Technique Tuesday Printable Blog Hop

Howdy!

I’m super excited about today's post.  As many of you know, I was recently invited to be a Stamping Tech for Technique Tuesday.  Today, I'm taking part in my first blog hop with the other TT techs!  Hooray!

We are playing with the new Printables Technique Tuesday recently debuted at the scrapbook conventions they go to. These three printed sheets (Candy Cane Wishes, Harvest Time and Hocus Pocus) consist of designs you can cut up and use to decorate cards, scrapbook pages and other fun paper crafted projects. They will be available through TechniqueTuesday.com soon.  

For today's project, I've decided to showcase the Hocus Pocus sheet.  I've created an invitation to a Halloween party, along with a decoration that you could use as a centerpiece for that party.  Take a gander:

For the candy bowl topper, I began by covering a dowel rod with twine (Peapod from The Twinery).  I then simply cut apart the sentiments and added a few extra touches, like the googly eyes and some glossy accents.  I adhered all of them to the rod using glue dots and then cut out that cute little spider to add on as well.  I topped it all off with the circle punched at the top and and an orange bow around my coffee mug.  The rod is held into the bottom of the cup by a Styrofoam ball cut in half.

One of the awesome things about these printables is that those circles work perfectly with my 1.25" circle punch. So, I punched a few out and added them to the front of this super easy invitation.  I added some stitching and a few stickers to spell out "you're invited" and there you have it!

Be sure to check out the blogs of everyone taking part in today’s blog hop.

Tanis

Ashley

Charlene

Daniela

Tobi

Laura

Sharyn

Kris

Jaclyn (you are here)

Teri

We will pick one lucky person from all of the comments left on each of the blogs to win Technique Tuesday’s Verbose stamp set.  This is our way of saying thanks for your comments!  You don’t need to comment on all the blogs to be eligible to win. But the more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!  Comments must be posted by midnight on Sept. 2, 2011. The winner will be announced on Sept. 3rd sometime on the Technique Tuesday blog.

Thanks for hopping along!

Almost Halloween, or is it? (CFC #17)

Ok, I know Halloween is still like two months away.  And, to be honest, I'm not really that much into Halloween anyway.  BUT, when I received the amazingly awesome package of stickers from the CAS-ual Fridays sponsor this week, I couldn't resist. (Thank You SRM Stickers!!!)

See what I mean?  Candy Corn!!! (p.s. I don't really like candy corn either, but it sure does look great on a card, right?)  Aren't those stickers the cutest?  You might've guessed that this week's challenge is to use stickers!!!  For my card, I used the candy corn stickers and the sentiments are stickers as well.  The background is embossed with clear dots and the orange panel is stamped in versamark with dots as well.

Have fun with this one and be sure to stop on over to the blogaroo for some awesome inspiration.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Peace & Pastels (PDCC #96)

Howdy.  Guess what today is?

It's my birthday, my b-b-b-birthday! (Did any of you ever watch South Park? Remember when Cartman sang this little birthday song?)  I'm 34 years young today!  Nope, I don't feel any different.  Do I have anything big planned?  Nope, nothing there either.  In fact, I told hubs not to buy me any presents since we will surely be spending a small fortune on our cruise.  My only request - birthday cake and a party hat.  Yep, that's all it takes to keep this girl happy. (and if it's ice cream cake, even better!)  I had wanted to make myself a birthday card for this week's Play Date Cafe, but we were lucky enough to get some stamps from our sponsor this week, Market Street Stamps.  That's right, you guessed it, they weren't birthday ones.  But, they are pretty "hip".  Here's how I used them with this week's colors.

Ok, so yeah, this is a pretty simple card.  But, I am not a huge fan of pastels.  So, those of you who have weeks where the colors are just too hard, please know that even I, the one who picks them, have weeks where they are hard for me.  This would be one such week.  Crazy, huh?  The color story coordinator picking colors she has trouble using. :)  Enjoy this week's challenge and be sure to stop over at The Cafe to be inspired by the design team.  

Supplies:
Cardstock: (Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart, Melon Mambo) Papertrey Ink
Clear Stamps: (Hippie Chic) Market Street Stamps
Dye Ink: (Sorbet) Close To My Heart
Watermark Ink: Tsukineko
Clear Embossing Powder

Cauliflower: Who Knew?

