Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #8

Today's Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge was a real DOOZIE this week! I had to really think about this one and I'm still not sure I like the outcome. The DT samples are amazing ... if you haven't checked out Priscillastyles blog yet ... you really should!!!!

There were no stamps or ink used on this creation. My image came from http://www.digitalcollagesheets.com/ and is from "The Lady's Closet" collage sheet. My background panel of designer paper is from K&Co. The other papers are scraps I had laying on my table. The ribbon is by Darice and is zig-zagged which I when over with Diamond Stickles. Here are other supplies used for this card:

Papers: K&Co. dp, Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Mellow Moss, Pink Passion, Green Galore, Basic Grey (scrap)

Accessories: Darice ribbon, Prima flowers, Making Memories brads, Stickles (diamond & pink), Nestabilities

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you are planning a fun filled July 4th weekend!! We have friends coming to visit tomorrow and I can't wait to see them again. Happy Stamping!

My Latest Adventure ...

Sorry folks, no card creations today (maybe later) but I would like to share with you what I've been up to the past few days and the reason for me being MIA.

I have been wanting to repaint my kitchen for awhile now ... but with DH health issues there just wasn't time and then once he came home I was afraid the paint fumes might give him some trouble. Well, it's been 2 months since his transplant and since we have friends from Toledo coming to visit tomorrow (yikes, that's cutting it close), I decided Sunday morning I would "get 'r done"!!

We've only lived in this house 5 1/2 years and I painted the kitchen YELLOW a few years back and thought it was time again for some freshening up. This time I decided to be brave and paint it my favorite color "PURPLE" ... actually the colors are FEBRUARY FROST (down the hall & wall facing into the livingroom) and WEEPING WISTERIA (a shade darker for the remainder of the kitchen).

I don't have any of my decorative pictures rehung yet but this will at least give you an idea of what it looks like. My husband says I caught him "in a weak moment" when he agreed to let me use PURPLE on the walls. I caught him in a really weak moment back in Toledo when I painted the front door "Barney" Purple, LOL!! The house was grey Victorian styled and actually when we had to sell it and move here to Akron, it was the FRONT DOOR that was the selling feature for the lady buyer!!!

SO ... what do you think??? It's not completely finished (decorative wise) but I really like it!! Guess I'd better get my work started if I'm going to be ready for my guest arrival tomorrow. I only have the rest of the house to get cleaned ... get groceries ... mow the lawn ... well, you get the picture!! Thanks for stopping by!! I hope to have a couple cards for you later too! After all, today is Crafty Secrets & Midnight Madness Challenge day!!! Enjoy your day!!!

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #7

I am so late getting my card done for this week's Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #7 over on Priscillastyles blog ... but finally took the time this morning and here it is!! What do you think???




It's funny how this card just kept GROWING!! I started out with an A-2 sized card of Whisper White and stamped my own background but when I was finished, it looked like it needed something so I thought a black matt would work but that made my card too big now so I cut an A-6 sized card of Whisper White ... used the same stamp for background and attached my altered A-2 card on top. I like it better now!!





Here is the recipe for this card:

Stamps: Inkadinkado
Papers: Whisper White, Basic Black, Crafty Secrets (Classic) dp
Inks: Versafine black, Versacolor seafoam, SU pink pirouette
Accessories: Offray tuxedo bow ties, Hero Arts gems, Nestabilities, Liquid Pearls, Stickles, Sponge applicator



I've added liquid pearls to the wedding dress to give it a little extra texture and matching pearls around the outer scallops of the matting. Using a sponge while my image was still inside my Nestabilities oval die, I added Versacolor Seafoam shadowing. LOVE that look!!


Well, I probably won't get any more crafting done today! I'm thinking about painting my kitchen this weekend. We have friends coming to visit next week and would like to have it done before they get here ... brave I know!!! (or crazy!!) AND ... I'm really going out on a limb here ... I want to paint it in shades of PURPLE (imagine that). The adjoining diningroom has a grape/wine theme and I made the curtains/chair seat covers in a deep wine so I thought lighter shades in the kitchen would tie in nicely. Makes sense to me!! LOL!!

I painted it yellow a few years ago and I'm really getting tired of it ... SO ... here I go!!!! Wish me luck!!


Thanks for stopping in!!

Stamp Simply #93 *** Blue *** Green *** Piercing

Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply Challenge for today is a fun & easy one! Here it is in her words:

Combo Challenge – Today’s challenge is two-fold — a color challenge and
simple technique. COLORS — grassy green and sky blue. I’ve always
loved blue and green together. You MAY add other colors, just make sure
you get in plenty of the greens and blues. SIMPLE TECHNIQUE -
PIERCE. I seem to have gotten away from piercing of late, but I LOVE to do
it — so I’m hoping this challenge gets me back into piercing mode!!! Can’t
wait to see what you all do!

