Disney Princess Wishes

Tonight I took DD to see Disney On Ice - Disney Princess Wishes at United Airways Center in Phoenix. I bought front row seats for her, for her 5th birthday, which is next week. We had a great time together. She is too funny! She wanted to dress up so we got a Little Mermaid costume for her and it was so cute! We got many sweet compliments on her costume. There were TONS of other little girls dressed up as their favorite princesses.

DD had never had cotton candy before, or at least not for a long time, and so we got her some. She was nervous to taste it because it felt weird, but once she went for it, she loved it and did not stop eating it. I was impressed because Disney Princess Wishes Vendor had included a wet wipe to clean off your kids hands afterward! SO SMART!!! We also got a keepsake program (with some awesome pictures of the show in it) and it came with a princess rose.

The show was fantastic. I was especially impressed with The Little Mermaid part of the show with the sailors. There was this amazing guy who did a series of back flips in a row on the ice. Later in the show he did a big flip when two guys jumped on one end of a teeter totter platform and he was on the other side. Seriously, so brave that someone could even try that, never mind pull it off night after night. Cinderella's part of the show was amazing too. She came out onto the ice ball room in a carriage (DD was smiling so big). Other favorite things included the two skater camels in Aladdin, the flounder fish which was just a big fish with two legs skating it around, and the fact that Mickey and Minnie and Tinkerbell were the ones leading us through the show. DD loved seeing Mickey and Minnie! Tinkerbell was magical because every time she came out, she had a hand full of glitter and would cast her magic into the air (it was really cool). Oh and we loved the bubbles during the Little Mermaid scene. All in all, we had a most fabulous time. The show ran about 2 hours long with an intermission. It was just perfect. We are thinking of taking DS to a Disney On Ice show for his 5th Birthday, but we have a couple years to think about it!

'Sup Girly? (WT150)

Today's challenge looked like fun! I do not have a ton of acrylic paints, but I did have a few colors from various projects I have done in the past. I decided to use one that was very similar to Wild Wasabi (one of SU current "in color" colors). I absolutely LOVE this color. I mixed it with white on a plastic plate and then pressed a quarter sheet of acetate into it. I was expecting to like the non painted side, but I ended up preferring the painted side. I colored a bella image (thanks K2) and designed the card around her. The base of the card is actually whisper white although it is hard to see that in this photo.

Stamps: Beachabella, Karen Foster Design Snap Stamps - Tiny Casual Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi Ink: Timber Brown Staz On Accessories: Crayola colored pencils, gamsol, blending stumps, Singer sewing machine, brown thread, SU oval punches, Taupe ribbon (5/8ths and 3/8ths inch), pop dots, redline tape, acetate, acrylic paints(green and white), stickles

A Sweet Wednesday Morning

I have not made cupcakes for awhile and I thought it sounded like fun to do this morning. I bought a new cupcake book called 500 Cupcakes. The two I tried today are the Mint Chocolate ones and the Lemon Meringue ones (actually called Key Lime but I switched and used lemon juice and made them lemon meringue). They both were actually quite yummy! Enjoy drooling.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes (A variation of Key Lime Cupcakes)

for the cupcakes
1 c. (2 sticks) sweet butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 c. self rising flour
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

for the filling
1/3 c. lemon juice
14. oz can sweetened condensed milk

for the meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/3 c. granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place 18 paper baking cups in muffin pans. Place all the cupcake ingredients in a large bowl and beat for about 2-3 minutes. Spoon batter into cups and bake 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and remove cupcakes to cool further on a rack.

For the filling, combine the lemon juice and condensed milk in a small bowl. Remove cupcake top and hollow out a small hole. Fill small hole with filling. Replace top.

For the meringue, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the sugar in thirds beating one minute between each addition. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Spoon or pipe meringue on top of the cupcakes. Bake 5 minutes or until golden. Store for no more than one day in an airtight container.

