With All My {heart}

Hey there to all my stampin' friends -whether you're snowbound or not! I'm happy to report that we got out today! Yay and Hooray! It was so weird leaving the alley behind our house, all the snow was piled up on either side so high, it was like a tunnel! I don't think it's all gonna melt until April! And - here's a surprise - we're expecting another 1o inches tomorrow into Wednesday! Aye Carumba! I am reeeealllly over the snow!

So, anyway, I had a little time on my hands this morning while I was on a conference call so I whipped up this little bit of eye candy JUST FOR YOU! Yep, you've put up with all my snow pictures and my whining the past two days, so I thought you deserved something pretty for a change! :)

Do you likey?!

I really likey! In fact, I think I'm going to set this one aside and give it to Mark for his Valentine's Day card. So, don't tell him, ok?
I started with a piece of Kraft cardstock, cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", it's folded to make a standard A2 card. My favorite stamp in the I {heart} Hearts stamp set is this filigree heart, it's so very elegant. So I inked it up with Whisper White Craft ink and stamped it on my cardstock, no embossing. Notice the even spaces between the hearts? Well, since my set is one of the new Clear Mount sets, I was able to do that all by myself, no Stamp-A-Ma-Jig needed! LOVE that!

Next, I cut a piece of Bride Specialty Paper at 2" x 3 3/4". Then I brayered over it with Real Red ink and wiped it dry afterward. The foiled stripes in the paper resist the ink and give it this luscious look!
This paper was adhered to a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock cut at 2 1/4" x 4". I added 4 Stampin' Dimensionals to the back so I could pop it up on the card front after I finished my embellishments.

For those, I turned to my favorite Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon. I cut a piece of it and tied this pretty bow, flagging the ends with my ribbon scissors (Craft and Paper Scissors if you are looking in the catalog - mine never touch anything but ribbon!) I got the ruffle in the top piece of ribbon by adding two Mini-Glue Dots to the back and scrunching it up a bit.
This almost looks like a box of candy to me!

To finish the focal point, I simply stamped one more heart onto Whisper White cardstock with Real Red ink. I trimmed it out, added a hole with my 1/8" Hole Punch and tied it to the ribbon with some Linen Thread. I did add a dimensional to the back of it to hold it in place.

The greeting comes from the With All My Heart stamp set and I just colored right onto the stamp and stamped it on the card front after I adhered the focal point where I wanted it.

This card was really quick and easy to put together and I think it showcases the I {heart} Hearts stamp set beautifully. I hope you liked it and will try it out yourself!
In the meantime, stay warm and dry!
~~Robin

Snow-pocalypse, the Sequel!

When last we saw our intrepid shoveling hero, Mark the Magnificent, he was resting comfortably by the warm fireplace, hot chocolate in his hands.
Alas, the snow was piling up faster than you can say "Super Snowflakes, Batman!"
Wait, that's another hero story....

Yep, round 4 of the shoveling game and Mark is wondering if it will ever stop.
Hmmm....not right now apparently!
He was trying to clear a spot along the fence and front gate, making more room for the dogs to have a 'spot'.

The sledding dreams had been abandoned at the moment, blowing snow isn't much fun for anyone.

Emma was so upset that Buster and Susie were outside with out their coats, but really, she wasn't into sacrificing herself this way!
That's a really weird snow angel, Em!

Susie says, "Mom, is she playing or stuck? I'm not certified as a St. Bernard rescue dog you know!"

Meanwhile, Buster is just trying to find the perfect 'spot' since he's been hanging on by a thread all afternoon. Apparently it's just too much to mess with trying to get over to his favorite swing support!

"Help, can anyone hear me? I'm too short and I can't get out!"

I don't think I shared with Emma that it wasn't a good idea to try and swing today. Or is she just asleep? Hard to tell with a pre-teen!

Oh, wait, she was just trying to find some clean snow to eat - surely that was obvious, wasn't it?
Emma, I think there is PLENTY to choose from! You should be set for a few days....

Ahhh, morning breaks and there are blue skies to greet us!
It really is beautiful to look at, eh?

Yep, it really is THAT deep. What you can't see is that his car is sitting on about 6 inches of snow. It had been snowing for hours when Mark got home Friday night, he had a tough time even parking close to the curb!

