Beans, Beans, Beautiful Beans...

Helloooo there coffee lovers!  Today I'm sharing a fun little giftie for one lucky hopper!  I created a mix of my favorite RAW coffee beans and tucked them into this adorable little matchbox.  Have you ever roasted your own coffee beans?  It's pretty easy and depending on how "tart" you want your coffee, you can roast them as dark as you want.  I purchase my RAW "Green" beans from a roaster nearby and they are very economical.  The good thing about green beans is that they never go rancid.  Unlike roasted beans you get from the store, these beans allow you to make the freshest of the freshest coffee around.  All you need is a stove, a pan (or popcorn popper) to roast them in and a little patience!

My box contains a mix of three delish beans:  Brazilian Estancia Lecy, Costa Rica Minte Brisas, (White Honey),  Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.  All are small beans with a variety of flavors so when mixed, they provide a nice and tasty blend.  

Here's a little video to show you how you can roast your beans when you get them:  

Now, let's get back to the box itself.  How was it made?  Well, first, I started off by cutting a matchbook die (this is a Steel Rule Die called "Matchbox" that fits in my Platinum Machine).  It's a must-have die and is very handy for making a variety of fun treat boxes.  I used one Corrugated Stock Sheet to create my box and folded on the score lines/taped with White Liner Tape.  

After that, I moved on to cutting a little piece of Cocoa Powder cardstock and a piece of Whip Cream Cardstock.  Then I used the Blooming Details Dies to create the flower for the top of the box.  I wanted a pretty floral, so I used two shades of purple (Pretty Amethyst and Pretty Pansy) for the flower and some yummy Kiwi Slice green for the leaves.  

After making the flower, I attached a little green Candy Dot to the center and tied some Natural Twine around the lid.  Then it was time to move on to the surprise  sentiment on the inside...

I stamped the "Life Begins after Coffee" sentiment from Coffee Helps set (This is the super sponsor prize Elaine is awarding one lucky hopper).  I used Cocoa Powder, Oatmeal Cookie and Lemon Grass True Fusion Inks).  I glued this image onto the cocoa powder panel and glued it into the bottom inside portion of the box before adding the beans.  

Take a peek inside...Pretty deeelish, right?  

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you were inspired by this little creation and I hope you've enjoyed the coffee lovers hop.  If you haven't had a chance to hop with us yet, make sure you do...Only a few days left before prize winners are picked!  Get your entries in today!  

Hop Deets:  

When:  Friday, May 25-June 1

Theme:  Spring and Summer

Use:  Coffee/Tea/Cocoa images

Prizes Galore!

 SUPER GENEROUS SUPER SPONSORS 

Check out the lead blog post from Coffee Loving Cardmakers HERE

Direct link to the Hop post is here:  POST YOUR PROJECTS HERE 

Spring is Blooming...

FSJ Super Sponsor:  Kerry Urbatch, FSJ Independent Coach #401

Hello there Coffee Loving Cardmakers!  Today's Thursday and I'm joining my fellow Coffee Lovers in a HUGE celebration!  The Spring Coffee Lovers Hop broke another amazing record!  We're at 1,000+ link-ups and still going!  WOOP!  Can you believe it?  I sure can!  

I'm sharing one of my last cards for the hop and it was so fun to create!  Check it out!  

To create this card I spritzed some FSJ Splashes (Cool Pool, Sour Lemon, Turbo Teal) on a craft mat. I spritzed some water on that to create a pool of yummy color.  I dipped my Whip Cream cardstock into the color pool and immediately dried the paper.  SO delish!  After that, I rubbed some Clear (Colorless Blender) PanPastel over the colored panel to remove any static then applied the Butterfly stamp from Bold Wings stamp set (February Bloom Box) using Clear Pigment Ink and White Embossing Powder. 

After that, I stamped the coffee shop easel (from Le Cafe stamp set) using Black Licorice ink, hand lettered the sentiment and colored with my FSJ Color Splash Watercolor pencils.  I rubbed over this panel with some Cool Pool PanPastel (in the Confectionary Days Collection) to give it some softness.

I doodled some flowers and dots using a Micron pen and colored with Cosmic Grape Silk and Silver Journey Marker.  The stamped/colored panel was mounted onto a Kraft card base and was embellished with some Watermelon Fusion ribbon and a few pearls.

