CPS sketch combo

I know you are thinking, "whoa Nellie! Can she really be posting two days in a row and sometimes with mulitiple cards?!?"

Well, don't get used to it! tee hee... it's going to be another busy weekend here: baseball game tonight and tomorrow, two birthday parties on Saturday and confirmation for my daughter on Sunday and my sister and her family are coming to visit! So, I'm taking a break from house cleaning, the banana bread is in the oven and I'm posting a quick blog entry.

For this card I combined the CPS sketch for the week AND used a "winged things" challenge from the Stamping Out Alzheimer's event. I really have enjoyed the ideas and challenges over there and just when I had hit the lowest of my stamping funk - this brought me out again. phew!

Card Materials:

Stamps: Garden Fairies - retired

Accessories: Catalynne paper pack, stickles (lots!), scrappers floss, Pink #1 DCWV

I am not by nature a sparkly kinda of glittery gal but when I decide to use it, I use a lot of it! I even brushed some stickles on each petal of the flower. And, by the way, did you know that Scrapper's Floss can be wrapped around a shishkabob skewer and it stays curly? How cool it that? For her coloring I used some Tombow Markers watercolored on and then touched it up with Prismacolored pencils and gamsol.

If you haven't been here in awhile, I hope that you have a moment to check out my last two posts...they had some nice cards, if I may so myself!

More goodies to share

Last post I mentioned that I was participating in Jen Tapler's Stamping Out Alzheimer's event. It's really got my creative juices flowing and I tried my first downloadable template ever! Kelleigh Ratzlaff, a digi template creator, donated this template for particpants to use for free. I used some of my Costco's Mind Eye paper that I bought probably two years ago (I think it multiplies when I'm not looking because I've barely made a dent in it!). Since it's thinner, and comes with matching sheets, it was easy to layer and still work with.



It's so cute and really is the size of a cupcake so I couldn't resist taking a picture on a plate - just ignore the desk "mess" in the background - I was having a hard time finding the right lighting this morning!

For another sketch challenge, this card came together pretty quickly. I had some stamped images for these birds the last time I paper pieced them and I refound this week an old Sizzix die that I had with these smaller flowers...I'm so excited and I don't think I'd ever used them before. The dots are bit subtle on the yellow strip because I was so L A Z Y that I used a rolling pin to go over my Cuttlebug embossing plate versus dragging out my Big Kick. I mean really!



Card Materials:
Stamps: Beautiful Day, leaf from Spring Time
Accessories: Miss Moxie Soar with it Collection and cardstock, cuttlebug dots, sizzix flower die, assorted buttons, and scrappers floss

Kelleigh's blog: http://ratzlafffamily.blogspot.com/

Stamping Out Alzeihmers event: http://stampinoutalzheimers.ning.com/

Two Cards...really!?

I can't believe that I was able to make two cards this morning - woo hoo!! It was a great weekend but so busy that I had no time to stamp. I signed up this weekend to participate in Jen Tapler's Stamping Out Alzheimer's 2009 event (you can find it here: http://stampinoutalzheimers.ning.com/ ) and found some great sketch challenges there. So this morning, since I did think about all sorts of possibilities of papers and stamps for these sketches all day yesterday, I jumped right into it and made these two cards.





Card Materials:
Stamps: Happy Trails
Other: Rustic Chic, Kraft, Bazzill Brown monochromatic pack, eyelets from Crop a Dile case/kit





Card Materials:
Stamps: Everyday Events
Other: Toodle Loo Soar with it Collection and cardstock, tombow markers, CB embossing plate

Cards for Heros

This week many blogs I follow have been creating cards for the Cards for Heros blog hop. I wasn't an original poster but I've had fun hopping through the blogs seeing the various cards.