I have had a product sitting on my work table called Pan Pastels for several months and today I decided to use them. It's an artist paste chalk and comes in stackable round containers with the sponge applicators in the lower portion of the stack. This made for a very QUICK background for my card. Using a large sponge pod I used a darker green with a lighter shade of green over top for the "grassy" portion ... then the same with 2 shades of blue for the "sky" portion. My image is by Paper Inspirations and I simply stamped it, clear embossed it, matted it (twice) then using dimensional tape, adhered it to my background panel.


Believe it or not ... the SU grosgrain ribbon is the exact color (brocade blue) as the matting but for some reason my camera always goes nuts when photographing blues/purple hues. Crazy I know!!!
The simple paper piercing was done using the SU piercing template.



Thanks for stopping by today! Here's wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead ... go out there and do something fun!! And, if you can't ... stay in and stamp ... that's ALWAYS fun!!!

Color Throwdown #48

Today's COLOR THROWDOWN Challenge is hosted by LeAnne Pugliese (Wee Inkings) and she has asked us to use the soft colors of Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze and Kraft.

Kraft is one color that I use very little of so I don't really own "actual" kraft cardstock but I had something very similar and used it instead. I guess I need to force myself to make a kraft cardstock purchase and use it ... everyone else makes beautiful cards using it ... why can't I??? Back to the card ......

My main image is by Great Impressions and was purchased at Tammy Hershberger's (waiving HI!) store (Toyrifix) a while back and I decided to use it today. I used both SU watercolor pencils & Prismacolor markers for the coloring.

Card recipe:

Stamps: Great Impressions, AMuse

Papers: Pink Pirouette, WW, Baja Breeze, faux Kraft, SU Urban Garden designer paper

Inks: Versafine Black

Accessories: Detail Clear EP, Prismacolor markers, SU watercolor pencils, Nestabilities (oval & scallop oval), Offray grosgrain ribbon, Mark Richards mini pink pearls, SU eyelet border punch

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you find a little inspiration in my card creations. Hope you are having a fun filled day!!

Using my FAVORITE color ...

This week's STAMP SOMETHING Challenge is to use Black & White and your favorite color. Of course, as most of you know, my favorite color is all shades of PURPLE. I multi-challenged myself and used today's SCS Sketch Challenge for the layout.

My base card is of Whisper White and the background paper is from the Crafty Secrets RADIANT paper pack. I've used a Studio G sentiment stamp for my 2a&2b panels and my main image flower is an Anita's stamp from a store called Pat Catan's. I colored my flower image using Prismacolor Markers and cut it out with my swivel craft knife. Before removing my circle from my Nestabilities die, I used a sponge applicator and sponged around the outer edge using both Eggplant Envy & Elegant Eggplant inks. I've also used my square Nestabilities to cut the matting from Elegant Eggplant cs and made my dots using a white Gelly Roll pen.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you are having a WONDERFUL day!!

Craft Secrets Challenge - "Inspired by Nature"

MORNING ALL!!

Yesterday's Crafty Secrets Forum Challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) was hosted by Marcy (kiddielitter) and the theme was "Inspired by Nature". By the clues Marcy provided on Monday,

*We are surrounded by it

*Many artists have been inspired by it

*Some of you mentioned it (in some form or another) while describing your projects last week

*Louis Armstrong sang a wonderful song about it

I assumed it to be something about "water/the ocean" so I made my card EARLY using the Crafty Secrets SEASIDE stamp set. Hey, I was close, LOL!!! Here is the recipe for this creation:

Stamps: Crafty Secrets (seaside), Stampscapes (birds)

Papers: Whisper White, Basic Black, Blue Bayou, Crafty Secrets (radiant) designer paper

Inks: Versafine Black & Sepia

Accessories: Nestabilities, Swivel Craft Knife, Chalks, Make-up applicator, Eclipse masking, large Sponge Pod, SU watercolor pencils & blender pen, Dimensionals, Hobby Lobby ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you find a little inspiration in my work. Have a great day. Don't forget to stop back later today when I hope to have cards for the SCS Sketch Challenge and the Color Throwdown to share with you!!

Challenges for Crafty Secrets

Now that I am involved in 4 different Crafty Secrets Groups and join in on the challenges offered, you can certainly say that I am a CRAFTY SECRETS LOVER!!!! LOL!!
Today, I have two cards for you.


The first one is for a brand new We Love Crafty Secrets group over on Paperee and it was started by none other than Miss Marisa Isa (one of the awesome designers on the CS design team). Julie Campbell offered to be hostess for the 1st challenge and she has asked us to use "contrasting colors". Here is an excerpt from her challenge posting:



CONTRASTING COLORS! Pick your favorite color and then use it's complement--red/green, blue/orange, purple/yellow, etc. Also feel free to use any shade in between as I did--turquoise/muted orange.




