Sweet Stuff

I've been doing a lot of things with my cupcake stamps lately. This is a simple 8x8 page I made a week or 2 ago.

I used the Winnie the Pooh Cricut cartridge for the title. I love the fonts on that one. Papers are SU Creamy Caramel, Real Red and Chocolate Chip. Same for the ink. The cupcake is from a clear set, can't remember the vendor. I embossed the cherry on the cupcake with chocolate embossing powder, and highlighted the cherry (colored red first) with clear Stickles.

Teacher Appreciation Cards

So I was going through my stack of card kits yesterday, and I came across this one with the Bella image and thought wouldn't it be great for a teacher appreciation card? And since I usually procrastinate to the point that I usually forget, I thought I'd get them done now since the school year is almost over!

These cards are both made from the same kit, I supplied the Lovely Lilac and Postively Pink papers (SU). The images are also colored in with SU markers.

I like how the numbers paper had girly colors in it and was able to use the pink background (both my son's teachers are girls). And this is my first time using a Bella image, and I really like it!

Happy stamping!

Chocolate Magnet

This is a magnet I made this last week for a coffee swap. I LOVE this stamp set! It's Like it a Latte from SU (retired). Papers are close to cocoa, and creamy caramel. Ink is the same. I embossed the cup with chocolate embossing powder (yum!) and used my rectangle punch to make the holes for the ribbon. To make it a magnet, there are 2 small pieces of magnetic strip on the back.
Thanks for looking!

Cards From Card Kits

I am really into card kits lately. Basically it's just the supplies you need to make a cards - paper, blank stamped images, and embellishments. These are both cards made from card kits for Mother's Day. Fortunately, neither my mother nor my mother-in-law are on the internet much, so I'm not ruining their surprise!

2-pg Layout

I'm stealing a couple of minutes here before the day really gets going to post some new pics. These are two scrapbook pages I made from a secret sister kit I received this month. This is the final page in my son's 2nd year album (finally!) except that I have to go back and make a cover page still. I really do like the colors, because I don't know that I would have tried this combo. I used SU's Certainly Celery, Brocade Blue & Ruby Red (and the background is Night of Navy).


Thanks for looking!

Scrapbook Tags

These are some tags I recently made for scrapbooking.

The colors on the baby tag are SU Certainly Celery and So Saffron, ink is celery too. The cutouts were done on the Cricut (all these tags are too). Stamps are SU Classic Alphabet and I can't remember which set the diaper pins were...
This birthday tag is cutout again on the Cricut. Chocolate chip paper and ink, also creamy caramel and real red markers. The cherry on the cupcake is a clear dew drop/skittle. The stamp set is a clear set I had gotten a while back.

I love this House Mouse stamp, but I have such a hard time using them unless it's for a card, but I like the way it turned out with this tag. Paper is again SU Certainly Celery, ribbon is SU Lovely lilac. The bottom egg is highlighted with clear stickles.

This last tag is I think my favorite. The stamp is SU By Land and Crosshatch background stamp. Colors are Only Orange and Not Quite Navy. I embossed the car by inking first with Versamark, then Navy and used clear embossing powder. The eyelet is a jumbo eyelet, which I've just recently started using, but they work great for these!

I hope you like these and happy stamping!

Homemade Stamp Cleaner

A while back I was looking for a homemade stamp cleaner recipe. I wish I could remember where I found this to give her credit, but I can't. Anyway, I think it works great for a fraction of the cost of store-bought cleaner. I have plenty of glycerin to make 2 batches, and bought the cheapest baby wash, I think I spent a total of $6. (I did cheat and just used regular bottled water.)

Here's the recipe:
2 Tbsp liquid glycerin (in the Rx department)
8 oz distilled water
1 tsp baby wash

THAT'S IT!

More Pass Along Cards

Here are two more cards from a progressive card project on SCS. They turned out really good!

Jumbo Paperclip Bookmark

This was my first try making a bookmark with the jumbo paperclips. It was really easy! I found the paperclips in the office supplies at Wal-Mart - very inexpensive!

The pink and white papers were punched with nesting scalloped punches. I embossed the cupcake with chocolate embossing powder and then colored it in with blender pens and my ink pads. The cherry is highlighted with clear Stickles. The ribbon is attached under the white layer with glue dots. I also used glue dots to attach the back to the front around the paper clip. I tried using glue, but couldn't get it to hold.

