Just a Quick Update

Hi Everyone!

Just a quick update to let everyone know that I will be taking a blogging break just for this week. The kid's school schedule is really weird, with days off here and there and 1/2 days and parent teacher conferences. Jonathan's birthday is Thursday and of course Halloween on Friday, so I'm afraid that I won't have much time for stamping, this week. So, have a great week everyone and I'll be back next Monday with my sketch for Mojo Monday!
Hugs to all!

Color Inspiration.

Good Afternoon Everyone!
Two posts in one day! I wanted to get my card for KWerner's Color Inspiration posted before the deadline this evening. The challenge this week was to use red or pink as the main color and then any other complementary colors. I chose Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Handsome Hunter and Chocolate Chip as my colors. I also finally got a chance to ink up my new "Upsy Daisy" set. This set has been wildly popular for SU this year and it's very easy to see why! I stamped my "Fine Lace Background Stamp" on the Cameo Coral base. I wheeled my daisy wheel on both the Ruby Red piece as well as the bottom vanilla piece. I covered the image in Cameo Coral ink and then ran my brayer across the stamp and then rolled it across the paper. This created the reverse image. I stamped the image directly on the paper in Ruby Red ink on top of the Cameo Coral, thus creating the double look. I punched the corners using the ticket corner punch and added the ruby red eyelets.
I also worked on Beate's Weekend Sketch; but it's not quite finished, so I'll post that first thing Monday morning. Have a great weekend; and thanks for visiting with me!

Baby Card

Good Morning Everyone!

I'm always happy to make Baby cards for new parents to celebrate their wonderful news. A family my husband works with had a baby boy on Wednesday, so I took some time yesterday to make a card to congratulate them. I wanted to incorporate blue, obviously; but I wanted to do something that wasn't just all baby pastel colors. Having two boys of my own, I know that boys are big, bold and go at top speed all the time! That's why I chose the Real Red as my base and then incorporated the Kiwi Kiss, Bashful Blue and neutral brown for the rest of the design. I used Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamped in Olive Ink for the side Kiwi piece and then layered the brown at the bottom. I paper pierced the edges of the blue before attaching that. The main buggy image is from my new set "Puns from the Past." This is such a cute set and I think I shall be using it quite often. I stamped it in Brilliant Blue ink and then used my tag punch to cut it out and made two additional tags, one in Red and one in Kiwi. I stamped the sentiment from "Best Yet" in Real Red. After I finished assembling the card, I added the feet around the top of the card.
That's all for now. I hope to be back later to post "Beate's Weekend Sketch" and "KWerner's Color Inspiration." Until then, have a great morning!

More Crayon Resist

Good Morning Everyone!

So sorry I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. The day just got away from me and before I knew it, it was time for girl scouts and dinner. I did get this card made yesterday, however. This is one of the cards that my techniques class will be making on Sunday. Again, it focuses on the crayon resist technique. My colors are Regal Rose, Taken with Teal, Olive, and Saffron. I stamped the heart and flower images from "Simply Said" in Regal Rose ink at the bottom of the card. Then I layered a piece of Saffron across the middle and stamped it with "Itty Bitty Backgrounds" in Saffron ink. I attached the Olive, and other piece of Saffron paper as shown. I stamped the main image, again, from "Simply Said" on glossy paper in black ink, and let it dry. Then I put in the white crayon highlights and brayered over it with Cool Caribbean ink. I added the sentiment from "Best Yet" in Regal Rose ink. Finally, I stamped the small flowers across the top.
I am hoping to finish my Halloween cards and get them in my mail today and to begin contemplating Kwerner's Color Inspiration, which hasn't been posted yet that I know of. Until then, have a great day and don't forget to scroll down and check out this week's Thursday recipe.

Recipe Thursday: Coq Au Vin and Snickers Salad.

I have two recipes for you this week; an entree and a dessert. I had originally thought I was going to only post the dessert; but it just seemed, not quite enough. Anyhow, enjoy and I'll be back later!