The view from the street at the mountain of snow in my front yard. At least we can still find the mailbox!

Yeah, he's smiling now, but I think he's gonna be sore tomorrow!

Here's a look over the fence at my neighbor's garage and swing set. I don't think their kids will be in that sandbox anytime soon! And it looks like the fort canopy is a casualty....

Susie is just taking it all in stride. After all, it's a dog's life!

Stay warm and dry today, we'll be curled up by the fireplace later on, watching the Super Bowl. Can't get much better than that!
~~Robin

Snow-pocalypse 2010!

This view in my neighborhood is really so much nicer without 2 feet of snow on the ground! So, how's the weather in your neighborhood? These pictures were taken this morning around 10:30. It has been snowing here since about 9 am yesterday and as of right now, the forecasters are calling for another 10 inches before it ends around midnight tonight.
Yep, a lovely day in the neighborhood!

Mark cleared a path to the gate, but as of right now, it's covered over again with a couple more inches!

Don't think I want to sit in my swing today!

Here is the intrepid shoveling hero himself, note the very sad face and pooched out bottom lip. He is clearly not excited about going out the front door!

And now you can see why! Yep, that is snow up past our stoop. What you can't see is that we have 4 steps spread out, leading down to the sidewalk. This snow is flat across leading out to the walk. Hmmm......so not fun!

At least until you decide to make the most of it and make a snow angel! He does have a little bit of a smile on his face!

Good thing no one is calling for the police today - I don't think mine can get there to help!

He did eventually get a little helper! Serena came down from her house to help clean off his car, but sadly, the snow brush just wasn't enough so she made sure the mail could be delivered!

Here is a picture of my second shoveling hero, Emma the Strong!
Just look at those muscles! :)

Here Serena is negotiating her cleaning fee with Mark. Hey, shoveling is hard work you know!

Emma the Strong has decided to give in to the ancient urge to make a snow angel herself! Only problem is that she ended up like a turtle and couldn't get up again!

I'm sure I'll have more fun-filled photos to share tomorrow, so stay tuned for more Snow-pocalypse 2010!
~~Robin

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #137

Hey, before I get to the sketch challenge, I have a question for you - are you snowed in yet? HA!
Since I am posting this on Friday night, we are not snowed in yet, but with the way it's coming down and has been all day, I'd say we are well on our way! That's ok, I have all I need, family, stamps and chocolate! Oh yes, and warm fuzzy slippers! :)

Last week I didn't get my card done for the Stamping 411 design team before we left for Lowell, Mass. for Emma's skating competition, and I'm sorry for that! I hate to miss a week because the sketches are so fun and really get me thinking outside the box sometimes. So hopefully, I've redeemed myself this week with my card. Here is the sketch from our Queen of sketches, Selene:

And here is my card!
Nope, no snow on it - not a bit! I am thinking Summer! :)

I have been dying to use my new Shades of Spring DSP from the Occasions Mini catalog - the colors are just gorgeous and I love the retro floral patterns so much. But there's just not much for Winter or Valentines in those papers, no matter how beautiful they are.... So, I decided that I'd had enough Winter and was going to use them anyway!
Here are the basic measurements for my layers:
So Saffron card base: 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" folded in half to make an A2 card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2")
Certainly Celery layer: 4" x 5 1/4"
Very Vanilla layer: 3 3/4" x 5" (dry embossed with the Big Shot and the Perfect Details Texturz Plate, then sponged with So Saffron ink)
Certainly Celery layer: 2 1/4" x 4 1/2"
DSP layer: 2 1/8" x 4 3/8" (sponged with So Saffron ink)

After adhering the Very Vanilla embossed layer to the Celery layer, I wrapped a piece of the Elementary Ribbon Originals around them and adhered the ends to the back with SNAIL.
I then adhered the DSP to the small Celery layer and adhered those layers to the Very Vanilla piece.

The greeting from the Sale-A-Bration stamp set Whimsical Words, was stamped with Old Olive ink onto Very Vanilla and punched out with my Designer Label Punch. I sponged it a bit with So Saffron ink and adhered it to the ribbon with some SNAIL. To add my Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, I used my Paper Piercer and Mat Pack, marking the holes by using the hodgepodge piece as my guide. I then added the brads and adhered all the top layers to the card base.

