CropCircles

Closer and closer to Halloween

2011-10-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,

I am so excited to share this card design by Carla who is one of our designers aka a Portuguese Pixie whom you will hear a lot more about in the future. She does sensational cards and here is the latest one using the Lacey design Dana trick or treat witch.

In this card the following materials were used

Spellbinder for the fence and house and cat inside the card.love it love it
Spellbnder post for inside of card
Bo Bunny paper
Lacey design Dana Trick or treat witch
Bazzill card stock-linen
Copic colouring
You will notice inside the house Carla placed a ghost figure in the window which I thought was a brilliant touch and her use of colours were fabulous.
Also you can see how Carla fringed the grass on the bottom for an added feature.
Lacey Design stamps are exclusive to Crop Circles and will be available on line in the next month or so when our new website gets completed.I can hardly wait to share with you some of the talented artists that we will showcase.
So without further adieu

Lacey Design Dana Treat or Treat

Notice the detail on the spellbinder house with the door and the ghost.How cute is that

Spellbinder cat with a spellbinder post die to hang the Happy Halloween sign.See the eyes of the cat,,,,, how stunning is that.?

Here is another view that shows the dimension of the elements

Lacey Designs

These stamps are available for purchase at the store.Call us if you are interested.

Have a witching day everyone.

Hugs
Helen

October Afternoon

2011-10-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Afternoon and Happy Thanksgiving,What a beautiful day out there and it sounds like we will be getting much more of this all weekend long.yippee!!!!

Here are a few cards to start you off on your weekend and a reminder for all of you to take some me time for yourself.,,,,,,,I know how busy everyone is trying to get ready for family and friends but, it is essential that you also enjoy this time.Talk a walk,get a cuppa of something you like , take a bath or something else you never seem to make time for.

For all you lovely ladies - Remember to take a few moments for yourself.This is one of my favourite Halloween stamps from Impression Obsessions and says it all about most of us Flying around all day trying to prepare for a Grand Thanksgiving and this is the ahhh moment we all wish for when it is done and everyone has gone home.

Paper by Bo Bunny and Copic colouring

Happy Thanksgiving everyone,This card was made using the stamps by Heartfelt collection Leaves and Kaleidacolor Autumn stamp pad.I took a brayer and rolled it into the kaleidacolor and stamped the image a few times to give a nice subtle background.If you need more information on how to do this card send me an email.

This card is a reminder to enjoy life this weekend.Cherish every moment.

This is my favourite stamp that I call Mama Babushka,a lady with attitude and so full of life.This stamp is by Mo Manning and is the most versatile stamp I have seen.Great for birthdays,retirement,girls card,Mother's day even a fall card like I made here to celebrate all you lovely ladies.Remember age is an attitude not a number.

Hugs Everyone and have a safe happy weekend.

Helen

October Frolics featuring Lacey Designs Trick or Treat Dayna

2011-10-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

Lacey Designs- Trick or Treat Dayna

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to share with you a Halloween Card using the Lacey design Trick or Treat Dayna rubber stamps which are now in stock,
This card is dedicated to a very special friend whom I have grown to appreciate and understand over the last couple of years.Her favourite colour is Ruby Red.

I loved making this card using October Afternoon paper along with some of the Halloween paper in my stash.

You will see how inside I used the honeycomb dollar store cut out to create a sure to make someone smile card.

It is amazing how many of us card makers don't take advantage of making Halloween cards or fall cards.Many of my customers ask why do I enjoy making cards celebrating this time of year and here is my answer

Love to make cards-Don't need an excuse:}
Fall is the most spectacular of colours and who doesn't love vibrant colours? Pure Eye Candy out there right now, so take some time to soak it all in.
Halloween cards make people smile and reminds them of some childhood memory that was great.Surely, there is that one thing that made you laugh and giggle
Winter is not here yet LOL

This time of year reminds me of my sisters and the closeness we felt growing up, sharing the fun and freedom to be who we wanted to be, for one night, then back to the routines.

