Paper Crafts Magazine Presents: A Card Style Mystery Blog Hop

I'm so excited to be a part of the Card Style Mystery Blog Hop!




When I was first asked if I wanted to work on several shabby and vintage cards for the book, I was thrilled! Hello, creating shabby cards is my favorite thing to do. I spent some time looking through my favorite galleries and thinking about all of the elements I'd want to include in my card. The only challenge I faced, was narrowing it down. (Yeah, I had enough ideas to do a whole book!)

I love all things soft, worn, pastel-y ( I know, not a word), glittery, flowery and vintage. This is why I love the shabby style so much. And I love that it's such a hot trend in papercrafting right now.

So, the purpose of today's blog hop is twofold. You get more inspiration and you get the chance to win an awesome prize package.

First for the inspiration:




Kraft and cream are my favorite shabby/vintage colors. I added some Prima paper, a MME tag, Melissa Frances heart, and Jenni Bowlin die cut paper. I painted the MM frame and added glitter to it. The pin, button and trim are all vintage.

So, where can you get this awesome book? Right HERE.

And you know there has to be a prize package included in this blog hop.
Be sure to check out the Moxie Fab World Blog as well as the Paper Crafts Blog to see a peek of what you are trying to win!

Now, it's time for you to leave me. But don't be sad, because I'm sending you to one of my most favorite scrappy friends. I'm sure you'll love her card and her post will leave you smiling!

But, before you go, leave a comment for a chance to win. Let me know what your favorite 'shabby/vintage' supply is. And comment on the other 17 designers' blogs as well as PC and MFW blogs for a total of 20 chances! (All comments must be posted by Sunday, July 18. Winners will be announced on both the Moxie Fab World and Paper Crafts Connection blogs on Tuesday, July 20.)


Thanks for stopping by! Now head on over to THE NEXT MYSTERY BLOGGER!

Card Style Week

I just got my copy of Paper Crafts' newest issue, Card Style today. LOVE it!
It's divided into sections with cute, clean, clasic and shabby/vintage sections. Can you guess which section I'm in? Here's a little hint:





This is my favorite card from the issue. I used Webster's Lullabye Lane on it along with a Hambly rubon and some vintage goodies.

There are lots of fun things going on over at the Paper Crafts and Moxie Fab World blogs, so check them out. Word has it if you stop back here on Friday, you might have a chance to win a free copy!

Here's another card that I recently finished. I did this one for Emma's color challenge. I used a bunch of different goodies on it. You can see the color challenge and my supply list HERE.




Finally, I want to share that there's going to be a great Webisode with Heidi Swapp tomorrow night. Wendy Senger, CEO of Tattered Angels will be with her. They're going to be sharing some fun techniques. It will be at 10 pm EST. So, you can participate in the A Cherry On Top chat for Webster's Pages at 9 EST and then head over to www.ustream.tv/channel/heidi-swapp-live for a great class!


That's about it. Thanks for stopping by!

It's Sunday!

(I hate coming up with post titles...just thought I'd throw that out there.)

Just a couple of things to share today, since I'm busy working on CHA projects that I can't post yet. (And having so much fun with it!)

I did this page last week for Webster's Guest Designer lift. Emeline Seet is our guest this month and I had so much fun getting inspiration from her. She is seriously one of my absolute favorite designers and I'm blown away everytime I visit her blog.

This page is about my little snorkeler! My little buddy LOVED snorkeling. He loved learning the names of the fish he saw. And he loved swimming out by the black rock with his daddy. The Seaside Retreat line was just perfect for my photos!



I added a few glimmer chips and some glimmer glass from Tattered Angels' seaside collection. The postage stamp font frames were sprayed with Candlelight Glimmer Mist.




I also wanted to remind you of our upcoming chat at A Cherry on Top. The WP team has come up with brand new projects to share that night. Stop over!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day. ;)

Moxie Fab and CHA Fun

Lots going on today! First, I wanted to share that I'm being featured on the Moxie Fab World blog. I was so excited when Cath emailed me and asked if I wanted to participate in her 'At Home With' feature. I'd love for you to stop over and see my inspiration piece as well as the card I created with it!

CHA fever has begun. I wanted to share that Webster's Pages has begun their sneak peeks! Here is some info. right from the Inspire Me site.

"July is one of the best months around. Summer is in full swing and here at inspireME, we are at our busiest. CHA (July 27-29) is just around the corner and once again, we have a ton of new and amazing products to release. You can see previews HERE - check back often as we will be adding much more over the next few weeks!

And what would CHA time be without a fast-paced live chat as well? So keep your eyes peeled for more information coming shortly.

We think this is a wonderful time to select 3 inspireME members to work with our CHA new releases as a Webster's Pages guest designer. For all the details, go HERE.

Also in July, the Webster's Pages Design Team will be featured guests at the online scrapbook store A Cherry on Top. Join us on Wednesday, July 14 at 6pmPST/9pmEST as we chat and share loads of inspiring layouts. Shhh, word has it, that there might be a sneak peek to be seen floating about as well!"

So much excitement!!!

Finally, here's a couple of cards that I made for Tattered Angels this month. I wanted to feature the Tattered Tags and Custom Cutouts.

Details about both cards can be found on the TA Blog.







That's it for now. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Shabby Tea Room

I was so excited when Debbie asked me to be the Guest Design Team member at The Shabby Tea Room again! I love the challenges on this site and the cards that people create are sooo inspiring. If you haven't gotten the chance to play along, definitely head over there today. Plus, the prize this week is fabulous!

