That Old Black Magic with a Mojo Challenge

Here's a card I made for the Mojo Monday Challenge.  I won't tell you how long it took me to do this card!  I just couldn't decide on the colors or the layout ... whether I wanted a round card or a square one.  I would have it all taped together and decide "nah - don't like it" and undo it all and try something different.  I should have taken pictures of all the rejects!  I'm still practicing the Black Magic Technique.  I really like this technique.  I explained how to do it on THIS post.  I just didn't use the white re-inker on this one for any accents on the flower (actually forgot but think it looks ok without them.)  I used my white Gelly Roll pen for the added white accents on the Black and Razzleberry cardstock.  The base card is some retired Pink Piroutte.  The DSP is from the Saleabration stack.  Today is the LAST DAY!! 

I got some new stamps yesterday and I'll be putting them together and sharing some cards with them soon.  Only problem is 2 of them will be retired after today since they are FREE Saleabration ones.  Maybe I'll sneak upstairs later today and make something with them.  I doubt it though.  I promised Sonny I would help out in the yard today .... with the $%$#$^ WEEDS!!  A never ending battle, don't you think?  If anyone has any good solution of getting rid of weeds, leave me a comment!  I could use it and so could my daughter who is fighting the weed battle in her yard too.

Top Ten Performs on Idol

Tonight the top ten are taking advice from Usher.  I'm not familiar with Usher but his advice is pretty good to the performers.  He was really honest with the contestants and gave them good feedback.

• Siobahn Magness singing Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire"  Not a great start to the night - sure wasn't her best.  The judges didn't like it but I don't think she will get voted off.
• Casey James -"Hold On I'm Coming" by Sam & Dave.  He did good but I think the song is a little safe - not showing much range.  He moved around the stage better than he has in the past.
• Big Mike Lynche singing "Ready for Love"  I don't usually like slow songs on Idol cause they're boring BUT his was great tonight.  He has such a great voice and it was beautiful!
• Didi Benami singing "What Becomes of a Broken Heart"  Not good - she was flat, not in tune and kinda dramatic. 
• Tim Urban singing "Sweet Love"  by Anita Baker.  During Ryan's interview, he mentioned that the news refers to Tim as Teflon Tim because of the beating he takes from the judges each week.  He looked a deer in the headlights.  That was just not the song for him.  I think he may have just saved Didi.  The only good thing the judges had to say was Ellen telling him once again he was adorable.
• Andrew Garcia singing "Forever"  by Chris Brown.  He picked the right song tonight and was good!!  This is the Andrew we liked during Hollywood week.
• Katie Stevens singing "Chain of Fools" by Aretha.  A big song for a little girl.  Her vocals were good but she is just not giving it the attitude for an Aretha song.
• Lee DeWyze singing "Treat Her Like a Lady"  I love this song and he is doing great!  As Randy said, Unbelievable!!   Best of the night!!
• Crystal  Bowersox singing "Midnight Train to Georgia"  Wow - a slam-dunk for sure!  She's going to be in the top three for sure.  Tonight she played the piano instead of the guitar.
• Aaron Kelley singing "Ain't No Sunshine"  Just ok - not his best but not the worst either.  His hair do was a little much - think he came up with that or the hair stylist on the show??

Bottom three:  Didi, Tim and Katie  If the teeney-boppers save Tim, it'll be DiDi leaving.

Top ones & got my vote:  Crystal, Big Mike, Lee & Andres (in no particular order)

Easter Cards .... finished!

Well, I've finished my Easter cards and they are in the mail!  Now on the other things.  But first, I will share the cards with you.  I don't think I've shared these cards with you yet, but if I have you can have a second look!!

This one uses Fifth Avenue Floral - one of my favorite stamps.

This one uses Eastern Blooms - love those flowers!

What kid doesn't like Big Bird?  Hope Jayce does because this card is going to him!

I went to the eye specialist on Friday.  He examined my eyes and saw no evidence of tearing of the retina.  But he said it still could happen - you are not "scot free" until three months after you see the symptoms.  I am supposed to go see him again in a month.  BUT, I totally did not like this doctor.  He was just a tad too full of himself and his importance.  He bustled into the room & after a brief handshake, sat down at his laptop and spent about five minutes looking at something on the computer - don't know if it was my records or his previous patient.  Then he argued with me about a previous eye problem I had a couple of years ago (one which he saw me for but didn't diagnose it correctly.)  I am going to try and see another specialist in Charlotte (the one who did diagnose me correctly last time.)  I don't doubt this dr's diagnosis, but in case I do have a problem down the road, I would rather not see him!!

