Z fold card

Hey everyone!! How has the weekend been? We have had THE MOST gorgeous weather here in Katy...we are lovin' it!!! I made this card for Beate's weekend sketch challenge. Her challenge was a Z fold card...I have never actually done one, so I was excited to try it! Of course it was super easy...same piece of 4 1/2 x 11 in. cardstock...just folded a little differently. I used my Happy Holidays again & got to use a few small pieces from my Winter Bright scrap kit. I love the colors in this Scrap Kit! Pretty much what you see is what you get...nothing too fancy here! I am going to keep this short and sweet! I wanna get back outside and enjoy the day with my hubby and kiddos! {thanks for coming by!!} ......Tara
what's in it?... stamps...Big on Christmas, small dot stamp
paper...wild wasabi, real red, bashful blue, Winter Bright SS Kit patterned paper, whisper white
ink...wild wasabi, real red, regal rose, so saffron, close to cocoa, versamark
accessories...silver brads, crystal stickles, rhinestone brad, cardstock sticker (from SS kit)
other...photo corner punch, paper piercer & mat pack, dimensionals, blender pens

let it SNOW

I wanted to post this yesterday but I have spent the last 2 days in bed with a migraine and a fever....but I am feeling much, much better today!!! It's a good thing to feel good & just in time for the weekend!!! :) Here is the last card I made using the Big on Christmas stamp set. I used the "Let it Snow" this time. I finally got around to doing these super cool icicles that I learned to do from Roxy {*thanks girl*} She has an awesome blog!! Check it out... she has lots of great tutorials!! I used textured cardstock & the patterned paper from my Winter Bright Simply Scrappin' Kit . I love this scrap kit....I can't wait to do more with it!! Have a terrific Friday...the weekend is almost here!!! yippee!!! Since the fall weather has finally hit Texas...we are going to be doing something outside to enjoy it!!!! :)
Thanks for stoppin' in! {hugs} ....Tara
what's in it?...
stamps...Big on Christmas
paper...bashful blue textured, whisper white, Winter Bright SSK patterned paper
ink...bashful blue, real red, only orange, wild wasabi, black
accessories...white ribbon, crystal effects, glittery embossing powder, blue brad
other...blender pens, black marker

Big on Christmas #2

Ok...here is card #2 that I made with this set!!! When I did finally order this set I thought, hmmm I will probably never really use the "NOEL". I just didn't think it was as cute as the others and wouldn't ya know it...this was the first card I made!! I love the NOEL!!! Isn't that funny how that works! I also ordered the Dashing DSP...LOVE IT!!!! So I took my colors from the Dashing papers...I stamped the "o" on the DSP to make my ornament stand out a little...it's cute I think. I also added some of my new olive ribbon. I think I might have to do a mix of Christmas cards this year, cuz I really want to make more of this card! I better wrap up...you should see my to-do list for today...anyone wanna trade?.... {*wink*}
:) Tara
what' in it?...
stamps...Big on Christmas
paper...real red, old olive, very vanilla, Dashing DSP
ink...old olive, basic black, silver
accessories...red brads, old olive "fat" 5/8 ribbon
other...stamp-a-ma-jig, blender pens

Big on Christmas #1

I got my Stampin' Up! order last night!!!...finally!...my UPS man didn't come until almost 8pm! {talk about makin' a girl wait!!} I am so excited to have the Big on Christmas set. When I first saw it in the catalog it wasn't anything special and then the more I looked at it the more I liked it!...so finally I got it!!! I already made a card with each of the images, today here is the first of the 3 cards I made....Happy Holidays. It's actually a pretty simple card...I just colored it in with my blender pens and then made a cute bow with my ribbon, to give it a "present" look...a cute idea I got from Laurie (click here to see her card). Thanks for stoppin' by today...have a great day!!! :)
what's in it?...
stamps...Big on Christmas
paper...so saffron, real red & wild wasabi, both textured, whisper white
ink...real red, wild wasabi, so saffron, black
accessories...wild wasabi double stitched ribbon, crystal stickles
other...blender pens, glue dots

a file card

In my blog candy that I won last week from Tiffany, I received 6 file cards. So this afternoon after I got my stamp area all cleaned up I decided to make one real quick. I used one of the Wild Wasabi ones. I used my Apple Cider paper and True Friend stamp...{by the way, today it's finally cold and feeling like fall here in Houston so I had to make a run to Starbucks to have a Carmel Apple Cider...have you had one?...they are soooooooo good!!!....so must be an Apple Cider day for me!!!!} anyway.... I didn't do anything to personalize it or put any sentiment on it yet, cuz I'm not sure what I am going to do with it! I hope that you all have a great week...FALL is finally here!!! {yippee}
what's in it?...
stamps...True Friend
paper...wild wasabi, river rock, chocolate chip, whisper white, Apple Cider DSP
ink...river rock, chocolate chip
accessories...rhinestone brad
other...dimensionals, scallop punch, 1 1/4 circle punch, circle cutter (cm), corner rounder

