A New Giveaway!

I found this really awesome site, http://www.todaysmama.com/ that has a really cool giveaway going on right now. Provocraft is also involved, giving awa some of their best stuff! All you have to do is answer some questions and post them on your blog, simple right? So, if you don't have a blog already, take the time now to 1create one. Lots of places offer free blogs, including bloigspot.com.
Okay, heres my answers:
Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme


TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.



1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

1. Clean House!

2. Happy Family

3. Ipod Touch

4. Cricut Expression

5. Great New Year

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

my coffeetable from my Hubby

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

a quilt

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

Barbies, I loved them all.

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?

crafty stuff, cars, clothes

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

desserts, definitely

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

Cards, clipboards

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

A Charlie Brown Christmas

9. Favorite holiday song?

that really long silver bells one

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

spending time with my family.

Well, thats all you have to do, so go check out the site, then answer thos questions!

Hugs,

Jessica

Figuring out the blog thing...

So I haven't been doing this very long, and I haven't posted in forever. I have been looking at other people's blogs though, and getting ideas. I have also been entering to win BLOG CANDY! Blog candy is this great thing I didn't know existed, its when the owner or owners of a blog give away stuff, either from their own generosity or through a sponser but either way, its great. To be completely honest, I haven't won any yet, but I am still hopeful! If you're interested but not sure where to get started, I suggest getting Google Reader to manage your subscriptions, and then just looking at different stamping and scrapbooking blogs. If you're like me, you will find some that are just your style, as well as some that are not. Follow links on blogs to other blogs...sometimes you can look up and see that you have  spent an hour or more looking at all the amazing work that is out there. Rest assured though, this is not time wasted, it is inspiration. Also, sometimes a chance to win some really great stuff! Go out there and find stuff!

Will be posting again soon with some of my recent projects,
Jes

Starting to feel like Fall...

The weather is cooling off here, and yesterday I spent the day at a Pumpkin Patch/Corn Maze with L's class on their field trip. So much fun, and lots of great pictures. Going to share one of my faves, because these two just never get along this good!

Do you ever accidentally get a great pic? Not like setting up the shot, checking the lighting, posing your subjects...I'm talking shoot and thats it, then later realize it turned out great? This isn't great, there are a few things I would change, but in our house, this is frameworthy (is that a real word? or maybe two words?)

Check back next week to see what I use it for, and I do have a plan!

I decided that since this was L's first field trip, I would make something for the kids in her class. I had seen these before, not my original idea, but I don't know whose they were, sorry if they were yours. I also made a small gift for L's teacher, who I think is great. I had saved this jar, without having an idea in mind, but I knew that it would be great to alter.

Sorry for the way the pics are, I tried, but still new to this. Anyway, those are the finished water bottle hangy things. I put each kids name on theirs, and put a Hawaiian Punch flavor packet in each one. I made twenty in all, but it wasn't really so bad.

Stampin Up Scallop Circle punch

Stampin Up Chocolate Chip Marker for names

Close to my Heart Desert Sand marker for pumpkin shading

Pumpkin cut from Happily Ever After Cricut cartridge

I don't know where I got the leaf paper, it was in my stash from ages ago

The teacher gift was a taco sauce jar originally.

Same pumpkin from Happily Ever After, hand cut jackolantern cutouts

Same markers for shading

Diamond stickles for inside cutouts

On the back of the jar, I wrote out a poem I found on splitcoast stampers.

Pumpkin Poop

As I was carving out my pumpkin,

with my carving knife and scoop

He got so very scared

that he took a little poop!

It was so cute and funny

just like a special treat

I'm giving it to you

because you are so sweet.

As of October 1, I am no longer a Creative Memories consultant. Its kind of bittersweet for me. I have been a consultant for two and a half years, but I do feel like its time for me to move on to something else, where I can get excited again. I will have final orders within the next day or two, so if you have stuff coming, I will be contacting you then.

Take care,

Jes

Monday Morning!

Usually on Monday mornings, I'm a little slower getting around and starting my day, but after being sick for almost a full week, and now fully recovered, I am ready to rock. I keep telling everyone I had an undiagnosed case of the H1N1 (swine) flu, but really, who knows what I had? I don't even care, now that its gone, and I managed to not give it to any of my kids, even L, who catches everything!

Today I am going to show a few things, starting with the invitations I made for R's birthday party. This year was the first year that she has gotten to invite anyone from school, usually she just has family and family friends. She turned 7 this year though, and we thought it might be time to let her try having friends over.
I am such a worrywart though, that I only let her invite three, so we could see how the kids act, and what their parents are like, because I'm sure soon she will be wanting to go to someone else's house, and that just scares me!