Coq Au Vin

Ingredients:

6 half chicken breasts, skinned
1 stick butter
2 TBS oil
1 Cup water
4 TBS flour
1 cup dry red wine
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 clove garlic minced
handful fresh chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme, or couple sprigs of fresh
1/2lb sliced fresh mushrooms.

Directions:
Heat 6 TBS butter and the oil in a large pan and brown the chicken breasts until golden. Remove the chicken and set aside. Mix 1/2 cup of water with flour until smooth. Add to the pan drippings with the remaining 1/2 cup of water, red wine, onion soup mix, garlic, thyme, parsley, and bay leaft. Cook and stir until smooth and thickened, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Return chicken to pan and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Sautee the fresh mushrooms in the remaining butter. Then add the mushrooms to the chicken and cook until the chicken is done.

Snickers Salad

Ingredients:

1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
8 oz Cool Whip, Softened
4 apples, chopped
4 large Snickers candy bars, chopped
1 cup Spanish peanuts.

Directions:

Mix the pudding and milk until smooth and thick. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate.

That's much Better!

Good Afternoon!
Well, I got my cutter back last night so I was much better equipped to do stamping this morning. Although my husband tells me he now knows how he can prevent me from doing any stamping! Not sure I like that idea at all!
Anyhow, I have to go get Reagan from school in about 15 minutes; but I wanted to post my Halloween cards before I leave. I always try to do two different styles of cards when I'm going to be mailing them out. I don't really know why. I guess to keep from using up to much of one supply or making sure that I don't get bored just doing the same thing over and over.
For the first card I used Cool Caribbean, Teal, Tangerine Tango and Apricot for my colors. I stamped the background with the "Stitched" Background in Cool Caribbean. Then I cut two panels of Teal paper and one of Apricot and placed them vertically on the front of the card. I stamped the main image from the "Happy Blessings" set in black ink and then used the color resist technique with Apricot, Caribbean, and Pumpkin Pie ink. I'm still perfecting my Brayering technique. It's a love-hate relationship so far, I gotta tell ya! LOL!! I mounted that piece onto my Tangerine Tango piece and added the gold brads. Then I attached it to the panels, as shown. I stamped the pumpkin in Pumpkin pie ink and then filled it in with Pumpkin Pie ink and Apricot ink, using my aqua painters. I cut it out and also stamped the sentiment in Tempting Turquoise ink and cut that out as well. Then I attached both the pumpkin and the sentiment, finishing the card.
The second card also uses the "Happy Blessing Set" I used Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango and Sahara Sand as my color. The Sahara Sand piece actually came out of the Hostess Packet of designer series paper. That's a great little thing to have and I'm glad that I opted for it from my workshop! The card is as straightforward as it looks. I stamped the scarecrow in black ink and then colored him in with blender pens and inks and pencils. I decided that I didn't like the stark white background behind him, so I sponged some Pumpkin, and Saffron ink behind him.
Ok, time to go! Thanks so much for visiting with me. I didn't have a chance to do Beate's Inspiration piece this week; but I plan on stopping by to see what others come up with for it. Have a great day!

Yes? Maybe? I Don't Think So

Good Afternoon Everyone!

I should have stopped before I started this morning. The moment I realized my cutter was in my husband's truck, and that I was going to have to use my cheap back up, I should have not even begun. Did I listen to myself? Of course not! I cannot even begin to tell you how much paper I wasted this morning trying to get that cutter to cut a straight line. On top of that I wanted to do use the Crayon Resisting technique; but then discovered that I only have photo paper, not the glossy paper from SU that makes that technique work best. I also should not have tried to do that technique with the snowman...good in theory, not so much in practice. The end result of all the mayhem is this card I did for Mojo Monday sketch. It's ok; but definitely not my favorite card I've done. It was also my first time using my white craft pad. It really is a lot different than using regular ink, so it smudged a bit. So as I said, here it is. I wasn't going to post it; but decided that sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination! And for all the frustration it caused I did learn some good stamping lessons.
Have a great evening, and thanks for visiting with me!