Today I want to talk about:

CAULIFLOWER!

This crazy, brain-looking vegetable has always scared me just a bit.  Anyone else agree?  I never know what to do with it other than dip it into ranch.  But, I want to share with you today one of the coolest things ever that you can do with cauliflower.

First, let me begin by giving you a bit of back log about how this veggie caught my eye. It shouldn't be any secret by now that I struggle with maintaining my weight.  I've done Weight Watchers so many times, I feel like I should walk around with a t-shirt that says: "Yeah, I'm on WW....again, so what?"  Recently, I've taken up running and have found that the good old WW plan I've followed for years, doesn't seem to be taking off the pounds anymore.  I'm stumped.  So, after talking to a few people and doing some research, I've decided to count calories (they do it on The Biggest Loser, so it has to work, right?) and watch my carb intake.

But, I love carbs.

That's pretty much all I eat and to cut them down will be a definite challenge.  One of the first things I thought about was rice and noodles. I mean, how can you have a hearty meal without rice or noodles?  So, I started searching the Internet for substitutes.

Enter Cauliflower.

Apparently, there's this thing called "cauliflower rice".  Yeah, right.  My skeptical side says whatever, that sounds nasty.  But, I'm desperate.  So, I decided to give it a go.

Ummm, hello?  How did I not ever try this stuff before?

IT IS FABULOUS!!!!  You MUST try this stuff.  Not convinced?  Well, let's see how this compares calorie wise.

1.5 Cups brown rice = 250 calories
1.5 Cups of cauliflower rice = 45 calories

Yes, please....and the cauliflower rice isn't all chewy and funky textured like that brown rice can be.

So, here's what I did.  I processed 1/4 head of cauliflower in my food processor until it was the consistency of rice.  In a skillet, I browned a bit of chopped red onion in 1 T. of olive oil and a pat of butter.  Once the onions were browned, I added the cauliflower.  Cook it for about 4 min (stirring every minute or so) and then add in 1 clove of chopped garlic and salt/pepper to taste.  Cook until it is soft (though I left mine al dente).  Place it in a bowl and add chopped tomatoes and about 1 oz. of feta cheese.  Stir it all together and it's complete!

I topped my "rice" with baked salmon and a bit more feta.  Tada!

I used THIS RECIPE as a jumping off point and then added my own flair.  Now, it's your turn to give it a go and let me know what you think.

Next up on the food agenda - cauliflower mashed potates! ;)

Happy tasting!

Monday Madness

That's right, it's madness.  Not only did I participate in the Tuesday Trigger yesterday, but I also am participating in the newest Embellish challenge.  Two challenges in one weekend?  That's pure craziness.  I knew I had to play the Tuesday Trigger, but I'm not sure what exactly caught my eye about the Embellish challenge.  Perhaps it was just because that was what was open on my desktop when I sat down to craft?  I don't know, but what I do know is that these were some seriously hard colors to use without just going all out Christmas. (In my mind, I was trying to justify holly as a flower)  Well, I managed something and here's what it looks like:

There it is, plain and simple.  The flowers are embossed in white and I actually colored all of my pearls brown to match.  Enjoy and have a great Monday!

Supplies:
Cardstock: (brown) Bazzill Basics
DP: (something blue from Portrait Collection) Crate Paper
Peapod twine from The Twinery
Wood Alphabet from Daily Junque: House of Three, Pink Paislee

Sunday Surprise! (Tuesday Trigger)

Hiya peeps!  Yesterday I was able to sit down and actually do some crafting.  I absolutely could not resist this week's Tuesday Trigger over at The Moxie Fab World.  When I saw this photo, I fell in love with that color palette - so fresh, unique and bold.  I just HAD to play, and trust me, it has been a while.

So, I already mentioned that I love the color palette.  I chose to use those colors.  I also loved that bold black frame and table.  It makes such an impact in this space.  I copied that boldness on my card using a black frame and black ribbon.  The other thing that caught my eye was the gorgeous light.  I loved the crystal effect.  So, I added a bit of rhinestone bling to my card to mimic that.  Here's what it looks like all put together:

Thanks for stopping by today and taking a peek.

Supplies:

Cardstock: (white) Georgia-Pacific, (blossom) Bazzill Basics

DP: (tabs from house of three) Pink Paislee, (pico de gallo from margarita) American Crafts

Clear Stamps: (Simply Silhouettes) Wilson Designs

"Love Always" from SRM Stickers

Rhinestones from Happy2Scrap.com

Star Studded (CFC #16)

Ready for another fun-filled Friday here on the ole blogaroo?  This week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge is to use one of my all-time favorite techniques - EMBOSSING!  It can be dry embossing or heat embossing.  I LOVE heat embossing.  It was one of the very first techniques I ever learned and when I first saw that powder melt away, I instantly fell in love.  There's so much you can do with it.

For today's card, I used some stars from this week's sponsor The Stamps of Life.  I LOVE this set.  I have been needing to fill my star stamp craving for a while and this is it.  In fact, one of the beautiful stars from this set will be featured using a kissing technique in an upcoming issue of Paper Crafts.  Too bad it is still about 5 months out. Super sad face.

Super happy face to today's card.  Take a look:

The stars are all embossed in silver and cut out.  The sentiment is also from that same set.  I'm realizing that I need to be better about listing what supplies I use on my blog, so I'm going to TRY (please don't take my word for it) to start doing supply lists at the end of my posts.  Have a great day everyone and please click over to the CAS-ual Fridays blog to see what everyone else has done.

Supply List:

Cardstock: (white) Georgia-Pacific, (robin) DCWV

Clear Stamps: (All4Stars) The Stamps of Life

Versamark Ink: Tsukineko

Silver Embossing Powder

Embossing Folder: (d-vine swirl) ProvoCraft

Button created using mold from Mold Muse and clay

Something A Bit Feminine (PDCC #95)

Hi All!

Three cheers for my creativity returning.  I am thrilled about the card I am sharing with you today - I giggled a bit while making it and that's usually a good sign that it's a keeper. :)  Perhaps it's because I've made a renewed push to exercise and eat healthier again.  I always feel better about everything when I take care of myself.  I'm trying out a treadmill from a friend of mine who wasn't using it anymore.  I have pushed myself to run 1.5+ miles for four days in a row!  I've gotta look good in that bikini on that cruise. :)

Here's a look at this week's colors from The Play Date Cafe.  I REALLY like this grouping - so fresh and a last hurrah for summer.

This color story actually started with that photo of the umbrellas from Pottery Barn - I absolutely fell in LOVE with those umbrellas. I chose to use that photo for my inspiration.  Say hello to my nautical feel wedding card:

I think it's a pretty fun twist on a traditional wedding card.  There's a lot of Wilson Designs goodness going on here.  The striped paper at the bottom was actually created using the line stamp from "Simply Silhouettes".  The frame is also from that set.  The couple is from the coordinating set "Spring Silhouettes".  I also did a lot of embossing on this card - all of the dots are embossed with white, as is the couple.  The frame was first stamped with navy and then I embossed clear over the top of it to give it a shine.

This week's sponsor at The Play Date Cafe is Avocado Arts.  There are also some amazing projects to feast your eyes on from the rest of the design team.  It's worth making the trip over there to check it out.  Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you are enjoying these last few days of summer with your kids.

A Co-op Challenge (CFC #15)

Hi All.  It's Friday! Let's take a look at this week's new CAS-ual Fridays challenge.  It's a super special one this week.  We are teaming up with Clean And Simple Stamping to provide you a fun sketch to use.

For some reason, I have a harder time with sketches - maybe because when I look at one, I have a hard time breaking free from the exact layout.  You'll see by looking at my take that it's pretty close to the sketch.

Because this week's challenge is a co-op, feel free to link up your entries at both our site and the Clear And Simple Stamps site.  Our sponsor is Clear Dollar Stamps.  Please also give a very warm welcome to Angeline Yong who is guest designing with us.  Her work is amazing and she really knocks CAS out of the park every time.  Make your way over to the CAS-ual Fridays blog to see how the rest of the design team was inspired too...everyone has a little bit different take on the sketch.  Have a great weekend!

