. . . with a lime

It's time to think about Valentines!

2012-02-01T20:55:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that Valentine's Day is right around the corner. February is the shortest month but it's also the sweetest month. I love to send Valentine Cards to my family and friends. Tiny Prints has some fantastic Valentine's Day Greeting Cards from the funny and cute to the romantic and sentimental. And you can bet they have a lot of photo card options too.

If you have school age kids, there are lots of Valentine Cards to share with classmates and party invites too. Here are a few that I thought were cute.

This one made me giggle.

Did you know that Tiny Prints can send cards directly to your recipients for you? I chose this Valentine card for my friend who is deployed to Afghanistan. Won't she be surprised to get mail from Tiny Prints!

I ordered a Valentine for my husband too. But I need to keep that one a surprise.

I am a big fan of the quality of the cards from Tiny Prints. You can follow Tiny Prints via Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Review: Listerine Total Care Zero

2012-01-25T11:59:00.001-05:00

I was given a sample of the new Listerine Total Care Zero through a sampling program at Crowdtap.

Listerine Total Care Zero is a less intense, alcohol-free mouthwash. It claims to

help prevent cavities
restore enamel
strengthen teeth
kill bad breath germs
clean the whole mouth
freshen breath

I was looking forward to trying a new and improved Listerine with an alcohol free formula. This version still has that antiseptic, medicinal Listerine taste. My Grammie used the original Listerine so the smell made me think of her and smile. I prefer a minty mouthwash. Because the the Listerine Total Care Zero is alcohol free, there is much less burning and pain. If the Listerine Total Care Zero had tartar control, I'd definitely be a bigger fan.

If you are interested in trying Listerine Total Care Zero, there is a $1 off coupon on Listerine's website. With Valentine's Day coming up, it's always nice to have fresh kissable breath!

Disclaimer:
I was provided a product by Crowdtap in exchange for my review.
All opinions are my own.

Honeymoon Album

2012-01-24T09:44:00.002-05:00

I mentioned before that my One Little Word for 2012 is FINISH.
One of the goals I have is to complete 12 (yes, TWELVE) unfinished projects in 2012.
I am happy to say that I've completed three projects so far.
Last night I finally completed (and ordered!) our Honeymoon Album.

We went on a Norwegian Cruise to Bermuda. The cruise was really convenient since it left from Boston. No airport or rental cars or baggage fees to deal with. We saw people bringing on cases of soda, beach chairs and coolers full of snacks. We parked at the garage on the waterfront and walked the few blocks to the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal. It took about 45 minutes to check in, drop off our bags and board the ship. I highly recommend it for families or couples looking for a getaway.

Oh, Bermuda was just beautiful. I can't wait to go back again.

Did you know that because the pink sand beaches are made from coral, the sand never gets hot under your feet? Even when it is 90 degrees!

I used the Blueprints No. 1 templates from Paislee Press to keep the whole album consistent. This is a super simple book. Just lots of photos + a few words.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Create your own custom photo books at Shutterfly.com.

It's Monday, Where are You Reading?

2012-01-16T18:48:00.000-05:00

In 2012, I'm trying to read 52 books and blog my reviews.

Today's post is for a meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney.

Finished this past week:
Little Black Dress by Susan McBride
The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings
Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter by Lisa Patton

Ten on Tuesday

2012-01-11T17:30:00.001-05:00

Ten on Tuesday

1. I’m trying this Ten on Tuesday thing. My hope is that it gets me blogging more regularly. I have all these ideas but never get around to sharing them here.

2. In related news, my One Little Word for 2012 is FINISH. I have too many unfinished projects and ideas. This is the year I complete them or clear them out. It’s also the year I finish a 5K and Do you have a word for the year?

3. While we’re on the topic of resolution-type things, I’m making an effort to make some new recipes for dinner. Last week it was turkey meatballs and spaghetti squash and spicy and hot chicken soup. Both were easy to make after a long day at the office and used ingredients I already had on hand. Two thumbs up.

4. We finally took Christmas down over the weekend. I miss the glow of the lights on the tree. But I’m happy to have more room to walk around in the living room too.

5. Can I just share how much I love Lands’ End flannel sheets? They are so soft and warm.

6. I’ll be really happy if we make it through a New England winter with average temperatures in the 40s and snow fall accumulation under an inch. But somehow I know we’ll be buried under a foot or more of snow soon. Until then, I’m enjoying the mild weather.

7. I’m also enjoying the fact that the days are getting longer. Yesterday, at 4:30 it was still (just barely) light. Yay!

8. I’m excited to see my high school friends this weekend. We don’t all get together often but when we do, it’s full of laughter and joy. So excited.

9. Do you have any favorite workout tunes? I need to update my iPod playlist with some upbeat music.

10.Last night my husband was finishing a job in the town next to where I work. When I left the office, I called him to see if he wanted to meet for dinner. It was fun having a spontaneous date night. We went to a cozy little place with great food that we haven’t been to a while. We sat at the bar, talked, hung out. It was awesome. The bartender gave us great recommendations and we enjoyed our meals almost as much as the company.

The Magic Room

2011-12-29T09:55:00.000-05:00

Don't judge a book by its cover. Or maybe the lackluster cover is a good reflection of the shop featured in the book. From the outside, the former bank building that houses Becker's Bridal is nothing fancy. But inside are thousands of wedding dresses, a staff with decades of experience, a mirror that has captured the reflection of hundreds of thousands of future brides, and countless stories.

The introduction did not grab my attention and was pretty weighty. I kept on reading. Once the first chapter began, Zaslow's conversational writing style and keen observations totally got me interested.

Zaslow follows eight brides through their process of finding a wedding dress. Along the way, we meet their families and their fiancées. Not every story has a picture perfect ending.

I loved how he balanced these stories with real-life facts and figures. This isn't a romance novel. This isn't about one bride finding "the one" for a dress and a groom. It's a very good look at the bridal gown industry. He illustrates the changes in the bridal business over the last 50 years or so. Now brides expect to be waited on, fawned upon and be the "princess for a day". Brides can take cell phone photos of dresses and then search the internet for lower priced knockoffs. In the 50s, parents bought the dress and often had the final say and in the 30s dresses were often handed down from sister to cousin to neighbor.

