Blog Candy

Flaxychick has a great blog candy going on over at her blog. Check it out here: Chocolate Covered Snowflakes.

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

Today I have a yummie recipe to share from the new special issue of PaperCrafts Gourmet magazine. I haven't made this ... yet ... but it sounds good and I plan to make the biscuits when we have a nice hot bowl of chilli to eat with them.

Cheesy Garlic Drop Biscuits
by Alisa Bangerter

This is a perfect recipe to pull out if you are short on time because there is no rolling or cutting. The cheese and garlic add extra kick to a plain biscuit, and kids love them. They are the perfect accompaniment to serve with soups or stews, and are great served with a salad.

INGREDIENTS
2 c. flour
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. butter or margarine
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 1/4 c. milk
Chives (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in butter with pastry cutter until mixture is fine. Add cheese and mix well. Add milk and stir until just moistened. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Sprinkle top with chopped dried or fresh chives if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for approx. 15 minutes.

Click here to purchase PC Gourmet online

If you like recipes, I might be able to post a few more from my recipe file. That might be a fun addition to the blog. Let me know what you think. If it's favorable, I'll dig through our favorites.

happy stampin'

Halloween Tag

It's still a few days until Halloween, and today I have something special to share from PaperCrafts Gourmet magzine which goes on sale this week. It is a tag by Alisa Bangerter called Enjoy Halloween.

Enjoy Halloween Tag

Designer: Alisa Bangerter

SUPPLIES: Cardstock: (ivory) Dye ink: (Black) Stewart Superior Corp.; (Summer Sun) Stampin’ Up! Specialty ink: (Mango Lemonade color wash) Stewart Superior Corp. Color medium: (black chalk) Craf-T Products Accents: (black brads) Making Memories; (chipboard bat, moon) Melissa Frances Fibers: (black striped ribbon) Pebbles Inc. Font: (Black Family) www.dafont.com Adhesive: (foam tape) Finished size: 3" x 4 1/2"

1 Make tag from cardstock.
2 Crumple tag and smooth out. Spray edges with color wash; let dry. Apply chalk.
3 Ink chipboard moon; let dry. Chalk edges and adhere.
4 Ink chipboard bat; let dry. Adhere with foam tape.
5 Print sentiment on cardstock; trim and tear edges. Chalk edges and adhere with foam tape.
6 Attach brads. Attach ribbon with brad.

Click here to purchase the magazine online.

I'll have a recipe to post on Thursday. Check back then!


happy stampin'

Blog Candy @ Denise's blog

Blog candy is available over at Denise's blog. Hurry over and comment for a chance to win.
happy stampin'

Holiday Ideas a'la Shellie (Video Sunday)

Cool beans. That's all I have to say about this:

Supply List Here

happy stampin'

Christmas Kit available

A little bit of shameless bragging today. I just received my demo preorder of the Stampin' Up & Country Living magazine Christmas promotion and it's so awesome I just have to share it with you (in detail)! I am so pleased with the value of this kit. I can't wait to dig into it and start making the projects!

Customers can order this kit beginning November 1st. Anyone who orders the kit from me will be able to attend a FREE Workshop I am offering where we will assemble and make the projects so that you will have everything finished up before Christmas. I am placing the first order on November 1 - call or email me before then if you want to place an order.

The kit comes packaged neatly in a 12x12" Craft Keeper. This is a shot of the back side where you can see everything is neatly contained.



Here is the kit from the front with the plastic containers of supplies taken out:



In this photo I have placed everything out on the table:



The Holiday Collection Stampin' Kit includes the following products:
Holiday Collection stamp set (six stamps)
Four 12" x 12" sheets of die-cut chipboard
Eight 12" x 12" sheets of die-cut Designer Series paper (2 ea. of 4 double-sided designs)
Four 12" x 12" sheets of Designer Series paper (2 ea. of 2 double-sided designs)
Two 12" x 12" sheets of Whisper White card stock
25 yds. Silver Metallic cord
10 yds. 3/8" Whisper White taffeta ribbon
Pretties Kit Rhinestone brads (20)
Stampin' Dimensionals
Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter (1/2 oz.)
Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive
Riding Hood Red Classic Stampin' Spot
Old Olive Craft Stampin' Spot
Uninked Stampin' Spot
Whisper White Craft Ink refill

** And you get all this for only $49.95! If you don't think this is a great deal, run out to your local craft store and price similar supplies. This is a bargain!

Here's a close up of the supplies ... EVERYTHING YOU NEED is included in this kit, right down to the ribbons, inks, glue, brads, etc.