Easter Blessings

Here's one of the Easter cards I made.  Again, I used a challenge to give me some inspiration.  This was done for the color challenge on Picture Perfect Creations.  I did a card for this earlier - this is my second one.  I don't think I have used this stamp from the set, Peace Within!  Not sure why though.

I love the bird and basket of flowers!  It reminds me a lot of one of the stamps in the set, "Flower for All Season" which I have just ordered (FREE from Saleabration!!).  I also used the FREE Saleabration Scallop Trim Border.

Recipe:  Stamp:  Peace Within, Abundent Blessings

Cardstock:  Pretty In Pink, So Saffron, Elegant Eggplant, Watercolor paper

Ink:  Black & Watercolor Crayons

Acces:  Aqua Painter, Modern Label Punch, Photo Corner Punch, Scallop Trim Border, Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Pewter Jumbo Eyelet;  Crop-a-dile; Dotted Texturz Plate, Big Shot

For My 14-Carrot Friend Challenge Card

I'm still working on my Easter cards but I think I'm almost done!  I took advantage of some of the challenges out there in Blog Land when I was running out of ideas for my cards today.  Here's one I did for the challenge on Stamping 411.  The sketch was a very easy one today.

Here's my take on the sketch:

Isn't that bunny the cutest?  He's in a clear set that I have from Inky Antics.  I colored him with my Copics and my Spica Glitter Pen (pink & orange).  The paper is from Stampin' Up.  I ran the orange piece through the Big Shot using an texture plate that I have had about 10 years from Fiskars.  The punch on the pink cardstock is the heart border punch from the Occasions Mini.   

Last few days of SALEABRATION

These are the final days for SALEABRATION.  If you want to get your free goodies, you need to call me ASAP! 

My Monday Mailer card that was sent to me this week uses the Bird Punch from the Occasions Mini Catalog to make these cute tulips.  It's fun to find all the different things you can do with punches other than what they were intended for.

This is such a great card and could be made for Easter or Mother's Day or just about any occasion.

Food Info

The American Cancer Society recommends eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily to help prevent cancer. There are others that recommend up to nine servings daily. Below are a few ways you can sneak in a few servings of fruits and veggies.

♦ Top baked potatoes with your favorite steamed vegetables, such as broccoli, tomatoes and onions. Fold green peppers or spinach into an omelet. Stir mixed veggies into your kids' favorite casserole.

♦ Add blueberries and strawberries to cereal, oatmeal and smoothies. Each month, buy one fruit you've never tried.

♦ Several times a week, make your entree a colorful salad with a variety of veggies. Swap iceberg lettuce for assorted greens and add fresh broccoli cauliflower and avocado. Sprinkle with black beans and sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

~~Heart Beat Magazine


How to eat a...

JELLY DOUGHNUT: Scoop out jelly with spoon. Eat. Stuff inside with miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Warm in oven.
MALLOMAR: Pick off chocolate coating. Suck out marshmallow middle. Pop graham wafer in mouth.
CHEESECAKE: Say, "I'll only have a sliver." Eat. Cut another sliver. Eat. Continue until cake is gone. Smile demurely.
SMORGASBORD: Grab the largest plate. Bypass the jellied aspic molds and head straight for the desserts (these go quickly). Keep hot and cold foods separate. Avoid diners with blue hair or those dressed in polyester. They dawdle, have difficulty deciding and move slowly.
CHOCOLATE PUDDING: Cut pudding with spoon, puncturing skin. Tunnel pudding out of dish, leaving skin in place. When pudding has been eaten, wrap skin around spoon. Hold spoon vertically and scrape skin off with teeth.
PIZZA: Cut into pie-shaped wedge (large). Crack slice in middle and eat with the sides curled up to avoid losing the filling. Do not even think of using a knife and fork.
BARBECUED RIBS: Let grease drip to elbow. Do not wipe mouth between bites.
MILANO: Insert one-half of cookie in mouth. Apply pressure with both upper and bottom teeth to center of cookie. Without biting through, slowly pull cookie out of mouth, scraping off brown-edged wafer but leaving chocolate middle intact. Repeat with other half. Let remaining chocolate melt in mouth.
THE LAST COOKIE, THE LAST CRACKER, THE LAST PIECE OF CANDY: Look both ways. In one continuous motion, scoop up cookie (or cracker, or candy) and stuff in mouth before someone else can beat you to it.
~~Author Unknown

American Idol Top Ten

Ryan starts out teasing us with …The Save and then introduces the judges. Aww, isn’t Randy precious in Dreamsicle orange?  Ellen’s sporting a checkered scarf.  Kara is shimmering and Simon smiles in a, what? A v-neck sweater? Who’da thunk?  The group song tonight is "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go."  What's up with all the 70's and 80's songs? Crystal looked a little strange diddly bopping on stage with the rest of the kiddos!   I thought it was kinda cheesey.