This week's challenge was to use embossing of some kind. I love to emboss and decided to pull out this fun Cuttlebug Embossing Folder. I used it on Paper Trey Ink's Hawaiian Shores cardstock and added some patterned paper from PTI for the background. Then, I used a couple of Bloomers (can't stop using these!)and a couple of little Prima Camelot roses. I punched the leaves with a Martha Stewart punch. It was a quick and easy little card, but I think it packs a lot of punch!






As I'm sitting here typing I'm finishing off one of the Whoopie Pies I got in Lancaster this weekend. OMG, they are so amazingly good. Just wanted to show you what they look like and post a little recipe for you. We are heading back up this week to do some shopping, so I'm going to pick up a couple more. So much for all the exercise I'm doing. LOL!



Here's a little background info. about them:
A whoopie pie is like a sandwich, but made with two soft cookies with a fluffy white filling. Traditional whoopies pies are made with vegetable shortening, not butter. The original and most commonly made whoopie pie is chocolate. but cooks like to experiment, and today pumpkin whoopie pies are a favorite seasonal variation.

The recipe for whoopie pies has its origins with the Amish, and in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, it is not uncommon to find roadside farm stands offering these desserts. Amish cooking is about old recipes that have fed families for generations, with no trendy or cross-cultural fusions or mixtures. These cake-like whoopie pies were considered a special treat because they were originally made from leftover batter. According to Amish legend, when children would find these treats in their lunch bags, they would shout "Whoopie!"

And here's the recipe:
Amish Whoopie Pie Recipe

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Whoopie Pie Filling (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together shortening, sugar, and egg. In another bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the milk. Add the dry ingredients to the shortening mixture, alternating with the milk mixture; beating until smooth.

Drop batter by the 1/4 cup (to make 18 cakes) onto prepared baking sheets. With the back of a spoon spread batter into 4-inch circles, leaving approximately 2 inches between each cake.

Bake 15 minutes or until they are firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Make Whoopie Pie Filling. When the cakes are completely cool, spread the flat side (bottom) of one chocolate cake with a generous amount of filling. Top with another cake, pressing down gently to distribute the filling evenly. Repeat with all cookies to make 9 pies. Let finished whoopie pies completely cool before wrapping.

Wrap whoopie pies individually in plastic wrap, or place them in a single layer on a platter (do not stack them, as they tend to stick).

To freeze, wrap each whoopie pie in plastic wrap. Loosely pack them in a plastic freezer container and cover. To serve, defrost the wrapped whoopie pies in the refrigerator.

Makes 9 large whoopie pies.


Whoopie Pie Filling:
For this recipe, you are basically making a homemade Marshmallow Fluff/Creme.

3 egg whites, room temperature
2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

In large bowl of an electric mixer, add egg whites, corn syrup, and salt. Using your electric mixer on high speed, mix for approximately 5 minutes or until the mixture is thick and volume has almost doubled.

On low speed, add powdered sugar and mix until well blended. Add vanilla extract just until well blended.

Your homemade marshmallow fluff/cream is now ready to use on your Whoopie Pies or other recipes. Use immediately, or refrigerate in a covered container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes a large quantity.

Well, that's it for today. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy 4th of July!!

Happy 4th of July! Hope you will be celebrating it in a fun way. It's going to be a hot one here - almost 95 degrees. Ryan is going to be in the town parade with the scouts. And then we're bbq-ing and watching fireworks with some friends.

We had a really fun little excursion this weekend. We went on an overnight camping trip to Lancaster. The campground was great! We pitched out tent on a beautiful site, right on a stream under a tree. We spent Friday evening and all day yesterday at Dutch Wonderland. It was so much fun! The best part was the 'whoopy pie truck' that visited the campground yesterday morning. A charming Amish couple bring their buggy around (kind of like an ice cream truck) and sell their goods. They had all kinds of treats, including my favorite - whoopy pies. We will definitely be heading back to Millstream again!

I have a couple of things to share today. First up is this card that I did for Color Combos Galore 149.




I used a Webster's die cut paper along with a Maya Road chipboard circle covered with glitter, a Hambly transparency, Pink Paislee die cut and Webster's bloomer.

It was based off this color combo:


My next project is a layout I did for Tattered Angels this month. I used a lot of Pink Paislee 365 Degrees paper. I used a Glimmer Screen as a stamp using Olive Vine Glimmer Mist, to create the swirls.



The butterfly was sprayed with Patina and the letters with Sunflowers. I cut the words from a Timeless Romance calling card and added a Rockin' Renaissance tag sprayed with more Olive Vine. (I LOVE that color.)




The reason we visited Hawaii this year was because we celebrated our 10th anniversary in February. This is my favorite photo of Fran and me while we were there. Ryan took it!

Well, that's it for today! Thanks for stopping by!

Tattered Paislee

This month, Tattered Angels and Pink Paislee teamed up on the TA blog. If you haven't stopped over the projects are gorgeous! I just love Pink Paislee and it works so well with TA.

Here's my first page. The photo was taken from my balcony in Maui. It was so gorgeous there and this is what I saw every morning as I sat and drank my coffee! I used Glimmer Chips and Glimmer Screens from the Seaside collection. I also added some tropical looking Prima flowers.



I misted the background with the palm tree glimmer screen using Patina.



I also used Glimmer Mist on the Pink Paislee artisan elements. (Key Lime and Lemon Merangue) and on the glimmer chips (Lemon Merangue).



Here's another project that I did using some Pink Paislee. It's from the Babyberry Cottage line. I did this for Emma's. The tutorial for creating the faux folded ribbon is on the Emma's blog.




Finally, I leave you with a peak at some Prima goodies. This ad is in this month's Scrapbooks Etc. Everything looks great!! I can't wait to see more. Speaking of more, they will be adding peeks to the Prima blog starting tomorrow, Friday!!




Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a great day!