Creative Elements

I have a new favorite stamp set.  It is Creative Elements.  I don't know why it has taken me so long to use it and realize how beautiful it is.  I ordered the stamp set before I went to Texas and took it with me but I never got a chance to use it while I was there.  And since I've been back, it's been pretty crazy.  But this week, I finally got a chance to put the rubber to the paper.  What do you think?

I stamped four flowers on white cardstock and colored tw of them with different shades of blue Copic markers and cut them out.  The other two I colored with a green Copic marker and cut them up.  I taped the green ones under the blue petals of the flower.  I stamped the flourish in Garden Green.  The Brillant Blue cardstock is the last piece of the retired cardstock that I had and it matched my Copics perfectly.  The green cardstock is Garden Green which is one of my least favorite colors but on this card, it just set off the flowers perfectly.

Marianne and I am going to the Quarterly meeting tomorrow in Greensboro so I probably won't be blogging over the weekend.  But, I'll have new goodies to share when I return.

I went to the Southern Living Luncheon today and ate way too much!  We had 13 people and everyone brought something so that was a lot of food!!  Needless to say, I didn't make dinner tonight.  I had cheese and crackers and tried to get Sonny to make himself a sandwich.  Instead, he had a slice of apple pie!!  So nutritious!   I made the appetizer today - Blue Moon Inn Cheese Spread from the September issue.  It was really good.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pecans

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives, chopped

1/3 cup bottled chili sauce 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 (10-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese, finely shredded

Garnish: sliced pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives

Assorted vegetables and crackers

 Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Cool 5 minutes; finely chop pecans.
2. Stir together mayonnaise and next 3 ingredients until well blended. Stir in cheese and pecans. Garnish, if desired. Serve with vegetables and crackers.
 
We had a lot of dishes that I wouldn't normally try.  That is why I enjoy these luncheons .... I get to try new and different things.  Today I had gazpacho and risotto for the first time and liked them.
 
Let me know what you think of my card!

Sketch Queens Challenge 6

I'm so excited to share this week's card for the Stamping Queens Sketch Challenge!

Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it:

I made this card this week with My Digital Studio.  It uses the download Frightful Sight DSP and Pick Your Poison embellishments.  I don't have many Halloween stamps so this is a fun way to get these items.   Each download costs only $4.95 so it is also very economical.  This card took me about 20 minutes to make!    You don't have to have MDS to re-create this card.  You can actually download the embellishments, print them out on cardstock and add your own DSP.

Check out the rest of the sketch cards HERE.

I hope you will play along with the Stamping Queens challenge this week.  Remember -

•You may flip or rotate the sketch, change or replace the shapes, but please make sure the general layout is recognizable.
•Share a direct link to your creation, not just your blog, using the InLinkz feature at the end of this post. If InLinkz is down, please add a link with your comment.
•When uploading to online galleries (Splitcoast, etc.), please use keyword SQSC6.
•If you'd like to be considered as one of our spotlight cards, please be sure to link your project by Sunday at 9 p.m. PST.

I would love to hear what you have to say about the cards this week.  Leave me a comment to let me know what you think.

Card Shares

I've been trying to go through some of the swaps I received this summer - from Quarterly, Regionals and Convention!  They are getting a little overwhelming!  Thought I'd share a few with you this morning.

 This is a card that we made at SU Regionals in August.  It uses the frame from Four Frames (pg 141).  This is embarresing to say but I can't tell you where the "love" stamp comes from.  I have looked in the catalog 3 times and can't find it.  If you find it, leave me a comment and let me know!!

EDIT:  Found the stamp set!  It's in the mini catalog on page 40 - You Are Loved.  So pretty!

 This card is a double easel card (see below).  It uses Up, Up & Away (pg 63) and bright primary colors.  The clouds are sponged on for the background.  A great card!!

