It's time for The MICHIGAN MINGLE!

Tomorrow morning, Michele (Plaid Pony on SCS) and I are driving up to Bay City for the Splitcoast Michigan Mingle ~ I'm so excited! Before I go, I wanted to have a go at the Colour Challenge from Tuesday and the Sketch Challenge from yesterday. I'm almost all packed and ready ... just a few last minute bits and bobs to do. So excited to see everyone again!
Recipe
Stamps : Love You Much
Cardstock : PTI White, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Candy Lane DP
Ink : Basic Black
Accessories : Baja Breeze Grosgrain Ribbon, Nestabilities

It's Monday ~ that's TLC day!

Goodness, a whole week's gone by without a post! I've no idea what happened to last week ~ I was busy getting ready for my Club girls on Friday and I had a few appointments during the week but apart from that it wasn't crazy busy! I must try harder this week.

As always, Monday is fun due to Lynn and her wonderful Techniques Lovers Challenge on Splitcoast! Today's was no exception. Claire Brennan has shared a template for a sweet little Easter Basket (it's teeny) which you can find here. It's very easy to put together, there's an outside and a liner and if you use Stampin' Up's pretty double-sided papers, you really can't go wrong.

Recipe
No stamps and ink today
Cardstock : Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Accessories : Corduroy Buttons in Kiwi Kiss

A TLC for Monday

Happy Monday! Well, it's the start of another week and that means a Technique Lover's Challenge over on SCS. This has become one of my favourites! Today Lynn showed us a great 'ribbon frame' {details here} and so I decided to give it a go! I wanted the ribbon to be the main embellishment so left everything else VERY plain. Just a few layers behind the main image. I think it's quite cute, and I'll be making a few more of these ribbon frames, I'm sure.

Of course, you can't forget the inside! I love these little bees, they just put a smile on my face (always a bonus on a Monday!). Off to do some jobs now. Monday is laundry day in my house ~ yuk!

Recipe
Stamps : Just Buzzin' By
Cardstock : Whisper White, Apricot Appeal
Ink : Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red
Accessories : Apricot Appeal Grosgrain Ribbon, Aquapainter and RHR ink

A Green Challenge

I received my 'mini occasions' delivery from Stampin' Up yesterday! It's so great to have MORE new stuff to play with! Today's challenge on SCS (WT209) is to incorporate green into your project. Well, in England when you live in the country you wear GREEN WELLIES so I HAD to make a card with this new set and make my wellies green! Don't you love it!

Recipe
Stamps : Scene in a Garden, Bella's Bloom (sentiment)
Cardstock : WW, Old Olive, Really Rust
Ink : Chocolate Chip (images) Really Rust, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa (colouring)
Accessories : inks (above) and blender pen

It's Sketch Challenge Day!

So it's Wednesday, sketch challenge day on SCS! Don't you love this one? I thought it might be difficult, but one sheet of DSP (double-sided) and a quick stamp of the bird in Friends 24-7 and job done! Love this one, so easy to do!

Recipe
Stamps : Friends 24-7
Cardstock : Very Vanilla, Choc Chip, Bella Birds DSP
Ink : Choc Chip
Accessories : Riding Hood Red Ink & Aquapainter

I haven't spoken to my mum & dad in AGES because they're away celebrating mum's 70th birthday! I COULD call their mobile phone but international to mobile is very expensive! Anyway, I think they're home today or tomorrow ... so if you're reading this mummy, call me! Tee Hee. The good thing about them being away is I've been chatting with my sister a little more than usual. Now, we could chat all day long, every day, but she runs more than 1 business so is unbelievably busy (she's one of those people you chat to on the 'phone and feel exhausted after she's told you what she's doing!!!!). Anyway, I'm digressing. I wanted to show you mum's birthday card ... but had to wait until after her birthday so it wouldn't spoil the surprise! So here's mum's card ... I used my Copic Markers ... still haven't mastered them but I'm getting more and more comfortable the more I use them ... and I keep buying more of the darn things so I SHOULD be using them, right?

Recipe
Stamps : Sun Ripened II
Cardstock : PTI White, Mellow Moss, Riding Hood Red
Ink : Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories : SU Eyelet Border Punch, Copic Markers

For a Friend

Yesterday were the TLC and CAS challenges on Splitcoast. TLC was to make this little treat purse (directions are here) and the CAS was to use the colours blue and green. So I combined the 2 and came up with this for my friend Lorien whose grandmother passed away last week. I'm going to fill it with chocolate and post it off to her.

Recipe
Stamps : Rubber Stamp Tapestry, PTI Trajan Alphabet
Cardstock : Whisper White
Ink : Certainly Celery, Mellow Moss, Kiwi Kiss, Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, Night of Navy\
Accessories : Ribbon, Jumbo Eyelets

Bind It All Notebook

Yesterday I spent the whole day working on SCS Mingle Swap cards ... so this morning I decided to make something for me! This was so easy to do ... I used some cereal box cardboard for the front and back, covered both sides with Cardstock, outside is the SAB paper and the inside is Sahara Sand, punched the holes, put 4x6 Index cards inside, punched them and bound the whole thing with 1/2" wire. The front was decorated with buttons and the 'Olivia' alphabet from Cuttlebug. I love it! Off to work on more Mingle stuff now though!

Sophie's Birthday & A Surprise in the Mail

In 3 weeks' time, a group of Michigan Splitcoast Stampers are meeting in Bay City ... as part of the preparation, we have all been assigned 'secret sisters' to treat with cards and gifts before the event. My secret sister isn't a secret!!! We decided we'd like to know who we're receiving things from so I found out that my Big SS is Vicki aka CraftCrazy98 on SCS. She's really been treating me with some fab stuff ... but last night I went to the mailbox and got this BEAUTIFUL card from her ~ it's my fave so far. She knows I love pink and this is just perfect ... don't you agree? She used some lovely embossing folders and a set from Papertrey Ink to monogram with. Thanks Vicki, this is FANTASTIC.

And after several days of not stamping, I made a card today! I just received a new set from Stamp Tapestry ... soooo pretty. I needed to make a card for my niece, Sophie, who is 17 on the 19th. I wanted to get it in the mail next week because it takes over a week sometimes to reach the UK. Happy Birthday Sophie! Love you!

Recipe
Stamps : Rubber Stamp Tapestry, cherry blossoms
Ink : Riding Hood Red, Pretty in Pink, Pale Plum, Kiwi Kiss, Mellow Moss, Close to Cocoa
Cardstock : WW, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red
Accessories : Half Pearls, Ticket Corner Punch

Colour Challenge ~ Chipboard

Today's colour challenge on SCS is Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss and Pink Passion ~ I received this adorable chipboard yesterday from SU (So Tweet) and I LOVE the owl, so cute! Anyway, perfect excuse to crack the package open this morning! Tee Hee.

Recipe
Stamps : Sentiment from Three for You
Ink : Choc Chip Craft (owl) Choc Chip Classic
Cardstock : WW, Choc Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Passion
Accessories : Big Shot, Sizzlits Lots of Tags, Chipboard 'So Tweet', Kiwi Grosgrain Ribbon

Crimped Envelope

Happy Monday ... it's bitterly cold in Michigan this morning, Molly ran back inside after she went out to pee! So funny!
Today's challenge on SCS is to make a crimped envelope. Such a fun technique. My class on the 13th/14th incorporates this technique ... so if you fancy joining us e:mail me!

Recipe
Stamps : Bella Toile, Simple Friendship
Cardstock : WW, Kiwi Kiss
Ink : Kiwi Kiss
Accessories : Envelope, Large Circle Punch, Kiwi Grosgrain Ribbon, Crimper