Precocious Paper Update and a Giveaway

Hello! Well, the wedding was a huge success! I am still exhausted, but it was so much fun. The newlyweds couldn't be happier. I know many of you are waiting for photos of all the boutonnieres and corsages and decor I made for their special day, but I'm still gathering photos. Colten took this photo during the reception. Embarrassing, yes, but I had a good time :). 

I hope a shop update and giveaway will tide you over today :). I just reopened the shop this morning, so I am again taking orders and will be running right on time.

I plan to update my listings, including dozens of new fabrics for Ruffle Blossoms, in early October. This is one wall of my scrapbook room. I love seeing the different fabrics all lined up and folded nicely :).

While I was swamped with orders and wedding stuff, the Facebook page reached a milestone - 500 likes! I mentioned I would do a giveaway when I got a chance, and now is the time :). Simply like Precocious Paper on Facebook and leave a comment on this post. I'll choose and announce a winner on Friday. What will you win? A $10.00 credit to the shop!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out some of my latest instagrams :). If you'd like to follow me on instagram, I'm precocioustessa. Have a great Monday! Tessa

Feeling Fall

I LOVE fall. And I've been craving it for awhile. My first assignments for DCWV were to use the new stacks available at JoAnn's - Autumn Melody and Bewitched - so it didn't take long to fall into a groove. Ha! Pun not intended ;).

First, I made a printer's tray. I painted it with Glimmer Mists - Tattered Leather and Suede. I loved the gold sheen left behind because it matched the foil on the papers in the Autumn Melody stack perfectly.

I used the Autumn Melody sticker pack to create my title and embellish one of the openings. Every square is backed with Autumn Melody papers and then filled with bits and pieces I had in my stash.

Next, I created a card. I used more Autumn Melody papers and stickers. The sentiment is SRM Stickers. I love using DCWV stacks - it makes a string of coordinated projects so easy to put together :).

I used the Bewitched stack to create a Halloween layout. Although the stack also includes a spooky purple and green, I went traditional with just orange and black. This framed out pattern was perfect as a base.

I simply added some squares of other patterned papers, as well as a bit of netting, and my photo was matted. The title is SRM Stickers and Thickers.

It was so nice to delve into fall colors and themes for a little bit, especially since the weather here is still decidedly summer. Well, I'm off to do more wedding prep! Bridesmaid necklaces are almost done, the boutonnieres need to be assembled, and the bride's hairpiece needs to be sewn. I'm loving all this crafty stuff :). Have a good one! Tessa

Always, Today and Forever

Hello! Last-minute wedding prep is underway (little sister will be married in 6 days!), but I thought I would come up for air and post about the new sketch challenge at The Studio.

Valerie has created yet another fabulous sketch:

I used the September Scrapbook Circle kit, Talk of the Town, to create my page. It's full of the new Amy Tangerine, plus other goodies from Elle's Studio (love those tags!), Lily Bee, Glitz and more. I decided to use the ampersand tag on this page, which then gave me the idea to omit a circle from the sketch and include an ampersand mask. I love all the Amy Tangerine die-cuts :).

The only thing here that isn't a part of the kit is the flair by A Flair for Buttons. This set just made its way onto the shelves at Two Peas here. I love this set and thought the "today" sentiment was perfect for my title.

If you love a good sketch, you'll love playing along with this one. You can find the details here.

Have a fabulous Sunday! Tessa

Tahoe, Golden Birthday Winner

Did you see this one on Facebook? I love this picture from our Tahoe Anniversary Trip! This is me breakdancing on the mountain above Emerald Bay :).

Here's a little rundown of the rest of the weekend: 

♥ We ran into Josh's grandpa on our way up the hill. He called because he was having truck trouble and Josh is a truck mechanic. We just so happened to be nearly passing each other on 80, so we pulled off the freeway and were able to help him out. I love those seemingly chance meetings :).

♥ We stayed at the Cal-Neva. This place has a storied history - think speak-easy, Sinatra and the mob. Part of the hotel is in California and the other part is in Nevada. We crossed state lines many, many times that weekend :).

♥ We relaxed at the beach.

♥ We went out to dinner at a great Mexican place called Caliente. Great food, really good service.

♥ We drove to Reno for a movie. Yes, Josh wanted to see the new Bourne flick that badly. (Reno is quite a drive from Tahoe.)

♥ We hiked an old fire lookout trail near our hotel. The view was incredible!

♥ We went to the hotel spa for massages. It was soooo nice!

♥ We rented a tandem kayak and paddled Lake Tahoe for a couple of hours. It was really fun, but I was sore for a few days :).

♥ We hiked to Eagle Falls and Eagle Lake near Emerald Bay, south shore. This was my favorite part of the whole weekend:

♥ We endured terrible traffic on our way home (as expected), as well as a short-cut dirt road that felt more like four-wheeling (thanks, Josh). No photo for that one. I was holding onto the arm rests too tightly to bust out the camera ;).

♥ All in all, it was a fabulous weekend. We need to do that much more often, hun :).

My golden birthday was the day before this trip, which means I owe you readers a winner! I've got a box filled with 31 of my favorite scrapbooking things ready to send out to someone who played along with my giveaway, and that person is...