 Another cheery card using Pennant Parade (pg 69).  I have seen so many great cards using this stamp set.  You can make Christmas trees, party hats, ice cream cones, banners, etc with this set.  It is very versatile.

A punched flower - so simple but looks great.

Another card using the Pennant Parade set.

A pretty card using Aviary (pg 83).  This is another set that I have seen used in different ways to make a WOW card.

 Hope you have enjoyed these cards and have gotten some ideas for your own card making.

Wait till you see my Halloween card tomorrow for the Stamping Queens challenge.  I made it with MDS and I love it!!

What a weekend!

I've had a pretty busy weekend.  Friday Marianne came over after work so we could work on our project for the NC demo Quarterly meeting next weekend in Greensboro.  I signed us up for all the swaps which is stressing Marianne out!!  We are doing 3D (9 total), holiday card swaps (16), 6x6 technique (8) and 30 shoebox cards!  The hardest thing for both of us is deciding on what to do!  We both had decided on our 3D project so we set to work finishing them.  We took a break at dinner to go to the Boathouse for some catfish (well, I had BBQ).  When we returned home around 8:30, the electricity was out.  The sky had looked really bad earlier.  I half expected a funnel to drop down although I didn't mention that to Marianne!  But we really never had a storm - it just looked really bad and their was some wind so we didn't know why the power was out.  I set about finding flashlights and candles.  We worked for a while by flashlight but by 10:30, we gave up and called it a night.  The power didn't come back on until midnight!  We found out the next day that a tree had fallen on the lines.  So we got up Saturday morning, it was straight to work!  We worked hard until about 4:30 - didn't even get dressed all day!!  Sonny and I were going to a friend's home for dinner at 7 so I had to get ready.

Here are a couple of the cards I made that didn't make the cut but that I love anyway!

 I love this card but I was afraid I didn't have enough of the DSP to do 16 cards.  Supplies used are:

Stamp:  Stitched Stockings, Many Merry Messages
Paper:  Certainly Celery, Basic Gray, Very Vanilla, Bashful Blue Dotted DSP (from Patterns Paper pack)
Ink:  Bashful Blue
Access:  Stocking Punch, Big Shot, Snowflake Embossing Folder, Crochet Trim, Bashful Blue grosgrain



The Wicked Witch of the West



This was just a fun card!  I CASE-d it from Michelle Laycock.  Supplies used:

Stamp:  Wicked Cool

Paper:  Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink:  Lucky Limeade

Access:  Striped Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Black Ribbon, Square Punches, Glitter, Sponge

Sunday was spent watching football.  First off was the Panthers who got their first win of the season.  After that game was over, the station switched to the final minutes of the New England vs. Detroit game and I got to witness Detroit beat New England.  Thought they were going to have to give Brady and Belecheck a crying towel!!  The Sunday night game was Pittsburgh vs. Indianapolis .... a game I thought would be a walk in the park with Peyton Manning out.  I was wrong!!  Pittsburgh ended up winning it in the final seconds but they sure didn't deserve it.  They played like crap!!

Stamp Club for September

I had great intentions of posting this last night.  I downloaded all the cards, resized them.  Then I got interested in watching TV and as I was turning off the computer, I realized I hadn't written my blog post!  By then it was almost midnight so I did a Scarlet and said "fiddle dee dee .... I'll think about it tomorrow"!

Both my Tuesday and Thursday club meetings went good and I think everyone was pleased with the projects.  Thursday as usual was challenging - but more because of me than anything!  I was scheduled to only have 6 gals with 3 not being able to come when I got a call from Joyce that she had not gone to Texas as scheduled so she would like to come.  That was fine - I had enough cut.  About 15 minutes later, I get another call from Anna that her golf game was rained out and would it be ok if she came.  No problem.  Well, I guess I had been gone too long because I told 2 of our newest members that we meet at 12:30.  About 11:45, Sonny told me no, he thought they usually came at 1:00.  I ended up having to call Joyce and ask her what time we met!!  Now, that was embarressing!  Sonny was right .... 1:00!!  Luckily, I was dressed and prepared by 12:30 because Tesa and Anna came right on time at 12:30 just like I had told them too!!  We had a nice visit while waiting for the others to arrive though.  That is the only drawback to having a big group - I don't feel like I get to visit with them on a personal level when they are here.

