Happy Halloween!

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day to enter to win my Halloween Mini Album! Just make a comment on this post to enter. I will announce the winner tomorrow.

I hope everyone has a fun, safe day! And don't forget to take a lot of pictures :). Tessa

Glitter and Glam!

It's Thursday, which means a new sketch challenge at Sketchy Thursdays!

Here is the sketch:

And here is my take:

This week's sponsor is Art Glitter, and they generously donated product for us DT members to work with. I got some gorgeous Gold Vintage Glass Glitter - I love it and want every color it comes in! She also sent a fantastic bottle of glue with a special tip - very handy for detailed work. For this particular layout, I opted to use a glue pad and some clear stamps.

I simply "inked" my stamp with the glue pad, stamped onto my layout, then covered the image with the glass glitter. I shook off the excess and loved the result! Because I chose to use a pale yellow and gray color scheme, the gold glitter is just a touch of sparkle and just the subtle accent I wanted.

Congratulations to the winner and DT faves - I enjoyed sipping my raspberry hot chocolate and going through all your amazing work! If I didn't comment, it's because I don't have an account with that particular site - but I wanted to! I can't wait to see what you come up this week! Get to scrapping - I promise you want to get your hands on some of this amazing glitter!!!

Tessa

Etsy Profiles, etc.

Hello! Just a quick post to let you know that Precocious Paper is featured today at Etsy Profiles. This blog basically posts the profiles of Etsy shops, so if you haven't read my profile before, you can take a peek here.

Also, my blogger buddy Heidi would love to have your vote for the final round of the Torendi design team competition. I love her creation and think she deserves your vote (it literally only takes seconds to vote - what are you waiting for?).

And don't forget, today is the last day to get your Sketchy Thursday entries in! I can't wait to sit down tonight with a mug of hot chocolate and pour through all of your amazing work! I have a feeling that choosing a favorite will be hard :).

Have a great Tuesday, all! Tessa

Happy Birthday, Sofia!

I had the pleasure of making a keepsake paper bag album for one of my dear customers, Tricia. Her daughter, Sofia, is turning three, and I can't wait for all of those birthday memories to be chronicled here!

I hand sewed the crepe paper streamers into these flower shapes, and added scalloped labels to the centers. The labels are hand-stamped, colored with art markers and glittered. I used Mudd Puddles to add the "frosting", then Stickles for the sparkly shine. Every label has a Thickers "3" and sits on a pocket. The large photo spaces are actually pull-out tags that can have a picture on one side and journaling on the other. Harlequin ribbon, dozens of sheer polka dot ribbons, fancy checked ribbons, and yummy tulle contribute to the frill factor. I love it! I wish I had a little girl to celebrate birthdays with, just so I can make this album again for me :). Enjoy, Tricia!

If you would like for me to make a custom album for you, please contact me (over at Etsy or see my profile for an email link). Prices begin at $30.00. Beginning November 1st, I am taking orders for the holidays. I am limiting the number of projects I take on, so get your order in soon!

Thanks for looking! Tessa

SPCC #20

I decided to make a card for SPCC's color combo challenge this week. I used a tag and journaling spot from one of my all-time favorite lines (K and Company's Wild Saffron), Scenic Route paper for the background, a Prima flower, Prima velvet leaves, and bling. I hand-colored the rhinestones with alcohol ink.

Thanks for looking! Tessa

100 Posts Winner!

Thanks, everyone, for celebrating 100 posts with me! The winner of my Halloween blog candy is...

Lisa F said...
I browsed your etsy shop the other day and am in LOVE with the flowers you make - SO cute! - I am a follower of your blog too!

Lisa, email me your addy and I'll get your goodies to you ASAP! My email is in my profile :). You can still enter to win the Halloween Mini Album.

I hope you have a wonderful week! Tessa

I Love Fall

I've been stalking a wonderful challenge blog, These are a Few of my Favorite Things, for several weeks. I've wanted to play from the day I found them, and just haven't made the time. Well, the time is now! The DT is amazing and never fails to inspire me. I love the energy, and you can tell everyone there has a real passion for scrapbooking. The current challenge is to scrap your favorite season. Fall has always been my favorite, and this is the layout I made:

I layered dozens of fabric leaves on a 12x12 sheet of kraft cardstock, then added several ribbons that I've been hoarding for just the perfect fall-themed layout. See the chipboard heart in my title? It was purple. I took my yellow alcohol ink to it and LOVED the result!

