Announcing...

This will be a quick post since I'm working at the last minute to get this done. What else is new? :-) Actually, I have a brand new grandson! Peter Thomas Schuler was born on Friday, February 24 at 9:52am, weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches. His proud parents are Laura and Toby. And of course, here Peter is just hours old. Isn't he just adorable?

Here's what I created for our DIVA sketch challenge, DSC177. You can check here to see what the other team members came up with.




I'll be back later to give you all the details.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

Tips & Tricks Tuesdays

I'm starting a new feature on my blog called "Tips & Tricks Tuesdays." I've been a Stampin' Up! demonstrator almost seven years, and I've picked up a lot of tips and tricks along the way. Some are things I learned from other demonstrators, others are things I've learned through trial and error, and some are from my experience as a sewer and quilter.

Today's trick is one I learned from a trimmings shop owner in Nice, France! It's an interesting story. I had flown into Nice for a 10 day trip to France. It was a tour for quilters, so we visited quilt shows, textile museums and fabric stores. I was looking for some ribbon to add to a hat and stopped in a small trimmings shop. I selected my ribbon and took it to the counter. The owner cut my length of ribbon and took out a Bic lighter. She proceeded to light it and pass it over the end of my satin ribbon. I'm sure I looked shocked! She smiled and sweetly said, "This will melt the edges of the ribbon and keep it from fraying."

Here's a picture of some ribbon before and after:


You can see that the fibers melt and seal the edges! Be careful not to burn the ribbon. It is very similar to using a heat gun for embossing.

And here's a card where I used this technique. With 6 raw edges of ribbon, it really made a difference when I sealed the edges.


Isn't this sweet? This was really easy to make, although some of it is what I call "fussy work."

Stamps: Baby Bundle (Onesie on the hanger), Petite Pairs
Paper: Twitterpated DSP, Whisper White, Blushing Bride
Ink: Black Staz-on
Accessories: Owl punch (the vest makes the dress), Scallop Oval and Large Oval punches, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, markers and pleated satin ribbon in Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze and Pear Pizzazz

Well, I hope you learned something new today! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you next Tuesday for more tips & tricks!

Blessings,
Barbara

Happy Birthday!

February is a big birthday month at our house! All together, with immediate and extended family and friends, we celebrate five birthdays, including mine at the end of the month. I'm a little excited this year since I'm a Leap Year baby and I will be celebrating my "Sweet Sixteen!" And today's card celebrates birthdays!

After two weeks off, it's good to be back with my team working on a DIVA sketch challenge card. This week's sketch, DSC176, was a dream to work with! Thanks, Tammy!

And here is my card.


It should be obvious that I based my color combination on the fabulous SAB paper, Everyday Enchantment. I'll sure be sad to see this retire at the end of March! Get it while you can! It is actually free with a $50 order while Sale-A-Bration is on.

Stamps: Little Friends
Papers: Watercolor paper, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Everyday Enchantment DSP
Accessories: Big Shot, Tasteful Trim die, Stampin' Dimensionals, aquapainter, Signo gel pen

To watercolor the image, I pulled out all of the markers that coordinate with the DSP: Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Peach Parfait, Calypso Coral, Poppy Parade, and Soft Suede. I used them to color and shade and then I used my aquapainter to blend the colors. I popped up the top balloon and highlighted them all with a gel pen.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend! I know I will! It is our annual trek to Lancaster, Pennsylvania with my husband's family. We enjoy each other's company, eat way too much, work on puzzles, unwind and relax. Oh, did I mention outlet shopping? :-)

Blessings,
Barbara