Oh So Lovely

I think I am wishing winter away as lately I have been gravitating towards Spring colors. This winter has been yucky. Lots of storms and rain and well, frankly, I think it's time for the sun to shine! :)

This card uses the following;
Stampin' Up! Oh So Lovely and Celebrate Everything Stamp sets, Basic Grey patterned paper, Stampin' Up! Certainly Celery and Basic Black cardstock, Stampin' Up! Basic Grey, Ceterainly Celery and Pretty in Pink Classic ink as well as Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon.

Thanks for looking and happy Thursday! :-)

Keepsake Box

My dad's birthday 85th birthday is coming up in March and I decided to make him this little keepsake box of his "favorite" daughter. I always tease him when I call him saying "Hi Dad, this is your favorite daughter" which makes him laugh :)

I have to post it next week to make it to Australia in time for his birthday.



For this keepsake box, I used scraps of Basic Grey patterned paper, Stampin' Up! Black and Tempting Turquoise cardstock, Stampin' Up!'s Time Well Spent Stamp set and some K&C Co fabric covered brads. I picked up the memory box at Michael's.

Valentines Day card

For this card, I used Stampin' Up!'s Time Well Spent and Baroque Motif's stamp sets.

I layered Certainly Celery on Black and created a background by stamping the Flourish stamp from the Baroque Motif's stamp set in Versamark on Pretty in Pink cardstock.

For the heart, I used my aqua blender with Pretty in Pink classic Ink to fill the image and then outlined it with Real Red classic ink and Certainly Celery classic ink for the tiny flower.

Black organza ribbon ties the card together and a little Stardust Stickle to sparkle the outer edge of the card and heart was used. Punch Stickle was used to accent the top and bottom.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Time Well Spent

I made this card using the Time Well Spent Hostess Level 3 set for Stampin' Up! This set is so cute and so versatile.

I stamped the image on Very Vanilla and used my aqua painter and Classic Ink reinkers of Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery and Rose Regal to color the images.

For the flowers, I then used my hobby blade to carefully cut out the flowers.

I used Basic Black and Certainly Celery as the base and some left over Basic Grey patterned paper as the background. SU! black organza ribbon which has since been retired accents the card. I also used Stardust Stickles to accent the sentiment and flowers. It really pops in real life. I couldn't quite capture the glitteryness (is that a word?) of the card with the camera.

Gifty Girl Birthday Card

Here is a cute birthday card for a girl.

Again, I used one of American Art Stamps by Karen Stolper called Gifty Girl as well as Memory Box's Hill stamp. I also used a mix of My Mind's Eye and SU! patterned paper.

SU! Markers were used to color fill the stamped image; Cameo Coral, Sage, Pumpkin Pie and Pretty in Pink as well as SU! ribbon.




The fun part of this card was making the flowers. I used various sized flower and scallop punches which I punched out from scraps of patterned paper I had laying around. I layered them using dimensionals to separate them and then added a little bling on top as well as glitter.

Wine Label Card

I bought this wine label stamp about 4 years ago at a local Stamp Fair long before I became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. It has been sitting at the bottom of my clear stamps box waiting patiently for me to re-find it. When I saw it last night, I got that feeling you get when you have found something wonderful...you know...the "ohhh's and ahhh's" begin and then you are enveloped with a sense of joy and all of a sudden, the world is right again. Of course, I couldn't just put it on my shelf and walk away!

I stamped it in Chocolate Chip classic ink on Very Vanilla cardstock and used my Stampin' Pastel chalks to color it in.

For the card base, I used Chocolate Chip cardstock and patterned paper from the Today and Always Simply Scrappin' Kit.

Fun card...

This card was a lot of fun to make. I used Beate's weekend Sketch Challenge as the design.

No stamping was used for this card. I used Chocolate Chip cardstock, Fancy Pants Rub ons for the main image and My Mind's Eye patterned paper as well as Stampin' Up! buttons.

I really like the way this card turned out and can't wait to send it to a friend in need :)

And finally a card...

The craft room is finally unpacked and about 90% in place but I just couldn't wait any longer to craft. It has been way too long! Also, with the monthly card swap looming over my head, I just had to getting my fingers dipped back in the ink pads.

