At sea yesterday mid-afternoon. The patches of light coming through the clouds were gorgeous.

Our view just as we got off the ship. It was SO cold! We walked into the Royal Dockyard, and rented some scooters to drive around the island. However, that is a long story. Keep reading and I'll fill you in.

And this is our ship! I'll have to film a video from this view for ya'll. When you look to the right, there's shops and things, and you get an idea of how HUGE our ship is! It really is a big hotel on water. :)

Okay, so the scooter story. Scooter & me vs. the curb and the curb won. I learned the hard way that I'm not too coordinated while driving a scooter! Ouch! Believe me, I'm a very safe driver when in a car, but apparently put me on a scooter and I can't drive whatsoever. I tried to make a u-turn, hit the curb, and became intimate with the sidewalk.

So, after I turned in my scooter rental, I went back to the ship to lick my wounds and ice my knee. Lisa kept her scooter for the rest of the day, but turned her's in today, too.

Tomorrow, as long as my back isn't hurting too bad, we'll go shopping. Seriously, though, I could just stay on the ship all day! There's so much to do, and I've never slept so well in my life. I always get a little drowsy when in cars, and the ship feels like one big car! I'm in a constant state of drowsiness. But I don't mind, I needed the sleep. :)

Anyway, catch ya'll later!

Hi all! I'm updating from my not-as-warm-as-I-was-hoping cruise ship!

Anyway, here's this week's Make a Card Monday. I've been really wanted to use these Basic Grey die-cuts and I'm just now getting around to using them. Plus! The Love Elsie ribbon was too luscious to pass up!

This card is pretty straight forward and it uses a design that I find myself using quite a bit. It's my no-fail card template. :) If you've been around here at the blog for a while, I'm sure you'll recognize the elements. However, this time I mixed it up by using two ribbons. :)

So from sunny Bermuda, here's another Make a Card Monday!

Outside the Lunt-Fontaine Theater, where we saw The Little Mermaid. Let me tell you, it was awesome! I absolutely loved it. But of course I expected to love it because I've loved the movie since I was a little girl. :)

Our ship, ms Noordam. :) This picture was taken just as we got off the bus and before we went inside to check-in and receive our stateroom keys/cruise IDs.

On the Lido Deck.

Our room is on the starboard side of the ship, so we got an excellent view of the Statue of Liberty as we left New York City. This photo was taken from our verandah.

Lisa and I ate breakfast at the Gramercy Café. Highly recommend it. It was yum-o!


Lisa lived in NYC a while back and just raved about Conran. It's an awesome store! So much color and cool items.


Awesome lamps and Conran.


A view of the Queenboro Bridge while I rode the Roosevelt Island Tram for the fourth time!


Another view of the bridge.

We going to chill at the hotel for a while (super tired from the red-eye flight this morning), and then we're off to see a Broadway show! More later. :)

Some of you asked about Nacho Chicken. I mentioned it in my Twitter updates. :) Anyhow, here's the recipe. This is definitely NOT Weight Watchers... lots of cheesy goodness!

Ingredients:
1 bag (7 oz.) nacho flavored chips
1 large onion, diced and softened in microwave (about 3 minutes)
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1 c. chicken broth
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
1 can (10 oz.) Rotel Tomatoes with Chilies, drained
½ lb. shredded cheddar cheese (2 c.)

Directions:
Crush chips and put half of crumbs in bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Mix onion, chicken, soups, tomatoes, and broth. Pour over chips. Top with other half of chip crumbs. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Number Of Servings: 6-8

Okay, stop it. Stop it! There are just too many entries! I thought I was being all sneaky giving ya'll less time, but it didn't work! There are 48 this week! AHH!!

There won't be a CI Challenge next week (since I'll be out of town), but for sure the next week.

This week's CI Challenge comes from Pier1! I love Pier1 but unfortunately don't go there very often, even though there is a store very near my house. Tragic!

Anyhow, I found this photo as their site in the inspiration section and just knew it would make an awesome color challenge for ya'll. TIP: Notice that the dark black color is used minimally. Remember that when you create your card this week. :)



Translated into Stampin' Up! colors:


Orchid Opulence, Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White

So, here's my take on the colors this week:



Once again, leave a link to your card in a comment on this entry. All cards left in the comments by 5:00 PM tomorrow will be included in this week's round-up! So get crackin'!

