Sketchy Thursdays and a Shop Update

Happy Thursday!  I'm happy to share with you the layout I made for my first week as GDT at Sketchy Thursdays.

These are my youngest sisters, Elizabeth and Caitlin.  They really are the best of friends.

A while back I saw a layout that Heidi did with I-didn't-use-a-coaster-rings and fell in love with the technique.  So when I saw them in her sketch for this week, I was really excited to give them a go.  I poured some glimmer mist into a clean bowl and then used the bottom of a cup like a stamp.  I LOVED the way they turned out!  Thank you for the inspiration, Heidi!

I made my flowers from layers and layers of a sewing pattern and a fabric-covered button.  And guess what?!  They will be available in my shop by the end of the day!  I've been meaning and meaning to get them listed, but when May got crazy, it just didn't happen.  This particular set will be a limited edition.  You'll also see those chipboard postage stamp frames on my virtual shelves.

Many more things will be popping up in the shop very soon, too.  Multi-media mini albums, more embellishment kits, new fabrics, and of course - 4th of July goodies!  I can't wait to get it all listed.  And there may just be a giveaway to celebrate the new products :).

Thanks for stopping by!  Tessa

The Studio Challenges

Happy Wednesday, everyone!  I wanted to check in with an update regarding The Studio.  You may have noticed that I haven't been posting The Studio challenges or layouts lately.  Well, change is in the air - and it's all for the better! 

♥ The Ning community is now closed, due to Ning charging users beginning in July.  While we set up another community, please join us at the blog and on Facebook for chit-chat.

♥ Facebook?  Did I just say Facebook?  Yes!  The Studio is now on Facebook!  Find us here.  All people who "like" us on Facebook by June 30th will be entered to win prizes from Craft Emporium and Papermaze!  Details here.

♥ The challenge blog moved awhile back and you can find us here.  If you follow the blog by June 30th, you will be entered to win a prize pack from Cosmo Cricket!

♥ Challenges will resume this Sunday, June 6th.  The coming challenges are full of summer inspiration and out-of-the-box prompts.  And I just happen to know that a fantastic sponsor is on board for June *wink*.

I hope you can join us!  It would mean the world to us to see you in our new venues.  Have a great day!  Tessa

The Giving Tree

A new challenge is up at Scrap That Poetry today!  One of my all-time favorite poems is being featured - "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. 

Carson and I took this picture one day while walking home from dropping Colten off at school.  He always liked to stop and play at this tree, and this particular day I had brought my camera along and snapped a photo.  I wanted the title to be a sweet reminder to him that if he is a giving person, he will find happiness.  After showing him the layout, he has decided that one of the books we pick up at the library will be "The Giving Tree".

I was inspired by a card on the cover of Paper Crafts magazine that used an actual branch and punched leaves to create a little tree.  I headed out to the yard, and since Spring is always windy here it was easy to find a twiggy little branch.  I punched about two dozen little leaves using the Martha Stewart rose leaf punch and glued them all down.  I layered felt flowers and buttons, then hand-stitched the petals to make my embellishments.

And speaking of giving, Precocious Paper is sponsoring this challenge!  The winner will receive a $15.00 gift certificate to the shop, as well as free shipping!   How would you like two chances at winning some goodies?  I will give a sweet little prize to someone who 1) plays along at STP, 2) follows this blog, and 3) leaves a comment here linking their entry.  Play once, two chances to win!

Wow, there is so much going on in the scrappy blog world today.  I'm off to do some reading!  Happy Tuesday, Tessa

Girls Night Out

In April I started frequenting Scrap Freak, a great community of creative, positive, and friendly scrappers.  The challenges and classes are so much fun!  Well, May got away from me, so I didn't have the chance to play along :(.  However, I was asked to make a layout for the May online class, and I'd love to share it with you now, end of the month and all.

These are my two youngest sisters, Caitlin and Elizabeth.  They have a great group of friends to hang out with, and this photo is of one of their girls' nights. 

The challenge from my particular portion of the class was to upcycle something.  I had a dress that I loved to wear but had to retire because it got washed with a pen and ended up with ink smears all over it.  I stashed it in my scrap room for some future, unknown use, where it got paint on it somehow.  So what to do?  Make flowers out of it, of course! 

I made rolled fabric flowers and yo-yo's and added lots of blingy brads.  I love the way this turned out - young, fun, and colorful - just like my sisters :).

If you haven't visited Scrap Freak before, it's worth a peek.  I'm planning to have perfect attendance in June!  Thanks for stopping by! Tessa

Happy...

♥ that I finally finished the Teacher gifts I've been working on.  Four paper bag albums, one for each of my boys' teachers, one for Carson's student teacher, and one for a special friend who is a teacher.

♥ that I won the June Guest Design Team spot over at Sketchy Thursdays! Thank you to everyone who voted for me!  It was a close race - the other ladies are so talented!

♥ that my "Iron Man" layout is a fave this week at Sketchy Thursdays :).

♥ that I have plans in the works for some new features and blog posts here at Perfectly Precocious.  If you are a Facebook fan, you know that I asked for suggestions for future blog posts and you delivered.  I loved all the ideas!

♥ that summer is coming, which means DANCE CAMPS!  It was agonizing to not do dance camps last summer after our big move, but now that we are more settled, I am bringing my Dance Discovery program to Riverton, WY and cannot be more excited!  This weekend I am busting out the boxes of props, costumes, games, crafts....  So fun!

♥ that I have a healthy, happy family, good friends online and off, and many blessings that I am grateful for :).

What is making you happy today?  Tessa

Iron Man

I'm primarily a single-page layout kind of girl.  I've only done one other double-pager in the past two years.  So what better than a Sketchy Thursdays double-page sketch to encourage another go at it?

Click on the photo for a larger view :).

My son, Carson, is really into super heroes.  At the California State Fair in 2008 we saw Iron Man perform, and since then, Carson has been a big fan.  Oh my goodness, was he happy when he pulled an Iron Man action figure out of a birthday package from Grandma Carrie!

I made the stars by layering felt die-cuts, sewing them together, and adding a little bling.

I emphasized Iron Man in the photos by encircling him with a rub-on (yep, still using those rub-ons I challenged myself to use up!).

Well, I'm off to clean up my scrapbook room and get working on some Etsy orders.  I hope you are having a great day! Tessa

A Woman's Work

Do you watch So You Think You Can Dance?  I do.  I've taken class from some of the choreographers and I've even had kids I've taught end up on the show.  One of my all-time favorite pieces of choreography from SYTYCD is Mia Michaels' "This Woman's Work."  Heart-wrenching, powerful stuff.  Here it is, performed on the Ellen show.

The current poem at Scrap That Poetry is "Woman Work" by Maya Angelou.  After reading it, I couldn't help but compare the poem with that piece of choreography.  Whether it be the mundane tasks we accomplish day in and day out, or extraordinary circumstances that we face from time to time in our lives, women are incredible sources of strength and inspiration.  The deadline is quickly approaching if you would like to participate in the challenge.  I hope you can find time to celebrate being a woman or the women in your life by creating something.  We would love to see it.

And since I wasn't able to complete something for this particular challenge (some of those extraordinary circumstances got in the way), here is a sneak peek at my layout for the next STP challenge.

Thanks for stopping by! Tessa