Tuesday, July 24, 2007

A little Love.... A little HOLIDAY!


Thought this little stamp set was appropriate as we load up the truck & head out to visit my family (and meet my new nephew!!) today. A ferry ride & a really great drive up to the Okanagan. We are all SO needing a break (although it's hard to step away from the house with so much going on right now)... still at times we need to FORCE ourselves to take a break, breath in that fresh air & play. So we are off for a week to do just that -- PLAY. :)

Monday, July 23, 2007

Crazy Monday.

Today is going to be crazy. Hubby is already at the house working & I'm putting supper in the crock pot (what a lifesaver that little machine can be!!), letting the kids sleep in (oh to be a kid again!!), and getting lunch & snacks put together while we're working out there. I've got some major painting I have to get done before the cabinet maker comes in tomorrow morning. Not to mention a little thing called PACKING for 5 people for our trip... TOMORROW!!

I saw these great storage stamping units online that I thought I'd share today before heading out the door :) Have a great week everyone.
.j.


SWEEEEEEEET!!! I'd love a cabinet like this one. Of course everything wouldn't fit in there (SHHHHH!) but what a great little set up for your basic supplies so you can be set up in the living room or family space but close it all up pretty! :)

It's by a company called For Keeps Sake.
They have lots of cool (and pricey!) storage goodies :)

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Watermisting 2


This card was CASED with a few simplified changes ;-) I really like the soft look of watermisting -- be sure to try it at least once -- not sure why I didn't before now. I stamped the background with French Script (one of my favorite background stamps!!) I thought this would make good Sympathy Card. "Good" might not be the right word, but you know what I mean.

We leave on Tuesday for holiday time -- YEAH!!! So I won't have pics but I may try to post now & then... we'll see.

So have fun, enjoy your summer... and I'll see you in a week :)
-j.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Watermisting


White isn't a *color* that I play with very often. I find its starkness hard to work with, but in this instance I wanted a simple card & I think it works. I also have a number of these notecards with scalloped envelopes in my drawer!! :) I FINALLY tried out on of the easiest techniques - water-misting. I LOVE IT! It gives you an amazing watercolor look (without ANY of the work! - sweet!). I took the flower from Petal Prints - I know it retired, but it will still be well-loved by me - fabo set! -- anyhoo.. grabbed some markers (rose red, more mustard... maybe a little chocolate chip) and colored on the stamp. Grabbed my mister of water and gave it a spray (not too close) - then stamped on watercolor paper (that of course is KEY - it would just run off of whisper white). I then took the outline stamp and did the same :) It will work well with the little package of stamped cards I made.

One more sleep 'til hubby comes home! I'm so excited -- 14 days is a LONG time :(
have a great weekend!
.j.

I've been awarded :)

Charly has nominated me -- what a wonderful surprise this morning as I pulled on my paint clothes & thought to myself... I don't wanna paint (perfectly mimicking a 3 yr old! LOL)!! :)



OK, now I get to nominate 5 :).... I can't say I know these ladies personally, or even internetlly (OK, new word!! LOL), but I do love to peek in on what they've made!

Thinking Inking
'Eh'mazing Stampers (Kerry!!)
Inking Around (great gal I met on the cruise!)
321 Stamp!
Captain Crafter

Have fun checking out their sites!!
I'll go grab a coffee & post a card for today :)
.j.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Pork Roast with Garlic & Rosmary

Raining again today... is summer over already? *sigh* The positive is we can bake & cook and not worry about heating up the whole house. :) So blueberry banana bread is in the oven & it's starting to smell marvelous in here... (I should maybe post that amazing recipe too -- let me know if you'd like it in the comments section). I have a fabulous recipe from one of my all time favorite books How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

It's so yummy & I love to cook it up in the morning & then have it cold to use throughout the week. Great in quesadillas, sandwiches & wraps.... yum, yum, yum!

