A Touch of Grace

Welcome to Day 2 of the JustRite Stampers Font Blog Hop. JustRite Stampers is celebrating a Mega Font Blog Hop, a two day extravaganza with 54 designers, in style with a Super 7-Day Font Sale.  If you’re looking for some fabulous font sets, you won’t want to miss this sale, they are offering 30% off all JustRite font sets and the Horizontal and Vertical font stampers.

The sale begins September 17th and ends September 24th.  And to add some fun into the blog hop, Mystery Blog Candy is being given away during the Two Day JustRite Font Blog Hop!!  Why is it a mystery?  .  .  . Well, there’ll be three blog candy giveaways on each day and you can only win by leaving a comment on the right blog!  The real surprise is you won’t know which blog has the candy .  .  . even the designers don’t know!  So, as you visit each of the 54 designers over the two day event, take time to leave a comment  .   .   . You may be one of the lucky winners!  You have until 12:00 noon on Sunday to leave comments for your chance to win.  You’ll want to check back at the JustRite Blog on Sunday evening to find out if you’ve won.

Ladies, go grab a cup of coffee (you’ll want a large cup  .  .  . LOL), a yummy danish,  sit back, relax and enjoy the blog hop.  I hope we’ve provided you with lots of inspiration for your holiday crafting and decorating!

For the designs below I used the above products from JustRite Stampers:  Special Occasion Uppercase Font set,  Small Letter Font set, Horizontal Wood Stamper set, Autumn Blessings Borders and Centers, and Wood Stamper  Oval (large).

I decorated a jar of Pecan Pumpkin Butter and a bag filled with ingredients to make Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Quick Bread to give away as a Fall holiday gift set.

A group picture of the bag, the jar, and the pumkin bread that I baked for my family. Every Fall I receive a loaf of pumpkin bread from a dear friend.  She packages it up so beautifully.  I’m forever in awe of her thoughtfulness, kindness and talent. This year, I’m giving her this gift set in appreciation for all she does to make me feel special.  

A close up of the front of the jar.  I covered the jar with the Harvest collection designer paper from Me & My Big Ideas, as well as the lid.  I used Petite Ovals and Petite Scalloped Ovals nesties for the pumpkin image, a Spellbinders tag die for the tag, and Circles and Scalloped Circles Nesties for the jar lid.  The three strips were cut at 1/4″ and wrapped around the jar. I edged the strips, as well as the oval and circle with a gold Krylon pen. The pumpkins were water colored with Stampin’ Up!’ re-inkers.

I placed a bow on top of the lid with a tag attached.  The bow is made of green taffeta ribbon from May Arts.  The leaves were punched with a Martha Stewart leaf punch.  The tendrils were made with Chocolate Chip cardstock.  I used the Bow Easy to make the bow and encircled it with the gold cord I used for the tag.

I made two more taffeta bows and attached them to the butter spreaders, so pretty when you’re having guests.  They were very easy to apply, I simply attached them with a Glue Dot close to the ceramic edge.  For clean up, simply remove them from the utinsel.

I attached another water colored pumpkin panel to the lower corner of the bag and added berries that I purchased at Michael’s.  The Michael’s in my area is having a 50% off of all Fall items.  I purchased several beautiful pieces for my home as well as a few sprays to use as embellishments for my crafts. The two metal pumpkin tea lights pictured above in the group picture were purchased at Michael’s.  So pretty, I can’t wait to light them at the dinner table.

I cut a portion from the Fall spray and adhered it to the bag top, together with a tag that reads, “Spiced Pecan Pumpkin - Quick Bread.”  I used bows throughout the project, I’d be lost without the Bow Easy.

You’ll want to head on over to Taylor’s blog from here.  If I know Taylor, she’ll have something that will knock your socks off!

Shopping:

JustRite Stampers for Special Occasion Uppercase Font set,  Small Letter Font set, Horizontal Wood Stamper set, Autumn Blessings Borders and Centers, and Wood Stamper Oval (large).

