Mojo Monday Swap

I was contemplating a swap over on SplitCoast Stampers and the Mojo Monday sketch this week decided it for me. The whole card just came to me when I saw the sketch, so I decided to take the plunge! You should check out the swap here. It's Canadian based and Teresa is a first time hostess. I'm sure she'd LOVE to have you!

I stamped the image in Basic Grey on Whisper White and coloured it in using LOTS of Copic markers. Do you want the list? Here you go:

• C5 - Cool Gray # 5
• W3 - Warm Gray # 3
• 110 - Special Black
• B00 - Frost Blue
• BG10 - Cool Shadow
• BG96 - Bush
• YG23 - New Leaf
• YR07 - Cadmium Orange
• R29 - Lipstick Red
• E33 - Sand
• E37 - Sepia
• E43 - Dull Ivory
• E49 - Dark Brown

I used my Coluzzle to cut the circles and the sentiment was punched out using the Curly Label Punch and matted it using the matching die from the Movers and Shapers set.

The Mojo Monday sketch had an embellishment in the bottom right corner. I was hoping I could find some large green brads, but the only ones I had were square and that didn't look quite right. So, I opted for some green Prima flowers and some ridiculously tiny buttons. One has to wonder why in the world people make such ridiculously tiny buttons and why in the world I felt the need to have them...way back when...and then not use them - LOL!

The paper I used is, unfortunately retired, Manchester by Stampin' UP! and the cardstock base is Kraft.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Loads of Love and Loads of Love Accessories
INK: Basic Grey
PAPERS: Whisper White, Always Artichoke and Kraft Cardstock; Manchester DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Prima Flowers, Ribbon, Punches, Coluzzle, Quickutz Wafer Thin Die, Big Shot Die Cutting Machine, Teeny Tiny Buttons.

Happy Stampin'!

Bella Bleu Sympathy

Sympathy cards are always hard for me to make...especially when I have to send it to an online friend who is a member of my "heart family".

My heart family is pretty big, and though I have never met many of them, we are all connected through our heart children.

Some of you know (though I'm sure many do not), that DH and I were blessed with two children who have cardiac conditions: our oldest daughter and youngest son. Because of this, we know MANY heart families!

In the past couple of months, our heart family has lost too many children and babies. Though I know that they all now have perfect hearts and will never again be in pain, my heart breaks for the families they have left behind.

One such little man is Ethin. He was just five months old when he was called home. This card is for his family:
I stamped the images from Pocket Silhouettes in Not Quite Navy on Whisper White and then punched them out using the Scallop Square Punch. I sponged the edges of the shapes and mounted them on the card using dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Pocket Silhouettes
INK: Not Quite Navy
PAPERS: Whisper White, Kraft and Not Quite Navy Cardstock; Bella Blue DSP.
ACCESSORIES: Punch, Sponges, Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Mojo Monday 96 - by Jonathan

I've posted before that my youngest DS really enjoys doing the Mojo Monday with me. Unfortunately, like me, most weeks he is doing it at the last minute - LOL!

Here is Jonathan's take on the Mojo Monday sketch from LAST week (Mojo 96):

He coloured the center piece of "DSP" himself and ran it through my crimper. You can't really tell that it's crimped because of the stripes, though. The images were stamped using Memento Ink on Whisper White cardstock.

Jonathan would LOVE to hear what you think about his card, so please be sure to leave him a comment.

And just to let you know, Jonathan is planning on using this week's sketch to work on another card. Look for it later this week!

Happy Stampin'!

Tissue Box 3-D Project

A little while ago, I issued a challenge to my Ladies a challenge to create a 3-D project, basically anything BUT a card! A few of the ladies were a little panicked at first, but they all came through and you can check out their projects (and blogs) under the Ladies, Ink heading on the right sidebar of my blog.

I will admit that I cheated (just a little) on my project as I already had it started (though not quite finished) for another challenge to send off to my secret sister from the Sassy Stampers blog group.

I decided to create a tissue holder that I saw out in Blogland:
This is the tissue holder closed. You can just see the little twill tape tab (say that 10 times fast - LOL!) sticking out at the bottom. I got the Nestabilities label in a swap and stamped one of the flowers from Kind and Caring Thoughts (level 3 Hostess set) on the label in Pumpkin Pie Ink. The sentiment is from the same set and is stamped in Baja Breeze Ink.

Here's the tissue holder open.