And, I don't know if you realized it but the chipboard (which you make into ornaments and a banner) has matching die cut pattern paper - do you know what that means? Yep, no tedious cutting and trimming around the chipboard shapes!! Your projects will slap together so fast! This is the best photo I could get of the chipboard ... at least you get the idea ... there are 4 sheets of shapes:

The kit will be available between Nov. 1 - Dec. 31 (or while supplies last). I will be more than happy to place an order for you - or you can order online through my Demo Website - at any time. If you want to attend the Free Workshop, you will need to order on Nov. 1 so that the kit is back in plenty of time. Once I know who is interested in attending the workshop I will call everyone to find an agreeable date.

happy stampin'

Christmas is just around the Corner

It doesn't seem possible, but it's true. Christmas is truly just around the corner. I have so many things I want to share with you over the next weeks. I have a couple of card projects that I haven't had time to complete yet, but as soon as I do ... I promise to post them here!

Before I go on, I would like to say thank you to everyone who commented or emailed me about my husband. He is feeling better! The doctor gave him 4 prescriptions Thursday morning, including a pain patch and a muscle relaxer. His upper back is loosening up and he can turn his head a little better. He's not close to 100%, but I feel much better about him now that he is beginning to improve.

Now, back to Christmas ideas! Today is post 1, tomorrow I'll have more information and we'll see if I get everything covered in two posts. If not, I may have to include a third.

Stampin' Up is offering a special Christmas Holiday Kit in conjunction with Country Living magazine. In addition to the kit, you will also receive a special subscripiton offer for one year of Country Living magazine at the special price of $12 and receive a mini stamp kit too!

In addition to the projects shown in the photo above, there are numerous alternate projects that you can make. Here are just a few ideas for cards:

Whew! That's a lot of info. Tomorrow I will show you the actual kit and it's contents, plus share info about a FREE Workshop I am offering for those who order the kit.

happy stampin'

slight delay today

I hope to have a post up later tonight ... if I can finish the card I've been working on. I am taking my hubby to the Dr. this morning. He can barely turn his head or move his neck from severe upper back pain. He came home from work last night and went straight to bed, poor thing.

happy stampin'

CASE = Copy And Share Everything : )

Nothing much better than a good "case." Keri posted a project as a Guest Stamper on the Just Rite Blog a few weeks ago that I just fell in love with ... see it here ... her project is definitely better than mine, but I'm ok with that, lol! I'm just happy to have it finished and on display.

It's taken me this long to get the supplies together and actually sit down to copy her instructions. I spent 1/2 day with my BFF yesterday and found the perfect flower bunch to use in the project. This is the final result:

Sorry for the glare. My front porch gets full morning sun, and I just couldn't avoid some wash out in the photo. If only I didn't have to work, I could have taken the photo later in the day once the sun was over the house. But alas, I did have to work today, so this is as good as I was able to do. You can see the "Welcome" sign better in the close up below.

For supplies I used one flower bunch from AC Moore (2.99), Stampin' Up Apple Cider paper (from last year) and Big Shot Top Note die cut, organza ribbon in gold from Offray (?), flourish stamp - Rhonna Farrer, "W" - K& Co., "elcome" - Just Rite Trompe Script, Memento inks and floral wire to hang the cone from the shutters.

Now, are you wondering why I used a different letter font for the "W"? Sure you are ... maybe you're just too polite to ask. Well ... I just bought the Trompe Script yesterday and after opening the box I discovered it didn't contain the whole alphabet! I have large letters A - R ... and nothing after R. I'll contact the company tomorrow and am sure they will send the missing letters w/out any problem. It's probably an oversight in packing. So I just substituted the "W" from a different set. The reason I didn't use the alpha set matching the "W" is because it was too large to fit on the die cut sign! So, now you know all my stamping secrets, lol!

happy stampin'

Serenity Song

This is a new stamp I just received from Artistic Outpost. AO has some really great images - which is not a good thing for me! I ended up ordering {cough} sets from them last week, and they arrived on my doorstep in just a few days. So far, this is the only one I have inked up - but I do have plans for the others!

I wanted to play around with the Colorless Blender solution from Copic this week. It's a neat liquid, but doesn't do what I would expect. As an artist (in my earlier years), I would expect a blender to meld colors and blend them together - instead the Copic blender solution actually pushes color away. The blender (solution or pen) can also remove color! Keri will be posting a card using Color Blender techniques on her blog soon. Check out Keri's blog post here.

