Sending an Ocean of Love

Hello Blogger friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog this last Saturday in August. Looks like we are going to have a great weekend here in Pittsburgh - weatherwise that is. 

I will be in the kitchen dealing with a huge tomato harvest. But that will get taken care of in a timely fashion today. Then I am going to put my patriotic decorations away and pull out my Fall stuff. I always like when it's time to change the decorations. Even though we have almost a month of summer left, I am going to put the summer decorations away. 

Now onto my card for today. This one is definitely one with a summer vibe. I created it for one of the DTGD challenges on Splitcoaststampers. We were to create a fun fold card. 

I used the July 2023 Stampin' Up "fun in the sun" kit. The kit gives you supplies to make 9 fun fold cards. This card is just one of the designs in the kit.

Well, that's it for me for this post. So until next time .....God bless. 

Card Details:

Stamps: fun in the sun (Stampin' Up)

Paper: azure afternoon, daffodil delight, flirty flamingo, melon mambo, pool party (Stampin' Up)

Paper Size: A2

Ink: azure afternoon (Stampin' Up)

Accessories: Paper Pumpkin Kit July 2023 (Stampin' Up)

Techniques: Side Step Card

I am also entering:

1.  Aloha Friday Challenge is vacation mode. 

2.  Creative Fingers Challenge is anything goes. 

3.  My Time to Craft wants us to use die cuts. 

4.  The Paper Shelter Challenge has a summertime challenge.   

5.  Crafty Gals Corner has a summer fun challenge. 

Merry and Bright

Hello Blogger Friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog today. 

I have been busy with the bounty from my hubby's garden. He picked 50 banana peppers, and they were waiting to be stuffed, some shared and the rest put in the freezer. I stuff them with a hot & sweet Italian sausage, onions, garlic, seasonings and a can of fire roasted tomatoes w/chiles. I sent 7 large ones to my niece, 8 large ones to my next door neighbor and 7 large ones to my son and daughter-in-law. 

I also roasted a bunch of tomatoes today. My hubby grows heirloom, opalka and some other round ones. I never asked him for the name of the round ones. But the heirloom and opalka when roasted with garlic, onion, olive oil, salt, pepper and a drizzle of balsamic glaze make for the most delicious marinara sauce. After roasting I put them in the food processor and puree the mixture then freeze. 

I will be in the kitchen daily until the beginning of October. That's when his harvest will stop. But I don't mind because everything I make, and freeze is another meal to be enjoyed over the winter months. 

Now onto my card for today. this one I made for the color challenge #958 on Splitcoaststampers. We were to use polished pink, gold and mossy meadow for the color trio. Optional is to make it Christmas.

polished pink, gold, mossy meadow

For my card I used a Suzy's watercolor print from Simon Says Stamp. You can use any medium to color it though. I used a combo of Stampin' Up (polished pink & misty moonlight (neutral)) & Copic alcohol markers and Prismacolor pencils and gamsol.

Card base is mossy meadow with a strip of gold. Scattered some gold epoxy gems to finish it off. That's it for me for this post so until next time......God bless. 

card details:

Paper: mossy meadow, brushed gold (Stampin' Up)

Paper Size: A2

Accessories: Suzy's Watercolor Snowman prints (SSS), gold epoxy gems (Stampin' Up), polished pink & misty moonlight Stampin" Blends (Stampin' Up), E31, E33, E57, E59, C00 Copic Markers, Prismacolor pencils 1090 Kelp Green, Black, Gamsol

I am also entering:

1.  Christmas Craft Creations has a clean and simple challenge.

2.  The Holly and Ivy Christmas challenge is anything goes. 

3.  Lil Patch of Crafty Friends has an anything goes challenge. 

4.  A Perfect time to Craft has an anything goes challenge. 

5.  Crafty Animals has an anything goes with an animal. 

Birthday Wishes & Poppies

Hello Blogger Friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog today. 

Another weekend is almost over, so I hope you had some fun plans. We were invited to a birthday party yesterday afternoon. It was a great time chatting with friends and we even met a new one. There was lots of delicious food and of course plenty of sweet treats. I steered clear of the dessert table which wasn't easy, and they also had an ice cream truck come bringing more goodies. 

Today I spent some time in the kitchen roasting the tomatoes from my hubby's garden. His harvest is coming in and it will be here for another month or longer. We love eating fresh from the garden and freeze a lot to enjoy in the winter.

Now onto my card for today. this one I created for the color challenge #960 on Splitcoaststampers. I was the hostess, and I chose berry burst, bubble bath and lost lagoon for my color trio. Optional was an anything goes. I chose polished pink for my option.

berry burst, bubble bath, lost lagoon

I used a new to me poppy stencil from The Ton Stamps to create my card. It's a multi-layered stencil. 

I don't have bubble bath ink, so I used spun sugar distress ink and I thought it was a good match. That's the first stencil layer. Second layer is polished pink (my option), and the 3rd layer is berry burst.

Leaves are stenciled in lost lagoon ink. Added my sentiment, scattered a few berry burst sequins to finish it off.

This card is a bit larger than I usually make because of the size of the stencil. It measures 4 1/2" x 6". I don't have any 12 x 12 cardstock in berry burst. So, I did a hinge technique for this card. Here is a link for another card I did that explains this technique.

This card was just mailed to my daughter-in-law for her birthday. She loves flowers. Well, that's it for me for this post. So until next time......God bless.

Card Details:

Stamps: Lighthouses (MFP)

Paper: berry burst, bubble bath (Stampin' Up)

Paper Size: 4 1/2" x 6"

Ink: polished pink, berry burst, lost lagoon (Stampin' Up) spun sugar distress (Ranger)

Accessories: peaceful poppies stencil (The Ton Stamps), Wishes w/Shadow die (CottageCutz), Berry Burst sequins (Stampin' Up)

Techniques: stenciling

I am also entering:

1.  Beautiful Blossoms has an anything goes with flowers challenge. 

2.  Creations in Pink has an anything goes challenge with mainly pink. 

3.  Stencil Fun Challenge is anything goes w/optional butterflies.

4.  Gem of a Challenge Week 17 is anything goes. 

5.  My Time to Craft has a stenciling challenge. 

Swan Silhouette

Hello Blogger Friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog today.

August is moving right along. It's already halfway through the month. I want to put the brakes on and slow the days down a bit (lol)!!!

We had our family reunion this past Saturday. It was a great time of spending time with family and lots of good food. My hubby picked about 40 banana peppers so that was my food contribution. 

I stuff them with hot & sweet Italian sausage plus onion, garlic, oregano, Italian seasoning and a can of Trader Joe's fire roasted tomatoes w/diced chilies. That was the first dish to be emptied. Two of my nieces asked if I could share the next batch I stuff. So that's what I did yesterday for them. 

Today, I have garden tomatoes to roast with onion, garlic olive oil and balsamic glaze. Then I put them in a food processor to puree and freeze them.  Doing it this way I end up with a delicious marina to enjoy in the winter. 

But, before I get into the kitchen, I wanted to post a card. This one I made for the DTGD challenges on Splitcoaststampers. I was hosting this challenge and I wanted everyone to use a silhouette. The silhouette could either be a stamp or a die cut. 

I started my card with the background paper. It's from the "Landscapes Paper Pack" from Divinity Designs. The stamp and sentiment I used is from Blue Knight Stamps - "swan scene". I stamped with black archival ink from Ranger. 

This will be the card I give to my hubby on our anniversary in November. And, that's it for me for this post. So, until next time......God bless. 

card details:

Stamps: Swan Scene (Blue Knight Stamps)

Paper: gorgeous grape, basic black (Stampin' Up), landscapes paper pad (Divinity Designs)

Paper Size: A2

Ink: jet black archival (ranger)

I am also entering:

1.  Simon Says Stamp has a CAS challenge. 

2.  The Crafty Addicts has an anything goes challenge. 

3.  The Paper Funday Challenge is anything goes w/optional the great outdoors. 

4.  Crafting Happiness Challenge is anything goes. 

5.  Lil Patch of Crafty Friends has an anything goes challenge. 

Precious Poppies

Hello Blogger Friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog today.

Welcome to August and I can't help but saying the summer months are flying by at a rapid rate. Our CA kids were here for a visit last week, so no Blog posts from me. We had such a wonderful family time with our CA & Pittsburgh kids and especially the grandkids. Now, my house is way too quiet. 

We are going to visit our CA kids in the early Fall. Just not sure when yet. We didnt make it out in the Spring so it was 6 months since we saw them. Just way too long even though we did Facetime calls. It's just not the same as an in-person visit. 

My hubby also has started the harvest from his vegetable garden. He picked 37 banana peppers the other day. I spent Friday and Saturday stuffing them with a combo of Sweet & Hot Italian sausage. I froze them for wintertime enjoyment. And I shared 6 of them with our next-door neighbors. They love them. 

Now onto my card for today. This one I created for the DTGD challenge on Splitcoaststampers. For this particular challenge we were to use stencils. 

The stencil I used is from The Ton Stamps. It's the precious poppies stencil and it is a multi-layer stencil. The ink is also from The Ton - rose quartz, soft garnet, red sangria. The card base is polished pink cardstock from Stampin' Up. 

I didn't add a sentiment because I am not sure how I will use this card yet. 

Well, that's it for me for this post. So, until next time.......God bless. 

card details:

Paper: polished pink, white (Stampin' Up)

Paper Size: A2

Ink: rose quartz, soft garnet, red sangria (The Ton Stamps)

Accessories: precious poppies stencil (The Ton Stamps)

Techniques: stenciling

I am also entering:

1.  Lil Patch of Crafty Friends has an anything goes challenge. 

2.  Gem of a Challenge Week 16 is anything goes. 

3.  Inkspirational has a stencils challenge w/optional of layering stencils. 

4.  Polkadoodles has an anything goes challenge. 

5.  Cardz 4 Galz wants us to use something beginning with "P". I used a poppies stencil.