"My Time" technique challenge

Ahhhh....Saturday is finally here....
Today Lauren has a technique challenge for us.

DRY EMBOSSING ON VELLUM CARDSTOCK

Ever tried it? I've done it once before at a class and the results were beautiful, but I must admit that my sample today doesn't really show HOW beautiful this technique really is.
I didn't have any vellum cardstock on hand, so I just used regular vellum. The technique still worked, but the result just wasn't as dramatic as it could have been.

Okay..okay...I'm done making excuses!
Here's my sample for today's challenge... I picked up this adorable image and sentiment by DeNami Designs at the Stamp Expo a few weeks ago.

I used the technique on her bakers hat.
To try the technique out for yourself, just stamp your image onto vellum cardstock with Staz-On ink. When the ink is dry, flip over your image and place it on a soft spongy surface (I used a mouse pad). Then take an embossing stylus and rub over the image. The part that you rub will turn white and *pop* on the reverse side.

I accented my card with some cupcakes from a Martha Stewart punch and covered them with Doodlebug Sugar Coating.
I hope you try this technique out for yourself. Just be sure to use vellum CARDSTOCK to get the absolute best results.
Be sure to stop by and visit the rest of the design team to see what little beauties they came up with!

Lauren Meader
Alicia Weiman
Maria Levine
Tamara Harder
Dana
Kristin
Pam
Tracey Cuccia

Thanks for stopping by today. I'll be back Monday with a new Christmas challenge for ya.

Welcome to Fool Your Family Friday!

Happy Friday and thanks for stopping by today to Fool Your Family! FRENCH TOAST

4 large eggs
2 tablespoons of sweet potato OR pumpkin OR banana puree
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 slices whole wheat bread
nonstick cooking spray
2 teaspoons butter or margarine
flaxseed meal (optional)
maple syrup, powdered sugar and/or fresh fruit for serving


1. In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, puree and cinnamon. add the bread slices and turn them in the mixture to soak for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Don't let the bread get too soggy.

2. Coat a nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the butter. When the butter sizzles, add the soaked bread slices and sprinkle with flaxseed meal if using. Cook until golden brown on the outside, 2 - 3 minutes per side. Serve warm with syrup, powdered sugar and/or fruit.

Hope you give it a try!
I'll be back tomorrow with a new challenge from Lauren.
Until then...

We gave her a Whiskey tube for her 6th birthday...

Every once in a while, the hubs will treat himself to a glass of Scotch and a big fat stinky cigar. I decided to keep the last box that he was about to throw out because it was a funky triangle tube shape. Another item added to my LARGE collection of "alterables". If you're a regular reader of my blog, then you know that I don't do many altered items. I collect things to alter, it just never happens.

We had a birthday party to attend last weekend and were out of gift bags. I decided to seize the opportunity and get crafty! Did you know that a Glenfiddich Scotch Whiskey tube measures EXACTLY 12 inches tall by 12 inches wide?! This project literally took 10 MINUTES and then we were on our way to the party.
All I used was 1 sheet of 12 x 12 patterned paper, red sticky tape and miscellaneous embellishments that I had on hand. No cutting involved!

First, my daughter rolled up a little summer dress and slid it down the tube - perfect fit!
Then we worked on the lid.
Here's a before pic...And here it is after a 5 minute makeover...

All I did was punch out a large scalloped circle with my Marvy Mega Punch and attach some ribbon scraps to the back. Then I added a few green felt flowers from the Target $1 bin and a sentiment from Stampin Up.

To finish it off we tied some turquoise ribbon around the middle and added a giant pink flower. Can I just tell you that I've had that freakin' pink flower for 2 years! I've tried to incorporate it onto sooooo many projects and it was just way to big and hideous. I think it worked well here and I was THRILLED to use it!

Here's what it looked like all finished.
My daughter was very happy to present this to her friend and it looked so cute on the table with all of the gift bags.

An apple for teacher

We celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week recently and I wanted to share a couple of quick gift boxes that I made for two of our favorites.The kids and I worked on these together and then filled them with as many cards as they could hold. I used the same instructions as I did on the box in this post, however I made the lid and base a little bit larger to accommodate the larger envelopes that I had.

After a couple of trial runs on scrap paper, I ended up with these measurements:
Lid - 7 3/8" x 8 7/8" scored at 1" on every side
Base - 8 1/4" x 9 3/4" scored at 1 1/2" on every side

Before I made any score marks I stamped the cardstock for my lid with an apple image by Hambo. Then I scored, used my scallop border punch along the edges, folded, and adhered the corners with red sticky tape.
Here's a side view...
For the front of the box, I used Teacher Anya by The Greeting Farm and a stack of books by Hambo.

Then I just cut them out and layered them on miscellaneous scraps from the ol' scrap bin. To finish off my little boxes and make them feel a little more "special", I used my Cricut "Opposites Attract" cartridge to cut out their names.

Thanks for stopping by today!
Hugs,

Who needs anemones?

I've had my eye on this little lobster from Hambo for some time now. Just in case you can't see, the sentiment (also by Hambo) says," With friends like you, who needs anemones?". Ahhh....so cute. Reminds me of Nemo every time I read it.