I also enjoyed how he came back to each bride at the end of the book to share details of their weddings and often a photo of the bride in her Becker's dress. He features women with very different stories and backgrounds. I found it an interesting coincidence how many of the fathers worked in packaging.

I especially liked getting to know Shelley, the current owner and granddaughter of the indomitable Grandma Eva who founded the shop, along with her mother and daughter who also work in the shop. They have taken the legacy of Grandma Eva and turned it into a must-stop bridal store for brides in the Midwest.

While I didn't have a Magic Room experience when bridal dress shopping, I did have it when prom dress shopping. The ladies who worked at Emma's Bridal in Dedham found a dress for me that was stunning. I stood up on the pedestal and they all ooohed and ahhed. So I remember how magical that moment can really be when you put on a dress that makes you look and feel like you are walking the red carpet.

This is a very well-written book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be passing it along to my mom and friends.

This is a paid review of The Magic Room by Jeffery Zaslow for the Blog Her Book Club. All opinions expressed are mine.

Sending Christmas Cards!!!

2011-11-20T13:07:00.001-05:00

I love Christmas cards. I love sending them. I really love getting them. I love displaying them well into January so I can see the happy faces of the people I love.

I usually make our Christmas cards. It's definitely a labor of love. I enjoy the crafting process but my cards don't get mailed until the week of Christmas if I'm lucky. It gets pretty stressful. More often than not, they become "happy week between Christmas and New Years!" cards.

Our list has grown by leaps and bounds this year. There are lots of people across the country that I want to send a card, so I thought a Tiny Prints holiday photo card would take the pressure off me. My cousin just finished a photography class. She's coming over to do a little photo shoot of us. Good practice for her and a great Christmas card for us.

We used Tiny Prints the year we got married and I was so impressed the professional quality of the cards. These aren't the typical photo card. Tiny Prints are printed on beautiful thick paper with rich colors and gorgeous fonts. As a crafter that makes me happy.

I love the clean, modern designs. Here are just a few of the cards I had added to my favorites. Apparently, I'm all about grey and red this year.

This year a lot of the photo cards have designs on the back too. The calligraphy on this one made my heart skip a beat. It's gorgeous!

Christmas Letter

How fun would this card be if you ended up with a bunch of photos you wanted to use and you couldn't pick just one?

Photo Strip Cheer

Have you started thinking about holiday cards yet? How many do you send out? Will you include a photo in your card?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Tiny Prints is sending me 50 free holiday cards to blog about their holiday cards.

Spiked Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes

2011-11-01T22:14:00.000-04:00

Earlier this year Joel had a vanilla caramel bourbon spiked milkshake at Bobby's Burger Palace and loved it.

We had leftover pumpkin pie filling from the Pumpkin Pie Throwdown, so we decided to try making our own spiked milkshakes.

Joel combined the chilled pumpkin pie filling with some brandy and a little buttershots schnapps in the blender and gave it a whirl.

I rimmed the glasses with a cinnamon sugar mixture. It was silky smooth, pumpkiny and oh so fall.

Next time you make pumpkin pie, consider whipping up a cocktail with the leftovers while you wait for the pie to finish baking.

Chatham

2011-10-13T22:31:00.001-04:00

We took a road trip down in Chatham on Cape Cod this weekend. The weather was simply glorious. Sunny, blue skies and 85 degrees. I wish we could have had more days like that this summer.

While we were there I took some photos for the October Photo Challenge.

Blood Red

I've been dreaming of this red flannel hash from Hangar B since Memorial Day. The hash of beets, yukon and sweet potatoes is topped with a horseradish creme fraiche and a side of sourdough toast. Delicious. It was so worth the 90 minute drive to get there and the 45 minute wait to get a table.

Twilight

We had lunch at The Corner Store. They make the best breakfast burritos. This time I had a wonderful grilled eggplant sandwich with feta, hummus, spinach, marinated tomatoes and kalamata olives on this amazing 7 grain bread from Pain D'Avignon. So so good!

Windows

We discovered this window down a little alley off of Main Street. There was a lovely older lady working in the gardens who pointed out different plants to us as we walked through.

Faceless Portrait

I can't believe I had my toes in the ocean over Columbus Day weekend.

October Skies
I didn't photoshop this photo. The sky really was that blue and cloudless. It was spectacular. We haven't had many cold nights so most of the trees are still green.

Spooky
Can you see the face in the tree trunk?

Letter Art
I'm still on the hunt for an S but for now, here is W.

Sweet
Tarte tatin from the Chatham Bars Inn. Behind it is the chocolate obsession that Joel ordered. We sat on the veranda and enjoyed the twinkle lights and the warm breeze. Earlier we had coffee drinks in the tavern and watched the last quarter of the Patriots game. The perfect ending to a wonderful day.

October Photo Challenges

2011-10-05T08:43:00.000-04:00

Something Purple
This is the last purple hydrangea hanging on from the bush. All the rest have started to dry out and turn darker hues which are also beautiful.

Street Lights
Our town has been under a boil water for seven days. It has not been fun. I would make a terrible Laura Ingalls Wilder because I did not enjoy brushing my teeth with bottled water and boiling big pots of water to do dishes. Around the corner from our house the fire hydrant is flushing the water. I pulled over to take this photo and in the process was splashed from head to foot by a passing car.

Happiness Is...

2011-10-04T13:04:00.003-04:00

Having funny, charming, loving, loyal and wonderful friends that you've known forever.
Watching those friends grow up and become amazing adults.
Spending a day with those great friends and their lovely spouses and their adorable, boisterous, beautiful children.

That's what happiness is.

I used a digital cutting file from Kerri Bradford for the title. If you have a Silhouette or Cricut, you must check out her store. She has the best designs. The punched border is also a Kerri Bradford design. Later this week, I'll share my printer's tray made from her This&That: Autumn kit.

For the photo collage I used Photo Clusters No. 10 from Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals. These are my new favorite way to get a lot of photos on one page. So super easy to use.

Tell me, what's your Happiness Is?

Hello October

2011-10-02T13:35:00.013-04:00

Hello, October. I'm looking forward to football, comfort food and beautiful foliage.
I'm doing a photo challenge for the month of October with some friends. We have a big list of inspiration prompts to use as guidelines.

This is my take on Something Orange.

I stopped in the middle of prepping for supper to take photos. Butternut squash is my absolute favorite vegetable. And that's saying something because I love veggies. I picked this up at the Farmer's Market at City Hall from Noquochoke Orchards in Westport MA. They also sell a variety of apples and gorgeous dahlias. That's a whole lotta happy in one farm stand!

