So very

Fun!! I am loving this card...now someone just needs to have a baby girl so I can give it to 'em!

The "So Very" was inked with a Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write marker (omitting the "O") on Shimmery White cardstock. Then I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp the little piggy from the "Very Punny" SAB set in the place of the "O." I colored the piggy in with Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose Stampin' Write markers. Then I used the stamp-a-ma-jig again to stamp the word "sweet" underneath in Regal Rose.

The card base is Pretty in Pink and then I stamped the "Paisley Print" BG on a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock in the same color ink. Now comes the fun part...I mounted the Shimmery White onto the Chocolate Chip and then added all of the fun buttons.

I used Pretty in Pink, small clear, and Chocolate Chip buttons to make the frame. In the larger ones I tied little pieces of hemp, pink gingham, white fiber, and some polka dotted organdy ribbon through them.

I am really pleased with how this card turned out. It is a little on the expensive side, what with the 23 buttons and all, but I think the final product is well worth the expense.

The last doggie card..for a while

tee hee hee!!

This card was actually really quick and easy to make. The image was stamped on watercolor paper with black stazon and then colored in with a Buckaroo Blue reinker and my aquapainter. I mounted this on a strip of Not Quite Navy cardstock and then used my Whisper White craft ink to stamp the sentiment.

The cardbase is Buckaroo Blue stamped with the "Linen" BG stamp in Whisper White craft ink. Then I took a piece of white polka dotted ribbon that I bought from starlit studio around the edge, and mounted the image strip on top.

Under 5 minutes from start to finish, and uber cute. I have picked up some great stuff for my craft room, and once I have it all put together tomorrow, I'll post some pics!!

Party Puppy

I need to apologize to everyone for being so lax at posting this past week. School started back up and I am allready up to my ears in homework, but I will do my best to post something almost everyday.

This card was also made with my new set "Ruff Day". I stamped the doggie on watercolor paper with black stazon and then colored him in with ink refills and a watercolor brush. Then I mounted him on some Yo Yo Yellow and Tempting Turquoise cardstock.

The cardbase is Yo Yo Yellow stamped with the solid circle from the "Little Pieces" stamp set in YYY as well. I cut a small strip of Real Red cardstock, tore the bottom of it and tied a piece of turquoise grosgrain ribbon around it. Something was missing so I tied a piece of white polka dot ribbon (I got at Starlit Studio) around the turquoise to give it that little something extra.

All I did to finsih off the card was to mount the image on the cardbase, and VOILA! A cute and quick birthday card! Hope you all had a great weekend!!

New Stamps!

Tee hee hee... I just got these babies today...inked 'em up, and now I wonder why I didn't get them eons ago, they are sooo cute!

The image is stamped on watercolor paper in black stazon and colored in with reinkers (Cool Caribbean and Close to Cocoa) and a paint brush.

The card base is Close to Cocoa stamped with the "Crosshatch" BG stamp. Then I took a small strip of Cool Caribbean cardstock and stamped the "Paisley Print" BG on it. Next I took another small piece of CC cardstock that was stamped with the Crosshatch and punched out a small circle. I cut the circle apart and adhered one half to each side of the Paisley piece. Then I used my small 1/4 inch circle punch to punch out two small circles to create my own reinforcers. I took the 1/8 inch circle punch and punched out the middles of the reinforcers. A piece of chocolate grosgrain ribbon is threaded through the holes and tied into a bow on the side. I mounted the doggie image on a piece of Cool Caribbean and mounted it onto the card base.

To finish off the card I used my paper piercer and white Signo gel pen and faux stitched a frame around the image. To add a little more white to the card I stamped the sentiment "Have a Ter-ruff-ic day in white craft ink under the image.

I hope you all had a great Friday and are looking forward to the weekend!!

Warm thoughts

So I changed my mind again...what's new lol! Anyhow, this is the card that everyone will be making at my Stamp Club meeting tonight. Cute huh? I'm really loving this set. The more I use it the more I love it, although it does have the side effect that it makes me crave Starbucks, lol.

The image is stamped on Naturals White cardstock. The cup is stamped with Close to Cocoa ink. The I masked it off and stamped the whipped cream on top with black Stazon. I masked this off and then stamped the two straws into the whipped cream with Real Red ink. I used my two way glue pen and some dazzling diamonds glitter to make the whipped cream look sparkly!

The heart was stamped in Real Red on the Naturals White cardstock and then cut out and mounted onto the cup with some dimensionals. The steam was then stamped above the cup with Black Stazon as well. I mounted the image on a piece of Real Red cardstock and then on a small piece of Basic Black cardstock.

The card base is Kraft cardstock. I used Versamark to stamp the coffee bean image around on the card to make a background. To finish the card up I tied a piece of wide red organdy ribbon around the cardbase, mounted the image over the top, and then added the sentiment "Sending warm wishes your way" under the ribbon with Black Stazon. That's it!!

Oh pretty flowahbella

I had trouble using this bella unmounted, so I went ahead and mounted her on some cling foam, and it stamped mucho better!

This little Bella is stamped in Black Stazon on Very Vanilla cardstock. I then colored her in with my prismacolor pencils and blended with gamsol and a blending stump. I just love the oval stamp that amuse sells, but still haven't gotten around to ordering it yet, so I drew in my own with a grey prisma pencil. It doesn't look quite as nice, but it works in grounding her. I then masked her off and used my color spritzer tool and a Bashful Blue marker to spritz the background. I also added some diamond stickles to the flowers she is holding to shine them up a bit.

