so you'll want to check that out too!

Make sure you visit the SP Blog and see what Samantha did with the new stamps! Also, Emily has a project for you today, so stop by her blog and see what she has been up to. Pop back in here on the 10th for the entire SP and Company Design Team Blog Hop!!!

Fangtastic Blog Hop (and giveaway!)

2011-10-07T03:00:00.003-04:00

Today is an action-packed day for me! I'll be posting 3 times, starting off with the Fangtastic Blog hop. There are many prizes to be won: sponsors include My Thoughts Exactly Stamps, Trendy Twine, SVGCuts, Pumpkin Spice, the Digi Bistro, SVGs by Bee and more!

My cards today feature some awesome Halloween stamps from MTE. You can purchase the 2 new sets separately, or as a bundle to save $.

Somewhat tough to tell in the pic- the main image is embossed on silver cardstock.

The next one also sadly does not look as good as in real life, but you get the idea:

Here's a better view of the chair and chandelier:

Here's the lineup for the hop:

Jen <----you're already here! Woohoo!

----Giveaway----

Want to win 50 yards of Halloween twine from the lovely Leslie at Trendy Twine? Head over to her Facebook, "like" it, and come back here and leave a comment. Easy!

Comment by 11:59pm (ET) on the 10th to be eligible to win!

Your next stop is my friend Jessica. Have fun :)