A taste of Christmas

OK - so I do realize it's actually halloween, not Christmas, but... I finally got around to posting one I stamped a little while ago. I love this new set by Stampin' Up - Holiday Lineup - so cute! Great coloring image as well, as you can just color in the hats & scarfs... fun. It's a very simple card, but I think mass producing it with all the coloring would be a bit much.
So - what are all your munchkinz going out as tonight?! Kids get out early on Fridays (12:40) so once they get home we're carving up our pumpkins & then will work on costumes & head out. They are SO excited. Daddy will take them for a bit while I hand out treats at our door & then we'll switch. :) I'm happy to say I'm feeling all better from that nasty flu - how awful that was!

Have a fun and safe time with you kids!!
.j.

Teacher Gift Ideas

Ok... I have been looking all over to compile a list of teacher gift ideas. Christmas is coming and so wouldn't it be nice to be ready AHEAD of time?! So.... get ready... here's the list. OH, and if you're a teacher, leave a comment & vote on what your fav is!! :)

1. A note from the heart. Have your child write a note of thanks to their teacher. Let them use their own words. perhaps even a poem.


2. A class gift. Get all the kids involved and make a mini scrapbook - designate a page for each student that he/she can decorate & scrapbook a picture of either themself or a favorite memory from that year. A simple frame that can hold a photo of each child.


3. Classroom supplies. We know teachers put out a lot of their own pocket money here. Create a unique package to hold colorful paperclips, cool pencils, post-it notes, jiffy markers, stickers...


4. Something personal. Find out if your teacher has a special collection that you could add to, a favorite hobby or craft that you could find a gift in.


5. Pamper. Collect money from all the kids in the class and purchase a day at a spa or a manicure/pedicure. Parents will be glad they are not out hunting for a gift and the teacher might be thrilled not to have 25 bottles of bubble bath!


6. Repackage. Find a cute jar and fill it with Starbuck Coffee beans, popcorn kernels or jellybeans! Decorate it with a cute tag of thanks.


7. Movie Night. Get some jiffypop, licorice, chocolate & a couple passes at the movie theater or free rentals at a local video store.


8. YOUR IDEA???? :)))

enjoy your day,

.j.

Simply Masucline

I seem to have caught my little ones' tummy flu. Not fun at all. It has sure wiped me out! Sleeping with her on the bathroom floor while she was sick seemed like such a good idea.... but now I'm in there! Oh the things we do as mothers! So hopefully I'll be on the mend soon to get some stamping done - who has started their Christmas cards??

Another lighthouse card for the male birthday card stash. Lighthouses are easy that way -- I had a piece of this design paper on the table that I thought would be good for a male-card. Kind of funky, cool. :) I colored the image with my Copic Markers.
One thing about using the cuttlebug is that if you want to stamp a greeting or image, you need to do that *before* you run it through. I forgot here, so I used a piece of vellum cardstock to stamp the greeting in Stazon (Jet Black) and attached it behind the matted design paper. Simple card, the only thing that took time was the coloring (which I love anyway!) :)
We have no school here today -- so enjoying a day with the kids & no school morning/afternoon rush is always a treat! Feelin' a touch better than yesterday -- that's such a good thing!! :)
.j.

From one chick to another.

I sent this card out a few weeks ago to a friend. Penny Black has such adorable stamps -- I've got my eye on a few more -- need to write Santa a letter! I use the small slit punch to create the scallop edge. You simply cut a piece of cardstock just wide enough -- maybe 1.5" -- and starting at one edge, punch the slit.... move the punch over so that you catch the edge of the previous slit... and carry on down the strip of cardstock - make sense? Colors are Apricot Appeal, Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink & Gable Green. Love those soft subtles.
How's the prep for Halloween going? Do you have your goodies? Costumes all organized? Need to do all of the above still. Halloween isn't a big deal here -- kids obviously love the candy, but I personally hate the "holiday". My little one gets so scared with all those skulls & scary things... seems an odd thing to celebrate & hang on your door. However... I love the pumpkins, hay & all things fall -- and those little ones wobbling up to the door to say "trick-or-treat"... TOO CUTE!
.j.

Hello Monday....