Anyone who knows me is aware that my favorite color is PURPLE. The contrasting color for purple is actually yellow but I "kicked it up a notch" and used orange. While working in a Florist Shoppe back in PA (yes, I'm also a certified floral designer) I remember always loving to put together purple irises and orange lilies ... along with white mums or carnations, it was always a cheerful arrangement. okay ... back to the card. The background paper is from a Paper Pizazz pack I purchased for $1 at the stamping sale down in Zoar last month. In fact there were three packs there and bought them all ... hey, they were only $1 a piece and they were vintage designs ... can you blame a girl!!! LOL!



Recipe for this card is as follows:

Stamps: Crafty Secrets Garden Girls
Papers: Only Orange, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Paper Pizazz designer paper
Inks: Versafine Black, Perfect Plum
Accessories: Martha Stewart branch punch, Nestabilities, ZIG markers, Prima flowers, Making Memories brads, Michaels ribbon, Distresser


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My second card is for the Heartwarming Vintage Crafty Secrets challenge I am hosting every Sunday over on Papercraft Planet. Today we are doing Squares & Circles. The challenge is to use at least one of each on your creation.


For my card I have used images from the Crafty Secrets Garden Girls & Bird Notes stamp sets. I have stamped my Garden Girl image directly onto a scrap piece of CS Earthy designer paper. My circles have been cut using Nestabilities and the papers are Whisper White which has been sponged using More Mustard and the larger circle was cut from a scrap of Graphic45 paper. A scrap piece of burgundy cardstock was punched using the SU scallop edge border punch with Stampendous diamond dots added to each scallop then added to the bottom of my main panel. Larger diamond dots were added to the top right corner in conjunction with the narrow burgundy satin ribbon from Michaels.



Thanks so much for stopping by today! If you own any Crafty Secrets products ... please come join in on these challenges ... we have great fun!

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #6

Better late then never they say!!

I finally got my card completed for Priscilla's Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #6 which was posted on Wednesday. I had to give this one a little extra thought and for some reason, nothing was coming to me!! Well, in the middle of the night, I decided I should use this cute image for my focus! Aren't these babies cute???? Would you believe this is me (the little one) and my sister Linda who is 13 months older than me. (Hence the name panels in the upper right corner.)

Now those were the days when your mom could put you out in the wash bucket for your bathtime ... LOL!!!

My base card is Whisper White and the designer paper is by K&Company. The wider B&W plaid ribbon is from Michael's and the thinner B&W gingham is by Sweet Petites. The B&W flowers are by The Paper Studio and the brads are all from Making Memories. I've used the SU word window to punch out the tabs used for my hand written names.

In case you're interested the approximate time frame of this image is 1952. My how time flies!! I can't believe I'm even sharing a close-up of me in this picture. I just think it's so funny I wanted to share it with you all!!

I think I'll be sending this card to my sister. She just turned 60 last week and I made her a card but I really think she'll get a charge out of seeing this! AWE ... wonderful memories!! We have shared so many!!!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. If you haven't yet checked out this challenge ... you are missing all the FUN & GOODIES!! Please click the link above in this post or the link on my sidebar. Hope you are having a great day!!!!

Stamp Simply #92 - Summer Recipes

Time for another one of Sharon Johnson's fun filled Stamp Simply challenges. Today's challenge is all about "Summer Recipes". We are to make our card/project with that topic in mind. Well ... here it is in Sharon's own words:


SUMMER RECIPES – We all love getting new recipes to try out. Today our challenge is to make a card, or recipe card, or anything at all that will either hold a recipe or that we can write a recipe on AND there’s one more part that’s optional, but would be fun. SHARE your favorite summer recipe with us in your post — I think we’d ALL love to get some new recipes. And it’s summer — the recipes don’t need to be hard — they can be as simple as what you throw into your favorite tossed salad, or a picnic dish, or whatever. I’d love to get some new ideas — have fun with it!!!




Well, my family is quite large and every year we all get together for a "weekend" reunion and believe me ... there are SO many recipes flying around!! In fact 5 years go one of my cousins, myself and my daughter gather up all those favorite recipes, photos & stories and put them together in a 3-ring binder (396 page) Morgan Family Cookbook. (see image insert)

I would like to share one of those recipes with you today but first I will share with you the recipe for this card creation! My base card is Whisper White and the designer papers are from DCWV Garden Party and Graphic 45. I have used whisper white & the SU scallop border punch to create my scallop edge border and a round tip Creative Memories black marker for the accent dots. My recipe card was made from a piece of Whisper White cardstock that I have drawn lines on and the cute little image is from the Crafty Secrets Sweet Stuff and the "Seasoned with Love" images are from the Crafty Secrets Kitchen Classic set.


Now for the RECIPE: This is a DIP recipe that is SO EASY and is great with veggies, chips, baked potatoes and anything else you might want to put it on or use it with! It's comparable to Dill Dip but it has one ingredient that gives it a little different taste and extra special flavor. That ingredient is a spice (by Spice Island) called "Beau Monde" (see insert).