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

for the cupcakes
1 1/2 c. self rising flour
4 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. sugar
1 c. (2 sticks) sweet butter (softened)
4 eggs
1 tsp mint extract
1/2 c. semisweet mini chocolate chips

for the frosting
1/3 c. (2/3 stick) sweet butter, softened
2 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tsp. mint extract
green food coloring
1/2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place 18 paper baking cups into muffin pans. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa and baking powder. Set aside. Beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the flour mixture gradually, stirring until well combined. Stir in the mint extract and chocolate chips. Spoon the mixture into the cups. Bake 20 minutes.
To make the frosting, beat the butter and confectioners sugar in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. Stir in the mint extract and just enough food coloring to turn the frosting mint green. Frost the cupcakes and decorate with chocolate chips. Store unfrosted in an airtight container for up to three days, or freeze for up to three months.

Changes

Spring brings changes and I have decided to work on a new blog header . . . but since my skillz are not amazing in designing, it might be a couple days until you see it on my blog . . . but in the mean time, enjoy what I plan will be the new color scheme for my blog . . . of course, don't get too used to it, I might change my mind . . . who knows . . .

Inkspired by Pottery Barn

I got the Pottery Barn catalog in the mail the other day and I decided to use some of the color combinations to make some cards. I was looking for a way to start making more spring color combinations . . . hope you like them.

The first color combination was wild wasabi, barely banana, kraft and chocolate chip. It seemed really fresh and fun! This card also whipped up really quick - super simple . . . the daffodil heads are popped up on pop dots and are cut out of barely banana.

Stamps: Sentiment by River City Rubber Works, SU Beautiful Life Paper: Barely banana, Kraft, wild wasabi, chocolate chip, whisper white (SU) and Designer paper by Lasting Impressions. Ink: Timber Brown Staz On, SU Classic Wild wasabi Accessories: Brown polka dot ribbon, singer sewing machine, brown thread, pop dots, large brown brads



This combination was inkspired a little bit by the catalog (this gorgeous sheet set), and a little bit by the striped paper that I had in my collection of 12x12's -- by Making Memories. The colors are taken with teal, yo yo yellow and a green that SU does not have an close enough match of and white. I colored Tilda to match the paper. I really liked the yellow (even though it was not in the paper at all) and thought it worked, (that part came from the sheet set) so I added it. It also made it a perfect match for her raincoat.
Raincoat and boots were embossed with glittery embossing powder (I colored my image with my versamarker to make it sticky for the embossing powder -- this mostly worked but the image bled a little bit). The whole image was colored with prismacolor pencils and gamsol. The Tilda image and the oval sentiment are both popped up on pop dots. The centers of the brads (yellow corduroy) came from last year at Creating Keepsakes convention -- they were part of Becky Higgins favorite things, and at the time, I thought they were lame -- but they worked perfectly on this card. Sentiment was created using my Karen Foster Design Snap Stamps. Oh and the green paper actually had darker green polka dots, but I used my white gel pen (Signo) to add white dots instead. I really like the way it looks with the white dots.

Stamps: Tilda by Magnolia, Sentiment by Karen Foster Designs Snap Stamps. Paper: SU Taken With Teal, Yo Yo Yellow, Whisper White, Making Memories Designer paper, Polka Dot paper by Scenic Route paper Ink: Timber brown staz on Accessories: Prima flowers, brads by Imaginesce, Corner punch (SU!), Oval Punches (SU!), Singer Sewing machine, brown thread, pop dots

Hey Girlfriend . . . SC159, WT149

Okay, have you ever had one of those days when things are just not quite working out on every card you make. Well today is that day for me.

This is about version three of this card for WT149 . . . I kept smudging when I was coloring, messing up color wise, basically not being able to stamp well. EEEK! Anyway, this color combination idea came from a card I saw on AJ's (willosmama) blog. These colors do actually match - the silver is hard to see mixed in on the blue, but it makes it a lot lighter looking in real life. . . I embossed clear over black staz on in the background, and then I alcohol inked over top with denim and silver mixative. Sentiment is by My Sentiments Exactly. I punched it out using my SU word window punch. Oh and you might recognize the layout -- it is from the card sketch from yesterday.