Serenity UM Stamp set

To make this card I stamped the image in Paris Dusk Memento ink and heat set it. I colored randomly with R11, Y11 and G12 Copics. Then I spritzed the entire piece with colorless blender. After it dried (only a few seconds), I went back in with the blender pen and continued to push color or remove color from strategic spots. I colored the vanilla taffeta ribbon with BV17 to match the Making Memories pattern paper.

The reason you see my fingers in this photo is because the card opens from the top and every photo I took looked distored because the flap didn't lie completely flat. So where you see my thumb, is actually where the card opens. The ribbon below is simply decorative.

happy stampin'

Whew! aka: the fundraiser is finished!

Well - we had a great time at our Stamp-a-Stack for Seniors last night! To explain briefly, since I work on weekends I wasn't able to put together something on World Cardmaking Day - so instead I helped host a cardmaking event that raised funds for our local Senior Center. All the supplies were donated which meant 100% of the money collected went to the center for enhancing the services provided to senior citizens in the community.

I have a lot of photos to share, so I'll keep the "chatter" to a minimum. Each person attending made 8 simple cards. And we had several door prizes too. The wonderful ladies of our Friday Night Craft Club {woo hoo!} provided the most delicious snacks - which I forgot to photograph - but trust me, it was yummie!

Here are the ladies in action:

workin' it ... workin' it ...

checkin' out the punches

proudly displaying a finished card --

you go girlfriend!

I only took quick snapshots of the cards and a few were out of focus! Here are the photos that were ok to post. I kept the design simple since we had a lot of ladies who were making 8 cards each.

If you want to join us for our Friday Night Craft Club just send me an email for the details ---> link in the side bar. I think our motto should be "the more the merrier!" All crafters are welcome, papercrafters, knitters, beaders, quilters, etc., ... just bring your projects and a snack to share! We'll craft the night away together!

happy stampin'

Susan

Air brush tutorial found

I found this Copic Air Brush tutorial on their UK website: Airbrushing Tutorial
You may find it helpful! No thanks necessary ... I'm just here to serve. : )
happy stampin'
Susan

knit 1, purl 2

I don't knit, but think I know someone who will like this card ...
This is an image from the Copic class I took recently - I believe someone said it was Lockhart? If not, please comment here so I can give the appropriate credit.

I colored the image with Copics (what did you expect?) and the paper is Cosmo Cricket. Yum, yum. I love me some Cosmo. You are probably expecting a list of the colors used but ... I'm not sure, so I hate to guess and list something incorrectly! The reason I am not sure is because I colored this in the car on the way home from Charleston and I didn't write it down as I was using them.


I can tell you the punch is from Martha Stewart, the ribbon is Vanilla taffeta from Stampin' Up and the rectangles were cut with Nestabilities. The edges were distressed using a sponge and Chocolate Chip ink from SU.

If I do not post again before the weekend it's because I am busy, busy, busy. I work a couple of days this week, and have a Fundraiser coming up on Friday - check out the sidebar ---> and send an email if you want more details!

happy stampin'
Susan

Copic Fun!

Keri Lee, challenged me to do something with my Copic markers other than color an image with them. I thought this sounded like a fun idea, and it would also be good practice for me to play around with the Copics and try something new. Keri took WHITE sheer ribbon and colored it with a Copic marker to match her card! Do you know what this means? No more buying multiple colors of ribbons! These markers are awesome. Keri Lee's gorgeous card is here {click}.

I wanted to go outside the box, so I tried to think of an item I could alter yet keep it simple. Then I remembered this little pail sitting on (um, buried under?) my craft table! I found these mini buckets at Dollar Tree in the wedding section packaged 3 for $1. I bought a bunch of them, of course, with no clue of how I would use them. The bucket altered today had been holding gems from StampinBella on my table. This is a photo of the original packaging in case you want to look for them:

I just received the ABS-1 Air Brush System from Copic in the mail and was dying to use it. At our certification class we had an opportunity to play with the air brush. After I got home, I found a great deal online and decided to GO FOR IT!

First, I sprayed Y15 Cadmium Yellow and YR09 Chinese Orange randomly over the mid-section of the bucket. I found some leaf stickers and placed them around the bucket. Then I sprayed E37 Sepia over the entire bucket, covering the stickers well. The Copic ink dries almost instantly, even on metal. I did notice the bucket was slightly sticky to touch, but it didn't leave fingerprints, so I just kept going. When I peeled off the stickers it left a negative leaf image. Next, I took G17 Forest Green and ran it around the mini bucket rim. Then I added ribbon and a small autumn brad {from Target $1 Spot} to finish it off. I made a late night run to Walgreen's for the candy and ta-da! What do you think?

