It's the little things...

I received the new SU! catalog the other day and one of the first things I do when I receive a new catalog is to look at all the wonderful layouts used on the card samples. The designers for SU! have such a wonderful, clean line style!

This layout was one of my favorites. I pared it with the new Friendly Expressions set by Anna Wight (for Whipper Snapper). I stamped the flowers on the white panel, letting the top of the bouquet go off the edge. I then stamped it on the green pattern paper. Lastly, I lined up the white panel so the bottom of the bouquet matched the top (on the green) and attached. Once attached, I trimmed off the left edge. The right edge was scallop cut using a Fiskars border punch.

Next, I stamped the flowers on a scrap piece, colored with Copic markers, cut out and attached with glue and foam tape. Only the center flower is popped up.

Here's a look at the card standing open. You can see that the front is trimmed shorter than the back so the blue shows.

I love the way Anna mixed fonts for this sentiment. I highlighted little things with one swipe of a marker. A touch of ribbon and a few glass baubles finish it off.

Thanks for stopping by! The sun is shining in MN today and there are hopes of Spring in the air. (I say that not having been out side to see how dang cold it is! LOL!)

HB

Supplies

Stamps: Friendly Expressions (Anna Wight for Whipper Snapper Designs)

Paper: SU!, Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions), Sandylion

Ink: Momento, Copic markers

Misc: Ribbon (May Arts from StartLitStudio), Robbin's Nest glass baubles (Eclectic Paperie), Fiskars border punch, tracing wheel

New Stuff!

WooHOO! The new Our Craft Lounge release is right around the corner (mid-February)!

Here's a little peak...

Just in time for Spring! (oh would someone PLEASE tell Spring to hurry up!!!)

Don't you just LOVE new stuff!

HB

Happy Anniversary TECC!

Taylor is celebrating the one year anniversary of the Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge! Each of the ladies on the Weekly Cupcake Crew has designed their own sketch for the celebration. I'm featuring Donna Baker's sketch challenge. You can check out the sketch on her blog Serenity in Stamping and find out about the prize you can win by participating!

I used the adorable cuppie couple from A Year of Sweets I set. Don't you just love the cupid cuppie! The papers are all cut into equal sized peices, attached to a piece of white cardstock and then stitched (yea!!! I found my sewing maching foot!).

I masked the clouds when I stamped the original image so that it would fit inside a rectangle Nestie. Then I stamped the clouds on a scrap piece, outlined them with a Copic marker (B001), ran them through my little Xyron sticker maker and plunged them in my glitter tub. I love using the sticker maker (you know, the little Xyron that looks like an *X*) when I want to cover things with glitter. The glitter stays put and it's flat, vs clumpy like when I use glue.

These girls are also featuring Donna's sketch:

Angela Knopf: http://www.inkybutton.typepad.com/

Karen Motz: http://paperplayhouse.blogspot.com/

Carolina Buchting: http://creativepad.typepad.com/

Don't forget to check out Taylor's blog, the anniversary celebration headquarters, for all of the sketch challenges as well as an awesome grand prize for one random winner who participates in ALL 9 sketch challenges! We hope you'll help us celebrate this yummy occasion!

Supplies

Stamps: A Year of Sweets I, A Year of Sweet Sentiments (Taylored Expressions)

Paper: Bo-Bunny, K & Co, Making Memories. Snow White Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions), SU!

Ink: Memento, ColorBox, Copic markers, Gelly Roll shimmer pen

Misc: Copic Airbrush System, Nestabilities, Starfire glitter (Taylored Expressions), red pearls (KaiserCraft), felt heart (Archivers), sewing machine

Luck o' the Irish

Everyone is in high gear for Valentine's Day (me included) so I thought a change of color would be nice. I used the adorable Irish cuppie from A Year of Sweets I (Taylored Expressions) for this pocket card.


The rainbow is my favorite part! I love how it frames the cuppie with sparkles. I colored each stripe with various shades of Copic markers and then went over the whole thing with glitter. The green band on cuppies hat and his tie are colored with a green Copic Spica pen...wonderful shimmer!

The sparklie shamrock on the tag is actually a glittered foamy that I found at Michael's. They had a whole display of St. Patty's Day stuff and those caught my eye and I built the card around it. LOL! Tell me you have done crazy things like that!

I'm going to pick up a McDonald's gift card for the inside of this pocket card. My granddaughter, Gracie, loves Shamrock Shakes and since she's 6, I know she'll love all the sparkles on this card! :o)

Oh, I almost forgot... you have to check out the new cardstock Taylor is carrying (Choice Snow White and Buttercream). It is the BEST cardstock I've used with Copic Markers (and I have tried alot of brands!) Even with small images there isn't any bleeding!

So... now it's back to Valentine's Day! Wait until you see what's on tomorrows post! Be sure and stop back!!

HB

One of a kind...

I am SO not a farm girl. Oh, I lived on a farm once (ok, so it was an acreage, but we had sheep and chickens) but my part of the *farm* began at the driveway and ended at the house. Everything past that was his.

So... if I am so NOT a farm girl, how come I love Anna's chickens so much? Is it cuz I can make them yellow, or blue, or plaid or polka dot if I want? You betcha! LOL!

These chickens are from the new Fish Friends set (Whipper Snapper). Don't you just love the little guy!?! The sentiment is from the Friendly Expressions set.

I used the Copic Airbrush System to create the ground, first spraying with the chisel end with E31 and then with the brush tip end with E35. The brush tip sprays speckles, giving the ground texture.

Hope you're having a FABULOUS week!

HB

Supplies

Stamps: Fish Friends, Friendly Expressions (Anna Wight for Whipper Snapper Designs)

Ink: Memento, Copic Markers

Paper: SU!, Buttercream Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions), the plaid is from my scrap bin

Misc: Copic Airbrush System, tracing wheel, button (Autumn Leaves), hemp (SU!)

Pizza Recipe

I've had some requests for the Baked Potato Pizza recipe. So here it is, but I gotta tell you, I don't really cook with *recipes*. I kinda throw in a bit of this, and a little of that. Good thing is, this pizza can really be anything you want it to be! :o)

I start with a pizza crust (sometimes scratch, sometimes a Robin Hood mix, sometimes a Pillsbury refrigerated crust) on a rectangle baking stone (mine is Pampered Chef, but you can use a cookie sheet too). Pre-bake it for 10 minutes or so at 350° , remove from oven.

Mix sour cream, ranch dressing and whatever seasonings you want (I added garlic salt) to equal about 3/4 of a cup. Spread over the pizza crust not quite to the edge.

Cube a medium sized baked potato (this is a great recipe for the day after you have baked potatoes for dinner, or you can microwave one for this recipe), toss on a little salt and pepper and sprinkle over the sauce.

Sprinkle with a large handful of shredded cheese (I used monterey jack/cheddar mix).

Now, start adding stuff. I used crumbled bacon, artichoke hearts (canned) cut into bite size pieces, chopped green onion, and grape tomatoes cut in half.

Sprinkle on another large handful of shredded cheese over everything and bake for another 15 minutes or so.

Eat and enjoy!

Passion #2

So you know how I'm living in two places, right? During the week I live in St Paul and have a beautiful place to stamp. I keep most of my stuff there so that I can stamp in the evenings.

On the weekends I'm home with my DH and because we have our house for sale, all the rest of my stamping stuff is packed up in boxes. I know I could plan projects and bring stuff home to work on, but I really want to enjoy my time with him because I don't see him all week.

So, what does one do on a Sunday afternoon, when the husband is skiing (I don't like outside fun when it's cold!) and all the stamping stuff is packed in boxes?

COOK!

I love to cook! Everything from the basics, to gourmet, to hotdish. So I thought I'd share what I did with my Sunday afternoon.

Cooked chicken (deboned to make a chicken casserole and stock to make soup).


Baked potato pizza (with bacon, fresh tomatoes, green onions and artichoke hearts. YUM!)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies (DH's breakfast staple. lol!)

So now you know... I have TWO passions (well, 3 if you count DH! ;o) )!

HB