Arigato (Thank You)

Hi, guys!  Today I am sharing a tag I made for a friend.  My friend Ruth loves my tags, and so I thought I would make one for her this weekend.  She gave me a set of old cards that she wasn't using and didn't have a use for.  I turned one of them into this thank you tag.  It is a great Japanese image and so I used a Japanese sentiment to go along with it.

Supplies:
Stamps: A Muse, Unicorn White
Paper: Ranger Kraft Tag, Core-dinations
Ink: Unicorn White, Distress, Archival Black
Misc.: Tim Holtz Embossing Folder, Gold Balls, Washi Tape, Spellbinders Deckled Rectangle Dies

I was glad to be able to use the washi tape I was given by my sister-in-law. She picked it up when she went on a visit to her family in Japan.

I am entering this tag in the challenge over at:http://www.simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/ (Stamps you love but don't use).  I have never used this stamp set by A Muse. It has great images and Japanese sentiments.   I had big plans for it when I first bought it, but never found an occasion to use it until now.

Hope you have a great day!  Until next time!

WOYWW 195 (Messy Distress Fun)

Hi, guys! Today is Wednesday, so I am sharing with you what is on my work desk. Thank you to Julia for this fun!  I am working on a birthday card for my husband's boss.  I decided to use Distress Stains and white embossing powder. I had some white fabric flowers in my stash and I decided to stain one to match.  It is a lot of fun, and my hands got plenty inky!

I look forward to visiting with you each Wednesday and sharing in the fun.   If you want to share what you are working on, please join in the fun at:http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/

Hope you have a fun, creative day ahead!

Fluttering Sympathy Cards

Hi, guys! Hope all is well.  Today I am going to share a pair of sympathy cards I made this weekend.  I needed to make three of them as we had three losses in various families at the office.  I decided to make them using nature stamps by Stampers Anonymous, with painterly backgrounds using Distress Stains and water on watercolor paper.  What I like about making them is that each one turns out to be a bit different.  Here are two of the completed cards.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous, Close To My Heart
Ink: Black Archival, Distress Stains, Distress Inks
Paper: Gina K Designs, Watercolor Paper
Misc.: Tonic Distress Tool

I was able to vary the colors of the cards as one had some pinks showing, where the other one had some more yellows.   I distressed the images and them used distress inks to set it off.

I am entering them in the following challenge:
http://www.simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/simon-says-anything-goes.html

When I saw the use of Tim Holtz products listed, I knew these would be a great fit!

Hope you have a nice day, and that you find time in the day to do something you love!

No Face Like Holmes

Hi, guys! Hope you had a great weekend.  It was a very busy one here.  Friday evening was fun as I got to celebrate a friend's birthday with a great group of ladies.  We spend the time laughing, telling stories and eating yummy food.  We celebrate together for each of our birthdays, and the birthday gal picks the restaurant.  This time it was a lovely French restaurant.  I thought I would share the birthday card I made the birthday gal.  My friends and I love Jane Austen, the BBC, British movies, etc.  My friend got me enjoying the BBC Sherlock Holmes series (Benedict Cumberbatch, oh my! I never thought I would love a modern-day Sherlock, but this one is just fabulous), so I thought I would make her a Sherlock card!

Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Outpost
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Versamark, Distress Ink
Misc.: Clear Embossing Powder


I heat embossed the focal image and all the various background images as well.  I made text boxes on the computer for the sentiment.

Hope you have a great day!

A Pinkalicious Day

Hi, guys! This weekend I spent Saturday with my niece Grace.  She loves the book Pinkalicious and so I took her to see a local stage production of it.  I had never read the books so I had no idea what it would be about.  It was very funny and enjoyable for both children and the adults. My love for the color pink is strong, but NOT as strong as the love Pinkalicious had for it!   As you know, my husband does theatre and taking 5 year old Grace to see a show really made me happy to expose her to the fun world of theatre.

Isn't she precious in her pink outfit for the occasion?

A day of theatre, followed by lunch and, of course, cupcakes. Who could ask for more fun?

Until next time!

Slumgunnion anyone?

Hi, guys! Hope all is well.  For some reason lately, I am sitting and reminiscing about childhood. The other day I was speaking with my sister on the phone recalling some of my mom's recipes that she would make. My sister was telling me that my brother called for a recipe for my mom's slumgunnion.  Now, I have NO idea where this name came from (already asked my mom and she said it was what her dad called it, etc.). After speaking with my sis, I decided to resurrect the recipe.  My mom would feed all 8 of us (6 kids and them) each night with great care and yummy food, but on a tight shoestring budget.  What I remember most about her menu planning was her careful shopping for groceries on sale and we would eat accordingly.  We did not have a say in the menu, we just ate what she cooked.  She liked to say she was NOT a short order cook!

