Material Girl

I finally got around to making something with my new Cosmo Cricket papers called "Material Girl". These papers are just adorable, and perfect for the crafty person in your life...they include images of buttons, scissors, measuring tape, spools of thread, vintage patterns...so cute! Today, I mixed a few of the papers with this set from The Saltbox Studio.


When Beth drew the pincushion, she put little circles on the tops of the straight pins...just right for adding some sticky pearls to make them look like straight pins from the sewing basket.


I also love this sentiment. I think of Beth whenever I read a scripture verse from the King James Bible. She loves that translation...so poetic.

Beth told me a fun story yesterday! She's hooked on the Gospel Channel ever since I mentioned the old TV series that they air every night, like "Dr. Quinn". Well, the other night, she was watching "Promised Land" (remember the show where Gerald McRaney plays a Dad who takes his wife and kids on a journey across America in their RV?). In this episode, they went into a flea market/ craft shop, and on the back wall of this scene, there was a display with one of Beth's needleart patterns from Fanci That! I think she said it was the Halloween Tree. What a hoot!

Beth is working more heavily in the needle arts than the stamping these days, and you can see some of her handiwork at Threadworx (link on the right). She's making lovely online magazines for this company.



My son, Luke (left), is heading home for his spring break today. We're looking forward to spending some quality time together...in the laundry room, in the kitchen, at the mall. :) I guess I'm just a mom that loves having her sons around her. My son, John, is on the right, and my son, Sam, took the photo. Good times!

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and there's a hint of a warm breeze in the air. I hope your weekend is spring-like, too!

Garden Variety

I just love these new papers from Cosmo Cricket called Garden Variety! They are sweet enough to eat! I decided to make a farm fresh card with them today, using an old classic stamp set that I HAD to have last year. It's seeing ink for the first time today. :)



{recipe: Walk This Way (SU), Garden Variety by Cosmo Cricket, always artichocke/basic black, crushed curry cardstock, cc ink, versafine onyx ink, Pure Luxury ivory cs, pinking scissors, velvet flower from Maya Road, button, dmc floss}

Isn't this fresh? Speaking of fresh, I made the best guacamole last night! I got the recipe from an adorable waitress at a Mexican restaurant. When she saw me writing down the ingredients, she gave me a few tips from her Abuela (that's Grandmother in Spanish). First, if you want to keep guac overnight, you can add a little milk or mayonaisse...probably something to do with the lactic acid keeping it fresh. She said in Mexico, they always add a little dried oregano on top of the guac before serving. Mmm! Here it is:

2 ripe avocados, pitted and then mashed in bowl
fresh cilantro, chopped diced tomatoes
chopped diced green chiles
chopped red onion
kosher salt
juice of one lime
oregano on top

Mix it all together in a nice chunky conglomeration, and serve with some healthy whole grain nacho chips (I like scoops!).

Enjoy!

Glimmer Mist

I picked up some Glimmer Mists from Tattered Angels last week. I've been intrigued with this new product and thought I'd give it a try. The mist comes in a bottle and is offered in various colors. Tattered Angels also sells templates and matching clear stamps that you can use with the mists to achieve a layered, vintage effect. The frugal me decided that she didn't need templates. The frugal me thought she could easily make her own with stamps and scrap paper. Well, the frugal me didn't quite realize how much work it would take to cut out some of these intricate swirls...easy was not part of the project. Next time, I'm telling the frugal me to buy the *?&! templates!

I decided to stamp the swirl first onto rich razzleberry cardstock. Then I layed the cutout image from the same stamp directly over the image and sprayed right over the top of the whole card with the copper Glimmer Mist. Then, I carefully peeled off the mask, and you can see the effect here:



I also used the mist to color the Prima flower. It's fun stuff!

{recipe: Baroque Motifs (SU), Fancy Flexible Phrases (SU), rich razzleberry ink and cardstock, copper cardstock and cord, gold ribbon, prima flower, making memories brad, pearls, punches}


Thanks for popping in to the cafe today. I'm feeling a little sluggish this afternoon...time to go make myself a Caramel Latte. Would you like a nice frothy cup, too?

Spring in My Mailbox

Spring came to my mailbox yesterday! It was such a welcome sight! First, I received this lovely card from my good friend, Lynn in Michigan. Lynn made this a long card to fit in a business-sized envelope...perfect for a long flower! The envelope even matched the color of the card...how fancy is that? I thought this card was so sweet and cheerful...thank you, Lynn! Lynn is from my stamping posse in Michigan. Their group is getting so large that they have to plan weekend stamping retreats at least twice a year. I WILL go one of these days...I promise!



I also received the newest issue of Midwest Living. Oooh...the cover is so beautiful! It's so pretty that I keep looking at it and touching it lovingly, and I haven't even opened it to look inside yet!