The Stuff:
salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
2 Tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves (or 1 tsp. dried rosemary)
1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional, but good!)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 (3-4 lb.) pork loin - bone in OR 1 (2-3 lb) boneless roast
1-1/2 cups dry white wine or stock
1 Tablespoon butter (optional)

The How-To:
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Mix a liberal amount of salt & pepper together with the rosemary, cayenne, sugar & garlic & rub it all over the roast. (Mmmmm!!) Place the meat in a roasting pan (use a rack if it's boneless) and put in the oven. Roast, undisturbed, for 15 min.
2. Open the oven & pour about 1/2cup of wine or stock over the roast; lower the heat to 325F. Continue to roast, adding about 1/4cup of liquid every 15 min. or so. If the liquid accumulates on the bottom of the pan, use it to baste; if not, add more.
3. Start checking the roast after 1-1/4hrs of total cooking time (it'll probably take 1-1/2hrs). When it'd one - an instant-read thermometer will register 145-150F - remove to warm platter.

ENJOY!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

A rainy day.


We had a rainy day here on the Island. Kids were going a bit squirrely being pent up in the house. We ended up going to the library for awhile & picking up books, doing some reading & watching a movie together. My son REALLY wanted to go to cyber-city (toned down arcade type of place for younger kids), so we went & played games there for a little while :) They have so much fun -- we had a good day. :)

This is a card I cased from KRISTIE REYNOLDS. I don't know her but I'm a blog surfer! ;-) Mine is a bit different, but the idea was hers :) I don't know who she is, but liked her bella card! I made these on Monday's stamping day. Got a few of them done. Used my aquapainter & wondercrayons to color in the image. Still practicing with my prismacolor pencils... thinking I need the much talked about GAMSOL (sp?) to work with them and a much better black ink as I hate "dragging" or *smearing* the black into my vibrant colors. I've heard of NOIR BLACK PALETTE HYBRID INK so I'm thinking I'll have to get some to try out. There's *always* something to add to my wish list :)

Off to clean the kitchen & slip into my stamp room before PJ time :)
.j.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Mommy & Me Day.


This photo was taken with bad lighting..... but it does use the new scallop punch and a fun new little SU set I got "It's All Good". I got some great stamping done yesterday.... I'll have to take some photos and post them over the next day or two. Didn't get too many DIFFERENT kinds done, but got a number of the same design done - I love to get a card done & then make a 1/2 dozen or so to have on hand. Makes it easier to whip out cards too :) I had a bunch of cards I was making not put together so it felt great to *finally* get them all assembled.
Well, my younger two are off for a play-day today so my older daughter & I are going to have a Mommy & Me day. She LOVES books so we're off to Chapters, a little lunch & then we'll hit the mall -- what a fun day it will be! :)
enjoy your Tuesday!!
-.j.

Monday, July 16, 2007

It's a Stampin' Day!

OK, I'll let you in on a secret (it's TECHNICALLY STILL Sunday... but not for TOO much longer!) hehehe. I thought I'd write my Monday entry tonight as Monday is a stamping day! :) My stampin' friend is coming to down -- woohoo.... SO need a day to play -- I've been stamping the last couple of nights (ok... coloring images in front of lame TV) quite late, so it'll be nice to sip hot Java & make some cards. It was short notice, so I didn't get any photos printed off to scrapbook, so I think I'll try to get some kids' birthday cards made... always scrambling for those! This is a card similar to "yesterdays" ;-)....but more feminine. Same layout, doodling, cuttlebug..... a quicker version though as there were no frogs or creatures leaping off the paper! LOL.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

A Simpe Life?

I'm avoiding packing. I couldn't even count how many times I moved as a kid and the *trend* seems to be stickin' with me.... only now I have 3 kids to pack for as well. How do we accumulate so much "stuff"???? It was interesting as my hubby & I chatted about Simplifying Our Life.... and what exactly that meant. Does it mean to go away from the world's pull of doing 101 different things, always hurrying, scrambling to accomplish the next item on our lists? The thought of taking a deep breath, smelling the roses, taking my kids for a walk to nowhere in particular except for the adventure of the walk, being able to sway in a hammock & flip through the pages of a magazine & not worry that the world will pass me by -- sounds good. It's amazing how the stresses of life can gobble me up & weigh me down. Especially with building this house -- there's always a decision to make, someone to phone, someone to hire, something to DO! I love the summer time. I love the kids home. I love the lack of schedule & routines. I love the idea of simplifying my *stuff* too!! As I pack and toss -- ahhhh -- feels good. I hate clutter. However... this card SCREAMS clutter -- and I think it works! LOL. I don't usually fuss with cards like this with all the little cutting out & watercoloring, but sometimes it's fun to just take my time with a card & play... simply to do just that - play.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Treasured Java