Today, I'm making the Barefoot Contessa's roasted squash. I'll toss the peeled and cubed squash with some olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme from my herb garden. Roast at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, stirring once or twice for even roasting.

We'll have it with pulled pork sandwiches and harvest spice beer from John Harvard's Brew House. This is one of my favorite fall beers. Then we'll watch the Patriots take on the Oakland Raiders.

World Cardmaking Day Blog Hop

2011-10-01T03:00:00.002-04:00

Did you know that October 1 is World Cardmaking Day? Will you be getting your craft on today?
The holidays are right around the corner so I want to share a Christmas card..

Supplies Used:

cardstock: Bazzill (blue) and Paper Source (beet)

patterned paper: Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses Powdered Sugar

stamp: Wreath for All Seasons, Papertrey Ink

inks: Close to My Heart

I used a sketch from Jen Del Muro. This would be an easy card to mass produce for holiday cards. Four simple components that can be cut and stamped in batches and then assembled. I used a non-traditional color scheme for a lighter, airy feel to a Christmas card.

I support Operation Write Home and their mission to supply troops with blank handmade cards they can send home to their loved ones. There's something special about spending time making cards knowing it will help our soldiers keep in touch with their family and friends. My best friend's little sister served a tour of duty in Iraq four years ago. I remember how much we loved getting a note from her. She was so great at sending thank you notes for care packages. Back then she was "adopted" by a group of Red Hat Ladies who sent her blank cards for writing home. When I learned about Operation Write Home last year, I knew I wanted to pay forward the kindness of those ladies.

Heather will be deploying to Afghanistan next month. Making cards is one small way I can support her and all our soldiers.

The deadline for sending Christmas cards to Operation Write Home is October 31. But they are always looking for birthday, love and thank you cards.

Thanks for hopping by today!

SOWA Farmers Market

2011-09-30T21:53:00.003-04:00

The SOWA Farmers Market is held in Boston every Sunday from May to October. There are lots of local farmers, vendors and artisans selling their wares along with - my new obsession - food trucks! We had a great day just poking around the different tables and enjoying the warm spring weather. I hope we can back there before they shut down later this month.

I cut the title with my Sillhouette from brown cardstock. The photo frames are from Designer Digitals. These are my new favorite way to get a lot of photos onto a page. Paula Gilarde does this a lot and she inspired me to try using photo frames at a crop a few years ago. The patterned paper and journaling spots are Jillibean Soup. I used a metal wavy ruler from Creative Memories to make the torn border.

Supplies Used:

patterned paper: Jillibean Soup Cup of Yak, Meatballs and Brown Rice

journaling spots: Jillibean Soup

other: Creative Memories wavy ruler, Kaiser red pearls

Crop for a Cure - November 5, 2011

2011-07-13T11:51:00.001-04:00

Please join us on Saturday, November 5, 20011 to Crop for a Cure.

This all-day scrapbooking event raises money for the Stars and Stripes Relay for Life team.

Your $35 donation includes lunch, snacks, beverages and a welcome gift.
Plenty of space for scrapbooking, stamping or general crafting.
Raffles and chair massages will also be available.

Spread the word! Bring a friend!

Elves Wanted

2011-07-10T16:43:00.001-04:00

This layout just makes me smile. The photos are a collection of Christmas cards of some of my favorite kidlets. I always save the photo cards and the handmade cards every year. So if you sent me one, it's safely tucked away.

To make this layout, I trimmed the four cards to fit onto a 9x9 square layout. That's the size of my Christmas album. I started with a base of Basic Grey patterned paper and Die Cuts With a View lime green cardstock.

The Paper Thrills Challenge #16 was to use stickers as your background. The catch? No alphabets allowed.
I dug deep into my stash for these 7 Gypsies 97% Complete Christmas stickers. I bought a ton when they first came out and still have a few sheets. I took the word strips and layered them on a strip of red cardstock. One larger quote sticker was also backed with cardstock and popped it up with foam squares.

It's not too soon to start thinking about Christmas. Pulling out my holiday stash made me want to start working on Christmas cards soon. Have you started thinking about Christmas yet?

Love These Girls

2011-06-15T13:20:00.001-04:00

Challenge #10 at Paper Thrills was to a "use your stash" challenge. If you are like me, you could scrap for months straight without buying a single supply. These challenges are a great way to use that stash up in new and creative ways.

We were challenged to not use patterned paper. That's an easy one for me because I love cardstock. The twist was to use stamps, paints, stamps, etc to create a background pattern. I'm not a very technique driven scrapper but I love how this layout turned out.

The background is embossed Core'dinations cardstock that I sanded to add some texture and color. I put a piece of KI lace cardstock over the cream photo mat and sprayed it with gold Smooch spritz to make the photo mat.

The journal spot is a Papertrey Ink stamp and die combo stamped in aqua pigment ink and backed with watermelon cardstock. I used the same watermelon cardstock in the upper left corner and stamped and embossed a leaf patter on top of the circle. Then I added some chipboard butterfly that were embellished with some pearls and twine. The die cut title and flower accent are super old My Mind's Eye that worked perfectly with the color scheme of this layout.

Journaling reads: Having lunch with Patrice was a delight. She is just as sweet in person. So glad we could spend the day with her.

Paper Thrills Sketch Challenge

2011-06-15T13:02:00.001-04:00

The challenge this week over at Paper Thrills is a sketch.

I love sketches because they are a terrific jumping off point for a card or layout. Sometimes my layouts closely follow the sketch and sometimes they don't.

For this layout, I used Jenni Bowlin bracket shaped ledger paper for my background instead of a circle. I added some strips of Crate Paper patterned paper behind the three photos and finished with some journaling and a big, bold title in the upper right hand corner to balance the photos.

Journaling reads: It's one of our favorite date places. We have a lot of fun walking around checking out new decor ideas. IKEA also sparks childhood memories for Joel. I love hearing about his summer visits to his grandparents' in Sweden. The meatballs and lingonberry jelly rock too.
I hope you'll play along with this week's challenge at Paper Thrills. Link me up to your layouts!

