Stamp Simply Challenge #124

Sharon Johnson's challenge this week is called Bleeding Hearts. Now this could mean anything that is red and/or heart related for our creations! Since Valentine's Day is in a couple of weeks, I thought of this yummy treat I make around this particular holiday! Little puff pastry hearts, bite size, and oh so easy to make! Here is a plate full all ready to be wrapped! I am placing these in a return dish from meals friends have graciously shared with us since my ankle incident!

Start with puff pastry, like the kind pictured. I already removed one sheet and placed on wax paper. You need to use puff pastry, filo dough is different and will not work for this particular treat.

I cut my hearts and placed on an ungreased stone. There is plenty of butter in the pastry, you do not have to grease pan. One pastry sheet yields 36 treats.

And here they are out of the 400 degree oven for 8 minutes. They puff up nicely! Let cool, which only takes minutes because they are so small.

Carefully remove tops, and dollop preserves onto bottom half. The type I used is pictured. I like these preserves for a store bought brand because they have actual pieces of cherries. Yum!

Place pastry heart top on preserves. The glaze is made with powdered sugar and milk. I do not measure this, just add milk to 1/4 cup powdered sugar until it is the glaze consistency. And drip onto the heart tops. Done! Quick, easy, and soooo yummy. Hope you get to play along this week! You may play any time, as many times as you wish! If you upload to splitcoaststampers, please use keyword, ssnotime124 and be sure to link up on Sharon Johnson's BLOG Mr Linky! Stamp Simply challenges are fun, and completely open to your interpretation! That's what I love most! My little pastry hearts fit right in!

Check out the entire Stamp Simply Team to see their terrific creations!

Sharon Johnson

AJ Otto

Barbara Anders

Deb Saaranen

Janine Orchard

Jennifer Buck, is taking the night off

Jenny Gropp

Tammy Hershberger

Take good care! Thanks so much for stopping in today! I'm working on a couple JustRite projects for their February 2 Blog Hop Garden Tour 2. Stay tuned for more info this weekend!!!

Friends are Flowers

IN THE GARDEN OF LIFE

They sure are! I made this card for a dear friend who just found out she has breast cancer. My dear, always cheerful, kind, and courageous friend. She was worried about my ankle! She dropped off homemade apple dumplings and friendship bread in the midst of her own medical news. Thank you, my friend, I am blessed beyond words.

Using the sketch this week from 2Sketches4You, I utilized one of my water colored floral images and papers from my Lilac Avenue kit. Check out sketch details HERE, and the Lilac Avenue kit HERE. The yellow scalloped punch out worked perfectly for the sketch. I also snipped along a few of the image lines so I could curl up pieces of the flowers and leaves. I love how much dimension this gives using one stamped image! Flower petals and leaves work especially well for this technique. Here is JustRite's Plant a Little Love set, The sentiment border used on my card is from JustRite's My Garden set. Be sure to visit the 2Sketches4You BLOG for details on how to win the entire botanical set collection along with the coordinating wooden blocks!!!

Ankle update: NO surgery needed, Alleluia! I have a cast and will go back to orthopedic doc in one month. No driving for me. However, I am getting better at those crutches! Thanks so much for stopping by! I have a wonderful, quick, Valentine heart sweet pastry to show you on Friday for Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply Challenge! See you then!

DETAILS:

Stamps: JustRite Stampers Plant a Little Love, My Garden Paper: Watercolor paper, PTI Vintage Cream, Basic Grey Lilac Avenue (Stamp Simply Ribbon Store) Ink: StazOn Black Other: Sheer Purple Ribbon (Stamp Simply Ribbon Store) Sewing Machine, Adhesives, SU watercolor pencils, aquabrush

A Vintage Stamp Simply Challenge!