I got the idea from the Stamp a Sweet Impression Blog and you can find the tutorial for this adorable tissue box here.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Kind and Caring Thoughts
INK: Pumpkin Pie and Baja Breeze
PAPERS: Tangerine Tango and Whisper White Cardstock; Making Memories DSP
ACCESSORIES: Nestabilities, Twill Tape, Brad, Hole Punch

Happy Stampin'!

Bella Bleu Class Samples

I ordered the Bella Bleu Designer Paper back in May when Stampin' UP! had it's buy 3 get 1 free Designer Paper/Cardstock sale. When I got it, I wasn't totally in love with it, so I set it aside. Recently, I pulled it out again and have decided that I need more! And I need to order a pack of Not Quite Navy cardstock too!

Here are a couple of samples I came up with for a class I'll be holding in August:

Above you can see the inside and outside of the first card.

And here are the inside and outside of the second card:


What do you think?

STAMPS: Kind and Caring Thoughts, a level 3 hostess set
INKS: Not Quite Navy
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Not Quite Navy Cardstock; Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper
ACCESSORIES: Punches


Have a stampin' good day!

Simply Said - Class Sample # 5

This card is definitely the most simple of the 5 cards in the class, so to dress it up, I added two brass eyelets to the strip of DSP and cardstock and sponged the scallop square:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Simply Said
INK: Dusty Durango
PAPERS: Crushed Curry and Whisper White Cardstock; Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
ACCESSORIES: Crop-a-dile, Eyelets

Momma and her Three Little Bunnies

Here's another one of the cards that I coloured with my Copics this past Saturday:

I received this Momma Bunny and her Babies when I did a High Hopes Image Swap over at SplitCoast Stampers (think I hang out there much? LOL!)

I had such fun colouring her and found the perfect paper and ribbon in my stash to coordinate with Momma's denim dress.

What do you think?

Willow on Pink Pirouette

This past weekend, the mojo was flowing - in a HUGE way! I hadn't coloured with my Copics in a while, so I decided to pull them out - forgot how much I love them!

I pulled out some images from the Canadian Image Swap list over on SplitCoast Stampers and decided to colour Willow with her strawberry basket.

When I was done colouring, I used my oval coluzzle. Willow was then matted on a piece of Pink Pirouette that I cut out with my Oval Scallop Nestabilities.

I finally dipped into my Bella Rose DSP and used two pieces of it attached to the Riding Hood Red card base.

Then...I spent about 15 minutes staring at the thing trying to figure out what the heck was missing and decided to add the two photo corners to the Riding Hood Red layer of the Bella Rose DSP.

What do you think:

STAMPS: Willow with Strawberries
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black
PAPERS: Neena White Cardstock; Riding Hood Red Cardstock; Bella Rose DSP
ACCESSORIES: Sponges and Punches (also used inside card)

Happy Stampin'!

Deal of the Week: Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware

You're gonna love this one! You'll get over 200 pieces of Vanilla Hodgepode Hardware to give each and everyone of your cards that added touch of elegance.

Order it this week and pay only $26.99 (regular price is $41.99) - I know I'm getting one!

Happy Stampin'! (and embellishing too!)

Simply Said - Class Sample # 4

This is the fourth sample for my Simply Said Class:

For this one, we'll be stamping our base card with both Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango. I REALLY like these colours together!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Simply Said
INK: Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango
PAPERS: Whisper White, Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango Cardstock; Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
ACCESSORIES: Scallop Square Punch

Happy Stampin'!

Last Minute Mojo Monday and OCC

I like to have the sketch in front of me when I'm creating, and since I don't have an actual "stamping area" complete with computer like some of my lucky stamping buddies, I copy it down onto paper and take it to my stamping spot (aka the part of the dining room table that I've taken over).

I sat down, with full intention of working on the Mojo Monday sketch and got totally distracted with some of the other papers that were sitting out. When all was said and done, I had created eight (yes, EIGHT!) cards and the Mojo Monday card (which I managed to combine with the OCC challenge to use three different embellies) was the last one I made...at least for now...because I can still feel the mojo flowing, so there may yet be more creating to be done!

Here's the card I came up with, using the Mojo Monday 95 Sketch:


I used Bella Bleu DSP and Kraft, Very Vanilla & Not Quite Navy Cardstock. Not Quite Navy is quickly becoming one of my favourite colours and I know that the next time I place a Stampin' UP! order, I'll be adding a pack of Not Quite Navy to it!

Here's the inside:
What do you think?

