the creative closet by cindy lawrence

Love is in the air...

 

Happy Weekend, Friends!

Oh, and Happy Valentine's day as well!!!  Today I thought I would share some of the Valentine cards we made in our house.  The cards above are 3x3, and made with all SU products except for the Cuttlebug folder and satin ribbon.  The large heart image is from Always, such a beautiful stamp set!

Here's a close-up of one card, along with an inside view:

Next up, are the little animal cards that I made out of all of those watercolored images I shared with you the other day.  I LOVED making these!

It was so much fun to go through my sets and find so many adorable images from all different companies!  What a treat!  These are also all 3x3 cards.

I hope you all have a wonderful V-Day, surrounded by those you love the most!

Stop back tomorrow for a special Sunday post!

Big Happy V-Day {{{{{hugzzzzzzzz}}}}} to all of you!

~C

Leavin' On A Jet Plane...

Happy weekend, friends!

Today I'm off to CHA in California...plane takes off at 6am!  I am soooo unbelievably excited to not only attend such a fabulous event, but most especially to meet so many of my friends from Splitcoaststampers!  It is going to be a giant hug-fest for sure!

I will be posting updates & pictures all week long for you; so you can get a little taste of what's happening as well.  I do have pre-scheduled posts ready to go for the whole week...lots of wonderful new Stampin' Up samples; but I will also be adding new info to the posts as often as I am able.

Todays sample is made with my very favorite (so far) H&M stamp set, My Favorite Valentine.  This is the set my kiddos are using to make Valentines for their classmates too.  I inked up the dinosaur today.  Isn't he sweet?

Here's the full card recipe:

Stamps:  My Favorite Valentine

Inks:  Palette Hybrid Noir Black, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Sahara Sand

Papers:  Pure Luxury (Gina K), Kiwi Kiss, Bella Rose Designer Series Papers (SU), Watercolor Paper

Accessories:  Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain, Key Tag Punch, Circle Nestabilities, White Gel Pen, Kiwi Designer Buttons, H2O Brush, Heart Rain Dots, Dimensionals

Have a lovely weekend, everyone. :)  If I have time, I may actually post something tomorrow.  Otherwise, I'll see ya back here on Monday!

Thanks for stopping in!

Hugs~
C

Coffee's Brewin'

Hey folks!

Today's sample is made with H&M's Coffee's Brewin' set.  Don't forget that ALL of H&M's sets are on SUPER sale for the next two days!  Hop on over there & get yourself some DEALS! :)

Check out the yummy blog candy offered by Carolina and Nancy today, as well!

Here's the recipe for today's card:

Stamps: Coffee's Brewin'

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pure Luxury White from Gina K, Pink Pirouette, Basic Grey Sultry Designer Paper

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Chocolate Chip, Copic Markers

Accessories: Circle Nestabilities, Marble Brads from Creative Imaginations, White Liquid Applique, Clear Chunky Glitter, Ribbon Trim from Making Memories, Dimensionals

I'm keeping it short & sweet today.  As it turned out, we had a two-hour school delay yesterday due to icy road conditions.  So much for mom's first day ALONE! :)  So, today it is...and I'm gonna take full advantage of it by getting lots of stamping done!  It looks like we're in for another storm tomorrow...maybe NO school...again...Krikies!  We seriously need to move south....honey, can you HEAR me????  At this rate, the kids aren't gonna have much of a summer...and winter's just begun...joy and rapture.

Okay, that's enough of THAT!  On to bigger and better things...namely STAMPING!  Yippee! :)

Have a super-duper day everyone!

Hugs~
C

Puppy Love

Happy, happy Monday, friends!

Today is the first day back to school for my kiddos after a three week extended holiday/ice storm break.  We have had a lovely time together; but this mom is ready for a "normal" schedule again.  Getting up in the morning....well, that's gonna be tough on all of us this week!  We've been really enjoying the later mornings.

Today's sample was made with one of my favorite H&M stamp sets,  My Favorite Valentine (how appropriate).  I think this puppy is just precious holding his sweet rose offering. :)

The sketch is last week's sketch challenge over on SCS and the designer paper is from Basic Grey's Eva collection.  I watercolored the image with re-inkers and a water brush on watercolor paper.  I added a little red Rain Dot heart to cover his dog tag...fit perfectly.