Stamps: Hanna But I Need It, Sentiment by My Sentiments Exactly Paper: Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Sierra Sand Ink: Staz On Black, Bashful Blue Accessories: Silver Brads, Tim Holtz alcohol inks - Denim, Tim Holtz Mixative Silver, Aquapainter, Applicator tool, silver leafing pen, black polka dot ribbon, black gelly roll, prismacolor pencils and gamsol

CC149 and SC159 - Hanna Sweeps

It has been a long time since I have done a double challenge. I really like the colors this week for the challenge and knew I would use them. I discovered that they go rather nicely with Cosmo Cricket Dutch Girl paper, so if you have some of that on hand, you have some quick matching designer paper. I hope you have visited Hanna Stamps design team blogs recently and met the adorable Riley Moose! If not, what are you waiting for.

Did you get the Hanna Celebration Set this month? I sure hope so, and hopefully you are already creating wonderful spunky cards with it, and kissing up a storm with those adorable lip prints . . . Hanna is back with her long hair again and ready to clean house. You are so in for a treat with this set . . . I love it! It is perfect to send to a girlfriend because only they relate to how much we hate housework *grins* This set will be released sometime soon, so keep watching the Hanna Stamps site!

Sentiment is by River City Rubber Works. I ordered a few sentiments recently from them - I love how humorous they are -- so if you have not checked them out yet, go do so. I paper pieced the vacuum using apricot appeal paper.

Stamps: Hanna Housekeeping Set, River City Rubber Works sentiment Paper: Rose Red, Sage Shadow, Apricot Appeal, Cosmo Cricket Dutch Girl, Very Vanilla Ink: Timber Brown Staz On, Sage Shadow, Rose Red, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Aquapainter, sponges, swirly chocolate ribbon, apricot grosgrain, singer sewing machine, sage thread, SU corner punch

Hanging with the Richwine's

My friend Jaime (my roomie in college) and her husband Jay came into town for a quick visit. They were picking up their brand new TV and stayed the night with us. It was super fun to see them. I seriously had not seen Jay in like over a year -- but he is still alive afterall. We stayed up way too late talking, playing, and laughing! I sure wish they lived closer *pouts* We had a yummy dinner out and played some Nintendo Wii. I *heart* the wii. We did cow racing, tennis, marbles and lots of Guitar Hero. We discovered that Jaime ROCKS at Guitar Hero -- seriously, on her first try she was doing amazing and got through the song. Super impressive!!! Oh and Jay has whammy bar skillz. *giggles* Oh and the boys played boxing (see pictures below) for a whole 36 minutes . . . silly boys! I think they had fun though. Then they both passed out on the floor. *giggles* Hope their muscles weren't too sore the next day -- wii boxing can be quite the workout.

I love this picture because Jay was being silly and I love Jaime cracking up in the background.

Just One More Tilda

I had to do one more today. Why? Because 1) It is the weekend and I never get time to play because DH and the kids keep me hopping and doing fun stuff, and 2) Kraftie Kimmie has a contest on her blog to win a Tilda, and I had to make an entry!!!

I had lots of fun with this one. The color combination came from Scraptitude and I found the paper in my collection of 12x12's to match it - kind of. Since it did not match perfectly, I used some of my prismas to gently color over the flowers that were not quite right in colors that matched. (I know, that is scarily AR and yes, I am getting help for it *giggles*)

The other cool thing I did on this card is I took a Heidi Swapp ghost flower mini and embossed it in clear and dipped it in some of my Art Institute glitter (green - although it looks kind of gold in the close up). Then I punched a hole in it using my cropodile (which went through it so easily) and added the small prima flower on top and a brad. I think it is a really cute accent and I had been wanting to try the glittering of a ghost shape for awhile since I saw it in my blog browsing. Oh, and I added some swarovski crystals (pink) as Tilda's pony tail holders (baubles) and you can see that in the close up too! I love they way they look.

Stamps: Birthday Cake Tilda, SU! Family Phrases Paper: Diecuts With A View Petite Purple Posies, Whisper White, Ballet Blue, Elegant Eggplant, Pixie Pink. Ink: Black Staz On, Versamark, Pixie Pink. Accessories: Prismacolor pencils and gamsol, blending stumps, singer sewing machine, white thread, large SU oval punch, white grosgrain, heidi swapp ghost shapes (minis), prima flowers, purple brad, sponge.

