Inchies

Here I go trying to use inchies.  I also used two generation stamps.  That is a fancy way of saying that a stamp has two parts.  That way one could use a slightly different color on each part and achieve dimension and depth.  Now that I think about it...there may have been three parts (lol).

Materials

CTMH Stamps

CTMH ink

Ribbon from stash

cs

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What would you do...

...If you were this cute?





 

Hmmmmm...what clever ways can I use my cuteness to get hugs, kisses and most of all TREATS!!!

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Masking

I am in the process of organizing and purging old photos.  I decided to blog about the old projects instead of just archiving or deleting photos.  I made these cards a year or so ago for a swap.  I was trying my hand at masking.   

That dark blue cs I got at a goodwill garage sale too long ago to confess the date (LOL). My friend Denice and I used to go to the sale every year. A private middle school would host it as a fundraiser.  I have and am still using many of the items we found there. I no longer do the same kinds of crafts as I did back then, so thankfully I have donated a lot of things to the second hand store.

Materials

cs

colorbok chalk inks

CTMH stamp

MS alphabet stamp set

embroidery floss, ribbon or twine

glitter gel pen

fiskars border punch

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Like mother, like daughter...

Ok these are the grand kids/nieces, but I was thinking...like mother like daughter.  I must have gotten my love and compassion for children from my mother.  Not to mention a whole bunch of other characteristics and skills.  As a paraprofessional for many years she came alongside of countless special needs children and helped them everyday.  As a village member or neighborhood nanny of sorts I am privileged to do the same thing.  I am glad I was her pupil.  I honor her legacy whenever I pour into another child.  Thanks mom, for being such a good teacher.

 



Thanksgiving 2010

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Like Buttah Baby!

You know how you take a million pictures with the intention on scraping them?  No?  Just me...no one else has that issue.  Oh well (LOL).  Well, back in the summer I went to see Paula Deen at the state fair.  It was a spectacular experience.  Even though I attempt to make healthier eating choices, I most identify with her southern style cooking.  Most of my family is from the south and gosh darnnit we love through food (LOL)

Paula talked with the audience the whole time while Michael (her husband) and the sous chef did all the cooking.  It was great.  I still plan to scrap the many photos that I took.  Really, now stop nagging me, I said I was going to do it! (LOL).

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Woah Doggie!

Every year I used to get together with my co-workers and have a Christmas luncheon.  I haven't worked for the company in like 4 years and we still get together.  I love that we built such a bond.  This year one of my gifts was for my dog, Dugan.  If he were bigger he would have knocked me over to get the treat.  For such a little guy he gobbled up that treat in less that 5 minutes.  Ken, Dugan thanks you very much and is licking his chops in anticipation for next year!

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Yummo!

I have made this casserole several times in the past three weeks.  My friend Katie made it for our 'Chat & Chew' at the YMCA.  We needed a vegetarian dish.  All I got was a fork full from scraping the sides of the dish.  I could still tell that it must have been tasty.  I got the recipe the very next week.  I made it for a recent writing party I hosted (for adults), and it was a hit.  Whoo Hooo!  This is not a traditional holiday dish for me or my family, but I must add it to the list of harvest time recipes.  I think this is comfort food.

Butternut Squash and Kale Torte

I didn't use a spring form pan so it is more of a casserole than a torte.  Also, I used spinach instead of kale greens.  I also needed to cook the dish a bit longer.  And of course...I couldn't be dubbed the 'spice queen' if I didn't add more spice.  Whatever falls out of the cupboard goes in the casserole (LOL).  Welcome to the world of wingin' it in the kitchen.

Butternut Squash and Kale Torte
adapted from Women's Day November 2011


Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the pan
1/2 small butternut squash (about 1 lb), thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of kale, thick stems discarded and leaves cut into 1-inch pieces (or spinach)
kosher salt and pepper
1 medium sweet potato, (or Yukon gold potato) thinly sliced
6 oz. provolone cheese
1 plum tomato
1/4 cup grated Parmesan


Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425F. Grease a 9-inch spring form pan. Arrange half of the butternut squash in the bottom of the pan, covering as completely as possible.
2. Top with half of the onion, separating the rings. Add half of the kale, drizzling with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and season with 1/4 tsp salt. Top with the  potato slices and the provolone cheese.
3. Top cheese with remaining kale and drizzle with 1/2 tbsp olive oil plus 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Top with remaining onion, tomato and provolone followed by the squash. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.
4. Cover with foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, until vegetables are tender and the top begins to brown.
 

