Imagine.Create.Share.

Happy Birthday!

2012-02-18T00:01:00.004-05:00

February is a big birthday month at our house! All together, with immediate and extended family and friends, we celebrate five birthdays, including mine at the end of the month. I'm a little excited this year since I'm a Leap Year baby and I will be celebrating my "Sweet Sixteen!" And today's card celebrates birthdays!

After two weeks off, it's good to be back with my team working on a DIVA sketch challenge card. This week's sketch, DSC176, was a dream to work with! Thanks, Tammy!

And here is my card.

It should be obvious that I based my color combination on the fabulous SAB paper, Everyday Enchantment. I'll sure be sad to see this retire at the end of March! Get it while you can! It is actually free with a $50 order while Sale-A-Bration is on.

Stamps: Little Friends
Papers: Watercolor paper, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Everyday Enchantment DSP
Accessories: Big Shot, Tasteful Trim die, Stampin' Dimensionals, aquapainter, Signo gel pen

To watercolor the image, I pulled out all of the markers that coordinate with the DSP: Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Peach Parfait, Calypso Coral, Poppy Parade, and Soft Suede. I used them to color and shade and then I used my aquapainter to blend the colors. I popped up the top balloon and highlighted them all with a gel pen.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend! I know I will! It is our annual trek to Lancaster, Pennsylvania with my husband's family. We enjoy each other's company, eat way too much, work on puzzles, unwind and relax. Oh, did I mention outlet shopping? :-)

Blessings,
Barbara

Just Because

2012-01-28T00:01:00.008-05:00

Happy Saturday, everyone! Even though I am retired, I still look forward to the weekends. It's just a slower pace and time to connect with family. And a Sunday afternoon nap helps recharge my batteries for the next week! :-)

Here is the sketch for the week, DIVASC173. You can check here on the DIVA blog to see everyone who participated this week. Tammy has provided us with wonderful sketches this month, hasn't she?

Looking at the sketch, I decided I would flip through my catalog and look for a long image to use in place of the flower. So much for that idea! When I stumbled across "Notably Ornate" I knew where I wanted to go with this. I flipped the sketch on to its side and added a lot of texture. I love cards that are done in neutrals, and this fits the bill.

I used a minimal amount of supplies on this card!
Ink: Soft Suede
Paper: Very Vanilla and Soft Suede
Stamps: Notably Ornate
Accessories: Pearls, Big Shot, Houndstooth and Vintage Wallpaper embossing folders, sponge daubers, Word Window and Modern Label punches, Versamark pen

All right, now it's true confessions time! This is the first time I have inked this set, and I bought it as soon as it came out. I have it in both clear mount and wood mount, since I earned the wood mount as a prize at Convention 2010 for a necklace I designed using our Simply Adorned line. Speaking of Simply Adorned, it will be discontinued at the end of May 2012, so if there is anything you want to order from the line, get it while you can!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a terrific weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

Short and Sweet

2012-01-21T00:01:00.003-05:00

I am preparing this ahead of time since I will be in San Antonio for Stampin Up!'s Leadership this week. Here is the sketch for the week, DIVASC172. You can check here on the DIVA blog to see everyone who participated this week.

I stayed with the spirit of the sketch, but see that little square next to the sentiment? I traded it for a great big heart! I really wanted to play with some of my new stamps.

Here's the card. I will post details next week when I am back from my trip.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend! If you are reading this on Saturday, I am at the San Antonio Regional event stampin' with my fellow Diva, Ruthie!

Blessings,
Barbara

S.W.A.K.

2012-01-14T00:01:00.001-05:00

Happy Saturday! It's time for another DIVA sketch challenge card. Here's the sketch, DIVASC171:

And here's my card:
I found a color challenge that I wrote down but I can't figure out which challenge it was! The colors were Baja Breeze, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, and Real Red. Those are the colors I used to emboss the hearts with the new Fashionable Hearts embosslit die. The card base is Whisper White and was scored 1/8" from edge edge with the new Simply Scored tool. The Valentine Greetings (Grateful Greetings stamp set) was stamped in Jet black Staz-On, and Pink Pirouette was used for the S.W.A.K. Clean and simple is usually not my style, but I love how this card turned out.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope your weekend is wonderful!

Blessings,
Barbara

Tickled Pink!

2012-01-12T17:12:00.002-05:00

I was so honored to see that the card I submitted for the Create with Connie and Mary color challenge, CCMC183, was chosen as one of the top three cards submitted!

Here's my card:

I'm thrilled, to say the least! As you can see, I am proudly displaying my badge!

Blessings,
Barbara

Bordering on Romance

2012-01-07T00:01:00.008-05:00

Happy New Year, a little late! I hope that all of you have had a good start to 2012! Last weekend I participated in the DIVA sketch challenge and was able to upload my card to the DIVA blog, but I could not get into my blogger account to do a post here. (My son finally helped me figure out the problem.) This week's card combines two challenges, DIVASC170, which looks like this,

and the Create with Connie and Mary color challenge, CCMC183.

Here's my card:

Here are the supplies I used.
Paper: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Twitterpated DSP
Stamps: Bordering on Romance
Ink: Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Black Staz-On
Accessories: Adorning Accents Edgelits Die, Blushing Bride 3/8" pleated satin ribbon, Stampin' dimensionals, aquapainters

I stamped and colored several of the main flower image so that I could cut some extra leaves and flowers to layer and pop up to give added dimension to the card. I really like how it turned out.

I'm in love with so many of the items in the Occasions mini catalog! I guess you can tell from the number of new products I used. If you have a minute, I'd love to hear what you think of my card. I read all of your comments, and it they really mean a lot to me.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

A Christmas Song for Stampers 4

2011-12-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

Deck the Halls

Deck the halls with foils and glitters,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Tis the season for us stampers,

Fa la la.........

Don we now our inks and powders,

Fa la la...........

Troll the heatguns and embossers,

Fa la la..........

See the card stock blank before us

Fa la la......
Strike the ink and join the chorus,

Fa la la....
Follow me in merry masking,

Fa la la......
Join us in some Yuletide stamping,

Fa la la.........

Faint away with chalks and markers,

Fa la la...
Hail the new, ye rubber stampers,

Fa la la.......
Stamp with joyous all together,

Fa la la.....
Heedless of the times that's passed us,

Fa la la.....

A Christmas Song for Stampers 3

2011-12-23T00:01:00.002-05:00

Let it Snow

Oh the weather outside is frightful

But the inks look so delightful
So while the winters cold and damp
Let us stamp! Let us stamp! Let us stamp!

It doesn't take much convincing
And I've brought a tool for crimping
Choose some paper, turn up the lamp
Let us stamp! Let us stamp! Let us stamp!

When we carefully press just right
How we smile as the image unfolds
Add some color, so bold, so bright
The result is a sight to behold!

Our projects are quickly drying
And there's new techniques for trying
So until we get finger cramps
Let us stamp! Let us stamp! Let us stamp!

A Christmas Song for Stampers 2

2011-12-22T00:01:00.003-05:00

This is the second song for stampers. Sing to the tune of Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells
Dashing through the snow
To the stamp store here we go.
O'er the streets we pass
Anxious to spend cash!
Stamps on store shelves call
Making spirits bright.
Oh what fun it is to sing,
The stamping song tonight!
Stamping art, stamping art,
Stamping all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to stamp
In the good old fashion way!

Stamping art, stamping art,
Stamping's here to stay!
Oh, what fun it is to stamp
All the gifts you give today!

A Christmas Song for Stampers

2011-12-21T09:17:00.002-05:00

I just came across this on Crafty Maria's Stamping World and had to share. This is to the tune of Winter Wonderland. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

(Winter Wonderland)

Brayers roll...are ya listening?
On the card...ink is glistening.
A beautiful sight...we're happy tonight,
Stamping in a winter wonderland.

In the kitchen we can build a snowman.
Then add color to his carrot nose.
You'll say: Are you finished?
I'll say: No ma'am,
I need to add some glitter to the snow.

When we stamp...ain't it thrillin'?
Even when...the powders spilling.
We'll create and we'll play...the art stamper way,
Stamping in a winter wonderland.

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings,
Barbara

DIVASC166 & a Sneak Peek

2011-12-10T00:01:00.001-05:00

It's Saturday, and that means it's time for the weekly DIVA sketch challenge. You can find the list of all those who are participating here. This week I received my preorder from the new Occasions mini catalog that is available in early January, so I was itching to try some of my new items. Here is the sketch for this week. At first I was going to rotate the sketch, but as things progressed, I left it as it was.

Here's the sketch:And here's the card. Can you spot all of the new products? I am so excited about this catalog, and I know you will be too! Notice the beautifully scalloped, embossed edge. Very cool, huh? If you are a regular customer, you will be receiving your copy of the new mini catalog in the mail.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend. I know mine will be filled with Christmas preparations. We will be shopping for our tree, wrapping presents, and making food for the church luncheon on Sunday. Fun times!

Blessings,
Barbara

Deck the Halls!

2011-12-09T18:16:00.005-05:00

Last weekend when I posted I said I would share some of my decorations. I am getting ready to work on my challenge card and just remembered that I had not taken any photos! Here is a peek at some of my decorations.

When I was in Michigan for Thanksgiving, I found this sign in a cute little shop in downtown Holland. I couldn't resist! It really sums up what I love about Christmas, special times with family all together. Of course, the best Christmas present of all was baby Jesus! What an indescribable gift. None of that "Happy Holidays" greeting from this girl~ Jesus is the reason for the season!

This is the beautiful Christmas keepsake box that Stampin' Up! offered as a kit. I spent a morning with three of my down line putting our boxes together. It took us almost three hours to make them. The kits had everything we needed and really look great. The only thing I have to do yet is add my pearls, but it looks beautiful even without them.

Here are the two pieces together on the shelf of the cabinet in my family room. I like to change the items on display as the seasons change.

I hope you can stop by tomorrow to see my sketch challenge.

Blessings,
Barbara

Snow Much Fun!

2011-12-03T00:01:00.012-05:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I just love Christmas and all of its festivities. I decided this year that I would do a little decorating each day instead of one big blitz, so right now my house is half decorated for Christmas and half decorated for Thanksgiving. I think I will try for a big push to get the rest done this weekend, and I'll post a couple of photos when I am done.

Happy Saturday, and welcome to the weekly DIVA sketch challenge. You can check out the list of all those participating at the DIVA blog. Here is this week's sketch. I'm taking a little liberty here and keeping the sketch intact but doing it as a horizontal card, not a vertical. That is different than rotating the whole sketch, but hey, that's what a sketch is for, to inspire us, right?

I did use the color coach for my color combination. Gotta love it!

And here is my card.
I love the color combination of Baja Breeze and Cajun Craze, don't you?

Stamps: Snow Much Fun
Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Cajun Craze, Not Quite Navy
Inks and markers: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Garden Green, Basic Gray
Accessories: Big Shot, Northern Flurry and Snow Burst embossing folders, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, aqua painter, dotted ribbon border punch

I had a lot of fun with this sketch! Can you tell?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I'm sure a lot of people will be putting up Christmas trees this weekend. We always get a live tree, so we wait a little bit longer before putting it up so it doesn't get too dry. As I said earlier, I am going to work on decorating tomorrow. The most time consuming by far is the garland and swags that I put up in my foyer. It takes a whole morning to get it done. I used to do live roping every year, but it would get so dry by New Year's Day that it was a mess to take down and probably a fire hazard as well. I finally decided to spend the money on a really nice artificial garland, and I have been using that for the last several years. It is not as messy, and I can leave it up as long as I want. I'll try to post some photos of that later this weekend.

Thanks for stopping by. I read all of your comments and really appreciate it when you take the time to leave one!

Blessings,
Barbara

Hello!

2011-11-26T00:01:00.006-05:00

Well, here it is Saturday, and if you are anything like me, you are probably recovering from eating too much on Thanksgiving! I'm glad you stopped by to see the newest Diva sketch. This is the last one designed by Ruthie, Diva SC164. Here it is, and you can see the list of those participating this week here.

