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Posts authored by Jentimko

A visit from Lisa

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I am so happy to have a guest today on my blog!!  I had the great joy of meeting her when I went to Convention over the summer and she is my second upline at Stampin’ Up!  Her name is Lisa Curcio and wow am I lucky to be in her downline!!  My immediate upline Brandi had always spoken so kindly of Lisa (and Brandi is just amazing too) so I knew she had to be special.  Even still, imagine my surprise when at our very first time meeting she came bearing the most amazing handmade gifts!!  Stampin’ Up has blessed me in so many ways and with so many friendships…what a joy to work with such an amazing company.

Given that the last few weeks have been so light with postings, I thought it would be fun for you to get to know Lisa too.  I am always so excited when I find a new blog to follow and I suspect you are just like me about that!  Lisa has just started a blog named after her, Lisa Curcio.  She made an awesome project and agreed to let me post a picture here so that you all can see it.  Yes, you can go ahead and say it out loud (I did).  WOW!  This card box with coordinating cards is gorgeous isn’t it??

Here is what Lisa has to say about it:

“Christmas…66 days away!  Have you given any thought to your Christmas cards? Have you considered what gifts you would like to give for those on your shopping list?  Would you like to give a unique, one-of-a-kind gift?   Check out this EASY project! Its sure to cover all those questions on your holiday “to do” list!”

I know…you want all the details on how to make this don’t you??!!  It is easy to get.  Hop right over to her blog and she has all the details and a tutorial.  While you are there, stop and take a look around because her blog is loaded with ideas.  Yes, she is much more consistent at posting than I am so get a good cup of coffee or tea, you might be there awhile!!

Well, I survived the 4th Grade field trip yesterday and we have a big school fundraiser today (with lots of parents needed, of course) so my stamping hasn’t been given quite the time I had hoped for.  You can expect to see more from me next week though since I have a fun card to share that was chosen by Stampin’ Up to be in the demonstrator magazine, Stampin’ Success!

Hope your weekend is fantastic!  Don’t forget to tell Lisa hi when you stop in and tell her I sent you!  *smile*

Freshly Made Sketches #57

Freshly Made Sketches #57 published on 9 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #57

What a fantastic sketch we have for you over at Freshly Made Sketches this week!!  This one is courtesy of our guest designer LeAnne Pugliese of WeeInklings.  She says that it is one of her “go-to” sketches and I can certainly see why!!  Dress it up, dress it down, change the shape of the focal point…any way you use this one, it is going to be great!  Just take a look at the design team’s work and you will see what I mean.

I knew that I wanted to use my new Joyous Celebrations stamp for the focal image but the rest of my ideas were a little fuzzy.  Off I went to my file of designer papers and I came back with an oldie but goody…Jolly Holiday DSP.  I love the traditional feel to the colors and I thought they were a nice fit for the stamps.  I stamped the oval and the JOY and then punched them out with my Wide Oval Punch.  I stamped the little holly leaves and fussy cut them to attach, then colored some Basic Pearls with a Sharpie marker to make them little berries.  I love how the oval stamp mimics the  Designer Frames Embossing Folder oval so I popped out an oval with my Ovals Die (ret) and embossed it.  The sentiment went up on Dimensionals and I had my focal element.  Then I simply chose two patterns that I liked and added a bow made with Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding.  This one used the “potato masher” technique shown here.  This is one of my very favorite ways to make a perfect bow every time!!

I am so glad that LeAnne shared this sketch with us and I know we will have another fabulous gallery this week!  If you need inspiration, just go take a look.  It goes without saying that the DT’s cards will wow you!

I will be back on Friday with a fun guest blogger so make sure you plan on dropping back by.  She has a project to share with you that you are sure to love!!

I hope you have a great rest of your week!  Thanks for stopping in today.  See you Friday!