School's In (PDCC #94)

My kids went back to school on Tuesday.  It's kinda funny.  About a week and a half ago, I was really feeling sad for them because summer seemed so short and they didn't get to do much because it was so hot.  But, they must have a "back to school" radar because I have never been so glad for the peace and quiet that I've had the past two days.  Is there some secret code that tells kids to act up the week before they go back?  I'm just sayin'.  Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to getting back into my routine and spending some time whipping this house back into shape.

Now, how about a new color challenge for The Play Date Cafe?  

This week's inspiration photo is actually one from my own portfolio of snapped picts.  I found this grouping of doors and lights so intriguing at this angle.  These were in the quaint little town of Holland, MI.  What a cool place that is!  It also has my favorite color - teal!

With this week's sponsor being Practicing Creativity, I put some of their stamps to good use.  Check it out:

I still feel like my brain is on creative hiatus.  I've really been struggling this past week to put together anything that I'm in love with....but as with everything else, I suppose the creativity comes and goes.  At least it has teal!!!!

Stop by the PDCC blog to check out the other projects the girls have put together and give a hearty hello to this week's guest, Courtney Baker.  I'm off to catch some zzzz's now (well I at least I am at the time I'm writing this, this getting up early for school stuff is wearing me out!)  Buh-bye.

Unbelievable

UN...BE...LIEVE...ABLE.

That describes my Friday of last week.  I woke up to the news that I had not won the Gallery Idol competition.  Being the passionate competitor that I am, and knowing that I had poured my entire being into every one of my entries, I was bummed.  I may or may not have even cried for a bit.  Honestly, I really had my eye on that prize.  I don't think it's even possible for a person to want to win a prize more than I wanted to win that cruise.

Stay with me here friends, this story gets really good and I'm not even to the unbelievable part yet.

So, I was emotional.  Then, I see that Susan Opel from Paper Crafts magazine is calling me.  I wonder in my head, now why on Earth is she calling me?  I think to myself, she is just checking up on me to see how I'm feeling.  You need to know that my mind was really in a fog that morning and not much made sense.  I answer and the call goes something like this:

Susan: How are you doing?
Me: I've had better days.
Susan: Well, what if I told you I could make your day a whole lot better?
Me: (hesitantly) O..K...?
Susan: I just talked to Cristina and she is unable to go on the cruise and said she wants the runner-up in the competition to have it.  Since you were the runner-up, we are giving the cruise to you.

[PAUSE] 

(at this point I'm trying to process in my mind what is actually happening; it just can't be real)

Then the water works started.  I couldn't stop crying because I was just in such disbelief.  I couldn't believe that Cristina,the rightful winner, had given up receiving any kind of prize.  People just don't do that kind of stuff, do they?  But she did, and I can't believe it.  I am completely humbled.  What an amazing sacrifice that was for her.  She is one exemplary human being! (and because I can't say it enough, Thank You again Cristina!)  I know God is going to bless her tremendously for what she has done!

I know, I just know in my heart that God knew how badly I wanted to go on that cruise and made it work out that way.  I don't even know why Cristina can't go, or why God felt like I should get to have it, but He did.  I AM BLESSED. God has humbled me a lot through this experience.  I am reminded at how far I have come and I need to be thankful for that.  None of this would even be possible if God hadn't gifted me so richly to be creative.

I was overwhelmed with emotion during the last week of the competition.  So, so many of you left me such sweet comments on FB, my blog and in my inbox.  So many of you reposted my annoying "vote for me" status updates.  I had so many unexpected acts of love thrown at me that I just lost it at one point realizing that people really, really cared about me and believed in me.  Friends, that revelation is beyond precious to me.  I will hold it in my heart forever.  Thank you.

If you haven't already, you MUST check out the work of Cristina - the 2011 Paper Crafts Gallery Idol - a true winner all around.  There's also a few special posts about this whole thing over on the Paper Crafts blog today.  And with that, I will close because I'm pretty sure nothing is more UNBELIEVABLE than that.

Now, who's gonna blow all of their savings and GO ON A CRUISE with me?  I need a roommate! ;)

Jax

Colorful Dots (CFC #14)

Happy Friday Friends!