Enjoy The Ride - Masculine Gift Card Holder

2011-05-14T20:41:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I can't help bringing Crafty Me to the office. Recently one of our contractors left to take a job in Iowa. As a thank you/going away present, I bought him a Visa gift card that he could use for gas or food or whatever on his drive from Boston to Iowa.

The Papertrey Ink stamp set, Enjoy the Ride, is one of my favorites for masculine cards. Especially for a guy taking a road trip!

I created a pocket card to hold the gift card on the inside. I started with a 13" x 5" strip of black cardstock and scored at 5" and 10". Then I embellished the front with a 4" x 4" square of patterned paper and punched a 2" circle from a scrap of red cardstock I hand drew a circle on the red circle instead of inking the edges with black. I liked the balance of the line against the black card base.

I stamped the card outline with black Versafine and then Sky Blue pigment ink. My favorite thing to do with this car stamp is to color the headlights with a clear Spica glitter pen and a layer of Glossy Accents. I also colored a few details on the car with a silver Creative Memories pen. Adds interest to the car! I popped up the car with foam adhesive for even more dimension.

Inside the card, I added a 1 3/4" strip of patterned paper and a stamped sentiment from the Enjoy the Ride stamp set. I used ATG adhesive on the top and bottom of the small folded strip to create a pocket. The gift card fit perfectly inside.

This could be a great idea for Father's Day or a Teacher Appreciation Day gift too.

In Search of the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

2011-05-10T21:37:00.004-04:00

I've long been a fan of Cook's Illustrated and the companion PBS television show, America's Test Kitchen. I've even been able to test recipes for them and many are among our favorites. Recently I read about the America's Test Kitchen challenge to Boston Bloggers to try their Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.

Now, I've got to say that my mom's chocolate chip cookie recipe is pretty darned perfect. So could the experts at America's Test Kitchen produce a cookie that was BETTER than hers? I was skeptical but willing to try it. The ingredients are the same as my favorite recipe. It's the proportions that are different: 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk and more dark brown sugar than white sugar.

I followed the recipe suggestion to weigh the dry goods. This isn't something I normally do. I have vivid memories of my Nannie's hand on mine as we lightly spooned flour into a measuring cup and then leveled the surface with the back of butter knife. I always think of that when I bake. She said it was the key to light instead of leaden cakes. She was an amazing baker as is my mom. Me? I'm good at following a recipe.

This time I pulled out the digital scale that Joel bought long before we were married and weighed the flour, white sugar and dark brown sugars.

The magic is in the 10 tablespoons of browned butter, which makes the kitchen smell amazing.

The sugars, vanilla, salt and eggs are whisked into the melted butter. Three rounds of whisking and resting helps the sugar dissolve completely. (I used those 3 minutes to fold laundry while watching the Celtics game.)

Speaking of brown sugar, have you tried a brown sugar bear? This little guy keeps brown sugar moist and pliable for months and months. No more rock hard brown sugar.

Then the flour and baking soda are stirred in followed by the chocolate chips. I didn't have any nuts in the pantry and I wish I did. I love walnuts in my chocolate chip cookies.

The finished dough has a consistency like Play Doh. It's not shaggy and loose like a typical chocolate chip cookie dough. The recipe called for a #24 scoop. I wanted more "traditional" sized cookies so I used a cookie scoop which made 48 cookies.

The verdict: completely delicious! They definitely were crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. The browned butter adds a wonderful and unexpected toffee flavor to the cookies. Joel and I each ate one last night while they were still warm. Perfect with a glass of cold milk. This morning we packed some to enjoy with our lunch at the Brimfield Fair where my mom gave them a thumbs up too.

I'll definitely keep this recipe in my files. It was easy to follow, easy to execute and easy to clean up. Thanks Cook's Illustrated for another winning recipe.

Paper Thrills Challenge #8

2011-05-07T18:45:00.004-04:00

This week over on the Paper Thrills blog, the challenge is to use a print ad.
Like the ad, my page has a subtle print on the top third and a bolder print at the bottom.
I was inspired to use three photos and lots of blue on my layout as well.

Journaling: Mom and I took Brendan to freshman orientation at UMass. We bought him lunch at Judie's (of course!) How did he grow up so fast?

Pop on over to Paper Thrills to see the ad. We'd love for you to join in!

Supplies Used:
cardstock: Club Scrap

patterned paper: Making Memories

embellishments: Making Memories

journal tag: Luxe Designs

ribbon: May Arts

letter stickers: American Crafts

For the Thrill of Paper

2011-05-07T18:04:00.003-04:00

Have you checked out the Paper Thrills challenge blog yet?
It's a brand-new site with weekly challenges.
It's a great place to try new techniques, use up your stash and get scrapping!
I'm very excited to be part of this design team and hope you'll check it out.

I want to share my projects that were created for the Paper Thrills Design Team submission.

Color Palette Challenge: The warm rich colors in the inspiration photo were perfect for this photo from a trip to San Diego back in 2003.

Ad Challenge:

I really love ad challenges. I get so many great ideas this way. From this ad, I was inspired to put the photo on the right side of the page, turn die cut patterned paper into an oversized mat, and the grey background

Sketch Challenge:

I mixed it up by using the sketch to create a birthday card. I interpreted the circles in the sketch with polka dot prints.

California Sunset

cardstock: Bazzill, patterned paper: Scenic Route (orange print), Pink Paislee (black brocade, blue houndstooth, purple brocade), Basic Grey (orange and black), punch: Fiskars (border), EK Success (circle), journaling tags: Pink Paislee, label: twogirlzstuff (Etsy.com), gems: My Minds Eye, pen: Micron, foam adhesive: Creative Memories
Vertigo
cardstock: Club Scrap (grey, cream), Bazzill (black); patterned paper: Pink Paislee (lime die cut), Luxe Designs (turquoise); letter stickers: Making Memories; pen: Micron
Happy Birthday

cardstock: Paper Source (grey), Bazzill (black), patterned paper: Pink Paislee (blue dot on cream), Luxe Designs (cream dot on turquoise), journaling tag: Pink Paislee, stamp: Papertrey Ink Communique Sentiments, ink: Versafine (onyx), ribbon: Wrights, stick pin: Pink Paislee

Project64 - Week 10

2011-03-13T11:24:00.002-04:00

Week 10 color is white. The challenge was to photograph white on white but I didn't have the chance to set up a shot. Today I kept my eye open for white in our travels.

These hydrangeas caught my eye at the grocery store.

