NEED CHOCOLATE?????

Have you ever heard of chocolate tasting parties? To me that seems like something to good to be true. Something that you might sit and daydream about - but not something that could actually occur. Well guess what? A friend of mine, Marla Anderson, is a Dove Chocolate consultant and Dove has an entire line of chocolates and accessories for home tasting parties! Talk about HEAVEN!!!! Check out this link to browse through their catalog. You'll see what I mean!

My party is scheduled for the 18th of September! LOL! I just couldn't resist.

This is the invitation I created to mail out. Dove has their own free postcards that I could have used - but what's the fun in that? Right?


Don't the chocolates in these retired Stampin'Up! images look good enough to eat? Especially the little ones across the bottom. Mmmmmm! I can't wait for my party. This set is in the 2002 Stampin'Up! catalog. I don't know who the artist is - but in my opinion, Stampin'Up! needs to recommission them. The detail in this set is AMAZING!

Ingredients: "For the Love of Chocolate" stamp set, Whisper White & Early Espresso Cardstock, Cuttlebug Hearts Embossing Folder, Copic markers, Ribbon & Computer Generated Print

Thanks for visiting today. I'm off now to have chocolate for breakfast. :)

Until Next Time -
Happy Stamping!

Jill

NO SEW FABRIC PROJECTS

I know you must have seen the new fabric line that Stampin'Up! is carrying in their 2010 Holiday Mini Catalog. I adore fabric (I'm a recovering quilter!) and think the "DECK THE HALLS" fabric is gorgeous. It's 3 different patterns of fabric - basically a total of 2/3 of a yard of 54" wide fabric, for $9.95. The problem is for some of you, that the thought of sewing can bring on a case of the shakes and night sweats - so - what to do???? How about some ideas for using the fabric that doesn't require a sewing machine or even no sewing at all?

These designs are not mine - they are the work of a very creative friend of mine and member of my demonstrator group, Julia Jackson.

The one I'm showing first is my FAVORITE! It was created using the Stampin'Up! 5 pt 3D Star die (Item: 113473 $19.95) which is now a "MUST HAVE" for me. This star is beautiful in real life and would beautiful sitting atop a Christmas tree or just placed on a fireplace mantel with greens and pinecones. All the items used to create this card can be found in the Holiday Mini.

Also in keeping with the Christmas tree theme is this adorable little puffed ornament which uses the same fabric, fabric adhesive, TOP NOTE die, and cotton balls as filler. (Note: there is a little handstitching around the sides to keep the cotton balls inside.

Or what about simply using strips of the fabric in place of ribbon on a card??

Or how about a hairclip for that little girl in your life?

Or twisted and wrapped around a punched circle of sticky adhesive paper to make a rosette?

Or batting stuffed fabric coasters accented with coordinating buttons?

See? Didn't I tell you she was clever????

For more ideas be sure to check out the Holiday Mini catalog online.

Until next time -

Happy Stamping!

Jill

SAGE & SWEET PEAS

I'm setting a record of some kind. I'm sure of it. I've posted a card for 3 consecutive days! Probably because I had a 3 day weekend and had a little more energy to be creative.

You wouldn't know it by the way I dress, or wear my hair, or even decorate my home, but I LOVE vintage/victorian decor & accessories. China teacups with pink rosebuds, lace & doilies, filigree, pearls, etc. So I had fun creating today's card.



I began with a cardbase of Stampin'Up! Whisper White cardstock and covered the front with a Cuttlebug Textile Embossed piece of Stampin'Up! Sage Shadow cardstock. Next I used my BIGSHOT and cut a frame using the Spellbinders Scalloped Edge Frameabilities die.

I used the Sweet Pea set from FLOURISHES for my image. What says vintage better than an old-fashioned flower. One that I remember well from my grandmother's yard. I stamped the image in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink onto Neenah Classic Solar White cardstock and colored it with Copic markers in shades of Blue-Green and Green. I cut it out using Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities. I cut and embossed 4 pieces of Whisper White using one of the smaller dies from Spellbinders Lattice Shapeabilities and then sponged then in Sage Shadow ink before removing the pieces from the die. I glued these to the back of the oval image and then centered this piece onto the cardbase. To complete the Victorian feel I wanted, I added tiny seed pearls all around.

A little time consuming to create but worth the effort in the end.

Thanks for visiting with me today.
Remember to give thanks in everything -
and until next time -

Happy Stamping.

Jill

VINTAGE ROSES

I'm apparently in a "pink" mood lately as it seems every card I've made is that color. Or - it could be that I'm too lazy to search for another color combo and am using the bits and pieces that are laying around on my desk. Either way, I'm pleased with the cards I've made this weekend and this one is no exception. The only thing I would change now that it's finished is that I wish I had backed the image in pink (imagine that!) instead of white.


I stamped a retired Stampin'Up! image from the set "HEAVEN SCENT" in Memento Brown Ink onto Neenah Classic Solar White cardstock and colored it using Copic markers. I also used the Copics to color the mini pearls to match the image. The cardbase and colored cardstock is Stampin'Up! Pretty in Pink and Whisper White. The die cut background was created using Spellbinders Dies: Fleur De Lis Shapeabilities, Lattice Borderabilities, and both large and small Circle Nestabilities.

Tip 1: When using detailed dies like the Fleur De Lis, place a piece of wax paper between the die and the cardstock when cutting. It will allow the design to slip easily from the die without tearing.

Tip 2: When using the Lattice Borderabilities die, do not throw away the large pieces that punch out from the ends. You can add them to your card to create additional dimension and design. e.g. I used them on this card as the "mounts" for the circular image.

Thanks for visiting -
and until next time -
Happy Stamping!

Jill

TRIPLETS

What a lovely holiday weekend! I don't know what the weather is like where you are but here in Central Illinois - it's beautiful. I'm sitting outside for the first time all summer enjoying my patio, our tiny little fish pond and the colorful flowering shrubs and bushes my DH planted in the Spring - and the temperature hasn't reached 70 yet! GLORIOUS!!!!!

After yesterday's post I talked with my son about my studio and we co-inhabited it very nicely all afternoon. I managed to make 3 cards before calling it quits and enjoying a quiet evening asleep in my recliner chair. Of course then I woke up at bedtime and was awake until 2 a.m. this morning.

The three cards I made were all baby cards in which I used up some scraps from a workshop a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't decide which one I liked best so I'm posting all three and you can decide.

All three begin with a cardbase of Stampin'Up! Whisper White cardstock - 2 of which have been embossed using the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug EF. The first two cards also use Early Expresso and Pretty in PinkCardstock from SU! The image in the first one is from a retired SU! set and has been colored with Copic markers and popped up from the background with Dimensionals. The finishing touch is the enameled flower which is a piece to a bracelet purchased in the jewelry aisle at Walmart and added to a Pretty in Pink ribbon strip.


The second card uses the same colors of cardstock, embossing folder and layout (turned on it's side) and ribbon. The image is Stampin'Up! Teddy & Train also colored with Copic Markers and then pierced using a small piercing tool and the guide in the SU! Mat Pack. I added faux stitching with a Chocolate Chip marker and finished this one with a domed, white faceted button.



The third and final card uses Whisper White and Blushing Bride cardstocks as well as a piece of baby WRAPPING PAPER! I recreated the pacifier from the paper using Pretty in Pink and So Saffron cardstock and sponging each one respectively in Regal Rose and More Mustard to add depth and dimension. The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby and the metal tag is from Stampin'Up! Hodgepode Hardware in Silver. The word was cut from a piece of the wrapping paper and held in place with glue dots and 2 white brads. If I had a small heart punch I would have punched the small hearts out of the pacifier - but I had to make do with a white Signo gel pen from SU! Unfortunately, it ran out of ink just before I finished - so this one will require a touch up when my next SU! order is placed.

So - what's the verdict? Which one do YOU like the best?

Thanks for visiting - and until next time -

Happy Stamping!

Jill

MY FAVORITE BIRTHDAY CARD

My birthday was almost a month ago and this is my first post since then. Not very prompt about things am I??? I realized last night that I stopped being creative when my son moved his gaming computer into my studio. He did so at my request when my computer crashed so that I would have access to our photo editing software. However, I now have a beautiful laptop and have rarely used it because the gaming computer hasn't left the room. Which also means the 6 ft, 200+ lb. man rarely leaves the room as well. Do you know what happens to MOJO when you hear constant games noises in the area???? I think I'm calling the computer tech today to see how much they will charge to hook him back up wireless.

Anyway - just a quick post while the "gamer" is in the kitchen to show you my favorite birthday card. My husband decided to make me a card this year! I was stunned! But sure enough, I woke up on Sunday morning, walked out to the dining room and found this card propped up against a beautiful, red glass vase filled with roses and other summer flowers.



Don't you love it?????

If you want the details for recreating this beauty (and honestly - it IS my favorite of the cards I received) it helps if you speak English as a second language so that you can spell birthday phonetically the way you say it. The rest is designer chip board off the back of a note pad and luxury black ink from a BIC pen.

Thanks for visiting.

Until Next Time -
Happy Stamping! (or drawing as the case may be!!!!!)

Jill