Finally got to the draw -- my little girl (who is fighting a yucky tummy flu bug) drew RHONDA aka QUILT NUT! :)))) So... send me your address (you can email it to me at jdgray94@shaw.ca) and I will get that little mulberry pack in the mail to you -- thanks everyone!

I have a bunch of photos to upload of cards I stamped a couple weeks ago, so hopefully I'll get those loaded up to share with you this week. Here's one of them:
I'm desperately trying to use up scraps! I have five bins (mini rubbermaids) labeled - Bold Brights, Rich Regals, Earth Elements, Soft Subtles & Neutrals. So before I cut into a fresh piece of cardstock, I *always* check in my bin first to see if I have a piece to use in there. Sometimes though I LIMIT myself to ONLY using bin pieces so I actually USE those pieces up. You know if you cannot put the lid on -- you need to use up!! So I started wth Elegant Eggplant as a base & ran that through Swiss Dots (name?) cuttlebug folder. I had a colored up image of giftiebella to work with, so I was able to draw colors from that to use up some pieces. The Happy Birthday greeting is actually a rub-on, not a stamp (wish it was a stamp, love that rub on!) I used a flower eyelet with two small circle eyelets to add a little balance to the card.
One more birthday card in the Card Keeper Case! Perfect! We sat today and wrote out so many cards for the mailbox tomorrow! Wow. School Photos arrived so we got busy writing notes & getting them all ready to mail out. It's a new week -- do you have a "just because" card or note ready to send out & make someone smile this week?! Mine goes out tomorrow, along with birthday cards & a couple of notes. You have a full week ahead of you - :)
Happy Monday,
.j.

A great time away

We had such a great family time in Edmonton -- even managed to get to a stamp store & pick up a few new things....

We spent a day at the Waterpark - wow did the kids ever love this!! Too fun.

If we were at the hotel they were IN that pool! Got a water filled week! I managed to get a great start on my Christmas shopping too! So... tomorrow I will draw a name tomorrow for the mulberry.... :)

.j.

Starbuck's Date Scones

OK - another starbuck recipe find! :) We love scones here, and these date ones are high on our list of favorites! Made 'em this week actually... and the orange ones too! :) YUM.

Starbuck's Date Scones

1-1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup bran

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled

1 egg

2/3 cup buttermilk (or reg. milk with 1 tsp. vinegar!!)

2/3 cup chopped dates

The process:

Combine the flour and whole wheat flour, bra, baking powder, soda,salt, cinnamon & brown sugar. Cut in the butter. Add the egg, buttermilk & dates; do not overmix. Shape the dough into rectangle about 1" hick on a floured surface. Cut into 12 triangles. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Enjoy - .j.

STARBUCKS Orange Oatmeal Flat Scones

These are DEEELISH!!! (Yes, I'm in Edmonton, just thought I'd give those who are checking in anyway a recipe :)) Might even post one on schedule for tomorrow too!!! :)

Starbuck's Orange Oatmeal Flat Scones

2-1/2 cups flour

2 cups of oatmeal

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 TBSP. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup very cold, unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

1 egg

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (two large oranges)

1/4 tsp. orange or tangerine oil or extract

1 cup of raisins, plumped & dried (I use craisins!)

Glaze:

Milk, sugar & orange zest

The Process:

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl place flour, oatmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and mix together.

Cut or rub in butter to make a mealy mixture. Stir in egg & orange juice. Add orange oil or extract. Mix to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for a few minutes. Roll or pat out into a thickness of 1/2 inch. Using a serrated cookie cutter, cut into disks or rounds (I just use a large cup!). Brush with milk & sprinkle with sugar & orange zest.

Bake until nicely browned - about 14 minutes.

I always double the recipe as they freeze beautifully!

enjoy an afternoon tea!

.j.

My Thanks!

I managed to cling to my demonstratorship with Stampin' Up! this quarter thanks to a couple of ladies who ordered from me last month! I had to put in a big 'ol order myself (always seems far too easy to do!!), but I couldn't of "made it!" without them. So, to thank them, I sent them out a little rubbabella card of thanks! So to Kim & Debbie.... THANK YOU LADIES!!!
Here's a close up of her dress. I simply stamped & colored it twice, and cut out the one dress & stuck it on with a stampin' dimensional (foam tape). If you see this paper piecing done, another awesome effect is to stamp bella on a DESIGN paper & cut out. It looks great whether you pop it up or simply adhere it flat. Fun! Give that little technique a try.

