Blendabilities - Can You See the Difference?

Hi Friends

Blendabilities Comparison - Whisper White on top, Very Vanilla on bottom

Still here in southern Ontario enjoying time with my family....but I am *also* enjoying a chance to play with my Blendabilities a bit.  I really liked how Sunday's card turned out and I wanted to see if the Blendabilities looked any different when used on Very Vanilla cardstock instead of Whisper White.  

Blendabilities on Whisper White

Blendabilities on Very Vanilla

You tell me.....

I tried to make my colouring and card construction as identical as possible so that any differences beween Whisper White or Very Vanilla might be more pronounced.  

But honestly?  

Except for the fact that I might have been a bit more vigorous in my use of the Colour Lifter for the Vanilla-based images than the White ones, well aside from that there is very little difference at all.  

And certainly nothing that would make you think you *had* to use Whisper White as your card backing.

Good to know!

But I'd like to hear from you.  Tell me...do YOU see a difference?

So there you have it folks.  Our Blendabilities can be used equally successfully on our Whisper White cardstock and our Very Vanilla cardstock!  And trust me, I can see me using them a LOT in the future.  

If you'd like to play with your very own Blendabilities (at the very best price possible), check out my Blendabilities (virtual) club HERE.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!   God Bless,    ~Cynthia    <><

Thankful Thursday - Simple and Easy Vanilla Card

Hello Dear Friends

Sorry that I got busy and neglected you.  Things sure have been crazy around here - they probably have been where you are too, huh?

But even with life being crazy, we still should all take the time to be Thankful.  And I am.  I absolutely am.  You see, today begins one of the holiest times of the year.  And I have a *lot* to be thankful for.

We all have a lot to be thankful for.

Today is Holy Thursday.  The first day of the single saddest event in the history of mankind.  And the beginning of the most glorious!  

Yes my friends.  We have a *lot* to be thankful for!  It's as simple as that.  So my card is simple too.  Just strips of Vanilla cardstock that have been embossed with various patterns.  No two the same length.  No two the same pattern.  

Kinda like us, huh?     :)

You might notice though, that all of them are facing the same direction - the 'thanks'.

So whether you are getting ready to drive somewhere to visit relatives for this long Easter weekend, or staying put at home, whether you will be spending much of your weekend in a church giving praise, or spending your time on the couch watching tv, no matter how you plan to spend your time this weekend -- I hope at some point, you are thankful.  Because we have been blessed beyond compare.  Truly and remarkably blessed.

I hope for you and yours, that these last few days leading up to Easter Sunday are a time of great happiness for you.  Peace.  Joy.  And Fulfillment.  I hope you are filled with Thankfulness.  And a recognition for all the things you have to be thankful for.  
And for today itself, I wish you a peaceful and peace-filled Holy Thursday.
May God Bless you all,     ~Cynthia     <><  

Product List

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Thankful Thursday - Your Chance to Decide.....

Hello Friends

Another Thankful Thursday and another reason to dwell on the things that make me appreciative in life.  

Today, quite honestly, I am thankful for my health.  I spent the better part of this week knocked out from a cold that was worse than any I've had in the past several years....and with my Sale-A-Bration Kick-Off Class coming up this Saturday (want to join me?  For details, see here) I just didn't have "time" to be knocked out and off my feet.  But thankfully, it turned out to be 'just' a cold and nothing worse.  

Tangerine Tango

Strawberry Slush

No flu.  
No pneumonia.  
No nothing else.  
Just a nasty cold.  
And as annoying as colds are, they tend to clear up such that you barely remember what it was like to feel unwell.  
Well almost barely.

I am not so far beyond the cold that it's remnants don't still linger.  I had a voice for much of this week that made me sound like a Disney cartoon character (and it wasn't pretty - let me tell you!).  I can mostly speak normally now but it still comes and goes.  And I came to realize that you can lose an awful lot of skin from your nose yet still not expose the bone (although I was wondering if I would be able to truly test the limits).  But raw, red nose aside, I am doing quite a bit better now and I am looking forward to introducing so many of my friends to all the wonderful Sale-A-Bration products this coming Saturday.  So -- Thankful I am.   Most definitely!

Which brings me to today's card.  I need you to weigh in please.  I made this card in two versions, one using Tangerine Tango as the base colour and the second using Strawberry Slush.  And since this will be one of the cards my friends make on Saturday at my Sale-A-Bration Kick-Off Class, I want to make sure they get a chance to make the best version possible.  So I am asking you to weigh in and tell me which base colour you prefer?  "Orange" (Tangerine Tango) or "Pink" (Strawberry Slush).  I am leaning towards one of the choices but I want to check to make sure that my preference matches what YOU prefer.  So.....leave a comment please and let me know which card you like better.

