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!

The Dueling Darlings Duke Out Father's Day!

Well, it's not actually a fight, but it is the time for our monthly Duel!  The Dueling Darlings are a group of friends on Split Coast Stampers who are divided into two teams: The Divas & The Dazzlers.  Each month a hostess from each team sends her team mates a kit and we all  create a card from the kit and post by the 15th.  (yes, I'm a day late, and very sorry about it too)


April is our hostess this month for the Dazzlers and sent us a fantastic kit which included:


Krafty Dots by Recollections
Out of Print/Storyteller by Basic Grey
Go Fish/Mini Fish by Carolyn Holt Designs 
Burlap and pearls by Recollections Ribbon
Bakers twine and several types of ribbons
A mini clothespin from SU! (I just love it)
Images from Favorite Occasions by JustRite and the Totally Tool set from SU! 


All that I can say is "Wow!"  What a versatile and creative kit.  I had trouble knowing which direction to take.  But I have to confess that I am hoarding the Go Fish/Mini Fish paper for my daughter's birthday card later this month (thank you April!).  She is quite the fisherman and loves to fish!  


Anyway, here is my card front:

The background stamp is one that I've had for a while and haven't used yet.  It's from River City Rubber Works (copyright 2000) and is called "Dad Sayings" (what else, right?)

The award ribbon is colored dark green and then I used gold Stickles to accent it and the stars, although I must admit that the idea was better in my mind than it turned out on the image.


Here's the inside of the card:

Here I used the burlap and one of the tool images and more of the Krafty Dots paper to add some interest to the inside.  I really like the burlap, it's my first time working with it and I have to commend April for adding it to the kit!  It's perfect for a masculine card!


My Dad lives about 4,000 miles away and I have already sent him his Father's Day card.  So I may just keep this card for his birthday in November.  Or, maybe I'll send it to him next week as a surprise.


A big THANK YOU to April for her generous and fun kit!  Be sure to visit their blogs and view the cards made by the Divas and the other Dazzlers (links are in my side bar).  You will be glad that you did!

Mother's Day Cards (at last!)

Yes, I know that I'm very tardy with this!  Thankfully my wonderful mother is very understanding.  (or at least she lets me off the hook gracefully, and isn't that what we as mothers try to do for our children?)

Anyway, the stamping room/home office painting and wallpapering project is almost completed, and I was able to get in there this weekend and begin to put things back.  First order of business was to clear off the counter top and get back to my ideas for Mother's Day cards.  (my MIL's card went out on schedule and was not late - whew!)

Here's one that took me a couple of attempts to get it right:

This is my first time making an easel card.  I wanted to showcase the pretty 6x6 panel.

I started this card before we tore the room apart, thinking that I knew exactly how to get the desired result.  Uh...not so much LOL!

Then we decided to paint & wallpaper, tore the room apart, packed everything up & moved it all about the house, thinking that it would only take a week to finish the room.  Uh...not so much.


A few months ago I bought this template from The Crafters Workshop.  I knew the minute that I saw it that it was destined to be Mom's Mother's Day card.  Guess I should have started it way back then.

Anyway, I sponged on various colors of SU inks, then with the template on, misted with Stardust Finishing Spray by A Muse. (love that stuff!)

Then removed the template and sponged the background grass & sky.

Here are two close ups but I'm not sure that the shimmer shows up well. The bottom panel for the easel has the die cuts popped up and the sentiment (SU) and butterfly are shimmered also.

The CS for the easel is softly colored with greens, lavender and magenta, sort of splashed & daubed on it.  It's a pretty paper from SEI "Couture" collection.

The next card that I wanted to try is from a stamp set by Fiskars called Asian Inspired and is a set of 12 clear stamps.  The over sized background stamp of blossoms (cherry?) really inspired me!

CS and chalks are by SU (Brilliant Blue & Pink Passion). (Yes, I used pink.  It's not a card for me remember?)  The panel is stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and chalked.  The lantern and symbol were stamped with Brilliant Blue and clear EP was used to give them some shine.  The inside panel was corner punched (Martha Stewart) and the floral cutouts were stamped, embossed, cut out & mounted as accents.  They are all from the Fiskars stamp set.

Well, my editor is demanding my attention right now...gotta keep the boss happy! Thanks for stopping by!