Hi - Patterned paper: Scenic Route; Background Sampler stamp set, Orchid Opulence, Pumpkin Pie, and Whisper White card stock, Orchid Opulence ink, Whisper White taffeta ribbon, Cherished rubons, corner rounder and 1-3/8" square punches: Stampin' Up!; alpha stickers: American Crafts; jewels: Heidi Swapp.

Hi all!

This week's MACM is just a simple card that can be pulled together quickly (just in case you miss someone's birthday). :) And don't you just LOVE the wide green stain ribbon. Totally in love with it. I have a thing for satin ribbons... just so pretty!

You'll notice in the video that I used American Crafts patterned paper. One of the reasons I really like their patterned paper is that the backside is a solid color. So when I need a solid that matches and isn't as heavy as card stock, I can just use the opposite side.

Even though Stampin' Up! offers solid card stock, sometimes I wish for a solid side in Stampin' Up! patterned papers. Sometimes a girl wants the solid color in a lighter weight, ya know? Like when covering a tin box, for example. Have you guy encountered this, too?

So, how do you prefer your patterned paper? Take my informal survey below, and then watch this week's video. :)

LIVE CHAT
Today, March 22, 2008
12:00 pm MDT (noon)
Link to chat: http://www.livevideo.com/liveshow/starofmay

Time Conversion - If you're in a different time zone, be sure to convert the time by clicking here. Then put in March 22, 2008 and the 12:00 pm. Select USA - Utah - Salt Lake City (my timezone) for the first location, put in your location/time zone and hit "Convert Time."

Join us by text chatting or hook up your webcam. Those with webcams might want to register early for a Live Video account so they can test their webcam settings.

See you in a couple hours! :)

We had an impromptu origami lesson this afternoon. Thanks to Christy for her awesome demonstration skills, and to Paula for teaching Christy how to make these super cute origami stars in the middle of a stamp meeting yesterday!

(Such is a day at the Stampin' Up! corporate office. Yes, I love where I work. :)

I've seen these stars in glass bowls and jars. Just tons and tons of these little stars. A glass vase filled with the stars in different patterned papers would make a great center piece on a table! Too cute!

WOW! 40 submissions for the Color Inspiration Challenge #2 before the deadline! You guys are amazing!

Once again, I'm linking to your cards. I think I'll have to shorten the deadline time next week--ya'll are too quick! Editing and posting 40 cards was way too much work! :)

Hi everyone! This week's Color Inspiration Challenge comes from HGTV.com! I found a interesting and soothing room at their website and fell in love with the colors! Perfect colors for a baby card, right?



Translated into Stampin' Up! colors, it might look like:


Groovy Guava, Blush Blossom, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi

Unfortunately, this color palette uses two SU! In Colors... sorry all you international folks. Forgive me, please! Do the best you can with colors you have on hand. You might try Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, and Certainly Celery.

Here's my card (4.25" x 4.25"):



Join me in the challenge by making a paper craft creation using these colors as inspiration. Then leave a comment on this entry with a link to your card. You'll have to upload a picture of your card to your blog, splitcoaststampers.com, flickr.com, wherever you'd like. Just copy and paste the web address to your card in your comment.

Links left in comments by 6:00 pm MDT Thursday night will be included in the Color Inspiration #2 Round-up! So get workin'!

welcome, little one - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Rock-A-Bye Baby and Three For You stamp sets; Blush Blossom, Groovy Guava, and So Saffron card stock; Groovy Guava and So Saffron inks; VersaMark; Winter White detail embossing powder; Wild Wasabi stitched grosgrain; large corner rounder punch; clear button; thread.

Hi all!

This weeks MACM sort turned out a bit masculine, eh? You can always use some masculine cards because they're the hardest to make. :) It's inevitable that most of the paper crafting industry would be slightly feminine because 99% of paper crafters are women!

Anyway, this card is just a simple one. Easy and quick to make.

