Happy Birthday

If it's Monday then you know that also means Julee's MOJO MONDAY CHALLENGE BLOG will have a fresh, new layout to try. This week's layout #84 is shown below and if you got to the blog site HERE you can see the design team's fantastic examples using this sketch:

I bought this designer paper called "Pretty Poppies" (made by Autumn Leaves) mat stack at Michaels on sale. I've been wanting to use it and this just seemed like the right time.

Below is a closeup of the Happy Birthday circle that I wanted to show off. When I first saw the inverted scallop Spellbinder Nestibilities dies I didn't think I'd ever use them. BUT...oh boy was I wrong about my initial negative reaction. There are a lot of creative things you can do with the inverted scallops when paired with other Nestibilities dies. See?!? I used black cardstock on the inverted scallop circle and then a regular scallop circle in green to form the mat behind the Happy Birthday sentiment. Cool, eh?

This card 'recipe' is fairly simple and if you are interested, these are the materials used:

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Heartfelt Thanks for the flower and the Happy Birthday sentiment is by Inkadinkadoo

Designer paper: Autumn Leaves "Pretty Poppies"

Ink: Red and Green dye ink from Autumn Leaves

Ribbon and red crystals are just miscellaneous from my stash.

This was really fast to make. Well...fast in between filling the dog's wading pool and then mopping the kitchen floor when they came in.

Hope you are having a warm and sunshiney day!

Cheers!

Friend to Friend

This week's Friday Sketchers challenge was such a fun layout to use with this sweet Tilda stamp made by Magnolia. If you haven't checked out Friday Sketchers challenges before you are missing out on some very creative layout challenges as well as participating with card makers from all around the world. This week's sketch/layout challenge at FRIDAY SKETCHERS CHALLENGE BLOG is below:

I just love the designer paper I used, made by K & Company. It all coordinates beautifully. Besides the Magnolia Tilda stamp, I also used two different sentiment stamps from Stampin' Up! Friend to Friend (seen on the front of my card) is from the SU Pocket Silhouettes set. Then on the inside I wanted to 'fancy up' the inside a bit and I used the SU Blooming with Happiness sentiment from that set.

I don't always decorate the inside of my cards but because this card is made on dark brown cardstock and I needed to add a liner anyway I decided to incorporate the outside into the inside of the card. This is a closeup of the inside sentiment.

I love using my punches as much as possible on cards. For this card I used the Martha Stewart leaf punch. When I bought this punch I didn't use it for a long time because I wasn't really sure how to make it blend with the card. This card, though, is overflowing with leaves made with this punch. I crumpled the leaves a bit to give them more of a leaf-like texture too.

Also used is the Martha Stewart floral border punch with matches so well with these tiny Prima flowers. Finally I used a Stampin' Up punch for the front sentiment oval.

The image is colored with Prismacolor Pencils. I do NOT use gamsol or any type of odorless mineral spirits (OMS) for those who ask if I use it to blend. I prefer to look of coloring with the pencils as they are layering color over color to achieve the blended shade I want.

I hope you are enjoying a nice weekend. Until next time...

Cheers!

Hi - ya !

Hi-ya! Are you having a good weekend thus far? It is gorgeous here in the Ottawa valley. Almost summer-like. So before I head outside and enjoy this gorgeous weather I want to post this week's MOJO Monday sketch challenge #83. If you enjoy sketch/layout challenges then I encourage you to try out Julee's MOJO MONDAY CHALLENGE BLOG. This week's sketch is below:

I haven't used my Fluffles stamps, manufactured by Stampendous, in quite a while. I always color my Fluffles the cat in an orange color. I have a big orange cat named 'Tango' and he always manages to do silly stuff just like 'Fluffles' does so anytime you see me used a Fluffles stamp I always color him yellow/orange.
For this card I added a little FlowerSoft product to the flowers. And because this layout suggested using a butterfly (or something/anything) in the corner of the image, I decide that this dragonfly brad would fit in really well on this card. The designer paper is from a Martha Stewart stack.

Time to get outside and enjoy the warmth and sunshine. My dogs are not happy about the heat so I'll fill their little swimming pool with water and let them play. If you are interested in seeing Gabe, Willow and Paige playing in their pool you can see them on their blog HERE.

Cheers!

