Hope your New Year is just "Peachy!!"

Hi friends, I sure hope everyone is enjoying the holiday break and looking forward to ringing in a New Year! At our house, tonight will be a quiet one, we just returned from our place in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a mountain resort. All I wanted to do this evening was stamp, and then in the middle of assembling my card, our daughter called and asked to take my camera for the evening!! What, my prized possession that I use to take pictures of my cards for challenges?? I got a lot of glue on my fingers hurrying this card along...so forgive me if the glue isn't dry. But I had a 1/2 hour warning and was scurrying to get this done! I wonder if our kids know the sacrifices we make for them!!
Anyway, this card was made for Magnolia's challenge for the month...it is on my sidebar if you would like to participate. The challenge was a sketch, and there were 5 circles on the side. Well, I had this new PTI sentiment set,. and was thrilled to find a "Peach" in there...it fits so well, and sentiments rarely do that for me!! I used some new prima flowers I had.
The most challenging part of this was trying to color the peaches with my copics as I had no peach colored copics, but found with a little experimentation, the orange, yellow orange, and yellow worked, who'd a thought? That is one advantage to having a limited number of copics, I am forced to experiment a lot with layering different colors and usually I find success! I also used prisma pencils on Tilda's apron and highlighted with my signo white gel pen!!
Tilda and I thank you for coming by...have a safe and Happy New Year!!

Stamping Sisters in Christ Challenge

Good day after Christmas!! This card was made for this week's SSIC blog challenge which was a sketch this week. I wanted to use this new stamp set and tried to incorporate it into the sketch. I love the peaceful quality and solitude of this stamp, so I paired it with the sentiment you see. It was supposed to be a thank you card for a Christmas gift, but it doesn't say "thank you." I think I will send it anyway.
Yesterday I had a house full of 12 kids, 10 adults, and 2 dogs chasing each other around the kitchen while I tried to cook for all of them...I am tired today. It was nice, but I am really enjoying the quiet and wanted to make a card that reflected what I felt.
I hope your Christmas was merry!!
Here is my stamp recipe:

Stamps: Serendipity:Winter Doe, SU Hostess: Patterned Pines (snowflake), SU: Peaceful Wishes
Ink: Papertrey Ink: Enchanted Evening, Lavender Moon
Accessories:
Circle Nestabilities, Impressabilities, Blue Organza ribbon from Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply Store (on sidebar), Spare Parts snowflakes coated with Ice Stickles , EK Success Border Punch, Silver Embossing Powder

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Christmas Blessings!

Just wanted to stop in and wish my fellow stamping friends a very Blessed Christmas!!

May your gaze be lifted heavenward as we ponder the incredible gift we have all been given. In the form of a baby, God became flesh and dwelt among us. I pray this event does not leave us at the manger, but propels us forward to the cross and the reason He came...to give us new life. I am so grateful for this gift, and just want to share with you the joy it brings me.

My card today is just something I stamped...a Merry Christmas and blessed New Year to all of you. I am thankful for your friendship, including the laughter and the tears along the way.

Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge

This week's challenge was taken from the book of Matthew 6:19:20...and the challenge was to

use up your stored or hoarded treasures on your card.

I made a gift card holder to store a treasure for somebody special.

These were this week's featured technique challenge on SCS to make a Beanie gift card

holder.

I used up some fluffy ball trim and rolled it up tight and glued it (like making a ribbon rose) to hold it together then used some filigree brads I had been saving forever for the pom pom centers! Inside there is a perfect pocket to hold a gift card. I used some Basic Grey holiday papers I had been saving up for this project. I made 2 of these and am showing both (one open and one closed) for this challenge. I used a saved up treasure, a hand crocheted flower for the second one.

Thank you for the challenges, and thanks for stopping by~

What Child is This?

I love the message of Christmas. This past Sunday, our church included a Christmas card with a baby on the cover in our bulletin along with the invitation to pass it along. I was so moved by the included message that I am compelled to share it here.

This is an ornament I made for our tree this year. The stamp set is from Our Daily Bread Designs.

I hope you will read the entirety of the message.

Thank you and may you be blessed!

