Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Etsy Inspired #68 - Gypsy Rose Handbags

When I saw this bag I immediately thought of some Jenni Bowlin Paper that I won as blog candy.....oooh sometime earlier this year.  

And this is the card I came up with......hopefully, I will remember to give it to the hubby this Valentine's Day!

 
Thanks for looking !

Monday, December 28, 2009

Adornit and Flipbooks from 2 Charm Products

This month the design team over at Cookin' Up Creations had the pleasure of working with products from Adornit/Carolees Creations and the new flipbooks from 2 Charm Products.

The BBQ collection from Adornit and the flipbook from 2 Charm Products worked perfectly together to create a small recipe book for my hubby..........this mini book will hold some of our favorite grilling recipes!
Here's a little party invite that I made using scraps from the same collection.


  

I also made a little bag and card using papers from the Graduation collection also from Adornit/Carolees Creations.



And a couple of layouts using papers from the Nancy Jane collection also from Adornit/Carolees Creations.


  

And with the scraps I had leftover from the same collection as above I decided to make some little gift tags.


Thanks for looking!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Bath Salts Recipe

We all know how stressful this time of year can be with all the shopping, decorating and baking that has to be done.  So here's a little bath salt recipe to help you relieve some of that holiday stress.....not to mention, it's easy on the old pocket book.
 
INGREDIENTS:
Epsom Salt or Dead Sea Salt - I found Epsom Salt and my local Walmart
Baking Soda
Essential Oil - You should be able to find this at a craft store
Food Coloring - optional
Glass jar

DIRECTIONS:
In a large plastic bag, mix.....

2 cups Epsom Salt or Dead Sea Salt - or 1 cup of each....do not use table salts, they will dry out skin!

1-2 teaspoons of baking soda, if desired.....makes skin soft.

10-12 drops of essential oil (Lavender is best for a relaxing bath, Vanilla and Eucalyptus are also fabulous!)  It's best if you add a drop or two at a time to prevent the oils from melting the salt.

Add the food coloring one drop at a time until you get the color you desire - this is optional. 

After you have mixed the salt really well, pour into pretty glass jars and attach lids.

For the Glass Jars:
I used an old candy jar that I purchased at a discount store years ago, but you can also use mason jars, spaghetti jars, mayonnaise or pickle jars - just make sure they're clean and dry when you add the salts.
Thanks for looking! 


 

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

O' Christmas Tree

It's December 16th, do you have your tree up?  We usually put our tree up on Thanksgiving Day here at our house.  The boys would drag the fake tree and all it's decorations down from the attic while I cook dinner.  They would stand it up and try to make sure all the lights are working - I say try, because after a while they would lose patience and I was the one who would spend the next couple of hours looking for a lose bulb!  After dinner and the table was cleared off I would fluff the branches and we would all add the ornaments.  Jack would take all the Hallmark ornaments out of their boxes and Kyle and I would place them on the tree.  It was a great family tradition, until this year! Our house is small and the only place to sit the big tree is right smack dab in front of the front door..........and the truth is the boys really didn't want to fool with the big tree this year so we opted for what I call, "our Charlie Brown tree".  At first I wasn't too keen on the idea, but I gotta say this little tree is starting to grow on me.....and it will be so much easier to take down this year!  LOL.  So here it is blog readers, my Charlie Brown tree.
It stands 3 feet high and it's decked out in a wide hot pink ribbon and pom pom garland.  I have a total of 47 hot pink and chartreuse ornaments hanging from it's little branches and a hot pink velour skirt wrapped around the bottom.   Kinda cute, eh?

BTW, I found this cool new program on the web where you can turn your digital photos into a polaroid.  It's called Polardroid and you can make a donation or download it for free.  It even makes the same noise that the old polaroid camera's would make when it spit the picture out and then you sit and wait for the picture to appear on your screen - just like the real thing I tell ya!  You gotta check it out!   

Monday, December 14, 2009

Wann win with Emmie Lou

My friend Emily is celebrating her birthday and blogiversary by giving away blog candy!  How sweet is that!  If you would like a chance to win, just head on over to her BLOG, become a follower and leave a comment.  For two chances at winning, post about the giveaway on your blog!  Here's what's up for grabs!
Unity coffe cup single
Unity Floral Friends set
{ippity} Merry Kissmas set
Stampin' Up Pocket Silhouettes set
MFT Annie LaPointe Chives stamp
Heidi Swapp Clear stamp
Studio G Valentines set
Creative Memories album
Creative Memories sticker and paper pack
Alphabet sticker pack
Recollections felt border pack
DCWV Chrstmas card kit
Lala Land Crafts Trick or Treat LaLa stamp
Make it personal rub on pack
set of fall clear stamps from Target
Elle's Studio journaling tabs
 

Friday, December 11, 2009

Treats For Your Best Friend.......

