A CASE from sweet Elly

This is a card I CASED from a sweet friend across the ocean, Elly. Her blog, http://www.ellyscardcorner.blogspot.com/, is in Dutch and I wrote to tell her how I enjoyed her cards and wish I could read the text and she added a Google Translator to her blog so I could. What a sweetheart! She does the most gorgeous cards and I hope you will visit her for some yummy eye candy. I didn't have the same Nestabilities that she used (had to substitute for one of them) but I found her card inspiring and just had to make one. Thank you Elly!

A Card With A Story.....

1. OK so I am fooling around with the new Tim Holtz texture fades and decided I wanted to use a cut from the new Cricut Lite Botanicals cartridge. I needed to change the blade because my cuts were starting to get rough edges. I'm trying to turn the screw to open the blade housing and it just doesn't want to budge. I remember I have a small piece of rubber which will help me get a good grip on the screw. I try that and the screw gives but breaks in half in the process!!! I call Cricut (the machine is only 7 months old) and after some deliberation with their technical department, I have to pack my machine up and send it back and they are sending me a whole new machine. BUT I WON"T HAVE MY BABY FOR AWHILE which is making me very sad.

Anyway, this is a roughly 6 x 8 card. Larger than normal but I bought this pack of really nice cards, very heavy cs at a yard sale, so now and then I use one. DP is Urban Prairie from Basic Grey and the rest is all SU. I used Very Vanilla for the Tim Holtz Notebook texture folder and distressed it with Wild Honey and Spiced Marmalade. The sentiment is from ODB Scriptures 1 and I also used Nestabilites for the background shapes. I was ready to photograph and the poor card just needed something else. I tried several things and ended up with a Prima flower and MS punched leaves. I don't know if I like the flower but after the day I've had, it will do!

Wonderful Watering Can!......if we just had rain to go with it!

Believe it or not, today I have the whole day to play. Isn't that a wonderful gift. Kids will be home from the beach this afternoon and hubby is making dinner! Am I lucky or what! So I decided to try out Lauren Meader's other template for July, Wonderful Watering Can. For those of you who want to know, it's easier than the teapot. I used Bazzil Basics cardstock but I think SU might be okay too. I'll have to try one with heavier cs and see how it goes. I cheated and used a Mary Engelbreit sticker on the side because the saying was apropo. Ribbon is SU and the butterfly is an ME punch gussied up with some Stickles and a gem for the head. The scrap of paper on the top is Urban Prairie by Basic Grey. Now if we just had rain, I wouldn't need to water....................hmmm.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Hi everyone! Just popping in to say Happy Fourth. Enjoy your barbeques and parties and don't miss the local town parade and fireworks. Above all, stay safe and take a few minutes to think about our freedoms and our way of life here in America. We are so blessed!

The Flapper

You all know how much I admire Lauren Meader and here is another example of her creativity. She calls it the Flapper. It was all cut on my Cricut except for the labels on top which were the #10 Nestabilities. Flowers were several Primas layered together and brushed with Almost Amethyst. The cardstock is SU Night of Navy and Almost Amethyst. I think the DP is K&Co. It was just a scrap I had. The sentiment is from SU Oval All. This is a good size box and would hold candy, cards, homemade treats, bath products, a small gift of a scarf, jewelry, etc. All kinds of possibilities. Give the Flapper a try. It is one of two new templates for July from My Time Made Easy. Happy Fourth weekend!

Where to get the teapot pattern!!!

So many of you have contacted me by email, comments, and on SCS about where to get the teapot pattern. Several posts below I gave the link but I am going to do it again for you. Go to:
http://www.mytimemadeeasy.com/store/ and click on Templates on the upper left. This site belongs to the lovely and talented (and might I say she is a super Mom) Lauren Meader. I have been a big fan of Lauren's boxes, bags, houses, etc for years through PTI and now she has her own business. Her templates go together like hand in glove and you will enjoy the process immensely. When you purchase her templates, be sure to check which format you want them sent in. If you are using a cutting machine, check the file format appropriate for your system. If you don't have a Cricut or other machine, you can still use the .pdf format. Just print on your printer and cut it out. And for the tea pot I recommend a softer less stiff cardstock than say Stampin' Up!. I have found Bassill Basics that Michael's sells to work great. Good luck everyone! Please send me (and Lauren) pics of all your tea pots!

Last One.....at least for awhile.....

This is the last one I cut and I really must get on to other things......This one is a little different in that I put a strip of the dp on the handle and a piece on each side of the spout. I like what it does for the design. Bazzill Basics that Michael's sells is really the perfect paper for this teapot. It handles nicely and is not too stiff. There is a Prima rose on top with Sizzix leaves edged in Always Artichoke. And I used a MS punch for the fancy border on the lid. Sentiment is stamped with Always Artichoke on Nestabilites and backed with the Fleur de Lis die. Dare I say it....this is my favorite, at least today!

Surprise Surprise....another you know what.

Well I had two more cut out but I didn't think I'd finish another today. This is a darker rust than the first one I made and I really love the cardstock and designer paper combo. The paper is Bazzill Basics and the dp is K and Co. I used Nestabilites behind the sentiment along with the small Fleur de Lis pendant. Sentiment is from A Spot of Tea by Lauren Meader. On top is one of my paper roses that I highlighted with Spiced Marmalade and Vintage Photo distress ink. I really really like this one. (Do I say that about each one.....oh dear!)

Pink Tea

I had to make one in pink! The cs is Bazzil Basics from Michaels called Vintage Pink and it is a really cool shade. The designer paper is Madeline by K&Co. I used a Prima rose on the top, Nestabilities Ten for the sentiment frame and the words are from Lauren Meader's stamp set A Spot of Tea. (I LUV this set!). The butterfly is Martha's with some Stickles to jazz it up. The ribbon is very old, have no clue where it came from. I think this is my favorite so far and technically came out the best of all I've done. Enjoy your weekend. Grab something tall and cool and just chill!

Ordination Anniversary Card

The pastor of our church is celebrating his fortieth anniversary to the priesthood. I made this card for him. The colors are just so soft and pretty. Cardstock is SU and the DP is Basic Grey's Capella. The sentiment is from The Lord is My Shepherd from ODB. I used right angle punching with a MS corner punch, Prima flowers just kissed with Blush Blossom ink and MS pearls.

Are you tired of the whole tea thing yet?

I'm sorry if you are tired of seeing these because I am having fun making them! This one has a Tim Holtz die used in the flower for the top and for the sentiment tag I used SU punches and a PTI sentiment from Tea for Two. Gee I haven't made a pink one yet..................

I finished another little tea pot today. These little things are addictive. Topped with a grungepaper rose and Sizzix leaves and the little tag is a small medallion made from the Martha Stewart corner punch and a sentiment and tag stamp from A Spot of Tea from Lauren Meader. Hope you're inspired to try one of these of your own! Stay cool wherever you are. It's sweltering here!

New Border Punches????

Are these new border punches you might ask? No they are Martha Stewart CORNER punches made into borders. I just used some scrap to make samples (I didn't chose such a great color!) to show you. I can't take credit for this. If you want to learn this technique, go to see Becca at Amazing Paper Grace and watch her three tutorials. Here's a link to make it fast and easy: http://www.amazingpapergrace.com/ She also teaches how to do medallions using the corner punches, all lots of different sizes. It's a fun technique. And it sure gets some more mileage out of these pricey gadgets. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Shall I Pour?

