Let Them Eat Cake! Just Desserts!

I know, I know, lots of exclamation points in this post title, but I am so excited to have this new Just Desserts stamp set in my stash.  I might just sell off all my other birthday and food stamps cause this one is just over the top perfect.  I received this in the mail on Monday, and I just can't stop stamping with it.  Here are a few things I have created.  Most of the ideas started with a design team member's card, while others, I morphed a few other card making designers and sketches to make them.

Lizzie Jones is the designer for this stamps set, and I feel like she made it just for me.  I have begun to sell my cake creations, and this set allows me to make coordinating gift tags to go with them.  I am so happy!  These three are for my Easter cake orders: Carrot cake, lemon cream cake, and cookies and cream cake.  Fabulous.

These two cards follow design elements  modeled after Inge Groot's cards, where she uses all kinds of tilted layers.  

These two are using a Mojo Monday sketch for this week.  Gonna enter them into their link up. I dug out some very very old Papertrey Ink patterned papers for those two.  They are perfect though.  Next time I might emboss the darker panels with a large dot embossing folder, just for some added texture and interest.  

These two sets are CASed designs from the Papertrey Ink design team and their cards using this set.  Super fun and cute.  This stamp set is so easy to use with fabulous results every time.  Love it. 

Some cards I have been working on.

Hello.  I have been absent for awhile here on the blog.  I wanted to share some cards I have been making lately.  Trying to beef up my birthday and get well card stashes.  I gave away/sold most of my cards this past fall, so I need to get my card boxes stocked.  I need to send more cards this year too.  So many goals, so little time.  Trying to use older or neglected sets as well as some new ones that need to get inky.  I have been having fun and am pleased with the results.  

MIM#242 Sponged Stamping

This week's Make It Monday Papertrey Ink challenge was doing sponged stamping.  I made two cards that are basically the same, one in pinks and one in blues and greens.  You can tell the pink one is the first one I did, cause it has some serious imperfections in the color gradients, but the blue and green one turned out much better.  I used mostly all PTI ink colors and PTI Birthday Wishes stamp set.   I may step the cards up a bit and add some vellum clouds and some candy dots to accent the elements a bit.

Stamp sets and dies for sale: lots of PTI

I need to find a home for these gently used or almost new stamps in my collection. They do not come with index labels or cases. They will be sent on a plastic sheet in a thin PTI box. Stamps come from a smoke free and pet free home.  
You can email me at stampin.chick@gmail.com if you are interested in any of these stamps or dies.
Price:
Price for sets is 10% off prices shown. Price includes shipping. I would prefer a PTI gift certificate.  

FLORAL STAMPS:
Year of Flowers Collection (mini sized of all the flowers for the year): $24

Year of Flowers: Poinsettias $15 and dies for $10

Year of Flowers: Carnations $15
Spiral Bouquet $18

IMAGES SETS:

Pond Life and Pond Life Additions $18

Birthday Basics $12

Piece of Cake $18

Round and Round images only $14

Simple Alphabet $11

Ambassador Monogram $11

Button Boutique $24
Button Up Stamp set $15
Buttoned Up Die collection #1 $5

Teacher’s Apple $24
Teacher Tickets $15
Ticket Border Die $8.00

Simple Stationary $24
Background Basics Diagonals $24 and additions $5
Live Love Life $15

Sentiment Sets:

Framed Out #12 $5 matching die $3.00
Take Note $24
Calendar Basics $24
Handwritten Notes $20
Everyday Photo Finishers $15
Holiday Photo Finishers $20 (excludes the circle stamp)
Photo Finishers dies $22
Kid Kudos and additions $24 and $8

HOLIDAY AND SEASONAL SETS:
Spooky Sweets 2 $24

Vintage Ornaments: $22
Vintage Ornaments Additions: $13
Vintage Ornaments dies: $8

Wonderful Words Holiday $13 and dies $8

Countdown to Christmas and Additions: $22 and $13 or $30 for both

Framed Out #9 $5 matching die $3.00

Love Lives Here: Christmas $23 and dies $15
Holiday Button Bits $23 and dies $9
Holiday Wishes $10

My Punny Valentine and Year Round Puns $20
Tiny Treats Valentine $18
Tag It’s #11 (Valentine’s Day) $5
To You From Me: $13

Dies and Impression Plates 

Parisian Lace Doily Die $22
Cover Plate Hexagons $16 matching stamps $5
Cover Plate Triangles $16 matchin stamps Tiny Triangles $5
Cover Plate Harlequin $16 matching stamps $5
Diagonal Stripes Impression plate $16
Background Basics Diamonds Impression plate $16
Background Basics In Bloom Impression plate $16

Felt for sale:  $1.00 each for smaller sheets   $2.00 for large sheet  Shipping calculated separately and added to your total for felt.
pink( 2 large sheet), buttercup yellow (1 large piece), mustard yellow(3), scarlet jewel/burgundy (3), teal (2), aqua blue (2), chartreuse green (2), olive/avocado green (1).

Papertrey Ink Anniversary Challenge Days 9 and 10

I doubled up on the last two days of the PTI Anniversary Celebration challenges and made one card for them both.  I used the color catcher thing to get my color combo of winter wisteria, new leaf and ripe avocado.  Not my comfort zone at all.  And then I used my initials for the alphabet element challenge.  My initials are MAS, so I had to incorporate a border, stitching, and combine two stamp sets.  I used Wood backgrounds and pretty peonies.  I used border dies and strips of card stock to make a banner, and I used a paper piercer and thread and needle for my stitched border at the top.  Whew!  It was a pretty quick card made at 8:45 pm to try to get these last two challenges in.  I am kind of proud of myself for being able to complete quite a few of them.

Can't wait to see the winners tomorrow.  I hope and pray my name makes it in there somewhere.  After 9 years of entering pretty much every contest every time they are offered on release week, I sure would like to finally win one.

Stamps for sale

Papertrey Ink 9th Anniversary Celebration: Paper Doll/Fashion Inspiration

For the second day of the Papertrey Ink Celebration we were challenged to find a fashion inspiration photo and use it to make a card.  Here is a photo from the newest Boden catalog.  Love their colors and prints.  I love the yellow and blue combo that is showing up this season.  I used Lemon tart and Marina Mist papers and inks, and a hint of Fine Linen polka dot print.  Painted Blooms is the stamp set I used and Bowl of Sunshine sentiment.

Baking and Pastry Passion

I have a serious passion for baking and pastry arts.  I have had this since childhood and the awe of baking in my mini magic bake oven.  I have always loved watching cooking shows/segments and seeing the artistry of marrying ingredients to produce a delectable dish that looks amazing too.  I love the smells of baking cake, breads, muffins, cookies.  That warm comforting aroma of toasted butter, flour, eggs, chocolate, sugar, and vanilla magically turning into something so much more than the parts themselves.  I love the interplay of flavors in a layer cake, filled breads, or pies and tarts.  I love the silky creaminess of real buttercream, the soft crumb of a homemade butter cake,  and smooth, decadent, rich texture of chocolate ganache all layered together in a cake.  Cinnamon wafts from the oven as I bake cinnamon rolls or cinnamon swirl bread.  Yeasty pillowy croissants and sandwich loaves call to me from the oven after all the patience and waiting for the bread doughs to rise, proof, and bake.  It is truly a gratifying experience to bake and make pastries.  I love EVERY aspect of it.

I so enjoy watching someone eat the things I create and see their joy as they savor the flavors and textures.  It mirrors my own joy when I eat a delicious dessert myself.  I enjoy giving baked goods away, because I have yet to meet too many people who don't enjoy them.  Baking and pastry arts allows me to give gifts of happiness to others, one of my other passions.

If I wax a little poetic about this it is because I have been missing serious baking for awhile now.  I gave up baking as a part time job after my children were born and as we have homeschooled during elementary school and middle school, but I am so wanting to get back into it.  I am seriously searching for purpose and a way to use the gifts that God has given me to serve others.  I need something constructive to do beside spinning my wheels each day.  I must admit that what mainly holds me back from stepping into the baking business is fear.  Fear of this not being the right time or right choice.  I don't want to have something keep me from my relationship from God, my husband, or my children.  I am someone who doesn't like to be interrupted when I get started on a project, and baking isn't done very well with interruptions.  My sons still need assistance with school, and I am worried if I get into this again, I will neglect my duties as their teacher.  I am afraid of disappointing customers.  I am afraid to charge what I know I should for my cakes and baked goods for fear that someone will say, "That is too expensive."   Lots of fear going on.  But I do feel strongly that I need to use these skills.  I really do feel great when I bake and make something delicious.  I love perusing my myriad of recipes and trying something new.

I am praying really hard about this, researching, testing recipes, costing out recipes, and hopefully by the new year will have a clear direction and calling from God as to whether to go forward and offer baked goods to my friends and family as a "business".

Papertrey Ink Anniversary Celebration Day 1

Eeek!  It is Papertrey Anniversary week again.  9 years.  Can't believe I have been buying stamps from PTI for 9 years.  Crazy.  What is more crazy is all the money I have spent on stamps, papers, buttons, ribbons, dies, and other things from this amazing company.  I still gravitate towards PTI over any other company because the images and sentiments in their stamps are so timeless in style.  Even though PTI is a trendsetter or stays on trend, the way they execute the trends makes them timeless.

Case in point is my card today.  I used a very old set designed by Heather Nichols called Warm Happiness and Warm Happiness 2.  I used Amy Sheffer's color scheme in the colors I had that came the closest.  I don't have stormy sea or mint julep inks, so I used some Stampin' UP! colors that I thought would work well.  I used a sentiment by My Favorite Things to make a somewhat "love/Valentine's Day" themed card.   I think it turned out kind of cute.  Amy Sheffer has become one of my favorite PTI design team members.  I used to follow her when she did a lot of stuff showcasing SU! and Verve.   She always has had a way with design and paper that has been so great.  Glad to have her on board for another year at PTI.

Here is my warm and cozy card:

Can't wait to make some more cards to play along with this day's challenge.  There are some other color schemes and things I want to try out.  Gotta pace myself for the days to come.  

Here is my second card using Dawn's color scheme.  

Of all the PTI designers, Dawn is my favorite.  It has been fun to see her style evolve, yet stay consistent in her use of color.  She is the color queen.  I haven't had much luck jumping on the watercolor bandwagon.  Just can't seem to get that trend right, and Dawn does watercolor backgrounds that are beautiful.   She always layers stuff so well too, using lots of bits of interesting things, but still manages to make it look clean and simple.  Thanks for all your inspiration and your friendship.  

I used a couple of new to me sets I got with holiday money: beautiful brushstrokes  (1st time using this one) and phrases and praises: both designed by Betsy Veldman.  Betsy's stamp designs are great.  She is one busy designer these days.    Tried to keep my rule of 3's by using the reds and pinks in groups of 3 on this card.  Ripe avocado and teal are "accents" I guess.  

Here is my last card for today's festivities.  I am using Erin Lincoln's color scheme: 

Erin is another favorite design team member.  I missed seeing more cards from her this year, as she is only showcasing her stamp and stitching die designs, but am thankful she is still on the team.  My picture doesn't show off the lemon tart bowl or the aqua mist colors very well.  Laura Bassen made a card like this when Bowl of Sunshine was released.  I thought her layout and design allowed me to incorporate this stamp set and use all the colors in Erin's color palette.  So here is a use of new to me sets and old sets to make a pretty and simple card.