Happy Blogiversary to me!

Wow, tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of the start of my Mutch to Stamp blog. I can't believe it's been a year already, where does the time go? I've had so much fun over the past year with it and I find that I'm more inspired to create something, cause then I have to rush to get it posted on my blog. Funny, eh? I think it's mostly because I love to get comments and get feed back on something that I've made. I've also made some really good friends through it, too. Stampers truly are some of the most wonderful people out there and I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to meet some of them! Here's to many more years of bloggin' fun! :)

I did make a card tonight, but I can't share it with you quite yet...just in case a certain someone might see it here and spoil her birthday surprise. I'll post it soon...

Well, I'm gonna call it a day, I've got a full day planned tomorrow, so I better go get some rest!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Full Bloom Criss Cross Card

I decided to quickly finish this card before I got ready for work. I found this gorgeous double-sided patterned paper the other day, as well, at our lss, Loomis Art Supplies. I thought the flowers were so pretty, again, I couldn't resist! :)

So, this is sympathy card #2 of 4 that I need to make. My friend Kim was joking that it seems that all her cards seem to pink and purple. I said, come to think of it I've noticed that a lot of mine seem to be blue and green. So, I promised Kim that I would try stay away from these colours for a while, but I couldn't help it...Sorry, Kim! I loved the patterned paper and these are the cardstock colours that I had to use with it. lol :)

OK, I really need to go make supper and get ready for work! Hope everyone is having a great weekend! :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: True Friend (SU), 'With Sympathy' is from Greetings Galore (Impression Obsession)
Patterned Paper: Full Bloom (Chatterboxinc)
Cardstock: Whirlpool (Bazzill), Chocolate Weave (Bazzill), Key Lime Flat (CRS)
Ink: Blue Bayou (SU), Certainly Celery (SU)
Embellishments: Antique Cooper Brad (Makin Memories)
Tools: 1 1/2" and 1 1/4" Circle Punchs (Creative Memories), Corner Rounder Punch (SU), small artist paint brush to apply ink to flowers on insert to make stems green and the petals blue.

Fire Blossom Meets Best Blossoms

I have a few sympathy cards to make, this is the 1st of 4 that I have done. Not the most pleasant cards to make, but I know they'll all be appreciated and they'll know that I'm thinking of them during a difficult time.

I found this gorgeous patterned paper the other day at our lss, Loomis Art Supplies. I couldn't resist, as it reminded me of some of the new dsp that SU has, called Ginger Blossoms...that I also need to get my hands on! It's so pretty! Yes, I'm a sucker for pretty paper indeed! lol :)

Today is my hubby, Jim's birthday! We got up this morning and had a pancake breakfast...the girls helped make them and they were a bit heavy...but I think Daddy was happy that they were so happy to help me with them. We gave Jim his birthday presents and I so need to CASE a card that came from a friend of our, Michele! I'll share that with you after I finish up my sympathy cards. Anyway, I have some things to do around the house today, and I go to work tonight. I'm gonna try to finish another card that I started last night, and I'll try to post it later tonight.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Best Blossoms (SU), 'With Sympathy' is from Greetings Galore (Impression Obsession)
Patterned Paper: Far East Print - Fire Blossom (DCVW)
Cardstock: Red Rock (Bazzill), Caramel (Bazzill), Beige (The Paper Company), White (The Paper Company)
Ink: Creamy Caramel (SU), Cameo Coral (SU)
Tools: Round Tab Punch (SU), Corner Punch (SU), Sea Sponge for stippling the Round pull Tab, scissors to cut out blossoms and mask for blossoms, 2-way glue to make back side of the blossom mask tacky.

Birthday Invitation from Kelly

This is a birthday invitation that was made by my friend, Kelly Eelhart. She dropped off the invitation for her little boy's 4th birthday party today and I just love the design that she came up with! These are little Happy Hopper stamps that she cut out and added them to the freehand trampoline. How cute is it?! They're having a gymnastics themed party at a local gymnastics club, I'm sure the kids are gonna have a blast! :)

Ok, I really have to run...thanks for stoppin' by! :)

RAK Received from Tracy

I was a little worried today for my appointment this afternoon with my family doctor...then I checked my mailbox and I received a wonderful package from my friend, Tracy Houghton! Tracy, you're such a sweetheart, you've been so supportive and a wonderful friend! Thanks so much for thinking of me and for definitely cheering me up!!! :)