"Births are commonplace. They happen everyday, in nearly every community, in every corner of the world. For every one of those births, the mystery and wonder of life is celebrated by parents, extended family, and friends as they all gather to behold the baby. Yet one birth in human history surpasses the wonder and mystery of all others. Because in that birth, the God of the universe took on human flesh to dwell among us. That is what the terms 'advent' and 'incarnation' are all about: the Eternal One breaking into time; the King leaving a throne in heaven to take up a manger on earth, the Creator entering into creation. This is how, some two thousand years ago, God Himself invaded human history.

The mystery of His coming is only surpassed by the mystery of His mission: to restore hurting, hardened, and lost hearts back to His love. This is a mystery that beckons exploration, an exploration into the deepest longings and thirsts of the soul. Jesus captured the compelling nature of His mission when He said, 'Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."

Maybe you've heard this Christmas 'story' many times, but what if these events really are true? What would be your response? You can read about this mystery by those who were eyewitnesses of it, such as the apostle John and his gospel account in the new testament of the Bible. This Christmas, may you come and behold this mystery for yourself, and see if it is not the most meaningful discovery you will ever make."

What do Snowmen Really Do at Night???

This is the profound question I was confronted with last night about midnight when I saw Lisa Lara's teapot card challenge. The Teapot Tuesday is now a regular challenge under the forum section on SCS, so look there if you would like to participate!

The teapot card was so cute and the Teapot was the prettiest one I've ever seen, all painted up in deep purple and twilight blue colors...

So this was the card I came up with. Naturally, snowmen play freeze tag at night!! What else can you do in sub-zero temperatures?? Living near the North Pole, they have lots of night sky...so what more fun way to spend the hours than playing freeze tag??

Now some of the tea potters are crazy, so you never know what they'll be up to...so grab a cup of cocoa, zip on up to the North Pole...and play along!!

My card was made with a image given to me by my friend, Peggysue!! It was perfect for this challenge today...and I had a few shimmerz paints and wouldn't you know there was a Wild Plum and Mystic Blue in the box, so that is what I used to paint on this night sky! Then Martha Stewart Holidays Glitter in Snow was added at the bottom. Thanks for stopping by today!

Over the weekend I had the fun of hosting a tea table at my friend, Maria's church for the annual Christmas Tea. She made a photo album video to view here if you would like. This was one of many tables that were there, all decorated in a different theme. I furnished all the china and made the tea party favors. It was pretty neat to see the table all decorated in my favorite colors, and know I could duplicate this at home if I wanted to.
If I had pictures of all the tables I would include them, they ranged from rustic to elegant, from simple to fancy, but all were so pretty and unique. The proceeds from this tea were part of a benevolent fund to aid single mothers. I thought that was an excellent cause!

Thanks for looking, hope you enjoy!! If you click on any of the pictures in the album, you can see a bit better!









http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d5449344d4463794e6a68384d6a51304e544d784d54633d0d0a&sb=1

Dashing through the Snow!! Teapot Tuesday

This week's Teapot Tuesday challenge was to make a card of one of your favorite Christmas memories, or what you would most want to get for Christmas.

I made my card using last week's sketch challenge, giving my little friends and me a hill to ride our toboggan on. This stamp is my first ever Whipper Snapper and is so cute, I love it. I had ordered this along with some Magnolia images about 3 months ago...these penguins have been around the globe a few times, I think. The order was from the UK and I have no idea where the package went but finally had to go to the post office to pick it up.

It reminds me of my going to Disney World one year with our kids in January just after Christmas. While my two young daughters and their Dad were being whirled around on those really fast rides, I was riding by myself in one of those boats through the canals of "It's a Small World "...ya know the one with the singing people from various countries donned in their heritage costumes...I am sure that is just demented to some of you...and I am proud to say that I did make it down the Log Ride but seriously was looking for a place to jump off at the top of the mountain!! I was holding our oldest daughter's hand and she was having to reassure me...

well, so back to this card.

This is me and my stamping buddies...I am the one on the end and you can't see, but my flipper is dragging in the snow on the other side trying to slow the sled down. My friend, Charlene (Bertie) is on the top of the hill hurling snowballs at us...and we are dodging them coming down the hill. Oh what fun!!