I have many fond memories of us trying to scare one another or outdo the last prank.By the way my Sister Marg has held the record of creating the ultimate prank that I don't think we will ever top. That happened 9 years ago and my little sis still talks about it this time of year, every year.We even video taped the whole thing because we didn't want to miss the expression on my little sisters face.This prank lasted for at least 3 hrs so you can imagine when the big reveal came, little sis was furious and ready to do battle.We still laugh about this all the time.
Candy apples,costumes,popcorn balls and homemade fudge were all part of our loot bags because we all knew the neighbours and knew which house had the best treats.We would run from house to house laughing as we went along.

Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and whether life has been good or bad there is always at least one thing to be thankful for,family, friends,health, wonderful memories of time gone by and so much more.Hmm can you come up with any other things that you are thankful for and share them with us?

Well we have some wonderful classes coming up and we will be introducing some new stamps soon so check back often for updates.

Note: Ladies from the Fall class extravaganza

We also are going to extend the card making contest by 4 days due to the Thanks giving weekend so make sure you get your card in on time for your chance to win a spellbinder of your choice.Can hardly wait to see what you come up with.LOL

Take care for now

Hugs
Helen
See some more pics below

Inside of card using the honey comb paper cutouts you find in dollar stores

Trick or Treat Dayna by Lacey Designs

Stamp of the month October 1st, 2011

2011-09-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peak at one of the cards we will be doing for the Stamp of the month club October 1st,using My Mind's Eye Princess stamp set from Lost and Found

In this class you will have to think about 10 things that you love about someone as this will go on the tag on the inside of the card.

It could be used for a friend,child,relative or any number of occasions.

I must say it was rather difficult to think of 10 things I liked about someone.I got through 6 fairly quickly but after that I really had to dig deep.I thought how awful that is that my mind went blank so I challenge you to write down 10 things you love about someone in 10 minutes or less and let me know how you made out.

Some of the things I used to make this card,
My Mind's eye Lost and Found stamp
Distress inks which I adore of course,
Large scallop Edge Nestie
Picot Nestie
Bo Bunny Et Cetera line
Maya Road Ribbon and Lace
McGill flower punch
Doodlebug rhinestones
Tim Holtz adage tickets

Tip for organizing your nesties was submitted by the fabulous Marie

She purchased some Square bottom CD cases from the dollar store Marie trimmed them to fit the CD holder and put all her nesties in the case.When I saw what she had done I had to do the same.Well Marie this has worked out better than anything I have seen so far.Thank you for bringing this to our attention and I am so much happier with this system then what I had before.Ladies run and get your magnets and CD holder.You won't be disappointed.

Note:You want the square bottom not the round bottom holders.

Sorry about the glare on the pictures but you get the idea.

Enjoy the day and be happy doing what you do.

We are also sending Pat a big hug to let her know she has been missed.Glad you are home again.

Hugs
Helen

All about Backgrounds with Shirley

2011-09-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone on this beautiful sunshiny day,

The Fall Extravaganza class on Saturday went extremely well and we had a load of fun.Henry made us an amazing carrot soup for lunch and I am trying to figure out what was in it because up until then everyone was very focused on making the fall cards.Right after that, it turned into an adult daycare center with peels of laughter and the class ran way over time because we were too busy socializing and having fun.You ladies made my day so much more enjoyable and I had to admit defeat trying to get things back on track.Thanks to Kathi as well for all her wonderful help in serving up the lunch.

Also we are hosting a card making contest.Everyone in class were given some images to colour to turn into a card using whatever style they like and I can hardly wait to see what comes back in 4 weeks.One lucky winner will select a Spellbinder of their choice.

Now onto the next 2 classes lined up for this month that you won't want to miss.

Our Lovely Shirley will be teaching the All about Backgrounds Class on September 24th,2011

a;S

Angel Fish Bubbles

Dragon fly and Weeds backgrounds

Weeds at Dusk

How about some funky ostrich attitude cards by Impression Obsession using distress inks like you have never seen before.We have 2 sessions each 2.5 hour class with 6 cards in total.(3 each class) and if you take both we will provide lunch for you.This is guaranteed to be so much fun.A few spots left so sign up so you won't be disappointed.

