The Studio Challenges

If you've been around my little blog for any given amount of time, you know I have a lot of love for The Studio Challenges blog.  I've been a design team member at The Studio since January 2010 and have thoroughly enjoyed every moment.  Over the past six months I have been the Project Team leader, bringing you projects and tutorials from myself and four other designers on Wednesdays. I made a huge altered monogram, a mini album of my boys...

...an altered embroidery hoop, a set of paper covered spheres...

...and a trio of garlands:

I'm sad to say that my term has now ended :(.  But no tears here - myself and three others, as well as a fabulous new gal, are signed on for a new term, complete with a reformat of the challenges!  We will be going back to the original way of doing things at The Studio - a new layout challenge twice a month (1st and 3rd Sundays), with a monthly sponsor!

So head on over to the blog, check out the design team line-up and get yourself in on a little extra challenge.  You could win a gift certificate to Scrap Rat (believe me, you want that!).

I hope your weekend was fantastic :). Enjoy the last of your Sunday! Tessa

Thank You

Hello! I hope you are enjoying your weekend :). We are working around the house today, but I thought I would pop in and share a card with you.  I made this "thank you" for one of my dance moms that I am excited to see again shortly as the new dance year approaches:

The large flower is a Sandi Henderson Meadowsweet Fabric and Felt Flower that was included in the May Sampler in my Etsy shop.  I've been getting requests for the flower to be sold separately, so look for a pair of these pretties in the shop soon :).

I love pairing fabric flowers with paper ones, like the Prima rose.  A couple of stick pins, a few strips of tape and a fab little sentiment by SRM Stickers make this card a detailed yet easy-peasy one to put together.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! I have a fun little announcement to make tomorrow :). See you then! Tessa

Designer Friday - Mandy and New Items

Happy Friday! I'm excited to share a couple of projects by the talented Mandy Koeppen today, projects she created with one of several new items in a line I'm calling Raspberry Orange.  Mandy played with the Butterfly Doilies:

First, Mandy created a notebook.  From scratch.  This girl is so good at mini albums and the like :).  If you'd like to make one, too, look out for the instructions on her blog.

Next, Mandy created this beautiful card.  She used kraft cardstock as her base to match the cardboard in the Butterfly Doily.  I love the green patterned paper and that gorgeous embossing!

Thank you, Mandy :). Inspiring projects, as always! If you'd like to see close-ups, please visit the Precocious Paper Facebook page. The Butterfly Doilies were created to match the Raspberry Orange Mini Sampler, available now:

...as well as the Raspberry Orange Sweet Spots:

...and Raspberry Orange Felt Roses and Leaves:

You can find all these goodies (and more!) in my shop here.  I hope your weekend is a wonderful one! It's my last weekend free before starting up a new dance year.  I'm going to be teaching Fridays and Saturdays so that I can be with my boys as much as possible during the week.  I can't wait - I've been itching to dance and teach :).  Enjoy your day! Tessa

Getting Sketchy

I love working with sketches to create my layouts.  Having a jumping off point is a great way to get myself focused.  And that's why I love Sketchy Thursdays and the current challenge at Scrapbook Circle :).

I'm so excited that I'm going to get to see a lot more of these two in the very near future! My sister and brother-in-law just graduated college and their little family is moving back here.  That means I get to spoil my little niece, Emmy :).  And with my other two sisters away at college now, "Favorite Auntie" status is mine for the taking!

I thought The Girls Paperie paper was a perfect match to Emmy's dress, and the green leaves made Shanae's cardigan pop.  Oh, how I love working with girlie things!

For all the details on playing at Sketchy Thursdays this week, see this post.  The design team did a fabulous job with samples and the prize is very tempting :).

And if you want to play along with another sketch challenge, Scrapbook Circle has one going on right now.  You could win a $15.00 credit to SBC (what a great way to start a subscription!).  I'm sharing my take on the blog today.

For close-ups and details on how to play along, join me at the SBC blog.  I hope your day is a great one! Tessa

August Sampler Reveal

Hello! I know, I know, it's not the 25th. Family and home have required my attention a bit more than usual lately, and since those are my priorities, I decided to push the sampler reveal one little day.  I'm sure you don't mind :).  I am very excited to share it with you, so here we go!

Introducing...Summer Twilight! A photograph I saw of a late summer sky, just after the sun went down but before the stars began to sparkle, inspired this color palette.