With Appreciation

The sun is out. The birds are chirping. My daffodils and crocus are finally starting to bloom. This makes me eager for our garden nursery to open so I can purchase this year's front porch geraniums for the front porch pots and window boxes. I love geraniums. In my opinion, they have a sort of old time look to them.

This stamp is an old 1994 StampaRosa stamp and yet every year at about this same time I get it out to make summer themed notecards with it. The cards never are the same and I think that is the key to finding a versatile stamp. For this card I actually based the colors around the gingham ribbon. I used craft card stock to stamp on and then colored the image with prismacolor pencils. The I took the back craft cardstock mat and ran it through my cuttlebug argyle embossing folder. I realize it isn't gingham print but it is still sort of 'homey' looking, I think.

Simple card! I added the tag "with appreciation" (sentiment stamp from PaperTrey) and that was it.


We are supposed to have a very warm weekend. I hope I can get some of the garden area worked and ready to plant in a few weeks. Here in Ottawa we can't plant until mid to late May, but you can bet I'll take advantage of preparing and expanding the garden while the weather is cooperative.

Cheers!

How beautiful is the day

A simple card today but a stamp that I've had for a year and it had not seen ink yet. I think this is such a lovely sentiment and stamp and I cannot give a good reason why I haven't used it yet. I know now it won't sit idle again. The stamp is from The Stamp Barn in Ottawa , Ontario.


I used my Tombow markers to color, though there was only a little coloring that needed to be done. The die cut is one of my new Nestibilities Scalloped Octagons. These fit this stamped image perfectly.


I hope your day is beautiful!

Cheers!

You're too kind

It's been a while since I've inked up my stamps. I always miss stamping when I'm away from it even though I've been busy with a lot of other fun activities. Since it was a rather gloomy Saturday I thought I'd take advantage of using my new Nestabilities prize winnings and make a card. This layout that I used it this week's FRIDAY SKETCHERS CHALLENGE layout sketch as seen below:

One of the things I'm thoroughly enjoying about the Spellbinders Nestabilities dies is their versatility. For this card I used the largest Labels Four die but I wanted my image to be matted too. What to do? I cut a piece of light blue cardstock using the same die and then carefully split it down the center. Then, positioning the blue cardstock just slightly outside the image a simple mat is formed from the exact same size of die. I like the look:
I don't make tall and skinny cards very often but I think they're fun for a change and this Friday Sketchers layout gave me an opportunity to use the larger die and still have room for embellishments.

Well look there! The sun is peeking out through the clouds. Time to go outside and exercise the dogs for a while.

Cheers!

Vintage Linens Remixed Apron Swap

You may have noticed on my right sidebar an image announcing the Vintage Linens Remixed Apron Swap. Shawnee came up with an idea for an apron swap that I just couldn't resist. Participants were instructed to shop vintage/antique shops or your local thrift stores and Goodwill shops to find vintage linens and from the treasures you find create an apron. The linens could consist of any type of linen from dish towels, table cloths, curtains, table runners, placemats. Whatever suited your fancy as long as you chose a vintage linen type and reconstructed that linen into an apron.
I joined the swap and eagerly waited for my swap partner's name and preferences. Then I set out to find the vintage linens. This is when I began to get worried. I was having a very difficult time locating vintage linens in my area. Time was ticking down to the deadline to create, package and mail the apron and I still hadn't found linens. YIKES! But I was saved one day last week when I discovered a little shop in the next town over that is a consignment shop for household goods. Yippee! I discovered some beautiful hand embroidered and hand tatted table runners, place mats, chair covers and doilies. I made my purchase of the set of linens and hurried home to decide how I'd create an apron from these beautifully embroidered and tatted table features.

These two panels (below) are thought to have been used for the arms of the dining chairs and they match the placemats. I decided that these would be perfect for the side panels of the apron.

I layed out one of the longer narrow place mats (or perhaps it is a dresser scarf?) between the two smaller chair covers and began to see my apron take shape.

Below you'll see Tango, my orange companion at all times in my sewing room, helping me sew the panels together. Thanks a lot Mr. T, for your invaluable assistance! YIKES!

Once the panels were sewn together I needed to add a waistband. But I thought that something was missing, so I added rows of pintucks in the center of each panel just below the waistband. I thought that for this hostess type of apron the pintucks were a little more vintage looking than merely gathering the apron panels into the waistband and I was pleased with the outcome. Then I added a button on the waistband above the pintucks just for a little more interest.

