Wishing you a Happy & Healthy 2012!

Hi stampers!   Just popping in to wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy New Year!  As the years pass - I realize just how important good health is!

Here's a card I made today for the Inspiration Challenge over on Split Coast.

The inspiration Etsy Shop that Steph had for us was called Embroidery Everywhere and I was inspired by this Asian doll .

As I stated on my last post - I've been cleaning out my stamping room and came upon a sweet set of Four Chinese Dolls by Hero Arts - perfect for my inspiration!

I stamped the row of flowers across the card and colored them with Copics. Then I dry embossed a rectangle Nestability on the card. I stamped and colored my Chinese Doll, cut her out and layered her inside the frame with foam tape. My card is 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 (my favorite size to make!)

Then I added Tiny Twinkles to the flowers and to her robe. I stamped the Chinese symbol for Health in the corner. I will use this as a get well card!

Kent and I are going out to an early dinner at a new Thai Restaurant in the next town over from us - called Spice.  Then we'll be home on the couch watching the ball drop on TV (if we can stay awake that long!!) - safe and snug in our warm home - (which I'm SO thankful for!)

What are your plans for this New Year's Night???

Stamps: Hero Arts - Four Dolls & Tiny Chinese Wishes

Paper: white - PTI

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black & Bahama Blue

Accessories: foam tape, Copics - B00, B24, R20, R29, E50, Y17

The Princess and the Purse

I'm in the midst of cleaning out my craft room -  I have so much 'stuff' in there I have no room to stamp and no place to put my new goodies (I see other heads nodding!).  I've already filled 5 big boxes with stamps I no longer use and haven't even put a dent in the room!  It seems like an endless job - but I'm trying to do one section at a time and not think about now much more there is to go.  I know it will be worth it when I can stamp in a less 'cluttered' environment!

So -  here are 2 creations I did manage to create in the clutter -  both for Split Coast Challenges this week.

This little fairy birthday card was made for  3 challenges -  I was inspired by this  fairy from the Urban Art Loft from the Inspiration Challenge, the Ways to Use it challenge was to use a digital image and I was also inspired by this week's Queen for the Day Barbara's pretty cupcake thank you card  .   I was inspired by her framing her image with a Nestability, using a dotted background and using a banner for her sentiment.

I changed the size of my card to 4 1/4 x 4 1/4.  My Godchild looks just like this adorable fairy Tabia from Mo's Digital Pencil - so this will be for Eden's next birthday! (it's not till November so I hope I remember where I put it by then!)

And I made a little leopard purse for the Tuesday Teapot Challenge -  Our inspiration was a leopard teapot!
You will find this week's Teapot Tuesday challenge here in the SCS forums.

I used a purse die by PTI to create my little bag - cutting it out of cocoa card stock and layering some leopard patterned paper over it.  I added 3 ceramic brads with punched stars behind them down the center. My tag is a stamp from the Afternoon Tea set by Waltzingmouse . I tied it around my wrinkled seam tape bow with some book twine.

This will go to a friend with either a little cookie/candy treat, teabags or maybe a gift card inside!

Fairy Birthday

Stamps:  Fairy Tabia - digi image by Mo's Digital Pencil, Sentiment from MFT Pure Innocence-Birthday Princess

Paper: white, lavender moon, textstyle bitty star basics - PTI

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Weathered Wood

Accessories: Copics - E00, E37, R20, RV23, RV11, BG10, Star Circle & Nested Lacey Pennants Nestabilities, Rhinestones - Kaiser, foam tape.

Leopard Purse

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Afternoon Tea

Paper: Vintage Cream - PTI, Close to Cocoa & Choc Chip - SU, unknown DP

Ink: Archival Coffee, Ranger Distress Tea Dye

Accessories: wrinkled seam tape, book twine & purse die - Papertrey Ink, ceramic brads - Basic Grey, Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive, Micron 01 fine black pen, star punch - McGill

Clean and Simple Snow!

I've been missing a bit here on the old blog - I'm on vacation for two weeks - just at home - busy with holiday preparations and celebrations - some babysitting of one of my sweet grand-nephews - 7 month old James Charles - seen here playing happily with his feet!

- going out to lunch with  my sister at Pickity Place - and today I went to see the Sherlock Holmes movie with my dear husband Kent! - Wednesday I have plans to meet my stamping friend Anne (jdmommy) for lunch and I still have 7 more days off!

