HI! I'm still here......

It has been way to long since I've posted on my blog.

Life and routine has been pretty busy for me over the last few weeks, but an amazing change in life. I have been really focused on my training and also learning a new job. Yes, it is challenging, as is learning anything new, but I am enjoying exploring the *new*. But, throughout my focus and drive with my new life, I have experienced a sort-of creative rut with scrapbooking. After few emails sharing my worries with a great online friend, I was given the insight of just what I needed. "Create something that is just for fun."

And......that is just what it took to get the feeling of creating back in my blood. I am sure with any hobby or craft this is possible to experience. I am just happy that the rut has passed..lol :-)

So tonight, I'll keep this post short and post a fun layout that I created today that was.....just for fun!

Where ever you are..... I hope all is well! ---Tessa Ann :-)

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I want to wish all of our Mom's in the world the most wonderful Mother's day. You deserve this special day to feel appreciated and loved for all that you do for us. Thank you!

A special wish for my Momma, Rosena on this day!

I have been excited to show my Mom this mini-album I created by altering a cigar box by Cosmo Cricket. I printed the title, "What Makes A Mom?" on a transparency and adhered it from underneath to create a sort-of-window to the little album. For the intro page (that you can see peaking through) has her initials were rubbed-on using fancy Autumn Leaves monogram rub ons and DCWV stitch rub ons. The papers cut to a scallop design on the from of the book are by Piggy Tales. I adorned the papers using American Crafts flower rub ons and Heidi Swapp jewels.

The cigar box was originally chipboard color, so I used Fiber Scraps White Tintz to white-wash the entire outer side of the box.

The inside of the album was created simply by cutting 2 pieces of card stock to 6"x12" and folded and attached in an accordion fashion. The very last page is adhered to the box for stability. I'm so excited to give this to my mom tomorrow. I even created my own poem
playing off of the album's title. Oh..... I hope she loves it as much as I do :-)







The next project is a layout inspired by a challenge over on the Junkitz blogz. This challenge was created by Danielle Bogdonovich. She challenged us to create a layout using a shape other than a square. Well, you all know how much I love circles and scallops...so what did I do?!? Combine them together.... I have to admit at first, when I was creating this page, I had NO idea how it would come together. I started with the white circle with half-of-a-page of scallops and went there. But, suprisingly it came together VERY quickly.
The photo in this layout was taken a couple of weeks ago from the top of Tumalo Falls. We decided to hike to the top to see the view from above. Yes, the hike was very steep and we were quite out of breath by the time we reached the top....BUT, the view was so breathtaking and the sound of the water pouring from the top of the rocks was such a powerful, yet beautiful sound. The mist from the fall was refreshing, cool and crisp. I really enjoyed spending this day with you, mom!



The last page shown here is one of the pages that we created during my class on Tuesday night. I had SUCH a blast during this class. All of the participants were interested and seemed to have a wonderful time. I taught 3 pages and 1 card in 2 hours and 50 minutes. YUP....I think that is considered marathon scrapping :) The night before my class I baked cupcakes and put them into the MOST adorable white/black polka dot Chinese food to-go boxes that I found at Michael's. When each student arrived they had these adorable boxes sitting in their spot along with their class kit and instructions. I also gave out prizes throughout the class by having each student write their name on a piece of paper and we drew names for the prizes. I had fun preparing these little give-aways and I loved seeing their faces excitedly opening their little bags of goodness. I look forward to my next class in June.... I will be teaching a 4th of July themed class where we will create a master invite, place settings, gift bags and an altered paint can to toss used fire works. Great for the kiddos :)

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! It's about 11:30pm here and I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed....haha, ready to create something FUN! I am working on a great mini-book for Right at Home Scrapbooking, a LSS in Massachusetts. It is turning out so pretty and I am excited to show mail it off!



Enjoy the weekend! Happy Mother's Day!!

