And the Blog Candy Goes To:

Thanks so much everybody for stopping by and entering for these great new Verve Visual stamp sets. Without further ado, your winner is:

True Random Number ServiceRandom Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:3

Timestamp: 2007-12-31 13:05:02 UTC

Wow, it pays to be early for once. The third comment was Michelle's:

How exciting! I hopy you had a wonderful Christmas! Happy
Boxing Day! I think it's actually bigger in Canada than the US
though!
Michelleblog.michellescrapbooking.com

I'll try to get in touch with you Michelle, so I can get your package out right away.

My blogging will probably be sporadic at best for a little while. My husband, Josh, and I and ten other friends are leaving today for Buffalo, NY where we'll be attending the NHL Winter Classic, an outdoor hockey game between the Penguins and Sabres. WooHoo! GO PENS! Don't worry, I have lots of thermal clothing packed. Brrr, it's going to be cold.

We'll get back tomorrow, in time to get ready to leave for two separate week long vacations during January. Cancun with friends, then Fort Myers, Florida with Josh's family. YAY!!! I'll try to pop in whenever I can. {HUGS} to you all.

Crazy in Love

I did it again. I stepped out of my box a bit. Just tiptoeing around, nothing big. I've been enjoying Daniela's blog, For the First Time, for a while, and finally decided to try my hand at what seems to be her style. It's not a copy of any particular card. I had in mind pattern papers, yes, plural, papers. And black ink. Not too many layers. And no real stamped focal image. The flower is pretty much the focus. Hmmm, maybe as such, I shouldn't have put it so far off to the side? A learning process for sure. So thanks for your inspiration Daniela!

And since I'm giving away a couple of Verve Visual stamp sets (see post below), I thought I'd use a Flirty Phrases saying on this card, get your creative juices flowing.

Gotta run, again. Off to my mom's for the day.

What's In It?
Stamps: Flirty Phrases (Verve Visual); Swirls (Rhonna Farrer)
Paper: White (Papertrey Ink); Perhaps (Basic Grey)
Ink: Onyx black (Versafine); Versamark
Accessories: corner rounder, 1/2 inch circle punch, Making Memories crystal brads, chipboard, Prima flower, detail white embossing powder, Black Gelly Roll pen, Star Dust Stickles

Blog Candy!

I know everyone is so busy this time of year, myself included! But if you've got a moment, just leave a comment, any old comment you'd like, to be included in this blog candy drawing. Verve Visual released some great little sentiment sets earlier in the month, and I've got two of them just for you.

Flirty Phrases and Uplifting Phrases

I love the fonts used in these sets, and they're sized perfectly to fit onto just about any card design.

You have until Sunday night, December 30th to leave your comment. I'll pull a name sometime after midnight (Eastern time). Be sure you leave a way for me to contact you. Stop by to visit the other Verve designers as well. I think most of them have give aways too. Here's a list of blogs.

Bohemian Butterfly

Is this not one of the coolest, simplest, most stylish layouts you've ever seen? I couldn't wait to find a little time to play with it. The sketch actually came courtesy of this month's Dirty Dozen, for those who are Fan Club members at Splitcoast. And I thought it would work perfectly with this Papertrey butterfly, which has a certain Bohemian feel to me. So, it took a little experimenting to get the colors just right, but I LOVE my shiny butterfly! Pearl Ex will change colors based on what paper you apply it to.

I stamped the solid background with my Essential glue pad and applied Aztec Gold Pearl Ex with a stipple brush. Then you can layer on the swirl stamp with the same glue pad. No drying time required! Love that! I can't stand to wait for things while I'm stamping. Then just stipple on the Blue Russet Pearl Ex.

The ribbon is actually one piece of Rustic Retreat layered over two pieces of gold May Arts.

I tried for a closeup, so maybe you can see the shimmer?

What's In It?