Stamp:  Joyous Celebration; Paper:  Jolly Holiday DSP (ret), Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive; Accessories:  Big Shot, Ovals Die (ret), Designer Frames EF, Basic Pearls, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Dimensionals

SUOC56 – Christmas Fun

SUOC56 – Christmas Fun published on 2 Comments on SUOC56 – Christmas Fun

Our theme this week at SUO Challenges is really fun!  Animals of all kinds!  So many wonderful animal stamps from Stampin’ Up and apparently I don’t own as many as I thought.  Now I seem to have lots of butterflies and birds but I was looking for something else.  Nothing, nada.  Hmmm….I might have to enable myself to fix that!  But for now, I went with birds.

I pulled out my Snow Much Fun set because I just love these little birds.  I haven’t used the snowmen yet this year and now that it is out, that will have to change.  But this week we can focus on these fun little fellows.  I used a sketch from  Create with Connie and Mary.  I missed their deadline but I just thought it was too fun not to play with!  The stamping in this was so quick.  I inked up the tree with Black Stazon ink and stamped.  Then I used my Stampin’ Write Black Marker to ink the little bird from the snowball stamp and the notes from one of the snowmen.  I drew in the little curve under the bird on the ground to make it match the tree.  I colored first with Wild Wasabi using my blender pen and then outlined with the Stampin’ Write Marker in the same color.  The birds are Riding Hood Red and some of the ornaments are Baja Breeze.  I used the Storytime DSP pack for the pennants.  This is one of those cards that would be easy to make in bulk and still feels special.  I might make some of these with the snowmen too!

Well, the check ride is complete and I am so happy to be done!!  It entails 3 days of academic review and simulators where lots of failures occur.  I always feel so tired after those three days since the are long and stressful!  The final check went as well as can be expected and our check pilot seemed pleased with the overall day for our crew.  That is always a great feeling.  I had yesterday to recover a bit and will be back to stamping today.  YEA!!

Make sure you go check out the rest of the team’s projects and the winners from last week’s Textures theme.  There is some amazing inspiration to see!

Back tomorrow with a new Freshly Made Sketch from one of our guest team members!  Make sure you plan to come back on Friday too because I will have an awesome guest dropping by with a fabulous project!  Until then, have a great day!

Stamps:  Snow Much Fun, More Merry Messages; Paper:  Storytime DSP, Whisper White; Ink:  Wild Wasabi, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze; Accessories:  Dimensionals, Blender Pen

Freshly Made Sketches #56

Freshly Made Sketches #56 published on 17 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #56

Happy Wednesday!!  So happy to see you!  I am so excited to share with you this wonderful sketch from the amazing Rita Wright.  Rita loves layers and this sketch gives so many options for how to layer that focal panel.  You will see that the design team has such pretty interpretations and I know you will love playing along this week.

I started this card with one thing in mind…the bow!  One of our guest designers this month, the amazing LeAnne Pugliese, created this awesome tutorial on shabby bows.  I LOVE these bows and have never quite figured out how to make one.  Now I know!!  I thought that the Daydream Medallions stamps would be an appropriate style to go with bow.  I love Crumb Cake with Razzleberry (let’s face it, I love Crumb Cake with about anything) and I think the colors set just the right tone for the shabby bow.  Yes, it really is all about the bow!  I added a little detail to the crossing panel with my Adorning Accents Embossing Folder and the sentiment comes from the beautiful Affection Collection set.

I apologize for being mostly absent over the past couple of weeks.  I have a check ride (flying test) coming up this weekend.  Every 9 months, airline pilots are required to do one of these to prove our worthiness and maintain certification.  It is a really big deal and lots of studying is always a good idea.  Once that is done, I’ll be able to turn on my crafting brain again and hopefully get some more creating done.  I am planning on a fun surprise in the next week with a visit from a guest blogger that you are sure to love!

Until then, I know you will be amazed by the design team and our two guest designers this week!  Hop on over to Freshly Made Sketches and take a look!  Have a great day!!

Stamps:  Daydream Medallions, Affection Collection; Paper:  Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory; Ink:  Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake; Accessories:  Big Shot, Adorning Accents Embossing Folders, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Brights Buttons, Linen Thread, Dimensionals

Freshly Made Sketches #55

Freshly Made Sketches #55 published on 15 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #55

We have a wonderful new sketch for you this week and it comes from the super talented Jen Mitchell!  I love her clean style and this sketch gives so many avenues for interpretation!  Look no further than the design team’s examples for the variety possible!  So many pretty cards!  We also welcome Narelle Farrugia and LeAnne Pugliese as guest designers for the month of October.

I thought that it would be fun to use the Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP for a non-Halloween card and I love how this pattern is so great for lots of projects.  I had my Day of Gratitude out on the table from yesterday’s project and wanted to use the leaves from it.  What pretty leaves they are!!  I inked them up in More Mustard and Cherry Cobbler and cut them out.  Then I tucked them behind a Basic Gray button and added a sentiment.  As I was putting the card together I realized that it seemed a little blah.  Out came the Big Shot and the Square Lattice Embossing Folder to add that something extra!  I love the masculine feel to these colors!

Make sure you hop on over to the Freshly Made Sketches site to see all the inspiration both from the design team and then from the gallery as the week goes on.  So many talented designers every week!!

Back to studying today for a big flying checkride (test) that will happen next week.  I’ll be back next week with a fun surprise visit from an amazing stamper!  Until then, have a great week!

Stamps:  Day of Gratitude, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP, Basic Gray, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Basic Gray, More Mustard, Cherry Cobbler; Accessories:  Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Neutrals Buttons, Black Thread

SUOC55 – Leaves and Brocade

SUOC55 – Leaves and Brocade published on 5 Comments on SUOC55 – Leaves and Brocade

This week at SUO Challenges, we are all about Textures!  If it adds texture, we want to see how you use it!!  So many wonderful ways to use your Stampin’ Up products!
There are so many advantages to being a Stampin’ Up demonstrator!  One of them is the Stampin’ Success magazine that comes every month.  It is full of ideas from Stampin’ Up designers and from fellow demonstrators.  My card today is based on a card by Lisa Dolson.  I changed the stamp set and some of the elements to make it my own.  I used the Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder and the Labels Collection Framelits on the back panel.  The leaves are from French Foliage and are stamped in More Mustard, Cajun Craze, and Early Espresso.  After cutting them out, they were sponged with Early Espresso and the edges of the textured panel are sponged too.  It is finished with a Brushed Bronze Button and some Linen Thread.

The design team has such a variety of projects and you are sure to be inspired!  Can’t wait for you to join us!

I’ll be back tomorrow with the latest challenge from Freshly Made Sketches!  Hope you have a great day!

Stamps:  Day of Gratitude, French Foliage; Paper:  Naturals Ivory; Ink:  Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, More Mustard; Accessories:  Big Shot, Lacy Brocade EF,  Labels Framelits, Brushed Bronze Buttons, Linen Thread

Fighting “like a girl”

Fighting “like a girl” published on 5 Comments on Fighting “like a girl”

It is with a sad heart that I share with you the passing of Sydney Davies.  She was the inspiration behind my Ronald McDonald House Charities stamp drive and an amazing girl.  She battled her cancer and “fought like a girl”.  My whole community is grieving today.  While I never had the privilege of meeting Sydney, I am in awe of the hearts she has touched with her courage.

Sydney and her brother Tyler

Freshly Made Sketches #54

Freshly Made Sketches #54 published on 9 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #54

It is another fabulous Wednesday and I get to share a new Freshly Made Sketches Challenge with you.  This week’s sketch is courtesy of…me!  I know this is kind of a classic sketch but I love how it leaves room for lots of interpretation.  Just take a look at the design team to see what I mean.  All those wonderful cards from one sketch!  Love it!!

Leave it to me to design a sketch and then change it!  That is what happens when you design the sketch well before you make the card!  Hmmm….  In any case, I am so happy with this card.  We made this one at my Holiday Catalog Class last week and we all had a good time with it!  The star of the show are Stampin’ Up’s Glimmer Papers, both Silver and Champagne.  The Snow Flurry Die creates this amazing snowflake and is just perfect for the sketch.  I tried a number of colored backgrounds before I settled on this tone-on-tone Very Vanilla.  I always love this look and was so happy that it works well here.  The sentiment is from More Merry Messages and was sponged with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint then stamped (I used a Sponge Dauber).  It keeps the sentiment subtle but adds another element of sparkle!  Because apparently all that shine wasn’t enough, I finished the snowflake with a Vintage Faceted Button and a Basic Rhinestone.  The button picks up the shimmer from the snowflake and is so awesome!