Ah. Spring is here :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful and sunny weekend :) Steve and I finally bought our flowers and panted them this weekend. He has been very eager to do this and I keep hold back, due to our strange weather lately. But, Spring was in full bloom in Bend this weekend. We reached temps in the mid-70's and I got a bit of a sun burn during our Saturday breakfast at Mc Kay's Cottage where we sat out doors. I love that!!! During the winter, of course the tables are not outdoors, so I love when it's warm and you can enjoy breakfast, coffee and mimosas out doors :)

So, as you can see here I planted Gerbera Daisies and Garden Mums. They are so colorful and delicate. They simply make me happy.

Aside from Spring and planting flowers, I've recently made a life choice for myself. To get healthy and loose the weight that I have put on over the last few years and get in shape. I've tried and tried to motivate myself to do this, but have failed miserably each and every time, only to put the weight I just lost right back on----plus some. So--------- I've hired a personal trainer at a private gym, I am meeting with a nutritionist and I going to finally get myself on track. I dream of being comfortable in a swim suit during the summer, or heck----wearing a short sleeved shirt for that matter. If you know me really well, you would never see me in public with a tank top or short sleeves. I have major issues with the way my arms look, so I by making this choice, I'm excited to finally love my body as a whole. Not try to cover it up in 100 degree weather. Ah, that will be SUCH a dream come true. Okay....this post is turning into a rambling session. So, sorry..lol :)

Okay...........now to a more interesting topic---SCRAPBOOKING, YAY!
I'm excited to share that I've been added to our local scrapbook stores roster of teachers. It is a wonderful shoppe filled to the brim with my most favorite supplies. I actually crave going there. Sad, huh? It's called SCRAPBOOKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. If you are ever in Bend, email me and I'll give you directions. This is one store I can honestly say, you would love :)

My first class will be on May 8th. I'm SO flippin excited and a bit nervous. I am teaching a class called, "BIG AND BOLD." How fitting, huh? I am going to use Tinkering Ink's Perfectly Posh and Covenant Garden line for a couple layouts and a card and gift set. I was in the store yesterday and Suzy mentioned that my class was close to being full. That was music to my ears..lol!! In July I will be teaching a fun project based class where we will make 4th of July party invites, place settings, thank you cards and even an altered paint can for the children to toss their used fireworks in.
I've wanted to have more teaching opportunities, so I am really thankful for this!
May 1st, my sketch will be up at www.pencillines.com . I'm really excited to see what the design team has created using my sketch. When I first started scrapbooking, I created quite a few sketches as guidelines, but I kind of fell out of the habit of doing them, so this was fun to do! Hey! Idea! If you are into it and the sketch inspires you---just a bit (wink) I would love to see your take on it! Post your link here if you decide to do it!

So, I leave this REALLY long ramble with wishes to all of you for a wonderful week ahead! Get out and enjoy nature and drink-in some fresh air. It can do wonders for your inspiration. I think so, anyway---LOL!

Be a great day!!!!-----xxoo-Tessa Ann Watte`

Almost good enough to eat!

That is what Steve said last night when I showed him the cupcake party invite and goody bag I made using Junkitz Salsa Celebration Line of papers and embellishments. (whew long line..lol)
Needless to say this creation inspired a trip to the grocery store.....as Steve was craving cupcakes after I teased him with my card.

I also created a mini album this weekend which I am very proud of. Sorry to sound overzealous here, but sometimes you make something and you step back and go..... "That's exactly what I wanted." Now, this isn't a daily or even yearly thing for me, but with this book it was. And...it's perfect because it is a present for my mom. All I will say so far is... (just in case mom reads this...lol) I used a Cosmo Cricket Cigar box to create this album. I'm excited to post pics once I give it to her. I would love to see others try this out :) Oh, and teachers! This would make a fabulous idea for a class project. So, check back soon for that!