Some New Goodies

Good Afternoon Everyone!

The great thing about your mom ordering stuff from you as a SU demonstrator is that she doesn't mind if you play with her goodies before you give them to her! So that is what I decided to do this morning. For this particular card I used a piece of Garden Green as my base and then layered on a strip of Black at the top, followed by a piece of Pumpkin Pie. This card also incorporates two things that are brand new for me. The first is the Brayered background. The Brayer has been on my wish list for a while; and I finally got it. I took a piece of Whisper White paper and cut a circle from scratch paper and placed it in the corner to act as a mask for the moon. Then I brayered a layer of Certain Celery ink at the bottom. I ripped a piece of scratch paper and placed it on the top of the paper and brayered a strip of So Saffron ink and then I turned the scratch paper upside down, covering the Celery and Saffron, then I brayered a layer of Night of Navy ink. I thought the Saffron strip was too light, so I sponged a bit of Mustard ink across it. I colored in the moon with Summer Sun marker and sponged over that also with Mustard ink. The stars are free hand and cut out.
The second part of the card, which is new for me was the Jumbo Haunting Wheel. As I recently told you, I am still finding my comfort zone with the wheel. This was the one that my Mom ordered. I simply inked it up with the black cartridge, and rolled it across my brayered background. Some simple alphabet stamps to make the sentiment at the bottom and a spooky spider sticker finish the card.
Beate has posted her weekend sketch; but I probably won't have time to get to it today. I will be away for the evening and I have much to do between now and the time I leave. Hopefully I will be able to do it tomorrow morning; but if not, I'll post it first thing Monday Morning. Have a great weekend and thanks for visiting with me!

Color Inspiration #26

Good Morning Everyone!
It's time once again for Kristina's Color Inspiration. This week she chose Rose Red, Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue and So Saffron. I also combined the challenge with this week's SCS sketch challenge. This sketch was a bit difficult for me as it relates to the half circles as is evidenced by the many many scraps of Wild Wasabi now in my trash can. I suppose I could have found a way to incorporate numbers into my sketch and I'm sure many others will. However, I don't really have a lot of number themed stamps and embellishments. Instead, I used the old hostess set, "Time Well Spent", which I watercolored. I also used my new hostess set "The Best Yet". My final touch was the three prima flowers in the bottom in order to bring balance to the card.
I will be busy for the rest of the afternoon sorting through the box of goodies that came for everyone who placed orders at my Open House. It's always fun to get new stuff and also to see what others got as well.
Be sure to scroll down for this week's recipe and have a great day! Thanks for visiting with me and I'll be back tomorrow.

Recipe Thursday: Broccoli Salad.

This week's recipe is from Paula Deen. I made this for a Labor Day cookout we had and was told by my family that it is now my signature dish and what I will be bringing to any and all future family get togethers. One small note, however, it doesn't make a lot, so I think I would double the recipe for future reference.

Ingredients:

1 head broccoli
6 to 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup raisins (optional...I used Craisins)
8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, cut into very small chunks
1 cup mayonnaise (I actually only use about 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup sugar (again, I used a little less than that)
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes.

Trim and cut broccoli into bit size florets and pieces. (wash)Put into a large bowl and add the crumbled bacon, onion, raisins and cheese.
In a separate small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, stirring well.
Add to broccoli mixture and toss gently. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

I didn't have a chance to post anything yesterday; but I hope to be able to do something a bit later this morning, so be sure to check back again!

A little Mojo and some Inspiration, too.

Good Afternoon Everyone!