Here are the ingredients:

1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise (Miracle Whip can be used but makes it sweeter)
1 teaspoon of each of the following:

• Minced onion
• Dill Weed
• Parsley Flakes
• Beau Monde

Mix together and enjoy! Holds up in the fridge for several days and is best if made a couple of hours before you want to use it ... to give the spices time to infuse.


I hope you try this recipe. Once you do, it will become a family favorite! I know my family ALL make it instead of buying store bought dip for anytime they are serving a veggie tray or even just chips & dip! Thanks for stopping by my blog today ... hope to see you again real soon!!


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EDIT: For those of you who can't find the Spice Island spices in your area, HERE is a link to purchase the beau monde used in this recipe. I got to this site right from the Spice Island website ( www.spiceislands.com). The ingredients in this spice are: Salt, Dextrose, Onion, Celery Seed and Silicon Dioxide. (You could probably use Celery Salt but NOT as much.)

Taking Time to Smell the Flowers ...

FIRST ... the good news: I'm typing this from DH's hospital room where we are waiting for the IV drip of Potassium to finish up and then I can TAKE HIM HOME!!
The c-diff infection is not cleared yet but he can complete his medical treatment from home. We do have an appointment to see his Oncologist next week to follow up on his progress.





While I wait I'd like to share with you this creation I made to cover two challenges from yesterday.






Speaking of yesterday, I had to take care of a couple of appointments I had scheduled over in Pennsylvania and ended up driving back home through the WORST thunderstorm I have ever experienced. It was raining SO hard, people were driving 40 mph on the interstate because the visibility was terrible, and that was probably still too fast! When I got back to the hospital DH informed me that there were tornado warnings in the area I had just come from. My daughter texted me 10 minutes later and said they had 6" of water in their basement and their power was out. I'm happy to report everything is back to normal today!!!



Back to my card! The color combination here is for the Color Throwdown Challenge hosted this week by Danielle Kennedy (Wild Dragonfly Designs) . I have used Kiwi Kiss & Cameo Coral cardstock and also SU Pink Flamingo designer paper to satisfy the color requirements.





My layout is for the SCS Sketch Challenge #233. A simple layout that I'm sure I will use over and over again. The main image is one of the Magnolia images from the Flourishes Lilac stamp set which I have stamped & embossed using Old Olive then colored with Cameo Coral ink/blender pen. The backgound for this panel is Whisper White cs which I have stippled Tempting Turquoise & Black the outlined using a Creative Memories Round Tip Black Marker.


RECIPE:

Stamps: Flourishes Lilacs, The Stamp Pad Co.
Papers: Kiwi Kiss, Cameo Coral, Whisper White, SU Pink Flamingo dp
Inks: Versafine Black, Cameo Coral, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Martha Stewart Arch Lattice border punch, Hero Arts gems, Creative Impression blossoms, Stipple Brush, Creative Memories round tip black marker, Offray metallic ribbon, Crystal Effects, dimensional tape.


Thanks so much for stopping by today! Hope you are having a fun, creative day!!

It's ALL ABOUT ME ..

What a fun, fun Crafty Secrets Stimulating Creativity Challenge over on the Crafty Secrets forum of Splitcoast Stamper (SCS). Pammyjo is our hostess this week and here is a summary in her words:


That's right we are going selfish today...what do you see in the mirror?



I took this challenge "literally" and actually printed out and used as my main image, a black & white photo of "mwah" back in 1953. My father had a tremendous green thumb and his flower gardens were awesome. I guess I have inherited a bit of his gardening talents and a lot of his love for Mother Nature. Hence the use of the Crafty Secrets Garden Girls "pot of flowers" image. Which was stamped onto Whisper White with Versafine black ink and detail clear embossed. I used SU watercolor pencils & blender pen to color the image in. Of course with this main photo image being taken back in the '50s, it was not in color. I used various SU inks and inking nibs/sponge pods to add some color.



Another "ME" topic would be my need to nurture. A few years ago my Mother went through several surgeries involving her colon and I was her "nurse maid" throughout that year. Then, of course, with my DH being diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma a year ago April, I have had a lot of time invested playing "nurse maid" to him. This cute little nurse from the Crafty Secrets Feeling Yucky set represents that side of my personality!!



Full recipe for this creation is as follows:

Stamps: Crafty Secrets (Garden Girls) & (Feeling Yucky)
Papers: Whisper White, Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Crafty Secrets (Radiant) dp
Ink: Versafine black, soft sky, old olive, rose romance
Accessories: Prima flowers, Doodlebug sugar coated brad, Hero Arts gems, SU watercolor pencils blender pen, dimensional tape, Creative Memories corner rounder, Martha Stewart branch punch, Offray satin ribbon, Detail clear embossing powder, Inking nibs, sponge pod



Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear any comment you may have on my work! Happy Stamping!

