Mo Manning Card Swap

My dear friend Paola is hosting a swap on Splitcoast Stampers that features original stamps by Mo Manning.  Imagine my delight when my best bud, Carol, sent me a Mo Manning stamp and sentiment set for my birthday last February!  Once I realized that I had a Mo Manning stamp I promptly joined Paola's swap.

I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos, definitely not my best work.  But I did try a new (for me) type of card style for this...not sure what it's called, but I trolled through the samples in the "Resources" section of SCS and found this type.  I thought it really highlighted the adorable image.


Isn't she just the cutest little girl?  I used the last of my "Mellon Mambo" CS from SU for the base.  The flowered DP is really pretty with bright pink and orange flowers accented with copper.  I just love it.



See the copper dragonfly brad to the side of the scalloped oval?  That holds the flap closed.


The image is colored with Spectrum Noir markers, using chalk to accent the background.



Here is where the apology comes in, the picture is out of focus, but the sentiment that comes with the set says "for my special bud".  And that is just who Carol and Sweet P are to me - my Special Buds!

Thank you Carol for such a sweet and thoughtful gift!  And Sweet P, thank you for arranging such a great swap.  Having Mo Manning herself participate in the discussions and games is brilliant!  We are so lucky that you could make it happen.  Thank you!

A Mysterious Little Pony!

I am part of a group of swappers on SCS that conduct a Mystery Image Swap.  Every other month, we receive 3 cards from the previous swap round, and the images to use from the next round's hostess (hence the mystery).  

This round was hosted by our wonderful Kate, and she chose to use SU's Pony Party image. Well, let me tell you, this brought back some memories from when my daughter (now 29-gasp!) was little!  But I admit to being a little intimidated by the image.  Knowing that Kate has a young daughter, I set about to make cards that she may like to give away to her friends.  Here is what I came up with:

What little girl's pony would be without a little sparkle on it's mane and tail, right?  And, just in case, I added some to her hooves.  A proper pedicure for her to show off!

Kate, it sure stretched me, working with this image, and that's the fun of these types of swaps.  Thank you for choosing this image!  I can hardly wait to see the cards made by others and the images for our next round when my return packet arrives!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Dueling Darlings in July!

Here I am, a day late, but considering all of the technological challenges around here, it's amazing that I am only a day late!  Thank goodness I am married to a techie, because it took him, our son and our neighbor, plus the service provider, three days to resolve whatever issue it was that disabled our internet connection at home!


Anyway, the 15th is the due date for our Dueling Darlings post, and here is my card.  Tami and I hosted this month and we decided that a barbecue theme would be appropriate.  Here's what I came up with for my card:

I have to admit, this is the BUSIEST card front that I have ever created!  LOL  But the papers were so much fun, I wanted to use them all.

Kit contents included:

Image: Art Impression's "Golden Oldies series, entitled BBQ Couple  (isn't it fun?!)
DP:  Karen Foster Designs: Food & Family Collage; Ants on Parade; Barbecue Bash and Reminisce:  Picnic Parade; Grill Master
Stickers:  Reminisce:  Backyard Bash
Other misc. embellishments are from my stash here, no particular vendor.  (although, I didn't use any other embellishments other than the 2 narrow, vertical stickers on the left & right sides of the card.)


We also requested that everyone share a favorite barbecue recipe or side dish hit for grilling.

Here is a close up of the papers, gotta love the flames...




















Here is a closeup of the cute couple.  See how she's sneaking a double cheese burger from the cook?  

The image is colored with SU markers, and the background is chalked.  I was going for sort of a hazy look in the background, not sure if I pulled it off, though.

The papers were so fun, that the inside of the card needed some dressing up as well.  Here's a shot of the inside:

As for my recipe...we grill practically everything during the warm weather - meats, veggies, seafood, bread, pizza, the list goes on.  So picking one thing is a challenge.

Here's a pretty easy yet delicious way to marinate pork or chicken:  (excuse the lack of exact measurements, I've made this up and it's ok to just eyeball everything!)  If you really want an exact recipe, I'll bet there are many versions of this online that you can find.

Boneless pork chops or chicken, rinsed, pat dry and dust with fresh ground pepper.  Place in ziplock baggie, single layer.  Add enough Balsamic vinegar to coat both sides.  Add in slivers of sweet peppers, onions, mushrooms, some crushed garlic and fresh rosemary and thyme.  Also adding some fire roasted peppers & some of the juice from the jar is excellent for flavor!  Drizzle in a small amount of olive oil.  Close the bag, and mix it up to evenly to coat the meat.  

Let marinate on the counter about an hour then grill, or if marinating longer, refrigerate & remove from refrigerator 30-40 minutes before grilling.  You can also bake it in the oven with all of the marinade, then use the cooked marinade to pour over pasta or rice & serve with the meat.

Ok, off to check out the other creations from the two teams - Divas & Dazzlers.  Links to their blogs are in my side bar, have some fun & check out their amazing work!

Thanks for stopping by!