Thanks for popping by today!  I hope you've enjoyed the hop and I look forward to finding out who the winner of my inky Super Sponsor prizes are!  See you soon!

Cocoa Treats...

The Coffee Lovers Blog hop is in FULL SWING!  Are you participating in the hop?  Make sure to check out my creations while you're hopping along.  I hope you find they absolutely delish!  

Today, I'm sharing a Cocoa-Loving project!  Yep!  I've got to since today IS cocoa's day to SHINE!!! 

Hey there cocoa loving friends!  It's I'm back with a yummy Cocoa treat package for you.  Since it's International Cocoa Lovers Day, I thought I'd join in with a little tasty treat!   I paired up the fun Cozy Wishes stamp set and the Planner Sketch stamp set with some Cranberry Bliss cardstock to create a yummy little pouch that contains some Cocoa-Mallow popcorn! The Black Licorice Ink is a trendy companion to the rich red cardstock, don'tcha think?!

I colored the cozy with my Copic markers.  I also added a few swirls of color around the stamped circles too.  It allowed for a bit more dimension and helped finish off that circle pattern.  The Gold disc (from Target), The Black Journey Twine, Jute and little strip of black and white fabric, as well as an itty bitty black button finish this fun package off!

It's pretty simple to make this tasty treat!  All you need is some fresh popped popcorn (I used packaged Orville Redenbacher's Microwave Butter Flavored popcorn), a package of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate and a few spoonfuls of Kraft Mini Marshmallows.  Mix all this together in a bowl and shake the excess hot chocolate powder off.  You can use the extra to make a cup of creamy hot chocolate afterwards!  Package the popcorn mixture into a zip-top bag and insert into the gusseted tag opening.  I add an extra pack of hot chocolate too because popcorn and hot chocolate are a perfect pair!  

Thanks for stopping by my blog on this Winter Coffee-Loving Hop!  I hope you've been inspired by the many tasty creations that have been shared thus far.  I'll be back again tomorrow with another treat to share...Until then, I'm off to hop, hop, hop away!  

Beary Cute Mug Rug...Winter Coffee Lovers Hop

It's DAY 3 of the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop and I'm back with my third treat to share...This time, it's not a card.  It's a cute little Mug Rug created especially for...ME!  

Did you know I'm a bear collector?  On top of all the stamps, inks and other crafty things I *collect*, one of the most special collections I have is my collection of stuffed bears.  I love them!  The little bear in this photo is actually my Mom's childhood bear (and christening gown) and because I'm a teddy bear collector, she gave it to me.  It's one of my most treasured possessions.   

I decided to create a little Teddy Bear Mug Rug using an adorable Teddy Bear stamp called Beary Best.  It's such an adorable stamp and It worked well on my fabric design.  Oh, and those cookies, I made them today.  They're actually heading to my classroom for a fun Paint Your Own Cookie event this week.  They're pretty tasty!

So wanna know how I created this adorable quilted mug rug?  Well, first, I colored some cotton fabric (an old sheet) using some Sweet Berry Splash.  I have a collection of jars filled with water and Splashes in my fridge and they come in handy when I want to dye some fabric.  I heat set the color and then stamped the bear onto the fabric.  I heat set the bears too.

After that, I painted a light coating of reinker on the fabric.  In hindsight, I probably wouldn't do that again because the reinker bled a bit.  It was ok since the bear is a bit on the shabby side anyway.
See how the color bled a bit.  It's because of the oil in the reinker.  When I was light-handed on the ink it was ok, but when I added too much ink on my brush, it bled.

I do love how the Splash created a marbleized/tiedyed effect on the fabric!

After finishing my fabric design, it was time to sew it together. For the backing, I selected some fabric remnants that belonged to my grandma.  I also added some cotton batting and sewed it up on my sewing machine.  After it was sewn together, I used a meandering stitch all over the fabric to quilt the layers together.

After finishing the stitch work, I focused on a little girly pleated ruffle on one edge.  My needle broke right when I was done adding the pleats so I had to add a temporary pink bow to finish it off.  

I hope you enjoyed today's Winter Project.  It's such a fun little cookie/hot chocolate mat!  Tomorrow I'll be back to share the Beary Cute card and another tasty treat!  :)  Now back to hopping!  

Falling for Coffee!

Hey Journey Friends!  Today I'm sharing a non-traditional "Fall" card and gift set that I created for the Fall Coffee Lovers Blog Hop AND the canyoucaseit.com challenge #139 (Rainbow colors). This'll be a little treat for someone special who's hopping along with all of us!  

I decided to take the "Fall" theme out of the box and interpret it a different way...as in FALLING FOR COFFEE!  Take a look at my twist on this theme.  

I started out by dabbing a rainbow of FSJ reinker colors onto some Acetate.  After I had them inked up, I laid another piece of acetate over the ink and rubbed it together.  This blended the colors and prepared an inky surface for my stamp.  I placed the stamp into the ink and twisted it a bit to let the colors settle in then lifted and applied it to my Whip Cream cardstock.  I then applied some Journey Glaze to random dots and sprinkled some Sparkle Dust on them.  

Next, I stamped the sentiment (from a fun Richard-ism wood set that I received as a treat for attending Convention last summer.  I also stamped some of the coffee cups using Black Licorice ink and painting some reinker onto them for color.  

I just love how the reinker can be used as a coloring medium and since a little goes a long way, my reinkers seem to last FOREVER!  After that, I stamped the cups in a "falling" pattern on the background paper and assembled the card.  I just love tying my ribbon that way!  Black Twine and Candy Apple Satin Ribbon do the trick!  

After assembling the card, I also created this little treat bag.  Inside, there is some secret coffee loving stuff!  TOP SECRET!  I elected to add some fun trim, a chunky wooden clip and tied a string onto the clip to attach it to the festive striped bag.  A perfect and quick little coordinating bag with a little WOW factor!  

 Just too yummy not to take a few close-up shots!

Interested in the products I used to create this fun "fall" gift set?  Please check out the products in my online shop!  

Stamps:  Richard-isms (exclusive Coach set), Deco Dots, Hey Sugar

Reinkers: Rich Coral, Banana Cream, Summer Days, Sweet Pear, Beach Breeze, Huckleberry Fusion, Butter Cream

Ink:  Black Licorice True Fusion Ink

Paper:  Whip Cream Cardstock, Summer Days, Treat Bags

Embellishments:  Sparkle Dust, Candy Apple Satin Ribbon, Black Journey Twine, Jumbo Wooden Clips, Amazing Trim, Sparkle Trim

Glue/Adhesives: Foam Squares, Journey Glaze, Journey Craft Glue

Thanks for stopping by to check out my projects today!  I hope to be back again tomorrow with another fun coffee loving creation!  See you then!  :)

Exciting Announcement!

Hello Journey Friends!  I've got a SUPER Exciting announcement that I can share today and I'm ready to spill the beans...Coffee Beans, that is!  WOO!  

I'm honored to have been asked to join the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Design Team.  I'm overjoyed to join such a talented group of designers and can't wait to share my love of coffee/tea and hot chocolate with you!  When you take a look at the designers I'll be teaming with, you'll understand why I'm so excited!  They are ROCK STAR stampers and crafters and I'm just THRILLED to work alongside them.  

Chaitali Narla

Amy Tsuruta

Helen Gullett

Andreea Raghina

Christina Graca

Kerry Urbatch <------That's ME!!!
There are a few more to be announced but you'll have to check back later!

I'm excited that I will also be able to share my love for design using my Fun Stampers Journey Products too!  Throughout the next several months, I'll be sharing coffee loving projects HERE and on my "all stamps are fabulous" blog HERE.  You'll also see me posting on the Coffee Loving Cardmakers blog so if you're not  a follower, make sure to join the fun! 

Now... A post HERE won't be complete without a fun inky project right?  Well, to kick off my fun coffee-loving adventures on the CLC blog team, I'm sharing something from our new catalog...Another tres chic coffee set!  Take a peek:  

One thing I LOVE about this new set "Le Cafe" is that it is not only meant for the COFFEE lover in me but it's also hittin' that yummy CARB-LOVING spot!  OHHH yeah!  Yum!  I love the combo and it's mighty tasty to work with...In fact, so tasty I had to go make some peanut butter toast when I was done making this card!  TRUE STORY!  Sooo...Let me share a bit about my process in creating this card.  

