Last day of September...

I probably should be making Halloween type or atleast fall cards but this new Vintage Santa kept calling my name! He's actually quite a large collage but I cropped him down to fit the CPS sketch for this week. That worked out nicely because my watercoloring wasn't that great. Have you ever taken a heat gun to sheer ribbon? I know I've read about it in the past and I was reminded again about how neat it is over on The Angel Company's blog. It made the perfect little "extra something" that I felt this card needed.



Card Materials: all stamps and papers from The Angel Company
Stamps: Vintage Santa
Accessories: Penelope Soar with it Collection and cardstock, ribbon, heat gun

(psst! Did you notice all the layers I used here? tee hee... I counted them up - 7!!)

The Penelope collection is just perfect for fall and Christmas cards...I can't wait to cut some more! I think the next time I crop down this Santa so much, I will use the cracked glass technique...

Have you heard about World Cardmaking Day?! It's Oct 3 and I am participating in a blog hop...PLUS...I am offering blog candy and I will have some customer specials good just for that weekend. Be sure to hop back over on Saturday to see all the fun!!

and now I wanted to share a delicious recipe that I just tried out this weekend from Martha Stewart's magazine, Everyday Food. It was quick and easy and perfect for the fall days ahead!

Seafood Stew

1 tbl olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, halved and sliced thinly (also called anise at the store!)
1 large tomato, cut into large dice
coarse salt and ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
12 oz skinless striped bass or red snapper fillets (I used Mahi Mahi since that's what my store had) cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lb medium peeled shrimp or scallops or a combo of the two (that's what I recommend)
crusty bread for serving

1. In a medium saucepan, combine oil and garlic; cook over medium-high heat unti garlic is fragrant, 1 min. Add fennel and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, about 3 min. Add tomato, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently until tomato is breaking down, about 3 min.

2. Stir in broth, and bring stew to a gentle boil. Reduce to a simmer.

3. Gently fold in seafood. Return to bare simmer and cook until seafood is opaque throughout, about 3 min. Serve stew with bread alongside.

This serves 4, and goes so quickly that it's the kind of meal you can buy at the grocery store and come home and cook!

See you in October!

Birthday Cards

Every once in a while I have a Birthday Card class over at my home...It's a great chance for me to catch up and make sure I have some cards on hand, rather than run down into the basement and "rush" making a last minute birthday card before the mailman stops by. Sound familiar?!

We make 5 cards in all but these were my favorite two of the batch...

Stacy, another Angel, is really talented and I love her style so when I saw this card of hers, I thought it would work super well with the new set, Open Presents, from The Angel Company.

For this card I used Linear Sentiments again - it's one of my favorite new stamps. New to me but it has been around for a while.

Quick tip: When working with Tombow markers, IF you decide to use the blender pen, blend one color and then go in and add the other colors. Here I colored it all in and then decided to blend it a bit...thus my red somehow pulled into the tan. It's more glaring in the photo but I may just end up redoing the present because it's driving me nuts!

Everyday Inspiration

It's fun to see where different folks get inspired from...yesterday I found the most fabulous color combination in my outfit and couldn't wait to make a card to match! I had to take my daughter to the dentist and I had been wearing an old jean "skort" all day. Not sure just when these went out of style but since it's comfortable, I still wear it - much to her dismay. Not wanting to get chewed out all the way to the dentist's office, I quickly looked through my drawers at what I could throw on. I had brown jeans laying out...good start...and found a bright (almost pink) coral top with the tag still on that I bought probably last year. Perfect! Stephanie was thrilled with the outfit and I even wore it later that night to her school's open house. So, double bonus, I felt and looked good AND! was inspired to make a card from this outfit.

Card Materials: all stamps and papers are from The Angel Company

Sorry that is so short...I am scheduling this to post because I'm off to the airport to pick up my husband after rushing around to pick up the house! eeck... I ran out of time. Well, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Peanuts...Costco Sized!

If you don't live in the states, Costco is a warehouse type of shopping store where you tend to have to buy in bulk - or, very large sizes! Somehow, a bag of peanuts that you have to shell made their way home with me. I was convinced that the kids would just love sitting there and cracking them open, munching on them as an afternoon snack. After all, as a young adult, I loved sitting in "establishments" where I could do that and throw the shells on the floor!

Long story short - I still have lots and lots of peanuts. So, I turned to Tracy Harp's animal cracker box tutorial ... I couldn't wait to use my little squirrel again from The Angel Company's August Stamp of the Month.

Don't gnash your teeth if you missed buying this really cute set - I found that you can still buy it online! That means I can order it for you if you missed out, just email me!

And I just love how great this big, blue eyelet looks on the side...it's from the Mia's Cottage Hardware collection. And the felt flower comes from the In Bloom Buttons and Blossoms collection ... all from The Angel Company.

