It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Here was the view from my front porch today as I looked toward the bright blue, winter sky.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Main street is decked out in garlands and giant snowflakes, the shop windows are oh-so-festive, and now my living room is leaving no doubt that Christmas is around the corner. My Etsy shop is even getting into the Christmas spirit! Here are some new albums that you can find at Precocious Paper.

Noel:



Good Cheer:



Be Merry (to be listed very soon):



You can find more pictures of the albums here, and you can find more albums on my virtual shelves, too. Are you getting ready for Christmas? If you don't celebrate Christmas, do you have any traditions or festivities that you are looking forward to this season? Happy Monday! Tessa

Baby Noah

I had the pleasure of making a baby boy, A to Z paper bag album for a sweet customer. I loved working on this project because I was given a color scheme that I thought was beautiful and not typically "baby". Here are the colors that I was inspired by:

And here is the album:

I loved working with the buttons and hand-sewed twine through each one. The heart accents are chipboard that I painted sage, then coverd with white crackle paint. Then I used walnut stain distressing ink to highlight the cracks. There is glitter on every page, which I think is perfect to celebrate a baby - bringing new babies into this world seems magical to me. I haven't cleaned up my space yet, but I hope there are enough materials left over that I can make a similar album for my little boy!

Feel free to contact me (see profile) if you are interested in a custom album. Thanks for stopping by! Tessa

Want to win some Copic markers?

It's time once again for a Second Chance Challenge at Sketchy Thursdays! And you absolutely *must* see the prize! Here is what the random winner will get to add to her supply stash, courtesy of iCopic:


And if 60 or more people play along, this will be added to the pot:


It doesn't get better than that! The challenge this time is a card sketch with a holiday theme. Here is the sketch, which can also be used for a layout if you wish:


Here is my take:


So play along! We would love to have you! It would be a great start to your holiday cards, and you have until Wednesday night to enter. And don't forget to stop by Sketchy Thursdays to see what the other DT members made and to learn more about the generous sponsor :).

Enjoy your weekend! Tessa

Craft Fair and a Thanksgiving Sale!

My first craft fair in Wyoming has come and gone. I had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people (both sellers and buyers) and did a little Christmas shopping of my own. Thank you to everyone who stopped by my little table. I hope you enjoyed what you saw and purchased, and I hope to be able to create something for you again.

Here is my table:



I bought a tablecloth that is long on three sides and not in the back, so it was perfect for storing my things out of sight.


I embellished big, red bowls with ribbon to hold all of my flower embellishments and ribbon clothespins. I used smaller bowls to display my cardboard flowers, fabric covered chipboard, and Precocious Petals.



I disassembled my closet's shoe rack to serve as shelves for my paper bag albums (take a close look and you'll see some that will be on my virtual shelves soon!).

Here is my little guy, crawling over Aunt Natalie's leg (it was really hot in the morning and he had to strip to be comfortable). They were my fantastic sales staff (and boy did my cute kid bring over the customers!).


I enjoyed being able to talk to people face to face about my products and creative process. It was really fun to see people's reactions when they discovered my albums are made from paper bags or that I was published in a magazine. All in all it was a wonderful weekend and even though I am tired, I am inspired to create even more!

And for all of my local customers, please know that we can make arrangements for delivery/pick-up at no cost. Please contact me!

THANKSGIVING SALE! I am having a Thanksgiving Sale in my shop! To express my gratitude for such wonderful customers, I have priced several items at 25% off. Enjoy!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Tessa

Precocious Paper - Spotted!

I love to read Emilie Ahern's blog. I just love it. She is a multi-talented crafter, mom, writer, photographer, etc. So how surprised was I when I was reading her blog post today about Etsy, and I saw my little lace and felt flowers? How cool is that?

One of my dearest customers turns my lace and felt flowers into the most adorable headbands, and Emilie linked to her shop - Mazzy522 a.k.a. Sweet and Sassy Accessories. I love how versatile these flowers are - scrapbooking embellishments, brooches, hair clips, headbands.... And have you seen all of my new colors? New pinks, neutrals, blues, greens.... Next week I'll introduce a few more colors into the shop, too!

What would you do with my lace and felt flowers? Have a great night, Tessa

Toot! Toot!

I'm super excited! Why? My "Sisters" layout is the Friday Challenge winner over at Lil Scrappin Mama! Yay! I can't wait to get the November kit. It looks fabulous!

Thank you Kristie! Thanks for stopping by and celebrating with me! Tessa

Spring in November

I was feeling the November brrrr when I was brainstorming my layout for Sketchy Thursdays this week. So to cure my chills, I opted to think back to a warm, pleasant May and scrap baby photos of my little one, Jaxon.

Here is the sketch (I really enjoyed this one!):


Here is my take, "Spring Baby":



I loved the faces he made for the camera - I think he was born knowing Mama was a scrapper and would be his own personal paparazzi for the rest of his life. I made the circle by using a Heidi Swapp mask and Jazz Blue Glimmer Mist. Then I used embroidery thread and stitched around the circle for definition and some baby-soft texture. I scrunched a length of vintage seam binding and some fun pom pom trim behind the photos and added pretty sequin flowers with BoBunny brad centers. Of course, I used Thickers for my title (I love the fabric thickers, and this font is my favorite right now).

The prize up for grabs this week is the December kit from Scrapbook Kit Club - it's gorgeous!


I can't wait to see what you do with the sketch! Thanks for stopping by. Tessa