Merry Monday #123 - Use A Wreath

Good morning friends.  I'm playing along with Merry Monday today, and we are being asked to use a wreath on our card.  My usual go to is the "Rustic Wreath" or "Wreath for All Season's" stamp sets (PTI), but ran across my "Birds and Blooms" stamp set while looking, and thought with the right colors, it could look like a Christmas wreath...so I tried and I think it came out beautifully!  What do you think?

I started with Old Olive ink (SU!) and then used my Aqua Painter to soften the leaves and give it more of a watercolored effect.  I stamped the flowers with Real Red ink, and then used a couple stick stamps by Judith and added the berries (also in Real Red) and the holly leaves stamped in Mossy Meadow (SU!).  My sentiment is PTI's "Think Big Favorites: #21" and I also added the Judith stick stamp of the holly leaves in Mossy Meadow ink off the tail of the letter "G".  I finished with a few pearls in the centers of the red flowers. 

 

 

You can check out all the details and beautiful cards over at the Merry Monday site to play along.

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a wonderful Thursday!  I'm off to make salsa today...it's gotten to be a yearly event as store bought just doesn't hold a candle to the homemade!  Here's the recipe if anyone's interested:

 

26-30 tomato's (skinned and diced)

5 onions - chopped

3 green peppers - chopped

2 red peppers - chopped

4 -5 Jalapeno peppers - seeded and chopped  (if you like a little more bite, leave some of the seeds in)

3 - 5 12oz cans of tomato paste (depending on how thick you like your salsa - I use 5)

1 1/2 cups white vinegar

4 Tbs salt

4 tsp pepper

3 Tbs garlic powder

1/4 cup sugar

 

Cook 2 hours covered on low - stir often to avoid burning. (Do NOT boil!)

This recipe will make 18 - 20 pint jars.  Process in water bath for 20 - 25 minutes.

 

ENJOY!!! :0)

 

 



August 2014 Blog Hop Challenge

Good morning friends.  Playing along with the monthly blog hop challenge over at Papertrey Ink today. 

 

 

The challenge was to keep it simple, bold, and elegant (at least that's how I interpreted it!).  I used one of the images from PTI's "Round Repeats" and Raspberry Fizz ink and stamped just down the left hand side of my card.  I added a strip of gold glitter paper on the edge and gold sequins for the center of each image.  My sentiment is from PTI's "On the Farm" and is embossed with gold.  My envelope liner mimics the card with Raspberry Fizz DSP from the Bitty Dot Basics paper pad and a couple strips of the gold glitter paper. 

 

Here's the inspiration photo:

 



 

 

You can check out all the details and play along right here .

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful Monday! :0)

SAF - 2014 Regency Era with Melissa Phillips #2

After making my first card for the Regency Era, I went back and looked at all the other entries and decided I wanted to do another one with stitching and the gold embossed and antiqued look on it...so here is take #2:

 

 I used the "Limitless Layers: Hearts" die to emboss with gold and then antique.  I love the look, but boy is it messy!  And I felt like the antique part never really dried, so every time I touched it and then touched something else, I had dark stain where I didn't want it to be!  Oh well, it's still really pretty!  I stitched around the heart and on the leaves (Lovely Layers) with white and a pale aqua embroidery floss.  It's kind of a busy card with all the little odds and ends I added, but it does make me think of that time period! :0) 

Thanks for stopping by again!

SAF 2014 - Regency Era with Melissa Phillips

Hello again!  Back with my 2nd card for Papertrey Ink's Stamp-a-Faire, and this time I wanted to play along with Melissa Phillips and the Regency Era, just because I really like the beauty of that time.  I was also really excited to try out Nichole's technique's from the Renaissance Era with the wax seals with the "Simply Jane" stamp set, but it didn't turn out like I was expecting.  I realize what I did wrong now, but it was too late for my card!  Oh well, I still like it!