Christmas Stars

I found this great tutorial on Paper Pleasing Ideas...{click here for the tutorial} for these star ornaments! Aren't they cute? They were so simple and so fast!!! Even the most paper challenged could whip them up!! :) There was no stampin' with these, but if you wanted to stamp your own patterned paper you could! I made about 6 to try different widths for the points of the stars. These are the 3 I liked the best. I ended up doing my tips 1 3/4 in. {that will make more sense once you read the tutorial} I used my Cosmo Cricket Be Good paper! Give these cute things a try...they are fun, fast and cute!!
Happy Sunday...hope the rest of your weekend is good!!! :)

fresh & fun sketch

I made this card for Beate's weekend sketch challenge. I had a hard time finding my mojo this morning...this little card took way too long! ...I know because my 4 yr old said to me a few times "Are you still making THAT card!!?...It's taking forever!" I could only sympathize with him, because it really was! :) I knew the paper I wanted to use, then it took forever to decide on a stamp set...so I just went with a simple image! Anyway...I found this Basic Grey LilyKate paper the other day at Hobby Lobby! So that was my starting point, cuz it's just so pretty...I love the colors and the patterns in this paper set are so different and neat. I used my little bird friend from Stampendous. Isn't he cute?! I did lots of layers and distressed the edges a bit....added some brads and finally...I finished!
HAVE A FANTASTIC, WONDERFUL, FUN & RELAXING WEEKEND!!!
what's in it?...
stamps...hello chick (stampendous)
paper...certainly celery, whisper white, Basic Grey LilyKate
ink...certainly celery, bashful blue, so saffron, pretty in pink
accessories...fat 5/8 in celery ribbon, silver brads, crystal stickles, stampin' write marker
other...photo corner punch, dimensionsals, distresser, blender pens

I am wishin' for Christmas!!!

Happy Thursday everyone!!! I LOVE THURSDAYS!!!! Why?...well cuz the weekends almost here and it's my TV night...The Office...(because it's just tooo hilarious!!!), Ugly Betty...(don't ya just love Betty, I feel like I have a little Betty in me!!), Grey's Anatomy...(well duh...cuz it has McDreamy!!), and then I do still watch ER (cuz I've been watching too long to stop now!) I can't wait to get into my pj's and watch my shows, if only the evening would come a little quicker! What are your Thursday night favs?
ok, ok...on to the card!!!...I made another Christmas card with the Laughter & Merriment set from Hero Arts! I can't get enough of this darling little tree!! This time it's just colored in with my blender pens...(I use them alot to color...cuz it's safe...I know how to use them and it's hard to mess up!) I got to use my oval nestabilities die...(I have had them for a while and haven't remembered to use them!) I also won some blog candy last week from my good friend Tiffany, check out her blog here. She has super cute stuff!! She is the one who helped start this addiction to stamping of mine with all her cute creations!! It's so fun to have won her blog candy! Anyway, the reason I mention it is cuz the cute white May Arts ribbon on the card is from her!!
Well...have a fabulous rest of your day...thanks for lookin'!!! :) ...T
what's in it?...
stamps...Laughter & Merriment (hero arts)
paper...old olive, rose red, whisper white, blue bayou, rose red prints dps
ink...old olive, rose red, blue bayou, river rock, basic black
accessories...silver brads, May Arts ribbon, crystal stickles
other...blender pens, cuttlebug, oval die, oval cutter (cm)