Here's the supply list:

Stamps: My Favorite Valentine

Paper: Pure Luxury (Gina K), Bravo Burgundy, Basic Grey Eva Designer Papers, Watercolor Paper

Ink: Black Staz-On, Sahara Sand, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Riding Hood Red, Bravo Burgundy

Accessories: White, Pink, and Burgundy Grosgrain Ribbons, Pink Glitter Dots, Red Heart Rain Dots, Pink Bling from K&Co, H2O Brush, White Gel Pen , Word Window Punch, Dimensionals

Speaking of H&M Stamps, did you hear about the HUGE garage sale they are having?  OMGosh, EVERY STAMP SET is on sale for two days only...tomorrow and Wednesday (Jan 6 & 7)!  When I say sale, I'm talking DIRT CHEAP, folks!  It'll be first come, first served...once they're gone, they're GONE!  So, be sure and shop early tomorrow!

Hope your Monday is productive and enjoyable!

See ya right back here tomorrow!  Thanks for stopping in today!

Hugs~
C

Fun with Copics and Yummy Cookies

Hello all you wonderful stamping addicts! :D

How are you on this fine Tuesday?  I have been having lots of fun with the kids during their school vacation.  Just yesterday alone I played Wii with our 11 year old, Nick....then I played Littlest Pet Shop with our 8 year old, Abbi...and, finally, I topped off the day by playing Halo 3 with our nearly 18 year old son, Ben, on his new Xbox 360.  It was a fun day...and I gave my teenager some serious laughs, as he was trying to teach me how to maneuver in Halo 3...ummm, yah RIGHT!  Actually, he spent some time late last night torturing his dad in the very same way...bwahahahahaaaaa...

Today's card was made with the Our Love stamp set from H&M Stamps.  I used my Copics again to color in the image...fun stuff!  Oh, speaking of Copics, did you hear that the price is going up in January???  So, if you were thinking of getting some or just want some more, I'd say get 'em TODAY!  I ordered another 14 yesterday...which will bring my total to a whopping 101 (which includes the Colorless Blender)...just like the Dalmations. :D  It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me well, that I couldn't just have a "few" of these.  Sigh...such an addict.

Here are the Copic colors I used.  No...your eyes aren't going bad (or are they?!)...my photo is blurry...and I'm too lazy to take another one.  I think you can still see the color numbers, though, right? 

I also used Taylor's weekend sketch for this card.  It's a great one!

Here's the supply list for today's card:

Stamps: Our Love

Paper: Whisper White, Ballet Blue, Celery Designer Paper (from an old Simply Scrappin' Kit)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers, White Craft Pad

Accessories: Strano Striped Ribbon, White Brads, Primas, Linen Thread, Button, Nestabilities, Textured Textile Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Oh, and here are the recipes I promised you yesterday:

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
         -makes @ 3-1/2 dozen cookies-

Cookies:
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
1/2 cup raspberry jam

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp almond extract
2 to 3 tsp water

Heat oven to 350ºF.  In large bowl combine sugar, butter & almond extract.  Beat at medium speed until creamy (2 to 3 min).  Reduce speed to low; add flour.  Beat until well mixed (2 to 3 min).  Cover & chill dough at least one hour.

Shape dough into 1" balls.  Place 2" apart on cookie sheets.  With thumb, make indentation in center of each cookie (edges may crack slightly).  Fill each indentation with about 1/4 tsp jam.  Bake for 14 to 18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Let stand 1 min; remove from cookie sheet.  Cool completely.

Meanwhile, in small bowl with wire whisk, stir together all glaze ingredients until smooth.  Drizzle over cookies.  Yummmm!

White Chocolate Popcorn Crunch
(This recipe was originally shared with me by my friend, Maurine.  Thanks, Maurine!)

5 cups popped popcorn (I like the Tender White Popcorn.)
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
12 ounces white chocolate baking chips, chopped white chocolate or white candy coating
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Cover a baking pan with foil or waxed paper; set aside.  Place popcorn, cranberries and almonds in a large bowl; set aside.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring until smooth OR melt according to package directions.  (If chocolate is not smooth after melting, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons shortening until mixture is smooth and loose enough to coat popcorn.)  *Note:  I always use a bag of white chocolate chips, & I've never needed to use the shortening.

Pour chocolate mixture over popcorn mixture and stir to coat.  Spread onto prepared pan; allow to cool completely.  When chocolate is cooled and set, break into chunks for serving.  Store in an air-tight container at room temperature....not that you'll need to store it long! :)

Let me know if you try either of the recipes, and how you liked them.  They are definitely two of our family favorites.