I got a chance to do Mojo Monday yesterday; but wasn't able to post. So, I decided to wait and also do a card for Beate's Inspiration piece. My Mojo Monday card is a baby card, obviously! I used Pink Passion, Gable Green and Pink Pirouette as my colors. I inked my stars background from the Basic Backgrounds set with Pixie Pink ink and Versamark and then embossed them with clear embossing powder. My central image is from a Sale-a bration set called "Many Scallops" I colored the image with markers and then versa-marked it and embossed it with iridescent ice powder to give it that shimmery look. I used a set of baby stamps from Hero Arts for the little feet around the Gable Green Circle. The rattle and the bottle are from that same set as well.
My card for Beate's Inspiration piece is super simple because I plan to use these as Thank-You cards for the people who placed orders from my Open House. I have 11 of them to make, and since I just got the idea this morning, I figured less is more!
My colors for this card are Purely Pomegranate, River Rock, Black and a gray pattern that I got from a $1 store scrap pack. Truly, nothing fancy here. I think the most complicated thing I used in the whole production of the card is the Scallop Circle punch! The card is only 4x4 as well, so that limited my space a bit.
Ok, so I gotta go and clean up my mess before it's time to go and get Reagan from school. Have a great day and thanks for visiting with me!

The MOJO will have to wait...

Good Morning Everyone!

Well, it's Monday once again. I don't know about you all but I'm seriously wondering where the weekend went. I decided to post this early this morning. I may not have a chance to work on Mojo Monday today, because it is a holiday for the kiddos, so stamping will probably take a back seat in the realm of today's activities. That's ok, I can do it tomorrow morning while I watch the West Wing. I LOVE that show!! So happy it's on BRAVO in the mornings. Yes, I know they're all re runs...who cares! That show is fabulous. (Hello, my name is Dori and yes, I am a TV junkie!!)
So, in the meantime I have this simple little birthday card to share with you. I used Black, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery and White for my colors. They are the next on my Color Combo Challenge list. I have to say I really like this combo together. I also decided to venture away from my SU stamps for this one and use my Penny Black Critter Set. I just think these little Hedgies are too cute. Nothing fancy with the card. It really is as straightforward as it looks. One note though, the ribbon on the card, is actually pink; but it showed up white when I scanned the card. I sponged Pink Pirouette and Certainly Celery Ink onto glossy paper and then inked the edges in black for the piece behind the hedgehog.
Have a great day everyone, and I'll be back tomorrow!

Beate's Weekend Sketch

Hi Everyone!

Well, I got a chance to do Beate's weekend sketch this morning, so I thought I'd post it for you. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to get into the nitty gritty details. So, I'm going to make this short and sweet. My color combination is Almost Amethyst, Chocolate Chip and Sage Shadow (and yes, it was the next on my list) I used Garden Whimsy stamp set along with a retired Butterfly wheel and the Fine Lace Background stamp, also retired. The two circles are actually raised with pop dots; but it's hard to see in the picture. I used a Sage Organdy ribbon at the top and then colored a strip of white ribbon with my amethyst marker and attached it on top.
Ok, gotta go! Have a great weekend and I'll be back on Monday!

Opting for a Different Challenge

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Yes, today is Friday and yes, Beate has posted her weekend sketch challenge. I hope to maybe have a crack at it a bit later or perhaps tomorrow. I found out this morning that my good friend, Melanie from "Today's Lessons" has been asked to be a Creative Coordinator for the Scrap Shanty and as such will be posting weekly challenges. I decided to play along with this challenge this morning. Her challenge this week was a color challenge using the colors Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White. I also decided to combine it with SCS "Rock, Paper, Scissors" Limited supplies challenge. This card was super simple to make. My base is Old Olive and I attached a strip of Chocolate Chip paper on the left and then added a small piece of Whisper White and then a strip of 5/8 Old Olive Ribbon and then added the ribbon charm from in the middle. I stamped the swirls from the retired Basic Backgrounds set in Chocolate ink on white paper, then covered the whole thing in versamark and then used my sponge daubers with Stampin' Pastels. I also used an old Sale-A bration set for the main image (sorry, don't remember the name of it). I stamped it in old olive ink and then in versamark and embossed it with clear powder. It's hard to see the embossing in the picture, though.
I am going to try to work on Beate's sketch this afternoon and hopefully will be able to post it this afternoon as well; but it may not be until tomorrow morning. If not, I'll be back for sure on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Color Inspiration from KWerner

Good Afternoon Everyone!