And you, my friends, reading this, are the ones in front...we are having a good time, aren't we??

Thanks for coming along, I promise I won't drag my flipper the whole way...

What is your favorite winter time activity??

LoriBelle's Bags!! and Blog Candy Alert!!

My friend, Lori, started her own business making hand quilted handbags in the past month!! I have ordered two of them already, and this is the latest one...it is done up so sweetly in rich browns, roses, moss greens, and burgundies. The inside of the bag is lined with pockets made to order,, and there is a drawstring closure! I am loving my bag...and wanted to let you know that these are available on Lori's Etsy store and also for custom ordering! So just wanted to pass this along to you, her prices are so reasonable and darling designs custom made with fabrics and pockets, straps to fit, zippers, etc...


You can find view and order your own one of a kind LoriBelle Bag at Chef Mama's blog: http://www.chefmamacrafts.blogspot.com/

Lori has some blog candy give away and her Etsy store there also!! So be sure to give her a visit and leave her a comment for the blog candy...a cute Christmas tote and some other goodies!!

Shadow Box Card

One of my friends issued a challenge this week from the Stamping Sisters in Christ blog to craft a card using the shadow box tutorial. The devotional this week can be found at the SSIC blog. The verse was 1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see through a glass, darkly: but then face to face: now I know in part, but then I shall even as I am known. "
I was intrigued by this design, and have been hoping to use this stamp set from Our Daily Bread Designs called "Peace on Earth" since receiving it. This rich regal gold embossed paper was just right for this image, too, don't you think?? I mounted the paper first on another piece of cardstock before cutting out a center window with the Labels Four nestability die. The image was embossed with gold detail powder, then highlighted with Antique Linen ink. Gold dome accents were added. The sentiment was done the same way, then the corners highlighted with gold ink. The ribbon is from Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply store, it drapes beautifully and is great for framing images.
I loved making this card, it reminded me of gazing into a window scene and gave the image such depth. This is a 5 1/2 inch square. card. Thanks Peggysue for the challenge and the wonderful devotional.
I am so happy you stopped by today!!

Dusty turned Valentine!!

Don't you just love it when two challenges converge into one needy cause? Today is the Operation Write Home's blog hop which you can find here:

http://www.owhhomefrontblog.org/
The idea from what I can gather as a latecomer is to honor our servicemen/women (Any Hero)...by sending in cards to either express gratitude or to be used as a Valentine card which our Any Hero can mail home to a loved one. The card I made yesterday had some little pink hearts on it and I purposefully added pink and blue with a dash of red so this card could be sent by a parent in the military to their child (boy/girl) expressing love and letting them know they are missed!! I am planning on mailing this one in to Operation Write Home and they will send it along.
The other challenge was issued by my friend, Charlene (lilluvstampin) on SCS to make a card for Dusty the Bear who is looking for a new home now that his owner left him abandoned in a dirty attic. The bear brigade is on it's way to rescue Dusty and unite him with some little boy or girl that misses their Daddy at home and needs a bear to hug!! Thanks Charlene for the challenge...and stay tuned next Tuesday for a new Teapot Challenge. It is now listed on the challenge forum page on SCS.

Thanks so much for looking, and hope you can make a card for the OWH, what an honor to participate in this cause!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things!!

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.

Brown paper packages tied up with strings,

These are a few of my favorite things.

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels.

Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles.

Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings,

These are a few of my favorite things!

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes,

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes...

Silver white winters that melt into springs,

These are a few of my favorite things!!

Good morning! These words are from one of my favorite songs taken from my all time favorite movie, The Sound of Music! I was delighted when the Flourishes Blog team challenged the viewers to create a card using one of the lines of the lyrics from these songs. I found some warm woolen mittens and paired them with the snowflakes from the snowflakes Cuttlebug folder, then doused them with some chunky MS glitter and added a pretty eyelet border , then finished it off with some pretty red buttons! This is also a TECHNIQUE using the Double embossed dry embossing which was featured on Monday's technique challenge on SCS. It took me awhile, but with a little determination, I was able to get a great embossing impression. What a fun way to add texture and spotlight one item as in these mittens.

