Swing Me - Sketchy Thursdays

I'm lucky to have three boys who, for the most part, get along wonderfully.  They really do love each other, as is evident in the way that the big brothers play with the baby brother :).  One day this summer we joined several other moms and kids for a playdate lunch at the park.  Colten insisted on pushing Jaxon on the swings and since I was hands-free, I captured the moment.

I love the new Sketchy Thursdays sketch because I was getting into a one-photo only rut and needed a shove out.  I thought the three photo spaces were a perfect way to demonstrate the progression of a swinging kiddo. 

This was a fun, quick page and the boys love it, which makes me extra happy.  Please stop by Sketchy Thursdays to see the other designers' takes - eye candy, I promise!  I hope you stop by again tomorrow for another Precocious Paper Designer Friday.  I have two fabulous designers with amazing projects to share.  And did you notice there's a page for my team on the blog?  It's here.

Have a great day! Tessa

Baseball and Babies

...were the topics of two layouts I've created with the October Scrapbook Circle kit.  I know I always say this, but I LOVE this kit!  The mix of papers is fantastic, inspiring me to scrap a wide range of events.  I've got a couple more in the works, but I wanted to share what I have so far.

First, Date Night.  My husband and I went out to a River Cats game with my sister and her boyfriend, my brother and his girlfriend, my parents, and another one of my sisters (solo - no boyfriend, but I'm not pointing that out or anything, LOL).  We had a good time.  It's amazing how many more photos I can get without a kiddo on my hip :).

I went to town with the rub-ons in the kit and created my own fabric ruffle to frame out the photo.  I love the graphic black, white, yellow combo.

Next, At the Window.  My journaling travels from top to bottom from one journaling spot to the next.  A little paint, some naked Pink Paislee Artisan borders, and two of my favorite photos of this little guy (times two!).  Colten tells me every time he walks in my scrap room and sees this one on the wall, "This is my favorite one, Mom."

I hope you're having a happy Wednesday! Tessa

Guilty Pleasures

Happy 10/10/10 (October 10, 2010).  A new challenge is up at The Studio!  This time it's all about guilty pleasures.  The guilty pleasure I scrapped is my love for Jack in the Box tacos. 

For those of you who don't have a Jack in the Box fast food restaurant, you can get two of these oh-so-yummy and oh-so-not-good-for-you tacos for fifty cents each.  They are spicy, greasy, and acid reflux-inducing, but so good!  When I need a little comfort food and don't want to make anything, I hit the Jack in the Box drive-thru.  I've been known to send my husband for tacos late at night and to swing by with my sister (who also shares this guilty pleasure) in the middle of the afternoon.

When we moved from Wyoming (no Jack in the Box) back to California (one on every corner), my second fast food purchase were these tacos, second only to In 'n' Out Burger.  Do I sound like a fast food junkie?  Really, I normally eat much healthier than this.  My habit really, truly is a guilty pleasure!

I hope to see you playing along at The Studio this month!  Don't forget, there's a coupon code for 25% off selected designs in my shop at the end of my last post, good through today.  And if you look close enough at my layout above, you'll see something new coming to the shop soon :).

Have a wonderful Sunday! Tessa

Designer Friday

 Welcome to the first Precocious Paper Designer Friday!  I'm excited to share with you projects from two of my fabulous designers - Suzanne and Heidi - as well as a little bit about them.

I am a 28 year old wife (2 years in November, I guess I can't say newlywed anymore ;), dog mom to a Jaxon (while impatiently awaiting babies) and first grade teacher. Scrapbooking is my stress relief, my creative outlet, my paper passion :). My crafting experience includes blogging, teaching a few classes at my local LSS, and most recently video/photo tutorials.  I participate in many forums, groups, and communities, where I have gained so much inspiration and expanded my paper crafting from scrapbooking, to include cards, altered art, and canvases.

Suzy also co-runs the challenge blog The Paper Variety (for which I am blessed to design), and she also has her own Etsy shop where she sells gorgeous handmade cards, albums, and canvases.