Ostrich with Attitude

September Stamp of the month will be held on October 1,2011 and the stamp is called Lost and Found by My Minds Eye.
Stamp of the month includes the cost of the stamp and this is taken home at the end of the class because it is yours to keep..

Sneak peak tomorrow of the cards we will be making.

Tip of the Week is submitted by Tania who also owns Four Legged Friends Dog Grooming on the Parkway in Peterborough .

Place small piece of Velcro on bottom of ink pad and apply the Tim Holtz foam pads to bottom of ink pad which will allow you to keep the right pad with the right ink so no more searching or contaminated ink blending.

Share your smile and light up the world today.

Hugs everyone

Helen

Happy Birthday to Kathi Morrison who tuns 50 today

2011-09-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

I know I haven't been blogging for a few months but with summer almost officially over especially if today is any indication brrr then the time has come for stampers and scrappers to start working on Christmas projects or any project at all.

I just wanted to take this time to wish Kathi Morrison a happy 50th birthday today.Kath who is know as the wool whisperer has a passion for knitting and people.She always has a smile even when life happens to throw a few curves.She has been a mainstay at the store for almost 2 years and without her we wouldn't have a yarn department.Thank you Kathi for being such a great person.

Now some class information

We are having our fall extravaganza September 10th at 9:30 am.

In this class we will be using the sizzix folder 656469 to create stunning backgrounds and cards.This class runs from 9:20 to 2:30 with lunch included in the price.

Here are just some of the cards we will be doing with our Cuttlebug and Kaleidacolor inks.

Have a great day and happy crafting.

Hugs
Helen

Mothers day 2011

2011-05-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone,

I am going to share one of the funniest stories I have heard in quite some time from my friend Jane who sent this to me via email.Well I laughed so hard that I couldn't resist putting this on the blog so everyone can think of their own fond memories and things that happened along the way.

Thank you so much Jane for sharing your wonderful story.Wishing you, Murray and everyone else out there a beautiful Mother's Day on Sunday.

Here is one of Jane's childhood memories.

Helen, you also asked for other stories so here's one about my Mother.

Well I was an only child and my parents had me late in life around mid forties. They had tried for years to have a baby but it just did not happen and they had given up and then surprise I came along.

My mother tended to be so overprotective because of this and did not want me to do some of the fun stuff that other kids did due to not wanting me to hurt myself.

I used to love to jump on the bed but that was a a really big no no with her as I am sure it is in a lot of homes with moms for the obvious reason. Mothers can be so funny about stuff can't they. (ha ha)

Well one time when my mom was out and my dads father was baby sitting I thought this is my perfect chance I would go and jump on the bed and no one was around to stop me now. I could hit the clouds. I took this wonderful chance and had an absolute ball jumping and jumping as high and fast as I could.
Mom came home a little while later and grandpa was still sleeping and the house was unusually quiet. That was a sign in our house that if I was quiet, I was into trouble of some kind.

Well mom comes looking for me and my chance at jumping to hit the clouds had sort of backfired as she found me on the floor beside the bed, unconscious in a little pool of vomit as I had really jumped too high and hit my head on the ceiling and knocked myself out unconscious. Ha ha on me. Maybe mothers do know best.

For some reason that was the last time my grandpa got to babysit me.

So you can imagine how the conversation went when I asked for roller blades for Christmas one year. Not well. My poor mother had really bitten off more than she could chew when she did have me. My apologies to her for my first 20 years or so. If moments like this are not a good reason for birth control I don't know what would be. Notice I mentioned I was an "only child" I wonder why? I took these little events that happened throughout my life time into consideration, when it came to having kids and realized I really did not have that much energy. No one does. Have a good Mothers Day.