I started out by stamping the baguettes with Hazelnut Blend ink onto Oatmeal Cookie cardstock.  I used a bit of Hazelnut Blend PanPastel to distress the paper afterwards.  I then set out to color the images with Prismacolor pencils.  I loved adding a bit of white colored pencil to make the images pop.  After coloring, I attached a piece of black and white stripe patterned paper (Retired) that was also distressed with Hazelnut Blend PanPastel.  I attached some Candy Apple ribbon and added a bow of natural thread to finish the card base off.  

Next, I moved on to stamping the steamy cup of coffee onto Whip Cream cardstock using Hazelnut Blend ink.  I added a bit of color with PanPastel and with Prismacolor Pencils.  After coloring, I cut the image out with my awesome Detail Pro Shears and positioned it by the bow using small foam squares.

To finish the card off, I decided to add a layer of Cranberry Bliss cardstock and a torn piece of paper bag (just to give a nod to the baguette wrapper) and attached them in a "wonky stack" onto a Whip Cream Base.  

Thanks for stopping by to share my excitement!  I can't wait to join the Coffee Loving Cardmakers blog team this term!  Make sure to follow the happenings daily...and make sure to brew yourself a cuppa joe too!  :)  

Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop: Day 7: Boxes, Beans and Bows...

***Congratulations go to Claire Broadwater for winning my Flash Prize!!!  Claire can now shop my FSJ site and select $25.00 worth of her most favorite products FREE!***

Hey there happy hoppers!  Today I thought I'd do a little celebratin'!  Yes, you've got that right!  I'm celebratin' my last day of school!  WOO!  Well, not really my last day of school, but the last day my students came to school.  I have to pack my room up and turn my keys in on Monday, but other than that, I'm FREE!  WOOO! 

I created a little acetate gift box using an awesome die from FSJ.  This die usually cuts paper only, but with a bit of finagling, I was able to cut this acetate box.  I started out by dripping some FSJ Color Splash colors using a straw then let some of the splats drip a bit.  After letting it dry, I headed up to my scrap room to start working on the other parts to this project.  

I used the RETIRING set _ to create 20 little cards that I can place in this box and take with me to the Scrapbook Expo this weekend.  I'll share a few of these cards with friends as a reminder that we need to have a little play-date after the show is over.  I filled the acetate box with some coffee beans, added a ribbon and some sparkle thread and started working on my card.  

Here's a closer peek at the yummy coffee beans.  Don't you just wanna shake-shake-shake it? Naaahhh...Just sniff, sniff...Smells soooo good!

I wanted to create a little asymmetrical design for the drippy panel so I trimmed the top and bottom a bit.  After that, I added some star strip diecuts (LOVE THIS DIE SET) on top of some fringed graph paper.  And don't you just love those little people clips?! LOVE THEM!  I added some of the sparkle trim and applied this panel with foam squares to a blue panel I stamped with the "coffee" sentiment in this set.  

There are several sentiments in this set and I love each one.  I think this sentiment works best here. This closer peek also helps show the yummy diecut and the fringe paper.  That's a party goin' on right there.  :)

I hope you enjoyed my creation today.  I'll be back again tomorrow to share another fun coffee creation!  

FSJ Products Used:  

Enjoy Coffee Stamp Set (Retiring June 30!:  40% off)

Border Details Die

Treat Box Die

Whip Cream Card Base

Limeade Splash Cardstock

Pool Play Cardstock

Summer Days Cardstock

Blue Lagoon Cardstock

Blue Lagoon True Fusion Ink

Oatmeal Cookie True Fusion Ink

Hazelnut Blend True Fusion Ink

FSJ Color Splashes (thinned with water) Cool Pool,  Lemon Grass, Pineapple Smoothie, Citrus Cooler, Watermelon

Fam Bam Elements

Tinsel Trim

Olive Green Satin Ribbon

Foam Squares

Journey Craft Glue

Non FSJ Products Used:  

Canson Watercolor Paper

Graph Paper

Acetate

Metallic Silver Liquid Acrylic Paint (Liquitex) 

Reminder:  As a SUPER SPONSOR and a FLASH PRIZE SPONSOR for this hop, I will be giving away the following items to some lucky hoppers:  

Super Sponsor Prize:  

NEW (To be released July 1.)  "Hey Sugar" stamp set 

Flash Prize:  

$25.00 Gift Certificate to my online shop!  ***Congrats to Claire!  