Suzy says, "Tessa's new fall flowers aren't just for fall :). I used one on this summer layout of my husband and I at our new favorite restaurant."  I love how Suzy combined a Fabric and Felt Flower from the Autumn Splendor Bouquet and the Basic Gray Origins line:

Hi!  I’m Heidi Myers and I’ve been paper crafting for as long as I can remember.  (Remember making paper chains in elementary school?)  I got into scrapbooking 7 years ago when my son was born and have been absolutely addicted to all things paper, paint, and embellishments ever since.  My 7-y-o son and 5-y-o daughter are my main subjects, but occasionally my husband, my family and friends, me, and inanimate objects find their way into my projects, too.  I’m the co-founder and co-sketch artist for the Sketchy Thursdays challenge blog with my good friend Diana Fisher.  I am on the design teams for Scrap That Poetry, Category Stories, and The Pink Ninjas.  I am also a staffer and contributing writer for Scrapbook News and Review, the largest online paper crafting magazine.  When I’m not crafting, I love cooking, baking, and reading.  I’m so excited to be working with Tessa and her amazing Precocious Paper products!

Heidi created two simply beautiful cards with Fabric and Felt Flowers.  First, she combined an Ecru Botanical Fabric and Felt Flower with this gorgeous wide ribbon.  I love how these flowers can make a big, beautiful statement without a lot of fuss.

Next, she layered ribbons and fibers under a Fabric and Felt Flower from the Fruit Punch Bouquet.  This particular bloom is made with Amy Butler fabric.  I would love to be the birthday girl!

Inspired?  How about a special?  This weekend only (now through October 10th), receive 25% off of the products featured by the designers today - Fruit Punch Bouquet, Autumn Splendor Bouquet, and the Ecru Botanical Fabric and Felt Flowers.  Type "Designer Friday" into the box at checkout (or convo me or email me) and I will send you a refund or an adjusted invoice.

Very soon I will have the designer page up here at the blog, where you can read more about my fabulous team and get linked up to all their scrappy places.

Have a fantastic day!  Tessa

Sketchy Thursdays!

I can't tell you how excited I am to be on the Sketchy Thursdays design team once again! Many of my favorite layouts are inspired by Diana and Heidi's sketches, so ST holds a special place in my scrappy heart :).

I'm pretty literal when it comes to sketches. I love how versatile sketches can be, but most often I see the template as a challenge - how close can I get and still design something "me"? To jazz it up a bit I layered butterfly punches and used chalkboard mist, sparkly brads and doilies. I love that Sassafras line!

So head on over to Sketchy Thursdays to see the sketch, the rest of the new team's takes, and to find out who is sponsoring this week :). And I hope you stop by tomorrow for my very first Designer Friday, where members of my Precocious Paper design team showcase projects they've created with my products.

Have a wonderful day! Tessa

I *heart* Early Mornings

Post number two for the day - I'm catching up!  See the previous post for my return to the world wide web, Scrap That Poetry, and The Studio :).

There's something about being outside early in the morning that I love. I think it's the peaceful quiet that accompanies the sunrise. If my Carson had his way, he would likely never see a sunrise - early mornings are not for him.

There's a new prompt at The Paper Variety today - scraplift a TPV designer. Head on over to the blog to see my fellow designer's pages. For my layout, I scrapped this photo of Carson at a hot air balloon launch. I had a lot of fun with paint and Sassafras papers. Carson even helped me make it - the title treatment was his idea :).

The Bo Bunny Winter Joy collection is up for grabs - I bought this collection a little while ago and it is SO pretty! We'd love to see you play along. Last week we had a record number of players - let's do it again! Have a great day! Tessa

Finally online!

I've had real, live internet service at my home for about 24 hours now and I feel much better already :).  City permits were a huge delay, but now we're all hooked up!  I think getting online was the last thing on our list of to-do's that will make life feel normal and routine again.  ***big sigh***

Now back to my regularly scheduled scrapping and sharing...

On October 1st, Scrap That Poetry celebrated its first anniversary.  Congratulations to Jennifer and STP!  To make the latest challenge even more special, Heidi created a sketch that I LOVED working with.
 

The challenge poem, "The Rock Cries Out to Us Today" by Maya Angelou, is full of possibilities for layout inspiration.  I decided to focus on the lines "Each new hour holds new chances/For new beginnings," instantly thinking of my youngest, Jaxon.

And on October 3rd The Studio had a new challenge go up, this one about your home.  I'm really into making yarn wreaths now, and I made one for fall that is now hanging on my front door.  It will soon be replaced with the Halloween wreath (inspired by "The Raven") I made - I'll post a picture of that one soon.

The green fabric and felt flower comes from the Festive Fall Bouquet in my shop.  If you haven't stopped by lately, there are more Halloween and autumn embellishments available.

I've missed you all and hope that you are having a wonderful day! Tessa