Chocolate Chip Cookies On The Brain

Did you ever watch a television show and see a food on there that you just HAD to have?  That happened to me this week.  My husband and I were watching a rerun of Throwdown with Bobby Flay and the focus was on chocolate chip cookies.  He went up against a pair of women who competed in the Ironman competition, and who have bakeries in NYC called Levain.  Their cookies looked so yummy (and as big as my head!).  I mentioned to my husband that I would love to try one of those cookies some day. Well, he was in Manhattan on Friday and picked some up.  Oh, my word, are they good.  We weren't able to eat a whole one, so we have been munching a little at a time.

If you ever visit NYC or are a local, I highly recommend a visit.  I hope someday to get up there to check it out for myself.

This weekend I was asked to make a birthday card for a little girl to give her grandma. The only information I received was that the girl and grandma bake cookies together, and since I had chocolate chip cookies on my brain, this is the card I made for her.

Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet N Sassy, Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip Wheel
Paper: Gina K Designs (White and Kraft)
Ink: Archival, Memento, Copic Marker
Misc.: Spellbinders Heart Dies, Circle Punches, Mini Cookie Cutter Embellishment

So sorry for the lack of blogging this week.  It was a bear of a week with work, jury duty and a bunch of other things.  Hope to be more active this week!

Until next time!

Tea Time Tuesday - Paris Is Always A Good Idea

If you know me, you will know how much I adore Paris. My stamp room is decorated in a Paris theme and I am hoping to make it there again sometime.  For this week, I thought I would share one of my Paris tea cozies that I love.

Isn't she a beauty?  She really does look lovely on the table, but also keeps the tea very hot.  I am also sharing a pair of fun tea bags with you.  I received the Marie Antoinette tea bag/bookmark from my friend Chrissy, and the Harney's Paris tea bag came in the mail today from my friend Alysia.  Aren't they fun?

I have to agree with Audrey Hepburn in the movie Sabrina and say "Paris is always a good idea!"

I am sharing tea today at:

Tea Time Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea


Until next time!

Teacher's Appreciation Week Cards From a Child

We all know the value of teachers, and how they can make such a big impact in our lives.  I was touched to be asked to make a pair of cards for a sweet little girl named Victoria to give to her two teachers for Teacher's Appreciation Week.  Victoria is going on 3, and so I wanted sweet cards to match her fun personality.

For the first one, I used my Tim Holtz Alterations Rulers Embossing Folder (seems like I am getting a lot of use out of it lately!).  The images and sentiment are from a fun stamp set by Stampendous that I have had for many years.  I just love mixing the new supplies with ones I have had for a while.

I decided to go an entirely different route for the next card, and use bright colors and an adorable image called Ollie & Olivia by Stampendous that I have had for ages and is on a wood mount.  The bright papers and crayons images are from my March Simon Says Stamp Kit and I think they work well together.

Hoping these cards make two very special teachers feel very appreciated.

Until next time!

Happy 40th Birthday (Masculine Handyman Theme)

One of my favorite parts about card making is the ability to customize a card for someone by using their hobbies, profession or even their favorite colors.  My friend Christine asked me to make a card for a special uncle's 40th birthday.  The info I was given was that he is a very handy person, and is always the first to lend a hand on house projects and is great with tools.  This is the card I came up with:

Supplies:
Paper: Core-dinations, Ten Seconds Studio Metal Sheet
Ink: Distress Ink (Barn Door)
Misc.: Tim Holtz Alterations Rulers Embossing Folder, Bringing Crafts to You Embossing Folder
Tim Holtz Sanding Tool, Silver Cord

I used the Rulers embossing folder for the background as every handyman I know has a tape measure and/or a ruler close at hand and used my sanding tool over it to show the core in the paper.  I thought it would be fun to highlight the "40" in the folder with Distress Ink as a way to include his age in a different way.  I used the sanding block over the metal sheet to give the tools a metallic look.

Christine was very happy with it, and I am looking forward to hearing back from her after she gives it to her uncle.

Wishing you a great weekend ahead!  I am hoping that spring will show itself a bit and it will be warm enough to get outside a bit in my yard to assess what will need to be done after this hard winter!

Until next time!