I mounted this onto a piece of Tempting Turquoise cardstock and tied some red grosgrain ribbon around the corners.

The card base is Tempting Turquoise stamped with the "Floral" bg stamp. I then ran a small strip of Lovely Lilac cardstock through my cuttlebug with the Bloom Dots embossing folder. I mounted this on the cardbase and then the bella over top of both.

South Beach recipe of the week

Yummy! This may be my favorite recipe so far. You seriously have to try it. It is more like a salad (sort of) but is really yum!

Peanut Chicken with Noodles

4 ounces soba noodles (if you can't find these you can use whole wheat spaghetti)
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tsp. dark sesame oil, divided (can use olive oil)
1/3 c. creamy trans-fat-free peanut butter
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. water
1 (3/4 pound) head napa cabbage, shredded (4 cups)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook noodles according to package directions; run under cool water and drain.

Season chicken well with salt and pepper and toss with 1 tsp. of the oil. Heat grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat; cook chicken until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board.

Whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, water, and remaining oil in a large mixing bowl. Thinly slice chicken and add to peanut butter mixture. Add noodles, cabbage, and scallions; toss gently to combine and serve.

Makes 4 (2 cup) servings
per serving
370 calories, 13 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 42 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 500 mg sodium

South Beach week 3

Whoo hooo! Another 4 pounds are long gone!!! I am really loving this SB diet!! I'll be back later today (after school, BLACH!) with my recipie of the week and a card!!

Cosmobella

Ooh I love this little bella!! I need to go back to the scrapstore this week and get another acrylic block since mine has seemed to disappear. I had to use double stick tape and a altoids tin tonight, lol!!

This little bella is stamped on Shimmery White cardstock and colored in with prismas and gamsol. Then I added some diamond stickles to the martini glass to sparkle it up a bit. I mounted this on a piece of Night of Navy cardstock.

The cardbase is also Night of Navy carstock stamped with the little pieces stamp set. Then I tied a piece of white grosgrain ribbon around it. I ran a piece of Pink Passion cardstock through my cuttlebug with the Bloom Dots embossing folder (WHOO HOO) and then used a Whisper White craft pad to ink up the embossed pieces a little. I mounted this on the card base and then mounted the bella on top.

Lastly I stamped the word celebrate on a piece of Pink Passion cardstock with the Night of Navy ink and then punched it out with my word window punch. I folded it over the side a bit and then adhered it to the card with a Whisper White eyelet.

This card was super fun to make and I can't wait to get a new acrylic block so I can play with Flowahbella!!

Happy Monday everyone!

happy mail day

Oooh today was a happy day at the post office. I had been doing a little online shopping and guess what came today?? Some of my goodies!!

There is a great new site that sells the cutest "chick" stamps. The site is Stamping Bella and they have some of the seriously cutest stamps ever, I love them. I ordered just two of these little girlies to start with. So may I introduce you to Cosmobella and Flowahbella. Aren't they just the cutest!! I can't wait to get home and ink them up. Oh yah, and to order some more, tee hee hee...


Now I know this picture is bad (I'm at work lol), but I also wanted to share my other goodies with you. These are the highly coveted Bloom Dots and Snowflake A-2 embossing folders for my little bug! If you haven't found it yet, there is a great website All That Scraps that has the BEST deals...they even have "Bug Bucks" where you earn back portions of your cuttlebug purchases with coupons!! Great stuff, excellent service, and FREE shipping if you order more than 10 dollars! If you happen to shop there, when you get to the page on shipping that you can put a comment, feel free to put my name (cori bravo) as who refered you! Thanks!!

I'll be back late tonight with a Bella card to post!!

Yin Yang

I was in the mood for a simple card, so I decided to make this yin yang card. They are really easy to make and because the image is the very obvious focal piece, too much other stamping will make it look to confusing.

To make the image, I stamped the elephant stamp on Basic Black cardstock with Whisper White craft ink, and again on Whisper White cardstock in Basic Black ink. Then I trimmed the cardstock to the same size, lining up the images before I did this. Then I took my paper cutter, lined it up at a place where I wanted the split to be, and cut. I did this with both pieces.

Next I adhered the black piece onto this rectangle of Real Red. After it was adhered on, I lined up and adhered the white piece. I took a piece of black gingham ribbon and tied it around the bottom of the Real Red to embellish it up a bit.

The cardbase is Whisper White, and I adhered the strip of Basic Black onto it. When Adhering the Real Red onto the cardbase, I made sure to line up the center line through the image with the line on the cardbase.

The finishing touches were two black and two white eyelets that I set on either side with my trusty crop-a-dile.

Thanks for lookin'!

A cup of love

Today I had a super yummy nonfat, sugar free cinnamon dolce latte at Starbucks. Very yummy and allowed on the South Beach Diet. *wink* That yummy latte inspired this card. I didn't get to have any marshmallows on mine lol, but it was yummy all the same.

The card base is Creamy Caramel cardstock stamped with the "Paisley Print" BG. I then stamped "French Script" in Basic Black ink on a piece of Pretty in Pink cardstock. I tied a piece of taupe grosgrain around this, and added a small knot of pink gingham ribbon to continue the color theme.

The cup image was stamped in Creamy Caramel ink on a piece of Pretty nd Pink cardstock and then carefully cut out with my paper snips. I cut a small circle out of Shimmery White cardstock with my colluzzle and then mounted the cup on that. I masked off the cup and then stamped the marshmallows on top of the cup with Basic Black ink. To make them a little more interesting, I used my 2-way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter to make them sparkle. Next I took my Creamy Caramel ink pad and inked up the edges of the circle.

I punched the scalloped circle out with my marvy mega scallop punch and used my paper piercer and white signo gel pen to do the dots on each scallop. I mounted the white circle on this and then again used my Creamy Caramel ink pad to distress the edges.

The sentiment "my love" was stamped using the "Everyday Flexible Phrases" stamp set on Shimmery White cardstock and then the edges were distressed. I mounted this on the inside of a rectangle frame from the Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware kit. I then mounted this on the card base using two Pretty in Pink brads. To finish up the card I used my Creamy Caramel ink pad to distress the edges of the cardbase.

I hope everyone had a great Saturday!!

Blog candy...

I need to apologize to my winners, I didn't get the blog candy out in the mail this week. School started and all...anyhow it is all getting dropped off tomorrow, so Stephanie and the 2 Nancy's watch your mailboxes!!

I'm so sorry...

That I didn't get anything posted yesterday. School started back this week and I have been uber-busy!! I do however have an extra card to post today to make up for it. *wink*

I stamped the adorable elephant from "Wild About You" in Buckaroo Blue ink on Shimmery White cardstock. Then I masked her off and stamped the little birdie in Real Red on her trunk. I wasn't liking how they were floating in space, so I took my black Stampin' Write marker and drew in the grass.

Next I mounted them on a piece of Real Red cardstock and took my white Signo gel pen and polka dotted around the edges. Then I took a piece of red gingham ribbon and tied it around the corners to add in some more red and white. The little tag was cut out of a chipboard coaster using my Cuttlebug. I stamped the word friend on it from the "Everyday Flexible Phrases" stamp set in Buckaroo Blue ink.

I mounted this on the cardbase which is Buckaroo Blue stamped with the "Print Pattern" BG. The card still needed a little something, so I added six Real Red brads to balance it out, and continue the polka dot theme.


For this card I went with more of a Shabby Chic look. I stamped the froggie from "Unfroggetable" in Black Stazon on watercolor paper, and then colored him in with a paint brush and an Old Olive ink refill. I punched him out with the Marvy mega scalloped circle punch, and sponged Old Olive and Chocolate Chip ink around the edges. Then I took my Old Olive Stampin' Write marker and added the dots to each scallop. It still needed a little bling, so I added a dot of Icicle stickles to each scallop as well.

The card base is Old Olive cardstock stamped with the "Paisley Print" BG stamp in Always Artichoke ink. I took a small strip of Basic Black cardstock and tied a piece of Twill Tape that I sponged with some Old Olive ink on around. Next I took my bone folder and distressed the edges of the black strip, and adhered it to my cardbase.

I used two pop up glue dots to adhere the froggie on the card, and took my white Signo gel pen and doodled along the outside edges of the card. It was still missing something, lol! I then decided to take my sponge and add some Old Olive and Chocolate Chip ink to the edges, making it look "shabby chic". And...it was still missing something!!!

Finally I decided it needed a little hardware. I punched a piece of watercolor paper with my small oval punch, sponged the edges and stamped "Laugh" from the "Everyday Flexible Phrases" set on it with Basic Black ink. I then used two mini glue dots to adhere it inside of the oval frame from my Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware Kit (which I shamelessly hoard *wink*). I used two Old Olive brads to adhere this to the bottom of the card.

Shabby Chic isn't normally my style, but I do like how this card turned out. I hope you all had a lovely Friday and can forgive me for not posting something yesterday!!

Our newest family member

Meet "Rub" the newest member of the Bravo family. Jaden has been wanting a pet of his own forever. The dogs just were not enough for him, lol. Yesterday we saw a listing on craig's list that someone was giving this little guy away. His previous owner Willy had grown up a bit and wanted to give him a home where someone would pay good attention to him. Rub's previous name was "Mr. Hobbs" which I think fits him a little better, but who can argue with a five year old? Jaden has been staring at him through the cage since he got here, and Rub just wants to hide in his little igloo house. Quite a pair, lol.

Well, that's it, I just wanted to introduce you to my newest kid, lol!

Just Clucky

This card was made using this week's sketch challenge on splitcoaststampers. I really like this sketch.

The card base is Buckaroo Blue, a color that I don't tend to use alot, but I really like. I stamped it with the "Weathered" BG stamp, also in Buckaroo Blue. Then I cut out the two smaller rectangles. The one in the back is Chocolate Chip stamped with the "French Script" BG.

The front rectangle is Sahara Sand (another one of those colors I don't tend to use, but really like) stamped with the "Weathered" BG stamp. Then I stamped the chicken from "Best of Cluck" in Chocolate Chip ink on this piece. I colored his body and face in with Prismacolor pencils and gamsol. Then I colored the wings Buckaroo Blue with a reinker and blender pen. I mounted this piece over the Chocolate Chip one and decided something was missing. So, I went back with my Chocolate Chip marker and doodled a frame around the edge of the Sahara piece.

Next I took some different colored buttons from the Elements/Neutrals and tied some natural hemp through them. I used mini glue dots to adhere them on the corners of the Sahara piece.

Then because no card is complete without some faux stitching (wink wink). I went in with my Signo white gel pen and "stitched" around the Chocolate piece and around both sets of buttons. Lastly, to complete the card, I sponged some Buckaroo Blue ink around the edges of the card base to give it a little more of a distressed look.

I really love this chicken set...can you tell? hee hee

Thanks a latte

My 3rd level upline Janice Weightman holds a monthly contest for her entire downline. For every $500+ workshop you hold and for every recruit you get, she enters your name in a drawing for a 25 dollar SU! gift certificate. I won a month or so ago, and decided that I wanted the "Like it a Latte" set from the Winter mini. Guess what came in the mail today? tee hee hee!!! I figured it was only right that Janice be the first recipient of a card made with this set.