Thanks for looking! If you aren't scrapping there already, check them out! Tessa

Post 100! Let's celebrate!

I started this little blog when I re-opened my Etsy shop after our big move to Wyoming and welcoming baby Jaxon. And now, 100 posts later, I am so grateful to all of my online friends for taking the time to stop by, to read about my scrapbooking and Etsy adventures, and for leaving sweet comments.

So let's celebrate with presents! Halloween is just around the corner, so how about a prize package better than a trick-or-treating haul?


♥ "Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun" Card
♥ "Aahhh!" Card
♥ "Best Witches" Card
♥ Haunted Halloween Bouquet
♥ Orange Lace Trim on a Clothespin

Get one entry for being a follower and leaving a comment on this post about which part of the prize package you like best. Get another entry for blogging about this give-away and leaving a link here to your post. Get yet another entry for being a fan on my Facebook page (I'm trying to reach 100 fans to get a vanity URL - just search Precocious Paper for now and mention that you are a fan in your comments).

Enter now until Sunday evening (about bedtime, whatever that ends up being). I'll announce the winner Sunday night. Check back, because if you win, I would love to get your addy quickly and send this package to you Monday!

Thanks for playing and good luck! Tessa

It's Thursday!....already?

My week so far has been a bit crazy. In a nutshell, Colten gets pink eye, baby Jaxon gets pink eye, Colten gets upper respiratory infection, Carson gets pink eye, hubby gets sick, and I get next to nothing accomplished. One thing I did manage to do was my Sketchy Thursdays layout. And even though I wish I could get Tuesday and Wednesday back, I am happy it's Thursday. Congratulations to the winner and DT faves! Beautiful work! I apologize profusely for not leaving comments on this past week's entries. It's just too hard to use a laptop and cuddle a sick baby boy at the same time :(. I promise to be a better cheerleader this week!

Here is Diana's sketch:

Here is my take:

I had pretty beach-themed papers I could have used, but I opted instead for bright, child-like papers that expressed Colten's playful spirit. Those stars are fabric-covered chipboard shapes from my Etsy shop (coming soon - right now only the postage stamp shapes are available). i love this sketch because you could use multiple photos, scrap pieces of patterned paper, and it works for any theme. Baby boy is calling.... Head on over to Sketchy Thursdays to see what the DT did and for all the details about this week's amazing sponsor and how to enter!

Wishing you a happy, healthy, scrappy week! Tessa

Please vote for Heidi!

My Sketchy Thursdays friend, Heidi, is in the running for a design team member spot over at Torendi. I barely have time to blog about MY scrappy endeavors, but I just HAD to take the time to blog about Heidi's. This sushi card that she made knocked my socks off and I seriously ran (if you can run on the internet) over to the Torendi site to vote for her. She is very deserving of your vote! See Heidi's blog for up close photos, and vote for Heidi here.

Good luck, Heidi! Tessa

SPCC #19

I really enjoyed the color combo challenge this week at SPCC! I decided to go with a white background to keep the page light and airy. And I was able to use another piece of the Lil' Scrappin' Mama kit I was so blessed to work with (the branches are Prima, self-adhesive felt pieces).

Here's the color combo:

Here's my take (yes, another senior portrait photo of my sister, Caitlin):

Thanks for looking! And scroll down one more post for a Halloween give-away! Tessa

Halloween Fun and a Give-Away!

Good Monday morning! I had the privilige this last week to work on some spooky projects for A Scrappy Design. Heather sent me some wonderful things from her shop, and I was able to make two layouts and a mini-album.

First, I made a layout using the spider die-cuts (I added the googly eyes), a journaling card, and an oh-so-cute spider button. I used the black paper ribbon available in my Etsy shop to create a flower, then used the spider button as the center.

My second layout is of my son, Carson, last Halloween. He loved the idea of being the hulk and kept practicing his "Hulk face" for weeks before the big day. I used a journaling spot and a saying. I sprayed glimmer mist in two shades of green over the pieces, then crumpled them up. I unfolded them, let them dry, then used a cream metallic rub-on in green to highlight the creases. I also got to play with a new product that I've never used before - Mudd Puddles. It's a bumpy substance mixed with glue that you apply to your projects with a puddy knife. I used it around the corners of my photos for a bumpy, creepy, Halloween look.


