Soft Sky & White Butterfly

My friend, Paula, was here on Sunday afternoon along with Jen and Sydney.  We had a craft afternoon and we all actually accomplished things while enjoying each other's company.  Paula was making a card she liked in the Annual Catalog on page 68. So yesterday, while I was thinking about what card to make, I thought of that card on page 68.  So here is my version of it.  I used Shimmery White cardstock for the butterfly and banner.  In place of the Chocolate Chip dots, I used the Seaside embossing folder for that layer and made the layer a little smaller.  I added more layers than the card in the catalog because I wasn't paying attention to details when I looked at the card.  And finally, I stamped the sentiment in the lower corner rather than on a banner that covered up the butterfly.  The card was done until I looked at the butterfly and the little guy needed some pearls.  I think the card is really pretty.  And speaking of pretty, wait until Sydney's Grandmum sees the pretty birthday card Syd made especially for her!   Have a great day!

Floral Wreath

One of the stamp companies I like is WPlus9.  I have a few of their stamp sets and keep up with their  blog.  While watching a video on their blog, the Fresh Cut Wreaths stamp set was the featured set.  The cards that were made were very pretty and simple~~or so I thought!  Over the weekend I used the stamp set for the first time and it wasn't quite as easy as it looked on the video.  Stamping the wreath and then lining up with flowers was a little trying, but it looked pretty good.  Then trying to stamp the little vines in the flower petals, the stamen and other little sections of the flower was not quite that easy.  Even using the Misti was not making it that easy for me to line the little things up.  I had quite a few practice wreaths and the one that turned out the best is on today's card.   With a little practice, I am sure I will get the hang of it~~at least I hope so!!!  Have a great day!

Swirly Bird In Colors

Here is another card created using the Swirly Bird stamp set and coordinating dies. It is a total copy of a card I saw on Pinterest with a link to the creator, http://stempelmami.de.    I liked everything about her card when I saw it~~colors, design, everything.  I changed the sentiment and added a few of the Enamel Shapes which are fast becoming a favorite embellishment.  

On another note, I attended my first Facebook Party.  Had no idea what to expect.  My friend, Nancy, hosted the Facebook party for her daughter's new endeavor.  Her daughter was a teacher and is now a consultant for Usborne Books & More.  This company sells children's books for all ages.  We have always been big on books in my family, so this was a fun way to be introduced to new books.  During the party there were videos, conversation, prizes and more.  Plus, I did not need anyone to drive me anywhere!  I shopped in the comfort of my own home!  If you have babies and small children or grandchildren, I would say this is a website worth checking out.  Nicki's website is  http://r5119.myubam.com  Have a great day!

Clean and Simple Happy

Since the watercolor scraps were still out from yesterday's card, I used the scraps again for today's birthday card.  It is cute,clean and simple!  I punched the balloon using the SU balloon punch and the happy is again from the MFT dies.  I added star sequins from the SU Brights Assortment and completed the card with retired baker's twine.  Couldn't be a much easier and quicker card than this one!  Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Watercolor Birthday

The stamp set, Balloon Celebration (pg. 24), is a set that I have not yet justified purchasing as I already have balloons and dies from  other stamp sets/stamp companies.  So to remind myself that I can make cards using what I already have, I got on with making today's card. I think I have mentioned before that I use my mistake/practice watercolor pieces for die cutting.  And that is what I did.   I used the "happy" thinlet from My Favorite Things to cut the word and Lawn Fawn dies for the party balloons from unused water colored pieces.  The background is also a water colored piece.  I was playing with different colors of blue and purple Distress Inks and this piece reminds me of the sky.   So I made a perfect little birthday card with what I already own.  Of course, the SU set continues to call my name as I already have the punch!  But then if I sent a card that said, "Come, let us sit together and drink. . .", my friends would wonder what was wrong with me using wording like that~~LOL!  Have a great day!

Wildtree

Today's post is about a company I was introduced to a when I was sick, Wildtree.  This company is about preparing food that is simple, healthy and natural.  I hosted a Wildtree workshop at my house a couple of weeks ago for the Cricut ladies.  For the workshop, we each chose a "Workshop Bundle" that we wanted to use to make our freezer meals.  In the Workshop Bundle you get all the spice and oils you will need.  In addition, prior to the workshop, you need to grocery shop with a list provided that includes all the veggies, meats/fish, etc. needed to prepare the meals.  Then you have to cut everything up and bag it for the workshop.  It was a bit of work and I would say that between the $80 Workshop Bundle and about $120 for food many would consider this a bit pricey.  That being said, I doubt I ever shopped for 10 meals at one time nor cut, sliced and diced for 10 meals at once!  And just so you know, I like only chicken breasts, very lean ground beef/beef/pork so I probably spend more than most on groceries.  Since it is just John and myself most nights, I made 14 meals so my cost per meal comes out to about $14.  And I could have divided more of the meals, too.