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If I could have used duct tape...

...I would have. (LOL) I am getting ready to make my holiday batch of Chai Tea.  I grind all the ingredients up in my Magic Bullet.  Wouldn't you know it...the magic bullet broke.  What ever shall I do...I have requests to fill...folks are expecting Teen Teen's chai tea.  

As it turns out many folks have had the plastic gear on the base of the Magic Bullet to break.  There were so many negative comments about the company online.  Well, my machine was a gift and I have had no problems before. Like a typical crafter, I tried to glue the broken piece back together.

Yeah, uhhh...that didn't work.

I went online again and found a fix for the problem, because folks were commenting that there was so much red tape to get replacement parts from the manufacturer and that the parts were expensive.  I was so frustrated when I trying to get the darn thing unscrewed.  I was determined to fix it!  I solicited help from my girlfriend "...here hold this nut while I screw.."  The thing wouldn't budge.  After two days of trying, I trekked out to the shed in the cold, uphill both ways, barefoot...oh that's is the wrong story...LOL.  I found some WD-40. 

Viola!  It worked. 

I guess I should mention that the directions online said to turn the screw counterclockwise....NOT!!!  The screw needed to be turned clockwise while holding the nut in place.  I was following the directions at first, but then that summer of engineering school physics class kicked  in (Thanks Mr. Pomeroy) and I figured out which way everything had to go.  By then I had tightened the screw even tighter.  At any rate...I have a fixed Magic Bullet and now I can hopefully make lots of tea. 

This better be the best tea ever!

 Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Birthday Card

I used the Rock Princess Cricut Cartridge to make this image.  The card looked soooooooooo different in my head.  I wasn't real happy with the end product, but I mailed it anyway.

My niece thinks she is a rock star, so I thought this card would be fitting for her.

Materials:

cs

border punch

paper flowers

brad

leather trim

bling

glitter paper

pp

glitter pen

googly eyes w/lashes

Cricut layered cut (Rock Princess)

P.S.  My niece called and asked me to show her how to make "...that girl on the card you gave me..." (LOL)  And who said paper dolls were passe...tee heee.

Scrappy Chicks Christmas Tag swap

Here are the tags:

From left to right: Back row; Lynn, Diane, Pet.  Middle row; Cindy, Kathy, Faith.  Front row; JoAnn, Mary.
Thanks ladies!  Great work and techniques on these tags.

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

So, I did add stickles...

...to the tags I made for the tag swap.  Overall I was pleased with the tags.  It was so difficult to come up with an idea.  When in doubt, just glue it down and keep moving.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Holiday Bloggers' Challenge

My online scrapping buddy, Cheryl has posted another challenge.  The theme this week is "Letters to Santa."  What memories!  As a child I wrote a letter to Santa and made sure I was positioned correctly at the parade when the elves would collect the letters.

Besides social justice issues like world peace, salvation to everyone and to end world hunger and poverty...
My list today would include:
A new dependable car
A scrap room makeover or a craft house (whichever is easier-LOL)
A classroom addition to my house for conducting kids classes
An ADA kitchen and bathroom
Hmmmm...let's see what else?  Oh, and a Godly husband!

I'll stop there so as not to overwhelm Santa or to be too greedy (LOL)

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Tag swap

These tags were made for a Christmas tag swap that I participated in recently.  I was able to stamp on the glitter paper with the chalk ink.  I thought that was cool, because I was just playing around when I tried to stamp on a scrap piece of cs.  It is difficult to see in the photo, but there is a 3-D snowflake in the upper left corner of the tag.   All the stamped snowflakes are positioned as if they were flowing from the 3-D one.