Now, for the butterflies!

I cut two small whole butterflies with my Beautiful Butterflies die and the Big Shot, using Very Vanilla cardstock. Then I dry embossed them with the other side of the Perfect Details Texturz plate. They were sponged with So Saffron ink, pretty heavily so they would contrast with the saffron already on the card. I then cut a piece of ribbon 6 1/2" long and knotted it around the center of the butterfly, creating the head and antennae. The ribbon is also from the Elementary Ribbon Originals pack.
The wings were curled slightly with my Bone Folder and I double stacked Stampin' Dimensionals under both wings and mounted them to the card front.

When I was all done, this card just made me smile and I think it was actually 10 degrees warmer in my studio! Ok, not really, but Summer is coming, just hold on a little bit longer! :)

I'm so glad you stopped by to see my card project - be sure to check out the other Operators at Stamping 411 and see what they did with the sketch - I know they will inspire you! And if you want to play along with us, we'd love that! Just design your card, post it to your favorite online host or your blog and use the Mr. Linky widget provided at Stamping 411 to upload your entry. You never know, you might be picked for the showcase on Friday! We operators vote on our top 5 favorite cards each week and the majority rules, sometimes we even pick more than 5 because you are just too good!

Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are - even if it is snowing! It's perfect stamping weather anytime!
~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge - I'm Baaack!!!

Hey stampers!! Normally I would be doing the "WooHoo, it's Friday!" Happy Dance, but I'd honestly like to fast forward to next Friday because we are not only expecting 24" of snow tonight and tomorrow, we got 5 inches this past Tuesday and are expecting more snow on this coming Tuesday - I am officially SICK of snow! This is why I live in Virginia, not Maine - which I LOVE, btw - but it's just NOT normal to get this much snow! Uggh!

Good thing I am still working on Cathy's scrapbook and have LOTS of stamping to do! :)

Speaking of stamping -that is why we're here isn't it? - I'm back with a made for the challenge Blogger's Challenge card this week. I've been doing a lot of 'make it fit' stuff for my challenges lately and while that's great when you are super busy I'd always prefer to make something just for the challenge. So after I'd finished 5 pages of the scrapbook last night, I sat down and cranked this out. It was kind of a treat to myself because I'd been planning the card in my head all day but I wouldn't allow myself to make it until I'd finished my 5 pages! Kind of like a stamping diet! :)

So, do you likey?! I really, really likey! It came out even better than I'd planned it - I WAS doing the happy dance last night! :)
As you can see, our challenge was to use black, white and red together. All my supplies are SU! so you can figure out the cardstock - haha! I did use my Versamarker on the Big Shot embossed white panel to highlight the flowers. I then heat embossed them with Iridescent Ice EP - it's very sparkly in real life. The focal panel was also heat embossed with Craft Black ink and more Iridescent Ice.

The heart is from the I {heart} Hearts stamp set - which is the fundraiser stamp set for Haiti relief so be sure to order yours, ok? - I just stamped it in Real Red ink over the embossed image from the Charming stamp set.
A little of that yummy Real Red Satin ribbon and some pearls from the Pretties Kit and you've got a simple, but elegant valentine card!

But as happy as I was with my card, Susie was just not impressed:

She was sleeping on the couch in the family room and even though it looks like her eye is open, she is snoring! Her little tongue was sticking out and it was just too cute! Hey, when you are a 50 pound pile of love, it's hard to look cute unless you're sleeping! :) She will be happy when the snow comes - she loves to play in it. That's good - she can go out with Emma - not me!

Be sure to check out the other Blogger's Challenge players today - the links to their creations can be found thru the button on my right sidebar.
Come back tomorrow - I know you want to - I'll have the Stamping 411 Sketch card up for you!
Snowy blessings,
~~Robin

UDI Inspiration Challenge #81

Good morning stamping friends!
Since today is Thursday, it's time for another fun inspiration challenge from the UDI Blog. Our challenge Mom, Maria chose this beautiful photo of bright summery flowers - I think she knew we'd need a touch of warmth in this first week of February! Doesn't it make you think of a beautiful June day?