And the finished cards... not sure why I couldn't make them both the same (now you see why stamping all my Christmas cards the same is difficult for me! I can't even do two here {LOL}) I also was able to play with my new cuttlebug embossing folder I got with my Mom this summer.

Well we head out in the morning for a fabulous family getaway to Edmonton - lol! Although sun & heat would be nice, shopping & waterslides will suffice! Kids are thrilled to be staying in a hotel, I'm thrilled to find a stamping store I've heard tons about & of course not cooking is always a bonus!! So, I shall return on Saturday. :)

I will draw a name over the weekend for the mulberry paper pack. To get in on this tiny little prize, simply become a follower of my blog. So far I've got 8 - :) I'll post a winner on Monday. Remember too, if you want updates of when I post, become a subscriber & they'll go right to your inbox. I do that for the blogs I follow & it works great!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

.j.

For Rachel

My niece has a birthday this week... seems like it's been birthday central here the last while. Always a great excuse to make another card! I've slowly been going through some old stamps I have. I found this little girl stamp and I thought it would be perfect for Rachel's birthday card. I cut out the square with my nestibilities (using my Cuttlebug) and colored it in with my Copic markers. I told Santa I needed a few more of those markers!! :) The 'Happy Birthday' is a rubon from 'Deja view' (?). The cardstock & design paper is all from stampin' Up! as is the ribbons. I tied on the white grosgrain ribbon & then took snippets of other ribbons (great way to use up scraps, don't throw them away!) to add some texture.
Welcome new week. Hope you all enjoy your Monday.
.j.

Enjoying Sunday.

No early post for me today -- wow, the day got away from me. We had a great day. Went to church in the sunshine, came home for Daddy's special Mennonite pancakes for lunch & then for a family walk. We were gone most of the afternoon! Stopped at the store for some candy treats, met new friends along the way, played at two parks... a great afternoon! Hope for some dinner & a family game of Dutch Blitz! Ahhhh.... now the munchkinz are all tucked in, lunches for tomorrow are almost done & it's soon time to sit and watch The Amazing Race. I love good days! and this.... was one!!

A funny photo of the kids all digging in to the turkey leg last Sunday at our Thanksgiving feast! LOL, love how Megan is grabbing at Joshua's head and Sarah is just diving in from underneath! Hope you made some special moments today --

.j.

monkey mix

Are you ready to gain 10 lbs?! This stuff is SOOOOOO addicting - deeeelish! Perfect for a weekend treat!!



9 c. Chex cereal **

1 c. Choc chips
½ c. Peanut butter
¼ c. Butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ c. Powdered sugar

Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter over low heat until melted. Remove from heat & stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal & stir until evenly coated. Pour into ziplock bag and add powdered sugar and seal. Shake. Spread out on wax paper to cool.


**We do not have Chex cereal in Canada. I used (and HIGHLY recommend) Golden Grahams!!! Do you like clodhoppers?! HELLO!



Enjoy your weekend!!

.j.

Thoughts.

Friday has arrived. We've got a busy weekend ahead of us as my son starts hockey (for the first time) tomorrow. He is BEYOND excited. He even slept with the Canadian Tire Flyer dreaming about gear until he finally got out & got all suited up. So cute!

My younger brother is going through a rough time right now & that always weighs heavy on my heart. We're close. When he hurts, I hurt. *sigh*. I made this card with him in mind, so I think I'll send it off to him soon. I'm really trying to keep in touch now that we seem so far away from everyone. I took a close shot from above to show the top layer is popped out with dimensionals (also known as foam tape). It was one of those cards, that took forever to come together. Kept setting it aside. Admittedly I was trying to use up scraps on my table, but I think in the end I made it work....

This is still one of my favorite sets to date from Stampin' up! It was a hostess appreciation set (remember when they used to do that?!) The name has escaped me at the moment. I love how I can color the *solid* images with marker for a multi-colored image. I sort of kept adding until I was happy with it - a little ribbon, some brads, dimension, texture... it's all about playing with a card until you're happy with the end result. :)

Have a fantastic weekend!