On the day of the workshop, all the ladies came with their ice-filled coolers of  food in their zip lock bags.  At the workshop you receive your Workshop Bundle and proceed to add the oils and spices to your freezer bags of meats and veggies.  The recipes are provided.  Labels for the bags are provided and when the afternoon is over, you have a minimum of 10 freezer-ready meals.  I now have enough spices/oils to make most of the 10 meals again at least once if not twice which brings down the cost per meal.   This photo is a sample of the recipes you receive with your Workshop Bundle.

We have had a few of the meals by now and each was very good.  Last night we had Chiptole Lime Fajitas which were excellent.  I defrosted the meal during the day and while I cooked rice, I cooked the fajita meat/veggies in a skillet.  Not a much easier dinner than this!  So for what seemed like a lot of work preparing this dinner a couple of weeks ago,  there was little for me to do before putting dinner on the table last night.  I heated the flour fajita shells, too!  I am looking forward to doing this again but trying a different Workshop Bundle.  If you ever thought about having a Wildtree workshop, I will tell you that from my point of view it is well worth the time, effort and money to host or in which to participate.   That being said, if I was going to a Wildtree Workshop, I would bring all the cut and chopped veggies. but not the meat.  I would add that when I got home.  It is less to carry and less to worry about keeping cold.   Have a great day!

Sending A Smile

When I went thru the new Annual Catalog a few months ago, the Love & Affection stamp set
caught my eye.  I purchased it and my mind drew a blank when it came time to create a card.  I don't even care for the samples to copy~~LOL!!! So here I am three months later and this is the first card I am creating with it.  The card is quite simple but it is pretty.  I used a few of the images from the set and Night of Navy ink.  The sentiment, also from the set, was stamped and then carefully die cut (the sentiment just fit perfectly) using a die I purchased from Dave's Dies which coordinates with the Endless Thanks stamp set banner.   Again, I stacked three of the banners so that it stood out on the card. A little sponging on the banner and some white sequins completes this card.   I wonder how long it will be before I create another card with this set?  Have a great day! 

Polka Dot Cupcake Day

My friend, Kathy Z, is celebrating her birthday this week.  Now that I know Kathy received her birthday card, I can post a photo of the card.  I just think the little girl (Cupcake Day by My Favorite Things) is too cute.  This time, I stamped her dress on pattern paper with Black Versafine ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.  The embossed lines made it much easier to fussy cut the adorable polka dot dress.  I created the "blue board" by sponging a white piece of cardstock that was framed with painter's tape to create the border around it. The black layer was embossed with the SU polka dot embossing folder and the pink balloon, shoes and bow complete the card.  Have a great day!

Off The Grid Thank You

I used old product and new on today's card.  The retired Off The Grid background stamp was stamped and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I then sponged various colors over the grid~~Soft Sky, Sugraplum, Pistachio Pudding and Crisp Cantaloupe. The white die cut "thank" (I cut off the s)from the Hello You Thinlets set stands out against the sponged colors.  "You" was stamped and punched out using the Washi Label punch. The Bakers Twine looks so cute on this card, but the prettiest of all are the new Fancy Frost sequins which will be available on September 1st when the Holiday Mini goes live. (My friend in Florida received her Holiday Mini in the mail yesterday!)  The sequins are a beautiful assortment of Soft Sky, Sweet Sugarplum and white gold.  They don't show up on the card as well as in real life, but they are beautiful sequins.  Once again, I have to thank Pinterest for having so many cards from which to get ideas.  Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Swirly Boat

I recently purchased the Swirly Bird stamp set and coordinating thinlets, Swirly Scribbles.  I have seen quite a few swirly boat cards on Pinterest so it was easy to create one for my blog.  Today's card was stamped using the boat elements from the Swirly Bird set and then fussy cut.  The "water" was created using an image from the Perpetual Calendar set and Marina Mist ink.  I added a few sequins and seagulls, but no sentiment yet.  Not sure what I want this card to say (welcome baby or missing you or happy birthday) so there is a nice amount of white space to add a sentiment later.  The stamp set is a fun addition to my collection which means you will be seeing more cards using both the stamp set and dies.  Have a great day!

Pink & Taupe

Today's card is soft and pretty.  I really like the color combination of Pink Pirouette and Tip Top Taupe.  Actually, many color combos that include Tip Top Taupe are pretty.  These days it seems as though Tip Top Taupe has replaced Crumb Cake on my cards.  For this card I used many of my favorite items.  The flower and leaves were die cut using the Botanical Builder framelets.   Images from Timeless Textures made a great border around the white layer.  And finally, a pretty sentiment from the Watercolor Wishes set and three little pink sequins complete this card.  Have a great day!

