Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas morning ... so ... Merry Christmas to everyone out there in blogland!

Today will be quiet at our house. We had our get together with my family last night. I enjoyed spending a few hours with my family and was missing them as soon as we got back home. My granddaughter had a blast playing with my husband; I think she wore him out with all her energy! lol She is growing up so fast.

We will spend some time today with my husband's parents. She doesn't get on the computer, so I can tell everyone that he got her two beautiful robellini's. One is a tall quad that will be absolutely gorgeous in the front yard and the other is a smaller triple. His father does get on the computer so I can't say what he got for his Dad. ;-) I had the privilege of making a pretty box to put the gift in.

Finally! A New Card to Post ...

I hope you can see the picture OK. I'm using my laptop and don't have photo editting software on it.

Anyway! This is a card I made today using the new Vintage Vogue set from Stampin' Up! that will be available to the public on Jan 5, 2010. All the stamps used on this card are from that set. I really like the "vintage-ness" of this set - it will make some awesome shabby chic cards!

Recipe:

• Stampset: Stampin' Up! Vintage Vogue
• Cardstock: SU! Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla, Creamy Caramel
• Ink: SU! Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa
• Accessories: SU! embossing folder, pop dots
  

Excuses, blah blah bah!

I can't believe it has been nearly a month since I last posted! I have been creating cards, I promise!

I've been working on Christmas cards and gift projects. Throw in Thanksgiving and a holiday party here and there as well as getting "stuff" together for a yard sale ... and you have the makings of a busy woman!

My desktop computer is acting up so I have been using my laptop for the past week or so. Of course, all my card pics are on my desktop. Of course. So, I'll post some pictures as soon as I can get back to using my desktop PC.

Stamp Sets For Sale

I have the following stamp sets for sale, $5.oo per set. I need to make some room!

Price does not include shipping. I can accept paypal, postal money order, personal check (must clear before item ships) or well-concealed cash. I can only ship in the US at this time.


Big Blossom
Birthday Whimsey
Bold Butterfly
Border Builder
Circle of Friendship
Fine Frames
From the Garden
Label Classics
Lovely Labels
Noteworthy
Oh My Word
Painted Garden
Polka Dots & Paisley
Riveting
Say It With Scallops
Snappy Starts
Spring Solitude

Desk Caddy

The instructions to make this desk caddy can be found here in the Scor Pal forum at Splitcoaststampers.com

It was very easy to make. The hardest part was finding the lazy susan mechanism and the plastic angles to make the angle cuts! I used a 12x12 piece of textured Stampin'Up! DSP for the main body and another sheet of the same DSP for the pieces to cover the mechanism and to make the inside stops.

Recipe:

• Paper: Stampin' Up! textured DSP
• Accessories: Scor Pal, ribbon, lazy susan mechanism, plastic angles
  

IC204 Franz Porcelain Inspiration Challenge

I am IN LOVE with Papertrey Ink cardstock! The white and vanilla (as are the other colors!) are very heavy and are perfect for card bases!

Yesterday, I decided to stop at Michaels on the way home from work. They have new Martha Stewart punches! It was really hard to decide which one to get; I wanted them all! I finally decided on the Floral Vine punch.

Of course I had to play with my new toy yesterday! I happened to have the Summer Sunrise cs already cut so I grabbed it, along with a card base in white. After punching the edge, I used my Scor Pal to scor two parallel lines. At this point, I was stumped. I just didn't know what I wanted to do with this card. The colors didn't lend themselves to Christmas; I thought about punpkins but none of my pumpkin stamps felt "right" for this card. So I set it aside for the night.

Today's Inspiration Challenge at Splitcoaststampers.com is based on the site Franz Porcelain Precious Possessions. This is the piece I used for my inspiration: Fluttering Beauty Butterfly Teapot. The colors were perfect for the card I started last night!