I was just thinking that I may have to use stickles and embellish the snowman before I give these away-  Hmmmm...

Materials:

Shipping tags

glitter cs

dimensional snow flake punch

studio G snowman stamp, snowflake

Merry Christmas sentiment stamp

TH distress inks

colorbok chalk ink

tulle

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Card Swap

My friend in Colorado asked me to join a Christmas card swap with her.  Well, as luck would have it the swap was closed.  So we decided to just swap between us.  This was her first swap.  I sent her the card designs that I used in the recent blog hop. 

We each had to make five cards. She made this without the help of fancy die cutting machines.  Great job! 
She sent me the following cards:



Whoo hoo!  Love these.



Thanks Stephanie.  I know that you put a lot of work and love into each card.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

The winners are...

Thank you all for playing along in the hop.  I know that this can be a busy time of the year, but I hope you were inspired by all the wonderful cards. Here at Joy in the Journey I am especially grateful for my old and new followers. 

Now for the winners of the following prizes. 

 

The padded journal was won by blogger/comment number 15,  Amy E.  CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

The card set was won by blogger/comment number 3, Linda.   CONGRATULATIONS!

You have until Saturday, December 10, 2011 to claim your prize and send me your address.

Thanks for hopping.  I hope you come again soon.

Christmas Greetings Blog Hop day 3

Well here we are at the end of the hop.  I hope you had fun and were inspired.  The participants are listed below. 

SURPRISE!  Today there is blog candy!  In addition to being eligible to win the padded journal. You can win a three card set of today's card by being a follower of this blog and leaving a comment on this post by 11:59 pm EST December 4, 2011.  The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Monday, December 5, 2011.  So comments on this post only are entered to win two different giveaways.

The card for today:

All winners must live in the Continental United States

Materials:

Holiday pp

cs

scalloped border punched pp

red bling

"tis the season" sentiment stamp

embroidery floss

star bling

The Christmas tree was created with a template designed by Kristina Werner.  Thanks for the inspiration for this card!

Thanks for hopping along with us.  Happy holiday crafting!

1.Angela Holt http://www.theblingtheory.blogspot.com/  

2.Cally Ann http://callyanncraftycreations.blogspot.com/

3.Ellen Card Monkey Jarvis http://www.cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com/ 

4.Tina Riley http://parablesproductions.blogspot.com/  YOU ARE HERE!

5.Kristen Koenig http://huneebcreations.blogspot.com/

6.Janet Murray Nagai http://www.createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com/
7.Candace Zentner http://www.scrappin2littleprincesses.blogspot.com/

Christmas Greeting Blog Hop day 2

Welcome back!  The participating blogs in the hop are listed below.  To win the following prize (a padded journal) you must be a follower of this blog and leave a comment on any of the three Joy in the Journey Christmas Greetings blog hop posts.  You have until 11:59 pm EST on December 4, 2011.  The winner will be selected randomly and announced on Monday, December 5, 2011.

All winners must live in the Continental United States.

For day two we have two cards to share with you. 
 

A simple Christmas tree made from words typed on the computer in green ink.  I used parchment paper and distressed with brown ink.  I used the fiskars paper crimper to crimp brown cs to make the tree trunk.  The tree topper is just a gold star sticker.  It is all mounted on red cs.

Materials:

All these papers are from CTMH.  I attended a workshop a few years ago and these were the scraps. 

CTMH stamps (I do not recall the name) 

crimped cs strip

stickles

CTMH ink

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come back tomorrow. 

1.Angela Holt http://www.theblingtheory.blogspot.com/  

2.Cally Ann http://callyanncraftycreations.blogspot.com/  

3.Ellen Card Monkey Jarvis http://www.cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com/ 
4.Tina Riley http://parablesproductions.blogspot.com/  YOU ARE HERE!

