Sketchy Sunday No.9

ETA: This was scheduled to post but apparently blogger is in a mood.

Good morning! Today's card is for the newest Sunday Sketch up at the 356 Cards blog.

It's a fun one but was a true challenge for me to execute! *smile* 

Sentiment by Verve, layered butterfly die by WPlus9, sketch by Pam.

I hope you join us this week! We'd love to see what you create using this sketch.

Just link it up to the 365 Cards Blog!

Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO

CAS-ual Fridays!

We here in upstate NY have definitely had our fair share of "showers"...SNOW showers that is. *grumble*

I'm so ready for real Spring to return. Green grass, birds chirping, flowers blooming...I want it all! Which brings me to this week's Clean and Simple challenge at the CAS-ual Friday blog!

Lets see what your take on this theme is!

I focused more on the showers side of things, and made fun gusts of wind blow the umbrella backwards. 

Both the sentiment and the tiny white daisies on the umbrella are stickers from SRM Stickers, who happen to be our incredibly generous sponsors this week!

I used the bracket and the word "shower" from this sheet of stickers (and added an extra 's'), and the "April" from this sheet. 

The tiny daisies are from this sheet of stickers.

I hope you'll join us this week for the newest challenge at CAS-ual Fridays!

Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO

Halcyon Days

Hey everyone! Happy Wednesday!

I'm posting today with my Denami teammates for the stamp spotlight of the week, this gorgeous Large Butterfly...

Boy would I love to see real butterflies right now...we've received nearly 2 feet of snow in the past 48 hours in a freak snowstorm and I miss the green grass! 

My poor tulips are NOT happy, LOL. Look at them poking out from all that white stuff!

*grumble*

After paper piecing my butterfly using the pretty tropical papers from this variety pack, I stamped it again on vellum and heat embossed it with silver e.p., then I cut out just the inside of the wings and adhered them on top of the patterned paper. I also paper pieced the body and head separately for even more dimension.

The large dot swirls were stamped on the white to show a fluttery-type movement of the butterfly, and the sentiment finished it off! I couldn't resit adding just a few of the black rhinestones to balance things, and a tiny black twine bow.  *smile*

Denami Products used:

Large Butterfly (cling stamp)

Happy Birthday sentiment (cling stamp)

Large Dot Swirls

Black Rhinestones

Kraft, white, and magenta cardstock

Tropical Splash Sampler pack patterned paper

Silver e.p.

Black & white twine

Yes. 

I fussy cut those silver antennae out.

 I am crazy like that.

*grin*

So hop on over to the Denami site and get this cling butterfly while it's on sale! You can't beat a good deal. And be sure to check out the blog too, to see how the rest of the DT showcased this beauty!

Thanks for stopping by,

Help me wish away this snow, will ya?

XOXO

Birthday Blog Hop for Michele!

Hello!

Some friends from CAS-ual Fridays and I are participating in a Birthday Blog Hop for our fearless leader and pal,  Michele Gross.

She is such a great person. Talented, clever, kind, hardworking, generous, and amazingly organized! 

Us Girl Fridays would be utterly lost without her, and we all love her dearly!

I tried to keep it CAS, but could not resist adding the lace and ribbon...*hanging my head in shame* 

Michele always makes me think of pink. She's a happy, cheerful girl and pink is a happy, cheerful color! 

Sentiment and image stamps from My Cute Stamps.

If you'd like to check out all the birthday cards for Michele, begin with Karen, who's idea this hop was. (Thanks Karen for all your hard work organizing us!) 

Your next stop on the hop is Stephanie, but here is the entire list too.

Karen
Dana (me)
Stephanie
Karolyn
Angie
Debby
Lorena
Suzanne
Kimberly
Jenny
Virginia
Julie Ranae
Christina
Laurie

Lisa
Deb

Gayatri

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELE! 

I hope it's a fabulous day filled with love and laughter and you feel celebrated!

Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO

P.S. for those interested, yes, we did (and are continuing to) get snow. Anyone up for skiing in April? LOL

Yesterday's card was inspired by the pink tuplips and green grass in my lawn, but today it's all white, white, snow and ice everywhere! *sigh*

Sketchy Sunday

Hi!

Can you believe we are supposed to get snow today and tomorrow? 

Yeah...*grumble*

I'm popping in with a card for this week's Sunday Sketch at the 365 Cards blog. 

I was definitely in a spring mood when I created this. I could see all my gorgeous deep pink apple blossom tulips beginning to bloom in my front yard against the green grass and could not resist the color combo!

Here's the sketch if you want to play along. It's a simple one and easy to "make it your own."

Check out what the DT did for more inspiration.

ERIN

ANNIE

JENNY

WENDI

ROSE

Link up your project to the 365 Cards blog so we can come visit and see your version!

Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO

CAS-ual Friday (sketch)

I'm back with a new challenge from CAS-ual Friday!

This week it's a sketch.