OK - enough chatter .... you're waiting patiently for the pictures, huh?  Without further ado, here they are:

Judy N. was hostess for Tuesday and she made each of us these darling treat holders .... puts the pressure on Thursday's group!!

This uses SU's note cards and envelopes (pg 182).  You cut 1" off the sealed envelope and punch 1/2 of a circle using the 2 1/2" circle punch.  Decorate the note card to slide inside the envelope.  The birthday cupcake is from the great Easy Events set.  We used markers to color it and then glittered away!  The little flower is from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punches with a tiny rhinestone in the middle. 

This card uses the two-step stamp Raining Flowers (pg 111) that I received at convention this year.  We cut out one of the flowers and popped it up over the others.  The colors used are Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Cherry Cobbler, and Daffodil Delight. 

This is by far my favorite!  It is a CASE from Kimberly Van Diepen.  I love, love, love the Spice Cake DSP, fabric, and buttons!!!  Everyone was given their choice of buttons and DSP to punch 4 circles from.  The stamp set I used was French Foilage.  We used the spatter stamp to lightly stamp Pool Party and Crumb Cake all over the Confetti card stock.   For the leaf, we took markers (Mustard and Pool Party - some also used Lucky Limeade) and randomly colored on the stamp.  Then it was pressed into the Crumb Cake ink pad and stamped onto the Confetti paper.  Everyone's turned out a little different but they looked great!  That was the only thing they had to cut out which made some happy.  The verse is from Pursuit of Happiness. 

Corner Bookmark using quote from Daring Adventure stamp set

Corner Bookmark using Triple Bouquet Punch



Corner Bookmark using scallop circle flower and retired corduroy button.



The final project that we did was to make Corner Bookmarks.  I put cardstock, DSP, brads and ribbon in a basket and passed it around.  They used my bookmarks as ideas as they made their own.  I was really proud of everyone as they did their own designs!  I should have gathered them all up and taken a picture of them.  The directions for the bookmark can be found on Splitcoast but they are quite easy.  Here is how I made mine:

• Cut cardstock 4"
• Mark the center of 3 sides of the cardstock (2") with a pencil.
• Line up 2 of the markings and score diagonally
• Line up the other 2 markings and score them diagonally (your score marks will form a "V" at the top of your paper)
• Fold back on the score lines and tape over them.
• Punch a decorative edge on the bottom
• Cut DSP 2 3/4" square
• Line up the DSP square diagonally on paper cutter and cut in half (2 triangles).
• Put 1/2 of the DSP on the back of the bookmark (where you taped the corners down)
• Put the other 1/2 of the DSP on the front of the bookmark
• Decorate as desired.

Stamping Queens Sketch Challenge #5

This week I have another fun sketch for the Stamping Queens sketch challenge and I did my card using supplies and not MDS this time.  I looked at my stamp sets to pick out a set I had not used in a while and also to use one that the other "queens" weren't using either.  I found Take A Spin (pg. 58) and decided to give it a spin (pun intended!)  I also used some DSP that I have not used in a while either.

Sketch #5

 


Stampin' Up supplies used:

Paper:  Marina Mist, Very Vanilla, River Rock, Paisley Petals DSP

Ink:  Rich Razzleberry

Stamp:  Take A Spin

Accessories:  Designer Buttons, Twine, Game Spinners

Here's a link to the Stamping Queen's Blog.    Grab your stamps and try the sketch for yourself!  We vote for the cards that are submitted to the blog at the end of the week .... you could be a winner!  Here are the rules if you want to submit your card sketch:

•You may flip or rotate the sketch, change or replace the shapes, but  make sure the general layout is recognizable.

•Share a direct link to your creation  using the InLinkz feature at the end of the post. If InLinkz is down, please add a link with your comment.

•When uploading to online galleries (like Splitcoast, etc.), please use keyword SQSC5.

•If you'd like to be considered as one of our spotlight cards, please be sure to link your project by the deadline.

SU Top Ten Tools 2011

I'm excited to announce that Creating Keepsakes magazine has named Stampin' Up!'s wood- and clear-mount rubber stamps as one of its Top 10 Tools for 2011!


While Stampin' Up! has long been recognized in the stamping and crafting industry for producing high-quality rubber stamps and exclusive images in a variety of artistic styles, being recognized by Creating Keepsakes is just another validation that when you choose Stampin' Up! products, you are choosing the best!

Final Swap Share

The last of my Mini Catalog swaps:
 

I love this one!  It uses the new stocking die and the Big Shot.

 

This is one of my favorites!  It uses the DSP Frostwood Lodge and the Stocking punch and stamp set.

Always Thankful  - a good set if you enjoy watercoloring.

You Are Loved stamp set (pg 40)

Isn't this pretty?  It is Comfort & Joy and is embossed on vellum.

 I have got to get back in my groove!  I actually made a card today for a friend's birthday - a little belated BUT I fogot to take a picture.  I got a box today from Mr Brown full of goodies from the mini catalog.  Can't wait to make a few cards and share them with you.  But first, I have a major clean-up to do in my room.  It looks like a tornado hit!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog

Well, we finally made it back home.  We left the Mobile, Ala. area around 10 CST Friday morning and rolled in to our driveway a little after 10 EST. Didn't even stop for dinner!!  Not my idea .... I suggested stopping in Greenville, SC for the night but since that was only a little more than 2 hours away from home, Sonny wanted to keep going and sleep in his own bed.  I must say, our bed did feel good!!  The worst part of the trip was that we hit Atlanta at 5:15 so it took us over an hour just to make it through Atlanta traffic.    Yesterday was spent just unpacking and getting caught up on mail, e-mail, phone calls, etc.  Today we headed out to Big Al's to watch the Steelers dominate the Seattle Seahawks.  After last week's devastating game, today's shut-out was quite a victory.  And to make it even better, we watched the Baltimore Ravens get defeated by Tennessee.  (Baltimore clobbered us last week so it was sweet revenge!)

Now I am in the process of getting ready for my stamp clubs Tuesday and Thursday.  I'll be sharing those cards soon.  In the meantime, here a more of the swaps I received.

I can't imagine doing all this cutting for a swap!!  A lot of work. 

This is the card closed.

More Mini Swaps

I retook (is that a word?) the pictures of the card swaps and this time got them to load.  So .... I've got more swaps to share with you from the mini catalog.  (Happy, Margaret?) 

I can't tell you all the stamps that are used in each card because I don't have my catalog with me.  I just tried to download it but it is too slow with the hotel internet connection.  But, I'm sure you have your mini and can tell which set was used!

This one uses Pumpkin Pie, Black (embossed with spider web folder) and glossy white.  The white circle is embossed with the single stamp (Haunted Forest) from the back of the mini catalog.  This is a great way to get a Halloween stamp if you don't need a whole Halloween set.

This is the single Halloween set again with the Halloween DSP.  It is stamped and embossed with black onto Vellum.

Another card with the single stamp .... how versatile this stamp is!  This time the Pumpkin Pie piece is torn into a shape and the Happy Halloween is stamped onto white and torn.  Love the bling on the "o" in Halloween!