A Touch of Grace:  Gold Krylon Pen, Scor It, Zip Dry Adhesive, Scotch Removable Tape

Stamp Simply Ribbon Store:  May Arts Ribbon (HM56), Bow Easy

Products Used in Design:

Paper:  Me & My Big Ideas (DP); Old Olive, More Mustard, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Naturals Ivory

Ink:  Stampin’ Up! Re-inkers; Stampin’ Up! Markers, Staz On (brown)

Accessories:  Krylon pen, double sided tape, ruler, Scor It, Nestibilities: Petite Ovals, Petite Ovals Scalloped, Circles, Scalloped Circles, Tags, Megabilities, Spellbinders Leaf, Bow Easy, May Arts tafetta ribbon, gold cord (Stampin’ Up!), Glue Dots, Dimensionals (All Night Media and Stampin’ Up!), Martha Stewart leaf punch, berries and Fall foliage (Michael’s), Zip Dry adhesive, coffee bag, Scotch Removable Tape, Pecan Pumpkin Butter and Spiced Pecan Pumpking Quick Bread (Williams Sonoma).

Good Luck with the Blog Candy and enjoy the hop!

JustRite Blog
Debbie Olson
Jerri Jimenez
Taylor Van Bruggen
Holly Simoni
Barb Schram
Terre Frye
Michelle Kovack
Kim Moreno
Catherine Doucette
Kellie Fortin
Kimberly Crawford
Kathy Jones
Michelle Giraud
Angela Barkhouse
Heather Pulvirenti
Tami Mayberry
Jennifer Buck
Keri Lee Sereika
Jami Bova
Laura Davis
Stacey Kingman
Bonnie Sharp
Stephanie Severin
Janine Orchard
Debbie Seyer
Margie Higuchi
Lauren Bergold
Anja Curvers
AJ Otto

Thank you for stopping by to visit, I always love to see you here!

The thing I like most about the JustRite products is the ability to personalize designs.  People feel special when you take the time to create a little work of art for them.  What a wonderful way to show how much you care for them.  I designed this ensemble as a thank you gift for a wonderful dinner shared with special friends.

I used the Damask Monogram Stamper (my personal favorite) for the center initial on this card.  The finished size is 5″ x 7″.

I designed a simple set of six customized note cards using the Small Letter Set. The note cards measure 4″ x 6″.

This purse is similar to the design I posted last month, I used a different designer paper and different colored cardstock.  I used gold pearls instead of gold brads.

I’m a big fan of Joan’s Gardens, supplies used in this project purchased from Joan are: Black Kaiser pearls, Zip Dry adhesive, Glue Glider Plus, Dimensionals, Nestibilities, Scor It

• Stamps:  JustRite Stampers
• Paper:  DCWV LaCreme; Basic Black, Prism (red and green papers)
• Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
• Accessories:  Sewing Machine, black thread, Cuttlebug embossing folders, gold pearls, Coluzzle, black grosgrain ribbon, gold chain, BossKut Flourish die, glue dots, Therm O Web dimensionals, oval punches (SU and EK Success), corner punch, black Kaiser pearls, Scor It, EK Success border punch, Fiskars decorative corner punch, Mat Pack (SU), tweezers, tool kit (SU), stylus for embossing on purse, Glue Glider Plus, Circle Nestie, Marvy scalloped circle punch

Thank you all so much for stopping by.  I wish you a wonderful weekend with your family!

This is just a quick post to show you the photograph I took this morning of the complete Chintz Tea ensemble.  I hesitated  posting the picture as I don’t want to bore everyone with yet another picture of the set. 

The reason I chose to post a design each day was because I thought that if you wanted to make the ensemble, you would have an individual photograph with detail to look at in close detail.  In retrospect, I think I won’t do that again, I know I’m bored with it . . . LOL.  When I post future ensembles, I’ll post all the pictures in one post and just let it be one long post . . . LOL!!! 

The ensemble is so pretty on a table, but it doesn’t show well in a group photograph because the pieces appear so small.

All details are listed on each individual post.

