Just a Card

Good Morning!

So yesterday I said that I actually made two cards; but was only posting one and saving the other one for today. Well, here it is. Nothing fancy, no challenges, just a simple card. This is actually the card I plan to give my sister for mother's day. I actually CASED the card from the SU catalog. Of course changing a few things here and there. I had a hard time figuring out where to put the tag so that it wouldn't cover up any of the flowers. I thought the bottom looked a bit plain, so I added the eyelets on the bottom simply to add some bling.
Ok, so I'm off for the day. I posted a recipe for this week (finally!) so be sure to scroll down for it. Have a great day!

Recipe Thursday: Golden Chicken

Good Morning!
It's bright and early and I am enjoying my first cup of coffee while I catch up on some of my missed tv shows from this week online. I haven't posted a recipe in a couple of weeks so I thought I would jump right back in with a yummy chicken recipe I made last night. It was one of those recipes that just kinda popped out of my head and was easy easy peasy! So, if you're looking for something quick for dinner tonight, give it a try.

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (you will split them so you will end up with 4-6)
1 can cream of chicken soup
Grated Italian Cheese (about a cup)
Seasonings of choice. (I chose S/P, garlic powder, Cumin and Paprika)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375
Butterfly and split the chicken breasts to make them a bit thinner. It will keep the chicken moister when it cooks.
Make sure the chicken is dry and put it in lightly greased pan or baking sheet.
Season the chicken with your seasonings of choice.
Cook the chicken for about 20 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking heat up the can of soup on the stove just to simmer. (You may need some water to thin it out a bit)
After 20 minutes take the chicken out and spoon some soup over each breast and sprinkle with cheese.
Return to the oven and finish cooking about 15-20 minutes until chicken is done

SCS challenges

Good Afternoon!

I hope you are all doing well. I have had a good morning stamping. I actually made two things; but I'm only sharing one today and will post the second one tomorrow. I need to do some scrapping tomorrow and this will give me an opportunity to be able to post something new without having to actually make something. Anyhow, not that you really needed to know all of that; but I try to write more than just: "Hi! Here's my card, have a nice day!"
So today's card is actually a mother's day card for my sister in law who doesn't have any children; but does have a whole group of dogs that are just like her kids. I know for some it doesn't compare; but still I think it's important that she knows that I think it is great that she provides those animals with care and love.
I decided to combine two SCS challenges as well. Today's sketch challenge, which I have to admit I fell in love with the minute I saw it! I think it's just fabulous and it was so easy to work with. I will definitely be using this again. I also used yesterday's color challenge of Red, Olive and Black. It was a good combination and the card came together rather easily. It's nothing fancy; but I think she'll like it and I hope you do too!
Have a great day everyone and be sure to blurf sometime today and leave a comment for someone. Trust me, it'll make their day!

Color Inspiration Mojo

Hi All!

Once again, I'm in a hurry. On my way out the door to pick up T and J from school and daycare. I did have a chance to do Kristina's color inspiration. This is #50 so Kristina's giving away some awesome prizes. Be sure to check out her blog for all the details. Be warned however, she's being super strict about the rules this time. I hope I followed them all, I'm pretty sure I did. There are tons of entries, many far superior to mine that's for sure. Still, I had a fun time doing it and it is all about getting the creative juices flowing isn't it? You'll notice also that I combined the color challenge with yesterday's Mojo Monday sketch. I plan to do some blurfing later and I hope you will as well.
Ok, gotta run. Have a great day everyone!

Supplies:
Paper: Yo Yo Yellow, Real Red, Cool Caribbean, Choc Chip, White
Stamps: Lexicon of Love, Sweet Sentiments
Ink: Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Basic Brown, Yo Yo Yellow, Real Red
Accessories: Choc Ribbon, Scallop punch, Making Memories Brads, Prima flowers, Markers, Craft Pack, Sponges

Favorite Color Combo...at least today.

Hi Everyone!

Just a quick post for today's OCC challenge which was to make a card using our favorite color combination. I had a really hard time choosing a favorite combination, there are just so many! I really like Not Quite Navy so I decided to go with a combination using that as a base. I added Turquoise, Gable Green and Apricot to go with it. I stamped the floral background stamp on glossy white paper in Gable Green ink and then I cut it in three equal pieces. I didn't want to take away from the flower images, so I decided to stamp the sentiment only instead of adding any more decorative images. After I added the turquiose ribbon, I decided that the card needed to have some more Apricot in it, so I added the circles along the ribbon. I simply used a hole punch and glued the circles the ribbon.
Have a great weekend everyone! I will be busy doing things on Monday, so I will be back on Tuesday.Be sure to take some time to see what other people have done with today's challenge. Who knows, you may just find yourself inspired to be creative.

Friday GH Chatter

*** I posted a card today as well. Scroll down to see my WSC card***



Yes, it has been a while since I've posted a GH column. So much blogging to do, so little time!!
Don't worry though, I have been watching and I'm back to give all the scoops and news I can as well as to insert my opinions good and bad. Please feel free to comment. I love to read what everyone else is thinking about as well.

--I am glad to see Alexis involved in the Rebecca storyline. I like it when Alexis has a bit of oomph to herI also enjoyed the scenes with her and Robin down on the docks.
--Always always enjoy scenes with Luke and Sonny. Two powerhouse actors, you just can't go wrong.
--Why did Claudia tell Sonny she hopes he finds Jerry because Jerry will prove that she's being truthful? He will? Really? Because that's not the way I understand the situation? Anyone else confused about that?!
--Speaking of Claudia: "My oh my what a wicked web we weave when first we practice to deceive!"
--Helena and Luke scenes: Kinda Eerie, kinda riveting!
--Great to see Hells back. Although I have to admit, I really would have liked to see her and Anthony Z in a scene or two together. Still, a scene with Claudia and Helena would do nicely as well.
--So, Luke wants Ethan to be his son...does that mean he's admitting to stepping out on Laura?
--Drama with babies, drama with pregnancy, drama with Mamas!! Can't we just have a happy baby and a happy family!
--Sometimes I'm amazed by Sonny's moral contradictions: Save the baby, love the baby...kill the baby's mama!
--Did you see the look on Jason's face when Sonny told him Claudia's pregnant? Priceless!!
--Wonder if Alexis will tell Sonny she saw Jerry in his own house!
--I was touched by Patrick's scene with Robin in therapy.
--Glad to see Sonny genuinely happy for Carly's pregnancy.
--Surely I was not the only one who laughed out loud when Sam was talking to Jason after he told her about Claudia's pregnacy. My favorite line was "he can't be around anyone for 5 minutes before he impregnates them!" Thought I was going to pee my pants!!
--Little confused why Alexis chose to go with Jerry in the ambulance. Does she really hate Jason more than Jerry?
--Good analogy that Alexis made about Carly and Jason compared to her and Jax.

Scoops and News:

--Nikolas/Liz share a kiss. Guess who sees it?
--Look for Milo and Max to provide some comic relief to some very stressful situations.
--Maxie schemes and fails again
--Sonny and Jax once again square off over Carly
--Jason keeps a secret from Sonny
--Dante will arrive in town sometime mid July. No word on casting yet though.
--SORASED Kristina will arrive mid June and Morgan's being SORASed to 12.
--Emma Samms returns as Holly, with long hair no less!
--Robin attends group therapy with other PSD moms. (played by real PSD moms)
--Rumor: Michael will connect the most with Kristina
--Could Michael's recovery be a Jason Morgan in reverse? Look for the Q's to have major influence on his recovery. Michael's reaction to them may surprise many.
--Billy Dee Williams will reprise his NS role of Touissant, sure to set Epiphany's heart a flutter once more.
--Winnie will return as well.
--Jax will find out about the dangers associated with Carly's pregnancy.

WSC 78. Quick and Easy

Good Afternoon!

TGIF!! I didn't get a chance to post this morning; and actually thought about taking the day off. Then I saw the WSC for this week and decided it looked easy enough that I thought I could knock out a card and get it posted before it was time to go get Reagan. It came together fairly quickly. I decided to build the card around the scrap of paper I had left over from doing the Ink Spray Smash technique (minus the spray!!) I also used a piece of Rose Red paper that I already had cuttlebugged (is that a word?!) in my scrap folder. I used watercolor crayons for the flowers and spritzed them with a bit of water before stamping them onto the vanilla cardstock.
So, quick and easy. I'm off to see what everyone else has been doing, so have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday. (Maybe tomorrow for the OCC challenge)
Oh, and for all my fellow GH fans I will be posting my weekly (after a 2 week break) GH chatter column this afternoon. If you are a fan of General Hospital be sure to check back later!

Supplies:
Paper: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Saffron
Stamps: Goody Gumdrops
Accessories: Scallop punch, Ribbon, watercolor crayons, aquapainter

White WTC

Good morning!

I was very intrigued by today's SCS "Ways to Use It" challenge this morning to use only white card stock. I always admire all white cards when I see them because I think they just look so elegant, clean and crisp. I thought it would be good to do for today since my post yesterday had such bright colors. I also decided to keep the layers to a minimum as well. I wanted to add a bit of color, obviously, so I chose Rose Red and Brilliant Blue as my coordinating colors. The great thing about this card is that it was all made from one piece of paper and it only took about 30 minutes to complete. I started with a simple base and then ran my next layer through the cuttlebug with the swiss dots folder. I added some blue ribbon and then used the "rock and roll" technique with Bashful Blue and Brilliant Blue ink for the main image. I sanded the edges a bit to rough them up and then edged it with the Brilliant Blue ink. The butterfly was inked with Rose Red and then filled in with my watercolor crayons and aquapainter.
Anyways, I hope you like it and I hope you have chance to see some other white creations as well. Have a great day!

Supplies:
Paper: White!
Stamps: Upsy Daisy, Bitty Basics
Ink: Brilliant Blue, Bashful Blue, Rose Red,
Accessories: Ribbon, Watercolor crayons,

Bold Bright Cheers to You

***Edit***
I'm editing this post very quickly just to let everyone know of some fantastic blog candy I found out about here on this blog. Seriously, everything from rubons to Copics to Nesties. This is the candy to win!

Good Morning Everyone!

So this morning has been very quiet. All of my little offspring are in school and playgroup, so I got a chance to do some uninterrupted stamping this morning. Of course, I still have a ton of housework to do; but who needs peace and quiet to do that, right?
Over the past few days, I have been doing some organizing as it relates to some of my paper and other materials. I realized two things. One, I have a ton of scrap patterned paper and other paper that really needs to be used. Why on earth I keep thinking I need to buy more paper is a mystery. Second, I have not made a card or anything else using bold bright paper in a long long time. I decided to keep those two realizations in my mind when I set about to do my card for today's SCS sketch challenge. First, I love this sketch and think I will most definitely be copying it into my sketch book. It was super easy to work with and the card came together quite easily. The patterned paper at the bottom of the card is from an old retired SU pack. I don't remember the name of it; but I'm sure to some it will look familiar. I did manage to made the entire card from scraps except for the orange background piece that I layered over the red. I paper pierced around the red in the middle, although it's a bit hard to see in the paper. The ribbon down the center is from a package that I picked up at Big Lots a while back; but just haven't used yet.
Well, that's all for me today. I plan to do some blurfing in a little while, so maybe I'll "see" some of you soon. If not, have a great day and thanks for visiting with me!

Supplies:
Paper: Real Red, Only Orange, Pink Passion, Vanilla, SU ret. Pattern
Stamps: Cheers to You and coordinating wheel.
Accessories: Ribbon, Paper Piercing tools and Mat, Prima Flower, eyelet

One card...lots of challenges

Hi Everyone!

I decided to do the SCS color challenge this morning and also to try a new technique as well. While I was at it I thought I might as well go ahead and do a Ways to use it challenge as well. All that in one card! The colors for this week are Basic Grey, Pink Pirouette, and Rose Red. The technique I decided to try is the "Ink, Spray, Smash" technique. Although, as I'm typing this, I realize that I left the Spray part out of the process! Oh, well...gives me an excuse to go back and try it again another day! I used Saffron, Celery and Regal Rose Inkers. For the WTC, the challenge was to use a frame of some sort. I forgot that I had this retired frame set from SU; but thought it worked well for the hearts.
So, what do you think? That's all for me today. Have a great day!

Busy weekend, Busy Monday

Good Afternoon!

I hope you are all doing well. All is well here. It was a busy weekend, so I was unable to get Friday's WSC sketch challenge done until this morning and I also just finished today's Mojo Monday card as well.
My WSC card was super simple. I found this paper and thought it would be perfect for the "baby girl" card that I needed to make. I was in a hurry when I made this, so I tried to keep the stamping fairly simple.
I decided to use my new "Designer Garden" stamps from Clear Dollar Stamps for my Mojo Monday card.
This was the other set I got from winning the OCC challenge a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't sure about the "tilting" of the main image. To me, I always think something's wrong with it! Yes, I'm a very straight and symmetrical person!
Ok, so that's all for me today. I gotta run and get R from school soon and there are still lunch dishes in the sink.
Have a great day everyone and thanks for visiting with me!

Details to come....(now they're here with another card too!)

Hi All!

