Freshly Made Sketches - Father's Day

We are celebrating Father's Day a bit early since my daughter is attending the One Direction concert tomorrow ( OMG!!! - imagine thousands of teen girls high pitched screams).

 I looked to Freshly Made Sketches this week for a clean and simple sketch. Masculine cards are always tricky for me especially CAS ones. I tend to distress many of my masculine cards but I refrained from doing so on this card.

I hope everyone enjoys their Father's Day celebrations tomorrow.

Stamps - Blue Ribbon - sentiment from MDS

Ink - baja breeze

Paper - Comfort Cafe DSP, not quite navy, whisper white and summer starfruit card stock

Accessories - 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/2" circle punch, modern label punch, word window punch, Island Indigo baker twine, scallop die, dimensionals

Mojo Monday - Graduation Card

Ahhh, finally a moment to stamp. Abbie is being puppy sit by Megan and I was able to get to my closet to create a graduation card for our neighbor. I have a few more to make and will probably mix up the papers and use this same great layout from the Mojo Monday blog.

I have used the new DSP Floral District along with the new stamp set Blue Ribbon. I think this new stamp set will have many applications and be used quite a bit. Check out the new catalog for all the exciting new products.

Stamps - Blue Ribbon
Paper - Floral District DSP, tangerine tango, whisper white, daffodil delight card stock
Ink - Rose Red, Tangerine Tango
Accessories - Daffodil Delight stitched robbon, brights buttons, white bakers twine.

Photo of the Day

Here is Abbie with her little duck toy - Aren't they a pair?

Introducing the Newest Member of the Family - Abbie

Here is the newest member of the Bilbao family - Abbie. We just picked her up today and have been so excited to bring her into our home. I will admit, however, that we are all so tired and now remember what it is like to have a little one around the house - A LOT OF WORK. She is such a cute and sweet little 8 week old girl. She is an English Creme Golden Retriever and has coloring almost like a polar bear with white fur and a black little belly and skin.

We are crossing our fingers for a good night tonight and successful potty training. - WOOF!

Speaking of Woof! Here are some bags I created to give to her parents using MDS. I got the idea from SU demonstrator Michelle Suit to print directly on the bags using my printer. Another great MDS project.

Memorial Day Weekend - Real Simple Salad

We had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend in Mammoth albeit a short one. One thing I love the most about our time there is that we all get to sit at the table each night and have dinner. Afterwards, we play some board games or watch a movie together - a perfect evening. Here at home, it is a rare night to sit at the table all at once due to the kid's sports schedules and Marc's work schedule.

The relaxing time also gives me more time to cook and try new dishes. The current issue of Real Simple magazine features 10 salads with 3 different dressings and we decided to try a few. I had to post this salad since it was the favorite of the weekend. It is simply arugula, peaches, roasted pecans ( we used walnuts) and white cheddar with a balsamic dressing ( used just a sprinkling of sugar in lieu of honey). DELISH! Here is the recipe - enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pecans
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 bunches arugula (6 cups)
• 1 peach, sliced
• 2 ounces sharp white Cheddar, cut into chunks

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toast the pecans, tossing once, until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes; let cool, then chop.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Add the arugula, peach, Cheddar, and pecans and toss to coat.

Masculine Birthday for an Easy Rider

Here is a card I created for my neighbor who is turning 70 although you would never guess his age. I find images hard to choose for masculine cards, but thought this was appropriate since my neighbor is a motorcycle rider. I used MDS to create the greeting and reduced the opacity of the "70" to make it appear as a background for the sentiment. I love MDS!

Paper - Scraps of Webster's DSP ( I can't remember the name), not quite navy, early espresso, cherry cobbler, whisper white, crumb cake
Ink - basic black, baja breeze, marina mist, going grey, soft suede, daffodil delight, sahara sand
Stamps - Motorcycle ( MDS)
Accessories - square lattice embossing folder, dimensionals, brads, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/2" circle punch

Treat Bags for RMH

Here are the bags I will be making for our Long Beach Ronald McDonald House. I'll put some chocolates, hand cream and lip gloss in these little Fancy Favor boxes. This is a hybrid of both stamping and My Digital Studio. I am just loving MDS and can't wait for the new improved MDS 2 coming later this year.

The talented ladies at The Paper Players have a Mother's Day theme this week so pop over there and see all the beautiful designs and ideas.

I have also found a new challenge blog Tuesday Alchemy that is very cool. It is open to ALL crafts so check that out as well.

Stamps - Mixed Bunch, Elementary Elegance, Creative Elements, Chateau Bella ( My Digital Studio)
Ink - Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede, Peach Parfait
Paper - Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Silver Glimmer Paper, Attic Boutique DSP
Accessories - Fancy Favor die, Labels Framelit die, Heart to Heart Punch, diamond jewel, small scallop punch, very vanilla seam binding, brads