Lavendar & Chocolates

Happy Hump Day Everyone:

I know I mentioned just a couple of post ago I was going to relax on some of the challenges, but what can I say. I was pleasantly suprised when I discovered this week's color combination over at Cupcake Inspiration is purple and brown. Of course, I immediately thought lavendar and chocolates. What a wonderful combination. I love the scent of lavendar and although I am not a fan of chocolate, I do love to bake with it. I hope that doesn't sound too strange.

This card has a little bit of everything going on with it. I used my Nesties--of course; the Cuttlebug to emboss the background and to cut out the stem to form the flower; a Stampin' Up hold punch  and a few pearls to create the flower bud; I used my COPICS markers for a little airbrushing; and of course a (sentiment) stamp. Once again, I used my latest fun technique.  I sponged Memento, Rich Cocoa over brown card stock to achieve a richer shade of brown. Once again, it worked.


Below is the inspiration photo that was provided...

Don't you just love it? I know I do.

...and this is my interpretation....

Thanks for taking time to visit The Peddler's Gallery

and as always, your comments are always appreciated.

Peace & Blessing to each one of you,

Play Date Cafe Challenge

Hello:

I hope your work week got off to a great start. I know I can't complain. I just wanted to share with you a card I made for The Play Date Cafe Challenge. Just below is the inspiration photo:

....and this is my interpretation.... I apologize for showing such a dark picture. Sometimes I'm on target and then there are times when you're totally off. I'm having one of those days with the camera.

This is one of those, I want to participate in the challenge, but what can I do in such a short period of time. Please leave me a note and let me know what you think. Until next time, thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery and Peace and Blessings to everyone.

Butterfly Wings

Good Afternoon:

Thanks for not only popping in, but here's a big THANK YOUs for leaving all the wonderful comments that you do. Your thoughts are so inspirational to a novice such as myself. It's like Christmas when I discover you have left a message for me. I don't know about you, but happy mail beats bill mail any day of the week. Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated. 

 Let me just say, 'This is not a challenge card. I repeat this is not a challenge card.'  :) This is strickly a card CAS card I put together after I posted last night. I thought about putting aside some of the challenges I participate in weekly, so I might create cards without limitations. At least that's what I am thinking at this moment. :) Besides, there are a few other cards I would like to recreate (or at least something close to it) to send to family and friends. I like when I am able to go into my little box of cards and pull out one at any given time to mail to a friend or family member in a timely manner.

This stamp is just one of the beautiful big, bold, fresh stamps I purchased at the CK Convention in King of Prussia, Pennsylvannia. I set my sewing machine aside and opted for my dryer so,  I could do some embossing. I embossed  the image onto black cardstock. Then I embossed the image a second time. This time I embosed the image on white paper and cut out the butterflies and a leaf. I used COPIC markers to fill-in the images and dimensionals to give the illusion the butterflies were just landing or were in flight. I embellished the rest of the card with ribbon, pearls, and a splash of Smoochies.  I suprised myself in regards to the amount of time it took to make this card. I'm happy how the card turned out and I hope you like it too.

Before I wrap up, I would like to welcome Da Shawnna. She is the newest Follower (#21) here at the gallery. As a follower, your comments, suggestions, and ideas are always appreciated.

Thanks for visiting The Peddler's Gallery.

My Craft & Youth Football

Hello Everyone:

I think I some of my mojo is gone. I won't say, 'I'm losing it.' because I feel like I know where it is. I tell where it is. I believe my mojo is at the C.C. Jackson Recreation. Apparently, it doesn't follow my son and I home after football practice. It was my 11 year old son's idea to join a football team. He had been asking for the last couple of years, but I would come up with other things he could do aside from playing football. Well, this year I agreed to let him play. I had absolutly nooooooooooo idea practices are held almost everyday during the week. By the time practice is over, it's late and I'm tired. From my understanding, the number of practices will decrease once school begins.