I put three layers of black embossing powder on the silhouette, but the silhouette stamp didn't have enough grooves in it to make an impression...dang it!  I ended up and just added some pearls so it wasn't so plain.  The frame is also embossed in black.  I had thought about doing the frame with Melissa's technique of antique embossing with gold, but liked the idea of a black frame to match the silhouette better.  My striped background paper is Aqua Mist from the "Beautiful Brushstrokes" kit, and the polka dot is from the Bitty Dot Basics.  It's a pretty simple card, but I still like it! :0)

See Melissa's video's and all the other great cards right here .

Thanks so much for stopping by!! :0)

SAF 2014 - Mock Mosaics with Lizzie Jones

Hi all!  Didn't have near enough time yesterday or today to play along with Papertrey Ink's Stamp-a-Faire challenges, but I did manage to make 2 cards.  The one that surprised me the most that I liked was the "Mock Mosaics" with Lizzie Jones.  I did not get the Stamp-a-Faire kit that had the mosaic die, and I do not own any embossing paste, so I had to come up with my own way to create the look. 

 
I stamped Rosie Posie in Harvest Gold, Orange Zest, Limeade Ice, and Simply Chartreuse inks first nd then cut into pieces.  The hardest part was placing the pieces back in place symmectricly, so that took awhile.  Because I wasn't using a stencil, I needed a way to fill in the spaces between the tiles, and ended up using Glossy Accents.  It's by no means perfect, but hey, sometimes you just have to let loose and try different things! :0)  It was still a fun technique to try and I do like the bright colors on the card! :0)

There's still one more day to play along, so check out Lizzie's great video tutorials and all the other entries right here .

Thanks so much for stopping by! :0)     

Make it Monday #177 - Using Cover Plate Negatives

Good morning friends.  Playing along with Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday challenge today, and the very talented Laurie Willison shows us how to use the negative pieces from our cover plates to make a background for our cards.  I only have one cover plate, so my choice for this challenge was an easy one! :0)  I coupled my chevron plate and one of my all time favorite PTI sets "Simple Sunflower" to come up with this card:

I loved the idea Laurie showed in her video about using Press n Seal to keep your negative pieces together, but I didn't have any, so luckily everything on my die cutting plates came off in one piece and I was able to just add glue to the negative pieces and then adhere to a piece of white cardstock evenly.  I trimmed this layer right to the edges of the chevrons, and then mounted this layer on a piece of black cardstock, and then that to a white card base.  I fussy cut 3 of the sunflowers that I stamped in Orange Zest and Raspberry Fizz inks, and then pop dotted the larger one.  It's hard to tell in my photos (grrrrrrrrrrr!!!), but I added lots of Crystal Effects to the black centers and it adds a really nice touch IRL!  I finished with the "happy" die cut from the Wet Paint Die Collection (cut twice with white and black cardstocks), a piece of black and white bakers twine that I looped through the "h", and then a few black candy dots.  A very modern and graphic card for me, but the sunflowers soften it enough to make it more my style, and I actually really, really like this card! :0)

Make sure you check out Laurie's great card and video, and all the other entries over on Nichole's blog right here .

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a wonderful weekend friends!  Our youngest is leaving to go back to college today, so my hubby and I will be empty nesters again...sigh.  I didn't think it would bother me like it did last year, but I guess it will take me a few days to get use to the quiet and no trail of junk again!  Guess it's a good thing there are still 2 pretty active dogs here so it doesn't get too quiet...all it will take is one itty bitty little squirrel and madness in our house will reign! :0)

Merry Monday #122 - Black, Gold, and Silver

Good morning friends.  I'm play along with the challenge at Merry Monday's today, and the challenge is to use black, gold, and silver in your card.  Not a color combination I would ever have thought of for Christmas, but I have to tell you that I have absolutely fallen in love!  The cards from the designers and players are all just absolutely stunning and SO elegant!  I've always known that I like black and silver together, but the black and gold has truly taken me by surprise and I just love it!  Here's my take on the challenge:

If you click on any of the pictures to enlarge them, you'll be able to see that I started with SU!'s Northern Flurry embossing folder on a black panel.  I stamped my sentiment (PTI's "Think Big Favorites: #21") with black ink on a Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangle die cut, and then added 3 snowflakes that I die cut from Memory Box's "Giovanna Snowflake" die with silver and gold glitter paper.  This is a new die for me and I just love the small and delicate look to it!  I added a few gold and silver sequins to finish off my CAS card.  This would be a really easy card to mass produce, and I think I just might be making a quite a few more of these! :0)

You seriously need to check out all the beautiful cards over at Merry Monday ....you will fall in love with this color combo too!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a wonderful Thursday!  (I'll be spending my day getting our youngest ready to head off for another year of college tomorrow...why does she leave everything till the last day?!!  Probably because she knows her mom will give in and help get everything ready and organized!!!!!!!!!!) 

Tag You're It Challenge #4

Good morning friends.  Playing along with the Tag You're It Challenge today, and I'll apologize ahead of time for my poor lighting...should have been a little more patient and waited for some sunshine!  My poor tag looks a little washed out, when in real life, it's a lot brighter!  Grrrrr!!  Anyway, take a look:

It's my stenciled background (Memory Box "Textured Shine") that looks so washed out.  I used Pixie Pink and Calypso Coral inks to sponge on the color on my tag (PTI "Tag Sale #3).  I used Memory Box's Fuschia Flower die for my flower, and although you can't see it, I also used my clear Wink of Stella pen on the flower...VERY sparkly IRL!  I added a tag (PTI's "Tiny Tags") that I added some washi tape to, seam binding ribbon (dyed with Certainly Celery re-inker), black & white baker's twine, and a few rainstones from PTI.  I have some wrapping paper that matches this tag, and I know my friend will appreciate it when I add it to her birthday gift this weekend! :0)

Here is the inspiration photo:

There's still lots of time to play along, so check out all the great inspiration, and make a tag of your own!  You can find all the details right here .

Edited to add:  I am wowed and honored to have been chosen as one of the runner up winners of the TYI!C #4 ...what a wonderful surprise to wake up to this morning!  Thank you ladies!! :0)

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great Tuesday! :0)

Zentangled

Good morning friends.  My girlfriend Sue and I took a class last week on a technique called Zentangled.  Ever heard of it?  I never had until one our local stamp stores advertised the class, and we decided to check it out.  I'm not sure this is a technique I'd use very much, but if you like "busy" work, this might be a technique for you!  Zentangled is basically taking an image, dividing it into 4 (or more spaces), and then using a Micron pen to make little designs in each of your spaces.  Take a look:

Different huh?  You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them to see more detail.  I think maybe an even better word to describe this technique would be "doodling"...if you like to doodle then this could be a technique for you!  You can check out on Pinterest all different ways to use this technique if interested, and there are also a lot of workbooks by Suzanne McNeill showing you how to do this technique too.  Again, not sure this is a technique I will ever do much with, but it's always fun to learn something new! :0)

Thanks for stopping by today and have a wonderful Monday!

Merry Monday #121

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Merry Monday challenge, and this is one of those cards I debated about for a few days on whether I would even enter it...it's just one of those cards that started out SO different in my head!  It is EXTREMELY clean and simple, and I think that is what bothers me about it (I have a hard time with "white" space and usually want to fill it all up!!).  But I decided to show it to you anyway, as hey!, it's one more card to add to my growing stash, and someone will enjoy receiving it!

I started with the sentiment from PTI's "Think Big Favorites: #21" and then added the little pine sprig and pinecone from SU!'s "Lovely As A Tree" with Handsome Hunter (retired) and Early Espresso inks.  It's hard to tell from my photo, but the layer behind the top is Handsome Hunter cardstock, so the card does show a little more green IRL.  I added the only plaid ribbon I have and a few sequins to finish it.

There's still a couple days to play along yet, and lots of beautiful inspiration to check out all right here .

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! :0)

Baby, Baby, Baby!!!

Good morning friends.  Just a quick post today.  Still have "baby" on the brain (4 weeks from today!!), and made up a few traditional pink and blue cards this past weekend using my favorite baby stamp from Lily of the Valley.  (and one yellow one of course!)

You can click on each of the pictures to bring in more detail.  I colored the faces and hands with Copics (E00 & E02) and the blanket I outlined just a bit with C1.  The sleepers and hats I paper pieced with scraps of DSP.  For the background on the boys cards, I used the retired background stamp from SU! called "Canvas" with Crumb Cake and Spring Rain inks.  The pink sunburst on the 1st girl card was made using a Memory Box stencil called "Texture Shine".  The yellow shaker card uses sequins from PTI's "Shakers & Sprinkles" Make It Market kit.

My mojo for anything except baby seems to be missing lately, so don't panic if my posts seem rather sporadic for the next month or so...just too excited to think about anything else! :0)

Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful Wednesday! :0)  

Make it Monday #175 - Creative Card Borders - Take 2

Good morning friends and happy Friday!  I'm back with a 2nd card for Papertrey Ink's "Make it Monday" challenge.  When this challenge first came out on Monday, I pulled a few dies out that I thought would work, one of them being the "Rustic Wreath" die.  And then I saw Nancy Penir's  wonderful card, and figured there was no way I was going to compete with her!  She used the Rustic Wreath die for a really cool "beachy" thank you card, and the more I thought about it this week, the more inspired I became to make a card using that die too!  I've also had Halloween on the brain with the new sneak peeks coming out this week, so that also helped to inspire me to use this die in a more non-traditional way. (I think of wreaths being used for Christmas and flowers!!)  Anyway, here is my 2nd card using a die for a creative card border:

 

Definitely not a traditional "wreath" card, and not a traditional Halloween card either, but I really like how it turned out!  After partially cutting out the wreath on a piece of Winter Wisteria cardstock, I stamped it with the leaves with Winter Wisteria ink.  Next I made a mask of the wreath and covered what I had stamped, and then used the Winter Wisteria ink and a Memory Box stencil (Texture Distressed Web)...love how that came out!  Here's a closer up view:

 

I added another wreath cut from some newsprint DSP, and then added a few more die cuts.  The bat wings are from the "Bitty Halloween Treats & Sweets" Die Collection, and then I added a die cut circle (from the "Rattled" die set I still had on my desk!) for the bats body.  I added some hemp cord beneath the bat, and that helped to make him "pop" a little more from the card.  The sentiment is a die cut from the "Tricky Trio" Die Collection.  The DSP I used for the inside of the card is from a Recollections pad called "Haunted Manor" (Michael's).  I added a couple google eyes and a few sequins to finish off the card.

I feel really good about this card mostly because I used the die for something I normally never would have thought of...so thanks again Nancy Penir for inspiring me to think outside the box!! :0)

There's still time to play along with this challenge, so make sure you check out Danielle's video and card (that I'm still drooling over!!) over on Nichole Heady's site right here .

Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful weekend!! :0)

 

Merry Monday #120 - Use Ski's, Skates, or a Sled

Good morning friends.  Playing along with Merry Monday's today, and what a perfect opportunity to use one of my new stamp sets from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamp Co.!  Most of you know I LOVE snowmen, and this little guy holding a pair of skates was just perfect for this challenge.  Take a look:

 Isn't he just the cutest?!!  I stamped him 3 times, and fussy cut him twice (his whole body once and then the hat, scarf, mug, & skates separately).  I used Crystal Effects on the parts I colored with my Copics, and then while waiting for those to dry, I used a new Memory Box stencil (Winter Flurry Frame) around my snowman image.  I used Bashful Blue and Marina Mist inks on the stencil and love the soft look of the snowflakes!  Here's a closer up view:

Isn't that SO pretty?!  I know I am going to be using this stencil a lot!! :0)  And here's a closer up view from the side so you can see the layering I did on the snowman:

I haven't used this technique of layering in quite a while, and it reminds of the shadow boxes my mom made for my room using Holly Hobbie (anyone remember her???).  Must be where I got my love of fussy cutting.  I know some people don't like doing it, but with a good pair of snips, I find it fun and relaxing! :0)  The sentiment is from the stamp set ("Snowy Hello"), and it includes another adorable snowman image, and then a lot of different sentiments and snowflakes.  I added some glitter and clear sequins to finish my card.

LOTS of really pretty cards over at the Merry Monday site, so make sure you check them out and play along too...Christmas isn't that far away!!  You can find all the info you need to play along right here .

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do!! :0)

Make it Monday #175 - Creative Card Borders Using Non-Border Dies

Good morning friends.  Playing along with Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday and Danielle Flanders to create borders on your cards without using a border die.  Danielle's card is SOOOO cute and the ideas are limitless with all of our dies!  Of course I still have BABY on the brain (5 more weeks!!!), so I made a card using the "Rattled" die.  Take a look:

This turned out so bright and sweet (IMHO!) and I can't wait to tuck it in with a gift for my grandson or granddaughter! :0)  I started with a white cardstock panel, and then after cutting with my die, I covered the white cardstock with paper from the Harvest Gold Pattern Pack.  The colorful background paper is from the Make It Market "Beautiful Brushstrokes" kit.  I also used the Filigree Border die and Tiny Tags die and stamp set along with a few sequins and a seam binding ribbon. 

There's still plenty of time to play along with Danielle's challenge, and you can see her beautiful card, video, and all the other entries right here .

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful Wednesday!

TYIC#3 and CAS(E) this Sketch! #87

Good morning friends.  Hope you all had a great weekend!  I spent yesterday on the other side of the state in Novi at an Heirloom Productions stamp show and came home with lots of new goodies that I can't wait to play with! :0)

Today I am playing along with the Tag You're It Challenge, and they've combined the challenge along with another great challenge called CAS(E) this Sketch.  I had to think about this one for a few days, and then the ideas started flying!  And of course with my first grandchild due in just a little over 5 weeks (not that I'm counting or anything!!!), I had to do baby themed tag/card!  Take a look:

 
I started with my color scheme first, and with the nursery being gray and white with pops of purple (my son in law is a bit of an artist himself and drew pictures from one of his favorite childhood books "Harold and the Purple Crayon" and then did a framed collage above the crib), I used black, Smokey Slate, white, and Wisteria Wonder inks and cardstock.  I used PTI's Chevron Plate and black cardstock and cut off about a third of it before placing it over my white card base which I embossed with SU!'s new large dot ef.  My tag is a PTI Tag Sale #5 die that I stamped with PTI's "Background Basics: Super Chevron" in Smokey Slate, and then stamped 2 zebra's in black from SU!'s "Zoo Babies" set.  I also added some scattered dots from SU!'s "Gorgeous Grunge" stamp set in Wisteria Wonder ink and then added a few light purple sequins and some washi tape at the bottom of the tag.  (also used the same washi tape to cover the mini clothespin at the top of the tag)  I finished with a die cut from Serendipity Stamps using black and Wisteria Wonder cardstocks.   Really love how this all came out and can't wait to attach it to one of the many gifts that I know will be going my daughter and son in laws way once the baby is born and we find out if it's a boy or girl! :0)

Both of these challenges are two week ones, so you have plenty of time to play along yet!  You can check out all the details for both right here and here.  There is LOTS of inspiration for both these challenges, so what are you waiting for?!! :0)

  
Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful Monday! :0)