Fill Me Up...

Happy Monday!!  I finally completed this little one sheet mini album I've been working on!  Now, it's time to fill IT up!  I used a brand new stamp set, Exclamations, from Sweet N Sassy Stamps to decorate the pages.  It's a prayerful theme--I thought I would use it to record my prayers, praises and pleadings, for my five blessings!

With the oldest on the verge of  high school graduation, I've been reflective lately about how quickly time goes by.  I didn't believe it that day, in the nursery, when the nurse said "cherish every moment....they will be over too soon!"  And, in just the blink of an eye.....here we are!!

Times change, seasons change, but a mother's prayers.....they remain.  I love this new little stamp set, and thought it was the perfect thing to use to create this little book. 

 A place to record my own thoughts--thoughts just between me and my Savior....

 To jot down what's important--with a little pull out page for some of my ideas!

 Never forget to praise Him for all that he has done and provided!

 A little pocket page....a picture, some notes?

 Pay Attention to This!!  Another pull out page.

 Click! Click! The final pull out with a picture of my big babies!

 Lots of great moments to reflect on!

 Never forget, He SHOWED up--He always SHOWS up!

I used a few other great Sweet N Sassy Stamp sets to complete this fun book:  Note This and Capture This Moment--check them out!

The album ends up measuring 3x3 and starts with just one 12x12 piece of designer paper.  I'd recommend a thinner paper to start with as you will double the paper up as you fold to create the pages.  If you are interested in making your own, here's a tutorial I wrote years ago!



Enjoy!

Valentine Critters and Notepads

Happy Wednesday, Sweet Friends!! Today is Sweet N Sassy Stamps day on my blog.  I have such a fun project to share!

Years ago, I spent a lot of time developing, filming and writing tutorials.  It was always such a gratifying experience to think up a project or see inspiration somewhere and then figure out the details to share with others.  I especially like the projects that result in a gifty for someone else.  This one is already headed to a very special little girl I know.

The first part is to find the perfect little note pad.  I've been able to find them in a a variety of places....dollar zones, office supply.  They are typically magnetic list pads and they range in size from place to place, but once you have the basics of the pad down, it is easy to adjust the dimensions to accommodate your specific pad. I always take the magnet strip off prior to adhering to the cardstock base.  The base should be twice the width of the pad plus a 1/4" for the spine and another 3/4" for space to add the pen holder.

The added touch lies in the pen holder itself.  Here are the basics so you can try a go at it yourself!  Start with piece of cardstock that measures 2 3/4" x 10 1/2".  Score along the short side at 3/4", 1", 1 3/4" and 2".  Rotate the card stock and score along the longer length at 4 1/2", 4 3/4", 9" and 9 1/4".  Crease all score lines and then trim as shown:

You'll have to create a hole (for the pen or pencil) using either a scissors or small hole punch.  I've used a 1/2" punch. The trick is to fold the card stock along the bottom scored line (when the piece is oriented as shown)  Punch a half circle on the scored line making sure not to extend beyond the top score. 

 Using tacky tape and the scored lines, reinforce the top card stock and create the "box" that holds the pen(cil) as shown:

I've included a picture of the piece from the front also.  You will secure this to the notebook cover and when you do so, be sure the top piece is flush with the box top as seen here:

 

I decorated this with Valentine Critters and the matching dies from Sweet N Sassy Stamps!  Such a cute set--I just love those little guys!  Clearly, I couldn't pick just one!  The sentiment also comes from Sweet N Sassy,  Keep In Touch, Too. I'm feeling a bit inspired--I think I'll be making a few more!

Be Awesome!  Jane

I got crafty with:

We Go Together.....

Happy Day, Sweet Friends!  We go together like....Like rama lamma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong.  Remembered forever as shoobop sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom...Chang chang changitty chang shoobop...That's the way it should be.......

If I'm going to have it rattling around in my head all day, so are you.  I share afterall....And, nothing goes better together than stamping and sharing....well, except for chocolate.  Chocolate goes pretty good with stamping and sharing, too....

So, in the interest of sharing and stamping AND chocolate, I have a fun tutorial that I wrote for Sweet N Sassy Stamps and their Monday Tutorial feature that I'd like to share with you, too! Be sure to visit SNSS's blog for lots of inspiration and sharing!  For my contribution this month, I wanted to design a project that made an out of the box use of their Bookmarks & More Dies:

I bought the dies and the coordinating stamps, Bookmark Bits & Pieces, to make hand made book marks for my kiddo's class.  THAT project is right on the top of my TO DO list.  This MAY be the golden year!  It's a great little set and would also be a fun school or birthday party project!

For today's project, though, I used the bottom bookmark die seen above.  You could easily adapt the top die for this project, too, by trimming off one end.  I may just do that next!

In addition to the Bookmarks & More Dies from Sweet N Sassy Stamps, you will need: card stock for two dies, a complimentary card stock or designer paper that measures 1 1/2" x 7 3/4", adhesive, a hole punch, ribbon, stamps, ink and a scoring/paper cutting tool.  And, most importantly.....a treat!