WOYWW #250 - Prepping To Learn Calligraphy

Today is Wednesday, so I am sharing what is on my work desk with you! I have been thinking about learning to improve my handwriting (it is chicken scratch now!).  After seeing many videos online, I decided to pick up some calligraphy books.  I am leaning towards modern calligraphy, but I will know more as I go through these books!

I am not really sure how successful I will be with this, but I am sure it will be interesting.  Finding the time to practice will be key.  

As some of you may recall, I belong to a Jane Austen group, so it should come as no surprise that I will have company while I practice: yes, that is Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth) sitting on my desk holding my pens! That should lessen the pain of repetition!

Thank you, Julia, for this desk hopping fun!  If you haven't joined in, I highly recommend you pop over to Julia's blog and see what this is all about and see what others are creating on their desks!

Until next week!

Tea Time Tuesday - Time for St. Paddy's Day Tea

Today's Tea Time Tuesday finds me sharing a wee bit of Irish charm with you.  I have various shamrock tea cups and saucers, and picked this adorable one to share with you today.  The tea is from a tea shop in Ohio called Essencha Tea House.  My brother and sister in-law love this tea shop and I was fortunate to go there once while visiting. This was a thoughtful gift from them for my birthday (not much remains as it is yummy).

I thought I would share a fun gift my husband made me this weekend from an old tea box.  I blogged about it yesterday, but since it is sort of "tea related" I thought you may like to see it if you haven't already.  I am just starting out collecting fountain pens, so he created a nice home for my pens from this lovely box. Isn't it charming?

I am sharing tea today at:

Tea Time Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

May you have a tea-riffic day!

Lots of Inky Fun This Weekend - Went To My First Pen Show!

Did you ever wonder what would happen if you lost television for one day? Well, near the end of last year we did lose our dish for one full day, and my husband has teased me about the aftermath ever since.  During those twenty-four hours I busied myself watching YouTube and stumbled on two fun fountain pen lovers channels (Goulet Pens, SBRE Brown).  I watched them and was fascinated.  I developed a love for these pens and the wonderful inks.   So this weekend my husband and I attended our first pen show (LI Pen Show) at Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island.  Well, it was so much fun and I learned a lot.  I thought I would share my adventure with you today.

It was not a large pen show, but perfect for a local, or someone who is a newbie like myself.  I was very glad I got to meet Lisa and Brian Anderson of Anderson Pens.  I have heard their podcasts, and have read great things about them.  Lisa helped me pick out inks and Brian helped with our pen and paper purchases.  I also picked up an amazing leather clutch case after asking for Lisa's opinion.  I can't recommend Anderson Pens enough, as they really are wonderful.

My haul:

As you can see, I picked up a lot of fun things! You may notice that there are also three sticks of sealing wax and a metal seal that is in the shape of a gear which reminded me of my Tim Holtz/steampunk gears. My husband came home and made me a box for my pens using an old tea box I had and this red lining we picked up at the fair. It turned out so nice and I love that he was able to recycle and reuse an old tea box.

Isn't it pretty?  This is going to look great on my work desk and keeps my pens at my fingertips.

I am so glad that I have discovered this new hobby.  I think it goes hand-in-hand with my card making hobby.

Tonight I will be loading up all my pens with my new inks, and can't wait to write some letters. I am having lots of fun writing letters to pen pals, too! Maybe I should turn off the TV more often?

St. Patrick's Day Cards for Kids

Today I am sharing a pair of cards I made for my friend Ruth to give her grandchildren for St. Paddy's Day.  She has a young grandson named Elvis, and a young granddaughter named Madison.  The kids love to see their names on the cards so I did just that for each one.

For Madison's card I used my March Simon Says Stamp card kit stamp set and some of the fun rainbow paper included.  The kit also had some alphabet stickers included and since the other kits had some in various colors I mixed them up to form her name.

For Elvis's card, I stamped a fun leprechaun and put him on an Action Wobbler so he bounces around when moved or touched.  I think he will enjoy it.

I can't believe St. Patrick's day is nearly here and these are the only two cards I have made for it.  Time has gotten away from me again!

Tea Time Tuesday - Alice In Wonderland

Today I am sharing with you another tea cup from my personal collection.  It is a wonderful set depicting Alice in Wonderland.  The way the words float inside the cup is just so fun and full of whimsy.

