Spring Sampler

I have been wanting to make a Sampler Frame (not sure what to call them!) for quite some time - let's say, over a year!!  At one of the Quarterly's a year or so ago, we did a "inchie" swap so we could make our own sampler card or frame when we got home.  Well, those "inchies" are somewhere here in my craft room.  I actually saw them a few weeks ago but can't remember where!!  So I decided to do my own.  I made this first frame a couple of weeks ago mostly using extra pieces that I had made for cards and not used.  I keep them on my desk in a little box.  So, I pulled them out - the flowers, bird, butterfly, pinwheel and added a few other pieces and made this frame.  I used a lot of retired colors in making this frame - Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, and Certainly Celery - a few of my favorite colors.

close up of pieces in frame

Spring Sampler Frame

Yesterday I decided to make a second sampler to fit in the same frame.  By the way, I bought this frame at Wal-Mart for about $12.  I am going to offer this sampler as a class and having the two samplers, the gals can pick the squares they want to make for their own sampler.

This second sampler uses In Colors - Coastal Cabana, Pistachio Pudding, Cantalope Crisp and Baked Brown Sugar.

Close up

In Color Spring Sampler

So what do you think?  Would you like to sign up for this class??

Are You Ready for Some Football?

I made this 12x12 page on MDS2 today.  It is part of my "homework" from the MDS class I am taking.  Don't you love it???!!!  It's that time again.  Tomorrow is the first game and I remembered to bring my Steelers Jersey so I am ready for some football!!  Love this time of year.

This picture was taken in the grocery store the day of the Super Bowl.  It was an awesome sight.  The pictures of the food on the side are some of the good eating we do when we are in Pittsburgh.  The top two pictures of the fries and hot dog are from the "O" (Original Hot Dog) stand which is located right beside the Pitt campus.  It has been there for more than 50 years so you know it's good.  We always have to make a visit there for fries and a hot dog.  My first visit there is still a joke to us.  I had gone home with Sonny from NC to meet his parents.  We went to Pittsburgh for some sightseeing and stopped off at the "O".  Being a Carolina gal, I ate my hot dogs with chilli and mustard usually.  So, that's the way I ordered it at the "O".  Little did I know, they did not know what hot dog chilli was and served my hot dog with their type of chilli - with beans.  Sonny's dad looked at me pretty strangely as I was picking out the beans from my hot dog.  30+ years later and we are still laughing about it when we go to Pittsburgh.

The next picture is of my favorite food!!  It is an Italian Hoagie from Danny's.  Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.  Danny's is another institution in Pittsburgh - been there at least 50 years probably.  There used to be a drive in theatre behind the restaurant and Sonny said they would come over from the drive in and get sandwiches and go back & watch the movie.  Our kids grew up eating there whenever we would visit.  Although there were a few times when Sonny & I would sneak out, leaving the kids at home with grandma and head over to Danny's for a quick hoagie.  (Although it is probably 30 minutes from Sonny's home!)  When Marianne went with us to Pittsburgh, we got her hooked on the hoagie too.  We usually get a "to go" box to take back with us.  They layer the meat, onions, tomatoes, etc. in a pizza box and give us the bread and signature Italian dressing so we can make them when we get home.  I've just never found a sandwich as good as Danny's anywhere else and we are constantly looking.

The final picture is funnel cake!  So yummy!  But truthfully, it's the same funnel cake you can get other places.  I don't even know where that picture was taken.  Once when Marianne and Harrison went with us to Pittsburgh to a game, we ate at an Italian restaurant close to our hotel and ordered funnel cake for dessert.  We still talk about that dessert.  It was like funnel cake on steroids!  It was huge and fed all of us.

Well, time for this gal to "hit the hay."  Hope you enjoyed my culinary page about Pittsburgh AND you will be cheering on the Steelers tomorrow like I will be!

Meander Book

What a crazy name for a book ... a meander book!  It gets it's name from the way the paper is cut and folded to make the pages.  Anyway, it is a fun little book to create.  And all you need is ONE sheet of Designer Paper, a couple of chipboard coasters and whatever scraps you want to use for embellishments.  I used some paper I had left over from a scrapbook kit by SEI that coordinated well so that is what I used.  This is a great little brag book for new mom's or grandmom's, for recipes, pictures, favorite quotes ... whatever you want.  I haven't decided yet what I will do with mine but I want to do another one now if was so fun!

This is the front of the book.  I made one of those crumpled up flowers using Sizzix Flower Layers die.  The leaves are from the Island Floral die in the Summer Mini Catalog.

This is my first page.  Each page has a tag tucked in it.

You can see the tags sticking out the side and top of the book. 

I got the directions for this little book on Splitcoast Stampers.  Beate wrote the tutorial and there is also a video tutorial.  Here is the link.  Check it out and make one for yourself!

Red and Black Frame

I found my "mojo" today and had fun making a couple of frames. I had plans to go to our neighborhood pool and "veggin" while tanning and reading my book, but got carried away instead in my craft room.

About a month ago, I shared this baby book with you that I had made for a friend who had a baby girl in early April. Well, today I finally finished the "name frame" I wanted to give them too. It turned out pretty cute, I think. Now I just need to get it in the mail! I bought the frame at the Dollar Store and the animals are cut from the Designer Paper I used in the baby book. I used a retired SU alphabet set for the letters and stamped them in Regal Rose Craft Ink and embossed them. (click on picture to see full image)

After I finished that, I made another picture frame for our Newcomers Bingo Auction next week. I had seen a similar one on Splitcoast a while back in blues and browns and had been wanting to create one. The squares are punched with my 1 1/4" Square Punch from Red, Black. various Designer Papers and some are embossed in white on red and black with the Baroque Motif stamp. I used a variety of ribbon, stamps, Daisy Die (Sizzix), Dew Drops, buttons, prima flowers, brads, and Hodgepodge Hardware. I adhered a piece of white cardstock to the glass and adhered the squares on top of the cardstock. I couldn't put the glass on top because of the raised items. I used Red Line Tape to adhere the squares to the white paper.

Quarterly 3D Project Share

I participated in a 3D Project at Quarterly and got the neatest things.  Here are a few of them:

A darling Strawberry!  I think you can find the directions on Split Coast.

A butterfly that holds a pack of Smarties!

 

A Top Note purse .... made by my sister!!

A Top Note decorated hand towel

Ideal for a picnic - Top Note holder for napkin and silverware.

A Faux Alligator purse.