This week I was lurking over at 2 peas when I came across a thread with many awesome ideas of organizing clear unmounted stamps. If you are like me you have accumulated quite a few of these pretties as of late.
I've seen many great ideas from other scrappers over the last couple of years, but to be honest.......the assembly seemed too tedious. I'm the type of person who wants results fast..lol. So, I thought I would share with you the idea I borrowed from a Nicole over at 2 peas.


I used a jumbo 3 ring binder to hold all of my clear unmounted stamps. Clear 8.5x11 page protectors and transparency sheets are the key organizational tool for this project. I attempted to show you below what they look like (sorry if isn't as clear as it could be!) But, basically all you do is pull the clear stamps out of their original packaging and re-attach them to you transparency sheet. This way you can fit a lot more stamps on one page. I separated my stamps by manufacture. I hope to get more organized with this as I add more stamps. It's funny that organizing my stamps has made me want MORE..haha :)

Well, that's it for now! I hope everyone has enjoyed their weekend despite the heartbreaking week we experienced world wide. My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the families of VA Tech. I also want to ask you for special thoughts and prayers on behalf of Jennifer Gallacher's son, Joey who is just a young boy. So sad. He was recently given weeks to months to live due to terminal cancer. I can't possibly imagine the heartache and grief this family must be going through. But, I know the power of positive thinking and prayer. So, please keep this family in your thoughts. I thank you kindly.

Have a wonderful week next week.
Be a great day!
Tessa Ann Watte`

I'm still here :-)

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all have a very nice weekend ahead!

It has been too long since I've updated this blog. I have had such a simple few weeks that I just felt I didn't have much to say...lol

But, I've had fun playing lately working on layouts and even some altered items. The second layout is using Crop Addicts April Mid-Month kit which features Fancy Pants papers and other delish goodies :) I captured this pic of Mozart hanging out in my scrap room. Since we moved, he has adopted this chair to be "his spot". I love seeing him snooze peacefully while I scrap, so I had to scrap it!

The first photo is of an altered "Piggy Tales" mini-clipboard that I purchased at an office supply store. I white-washed the chipboard color using FiberScraps "White" Tintz. I just have to say how cool these inks are. Truly. I've been using them for the last couple of years and I am still hooked. The handy "bingo" dauber-like bottles make application so-so easy. This season Fiber Scraps came out with white and black inks amongst a more vivid green color than their lime color and a nice sky blue color. Love these!

So, as you can see...... I white washed the clipboard and sort-of went crazy decorating it. I tried to be neat with red puffy paint , but of course ended up smudging it all over. So......I just had to "make it work!" (LOL!)

The next 2 layouts are just fun layouts that I felt inspired to create. I just cannot stay way from these colors lately. Lime green, hot pink, teal combined with a touch of red or orange. YUM! Really. I think I have color issues...lol.

I hope you all have a very wonderful weekend!

Tessa

Mini, mini album and other random odd stuff :-)

I hope you have had a very wonderful week! Isn't it great that tomorrow is Friday! And...best yet! Spring is sooo close :) I'm really looking forward to some warmer weather. I'm happy I can stay up late to create.... I have tomorrow off, so I am pretty excited to have some extra scrapping time! Yahoo :)