It is a cloudy rainy day here in South Carolina, so I am going to try to post this quickly before the lightning returns and I have to turn the PC off again. It's time once again for another Color Inspiration from Kristina Werner. This week's colors are Ballet Blue, Certainly Celery, Ruby Red and So Saffron. I really wanted to incorporated elements from the picture as well as the colors in my design. The pattern checkered pattern on the top right square was made using my Stripes background stamp and just turning in two different ways. I wanted that to represent the pattern you can see on one of the towels in the stack. I used the stitched background on the bottom left square and colored it in with aqua painters and ink. The bottom right stamp is from the Flower for All Seasons set. I chose this stamp, of course, because of the frog. I couldn't leave the frog unrepresented!! I used my Quickutz for the "Smile" sentiment and paper pierced with faux stitching around it.
Now, on to GH news. I am loving, loving this storyline with Max and Jason and Maximus. I tell you, I thought I was going to lose it when Maximus slapped Jason on the back of the head for "disrespecting the boss" for dressing inappropriately! I think that Max is hilarious and I love to watch him. This storyline is going to be a hoot! So, Sonny has another child. Are we surprised by this? NO, not exactly. Rumor has it that GH is trying to lure a former Guiding Light star, Tom Pelphrey to play Dante. Another possibility is that the are going to put Bradford Anderson (Spinelli) in that role and let him do a dual role (no, Dante and Damien are not projected to be twins) Seems as though Liz is still determined to have a relationship with Jason. I sure hope he sees the light...and soon!
Ok, that's all for me today. Have a great evening and thanks for visiting with me!

Recipe Thursday: Warm Chicken Curry Dip

As promised here is this week's recipe. It is actually a Pampered Chef appetizer recipe that I served at my open house and it met with rave reviews. Enjoy!

Dip:

1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 package (8oz) softened cream cheese.
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 garlic clove minced or pressed
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup apricot jam
additional thinly sliced green onions (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Chop chicken and green onions. Combine chicken, green onions, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, raisins, cheese, curry powder and salt. Mix well and then spread into the bottom of a 8 inch round pan.
Bake 18-20 minutes.
Combine coconut and almonds. Spread apricot jam over warm dip and then sprinkle with coconut mixture. Top with green onions if desired. Serve with Apple Wedges, Celery sticks or Toasted bread rounds.

A little more Creativity.

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Today I decided to two cards to share with you. The first one is for SCS Wednesday sketch challenge. Before I go into the details of the card however, I must confess a secret: I've never been a really big fan of using the wheel stamps from SU. I always thought they were too difficult to figure out how to get an even line without it fading half way across the paper. I also didn't like the fact that in order to use them I would have to buy the cartridges. I'm really more of an ink pad girl and don't want to change or add to that perpetually growing collection. Anyhow, I finally decided to tackle my fear and do a bit more experimenting. Thanks to some very useful tips from my friend Carol, including that I can use a regular ol' ink pad, I can now say that the wheel is such a cool thing! I have some old wheels, so I've been using those on everything lately.
This first card is my card for the SCS sketch challenge today. It also uses the next in my color combination chart: Close to Cocoa, Not Quite Navy, Creamy Caramel, and Old Olive. I used Polka Dots and Paisleys, and Priceless Stamp Sets. I adhered the flower image with an antique copper brad to a scalloped circle. Really as straightforward as it looks!
The second card is one of my own design. I used Certainly Celery as my base and paper pierced all around the edges. I added blush blossom eyelets and a prima flower to a strip of Chocolate Chip paper. I tore the edges of my Blush Blossom paper before attaching the Apricot Appeal paper. The main image is from the Hostess set "Serene Spring" I stamped it in Close to Cocoa ink on watercolor paper and then filled it in with pencils and used aqua painters and ink.
Have a great day everyone and be sure to check back tomorrow for Recipe Thursday. Yes, I promise I'll post one!

Beate's Inspiration and my own color challenge.