I really liked this sketch, although I guess you can say I did a variation of the theme! Here is my card. I just love this sweet little girl in the Gift Givers stamp set, and this is the first time I've inked her up. (sigh)
As you can see, I substituted a circle for the oval. I also eliminated two of the horizontal lines since I thought the rosette was quite large and I didn't want too much going on.

Stamps: Gift Givers
Paper: Early Espresso, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Frostwood Lodge DSP
Ink: Black Staz-on, watercoloring with aquapainter and ink pads
Accessories: Northern Flurry embossing folder, scallop punch, circles #2 die, Big Shot, Simply Scored, cherry Cobbler quilted ribbon, 2 way glue pen, dazzling diamonds

It's really hard to see in the photo, but the snowflakes and snow in the main image are very sparkly!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and may our thankfulness for our blessings last throughout the year!

Blessings,
Barbara

Shabby Christmas Lodge

2011-11-19T00:01:00.006-05:00

Well, here it is Saturday again and time for another sketch at the UDI blog. You can find a list of all of the participants here. This week we have another sketch by Ruthie. Here is the sketch, DivaSC163:

And here is my interpretation. I'll be back with the details later. I combined the diva sketch challenge with Inkspirations colour challenge #96.

I'm sorry I missed last week's sketch. I was vending all day Friday and Saturday, and then again Wednesday night at craft shows. I'll try to post some of those pictures next week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Top Dog!

2011-11-05T22:08:00.005-04:00

Well, I finally had time to stamp today! This is the first of the sketches that Ruthie will be doing for the month of November, and I really like this sketch! You can see the list of participants in this week's sketch here. Here it is, DIVASC161.

When I saw it, I immediately had an idea. I had seen a really cute card by Monika Davis, which inspired me to buy the set "Not So Seriously." (page 55, IB&C, #123087, $25.95) And here's what I did with it. I combined DIVASC161 with color challenge PPA118, and here's my card.

Recipe:
Stamps: Not So Seriously
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Early Espresso
Inks: Soft Suede, Early Espresso, River Rock, Black Staz-on
Accessories: Soft Suede 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon, neutrals brads, word window punch, Modern Label punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, circle punch, stripes embossing folder

I need to stop working at night because I hate using a flash for my photography! I would much rather have natural daylight to take my photos. You can hardly see the striped embossing in the background. Sad...

Oh, I saw the greatest idea today for the word window punch, and now I don't remember where I saw it! The "top dog" greeting was too long for the word window punch, so I measured the length I needed, folded a piece of card stock in half and used the window punch on the folded card stock to get the longer length. I did the same thing with the modern label punch. If you look closely, you may see the fold in the papers. If you have any questions, I can take a photo later to show you. Just give me a holler!

Thanks for stopping by today! If you have time to leave a comment, I really appreciate them! It let's me know that people are actually stopping by.

Blessings to you and yours,
Barbara

Life Gets in the Way

2011-11-05T07:43:00.003-04:00

It's been a topsy-turvy week here on the East coast! One week ago today we had a freak snowstorm that dumped a lot of heavy snow, bringing down power lines and lots of trees. My street is three blocks long, and when the builder developed this area 25 years ago, he lined the street with Bradford pear trees. It was a beautiful sight in the spring, when they were white with blossoms, as well as late fall, when they turned a beautiful cranberry red. Sadly, fourteen trees came down in the storm. Our road was impassable for 24 hours, until people could get out with chain saws. So many people were without heat and electric, and some still are. My in-laws came to stay with us for 36 hours until they got their power back. Needless to say, there was nothing like a "normal" schedule at my house.

I had a class last night, and while I was scrambling with last minute preparations, I realized I had not prepared my sketch card. Me bad! :-(

Check back later today if you have time. Meanwhile, you can find the list of participants over at the Diva blog.

See you later!

Blessings,
Barbara

Babushka Dolls

2011-10-29T00:01:00.003-04:00

Happy Saturday, and welcome to another Diva Sketch Challenge, DSC159. If you are interested in seeing who is participating in the challenge this week, you can find the list of names over at the Utah Diva Blog. This is the last week of sketches by Elizabeth, and I have really enjoyed her sketches! Here is sketch number 159. If you stopped by last Saturday, you know I jumped the gun and did DSC160 last week. Yikes! So I hope you are not totally confused. This week's sketch is DSC160, but because I did that a week early, I am using the sketch from last Saturday.

Earlier this week I was blog surfing and I came across the most adorable Babushka dolls, created by Deb Fearns. I fell in love with them, and I couldn't wait to make one. Here is a sneak peak at the inside of my card

Deb had the punches listed on her blog. The dolls required the Owl Builder punch, the extra large oval punch, and the 1" circle punch. Isn't this just the cutest?! On my card I stamped "friend to friend,"so I thought it was quite appropriate to have one little friend on the front of the card as well as one on the inside. What do you think? There isn't any stamping on the card other than the greeting. The doll's eyes and cheeks are both from the owl punch, as well as the bow at her neck, which is two hearts. For her lips I used the tiny heart from the pinking hearts border.

Recipe follows
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Cheerful Treat DSP, Concord Crush, Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Concord Crush
Punches: Owl builder, Extra-Large Oval, 1" circle

I can hardly believe we are at the end of October, and we are expecting some snow later today. We didn't have a great fall this year. There was not much color, and we still have lots of trees loaded with leaves. This could potentially be a very bad storm. Maybe we'll be lucky and we won't get much.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a delightful weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

It was a dark and dreary night...

2011-10-22T00:01:00.004-04:00

I often say, "If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would get done." So here it is, the last minute, and my card for the Utah Diva Saturday Sketch Challenge, DSC160, is done. And I just realized that I used the sketch for next week, October 29! My apologies to the rest of the team. You can see the correct sketch here, as well as the list of those who are participating this week. I'm too tired to start another card now, so what you see is what you get! I will try to get back to this and do the correct sketch.

So here is next week's sketch:

And here is my card:

Recipe:

Stamps: House of Haunts, Spooky Bingo Bits
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Cajun Craze, Frightful Sight DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Old Olive, Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Stampin' sponge, Lucky Limeade designer printed brads

Well, it's getting late and I'm going to call it a night. I hope to be back later today with another card. We'll see!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Beautiful Season

2011-10-15T00:01:00.005-04:00

Happy Saturday, and welcome to another Diva Sketch Challenge, DSC158. If you are interested in seeing who is participating in the challenge this week, you can find the list of names over at the Utah Diva Blog. This is the third week of sketches by Elizabeth, and I really am enjoying her sketches! Here is sketch number 158.

I thought I would rotate the sketch, but I ran into a problem when I finished the main image. I couldn't fit it on the card if I had it horizontal, so I tipped it back to a vertical image, so it did alter things slightly. Also, I substituted ribbon for the scalloped edge that Elizabeth showed in her sketch. Even though I changed it, I think I have captured the main idea.

I was determined to use products that I bought but had not yet used, and I succeeded! I inked Beautiful Season and my letterpress plate for the first time and also opened the spool of quilted satin ribbon. (Too often I order things but fail to use them, falling back on my favorites!) Here are the supplies.

Stamps: Beautiful Season
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, watercolor paper
Ink: Always Artichoke, Riding Hood Red, Soft Suede, Versamark, Black Staz-On
Accessories: Watercolor wonder pen, Fancy Fan Letterpress Plate, Early Espresso 3/8" quilted satin ribbon

I inked the Letterpress Plate with Versamark ink before I put it through the Big Shot. I think it made such an elegant background. The main image was stamped with Black Staz-On and then water colored with my ink pads and a watercolor wonder pen.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

P.S. I had a wonderful visit with my family in Michigan, and we had a great time at Mabel's birthday party! And we found out this week that Mabel will be welcoming a little brother in late February. That will be grandchild number seven. We are all very excited!

Language of Friendship

2011-10-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Saturday, and welcome to another Diva Sketch Challenge, DSC157. If you are interested in seeing who is participating in the challenge this week, you can find the list of names over at the Utah Diva Blog. This is the second week of sketches by Elizabeth, and I had fun with this one. Here is the sketch we had to work with.

Sometimes it is amazing to realize where we can find inspiration. Earlier this week, I cased a card from the catalog. I had so much fun with it and it served as the inspiration for my sketch. Here is the card I cased, and you can read about it here.

I changed the color scheme from Old Olive and Baja Breeze to Old Olive and Marina Mist and obviously changed things up to accommodate the sketch. What do you think? Considering I had a great sketch and inspiration card to work with, I think it came out pretty stinkin' cute!

Here's the recipe:
Stamp: Language of Friendship
Paper: Old Olive, Marina Mist, Very Vanilla
Ink: Early Espresso ink and marker, Marina Mist Marker
Accessories: Boho Blossoms Punch, Bird Builder Punch, linen thread, Marina Mist 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Stripes embossing folder

To get the stripes on the Old Olive, I inked the embossing folder with Old Olive ink and then ran it through the Big Shot. I was going to put a piece of Marina Mist paper in the long rectangular area of the sketch and was inspired to put the striped ribbon there instead.

I'm so happy you could stop by today! I'm actually in Michigan for the weekend. I flew out on Wednesday to attend a Calvin College Alumni Board Meeting, and while I'm here I have a chance to celebrate our granddaughter's birthday. Here is sweet Mabel, and she turned one on October 3.

Mabel's birthday party is this afternoon, and I get to see all of my grandchildren as well. I know we'll have a ball! It is always so much fun to be together.

Boy, this has been a long post. Thanks for sticking with me to the end! As always, I appreciate your comments and feedback.

Blessings,
Barbara

Casing the Catalog

2011-10-04T19:52:00.005-04:00

Today I had a little time to play, and I decided to CASE (Copy And Share Everything!) a card from the catalog. A couple of years ago I was in a swap where we did just that. We selected a card from the catalog that we were willing to copy and sent them off to the swap hostess. As beautiful as the catalog is, the photos just cannot capture how beautiful the cards are in real life. I used "Language of Friendship," which had not been inked up until today. I love all of the little details of this card.

What do you think? Isn't it sweet? You can see the card I cased on page 101 of the 2011-2012 IB&C.

This card also serves as inspiration for my Saturday DIVA sketch challenge card. I hope you can stop back to see that. I think it will WOW you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

A Grateful Heart

2011-10-01T00:01:00.003-04:00

Today is October 1, and I, for one, find that hard to believe! The days and months just seem to fly by! It's also Saturday, and time for another DIVA sketch challenge. This month's sketches were prepared by Elizabeth, and I really love the simplicity of this first sketch. If you are interested in seeing what the other team members have come up with, just follow this link to see who is participating this week.

A good friend (who is also a member of my down line) came to do some stamping today. We stamped, talked, cut paper, cranked a lot of things through the big shot, enjoyed lunch out on the deck, and generally enjoyed each other's company! I was working on cards for a class, and I was using the beautiful set Gently Falling as well as the Spice Cake DSP. Since all of those supplies were already out, you shouldn't be too surprised with my take on the sketch.

Stamps: Gently Falling, Pursuit of Happiness, Faith In Nature
Inks: Soft Suede, Pool Party, More Mustard
Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, More Mustard, Spice Cake DSP
Accessories: Stamping Sponge, Jewelry Tag Punch, Vintage Trinkets, Linen Thread, Paper Piercer

It's hard to see because I stood the card on a shelf to take the photo, but there is an even mat all the way around the card. The More Mustard CS is cut 5 1/2" x 8 1/2," Soft Suede is 5 3/8" x 4 1/8" and the Spice Cake layer is 5 1/4" by 4".

I am ready for this cooler fall weather! I just love the crisp air, the beautiful colors of fall, and all of the pumpkin goodies available this time of year! I need to stay away from the Pumpkin Spice lattes, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie... I think you get the picture!

Have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by, and if you have time to leave a comment, I read them all, and I really do appreciate the feedback!