Well, I've had a great week filled with a few fun new opportunities that I'm thrilled to share. A couple of days ago I found out that I will have 2 paper covered candles using Tinkering Ink's Westminster line in Paper Crafts "Home-to-home" issue. This is my first time being published with this magazine and to think....this was the most simple project I've created to date...lol, but that's what they liked, the simplicity of it. So, that was exciting! I will also be the May Guest Designer for Pencil Lines. Junkitz is the May sponsor there, so I'm excited to be a part of it!! Pencil Lines is a fun site that is filled with cool sketches and so much inspiration! I've seen sketches there by scrappers such as Ali E, Elsie and Lu Braxton from Hamby and many great UK scrappers. So.... this is quite a honor to be a part of.
Aside from that, I've had some time to spend creating and I've mostly played. I know that is bad, but sometime you just have to simply relax and play. It really helps with getting the flow back when you have projects that need to be done :) So far it's working great for me.
Below...(I think the image will be below...haha, I apologize my post are always so wonk) Any way....... So as you see here, I've altered a mini-tin by Maya Road. I've had this little tin sitting on my desk for a while trying to figure a way to use and and came up with this idea. I've created a tiny-tiny mini accordion album by simply tracing around the tin to get my shape, and cutting approx. 1 inch x 6 inches strip of lime green cardstock..which was then folded into an accordion shape. Pretty easy. It was fun to embellish such a tiny little book with such small details and photos. I went with a "W" theme throughout the book for our initial :) So, as you can tell, I really enjoyed creating this little album.

Aside from scrappy stuff, I've been having a lot of fun decorating our new home. My recent favorite purchase is the gorgeous ottoman you see pictured, somewhere on this page...lol. I am in LOVE with black and white schemes lately and have decided to decorate my closet (yes, I know I am silly for decorating my closet, but it's the biggest walk-in I've had, so I couldn't resist, lol) So, when I came across this gorgeous piece of furniture for only $41.99, (reg. $120.00) I had to have it! And.....it totally reminds me of Tinkering Ink's Nior Blanc line. Man, I cannot wait to work with these papers! I think I may have to buy some...just to put it frames....yes, I like it a lot ..lol :)

And....lastly, I used the collage pic I posted last time for a layout of my new room. It was such a quick and easy layout to create and I love the funky feel of it. Someone commented on this layout and asked if I liked Betsy Johnson clothing...lol. IT totally made me laugh, because that fits me so well right now, scrap-style wise. I always have a difficult time defining my style and I think she's right...the crazy color combos, the polka dots the mesh....on and on. Yup. that fits me..lol.

Well, I just want to wish EVERYONE a wonderful weekend! Whew.....sorry, that was a long post. If you made this far, have a great night!
And a belated congrats to all of the 2007 HOF and HM winners!!! I cannot wait to see your fabulous work ladies and gents!
Enjoy!!
XXOO--Tessa Ann Watte`

From start to finish

Yesterday I spent a few hours just playing
in my studio.

Simply....playing. It felt great!

I gathered a an assortment of goodies that I wanted to play with an made a big mess across my table.....as you can see here..lol. Complete with my cup-o-coffee and candles....I was ready to see what I could come up with :)
The layout I created is about my sweet Dad.
I captured this shot of him using my new 300 mm lense...which I am still figuring out obviously..lol. I was pretty far away and he had no idea I was taking his picture....
Anyway.... I love those types of shots!

So, this is a page about his love of taking photos. I think we all share this love...actually our entire family loves
taking photos at any given moment. We all
usually have our camera in hand at each gathering. It makes for some fun photos.


So............here is the finished result.
I used A LOT of Hambly Screen Prints on this layout, combined with their patterned papers. I did use some Autumn Leaves papers and Fontwerks stamps. So, as you can see I didn't end up using everything I layed out, but it was fun to try creating in a different way than I usually do. {The background is actually a lime green color, but for some reason scanned yellow?}



I figured out a fun collage option on Picasa,
so I collaged a bunch of shots of my
favorite areas in my new studio.
Well, I'm off to rest..... I'm home sick today with a nasty stomach bug either that or I ate something that DID not agree with me. Ick. Lots of peppermint tea for me today :)

Enjoy your day!
XXOO-Tessa Ann Watte`

Feeling inspired in my new scrapbook studio.....

I finally have my new scrapbooking studio together..... And I had the chance to PLAY!!

Today, Steve and I went to Pier 1 Imports and purchased a lime green "papa chair" The base is a cherry wood color and the cushion is a micro-suede and the same color of green as in this layout. I stopped by "Hancock Fabrics" this afternoon so I could find a cute black/white polka-dot fabric to make some throw pillows for our new chair. I found some beautiful silk blk/wht polka-dot fabric to create my little pillows.

I wanted this chair for Steve. He loves to sit in my scrapbooking studio when I create and watch TV....so I knew this would be the perfect place for him to chill and relax comfortably :-)

<----I created this layout last night with inspiration to create an all black and white layout. I pulled all of my black and white products out and layed them across my table......making quite the mess...lol :) By the end I decided I wanted to cover my white background with my new pretty green "Hambly Screen Print" Transparency. To balance out the green background I used a couple of 7 Gypsies' Lime Green Tags.....I love those tags ;-)

For my journaling area.....lol...listen to me..."For my journaling area....haha" Okay..for real... lol.

I cut a large frame from black cardstock and used that to handwrite in white pen my journaling. I was inspired to create this layout from a moment last week that left both Steve and I smiling.......... Steve and I met for lunch last Thursday at a favorite seafood restaurant called, "High Tides" ......the owner approached us as we chatted and asked if we were newlyweds....this made us laugh and we told her... "No, actually we will be celebrating our 8th anniversary this August. I know in my heart that our love is real, but it is neat to have an outsider witness what makes us......us.

Sorry to be all mushy again...lol. It is just sort of that way for me lately...lol. I guess I am happy and at peace.

And....Isn't that a good thing?!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!! I'll be back to post more pics of my scrapbook studio embellished ;-)

XXOO--Tessa Ann Watte`

A work in progress........

I'm thrilled so share our new home. I know we have a lot to finish up, but I love how it is coming along so far.

The first picture is of my new scrapping-studio.
I've kind of kept it simple for the moment, as I have a lot of closet space in this room, so my ugly plastic storage carts are fitting perfectly in there, not messing with the "chi" of my room...lol.

As you can see here, I've gone with a mocha colored paint, paired with light pink and green.

So far, this space has been very inspiring and I'm really enjoying adding items to my shelves and getting everything just right :-)



I'm also sharing a pic of our new living and kitchen area. I love how the kitchen is open to the great room providing a GREAT entertaining space. {Yes, that's Steve in the pic holding his glass of wine. }

He is so sweet and when I arrived home from work tonight he had dinner on the grill outside, along with 2 glasses of wine on the bar area just waiting for me to come and relax with.
I really love the deck area off the dining room, the hickory hardwood flooring and curvy lines.
In the last 8 years we've lived in a loft type home where the outside was not accessable.
I love being able to open the slider and sit outside enjoying the fresh air. Ahhhh.... Or should I say....to drink the air....lol.

We plan on adding some nice patio furnature and a wall fountain for ambiance :-) Gotta have good ambiance...right?!?

I'm so happy to finally be in a place that I feel is home.

Home for good.

We are even talking more about starting our family here since we have the extra room and the space is so perfect.
I know both of our families would agree that it's time....lol.
We've been married this year 8 years. Little ones are definitely next in our lives. Now that I feel I have a home that I'm firmly planted in.......I can actually think about that. Scary as it is, I cannot wait to become a mommy.

Have a wonderful week and I'll be back to post some projects I'm working on.
XXOO---Tessa Ann Watte`

We moved into our first "real" home this week!!! So excited and a bit giddy :-)

I just wanted to take a second to explain where I've been lately..lol.

Just so you will now know how spontaneous Steve and I are, we decided last weekend to start looking at homes....well we found one that we adored and scheduled an appointment to see it last Monday night. Well by Friday it was ours and being as excited as we were, we rented a moving truck Friday afternoon and by 1am Friday we were in our new home.... Yup...we're a bit crazy.
It is just that when we both decide on something, we tend to move very quickly, or we just might change our minds. I am still amazed how perfectly everything came together and how fast it came together. It is like it was meant to be....or something like that ;-)

Well the house is beautiful. It is everything I could have ever possibly asked for. I still feel like it is too good to be true. Yes....I'm still in my corny mode...lol! And even more so now.... haha

My new scrapbooking room is large and has great lighting. Right now all of my pretty supplies are sitting on the floor in boxes waiting for me to put them in their space. I am taking a bit of time to figure out my new space....I want it to be perfect and of course...pretty ;o-)

I am seriously having creative with drawls though...lol! I'm finding myself doodling on post-it notes at work when I take messages. Yes, I seriously have a problem.