Today's Stamp Simply Friday Challenge is to go Simply Vintage! I created these vintage flowers from paper scraps, ribbons and buttons. I crinkled edges of papers, layered, added a button, and tied together with ribbons. Sharon's challenge this week is to create with a vintage look! My creation is sporting one of my vintage flowers! For interest I added a dry embossed line along the top and bottom of the patterned papers. No stamping, and oh so simple! Hope you get to play along this week. If you upload to Splitcoaststampers, use keyword, ssnotime123. Be sure to upload to Sharon's Mr Linky on her blog! Take a peek at the other Stamp Simply designer's vintage creations! Sharon Johnson Julie Koerber Janine Orchard Jenny Gropp Barbara Anders Deb Saaranen Jennifer Buck Tammy Hershberger AJ Otto

Take good care! Thank you for all the sweet well wishes! I am so limited in movement at this time! I thought I would hop around and all would be well...well hopping ended in falling in the studio this am. Flat out! What a site I'm sure, probably would win funniest home video if recorded! So, I will be taking it easy! And learn how to navigate in a more safely manner!

Computer, Ankle CRASH!

Good Morning! Thank you so much for the comments on the bookmark gift set! I totally appreciate your words of encouragement! If you have not taken the JustRite Garden Tour, you need to! Click on the Garden Tour badge on the right!

My email account that is listed with this blog is down. I am uploading and visiting through my hubby's account. Hopefully that will be fixed soon! So if you have emailed and I haven't responded that is why!

Additionally, I have fractured my right ankle! Waiting to hear from the Dr. office! The good news is, maybe I will be stamping even more!!! I will keep you posted! Take good care!

Bookmarks for JustRite's Garden Tour1

I have been waiting to make these bookmarks forever! I placed this idea in my favorites last year! Unfortunately, my email crashed last night along with all my bookmarks, favorites, blogs, stores, technique sites, etc. and they are not accessible! So, please forgive me for not giving proper credit where credit is due, I will edit when I get back all that info! The silk ribbon is from the Stamp Simply Ribbon Store. The hardware is SU. The punched image is held in the hardware by clear lacquer carefully placed on the backside of the inner rim. I then adhered a backing of the DP to give it a finished look. I utilized two new JustRite sets for my floral bookmark end. The pink flower is from Plant a Little Love. Obviously I only used a snippet, but you can see the image in it's totality along with the other centers and borders. I started with one continuous piece of ribbon, looping it at the bottom end and threading it through the slide, making sure the short tail is tucked under the long piece. I then threaded the long piece up through the top hole and tied the end off with a bead! All designer paper is Madeline from K & Company. The multi colored floral image is from JustRite's set, My Garden. Here again you can see the beautiful image centers and borders. What a wonderful garden tour these two sets create! Creating "From the Library" labels adds a little more to the gift. I stamped on sticker paper with StazOn black for both the border and center initial. I distressed the edges after cutting the circles out with my Spellbinders die. Just peel and stick! And here is the Three Border Set that I used for my label borders. For a variance, I used a initial border from JustRite's Damask Borders Deluxe Kit.

The floral images are stamped on watercolor paper. After applying color to my images, I added a touch of Ultra Fine Flower Soft. This is a new Flower Soft product that will be available February 1. It adds some depth to the flowers and leaves. On the pink flower, I added Ultra Fine Strawberry Fizz and a tiny bit of Ultra Fine Citrus Crush in the flower center. On the leaves I added Ultra Fine Sage. I used the same colors on the second floral image minus the Raspberry Fizz. ***Check out Flower Soft designers, Jenn, Jeanne, Deb and the Flower Soft BLOG to see some fabulous creations!

A close-up peek of the closed container to reveal the half pearls attached to the underside of the container. Gives it a little lift and adds some charm to the overall package. They are attached with glue dots. The outer container strips of paper are adhered to the with scor tape.

And one more pic of the gift with the card I made last week! I love the coordination of the set. Adding a bookstore gift card would add to the theme as well, or even a book to gift along with the package! Limitless possibilities! And always JustRite!

Speaking of limitless possibilities, check out the JustRite designer's creations for unlimited garden inspiration.

JustRite BLOG

Kelli Fortin

Debbie Olsen

Sharon Johnson

Barb Schram (that's me!)

Michelle Wooderson

Kathy Jones

Becca Feeken

Sharon Harnist

Michele Kovack

Heidi Blankenship

Angela Barkhouse

Jerri and Lori- Guest hoppers!

Take good care! Thank you so very much for stopping by today! Enjoy your garden tour! I will keep trying to get on my blog through my husbands email! Don't know what it's going to take to get the computer fixed! Ugh...

Crochet, Flower Soft & JustRite!