Last year my husband and I were able to take a trip to Salzburg, Austria, where a good portion of this film was made...over the weekend I plan to upload a few photos of some of the settings from the movie, The Sound of Music.

Thanks so much for stopping by...and what would be your favorite thing from this song? I admit, it was hard for me to choose just one!!

Mojo Monday Sketch

Do you ever feel like your days are slipping past you and you have no control over where they go? It has been that kind of week for me...but it was so nice to take some time this morning and focus on the Mojo Monday sketch challenge. This card opens on the right side, which is cut one inch shorter and the edges scalloped and sponged. A bit of the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisspes paper was added to the inside edge for some color and contrast to the Kraft cardstock.
Hope this makes you smile...and you have a great weekend with time to do something you enjoy...maybe even stamping??

Simple but Heartfelt Sympathy

When making a sympathy card, I like to keep the card simple in layout and classic in design...I have to credit my good friend, Pat Smethers, for inspiring me with this set, Thoughts and Prayers from SU. Her colors were pinks, but I wanted to use blues, so I switched to a brocade blue. The corners are wrapped in silk taffeta with tiny pearl adornments. The roses are paper and add a bit of dimension.

I hope the recipient finds some comfort with knowing that others care and are praying for them!

Have a blessed day! Thank you for stopping by~

What's the Weather like where you live???

As I've mentioned more than a few times (anyone tired of hearing of our weather??) the weather here has been snowy...like setting records. Today's challenge on SCS by Judy (Joy in a Jar) was to make a card depicting the weather. I had made this card front a little while ago practicing the brayered sky look. It just seemed plain, so I had never done anything with it.

Today when I was flipping through my blue cardstock, I found a card front with this Irish blessing script already stamped, another discard. I decided to use my Top Note die on the script cardfront, and then played around with it and decided to put it on the side with the moon peeking out behind it.

Well, you put two discards together, and you get one pretty decent card. I really like it when that happens, as I don't like anything to be wasted. So, this is what I came up with and it will most likely be used as a sympathy card.

I hope you enjoy it, and hope you are able to use your discards today!! Thanks again for stopping by...

And really, what's the weather like at your house today???

Magnolia-licious Challenge: Clean and Simple!!

I love clean and simple, and am striving to go back to that for my designs. We are in thaw mode in Colorado today and the white fluffy stuff is melting away. I brought out these Fall colors for my Tilda, two of the in-colors from SU that I have completely forgotten about!! My Tilda is presenting the last of the Fall harvest, a sunflower, for your enjoyment! The white border and sentiment is a rub-on.

Thanks for looking, I have uploaded a few cards in the last couple of days, so scroll down if you have time. Hope you like my card, it took much longer to color than assemble!

Purple Pretties

Yesterday I wore my purple cabled sweater and a two tone purple/lavendar coat. The challenge on SCS was to make a card using purple, and the inspiration carried over into my wardrobe!

So this snowman was an image sent to me by my good friend, Pat Smethers, along with a pile of others. The white buckle is a piece of Maya Road chipboard that I painted and added a dusting of glitter. The ribbon is a lavendar polka dotand an aqua button is tied to the bow with floss...Layout is simple, I love simple layouts, and was this week's MojoMonday sketch, seen in my sidebar. Just click on the logo! I like the whimsy in this card, it makes me smile.

We had at least a few more inches of snow yesterday will have to look at the paper for the final numbers, but at least 20 inches total of snow here. I was so ready to get out of the house yesterday after being inside for 3 days...it was great~ With the upcoming weather forecast in the 50's, most of it should melt off in the next few days.

Thanks for popping in, and hope you're having a great day!!

Kraft Elegance

This is one of those experimental cards that took me three times longer than it should because I didn't know what I was doing...I stamped this tree with Stazon white, no luck, Craft white, (looked good at the time but by the time my card was finished you could barely see the ink), then Craft white with dazzling diamonds, didn't work, then Craft white with Pearl white embossing powder, didn't work, then Craft White with Winter White embossing powder by SU, we have a keeper!! I was up past 1:30 so please tell me it wasn't a waste of time. Hee...well, I am writing this down so the next time I pick up these colors, I'll remember which combination of ink to powder to use. This tree is from Papertrey Ink, and I love them...so many possibilities. The buttons are from the Poppy collection, the paper is also Papertrey Kraft, and the ribbon is SU.

