You're Invited To A Party~

 

I made a card a few days ago with this Terrye French stamp (above) from Treasured Times Stamps and Scrapbooking. The minute I saw this stamp Mardi Gras came to mind. Mardi Gras falls on February 12 this year. The official colors of Mardi Gras, which is also known as Fat Tuesday because it occurs before Lent, are purple, green and gold. 

I used:

• TCW Chickenwire stencil
• Adirondack gold paint
• Spellbinders Lacey Circle & Labels Nine die cuts
• Stickles, Liquid Pearls and Distress Ink
• Tim Holtz tissue tape with music notes
• Tim Holtz Idea-ology crown adornment, stained with purple alcohol ink
• harlequin ribbon and gold mesh ribbon

I used the stencil and gold paint to create a background on white card stock. When it was dry I placed strips of tissue tape vertically and horizontally across the stenciled design.     

The stamped design is adhered to the card with foam to give it lift and dimension.

The sparkly mesh ribbon adds glitz!

You can visit the Treasured Times blog to see how  other members of the Design Team used this invitation stamp. There are lots of charming folk art style stamps available, including seasonal  images.

Do you celebrate Mardi Gras? How do you observe Lent? Has anyone visited New Orleans for Fat Tuesday?

Sugar and Spice

College Girl has discovered a love for all things preppy,  and this includes Lily Pulitzer dresses, Ralph Lauren Polos, hair bows, oxford shirts, riding boots and pearls!  She has a wish list  started, but has managed to pick up a few de rigueur  items for the new semester with her Christmas money. On a trip to some factory outlets she bought a Brooks Brothers top and a Ralph Lauren polo shirt. The other day she came into my scrap room and asked for fabric. Next thing I knew she had the glue gun heating up, and managed to find the hair clips and my bakery string. YouTube has a plethora of videos showing how to make these simple hair bows. Basically, you take a strip of fabric and fold it lengthwise in thirds.

Then you fold the left and right ends toward each other so they slightly overlap in the center, and secure. In this video tutorial, a glue gun was used to hold the fabric together. Click on the video below~

  

College Girl used bakery string to pinch and secure the center of the bow, then covered this area with a matching strip of fabric.

Once the bow is formed you can adhere a clip or comb of your choice with the glue gun or a few stitches. 

These would be fun Valentine's Day gifts and perfect to tuck into an Easter Basket! 

Sweet and feminine, preppy and classic~

I can't decide which one I like best. Seersucker or striped?

I grabbed my camera to take some photos to share with you, but these sweet bows were made start to finish by my preppy College Girl. She even modeled one of them for me!

You don't need much fabric at all. What a quick, easy craft with charming results~

Sugar and spice
and everything nice
that's what little girls are made of
Sunshine and rainbows
and ribbons for hair bows
that's what little girls are made of

sharing this post with~
Share Your Cup 
Mosaic Monday 
Time Travel Thursday 
Pink Saturday- How Sweet The Sound 

Valentine Easel Card~

Treasured Times Stamps  sent me two stamps to craft with and I immediately set to work on making cards! I decided to make an easel style card with the Terrye French 'love' stamp. I used:

• white card stock
• K & Company floral die cut and acetate
• Perfect Pearls Mist on the clock die cut
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations weathered clock
• heart eyelets, Crop A Dile and ribbon
• The Paper Studio Doodle Hearts embossing folder
• Distress Ink and Stickles
• Recollections super fine glitter in pink

I cut a piece of card stock 4 and 1/2 inches by 9 inches, and folded it in half.  Next, I folded the upper half back on itself at the midway point which was 2 and 1/4 inches by 4 and 1/2 inches- it looked like a letter 'Z' from the side.

 I decorated a 4 and 1/2 inch square piece of card stock with woven heart-embossed strips on pink matting. Then I layered the weathered clock die cut which was spritzed with Perfect Pearls Mist. I added the K & Company floral die cut, acetate butterfly and acetate sentiment. Lastly, I placed a fussy cut stamped Terrye French heart inside the clock. I stamped the heart with glue and sprinkled super fine glitter on the image.

 

If you look closely, you can see that I also added a strip of heart punched paper along the bottom front. I used a Martha Stewart border punch for this piece.

To give the card edge something to rest against so it stands open, I used my Crop A Dile to insert two heart shaped eyelets through which I tied ribbon.