The piece de resistance of the tea party world! This is the second one I made. The first was only fit for the trash can. The second I'm pretty happy with! I'll tell you the secret.....softer cardstock. Stampin' Up! is too stiff. Bazzil Basic or some other less stiff cs is the way to go. This is from Lauren Meader (of course, you're not surprised) and works with her wonderful A Spot of Tea stamp set from which the medallion sentiment came. The DP is SU and the ribbon is SU. I made the rose on top and I used Nestabilities for the medallion along with the SU circle punches, tag punch and look close, the fancy piece behind the sentiment is from Becca at Amazing Paper Grace. She taught it on her blog today and it's done with a Martha Stewart punch which reminds me of a Double Wedding Ring quilt pattern but it's called Modern Garland. I LOVE this new technique. Sooooo, I hope you like it and please try one for yourself but use softer cardstock for better success.

A Special Tag.....

My friend Diane in Michigan (http://www.nelliesnest.blogspot.com/) challenged me to make a tag. This is the one I sent to her and she received it today so I can show it to you now. It uses Wendy Vecchi stamps on chipboard with a Tim Holtz rose and a little Stickles for the lips and eyes of the face. I was happy with how it turned out and I'm so glad Diane liked it too.

ODB Scripture Verses

I did this card between loads of laundry today. It uses the new ODB Scripture Verses I stamp set. I used an old Fiskar's circle punch, the Prima flower and the Nestabilities frame. The light was not the best but the cs is Taken With Teal and Whisper White with Taken with Teal ink. The DP I can't remember.

OK, several of the stamp sets sold. I removed them from the list and some of the small wheels and all the cartridges sold. Thanks so much.

Stampin' Up! For Sale

I have several more Stampin' Up! stamp sets for sale. I still have the ones I put up on December 11 of last year if you want to check that list and the price is reduced to $2 a set. Today I am adding the following (please don't ask for pictures as I do not have the time now to post them):

Starstruck $2
Punches Three $3
Friendship Blooms $4
Lexicon of Love, Happy Harmony, Measure of a Life, Morning Soft, Make a Wish, Cause for Celebration,Big Bold Birthday.....$2 each


A great chance to get some really nice sets really cheap! Most are only lightly used but in great condition or never used. All are cut, mounted, and boxed. You pay priority shipping which is the cheapest way to go, especially if you buy several sets. I also have some wheels for sale. I have 5 small wheels and 3 cartridges, two never opened and 3 large wheels. If you are interested in those, let me know and I'll try to get the names for you. I also have two large wheel boxes which also hold the small wheels and two of the very tiny little stamp boxes. Thanks everyone!

Tea Time

Would you join me for tea? Tea parties are so popular now and tea rooms are popping up everywhere. Here are some cute little tea cup invitations made from Lauren Meader's cut file A Spot of Tea. I loaded the file into my Cricut and then sized it to fit a regular A2 envelope when folded in half. Then I also adjusted the fancy front paper to fit the size I chose. The little tags are from the stamp set from Lauren which has so many delightful little "tea" sayings. I lined the inside with cream to write the details of date, time, place etc. Lauren has a tutorial on her blog on how to make this card from the file. And remember you can buy them in .pdf as well if you don't have a cutting machine. The DP is K&Co. Madeline and the cs is all SU. Enjoy!

Time for Tea

The very talented Lauren Meader owner of My Time Made Easy has done it again. She and her team come up with the most wonderful packaging ideas. Stamps too! The first project is a small little envelope, if you will, that opens to hold two tea bags. This could be a favor, part of a larger gift package, for a get well gift, tea party, etc. Very simple to make. I cut mine on the Cricut but Lauren also sells a .pdf file that you can print and cut with scissors. The next project is a box to hold tea bags. The lid is hinged and opens for you to put the contents inside. I am showing the version that has a tabbed opening at the bottom for you to pull out a tea bag at a time. This can also be made with a solid front for just a plain box version. If you did that you could then put the little envelope with tea bags, tea cakes, cookies, chocolate, fancy sugar cubes, etc. For a get well, use tissues, lozenges, tea bags etc. The stamped tea cup on the lid is from a wonderful set of "tea" stamps by Lauren and her crew. Lots of tea related sayings and quite a few ways to decorate your tea cup. You can even make tea cup shaped cards. Again, I cut mine on the Cricut but a .pdf is available. What a fun project this was!