More Gossamer Blue December kit

I finished up this layout tonight...more fun with Gossamer Blue's December kit.  I'll be sad when this one is gone, but I'm SO GLAD I didn't hoard it, and it's been put to good use.  These are some of my favorite layouts I've done in a while.  (to be fair, they are the only layouts I've done in a while, but I digress...)

I've been having so much fun with these great pics the hubby took of the boys--next on my agenda is to create some layouts with Fiona as the star!

Announcement: I'm a Pin Head! (This is a good thing!)

There’s a new challenge site coming in 2013! If you love getting crafty with amazing inspiration and a chance to win awesome prizes then THIS is the challenge site for you!

Pinspired Challenges: Turning Pins Into Projects

Sweet Georgia Brown, I have been about to burst with this news, so here goes:  I am so very pleased to announce that I am on the design team for an AMAZING new challenge blog: Pinspired Challenges, which makes me a Pin Head.  :) We all love Pinterest, and this new challenge will give us paper-crafters a chance to merge our love of paper and ink with our love of Pinterest! Here are the deets.  And, there are some SERIOUSLY AWESOME PRIZES from some amazing sponsors up for grabs with every. single. challenge.  I cannot even tell you how honored and seriously giddy I am to be working with the amazingly talented designers on this team, and we have some pretty awesome stuff in the works for the coming year.  

Follow Pinspired Challenges on our BLOG, FACEBOOK, FLICKR,TWITTER and PINTEREST.

And mark your calendars for January 8th for our very first challenge. Our challenges will be held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month.  I can't wait to see your Pinspiration!

Gossamer Blue LOVE.

Good morning!  Phew, this holiday season has been BUSY.  I didn't think that with one kid in Kindergarten and one in Pre K, it would be this nuts, but it seems like there is SO MUCH to remember this time of year, between Pajama day, spirit day, special snack days, gift exchanges--and all of that on top of making sure everyone has food and clean underwear (and an extra toddler twice a week), and MOPS craft planning, and on and on and on......Anyway, all this to say that my crafting time has been a bit lacking lately, BUT--when I got my very first Gossamer Blue kit in the mail last week, I had to stop everything and create with it.  It is really that awesome.  I had previously been a part of another sub club, but wasn't inspired by their kit contents anymore.  My friend Heather told me about Gossamer Blue, and after peeking around their past kits, I couldn't wait to sign up!  I am totally in love.  Here are a couple of layouts I whipped up super quickly.  No time for a sketch, I just had vague ideas in my head about what I wanted to do, and just got down to it!  (My favorite way to create!)

I love to scrap every day stories about our life and the ornery things my kids do.  This layout tells the story of my two year old throwing my engagement ring down a heating vent in the house.  Little stinker. :)

This layout documents all the fun little "Evanisms" my 4 year old says.  I never want to forget them!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a very special announcement--I am bursting with excitement and can't wait to let the cat out of the bag!!

Edited:  12/21/12:  I've just received word that one of these layouts has been picked for publication, so I'm pulling them from my blog for the time being.  WAHOO!  Don't worry, you'll be seeing it again, just in a different format. ;)

Paper Smooches SPARKS

Good evening!  It's been super busy around here lately, as I've been preparing for a big craft show this weekend.  A friend and I will have a huge booth, and of course, it's coming down to the wire!  AHH!!  I took a break this afternoon to play around with this Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge, which is all about typography.  I'm no graphic designer, but I sure do enjoy a classy typeface.

Here's my entry:

I just love that iron...Have a fabulous Friday!

Guest designing at Sweet Stamp Shop!

Hey, boys and ghouls! <----(Worst Halloween pun ever, I apologize)  I'm a Guest Designer over at the Sweet Stamp Shop's blog today, so check it out!  Here's a sneaky peeky of my Halloween project that I created for them using Haunted House and MME's Blackbird.

Sweet Stamp Shop- New releases

If you get a chance, stop over to the Sweet Stamp Shop...they are showcasing their new releases and seriously, they've knocked my socks off.  My friends on the design team have made some amazing projects, so go check them out.  (I try not to promote things unless I'm 100% convinced of their awesomeness, so you can be assured that this is for realzies.  I mean, check out this post by Misty)  If you are into all things chemistry and nerdalicious, then they are offering their new releases for $10.  Which is pretty sweet, if you ask me.