A Thanksgiving card this time!   It looks like the rectangle panel was stamped with bleach

We left New Orleans this morning after having our beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe DuMonde - oh so good!!  We only drove a couple of hours to Biloxi and stopped at a casino there.  It's been a long time since we have done that - the economy has not permitted it mostly!!  But, we both did ok in just a couple of hours.  We didn't break the bank, but I sat down at the Black Jack table with $60 and walked away with $90 and Sonny came away making $50 more than he started with.  Not bad for two hours time!!  Our plans were to drive on to Mobile and spend the night.  When we got close to Mobile, we took a little detour toward Dauphine Island thinking maybe we'd find a place to stay near the water.  While the island was picturesque, there weren't any hotels (that we saw).  But then we saw a toll ferry that would take us to Gulf Shores.  That is where I wanted to go anyway.  When our children were pretty little, we took a very memorable vacation there with my sister and her family.  So, we got in line for the 6:30 ferry.  Around 6:10, they informed us the winds had picked up too much and they were canceling the ferry!  So, it was back to Mobile to find a hotel.  After our dinner, we came back to our room to relax.  Well, Sonny did walk over to a bar next door but quickly came back since they were having "open mic night."  This is what he is doing while listening to O'Reilly:





On the Road to Home

We're on the road headed back to North Carolina.  Ashley had to report to work at Ft. Hood on Tuesday so we said our good byes.  Sonny and I stayed an extra day to finish up some work around her place.  Well, actually, Sonny did the work.  I layed out by the pool sunning and being lazy!!  It felt good not having to do anything or be anywhere for a change!   We had our final Mexican dinner on Tuesday night at Tomatillo's.  We spent last night in New Orleans.  Man, is it hot & humid here!!  We got in around 7 pm and walked over to Mulate's for dinner.  We were both dripping when we got there.  I have eaten so much on this trip!  And last night was no exception.  Actually all I ordered was 2 appetizers thinking I'd save room for dessert.  I couldn't even finish my appetizers but ordered the bread pudding anyway.  Couldn't do it .... left half of it on the table!  After that, we needed a good long walk which is what we had.  We walked over to the French Quarter and down Bourbon Street.  We were both pretty disappointed as to what it has become.  It has always been loud and crazy.  But we both thought a lot of changes had happened and not in a good way.  A lot of the little bars seem to have given way to other types of establishments that are not appealing.  Let's put it this way - their advertisement on the building is "whiskey and tiddies".  Not my type of place!!   This may be our last visit to Bourbon Street!!  It was too far a walk to our favorite hang out - Jean Lafitte's so we wandered back down Royal Street looking in the windows at the antique stores and stopping for a glass of wine at a Oyster Bar.  By the time we made it back to our hotel, we had probably walked a couple of miles and you could have rung our clothes out!  This morning, we are looking forward to going to Cafe du Monde for beignets!!  Yumm (although I am still full from dinner)!  Then we are going to drive on - hopefully stopping at Mobile or somewhere on the coast for some salt, sand and seafood.

After giving Ashley's hibiscus plant water last week, it produced some beautiful blooms.  It had the most I have seen when we left - about 8-10 blooms.

The zydeco band that was playing at Mulate's while we dined.

Stamping Queen's Sketch Challenge #4

It's time for another Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge.  Again, I have done my card using My Digital Studio.  It is so great to have this program so when I don't have the supplies, etc. to do a real card, I can just create one using MDS!!

Here is the sketch for this week:

Lots of layers this week.  Here is my take on it:

Make sure you visit the Stampin' Queens Sketch Blog to check out what the other Queens did for the sketch.  There are some great cards there this week!! 

Why not make your own card using this sketch and send it in.  You might be a winner!!

Still in Texas

I was going to share a few more of my swap cards with you today but for some reason, they won't download onto my blog,.  I keep getting a "server rejected" error so don't know what the problem is.  Guess I'll have to wait until I'm back home.

