Banana Split Sunday!

Valentine's Day is just a week away, so it is nice that today's Banana Split Challenge, Be Mine, offers you another opportunity to make a last-minute Valentine! While you might have that one special someone that you design an intricate, more time-consuming gift for, Valentine's Day is one of those holidays when you might need multiples, so something fast and easy is a good thing! Besides, it is kinda fun to make something fancy and romantic for your love, and then something cute and fun for your little loveys. ;)

Today's card features Fancy Pants coordinating two-sided designer prints: Dancing Girl (dots/roses), Hip Hop (stripes) and Ballet (hearts). I grabbed these fun Valentine papers and a sketch from September 2009 Card Maps to construct a card that took about 15 minutes to make. A few stitched edges, a bejeweled nestabilities fancy labels sentiment, a little sponging, a pretty bow, and it was a done deal. I think this will be the perfect Valentine for sweet Ashley, the darling girl I'm mentoring for confirmation this year.

Visit the 2RedBananas Store, then come to the Banana Blog to play along with our challenge each Sunday. The design team girls in the Banana Bunch always post inspiring cards to get you motivated to create. ;)

Banana Split Sunday!

It's great to be back after a week in California! CHA was amazing, and I arrived home exhilarated and exhausted all at the same time! I don't think I have ever been so tired!

New paper crafting and stamping products should be hitting the stores any minute and I can hardly wait to create with them, but as much as new *toys* might be *all that* they are not what made CHA the best week ever! The special thing about CHA is meeting friends and enjoying spending time with people who share your passion. I met so many of my long-time idols and beloved online friends...what a great week! I've never seen so much creativity and talent under one roof! If you're on Facebook you've probably been seeing lots of pictures...cameras were everywhere! I'm grateful for that, because I get so caught up in the moment I forget to grab mine!

Being so exhausted is a no go for the Mojo, but I still wanted to play this week's Banana Split Sunday challenge, which is to include hearts somewhere in the design. I had several scraps of Sugar Rush on my table (along with a huge heap of other stuff that I left in a CHA hurry), so I started there...the set I used for last week's challenge (Gunther's Greetings) includes a little heart, so I stamped several and cut them out to make a bouquet to add to the design of the printed paper. I added a few little dots with a white gel pen just for fun. The sentiment, perfect with these elements, is from the 2RB set, Quotes. For a romantic finish I added a big red bow embellished with buttons, including another heart.

Be sure to check out the Banana Blog for more inspiration! I hope to see you again soon!

Banana Split Sunday!

This week's Banana Split Sunday challenge is *Behind the Scenes* (a stamped background)! I must confess that I was stamping this card the day before leaving for CHA, so I stamped the foreground and used a piece of left-over designer paper *sky* for the rest, just to save time. There were a-million-and-one things to do that day, so I had to stream-line!

Love this cute furry friend and all the coordinating sentiments in Jami's set, Gunther's Greetings. I colored him with Copics, paper-pieced his scarf using a bit of Basic Grey Boxer designer paper, and placed him in a very simple scene with a paw-print stamped background and a nesties circle sun-shaped sentiment. The edges of the paper were given a quick sponging with Tim Holtz distress ink just to add a bit of dimension.

Hopefully this quick creation will bring a ray of sunshine to a friend when they're having a blue day.

Sunday blessings!

Banana Split Sunday!

This week's Banana Split Sunday challenge is a color challenge: blue, silver, and white. I remembered this quote from our very first Quotes set, so that got the creative ball rolling.

The beautiful textured midnight blue and shimmery silver card stock is from CutCardStock. It matches this scrap of Basic Grey designer paper perfectly. I used my labels 4 nestabilities to cut a shape from white card stock, then faintly inked it, still in the die, with Basic Gray and Bashful Blue inks using a stipple brush. The sentiment was stamped with Versamark and embossed in silver. I had this strip of butterflies lace, once white and now silver from a spritz with some glimmer mist, from which I trimmed one single butterfly to attach to the sentiment panel. A few tiny navy pearls make him "original." I love the sheen of the sheer striped ribbon against the shimmery card stock. These colors and textures make even the simplest layout seem elegant.