Another part of the swap was to include in the package a "vintage" recipe. Well, I'm not exactly sure what a vintage recipe is but I decided that my Great Aunt Marie's Oatmeal cookies recipe would suit the requirement as this is an old recipe from my family favorites. I made the recipe card up into a 6" X 6" card that many scrapbookers like to exchange.

In addition to the apron and recipe we were also to include in our swap package a vintage linen and a little 'something-something' for our partner. Since I still had two of the place mats that match the now completed apron, I decided to sent them to my partner. And as a fun little treat I sent my partner the little book by EllynAnne Geisel titled APRONISMS: Pocket Wisdom for Every Day.

This was such a fun apron swap and a bit different from any other apron swap I've participated in because, while we've always made the apron for our partner, the parameters of this swap requiring the repurposing of vintage linens into an apron made this a creative challenge. I do like a challenge! :o)

I hope my partner will be pleased with her vintage hostess apron. I really had a great time putting it together for her.

If you are interested in visiting Shawnee's Vintage Linens Remixed Apron Swap to see some of the other aprons that have been posted thus far, click HERE.

Cheers!

My BIG news!

I have held off posting this post since the end of January because I wanted to show photos once my BIG surprise arrived.

First a little background. How many of my papercrafting friends joined in on the SPELLBINDERS 5th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION? Each day over the course of a couple of weeks one new Spellbinder's die was introduced and demonstrated on the Spellbinder's design team blogs. For those of you who faithfully entered each day you'll remember "blog hopping" to the team's blogs, identifying the newly created die and then sending an email to Spellbinders to enter the chance to win a daily prize. The prizes multiplied each day and winners worldwide won the new spellbinders dies.

The GRAND PRIZE winner would win the entire set of ALL of the new Spellbinders dies. YES! ALL of them. An incredible prize.

Well....on January 30th at about 6:30 p.m. I was standing in my kitchen doing dishes. The telephone rang and when I answered it was Kim from Spellbinders telling me that I had won the Grand Prize of SPELLBINDERS 5th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. To be honest I don't remember what I said. I really didn't believe it. I'm sure I screamed (sorry Kim). I was ecstatic. I can't imagine being more excited than if I'd won the lottery, which in effect IS what I won. The big palooza of a prize at Spellbinders.

I haven't posted this until now because my prizes have begun to arrive. Early last week I got a box that had 6 of the new dies in it. Then this week another package arrived with 20 more dies packages! I think there might even be a few more to arrive to complete the package. Just LOOK at what I received!





My friends, these Spellbinders dies are just amazing. I'm still on cloud nine!

Thank you SPELLBINDERS! Thank you ever so much!

Cheers!

Live your bliss

It has been a while since I've stamped with MY FAVORITE THINGS stamps. (Sometimes referred to as the headless lady stamps. Hee hee hee). This week's MOJO Monday Challenge #81 is the layout shown below. As soon as I saw Julee's layout I thought immediately of this stamp set with its many components to the stamp set.

I popped the lady's sunhat up on foam tape to give it dimension as well as the idea that she really does have more than just a neck.

The background paper is from Wild Asparagus. It reminds me of sand and swirls of ocean water on a shore. I just had to add a real shell to the card, though I'm not sure how well it will do in mailing. We'll see.

The sentiment, Live Your Bliss, is from PaperTrey Ink set called Mega Mixed Messages. I used Tombow markers and a wet brush to color the images.

This was a fun card to make and helped to keep my mind on warmer days ahead, even if it is snowing outside my window right now.

Cheers!

Penny Black Easter Card

I have just discovered Penny Black stamps. I know...I know...they've been around forever, but up until last week I didn't own any of them. They are adorable! I corrected my lack of Penny Black stamps and now have a few that I'll share over time.

In addition to discovering the Penny Black stamps, I also discovered the Penny Black Saturday Challenge site. (Click the link to take you to the site and see past challenges.) This week's challenge is to make an Easter card using a Penny Black stamp. I chose this stamp called "For Goodness Sake."

The background paper I used is from a Martha Stewart Stack. I colored the image with Tombow markers and a waterbrush and then added a variety of different colors of Stickles. The ribbon and buttons were just some in my stash and the flowers are Prima Flowers. I stamped the little rabbit twice and mounted the second bunny on foam dots to add dimension.

Easter is just six days away. Today it snowed! It sure doesn't feel like spring today.

Until next time...