Paper Smooches rocks!

So, I've recently discovered Paper Smooches stamps, and I think I may be developing an addiction.  As I've mentioned before, I'm kindove (really) picky when it comes to stamps.  I need just the right mix of whimsy and cuteness (but not cute-sy)and wit, and a fun typeface---that's not too much to ask, right?  Well, Paper Smooches meets all of these requirements, and they stamp up beautifully too.  I think I need them *all*.  And, since I love challenges, I love that they have a challenge blog to help inspire me to create awesome cards and layouts.  And you don't even have to own any PS of your own to participate.  Kim Hughes, creator of Paper Smooches, has been kind enough to provide a ton of very cute free digi images found here.   Can it get any better?  I think not.  (Unless you win the challenge.  In which case, it *does* get better--in the form of sweet free stamps!)  I was so excited to use the Space Cadet set on a layout of the boys!  With three boys in the house, I will definitely be able to incorporate it into my scrapbooking.  And I already have plans to use some of the images to make cupcake holders for my son's birthday party in December.

  Here are some of my recent projects based off of their challenge blog inspiration photos.  I think my favorites are the layout and the "s'up girlfriend" card!

 On this one, I got out a paintbrush, and used my Mister Huey's to paint the "ketchup".  It was so. much. fun.

Thanks so much for taking a peek!  *smooches* :)

Lawnscaping Challenge: A New Technique

Good morning, all! I am super excited to be one of the guest designers over at Lawnscaping for this challenge; A New Technique. I have been blessed enough to have been able to fly to SLC this weekend and attend the ScrapbookSteals retreat (more on that later!), so I borrowed an embossing machine, one of our awesome new embossing folders, and tried my hand at dry embossing! I have to say, I think I love the way it came out, and I'll definitely be embossing again soon!! (guess I need an official embossing machine to go with all of my folders now ;))

Thank you so much to the Lawnscaping team for letting me guest for this challenge--it was truly an honor to be among such talent!!  Go check out the rest of the design team's inspiration!

Winner, winner!

A sincere THANK YOU to all who stopped by my blog for the Lawnscaping Blog Hop.  Your comments and compliments on my card really made my heart smile; each and every one!!  That card was one of those projects that just kind of came together on it's own--easy to do when you are working with gorgeous stamps ;)

Now to the business of the 2 6x6 Echo Park pads.......The follower/commenter chosen by random.org was MELISSA D.!!!  Congrats, Melissa!!  Send an email to jenswonkywares(at)gmail.com, and I'll get them right out to you!!

Lawnscaping Blog Hop!

Good Morning!  So glad to see you hopping along with Lawnscaping!  You should have arrived here by way of Bethany.  If not, and you've lost your way--no worries!  Just go back to the Lawnscaping blog, and they'll get you back on track!

The theme of the challenge is Fall, which is really exciting for me since it's my favorite season.  I just love the crisp, chilly air (and how the lack of humidity makes for better hair days for this curly girl!).  I love sweaters and boots and apple cider, and the beautiful warm colors and textures.  So, when I was brainstorming what to make for my project, I thought that the fox from Critters in the Forest would be a great warm, orange focal point, and the fun neutrals from this past month's Studio Calico card kit would go perfectly together.  Add a bit of cork, and voila!  Fall!

In addition to Critters in the Forest, I got to use the super fun set that Lawn Fawn put together for Studio Calico.  Don't you just love the cute speech bubble and the arrows?!

Thanks for stopping by!  Don't forget to leave a comment; a random comment-er will be chosen by Lawnscaping to receive a prize!  Also, I've got a giveaway of my own:  If you'd like to win 2 Echo Park 6x6 pads, all you have to do is become a follower of this blog, and leave me a comment on this post!  Easy peasy!

Next up is the talented Lisa!

I can now officially say....

I've been published.  In Creating Keepsakes magazine!  Here's a wonky pic of the magazine page that my layout is featured on:

And seriously, I apologize for the terrible photography lately.  I've only had a few minutes here and there to take quick snapshots.  Hopefully, things will calm down a bit and I can get my photographer (aka: the Hubster) to take some better shots for me.