The card was also created using this weeks color challenge from scs. The colors are Sage Shadow, Pale Plum, and Close to Cocoa.

The card base is Close to Cocoa stamped with the "Linen" BG stamp. Then I mounted a small piece of Sage Shadow cardstock stamped with the steam stamp from this set in a random pattern. I adhered it to the card and then used my paper piercer and white Signo gel pen to faux stitch along each side.

The image is stamped on Shimmery White cardstock with Close to Cocoa ink. First I stamped the cup, and then I masked it off and stamped the whip cream on top. I then masked this, and stamped the straw in Sage ink, so that it looked like it was in the cup. Next I stamped the steam above the cup and used my 2-way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter to shimmer up the whipped cream.

The image still didn't look quite finished, so I used the Sage inkpad and added some direct to paper ink along the edges and then used my Close to Cocoa Stampin' Write marker to doodle along the edges. I mounted this on a piece of Pale Plum cardstock and then mounted it on the cardbase.

Lastly, I added two Pale Plum buttons that have some Linen thread tied through them to the bottom of the card. On the inside I used a stamp from "Sincere Salutations" to stamp "thanks" and then used a marker to color in and stamp the "a latte" below.

South Beach recipie of the week

Ok, my favorite recipie this week happens to again be seafood. Weird cuz I don't really even like seafood that much, lol. They just happen to be the yummiest of the week...strange I know! Anyhow, without any further ado, here it is...

Broiled Salmon with Creamy Lemon Sauce

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic- minced
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 tbsp. capers (I didn't have any, and it was still yummy without it)
1 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 c. fat free sour cream
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the lemon juice, capers, and lemon pepper seasoning and cook for 5 minutes, or until heated through.

Meanwhile, place the salmon on the prepared baking sheet> Bake for 20 minutes or until the fish is just opaque. Serve with the sauce.

Makes 4 servings

(per serving) 368 calories, 22 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 35 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 0 g dietary fiber, 100 mg cholesterol, 383 mg sodium

South Beach week 2

Well, today is day 14 of the my South Beach diet. I have lost another 4 pounds!! Not quite as exciting as last week's 12, but I am still thrilled!! I'll be back later today with a card and my favorite recipe of the week...stay tuned

Magic card tutorial

Ok, so I figured it was about time for another tutorial. This card seems really complicated, but it isn't...I promise!

The supplies that you need are
*paper cutter
*cardstock
*window sheet/transparency
*stamps (lol)
*hole punch
*large punch for the window (optional)
*ribbon

Step 1- Take an 8 1/2x11 sheet of stamped cardstock and score it down the middle lengthwise at 4 inches and then again at a half to a quarter of an inch on one side also lengthwise.

Step 2- Turn the cardstock and score it down the middle widthwise at 5 1/2 inches.i

Step 3- Now cut the bottom piece that has the 1/2 inch score completely off.

Step 4- Take your large punch and punch a window on the piece that is on the right side by itself. If you don't have a large enough punch, use your paper cutter to cut one out.

Step 5- Take your cutter and cut a small 1/8th inch wide and about 5 inch long slit at/above the score line between the top and bottom piece on the left side. (are you still with me??)

Step 6- Now unless you are using a white card base, you will need to add a piece of white to the bottom piece of the left side. That is where your image will be shown.


Step 7- You can put the card base to the side for a minute. Take a piece of Whisper White cardstock and a window sheet. Put the two together and use your cutter to cut out the piece that your images will be stamped on. The size you need is relative to the size of your window. You will need the width of the pieces to be just slightly smaller than your slit you made, and the length to be longer than you window length. (make sense?)

Step 8- Stamp your image onto your White piece and color it in. Then take your stampamajig, and use it to position your stamp so that you can restamp the same image on the window sheet and it will line up perfectly with the one stamped on the cardstock. After they are stamped if there is a little discrepancy on them lining up, you can line them up and trim one slightly to make them match right. (this will only work in slightly off images) You may need to stamp your window sheet a couple of times to get the hang of things.

Step 9- Cut two small strips of cardstock that are slightly longer than your image pieces are wide. Adhere them to the very bottom of the image pieces.

Step 10- Back to the cardbase now. First fold the bottom piece up towards the top left piece at the score line. Now fold the right piece over the left. If your card is upside down now, flip it over and right side up. You will know it is right because you want the window facing you and the slit you cut at the top of the card. White should be showing through your window.

Step 11- Open your card up like a book. It should have a left side with the window and the right side should have the flap with the slit on top. Slip the piece that is on cardstock and colored behind the flap and pull it through the slit. It should stop at the top and not pull all the way out. Now do the same with the piece on the window sheet, except that it is in front of the flap. (This piece would be able to be pulled out, but it won't because it will be hooked to the piece behind the flap.

Step 12- Now take the two pieces and pull them up together so that they look like only one image. Take your hole punch and punch through both pieces.

Step 13- Take your ribbon and tie the pieces together.

Step 14- Finish embellishing your card. You are now finished. When the piece is pushed down you should have a black and white image. Now pull up on the ribbon. Both pieces should pull up together and the colored image should "magically" appear!!

I swear it took WAY longer to type than to create. If you have any questions please let me know!!

and the 2nd WINNER is...

Nancy!! Nancy, please email me at coribravo1014@aol.com and I will get your stamps in the mail! Thanks!

Oh my gosh...I'm such a dork!