Here is the total gift! Logan was in church today! What a blessing! The card details are HERE! And the tag details are HERE. This is a short post today! Have to put the finishing touches on my JustRite blog hop creation for tomorrow! Can't wait to share!

Take good care! See you tomorrow!

JustRite Font TAG

What totally drew me to JustRite over a year ago, was the ability to create my own wording. I come from a background of commercial art, back in time where you set your own letterpress to create your words, messages, and text. Way before the computer age! JustRite font usage is far easier to use than that, and gives me the ability to set up all letters, names, and sentiments that I need on my papercrafting creations! One can even add to other types of lettering, as I have on this baby gift tag. I covered a chipboard letter, then added my JustRite Brayton font letters to complete the name I need on the tag. Check out these designers font creations, Sharon, Angela, Kathy, and Kelli.

I had the sweet baby boy sentiment from a previous sticker pack, gorgeous ribbon is from the Stamp Simply Ribbon Store. Designer paper is Earthy from Crafty Secrets and coordinates with the card I posted yesterday! Now I have the card, tag, and will show you the entire ensemble tomorrow with the crocheted baby blanket I made!

The first Friday of every month, JustRite will be hosting a JustRite Friday challenge! This week is to get out your JustRite font and create! Easy enough! AND when you post your creation on the JustRite blog you will be eligible for a 50 dollar JustRite gift certificate! And what better time to win, so you can acquire all those new sets being released! Exciting indeed! You have until Thursday, January 21, 10pm est to post your creation with Mr. Linky found on the JustRite blog!

Take good care! Have a super Saturday! See you tomorrow with the complete baby gift package! A reminder, JustRite Design Team Blog Hop, this Monday!

Is it Spring Yet?

For Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply challenge this week, we are thinking spring. ANY thing spring; green grass, flowers, or even spring colors will do the trick! So, I've made a baby card for a family at church who had a boy about ten days ago. With blue skies, green grass, and a tree in bloom! I started with a card topper from Flower Soft's Nursery Rhyme Collection. It consists of eight pieces, 4 card stock toppers and 4 coordinating papers. This card uses one of the papers. I trimmed it down to accommodate my card layout. White and blue card stock is from Papertreyink, brown patterned paper is Crafty Secrets, Earthy.

In this photo you can see where I added my new Ultra Fine Flower Soft. On the little lamb, the color is Sand, the greens in the bush background and apple tree is Sage, and the red apple color is Strawberry. LOVE the Ultra Fine texture and colors! It will be available for purchase on February 1. Button is from BoBunny, ribbon is Michaels. I long to see green grass again, flowers, or trees in full bloom! How about you? Geesh, just a little sunshine would be great in overcast west Michigan! We did have a heat wave (so the weather man said) today 37 degrees! As you can tell I'm ready for a little bit of spring about now! So why not get a little of spring in our paper craft creations and join in on the Stamp Simply challenge?

You may play along with Sharon's challenge anytime, as many times as you want! No pressures or worries, just FUN! If you upload your creation to Splitcoaststampers, please use this keyword: ssnotime122 or link up on Sharon's blog with Mr Linky!

Check out all the fabulous Stamp Simply designer's spring creations! SHARON JOHNSON MICHELLE WOERNER, current guest designer JULIE KOERBER JANINE ORCHARD JENNY GROPP BARBARA ANDERS TAMMY HERSHBERGER JENNIFER BUCK AJ OTTO DEB SAARANEN

TAKE GOOD CARE! TOMORROW I WILL HAVE A RIBBON NAME TAG TO SHOW YOU! IT WILL ACCOMPANY THE BABY BLANKET I CROCHETED, THAT WILL GO ALONG WITH THE CARD FROM THIS POST TO COMPLETE THE BABY GIFT PACKAGE!

SEE YOU THEN!

Tubed Socks! JustRite!