Welcome everyone, today is day one of Stamp Simply Celebration!  To see all the events going on please visit notimetostamp (Sharon Johnson) and click here to see the information on the tab at the top of the page, above the blog banner, we are calling it Party Central.  Sharon and Janine are both giving away blog candy so you’ll want to visit their blogs.  You don’t want to miss out on all the goodies and festive ideas!  For the next twelve days there will be challenges, blog candy, and lots of fabulous designs from some fabulous designers to help you prepare for your holiday season.  I’m excited to be a part of this wonderful Christmas celebration and hope that you enjoy it as much as we did working behinds the scenes getting ready for it.  Thank you so much for stopping by. 

Anyone can play any of the challenges by any of the hostesses during our 12 days of Stamp Simply Celebrates!!!   You DO NOT have to have a Blog to play — uploading your project to SCS (Splitcoaststampers.com) is not only permissible, but HIGHLY ENCOURAGED.  When doing so, use the KEYWORD SSC08.

Today’s challenge is hosted by Janine Orchard.  Janine is hostessing a cookie recipe exchange.  It’s quite simple, simply choose your favorite recipe, bake, package, add a tag or card (in my case a spatula), and post the recipe.  You have one week to complete your project.  Please see Janine’s blog for further instructions.  If you are uploading your project over at Splitcoaststampers, please use the keyword SSC08 and link back to Janine letting her know you’ve participated.

I’ve baked my favorite cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies.  My mom made these cookies for me when I was growing up and now I make them for my kids.  If you’re a peanut butter fan, these cookies are a must try!

This was super simple, super fast to make!  I embossed a  poinsettia, cut it in half, watercolored it and then adhered it to the panels.  I used the large nestibilities to cut the panels.  The recipe was typed on my computer and printed out on Whisper White cardstock, then cut with the nestibilities as well.  I outlined each panel with a Krylon 18K gold pen.  I embossed holly leaves, watercolored them, and cut them out and adhered to the bag using glue dots.  A strip of 5/8″ grosgrain ribbon was tied around the bag and a miniature spatula was inserted into the tie.  A super easy project with a beautiful presentation!

• Ink:  Versamark
• Paper:  Kaiser Christmas DP, Garden Green, Whisper White
• Accessories:  Computer, Kaiser jewels, 18K gold Krylon pen, nestibilities, wizard, miniature spatula, craft knife, heating tool, Ranger gold/gold tinsel EP, watercolor brush, Tombow markers, red 5/8″ grosgrain ribbon, coffee bag

Check out Janine Orchard’s sample here.

Check out Darlene Pavlick’s sample here.

Check out Jennifer Buck’s sample here.

Check out Deb Saaranen’s sample here.

Check out AJ Otto’s sample here.

Check out Barb Shram’s sample here.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 bag chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup plain flour

Directions:

Cream together the peanut butter, butter, sugar, and eggs.  Add in tightly packed brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and baking powder.  Now add in the flour, 1/3 cup at a time, once flour has all been added, stir in the bag of chocolate chips (I use the small bag of Hershey’s chocolate chips.  I’ve also tried mint chocolate chips and white chocolate chips, both are fabulous.).  Bake on a cookie.  The amount of time will vary on what size you make your cookies. I like to place my dough in the frig for a couple of hours, they don’t flatten out when baking if they are first chilled.  For this batch I used about 1/4 cup of dough for each cookie and baked for 18 minutes.

Good morning ladies,

Today I’m joining in the celebration of Sharon’s (notimetostamp) blog anniversary party and I’ve got lots of blog candy that I’m giving away.  I’ve designed samples for some of the items to give you ideas of what you can do with the blog candy.  The samples are not included in the giveaway.  I’m overstocked and must move these items out of my stamping room to make room for new goodies.

Here are the Rules to enter the drawing . . . Are you ready?