So, I had my Doctor's appointment and she said that the results were back from the Mammogram and the breast ultrasound and they showed the cyst (that had broken under the pancake smooshing of the mammogram lol), but there is still evidence of the small cyst there. However, since the breast tissue was found to be very dense (from breastfeeding, I'm assuming) I'm happy to report that they're referring me to the breast surgeon for further testing, just to be sure. With so much Breast Cancer in my family, they just want to rule things out and it'll put my mind at rest. So, now I just have to wait for that appointment, hopefully it will be soon, but I know with these surgeons sometimes the wait is long. Anyway, I'm glad that they're following through with more tests for me. I have a wonderful family doctor and she's very sympathetic to my situation and wants to make sure everything is well. She's been seeing me since I was 18 years old, so she knows me well. I'm so fortunate to have her as my doctor.

Ok, I've gotta clean the house (aka toys) before the babysitter arrives to watch the girls tonight while I'm at work. I hope it's a fast shift, I really don't feel like going, but have no excuse not to go! I don't think they'd appreciate it if I called and said I don't really feel like coming in tonight! lol :) Anyway, thank goodness for leftovers, I don't have to cook supper - yippee! :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Masculine Baroque Birthday

I had a masculine themed birthday card to make...yes, I have a real problem with masculine cards since I can't 'girly' them all up with pretty ribbon, embellies and bling! Anyway, I thought why not use lots of copper brads and some manly' colours and who said I can't do a bit of paper piercing! Not me! lol :) I'm thinking perhaps the Baroque flowers aren't quite what I was looking for, but I kinda like the medallion with the copper cardstock layer in the background.

I'm sure a certain man in my life will see this post, so if you do, Here's to you, Jim! Happy Birthday! Luv ya! :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Baroque Motifs (SU), 'Happy Birthday' is from Clear Design - Messages (Hero Arts)
Cardstock: Copper Metallic (SU), Chocolate Chip (Bazzill), Avocado Flat (CRS), Cream (The Paper Company
Patterned Paper: Green and Rust (Creative Memories)
Ink: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip (SU)
Embellishments: Antique Copper Brads (Making Memories)
Tools: Ticket Punch (SU), Paper Piercer, foam mat, scissors for cutting out medallion and photo corners...nope I don't have a photo corner punch, yet! lol :)

Welcome Little One Criss-Cross card

My card tonight was a lot of fun to make and was my first attempt at a criss-cross card. It's for a dear friend of mine who just recently had a new little baby boy. I'm so happy for them! :) Ya gotta love new little babies!

I'm used to making girly cards so this one was a challenge for me to make one that looked boyish and for a new little arrival. I'm happy with the way it turned out and I really like this patterned paper that I used from Close to My Heart. I can't remember the name of it, so if you can help me out and let me know, I'd appreciate it. :) I've tried looking it up online, but I can't find it in their papers section.

If you're interested in trying one of these criss-cross cards, here's a wonderful tutorial done by Beate Johns that's posted on SCS.

Well, it's time to call it a day. Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Flourish from Nightingale (See d's - Inque Boutique), Assorted Baby Themed stamps (Studio G)
Patterned Paper: Old World Theme...I can't remember the name and unable to find the name online (Close to My Heart)
Cardstock: Blue, Cream, Beige (part of CTMH paper pack)
Embellishments: Antique Brass Brads- Hodge Podge Hardware (SU)
Tools: Round Tab Punch (SU), paper piercer, foam mat, sticky strip tape

Flourishes and Swirls

I got a chance to play for a bit tonight and I came up with this design that's been brewing in my head for a few days now. I love playing with flourishes and these one fit the bill nicely. :) I also still think this d'Vine Swirls embossing folder is my favourite. They're so pretty, but I can't wait to get my hands on some of the new folders that are being released soon, too! lol :)

Well, I just realized that it's 1:15 am...apparently I lost track of time again during my stamping therapy time and my girls will no doubt be jumping on my nice cozy bed in about 5 hours or so to wake me up, so I better go get a little sleep! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Flourishes - (Heidi Grace Designs by Fiskars)
Cardstock: Flat White (CRS), Blue Bayou (SU) and Soft Sky (SU)
Ink: Whisper White - craft ink (SU), Blue Bayou (SU), Soft Sky (SU)
Tools: Corner Rounder with guard removed to create scallops, paper piercer, foam mat, Cuttlebug, d'Vine Swirls EF, Oval Custom Cutting System (Creative Memories), White Gel Pen

Crayon Birthday Card

This is a card that I made for a birthday party that my daughter's are going to tomorrow. I was inspired by a cute card design that I saw a while back on Cindy Vernon's blog, Creating with the Heart. I remembered that she added the crayons to the card so that the child could colour in the images themselves. What a cute idea! Well, I just found the link in her archives and we actually used the same main colours of red and black! I didn't remember what colours she had used! That's funny! lol :)

I also wanted to thank everyone so much who left me comments or sent me personal emails regarding my last post. I'm feeling much better today and staying very positive. I've come to the decision that it could drive me crazy if I keep thinking about it all the time and I'm not going to let it do that to me. I'll wait for my doctor's appointment on Wednesday and see what my doctor has to say and go from there. Thanks again for all the kind words of support! Big hugs to you all! :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Cardstock: Flat Black, Flat White, China Red Linen (CRS)
Ink: Ruby Red (SU), Grey Shadow Ink (Hero Arts)
Stamps: Happy Birthday to You! (Heidi Grace Designs - Fiskars), Dinosaurs (foam stamps from Dollarama)
Embellishments: Black Gingham ribbon (Michaels), Red and Yellow Crayons (Dollarama)
Tools: Ticket Punch, (SU), X-Acto knife to make slits for ribbon

Some news about me...

I really do have some of the best friends a person could ask for! This is a beautiful card that my friend Catherine Levy dropped off for me today to let me know she was thinking of me. Thanks so much, Catherine. You're a true friend! :)
This past week and a half has been a little stressful for me. I found a lump in my breast and was very nervous that it might be something very serious. My family doctor was on vacation, so I went to the ER to see a doctor since there have been 11 cases of Breast Cancer in my immediate family, hence my nervousness. Three of those family members have also had to have double Mastectomies, but we're just thankful that they're all survivors. The doctor told me that he suspected that it could very well be a tumor, and he wanted to do a Mammogram, ultrasound and breast biopsy to be sure. The other scenario would be a cyst or infected milk duct. But, I haven't breastfed my children in nearly 2 years...weird. I learned today that infected milk ducts can occur at anytime though. Anyway, this has sent my head into a whirling mess of bad thoughts.

Anyway, after over a week from Hell of waiting...not knowing, I got my Mammogram today (not a pleasant procedure by the way) and my ultrasound. When the technician did the Mammogram, she could clearly feel the lump in my breast. But, after all the squashing, the lump is nearly gone. I made my way down the hall to get my ultrasound done and the technician couldn't find the lump anymore. Apparently, it's common during a Mammogram for a cyst to break and they're pretty sure that's what it was. The tech did find a small cyst, no large masses that would indicate cancer, so that's good. However, I can still hear her saying, time and time again, that the tissue was very dense and they weren't able to see through it all. So...that leads me to worry further as that was the case with my cousin...she later had to have a double Mastectomy. They weren't able to detect the cancer through Mammogram or ultrasound, only through blood testing. Had they only found it earlier and were able to do the chemo sooner, that might not have been the case.

But, I'm most discouraged over the fact that now they say they won't do a breast biopsy on me because the lump isn't large enough now to know exactly where to do the biopsy. Anyway, I do have an appointment with my family doctor next Wed. and I will push to have further blood testing done to ease my mind. They'll also have lab results then for my tests from last Thursday from the ER. I'm interested to see what they show. So, I guess I'm further ahead than I was, but still nervous. I really haven't sleep in a week and a half. I'm tired and going kinda crazy. But, I'm trying to stay positive and hoping that it was only a cyst and that it's all behind me now. I'm so thankful for the support that I've received from my family and friends. You know who you are and I can't thank you enough. I really appreciate your thoughts and prayers more than words can say.

Ok, that's my rant for today. I've struggled over whether or not I should share information as personal as this, but I know the group of stampers and paper crafters that I know online are some of the best people going, so I knew you'd all be supportive of what I'm going through and I feel better by being able to share this with you. Thanks for listening and please keep me in your prayers. That's all for now. A few friends are coming over tomorrow night to make cards with me, so I'll have something new to post soon. :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Enabler Alert...

