Inspired by Dawn McVey

I have been obsessing over this card by Dawn McVey for awhile now because it is so beautiful!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how simply placed strips of patterned paper can look so amazing. I finally took the plunge this week and made my own version for my Tuesday Night Stamp Club - they really liked it!! I used my new Fiskars Apron Lace border punch to make the trim and a bit of New Leaf ribbon to accent the tag. Thanks for stopping by and have a great Thursday!!

Magnificent Tomato Soup

Well, I'm cookin' again today! Since my craft room is a disaster area, I have moved on to my other love - cooking - which I shall continue until my kitchen also becomes a disaster area! Shouldn't take too long at this rate! I cleaned out the magazine basket last night and went through several to pick out the wonderful recipes. I found this one in the February 2009 issue of Family Fun Magazine. I was so lucky to have these beautiful fresh tomato jewels from our garden. The heart in the finished product is a bit of cream - I was trying to show off a little ;o) Hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by today!

Roasted Tomato Soup

6 cups (3 pints) cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 cup whipping cream

Heat the oven to 400°. On a baking sheet, combine the cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients to coat evenly and spread them in a single layer. Roast the tomatoes until they are shriveled with brown spots, about 35 to 45 minutes. In a large pot, heat the butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the broth, the thyme, and the roasted tomatoes, including any liquid on the baking sheet. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes. Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup until it's smooth. Return it to the pot and stir in the cream. Without letting the soup boil, warm it over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming. Add salt and pepper, if necessary. Yield: 10 cups

SUPER BLOG CANDY!!

Stop what you're doing and go directly to Stephanie Castro's blog! She's giving away a $150 gift certificate to the PLACE OF YOUR CHOICE if you win. OK, that's about the BEST blog candy I've ever seen!! Check it out!!!

Always Inspired by Inking Idaho!!

And for my THIRD post of the day . . . I give you . . . this cute little summer fun card inspired by Inking Idaho, whose website I stalk daily! I love PTI's "Day at the Beach" set and I put several of the stamps on a larger acrylic block for my background. Very easy and lots of fun!! I freehanded my flip-flop template and it's a little larger than Becky's so I was only able to fit one on the card. My favorite embellishment is the crystal brad and silver flower on the toe of the flip-flop - very clever, Ms. Becky!!! Thanks for stopping by - again!

May have to change this to a cooking blog . . .

What do you think of StampingCookingStarbucksMama? I LOVE to cook and I get lots of requests for my recipes, so here's what's cookin' for supper tonight. Hope you'll try it . . . and LIKE it!!

Lila's Chicken (from Vera Bradley Cooking with Friends)

(my modifications are in parentheses)

8 oz. vermicelli

1/2 cup butter (1/4 cup olive oil)

1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (omit)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup (cream of chicken & herb soup)

2 cups chicken broth (1 cup if omitting mushrooms)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2 cups sour cream

seasoned pepper to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

5 slices rye bread, cut into cubes

(I omitted this topping completely)

Heat over to 350F. Grease a 8x12-inch baking dish (3-quart casserole dish). Boil the vermicelli for 2 minutes, drain. Melt the butter (heat oil) in a large skillet. Add the onion. Saute until translucent. Combine the sauteed onion, mushrooms, soups, chicken broth, and uncooked chicken in a large (HUGE) bowl and mix well. Add the sour cream, seasoned pepper, and cheddar cheese. Stir in the slightly cooked pasta. Spoon into the baking dish. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the bread cubes over the top. Bake for 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through and bubbly.

Serves 8.

It's about that time . . .

After a wonderfully fantabulous summer, Bailey must return to school tomorrow, and I am very sad! She got the teacher she wanted, but her little boyfriend is not in her class, so we'll see how that goes :o) Our school also has a new principal this year, and what better way to welcome someone than with some delicious chocolate chip cookies!! I made one of these boxes for Bailey's teacher and the office staff, too. They are super simple to put together using 5 square coasters, designer paper or cardstock, and coordinating ribbon. And they are the perfect size for any number of yummy treats. I found this chocolate chip cookie recipe on-line and they are delectable! The recipe makes about 5 dozen regular-sized cookies, more than enough for gifts and a few for the cook! I hope you'll try them!

2 sticks ‘cold and cubed’ unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table or fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups good quality semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup walnuts (Toast the nuts for more flavor, if desired)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time.. and beat until well incorporated. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips/chunks and nuts. Scoop out portions of cookie dough onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or Sil-Pat and bake in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes depending on how large the cookies are, until very lightly browned, taking care not to over bake. Let cool on rack and store what you don’t immediately eat in an airtight container.

Summer Hostess Thanks

My friend, Cele, made the apron card that inspired this one ages ago and I have had hers front and center on my crafting table all that time without making one myself. Shame on me!! This is a super simple and absolutely adorable card!! I made this one for some friends of ours who hosted our Sunday School class recently at their beautiful home beside their even more beautiful pool! We had such a fantastic time and enjoyed this summer afternoon escape. Our summer is winding down too quickly - only one more week till school starts and I am so sad! We have had a wonderful "staycation" summer and I don't relish the early morning school rush thing that's right around the corner. Enjoy the rest of your summer and have a great week!

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #13

My stamping buddy, Harriet, designed this card, and we made it at our weekly stamping gathering in Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive - a beautiful combo!! So, I decided to use her great design for this week's Raspberry Suite Color Challenge. It's a great design for color challenges, especially if you're "challenged" like I am when it comes to creating cards using a color scheme! I even had all the colors for this week's challenge - I was so excited that I didn't have to play the match game. Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Bag Lady Challenge

When I checked out my buddy, Annie B.'s, blog yesterday, I saw this cool challenge from the Moxie Fab World website! As soon as I saw the Paige Fabric Crossbody Bag from Fossil, I knew that it would be the inspiration for my card. I LOVE patchwork designs because it's so easy to punch out those little squares and use them to create beautifully striking designs. The color combo is way out of my comfort zone, but I think for this design, the diverse colors work well together. I used a piece of my Soho Designer Hardware for a little pizazz and drew on some stitching to make it look more like a patchwork purse. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

Flower Pot Card #2

I posted my first flower pot card a while ago, but when I got the Little Leaves die from SU!, I couldn't wait to put the two together. I love the finished product! Very simple but very fun - can't wait to send it to my sweet mama, who has an amazing green thumb! Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!!

Inspired by . . . Crate & Barrel

When I saw this beautiful pillow in a recent Crate & Barrel catalog, I knew it would translate beautifully into a card. I used 2 Cuttlebug embossing folders to give my cardstock a more textile appearance. The sentiment was a little tricky and I'm still not sure I like the placement, but it'll do for now.

Always Inspired by Kelly Lunceford!!

It's no secret that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Kelly Lunceford's blog, Flutter by Atomicbutterfly! Her projects are always perfectly put-together with beautifully creative color combinations. I fell in love with this card that was on her blog on July 4. I had it on the back burner for days but, today turned out to be my day to CASE it!! I love the finished product! Kelly used SU!'s new In Color, Melon Mambo, for her card, but I used PTI's Raspberry Fizz. They appear to be very similar. While layering all the DSP on pieces of white CS is a bit time-consuming, I think the overall effect is totally worth it. All of the layers pop! I haven't used Flight of the Butterfly in ages, even though it's one of my favorite sets, and I love it for this card. Thanks so much for stopping by!! I may not post on Tuesday because I'll be napping in preparation for the midnight showing of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!!" I am beyond excited to see this movie!! Hope you get to see it, too!!