Blessings,
Barbara

Let it Snow!

2011-09-28T20:01:00.003-04:00

I'm in a punch art swap later in the month, and I have 21 of these ready to go in the mail. I had so much fun making these snowmen! Here's what I used.

Snowman body: 1 3/8", 1 3/4" and 2 1/2" circles, all sponged with Pool Party
Scarf: Modern Label punch and Letters to Santa DSP
Arms: Snowflake punch and Soft Suede CS
Hat: 1" circle, small oval for hat, word window (cut down) for hatband
Eyes: Neutrals brads
Sign: Word Window, Frostwood Lodge DSP, Punch Pals for "Let it Snow"

To make his carrot nose, I used an craft knife to trim a pencil eraser into a carrot shape. I've used this technique before when I have something small I need to add. I guess in a way it's like carving your own rubber stamp! I leave it right on the tip of the pencil so it is easy to hold on to. Once it was done, I just had to ink it up with Pumpkin Pie ink and I was ready to go!

The background is Pool Party, and I used a sponge dauber to add Frost White Shimmer Paint to the embossed snowflakes (Northern Flurry embossing folder).

If I have time I will make a sheet of directions and pieces to post so you can see how I put this together.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

The Stockings Were Hung...

2011-09-24T00:01:00.012-04:00

Happy Saturday! Welcome to my blog! I hope you are enjoying a morning cup of coffee and you can stay a while. If you are following the DIVA Saturday Sketch Challenge, you can find the list of this week's participants here. This week's sketch really got me thinking! I kicked several ideas round, and finally came up with something I like. Here's the sketch we were given.

The first thing I did was to rotate the sketch. Then I changed the number of ovals from five to three. It worked out perfectly for what I had in mind. Earlier in the week I was playing with Stitched Stockings and the Stocking Builder Punch for a swap I was in. It got me thinking about stockings hanging from a mantle or a railing. Here's my card. (The base is Cherry Cobbler with a mat of Early Espresso and Frostwood Lodge DSP.)

Here's the supply list:

Stamps: Stitched Stockings, Short and Sweet
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso
Papers: Whisper White, Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Frostwood Lodge DSP,
Accessories: Bird Builder Punch (garland), mini Jingle Bells, Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stocking Builder Punch, Decorative Label Punch, basic rhinestones

I've included a detail of the stockings. The new mini Jingle Bells are adorable, but they are a bit of a challenge to get threaded on the Baker's Twine. Let's just say I wouldn't want to do a hundred of them...

I just love working with sketches! They lead me to places I would never go on my own. This sketch reminded me that when my children were little, we would decorate the staircase railing with garland and hang decorations from them. That gave me the idea of the stockings on the staircase with a garland. I hope you like this card as much I as enjoyed making it.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

Snow Much Fun!

2011-09-17T00:01:00.012-04:00

Happy Saturday! It's time for the weekly sketch challenge with the Utah DIVAS! To see who is participating in the challenge this week, you can check here and you will find all of the links to the blogs. Here is the sketch we were given. As soon as I saw it an idea popped into my head, and that's what I went with. Here's the sketch.

And here's the card I designed. I used one of my favorite new holiday sets, Snow Much Fun!

Stamps: Snow Much Fun
Papers: Whisper White, Pool Party, Island Indigo
Inks: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral
Accessories: Aquapainter, Basic Black and Basic Gray markers, Stampin' Dimensionals, Big Shot, Snow Burst embossing folder, Northern Frost decorative strip die

Here's a detail showing all of the wonderful texture created by the Snow Burst embossing folder. I think this snowman and his little friends are having snow much fun, aren't they?
(My pictures were taken with my cell phone since I am having some camera issues, which I hope I can resolve soon! I also don't like taking pictures in artificial light, so I apologize that they are not the best quality.)

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

Diva Saturday Sketch 153

2011-09-10T00:01:00.023-04:00

Well, I'm delighted to be back! Here's this week's sketch. You can find the links to the other sketch team members if you head over to the

UDI blog

And here's what I did with it. I had been playing with this stamp set earlier in the week, so I took the liberty of changing the central image to a circle rather than the square pictured in the sketch.

Recipe follows:
Stamps: Christmas Lodge
Paper: Whisper White, Not Quite Navy
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Snow Burst embossing folder, dazzling diamonds, two way glue pen

I just wanted you to see how beautiful this image is. It really stands all on its own without any coloring. All I did was use my two way glue pen to highlight any areas where freshly fallen snow would be and then I sprinkled it with my dazzling diamonds. Pretty, isn't it?

Well, I'm off to the airport! We have a wedding this weekend in Chicago. Congratulations to my nephew Peter and his beautiful bride, Nicole!

Thanks for stopping by!

Barbara

Creative Elements

2011-09-04T20:10:00.001-04:00

This year for convention, I joined 10 different organized swaps. I'd never done that before, and I must say I was really pleased with the cards I swapped and received. The day before Convention, I realized that I did not have cards for general swapping, so I got busy and starting playing with my new stamps. This was the card I came up with, and to be honest, it was my favorite of everything I swapped.

Here's what I used to make it.

Stamps: Hello, Doily; Creative Elements
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon, SNAIL, Crop-o-dile. sponge daubers, crinkled cellophane paper

I had planned on using Wisteria Wonder, but I really felt this needed the deeper Elegant Eggplant to give it some punch. I also did a lot of antiquing with the crinkled up cellophane paper and Crumb Cake ink.

After Convention, I made some of these for a swap I was in. The Very Vanilla card stock was a double layer, scored and folded at the top. Then there was a score line 1/2" from the top fold, so the front lifted up like a flap, with the ribbon securing the layers. (Elegant Eggplant was cut 4 1/2" x 5 1/2", Lucky Limeade was 4" x 5 1/4", and Very Vanilla was 3 3/4" x 10" and scored at 4 3/4" and 5". I hope that helps!)

Thanks for stopping by today! As always, I love to hear your comments, and if you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them.

Blessings,
Barbara

Back to Blogging!

2011-09-03T15:47:00.000-04:00

After taking close to three months off from blogging, I'm rested and raring to go again! I have lots of things to show you from my summer projects as well as convention, so let's get started!

Today's card is one I just finished for a monthly swap I am in. It is a case from a card I saw this week, from the wonderful Mary Brown, with some tweaking to make it my own.

If I could only have one new stamp set from this year's catalog, it would be "Hello, Doily." It is just exquisite, and gives such beautiful texture to a card. It really looks like a hand crocheted doily. Here are all the details.

Stamps: Hello, Doily (BG), Field Flowers
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake
Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Houndstooth embossing folder, basic pearls, dotted scallop ribbon border punch

After I had the main images stamped, I softened the look by taking crinkled cellophane paper (that covers our card stock) and inking it with some crumb cake ink, then pouncing it over the background. This has become one of my favorite new techniques to give a soft, aged look. I also added the dotted scallop ribbon punched in Crumb Cake with just the small scalloped edge peeking out. I hope you like it! Here's a close up so you can see the details.

Well, I'm off to do some class planning and work on some sketch challenges. I hope whatever you do today, you can work in a little time to stamp. It's good therapy! :-)

Blessings,
Barbara

Strength & Hope

2011-06-04T00:01:00.001-04:00

Welcome! It's time for our weekly sketch challenge on the UDI blog. If any of the links are missing, you can head over here. You will find a complete list of the Divas who are in on the sketch challenge. This week's sketch is pictured below. It was pretty straightforward, but I did rotate it.

I had something totally different in mind for this, but it wasn't working out so I fell back to a favorite color combination of mine, the classic Basic Black, Basic Gray, and Whisper White.

Elizabeth's blog is the next stop, and she always does such lovely work! I know you won't be disappointed!

We are having the most glorious weather here on the East Coast! There is low humidity, a wonderful breeze, highs about 75... Yesterday and today will rank as two of the top ten days of the year, I am sure!

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

See you later!

2011-05-28T00:01:00.001-04:00

It's time for our weekly Diva Sketch Challenge. The list of all participants can be found here, and the sketch is pictured below. I just returned home from a shoebox swap and realized I had not made my card for this week! I will get to it first thing in the morning, so I hope you will have a chance to stop back and see my card.

Meanwhile, if you are blog hopping, head on over to Elizabeth's blog to see what she has come up with.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your holiday weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

Daydreamin'

2011-05-21T00:01:00.007-04:00

This is going to short and sweet! I am traveling this week but did have time to make a card using this week's sketch. I will post the details later, but I can tell you it is all Stampin' Up! The next stop is Elizabeth's blog, and if you find any broken links you can head over to the UDI blog.

Have a great weekend, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Sweet Friend

2011-05-14T09:55:00.002-04:00

My apologies for posting this a little later than I should have! I started my sketch card last night about 8:00. When I was finished with it, I got my camera to take pictures, only to discover that I had a dead battery! At that point I was tired and did not want to wait for the battery to charge, and I really prefer taking my photos using natural light in the day light hours over flash at night. I hope you think it was worth the wait.

So, all that aside, welcome to my blog and another UDI sketch challenge! This is DSC136. If you are hopping from blog to blog and any of the links are broken you can head over here to find the links.

When I saw this week's sketch, I immediately thought of the new Postage Stamp Punch (#122344, $15.95) and the Pretty Postage stamp set (#123097, $8.95). I stamped the image in Early Espresso ink and used a blender pen to add Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive to the images. I also rotated the sketch and made the card horizontal rather than vertical.

The "sweet friend" is from an often overlooked stamp set in the back of the catalog, "Hello, You" (#117118, $9.95) on page 183. Here is the finished card.

Recipe:
Stamps: Pretty Postage, Hello, You
Paper: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry DSP
Inks: Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive
Accessories: blender pens, postage stamp punch, stampin' dimensionals.

Next stop is at Elizabeth's blog. She always does beautiful work, so I know you won't be disappointed. Thanks so much for stopping by! If you have time, I love to read your comments, so share a little love if you can. :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings,
Barbara

Fabulous Flower Fest

2011-05-07T00:01:00.012-04:00

And just in time for Mother's Day! This may just be my favorite stamp set in the new summer mini catalog. I started by casing the card that is on page 20. I made cards for my downline members and then showed them how to make their own designer paper using the Flower Fest stamp set, ink pads and sponge daubers. I had some scraps left on my stamping table and used them for this week's card. Here's Diva Sketch 135 for the Saturday Sketch Challenge. If you are following the blog hop and there is a missing link, you can always head here to see who is next.

Recipe:
Stamps: Flower Fest
Paper: Naturals White, Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi, Rose Red
Inks: Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi, Rose Red, Peach Parfait
Accessories: sponge daubers, dotted scallop ribbon punch, scallop trim border punch, stampin' dimensionals

After I had this put together, I realized it would have made a great gate fold card! Oh well, next time.

The next stop is Elizabeth's blog. I'm sure she'll have something wonderful for us.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy your Mother's Day! I hope you are able to spend some time with your family.

Blessings,
Barbara

Touch of Kindness

2011-04-30T00:01:00.016-04:00

It's time for another UDI Saturday sketch challenge! Where does the time go? It seems like the week just started, and here we are at the weekend! Here is this week's sketch.

I was working on casing a card from the talented Diana Gibbs, and when I saw the sketch for the week, I realized it was almost the same sketch, but turned upside down! Here's my take on Diana's watercolor card. (I just love the frayed ribbon, which she has shown before. It is the first time I have tried it.)

I couldn't find my color coach, so I based all of the colors on the botanical Gazette DSP. The recipe follows.

Stamps: Touch of Kindness
Paper: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Marina Mist, watercolor paper
Inks and markers: Black Staz-on, Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist, Old Olive, So Saffron, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede
Accessories: Aquapainter, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Black 1/14" Striped Grosgrain ribbon

The ribbon is just cut in half down the middle and then frayed. It is very easy to pull the threads off once it is cut.