All that leads me to this week's challenge over at Waltzing Mouse Sketch. I tried to create something that was eye catching and unique. Based on the sketch you would have thought this was a walk in the park. Right??? Not. I asked my son what he thought about my card. He said it was nice. Just nice. He also said it wasn't my best. Ask a little person and they will tell you the truth. I thought about starting over again, but my mojo is still at the rec center. So, I've decided to submit what I have. This particular card is intend for a male child. Of course I didn't want to over dress the card with too many embellishments; however, since I have a limited number of Waltzing Mouse Stamps, I opted to use I sentitment I created a few years. It has been recieved rather well, so I use it often for new arrivals.

My interpretation....

Thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery.

Come back real soon.

SOC & Inspiration Cupcake Challenge

Hello All:

I hope your weekend was full of all kinds of wonderful things to see and do. I also hope you were able to relax if that's what you wanted to do. My weekend was full of plenty of things to see and do, but I'll just share the highlights with you.

A few weeks ago, I came across a really neat site--Scraps of Color a.k.a SOC. Since I joined the site it seems as though I log onto SOC at least once a day. Last week I was invited to join the ladies (Camille,  Joy, Pat, Lisa, etc.) of NYC&Me (smaller group within the Maryland group of SOC) for a crop in Glen Burnie. Learning of another place to shop was a benefit, but hanging out with the ladies of NYC&Me was best of all. They were just so nice and a pleasure to be with. On top of that, they are excellent scrappers. Ladies: I look forward to hanging out with all of you in September. Thanks for a wonderful afternoon.

Have you ever volunteered for something with nothing but good intensions? And then, it happens. It's time to carry out the task. Well I did. I volunteered to bring cake to my church's annual summer picnic today. Of course I could just bring a regular 9"x13" cake in. No, I had to take it to the next level. I had this great idea to make cake pops for the children. No problem, right?  Yes, there was a problem. I was suppose to begin this little project Friday night. Then, that was pushed back until Saturday evening. That didn't happen either because I stayed at the mall way to late. By the time I returned, I was exhausted. So, I got up early (way before the chickens) this morning to make these cake purple cake pops. The pops went over well with the children. (I'll post a copy of the cake pop recipe tomorrow.)

One of my very dear friends recently purchased a home in Virginia. I tied the card I made for Angela with this week's Cupcake Inspiration Challenge. I love the colors we were given to work with.  Below is the inspiration photo.

My interpretation...

The DP is from a Provo product. The houses were created with a SU wheel I purchased some time ago. The images were colored using COPIC markers. With the use of dimenisionals, one house stands out from the rest. The windows in the homes are glazed over with Glossy Accents. I embossed the sentiment from Clear Stamps We've Moved stamp set and I finished off the card with a ribbon treatment. Oh, how I love ribbon. I think it's my favorite embellishment.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Peddler's Gallery. Come back real soon.

Another PDCC

T.G.I.F. Everyone:

I wanted to share my latest Play Date Cafe Challenge submission with all of you. In my mind my card had a masculine feel, but somewhere between the beginning and the end a strand of pearls found a place on the card; and the masculine feel went right out the window. Since I have a few more birthday cards to make for the month of August, I hope, I'll get another crack at it tomorrow.

This weeks's inspiration photo at the PDCC was pretty nice. Take a look at the photo below.

Below is my interpretation...

I have to apologize for the dark photo. I really need to invest in a white backdrop. The smaller photo has better coloring. The paper I used is from Basic Grey's Cappella line. I actually used four of the numberous patterns from this line. I pulled out the sewing machine to tie the patterns together. I love a zig-zag stitch. The ribbon is one of the ribbons I purchased in Montreal earlier this summer. As you can see, I pulled out my spellbinders and in keeping with the color theme, I stamped a sentiment from SU's Three Little Words stamp set; and topped it off witha a strand of pearls.  Well...you know I'm going to ask. What do you think?

Two other things, I want to mention before I sign-off...

It's been a minute since I said anything pertaining to my Followers. Two new Followers have joined The Peddler's Gallery. Welcome Chauntelle and Stella. It's nice to have you here.

Today marks the six month anniversary of the gallery. It's been six months since I've been actively blogging. I feel like I want to do something in honor of this brief milestone. Be sure to check the blog over the next day or so. Perhaps, I'll have something to give away that you may want.

Until the next time, thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery's.

How to Send Christmas Cards

Happy Hello Everyone:

Or should I say, 'Merry Christmas or Seasons Greetings.'

Can't believe the second week of August has almost come to an end and for some reason I have Christmas cards on the brain. Perhaps it's because I generally send 75-80 cards or maybe it's because I've purchased a few holiday stamps for this Christmas season. I don't know. I know I'm feeling a little Christmasy.

I began sending Christmas cards decades ago. I think I was seventeen...maybe eighteen. It was the very next Christmas season when I learn how to give Christmas cards. My very first, tax paying employer taught me how. As the wife to a promenate man in Baltimore and owner of her own business, she would send hundred of Christmas cards both personal and professional. I remembered asking something like, 'What are you going to do with the cards you have left over for last year?' She responded,'Well, you never throw them away. You always send your new friends your old Christmas cards and you send your new old friends your new Christmas cards. This way, you're sure to get rid of all your cards.' Since then, that is how I send my Christmas cards. I hope this little tid bit of information can be of use to you.

Before I go, I wanted to share the two cards I sent to my family and friends last year. Both cards were great for me for mass production. I hope it makes you feel a little Christmasy too.

Card #1

Card #2

As always, thanks for visiting The Peddler's Gallery.

I Love This Stamp!!!

Hi Everyone:

I'm just going to begin by saying , 'I love this stamp!' It's such a girly kinda stamp.

I am entered this card in this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge.

Now, back to the stamp set...

I have wanted it every since I first saw it on SCS. I waited a bit before I ordered it, just to be sure I really wanted it. And, I did, really want it. So, I finally ordered it only to learn the stamp was on back order. So, I had to wait, and wait, and wait, and then wait a little bit longer before my package arrived. When it finally I arrived, I didn't have any mo in my jo to make a card using my new stamp set. Go figure. So, the stamps sat, and sat, and sat probably just as long as I had to wait for them to come before I finally decided to use them. Then just last night, I was thinking. '..what stamps I could use...' to make a card for a friend that will celebrate her birthday next week. As I was looking through my stamps, I was reminded I had this wonderful stamp set. I thought the stamps went well with my paper selection. I purchased the papers I used for this card in July while vacationing in Montreal. I think my friend will like this card. Actually, I have a couple of friends that will celebrate their forty-something birthdays over the next few months. So, I decided a few of them would recieve simular cards. The set, Oo la La, Corset Stamp & Sentiments is from Paper Make-up Stamps. The set  includes three different styles of corsets and several sentiments.  I'll try to post a couple other corset cards over the next month or so.

Within the next few days, I am hoping to share with you one of my Christmas cards for the coming season. I picked up a wonderful holiday stamp during the CK Convention earlier this month.

Thanks for taking time to stop by The Peddler's Gallery and for leaving such heart warming comments. I really appreciate your kind words. As always come back and visit real soon.

An Invitation to Dinner

Happy Hellos Everyone:


I'm extending an invitation to dinner to you. I hope you will be able to attend. No, I'm just kidding :) Oh, how I would love to take all of my family, friends and crafting buddies out to dinner. Perhaps one of you at a time--that way I won't break my piggy bank.

Today's entry is all about the challenge over at the Play Date Cafe & Cupcake Inspiration. Of all the places were I participate in weekly challenges, I think they are my favorite. I love the fact I am able to use my stamps and design teams challenges me to use colors I may not ordinarily use together. I was just as happy to discover I had the colors needed to play along. Has that ever happened to you?

I think it's funny how this week's color palate  at PDCC was inspired by an Italian photo. Well, that's not the funny part. The funny part is I took the colors inspired by the Italian photo and ran away with it--all the way to The Orient.  Go figure.

Well, to your right is the photo provided for the PDCC and to the left is the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge. Pretty nice. A little further down is my interpretation of the colors participants had to create from.

Well, what do you think? Your comments are always welcome and greatly appreciated.

If you're wondering about the wording--it's computer generated; squares were cut and embossed using Nestabilities; the cardstock is SU and designer papers are from Best Creations (top paper) & Frances Myers (bottom papers);  and the chopsticks (I had to cut the chopsticks to fit the card.) were dressed in designer paper and topped off with ribbon. As always, thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery.

WMS & Moxie FAB World Challenges

Greetings Everyone:

I hope your Sunday has jumped-off to a splendid start. It looks like it's going to be a nice day in Baltimore. Instead of waiting until that latter part of the day to post, I thought I would do so this morning. Today's post is about this week's challenge over at Waltzing Mouse Sketch Challenge and Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie FAB World Challenge. You can get to both places in a flash. There's a link in the column list located to the right of the screen. Love the inspirational photo that was provided for the challenge. The gold tones in the picture are as soft as all the other hues. I tried to capture the very same tones for my card. The gold on my card shines, but not too bright. I love how the gold does over power the other hues. Very lady like, don't you think? I think what I manged to come up with was indicative of just that. Don't take my word for it . You be the judge. You've seen my inspiration, now you can see my interpretation....

Thanks for taking the time to visit The Peddler's Gallery.

As always, your comments are always welcome here.

Cupcake Inspiration

Hi Everybody:

I can't believe Saturday has just about come and gone. Have you ever felt like you've done nothing and everything all at the same time. In between traveling from store to store (which none appeared to be close to the other) picking up uniforms and supplies; as you can see, I managed to post. Although, I did do that, I am extremely exhausted. So, I'm going to make this entry as brief as possible.

Today, I participated in the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge for the first time. Participants were provided with this color photo to draw inspiration from. I love the colors. They are bright, bold, and fun. This is what I managed to create.

Thanks for taking the time to view my latest card. As always, your commets are always welcome and greatly appreciated. Thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery.

Up, Up & Away

Salutations All:

That greeting came across so well, when Charolette said it. You know Charolette. Of course you know, Charolette. Charolette from where else, Charolette's Web.

Okay, moving on....

This week I didn't get to participate in as many challenges as I would have like to. I had a busy weekend and by Monday, I was off on travel for the job for the next couple of days for the job. Although, I was away from my ink and stamps, I did have my computer. So, I thought I would share a card I made a week or so ago, but I was so busy, I forget to post this entry. (Did I mention I was busy.) If I had to describe this birthday card, I would describe it as being bright and airy.

Thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery.

Make A Wish

Hello All:

I know I mentioned how busy this week was...and it was. I just felt like I needed to mentioned it again.

I returned home yesterday evening. In my mind all I thought about was how much I wanted to participate in the week's challenge over at Waltzing Mouse Stamps. I actually made a card--exhausted as I was. It was okay, but that's all it was. So, when I returned home from work today, I thought I would take some time to spruce the card up, but you know what happened. That's right, I messed it up even more, so I had to start all over again. Now, with less than ten minutes to spare, I managed to upload the second card I made for this challenge. I'm not jumping over hoops about it; however, I'm happier over the outcome of what I would have orignally submitted. This is the sketch that was provided:

I love the sketch. I just wished I had more time to work on my card. This is what I came up with.

The picture came out darker than the ribbon. The ribbon color is actually kelly green. Since I am short on time, I didn't have time to take another photo. I'll try to take another photo tomorrow. Thanks for taking time to visit The Peddler's Gallery.

A Card for a True Lady

Hello Everyone:

Top of the week to all of you! I know I say this all the time, but this past weekend was truely busy and lots of fun. I started my weekend off at the CK Convention in King of Prussia, PA. I actually volunteered for four hours. I learned a few things; met a few folkes; recieved a few free products; and purchased a few things. Then I rushed back home to spend the weekend with my two nieces. We had a good time making cards and baking stuff that just wasn't good for me to eat. I'm tired, but I must say, 'We really had a good time.' My niece, Taylor made the cutest cards for her four best friends wishing them a 'Happy School Year.'

Over the next couple of days, I want to share with you a few stamps I purchased from the convention. I fell in love with the images. I love the fact the stamps are big, bold, and fresh. I managed to make a couple of cards this weekend, but my attention was focused on my nieces and making sure they returned home with greeting cards of their own.

Okay, this is my idea of what a

Lady Bug looks like when she's dressed-up.

So, what do you think.? Be sure to let me know.

Thanks for visiting The Peddler's Gallery and  have a wonderful week!

Waltzing Mouse Challenge

Good Morning All:

Below is my submission for this week's WMS Challenge:

My Interpretation

Thanks for stopping by the The Peddler's Gallery.