Here is a cute quick Mother's Day Card

Materials used

Judikins Sticky Stuff Embossing powder or Stampendous stick and bond
ArtQuest Glitter
Magenta Butterfly Stamp
Stampendous Mother's Day stamp
Rope Pearls in lilac
May Arts Ribbon
Paper Company Lilac paper
Bazzil CS in Vanilla and Purple

We have had many questions as to why we would use the Sticky Stuff Embossing powders and here are some of the reasons why.

This embossing powder stays tacky allowing you to pour glitter in different colours over it.When dry it provides superior bonding with glitter,beads,flocking or flower soft.Great for detailed stamps quick and easy.If you tried to trace every line with a quickie pen this would become tedious work with stamps such as these.

Have a great day and a special Thank you to all.
Hugs
Helen

Magenta Butterfly stamp using Stamp and Stick and Glitter

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone,

This Sunday is Mother's Day where we pay tribute and celebrate the important women in our lives.From my own experience I must say reflecting back that I had a great childhood,Not that I thought so at that time.Who does though?We remember all the things that didn't go our way or were not the most fun memories like chores,watching our siblings,curfew when the lights on the streets came on and our dates being grilled about their intentions.You always knew when you came home the lights would be on and one or both parents would be watching out the window.Heaven help you if you were a minute late and who could forget the grilling about what you did,where did you go etc etc.
Television on our black and white TV was very strictly monitored and who had time after homework,chores and our 7 p.m. bedtime.Every chance we had to go outside to play we did as we knew if we weren't outside Mom always had chores for us to do, non stop,Bless her heart.What didn't kill ya made you stronger was her motto.

My parents are gone now but I do have a wonderful Step Mom and Mother-in-Law who have always been there for me so this is for you both,Love you Mom's.

I cherish the memories and appreciate all the lessons learned.I truly have and have had wise and caring parents and for that I am grateful.We did not lead an idyllic life but one that was nourished through many obstacles and perseverance.One thing that was never missing was LOVE and caring.We didn't have all the bells and whistles growing up but, we did not miss it.Would love to hear about your childhood stories and your fond memories about the important women in your life.

Here are a few card designs suitable for a sharing with that special person this Sunday.These card designs are not all my own.We are so fortunate that there are so many talented ladies that share their talent with us.If you wish more information please contact the store on how the cards were made.

Love to you all

Hugs
Helen

Dianna designed this card using the Magenta floral stamp and Distress ink Stormy Sky.This card has lots of glitter and and soft classic lines.Great job Dianna

Gail's [Papermint Pattie]Cards made from handmade paper using Gail's ready made kits.If you have not tried this you are so missing out.My favourite is My garden Kicks a _ _ so appropriate for all those dedicated gardeners.Go girls Go

Stamp barn stamp using dot cuttlebug embossing folder and Tombow markers.This card was inspired by Sharon Stead.

Debbie's Mom Day card made here with a little help from Cathy.Great Job Deb.

Cathy's card made using some of her stashed designer paper,bling, Spellbinders,peel offs,and stamps by Stampendous

Card Designed by Helen using Magenta Floral stamp panel.Cuttlebug large dot folder and Cuttlebug labels die.Word Stamp is from Kaisercraft.Gold Zing embossing powder from American crafts.

Hopefully this has given you some simple ideas to motivate you to make your card for that special women in your life,someone who means a lot to you and may be a Friend, Sister,Mother,Daughter or anyone needing some cheering up.

Hugs
Helen

April 30th Class using watercolour paints

2011-04-28T03:33:00.000-07:00

Hero Art stamp with ArtQuest water colour paint

Here is a sample of one of the cards we will be making on Saturday afternoon April 30th.
Shirley who designed these cards will be teaching these techniques for the first time at the store.Morning class is filled but we have a few spots left for the afternoon session so if you are interested please contact the store.The cards are full of glamour, glitz and colour. Pure eye candy.
All supplies are available.
Have a great day everyone,

Hugs
Helen

Happy Mother's Day, Ladder card made by Tania

2011-04-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you Tania for sharing this Mother's Day card you designed using Magnolia Stamps.

