A Christmas Cup of Cheer

Happy Saturday, peeps! I have had a busy couple of days with Cassidy; Thursday we went to see the new Spiderman movie---let me say, it is not for the faint of heart!  But she loved it, and that's all that matters! I did have a few moments yesterday to make a card; the FMS sketch was quite challenging (thanks, Linda!) but I really wanted to have a go at it, and I paired it with the Jingle Belles challenge of a Caffeinated Christmas!  You could add the option of making it a masculine Christmas card....but I think I'll just say this for anyone who might like a cup of cheer!  So here's the sketch:

And here we go:

I used the retired sets called Merry Cafe and Coffee Cafe, stamping my images on some designer paper and fussy-cutting them out.  I added holly from the Quilt Builder dies, and the diecut sentiment is from Concord & 9th.  The circle in the background was sponged with Pecan Pie ink using a circle stencil. Finally, I added  a partial sentiment from Circle Sayings to finish off the little sentiment "thought".  I had to cut off the "a" because I already had an "a" on sentiment banner! (More about that on tomorrow's blog post too!)  I admit that I wasn't quite sure how this card was going to turn out....you know when you have an idea in your head, but it doesn't quite translate to cardstock?  Anyway, I persevered and in the end, it wasn't too bad.  I wish my snowflakes were a little whiter.

Anyway, there it is...another addition to my Christmas card stash!  Be sure to come back tomorrow for a new Paper Players challenge too!  Thanks for visiting today!

Grampy told Cassidy he needed some cake, so she went online and found a recipe to make! (You can see it here. I would have just gotten a box mix, LOL!)  But she wanted to do it, so we got started.  She was a little confused about how much butter was 2/3 of a cup, as the measurements on the butter paper weren't clear to her.  So we got that figured out.  Then she needed SIX egg whites....it was not an angel food cake but just a white cake so at least we didn't have to beat the whites.  She got quite adept at separating the yolks from the whites!

After some help from Grammy, we finally got everything in the oven; lately I have been baking smaller cakes,  and using the extra batter for cupcakes.  John takes the cupcakes to his friends at the nursing home he visits and the smaller cake is better for just the two of us!  The cake turned out great but Cassidy asked Grampy if she could dye the icing blue....at least it's light blue! I don't eat "blue"!

She is getting better using the offset spatula....practice makes perfect!

Enjoy your day and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Circle Sayings, Coffee Cafe (ret), Merry Cafe (ret)
Card stock & Papers	Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Call Me Clover, Lights Aglow DSP (ret), All is Bright DSP (My Mind's Eye)
Ink	Versafine Black, Craft White, Cherry Cobbler, Pecan Pie
Accessories	Enamel Dots (unknown), Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Mchine, Quilt Builder Dies (ret), Stylish Shapes Dies, Season of Cheer Dies (Concord & 9th)

AHSC492 Hello Fall!

Happy Tuesday, all!  Today I have a fun card using some retired coffee-themed stamps and pretty fall papers!  It uses the sketch from Atlantic Hearts:

Another one with lots of layers!  So here we go:

I used stamps from Coffee Cafe and Merry Cafe, and papers from Gilded Autumn and Come to Gather, along with some retired Baker's Twine and Stitched Leaf Dies:

The tag and the cup were shortened a bit so to fit on the card better!  How about you?  How do you feel about pumpkin spice lattes?  I do like the flavor of pumpkin spice, but not so much in my coffee!  The coffee shops go a little overboard, in my opinion....a wee bit goes a long way!  Thanks for popping in today! Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Coffee Cafe, Merry Cafe (both ret)
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Gold Foil, Gilded Autumn DSP (ret), Come to Gather DSP (ret)
Ink	Soft Suede, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake
Accessories	Mint Macaron Thick Baker's Twine (ret), Sequins from my stash, Dimensionals
Tools	Big Shot, Tailor Made Tags Dies, Stylish Shapes Dies, 1/2" Circle Punch (ret), Stitched Leaves Dies (ret)

PP446 Pink Lemonade and a Visitor!

Happy Sunday, peeps!  It's time for another Paper Players challenge, this week Claire has a clean-and-simple one for us:

Once again, like on Thursday with the lemony challenge, I find myself without any summer beverage-type stamps!  I must really live under a rock or something!  In my quest to figure out how to use what I have to create a card suitable for today, I totally spaced out on the CLEAN AND SIMPLE part....so I actually have two cards to show, the challenge one and the spaced-out not-clean-and-simple one!  So here we go for the challenge one:

This is not really as CAS as I would like because the elements are diecut and popped up, but I had the idea and I did it anyway!  I used a couple of retired sets, Coffee Cafe and Jar of Love, to create my pink lemonade cooler, straw and flowers! I just love these colors of Coastal Cabana, Flirty Flamingo and Mango Melody!  I added a couple of words from different non-SU sets to create my sentiment, then plopped on three matching sequins and added some Wink of Stella to my lemonade:

And here is my stepped-up version:

Same basic idea, I just added the diecut stitched frames and more sequins, along with a different summery sentiment on a Word Bubble diecut!  I will probably send these out as summer birthday cards!  And I am entering this one in the Festive Friday challenge of "Summer"!!