New Baby Card

A friend of mine recently had a precious baby boy and I found this amazing card on SCS by Lovetostamp6 that I had to CASE for her. I never use my SU! wheels, but I am so glad I dusted this one off to make this card. I have always loved this little clothesline & stamping the tiny clothes on Bashful Blue CS and cutting them out and popping them up on dimensionals gives the card so much charm and personality. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!!

Pick a Petal Revisited

I haven't used my Pick a Petal stamp set in forever, but today I found a few card fronts I had made using this set and decided to dust it off and see what I could do with it!! Of course, I consulted Splitcoaststampers first and found this beautiful card by Angela R. I just love tent topper card, but I've never made very many. They are not hard at all and are a definite "step up" from your run-of-the-mill 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card! So, I CASEd this beautiful card in its entirety and I am very pleased with the results! My card base is 8" x 4 1/4" which allows 1 1/2" of your tent topper to extend above the base. Thanks for stopping by and have a great rest of the week!!

BIG NEWS!!

Our family got some wonderful news over the holiday weekend! My husband's middle brother (he's the oldest of five boys!!) and his wife are expecting their first baby!!! We are so thrilled! They live in New York so we don't get to see them as often as we'd like, but they ventured South for the 4th and we had a great time with them. Of course, I had to commemorate their good news with a card and here it is! I found this card on the Stamp and Smile blog and loved it immediately. Since they're not going to find out the sex of the baby, their colors are going to be yellow and green, so I pulled out my old SAB designer paper and put this little card together. Thanks for stopping by tonight and have a great Wednesday!!

With Deepest Sympathy

I seem to be making too many sympathy cards lately. There is so much sadness in the world these days that I often feel guilty for my ungratefulness - I am very blessed but sometime forget that when petty problems arise. This card is for a friend of mine who lost her beloved grandmother last night. I hope my friend and her family find comfort in the thoughts and prayers of those around them who love and care about them. Have a blessed evening.

(The inspiration for this card came from Jodi Collins' beautiful card on SCS.)

Stampers' ShowCASE

I copied this card directly from SU!'s Stampers' Showcase. I loved the way the punched-out polka dots look like designer paper. I want to make one with red, black, & white to look like Minnie Mouse's dress, but that will have to happen on another day! This card is for my brother-in-law & sister-in-law who are moving from Arizona to Kentucky in a couple of weeks. We are so excited that they will be so much closer to us!! Well, it is pretty late, so I guess I better make an effort to go to sleep. See you soon!

Subtle Razzle

I just got the new SU! set, Razzle Dazzle, and I am already thrilled by its versatility! One of the main images is the flower shown on this card and I think it looks good stamped in bright ink or muted colors, elegant or whimsical, masculine or feminine. I saw this card on SCS and really liked its simple elegance (but I just noticed that I left off the little tab!). Now I wish I had preordered Dusty Durango polka-dot ribbon! Instead, I used New Leaf ink and ribbon from PTI. Thanks for stopping by - hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend!!

Happy Independence Day!!

Tomorrow will be a super-busy day for me and my family, so I wanted to make sure to get my post up today! I made this card rather quickly this morning and I just LOVE how it turned out! I got the idea from Mish Mash's blog (I'm sorry I don't know the exact post). She called the design the American Flag layout, so it's perfect for my 4th of July card! The stamp set is from My Favorite Things and I got it at a fantastic price a month or so ago. Thanks so much for stopping by and have a fantastic holiday weekend!!

Just Buzzin' By my favorite blogs!!

As you may have surmised from many of my blog entries, Inking Idaho is one of my very favorite blogs!! Becky Roberts is extremely creative and talented and I love to CASE her projects. I haven't used Just Buzzin' By in a while so, when I saw this project by Becky, I was excited to dust off the set and put it to work. I was also thrilled to be able to use some of the SU! Hostess 6x6 packs of paper that seem to stack up in my craft room! This card required some very simple paper piecing and I just love the effect. I never think to stamp on patterned paper, but the beehive stamped on the More Mustard designer paper is genius! Thanks, Becky, for your constant inspiration!!