Fridays around here are "clean and simple" and we have a great new challenge over at CAS-ual Fridays this week!  Our sponsor is Glue Dots and boy do those things have some great versatility.  One such way you can use them is by covering them with GLITTER!!!!  Isn't that fun?  Check it out:

My project only shows one way you can use them with glitter.  You simply must visit the blog to see what creative ways the rest of the design team has used their glue dots...they are amazing!  Now let's see what fun ways you can use your glittery glue dots too!  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

You Are The Greatest Box (PDCC #93)

Well friends, this is it.  The end of the voting road for the Gallery Idol competition.  Today by noon (MDT) is the very last chance you have to make your voice heard.  Please check out my project and vote by clicking the image at the top right.

It's time for a new color challenge at The Play Date Cafe.  Since pink seems to be the in color for this year, how about another round of some pinks - this time they are nice and bright!

I think this is my favorite color story so far.  I just love all of the pictures and the vibrant colors!  Now that the stress of the competition has worn off, I was able to sit down and actually enjoy doing some stamping and playing.  It has been a little while since I've done anything unique for PDCC, so I decided to decorate this round box that I had lying around.  It was a take away from one of the Technique Tuesday classes I took at CKC last year.

I covered the bottom with some fun paper from lime twist (how fitting with the photo, huh).  Then I stamped the words onto some melon PTI cardstock using a stamp from "Loving Words by Ali Edwards" by Technique Tuesday.  To top it off, I die cut my butterfly three times using transparency and glittered the back of each one.  I then stapled them all together and added a bit of bling and ribbon.

This week's sponsor is Pink Persimmon.  We are so happy to have our newest designers joining us this week as well - Denise January and Julie Day.  Give them a big round of applause!  Don't miss the awesome projects that the rest of the design team has done using these colors.  Check it all out over at The Play Date Cafe.

Party Bow Tutorial

So, I'm in the final round of Gallery Idol.  The theme was to create three projects that are cohesive in thought for a party of some sort. (and if you haven't already, I would love for you to check out my project HERE and go place your vote)

But, it isn't always easy to get to that end result.  In fact, I had two pages full of ideas before I settled on the painting party theme.  Wanna hear some of them?  They are as follows:

• Game Night (using Scrabble tiles for the theme, this was my Plan B)
• Murder Mystery Party with "Bloody Mary" as the drinks
• Robots using a robot head attached to sunglasses for a favor and robot sleeves for cups
• Adventure to Atlantis, never materialized
• Skate Party
• Disco Party

Once the theme is decided, it isn't necessarily smooth sailing from there either.  I had one idea solidified, but believe it or not, the paint can with brush for the card was my second attempt.  My original card idea was just to drip paint down the front of white cardstock.  It was a very simple design.  Too simple and very boring. 

I played around with a few other things as well.  And, sometimes, stuff just gets thrown to the side even though it's really neat, simply because it just doesn't work.  One such item was the party bow that I created out of paint chips.  So, I thought it would be fun to show you guys how to make your very own party bows!  I used one of those leftover paint swatches for this tutorial.  This is what we are shooting for:

STEP 1: Cut your paper into strips.  You can you any size, but the wider your strips are, the less of them you will need.

STEP 2: Glue the ends of your strip to the middle.  Repeat for all of the strips.

STEP 3: Layer the strips on top of each other to form a circle.

STEP 4: Staple through all of the strips in the middle and it should look like the image below.  Repeat steps 1-3.  Layer the second bunch on top of the first one using a glue dot. 

When you are finished putting the two layers together, you can add anything to the top to help cover up the staples.  I've used a button on this one, but you could also use a punched circles or even a tied bow.  Use your creativity.  Here's a few I put together.

The bottom one is the one I was going to use on my paint project.  It is actually made from painter's tape.  If you are going to use tape (they have some really neat colors of duct tape nowadays), make sure you double it over and stick the two sticky sides together before you begin.

Simple as that.  Instant party bow and super easy to make.  Hope you enjoy making a few bows of your own.  Happy trails!

BIG NEWS!

If you're looking for details on my Gallery Idol project, "It's A Painting Party!", CLICK HERE.

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday!!!!!

I LOVE Tuesday - Technique Tuesday, that is!

That's right, I'm a

TECHNIQUE TUESDAY STAMPING TECH!

I'm so excited to be joining the Technique Tuesday stamping team along with Ashley Harris.  Many of you know how much I love their product line and I couldn't be more excited about this match-up.  Look to see some amazing creations using their stamps in the future (and I'm sure lots of free goodies).   Here's a project you might remember that uses their stamps.