I loved the texture and shape of the white glass in the light fixtures at Bobby's Burger Palace and in the Dale Chihuly glass scuplture; both at Mohegan Sun.

But my favorite from today is the vanilla caramel bourbon milkshake Joel had today at lunch.

Please head over to the Project 64 blog to see all the other white entries from this week.

Project64

2011-02-26T15:14:00.007-05:00

Monday, February 28 ended my 365 Project journey. It's been a lot of fun. While I haven't been very diligent of posting to the website in a timely manner I have been pretty good about getting a photo a day. The best part is that it's reconnected me to some of my favorite college friends, Wendy, Joanne, Cristen and Sue. Seeing bits and pieces of their everyday lives is such a wonderful blessing.

The 365 Project has also been fun for documenting OUR everyday life as newlyweds. Being able to flip through the photos and journaling cards in the Project Life album and see a whole year in an instant is very satisfying. I've also found it's a good way to get people to be in a photo. I can say "but I need a photo for today!" and they grudgingly comply. Still, I'd say 75% of my photos are of inanimate objects since they don't complain when you take a few extra shots or stop to adjust the aperture or shutter speed.

I have to admit that I feel like I'm a little burnt out creatively. Maybe from forcing myself to take a photo every day when nothing exciting happens? Or because it's dark and grey and frigid outside? Or from being a little lazy and snapping a photo that's "good enough" just to put a check mark next to the day?

Last week, I stumbled upon the Project64 challenge blog and decided to jump in and participate. Each week they pull a crayon from the classic Crayola box of 64 and use it as inspiration. Genius, right? I can't tell you how much more tuned into my surroundings I am by focusing on trying to find specific colors in my everyday environment. A little part of my brain is constantly scanning and then I get this little AHA! moment like "hey, that butternut squash sure looks like apricot on the outside" or "these pages are robin's egg blue!!"

My intent is to find regular household items to fit these Project64 challenges. I may push myself to try to set up some still life shots and to get better working with props and placement. I want to make these photos more intentional, more deliberate, more artsy.

The good folks at Project64 are having a catch up day so stragglers and new joiners like me can participate and get up to speed. I'll post each color separately to make it easier to track.

Snapshots of Life - Thanksgiving at 4 PM

2010-11-28T10:58:00.002-05:00

Just about four o'clock, we sat down to eat dinner. This year we sat downstairs in the family room. Nicholas joined Joel , Mom and me at the bar. Usually we sit upstairs in the dining room with the "grownups." It was fun to watch football on while we ate!

Check out eighteen25 to see what other people were doing at 4 PM on Thursday, November 25.

And the winner is....

2010-11-27T21:42:00.000-05:00

The winner of the Operation Write Home blog candy is

Please send me an email with your mailing address (christi (dot) spadoni @ gmail.com)
I will mail your goodies out this week!

Operation Write Home Blog Hop!

2010-11-13T07:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome! Today's post is part of the Operation Write Home Be My Valentine blog hop. Operation Write Home supports our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them. Over 670,000 cards have been sent to the troops.

Last month, my mom, my best friend Jen and her mom and sister, Heather made a big batch of Christmas cards and sent them to Operation Write Home. The deadline for sending Christmas cards has passed, but they are always looking for birthday, thinking of you and love you cards.

Heather is a captain in the Army Reserves and spent 18 months in Iraq. A group of Red Hat Society ladies sent her blank handmade cards that she could send home. Making cards for Operation Write Home is a way for us to pay it forward.

The theme for this blog hop is Valentine. Now it may seem strange to see Valentines in November but Operation Write Home has to work ahead of the calendar to get cards to the troops so they can send them home to loved ones. If you would like to donate some cards, the deadline for sending Valentines is January 7. Visit the Operation Write Home website for all the details.

Here's the Valentine that I created. It's loosely based on this week's sketch #63 at Get Sketchy.

I'd also like to do a little giveaway to continue spreading the love. So leave me a comment by Monday, November 15 at noon. I'll pick a name at random to win a few fun embellishments.

Now hop on over to see what Paula at Handmade by Paula has created! If you would like to start at the beginning go to the Stars and Stripes blog!

Don't forget to vote for Operation Write Home in the Joann's Craft for a Cause contest. You can vote once a day.

Supplies Used:
cardstock: Die Cuts With a View (coral), Papertrey Ink (chocolate)
patterned paper: Basic Grey, Jillibean Soup
stamp: Studio G
ink: Papertrey Ink (snow white)
punch: Fiskars
felt embellishment: K&Company

OLW26 - What's Black and White and Red All Over?

2010-11-02T22:48:00.003-04:00

The challenge at One Layer Wonders this week is What's Black and White and Red all over?

I did two cards for this challenge. It's been a great way to get started on Christmas cards.
On the first card I stamped and embossed the candy canes and embellished with stickles. I finished with a hand drawn frame to ground the images on the white background.

This card is also for the Christmas Card Challenge #48 to include candy canes, or some kind of Christmas treat, on your Christmas cards.

This time, I reversed the color combination letting the bold red background take center stage with some white embossed jingle bells. I used the FTL114 sketch again for this card.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T17:28:00.002-04:00

The new moderators of the Silhouette Users group on Yahoo issued a challenge to create a fall item with the new Silhouette Studio software.

I die cut the card fronts with my Silhouette SD. Then I added a strip of patterned paper and stitched them onto the black folded card bases. I finished with a looped banner of ribbon and a sparkly chipboard sentiment.

Inside, I stamped and embossed the sentiment in white and added our own little greeting at the bottom. Then mailed them all off to the kidlets - and one college kid!

Supplies Used:
cardstock: Bazzill
patterned paper: Basic Grey
chipboard stickers: Making Memories
stamp: PSX
ink: Colorbox (frost white)
embossing powder: Filigree (white)
die cut: jack_o_lantern_card_C20090904130829_19210
ribbon: May Arts
bling: Heidi Swapp
pen: Uniball Signo

Snapshots of Life

2010-11-01T16:41:00.003-04:00

The girls over at eighteen25 started a challenge to take a photo at a specific time of day. They are calling it Snapshots of Life. This first round was for Thursday, October 28 at 5:00 PM.

We served red velvet cupcakes at our wedding. To celebrate our anniversary, I bought two for dessert. Behind the cupcake is my absolute favorite wedding photo taken by our fantastic photographer, Lea Lawson.

Can you believe I served these cupcakes at 2 parties last year and never ate one until today??

The bakery was closed on our actual anniversary, so much like birthdays, it's become Anniversary Week around here.

Are you ready for some football?

2010-10-31T19:24:00.008-04:00

It's always nice to have some masculine birthday cards on hand.
My card is based on this week's Clean and Simple FTL #114.

One layer cards are sometimes tricky because you need the right balance of color and pattern to keep it from looking *too* simple or empty. I liked the repetition of the stamped images across the middle of the card.

Supplies Used:
cardstock: Bazzill
stamps: Papertrey Ink Have a Ball and Limitless Labels
ink: Papertrey Ink (deep chocolate), Pallette (l'amour red, prussian blue)
corner rounder: Creative Memories

October Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

2010-10-25T11:12:00.002-04:00

It's time for the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop! This month's theme is to create a project celebrating a winter holiday other than Christmas.

I used two of my favorite stamp sets, Limitless Labels and 2008 Holiday Tags, for these projects. Ocean Tides cardstock and ribbon with a little kraft and cream were perfect for a wintery color scheme for my gift tag and card.

For the gift tag, I punched 1" and 1 3/4" inch circles from a Basic Grey tag. Then I stamped and embossed a tag and a sentiment and popped them up with foam squares. Some platinum perfect pearls, ocean tides ribbon and chocolate bakers twine complete the look.

I made a coordinating card with Ocean Tides cardstock and a piece of Basic Grey patterned paper. I stamped and embossed the dove tag on cream cardstock and created a coordinating border by stamping the label stamp several times on cream cardstock. The card is finished with a scalloped strip of kraft cardstock that was swiped with some Antique Linen Distress Sticklesto add some vintage, subtle sparkle.

Before this challenge, I hadn't noticed how well these two sets worked together in scale and design. That's what I love about these blog hop challenges. I get so much inspiration by working with my stamps in a new way.

I hope you enjoy this month's Papertrey Ink blog hop entry. Hop on over to Nichole's blog to see more great projects or to add your own link.

Supplies Used:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (ocean tides, kraft and cream)

Ribbon: Papertrey Ink

Patterned Paper: Deck The Halls from the Basic Grey Fruitcake collection

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Limitless Labels, 2008 Holiday Tags)

Ink: Papertrey Ink (Fresh Snow), Colorbox (Harbor, Seaglass)

Punch: Fiskars

Embossing Powder: Judikins (detail clear), Sparkle N Sprinkle (shimmer)

Glitter Glue: Stickles

September Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

2010-09-26T11:36:00.001-04:00

This month's PTI blog hop challenge is to show off any skills you might have learned from a fellow stamper, and perhaps even give them a little shout out to thank them for the inspiration they have provided.

My card was inspired by Dawn McVey and the scalloped text paper she used in this card.

Instead of vintage book print, I used an old piece of patterned paper from my stash (I think it might be Jenni Bowlin?). The colors were inspired by a co-worker's wedding palette - ivory, chocolate and peach. I also stamped the envelope with a damask image to tie the whole thing together. That's a trick I've also embraced from the fabulous idea sharing on the blogs of PTI's many many followers.

You are in My Thoughts

2010-09-14T16:35:00.011-04:00

It is starting to feel more and more like autumn around here. The mornings are chilly. The leaves are starting to change colors. It's football season. Go Patriots!!

All the good shows are starting back up again. I'm looking forward for new episodes of Glee and Parenthood and The Amazing Race. I might watch some of Survivor. Jimmy Johnson is a contestant this time around and I think it will be interesting to watch him interact with the other players.

This week's Curtain Call Color Challenge worked perfectly with the change in season.

I created a sympathy card using these muted, almost somber colors and the Clean & Simple Fall to Layout #107 sketch.
I don't know why I almost always reach for this tree when making a sympathy card. I used just a touch of the white as an accent and let the other colors take center stage. The only other embellishing was a chocolate button, some Glimmer Mist applied with a fine paint brush to the flowers and a bit of green colored pencil on the leaves.

Simple and understated. This could be a masculine card too. Just switch out the sentiment.

Supplies Used:
cardstock: Prism (green) and Paper Source (kraft)
patterned paper: Basic Grey
punch: Fiskars
stamp: Imaginisce
ink, button and button twine: Papertrey Ink
glimmer mist: Tattered Angels
c olored pencil: Prismacolors

Wish Big

2010-09-14T12:05:00.003-04:00

I love the sketches at Inspired Blueprints. They are so versatile. I created this birthday card using sketch #55 as my starting point.

Supplies:

Bazzill cardstock

October Afternoon patterned paper

May Arts ribbon

Papertrey Ink stamp

Versafine ink

Bachelorette Party

2010-09-04T11:16:00.004-04:00

My cousins threw a bachelorette party for their sister who is getting married in September. I helped out with the party decor. I took my inspiration from the bride's favorite color: raspberry. The party was at a beachfront cottage so I kept the decorations colorful, fresh and festive.

I created a custom canvas to set the party mood. I used my Silhouette SD to cut the letters out of vinyl and apply them to a canvas I painted with a custom blend of colors to get the right shade of shimmery, rich pinky-purple. I love how this turned out!

The party favors were Hershey nuggets embellished with Papertrey Ink Limitless Labels, bundled up in sets of four in little treat bags and tied with a raspberry satin ribbon.

My favorite party item? These hot pink insulated tumblers personalized with vinyl and pink bling. The bride's tumbler was clear with rhinestone bling. Perfect for keeping track of your cocktail throughout the night. The font is Sweetheart Script.

No party is complete without cocktails. We had Sweetheart sangria and a non-alcoholic option of Passion Tea Lemonade.

Lemon Blackberry cupcakes were served for dessert. The custom cupcake toppers continued the raspberry color scheme even further.

A party banner behind the bar completed the decorations.

I'll leave you with some photos from the party. A great reason to get together and celebrate in the summer.

Supplies Used:

stamps: Papertrey Ink Limitless Labels, Round and Round

cardstock: Bazzill Basics

patterned paper: Bo Bunny Sophie Collection

dies: Nestabilities

punch: Stampin' Up

ribbon: Wrights

die cutter: Silhouette SD

acrylic paint: Plaid

Pay It Forward

2010-09-02T20:37:00.001-04:00

I saw this on Kimberly's blog. I started following her blog when she was Mrs. Lemon on Wedding Bee. She found the idea on lilygrass. I thought it was a terrific idea to spread some handmade goodness around the world.
.
If you comment, please post this on your blog and keep pushing the love along (or if you’ve already done this on your blog, just say when you did!)

I make a handmade gift for the first 3 people to comment.
I have 365 days in which to send you the gift.
The gift will be a total surprise.
You keep this going by posting Pay It Forward on your blog

(obviously, you must have an active blog to participate).

She also shared a wonderful story about a 7 year old who paid it forward that you may enjoy. So let's go pay it forward in September!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-08-26T11:39:00.044-04:00

We had a few bananas that were a little past prime. I'm not a fan of mushy bananas in my cereal so I took it as the perfect opportunity to try a recipe that I saw on the King Arthur blog.

The damp weather hasn't helped the muffins keep the crunch tops. But a few minutes in a 350 oven crisps them up and makes the chocolate chips all melty and gooey. Delicious with a cup of coffee. I hope to someday take a baking class or two at King Arthur in Vermont. My friend MaryAnn learned how to make AMAZING croissants at King Arthur that are simply to die for. Maybe I should add that to my list of 100 Things to Do Before I Die?

Here's the recipe with the tweaks I made from the original.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (adapted from King Arthur)
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup mashed banana, about 2 medium bananas
1 extra large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Beat together the butter and sugar till smooth.
Beat in the banana, then the egg and milk.
Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flours, stirring till smooth; don't over beat.
Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
Fill prepared muffin tins, about 2/3 full. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with turbinado sugar. (Neat trick from King Arthur: let the batter rest for 30 minutes before baking which yields a nice round muffin top.)
Bake the muffins for 20 to 23 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, when a toothpick comes out clean from the center
Cool muffins on rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

August Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

2010-08-25T17:52:00.013-04:00

This month's Papertrey Ink blog hop challenge is to dress up, alter, change an ordinary brown lunch bag into a paper crafting work of art.

I tried a new banana chocolate chip muffin recipe this morning. I used the challenge to pretty up a bag to package up a few muffins for my mom. I ran the whole bag through my Cuttlebug to give it an embossed floral pattern.

Wouldn't this be a fun way to bring a homemade treat to a neighbor, new teacher or friend?

supplies used:

stamps: Papertrey Ink Just For You

embossing folder: Cuttlebug

ink: peony pigment (Colorbox) and black (Versafine)

patterned paper: Bo Bunny Sophie Stripe

cardstock: Bazzill

die cut: Nestabilities scallop circle

border punch: Fiskars

Hello Blog

2010-08-16T14:27:00.006-04:00

Yes, it's been a while.

I've really been enjoying my summer away from the computer. Even if it means not keeping up on my blog, my friends on Facebook or the 1500+ entries in Google Reader.

This is a card with coordinating tag that I made for my cousin's daughter on her 1st Communion.
The color scheme is so spring-y to me and was inspired by the colourQ Challenge #31.

This is the gift with the envelope tucked under the ribbon and the card on display. I love wrapping presents with plain kraft paper because I can customize the ribbon and tag to match the card.

Close up of the monogram tag.

Details of the card.

Supplies Used:

Cardstock: Club Scrap

Patterned Paper: October Afternoon Hometown

Stamps: Paperrey Ink Fillable Frames #3

Die: Papertrey Ink Fillable Frame #3 and Spellbinders Classic Scallop and l

Ink: Colorbox pigment ink in Harbour

Embossing Powder: Judikins Detail Clear

Ribbon: May Arts

Button Twine: Papertrey Ink

Button: Autumn Leaves

Chipboard Letter: Lil Davis

Stickles: Ranger

ColourQ #32

2010-05-16T22:51:00.004-04:00

This week's color combination at ColorQ was my inspiration for this card.

I inked up the Papertrey Ink Round & Round anniversary set for this card.

I also repurposed a container that originally held Making Memories blossoms into a cute little gift holder. I used the same dotted stamp on vanilla cardstock and backed it with green and kraft.

Supplies Used:

cardstock: Prism (green), Club Scrap (vanilla) and Bazzill (orange and kraft)

stamps: Papertrey Ink (Round & Round)

die: Papertrey Ink (Mat Stack 1)

ink: Clearsnap (rousillon), Palette (jardin moss) and Versafine (onyx)

jewels: Doodlebug

corner rounder: Creative Memories

border punch: Fiskars

foam adhesive: Creative Memories

May Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

2010-05-16T22:46:00.009-04:00

This month's challenge is to use felt. I pulled out these American Crafts felt flowers from my stash and paired them with Papertrey Ink's Blooming Button Bits and some Ocean Tides cardstock.

Supplies Used:

cardstock: Papertrey Ink (ocean tides) and Bazzill (purple)

patterned paper: Scenic Route Lynden

stamps: Papertrey Ink (Blooming Button Bits)

jewels: Darice

ribbon: Wrights

ink: Versafine (black) and Palette (green)

corner rounder: Creative Memories

Another Page Maps sketch card

2010-05-16T22:37:00.003-04:00

Here's one more card using the Page Maps blog sketch. I played with ruffling ribbon on this one. It looks pretty neat with the organza ribbon.

Supplies Used:

cardstock; Bazzill

patterned paper: American Crafts

stamp: Papertrey Ink (Scattered Showers)

ink: Papertrey Ink (fresh snow)

embossing powder: Stewart (detail white)

ribbon: Wrights

Hip Hip Hooray

2010-05-16T22:19:00.005-04:00

Page Maps is having a card sketch contest on its blog.

This is my take on the sketch. I made this card for my cousin's graduation and used his school's colors for the card.

I made my own patterned paper with the mortar board stamp to meet the Papertrey Pixies May challenge.

Supplies Used:

cardstock: Bazzill

stamps:Papertrey Ink (For the Graduate and Fillable Frames #3)

die: Papertrey Ink (Mat Stack 1)

ink: Palette

embossing powder: Stewart (detail white)

foam adhesive: Creative Memories

Papertrey Ink April Blog Hop

2010-04-25T20:30:00.008-04:00

This is my first time participating in the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop.

Thank you for stopping by.

This month's challenge is to use tissue paper. I decided to pleate the tissue paper to make a border. I sewed it to a strip of cardstock to hold it in place. Using the sewing machine always scares me because I don't really know what I'm doing. I need more practice, I think.