I was just rereading my posts and I realized that I drew for the blog candy a whole day early!! I am so sorry...so, to make up for it, here is a second dose of candy, hehe...I will draw the winner at 10 (on the right day lol!)

Valentines Project #3

Ok, so I like this one alot better than the "Loads of Love" card. I may just be changing my mind, lol.

This is a matchbook card, which I haven't made in a long time. The card is made with Pink Passion cardstock. I cut the full sheet of cs in half length wise and then scored the piece horizontally at 1 inch and 5 inches. Then cut the piece that folds over to 4 inches. (Does that make sense?)

Next I used the large heart from "Simply Said" all over the card in Whisper White craft ink in a random pattern. After I stamped, I embossed them all with Iridescent Ice embossing powder.

Then, I folded up the one inch piece and used my Cropadile to set a silver eyelet on each end, and tied a piece of white grosgrain ribbon and silver cord through the eyelets and into a bow.

The image of the solid heart is stamped on Whisper White cardstock. I used Pixie Pink ink that was stamped off one time to make it a lighter shade. Next I used my Stampamajig to line up the second heart (the one that is made of flowers) and stamped it in Pink Passion ink over the top of the solid heart. I then used both the pink ink pads to direct to paper the sides of the image.

Next I stamped "love" from the "Wonderful Words" stamp set in Pink Passion ink on the bottom of the white piece. Then I took my 2-way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter to glitz up the heart to match the card base.

Lastly, I mounted the stamped piece onto a piece of Pixie Pink cardstock and then onto the card base. Of course no card is complete without the gel pen, lol, so I used my paper piercer and Signo white pen to faux stitch around the image.

Thanks for checking in, and keep watching...more blog candy just may be coming!

And the WINNER is.....

Creative Expressions by Stephanie!!! Stephanie please email me at coribravo1014@aol.com with your address and I will get your goodies in the mail!! Thank you to all of you who participated...all 16 of you (lol) Maybe one day I will have blog candy with 75 entries, but for now I am thrilled! Thank you so much for the insight and the encouragement!

Hugs,
Cori

Valentines Day card...

Here is the second part of my hostess club Valentines Day projects. This card is made with another really cute not especially Valentines Day set "Loads of Love."

The images are stamped in Black Stazon and colored in with a combination of Watercolor Wonder crayons and Watercolor Pencils with an Aquapainter. I would have colored the entire image in with the crayons, but I still haven't ordered myself the neutral crayons. Guess what's on my next order? *wink* Anyhow, next I took my 2-way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter to shimmer up some of the hearts in the back of the truck. Next I masked off the truck and used my Color Spritzer Tool and a Close to Cocoa Stampin' Write marker to create a dirt road underneath the trucks tires.

I mounted this on a piece of Real Red cardstock and tore the bottom edge. It needed a little something else, so I faux stitched across the bottom of the image on the red cardstock.

The card base is Pixie Pink stamped with the Print Pattern BG. Then I took a piece of Rose grosgrain ribbon and tied it around the bottom of the red cardstock. I stamped the sentiment in Rose Romance ink on some Shimmery White cardstock and punched it out with my SU! Small Tag punch. I mounted this on a piece of Pretty in Pink cs that was punched out with the Large Tag punch. I punched a hole in the top of the tag with the 1/8 inch hole punch, and then used a piece of red gingham ribbon to tie it to the rose grosgrain. I mounted the red piece onto the card base and that was it!!

Again, thanks for checking out my blog and please don't forget to scroll down to Thursday's post and leave a comment so you can be entered in tonight's drawing.

Hostess club projects

I have a hostess club workshop in a couple of weeks, and wanted to design a couple of Valentines Day themed projects for them to do. Imagine my horror when I realized I didn't have one current "Valentines" stamp set. I dug around in my collection and decided that Simply Said and Loads of Love would work just fine.

This first project is a little decorative holder/cover for a box of the epitome of Valentines Day...conversation hearts! hehe. It is so cute, and very easy to make. First i measured the box and scored the Pretty in Pink cardstock so that it would wrap around the box, leaving enough on one of the sides to have some flap for the inside to apply the adhesive.

Next I stamped the sentiment heart from Simply Said, in a random pattern all over the cardstock. Then I punched a hole on either side with my 1/8 inch hole punch. I cut a length of rose grosgrain ribbon, and threaded it through the holes FROM THE INSIDE.

Then I slipped in the candy box so that the ribbon went underneath it and up each side. At the top I pulled up the slack and tied it in a bow. Here is a picture of it pulled up.

The neat part about this is when it is in the packaging you can't see the box except for on the top and the bottom. Then if you pull the ribbon upwards, the candy box will be pulled up by the ribbon and "magically" appear.

To finish the card up, I stamped the other heart from the Simply Said set in Regal Rose ink on Shimmery White cardstock and then punched it out with the smaller of my 2 Stampin' Up square punches. I used the larger of the two to punch out a square of Regal Rose cardstock. I mounted the white on the rose and then adhered the square to the front of the box. It needed just a little something else, so I faux stitched around the little square with my Signo pen. Quick, easy, and ooh so cute.

Also, don't forget to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for the great goodies. You can scroll down one post to see the goodies and all the details. Thanks for lookin' and check back tomorrow for the other hostess club project!

Blog Candy!!!

So I have had my blog for just over a month, and I am having so much fun! When I very first registered my blog with the Stamping Top 50 website, I was number 156. And today, I have moved to number 98!! Whoo hoooo!

So in honor of all of your help in moving me along the little blog chain, I have blog candy. These are my current favorite dollar stamps and of course some awesome polka dotted ribbon on one of the cute little wooden spools.

