Quote of the Week #12

So I actually missed week 12 due to my lack of free time (I really need to remember to use that great little option of scheduling my posts in advance). Anyway, here's my quote for this week; I hope you like it.

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of."

~Burt Bacharach/Hal David

Another Roses in Winter Wedding

Here's another sample from the bridal show. This sample is very similar to the last one that I posted, but the text and stamping were both done on the cardstock, rather than having the text on vellum. Also, this invitation has a a pocket which contains the response card, directions and information about accommodations, whereas the other invitation did not and did not close like a folder. It might be difficult to tell in the photo, but the pocket was embossed using one of the embossing folders. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Roses in Winter (retired)
Inks: Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum & Mellow Moss
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum & Whisper White Cardstock
Accessories & Tools: Finial Press Embossing Folder, Sticky Strip

Roses In Winter Wedding

As promised, here are some of my samples from the bridal show. The roses were stamped onto cardstock which then had a vellum overlay with the text printed on it. The roses look like they were created using three colors, but I only used two, stamping on a piece of scrap paper before stamping the first layer so that it would be lighter. I created and printed the text with my computer and it was very easy to do. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Roses in Winter (retired)
Inks: Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss
Paper: Very Vanilla, Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum Cardstock, Vellum Paper
Accessories & Tools: 1/8" Circle Punch, Celery Wide Organdy Ribbon (retired)

I'm Still Here

Sorry I haven't been around lately. The last few weeks have been kind of crazy for me, so I haven't had time to post. I haven't even had time to do the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenges that I love to do and I've really missed doing them. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to do the new one this weekend.

I had a vendor table at a bridal show a couple of weekends ago so I was busy preparing for that. I'll post some photos of the bridal show projects over the weekend. Since the bridal show, we've taken a trip to Connecticut for a music festival, and we also had a music festival to attend here at home. Aside from that, it's just been the general day-to-day stuff that has kept me busy.

This weekend, we have a birthday party, so I'm trying to get ready for that. I've been attempting to make a snowboarder out of fondant and/or gum paste for the birthday cake. Notice I said "attempting." I've been decorating cakes for years and even taught classes, but I've never made figures; it's not as easy as I thought it would be. If I ever manage to get it done, I'll post a photo for you to see. In the meantime, here is a photo of a cake that I made a few years ago. It was for a school Christmas party for one of my children. Thanks for visiting!

Quote of the Week #11

The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

~Flora Whittemore

Quote of the Week #10

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."

~ Henry David Thoreau

A Wedding Invitation Fit for a Vampire

I finally got back to making some more wedding invitations and favors today. My daughter took one look at this and told me that it looked like Bella and Edward's wedding invitation, so that's just what I made. For those of you who aren't familiar with Bella and Edward, they are the main characters in the Twilight books. Edward is a vampire, and Bella is the mortal with whom he falls in love. I used grosgrain ribbon for this project. I personally think that the satin ribbon is more formal-looking, but I was out of Real Red Satin Ribbon. Thanks to my upline Christina Crawford for the directions for this style of invitation. It's very simple to make. You take two 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" pieces of cardstock and score one at 1/2" on one end and 2 1/4" on the other (Christina's directions call for scoring at 2 1/2", but I wanted my flap to fall in a different place when the invitation was closed). You then trim the corners on the 1/2" scored section and attach it to the bottom of the non-scored piece of cardstock. You fold up the 2 1/4" section and secure the sides of it with Sticky Strip, adding any accent paper prior to putting on the adhesive and adhering it. You print and decorate your cardstock with the wording and secure it in the center of the non-scored cardstock. Does that make sense? If not, you can check out this video that Christina made. This invitation can also be made into a square format simply by changing the cardstock sizes. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: None
Inks: None
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black & Real Red Cardstock, Night and Day Specialty Paper
Accessories & Tools: Sticky Strip, 5/8" Red Grosgrain Ribbon

Sweetheart Treats

This is a project that I didn't get around to posting last month. It's a little tote that holds four bottles of candy. Although I put candy in these bottles, they could also be filled with cocoa mix, mini marshmallows & choclate chips, or things like bath salts, lotion & bath beads. They could be used for just about anything. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Short & Sweet
Inks: Rose Red
Paper: Welcome Neighbor DSP Pad, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White & Rose Red Cardstock
Accessories & Tools: Small & Large Oval Punches, 5/8" Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon, Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslits Die, Small Heart Punch, Full Heart Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sticky Strip, 4 oz. Bottles (non-Stampin' Up!)

Chocolate & Raspberry Anyone?

I don't know about the rest of you, but my favorite truffle flavor is dark chocolate raspberry, and that's just what I am reminded of when I look at these colors. Yum! This card uses a number of items from the Occasions Mini Catalog, which will be gone in less than two months, so make sure you get what you want while you still can. I for one will be stocking up on the Sending Love Notes Hugs and Kisses. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts, Well Scripted
Inks: Rose Red
Paper: Welcome Neighbor DSP Pad, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip & Rose Red Cardstock
Accessories & Tools: Sending Love Notes Hugs, 5/8" Whisper White Satin Ribbon, Chocolate Chip Corduroy Buttons, Curly Lable Punch, Movers & Shapers Curly Label Die, 1/16" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Better Late Than Never

I'm sure that many of you have already seen these "Rag Bags" all over the internet, but I've just now gotten around to making one. I've wanted to make one for a while but to be honest, my sewing machine has been buried in my craft room. For those of you who aren't familiar with these, this bag uses the Scallop Square Die to make the squares. It actually has two handles, but the other handle is hanging over the back side of the bag, so it's not visible in this photo. I found the instructions on Angie Kennedy Juda's blog. Some of the bags I've seen are made with the raw edges on the outside, but I wanted to have a more finished look for mine. I'll try one of the others later. I haven't had my sewing machines out in probably four years, so don't look too closely or you'll see all of my mistakes! :o) Thanks for visiting!

Accessories & Tools: Fusible Interfacing, Sewing Machine, Rotary Cutter, Iron, Pins, Cutting Mat, & Perforated Plastic (All Non-Stampin' Up!), Big Shot, Stampin' Up! Scallop Square Die

Quote of the Week #9

"Happiness doesn't depend on how much you have to enjoy, but how much you enjoy what you have."

~ Tom Wilson