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Friday, June 29, 2012

Christmas Prototypes

These were literally made with scraps of paper. I don't have any Christmas paper left, no tissue paper and only cheap cardstock. That's okay, because these are just practice pieces anyway. When I make something the first time I often make crazy mistakes and if I HAD used good paper then I'd have been mad.

When making the gift card holder, I put the inside part upside down when I did the outside, so I had to carefully pull the paper off, turn it around and then I did it upside down. I used a brad at first, then decided buttons would be cheaper and wouldn't require any holes. So then I had to cover up the hole. Of course white velcro doesn't look too good so the real thing should have another color or better yet those magnetic closures. The bows on the package are made with Nestibility ovals, but Stampin' Up has some oval punches that are narrower so they would look more like loops. My friend Pam has those punches, so I'm pretty sure she will let me go to her house and use hers:)

The shopping bag card went together pretty easy no Lucy mistakes there. Tissue paper in another color might look better, and of course some pretty decorative paper... oh and a Christmasy embossing folder like the one that has tiny poinsettias all over it would be good. Yeah, my friend Pam has that too:)  Stampin' Up has a couple of sets of gorgeous Christmas paper that I will order too:)
Now remember these colors are NOT anything I would use, they are just whatever scraps I happened to have.
This is the inside of the gift card holder. Yeah a magnetic closure dot thingy would be much better along with pretty coordinating colors of papers.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

I'm going to mat and frame some of these.
Covered Bridge Scene from Impression Obsession and the woodgrain embossing folder is from Tim Holtz.
Rubber Cottage stamp, Prismacolor pencils, vellum paper


Daylilly Barn G1155
Impression Obsession
Northwoods
Stampin' Up! stamped on vellum, Prismacolor pencils.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Designer Frames

I've bee playing around with Stampin' Up's Designer Frames, and having such fun:) I'm in the process of building up my stock of Stampin' Up card stock, and I still have quite a bit of the Hobby Lobby brand left so I am currently using both. I love the poppy stamp set from Flourishes, but Stampin' Up now has a set of poppies too that you could use if you like this look.
The card base is Hobby Lobby's brown, with a tan layer on top. The decorative paper is Mocha Morning and the yellow is So Saffron both from Stampin' Up. I colored the poppy with Prismacolor pencils, and inked the background with Distress inks. The ribbon is from my stash as is the Italian paper clip.
This card base and the orange are Hobby Lobby, while light green layer is Certainly Celery and the yellow is So Saffron from Stampin' Up. This poppy was done like the one above, the ribbon and button are from my stash. I used the Swiss Dots (Paper Studio) embossing folder on the orange layer and the Flourish embossing folder(Paper Studio) on the light green layer.
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Red Rose, Paper Studio purple
Ribbon: Paper Studio
Italian paper clip
Stamp: PSX pansy letter
Embossing folder: Paper Studio flourish
Yep, they are the same card. The one above was done using my scanner and shows the colors accurately, but blurred the text, while the one below was taken with a camera and does not show correct color but there is no blur. <Big sigh> Life was so much simpler before lightening made mince meat out of my old Epson scanner. That thing could capture color beautifully and never produced a blurry image with the object was not flat.
Rose Red - Stampin' Up
dark and light blue - Hobby Lobby
button and ribbon - my stash
script embossing folder -
lace border punch- Martha Stewart
text stamp - Happiest Birthday Wishes, Stampin' Up
Victorian lady stamp - 

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Sharing Links

Here's a free online utility for mixing and matching Stampin' Up! colors to find trendy color combinations for your work. http://www.mycreateink.com/

All kinds of free templates http://www.paperscrapz.screentastic.ca/templates.html

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

No Name Chicken

I came up with this quick and easy meal yesterday. My husband took it to work for his dinner and loved it. It doesn't have a name... got any ideas?

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup milk
5-6 chicken tenderloins
1 jar sun dried tomatoes (drained)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Brown chicken in oil on medium high heat. Mix can of cream of mushroom soup and milk. After browning, remove any excess oil, then add soup and milk mixture and stir. Add sun dried tomatoes and stir then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

I've used sun dried tomatoes in a foil package before, but I like this brand MUCH better. They are packed in oil and they have a lot more flavor:)


Recipe and a book review

 Recipe
As my friend AnnMarie would say, this recipe was "yummo!"  I had three recipes in front of me and kind of smooched them together. I'd never had lamb until I went to Ireland a couple years ago. Wow, the lamb stew I had in a Dublin pub was awesome! I had to order it a couple more times while we were there and it was just as good at a restaurant in Killarney and at Cabra Castle. I finally decided to try my hand at  lamb stew today and it was heavenly!  My husband thought it would be good with rice, but of course being half Irish, I boiled potatoes:) The meat was so tender it quite literally fell off the bones. I think adding potatoes to the crock pot would have been even better.