"Summer Twilight" includes:
♥ 1 Navy Polka Dot Fabric and Felt Flower
♥ 1 Sandi Henderson Fuchsia Fabric and Felt Flower
♥ 1 Amy Butler Chartreuse Yo-Yo Flower
♥ 1 Amy Butler Chartreuse Lollipop Flower with Pearl Center
♥ 1 Navy Lace and Felt Flower
♥ 1 Fuchsia Satin Twist Flower
♥ 2 Spiral Felt Flowers in White with Iridescent Beads
♥ 3 Leaves
♥ 3 Ribbons on Clothespins - navy grosgrain, white sheer, fuchsia satin

As always, the coordinating Sweet Spots:

And coordinating Butterfly Doilies:

New to the shop, felt roses and leaves!

Right now I just have this color combo on the shelves, but I can make the roses in any color of felt you see in the shop.  Just ask :).  You will see more roses, as well as more varieties of leaves appearing soon, too!

♥ You can shop the Summer Twilight line here.
♥ You can see design team member Amanda's work with the sampler here.
♥ Heather Leopard, my August guest designer, will be sharing her work on the 12th of August.
♥ I will be designing a special project with the sampler to be revealed during a really fun event at the end of August.
♥ There will be an awesome giveaway including the sampler during said event.
♥ You could win Summer Twilight by playing along at ScrapFit later in August.

I think that about covers it! Thank you so much for your patronage of my little Etsy shop.  You have no idea how much it blesses my life and the life of my family :). I hope your Tuesday is fabulous! Tessa

Designer Friday - August Sampler Sneak

Hello! Ready for a sneak peek of the August Sampler, "Summer Twilight"? Amanda has been working her magic with the kit and I just know you're going to love it!

Think navy/denim blue, fuchsia, and chartreuse with a splash of bright white...

I was sure to include a fabric lollipop flower again - they are an often-requested item :).

Embellishments from the sampler and simple cardstock punches - pure awesomeness :).

Aren't Amanda's fur babies the cutest? For more photos, including close-ups, please see the Precocious Paper Facebook gallery (you don't have to be a member to view it). "Summer Twilight" goes on sale Monday, July 25th.  I can't wait to pair it up with Crate Paper's new Random collection.  I created the sampler back in early June, and when I saw the new CHA releases from CP, I squealed over the perfect match! Have a fabulous weekend! Tessa

Sketchy Thursdays

Hello! Sorry it's a bit dusty around here :). I've been busy, but busy in a good way.  Here's a quick recap of the past several days:

* Met my Brazilian scrapbooking friend, Fabi in person on Saturday! I took her to the largest scrapbooking store in Northern California (my LSS, Green Tangerines) and to her first baseball game (go Rivercats!).

* Said goodbye to my two youngest sisters, Elizabeth and Caitlin.  They are off to school in Utah and grown-up adventures. They've been gone a little over 24 hours and I miss them terribly :(.

* Remember Jaxon's tooth? I accidentally knocked it out of his little mouth with my thumb during a mommy-toddler wrestling match.  He's fine, not traumatized, and I don't have to take him to the oral surgeon now :). Prayers get answered in mysterious ways, don't they?

* Organized a really fun event for the blog and Precocious Paper in August - more on that later ;).

I did have time to play at Sketchy Thursdays:

I love this multi-photo sketch and will have to play with it again:

The prize this week is from October Afternoon! If you haven't been to the ST blog yet today, head over there now for all the fabulous details.

I hope your week has been a good one.  Thanks for stopping by! Tessa

Scrap Rat Sneaks!

I am very excited to get this kit in hand and to start playing!  The navy blues, the vintage goodies.... Why, oh why is the Atlantic Ocean so big?!

If you aren't a subscriber to the Scrap Rat kits, you are seriously missing out.  I love the eclectic mix of embellishments each one contains, as well as the selection of designer papers.  My creativity is instantly sparked whenever I open a Scrap Rat kit :).

Hopefully mine will arrive soon and I'll be able to share real, live layouts :).

I'll be back tomorrow to share my adventures with Fabi, my scrapbooking friend from Brazil who flew all the way to Sacramento, California to spend the day with me yesterday :).  Okay, she really came for business, but she came early to hang out in NorCal.  Have a wonderful day! Tessa

GCD Studios at JoAnn's

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores are now carrying the Chipart Tools by Melody Ross for GCD Studios! I have to tell you, these tools are so much fun to play with.  If you'd like to try them out, the Torrence, CA store is doing free make and takes the next several weekends.  For all the details, head on over to the GCD blog here.