I can't believe how long it took for me to complete this card. I have definitely lost my mojo! *sob*

With the daunting task of making a card for the first time in what feels like months, I looked for my all time favorite stamps, which come from American Arts. This specific stamp comes from the Karen Stolper collection named Rainy Day.

I used Close to Cocoa and Very Vanilla cardstock, Tres Jolle's Ooh Lah Lah double sided patterned paper from My Minds Eye, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink and Bashful Blue Markers.

I used a Versamark pen and colored over the pool of water and heat set Clear Embossing Powder. I applied three layers of the EP to give the water extra shine.

I then feathered all layers with a sponge and Close to Cocoa classic ink and used the paper piercing set from the Crafter's Tool Kit for the stitching and finished it off with the fine point of my Close to Cocoa marker.

How nice it was to make a card again!

Hopefully my mojo will come flooding back in the next day or so!

More good Vegas eats...

Who doesn’t like a good burger? Well, if you are ever in Vegas and on the hunt for a good burger and I mean a REALLY good burger you have to stop at the Burger Bar at the Mandalay Bay.

It has an amazing burger menu. You get to pick your type of meat. (of course, I went with a Kobe burger - even when cooked well done, the Kobe meat melted in your mouth). You pick the type of bread bun you like as well and the toppings list verges on reading a short novel. Fantastic!

Their website states it best:

“Incorporating the finest varieties of beef, buffalo, turkey, vegetarian and vegan products, a range of gourmet toppings and delicious buns, Burger Bar has a little bit of everything for the creative eater. Complete the experience with a Sweet Burger dessert or a hand-crafted micro brew.”

I had what slightly resembles an Aussie Burger...
White bun
Lettuce
Tomato
Kobe Beef Pattie
Grilled Onions
Fried Egg
Sliced Beetroot

Yum, Yum Yum!

Next time in town, do yourself a favor and grab a burger at the best burger stop in town!

A culinary experience like no other....

I am in Las Vegas for two reasons. 1) for work, I am here all week heading home Friday and 2) we are celebrating the birthday of a friend this weekend.

We had dinner last night at David Burke's and it was hands down, no doubt about it, THE best meal I have had in a very long time. A true culinary experience...and what an experience it was. The service was excellent, the food was delicious from the first to the last bite, great decor and ambiance, and of course, great company.

We started with a treat from the chef...a raw shrimp served on a Chinese spoon marinated in some magic juices and spices. Fabulous!

The bread was a freshly baked, individual brioche bun which was served with room temperature butter sprinkled with Red Sea Salt. The combination of the salt and the Brioche was spectacular. I have always been a bread and butter girl and this absolutely, bar non, is the best bread and butter EVER! :-D

Our meals were deeeeeeeliiiiiicious. I had the Bronx Style Fillet Mignon of Veal. Dessert was fabulous - mini ice cream cones with homemade ice cream and gelato and cheesecake lollipops. Very fun.

If you are ever in Vegas, this place is one you HAVE to try...spectacular!

And of course, since you are at the Venetian, another must stop is Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery for the worlds best mocha's, coffees and baked goods...I'm making myself hungry again so it's time to go to bed :-D

Inner Circle Card Swap Club restarting...

So here we are again...the start of a brand new year and my monthly Inner Circle Card Swap Club.

After listening to feedback from members of last years Swap Club, I have decided to relax the rules of the card swap and open it up to any stamp company stamps, not just Stampin' Up!...what?! I hear you say. Stampin' Up! I feel has the best quality stamps but we all buy other stamp company stamps and since the Inner Circle Card Swap is for sharing our own distinct styles and flair, any stamp company stamps are now permissible.

The usual rules apply;
* There is no fee for joining
* Make 1 card for every member of the club
* Supply a stamped, self addressed return envelope
* Do your best work
* Place your name on the back of each card
* Recipe is optional - preferably loose in the card, so members can reuse your cards.
* And most importantly, be on time with your mail outs to ensure members who have made cards for you, don't miss out.

I will not have the usual optional challenge of the month for February but I will be offering the mystery challenge from March onwards.

Does this sound like your kind of fun? If so, please email me at marie@stamplounge.com by end of day Tuesday January 8th to join up! I will be sending out final numbers on January 9th as the first set of swaps will be due to me on January 3oth.

Happy Stamping!