Are you READY to Hop on By????

I can't wait to see you guys on Sunday at the Paper Pretties March release!

We had SO much fun during our January party...I really hope you guys will come back and hang with me. There were so many new faces and fun conversations going on, lots of prizes and surprises!! Can't wait to do it all again!

So....Little Miss Sophia is ready to HOP on out....as our latest Sophia available to the public, that is! Yeppers, she some other AMAZINGLY cute stamps are going to be available this Sunday for purchase, and there's even a chance to win....and hey, haven't YOU always wanted to be a Cutie Pie???

All you have to do to enter is upload a card you have made using Paper Pretties stamps to the Cutie Pie Contest gallery over at the Paper Pretties website. Entries must be in by no later than 8pmCST on February 28th to be considered for the prize. Besides getting to call yourself a CutiePie, you will also receive all the new stamps that are released on the 1st!! How awesome is that?

Wanna stamp in your jammies with me? Here's the official info: On Sunday March 1st, Paper Pretties will be having our monthly Stampin In Your Jammies party!! The party starts at 6pm CDT and will last until 9pm. We will be issuing a challenge every hour so be sure to come and play along!! Besides the challenges, chatter, and all around fun, we will also be releasing Bunny Hop Sopia to the public as well as a new stamp set!! Sneak peeks started today so be sure to check out the Prettie Girls' blogs today, tomrrow and Sunday for some more sneak peeks and cuteness!

Can't wait to party with you!

Nothing says I LOVE YOU like...My UN-Valentine...

Hey everyone,

Well, as you may remember, I might have mentioned in the last few weeks that I'm really not into Valentine's Day.

I know, that sounds so utterly UN-romantic, but get to know me for about ten seconds and you'll find that I'm actually quite the opposite! I LOVE little gestures, little moments to treasure here and there...I just don't like it when Hallmark tells me I need to..hee hee.

To me, nothing says I love you like when DH does something for me for no reason...whether it's brushing the snow off my car before he leaves for work or bringing home a box of Copics just because he heard me talking about it to a friend on the phone...more recently, my Big Shot diecutting machine...I have to admit, he sometimes even brings home a tape runner refill just because he knows I'm going to forget to buy one...

Or when my kids come up to me, completely unprompted and say "you're my best fwend, Mommy", or come up to me for a quick but sweet hug, and oh, how I love when they fall asleep on me while watching a movie...THAT to me is something that no holiday, no card even, can capture.

Anyway, this was the last of my UN-valentine's cards this year, and I realized I hadnt' yet shown it to you guys! I just ADORE this little Lily and Milo image by Rachelle Anne Miller, don't you? I mean, could these blushing cutie pies BE any cuter? Don't think so, right?

If you haven't checked out the entirely AMAZING line of stamps designed by Rachelle Anne Miller, check out the Stampavie site and feast your eyes! There are so many adorable images...now if only the stamping fairy would come here and wave her magic wand and give me more time to stamp! Oh, and just WAIT...rumor has it there is a RIDICULOUSLY cute Spring Line coming very, very soon!

Alright, well, thanks for coming by today and now it's time for a little game of "Finish the Sentence". I want to know what YOU guys find most romantic in your own lives.

"NOTHING SAYS I LOVE YOU LIKE...." Well, what are you waiting for? Finish this sentence! I can't wait to see what you say!

Hugs!
Jessica :)

Just ONE?

Good Morning, Prettie Peeps!

How are you all this Wednesday morning? Ugh we are a bunch of sickies...not fun. This is the nastiest cough I can remember having in a long time...and the poor kiddos sound even worse :( Will this EVER end? I know it's nearing March, but it is DEFINITELY the heart of winter, still...in my book.

With that in mind, I decided to pull out my darling Gliding By Sophia from Paper Pretties for a few last laps around the ice that doesn't seem to want to melt!

A few weeks ago, Jodi challenged us Prettie Girls to make a "Power of One" card...ONE layer, ONE embellie, ONE sentiment. Ok, can you say HARD? I am sooooooo not the one layer card girl! So this was especially challenging for me.

I embossed my cardstock with my squares to create at least a little variation in the stark, white, nothing-ness that I am SOOO not used to LOL!...and to create a nice frame for my pretty in pink Sophia. Added stickles as my embellie, wasn't sure if that counted as a "real" embellie (what do you guys think hee hee?) and stamped the sentiment. Hey, at least this one will only cost me .42 to mail, right???

Be sure to check out what the other Prettie Girls challenged themselves to this week with the "power of one"...links on my sidebar.

Now, in OTHER exciting news: On Sunday March 1st, Paper Pretties will be having their monthly Stampin In Your Jammies party!! The party starts at 6pm CDT and will last until 9pm. We will be issuing a challenge every hour so be sure to come and play along!! Besides the challenges, chatter, and all around fun, we will also be releasing Bunny Hop Sopia to the public as well as a new stamp set!! Sneak peeks start on Friday, February 27th!! Hope to see you there!

Wanna be a Cutie Pie? Paper Pretties is having a release on the March 1st so that means it is time for another CUTIE PIE CONTEST!!! All you have to do to enter is upload a card you have made using Paper Pretties stamps to the Cutie Pie Contest gallery over at the Paper Pretties website. Entries must be in by no later than 8pmCST on February 28th to be considered for the prize. Besides getting to call yourself a CutiePie, you will also receive all the new stamps that are released on the 1st!! Good luck!!

Twinkling Tuesday: Sweet Inspiration...

Hey everyone!

It's another Twinkling Tuesday here in blogland...and we have a sweet little twist for you today! The ever so talented Miss Madelynn (who just so happens to be my amazing DD) decided she would put her sketchbook down this week and give us another task this week...our very first INSPIRATION CHALLENGE!

