Inspired Stamps Easel Card



Hi ya'll

It is time again for my weekly Inspired Stamps Design Team Post.  This week I decided to create an easel card Using the His Plans For You stamp set. 



Card Front




Inside, Easel Stop



Close up of Flowers

My Flowers have been sprayed with Homemade glimmer mist, and were created using circle and scallop punches.  To get the sentiment to stand out by being the only white part, I used the masking technique.  I took a post-it note, stamped my sentiment on it, then cut it out to the desired shape.  Placed it over my stamped sentiment on my cardstock, and then sponged ink all over the cardstock.

The template for the Easel Card can be found here.

With everything that is going on in my life right now this set has been a great reminder that even though everything might seem to be going wrong, God has a plan for us and we just have to trust him to get us through the rough parts.

Materials Used:  Inspired Stamps "His Plans For You" stamp set
Close to My Heart - Perfect Day Paper Pack, White Daisy, Juniper Cardstock
Black and Creme Brulee' Ink, Bitty Sparkles, Antiqued Copper Brads, Liquid Glass, Prisma Glitter, Pearl Paint
Punches - Fiskars Scallop Punch, Creative Memories Circle Punches, EK Success Border Punch
Xyron, Ribbon from my stash.

Sweetest Blog!!

I received this award from Belinda one of my Co-Team members from the Inspired Stamps Design Team.  With this award comes two provisions, the first is I have to post the above picture, the second is I have to share 7 random things about myself, then pass it on to more friends.

Here goes the 7 random things

1. I am a farm girl, grew up raising Dairy cows and rabbits, baling hay every summer, and drove a tractor long before I ever had my driver's license..

2. I have an Associates Degree in Animal Science Horse Production and Management.  I have always loved horses and wanted to be a horse trainer.  Still dream of owning a barn full of horses someday.

3. I have always been a tomboy, growing up I preferred playing football outside with the boys to playing with dolls inside.  Looking back I realize that God was just preparing me for a life with 4 son's.  When they were younger the boys thought it was pretty neat that Mom knew how to throw a football.

4. I have long naturally wavy hair that I grow out to donate to Locks of Love.  The first time I got my hair cut the hairstylist was scared to cut it as it was long enough for me to sit on it. She cut off over 16", in 2 pony tails and what was left was still a little below my shoulders.  Right now my hair is about 24" long and I will let it grow out for about another 6 months before I have it cut off again.

5. I played basketball and did high jump, shot put, and discus in track during high school.  Still love to shoot some hoops with the boys, though they beat me on a regular basis, which is not a good thing considering they are wrestlers who think basketball is a sissy sport.

6. I love animals and at one time wanted to be a vet, until I sat in on a surgery in high school and almost passed out.  Now I just love having them around, right now we have 4 dogs (3 in the house), 2 goats and 6 pigs.  The goats and pigs are the boys 4-H market projects so they are only with us for the summer.

7.  I enjoy target shooting, I have even tossed around the thought of joining the boys in the field during hunting season, just need to practice lots more before I will trust myself to go out.

Wow, that was hard.  Random things are hard to come up with especially when you are exhausted and really should be in bed.  Thanks Belinda for the award, now to find some blogs to pass it onto.

Sweetheart Mini Album

Awhile ago I was asked if I would do a girls birthday party.  I said yes and I started planning what to do.  My biggest problem is I have a hard time creating simple projects. It seems that no matter how hard I try I always end up with an item or two that has to be cut, or some other simple for me but complicated for others techniques.  So I had to try really hard to tone down my idea to make a simple but pretty mini album for the girls to make at the party.  Imagine six 10-12 year girls sitting around a table, when most have never created a scrapbook, or stamped.  It was a fun, chaotic afternoon, the girls had a blast, and I enjoyed working with them.  Some of the girls didn't do all the advanced stuff I did but they all ended up with some cute little 6x6 mini albums to show off pictures from the party. We had six girls there and they left with 6 very different albums even though we all used the same paper and stamps.  

This is what I came up with and they loved it a 6x6 mini album. I used the Sweetheart Level 2 Paper Pack from Close to My Heart, and the Sweetheart WOTG  stampset.  I had the birthday girl pick out her favorite paperpack before hand and I used it to create my album.

Front Cover

First set of inside pages with Pull Out

2nd set of inside pages with back of pull out

Back or Album

Front of Pull Out

Back side of Pull Out

Materials Used:  Sweetheart Level 2 Paper Pack, Sweetheart WOTG Stamp set, White Daisy, Cotton Candy, Black, Tulip Cardstock, Blush, Pear & Tulip Ink, Fiskars Heart Punch, Ribbon from JoAnn's and my stash. Gems from JoAnn's

The 6x6 album was really easy to make.  I used 1 sheet of cardstock to create it,  It has 6 6x6 pages with a 4.5 pull out, in the middle pocket page in the album.  I was trying to type out the instructions so you can recreate the album, but since I am more of a visual person, I will have to sit down and take step by step pictures for the tutorial.  Look for it soon.

