Fun in the Snow

It's Tara's turn at being the Host over at Sunday Stamps this week and she has a great color combination for us to work with...

I'm always a little nervous when I have to use Real Red - but I'm pleased with what I came up with this week - I even used more red than just a teeny tiny bit!  Once again, I've created an MDS layout that is all ready to be filled with pictures as the occasion occurs.  I'm planning to put some pictures in here of Elliot in the snow. 

I've added some stitching along my polka dot layer - and I learned a technique for "cutting" the edges of the MDS ribbon.

So - give our colour combo a try this week.  If you're looking for more inspiration, you can check out the projects the rest of the Design Team has come up with....

Holly Endress - Hollybeary Creations

Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin - Can't Stamp the Rain

Monica Hornof - Stamps'n Jewels

Hayley Kew - Stampin'Up! with Haley Kew
Melissa - Mommy's Stampin' Creations

Steph - Hofkissed
Joan Jeffery (me) - JJ Creations

***Don't forget we are offering up 2/$25 Stampin'Up! Gift Certificates this month.  Each time you enter a challenge you are entered to win***
So settle down in your craft room this week - and post your link over at Sunday Stamps so we can see what you've created.

Thanks for stopping by
Joan

Supplies for this MDS page...

Background
     Color = CRUMB CAKE 179,161,131

Embellishments
    Staple & Stitching/Whisper White - Stiching Zigzag
    Scallop Dots Ribbon/Scallop Dots Ribbon - marina mist (re-colored)
    Scallop Dots Ribbon/Scallop Dots Ribbon - cherry cobbler

Stamps
    Splatters/A Split Second/A Split Second - splatter 3, Color = WHISPER WHITE 255,255,255

Punches
    Basics/1.25 Square Punch, Fill Color = REAL RED 199,44,58
    Basics/1.25 Square Punch,  Filled with: Designer Series Paper/_Designer Kits/12 Days of Christmas - designer series paper/12 Days of Christmas - 9
    Extras/Snowflake Punch, Fill Color = BASHFUL BLUE 177,217,242
    Extras/Snowflake Punch, Fill Color = REAL RED 199,44,58
    Extras/Snowflake Punch, Fill Color = WHISPER WHITE 255,255,255   

Ready for Baking

Just a quick post this morning before heading off to school.  I'm prepping a bunch of pages to be ready for slipping photos into once the holiday season hits.

Allison is planning on doing some baking for her friends as gifts, so I'll be getting some shots of her in the kitchen.....might have to use my zoom lens so she doesn't see me!

I had fun using the painting tool to add dots to the oven mitt and to colour in the spoon....boy that paintbrush gets small!  I used the "free form" function to colour in the spoon and the spot behind the design on the "mug" that I transformed into a bowl.

Off I go - there's a Christmas concert I still have to get ahold of.....only 4 weeks - Yikes!

Have a great day.

Remember that MDS2 is 50% off this week!  

Check out the deals at my website store - and don't forget to look into the Clearance Rack - you may be able to get a whole whack of stocking stuffers!!!

Thanks for visiting,

Joan

Here are the supplies I used for this page:

Background

     Designer Series Paper/_Designer Kits/Domestic Goddess - designer series paper/Domestic Goddess - 9

Embellishments

    Staple & Stitching/White - Simple Stitches line 2

    Staple & Stitching/White - Simple Stitches line 2

    Staple & Stitching/White - Simple Stitches line 2

    Staple & Stitching/White - Simple Stitches scallop 2

    Staple & Stitching/White - Simple Stitches corner 2

Stamps

    Compliments to the Chef/Compliments to the Chef - silverware, Color = 0,0,0

    Now You're Cookin'/Now You're Cookin' - glove

    Now You're Cookin'/Now You're Cookin' - spatula

    _Designer Kits/Friendship Preserves/Friendship Preserves - yum, Color = WHISPER WHITE 255,255,255