In order to be entered in the drawing all you have to do is leave a comment on this post answering 3 little questions. (if you don't have one already, you will need a google account, it is really easy, takes less than 3 minutes, and you will be guided through it)

Anyhow, on your post please tell me three things...
1. How did you find my blog?
2. What would you like to see me post/post more of?
3. Your favorite Stampin' Up stamp set.

I will hold the drawing on Sunday night at 10pm...so pass on the word, everyone loves free goodies!!

Thanks!
Cori

My Stampin' Granny

I can't throw away any stamping related scraps because my 90 year old grandma goes through my entire wastebasket, and saves the lives of every little scrap. Even the infamous Purple Kitty was granted a reprieve, lol!!

So today she comes out of her room and asks me if I have a Happy Birthday stamp. Get this...she made a bookmark with all of my scraps that she pilfered, lmao!! And, it's cute!! I guess the purple kitty was meant for something else, haha.

OMGoodness new embossing folders!!

I ordered some new embossing folders for my Cuttlebug on Saturday from www.allthatscraps.com, they even have free shipping if you spend more than 10 dollars. Guess what? They are already here!! I am so excited...

The card base is Close to Cocoa stamped with the Canvas BG stamp. Then I ran the red strip through my precious bug. I tied the black grosgrain around it after it was embossed, and then added the red gingham ribbon.

The chicken is from the "Best of Cluck" set. I stamped him in Basic Black on Whisper White and then colored him with Prismas and gamsol, blending with a stump. The white looked pretty stark when I was done, so I took my black Stampin' Write marker and doodled around the edges. I mounted this on a piece of Basic Black cardstock, and then mounted this on the cardbase.

There was still "something" missing, so I got out my trusty Signo pen and paper piercer and faux stitched along the red piece.

Well, I gotta run...time to buy more embossing folders, hehehe.

Feeding the Giraffes

Jaden and I went to the zoo today. He was so excited to see the giraffes...imagine his surprise when we got there and found out that you can feed the giraffes now for 2 dollars. He was so excited and had so much fun that I spent 6 dollars, haha.

It was actually really neat to see them so up close and personal. And it made for some fabulous pictures to scrapbook! Jaden laughed so hard when he saw that they have blue tongues.

The weather was so perfect today too, it was partly cloudy and like 73 degrees. Super zoo weather.

Another great dollar stamp...

I picked up this little cupcake the other day at Michael's. This card also uses the colors for this weeks color challenge. The colors are Pink Passion, Lavender Lace, and Gable Green.

The card base is Pink Passion stamped with the Paisley Print BG stamp.

I took a piece of ivory grosgrain ribbon and used my Stampin' Pastels and a couple of sponge daubers to color each side. (one side is Gable Green and the other is Lavender Lace) I took the two sided ribbon and tied it around a piece of Lavender Lace cardstock that I ran through my cuttlebug with the swirls embossing folder. Next I adhered it to the card base and then used my paper piercer and Signo white gel pen to faux stitch along the edges.

The cupcake was stamped on a piece of Whisper White cardstock and cut out with my colluzzle. I colored it in with my Prismacolor pencils and gamsol. Then I added some diamond stickles to the heart and the polka dots because no card is complete without some BLING! **wink**

Lastly I mounted the cupcake on a Pink Passion scalloped circle that I punched out with my Marvy Mega punch, and then used the white pen again to dot the centers of each scallop. I mounted this on the card and that was it.

Boy, 3 posts in one day...lucky ducks!! **wink wink**

Springy color challenge

This week's color challenge is a bright one, lol. The colors are Pink Passion, Gable Green, and Lavender Lace.

The card base was stamped with the "Paisley Print" BG (of course, hehe). Then I stamped the large paisley from "Polka Dots and Paisley" set on the Gable Green. I tore each end and then mounted it on the base.

Next on a piece of Whisper White, I used the PP ink to stamp the large flower from the "Looks Like Spring" stamp set. I also stamped the sentiment from "Happy Everything" set in Gable Green and Lavender Lace. I mounted this on a slightly larger piece of LL cardstock. I adhered this onto the card base and then added a bold bright button with some stitched grosgrain to the center of the flower. (The ribbon is also from SU!) Then I took my 2 way glue pen and made some squiggles on the petals and dusted them with some Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

The card still seemed to need "something" so I added 3 eyelets on the right side. This seemed to be just the "bling" it needed. Happy Sprinter everyone (Spring/Winter heeheehee)

South Beach week 1

Holy smokes batman!! I finally got on the scale today, it has been exactly one week since I started the beach and I lost a total of 12 pounds!!!! Whoa! I'm really loving this, lol. Here is my updated mini goal ticker....


I also thought I would share my favorite recipie of the week with you all. It is a phase one recipie from the SB cookbook.

Big Easy Shrimp

2 strips of turkey bacon or Canadian bacon
1 onion chopped
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1 celery rib chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot-pepper sauce
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Crumble when cool (or cut). REmove and discard all but 1 tablespoon drippings from the skillet.

In the hot drippings over medium heat, cook the onion, bell pepper, and celery for 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes (with juice), bay leaf, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce. Heat to boiling, Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add rhe shrimp and bacon and cook for 10 minutes or until the shrimp are opaque. Remove and discard the bay leaf before serving.

When I made this, I used only 1/2 the onion and a whole pepper because I like peppers better. I also used chili powder (about 2 tbsp) instead of the hot pepper sauce, and I substituted 2 fresh tomatoes for the canned ones.

