Summer's Coming..at least I hope so!

Ah Spring....battling the last (I hope!) bout of coughing and stuffy nose for the last few days.  I've missed out on the spring cold for a few years so I guess I was due but my goodness, this one is a doozy.   Which is why I'm sooooo ready for summer!!

I've got a sunny summer project for you on the May Arts Blog.  Of course, there's a tutorial as well.   This last spell of winter is the perfect time to get ready for those lazy days at the beach or pool.

Grab a couple of cute towels and I'll show you what you can do with them!

 

 

I'll see you at the beach!  You won't want to miss this one.   Don't forget to leave me a comment on the May Arts blog!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop - Sequins!

Fun challenge on Papertrey's Make it Monday this week...Sequins!  All of sudden these old standbys are cool again.

I found these cool square sequins at Michael's the other day.  Silver and variegated blues all in one package. Love them!

All supplies Papertrey Ink except for sequins and Spellbinders square dies.  Not sure what the dark fuzz is in the photo ..not a thing on the card.

Foodie Friday & a little Surprise

It's Friday...already!  Goodness, this week has just flown by and I've still got a million things to do.  DH has been raising $$ for MDA this month and they had a car wash as one of the activities.  I thought it might be nice to bless those who showed up to wash cars with a sweet treat.

I took my favorite Sourcream Coffeecake Recipe and turned it into individual muffins so it would be easier to eat.  The recipe serves 16 and it made exactly 16 warm, cinnamony treats.   DH took 15 to the car wash.

SOMEBODY had to taste them and since I was the only one available, I made the sacrifice.  It...was...worth...it!

You can a printable/downloadable recipe HERE.

Since you'll have to make your own muffins, I thought I'd bless a sweet follower with a little treat too:

A set of stamps for making some beautiful monogrammed notecards or birthday cards or wedding cards or thank you cards...you get the idea!

Just leave me a comment and I'll draw a winner on Good Friday.

Be blessed!

WOYWW198

The mess is back as you can see and as usual, there are several projects in progress.  I've cut some grass for the bunnies you saw last week but that's as far as I got.  The rest, are parts and pieces of a project for Autism Awareness Day.  Any guesses?

Be sure to pop over to Julia's Stamping Ground to see what else is going on in the crafting world.  Might be sewing, cards, jewelry, needlework...you never know!  Be sure to link up your mess, er, ah...desk so we can feel better.  ;-)

Clean and Simple Teapot Tuesday

Two cards today...first up is the SplitCoastStampers CAS212 challenge.  This week is a Pinterest Inspiration Challenge based on this beautiful cake:

 

 

I pulled out a scrap of watercolor paper and my much neglected watercolor pencils to create this CAS card:

 

 

I have a dear friend who has cancer and I've made a personal commitment to send her a card every week to remind her how precious her life has been to me.  Sometimes they're funny and sometimes like this one, a bit more reflective and elegant...just like she is.

 





Next is the Teapot Tuesday Challenge MMTPT242.  This week our cards are going to Bill Dewhurst.  Bill has leukemia and is in 100 days of isolation following his treatment.  We're sending Bill some of his favorite things to cheer him up while he's there.

 

I love this shiny cloud paper!  My hot air balloons are swaying in the breeze.  After having flown in one, I can tell you they do not fly straight up!  I popped them up on a bit of foam tape.  I was wishing I had thought to dig out one of my Wobblers for the big balloon...hmmm...maybe I can still do that.  It would be a fun element for Bill, don't you think?

 

If you'd like to send Bill a card, here are the details:

Scripture is ok...he thanks God everyday. His favorite colors are black & orange. He loves hot air balloons, anything to do with flying & loves computers, electronics etc. and Eeyore:

Bill Dewhurst
21283 Hurita Place
Bend, Oregon 97702

Poppy Card:
Stamps - Stampin Up; Papertrey Ink
Cardstock - Neenah; watercolor paper; scrap DP
Ink - Versafine
Ribbon - May Arts Satin

Hot Air Balloon Card:
Stamps - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock - Neenah; K&Co. Citronella
Ink - Memento; Copics; Staz-On
Ribbon - May Arts Chevron
Other - foam tape; sewing machine

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the new followers on BlogLovin'!  I think it may be time for another giveaway, you think?

Fabric Gift Bags May Arts Ribbon Style

I've got a post for you at the May Arts Blog today that will make you want to dust off your sewing machine and start sewing!  If you can sew a straight line, you can make beautiful gifts with matching cards and tags for mere pennies.  Better yet, no one else will have one just like yours because...YOU made it!

Here's a sneak peek...we always love to know what you think so be sure to leave a comment on the May Arts Blog.

Swollen and Google Reader

Still swollen from my dental procedure and suffering from lack of sleep so no fun stuff today.

FYI...Google is discontinuing Google Reader effective July 1. I have signed up with Blog Lovin and will be looking for another way for you to follow as well.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

If you follow me there, leave a comment and let me know...I'll have a giveaway for all who link up.

Thanks!

WOYWW197 - Surprises

It's time for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday and  I've had no time to stamp yet this week so my desk has been quite neglected I'm afraid.

That white mat you see is one of those heat, glue, ink resistant mats that I got at an awesome price from Happy N Scrappin' (she's going out of business so you might still be able to score some good buys).

The buxom French inspired card in the background is a Teapotter RAK that I received from none other than the Queen Mudder, Cindy Motherway aka Mothermark. We were supposed to surprise her on Tickle a Teapotter Tuesday and then SHE surprised all of us with a card of her own.  That lady is seriously talented.

Those two pink and green beauties as well as the butterfly, and the embossed panels were RAK's from Splitcoaster, "Broom", another seriously talented Teapotter.  The last Tuesday of each month is "Tickle a Teapotter Tuesday".  We never know to whom our cards will be going until we get a secret message with the name.  Come play along!

I punched the bunnies but have yet to put them into action...guess I better hurry, huh?

Be sure to pop over to Julia's Stamping Ground for WOYWW197 to see what the rest of the world has been up to.  There are always something interesting from sewing projects to cards and other art.

I'll be spending the first three hours of today in the dentist's chair getting a crown replaced.  Needless to say, I am NOT looking forward to it.

Foodie Friday - Cake Pops!

I haven't done a Foodie Friday in what seems like forever.  DH is having a bake sale for MDA and cake pops are always a hit.  I made a homemade chocolate cake (an easy one bowl cake that will make you wonder why you buy a mix).  Instead of my usual PB frosting, I made an awesome silky chocolate frosting to stir into the crumbled cake.  Email me if you'd like the recipe.

Standing at attention waiting while the rest of the gang gets ready for the chocolate bath (sorry, the light in the kitchen today was awful!)

Drying off after a nice warm bath in chocolate

I was hoping this one would fall off the stick so the cook could nibble but noooooo...

All wrapped up, boxed and ready to go!

Hope they bring in lots of $ for the kids.   :-)

WOYWW - 10 Minute Craft Dash #13 - May Arts Style

Get ready for a fun challenge!  May Arts Ribbon is sponsoring the 10 Minute Craft Dash on the Pretty Pink Posh Blog.  That means you have 10 minutes to create a project using the inspiration photo.

Anyone who knows me or has read my blog for awhile knows that lightning strikes more often than I complete a card in 10 minutes but with the help of a May Arts Satin ribbon flower that I had made earlier, I was able to pull it off!  I actually made quite a few of these in different colors to keep on hand.  

It took me...

8:04

I shocked myself!  You are allowed to get your supplies out in advance and I used that time to think out my design before I started.  

Go here to (http://www.prettypinkposh.com) for the challenge details and to see the Pretty Pink Posh DT's creations.  Did you see that pretty stash of ribbon at the top of the page?  You could win it just for playing along so get your timer set and do the 10 Minute Craft Dash!

Supply List:
Cardstock - Papertrey Ink; Echo Park Paper Co.
Ribbon - May Arts Single Faced Satin (KK16), 1.25" Taupe Silk (SK35), Olive Green Leaves (BY16) 
Stamps - Papertrey Ink
Other - Want2Scrap stick on pearls

It's also time for WOYWW 196 on Julia's Stamping Ground so you can see what's on workdesks around the world.

Here's a shot of my desk back to messy normal.  I did get my new cubes up so that I could put more of my ink within arm's reach.

Thanks for stopping by!

MMTPT240 - Teapot Tuesday

This week's Teapot Tuesday challenge cards  MMTPT240 are heading to Jean in Wisconsin.  Jean's story is below which will explain the hairdresser and flower theme...we get extra cookies for lots of flowers so I made sure to bring plenty to the party.  I used the Color Challenge (CC345 - Blushing Rose Limeade) from waaaaay back in Oct./2011.

I paper pieced her dress with the same floral paper and added a sparkle for the "o".  If you'd like to send Jean a card from your stash, I'm sure it would make her day.

From Mary:
I have a dear dear sister-in-law that found out she had colon cancer last April. She went through a long period of chemo and finished just before Christmas. Last week, they found another tumor on her ovary and that too is cancerous. She is such a wonderful person, always doing for others and I just think if we could overwhelm her with cards, it would just make her day. She loves the homemade cards I send her, so I know she'll love any she gets and it'll lift her spirts tremendously. And as a side note, she has macular degeneration too. She can't knit or do any of the crafts she so enjoyed in the past

Jean was a hair sylist all her life and owned her own shop. She loves the mountains, flowers, and Wisconsin Badgers. And scripture would be wonderful, as they are active in their church.

This is Jean's information:

Jean Walters
210 Fox Lake Road
Waupun, WI 53963
__________________
Supplies
Cardstock - Papertrey Ink; Crate paper
Stamps - Papertrey Ink; Stamping Bella
Other - Cuttlebug embossing folder

Winner, Winner...

And the winner of the Martha Stewart butterfly stamp set is.....

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

11

Timestamp: 2013-03-02 13:13:42 UTC

Denise Bryant said...

Love your pretty butterfly card! Great colors!
DeniseB

February 27, 2013 at 6:50 PM

Congrats, Denise!  Send me your snail mail  address and I'll get your stamps right to you.  Stay tuned...I've got a few more stamp sets to give away to faithful followers.  :-)

Extra, Extra... It's Spring Challenge Time!

It's time for the May Arts Ribbon Spring Craft Challenge and you can play along.  Want to see what you get to play with?

Can you say GORGEOUS!!!

Hurry though because only a limited number of crafters can play.

Easy Photo Ribbon Bookmarks Tutorial

I've got a quick and oh so easy photo ribbon bookmark tutorial for you on the May Arts Blog.    

I used this Scotch laminator that comes with everything you need to make dozens of these as fun gifts from teacher to student or a cute way to encourage little readers to open that book and get reading.  Great stocking stuffers too! (never too early to plan ahead for those fun photos).

Complete list and many more bookmarks on the May Arts blog.  Don't forget to leave a comment there.  :-)

WOYWW195

I've been doing some spring cleaning while DH is away.  It feels good to clear out the dust and papers that accumulate.  While I was recovering from my bout of the stomach flu, I decided to do a little purging in the craft studio. 

My neighbors are moving 4 states away.  That makes my heart sad.   I will miss the kids and our game and craft times, their happy dogs..and cats..and turtle..and mouse.  At any rate, I boxed up all kinds of goodies and sneaked them over to mom so she can pack them as a surprise for the kids to help ease the transition.  That left me with this:




A little shocking to see it so neat but oh how happy it makes me!  I kept only the things I know I will use.  I've ordered 6 more of those wonderful little Sparco Cubes and one more X-Cube.  Hurry, they're on sale!

Look what I found for the floor...I LOVE it!  I fell in love with it right away and it's so impractical because it's wool but it was a great price and it makes me happy so I put my normally practical brain on hold and went for it.

See those nice organized shelves below my work surface.  For those of you who may not know, I have IKEA self standing kitchen cabinets for my work room...I'm a stand up crafter although I do use a bar stool to sit on when I color.  I wanted to be able to take them with me if we move in the future. 

Now, it's time for you to hop on over to Julia's Stamping Ground.  You'll find lots of crafty, sewing, and other assorted workdesks to visit all over the world. 

And don't forget to scroll down for the giveaway scheduled for Friday.  ;-)

Happy WOYWW195!

Teapot Tuesday -what goes around..

Yay!..I had time to play the Teapot Tuesday Challenge (MMTPT239) this week.  The requirements were to use pink and green and have a round element on your card.  I decided to see if I could stay CAS and still keep to the requirements.  Round wreath, round flowers, round dots...round and round and round.

I think it feels happy and spring like.  I hope the teapotter who gets it likes it too. Anyone can play so just pop over and join in.

Supplies:
Cardstock - Neenah; Stampin' Up
Stamps - Papertrey Ink
Ink - Fresh Ink

Don't forget to scroll down...I've got a quick little giveaway goin' on.

Clean & Simple Monday & a Giveaway

Yeah...we're finally all out of the sick bed and eating regular food.  I don't want to see another bowl of Jello for a loooooog time!  Now to hide those 5 lbs. I lost so they don't come back...under the bed maybe?

Thanks for the well wishes and emails, you made my day.

This week's CAS challenge (CAS209) on SplitCoastStampers is a Featured Stamper Challenge.  Up is the amazing gallery of simplybeautiful.

Here is my take on this bright and beautiful card:

And to thank you all for hanging in there while we all got well, I've got a little thank you gift for someone.

How about some pretty butterflies of your own?  Just leave me a comment and I'll randomly choose a winner on Friday.

Supplies:
Cardstock - Neenah; Papertrey Ink
Stamps - Papertrey Ink Beautiful Blessings
Ink - Versafine
Other - stick on pears

New May Arts Team and 2 Giveaways

There's big news on the May Arts blog and you're going to want to hop over and get in the giveaways.  I'll be back with some May Arts goodness soon.  So proud and happy to remain a part of this awesome team!