I love the outcome, even though it took awhile! What do you think? Please scroll down to the next post to see what came to our house yesterday, it definitely got me in the mood to stamp Christmas cards!!

Hope your day is happy!!

Copper gets Snow!!

Good morning! It has been snowing here since night before last, steadily slowly and without let up!! These pictures give you an idea just how much...the first one is our Corgi named Copper . He didn't get to tunnel far off the back deck before realizing it was an insurmountable task for his short 4 legged body and turned around! No potty breaks for him for at least another 8 hours, hee!! The other photos show the back deck railings with the snow piled on top and in the background, the giant evergreen tree overladen with snow. It is supposed to snow more today, and I hope it doesn't as my husband's flight was cancelled once and he is scheduled to arrive here this afternoon...hopefully before dark and with shovel in hand!

While this is beautiful to look at and wonderful to stamp inside when the sparkly snow is falling, it is a worry with loved ones traveling the roads!

This snow is supposed to set a decade long record for our state...I'll let you know the latest in inches on my next post but as of last night it was 17 inches in Fort Collins!!

I have a card to upload later today, so I'll look for ya then!!

I thought I had put this set away until next summer, but decided to try it out with brown as an accent color, and love it! The berries took me awhile to color because I was trying to achieve the shading of the berries, other than that this went together pretty quickly. The button in one corner is a chocolate colored with a polka dot sheer ribbon added to the top with my fast grab tacky glue. Then the other corner needed "something," so I tried a double looped bow with two ribbons using my bow-easy and it worked!! That was an exciting discovery. I had spent a bit of time making a sentiment for this card, then by the time it was assembled, had forgotten about it. So when I found it, I tucked it on the inside, that way when it's ready for sending I can add it if I want.

Thanks for coming by for a quick visit today. The weather is cool outside, but the sun is shining!! Another beautiful fall day here in Colorado!!

Mothermark's Birthday Surprise!!!

It's pretty certain that all those who love Mothermark (Da Muddermark or Cindy as I know her) on SCS have either heard or played a part in this year's momentous birthday surprise!!

The Plan was "hitched" months ago by Pat and Shirley, to search and rescue the Wild Wild West Man (stamp set) and lassoo him up, landing him on Mothermark's doorstep. Pat made a very cool, very large distressed chest with the Buckleman's help and put a buckle on the top using the WWW cowboy!! If you haven't had a chance to see her "stage coach box"...here is the link:http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1515797?&cat=500&ppuser=76845

She and Shirley contacted many many friends of Mothermark's months in advance with the opportunity of contributing to the gift and adding a card to the chest!! What fun it was, and how proud I am of everyone's secrecy, as we all know it takes tight lips to carry out a plan of this magnitude!!!

Another SU friend decided to join in on the fun and with a little bit of prankster, donated another "WWW" stamp set that had those exact words, along with a cowboy hat, and rope. At a small dinner at Texas Roadhouse, I had the fun of handing over all of these goodies to Cindy and watching her reactions unfold. Two other stamping friends, Pam and Carn, joined us for a small dinner out.

Cindy was amazed as you can see from the pictures!! Starting with the little package of round stampers, progressing to the beautiful chest holding cards from so many friends from all over ...was by itself a little overwhelming.

My assignment was to bring the ladies a picture of Cindy's reaction to receiving the long coveted and joked about Wild Wild West man ...and the only way I thought I could do that was to hand her the stamp before she lost control of her tears!! She was that moved, and there was not a dry eye among us. So as she was sifting through the cards and getting more and more choked up, I reached in, and pulled the set out from the bottom of the chest, and showed it to her. She was the most surprised I have ever seen anybody!!!

Thanks to all the wonderful friends on SCS for making this all happen for Cindy...It was a surprise of a lifetime! And thanks to Pat and Shirley for making this such a memorable and fun event to take part in!!

