Coffee Lovers Bloghop

Hi friends!  Today is National Coffee Day and I'm participating in a super fun Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  The fun all starts on Chaitali's blog at 6AM PST, so be sure to head on over there for the full hop list.  If you play along and link up your coffee creations today you could win some fabulous prizes!

And since it's Mojo Monday, I'm sharing my card made with this week's tall & skinny sketch.  I flipped the position of the banners for my card and added some linen thread, but otherwise stayed pretty true to my sketch.  {grin}  I think it's so funny that I have such a hard time sticking to my own sketch.  I think it's that whole "nobody puts Baby in a corner" mindset.  {grin}

About the card: I started by stamping the trio of cups from One Cup three times (masking off the top cup to stamp each successive trio) on crumb cake, then coloring with prismacolor pencils.  Next I stamped the hand-lettered coffee sentiment and the always a good idea stamp from the Coffee set to the left of my stamped cups.  I used the other coffee sentiments in the Coffee set to stamp on the three hand cut banners, then added some pencil coloring to the coffee letters and some sponging all around.  I finished with a bit of mossy meadow cardstock up top and some white linen thread tied in a bow.

And in honor of National Coffee Day, I've got a little one day gift code for y'all to Verve Stamps. Just enter gift code COFFEE in the gift code box at the bottom of our shopping cart and click apply and it will take 10% off your order.  Offer valid on in-stock merchandise on September 29, 2014 only. 

Someone suggested we answer a few coffee related questions on the hop, so here are my answers.

When did you start drinking coffee?
I snuck drinks of my Dad's coffee growing up, but he told me it would turn my hair black, so I stuck to just sips, wanting to preserve my golden locks.  {grin}  Maybe he was right, because I have dark hair now (by choice, not by nature, though!)  My parents drank instant coffee back then, so it wasn't all that great of a loss for me.  When I went to college I discovered how much better coffee brewed from grounds was and thanks to friends and a roommate from the Seattle area, developed quite a love for coffee.  My first experience with espresso was a quad shot that my roommate talked me into at a coffee shop in downtown Boise late on a Friday night.  Oh my!  I was so wired... the quad is definitely something you need to work up to if you've never had espresso!

What is your favorite brand of coffee?
It's changed a lot over the years, but here are my current faves... for coffee in my Keurig I'm currently obsessed with any of the Peet's Coffee dark roasts, especially Major Dickasons.  For caffè crema I love Lavazza. For out and about espresso drinks, I'm a big fan of Dutch Brothers.

What is the most amazing coffee you ever had?
Oh my goodness, I guess that would have to be the first time I tried caffè crema with Laurie when I visited her home in Montana. The coffee was so delicious I had to buy a machine of my own just like hers. Although I think the company had a lot to do with the amazingness of the coffee. The caffè crema at my house by myself is good, but not nearly as wonderful as it is when I'm at her house!

If I don't drink my needed coffee, I will...
be incapable of communication.  I'm not a morning person.  It takes me a while to process being awake and alert and most people who spend much time around me have realized that the coffee needs to happen before communication really works for me.  Most mornings I'm just trying to rush the boys down the stairs as fast as I can (which is at least a 10 minute process because they go so slooooooooooooooow and have to bring a zillion blankies and have to turn on every light and discuss whether the ceiling fan is on or off in each room they pass and whether it should be on or off, and open and close every door in the hall before they can even start the stairs, etc.), so I can get them started on their morning routine and then have some coffee. I sigh just a little bit every time I hit the button for the coffee, knowing everything is going to be okay for one small wonderful moment.

Alrighty, that's all from my neck of the woods.  I hope you have a fabulous National Coffee Day. Dutch Brothers is doing Buy 1 Get 1 Free drinks today, so that's officially on the schedule.  Yay!

Mojo Monday 365

Enabler's List
Stamps: One Cup, Coffee (Verve Stamps)
Paper: crumb cake, mossy meadow, pool party, riding hood red (SU!), white (Neenah)
Ink: Early Espresso (SU!), Walnut Stain distress ink (Rnager), Prismacolor pencils
Accessories:  white linen thread, border punch, wood veneer heart