The colors are all SU - Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

Group Card

This card front is a collaberation (sp?) of several girls on SCS for a card swap. Everyone contributed an element to make this card. I love how it turned out!

Some Scrapbook Layouts

Yesterday I posted some cards I've recently made, and today, here are some scrapbook layouts I've made recently for swaps on SCS.

This first one was to have a bath time theme. (Sorry these pics are so aweful!) I cut the letters out on the Cricut with the Winnie the Pooh font cartridge. (I love that one for fonts!) I used some bubbles DP, DCWV cardstock, and dewdrops on the bottom. The scallops are cut with 2 nesting punches (can't remember brand) but I love them - use them a lot. The stamp is House Mouse.


This page I made for a brown theme. Again, DCWV background paper, some misc DP, some SU cs (creamy caramel and chocolate chip). All ink is SU and versamark for the embossing on the bon-bon. The stamps are SU, but the name is escaping me now - I believe it's a retired set though. I can't wait to use this page!

This last page was a blue theme. The paper is the same as above (photo mat is SU Ballet Blue). The stamp is a misc rubber stamp, and you can't see it, but the "family" is highlighted with clear stickles.

Well, I hope you like them. I'm off to hopefully get some crafting done today. I want to try making these coaster boxes for Easter baskets, so I may try one today. If they turn out, I'll post a pic later.

Happy stamping!

Some Cards

So, once again it's been a while since I've posted, but here I am! We've had a rough start to the year, but the weather is finally warming up and hopefully it will get better!

I haven't done much crafting lately, and I've also been lax on taking pics, but here are two cards I've made recently.

This first one I made needed to include embossing somewhere - so I embossed the background in silver from a clear stamp set I have from Pat Catan's or something. I used stickles to accent the candles on the cake too.


This second card I created from a card kit I made for a swap on SCS. I used blender pens to color in the image. I've just recently this last year started to use DP on my cards. I think it adds a nice touch, and if you have any leftovers from scrapping, it's a nice way to use them up since you don't need a lot for a card.



Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

Strange Things Happen in this House

Yes, this is my son. He takes after his Daddy. I had to share this because I was laughing so hard when I took it (and he was wondering what was wrong with me?)! We had just gotten back home from a birthday party, and he was enjoying his goodies. (By the way, the thing in his mouth is a ring pop). But I think the glasses make the outfit....:)

House Mouse Card

I made this card from a card kit I put together for a swap. I love this stamp (or most house mouse stamps for that matter!) I've been using a lot of browns lately too and love how the pink and brown go together. The paper is Heidi Grace I believe; it's double sided (you can see the other side in the bottom picture, which is the inside of the card.) The ribbon is SU Chocolate Chip grosgrain, the brads are brown also. The cotton ball is highlighted with stickles.

I've only recently started making the gate-fold cards, but they are so cute and are a break from the standard.
Thanks for looking!

Fake-Out Rotisserie Chicken

This is a great recipe I got from Stephanie's blog. It's a takeoff of the rotisserie style chickens you get from the grocery store. We love it!

Here's the basic mix:

--2 tsp kosher salt
--1 tsp paprika
--1 tsp onion powder
--1/2 tsp dried thyme
--1 tsp Italian seasoning
--1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
--1/2 tsp black pepper

Rub onto any chicken cut of your choice, grill it, broil it, throw it in the crockpot all day. Any way - it's delicious!

Ink Spray and Smash

I made this card for a card challenge that used glossy paper. I did the ink spray and smash technique.

Basically you drop a couple drops of reinker on your glossy cs, spray a spray or 2 of water, and then lay another piece of glossy cs over it, smush them together, and then pull apart and let dry. I like how it turned out. The image and sentiment are embossed on with clear embossing powder and old olive ink. The card stock is SU barely banana and old olive.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

Father's Day Border Set

So, we are getting hit with a lovely ice storm today. I am SO tired of winter. But then, I'm definitely not a cold-weather person. I should be washing dishes out of our now broken dishwasher, but I'd rather be here...posting:)

Here is a border set I made a few weeks ago (yes, I am a little behind here) for a holiday border swap. Sorry about the picture quality. I took it with our old camera right before it died.


