Our theme at Heart2Heart this week is "Let Them Eat Cake"! I remember learning about Marie Antoinette in school and was fascinated seeing the history and palaces involved in her life when we went to Paris. This theme makes me think of weddings, so I decided to make some monogram cards for my cousin who is getting married this summer.


All supplies are Close To My Heart:
Paper - Black, Lagoon, White Daisy cardstock; For Always patterned papers; Ink - Lagoon, Black;
Stamps - Urban Alphabet, Curlicue Alphabet, Advent Calendar Workshop; Cricut Cartridge - Artiste.

Hope to see you in the gallery at Heart2Heart!
It's my Mom and Dad's 30th wedding anniversary coming up, so I thought I had better get on making their card! Did you know that 30 years = pearls? I used another watercolour image along with the Freshly Made Sketches layout.

Here's a close-up of the image:
Stamps - Tuscan TF Set (Art Impressions), Free Spirits (Paper Smooches); Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento);
Cardstock - Colonial White, Olive, Smokey Plum (CTMH); Tombow markers - 969, 177, 076, 679, N65;
Die - Charming Oval Die Set (Verve); Embellishments - Opaque Pearls (CTMH).


June 17, 2015

carpe diem

"Carpe diem" seemed like a fitting sentiment for the last challenge over at Deconstructed Sketch. I have really enjoyed these sketches and have really been able to challenge myself with several of them. I was also inspired by The Challenge "tea time" inspiration photo and want to link up to the Eat Me Drink Me Inspiration challenge over at Verve (I can't wait for their new release!!).
And here's a closeup:
Patterned paper - Victoria Gardens (Echo Park); 
Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento), Black, Juniper (CTMH);
Stamps - Words of Wisdom, Sweet Scallop Tag, One Cup (Verve); 
Dies - Sweet Scallop Tag Die, Cuppa Tea (Verve);
Ribbon - Black Striped Grosgrain (CTMH).

June 17, 2015

Retirement

I think this may be my FAVOURITE watercolour scene that I have created so far! I am loving this technique and am so excited to try more of it this summer...I've never been much of a painter or into colouring too much, but I am finding using my new Tombow markers with a watercolour brush to be very relaxing. This is definitely a favourite technique or mine right now, so I am linking this card up to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge of showcasing your favourite technique. I really struggled to pair this scene with papers, and after consulting my aunt who has lots of experience with this, I went with simple solids. Thanks, Auntie Karen!

I made this card for my mom's retirement on the weekend. 35 years of teaching - wow!

Paper - Colonial White, Smokey Plum (CTMH); watercolour paper; 
Stamps - WC Series 9 Set 2 (Art Impressions), Word Card Puzzle (CTMH);
Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento); Tombow Markers - 969, 856, 679, 177, N45.

Yay, I have finally made my card for the Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop! I have honestly been trying to make a card for this hop for over a week and was finally able to put it together today using the Mojo Monday sketch. I am also linking up Eat Me Drink Me Diva Inspiration Challenge over at Verve.
Stamp set - Coffee (Verve); Dies - Coffee word, Cuppa Joe (Verve);
Paper - Blossom patterned papers; Sunset, Glacier, Chocolate, White Daisy cardstock (CTMH);
Ink - Chocolate (CTMH); Embellishments - Glacier Extra Thick Twine (CTMH).



This week at Heart2Heart we would like you to get inspired by maps. I chose one of my favourite places (and it so happens to be my Dad's favourite place, too, making this perfect for Father's Day): Kootenay Lake.

All supplies are Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted:
Paper - Kraft, White Daisy, Glacier; Blossom patterned papers; Ink - Desert Sand, Lagoon;
Stamps - Seaside Scrapbooking Workshop; Embellishments - Jute ribbon, Gold sequins, Mint Green enamel dots (YNS)
June 07, 2015

Bloom & Grow

I have two good friends finishing their Master's degrees right now, right smack at the end of the school year! It is crazy busy for them to say the least, so I wanted to put together something for each of them. Here is the card I made for one of them using some new-to-me things from Verve!
As soon as I saw this challenge, I wanted to use the colours at Color My Heart because my friend is such a colourful person herself. I didn't have all of the exact colours, so I improvised with some! She also just got back from a trip to Ireland, so I thought she might like this sentiment. The sketch is from the current Fusion challenge.
Stamps - Blessings, Bloom & Grow (Verve); Ink - Honey, Moonstruck, Olive, Smokey Plum (CTMH);
Paper - Jubilee, Sarita patterned papers; Topiary, Kraft, White Daisy cardstock (CTMH);
Dies - Floral Circles, Elegant Leaves (Verve).
June 05, 2015 in

Basil Pesto

I have an abundance of basil blooming right now and wanted to make some pesto! But I must say, I get quite annoyed with pesto recipes I come across. How much is 3 cups of basil leaves, really? Here's my take on the sauce in what I find more "realistic" terms.

Basil Pesto
2 handfuls Basil leaves
1 handful Italian Parsley
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 red chile 
2 tbsp. pinenuts, toasted
1 small block Parmesan cheese, grated
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp. olive oil

Throw all ingredients (except olive oil) in a food processor and pulse. Drizzle in 1 tbsp. olive oil and pulse. Monitor consistency of pesto and add more olive oil in small amounts. Cook pasta according to  package directions. Drain pasta and toss with pesto. Serve with extra grated Parmesan on top.

June 05, 2015

Just Married

I am going to share a wedding card today that I have made for my brother-in-law and his new wife! My husband and I were both in this beautiful wedding last weekend out in the Muskoka Lake area in Ontario.
I also got to spend time with my aunt and her family during my Ontario trip! I am so stoked that my aunt taught me a watercolour technique. I will definitely be working on it the next while, but here is my first shot:
Stamp - Steeple TF Set (Art Impressions); Ink - Black (Momento), Slate (CTMH);
Tombow markers - 177, 969 676, N95, N65, 761, 076; Paper - La Belle Vie (CTMH); Ribbon - Slate twine (CTMH).

We went to visit One Crazy Stamper store where I bought my first Tombow markers to use for this technique! I used the retro sketches layout for my card and am linking up with the "Anything Goes" challenge on the One Crazy Stamper blog.

© Allie's Adventures in the Kitchen, Crafting, and the Kootenays! · THEME BY WATDESIGNEXPRESS