As you can see, when this photo was taken I had not yet *dressed* the inside...I was in a race to get a picture in some sunlight before the rains arrived. I don't always decorate the inside of my card, but especially when the card base is dark card stock, I do like to. Weather permitting, I'll take a picture of the inside also.

I hope you'll play along with our challenge! The Banana Blog is the place to start!

Think ROUND!

It's the first Banana Split Sunday challenge of the year, and the theme is to *think ROUND!* I thought about doing a round card but then I changed my mind! This layout is very angular...I decided to go in circles in every other way but that one! The Basic Grey designer papers are two prints made up of all ROUND elements, the embellishments are ROUND, the wheels on Jack's skateboard are ROUND and the sentiment is about the world going ROUND! Are you dizzy yet?!

It is finally warming up and I'm glad! The church's heat pump couldn't keep up with our Florida morning temps of low 20's, and the pipes there froze, so it was COLD even inside until aROUND 10:30 ;) (I know, couldn't resist!)...finally it began to thaw out and we had water and plumbing!

Hope to see you aROUND again soon!

Banana Split Sunday!

This week's Banana Split Sunday challenge is *what kind of card can you make with a tree?* Most of the girls chose to interpret this in more creative, artistic ways but I went with a simple 2RB stamp and some October Afternoon paper that is a perfect match! I love the cozy-warm, comfortable neighborhood feeling of the images, even though it is a wintery scene. It makes me think of the small town where my husband grew up (in da U.P.)!

In this photo it is difficult to tell (gray days in Florida for the last week, and more to come!), but the tree, stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa, is inked with white gel-pen snow in the crooks of its branches...the image was cut, embossed, and matted with Nestabilities circles. The sentiment was inked with a marker (omitting some words, inking only a portion). All of the paper edges were inked with Tim Holtz distress ink. I added a layered pair of glittering MS snowflakes, a Basic Grey transparent button, a velvet bow, a single tiny dew drop, and a small punched heart.

I think this card would be the perfect pairing with a warm loaf of nut bread or some yummy cookies fresh from the oven! Here's my mom's tasty recipe for Chocolate Peanutters! These are SO good!

Chocolate Peanutters
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup, firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 package (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup salted peanuts

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Combine brown sugar, shortening and vanilla in large bowl. Beat til
creamy. Add egg. Continue to beat. Add flour mixture alternately with
1/4 cup milk. Stir in chocolate chips and salted peanuts. Drop by level
teaspoonsful onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Sending You Warm Fuzzies

It has been cold and gray in Florida for the last several days! This morning's low (so far, at 4:30 a.m.!) is a brisk 34 degrees, which I know is not a big deal if you've ever lived north of I-10 (which I have not!) but it is definitely cold to us! In fact, the heat pump threw the circuit breaker and the smoke/temp detectors started chirping they were so cold (which is why I was awake at 4:30 a.m.)! You can count on the fact that we will be wearing our coats and scarves to church this morning!

Today's Banana Split Challenge is just perfect for this weather! Jeanette challenged us to Stay Warm! I am old enough to appreciate this sentiment (as opposed to cold pricklies ;) hehehe!) so I grabbed some cute Imaginisce Polar Expressions designer paper with glittery mittens and warm holiday words of cheer! I love the pairing of these elements with some velvet ribbon and a cord-tied button. It is amazing that such a simple creation can evoke a feeling of warmth from the inside out!

Stay warm! I'm planning to! I'm going to be doing a little Christmas baking today, so the house should be warm and cozy!

Banana Split Sunday!

