Best Wishes & More – Love that Elegant Eggplant

Hi Everyone.  Happy Friday night and welcome to Jaydee's SU stampin' space!  Before we get started on tonight's card… I think I need to apologize to some of you.  I've had multiple emails and comments telling me that I been an enabler over the last few months!  I seem to have encouraged you to talk to your demos and buy some SU goodies.  Big Smile.  So, let's see if we can do a little more enabling tonight!  :-)  Sorry, Adelle!

Also, before I get started…. Carol F… if you are reading this, please could you send me an email.  You sent in a request for my newsletter, but unfortunately you email address didn't come through to me.  I'd love to send you one…. so, please could you email me your email address 🙂

For tonight's card, I used a set I haven't used before.  It's been sitting in my collection… and… once again…. in light of my new year's resolution… out it came!  tonight's card features the set "Best Wishes & More" (111602).  It's such a great little set and I couldn't work out why I hadn't used it when I pulled it out!  I decided to make this card for the splitcoaststampers Clean and Simple Valentine's challenge.  Now… you all know by now… that I cannot resist a CAS challenge!  I also wanted to keep away from the red and white – and for some reason, I am absolutely loving Elegant Eggplant this week!  You can see my other love/valentine cards here.

I also decided to keep a minimum of bling and embellishments, to make it a little harder for myself. :-)  I'll explain a little later in this post why that's the case!  But…. I'll give you a hint!  It has to do with the January blog candy challenge!

Let's get to the clean and simple valentine's card

I must admit… the sentiment for this…"couldn't do without you"  fits perfectly for how I feel about my DH.  He's upstairs cooking dinner for me, so that I have time to do the post for my blog, mount stamps, etc.  He's really pretty cool and I don't think I tell him that often enough!  So, he doesn't know it yet.. but this card will be waiting for him tonight when he finishes dinner!

Card recipe:

• Shimmer White and Elegant Eggplant card stock
• Best Wishes and More stamp and sentiment (111602).
• Elegant Eggplant classic ink for the sentiment and the heart
• I stamped the heart on Whisper White card stock and cut it out using my paper snips
• I attached the heart to a square of Shimmer White card stock with dimensionals and then adhered that to a square of Elegant Eggplant with my snail.  This shimmer white gives it just the right amount of, well……. shimmer!
• I used my paper piercer and template to create the piercing around the focal point – and you have seen me use this layout before on my delightful decorations cards.  I love the fact that the piercing echoes the pattern on the edge of the heart – and ya'll know how I love repetition! 🙂

• So, a nice, clean and simple card that you can recreate in any color and with just about any heart stamp you have of a similar size.  It's also useful for Valentine's, love cards – or even a thank you card for someone you care about!

So…. onto the January blog candy!!!  there are two drawings for this.  both require different things from you.  One requires very little effort from you…. the other one requires more effort from you – hence the prize is MUCH bigger.  Let me talk about the more simple one first:

Blog Candy Package #1 – leave a comment between now and the end of January on my blog and you will be entered into my monthly Jaydee comment blog candy.  Prize:  2 packs of in-color card stock – 1 pack Rich Razzleberry and 1 pack of Melon Mambo.  Plus 1 stamp set – I'll send you a list of ones you can choose from.

Blog Candy Package #2 – this one needs something more from you – BUT the prize is a BIG SHOT…. Yes.  your own personal Stampin' Up BIG SHOT!  If you are drawn from the list of winners for this prize and you already own a BIG SHOT – then you can choose goodies from the catalog to the value of the BIG SHOT.  So… this is a prize worth a whopping $100, plus taxes and shipping.  So, what do you have to do to earn a shot at a Big Shot?

I'm doing a card collection drive for two charity organizations

• From our hearts – cards for the troops to send home  you can see more information on this organization at this link 
  

            and

• Hugs and Hope for Children

So, what do you have to do….. go read about the charities and the sorts of cards they are looking         for.  Please could I ask you to pay particular attention to the types of cards, what shouldn't be sent         and then, package your cards in a padded envelope and send them to me.  Those of you who send         me cards for either of these organizations will be added to the draw – where one lucky winner will         be chosen by my willing and very gorgeous assistant – Mr Bilbo Baggins.

On the outside of your envelope, please indicate whether you cards are designed for Cards from our         Hearts or Hugs and Hope for Children.

Notes:

1. a minimum of 10 cards with unsealed envelopes is required to be entered into the draw – obviously the more cards the better 🙂
2. I am personally donating this prize to one lucky winner
3. A winner for both the blog candy package 1 and blog candy package 2 will be drawn on February 14 by Bilbo Baggins (obviously with adult supervision from me :-)..)
4. I am not being paid by any organization to do this – in fact, neither of the organizations are aware – at this stage – of my draw to support them 🙂
5. The winner's Big Shot will be purchased by me – and shipped directly from Stampin' Up!  If the winner already has a Big Shot, I will work with the winner and allow them to choose Stampin' Up! product, from the current catalogs, to the value of the purchase price of a Big Shot.
6. The winner will be responsible for any taxes that are due to their local tax agencies – based on their geographic location.  Ant taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner (sorry… I have to do the legalese :-))
7. To be entered into the draw, cards must be received by me by end of day February 14 2010
8. If you have any questions….. please send me an email

You all know that I LOVE sharing what I do with all of you…. and this was a way I could think of to share a product that I think most of you will like (remember… I LOVE my Big Shot.. and to give back to causes that are deserving and are looking for donations of hand-made cards.   I do, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hope that you will help out.

 * a little earlier in my post I talked about limiting bling… well, many of the organizations that are looking for cards request NO GLITTER… so… no bling in the form of glitter for my card!!!

I do hope you will help me in this card raising effort.

Peace and hugs to you all

Jaydee