    Now You're Cookin'/Now You're Cookin' - mug, Color = 249,216,123

Punches

    Basics/1.25 Square Punch, Fill Color = POOL PARTY 169,221,199

    Basics/1.25 Square Punch,  Filled with: Designer Series Paper/_Designer Kits/Domestic Goddess - designer series paper/Domestic Goddess - 7

    Basics/1.25 Square Punch,  Filled with: Designer Series Paper/_Designer Kits/Domestic Goddess - designer series paper/Domestic Goddess - 4

    Basics/1.25 Square Punch, Fill Color = WHISPER WHITE 255,255,255

    Labels & Tags/Friendship Preserves - frame, Fill Color = POPPY PARADE 218,57,49

Photos

    Card Stock/Whisper White

    Card Stock/Whisper White

    Card Stock/Whisper White     

MDS Monday is HERE!!!!

Today's the Day....It's the kickoff for a NEW CHALLENGE BLOG dedicated to digital designing with My Digital Studio. I am SOOOOOO excited to be on the Design Team.

We will be posting a new challenge every other Monday (Bi-weekly) and the challenge will be open until the following Friday.  You will have 12 days to enter the challenge.  Top Picks will be announced on Sunday after the challenge closes.  Although the Design Team members will be using My Digital Studio (MDS) from Stampin'Up!, you are welcome to use any digital design software you have to make scrapbook pages, cards, home decor, or whatever you like - as long as you follow the sketch provided in the challenge....and so....

Here is our first Sketch Challenge...

and here is the page I created using it.

Elliot watched Allison quite intently for quite a while as she was doing some math homework.  Then he got interested in the calculator and started distracting her more.  It was a fun evening.

This is a fairly simple  page - using a lot of punches filled with the Newsprint DSP.  I added the School Days II  stamps to a circle punch to co-ordinate with the mathematical theme of the page.  The only real technique I used this week was to colour match the blue matt of one of the banners with a blue from Elliot's shirt.  And "texture" was added to the Very Vanilla with a texture overlay from Be Awesome Today.

So - come join the challenge.  Pop over to the  MDS Monday Blog to see the inspiring creations from the other Design Team Members.  When you've finished your creation AND linked it to the MDS Monday blog, you will have your name put in a draw for a MDS2 download of your choice valued at $9.95.

The MDS Monday Design Team are...

Holly

Tara

Heidi

Joan (Me)

If you don't have MDS yet - this is the PERFECT time to  get it - Thanks to our On-Line Extravaganza, you can get MDS2 at 50% off!!!

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Have a fantastic Monday.....

Don't forget about the On-Line Extravaganza which begins today until Nov 28.

The list of everything that's on sale is HERE

Remember for 24 Hours ONLY...

Diagonal Plates - $12.76

Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine - $98.36

Big Shot Doctor Bag - $75.16

Contact me to place your order.

On-line Extravaganza Begins Tomorrow

November 19 - 28, 2012

It's our biggest sale of the year, with discounts up to 50% off some of your favourite products for 10 days only.

Door Crasher -Monday, November 19 - 24 Hours Only

Save 20% on the following items!

Simply Scored Diagonal Scoring Plate

Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine

Big Shot Doctor's Bag

Door Crasher - Wednesday, November 28 - 24 Hours Only

Save 20% on the following items!

Clear Block Bundle (Blocks A-I)

Clear Block Storage Caddy

Stack & Store Caddy

Check out a PDF of all the items on sale HERE

Discounts range between 20-50% - Awesome!
There's no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion - Sale On!
For product bundles, you need to use the bundle item numbers provided.  If you use the individual item numbers, you won't get the discount - bummer!
You can buy additional products from any of our current catalogues on the same order.

Order On-line at my website store or contact me by phone or e-mail and I'll get your order put in.

Happy Crafting.

Sketch for a Birthday

It's sketch day at Sunday Stamps and our host Hayley has a great one for us.  I love all the lines in the sketch although I opted for adding circular shapes on my card.