We are still in Texas.  But the good news is we have air conditioning!  Although truthfully, Ashley and I both agreed that we were cooler when we just had the fans blowing on us at night.  Her bedroom is pretty big and it only has one A/C vent.  The bathroom and walk in closet were add-ons to the house and they do not have vents.  So the A/C is really working hard to cover that whole area with just one vent.  Sonny is still sleeping on the couch!  He said it is comfortable and cool so he is staying there!!  Ashley left today to go back to work at Ft. Hood so we said our good-byes.  There were a few things Sonny still wanted to do around the house, so we are staying tonight (and having one more Mexican meal) and headed out in the morning.  I am hoping that we will spend a day in New Orleans along the way!!

Yesterday was the first day we had that we didn't have to do anything!!  It was so nice to just sit around and not have anywhere to go or anything I had to do.  Sonny and Ashley worked in the yard and supervised (!) the A/C guy while I read my book and sat in the pool all day!  Last night we went to dinner at my favorite San Antonio restaurant, Josephines .... yumm - delicious T-bone steak, onion rings,and  potatoes at a very reasonable price!!

I am ready to leave though and start making preparations at home for Stamp Club and Quarterly which will be here before I know it!  I will miss Ashley though but I am happy knowing she is in the US & I can call her whenever I want to or get on a plane and come for a visit when I want to.  We'll see her again when she comes for a visit Thanksgiving.

Mini Swaps

I actually have a few cards to share with you today!  I participated in a Mini Catalog Swap and had the cards mailed to me here in San Antonio.  They arrived Saturday and I have taken pictures so I could share!  I haven't ordered any goodies from the mini catalog yet and after seeing all these great ideas, I am ready to order, order, order!

This one uses Christmas Lodge stamp set (pg 29) in Pear Pizazz.  There is also a bit of  the new Dazzling Details on the roof of the lodge.  The bottom portion uses the new Snow Burst embossing folder.

I can't wait to order these stockings!  This stamp is the Stitched Stocking punched out with the new Builder Punch (pg 34).  The colors are Lucky Limeade, Cherry Cobbler and Silver.  There is a cute little jingle bell hanging off the stocking.  You can purchase then from the mini too (pg 30).

This fall card uses the Gently Falling set (pg 16-17) with Concord Crush, Cajun Craze, and Garden Green.  Love the ribbon!!

Another card using Gently Falling - this is a very popular stamp set!  The colors used on this one are Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla, More Mustard and Early Espresso.  She also used the Houdstooth embossing folder (inking it).

This card uses Festive & Fun, a very versatile holiday set as well as Every Little Bit stamp set.  The colors on this one are Tangerine Tango, So Saffron, Concorde Crush and the In Patterns DSP.  Such an easy card to make but a great one!

Now I have to make my list!

Where Were You?

Who doesn’t remember where they were when they heard America was under attack? Or when they first saw the footage of the planes flying into the twin towers? We were shocked, confused, vulnerable, and eventually angry. No longer isolated to other parts of the world, terrorism brought itself to our front door. As a nation, we were changed. In the face of such an atrocious act of violence our core beliefs are challenged in ways we perhaps never imagined.

I was living in Grapevine, Texas at the time of the attacks.  I don't usually turn on the TV in the morning when I am getting ready to go somewhere but for some reason I had turned it on that morning as I was getting dressed.  I didn't realize at the time how horrific an attack it was.  I was headed out to meet friends for coffee.  What a somber time as we all watched the news on TV at the coffee shop and were all calling our family and friends around the world.  I immediately got on the phone to call my family.  Ashley was in medical school in San Antonio and Jeff was in Georgia at an Army base.  He had just graduated from West Point in May.  They were both safe but oh how I wished I could hold them at that moment.  I ended up going back home to be with Sonny and could not stop watching the news reports for weeks. 

How has 9/11 changed you?  Think of all the things in our lives that have changed since the attack - for me, both my children had to go to Iraq and be a part of a war that it seems will never end.  Also, think of the hassel we all have to deal with now when we want to travel.  I found this video andthought it was really good.  I hope you will enjoy it as well.

I also made a card in remembrance of that day using My Digital Studio.