WHIPPER SNAPPER DECEMBER RELEASE!

2 new Anna Wight cling sets are being released today - Quilting Forever and Springtime Quilt. They each have 12 1-inch size quilting block stamps along with several themed messages. I'm not a quilter or a sewer, but these stamps are really fun to play with! This cuppiecake image is my favorite :)

Check out the other November/December featured designers:

Amy RohlSCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/rohla

Blog: http://inkaboutme.blogspot.com/

Carla MurphySCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/cardsbycarla

Blog: http://cardsbycarla.blogspot.com/

Gabriela DivineSCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/gabydee

Blog: http://gabiwithaneye.blogspot.com/

Randee ElsingSCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/Randee_E

Blog: http://www.mystampingground.blogspot.com/

Anna WightSCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/sweetmissdaisy

Blog: http://sweetmissdaisy.typepad.com/

Stamps: Whipper Snapper - Quilting Forever

Accessories: Heart button, paper piercer, nesties, corner rounder, stickles, pop-dots, copics

Paper: SU red riding hood, pink pirouette, chocolate chip, white

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family! It's officially over here in Colorado, but this is the first chance I've had to get online. My dad flew in from Phoenix and we've been busy, busy.

Hope everyone had a very wonderful holiday with loved ones. I'll be back soon to post new cards :)

Ice skating chicken

I'm busy running around at the last minute getting Christmas stuff done. I'm going out later tonight to brave the mall to get 2 gift cards. I refuse to go out tomorrow!! My hubby is already aware of this plan ;)

This is the first card I made with the new Whipper Snapper stamp sets that I got last month. For some reason, that chicken looked like he wanted to skate at night under a full moon. I sponged the moon on the card stock with white craft ink and then embossed it with clear embossing powder. I love how it made 'craters'. I used the Martha Stewart icicle punch and added stickles for some sparkle. The chicken is cut out and raised with pop-dots. I used the reflection technique. I've never tried it before but it was really fun and easy! Poor Mr. Chicken doesn't look too steady on his skates!!

Hope everyone is ready for Christmas - it's almost here!!

Stamps: Whipper Snapper - Think Snow

Paper: SU Night of Navy, white, yellow

Accessories: Martha Stewart icicle punch, stickles, snowflake stickers, clear embossing powder, white craft ink

4:00am Post Office Run....and a card

I just got back from the post office. I had a VIP package to mail and it needed to go out ASAP! (I'm such a procrastinator!! *Hi, I'm Jennifer and I like the adrenaline rush of waiting until the last minute because this month isn't stressful enough!*) Luckily, the line was short ;) I could hear people working in the back though. I have a huge crush on the APC - Automated Postal Center. IT ROCKS!!!! It took me all of 5 minutes to park, mail the package and get back in my car. Sweeeeet! Yesterday was the busiest mailing day of the month and I feel like I just cheated all those people who had to wait in line.

Here's another card I made for the new Whipper Snapper release. I followed this tutorial on SCS - very easy and very fun! I used my new Polar White Flower Soft - love it! It really looks like fluffy snow. The snowman and the snowballs are cut out and raised on dimensionals. I figured the front was busy enough so I added the message on the inside.

Stamps: Whipper Snapper - Gardening Snowman and Think Snow

Paper: SU! Night of Navy, white, light blue from Archivers

Accessories: Martha Stewart icicle punch, MS snowflake punch, brad, clear embossing powder, Flower Soft, Navy grosgrain ribbon, Stickles, Copics.

Stubble or Chicken Pox?!

I made this card for my dad's birthday. I thought it would be cute to add 'morning stubble' to the monkey's face, but it looked more like poor monkey had chicken pox! I only added a few spots under his mouth at first and that really didn't look right so I kept adding more. Hopefully my dad thinks it's stubble and not a contagious disease - maybe I'm just over analyzing it. I used Karen Foster snap stamps to add the 'dad' to the green mug. I used my argyle Cuttlebug embossing folder again - I love the way it looks! (Don't tell my hubby, but he just ordered 6 new Cuttlebug folders from HSN for me for Christmas. Wasn't that nice of him? *wink* I love it when he gets me exactly what I want. Here's the link: 6 pack holiday emboss folders)

Stamps: Stampendous - Changito, Stampendous - Happy Birthday, Karen Foster Snap Stamps

Paper: SU! Chocolate chip, buckaroo blue, white, designer paper from Hobby Lobby

Accessories: Brads, Nestabilities (Labels Three), argyle Cuttlebug folder, SU! grosgrain ribbon, Copics, pop-dots

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

It snowed ALL day yesterday and it's snowing again now! As soon as I shovel the sidewalk, it's covered over again. I'm sure getting a good upper body workout though! I love living in Colorado and I love sitting inside with a cup of hot tea watching the snowfall. I'm working on Christmas cards and projects for my Secret Santa - only 17 days until Christmas!!

I made this snowman card using the Whipper Snapper set 'Gardening Snowman'. I love the cute little bird sitting in the flowerpot. I used my heart Cuttlebug folder to tie in the heart theme. I don't usually do blocking on my cards, but it was really fun!

Stamps: Whipper Snapper - Gardening Snowman

Paper: SU! Real red, black, white

Accessories: Cuttlebug (hearts, snowflake and swiss dots), red grosgrain ribbon, brads, Copic markers, stickles glitter, Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities Dies

Happy Tofurkey Day!!

May your stuffing be tasty

May your tofurkey be plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!!!

*Happy Thanksgiving Everyone*

Warm Greetings on a snowy day!

I woke up to snow today! I thought it was appropriate that I post one of my Whipper Snapper cards using the snowman image from 'Think Snow'. I am usually drawn toward round, chunky snowmen, but I love this slimmed down version. I punched 3 snowflakes and layered them with pop-dots for a 3-D effect. I did the same thing with the main image panels. This is the first time I've used my new argyle Cuttlebug embossing folder. I love the look!! It reminds me of a warm, cozy sweater.

I have more projects that I'll be posting in the next few days.

Stamps: Whipper Snapper - Think Snow
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Martha Stewart snowflake punch, SU real red grosgrain ribbon, red brads, pop-dots, Copic markers
Paper: SU chocolate chip, real red, kraft

New Moon Day

The big day is finally here, I'm seeing the movie tonight.

I found these chocolate fangs in early September when the Halloween candy was just put out. I bought them and knew I wanted to make something fun for me and my Twilight friends (I'm nerdy like that!). I decided to make little treat bags with decorated toppers. I made a total of 19 bags. I really *despise* mass producing stuff, but these were fun!!

I used a cuttlebug for the black background, added a red strip of paper, a clear embossed moon, a punched out bat, 2 confetti hearts, a computer printed message and 2 brads to hold it together.

Not only do I get to see my good friend and go to a movie today, but we're eating at PF Changs for dinner which is my favorite restaurant!!!!! I already know what I'm ordering - vegetarian lettuce wraps. LOVE THEM!!!

Stamps: None

Accessories: Martha Stewart Bat Punch, SU word window punch, Cuttlebug folder - Textile, confetti hearts, circle punch, clear embossing powder, black brads, Halloween candy fangs, computer printed message (Papyrus), clear cellophane bags

Paper: SU real red, black, white

Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup

I love anything pumpkin. Not just during Fall, but all year long. I make a lot of pumpkin foods, but they are usually sweet - cookies, cake, breads. I've always been scared of pumpkin soup though - it always tastes like baby food to me. I decided to try this one since it had curry in it and I love curry. It was a winner!!!

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com (LOVE that site!!)

Coconut-Curry Pumpkin Soup

1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (15 ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin
1 cup light coconut milk

Directions
Heat the coconut oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in the vegetable broth, curry powder, salt, coriander, and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until the mixture comes to a gentle boil, about 10 minutes. Cover, and boil 15 to 20 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the pumpkin and coconut milk, and cook another 5 minutes.
Pour the soup into a blender, filling only half way and working in batches if necessary; process until smooth. Return to a pot, and reheat briefly over medium heat before serving.

*I tweaked this recipe a bit. I used olive oil since I don't have coconut oil and I only used about a tablespoon. I added another 1/2 tsp. of curry powder and omitted the salt. As written, this is a vegan soup. We topped the soup with pine nuts and crumbled blue cheese which really made this outstanding!! Served with whole wheat rosemary rolls, it was a yummy, Fall dinner :)

♥ Kitty love ♥

*Happy Hump Day!*

I love this picture of my kitty girls - they make me so happy.

Kiki is on the left, MuShu is on the right.

OPERATION DRINK TEA

I love tea. I cleaned out my tea drawer/cabinet recently. I knew I had a lot of different kinds of tea, but I didn't realize just how many I actually had. I was shocked!! They are all different except for the 2 Gingerbread Spice - I bought one box and didn't care for it and then bought another box the following year not remembering that I didn't like it. My husband and I are now on a mission to drink tea....lots of tea. I counted over 75 DIFFERENT kinds of tea - that doesn't include the multiple packets of each flavor!! I may have a tea fetish....or a hoarding problem.

I drink iced tea year round and I brew it with a blend of black and flavored tea bags to mix it up. It's been fun trying different combinations. The latest was Peppermint - it was really good!

I may need to get creative. Maybe make some tea bread, tea and crumpets, tea and cookies, high tea, hot tea, cold tea, sun tea, tea for 2. The word 'tea' is looking strange now.

Whipper Snapper Featured Designer!

I just about fell out of my chair when I was asked to be a featured designer for the November/December Whipper Snapper release! Anna Wight is my stamping idol (and she's really sweet in person too!) and I'm super excited to be designing samples with her new stamp sets. The new sets are Think Snow and Gardening Snowman. All the stamps are really cute, but I fell in love with the adorable penguin image. I used my new Martha Stewart icicle punch - it's really easy to use and I love the look. I layered the punched snowflake (also from MS) so it would stand out on my white background and I used my brand-new-from-the-package-I-just-got-at-the-store Labels 3 Nestabilities Dies. I think this is my favorite shape so far. Those things are addicting!!


I have more samples that I'll be posting so check back!! :)


Other featured designers for November/December:
Amy Rohl
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/rohla
Blog: http://inkaboutme.blogspot.com

Carla Murphy
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/cardsbycarla
Blog: http://cardsbycarla.blogspot.com

Gabriela Divine
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/gabydee
Blog: http://gabiwithaneye.blogspot.com

Randee Elsing
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/Randee_E
Blog: http://www.mystampingground.blogspot.com

Anna Wight
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/sweetmissdaisy
Blog: http://sweetmissdaisy.typepad.com

*I wasn't going to start a blog, but I thought this fun designer adventure would be a great way to start out! I can tell I'm going to enjoy sharing all of my pictures - I take A LOT of pictures and I know how to upload. Watch out!! LOL!*

♥ Jennifer


Stamps: Whipper Snapper Think Snow
Accessories: MS snowflake punch, MS icicle punch, Labels 3 Nestabilities, rhinestone brad, Copics, SU! dazzling diamonds glitter, clear glaze pen
Paper: SU! Chocolate Chip, SU! Ballet Blue, White, DCWV Winter Matstack