Have an AMAZING day, my friends!!!

Hugs~
C

Calling all Angels...

Happy weekend, friends!

I hope you are enjoying a little extra time with the family this weekend.  We are totally and completely ADDICTED to our new Wii!  ...and, yes, I said "we" are addicted...meaning not just the kids, but the adults too!  I have some seriously sore arms from too much baseball, tennis, bowling, boxing, and golf.  Those are the games that come with the system, and although we have several other games we could play, we just haven't gotten there yet...having too much fun with these!

Today's sample is made with H&M Stamps beautiful Calling all Angels stamp set.  Did you know that Heather is having a HUGE garage sale over at H&M Stamps on January 6th & 7th?  This is not just your ordinary sale, folks....she is practically GIVING these stamps away!  You DON'T want to miss it!!

I sent this card off to a friend, as part of a secret stamper gift exchange...so much fun. :)  The card also fit yesterday's Limited Supplies Challenge over on SCS.

I used my Copic markers to color in the angel, and forgot to get a picture of the colors that I used.  I'll be better about that in the future.

OMGosh, that reminds me.... Wanna know what one of my Christmas presents from my hubby was?  THIRTY FOUR Copic markers...that was every single one on the list of "choices" I gave him!  He said he just couldn't make choices for me, so he got 'em all.  What a sweetie pie!  So, I now have 57 colors AND I have 30 more on their way to me...I think that'll do for a while!  Gosh, for someone who wasn't going to "go there", ummmm.....I think I went there...BIG TIME!  {grin} 

Here's the card recipe:

Stamps: Calling All Angels

Paper: Pure Luxury Card Stock from Gina K, Basic Black, Urban Prairie Designer Paper from Basic Grey

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers

Accessories: Label Nestabilities, Prima Flowers, Dew Drops, Word Window Punch, Curly Label Punch, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Black Diamonds Stickles, Polka Dottted Ribbon from American Crafts, Bling from MAMBI, Dimensionals

Have a FABULOUS weekend, everyone!

See y'all back here on Monday!

Hugs~
C

Love you today, tomorrow, for always...

Hey everyone! 

Top o' the mornin' to ya!  Hope you enjoyed your weekend. :)  We sure did enjoy the extra days with family.  It always goes by tooo fast!

I am happy to say that I finished my SU display samples, labeled 'em, packaged 'em, and sent them on their way....YIPPEE!  What a great feeling it is to be done with such a huge project!

Today's sample is one of those cheap-o little wooden boxes you can get at your craft store.  Well, I've had this one for something like 10 years; so I thought I'd finally use it!  I sponged on the color with my Real Red Craft Pad and a sponge dauber...easy peasy!  The images are all from H&M Stamps.  The doggie is from the My Favorite Valentine set, the words are from the Our Love set, and the little hearts are from the Comfy Valentine set.  Notice a theme?  Yeah, so did I...that's why I decided to put some of my hubby's favorite candy in this and leave it in his truck for him to find in the morning on his way to work.  :)

Here's the recipe:

Stamps:  My Favorite Valentine, Comfy Valentine, Our Love - all from H&M Stamps

Inks: Black Staz-On, Real Red, Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand, Close to Cocoa, Real Red Craft, Chocolate Chip Marker

Papers: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Basic Grey Infuse Designer Paper, Watercolor Paper

Accessories:  Wooden Handle Box, Sponge Dauber, Wide Striped Ribbon, Tissue Paper, H2O Brush, Piercing Tools, 1/16", 1/4", 1-3/8" & 1-1/4" Circle Punches, Linen Thread, Dimensionals

Today's sample is also in honor of H&M Stamps December Blog Hop!  That's when all the designers post a sample on the same day.  Our theme this month is 'All Wrapped Up', just in time for the holidays!

Now, hop on over to the other DT members to see what they've cooked up for you:

Carolina Buchting
Dawn Easton
Debbie Corbari
Emma Fewkes
Heather Rolin
Julia Aston
Julie Lacey
Kimberly Crawford
Nancy Levine
Neva McMullen
Shannon Erskine
Suzanne Dean
Tracy Dorton

Have a SUPER Monday!

Hugs~
Cindy

A Very Special Birthday!

Hey everyone!

Happy day-before-Thanksgiving to all my American friends!  If you're like me, you'll be in full prep mode today...baking pies and scrubbing toilets...not at the same time, of course! :) 

Today, the H&M designers are joining together to offer up a surprise blog hop in honor of Heather Rolin, who owns H&M Stamps.  That's right, it's her birthday TODAY!  Happy, happy birthday, sweet Heather!