In case you didn't know, I served almost 8 years in the US Army when I married my husband and George just retired last summer after 20 years. I've always loved the military life and am happy to keep close to it by living here in Washington DC. I served under a great man, Lieutenant General Timothy Maude, several times in my short military career and it was with horror that I found out he was killed in the 9 11 attacks on the Pentagon. This is a weekend that I think of him and his family each year...and I know there are thousands of families out there with a similar emptiness.

The card I want to share is just a simple tribute to our brave men and women...and whether you live in the USA or abroad, how lucky we all are to have those that are willing to sacrifice each day to keep us safe!



This is a retired stamp set from The Angel Company - remember when that wrought iron punch was so poplular?! To check out the entire blog hop, and there are some spectacular treats awaiting you, be sure to go to the Cards For Heros blog...http://cardsforheroes.org/bloghop/

By the way, the name of my blog came from my stamping group at church where we get together once a month to stamp cards for wounded soldiers as part of Operation Quiet Comfort. A happy and safe Memorial Day weekend to all of you!

Busy Week!

Today is my son's birthday and I'm still trying to put together a last minute party for him. Between the holiday weekend, baseball games, coach's cookout and my daughter's confirmation coming up - I'm juggling every free minute I have!

Yesterday I made him a quick birthday card. It's hard to see in the photo but I actually cut an oval in the green card base and then have the cream layered underneath on the inside. It was easy to stamp because I just laid out my 3 images where I wanted them, stuck a block down on them to pick them up exactly in place, inked up and then stamped final. I love the unmounted system! Oh dear, I am feeling another Nestablilities order coming on. My scalloped oval and plain oval were too close size-wise to make one cut - I had to use another system to cut out the inside oval on the black frame and after 3 tries, I thought this one was "close enough". Hey, the card is just going to my kid!! (wink, wink) The star is from the Somebunny set and I like that little pop of red on the tag. Happy Birthday is from a retired Gift with Purchase stamp and I find myself grabbing it the most often. I just love the size and font.

The inside stamp is perfect for a child...it's one I had from my daughter's stamping kit when she used to enjoy sitting with me and making cards for her friends.

While I was doing my last minute birthday shopping, I found a clear shoe organizer at Ross (it's like TJ Maxx) and thought this may work better for me than curtain rods to store my punches. They were in a huge heap in one of my plastic drawers and it was difficult to remember what I had and to find it.

Have a great weekend! We're going to see Night at the Museum this weekend (with a group of 10 and 11 year old boys!) ... should be fun.

CAS. Clean and Simple

Oh how I love that term. It just sounds so much fancier than "here's my easy-peasy" card. What made them so simple is that I stuck to just two colors. Many of you can match designer paper with no troubles at all but I struggle to achieve the right balance - of colors, patterns and solids.

In each of these cards though I did try and add a little something extra to make it "pop".



I added gel pen (shiny dots) to the scallop and then covered the ladybug (just colored with a tombow marker) in Crystal Lacquer.



Card Materials:
Stamps: Squiggle Ladybug
Papers: DCVW and Lilly Anna Soar with it Collection, Scallop punch, Tombow markers, gel pen, crystal lacquer

Pearls seem all the rage these days and I found some little ones at Michaels. The lighter butterfly is just a second generation of the first (ie. I didn't re ink my stamp after stamping the first butterfly so that I got a lighter one in the same palette).



Card Materials:
Stamps: Be Still, Butterfly Bits
Materials: Pink Bazzill paper, palette ink

All the supplies listed here can be found on my online shopping site but be sure to contact me if you ever want to order! The Angel Company has free stamps as a Gift with Purchase but I must place your order for you.

PSST! I'm still looking for Orna A. who won my last blog candy. Please contact me before 31 May or I'll have to send it to the runner up. Thanks!!

Mind if I share?