 I will share my other card next time so I don't bombard you with photos! College Girl starts a new semester this week and has been getting ready to go back to the school routine - she cleaned out her closet, bought some shoes and spent some Christmas money on a Kate Spade bracelet which was on sale.

   
         

I love the positive message inside, don't you?

sharing this post with: 
Monday Funday at Uncommon Designs
Mosaic Monday at Dear Little Red House 


 

Ch-ch-ch-Chia Seeds!

Are you old enough to remember Chia Pets?

Have you been hearing about Chia Seeds  lately?

Seems like articles about Chia Seeds and their benefits are popping up online, on television, and in magazines. College Girl forwarded an article about Chia Seeds to me and I was delighted to read that these little seeds are nutritional powerhouses. I try to keep my ear to the ground for healthy recipes and snack options. It turns out that Chia Seeds are good sources of fiber, calcium, and Omega fatty acids. They even contain protein! And, because Chia Seeds are so full of anti-oxidants, they stay fresh for two years without preservatives. Therefore, when I was shopping at Trader Joe's last week and spotted a bag of Chia Seeds, I bought them.  

 

Over the past 8 days I have sprinkled them on yogurt, mixed them into juice, and baked them in banana bread.

  

The nice thing about the Chia Seeds is that they do not alter the flavor of anything you eat or drink them with, so I enjoyed a nice pot of London Cuppa with no problem. Including these little seeds into your diet is an easy way to do something good for yourself. I used one of my sweet Brambly Hedge teacups today at breakfast.

I am entertained by the whimsical artwork of Jill Barklem and like to look for little details, like the ladybug resting on a leaf in the vines. (center right)

Whenever I use my Royal Doulton sets I recall the charming antics of the mice in the Brambly Hedge book series. They have adventures in the Old Oak Palace, go on picnics, and celebrate weddings on summer days at the nearby stream.

 On the front of the teacup is a scene of the mice gathering berries in autumn - it's harvest time!

I love the pink band around the top of the teacup with meandering vines and berries. This mouse is wearing a hat, shawl, and apron. See the delicate shape of the cup handle?

 Bake up some home-made muffins or cookies with Chia Seeds, then pour yourself a relaxing cup of tea. Nutritious, satisfying, and delicious. Win - win!

sharing this post with:

Antiques and Teacups
Marthas Favorites
Artful Affirmations
Share Your Cup Thursday 
Time Travel Thursday 

  

The Twelve Tags Of 2013- January

If you need any inspiration for stamping and card making look no further than Tim Holtz's blog. I took a peek at his 12 Tags of January today and ended up making a tag because I just couldn't stop myself, even though I had planned to make something completely different when I walked into my scrap room! Click on the link above for Tims' complete photo tutorial. I also took a few pictures, as I worked, to share with you. I started with a blank tag (2.6 x 5.25), Ranger Distress Ink, and my Cuttlebug Clockworks folder (5 x 7).

Next, I sprinkled water drops on my inked tag

 

 

 and dried it with my Ranger Heat It Tool

 

 Then I cut a clock die cut into two pieces; I painted one segment with gold metallic paint and embossed the other piece with Tim Holtz Spiced Marmalade Distress Powder. I glued them to the tag and trimmed off the overhang. I adhered a piece of Film Strip Ribbon to the left side with Glossy Accents.

I cut a smaller tag from off-white card stock and stamped a sentiment on it, then inked the edges of it. 

 

Here is the completed tag. I used a grunge board number '3' which I misted with Perfect Pearls Biscotti Mist, then finished with a light coat of Platinum Liquid Pearls. The three represents my family. I stamped the bias tape ribbon with a calendar and the word 'January'. There are metal sprockets attached with brads and a game spinner inside the bottle cap. I am going to share this with Tim's blog. It is really fun to see the variety of January tags people have made after seeing Tim's version!

I did not have the grunge board gears Tim used on his tag, so I substituted the die cut clock.

I had so much fun I can't wait to see what inspiration Tim has in store for February~

sharing this post with;

Tim Holtz blog, 12 Tags of 2013 
Time Travel Thursday The Brambleberry Cottage 
Clever Chicks Blog Hop 
Share Your Cup 

 

Sweet Kisses

Does anyone use a humidifier in the room where you sleep? Does it help you breathe? I've read that it helps diminish dry skin and lips as well as curb coughing and sniffing. While we were running some errands the other day I spotted this adorable elephant humidifier at Target. College Girl is an elephant fan, and she thought this was the cutest thing! I'm debating whether to buy this little 'ele' and use it at night while sleeping. Yeah or nay?