She has been admiring this ADORABLE mug that I got for Christmas from my good friend Darla (check out her NEW blog!!! yay!) for SOME time now...and has recently learned (by seeing Mom do them, of course) what an inspiration challenge is. Hence, an idea was born :) So this week, the Twinkle Team got a fun new twist with this adorable little photo to inspire us! We hope you'll want to play along, too!

I decided that Pretty Hat Anya from The Greeting Farm had to come out and play...Now, I have to tell you...I'm a LITTLE uneasy about cutting off the torsos of these little characters...it made me kinda nuts. But, in order to frame her the way I wanted to, I went w/ it and hope it turned out ok...hee hee.

Now, the bow is obvious...for those of you who own this set or have seen it, there are several options to embellish her hat, and the bow, for obvious reasons, had to be there :) I colored over it w/ a clear Spica pen although I took this at night so you can't see it all that well. I went with the colors of cardstock that reminded me of this mug, a few shades of pink and just a hint or two of green. To finish it off, I had to have the swirly embossing folder because it reminded me of the swirly cupcake top. All in all, this was a much easier challenge for me than I had ORIGINALLY thought it would be...I think I just had one of those days where the mojo was, well, not missing...but hiding out for a while ;)

There are some really fun things going on for Twinkling Tuesday...check out the BLOG today! My awesome friend Jen is our featured stamper this week and she'll be hanging out there and on her own blog. Be sure to stop by the other Twinklette's blogs too, to see what they whipped up for this fun challenge.

Want to play, too? Leave us a comment on the TT blog and let us know you played! If you prefer to upload to SCS or PCP , just use keyword MTTSC11. Have fun with this one...it's a sweet deal!

In other news, LOTS of fun stuff going on at The Greeting Farm and Club Anya. Our Team Anya DT call is well under way, and tomorrow we will be announcing another contest...this one is for the kids! In addition, we just wrapped up TWO contests over the weekend, one from TGF and one on the Club Anya blog and the prizes were a-plenty! How fun! Stick with us as we have a LOT of exciting stuff coming up in the next few weeks... you won't want to miss out on ANY of it.

Marie had a sketch challenge this past week and I was happy that I could play along. I am really loving this Rock the Farm Anya set...I think she might be my favorite...only I can't say that because I have too many favorite Anyas LOL! She is just TOO much fun to color with all the detail though on this stamp-especially on her little scarf. I had a blast creating this card for her sketch challenge that you can see HERE. The contest ended, but the TGF Galleria is always exploding with awesome ideas and cards so be sure to check it out!

Til tomorrow, everyone...have a VERY Twinkling Tuesday!

LPS Monday: Angels among us...

Happy Monday, everyone!

Today starts another fun sketch challenge over on the Little Paper Shop blog, so check it out when you can! Our new releases came out last week, and EVERYTHING in the store is 10% off from now through the 25th, so if you haven't had a chance to order the new sets yet or have had your eye on something special, NOW is the time!

My card today features stamps from the new release, {Angels}, and this little angel is just too darn cute! I love being able to use stuff like Shimmerz and fun, chunky glitters, etc. to embellish her wings and the cute poofy cloud :) Today's card was no exception; I used Shimmerz in...you guessed it...ANGEL WINGS to paint her wings. I then took my Martha Stewart chunky/coarse glitter with her brand of glue and shook a fair amount onto the cloud to give it a cool irridescent look.

The layout was simple as I chose to work with this week's sketch, which you can also see on the LPS blog :) The Little Paper Shop is now doing weekly challenges, so check us out! There are prizes every once in a while, and lots of fun sketch, color, and maybe even an inspiration challenge or two along the way, so come, play with us!

While you're at it, be sure to check out what the rest of our awesome DT ladies whipped up for this week's LPS Monday:

Julia Betemps
Allison Fillo
Cindy Haffner
Jennifer Greco
Mel McCarthy
Sarah Green
Silvia Mabie
Taylor Usry

I am going to give this card to my DH. Yes, it's girly, but with as sick as we've all been this past few weeks-croup, colds, runny noses, icky tummies..you name it, we've had it, and he's done all the errands and even some laundry! Heaven sent is right! Besides, he won't care that it's girly...he's used to it...um, have you MET me? LOL!

Have a great week, everyone! Hugs to all,
Jess :)

Snowy Sunday...

Hello everyone!

I woke up this morning to about 7" of snow on the ground from the storm yesterday. It's so deceiving..it's sunny out, actually, but freezing and yep...lots of white stuff. So, needless to say, we'll be staying in today!

One of our favorite activities for days such as these...well, for everyday really, is to stay in and do arts and crafts. The kiddos have their own little stash of goodies that they love to stamp and create just as much as I do, I think! Mostly, we all just LOVE to color. Ever since I got my Copics several months back, I've reignited an old love affair with coloring. As a child, I loved to color, and so did my Mom, and we used to sit at the kitchen table together and I remember thinking how stunningly perfect her coloring was compared to mine. These days, my Mom is my biggest fan, reads my blog every day and loves my work, and that to me, is the greatest compliment.

Coloring in this "Best Friends Forever " image by Sarah Kay was no exception to feeling that love of coloring. Stampavie's line of these adorable, child-like images captured my heart from the minute I saw them. This particular image reminds me of a doll that I had growing up, also a favorite doll of my Mom's. So this card in particular just really sparked some memories of my Mom and I and I am giving it to her for that reason.

Now, speaking of coloring, I've been really trying to get into shading/darkening techiniques more lately, and I gotta tell you...the right paper makes ALL the difference. For a while, I was using some no-name white CS that I got a whole ream of for super cheap and I have to tell you, someone opened my eyes to what it looks/feels like to have the right paper and WOW...it was like putting GLASSES on for the first time. I can't even tell you what a difference it made.