The meal basically was elbows, beef, pork and beans, some onion and a can of tomato sauce.   I had to tweek it this time and use baked beans due to my hubby's allergy to tomato.  It came out yummy, but use a large can of Pork and Beans as it makes it sweet and just like I remember.

I now have a lot of this frozen in containers for late night dinners or lunches at work.  This recipe sure makes a LOT of food.

Recipe:

1 lbs chopped meat
1 large onion diced
1 large can of Pork and Beans (2 regular cans if you can't find the large one)
1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked
1 small can tomato sauce

Brown chopped meat (drain fat), toss in onion and cook until tender.  Add tomato sauce, beans and simmer until combined.  Toss in elbows and you are done.  Kid and adult friendly and VERY economical.

Thanks, mom, for teaching me to enjoy my time in the kitchen.  Shopping for sales and having a stocked pantry are things I learned from you and are valuable skills for me.

Do you have a fun childhood food memory?

Have a great day everyone!

Forever My Love

Hi, guys! Today I am sharing my completed tag for the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013.  My tag was tweaked as I did not have the large Valentine Blue Print stamps, but I did have the minis so I used those and embossed two images onto it.  I used my Distress Paints for the background as I was using them for my Valentines.

I used a fun die cut from Tim Holtz Alterations line and used red stickles to make the heart shine.  The ribbon was made by using tissue tape as Tim demonstrated.  What a fun way to make your own ribbon!

I ended up giving my tag to my husband on Valentine's Day with his gift and card.  I promised myself this year I would share them instead of just keeping them all for myself!

If you want to enjoy yourself and learn some cool techniques, I would suggest you join in the fun!

Until next time!

WOYWW 194

Hi, guys! Hope all is well in your neck of the woods! Today is WOYWW and so I am sharing what is on my work desk.  I started work on a special card for a fellow blogger and friend. She wanted a card to give to her husband for their anniversary. She said it is the tin/aluminum anniversary.  I am working on making a pair of metallic hearts and am using my eyelet setter to make faux rivets.  I am using alcohol inks to give them some color and aging.

I adore the Ranger foil tape.   It is a fun product and I love that I can use it to alter card stock, grunge paper, etc. and make it look like metal.

Hope you have a great week! I look forward to visiting with you each Wednesday and sharing the fun! Thank you Julia for making this possible!

Until next time!

House Mouse Baby Cards

Hi, guys! This week I was asked to make baby cards for some friends:  one for a girl named Stella and one for a boy named Sam.  I decided to use the same stamp but vary the colors and papers to give them a different look. The stamp I chose to use is called Butterflight by House Mouse.

I decided to use different color schemes for each and to personalize each with the new arrival's name. The images were colored with my Prisma colored pencils and Distress Stickles dry glitter was applied to the lily of the valley for some sparkle.

For the inside of each card I used the sentiment by Cloud9 Design that read:

A wee bit of heaven
drifted down from above,
a handful of happiness,
a heart full of love
            Helen Steiner Rice

I thought it was perfect with the butterfly bringing the tiny arrival!

Hope you enjoyed these cards today as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Until next time!

My love of Nemo, Whirley Pop and Cocomotion!

Hi, guys! I can't believe it was a week ago when Nemo hit us here in NY.  I thought I would show you the view out my window and how we spent the time while the 29 inches piled up!

I broke out the movie Finding Nemo, and made a large batch of popcorn using my Whirley Pop!

There is nothing better than this gadget for making popcorn.  No chemicals like some microwave ones, and it is so tasty it doesn't need any butter or salt.  It is also fun to crank!

I decided we needed some hot cocoa to go with our snack, so I broke out my Cocomotion machine and made a large batch.  Pure heaven!  Yes, if you haven't figured it out, I am a kitchen gadget queen!

This is a cool gadget as it heats the milk to a perfect temperature and it becomes frothy by the motion. I look forward to digging it out each time we have a snow.  Penzeys is my favorite hot chocolate mix and it goes directly into the machine with the milk.  Just press a button and yum!

For disclosure purposes, I have NO affiliation with Whirley Pop, Mr. Coffee, or Penzeys, just a love for their products and a desire to share this love with my blogging friends.

I understand we may get more snow tomorrow, so you know what I will be doing if it happens!

Until next time!

An Unforgettable Friend

Hi, guys! Today I thought I would share a card I made for a friend.  I decided to use an old stamp set from Stampin' Up that I love.  I think this elephant is just adorable.  I colored him with my Prisma colored pencils and used Distress Ink for the edges of the focal image and on the patterned paper.

