Hello from Maryland!

Hello!  I am blogging to you today from Ashley's house in Maryland with her cat, Bogart, sitting in my lap wanting to be right in the middle of whatever I am doing!

I have had a great visit so far and still a week to go to make memories.  My sister, Marianne, and I flew to Baltimore on Friday.  Ashley met us at the airport and we went to the Guinness Brewery nearby.  We took a tour of the brewery and had lunch before heading home to Ashley's house where we just chilled for the evening.  We've been to the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, Ireland so it was fun to visit this new one.

I'll share more pictures in the next day or so.  I am going to make a few cards while Ashley is at work today but I wanted to share this cute one first!  This is the first card I've made using Special Someone stamp set but not the last.  Isn't that little raccoon adorable??  I have the matching dies for this set so it makes it easy to cut out with no fussy cutting.  The tag came from one of the Paper Pumpkin sets and worked great for this birthday card.

Happy Birthday To You!

Hope you had a nice weekend.  Mine was pretty quiet but I got a few things done that have been on my list for a while - like mopping the floor!  Ugh!  But it's got to be done.  Saturday I spent a lot of time in the kitchen.  I am trying to do a weekly meal plan so I'm not just rummaging in the fridge to find something for dinner every night.  I made a big pot of onion soup for dinner last night.  I have never made onion soup from scratch but it turned out really good.  I also made a chocolate fudge cheesecake .... well, it's really a fake cheesecake but it's good anyway.  It's really easy too.  If you want to give it a try, here's the recipe -

3 eggs
3 cups fat free plain yogurt
1 small box sugar free, fat free chocolate fudge pudding mix
1/2 Tbs vanilla
3 Tbs sugar substitute (I used Splenda)

Whisk eggs, vanilla, Spenda mixing well.  Add yogurt and pudding mix and mix all together.  Pour into lightly greased springform pan.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  (It will look jiggly but it sill set when chilled.)  Let cool for 15-20 minutes before covering it with plastic wrap and put in fridge.  Best chilled overnight.

Enjoy!

I have been binge watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.  I got an Amazon Fire Stick last week so I could get movies and other things on tv.  We have cable but I wanted to watch some of the Amazon Prime movies and enjoy the music I can get now.  So far, I'm loving it.  I finished the first season of Mrs. Maisel this afternoon.  I recommend it to you.  It's really funny.

Here is the card I am sharing with you today.  You can never have too many birthday cards!  I used Happy Birthday to You from the Sale-a-Bration catalog.  With a purchase of $50, you can get this stamp set for FREE!

For this card, I used a piece of Designer Series Paper on the background from Lily Impressions.  This DSP is in the Sale-a-Bration catalog and you can get it FREE with a $50 purchase.  I colored the cake and flowers with the SU Blends.  I put rhinestones in the centers of the flowers.

For this card, I used DSP from Best Dressed.  I embossed the cake and flowers with white embossing powder and used the Stitched Rectangle Dies on the white cardstock.  The card is from Lovely Lipstick and matted onto Petal Pink cardstock.

Positive Thoughts

My Stampin' Up order (just for me!) arrived this afternoon.  I couldn't wait to play with my new "toys."  The cards I am sharing with you today are made with Positive Thoughts stamp set and the new coordination dies that are available for purchase now.  I think this stamp set is getting missed from the Mini Catalog.  I know I missed it until they released the dies and I took a look at what the dies (Natures Thoughts) matched up with.  Check it out on page 23 of the Mini Catalog.  This set reminds me a lot of a stamp set that is really old called Garden Collage.  It was one of the first stamps that I purchased from Stampin' Up and one that got me to sign up as a demonstrator on Feb. 16, 2005.  Hard to believe I have been with Stampin' Up that long - sure doesn't seem like it.

I used a dauber on the background of Pear Pizzaz right under the fern stamp.  I was able to die cut the flower, fern leaves, the frame and the little decorative piece under the Balmy Blue.  That would have been a lot of fussy cutting!  Thanks to the dies, it saved me time to do the next card!  The flowers are stamped with Seaside Spray ink (which I have hardly used but I love it.)  It is one of the In Colors.  The ferns are stamped in Pear Pizzaz.  I used Smoky Slate to mat the frame onto.