1.  View the designs I’ve posted on my blog and tell me which one you like the most and why.  Now this shouldn’t be too difficult since I’ve only been blogging for six weeks;

2.  One comment only to qualify, duplicates will not count;

3.  E-mail your friends and ask them to visit my blog to enter the blog candy giveaway.   Why?

The size of the prize will be determined by the amount of comments left.  There will only be one prize . . . the lucky winner takes it all!  If I receive 50 comments, Package A will be sent to the lucky winner.  If I receive 100 comments, Package B will be sent to the lucky winner.  If I receive 200 comments, Package C will be sent to the lucky winner.  Are ya’ll following, the more comments I get, the more I add to the kitty?  So, the more comments I receive the bigger the package the winner will receive.   The winning number will be chosen on Sunday, September 14, at 2:00 p.m.  by Random.org. 

My friend, Joan Fricker, is giving away blog candy today in celebration of Sharon’s week long celebration, be sure to stop by her blog to sign up for another chance to win some blog candy.

 I purchased all items in the giveaway from Papertrey, Ink. 

50 Comments Required —- Package A above consists of:

• Two Frosted Tin Tie Bags (small)
• Four Coffee Bags consisting of: two small bags (white and kraft); two large bags (white and kraft)
• Two Window Coffee Bags (one large, one small)
• Four Glassine Bags (two large, two small)
• Two Clear Boxes

100 Comments Required —- Package B above consists of:

• Package A
• Large Nugget Tin
• 8 oz. Large Round Tin
• 4 oz. Medium Round Tin
• 2.5 Small Round Tin
• Tea Tin

200 Comments Required —- Package C above consists of:

• Packages A & B
• Small Clear Paint Can
• Medium Clear Paint Can
• Large Clear Paint Can

It was hard to get the entire package in a good photograph.  I’ve taken a picture of the three clear paint cans to give you a close up view so that you can better see their size.  Below are pictures of the sample designs I made.

I designed this ensemble to give you examples of fun ways to decorate the items in the blog candy.  The designer paper used is from Papertrey, Ink’s First Fruit’s collection.  I used the retired set Happy Fall Y’all from Stampin’ Up! in the designs.  To see the recipe you’ll need to continue to the bottom of this post.

I had fun designing this card.  I stamped the scarecrow with Versafine black ink onto Naturals Ivory paper and watercolored the image.  The birds were both stamped twice and popped up with dimensionals.  I used nestibilities to die cut the images.  The leaves were punched with a Martha Stewart punch that I purchased at Michael’s.

This tag could be attached to one of the coffee bags or to the large paint can.  In the photograph it looks like I got off centered when I adhered the scarecrow image.  It is off centered, but it’s supposed to be, I designed it that way for this project, it looks better in real life.  The tag is a piece of chipboard from an SU package that I have.  I covered the back of it with DP as well.  I love this tag, it wasn’t part of the original ensemble, but when I saw Sharon’s tag this morning, I was inspired to design one. 

Isn’t this hinged nugget tin just the cutest thing!  I didn’t place any nuggets inside because I wanted you to see the lining in the bottom.  It was very easy to place it inside the tin, I just placed the nugget tin on the designer paper and traced around the bottom of it.  I cut inside the tracing lines using a paper cutter,  I then used a large corner punch from SU to round the four corners.  I adhered the lining inside using a piece of double sided tape.  I used the same paper to cover the outside of the tin.  If you look closely at the lid, you’ll see that I adhered Old Olive ribbon around the outer edges of the lid.  I used a craft knife to cut out the scarecrow and placed him on the tag using dimensionals.

These small tins are super easy to decorate.  I used double sided tape that I purchased at Scor Pal to adhere the DP paper to the tins.  I made a tag for the lid that says Happy Fall Y’all.  M&M’s or Skittles would be adorable in this tin. 

These bag toppers were quick and easy to make.  I simply used an old SU Halloween wheel and ran it across Naturals paper.  I used a round circle from another retired set to make the different colored moons across the topper.   I borrowed this design, I believe, from an old SU magazine that is sent to demos, at least I think I did, I remember seeing something like this about a year ago.  The little ghost tag was made using a Cuttlebug die.

Ladies, I wish you all the best of luck!