Season that Sparkles

This card was made for the Flourishes Design Team October challenge celebrating the debut of the October release set. You were to have fun creating a card that sparkled, and I did!
I do not own any Christmas Flourishes stamps, but two of my friends contributed to this sparkly ornament card, Joyce provided the shimmery burgundy ribbon, and Peggysue the cute penguin image last year. Thanks so much friends!! I made a frame from the ribbon, added stickles and shimmerz to the image, and a little stardust glimmer to each individual snowflake for added sparkle.
On the back of the round mat I only added one small dimensional, in case the recipient wants to remove the center ornament for hanging. This was a lot of fun, though time consuming to make.
And wouldn't ya know it, our snow has melted just in time for a sunshiney day to take this lil guy's picture!!
Thanks so much for stopping by...and your comments are always so fun to read!!
Have a wonderful day, and great weekend!

Just Ducky!!

In the stamping world, I find inspiration from so many things...window shopping, a front porch, a swatch of fabric, and in this case, a great piece of writing!!

A great friend of mine, known as Peggysue on SCS, wrote an article recently on a blog that is new to me. I am including a link :http://womentowomensharingjesus.blogspot.com/ so you can have the pleasure of reading it for yourself!

I have a long time affection for ducks, so her title caught my attention right away! Even though Peggysue's words weren't related to stamping, my mind settled on these things. I thought about how even in stamping, I go through times when I don't know where my style fits in, or somedays, even what my style is. If I compare myself to others I easily become discouraged and lose my joy of creativity. While I enjoy learning different techniques, I sometimes become overwhelmed with all the new and latest die cuts, gadgets, and now the world of digi images is emerging. Sometimes I just want to run and hide. So rather than run, I think I will waddle on over to my stamp desk now... and find contentment and happiness with creating in my own little corner.

Thanks Peggysue, for inspiring me with your words and insight.

And I've given this some thought...there is only one kind of duck I don't want to be...look at my card...you've heard of a "sitting duck..." so I will keep moving and hope you will read the entirety of Peggysue's entry and be blessed!!

Oh, and this uses this week's Mojo Monday sketch which you can check out on my sidebar.

Thanks for stopping by today!!

Yes, we have no bananas!!

I have a few bananas, actually, still left in my freezer. Yesterday I went to a really fun Christmas workshop that my SU demo and friend held at her house. We had several projects to choose from and this is one I made a few of, a bread or goodie box! I had the box but nothing to put in it , so spent the afternoon baking up a few loaves of my favorite banana bread. I am going to include the recipe below, just in case anyone wants to try it.

This was a pretty easy project to make...but I don't have the exact directions.. I really like that it used only one sheet of paper, and then your designer paper was minimal since it only accented the panels. I like to give home baked treats at Christmas so this was a good one for me.

I just kept my loaf of bread in the little foil pan, but it was a bit big for it, so I might remove the next ones from the pan first, and just wrap in clear wrap and tie a pretty bow on it!

The picture isn't the best...we have snow outside...do you remember my last snowman post stating I could wait awhile?? Well, the next day we were hit with snow and ice, and that is early for October. It didn't make for the best lighting and two of my desk lights are out and have to be replaced before I can stamp or take pictures in my stamp room!

Okay here is the recipe from Southern Living. This bread comes out almost the consistency of pound cake and is a whiter version than most...I like the creaminess of it.

Cream Cheese Banana-Nut Bread

3/4 Cup butter, softened

1 (8oz) cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

3 Cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3-4 very ripe bananas, mashed (1 1/2 cups)

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients in separate bowl; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in mashed banana, pecans, and vanilla.

Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8 x4 inch loaf pans.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan. You may need to shield with foil the last 15 minutes to prevent over browning.

Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing. Yields 2 loaves.
Thanks for popping in, and I'll share a couple of the other projects in the next few days here. Happy Stamping!

Silly Snowman

Ever have one of those days when there are a million other things you SHOULD be doing, but you can't because a challenge is calling your name?? Today is one of those for me, first the sketch challenge by Rox on SCS and secondly, a Mothermark Teapot Tuesday issued by one of our fun teapot friends, Marilynn.