My third project was a mini album using Basic Grey's Eerie line. I love mini albums with pages of different sizes, and Heather's journaling cards were perfect as little pages in between my chipboard pages. I added orange lace trim, pom pom trim in purple, green, and black, and little orange flowers with black jewel centers.

I bet your Halloween photos would look amazing in this little album. Would you like to find out first hand? I would love to send this album to you, for you to fill with happy, haunted, Halloween memories. To win... 1) Make sure you are following this blog. 2) Leave a comment here with what you or your kids are going to be for Halloween. 3) For an extra entry, blog about this give-away on your blog and leave a comment with a link. Winner will be chosen at random on November 1st.

And then head over to A Scrappy Design for an awesome sale on Halloween items!

Thanks for looking and good luck! Tessa

Doing any weekend scrapping?

Give the Sketchy Thursdays Second Chance Challenge a go!

Lil' Scrappin' Mama, a wonderful kit club with AMAZING kits, is sponsoring this challenge. Believe me, you want to get your hands on their October kit.



As DT members we had the opportunity to each get the kit, and here is what I've created with it (so far, anyway - there's a lot to this kit and I've got a mini album in the works, too).



What is the challenge you ask? Create a project that follows these guidelines:

1) Your theme must be fall or family.
2) Your main color scheme must be orange and brown.
3) You must add a pop of teal or hot pink to your project.
4) Use of a Sketchy Thursdays sketch is encouraged

Due Date: Friday, October 23rd

Here is my take on the challenge. I had these teal chipboard pieces just waiting for the perfect layout, and this was it! Since blue and orange are complimentary colors, I just loved the result. A journaling card is tucked behind the photo. My son says, "Don't show anyone on the computer, Mom. It's secret."

I would love to see what you come up with! And believe me, you want to win! Enjoy your Saturday! Tessa

Sneaky - Peeky

My "Girlie Girl" ribbons are on their way to Deanne today! I can't wait to send some more blog candy off to you fabulous blog readers. I'll reveal the next prize soon, but what about a little peek?

Happy Friday, Tessa

Sisters

I have the best sisters in the whole world, and these are the two youngest (there's one more - and she actually resembles me). I made this layout using papers and embellies from the October kit by Lil' Scrappin' Mama and some embellies from my own stash. Amazing kit! You need to check this kit club out.



Thanks for looking! I'm off to make breakfast for dinner. Yum! Tessa

Yay for Thursday!

Whew! I just had a frustrating morning (getting the kids off to school, finding out they were given tardies through no fault of their own, talking to the principal...). So let's concentrate on what makes me happy, shall we? Scrapbooking! It's Thursday, which means Sketchy Thursdays is busy. Congratulations to the winner and the DT Faves (oh my goodness, you have to go see the skunk - so cute!). A new sketch is up, too!


My layout this week is especially sweet to me. I just recently received news that my grandfather isn't doing very well, and we may be saying goodbye soon. It comforts me to know that a family is forever, connected with bonds that time cannot touch. There is no doubt in my heart, mind, or soul that I will see him again someday. The key I used symbolizes my feelings for my grandparents, my faith that our family is eternal, and more.


Here is Diana's beautiful sketch:



And here is my take, with my beautiful grandmother and handsome grandfather:



I am looking forward to seeing another week of gorgeous layouts! Enjoy creating! Tessa

And the winner is...

Here are your random numbers:9
Timestamp: 2009-10-15 14:45:52 UTC

That means... Deanne K! You've won a set of my "Girlie Girl" ribbons! Email me with your addy and I'll get them out to you as quickly as I can :). Click on my profile for the email address.

A new give-away will be announced soon! I'll give you a hint... It's spooky and cute and it features some A Scrappy Design goodness. Stay tuned!

Whoo Hoo! I won!

My "Life is Good" layout for the Page Maps blog was selected as the winning entry! How fun is it to get an email from Becky Fleck with kudos for your scrapbooking? I'll be getting a kit from Express the Moment. Thanks to Kim (ETM) and Becky for making my day!!!

Oh! And I wanted to remind you that there is only one more day to leave a comment to win my Girlie Girl Ribbons! Click here to enter. I'll draw the winner tomorrow, and a new give-away will be posted soon!

Happy Wednesday! Tessa

SPCC #18 - Spaghetti and Meatballs

I love this picture of Colten. Here we are, celebrating Grandma and Grandpa's 50th Wedding Annivesary, and my kids are flinging spaghetti sauce on themselves. This was truly an accident, but after I told him to pose for the camera he did get a loving lecture on table manners.