STAMPS: Simply Said
INK: Not Quite Navy
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Kraft and Not Quite Navy Cardstock; Bella Bleu DSP
ACCESSORIES: Twill, Brads, Prima Flower, Acrylic Flower

Happy Stampin'!

Love You in Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango

Last night I participated in the Sudsol Chat and Challenge. Our challenge was to create a card that wouldn't require additional postage for mailing. That means no lumpy-bumpy accessories such as bows, brads, eyelets, other hardware, etc...

Here was my submission:

I stamped the main image in Dusty Durango on Whisper White and hand cut it so it would fit in the Dusty Durango Scallop Square. My piece of Razzleberry Lemonade DSP is cut to 3 1/4 X 5 1/4 and is actually a piece leftover from another project I was working on...love using up those scraps!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Dreams du Jour
INK: Dusty Durango
PAPERS: Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango and Whisper White Cardstock; Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
ACCESSORIES: Scallop Square Punch

Happy Stampin'!

Simply Said - Class Sample # 3

At some point, I'm going to have to get away from Melon Mambo or I'm going to run out of it and have to order more before the first month of the new catty runs out - LOL!

Here's another card for my Simply Said class:


I am LOVING the new Modern Label punch...SO many sentiments fit into it!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Simply Said
INK: Regal Rose, Melon Mambo
PAPERS: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Regal Rose Ribbon

Happy Stampin'!

Strawberry Sunshine Smoothie - Recipe Swaps

YIKES! These recipe swaps can get addicting! This is the last one that I had to finish and last night I signed up for two more *SIGH*

Anyway, it's summer time, so for this recipe swap, the hostess was looking for some Smoothie recipes to get her through the hot summer months.


This is one of my kids FAVOURITE recipes. Me, not so much. I'm not a big fan of banana in anything unless it's banana bread or a sundae - LOL! They sure like it though!

Thanks to some VERY helpful ladies over at SplitCoast Stampers, I was able to use the RGB codes to match one of the new Stampin' UP! In Colours, Melon Mambo.

I printed up the recipe on Whisper White Cardstock and matted it on some textured cardstock that I got from DCWV and was pretty close to Melon Mambo. The bottom layer is a soft yellow shade from Bazzill.

What do you think???

Melon Mambo Simply Said

Here's another one for my Simply Said Class:


This was inspired by this card. I used Melon Mambo instead of Regal Rose for the ink, though I did use a Regal Rose Ribbon. My card is also a side fold instead of a top fold.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Simply Said
PAPERS: Whisper White, Melon Mambo
INKS: Melon Mambo
ACCESSORIES: Silver Brads, Ribbon, Paper Piercer, Punches

Happy Stampin'!

Tequila Lime Chicken - Recipe Swaps

Here is another recipe swap in which I participated. The hostess was looking for new and exciting recipes to use for chicken. Let's face it, we're in a recession and chicken is a cheap meal...it doesn't have to be boring though!

Here's my submission:
The directions are on the following page and you can see them by moving the top page which is attached with a brad. The ingredients are basically a marinade in which the chicken sits for at least four hours or overnight. I also freeze my chicken in the marinade and let it defrost in the fridge for 24 hours before grilling to perfection - YUM!!!

The pepper and knife/fork/spoon images are from the same Stampendous set that I used in yesterday's post.

Happy Stampin'!

Lunch Box Stuffers - Recipe Swaps

I started participating in some recipe swaps over at SplitCoast Stampers - lots of fun, but time consuming...I'm going to have to limit myself to one swap at a time once I've met the commitments for the swaps in which I'm currently participating.

The first swap for which I signed up was a "Lunch Box Stuffers" swap. The hostess was looking for new and exciting ideas to put in her lunch box. What a great idea! I took two spots in that particular swap and these are the recipes I submitted:
This is my recipe for Chopped Broccoli Salad. I love this because it's so bright and summery. The best part is that if you're doing weight watchers, the only point count is for the dressing and for a pretty full bowl, the point count is only 2!

This is the brownie recipe that I have been cooking for probably close to 30 years...I figure I've been making it since I was about 10. It comes for a tattered old Five Roses cookbook that my mom has and it is WONDERFUL!!!

The knife/fork/spoon and coffee cup images are from a Stampendous set that I picked up in Austin, TX when I accompanied my hubby on a business trip.

Happy Stampin'!

Better Late than Never Mojo Monday

Jonathan (youngest DS and HUGE Mojo Monday fan) has been reminding for days that, "MOM! We need to Mojo our Monday!".

Well...I finally got around to it last night (when the inspiration struck at 11:30 pm - how does that happen?) and took a photo of it today.

I'm going to be doing this one as a class soon, so I can't give away all the measurements, though I will tell you that I used Razzleberry Lemonade DSP, Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry Cardstock as well as Regal Rose and Melon Mambo Inks.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Simply Said
INK: Regal Rose, Melon Mambo
PAPERS: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Razzleberry Lemonade
ACCESSORIES: Punches

Happy Stampin'!

Just hopping around...

My plan is to get some artwork up here at some point today...until then, I was hopping around and found this (prepare to be blown away!):

Happy Birthday Janice!

Today is my friend Janice's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANICE!!!

I'm part of a "grab bag" swap on SplitCoast Stampers, which is kind of hard to explain, but I'll try. There are four of us in our group and each month, one of us sends a package to the others and we create cards with what we receive. Then we send them off to everyone else in the group. Each month, someone new gets to be "hostess" and send off the goodies of her choice. Last month, we got "Predictabella". This month (July is my turn) everyone will be receiving some My Favorite Things images to play with.

When I was making the Predictabella cards, I knew this one would be PERFECT for Janice, so I kept it as mine and sent the others off to the ladies in my group.
I sure hope she likes it!

Bella Blue Feel Better Soon

Last night, I had the opportunity to play along with the Chat and Challenge over on SUDSOL. I must be on a roll because this is two in a row! I just LOVED the sketch that Jen provided for us and will DEFINITELY be using it again.

For a change of pace, I used Bella Blue DSP instead of reaching for the bright new In Colours...but don't worry! You'll still be seeing more of those projects!

This card is much more muted than the ones you've seen recently:
I used stamps from the Close as Memory Set as well as the new level 3 Hostess Set - Kind and Caring thoughts. This set is SO versatile!

My base is 4 1/4 X 5 1/2 Very Vanilla. The next layer is 4 X 5 1/4 piece of Bella Blue DSP. The main image panel is 2 1/4 X 3 and was matted on pieces of Not Quite Navy and Very Vanilla that are 1/4" larger all around. The image was created by using Always Artichoke and Not Quite Navy markers to colour directly on the stamp. The Not Quite Navy panel behind the main image is 1 1/2 X 3 3/4.

I stamped the sentiment in Not Quite Navy and punched it out with the Modern Label Punch.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Close as a Memory, Kind and Caring Thoughts
INK: Not Quite Navy, Always Artichoke
DSP: Bella Blue
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy
ACCESSORIES: Modern Label Punch

Happy Stampin'!

Celebrate - In Colour, of course!

I was pretty busy making goodies this weekend while I was hanging out with my girlfriends!

This is one of the creations I made:
And this is the inside, with two Bailey's Chocolates in it:
I'll be giving this to my hubby when he gets home from work, because today is our "ring-o-versary"!

I know you're thinking, "This girl is NUTS! What the heck is a ring-o-versary?"

Well, I'll tell you! A ring-o-versary is a celebration of the day my hubby popped the question! That's right...20 years ago today, he asked and I said yes (obviously - LOL!). So we're celebrating...just a little. My upline (I was working with her today), gave us a bottle of wine to celebrate - YAY!!!

So, the details on the little matchbox:

I stamped the image on Whisper White in Rich Razzleberry and hand cut it so it would fit in the piece that I cut from the matchbox die. The outer box is cut from Crushed Curry and the inner box is cut from Rich Razzleberry. I used the Razzleberry Lemonade DSP to decorate the top of the box.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Matchbox Messages
INK: Rich Razzleberry
DSP: Razzleberry Lemonade
CARDSTOCK: Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot Die Cut Machine

Happy Stampin'!

Soft Suede

Here is another card I made while I was out with my girlfriends this past Saturday. It uses Soft Suede Ink and Cardstock, but these are not Stampin' UP! stamps. Hope you like it just the same!

I really like the colour you get when you stamp off the Soft Suede...think I'll have to try that more often!

Happy Stampin'!

In Colours - Thanks So Much

Yesterday I went to my friend Steph's house along with some of my other crafty girlfriends and we scrapbooked/made cards/chatted/ate all day. It was great "therapy" just being able to hang with the girls!

While I was there, I started working on a mini album for my parents. We spent five days with them and my dad has asked me to put the pics on a CD for him. I thought I'd send along a little mini album too. When it's done, I'll post it here. It's made using the new In Colours (of course!). I also made some Thank You cards with the new In Colours and here they are:


There have been some quality control issues with the Bermuda Bay ink shifting which is why the image isn't the same colour as the cardstock. They are working on it, so rest assured that if you are ordering it, your ink pad will be just fine.

The sentiments are stamped with the same ink as the images and mounted on dimensionals.

I'm going to give them to the kids' cardiac nurse when I see her at the end of July.

What do you think?

Stamps: Kind and Caring Thoughts
Ink: Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay
Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Accessories: Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Kind and Caring Thoughts

Yesterday, I went a little nuts and completed three cards in an hour. Later on in the afternoon, the man in brown delivered Kind and Caring Thought and I fell in love! When I first saw it, I was on the fence about the whole thing and then I talked to my upline and she said she had already ordered the other level 3 set and that I should get this one, so we could trade. So, I bit the bullet and I did it!

I am happy to report that I am THRILLED that I did and you'll be wanting to gather your friends to place an order totaling $655 or more so you can have it too.

Still using the sketch from yesterday's chat and challenge (and with a little more time to spare - LOL!), I came up with this:

I think that Melon Mambo is DEFINITELY my favourite of the new In Colours. I stamped the image and cut them out with my 1 3/8" circle punch and then mounted them on 1 3/4" circles cut from Crushed Curry. I used DSP from the Razzleberry Lemonade collection (note to self: Order more!)

I added a 5/8" piece of Regal Rose ribbon and finished off the card with a sentiment from Kind and Caring Thought punched with the Modern Label Punch.

What do you think?

Stamps: Kind and Caring Thoughts
Ink: Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry
DSP: Razzleberry Lemonade
Cardstock: Whisper White, Crushed Curry
Accessories: Ribbon, Punches

Happy Stampin'!

Three cards in one hour - WOOHOO!!!

This morning, for the first time, I participated in the Chat and Challenge on SUDSOL (an exclusive Stampin' UP! site for demonstrators - ask me how you can try it out for free!).

Today just happened to be an EXTREME mojo challenge where we were to create three cards in one hour using different challenges - WHEW!!!

I managed to get them all done!

This was for the first challenge - Use any Red, White and Blue. I chose Real Red and Not Quite Navy to go with my Whisper White. The sentiment (from All Holidays) is stamped in Not Quite Navy.

The second challenge was to use stars (can you tell the 4th is coming up?). There is no stamping on this card. I used Real Red marker to doodle around the outside edge of the Whisper White panel.


And here is the third card. We were given a sketch that had to be used in all three challenges. The third card uses the sketch and colours of my choice. I am so loving the new In Colours. Can't get enough of 'em!!!

What do you think?

More goodies for my Secret Sister

I made these a couple weeks ago, but haven't had the chance to get them up here. I'm still working on our week 2 challenge (anything but a card) and will get that up here as soon as it's done!


The card and birthday notebook were made using the now retired cardstock and Simply Scrapping Kit from the 2008-2009 Stampin' UP! catalog. The card was designed using a Mojo Monday sketch, which you can find here. I used the stamps from the (thankfully NOT retired!) Crazy for Cupcakes set and coloured them in using a combination of blender pens and markers. The card also qualifies for the SplitCoast Stampers Colour Challenge 223 which you can find here. I'm not sure if you can see much of it or not, but the bottom "DSP" on the card is hand made - WOOHOO!!! I used Baja Breeze and Ruby Red Inks with my Bitty Blooms stamp set to make it.

What do you think?

Something Old, Something New...

...something borrowed, something blue...

This isn't exactly a wedding card, but as I was making it I was thinking of the materials I was using and came up with the title!


Something Old: Regal Rose ribbon from the Valentine special a couple of years ago.
Something New: Melon Mambo cardstock and ink - YUMMY!
Something Borrowed: The DSP is from Fancy Pants but looks GREAT with Melon Mambo!
Something Blue: The blue flowers in the DSP.

A couple weeks ago, we went to my sister's house to celebrate my birthday and a couple days ago, we returned from visiting my parents in Nova Scotia. I decided to make them each Thank You cards to thank them for their hospitality.

I stamped the sentiment using the (now retired) curly label stamp and hand cut it so it would fit in the Chocolate Chip label that I punched with the curly label punch (this is still in the catalog).

What do you think?

Stamps: Cute and Curly
Ink: Melon Mambo
Cardstock: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip
DSP: Fancy Pants
Accessories: Curly Label Punch, Ribbon

Happy Stampin'!