.j.

Shabby birthday.

My sewing machine is pathetic. Pretty much anything sewn on it gets thrown into the SHABBY CHIC category! LOL. I took a day & colored up a bunch of images so then I could put some cards together. I used my nestibilites for the image (classic square & scallop square). I stamped directly on the ribbon with stazon.



Not much time to post today -- thanks to those that are following me, if you want updates when I update my blog, click on SUBSCRIBE me and they'll go right to your inbox :)....

.j.

Eat Cake.

Wednesday - middle of the week - how's it going so far? My little ones are fighting pre-winter cold bugs and are slowly on the mend (at least I hope they're on the mend). Lots of sniffles & coughs. Poor things. Being sick is the pitts!

I've been busy trying to bulk up my birthday card selection. I'm always stuck on boy/men birthday cards and I found this set I got quite awhile ago and forgot about. Do you do that?! I do. I kept with browns/blues to give this a man-feel. I colored with my Copic markers (I have some new colors arriving this week! yahoooo!!) and sponged the edges with Close To Cocoa ink. I used some designer paper, the cuttlebug, photo corner punch with paper piercing, and some brads. I was happy with how it turned out & it was relatively quick too!



enjoy your day!

.j.

Wanna be a follower?!

I've added the follower icon to my blog to see who's hangin' with me. I'm going to do a draw (package of mulberry papers) for everyone who leaves a comment & joins my followers group!

Thought it would be nice to see who's out there :)
Thanks ladies!
.j.

do you live with passion?

I finally got around to inking up some of my new sets from Stampin' Up! This set is called Inspired By Nature. Living with passion - that's a challenge isn't it! Sometimes I'm living to make it! LOL. Need to remind myself that it's the JOURNEY not the DESTINATION! Enjoy the days, the moments. Slow down. With the Christmas season fast approaching I will need to remind myself of this. Slow down. I'm determined (as I am every year!!) to be prepared so I can enjoy December and not be racing through, feeling behind & having little fun! You with me on that one? I'm going to start little reminders - so join with me if you'd like a calmer Christmas Season. :) I'm going to start this week and make my lists! Christmas Card list & Gift list. I'm a list girl! I know that has probably trained my mind to simply not remember, but I *need* the list! Love that feeling of drawing a line across a completed task! :) See... it's the little things! So -- go grab your paper & pen and start those lists.
I pulled out one of my favorite greens (mellow moss) for the base of this card. I'm trying to use up all my bits of design paper, so this is again Bali Breeze paper. I stamped the grass in mellow moss and for the flower I used markers - always artichoke and some blues (forgot to write those ones down!) I stamped on whisper white & matted on basic black. I used a little paper piercing below the sentiment to add a little texture, as well as used black brads for the top corner accent. I also popped the 'live with passion' with stampin' dimensionals.

I think that's about it :) Hope you live your day with passion.

.j.

i still do

We had a wonderful family day yesterday. Of course WAY TOO much food, but it was sooo good! We have a couple of those Shepherd's pie casserole's in the freezer and one for tonight so a huge day of cooking and looks like I'll have a few nights "off"! I'm not a big leftover fan, but a night off of cooking more than makes up for it!
This was David's anniversary card this past August - 14 years for us! I forgot to take a picture of it, so I quickly did a few days ago so I could post it. There's not too much *stamping* on this card (just the sentiment ' i still do'). I ran the base of the card through the cuddlebug machine with an embossing folder & then used the heart die to cut out all the hearts. The design paper was from Basic Grey (love their papers!!) and the ribbon is the yummy taffeta ribbon from Stampin' Up!
I joined the YMCA this past week and got in my first workout with hubby. It felt good (but MAN AM I WEAK!!). So I hope to get going regularly and whip my butt back into shape. My asthma totally bothers me in the cold... so... living here would be very difficult! Still need to keep active though - makes me feel good. And I now need to burn off this turkey and stuffing!
Enjoy your day off --
.j.

Sunday.

