Birthday Card

I made this simple birthday card last week during Stampin' Addicts birthday bash....it was fun to stamp some challenges. It is a gatefold card with the Sale-A-Bration paper used as the background and paper pieced balloon...I slid it to the right and used the Matchbox Die medallions (at a 90 degree angle to each other ) to create a layer for the wide oval punched sentiment.  Ribbon, Library Clip, done!

Fun with Stampin' Up!'s Simply Adorned 5/8 inch Charms...

I made this charm insert using the Vintage Vogue set. Happily, the set has some tiny flowers in it.  I used the smallest butterfly from the Beautiful Wings Big Shot Embosslit, but then I cut off the outer edge to make the butterfly even smaller. I think I might try glitter on the butterfly for a little added bling.

The back side matches and has one of the other flowers from the same stamp.

I'm not sure I should admit it, but my favorite thing to put in the charms is a picture of my girls.  (And they are so proud too....)

The red is nice and bright, but when I want it to go with any outfit.....

I like the picture in black and white which matches the silver tone of the charm and necklace.

Recipe Monday #21 and A Fun Fold February Gift Card Holder

Today's Recipe would make such a fun winter snack supper or makes a nice party snack.

Warm Up Cheese Fondue


1 can Cheddar Cheese Soup
1 small tub of French Onion Dip
3 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
½ tsp Powdered Mustard
Sprinkle of Cayenne Pepper (or Louisiana Hot Sauce)
Dash Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a pan on the stove. Heat until smooth and melted. It is best to refrigerate over night to allow the flavors to meld, and then reheat in a tiny Crockpot to serve.
Serve with Apples, Veggies, Sourdough bread squares, popcorn and ham chunks.

Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper and Hello Again Gift Card Holders

My colors for this little gift card holder came from the swirly paper that includes these colors. You may need to click on the picture to see the teal circles on it though. The small scale of the Hello Again set is perfect for these half size gift card holders. They are literally a typical 4-1/4"X5-1/2" size card cut in half. Nothing easier than that!

The gift card is merely tucked into a cut made with Stampin' Up!'s slit punch. Perfect for a quick gift and a different shape from typical handmade gift card holders.

Stampin' Addicts Birthday Bash -Butterfly Birthday

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Birthday Blog Hop weekend!  Our Blog Hop features cards and ideas celebrating birthdays of all kinds for Stampin' Addicts' First Birthday. StampinAddicts.com is a free website dedicated to supporting Stampin' Up! stampers and demonstrators. Our motto is "Positively Creative! Positively Stampin' Up!" If you have not been to Stampin' Addicts, please visit as soon as you finish the Birthday Blog Hop!  There is also a Stamp Jam Challenge with a birthday theme this weekend as well as birthday-themed daily challenges next week!

You may have arrived from Sara's blog with her sweet welcome baby girl MDS projects, but if not, the log hop is circular, so you will get there eventually.

Stampin' Up! has so many gorgeous butterflies that I wanted to focus on them for my Birthday Party Creations. First, I imagined an elegant Birthday Card, so vellum and the lovely Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Embossing Folder came to mind along with the Beautiful Wings Embosslit butterflies.  I sponged the back of the vellum to give the Roses their pink hue and cut out the butterflies twice, once in Vellum cardstock and once in Barely Banana cardstock. The vellum layer is on Very Vanilla cardstock...so simple. My apologies for the shadows in the picture....When I took the picture indoors, the butterflies photographed grey.

This Prairie Field Butterfly card used Stampin' Addicts Sketch Challenge #40 for the layout on the front of the card.  I used Stampin' Up!'s Inspired by Nature set and the new Beautiful Wings Embosslit for the Big Shot with the On Your Birthday set for the sentiment.  Happily, you can still order the Frost White Shimmer Paint from the Holiday Mini (#116854) to create a mist and give your butterflies a sparkly shine. 

TIP:  The tiny butterflies are a sweet size that is perfect to use in place of brads for a fun change. (Shown on the upper left hand corner of the main image.)

The inside of this card is a fun surprise that I first saw on the Stampin' Up! site for demonstrators.  Elizabeth Reeve created the card I saw but credited a sample from London Regionals for the idea. Though I used the grasses from the Inspired by Nature set instead, shimmer-misted the butterflies and made them double-sided (sandwiched around the transparency/window sheet) and different colors, the card is similar enough to hers that I'd call the inside a copy. :)

While I am obviously a champion CASE'r, the Birthday card below is my own and is my entry for the So Shelli Spring Challenge.  I used the Big Shot Scallop Circle Die to create the card, and added a butterfly cut from the Lovely Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Pack with the sentiment from the Flight of the Butterfly set. I added a bow in the lush Old Olive Satin ribbon from the Occasions Mini catalog and a flower from the Pretties Kit for a sweet match to the Coaster Bag behind it.

I can't claim the matching Coaster Birthday Bag's creation...The dimensions were created by my friend Holly Krautkremer for the Stampin' Addicts 3-D challenge here:  http://www.stampinaddicts.com/forums/3d-challenges/4608-3d044-coaster-bag-2-15-10-a.html  I think the lovely butterfly patterned paper needed very little ornamentation, so I added only the Just For You (teeny tiny wishes set) tag attached with one of Stampin' Up!'s mini library clips. 

Continue your Birthday Blog Hop by visiting Krystal's blog to see her fun teen boy creations.

Happy Stamping, and don't forget to visit and join Stampin' Addicts!

Stampin' Addicts Birthday Blog Hop begins tomorrow!

Join us Saturday, February 20th at noon for the Stampin' Addicts First Birthday Celebrations!  First up is our Blog Hop which will feature Birthday Celebration cards and ideas.  We'll also have a Stamp Jam Challenge with a birthday theme as well as birthday-themed daily challenges next week!

This week's Technique Challenge on Stampin' Addicts was the Faux Shaving Cream Technique...Click here for a link to the Technique and Instructions Tech42 ....Here's my card using the technique and a peek at my Birthday Butterfly focus for tomorrow's hop. The other members of the hop will focus on other Birthday ideas for a lot of variety and fun!

Fun Fold February Extreme Elements Vertical Pocket Card

A verticle pocket is quick and easy to create.  You just cut your cardstock to 4-1/4" by 11", and score at 5-1/2" and the top at around 1-1/4".  Create an inner piece and decorate at will.

I used the Stampin' Up! Extreme Elements Stamp Set with the Extreme Skateboarder (my Free Sale-A-Bration choice) and the Happy Birthday sentiment from the On Your Birthday set for a quick and cool boy card.  I just tore the top and folded edges for added texture and used the Rock N Roll technique on the large main image. I inked it first in Bashful Blue and then Rolled the edges in Brocade Blue.

Recipe Monday #20 and Fun Fold Side Stair Step card

Since tomorrow is Mardi Gras, I thought a New Orleans recipe might be fun.  I got this recipe from a friend, and it is attributed to Brennan's Palace Cafe--though some alterations have been made.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding
Sauce

1/2 c heavy whipping cream
10 oz white chocolate chips

Custard
10 oz white chocolate chips (2 pkgs)
3 c heavy cream
1 c milk
1/2 c sugar
2 whole eggs
8 egg yolks
1 loaf  French bread, sliced ¼ inch thick
Custard

Heat cream in a large pot. Do not boil. Add white chocolate and remove from heat when melted.

In a double boiler over barely simmering water, beat the milk, sugar, eggs, and egg yolks together, and heat until warm.

Blend the egg mixture into the chocolate/cream mixture.
Place bread slices into a 13X9 casserole dish. Pour half of the pudding over the bread and allow it to soak in for 30 minutes. Next, pour the remaining half of the pudding over the bread.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 300 F for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes or until light golden brown.  It usually raises up high during the final baking.
Sauce

In a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring until smooth.

Remove from heat and mix in the heavy cream. Keep warm. Can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for reheating. (In a double boiler)

--------------------

Today's Fun Fold is this Side Stair Step Fold....A year or so ago, we all made Stair Step cards, and someone (I'm sorry I really have no idea who was first.) came up with the idea to only fold half of the card into a Stair Step.  What a fun variation!  I added the Friends mini card on the back fold, so I'd have a spot on which to sign the card.

Fun Folds February Easel

I thought I'd give a little more information about this Easel card.  It was so easy to create a scene with the Welcome Neighbor Designer Series Paper and the Good Neighbors Stamp set.  I managed to get a third Sale-A-Bration choice onto the card with the Happiness Always from the Whimsical Words set.  What's making the Easel stand? The cut off portion of  A bit of ribbon and a rhinestone brad plus a Top Note Die piece that had been cut off for my Christmas Stamp A Stack finished the card.

Shabby Flower Technique Tutorial and Another February Fun Fold

Today's Technique Challenge on Stampin Addicts is to make and use a Shabby Flower...

You've seen them on Stampin' Up! leadership boards and all over the internet. Today's challenge is simple....make some sort of Shabby Flower.

You can use all round punches or throw in the new Extra Large Fancy Flower punch....Distress the edges, then layer them up... add a center and you're all finished!
There isn't a lot of stamping on this card...just Happy Birthday from the Stampin' Up! On your Birthday stamp set. Directions for my round shabby flower shown on the card below:

1. Punch the Rose Red Cardstock with the 1-3/4 inch and 1-1/4 inch circle punches.
2. Punch Pretty in Pink Cardstock with the 1-3/8 inch and 1 inch circle punches.
3. Bend up the edge at about 1/4 inch all around each circle and rough up the edge a little using your craft and rubber scissors.
4. Adhere them in decreasing size order and add leaves and a center.

Today's Fun Fold is a Triangle Slide a 'la Dawn Griffith. Here's a link to her tutorial: http://dawnsstampingthoughts.typepad.com/dawns_stamping_thoughts/2007/05/new_tutorial_fo.html

It also used the Faux Marble/Shaving cream technique, but of course this fold is gorgeous with almost any design.

Fun Folds February and Recipe Monday #19

Today's Fun Fold is an easy card with a small twist of fun. The card I saw was by Leslie Parks and used the retired Heartfelt Thanks Stampin' Up! set. Leslie credits Jan McClurg on the back of the card.

This is the masculine or gender neutral birthday card offering for February 25th's Stamp A Stack.  It is a Fun Fold that has the full card portion mounted on a contrasting (in this card Chocolate Chip) base with a latch made using the main image layer tucked under a punched medallion (in this case the Birthday Bliss stamp).  I used Stampin' Up!'s pretty Frost White Shimmer Paint on top of the "frosting" for a little sparkle, but that is of course optional.

Recipe Monday #19
Crock Pot Pork Chops

8 thick pork chops, trimmed (boneless is best)
½ c flour
1 Tbsp salt
1 ½ tsp dry mustard
½ tsp garlic powder
2 cans of chicken and rice soup
Extra minute rice (optional)
Combine dry ingredients. Dredge pork chops in mixture. Brown pork chops on both sides. Drain. Place pork chops in crock-pot or slow cooker, and cover with soup. Add extra rice, if desired. Cook 3 ½ hours on high or all day on a lower setting (according to appliance manual).
Chops will be so tender they literally fall apart—it’s not the most attractive meal to serve guests, but it is easy for an ordinary meal.

Z-fold card for upcoming Stamp A Stack

Today's card is a simple Z-fold card using the lovely Vintage Vogue Stampin' Up! stamp set. If you're in the Edmond area, consider coming to make this easy card at my Stamp A Stack on February 25th.  (16 cards for $20...you choose the cards you want from a list and Pre-pay by February 15th)

Hopefully, this lets you see how the card opens....It is a simple, easy and yet pretty card I think.

Gatefold Card...I {Heart} Hearts Valentine

A gatefold card is an easy and different one to try.  You can just use your grid paper to fold it, since you are going with the grain of the paper, and get a crisp fold on each side. Center your 8-1/2 inch length of cardstock on the 8 inch center line at 3-3/4 and 12-1/4 for each side. Then just fold both sides in to the 8 inch line making sure the top and bottom are straight. I think it is even quicker than scoring.

eta: Sorry these did not post on time...I scheduled them, but I had the month wrong....

Explosion Cards Greenhouse Garden and Bloomin' Beautiful

eta: Sorry these did not post on time...I scheduled them, but I had the month wrong....

I love the explosion card for an impressive opening....Here are two I've made that use current sets.

This was one of my swaps from Convention last year. It has a Big Shot Texture plate at the top to mimic a lattice and hibscus cut out on the front with several of the little leaves sizzlet die.  I used the Big Shot Scallop square as a mat layer on the front (diagonally cut in half) and on the inside (run through the machine twice to remove scallop rows to get it down to the perfect size).

It is a simple fold to create....Use an 8X8 inch square (I always like for my cards to fit in a (4.25  X 5.5 inch envelope), and score both horizontally and vertically at 4.  Next, score diagonally across the card and diagonally across the front/top square.

Here's an older card with the same fold as another example:

Horizontal Pocket Card

This card is from last month's Stampin' Addicts blog hop below, but I wanted to provide instructions for the Fun Fold used as a February Fun Folds post. The horizontal pocket card is easy to create. Begin with a 5-1/2 by 8-1/2 inch piece of cardstock and fold it in half as normal. Then score the front at 1-1/4 inches.

The piece inside the pocket is 4-3/4 by 4-1/4 tall, but I used the new Sale-A-Bration scallop trim border punch on the top and bottom which made the inside piece a little under 4 inches tall.  The crimped border on the circle was created by Janine Tinklenberg (with the original scallop edge punch) and adds nice cohesiveness to this card I think.

Open Matchbook Fold with Well Scripted

Today's Fold of the February Day is much like a matchbook card, but it is not adhered on the sides on the inside of the card.  The card is 4-1/4 by 11, scored at 1-1/4 inches and at 6-1/2 inches, so obviously the card is only 5-1/4 inches tall instead of 5-1/2 inches tall. I enjoy the way it closes by tucking the 1-1/4 inch flap under the decorative lace layer as shown below.  I should probably mention the lace layer is adhered with plenty of stick strip.  I also lined the inside of the card with Very Vanilla Cardstock to give it a finished look.

I saw the soft and pretty crimped, distressed lace on the website for Stampin' Up! demonstrators.  It was by Lisa Freeman...Thanks so much for sharing Lisa!  I also began with the Mojo Monday sketch (MOJO125), but I didn't want to cover up the "lace" with a circle at the bottom so I did not complete that challenge.  I think this will make a fun card for either my April technique class or my Mother's Day Stamp Camp.

Fun Folds February and Recipe Monday #18

Thanks for stopping by this morning! This month will be Fun Folds February.....Some you've definitely seen before and maybe some new ones, but 24 in all for your viewing pleasure. Stop by The Stampin' Bunny every day EXCEPT Sunday to see a different fold.

To embellish today's Spring Up card (tutorial by Sandy Hulsart on Splitcoaststampers.com), I decided to try the faux metal technique after seeing the second card down on this stop of the Stampin' Addicts Occasions Mini Blog Hop: Deb's blog

Deb used silver embossing powder on grey cardstock for a great chocolate mold look, but I used 4 layers of silver embossing powder to create the chocolate mold look.  It was a lot of fun!

I placed Chip the Chocolate Bunny Mold on the Spring card which folds flat and is 5-1/4 inch square.  Next, I created a big shot flower embellishment and added the Happy Easter sentiment from the Well Scripted stamp set.  I also created a simple 5-1/2 inch square envelope for the card made from matching Shades of Spring designer series paper.

Today's Recipe is Raspberry-Swirl Easy "Cheesecake"

Ingredients:

Oreo Brand Cookie Pie Crust

1 8 oz package of regular cream cheese, softened

1 cup of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2-1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (room temp or slightly microwaved)

melted chocolate chips to drizzle (maybe 1/3 cup?)

Beat Cream Cheese with Mixer until fluffed.  Add sugar and mix well.  Add vanilla and thoroughly incorporate.  Add the Cool Whip with a spoon gently.  Poor into crust.

Make 20-25 holes in cheesecake. Spoon jam in holes. Gently swirl the jam with a knife. Drizzle with melted chocolate.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Invite friends over for evening technique class and cheesecake ;).