Gift Sets of Cards

Hello!  I've been busy lately making sets of cards to give as gifts this holiday season. My goal is to make 10 sets of an assortment of cards and gift them to special people in my life.  So far I've made 4 sets. Hopefully I can get another 4 sets done before I go back to work on Tuesday.

Here are two of the cards I've made.  The first one shows that I was in an Autumn frame of mind:

The images, inks and matching papers are all from A Muse Studios:
Stamp Set: Beautiful Botanicals
Paper and inks: from their Fall Palette; Squash, Currant and Nutmeg
Cardstock: Wasau's Stardust (it has little flecks of color throughout) and the olive green is DCWV from my stash.
Ribbon: from my stash - it just happened to match the Squash color perfectly!

The second card contains one of my favorite color combinations: pale yellow, blues and brown. I decided to make a Criss Cross Pocket card and used some retired SU DP that I've been hoarding for a while:

Stamp: Inkadoo
Ink: SU Tempting Turquoise, heat embossed with clear EP, then colored with SU ink pads and blending pen
Papers: Close to Cocoa for the base, and the inside panel and side panels are SU's Twitterpated DP





The small decorative strip of blue paper across the front was stamped with an old filigree background stamp from Stampin UP and also clear embossed.

The circular bird image was cut out and popped out with dimensional foam dots.

Here are two, tomorrow I'll post two others.

So far I'm leaving the cards blank to give more flexibility in how they can be used.  But I'm still undecided about that.  What do you all think?

Thanks for looking and I wish you all a great day!

Dueling Darlings Do Bingo!

Greetings from Dallas, TX! I'm in the airport, waiting for my flight and trying to do my blog post today for this month's Dueling Darlings Challenge! (my hubby calls this being cyber-woman, LOL)

Our kit this month was over-the-top fun, thanks to Jeanette! Unfortunately, I did not bring with me the listing of fabulous papers, embellishments and the identity of the image, so I can't give you specifics. (sorry Jeanette)

Well, I can't seem to figure out how to move these pictures around now that I finally have them loaded up, so you'll just have to read & then scroll down to see them.

I used Tempting Turquoise for the card base, and colored the fun image with a combination of markers and pencils, and die cut it and the starburst panel that was in the kit with Nesties. (The bottom picture shows the embossed panel better) I'm not sure if you can tell, but she is wearing enormous pink sparkly earrings, compliments of Stickles.

Part of this month's challenge was to try something we've never done before. Can you believe that I have never put a button on a card or made a ribbon flower before? (gasp!) So, after a wee bit of research on SCS, I took the ribbon that was in the kit and made a flower, attached a button and voila!











Aren't the papers great? I must admit that this was a great challenge, got me out of my comfort zone a bit in a fun way. Thank you Jeanette!

Now, I'm off to visit everyone else's creations, and I hope that you will also. It's sure to be a big treat!

Thank you for stopping by! Hugs and blessings to you.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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!