I was tickled last week to find that Mischelle, the owner of The Angel Company had featured two of my cards on her blog...check it out here! It made me giggle too how she talked about my doilies in the photo. I don't usually set a "scene" per se when I take a photo of my cards - I'm more about finding a spot of sun where I can. Now that spring/summer is here the path of the sun has changed on me and I may be looking for a new spot - but during the winter this is where I've been taking my photos. The little angels are a gift from my first boyfriend (high school era), the bird is a carving from when we were stationed in Panama, the aloe vera plant is perfect for when I burn myself on the oven and the table/lamp are from my in laws. Just like my plants in my garden, everything has a memory attached to it. Oh, and the doilie is from a grandmother! :)

And now for an actual card! I've been playing some more with my Victorian Elements! It took me about 2 months to cut into them but now that I've started playing with them, I just can't stop. For this card I made a background paper with them by first clear embossing them on a cream cardstock. I then stippled haystack and raw sienna palette inks all over the paper. Wiped away the extra ink and then removed the embossing with a hot iron because I wanted to stamp on the paper. This card came together quickly and worked perfectly for the CPS 115 challenge this week!

Card Materials:

Stamps: Victorian Elements, Be Still

Materials: Bazzill Monochromatic pack (blue), In Bloom and Sophia Blossoms and Buttons, palette inks

I love cream and blue together, how about you?!

Going off on a tangent...

Ask my husband, when I'm talking (or thinking!) my mind often goes off on a tangent. The other day, my card making had the same experience! Now don't get me wrong, I actually really like this card, but wait until you see the "inspiration" piece -- you are going to say, "huh??"

Card Materials:

Stamps: Victorian Elements

Other: Hemingway Soar with it Collection and cardstock, Burnt Sienna Palette ink, Amelia hardware

And here is the card from Melissa Phillips that originally caught my eye! tee hee.

Once I stamped the flourish, I gravitated to the Hemingway paper pack because of the colors. I had some scraps leftover and I guess I just fell into a trap of using them.

So yesterday I went back to the drawing board. I mean I really like this piece by Melissa and I was determined to make it work! I had some white flowers that I edged in Claret palette ink and this time I was determined to cut paper! I used the Genevive paper pack that is now retired from The Angel Company.

Card Materials:

Stamps: Victorian Elements

Materials: Genevive, DCWV Robin #1, Button from In Bloom collection, Beaux Arts & Claret palette inks, scallop scissors

Closer but still not "perfect". oh well, now I have to figure out how to mail this!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I love to collect plants...they mean so much more to me when they have a history and I can say, "this I brought from our home in North Caroline" (yup, despite my husband's protests, I packed as many plants into several pots and stuck them in the car for our move), "these ferns came from Mom and Dad's woods in Wisconsin", "this rose bush is from the farm where Ernest grew up" (note: Ernest is a former neighbor and he's now in his early 80's), and I have a Foxglove from George Washington's home, Mount Vernon, although I'm not sure it was around when he was around, etc...

So here is what is blooming right now in our yard...

Julie mentioned that I haven't posted a recipe in a while so wanted to share this easy recipe from Real Simple....

Satay Chicken Stir-Fry (serves 4)

2 tbl peanut butter

2 tbl soy sauce

Juice of 2 limes (okay, I just use the squirt bottle kind!)

1/3 c. chicken broth

3 tbl light brown sugar

1/2 c. coconut milk (that's half the can, what will you do with the leftovers?!? I just dump it all in!)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tbl oil

1 long red chili, thinly sliced (haven't had one yet on hand to use)

1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger (yes, you guessed it, I use powder)

1 clove garlic crushed

2 cups snow peas (I use skinny long beans)

2 cups broccoli

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

I usually toss in a can of baby corn because the kids love it.

In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, broth, sugar and coconut milk. Cut the chicken into one inch wide strips. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, chili, ginger, and garlic -- and I usually add some onion slices since they are so healthy for you. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is gold, about 5 min. Add the snow peas and broccoli and cook until the vegetables are just tender, about 1 min. Add the peanut sauce and cook until the mixture has thickened slightly and the chicken has cooked through, about 3 min. Garnish with the cilantro and serve over cooked rice.

