Easter Color Q Challenge

Happy Easter All!

Just dropping in to share, as promised, my Color Q challenge submission.  Just so happens it ties in as an Easter card, too!  Check out the Color Q challenge here  Here is my card using Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, Always Artichoke, and Lucky Limeade plus Whisper White.  This is a fun and very spring like color combination.  I will be using these again.  The Ears to You stamp is one of the single stamps that Stampin Up is offering through July 31st.  There are some really great ones in this group-you can check them out in my online store linked at the top of my blog.

Hope you are enjoying Easter with your families and friends.  Here are a couple pictures from our Easter and my in-law's B&B.  We had a great time celebrating with everyone.  Thanks for checking in!  See you tomorrow.

Lisa's Root Beer Cake

Happy Easter Everyone!

Today's Sunday Share comes to you from my friend Lisa.  I met Lisa and her husband Darin when I was in college and I worked for Darin in the Pharmacy.  We all hit if off and have remained in touch (never as much we'd all like!!).  They are a BLAST and I wish I could see them more often.

Lisa used to make a root beer cake with root beer frosting for our friend Jarrod's birthday each year, so I asked her if she would share her recipe with me.  Here it is:

Root Beer Cake-Lisa Scheele

1 box white cake mix-complete cooking directions as the cake box states, except use root beer in place of the water that is called for.  Add a bit of root beer extract for extra root beer flavor.     

Frosting:

1 package Dream Whip (the powder you'd use to make whipped topping)

Use Root Beer in place of water again.  Add a drop or two of root beer extract.

So good!  I hope you enjoy this Sunday Share!  Thanks Lisa :)  Here's a picture of Lisa and I at their Luau party a couple years ago.  SO much fun.  If you try the cake, let me know what you think.  Hope you are having a great Easter!  Thanks for checking in!

My Digital Studio

Hi Out There!

Quick post today.  I'm getting ready for a family party for to celebrate my boys' birthdays with our family and Easter today.  It's a foggy grey day here today, not much like spring, but I know it's coming!  I'm making some cheesy potatoes in the crockpot and a winter salad to bring tonight.  We'll be having the party at my in-law's beautiful Victorian B&B here in town.  If you are ever looking for a place to stay, come check them out.  The Inn has some of the most beautiful stained glass and woodwork I've seen, and my father-in-law makes a FABULOUS breakfast.  You can check their place out here  Duluth is a beautiful place to visit June through October for those of you who aren't fans of winter weather :)

So, My Digital Studio.  I admit, I was resistant at first.  I am a traditionalist.  I love the feel of the paper and working with the materials.  (Same reason I may be one of the only people on the planet still reading actual books and not Nooks or Kindles or any other type of e-reader)  I didn't think that digital scrapbooking/creating would give me the same feel.  Boy was I WRONG.  I love creating with My Digital Studio because 1.) I actually DO something with my pictures and memories and it's easy and 2.) the software makes even me as a novice look like a pro.

But, My Digital Studio (or MDS) doesn't only do scrapbooking.  You can create home art, invitations, cards, board books, table settings, holiday decor...the possibilities are endless.  Today I am featuring the invitation to my son's friend party.  I whipped these up in My Digital Studio.  Took me about 15 minutes, and printed them out. (Edited to remove phone number/email and the picture isn't the greatest because it's from my cell phone but you get the idea)
 Voila.  Cute, custom invitations, and for LESS money than I'd have paid for 2 packs of invitations at a local big box store.  I can also make some custom matching thank yous for him to send out to his friends that attend.

I hope you and your families have a wonderful Easter.  I'm off to the Inn to celebrate with my family!  Stop in tomorrow when you get time for a delicious recipe for my Sunday Share.  Thanks for dropping by.

Colorq

Hey Readers!

Happy Friday!  I hope you have all had a wonderful week.  Today's post is featuring one of my favorite challenges to look at although I have to admit I have not participated often.  I'm about to change that.  I love how they pull inspiration from real life photos.  Often things in magazines, or outfits inspire me, too.  This week's color combo is:

Don't you love the scarf, too?  I will share my card over the weekend.  We did a little birthday celebrating, so I didn't get to finish it up.  I'd love to see what you create with this challenge! If you create something with this challenge, leave me a comment with a link to your blog and I'll check it out!  Interested in participating or checking out past week's challenges?  Click here and give it a whirl.  Have a fabulous rest of your Friday-thanks for checking in!

ELEVEN???

Hi Friends!

Today is a special day at our house.  Today, 11 years ago, my oldest son was born.  He was a week late, we spent Easter weekend in the hospital (although, I was out by noon to have ham at my Grandma's, NOT in the hospital) and he was the most handsome baby I had ever seen.  He has been my special buddy since the day he was born and I can't believe how fast the time has gone!  I'm sure there are several of you out there who can relate.  Here is a then and now.  We are so proud of the young man he is becoming!