Ok, so I didn't get a chance to get back yesterday; but I've already been busy stamping this morning. First let me post the details about yesterday's card and then we'll get to today's. This card combines Wednesday's SCS sketch challenge as well as the Sponged Sky tutorial also from SCS. This was a fairly easy technique to do. I'm not sure if mine turned out as well as some other examples I've seen; but I think it's not too bad. I also used the rock n' roll technique with the butterfly from Garden Whimsy. If you saw the card yesterday, you'll notice that the one here today is a bit different. That is because I actually went back and added the paper piercing around the top edge. I think it added just a bit of oomph to finish it off.
Now, onto my card for today. I stop by and visit the Zindorff brayer blog quite often. I'm usually too scared to even attempt to try to do one. This morning, however, I decided to jump in there and just give it a shot. Now, mine is not nearly as wonderful as hers; but for a complete brayering amateur I think I did ok. I had to tweak some things because I didn't have the exact same materials. If you get a chance, check out her blog and try one of her tutorials. I am off now to get ready to run some errands. I will try to come back tomorrow for the WSC and the OCC challenges.
Have a great day!

Supplies (Butterfly card)
Paper: Baja Breeze, Tea Garden DSP, Celery, scrap of pale blue(not SU)
Stamps: Garden Whimsy
Ink: Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery.
Accessories: Paper Piercer, craft mat, Old Olive Ribbon, Celery Ribbon, Prima flower, pale blue eyelet.

Supplies: (Baby card)
Paper: Pink Piroutte, White, Black
Ink: Certainly Celery, Baroque Burgundy, Black
Stamps: Priceless, Beautiful Baby (single stamp), Echoes of Kindness, Simply Said
Accessories: Brayer, embossing materials, old olive marker.

New Stamps, Old Challenges.

Good Morning!

A couple of weeks ago, I did the OCC challenge and won the random prize drawing. That was so exciting, since I'm not the person who wins things out of the blue a lot. I got a $25 gift certificate for Clear Dollar Stamps. I chose two sets: Designer Garden and Ageless Antiques. They arrived in the mail yesterday and I couldn't wait to try them this morning. I chose the oven from the "Ageless Antiques" set. I knew that I wanted to keep the oven either black or grey for that vintage look, so I chose the colors based on a black and grey scheme. I decided to go with Kiwi Kiss and Cool Caribbean. I thought they looked pretty good together. What do you all think?
I also found my edge distresser tool (which I completely forgot I had) and used it on the black/kiwi piece and the grey/white piece to give it an antique look as well. I embossed the oven with black powder and then watercolored parts of it with a grey pencil and an aquapainters. Finally, I added the ribbon at the top and the eyelets for the finishing touch. Oh, and I used the SCS sketch from last week.
That's all for me today. Have a great day and thanks for visiting with me!

Mojo Monday.

I'm back again with this week's Mojo Monday sketch. I also managed to finish a scrapbook layout and a couple of loads of laundry this morning. So all in all it has been a productive day, especially considering that I really don't feel well at all! Since I didn't do the color challenge last week for SCS I decided to use it today. It was easier than trying to figure out a combination myself. The colors are Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip and Riding Hood Red. The card is all fairly straightforward, and as I said, I'm not feeling all that well, so I'm off to curl up on the couch for the rest of the afternoon.
Have a great afternoon and thanks for stopping by again!

I'm back!

Good Morning Everyone!

Well, I'm back to the world of blogging. Did you miss me?! It was a good week, I got a lot of scrapbooking done. I didn't finish what I needed to; but then again in the world of scrapbooking who ever does? I ordered some more pictures and some paper that I need. Still, it was productive and I will be continuing to work on things this week as well.
I am ready to do some stamping now though. I got a chance to do the OCC challenge on Saturday, so I'm going to start the week off with that. I also plan to do Mojo Monday today as well.
When I saw the challenge, I immediately decided I wanted to use the tall tree from "Lovely as a Tree" It did however, present a bit of a problem when it came to the small strip across the center because I didn't want cover the middle of the tree. I thought about putting the sentiment there; but then couldn't think of a way to decorated the circles. Finally I decided to just go with a ribbon bow and put the sentiment at the bottom. I used my cuttlebug with the stylized flowers embossing folder to dress up the Turquoise background since I only used two stamps.
Ok, so that's all for right now. I'll be back later with my card for Mojo Monday.

Supplies:
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Critter Party (sentiment--Penny Black)
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Turquoise, Taken with Teal, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Vanilla
Ink: Old Olive, Cocoa,
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon, scallop punch.

Taking a scrapbooking break

Good Morning Everyone!

Just a quick note to let all of you know that I will not be blogging this week. I have 2 scrapbooks that need to be completed by the middle of next month and I would also like to work on my own personal book so that I am caught up with it before we move in June. So, no cards for me this week, I'm afraid. Have a great week and I will be back next Monday with my card for Mojo Monday.

Stand up Weekend Sketch Challenge

Hi Everyone!