This will inspire others to try making a ladder card and coming up with their own designs.Awesome job.

Hugs

Helen

2011-04-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

Magnolia Card designed by Tara

Hello on this beautiful spring day.

Today's post is to let you know about an upcoming class on May 14th we are having using Magnolia Stamps,Penny Black and Copic markers.

Tara Godfrey will be teaching Skin tone colouring techniques with Copic Markers

Tara participates in many design team challenges and has been teaching for many years.We are very fortunate that we can offer a skill building workshop focusing entirely on shading,blending,layering on one of the most difficult areas to colour -SKIN

Check Out

Tara's blog spot - http:// inkingontheedge.blogspot.com

Are you frustrated with trying to get your skin tones to look blended and real?Then this class is for you.

In 2:5 hrs you will gain enough knowledge to confidently colour skin on any images and what you learn can be easily adapted to clothing, hair etc.Don't miss out on this opportunity

This is not a cardmaking class.We will colour as many images as time permits and if you wish please bring stamped images you are having difficulty with to practise on.

See May Calendar at www.cropcircles.ca for further details.Hope to see you soon.

Hugs

Helen

Stamp of the month class held last Thursday of each month

2011-04-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

April 23rd Stamp of the month

Card 1

Hello everyone,

I hope everyone enjoyed the Easter weekend and we are sharing the cards we made for the stamp of the month class.For this month we choose Magenta panel and butterfly stamp.Enjoy and if you have any questions please contact the store.Material list below.

Hugs and and a special thank you to all of our Customers and those that follow our blog..

Also just wanted to share with you we are participating in the Win the Wedding event hosted by Charlotte Jewellers in Peterbrough.This is a $16,000 value package including a diamond ring so share this with anyone you know who is planning a wedding.Enter on line at Charlotte Jeweller's as soon as you can.Good Luck

Car

Materials used:

Thank you Card 1

Teal metalic ink

Prisma colour pencils

Rice paper

Brads

Dimensional dots

Gold thread

Green and cream Bazzil cardstock

Panel stamp and butterfly stamp by Magenta

Thank you by Penny Black
Glitter -Clear Boss

Card 2 -Butterfly
Magenta butterfly stamp

Gold embossing powder
Metal thank you tag
Versamark ink
Versamark pen
Gold wire
Rhinestone
Stickles
Ribbon
Purple,white cardstock Bazzil
Purple designer cardstock The Paper Company
Clearboss Glitter

Hugs Helen

Easter Card

2011-04-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to share with you an Easter card that was very simple to design and make that could easily be used for a sympathy card as well.

Changing the stamp this would make lovely wedding invitations.Simple and elegant

Materials used

Cuttle bug large dot folder

Cuttlebug swirl folder

Stampbarn lily stamp

Spellbinder diamond shape

Spell binder Parisian accents

White ribbon

Gold metal wrapping paper

White cardstock

Gold embossing powder

Versamark ink

A special Easter wish to all our friends and family who touch our lives in the most beautiful way.

Love and hugs to all

Helen

Happy Easter

2011-04-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I posted last and I do wish to apologize to all of you who do take the time to take a peak at what is new or exciting.This post goes out to my good friend Rose who reminded me today again that she checks the blog everyday and is waiting patiently.Rose thank you for kicking me into action.

Materials used

Stampavie Chick

Copic Markers

Prima Flowers

Keepsakes metal embellie

Kaisercraft rhinestones

Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe Easter

Hugs Helen

Easel Card using a Stampavie stamp by Sarah Kaye

2010-12-05T03:26:00.000-08:00

Good Morning everyone,

Thought I would share this card I designed for someone that has survived Breast Cancer.I wanted the card to be soft, muted and to be able to express the girlishness in all of us.
I selected this image from Sarah Kaye and modified it a touch.The stamp actually has a butterfly on the toe but we added a dove instead to signify HOPE.