Kites

I once again used the Swirly Scribbles thinlets, this time using the wavy die for which I purchased the set!  The kites, kite strings and little bows were stamped using the Swirly Bird stamp set.  At first I was trying to stamp multi-color kites, but no matter what, the two stamps were not lining up for me.  So I finally just stamped the entire kites in the same colors.  For the background I used a cloud die cut to lightly sponge a sky background.  After stamping the kite strings, I added little bows that were stamped and fussy cut.  The sentiment is from a retired set and a perfect sentiment for this cute card.  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Swirly Scribbles Thinlets

I finally broke down and purchased the Swirly Scribbles/Swirly Bird bundle.  I really wanted to have the Swirly Scribbles for the wavy die, but then the first card I made was with the large abstract circle die.  I had some old Pool Party watercolor scraps so I die cut the circle out of that.  I randomly stamped a few images from the Swirly Bird stamp set on the pretty Shimmery White card stock before adhering the circle.  The flower and leaves were die cut using Botanical Builders framelits.  Once again, the scraps of water colored Shimmery White were used for the flower and Mossy Meadow cardstock for the leaves. The sentiment is from the Watercolor Wishes stamp set and stamped using Mossy Meadow ink.  A rhinestone and a little silver thread embellish the card.  I like this card so much, I can see creating it in a variety of colors and a variety of sentiments.  Between the Swirly Scribbles/Swirly Bird bundle and the Watercolor Wishes stamp set, this would make a pretty gift set for someone.  Have  a great week!

Soft Sky and Black

Ever since I received my copy of the annual catalog I have looked at the card on page 24 and told myself that I do not need another balloon set.  So last night, I decided to recreate that card using what I do already own.  I stayed with the same colors, Soft Sky and Black, but I used a variety of stamps.  The background was stamped using the star cluster from the Perpetual Calendar set.  The sentiment is from the Circle of Spring stamp set.  I do wish I had the little bow in the Balloon Celebration set but the solid black twine made a cute little bow.  After punching the balloon I stamped it with the stars stamp layering it on top of two white punched balloons to give the card a bit of dimension.  The black stars were just a little added cute!  So I look at my card and I look at the Balloon Celebration stamp set and for now I will continue to resist that cute little bow and the balloon strings, too!  Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Happy Cupcake Day

Today's card was created using the My Favorite Things stamp set & dies, Cupcake Day.  When I saw this set, I thought it was cute and I kind of wanted it.  Well I kept seeing it and it got cuter each time, so I have the set!  I used the WPlus9 Sunshine Layers die for both the scalloped and plain layers, sponging the plain layer.  Everything was colored in using Spectrum Noir markers.  Just an adorable card.  Have a great day and again, keep cool! 

Gift of Love Hello

Every so often I find a hostess set that catches my eye.  The Gift of Love is one of these.  I like the flower images and all the sentiments included in this set.  But even more, I like that it is two-step stamping. For my card I stamped the outline in black, the flowers in Melon Mambo and the leaves in Mint Macaron.  Next time, I am going to stamp the image in black and heat emboss.  Then I will color the leaves and flowers using watercolor paints instead of the stamps. The hello from the Hello You thinlets was die cut twice, layering one on the other. By doing this the word stands out just enough to add a little dimension.  I used a few Brights sequins. Everything was layered on black cardstock which I thinks gives today's card a nice, crisp look.  Have a great day and keep cool!

Basket of Wishes

Believe it or not, today's card is another in Delightful Dijon!  You haven't seen a Delightful Dijon card in months before last week and now I have posted three in a week.  The image and sentiment are from a new stamp set in the Holiday Mini, Basket of Wishes.  I am not quite ready for Fall cards, but I just saw a farm down the road that was selling sunflowers from the bed of their pick up truck.  That inspired me to use this set when I got back home.  I stamped everything in Versafine black ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.  I actually stamped everything twice so that I could practice with colors and the flowers.  The basket and flowers are individual stamps.  I could use my stamp-a-ma-jig, but the Misti is much easier.  I die cut the white cardstock with a Wonky Stitches die from Avery Elle and it was so pretty that I decided to layer it on Dijon cardstock that was cut with the larger Wonky Stitches die  I added a few little retired dots and ended up with a pretty card to post and to send to someone.  The Holiday mini goes live on September 1st and there is something for everyone.  There are some really pretty embellishments of which I purchased quite a few.  If you are a current customer of mine, I have ordered a Holiday Mini to be sent to your home.  Have a great day!

Congrats on Serene Scenery

Last week I posted a simple card I made using the Serene Scenery DSP stack, specifically the Delightful Dijon card.  My friend, Paula, came over for a play date on Saturday and she was working on a card using the very same sheet of paper.  I liked her card so much, it is today's post.  The black "congrats" is not only pretty font but it stands out perfectly against the Delightful Dijon.  The die is a Memory Box/Poppy Stamps product, which I now need.  I especially like the way she overlapped the lower section of the "g" on the white banner.  Great card, Paula! 

Card I Liked

Today's cards are totally copied from a Stampin' Up demonstrator, Heather.  I saw her card either on our demo site or on Pinterest and I knew I had to copy it.  So I made two in the new In Colors.  The wavy pattern is from the Sheltering Tree stamp set and the sentiment is from the retired And Many More set.  On the Denim Dapper card I stamped the wavy design directly onto the white cardstock.  For the Flirty Flamingo card I stamped off each time before stamping on the white cardstock.  The balloons were punched out of In Color DSP.  The balloon strings were cut using a Lawn Fawn die as I do not have anything like that from Stampin' Up.  I embellished the cards with little stars and glitter stars or sequence.  This is another quick and cute card and can be for any celebration~~not just birthdays!  Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Lighthouse

When I was looking thru Pinterest, I came across a number of cards that caught my attention.  Pinterest is where I got the idea for today's card.  The lighthouse is from the set From Land To Sea; the sentiment from the Watercolor Wishes card set; and the water is from Timeless Textures.  I used a narrow strip of the Neutrals DSP stack to accent the left side of the card front.  Everything is stamped in Basic Gray with the exception of the water.  I stamped that in Night of Navy but I think it would have looked better if I had stamped that in gray, too.  After stamping the lighthouse, I fussy cut it.  Since it had so many straight lines it was quite easy to do.  This card seems to be on the masculine side and could be a birthday card or miss you card or  for a wide variety of occasions.  Keep cool today and have a great one!

Serene Scenery

Today's cards were quick to create with the use of paper from the Serene Scenery DSP pack.   The pages in this pack measure 6" x 6" with a total of 48 sheets. The Delightful Dijon card could not have been easier.  After cutting the DSP down to 4" x 5 1/4" I adhered that to the white card base.  I then cut a 2" strip of coordinating paper from another sheet and adhered that to the first pattern.  The sentiment is from the Hostess Set, Gift of Love.  This is probably the first time I used Delightful Dijon and thought the card was pretty!  The DSP paper on the Thinking of You card was torn along all the edges and adhered to Island Indigo cardstock.  I added that to a Tip Top Taupe card base and stamped the sentiment (from a My Paper Pumpkin set) in Tip Top Taupe ink.  The sea shell from By The Tide was stamped with Crumb Cake, sponged lightly and fussy cut.  A little linen thread and a few sequins is all that was needed to embellish this card.  Another pretty card that can be used for a variety of reasons. Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

A New Home

My son's girlfriend just closed on her new house yesterday so over the weekend I made her and her son this card.   I used a stamp set from Sunny Studio Stamps, Happy Home.  I stamped and colored it a few times before I came up with a house that looked nice. I had this thought I would stamp and color it to look like her new house.  That didn't work too well.  I first stamped and heat embossed the image in black and it was just not right.  With so many small spaces on the image, the black embossing  just took over the image.  When I colored with the markers I saw black more than color.   So I used another image I had stamped and embossed and colored it in using colored pencils.  It was cute.  But not exactly what I envisioned.  So I stamped an image without heat embossing and colored it in with colored pencils and used it on Kyra's card.  I fussy cut it  and adhered it over a sponged area.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set and then I added tiny hearts over the chimney. The little house on the card looks nothing like her house, but it is her favorite color!   Kyra and son will only live a few minutes from me so maybe I will see my son more often~~lol!!!  Have a great day!

Sweet Sugarplum Thinking of You

Happy Monday!  Of the new In colors released in our Annual catalog, the one color I do not especially care for is Sweet Sugarplum.  But I decided to use a Sugarplum card base for a change.   I recently used the White Shimmery cardstock and since it was on my counter, I used it again.  I attempted to sponge a strip of color directly on to it using Sugarplum, Pool Party and Mint Macaron.  They looked pretty together but I smudged the layer.  I didn't want to waste the entire layer, so I trimmed it off and it became a strip for today's card.  I stamped the image (In The Meadow) on a new Shimmery White layer and then stamped the sponged strip.  I adhered that over the Shimmery White.  The sentiment is from the Wetlands stamp set.  Sweet Sugarplum is still not my favorite new In color, but it does look nice paired with Pool Party.  Have a great day!