I love the paper that I found at JA's for this. It's a little hard to see, but it's blues and chocolate browns stripes (duh) and paisley. I can't remember the alphabet name for some reason, but it is SU. The truck is Loads of Love, and the journal box was a rectangle I used my corner rounder on (great tool I think). On the top border, I used dark brown brads (they are so cool) and the bottom one I used my little deco stapler with blue staples. The smile box I cut out on the Cricut (Fabulous Finds cartridge.)

Well, I'm off to wash dishes now. I think I've put that off as long as possible if I want to cook dinner tonight (hey, we have a small kitchen)!

Happy stamping!

Gate Fold Card

I decided to break out of my box with this card and made a Gate fold card. I am very happy with how this turned out. The papers are Stampin' Up (Eggplant Envy, Lovely Lilac and Old Olive) and same on the inks. The stamps are Papertrey Ink. The centers of the flowers are Stickles (I love those!). The background stamp is from Pat Catan's, but I don't remember the company. I hope you try one of these cards soon - they are a nice break. The only thing I wish is that it would lay flat better, but I think the happy birthday box needed to be moved up a little higher.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

Coffee Card

I love how this card turned out. I used the Warm Happiness set from Papertrey Ink. The paper is SU Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, and Blush Blossom (which I don't use that often for some reason). The "coffee" is black stickles. It's a little hard to see, but the edges on the coffee cup piece I dusted with Caramel ink using a sponge.

Happy stamping!

LOTW

I've been doing a lot of Letter of the Word swaps lately. They are easy and fun. I can't wait to start putting them on scrapbook pages!

This first set if for the words Bonfire and Thanksgiving. The I is supposed to be a smore. I embossed the "marshmallow" with clear embossing powder. I used a corner rounder to make both the marshmallow and the chocolate.

The V and the tag are cut from the cricut, and the leaf is stamped, hand-trimmed, and accented with clear sparkle stickles.

This set is for holidays. 4th of July, Christmas, and Birthday. I cut all from the cricut. I used stickles for the sparkles, and the red star is from a set of sparkle foamies from WalMart.

These are family - dad, mom, grandma, grandpa. The m & a circles are 2 nesting punches (can't remember the brand). I like how these turned out.

And finally, these letters are for inspirational words. Love, imagine, joy, live, laugh. Most of the same deets as above. The flower on the g is K & co.

Hope these inspire and happy stamping!

It's a New Year Already!

It's January already! (Well, I guess we're pretty well into it by now anyways.) I feel like I'm just starting to get back into the swing of things after all things holidays. We're getting ready for my son's 4th birthday party on Saturday, but after that, I'm hoping to get back to posting here more often again. So here's a little something in the mean time!


I love how this card turned out. I can't remember what the stamp set it - it's from Joann's though. The DP behind the cupcakes is from a DCWV summer(?) matstack. I can't remember! That's pretty bad...but the cupcakes I colored in with my blender pens and used clear sparkle stickles on the cherries. The colors are a little hard to see, but they are SU positively pink, and marvelous magenta I want to say? The ink is chocolate chip. And I just used a corner rounder on the corners. Hope you liked it!

Happy stamping!

Crockpot Dip

This is the dip we made today. The original recipe we just call Bread Bowl Dip (because it's made in a bread bowl), but I wanted to experiment (and I'm too cheap to buy a bread bowl for normal occasions) and make it in the crockpot. It worked! Delicious. But I can't call it bread bowl dip anymore.


Ingredients:
16 oz sour cream
16 oz cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 small jar dried beef, minced in food processor
taco chips, for dipping


Pretty much just throw the first 4 ingredients into a 1 1/2 quart crockpot. Turn on low. Let it go about 2 hours or so, stirring occasionally, until everything is all melted together.


(Or you could do what we did and halve the recipe and make it in your Little Dipper - it's tight, but works.) There won't be much left. My husband and I munched all day, and my parents stopped by and ate a little too. There's not much left...

A Little of This...

So today was kind of a bust. We were supposed to get some plumbing done, so we didn't have anything planned, but that fell through due to the weather. So what else to do? Stamp! And make some really yummy dip, but more about that later.