Materials used

Melissa Frances papers and buttons
Dove stamp from Crafty Secrets
Deckled oval Nestie
Scalloped oval Nestie
Martha Stewart punch
Prima flowers
Basic Grey string ribbon
May Arts Ribbon in pink
Copics for colouring
Quickie Glue Pen and ClearSnap Glitter
Scor-Pal
Bazzill Cardstock

This is a 6X6 easel card.What I did not include in the photo is that we stamped a Dove on the front of the envelope and also the back of the card using a Stamp in up stamp loaned to me by Maria.Thanks for your kindness Maria.

Now with Christmas getting closer I thought I would share this recipe provided by one of our customer's Glenda.She brought this desert in and we all just went wow.If we could have licked the crumbs off the plate we would have, so put this on your must try recipe list.
10 of us gives this a 5 star rating.Thanks Glenda you are an incredible lady.

Bavarian Apple Torte

1/2 c butter or margarine softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour

1pkg Cream Cheese softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg (at room temp)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 cups thinly sliced peeled apples
1/3 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon

Instructions
Combine ingredients from first column and spread dough o bottom and 1/2 inch up
sides of 9 inch spring form pan.
Beat creme cheese and sugar until blended. Add egg and vanilla: mix well spread
evenly over the crust.
Combine 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp Cinnamon, 4 cups peeled sliced apples
Place in pinwheel pattern over cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with 1/4 c sliced
almonds (optional)
Bake at 425 degrees for 10 min.
Reduce temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking 25min longer.
Cool on wire rack.
Chill 3 hours before serving.
Compliments guaranteed

Have a great day everyone and remember how special you are.
Hugs
Helen

Trifold Season Greeting card

2010-12-04T08:41:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since my last post so in keeping with the Christmas spirit we thought we would share this card.This is a trifold card which is so easy to make and truly is so much fun.We stamped the cardinal image into the snowglobe and added lots of liquid applique and glitter for a wonderful scene.Also we added little gold beads into the feeder for a realistic look.If you have not used a Scor-pal or Scor-pal buddy then come in to try one.These are invaluable when doing the many types of fold cards so put one on your wishlist.You won't regret it.
Northwood stamps have been replenished so if you are interested stop on by.

.We used the following materials

Northwood Cardinal stamp
Penny Black globe stamp with love
Bazzill card stock
Snowflake cuttlebug folder
Copic markers
Momento ink
Bo Bunny paper
Spellbinder oval scallop nestie
Kaiser craft brown half pearls
May Arts Ribbon
Liquid applique
Clearsnap glitter
Glitter Ritz
Scor-Tape
Scor-Pal

Enjoy and have a great day.Happy shopping everyone.

Hugs
Helen

Church scene Northwood stamps

2010-11-22T04:22:00.000-08:00

Good Morning

Here is another card to share using some great scenery stamps from Northwood stamps.

The card has lots of glitz and glamour.Card was made using lots of Marvy Liquid applique and Clearsnap glitter.Images were coloured with Tom Bow markers creating a soft coloured background.Sentiment is also a Northwood stamp.

This is also the same stamp that was used and Dianna embossed with white embossing powder on black cardstock. She then cut out the church image and used dimensional dots to attach the church back onto the card.She used blue glitter for the windows and used a silver pen to enhance the detail of the window.Sentiment is from Northwood stamps as well.
Simple but very elegant.Great job Dianna.

Have a fabulous day.Hugs to all.
Helen

Outline Holly stamp card share by Brenda and Sally

2010-11-20T03:01:00.000-08:00

Good Morning everyone,
Brenda and Sally came to visit today and brought with them the cards they had been making for the holidays.With so many beautiful cards they each made it was difficult to choose which I would post on this blog.

I picked this card as it is full of techniques.

Brenda and Sally used a bleaching layering technique to change the colour of the Bazzil cardstock which gives the card loads of dimension and colour variation.

They cut out various layers of the stamp and layered it on top of each other to further add some pizazz.The colours were done in black and bronze with stunning effects.

The Holly stamp from outline is actually stamped on black Bazzil paper and layers of bleach added to change the colours of the leaves and berries.

