Tag: Create with Connie and Mary

Feeling Pink Today

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After a much needed vacation (where I pretty much did nothing and loved every moment of it), I’m back and have had a few fun minutes in my stamp room creating 🙂 Today I was feeling PINK, so I jumped into the Create with Connie & Mary challenge! Here’s sketch 257:

And here is my take on it:

Card Recipe (All Supplies from Stampin’ Up! ~ Order Here):

Stamps: Remembering Your Birthday
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Pistachio Pudding
Paper: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette and Pistachio Pudding card stock, Tea Lace Paper Doilies (129399)
Accessories: Big Shot (113439), Apothocary Accents Framelits (127003), Stripes Embossing Folder (123128) and Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder (117335), Decorative Label (120907) and Scallop Edge Border (119882) punches, White Organza Ribbon (114319) and Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246).
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Here for You

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I believe God gives us experiences to uniquely prepare us to help others. I’ve been blessed to have a dear friend who is struggling right now and trusts me to be there when she needs me because our experiences have been very similar. It is a stewardship I am grateful for, and pray every day for guidance from my Heavenly Father that I may say the right thing to help lift and strengthen her. Today’s card is for her.

Serendipitously, I was able to tie it to two of my favorite challenges at Create with Connie & Mary and SU Only 🙂 Wish you could see the sparkles on some of the raindrops just a little better…

Card Recipe (all supplies from Stampin’ Up!):

  • Stamps: Million-Dollar Moments (Spring catalog)  
  • Ink: Island Indigo (stamp it off to make it lighter) 
  • Paper: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Bashful Blue and vellum card stock, Sunshine & Sprinkles Designer Series Paper (126922) 
  • Accessories: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch (119275), Designer Printed Brads (122940), 1/4″ White Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (126877), Dazzling Details (124117), Stampin’ Dimensionals 

One of my favorite quotes is from a modern day prophet, Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985) who said, “God does watch over us and does notice us, 
but it usually through someone else that he meets our needs.”

May you find someone to serve who has been praying for you today!

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Tuesday Treat! Cream Cheese Mints & Cookie Stamps

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Sugar is the “other” food group and when you combine cream cheese and sugar, I am in love! When I found a Cream Cheese Mint recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it with the SU! cookie stamps. It gets better: Over at Create with Connie & Mary, the creative challenge was to make a treat holder, AND Valentine’s Day is just 48 hours away, so let’s start with the finished product, then I’ll walk you through it 🙂

Adorable, huh? My mint cracked after I got it all finished, but that’s okay because I have more pictures of the mints along with the recipe, so just hang on…

First, the treat holder recipe (all supplies from Stampin’ Up!):

  1. Card stock: Real Red, Pool Party, Very Vanilla
  2. Designer Series Paper: More Amore (129309)
  3. Ink: Real Red (126949)
  4. Stamps: Itty Bitty Banners (Catalog pg. 134)
  5. Ribbon: Pool Party 1/2″ Seam Binding (125582)
  6. Pearl Basic Jewels (119247)
  7. Labels Collection Framelits (125598), Hearts Collection Framelits (125599) and Big Shot Machine (113439)
  8. Simply Scored Tool (122334)

And here’s a simple tutorial:

1. Score a 3 1/2″ x 10 1/4″ piece of Real Red card stock at 1 1/4″, 5 1/4″, 5 3/4″ and 6 1/4″
2. Use a framelit from the Labels Collection and place it at the end of your scored card stock with the upper plate just to the 1 1/4″ score mark and run it through the big shot. 
 

3. Adhere a 3 1/4″ x 3 3/4″ piece of More Amore DSP to the front (the 4″ flap without a score mark) and fold along the other score marks, with the center bottom score folding up inside the treat holder. Fold the shaped flap over the top and place your heart framelit under the flap.  

4. Using a post-it note to hold the heart in place, unfold your treat holder and run through the big shot so the heart only cuts through the front:
5. Put your mint or cookie into a small cellophane bag inside the treat holder, fold top flap over and punch through treat bag and add ribbon (you can also cheat and staple the treat bag inside the holder like I did before adding the ribbon). Embellish as desired!
 
Now let’s move to the Cream Cheese Mint Recipe!

  1. 8 oz. Cream Cheese
  2. 1/4 c. Butter (softened)
  3. 2 lbs. Powdered Sugar (plus extra for rolling and stamping)
  4. Food Coloring (gel food coloring works best)
  5. Extract flavorings of your choice.

Preparation: In heavy pan, combine cream cheese and butter. Stir over low heat until mixture is soft and blended well. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar. Blend well.

Divide dough into smaller bowls (depending on how many colors/flavors you desire). Add coloring and flavoring to taste. I used Orange extract/orange color, Vanilla/purple and Almond/pink, but you could use lemon, mint, root beer, etc. Mix each bowl with separate utensil so you don’t transfer flavors or colors. I found it easiest to mix with my hands, washing in between each kneading. Cover bowls with damp towel when you aren’t mixing them.

Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Working with one bowl at a time, roll the dough into small balls (about 1 1/2″ if using the SU! cookie stamps). If the dough is sticky, mix in a little more powdered sugar. Dust cookie stamp with sugar (to prevent sticking) and press into each ball. Work quickly, as dough can dry & crack…ask a friend or child to help!

Let dry on cookie sheets for 24-48 hours, turning once to let the other side dry, too.
FYI: Original recipe found here.

  

The cookie press stamps come in three different sets and each set includes 3 silicone stamps and a wooden handle for just $16.95. Visit my store to purchase any of the Stampin’ Up! supplies listed in today’s post and open your pantry to find the rest of the ingredients!

CAUTION: Make sure you have someone to share these with or you WILL eat them all!!!

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Shimmer & Shine

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If I were a drinker (I’m not), I would try champagne just because I love the name. Come on, say it with me: “SHAM-PANE”. Champage, Champage, Champage…say it three times and click your heels together and you’ll be taken to a wonderful castle in a cloud! Okay, maybe not, but drink in this beautiful card created with the Champagne Glimmer Paper (Item 127885) and Very Vanilla card stock (this week’s color challenge over at Create with Connie and Mary~CCMC230):

Must say I adore how the Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon (Item 122332) matches so beautifully, tying all the elegant elements together 🙂 I used the Stripes embossing folder (Item 123128) for the background, used the Label Collection Framelits to cut the focal points and embossed the New Year’s single stamp (Item 132336) in gold. This stamp is fabulous because you can use it year after year. I’ll be using this card for many upcoming events!

Check out more of the single stamps by clicking on the link on the right (only available through January 2, 2013) and of course, the Clearance Rack Blitz!

Dress Up a Holiday Gift Card

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The sketch over at Create with Connie & Mary this week gave me an idea: A hidden gift card pouch! Here’s my card for the CCMC 229 sketch:

 But here is the fun little twist: It swings on the Rhinestone Brad!

 And here is the back closure:

When you untie it, surprise! A pocket to put a gift card in!

I created the pocket/envelope using the Simply Scored tool and Diagonal plate from Stampin’ Up!: Cut a piece of Designer Series Paper (from the Candlelight Christmas pack in the Holiday catalog) to 6 1/2″, then score on two sides at 3 1/4″ and on the other two sides at 2 3/8″.

Getting into Shape for the Holidays

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Jumping into the special creative challenge over at CCMC227 which is to make a shaped card…so taking my inspiration from a few other ideas, I turned the Grinch into an easel card and the saying says “Even the Naughty Deserve Something Nice”. Appropriate for a guy whose “brain is full of spiders and (has) garlic in his soul”, at least according to his theme song 🙂

Card Recipe (All from Stampin’ Up!): Big Shot, Top Note Die, Perfect Pennant Die, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder and Tags for Christmas stamp set. Card stock/Ink: Old Olive, Summer Starfruit, Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, Early Espresso. Punches: Scallop Square, Stamp, Scallop Border, 1″ and 1/2″ circle
Luckily for Mr. Grinch, he discovered that Christmas doesn’t come from a store: Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more! And they say that the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day!
Ahh…one of my favorite Christmas stories (that I can recite from memory) and even my adult kids will sit down to watch the video 🙂 What is your favorite children’s Christmas books? Share it in the comments below and I’ll send my Grinch card to one of you!

Two-for-One Challenge: Feeling Autumnal

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Serendipity! I made this card yesterday for the Create with Connie and Mary color challenge and woke up to discover that it kind of fits the Clean & Simple sketch #216 scallop challenge too 🙂 Since I haven’t made nearly enough fall/autumn cards, I was very pleased with how it turned out and the champagne glimmer paper makes me so very warm inside:

I adore the Autumn Accents Die for the Big Shot to make my own leaves and I used the Simply Scored to give the leaves veins. The DSP is from the Comfort Cafe package.  

It was so fun to create last night, but here is what my desk looks like this morning:

And my kids think there should be food in the fridge, so I guess I’ll be cleaning and shopping today instead of crafting 😦 As my Father-in-Law is fond of saying, “Just when you teach ’em to eat dirt, they up and die on you.” No bueno!

Celebrate WCMD!

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Apparently it’s not just National Card Making Day, it’s WORLD Card Making Day (WCMD)! My bad…
But this is good! I combined the sketch from Create with Connie and Mary:

with my Facebook Color Challenge:

 (Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Soft Suede, So Saffron)

 to come up with this masculine birthday card:

Card Recipe (all supplies from Stampin’ Up!): card stock and ink colors listed above, You’re Amazing Stamp Set (catalog page 33), Apothecary Accents Framelits (#127703),  Big Shot (#113439), 1″ circle punch (#119868), Subtles Glimmer Brads (retired). It’s good to have a spring-board for creativity sometimes and I was happy with the way it turned out!

If you are making cards this weekend, try my sketch challenge or FB color challenge (or combine them!) for a chance to win a prize 🙂 then go ahead and send a card to a friend…just because.

2-for-1 Challenge and Cut a Perfect Flag Tutorial

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I love it when you can combine TWO challenges and get one simply sensational card! Today I combined the color challenge over at Create with Connie & Mary with the Fall-To-Layout 210 sketch at the Clean & Simple blog and came up with this holiday card:

I debated whether to add something to it, but I *really* like it just the way it is…and with the silver glimmer paper, it’s even prettier in person! Of course, I tend to gravitate toward simple and elegant cards with a touch of sparkle, but I hope you like it too. It used  a-little-bit-of-this and a-little-bit-of-that Designer Series Paper…why not pull out your stash and try your hand at this sketch too? The stamp is from the “Greetings of the Season” set on page 8 of the Holiday Catalog (which you can download from my sidebar).

Let me share the EASIEST way to make a perfect “flag”…taught to me by one of my Stampin’ Family, Kelly H. WARNING: This may change your life! Start by cutting a slit straight into your paper from the side center where you want the flag to be:

Then cut from the corners into the point of your slit. I KNOW!!! It’s so simple! I haven’t used a square punch since she showed me this! Thanks again, Kelly 🙂

Don’t forget to leave your comment because I am still giving away all the cards I share here in September to celebrate my 20th Anniversary with Stampin’ Up!

Update: Connie will be getting this card in the mail…thanks for visiting, Connie! I admire your work and am happy to share this card with you 🙂

The Influence of Art

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Sometimes the busy-ness of life prevents me from having time to create “just because”… but the planets aligned on Saturday evening when my talk for church was written and printed, the house was clean and the kids were off doing their own thing! So I found a cute sketch challenge on Create with Connie and Mary, swept the first layer of creative strata off my stamp desk and went to town 🙂

Here is sketch #196 from Connie and Mary:

And this is my creation:

This was the first time I used the new paper doily die and found that it cut through lightweight paper beautifully (like copy paper) with a shim on top of the sandwich. Other supplies used (all from Stampin’ Up!): Early Espresso, Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder, Pear Pizzaz and Calypso Coral card stock, Berry Blossoms Designer Series Paper, Wisteria Wonder Ruffled Ribbon, Beautiful Wings Embosslit and Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, Rhinestone Jewels and Petite Pairs stamp set (the other half of the “pair” is stamped inside and reads “…begin with YOU!”)

It made me so happy when I was finished because I had created something beautiful! It reminded me of a message from “Music & the Spoken Word” with the Mormon Tabernacle choir that I was able to attend in March:

(By Lloyd Newell, March 4, 2012)

“Beautiful art is good for the soul. It can lift and inspire; it can calm and soothe; it can inform and enlighten. Art improves our quality of life and has been shown to stimulate brain function, reduce stress, and help us focus on things that really matter. Those who take time to appreciate art—in its many forms—understand its remarkable effects.

Years ago, a man purchased his first home and, with his limited budget, set to the task of furnishing it. But rather than buying a sofa, a nice kitchen table, or other pieces of furniture, he first bought some modest but inspiring artwork. He knew he would eventually need a place to sit in his new home, but he felt he neededart on his walls even more.

When friends and family came to visit, they admired the beautiful prints and paintings that adorned his walls, but they wondered why he did not have much in the way of furniture. He explained that he was working on saving enough money to buy better furniture, but he was afraid that if he did not place a priority on art, he might never be able to justify its purchase.

John Hafen, a noted artist from a hundred years ago, explained what this man seemed to know about art. He said: “The influence of art is so powerful in shaping our lives for a higher
appreciation of the creations of our God that we cannot afford to neglect an acquaintance with it. We should be as eager for its companionship . . . as we are eager for chairs to sit upon or for food to sustain our lives, for it has as important a mission in shaping our character and in conducing to our happiness as anything that we term necessities. Life is incomplete without it.”

Indeed, art makes life more meaningful. Whether a painting or a poem, a sculpture or a song, wholesome artistic expression lifts us from the everyday and helps us see beyond the here and now.”
http://www.musicandthespokenword.com/messages/display.php?message=744