 Ryan reminds us how crucial this week is because of the tour and then he chats it up with Casey. Turns out rehearsal was a tad frazzling for Casey.  Siobhan’s boss is not shaving until Siobhan wins. Hey, buddy, you MAY want to reconsider that one. Next to him is more of Siobhan’s friends who look like they have blood drawn all over themselves.   I couldn't figure that out so I did a little research.  This is what I found out:   The bloody girl is part of Siobhan’s entourage and they call themselves, Siobhanbies. A play on Zombies. Get it?  (Don't feel bad - I don't either!)

Katie’s dad can’t watch the live results so he’s across the street at a dive bar or something. Ryan addresses Big Mike’s shoulders and they show footage of him carrying the baby around in a sling/carrier thing on his chest.  Sweet!

Now the lights dim and we find out who the final three are ... Paige, Tim and SURPRISE, Katie (what's up with that???) stand center stage and Ryan sends Katie back to safety. (YAY)  It’ll be between Tim and Paige.  Final lights dim… and Tim is SAFE!!! Paige is going home unless the judges save her. Simon spares nothing and tells her they are not saving her. She is going home. Goodbye.  One big improvement this year is that the outgoing contestants don’t have to sing the song they sang last night. They can choose anything, evidently.

Maybe next week I'll make these American Idol Cupcakes I saw on this blog.

That Old Black Magic

I've been working on mastering the Black Magic Technique today.  I am going to be demonstrating this technique in May at the NC Stampin' Up Quarterly meeting in Kernersville.  I also did this card for a color challenge at Picture Perfect Creations using Elegant Eggplant, Pretty in Pink and So Saffron.

I used the stamp set Wings of Friendship.  Here's how to do the Black Magic Technique:

• 
  
  Stamp a solid stamp in White Craft Ink onto a dark cardstock.  I used Black but you could also use Basic Gray, Night of Navy, Elegant Eggplant, Chocolate Chip .... 
• Let the ink dry or speed it along with your heat gun.
• Color the images with pencils - prismacolors, watercolors, metallic - OR watercolor crayons.  I used a combination of them on my image.
• After coloring, I squirted a little white reinker out and using my Aquapainter, I added white accents along one side of the flowers, bird, etc.  On the other side, I used my White Gel Pen to add more accents.

To finish the piece, I used my White Gel Pen all along the black piece; punched out a corner and did the white gel pen on it.  I stamped the bird's wing again with the white craft ink, cut it out and popped it up.  Then I sprayed the piece with a mixture of alcohol and Shimmer paint to make it sparkle.  I backed the piece on So Saffron.  The card base is Pretty In Pink although the colors did show up too great.

Hope you like it and try one of your own.

Idol Top 11

So on American Idol, we are down to the Top 11.  Someone will go home tonight and miss the chance to go on tour with the Top Ten.  Miley Cyrus was the advisor tonight and I thought she was very truthful with the contestants.  I just think someone should have dressed her better.

• Lee Dwyze -  "The Letter"  I agreed with 3 of the judges and loved it!  Simon didn't think it was a recording performance and it was corny.
• Paige Miles - "Against All Odds"  HORRIBLE!!  This time, I agreed with the judges.  I feel bad for her but she's had her time in the spotlight.  I thought she should have gone long ago.
• Tim Urban - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"   Not good!  He was "smoozing" with the crowd like he was a rock fan.  Paige is going to save him from going home though.
• Aaron Kelly - "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing"  For a 17 year old, he is quite good and reminds me a lot of David Archuletta.
• Crystal Bowersox - "Bobby McGee"  SOLID GOLD!  My husband, Sonny called it last week - he said this was the song she should do.  She's Janis Joplin made over.  Can't wait till next week - she's already planning what she's going to do and said it was going to be different.
• Michael Lynche - "When A Man Loves A Woman"   Perfect for him in my opinion.
• Andrew Garcia - "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"   Not good .. again.  Bottom 3
• Katie Stevens "Big Girls Don't Cry"  What a great song for her!  I think Myley really helped her out tonight.
• Casey James "Power of Love"   He needs to drop the guitar and move around the stage more.  I didn't care for his song choice but I thought he did a good job with it.
• Didi Benami " You're No Good"  It was no good!
• Siobahn Magnus - "Superstition"  Good as usual .... just not her best performance.  I have to agree with Simon - the screeching at the end is getting old.  I don't know about her hairdo tonight and can't believe not one of the judges commented on it!!

Bottom 3 in my humble opinion
Paige Miles
Tim Urban
Andrew Garcia

Going home:  Paige Miles

Top 3:
Crystal Bowersox
Mike Lynche
Katie Stevens