You can visit the teapot challenge by going to the regular Teapot Tuesday challenge thread and viewing yesterday's post. Cindy is taking a leave from stamping, and Marilynn has so kindly filled in the past two weeks. To keep the spirit of the teapot challenge alive, I made this with a stamp that my wonderful friend and walking buddy, Cindy, loaned to me. She told me I could borrow it until the "crocuses bloom." Now that's clever...I think I had it until the crocuses bloomed, the crocuses died, the leaves on the trees blossomed, withered and fell, before she saw this stamp again. I love this stamp! Thanks Cindy, and if you happen to read this, hope to see you back soon.

This sketch just worked for this image. I used some really cute polka dot brads that my sweet friend, Linda B gave me last year and some stickles for sparkle.

Thanks for stopping by, and as for snow, well, I can wait another month or so for that. Or maybe until the crocuses bloom...whichever comes first!

Hope you're having a wonderful day!!

World Card Making Day!

Well, it's the end of the weekend and I was able to spend most of a Sunday afternoon participating in the World Card Making Day challenges on SCS!!

The first card is my Flourishes Stamps submission for this sketch. This set is a flourished sweet pea boquet embossed in a pearl white and then watercolored. I had a humdinger of a time trying to figure out what was leaves and what were blossoms, as it was white on white. This is one time a paint by number would have come in really handy! All in all, I liked the end result though not sure I like this tilted off it's axis!

The next card was for Gina K's challenge to use the colors pumpkin, chocolate and vanilla in your card creation. I was able to whip this out using some designer paper that I have had forever, and my bowmaker for the silk ribbon. A quick and hopefully elegant card!

The last card was my Magnolia's challenge requirement to make an ornament. I have several Magnolia images, but alas no Christmas or holidays, so was delighted with the paper piecing and if you look really closely, Tilda is wearing cherries on her pinafore~~With a little glitter, it looks pretty Christmas-y, and pairs well with her patterned tights. A couple of ribbons were added, some distressing, and a couple of hours later, here ya go!!

I hope you were able to participate in one if not more of these challenges.

And anybody want to come over...we can clean up my stamp room and eat some of the chocolate hiding underneath the piles!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mojo Sketch Challenge 106

Good morning! This lil card was made using this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge (Found on my sidebar.) I don't use Kraft enough so wanted to try it with a new stamp that a friend gave me, this cool make your own gingham cling stamp that I used for the background. It is more subtle on the kraft paper, but it melds so well with all colors! I paired this with bravo burgundy paper and inks, and this cute scalloped border gingham ribbon...and added a couple of pretty red buttons for accent. Rectangle nestabilities were used for the teapot and the mat for the sentiment.

The teapot lid was stamped twice, and cut out and mounted for added dimension. The entire teapot was covered with the crystal effects for some added color depth.

Question: do any of you have a kraft knife that you love? I have the hardest time using them and getting smooth cuts. This last one is a fingertip control by fiskars, I believe, and the blade doesn't seem very secure. If you have a tip for using them, I'd be so appreciative!

Thanks for looking, and hope you're having a great day!

Serendipity and Socks!!

This is what is going on in my life today...I am getting ready for a big batch of ladies for the first time and driving myself a little bonkers, trying to fit in chairs, clean, decorate, and bake...but it is all going really well. I just needed a silly break.

So the previous card posted was using this same stamped image from SU's set, Country Blessing. When I punched it out with my nestabilities , I threw the scrap piece of cardstock into my pile. Yesterday I go to grab a scrap paper and what did I see? Not one punch, but two, perfectly spaced, perfectly aligned...honestly better than I could do if I had tried. How this happened, I don't know. But I wanted to try to utilize this "scrap" for a new card creation. This Country blessing set and sentiment fit perfectly! So this card is serendipitous.

I looked the word up in my dictionary:

serendipity: The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.

Or maybe a "happy mistake."(my definition.) Don't we all make those in stamping??

The other picture is a follow-up action step I took after reading one of my friend's comments on my last Tilda's entry. My lament had to do with the serious business of socks. I love socks...I like them much more than shoes, because I am limited in the style of shoe I can wear due to arthritis in my feet. But I can go fashionable in my choice of socks. However, I commented that Tilda had matching socks and I did not! That is true...so my friend, Dawn, mentioned I needed a sock makeover!! Now why didn't I think of that?