I learned several things while using the air brush. One, it's true, once the air can gets too cold the ink won't spray. If you are doing more than just a couple of spritz, spritz ... you may need a larger can like the 180 or a real air compressor. I had to be patient and wait for the can to cool before I could finish.

Also, it takes a little practice to get the look you really want. The angle of the spray and the distance from the object you are spraying results in different spray patterns - all lovely - but if you desire a particular look, whether splotchy or smooth, you will probably need to practice a bit. I hope to play with this tool and show you more projects here on the ol' bloggity very soon.

Thanks Keri for the challenge! It was a lot of fun!

happy stampin'

Susan

Workin' on the blog

You'll see a few changes over the next week as I re-do some elements on the blog. Hopefully I can remove some of the unimportant info and have a cleaner sidebar. If you have any suggestions for improvement, just leave a comment and I'll do my best.
ttfn,
Susan

Happy WCMD!

Today is World Cardmaking Day! What a great day to steal away time to craft (but I have to work, poo)! So to compensate, I am hosting an event next Friday (Oct. 10) for WCMD. The event is in my sidebar ---> and will be a fundraiser for our local Senior Center. I hope we have a good turnout. Everyone who attends will leave with 8 cards - but the best part is that 100% of the money will go to the Sr. Center. All the card making supplies are donated!

Today's card uses a technique JanTink calls "moonlighting". It is a nice effect which can be used to highlight an element of your image too.

all images © SU! 1990-2008

The images were colored with rockin' Copics and the background was sponged (just wait until my air brush arrives!!). Everything else is from SU! I hope you like them because I love to read your comments (hint, hint).

happy stampin'

Susan

Finally a card to share

I've been so swamped with things lately I haven't had time to post a card. No worries ... today I have a card for you. I made this card for JanTink's Wicked Challenge waaaay back in August! Oh my, how embarrassing.

This card satisfies the Wicked Color Combo Challenge: Tangerine Tango, Perfect Plum, Kiwi Kiss, So Saffron. BTW, it's really hard to make a card that doesn't look like halloween using these colors, just in case you wanted to know that!

all images © SU! 1990-2008

I'll have another card posting tomorrow for World Cardmaking Day!

edited to add: This card's little bitty flower is totally colored with Copics!

happy stampin'
Susan

Lots to share today!

I am totally excited to share this news:

I am a Copic Certified Designer/Instructor! This is something I wanted to do for personal growth, and it was such a great experience. The instructor, Marianne, was awesome. She held our attention and taught us so much - despite the late delivery of class materials by UPS. I have a few more photos to share. But first ... more news ...

I have a card in the November issue of Papercrafts magazine (on page 79). I am one of the winners in the Stamping Royalty contest. My card won in the category of two-step stamping! woo hoo! I am happy to finally have the magazine in my hand and actually see my card in print. And ... my tablemate at the Copic Class is also a Stamping Royalty winner. Laura's card won in the masking category and her card is an adorable herd of cows! I didn't know this until I got home yesterday and opened the magazine - congratulations Laura!

Back to the Copic marker class details. The ladies at my table were wonderful. I met 2 ladies, Broni and Karen, who actually don't live too far from me, so I hope we will be able to get together and stamp sometime. I finally met Keri Lee - who I have been pestering for a while now emailing with questions and what-nots. And, the other 2 ladies, Kerry and Laura, were from outside the DC area, not too far from where my sister lives!

My husband took the day off work and drove down with me. He was convinced that we drove further than anyone else there (3.5 hours) ... imagine his surprise when I told him 2 of my tablemates drove 8 hours, and another lady there came all the way from New Hampshire! He was amazed - silly person, he should know papercrafting is serious business. While I was in class, he did a little sightseeing, riding a tourbus with all senior citizens! He is a sweetheart.

Now for the photos I promised:

Laura, Broni and Karen during the workshop - after lunch, but before our cookie break. (Notice the marker wallet? It does not belong to me ... unfortunately ... it is Keri Lee's and she has a great story to go along with it)

Marianne showing us the marker refills and giving instruction about how to fill them without ruining our clothes! Below you see Broni taking a closer look.

The next two photos I lifted off Broni's blog: Splashes of Watercolor. I hope she doesn't mind. Actually, I did send her a comment to ask permission, but I didn't wait to hear back from her. oops.

Keri Lee and me - we look so serious! (do I always make this face when stamping? ugh.)

Kerry and Laura from Virginia. Kerry actually shared an awesome website with me called oozak.com that sells Copic markers and supplies (thanks Kerry!). So guess what I did this morning? I ordered the ABS-1 airbrush system. Am I naughty, or what?

happy stampin'

Susan