Good Afternoon Everyone.

I hope you are all having a fabulous day. The weather is beautiful here in SC today and I hope to perhaps take advantage of it later today after gymnastics. So, as you can see, I have two cards to share with you today; and these are both cards that I will be donating to the SCS Cards for a Cause. The first is Beate's Be Inspired Challenge. I was really pressed for time when I made this card, so I tried to do something that was really simple and in order to do that I decided to limit my self to one stamp. The blue and the gold in the window in the window really jumped out at me so I translated that to the Brilliant Blue base and the Mostly Mustard in the card. Of course, I couldn't leave out the black and white since it was so dominant in the photo. I used my DCWV Patterned Paper and then added the piece of Real Red in there as well. The sentiment in the middle is from a retired SU set called "Simple Sayings II"








The second card is part of an ongoing new project that I've begun. I love color combinations and I'm always writing down colors that I like together. I even went so far as to make a color chart on the computer and print it out. Here's my problem. I can't ever decide which combination that I want to use and I forget which ones I've already done. So I decided that I was just going to start at the top and go down the list. Yesterday's card was the first color combo and today's is the second. Today's colors are Pumpkin Pie, Always Artichoke and Bravo Burgundy. I used the Floral Background stamp with Pumpkin Pie ink to make the background on the Pumpkin Pie base. I stamped the flower image from the Pocket Silhouettes in Versamark and then used my blender pens and chalks to color it in. I used a piece of Mellow Moss ribbon as an accent as well as some antique metal eyelets.
I hope that you all enjoy the rest of your day and I hope you have the opportunity to do something creative and share it with someone you love.
Thanks for visiting with me!

No Mojo...

Hi Everyone!

Well, I waited until now to post my entry for today because I was planning to do Mojo Monday sketch. However, there doesn't seem to be one posted today. I decided to make this card instead. It is one that I will be donating to SCS's Cards for a Cause this month for Chemo Angels. Be sure to click on the link to find out more about this cause.
I used Real Red, Sage Shadow and Black for my colors. The red pattern paper is from the red print patterns designer series paper. I stamped the flower from Simply Said onto white paper and then used stipple brushes with Red ink and Sage ink to make the background. Then I inked the edges with black ink. The Stipple technique is new for me, and one that I am still experimenting with. I got some stipple brushes at Michael's this weekend; but realized when I got home and looked in my SU catalog that I actually bought the wrong kind. They are stipple brushes; but a bit different. Anyhow, the rest of the card is fairly straightforward as you can see.
Ok, so I know today is a short post; but I have a meeting tonight and tons to do before I leave. Oh, and I have to finish watching GH before I can do any of it!!!
Have a great day and thanks for visiting with me.

Color Inspiration, and Flipping a Sketch.

Good Morning Everyone!

Today is Friday and yes it's time for Beate's weekend sketch. However she has not yet posted the sketch. So I shall wait until this afternoon to work on that, probably while watching General Hospital.
In the meantime I have completed KWerner's Color Inspiration challenge. The colors this week were Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie and Very Vanilla. I love love these colors cause they are such great Autumn colors. Have I mentioned that Autumn is my favorite season of the year?! Also for this card I chose to flip the sketch that was posted for this week's SCS challenge. I used itty bitty backgrounds on my Pumpkin Pie piece. For the Kiwi Kiss piece at the top I used my color spritzer with Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and Pumpkin Pie marker. The main image is from the Fruit Stand set and I embossed it first with Classy Copper powder and then watercolored it with Aqua painters and inks.
My second card is the actual sketch challenge for SCS. My colors are Purely Pomegranate, Mellow Moss, and Pretty in Pink. I used the Fruit Stand set again; but this time simply colored it in with markers. I also used my color spritzer on the Mellow Moss piece.
That's all for me until later. Bye for now!

Something other than a card!