I missed last week's 2RB challenge, but all week long I had an idea rolling around in my head, so I was happy to get to combine this week's gratitude challenge with last week's sketch. Here's what the sketch looked like:

I flipped the sketch upside down to make this matchbook fold gratitude journal. Inside there are pages for each month of the year, with room to jot down a word or two each day for the things I'm grateful for. At first I had planned to use some Indian Summer paper and a Fall image, but then I decided that it should be something that would look at home on my coffee table or night stand year-round whatever the season, so I opted for this adorable Rachelle Anne Miller magic fairy, Lily, along with Colorfall and Mushroom Fancy designer papers from Imaginisce's Twitterpated Collection. I really love how she turned out, bright and fun in colors that are timeless.

I colored my image with Copic markers and highlighted her dress bodice and edges of her wings with some Spica sparkle! I then used my Nestabilities Labels 3 to cut and emboss the image...since this was the largest of the set and matting therefore was not an option, I sponged heavily around the edges to define them and give the illusion of layers. I did the same with the tag for the sentiment, from the October/November Journaling Spot. The only embellishment is a dotty bow tied with a button and some cording.

I like for the inside of my card to look as pretty as the outside, so I finished this with more of the orange dotted paper on the flip side. Normally I would adhere a flap to the clasps of the brads so the mechanics would not show, but in this case I would like to be able to replace the pages each year, so I left them accessible.

I hope you'll play along with this week's challenge...we each have something to be grateful for! I also hope my fellow Americans have a marvelous Thanksgiving! Have a terrific week!

Banana Split Sunday!

It's time for another Banana Split Sunday challenge! This week we're using a 3-2-1 recipe for our cards: 3 eyelets, 2 ribbons, and one oval. I used card stock from CutCardStock with some paper from last year's Fall DCWV designer paper pack, which went perfectly with sweet, adorable Autumn Leaves Penny. I even managed to give her brown hair instead of red! I thought that would balance the colors better, but in my heart, Penny will always have red hair! ;)

I don't know about you, but I sure love the Crop-a-dile for setting eyelets! Makes 'em much less of a headache to set! I tied a scrap piece of ribbon with a bit of raffia so my card qualifies for the recipe challenge. It is bright and a bit different than what I would normally choose, but it is kinda fun for a change.

The Banana Blog has inspiration from our other designers, or you can see their individual blog posts on the sidebar to the right for the details on their creations.

Banana Split Sunday!

This week's Banana Split Sunday challenge is a Fall color challenge! Make a card or layout using three of these four colors: yellow, orange, red, or brown. So fun to do with this new adorable Autumn Leaves Penny! I stamped her with Memento ink, colored her with Copics, and tucked her onto a layout inspired by Beate's weekend sketch. I used some paper from an old K and Co tablet, and distress inked all the edges with Tim Holtz distress ink.

Lots of cute new stamps! Go check 'em out, peek at the samples (links to the 2RB design team are on the sidebar) and get to work! ;)

Banana Split Sunday!

This little cutie, Falling Leaves Jack, is a sneak peek from 2RedBananas' upcoming release! He looks a little more girlish than I had planned in the midst of these Indian Summer colors! This week's challenge is to use a square, the color RED, and three buttons. I know you're probably wondering where in the world the red is on this card...maybe I cheated a little bit! I used the prisma color *carmine RED* on Jack's shirt! I just HAD to use this paper because it's been calling me all week! ;)

Hope you'll go check out our other designers' creations on the Banana blog and play along with us!

Banana Split Sunday!

This week's challenge is a sketch! Since Fall has finally arrived in Northeast Florida, I especially enjoyed working with these warm colors! I used prints from two different designer paper manufacturers (Pink Paisley and My Mind's Eye), but I think they work well together for this monochromatic design. The Fuzzy Bear and leaves on the sentiment from the same set were colored with Copic markers and embellished with Flame dew drops.

My friends have made some adorable cards for this challenge! Hope you'll take a peek and then play along! One randomly determined winner will receive a stamp set from our September release.

Banana Split Sunday!

I haven't watercolored in quite a while, so I decided that for today's Banana Split Challenge I would pull out the old aquapainter and squish some ink pads! Our challenge is a color challenge, to use orange, black and purple...this designer paper is a scrap left over from last year's K and Company paper pad that I absolutely loved! The only new things besides the cute Jack-o-lantern Penny stamp are the spider from JoAnn's and the MS web punch. All of the rest is from my stash, which I am making a deliberate effort to use! How else am I gonna make room for my new purchases?! ;)

I hope you'll play along with our challenge!