My Mum and I stopped in to Michaels on the way home today, as she doesn't have one near her, and who am I to pass up on crafty shopping? lol :) We got to take advantage of some great deals. :) I got a few sheets of Bohemia patterned paper and this gorgeous Heidi Grace stamp set by Fiskars. I love the flourishes and it was a great deal - it's a 4" x 8" sheet, regularly $23 for the sheet, on sale for $12! :)







I also picked up these cute Studio G sets- aren't the bird and owl cute? :)
Mum also got a few wood mounted Easter stamps for the girls and I to play with. They had fun this afternoon playing with their new stamps...ah, I'm training them well! lol :) I love the little chick, how cute is he?
Ok, this was just a quick post to tell of my bargains...gotta go to bed. It's storming out here right now, it was quite a slick ride home tonight after work. I don't think there will be any school in the morning, but we'll see. I'll have to get up early regardless of if there's school or not since the girls rarely sleep in! :(

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

True Friend and Flourishes

I finally got around to breaking in my SU True Friend set a bit more tonight. Isn't it funny how we just have to have a certain stamp set and then it seems to sit around for a bit before being graced with some ink! lol :) I really like this set, though, it's a really nice set. I thought I'd pair it with some nice cheery colours for tonight's card. However, now that I'm looking at it, it's looks rather busy...oh well, I like it, so I guess I'll leave it be. lol :)

Jim leaves in the morning for a couple weeks at sea. My Mum is coming up for a visit in the morning and staying for a few days. We'll try to fit in some crafty time, we'll see. It'll be really nice to have her here, though, regardless of if we get crafty time in or not. We have a great time carrying on and the girls love spending time with her.

Well, gotta go get some rest, the morning is gonna come early! Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: True Friend (SU), Nightingale (See d's - Inque Boutique)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU), Garden Green (SU) and Tempting Turquoise (SU)
Patterned Paper: Play - Hula Hoop (American Crafts), Play - Merry-Go-Round (American Crafts) These are both double sided papers - the brown that I used in one of the solid sides of the patterned paper and the peach is the other side of the other patterned paper that I used.
Cardstock: Flat Key Lime (CRS), Soft Blue (Bazzill)
Embellishments: Blue Satin Ribbon (Fabricville), Antique Brass Swirl Clip from Hodge Podge Hardware (SU)

New painted walls! :)

Wow, it's been a busy few days. After living in our new (to us) home for a year and a half already, we finally came to an agreement on a paint colour for the upstairs walls. Well, I chose the colour and Jim decided to trust me that it'd be ok. He's as thrilled with it as I am. Quite a switch from the colour before.

Here's a 'before pic' of the Hunter Green striped walls on the bottom and white on the top. Very dated in my opinion. Not to mention the fact that I'm not a real fan of hunter green anymore. I think I went through a spell in the 90's where my whole home was that colour and now I'm sick of it. I'm so glad it's gone! lol :) The entire upstairs (kitchen, dining area and hall) also had a fruit border at the top of the walls that had to come down.

This is the new 'Bold Terracotta' colour on the walls. I love it! It's such a nice warm, grown-up colour and such a joy to look at. :) We painted it through out the kitchen, the dining area and the hallway. We removed all of chair rails and door frames so we could do a nice job. It was quite a job getting them all put back up though after we were tired. But, so happy with ourselves now that it's done.
This is looking into my dining area from the living room doorway. I had these Haida Art Native paintings framed for Jim for his birthday a few years ago and I think they look really nice with the new walls. Please don't mind the ugly green blind and the lace valance, those are being replaced soon! lol :)

Here's the dining area looking from the kitchen.

This is looking down the hall towards the bedrooms and upstairs bathroom in our bungalow.

While I'm at it showing pics, I thought I'd share a few more of our home for you to see. This is our living room at the front of the house. 1st shot is looking from the front door, second shot is looking from the dining area doorway, and 3rd shot is looking toward the dining area doorway.


This is the downstairs washroom that I painted along with the framed flowers that I photographed from on our property. The two outside photographs are ones from where Jim and I grew. I took the one in the Annapolis Valley of the apple blossoms, they're famous for apples down where I'm from in the country. On the far left side are blueberries, a pic that Jim took on the blueberry plains from his hometown in New Brunswick.