On a completely unrelated note, I just finished painting my fingernails in Essie's Wicked. LOVE this color! Sadly, it's not a very spring-like color, so I'm afraid I'll have to switch it up soon. Maybe Foot Loose?

If ya'll are new to Essie and are wondering where to buy it online, the cheapest I've found it is at Head 2 Toe Beauty.

Oh! And I'm planning for another live chat. This time it will be earlier in the day to accommodate those in Europe. Let's plan on Saturday, March 22, at 12:00 noon MDT (USA - Utah - Salt Lake City). Be sure to convert the time if you're elsewhere in the world.

I hope I can catch even more of you on Saturday! :)

Hi all!

Just thought I'd share one of the cards I made a few weeks ago while I was in Las Vegas. This was a super easy card that I made while we were watching movies and scrapping! (Can't get too complicated when you're distracted by cousins you haven't seen since 1997--really, 1997! Can you believe that!?)

While we were in Vegas, we only had the time to go to one scrap store. They had a pretty great ribbon section and I found this ribbon and bought it in green, brown, and cream... I just love stitched ribbon!

Anyway, so this is what I made when we got back to the hotel. Enjoy! :)

Thanks - Chocolate Chip card stock: Stampin' Up!; patterned paper: American Crafts; ribbon: Bazzill Basics; George Outline stamp set: Fontwerks; Versamarker (can't really see it, but I did color in the letters).

Ya'll are officially Blog Buddies (a la Ross Mathews)!

I got the cutest email from a reader named Christine who has three MACM fans at home. She sent pictures...



Aren't they the CUTEST thing ever?! LOVE it!

Okay, and I have a reader question for the Blog Buddies from Sabrina:

"I was [wondering] if you could help me out with some ideas for a graduation party. My cousin is graduating from high school in May and of course my Aunt asked if I could come up with some ideas for the party. I don't even know where to start. Her school colors are red, white, and blue. I just don't have a clue on what to do. Maybe you might have an idea or two?"

Can you help her out? I've never planned a graduation party so I'm probably even more clueless than Sabrina! :) If you can help Sabrina out, leave a comment!

Birthdays are celebrated in various way at my office. One of the things that's practically mandatory is a card for the person having a birthday (sort of a given when you work at a scrapbooking/paper crafting company). Anyhow, we're celebrating Venessa's birthday today!

Patti decorated her cubicle, I made the card, Jen was on gift-patrol, and Lauren not only made the donut cake, but she was the director of Mission Impossible: Venessa's Birthday--complete with a white board covered in X's and O's like a football playbook and dum-dum-da-da-dum-dum musical beats in the background. :) Venessa's the newest addition to our team so we were super secretive to plan her birthday cubicle surprise!



Venessa LOVES bright blues and greens, so this color combination was perfect for her. Granted, it's a more difficult combination, but I think I pulled off this analogous color scheme (colors next to each other on the color wheel) pretty well .


Taken With Teal, Tempting Turquoise, Glorious Green, Green Galore, Yoyo Yellow
NOTE: This isn't a Color Inspiration Challenge. I just thought the colors looked cool. :)

23 - Big Bold Birthday stamp set, Taken With Teal, Tempting Turquoise, Glorious Green, and Whisper White card stock, Winter White embossing powder, paper piercer and template: Stampin' Up!; patterned paper: Imaginisce; chipboard numbers: Scenic Route; yellow scallop edge: Doodlebug Designs; VersaMark ink.

Hi all! I had so many responses to my first color challenge. Here are all of my reader's cards as of when I write this entry. Enjoy!

NOTE: These are not my cards, so I'm pointing you in the direction of each card's creator by linking each image back to the link they provided in their comment.

Hi all! I want to try something new around here. How about some color combinations, eh? I love to see different color combinations and I get a lot of inspiration from photos of interiors. Interior design magazines, blogs, and books are an endless source of interesting color combinations.

Today's color inspiration comes from Marie Clair Maison via Design Sponge. Granted, I can't read a thing on her website (help!), but the photos and interiors on the site are amazing!



