Guest Designer Friday!

Hello!  Please welcome Precocious Paper's May Guest Designer, Joanna Bandelin!

You can read all about Joanna and get linked up to her inspiring blog on the Design Team page.  I sent Joanna the May Sampler, "Mother's Portrait." 

I'm hearing that one of the most popular pieces of the sampler is the Woodgrain Fabric Lollipop flower.  Joanna was drawn to it also, and here is a beautiful card that she made with that blossom front and center:

I love the mix of My Mind's Eye Stella and Ruby papers, vintage paper, and twine :).

Joanna also used two of the leaves that come in the sampler and some of the minty aqua trim.

The recipient of this gorgeous card is one lucky person!  I am excited about sharing more from Joanna next Friday, so please be sure to stop by and take a look.  If you haven't picked up your May Sampler, you can find it here.  Thank you so much for stopping by today!  Enjoy your weekend :). Tessa

P.S. - Happy birthday to my awesome 7 year old Carson!  A camo party is in the works, complete with army man cupcakes and a nerf battle.  What were my husband and I thinking when we timed these boys of ours?  I might be partied out next week ;).

Thursday already?!

When you have two birthday parties in one week, extra school events and a to-do list a mile long, your week gets awfully short :).  I wouldn't have it any other way - except maybe with a dash of Martha Stewart-esque organization.  But it is Thursday, and that makes me happy, because I get to share my Sketchy Thursdays layout for the week!

I love this photo - that's my brother-in-law on the left, my sister on the right, and Emmy's little shoes in the center.  With her long and lanky limbs, she may just be wearing those soon!  I'm glad that they thought to get this photo during their maternity shoot.  So cute! 

I was inspired by the birds and nests in the April kit from Scrap Rat, which in turned inspired the title.

I love the woodgrain mixed with vintage papers.  And I even used one of the packaging bags as a foundation for my photo space.  I thought the texture was cool :).  Here's the fabulous sketch:

Head on over to Sketchy Thursdays for all the details, then meander over to Scrapbook Circle where I have a mini album up on the blog today.  Made from simple journaling cards, this pocket-sized brag book was quick to create.

I hope your Thursday is a good one! Thanks for stopping by :). Tessa

Mother's Day, SRM and the May Sampler

Today on the SRM blog you can find oodles of inspiration for your Mother's Day cards.  I know some parts of the world have already celebrated their moms recently, but really - don't moms deserve cards more than once during the year? :)

For my cards I combined elements from Crate Paper's Portrait collection and the Precocious Paper May Sampler.  Here I fussy-cut roses from patterned paper and embellished with a hand-sewn yo-yo flower.

This next card also uses Portrait papers, as well as some Lily Bee (dress forms) and a shabby rolled flower from the May Sampler:

You can find the SRM stickers I used here and here.

With Easter falling so late, doesn't it feel like Mother's Day is sneaking up on us?  I'll be ready, though!  I'll share what I'm making a little bit later (all the moms in my life poke around this blog, so they'll just have to wait!).  If you'd like to pick up a May Sampler, you can find it in my shop here.  Have a great day! Tessa

Isn't she beautiful?

This past Saturday my little neice was blessed.  The blessing was beautiful.  Emmy wore the same blessing gown that my sisters and I all wore, as well as one of our cousins.  Today it looks time-worn and well-loved, but the antique ivory color was gorgeous on this precious little girl.  Shanae (Emmy's mama) asked me to make her a hair band.  I made a trio of flowers in ivory lace, satin, and frayed cotton.  Shanae found the gorgeous trim to match and our mom sewed an elastic to it to complete the head band.  She was so pretty!

Emmy and her mama :).

Here she is later in her little Easter dress :).

Isn't she the cutest thing ever?!  I've been getting more and more requests for hair clips and brooches, and I've been tinkering with the idea of adding some pieces to the shop. What do you think?  Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

May Sampler

Introducing the May Sampler, "Mother's Portrait"....

Inspired by both Crate Paper's Portrait collection and Sandi Henderson's Meadowsweet fabric line, this sampler includes:

♥ 1 Fabric and Felt Flower
♥ 1 Coral Satin Rolled Flower
♥ 1 Woodgrain Lollipop Flower with Pearl Center
♥ 1 Layered Canvas Flower (perfect for misting or dyeing)
♥ 1 Black Polka Dot Cupcake Poppy
♥ 2 Rolled Fabric Flowers in Mustard Yellow and Aqua
♥ 1 Handsewn Black Gingham Yo-Yo with Button Center
♥ 3 Leaves
♥ 3 Ribbons on Clothespins, including Black Glitter, White Sheer, and Aqua Grosgrain
♥ 1 Decorative Stick Pin

The coordinating Sweet Spots are made with patterned papers from Portrait:

And here's a new item I've been excited to share with you - Butterfly Doilies!  This particular pair coordinates perfectly with the yellows, aquas, and black and white:

Design team member Mandy created a really fun layout with the Sampler, using Crate Paper's Restoration line:

I love the graphic look of the alphas blended with the bright colors of the flowers and butterflies :).  Mandy also created this vintage chic, large tag:

She combined the cavas flower with the cupcake poppy for a cool, layered look.