And...my Internet won't be hooked up until Friday afternoon, so I apologize that I don't have any pretties to show.

I will take some pics of the house and post them over the weekend.

Have a GREAT week, and I promise to update VERY soon!!
XXOO----Tessa

Relaxing and playing around

Like I said in my previous post.........CHA was such a blast, but of course I had to bring home a nasty bug and ended up with strep throat...YUCKY....but, go figure.haha. I finally feel SO much better today and you know what...........it feels good. I've been soooo sick of being sick that I almost felt giddy dancing around this afternoon to my favorite beats. I love that I am getting better. Yup... I'm a big baby when it comes to Tessa being sick........
I wanted to share a couple layouts I created recently that were JUST FOR FUN. The first layout titled, "Still Growing." represents how I feel right now in my journey of life. I have recently started reading very inspirational and thought provoking books that have really made me evaluate who and where I am at this point in my life. I appreciate knowing that it is okay to still work on my inner being, to grow is to learn..... and to learn is to grow......okay...I'm a little corney and mushy tonight. So, this layout represents the stage I am currently in my life. I am happy, but I realize I need to grow in my spirituality, metality, and emotions. The biggest lesson I am trusting is......... to just simply love me for me....flaws and all. So that's it, just a deeper side of my self than the rosey glasses I proudly wear each day. I realize that there is a lot to be learned in my life. I will gladly learn and grow as needed be :-)














On another note...............................
At times, I have papers that I just HAVE to create with. Maybe that is called "being inspired"?!? So, that is what this layout is.....Karen Russell combined with 7 Gypsies and a staple in my scrapbooking........Heidi Swapp. I think I could re-create pages of our wedding over and over. It was truly a memorable day and I still remember it like it was yesterday........and I love him even more today than the day I married him.................okay.....you remember me saying earlier that I felt a bit corney.........haha :)

Well, that is enough of my mushy mood.................off to create something fun and exciting.......hopefully.LOL!

Have a VERY wonderful week!
XXOO----- Tessa Ann Watte`

I had so much fun!!

I just love these people! My Tinkering Ink Family to the right.........>they were SUCH a blast to hang out with and I was so proud to be part of this team. It was so exciting to see the buzz around the show about the products we were showing. I loved talking with everyone, sharing our "latest and greatest" product. At times I felt a bit giddy when the editors of big magazines were hanging out at our booth talking up our wonderful new lines. It was truly nothing I've experienced before. I am trulygrateful for the opportunity they gave me to come and work the show.

It was SO neat to meet other scrappers and designers I've chatted with online in person. It was fun to chat with them and see that they were "actual" walking, talking people..haha. and just as sweet in person too!

I also treasured the part of getting to know the team I work with. I was the last DT member to arrive on Saturday, so I was a bit nervous to meet everyone. But, I shouldn't have been nervous.........they were the most warm and welcoming people I've met. I instantly felt comfortable with them and shared MANY laughs throughout the week.


We attended the Martha reception together on Sunday night and the 2 Peas Ice Cream Social. It was fun to see all of the garden girls in person. The part I enjoyed most was seeing their work in person. Scanned versions of their work just doesn't do them justice. The details and creativity of each layout was mind blowing.....and SO-SO inspiring. They were so down to earth too.


As you can see from the pics we had a lot of
"Silly" moments. But, to me that was fun. It was fun to have these moments to reflect on and
I look forward to seeing them again!