Of course, I was peeved LOL, because of the HUGE difference in price, too...but you know, I have to say that nine times out of ten you do get what you pay for, especially in this industry.

I was introduced to Neenah Solar White, 80 lb. CS by Simone at Craft Fancy, an awesome LSS that I JUST discovered near me and she has some awesome stuff! And when it comes to Copics and coloring, she definitely knows her stuff! Just ONE use of this new paper and I was amazed by how much better it picks up, blends, and shades the ink. Just a little tip I thought I'd share with you all today. I'd love to hear what you guys think of the White CS you use, so feel free to drop me a line, and I am planning on doing a comparison article here on my blog soon.

You can find today's card I made over on the Stampavie DT blog, too. Have you guys been out to visit there yet? There is so much inspiration and a constant array of absolutely beautiful work by my fellow Stampavie DT. They are an amazing bunch!

Want this stamp? Be sure to check out places like All that Scraps, and 7KidsCollegeFund here in the states where you can order them and have them be on their way to you to create some adorable things with them! Last but not least, be sure to check out the Stampavie website and our updated "about us" page, where you can read not only about the owners and DT, but the wonderfully talented stamp artists we work with, like Sarah Kay!

Have a great rest of your weekend, everyone!

Hugs!

Something to jump up and DANCE about...

Good morning, Prettie People from all over! How are you?

Wow, talk about a short week...we had a 5 day weekend and were off school Mon-Wed. for conferences and Presidents' Day, then went back to school yesterday and it's already the end of the week! Whew... I guess it's no surprise as I feel like the whole month has gone by like this...SO fast!

Well, it's Pretties Friday here on my blog and I have a card using my beloved Ballerina Sophia...she is the March stamp of the Month and will be shipping out some time next month for all who order her!

Have you heard about the perks of joining the Stamp of the Month Club at Paper Pretties? You can read all about it here, and have until the 28th to sign up to receive this gorgeous stamp some time during the month of March, before it is released to the public in April.

In addition to all that, Stamp of the Month club members have access to an exclusive "Members Only" photo gallery full of beautiful creations from the Prettie Girls that are never released to the public. It's a great perk and really fun to admire what's in there!

Not only that, but who WOULDN'T want to be part of this super fun group at Paper Pretties? We Prettie peeps know how to party!

Speaking of which, it's ALMOST that time again! Paper Pretties is having a release on the first of March and it's time for another Prettie Pajama Party! Join us on the forum that evening for fun, prizes, and hourly challenges issued by our own Charmaine :)

It also means that it's time for another CUTIE PIE CONTEST!!! All you have to do to enter is upload a card you have made using Paper Pretties stamps to the Cutie Pie Contest gallery over at the Paper Pretties website. Entries must be in by no later than 8pmCST on February 28th to be considered for the prize. Besides getting to call yourself a CutiePie, you will also receive the new releases for March-how AWESOME is that? Good luck!!

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Thank you to all who entered our FANTASTIC BLOG CANDY Contest from Stampavie!

I am pleased to announce that out of 222 possible entries, here are the random results:

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:8
Timestamp: 2009-02-19 14:34:01 UTC

CONGRATULATIONS TO Gvendalyn!! You are the lucky winner of the ENTIRE Ooh La La collection by Leere Aldrich, courtesy of Stampavie! Please email me your address and Heidi will get your package out to you!

Thank you again to all who entered and I'll be by later with a card :)

Hugs,
Jessica :)

A Prettie Fun Challenge...

Hey Prettie Peeps!

It's Wednesday which means it's time for our Prettie Girls DT challenge at Paper Pretties! Two weeks ago, my friend Jessie challenged the girls to a color combo using Rose Red, Cameo Coral, and Kiwi Kiss. I was a bit unsure of this combo, and had to substitute a bit, but here's my Flutter By Sophia in all her glory!

I even used some spiral clips in honor of Jess as that is her favorite embellie! I added Stickles in the new Ruby Slippers color and had fun with this DP from My Mind's Eye and Wild Asparagus to pull in the corals/greens. I didn't have Rose Red CS, so I had to use Ruby red, but the colors worked well together.

Be sure to check out what the other fabulous Prettie Girls cooked up for today's color challenge:
Danielle Lounds
Jackie Pedro
Jackie Rokoski
Jana Weaver
Jessica Rone
Jillian Winters
Jodi Collins
Julie Masse
Charmaine Ikach
Christi Thorsen
Frances Byrne

Last but definitely not least, it's almost that time again! Paper Pretties is having a release party on March 1st so that means it is time for another PJ Party and yes, another CUTIE PIE CONTEST!!! Do YOU want to be the next Cutie Pie and be eligible to win ALL the new releases for March? I thought so! All you have to do to enter is upload a card you have made using Paper Pretties stamps to the Cutie Pie Contest gallery over at the Paper Pretties website.

Entries must be in by no later than 8pmCST on February 28th to be considered for the prize. Besides getting to call yourself a CutiePie, you will also receive all the new stamps that are released on the 1st!! Good luck!

Twinkling Tuesday: A friend like you...

Hey everyone!

I'm back with my Twinkling Tuesday post! Be sure to check out my post below today, too for a fun sale and some new stamps...

So, DD hit it out of the park again with this awesome sketch, MTTSC10! Love it!

I used the new Leere Aldrich "Mother and Daughter" stamp from Stampavie to create my card for this week's sketch. I also chose the quote from the "Sentiments B" set, "I'm so happy to have a friend like you". This stamp is versatile enough that it can be a mom/daughter but also look like two best girlfriends, dontcha think?

It didn't show up all too well on my camera, but I used Inkessential's Glossy Effects for her sunglasses and the pink Handbag (it's patent, dontcha know? LOL). I'm trying to figure out why my watermark decided to grow to three times the size...? LOL. For now, I just wanted to get this post up but will have to look into that! Of course, I just had to do some paper piecing too to make her shirt match my DP... a girl's gotta acessorize, right?