This was done several times until they were satisfied with the colours..
They stamped out the image several times then layered the leaves with dimensional dots.

You can see the leaves on the right side almost jumping off the card.

Adding the jewels polishes off this very elegant card.

Ladies give this technique a try to see what you can come up with.

Thanks so much to Sally and Brenda for taking the time to share this with us.

Have a wonderful fun filled day

Hugs Helen

Raised effect with dimensional dots

Aside view showing the layers

Northwood Stamps

2010-11-18T04:28:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone,

We are going to share one of the cards we are making on Saturday.This is a gorgeous stamp from the Northwood's collection.These chickadee's can be enjoyed all year long and for many types of cards,masculine,birthdays and spring of course.

These were coloured with Copic markers and the birds were cut out and raised.We used liquid applique for the snow and glitter glitter to give the card some shine.

Of course we can't leave you without a recipe from our friend Kim for tortilla rollups.......mmmm yummy!
A great appetizer!

1/2 cup salsa
1 pkg. plain cream cheese
2 green onions - finely chopped
1/3 cup orange cheese
1 tsp. parsley, 1 tsp. garlic powder, pinch of celery salt
pkg. medium tortillas

Cream all of the ingredients together and spread over the tortillas. Roll and cut into bite size pieces.

Have a great day and don't forget to sign-up as a follower to get this blog first hand.
Hugs
Helen

Stampendous stamps

2010-11-13T04:26:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone and good morning,
In the last blog I shared some pictures and promised I would share the cards made with them.
Here we used the little elf in the Stampendous set called Snowy Short Stacks designed by Fran Seifordand and paired him wtih a snow globe from Penny Black collection.
The Bo Bunny and Bazzill paper just set the tone.I love this colour combination of greens and purples and this seemed the perfect fit.

Copics were used to colour him in and the results made us all smile.I am still thinking we will add another sentiment to hang from the ribbon but for now we will leave it alone.
Take care and have a great day.
Hugs Helen

Stampendous Christmas Fun

2010-11-11T03:39:00.000-08:00

Good Morning,Can you believe Christmas is just around the corner and I haven't done my cards yet.Hard to decide out of so many options to choose from.I did want to share these cute cute stamps from Stampendous.I absolutely love these pretties.

This stamp set is like the paper doll cutouts we used to play with endlessly.The stamp set comes with multiple feet,heads,hats, jackets and sayings.This stamp can be used over 50 different ways and no two will be the same.I decided I would show you some of the images and what you can do with them before we make these into cards.Copic markers were used to colour these cuties and once we assemble them we will share the markers used.

Stampendous Stamp

Gift card holder

One little guy image stamped


2 little characters stamped together

2 different characters stamped together

3 little characters stamped together

I hope you enjoyed seeing the versatility and check back soon to see what we created with them.

Now here is a great recipe from our friend Sandra who brings in yummy treats to try.Thank you Sandrafor sharing this with us.This is a new twist on an old favourite.

Hot Spinach Dip

1 package Cream cheese(250gr}
! package frozen chopped spinach(thaw and squeeze out the water)
1 cup salsa your choice hot or mild
2 green onions chopped
1 c shredded cheese (save 1/2 for the top)

Mix all in Microwavable bowl except the 1/2 cup of cheese
When ready to serve top with cheese and heat in microwave for 5 minutes on medium
Serve with your favourite tortilla,crackers veggies

Hugs to all and have a great day.
Helen

Helmet Liner update for the troups-Remembrance Day

2010-11-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

Remembrance day will soon be here and I wanted to share our story how this year we supported our troops.

We started our helmet liner project with the goal of 150 liners knit by September 1,2010.in late spring.
Our Tuesday evening knitting gals enthusiastically started spreading the word at the Peterborough knittery and contacting friends and family.Chex TV did an article about the project and the news spread even further.
We had a knit out that many came to and we received strong local support in the form of prizes and donations for the ladies that came to knit helmet liners .
Peterborough Square manager Cheryl provided the space free of charge to hold the knit out as well as let us use the window display to show our progress from beginning to end.