Is that not the perfect clean & simple sketch? *smile*

And did you see the new facelift the blog received? 

SO COOL, right? 

I pulled out a set of seashell stamps from Kitchen Sink Stamps and had a blast playing with them! I stamped each layer in a different color to give shadows and highlights and make it look almost 3D! Then I chose three and aligned them to fit above my sentiment block. Background is a Burlap Backgrounder from the older CHF collection.

I hope you'll come out and play with us this week! 

We are sponsored by Theresa Momber.

Create a card (or layout) based on the sketch above and link it up to the CAS-ual Friday blog for a chance at fame and fortune! 

Okay...well not quite fortune, but fame definitely! *grin*

Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO

Ribbons blog hop

For my Sunday Sketch post please click here:)

Welcome to the April Denami Blog Hop!

I hope you are enjoying all the eye candy if you came from Greta's blog! If you need a list of all participants go to the Denami blog to start. If you are just passing through, that's fine too:)

I had so many ideas for this ribbon hop, but in the end I went with simple and sweet. These two potted tulips were so much fun to create with just a few pieces of the awesome Denami grosgrain ribbon. 

All supplies are Denami in fact!

Sunshine Sentiment

Stitched Rectangle

Large Dot Swirl

Magenta, White, and Kraft cardstock 

3/8 Chocolate and emerald grosgrain

5/8 chocolate, magenta, and light pink grosgrain

If you want  a chance to win one of TWO $20 Denami gift certificates, leave a comment on my blog and every stop along the way. Someone has to win...why not YOU?!

Your next stop in this ribbon hop is the lovely Jennifer, and I know she has something awesome in store for you!

Thanks for hopping by,

XOXO

Sunday sketch #7

It's time for a new Sunday Sketch at the 356 Cards Blog!

This week's sketch is by Erin, and it a really good one.

I painstakingly paper pieced each of those tiny Larkspur flowers. 

Yeah. 

Who's insane now?! *chuckle*

And don't you just LOVE that layered butterfly? (I put one of the layers on backwards, but didn't notice until I took this photo so it was too late! hee hee)

 It's my favorite butterfly die and it's from WPlus9! 

I saw a card similar to this a year or so ago and it's been stuck in my mind ever since. If it was yours please let me know so I can give due credit!

For even more inspiration, check out the rest of the DT at the 365 Cards Blog.

And be sure to play along with us this week!

ERIN

ANNIE

JENNY

WENDI

ROSE

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Special treat cupcakes

No. You are not at the wrong blog.

Yes. It's been awhile since I posted a recipe:)

After trial and error I've perfected this one though so I thought I'd share it. These are super simple to make and you only need one bowl, a whisk, and a cupcake pan! These satisfy any craving for pizza at our house, and because we live in the middle of nowhere and there is no such thing as delivery, these come out about twice a month. *smile*

PIZZA CUPCAKES (Makes 9)

Preheat oven: 375

Grease cupcake pan (DON'T use liners.The pan helps to create the brown crust on the outside)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon of pizza seasoning 

(have linked my favorite, but you can mix your own too)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk (I use soy or almond)

1 egg, beaten (I use ground flaxseed and water)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded parmesan

A sprinkling of cheese for the tops, optional

1. Whisk first 6 ingredients in bowl until combined. 

2. Add cheeses and toss well to coat in flour mixture.

3. Stir in milk and egg until well combined.

4. Scoop into 9 muffin tins, using about 1/4 cup in each.

5. Sprinkle with a topping of cheese if desired and fresh ground pepper.

6. Bake 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes in pan before removing. 

These taste best if left to sit for 10 more minutes on a rack or plate. It gives the cheese time to cool/set a bit and not be so scalding hot when you bite into them!

Dip into your preferred marinara or pizza sauce.

Note: To make these vegan, use flaxseed egg, non-dairy milk, and vegan cheeses. I've made them several times that way and no one was the wiser! 

Here's my flaxseed egg recipe..(works in most every baked good)

In small sauce pan, combine 4 Tablespoons of ground flaxseed, and 12 Tablespoons of water. Whisk constantly until heated through and viscus (about 4 minutes), then blend well with a handheld immersion blender, or put into your regular blender until whipped and souffle-like. Store in a covered container in the fridge. Use 1/4 cup for each egg.

Thanks for stopping by!

If you make these let me know what you think!

XOXO

CAS-ual Friday(Opposites)

Hiya!

So are you all excited to see who the new Design Team is at CAS-ual Fridays???

Go see...I'll wait!

...

...

I KNOW, right?!?!!! *squeal*

What an amazing group of talented folks. I feel privileged just to be working with them:) I know you will be blown away each week once they start participating. *smile*

This week's challenge is one of my favorites! 

I love using opposing colors from the color wheel! And because orange is my all-time favorite color, I had to go with orange and blue.

We are sponsored by The Craft's Meow this week! 

They have the sweetest stamp sets ever! 

