Santa's Workshop

Next week is the last week of school before Christmas break and I am working like crazy to get all the gifts made and packaged in time. I hope to do my baking tomorrow night and then the final assembly should be pretty easy! My sweet Bailey has taken a definite interest in making beaded earrings recently and she's made so many beautiful pairs that she can't wait to give as gifts!! So, as of right now, we'll be giving her teachers and school staff a monogrammed stamped coaster, a pair of earrings, and some yummy treats. Last year, Bailey wore a Santa hat when we delivered our gifts and she was a big hit, so we can't wait to do that this year. I just love making those memories! Have a wonderful day!!

Elf Shoes

I am so excited to have something to post for you today!! I found the inspiration for this adorable card on Marie Shaughnessy's wonderful blog, Stamping Inspiration. I'm so glad she included instructions for making the elf shoes, because I tried to wing it and it didn't work!! I had a piece of Christmas striped paper so the elf's socks were super-easy to make. Be sure to ink the crease that separates the shoes - you need that definition. Thanks for stopping by today!

Christmas Ornament Card

Dear blogging friends, I hope you're still out there!! I'm sorry I have neglected you for so long. I hope to do much better. I found the inspiration for this card a while back on-line and I am THRILLED by the way it turned out. Check back often for more Christmas inspiration!!

Turkey Tag

We had such a good time at Tuesday Night Stamping Group this week!! I didn't come up with a project until 3 p.m., so it had to be super simple. I was inspired by some ideas I found on-line and we made a turkey tag since I needed a tag for some peanut butter fudge I made for Bailey's teacher and other school staff. Two birds, one stone!! And since everyone has already asked for it, I'm including the recipe for the buffalo chicken dip I brought. It's DE-LISH!!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

HOLLY'S BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

2 c. shredded cooked chicken

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

1 c. Ranch dressing (I used spicy)

1/4 - 1/2 c. wing sauce

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

Combine chicken, 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, ranch dressing, and wing sauce, and mix well; spread softened cream cheese on the bottom of a 1-quart baking dish; pour chicken mixture over cream cheese and top with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese; bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with bagel chips.

Happy Fall, Y'all!!

At the recent SU! Regional in Chattanooga, I won the Autumn Splendor stamp set and, while I was THRILLED to win a prize, I wasn't sure how much I'd actually use the set. But I found this beautiful card on the SU! website and reconsidered! I made this card for a friend in South Dakota who probably doesn't say "y'all!!" I really love this color combo! It's fun to see the nontraditional Bermuda Breeze mixed in with the Earth Elements. Thanks for stopping by this evening!!

More Berry Christmas

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this card!! I posted the one I made at the SU! Regional in Chattanooga a week or so ago, but this one is SO MUCH PRETTIER because I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to line up the poinsettia blossoms! The result is so much more professional, but still very easy to accomplish. Can't wait to make more of these!

Berry Merry Christmas Card

I am so loving the stamp set, Berry Christmas!! I found this beautiful card on Splitcoast Stampers and couldn't wait to CASE it!! We made it at my stamping group on Tuesday night. The card is so striking and I am developing a newfound respect for my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig! I ordered the Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder because of this card, but it won't arrive until later in the week. The focal point card stock pieces are 3" x 3" (vanilla) and 3.25" x 3.25" (olive).

Snowball Cake

OMGosh!! I just got the new Kraft Food & Family Magazine and saw the picture of and recipe for Snowball Cake, a luscious delicacy that I made Tuesday night for my stamping group - they LOVED it!! It is such a beautiful cake and surprisingly easy to make. I baked mine in my Pampered Chef batter bowl, but I will use a wider bowl the next time I make it. The filling is made of cream cheese, confectioners sugar, and an egg, and the frosting is vanilla pudding and Cool Whip - YUM!! I didn't cover the cake in coconut for those who don't like it, but I will next time - wouldn't pink coconut be adorable for Easter? What about green for a golf-themed party? Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Happy Halloween!!

Well, better late than never, I guess!! And with Daylight Savings Time, it's still officially Halloween. My friend, Cele, gave me these great Halloween stamps and I used them to create a card that was inspired by a card she made me last year. I LOVE the fuzzy yarn tied to the top and I loved pulling out the ol' Print Patter BG that I haven't used in awhile. It's so freeing to spritz color on a project haphazardly and apply ink directly to the paper randomly!! Hope you all didn't have the rain that we did and that you had lots of sweet, little trick-or-treaters. Thanks for stopping by!

Razzleberry Beauty

This is another one of my Tuesday Night Stamp Club cards that Mary Ann had for us a couple of weeks ago. I LOVE it and was thrilled to be able to get this Level 3 stamp set with my last order. This card definitely sold me on the set! It is so simple, but absolutely beautiful. This design would be perfect for any occasion, but I sent this card to a family friend who had a death in her family recently. I think the extra stamped detail on the inside of the card really takes it up a notch! Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful Halloween weekend. I'll be posting a Halloween card tomorrow!!

SU! Regional in Chattanooga

I went to Chattanooga yesterday with Mary Ann, Jane, and Alli for Stampin' Up!'s half-day Regional Seminar. We had the best time!!! We laughed A LOT (one of us even snorted!!), ate very well, stamped some cute cards, and saw several display boards full of inspiration! We even won a stamp set!! I won Autumn Adoration and screamed so loud when my name came up that the ladies in front of us JUMPED! I still laugh when I think of that! We got lots of good business tips and saw several wonderful projects demonstrated - hopefully, I will be able to make them and post them here this week. I LOVE the card we made using the poinsettia blossom from Berry Christmas to make a Christmas Tree!! You definitely need a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to line it up, but mine turned out OK freehanded! Thanks for stopping by on this cold Monday morning - have a great week!

TODAY'S GREAT TIP!!

The images in Berry Christmas are difficult to line up without a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig. Instead of stamping your image on the SAMJ imaging sheet every time you use the set, take a piece of medium-weight acetate that will fit in your stamp box and stamp the images in Staz-On on all four corners (you can even use the back if you need to). This way, you can store the acetate with your stamp set and you're all ready to go any time you want to use it.

Cottage Wall Delight

Isn't this a great card?!? Alli hosted our Tuesday Night Stamp Group and this is her card that we made this week. I love SU!'s Cottage Wall paper, but I haven't even opened my pack of it yet! Alli got her design inspiration from a blog and we each put our own spin on it. I love all the polka dots and the butterfly punch. The card is a larger size, also, which adds even more interest. Have a great weekend, friends!

Buttons, Beautiful Buttons!

I truly love the Tuesday Night Stamp Group I'm part of! It is so much fun to get together with friends to make beautiful cards. This past week, my friend, Harriet, brought this beautiful card for us to make and I can't wait to make many, many more! Those amazing buttons are the newest release from PTI called Holiday Mix. The colors are gorgeous and I was so excited to see a multicolored pack from PTI - 8 great colors! Thanks for stopping by!

Pumpkin Box

Well, I hope it is worth the wait, dear bloggers! My workspace has been a disaster for quite some time, so I haven't really created anything lately. But, today was the day to turn things around!! I got a lots of supplies organized and created this AWESOME little pumpkin box! I'm sorry I don't know who to credit with this great idea - perhaps Inking Idaho. Sponging Pumpkin Pie ink on the edges of the Top Notes makes a dramatic difference. I used a full-size Top Note for the first layer; then I cut one in half and for the second layer; and for the third layer, I measured 2 1/4 inches from the edge of the Top Note die and ran a full-size one through again to get the skinny piece in the center. Clear as mud, I know!! It was trial and error for me, that's for sure. I used a distressed piece of Kraft card stock for the stem and the Little Leaves Sizzlet for the leaves. I can't wait to fill this little box with dark chocolates for Bailey's teacher!! Have a great evening!!

Merry Christmas Buttons!

If you've been following Nichole Heady's blog, you've seen some super cute projects using Papertrey's forthcoming stamp set, Holiday Button Bits. When I saw this card, I remembered that I still have Hung Up on the Holidays, a retired SU! set that has a cute ornament hanger. This card went together very quickly and I just love how it turned out! I love to sift through my buttons to find the perfect one for a project. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

ALWAYS Inspired by Dawn McVey

I'm so sorry to have neglected you, dear bloggers! I have spent the first week of October enjoying the cool weather and baking delicious fall treats. Today, it's rainy and soccer was canceled, so I've been crafting a bit. I just love this card by Dawn McVey! What a beautifully simple Christmas card - and isn't that what we need when we're making 100 of them? *smile* I used K. & Company's Peppermint Twist paper from last year and Dawn's Signature Christmas stamp set, which I love very, very much!! Thanks for stopping by today. I have lots more to post in the coming days!

Happy Sushi Birthday!!