A vintage Birthday Wish ...

My last post for today and I think it is my favorite! This creation is for the Our Creative Corner Challenge (OCCC) where we were to use border punches. Also, I have used the sketch provided for the Sketch Challenge over on Papercraft Planet (sk061309).

I found this image on the internet and thought it would fit perfectly for this sketch layout and the designer paper I wanted to use. Here is the recipe for this card:

Stamps: Inkadinkado

Papers: River Rock, Sage Shadow, Pretty in Pink, K&Co. designer paper

Ink: Versafine Black

Accessories: Prima flowers, Hero Arts gems, Martha Stewart Arch Lattice border punch, Martha Stewart branch punch, Michael's pink satin ribbon, Internet image

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. My dear sweet husband is doing pretty good but the c-diff infection just doesn't seem to want to go away. Seems he's going to be here for at least a few more days. So, it's time for me to leave the hospital and get a few things done at home while he takes a nap. Happy Day Everyone!!

Old Friends ...

With DH in the hospital, I'm having to combine challenges in order to get them all completed.

This card covers two different challenges. First is the stampTV Technique Challenge (Polished Stone). Gina K does a very nice video on this technique over on her stampTV website, please check it out!! Also, the sketch is for the Sketch Something Challenge over on the Stamp Something Blog.

It has been AGES since I've played with my alcohol inks and I'm always thrilled with the outcome. Here I have used Stream, Denim & Pearl Mixative onto glossy white paper. A little hint when working with alcohol inks ... with them being a bit messy, and the fact that you can never exactly duplicate the outcome, use at least a 5x8 piece of glossy white when creating and you'll have enough for more than one card creation.

I have stamped this retired SU "Sketches" image directly onto the finished Polish Stone background paper then embossed using Detail Clear Embossing Powder. A White Gelly Roll pen was used to make highlights on the seagulls and water. I also used that same gelly roll pen to make dots on the scallop edge of my Nestabilities matting. I used the SU scallop edge punch on my "ribbon panel" and if you look closely, you will see I have also made dots using a Creative Memories fine tip black marker. My base card is Tempting Turquoise and the designer paper is from the DCWV Garden Party pack. The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby and the black pearl is by Martha Stewart. The sentiment is actually from the GinaK Baskets of Happiness Easter stamp set.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I have one more card to share with you today so I'll be back later with that. Hope I'm not overwhelming you with creations ... with DH in the hospital I don't sleep very well ... so what better to do than make cards! You understand I'm sure!! Have a wonderful day!!!

Faux Handmade Paper Challenge

The Technique Challenge today over on Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) was to make faux handmade paper. What a fun challenge and a good way to use those acrylic paints that I have sitting in a basket collecting dust!!

I am thrilled with the outcome of this technique and can't wait to try other color combinations. Of course I LOVE purple so that's the color palette I went with. Here is the RECIPE for this card:

Stamps: SU Bloomin' Beautiful, Flourishes Words 001

Papers: Whisper White, Bazzill Watermelon, Bazzill Boysenberry delight, Silver metallic

Inks: Versafine black, Rose Romance, Elegant Eggplant

Accessories: Sponge, SU watercolor pencils & blender pen, detail clear ep, dimensional tape, EK Success tag punch, Offray organza ribbon, Michael's silver metallic elastic, various acrylic paints, Puffs tissues

PCP Crafty Secrets Challenge - 061409

Time for another Crafty Secrets Challenge over on Papercraft Planet. Today's challenge was based on the old saying "Mind your P's and Q's"! Well, we're leaving out the Q's but your challenge today is to see how many things you can use/do on your project/card that begin with the letter "P".

For my card I chose to use the Crafty Secrets Sew Special set. Here is a list of the "P" items I have used:

• Pink cardstock & designer paper


• Purple cardstock


• Pearls


• Pin Cushion (image)


• Prima Flowers


• Pattern (image)


• Pin (decorative)


• Paper Piecing and


• Paper Piercing

The base card is SU Pink Pirouette and the designer paper is Crafty Secrets Classic. I stamped the "pattern" image over the designer paper using SU Eggplant Envy ink then embossed. The "boo-stee-a" was stamped onto a scrap of Crafty Secrets designer paper then paper pieced onto the stand. (see closeup) I couldn't decide what color "boo-stee-a" I wanted to I stamped & cut several ... then decided to use them all! The heart brad in the middle of my purple Prima flowers came from the $1 bin at Target. The is faux paper piercing on the dp and true paper piercing on the pink panel. My purple ribbon came from Hobby Lobby and the pearls are The Paper Studio. I stamped the pin cushion directly onto the pink pierced paper then used an American Crafts gold glitter pen to accent it. Did you notice the decorative Pin?? I think that's about all the "P's" I can come up with.

