Creamy Dijon Dressing

Recipe Card Category – Blue Ribbon

Today is the final post on my 2024 adventures at the NJ State Fair.  The Decorative Recipe Card category is a fun change from the usual card and this one features just one layer . . .

 I’ve glued one of Tim’s clever Small Easels to the back of this recipe card.  It’s created by a Bigz Die and the easel collapses for mailing. This make it easy to read while cooking and it can also be kept on display.  Very handy!

Cardstock:   Canson #140 Watercolor, Bazzill Rain Forest          

Stamps:       Concord & 9th Garden Grown

Inks:            Vivid Red, Purple, Orange, Straw, Olive, Garnet,

Taupe, Ancient Page Pine, Superiot India Ink Black                

Dies:            Concord & 9th Garden Grown, TEMU Easter Carrot, 

Gina Marie Designs Stitched Rounded Squares, Lawn

Cuts Just Stitching Double Rectangles, Tim Holtz 

Small Easel

Doo Dads:    Judikins Glaze   

Text:  Typed 

Dawn

Other Category – Blue Ribbon

I loved this image because of its myriad varieties of texture . . .

When it comes to Guy Cards, I don’t think I can beat this one!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Pear, Beckett Iceberg

Stamps:       Beeswax Sunrise Mountain, Rubber Baby Stone

Wall & Woodgrain, 100 Proof Press Biker

Inks:            Archival Black

Color                      Pencils:      Bruynzeel Pastels

Dies:            Memory Box font Alphabet Soup: “Dawn”

Hugs

Get Well Category - Blue Ribbon

I love working with acetate and have used it many times along the way.  It’s fun to add some dimensional elements to a piece of acetate and then use pop dots to suspend it over the card front.  Shadows and depth are thus created and it makes for a very unique card.  But what I don’t like is the shiny hard surface on the acetate.  Happily, after some research, I came up with a much nicer alternative . . .

Graffix Acetate Matte is an almost clear substrate that can be used where vellum often is but it’s sheerer.  It will take ink and other media and has a softly diffused surface with a gentle gleam instead of a hard shine.  Still, I’m also checking out tracing papers to see if there are any truly sheer ones.  But in the meantime, I am really happy with the way this card turned out. 

Cardstock:   Unknown Wheat, Grafix Matte Acetate, Canson

Montval Watercolor #140     

Inks:            Distress Peeled Paint, Rusty Hinge

Dies:            Memory Box Double Stitch Rectangle Cut Out,

InLoveArts Potted Cactus, Recollections Word Fetti:

“Hugs”, Impression Obsession Dragonfly Set

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Clear

Create

 Art Category – Blue Ribbon +  a pink Best in Category ribbon!

Splitcoast Stampers featured this Bay Window card design in the Fall of 2023.  I immediately fell in love with it and knew right away that I’d be submitting it to this year’s NJ Fair in 2024 . . .

In the meanwhile, I churned out a tall pile of these and challenged myself in making each one a little different from the others.  I wanted to see if the design was a good one for just about any occasion and any recipient – so that’s why a wide range of celebrants on my A List got them.  Judging from the happy responses I got, I was right!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Wheat, Raven, assorted printed papers from

Basic Grey set Little Black Dress

Stamps:       Stampin Up Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Inks:            VersaMark

Emb Pwdr:   Seth Apter Desert

Dies:            FineGood “Scalloped Circle Set”, Memory Box

Breezy Wreath, Sue Wilson Create                  

Baby

Baby Category – Blue Ribbon

Baby Sweet Pea . . . what an enchanting image!

The white stitched edging was a favorite hand-drawn trim of stamper Kristina Werner for many years and I decided to give it a try.  I like the handmade look it gives . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Rainforest, Leapfrog, Pear, Scrap 

Chocolate Brown, Marco’s Cougar White

Stamps:       Cloud Nine text, Lockhart Sweet Pea in a Pod, 

Stampin’ Up Itty Bitty Background

Inks:            ColorBox Black, Archival Jet Black, Gelly Roll Clear

Star, White pens

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black

Pencils:        Prisma Apple Green, Kelly Green, Peach, Canary

Dies:            Quickutz Scroll Tree, Spellbinders Petite Scalloped

Oval Small, Long Classic Scalloped Rectangle

Doo Dads:    Silver Floss

Family

Anniversary Category – Blue Ribbon

My crafting library has a booklet on Asian embellishments and accents for cards.  Among its many wonderful ideas, I found a simple Mizuhiki knot I thought would be fun to try . . .

