Congratulations - Tiffany Blue Style

Hey there! I had a few extra minutes this afternoon, so I whipped up this pretty but subtle card today for a bridal shower I am attending this weekend.
When I found out the wedding colors were ivory and Tiffany blue I wasn't sure what design-scheme I was going to go with for a card....of course, I have to "make" one because I can't justify "buying" cards anymore....:)

After a quick visit to Michael's (I swear I only go there once a week.) I spotted these really sweet Prima flowers. Don't they look like they've just been dusted with a sprinkling of coarse sugar? I picked up a package and this is what I came up with:

Nothing too fancy...I just pulled out my oval Spellbinders dies, a little bit of printed vellum, ivory ribbon and a stick pin to balance it out. I like it....I hope you do too!

One of my Favorite Things...

to do is to surprise friends with special "little" gifts, usually something homemade, to brighten their day, or in this case to say "Thank You." I love taking something simple and adding a simple little touch to make it more special, something bigger than it really is.

Here is what I did to fancy-up a loaf of Zucchini Bread I made yesterday afternoon:
Quick breads like Zucchini, Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Banana are my favorite things to bake. You can make multiple batches, bake two loaves at one time, and everyone usually gobbles them right up. Sometimes I package my quick breads in bread bags that I've sewn together with a quick straight stitch, but for this one, I first used a layer of foil and over that a layer of freezer wrap. That way, if my friend wants to eat it later all she has to do is remove the ribbon and pop it right in the freezer.

I used my Spellbinders tag dies, Memory Box patterned paper and cardstock in blue and orange that were at my fingertips in the scrap pile. Next up I stamped the "friend" heart using my new Stampin' Up clear stamp set and embellished it with a simple flower and brad. Couldn't be any easier....now the fun part, I get to give it away!

Playin' Around

One of my favorite Stampin' Up sets is called "Great Friend." I love the butterfly image, the frame image and the sentiment stamps. Here are two cards I put together while playing around the other day, just using the colors of cardstock on my desk along with a few scraps from Cosmo Cricket:
This card is nothing too fancy, just some simple pieces along with a scallop border punch and a snippet of Tempting Turquoise ribbon.

On the next card, I decided to go with a few more details, including a few punches from Martha Stewart's butterfly trio punch along with some grassy hills using her new shredding scissors.

The pink scrap was pulled out of my scrap holder and I also went with a larger scallop on the Cosmo Cricket patterned paper. I bought a set of Quickutz scallop border dies a while back and have just taken to using them on every other project lately.

That's it for today! Take care!

Thanks Lulu!

This morning, as I was going through my blog roll call, one of which is Laura Craigie's, I found out that I won a gift certificate to YourScrapbookStash....yahoo!!
It's always so exciting checking back and seeing your name as a winner! I can't wait to pick out something fun to play with! Thanks Laura and thanks YourScrapbookStash!

Dandelion Trend

Have you noticed all of the dandelion images out there? Maybe my head's been in a hole for quite a while, but I've just this week picked up on this trend. That's o.k....we were the last on our block to get a microwave oven....and as far as I know I don't have any permanent scars on my psyche.

Anyways, I put together this simple card using a dandelion stamp from Memory Box:
It's such a pretty image, I just fell in love with it when I saw the store's display sample. This image, unlike other company's dandelion images, including Hero Arts, does not include a stem, so I sliced and diced to reveal the green cardstock underneath. (I wish I could say this was my original idea, but I borrowed it.)

I also used some Memory Box patterned paper, along with a sentiment and cardstock from Papertrey Ink...can't get enough of them! The itty bitty gem is also from Memory Box - they are the smallest ones out there.

Keeper of the Cards

Until recently, I hadn't found a really good way to organize the cards I've made other than using a square-shaped basket and stacking them on top of each other. It's a quick doable method, but sometimes they get warped and dusty.

But now, Iris has come out with a "Card Keeper" and I found one at Michael's. Here's what it looks like minus the label on the front:
Open it up and all of your lovelies fit nicely inside. You can also separate your cards using the plastic dividers that come with it, but I found that they took up too much space.

I think this a good buy for $4.99 (using a 50% off coupon) and I still have room for a few more to fit inside. Check one out next time you're out!

A Cool Concept - Learn at Home

I signed up for my first on-line class and I can't wait to see what's in store. Today is the first day and I'm excited to view my very first .pdf file from the amazing Kelly Purkey. I love her design work and what an amazing talent and opportunity to work for American Crafts. Dream job!!