Challenge Catch Up Day - CC148, SC158, LSC150

All week I have been wanting to get some stamping time in, but my body would not let me and I would crash shortly after putting the kids to bed each day. Well, last night I made myself stay up. I ate a brownie with frozen yogurt and caramel sauce (OMGosh so yummy) and watched Greys Anatomy (a NEW one which was SO good). Then I went in my office and milled around and blog hopped for about ten minutes trying to figure out what to do and then I remembered all the tabs I had left open on my computer with challenges that I wanted to do . . . I started stamping. My Magnolia stamps have been calling my name!

I only managed to finish one card - but it turned out pretty! It was for CC148 which was wild wasabi, barely banana and blue bayou (or bordering blue). These colors just screamed Easter to me, so I went with it, even though it is still quite a ways away. I blame it on my local JoAnn's store who not only had Valentine stuff out when I was in there yesterday, but also all sorts of Spring and Easter stuff. I cheated a little teeny bit and added a bit of purple-ish glitter on the wings of Tilda and on the underskirt of her dress, using a glitter pen. The inkspiration for this layout came from a Bella Challenge on SCS. I really liked it -- it used designer paper in the sample but I thought it would look just as cute in solid colors. You could even use a cuttlebug embossing folder for some subtle texture. Great layout!!!

Stamps: Easter Egg Tilda - Magnolia, Family Phrases - Stampin' Up! Ink: Staz On Black Paper: Bordering Blue, Whisper White, Barely Banana, Wild Wasabi Accessories: Prismacolors and gamsol, blending stumps, sheer blue polka dot ribbon, white signo gel pen, singer sewing machine, yellow thread, American Crafts Glitter Gems - Blue Zircon pen.

Then this morning when I woke up, I felt like stamping some more, so I got my kids settled with some bowls of oatmeal and Disney Channel and headed into my stamp room. I decided to do the Sketch Challenge, and then I looked at today's challenge, limited supplies, and I decided I could totally do that one too! The limitations were:

"make a card, OR 3-D project using colors from only 1 color family. This includes paper, ink, ribbon, brads etc etc. You may use white or vanilla cards stock if needed for your image and black ink but please try to use as much of the color family you choose as possible. In the spirit of keeping things limited see if you can do this with only 2 colors, 2 embellishments and limited tools. Or use the color family that is your least favorite."

I decided to use bold brights because people often have a hard time with them for some reason, but they may be my favorite color family. I chose pixie pink and real red as my colors (even though sometimes I have issues with pink and red together -- like I would not wear these colors together in a million years).

I turned the sketch on its side. The bottom was made using pieces of scrap paper to create a pattern. I wanted to stick to the rules so I used pink and white which were already the colors I had used. I know it is shocking but this is not designer paper (I MADE IT!!!!!) I have wanted to make Tilda's "loves" be outside the box for a long time, and thought it would be perfect for this card. I added some accents in gel pen and stitched with my sewing machine. Have I mentioned recently how much I am in love with sewing on cards???? I added primas because I decided that it would be perfect to enter this card in the Tilda & Co. challenge blog (which I found yesterday). Plus, the card needed a little something. I had a lot of fun coloring this image, I think I am getting better at prismacolor pencils -- what do you think????

Stamps: Tilda "Loves" stamp, Family Phrases- Stampin' Up! Paper: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Real Red Ink: Staz On Black, Cats Eye White Accessories: Prismacolor pencils and gamsol, singer sewing machine, signo white gel pen, prima flowers, fire and ice brads by Stampin' Up!, white thread.

Address Book for New Friends

So it occurred to me that living in a new house and meeting new people, it *might* be good to have an address book so I can make note of new friends information and stay in contact with them. DUH!