The closest flower I have is from Stampin' Up's Fifth Avenue Floral set; I stamped the lily in Versafine black ink then sponged them with pumkpin pie, tangerine tango, groovy guava, and cameo coral inks before cutting them out. I used a Spellbinder nestability butterfly shape to cut, emboss, and sponge the butterfly. I used tangerine tango, groovy guava, and blue bayou inks.
I used a bit of copper stickles to add a bit of bling to the flowers and butterfly


Recipe:

• Stamps: SU! Fifth Avenue Floral (flowers), CTMH Butterfly Wings (stems)
• Cardstock: Papertrey Ink white, summer sunrise, melon berry
• Ink: Versafine Black, Groovy Guava, Tangerine Tango, Pumpkin Pie, Cameo Coral, Blue Bayou, Old Olive
• Accessories: Martha Stewart punch, Spellbinders nestability, stickles

What an honor!

Mothermark, creator of the Teapot Tuesday Challenges, recently received a box of cards and a great present. She pictured the card I sent (along with the others she received) on her blog, http://mothermark.blogspot.com/2009/10/very-special-teapot-and-more-wonderful.html, and said the kindest things about me. I nearly cried!

Thank you, Cindy, for making my day!

Retired Stampin' Up! Sets for Sale

Please check THIS THREAD over at Splitcoaststampers.com for my list of Stampin' Up! sets that I have for sale.

I can accept Paypal, postal money orders, personal checks (must clear my account before items are shipped), or well-concealed cash. I can only ship within the United States at this time; buyer pays USPS priority shipping. Please email me at rjporter@gmail.com

$5.00:
Birthday Whimsey
Lovely Labels
Painted Garden
So Many Scallops

$7.00:
Big Blossom bg (no case)
Fine Frames
From the Garden bg (no case)
Label Classics
Noteworthy
Oh My Word
Polka Dots & Paisley
Say It With Scallops

$10.00:
Bold Butterfly
Border Builders
Circle of Friendship
Riveting
Spring Solitude

$15.00:
Happy Heart Day
Blossoms Abound
Essence of Love
Greetings Galore NUM
Sun Ripened II

$25.00:
Scenery

Today's Inspiration Challenge

This is my card for today's Inspiration Challenge at Splitcoaststampers.com.

This was my first time with the "bleaching" technique. I poured bleach over a pad of paper towels, then laid my (bravo burgundy) cardstock on top of the paper towels. I patted the top of the cardstock with my finger to get the pattern. It took a while for the cardstock to dry.

Once it was dry, I cut it to the size I wanted, then stamped with it with an Inque Boutique set called "Silhouettes." Unfortunately Inque Boutique is no longer in business so probably the only way to get the set is through EBay or possibly the Buy/Sell/Trade forums at Splitcoastampers.com.

Recipe:

• Stamp: Inque Boutique "Silhouettes"
• Ink: Memories Black
• Cardstock: Bravo Burdundy, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
• Accessories: scallop border punch, bleach

Yesterday's Teapot Tuesday Challenge

This is the link to my entry for yesterday's Teapot Tuesday Challenge (post 300) over at Splitcoaststampers.com.

Mothermark's (Cindy) birthday is during the month of October, so this week's teaparty is a birthday party in her honor!




Recipe:

• Stamp: House Mouse image received in a swap
• CS: Stampin Up! - Crushed Curry, Rich Razzelberry, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
• Accessories - ribbon, Stampin' Up! markers (used to color the image)
  

Another Teapot Tuesday Challenge!

This is my card for yesterday's Teapot Tuesday Challenge (post #273). We went on a hayride though the countryside and it was sooooo much fun!

I bought this stamp off EBay a month or so ago and it's been sitting on my computer desk ever since. It screams "country cottage" to me (as well it should since it is from the Woodlands Cottage set from the 2006 Holiday SU! mini).

Recipe:

• Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, retired SU! DSP
• Ink: Close to Cocoa
• Stamp: Woodland Cottage (retired, from 2006 mini)
• Accessories: brads

Tuesday Teapot Party!

Yesterday's teapot challenge is located in Jellystone Park in Pelahatchi, MS, where Barney Bear is in a basket. Is he stuck in there? Is he too scared to come out? Is he just hungry and wants to eat all the food for our tea party?

I don't know. I. Just. Don't. Know. It looks to me like he is thirsty and wants to enjoy a spot of tea!

This is my card for the Tuesday Tea Party Challenge. I received this Gruffie image in an animal image swap some time ago. This challenge was the perfect opportunity to use it! I colored it with copic markers.