The Sampler, the Sweet Spots, and the Butterfly Doilies are all available now.  When you purchase your first monthly sampler, you will receive a special coupon code for the following month's sampler. You will receive free shipping on the sampler, as well as any other items you purchase at the same time. All the perks of a subscription without the commitment :).  Begin with May and you'll have the perfect embellishments for Mother's Day cards, spring layouts, and whatever else your crafty heart desires :).  Happy Shopping! Tessa

P.S. - Happy Birthday to my little man, Jaxon!  He's TWO today :).  There's a monkey party in the works - I'll share soon!

Designer Friday - Meet Mandy!

I am SO excited to introduce you to Precocious Paper's newest design team member, Mandy Koeppen! 

You can read all about her, as well as get linked to her fabulous blog, on the Design Team Page.  Mandy, I'm thrilled to have you on board :).

 Mandy has the May Sampler - Mother's Portrait - in her creative hands, and she is doing amazing things with it!  You will see the sampler revealed in all its prettiness on Monday the 25th, but for now, you get a sneak peek with this gorgeous shaped card:


Mandy cut the card into a circle using a circle template, then used a vintage dictionary page for the background.  Besides the butterfly, paper, and "grandma", all the other elements you see are part of the May Sampler.  I love how Mandy used her sewing machine to pleat one of the trims. So pretty!

I'm very envious of Mandy - she has a vintage Royal typewriter that she used to create the Happy Mother's Day flag. What a beautiful, vintage touch!




Thank you for the beautiful inspiration, Mandy!  Mother's Portrait will launch Monday, as well as several new add-on options.  And don't forget, if you order April's sampler, you get free shipping on the May Sampler and anything else you purchase at the same time.  There are still a few April Samplers left, so you can still get in on this special.  Customers who already purchased the April Sampler will be getting their free shipping codes on Monday.

Earth Day Sale!  In celebration of Earth Day, Precocious Paper is holding its annual Earth Day Sale.  This year, receive 15% off of your entire purchase and you will receive a free set of my popular, recycled Dyed Cardboard Flowers with your order.  Use coupon code EARTHDAY15 through Sunday to receive the discount.  Happy Shopping!  Tessa

Meet Emmy...

With my sister and brother-in-law in town, I've been loving on my new little neice every chance I get.  She always opens up her eyes and peeks at me when I talk to her - a sure sign that I'm the favorite auntie! Look out Caitlin and Elizabeth - that title is sure to be mine!  For this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch I decided to scrap a photo that my sister sent me not too long after Emmy was born.  I love her little tutu!

I used the April Scrap Rat kit for this page.  Aren't those little birds adorable?  Almost as adorable as Emmy :).

Here's the fabulous sketch, full of possibilities:

I wish I could temporarily remove myself from team so that I could win this week's prize.  Find out what it is and get all the details to play along here.

I scrapped another photo of little Emmy for the new challenge at Scrapbook Circle.  I would love to have you join us!  You don't have to be a subscriber to play along, and this week's challenge is an easy one :). 

I've got a busy day ahead - photos for my oldest son, lunch with the girls, dinner with the family.... It's so fun to have family in town :). Enjoy your day! Tessa

Spring Banners and 2011

Hello!  I'm a bit busy in blog land today :).  First up, I'm sharing a recent project on The Studio blog today.  Stop by to check out my Spring Banners featuring my new favorite color palette: yellow (duh!), apple green, gray, and white/ivory.

I LOVED making all three of these banners and hope you'll stop by for the how-to.

Also, at The Paper Variety today, we are celebrating Suzy's birthday! Happy Birthday, Suzy!  In honor of her special day, the challenge this week is to:

And here's my take:

SRM Stickers has a fabulous variety of number stickers, and this 2011 sticker came from a 2011 sheet with lots of fun variations.  I love the way it looks layered under the "graduate" alphas.  Official senior portrait count - Elizabeth (pictured) 9, Caitlin 10.  Hmmm, I think Caitlin is beginning to get a bit jealous :).

Play along this week for a chance to win a gorgeous kit from We Scrap Kits:

I hope your week is going well :).  I'm off to play catch-up in the studio and to clean house.  Probably in that order ;).  Enjoy your day! Tessa

Scrap Rat April Kit

I have the wonderful opportunity to design for Scrap Rat, a vintage/supply shop and monthly kit club.  I just received the April kit on Friday and had to scrap all Sunday morning with it - it's gorgeous!  And unfortunately, sold out.  But I wanted to show you how beautifully coordinated Amanda's kits are by sharing a few layouts.

First, another senior portrait layout of my sister, Elizabeth.  She loves vintage-y things and this kit was perfectly suited to her tastes:

I emphasized my title with images of things that fly - butterflies, birds, the hot air balloon....  She loved it :).

My other sister and brother-in-law are visiting, which means I was able to meet my new little neice in person just a few days ago!  This layout is of their Christmas photo:

I had fun with masking and white mist :).

And this layout features a couple of their maternity photos.  How cute is that pink bow?

I punched hearts from the vintage extras and the kraft bag that holds the embellishments to create my background.  I love the whimsical feel it gives the page.

I still have oodles of papers and embellishments left, so I have two more layouts in the works.  I'll share those as soon as I can.  If you're interested in Amanda's kits, especially if you're in the UK, be sure to visit her site.  The May kit is on its way to me and I can't wait to open that box!  Have a great day, everyone! Tessa