I am working on another Victorian Elements card (or two) that I can't wait to share with you!

I'm obsessed...

with damask styled stamps! I already had Aged Ornaments from The Angel Company but when I got my copy of the Serendipity magalogue, I fell in love with Victorian Elements. These run a bit larger, 2.5 to 3 inches in length, so they are great for creating a background page and also look fabulous as a main image.

I wanted to use brilliance ink for that special sheen, and then used the rock 'n roll technique to just roll the edge of stamp around a black ink pad. Each one came out a snitch different. I debated stamping just a saying in black on the top blue panel but in the end, used a sheer black ribbon. That way I'll have a card ready for any occasion! In case you didn't know, The Angel Company does carry reinkers for the Brilliance Ink pads.

Card Materials:

Stamps: Victorian Elements

Materials: cloud scissors, Noir palette ink, Brilliance ink, DCWV

Um...if you read my last post you saw me grumbling about my daughter (I appreciate the reassuring thoughts by the way!). Well yesterday I was feeling really, really guilty when I read the Mother's Day card that she wrote on behalf of the family. Here's an excerpt:

We love you! We probably don't say it enough, but, we do! ... We're really thankful to have you as a mom/wife...

I'm so lucky! Hope you had a wonderful weekend...and have a great week ahead of you!

Hang In There!

Here is a simple card to let someone know that you are thinking about them. I wanted the words to pop out (there's a lot of white space in the center) and I goofed the first time when I tried stamping them out just in green. I think my "mistake" turned out to be a good thing!



Card Materials:
Stamps: Monkey Business, Pick of the Patch
Papers: DCWV Bright Stack

I feel like I could use this card myself right about now! Anyone else with a 13 year old daughter? I love her dearly but am trying to figure her out - she's so different from me when I was growing up. But I guess times are different now too. Here she is helping watch my nephew during a recent get together with my sister's family - Stephanie is always a big help and getting good grades so all is not lost!



Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mom's out there!

Bah humbug...

Finally I can see a little bit of blue sky today...sigh...it's been raining here off and on for 7 days and the forecast is calling for more rain. ugh... I don't mind a few days here and there but today when I went jogging (it was too slow to truly be called running!) I noticed that the sidewalks were growing mold. That is not "normal"!!

I was going to drive and meet my new downline, Donna today; but, she told me this morning that the storms had flooded their basement and while they were rescuing furniture and boxes and things, she twisted her knee and ankle. So I made a Get Well card to send. I hope you are feeling better!

I am sad to see Deco Designs retire (I'll never give it up!) but this card was inspired by something I saw this morning on the Hero Arts blog.

Card Materials: you can find these items online: http://chris.ismyangel.net/products

Stamps: Deco Designs (now on sale), Ordinary Greetings

Paper: Kraft, DCWV Green #2, flower from the Ava Embellishment collection

I did get some little shrubs planted today (our clay ground was easy to dig!) and the grass seed that I threw out last week has sprouted so that's looking at things more positively. Hope you are enjoying the sun today!

And...we have a winner!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to take a peak at my tutorial. It was a lot of fun for me.

And now, with out further delay -- congrats to Orna A! Please send me your mailing address so I can get these stamps, buttons and flowers on their merry way to you!!


Random Sequence Generator
Here is your sequence:

14
17

I'm lucky that I get a few special orders for cards from time to time (and it's not from my family, tee hee! but I am lucky that they like them as well. In fact, my sister told me the other day that I just keep getting better and better. I guess practice does make perfect!). One of the secretaries at school needed a beach themed card for the principal and I thought immediately of our retiring set, Pull Up Anchor. psst! All retiring stamps are now on sale for 25% off...

The center shell is popped up and they are watercolored with a peach and hot pink marker. I think the gold stickles looks like sparkly sand! I also was too lazy to pull out a brayer so I just sponged the areas of the sky and sand...I did mask everything off though.