If you want to have some fun ... and maybe challenge yourself a bit ... why not join in on the fun! You only need ONE Crafty Secrets product to qualify to play (afterall, it is the Crafty Secrets Group Challenge, LOL). Remember when you upload your creation to include the TAG (keyword) of HVCS061409. Hope to see you there!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today and here's wishing you a wonderful, creative day!!

What a SWEET SURPRISE ...

Today was a busy day between spending time with DH at the hospital and trying to get all the grass cut before the rains came ... I was sucessful at both ... and I received a nice surprise in my mailbox too!!!




There was a package from Cornish Heritage Farms!! Hmmm ... I said to myself, did I order something??? I didn't remember ordering anything at this time!! Of course, my mind has been preoccupied lately!! I could hardly wait to get in the house and rip it open ... and, there inside was this awesome vintage Historic Poster - B&O Railroad image! Wow, how neat is this!!





Now I was getting really concerned because for the life of me, I couldn't remember ordering THIS stamp!!! So I started looking at the paperwork that came inside the package and there was the answer to the riddle!! On the paperwork was a place for "Buyer Name" and next to it was the name JOANNE ALLISON!! {{sigh}} I thought I was loosing my mind for a moment there! Yes, my dear friend "from across the pond" had sent me a little surprise!! How sweet was that!! You may know Joanne by her SCS name - ANGELNORTH or her Blog name - Ambrosia and Iron. Talk about creative and adventurous ... and that's Joanne! I've always been amazed with her work. She even does things like dye her own silk ribbon using vegetable like beets! You really should check out her work ... she is totally amazing!!



Well, of course I just had to hurry and ink up this image. Unfortunately with it being a bit late and me getting tired ... I don't think this is my best work! But, I still like it and was able to use up some scraps that were close at hand. Starting with the background paper which is a scrap from the Crafty Secrets EARTHY pack. I used the vintage suitcase image from Inkadinkado and stamped it randomly over the dp. Next I inked up my SURPRISE image using Versafine black ink and sprinkled with PK Glitz gold embossing glitter then heat embossed. The stop watch is a die from the Spellbinders Shapabilities (Heritage) set. I diecut this image using heavy gold metallic paper. Looks really cool in real life! (click on the image for a closer view)The cute couple down in the corner is another scrap from the "extras" box ... an image on the journaling portion of one of the Crafty Secrets booklets but I don't remember right now which one! I obviously used the top (main image) portion for another project then tossed this into the "extras" box. The sentiment oval was also from the "extras" box ... actually from a holiday set ... again I don't remember which set. My gold button on the upper left corner was also a die cut from the same Shapabilities set. The colorful JOURNEY image in the background is by Magenta and the satin ribbon was a scrap piece but I know where it came from ... Hobby Lobby!



Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today and thanks so much dear Joanne!! What a sweet, pleasant surprise! You have a heart of gold!!

Stamp Simply #91 - Half Circles

What a fun challenge Sharon Johnson (notimetostamp) has for today in the STAMP SIMPLY CHALLENGE! PLEASE jump on over to her blog to see her GORGEOUS creation and don't forget to check out what her DT ladies have created for this challenge also! There are some really cool cards & projects you won't want to miss!!

I have created two cards for today's challenge! I don't always remember to "Stamp Simply" because that's not my normal style. One that I love mind you ... but rarely think to do!! On my first card I have used a summertime theme. With June being Strawberry month (at least here in NE Ohio) I thought this cute Crafty Secrets Garden Creative Scrap image and Stemma Strawberry Patch designer paper would work perfectly. This adorable little cook from the Crafty Secrets Sweet Stuff stamp set appears to be getting that strawberry mixture all ready for her pie.

The base card used here is SU Garden Green and the background panel is from the DCWV Garden Party 12x12 paper pack (just love this pack). I used my circle & scallop circle Nestabilities to cut my circles and a fine tip Creative Memories black marker to do tiny dots around the outside perimeter of the scallop matting. I have used dimensional tape to give my little cook dimension (see close up view) and did a little paper piercing around the Creative Scrap image. My red gingham ribbon is actually Michael's holiday ribbon and this is the end of it!!

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For my second card I tried really hard to keep it STAMP SIMPLY style. In a prior post I used this beautiful BoBunny designer paper I had just purchased and the pieces on that card were too small for you to really appreciate how pretty this paper is so I used it for my card today.

Now this is as simply stamped as you can get in my opinion. I used my Nesties to cut the circle and scallop circle then used the SU scallop border punch for the background panel. My sentiment is by Magenta and my organza ribbon is from Hobby Lobby. I used my Bow-Easy for my ribbon and added a Martha Stewart pearl for a touch of elegance.