 
Chapped lips seem impossible to avoid in January, so College Girl looked online for an easy-to-make Lip Scrub. We like using natural household products for cleaning and beauty purposes and decided on a simple, three ingredient concoction. Recipe: combine equal parts olive oil, brown sugar and honey. Apply a small amount to your lips and rub gently. It tastes good! Rinse your lips or softly wipe Lip Scrub off with a cloth. We had several tablespoons left over, so I put the mixture in a sealed container and we have used it several times.

 Someone painted pictures on my
Windowpane last night
Willow trees with trailing boughs
And flowers, frosty white,

And lovely crystal butterflies;
But when the morning sun
Touched them with its golden beams,
They vanished one by one.

Helen B. Davis 

sharing this post with~
Time Travel Thursday Brambleberry Cottage
Clever Chicks Blog Hop 
Share Your Cup 

Red and Black and Love All Over

I'm thinking maybe this adorable cup for tea today. Or, perhaps this one?

These stoneware cups, called Baking Days, are both made by Spode and come in sets of four. Either would look wonderful, really, and coordinate with the special decor hanging right now in our kitchen. My friend Patty, who is a crafter extraordinaire, created an amazing 'mum' for my birthday! She is on the Design Team for The Crafty Scrapper and I am the lucky recipient of some of her gorgeous work. Calling all Alice In Wonderland fans! Get ready to drool!

 

I know, right?! This hand made beauty has an Alice In Wonderland theme and is chock full of teatime goodies - where to look first? There is my initial, a sparkly bunny, teacups, a teapot, wooden letters, ribbons, flowers, glittery hearts, a tiny tin bunny cookie cutter, playing cards and tags. Let's take a closer look.

Be jealous! Just kidding, haha! Check out the detail.  Since I am a "January baby," she even added a dusting of snow on the leaves.

Look at what dangles below! I have never seen these decorative 'mums' before, but ya'll in Texas and throughout the south are familiar with them, right? Girls wear these to Homecoming Dances, so Patty shared with me.  HERE  is an article about it. They are a pretty big deal in Texas. And my birthday mum is a pretty big deal to me. Wow, it's amazing!

We nibble on Cranberry Walnut bread, toasted, and fresh orange slices with cups of Harney and Son's Earl Grey Supreme tea.

Patty made something else for me but I will share that later - keep your eyes peeled for it because it is equally awesome!

Be sure to stop by Patty's blog  to see what she has been creating, and tell her I sent you with love!

sharing this post with:

Martha's Favorites

Artful Affirmations

Whatever You Want Wednesday

You're Going To Love It, Kathe with an 'e'

Antiques and Teacups
Rose Chintz Cottage 

Anchors Away

 

I thought I'd share a fairly recent discovery of mine with you since you may have 'mummy hands' this month like we did. College Girl's hands get so dry every winter they look like she stuck them in a dehydrator! Back in October we were shopping at an all natural grocery store called Mother's Market and they were handing out samples of Bee Magic. I put it in my purse and forgot about it. Then one day I opened it and rubbed some Bee Magic on my parched cuticles - voila! They looked moisturized, not neglected. I started using Bee Magic on my elbows and heels, and when December rolled around I offered it to my daughter when her knuckles started to get tiny cracks. Next time we went to Mother's Market we bought a small jar of Bee Magic. It contains; 

purifying PROPOLIS
healing, antimicrobial HONEY
nourishing ROYAL JELLY
revitalizing BEE POLLEN
moisturizing OLIVE OIL
protective BEESWAX

It is a tiny bit oily when you first put it on, but we like the ingredients and it doesn't smell bad. The whole family can use it, too. No formal endorsement here, just sharing. 

 

Anyone a Sperry Top- Sider fan? It's funny how particular items are popular in certain parts of the country, and other things are classic pretty much everywhere. I've never owned a pair of Sperry Top- Siders 'boat shoes' until today. I got a pair of black canvas Bahamas, and learned that you can change the suede lace to a colored one if you want. Happy Birthday to me! College Girl spent some of her Christmas money on a navy blue Vineyard Vines tee shirt with an adorable whale on the back. Thrifty tip: if you can wear a kids size 14-16, which she can, you can get the same adorable shirt at a much better price than in the adult section.

 

We had a preppy shopping day!