I didn't have a hard time deciding which tea cup to share today as Alice in Wonderland has been on my mind since I was asked to make a card for a co-worker to give for a bridal shower.  The bride-to-be is having an Alice-themed shower (and wedding) so I was asked to incorporate that into a personalized card.  This was a lot of fun for me, as I happen to love Alice, and have a fabulous set of stamps that were perfect to use.  Also in my stash, I came across a tea charm that I thought would be a nice touch to add. My co-worker was thrilled today when I gave it to her.   I can't wait to hear how it is received this weekend at the shower!

I am sharing tea today at:

Tea Time Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

May you have a tea-riffic day!

Bring on Springtime!

Today we are finally experiencing the first traces of Spring (I hope!).  The sun is shining and the temperatures are in the upper 40s.  This is a much appreciated break from all the cold.  To celebrate the warmer weather, my husband and I went to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum for a walk and some lunch in their lovely tea room. The view is just splendid on a day like today.  I look forward to going back when the snow is all gone and buds start appearing all around us.

To celebrate this wonderful day, I am sharing a floral card I made for a co-worker to give his wife for her birthday. He wanted a romantic feeling card, with shades of blues and brown.  I decided to use a lovely set by Gina K Designs as I love the flower stamp which I was able to stamp repeatedly to get this pattern and the sentiment is very sweet I think.

I added a doily to give it some texture and it was colored with Weathered Wood Distress Ink to add some distressing and color to it.

Wishing you a wonderful day filled with beauty!

WOYWW #248 - Oh Baby!

It has been a couple of weeks since I was able to take part in WOYWW and share what is on my work desk with you.  Today I am sharing my inky mess!  You will see plenty of ink, markers and even buttons and ribbon.   I have been working on two baby cards and as usual, I start pulling supplies out even before I know what I will be actually doing.

Thank you Julia for the desk hopping fun!  I thought I would share the two completed cards I made from this lovely mess.  One is for a baby girl, and the other a baby boy.

I am looking forward to catching up with a lot of you today and seeing what you are working on!  Until next time!

Tea Time Tuesday - Floral Power

This Tea Time Tuesday I am sharing a piece of my tea cup collection with you.  This bright floral set was a gift my husband gave me when we were dating as he knew daisies are my favorite flowers and they are depicted on the cup.  He bought it at the florist shop we eventually used for our wedding.  I love the shape and the happy bright colors, too.

Since I shared a floral tea cup with you, I thought I would share a floral card I made.  This card had a heat embossed image on watercolor paper, and the background was various Distress Inks and a pearl colored mist.  This card was made for someone who is sick and has a long recovery ahead of them, so I wanted it to be colorful and happy.

I think you can tell by all these florals that I am really anxious for Spring to arrive!  This week we are expecting continued frigid weather.  I hope you are experiencing some nice weather where you are!

I am sharing tea today at:

Tea Time Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Winnie's Inky Fingers Turns 2 Today!

I cannot believe it is March 1st already! February flew by before I realized it!  March 1st is the day I began my blog and so today I am celebrating 2 years of Winnie's Inky Fingers and am so happy! When I think about what I have been enjoying most about blogging, I must say it is the lovely people that I have gotten to know by sharing and chatting.  You sit back and turn on the news and hear a lot of "negative" about human nature, but blogging has shown me the very BEST of it.  So many take the time to visit and share with me and give encouragement and tips, etc.  The notes and cards I have received from readers (some bloggers and others) are so special to me.  This is an electronic age and while blogging is computer driven, the idea of handwritten cards and/or notes is very appealing to me.

Since I am in a celebratory mood today, I thought I would share a birthday card I was asked to make for a woman who turned 102!  For this card I made it extra large and lots of bright colors for a happy mood and easy to read.  The stamps I used are from Stampers Anonymous by Tim Holtz and I thought perfect for such a fun celebration.

To incorporate her age, I used the Kelly Purkey number stickers from my Simon Says Stamp Card Kit and the pretty card stock was from there as well. I am not one for stickers normally, but figured this would be a fun way to use them.

Thank you to everyone who has visited my blog over these two years, and for all your kindness.  I hope you enjoy what I share, and I look forward to continuing with you for many years to come!