There you have it for today! I'm sitting at Akron's City Hospital with my sweet husband and he's doing pretty good. Since he has tested positive for C-diff infection, he'll be here for a couple more days but they have his nausea under control so that's a big plus!! Thanks for all who have sent well wishes & prayers our way!!

Isn't modern technology wonderful!! Having this laptop to keep me occupied while DH is resting is awesome! Here's wishing you all a wonderful weekend and thanks so much for stopping by!!

Sending You Sunshine ...

As you all know, my DH is once again admitted to the hospital. Luckily it's our local hospital so I'm able to go back & forth to home a lot easier than the hour trip I was making to Cleveland Clinic during his transplant. While taking a few hours at home today I was able to crank out this creation to cover the PCP (Papercraft Planet) Color Challenge and the Sketches! {by tamara} Sketch Challenge. (By the way, he is already feeling much better but I'm sure he's going to be in here for at least 3-4 more days.)

The color challenge was to use Whisper White, Basic Black and as many shades of Green as you wanted. I have used 2 shades of SU watercolor green to color the leaves on my SU Toile Blossoms image which was stamped onto Whisper White using Wild Wasabi Green ink and also sponged with Wild Wasabi before removing from the Nestabilities long rectangle diecut. My moss green grosgrain ribbon is by Offray, the green pearled brads are from Target and I have used Wild Wasabi to punch my accent sprigs with the Martha Stewart branch punch. My Wild Wasabi sentiment (Friends) is by My Sentiments Exactly and the (Sending you Sunshine) is from My Favorite Things. I have used green PK Glitz embossing glitter to add a touch of sparkle even though you can't see it in the photo. (sorry, I was in a hurry)

I did take the creative liberty of adding an additional panel under the ribbon treatment of the sketch. (Hope that doesn't disqualify my entry ... lol!) I just felt the argyle pattern needed broken up a bit before adding my main image panel and that the ribbon would show up better too.

The following is a complete list of ingredients for my card:

Stamps: SU Toile Blossoms, My Sentiments Exactly, My Favorite Things

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, The Paper Studio Inc. designer paper

Ink: Versafine black, Wild Wasabi

Accessories: Nestabilities, sponge, PK Glitz embossing glitter, SU watercolor pencils & blender pen, Offray grosgrain ribbon, Target brads, dimensional tape,

Thanks for stopping by today. Tomorrow is Sharon Johnson's (notimetostamp) STAMP SIMPLY challenge and I hope to have something to share with you.

Color Throwdown #46 & SCS Sketch #232

Hello All!! Sorry I'm late posting yesterday's challenges but yesterday was a challenge in more than one way!! DH has been having some "stomach issues" ever since he came home from Cleveland Clinic the end of April ... well, to make a long story short ... I had to admit him to the hospital yesterday and they are running tests to see exactly what is going on. He was already feeling somewhat better when I left him last evening! I will keep you posted on this issue and ask that you say a little prayer for him! Thanks!

Now, on to my card for the Color Throwdown Challenge. My friend, Tammy Hershberger - STAMP HAPPY -( waving HI to Tammy) was our hostess and the colors she chose lent themselves perfectly for a baby card (in my opinion that is!!). I (at my age) don't have much call for baby cards, but I've had this adorable image by Serendipity Stamps for awhile now and just knew it was the image I wanted to use for my card. I stamped my image twice using Versafine Black ink ... once on white cardstock and then again on this SU Delicate Dots designer paper. Using my trusty swivel craft knife, I cut out the designer paper image and pieced it onto the white cardstock image. I purposely cut out the bonnet pieces to make it appear that the bonnet was white with the matching green accent band. (see closeup view) The border was created using the Stampin' Up Eyelet border punch with Certainly Celery cs and SU Delicate Dots designer paper. My coordinating designer papers are also from the SU Delicate Dots pack. I've used Certainly Celery ribbon, a Target polka dot brad, Hero Arts gems & Prima flowers for my embellishments. The sentiment is from an older SU set called "Riveting". Nestabilities was used for the circle matting on my sentiment.

That's about it for the details on my Color Throwdown card for this week. Hope you like it and can find a little inspiration from my work.

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I'd also like to share with you my card for the Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge. This was such a fun sketch and I had just purchased this really cool BoBunny 12x12 paper and could not wait to use it. This sketch came at the perfect time!!!

As stated, the paper is from 2 different sheets of BoBunny designer paper. One sheet is called Aquamarine Dots and the other is Alissa So Cute. I've used the SU Morning Soft image for my focus and I have used both the front and back side of the Aquamarine Dots dp to paper piece the flowers. Each panel has been matted using Basic Black cardstock ... my sentiment is from Inkadinkado and the gorgeous black pearls are Martha Stewart!!

I so hope you enjoy this creation also and find inspiration! Thanks for stopping by today and have a wonderful, creative day!!

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #5

It's MIDNIGHT MADNESS time again!!! What a cool sketch this week to work with! Have you checked out Priscilla's Blog yet ... HERE's a link or you can use the blinkie in my sidebar. Look's like fun, huh!!!