laughter & merriment

No one pass out or faint!! YES you are at the right blog!! Can you believe it...this is my 2nd post this week AND I actually did a challenge on the day it came out!!!! I feel so accomplished!! I don't know if I should be proud or a little sad at my small but huge accomplishment!! :) Well I have been slightly busy, I had my stamp club meeting last night so I was busy getting ready for that...but anyway...on to the card!! I found this darling stamp set at Archiver's yesterday. It's from Hero Arts, it's called Laughter & Merriment. It is so cute...I love the tree and the cute little bird flying over to hang an ornament! I also found some yummy Cosmo Cricket paper called Be Good. I LOVE Cosmo Cricket...they always have super cute paper! I stamped the tree on 3 different patterned papers and then put them all together. I distressed alot of the paper and inked lots edges. I watercolored my bird but the water came out on it's own and was too much, so the bird isn't as clear as I wanted him to be, but I didn't want to start over...so I put stickles on the wings to cover some of that up, but I'm not sure how I feel about it yet! I stickled the star, cuz all tree stars should sparkle! I also added some crystal effects to parts of the tree and the ornament. Happy Wednesday to you all!! Thanks for stoppin by! I picked up a few cute things on my trip to Archivers so I hope to share some more this week! :)
what's in it?...
stamps...Laughter & Merriment (Hero Arts)
paper...cranberry crisp, cosmo cricket be good, very vanilla
ink...chocolate chip, cranberry crisp, wild wasabi, so saffron
accessories...cranberry stitched ribbon, photo anchors & brads, crystal stickles, crystal effects
other...distresser, blender pens, aqua painter

cowboy card

It's Sunday night...almost time for the week to start again...are you ready? I could always use one more day to sleep a little more and relax a little bit...but what are ya gonna do? I needed to make a few thank you cards this weekend for some sweet people in my life! Here is one that I did...I love the cowboy on his horse! He's just soooo cool! I used all browns and made it look distressed, dirty & dusty...very cowboyish! I got to use my Sanded Background stamp...a stamp that I love but haven't had a chance to use alot. It is such a neat look! Lots of tearing, distressing and inking and the card was finished! Thanks for stoppin' by!! I really appreciate all the nice comments you guys leave...thanks for being patient with me...since I got back from my trip I haven't posted nearly as much as I would like to but I am hoping to get there!! So...thanks...ya'll rock!!! Tara
what's in it?...
stamps...Bronc Buster, Sanded bkgrd
paper...chocolate chip, close to cocoa, creamy caramel, very vanilla
ink...chocolate chip, close to cocoa, creamy caramel
accessories...brads, taupe ribbon
other...star punch, dimensionals, distresser, sponges

witchybella

It's been a week since my last post...why?...well I was in a slump this week. It took me all week to make 7 itty bitty 3x3 cards to put in the Origami Box that is in my last post! (by the way...still not quite finished, I will share then when I am done!) That's a little sad...but oh well, at least they are almost done now! On the up side I did make this WitchyBella card tonight...my friend Penny gave me this bella stamp...isn't she so sweet! I think it's so cool! I used my doodlebug halloween paper and a few of the matching cardstock stickers. I colored in bella with blender pens and ink pads.
what's in it?...
stamps...witchybella
paper...basic black, only orange, doodlebug halloween, whisper white
ink...black, only orange, lovely lilac, green galore, blush blossom, chocolate chip
accessories...green ribbon, black brads, doodlebug cardstock stickers
other...photo corner punch, blender pens

******SOME SUPER EXCITING NEWS AT OUR HOUSE!!!!******
My son Austin who is a 5th grader this year was voted Student Body PRESIDENT at his school!! Isn't that so great!!? We are so happy for him!! He is a great kid and I think he will do an awesome job as president!!! Here is a pic of Austin...not a real recent one, but one of my favorites! :) ***Have a great weekend!

origami box

This is the EASIEST little box and so cute! Even my kids came in a commented on how cute it was!! Did I say it was EASY....cuz it soooo IS! If you check out Kristina's blog she gives the dimensions of the box and she has a video tutorial...I watched it once and now I'm a pro!! There is no taping involved in keepin' this thing together...gotta love that!! I am going to fill it with 3x3 matching cards and give it to my stamp club hostess this month!! :) I used the Fall Flowers paper and soft sky for the strip across the top of the box. I also used fat ribbon...can't remember the color, but it matches soft sky perfectly. I got it at RABOM. Gotta run...I need some sleep...something which has been extremely lacking this last week, since my hubby is out of town!! I never sleep as good when he is gone, but I love the whole bed to myself so I can sprawl out!! ...weird! :)

weekend stampin'

