Happy Birthday ~ From the Herd

I always feel like we live on the Funny Farm. Between kids, the husband, chickens, donkeys and horses (plus the usual dogs and cats), I feel like I manage a zoo. When I saw this stamp set, I HAD to get my hands on it. How perfect is it for this crazy family?

Supplies

Cardstock ~ Basic Gray, Basic Black, Whisper White, Calypso Coral

DSP ~ Stacked with Love

Ink ~ Black StazOn, White Stazon, Craft White, Calypso Coral, Cajun Craze, Baked Brown Sugar, Tangerine Tango, Smoky Slate, Hello Honey, Marina Mist

Stamp Set ~ From the Herd

Embellishments ~ Chevron Ribbon (Calypso Coral), Gold Sequin Trim

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration ~ Teacher Appreciation

I can't believe that this school year is almost over. Where has the time gone? My little ones are growing up way too fast! This fall I will have a Kindergartner and a 3rd Grader. What? 

As this year comes to an end, we wanted to celebrate our wonderful teachers. What comes to my mind when I think Teacher? Apples. I didn't want to wrap up just any apple, so I wrapped up a caramel apple. Perfect! Stampin' Up! What else do I think of? Chalkboards! So, I combined the two. This was a simple, quick project that I think their teachers will love.

Stop by Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration to check out some other wonderful Teacher Appreciation gifts!

*Chalkboard Technique

Using a sponge and Stampin' Up! Craft White ink, very lightly sponge the background in swirling motions till you're desired look is achieved. So simple!

Supplies

Cardstock ~ Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink ~ Craft White, White StazOn, Black StazOn, Cherry Cobbler

Stamp Sets ~ Chalk Talk

Tools ~ Chalk Talk Framelits, Paper Trimmer, Paper Snips, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Sponges, Gusseted Cellophane Bag

Embellishments ~ Cherry Cobbler Chevron Ribbon, Doilies 

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration ~ May Day Basket

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration

May Day is right around the corner. I can't believe we're already a quarter of the way through the year. WHAT? I am still in the flowery Easter mood, so I decided I would make a flower basket. I used a simple box pattern, but added a few special touches.

When I think of baskets, I think of basket weave. So, I decided to make my own, and it was actually pretty easy! I love how this little basket turned out. I think it's a perfect little decoration to celebrate the 1st of May!

How To Basket Weave:

*Basket weave strips are 1/2" wide. Each piece has been sponged with Baked Brown Sugar on the edges.

*Glue each piece down so it doesn't unravel when you run it through the Big Shot.

Add some flowers! Thanks to the Stampin' Up! Spiral Flower Die, I was able to make lots of cute little roses to add to my basket. I wanted a lot of variation in color, so I sponged ink onto Very Vanilla cardstock instead of using colored cardstock. Yes, it's a lot more work, but I really like how it turned out!

Supplies

Cardstock ~ Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Coastal Cabana

Ink ~ Strawberry Slush, Calypso Coral, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Pink Pirouette, Bermuda Bay, Baked Brown Sugar

Stamp Sets ~ Ciao Baby, ABC - 123 Sketch Alphabet & Numbers

Tools ~ Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, Paper Snips, Deco Labels Collection Framelits, Designer Frames Embossing Folder, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Paper Piercing Tool, Stampin' Piercing Mat, Sponges, Dimensionals, Hot Glue, Petite Curly Label, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Sticky Strip, Spiral Flower Die, Floral Wire, Floral Block, Floral (Easter) Grass

Embellishments ~ Pearls, Chevron Ribbon (Calypso Coral)

I really really enjoyed creating this basket and I hope I've inspired you to create your own little basket of flowers. Don't forget to stop by Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration to see some more April inspired creations!

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration ~ Watercolor Wednesday!

It's Wednesday! Not only is it Hump Day, but it's Watercolor Wednesday over at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration!

I absolutely love the watercolor technique. There is so much room to play.

I wanted to really showcase the technique, so I chose to make it POP by using a black background and bright vibrant colors. For this technique, I sponged Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe and Pumpkin Pie onto White cardstock. I then "flicked" water onto the surface, creating the splotches. Next, I stamped the {So Sorry} sentiment and embossed it with White embossing powder. SIMPLE!

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Basic Black, Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White

Ink ~ Crisp Cantaloupe, Strawberry Slush, Pumpkin Pie

Stamp Sets ~ So Sorry

Tools ~ Decorative Dots Embossing Folder, 3/16" corner punch, Oval Framelits, Paper Trimmer, Dimensionals, Heat  Tool

Embellishments ~ Rhinestones, Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack Crisp Cantaloupe Twine

So Sorry Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$16.95

Decorative Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

$0.00

Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack

$0.00

Ovals Collection Framelits Dies

$26.95

3/16 Inch Corner Punch

$6.95

Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents

$4.95

White Stampin' Emboss Powder

$4.75

Heat Tool

$29.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

The Garden Gate ~ Carved with Love

I absolutely LOVE the new "Hardwood" stamp from Stampin' Up! It's so earthy and warm and manly. Perfect for a Valentine's Day card for my hubby! He is the most rugged, manly man I've ever met so a pink cutesy frilly card just wouldn't do it for him. I immediately thought of cutting this stamped image up and adding depth to it by shading the edges with a sponge and adding a darker piece of paper as the base. It worked! Once I did that, I added mini brads to each end to make it look like a gate. I added a few of the new embellishments from the Occasions catalog and a quick sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes and it was done! 

I wanted the heart to look like it had been carved with a pocket knife. How sweet is that? So, I pre-stamped the heart in Soft Suede and traced around it with Soft Suede and Early Espresso markers. I used a masking technique to stamp the arrow from the Geometrical stamp set (I'm slightly addicted to those arrows!). 

Supplies

Cardstock ~ Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake

Ink ~ Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler

Stamp Sets ~ Hardwood, Hearts a Flutter, Geometrical, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Tools ~ Stampin' paper trimmer, 3/16" Corner punch, Word Window punch, Dimensionals, Paper Piercing tool

Embellishments ~ Mini Brads, Natural 5/8" Chevron Ribbon, Basic Metal Buttons, Linen Thread

Beautifully Baroque #146: A Soft Subtle Thank you

This card totally strikes my fancy. I love the subtle tones. I think these two colors complement each other perfectly. I created this card for Retro Sketches challenge #96. It's a fun sketch with lots of room to play.

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Smoky Slate, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White

Ink ~ Smoky Slate, Pink Pirouette

Stamp Sets ~ Beautifully Baroque, Gorgeous Grunge, Lovely Little Labels

Tools ~ Beautifully Baroque Embossing Folder, Brayer

Embellishments ~ Pink Pirouette Chevron ribbon, Frosted Finishes Embellishments

How To:

*You will assemble these with Dimensionals

Sweet Treats #144: A Gift of Love

I'm not normally a Valentine's Day kinda girl. It's usually all too mushy for me. I'm such a tomboy. Ugh! Anyway, I got a wild hair and decided to make something cute and Valentinesy. Yes, I know that's not a real word. I saw a cute little gift box on Pinterest this morning and just HAD to come up with my own spin on it. Besides, I have a LOT of retired Valentine's supplies that I need to use up! I really like how this turned out. I can't wait to stuff it with goodies and send it on it's way!

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Primrose Petals, Whisper White, Pool Party core'dinations

DSP ~ More Amore (retired)

Misc ~ Window Sheets

Ink ~ Basic Black, Primrose Petals, Pool Party

Stamp Sets ~ Hearts a Flutter, Affection Collection

Embellishments ~ Pirouette Pink Chevron ribbon

Smooch #142: A Sweet Change of Pace

After the Christmas rush, it was nice to get a little time to do something new. Valentine's Day is coming and it will be here before we know it, so I decided to {try} to get a head start. I don't have many {any} specific Valentine's Day stamp sets (I'll have to work on that), so I improvised.

I am in LOVE with Beautifully Baroque. I wasn't sure if I really would use it much, but so far I've used it QUITE a bit. I'm pretty happy with that purchase! This is a simple card, it was quick to put together and everything turned out right the first time!

The sketch is from Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration. 

*I had to add a little "oomph" so I put in a cute little window. It was so simple, but it added so much.

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Sahara Sand, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Cherry Cobbler, silver emboss powder

Stamp Sets ~ Beautifully Baroque, Off the Grid, Ciao Baby, Itty Bitty Banners

Embellishments ~ Cherry Cobbler Chevron Ribbon

Drinks for All!

I'm kind of hooked on these cute little bottle tags. Here are a few more for the Christmas Season!

Supplies:

Cardstock~ Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

DSP ~ First Edition (retired), Glimmer paper in Champagne

Ink ~ Cherry Cobbler, Baked Brown Sugar, Cherry Cobbler Embossing powder

Stamp Sets ~ Santa's List, A Banner Christmas

Embellishments ~ Cherry Cobbler Chevron ribbon, Brads dipped in Cherry Cobbler Embossing powder

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Crisp Cantaloupe, Early Espresso

DSP ~ Glimmer paper in Champagne

Ink ~ Crisp Cantaloupe, Early Espresso

Stamp Sets, Beautifully Baroque, Daydream Medallions, Christmas Messages

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Early Espresso, Baked Brown Sugar, Sahara Sand

Stamp Sets ~ Remembering Christmas, French Foliage (retired)

Embellishments ~ Antique Brads, hemp twine, orange ribbon

Bags and a Bottle o' Rum

Yep. It's official...Fall is in the air. I sat in my cozy woman cave and played most of the day. WHOOP! I know it's a bit early, but I'm preparing for the kids' school Halloween parties. Here are Preston's treat bags for his little preschool class.

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Perfectly Plum, Wild Wasabi

DSP ~ Sweater Weather

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Basic Black

Stamp Sets ~ Positively Chevron, Gorgeous Grunge, Off the Grid, Ghouls, Make a Monster

Other Supplies ~ small brown paper bags, googly eyes

*Small paper bags and googly eyes not SU products.

As I worked, I sipped on this yummy, hot and fall appropriate drink. Don't worry. The kids were at Nana and Papa's and it was well after noon. he he he

Hot Spiced Rum Cider

Recipe:

64 oz. jug of Apple Cider

1 Tbsp Cinnamon

1 Tbsp Ground Cloves

1 Tbsp Nutmeg

Spiced Rum

Stir all ingredients together in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer for a few minutes while stirring. Pour with a ladle into a mug, add a shot of Spiced Rum and enjoy!