My sweet friend Janna is our featured stamper this week and has an AWESOME post on the Twinkling Tuesday blog so be sure to go over and check it out! And while you're at it, check out the amazing twinkling creations of:

Bonnie Sharp
Cassie Larson
Christi Thorsen
Danni Bindel
Debbie Lee
Heather Schlatter
Jacquie Peifer
Jami Bova
Janna Hull
Jennifer Greco
Jessica Diedrich
Kim Ross
Kimmie Doktor
Rebecca Ednie
Sandra McLean
Taylor Usry

Have a great Tuesday and if you want to play along, we'd love to see them! Be sure to leave a comment on the Twinkling Tuesday blog so that we can all hop on over and see your beautiful creations! If you choose to upload to SCS or PCP, use keyword MTTSC10.

Last but not least, if you haven't entered yourself for the AMAZING blog candy that Heidi and Stuart of Stampavie are giving away this week, tune into THIS post and check it out! One lucky winner will be drawn on Thursday morning! Good luck!

It's Release Day at {The Little Paper Shop}!

Hey everyone!

Release day for February is finally here at The Little Paper Shop! You can now purchase {Happy Hedgehog} and {Angels} on the LPS website! Yay!

To celebrate our February release, Julia has announced that EVERYTHING in the store, including the two NEW RELEASES, is on sale for 10% off! The sale is good from today through the 25th of this month, so now's your chance to scoop up the two new sets plus whatever else you've been holding out for!

Don't forget that you can always take advantage of FREE shipping when you place an order of $45 or more, too!

I'll be back later this morning with my Twinkling Tuesday post...til then, Happy Shopping!

LPS Monday: {Angels} Preview

Hello all!

I am winding down from our weekend although we are on a 3 day hiatus from school this week! Should be nice to sleep in though...I hope?

I have to admit, when I first saw this set, I flipped out. I LOVE this new {Angels} set from The Little Paper Shop! I think she is just so, so sweet and I love the image of her sitting on the cloud! Top it all off w/ some of the sweetest sentiments around, and well... I just love this new release!

She is the second of the two releases this month being previewed, and they will be ready to order TOMORROW, 2/17 on the website!

Speaking of little angels, I just had to share this photo. I took it yesterday while stamping. Many of you have asked me how I get my stamping and DT stuff done, and well, as I've stated, most of it is at night. There is no doubt that I stay up WAY too late LOL...and well, my days are usually full of running around to and from school, board games, pom practices, board meetings, and misc. errands, although I do get some time here and there to check emails, etc (It helps when you have a Blackberry LOL!)...HOWEVER...

It's the moments like these that allow me to sneak in some quality stamping time, but more importantly, quality time w/ my OWN little angels! (oh, and that is some sort of pirate garb on DS #1's head LOL!)

Stay tuned to the LPS Blog today, too for the winner of our sketch challenge! Be sure to leave a comment on today's post (on the LPS blog) to be entered to win one of the two new releases! The winner will be announced tomorrow, release day, on the LPS blog as well. Good luck to all who enter!

Have an awesome Monday!

Good luck and see you back here tomorrow!

LPS Preview Day: {Happy Hedgehog}

Good Sunday morning to you guys!

I know....here I normally don't always blog on weekends and I'm posting like crazy! SO much to share!

So, the next month brings lots to do... do you guys know that FOUR out of the six members of my immediate family ALL have March bdays? Whew! It gets crazy here...let me tell you! So when I found out that Julia at The Little Paper Shop was releasing this Happy Hedgehog set I immediate thought...there are not one, but THREE birthday boys who just might love some cards made with this set...DH included and the twins!

This good-time havin' Hedgehog is ready to go with his party hat and little blower thingy. Looks like a party to me! I take a partial to his blingy hat. In fact, it's the 15th of the month, so that means it was time for a good 'ol fashioned challenge amongst the LPS DT Gals!

This month was MY turn to issue the challenge, so I simply challenged the DT to "BLING IT ON!". Something had to be blingy...that's it! So, Mr. Hedgehog is rockin the party hat :)

Be sure to check out what the other fab ladies did for their cards today:

Julia Betemps
Allison Fillo
Cindy Haffner
Elyssa Tannenbaum
Jennifer Greco
Mel McCarthy
Sarah Green
Silvia Mabie
Taylor Usry

Don't forget that you also have one more day to play the LPS Sketch Challenge this week for a chance to WIN your choice of ONE of the new releases this month! Check it all out HERE on the LPS BLOG!

Enjoy your day and party like you mean it!

Hugs,

Jess :)

One Sweet V-Day...

Have you heard about the amazing Blog Candy giveaway, right HERE on my blog from Stampavie!

Heidi and Stuart have generously offered up the ENTIRE new Leere Aldrich "ooh la la" Line of stamps...that's TEN stamps in ALL!

Check out this ADORABLE little gift bag that Heidi created to put the "candy" in! Isn't it DARLING! The stamps are safely tucked inside! Seriously, how cute is this?

I am super excited to be choosing one lucky winner via Random.org, so be sure to leave your comment on THIS post to win! (Comments are more than welcome on today's post but will not be entered for the candy, so be sure to use the above link and good luck!!!)

Thanks and have a SWEET day!

Jessica :)

A Special Valentine's Release!

ETA: The Miss Anya set is sold out for today, but don't fret Anya lovers! There will be more available at TGF next week!

Be sure to stay tuned to the Club Anya and The Greeting Farm Blogs for updates and also to the Club Anya blog for a VERY Exciting Announcement TOMORROW!

Hello everyone...tis the day of Love! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Now, I have to admit...I'm not the cutesy love girl. I honestly, other than the kids, don't celebrate Valentine's day. Now, now...don't be calling me a scrooge! I'm just a little less Hallmark, little more "for no reason" kind of girl, know what I mean?