But, it's super exciting for me, and something I can cross off my bucket list.  Pick it up, it'll be on the shelves until next month!!

I scrapped! Mid Week Mojo Pearl 9

Between running around and trying to get in the groove of having two kids in school, getting MOPS craft stuff ready, keeping the house from becoming an official disaster area, and trying to be a wife and a person, I haven't had time to scrap.  Haven't made time to scrap because my mojo was gone.  Well, amazingly enough, I pinched out a little bit of time last weekend, and busted out THREE layouts, then did one more today.  I really want to catch up with the current group of Mid Week Mojo layouts for Scrapbook Steals, and this series has used mostly square photos, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use my Instagram photos.  And the talented Erica Bass's hexagon sketch was exactly my speed.  I love hexagons and knew exactly which collection and picture I wanted to use.  I'm learning that not every layout has to be perfect, or magazine-worthy, or trendy, it just has to be mine and tell my story.  And it has to be fun.

And fun it was.  I broke out my new October Afternoon Woodland Park and gave it a hug before I cut into it.  Seriously, these are my colors.  Lots of gorgeous teals and pinks and pretty, pretty girly patterns.

 I'm slowly starting to get back in the groove and it feels great!

Lawn Fawn: Meme edition

Yeah.  So I made this.  Because this meme never gets old to me, and I love Lawn Fawn.  :)

Quickie Lawnscaping Card

And here's another quick card I put together for Lawnscaping's current challenge, inspired by this sketch by Becky Fleck, that she made especially for Studio Calico's new card kit (which I can't wait to get my hands on!)

Lawnscaping #40: Making patterned paper with stamps

I had been kicking around ideas of what I wanted to do for the latest Lawnscaping challenge, Make Your Own Patterned Paper, and inspiration hit me today, with just enough time to spare!  I wanted to use Critters Down Under, specifically the boomerang, so I figured, what better sentiment than "welcome back"?<------don't mind me while I get punny ;)

I just love that Mama and Baby 'Roo, don't you?

Another SPARKS entry

So I had a "spark" ;) of inspiration last night, and decided to whip up another card for this Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge, based on a color palette.  Aren't those irons cute?  If you know me, you'll know the irony (<-----ha!  accidental pun!) of this card:  I NEVER iron in real life.  My poor hubby--I do my best to get his clothes out of the dryer and hung up as quickly as possible.  And if they stay in too long and get wrinkly?  I just pop the dryer back on for a few minutes.  (I know, I know...for SHAME!)  But, this iron stamp is just too cute, and super fun to use.

Have a super impressive Friday! ;)

My first SPARKS entry!

Good afternoon!  So, my biggest little guy started school yesterday and I'm both excited for him and exhausted!  The ante has been upped a bit, now that I have to have a kid up, dressed, fed, and out the door on time to catch a bus, and get the other littles dressed and fed too.  (Not to mention, me!)  I find it funny how in parenting, once you master a certain level, (like making sure everyone has clean underwear at a given time), you get to graduate to the next level (making sure a kid has their t-ball/soccer uniform clean on a *specific* day).  So, right now we're I'm fumbling through the next week or so, trying to figure out a new routine, a new normal.  BUT, I did find some time to work on a few crafty goodies, to help me unwind during nap time.  Here is my first ever entry into the Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge!  This challenge was inspired by a specific color palette seen here:

And here's my first take on it:

I'm loving Polaroids lately, and I loved this "snapshot" of a broom sweeping up both the dirt, and this adorable dust bunny.  (And I *had* to color her pink, don't you think?)

Hope you enjoyed; I'll have more later this week!

Another Lawnscaping challenge!

What a fun challenge this was, and a challenge, indeed!  I've never masked on a card before, so this gave me the perfect opportunity to try it out.  My craft room is still a WRECK from the pre-craft fair madness, so I literally took my forearms and swept off a clear spot on my desk, because I wasn't going to let this challenge get away from me.  And here's the card for Lawnscaping #39: One Layer:

I don't have any tattoos of my own, but that doesn't stop me from loving them on other people.  Especially when they are pretty or have a story.  I have a dear crafty friend who just sat 6 hours for the start of a gorgeous tattoo, so I have a feeling she'll be getting some happy mail soon. ;)

Guess who's been picked as a Guest Designer? This girl here!