We are finally having beautiful spring weather here in New Jersey! We went from 15 degrees below normal to 15 degrees above normal earlier this week, which really encouraged the blossoming trees as well as the tulips.

Before you go, please take the time to leave a comment. I love hearing from you! Now it's off to Elizabeth's blog to see what she has done with the sketch.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings,
Barbara

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T08:11:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a weekend off from the Diva Saturday Sketch because I am enjoying time with my daughter, son-in-law, and my sweet granddaughter, Mabel! You can see the sketch here, and the next stop is Elizabeth's blog. If you have a minute you can scroll down and see the card I did earlier this week.

Have a Blessed Easter!

Barbara

Puppy Love!

2011-04-19T16:36:00.002-04:00

This card was cased from one I received at the Hartford, CT regional held last month. I thought it was just the cutest thing ever, and it actually was one of the two "picks" by Stampin' Up employees, so Cindi Kugell of Oxford, Maine got a $50 shopping spree! I changed the color combination and made some other minor changes. Thanks, Cindi, for swapping such a cute card! I am doing a punch art class in early May, and this will be one of the cards we make.

Recipe:

Stamp set: Everything Nice
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Basic Gray, Real Red
Ink/marker: Real Red, Basic Black, Basic Gray
Punches: large oval, 1 3/4" circle, 1" circle, extra large oval
Accessories: framed tulip embossing folder, sponges, rhinestones, stampin' dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Postage Stamp Punch

2011-04-16T00:01:00.002-04:00

Welcome to another Saturday sketch challenge! You can find all of the links here, at the Utah Divas blog. Today is sketch number 132, pictured below. I was really looking forward to working with this sketch since I've used a similar sketch before and found it to be very versatile.

I planned on rotating it on its side, so it would be horizontal rather than vertical. It's funny how I ended up where I am with this. I was working on swap cards featuring the new Postage Stamp punch (#122344, $15.95) which demonstrators can order from the summer mini catalog, available to customers on May 1. Anyway, I had some "stamps" left and decided to use them on this card. Obviously, they are squares, not circles, but I think I have the freedom to interpret the sketch that way if I want to. Anyway, I had also used the Framed Tulips embossing folder (#121809, $7.95) to make squares, rather than the full rectangle, so I thought I might be able to make an altered rectangle as well. Voila! It worked. Here's the card.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Baby Bundle, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Blushing Bride, Whisper White, Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip
Inks: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Big Shot, Framed Tulips embossing folder, stampin' dimensionals, Postage Stamp punch, sponges, 1" square punch (non SU)

I think this would be just as cute done in Bashful Blue or Baja Breeze for a baby boy.

It's been a quiet week for me. I am on some new medication that is making me very tired, so I have not been too productive. Oh well, this too shall pass! If you are following the Diva Sketch Challenge, the next stop is Elizabeth's blog. I'm sure she'll have a special card to show us this week.

Thanks for stopping by. As always, I love it when you give me some feedback on my work. Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

Pretty Postage

2011-04-11T18:05:00.000-04:00

A very special friend is turning 60 this week, and this is the card I made for her. I got my Summer Mini preorder items and finally had a chance to play with the Pretty Postage stamp set and the matching Postage Stamp punch. I wanted to keep this clean and simple, and I used the color coach for inspiration as well.

Here's the recipe.

Stamps: Pretty Postage
Paper: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, and Early Espresso
Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, and Early Espresso
Accessories: 1 3/8" square punch, Postage Stamp Punch, stampin' dimensionals, bone folder

I scored the card stock from the inside at 1/4" and 1/2" from the edges on two sides to add some interest. I hope you like it! I am pleased with how it turned out.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

The Open Sea II

2011-04-10T18:33:00.000-04:00

I am really loving this stamp set, The Open Sea. I am in a summer mini swap, and this is the card I made for it. It is a variation on the Joy fold card. Twenty-one of these will be going in the mail tomorrow.

Here's the recipe:

Stamps: The Open Sea

Papers: Confetti White, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Nautical Expedition DSP

Inks: Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso

Accessories: 1 1/4 " & 1 3/8" circle punches, Stampin' dimensionals.

Here's a detail from the inside of the card. All of the stamps in this set are beautiful!

Thanks for stopping by! As always, I love your comments.

Blessings,
Barbara

The Open Sea

2011-04-09T00:01:00.004-04:00

I've been a little quiet the last week because I was on vacation in Walt Disney World! My husband and I met our oldest daughter, Becky, and her family for five wonderful days of fun!! It is close to twenty years since I have been there, so there were a lot of new things to see and do. It was the first time that the grandchildren have been there, so needless to say, we made lots of wonderful memories! We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and our rooms had a view of the savanna, so we could look out of our windows and see giraffes and other animals! It was really awesome.

Believe it or not, on Saturday or Sunday night, I sat with my iPad and got my pre-order ready for the Summer Mini catalog that goes live on May 1. (I always treat myself to 2nd day air shipping, since I figure I am not wasting gas or time running to the mall trying to use a 40% off coupon on products that I don't really need or use. I just love Stampin' Up!) One of the sets I ordered was The Open Sea. It is so hard to find really nice masculine sets, and this one is a keeper! Even if it does not make the main catalog in July, I will keep it for personal use.

On to the Diva Saturday Sketch Challenge, DSC131. (If at any time a link is not working, you can find them all here.) Here's the sketch, which I flipped upside down.

And here's the card. I wanted to keep the colors masculine, yet neutral. I used Sahara Sand, Basic Black, and Soft Suede. Once I had the card put together, I wished I had put a black mat around the Sahara Sand paper with the ship on it. To solve the problem and not destroy the card, I just used a ruler and my Basic Black marker to edge the paper. It added just enough contrast. I need to remember that trick!

If you are following the Diva Sketch Challenge, the next stop is Elizabeth's blog. Please leave me a comment if you have time. I love to hear what you think of my creations!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

A Quilted Card

2011-04-03T00:01:00.012-04:00

Before my daughter introduced me to stamping, I was an avid quilter. Slowly but surely, stamping took over and pushed quilting to the side. For my birthday, one of my friends gave me a beautiful card she had made that looks just like a quilt. Then last week, Ann Schach of The Stampin' Schach posted a quilt card she had made. (For some reason I cannot link to the post. If I can correct it later, I will.)

Here is my interpretation of the Ohio Star pattern. It is made using 1" squares.

Paper: Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Elegant Soiree
Stamps: Sew Suite
Accessories: Square lattice embossing folder

I think next time I would definitely use more contrast on the background so the star shape would "pop" a little more. It sure does bring back memories of my quilting days!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Diva Saturday Sketch 130

2011-04-02T00:01:00.030-04:00

Here it is, time for the weekly Diva Saturday Sketch! Carol gave us an easy one this week. (I think she was afraid of a rebellion!) Here's the sketch:

And here's the card! I used the sketch to show off some of the beautiful Paisley Petals designer series paper we could order this month. It's a sneak peek of paper that will be in the 2011-2012 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog that will premiere on July 1.

Recipe:
Papers: Pear Pizzazz, Always Artichoke, Paisley Petals DSP
Accessories: Pear Pizzazz seam binding, beveled windowpane

I think this is the first time I have posted a card that has no stamping on it at all!

If you are following the Diva Sketch challenge, head on over to Elizabeth's blog to see what she did with this week's sketch. Have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Vera Bradley Inspiration

2011-03-30T21:12:00.000-04:00

I have a Vera Bradley tote in the pattern called Baroque. I just love the colors in it, which are Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White and something close to Pear Pizzazz. I recently participated in a swap featuring sneak peek products, and this is the card I made.

Recipe:
Stamps: Strength and Hope, French Filigree background
Inks: Basic Gray, Pear Pizzazz
Papers: Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Versamark
Accessories: Black embossing powder, sticky strip, Pear Pizzazz seam binding

The butterfly really looks beautiful with the black embossing, but it doesn't show up very well in the picture. That's what happens when you need to use flash! I much prefer to take my photos in daylight.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Bunny Treat box

2011-03-29T19:33:00.000-04:00

This bunny treat box is one of the projects that we will be making in my Easter treats and cards class on April11 and 13. He was really fun to make, and if you don't own the Big Shot, this is why you need one! :-)

Recipe:
Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, white paper shred for whiskers and fill
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Crumb Cake (for sponging)
Dies and punches: Large Oval, Extra-Large Oval, 1/4" circle, 1" circle, 3/4" circle, 1 1/4 " circle, top Note die, Fancy Favor box die

I saw something similar on another blog, but I can't remember where. I did tweak it to make it my own, but I am happy to give credit to the designer. Give me a holler if you know who it is.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Pretty in Pink

2011-03-28T21:15:00.001-04:00

Here is another onesie, this one for a baby girl. Tomorrow I will scan the pattern that I made, in case you are interested. Here's the recipe:

Stamps: So Cute
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Inks: Black Staz-on, Crumb Cake and Pink Pirouette markers
Accessories: Large oval punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 2 3/8" scallop circle extra large punch, 1/8" hole punch, dotted scallop ribbon border punch, stampin' dimensionals, pretty in pink 1/8" tafetta ribbon, dotted swiss embossing folder

Thanks for stopping by! As always, I love your comments if you have time!

Blessings,
Barbara

P.S. Here is the template that I made.

On a Roll!

2011-03-27T20:36:00.002-04:00

I'm finding this hard to believe, but I have posted for four days in a row! I'm really on a roll here! Today I'd like to share a card I made for a friend of mine who has a new grandson. While I'm at it, I thought I'd make some more onesies so I have them on hand when I need them. I'm at the age where most of my friends are welcoming grandchildren into their families!

So here is the card to welcome Grayson. Tomorrow I will be making one to welcome another little boy, Evan! I haven't made one of these "Onesie" cards in a while. It sure is sweet, isn't it? I hope to do a variety of bibs and appliques, lace and buttons to make them all a little different.

Recipe:
Stamps: Fox and Friends
Paper: Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Soft Suede
Accessories: Dotted Swiss embossing folder, large oval punch (legs), 1 3/8" punch (neck) large cicle punch for bib, paper piercer, Marina Mist 1/8" tafetta ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Saturday Sketch Challenges

2011-03-26T00:01:00.003-04:00

I didn't have a chance to do last week's sketch, and I had an idea that I wanted to try. I thought of a Japanese tea house when I saw the sketch, and when I saw this week's DIVA IC 140, it pushed me over the edge! Here is last week's sketch and the card I created. If at any time a link is missing you can head over to the UDI blog to get back on track.

I flipped the layout vertically so the stamp set would work. I'm really pleased with the results. Here's the recipe.

Stamps: Dream Gardens, Circle Circus, Inspired by Nature
Paper: Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso and Vellum
Inks: Wild Wasabi and Cajun Craze

Now on to this week's sketch.

I just got the Extreme Skateboard stamp today, and it was free! I earned it with Sale-a-Bration. Here's the recipe for the card.

Stamps: Extreme Elements, Extreme Skateboard
Papers: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede
Inks: Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede
Accessories: Square Lattice embossing folder, Stampin' dimensionals

If you are following the UDI Saturday Sketch team, the next stop is Elizabeth's blog. I'm sure she has something fabulous to show us. If you have a little time, you might like to take a peek at some of my other posts from this week. I have been busy stamping!

Thanks for stopping by, and as always, I love to read your comments!

Blessings,
Barbara

For the Love of Pansies

2011-03-25T18:43:00.004-04:00

I have seen these paper pansies numerous times but finally tried them yesterday. They are so gorgeous in real life! They are made using Shimmery White card stock, re-inkers, and the butterfly punch. I kept the cards simple, a basic white on white with some texture and ribbon, and the greetings will be added as I need them. That is one thing I've learned over the years... Add the greeting when you are ready to send it. If you stamp "Happy Birthday" on it, for sure you will need a "Thinking of You" card instead!

Accessories used: Top Note die, Square Lattice embossing folder

As always, comments are most welcome!

Blessings,
Barbara

P.S. Here is a link to the video instructions I saw on Dawn Olchefske's blog, DO stamping with Dawn. You will see that I pretty much cased her card, too!