Makes 4 servings
(per serving) 185 cal. 4 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 26 g protein, 12 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 177 mg cholesterol, 329 mg sodium


I'll be back soon with a new card!!

Getting Punchy

This card was super easy and pretty fun to make. The card base is Bashful Blue stamped with the Weathered BG stamp. Then I wrapped some blue gingham ribbon around a piece of Barely Banana cardstock and tied it in a knot. I added a small piece of cream grosgrain next to the tie.

Next I stamped two large scraps of cardstock. The Bashful Blue is stamped with the Weathered BG again, and the Barely Banana is stamped in So Saffron with the Floral BG. (It is a little hard to see in the pics, sorry) After they were stamped, I used my large oval punch (from SU!) to punch out 7 blue ovals and used the small oval (also from SU!) to punch out another 7 small ovals. I adhered the yellow to the blue with snail adhesive. I mounted these on the side, overlapping them on each other so that they look like petals. The center is a 1 3/8 circle punched out of the same cardstock. I then used my Pumpkin Pie ink pad to distress the edges, and added some diamond stickles to sparkle it up. I mounted this over the tops of the petals and then trimmed all the parts that were hanging off the card.

Then I took my paper piercer and the Signo white gel pen and faux stitched around the flower to make it a little more interesting. Lastly I used my color spritzer tool with a So Saffron marker to spritz the Banana cardstock, and stamped the sentiment. It is from the Warmest Regards stamp set, and I used Bashful Blue classic ink to stamp it.

I am pretty pleased with this card...maybe my stamping mojo is back. **wink wink**

South Beach...

So I decided to go on the South Beach diet. No telling how much I am planning to lose, that is for later...but suffice it to say, it's alot. I found this neato ticker online and decided to use it to track my mini goal. I am going to weigh tomorrow for the first time (one week), so wish me luck. I'll keep you all updated on how it's going and if I find any really yummy recipies.

Prismacolor and gamsol...

A few of you have emailed or posted and asked about my prismacolors and gamsol coloring.

Gamsol is an odorless mineral spirits that you can use to blend regular colored pencils with a blending stump. You can buy it at most art supply stores or online at quite a few craft stores (just google gamsol and you will find a bunch)

A blending stump is a little pencil like thing that is made with rolled up paper. You can use them over and over again by just filing off the used part with a nail file or a sanding block. I got my first set at Office Depot of all places. You get a whole little kit with some stumps, an eraser, sanding paper, and some other stuff that is slipping my mind at the moment.

The prismacolor pencils that I use are NOT watercolor, they are just the regular prismas. I bought them on ebay for a great deal...something like 17 dollars for a new tin of 48. This would normally sell at Michaels for over 50 bucks. Check out ebay if you are looking for some, just be sure to buy new unopened ones.

When using this technique, I tend to use Whisper White or Shimmery White cardstock from Stampin' Up. I love their cardstock and think that they look the best. When I do regular watercoloring, I tend to use reinkers and a paint brush or the Watercolor Wonder crayons (also from SU!) and a paintbrush. For this I use Stampin' Up's watercolor paper. It is a great quality paper, and it makes it easy to control your colors.

I hope this helps all of you a little bit. If you have any more questions please feel free to email me at coribravo1014@aol.com or just leave a comment. I'm so excited to see when someone posts one! tee hee hee I'll be back later tonight to post a card or two for ya!! Thanks for checking in!!

Ribbon and ribbon and ribbon OH MY!

I went to Michaels today to pick up another Cuttlebug embossing folder. Imagine my surprise when I found the most awesome stash of the cutest ribbon ever! It is even wrapped around little wooden spools. How cute is that? I also picked up a couple of really cute Valentine stamps in the dollar bin!! Hit the jackpot today, tee hee hee!

I used both the ribbon and one of the stamps on this card. The main image was stamped on Shimmery White cardstock with Basic Brown ink. I then colored it in with a prisma pencil and gamsol. I cut this out with my Colluzzle and then mounted it on a Mega scalloped circle of Pretty in Pink. Because no card is complete without using a white pen, I used my Signo gel pen to dot around the scallops. The pink ribbon wrapped around the card is from the Stampin' Up Flirty ribbon collection. Then I added a piece of white grosgrain around that and used some of my new brown and pink polka dotted ribbons on either side of the little white bow tie. The card base is Chocolate Chip stamped with the Paisley Print BG (what else could I use lol) in Chocolate Chip ink. The image is mounted on the cardbase, over the ribbon with some pop up glue dots. For the finishing touch I added a sentiment from the Curvy Verses stamp set in Whisper White craft ink. I really like this card, and can't wait to get back to Michaels for some more little wooden spools!

Purple cats....not such a good idea

Ok, so my intention with this card was to get to play with my new Making Memories grommets and use the Paisley on a grey card (cuz it looks so cool). It turned out to be a big purple mess, lol!

The card base is Going Grey stamped with the Paisley Print BG stamp with Going Grey ink. Then I used my new grommet kit and set the two super mondo flower grommets in it. Next I took a piece of medium sized twill tape and some eggplant grosgrain ribbon and tied them between the two holes into a double knot. I thought it actually came out looking pretty well.

Now comes the yucky part. I had the whole eggplant and grey thing going, so I decided to make a purple cat. Hmmmm....maybe not such a good idea. I stamped him on Whisper White and colored him in with Prismas and gamsol. Then I used my Colluzzle to cut him out in a circle. I mounted him on a scalloped circle of Elegant Eggplant cardstock and mounted this to the card.

