Sharing a special day of love

 

This is just the ticket for somebody you love! Or two tickets with a heart clip!

 



 

Achievers on my American Ink team came to my studio yesterday to make four special projects - this is one of them. It's a Pretty in Pink card with a Basic Black layer that has been stamped and heat embossed in white with smudges and lines to look like a chalkboard. I add two stamps from That's the Ticket (Spring Catalog Item 128075 clear for $16.95) on a knot of 1/8" Whisper White taffeta, then finished it with a Cute Clip from the Elements pack (Item 129939, $4.95). The lines were made using a white crayon, though my gals got to use a white pencil I had at the studio. It worked much better! I used stamps from Animal Talk, Field Flowers, Word Play, Hearts a Flutter and Itty Bitty Banners. I'll share the other projects this week.

 

Here's one of the things I made for our lunch - a Spinach Strawberry Bacon Salad I found on Pinterest. It also had walnuts and red onions with a dressing that's included in the recipe. I got the photo and recipe here. It tastes SO good! My hubby and kids enjoyed the leftovers, though my son didn't care so much for the dressing.

I also made Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken and a Pink Lemonade Pie. Those recipes are also on Pinterest under my Favorite Recipes board.

 

 

Here in the United States, we have the day off to celebrate the observed birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (His birthday was January 15.) My kids are happy to have an extra long weekend. I went to Atlanta in 1985 and visited MLK, Jr's Ebenezer Baptist Church where he was a co-pastor with his father during the civil rights era of the 1960s. It's an historic site. He truly was a great man whose words mean something even today. I bought a soft metal keychain with part of his "I have a dream" speech on it and used it till all of the letters rubbed off. MLK, Jr. Day is a day of service. Plant a tree, lend a hand to someone in need... just make a difference, share the love, and have a fabulous day. :-)

 

Creating framed art with stamps and punches

 

Temperatures are dropping here, so a penguin in hat and scarf doesn't seem so far fetched! I paper pieced the little guy's clothing for a special project I made for my American Ink team Christmas party gift exchange.

 



Here's the finished project. I've seen so many framed art pieces and have been wanting to make one. I used Candlelight Christmas Specialty dsp, along with a handful of punches (scallop square, 1-3/8" square, wide oval, 1-3/8" circle, mitten builder, and tag), and the Scallop Squares Duo die for the Big Shot. The colors are pulled from the dsp - Early Espresso, Red Red and Old Olive. Stamp sets used include Joyous Celebrations, No Peeking, Tags til Christmas, Word Play, Delightful Decorations, and Snow Much Fun. To add some bling, there are Brights glimmer brads on the mittens, a rhinestone on the Noel ornament, and Dazzling Diamonds glitter on several of the images.

I'll share photos of the party tomorrow! You'll love the gifts (and probably want to make them for yourself!).

American Ink team swaps (a few, anyway)

I'm a couple of weeks late in posting the swaps from our last American Ink team gathering. And we've got another coming up soon! I'm happy to welcome a few new stampers to our group - Welcome Dani, Ginette and Lynn!!! If you're interesting in learning more about stamping, including new techniques, please contact me! You're welcome to join our next group get-together to see and experience the fun for yourself.

Mary Ann's Word Play card

Frankie's Festive & Fun card (Holiday Mini sneak peek)

Pennant Parade and Sweets for the Sweet cards

Tonight was my Stampin' Dessert Party. Women showed up, enjoyed delicious blueberry angel food cake, stamped seven cards (two are shown below), and went home with one of my retired stamp sets. It was a lot of fun!

I CASE'd this bright card from Natasha Zandbergen. It uses Pennant Parade, Just Eat Cake dsp, and Word Play.

I CASE'd this card from Dawn Olchefske. It uses the Sweets for the Sweet stamp set, two embossing folders (Perfect Polka Dots and Square Lattice), Pacific Point and Chocolate Chip ink, and the new mini silver brads.

I just received a visit from the UPS man tonight, so I'll be cracking into my box tomorrow! Check back for more cards, and have a great day.

Tootsie Pop flower pot

How cute would this be to give a friend? It uses Tootsie Pops and punches, as well as a variety of patterned paper and a pot. I took a photo of this on the Alaska cruise. It would make a unique centerpiece for a birthday party, or a pick-me-up for a sick kid. The sentiment is from Word Play.

Blossom Petals Punch for candle flames...

Some of my club members made this card this month. It uses the Blossom Petals Punch in a different way - for the Daffodil Delight flames on these candles. We used a sponge dauber in the daffodil ink to darken the center of each flame. I CASE'd the idea from http://anewinkonlife.typepad.com/, changing the candles to Celebrations dsp, and the ribbon to 1/4" Daffodil Delight grosgrain. I love the little cog (punch) with the jumbo silver brad, which calls attention to the Word Play "Wish Big" (one of my favorite stamps in that set). We also used the Blossom Petals Punch to make the little dip at the top of each candle! Love it!!!

Two challenges in one: Sunny Garden dsp and Word Play...

After enjoying a week-long vacation with my family, I'm back and loving the stamping challenges! Today, I'm using Sunny Days designer series paper, and Stamping 411 Challenge 166. For that one, you can see the sketch below my card.

I started with a Whisper White card and oval. Everything else is Sunny Garden dsp with a medium-sized Poppy Parade heart and strip. I created some faux stitching with a Poppy Parade marker. I used that marker and More Mustard on the sentiment, which is from Word Play.

The oval is adhered with dimensionals, as are the hearts. Three white jumbo brads finish the card.

Stamps: Word Play (120308 wood, 120651 clear);

Markers: Poppy Parade (In Color set 119801) and More Mustard (100076);

Paper: Whisper White (100730), Poppy Parade (119793), and Sunny Garden dsp (119831);

Accessories: 5/16" Neutrals Jumbo Brads (112534); Heart to Heart Extra-Large Punch (119881); Frame Oval Scallop die for the Big Shot (114521).