Alright, I know you come to visit for some crafty inspiration as well, so here is the card my husband and I are giving Alex for his birthday.  That, along with a skateboard and some much coveted gift cards along with dinner at Bulldog tonight ought to make for a great birthday.  Thanks for stopping in!  Check back tomorrow, I'll have my card for a Color Q challenge.  Have a great day.

52 Lists

Hi Readers-

A happy Wednesday to you.  Thanks for dropping in.  Today, I am sharing with you a little project I'm working on called 52 Lists.  Essentially, a list each week for a year.  I have to admit, I love lists.  I have always liked a list whether it was for assignments due in school, a "to-do" for my work at the office, a grocery list, a weekend errand list.....I'm a bit of a list fanatic.  There is also something really fun about committing the list to the page.  I love to start fresh with a new notebook (lined, of course) and a new pen.

Anyways...enough about my love of lists, and my geekish love of new (and vintage) office supplies.  I first found this project over at Ali Edwards' blog.  For those of you who love scrapbooking, or paper crafting, I am sure you are familiar with Ali's blog.  Even if you are not a lover of scrapbooking or paper crafting, I encourage you to check her out.  I love her way of telling the story of every day life.  She has such an easy storytelling style.  And let's be honest, her layouts and digital design are awesome. (Thanks Ali)  I was reading one of her posts about the various projects she has going on and in it she mentioned a new blog she discovered that was posting a challenge called "52 Lists" as a way to better get to know yourself and leave behind a picture of who you are.  The blog she was referring to in her post was Mooreaseal.  So, I went over and checked it out and thought that this was a style of journaling I could get behind.  A list is far less intimidating to me than filling out a diary, or journaling on a scrapbook page.  A list is ongoing, it's something you can add to at any time, and there is no set length for a "good list".  I encourage you to check it out.  It's been fun so far. An added bonus is, her blog is really fun to read!  We'll be on week 12 this week.  Not too late to break out your new pen and notebook and join us!  This week's list is "Things That Feel Like Home". I challenge you to check it out.  I'll share a few of my list items next Wednesday as we look at what the next list is.

Thanks for checking in today!  I'll be back tomorrow with a sketch challenge.  Hope to see you then.

New Product Tuesday

Hey Readers!

Welcome back.  Today I am trying out "New Product Tuesday" this could switch up to "New Technique Tuesday"or "New Project Tuesday"or whatever is going on that's new and exciting.  There are SO many fun and new things coming from Stampin' Up these days.  It's such an exciting time to be a demonstrator.  (Although, to me, it's ALWAYS an exciting time to be a demonstrator)

Today's "New Product" is My Paper Pumpkin.  What is My Paper Pumpkin and why do I need it you may ask?  Good question.  I had to subscribe myself so I'd know what it was about.  Now, this box of crafty goodness that comes to your door once a  month and is geared towards beginning stampers, stampers who may LOVE the products but don't have a ton of room to have a bunch of product on hand.  They may be people who like the feeling of creating a beautiful project but are "not creative" enough to come up with the projects.

I was SO excited for my box to come in the mail.  I was checking each day with anticipation to see if it arrived in my mailbox once I got the email that said it shipped.  Finally there it was, and I was not disappointed.  I was looking through the lens of a beginning stamper, or a busy mom who only has a limited window of opportunity to devote to her interests, or someone who has a child that would like to craft with him or her, or my self titled "non-creative" friends.  This box would be perfect for all of them.  Now, my seasoned stamper's eye instantly saw how I could change the template, or what ELSE I could use these exclusive stamps for, however, it also saw how much fun it was to just create them according to template.  I made all 4 in about 15 minutes, and they are fun!  Here is my finished product.  The card on the left is true to template, and the card on the right changed it up just a bit using ONLY what was given in the kit.

Does Paper Pumpkin sound like something you'd like to try out?  Go to www.mypaperpumpkin.com today and sign up!  19.95 includes everything you need  to create Pinterest worthy projects in no time. (You would only need to invest in snail adhesive and a box of glue dots and you would be good to go)    AND it includes shipping!!  As long as you go and sign up before April 10th, you will get this months box of creativity shipped right to your door in April.  You can cancel at any time (but I don't know why you'd want to!!) and, if you want a break, you can even choose to place your membership on hold.  If you do go sign up, choose me as your demonstrator.  I will send you an email each month with other ways to use your stamps that come with your kit. Here's a few from Stampin'Up from the welcome kit-I love that little mason jar!  How fun would that be to leave on someone's desk?  I hope you enjoy!  Thanks for checking in!  See you tomorrow.