And since Celebrating You was the first set I ever owned from TCM, I thought it fitting to use it for this challenge:) 

I embossed the flowers with orange Zing e.p., added highlights with a Copic marker and a white gel pen before embossing the sentiment in white. To pull more white into the card and balance my off-center flowers, I cut the blue panel down to show more of my white base, and added the orange ribbon loops. 

Sometimes I'm happy with my cards and this is one of those times! *grin*

I really hope you'll join us this week at CAS-ual Fridays because I enjoy checking out all the submissions. And be sure to welcome the OUTSTANDING new DT at CAS-ual Fridays too!

(Welcome new ladies! I'm so happy to be working alongside you!)

Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO,

Mother's Day windowbox

Hi!

I couldn't wait to show you this card because I had so much fun creating it.  I love it when what you imagine in your head turns out on paper. you know? *smile*

After stamping the window frame and flower box, (I love these new cling stamps!) I cut them apart, drew curtains with a Copic marker, and then cut the insides out. I adhered a piece of transparency behind the window and finished cutting it out all the way. Doesn't it look great?

The flowers and leaves (from the Spring Flowers cling set) were super simple to color and fussy cut too, not as difficult as I thought they might be at all! I finished it off with a simple sentiment in a sweet script! 

And that sentiment happens to be on sale all this week too, so grab it for your Mother's Day cards now!

All stamps are new Denami cling stamps!

Flower box Window

Spring Flowers

Happy Mother's Day

For even more samples and inspiring projects, check out what the DT has done on the Denami blog today. Get a head start on your Mother's Day cards with this darling script sentiment today.

Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO

Sunday sketch #6

Happy Easter/Spring/re-birth/Ostara to those whole celebrate!

This week's sketch at the 365 Cards blog is a cute one, and very versatile. I leveled out the 3 round elements and used my ribbon in the top right hand corner. My main image is a digital stamp from Robyn's Fetish. It's actually three daises on stems with leaves but after printing, I punched just part of it out!

Here's what it looked like originally:

It's so easy to manipulate digital stamps, and I love how versatile they can be!

So if you'd like to join us this week for Sketchy Sunday, create a card based on the following sketch and link it up to the blog!

And be sure to check out the other DT members and see how they interpreted the sketch too!

ERIN

ANNIE

JENNY

WENDI

ROSE

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful day!

XOXO,

CAS-ual Friday (Easter Baskets)

Happy Good Friday! 

I'm popping in to share my card for this week's CAS-ual Friday challenge. 

THINGS YOU'D FIND IN AN EASTER BASKET!

I always give my boys a small plush bunny in their baskets but this year they are getting plush hampsters...Shhh! Don't tell! *wink*

My favorite thing in my Easter basket as a kid was always new shoes and black jelly beans. Yum. *smile*

And did you see that this week we are looking for another guest designer? The top pick gets to work as a temp with the Girl Fridays! Will it be you?!

Our sponsor this week is Simon Says Stamp. 

They sell every papercrafting supply you can imagine and they ship super fast, so check them out!

Bring out your creative side and show us what's in YOUR Easter basket this week!

Link your project up to CAS-ual Fridays and remember to keep it clean and simple.

Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO,

Grass die is from Cheery Lynn Designs

Be Happy!

Today is my mom's birthday! She's 77 and the bestest mom in the world. *smile*

Note: This lavender cardstock is the perfect shade and comes from here.

XOXO,

One layer challenge

Welcome. Denami is hosting a one layer card challenge right now and I couldn't wait to join in!

I really like the challenge of creating a card that doesn't LOOK one layer, but actually IS.

I masked off a strip across the entire base and sponged ink along the bottom and just over the top of the masked edge. Then I used both the Bamboo Leaves and the Sand Waves (turned on its side) to stamp green leaves and "grass". I then stamped the small Orchid, removed the masked strip, and stamped one more Orchid and a small touch of "grass" and added the sentiment. A few COPIC markers and the orchids were done!

If you like the challenge of a one layer card, why not join us? You only need to use at least one Denami stamp to enter! 

Just link it up to the blog.

And be sure to check out the Denami blog for all the one layer cards made by the DT, while you are there. Such inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by, 

XOXO

Sunday sketch #5

I scheduled this but it didn't POST! *grumble*

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!

I have no jokes to play today...sorry:)

Its time for another Sunday sketch at the 365 Cards Blog!

We were sponsored by DSR Designs this week, and they have some amazing stamps. WOW.

I chose to work with this Simple Berry Branch before I saw the sketch for the week, so I had to do some creative finagling to make it work. *chuckle*

Here's this week's sketch:

My version moves the three flowers element to the top left corner, but I think it still works!

Check out these other fabulous ladies to see how they interpreted the sketch and the fun stamps they chose to work with from DSR Designs.

ERIN

ANNIE

JENNY

WENDI

ROSE

If you are feeling creative, join us by linking up your project to the 365 Cards blog. We'd love to see what you come up with!

Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO,