SRM Christmas

I am really looking forward to designing with SRM products for Christmas this year (which is a lot closer than you might think).  The new mini tubes, just released at Summer CHA, are the perfect size for sweet, little gifts.

These four tubes took less than half an hour to put together, and here's how:

1) Gather your materials: shipping tags, decorative tape, trim, Stickles, tulle, stick pins, mini tubes and these SRM stickers.

2) Tag style one: trim tag to desired length. Adhere three different colors of decorative tape to tag. Add sentiment stickers to each line of tape. Glue trim to the bottom of tag.

3) Tag style two: trim tag to desired length. Adhere tree sticker to tag. Glue trim to the bottom of tag. Apply Stickles to the star and snow flakes. Allow to dry completely.

4) Tubes: Apply decorative tape to bottom of tube. Glue trim along the tape line.

5) Tie tags to tubes with ivory tulle. Embellish with a star stick pin.

6) Fill with candy. I used green Sixlets, available in the wedding aisle of the party store.

I'm sure I'll be making a bushel-full of these tubes for gifts this year. You can see more at the SRM blog today  :). Please stop by and say hello. Have a wonderful day! Tessa

Scrap Fit

Happy Tuesday! I'm a little sunburned and tired, but yesterday at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom sure was a lot of fun! Who knew my eight year old was a roller coaster junkie?! Quality time with the family, my sister and niece was definitely needed and enjoyed :).

LOL, this was during the dolphin show. I have no idea what's going on with Colten's face - a dolphin must have done something cool ;).

I wanted to let you all know about a challenge blog that Precocious Paper is sponsoring this month - Scrap Fit! I am sponsoring two challenges.  The lucky winner of the first challenge - to put a banner on it - will win the July Sampler and a pair of Pink Limeade Butterfly Doilies:

I hope you'll stop by and play along. I'd love to send you some of my handmade goodies.  And before I go, I want to publicly wish my wonderful husband a very Happy Birthday! I get to make fun of him because now he is 30 and I'm still in my twenties - for a few weeks, anyway ;). Enjoy your day! Tessa

Scrap Rat August Kit

Hello!  We are riding roller coasters today, but I just had to share the Scrap Rat August kit with you! I'm on a major navy blue kick right now, and this kit just fueled my frenzy :). I created two layouts, a card and a mini album that I am really excited about, but for today I'll just share this layout:

I took this photo of Jaxon recently while we were visiting with some neighbors in our driveway.  He wanted to climb up on the car, which was parked up against a flowering bush. The backdrop was so pretty I just had to snap a photo, and of course, I got the "cheesy grin".

The flowers in the photo inspired me to use the crocheted flowers from the kit, as well as several accordion fold rosettes that I fashioned from patterned papers in the kit.  I just love this blue! The "2" from a sheet of Pink Paislee paper made for the perfect title.

I used barnwood and white Mr. Huey mists, as well as my new favorite Glimmer Mist - Bell Bottom Jeans - on the background.  To create my leaves, I die cut leaves from pages of the vintage book text in the kit.  I colored the leaves by dipping a paintbrush into my Olive Vine Glimmer Mist and painting it onto the leaves. I love seeing the text through the color :).

I didn't want to journal on the dark background paper, so I tucked a journaling card from the kit behind my photo. Easy peasy :). The kit is now live and you can find it here, along with the rest of the design team's work. Thanks for stopping by today! I hope your Monday is as exciting as mine is hopefully turning out to be :).  Tessa

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