A Stand Up Card

2011-03-24T10:20:00.001-04:00

I recently participated in a fun folds card swap, and I just fell in love with one of the cards. It stands up on its own yet folds flat to fit in a standard size envelope. I made a dozen of these to send as thank yous, and they all got mailed on Tuesday. I took a picture before I tucked the last one in the envelope. This is the gorgeous new paper that will be in the Stampin' Up! 2011-2012 catalog that will be available on July 1. This is a sheet of card stock cut to 4 1/4 " by 11", scored at 5 1/2", 6 3/4", 8", 9 1/4" and 10 1/2". If you cut and score the paper, then fold all of the score lines, I think you will figure it out. The bottom makes a little boxlike shape. If you have any questions, just holler. I can try to explain better or post a picture of the side.

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

Barbara

Stampin' Up Regionals

2011-03-19T08:49:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I was in Hartford, Connecticut for a Stampin' Up! Regional event, so I did not have a chance to work with this week's sketch. (Actually, I could not find this week's sketch or I would have prepared it ahead of time. ) So instead, at Carol's suggestion, I will bore you with the projects we created at Regionals! (I'm sure you realize I am only doing this to stay on Carol's good side since I did not do the Saturday sketch challenge!) We had fabulous make-and-takes, some over-the-top Workshop WOW's, and some +ONE surprises! Our make-and-takes were stepped up, we all came home with Glass Glitter (Thank you Stampin' UP!), and we had a three o'clock ice cream break! Our last +ONE of the day was on the way to the parking garage. We needed to take the elevator up one level, and we really packed the elevator tight with SU! demonstrators. Someone saw that the maximum capacity was 10 people and we had 11! I piped up with the comment, "We're just working on our commitment to this year's theme, +ONE!"

Here is the first card, a 3X3 with matching envelope, Thanks Card.

This card, No. 147 Card, is really pretty because we added Champagne mist glimmer paint to the edges as well as the bird cage.

Here's another beauty, A Note of Thanks Card, which featured the crimper on both the card and envelope.

The last of the cards was called Hostess Gift, and holds four 3 x 3 note cards.

The last project is an adorable banner which is not quite finished. I will post it as soon as I can.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the projects from Regionals as much as I enjoyed making them!

To see the UDI sketch challenge cards, head over to Elisabeth's blog to see her beautiful work.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the weekend as well as the warmer spring weather.

Blessings,
Barbara

Stuck in Neutral

2011-03-12T00:01:00.005-05:00

... colors, that is! I had a Black and White class earlier this week and really enjoyed working with the neutral colors. So for this week's UDI Saturday Sketch Challenge, I used the sketch below and altered a card that I did in the class to fit the sketch. I hope Carol is sitting down when she sees this, because I didn't flip or turn the sketch for the third week in a row! Here's the sketch.

And here is the card.

Stamps: Great Friend
Papers: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Basic Black and First Edition DSP
Inks: Black Staz-On, Crumb Cake for sponging
Accessories: Framed Tulips embossing folder, 1 3/8" square punch, basic pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals, corner rounder punch

Here's a detail of the butterfly. I folded it down the center and only popped up one side with Stampin' Dimensionals to give the wings a little lift.

If you are following the sketch challenge, the next stop is Elizabeth's blog. If you run into any problems along the way, you can always head back to the UDI blog to see the links.

Have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-03-05T00:01:00.016-05:00

Those of you who know me know that I have a Leap Year Birthday. Over my years of teaching, I had three students with Leap Year birthdays, but we were never able to celebrate together because they were not Leap Years! Three years ago that changed, and I had a student who had her "third" birthday the year I had my "fifteenth." We had so much fun! The next year I brought cupcakes in so we could celebrate together, and we decided that in the future, in non-Leap Year years, instead of trying to decide if we should celebrate on February 28 or March 1, we would just celebrate on both days! So that is exactly what we did. No more feeling sorry for us since we only have a birthday once every four years! So happy birthday to Jen, and happy birthday to me!

On to the Diva sketch card. This is sketch number 126, and I have to be honest, at first I had no idea what I was going to do. My inspiration came from the fact that (1) I was working on cards for an upcoming black and white card class, (2) I saw a small piece of artwork on my work table that has a collage of sayings on it and (3) I was sipping on a glass of Shiraz!

Surprise! I didn't even rotate the sketch, which I very often do. I'm quite happy with the results, and I think the card really gets the message across to have a happy birthday!

Here's the recipe.

Stamps: Bring On the Cake, Create a Cupcake
Paper: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Soft Suede, Love Letter DSP
Ink: Black Staz-On, Soft Suede for sponging

If you are following the links in the Utah Divas Saturday Sketch Challenge, the next stop is Elizabeth's blog. I'm sure she'll have something wonderful to share with us. If any of the links are missing, you can always go here to see all of the links.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Enjoy your weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

Nature Walk

2011-02-26T00:01:00.013-05:00

With the winter we have had, spring has certainly been on my mind lately. Today we had a lot of rain, but when I look out in our back yard, it is still filled with snow! I am taking down the browning Christmas wreath from the front door and hanging up the one that has all of the eggs on it. If wishful thinking would speed things along, spring would be here tomorrow!

Anyway, on to this week's sketch in the Utah Diva's Saturday Sketch Challenge. You can find the sketch here, as well as all of the links to the participating members' blogs. Carol really gave me something to chew on this week, and I'm happy with the results. (Thanks, Carol, I love the challenge!)

I used the lovely stamp set "Nature Walk" (#121925 $25.95 W, #121997 $18.95 C) which is in the Occasions mini catalog. It is also the set that will be given to demonstrators attending Regionals this spring. I love all of the images in this set, and I sure hope it makes it into the new catalog in July.

Here is the recipe:
Stamps: Nature Walk, Sanded BG
Papers: Rich Razzleberry,Very Vanilla, So Saffron
Inks: Soft Suede, Early Espresso,
Accessories: Square lattice embossing folder, Early Espresso 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Old Olive and Rich Razzleberry markers, stampin' dimensionals

I also used the color spritzer tool with the Rich Razzleberry marker to add some texture and aging. And I inked the embossing folder with Soft suede ink before I sent it through the big Shot. What do you think?

If you are following the links on the Diva challenge, the next stop is Elizabeth's blog. (Becky will be taking a break for a couple of months because of her hectic schedule in the spring.) I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping by, and as always, if you have time, I'd love to hear your comments!

Blessings,
Barbara

Happy Birthday, Julie!

2011-02-19T00:01:00.002-05:00

After a two week break from posting, I'm happy to be back and participating in the weekly DIVA sketch challenge. You can see the sketch here. As soon as I saw it, I knew what I wanted to do. Some sketches I struggle with for a long time. With others, like this one, an idea will pop into my head immediately.

This is an image that I do not use nearly enough! I love this stack of cupcakes from the set Crazy for Cupcakes (111618, $23.95). There are so many cupcake shops that have opened up near us, and I try not to stop in too often! Every once in a while when our daughter Julie comes to visit, she brings cupcakes from a fabulous shop near her apartment in NYC. Here is the completed card.

I used Early Espresso taffeta ribbon, Whisper White and Cherry Cobbler card stock, and Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Crumb Cake markers.

From here you can head over to Becky's blog to see what she did with this week's sketch. And thanks to Carol, who has given up on using Cherry Cobbler each week so now I can use it!

I hope give this card to my daughter, Julie, this weekend. Her birthday is actually February 11, but I was still in Michigan so I did not get to celebrate with her! This weekend is another family weekend, this time in Lancaster, PA.

Blessings,
Barbara

Oops again!

2011-02-05T09:23:00.001-05:00

Good morning! I am sitting in Sundance Grill in Grand Rapid, Michigan, checking my email as I wait for children to arrive for breakfast. I saw a note from Becky that I had forgotten to post and send a link to her. My apologies! I will not be posting this week or next since I will be here in West Michigan for 10 days enjoying lots of family time.

Here is the link to Becky's blog.
I'm sure she has something wonderful to share.

Blessings,

Barbara

Think Spring!

2011-01-29T00:01:00.002-05:00

Well, the East Coast got clobbered with another snow storm on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. We have now officially broken the snowfall record for January! Unfortunately, we are not even half way through winter, and I am really ready for warmer weather. I know we are in for even more snow next week, and are well on our way to breaking the record for total snowfall for the winter if we stay on the same path we are on.

So let's think spring! This week's Diva sketch, #120, which you can see here, was perfect for one of my favorite mini catalog sets, Easter Blossoms. Here's my card.

And here's the recipe:
Stamps: Easter Blossoms
Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla, Springtime Vintage DSP
Ink: Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Sweet Buttons embosslit

I did a lot of sponging on this card to give it a softer look. The two pieces of DSP were sponged with Always Artichoke ink, as were the faux buttons. The Very Vanilla pieces were both sponged with Pear Pizzazz. Did I tell you that Pear Pizzazz is my favorite of the in-colors this year? I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more of it.

Well, this girl is ready for bed! But before I sign off I need to direct you to the my sweet daughter's blog so you can see what Becky came up with for the sketch challenge. I am so excited that I will be in Michigan in less than a week and we will be able to have some stamping time together. Good times, good times!!

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by! As always, comments are really appreciated.

Blessings,
Barbara

P.S. Oh. My. Goodness! Wait until you visit Becky's blog! She has been designing with MDS and it is awesome!!

Clearly for You

2011-01-22T00:01:00.003-05:00

After a two week break from posting, I'm happy to be back and participating in the weekly DIVA sketch challenge. You can see the sketch here. As soon as I saw it, I knew what I wanted to do. When I was at Leadership in Nashville, one of our projects featured the beveled windowpanes, and I had some from my December pre-order. I combined it with the sweet set Clearly for You, the stamp set we received at Leadership.

I used the largest of the windowpanes and cut a double mat layering Certainly Celery on Old Olive. Gotta love those Dynamic duos! The image is stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock with Not quite Navy. The patterned paper is from the Springtime Vintage suite. Here is the completed card.

I used Certainly Celery satin ribbon, Not quite Navy cardstock, and the new Framed tulips embossing folder. I know this is a very popular new item because almost half of the swaps I got at Leadership featured it!

From here you can head over to Becky's blog to see what she did with this week's sketch. And thanks to Carol, who works so hard to give us the inspiration we need!

I hope to be posting more than once a week and look forward to your comments!

Blessings,
Barbara

A New Year, A New Look!

2011-01-21T21:16:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to update my blog for a while, and until I get a little more comfortable with MDS, I am taking some short cuts. What do you think of my new look?

Barbara

Remodeling

2011-01-21T20:53:00.002-05:00

Please pardon my blog appearance as I am remodeling! I can't figure out where to put my blot title, but I am working on it!

Barbara

A Little Break

2011-01-08T00:01:00.001-05:00

I am going to take a two week break from blogging because I am preparing for Stampin' Up! Leadership. I am busy working on swaps, and next week, Nashville, here I come! I am so excited!! You can click here to head over to Becky's blog or here to go back to the Utah Diva's blog to see the sketch.

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you on January 22!

Blessings,
Barbara

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

I worked on the Diva Sketch Challenge earlier this week but simply have not had time to take photos and post. I will try to get my card posted later today. Until then, you can hop on over to Becky's blog to see what she did this week.

Happy New Year!

Blessings,
Barbara

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T00:01:00.003-05:00

I'll be amazed if anyone stops by today. After all, it is Christmas! After church this morning, I know I will be busy with family all day. But it is Saturday, time for our weekly sketch challenge at UDI. You can see the sketch here. I knew I wanted to play with some new stamps from the Occasions mini catalog and the Sale-a-bration catalog. Here's a sneak peek.

I used the set Valentine Defined and added the owl from the Sale-a-bration set Punch Bunch. Again, I stayed with a classic color combination of Real Red, Basic Black, and Whisper White.

And on the inside of the card, another stamp from Valentine Defined.