Dueling Darlings May Post

It's the 15th of the month, and the Dueling Darlings are at it again!  This month's hostess for the Dazzlers is Paola and she sent us some sweet goodies to work with.

4 swatches of pretty DP, two pieces of ribbon, two checkered butterflies, various beads, buttons and a ribbon slider.  And the cutest image from Stampin Up: Serene Spring.

Here's my side-step card.  I really seem to like making this type of card.  It gives me so many ways to incorporate the various pieces in the kit.  The main image is colored with Prismas and Derwent Color Soft pencils.


The butterfly has been painted with Diamond Stickles to give it a little bling.  The flowers and little lady bug have been painted with Crystal Effects to give them some shine.



The shiny beads have been added to the checkered butterfly and the flowers on the DP were also painted with Crystal Effects, adding a bead to the center of one.  The butterfly wings are folded out for dimension.

Paola included that pretty daisy with the pearl center, which I added right beside the sentiment, which I hand cut on the edges.

We were asked to post our favorite thing about the month of May.  I would have to say that May always means starting my container gardens for our deck.  Flowers and herbs mostly.  We also set up the hummingbird feeders, little fountains, some soft lights, and another bird feeder or two.

It really feels like the summer season is starting when the deck is set up.  We love it out there and spend as much time enjoying it as the weather and mosquitos allow!  Summer is short up here, so we all have to make the most of the time we're given.

That's it for me for this month's duel!  Be sure to use the links on my side bar to visit the Divas and the Dazzlers and admire their creations for this round.  Thank you Paola, for giving us such a great kit.  Thanks for visiting!
Darlene

A Word From the Editor in Chief

Bijou here.  I usually give my female pet free reign over posting here.  However, as I am ultimately responsible for the content of this blog, I feel the time has come for me to step in and set the record straight.

Last week, The Female and The Male decided to do something strange.  They refer to it as "making the craft / office room".  The Female has a sizable desk in the other room, so I am curious about why she needs another for an "office".  She should know that she already has a job.  Her sole purpose is to take care of and entertain me and Lou.  I mean really, what good are pets anyway if they can't do those simple things???  But I digress...

Counter & cupboards slid out from the wall.

They set about dismantling and moving a great number of things in this room.  Including sliding a perfectly good countertop system into the center of the room!  Then they rolled up the nice soft rug to expose the slippery wooden floors (don't they know that it's hard for us to walk on such slippery surfaces?  These pets are not very intelligent, but I love them)


Then The Male did a very strange thing.  He went and got the spray bottle that The Female uses to mist us.  He sprayed the wall and got it wet.  (I was watching carefully in case he was just faking me out and was really going to spray me!)  Then he wet down this stuff called "wallpaper" and - you'll never believe this - PUT IT ON THE WALL.  Who ever heard of such a thing.  They should have just let me chew it up and give it a few good rips on the edges.  It looks far too straight for my taste.

See that slippery floor?  The white stuff is the
"Wallpaper" that I was telling you about.

Here's a close up of the "Wallpaper"
that The Female is so excited about.
Hmpf is all I have to say.

I chose to supervise from on top of a shelving unit, perched safely on top of a box up there where I was hard to reach, but had a great view.






They repeated this over and over, eventually stopping to (finally) make dinner.  Here's what the room has looked like since Sunday.  These pets sure take a long time to finish things.  Not like us respectable parrots.  If we are going to do something, we get it done!

You can see the edge of the shelving unit that I chose for my supervisory duties.  This room used to be the nest for The Female's oldest hatchling, another female.  I wasn't allowed in there because she had too many necklaces and earrings and other goodies that the hatchling wouldn't share.  But sometimes I was sneaky and got in there anyway.  It was loads of fun.


Here's a picture of something called a "Stamp Pad Holder" that The Female's Father made for her.  She claims that it is very valuable to her and won't let me chew on the edges of the wood.

The holes in the side are too small for me to crawl into, so I don't really get the point.  She puts these things called "reinkers" into them.  I like to roll those "reinkers" around and it's especially fun when they roll off the desk.  That really gets her attention!


So, now you know what's REALLY been going on around here.  It's not excuse for The Female to be slacking on her writing duties.  Rest assured, I am taking her lapse very seriously and she will be reprimanded.  I don't take my Editor's responsibilities lightly, and if she can't step up to the job, well, I'll just have to find someone that will.  <Sigh>  A parrot's work is never done.