He was quick to make and a lot of fun.  I used only a bit of ribbon and a pearl to accent this card.

I am entering this card in The Perfect Sentiments challenge PSC66.  

Until next time!

Vintage Valentine for Grandparents

Hi, guys! Yes, I am sharing another Valentine!  I had made a lot of them this year and may have another one to share this weekend and then I can start my St. Paddy's cards! This one is for a little girl to give her grandparents.  The stamp caught my eye as I love the vintage look of her.  The stamp is from Red Lead Paper Works. I was not familiar with them but am loving them.

Supplies:
Stamps: Red Lead Paper Works
Paper: Gina K Designs, Paper Doily, Authentique
Ink: Archival Black, Distress
Misc.: Prisma Colored Pencils, Computer Generated Names

I used distress inks on the focal image as well as the doily.

She really made me smile, and hope she does the same for you!

Until next time!

Valentine Using Distress Paints

Hi, guys! Today I wanted to share a card I made for a coworker to give her husband for Valentine's Day. I was lucky enough to pick up all the new Distress Paints this weekend (Merry Christmas to me!).  I decided to use them to make this Valentine.  The paints are super fun and I love that they are reactive with water.  I used Picked Raspberry, Victorian Velvet, Spun Sugar, Barn Door, and Picket Fence.  I used watercolor paper as I made this very wet with the paints and it laid completely flat when I was finished (Yay!).

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous, CC Rubber Stamps
Inks: Black Archival Ink, Versamark Ink, Distress Paints, Black Soot Distress Ink
Misc.: Ranger Gold Embossing Powder, Gems

It was a hit when I brought it in today.  One of my favorite qualities of the paints is the feel of them on paper.  They are so smooth and soft, not like the usual acrylics, and made for very easy stamping on top of them.

I am submitting this card to the SOMETHING MESSY challenge at: http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/

It was a lot of fun to make and when I was finished with the paints and embossing, I had an "artful" mess to clean up.  The paints are great as they were easy to get off my hands with my Craft Scrubbie.

Hope you have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by!

WOYWW 193 (MAKING TAGS)

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  Today I am sharing what is on my work desk (WOYWW) and as you can see I am working on my February Tag for the 12 Tags of 2013 with Tim Holtz.  You can probably spy my new Distress Paints by Ranger that I broke out today.  They are fun to use and I love that they react with water.  One quality I like most is the "feel" of the paint on the surface.  It is smooth and soft, not like normal acrylic paint.

One thing about making these tags is that I end up pulling so many supplies out just for one tag!  It is fun though and I end up with the inky fingers I am known for!

Thanks for visiting today!  I am so enjoying sharing shots of my desk while creating.  Thank you to Julia for this fun activity of sharing!

Until next time!

Puppy Love Valentines

Hi, guys! For today I am sharing two cards I made using this adorable puppy Valentine stamp by Red Lead Paper Works.

The first one I made for a little boy from his uncle.  I made the background by using an old Stampin' Up set of Conversation Hearts.

Supplies:
Stamps: Red Lead Paper Works, Stampin' Up
Paper: Desert Storm
Ink: Archival Black
Misc.: Prisma Colored Pencils, Tim Holtz Alphas

The next one up is a Valentine for two little kids to give to their daddy. I used Distress Inks to age the focal image as well as the doily.

Supplies:
Stamps: Red Lead Paper Works
Paper: Gina K Designs, Authentique, Doily
Ink: Archival Black, Distress Inks
Misc.: Prisma Colored Pencils, Rectangle Scallop Punch

Isn't it fun making cards with one stamp and getting a totally different look?

Have a great day!  Until next time!

Popping Up to Say

Hi guys! I thought I would share the Valentine I sent my parents.  I thought the images from Lawn Fawn were very cute.  The faces on the toaster and toast just crack me up.   The images were colored with Prisma Colored Pencils and aged with Distress Inks.

Supplies:
Stamps: Lawn Fawn
Ink: Archival Black, Distress Inks
Paper: Gina K Designs, 7 Gypsies

The inside of the card reads:

I love you!

Happy Valentine's Day

Yes, I just love puny cards.

Hope you have a great day, and that you find some time to do something you love!

Recycling To Make a Valentine!

Hi, guys! Today I am sharing a Valentine I made for my friend Christine to give to her husband.  They are a family of 3, so I incorporated 3 hearts, the small one to represent their young daughter.  The hearts were actually cut from a Christmas Card I received that I loved.  It was pretty and the patterns on it were many, so I didn't want to just toss it.  What a fun way to repurpose something!

Supplies:
Paper: Desert Storm Cardstock
Ink: Unicorn White
Misc.: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Heart Punches, Oval Scallop Punch

I really like the way the background came out by using the Unicorn White ink on the embossing folder (faux letterpress technique).

Hope you have a great day!

Food - The Best Part of the Super Bowl

Hi, guys! Hope all is well. Did you tune in on Sunday to the Super Bowl?  We did, and had a lot of fun.  The game picked up after the power outage and it made for some fun.  But my favorite part of Super Bowl Sunday is definitely the food!  My husband and I just love Rachael Ray's Chili Dog Bacon Cheeseburgers.  Let me tell you, these burgers are not for the faint of heart, but are oh so delicious.  Since they are not the healthiest thing to eat, we limit our consumption of them to Super Bowl Sunday and one night during the summer of our choosing.

My burger:

My hubby's burger with a nod to healthy with his piece of lettuce!  So funny if you ask me.

We both subscribe to the clean plate club, as you can clearly see. 

I do make one small tweak to this recipe.  I cut the hot sauce down to a teaspoon.  It is not too spicy for the hubby that way.  I do not make the fries as the burgers alone are a splurge for us, so I can't comment about them.

So, now you know what we will be eating next year!

Until next time!

I Love You More Tag

Hi, guys! I thought I would share with you a gift tag I made for my friend Ruth to give to her husband for Valentine's Day.  She and her husband love using two hearts on the cards they give each other.  I incorporated two heat embossed ones and mounted them on Action Wobble Springs and attached them on the tag.  I love the motion of them!  Reminds me of a fluttering heart.  I used the faux letterpress technique for the background using white ink. I stamped directly on the ribbon using Archival Ink and used Distress Stain.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts, Anna Griffin
Ink: Distress Inks, Archival Inks, Versamark, Unicorn White, Distress Stain
Paper: Watercolor, Ranger Black Tag
Misc.: Clear Embossing Powder, Cuttlebug Folder, Computer Generated sentiment, Action Wobble Springs

This was fun to make.  It is the first time I used the Action Wobble Springs and can't wait to use them again.  Something about the movement just puts a smile on my face.

Until next time!

WOYWW 192: Valentines, Anyone?

Hi, guys!  I can't believe it is Wednesday already!  I am submitting this picture of my desk for WOYWW.  As you can see I am in serious Valentine's Day mode.  I decided to take out my Prisma pencils and Gamsol and use them to color my images.

Making Valentine's Day cards is one of my favorite things to do. I really enjoy the great variety of options out there.  I am not one who likes to mass produce the same cards over and over, so with so many options I can just have fun and tailor my cards for the recipient.

Hope you have a great day and hope you find a few moments to do something you love!

Valentine For Felix (Hero Arts Hearts)

Hi, guys! Hope you had a great weekend!  We sure did!  Saturday my hubby was in his monthly show in Manhattan.  They performed episodes of "The Shadow" and "Richard Diamond, Private Detective."  It was a great time shared with friends as well.  I really love when they do the old-time commercials. Truly hysterical. I think it is wonderful that both my husband and I have creative outlets that we can enjoy and share with others.

For today, I thought I would share a Valentine card I made for my friend to give to her husband.  She likes large size cards, so this was an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of card stock scored in half.  I had a hard time photographing this card due to the shape and size of it.   I heat embossed hearts and inked them with various shades of distress inks.  I used Tim Holtz Alphas to personalize the card.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts
Inks: Distress Inks, Versamark
Paper: Gina K (Black & White)
Misc.: White Embossing Powder, Tim Holtz Letters


Tomorrow I will be on a vacation day and I will be working on a bunch of Valentines and other cards that have been requested.  I am looking forward to having a fun day of inky fingers!

Until next time!

Easy Over Easy (Cheater's Poached Eggs)

Hi, guys! Hope you are all well.  My husband and I like to put aside time on Sundays to have a nice leisurely breakfast. My work schedule has me gone at an ungodly hour weekdays.  I thought I would share a fun tip I learned a while back from the Food Network.  My husband loves his eggs over easy.  I would make them and the yolks would break from time to time.  It was annoying, to say the least.   Now when I am making a pan of eggs, I put them in the pan and when they first set, I pour a bit of boiling water in the pan and put a lid on it.  They cook perfectly and you just have to take them out - and no breakage.  I like to call them cheater's poached eggs. The yolks are runny and the whites are set perfectly.

Hope this tip is helpful.  More importantly, I hope you take and set some time aside on a day off to enjoy a quiet leisurely breakfast with those you love!

Off to get my fingers inky so I can share some inky goodness with you soon!

Until next time!