I hope your weekend is going great! Tessa

Designer Friday - More From Anna

Hello! Last week I shared a layout that Anna White-Sharman created with the July Sampler, "Pink Limeade." Today I am excited to share a home decor project with you.  Check out Anna's altered pillow!

Embellished with two of the fabric/felt flowers, as well as spiral felt flowers and ribbon, I think this pillow makes the perfect accessory for a summer patio!

The flowers and ribbon could easily be sewn on with a needle and thread. Or, if you don't sew, you could use fabric glue.  Be generous with the glue and give it plenty of time to dry before use.

Thank you, Anna! What a fun project!  If you're interested in the July Sampler, you can find it here.  Well, I'm off.  I did tackle quite a bit of my to-do list yesterday, but now it's longer.  Hmmm, how does that happen? :) :) :)  Enjoy your day! Tessa

Red, White and Blue

Hello!  Is it really Thursday? This week has been a bit of a blur as I try to catch up on a lot of projects, from church to scrapbooking, my Etsy shop to regular household business.  My to-do list is getting shorter, though, so after today I should be feeling much more on top of things :).  I wanted to share my layout for the current challenge at Scrapbook Circle with you.

The challenge, inspired by the July kit "Blast Off", is to use a red, white and blue color palette.  I scrapped a few photos from a parade we went to a couple of years ago using papers and embellies from the kit.

I hope you'll visit the SBC blog today to see more and to join in on the challenge.  You don't have to be a kit subscriber to play along, and you can use whatever supplies you would like.  Details here.

Being so busy, I didn't get a layout done for Sketchy Thursdays this week :(.  If you haven't been over there today, you have to stop by. The design team did a fabulous job and I really love the sketch.

Have a great day! Tessa

Sticky Sweet Summer Treat

Happy Tuesday!  I was in recovery mode yesterday and neglected to direct your attention to a new project I have up at the GCD Studios blog.  You can see the original post here.  As a new feature at GCD Studios, the design team has been given color palettes to work with each month, and my first color palette is this gorgeous one:

Not only did it inspire this layout, full of GCD goodies:

But also the wreath gracing my front door:

As you'll read in the post, someday these will be the colors of my craft room. Someday.

This past weekend has left my heart very full.  On Friday we said "until we meet again" to Grandma Nichols, my husband's cousins' grandmother.  I only met her a few times, but this warm, generous woman left an impression on me. I am so glad that I knew her, even if only briefly.

Saturday was Colten's baptism.  If you are unfamiliar with LDS baptisms, you can read more about the ordinance here.  The day was very special and Colten was smiles from ear to ear. I'm a proud mama :).  I hope your weekend was just as wonderful and that your week is off to a great start! Thanks for stopping by :). Tessa

Designer Friday - Anna White-Sharman

Hello Friday! I'm excited to be bringing back past design team member Anna White-Sharman as my July guest designer! Anna has been playing with the July Sampler, Pink Limeade, and has a fabulous layout to share today:

Gorgeous photograph, huh?! I need flowers like that in my yard :).

Anna has requested more of these tulle and felt flowers in the shop.  What do you think? I suppose I could do a whole line of different colors.... :) :) :).

What a pretty cluster of embellishments! I love seeing them all grouped together like this.

If you would like to purchase the July Sampler, you can find it here.  Be sure to check out the coordinating Butterfly Doilies (almost sold out!), Sweet Spots, and the Mini Sampler in the same color palette but with different flowers.

Thank you, Anna! I can't wait to see what you create next :). Have a great day everyone! Tessa

Fancy Feathers

Hello! It's Thursday, which means I have a page to share for the latest Sketchy Thursdays reveal:

Carson has been asking for a layout about his field trip to the zoo, so I scrapped one of our favorite attractions - the peacocks.  They don't actually live there, but hang around for the food and company.  They kept flying over us and walking across our paths, startling Carson once.  They were gorgeous! The sketch called for banners:

And I was happy to oblige with little bits of ribbon from my scrap jar:

The prize this week is some fabulous goodies from a fellow Etsy shop, Cozy Dog.  Check out all the details here.  And if you're in the mood to play along with one more challenge, Scrapbook Circle has a new challenge up today, too!

Inspired by their July Kit, Blast Off, SBC is challenging you to create a red, white and blue layout.  You don't have to be a subscriber to play, so come on over and join in the fun.  Details here.

Have a great day, everyone! Tessa