Time flys...

I can't believe it's a new year, and I can't believe how fast January has gone by. 

I've begun my student teaching, and so far, it's been an absolute joy. But it doesn't leave me much time for Pocket Letters. So I've had to take a brief hiatus from creating. This hiatus does not include monthly swaps that I've signed up for with my friends like June and Kim. This also doesn't include my Texas swappers group! 

But in the mean time, here are some swaps I've done...

I sent this one to Lorrie, as she was absolutely coveting it. I must say, I was on a kick with the black and gold, and I loved all of the PLs I made with this scheme. 

She sent this one back! It's my only New Years PL and I absolutely love it! Every time I look at it I find something else I love. It has my initials, and a sweet working pinwheel, & sequins and sparkle galore! Just the other day I found a little note she left on it with Sharpie. 

I sent this one to June for our monthly swap. Black and Gold again, and starts galore! I loved making the banners, such a fun and easy idea. 

I got this one in return from June. She's made several in this style, but you know what? This one is mine, and that's what makes it so special! I love the Owls at the bottom, and the feathers are so fun too! 

I've made two swaps that are on their way to new homes, and I have one more in progress. 

Any wait to share them!

Until next time,

C.Jackson

Just for you...

Happy New Year followers!

My winter break is now over and my last semester of college is fast approaching! I start my student teaching on Thursday...talk about nerves and a wild mix of other emotions. 

But onto craftier things...

Once again Kim and I were up to our side swap antics! 

We had decided to do an "initial" theme this time. She designed a PL using 'C' things for me, and I made a 'K' PL for her. She had sent me mine before the new year, and I opted to not open it until she got hers. I must admit, I felt bad for taking so long. But I was struggling! I finally faced my fears and jumped right in. And I wasn't really a fan of my creation until the very end. It suddenly all came together and became so very special. I was mighty proud of it:

K is for...Kites, Kitties, Keys, Knots, Kris Kringle, Kettle, Kind Hearted, K-9 (shout out to all the Whovians!) and last but not least Kaleidoscope! But most importantly, K is for Kim. 

I added loads of K's, and even threw in some K words that I thought fit her. Of course I doubled up on decorations and did my best to make it as cohesive as I could (I like it when things just work together).

And after much waiting (talk about self control) I got to open mine:

C is for Coffee, Creative, Cupcake, Cute, Confetti, Crabby, Crosses, Cookies and of course CATS! C is for Cassandra!

I loved how the little tabs were hand written, and the 'Creative' pocket was especially genius. And of course, CATS! She sent goodies too including a sweet Rhinestone C and a Cherry Jolly Rancher candy (I LOVE JOLLY RANCHERS!). 

What a great way to start the new year! I'm looking forward to our next swap, and in the mean time we'll have to put our heads together to start swap events in our Texas Swap Group!

Until next time,

C.Jackson

C is for...

My last swap of the year...

I had signed up for the C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S. Swap a bit ago. The theme was, each pocket decoration had to correspond the letter of Christmas. For example... C for Candy Canes!

You can't see the candy canes here because the tassel was covering it up here. This was my most simple PL, but one of my favorites!

And finally, the PL from my partner arrived today! 

Allison makes her PLs extra special by decorating the back. She makes little doors and sneaks in extra decoration underneath! Many of our pocket decorations were the same too! 

This was such a great way to end the year! An amazing PL to fit in the last spot in my binder! Here's to 2016!

Until next time,

C.Jackson

Snowmen!

The end of the year is approaching...

And this morning I only had 2 more PLs to receive before the end of the year. My poor 2 inch binder is nearly splitting at the seams. 

I'd recently ordered a Cricut Cartridge that if wanted. It seems I had it at one point but it vanished. And I needed it for a swap soon. 

The theme? Snowmen! 

All the snowmen were cut on my Cricut. Then hand colored with my Copic markers. I also cut the snowglobe out and trees inside it. I added some beautiful pearl and rhine stone embellishments. 

This was going to someone who had been eager to swap with me. Lucky for us, we were paired this time around!

And today, the one she made me arrived! 