I also received a copy of the Pure Michigan travel guide. I'm having fun looking at all of the possible destinations. The boys have put me in charge of all family vacations this year. (Last year, my husband was in charge, and let's just say they weren't the best...bad weather, remote locations, low fun factor). Our favorite vacations usually involve a cottage on an inland lake, with canoeing, swimming, hiking, biking, and day trips to Lake Michigan and its surrounding towns. Of course, last year was the summer that wasn't...it didn't get very warm, and I was sick once again with Lyme disease. But I'm feeling hopeful that this summer will be worthy of a picture-perfect postcard!

I got called in to work yesterday, and it was a good remedy to this CFS that I'm suffering from! We received a big shipment of new spring merchandise. I often request to work in the stock room, where I get to open up boxes and unpack whatever is inside. It's like Christmas morning! I always have a warm Starbucks nearby, and I'm surrounded by lovely clothes with flowers and pastels and the cheerful voices of other women. I'm lucky to have the privilege of a part-time job that I can "get away to". Most working people have jobs that they can't wait to get away from!

I have a lot of fun new product to showcase in the upcoming week...Cosmo Cricket's new line, and an array of Glimmer Mists from Tattered Angels. Can't wait to play! Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Public Service Announcement

If you or someone you love is suffering from Cabin Fever Syndrome (CFS), it is important to know the signs.


Excessive straightening and cleaning due to boredom. Pantries that are clean and clutter free, with all canned goods facing front and expiration dates checked.



Medicine cabinets neatly organized with all expired medications thrown away.



Frequent trips to Starbucks for comforting cups of Grande Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Lattes.

Treatment for CFS may include walks outdoors, checking for signs of spring.


WARNING: This treatment has been known to lead to depression in most cases. If you are currently deprived of sunny skies, green grass, or warm breezes, it is best to treat CFS with homeocraftic methods. Remember, CFS is temporary, and will only last until the crocus blooms and the robin sings. Please allow two to four more weeks before checking for signs of improvement.



{recipe: My Basket of Eggs (Pure Innocence from MFT stamps), pretty in pink/kiwi kiss/barely banana cardstock, Versafine onyx ink and prisma markers, Making Memories Garden Party papers, scallop scissors, Prima flower, butterfly brads (making memories)}

Scrapping

I have been in the mood to sort and scrap stuff this week. On Monday, I went through my spice cupboard and threw away three dozen old bottles of herbs and spices. Yep, that's 36...can you believe it? I had old jars of stuff from Pampered Chef and Tastefully Simple, and I know I haven't been to one of their parties in over five years. I couldn't believe that I was hauling these bottles with me for every major house move! When I opened some of the jars and took a whiff, they smelled like dust...not a good ingredient to add to any dish! I emptied the contents and recycled all the old jars, then reorganized the good herbs and spices into better categories. Doesn't it look pretty? I purchase a lot of my seasonings from Aldi's now. One of our favorites is their big jar of Steak Seasoning...our guests always rave about it!



Yesterday, I went through my nail polish and threw away every bottle. Again, most of the bottles were at least five years old, if not older. It looked terrible. I went to Target and picked up all new bottles on a clearance aisle. I'm not a big girlie girl when it comes to things like manicures and pedicures, but now that I'm a working girl, I'm trying to keep my nails looking a little neater. And when sandal season is here, I'll be prepared with lots of new colors.


Today's card features a sketch that works great when you are using up lots of scraps of pretty papers.

{recipe: Flower Girl (Pure Innocence from MFT stamps), so saffron cardstock and ink, baja breeze textured cardstock, Sweet Slumber papers, versafine ink, Prisma markers, Prima flower, maya road velvet flower, brad}

I'm off to clean my pantry. Wish me luck!

Vintage Blue and Yellow

Blue and yellow is such a classic color combination. It brings to mind blue skies and sunshine. I used this color combination when redecorating my master bedroom. The walls are cream with just a hint of yellow, and the bedding has a lovely aqua and cream.


I really loved this Fieldcrest bedding when I found it at Target. It has a masculine stripe and a feminine damask pattern, and it pulled together the colors from the master bathroom and the master bedroom. Perfect!



I used this color combo to make a vintage card. I love the look of something a little vintage and shabby chic, but I'm not always certain how to execute it on a card. I think this comes close. The key is to add a lot of texture and embellishment, with a little ribbon or lace to make it frilly. For this card, I used buttons, pearls and ribbon with some patterned papers.

{recipe: Fancy Flexible Phrases (SU), French Script (SU), Bella Birds papers, kraft and ivory cardstock, barely banana and so saffron cardstock for flower, Versafine sepia ink, scallop circle punches, small oval punch, modern label punch, pearls, kraft ribbon, button}



Have you noticed how handmade flowers are all the rage right now? I made this flower using several layers of scallops. First, I stamped the cardstock with French Script, then punched, then sponged edges. I clipped "petals" into one of the scallops and bent them forward, adhering some with glue dots to make them pop out.

I think I'll try a ribbon flower this week. My sister, Tina, taught us how to make ribbon flowers years ago, and it seems to be very popular in papercrafting these days. Hey Tina, do you think you could pop over to Indy and make a few ribbon flowers with me this week? :)

Thanks for popping into the cafe today!