5.Kristen Koenig http://huneebcreations.blogspot.com/

6.Janet Murray Nagai http://www.createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com/
7.Candace Zentner http://www.scrappin2littleprincesses.blogspot.com/

Christmas Greetings Blog Hop

Hey! Hey! Bloggers.  Merry Christmas!  I know everyone is very busy, but at least you got a minute to hop along with us.  I am sure you will be inspired by all the cards the talented ladies have posted.  Here is how it works:  each day of the hop the participating blogs (listed below) will display a holiday card. 

You will also have a chance to win a prize.  Here at Joy in the Journey (JITJ) we are giving away this padded journal.  All you have to do is be a follower of this blog and leave a comment on one of the JITJ posts throughout the 3 days of the hop.  You have until 11:59 pm EST on December 4, 2011.  The winner will be selected randomly and will be announced on Monday, December 5, 2011.    

All winners must live in the Continental United States.

 Today's card was inspired by none other than my pal Angie (her blog is the first stop on this hop). 

Materials:

this is an A2 card made from cs

Tim Holtz embossing folder

Tim Holtz seasonal distress ink

ribbon from stash

Ornament: glue a string of pearls onto a cut out circle 

This card is sort of heavy.  I suggest hand delivery instead of mail.  It was fun to make.  Thanks for the inspiration Angie!  I hope you readers are inspired also.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you check back tomorrow!

1.Angela Holt http://www.theblingtheory.blogspot.com/  
2.Cally Ann http://callyanncraftycreations.blogspot.com/  
3.Ellen Card Monkey Jarvis http://www.cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com/  
4.Tina Riley http://parablesproductions.blogspot.com/ YOU ARE HERE! 
5.Kristen Koenig http://huneebcreations.blogspot.com/
6.Janet Murray Nagai http://www.createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com/
7.Candace Zentner http://www.scrappin2littleprincesses.blogspot.com/

Simple recipe card

Folks are asking for the ham glaze recipe that I made a few weeks ago.  I made this simple recipe card.  It may not be spectacular, but I thought it was better than writing the recipe on a post-it note (LOL).

Materials:

Cricut pig layered cut (From my Kitchen)

shipping tag

TH distressed ink

color bok chalk ink

binder clip

sentiment sticker

pp

fiber from stash

black pearl bling

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Tag! You're it!

The 'tag you're it' was a blog challenge issued by my online friend Cheryl.  She is issuing challenges to help keep bloggers posting throughout the busy holidays.  Great idea Cheryl, thanks!  You can check out her blog here.
So, this week we had to make a tag.  I am in a tag swap right now, so I did not want to show my tags before the recipients received them.  Here is one that I made trying to come up with a design for the swap.  It is kind of similar.

Materials:

shipping tag

pearl mist spray

tulle

TH distress inks

snowflake scrap

snowflake stamps

merry Christmas stamp

3-D snowflake punch

stickles

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Rosettes

I am trying to justify having the Tim Holtz rosette die.  I am not sure what steps having the die would cut out.  So, I have not made a decision yet.  I made these with my Martha Stewart score board.

Materials:

card stock

snow flake embellishments

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Treat box

I have been wanting to make a large treat box. The dimensions for a 8 x 8 box were posted on the Scraps

 of Color .ning site.  Thanks Jazz!  Here is the sample I made using scraps.

The base is 8 x8 and the lid is 8.5 x 8.5                         The 8.5 lid compared to the 8 x 8 bottom

So, one night when I couldn't sleep I played around with the dimensions to make a tighter fitting lid.  Good thing I payed attention in math class. Here is a 8 1/8 x 8 1/8 lid which fits snugly on the 8 x8 bottom. 

 Materials:

Card stock

Martha Stewart score board

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon. 

Christmas Greetings Blog Hop

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving.  Now on to shopping right?

Coming Soon!  Remember to stop by and check out the wonderful projects on each blog.  More details to be announced. 

Angel Tree

I recently had an opportunity to participate in Angel Tree. The card I selected was for a 11-12 year old girl requesting a diary/journal. I asked the facilitator if the gift could be hand crafted instead of store brought. I received the OKAY. Whoo Hooo! I made this journal.

Outside covered with fabric.  Padded with fiber fill batting.

 Inside is a piece of chipboard covered with contrasting fabric and a ribbon closure.