My son turned 24 yesterday and this is the card I created for him - I crossed out the "me" and turned it into "us" before giving it to him.  He's a musical boy, so the music sheet from the Natural Composition Specialty Paper was perfect.  You can't really tell from the picture, but I've punched out and popped up the little globe.

I hope you have fun with this sketch - you can use any colours and create it for any occasion....so the sky's the limit.  Once you've finished share it with us over at Sunday Stamps.  We love seeing what you come  up with - and this month - each time you enter a challenge you get your name put into a draw for   one of two $25 Stampin'Up! Gift Certificates.

If you need some inspiration before starting - check out what the rest of the Design Team has come up with this week.  It's always fun to see what take everyone has on a sketch.

Hope you have a fabulous Sunday.  Thanks for taking time to visit.

Joan

Tags for Christmas

I finally got around to making up the Tag-a-palooza packages I had left over from the event.  I created some new tags and will now be packaging them up as door prizes for upcoming events.

Gotta go clean up my craft room and start messing it up again.  Hope you have a wonderful day.

Thanks for visiting.

Joan

Christmas Placemats

Today I'm sharing a project I completed in the MDS class I'm taking with Heather Summers and Martha Inchley.  One of the assignments was to create placemats.  It's so easy to do now that we can customize the dimension of our projects.  Each of my placemats is 11X17 and I'll be sending them off to Staples to be printed.  I'll then get them lamented and we'll be ready for December dinners.

It will cost about $0.89 to print each one so I can design a whole new batch next year....or tweak and reprint these ones.

The world of possibilities with MDS just keeps getting bigger.

Don't forget to check out the new challenge blog on Monday

We'll have a great sketch to start things off with.

ALSO ON MONDAY......

BEGINS!  

You're not going to want to miss out on this fabulous sale from November 19-28, 2012.

It's the biggest on-line sale of the year with savings up to 50%.

It's the most wonderful time of the year......

Hope you're having a great day.

Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

I've been working on some MDS pages.  For this layout I used some photos I had fun with this fall on a solo walk in the woods.  I got some great tree shots, cat tails and a butterfly....and then I decided to capture my shadow - don't really know why.   I was just enjoying the fabulous fall day.

  I've also taken one of my photos and used it as the "background" paper.  The MDS items I've used for the page are:

Embellishments

    _Designer Kits/World Traveler - embellishments/World Traveler - tag saffron

    Baker's Twine/Baker's Twine - Early Espresso knot

Punches

    Extras/Leaves #2/Leaves #2 - 2,  Filled with: Designer Series Paper/_Designer Kits/Autumn Traditions - designer series paper/Autumn Traditions - 1

    Extras/Leaves #2/Leaves #2 - 2,  Filled with: Designer Series Paper/_Designer Kits/Autumn Traditions - designer series paper/Autumn Traditions - 11

    Extras/Leaves #2/Leaves #2 - 2,  Filled with: Designer Series Paper/_Designer Kits/Autumn Traditions - designer series paper/Autumn Traditions - 6

A technique I love with the new MDS2 is being able to attach your text to a shape....tons of fun.

What else is tons of fun.......a brand new challenge blog!

Do you want to find out all the cool new things (or "old" things) that My Digital Studio can do to help you create fantastic projects?  Or do you have a whole whack of pictures that you've downloaded but haven't done anything with yet?

Make sure you check things out on Monday.....

We'll have sketches, tips, tricks and surprises.  Click the banner above to check it out and then get ready to join us on Monday.

Hope you have a fantastic Thursday.  Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

More Altered Journal Pages

I've been working in my altered book almost everyday - experimenting with different things.  I drew in these flowers first and then I covered the page with our Watercolor Wonder Crayons and used the aqua painter to blend in the colour.  I suppose the crayons would react differently depending on what kind of paper the book was made from...I was happy with this result.

