Mojo Monday on a Tuesday

Good Morning Everyone!

Yes it's Tuesday; but I didn't have a chance to post my card for Mojo Monday yesterday, so I'm doing it this morning. That's mainly because I didn't make the card until last night while I was watching the season premiere of Chuck and then Heroes. I cannot tell you how happy I am that Fall TV has finally started! I decided to pull out stamps that were not necessarily Stampin Up for this card. I had been doing so much work for my Open House that it had definitely been a while since some of my other stamps had seen some ink. For this card I chose the Kitty from my Penny Black Critters Set. I decided to color him orange rather than the standard black and white or brown. I distressed the edges with my sanding block and then sponged some ink around the edges as well. I used Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Regal Rose and So Saffron as my colors, and finished it off with a piece of Kiwi Striped Ribbon. All in all a simple card.
My Open House was a huge success and I want to thank everyone that come. I had 11 people come and we completed two projects and everyone had a fantastic time.
Ok, so short and sweet today. I didn't do a lot of stamping yesterday, mainly because I did 7 loads of laundry!! So I think I'll see if I can find some inspiration to get some more done today.
Have a great day and thanks for visiting with me!

Just for my GH fans.

I was scrolling around in you tube and came across this video that someone posted back in June. It is a music montage in celebration of GH's 45 anniversary. I laughed and cried while I watched it and thought you all might enjoy it as well. Have great evening and weekend!

The Fruits of my Labor! (and some GH news)

Good Morning Everyone!

Well, here I am with a whole bunch of things to share with you. I have been so busy prepping things for my Open House on Sunday, which has grown from 12 people to 15 possibly 16! I handed out a bunch of invitations, thinking that the normal rule of 1/2 won't come and what do you know...almost everyone I know is coming. I'm so excited and can't wait to show off all my stuff. So what do we have here? First, I must apologize for the skewed nature of the post with the pictures. I've been trying to fix that for about 45 minutes and just don't have time to mess with it anymore. Anyhow, the first picture is of a criss cross box and a double pocket bag. I will fill these both up with the samples that I've made this week and give them as Door Prizes. Another picture is actually the card I did this week for Mojo Monday, which I actually did complete on Monday; but didn't get around to posting until today. The colors I used were Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Black and Teal. For some reason the Teal looks blue; but it's not. I used Simply Said stamp set and embossed the flowers in the heart with versamark and black powder. The last two pictures are examples of the make and take projects we will be doing on Sunday. I will be using different colors for the projects on Sunday and I will post an example of those on Monday. The first make and take we're going to do will be the Cheers to You card. This is a new set for me and I hope everyone enjoys playing with it as much as I did. The second card will be the Thinking of You card and uses the Flower for All Seasons. Both cards use watercoloring, which will be the technique we will focus on.
I've not completed any of my normal weekly challenges this week because of the prep work. However I will be back on a normal track next week, so be sure to stop by Monday for Mojo Monday.
Now onto just a bit of GH news before I leave for the weekend. Today should be good episode as all of PC turns out for the big wedding nuptials of Sonny and Kate. However, something bad happens, someone is shot. I know who; but I won't ruin the climatic moment. If you can't wait until this afternoon, check out WUBS and read for yourself. Apparently Liason's trip to Italy is postponed (go figure!)because Liz is somehow injured and no, she's not the one shot at the wedding. I'm also hearing that Olivia comes with more secrets from the old neighborhood and they're not about Kate, they're about Sonny! Anthony Geary should be back on screen in a couple of weeks and not a moment too soon, if you ask me. It's also going to become apparent that Lulu is not as crazy as she thought when it comes to her mother's "recovery" This point should have been obvious from the moment Ms. Francis returned to the screen. Did GH really think they could get away with not giving the extraordinary Mr. Geary and Ms Francis screen time together? That's like having a hot dog without mustard on it!
Finally, Ric and Claudia...hmmm, can't quite make up my mind if this going to be a new couple thing or a "we had crazy sex one time and now oh my God, I'm pregnant." Should be interesting. Then again, there's never a dull moment in Port Charles.
Have a great weekend everyone!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Hi Everyone!

I am sorry I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. I actually did do Mojo Monday's sketch; but just didn't get a chance to scan it and post it. I am working hard this week to prep all the materials for my open house on Sunday. So far I have 12 people coming, which is fantastic and I'm so excited! It does mean, however that I have a lot of stuff to get ready. I always like to make sure I have lots of samples and goodies to give away. I've been doing other things besides cards as well. I plan to show you all everything I've been doing; but probably not until next week. I'm going to try to work on Beate's inspiration piece for this week sometime today; but not sure if I'll be able to. Be sure to check out Beate's blog, so you can see the piece and hopefully it will inspire you to be creative today!
Until tomorrow..have a great day!

Happy Harvest and Weekend Sketch 58

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Once again, late in the day with my posting. However, you will notice that I have not one but two cards for you today. These are both projects that I will be displaying for my Open House on the 28th. For the first card I used the color combination of Pumpkin Pie, Apricot Appeal and Regal Rose and Always Artichoke. I watercolored the truck from the Loads of Love set with aqua painters, watercolor pencils and inks on watercolor paper. The trees in the background were stamped and off-stamped with Always Artichoke and Mellow Moss; and then I sponged Apricot Appeal ink around the edges just to give it a bit of spunk.
The second card is the one I did for Beate's weekend sketch. I used Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, Pink Piourette, and a piece of scrap that was as close to Kraft paper that I could find. I used both sides of a piece of paper from the Green Tea double sided paper set. I chose the Hostess Set, "Serene Spring" to use as my main image. To color it in, I used a combination of pencils and chalks with my blender pens
Now, granted neither of the cards are especially complicated; but there's marathon on TV today. This time it's "The West Wing." All episodes I'd never seen before, so the fact that I got more than one card done today is almost miraculous!
Have a great weekend and I'll be back on Monday!

General Hospital Chatter and a recipe

Good Afternoon everyone!

Not too much to post today; but I did promise we would chat a little bit about the happenings in Port Charles. So, here goes:

First of all, I think it's becoming quite clear that Laura has only returned in Lulu's mind. Whether that is a easy in or out for the writers as it relates to Genie Francis will remain to be seen. It is my understanding that she will continue to air through the November Sweeps season. Hopefully by then, Luke will return! Where is he anyways?! You would think that now would be a good time for him to return to the canvas. Sometimes it seems as though he's away for all the meaty story lines only to return to just bicker with Tracy or re-open The Haunted Star for the 19th time.
Kudos to Jax for walking away from Carly, she deserved it! Too bad Kate just doesn't have the same amount of sense. I love Jax's new hair cut as well. I think it totally fits the "I'm angry at being betrayed by my wife" attitude that's going on there.
The more of Nikolas and Nadine I see, the more I like them. They are cute and refreshing together and I like the fact that she seems to be dragging him both willingly and unwillingly out of his Emily funk.
So, Matt Hunter is a Drake boy? Can't wait to see how that plays out. It definitely begs the question of who's his mother?
Speaking of mothers, backstage rumor mill is circulating the possibility of casting someone to play Claudia's mother in the near future. Can't wait to see who they would pick to do that! Hey what about Veronica Hamel? Old Hill Street Blues fans will recognize the name and why it would be a reunion of sorts for her and Bruce Weitz, who plays Anthony Z.
Finally, it appears as though our fave Vanessa Marcil will not be returning to Port Charles after all. She has been cast in a recurring role on the new season of Lipstick Jungle. Glad to see she's landed another role in prime-time and I wish her the best of luck!
So that's about all for the GH chatter for now. I always welcome comments and thoughts as it relates to GH as well as stamping etc, so don't be afraid to tell me what you think or things you've heard as well.
I will be back to regular stamping posting, in time for Beate's weekend sketch.

Ok, so now I'm off to find a recipe to share with you...be back soon.

Color Inspiration #23

Good Afternoon Everyone!

I hope you are all having a fabulous day so far. It's time for another Color Inspiration from Kristina Werner. This week features lots of fall colors, which seems appropriate for today as it is just a bit cooler here in SC then it has been lately. The colors for this week are Bravo Burgundy, Old Olive, So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie, and Chocolate Chip. Although I realize as I'm posting this that I forgot the Chocolate Chip! (oh well...what can I say?!)
For my card, I used this week's SCS sketch as well. I used Bravo Burgundy as the base. The patterned paper on the side and the square at the top left is from a package of fall themed paper I picked up at Wal Mart last year and didn't do anything with it until now. I used the tree from the Loads of Love set and embossed it with Copper powder and then I sponged Mustard, Olive and Burgundy ink around it. The leaves at the bottom of the main image are from my new Paper Salon set. The wide olive ribbon at the top is from Stampin Up, and the smaller ribbon is from Chatterbox.
I enjoyed the opportunity to experiment with these colors and to mix and match some patterned papers.
Tomorrow will be a GH chatting day, am going to take a stamping/scrapping break tomorrow. Should have some good behind the scenes scoop for you, so make sure to visit with me again tomorrow as well. I will also be reinstating Recipe Thursday this week as well. Any requests, let me know!
Have a great day and thanks for visiting with me!

Be Inspired #23

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Well, here it is once again almost time to leave to pick up Reagan from school and I am just now getting around to posting. Beate's Inspiration piece this week is very simple, so I decided to stick with the same theme. I was drawn to the circles on the floor and of course, the stripes in the couch. I have to admit it was hard to make the stripes and the circles work in such close proximity to one another on the card. For the card I used the retired color Cranberry Crisp for my base, along with Kiwi Kiss, and So Saffron. To represent the stripes in the sofa I used a piece of Chatterbox scrap paper that I had. The image in the middle is from Pocket Silhouettes. I didn't think I would like that little set as much as I do; but I find myself reaching for it quite a lot.
I have been quite busy working on a scrapbook for my Spouses Club, so that is another reason why it's taking me longer to post lately. I have one more page to finish up before our meeting tomorrow night and then I will be finished with that for a little while. I will then be making samples for my open house on the 28th. Don't forget you can place an order online from my website any time; and don't forget about the special surprises you can get if you place an order.
Ok, so one more load of laundry to fold and then I'm out of here! Oh, for all my fellow GH fans, I know it's been a while since I've chatted about Port Charles; but not to worry, we will soon!
Thanks for visiting with me. Have a great day!

Mojo Monday #53

Good Monday Morning Everyone!
Well the weekend has come and gone and now it's back to business as usual. It's Monday which means it's Mojo Monday time. I liked this week's sketch a lot and decided to take the opportunity to use my brand new Paper Pretties Stamp. This stamp is called "Falling for You" and it is September's Stamp of the Month. I just thought she was great for the fall colors that I chose for the card. I used Always Artichoke, Cameo Coral, Apricot Appeal and Pumpkin Pie. The background on the Cameo Coral is my new Stitched Background stamp from Stampin Up. I stamped the main image on water color paper and then used my aqua painters and pencils to color her.
Have to go and get Tyler from pre-school, so that's all for me now. I will be working on some scrapbooking this afternoon. Have a great day everyone and thanks for visiting with me!

Weekend Sketch #57 and a special surprise.

TGIF Everyone!

Wow has this week flown by or what! I can hardly believe it's Friday already. You know what that means, time for another Weekend Sketch from Beate. For this week's sketch I used all new colors: Pacific Point, Pink Pirouette and Riding Hood Red. I love the fact that in the scrapbooking and stamping world it is perfectly fine to put red and pink together!
I used my Fresh Cuts Stamp Set and my Fresh Cuts Notes for the bottom image. The Sentiment is from the Sincere Salutations and I stamped it in Ruby Red ink
Ok, so now for a little something special. As I posted a couple of days ago, Stampin' Up is now offering online ordering for all their products. I want everyone to be able to take advantage of this great opportunity. Therefore the 1st 10 people to place an order of $40.00 or more through my website will receive a free roll of 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon of their choice If you place an order for $80.00 or more you will receive the ribbon and a free ink pad of your choice

So go ahead and click that little button that says "24 hour online shopping!
Have a great weekend everyone and I'll be back on Monday!

Color Inspiration

Time for another Color Inspiration from Kristina Werner. I liked these colors that she chose this time, although I did have bit of a hard time trying to figure out where to put the burgundy. For this card, I used the Priceless set. This set has been on my wish list for a while, and I am glad that I finally got it. I don't have the new scalloped edge punch yet, so I made the scallop edges on the Soft Sky piece with my corner rounder and then used my 3/16 hole punch to make the holes along the edges as well. I used a stampin dimensional for the center flower to make it stand up a bit.
Fairly straightforward; but I was pleased with how it turned out.
Ok, so that's all for me today, I'm afraid. I've a busy afternoon and much to be done. Have a great day and thanks for visiting with me!

Be Inspired and Online Ordering.

Good Evening Everyone!

I hope you have all had a wonderful day today. I have been busy working on a variety of projects this afternoon including this piece which I did for Beate's Be Inspired Piece this week. I combined it with today's SCS sketch challenge as well. I used a combination of Not Quite Navy, Garden Green, Baja Breeze and a piece of yellow earthy tone Bazzil Cardstock (because I'm out of SU Mostly Mustard.) I stamped the Garden Green background with the floral background stamp. The Baja Breeze strips are stamped with one of the stamps from Itty Bitty Backgrounds. The flower on the sides of the strips are from the Priceless Set, as is the "So Kind" sentiment in the center. The patterned background paper is from the new designer series paper, "Green Tea." I love this paper; and can't wait to order more patterns!
The circle stamp on the bottom right corner is from a new set called A Flower for All Seasons. I thought this particular stamp was appropriate because of the frog and the fact that he is green and matches the card. Isn't he cute?!
Ok, so believe it or not, I really am a Stampin' Up Demonstrator, for those of you who may not be sure about that. Way back before I started my blog I had a SU Demo Website. However, through a variety of different circumstances, I decided to give up my website and concentrate primarily on posting here on my blog. Well, today I decided to reactivate my website. Why? You ask. Simple, two words: "Online Ordering.". Stampin' Up! has now made all their products available online for purchase! How exciting is that!! Now you can buy what you want, when you want it. Of course, I would love to be your Demonstrator; and now I can be. Regardless of where you live. I may not be able to be in your living room with the products; but I can sure be in your computer!!
I've added a groovy little button on the right side of the blog today. All you need to do is click on it and you'll be directed to my website and you can start shopping right away. Thanks so much for you support for my business.
That's all for me for now. Have a great night everyone and thanks for visiting with me!

A Howdy Tuesday!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

I'm off to pick up Reagan from school and then to finish doing a few things before gymnastics this afternoon. Wanted to post this before the rest of the day got away from me. This stamp is from the Paper Pretties Stamp of the Month Club This was August stamp. Isn't she cute?! This is the first card I've made with her; but it definitely won't be the last. The possibilities for her are endless. I decided to take a pretty traditional approach with her for this first time around and just stuck with the basic earthy colors for her outfit. I used Really Rust, and Close to Cocoa. I did want to add a bit of a splash of bright color, so I used Tempting Turquoise as my base.
Ok...running late. Gotta go.
Have a great evening everyone and I'll be back tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

A Sad Mojo Monday

Good Afternoon Everyone!
Today is Mojo Monday. Be sure to check out Julee's card. It's fantastic as always. Here is my card for this week's sketch. This card was very hard for me to make as I will be sending it to my friend Rebecca, who suffered a tragic loss when her baby boy was still born on Saturday Night. There are no words one can really say when someone so dear to you suffers in such a way.
I used Really Rust, Bashful Blue and Black for my colors. I used Pocket Silhouettes for the main image and spritz the stamp with water prior to stamping it on watercolor paper. Then I took my aquapainter and swirled it in an ink puddle and just went around the edges. Then I used sponge daubers and sponged Bashful Blue chalk on the center of the card over the flower image. (The image looks crooked; but that's because it moves when I put it on the scanner.)
I'm afraid I don't have much else for you today...just not in the right frame of mind for creativity and spunky chatter. Please say a prayer for Rebecca and her husband Don during this time.

TGIF! and also for Beate's Weekend Sketch!

Hi All!
Sorry it's taken me so long to post this afternoon. Don't really know why...just a lazy rainy day here in SC, waiting on Hanna to do or not do whatever it is she is or isn't going to do! I had intentions of doing Beate's sketch earlier today; but then I ran across the "Monk" marathon on USA and I was done! I'm such a sucker for a marathon...it really doesn't matter what it is, if it's on all day, I'll watch whatever it is!
I did finally get this card put together. Simple, nothing fancy; but can I tell you I am loving, loving the new colors this year. I always order a couple of assorted packs first until I get a feel for which ones I really think I'll use a lot and then I order more of the single colors. I also ordered a few new stamp sets, including the Pocket Silhouettes and the Stitched Background stamp. I will also definitely be ordering more of this wider grosgrain ribbon...love it!! Although it did make it a bit bumpy in the scanner (hence the blurry right side). Also I kinda wiggle wobbled the sentiment; but by that point I really needed to get it done. Guess that's what I get for waiting all day to do it! LOL! Still have to say I was pleased indeed with what the UPS man left on my doorstep yesterday evening.
I also got a chance to change the layout for the blog for September. I hope you like it!
Ok, so that's all for me this evening. Am going to try to play around some more this weekend with my new goodies and be back on Monday. Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by!

Back again!

Well, I know I said I wouldn't be back until the 8th; but I decided to go ahead and jump back into the blogging world. Besides with Hanna, Ike and Josephine lined up out there like members of a marching band, I didn't want to not be able to post on the 8th and then you all think that I've forgotten about you.
So what have I been up to? Well, Tyler started Pre-K on the 25th (I may have actually already mentioned that.) He really likes it and looks forward to going each day. It is strange to just have Jonathan for those two hours, however! Reagan is fully entrenched in the third grade and is enjoying it as well. Although she is seeing just how different third grade is from second grade...which unfortunately has led to some tears already this year. She is also back doing gymnastics, which I am so excited about! She really loves doing it and I regret having pulled her out of it last year. She's also doing cheerleading and girl scouts. So busy busy she is!
As for me I have enjoyed taking a bit of a stamping break. I actually spent about two weeks where I put it all away and cleared the table and didn't do anything with it at all. I did finally order some goodies from the new catalog. I didn't order them until the end of August though, so they're not here yet. (Although, rumor has it that the brown truck is supposed to stop by my house tonight!!)
I did manage to make a few things and the first one I want to show you is this one I did today. I combined the Mojo Monday sketch for this week with Kristina's Color Challenge. This week's colors were Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Regal Rose, Rose Red, and Whisper White. However, I don't have Pacific Point or Kiwi Kiss (yet!) So she said we could substitute Tempting TQ and Old Olive. It showed up a bit bright in the picture...looks a little hot pinkish (which it's not supposed to be! I will work on the whole scanning process a bit more in the coming days!)
I hope you like the card and I hope you all haven't forgotten about me. I should be back into regular posting mode from here on out, so be sure to check back tomorrow! (Hurricane depending of course!)
Have great night everyone and thanks for stopping by!