Tommy Turkey steps it up....

I have been completely unmotivated since I returned from the sun and sand of the Carribean.  Unmotivated to go to work, unmotivated to cook, unmotivated to be creative.  But it helps to find motivation when someone is holding you hostage.

Sue wouldn't let me leave her house until I finished a card.  So we worked on a Side Step Card.  I was excited because it was different then just throwing together a regular, linear card.

I decided on a Fall Theme.  Perhaps that contributes to my lack of motivation - while I was on the cruise, the seasons changed.  It went from summer to fall.  The weather got cooler and wet, the trees are changing colors, and next weekend we will be going pumpkin and apple picking.  Yep, fall is here. 

Don't get me wrong, I love fall.  But I just got off the cruise.  I didn't want fall to come just yet.  I wanted to hold on to the bathing suit weather just a little longer....

TOMMY TURKEY
Say hello to my lil' friend...

The picture doesn't give it justice.  The instructions to make your own side step card can be found here: Split Coast Stampers, posted by Beate Jones

It was amazingly simple.  As usual, I looked at the picture of THEIR card and said to myself "looks to complicated, I probably couldn't figure it out."  But Sue - as is her way - dives headlong into the challange as if she was Super Woman.  And I dove right after her, saying "what the heck, why not".

It wasnt't really a challenge.  The only suggestion I will make is this:  when you are scoring the longer side (3inches), turn the paper the other way.  It's actually easier to do it opposite the directions.  Just takes a little extra math...

See you soon...

Paradise found!

Hubby and I are getting on a cruise ship tomorrow afternoon and we can't wait!  I have been dreaming of a tropical paradise for weeks.

The cruise is actually a destination wedding.  Hubby's cousins are getting married on the island of St. Thomas on the 4th day of the trip.  We are so happy for them!

PARADISE FOUND
A wedding card for a destination wedding.  I saw a neat technique while doing a make-&-take at the Scrapbook Expo back in May.  Use the vellum quotes and ink the edges so they stand out on the page.  I loved this technique so much, I used it on the card I made next (see further down this post).

The paper, vellum quotes and rhinestone flowers I had lying around.  But I used StampinUp! stamps and embossing powder for the embossed flowers on the right.

SUMMERTIME
This card is going into a Card Box I am sending my pen pal, Mara, for her birthday.  The surf boards are a StampinUp! stamp.

Hope you are all having wonderful visions of summer!  See you when we get back!

Miss you!

We have a winner!

My apologies for this post being late.  But Hubby and I were honored to be with Susan and her family yesterday, celebrating her birthday!

Thanks to random.org for it's help in picking a winner.  Drum roll please......







Winner is......








......LYNNE!
Congrats, Lynne!  Be on the lookout for an email from me!

She was commentor #8.  Also, you may recognize her name, since she was the lovely lady who kicked off the Anything Goes Birthday Blog Hop!

If anyone wants to check out her blog, go here.


ON ANOTHER NOTE:
For those of you that are curious about what was on the back of the recipe card, it was a recipe for Crockpot Turkey Chili.  Susan has asked me to make this for her on several occasions.  It was accompanied by a box full of the ingredients so she could make her own batch.

Vicki inspired me with her comment (see last post, comment #4 - "Tell me, please..is the recipe for food or is it a scrap recipe, recipe for a happy birthday???").  I had a food recipe in mind when I made the project, but you could absolutely put anything you wanted on the back.  A "recipe" for a happy birthday or a happy marriage, a "recipe" for a kit or card, a "recipe" for a rainy day activity, etc etc.  You have opened up a new world of possibilities, Vicki, so thank you for inspiring me!

Also, I am going to be a guest designer on Sue's blog, sometime in October.  Be on the lookout for my project!
Can't wait until the next blog hop!

Susan's Anything Goes Festive Birthday Bash Blog Hop!!!

Hello!