These are just composition books covered and padded.  I may make a smaller journal and a book mark.  I plan to include a pink pen too.  I made another one for my niece's birthday.  

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Gratitude

Inside the card: A small portion of my My Gratitude List:                                                         

• Assurance of salvation; for I once was lost, but now I am found!
• Health; for I am no longer bed ridden or wheelchair confined
• Shelter; for I am no longer homeless
• Good friends and family; for God has surrounded me with His vessels
• DUGAN, my dog; for I no longer have to live alone

I am grateful that the list goes on...

  

Materials:

Kraft card stock

Color bok chalk ink

Inkssentials white pen

hand drawn & cut leaves

fiskars scallop edge punch

me & my big ideas stamp

Martha Stewart alphabet stamp

Inkadinkado stamp

This card was inspired by http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/?p=6897.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Remember the days...

...of the old fashioned pie socials?  A single girl could bake a pie and the potential suitors would bid on the pie.  The highest bidder would win the pie and a chance to eat the pie with the baker.   Why didn't I grow up with that tradition? (LOL)  Making this ham for a holiday gathering got me to thinking about the age old tradition.  Looky here someone better propose marriage soon, before all this good cooking gets used up on friends and family.(LOL)

This is a spiral ham that I served on a ham rack.  Several folks had never seen a ham rack.  It is just a metal tripod like gadget. It holds the ham point side down and people can take a slice from the top.  (Sounds complicated-huh?) Really it is not complicated: all you need is a plate, a doily and a serving fork...and you are in business.   I used a maple brown sugar glaze.  I also made a picnic ham with citrus glaze.  Both dishes went over well and I will make them again.  The celebration was fabulous and it was great to get together.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Birthday Card

This simple birthday card looked so different in my head- it was actually cute. (lol).  NOT! here it is anyway.

Inside sentiment: happy birthday

Materials:

Hero arts stamp

pp

floral border strip

stickles

zig marker

color box chalk ink

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Feeling the blues today

This picture doesn't begin to capture all the cards I received after my mother's sudden death.  I stopped counting at 150 I placed all the cards on my long coffee table.  It was very comforting to walk pass the living room and see all the expressions of sympathy and support.  Some of the cards were from online friends who I have never met before.  Today I took them all down and wrote thank you cards for each one. 

I wish there was a guidebook for grief (LOL)  My weepy, crying moments come at the weirdest times.  Like when I am in the shower at the YMCA.  If I am not careful I will end up with a shower stall full of naked praying women (LOL)  Well I think I am babbling...Those who know the LORD please pray for my strength.  Thank you for all the support.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Birthday card

When a card does not have to be mailed I like to take the opportunity to make a different kind of envelope/holder.  For this one I just folded a piece of pp and made a little pocket like holder.  The bottom is folded twice so as to create a flat bottom to accommodate the thickness of the card.

Here is the birthday card for my friend.  She is a major coffee and tea drinker. The stamp on the card kind of goes with the gift of coffee mugs, a tea bag holder, and some tea biscuits. 

Sentiment: Two things can perk you up, a cup of coffee and a good friend.  I used scraps for this card.

Materials:

pp cs

Studio 112 stamp

color bok chalk ink chestnut roan

sakura gel glitter pen

zig marker

fiber from stash

 pink bling

Inkssentials white pen

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.

Snow Bird Water Color

Now I have played with watercolor crayons before, but this is my first watercolor painting.  I took a class at the library.  It was fun and I learned some great techniques.  I liked that all the students created something different.  Watercolor...what a great medium!

      Some of my classmates'    projects

Here is my finished card. 

This class was fun.  The most challenging part was trying to determine how much water to use.  My brush was too wet most of the time.  I hope I get the hang of it soon.  I tried to get the instructor to give me the sample so I could pass it off as mine(LOL).  I almost had her convinced...then one by one the other students wanted me to mail the picture to them when I finished.  Imagine that!  hahhaha  Seriously, seeing the sample definitely gives me inspiration and something to strive towards.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you come again soon.