You will give me even more to be Thankful for, if you help me out on this!

Hopefully I will see many of you on Saturday and you will see for yourself how stunning these cards are.  And how easy to make.   And the best part is......you can earn the stamp set I used FOR FREE!!  Really.... If you haven't RSVP'd already to join me on Saturday, then it is not too late.  Let me know you are coming and I will be waiting for you - with a smile!   (and what remains of my raw, red nose of course!)

Hope everyone stays healthy and enjoys the rest of their day.   God Bless,      ~Cynthia    <><

• Petal Parade Clear-Mount Stamp Set
• Sassy Salutations Wood-Mount Stamp Set
• Sassy Salutations Clear-Mount Stamp Set
• Fancy Fan Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
• Elegant Butterfly Punch
• Bitty Butterfly Punch
• Ovals Collection Framelits Dies
• Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad
• Strawberry Slush Classic Stampin' Pad
• So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad
• Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad
• Strawberry Slush 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Soft Sky 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Stampin' Dimensionals
• Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter
• 2-Way Glue Pen

Thankful Thursday - What's Not to be Thankful For?

Hello Friends.  

Stampin' Up! is giving us a chance to buy a whole bunch of really great products, at a fantastic discount (see list here).  If Stampin' supplies make you as happy as they make me.....then what's not to be thankful for?  

Seriously, there are many more reasons in life to be thankful than just craft sales.   :)       Family.  Friends.  Health.  Happiness.  If you have any one of these, you should be thankful.  Me?  I have *all* of them!  And I know it.  And my heart is glad!

But for the purposes of today, and this blog, I am going to keep this short....the fantastic November sale is too exciting to try to take any attention away from it.  But do keep this in mind...no matter how tired you get or how busy or how overworked, in the grand scheme of things...what's not to be thankful for?

Have a spectacular day and God Bless,    ~Cynthia    <><

• Sponge Daubers
• Labels Collection Framelits Dies
• Elegant Eggplant Classic Stampin' Pad
• Marina Mist Classic Stampin' Pad
• White Stampin' Emboss Powder
• Heat Tool
• Basic Pearls Jewel Accents
• Fancy Fan Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Big Shot Die-Cut Machine

Fast & Fabulous - Blooming With Kindness

Fast & Fabulous Friday and boy do I need "fast" today.  I am prepping all the materials for a Fundraiser at the Navan United Church tomorrow (if you are free from 10 - 1 then please feel free to come join us.  The cards are fabulous and the people are wonderful).  There is a lot of prep work to do so I needed today's card to be fast.  So it is!

This Fast & Fabulous card is one that we'll be making tomorrow.  It is super easy and the recipe looks like this:

Supply List
Stamps - Blooming With Kindness
Paper - Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Island Indigo
Ink - Bashful Blue, Island Indigo
Big Shot -  Labels Framelits, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Fancy Fan EF
Tools and Accessories - 2-way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds

See?  Nothing to it.  Some stamping (love this flower stamp. It is so forgiving!)  Some die cutting.  Glue it together, add glitter, and done.

Now all I have to do is prepare all the packages for the ladies to make this card.  Plus 3 other cards.  For tomorrow morning.  Yikes!    :)

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend.  God Bless,
~Cynthia    <><

Convention Swaps

So....apparently it is a tradition that when you come to Convention, you bring swap cards.  These are identical copies of cards you make to "trade" (or "swap") with other demonstrators.    I know women who make 150 and 200 swaps!!  Or they make 50 each of 2 or 3 different designs.  Ack!!  Me?!?  I am a little overwhelmed at the whole idea but I didn't want to "not" join in the fun, so I used one of the cards I designed for my ladies for our June card club as the basis for my Convention swap. 

Supply List
Stamps - Stippled Blossoms
Paper - Whisper White, Garden Green, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue
Ink - Garden Green, Lucky Limeade, Marina Mist, Baja Breeze (Stamped off once so it is pale)
Big Shot -  Top Note die, Fancy Fan EF, Delicate Designs EF, Square Lattice EF (optional)
Tools and Accessories - Sponges, pearls

At club, the ladies had the option of embossing the main stamped image or leaving it "unembossed".  I think there was pretty much a 50/50 split as to who embossed or left it 'flat'.  So I made both versions to bring to Convention and will let the recipients decide which one they prefer.  The embossed version ends up looking more like linen and is a really cool effect but this photo does not do it justice.  In this photo it looks like too much of the fine detail is obscured by the embossing, but in real life the embossed version is very, very pretty.