This is Natalia's pink 'Dora the Explorer' bedroom that we painted last year.


This is Alexandria's pink 'Princess' bedroom.


Hope you enjoyed your little tour of our home. I hope to have a card to show you tonight. Until then, thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Nightingale Thank you

I decided to head into my crafty space after I got off work tonight to relax a bit. I really like the China Red colour that I worked with last night, then I thought about a card that I'd seen on Jan Tink's blog a few weeks ago and absolutely loved, since it incorporated some of my most favourite colours. So I'm sorry, but tonight's card is another CASE like last night, but I promise my next card will be all mine! lol :) You can see Jan's creation here. I love checking out Jan's blog, she does wonderful work, offers awesome tutorials and is an absolute riot! She's definitely one funny gal! I especially like her recent tale of the Christmas tree. You'll have to go take a peek for yourself! :)

OK, I've gotta hit the hay, it's gonna be a busy day of painting here tomorrow. I'll post before and after pics of my finished dining area, kitchen and hall tomorrow.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Cardstock: China Red Linen (CRS), Flat Black (CRS), Flat White (CRS), Flat Key Lime (CRS), Purely Pomegranate (SU)
Stamps: Dove (Nightingale, See d's - Inque Boutique), Thank You (Announcements - retired)
Ink: Purely Pomegranate (SU), Black (SU)
Tools: Oval Custom Cutting System (Creative Memories), Ticket Punch (SU)
Embellishments: Black and White Gingham ribbon (Michaels), Flower (Dollarama), Black Jumbo Brad (Dollarama), Lime mini brads (Making Memories)

An 'Expecting' card

Tonight's card is for a friend of mine who I recently found out is pregnant with her first child. She has such a kind heart, I know she's gonna be a great Mom. I thought I'd go with a primary-coloured unisex scheme since I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, then I remembered a card a saw a while back done by Pam Downs, you can see her card here in her SCS gallery. Pam does some beautiful work, check out her gallery when you get a few minutes. :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies: (All SU, unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Announcements (retired), Watercolour Garden
Ink: Barely Banana
Tools: Paper Piercer, corner rounder punch, ticket punch, white gel pen, 3/4" and 1" circle punches (Creative Memories), red brads (Dollarama), sea sponge.
Cardstock: Black Linen (CRS), China Red Linen (CRS), Flat White (CRS), Barely Banana, Bashful Blue, Blue Bayou.

Almond-Orange Biscotti Recipe

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Our New Year's was very quiet this year. We went to my hubby's parents place in New Brunswick and visited with his brother and sister-in-law til about 10:30 PM, then we got it in our heads that we would drive the 45 minutes to town to go for some Chinese food...a tradition that we used to do here in the city before we had kids. Well, apparently we forgot that we were in the sticks, cause not one restaurant was open! Well, we found Boston Pizza was open, this was at 11:30 PM, but not one car was in the parking lot except a few that obviously belonged to staff since they were all covered in snow from the snow earlier that day. We opted not to go in...especially after seeing the movie 'Waiting' and seeing what some waiters do to people that comes in close to the end of shift. LOL :) So we just ended up going back home and having a snack and watching tv for a bit before we called it a night. I did buy a really nice dress for New Year's that I didn't get to wear, so we're gonna get a sitter soon and go out anyway. Just have to decide where I want to wear a red, backless, floor length evening gown! I'm thinkin' I'd be overdressed for night at the movies! lol :)

I've had a few requests for my recipe for Almond-Orange Biscotti cookies that I make for my Father-in-Law, so here it is if you'd like to try it for yourself. I used to be a pastry chef at a restaurant in Halifax and I got the recipe there. It's super yummy and great for dipping in your tea or coffee. I'll make some more soon and I'll add a pic of it on this post for you to see.

Almond-Orange Biscotti

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tbsp. grated orange peel
3 large eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat sugar, butter, orange peel, almond extract and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and almonds. Shape half of the dough at a time into 10" x 3" rectangles and set onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes.

Cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices and place slices, cut side down, on the cookie sheet. Bake for about another 10 minutes longer, remove from oven, flip the pieces over so the other cut side is facing up and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Cool on a wire rack.

These also freeze very well, if you'd like to save some for later, just thaw as you need them.

Optional: Top with melted bittersweet chocolate.

Enjoy! :)