A Touch From the Heart

Saturday Sketch

A huge thanks to Selene.....who comes up with these amazing sketches each and every week.  She is an amazing asset to our Stamping 411 team, and we couldn't survive without her.

Isn't this sketch cute?  There are just so many possibilities.  Now, I will admit, I was THIS close to making a Christmas card.  But, I held back and went for something pretty and purple (one of my favorite colors)

Here's what I came up with:

Talk about easy!!!!  The drama totally comes from the patterned paper and the layout.

My base card (5 1/2" x 8 1/2".....folded in half) is Rich Razzleberry.

The next layer (5 1/4" x 4") is Old Olive.

This gorgeous Old Olive patterned paper comes from the Cottage Wall DSP pack.

The large strip is Pale Plum cardstock.  I used the direct-to-paper technique (dragging my Pale Plum ink pad along the cardstock ) to give it some texture.  You know me.....I am ALL about texture. 

The vertical strip is Rich Razzleberry.  I added three Silver Brads to the bottom.

The focal image couldn't be simpler.  Stamp the butterfly (from Dreams duJour) in Rich Razzleberry ink onto Whisper White cardstock.  Mat it twice....first on Rich Razzleberry and then Old Olive (1/8" larger each time).  I kept it simple.....so I didn't sponge....I currently have the shakes from sponge withdrawal but I'm being strong!!!

The finishing touches include the sentiment (from Teeny Tiny Wishes) stamped in Rich Razzleberry (and punched with the Word Window Punch) and a knot of White Organza ribbon.

Super sketch......Super simple card!!!!

Card Recipe

stamps:  Dreams duJour, Teeny Tiny Wishes
paper:  Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Pale Plum, Whisper White, Cottage Wall DSP
ink:  Rich Razzleberry, Pale Plum
accessories:  Word Window Punch, Silver Brads, White Organza Ribbon

Until next time....Happy Stamping everyone!

Experimenting with Shimmer Paint

This week's Bloggers Challenge was a fun one.....teach or link to a technique.

Well, I love to experiment so I thought I would come up with something different.  I'm going to call it Shimmery Stained Glass.  The traditional Stained Glass technique uses vellum and markers.  I thought a shimmery twist might be nice........

It's very easy to do.......simply take a few drops of Frost White Shimmer Paint and tint it with a drop of reinker.  For this flower, I used Ruby Red. 

I stamped the flower (from Fifth Avenue Floral) onto some Vellum Cardstock using Black StazOn ink.  Let it dry.  Flip the vellum over and paint the back of the image with the tinted Shimmer Paint.  Let it dry thoroughly and cut the image out. 

The Basic Black base card measures 4 1/4" x 4 1/4".

The next layer is Ruby Red cardstock that has been texturized with the Perfect Details Texturz Plate.  The edges are sponged with Ruby Red ink.  I added two lengths of Certainly Celery 1/4" grosgrain before adhering to my base card.

The bloom sits upon some Certainly Celery leaves that were cut with the Little Leaves Sizzlit die.  The Basic Black cardstock frame has been dotted with the Frost White Shimmer Paint and an embossing stylus.  I also used the paint and stylus to dot the center of the flower.

That's it....so easy, but oh so pretty.  The photo doesn't capture its true beauty.  You'll have to give the technique a try and tell me what you think.

I'll be back tomorrow with the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch.

Until next time.....Happy Stamping everyone!!!

Cure for the "whatever" or "I don't care"

"whatever" or "I don't care".........not one of my two favorite phrases.

You see, one of those is usually the answer I get from my family when I ask them what they want for dinner. 

I see all of you shaking your heads in agreement

Well, last night I had an epiphany.......make something that I've been craving and haven't had in years.

So, I gathered up my ingredients and got to work on homemade (without a recipe book) and made chicken chimichangas. 

Healthy.....oh jeez no.....you can feel your arteries clogging up after the first bite, but oh so yummy.

Here's what I did

- it was pouring rain.....so I marinated some boneless chicken breasts in Good Seasons Italian Dressing and then grilled it on a grill pan on top of the stove (yup, the smoke set off my smoke detectors........gosh, they are so sensitive).  Besides waving a towel to shut off your smoke detectors is a form of exercise.

- cut the chicken up and added a small onion (small dice)

- then I added half a can of Rotel Tomatoes and Green Chiles

-  at this point, I tasted it and said "whoa, Chris (my son) will never eat this....it's too spicy".......so I grabbed a spoon and added a spoonful of sour cream to calm down the spice of the tomatoes

- take flour tortillas and scoop a bit of the mixture into the center.  Add some shredded cheddar cheese, fold in the sides of the tortilla and roll up.