MEGAN SMITH!

Megan, please email me with your address so that I can ship this box off to you :). Thank you all for the birthday wishes and your support. I felt really special and definitely enjoyed my day.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a good one :). Tessa

Hiccups and a Layout

Life is full of hiccups. Those events that alter or even derail your to-do list filled with good intentions. Jaxon and I experienced one such hiccup yesterday:

Yes, those are staples. And yes, I did briefly think about how they were about the same size as the ones that come from Tim Holtz' tiny attacher. Jaxon and I were sitting at the kitchen table late yesterday morning when a lego he was playing with got too far away from him. I pushed it back to him when I realized he was reaching for it, but as he went to sit back down on his bum after being on his knees, the chair scooted out from underneath him and he went down, hitting his head on the chair before landing on the floor. I ran to him, cradled him, then felt the (unfortunately) familiar feel of blood on my arm. I looked and sure enough, he had a small gash on his head. We just did this a few months ago, except it was a hallway corner and a race with his brothers. That time it was urgent care and three stitches. This time it was a trip to the ER and two staples. He was a champ, though! He was really cooperative and the ER staff was impressed. He got a chocolate shake from In-n-Out and was a happy camper the rest of the day. Evidence - this photo taken when I said, "Let me take a picture of your staples so you can see them."

Goof ball. And yes, that is a mix of blood and chocolate shake on his shirt. So, anyway, this hiccup really put my schedule out of whack yesterday and I am going to postpone my Tahoe recap/Golden Birthday winner post to tomorrow. But before you go, here is a layout I have up on the Scrapbook Circle blog today:

I definitely count my blessings when I have days like the one featured on this layout. They keep me sane when those darn hiccups show up :).

Hiccups or not, my life really is simply wonderful.

As accident prone as Jaxon is, I wouldn't trade my little tough guy for anything! He blesses my life more than any stitches or staples could ever inconvenience it. I hope your day is a good one - hiccups or not :). Thanks for stopping by! Tessa

Box Tops Box

My boys' school participates in the Box Tops program - one where you save special labels from products that the school can cash in, providing more funding for special projects and events. My boys' classrooms have consistently won first place for their grade levels for collecting the most box tops. And while I don't think we are the biggest contributors (by far!), I do try my best to clip and save those Box Tops. For the past few years, they have been stored in a baggie on my fridge:

Not the cutest storage solution, but definitely effective. So, when challenged to create something with a back to school theme for Epiphany Crafts, I chose to upgrade my baggie:

You can find all of the details for how to quickly and easily make a Box Tops Box for your fridge on the Epiphany Crafts blog today. It was really easy and now my fridge is a bit more stylish :).

Well, Josh and I had a FABULOUS time in Tahoe! My head is still spinning with all the fun stuff we were able to accomplish in just a weekend. I'll recap tomorrow, as well as reveal the winner of my Golden Birthday giveaway. Have a good one! Tessa

10 Years

As you read this, I am hiking the mountains around Lake Tahoe, sunning on the lake shore, or kayaking on Tahoe's crystal blue water. The hubby and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary with a weekend away :). Knowing that the next challenge at The Studio would fall during this time, I thought it only appropriate to create a layout about our milestone.

The new challenge (in honor of Amanda's birthday today - happy birthday, girl!!!) is to feature numbers on your layout. I used SRM Stickers' large numbers for my title and added them to an instax photo that didn't turn out.

The flower is one from my shop, a taupe Ruffle Blossom (available here). For the center, I used a piece of flair from A Flair for Buttons. The Insta Love set is SO cute! Perfect for the instagram shot of hubby and me.

I just had to add the little wood people and a heart, and I snuck another number in - that "2" on the left. The journaling talks about our journey together; thus, the airplane paper. I love that design!

If you'd like to play along, you can find the challenge here. Be sure to take a look at the other girls' layouts. There's some really great inspiration to get your creativity fired up! And, if nothing else, I'd love it if you'd stop by and tell Amanda Happy Birthday. She's truly deserving of the happiest birthday ever! I hope you're enjoying your weekend! Thanks for stopping by :). Tessa

Happy News :)

Some fabulous opportunities have come along and I'm excited about them! First, SEI has asked me to join their 2013 design team :).

You can read the announcement here. I'm excited to be working with a group of ladies that I haven't worked with yet! That's one of my favorite parts of this scrapbooking thing - the people :).

Angi Barrs: http://cokiepopaper.blogspot.com/

Emily Branch: http://branchoutdesigns.blogspot.com/

Nattarida Smith: http://tinynatt.blogspot.com/

Pearl Lui: http://kraftypearl.blogspot.com/

Sarah Webb: http://scropping.blogspot.com/

Epiphany Crafts has announced their new design team. I was asked to extend my term with them by another six months and couldn't be happier about it. I have loved working with the people there and am looking forward to "meeting" the new members.

Well, that's my happy news for the day :). I'll be back tomorrow with a new challenge from The Studio. I can't wait to share - my layout is numbered in my favorites ;). Have a great day! Tessa