We are so pleased to announce that we exceeded our goal and we shipped over 415 helmet liners to the troops.To my surprise we were the top contributing store in all of Ontario. We even had helmet liners shipped in from Kathy and the girls in British Columbia as well.Way to go ladies you are the best.Everyday was Christmas at the store when the liners would arrive and Kathy Morrison did the happy dance and changed the stats.I do know how very much we live in a caring loving society and we should not forget all the good things that happen in our lives.I have so much to be thankful for and being a part of this was project was awesome.

Ladies again our thanks for supporting our gals and guys overseas.Great job and bless your hearts.

Hugs
Helen

McGill Punches

2010-11-07T04:58:00.000-08:00

Hello again on this lovely Sunday morning,

Just wanted to share some great punches we are carrying in the store.The poinsettia was made using the Lily , birch leaf and snowflake punch by Mcgill and the birch leaf.The background embossing folder is the holly from Crafts -Too folder very similar to the cuttlebug.
The tool kit by McGill is instrumental for shaping these flowers.
We used Tombow markers to colour in the veins and the edges.We added quickie glue and sparkle to add some pizazz..Very simple easy to make card.The lily that can be made from these punches is equally as nice.

The Hyacinth card sample was made using the small flower punch by Mcgill.This punch comes with many different shapes to use just as is or to shape two dimensional flowers,Using the tool kit we are able to shape these delicate looking flowers to look almost real.The tool kit can be used for any flower punches you have to shape the petals.These amazing tools are also used in cake decorating to shape petals and leaves so now you can use this for more than just cards.Stop by for a demo if you are interested.Great for favor boxes decorating scrapbook pages frames and I am sure you can come up with a few other things to use this for.Have a great day everyone.
Hugs
Helen

Double layout Family Scrapbook pages Blessings and Ham Dip recipe

2010-11-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a scrapbook double layout using the Quick Quotes scrapbook kits Blessings.

These kits are so very cute and versatile that I had to use this to scrapbook pictures of our daughter and her little man, our grandson in the first layout .Would never have thought to add burlap to a scrapbook page but I quite like the texture and effect.

Some nice touches are that the photo mats are matted with vellum script in the background.

The second layout is a mirror image of the first one and but I changed up the photo sizes and placement.This is a picture of our son and our other two grandkids and of course, us.These are just some of the things I count my blessing for every day.What are you thankful for in everyday life?
There is always something to be thankful for everyday.

Here is great recipe for an appetizer

Ham Dip submitted by Kim

1 package 8 oz. plain cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Combine and mix together.
Add:
1 can flakes of ham
2 tablespoons parsley
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (you can substitute a couple squirts of liquid mustard)
Mix together and refrigerate.
Serve with your favorite cracker.
Yummy!

Hugs and have a fabulous day
Helen

Snow Kiss by Penny Black

2010-11-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow card makers another few cards to share with you,

Here are two cards made with cutie pie Mimi,
In the first card we used the following stamps

Snow kiss by Penny Black
Stampendous winter greeting stamp
Mountain stamp by I brake for stamps

I used Red glitter by Glitter Ritz for the Red Mat using double sided tape by Scor-Pal
Mounted on Green Bazzil CS
Stamped mountain background in Gray Versafine
Chalked background using pebbles Jewel tones
Copics used for colouring
Liquid applique was used for the hat and bottom of Mimi's dress topped off with some Clear snap glitter
Scor Pal was used to create an embossed edge

This cutesy card was made by Bonnie using Tombow Markers and palette paper to create a very soft look
Liquid appliques and Clear Snap glitter were used on Mimi's hat and bottom of the dress to give a two dimensional look with lots of sparkle
Chalks were used on the background and some snowflake punches to add some pizazz
Snow kiss by Penny black used.

Hope this inspires you to get creating your season's greetings or just for fun.

Have a great evening everyone.

Hugs
Helen