Found some stamping time last night -- ahhhh... felt good to get in there & mess it up again :) I need to start thinking about packing as our plan is to move into the UNfinished house at the end of next month. I really need to go through my stamping stuff & pack up things I don't really need often. What a job that will be. So I have a few cards to share with you, but I will spread them out so I have something to share each day -- ;-)

I got some new goodies yesterday. A little preorder from SU *YEAH!!* and some stamps from My Favorite Things that I have been PINING for!!! :) This is from their Hot Stuff Set. I made this card for a friend of mine who lives too far away & I miss our cherished coffee times together. I saw this set & immediately thought of her. I love these MFT stamp sets... I got a few and hope to play again tonight with them :))))) I used my PrismaColor Pencils and the Blender pencil that goes with them. I've tried the medium everyone talks about using... mine was just a paint thinner of sorts from Michael's, but I just don't seem to have the knack for it. The blender pencil seems to work awesome for me... and no mess which is a bonus. I used another set I got awhile back with the swirls and then the canvas SU background stamp. Old Olive & Chocolate Chip cardstock were "scraped" with Very Vanilla craft pad. It was one of those cards that I just kept playing and adding ink to.... what do you think?
enjoy your saturday....
.j.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

I've been Tagged...

After scrubbing primer off my body AGAIN, (shorts are a MUST with this HEAT WAVE, but I do see now why they created PAINTER OUTFITS! LOL)... I came home to see I had been *tagged* by a fabo gal I met on the cruise, Kerry. She was such a sweetie & I was able to strike up a conversation with her so easily. You know those kind of people.... after 5 minutes you feel like you've known them for a long time! ;-) Anyway, she's a sweetie and you'll want to check out her blog!

This game of tag requires me to tell you 7 things about me -- SO... here you go! :)

1. I'm 33 years old, but had to show my ID when I was at the liquor store. (That could have been because I'm NEVER in a liquor store, but was picking up some beer for hubby's workers). They say I'll be happy I look young for my age ;-)

2. I love chocolate & mint combos! mmmmmmmmmm....

3. I have three kids & my oldest (10 yrs) is only 2" shorter than me!!

4. You can bribe me with a Starbucks! ;-)

5. I hate painting (LOL)

6. I love going to church. Getting everyone ready & out the door .... that entirely different! :)

7. I love staying up late. :)

Thanks Kerry!

Off to take the kids on a "junk run" !! :)

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Links

Here's Elsie's Blog.....

A Beautiful Mess

On her blog she has links to her Two Peas in A Bucket space.... I *think* that's where I found the sketches sheet :)

Happy Scrappin'
-.j.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

MIA


I am still here (technically!) LOL. Been a crazy week with the house... trying to find a painter has been CRAZY. I'm even painting (and I'm NOT a painter... although disproving that theory this week!). As we near the finish line (did I honestly say FINISH!!) everything is needing to be picked out & decided and so stamping has been *waiting* for me! One of these nights I'll have to treat myself to ink & paper. :) I'll be busy this week painting the top floor, but I'll try to peek in here now & then.
I found this sketch online by Elsie Flannigan. I love her stuff... so OUT THERE and carefree. What a dream to have a STUDIO and get paid to play! :) I love how playful all her work is. Some of it is a bit TOO MUCH, but I love how everyone's personalities shine through their pages.... isn't that what it's all about! So hopefully some of these sketches will inspire you (thank you ELSIE!!) while I prime & paint my walls. Guess I'll have to take a few more photos of the house to share too :)
have a great weekend!
.j.