• Stamps:  Happy Fall Y’all, Retired Halloween Wheel, Circle Stamp (all retired SU stamps)
• Paper:  Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Ruby Red,  Really Rust, Naturals, Naturals Ivory (SU); First Fruits (Papertrey, Ink)
• Ink:  Versafine (black), Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Night of Navy, Basic Grey, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Colorbox Chestnut Roan
• Accessories:  Martha Stewart punch, SU corner punch, SU 3/4″ and 7/8″ round punches, 5/8″ Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, 1/4″ Old Olive twill, black gingham ribbon (SU), striped black ribbon (JoAnn), dimensionals, watercolor brush, jumbo eyelets, large eyelets, Crop-A-Dile, hemp, various Nestibilities, sewing machine, SU Earth Elements brads, double sided tape, Cuttlebug dies, SU Chipboard, Basic Grey Chipboard, Faber-Castell Sketch pen, sponges, Scor It, Craft Knife

This is one of my favorite ensembles.  The petunia image in this ensemble is the same stamp I used in my blog banner and on boxes in the left margin on my blog.  I kept the lotion bottle and placed it on a vanity table in my bathroom.  The cards were donated to a Splitcoast Function in New York, I believe. Although it took some time to complete this ensemble, it was relatively easy.  I embossed the Fabriano Medioevalis cards in gold and then watercolored the images.  The bees were stamped on another sheet of watercolor paper and cut out with a craft knife.  I used Stampin’ Up’s Small Script set to stamp and emboss the sentiments. 

The lotion bottle comes apart.  It came with a template for cutting the exact size I needed to place inside the bottle.  Once it was painted, I simply placed it in a liner inside the bottle.  I have several more of the lotion bottles and will do a tutorial later on with assembly instructions.

The cards were mailed to New York for a Splitcoast function.  The recipient was very gracious and e-mailed me thanking me for them.  I wonder if she kept them or mailed them out?

The lotion bottle resides on a shelf on my vanity.  I’ve promised my mom I would make one for her and if you’ve seen my Splitcoast gallery, you’ll find almost every thing I do for her is in shades of lavendar, her favorite color.

I really must make another set of these cards, they are so soft and pretty,  many different sentiments can be used on them.  I have a small poinsettia stamp that would be pretty as well, with holly and pine surrounding the flower.   Hmmm, Christmas will be around the corner before we know it.

• Stamps:   Serene Sunflowers (bumble bee), Small Script
• Paper:  Canson watercolor 140 cold pressed, Fabriano Medioevalis watercolor paper
• Ink:  Versamark
• Accessories:  Martha Stewart Apricot taffeta ribbon, SU ivory organdy ribbon, SU gold cord, SU Old Olive twill, pearls, lotion bottle, dimensionals, Tombow markers, More Mustard marker, Ranger gold/gold tinsel embossing powder, SU black and white embossing powder, heating tool, Kolinsky watercolor brush 

I just can’t say enough about how much I love the monogrammed stampers from JustRite Stampers.  I’m looking forward to all the new sets they are coming out with for the holidays.  Well, there you go, what a perfect gift for a stamper friend (or yourself, go ahead . . . treat yourself . . . you deserve it!).  The possibilities are endless for all the different projects that you can make for family and friends during the holidays.   While at CHA I had an opporunity to get a peek at the new designs and let me tell you they’re not just for monogramming, there are several sets that are perfect for gift tags, not to mention cards and other items.  I know you are all going to be thrilled when you see the new toys!

Using the large round monogrammer I made this monogrammed gift set for a wonderful friend for her birthday.  I actually made the ensemble a couple of months ago.  It was an easy project and didn’t take too much time.  Stacey’s birthday is in July, a couple of weeks ago I got together with a group of friends at The Cheesecake Factory to celebrate the happy occasion.  Stacey was thrilled to receive the monogrammed gift set of cards (10 cards and envelopes) together with the box to store them in.