I came across this one as I was browsing blogs, and thought it was a perfect excuse to figure out my Bind It All -- that I just had to have a few months ago. I seriously have felt intimidated by the Bind It All -- but as I started to play with it, it got easier and easier. I made my covers 1/8th an inch larger than the 3x5 index cards, but I also cut off part of the address cards to make the tabs sit on the inside of the book, so they turned out to be 3x4.5 index cards on the inside. This size is perfect to tuck into any purse. I used 5/8th inch coils in brown.

This paper came from a stack (like the DCWV ones - in fact I am pretty sure that is who it is by) . It had the cover ripped off when I bought it at Hobby Lobby and I cannot find a label on it anywhere. I used Cameo Coral (SU) card stock on the inside and for the address label and the tabs. I used my SU tab punch to punch the tabs. Rub ons were used to label the tabs as well as put the address title on the front and are by Karen Foster Designs. Ribbons are from my stash. The fat grosgrain I got while I was in SLC but it was a Jody ribbon share ribbon. I love it! It is just like the SU ones. I decided to use unlined index cards because I always hated that in store bought address books you have to fit the information on the lines they provide you and sometimes people have long email addresses or last names and I thought this would allow me the freedom to choose how much space I wanted to use with each entry. (*sorry for that long explanation*) I think I might take it apart and add stitching to the edges of the cover, I think it might look cute . . . anyway, what do you think???

Bella Altered Michaels Gift Card Tin

So the other day I was browsing around Michaels (I actually went in to get some Wilton cupcake stuff for DD's birthday coming up soon as well as for Valentines day) and came across some Christmas gift card holder tins that were on clearance for only 40 cents each. I immediately thought they were a steal and knew they would be perfect for nuggets or whatever and at that price you cannot resist.

I only bought a few because I recently organized my alterables into groups in big bins (paper, glass, tins, goodies) and I *may* have a bazillion tins to alter . . . DOH! Anyway, they are absolutely perfect for nuggets, just like I thought they would be! I am tempted to go back and get more (but you didn't hear me say that *wink wink*). I used Jody's altering Elvis tin tutorial to try and take off the image on it, but I figured out as I was doing this that the side edges were really hard to sand off AND I planned on covering the top, so really only that little corner part between where I would put ribbon and where the paper would go, would need to be sanded. SO, I sanded there and then got to work on covering the tin. I put chocolate brown grosgrain on the edge of the tin to cover the "hard to sand" part. I stamped Emmybella and colored her in using a chocolate chip marker and I paper pieced her top and bag. I picked up the ribbon at Recollections last week (is it bad that I am happy that they are closing because I love the sales?).

Paper is by Imagination Project Fashionista Prissy Polka Dot. I love this paper! It is very "ME." Sentiment is by Stampingbella - I absolutely love this stamp although it was larger than I was thinking -- so I had to turn it sideways to fit in this tin. I managed to fit 10 nuggets in the tin (wrapped in cute paper of course). I think I will place a gift card in the bottom of the tin and send it to a friend (I think the gift card would make a fun surprise for when they are done eating through the chocolates!) One word for this whole project: YUMMY!

I have another cool project I made with one of these tins -- perfect for Valentines Day, so keep checking back for that! I am really excited about it. Hopefully by now you have all put in your order for the Hanna Valentine set also . . . and it will arrive to you soon! I have some more fun Hanna things, from a set to be released Jan 25th, to show you a little later on in the month and I am awaiting an SU order today with new catalog stamps, so I will get busy with stamping with them soon too! See you soon!

Happy 6th Anniversary to ME!

It is hard to believe DH and I have been married for six years already! NUTS! Who would have thought it would work out so well with DH and I who eloped to Vegas after only dating a couple of months . . . I guess we just knew it was right.

I think I had the best anniversary ever this year. DH really did it right. He got me a wonderful "candy" gift from brownies.com (well from the actual store which is in Phx, AZ close to where he works: Fairytale Brownies) -- he got me the Fairytale Deluxe which comes in the most gorgeous box and so far I have tried two of the brownies and they are absolutely to die for. OMGosh and SO rich. Glass of milk definitely required!!!