Ok...so here are a few super quick and easy cards I did tonight! I needed some thank yous so I decided to make them Halloween cards too, cuz they are just fun!! :) My friend Penny let me borrow her Papertrey Ink set...Spooky Sweets...thanks Penny! I love the spider...isn't he cool! I added glitter embossing powder and stickles to the spiders and the tip of the bat wings to make them a little more fun! Then I made a congrats on your new house card for my sister and her fiance! It's sorta similar to a few I have done in the past....but that's ok...still turned out cute, I think! Thanks for checkin' in!! :)

Blog Candy Winner

Ok...Hope everyone is having a great Friday and that your weekend will be relaxing and fun!! I hope mine will be relaxing!...and filled with a little stampin'!! :)
*The winner for the blog candy is...Melissa...here is her comment 'All right...everyone who has posted on here HAS to give up their recipes! I'd love to have some new pumpkin recipes. . .so give em up! :)That being said, I don't know that I have a favorite thing I bake in the fall. I love to bake anyways. . .so I guess it's more chocolate chip cookies for me. I do have my favorite candle to burn in the fall though. . .Mulled Cider from Gold Canyon Candles. Whenever I burn it, my boys tell me it smells like fall!Love the stuff on your blog!' Congrats Melissa...just contact me {fabfullmers@yahoo.com} with your snail mail and I will send your goodies out right away!! Thanks to all of you who submitted comments they were all great!!...and all the yummy fall treat ideas...I am making pumpkin bread this afternoon...I am sooo craving it now!! AND...I am with Melissa...share those recipes...if you want to, leave it in comment section of this post and I will get them all typed up to share with everyone!!
Also thanks to PattyJo for this yummy recipe that she shared....
Pumpkin Pie recipe:
combine: 1 1/2 c. cooked pumpkin
3/4 c. sugar
1/2tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 beaten eggs1 1/4 c. milk
3/4 c. evaporated milk
Put first 6 ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly, blend in eggs and milk.Put into a crust lined pie tin and bake 450 for 10 min. Then 325 for 45 min.This is the BEST pumpkin pie recipe and we grow our own pumpkins for this.
...and thanks to Rebecca who shared this one...
Nutty Apple Streusel Dessert
6 c. sliced, peeled tart apples
1 1/4 tsps ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 c. milk
2 Tbs butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. biscuit/baking mix
TOPPING:1 c. biscuit/baking mix1/3 c. packed brown sugar3 Tbs cold butter1/2 c. sliced almonds (I think I had walnuts, so used those)Ice cream or whipped cream, optional
HOW TO: In a large bowl, toss apples with cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Place in a greased 3-qt slow cooker. In a mixing bowl, combine the milk, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and baking mix. Spoon over apples.
For topping, combine biscuit mix and brown sugar in a bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Add almonds; sprinkle over apples. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until the apples are tender. (I think mine was done in 3-4 hours, so it may depend on your slow cooker). Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings.
I hope to do some stampin' tonight...{big Friday night since hubby is out of town!!} ;) So check back tomorrow for something new!!
...Tara

pms-a-bella

I love this girl....she is the PMSabella. My friend Penny let me borrow a few of her Bellas to make some cards...and I knew I had to use this one...cuz it's just a great friend card! I found the darling paper at Archivers yesterday and I love it! It is glittery & embossed & colorful all rolled into one...what's not to love? I decided to distress and add sparkle...cuz if that doesn't speak PMS language than what does?...a little frayed and worn around the edges but wanting to feel sparkly and girlie...all the while sippin' your diet coke & eatin' chocolate!! You know what I am talkin' about girls!! ;) Anyway...I colored in my image with my blender pens, and I added some crystal effects to a few things in the image. I put crystal stickles on the silver brads and added a cute black polka dot ribbon to finish it off. Oh, I also embossed the white textured cardstock with glittery embossing powder to make it sparkle...as if it wasn't already!!
Ok...check below for the PUMPKIN BREAD recipe I promised...I will be slipping a copy of that in with the blog candy too. Also don't forget to scroll down a little and enter your name for blog candy...you have until Friday at noon!!
what's in it?...
stamps...pmsabella
paper...white textured cardstock, certainly celery, blue bayou, Cloud 9 design "Sparkle Razzberry"
ink...black, certainly celery, rose red, barely banana, choco. chip, close to cocoa, blue bayou, pretty in pink
accessories...silver brads, black polka dot ribbon, crystal effects, crystal stickles, glittery ep
other...dimensionals, distresser, blender pens, heat tool
*********************************************-
Pumpkin Bread
1/3 c. shortening
1 1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 c. pumpkin
1 ¾ c. flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1/3 c. hot water
1/3 c. chopped dates
1/3 raisins & nuts (optional)
½-1 c. chocolate chips
In a small bowl, pour hot water over dates & raisins, set aside. Cream shortening & sugar together (I use my Kitchen Aid). Add beaten eggs & pumpkin, mix well. Sift together all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add sifted, dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in water & date/raisin mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips and mix well to combine everything. Pour into a greased and lightly floured loaf pan. Bake @ 350 for 1 hour.
ENJOY!!!