Over the course of the weekend I think Turkey feasts are eaten Sunday or Monday (or both!!). We have ours on Sunday. This year because David has to work tomorrow, but we typically do eat our turkey on Sunday so we can relax and have leftovers on Monday. I will be looking for leftover turkey recipes for the next while! :) A tip is after dinner... pull out a 9x13 pan and layer your leftovers and make your "shepherd's pie" right there. Cover, put in your fridge & you are good to go for dinner tomorrow! No extra work while you're cleaning up & putting food away.

Enjoy your weekend!

.j.

Thanksgiving Weekend is here.

My Saturday morning was a successful sleep-in! Ahhh. Love that. Something I look forward to all week and it's all dependent on children & today -- a success. It's going to be a good day! LOL. So is everyone getting prepared for your Thanksgiving feasts? We made the "menu" a few days ago & I'm looking forward to our holiday time together. It's just going to be us, our family of 5, and I think it'll be fantastic. Yes, we miss being with family (and MOM cooking the turkey!!) but we'll embark on a new adventure - my very *first* attempt at cooking a turkey! I've been reading books & I've got the bird defrosting as we speak in the refrigerator! We'll see how it goes! crossing my fingers!!
Well, I thought I'd leave you with our Thanksgiving Dessert for tomorrow....

COUNTRY SPICE PUDDING CAKE

One of those cakes with a built-in sauce. SO deeeeelish!

Pudding:

1 cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

TO MAKE PUDDING:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a large shallow casserole (9x13 pan works good). Combine flour, baking powder, sugar cinnamon, salt & raisins. Stir in milk & vanilla. Spoon into dish. It will be thick. This is what rises and gives you the "cake". Don't worry about making it smooth & even.

Sauce:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 cut butter

2 cups boiling water

1 tsp vanilla (or 1 TBSP. Rum)

TO MAKE SAUCE:

Combine all ingredients, except vanilla, and stir until butter is melted. Now stir in the vanilla. Pour sauce over pudding and bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm with ice cream.

Nice easy, no fuss, warm dessert. :)

Hello Friday.

Don'tcha just luuuve fridays! Means the weekend has arrived and rest is on its way. Ok... not really. Means some family time is here and I love that! I don't have to think about the laundry, or messy rooms.... we enjoy some R&R - love it.
Ok. I'm sure you thinking ENOUGH already with this stamp image Ipromise to lay off it for awhile! But I thought I'd attempt a more masculine version of the card. I'm happy with the results. It's base is Real Red. Yes, another snippet of the Karen Foster Designer paper. I pulled out my sewing machine & did some rough stitching along the edge... didn't want anything perfect looking so my old, skip-a-stitch machine was perfect for this job! LOL. Use it up FRIDAY!! HA. Do you hoard? Man, I do! I pulled out some star eyelets and USED THEM! There's a challenge for you this weekend if you're stamping... use something you're saving... USE IT! ... then of course tell me about it :) What do you save? I still have Stampin' Up! confetti tan cardstock. LOVE it... and yes, I do use it - sparingly. I was so sad when they retired that a few years ago.

Hope you have a great weekend ahead of you. I'm excited with some new cards to share with you next week! Finally been keeping up with my blog again. :) You might even see a Christmas card? That is if *I* get some stamping time this weekend.

Thanks for your comments & questions. Kinda lonely up here so it's nice to hear from you!

enjoy your day,

.j.

Delayed Thanks.

They say it's "better late than never" and so I CLUNG to that in sending out this card. This past summer (yes, I know... very late indeed!) my Mom's friend allowed us the use of their amazing back yard pool. It was a salt water pool and the surrounding deck was stunning. My son made himself a little lounge chair out of water noodles... laid back & said to me "Mom... this is the life!". Too cute. And ohhhh did it feel like that. They were amazing hosts, bringing out drinks & treats...the kids felt so spoiled! I knew once I got my stamping stuff out, one of the first cards I needed to make was a thank-you to them for creating for us a fabulous memory!!

I used the mini silhouette stamp for this card. Always Artichoke is the base with Bali Breeze design paper. To get the 2-toned color on the center image, I used my Stampin' Up! write markers and colored onto the stamp, huffed & then stamped. :)

So this got into the mail a couple of weeks ago. My top two mail out cards are thank-yous & birthday.... anyone you can think of that needs a card of thanks? :)

enjoy your day! ... anyone else watch Survivor?! hubby is tired of the show, but I'm still a fan. :)

.j.

pink and red chickens.

