Expo Weekend

I just spent Friday and Saturday at the Stamp and Scrapbook Expo in Kansas City Missouri. I had a great time! I took six classes and shopped, shopped, shopped. The classes were all really good, with cute cards and great instructors. I will definitely go back next year.

Happy Birthday America!!!!!!

                                         

Trying New Techniques

I think it is very easy to get into a rut with my card making. Thanks to a couple of forums I belong to I have the chance to try some new techniques. The first one I tried today is a chalkboard technique. It looks just like a chalkboard but it is done on plain black card stock. I found it to be an easy and fun technique.

                                                                     


The next technique I used today is a Bleached Image Technique. I found the tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers. It's a great website for finding new techniques. I had a little trouble with this one because my very heavy Kraft paper did not bleach out at all. I changed to a lighter weight paper and I could see the bleaching begin instantly. So, word to the wise: test your paper with bleach before you stamp and emboss your image. It may save you some time and material. The finished card turned out well.

                                                                 

I'm Back!

We just spent 2 weeks on Anna Maria Island, Florida. It's our favorite vacation spot and we had a wonderful trip. Here are two of my favorite sunsets for you to enjoy:



Right after we got home we had a Game Night Crop on the We Craft Cards forum. It was a really fun crop which produced some great cards. Here are a few of mine:

Monochrome Card

I just entered this card in a Monochrome Challenge on The Outlawz. Monochrome is not my favorite technique but I do like the way this one turned out.  That's why I like doing challenges; they force me to do things I might not do otherwise. It's easy to get into a rut. I like to stay out of the rut!
 
                                                                

Love That Sourdough!

Is it just me or do all sourdough bakers love to sniff the starter? The best smell in the world is a baby right after a bath. The second best smell is that tangy aroma of a well fed, active sourdough starter. Here is my bowl of starter after I fed it today. It's all bubbly and smells like heaven!
                       
                                                       

And here is the perfect loaf of sourdough bread that we enjoyed tonight with a big salad. Just a plate of salad and a couple of slices of that bread with some real butter....Yummmmm!! Since all I had was a salad, I think a dish of ice cream would be appropriate right about now.

                                                        

Easter Prep

It's beginning to look a lot like Easter in my card studio. This is the card I just made for the Progressive Freebie Challenge on The Outlawz. It's 3D and kinda cute if I do say so myself!