Card Materials:
Stamps: Pull Up Anchor, More Abundance
Paper: Kraft, Tombow and Impress markers, Niji Watercolor brush, gold stickles

Scor Pal Blog Hop!

Welcome to my first ever blog hop! If you are coming here by way of another blog, thanks for taking the time to stop by.

I first saw this taught by Amy Sheffer and my Scor Pal project is Paper Pleating. It's simple once you've tried it and gives elegant results!

Tutorial:

Begin with a strip of paper about one and a half inches wide. Lay it face down on your Scor Pal and begin to score at the one inch mark. The next score will be 1/2 inch over, at the one and a half mark. Continue to score, alternating one inch section followed by a half inch section. (So as you see, your third score is at the 2 1/2 inch mark, fourth score is at 3 inch mark)



Run a strip of tape across the top of your scored strip.



At this point you are ready to fold! Starting with the left side, tuck each 1/2" section behind the 1" sections to form the pleats. (you first make a mountain fold, then a valley fold, and keep repeating). I used the bone folder to crisp up the folds.



For this card I used a piece of paper that was only 9 inches long so I had to continue with a new strip in order to cover my card. I just taped them together, being sure to follow the "pattern".



After adhering your paper pleat to the card (I used a little extra tape/glue for the sides and where needed), it's nice to finish off the top with either a strip of cardstock, ribbon or both!

And here is my card! I used Some Bunny and the Catelynne paper pack and DCWV green and pink...if you check out my Color Matches label in the sidebar you can find ALL of the color combos for the paper collections that The Angel Company carries. Cool, huh?

The other angels participating in this Scor Pal blog hop are (just click on their name and you'll be whisked to their blog!):

Melissa

Jen

Lauri

Brenda

Carol

Rita

Jany

Bridgett

Allison

Jamie

Betty

Kim

Thanks so much for hopping by today. Don't forget to post for a chance at my Blog Candy HERE and the drawing will be midnight, 4 May. (If you post as anonymous, just leave me your name or email so I can contact you!)

Blog Candy Time!

Happy May Day!

As promised in my monthly newsletter...today I am offering some Blog Candy. To those of you who aren't sure what blog candy is, it's just a thank you gift for following my blog and taking the time to pop in once in awhile and see what I am up to.

To participate, it's super easy! Leave a comment below and then I will use a Random Number Generator to pick a lucky winner at midnight, 4 May. You are welcome to spread the word but it's not one of my stipulations -- again, I'm just thankful that YOU are here!!

The candy is...a half of sheet of cling covered in assorted retired rubber stamps (I made this myself - I didn't buy one from TAC and then pick out all of the "good" stuff for myself! tee hee...I know SOME of you may be wondering!) and then some flowers and buttons from the embellishment jars we sell. I do ship anywhere!



I also wanted to share a sneak peak of the project I've been working on for the Blog Hop on 3 May. In case you are wondering, a blog hop is a group of folks who will all post on a specific day, for a specific reason and you may go around from blog to blog to see all of the different ideas. We're featuring the Scor Pal!

I'm going to digress here for just a quick second, but you won't regret it! One day a woman named Chris stopped and left a comment on my blog...I went to visit her blog and just stopped dead in my tracks. She is so talented and on top of that, you can tell she has a kind spirit. This main image with the embossed oval panel is her style and I was immediately taken with it and knew I had to try it too. I hope you'll be back to see the rest of my project! And to see more of Chris's work...http://twinklesglow-glowbug.blogspot.com/

Today is a super busy day (my son is getting a citizenship award at school, has a baseball game tonight, I have to water our grass seed twice a day and I'm driving to Maryland to meet my sis for lunch - that sounds like a major trip but luckily it's just 45 min away!). Once the May specials are up over at The Angel Company - I'll be back to post them here!!

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered for the blog candy!! And if you post as anonymous, please leave your name or send me an email so I can contact you if you win!

Thanks for your visit!