Here is the color combo:

Here is my take:

Do you see the spaghetti ribbon and button meatballs? Colten "got it" when he looked at the page. Simple, easy to put together, and an excuse to use up some thickers. I love thickers.

Happy Monday! Tessa

Page Maps Sketch Contest

I am getting my entry in on time, this time (reference this post)! I needed a headshot for A Scrappy Design when I made the DT, so I set up the tri-pod and my 5 year old, Carson, took all the pictures. These are just a few of the many kookie shots he took, and I think the one I chose for the A Scrappy Design blog is the top one.

Here's Becky Fleck's sketch:

Here's my take:

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday! Tessa

Creepy. Just creepy.

My favorite place to edit photos is Picnik. They recently introduced a whole line of Halloween effects that you can add to your photos and they are really cool. You can add lightning, blood, change your eyes and mottle your skin, and you can even use some cute templates for Halloween scrapbooking. I took a nice picture of me on a summer day and turned it into this:

I love it! Do you have a Picnik account? I'd love to see what you come up with!

Happy Saturday, Tessa

TGITh (Thank Goodness it's Thursday)!

Congratulations to the winner and faves over at Sketchy Thursdays today! I know I've said this before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but it was hard to choose just one favorite! I was inspired by so many....

The new sketch is up with a great new sponsor - Sassy Designs, Ltd. Her digital designs are so pretty! And even though I'd rather play with paper than pixels, the amazing designs she offers make me want to reconsider my scrapping methods :). Diana shares the sketches with us DT members ahead of time, so when I had a chance, I sat down and created my layout. The next day Diana shared some wonderful news with us - the DT was given the kit up for grabs to design our layouts with! Yay! Since my layout was already done, I made a card using the sketch and printed out elements from the kit. I had never done a hybrid project before, and I was very pleased with the results. Sassy Designs, I think I may be spending some cash at your place soon!

Here's the sketch:

Here's my layout:

Here's my card using the digi kit:

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! And be sure to read Diana's note about the new time deadline for entries.

Enjoy your Thursday! Tessa

Yay! Top 5!

I'm gonna toot my own horn a little here.... I made Top 5 over at SPCC! See the below post for the layout I designed based on the color challenge. I struggled with this color combo a bit, so I am so happy that the layout came together and caught someone's eye :).

Now to fold the laundry.... Good night! Tessa

SPCC #17

I scrapped another senior portrait photo of my sister for the SPCC, challenge #17. When I saw this picture of her walking away, head turned to look back, I couldn't help but think about all of the wonderful opportunities ahead of her. My title, Enjoy the Journey, is my hope for her. Knowing her, she will have no problem achieving her goals and finding joy in life along the way.

Here's the color combo:

Here's my layout:


I had fun with a new mask I got by Heidi Swapp, Glimmer Mist, and masking tape. Notice the light blue lace flower in the corner, by none other than Precocious Paper :).

Thanks for looking! I'm off to enjoy the first snowfall of the season (and my first one here in Wyoming)! Tessa

More Blog Candy...

Visit Scrap with Suzy for some great blog candy! She's giving away the "Be Good" collection of papers by Cosmo Cricket. I just love the colors - chocolate brown, warm reds, beautiful blue.... I can think of several things I would scrap with this collection.



And don't forget to enter to win some pink ribbons from Precocious Paper (see post below or sidebar).


Happy Friday! Tessa

Yay for Thursday!

If you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of Thursdays (especially Sketchy Thursdays). Congratulations to the winner of the A Scrappy Design goodies! And to the faves this week - wonderful layouts! I wanted to choose several faves, but alas, I'm only allowed one :).

Here is the new sketch:


And here is my take, a follow up to my layout "Wild":


I used Cosmo Cricket papers, Jolee's stickers (the barber chair, scissors, etc.), thickers, and elles journaling spots. I love how this sketch stacked the photos, and if you turn it on its side (like Mo and Amanda) it is another fantastic placement for those photos. What will you do with it?

The winner this week gets a $25.00 gift certificate to ScrapFreak, a site that not only has scrappy goodies for 10% off everyday, but a great gallery, forum, and challenges, too.

Should you choose to play, head over to Sketchy Thursdays for all the FAQ's. Good luck!

Happy Thursday! Tessa