A very happy birthday to Susan!  And welcome to her Anything Goes Festive Birthday Bash Blog Hop!  In case you would like to know where you are coming from and where you should go from here, the revised order is as follows:

Day 1:
1. Lynne: http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/
2. Amber: http://pixiperfectcreations.blogspot.com/
3. Angie: http://atuttletime.blogspot.com/
4. Becky: http://squirlygirlcreations.blogspot.com/
5. Berenice: http://karbersweetescape.blogspot.com/
6. Brenda: http://createbyburffrau.blogspot.com/
7. Christel: http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com/
8. Cindy: http://www.cindys-greencricut.blogspot.com/
9. Deborah: http://www.scrappingmamma.net/
10. Erin: http://comfyonmycloud.blogspot.com/ ~ YOU ARE HERE!
11. Gina: http://californiascrappin-gcinderella21.blogspot.com/
12. Kari: http://purplefuntastickcreations.blogspot.com/
13. Staci: http://preciousmem.blogspot.com/

I hope you are finding lots of creativity and inspiration in everyone's projects.  Don't forget that there is a second day of projects taking place tomorrow, Sept 4th.  Go to Susan's blog for more details.

It's time to think outside the box.  Gifts do not always have to be accompanied by a traditional card.  And not every occasion must be celebrated with one.  There are plenty of other paper-crafts that will make the occasion more memorable.  And your friends and family will want to keep them, long after a traditional card would have been put aside or thrown away.

A RECIPE FOR YOU
My birthday card is actually a recipe card.  On the front, a small note.  On the back, a very special recipe for my friend.  I won't show the back, since I do not want to ruin the surprise.

I used paper from a Creative Memories paper pack.  The yellow flowers are from Oriental Trading - I got a larger batch than I thought, and now I have tons!

My favorite part of this project was experimenting with embossing powder.  I came across another blog recently, with a video on how to emboss buttons.  I applied the same technique to my own buttons and flowers.

It's very simple - just Versamark the stamp you wish to use, then stamp the object you wish to emboss.  Sprinkle on the powder (I used black) and heat with the embossing gun.

Pay close attention to what materials you are working with.  I tried this technique on ribbon, and the heat melted some of the fibers.  Also, the flowers absorbed the embossing powder after heating, giving it the effect of an ink, rather than the glossiness usually produced by embossing powder.

The effect, however, is simply divine when applied to buttons! :)

Speaking of buttons...
Since this is my first blog hop, I have decided to REALLY get into the spirit of things.  What I mean is, I will be giving away BLOG CANDY!

The beautiful bag of beautiful buttons found below can be yours if you follow two simple steps:
1) follow this blog
2) post a comment, include your email address (to contact you if you win)
The winner will be chosen at random on Monday.  Good luck!



PS) Did I mention I LOVE buttons?????

Happy Labor Day!

Good news, everybody!

Before we get to the good news tho, I would like to point out a new feature I have added to my posts.  Down at the bottom of every post, there is now 3 reaction check boxes.  Don't have time to leave a comment?  Just check a box!  Look for this new feature down below the "comments" button.

OK now on to the news....
I will be participating in my first blog hop this weekend, Sept 3rd and 4th.  It's for Sue's birthday, and it's called "Susan's Anything Goes Festive Birthday Bash Blog Hop".  I will be showing off my project on the first day (Sept 3rd) and I will post the line-up below.  There will be plenty of blog candy and awesome projects, so don't miss it!

I am so excited about showing off a great project for Sue's birthday.  Off to the Scrapping Table!

Day 1: September 3, 20111. Lynne: http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/
2. Amber: http://pixiperfectcreations.blogspot.com/
3. Angie: http://atuttletime.blogspot.com/
4. Becky: http://squirlygirlcreations.blogspot.com/
5. Berenice: http://karbersweetescape.blogspot.com/
6. Brenda: http://createbyburffrau.blogspot.com/
7. Christel: http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com/
8. Cindy: http://www.cindys-greencricut.blogspot.com/
9. Deborah: http://www.scrappingmamma.net/
10. Erin: http://comfyonmycloud.blogspot.com/ - MEEEEEE!!!!!
11. Faith: http://faithfulecreations.com/
12. Gina: http://californiascrappin-gcinderella21.blogspot.com/
13. Kari: http://purplefuntastickcreations.blogspot.com/
14. Staci: http://preciousmem.blogspot.com/





Happy September!