Hi there,

Today’s sweet butterfly card is just what I needed to cling to what’s left of my summer.  Back to school/work for me in just over a week!

I get all giddy and girly when I play with vintage book paper things, like these butterflies.  I just adore them!  I did the centres with some bright and cheerful brads, and added some shine to their trails with a glittery gel pen.

This card’s from the sketch below – over at Unscripted Sketches.  Simple and pretty.  Thanks, ladies!

Hiya!

I played with another sewing project.  Baby’s first chequebook cover – modified from Prudent Baby.  I am oh-so-proud!

First off, I heart this fabric! 

So it’s important to note that my seams aren’t perfect.  I have a lot to learn, and have a hard time practicing.  This is my practice. 

In my effort to find a chequebook pattern, I quickly found that most were not the right size for my apparently “Canadian” chequebook.  It opens from the narrow left side, not from the top, and is pretty long (7 inches.. No snickers, please).

My front and lining pieces were both 7.5” x 7.5” and the pockets were 3.5” x 7.5”.  Some modification still needed ;-)  I’ll let you know!  I might even do a tutorial :o  (appropriate oohs and ahhs are welcome).

OK, I’m not going to point out all the imperfections ;-)  I’ll just try to make a better one for next time.  And hey, maybe I’ll add a fun little flower to it!

Check it out.. one of the pockets is a home for note paper, so I can make lists on the go!

 

This week’s date was all kinds of fun.  Nathan and I adore live music, so when we heard that Andrew Allen was coming to town to play at a great local restaurant, we jumped at the chance and got dolled up. (I need a haircut!)

Andrew is friends with a good friend of mine, so he had played at her wedding, even though it was an hour drive to the absolute middle of nowhere on a logging road paved of giant rocks.  What a nice guy!

His music’s awesome.  You should check out the latest music video, and request this song repeatedly on the radio!  I’m glad we’d purchased his CD at that wedding last year, so we were totally able to rock out ;-)

What a fun date!  Two great things put together – food and music.

To see others’ dates, head on over to the Project 52 section of Simply Modern Mom.

On the weekend I hosted an 80’s themed bridal shower for my very dear friend Sara.  Thank goodness I had  helpful bridesmaids and a grown-up flower girl on my side!

What could be more appropriate as an 80’s party favour than some candy that was around back then? NERDS! 

This was super easy to do.  I dressed the boxes up with a strip of scrapbook paper.  Next, I punched the 2 label shapes (Stampin’ Up!) out of bright cardstock and used some pop dots for dimension.  And of course, the “thank you” stamp (Stampendous).

I had a whole pile of tomatoes on my counter.  I stole them from my mom’s greenhouse, as she’s away for the week.  Don’t tell on me.

I sliced them up, sprinkled on the secret ingredient (some amazing truffle salt I got in Seattle), added torn basil and mozzarella, and drizzled on some balsamic vinegar.

Oh man.. If I ever run out of that truffle salt, I’m not sure what I’ll do.  Thank goodness it can be purchased online!  And whatever will I do when I no longer have fresh basil on my deck?

Tomatoes with Mozzarella, Basil, and truffle

• 1/5 cups sliced tomatoes (any kind. locally grown are of course best)
• a pinch of 10% black truffle salt
• 1 oz mozzarella cheese, broken up
• a handful of basil, torn
• 1.5 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Slice the tomatoes and lay them on your plate.
Sprinkle over the truffle salt
Throw on the basil leaves and the cheese
Drizzle the vinegar across everything
Let it melt in your mouth

When a date lasts for 4 days, it’s ok to count it as multiple dates, right?  I’m counting our trip to Seattle as 2 dates, since it was probably worth more than that.  4 days of quality one-on-one time in a fun city away from home.  Works for me!

Our trip in picture form, after the jump!  (keep in mind that my picture-taking skills are pretty poor, plus we had limited time and bad lighting!

When you’re done, check out others’ dates. Head on over to the Project 52 section of Simply Modern Mom.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hey there!

A card? Say what? I have a paper crafting blog and I actually made a card?!? It was bound to happen at some point ;-)

I was given the sweetest clear set of cupcakes for my birthday, and today’s the first time I put them to use.  They’ve even been sitting on my desk this whole time.  I thought I’d add glitter, because it’s a cupcake.. and a birthday card.. and both just need glitter.  I also used one of my favourite techniques – paper piecing.

This card’s for this week’s sketch (#103) over at Clean and Simple Stamping (actually sketch shown below).  They’re the first blog I wanted to check when I was feeling like I needed a challenge and some inspiration.