Lamb Stew
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons flour

2/3 cup beef broth (or chicken broth)
loin lamb chops
1 can diced tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 scant tablespoon tomato paste
1 green chopped, chopped
1 Vidalia onion sliced into rings
1 tsp. salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
chopped parsley

Heat oil in frying pan. Coat lamb chops with flour and brown quickly. Transfer chops to crock pot. Add remaining ingredients to pan and bring to a boil. Pour over lamb and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes, then on LOW for 5-7 hours. Taste to check seasoning and sprinkle with chopped parsley. 

Book Review
I like this author, I just knew I'd like this book... but sadly I did not. It is a romantic suspense set against a backdrop of archeology and Mayan artifacts, which sounded perfect for a history major right? Well, I got to page 84 and finally gave up. I found it tedious and there were innuendos and subtle humor and witticisms that I just didn't 'get.' The story moved too slowly for my taste as well. I want a book to grab me and keep me on the edge of my seat waiting to turn the page, and this book did not deliver.


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Birthdays

I love the way you can make flowers with petal punches. Aren't they fun? This is a different look for me, kind of cutesy instead of artsy, but they are super easy and no coloring. I made the envelopes to match. The punch and the Happy Bday stamp are from Stampin' Up. the paper came from my stash.
 Keeping up with birthdays in a large family can be daunting. A while back I made a type of envelope calendar-book to keep up with birthdays and store the cards Card Minder. After I've used it while, it's not really working for me. I keep a large basket of cards on a bookshelf in my studio, so I don't really need a place to keep birthday cards and putting the book where I will see it and remember takes up space. This is a better solution for me. I simply listed the birthdays by months in a table on a Word document.  I cut each month into the same size square and attached them with paper fasteners. The where to put this is easy, on my new bulletin board! It looks pretty, and is always visible in a room that I visit quite often!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Daddy

I wish Heaven had a phone so I could hear your voice again. 

I thought of you today, but that is nothing new. 

I thought about you yesterday and days before that too. 

I think of you in silence, I often speak your name. 

All I have are memories and your picture in a frame. 

Your memory is a keepsake from which I’ll never part. 

God has you in His arms, I have you in my heart.

Wilbur Beattie 1924-1985

 

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Another Page Turner!

Another great read! Wow, such a thoroughly engaging plot. The Russian Maffia, murder, Witness Protection, a cold, uncaring mother and a warm, funny man for a love interest. I love it that the woman was the hero and saved herself!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Blog Award

 Today I was astonished and so honored to receive this Blog Award from Ellen Taylor way up in Alberta, Canada. You've got to check out her blog, to see all her gorgeous creations and prepare to be inspired!!! This award is to wish good luck and I am to pass it on to 10 bloggers who have fresh ideas and have blogs that I admire. Thank you sooo much Ellen, I'm so flattered to receive this award. Wow to choose only 10 artists who inspire me is quite a challenge let me tell you! I definitely think of Shirley, but Ellen just awarded her, and of course Ellen, but she just awarded me! I am giving this award to  these talented ladies......



Saturday, June 9, 2012

By The Sea Challenge

Impression Obsession is offering a By The Sea Challenge this week. And the first image below is my entry. I used the stamp, Beach D2319 colored it with Prismacolor pencils and sponged Distress inks in the background of both layers. The darker turquoise layer has the Swiss Dots embossing folder from Cuttlebug. The starfish, seahorse and seafan stamps are from Fred Mullet and the crab is from Hero Arts. The small shells came from one of our lovely South Carolina Beaches.
The peacock butterfly below is from Impression Obsession too. Isn't it fun? I used Prismacolor pencils as well and then used some turquoise and olive green Pearl Ex on top. It gives it such a nice subtle iridescent look, but it doesn't show in the scanned image:(  Paper Studio's flourish provides the texture and curves in the embossing folder while the peacock feather strands add a touch of realism. They are from some peacocks living on a nearby plantation. I picked them up off the ground while feeding the gorgeous creatures. Holy Smokes those things are noisy!!