I think I may just send this little box in with my hubby to work...I hope it'll put a smile on his face. Probably he'll just think I'm strange! Have a great day - it's the middle of the week!!

Seriously...

cute! TAC designer Marcie Nowell came up with this darling baby top and a whole gift ensemble to go with it. I have stamped on material with palette inks before but Marcie ended up hand stitching this for a whole different look. Be sure to visit the Savvy Projects blog to see everything up close and to get the details! Even the lid for her homemade box is wonderful with the large eyelets she used...

Here is something else "seriously" amazing!! I know several of you will be thrilled because you had wanted to get some of the following stamps but they were available only as hostess add-ons. The Angel Company listened to our pleas and just announced, The Stamp Stimulus!!

These popular promotion sets, are now available to ALL! From September 17 - December 30, 2009, with each $30 purchase you may order one each of the following stamp sets at a special price!

T-3212 Reindeer Food
Retail Value $8.95
Special Price $6.75



T-3210 Love & Friendship
Retail Value $12.95
Special Price $9.75

T-3211 Sweet Friend
Retail Value $12.95
Special Price $9.75

T-3120 God Bless America
Retail Value $17.95
Special Price $13.50

T-3189 Christmas Doodles
Retail Value $21.95
Special Price $16.50

T-3180 Tea Talk
Retail Value $21.95
Special Price $16.50

If I could hold back time...

That's a good song, and how true. Whether it's watching my children growing up so fast right in front of me, or hanging on to those last days of summer...sometimes I really wish I could hold back time!

sniff, sniff. So, as we start shifting gears and think about Halloween and Christmas cards, I really wanted to make one more card that screamed, "summer!". My good friend, Julie, loaned me her bird punch and I finally got busy using it. There are some great tree trunks in the set, Spring Time, from The Angel Company and what I really like is that they work equally well as a branch. (A little secret here: some ladies have been know to use the 4 spots that I stamped twice in green for the leaves as cow spots! Don't you love it when you can use a stamp for different things? This is one versatile set, I tell you!)

Card Materials:

Stamps: Spring Time, The Angel Company

Accessories: Brown cardstock (The Angel Company), Basic Grey, Nestabilities, McGill bird punch, EK border punch, spiral clip (The Angel Company), ribbon, Palette inks

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend - and that you can really enjoy your last days of summer too!

I'm so excited!!

I won! I won!

Each month The Angel Company hosts a contest for its demo with 5 different categories. I finally decided to enter a contest (or two) again because I've been lazy and wanted to challenge myself. I entered the Party Favors contest...and didn't win in that category because the winner really did an amazing job! Here's my entry though. I got the idea of using the scor pal to make a faux basket weave from Jamie, Sweet Little Designs blog and used all TAC papers.

Who can resist a gummi picnic?! tee hee...

The entry I did win was Card to Crop! I am a simple stamper and scrapbooker (as you can tell by now. Big sigh) and my daughter thought I shouldn't even send this in. But, I just loved how the colors of the Mimi papers went with her photo. And, I love, love, love the images and sayings from the stamp set, Beautiful Day.

You can see all the winners here on The Angel Company website. Thanks for letting me share my good news with you all! The best part is that I won $100 worth of stamps and papers from TAC - aren't they the best?!

Money Holder

Last week we returned from our week long trip to San Francisco (in law visit more than sight seeing!) and my neighbor had watched our dog, Walter, and my little family of chickens for us while we were gone. He really treats Walter well and walks him 3 times a day...so I wanted to give him a little something (ps. there are some twenties behind the fives...I don't know why the bank gave me small bills - I just don't want you to think I'm super cheap!!). Finally I put together this money holder with some cute dog/cat DCWV paper I've had for over a year now and a retired stamp set from The Angel Company.



I looked online for some ideas but ended up just coming up with my own dimensions. Blue paper is cut 8 1/2 by 6 1/4 and is scored at the 2 and 5 inch marks. The length is the 6 1/4 dimension so that it can fit in a smaller business type envelope.



So here is Walter and the chicken coop! I had to bribe him with a treat to "stay" for the picture.



and a close up of my "little ladies" as I call them...



Hope you have a super week! Mine is crazy busy these next two days but I'm hanging in there!

Holiday Jump

Last post featured a winter card and now I'm back to Halloween! This morning my hostess club met for a fun little project that I spotted by Heather, over at Pine is Here. I immediately drove over to our Staples in search of kraft file folders and found them - a 100! (So, if you live in the area and you need some -- let me know!)

It was a quick and easy project and I "cheated" by using Running Stitches to stamp my sewing machine lines...a touch of glue on the inside and it was done! Juliet thought Slim Jims would be a perfect touch and Heather displayed them with Pixie Stiks inside...what yumminess!




All stamps are from The Angel Company.





