Twinkling Tuesday Pink Champagne Celebration

Miss Madelynn really outdid herself this week. My nickname for this layout is LOL. No, not laughing out loud but lots of layers! I have been trying to go beyond my usual pink and brown flowery designs and to try new things. At the same time I am determined to use old stamps or get rid of them so I am getting out some golden oldies to see if they are worth keeping. This paper is old too, I bought this DCWV pad two years ago and haven't even use it once. It is a lot brighter than anything I usually pick, not sure what I was thinking! Since I am determined to use up some old stuff, I gave it a shot. Only thing I don't like is that the CS doesn't match the papers well. IMHO, everything in a paper pack should match perfectly or it isn't done correctly. Anyway, I kept layering, not knowing what stamp I was going to use once I got to the top layer. The layer that would look the best was tall and skinny (partly because I goofed made my card narrower than usual and partly to suit the sketch) and reminded me of these tall champagne glasses. The white layer is edged in pink marker. Celebrate seemed an appropriate sentiment.

Hope you like it Miss Madelynn! Want to try out the sketch? Go for it, then use the keyword MTTSC4 to upload on SCS or PCP. Be sure to see what the rest of the Twinkle Team came up with, links to their blogs are all on the sidebar!<---

Enjoy, Rebecca

 

RECIPE
Paper: DCWV, white CS - SU!
Ink: Adirondack black
Stamps: SU!
Accessories: flower- Scrapbook Sally, word window punch - SU!, foam dots, Copic markers, SU! pink marker (passion or pixie, can never get those two straight! The lighter one!) for edging and sentiment.

Parisienne Armoire

I am going back to old stamps to try and get some use out of them rather than continuing to add to my already huge collection. Not that I am going to stop buying completely!!! But I am going to be buying more accessories, paper and tools rather than stamps! I always loved this stamp set, now it is getting some more use. This us the first time I have used my notebook punch too. 
The angel wings are stamped on shimmery white CS in perfect plum for a softer look. You can barely see the shimmer in the close up. I put Parisian summer paper inside the armoire both on the back of the doors and in the back so it looks like it is lined with fabric. It also hides the Copic marker that soaked through. The doorknobs are em-Bella-shments.

The layers are cut with Nestabilities curved rectangles and edged in chocolate water-based marker.

I kind of goofed (what else is new) and forgot to leave enough room for the sentiment. I tried stamping it on vellum and overlaying it at the bottom of the card but the patterned paper overpowered the thin lines of the sentiment so I had to go another way. The sentiment was originally all one, I cut off the first line, split it in two and stamped them on the front then stamped the other two lines inside. I added the three dots with a marker. The inside says '... and they usually leave their wings at home.' I have had a friend who really is an angel who is always there for me, this reminds me if her. You know who you are - THANKS!

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Paper: mellow moss, shimmery white and vanilla CS, Parisian DSP
Stamps: SU!
Ink: perfect plum, chocolate chip
Accessories: pearl dots - em-Bella-shments, notebook punch, Nestabilities, Copic markers, chocolate chip marker
All products SU! unless otherwise noted.

In My Heart

Lately, I have been reminded of a beautiful poem my mom wrote years ago. As an RN, I was taking care of a 6 week old baby who had come home with her parents to die. She was born premature and though doing well, suddenly contracted a serious infection that destroyed her brain. While it was a sad time for the parents, it also gave them time to say goodbye without medical personnel hanging around. They gave her a bath for the first time, cuddled her in bed and treated her like any other baby first home from the hospital; I tried to stay out of the way as much as possible but when it got too much and they were exhausted, I took over. She was a plucky little thing; she was rushed home in an ambulance because they thought she might not make it all the way home, a one hour trip. She managed to make it for 6 days. Though sad, the poem is so lovely, I decided to share it with you. Feel free to pass it on; it might be nice to include it inside a card in case something this terrible happens to someone you know. Just include her name and my blog link please.

In my heart

It was a cold and dark day
that you passed away
Though now laid to your rest
you are close at my breast
And e’en deeper still
in my heart

While still so precious and new
to learn your days would be few
Unbelievable sorrow
and then on the morrow
Days with you to cherish, and so much love
in my heart

Much too short your time here
in my arms, but so dear
Oh, my heart how it ached
‘til I thought it would break
All at once joy and sadness
in my heart

Yes, always a place
for your sweet baby face
Though time dries my tears
memories soften o’er the years
You’ll ne’er fade away, but always will stay
in my heart

by Lillian Menzies
in memory of Alannah
Feb 10, 1999

Neapolitan Sundae Challenge Card

After 10 o'clock on New Year's Eve, I found out that there was a challenge per hour on Splitcoast Stampers all afternoon and evening! Click here for the link, you can play anytime. I sure wish I had known sooner, although I had the kids here, I might have gotten a bit more done. Anyway, I checked out the fun and managed to make one card that fulfilled one challenge and pretty closely fulfilled two more. I think it was close enough anyway! ETA: make that a total of 4, a new record! I started with SCS New Year's Eve 04, The 7 P's. The card had to include: paper piecing, piercing, patterned paper, pink, pop-dots, punches and last but not least, polka dots! Cards had to have at least 4 of the 7 but it wasn't hard at all to get in all 7 considering most cards I make fulfill the requirement for three: pink, patterned paper and pop-dots.