My sister-in-law's birthday today -- Happy Birthday Brenda!!! :) No, this isn't the card I sent here.... although I could (she's older than me {LOL}). I'm so loving these chickens -- PennyBlack has some great sets. I got these from www.addictedtorubberstamps.com but add shipping & then duty for living in Canada and it adds up! So tempted to do it again though -- perhaps a Christmas gift to myself! But, you can at least check out alllll the stamps there. I know not everyone is cutesy like me, but I do love to color & these little guys are so fun! I love Stampin' Up!'s craft keepers to organize all my cards. I have finished cards everywhere so this week I want to get them organized. I just ordered another one so that will help. I organize card & photos in there and it doesn't look half bad on my shelf unit (that now has to sit in the living room). I'm on the hunt now though for a smallish storage system for the kitchen. This seems to be my stamping area, and all the mess all over the floor is not working for this "clean freak!". So if you have a small little unit that you think I may like, send me a link so I can have a peek. It has to look good too.... functional & stylish... hmmm... is it possible?! We head to Edmonton for a trip with the kids so I might just be in luck!

enjoy your day!
.j.

Hoppy Birthday

Still trying to increase my supply on boy's birthday cards! Card Making Day last Saturday helped in getting some cards done -- woohoo! Love that there's an actual WORLD CARD MAKING DAY! Hubby said it should be a card making month -- wouldn't that be sweet! Trying to use every last tidbit of this School Stripes paper... love it. I also love to use rub-ons when I've run cardstock through the cuttlebug. I find that it works if I stamp BEFORE running it through, but if I forget then I usually grab the rubons. I'd love to find a stamp like this rub on -- circles just fit so well in my punches! :)
The center of the flowers are liquid applique - pewter. The frog has been cut out and popped up with some dimensionals and I hand drew some *spots* on his body :) Hope your week has started well & continues to be fantastic.
Say... anyone get a card mailed out to someone - I know Kim did!!! :) -- just because you were thinking of them? There's still time. I've got some more birthday cards to get in the mail - another busy birthday month this October is!
enjoy your day,
.j.

moving thanks!!

It took me awhile to get my stamping stuff unpacked (admittedly, there's still more to do!), but I knew one of the first cards I needed to make were thank-you cards for all the guys that helped us move - we were gone already, house packed up, and we had seven friends {with muscles} go over to our place & pack the moving truck for us. Amazing! I have to stop sometimes and just say a prayer of thanks for all the great friends in our life! Now I say a prayer to find some here! LOL. I used the jumbo wheel "neighbourhood" for this card. Love that wheel. Cuttlebug also came out with this new embossing folder & I think it's perfect for those masculine cards! I pulled out my copics & got to work. TIME CONSUMING. Wrong card to make seven times over!! I hand drew in 'siding, planks & bricks. It was fun. I did notice that I don't like coloring on Stampin' Up!'s whisper white with my copics. It doesn't really {sink} into the fibers of the paper. I kept thinking it was me and my poor coloring technique, but then my last card I stamped using the Canson paper (made specifically for Copics) and the difference was AMAZING. So, now I know. I have come to realize I have a few favorite "must-have" pieces to my space:

(1) Cuttlebug. Use it on nearly all my cards! Weather it's the embossing folders, die cuts or nestibilities. I love this little machine.

(2) Centering ruler. Get one. You'll be so glad you spent the $4!

(3) Layer Ease. These rulers allow you to use your exacto knife and have a mat precisely 1/16" or 1/8" or whatever you choose. Must have for me.

(4) Good Black Ink. My favs are Brilliance Graphite Black & Stazon Jet Black.

K... there's a few. What are some of yours? Don't forget to mail out your On My Mind Card challenge!! :)))))

Enjoy your day,

.j.

Making Memories.

Sunday is here again -- a day to enjoy the kids, enjoy the weather & be thankful for it all!

Come on... hang on, hang on!!
It's exactly what it looks like! a big tire that Daddy spins until someone falls off!!

Who are you thinking about?