I can’t wait to see what everyone makes with the sketch this week!  Make sure you hop on over to the challenge site to see all the inspiration!  Thanks for stopping in today.  See you again soon!

Stamp:  More Merry Messages; Paper:  Very Vanilla, Silver Glimmer Paper, Champagne Glimmer Paper; Accessories:  Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Sponge Daubers, Big Shot, Snow Flurry Bigz Die, Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder, Vintage Faceted Buttons, Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals

Birthday Banner

Birthday Banner published on 12 Comments on Birthday Banner

 

Like I said yesterday, I had a little extra stamping time this week and got to play along with some awesome challenges!  When I first saw the colors over at Fab Friday, I thought that Mindy and the team were a little crazy.  I mean really, Sahara Sand with Basic Gray??  Of course then I saw the team’s examples and knew they were on to something!!  I also saw that The Paper Players has a CAS challenge from Nance Leedy up this week for banners.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do!

I started with the base of Sahara Sand and put a layer of Basic Gray next to it.  Wow, they are so great together and I had no idea.  I don’t normally use Sahara Sand but this has changed my feeling about that!!  I had some strips of this Basic Gray polka dot paper left over on my table from yesterday’s card so I started playing around with the idea of the banner.  Funny enough, incorporating in the So Saffron was the hardest part.  I played around with all kinds of backgrounds to the banner before I had the inspiration to try a piece of First Edition DSP.  I used my Blender Pen to add a little bit of color to the flowers and knew I had found the answer!  I thought it would be fun to add some little elements to the banner and pulled out some buttons, punches and embosslits to see what I could come up with.  I am so happy with the result!  Now I have a card all ready for a special birthday coming up in a couple of weeks (one of my sisters-in-law).  I love it when I get ahead!

Well this is certainly a recent record.  Four posts in a row!!  Sadly the pace will slow back down over the next few weeks.  I have had September on leave from United (due to my husband’s deployment) but will be back to work in October.  I have a big check ride (flying test) during the second week and need to hit the books and get ready for that.  Of course I will have my normal challenge posts and hopefully an extra one in there somewhere.

Thanks so much for dropping in today.  I hope the rest of your week is fantastic!

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP, First Edition DSP, Sahara Sand, Basic Gray; Ink:  Basic Gray, So Saffron; Accessories:  Blender Pen, Linen Thread, Neutrals Buttons, Subtles Buttons, Basic Pearls, Big Shot, Beautiful Wings Embosslit

 

Freshly Made Sketches #53

Freshly Made Sketches #53 published on 13 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #53

Wow, it was quite a week over at Freshly Made Sketches with the big one year anniversary!  The entries were all so spectacular and the design team ended up choosing two Queens of Clean (because it was just too hard to narrow it down any further!).  Congratulations to LeAnne and Narelle!  I’m so excited to work with them during October.  This week we are back to new sketches and wow does Tui have one for us!  The design team has come up with some awesome inspiration with this cool layout!

It seems that I can’t count because I obviously used the wrong number of strips behind the image but I think I kept to the intent of the sketch.  Somehow, these were just the sizes the panels “needed” to be and this is all the fit!  All the work here is really done by the Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP.  I mimicked the angles in the patterns in my cuts to the DSP.  I kind of like the overall effect.  The mummy just called out to be used again so I popped him up on a Dimensional and added the sentiment.  The button is really a Cajun Craze button from the Regals set but it really goes well here.  The texture on the circle and the background is from the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.

Ok….I hope you enjoy this fun and challenge sketch!  You’ll be glad you tried it and we can’t wait to see what you make!

I got a little extra stamping time this week so I’ll be back tomorrow with another card!  Yea!!  Have a super Wednesday!

Stamp:  Googly Ghouls; Paper:  Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP, Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Basic Gray; Accessories:  Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Googlies, Regals Buttons

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