That's it for today! If you are blog hopping, head on over to Becky's blog to see what she did with this week's sketch. Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Christmas!

Blessings,
Barbara

Bliss!

2010-12-18T00:01:00.007-05:00

Bliss is having a little time to play with some of my sneak peek stamping supplies! I used one of the sale-a-bration sets, "Bliss," that will be available starting on January 25. I'm going to keep this short and sweet since a have a bazillion other things to do. You can see this week's UDI sketch challenge here. I used it horizontally instead of vertically, and I changed the shape of the circle accents.

I just love this classic combination of Basic Black, Basic Gray and Whisper White. Next you can head over here to see what Becky has come up with this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas blessings,
Barbara

I'm so not ready for winter!

2010-12-11T00:01:00.018-05:00

This week I had a chance to play with some of the things I preordered from the Occasions mini catalog. As much as I love Christmas, I really do not like the cold, dark days of winter! So I am already in a "think spring" kind of mood. For this week's DIVA sketch challenge, which you can see here, I knew which set I wanted to use. Easter Blossoms! I pulled out my Color Coach and found my inspiration with Pink Pirouette. I was going for a shabby look, so I used the tea stain ink from the distressing kit.

I used the Sweet Set combination of Pink Pirouette, Sahara Sand and Always Artichoke. I am not very happy with my photos since I had to use flash and much prefer natural light. But when it is dark out by 5:00, and you start with a gray, overcast day, there aren't many options!

Here's the recipe:
Paper: Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Pink Pirouette
Ink: Always Artichoke, Tea Stain distressing ink
Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Oval Scallop Frame Bigz Die, Always Artichoke seam binding.

In real life, the seam binding looks much softer in color, not nearly as dark as it appears in the photo.

Hm, I wonder what the rest of the team has been up to this week? You can hop over to Becky's blog next. Yesterday, while I should have been working on the family Christmas cards, I pulled out something else I wanted to play with. My downline Christmas party is next Tuesday, and I had to get busy and prepare for one of the games, which is Bingo! I had way too much fun making Bingo cards using the set in the Holiday mini catalog. The boards are all different, and the red circles with the images are the calling pieces. I think we'll use pennies as markers. This set is just too stinkin' cute!

Well, this morning we go for our tree, and our daughter is coming to do some holiday baking, so I am looking forward to a delightful day!

Enjoy your weekend!
Barbara

Craft Fair Share

2010-12-04T10:33:00.002-05:00

It's time for another weekly sketch challenge from UDI, and if you click here, you can see the sketch. I had a really busy week and was struggling with this week's sketch. I tried a couple of ideas yesterday, but nothing panned out. I was having trouble with having so much blank space in the center of the layout. Anyway, all of a sudden an idea clicked, and here it is.

This is a covered note pad with a matching pen! I made a bunch of these for the craft fair, and I took one and added some embellishments using the elements of Carol's sketch. I got the idea here, and if you follow the link, she has all of the directions/dimensions on her post. Here is a view of the inside.

When I was taking my photos this morning, the sun came out and was streaming in the kitchen windows. I just love the natural light and the highlights and shadows...

Well, if you're anything like me, I bet you have a list a mile long for the weekend! We're heading out for our tree a little later, and I hope to get a lot of decorating done in the house. But before you go, be sure to head over to Becky's blog to see what she came up with this week.

Enjoy your weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

Oops, Again!

2010-12-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

I've been so busy preparing for a craft fair that I totally forgot about my sketch! Check back later today and see what I've come up with. For now, you can head over to Becky's blog and see her fabulous creation for this week! Actually, if you scroll down to her mid-week post, you will see some of the things I've been up to. I've just been too busy to post!

Dasher

2010-11-27T00:01:00.009-05:00

It's time for our weekly Diva Sketch Challenge. You can view the sketch here. This week I turned it upside down, and I used one of last year's most popular a` la carte stamps, Dasher. I stamped the image in Versamark on Shimmery White card stock and then embossed it in silver embossing powder. Here's a detail. I'm surprised that the Shimmery White card stock does not show up well in a photo since it is beautiful in real life.

Here's the recipe for the card.
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Shimmery White
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Norther Flurry embossing folder, Marina Mist wide striped grosgrain ribbon, Silver Tinsel Trim, Silver embossing powder

As you are reading this, I am enjoying some time in Michigan with Becky! Head on over to her blog to see what she has done with this week's sketch. (Three of my children live in west Michigan with their spouses and children, so we are having a wonderful family visit! I love to spend time with all six of my grandchildren, who range in age from 7 years down to 7 weeks. What fun!)

I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and thanks for stopping by.

Blessings,
Barbara

Deck the Halls

2010-11-20T00:01:00.005-05:00

It's time for our weekly Diva sketch Challenge.. You can view the sketch here. This will be a very quick post since I am finishing my preparations for the craft fair. Christmas has been on my mind, along with the shopping, wrapping, decorating and card making. (Sometimes I get tired just thinking about it!) Mr. Owl got all decked out for Christmas, including hanging some festive decorations! Enjoy! Details will come later...

Now on to Becky's blog to see what she came up with this week. Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Welcome Christmas~Again!

2010-11-13T10:34:00.000-05:00

Can you tell I'm in love with this stamp set? I know I've used it for a blog post before, but it seemed just perfect for this week's sketch, which you can view here. I have had a busy week getting things ready for a craft fair next Saturday, and then I took a class last night at a local scrapbook store. When I crawled into bed last night I realized I had completely forgotten about working on my UDI sketch challenge, so I apologize for the late post. I hope you think it was worth the wait.

Recipe:
Stamps: Welcome Christmas
Papers: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Deck the Halls DSP
Inks & markers: Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder, Stampin' dimensionals, Riding Hood Red ribbon (retired)

I inked my embossing folder with Crumb Cake ink before I ran it through the Big Shot. For the wreath, I used a small handheld punch (1/4" circle) to go around the inside and outside of the wreath, taking little bites (circles) out of the paper, then trimmed the rest with a scissors. It seemed like the easiest way to follow the outline of the wreath. To pop it a little, I used my Always Artichoke marker to add a touch of color to the edges, then popped it up with dimensionals. The bow was added to cover an "oops!" when I dropped the marker and made a line on the wreath. Oh boy, now I am giving away all of my inspiration secrets!

Head on over to Becky's blog to see her usual creative genius! Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous weekend.

Blessings,
Barbara

Oops!

2010-11-13T00:01:00.001-05:00

Greeting Cards Kids

2010-11-06T07:54:00.000-04:00

As you can see, I've used one of my favorite stamp sets again! I just love to watercolor these sweet little kids. This time I added some ruffles and bling to really show off the image.

If you want to see the sketch I used this week, head over the Utah Divas International blog. I actually flipped the sketch upside down.

Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Greeting Card Kids, Music Notes wheel
Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, watercolor paper
Ink: Black Staz-on
Markers: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Champagne chunky glass glitter, Always Artichoke seam binding, Square Lattice and Petals-a-Plenty embossing folders, Big Shot, aqua painter, sponges

To give it a vintage feel, I sponged the Very Vanilla paper and the main image with Crumb Cake ink. The Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder was also inked with Crumb Cake ink before I ran it through the Big Shot.

If you are hopping from blog to blog to see the Diva's sketch challenge, Becky's blog is next in line. I'm sure she will have something wonderful for us to see.

Thanks for stopping by, and a special thank you to those who leave comments. It's always encouraging hear what you think.

Be well!
Barbara

Holiday Planner Class

2010-11-01T12:24:00.003-04:00

I'm planning a class to help you get a jump start on Christmas. It includes a Holiday Planner, gift tags, a gift card holder and a cash/check holder. Most of the projects will be easy to duplicate, so you can make more to suit your holiday needs.

Here's the Holiday Planner.

There is a pocket with a calendar, a gift list, and a menu planner, as well as two envelopes for gift receipts and coupons. If you sign up for the class, I will let you know your options for personalizing the inserts! You can have a Christmas card list or personalized shopping lists as well.

This set of 10 gift tags is almost too cute to use, isn't it?

I will post pictures of the next two projects tomorrow.

Blessings,
Barbara

Better late than never!

2010-10-30T11:13:00.005-04:00

Okay, okay, I know I'm late in posting, but I hope you will find it was worth the wait. Here's a peek at my card for today. If you want to see the sketch, you can check it out on the UDI Blog.

I can't believe how all the little imperfections are magnified in a close up photo! Anyway, I knew as soon as I saw Carole's sketch that I wanted to do a pocket card, but I wasn't sure what to do. Yesterday I was playing with the beautiful Candy Cane Christmas DSP in the Holiday mini catalog, and I fell in love with the bling! Here's my card.

Here's the recipe:

Stamps: A Cute Christmas
Papers: Real Red, Blushing Bride, Whisper White, Candy Cane Christmas DSP
Ink: Black Staz-on
Markers: Real Red, Garden Green, Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride

Here's a photo with the insert pulled out.

Now you can head on over to Becky's blog to see her usual fabulousness! (Gotta love that girl ~ she's my daughter!)

Enjoy this beautiful fall weekend, and Happy Halloween!

Blessings,
Barbara

Missing...

2010-10-29T22:05:00.003-04:00

I've had a busy week and a busy day. Tonight I had a Christmas card stamp-a-stack, and the last customer just left. It's too late to work on my Diva Sketch challenge, but if you stop back on Saturday afternoon, I'll have a card ready. Right now you can head over to Becky's blog to see her fabulous creation.

While you're here you might take a look at the card I did for the DIVA color challenge this week. It is posted below.

Blessings,
Barbara

UDI Color Challenge #7

2010-10-28T20:00:00.004-04:00

I'm playing along with the Utah Divas International Color Challenge this week! Here is the color combination.

And here is my card. It uses two of my favorite things, the French Foliage set and the Lattice embossing folder. I inked the embossing folder with Crumb Cake ink before I ran it through the Big Shot.

I hope you stop back on Saturday to see the DIVA weekly sketch challenge.

Blessings,
Barbara

Welcome Christmas

2010-10-23T00:01:00.003-04:00

Welcome to another Diva Saturday sketch challenge. You can hop over to the Diva blog to see this week's sketch. This is what I came up...

And here is a picture of the inside...

Be sure to check out Becky's blog to see what she came up with this week. I am sure it is fabulous!

Blessings,
Barbara

Recipe
Stamps: Welcome Christmas, TeaHouse BG
Papers: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso
inks: Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso
Accessories: Sticky strip, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, lace

A Wish for Peace

2010-10-16T00:01:00.006-04:00

I can't believe another week has flown by! This week I am enjoying the beautiful fall colors of west Michigan. I am here visiting my children and grandchildren, including a beautiful new granddaughter born on October 3. Sweet little Mabel Rose arrived 5 weeks early so she had to stay at the hospital for 11 days, but I am delighted to say she is finally home! Thank God for many blessings.

This week's Utah Divas sketch was really a challenge for me, so I took some liberties and eliminated some elements. My apologies, Carol, but I remember you said we were allowed to use the sketch as an inspiration point! Here's the sketch.

And here's my card.

Anyway, I have had Christmas cards on my mind lately. I am determined that this year I will have them made by Thanksgiving. For the past few years, my husband and I have the following conversation the day after Thanksgiving

Husband: Are the Christmas cards ready? I thought we could work on them this weekend.
Me: No, they're not. But I can go the the H******k store and pick some up if you want.
Husband: WHAT?! Send out store bought cards? But stamping is your business!!

This year I want to have them ready and see what happens. I may have to pick dear husband off of the floor!

Here's my interpretation of the sketch. You can see I eliminated some elements and moved one around. I was really happy with the end result.

Recipe
Stamps: A wish for Peace
Paper: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso
Inks: Early Espresso
Accessories: Two-way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds, Scallop Trim border punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

I hope you can see the beautiful shimmer on all of the snow. I'm not sure how much you will see it in the photo.