Do you ever have someone on your mind? For some reason they just keep slipping into your thoughts? I know I do. Often I stop & pray for this person as I wonder if the Lord has placed them on my mind & heart for a reason. But, why not take it one step further... send them a note & let them know just that -- hey, you're on my mind! Wouldn't that be an awesome card to receive? Thinking that someone has been thinking of you throughout the week, misses you or simply has appreciated you! Sweet!
So a Saturday Challenge for you -- if right now while you're reading this you're reminded of someone like that -- send them a card this week. Let me know if you did this by leaving a comment. See how many of us brighten up someone's day next week, shall we? :)
I made this card using a sketch challenge over on SCC (splitcoaststampers.com). If I'm ever stumped & need inspiration, I always head over to their sketch file & pick out a few sketches to try out -- LOVE it! I pulled out the Bali Breeze design paper. Thank-you Danita who helped me figure out WHAT this paper was called! I layered it with tempting turquoise & River Rock. I used the paper piercing template out of the mat pak (great buy, you need one of these!!) to put the little punches around the river rock layer. I also used both my straight square & scallop square nestibilities for the layer on the stamped image. I used one of my new stamp sets from Stampin' Up! called Pocket Silhouettes. It's a great little set of four. Here again I used white as a base for the card.
Enjoy your weekend!
.j.

Simple Birthday

Simple. 5 minute cards... 10 minute cards. I must admit, I do like the cards that take forever & a day. I love to color and play with design paper, layer it up add a little this & a little of that. It's amazing sometimes how long ONE card can take. But then again, for me it's not just about the end product, but the process, the creativity and joy in the making of. Sometimes though I like to do a quick "get-'er-done" kind of card. Kids' birthdays add up throughout the year and I know most cards at these birthdays end up in the trash, so if it's a 5 minute card, I can handle that! I also rarely use white as a background base, but for these two quick cards, I did.
I used my scallop rectangle nestibilites on this card. A simple 'happy bird-day to you!' greeting on the bottom and a couple of button brads to finish it off. QUICK.

This one was even quicker as I simply cut & layered and didn't run it through the cuttlebug. I used my double punch from SU (love it as those two little eyelets ALWAYS line up!) to add a little texture to the card.

Easy. Simple. Quick. Perfect for the end of the week!

.j.

For a friend...

We've hit Thursday again -- wow are these weeks every whippin' by! Anyone else feeling that?! I heard someone the other day mention there were only 12 weeks until CHRISTMAS. WHAT?! Life needs to slow down a bit for me. It was photo day at our school yesterday and so the back & forth on how to do one's hair & what to wear. All the nervous tummies over picture day. Can't say I liked picture day myself - awaiting to see what photo would end up forever in the yearbook! LOL. Anyway....
I am really loving these chicken's by PennyBlack -- might have to stick a few more on my Christmas Wish List. I guess if Christmas is only 12 weeks away it's time to work on those lists! This card is for a friend of mine (happy to say it's already in the mail!). October seems to be another month of birthday's so I need to get my butt in gear and start stamping again :). Who has started on their Christmas Cards? I have no idea what I want to do yet -- need to play I guess.
I saw a great tutorial on the COPIC MARKERS. I know a few of you have asked questions about them. I personally love them, but still needing to practice -- takes a bit of a learning curve to get the hang of them. I found this blog the other day and she has a little video of her usage of these markers that I thought I would pass along if you're curious. Check her out at: KiyomiKrafts
Click on her name there & it'll take you right to her site.
Ok - must get some chores done so I can stamp... maybe tomorrow. Wow, that's friday already!
enjoy your day,
.j.

Easy Broccoli Quiche

Anything with the word 'easy' in the recipe is my kind of a recipe! This is a quick meal and everyone in my family gobbles it up!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. butter
1 onion, minced
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1 unbaked pie crust
1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 eggs, well beaten
1-1/4 milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. butter, melted
bacon bits (real!!)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Over med-low heat, melt butter in large frypan. Add onions, garlic, bacon (cooked) & broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until veggies are soft.
3. spread cheese over pie crust then spoon cooked veggie mixture on top of cheese.
4. combine eggs & milk. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over veggies & cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes or until center has set.

Mmmmmmmmmmm. enjoy.
.j.