I must admit I used regular sharpies for this page - I stuck my ipad music on shuffle and incorporated the names of the artists within the doodles.  My main objective for this page was to practice my swirls.  They still need work.

I used the brayer and ink pads for the base of this page...going from Summer Starfruit, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango up to Cajun Craze.  Sharpie was used for the Mandala.

Hope you have a creative day - Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Sunday Stamps Lion

We may have a whole whack of snow on the ground here in Northern Alberta - but it's wonderful autumn colours for our Colour Challenge from Holly today at Sunday Stamps.

Although the colours do make me think of fall I've chosen to take on a more masculine theme with the colours.  I love this lion and felt the colours worked pretty well for him.  I just added a bit of green for the grass.  The glimmer paper seemed to go well to - although it changes the masculine feel.  (I have so many bits and pieces of glimmer paper in my craft room from Christmas projects - it's ridiculous.)

I hope you give these colours a try - my American friends can use them perfectly for Thanksgiving projects.  When you've finished your creation, be sure to connect a link to the Sunday Stamps Blog so we can enjoy it too.  We have some new Design Team Members this week also to help inspire you.  Welcome to Raquelle, Melissa and Steph.

Hope everything is going well your way.

Thanks for taking the time to visit.

Joan

Gift-a-Palooza coming up....

I'm hosting a Gift-a-Palooza on

November 30, 2012

Begin dropping in at 3:00 to end the evening at 8:00pm

You pick only the  project kits you want to create to meet your gift giving needs of the season.  You can order more than one of any project kit.

PRE-REGISTRATION IS MANDATORY - so your projects will be prepared and ready for you to work on when you arrive - or to stamp and take home to work on at your leisure.

Christmas Memories Flip Album - opens up to provide 7 sections for photos/journaling memories

$7.50 each

REGISTER HERE

Gift Card Holder - Belly Band slides off to open where a pocket with a pull-out tab is available to attach your gift card to.

$2.50 each

REGISTER HERE

Stocking Stuffer - good for holding thin chocolate bars, gift certificates or Hot Chocolate Packages

$3.50 each

REGSTER HERE

Festive Gift Bag

$5.50 each

REGISTER HERE

To my out of town stampers - I will package up your "kits" and put them in the mail.  Postage will be determined on an individual basis.

Tis the season to be crafting....

Thanks for stopping by

Joan

Snowy Sunday Stamps

Happy Sunday Stamps Day - Today it's my sketch and, as you can see,  I've deviated a fair bit.  I didn't put an embellishment in the corner and my sentiment is not where I designed it.  Just goes to show that the sketches are just a starting off place.

I liked creating the strip of blues - I used a piece of glossy white and the Faux Layer Tearing technique.  This is the technique I'm doing at my class on the 9th this month.

We've got a variety of inspirational pieces over at the Sunday Stamps Blog - so be sure to stop by to see what inspires you - either using paper or MDS.  Once you've finished your creation, link it to the challenge blog so we can take a peak at it.

It's getting to be that busy time of year - classes, projects, report cards - wow - Hope things are active and creative in your little corner of the world.  Thanks for visiting.

Joan

Altered Books - A new obsession

I mentioned on Sunday that I had found a new passion - First let me say that altered books were introduced to me at the Stampin'Up! convention this summer.  I thought - cool, I could do that!  I finally went out and found a little book at the beginning of October and replaced the end pages at the front of the book.  Then life got busy and I set it aside.

This past weekend, I had a table set up at the Fine Arts Conference in Edmonton.  Two tables away from me there was a woman set up with a number of her personal altered journals and some books her daughter had bound using "found papers".  What talented women.  The light bulb went on in my head and I finally understood the whole concept and the magnitude of directions I could go in.

I will be sharing the pages I create on this blog because I'm intending to use Stampin'Up products as much as possible in my altering of the pages.  I've used sponge daubers with our inks for these first three pages and incorporated the Faux Layer Tearing technique on the "Inspired" page (which has actually evolved a bit further than what you see here.