This combo is so... so girly! I love it! Anyhow, if you convert the colors in the photo to Stampin' Up! colors (or any other company's card stock colors), you might get:


Chocolate Chip, Purely Pomegranate, Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink

So, I took that color combo and made a card using the same colors. However, I was completely out of Chocolate Chip card stock (Gasp! Tragic!) so I used some of my Bazzill Bling card stock that's been hanging around. :)

EDITED TO ADD: Oh! I forgot! These Color Inspiration posts are going to be challenges for ya'll. Make a card or scrapbook page using the color combo and then leave a link in the comments. I want to see what you make! :)

You Are - Card base card stock: Bazzil Bling from Bazzill; Lots of Letters chipboard, Absolutely Fabulous and Three For You stamp sets, Pumpkin Pie and Purely Pomegranate card stock, Pretty in Pink craft ink, Pumpkin Pie ink, VersaMark ink, heat & stick powder, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, and Winter White detail embossing powder: Stampin' Up!.

Hi all! This week's card is for a good friend and former SU! upline, Erica! :) She's such a cutie so I thought I'd make her a little card. Really, I LOVE making cards for specific people! Especially when their name is on them--let's them know you were thinking about them for the entire time you were making the card. :)

I also tried a little watercoloring on a flower from Stampin' Up!'s Pretties Kit. I like how it turned out, but I also wish I would have put more color on it. It looks a little anemic? But alas, it dried lighter than I anticipated. Remember that for when you color a flower... Paint it darker than you want because it will dry back quite a bit.

I just realized that these colors are similar to the colors in last year's Polka Dots & Paisleys paper. And we all know how much I loved that paper... LOTS! :)

Live chat info after the video.



---------------

LIVE CHAT
Tonight, March 10, 2008
8:30 pm MDT
Link to chat: http://www.livevideo.com/liveshow/starofmay

Time Conversion - If you're in a different time zone, be sure to convert the time by clicking here. Then put in March 10, 2008 and the 8:30 pm. Select USA - Utah - Salt Lake City (my timezone) for the first location, put in your location/time zone and hit "Convert Time."

Join us by text chatting or hook up your webcam. Those with webcams might want to register early for a Live Video account so they can test their webcam settings.

See you tonight! :)

Everything has been sold! Thanks, guys!

Hi all! Looks like the live chat will happen this Monday at 8:30 pm (MDT). I choose 8:30 because even though 9:00 was the poll winner, 8:00 was in a close second. We'll chat for at least an hour... but I imagine it will be longer. ;) Hopefully that will work for many of you have voted! :)

Once again, if you're in a different time zone, be sure to convert the time by going to this link. Then put in March 10, 2008 and the 8:30 pm. Select USA - Utah - Salt Lake City (my timezone) for the first location, put in your location/time zone and hit "Convert Time."

Once again, I'll post a link directly to the Livevideo.com chat area on Monday within my MACM entry. See you there!

Hi all! Here's the other card we're making at card club tonight. I just LOVE these owls! I can't say it enough!

I used the same embossing technique on this card to get the raised edge that I described in this entry. However, at club tonight we won't be using a light table. I think my girls will be able to do it without. And I seriously don't want to lug a light table to Lauren's house tonight. :)

Okay, time for a book recommendation!

My card-twin and BFF Dawn sent me a book a few weeks ago that I finished reading over the weekend. It was a super cute story that I'd recommend, especially for you bloggers out there. :)

It's called The Cubicle Next Door. The story centers around Jackie, who is surprised to learn that her office space is being sub-divided by a new cubicle wall and she'll have to share her space with a new co-worker. Of course the new guy has to be annoying, and yet slightly intriguing. ;) She starts venting about the new guy to her blog buddies at her anonymous online blog. But everything changes when her blog is featured on the primetime news!

Suddenly the guy across the cubicle wall is quoting her blog to her and wondering who the writer is! I won't describe it any more than that other than to say it's a cute book. Plus, it's really clean and you won't feel guilty recommending it to your mom. It won't change your life, but it's a good escapist read. :)

Seriously, how does Dawn know what books I'd like? It's kinda freaky. Especially considering the fact that we've never met!