Hop on to the blog hop thread on the Papertrey Ink forums to see more great projects using tissue paper.

Supplies Used: cardstock: Bazzil and DCWV

patterned paper: October Afternoon

stamps: Scattered Showers, Papertrey Ink and Imaginesce

ink: Versafine (black) and CTMH (red velvet)

corner rounder: Creative Memories

foam adhesive: Creative Memories

tissue paper

American Girl

2010-04-20T09:08:00.000-04:00

I created this layout for the Inspired Blueprints design team. I didn't make the cut, but I got a few cute layouts done so I'm happy.

Supplies:

cardstock: Making Memories (aqua), Close to My Heart (red velvet), Bazzill (white and pink)

patterned paper: October Afternoon

stickers: October Afternoon

stamp: October Afternoon

ink: Versafine onyx

flower: American Crafts

embossing folder: Provo Craft

pen: American Crafts

Pink and Melon

2010-04-15T22:50:00.001-04:00

Last week Melissa Philips shared another colorful inspiration photo from Leslie at A Creative Mint blog. The combination of pinks and melons and the contrasting patterns are perfect for spring when everything is starting to bloom. It's also a feminine version of my beloved Dunkin Donuts logo!! :)

I also used sketch #86 from the clean & simple blog. These were two quick cards I was able to create while my DH was grilling dinner. Love getting a few minutes of crafty time in after work.

Supplies:

cardstock: Club Scrap (white) and DCWV (pink)

patterned paper: Creative Memories (floral) and KMA (peach)

stamps: PaperTrey Ink and A Muse

ink: Clearsnap (frost white) and Close to My Heart (red velvet)

embossing powder: Ranger

circle punches: EK Success and Marvy

flower: Making Memories

jewels: Darice

foam adhesive: Creative Memories

Easter Baskets

2010-04-04T22:50:00.000-04:00

quick and easy treat baskets

based on a tutorial by Makeesha Byl at Splitcoaststampers

each holds a 6 pack of Snickers easter eggs perfectly

supplies:

patterned paper: Scenic Route Lynden Dahlia Street

cardstock: Bazzill

punch: Fiskars

brads: Pink Paislee

Hope

2010-03-28T19:38:00.000-04:00

I've really enjoyed working on canvas lately. So fun and easy!

This was a little "thinking of you" present for a dear friend that I finished recently.

I'm really enjoying making these little themed home decor items. supplies: die cutting machine: Silhouette SD die cut: hope_title_c00124_19414 canvas: AC Moore acrylic paint: Making Memories in Seafoam cardstock: Bazzill Bling in String of Pearls chipboard heart: Heidi Swapp acrylic heart: Heidi Swapp bling: Prima Say It In Crystals Centers glitter: Distressed Stickles in Antique Linen pen: Zig Writer in Platinum adhesive: Zip Dry Adhesive

Epiphanie giveaway

2010-03-28T12:38:00.000-04:00

Epiphanie is giving away a Canon 5D Mark II!

Check it out here.

for the Mr. and Mrs.

2010-03-20T22:32:00.001-04:00

My college sorority little sister, Christine, got married last month.

I made a simple art piece for them with their monogram, their names and their wedding date. Her maiden name started with an S too so she keeps the same initials with her new last name.

The coordinating card is based on the Fall-to Layout #81 from the Clean & Simple Stamping blog.

The S on the card is the positive piece leftover from the larger art piece.

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye

Pen: Sakura

Border Punch: Fiskars

Foam Squares: Creative Memories

Pearls: Melissa Frances

Ribbon: Midori

Die Cutting Machine: Silhouette SD

Die Cut: Monogram_S_C0108

Frame: Christmas Tree Shops

Happy Birthday Cupcake!

2010-03-20T22:13:00.003-04:00

This was a quick card for a special little girl's birthday. The layout is based on the Fall-to Layout #81 sketch from the Clean & Simple Stamping blog.

I made a few versions of this card using different scraps. It's the perfect card to have on hand for birthdays. Everyone likes cupcakes, right?

I spritzed the frosting piece with pearl Perfect Pearls in a Mini Mister to add some shimmer and sparkle. It's subtle but I like it. I also spritzed the kraft colored cupcake with sugar cookie Glimmer Mist but you really can't tell in the finished piece with the cupcake liner over it. I went over the dots on the patterned paper with Glossy Accents to make them look more like confetti.

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Paper: Pebbles and some really old unidentifiable spotted paper :)

Stamp: Imaginisce

Ink: Versafine Onyx, Clearsnap Chestnut Roan and Charcoal (chalk)

Mists: Tattered Angels

Perfect Pearls: Ranger

Glossy Accents: Ranger

Foam Squares: Creative Memories

Hello Spring

2010-03-20T21:46:00.004-04:00

The color scheme for this card comes from Curtain Call Color Challenge Act 21 at Stacey's Stamping Stage.(Thanks Lea for posting this on your blog!) The greens and yellows are so fresh and light. Perfect for spring.
The card layout is from FTL#82 from the Clean & Simple Stamping blog.

Supplies Used:

Cardstock: Prism Papers Kiwi and Bazzill Basics Bling Glass Slipper

Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny (yellow) and Basic Grey (green)

Stamp: Studio G

Ink: Clearsnap Frost White

Embossing Powder: Ranger

Corner Rounder: Creative Memories

Border Punch: Fiskars

Die Cut Machine: Silhouette SD

Die Cut: hollyhocks_C00003_23851

Compose a Card with Becky #5

2010-03-20T19:53:00.002-04:00

The daughter of one of my college sorority sisters was inducted into our sorority last weekend.
Becky Oehler's Compose A Card challenge #6 was my inspiration for the card I made to congratulate and welcome her.

The color scheme was perfect for the Kappa colors of dark and light blue. Where Becky stamped on her card, I layered die cut fleur-de-lis to create a faux embossed look.

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Bazzill Bling Glass Slipper, Club Scrap

Ribbon: May Arts

Sentiment Stamp: PaperTrey Ink

Fleur-de-Lis Stamp: Club Scrap

Die cut machine: Silhouette SD

Tag: my own design

Font: Fleur-de-Wee

Ink: Colorbox Midnight (pigment)

Embossing Powder: Judikins

twine and button