another little birdie

Is this THE cutest little thing you have ever seen...I wasn't even going to buy stamps today but when I saw this I couldn't leave it in the store!! He just makes me happy!!! I used some basic grey paper...I love this paper...such great colors! It seemed to go well with the little chick! I colored him using my blender pens and ink pads. I inked the edges of the blue with bashful blue and I did a little paper piercing on the sides. There isn't to much goin' on in this card you can't see from the picture...it was easy and super quick! I stamped it while I was waiting for my daughter to finish her math homework!! :)
**I have had fun reading your comments for the blog candy....ya'll are makin' me hungry! I have now penciled in baking on my already 'way to long' list of things to do this week!! I haven't forgotten about posting my recipe...it's coming! You will be happy to know I made it to Archivers and I found a very cute something to add to the blog candy!! (make sure you scroll down and leave a comment for a chance to win!) I will share later...a little suspense is good...right?!! :) Have a great night!
{hugs} Tara
what's in it?...
stamps...Hello Chick by Stampendous
paper...bashful blue, chocolate chip, whisper white, Basic Grey Phoebe
ink...bashful blue, certainly celery, chocolate chip, pixie pink, so saffron
accessories...blue brads, crystal stickles, celery polka dot ribbon
other...3/4 in. circle punch, paper piercer, blender pens

a little birdie...

I wanted to post something besides the blog candy and I was able to take 20 whole minutes to be crafty today!!! WOW...who says I don't get some time to myself to do the things I enjoy!! {add sarcasm here} ;) I found the cute little birdie stamp while I was in Seattle...it came all by itself so I don't know who it's from cuz the packaging is long gone! Since I was crunched for time I used a color combo I have used before. I took the colors from this cute Cosmo Cricket patterned paper. I did the ribbon using a cute little trick I got from Laurie on her blog...check it out here. Well I gotta run my 25 minutes of free time is gone and it's back to the "running around like a chicken with my head cut off" thing. Thanks for stoppin' by...don't forget to enter below in the drawing for blog candy!
what in it?...
stamps...a little birdie
paper...real red, river rock, soft sky, cosmo cricket
ink...basic black, soft sky, real red, river rock
accessories...red brads, red ribbon, light blue stiched ribbon
other...distresser, blender pens, hole punch

***A few of you were asking me what the difference was between my 2 file folders I made...so here is the diff. The first one I made (see here) using Kristina's directions...see here. It is just using half of the file folder so it's a smaller version. The second one I made for the baby girl (see here) is the one that Taylor made and posted directions for...see here. (scroll down about halfway or so to find it!) She uses the whole folder...there isn't a huge difference..just in size. Both are so easy and so cute!! If you haven't tried one you should...they are fun!! :)

BLOG CANDY....finally!!

Ok...so I am a few days late...but what else is new?!! I can't even explain how busy it has been at my house!! I have been on the run non-stop since I got back in town and it's not quite letting up yet!! {note to self...don't leave town 2 weeks after school starts...too much going on!!} This is a random little pile of things for blog candy, but still counts as good candy I think!! I also wanted to hit Archivers before I posted this to add something or 2 somethings...but I haven't found the time to go yet but I should be able to make it there later this week...so whoever wins this candy will get a little extra surprise with their candy!! I have no idea what question to ask?....my mind is too full of 'stuff' to even think...hmm...give me just a minute!...Oh I know...how 'bout this...Do you have a favorite baked good you like in the fall? There is something about fall that makes me what to bake even more and one favorite I have that I save for this time of year is my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread! Oh, just typing about it makes me what some right now!! (...of course it could also be that "fall" smell on my hands, I just came from Bath & Body Works!) I will share my recipe for my, oh so good, (if I do say so myself) Pumpkin Bread later this week! *How to get this candy?...Leave a comment on this post (just one please) and you are entered to win! I will draw a name on Friday at noon, so you have until then!! Good Luck! Have a fabulous Monday!!!

***THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you who visit my blog...you are absolutely wonderful!!!***