My Dollar Spot Ribbon Gets Used!!

I originally wanted to make this card for this weeks technique challenge. You cut out an image and pop it up numerous times for a layered effect. I thought my moose would be perfect for it! Of course I thought so much about the rest of the card that I ended up forgetting to cut and pop up the moose. That happens to me a lot, I have a plan and then I forget about it and end up with something else! Otherwise I really love this card. The colors and layout are inspired by past challenges. At the end I realized it was missing something, I needed some sort of embellishment. I was looking through my basket for some Jolee's stickers when I found this ribbon from the Target Dollar Spot. It matches the Chocolate Chip and Blue Bayou perfectly!!

Stamps: Moose You
Ink: chocolate Chip, River Rock
Paper: Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Confetti White
Accessories: Dollar Spot Ribbon, Scallop Punch

Weekend Sketch Challenge #41

I have been wanting to use my All Natural set for a while now. With all of the new sets I've gotten lately it has gotten to the bottom of my pile. Beate's Weekend Sketch challenge worked really well with what I had in mind. The card is simple but I left it that way so I can add a sentiment later when I send it out.

The colors are from a past color challenge. I have printed out all of the past color and sketch challenges so I can use them for ideas when I'm stuck.

Stamps: All Natural
Paper: Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Summer Sun, Confetti White
Ink: Summer Sun, Old Olive
Accessories: Certainly Celery 1/4" Ribbon, brads

Dollar Spot Inspired Card

I found some new stamping/scrapbooking stuff at the dollar spot at Target the other day. I got this really cute ribbon there. I matched up some of the colors and then put this card together with the colors inspired by the ribbon and the layout from Beate's challenge from last weekend. I designed this whole card around the ribbon and then forgot to even put it on the card! Ugh. Oh well, I'll use it on something else. Otherwise I really like the card, it's for my nephew for his birthday so I needed it to be boyish.

I designed a new watermark to put on my pictures. It was a little small for the picture and I didn't quite resize it enough but at least it's there for now. It took me FOREVER to do but I really like it!

Stamps: Crab & Company
Paper: River Rock, Wild Wasabi, Brilliant Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Jet Black Stazon, River Rock
Accessories, Aquapainter, Scallop Punch, 1 3/8" Punch

Birthday Pinch!

Two of my nephews have birthdays in April. I made this card for one of them but I'm not sure which one. Probably Kaden since his is only about a week away! My original intention for the background was to make a random pattern with the starfish and sea shell stamps. It ended up being a less than random pattern with only the starfish stamp. I have a bad cold right now and my mind is a little fuzzy!

Stamps: Crab & Company
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Paper Piercer

Baby Boy Onesie Card!

I just found out that my oldest sister is going to have a boy. I am really excited to make really cute baby things but I am stumped when it comes to making boy things. Well I knew I wanted to make a few of these adorable onesie cards. It was a bit challenging for me but I like how it turned out. I think I might make these for her to send out as baby announcements or something. Of course I cannot take credit for the design of this card (I wish!) I got the idea and directions from Lauren Meader's blog. Her whole blog is great and her onesie cards are much better than mine!

Sorry about the poor picture quality. I am experimenting with different lighting and modes on my camera trying to get better pictures.

Stamps: So Many Scallops

Paper: Ballet Blue, So Saffron, Whisper White

Ink: Ballet Blue, So Saffron

Accessories: Lauren's Tutorial! buttons and Scallop Punch

Sketch Challenge Gone Bad!

I make this card over the weekend for the Sketch Challenge #168. It seemed like nothing went right with this card. First I couldn't decide on the colors I wanted to use, then I cut the panels the wrong size and had to cut new ones, then I couldn't decide on the image I wanted to use! And of course while I was putting it together I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to the spacing of the panels and there is a bigger gap on the right side than there is on the left side. Some of the layers are actually a little crooked (if you can't tell!) I tried to fix them but they were really stuck together. So to those that complain about Tombow Mono adhesive not keeping their cards together, they should come take a look at mine!

Speaking of Tombow Mono, awhile back I made a few binder clips covered with DP. I used my mono adhesive because it was all I had and I mentioned that it stuck fine. Well it did, until now! I noticed yesterday that the paper is peeling off so I will have to try something else to hold them together.