Okay, enough of my rambling, here it is:

I started with plain white cardstock, cut in half, then folded to make card front 4 1/4 x 5 1/2. I cut about 3/8 in. of the side, so inside would show just a little. I used an ink sponger thingy from CTMH, with black ink all over to make the background. Inked the edge in Hot Pink (Excelsior ink pad, Hobby Lobby, I think 1.49 on half off sale). The funky 3D looking star was cut from Indi Art cricut cartridge (thanks Hayley, for letting me borrow that!), and popped up. Background square for that was from DCWV Rockstar stack. Butterfly also cut from Indi Art cartridge, two layers, tiny little rhinestones for antennae and wing attachment. "Lets Party!" stamp from Michaels ($1, what a deal!).

Now, for my favorite part, the pink and black backgound paper.....drumroll, please......I MADE THAT!  & I love it, if you couldn't tell. I started with some pink paper that I had laying around, has kind of an acid wash look to it or something, then stamped all over with this stamp:

This is another $1 goody I picked up at Michaels, when I got it I wasn't sure what I would do with it exactly, but I love the look of this kind of stuff, all stuffy looking and then you can make it funky, so I bought it.



Here is another of my recent creations, I made this for a good friend of ours, whose birthday was yesterday. He likes things that bling, and his favorite color is lime green, so I tried to keep that in mind as I worked on this. I knew that I wanted it to be personalized, with his name also. This standing accordian style card was actually an idea I got from a CTMH rep I know, who is extremely creative, so thank you to Nelly for her idea!

 The main thing that I wanted to show on this is the use of that $1 stamp. I stamped the lime green paper before running it through the cricut to cut out the letters for Jason. I also stamped it in white on the purple background, I am starting to love making my own designed paper, if you haven't tried this yet, what are you waiting for? Any stamp will work, and whatever color ink you want to match what you're working with.

Remember, green means money-saving deals!

JustRite stamps is having a sale for a few more days, 30% off their font sets. If you haven't seen JustRite stamps before, check out their blog at justritestampers.blogspot.com! While you're there check out their Font Blog Hop to see some amazing projects done with these stamps. I hadn't seen them before, but they are on my "gotta have it" list now!

Hugs,

Jessica

Monday Morning

Hey everyone, hope your weekends were great. I have had a head cold most of the weekend, but still managed to have a good time for the most part.

Today I am posting the invitations I made for R & K's birthday parties.

This is K's invites.

I made this in a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 so that I could get four out of each 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. This is a cardboard looking paper that come in a paper pack I've had forever. I scalloped the edges of the green paper with my SU scallop edger, love that thing! I cut the circle in with my CM cutting system. The white cardstock is actually from a pack I got at Walmart in the printer paper section. Its white cardstock and lots cheaper, great for cards and such! The dino stamps are from CTMH, love them. I colored the dino in with my SU watercolor pencils and blendy pen. "You're Invited" is from the dollar bin at Michaels. Tiny brads are from Hobby Lobby, got them 50% off on sale, I think 2.49 for six different kinds, all metal finishes.

Wasn't an extremely quick card because of the fussy cutting of the dinosaur, and all the different pieces, but turned out pretty cute I think!

FYI: From time to time I will posting deals, good websites, etc. on my blog for different scrapping supplies. I will put these in green, so make sure to check for those to save some of your green!

• Michaels has their Cricut cartridges for only 39.99 this week, if you have the ad, Walmart should price match that as well.
• If you need pictures printed, and who doesn't, check out http://www.artscow.com/ for some really great deals, including 1200 free prints during your first year membership. Shipping is reasonable and they have some really neat photo gifts as well.

I will be making what I hope will be my last Creative Memories order, before I switch to Close to my Heart, if you need anything ordered, please let me know asap. I will also be cleaning out a lot of my leftovers, so anyone who does place an order will be receiving some freebies from me with their stuff.

I am going to challenge you all to create something this week...anything at all, and send me a picture. I will post the pics on here so we can all inspire each other. Even if you don't think its amazing, it may help someone else to be inspired. Let me see your stuff! Email them to me at thehomans@yahoo.com

Hugs to you all,

Jessica

  

Just Getting Started!

Hey everyone! I know my inbox on my email is sometimes so full that I just delete everything just to start over. Thats why I started this, those of you who just don't have time to read emails, just pop in and check out whats going on here when you get a chance. I will be posting current specials and sales, new products, and news from the home office. I will also be posting current projects I am working on, with supply lists to give you some inspiration. I will try to post at least one new technique or challenge a week, for you to try out and I'll post your work on my blog as well. A lot of these challenges will have prizes, so I encourage all of you to try at least one. I will be posting again soon, so check back often! Feel free to add comments on what you would like to see, I look forward to hearing from all of you!

Hugs to you all,
Jes