Well, that's about it for me! You can hop on over to Becky's blog to see what she came up with. For those of you who might not know, Becky is my daughter. For next week's sketch, we will be working together. What I mean is we will be together in Becky's stamping space. We really enjoy crafting together, which doesn't happen often since we live 750 miles apart. It is a real blessing to be able to spend time with my family.

Happy fall!
Barbara

P.S. Comments are always appreciated! I love to have feedback and hear what you think.

French Foliage

2010-10-09T00:01:00.001-04:00

I can hardly believe that three weeks ago today I was in Paris and had dinner in the Eiffel Tower! This stamp set, especially the Paris postmark, really reminded me of France. I guess it goes without saying that one of my favorite sets in the new catalog is Artistic Etchings! Here's a photo of the Eiffel Tower from my trip. We were finishing a river boat cruise at dusk and the lights on the tower were just coming on. What a sight!

Anyway, on to the Diva Sketch Challenge for the week. Here's the sketch.

You will see that I rotated it this week.

I cased the color combination from a card I saw and liked. Here's the recipe.

Stamps: French Foliage
Paper: So Saffron, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake
Inks: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, So Saffron and More Mustard
Accessories: Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Early Espresso ribbons, 5/8" satin and 1/8" taffeta, Big Designer Buttons (Crumb Cake)

The So Saffron paper was "smooshed" with So Saffron ink. I inked the embossing folder with Crumb Cake ink before I put it through my Big shot. (I inked the inside of the folder on the side that has the Stampin' Up logo on it, if that helps.) It really adds depth to the image. I guess it wasn't too smart of me to cover so much of it up, eh? Finally, here's a detail on the button.

I tied the 1/8" taffeta through the holes in the button. I hope you like it!

Well, on to Becky's blog to see what she came up with this week. Don't forget you can always head over to the Utah Divas International Blog to see the list of people in the sketch hop.

Have a great weekend!
Blessings,
Barbara

Just a Cup of Coffee

2010-10-02T00:01:00.003-04:00

Here it is, the end of another week and time for the weekly Diva Sketch Challenge. So grab a cup of coffee and see what I've come up with this week! I thought the sketch was clean and simple so I decided I'd keep my card the same. Here's the sketch. Can you believe we are on week 103?

Here's my card and it uses one of my favorite color combinations, Baja Breeze and Cherry Cobbler. You may remember that was the combination I used here as well.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Tiny Teacup
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Subtles Patterns DSP (Baja Breeze)
Inks: Black Staz-on, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Basic Black 1/8" taffeta ribbon, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" square punches

This is one of the sweet single stamps that are featured on pages 18-20 of the Stampin' Up catalog. I separated the word hello from the teacup when I mounted the stamp and placed it on the side of the block so I could stamp the images individually. Since I'm a coffee drinker, I think it is a coffee cup! Here's a look at the inside of the card.

If you are following our blog links, you'll be heading over to Becky's blog next. Be sure to scroll down to her post of September 25 while you are there. She made herself the most adorable raincoat! Wait until you see it!

If at any time you can't find a link you can head over to the Utah Divas International blog and find all of the links.

Enjoy the weekend, and thanks so much for stopping by! And an extra thanks to those of you who take the time to leave a comment. They are greatly appreciated!

Blessings,
Barbara

Weekly Diva Challenge

2010-09-25T00:01:00.002-04:00

It's time for another diva sketch challenge! This week's sketch was a classic, in my opinion. I decided to use one of my favorite sets again, Greeting Card Kids. Here's my little lovely...

and here's the sketch. I turned it on its side again.

I used the Wicked Fun Specialty paper on this card and based the color scheme on that. I think things are pretty self-explanatory. I adhered the beautiful Raven lace from the mini catalog with sticky strip, gathering it as I went along. The image was stamped on watercolor paper and colored with markers and an aqua painter. Here's a close up.

Now it's over to Becky's blog to see what she came up with this week.
I've missed posting the last two weeks because of a trip to Switzerland, Germany and France. I've been hoping to post some photos, but life keeps getting in the way. Maybe next week!

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy this first weekend of fall!
Barbara

Spooky Things

2010-09-06T08:31:00.002-04:00

I have been busy planning a Halloween class, and here is the first project! This is a variation of a project presented by Brent Steele at the Stampin' Up! convention in July. Stay tuned for some more great ideas using the Spooky Things Decor Elements (# 121209, $14.95) and the Black Flourish Designer Jewels (#120987, $4.95) in the Holiday mini catalog.

Happy Labor Day!
Barbara

I Think I'm in Love!

2010-09-04T00:01:00.002-04:00

When I first saw the 2010-2011 Stampin' Up! catalog, I fell in love with the stamp set Greeting Card Kids. If you told me I could only order one set this year, I think this would have been it. Isn't this little girl just the cutest?

The other thing I have fallen in love with is the new Color Coach! I knew I wanted to use Riding Hood Red, and here is the color combination I worked with.

One thing I've learned using the color coach is that if I want to add another color to a combination, it always works to use the dynamic duo color (in this case Cherry Cobbler) which is what I did for this card. I also know I love anything that is a Shelli favorite, which you see is the case in this creative combination.

I know you are probably here to see what I did with the Sketchy Saturday Diva challenge, so here is the sketch...

and here is the card! I did alter the size of the center rectangle.

I think this has to be one of my favorite cards of the last several months! Now if I could just my act together, I'd make a dozen of these and have them on hand for Valentine's Day!

RECIPE
Stamp: Greeting Card Kids
Paper: Love letter DSP, Subtles Patterns DSP, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, So Saffron, watercolor paper
Accessories: Scallop edge border punch, small heart punch, stampin' dimensionals, aqua painter and coordinating markers

If you are blog hopping to see all of the sketch cards, you will want to head over to Becky's blog to see what she came up with this week. If for any reason a link is missing, you can head over to the Utah Diva's blog to see who is next.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, and for those of you on the East Coast, enjoy the cooler weather!

Blessings,
Barbara

Kimono Kids

2010-08-28T00:01:00.002-04:00

Here's a little sneak peek of the card I made for this week's Diva Sketch Challenge. As soon as I saw the sketch, I thought of a card I had made this summer, and I knew that it would adapt perfectly to the sketch. When I was the Stampin' Up Convention in July, I attended an event hosted by Barbara Jackson. It was called "Over the Top" Swap, and it was amazing! Not only did we swap fifty gorgeous, full cards, we also had a fabulous dessert and Barbara planned amazing make and take projects for us. I can't wait to go to another one of her events! Anyway, here is the Sketch for the week.

I rotated the sketch so that the four squares were on the top of the card, and here is what they became.

Four little lanterns dancing above the kimono kids! It was love at first sight with this stamp set, and once I used it at Barbara's event, I had to order it. The color combination I chose was right from the new color coach. It is So Saffron, Baja Breeze, and Riding Hood Red.

Here's the full recipe.
Stamps: Kimono Kids
Papers: Whisper White, Basic Black, Riding Hood Red, So Saffron, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Finial Press Embossing folder, stampin' dimensionals, Basic Black 1/8" taffeta ribbon, markers

To fray the ribbon at the bottom of the lanterns, I just snipped along the edge of the white trim and then pulled the loose threads out. And here's the surprise, it's an easel card! I cased this idea completely from Barbara Jackson's make and take card. The little fans help prop the card open. And I know just which friend this card is going to!

From here you can hop right over to Becky's blog to see what she came up with for this week's sketch.

Have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Christmas Collage

2010-08-21T00:01:00.002-04:00

It's time for another Utah Diva's weekly sketch challenge. I love the way my thinking and ideas are stretched when I have to work with a sketch. But first, here's a little sneak peek at the card!

I never would have come up with this card on my own! Here's Sketch 97 for August 21.

I've modified the sketch slightly, changing the center rectangle into a tag. I am working on card for a Holiday Mini Catalog swap, and I used this tag on those cards. I really loved how it came out, so I decided I would use it on this sketch challenge as well. My apologies for taking liberties with the sketch, Carol!

The tag was stamped using the beautiful Christmas Collage background stamp. You can only see a portion of it here. It is a full background stamp, and it is just gorgeous! It will be available to purchase starting on September 1. (Holiday mini catalog, page 20, #121279, $17.95) It is my favorite item in the Holiday mini catalog! Here's the recipe:

Paper: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Naturals Ivory, Deck the Halls DSP
Stamps: Christmas Collage
Inks: Early Espresso, Always Artichoke (re-inker & blender pen) and Cherry Cobbler marker
Accessories: Two Tags Bigz die, 2 3/8" scallop circle, jumbo brads, crop-o-dile, 5/8" Early Espresso satin ribbon, hemp twine

Here's a detail of the tag. I first cut out the tags with my Big Shot and the Bigz die. I inked only a portion of the background stamp that I wanted to feature, then carefully placed the cut tag on top of the inked area.

I think I'm in love (sigh) with the Deck the Halls paper!

Now on to Becky's blog to see what she came up with this week. If at any time you run into a dead end on the blog hop, you can head over the the Diva's blog and see who is next in line. Look under Carol's Sketchy Saturday Team. Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for stopping by! As always, a special thanks to those of you who take the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it!

Blessings,
Barbara

Because I Care

2010-08-14T00:01:00.004-04:00

Here it is, Saturday, and time for another weekly UDI sketch challenge. This is challenge #96. Kudos to Carol, our sketch team leader, for all of her hard work! Here is the challenge sketch for the week.

This week I used a Level One hostess set from the 2010-2011 catalog. Stampin' Up! gave all of their demonstrators this set when we placed our catalog pre-orders in June. It was a thank you gift to us for our patience during the color renovation. (SU! is really good to us!) Anyway, this is the first time I have used this stamp set, and I just love it. I have four huge hydrangea bushes in my yard, and when they are blooming, I always have a bouquet of hydrangeas in the kitchen. This card is almost identical to the coloring of my bushes.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Because I Care
Paper: Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Bashful Blue
Markers: Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Certainly Celery

I used the thumping technique I saw demonstrated at convention to add the dark accents to the hydrangea blossom, and the leaves were done with marker as well. The background of the card is the "smooshing" technique I mentioned in a previous post. Here is a detail of the hydrangea.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! And a special thanks to those of you who take the time to leave a comment. It is always such an encouragement to me. Now you should head over to Becky's blog to see what she came up with this week.

Blessings,
Barbara

Whoo's There?

2010-08-07T00:01:00.004-04:00

Hi there! Happy Saturday! You probably arrived here from Alisa's blog since it's time for our weekly sketch challenge blog hop. If any of the links are missing, you can go on over to the Diva blog to see the entire list.

This week's sketch was fun to play with. I had several ideas I was kicking around until I finally settled on one. Here is the sketch.

I decided that I would make a full card, with the diagonal elements on the card front, and the square on the right side of the image would be a flap that wrapped around from the back. I cut a 3"x 6" rectangle, scored it at 3" and folded it in half. I attached it to the back of card with lots of adhesive. Here's the card.

I think I will add some kind of a closure to the card since the square element will not stay flat, but I'll go back and do that later. Here's the recipe.

Stamps: Woodgrain background, On Your Birthday
Inks: Early Espresso, Bashful Blue
Punches: 1 3/4" Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, Two-Step Owl, Two-Step Bird
Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Garden Green, Pretty in Pink, Greenhouse Gala DSP, Whisper White

Here's a look at the inside of the card, which shows an excellent example of why you should always use your Stamp-a-ma-jig for the greeting of your card! (I think it is quite obvious that I didn't! That's what happens when you are in a hurry.)

I had always wanted to try to make clouds, and it was fun and easy! I made a template of several scallop circles that I had glued together and then sponged bashful blue over the edges. I discovered that it is a little easier to start at the top of the paper and work to the bottom, although you can just as easily start at the bottom and work to the top.

Well, it's time to head over to Becky's blog and see what she came up with. You're going to love it!

Enjoy your weekend!
Blessings,
Barbara

Top sellers at Stampin' Up!