Emily also introduced me to the mandalas, and I'm hooked on creating them.  They take the doodling I've done in the past to a whole other level!

That's it for today - I have a whole whack of classes coming up in November - so there's a lot of prep involved.

Hope you have things keeping you busy and out of trouble.

Thanks for visiting.

Joan

Sunday Stamps...and Me

Howdy, Howdy, Howdy - it's a colour challenge day  at Sunday Stamps and Monica has a great combination for us.  

I had a display table at the Fine Arts Conference this week, so was busy getting ready for that - so I opted for a project done on My Digital Studio.  I hadn't used these medallions yet - I love how you can recolour them to match your project.  I'm not sure what the title for this page will be - don't usually use myself as a subject matter!

I had fun working with these colours though - so give them a try and be sure to let us see what you've created.

ALSO.....

Starting this Sunday 10/28 - 12/1 anyone who enters a project into the weekly challenges will be entered to win a GC! You will get one entry for each project you enter! Play every challenge and you'll get more entries...

Each project must be new (no back linking) and created for that week's challenge. Please link directly to your Blog post and put a link back to our site in your post! The winner will be announced on Sat. Dec 1st with the Top Pick.

Woo Hoo - looking forward to seeing what you come up!

I'm busy with a card stack this afternoon - and tomorrow I'll be posting what may become a new obsession.

Ta Ta for now!  Thanks for stopping by.

Joan 

Sunday Stamps Spider

Woooo Booooooo - it's a sketch challenge at Sunday Stamps this week and Holly has a super easy one for us to work with.  

I decided to create a Halloween card using some of the things I have left over from the Ghoulish Googlies Kit: the tag and the googlie eyes.  Silver Sparkle Dazzling Details was used on the spokes of the embossed spider web, the thread the "fussy cut" spider is hanging from and on the "o's" of BOOOO.

Give this sketch a try  - check out what the rest of the Design Team has come up with this week at the Sunday Stamps blog.  Also, when your creation is finished link it to the Sunday Stamps blog so we can see your project.  

It's hard to believe that Halloween is creeping on us quickly and then we'll be in full fledged holiday mode, report card mode and concert mode.  No rest for the weary!  Hope you are having a fantastic day - thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Sunday Stamps Tea

Good Sunday Stamps Day!  Haley has an awesome colour combination for us today - I enjoyed getting away from the fall and Christmas colours for a bit.  Also, I used this last weeks sketch from Mojo Monday.

I hadn't used my Tea Shoppe set for a while, so pulled it out for this challenge.  I inked up the large tea cup and took a blender pen to remove some of the ink from the little flowers.

Make sure you check out the Sunday Stamps Challenge Blog to see what the design team has come up with for this colour challenge.  Also - link your project to the blog so that we can see what you've created.

Next week - another sketch challenge....

Hope you have a marvelous day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Playing with Crayons

I finally got around to creating a crayon picture using our Stampin'Up! fabrics and ribbons.

I've been eyeing all those fabulous crayon creations on Pinterest and this weekend I took a deep breath and tried it out.  I learned some lessons and have got ideas for other pictures now.

I delved into my can of uncovered crayons that I had left over from my classroom - therefore I didn't know what the brands of all the crayons were - and believe me, some brands react differently than others to the heat gun!  So - I'm not completely happy with this first attempt - but the little white flowers  amongst the gobs of solid wax help it out.

I used spray starch to moisten and help me "distress" the fabric a bit - it hasn't made it too stiff - it just helped wrinkle it a bit.  We all know I have an aversion to flat paper - apparently, for artistic purposes, the same holds true for fabric.

Take the plunge - try something new today.

Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Gold Greetings

I haven't done a challenge for a while so decided to play along with the Merry Monday crew.  Their sketch was easy to use this week  and since I was working with quite a bitt of glimmer paper this weekend, I decided to keep up the trend.