I snuck another P into the picture by using Peanut Butter Cups! I will help you all out by pointing out the P's. Paper piecing - the ice cream scoops, pink and piercing are obvious, the layer just above the card base is hard to see but it is polka dotted as is the chocolate scoop both also qualifying for patterned paper, the pop dots are under the white layer, the paper corners are punched.

This also qualifies for SCSNYE01 - Friends and Food. Although this card doesn't specifically say friends etc., I do go for ice cream, at the Marble Slab Creamery, the one that mixes stuff into the ice cream,  almost exclusively with my BFF, who is also named Rebecca (Yep, for real!!). So in my world this counts as a friend card. The other challenge I entered it in was SCSNYE02 - Remembering the Past. The requirement was to use a SU! stamp set retired before Aug 08 and keep it mailable with less than 3 layers and not too lumpy or bumpy. OK, it has more than three layers and foam dots but here in Canada as long as a card isn't too heavy or thick, it can be mailed for basic letter rate. I have mailed a TON of swap cards and I'm pretty sure it is under the weight and thickness requirements and therefore mailable.

It is hard to see but the whole image is covered with dimensional glaze to make it look melty and shiny! You can see it a wee bit on the top left edge of the top scoop. ETA: I just looked through the list and there was another challenge this qualifies for. SCSNYE 05 - Ringing in the New Year. Use something new on your card. While I have had this stamp set for ages, I had only ever used the cake so this was new to me! Cool, I have never managed 4 before, WOO HOO!

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Paper: close to cocoa, chocolate chip, vanilla and pink pirouette CS; pink pirouette, close to cocoa DSP
Stamps: sundae - SU!, sentiment - ?Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers
Ink: Stazon brown, chocolate chip-SU!
Accessories: ribbon - unknown, dimensional glaze and paper piercer - SU!, corner rounder punch - EK Success, foam dots, Copic markers

So Sketchy French Postale

Can you believe it is 2009 already? Insane.  {{CUE MUSIC}}  525,600 minutes. How do you measure year in the life? (From 'Seasons of Love', play/movie Rent) I measure it with the ages of my children as do many other moms.  My baby will be 2 this year but not til May and I am in no hurry. The other one will be 8 in a month and a few days. EEEK! When did that happen? He is already asking {AHEM} grown up questions IYKWIM! Anyhoo...

This is the third and final card made with a So Sketchy Sketch at least for now. The DT requirements were 3 cards from their sketches and three others from your archives. I had fun making this card. It is an unusual style for me but instead of being hard it actually flowed! ****AMAZING****  Could it possibly be that I am growing as an artist? Way Cool!!
I cut the damask floral paper first intending to use the other side. Then I realized I had cut it out so the flowers on it were sideways. What a ding-dong! {{{GRRRR}}} I hadn't even seriously considered the other side because I forgot it was double-sided and since I DETEST wasting paper and in fact liked it better, I flipped it. I didn't mind that these were sideways. At first I glued it on with the floral emblems at the bottom. Didn't like it that way considering the sketch I was using so I flipped it over. Did you notice the part where I said I had already glued it?? Honestly, if my head wasn't attached... so yes, that does mean that my card currently opens on the left. Maybe I'll give it to my BFF whose husband is Chinese (yes, it is girlie but he is an artist so he understands this stuff). Maybe he will appreciate it! Thank goodness I take photos of my cards closed!!

The paper is actually part of a postcard collection so that got me thinking about using the postmark stamps. I stamped the large stamp a second time on a scrap and cut out and foam dotted the circular portion. The little flowers were on my desk from another idea I was working on but decided against and they gently called my name just before I stuck down the circle. Normally I think of these things later and have to tear things up and re-stick them!

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Paper: Bazzill CS lagoon, Making Memories PP, vanilla CS - SU!
Stamps: large postmark - ?Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers, small postmark - ?SU!, Carte Postale
Ink: night of navy (distressing) and riding hod red - SU!, Adirondack black
Accessories: beige loopy ribbon and pearl - SU!, ivory ribbon - Masterstroke, flowers - Prima, foam dots, glue dots, Quickutz tag die