Once you get the knot fashioned from a single cord, the rest is even easier:  you just thread succeeding cords right next to the previous one.  I used four cords on this one which made the knot just wide enough to handle the 1/8" red liner tape I used on the back to stabilize the knot and fasten it to the card front.

As for the corrugated strip, I wondered what would happen if I ran it through my die cutting machine.  Voila!  Lots of texture remains, but with way less bulk.

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Bazzill Juneberry, Generic Kraft

Corrugated paper, Washi paper

Stamps:       Judikins Teachings of Buddha, Zum Gali Gali Oaks, 

Unknown Chinese “Love”

Inks:            Hero Black

Pencils:        Prisma Framboise

Dies:            Lil Inkers Stitched Mats: Rectangles, Wplus9 Banner

Trio, Repeat Impressions Flip Stitch Set

Doo Dads:    Mizuhiki cords Black, Inkssentials Enamel Accents Black

 

Love

Wedding Category – Blue Ribbon

Stamper Chrissie Stokes posted a technique on Splitcoast Stampers that rocketed me over the moon.  It’s called “Double Stamped Vellum” and I immediately played around with it . . .

Here’s how:

1. Using a dark color, stamp a collection of small, mostly solid images on the back of a piece of vellum.

2. On the front, stamp a set of small, semi-detailed images in white and white-emboss.

3. Frame the piece, and add another frame to the  back of the cut-out window to keep things neat and tidy.

Pristine white cardstock could also be used over the entire card front which makes the dark images pop and adds an aura of elegance I cannot get enough of.  The more layers, the more dimension and shadows will be created to add interest.  Have fun trying out both options!

Cardstock:   The Paper Cut Brown Umber, Stampin Up Vellum, 

   Canson Aquarelle #90       

Stamps:        Verve Autumn Splendor

Inks:             Gina K Charcoal Brown, ColorBox Frost White

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White

Dies:             Kat Scrappiness Mini Slimline Double Stitched

  Rectangles, Top Dog Pretty Petals, Memory Box 

  Stitched Petals, Recollections Word Fetti: “Love”           

 

 

With Love

Holiday Category – Blue Ribbon

I love making window cards . . .

 

Perfect placement of the inside images is so easy:

1. Die cut the shapes into the card front

2. Decorate the pieces as desired

3. Close the card front and glue the corresponding shapes through the openings.

Easy peasy!

Cardstock:   Bazill White, Scraps Red, White

  American Crafts POW! Gold glitter   

Stamps:       Assorted texture stamps

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White, Judikins White Diamond

Dies:            DieNamics Hearts a Plenty, Spellbinders Fleur

de Lis Squares

Doo Dads:    Woven Ribbon, Silver Metallic Cord, Crystals

Just For You

FAIR TIME!  Yep, the NJ State Fair has rolled around once again and I shall share my entries with you throughout the month of September.  The Fair organizers list eight categories we are allowed to submit cards for:  Birthday, Holiday, Wedding, Anniversary, Baby, Art, Get Well, and Other.  There is also a Decorative Recipe Card category you can enter in case you have time left over after putting together eight cards.  I made sure I did, so I shall finish off this series with my recipe card. 

Let’s get started!  

1.   Birthday Category – Red Ribbon

Here's my satin ribbon lineup - I'm wearing my Best in Category pink ribbon!

This die was one of those I snapped up the second I saw it . . .

 . . . it was the color scheme of whites plus the soft blues, greens, and tans used in the die’s packaging that hooked me.  So I dug through my supply of patterned papers and got as close to those colors as I could.

As each color requires a separate cutting with the die, I wound up with scores of pieces I could use to make more of these backgrounds.  So I did – fourteen of these lie in wait for future projects.  Don’t worry, I won’t sock you with all of them – maybe just a few here and there.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Lagoon, Canson Aquarelle #90, Assorted

  patterned papers      

Dies:            InLoveArts Diagonal Stripe Background, Lychee

 Flower Stitched Circles, Ali Express “Happy Birthday”  

Doo Dads:  Hemp cord Tan      

Cardstock:  Strathmore Natural White, Canson Aquarelle #90,

 Assorted Designer Papers 

Inks:            Distress Weathered Wood,

Dies:            InLoveArts Diagonal Stripe Background, DieNamics

 Scallop Ribbon, Spellbinders On the Edge, Penny

 Black “Just For You”, Pink Fresh Partial Cut

 Bouquet & a Bow

Doo Dads:   Wink of Stella Clear