What's Cookin?

Hello! Have you been missing me? We ended up staying one extra day on our trip last week and so we didn't get home until Friday. Saturday, I must have been tired because I just wasn't in the right mood to be creative but Sunday, I worked on a couple of things for you. I hope to get back to my room this week so I can have at least 4 posts for you before the week is over. Now, let's get to today's card. I recently found out that we missed the birthday of my youngest stepdaughter's boyfriend's birthday. Was that confusing? Anyway, I decided he should have a belated birthday card. He loves to cook so I went straight to my newest Inky Antics cooking set and found this cute little chef guy and decided it would be perfect. I went through my papers to find papers that have something to do with cooking. I found the DP with the eating utensils but the coordinating paper had flowers and that just didn't work so I found two others that would coordinate and got to it. For my sketch, I went with Jen delMuro's current sketch challenge. When I saw the sketch, I immediately liked it. I love sketches with circles and this one has lots! Let me show you my card and then I will show you the sketch. Enjoy!

It is not very birthday-ish or belated birthday-ish, but the inside does show this sentiment!

Now let me show you Jen's sketch ...

Recipe:

Paper - Utensils by American Crafts, Aqua Dot by Bo Bunny reverse side of Petal Pushers, Red Dot by Jillibean Soup, Cardstock White, Red
Stamps - Inky Antics, Inside Sentiment by DeNami Designs
Ink - Versafine Black, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol
Tools - Classic Circle Nestibilities 6 sizes, Pinking Circles Nestibilities
Other - Red Pearls by Kaiser

See you tomorrow! Happy Stamping!
Tina

Happy Summer!

Hello! Today's card I made to send to my niece, who is 23 now. How did that happen? Anyway, I have called her a few times and we just can't seem to connect, as she is a very busy girl. So, I thought I would made her a card and send it to her to say "Happy Summer". I can't wait for you to see my card - it is so cute! Enjoy...

I just had to send her a card with this cute little crab. It will make her giggle, just like I did when I saw it! You see there is a story about crabs and her & I. It goes back to our cruise in Hawaii that she and I took for her 18th birthday. Norwegian has this private island we went to which I think was something like only 200 miles from the equator which is a looong way from here. Anyway, we found some shells and put them in our bag to bring back with us. Yes, we know we were not supposed to take anything from the island but we figured a few shells wouldn't hurt. So, fast forward to that night back on the ship. The lights are turned off and we here this noise! Boy were we freaking out! Come to find out ... those little shells had hermit crabs inside! Oh my gosh! We decided that they would die out of water so we ended up going (in our pajamas) out to the outside part of the ship to throw them overboard so they would have the water they needed. We pray that they didn't take on too much water and they lived! We laughed and laughed about our little "stowaways"!

Now let me tell you a little bit more about my card. I have a close up view of the sandy beach.
It is literally real sand and real shells mixed with adhesive. They come in little jars and I got them at the scrapbook store. On the jars there is an address of www.muddpuddles.net
So, check it out. Pretty darn cool when you need to make beach scenes.

Recipe:

Paper - Imaginisce Splash Dance Line Polka Dot Bikini and Bubble Bash, Cardstock White, Aqua, Darker Aqua
Stamps - Hero Arts Tree and Crab, Happy Summer Circle by Stampendous Summer Clear Set
Ink - Versafine Black and Versifine Vintage Sepia (Circle)
Tools - Classic Scalloped Oval, Classic Oval, Classic Scalloped Circle, and Classic Circle
Other - Malibu Beach and Beach Pieces by Muddpuddles, Baubles by Stamping Bella, Button, Twine by The Cat's Pajamas.

Happy Stamping!
Tina

Hope in the Lord!

Hello! Today's card is very simple, but elegant. I love these spiritual quotes from Verve. I think this card come be for any occasion, because we could all use the reminder to be strong and hope. Here is my card ... enjoy!


Recipe:

Paper - Stampin' Up 12 x 12 (I purchased this at the stamp convenition at the Stampin' Up booth - I think they said the name of the line was Bella Rose but it is now retired.), Cardstock White
Stamps - Sentiment by Verve
Ink - Versafine Black
Tools - Paper Trey Flower Dies, Frame made with Labels 8 and inside frame made with Labels 6
Other - Rhinestones in Swirl by unknown, Black Pearls by Hero Arts (YES, I did use rhinestones and pearls on the same card and you cannot say I can't!!)

Happy Stamping!
Tina

Home!

Hello! I have a friend who just moved into a new house, so this card will be sent to her. Looking through my stamps, trying to decide what image I could use for this occasion, I came across a clear set from Darices that has never been out of the package, yet it was purchased back in January. The set had a house in it that I decided would be the perfect image for this occasion! But I tell you because the house image is a solid image, I had quite a time trying to decide on papers to match my inks. And then, the first two layouts I tried didn't work because of the house image being so tall and taking up so much of the card. But I finally got it to work and this is the result. Enjoy!

Do you see how on the right side of the house there is color on the vines? I used Tombow markers in this area but I just added some color. I didn't completely fill in the space, I wanted some white to show. I really like how my card came out. Even though it was a struggle to get it to work. But even the ones that I struggle with, I enjoy, because that is just part of it! The inside sentiment (which I forgot to take a picture of) says ...
From the moment you move then ever after, May your home be filled with love and laughter. This stamp is by Impression Obsession. A must have for this occasion.

Recipe:
Paper - SEI Poppy Matstack, Cardstock White, Aqua, Brown
Stamps - Darcie's Flourish House
Ink - House - Ranger Adirondack Cranberry, Roof & Home Sentiment -Versafine Vintage Sepia, Tombow Markers
Tools - Classic Scalloped Circle & Circle Nestiblites
Other - Ribbon by Unknown

I will have another card for you tomorrow. See you then.
Happy Stamping!
Tina

One Big Challenge = 5 Cards!

Hello! I have a very special treat for you today. You see, Verve stamps, is celebrating their anniversary with a blog hop, and this ultimate sketch challenge of 5 sketches. If you do all 5 sketches, you have a chance to win their entire new release! It is probably doubtful that I would win, but the saying comes to mind ... "you have to be in it, to win it"! The last couple of days, I have been a very busy stamper! I originally thought I would get all the cards done last weekend and then I would show you one card each day. Well, last Saturday, I did get time to go to my stamp shack, but ideas just didn't come. That happens sometimes. After I did the Texas card earlier in the week, ideas started to flow! But, because the deadline is approaching and I want to get my cards linked up, I have decided to show you all my cards in one post! This will make for a long post ... I hope you can hang in there with me! Let's get started. Here are the Verve sketches ...

Before I show you my cards, I want to tell you that Verve stamps are not required for the challenges, but in my case, I used almost all Verve stamps. Actually, I think only on one card did I use a stamp from another company. I will show you my cards in order (each sketch above has a letter) and give the details on each before going to the next one! Enjoy!

Sketch A -

I have to tell you, of the 5 cards, this is actually my least favorite. But you can be the judge! Looking at the sketch, I decided the focal point was the circle right in the middle. I immediately thought of this fun Verve stamp, so off I went to look for papers with stars. All my star paper seems to be mostly patriotic ...duh! I wanted a more pastel feel, so this card could be given to a child. I finally decided on this paper and spent time adding tiny gold star stickers to each circle! Yes I did! The card size is approx. 4 x 6.
Recipe Card A -
Paper - Sei Happy Day Confetti and Happy Day Streamers, Cardstock White, Aqua, Peach
Stamps - Verve
Ink - Versafine Black, Sankura Souffle Pens (colored in stars on sentiment)
Tools - Labels 8 (Die cut two out of aqua cardstock and then cut only middle from each to form sides of each card. Also, had to cut each in half. So when you look at the aqua on the card, those are actually 4 individual pieces.), Classic Circle Nestibilites 2 sizes, Sizzix Polka Dots embossing folder, Marvy Corner Rounder Punch.
Other - Gold stars by Stampendous

Sketch B -
You know that square lattice embossing folder from Stampin' Up? It is one of my new faves! (I love that I can promote every company out there, which is something I couldn't do when I had my store!) Anyway, I got to thinking I would like to try using this folder with designer paper. See how the background on the card came out? I love it! I think the card is very simple, but elegant. The sentiment would definitely be great at Thanksgiving, but since I believe one should give thanks every day, I think it is appropriate for an everyday card too!
Recipe Card B -
Paper - Die Cuts with a View Cafe Mediterranean Matstack, Cardstock Natural White
Stamps - Verve - Give Thanks is a Plain Jane & Teal Swirl is from the One Person set
Ink - Versafine Black, Tombow #335 to ink Swirl
Tools - Polka Dot Frame from the Scalloped Edge Frame Frameablities set, Classic Circle Nestiblites, Marvy Corner Rounder Punch, Square Lattice Stampin' Up embossing folder.
Other - Teal Pearls by Queen & Co.

Sketch C - With this card, I am also participating in this color challenge ...
When I saw these colors, I immediately thought of the designer paper I had with these exact colors. That would be the strip of flowers with the chocolate background. So then the hunt was on to find the other colors to bring it all together. The pattern paper pulled in the sky and celery and the solids I found by looking on the back sides of all my designer papers. I knew I wanted to make the card base with the kraft. But, you cannot believe what I had to search thru to find just one piece of kraft cardstock. That is a really sad situation as it is a basic cardstock color for a stamper! You will see that I followed the sketch with the exception of the celery scalloped border at the top of the sentiment panel. It just needed some color here to pull it all together! I love this card. And I think this is a sketch I will use again!
Recipe Card C-
Paper - Chocolate Flowers by October Afternoon South Forty, Celery & Sky Pattern by Die Cuts with a View Flower Shower Matstack, Celery by TCP Studio back side of Woodland Whimsy Mini Dot, Blue by American Crafts back side of Legos, Cardstock Kraft
Stamps - Sentiment by Verve from One Person set, Flower by Verve from Feel the Sun set
Ink - Versafine Vintage Sepia
Tools - Classic Scalloped Circle Nestiblites, Stampin Up' Scalloped Border Punch, EK Success Large Scalloped Border Punch, Marvy Corner Rounder Punch
Other - Metal Brad by Queen & Co., Brown Sharpie to color brad, Light Green Pearls by Hero Arts

Sketch D -
A while back, I made a couple of cards with the combination of black and white, and a black and a color. I love the way they came out and I love this one too! Looking at the sketch, I could see how cool it would be to create these strips with my flower border punch. The only thing I didn't imagine in my mind is how the black by itself would not show up enough and that is why I ended up placing the white cardstock strips behind the flowers.
Recipe Card D -
Paper - Lime Dot by Bo Bunny, Black & White by Doodlebug Black Bouquet (found this one piece in my stash from long ago), Cardstock White, Black
Stamps - Flowers by Penny Black, Sentiment by Verve from Feel the Sun set
Ink - Versamark, JudiKins Black Detail embossing powder, Heat Gun, Versafine Black
Tools - Classic Oval Scalloped & Classic Oval Nestiblites, EK Success Flower Border Punch, Marvy Corner Rounder Punch
Other - Silver Pearls by Unknown

Sketch E -
One of the Tim Holtz's embossing folders has what appears to be the rays of a sun. I decided that it would be perfect paired with this Verve sentiment. From there, I just added some coordinating pattern paper strips and a ribbon. You know, I always want to also add some kind of bauble to complete my card. Well, when I was looking for the right color, I came across a set of brads from Basic Grey. This brad had the absolute perfect colors to match my card, so I decided to add the flower even though it is changing the look of the sketch a little. It had to be done!
Recipe for Card E -
Paper - Die Cuts with a View Flower Shower Matstack, Cardstock White, Red Rose
Stamps - Verve from Feel the Sun set
Ink - Versafine Black
Tools - Classic Circle 2 sizes Nestiblities, Tim Holtz Texture Fades Retro Rays embossing folder, Marvy Corner Rounder Punch
Other - Prima Flowers, Decorative Brad by Basic Grey, Ribbon by Unknown

So, there you have it! Five cards! Post your comments. I would love to hear from you.

That is it for me for this week. I know only 2 posts but then again you did get 6 cards from those two posts! I am going to be out of town for the first part of next week. I hope to have cards completed ahead of time but in case that doesn't happen, I wanted you to know what is going on.

Happy Stamping!
Tina

Texas Cowgirls!

Hello Y'all! Welcome to another addition of Texas Tues-Step! I wasn't sure what Texas stamp I wanted to use, so last week when I was over at my friend Donna's house, I looked through her Deadbeat Designs stash of Texas stamps and found a great stamp of cowgirls and knew it was the one! What is comical to me is that I am a Texas girl for sure but I don't actually know any cowgirls but that doesn't mean that there aren't any, right? I did see some back in June when we went to the local hometown rodeo! Let me show you my card ... enjoy!

I went crazy paper piecing ... I obviously was in the mood to cut and not color! All three of their outfits - shirts and hats were paper pieced! I love how my Texas card came out ... don't you?

Be sure to follow the links on the right side of my blog to check out what the other Texas team members have come up with!

Recipe:

Paper - Die Cuts with a View Summer Dream Matstack, Cardstock White, Red
Stamps - Deadbeat Designs
Ink - Versafine Black, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Tombow marker #315 (blue for Texas)
Tools - Stampin Up' Border Punch
Other - Metallic Blue Circles by Hero Arts

Happy Stamping!
Tina

Have a Wild Day!

Hello! I have one last card for you this week. I needed a masculine birthday card. I decided to use the lion that I stamped out once before, back in January. It is a simple card but I like it! Here it is. Enjoy!

When it was time to add my card's "baubles", I couldn't decided whether to go with brown or green, so I ended up punching out small brown circles and putting a green rhinestone on top of each. See this accent in the top right corner.

Recipe:

Paper - Queen & Co. Wild Things Line - Leaves & Stripe, Cardstock White, Brown
Stamps - Lion and sentiment by Sprinkle and Sparkle
Ink - Versafine Black, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol
Tools - Classic Circle 2 sizes Nestiblilites & Ribbon Tags Two, EK Success tiny circle punch
Other - Ribbon by Creative Impressions, Rhinestones by Bazzill

Have a great weekend. Happy Stamping!
Tina