It's QKR Monday!

My project today is a recipe card that features the Relaxing Gnome (#17908) stamp from QKR Stampede. I featured this stamp on a card at the QKR Blog two weeks ago. If you missed that post, you can see it here. I have participated in cookbook swaps where each participant creates a 6" x 6" recipe card. Each recipe card had to be hand-stamped--the only part of the recipe card that could be mass produced (either by printing or photocopying) was the actual recipe.

I thought the Relaxing Gnome (#17908) would be the perfect accent for a recipe card featuring a mushroom dish. I love just about any kind of mushroom -- fresh, in salads, baked on a pizza, sauteed and served with chicken or a steak, grilled, stuffed -- you name it! This mushroom strudel is great as an appetizer or as the main course served with a salad. I use a blend of mushrooms when making it -- portabellas, regular snow cap mushrooms, crimini, shitake, and a wild mushroom mix.

I am also posting today at the QKR Stampede Blog. Here is a little peek at the project there that uses the Girlfriends (#8808) stamp.

Be sure to go check out this project in its entirety by going here. It is done in patriotic colors, in honor of Memorial Day. Please take a moment, today, to remember the brave men and women who served in our armed forces and gave the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our country and our freedoms. Please take a moment, also, to think of the men and women who are currently serving in our armed forces. Thank you for stopping by today and having a look! Have a wonderful Memorial Day!!

Hats Off!

Today's card is for two different challenges--Card Patterns Sketch 66 and the "Hat's Off To You" challenge at I Did It Creations.

Here is the sketch:

The stamp images I used are from the Haute Couture stamp set by Stampin' Up! I have always loved this particular image--it's very nouveau chic and reminds me of fashion images seen from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s when women wore hats and gloves when they went out. I kept my color scheme to black, white, and red and included patterns that remind me of that era, especially the polka dots (I'm picturing dresses worn by Lucille Ball!). Thank you for stopping by and having a look! Have a wonderful day!!

Kind Thanks - FTL 92

This weekend I am playing along with the May VSN (Virtual Stamp Night) at Splitcoaststampers. The theme of the projects is all about flowers. I will be sharing some of those projects with  you next week. Right now, though, I wanted to share another "Fall-To Layout" (FTL) featured at the Clean & Simple Stamping blog. I am really liking these layout challenges. Not only is the layout design work already done, but the layouts force me to try something new and different. The layout for today's project can be found here. And here is my card for the challenge:

This is the layout:

My card was created using stamps from the Touch of Nature and Thank You Kindly stamp sets by Stampin' Up! The images were colored using Prisma watercolor pencils and blended with a blender pen. I think this would be a perfect Thank You card for any man or nature lover in your life. Thanks for stopping by today and having a look! Have a wonderful day!!

Summertime, Summertime . . .

Well, according to the calendar, it isn't quite Summer, but the weather we have been having certainly seems to indicate otherwise! Here is a card using the Classic Convertibles stamp set by Stampin' Up!

I love these fun, vintage images! The images in this stamp set are great for those "manly" cards -- Birthday, Father's Day, Thinking of You, etc. The image was stamped, colored in with Prisma watercolor pencils, and blended with a blender pen. A very simple, easy card to put together. Thanks for stopping by and having a look! Have a terrific day!

Desktop Paperweight

Today I am featuring a little gift idea that is great for a year-end teacher's gift, or even for a Father's Day gift--a desktop paperweight. The paperweight that I am using was purchased at Oriental Trading and is sold in quantities of 3 for $9.99.

The paperweights are 3" square (also available in 3" round) and have a foam pull-out base which allows you to create decorative pieces that can be slipped in, covered with the foam base, and displayed. The foam base stays securely in place and also protects desktop surfaces from scratches. The "empty" space that you decorate is 2-1/2" square and approximately 1/4" deep, so you can have some dimension in your little piece of artwork (you can see one of my inserts has buttons). If you keep your decorative inserts simple, without a lot of dimension, you can make several for different times of the year, etc., store them in the paperweight and change them for different holidays or seasons, etc. Just think of the possibilities . . . family pictures, children's pictures, mini works of art made by the children . . . all preserved under glass!! Thanks for stopping by and having a look! Have a GREAT day!!