This card is going to a friend of mine who is having health issues and she and her doctors are trying to get to the bottom of it.  Hope it will cheer her up.

Another card for a friend having health issues.  She had a stroke a couple of months ago and is paralyzed on her right side.  I heard today that she is getting better and stronger.  But she still has a long way to go.

I did a wash on the Shimmery White cardstock of Smoky Slate.  (If I were to make this card again, I would do the wash in Purple Posy instead.)  The flower is stamped with Purple Posy.  I used Blends to color the butterfly.  

So my mom called me yesterday morning and sounded awful!  She said she had been coughing for two days and wasn't able to sleep at night.  I made a doctor's appointment for her for the afternoon since I was headed to a dentist appointment in the opposite way.  Luckily, my sister was able to take her when she got off work.  Mom has the flu!   She had her flu shot but the PA said what she has wasn't the same type of flu that her shot was.  My nephew had the flu back in January but he hadn't gotten a flu shot.  We all had been with mom on Saturday night when we out to dinner to celebrate my sister's birthday.  And of course, we all hugged and kissed mom that night.  I've got my fingers crossed that no one else in the family contracts it - especially my nephew's wife who is six months pregnant!

New Coordination Products Available Now!

Yay!!  I'm excited about the NEW Stampin' Up! Coordination products.  I love the dies for cutting out your images.  Not to mention the new Stampin' Up! Pleased As Punch 12x12 Designer Series Paper.  It coordinates with several of the new stamp sets and is perfect for spring projects!

These 5 coordinating dies -

• Nature's Thoughts Dies #153586 (coordinates with Positive Thoughts stamp set - page 23 of Mini Catalog)
• Special Day Dies #153587 (coordinates with Special Someone stamp set - pg 36 of Mini Catalog)
• Ladybugs Dies #153588 (coordinates with Little Ladybug Hostess stamp set - pg 17 of Sale-a-Bration Catalog)
• Sending Flowers Dies #153589 (coordinates with Sending You Thoughts on pg. 17 of Sale-a-Bration)
• Birthday Dies #153590 (coordinates with Happy Birthday To You on pg 8 of Sale-a-Bration)
• Pleased as Punch Designer Paper #153558 (coordinates with 3 of our new PUNCHES (Tulip, Umbrella and Small Bloom)

ARE AVAILABLE NOW!!

No Matter the Weather - Under My Umbrella

I'm having fun with Under My Umbrella stamp set!  We have had a lot of rain this winter but I guess that's better than having a lot of snow and ice!  Last Friday, Sonny and I drove to Troutman to try out a restaurant someone had told him about.  It was a cold and rainy day but while we were out, it turned to a beautiful snowfall.  The flakes were huge and it was so pretty.  It didn't last long - maybe an hour or so - which was fine by me.  Anyway, we got to Troutman and proceeded to try and find this restaurant.  All Sonny could remember was that it was near Food Lion.  He couldn't remember who told him about the place, what they served, or the name of the restaurant - just that the food they had sounded good to him.  Needless to say, we did not find the restaurant although there was a restaurant right in front of Food Lion called Dixie that I think was probably the one.  He wasn't sure so we drove on to Statesville to a little dive (Phifers) that we like that serves the best fried chicken!  That's when it started to snow.  

OK - on to my cards.

Aren't those rain boots the cutest?  I stamped the umbrellas onto Gingham paper (retired 6x6 pack) and fussy cut the boots.  The sentiment is punched with the Pretty Label Punch.  I stamped the flowers directly on the Whisper White cardstock and colored them with my SU Blends.  The card base is Lemon Lime Twist (retired, but one of my favorite colors - I stocked up on it when it retired.)

This card was a fun one!  I stamped the umbrellas with black Staz-On ink, masking the umbrellas as I moved up the card.  I first used Watercolor Pencils and the Aqua Pen to color the umbrellas but I didn't like it.  So, I pulled out my Watercolor Crayons that have probably been retired about 10 years but I still love them.  They worked much better and I just colored right over the pencils. 

