Land That I Love

Hello and welcome to the Artisans’ Award Blog Hop! You have landed here from Andrea Munro’s blog, www.andreamunro.blogspot.com. She has an awesome blog with lots of fun ideas.



In these photos you will see I have used lots of Cherry Cobbler and Baja Breeze for my red and blue. I also used several dies for the Big Shot: the Table Setting XL Bigz die, Perfect Setting XL Bigz die, and the Stars #2 Bigz die. The largest tag on the die is what I used to cut my horizontal panel under the flag on my card. The smaller tag was the perfect shape and size for my mini America banner and cupcakes. As for the chunky silver glitter, my favorite method to adhere it to letters or shapes is to use Sticky Pages. It easily cuts on the Big Shot with any of the Bigz dies. The last two details that bring my projects to life are a quick run through the Dots Impressions folder and two coats of Smooch Spritz. First with silver and the second with white.






BLOG CANDY ALERT!!! So, are you wondering where the “God Bless America” stamp image comes from? It is a retired Stampin' Up! image of which I can't let go. If you think you know leave a comment with your answer. From those who leave a comment with the correct answer I will pick a winner for a shiny new blog candy prize package! That’s right I am giving away a stamp girls best friend--Dazzling Diamonds Glitter and a pack of Rhinestones, the ones from the new Stampin’ Up! Idea Book & Catalog. A winner will be randomly selected by July 3rd.

Thanks for having a look at my Red, White, and Blue projects. Now, get ready to hop over to Jodie Olver’s blog, http://stampwithjodie.typepad.com To start at the beginning of the hop go to Heather Van Duker’s blog at http://StamptasticCreations.blogspot.com.

Hop is Tomorrow

It's tomorrow, the 2010 Stampin' Up! Artisan Award Winners Blog Hop is tomorrow!



Here are the Details:
Hop starts at Heather Van Duker's blog: http://StamptasticCreations.blogspot.com
on Wednesday, June 30th at 10AM EST (7AM PST)

Stop by to see Patriotic home decor, table settings, cards, and more, just in time for Canada Day and the 4th of July! Some will be offering blog candy, tutorials, tips and tricks, etc.

I hope you will join us!

One of a Kind Watercolor

I totally enjoy sitting and taking time to make a single card. Don't get me wrong I like the quick and clever cards, but this technique takes time and cannot be repeated. What I do is mist a piece of watercolor paper and stamp an image a couple times without reinking. Then I mist it to lift away the color and blot dry. I keep doing this until I get a background that I like. My last step is to stamp a few more times and barely mist the image just enough to blur the edges. For this technique, which I call Monet stamping, you have to use watercolor paper. It is heavy enough to withstand all the water misting.

My color combo here is brand new for me. I used Melon Mambo and Real Red with two new colors from Stampin' Up! Poppy Parade and Pear Pizazz. The stamps are also hot off the press--the set is called Friends Never Fade.

At the Hop

Guess what? The 2010 Stampin' Up! Artisan Award Winners have gotten together and decided to do a Blog Hop!

Here are the Details:
Hop starts at Heather Van Duker's blog: http://StamptasticCreations.blogspot.com
on Wednesday, June 30th at 10AM EST (7AM PST)

Each of us are busy working on Patriotic home decor, table settings, cards, and more, just in time for Canada Day and July 4th! Some will be offering blog candy, tutorials, tips and tricks, etc.

I hope you will join us!

Getting Ready

That is right, I am getting ready for another Scrapbook Expo. We will have a booth at the San Jose Scrapbook Expo in early August. My assignment is "big stuff." These few pieces here are the start to what is being tucked in a soda bottle crate. Most of our look for the booth will be vintage/wedding. How fun is this going to be--lots! The stamp images seen in these two samples features the new Artistic Etchings set. The flower was made using the Flower Folds die for the Big Shot and new designer series paper.

I Call it Pucker Pie

For those who joined me this week at my Razzleberry Lemonade Diary class we each had a slice of pink lemonade pie. The pie is perfect for summer and super easy. Here is the recipe for you to try at your next gathering.

Pink Lemonade Pie

1 - box Lorna Doone shortbread cookies finely crushed
1 - cube butter, melted

Blend the cookies and butter and gently press into a 9" pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.

1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
4 drops red food coloring (optional)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 - 8 ounce tub of Cool Whip

Beat the cheese and sugar until smooth. Slowly add the lemonade concentrate and food coloring then beat until combined. Fold in the Cool Whip. Pour into the cooled crust and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to serve. Best when made the day before.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Have a lemon themed wedding. Last week I coordinated a large wedding for a friend and her color palette was black and white with lemon yellow. I wish you could have seen how gorgeous this wedding was. It was one of those over the top fabulous weddings where all the details were perfectly thought out, except the garter (I'll tell you about that later). Long story short, the bride didn't want the typical table numbers so, I chatted with her about other options and then I suggested to further develop the use of lemons. I knew we would be incorporating lots of fresh lemons in all the florals so why not create table names based on anything lemon. We had lemon meringue pie, lemonade, lemon bars, lemon poppyseed muffins, lemon zest, lemon chiffon, lemon drops and a bunch more. I even had lemon chicken and lemon pledge on this list--I am glad she didn't go for those. I did all the placecards, table names, and even these super cute pennant banners for the ring bearer to parade with through the reception. As the dj announced the toasts, or cake cutting, or bouquet toss, the ring bearer walked through the crowd and eveybody thought he was super cute. He is eight and he said to his mom "this is so stupid." It wasn't, in fact it was a fun touch.

Joining the Trend

I too had to join the trend and make a rag roll purse. All of the pieces, yes all, were cut using the Scallop Square die for the Big Shot. The cutting was super fast and the sewing wasn't too bad. I didn't want to use ribbon or fabric for the handles so, I picked up a pair of the acrylic handles at Joannes. I finished the entire bag in about an hour and a half. I did add a shabby flower for a very subtle punch of decor. For my class this week we are making shabby flowers; see the top post and sidebar for details.

What to Do...

I am the only one that ends up with 12" strips of paper? What to do with all the left over scraps of designer series papers. Here is a quick and easy use for those scraps. Just mix and match a few to create a colorful background for your focal point. I have another question. Do any of you feel the need to use texture plates or embossing folders on almost everything? I feel like my projects are naked without a bit of texture.