• Stamps:  JustRite Stampers Large Monogrammer
• Paper:  Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Basic Grey
• Ink:  Rose Red, Basic Black, Certainly Celery
• Accessories:  Taffeta and Grosgrain Ribbon, Pearl Adhesives, Nestibilities, Sewing Machine, Aged Copper Brads, Gold Cord, Double Sided Tape, Dimensionals, SU Markers, Hodgepodge Hardware 

Hello everyone!  I haven’t had a chance to post for a few days, it’s been incredibly hectic with all the shopping and packing for Stephen.  We still have a few more items to pick up and then the serious packing begins!

Since I haven’t posted in a few days, I’m posting several photographs of one of my favorite ensembles that I designed in February.  This vintage ensemble makes such a beautiful gift to give to a mom, grandmother, mother-in-law, favorite aunt, etc.  The purse is one of my favorite stamps because it’s so versatile.  To date, I’ve made four purses and will eventually post the other designs.  This purse has roses on it, the other purse designs include pansies, daisies, and a multitude of flowers.  I have an idea to design a Christmas purse with poinsettias on it, please stay stuned for future designs using this magnificent stamp.   

This first picture is of the entire ensemble.  The shiny glow you see on the perfume bottles is a mixture of Gum Arabic with Pearl Ex powders. 

I embossed and watercolored the perfume bottles.  It’s hard to see the Dazzling Diamonds on the lids and around the floral areas on the bottles in this picture. They are about four inches in height and about 2 1/2 inches across.

I opened the purse in this photo to show the detail on the inside.  I embossed and watercolored white mulberry paper and trimmed it to fit inside the purse.  I stamped the bible verse with a stamp from SU’s Elegant Inspirations set.  I adhered the mulberry paper to the inside of the purse using Crystal Effects.  Once that was dry I adhered an embossed piece of vellum over the upper portion of the inside of the purse creating a pocket.  I used a Versamarker to trace around the outside edges of the purse and embossed the edges with Ranger gold embossing powder.  I love seeing the watercolored mulberry paper through the vellum.  The white mulberry paper makes a beautiful lining inside the purse, in real life it looks like watercolored batiste.

It was a joy watercoloring these items.  The compact and lipstick tubes fit perfectly inside the pocket of the purse.  The lipstick tubes were painted with a mixture of Gum Arabic and Pearl Ex, as well as the center of the compact.  The compact opens and has a mirror on the inside. 

This is a close-up of the outside of the purse.  I embossed the center of the purse with white embossing powder and painted inside the floral areas with the Gum Arabic and Pearl Ex mixture.  The two little flowers at the top of the purse were painted and cut out.  I used several layers of Crystal Effects to give them an enamel appearance.  I cut them with a craft knife and adhered them to the pearl strap of the purse.

These vintage gloves are so adorable.  I painted them with a mixture of Gum Arabic and Pearl Ex.  I have several different mixtures of Gum Arabic and Pearl Ex.  In this project I used two different mixtures.  The mixture used on the purse is Pearl Pearl Ex and the mixture used on the gloves, lipstick tubes, perfume bottles, and compact is Iridescent Gold Pearl Ex.  I placed Swarovski crystals in a beautiful green shade across the top of the gloves, they measure about three inches in length and about one and a half inches in width.  They also fit adorably into the pocket of the purse.

And finally, one last picture taken at a different angle to show the inside of the purse with the compact and lipstick tubes.  I love the pearls on the compact.  All of these extra touches really add a lot to this project.  

I hope you’ve enjoyed my vintage ensemble.  As I stated above, it’s a wonderful gift for a mom, grandmother, etc.  Personally, I think Mother’s Day is the perfect occasion for a gift such as this. 

• Stamps:   Elegant Inspirations (Stampin’ Up!)
• Paper:  Canson watercolor paper cold pressed 140 lbs., card stock vellum, white mulberry paper
• Ink:  Versamark, Versamarker
• Accessories:  More Mustard marker, Tombow markers, heating tool, watercolor brush, blender pen, SU white embossing powder, Ranger gold embossing powder, pearl adhesives, Swarovsky crystals, pearl chain, Dazzling Diamonds, Pearl Ex, Gum Arabic, craft knife, stamp-a-ma-jig