Lastly I stamped the "Happy Birthday" from the Warmest Regards set in black below it, and used my white gel pen to dot around the edges of the scallops and created the white stripes on the kitty.

Looking at it now, I actually like the card, minus the purple kitty. Maybe I'm in a stamping funk...I think I'll go fix this card now, lol!

Half price stamps??

A scrapbook store here in town is now with new owners, so they are trying to liquidate a bunch of old stock. All of their wood mount stamps were 50% off...holy cow! Luckily for me and my checking account, they were all pretty dated and not too many of them really caught my attention. I did however buy this baby shoe stamp. I thought it was pretty cute, and I don't have too many baby stamps.

The image is stamped in Stazon on Whisper White cardstock and then colored in with Prismacolors, gamsol, and a stump. Then I used my ticket corner punch to do the corners. I mounted this on a piece of Blush Blossom cardstock and punched the corners of it as well.

The card base is Pretty in Pink stamped in the same color ink with the Paisley Print BG stamp. The cross piece is Going Grey (which I never seem to use) also stamped with the Paisley Print BG. I really love how the grey looks with the Paisley, I think I will use this again soon! Then I tied a piece on pink gingham ribbon around the piece and added a few strands of silver cord. I mounted this on the base and then mounted the stamped piece over it.

The card just didn't seem finished so I used my paper piercer and added some faux stitching around the outside. Lastly I stamped the phrase "One little baby, many happy hearts!" from the Curvy Verses set in black on the bottom right corner. I'm not 100% thrilled with this card, but it's late lol. I'll take another look at it in the morning!

Dusty Stamps...

This stamp set (Little Hellos) was still sitting on my desk from when I made the baby card earlier this week, so I decided to use it again tonight. I think this is the first time this kitty stamp has ever seen ink...pretty sad considering it is like 2 years old and actually quite cute. I just hate to have dusty stamp sets sitting around...kind of embarrasing for a Stampin' Up demo, lol.

Anyhow, first I stamped the kitty on Whisper White cardstock in Black Stazon. I colored him in with my Prismacolor pencils and some gamsol with a blending stump. After he was colored in I used two different tones of grey to make the shadows below and on the one side of him. Next I punched it out with my Marvy mega scalloped circle punch and sponged the edges with some Bashful Blue ink. It was still looking a little stark, so I used a Bashful Blue marker and my color spritzer tool to add some sprinkles of color. Lastly on the image I added some Diamond Stickles to the flower and added some black dots to the center of each scallop.

The card base is Bashful Blue, and stamped with two backgrounds. I know it may be a little hard to see in the picture, but first I inked up my Floral BG stamp, stamped it once on a piece of computer paper to take some ink off, and then stamped it onto my cardbase. This made the floral print visible, but sort of faint. Then over the top of that I stamped the Linen BG stamp in full strength Bashful Blue ink. This made the card base look like an actual piece of linen cloth with a floral print. It's actually really cool looking in real life. Next I mounted a piece of Apricot Appeal cardstock that I stamped with the same color of ink with the flower from both the Big Pieces and Little Pieces stamp sets all over it in a random pattern. Then I tied a piece of blue gingham ribbon around this, since no project is complete without some ribbon, lol.

At that point I thought I was done, but the card seemed to be missing "something" so I took three of the small square Apricot buttons and threaded them with some blue gingham ribbon as well. Then I cut the pieces evenly and used mini glue dots to adhere them to the card base. When threading the gingham ribbon through the buttons, you need to use a large piece, cut each end at a really steep angle and then try and push some through the holes. Once you see a little piece, you can use tweezers (or your teeth, lol) to pull it through. Then thread it to one end and tie the knot. After the knot is tied, you can cut the ends and start over. I really recommend using a large piece of ribbon because it is much easier to use and then cut, then a little piece, which turns out to be really difficult to tie, KWIM?

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!!!

The Desert Museum

Today I took Jaden to the Desert Museum. For all of you who don't live in Tucson, the DM is a huge outdoor museum that is built into the natural desert habitat of all the animals. It is really pretty neat, but it is so hot here that you only want to go in the winter, lol. Funniest part of the trip was that Jaden's favorite exibit was the hummingbirds. They are in a huge "cage of sorts" that is actual desert, enclosed in like a greenhouse, with a little path. The hummingbirds are so used to people that they will just fly right up to you. One actually landed on Jaden's shoe. I really wanted a picture, but since I was so close to Jaden, I couldn't move to get the camera or the little guy would have flown away. Oh well...here is a picture of the little one that landed on Jaden. He stayed on this branch for a long time so we could all get some pics of him. I'm loving the new camera...I'm amazed at some of the pictures.

Color Challenge

I even got to the color challenge today!! The challenge this week was Whisper White, Basic Black and Cool Caribbean. I have been challenging myself to use stamp sets that are gathering dust, so for this card I decided to use Simply Said...I really like this set so I'm not quite sure why I haven't been using it.

The base of the card is Cool Caribbean stamped with the French Script bg with Basic Black ink. The flowers are stamped on Whisper White with Basic Black and then colored in with a blender pen and Cool Caribbean reinker. Then I went back with some Icicle Stickles and glittered the centers. I tore the bottom edge and then mounted it on Cool Caribbean (which I also tore the bottom of) and Basic Black cardstock.

For the finishing touches I added two Basic Black eyelets on the bottom right corner and tied a piece of black gingham ribbon between the two. Then I used my white Signo gel pen and made a row of dots around the edge of the black paper. I added a bow on the left side with black gingham ribbon to balance out the card.

I was unsure about the card at first, but after I went back and added the polka dots, I am more happy with it. What do you think?