I do have a WAY cute image to share with you today though, from The Greeting Farm! This is the 50's Sweetheart Anya and Ian stamp and it's perfect for today. This is actually a card I made for my three year old who ADORES Anya stamps just as much as her mom!

I used Jen's SFYTT from last Saturday and I love it..I will be using this sketch again and again! You can see it HERE.

There is an AWESOME release going on today, too! Check out the Club Anya blog for all the details of the THREE NEW SETS being released today! You will NOT want to miss out on the Cuteness!

My Prettie Valentine...

Hi Prettie Peeps!

TGIF, right?! Wow, it's been a CRAZY week around here like I can't even explain. I haven't had time for much, but I managed to make a few valentine's for the kids and their teachers this week in addition to the fun stuff I already had lined up.

This Sending You Love Sophia from Paper Pretties is on its way with DD to school to give to her teacher. I absolutely loved having this stamp around for Valentine's this year as she is JUST the cutest image!

There will be craziness this weekend, between the sugar intake today at school I'm sure (lol), plus the FIVE DAY weekend that has arrived! Yep, my kiddos are off Sat. through Wed. for President's day and conferences...those school districts know what they are doing!

So, between that and some other fun festivities I'm in charge of this weekend, it's shaping up to be busy! I will see you back here this afternoon with another post and some fun info...'til then, will you be MINE, Prettie Valentines?

Thanks for visiting!

Jessica :)

Want Some Candy???

...and JUST in time for Valentine's DAY!!!

I have a special Valentine's post (albeit a few days early) for you today and am THRILLED to announce an AMAZING Blog Candy from Stampavie!

ONE lucky winner will receive the ENTIRE Oooh La La Collection from Leere Aldrich courtesy of Stampavie! That's TEN stamps in all!!! Can you believe it???

I will be drawing the lucky winner via Random.org on Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 8AM CST and the winner will be announced here that day and also on the Stampavie DT blog. I will continue to mention in my posts, when I can, a link to this post so that people can continue to play, as well.

Here are the rules for the Blog Candy:

1.) You must leave a comment on this post to enter. Winner will be chosen via Random. org according to the number of comments left here on my blog.

2.) Be sure to spread the word about this SUPER generous and awesome candy on your blogs, too! We don't want to leave anyone out...it's Valentine's..SHOW THE LOVE! Make sure you link to this post if and when you do :) Thanks!

Yep, that's ALL you have to do! Good luck to all and Happy Valentine's day from me and from Stampavie! For me, there is no better treat for myself than to shop, like the above card shows! That's me, alright! I just wish I was that thin... LOL! Too much candy...although, is there really such a thing?

Hugs,

Jessica :)

A bit more critique than craft...

LOL I hate to admit it, but my review today for Craft Critique does come with a hefty dose of critique. What's more? Well, when you add the words pink, butterfly, and disappointment all into the same sentence and it just doesn't sound like me, now does it?

You can read more about it HERE.

I will be back later today with a card, so hope you stop by then!

Hugs!

Jessica :)

Ok, I have to laugh...

Two weeks ago, my good friend and fellow Prettie Girl, Jillian ,challenged us to make a card we "love". No sketch, no complicated instructions, no colors necessary, no limited supplies. Simply, a card we love.

This is the easiest challenge, but it's the hardest challenge, because I'm much better at these things given specific directions. Uh, did ya SEE the sketch I did yesterday? LOL!! Give me directions and I can deliver, no matter how hard it is. But make a card I "LOVE"??? Surely this must be easier than it even sounds.

Anyway, I sat down, and decided that since it was Valentine's day, I was going to incorporate some leftover paper scraps I had w/ a Valentine's theme to use for this week's card. I figured ya can't go wrong with LOVE as the theme right, given the challenge... Add to it the butterfly, the bling the flowers...even my favorite Flutter By Sophia from Paper Pretties...it has ALL of the things I LOVE! Soooo...after all that....

I have a confession. I really don't like the card! Ha ha so I go from "Making a card you love" to not liking it at all...only me, right?

I was going to scrap the whole thing and call it a new day, but after the week I had last week, I knew that Jill would appreciate the irony in this little post. Jill and I are sistas...and well, we have a little thing called sarcasm in common so Jilly, this one's for you. I have so missed chatting with you and can't wait to catch up!

Speaking of catching up, make sure to stop by the rest of the Prettie Girls' blogs to check out the cards that THEY love, too.

Have a Prettie Wednesday, everyone..and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet brother Dann. I miss you and want you to know that you CAN come home in the winter...it was 60 degrees in Chicago today! MWAH!

Twinkling Tuesday: Holy Detail, Batman!

Hey everyone!

It's another happy Twinkling Tuesday around here, and we also have a BLOG CANDY winner, but first, HOW ABOUT THIS SKETCH??? Definitely unique and a challenge for me! Not only did we feature our first "Temporary Twinkie" Guest Sketch artist this week (DD got the week off LOL), but today marks my first Tuesday as a Design Team member for Stampavie so I got to bust out some new goodies to play with :)

I chose to use the new Leere Aldrich "Bathing Beauty" stamp to create my card using this week's sketch, drawn by 6 year old Piper! The new Leere Aldrich line from Stampavie is fresh, fun, and there isn't a thing like it out there on the market which makes it very unique as well. I am having fun thinking outside the box w/ these stamps, and decided that they'd be a great line to pick up and use for this sketch. Now, as for the sketch, This is QUITE the doozy drawn by a six year old!! Holy instructions, Batman! Piper's Mom and TT member Heather explained to me that Piper gained some inspiration by an old TT sketch that Madelynn had drawn, and totally took it from there! Look at all that attention to detail!

Alright, so I'll take you through my card here a bit so you can see what I did using the sketch. First of all, I inverted it, so that the middle "line" is running up and down instead of left to right. I'm not a big heart person, so I was THRILLED to find this ONE chipboard heart LOL...only it wasn't the right color...but a little Shimmerz fixed that right up!

I also used Shimmerz on the bubbles after outlining with my BG10 Cool Shadow Copic Marker. There is something up w/ the settings on my camera and even it daylight (although it was very grey today), it didn't really show up, but I have another pic below that shows a better closeup of the bubbles.

As I mentioned, I didn't have a heart in my stash other than this one shown, so I filled in the rest w/ flowers and pearls...as you all know they are my favorite embellies :) So I got the placing of them down alright but alas, no heart for me ;)

To incorporate the straight-edged and rounded corners I fought with this card a bit. I finally decided on rounding all the inside corners, but I only rounded the bottom two on the outside and left the 2 top ones straight. To incorporate the criss-crossed effect, I used Lavender Mist Twill and the big ribbon in the middle is Aqua Mist grosgrain. Yummy colors together!

Here is a close up of the shimmerz I painted as the bubbles:

Again, from here on the blog you can't really tell but if you click on the full size pic you can see the pretty sheen/shimmer they have to them. I used Angel Wings Shimmerz for this card.

Well, I hope you enjoy the card and be sure to stop by and check out the new Twinkling Tuesday blog which features Jacquie Peifer this week as our featured stamper! Want to play along this week? Make sure to leave us a comment on the TT blog so that we all can come by and visit, and also use keyword MTTSC9 when uploading to SCS or PCP.

In addition, you won't want to miss the other beautiful creations from the rest of the Twinkle Team...they are:
Bonnie Sharp
Cassie Larson
Christi Thorsen
Danni Bindel
Debbie Lee
Jacquie Peifer
Jami Bova
Janna Hull
Jennifer Greco
Jessica Diedrich
Kim Ross
Kimmie Doktor
Rebecca Ednie
Sandra McLean
Taylor Usry

Thanks for reading today and for all your sweet comments lately on my new endeavors and my blog-iversary. I am truly having the time of my LIFE! On that note, you may remember that last week I had a very special offering to celebrate that Blog-iversary...so without further adieu, I am proud to announce a WINNER!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:16
Timestamp: 2009-02-10 13:56:51 UTC

cathscustomcreations said...
Happy Bloggoversary..and your daughters site is being added as well as yours, to my blog roll YAY!! BOTH GREAT!! Here is the link to my creation http://cathscustomcreations.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/httpthewhimsicalbutterflyblogspotcom-challenge/ Notice the pink *best colour ever* and the butterfly brad!! :-) Hope you enjoy the card as much as I did making it! Hugs,Cath

CONGRATS to you on the Blog Candy and be sure to email me your address so I can get that out to you. Thank you to all for playing! Have a twinkling Tuesday everyone!

Jessica :)

LPS Monday: Startin' the week off right...

Hey everyone...Happy Monday! It was a fast weekend, wasn't it? 50 degree weather here although it brought on some allergy related stuff that I'm hoping isn't a cold?! That's how it goes, I guess, right?

I'm starting my week off right with a nice cup of coffee this morning. Most of you know how much I enjoy my coffee in the mornings! It's my little ritual after I get the kids off to school.

Coffee was also my focus as I made my card this week, using THIS sketch on the Little Paper Shop's Blog!

Yep, that's right, we are now doing challenges on the LPS Blog and encourage you to check it out! This week's sketch will be open until the 16th of the month, and a LUCKY WINNER will be able to choose one of our new stamp sets being released on the 17th! Lots of fun stuff going on over there so be sure to check it out!

I used the Make your Own Mug set to create this card and the sentiment is from the Chirp set. You can stop by The Little Paper Shop's Gallery, too to gain lots of inspiration and see fun samples. Be sure to leave a comment on the LPS Blog if you play along with the sketch so we can enter you in to win one of the releases!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Jessica :)

A chilly but Prettie week....

Hey all,

It really has been a wonderful week for me. Lots of fun things going on!

Sometimes I wonder, is it EVER going to warm up? I don't know about you, but I am ready for warm, warm warm!!! All that being said though, I do get a little warm in my heart when I look at this adorable Gliding By stamp from Paper Pretties!

Sophia sure does look adorable ice skating doesn't she? I think the cold bothers me more than her ;) I am so glad she has been released to the public after being a very popular Stamp of the Month item. Do you guys know about the Stamp of the Month club at Paper Pretties? Each month, a new stamp is released and by joining, our members receive that stamp sometime during the month BEFORE it's released! There are other perks, too, like an exclusive "Members Only" gallery that only SOTM participants can view. You can find more information about all of the perks HERE.

I have to admit that i was highly amused posting this card today, because it accidentally resembles this week's challenge and is actually one that I made a while ago. It just so happened that this card, although not totally, closely follows the sketch challenge this week at Paper Pretties. You can read more about it on the Paper Clip, our Pretties blog. Basically, the sketch is flipped, but it's kind of close, right? I think it's cool and encourage you all to play along! You could win a $5 gift certificate to the Pretties shop and hey, we ALL need a few more Prettie things, right?

Have a wonderful weekend and stay warm!

Prettie Hugs,

Jessica :)

It means "Stamp for Life"...

Have you ever had to keep a secret for JUST about as long as you can stand it? ha ha ha....

I have had to do it a few times and I can tell you that I have been BURSTING at the seams these last few weeks to tell you guys that I have been invited to be a Full DT Member of STAMPAVIE! (*squeeeeeeeaaaaal!*)

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that after I fell in LOVE with the Rachelle Anne Miller and Sarah Kay lines (you guys have heard me say that before I THINK! lol!) that I began doing some challenges and it all kind of spun from there! I was honored enough to hav accepted a guest spot that we had in the works, but then a few weeks ago, I got an email from Heidi asking to be a Full time DT Member and I JUST about fell off my chair and/or passed out!

However, when I came to (lol), I made this card using the adorable "Spring Blossoms" image by Sarah Kay. I just love her little jeans and ruffly top!

I am BEYOND excited and I am so happy to have gotten started. I have a few cards for you to showcase just a FEW of the wonderful stamps they have to offer. I want to thank Heidi and Stuart for this opportunity and I cannot WAIT to bring you guys lots of fun samples and ideas.

I made this card when I participated in my very first challenge using this darling Rachelle Anne Miller stamp that I actually got from my sweet friend Jodi in a RAK! Since then, I just couldn't put her down and I am beyond excited to be working with not only her line, but the rest of the awesome lines that Stampavie has to offer! I just had to include her in this post because it all started with this cute little Lily :)

I would love for you all to visit the rest of the AMAZINGLY talented DT that I have the privilege to be working along side with this year. They are:

Christa Knegt
Claudia Rosa
Diane Zechman
Jay Jay
Lauren Meader
Lenaik Duluc
Michelle Oatman

Can you say UBER-talented??? What an absolute honor to be working with this great company and these creative talents. Stampavie is now offering Rachelle Anne Miller, Lelo Design, Sarah Kay, and their latest artist, Leere Aldrich. Leere brings a fresh and fun approach to stamping with her artwork and I'm having a blast getting to know this line a bit better! Here is a card I made using the Coffee Girls stamp.

You will be seeing a lot more from me with these amazing stamps. I love them!

Stampavie also has a Design Team blog that you can visit for lots of fun and fresh ideas from the DT and also news updates and more. We also have a PaperCraft Planet page where you can chat it up with us and play along with some fun challenges every now and then, too!

There are lots of great companies that sell the Stampavie (a wholesaler/manufacturer of the stamps) line near you. You can find the nearest retailer to you HERE.

I think that about does it for now, other than the fact that I can't wait to bring you guys more! There is much fun to be had and I'm so glad you are all along with me for the ride!

Big hugs and thanks for reading!

Jessica :)

A Prettie Fun Challenge...

Hey Prettie Peeps...

I am feeling WAY under the weather today and my week is a bit screwed up...it's just one thing after another it seems! I haven't been able to get much done in the way of stamping as I've had a kiddo or two home sick as well, but I had a blast making my challenge card this week for Paper Pretties!

A while back, Danielle issued the Prettie Girls a challenge to use different textures on our cards, but ribbon and flowers didn't count as one. Ahem...have you MET me? LOL! I LOVE my flowers and ribbon! Now, I did sneak a nice grosgrain in, but I used lots of other fun textures, including dry embossing, brads, some hardware, and some shimmerz in Pixie Dust which just might be my new favorite color! Oh, and I added liquid pearls which are very textur-y as well :) There was talk about me using some marshmallows...but I didnt' have any :( hee hee. I also popped up the 2nd layer on some dimensionals to really give this card some lift. I'm not one to round my corners either so this card is really not my norm, but I wanted to give it a whirl while I was thinking of it. What do you guys think?

I just love our new Ballerina Sophia stamp. She is just too precious and is the March Stamp of the Month so make sure you sign up before the 28th! Want to know more about the Stamp of the Month? Go HERE.

I was also able to use the VLVFeb01 sketch this week as it included dry embossing. Gotta love when that happens! Be sure to stop by the other Prettie Girls blogs and hey, feel free to play along! Links are on my sidebar.

If you love a good challenge, there is always the weekly challenge on the Paper Clip as well! Stay tuned as I will be posting it soon. There are prizes each week in the form of a $5 gift certificate to the Pretties Boutique, so if you've had your eye on something, you just might win a credit there! Be sure to leave a comment here too if you play along so that I can ooh and ahhh over your creations!

Have a Prettie Wednesday!

Jessica :)

Twinkling Tuesday Blog-iversary Bash!

Well, hello, all!

Today's Twinkling Tuesday is a PAR-TAY, let me tell ya! Some fun stuff going on!

First and foremost, as it is Twinkling Tuesday, I am happy to announce that Twinkling Tuesday now has it's own blog! We are looking forward to seeing you there too! Madelynn is over the moon as I'm sure you can guess :) The challenge team will all be posting on there so too so it will be fun and a great place for us to hear about your take on the sketches as well!

This week's sketch was SUPER fun for me. I love this one. I had a great time creating it and was really excited about using one of my Rachelle Anne Miller stamps from Stampavie.

Today is also special because the Twinkling Tuesday Challenge Team has added another "Twinklette", so without further adieu, please join me in welcoming Heather Schlatter to the Twinkle Team! Check out her blog and leave her some love, guys! She's not only an awesome stamper but a very sweet and fun friend that I'm really enjoying getting to know!

Ok, so today is also special because it marks the ONE YEAR anniversary, to the DAY, of my Blog. Yep, one year ago exactly was when it all started. I was so new and green to bloggin...I can't believe all I have learned and accomplished since then, I really can't. Most of all, and here's where I get teary-eyed, but seriously? I can't even BEGIN to tell you how meaningful and wonderful it's been getting to know so many amazing people. I never thought that I'd have so many close friends through all of this and it's nice because you guys "get" it, you know?

So many wonderful and exciting opportunities have blessed me this year, too, especially within the last 6 months. I am so, so grateful beyond words to the women who have given me the chance to design for them with their beautiful stamps and products, and the AMAZINGLY talented ladies who I am privileged to work along side. There was never more inspiration, laughs, and friendship that has touched my life than in these last 6 months. THANK YOU. EVERYONE. TRULY.