FABRIC FRENZY!! 50% Off

FABRIC FRENZY

Dates: March 25 - 31, 2013
Details:
Jump into Our Spring Fabric Frenzy! Today's the day! For one week only, all of our beautiful Designer Fabric is 50 percent off!

Page	Item	Description	Discount	Retail Price	Sale Price
170	126892	Essentials Designer Fabric	50%	$      29.95	$    14.98
171	126893	Floral District Fabric	50%	$        9.95	$      4.98
171	126894	Comfort Café Fabric	50%	$        9.95	$      4.98
171	125411	Summer Smooches Fabric	50%	$        9.95	$      4.98
171	125412	Twitterpated Fabric	50%	$        9.95	$      4.98
171	122337	Timeless Portrait Fabric	50%	$        9.95	$      4.98
171	122336	Beau Chateau Fabric	50%	$        9.95	$      4.98
171	124066	Spice Cake Fabric	50%	$        9.95	$      4.98
171	122335	Flirtatious Fabric	50%	$        9.95	$      4.98
6*	129308	Tea for Two Fabric	50%	$        9.95	$      4.98
13*	129307	More Amore Fabric	50%	$        9.95	$      4.98
*2013 Spring Catalog Fun Ideas here on You Tube with our fabric: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPi6Z_YOGI8&list=UUaytKFValhfW2z3T0jsdemA&index=1

Hi Friends!

It's Monday-the start of another week.  Today I have a little something crafty for you.  I love all kinds of styles of paper crafting, but if I had to choose a "go to" style when creating it would be Clean and Simple.  I'm sure there are those of you out there who can relate.  I love the look and the sentiment of something homemade, but I don't have a lot of extra minutes in my day right now, so clean and simple works for me!  Don't get me wrong--I LOVE vintage, it is probably my favorite style, and when my kids get a little older (or, I get away for a craft weekend!!!) you'll see that pop up, too.

Today's card comes to you from the Clean and Simple Challenge.  They post a new sketch each week as a springboard for your creativity.  You can find their challenge and play along here  And, here is my take on their challenge.

I love the way Summer Starfruit, Pool Party, and Calypso Coral all work together here.  I heard a rumor that we are keeping Pool Party and Calypso Coral in the 2013-2014 catalog, I can't wait to see what the new In-Colors will be this year.

Thanks for stopping in today!  I hope your week is off to a good start.  Check back tomorrow-I'll have a post on Stampin'Up's new Paper Pumpkin line. 

Hi Out There!

For my Sunday posts I think I will share a little bit about life here.  Recipes I've tried, books I'm reading, movies...any of that type of stuff.

Today I am going to share a recipe we have made SEVERAL times that I found on Pinterest.  We could eat this every day.  In fact, at the height of tomato season (which feels like it will be a LONG ways away since it's snowing here again as I write this post) we made a few of these each day and froze them in freezer bags so we could thaw them out and reheat them throughout the winter for a little taste of summer.

The recipe is called Rustic Tomato Tart and I found it on Pinterest.  (One of my favorite sites to visit to relax)    The post came from a blog called "Lick the Bowl Good" If you like pizza-you will LOVE this recipe.  Trust me.  So good.  I've linked you to the recipe here  and added a picture of the finished product below.

Rustic Tomato Tart

The only adaptations we made to the recipe was that we used just the store bought pizza crust dough (the kind that is usually on sale for 2 for 1.00)  I also used Penzeys Sandwich Sprinkle for my herbs.  If you haven't checked this spice out yet, it's a must try.  My family has yet to be disappointed from anything at Penzey's.  Their spices are top notch, their catalog is a fun read, and this particular spice we like to add to anything Italian.  

I hope you are having a great Sunday!  Thanks for checking in today.  

Is anyone still out there?

Hi Readers!

WOW! I couldn't believe how long it's been since I've posted last.  I am working on coming back to blogging at least 5 days a week.  I am working on a schedule of my favorite challenges, as well as some other places I love to visit.  Hopefully some of you are still out there checking in occasionally.

I'm doing the 52 lists over at Mooreaseal on Tuesdays, so likely that will be my share on Tuesdays.  Are you list makers?  I have a hard time journaling, but I do love a list.

I am working on several projects both digital and paper crafting, and belong to a book club now, too, so we can chat about what we are reading now if any of you out there are readers, too.  We just finished up Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman.  It was a hard book to read due to the content of the story, but the style of writing was really interesting.  Our book for April is The Kitchen House.  If you are looking for a good book to read our whole club loved What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarity, and I just finished up reading The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb-that one was a spooky gothic thriller.

Thanks for checking in!  I  hope to have crafy goodness here to share, soon!  If you did stop by, leave me a comment, I'd love to hear what your favorite crafting challenges out there are, and also if YOU are reading anything good lately.