Now I have a little confession to make - I have been crazy busy working on a Wedding scrapbook for my friend whose daughter got married in Hawaii last year. I finally got time about 10 pm last night to open the inspiration photo and see what I could do with it and I started doing the happy dance!!! Those flowers and those colors were PERFECT for the challenge! You know what they say - "Sometimes you're the windshield and sometimes you're the bug." Well, today I'm the Windshield! HA!
Here are a few of the pages I've been working on for my friends scrapbook. There is no journaling as we are leaving those spots and pull outs blank for her daughter to journal her thoughts and memories. Also note that 99% of the supplies used are SU!, but there are a couple of things that are not - they were supplied by my friend.

The first page used Whisper White and Melon Mambo cardstock, Pumpkin Pie Patterns DSP, Melon Mambo ink, Razzle Dazzle Stamp Set, Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain ribbon, the SAB Scallop Punch and the NEW XL flower Punch.

This next page uses Melon Mambo Textured cardstock for the base page and the dsp is from Razzleberry Lemonade.

I used my Big Shot to make the scalloped rectangle behind the photo of her bridesmaids and the journaling tags were made with the Top Note Die. The retired stamp set Do the Hula provided the flower stamp which was rock and rolled to get the two tone effect with Melon Mambo and Pumpkin Pie.

I love this next page so much!

I used the Top Note die for the pull our journaling block behind the top photo and the top portion of it is embossed with the Petals-a-Plenty folder and my Big Shot. The cardstock is Pumpkin Pie and Rich Razzleberry Textured and the dsp is from the Rich Razzleberry Patterns package. The flower is made with the new XL Flower punch and Razzleberry Lemonade dsp. The pearls are from the Pretties Kit and the SAB Scallop punch was used for the edges. A little Rich Razzleberry Polka-Dot ribbon here too and the caption is from the With All My Heart stamp set in the mini catalog.

This is coming together as a very different kind of wedding scrapbook, but she had a different kind of wedding - bright, fun and sunny!
Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to check out all the other design teams projects today as well by visiting the UDI Blog for the links.
Happy Stamping!
~~Robin

The Love Bandit Strikes Again!

(Updated 2/2/10 to include measurements below!)
He's a busy little critter, isn't he? Better watch out or he'll not only steal your candy, he'll steal your heart too! :)

Before I tell you about today's cute little project, let me update you on our skating weekend!
Emma's team finished a respectable 9th in the final on Friday, placing them in the top 10 teams in the Eastern Region of the U.S.! THAT my friends is something to be proud of - and we sure are! The girls had a great skate, overcoming illness and injury to give a great performance. Way to go National Blades!

Ok, enough skating - on to the project!
This is a cute little slide cover for those boxes of conversation hearts we all get on Valentine's Day. I wanted to do something different for them this year and came up with this little top note cover. All the girls at Very Valentine's class loved it!

It's really pretty simple, just Melon Mambo Cardstock (one 8 1/2" x 11" piece makes the whole wrapper and covers and you have enough left over for the punch out too!

I am posting this while I'm at the skating rink so I don't have access to my sample to give you the measurements, so I'll add those later when I get home.

HERE are the measurements!
For the actual box wrapper, you need a piece of cardstock cut at 3 1/2" x 7". Score it along the 7" side at 2 3/8", 3 1/8", 5 1/2" and 6 1/4". Be sure to check your box of Sweethearts candy to make sure these measurements work for your box. The one I saved from last year was larger than this years version!
For the covers, I just cut two postcards at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2", laid them both on the Top Note Die about 3/4" higher than the bottom (or side) edge to give it the straight across bottom.
Iused the I {heart} Hearts stamp set and the Love Bandit stamp set too. Basic stamping in Chocolate Chip and Melon Mambo, sponging on the sides. The raccoon image is punched out with the 1/3/8" Circle punch, the Mambo layer with the Scallop Circle punch and the Chocolate Chip layer with the 1 3/4" Circle punch. I used the Word Window for the greeting. Sticky Strip is the adhesive of choice for the inside wrapper and I used Tombow Glue to adhere the covers.

Glad you stopped by to visit today! I'm going to try and post every day this week, but I am working on a wedding scrapbook for a client and the deadline is Sunday! Yikes! Gotta get that finished! Maybe I'll post some of those pages if you ask me real nice..... :)

Have a great evening!
~~Robin