Banana Split Sunday...

...and more World Card Making Day projects to finish today! Hasn't it been fun?!

Here's another Penny card for you! She just makes me smile...my 15 yo ds and I spent a couple of hours manning the Pumpkin Patch (our church youth group's fund-raiser) yesterday, and although it was hot and humid, it was so much fun! One little guy about 2 years old was pumpkin shopping for the first time, and he just ran from one palette of pumpkins to the next touching everything, all wide-eyed with wonder! So cute! There is a lot to see...we have some of the coolest pumpkins! Gnarly warty green ones, pale white smooth ones, translucent veiny-skinned ones...and of course, the typical orange ones we all associate with the arrival of Fall.

I actually took my basket of Copics with me and colored to pass the time while we were there...and the place inspired me! I wanted to try to incorporate some of the textures and colors of the Pumpkin Patch into my card, so I started with My Mind's Eye designer paper, inked all the edges, then added a piece of *stuff* I've had for years (and I do mean years!) that reminds me of hay or corn silk...I embellished with hemp-tied buttons and a raffia bow. The sentiment is from another 2RB set, Fuzzy Bears, but it works so well with Penny!

You've gotta go see all the cute things that our design team has done this week! I hope you'll play along! You might win a Penny stamp! :)

Banana Split Sunday!

This week's Banana Split Sunday challenge is to make a bag, box or wrapping paper. Perfect timing for me, because this week we're having our annual Fall Brunch for our women's Bible study and I always like to take a little prize or two for the winners of the games we play. This tall thin bag will be just perfect for a journal or small devotional book.

I especially enjoyed this particular challenge because my friend Pinky got a new Scor-Pal and gave me her old one! Oh My Goodness! What a difference this tool made! Pinky, I have been enjoying my new toy just for scoring card folds, but it made this project so easy and fun! Thank you and {{hugs}} for your generosity! I love it! You're such a sweetheart!

Love this Pink Paislee "Fetching" paper too! The leafy design just draws me toward simplicity and a minimalist style. Today I chose to leave my gift bag ultra simple, highlighting the leaves with dew drops, inking the edges with distress ink, and making an oval tag with the sentiment Peace, Love and Happiness from the August/September journaling set. I also stamped a small single layer butterfly from the same set to add to the sheer ribbon that holds the flap of the bag closed. I used a couple of Copic markers to tint the inner design ever so slightly.

I hope my Bible study ladies will think that this is a lovely and elegant gift. Sometimes they really make me smile because they enjoy the wrappings as much as the gift itself! They are such a gift to me! Just like my friend Pinky!

Visit the Banana Blog to find some inspiration, and then play along with us in this fun challenge! The winner will win a Pink Paislee goodie bag chosen by 2RB. Fun stuff!

Banana Split Sunday!

As much as I've used this Bloom and Grow paper, I still have quite a bit left...I bought a lot because I loved it so much! Even though it has such springy bright colors, I wondered whether it might work for a Fall card too so I decided to try it with one of 2RedBananas' cute new Fall releases. Love this cute little Fuzzy Bear enjoying the colors of Fall swirling around his head!

Today's challenge is a 1-2-3 challenge...1 ribbon, 2 images (yep, look close and you'll see the versamarked leaves from the sentiment on that sage circle around the edges of the square) and 3 dew drops (one in each color *grin*). I just realized I didn't distress ink the edges of the card base, so I will go back to add that which will warm it up even more. I chose to keep this one simple and quick, but he'd be so cute with more dimension, especially with his little nose popped up! Our design team has been making all kinds of cute cards for this release, so be sure to go check them out and leave them some warm fuzzies! ;)

Banana Split Sunday!

Today's Banana Split Sunday challenge is a sketch...which is my favorite kind! I'm layout challenged, so a sketch gives me some framework to start with and makes the actual card construction less intimidating.