Hope you had a great Tuesday - Thanks for dropping by!

Joan

Framed BELIEVE & REJOICE kits

Ready to Assemble as a

Perfect Gift for the Holiday Season

Back by popular demand 

The Framed BELIEVE Kit and NEW Framed REJOICE Kit

These kits come pre-cut, pre-punched, pre-embossed, pre-diecut and ready for you to assemble.  All you need is your own adhesive, an 11X14 frame (available at Walmart or Costco) and about an hour to put it together.  I will send out an e-mail of the instructions along with a photo to help with your assembly.

Cost for the FIRST kit of each style - $35.00

Additional kits of the SAME STYLE - $25.00

If you would like to have the kits mailed to you anywhere in Canada

Cost including MAILING the FIRST Kit of each style - $40.00

Cost including MAILING each additional kit - $30.00

ORDER KITS HERE

I will contact you by e-mail to let you know when your kits are ready to be picked up; or to let you know when I have put them in the mail.

At that point I will also e-mail the instructions so you an put your project together as soon as you get it.

Happy Holiday Crafting

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians!

Lisa has a great sketch for us today at Sunday Stamps.  I love cards that use a strip through the card - and this shows how that particular layout can be expanded.  

I've used Ornament Keepsakes along with the matching Framelit die.  For my strip along the middle, I brayered Rich Razzleberry and Elegant Eggplant onto the Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder before placing the paper in and putting it through the Big Shot.

Our Design Team members have some great creations with this sketch, so be sure to check out the Challenge blog for that.  Then, once you've finished your project, please link it to Sunday Stamps so we can see what you've come up with.  You may be chosen as a Guest Designer.

Grant is all excited about having everyone to their place for Thanksgiving dinner today.  Should be lots of fun.

I haven't shared any photos of Elliot for a while - he's growing!  I can't believe he's 9 months tomorrow!

Hope you have a fantastic day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

New Stampin'Up! Single Stamps

Have you ever wanted just one or two stamps out of a larger set?  Stampin'Up! is giving something a try - Until January 2, 2013,  you can purchase single pieces from three different select Stampin'Up! sets:  Perfectly Penned, Word Play and Seasonal Sayings.

Flyers:
Perfectly Penned
Word Play
Seasonal Sayings

Details

• You can find the single stamp item numbers on the flyers.
• Important:  These single stamps won't be sent to you in the Stampin' Up! typical cases or packaging; they'll be packaged in cello bags. If you'd like a case for your stamp, you can buy our Clear-Mount Stamp Cases that come in packs of four (item 119105).
• This offer is available for clear-mount stamps only.
• The stamps won't come with a Clear-Mount Block, and you'll need to buy a block separately if you don't already have one. The recommended block sizes can be found on the flyers. 
• There's no limit on how many pieces you can buy.
• Remember that this is a pilot program, so take advantage of it while you can!

Have a fantastic day!

Joan

Sunday Stamps Affection Collection

I'm so sorry this posting is late - I was in an area that was not computer friendly this weekend and then forgot about things what with Sunday Family dinner last night.  So I apologize!

This weeks' Sunday Stamps are my  choice of colours this week - Gumball Green, Marina Mist and Soft Suede.  When I picked them for the challenge I was thinking fall - but then my card turned into a card for my husband.  I'll be giving it to him next week for our anniversary.

I used the Affection Collection set for my creation - using the Stamp-a-ma-jig to get all the "Love" lined up on the Soft Suede piece.  I also enjoy that linen ribbon for stamping on!

Give these colours a whirl - the girls on the Design Team have some fabulous creations to inspire you! Don't forget to link your creation to the Sunday Stamps Challenge blog so we can take a peak at it.  You may be selected as a Guest Designer.

I can't believe it's October now, and with the things I've written down on the calendar I can tell this month is going to fly by!  Thanks for stopping by!

Joan