Inspired Stamps First Post for Design Team.

 It is time for my first official post as a member of the Inspired Stamps Design Team.  As a Christian I  am always interested in stamps that I can use to create Cards and Scrapbook pages professing my Christian faith.  Thanks to Inspired Stamps  I can do just that.  Here is my first artwork made using Inspired Stamps and  using one of my favorite Bible verses Jeremiah 29:11, from the  His Plans For You stamp set.  I combined this with some 3-D flowers I made using the Flowers stamp set.  With my oldest boy graduating this year we have had several graduation parties to attend and Graduation has been on my mind lately, so I felt this was a good Graduation/Congratulations verse.

Ever since I saw these 2 flowers in the Flowers stamp set, I have seen them as 3-D flowers.  To make them I stamped the 2 small flowers 2 times each, coloring them in with colored pencils.  I then cut out the whole flower for the base, and then cut the second flower out but only cutting the yellow part out and cutting each petal down to the center.  After cutting them I bent up the petals on the second flower so thy would lift off the page a little.  I next glued the 2 pieces together lining up the petals, then added a wooden button for the center.  For the big flower I stamped and colored the flower 4 times.  The first one was cut out completely and used for my base, then each additional flower I cut out only part of each flower, with just the little back petals being cut off the next flower and each remaining petal being cut to separate them.  On the third flower I left out more of the petals with each petal being cut to the center.  The last flower was cut only leaving a few of the top layer of petals.  I took all 4 flowers and carefully layered each on on top of the other gently bending up the petals as I went, giving the flower a fuller 3-D look.  To complete it I then placed a wooden button in the center.  The leaves were made by folding a piece of Olive Cardstock in half and placing just a little of the folded edge into a heart punch, this created my leaf shape, by altering the amount of paper in the Punch I was able to get different widths of leaves.    

 

If you are familiar with my artwork you would know that I very seldom create a card, without decorating the inside also.  So on this card I used the Congratulations from the More Perfect Sentiments stamp set, along with the 2 flowers from the Flowers stamp set. 

Inspired Stamps used:  His Plans for You, Flowers,

More Perfect Sentiments

Other materials used:

Close To My Heart Bliss Paper Pack, Barn Red Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock., Olive Cardstock

Close To My Heart Inks Used: Grey Flannel, Black, Olive, Barn Red

CTMH Sunny Yellow Organdy Ribbon, Wooden Buttons, Mocha Pearls.

Liquid Glass to adhere flowers and buttons.

I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am on a Design Team.

A little over two weeks ago I was checking out the Inspired Stamps Blog and saw that Antoinette Herrin, owner and illustrator of Inspired Stamps, was looking for designers to join her first Design Team.  I decided what the heck, I know I am a decent designer, and it never hurt to try, so I sent off an e-mail with the required information.  I never thought that I would get picked, as there are lots of very talented designers out there, many of whom I look to for inspiration.  Imagine my surprise when Sunday evening I opened my e-mail and saw one from Inspired Stamps.  I still didn't think much of it, I just thought it was a "Thank you for applying, our design team is complete, try again another time" e-mail.  I was in for a BIG SURPRISE when I opened it. 

 It started out with this picture.

It still didn't sink in, I had glanced at the picture and then started reading the rest of the message.


Hi Jenn!

THANK you so much for your interest in inspired stamps and for your application to our first design team! We had a large number of applicants who were all very talented, and among them, you really stood out to us! We would like to officially WELCOME YOU TO THE inspired stamps DESIGN TEAM!!!



WHOA!!! Wait a Minute did I read that right????

I CAN"T BELIEVE IT,  I made it!!  I am an official member of the first Inspired Stamps Design Team!!!!!!!!!!!!

The remainder of the e-mail was general information for a Design team member and our first 2 assignments as Design Team members.  The first was I had to keep this secret until today when Antoinette introduces the Design Team members on the Inspired Stamps Blog.  Boy was that hard, I wanted to shout it off the roof tops, and tell everyone, but instead I was a good girl and kept it under wraps until now, I didn't even tell my mother.  Our second assignment you will see next week when I post my first Official Inspired Stamps Design Team artwork by June 23. 