Begin by cutting and scoring two bookmark dies:

Using the die cut shown, with the rounded end on the right hand side, score at 1 3/4" and 5 1/4". Do this for both bookmark die cuts.

Next, join the two bookmarks by adhering the two bottom sections together.

 And hole punch the top of the bookmarks:

Set the bookmark piece aside and prepare the wrap.  For this, you can use either a piece of designer paper or a complimentary piece of card stock.  I've chosen to use the card stock and stylize it with the new Floral Pattern Background stamp, also from Sweet N Sassy Stamps.

 

As a reminder, the wrap piece measures 1 1/2" x 7 3/4".  Along the length, you will need to score at 1 3/4', 3 3/4", 5 1/2" and 7 1/2".  Place adhesive on the two 2" sections only:

After removing the adhesive backing, secure the wrap piece to the front and back panels of the tag box:

Add your treat, secure the top with ribbon and decorate!

This would make a super easy shower, party or classroom treat!  It will easily accommodate a prepackaged candy, like a fun size candy bar or bag of m&ms.  The possibilities are endless!

I couldn't resist decorating mine with an adorable image from Sweet N Sassy Stamps You & Me set.  I mounted the peas and carrots die cut image on a label die cut (also from Bookmarks & More) and added a few sentiments.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you are feeling inspired......and, awesome!
TTFN, Jane

Come Fly With Me

Happy Monday, Friends!  I've taken, what I hope will be a short hiatus, from blogging.  Funny how our plans so often can be interrupted by life--eh?  I'm glad to be back and happy that you've chosen to join me for a new goodie from I Brake For Stamps!

Well, "new" may have been a bit of a stretch.....I've owned this wonderful stamp set, Come Fly With Me, for a few years!  I love the whimsical characters.  They are fun to color and, also, fun to add to colorful backgrounds!  I haven't used it in a while so, in some ways, it feels fresh and new to me.  I guess that's part of the beauty of having a ginormous collection of stamps.

Water coloring seems to be all the rage in some of the stamping circles I follow.  Everyone is using this water color product or that.  I'm not going to lie, it's a little hard to keep up with.  Besides that, I've never been much for the band wagon and I have absolutely no way to discern if this water color product or that one is the best.  So, I stick with what I know and what I have. 

I've been playing around with the four colored sharpies (sad, I know....just four colors!) that I have and regular isopropyl alcohol ever since I developed this tutorial. In somewhat of a happy accident, I ended up with the piece you see above.  I think it emulates a water colored looked, but also has the depth of color we typically see with alcohol based inks.  It isn't at all what I was going for, but I decided to go with it just the same.

Isn't that kind of how life works, too?  Not always what we are going for........but sometimes, the only choice you have is to go with it.

If you'd like to come fly with me, and shop the IBFS store, you can use my coupon code for some savings!  Say a great big "HIDEEHO" to one of the sweetest gals I know when you get there!  SAVE10JANE

TTFN & Don't forget to be awesome!  Jane

He Hath Made......

Everything beautiful in His time......And, what beautiful timing it is!  Today, we are enjoying the last day of school and, for the first time in many years, I am excited for summer vacation!  My kiddos and I are planning some summer fun that I just can't wait to get to!  Hopefully, our plans will work and we will end up with a funky fort in our backyard, lots of art and many adventures!

Today, I have a tutorial to share that I developed and wrote for Sweet 'N Sassy Stamps.  It's both colorful and easy--two of my favorite things!!  And, as an extra happy bonus, you are likely to have all of the necessary supplies right in your home!

 

You will need several complimentary sharpie markers, rubbing alcohol, and eyedropper (pipette) a piece of white card stock and a piece of acetate.  An acrylic block could be used as a substitute for the acetate, if you like.  Mainly, you need a nonporous surface to color your sharpies on to:

Begin by laying color patches with the sharpie markers on the sheet of acetate.  (I use the acetate because it is sized to match the card front card stock I generally use).

Using the pipette, add drops of rubbing alcohol to the entire surface of the colored acetate.  The rubbing alcohol will spread and blend the inks.

Immediately, cover the prepared acetate with the white card stock.  Gently press around the entire card stock piece to transfer the inks.

Depending on the outcome of the dipping, you can use either the front or back side for the next step.  It really is your personal preference.  In the above samples (these are two separate pieces), the back side picture is my preference due to the mingling of colors and intensity on the other side.  Some of the colors on the front side are muddied.  The back side on this particular piece was much prettier.  You will see what I mean when you start to play around yourself!

To complete your project, all you need is your favorite stamp images and some black ink.  The contrast of the black ink and the background colors is awesome, in my opinion :)  You can tell from the opening picture, I had a hard time stopping!  Below, is each card alone with a few more details:

 This card features Sweet 'N Sassy Stamp's New Creature--butterflies and sentiment.

