Blog awards

I have been completely overwhelmed with the kindness of my blogging peers.  I was awarded this Stylish Blogger Award not once, not twice, but four times over the last few weeks.  And those who shared the award with me are amazing bloggers themselves!! 

Please take a few minutes and check out these four wonderful blogs.  There are sooo many amazing blogs available - it is difficult for all of the blog readers to locate new and exciting blogs.  Take a look at these four blogs and enjoy the stylish-ness of each!

Scrappy Scavenger

Scrapnkitty Scraps

Chic-n-scrap

Kelly's Kreative Korner 

Thank you to each of these wonderful bloggers for sharing their award with me.  I am going to borrow from my friend Donna Mundinger and suggest that each person with a blog go ahead and post this award on your blog.  I love all of the blogs I visit and I think we are all stylish in our own way.  

Happy Friday!!

Victorian Card with Spellbinders

Happy Thursday!  Let's get to the "good stuff" right up front today - the winner of the Custom Crops sponsored blog candy.  The winner is lucky comment number 49, who is:

~JulieH~  who said...

"Wow Susan what a fabulous design! Love this card and the birds heart 

done in pink looks just gorgeous.Love all the extra details too"

Congratulations Julie!  You will be hearing from CC soon!

Now on to today's card.  This was the card I entered to round two of the Spellbinders design team tryouts.  It is the card that let me down.... :-(

This card was created using Spellbinders label 14 on folded cardstock, with the edge of the die placed just above the fold so as to not cut that end of the card.  I then cut a single layer of label 14, folded it in half and affixed it to the top back of the base card.  This created the top flap and the fold out portion.

To create the layered flap I cut the same die two more times, once in gray print and once in smooth cream cardstock which had been stamped with a GinaK stamp.   Using scissors I cut the two additional cuts in half and layered them under the front flap.

I cut the front message area with circle and scalloped circle nesties.  The closure flourish was cut from a Christmas set of Spellbinder dies. 

I decided that the top flap needed a little more detail so I cut a solid pendant shape and then trimmed it in half, affixing half to the front of the top flap.

And that flower??? That was created during flower surgery.  The netting was formerly the outer petals on the flower, but I did not like it with this card.  I took scissors and cut away the netting, reshaped it into a loose loopy bow and topped it with the flower center.

I finished the card by stamping an additional Thank You sentiment inside the card.  I actually was quite pleased with this little cutie!  And I will use my nesties to create shaped cards in the future!

Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe with Coconut Milk

An easy, creamy broccoli and potato soup that is vegan and gluten-free.

It's hard to not worry these days, I know. Epic snow storms dumping the white stuff without mercy- again. Students and protesters in Cairo risking life and limb for political change. Anderson Cooper- our lovely Silver Fox-  getting punched in the face by pro-Mubarak thugs. Where will it all lead, I ask you?

It's mighty tough for a sensitive soul prone to worry to cope with all this mishegas. To find a little comfort in this volatile atmosphere. That is why I am sharing another soup recipe. Just in case there is a kindred spirit out there in need of a bowl of creamy veggie comfort. A gluten-free vegan soup worthy of the Chinese New Year. It's the Year of the Rabbit, by the way (or as we like to say in my house, BUNNY!). And bunny's aren't known for punching or, in general, wreaking havoc. Unless you count Peter Rabbit's sneaky excursions into Mr. McGregor's garden or Max's devouring love of chocolate chickens.

The year of the bunny is ostensibly devoted to a milder temperment. To kindness and beauty and yes, comfort.

So it seemed only fitting I cook up a batch of vegan soup today as fresh and non-toxic as could be. Creamy, good-for-you soul food.

And by the way. Punxatawny Phil predicted an early spring today. True or not, it's got to be a welcome glimmer of hope for those shoveling out from under heaps of snow. Right?

Stay warm and safe, everyone. May peace prevail.


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Magnolia-licious DT sketch challenge for February

Can you believe that January is already gone?? What the heck!! It seems like Christmas was just last weekend! With a brand new month, comes a brand new Design Team challenge from Magnolia-licious. This month, our wonderful hostess with the mostest is Ms Patti Jo! Patti Jo asked us to use pink, white, silver, hearts, and you can use green for flowers. Isn't that the most perfect challenge for February??!! Awesome choice Patti Jo! You've got to check out the rest of the fabulous creations by the Design Team over at the Magnolia-licious Highlites blog! They're truly gorgeous!!

For my card, I used #3030 Tilda with big ribbon from Magnolia-licious. She's from the You Are So Special 2011 collection. I really love her pose! :) She's colored with Copic markers and I wanted to make her all glitzy and glamarous, so I used lots of diamond Stickles on her dress and socks. The DP are also by Magnolia.