I worked on a couple projects, and made a birthday card. I always seem to need those!

I used some old Stampin' Up DP for the stripes, and it's a little hard to tell, but the truck part is on dimensionals.

After bath time here, we're off to watch a family movie. I usually double task - watch & stamp!

Happy stamping!

Butter Balls

It's almost time to bake Christmas cookies! Growing up, we would always make lots of cookies and put them in our mud room in tupperware, so they were always available for company, parties or just for a snack. Butter Balls are one of the cookies that my mom makes every year. They're yummy. It's a tradition I want to keep up for my own family now. So I thought to share and pass on the love:) I love the Christmas season and sharing what we have with others. I'd also think it would be neat to hear about your holiday traditions if you have a minute. And if you have a little more time, you need to go bake some of these cookies!

Butter Balls
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional, but really good)
extra powdered sugar, for dusting

Mix all ingredients together. Shape by hand into 1" balls. Bake at 350 until golden brown. Cool slightly and roll in powdered sugar. (We ususally just toss them around in a plastic gallon baggie with a cup or 2 of powdered sugar).

8 x 8 Album

So, Thanksgiving is now over, although we have the second and final round tonight. But having nothing to do with thansgiving, here are two 8x8 pages I made for some swaps on SCS. My goal for this year is to do a small family album. I like this size. It moves pretty quickly.

I used stickles on the sprinkles of the cupcakes. It's a little hard to see in the picture. The photo mat is just some DP I had.

I cut out the light bulbs on my cricut, and used gold stickles to decorate the top part of them.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

My Neglected Scrapbook

I have realized of late that I have been neglecting my scrapbooks. I've been making so many cards and other projects, that the scrapbooks have fallen low on my list. But that's ok. I have a plan.
I've joined a few border layout swaps and 8x8 page swaps. All of which are very easy to do. So I'm hoping I can get back to my scrapbook after the first of the year and put all these wonderful layouts to use!
Basically for a border swap, you make the titles, accents, sometime photo boxes and journaling pieces, and supply your own paper to create your own layout. I hope these inspire you too!

Happy stamping!

The Best Crockpot Creamed Corn

Here is an easy side dish for Thanksgiving you can make in your Crockpot! I never liked creamed corn until I tried this recipe. I got it from a Betty Crocker cookbook last year.

Crockpot Creamed Corn
2 lbs frozen corn
12 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Spread corn over bottom of a 3-4 quart slow cooker. Top with cream cheese cubes. In a small bowl, stir together remaining ingredients and pour over corn and cream cheese.

Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours.

Stir well before serving. Corn will hold on low heat up to 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

Garnish with chopped green onions, if desired.

Tag Time

I can't believe we're already 12 days into November! Thanksgiving is coming so fast, and then it will be time for Christmas! I love Christmas. I've always laughed at my mom for being a decorating nut around that time, but since having a little boy myself who is now almost 4, I find myself doing the same thing. So in honor of the impending season, here are two gift tags I made for some special gifts.This first one was made from a cricut tag (2 parts). The tree is embossed in gold, and the holly is just stamped and then accented with burgundy Stickles. It's raised with half of a pop-dot.

This second tag I really like. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the snowman has been embossed with clear embossing powder and then watercolored in for detail. I inked the snowman first with blue pigment ink and then immediately into Versamark before embossing. I also used the same cricut tag. I think it was from the Christmas Cheer cartridge.

I hope these ideas are inspiring and help you get in the Christmas mood!

Happy stamping!

Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes

I love all the new cupcake stamps coming out. These are from the only set I have that has cupcakes. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the bottom card, I first embossed the cupcakes by first inking the purple and then right into the Versamark and I used clear embossing powder. Both cards were colored in using a blender pen. On the top card I used clear sparkle Stickles on the sprinkles.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

Good Soup for a Cold Day

Golden Potato Chowder
Makes 6 cups
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
2 cups chopped potatoes
Dash pepper
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Bring broth, vegetables, chives and seasonings to boil in medium saucepan on high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer 10 minutes. Do not drain. Melt butter in large saucepan on low heat. Stir in flour. Cook 2 minutes or until bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring until well blended. Cook on medium heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Add cheese; cook until melted, stirring constantly. Add vegetable mixture; cook until heated through. Do not boil.