Meet the Brown family! This is my tribute of socks to browns. I got them yesterday during s sock shopping spree after pulling out my sock drawer and tossing a few mismatched and giving a few I don't wear to Goodwill. I have room now for the Brown family and am truly excited beyond anyone's rightful mind should be!! These browns are so rich in hue, so don't be fooled by their solid color. I plan on adding slowly to my sock deficit when I see a color that inspires me. Hopefully soon I won't be outdone by Tilda's socks!!

And while organizing my sock drawer, I found an old hand written letter from my dear younger brother. It was his birthday this week and I was trying to think of what to say in my annual birthday letter. Once I read his, I knew just how to respond. Now that was serendipity. Don't you think???

Foliage in Metallics

This is one of those cards that took a couple of days to put together. Saturday I had purchased some metallic pearl ex powders with the hopes of bringing some of the Fall foliage colors to life. This set is from SU's Country Blessings and is one of my favorites. I embossed the image with copper embossing powder, practiced a few techniques over an hour and this is the finished product. The sketch is taken from today's Mojo Monday 105 sketch to use circle punches for the bottom 2 borders of your card. These were different designer papers punches and then sprayed with the pearl ex powders for a little glimmer. Satin ribbon was tied around the base of the first row to hide the tops of the circles. Copper SU paper was embossed with the" finial press"and tiny gold rhinestones added for accent. I love this look in person, even though it is difficult to capture on photograph all the subtle shimmer. You can always click on the card for a larger image.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful day!!

Magnolia Moments

This is my submission for Magnolia's weekly challenge on the Just Magnolia blog (a link is on my sidebar.) This week's was to use embossing on your card...and my designer paper was embossed using a new SU folder I ordered. I love the subtle look with this one. The not so subtle colors are my nod to purple, actually rich razzleberry is the name! I love this color, and it matched up well with this already colored Magnolia.
I won the sentiment stamp at my demo and friend, Carn's, last month!! How fun is that?? Nobody else even put their name in the bucket, so I had pretty good odds of winning. I like to bake and figured I'd use this stamp set, and I have! I am wanting to make an apple pie or apple crisp soon.
Tilda is holding out her prize winning apple pie!! Her secret ingredient...you'll have to wait to find out! One thing I love about coloring my Tilda's is she always has matching socks! In real life, that is my aim, but too often my socks not only do not match my outfit, they don't match each other!
Have a super day!

Rupert Romps

So it's another Tuesday and to get the whole story, you need to visit Mothermark's blog (on my sidebar), This is my Story! Rupert is wanting to romp in all the Fall leaves and is hoping Barney Bear will drop the basket and join him!

It's all about teapot fun!

Oh, and this is also a sketch challenge on the Crazy4Challenges blog.

Thanks for stopping by, and wishing you some fun leaves to romp in or stomp on today!

My Favorite Things

Today is Featured Stamper at SCS...and the featured stamper is Shannon Steubner. Congratulations Shannon on being chosen...wonderful gallery and a style I love!!

So the assignment of the day is to take a card and CASE it...and this is my take on one of Shannon's cards.

As much as I like this set, "Like it a Latte" I felt I had exhausted it's use...until I saw this layout. This card is 51/4 inches square, which helped to accomodate all the elements.

The coffee cup and steam were stamped in Tim Holtz Walnut distress ink...then heat embossed. This added some texture and made the image dark enough to show up with my patterned paper.

I have a coffee date tomorrow, it is one of my favorite things. Just the smell when entering a good coffee shop is intoxicating to me~~

Thanks for stopping by, I always enjoy your comments.

Just sharing a treat with you!!

Today's inspiration challenge on SCS is from a children's clothing site~~ Talk about cute!!

I found my inspiration at the bottom of the screen with this adorable little outfit that featured a pumpkin! Since I had already colored my hedgie and pumpkin, all that was left was assemble it, and the colors and designer paper came after seeing the inspiration! I guess that's why they call it inspiration challenge! Hee~

Also, sharon on Notimetostamp's Friday's blog challenge was to make a Halloween card. I don't make cards to celebrate Halloween, but I love the idea of Fall cards, and this image fit the bill on both counts. Not too scary, I don't think.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!