July Papertrey Bloghop

Today is the 25th so it is time for another Papertrey Bloghop

This was the inspiration photo for the challenge.

This is what I came up with

I didn't think I was going to get a chance to participate in this one since I am busy with Etsy orders but I loved these colors so much I just had to make something. I also used Nicole's make and take project that she shared on Stamp-a-faire day as inspiration too. I started by stamping the background with the new Sweet Life stamp set using the colors in the photo. Unfortunately my Melon Berry is the first generation ink and has become a very dark pink so I used SU Cameo Coral instead. At first I had a really hard time stamping the images but Nicole graciously shared a diagram in the forum after I asked for help showing how to line them up and that helped a lot. After stamping the roses I filled in with leaves from the set then I finished the background off with Summer Sunrise ink and polka dots. The sentiment is from Year of Flowers Morning Glories. I was also having a hard time stamping on the velum without it smearing so I embossed it instead. I matted the card on a piece of Simply Chartruse Cardstock that I embossed with the Linen impression plate then I machined stitched around the background piece with matching thread I just happened to have. Finally I finished the card off with a tiny butterfly. I really love how this came out. I hope to make more of these in the future as a card set with a matching box. I didn't get a chance to make anything on Stamp a faire day but enjoyed seeing what everyone came up with and  am looking forward to trying more of the projects soon. I am still watching the videos. :). This card is also a thank you to Nicole and the design team for hosting such a great event. I am hoping year I will have more time to participate the day of and maybe even have someone to stamp with.  That's all for now. Hope the rest of your week is a great one and as always thank for stopping by.

Happy Birthday Richie

Today is Rich's birthday. We were not able to go anywhere to celebrate because he is working but I wanted to share some other things we did to help make the day special. This is the card I made him.

The Kestrel is his new favorite bird. I didn't have any Kestrel stamps but found this image doing an internet search then incorporated it into the card. A few years after we moved into our house Rich planted a Blackberry Bush. This year it has finally been productive and has tons of blackberries on it. He goes out every day and picks the berries. As you can see there are not many left right now.

Because he loves them so much I suggested to Emilia that we make him a blackberry cobbler. This is the recipe we used. We made it a little healthier though by using fat free milk and whole wheat flour. These were the blackberries before they went into the cobbler

This is what it looked like after it was baked

This what it looked like after we cut into it. He said he really like it.

He also had sushi for dinner. Overall I think he had a pretty good birthday. That's all for now. I will be back tomorrow with my bloghop project.

Papertrey Ink Stamp - a - faire

After waking up to the horrible news about what happened at a movie theater not far from my home early this morning I really needed something to lift my spirits. After watching the welcome video for Stamp-a fair on Nicole's blog this evening I was inspired to join in. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

A Royal Celebration

Happy Tuesday! I hope your weekend was a good one. The monsoons found their way here. We had major downpours since Saturday and yesterday it was only in the 70's. It was great to get the moisture but not good to get it all at once. The humidity was very high too which is something we are not use to here. I know it is a lot worse in the east though. Rich and I went on our Honeymoon to Hilton Head South Carolina and when I got out of the car the humidity there almost killed me. The rain ended yesterday though and will be back in the 90's by tomorrow. I hope the grass will stay green for a while longer though. Today I want to share with you a few items I have been working on with a princess party theme. This is the invitation

I started with the new castle shaped card SVG file from Claire at Waltzing Mouse Stamps. The princess was made with a paper piecing file from KaDoodle Bug Designs. I created the door using SCAL 3 them embossed it with the woodgrain impression plate and distressed it. The banner was made using Heart To Heart stamp set and dies #5 The your invited banner is from The Door To Door set. This is the inside.

I also created this favor box to go with the invitations.

I started with the Sweet Treat Box SVG file from My Time Made Easy then added digital patterned paper from this pack. The great thing about this template is it comes with an insert to hold cake pops or lollipops. Emilia and I decided to give cake pops a try. Our first attempt was not very successful. They ended up to big and heavy to fit so we tried again and I made them smaller this time they were a success.

I also made a personalized thank you tag to go on top using Silhouette Designer Studio for the wording, then added a crown and some tiny rhinestones. These would make great party favors for the guests to take home. There is also another insert option which is an open box and will hold other favors. It really is a great template. I also plan on making a banner to go with this set but first I have to work on making some samples for a potential buyer for an under the sea party first. I will share the banner when I am able to get it done though. That's all for now. I hope the rest of your week is a great one!