Stop by these other designer blogs and check out their birthday cards:

Carolina Buchting
Dawn Easton
Debbie Corbari
Emma Fewkes
Kim Crawford
Julia Aston
Julie Lacey
Nancy Levine
Neva McMullen
Suzanne Dean
Tracy Dorton

Here is the card recipe:

Stamps: Sweetly Stamped

Inks:  Palette Hybrid Noir Black, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Bordering Blue

Papers:  Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip Textured, Bella Blossoms Designer Series Paper, Watercolor Paper

Accessories:  H2O Brush, Circle Nestabilites, Scallop Edge Punch, Chocolate Wide Stitched Grosgrain, Cotton Candy Stickles, Pink Pirouette Buttons, Linen Thread, Dimensionals

I have been asked a few times to share the insides of my cards.  So, here's the inside of the above card:

Usually, I just do a few layers, stamp a sentiment and call it a day.  I think it's a nice surprise to open a card and see that the inside is decorated as well.  Besides, most of my cards would fall over if I didn't add some weight to the back too! haha

Don't forget about the Just Rite blog candy going on all this week with the Flourishes designers.  Here's the line-up:

Sunday - Faith
Monday - Susan
Tuesday - Me!
Wednesday - Laura
Thursday - Flourishes Newsletter
Friday - Latisha
Saturday - Julie
Sunday - Winner’s Roundup on the Flourishes Blog

I also wanted to say that I have been SO enjoying your posts sharing all that you are thankful for.  You have all really touched my heart.  We do have sooooo much to be thankful for, don't we?  I am so very thankful for all of YOU, for my incredible family & friends, and above all else, for a great and wonderful God, who loves us more than we can even imagine. :)

I am going to take tomorrow off from posting, so I can spend every minute of the day enjoying my family.  I wish all of my fellow Americans a VERY blessed Thanksgiving, and to all of you around the world I wish you a VERY blessed Thursday!

See you right back here on Friday!

Hugs~
C

H & M Stamps!

Happy weekend, my friends!

I have some exciting news....yes, AGAIN!  I have been asked to be a guest designer for H&M stamps for the next three months!  Heather e-mailed me about two months ago, and it's been soooo hard to keep a secret for that long!  I am so looking forward to working with Heather and the rest of the team.  My uber-talented friend, Dawn Easton, is also a guest designer, and so is another amazingly talented stamper, Suzanne Dean.  What fun we're gonna have! :)

Today's sample was made with the Miracle From Above stamp set from, who else, H&M Stamps.  I just love the faceless images in this set...totally reminds me of Willow Tree figurines!

Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Miracle From Above

Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Watercolor, Maine Blueberry Designer Series Paper

Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir Black, Bashful Blue, Mellow Moss, Old Olive, Barely Banana, Creamy Caramel, Blush Blossom, Soft Sky

Accessories: Tiny Button Brads (can't remember where I got 'em), White Gel Pen, H2O Brush, Scallop Edge Punch, Wide Bashful Blue Stitched Grosgrain, Dimensionals

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!  I'm off to a Fall Fest event with a group of local demonstrators...should be lots of fun! :)

See y'all on Monday!

Hugs~
C

We Can Build A Snowman...

Happy weekend, folks!

I got a bunch of new stamping goodies delivered to me yesterday...a very happy day indeed!  Among my new toys was this sweet little stamp from H & M Stamps.  Percy the penguin is building himself a snowman...something which I'm afraid we'll be able to do around here before too much longer. 

Today, we have our local Pumpkin Festival, which is always a fun day that attracts visitors to the area from all over.  There are lots of things to do and see during the day, and the thousands of jack-o-lanterns look spectacular all lit up at night!

Here's the recipe for today's sample:

Stamps:  Percy Builds a Snowman (H&M), Seasons Greetings (Flourishes)

Inks:  Black Staz-On, Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Soft Sky, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie

Papers:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Riding Hood Red, Soft Sky, Watercolor, Riding Hood Red Designer Series Paper

Accessories:  Piercing Tools, Snowflakes CuttleBug Folder, Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Corner Rounder, H2O Water Brush, Cloud Stencil, Sponge, 1/4" Circle Punch, White Brads, Clear Chunky Glitter, Dimensionals, Felt Snowflake, Crystal Effects

Thanks for stopping in today!

Have a fabulous weekend!!!

Hugs~
Cindy