Materials:

Cardstock: Amuse shimmer paper, and Basil Basics
Stamps: Stampendous cupcakes, and Hero Arts polka dots
Accessories: Glitter glue and some chunky clear glitter I had.  The ribbon’s from Amuse.  Oh, and some lovely vintage book paper :-)

The sketch:

Hi there,

This week’s date is an exceptional one.  We decided somewhat on a whim to celebrate our one year anniversary by going to Seattle for a few days.  What a fun city!  The last time we were here, we had pretty much no money.  We stayed in a scary, dirty hostel (ok, it wasn’t that bad), wandered around town eating on the cheap.  We wanted to have a second go at it and enjoy more of the city.. namely the amazing cuisine.

My view from my ferry seat – a very sleepy and computery Nathan

We headed out Monday morning without a pretty important item.. Nathan’s passport.  I’m pretty sure we’ve never managed to go anywhere without some kind of stress caused by that boy.  Good thing I left us plenty of time and thought of checking that he had his passport before we got to the ferry.

Finally on board the Victoria Clipper, we zoomed across the ocean.  This boat is seriously handy to have, cutting out many hours of travel if we had driven.  Now if only they had free Wi Fi!

I made my first leap of faith and booked our hotel through Hotwire to get a deal.  We ended up with a pretty nice room at the Sheraton.  I’m definitely a Hotwire convert now, and it’s kind of fun having the heart attack excitement of not knowing where you’re booking before you pay.

Night 1: Up the Space Needle to our backup plan for dinner.  We chose a yummy sounding Italian restaurant, which turned out amazing.  Such good food, wine, and a great waiter.  He got us both free desserts.. Now if only my tummy didn’t feel explodey.

The rest of our stay here is pretty booked up. We still need to get up the space needle, go on a gourmet food tour, and a Boeing tour – you should have seen how giddy Nathan got when I mentioned this as a possibility! To compensate, he’s going to enjoy some quality time with me wandering the Pike Place Market ;-)  We must love each other.

To see others’ dates, head on over to the Project 52 section of Simply Modern Mom.

Hey there.  I hope summer’s going well!

I’m pretty excited, I have to admit.  I got my sewing machine a good month ago and haven’t done much other than a few stitches here and there, plus some hemming. I’ve had my eye on so many projects, but just haven’t gotten up the guts to try anything.  Until now.  Check it out!

It’s a real something, and it actually looks pretty cute!  What is it, you ask?  A tissue holder.  It fits those little travel packs of tissue oh-so perfectly.. and you know me, constantly needing tissues for my allergies, so this little lovely specimen now lives happily in my purse. 

I have to thank A Lemon Squeezy Home for her amazing tutorial for tissue pouches.   She really made it super easy.  All I had to do was go out and buy some ribbon and some heavyweight fusible interfacing.  I’m just so surprised at how easy everything was.  I don’t recommend using the type of ribbon I had though.  It wanted to bend like a willow branch. Not so fun.

Look, this baby’s even lined!

Too bad you don’t see the lining.. I guess it’s my little secret. Now I can’t wait to go and make 10 more of these! I’m like a proud little mommy.

Hi there!

Today’s Nathan’s and my one year wedding anniversary.  What does this mean?  Paper, apparently.  So maybe a hand-made card fits the bill ;-)  Or maybe a paper box filled with punched out hearts?  I’m not so sure he’ll go for that unless there’s candy mixed in.

To celebrate, we decided to use a gift certificate Nathan had for a nearby restaurant.  Only problem is that I got him to make the reservation for the wrong restaurant.  Oops. I guess this means a future delicious dinner!

All in all, a great evening with good food, good wine, and good company ;-)  And now I’m off with my family on the Sunshine Coast for the week.  Another super special anniversary date extravaganza coming next week!

To see others’ dates, head on over to the Project 52 section of Simply Modern Mom.

Hiya,

Last night I hosted my very first Stampin’ Up! workshop, with friends and family.  Not many were stampers or had ever stamped anything in the past, so it was a fun new experience.  Here are the cards I demo-ed

I heart this owl card.  I didn’t have the right colour of blue paper to go with my little button and owl, but that’s ok for now.  Isn’t he cute?  And everyone loves embossing :D

This was our make and take.  Some people had some pretty creative variations!  I always like using chalk on Versamark ink.  It’s like magic.

This was a fun little box that I came up with.  Glue dots galore.. and look what’s inside………………………………….

Cherry candies of deliciousness.  I gave this little guy away as a door prize.

All in all, a fun evening.  Thanks for joining me, everyone!

To order anything from me, including custom made cards or materials, or to book your own workshop, contact away.  You can check out my Stampin’ Up! Website or email me.

Hi there!

I’ve been working on organizing a wedding shower and bachelorette for my best bud, Sara – with help from the other bridesmaids, of course.

Seeing as how I love all things made out of paper, I had a lot of fun making the shower invitations.  We mostly did invitations by email, but I got to make some real, tangible ones for her family peeps.  I’d fallen in love with the idea of a petal card, so I just had to do that.

Of course, I didn’t like any templates I came across, so I built my own.  Mostly so I could get it the right size.  I just used Microsoft Word, some ovals and a square.  Next, I pasted in the adorable birdies from Digital House Design.  Seriously, they’re so so cute!

One petal card accomplished!

For the pdf (outline and birdies only), click here.

Cheers,

Hiya!

Ummmm.. apologies for no cards in the last forever?  Yes, I do think I’ve fallen off that wagon a bit.  I’m trying to scramble back on; have no fear!

Today’s card is a mostly digital one that I made for the latest sketch challenge over at Everything But the Kitchen Sink.  Like usual, I had just acquired these papers and needed to put them to use!

I just adore the colours, and those birdies – oh my! 

Materials:

Stamps – ‘Hugs’ – Hero Arts
Inks – Memories (Momento) – Artprint Brown, Tim Holtz Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink
Paper – All from Digital House Design Studio – April Papers by Jen Allyson
Accessories- Buttons – Basic Gray, hemp string, Border punch – Martha Stewart

And the sketch (I rotated and flipped it a bit.. artistic license?)

Have a fabulous weekend!

Hi there!  Well, today I have a recipe that I’m itching to share.  This was my very first try at making potato salad, and I’m head over heels in love with it.  I sort of made up the recipe, with some help from Fine Cooking.

Some highlights in it: Apple and fennel, eggs (a must), and some goodies from my herb garden: mint, chives and thyme.  I can’t believe I used to loathe mint in anything other than dessert and gum!  This is so tasty and pretty darn healthy, considering it has a vinaigrette dressing.

Potato Salad

Serves/Yields: Serves 8 as a side dish

For the Dressing

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 cloves garlic, pressed or mashed to a paste
1 tsp. honey
2 tsp. finely grated lime zest
1-1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

For the Salad

1 tsp. plain rice vinegar
kosher salt
3-1/2 lb. medium waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold or red (or 3-1/4 lb. baby potatoes), scrubbed clean
1 cup thinly sliced celery and chopped celery leaves
1 cup thinly sliced fennel (quarter and core the bulb, then slice crosswise)
1 cup small-diced Granny Smith apple
4 large hard-boiled eggs, diced
3/4 cup chopped fresh chives
3/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Make the Dressing

• Whisk the balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
• Slowly whisk in the oil until combined.
• Whisk in the garlic, honey, lime zest, cumin, and thyme.

Make the Salad

• Combine the rice vinegar and 2 tsp. salt in a large bowl.
• Let sit to dissolve the salt.
• Put the potatoes and 2 Tbs. salt in a 6-quart pot and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch.
• Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.
• Cook the potatoes until barely tender when poked with a fork or skewer, 20 to 25 minutes.
• If the potatoes aren’t all the same size, remove them as they are cooked. (Baby potatoes will take 5 to 10 minutes.)
• Gently drain the potatoes in a colander and set aside until just cool enough to handle.
• Using a paring knife, peel the potatoes by scraping off the skin. (Skip this step if using baby potatoes.)
• Cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch chunks. and add to the bowl with the vinegar and gently stir with a spatula to coat. With your fingers, pull apart any pieces that are stuck together.
• Gently fold the celery, sliced fennel, apples, hard-boiled eggs, chives, and mint into the potatoes.
• Whisk the vinaigrette back together and fold enough of it into the potatoes to generously coat them (you may not need all of the dressing).
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve while still slightly warm, or at room temperature.

So so worth taking the time to try.  If you do, let me know what you think!

Hiya,

This weekend was a whirlwind of activity!  Some call it camping.. I like to refer to it fondly as “the place where you get all dirty and smell like smoke within the first 5 minutes!” Doesn’t that sound like fun to you?

Nathan and I headed out on Friday morning to camp the weekend away with a group of friends.  We ate great food (s’mores, anyone?), chatted a whole lot, and swam in the coldest water I’ve ever been in.

That’s right, it was freeeeeezing. The kind of cold that you don’t “get used to.”  Instead, it just hurts your bones more and more.  But hey, I did jump in 3 times!  Can I please have a river that is NOT glacier-fed next time? Thanks.

All in all, good fun.  And Nathan – the non camper – actually wants to go camping again!

Now head on over to Simply Modern Mom to see her and others’ dates this week to get some ideas.

Hiya,

Nathan and I DID do a date last week, and it was the kind of which I’m oh-so-very fond.  Something athletic/physical.  This date was quite a feat for me.

Now there’s something you should know about me.  I have not ridden a bike in at least 12 years.  That’s a long time in the land of biking!  You know the saying “it’s just like riding a bike” ?  Well, getting back on and having it go smoothly is not so easily done after TWELVE YEARS!  We had to take baby steps.

We started on the quiet streets near our condo.  I practiced balancing, changing gears, and signalling.  At first, I couldn’t even take a hand off the handle bars. 

Next, I graduated to the amazing bike path that goes across the city.  We really only went about 5km, but this was a big step for me.  I conquered a hill, passing other cyclists and pedestrians, all the while keeping my balance!

It was definitely a fun date.  Nathan was very encouraging and gave me some tips.  I felt pretty accomplished!  I still don’t think I’m ready for riding on the streets and dealing with traffic.. how do you build up to that?

Oooh, and that wonky, old, and overly big helmet is no more.  I got myself a very brightly coloured new one!

To check out others’ dates, head on over to Project:52 at Simply Modern Mom.

I’ve been dabbling in crafty things.. in a very random style.  My Stampin’ Up! goodies have arrived, so I can start hosting parties.  Check out my site and store for more info!

I’ve also been playing with those braided headbands.  Check out what I came up with!

These are so much fun to make!  For the “untidy ends,” I wrapped a piece of ribbon around them, thanks to my friend Jana and a great tutorial for the suggestion.

These are now available in my Etsy Store!

Back to card making soon, I hope.  Sometimes you just have to go where the inspiration takes you :-)

I’m having a headband obsession type thingo.. I got inspired by my friend Jana who made a scrappy headband based on a tutorial over at Smile and Wave.  I decided I’d give this a try with some upcycled t-shirts!

At first, I really liked the white idea…

And then I decided to try some colour!

So far, I’ve made these 3.  They’re such a good use of scraps, and pretty easy to make, although my sewing machine didn’t much like sewing the ends.

I think I’ll give these a try with some different fabrics, like quilter’s weight cotton, to get a different look.. and how cute would they be with a little rosette? OK, doing that now!

look, look, look!

Tada!

These will be for sale in my Etsy Store soon!

Hello again!

Today I had some time to participate in challenge 98 over at Clean and Simple Stamping.  The sketch was a lovely little window frame type of thing.

I had just printed off some digital papers from Design House Digital and had to use them.  So here we are, bright pink all over again.

I hope everyone’s enjoying summer.  I’m looking forward to splashing around in some refreshingly cool water on Sunday, as we tube down the river.  Divine.

Materials:
Cardstock – Melon Mambo (Stampin’ Up!) and digital papers (Design House Digital)
Stamps – Hero Arts and Amuse
Inks – Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories – corner rounder punch

And here’s the lovely sketch:

Enjoy the sun!

Another week, another date!

This week, a bunch of Nathan’s family is in town, so we trekked over to his parents’ place (oh so far.. like a 20min drive :p ) for a delicious family meal out on the patio. 

 
Here I am enjoying my wine, with Nathan “being cute.”  Check out the headband I made that morning from some scraps!

Nathan’s aunts and uncles got together to make a giant plate of gooey cheesy scallopped potatoes – easily the best I’ve ever had, an amazing ham, and some pan-fried cabbage.  We washed this down with wine and finished off the meal with my MIL’s famous peanut butter ice cream cake.  I’m getting hungry thinking about it!

All in all, a great meal.  It was nice to reconnect with family who we hadn’t seen since our wedding last summer.

Head on over to Simply Modern Mom to see what others did on their dates for Project 52: Date Night.

Hi there,

It’s been a while since I posted a card.  I’ve been preoccupied with thoughts of school, friends, sewing, and joining Stampin’ Up! as a demonstrator.  That’s right, I’m now officially a demonstrator!  I haven’t received my starter kit yet, but I’m so excited to start!

I got my SU website all set up, so you can contact me there, shop online, get ideas, and set up workshops.  There’s so much fun coming my way!

To celebrate, I made this fun pink card using Stampin’ Up! materials.

The card fits into one of my favourite challenges – Sketch 97 over at Clean and Simple Stamping.  Head on over there to see what others have done.

I just love the simplicity, and of course, the vintage book paper.  Don’t read too closely, it’s something about a dog taunting a cat whose head was stuck between window bars. But the cat got away!  Happy ending ;-)

I’m anxiously awaiting my Stampin’ Up! starter kit.  In the meantime, I will play with these discontinued items I just *had* to have before they were gone.  Please let me know if you’d like to set up a workshop with me, and we’ll figure that out :-)

Here’s today’s challenge sketch

Materials:

Stamps: Embrace Life set (paper pieced) – Stampin’ Up!
Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Razzleberry Lemonade paper (Stampin’ Up!), and vintage book paper
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, Antique Linen distress ink
Accessories: Hemp thread, button (Basic Gray), dimensionals.

I made an exciting purchase yesterday.  But first, try this recipe.  Seriously.

I am so crazy for this recipe that I just had to share!  It’s for strawberry-watermelon slushie, or pops.  I originally got it from Our Best Bites, and have made a few modifications.

Photo from OurBestBites.com

Strawberry Watermelon Slushie

• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (or lime’s good too)
• 1/3 cup splenda (do not use 1/3 cup from the packets – they’re a lot more concentrated!)
• about 2 cups watermelon cubes
• about 3/4 pint fresh or frozen strawberries
• some ice cubes
• vodka (optional) – about 4 oz

Blend everything but the ice and vodka, until smooth, then add cubes with blender running, add ice cubes, one at a time.  Stir in vodka, if using.

OR

Photo – OurBestBites.com

Omit the vodka, and freeze them into these yummy pops.  I’m in heaven.

My exciting (to me) news?  I got myself a sewing machine yesterday!  After much searching and reading reviews and talking to people, and reading more reviews, and looking at sales, I got this one!  The Babylock Grace.  I’m in love.  Now I need to learn to sew.  My first project was to hem some tights, and I must say, they turned out lovely.

I just received an email request to do a quick blog post on a web-based tool called Photovisi, that allows you to make photo collages on the site, then download them to your computer. 

My first instinct was “blah, spam!” But then I read the email and thought about how I have no collage-making software right now, and since I host my own blog (ie: I don’t use Blogspot.com or Wordpress.com), I don’t have built-in collage software.  I decided to take the leap and click on the link.  I don’t know about you, but I was surprised that I actually liked what I found!

What I like about Photovisi

• It’s Web-based (no program to download)
• It’s super quick and easy
• They have different collage templates to choose from
• You can edit (rotate, resize, omit) pictures in your collages

Here’s a collage I made of my last set of cards:

Check out a quick photo-tutorial after the jump (It’s pretty self-explanatory, but hey, who doesn’t like a tutorial?!)

Read the rest of this entry »

Hi there,

So I missed last week.. We’ll just have to do some extra dates ;)  It’s not that Nathan and I don’t see each other.  He works from home. He’s 20 feet away from me for most of the day!  We even do a whole lot of activities together – something at least every second day.. I just can’t always call them “dates.”

This weekend we had a double date, and it was so much fun, and so relaxing!

I spent Saturday with my bestie, Sara, shopping our little bottoms off.  Our last stop was groceries to make us and our boys a fabulous dinner.  We rushed back to her place, and the cooking began.  The boys even helped!  They chopped, they stirred, they grilled.

On the Menu:

• Garlic Bread (multigrain and delicious)
• Sara’s potato salad
• Shauna’s garden salad with pear, grapes, walnuts, craisins and a honey citrus vinaigrette
• char grilled chicken with an herb glaze and another with a honey bbq sauce
• caramelized onions and mushrooms
• strawberry rhubarb pie (we had to buy this one pre-made)
• sangria
• rosé

Yum!

Our fabulous dinner was followed by a fun wordy game called Buzzword.

This was definitely a date I’d do again and again.

To check out others’ fun dates, head on over to Simply Modern Mom and click on the Project 52 category.

Hey there! 

I’m not dead, I promise!  I’ve just been out of the house a whole heck of a lot (and am finally feeling better)!  I started this set of cards, knowing exactly what I wanted to do, on Thursday.  Yes, it took me that long to finally sit down and get them done. 

I absolutely adore little cards, so what could be better than a set of wee cards?  These guys are 2.75” x 4.25” (half the size of your standard handmade greeting card).  And I heart them.  I’ve put them up on my Etsy shop, if you’re interested.

From some random fluke, I think these guys work for two challenges this week.  They were initially my idea for this week’s challenge over at Just Add Ink – it was to use patterned paper.. I think I succeeded ;-)  And it sort of works for the sketch challenge #96 over at Clean and Simple Stamping (see image at end of post)

Everything’s edged using Tim Holtz’s Distress inks.  The butterflies are punched using a Martha Stewart punch on vintage book paper.  The wee button’s by Basic Grey and thank you is from a fabulous set by The Stamps Of Life.

Thank you ;-)

Hey there,

Well, I’m still scrapbooking the wedding album.  We’ll have been married a year August 1st, and I still haven’t finished this!  Luckily I’ve gotten to honeymoons (we went on a mini one after the wedding, then a real trip in January).  This has sat on the back burner for many months now, so I figured today was a good day to pull it out.

As you can see, I’m doing pretty much the bare minimum, as far as scrapbooking goes.  Hey, I used pretty paper, and rounded my photo edges!  But yeah, no layouts, no layering, no embellishments.  If you’re lucky I might add a few stickers or something ;-)  And hey, I promise to label the pictures and even do a bit of journaling! 

I love having albums, but I’m more of a card maker, so the whole fancy-amazing scrapbook thing doesn’t happen much with me.

Cheers,

Help! I’ve been sucked into the land of all things digital.  And it’s actually not so bad over here.. OK, it’s amazing.  I could waste happily spend my entire day (and many others) playing with digital papers and designs.  It’s making me so happy!  Bonus?  This card is totally my style.  So often my own style can get lost, but here it is. Clean and simple with colours I love… and glitter.

This is my very favourite digi kit.. watercolour amazingness!Well, it’s actually called Watercolor DigiKit, but I like to think my name’s much more creative.

This card’s for the latest challenge over at Everything But the Kitchen Sink (see sketch below).  I’m just so happy with how it turned out.  Those papers are all kinds of pretty.

I started with a cute little 4”x4” card.  The circle window is just from a Paper Shaper punch.  I added some glitter to the flower and some pearls to the sentiment.  That sentiment’s just a cute font that I got at the most amazing website ever.  They make fonts out of people’s handwriting and let everyone download them for free.  Some people have very cute handwriting, and let’s just say, this one isn’t my own! I could go on. I’m so addicted!

The Sketch:

• Cardstock: Blue grid, green and beige dots printed onto white cardstock
• Accessories: Pearls by AMuse, Prisma Glitter, Paper Shapers circle punch 1 1/2”

Check out others’ projects for this challenge.

Cheers,

Hi again,

Well, I managed to convince myself to get up out of my computer chair and make my way to my crafting chair.  Yep, I made a card!  Father’s Day is quickly approaching and I needed a card for my good ol’ dad.  He’s a nature kind of guy, so frogs work, right?

I checked out this week’s Wednesday Challenge over at the CAStastic Wednesdays Challenge blog, and just had to participate, as their theme is Father’s Day!  Check out all the other great submissions!

For this card, I was inspired by this week’s Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World.  Note the stripes?  And some of the colours?  That’s what I did with my inspiration ;-)  Check out the stripey inspirational map pillow:

I can remember when our family grew corn in between the rows of our apple orchard.  Wee little tree frogs would hide out in the corn stalks, so my dad would catch them and bring them over to show me.  Precious.  Granted, he’d also do things like catch snakes or black widow spiders to show me.. but I’m sure he meant well!

The lovely frog is by Stampendous.  I stamped him onto some patterned paper and painstakingly cut him out.

Happy Tuesday,

Hey there,

Well, I’ve been home sick since last Thursday.  I was feeling better over the weekend, and maybe pushed that a bit too far, since I’m much worse now.  You’d think that being at home all day would give me lots of time to do all sorts of crafty things and post them all, but I’ve mostly been sleeping and watching TV.

This week’s date definitely wasn’t glamorous.  We needed some quiet time at home together, so we did our old standby of watching an episode of House, curled up on the couch together.  It was nice :-)

In other news, I’m thinking pretty hard about becoming a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.  I think it’d suit me.  I’m sort of excited, although it wouldn’t be until sometime in July. Eeeeeee :D

Alrighty then.  To check out others’ fun dates, head on over to Simply Modern Mom and click on the Project 52 category.

Cheers,

Heyya,

It’s finally warm and sunny here.  We’ve been waiting in anticipation for this weather for months now!  Of course, with the sun comes my craving for a mojito.  My favourite so far this year?  the Strawberry Basil Mojito.

Deeeelicious!  The sweetness of the strawberries combines so well with the spiciness of the basil.   A good friend of mine found herself without ice cubes one day, so she decided to use frozen strawberries instead.  Brilliant!  Think about the potential? Raspberries? Mango chunks, oh my!  You can play around with the sweetness and omit the rum if you like.

Mmmm.. as the strawberries start to melt and release their delicious sweetness… I could drink myself under the table with these..  (which brings up a good excuse to make these nojitos! – also yum with frozen strawberries)

Strawberry Basil Mojitos

• 12 large basil leaves
• 1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
• .5oz simple syrup (more to taste)
• 2 oz white rum
• 4 oz club soda
• 5 or so frozen strawberries (5 slices if large)
• crushed or cubed ice

Add basil, lime juice and simple syrup to a martini shaker and muddle.  Add rum and club soda, and stir or shake.  Whatever makes you happy.  Fill a glass with strawberries and ice.  Strain mixture over the ice.  Add more club soda to taste.  Enjoy.  Stay above the table.

Hey there!

I’ve been slacking on the cards, you say?  What could I possibly be doing that has caused me to let you down in that department?  Ummm.. working? yes.. but also, I’ve been putting in good hours at getting my clear stamps into a new system.

A binder.  On sheets. Large, binder-sized sheets.  Do I like this system?  Well, seeing as how I haven’t done any stamping, I can’t really tell you one way or the other.. but I don’t love it yet.  Maybe it’ll grow on me.

What I had was all my clear stamps in little CD jewel cases, stamped onto the covers so I could see in crisp black in what goodies were inside each one.  The problems I faced there were numerous.  Some stamps were just too long to fit inside the cases, and the cases are so small that the sheer number of them was just too many to constantly flip through.  My shoe box storage bin was full. More than full.

Meet my new stamp binder.  Well hello, there!  Isn’t she pretty? I have to admit, her insides just aren’t so pretty, but she’s useful!  Check out her guts.

I ordered some heavy duty clear sheets from the Old Island Stamp Company.  Gosh their website’s awful, but their products are great.  And they’re super local, on a little island near here.

On a sheet of cardstock I stamped out the image of each clear stamp I’d have on the adjacent page, then stuck them all on their pages.  There’s nothing worse than not getting a visual display of what you have.

Downside to this system?  Well, the fabulous clear sheets are catchier and harder than paper, so they’re not so forgiving when you try to flip them back and forth around binder rings.  Pretty frustrating, actually.  So I may photocopy all of my stamped out pages to have a sort of index at the front that I can flip through so much easier.

I started this project with a 3/4” binder.  I’m sure glad I traded up to a 2”!  wow.  Now to get my card-making mojo back.  Can one pray to the mojo gods?

Heyya!

So once again, this week’s date was definitely a group date.  A large group date!  I can’t help it, it’s been a busy week.  See a pattern here?  Well, this week I got old celebrated my birthday!

To be honest, we sort of had 2 dates this week.  The first one was on my actual birthday-day (Wednesday).  I had a blissful day where I only had to work half a shift teaching a super lovely class.  I allowed myself many little yummy treats (like Starbucks), and I did what I could to make the day stress-free.  We played our usual Wednesday night Ultimate Frisbee game, then rushed home to shower.  From there, it was out to dinner with the boy and my dear friend, Sara.  Delicious. Such a good birthday! 

And the gifts.. wow!  Nathan got me the matching wedding band to my engagement ring (I’d bought a much cheaper one, thinking that it didn’t matter to me that they matched).  Darling Sara gave me a precious Version 2.0 of a date book that I’d made for her.  Hers was even more fun and creative than mine.  I’m so very much looking forward to our future girly dates together!

Date 2 – the group date – was loads of fun too.  I’d planned a Super Fun BBQ Birthday Party for myself.  We had so much amazing food and I made sure to have a bazillion hamburger toppings.  Some star toppings: caramelized onions, bacon, pineapple rings, jalapeno havarti.. wow.. I want another right now!

I also made a giant jug of sangria, and 2 types of cupcakes.  Oreo cupcakes (try them, you’ll swoon) from Annie’s Eats

Picture taken by miss Annie

The others were mini strawberry shortcake cakes.  I can’t take credit for the oh-so-clever name.. that’s all care of The Pioneer Woman.  Her recipe is to make it into a layer cake, but hey, who doesn’t like things better when they’re individually sized?

 
Step one: assembly

These.. wow.. I’d gain several pounds per week if I ate these things as much as I ever wanted.  A lovely helping of Heaven.

Step two: devour ice and place on a pretty platter for guests to enjoy.

I can definitely say that this was a great birthday week.  Nathan grilled our food to perfection and was a fabulous co-host.  We’re a good team :-)

Head on over to Simply Modern Mom for Tiffany’s and others’ dates this week!

Heyya!

Well, it’s nearly my birthday (in 3 hours), so I’m celebrating a bit early.   I was perusing the Moxie Fab website and came across the latest trigger.  It is trigger Tuesday, after all!  Well, I fell in love.. let’s just say that all things wedding make me want to get all crafty and creative.

I feel like this card could easily be birthday appropriate too.. how clever ;-)  But anyways, about the wedding bits..  You should see the trigger:

I loved the green, the pink, the orange… and the crisp, crisp white!  I also adore the stencilled mr & mrs.  That’s where I got my inspiration for the subtle swirly background in psychedelic embossing powder.

This bouquet and patterned paper are both from a digi kit that I got from 2 peas in a bucket.  I added a wee bit of Twinkling H2Os to the flowers for some shimmer.

Oh weddings.. so much fun to get all creative for…

Happy crafting,

Hey there,

This week’s date was fun! (OK, they’re all fun, but I love when they involve food).  We had 2 friends whom I hadn’t seen in years over for dinner.  It involved food prep. Lots.  I made some delicious guacamole, fabulous salsa, a yummy salad with grapes, goat cheese, pecans, and the best shish kabobs with a warm crusty bread!

(not my picture)

Nathan grilled the shish kabobs to a juicy, tender perfection.  Trust me, I was happy to see that we had enough for leftovers the next day!  The secret?  All I did was chop up my veggies (peppers, zucchini, and onions), chop cubes of chicken breast, and peel prawns.  In 3 separate bowls I marinated them in some low fat Greek salad dressing for an hour or so.  Stick ‘em on skewers and grill.  If you’re using wooden skewers, soak in water for several hours first.

We chatted with these friends a whole lot over the yummy food.  These people are great athletes who now do bike racing for fun.  (Crazy? I think so!)  It’s pretty intimidating, but I’m trying to be motivated by them.  I have yet to ride my bike in the last millennia 8 years.

Check out Simply Modern Mom for Tiffany’s date, and check out others’ date nights by clicking on the links under Project 52: Date Night.

Follow the links at the top for the recipes for the guacamole and salsa.  And get the salad recipe after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

Hi there,

Let me tell you about my week(end).  My girlfriends decided to make an event of the new Sex and the City movie (yes, the one that got like zero stars, no thumbs up, etc).. but hey, I like any excuse to dress up and drink martinis.  Problem?  I hadn’t seen a single episode!  So I borrowed all 6 seasons and started watching.  Well, I can’t say I’m caught up.. I’ve been sort of randomly watching them.. but to get me through parts of Season 6, I made this fun little card.

This one’s for the latest challenge (Sketch 57) over at Unscripted Sketches.  I had so much fun with this watercolour element flower that I got with my digi kit from Two Peas in a Bucket

I used some Twinkling H20s for the blue on the flower – plus some Diamond Glaze.  I’m also pretty fond of that little “enjoy today” stamp.  It was free with a Verve order!  (Gotta love free things!)  Speaking of free, the other day at the grocery store they had some bouquets that had expired, so I got a beautiful one.  With a little pairing down ít’s beautiful in our dining room.

Here’s the original sketch

Now go check out what creative things others have done with it!  And wish me courage to live through this movie tonight!

Heyya,

Butterflies and flowers.. two things that I’m addicted to I use all the time in my cards.  What can I say? It’s love!

Today’s card is for this week’s sketch challenge (#92) over at Clean and Simple Stamping.  I got to use my new solid butterflies stamp from AMuse.. Yep, still in love.

I used my vintage fairy tale book again for the background.  The flower is a template from lovely Martha.  Oooh, the bluey-turquoise and green paper (not the background 2) are both from a digi kit by Two Peas in a Bucket.  I’m pretty fond of this kit, so I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of the elements here soon.

Both the butterfly, middle strip, and tag (in blue) are Martha Stewart punches, and I added a wee gemstone to the butterfly.

*sigh*  Butterflies remind me of life’s simple pleasures.  They make me smile.  Maybe it’s a good addiction to have ;-)

Here’s the sketch I used

Cheers,

Heyya! Well, I had the day off, so I decided I could spend some time playing in the craft room.  Later today I’m hoping to attempt a new recipe – Mango Nut Bread.  Sounds super yummy!

Today’s card is for the challenge over at Everything but the Kitchen Sink.  I was inspired by the sketch, and it was the perfect opportunity to try out a technique I’d seen on Moxie Fab World using my new Japanese masking tape.

I cut out a shipping tag shape from some kraft paper and layered on my Japanese masking tape in strips.  Next, I stamped a Japanese cherry branch image using Satzon ink.  I added a sentiment and some twine to finish off the tag.

I stamped the little dragonflies on vintage book paper, cut them out, scrunched them up, and added some little pearl embellishments.  I also re-stamped the cherry blossom on white cardstock, painted in some of the blossoms, cut them out and tacked them on, finishing them off with some Diamond Glaze.

The image from EBTKS is here, along with my tape inspiration

I love these colours.. purples and pinks and browns, oh my!

Now wish me luck with this bread!

Heyya!  It’s been a while.  I have a good excuse this time around – I’ve been out of town for 5 days!  I watched my wee little sister play copious amounts of hockey on a Bantam AAA team.  Needless to say, they didn’t win, but she played better than most of her team ;-)

So without further ado, I’ll let you get acquainted with the card I popped out today.  ‘Tis birds!

I just picked up this little bird punch and had to use it on some vintage book paper.  And of course a vintage book tag too.

This is for Sketch 56 over at Unscripted Sketches.  Another fun one to work with, as usual :-)

And here’s the sketch in real life

Cheers for now!

A month or so ago I purchased some herbs in an attempt to always have the fresh stuff on hand for added deliciousness in my cooking.  I started with last year’s chives, rosemary and lemon thyme.

My additions were some much-needed sweet basil, Italian parsley, peppermint, and cilantro.  When I bought the cilantro, it looked all big and green, but it had needed to be transplanted about 3 weeks prior!  I nearly lost the whole bunch, but after some coaxing (water and sunshine and a dose of flower extract to kill off aphids), it’s just started to flourish.

Check out how they’ve grown.  The peppermint has gone crazy (as expected) and I’ve already made some gosh darned good mojitos.  I also got to use a pit of the parsley in a pesto that I’ll post about sometime soon.

I also recently bought some more cilantro and some beautiful purple basil (just for the colour).. but unfortunately the basil isn’t too happy with me.  I put it outside where it’s just not basil temperature yet.  Most of it died 2 days ago :(

My goal is to have a great big lovely amount of basil, as it’s my favourite herb.  I’d really like to try to make some real basil pesto.  I’ve never done that before – nope, just parsley pesto.  Can you make it grow? Send little growing fairies my way.

Cheers,

Hey there, and happy Monday! Today’s card is for the Challenge #55 over at Unscripted Sketches.  I decided to go with bold and bright.  It’s been pretty cloudy weather here.. maybe this’ll brighten things up a bit :-)

This is take two of the rosette.. and what do you think about the stamping on vintage book paper?  Does it make an ok background piece? 

The leaves I just cut free-hand, then stamped some leaf stamps over them using VersaMark ink, just for some texture.

Whew.. crafting is all kinds of work!