Owl Card - Olivia & Pals stamp set, patterned paper: Sassafras Lass; Close to Cocoa card stock and ink, 1-1/4" square punch, button: Stampin' Up!; flower and ribbon: American Crafts.

I am so addicted to this.

For this month's card club, I wanted to use new product that was released at CHA a few weeks ago. For those who don't know, many companies within the scrapbooking industry release new product at CHA tradeshows in January and July. Anyway, I wanted to use brand-spankin' new product.

When I saw the cute little owl stamp set from Sassafras Lass I knew I had to use it. It was SO stinkin' cute! LOVED it! As I mentioned in this week's MACM entry, I ended buying the new Sassafras Lass stuff from a buyer on ebay.

And so here we are with the first of the two cards we'll be making tomorrow night.

This card uses a similar design to a card I made back in October. I've always loved that layout, so I decided this little owl guy would love it, too! I also used Sassafras Lass' Owl Pals paper.

I'll post the other card we're making in another entry tomorrow night.

I've had a few questions about my card club. No, I am not a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. This is not a Stampin' Up! card club. It's basically just a night once a month that some of my friends and I get together to make cards. We take turns hosting at our homes and the only fee involved is a supply fee. Generally the cost each month per person is around $8. I design the projects and everyone makes them. Hope that clears it up. :)

BTW, the poll for the live chat time is still open (see previous entry). So go vote! Also, I realize that the times given won't work for some of you. I plan to have another chat very soon and hopefully it will be on a Saturday so I can have it in the middle of the day (possibly a better time for those in Europe). Then maybe I can chat with some of you, too! :)

Owl Window Card - Olivia & Pals stamp set, patterned paper: Sassafras Lass; Chocolate Chip card stock and wide grosgrain, Really Rust ink, 1-3/8" circle punch, paper piercer and template: Stampin' Up!; Coluzzle circle cutting system.

The numbers are in! We're gonna have a live chat! Hmm... when is the best time for everyone? I'm thinking sometime next Monday... Oh, here! Take a poll!



Poll closes in three days so get your vote in! And don't forget to do some simple math in your head to figure out what time it would be in your time zone. :)

Have a great day, ya'll!

EDITED TO ADD: My time zone is -7 hours from GMT. If you're not sure when your time would be, click here. Then put in March 10, 2008 and the time you want. Then select your locations (select USA - Utah - Salt Lake City for my timezone) and hit "Convert Time".

Also, the day of the chat, I'll include a link to my liveshow area over at Livevideo.com within my MACM entry. All you have to do is click on the link at the specified time, and you can join the chat!

You will not need to register for an account to see the chat happening (including seeing my video or the videos of others chatting), but you will need to get a free Livevideo account if you want to join in either with your webcam or by regular text chat. For those with webcams, you might want to get an account prior to the live chat and test out your webcam. There are a few different webcam settings within Livevideo and I had to try them all out until I found one that worked for me. You might have to do the same. I'm sure it will be different for everyone. :)

Hi all! I used a few new things to my stash for this week's MACM. The minute I saw Sassafras Lass' Owl Pals product, I feel in love! The little owls are SO so cute! I couldn't find any online stores that carried it yet, but I did find a seller on eBay. So I bought some paper and a stamp set. So cute! I love them!

In fact, I'm going to modify this card for my card club this week. Hopefully I have enough tags for everyone... Hmm... better look into that. :)

So, I joined a live chat last night that someone on YouTube organized (xsparkage... LOVE her!). Got me thinking. Would you guys want to have a live chat? Like with webcams and such? Anyone interested? If there are enough of you, I'll set one up. We can chat and gab like there's no tomorrow. And I'll try to answer some questions but quicker because it's live! :)

So, whadda think? Live video chat? If you have a webcam, I'll be able to see you, too!

EDITED TO ADD: Livevideo.com has a live chat feature where those with webcams can all see each other AND those without webcams can type in the chat window and then watch the other webcams. The live chat would be for EVERYONE who wants to join, whether you have a webcam or not. :)

Owl Pal - Stamp set and pattered paper: Sassafras Lass; Close to Cocoa ink, white card stock, tag, paper piercer and template: Stampin' Up!; ribbon: Basic Grey.