Here is a brief description of the company - Inspired Stamps is a new clear stamp company made right here in the USA with the highest quality photopolymer materials available! We specialize in Biblical Scripture stamps, adorable colorable character stamps, sentiment stamps, and scenic stamps. Begun by a military wife, mother, and Bible Study teacher, the purpose of inspired stamps is to bring joy and encouragement to both the crafter and the recipient of the created projects through the use of God's Word and adorable additions, such as the characters and scenic views.

The Design Team is comprised of eight other very talented artists and I can't wait to see what they come up with each week. 

Let me introduce the rest of the team

Sylvia Solorio

Amy Edwards
Deneen Treble
Lynn Miller
Melissa Elsner
Belinda Kersey
Jan Hunnicutt
Shana Tedrick

I am still in shock that I made the team, but am very excited to start this new adventure.  I am looking forward to creating for you all and I hope that I can be an inspiration to you with my artwork.

Thanks and God Bless

Jenn

One Graduation down, 3 to go

It has been a few days since I last posted. Durng the 2 weeks I have been MIA lots have things have been going on. I will post just a few pictures of our activities, and give you a brief run down of the last to weeks.

On Memorial day Dillon and his baseball team were in the Tusky parade, then they played a baseball game against the other Tusky Little League team immediately after the Memorial day services.  He has had a total of 4 games since Memorial day. 

Dillon #3 on third base

Dillon Batting in another game

Dillon Batting again at a different game.

Then for added excitement and some spoiling of my favorite nephew Croft we went to see 2 of my niece Sunny's softball games.

Sunny Pitching

Robbie holding Croft

We have also gotten our 4-H hogs and goats for this year.  So now I have 6 hogs in my back yard along with 2 goats at Dani's house.  Now We just need to get Jimmy & Dillon's Vegetable garden planted and we will have a good start on this years 4-H projects.

The Boys market hogs in the back of the truck waiting to be unloaded

The highlight of the last 2 weeks was Robbie's graduation party.  It was June 4th  and we had a pretty good turn out.  Despite me waiting to the last minute (my sisters statement) everything came together nicely.  I managed to get most of what I wanted done in time before the party.  I didn't get all the pages done for his scrapbook that I wanted to, but the only one who missed them was me.  I will be posting the last few pages I got done, some using the CTMH flip flaps, along with his thank you notes here soon in another post.

Robbie getting ready to cut his cake

The Cake, I had originally ordered it with Red & Black Roses
But changed the order when Robbie informed me that the
cake had better not have roses on it.

The Warren Township Center Decorated for the party

The card box and 3 of his Sr pictures, I love them in Black & White

Robbie and Dani were put in charge of creating the picture display and setting up his momento's table.  They did a wonderful job, maybe a little of my creativity has rubbed off on them

This end of the table was his sports memorabilia.
It includes his baseball trophies, sports scrapbook
His Sr. wrestling Collage, his wrestling trophies& medals
and his grungy old  wrestling  head gear.

This has his picture board, his life scrapbook, only partially done
His Ag & Diesel certification, and the folder for his diploma



This area had all his and Dani's dance pictures, his 4-H trophies
along with his scholarship awards.



Here are the decorations from Robbie's party.  I was able to display my creativity in several ways from the banner I made at work showing Robbie at various stages of his life, to the table decorations.

This is the banner I created all by myself
using the graphics program and the giant vinyl printer
at Bates Metal Products  It has pictures of Robbie through out
the last 18yrs with the 2 big pictures being one of him as a baby
and the other is one of his Sr. Pictures
I will get a better picture of it later and post.

I made 16 of these in school colors with the diamond plated
frames (used silver metalic paper & cuttlebug embossing folder)

You might reconize these as the favors I made for my nephews baby shower.  They have pictures of Robbie as a child on one side and one of his Sr pictures on the other.  On my first version I tied them together with ribbon, well since Robbie isn't a Ribbon type of guy I found some twine I had in my hobby room and used that instead.  It gave them a very rustic feel I think.  These served a dual purpose, as we used these not only as table decorations, but also as our balloon anchors.  We tied our ballons onto a box them put a rock in the bottom of each one to keep them from floating away.

Close up of table decorations

In between getting Ready for Robbie's party I had to also make gifts for all the Sr. Wrestlers on the team.  I have been taking hundreds of  pictures of the boys every year since they were in 8th grade and made each of them a disk with their pictures and memorable team pictures on it.  When it came time to package the cd and create my graduation card for the boys, I combined them both and created this.  On the inside flaps there was a picture of the wrestler that we used on their Sr. Banner, and one of them wrestling, the center is my card for the boys.  The outside is black with school paper and stamped title,  I used the frame as a tuck in closure them for added strength I add a little velcro to keep them shut.

Now that Robbie's Party is over it is time to move onto the next one.  So Jimmy just to let you know You are now important. LOL



Jimmy saying don't let his brothers know he is the important one now. LOL