It's been said that a dog is man's best friend, well in my house a dog - or should I say 3, is a woman's best friend - so why not do something special for your four legged friend this holiday season.  Here's a dog biscuit recipe sure to leave your favorite canine licking his lips and begging for more......and most of the ingredients you probably have in your kitchen pantry already!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup water

GLAZE:
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 275.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, wheat germ, peanut butter, vegetable oil, honey, baking powder and water.
3. Mix ingredients until thoroughly combined.
4. Roll dough out to a 1/2 inch thick on a lightly floured surface.  Cut into desired shapes and place on baking sheet.
5. In a small bowl, mix together milk and egg.   Brush glaze on biscuits.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.  Rotate pans and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, until biscuits are golden and firm.

Here's our new pup Maddy trying to eat my display!


As  you can see, my dogs LOVE 'EM

You can find this and lots more recipes by visiting THIS site.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

I've put off updating......

this old blog of mine long enough.  I promised myself when I entered into the blogging world that I was going to update it everyday!  Well, everyday turned into a couple times a week and now I'm lucky to update it a couple times a month!  I guess when life gets crazy something has to suffer, and for me, it's this old blog of mine.  Too bad it can't be the cooking or laundry but I guess it wouldn't be fair to make the boys walk around hungry and wearing dirty underwear!  LOL.  Anyhoo, here's a few cards I made during the Card-A-Day challenges over at the Cookin' Up Creations and Classy Scrapper forums.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Thanks for looking and my you all have a fun and safe holiday season!
 

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Join us.............

Cookin' up Creations will be counting down the days until Christmas, and even a few days beyond. Beginning December 1st, 2009 and each day thereafter, until the end of the year, our Design Team will be posting a daily challenge. These challenges can be anywhere from making homemade gifts & ornaments, to making dog treats for your favorite pooch, to sharing their favorite cookie recipes with us. And let's not forget some scrapping challenges thrown in there as well!! Each day we'll be inspired once again to make something different in this season of giving!! It'll be a month jammed full of fun and games, so please be sure to come join us as we celebrate the reason for the season and countdown the days until Christmas and beyond!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

As this month's guest designer over at Cookin' Up Creations I had the opportunity to work with some retired papers from My Mind's Eye.  I was pleasantly surprised when I received my package because although the papers ARE retired, I didn't have any of them.  And since I was also in charge of the card-a-day challenge over there this month the papers really came in handy!   

Here are a few projects using some of the retired papers.


  

  

  

  
Thanks for looking.



Friday, November 20, 2009

Giving Thanks - December Guest Design Team Member Contest

The time of year has come when we’re reminded to look around and think about all of the things we’re grateful for. Take this opportunity to scrap the blessings of your life and share them with us here at Cookin' up Creations'.

Once you've created or chosen your favorite layout(s), please upload them into our "Giving Thanks" Album in the gallery. The image should be no larger than 150kb, and should include journaling. If the journaling cannot be read, please include it seperately.

The deadline is Thursday, November 26th ....so enter today!

*You must register in the forum and the gallery.
* You may enter more than one project.
* Submissions will be judged on creativity, originality, and overall design and will be determined by the Current Design Team Members.
* The winner will be announced on Friday November 27th, 2009.
* Winner will receive free sponsor product for the month of December
* Sorry, but no international entries at this time unless you have a U.S. mailing address.

Guest Design Team members will receive:
* Photo and personal bio on our Design Team Page & our Blog
* Guest Design Team blinkie to use in your signature as well as any other sites

Guest Design Team members will be responsible for:
* Creating at least 3 layouts and and 1 card/altered item using supplied product
* Uploading layouts/projects to the December Sponsor Spotlight Gallery on Monday the 14th of December
* Providing photo and bio for use on the site and blog

Friday, November 13, 2009

Wanna win.............

Scrapbooking from the Inside Out has launched their November kit Generosity, perfect for this time of year........and the best part is, it could be all yours!!!


All you have to do to win this beautiful, rich looking kit is post it on your blog and link it back to the Scrapbook Trends blog here.  Good luck!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

I can't believe it's been.............

a month since my last post.  Up until this week, I have been enjoying the cooler temps and have been piddling outside with the hubby.  We are working on clearing the pecan orchard, the pasture behind the house and we're also working on a brick patio so we will have a nice place to grill.  I sorta took a hiatus from the old blogo for a little while but I'm back and will be posting again real soon.

I still design for UYS but this is the last month.  Due to the lack of participation Kimmie and Corey have decided to stop with the challenges at the end of November.  Come January, they will be deleting the site altogether.  Although I will miss the challenges and the blog, I understand and I want to thank them for giving me a chance to design for them - So Kimmie, Corey, thank you, I have truly enjoyed the ride!  You can still find me hanging out at Classy Scrapper and a new site that I found a few months ago called Cookin' Up Creations - it is now my new home on the web.....and Tammy, the owner asked if I wanted to design for her, (toot toot), so of course I said yes.  Right now, we have a Card-A-Day challenge going on at both sites so feel free to pop on over to either one to register and join in.

Here's a few projects that I don't think I've shared yet.


 

Oh, and did I mention we have a new dog - yeah, I know, like we don't have enough already (roll eyes) but this is the last one, I promise.  Her name is Maddy and she's a little spit fire.  She was headed to the pound and we said we would take her......and I'm here to tell ya, our lives haven't been the same since.  Don't let this innocent face fool ya.......this is one mean pup!



Thanks for looking and I hope you all are enjoying nicer weather than us.

Monday, October 12, 2009

UYS Challenge

This week Kimmie and Corey challenged the design team to create a project using the color purple, polka dots and paint.  I gotta tell ya, I'm not a big fan of purple.  I don't know why, it's not like I avoid it or anything,  it's just a color that I rarely use.  Anyhoo, this is what I came up with.




I used Basic Grey's Junebug collection as my paper of choice.  There's a sheet in the collection that looks lavendar so that was my purple.  I also used a polka dot ribbon and burnt umber acrylic paint for distressing.  You can find the tutorial for this flower pot card HERE.  If you would like to join in this weeks challenge all you have to do is create a project of any kind and link it HERE.  Be sure to stop by the Use Your Stash blog and see what the rest of the team came up with.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Halloween cards

As September's Guest Designer for Scrappy Jo's Scrapbook Supplies I had the opportunity to play with some of the Mango Luau collection from Bo Bunny.  When I opened my package and saw the Back to Basics pattern paper I knew right then I wanted to make Halloween cards - and by golly that's just what I did!

I got the idea for this first card while browsing the SCS gallery. 




This next card was inspired by K Werner .  You can see her card HERE.


Thanks for looking and I hope you all are having a much drier Monday.

Monday, September 28, 2009

It's Recess Time........

over at the Use Your Stash blog this week.  To participate all you have to do is dig deep in that stash of yours and create a project - any project!  When you're done link us HERE.   Need ideas?  Check out the blog and see what the DT created with their old stash.

Here's a simple card I made using some old MME paper, a definition sticker and page pebbles from Making Memories.

Thanks for looking!  Hope you all have a blessed Monday!
 

Monday, September 21, 2009

Addition challenge over at UYS!

This weeks challenge over at the Use Your Stash blog is addition!  Kimmie and Corey have challenged the DT to create a project using one piece of paper, add 3 stars and some chipboard and you will get one amazing creation!

Here's what I came up with.


The inspiration for this card came from the talented Kristina Werner, you can see her card HERE - I just love her work!  I kept the same basic design but changed the colors and embellishments. 
If you would like to participate in this weeks challenge all you have to do is create a project with the items listed above and link them HERE.  If you need some inspiration then check out what the rest of the team did with this challenge.   

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Just wanted to share.....

a few projects that were in the August September issue of Ready, Set, Create.

Here Basic Grey Lime Rickey meets The Jelly Bean Joint. Aren't these little doodled journaling spots cute?

My first hybrid card using Katie Just So Scrappy digital kit.


And who could resist these cute owls by Paper Wicks. This is a 12x12 layout of my 81 yr. old mother-in-law with all four of her children.


12x12 layout of my niece using beautiful tags by Ormolu.


WRMK and MME meets The Paper Pixie.


That's all for now. Thanks for taking the time to look!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Happy Labor Day and UYS Challenge

TGIM!!! I'm so glad it's Monday! I had a nice weekend cooking, eating and watching tv with dh - we have free HBO and Showtime for 3 months. We watched P.S. I Love You, Baby Mama and The Secret Lives of Bees all three of these are good movies. But alas, it's time for him to go back to work and it's time for me to get some much needed housework done. Not to mention, I haven't had any scrappy time this weekend. I feel like I'm going into withdrawals. lol.

Anywho, the UYS challenge for this week is to create a project using alphabet stickers, a bookplate and crayons - this can be die cuts, stickers, you can use crayons to color in an image or use an actual crayon. I chose to use an actual crayon on my card - 3 to be exact! I also used pattern paper from Cosmo Cricket and Jillibean Soup. The apple is a clip art image I found on the internet. If you want it let me know and I will supply the link.


If you would like to participate in this weeks challenge all you have to do is create a layout/card/or altered project using alphabet stickers, a bookplate and crayons and link it HERE. Lost for ideas? No problem. Head on over to the UYS blog and check out all the wonderful creations made by the DT this week.

Thanks for looking and I hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Sketch-A-Day Layouts

Here's a few more SAD layouts that I forgot to share. This first layout is of my sweet little Lulu using the Junebug papers from Basic Grey - this is by far one of my favorite collections by Basic Grey.


This next layout is of my 19 yr. old son who was dressed up because he had a job interview with Walmart that day - can't you just see the excitement on his face. lol. I'm glad to report that he actually got the job! He's not very excited about working but his dad and I are. lol. BTW, I used Junebug papers on this layout too.


And last but no least, this is a layout of my other son Tommy, who just turned a big 10 years old this year! I used Scenic Route's Cape Town collection and my old sizzix dies to create this layout.

Thanks for looking and I hope you all enjoy what's left of your weekend!