Stamps: Butterfly Kisses (Papertrey Ink); Heartfelt Phrases (Verve Visual)

Paper: Blush blossom, very vanilla, ruby red (Stampin' Up!); Gretel: Butterflies (Cosmo Cricket)

Ink: Versamark; Essential Glue pad

Accessories: Aztec Gold and Blue Russet Pearl Ex; Detail white embossing powder, paper piercer, stipple brush, word window punch, retired Rustic Retreat ribbon (SU!); gold ribbon (May Arts); dimensionals

A Friday Funny

Are you a Martha or a Maxine?

Martha

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a cone to prevent ice cream drips.

Maxine

Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake! You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it, anyway!

MARTHA.......

To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

MAXINE.....

Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix, you can keep it in the pantry for up to a year.

MARTHA......

When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

MAXINE......

Go to the bakery! They'll even decorate it for you.

MARTHA........

If you accidentally oversalt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant 'fix-up.'

MAXINE.....

If you oversalt a dish while you are cooking, that's too bad. Please recite with me the real woman's motto:"I made it and you will eat it and don't complain about it"

MARTHA...

Wrap fresh celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

MAXINE....

Fresh Celery? Never heard of it!

MARTHA......

Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

MAXINE......

The Mrs. Smith frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust so I don't.

MARTHA...

Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

MAXINE.......

Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink!

MARTHA........

If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

MAXINE.......

Go ask the hot, young neighbor if he can open it for you.

MARTHA..............

Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

MAXINE.............

Leftover wine???????????

HELLOOOO... !!!!!!!

two little lovebirds

This card uses today's sketch challenge as the layout. Well, it's so late, it's now actually yesterday's sketch challenge. The birds and heart are from the Cute Curls stamp set by Kim Hughes at Cornish Heritage Farms. Aren't they darling? And how cute is this new sentiment from Verve Visual? Just perfect with all the popular bird images right now.

I stamped on Pearlized white paper and colored with a water brush and inks. The sentiment is stamped on a word window punch and layered on a large oval punch with added dots. The taffeta ribbon is layered on a strip of card stock.

What's In It?
Stamps: Cute Curls (Cornish Heritage Farms); Canvas (Stampin' Up!); Flirty Phrases (Verve Visual)
Paper: Pearlized white (Paper Accents); CoCo Collection (Webster's Pages); Chocolate Chip, Bordering Blue, Very Vanilla (SU!)
Ink: Onyx black (Versafine); Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Brocade blue, pretty in pink, ballet blue, regal rose, creamy caramel (SU!)
Accessories: chocolate taffeta ribbon (SU!); large oval, small and large circle, word window and photo corner punches (SU!); white Glaze pen (Sakura); Gemstones (Hero Arts); dimensionals; water brush

I can do Shabby too!

If I cheat.

I don't always play along, but I always check out the Featured Stamper challenge every Sunday at Splitcoast. I was so happy to find a little time to play today, because this week's stamper is Lisa Zappa! I chose this card to CASE.

I was pretty happy with my end result, but let me tell you, I am going to have to do something about my photography. Lately, I make a card. I'm happy with it. I do the whole photo, edit, etc. process. I load it to my blog and think "Ugh. Bleck." So, I'm considering a photo studio box. If you have one, let me know what you think about it.

Sorry, back to my card. I changed the stamps and papers. None of the papers in my stash were quite soft enough, so I brayered these with White craft ink. Works for me. The center of the flower is stamped in Not Quite Navy, then covered with clear Micro Beads.

What's In It?
Stamps: Beautiful Blooms, Text Boxed, Paper Tray (Papertrey Ink); Swirls (Rhonna Farrer)
Paper: Soft Sky, Whisper White, Bravo Burgundy (Stampin' Up!); Cherished Flowers (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Choc Chip, Soft Sky, Always Artichoke, craft white (SU!)
Accessories: Essential Glue Pad, Brayer, Art Accentz clear micro beads, Mesh embossing folder and Cuttlebug, corner rounder, cropodile, Sakura white glaze pen

Also, I was recently tagged by Adelina. So I'll try to come up with seven random things about myself sometime soon. I'm just not a very exciting person though.