Today is one of my very best friend's birthday and I gave her the MOST PERFECT gift!!! She is a BIG fan of Nama, a local sushi restaurant, so when I went to Bath Junkie recently and saw their fortune cookie soaps, I was inspired!! So, I gave her several little soaps, complete with fortunes, packaged in a Chinese take-out box and chopsticks (provided by Bath Junkie), and included a gift card to Nama and this precious little sushi card!! When I saw the card on Andrea Walford's blog, I knew it was perfect for this gift!! She loved the entire package and that made me feel great!! Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Card and a Pumpkin Dip Recipe

I was looking for a Halloween card using Batty for You for my Tuesday Night Stamping Club and came across this cute card by Charmaine Ikach that I couldn't wait to make. I see a lot of square cards on the blogs I stalk, but I don't make many of them . . . until now!

Here's the recipe for a delicious fall pumpkin dip you'll want to make over and over!!

Jenny's Pumpkin Dip

Combine 15 oz. solid-pack pumpkin, a 5 oz. package instant vanilla pudding, and 1-2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice. Fold in 16 oz. of Cool Whip and serve with graham cracker sticks or gingersnaps. Enjoy!!

It's 80 outside but it's Christmas in my craft room!!

Well, I just got the fabulous Tree Trimming Trio from Papertrey Ink and after playing with it a bit, I love it!! And my favorite way to use it is to offset the tree and add a sentiment from Signature Christmas (another new release from PTI) in a darker color on the left side. For this card, I used K. & Company's Christmas paper from last year and PTI's New Leaf stitched ribbon. I stamped the tree on Shimmery White CS in SU! Certainly Celery ink rocked in New Leaf ink for a little dimension. I think the best color for the star is SU!'s So Saffron. The red ornaments give a wonderful pop of color and I stamped the sentiment in SU! Basic Gray because it's softer than black. Can't wait to make more Christmas cards with these wonderful sets! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

Food Network to the Rescue!!

I was at a loss as to what to fix for dinner tonight before I went to the store this morning, so I was beyond thrilled when I watched Saturday's episode of "5 Ingredient Fix" and saw two completely new recipes that sounded delicious. We are not squash eaters, but since we are trying to eat more nutritious foods, I thought this might be a good first step. And anything that contains feta cheese is good, right?!? The orzo contains squash, feta, and fresh mint, which might be the single most wonderful herb in the world! Chris has some growing in our herb garden or I never would've used it. It added the most delicious flavor to the orzo! The Tzatziki sauce that I made to go with the shrimp was fabulous, too, and it only has three ingredients - shallots, capers, and Greek yogurt. YUM!! I will definitely be making this easy meal again and again - even Bailey ate it! I hope you're inspired to make it, too!!

Oh, How I Love Gyro!

Greek Fest time in TN is one of the best times of the year!! This year, we enjoyed our very favorite Gyro (me), Greek Pizza (Chris), and a cookie (Bailey). In her defense, Bailey has been sick this week, so her appetite isn't quite back to normal yet! We also visited the sanctuary, which is so amazingly beautiful!! Bailey took this picture of the domed ceiling, but a photo doesn't do justice to such a fantastic work of art. With a box of baklava in hand, we boarded the shuttle just as it began to rain, thankful that the weather cooperated long enough for us to enjoy our little piece of Greek heaven!

Balloons Galore!!

There is truly NO LIMIT to the number of amazing projects you can create with Papertrey Ink's Everyday Button Bits stamp set!! I was blog-stalking :o) this morning and found this adorable card by Lauren Meader. WOW! WOW! WOW! I had to make it immediately, and she even includes a tutorial which makes this technique super easy to CASE! I used some of SU!'s new In Colors and Razzleberry Lemonade DSP. My rectangle and sentiment are a little hinkie, so I'll be more careful next time! Thanks for stopping by today! The family & I are going to Greek Fest this afternoon so tomorrow, I shall regale you with tales of gyros and baklava and Saganaki cheese - OH, MY!!

Teacher Appreciation

Back in May, I made a little framed art piece for Bailey's teacher using Papertrey Ink's Teacher's Apple and it turned out very cute!! So I was very excited when a friend ordered a card based on it. Just between you and me, I think the card turned out so much cuter than the framed art!! I used 3 acrylic blocks and put an apple on each one, which made the entire process so much easier. I can't wait to make more of these cute cards for the teachers at Bailey's school. Thanks for stopping by and have a great evening!!!