The Design Team came up with some amazing cards this week as well...you need to check them out at the Players blog!  Then share your cool, refreshing CAS summer drink creation as well!

So about my visitor....it was my friend Wendy!  Hubby Shawn very kindly took this photo of us!

She doesn't live that far away, but she said she thought it was 2005 or 2006 that we last saw each other...crazy! AND she just happened to be the Paper Players headliner yesterday, woohoo!   She came for a little visit, and brought me a gorgeous framed piece:

This picture doesn't do it justice.....and I am thrilled because I don't have this stamp set and I can share this with all my customers to show them how beautiful it is!  Just gorgeous!  Thanks, Wendy!

Enjoy your day and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Itty Bitty Greetings, Jar of Love (ret), Coffee Cafe (ret), Kinda Ecletic (ret),  Wreath for All Seasons (Papertrey), All Smiles (Unity)
Card stock & Papers	Thick Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Mango Melody
Ink	Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody, Pineapple Punch
Accessories	Sequins (Sylvia's Etsy Shop), Dimensionals, Wink of Stella Pen
Tools	Big Shot, Everyday Jars Dies (ret), Stitched Rectangle Dies, Word Bubble Dies (ret), Stamparatus, Aquapainter

PP430 Coffee Helps

Hi everyone!  Happy Sunday!  It's time for another Paper Players challenge, with Ann giving us a marvelous sketch:

I've gotten in sort of a rut, making the same type of card with the same type of fold, so I thought I would make a Z-fold card with this sketch, and add a little gift card holder inside!  So here we go:

Coffee Cafe is one of those sets that has been neglected on my shelf, so I pulled it out, dusted it off and went to work!  Here is what the card looks when the band is slipped off:

I began by using my favorite paper from the Share What You Love Specialty DSP for the cup, then stamped the sleeve in Coastal Cabana, and whipped cream in Crumb Cake on some Very Vanilla cardstock and cut it out.  I created my own background paper with some Coastal Cabana cardstock, and stamped the little coffee beans and hearts, then sponged the edges.  I love that SU gives us little "extra" stamps in some of their sets, and I don't use them enough!  

My Early Espresso layer was embossed with the Tufted embossing folder too:

For added interest, I stamped a panel with the Burlap background stamp, shaded and trimmed the edges for the inside of my card, then added a little pocket for the gift card holder on the left side:

For the belly band to hold it all together, I adhered some burlap trim together with Tear and Tape, then added the little "HI" from the same set.  Fun!  I hope you'll play along with our sketch this week too!  We have been really impressed by the submissions lately...I think I need to step up my game, LOL!  Check out what the designers did:

·        Ann

·        Claire

·        Jaydee

·        Joanne

·        Laurie

·        Nance

·        Anne Marie

·        Su

·        Wanda

The tractor came in handy...we got it just in time!!

Enjoy your day and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Coffee Cafe, Burlap
Card stock & Papers	Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Coastal Cabana, Share What You Love Specialty DSP
Ink	Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Coastal Cabana
Accessories	Burlap Ribbon, Dimensionals
Tools	Big Shot, Tufted Embossing Folder, 1/2" Circle Punch, Wink of Stella, Tear and Tape, Envelope Punch Board (to round corners of gift card pocket), Blends (to shade coffee cup)

IB14 Cozy Cup

Happy Thursday, everyone!  Hope you're having a good week so far!  I've been out of my stamp room, busily painting and freshening up our downstairs bathroom; it's not done yet, but at least it's now usable!!  I did manage to pop into my room and make a card for Laurel's latest Inspired By challenge!  It uses a piece of Color Theory DSP, which has been greatly neglected; this one happens to in shades of blue:

And here's the prompt from Laurel:

This one threw me for a bit of a loop--so many possibilities!  In the end, I went with the blue and white and a cup of coffee, LOL!  This Coffee Cafe set is so fun, but I tend to want to stamp it in green and brown to match the Coffee Break DSP that complements it!  So I really had to stretch to stamp it in Dapper Denim and Marina Mist! I also embossed the Color Theory paper with the (retired) Modern Mosaic embossing folder and used a sanding block on it to give it some texture.  The "friend" stamp is from Apron of Love; the little sunburst border is from November 2017's Paper Pumpkin.  I also added the Corduroy Ribbon from the current mini catalog, some retired sequins and white baker's twine.  Oh, and I almost forgot, it's hard to see....the edge of the card is embossed with the Cable Knit embossing folder, to mimic that beautiful blanket in the photo!

And on the inside, I added another little strip of the DSP and some coffee rings from Timeless Textures:

I hope you'll come along and play with us at Inspired By!  You'll definitely be inspired by the DT's creations as well!

Cassidy and Dana bought me an orchid for Easter..it's so pretty!

Enjoy your day and be blessed!

SIP131 Emboss It!