I colored the image with my Copics and then added some Doodlebug Sugar Coating to the critters. They were begging for a little sparkle.
I used Amy's sketch for my layout and some patterned papers by Creative Imaginations and Bo Bunny.

And you know the drill....
Since I was working with a sketch today, I also made a Christmas card... This one uses the "Ski Slope" patterned paper and "Winter Post" from the SU Winter mini catalog. That's it for me today. The kids are out of school in eight days and I have LOTS to get done before then!

Until tomorrow....

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

Happy Monday!
Today I have our weekly challenge from Christmas Stampin' All Year Long.
This week we have a sketch to play with that was created by the uber-fabulous Maria Bell. Here's what I came up with...
I used some Winter cuties by Whipper Snapper for this one.

For the blue background behind the stamped image, I just popped a Copic marker into my Stampin Up airbrush tool and stamped the same image onto a piece of scrap paper.

Next, I cut out the animals as close to the black lines as possible.
(these will be your masks)

Then I layered them on top of my colored image and spritzed away!

After you remove the masks, the background will be spritzed but your colored images will be untouched.

To create the look that I was going for, I put the masks back on and sponged Soft Sky ink onto the background in a small circular motion.

Easy-peasy!
Be sure to check out what the rest of the design team did by clicking here.
Are you up for the challenge? This is Christmas card #33 for me! It's not to late to get started! Play along and leave us a link on the CSAYL blog!

"My Time" to color...

Yay! It's Saturday!

I've been looking forward to this long weekend all week! Before you kick back and relax, Lauren has a color challenge for you. Here are the colors... I absolutely loved the colors we had to work with this week and they totally made me think of Summer. Here's what I came up with while in my "Summery" mood...
Isn't this little guy just adorable?!
He's from Whipper Snapper. I colored him in with Copics and then just scrounged around in my scrap drawers for coordinating papers. When I was done, it looked like it was missing something, so I decided to add a little awning above his head. The awning from "Meet me at the Cafe" by MFT fit perfectly.
Are you up for the challenge?
Hope you'll play along with us.
Be sure to check out what the rest of the design team did:
Lauren Meader
Dawn Easton
Kendra Wisenbaker
Alicia Weiman
Tamara Harder
Jen Tapler
Dana
Kristin
Lisa Kind
Odette
Pam
Tracey Cuccia

And be sure to stop by design team member Jen Tapler's blog to read about a very exciting event that she has coming up SOON! It's called Stampin' Out Alzheimer's and you definitely won't want to miss it! If you'd like to make a donation towards Alzheimer's, there's a link on the top right of my sidebar. Let's see if we can help Jen reach her goal of $2500!!

Have a super holiday weekend!
I"ll be back on Monday with a sketch challenge from "Christmas Stampin' All Year Long".

Fool Your Family Friday!

Welcome to Fool Your Family Friday!
This is a weekend favorite in our house.

The sweet potato helps stabilize kids' blood sugar levels by providing soluble fiber. Sweet potatoes are also good for skin, eyes and all-over good health because they're rich in beta carotene and other antioxidants. I make the batter on Saturday night so we're ready to go on Sunday morning. PANCAKES

1 cup water
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional)
1 cup pancake mix
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
pure maple syrup, for serving

1. In a large bowl, mix the water, sweet potato puree, and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, if using. Add the pancake mix and stir just to combine - the batter should be lumpy.

2. Coat a griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, and spoon the batter onto the griddle or pan, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.

3. Cook until bubbles form on top of the pancakes and the batter is set, 2 to 3 minutes. Then use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook them until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes.

Yum Yum Yum

I'll be back tomorrow with a color challenge from Lauren.
See you then!

Got crack?

Butt crack that is....The family and I planted our annual vegetable garden, there's only 10 days of school left and the weather has been beautiful! I'm officially ready for summer vacation! Since I was feeling a little "outdoorsy" today, I decided to play with my "Harvest Moon" stamp by Hambo.

This sketch by Jen was my inspiration...
The gardeners shirt is a nice large area that is perfect for the paper piecing technique. For that, I used some patterned paper from the "Urban Garden" collection by Stampin Up. The rest was colored in with my Copic markers.

Still craving more crack?
Hambo has a selection for you to choose from for your stamping pleasure.


There's baby butt crack....

Plumber butt crack...

Stampers butt crack...

And my favorite, gardener butt crack...

Head on over to the Hambo site and let Tim & Monica hook you up!

Since I was using a sketch today, I also made a Christmas card.
Christmas card #32 to be exact!

For this one I used an image from the retired set by Stampin Up called "Crab & Company".

Thanks for stopping by today!
See ya tomorrow...

GARDENER CARD
STAMPS - HAMBO
CARDSTOCK - NOT QUITE NAVY, VERY VANILLA

PATTERNED PAPER - URBAN GARDEN

MISC - FELT FLOWERS, BRADS, KIWI KISS RIBBON, WORD WINDOW PUNCH

CRAB CHRISTMAS CARD

STAMPS - STAMPIN UP

CARDSTOCK - RIDING HOOD RED

PATTERNED PAPER - RIDING HOOD RED DESIGNER SERIES

MISC - WORD WINDOW PUNCH