I used some Nestabilities for the frame that Tilda is sitting in, as well as the hearts. A Martha Stewart border punch created the hearts border along the horizontal piece, and I dry embossed the piece of cardstock.

the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the flat backed pearls are from Kaiser. Stickles are all over this card. LOL!

So that's it for me today! Please be sure and visit Magnolia-licious Highlites to see the rest of the gorgeous creations from the design team. There will be more to come as well. The majority of the DT have been at CHA (I'll be there next year YAY!!!)  Hope you will join us in the challenge! thanks so much for stopping by to see me today, and hope to see you back again soon! If you're being affected by the nasty winter storm that is sweeping it's way across our nation, please stay safe and warm! Hugs!

Blogging Buddies . . . Works For Me Wednesday

If you have a blog, have you ever met another blogger in real life?   I'm lucky enough to live next-door to a real-life blogger (and host of Works for Me Wednesday...Hi, Kristen!).  And sweet Mr. E sent me to visit Cheryl (TidyMom) this summer. And, then there was Ree. :)

If you ever get a chance to meet a blogger you love, DO IT!  Believe me, it's nice to talk to someone about blogging and not have the person look at you, tilt their head to the side and say, "huh?" 

Last week, I attended my first ever blog conference. 
{And I'm still recovering.}

Thanks to my friends at Blog2Print (you know, the company that will print your blog for you as a book), I was in Nashville at Blissdom.


The opening and closing keynotes were amazing (thank you Brene Brown & Scott Stratten...I cannot express how much I loved them BOTH).

The parties were fun...and the music incredible (yes, Michelle Branch, Mat Kearney, Chris Mann & Crystal Bowersox).  {And here's a sign you're old....you have to google all of those people, other than Crystal who you voted for on American Idol.}

 

{Here's Cheryl with Chris Mann.  Aren't they both adorable?!?}

But the best part?  The highlight of the conference?  Meeting all of the lovely ladies that I've admired from afar.  The craft bloggers, the photography bloggers, the home bloggers, the mommy bloggers....

....and yes, some FABULOUS foodie bloggers.  Here are my homegirls:

 
Kristan of Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
Amy of She Wears Many Hats
Shaina of Food for My Family
Kristen of Dine and Dish (one of the very 1st food blogs I ever read!)
Aimee of Simple Bites
and, my roomie, Cheryl of TidyMom

Meeting other bloggers?  Works for me!!!  Thank you so much, Blog2Print!!!

{Have you ever met another blogger or attended a blog conference?}

Papertake Weekly - anything goes with Lili of the Valley

Hi friends! I sure hope you're having a wonderful start to your week! It's Tuesday and that means it's time for a new challenge from Papertake Weekly! Since it's the first Tuesday of the month, that means the challenge is an "anything goes" challenge, and you have an option of using flowes. We're being sponsored by the awesome company Lili of the Valley. I LOVE their images and have used this adorable Rosie With Cake. Isn't she just the cutest??!!

She's colored with Copic markers and then cut out with oval and petite scalloped oval Nestabilities. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the leaf punch is Martha Stewart. The ribbon of course is May Arts 100% silk ribbon from Stamp and Create, and the crown charm is from one of my other favorite shops, Bunny Zoe's Crafts.

Please be sure and visit Papertake Weekly to see the rest of the wonderful creations by the Designers, and then we would love it if you'd grab your paper and glue and play along with us! Thanks for stopping by to see me today, and hope to see you back again soon! Hugs!

Winter Wonderland using Spellbinders

I have news to share - I did not make the cut on round two of tryouts for the Spellbinders team.  I was disappointed, but I know that their team is highly competitive.  The good news is that I may now show my projects with you!

My entry for round one was this 12 x 12 inch layout.  I used two colored  sheets of cardstock topped with snowflake printed paper.  The snowflake print made a lovely, low-key background on which to build the layout elements.  The first element I added was a Stampin' Up stamp which reads "Winter Wonderland" stamped on my snowflake print.

I used my Grand Calibur with grand label one to cut the two layer matting and the main photo.  I used nesties label one to cut the mats and the smaller photo.  I also used snowflakes number one and cut red and blue embellishment snowflakes.  The snowflakes were topped with red buttons tied with white embroidery floss.

My page border was created using a Spellbinders lacey border cut four times.  I mitered the corners and topped the corners with snowflakes or tags.  The WINTER tag at the bottom left was created using label 14 and a stamp.  I penned in the date at the bottom of the label. 

I will admit that I was a disappointed at not making the cut, but really it was fun to try out.  And I was able to get this great photo scrapped!!

Remember that I have blog candy up for grabs in the previous post.  A winner will be drawn a Thursday.