- deep fry in some vegetable oil (I told you it was not healthy)

OH MY WORD!!!!  The family thought I was a cooking goddess!!! 

So, I think I am going to have them cook tonight..........I think I'm in the mood for "whatever" with a side of "I don't care".  LOL!!!

I'll be back later with a project........

Thanks Glenda!!

Several times a year, my friend Robin Merriman hosts an amazing swap.   Our group is called the Go-Divas.....it's a play on the word Godiva (as in sinfully delicious chocolate)....which happens to be one of Robin's favorite food groups. 

The last Go-Diva swap was all about Christmas cards.  My jaw always drops at the quality of the work by this fabulous group of ladies.  One of my favorite swaps was by Glenda Travelstead.  She made one of these modified stair stepper cards.   She's not the original designer, but I had never seen this type of card before.....and Glenda is always a stamping goddess in my eyes (and she also loves Twilight....although she's Team Edward and I'm Team Jacob).

The card featured above is the one I created for my Stamp Club.  I am always on the look out for something to make them go "wow".....and this did the trick.  The rectangle on the right is meant to hold a photo. 

Thanks Glenda for the wonderful inspiration!!!

Card Recipe

stamps:  Delightful Decorations, Christmas Punch (hostess level 2)
paper:  Real Red, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Christmas Cocoa DSP
ink:  Real Red Craft ink, Soft Suede
accessories:  Clear Embossing Powder, Boho Blossoms punch, Wide Oval punch, Ornament punch, Gold Elastic Cord, Mistletoe Ribbon

Until next time.....Happy Stamping everyone!!!

Holiday Gift Giving Guide

Happy November everyone!!  I don't know about you, but what happened to October?  The past month went by WAY too fast at our house.

Then, yesterday as I was checking my email......I had a new email from Target titled "Sleigh Bells Ring".......WHOA!!!!  Stop the train!!!!  What happened to Thanksgiving???  LOL!!!! 

It's hard to believe that Christmas shopping season is upon us. 

Stampin' Up! has announced a new promotion to help you get ready for the holidays.

For every $50 you spend on items in the Holiday Gift Giving Guide, you can choose a FREE Decor Elements of your choice (up to a $16.95 value).

If you haven't tried Decor Elements before, getting them FREE sure is the best way to go.  You will be hooked once you play with them.  I've applied them on walls, glass jars, mirrors, tiles. 

This promotion ends on January 4, 2010. 

Click HERE to download the Holiday Gift-Giving Guide

Click HERE to view the Decor Elements in the Definitely Decorative catalog

Don't forget about my Gift Registry service.  If you would like your friends and family to know that you would like Stampin' Up! products for the holidays this year, simply click on the "Gift Registry" button on the left sidebar of my blog.  It will ask you to fill out your wish list as well as the names and emails of the people you would like me to contact.  I will manage your wish list to make sure that you get exactly what you want this year!!!!

Now, just to get that song out of my head ever since I read that email.......

Sleighbells ring, are  you listening
in the lane, snow is glistening,
what a beautiful sight, we're happy tonight,
walking in a winter wonderland.

Until next time....Happy Stamping everyone!!!!

Thankful

Happy Halloween everyone!!  I'll be back later with a spooktacular Halloween project, but for the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch I wanted to make a thank you card.

As soon as I saw this layout, I knew I wanted to use my Wandering Words stamp set.  Any of the three images would work perfectly with this sketch. 

Here's the one I chose......

  
The base card is More Mustard (5 1/2" x 8 1/2"....folded in half).  I sponged the edges with Close to Cocoa ink.

The next layer is patterned paper from the Autumn Meadows Designer Series Paper Pack.  Let me tell you.....it is GORGEOUS!!!!

The focal image is inked with Chocolate Chip ink.  I took a Q-Tip and removed the ink from the leaves.  I colored the leaves with my Stampin' Write Markers (More Mustard, Really Rust, Ruby Red and Old Olive), huffed on the stamp and stamped it on Very Vanilla cardstock.  The edges are sponged with Close to Cocoa ink.

Following the sketch, I took a strip of Pumpkin Pie cardstock and punched the top edge with the Scallop Edge punch.  I lightly sponged the edges of this with Close to Cocoa ink.  The strip sits at the bottom edge of the focal layer.

The entire focal layer is matted on Old Olive cardstock (also sponged with Close to Cocoa ink).

I added some Chocolate Chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon that has been threaded with a Very Vanilla Ribbon Slide (found in the Hodgepodge Hardware kit).

After adding everything to the card, I took my Color Spritzer Tool and my Close to Cocoa marker and spritzed the heck out of it.