Good afternoon!  We just got back from a super fun, super busy weekend in KC.  We wanted to get away for a little bit and enjoy some family time before our busy fall schedule begins, so we took the kids (and our trusty babysitter!) and drove out to Kansas City to visit LegoLand, the new aquarium, and indulge in our favorite restaurants that aren't in Wichita.  (HELLO, Cheesecake Factory!  And Buca.....mmmmmmmm) AND, I got to meet one of my scrappy friends for coffee, and some scrappy retail therapy.  So, as I sit here in my mountain of laundry, I deem the weekend a success.
Anyway, in my stress of the past couple of weeks, I realized I never blogged my happy, happy news!  I will be a guest designer for Sweet Stamp Shop this October!  I may just have a spooky project or two lined up, so I'll keep you in the loop when it gets closer.  Super excited.  Whohoo!

Mid Week Mojo: Guest Sketcher!

I am so very thrilled this morning to say that I am the Guest Sketcher over at Scrapbook Steals for this week's Mid Week Mojo sketch challenge. I have been participating in the Mid Week Mojo since MWM #4 (the whole first year and on and off since then), and have always dreamed of guest sketching!  So, not only did I get to create a sketch for an awesome community of talented crafters, I also got to work with October Afternoon's Cakewalk.  I probably let out an audible squeal when I got this collection in the mail--October Afternoon is one of my all time favorite manufacturers, and this collection is dreamy and PACKED.  The vintage palette and whimsical images are so much fun to create with.  So, a sincere thank you to Kristy, Brittany, and Scrapbook Steals (my favorite place to shop for scrapbooking supplies) for letting me create for you!  Here's the first sketch I came up with:

And here's my take on the sketch: 

My little one-year-old in the picture starts Kindergarten in a few weeks....So cliche about time flying, but seriously--I'm so not ready for him to go.

I couldn't stop playing with Cakewalk, so here's another sketch:

And here's my take on this one:

Is she not the most beautiful baby you've ever seen?  Mad props to my husband for the awesome picture of our sweet Fiona girl.  I love how this paper shows how the collection can be used for so much more than just a birthday theme.

This collection just screams "birthday cards!", so here are a few I put together:

Anyone who knows me, knows my love for all things Lawn Fawn, so I just *had* to use this gnome to hold the birthday Little Flyers.  So cute!

And I couldn't leave this adorable paper untouched, so I used it to make a gift card holder, using my Cameo and a Lori Whitlock Silhouette file.  If you come see me at the Handmade in the Heartland Craft Fair this weekend, you just might be seeing more of these.  (wink, wink)

For those of you who have never participated, in Mid Week Mojo, jump right on in!  Here are the details, from the Scrapbook Steals blog.  And, I must say, they give away some pretty awesome scrappy goodies to the random winner.  Thanks again for letting me play, girls!!

Impromptu craft time=bonus card :)

So, I had plaaaaaaaaaned on napping this afternoon with the rest of the brood, since we have had a tough week.  Boo flooded the downstairs bathroom on Monday, so we've been praying that we don't have to rip it all out. (so far, so good), and Sean has been up every night this week with nightmares, so I am one. tired. mama.  Unfortunately, the neighbor kids thought that our naptime was a good time to scream down the slip-n-slide, so no nap time for mommy.  (and crappy naptime for Logie.) Anyway, who needs a nap when there are several new, gorgeous stamp sets to be played with?  And a couple of awesome challenges to play along with?  Alright then!  I headed downstairs and whipped up this pretty little card to go with the current Lawnscaping and Young Crafters Unite! challenges.

I used lots of new goodies on this card, including Lawn Fawn's Bannerific, Dear Lizzy Neapolitan, and my new Sprinklers.

This morning, I signed up for a craft fair that's only three weeks out.  I have a plan, but I'm a little bit freaked out by my ability to actually pull off a successful show.  I'm willing to take any advice from seasoned craft fair vendors. ;)

A Sweet 16 card

So, one of our sweet babysitters turned 16 this week.  I remember that birthday fondly, as my parents surprised me with a ticket to see NSYNC and Britney Spears in concert.  Ah, yes.  Memories were made.  Now that I'm nearly twice that age, it's fun to look back on that fun memory.  Our babysitters are like family to us, so I wanted to make her a card that really fit her.  She and her sisters are into all things fairytale, so I thought that Critters Ever After would be perfect.  Here's what I came up with:

I was inspired by Melania Deasy's card seen here.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to go back and add a little bit of glitter.  And I'm entering it into Lawnscaping's 37th challenge, Use Dimension, and Young Crafters Unite! Many Layers challenge.

Thanks for taking a peek!

lawnscaping #35!

Good afternoon!  Just popping in really quickly to add my entry for Lawnscaping's 35th challenge:  Patterned paper!  This challenge suits me well, as it's something I have a ton of. of which I have a ton.  (<---nice grammar save!)

I made this gift card holder for a cousin-in-law who is expecting a little boy soon.  I seem to gravitate toward MME's Alphabet Soup collection whenever I have a baby gift to make, because it's so. darn. cute!  I'm getting down to the scraps!

The ribbon is my favorite-May Arts striped twill, and the stamps are from Lawn Fawn's Plus One.

Enjoy your day!

~Jen

May Arts Rocks!

May Arts ribbon is FABULOUS, (the striped twill is my FAVORITE; I have it in a few colors!), so when I heard they were having a design team call, I knew I wanted to throw my hat in the ring.  I'm a wannabe  Ribbonista for sure. :)

Here are a few of my favorite ribbon creations, starting with the awesome May challenge I did with May Arts ribbon and DCWV's snapshot stack (more on this project later):

I used the ribbon to make rosettes and bows, and used the burlap string to make the clothesline for the shadow box.

Here is a mini album I made for a Scrapbook Steals tutorial a couple of months ago...

And here is a blast from the recent past; my WONKY RIBBON WREATH TUTORIAL!

It started when I knew I wanted to make a ribbon wreath, but wasn't quite sure how to go about it.  I saw this tutorial on Tater Tots and Jello, and although I *loved* the final outcome, whenever I read the words "sew" in a tutorial, my eyes glaze over and I instantly lose interest.  As a general rule, if it can't be done with hot glue, I don't do it.  So, I decided to take the basic principles of the tute, and make one of my own.  So this is my Lazy-girl-Wonky-Hot-Glued Ribbon Wreath Tutorial.


First, since I didn't want to drag all four of the kids to a craft store with me for a wreath form, I decided to use what I had handy.  I made a big donut shape in my Silhouette software, and cut it out of white cardstock.  Viola!  Wreath form!

Then, I gathered a huge pile of ribbon.  I grabbed a couple of feet of 1.5" ribbon, a couple of feet of 5/8" ribbon, and about 7-8 spools of the 3/8" ribbon from the American Crafts ribbon steal.  I cut the ribbons into 5-6" pieces, (like I said, not an exact science.) while I fired up my glue gun.  Starting with the widest ribbon first, I ran of bead of glue width-wise about an inch from the bottom of the wrong side of the ribbon.  Then I smushed the glued part to it's matching side, making a loop, like this:

Then, while the glue was still wet, I smushed it to the wreath form, with the little tails poking out, and the loop pointing up.  Then repeat, repeat, repeat until you can see no more of the white space on the wreath form.  Since I was working with the widest ribbon first, I spaced them all out evenly around the wreath form, using about 8 loops each of 1.5" and 5/8" ribbon.  Then I went to town filling in all of the gaps with the 3/8" Summertime ribbon.

It was fun.  And messy.  And I was picking dried glue off of my fingernail shellac for a long time.


When the wreath was full, I cut out a sentiment with my Cameo, and made a few lollies using some paper scraps and some buttons, then hot glued that all to the front of my wreath.  And there you have it!  My messy, lazy-girl ribbon wreath.

I'll be back tomorrow with more info on my May Arts/DCWV challenge project.  Have a blessed day!