Recipe

• Stamp - Gruffie
• Ink - black
• Cardstock - Papertrey base and DSP, whisper white
• Accessories - flat back pearls, copic markers

The Fashionable Traveler

Join us on October 3rd for a Fashion Show and lunch ... all for only $12.00!

More information is available here on the First Baptist Indialantic webiste. There is a link to register online.

It's going to be a fun time!

Teapot Tuesday MMTPT63!

Check out this blog for the Teapot Tuesday Challenge! This week's challenge is to save Lou-La-Bella Rock-A-Fella from the nasty slug bugs.

How fun!

Teapot Tueday now has its own challenge thread over at Splitcoaststampers





Recipe

• Stamps: SU! Great Friend (sentiment), CTMH Celebration Solids
• Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Red paper
• InK; Going Gray, Real Red (markers)
• Accessories: Cuttlebug folder, lace edge punch, ddew drops

Featured Stamper at Splitcoaststampers

This is my card for today's Featured Stamper at Splitcoaststampers.com.

I chose to CASE this card although it ended up as not much of a CASE!

The card started out as a 4" square card. After I stamped & colored the image and sentiment, I wasn't sure if I wanted to emboss or faux stitch. But then I spied my deckle scissors!

Unfortunately they didn't cut nicely through two layers of cardstock. So I cut off the back side of the card & decided to use it as the focal point. I found some DSP that matched & cut out a matt from that. Added to brads, popped up the image, and called it a day!

Recipe:

• Stampsets: Sweet Stems, Great Friend
• Cardstock: Whisper White, dsp by Srapbook Wall
• Ink: Versafine black, SU markers - ballet blue, bordering blue, eggplant envy
• Accessories: brads, dimensionals, deckle scissors

Featured Stamper Challenge #FS134

This is my card for today's Featured Stamper Challenge at Splitcoast. Darlene's gallery is phenominal! If you need some inspiration, that is the place to go!

I chose to CASE this card because I knew I could finish it before church. I changed the cardstock, dsp, embossing folder, and stampset. I also changed the layout slightly and used flat backed pearls instead of ribbon.



Recipe

• Cardstock: Rose Red, Whisper White, Bella Rose (retired) and Berry Bliss (retired)
• Ink: Rose Red
• Stampset: Four Square
• Accessories: flat back pearls, scalloped square punch, 1" punch, embossing folder

FaveCrafts Mettalic Pearl Inkpads contest

Metallic Pearl Inkpads
New Colors For FolkArt®Marvy Uchidawww.Marvy.com

Review by Maria Nerius
This is a new line of inkpads from Marvy Uchida. The inks have a metallic look with a touch of pearl shimmer. This is pigmented ink with a raised inkpad. The top of the inkpad indicates the color of ink. The ink is acid-free, archival and water based. Once dry the ink is water resistant. There are 8 colors in this line: gold, silver, black, blue, red, green, orange, and violet.
Testing Feedback
Great colors. The metallic pearl shimmer is very pretty.
Easy to clean up. Just soap and water for hands, stamp, and work area.
Inkpad is easy to hold in your hand to ink the stamp and also direct to paper techniques.
The top of the inkpad is easy to seal onto the inkpad, less change of your inkpad drying out.
You can never have enough metallic ink colors. Great for special cards like holiday and graduations.
Marvy Uchida inks compliment each other; it’s a brand you can depend on.
Win these New Ink Pads!

http://www.favecrafts.com/sweeps/Metallic-Pearl-Inkpads-Giveaway#

New card, as promised!

Most importantly, my Dad went home last Friday from the hospital. He's still not 100% but he is a lot better than he was!




As promised, here is a card using one of the new sets from the Holiday Mini Catalog; it's called Autumn Splendor.


I made this card for yesterday's Featured Stamper challenge over at Splitcoaststampers.com. Here is my gallery submission that shows a link to the card I CASE'd. I chose to leave the sentiment off for now; I'll add that when I actually use the card.


It's hard to see in the pic, but the leaves are popped up for depth. I used two colors of ink - I first tapped the image in Really Rust, then in Old Olive to get just a hint of color. The trick to that is to use the lighter ink for the base color and the darker for the highlight. That way, you won't ruin your lighter inkpad.


Recipe:
Stampset: Autumn Splendor (available to order Sept 1st)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Really Rust
Ink: Really Rust, Old Olive
Accessories: Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, ticket corner punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder (herringbone)

Life has been crazy lately!

I haven't been making many cards lately; it seems that "life" has gotten in the way. :-)

My Dad was rushed to the hospital last week and he is still there. I'll find out more this morning, but the hope is that he will be able to go home today.

He went to his doctor because he thought he was coming down with pneumonia again. It turns out he was suffering from congestive heart failure; his doctor sent him immediately to the emergency room. I am very thankful that he didn't wait to see his doctor and that he is getting very good care from the doctors and nurses at the hospital. I've been spending most of my non-working hours at the hospital since he got there.

My Dad is an active 74 YO man and he loves his race car! There was a small article at www.daara.com (you have to scroll down on the home page to see hs pic and the note) which is the racing associaton he belongs to.

If all goes well and he goes home today, I will be able to post something new in the next few days. My Stampin' Up! order will be delivered today and I will have new toys to play with!

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge and Blog Candy!

Wowsers! Go check out this site, pricillastyles, for an awesome blog candy giveaway! She is giving away a SU! Big Shot, doctor's bag, and embossing folders!

Oh my! I would faint dead away if I won that.

Be sure to leave a comment on her blog for your chance to win.

This is my card for today's Limited Supply Challenge at Splitcoaststampers. the challenge was to use either digi stamps or die cuts. I don't have any die cuts, so I used a digi stamp that I got a few months back from Mel Stampz
This was my first attempt at coloring a digi stamp; it's OK, I guess, but I sure do need practice with my copics!


Recipe:

Stamp: digi stamp from Mel Stampz

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, LeJardin dsp (retired)

Accessories: ribbon, Martha Steart flad back pearsl, copics

Become a SU! Demonstrator

Holy cow! Look at this sign-up special that Stampin' Up! is running this month! THIS is a fabulous deal!

From the Customer Page at stampinup.com :

While anytime is a great time to join the Stampin' Up! family as a demonstrator, joining during July and August is especially sweet!

Starting your own Stampin' Up! business means free and discounted products, plus a little extra cash--and who couldn't use that? Plus, from July 15 - August 31, you can become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for only $85!

The special, limited-time Mini Starter Kit contains many of the items you need to get started in your new business, including

*For All You Do stamp set
*In Color Classic Stampin' Pads (6)
*Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
*In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
*Business forms and tools


Or if you want to buy the standard $199 Starter Kit, in addition to the supplies listed below, you'll get all six of the new In Color Classic Stampin' Pads and one pack of In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")--a $43 value! The standard Starter Kit includes

*Four stamp sets
*A Stampin' Around wheel, handle, and ink cartridge
*Stampin' Pastels
*Card stock
*Eastern Blooms Décor Elements and applicator tool
*Five Classic Stampin' Pads
*VersaMark Pad
*Stampin' Scrub and Mist
*Blender pens
*Business forms and tools

These special offers--the Mini Starter Kit and the In Color add-on to the standard Starter Kit--are only available for a limited time, so you must act fast! Benefits of Becoming a Demonstrator whether you just love to stamp, or you want to grow a successful, thriving business, the Stampin' Up! opportunity is the right fit for you. Stampin' Up! demonstrators enjoy many benefits, with just a few listed below:

Product discount. Demonstrators get a 20 percent discount on all Stampin' Up! products, including stamp sets, paper, and accessories. It's a great way to support your love of stamping and paper crafting.

Extra income. You'll earn extra income based on your sales and recruiting--how much extra income is up to you. Maybe you just want enough income to pay the electric bill every month, or maybe your goal is bigger--the monthly payment for your new car--it's your decision! See the Compensation Table for more information.

Flexible schedule. This is your business, so you can put in as much (or as little) time as you'd like.

Support from Stampin' Up! We love our demonstrators and it shows through our demonstrator support materials, including a monthly magazine, workshop ideas, and audio and video trainings on all kinds of topics available on our Demonstrator Web Site.



Email me if you would like to take advantage of this special promotion. I would love to have you on my team!

New Catalog Today!

The 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! catalog goes live online today at noon (Mountain Time). As soon as it is available, I will out a link on my sidebar.

Get ready ..... get set .....

Sympathy Card

Sympathy cards are not fun to make and it's hard to get excited about one. But unfortunately, there are times when a sympathy card is needed.

I used mostly retired Stampin' Up cardstock and designer paper.


Recipe:

• Stamps: MSE
• Cardstock: River Rock, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, LeJardin DSP
• Ink: Chocolate Chip
• Accessories: ribbon, Marvy punches, Sizzix dies

Sneak Peak Set - Autumn Days

This is my project for next week's getogether for the FL Stamping Sisters group (a demo-only group)

We are having a shoe box swap using new items from Stampin' Up! I decided to do something other than a card this time. This is a cover for a 3x5 tablet.

Cut your base card stock at 5-1/4" x 7-5/8" Fold the cardstock in half (longways), then score at 3/8" on both sides of the center fold.

Fold the cardstock along the c enter fold and make two cuts about 1" from the top & bottom; stop cutting at the score lines. Fold the top and bottom sections in (valley fold) and the center section out (mountain fold). This will hold your pen.

Secure your tablet inside; I used multi-mono glue. Decorate the front as desired. The layer of DSP was cut at 3-1/8" x 5"

Recipe:

• Stampset: Autumn Days
• Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Lovely Flowers DSP (from Hostess Level 3)
• Ink: Chocolate Chip
• Accessories: brads, scalloped border punch

Stampin 411 Sketch Challenge

This card is my entry for the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge.

This was a fun sketch and I'm sure I'll be using it again. The floral image was stamped then colored with markers. I put some Crystal Effects over the flowers to make them pop.

I like this card, but it is rather bland and the 1" strips of DSP are "lost." If I use So Saffron again, I'll use Chocolate Chip as the base and add a layer of Chocolate Chip under the 1" strips of DSP.





Recipe:

• Stamps: Sweet Stems, Oval All
• CS: So Saffron, Whisper White
• DSP - Tea Party, SAB paper
• Ink: Basic Black, So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery
• Accessories: Crystal Effects, large and scalloped oval punches

Late Night Stampers designers

Check out these great blogs for some wonderful card and rubberstamping projects! These ladies design for the Late Night Stampers yahoo group.

1.Gretchen Barron gbarron56@comcast.net http://gretchenbarron.typepad.com/
2. Barbara Dondero barbaradondero@gmail.com http://BarbsStampingSpot.blogspot.com
3. Tammy Fite stampinmama@comcast.net www.stampwithtammy.com
4 Judy Jackson JudyStamper@verizon.net
5. Mary Brown mary@stampercamper.com http://stampercamper.com/
6.Sarah Wills sarahwills@austin.rr.com http://sarahsinkspot.blogspot.com/
7.Selene Kempton e.selene@verizon.net http://stampinfunwithselene.blogspot.com/
8.Virginia Killmore vkillmore@gmail.com http://virginias-website.blogspot.com/
9. Elizabeth Sloman sloman4100@bellsouth.net www.mamastamper.com
10.Marisol Gutierrez atouchof_sol@yahoo.com http://atouchofsol.blogspot.com/
11. Dawn Bullock Dbullock28@comcast.net www.stampincreations.blogspot.com
12.Sandi MacIver sandi_maciver@comcast.net http://www.sandimaciver.com/sandi_maciver/
13.Stephanie Sullins stephenandsteph@earthlink.net http://owlwhimsy.blogspot.com
14.Susan Shields blestmomof6@cox.net http://createdwithlovebysusan.blogspot.com/
15. Rebekah "Becky" Jens en www.stampthat.com
16. Heidi Michel heartfeltblessings@gmail.com www.heartfeltblessings.blogspot.com
17. Barb Slaughter stamper0910@yahoo.com
18. Lisa Milliron uniquedesignsbylisa@windstream.net http://www.uniquedesignsbylisa.typepad.com/
19 Connie Babbert iluvstamping@columbus.rr.com http://inkspiredtreasures.com/
20 Nancy Dawson nancy@centralva.net http://creativewishes.blogspot.com
21 Bethany Keeney bethanykeeney@hotmail.com http://keeneyfarm.blogspot.com/
22 Kirsten Brown stampinsilly@gmail.com http://imstampinsilly.blogspot.com/
23. Mary Jo Price-Williams technostamper@roadrunner.com http://technostamper.blogspot.com/
24. Elizabeth Hurst stampwithelizabeth@gmail.com www.animalscraps.blogspot.com
25. Vivian Swain florida_scrapper@earthlink.net http://floridastampinwithvivian.blogspot.com/

Home from vacation

We returned home last night from vacationing in Tennessee. My husband's family lives there and it was nice to visit with them again.

Now it's time to relax for a while and get caught up around the house with such chores as laundry and mowing the yard. Apparently there was quite a bit of rain while we were away and the grass has grown a LOT!

Stampin' Up! on Youtube

Wow, check this out! Stampin' Up! has a channel on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/stampinupvideo

So far, there are nine videos to choose from. Go check them out and see for yourself!

Get Ready! "Last Chance" list coming soon!

Stampin' Up! will be publishing the "Last Chance" list on June 1st. That list will contain the stampsets and accessories that will be retiring as of June 30th. As soon as it is available, I will post a link. You'll only have a few weeks to get those sets you want before they are gone forever!

Copics ... yay!

This is the first card I actually made after coloring an image with copic markers. I really like the copics and will slowly be acquiring more colors (as the budget permits!)


Recipe:

Cardstock: SU!Close to Cocoa, unknown lilac cardstock, Afternoon Tea DSP, WW
Stamps: SU! Serene Spring (image) , Gina K (sentiment)
Ink: image - stazon black, sentiment - Chocolate Chip
Accessories: sakura clear glitter pen, copic markers

Stampin' Up! Scrapbook Special!

What an exciting opportunity for scrapbookers to become a demo!

Scrapbooking Starter Kit Promotion


Dates: May 1-31, 2009

Promotion Details
In celebration of National Scrapbooking Month, join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator for only $75 with our limited-time Scrapbooking Starter Kit. The Scrapbooking Starter Kit contains the following:

Item Code Description Retail Value
113510 Schoolbook Serif Alphabet stamp set* $42.95
113059 Simply Scrappin' Petal Party $19.95
108697 Earth Elements Assorted textured card stock $11.95
105240 Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad $7.50

*Substitutable for any stamp set up to $43.95 value.



Email me for infomation on how you can sign up for this special to become a SU! demonstrator. I would love to have you join my team.

Mother's Day gifts

This is a photograph envelope that I am giving to my mother and my mother-in-law for Mother's Day this year.

I found the instructions at Becky Oehler's blog. She made her photo pouch from Papetrey Ink envelopes. I decided to make my own envelopes from textured cardstock.

The directions for custom envelopes can be found on the Scor-Pal website.I cut my cardstock to 6-3/4" by 10-3/4" the sentiment was compute-generated and printed on Very Vanilla (StampinUp!) cardstock.

Two new cards

This is my card for today's Limited Supply challenge at Splitcoaststampers.com The challenge was to make a card based on a room in your house. I chose to use the colors in our guest bathroom, olive and wine. The pattern on the shower curtain and towels is roses, so of course I needed to use a rose stamp.

I am a bit proud of myself with this card; I actually used some of my hoarded retired In Color stuff!

Recipe:
Cardstock: True Thyme, Purely Pomegranite,Very Vanilla
Stamp: Inkadinkadoo clear stamp, Stitched bg
Ink: True Thyme, Purely Pomegranite, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Purely Pomegranite satin ribbon, brads, word window punch






This is my card for tomorrow's shoe box swap for the FL Stamping Sisters group. This was a fun card to make.

Go here to sign up for a newsletter on how to make the die cuts with SU!'s Top Note Die. It is so simple!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Rose Red, So Saffron, Rose Red DSP
Stamps: Soft Summer, Oval All
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, So Saffron, MellowMoss
Accessories: Top Note die, brads, large oval punch, scalloped oval punch.

Blog Candy Alert!

(not me! one of these days I'll offer some blog candy!)

Mary Giemza is celebrating 3,000 hits on her blog and is giving away some awesome candy! (nesties among other stuff!!)

Head over to her blog, http://mycardz.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/blog-candy-2/#respond , and leave a comment. She does ask that you post on your blog about her candy.

Happy Easter (belated!)

I hope everyone had a happy Easter and enjoyed some family time.

My husband and I (and his parents) drove to Orlando after church to have dinner with my family. It was a great afternoon; everyone (except my older brother & his family who live in VA) was there. We enjoyed ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (yum!), veggies, pies, fruits, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something!

A couple of challenge cards

This is a double challenge card!

FTL34 and IC172 I really like this sketch and will be using it quite often!

Recipe:
Cardstock: So Saffron, Kiwi Kiss, BellaRose dsp, cs from Michaels
Stamps: Elegant Thank You
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Accessories: Martha Stewart flat-back pearls









This is my other card for the FTL34 challenge.

I used PTI cardstock, dsp, and ribbon that I received in one of the PIF threads at SCS. The white layers are embossed with Cuttlebug folders and the flower is popped up.

Recipe:
Cardstock: PTI cs and dsp, Whisper White
Stamp: Embrace Life (sentiment is from a set I picked up at Joanns)
Ink: Elegant Eggplant (retired color)
Accessories: MS flat-backed pearl, PTI ribbon, Cuttlebug embossing folders (D'Vine Swirl and Swiss Dots)

Black Rose Artichoke

Today's challenge at SCS was a color challenge: CC209 The colors were Black, Rose Red, and Always Artichoke.

This was a "quick and simple" card that took all of about 15 minutes from start to finish (including clean up!).

Recipe:
Stamp: Sweet Stems
Cardstock: Whisper White, Rose Red, Basic Black, and Always Artichoke & rose Red DSP's
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Stampin' Up markers, Cuttlebug embossing folder, marvy punches

Two challenge cards today!

This is my card for the Cinema Saturday Challenge, #19. The movie this week is "Emma" with Gwyneth Paltrow.

I have never seen this movie. I took my inspiration from one of the movie posters where Gwyneth was holding a teacup. Part of the challenge was to incorporate dots; I used the dotted ribbon and the pink brad.

Recipe:

Cardstock: Very Vanilla

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Stamp: Stitched background

Accessories: Metallic gold marker, dotted ribbon, primas, pink brad

This is my card for Gabby Green Eye's Saturday Challenge. BLOGC3

Gabby posted a heart template with instructions to create a basket of flowers.

Recipe:

Cardstock: Sage Shadow, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Ink: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip

Stamps: Rubber Stampede (basketweave), Clearly Wordsworth (sentiment), Kinen background

Accessories: Dollar Store flower, dew drops, Chocolate Chip marker

Sympathy Card

This is definitely the type of card I don't like to make, but unfortunately, sometimes a sympathy card is needed. This is for a sister Wish-RAK'er on Splitcoast.


I thought it was appropriate to use items that I received through Wish RAK - the image, inside sentiment, and round tab punch. The image was watercolored using Stampin' Up! markers


Recipe:
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Kiwi Kiss, chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Stazon black
Stampset: Serene Spring, Close as a memory
Accessories: SU! markers, watercolor pen, round tab punch, self-adhesive flat backed pearl





This is a picture of the inside of the gate-fold card.

New Challenge on Splitcoast!

Woohoo! There is a new weekly challenge at Splitcoast! It is the CAS Challenge (CAS = "Clean and Simple"); this week's inspiration piece was flannel posted in the thread.

This card is my take on the butterfly flannel. I used the front of a 3x3 notecard I had made as the focal image. I stamped the card base with SU!'s Polka Dot background stamp. Talk about quick and easy! This card was done in about 5 minutes!

Recipe:

Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Purely Pomegranite, Whisper White, Au Chocolat DSP

Ink: Purely Pomogranite, Craft White

Stamps: Happy Heart Day, Polka Dot BG

Accessories: ribbon, sakura glitter pen, ticket corner punch, scalloped circle punch, 1-1/4" circle punch, white gel pen

Black Base Card, as promised!

We are still having water problems, but hopefully my husband will be able to get them taken care of tomorrow.




Here is the card I made for last Friday's SCS Limited Supply Challenge .

This card didn't end up exactly as how I picured it, but I like it. I wasn't sure what ribbon to use; as I was digging through my ribbon drawer, I ran across this pink ribbon that I've had for ages! I got it a long time ago when I was still sewing.



Recipe:
Stamps: Garden Collage
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Rose Red
Ink: Gray
Accessories: Pink fabric ribbon, dew drops, SU! chalks, Sabrina (brand) DSP, corner punch

Ugh! Plumbing Problems!

My husband, Father-in-law, and I have been re-plumbing our house since last Thursday. We discovered a supply-line leak under the slab last week and decided it was easier & more cost effective to run new water lines through the attic.

Uhhhh, yeah! It's a time consuming project, that's for sure! Four days of cutting water lines, gluing connections, running to the store because they needed something else, etc! The water has actually been off since Saturday; we spent the last two nights at my in-laws' house. Today's plan is to turn the water on and pray that there are no leaks at any of the connections.

I did manage to sneak in a card over the weekend; I was able to make a card for last Friday's SCS Limited Supplies challenge to use a black cardstock base. As long as all is well and we can go back home this evening, I will snap a pic and upload it. I think it turned out pretty nice. :-)

Wow! FREE Stampin' Up! Catalog Offer!

Starting February 1, 2009 - April 30, 2009, online orders that utilize the convenience of 24/7 shopping AND select me as their "demonstrator" will receive a FREE catalog with their first order (limit 1 during this period).

Updated Stampin' Up! Catalog Link

The new 2009 Spring Summer catalog from Stampin' Up! is available! I updated the link on the right side of my blog so that you can view it.

After you complete your list of goodies that you "just cannot live without," contact me via email (rjporter@gmail.com) to place your order.

Don't forget, Sale-A-Bration is just around the corner. Stay tuned for more details. ...

Hmm, I need to get to work!

My great-nephew's birthday is coming up soon & his party is this Sunday! :eek: I need to get to work and make his card. I'll probably duplicate the card I made for my friend's daughter's first birthday, except in blue!

I just haven't been motivated in the last week or so to make any cards; it's like my "mojo" is gone. So we'll see how well his card will turn out.

Gina K's January Challenge #3

This is my entry for Gina K's January Challenge #3 seen here.

This card measures 4-1/4" x 6-1/4" and I really like this size. I bought a box of invitation envelopes a couple weeks ago, but didn't notice that they aren't the STD invitation envelope size! This card works great for the envies I bought.

The deets: I used all the retired In Colors from 2007-2008 because I love those colors! I used a blender pen to color the image.

Recipe:

Stamp - Anita's Stamp (no name or year)

CS - Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky, Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi DSP

Ink - Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky, Bayou Blue, Purely Pomegranite, Groovy Guava

Accessories - brads, blender pen

One of our friends little girl turned one year old on Jan 1st. She is an adorable baby! Her birthday party is tomorrow afternoon, and this is the card I made for her.

I used Stampin" Up cardstock and markers, but the stamp came from Michael's dollar bin. They have some of the cutest stamps in that bin! And, I used my Linen background stamp on the pink cardstock to give it some texture.

Recipe:

Stamp: Michael's dollar stamp, Linen BG

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Berry Bliss DSP

Ink: Stazon Brown, Pretty In Pink, Yo Yo Yellow, More Mustard, Bliss Blue, Cameo Coral, Certainly Celery

Accessories: pink rhinestones, SU! markers (all colors except brown)

Happy New Year!

Goodness, it's 2009! What happened to 2008? It blew by!

I participated in a few of the New Year's Eve challenges at Splitcoast; I'm hoping to finish the rest today. Here are two of my cards:

This is for the SCSNYE01 Friends and Food challenge. This had to be a card for a friend and involve food. I't probably a bit of a stretch for a teapot to be considered food ... but it holds a beverage, right? lol

Recipe:

Stamp: Mary Engelbreit

CS: Handsome Hunter, Very Vanilla, 2 different DSP's

Ink: Basic Black, Rose Romance, Pretty in Pink, Mellow Moss, More Mustard, Apricot Appeal, Glorious Green

Accessories: Martha Stewart Lace border punch, rhinestones, SU! markers

This is my card for the SCSNYE02 challenge, Remembering the Past. This challenge was to use a retired Stampin' Up! set as the focal image. I used the sun from the Stardust set. And it had to be flat for mailing; we were supposed to use three layers max,but I used four. oopps!

Recipe:

Stamp: Stardust, Warm Words

CS: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, DSP

Ink: Brown Stazon

Accessories: Sakura gliter gel pen