On that note, I thought I'd give back a little...especially in light of the fact that you have all been so supportive not only of MY creative spirit, but of my daughter's. These past few weeks watching her grow in her own creativity and loving every minute of her "Twinkle Team" has been the biggest blessing to her. So, not only does it just so happen to be a year to the day, but it's in her honor, too that I am happy to be offering up some fabulous BLOG CANDY this week!

Now, it wouldn't be a TRUE reflection of me and the fantastic year I've had unless there were some offerings that represented a few of my favorite things, right? So here's what the Lucky winner will receive in this little package:

Heidi Swapp Butterflies (um, hello that was a MUST), Set of 4 Cuttlebug mini embossing folders (there is a cupcake on one...gotta have cupcakes!), SU Flip Flop wheel (for those of you who don't know, Havaianas are ALL I wear from like April to October!), Heidi Swapp PINK Edge Distresser (cuz I'm the pinkgirl!), and YES! THOSE ARE 2 BRAND NEW COPIC SKETCH MARKERS you see there! PINK, of course! (R81 and R85) As if that weren't exciting enough, Julia from The Little Paper Shop was UBER generous and offered up the Tu-Tu Riffic stamp set for me to give out! DD is totally into dancing and poms, and I do love to dance myself (much to the embarrassment of the kiddos LOL!)....so THERE ya have it!

Now, you are probably wondering "How can I win"?

Here are the Official Rules: :)

1.) You must create a card using this sketch to be eligible to win the candy.

2.) You have until next Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 8am CST to use this sketch to make a card, then upload and link your card to Jessica's Blog. If you upload to SCS or PCP, be sure to leave a comment on her blog to be entered into the drawing. Use keyword MTTSC8.

3.) One winner will be drawn using Random.org for the Anniversary Blog Candy (the Twinkle Team IS allowed to enter this contest. :) Winner will be announced on Jessica's blog next Tuesday, 2/10/09.

Good luck and Have fun! Don't forget to stop by the new Twinkling Tuesday blog to check out all the fun over there and a SPECIAL announcement for your kids!!! You WILL NOT want to miss this!

LPS Monday: Chillin' Out

...and boy, do I EVER need to! LOL! Just defer to the last few posts in case you need to find out why ha ha...WHAT.... a weekend!

So, today I woke up, the sun was shining, all happy, until I remembered that USUALLY if it's THAT sunny out this time of year...it's COLD. BRRRRRRR!

I immediately thought of this little igloo scene I played with using the Global stamp set from The Little Paper Shop! Even though I'm not a fan of the cold, I LOVE this set. It's one of my favorites. I had WAY too much fun using my Martha Stewart Mica Flakes to make snow! Hey, if it's FAKE snow, I'm SO a fan!

I used the TECC52MD anniversary sketch to make this card and added some fun glitter to the igloo although my camera was acting up so you can't see it too well.

Did you know that The Little Paper Shop is now doing a weekly challenge? Be sure to check out the LPS Blog to find out all the details! Julia is giving away a FREE stamp set to one lucky participant in this week's sketch challenge so head on over to check it out!

Thanks everyone and stay warm! Hugs!

Jess :)

THE BIG REVEAL AT CLUB ANYA......

HERE.


WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Let's GET THE PARTY STARTED!!!

And now....

....the moment you've all been anxiously awaiting! CLUB ANYA is here! WOOO HOOOOO!

Let's get this party started, folks!

My blog marks the first stop for our GUESS THAT ANYA Blog Hop! So you ready for the first Guess that Anya?" I have the honor of sneak peeking , and eventually revealing the BRAND NEW Anya being released TONIGHT!!! How exciting is THAT? What do you think of my little snippet here to the right?

Think ya know who she is? Well write down your answer and head on over to DAWN's blog next, at 12:30 CST, for the next Guess that Anya!

It all starts here, and ends at 4:30 CST today, 2/1/09 with the BIG REVEAL on the CLUB ANYA BLOG!!! At 4:30 pm today, the Rock the Farm set and a BRAND NEW ANYA will be available for purchase at The Greeting Farm!

Now, as you know, this is a BIG DEAL...so yes, there will be Prizes!!! The other girls will be also be posting the Official Rules, so you all know what you can do to win those cute pocket mirrors in addition to being entered into the drawing for one of FIVE Grand Prizes, the New Anya stamp.

Here are the Official CONTEST Rules: (please read them carefully!)

1.) ALL TIMES CST.

2.) You must email me at yeahshestamps@gmail.com with your answers for all NINE "Guess the Anyas" AND let me know that you have completed the Scavenger Hunt (posted on the Club Anya blog) to be eligible to win the Anya Pocket Mirror. PLEASE ONLY EMAIL ONCE you have ALL NINE Guesses and TITLE your email "GUESS THAT ANYA CONTEST". Multiple emails will not be counted into the drawing, sorry :( At 4:00 p.m. CST, the LAST Guess that Anya will be posted on Sandra's blog. You will then have up to a 1/2 hr. later to get your guesses emailed into me before the Big reveal at 4:30 p.m. CST.

Prizes will be given to the FIRST 20 people who complete ALL NINE Guess that Anya correctly as well as complete the "scavenger hunt".

3.) To enter yourself in the Grand Prize drawing, for one of 5 New Anya stamps to be awarded (prizes will be awarded using Random.org), you MUST complete the above requirements AND leave a comment on the Club Anya Blog under THIS post.

4.) NO entries will be counted after 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, 2/1/09 after the New Anya has already been revealed.

5.) Although it isn't mandatory, please show some love to the 8 FABULOUS women who have so graciously offered to help out with this Blog Hop as well as Marie from The Greeting Farm. This is an amazing contest and release and I am so grateful to them for all their help!!

YAY FOR ANYA! YAY FOR THE CLUB! See you over on Dawn's blog at 12:30 pm CST!