Priscilla always has the most unique sketches to play with and her DT creates some awesome cards!!! Please ... check them out when you get the chance ... you won't be disappointed!!

This is what I came up with today! What do you think?? Isn't this little girl SWEET!!! I downloaded this image from the Art Creations Friday Blog ... be sure to check this site out also, especially if you love vintage as I do!! Every Friday she offers downloads of pictures or backgrounds from which you can create an ATC or card and link it back to her blog. Some very unique images & creations ... you don't want to miss this one either!!

Back to my card ..........

This sweet image was cut into a 2-1/2" square and the purely pomegranate matting was cut into a 2-3/4" square. I've used the Mary Engelbreit Rose corner punch and double matted with basic black cs. Very little use of stamps & inks on this creation!! The only stamps used where 2 different silouette images, one from Just for Fun and the other from Endless Creations. They were stamped on a piece of Whisper White using Versafine Black for another card but I ended up doing something different so this "piece of scrap" was left laying on the worktable. Since I accidently cut through it while playing with my new Spellbinder (Timeless Heritage)Shapabilities .... it ended up being a perfect HEART LOCK for today's card (see closeup).

The papers used on this card are: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate and several different Graphic 45 pieces. (LOVE Graphic45 papers!!)

Embellishments used were: Mary Engelbreit Rose corner punch, Martha Stewart branch punch, Prima flowers, Target gem brad, Spellbinder (timeless heritage) Shapeabilities, Nestabilities (circle & scallop circle) diecuts, Mark Richards gold ball gem, and the flower gems I've had forever and don't remember who makes them (sorry)!

I NEED A FAVOR FROM YOU ALL .... sometimes I think I go into way too much detail and "talk too much". Please let me know what you think. Seriously ... am I talking way too much (I have a tendency to go on, and on, and on .... see what I mean!!! Do I need to shorten my wording on my posts ???? I'm afraid I'll lose followers because I don't know when to quit .... I would love to have your input on this topic!! THANKS and thanks for stopping by today!!!

CCEE Challenge

Today's CCEE Stampers Challenge is a CNFS (Catchy Name Featured Stamper) challenge. Today's featured stamper is none other than my friend Dawn (flowergal36).

Dawn & I have never met in person but we have emailed back & forth several times and I consider her a friend I can call upon when I need a sounding board. Dawn lives in a little town in North Carolina where another friend of mine goes several times a summer to a particular stamping store. Her next trip down I'm hitching a ride and hoping to link up with Dawn!! Wouldn't that be cool!!! If you click on DAWN'S NAME, (above) that will take you to her BLOG ... if you click on her SCS name, it will take you to her SCS gallery. Please stop by and show her some LOVE ... she's an awesome person!! OKAY ... now onto the cards!

Today I wanted to achieve a couple of things ... use up some of the scraps on my table, make a couple birthday cards and use the heat embossing/sponging technique. This first card will be my sister, Linda's birthday card. I have stamped this lovely Just For Fun image twice to achieve that shadowed appearance then using detail clear embossing powder, heat embossed. Then I began with the sponging using lightest to darkest colors. The colors I chose were Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Not Quite Navy & Versafine Black. This was done on a piece of 3x4 white cs which was then cut in an over using my Nestabilities oval diecuts. The matting was also achieved with Nestabilities oval scallop diecuts which I then used a 1/16" hole punch on each of the scallops. My background paper is a scrap piece of Making Memories designer paper which I also sponged using the same color inks as the main image. I used a scrap piece of Basic Black & the SU scallop border punch to make my horizontal piece and wrapped a scrap piece of Hobby Lobby organze ribbon around it for some added color & dimension. My sentiment is from the Stampin' Up Fabulous Flowers set and it's perfect for who this card is going to!! My older sister (by 13 months) will be "60" on Wednesday. Trust me when I tell you, this lady definately "Dares to be Fabulous" !!!! She certainly doesn't look even close to her age and definately knows how to enjoy life!!!

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My second card is done with the same technique but with shades of yellow. This image is by Endless Creations and the sentiment is by Studio G.

The recipe for this card is as follows:

Stamps: Endless Summer, Studio G

Paper: Basic Black, More Mustard, Whisper White and scraps of K&Company designer paper

Ink: Versafine black, Summer Sun, More Mustard, Creamy Carmel

Accessories: Nestabilities, Dimensional Tape, Detail Clear Embossing Powder, Fine Tip Black Marker by Creative Memories, Metal Ruler, Sponges

When using a silouette type image as I have done on these two cards, I really like how the sponging (or brayering) technique looks. If you haven't tried this ... you really should ... it's easy and I think has a great look!!

Thanks so much for stopping by and if you leave a comment, you have MADE MY DAY!! Happy Stamping All!!