JAMSquared

This week’s All That Scraps Weekly Wednesday Challenge was to make anything but a card. I browsed the resources at Splitcoast Stampers and decided to make this hanging treat box. I decided I would go Christmas even though Christmas is five months away, because it might get busy then. And I’ll be ready for a last-minute party. I think this would be great to hang on a bottle of flavoring syrup and stick a packet or two of hot chocolate in it also. However, I did have some wine and candy canes in my pantry. Who knows how long either of those have been there. I always forget to open up the wine when people bring it to our annual Christmas party and James and I don’t really drink wine. I think the treat box might need a little something like a tag, but I couldn’t make up my mind. What do you think?

Stamps: C.C. Designs Sugarplums Angel Emma
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Real Red, Whisper White
Designer Paper: Stampin’ Up Christmas Cocoa
Ink: Stazon Jet Black
Tools: Xyron 5″ Creative Station; Stampin’ Up 1-3/8″ circle and scallop circle punch; Nestabilities Classic Ovals Large and Classic Scalloped Ovals Large; dimensionals

This is a layout I started at the scrapbooking convention crop back in June, but I didn’t finish until recently. I used Ella’s Pink Scrapbook Challenge #10, which was a sketch. I’m really happy with how the layout turned out.

Cardstock: DCWV the Spring Cardstock Stack (blue); white textured cardstock; DCWV Nana’s Kids (polka-dot)
Designer Paper: Imaginisce Fairest of Them All
Stamps: Stampin’ Up Baby Firsts
Ink: Stampin’ Up Border Blue
Markers: Stampin’ Up Blush Blossom, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue
Accessories: Frances Meyer Baby’s First stickers;

We closed on our house in January 2005. We’ve been here 5.5 years now. It’s amazing how time flies.

Back in February of this year, a guy came by giving estimates for house painting. It jump-started the new look our house currently sports. I ended up getting four estimates to paint the exterior of our house. We went with one of the two lowest estimates (the two lowest were about the same price). We used Texas Painting Company. It is a small local company. You know it’s small when the owner is the one who comes out to give the estimate. I signed the contract in March and the next day they started prepping the exterior for paint. Initially, we had thought we’d paint in May after we installed some new exterior light fixtures, but Jeff  (the owner) said they could come back after we did that and touch up. I imagine March is a slow period and he wanted to keep his guys working. The crew was very professional. On Thursday, they prepped, which included repairing the bottom of our back patio posts. On Friday, they painted. Then in April, James and our friend Aric replaced the lights by the garage, the front entry, and back patio with dusk to dawn lights. They also installed a new security light on the back of the house. Two weeks later, as promised, Texas Painting came back and touched up by the light fixtures as well as a little on the doors. Overall, I was very pleased with the professionalism and quality of work. I definitely recommend Texas Painting Company to anyone who needs their house painted. They also do interior work.

The estimate actually hadn’t included painting the garage door, but they ended up painting it and I’m so glad they did. It really improves the look of the house.

Doesn’t the two-tone paint job look nice?

Since I’m showing some before and after pictures, I thought I’d go ahead and show what five years can do to your backyard trees.

After working in the yard to mow and edge, I always think how park-like our backyard is. Then I go inside. Lately, I’ve actually been spending some time out there playing with Jessica on a blanket in the shade.

This month’s Imaginisce sketch is actually a card sketch, but I was inspired by Aphra and Cari‘s scrapbooking takes on the sketch.

I picked out some pictures of my cutie-patootie and came up with the following layout. I’m loving these Imaginisce monthly sketches as it really gets me in the groove to scrapbook my baby girl.

Cardstock: DCWV the Spring Cardstock Stack (pink and blue), the Paper Studio Textured Cardstock Darks (green)
Designer Paper: Imaginisce Fairest of Them All
Accessories: Imaginisce Fairest of Them All chipboard stickers, rub-ons (adorable and flower); Hobby Lobby Valentine’s Day 2010 ric-rac

It’s the third Tuesday of the month and that means it’s time for another edition of Texas Tuesday (Texas themed cards on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month). Today’s card uses two new stamps that I picked up at Scrapology when I went shopping with Kristy the weekend before last. I met the designers of the two stamps I bought (well three, you’ll see the third new stamp in use another time). I wanted to give the boot a weathered look, the kind of look that boots that see a lot of outdoor action have. Do you think I succeeded? I stamped the boot on cardstock, cut it out and then crumpled it up. I also used last Saturday’s Sketch for You to Try by Jen del Muro. Overall, I’m pretty happy with how this card turned out. I promise I will try not to use “dirt” colored cardstock on the next Texas Tuesday card or you might think Texas doesn’t have other colors.

Check out the other Texas Tuesday cards: Geeta, Libby, Mark, Betty, Tina and Shannan.

Stamps: Texana Designs boot; JAM’N Stamps Boot-scootin’ (sentiment); Stampin’ Up Weathered (background)
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Close to Cocoa, So Saffron, Very Vanilla
Designer Paper: Stampin’ Up Paper Prints So Saffron
Ink: Stampin’ Up Basic Brown, So Saffron (inked edges of sentiment panel)
Accessories: Stampin’ Up twill ribbon; star brads
Markers: atyou Spice Silver