*** You can view my previous posts here: 

Day 1:  Espresso My Love...

Day 2:  Bible Journaling:  I love You A Latte...

Day 3:  A Little Sip of Sunshine...

Day 4:  Hello Lovely...

Day 5:  Coffee Buzz...

Day 6:  Tiny Bubbles

***HAPPY SALES!***

Our 40% off Retirement Sale is Going ON NOW!  Check out all the amazing price cuts on our top-quality products.  While we hate to see them go, we've gotta make room for our new catalog products that will become available July 1!  (Our Coffee set:  ENJOY COFFEE SET is reduced to $10.17)   Hurry, all products available while supplies last!  

Thanks for popping in and have fun hopping! 

Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop: Day 6: Tiny Bubbles...

Hello Happy Hoppers!  Today I'm switching it up a bit.  Not because I've had enough coffee, but because my Matcha is feeling a bit shafted...You see, I AM A MATCHAHOLIC.  Yes, it's true.  I drink at least one cup of this frothy goodness every day so I think it's about time that I shared the love of the almighty Matcha!  Soooo..It all started this morning on my drive to work.  I planned up a bit of a bubbly idea...and literally, thought about it and planned it all day long!

When I got home tonight, I whipped up a cup of Matcha, and headed to my craft room:

I grabbed a few spoonful (or two) of foam off the top of my tea and placed them on the watercolor paper.  Oh those bubbles....Tiny bubbles, big bubbles, rainbow bubbles, just the most delicious bubbles you ever did see!  After that dried a bit, I dabbed off the leftovers with a cloth and blasted it with a heat gun.

Next it was on to creating the card:  

Using some Pan Pastels (in the colors of the "rainbow" seen in the bubbles), I rubbed a bit here and there onto the paper and on the vellum circles I diecut.  I also used the regular and pierced dies to create some additional circles.  Once assembled I selected my focal image...

Yeah, I like Big Cups (Matcha bowls) and I cannot lie!  I stamped the sentiment onto the largest vellum circle then painted the backside with some Olive Green acrylic paint.  After that dried, I burnished it with the end of the paintbrush to create the "white" for contrast and dimension.  

Look at those gorgeous trails and pools of matcha powder...MMMM...It's a bit difficult to see the shimmer here, but there is a golden sheen all over this panel from the Pan Pastels.  I decided it needed a bit of coppery color, so I splattered a bit of Bronze Silk on too.  Beads of Journey Glaze were also randomly placed on the piece for fun.  

I mounted this piece "wonky style" onto some vellum, added Green Olive satin ribbon, then applied it to another panel of watercolor paper.  It was mounted onto a Hazelnut Blend card base.  

And the final outcome...Ahhhh  delish!  Don't worry, only about a teaspoon of my cup of matcha tea was wasted in this adventure... I drank the rest.  YUM!

FSJ Products Used:  

Hey Sugar stamp set (available July 1)

Pan Pastels (available July 1)

Black Licorice True Fusion Ink

Green Olive Acrylic Paint

Summer Days Cardstock

Limeade Splash Cardstock

Hazelnut Blend Cardstock

Vellum Designer Prints

Journey Glaze

Bronze Silk

Journey Circle Dies

Green Olive Satin Ribbon

Foam Squares

Journey Craft Glue

Non FSJ Products Used:  

Canson Watercolor Paper

Matcha

Reminder:  As a SUPER SPONSOR and a FLASH PRIZE SPONSOR for this hop, I will be giving away the following items to some lucky hoppers:  

Super Sponsor Prize:  

NEW (To be released July 1.)  "Hey Sugar" stamp set 

Flash Prize:  

$25.00 Gift Certificate to my online shop!  

*** You can view my previous posts here: 

Day 1:  Espresso My Love

Day 2:  Bible Journaling:  I love You A Latte...

Day 3:  A Little Sip of Sunshine...

Day 4:  Coffee Buzz...

***HAPPY SALES!***

Our 40% off Retirement Sale is Going ON NOW!  Check out all the amazing price cuts on our top-quality products.  While we hate to see them go, we've gotta make room for our new catalog products that will become available July 1!  (Our Coffee set:  ENJOY COFFEE SET is reduced to $10.17)   Hurry, all products available while supplies last!  

Thanks for popping in and have fun hopping!