 The second card also features the SNSS set, New Creature and Retirement Sentiments (also from Sweet 'N Sassy).  I rarely use white as a card base, but with this colorful front, the white really works.  I get so stuck in the color box sometimes, I forget about the white.  The butterfly wings are highlighted with a white signo pen, also.

I created the last card by making a collage using all of the images from Sweet 'N Sassy's Parisian Postcard set.  It's a simply gorgeous set!  I especially like the rose image--it's so sweet and romantic.  I colored the roses with the same pink sharpie to accent and added a sentiment from Sweet 'N Sassy's Wait On The Lord.

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed making it. I always love to see what you are making so, please share a link with me in the comments section!  Go on, get inky!

Don't forget to be awesome!

TTFN, Jane

On A Roll.....

Happy Middle of the Week, Sweet Friends!  I'm glad you all survived Monuesday!  We are half way to the weekend all ready!  Thank you for stopping by to see my Sweet 'N Sassy share of the week!  I have a fun little graduation card/gift project to share!

For the purpose of my project, I've trimmed down some fake money so it is sized like real money.  The box is designed to accommodate a roll of money that the receiver pulls out the top.  In the picture below, I show how the money roll fits into the bottom of the box.

It's super fun to make and a unique way to give cash--which, by the way, I normally hate to do.  I'm not a big fan of gift cards either.  However, a fun presentation, like this, shows that it WAS thought out and purposeful vs. last minute and "I don't know what else to do so, I'll just shove some money in this store bought card"  GASP!!

I'm planning to create a tutorial for this fun project so, keep your eyes here for that!

I decorated my money roll box using Congrats Grad Clear Stamps and matching die set  from Sweet 'N Sassy Stamps. It would also be sweet for a birthday card/gift--no?

TTFN--Don't forget to be awesome!  Jane

SNSS April Release, Windy Winnie and a TUTORIAL.....just for you!

Happy Friday, Sweet Friends!  It's release day at Sweet 'N Sassy Stamps!  If you are a member of the Sweet Perks Club, you've already seen some of the new designs.  The new designs make those masculine cards a piece of cake!  All new stamps and dies are available TODAY for preorder.  Join us, next week Friday, April 17th, for an inspirational April Release Hop and Challenge!

Windy Winnie, from the Sweet 'N Sassy March release, is still on my mind as the weather here changes daily.   Yesterday it poured all day and this morning, I woke to 5 inches of snow!  Go figure!  I could use any of the Winnie sets and still be weather appropriate!

As I created this card, I reflected on the storms of life....it made me think of my friend, Missy.  I'm so grateful for her friendship.  My experience has been to usually walk in a storm alone--it's part of storminess, I guess.  It is where growth happens and, in my experience, the drawing nearer.....It has also been my experience, that eventually, the clouds begin to part and you realize that there are those who walk beside you.  My friend, Missy, is such a gift to me, and, literally walks beside me :) ....I think those who walk with us are God's tangible reminder that He is ALWAYS with us--we are never alone.  I chose this beautiful sentiment from Be Encouraged, from Sweet 'N Sassy stamps,  for just this reason!

I also filmed a little tutorial for you.....

The Bokeh effect has been translated into a stamping technique by many.  This is just my little take on it.  I think the Windy Winnie is perfect for such a technique!--The supplies I used are shown below.  I chose distress inks to create my water colored background, but you could use just about any type of water coloring to create your own.

 Distress Inks & Water Spritzer

Water Color Paper

Various Circle Punches (or dies) & Scrap Cardstock

Painter's Tape (optional)

Stamp Image

White Pigment Ink & Dauber

Black Ink & Black Marker

The Painter's Tape is optional because if you do not wish to create an uninked frame around your piece, you will not need it.  I wanted my final product to have the frame, so I started simply by masking a frame around the water color paper.

Working on a nonstick surface, I applied several distress inks directly to the surface and spritzed, liberally, with water.

Directly apply the water color paper to the watered inks.  I recommend having a rag towel or paper towel near by to mop up excess inks as desired.  Allow the first dipping to dry a bit.....

Re-dip in the pooled ink until the desired look is achieved.  Allowing dry time between the layers of ink will produce the most interesting results, in my experience!  Have fun and experiment!  When you like what you see, remove any masking and allow the piece to dry completely.

Next, I stamped my image--with the idea of silhouetting her.  Again, everything about this background says Windy Winnie to me!  She's such a fun character!

Using the various circle punches and scrap card stock, create a stencil of sorts that you will use to apply the pigment ink circles or bokeh effect.

Apply white pigment ink, using a dauber, through the punched circles to your background piece. If you are also silhouetting your image, avoid applying the pigment ink to the image.  Use varying intensity of the white ink in different circles.  This increases the bokeh effect. Allow the white ink to dry completely or heat set to avoid smearing while completing your card.

Using a black permanent ink, such as a Copic marker or Sharpie, color the entire image to create a silhouetted look.

It's that easy!

Now, go walk along side someone and make it a great day!  Don't forget to be awesome!
TTFN, Jane

I got crafty with: