Father's Day, Part One

Hi guys!

I've been a stampin' fool lately and I've been crankin' them out like nobody's business! Of course, I've had deadlines to meet, what with Father's Day, and everything that happens in June for our family. So now that I've actually uploaded all of the pictures off my camera, I can start sharing them with you! Today I'm sharing my favorite of the Father's Day cards. This one was made for my FIL, Frank. If I'm a stamin' fool, he's totally a grillin' fool! He grills in the dead of winter, in monsoons, in blazing heat, you name the weather and he's cookin' in it! Anyway, I saw a bunch of apron-shaped cards and I though how perfect for Frank!

I cut my cardstock lengthwise, so the card opens on top, then I cut two ovals to create the neckline. I sponged black ink all over the edges of the card and on the ribbon to make it look like it got a little too close to the grill. Oh, and what do ya think about the grill itself? That's aluminum foil! All I did was stamp my image on the foil and cut it out. Viola! Shiney happy grill.

Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Studio G clear stamps from the Dollar bin at Michaels ( non-SU!)
Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie (for the inside of the grates)
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Riding Hood Red, Basicgrey patterned paper ( non-SU! paper too?! What can I say? I'm brancing out!)
Accessories: Aluminum foil, Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, sponges, and an old oval-shaped cuter outer template thingy.

Hope you all have a fabulous day!!

Genie Box

Hi guys!

Remember how I told you that I'm CASE-ing most of my stuff? Well here's another one! Actually, the design is closer to an original than a case, I suppose, but I did find the idea on a blog I regularly follow, Stamping Up North. She made these genie bags that are actually boxes perfect for holding those little Russell Stover candy boxes. I forgot to take a picture of the side view of mine, but check out her's, complete with directions here.

I made this to go along with the flower pot card I showed you a few posts ago for my co-worker's birthday. I filled it with Hershey Kisses, rather than the Russell Stover's.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Yummy (retired 2009 Sale-a-Bration set)
Ink: So Saffron pad and marker, Bordering Blue marker
Paper: Bordering Blue, Whisper White, Bella Birds DSP
Accessories: SAB So Saffron ribbon, crop-a-dile, Big Shot, Top Note die, Simple Flower die, sponge dauber, corner rounder punch

Have a great day!

White Trash

Hi guys!

Today I wanted to share with you a recipe card I made a while ago. I'm still rather slow with my stamping lately, and quite frankly, I'm not sure I'll have much time anymore to devote to it. This breaks my heart, but after a long day working, commuting, and tending to family, I just don't have it in me to be creative. Most of the stuff I've done lately has been CASEes of other folks stuff, and I'm relatively certain that you don't want to see me rehash stuff you've already seen on Splitcoast. Suffice it to say, though, that when I do make something unique-ish, I'll share it!

This recipe was given to me by my Aunt Charlotte and let me tell you, it's a crowd-pleaser! As you can see, I was very literal when I created this recipe card! :)

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Loads of Love
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Really Rust, Hawaii Papaya DSP (retired)
Accessories: Stampin' Pastels, dimensionals

Food Recipe:
1/2 box Frosted Cheerios
1/2 box Chex cereal
1-2 c m & m's
1/2 c peanuts
1 bag white chocolate chips

In a large measuring cup, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave, 1-2 min, checking every 30 seconds.

In a large bowl, combine the cereals, m & m's, and peanuts. Add the melted chocolate and mix gently.

Let cool--it will clump-- and serve.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Yay! I Have a Craft Room Again!!

Hey guys!

I had the most wonderful Mother's Day this year. Jimmy and the kids made me breakfast in bed which consisted of freshly ground coffee, Monkey Bread, and strawberries. Yum, yum, yum!

What made the day even better was the unearthing of my new craft room! On Saturday, I made a trip to Ikea to buy two new desks, one for me and one for Jimmy. We've decided to share the room and half will be his home office and the other half will me my home office. Shh! Don't tell him, but I think my papers and stamps will quietly migrate to his side of the room....

Quick sports news flash: Caps just one game 6!!! Yay! We're going to game 7, kids!!

Back to our regularly scheduled post...

I was so excited to see all my toys again, that I put together two desks and unpacked all my stuff Saturday night so that on Mother's Day I could get down to business and make a belated birthday card for my co-worker. Her birthday was last month, but I can't give my hard-earned money to Hallmark! I need to make my own cards! You know what I mean, right?!

I've been seeing tons of flower pot cards online, so I just had to make one. Mine's not as embellished as some of the ones I've seen, but this is the first time I've stamped since January! I need to ease in a bit...


Here's what the insert looks like:

Now for the recipe:

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, To the Nines DSP
Accessories: So Saffron SAB ribbon, Big Shot, Simple Flower and Birds and Blooms dies, white gel pen, Apricot Appeal marker, scallop edge punch

Hope you have a great one!

Happy Birthday, Dad

Hello Everybody!

Long time, no type! It's been wildly hectic around here. Let's see, since I've typed to you last, we've traveled just about every weekend visiting family, sold our house in Knoxville, bought and moved into our new home in Gaithersburg, MD, and started unpacking.

My God the boxes! I'm the kind of person who will spend a month packing everything up and then have to have everything unpacked, in place, and cleaned within a week. This time, however, I didn't have enough vacation time to take a week and get everything done. So here we are, two weeks later, and there are still more boxes full of crap then there is stuff put away. Heck, we just found our computer two nights ago!! I'm hoping to get to Ikea later today to get some new desks for our office/craft space so I can finally get my stamps unpacked and start playing! I've been going through major stamping withdrawal (which is rivaled only by my Facebook withdrawal)! I bought a ton of new stuff from the Spring SU! catalog, but I haven't even opened them yet! Oh, the horror!!

Anyway, enought ranting. Here's a card I made a lifetime ago for my Dad's birthday back in March.


Here's the Recipe:
Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes, Upsy Daisy
Ink: Chocolate Chip; Old Olive, Real Red, and So Saffron Stampin' Write markers
Paper: Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Hawaii Papaya DSP (retired)
Accessories: Large Oval punch, Crop-a-dile, Chocolate Chip double stitched grosgrain ribbon, faux dimensionals

To all you mom's out there: Have a wonderful Mother's Day!!

Butterfly Birthday

Hey guys!

I know it's been a while since my last post. I actually started writing this two weeks ago! But, I've had a restive weekend with my in laws at their beach house, so I'm all full of vim and vigor and can now finish my regularly scheduled post!

But before I get on with it, I'm only $10 shy of my sales goal, so if anyone is interested in taking advantage of the last days of Sale-a-Bration, gimme a call!

So you guys know that we're living off the generosity of my Aunt Karen right? She has been so gracious to us, letting us live with her until we can get into our own home. It really is amazing that she hasn't kicked us out on our ear by now. Let's see, the baby has broken a sink and we've learned that the overflow in the bathtub is not actually hooked up to a pipe. Yeah, that last one was a hard lesson to learn when there was just as much water in the dining room as their was in the tub. (sigh)

Besides vertually condemning her house, it's worked out wonderfully. CJ and Karen have really become very close, which has helped CJ adjust to life outside Knoxville. Although it's gotten to the point that I don't think CJ will want to move out of Karen's house! N

Anyway, Karen's birthday was earlier this month. So CJ and I made her a special Princess Cake (because CJ loves princesses!) and a special dinner and this card:



Purple is Karen's favorite color. (And previously CJ's fav as well, until about a month ago. Apparently, princesses like pink better.) Here's the gratuitious artsy-fartsy close-up:


Now, I made this card before we left Knoxville, so let's see if I can remember the recipe!

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly, Inspired By Nature
Ink: Pale Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Mellow Moss
Paper: Kraft, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, So Saffron, Mellow Moss, Whisper White
Accessories: Big Shot, Birds and Blooms Sizzlets, Silver Brads

Have a great day guys!!

Wacky Cake Recipe Page

Hey you guys!!

I'm watching The Electric Company with my daughter right now. Have you seen the new one yet? It's so cool! I used to love the old Electric Company when I was a kid and the new one doesn't disappoint! It's really a fun little show with a beat box guy and Tiki Barber makes a guest appearance in one of the episodes. Really, he's a hottie.

Speaking of kids shows, did I ever tell you about my crush on Bill Nye the Science Guy? When I was in college I told anyone who would listen that I was going to marry him. You can imagine my disappointment when I learned that he got married to someone else a few years ago.

But I digress...

Today I wanted to show you another recipe card we made in January's class. This one was my grandmother's go-to chocolate cake recipe. I think it's called a Wacky Cake because the ingredient list is, well, a bit wacky. No milk. A bit of vinegar of all things. And two cups of warm water. Kinda strange, huh? But it is sooooo good! It's the only chocolate cake I would eat as a child.


My grandmother would also make some yummy homemade vanilla icing too. We made a page for this recipe, too, but I forgot to save that recipe in my blog queue, so I won't have access to that picture until our desktop computer gets hooked up into whatever new house we end up in. Whenever that happens... (sigh)

Here's the card recipe:

Paper: Blush Blossom, Taken With Teal, Whisper White
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Double Stitched Ribbon, 1/4" Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, Baja Breeze striped ribbon

Wacky Cake recipe:

3 c flour
6 T cocoa
2 T baking soda
2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
10 T melted butter
2 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c warm water

Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix butter, vinegar, vanilla, and water. Add to dry mixture, mixing well.

Pour into a 9" x 13" cake pan and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Happy baking you guys!

Hello girls! I'm Baaaaccckk!

Hi guys!

It's been quite a while since I've typed to you last! Our family has moved, although not all of our stuff has (grrr). The kids have adjusted well to their new school, and Jim and I are still recovering from our DC-sized commutes! We officially arrived in Fort Washington, MD on Valentine's Day and our new lives got going in earnest that following Tuesday. Last week was a bit of a blur: we were all so exhausted that we were in bed by 9 every night! Talk about no life! This week was much better as far as exhaustion is concerned, but getting used to the work-a-day world has been, well, tough. I'll muddle through somehow, though! I'm glad that I horded up some pics to share with you, because I have not had a single moment to stamp! That'll change soon enough, 'cuz I'm finally putting in my next toy order on Sunday (cue trumpets and angelic choirs).

This week I'm going to share with you some simple thank you cards I made. Last month was my husband's birthday, so he needed a couple of thank you's to send. I'm still trying to use up some of my retired DSP, so I figured I'd use 'em here!


Recipe:
Stamps: Elegant Thank You
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Hawaii Papaya DSP (retired), one of the holiday DSP's from the Holiday mini--sorry! the name escapes me (retired)

Happy stamping!

Elegant Valentine

Well, this is my last week here in Knoxville. It's a crazy week here, and I'm going through some serious DT's since I packed up my craft-dining room last week. I keep going in there to do something just to be painfully reminded in the doorway that anything good is in a box in the garage.

I have squirreled away some projects to share with you over the next few weeks, and I've been trying to be good about spacing them out. I think I mentioned in a previous post that we'll be moving in with my aunt until we can get settled in a new house, so my crafting time/supplies/space will be really limited. So that being said, I'm sure you've noticed that my posts have become less frequent, and that will stay that way at least for the foreseeable future. But stay tuned!

Today's card is one I made for my husband for Valentine's Day. I wanted to keep it simple and masculine, and this is what I came up with:


It's kinda reminiscent of a tuxedo, isn't it? At least, that's what I was trying to go for! I wanted to avoid all the girly reds and pinks that are so prevalent for Valentine's Day, since my husband isn't exactly a girly-man. :)

Have I told you about my love for my new stamp-a-ma-jig?? If I haven't, my Lord! This invention is da bomb! I could never have even attempted lining up the letters without it!! How did I ever craft without it?!

Alright, enough blathering. Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Lovely Letters
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories: Big Shot, Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls embossing folder, Scallop Edge punch, Whisper White taffeta ribbon, and Basic Black 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

My goodness, I cannot wait to get my hands on the new eyelet border punch and those textured dies for the Big Shot! But alas, I must wait a little longer..... But you don't have to wait at all! It's still Sale-a-Bration time and I can still process orders during my transition! Call me tonight!

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Hi guys!

Before I get on to my regularly scheduled post, I thought I'd tell you about the SNOW we got here yesterday! It was unbelievable! Ya see, here in East Tennessee, we don't see much snow (which is just fine by me!), so when it comes down, even just a little, it's a Big Event. Today, it came down so hard and with such big flakes that it knocked out our satellite for a few hours. When CJ came home from school, it was still snowing and there was actually enough to make a snowman! I'd share a picture of our snowman, but I'm a bad camera mom. Sorry! Suffice it to say, CJ had a blast. And, surprisingly enough, there is still snow on the ground! I've never seen snow last for more than a few hours here!

Today I thought I'd share with you another of the recipe cards we made at my class this month. This recipe came from my humble upline, Wanda. It's a crowd-pleaser and so super simple.

Here's the recipe for the page:
Stamps: None
Ink: Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive
Paper: Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Hawaii Papaya DSP (retired)
Accessories: Large Oval and Scallop Circle punches, Old Olive 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

It's kinda hard to see, but I sponged the Pumpkin Pie ink on the Tangerine Tango ovals to add some depth. I also sponged the Old Olive around the edges of the DSP to age it a little.

Now here's the recipe for the Pumpkin Spice muffins:
1 box Spice cake mix
1-15 oz. can pumpkin puree

Mix ingredients and bake according to Spice cake directions.

Seriously, that's all that goes into these things and they come out so moist and delicious! I made these for CJ to take to school for her birthday instead of cupcakes. Her teacher told me that all the kids devoured them!

Happy stamping!