Hi again everyone!
Well, I told you I'd be back with something more creative today. I made this for my mom. She is in the process of decorating her new house and really likes the whole idea of doing handmade wall artsy sorts of things. The colors will go well in her living room. I plan to make another one for her as well. I started with a piece of 8 1/2 x11 piece of So Saffron paper and cut it to 8x10. This was simply to make the frame buying process a bit easier. Then I stamped the swirl image from the Priceless set in mustard all around the edge. I pierced a double row around the edge of the bottom Mustard piece and then used Pocket Silhouettes for the three images on the bottom as well. The top background piece is Bali Breeze and is secured with 1/8 square mustard eyelets. I punched out 1/4 in square pieces in the Bali Breeze, Mustard and Saffron on to a piece of Riding Hood Red. The main butterfly image is from an old SU hostess set, called Measure of a Life. I used aquapainters and blender pens with inks and pencils to color it in.
Ok, so that's all for me today. Kwerner has posted her color inspiration. I will be working on that this afternoon and will post my piece tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for visiting with me!

Recipe Thursday: Chili

Good Morning Everyone!

I have been rather neglectful of posting recipes the last couple of weeks so I thought that I would go ahead and do that this morning before the day got away from me. I had a request from a friend to post my chili recipe. I'm happy to oblige as I must say it is one of my favorite things to make! Lots of ingredients; but really simple to put together.

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 lb Hamburger meat
1 lb Mild Italian Sausage
1 Red Bell Pepper Chopped (you can use 1/2 if prefer)
1 Green Bell Pepper Chopped (again 1/2 is fine)
1 onion chopped
3 Garlic cloves pressed
1 jalepeno pepper seeded and finely chopped. Or: 1 chipotle pepper in adobe sauce
2 cans chili beans. 1 can drained, one undrained
1 can diced tomatoes
14oz crushed tomatoes (1/2 of the big can)
1/4-1/2 bottle of beer
1 1/4 cup Beef Stock or broth
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp dry mustard
salt/pepper
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
2tsps Brown sugar

Directions

Put a little olive oil in the bottom of a deep pot and brown the meat, then drain. Put a little more oil in the pot and sautee all vegetables (including jalapeno) and garlic until tender 5-7 minutes.
Return meat to pot and season with chili powder, cumin, dry mustard, salt and pepper. Stir and cook 2-3 mins.
Add the beans, tomatoes, beer and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and add Italian seasoning and brown sugar. More salt/pepper to taste if necessary.
Reduce heat to simmer and allow to simmer for at least 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

I'll be back later with something creative. Bye for now!

Being Inspired by Colors and Changes

Good Afternoon Everyone!

It has been a busy day, so I am just now getting to my post for today. As you can see I have changed the template for October. I wanted to something that was very Autumn related. I love Autumn, it's my favorite time of the year and I am always so excited when it finally comes around. I love everything about it from the colors, to the chill in the air, to the food.
My first piece is from yesterday's color challenge on SCS titled "Really Chocolate Breezes" I used my Paper Pretties "Howdy Girlfriend" Sophia for this card. I guess mainly because the colors just make me think of rustic country girl theme. The card is pretty straightforward, as you can see. For the background piece behind the cute little cowgirl, I used the textured background technique. I sponged Bali Breeze, Realy Rust and Creamy Caramel ink and then sprayed the piece with water. I crumpled up the paper and then smoothed it out and pressed Basic Brown ink over the piece. I used my aqua painters and inks to color her in and then I cut her out and attached her to the Creamy Caramel piece.
My second piece is Beate's Be Inspired Piece from yesterday. I loved the colors in this and I wanted to make sure and do something that reflected the colors and the nature feel of the card.For my colors I chose Bordering Blue, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa and a piece of rose colored paper that I found in my scraps. For my stamps I used, Bitty Backgrounds as well as an old Sale-A-Bration set from SU. I also used the stipple brush technique to do the background behind the branch. Well, at least, I sort of did...I didn't have any stipple brushes, so I used regular stiff-haired brushes and improvised. Not exactly the same; but it'll do for now.
That's all for me today. I hope you all have a great evening and thanks for visiting with me.