At least, I hope my swap buddies think so!

I hope to figure out how to download photos onto my laptop (?!?! wish me luck!!) so that I'll be able to share with you some of the very cool swaps I receive in return.  Keep your fingers crossed!  And stay tuned.    :)

Have a wonderful day and God Bless!    ~Cynthia    <><

Welcome Baby

I spend quite a lot of time at the orthodontist.  Not me exactly, but 3 of my kids do.  I sit in the waiting room drinking tea and working on my laptop (our orthodontist has free wifi and also a Keurig.  Gotta love it!).  Meanwhile my daughters get their teeth straightened.  My DH and I both had extensive work done on our teeth when we were young so our kids were doomed.  My son?  So far his teeth are fine.  And we are hoping they stay that way!

Anyhow, my point to this story is that I spend a lot of time in that office.  In a single 14 day stretch this Spring when 2 of my girls got their braces on while the third had an appliance replaced, we had 8 appointments!  Aargh!  But I did get to know the staff fairly well.  They are always so agreeable and accommodating with rearranging appointments, changing schedules and with emergency visits.  I am very happy that they make spending time at the office an easy experience.

One of the receptionists just had her first child - a baby girl - and since we had an appointment this week anyhow, I decided to make a baby card to welcome the newest little pink bundle to Ottawa.

Supply List
Stamps - Two By Two
Paper - Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Bashful Blue
Ink - Basic Gray, Pretty In Pink, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Wisteria Wonder, Chocolate Chip, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo, Pool Party, Marina Mist, Island Indigo
Big Shot -  Fancy Fan EF
Tools and Accessories - Blender Pen, Dazzling Details, Pretty In Pink Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon

I think that I used more colours of ink on this one card than I have ever used before in an entire week!  But colouring in the ark and its occupants with my blender pen was actually quite fun.  And very forgiving!  I stamped the outline of the ark with Basic Gray so it wouldn't be too overpowering.  Then coloured the areas I wanted using my blender pens and pools of ink from the lids of the ink pads.  Can you believe those elephants are not gray, but wisteria-coloured?

I was really quite pleased with how this turned out, especially the new Fancy Fan folder to simulate waves.  Some dazzling details on the portholes and water, a cute bit of ribbon, and my card was complete!  The flap of the envelope was embossed with the Fancy Fan detailing as well.  And a knot of the pink ribbon was laced through a hole in the front of the envelope.  I just love how with a hand-made card I can coordinate the envelope with the card itself.  Those little details just make the whole thing perfect!

I know Samantha will be very busy (and very tired) in these first few weeks with baby B.  But I also know that she is wished a million blessings from everyone in the office - both those she worked with, and those patients (and parents) that she so cheerfully helped.  God Bless your whole family Samantha, and especially your new addition.

To all of you, my faithful friends!    :)   Enjoy the rest of your weekend and God Bless,    ~Cynthia    <><

Quick and Easy Birthday

A friend (and customer) of mine celebrated her birthday on Monday and I wanted to make her a card to let her know how special she is to me.  Although it arrived to her late (so sorry M) I know she understands that I was thinking of her on the right day.

Supply List
Stamps - Pennant Parade, Fabulous Phrases, Friendly Phrases
Paper - Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Melon Mambo, Bashful Blue, Pink Pirouette
Ink - Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Crumb Cake
Big Shot -  Square Lattice EF, Fancy Fan EF
Tools and Accessories - Pennant Punch, Cupcake Punch, Rhinestones


I have to admit, my inspiration came from Stampin' Up! demonstrator Heather Klump, who admitted that she took her own inspiration from somewhere altogether different again...but then again, CASEing (copy and share everywhere) is the finest form of flattery in the card-world!


Hope your day was terrific Monique!  The sentiment says it all -- "You are simply wonderful".  And I hope you had the happiest of birthdays.


Today on the other hand, is my wonderful, wonderful mother-in-law's birthday and I have made a very special card for her.  I won't post it "just in case" she visits my blog.  But tomorrow I will show you what I made!  I have been blessed with a terrific mother-in-law whom I adore and I know how very lucky I am!!  She is my friend as well as my MIL.  It doesn't get any better than that!   :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful day.   
God Bless,      ~Cynthia      <><