2010-08-02T08:02:00.003-04:00

Over the next couple of weeks, I thought I'd share some of my convention memories and photos of cards I swapped or received. I was in a Christmas card swap and an "Over the Top" swap, and some of those cards were amazing! Any way, one of the presenters shared some interesting facts with us. These are the ones I remember.

1. The hottest new color is our Cherry Cobbler. (paper #119685, $6.95, ink pad #119669, $5.95)
2. The most ordered ribbon in July was the Pear Pizzazz 1/2" stitched-Poly Ribbon. (#119262, $8.95)
3. The number one selling Bigz die is our exclusive Top Note. (#113463, $21.95)
4. The number one selling Embosslit is Beautiful Wings. (#118138, $11.95)

And this photo will give you an idea of what it is like to share four days with 2700 other demonstrators who have the same passion for Stampin' Up! and paper crafting. We have just left main stage and are headed off to lunch.

Heard You're Sick as a Dog

2010-07-31T00:01:00.006-04:00

Happy Saturday! It's time for the weekly Diva Sketch Challenge. You probably arrived here from Alisa's blog. If at any time a link is missing, you can head over to the UDI blog to find the next person on the blog hop. This week's sketch is a pocket card.

This set is one I earned for free during Sale-a-bration, and I was so glad it did not retire at the end of June. I love this little dog!

Here is a list of supplies used:
Stamps: Wellness Wishes
Paper: Very Vanilla, Love Letter DSP
Ink: Black Staz-on
Accessories: Black 1 1/4" striped grosgrain, 1 1/4", 1 3/8" and 1 3/4" circle punches
Markers: Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler and Soft Suede

Here you can see the inside of the pocket. Since I used the Love Letter DSP to make it, you see the pattern on the reverse side. Pretty cool, huh?

This is my first post since coming back from the Stampin' Up Convention. What a fabulous time I had! Over the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing some of the cards I swapped and received while I was there.

Shortly before I left for convention, Stampin' Up had the following post.

"Wear your Simply Adorned charms and chains during convention for a chance to be one of three daily winners! To enter the contest, simply visit the Demonstrator Resource Center and find a Stampin' Up! employee wearing a button that says, "Show me your Simply Adorned." The employee will take a photo of your Simply Adorned creation and then place it on an inspiration board located behind the Product Café.

Three winners will be selected each day by a panel of judges in the following categories:

* Most creative
* Best use of new Stampin' Up! colors
* Overall cutest"

I had ordered the necklace and charms as soon as they were available, intending to make a grandmother necklace. That never happened, and the morning before I left for convention, I got up early and made this. I used the Tote-ally Tess set, stamping and coloring her little accessories and paper piecing Tess. The back side of the charms feature the Love Letter DSP.

I stopped at the booth on Thursday to have a photo taken, and when I went back on Friday morning, I saw that my necklace had been selected as most creative! I received this lovely stamp set as my prize.

Needless to say, I was on "Cloud Nine" the whole day.

Now, on to Becky's blog to see what she did with this week's sketch. (Hi, Becky! I can't wait to see you on vacation!)

Blessings,
Barbara

I'm at the Stampin' Up! Convention!

2010-07-24T00:01:00.001-04:00

With all of my preparation for convention, I didn't have time to post this week. Please stop back because I will be posting my swaps from convention. Hop on over to Becky's blog to see what she did with the Diva sketch this week.

Blessings,
Barbara

Weekly Diva Challenge

2010-07-17T07:20:00.008-04:00

Welcome to another UDI sketch challenge.

Here is the sketch by our talented designer, Carol.

Here is my card for the sketch challenge this week.

I took a piece of Soft Suede (I'm in love with this color!) and ran it through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice embossing folder. I layered that with a strip of Pear Pizzazz and the new Pear Pizzazz 1/2" stitched poly ribbon. The Studio Sketches image is stamped on Very Vanilla and layered on Early Espresso. I'm very pleased with the end result. I hope you like it! Studio Sketches is such a beautiful set. It can stand on its on without any coloring because of the wonderful details.

And here is a detail of one of my favorite techniques. I call it "smooshing." I take my ink pad and turn it upside down on top of the paper and just slide or "smoosh" it around. It gives such an interesting texture, almost like suede. I always do tone on tone, so I used Pear Pizzazz ink on Pear Pizzazz paper.

Now on to Becky's blog to see what she did with this week's sketch.

Blessings,
Barbara

It's a girl!

2010-07-10T16:12:00.004-04:00

Here are some of the things I've made in preparation for my daughter Laura's baby shower. This will be a quick post with details to follow. The first is a diaper cake made with 50 newborn diapers. The second is the favor boxes that the guests will take home.

Weekly Diva Challenge

2010-07-03T00:01:00.005-04:00

Time for another Diva Sketch Challenge, and I thought this one was a doozy! When I first saw it, I didn't know what I was going to do, but I'm pleased with the results. And I must compliment Carol for coming up with these creative sketches. They certainly are not run-of-the-mill! Here's the sketch:

I turned it on its side, and here's the card.

I had such a good time playing with new products! I had been working on making some bookmarks and all of the materials I used for that project were on my stamping table. It's amazing where we find our inspiration sometimes, isn't it?

Here are the supplies I used:
Paper: Greenhouse Gala DSP, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Baja Breeze
Stamp set: Friends Never Fade
Ink and markers: Baja Breeze, Early Espresso
Accessories: Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Stampin' dimensionals

I stamped the image in Baja Breeze on the square. Then I colored the image with markers and cut it out, popping it up with dimensionals. I thought it needed more punch, so I stamped the image again in brown and cut out just the flower center.

Here's a peek at the main image, with three layers (the center square, the flower and the flower center) popped up.
I was working on this late afternoon into early evening and by the time I went to take a photo, I had to use a flash, which completely washed out the colors. So I headed out onto the front porch to catch the natural light that was left and just overrode the flash. I was much happier with my pictures!

On to Becky's blog to see what she did with the sketch.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

Weekly Diva Challenge

2010-06-26T00:01:00.003-04:00

Another week has slipped by. Where does the time go? We are more than half way through the month of June, and my new Stampin' Up catalogs were on my doorstep earlier this week. Just in time for my annual Stampin' Up "garage" sale! Last week I was in Michigan for five days and Becky and I had the fun of working on this week's sketch together. It's fun to see the different ideas we came up with while we were working in the same room! Thanks for sharing your ink, stamps, and paper with me, Becky! Above is this week's sketch, and here is the card I came up with. All the supplies are from the 2010-2011 Stampin' Up catalog available on July 1.

Supplies used are:
Stamps: Friends Never Fade
Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Greenhouse Gala DSP, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, Stampin' dimensionals

Below is a detail on the center image. I first stamped the image on Whisper White with Early Espresso Ink. I also stamped the image on Pear Pizzaz and Chocolate Chip paper, then cut out the flower and flower center and popped it up with Stampin' dimensionals. I have to admit I was struggling with the sketch this week, but I am pleased with how the card turned out. Now on to Becky's blog to see what she created with this week's sketch.

Have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Bundle of Love

2010-06-24T19:47:00.004-04:00

I was busy earlier in the week working on these invitations! My daughter Laura and her husband Toby are expecting their first baby in November and I am planning a baby shower for her. The invitations went in the mail yesterday, and I really enjoyed making them. I am planning on making matching thank you cards for Laura as well.

The stamp set is in the new catalog and it is just adorable! I wanted to keep it neutral since at this point we don't know the sex of the baby, so I used Sage Shadow. It is one of the retiring colors that I will miss! Here is the list of supplies:

Stamps: Baby Bundle
Paper: Sage Shadow, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede
Inks: Black Staz-On, Soft Suede, Sage Shadow
Accessories: Dotted Swiss embossing folder, blender pens, Soft Suede grosgrain ribbon

I love how the dots on the ribbon tie together the dots on the baby carriage and the dotted Swiss background. Here is a detail of the tag.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Blessings,
Barbara

Diva Sketch Challenge

2010-06-19T00:01:00.005-04:00

Welcome to my blog and another Diva Sketch Challenge! Pictured below is the sketch Carol gave us to work with. My card uses one of the sneak peek stamps sets that demonstrators could order on June 1. Customers will be able to purchase this stamp set and see the new catalog on July 1!

Stamps: Artistic Etchings. En Francais background
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Basic Gray
Ink: Black Staz-On, Basic Gray
Accessories: Eyelet Border Punch, Oval Punch, Clear Rhinestone Brads, 1/8" Basic Black Taffetta Ribbon (new!)

I absolutely love Paris, and this image of the Eiffel Tower is just amazing! It looks like a beautiful etching. Below is a detail of the accent piece. I think this stamp looks just like an antique pin.

I'd also like to share a tip for using background stamps. (It's on my mind since I did a variation of this card for a new catalog swap and I had to do 24 cards!) I always use a brayer to ink my background stamps. It goes much faster than using your ink pad and you get a very even coverage! Of course, you all know to leave your background stamp rubber side up and place your cardstock on top of the stamp. I work on a sheet of Stampin' Up grid paper, keeping my inked stamp on the right. I take the left side of the grid paper, flip it on top my cardstock, and rub over the stamped background to get an even inked image. No mess on the hands and a perfect imprint every time!

To see the next card in the Diva Sketch Challenge, just click here to see what my lovely and talented daughter, Becky, came up with.

Back to Blogging!

2010-06-12T00:01:00.001-04:00

It has been a little while since I've posted. Well, maybe more than a little while. Um, actually over a year. Don't ask me why because I really don't know! Anyway, I'm back! I will be posting at least once a week because I've joined the Saturday Sketch Team on UTAH DIVAS INTERNATIONAL. I'm not quite sure how to post this week's sketch, but if you followed a link to my blog, I know you have seen the sketch. Here's the card I came up with.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Pedaling Past
Paper: Real Red, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake
Inks: Black StazOn; Markers: Real Red, Basic Black and Basic Gray
Ribbon: Real Red double-stitched grosgrain and natural hemp twine
Accessories: Log Cabin smooch spritz and Stampin' Up Square Lattice embossing folder

A lot of these products are from the Summer mini catalog. Can you tell I'm having fun with them?

If you came here from Alisa's blog, you'll want to follow this link to Becky's blog to see the next card in the sketch challenge.

Have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you next week!

Blessings,
Barbara

Flower Fancy

2009-04-17T11:30:00.004-04:00

I was poking around on SCS and decided to combine the color change and the card sketch challenge for this week. Here's what I came up with. This is SC224 and CC214. Here's the recipe.

Stamps: Flower Fancy
Paper: Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, Bordering Blue, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette DSP
Ink: Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, Bordering Blue, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Chocolate Chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, stampin' dimensionals, eyelet border punch

Now I'm heading over to post on SCS, and then, out to enjoy this beautiful spring day! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

Sweet Always Birthday

2009-04-15T20:33:00.006-04:00

One of my customers fell in love with the Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set and wanted to use it in planning her daughter's 13th birthday party. She made her invitations using the set paired with the Sweet Always paper. Today Katie and her friends headed to Great Wolf Lodge for an overnight stay. What a great way to celebrate a birthday!

As a party favor, I planned a mini scrap book project using coasters. They will take pictures while they are there, print them, and go home with a finished album to help them remember the day! As a matter of fact, they should be working on them right about now! Here are some photos of the booklet. I hope you like it! I was very pleased with the result.

Sweet Always Summer

2009-04-13T00:01:00.001-04:00

I think Soft Summer is one of the prettiest sets in the occasions mini catalog, don't you? And I love it combined with the Sweet Always paper! I'm really going to miss that when it retires in July! I love the dots, and the color combination is one of my favorites. Maybe SU! will update it by making it browns and blues. What do you think?

Here is the recipe for the card.
Stamps: Sweet Summer
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Rose Red
Papers: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Sweet Always DSP
Accessories: Vintage Brads, 1 3/4" circle punch, scallop from Stampin' Up! pennant die

The Card Sketch is from Mojo Monday, March 9, 2009.