Toilet tubed socks, that is! How many gift socks every year for Christmas? It is a tradition for many! For my family this year, I had an idea that did not get completed in the hustle of the holiday, but I knew I could gift socks any time of the year! Right? So, using a play on words, rolling up the socks and placing them in toilet paper rolls create TUBE SOCKS! I don't even know if you can buy tube socks anymore. Our daughter still wore them when she played softball. I'm sure dating myself, I know! The younger generation might not get the play on words, but it makes me chuckle! LOL Using one sentiment from JustRite's new Seeds of Kindness set, makes this a super simple idea a cinch! I stamped the sentiment with StazOn black ink, punched with a 1 1/4" circle, coordinated colored card stock punched with a 1 3/8" circle, and layered on a SU scalloped punched circle. This set has limitless possibilities, perfect for this time of year! Spring is in the air! Well, in my studio at least with this set!

All patterned paper, card stock and ribbon is from Papertreyink. The tissue ends are tied with a white and gold string I've had in my stash forever! This is a cut down tube to accommodate a tiny pair of socks!

I covered the tubes first using scor tape to adhere, prepared all the tags that also are adhered with scor tape. I chose to wrap the socks in tissue, then slide them into the tubes. First, this made it much easier to tie the ends, and I am thinking if I choose to gift socks this way again, I have the tubes intact! As the family grows, I just have to add new tubes!

Here is a photo of all the larger tubed socks! They will be set on each plate at our next family dinner! Such a fun and economical way to gift smaller items! Hope you enjoyed this tube sock idea! Have a terrific Thursday! Take good care!

Check out Kathy and Angela's awesome Seeds of Kindness creations!

Monogrammed Beverage Napkins!

When I photographed the pictures of the last Christmas gift (previous post), I did not have the beverage napkins packaged! I created 20 count packs of matching napkins for the wine/pizza gifts. Here's a peek. I used Times New Roman JustRite 95pt. font with waterproof StazOn black ink. The napkins are in a flat cello bag. Added a bit of Black and Aqua Mist Papertreyink ribbon to tie in with the set. Fast, simple and adds so much! A short post today! Tomorrow I will be back with a gift idea, I'm using for an upcoming family dinner. I wanted to get it done for the Christmas Holiday, unfortunately time ran away! It involves a long time family tradition...with a new twist! Who knows, maybe it will become a new tradition, I love that!

For tomorrow's post, think warmth, colorful, different sizes! See you tomorrow!

Take good care!

Christmas Wine, Pizza...Personally JustRite!

A quick post today, sharing one last Christmas gift! Wine and a Pizza gift card! I chose to monogram each wine tag with the first initial of each couples last name. I went for my JustRite Square Decorative Frame Borders. Using my 2" square wooden stamper, I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I used the same stamp for each tag, but one could change them up easily for a variety of looks! Unfortunately, I was under the time gun!

Each initial is stamped with my trusty Brayton Font utilizing the 95pt. size font letters. I used StazOn black for font stamping.

Black SU cardstock and Everyday Blessings patterned paper, Stampers Select white, & Aqua mist from Papertreyink is the paper used. Copic RV19 adds a bit of color in each decorative square corner. The tag is scored at the bottom and folded up, secured with scor tape to create a pocket. Ribbons are from Papertreyink as well.

Using aqua mist Papertreyink card stock, I punched a label with my SU label punch, scored it length wise and attached with a small glue dot on the front and back. (so it can easily be removed) Punched a hole for the ribbon and gift card is now ready to be inserted into the wine bottle tag!

Take good care! I know I say this often, but I'm so appreciative of your visits here! I thoroughly enjoy creating and sharing with all of you! Have a terrific Tuesday!

Plant a Little Love, JustRite Style!

A peek of one image in JustRite's set, Plant a Little Love, that will be released this Friday, January 15. This set is 3 1/4" and includes 4 round borders and 4 centers.

This card will accompany a gift that I am creating. The final gift package will be revealed at JustRite's Blog Hop on Monday, January 18. Hope you can come back and take a look!

I chose to stamp on watercolor paper with Black StazOn and use watercolor crayons to color my image. I also added a wash of green around the entire image! Then white liquid pearls in flower center. It has been so long since I have water colored an image! I enjoy the freedom of a little bit of color, water and my paintbrush! I find it more forgiving than other coloring methods. Nice for a change up!!! I wanted to play with another new Spellbinders die, Labels Six, and added this sentiment to the card inside. Thank-You is from JustRite's set, Just A Note. Punched pieces from my other die cut are what you see on each side of the pink cardstock. Mini gems, from Taylored Expressions are affixed to the pink card stock with TomBow Multi Liquid glue. Thank YOU, Donna for these little gems and your thoughtfulness, I LOVE them!

Card stock is from SU and designer papers are Madeline from K&Company. I used my new Spellbinders Shapeabilities pendant, Lattice. I LOVE this die, it helps frame the focal point so well! Ribbon is from Michaels. Be sure and visit these designers to see what they are creating with Plant a Little Love!

Angela

Michele

Kathy

Sharon

JustRite BLOG

It's A MESS plus questions answered!

Happy Sunday to you! I am posting a bit late today...we decided to go out to lunch after church with the kids! Fun times! I'm finally back to answer a few questions. What company made the studio units? We had a local carpenter who specializes mostly in closet and new home design. They worked with me quite a bit to get to know what I was looking for. WE love the workmanship, this is something my husband and I could never have accomplished on our own! If you live in west Michigan and want to know the name and contact info, please email. How is your ribbon stored on the shelves in the pic? I know several crafters store their ribbons wrapped around wooden clothespins and place them in containers. I first read about this idea on Nichole Heady's blog. For me, it is a storage issue...I need to SEE what I have, and I do not have a space for those lovely ribbon hangers that I see out now.

What material are the counters? The counters are Formica.

What is the right hand desk drawers used for? Here is where I keep my postal items, as well as items I use in my home, like paperclips, rubber bands, stapler, three hole punch, etc. The bottom drawer is files, and the middle drawer house all my clear blocks, stamp scrubbers, extra pens & pencils, etc.

Does the studio always look like the pic? Can you show us pictures when you are working on a creation?

Yuppers, I am a very messy stamper! This is how it looked pretty much all last week! And here again, if I would only put things right away after use! LOL But really sometimes in the middle of creating, I think I might need that sew mini again, so why put it away? If I only had a maid! There you have it! This is the reality of my working studio! Thanks for asking and letting me share! I do not plan on ever showing photos of my mess again! LOL

Coming up this week:

• Monday is starting sneak peeks of JustRite's new release sets! YES! Three more sets will be released January 15! And a Design Team blog hop on Monday, January, 18! Mark your calendars, you don't want to miss the FUN!!
• Also this Monday, some Flower Soft Design team members are revealing UltraFine FlowerSoft! This new product will be available February 1!

Take good care, I'll see you tomorrow with the beginning piece of a creation I've been working on! For the final creation, think spring, water, and a good read!

Following my Heart, Led Me to You - A JustRite Valentine!

I've had this idea floating (pun intended!) around for some time! And when I saw JustRite's new set, Romantic Sentiments...I knew I wanted to get this done! The set has the perfect sentiment for this floating idea! It's been years since I have tried my hand at Origami! Not sure where our girls Origami books went to! So, I googled and found THIS Origami site. Their website has tons of paper folding ideas and EASY illustrated step by step instructions!

Ages ago, probably years ago, I bought these bamboo coasters. Why? Because I saw them used in a creation and now I can't even remember the creation! But, I packed and moved them to the new studio, and they worked perfectly in this boat. After the boat was folded, I snipped a tiny, ever so tiny piece off the top peak. This allowed me to push the stick up through the bottom and stay pretty snug. The tied ribbon also helps hold it in place. What I like about these bamboo pieces, the ends are flat and not pointed, no injuries! The two heart cutouts are adhered together with foam dimensionals, positioned closely, hugging the stick line to hold the hearts in place.

The sentiment I used is from JustRite's Romantic Sentiments set! I think it's perfect for this little boat! Check all the other sentiments in this set, so much inspiration!

The banner is created using JustRite Times New Roman font and cut using my Spellbinders Label3 die. I utilized the 25pt font, upper and lower case letters. I stamped out a few more of these to use on my future Valentines!

To spice it up a bit, I added red hot candies to the boat for a fun treat type Valentine! This would make a wonderful birthday favor/decor. Fishing cabin type theme with the right paper would be cool, you could really use most any cutout and create any personalized message or name banners. Oh, the possibilities are endless making creations that are JustRite!

Take good care! See you tomorrow with a request from a reader...a picture of the studio when I am creating! And those questions will be answered!