Friday, June 8, 2012

Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews

I just now finished reading this book and I literally could not put it down I was so intent on finishing it. I just LOVE reading that kind of book. It had a terrific plot that was not another predictable love story. I read a lot of mysteries and am pretty good at figuring out what will happen. Not with this book! It definitely has the Wow factor down pat. I love the kind of story that keeps me on the edge of my seat and Mary Kay Andrews didn't fail! I've liked all her books, but this one is one of my favorites.
http://marykayandrews.com/the-books/books-by-mary-kay-andrews/spring-fever/


Monday, June 4, 2012

Fabric Covered Thumbtacks

I said I'd post pictures and progress of making fabric covered thumbtacks for my new bulletin board, so here they are as promised. I do have a tip for you too. The tacks below were covered with canvas fabric and it is kind of thick, which makes it very difficult to push into the button head. Plus, I was out of glue sticks, so I used what I had - Gorilla Glue. Boy, that stuff sure lives up to it's name!! It bubbles and expands a LOT. It reminds me of that spray insulation stuff. Worse yet, is the stickiness!! I know you're probably thinking, "well it IS glue." Yeah, but not regular glue, which you can wash off. This stuff will not wipe off, or wash off. I was beginning to worry and I didn't want to tell DH. He'd come to my rescue sure, but he'd tease the living daylights out of me and tell our friends and family of my latest Lucy move. So I tried every method I could think of, while hoping it wasn't permanent and that I'd have to go the ER or something. (Hey, it's me we're talking about, it HAS happened in the past.) The last thing I tried was rubbing alcohol and mercifully, it worked:) When I finished with these, I swore I'd never make any more... but then I got to thinking about how I really did need some more, and maybe, just maybe thinner fabric would work better. Oh and NO MORE GORILLA GLUE. I bought some more glue sticks, and an eighth of a year of a pretty blue paisley cotton. It worked like a charm. The hot glue was much better too. I didn't even burn myself  this time either, which is always a possibility with me. 

Directions for making the bulletin board and the fabric-covered thumb tacks are in a previous post: http://scmagnolia.blogspot.com/2012/05/art-cork-board-diy.html
Remember these two tips from Lucy-impaired blogster:
  • use hot glue gun
  • use thin cotton fabric

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Greeting Card Verses and Sentiments

I've been collecting sentiments, poems, clever sayings and verses for - gosh since college... or even high schools. Does that make me a word smith? lol I keep card verses on my computer and print them out as needed. I keep the printed verses in an old binder categorized by event and holidays in plastic sleeve protectors. When I need one, it's easy to find and then glue inside a card.

I make a collection of cards for a few of my closest friends and family for gifts. Then I always think that they'd like some verses to go in the cards. In the past I've made many different types of portfolios, boxes etc. to hold these gifts of card assortments and verses. I've put the verses in little envelopes, but for my BFF's birthday in the past, but her supply is running low, so I thought I'd give her a refill. I decided to do something different this time. My blogging group, Paper Pajama Party, has a challenge this month to make a book. I love making hand-bound books!! So my BFF is getting a book of verses this time.

I used cardstock (Stampin Up, Red Rose) for the cover and the back with some decorative paper from K & Company.  The embossing folder for the cover is from Stampin' Up. I made the envelopes from double sided cardstock (K & Company). To make the envelopes I followed Shirley's directions on the Impression Obsession website. Then I just bound it with my trusty old spiral binder.
My old binder full of verses, greetings, sayings and poems.
If you'd like some verses, I've put them on Box to share with  you. I noted the author of a verse IF I know them. I would gladly give credit if I knew the authors of any of the others.
Just click on the links below:
Wedding and Anniversary
New Baby
Get Well
Birthday
Friendship
Thank You
Sympathy
Graduation

Friday, June 1, 2012

Challenge Gift Certificate

This is one of the stamps I got with my gift certificate from Impression Obsession. I won their challenge:)  I just LOVE their stamps! Have you seen their new stamp called the Train Station? It is to die for!
This one is Damask Floral. I used Prisma Pencils and sponged with Memento and Distress inks. The ribbon is from my stash, the charm from Fancifuls, the embossing folder is Tropical Paisley from Sizzix, and the cardstocks are Certainly Celery and Red Rose from Stampin' Up.