I have been stamping though -  and here are two I made for Split Coast challenges - both oddly enough involving snow! (although our ground is bare here in New England we did have some flurries on Christmas Day!)

This card was made for the CAS challenge (to make a window card) as well as the Technique Lovers Challenge - to make a simple thank you card.  I used 3 new toys on this - the Small Madison Window die, the Snowfall die and the Country Landscape die.  I sponged the window and the landscape with Antique Linen.  I love how this came out!

My second snow card is also a thank you card -  made for the Color Challenge which is Night of Navy, Bashful Blue and White with the dessert option of using glitter (that I put on the punched snowflakes!)

The flight pattern stamp is from Little Lady set by Papertrey Ink, and the Thank You is from Join Us set by Waltzingmouse.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Window Card

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Thank You from the set Join Us

Paper: White - PTI

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Distress Antique Linen

Accessories: foam tape, Small Madison Window Die - Poppy Stamps, Snowfall and Country Landscape Die - Memory Box

Snow Flake Card

Stamps: thank you from Join Us by Waltzingmouse, flight line from Little Lady by PTI

Paper: white - PTI, bashful blue - SU

Ink: Night of Navy - SU, London Fog - Memento

Accessories: Snowflake punch and Coarse Glitter - Martha Stewart, foam tape, glue pad - Pallette

A Snow Globe, Gingerbread Men and a Rosette!

Hi fellow stampers!   Here are 3 cards I made in between baking for various Christmas celebrations this week!

First up is a fun snow globe - made for the Try a New Technique challenge over on Split Coast - to make a snow globe!  I cut a circle Nestability, stamped George the Snowman, colored him with Copics and then inked the image with my Palette Glue Pad and covered it with Dazzling Diamonds.  I embossed the card base with Swiss Dots.  I used the SU Key Tag punch for the base of the globe.

 Next is my card for Cindy's SCS Teapot Tuesday Challenge - which was a gingerbread man teapot.  I made a Many Thanks card and used my many gingerbread men stamp for it!

And finally my card for the SCS Color challenge -  a birthday card with a paper rosette flower.

Ok -   enough distraction!   I'm off to wrap some presents!

Snow Globe

Stamps: Rubbernecker - Snowman George #594-02, Let It Snow #151 SO

Paper: white, blueberry sky, black - PTI

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Distress Fired Brick, Palette Stamp & Stick Glue Pad

Accessories: Circle Nestability, foam tape, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, small oval and key tag punches - SU, Dazzling Diamonds - SU, Copics - BG10, YG17, YG63, RV11, C6, R59, YR04 

Gingerbread Thanks

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Candy Jar Christmas Fillers, sentiment from Frame It

Paper: White - PTI, More Mustard - SU

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Distress Tea Dye

Accessories: square Nestabilities, Copic - R29, Rhinestones - Kaiser, Tiny Twinkles - Taylored Expressions, Foam Tape. 

Birthday Rosette

Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Birthday Basics

Paper: White, Textstyle Bitty Dot Basics - PTI, Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral - SU, DP Capetown Scenic Route Paper Co

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Accessories: rhinestones - Kaiser, sizzix Leaf stem die, thick foam tape, thick glue dots, Paper rosette die - Tim Holtz Alterations

Sisterhood Sundays - An Inspiration Challenge

Hello Stampin' Sisters!   It's Sunday and time for another Sisterhood Sundays Challenge!  This week we have an inspiration photo

So pretty in the blues and silver isn't it?!     I'm really done with all the holiday/Christmas theme cards at this point -  so I let the colors inspire me,  not the theme - and created this card:

I clear embossed the Kolo Berry image that I inked with Chipped Sapphire Ranger Distress Ink (this ink dries slower so you can emboss with it!)  I cut the image with Nestabilities 14 and sponged the edges before taking it out of the die.  I colored the image with Copics and added Silver Stickles to the centers of the flowers.

I silver embossed the Ivy Frame on blue cardstock and embossed the edges with a dotted strip.

I adhered the die cut image to the blue panel with foam tape, then adhered the panel to the card.

This would make a lovely thank you note don't you think?!

This is also for the Featured Stamper today over on Split Coast - where I CASE'd this card of Bonnie's.

I hope you'll join us in the Sisterhood Sunday Challenge this week -  you could be chosen a Sunday Sister and win a stamp from Rubbernecker -  check it out here!

Stamps:  Rubbernecker - Colo Berry #531-10, Ivy Frame #557

Paper:  White, Blueberry Sky - PTI

Ink:  Ranger Distress Chipped Sapphire & Weathered Wood, Versarmark Watermark Ink.

Accessories:  Clear Embossing Powder, Silver Embossing Powder, Hot gun, Copics: B34, B37, N2, Silver stickles, Labels 14 Nestabilities, embossed dots - Just My Type Provo Craft Embossing strip.

The 12 Tags of Christmas #12 - Finally!

I finally finished up my 12th Tag of Christmas from Tim Holtz Challenges!  Preparations for Christmas sort of took me away from my craft table - but I was determined to get it done!  You can see Tim's 12th tag here along with all his instructions for the various techniques he uses -  including making the pretty tissue paper flower!

Here's my Tag #12:

I didn't have Tim's printed tissue paper - so I stamped music from  Musical Backgrounds on plain white tissue and glued that to my card base that I had stamped with a text stamp from Text It.   I used sparkly Thicker Letters.   Instead of a white figurine -  I used a tree and reindeer that I had made from Shrink Plastic when I was using that technique on my Tag #11 (that was SO fun!) The sentiment stamp is from VIP Inc.

I'll be back tomorrow with my card for the  Stampin' Sisterhood Sunday Challenge -  hope you'll join in!

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse - Text It, Musical Backgrounds,  VIP Inc - Sentiment

Paper:  white - PTI,  thin coaster, Shrink Plastic

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Distress Walnut Stain,  Picket Fence Distress Stain, Adirondack Cloudy Blue Acrylic Dabber, Alcohol Inks - Rust, Lettuce.

Accessories:  Thicker Letters, glitter eyelash yarn - Martha Stewart, glue dots, wrinkled seam tape, Glossy Accents, tree & reindeer - Sizzix Dies, star button from stash, Melting Pot - Ranger, Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel.

Chanukah Baskets for the Bosses

Today I wanted to share the baskets I decorated and filled for the 3 doctors I work for.   They celebrate Chanukah and every year I like to create something special for them. I got the plain blue baskets at The Christmas Tree Shop for $2.99 each.  The basket is 9 1/2" tall and 8" wide.

I adhered the striped May Arts Ribbon around the top, tied the Glitter Eyelash yarn (Martha Stewart from Michaels) over the ribbon in a bow and added a paper flower I made out of sparkle tissue paper.  I just learned how to make these simple flowers on Tim Holtz blog when he made one on his12th Christmas Tag.

I strung the tag on the basket with the same glitter yarn.  The stamps I used on the tag are from the Mazel Tov set by Papertrey Ink.  I silver embossed the images and added Yellow Stickles to the flames.

I filled the baskets with home made goodies:    

Star of David Sugar Cookies wrapped in a flat bottom clear bag.

home made fudge wrapped in a clear acetate box.  (you can find my simple, delicious fudge recipe here)

and Pecan Rum Cake Bundtlettes with a label added to warn receivers they contain nuts!

Here's the basket filled to the brim with the goodies!

Amazing what a little ribbon, a flower and a tag can do to dress up a plain basket isn't it??!!

I have made these Rum Cakes every Christmas season since I found this recipe in a magazine several years ago.  They are super easy and 'out of this world' delicious!

Bert's Rum Cake

Makes 1 large bundt cake or 12 Bundtlette cakes 

 

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 box yellow cake mix

1 box (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix

1/2 cup light rum

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

4 eggs

 

GLAZE

1 cup sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup light rum

1/4 cup water

 

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 12 cup bundt pan or 2 - 6 bundtlette pans with cooking oil spray with flour.  Sprinkle chopped pecans over bottom.  Stir cake mix and pudding together in large mixing bowl.  Add rum,  water, oil and eggs.  Beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer.  Pour cake batter over nuts and bake for 45-50 minutes.  If you are making the smaller cakes, spoon batter evenly into each mold (about 2/3 cup each) and bake for 20 minutes.

 

5 minutes before cake is done, prepare the glaze.  Place sugar, butter, 1/4 cup rum and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

 

Remove cake(s) from oven and slowly drizzle the glaze over the top while cake is still hot.  It will take several applications to use all the glaze.  Cool cake in pan for 30 minutes before unmolding.  Finish cooling on a wire rack.

 

Yum!!

You can see the gifts I've made in past years for the doctors here and here.

Wishing a very happy Chanukah to all those who celebrate -  starting next Tuesday at sundown.