It's very unusual for me to make a card without any stamping, but every once in a while in the process of creating that just feels like the right thing to do! I actually intended to use a quote stamp on the outside of this card , but after playing around with it for quite a while I found I really liked it best just as it is. I love the way the weave of the burlap ribbon mimics the pattern of the designer paper, and I also like the contrast of the natural elements against the shiny satin.


I love this quote (brand new from soon-to-be-released Quotes III), and since the original idea was to use the quote with the divided paper, I decided to carry the theme to the inside. I stamped the quote, cut two strips of the designer paper to frame it, inked the edges of the papers with Tim Holtz distress ink, and added a tiny jute bow just for fun. I really love how it turned out. The lines are still clean but with that little bit of extra to make it interesting. It's funny too (kinda punny actually) that this paper has some faintly printed words that have to do with various subjects you might learn in school, so arithmetic/division fit right in. ;)

I hope you like my card too and that it will entice you to take the challenge! You'll have a chance to win the 2RB new release set of your choice! More inspiration and sneak peeks on the Banana Blog!

Banana Split Sunday!

I hope you're having a fabulous Labor Day weekend! For us, Labor Day signals the end of summer and the beginning of a new year of homeschooling. We went to curriculum convention in July and spent a small fortune on books, so we should be all set...if we can just get the proper mind-set! None of us are ready to start back!

Today's Banana Split challenge is to use stripes and dots. I thought that this single sheet of two-sided Polka Dot Punch designer paper (from the My Mind's Eye Bloom and Grow collection) would be perfect to go along with this scholarly little House Mouse! I colored the image with Prismas and Gamsol. (I saw that Michael's has Prismas 50% off right now. I am tempted to invest in a larger set because I don't always have the colors I'd like...like in this card, for something comparable to Baja Breeze. The color I have is just too intense and is more like teal or turquoise). I edged the papers with Tim Holtz distress ink, glued on a few dew drops to bring emphasis to the long lines of this image (LOVE my quickie glue pen for this!), and then added some luscious satin ribbon tied with a Basic Grey button. The simple layout (very similar to last week's card) leaves plenty of open space to show off these fun prints.

I hope you'll play along with our challenge! We'd love to see your work! Visit the Banana Blog to be inspired and then come again to add your link! Shop 2RedBananas for some fun stamps, papers, and supplies!

Banana Split Sunday!

This week's challenge at 2RedBananas/Banana Blog is to use rub-0ns. I used a rub-on pack from Pink Paislee with the scraps from our Bella kit challenge to make this very sedate masculine card. The layout is Mojo Monday Sketch 101. I find that I really struggle to like the masculine cards I make because they just feel dull and boring, but honestly that is the way my guy likes them. He doesn't like anything busy and prefers just basics...no fuss, no frills. I thought these gray-blues and browns would be just perfect for him. I'll circle the dates for his upcoming birthday on the focal rub-on image, and he'll be happy as can be with this card. Simple, natural, and rustic...

It took me about 2 hours to unpack and prep my stamp room so that I could work on this project! It was left in complete upheaval after the flurry of stamping for last month's Dirty Dozen gallery and then the frenzy of packing for Michigan immediately afterward. It was so nice to be reunited with my Cuttlebug, corner punches, buttons and cording that I had left behind! There are so many little things we take for granted until they're out of reach and not an option! So even as basic and boring as this card seems, it still makes me smile!

Banana Split Sunday!

I would generally consider myself a less is more kind of stamper, but this card is extremely minimalist! I made it for today's 2RB inspiration challenge, which was inspired by this photo of some buildings in France. I was drawn to the colors on the right side of the photo, and to the repeated rectangular blue windowpanes. I wanted to keep my design rather sparse and industrial looking but it came out a little more harsh than I would have liked. I am hoping that as I continue to try different embellishments that I'll come across something that works just right! So far it hasn't happened!

Visit the Banana Blog to see the other designers' creations. I hope you'll play along and upload your link there so we can see what you come up with!