Very shabby chic...........and perfect for Thanksgiving!!!!

What do you envision when you look at this sketch?  Make a card and then link it to the Stamping 411 Blog.  We choose our favorites each week and showcase them on our Friday post.

Card Recipe

stamps:  Wandering Words
paper:  More Mustard, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla, Autumn Meadows DSP
ink:  Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
accessories:  Stampin' Write Markers, Hodgepodge Hardware, Chocolate Chip 1/4" grosgrain, Scallop Edge punch, Color Spritzer Tool, sponges

Tisket...a Tasket.....Make a Spooktacular Basket

Wow!  Was this ever fun to make!!! 

I followed the tutorial found HERE for the basic bucket design.  These buckets are so sturdy for being made out of just paper. 

I added a strip of Cast-a-Spell designer series paper, tied a length of Basic Black wide grosgrain ribbon into a classic knot and added the medallion.

Basket Recipe

stamps:  Batty for You
paper:  Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Summer Sun, Whisper White, Cast-a-Spell DSP
ink:  Black StazOn
accessories:  circle punches (1 1/4", 1 3/8", Scallop Circle), Horizontal Slot Punch, Basic Black wide grosgrain ribbon, Circle Scissor Plus, Pillow Box Bigz die, Big Shot, Vintage Brads, Sticky Strip

If you're a follower of my blog, you know how much we love Halloween at my house.  I can't wait to see what other spooktacular surprises await us on all the Blogger's Challenge blogs.  Click on the Blogger's Challenge icon (on the right sidebar of my blog) to get a list of everyone's blog links. 

Click here if you would like to place a Stampin' Up! order

I'll be back tomorrow with the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch
  

Autumn Decor

I am happy to report that the new carpet has been installed, and my house is now decorated for Halloween.  I am bummed to report that we decided not to put up the Halloween village this year.  It takes hours of work to put it together, and well, since Halloween is this weekend, we opted out this year.

I will post pics later this week of how we decorate the house for Halloween.  I am in charge of inside the house while Dennis is all about decorating the outside.  The inside is a combination of classic with a touch of Cute.  Outside is all about spooky (but no gore....that's where I draw the line).

One thing that is fabulous about being a crafter is that you can decorate your home for such little money. 

Take this candle, for example.......

Here is another view:

This candle is one of the items we made at last week's Spooktacular Stamp Camp.

We stamped images on tissue paper, colored them in with markers and applied onto the candle with my embossing heat gun.  My stamper friends thought I was the stamping goddess after I showed them this technique.  I know for a fact (because I ran into them at the store with candles in their shopping carts) that they were making a bunch of these for gifts. 

Some gorgeous ribbon from the Holiday Mini catalog and sponging of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint finished off the candle nicely!!!

Candle Recipe

stamps:  Autumn Harvest
paper:  tissue paper
ink:  Black StazOn
accessories:  Stampin' Write Markers (Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, More Mustard, Ruby Red), embossing heat gun, wax paper, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Mistletoe Ribbon Originals

Imagine what candles you can make as inexpensive holiday gifts.........

Click here to order your Stampin' Up! products today

Pick of the Patch

Have you heard that Stampin' Up! released some new digital downloads?

What's a digital download?  Well, they are digital brushes that work with My Digital Studio as well as other papercrafting digital software or photo software you may already own. 

For this page I used the Pumpkin Patch (for the jack-o-lanterns and grass) and Cast a Spell (for the patterned paper) downloads. 

Scrappin' a page was never so easy.  I created the pumpkins once...then used cut and paste to recreate them along my border.

Would you like to see all the digital downloads available for purchase?  It's easy......go to my demonstrator website and click on "Shop Now".  Click on "Digital Crafting" and then "My Digital Downloads". 

If you have any questions about My Digital Studio or any of the downloads, just send me an email.  Remember, I'm here to help!!!!

Click here to order your Stampin' Up! products

Deal of the Week

Calling all pirates and princesses.......this week's "Deals of the Week" are for you.

The Princess Party Kit and Pirate Party Kit are on sale for $9.99 each (regularly priced $15.95 each).

The Pirate Party Kit (item 116213) contains invitations, eye patches, treasure boxes, banner and food toppers for eight people.  This party kit coordinates with the Pirate Time stamp set and Pirate personalized name stamp.

The Princess Party Kit (item 116214) contains invitations, crowns, purse boxes, banner and food toppers for eight people.  This party kit coordinates with the Princess Time stamp set and Princess personalized name stamp. 

I recommend using our Sticky Strip adhesive to assemble these party kits.

Remember, these party kits are only available for this special price until October 31st. 

Email me today to place your order.   These items are also available on online orders via my demonstrator website.