Valentines with Meant to Be

I think I've found my mojo!  I haven't been too busy this week (except bridge on Monday) so I have gotten a lot of stamping done!  I made 4 cards yesterday which is good for me.  I used to do that all the time but lately if I get one card made without getting distracted by a good book, a game, etc I am doing good.  Tuesday I concentrated on making Valentine cards which I will put in my customers orders.  I had the Meant to Be bundle on my desk that I bought last year and used it on all these cards.

I found the dark pink colored heart in my scraps so pulled it out for this card.  It is a light metallic paper that wrinkles real easy so it was good to just use a bit of it peeking out behind the Powder Pink heart.  I used Berry Burst ribbon and card base which is retired but you could easily substitute Petal Pink and Rich Razzleberry.  I'm just not a fan of the Petal Pink.

I paired the Powder Pink with Soft Suede this time.  The pink ribbon is retired but the Crumb Cake ribbon is part of the Magnolia Lane Suite.

This time I paired Powder Pink with Basic Black.  I found a piece of retired DSP and retired ruffled ribbon to use on the card.

Now, this card about did me in!!  I die cut the long string of hearts from black cardstock.  But then I decided it would be much easier if I die cut them using the adhesive sheets first instead of using glue.  Well, I goofed and didn't put the black cardstock on the die!  I ended up having the sticky paper all over my die, my fingers, my desk, my tools ......!   It took me forever - and a lot of Goo Gone - to clean up the die.  I still think I need to soak it a bit more with Goo Gone or really hot water and a toothbrush!  I used all the little hearts that came out with the long (sticky) die to glue into the holes.  I used some retired DSP and ribbon on the card.

Under My Umbrella

I got some new stamps this week  ... and I am excited to be using them!  How do you like this card using the Under My Umbrella Bundle?  I love being able to use a punch for this instead of a die for a change.  Don't get me wrong - I love the dies but I also enjoy going back old school when punches were all we had.  This punch punches out the open and closed umbrellas as well as the umbrella handle.  Plus there is going to be a package of Designer Series Paper that will coordinate with this stamp set as well as 3 other stamp sets!  I just pre-ordered it but you can order it starting Feb. 4 (next week.)

For this card, I cut out watercolor paper with the Stitched Rectangles Die.  I used my Aqua Painter to watercolor Bermuda Bay, Highland Heather and Daffodil Delight on the side of the watercolor cardstock as well as down the side of the base card (thick Whisper White cardstock.)  I white embossed the umbrellas onto vellum and colored the back with my SU Blends (Bermuda Bay, Highland Heather and Flirty Flamingo.  I punched the handles out of Soft Suede cardstock.

Take a look at the Coordinating Product that you can purchase next week.  I put my order in yesterday and it has already shipped!!

Fun Fold with Painted Poppies and Feels Like Frost

Did you enjoy Sunday's Blog Hop?  There were a lot of creative ideas from those NC Demos!

Today I have a card with a different fold to it.  I am still using the Feels Like Frost Designer Paper and this time pairing it with Highland Heather and Painted Poppies.  But you could substitute any flower or leaf image for this card.

The base card is 11" x 4 1/4", scored at 2 3/4" on both sides (so the sides meet in the middle.)  The 3 long strips are 4" x 1".  Cut DSP to cover the 3 strips and the front side of the card about 1/4" smaller on all sides and adhere to card.  Center the 3 strips to the card.  The top 2 are adhered on the right side of the card and the one in the middle is adhered to the left side of the card.  I found it easier to adhere the center strip first and then the top and bottom to get them centered.  Stamp the flower and leaves and use dimensionals on them to adhere them to the center strip and you're done!  Not as hard as it looks, huh?

We are headed to play trivia tonight.  Wish us luck!

NC Demos Blog Hop - Let's CELEBRATE!!

I have not participated in the NC Blog Hop is a very long time so thought I would give it a try this month.  (trying to do 2020 right!)  The theme this month is CELEBRATE and don't we all love to celebrate good times!  