Thank you for sharing my news with me.  Have a great day!!!!

P.S. If you haven't already, remember that this is the FINAL round of Gallery Idol.  I would love to have your vote.  Click the image at the top right to go the voting site.  Thank You!  I have been completely blown away this round by all of the love, emails and support I have received.  You guys are so sweet. ;)

Paper Crafts Gallery Idol: Final Round

Well friends, this is it.  Here we are in the final round of this Gallery Idol competition and I couldn't have done it without you.  This has been one surreal and crazy ride.  Lots of sweet tea, chocolate, and YOYO (you're on your own) meals have been involved.  And yes, even a few tears have been shed; both those of frustration and happiness.  But when all is said and done, I'm just so thankful to be here and so thankful for all of the kind comments and support.  I truly have the best followers a girl could have!  THANK YOU!  That said, shall we move on to my final project?  I say yes too!  Let's break this bad boy down and take a looksie.

Give a high five to IT'S A PAINTING PARTY!

THE IDEA:
When I saw that we had to make three projects for this round, I thought "what the shnikees", it was hard enough just to do one project!  I banged my head for a day and a half for ideas.  In the end, I decided to be completely original.  Enter Painting Party.  A few years back, we were getting ready to put our house up for sale and needed to paint every room a neutral color.  One of our friends mentioned to us that we should have a painting party.  We were like, what?  They said we should get pizza and beer and invite over a few friends for the day to help us knock it all out quickly.  Yeah.  Totally awesome thought and it worked.  All of the painting was finished in one day!  I wanted to capitalize on that idea and put together three projects that would work for a painting party.  So, let's take a look at each of the projects individually.

THE INVITE:

Alright, it shouldn't be a secret anymore that I love to make totally unique and creative cards.  This is Gallery Idol after all.  I've gotta break out all of the guns and show what I'm made of.  Most of my time and energy went into this card since that is where my strength lies!  I used my trusty method of finding a photo that I wanted to mimic and printing it out for templates.  Then I started cutting and gluing.  The sentiment was created on my computer using PhotoShop.  To top off the realism of it, I used my watercolor pencils to do some serious shading.  A few things to note are that the bristles of that brush are made from real bristles (my husband was SO helpful with this project).  The paint on the can and in the can is real paint - and that actually IS the color of my craft room!  Finally, don't miss that the paint bucket handle is made from thick gauge wire.

PAINTING SUPPLY KIT:

It's time to put together a painting supply kit for each of your friends.  The idea here is that when each person arrives, they find the kit with their name on it and those will be their supplies for the day.  Each tag has a paint swatch with the name of a room on it.  The room is the room they will be painting and the swatch is the color they will use.  For picture taking purposes, I have reduced the size of the kit.  Fun details of this kit include the name tag being made from canvas (drop cloth) and see that lime green band wrapped around everything?  It is made from painter's tape! (and yes, it does actually come in lime green)

THE PARTY FAVOR:

Because your friends are totally rad for giving up their day to help you paint, you need to say thanks in a big way.  How about this colorful paint can filled with all kinds of goodies?  The paper sleeve around the can was created by cutting up strips of paint chips (boy did the lady at Menards give me the stink eye as I was choosing STACKS of paint chips).  To keep the theme going, I made the tag using canvas.  The lid is even topped off with a paint chip too...and don't you love that those Twizzlers match?  You really could fill the can with anything from gift cards to chocolate.

 
(Pssst, I REALLY wanted to take these mix 'n pour paint cups and make them into cocktail cups, but these are really BIG cups.  Might not be such a good idea when people are painting your house. LOL.)

NOW, GO VOTE!

Now it's time to vote.  I bet you all are old pros at this by now, but in case you aren't, simply CLICK HERE to go to the voting site.  If you haven't yet, register a valid email.  Once you register, check that email for a confirmation and then return to the site to place your vote.  This is the FINAL round that determines the winner of the prestigious title AND the cruise.  Your vote matters NOW MORE THAN EVER!

Thank you SO much for riding this roller coaster with me and for coming by today to take a closer look.

Happy Voting! (and dreams of paint)

P.S. For more information on painting parties, check out THIS website. (I didn't make it up, I promise)