Inspired by Others

Over on Facebook, I have been fussing about the fact 

that I have had a hard time transitioning out of

Christmas creations to what's next, whether that be

just general winter-themed card or even, dare I

say it....Valentine's?

I found terrific inspiration by way of two

different challenges.

Moxie Fab's Tuesday Trigger

and the

Scrappy Saturday Challenge

in which I CASED one of my favorite designers...

Savannah O'Gwynn!

I absolutely love the colors from both photos. The softness

of the cakes and cookies were reflected in the sweet

wreath from Heidi Grace.

The sentiment is from Paper Inspirations

and my favorite baker's twine from The Twinery 

wraps it up so sweetly.

The beautiful pink rhinestones in Sav's card came alive

in mine with the pink rhinestone hearts and of

course the 'themes' mesh as well.

Before I forget, Jenny over at Wee Memories

(host of Scrappy Saturday Challenge)

is having a giveaway of this fabulous storage 

cubby from Studio 3 Solutions.

If I were you, I'd go check it out!

What a great little Christmas pressie this would be!

Fingers crossed : )

Thanks again for stopping by!

I LoVe hearing from you!

Happy H{ippity} Hop Halloween!

So glad to be back with you for 

H{ippity} Hop Monday!

I have a few different projects to share with you and

a special offer waiting for you at the end.

Before we get too far down the road, make sure

you stop by the Ippity blog to see all the great

Ippity 'chicks' and 'fans' who are hopping along today.

I have to say that I love the colors used here.

Fresh, bold and yet, subtle.

The Ippity stamps/sets that were used here:

 Dots for Sure

Thoughts from the Past

The Simple Things

The extras include DP from GCD Studios, 'Stylized Flowers'

EF from Cuttlebug, rick-rack and flower from Prima.

Now for a little Halloween inspiration.....

It's always fun to work make cards for this creepy holiday

using non-traditional colors.  Besides the stamped images, I think

the most effective part of this card is the shaded border.  I used

Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Spiced Marmalade.

The Ippity stamps/sets that were used here:

That's Creepy

 Book It

The extras include spider web border punch from Martha Stewart,

spider web image from Inkadinkado and copper mini brads.

Lastly, this little layered card.

The Ippity stamps/sets that were used here:

That's Creepy

Totally Happy

The extras include the same Distress Ink used on the previous card

as well as the little spider web image and a crackle background from

Paper Inspirations.

Here is a quick peek at the Ippity stamps/sets

along with my Ippity bonus deal of the week!

How would you like to have all of these

fantabulous stamps for just $49!!!

You absolutely can!

(that's $15 off the msrp)

Order this week, and you will also receive

a bonus embellishment package.

To order, simply email me at
julieranae@hotmail.com
and tell me you want The Ippity Bonus Deal.
(this offer is not listed in my Ippity store, you must email me)
I accept PayPal as well as USPS & Walmart money orders

You TOO can have fun with Ippity stamps

and remember, this specific offer is
only available here 

at Julie's Open Window.

To see more Ippity stamps available

Just click HERE!

Love is in the Air...it's a Private Blend!

 

This is a fabulous week over at The Play Date Cafe!

Not only do we have an open design team call going on at the moment, but we also have a new  

Cafe feature with a designer opportunity.

This week, I was totally inspired by The Play Date Cafe's first 

'Private Blend' Designer.

Before I tell you about that inspiration, I want to also thank my friend

Maria Medeiros from CozyComfyCouch Photography & Design.

Maria has graciously provided this fabulous inspiration photo

for this week's challenge.

 

Mona Pendleton of Cupcake's Creations is our first

'Private Blend' Designer and her tissue paper flowers are so beautiful.

I decided it was time to make a few of my own 

inspired by her terrific style.

I also managed a little 'Boo' with this project by using flocked DP from

Prima's Nursery Rhyme Collection, 

and this fabulous Paper Inspirations

stamp that I have had for over five years and had never inked!

The textured hearts were a part of a die cut package that came free with one of my British stamping magazines.

Hope you will take this opportunity to play with these great  

Valentine-y colors over at The Play Date Cafe.  

Head on over and find out how you can be a 

'Private Blend' Designer!

Happy Autumn! Well, I Just Can't Wait....!

I know I am a day early with my official autumn celebration, but I can't wait any longer! I love every single thing about this season....the color, the weather (yes, rainy periods included), the smells...I LOVE IT ALL! It's too bad that while the leaves are changing, they aren't all glittery like the leaves on this tag...I mean, if it's already going to be a little messy as they hit the ground, why not make it pretty, too!

Here are the elements to this fun project:
First off, I started with fabulous patterned paper from My Mind's Eye cut into an extra large tag. I distressed the edges with Ranger Archival ink in Coffee using a stipple brush....I don't use anything else, by the way. I LOVE using stipple brushes for this technique and I think at the moment, I have a dozen of them. I used a Paper Inspirations 'swirl' stamp on the bottom half of the tag and an Inkadinkado stamp for the sentiment. From there, it was just lots of layers of lace, ribbon, pearls and glitter. The leaves were cut using 'The Bug' and Spellbinders Leaves. The glitter is a mix of brands, including Martha Stewart. I think one of my favorite elements of this tag is the vintage lace at the top. It was actually a mint green color, which was just not 'natural' enough, so I stippled the coffee ink over the lace, and that was all it needed.

Well...I need to run and take care of a couple of projects with deadlines of today. It's going to be tough because 'Dancing With the Stars' is starting but I am pretty good with multi-tasking!

Before I scoot....let me ask you...Do you have a favorite activity that you only do in the fall? What is it you are looking forward to? For me, there are a few. I love visiting the local apple orchard and getting those first HOT apple cider donuts...I love seeing my grandkids dress up for Halloween...and my wedding anniversary is in November. I will leave it at that for now, but I would love it if you would leave a comment and let me know
what excites you about Autumn.

Paper Distressing - I LOVE IT!

Just wanted to share this last project of the night. Had some time on my own while my husband is selling books (he is a manager at our Barnes & Noble) and worked on a bunch of distressed paper flowers. The 'Bella Rose' papers are from Stampin' Up and believe they are now retired, which makes this even more special.

Hope you enjoy it!