Yes, it's a strange title for a post. However, when I tell you that this card was made while I was standing in the dining room at my kitchen table. I didn't even sit down! This is my card for the Weekend Sketch Challenge this week. Obviously it is a very simple card; but I really didn't have a lot of time to work on it. I knew that if I sat down, I would get too involved and I would start doing and re doing things. I waited to work on it because I was busy cleaning the house for tomorrow and various others things. Anyhow, simple as it may be. I hope you like it. I will be busy for the rest of the weekend, so I will not be posting again until Monday. So, until then have a great day and thanks for stopping by. I am posting GH chatter Friday a bit later, so be sure to check back again!

Friday GH chatter:

Hi Everyone!

Well, another week has come and gone in Port Charles. That means it's time to take a look at the good, the bad and the what?? moments.

--I was amazed when Carly called Jason to tell him about Michael's hand moving and said she didn't want to interrupt Sonny or leave him a message. Now, I don't know about you; but that would have definitely been a time I would have found somebody to pull him out of a meeting to talk to me. What??
--I got a tickle out of Jason telling Sam all the things Spinelli shouldn't be allowed to do in the PI agency.
--I thought the scene with Robin and Sonny down on the docks was hands down the best scene of the week. I really liked the part where Sonny told her that her that she and she alone was responsible for filling Emma's need for a mother.
--I think Ethan is a very interesting character and I am anxious to learn more about him. The hair, however, is a different story. I want to run for the scissors every time I see him!
--Don't envy Carly's position at all with Michael.
--Did you see the look between Jason and Liz? I dare say the magic is still there!
--I still get chills when I see Carly and Claudia in a scene together. GH fans who have been around a while will understand why!
--Have you noticed how they are mentioning Kristina more and more lately? I can't wait to see who they cast for her.
--
There's a ton of stuff circulating the net and the magazines this week.

--Ric appears to be becoming the official "don't mess with me" man in PC. Look for Ric to seek vengeance against Claudia.
--Maybe baby for Claudia? Question is real or fake and who's the daddy?
--Maybe baby for Carly?
--Ethan's flirtations with Maxie continue to annoy Lulu
--Rumor: Jason becomes involved in the new PI firm
--Rebecca becomes conflicted the more she gets to know Nikolas
--Liz and Jason prove to be nemesing factors for Patrick and Robin
--Cast News: Steve Burton expected to resign contract with GH.
Megan Ward (Kate) and Ric Hearst (Rick) put on recurring status
Congrats to Tyler Christopher and his wife, who are expecting their first child in October.
--Remember Nikolas also knows Claudia's secret.
--New Kristina has NOT been cast yet. Despite any rumors you may be hearing right now!
--Epiphany is not leaving the show.

Have a great weekend!

Techniques class cards

Good Morning!

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. I just decided to take a blogging break, plain and simple! I did manage to get a lot done as it relates to crafting, however. I completed two layouts for a book I'm working on as well as these two cards, which I will be doing for my techniques class on Saturday. The class will focus on how to do different backgrounds using two different techniques. The first one is a textured background, which I used in the "friend to friend" sample. This is an easy technique that is done by first sponging different colors onto white card stock. In my example, I used pink pirouette, regal rose, sage shadow. Then spritz water on the paper, and crumple it up before smoothing it out again. While the paper is wet, take an ink pad (here Rose Red) and cover the paper. Be sure to let it dry before attaching it to your project. I would recommend using brads or eyelets to help attach it more securely.
The second card I did uses the Shaving Cream technique. This card is self explanatory, and time is once again getting away from me, so that's all for me today. Be sure to scroll down for this week's recipe, though. Have a great day and thanks for visiting with me!

Recipe Thursday: Tex-Mex Cavatappi

Good Morning!

As promised, here is this week's recipe. Tex-Mex Cavatappi is from my Food and Wine "Pasta from Scratch" cookbook This is a super easy dish that comes together quickly. The salsa in the sauce really adds a unique and wonderful flavor. Be sure to get a salsa that you like to eat by itself (with chips). After all, if you don't like to eat with chips etc, you probably won't like it in this sauce.
Also, you can substitute any short pasta for the cavatappi, if you prefer.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1lb ground beef
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups chunky tomato salsa
3/4lb cavatappi
2 tsp lime juice or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
6 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated.

Directions:

--Heat the oil in a pan over moderately high heat. Brown the beef about 3-5 minutes
--Add the chili powder, salt/pepper
--Add the salsa and simmer over low heat about 10 minutes
--Cook the pasta according to directions and drain
--Toss the pasta with sauce, lime juice, cilantro (or parsley) and one cup of cheese.
--Stir until cheese has melted
--Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.