And while we are talking about Halloween treats, The Angel Company just announced a special for both customers and Hostesses...the following two sets are just $13.95 each with a $30 order or a hostess can earn one for free during Double Rewards. This special is available ONLY from 17 - 30 Sep!

Winter Color Trends?

It's fun to see each year what the color trend will be for Christmas and holiday cards. I tend to be a traditional gal but I really like the soft colors I've seen popping up this year. I think it's terrific that Catalynne is the paper I normally grab for soft, flowery feminine or baby cards -- and it works equally well with a snowman!

Here is my card for the sketch this week over at Card Patterns and I used both papers and stamps from the prize package. For a chance to win, all you have to do is play along!



Card Materials: all stamps and papers from The Angel Company
Accessories: rhinestone, Martha Stewart snowflake punch, Sizzlit flourish die, Tombow markers, Noir palette ink

I made this card 4.25 inches square so that I can mail it in a regular envelope. I love just gluing the flourish down in one spot so that it can curl up loosely to give the card extra dimension. This layout is perfect for using up those small scraps too! I do hope you'll have a chance to play along this week!

Phew...what a week!

Sigh...just arrived last night (after midnight, so technically it was this morning!) after a busy trip to California to visit my inlaws. It was a fun visit but I'm pooped already thinking about what all awaits me this week - probably worst of all is that the kids start school tomorrow!

My blog was sadly neglected but all the links are up and running now - and I should have my newsletter out this week to those of you who get it. I'm also hoping that the Card Patterns blog will have my links fixed...if you missed the last post, I'm the sponsor over there this week and you have a chance to win two great wintery stamp sets and the paper pack, Catelynne which is a whole lot of fun!!

If you haven't seen the Stamps of the Months, they really have a nice offering over at The Angel Company...and don't forget that you have until September 30th for the special Angel Sign up packet and Double the Fun hostess rewards!

www.theangelcompany.net

and,


www.theangelcompany.net

I hope to be back tomorrow with my own take on the sketch at Card Patterns...you know what awaits me today after returning from a week of vacation...yup, I'm ready for a vacation!

Card Patterns

If you have been following my blog for a bit now, you know that I am a BIG fan of card sketches...what a great tool to jump start your cardmaking. I love them too for forcing me to try something new. So this week I am thrilled to tell you that I am the sponsor over at the Card Patterns blog.

I hope you'll pay them a visit to see what the talented designers are up to! They are playing with one of my favorite retired snowmen sets and the Catalynne paper pack (and you have a chance to win it all!). Have you noticed the trend for softer colors this Christmas? I thought this paper would be perfect -- but really, it's super any time of the year!

So be sure to stop over at Card Patterns and see what other special surprises await you - and don't forget to play along! I will be posting my own takes on the sketch this week too!

By now Inspiration Avenue is live over at The Angel Company, but don't forget that you can still order from the spring supplement...Serendipty. If you don't have a hard copy to thumb through and enjoy, here's a sample of what you are missing!


42 new stamp sets!



Step by step project ideas!






and just plain inspiration!






If you'd like a copy, send me an email and remember, I ship anywhere in the world!

• Buy your copy for $3.50 - that's less than my actual cost and includes shipping! Shipping outside the US will be just a bit more.
• Have a FUNshop - and get it FREE! You can do a book party, or have a real party - it is up to you! Don't forget about DOUBLE (and extra free) hostess benefits through the end of September!!!
• Order your copy of the base catalog and Inspiration Avenue and save on shipping! One low cost of $10.50 gets you both of these plus a $4 off coupon! Overseas shipping is more but you still save!

Perfect Pear

I know you are groaning inside that I may be super corny again during this post - promise, I won't. This card features the free Level B stamp set from The Angel Company...it's called Floral Fruits. I used the rock 'n roll technique here. I first inked up the pear in Sunflower Palette ink and then just touched the bottom edge with Burnt Sierra, also Palette ink. A dab of Chartreuse Palette ink for the stems and voila! A perfect pear (if I may say so myself). I stamped off center - does that ever happen to you?! - so I cut the card down and then mounted the white, folded card on top of a single green panel. Don't forget to use your Scor Pal to scor two lines across the lower front for some added interest...



See you back here on Saturday - I have some exciting news!

Great for Kids!

I was thinking that this would be a super project for a Cub Scout or Girls Scout group ... or even as an activity for a birthday party or sleep over! This project idea is originally from The Angel Company and uses our Skirted Albums...which you can find HERE.



This took very few extra supplies (and with School Supplies on sale now - good time to stock up on clips and dry erase markers!) and it was very easy for me to make. I'm sure with a bit of help from an adult, even a child can make one! And, who doesn't need a note board?!

Anytime you purchase the Skirted Album from me, I will send you the PDF instructions on how to make up this great dry erase board.