Stamps: Blooming with Love
Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Purely Pomegranate, Barely Banana, River Rock
Paper: Blue Bayou, Barely Banana, Purely Pomegranate, Ginger Blossom DP
Accessories: Aquapainter

Moose You So Much Deer

This card if for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #40. It is a great sketch and when I first saw it I had a great idea of a card to make using Crab & Company. Well, I am at my mom's for the weekend and I didnt bring Crab & Co. with me!! Ugh. But I really like the card I came up with anyway. It took me a long time to figure out exactly how I wanted the card with the colors and that "grass" at the bottom. I also stamped the deer twice in Creamy Caramel using my Stamp-A-Majig because it didn't seem dark enough after just one stamp. The scallop is up on dimensionals.

Stamps: Moose You
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Pretty In Pink, Whisper White
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Pretty In Pink
Accessories: Chocolate Chip ribbon, Scallop Punch, 1 3/8" Punch

Blooming with Happiness

I made this card earlier in the week for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge. Obviously I'm a little behind on my challenges! I haven't had much time this week to make cards because I've been really busy but I'm hoping next week I'll have more time. I used my Blooming with Love set AGAIN, I seem to be stuck in a rut with this set. Next week I'll have to challenge myself to not to use this set at all and let a few other sets see some ink for a change.

Stamps: Blooming with Love, Warm Words
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue
Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Certainly Celery, Cameo Coral, Bashful Blue
Accessories: Certainly Celery Ribbon

St. Patricks Day Recipes

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Sean and I made our big holiday dinner last night because I'm working some crazy hours this week and just won't have the time today. We made Black & Tan Irish Mac & Cheddar. Yeah, you heard right! We got the recipe from the Food Network Ultimate Recipe Showdown. This recipe didn't win but it looked really good. It isn't hard to make but some of the ingredients can get a little pricey. It was a little strong for us last night, I guess we aren't the cheese connoisseurs that we thought we were! But I had some for lunch today and it tasted a little milder.

We also made our usual St. Patrick's Day dessert, lime jello cake! Just bake a white cake and poke holes in the top with a fork or skewer and then pour the jello over it slowly so it seeps into the holes. Refrigerate for a few hours and frost it with cool whip. It is really good!

I did work on cards for my swap but I am not going to post them until I send them out! But there are still a few spots left in the swap so I'll post a link. You know you love to watercolor!

Lack of Cardmaking Mojo

I've been in a little bit of a card making slump this week. It started when I ran out of adhesive and I couldn't make anything. Then I just didn't have any creative juices flowing in my brain. But I just joined a water coloring swap so I will get working on those this weekend and hopefully have my creativity back.

Meanwhile I created a live signature. There were over a hundred fonts to choose from and after looking through quite a few of them I started thinking I had spelled my name wrong. So I just picked one that looked pretty. It is in no way representative of my handwriting (I wish!).

Caramel Cream Sandwich Cookies

I made these awesome cookies this weekend and I wanted to share the recipe because they were delicious!! They are also pretty easy to make and the ingredients are pretty basic. This recipe is out of the Pillsbury Complete Book of Baking, it's old but it has some great recipes!

Cookies
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg yolk
2 cups all purpose flour
Frosting
2 tablespoons butter (do not substitute margarine)
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4-5 teaspoons milk

In a large bowl, beat brown sugar and 1 cup butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk; blend well. Stir in flour; mix well. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 15 minutes for easier handling.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten to 1 1/2-inch circles with fork dipped in flour. Bake at 325 degrees for 10-14 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until light golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining frosting ingredients, adding enough milk for desired spreading consistency; blend until smooth. Spread 1 teaspoon frosting between 2 cooled cookies. repeat with remaining frosting and cookies.

Yield: 2.5 dozen sandwich cookies ( I think I got more like a dozen)

Sketch Challenge 166

I love love love this card. I made it to use the sketch challenge for last week and I started with a past color challenge but I veered off course there. I really love the colors of this card, I love the layout, I love this stamp set and I especially love those buttons. I think the buttons give it such a sweet touch!

Stamps: Moose You
Paper: Ginger Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: buttons from my bag-o-buttons!

Sketch Challenge 161

I used the sketch challenge from a few weeks ago to make a card tonight. I looked at it on the computer and then went over and got to work and actually forgot what the sketch really looked like! So it's similar but doesn't exactly follow the sketch. I also stamped the flowers on the back of So Saffron textured cardstock and even though the back isn't as textured it didn't take the ink well and wish I had just used regular cs! But I still really like the card because I got to use my Friendship Blooms set which I haven't used much.