Hi everyone!  It's back to normal, right?  It always takes me a little while to get back to the routine after the holidays, how about you?  I felt a little rusty in my craft room yesterday, but I am sure with all the new goodies coming out, I'll get back into the groove soon!  Our Stamp Ink Paper challenge for this week is "Emboss It"!

I did both heat and dry embossing on my card today, which is a birthday card for my sister, who drinks coffee all day (and night) long and yet has no problem sleeping, LOL!  Anyway, I used the Match the Sketch sketch, turning it on its side so I could use the coffee cup from Coffee Cafe:

And here we go:

I used a card base of Melon Mambo for a bright burst of color, and a new-to-me embossing folder from Tim Holtz.  Funny story, I bought this folder because I thought it was sand pails, which my other sister collects; imagine my surprise when I looked closer and found it was coffee cups!!  Silly me!  But in today's coffee-obsessed world, I certainly can put it to use! 

I did heat embossing on my coffee cup, lid and sentiment, which comes from the December Paper Pumpkin kit.  The papers and washi are from a sweet little kit from Dayspring Cards and Bella Blvd, called Illustrated Faith:

The little square panel behind my coffee cup is also embossed with the Falling Petals EF!  The final touch was three little punched hearts, embellished with some sequins from my stash!

Thanks for visiting today, and be sure to share your embossed creation at the SIP blog!

At Christmas eve morning's service, our pastor did a little lesson for the children, after which they sang Away in a Manger.  The little boy next to Cassidy was quite enamored with her singing!!  So cute!  And yes, although there is another little boy behind Cass, we have a lot more girls than boys!

Enjoy your day and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Coffee Cafe, Dec 2017 Paper Pumpkin
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Illustrated Faith Christmas DSP (Bella Blvd/Dayspring)
Ink	Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Versamark
Accessories	Sequins, Clear and Black Embossing Powders, Illustrated Faith Washi (Bella Blvd/Dayspring)
Tools	Heat Tool, Falling Petals EF, On the Go EF (Tim Holtz), Dimensionals, Mini Dimensionals, Heart Punch (ret)

Merry Cafe Fall Style

Happy Monday, peeps!  Thinking of all the people in Florida...we have friends and family there and are just praying that each and every one stays safe!

Now that the wedding is behind us, I am trying to get back into the new normal, which I am sure will be a transition for all of us!  Poor Cassidy is still trying to get her head wrapped around it...her mom's married but she still spent last night at our house!  All will fall into place soon!  

I haven't had time to play with any challenges yet, but I wanted to share a card I made last week while I still had Merry Cafe on my desk:

I stamped the coffee cup from Coffee Cafe on some Wood Textures paper and stamped various leafy elements on it from the Merry Cafe set; the lid was stamped in Cajun Craze on Peekaboo Peach cardstock and shaded with some ink and a blender pen.  I mounted it on a Very Vanilla panel that was embossed with the Cable Knit embossing folder, then I added the "label" as well as some sweet little leaves from Colorful Seasons:

To give the leaves some interest, I inked them in a lighter color, then sponged a darker color around the edges before stamping and cutting them out with the Seasonal Layers framelits.  I added a leaf and a sentiment from Coffee Cafe on the inside, too:

I just love the warm feel that the embossing and the fall colors give this card!

So I have several wedding photos but I thought I would share these first.....during the ceremony and finally at the end!  I took these myself; we'll get some from the photographer later!  I also have a couple of cute ones of Cassidy...I'll share them throughout the week.  It was a perfect day, not too hot or cold and the setting was beautiful!  A gazebo in the picturesque town of Lewes, Delaware (pronounced Lewis) was the "venue" and it was surrounded by lush flowers and green grass....tiny, but perfect!

More photos to come, I promise!  Have a blessed day!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Coffee Cafe, Merry Cafe, Colorful Seasons
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Peekaboo Peach, Wood Textures DSP
Ink	Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Real Red, Sahara Sand
Accessories
Tools	Big Shot, Seasonal Layers Framelits, Blender Pen, Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers

SIP103 Life Happens

 

Happy Tuesday, all!  The Stamp Ink Paper challenge is a nice easy sketch this week!  Check it out:

As I said yesterday, I have been waiting forever for SU to come out with a cute coffee stamp, and they finally did! I just love this set Coffee Cafe!  It works so well with the Coffee Break DSP, too! The stamp set has matching dies, but the images are fairly easy to cut out, so I opted to save a little money and not get them.  So here we go:

I stamped my cup in Early Espresso, but honestly, I think Chocolate Chip would have been a better match!  I added a Pear Pizzazz straw, a little heart Corrugated Element, a Soft Sky lid, shaded with ink and a blender pen: 

and a sentiment stamped in Garden Green:

I hope you'll play along with our challenge this week....we've had some amazing submissions lately and we'd love to see yours!!

A couple more photos from Philadelphia:

Enjoy your day!  Yesterday was the last day of school, so summer vacation has officially started!  Be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Coffee Cafe
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz,  Coffee Break DSP
Ink	Early Espresso, Garden Green, Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories	Corrugated Elements
Tools	Tag Punch, Blender Pen, Dimensionals