BLUE BIRD BLESSINGS!

Today was a beautiful day full of sunshine and perfect for rubber stamping.  I chose a Heartfelt Creations stamp of a bluebird for the centerpiece of this card.

I stamped the card in Ranger Archival Ink and colored it with Copic Sketch Markers, airbrushing a blue mist around the edges.  Then I finished off the scene with Stampscape Reeds and edges of the Oak Branch stamp using Distress Ink Pine Needles.

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Next I stamped and heat embossed three flowers with white embossing powder on vellum.

I cut out the flowers with Heartfelt Creations Rose Creations Dies.
Then inked the flowers ever so lightly with Distress ink Spun Sugar using a dauber.

Again using vellum I stamped, heat embossed and then cut out the Heartfelt Creations  frame shown in the picture.

After assembling the card, I stamped the Stampin Up Blessings stamp across the bottom of the card.

We're Quite the Pear Valentines Card

Thanks to my thoughtful husband's good shopping, we have been enjoying Harry and David pears at our house for a couple of weeks now.  These pears are delicious and in my opinion are surely the worlds best pears!  So it only seemed fitting to make a pear themed Valentines card for my husband!  I used Spellbinders Assorted Fresh Fruit Shapeabilities pear die to cut and embossed a plaid paper by My Mind's Eye called Pajama Plaid.
I used the Copic Air Brush with red 39 on a green cardstock.

The pears were placed with a pop dot under one for added dimension.

The coordinating red frames were cut and embossed in a Big Kick with Spellbinders' Resplendent Rectangles.  The background of the pears was airbrushed, pears were stamped, embossed and cut out and frames were mounted on another layer of the Pajama Plaid.  The sentiment was stamped with an Archival stamp pad in black.  The sentiment was one of those clear stamps that come in the tiny packages and are usually at the checkout counter.  I'm sorry, I didn't keep the packaging and so I do not know the name of the maker.

A red border cut out with Fleur De Lis Accents was placed along the bottom edge.

All layered up and ready to gift with love.

The Art of Chinese Dumplings!

The ART of Chinese Dumplings!

Our Chinese family treated us to a demonstration of how to make Chinese dumplings extraordinaire!

Preparing to start

Choosing oils and flavors and tools.

                                                      Only the finest ingredients for the filling!

Ready to start!

Washing the leaves.

Chopping and preparing filling ingredients for mixing.

Teamwork!

Filling.  Molding and Shaping

Ready for boiling!

Beautifully lined up like bonnets on a millinery shelf.  Thank you so much for a delicious taste of China!