Pie, mmmm

We have a potluck with two other families tonight, with copious amounts of seafood (mussels/shrimps), steaks, ribs, roasted veggies, rice dishes, on and on.  We are responsible for one pie, ribs, pizza for the kids, and caesar salad.  I am also going to be bringing a surprise appetizer of Cod Tongues (an east coast fav, hoping it’ll be loved as much as I do.  Plus, I just wanna see their faces when I tell them what it is).

I’ve got the pie done.  Thanks, Martha, for the recipe.  Lemon Meringue Pie:

More work than Apple, Rhubarb, or Pecan, but TOTALLY worth it.

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Beates’ Poppies Inspiration

Here’s an inspiration from Beate at SCS.  I normally don’t look at what everybody else submits before I start to work on something, but I did this time.  In the Gallery, everyone had such beautiful cards, & I was a bit intimidated, but lesson learned, just go for it.

Here’s the inspiration from Coldwater Creek of Jo Moulton’s Poppies Picture:

I loved the pin striping of the red, against the mohogany looking frame, so I used the new Riding Hood Red Colour CS & masked it & then brayered it with Riding Hood Red Ink.  The Black CS was actually some old packaging of Cuttlebug embossing folders, cut out with a square punch, moved around to create a window.  I didn’t wait until the glue dried to take the picture (heading outside with the kids) so it looks a bit wet still.  

Stamps:  Wonderful Words, Brayer, Riding Hood Red Ink & CS, Brayer, Flower, Rhinestone brad, Vellum PP, Black Packaging from cuttlebug embossing folder, Square Punch.

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Sparkly Butterfly

I thought I’d have a bit more fun with the Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla, & Certainly Celery colour combo.  Check out Kristina Werner’s Colour Inspiration #20 for details.  Although, I’m sure I’m past the deadline & I’ve already put a submission in!  LOL.

The first time I saw the Pottery Barn Inspiration, I really wanted to use my new cricket Cartridge for the inspiration, but my blade was dull.  So last night, after DH was home & kids were getting ready for bed, I snuck off to pick up a new blade.  

While I was at the store, I saw some Martha Stewart Sparkles.  A whole Rainbow, but I only picked up the black & white sets of glitter (trying to exercise some restrain).  That woman can package stuff.  I think Martha is thinking “now how can I get Amy to buy this?” when her marketing & advertising people go to work.

Paper:  Chocolate Chip CS, Certainly Celery Textured CS, Pink Pirouette INK, Regal Rose Marker, Cricket Home Accents cartridge, Ribbon, Dimensionals, Martha Stewart Sparkles & Glue.

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2 Challenges, 1 card: Thank You.

Now I know why I don’t combine challenges. Too hard, too many things to remember.

I did give it a go, though, with combining Kim’s Artful INKable challenge:

No PP permitted, only 3 layers max, only 1 kind of accessory (either ribbon or brads).

with Steph’s Inspiration challenge, using this image colour, whatever inspires you, from Athleta Swimwear:

I had used the wrong colour in one of Kristina Werners Challenges, so I had the “Wrought Iron” trim left over. Reuse, recycle, baby.

No stamps?? What’s up with that? But that’s what I ended up with. Ha, I just realized that I lost a piece of the white die cut in between the ‘a & the n’ in thanks. I’ll have to check the craft room floor. Ribbon was tough to give up on this one:

Cuttlebug die Combo with Gratitude and Combo for You, Christmas Ornaments Embossing Folder, Martha stewart Pearl stickers, Wrought Iron Punch (S.U. Retired), Rose Red CS, Rose Red Ink.

Check out other submissions for the Swimsuit cards on SCS IC141 and the Artful Inkables limited supplies under ARTINK on SCS.

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Low grade, fever, do nothing day.

Well, my Liam has a low grade fever, since last night.  Thankfully, as I write this he is doing a bit better and was chipper by supper time, but it was a bit of a bust of a day.  Pretty much just sat on the chesterfield with him.  He sorta’ whimpers if you stray far.  No house chores, no excursions with the 3 kids for swimming.  Pretty low key.  

At one point, Liam dozed off on the chesterfield for 45 minutes.  Put some laundry on & did a quick escaping craft (for sanity sake).

I did quite a bit of surfing today and came across this, tiny Purse by GEETA SUGGS on Crafty Engineer, which I came across while on Card of the Week.

So for my quick break, I worked on the tiny purse.  I only changed it up a bit, smaller, so it would fit the new S.U. Punch Curly Punch.  Oh yes, & I added a velcro “snap” so it would open & close easier.

PP:  Urban Garden, Night of Navy CS, Diamond Sticker, Ribbon from the scrapbookingplace.com, Curly Punch.

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Many Thanks, Kristina Werner Colour Inspiration #20

Here’s another Colour Inspiration from Kristina Werner. I must say, I was hoping she’d pick one of the new colours, because I JUST got my package yesterday. YEAH Pink Pirouette!

The Inspiration was from Pottery Barn for kids, thanks Kelly for suggesting it, great pick. What fun chairs for children or grown ups.

I really wanted to use the Cricket for this challenge too, (check out this new cartridge: Home Accents) but the blade is dull, & I can’t get a new one right now. Ah well. Many other new toys to play with.

Here’s what I came up with:

I made the Certain Celery ‘Brackets’ using the new Curly Label Punch, by punching and then moving it slightly over like I did here, when I used the tag punch. The bottom ‘lace’ was using the Wrought Iron Punch with the bottom clip removed.

The Embossing on the tag was done by stamping in Versamark first and then Pink Pirouette & then Embossing with Clear Powder.

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else does. Just too many wonderful ideas.

Paper: Pink Pirouette CS, Regal Rose Textured CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Certainly Celery Textured CS, Martha Stewart Ribbon, INK: VersaMark, Pink Pirouette, Stazon Brown, Stamps: SU Lots of Thoughts, SU Cute and Curly, Anna Griffin Filligree Stamp, Stampin up Punches: Wrought Iron (SU Retired), Curly Label, Coluzzle Oval, & dimensionals.

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Shoebox Birthday Blessings

How amazing is this? Friends of ours are having a birthday party for their DD. Abigail is having a little girls’ birthday party, with a spa-pool theme. Very cute, in fact here was the invite we received. It came wrapped around a face cloth, with Emma’s name on the cloth and a little note about the SPA-tacular Pool Party! Just too cute in & of itself:

Now, the one different and beautiful idea that this child is doing is, rather than collect a pile of toys for herself, she is collecting Shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse, (Operation Christmas Child is a Christian Organized yearly event that brings toys, school supplies, and hygiene items to children around the world) Abigail will bring all the boxes she has received to her church in late October/early November during collection time. How awesome is that!?!

So here is a shoe box for Abigail. The actual red/green boxes along with the form will be picked up later.

Made a quick card tonight too, I hope she likes it.

Gable Green Textured CS, PP: Paperbilities Autumn Leaves Kaeidoscope, Cricket Cartridges: Beyond Birthdays, Shapes (Home Accents) & Base Camp, Flowers, & Fabric Brads.

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Yellow, Yellow Duck

Here, Kelly of SCS, has a challenge: AUG08VSNA, Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do you see?.  We were permitted to use the any of the animals of the beloved classic, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” by Eric Carle, and the only condition is … match the colour.  I started off with Red Bird, but that didn’t work, then Brown Bear, nope … I ended up with this tiny baby card:

The inside of the card, I just put a bit of trim to cover the Rick Rack bits & the underside of the Circle Scallops.

Used:  Bashful Blue Ink & Markers, Bashful Blue CS, Yoho Yellow textured CS & Certainly Celery textured CS, 1/4 inch circle punch, Cuddles & Tickles & Baby Frame stamps (S.U. Retired), Mini Glue Dots, Scallop Punch, 1 3/8″ Punch, Versa Mark Ink & Mustard Yellow Embossing Powder (S.U. Retired).

Check out what others on SCS have come up with here.

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Fuzzy Friends.

What a weekend it’s been for challenges on SCS.  So much fun, so little time.  

Here’s another challenge, this time from Paula, I found on SplitCoastStampers called “Pride and Prejudice“.  The challenge was to create a “warm and fuzzy” feeling card using felt or flocking.  The warm and fuzzy comes from the feeling you get while reading a good book.

I’m hoping this count, as it is not quite “flocking”.  I have not ‘flocked’ before and my felt collection has been raided by the children for puppets.  So I thought I would use a very thin polar fleece like material that I have in the ‘big bin of fabric’. (please indulge me:  that should be echoed: the big bin of fabric, fabric, fabric ….)

I cut the flowers (Large Daisies) using an old Sizzix die cut.  The are pretty strong, kinda like a smaller version of the new S.U. Big Shot.  Which means all the new die cuts from S.U. will not fit in my old machine.  Sigh.  Might be time to save my coins for the New Big Shots.  The BigzTM and OriginalsTM are Rule Based Dies and cut through a lot!  Even this polar fleece flower (which doesn’t fray, so would be great for all kinds of quick projects).

Stamps used:  Love with out End (S.U.),  PP Stampin’ Up (Afternoon Tea?), PP:  My Mind’s Eye Bohemia Backyard “My Journey” Brocade/Brown, Chocolate Chip CS, Close To Cocoa CS, Coluzzle Banners, Cuttlebug Embossing folder, Chocolate Chip Ink, Certainly Celery Ink, Glue Dots, Dimensionals, Buttons, 1/4″ Circle Punch, Sizzix Die Cuts (Bowl & Large Daisies)

Check out other ‘Warm & Fuzzy’ interpretations at SCS AUG08VSND ~ Pride and Prejudice.  Man, Virtual Stamping Weekends are fun.  Don’t get a lot of house chores done, but VSN Fun!

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Challenge: Unmasking the bunny.

Saw this challenge on SplitCoastStampers and couldn’t help but play along.  How could you not?  

Task:  Make a mask in under an hour.  Jean gave us links to templates, which I used, but did add a nose.  

You can give it a 3-D look by simply popping the snout (just a heart shape) on after:

My DD is at a sleep over, she would have gladly modeled it for me.  Ah well.  The boys?  um no, they wouldn’t.  Well, actually my 2 year old MAY have, but I can rarely take a picture with high enough speed so that he isn’t blurry, while running away from the camera.  So meet my model:  Bunny.

Stamp Set:  Wanted.  Brayered on Pumpkin Pie & Creamy Caramel.  Used Really Rust & Ruby Red Ink, Rhinestone Brads & some diamond stickers, Martha Stewart Glitter, Dazzlin’ Diamonds Glue, Versa marker, Brown Embossing Powder (S.U. Retired), Chocolate Chip Marker, and finally an Oval Coluzzle for cutting the eyes.

Thanks for the fun, Jean!

Check out the other fun creations on SCS at Keyword: AUG08VSNJ

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