I looked up the meaning of Celebrate and here is what I found - 

verb (used with object), cel·e·brat·ed, cel·e·brat·ing.

to observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities

to make known publicly; proclaim:

to praise widely or to present to widespread and favorable public notice, as through newspapers or novels:

to perform with appropriate rites and ceremonies; solemnize

verb (used without object), cel·e·brat·ed, cel·e·brat·ing.

to observe a day or commemorate an event with ceremonies or festivities.

to perform a religious ceremony, especially Mass or the Lord's Supper.

to have or participate in a party, drinking spree, or uninhibited good time

So much to celebrate!  First off I made a card for my daughter who is in the U.S. Army.  She found out last week that she is on the list to be promoted to COLONEL!!  Whoo Hoo!  The promotion won't be until June 2021 but that gives us plenty of time to plan the celebration!!  In the meantime, I am celebrating by telling everyone the good news!  Yes, I am a proud mama!  So several of those definitions will fit this celebration.

This is a simple card that was easy to make.  I love the Feels Like Frost DSP stack which was in the Holiday Mini and I still have a bunch of it left so I am using it!  I wanted it to take center stage of the card and also thought the sentiment says it all (even though it is also retired!)  It is from Incredible Like You.  I dyed the ribbon to match the Highland Heather card.

 I used the Rooted In Nature stamp set to create a masculine birthday card.  That is another great CELEBRATION!

The base card is Pear Pizzazz.  I used a piece of Tropical Oasis DSP (from Mini Catalog) on top of the Pear Pizzazz.   Next is a piece of Grapefruit Grove with a Whisper White scallop die cut from Stitched Be Mine Dies at the top and bottom.  On top of that is a layer of Whisper White card stock.  I stamped the tree cut out with Soft Suede and the flowers with Grapefruit Grove (all stamped on Whisper White paper.)  The leaves were stamped with Old Olive ink onto Old Olive cardstock and the top one is stamped on Pear Pizzazz cardstock.  Happy and birthday are both die cut using the Well Written Die set - one on Soft Suede cardstock and the other on Grapefruit Grove cardstock.  The ribbon is from the Magnolia Lane Ribbon Combo Pack.

I hope you enjoy my cards and will continue to the next stop on our hop.  Follow along with the blog hop and hop on over to Nedine's Celebration HERE.

Toni Campana

Jo Anne Hewins

Tina Lesson

Amy Kinler

Tracie Evans Langley

Frances Wagner

Sharon Maranich (you are here)

Nedine DuPree

Laurie Meier

Ariel Matera

2020 January Card Class Cards

Well, it's 2020 and has been for almost a month.  And what have I been up to this new year??!!!  Obviously, it hasn't been blogging and I apologize to my loyal fans who have asked me what is going on!  I have no excuse except probably laziness and staying busy playing Hand and Foot, Bridge, enjoying the holidays and making a few cards!   I spent Christmas at my daughter's house.  We drove to Maryland on Dec. 20 in time to celebrate her birthday on 12/22.  We had a pretty low key visit and I ate way too much!  We returned home on Jan. 2 and I have been trying to lose a few pounds since then!  I just made my WW weigh in last week by about 1 pound!

Last week I had Stamp Class in my home.  I had a couple of new gals join us and I think they really enjoyed being creative.  Here are  the cards we made:

Lovely Lily Pad stamp, Petal Pink ink and wash on watercolor paper

I used (retired) Powder Pink for this magnolia (Good Morning Magnolia stamp).  The striped background is with the (retired) Brushstrokes background stamp.

The gals had their choice of the pink card above or this Mint Macaron card.  I colored white ribbon to match the card.  The leaf is from Daisy Lane stamp set.

A great masculine Valentine.  

This was my favorite!  Hearts are from the Stitched Be Mine dies - in vellum, Powder Pink and Whisper White.  

Easy using Painted Poppies stamp in the Mini Catalog.  We colored the flowers with a Blender Pen and Berry Burst ink (retired)

I hope you have enjoyed these cards!