Stamps: Friendship Blooms
Paper: Cutie Pie, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, So Saffron
Ink: Purely Pomegranate
Accessories: Love & Happiness Rub-ons, a random button from my bag-o-buttons

Chicken French

I always try to make a big dinner on Sundays. Something that we don't have often and requires a little bit of work on my part since I have the time. I got the idea to make Chicken French but I couldn't find a recipe in any of my cookbooks and I even had a hard time finding one online so I pretty much made it up out of the few of them I was able to find.

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 cups of flour
Salt and Pepper
2 eggs beaten
olive oil

2 cups chicken broth
2 lemons or about 6 tablespoons of lemon juice
4 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons of flour

Flatten the chicken breasts until they are about 1/2" thick. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Dip the flattened chicken breasts in the flour, then egg, then flour again. Place the chicken into the heated skillet and cook for about five minutes on each side.

While the chicken is cooking mix all of the lemon sauce ingredients in a deep skillet (broth, lemon juice, butter, flour). Whisk it all together and let it cook down while the chicken is cooking.

I served the chicken over some brown rice and broccoli and poured the lemon sauce over the top. Delicious!

Scalloped Bloom

As soon as I got the So Many Scallops set I got the idea for this card. I love the idea of using the ribbon as the stems for the flower. It took me awhile to actually figure out the colors I wanted to use for the card and the paper I wanted behind the flowers. I decided on some Cutie Pie DP and I think it looks good. It gives it some color but lets the flowers stand out. I added the leaves from the Friendship Blooms set at the end because it looked a little plain.

Here's what I used:
Stamps: So Many Scallops, Friendship Blooms
Paper: Certainly Celery, Textured So Saffron, Cutie Pie DP
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, So Saffron, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Certainly Celery 1/4" Ribbon, Scallop Punch, Aquapainter

Ginger Blossom Binder Clips

I made a few binder clips the other day using the Ginger Blossom DP and the Friendship Blooms set. They are pretty easy once you get the first one done. Cut your paper as wide as your binder clip (mine was 2") and then measure around and estimate the length and cut your paper to the proper width and length. I have heard that the best adhesive to use is sticky strip but I don't have any! So I just used my regular snail adhesive and it has held up fine. I also stamped the three flowers from the Friendship Blooms set in Purely Pomegranate and watercolored them with Groovy Guava then cut them out and adhered them above the paper. I also tied some Certainly Celery ribbon around the top!

Stamps: Friendship Blooms
Paper: Ginger Blossom DP
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava
Accessories: Certainly Celery Ribbon

Stuck On Moose You!

I am loving my new SU Moose You set! I made a few really cute cards the other night, one I sent off without even taking a picture and the other I haven't given away... yet! I really need to work on my camera skills and get some better lighting.

I'm not completely thrilled with the card. I started my image too low and I ended up with a large blank space at the top. I don't really care for how the ribbon fills the space but it's growing on me. Here's what I used:

Stamps: Moose You
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou, Confetti White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Blue Bayou
Accessories: Brads, Certainly Celery Ribbon

Stampin Sunday!

I was stampin up a storm today! I made a name frame for Brianna's 5th birthday and two birthday cards for my grandmother.

I am hoping to make a name frame for each of my 7 (soon to be 8!) nieces and nephews as their birthdays arrive. This is the one I made Brianna for her birthday this week.

I used a wooden frame I got from the Christmas Tree Shoppe for $4 that was 8" x 24". I glued So Saffron textured cardstock to the back of the frame using spray adhesive. The letters are made of chipboard with rose red cardstock glued to the front with the same spray adhesive. I used a craft knife to cut out the letters then I sanded the sides with a nail file so the edges were smooth. The letters are on squares of Cutie Pie DP and Bashful Blue CS.

I embellished it a little with small crystal flowers that I got from the dollar spot at Target. I also ran a piece of Certainly Celery ribbon across the bottom with a bow.


This was my first card made with the Bloomin' With Love set! I used:

Stamps: Bloomin' With Love
Paper: River Rock, Groovy Guava, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi
Ink: Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava
Accessories: Scalloped Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Aquapainter


I made both of these cards for my Grandmas birthday and I'll let my mom choose one to use and I'll use the other. Here's what I used:

Stamps: Blooming With Love
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava, So Saffron, Ginger Blossom DP, Whisper White
Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, Creamy Caramel, Soft Sky
Accessories: Brads, Aquapainter