Look at all the unique snowmen! Each had its own flair but they all blended together! And man, talk about sparkle! The photo simply doesn't do it a justice! Notice how hers had a snowglobe too? Haha! Oh and the bracelet...apparently she does those on the side! How spoiled was I?!

We had so much fun with this swap, and I'm sure we will swap again soon! :) 

Until next time,

C.Jackson

More Texas Side Swaps!

Today was a great mail day for me!

First, the mailman brought my new Cricut Cartridge I'd been waiting for, and then I got some Happy Mail from my friend Shaunery! But the icing on the cake was a PL from Sabita!

Recently I had sent her this!

The final product was a bit different. I added her name and added/moved around some embellishments! We opted for no theme, but this sure did turn out fun and funky! 

And here is the stunner Sabita sent me!

Just look at how clean and crisp it all is! I love the doll, and how she chose to do a landscape PL layout. I love the little Texas tags she adds to all of her pages too! 

Sabita really makes some beautiful PLs, and I can't wait to swap with her again soon!

Now, onto creating! Can't wait to share this one soon! 

Shabby Chic!

A week or two ago my friend Kim decided to start a Texans only PL swap group...

Of course, I was in! And almost immediately I got into a swap with another Texan. Mel had been interested in doing a Shabby Chic swap, and I promised to fulfill her desire, as soon as my homework vanished. 

But here's the thing, I had never done a 'Shabby Chic' swap before. So, I had to do some research. No sooner than I had set to work, something gorgeous laid in front of me. 

Let's see, there are... Pearls, wooden accents, brads, buttons, flowers, die cut doilies, sequins, and distress inks too. Sweet baby pinks, and periwinkle blues! I added some lace trim, and a sweet lace bow to one of the pockets. And then, I posted a sneak peak to some of my groups!

I haven't been able to mail mine just yet, but I promised to mail it tomorrow. But Mel's came today, much to my surprise! 

What a stunner! I can't even begin to explain how beautiful this is. There are rhinestones and pearl accents galore. A few vintage sticker decals, and delicate lace too! I think what I loved the most was the pink ruler style Washi that she used to trim the edge with. 

I asked if she'd like to see mine, and she jumped at the chance. Apparently I did pretty darn good for having never made such a style before. 

And evidently it was a hit with the other ladies too. June seemed to especially love it. So I made her a gift that I will send out tomorrow too. 

This is my very own one of a kind 'Pocket Strip'. 1/3 of a normal PL, with no goodies in back because it is double sided. I did my best to replicate the Shabby Chic feel. I hope she is surprised, and that she loves it just as much as she expressed a fondness for the original inspiration.

Well, school is done and it's time for me to finally get some rest, so...

Until next time,

C.Jackson

When Christmas comes early...

Just me again...

I'm sick still, Bronchitis and Pneumonia now, which is what I feared would happen, but my last official day of classes is Thursday, and my projects will all be done by then!

Onto more crafty things...

My PL Pal Kimberly and I had decided to do a Christmas swap, and opted to send each other some sweet presents as an extra treat. I had her PL done and waiting in the wings for a while...

She admired some of the paper and styling a from my Winter Wonderland swap. So I scraped together the leftover paper, colored a snowman, and embellished until I just couldn't fit anything else on! I wrapped up her presents, and in the mail it went!

Funny story...mine was supposed to be here on the 27th, the day after Thanksgiving, BUT it got sent to the wrong town. Go figure. So after a call, her treat to me finally showed up in my mailbox. And man was I in for a treat indeed!

To begin with, the double sided paper she used was gorgeous. But what took me aback were the details. There was a sweet resin snowflake button on the bottom, and the wooden reindeer had rhinestone eyes. But she also 'singed' them with a match to make them look toasty. But my favorite part? The cat...

She has me figured out for sure!

Look at all the treats she sent!

I squealed when each detail unveiled itself, and trust me, that was quite a sound with a flemghy, hushed voice!

Christmas came early indeed, and we can't wait to swap again! We are already plotting more PLs in the future. A challenge she gave me, and a theme, the first letter of our names! 

Oh what fun!

Kim, you're a rockstar!

Until next time,

C.Jackson