I made DH a candy cake with Reese's PB cups. I covered two pieces of styrofoam with scrapbook paper. Then I used terifically tacky tape and adhered the candy bars to the edges of the foam. After I completed a layer, I tied a ribbon around it to keep it all together. I made the big bow on top using sheer organdy and by watching a tutorial on how to make a bow on You Tube. Hooray for online tv! I put the whole thing on some cardboard covered with a sheet of yoyo yellow (which matched the Reese's lettering well). Overall it turned out well for my first time. I think if I made one of these again, I would use a round styrofoam though because I think it would make it more cake like looking. DH really liked the cake. He thought it was sweet and has already busted into it and gobbled some of it up.

We went to a meet your teacher breakfast for our church with the kids in the morning. It was pretty fun. For the rest of the day we had a really relaxed day lounging around at home. Ate lunch out at Subway with the kids, and watched movies and vegged.

After we put the kids to bed, BIL looked after them while we went out to The Melting Pot. I have wanted to go there for a long time and when DH asked me where I wanted to go to dinner, I said I wanted to just go to dessert at The Melting Pot. Our reservation was for 9:30 PM and it was really quiet in the restaurant by then. We had the most wonderful chocolate raspberry fondue (limited time only so if you want to try it get your butt in there). Our favorite things to dip were fruit and brownies, and cheesecake! YUM! It was really relaxing and mellow and just nice to be close to each other and eat and not have to deal with two toddlers being all nuts. Seriously the dim lights and comfy seats had me wanting to curl up and go to sleep. I had a wonderful time. I got our waiter to take a picture of us because we never have a chance to get pictures of just the two of us . . . and it turned out cute so I thought I would share!

A Little Trip to See the Clydesdales

A few days ago my DH emailed me to let me know about a fun event that would be happening today:

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World famous Budweiser Clydesdales to appear in Maricopa Friday

Maricopa, Ariz. (Jan. 2, 2008) - The world famous Budweiser Clydesdales, the symbol of quality and tradition for Anheuser-Busch since 1933, are scheduled to make an appearance in Maricopa on Friday, January 4, 2008.

From 12 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., the eight-horse Hitch will travel from Bashas' to Fry's Food Store and finish at City Hall (see schedule below). Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc. is sponsoring this visit from the Budweiser Clydesdales.

The Clydesdales' appearance in Maricopa is one of 300 made annually by the five traveling Hitches. Canadians of Scottish descent brought the first Clydesdales to America in the mid-1800s. Today, the giant draft horses are used primarily for breeding and show.

Horses chosen for the Budweiser Clydesdale Hitch must be at least three years of age, stand approximately 18 hands - or six feet - at the shoulder, weight an average of 2000 pounds, must be bay in color, have four white stockings, and a blaze of white on the face and black mane and tail. A gentle temperament is very important, as hitch horses often meet millions of people each year.

A single Clydesdale hitch horse will consume as much as 20-25 quarts of feed, 40-50 pounds of hay and 30 gallons of water per day.

Each hitch travels with a Dalmatian dog. In the early days of brewing, Dalmatians were bred and trained to protect the horses and guard the wagon when the driver went inside to make deliveries.

Budweiser Clydesdale traveling hitches are based in St. Louis, MO, Menifee, CA, San Antonio, TX, San Diego, CA and Merrimack, NH. The Budweiser Clydesdales can be viewed at the following Anheuser-Busch breweries: St. Louis, MO, Merrimack, NH, and Ft. Collins, CO. Also Budweiser Clydesdales can be viewed at Grant's Farm in St. Louis, MO and at the following Anheuser-Busch Theme Parks: Busch Gardens Tampa, FL, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, VA, Sea World San Diego, CA , Sea World Orlando, FL and Sea World, TX.

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I decided it would be fun to take the kids to see them. When we saw them and were there, J just wanted to touch them over and over again (he managed to actually touch a leg and it quivered to his amazement) and E was scared of them. Pretty funny! I did manage to get a couple of pictures. It caused quite a stir for a little town! Oh and yes, my DD did dress herself today -- hence DS is wearing jeans and a sweater and DD opted for shorts and an shirt -- but hey, at least they match . . . mostly . . . and yes, DD is trying to make DS look at me in this picture, and not smiling herself in the shot -- LMBO!

A Sweet Treat From Hanna

I am so excited that you will be able to buy the Sweet Celebrations set so soon. I have been getting such a positive response to the things I have made with it and I know that quite a few of you are excited to buy this one! You can now see the whole set on the Hanna Stamps site.

Today I decided to make a Valentine for a friend. For the chipboard tag, I stamped Hanna and colored her using my ink pads and aquapainter. I made her a blond this time just for fun! I stamped lots of the little background chocolate stamps in a collage like fashion, on a piece of whisper white and did two step stamping with the lips. I stamped tiny hearts in pixie pink. The sentiment is by Inkadinkadoo -- I have had it for awhile and thought it would be perfect on here. The ribbon is some I picked up the other day at Recollections. I still cannot believe that they are closing all their stores. I am enjoying the sales though. Paper is Diecuts With A View - Pink Stripe. I plan to add some crystal effects on the lips to make them more glossy, but I decided to get this uploaded first and do that later. (I have to run and make dinner in a second and then clean up, then baths, bed etc.) In the cello bag, I wrapped some silver wrapper snickers minis in stamped labels that are similar to the background paper I designed.

The little bucket has some super fun things in it. I made it to match the candy bag tag. The only thing stamped in it is an altered matchbox. It also contains - Swirly Strawberry lipsmackers, a little test tube filled with heart shaped brads in pink, red and white, a small bag filled with pink, brown and white with brown dots prima flowers, a set of 6 yards of Valentine ribbons, and some red stickles. The pail was actually hard to work with as it gets smaller at the bottom, but I made the paper work for me -- I made it two pieces that overlap under the handle piece. I added ribbons from my collection.

Hopefully you are starting to get ready for Valentines Day. I know around here it gets mighty busy from Christmas on until the end of Feb. My DH and I will celebrate our 6th anniversary on Jan 5th (I have a really cool thing I am doing and I will upload it later - maybe tomorrow), and there are three birthdays in our family in February (including mine - ugh - I hate getting old). Anyway, don't forget to stop by Hanna Stamps on Friday to get your set ordered. Trust me, you won't regret it -- this one is AWESOME!

Stamps: Sweet Celebrations Hanna Stamps, Inkadinkadoo sentiment Paper: Diecuts With A View - Pink Stripe, Pixie Pink, Whisper White Ink: Chocolate Chip, Timber Brown Staz On, So Saffron, Pixie Pink Accessories: Chocolate ribbon, Pixie Pink sheer ribbon, sponges, aquapainter

Are you in LOVE yet?????

It was so super fun looking at all the Hanna Stamps Design team blogs yesterday, but I have to say that my absolute favorite card that I saw was Sherry's. It seriously made me laugh out loud. Click HERE to see it!

On to todays fun card -- As per yesterdays confession, I did a wee bit of stitching on this card too! The colors for this card came from the polka dots on the background paper. I cannot remember the last time I used going grey as a base for my card, and I really like it! Hanna is colored with prismacolor pencils and gamsol. I added a little bling (swarovski crystal) at the neckline of her dress because she is that kind of a gal! He handbag was colored with pink first and then I put a layer of magenta colored stickles over it.
I used my target $1 spot heart punch (I think I picked that up last year around Valentines day) and then I had some fun heart shaped brads from making memories and I put them over the punched hearts. The lips are stamped by me in pixie pink, pink passion, purely pomegranate, going grey and staz on black (I know it looks like matching designer paper *giggles* JK). Sentiment is from the Valentines Day Hanna set and is SO TRUE!!!! Ribbons are from my collection and I believe both of them came from Hobby Lobby. Hope you like todays card! Check back tomorrow for more Hanna! Only 3 more days until you can buy this baby . . .

Stamps: Hanna Stamps Celebration Set (available Jan 4th, 2008) Paper: KI Memories, SU Going Grey, Pink Passion, Whisper White Ink: Staz On Black by Tsukineko, going grey, pink passion, pixie pink, staz on black, purely pomegranate Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, gamsol, silver heart brads, heart punch (Target), black polka dots on pink, white polka dots on black ribbon, sewing machine, black thread