Rub Ons

Hi everyone!  Now, I don't know about you, but I have tons of rub ons.  I always buy (or used to...starting to learn that lesson.  hee hee) the rub ons that coordinate with my papers.  So, over the years they have really started to pile up.  So, I was grateful to find this challenge on the Burlap & Buttercups blog.  I dug out some Basic Grey rub ons and went to work.

Crate Paper patterned paper, stickers, chipboard.  Prima butterfly, alpha, Basic Grey rub ons.

It has been a while since I have used rub ons...and although I had a look I was trying to create, I just didn't have quite what I was looking for.  So I cut the rub ons into pieces to make them fit better.  I find that to be a great way to stretch my supplies.

Well, off I go...the girls are ready to read some science.

Hugs.

Nancy

Happy Wednesday

Hi everyone....Just popping in really quick to share a fun little tag I made using my new Tim Holtz Limited Edition Distress Inks.

As I am sure you know, there has been a lot of drama with these inks....could you get them? where could you get them? does anyone have them still? I have mine, and you can still get yours at Your Memories Here. And they are a great price, only $14.99. Once I had these gorgeous inks in my hands, you know I could not resist jumping right in. And for me that meant a fun tag.

Tattered Angels tag, Tim Holtz Distress Inks, stamps, tissue tape, ink embossing powder, Prima Marketing flowers,  Ranger stickles, Recollection chipboard

I used all three colors on this tag, making an ombre design on both the tag itself and the tissue tape. I blended the ripe persimmon into the seedless preserves and accented the edge of the tag with the gathered twig. I added a bit of Black Diamond stickles along the bottom edge design.....

threw in  a few layered Prima flowers that I accented with more stickles; and stamped and embossed a few spooky designs.

Finally, I ran my seam binding across the seedless preserves ink to dye it the perfect matching shade.

I am working on some fall home decor projects and know exactly where this tag will be fitting in.

Well, got to run!

Hugs.

Nancy

Today is Monday

Hey Everyone,

Hope you all had a great weekend.  Mine was good with plenty of time with family and a bit to play with paper.  hee hee

Today I have another installment of Menu Monday.  Last week, it was hot!  So stinking hot!  Lots of salad....let's get started.

Monday was burrito bowls

Tuesday we had a mexican cobb salad.  One of my faves!

Wednesday was something brand new for me.....Hungarian Beef Stew.  I enjoyed it, not sure about the children tho.  Ainsley thought it was a bit spicy.

 Thursday we had herb and citrus grilled chicken tacos...which I turned into a salad.

Friday the boys were out of town, so the girls and I had cheese, crackers and some veg for dinner...nothing exciting there, definitely nothing to show.

So, since I don't have much to share in the way of menus...How about I share a layout?

Scenic Route papers, 3tailscraft chipboard,  Maya Road, Prima flowers, AC felt and alphabet, Martha Stewart and EK punches.

I made this using some old, old, old Scenic Route papers and some super cute chippie I got from 3tailscraft. There is a challenge every month on scrapbook.com to use 3tailscraft chippies and I always have the best time playing.  This month we had to emboss.  I started with a dry emboss, but didn't really get the look I wanted, so I did a heat emboss.

Thanks for dropping by.

Hugs.

Nancy

Happy First Day of Fall

I feel like I should have something very autumnal to share today, but unfortunately this has been the hottest week so far this year...go figure.  lol

I would very much like to thank my friend and fellow Sassy, Cher for highlighting me on her blog today.  If you are looking for the photo she posted and what I did with that blob.... it is here.

This first project I did for my daughter's swim coach who resigned his position so that he can go to work coaching a college team.  A quick thank you for his being such a great coach.  We will really miss him.

Scenic Route Patterned papers, Cricut Just Because Cards cartridge

The inside has a pocket that contains a chocolate bar, gift card, and letters from both girls thanking him for being such a wonderful coach.

And here is a layout I made using my friend Heather's sketch over at Scraptastic.

Crate Paper Portrait collection, Prima Flowers

My whole family...and Mickey!  on formal night on our Disney Cruise.  Where else can you get dressed for dinner and hang with Mickey!  lol  I love me a Disney Cruise.

Well, back to running around!

Hugs.

Nancy

Dimension

Hi everyone!

As you know, I love playing with my supplies and finding cool new ways to use them.  One of my favorite supplies is Glimmer Mist and since I have a new love in Ranger's Multi Medium I thought...hmmm, how would these work together?  I have seen people mix gesso and mist...what about these?

For this project I used Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Scarlett, Ranger's Multi Medium in matte, a Crafter's Workshop stencil, an old gift card and some craft sticks.

I began by placing a dollop of the multi medium on my mat.

I sprayed a bit (1 pump) of the Glimmer Mist onto my medium and

stirred with the craft stick

Placed my stencil over my cardstock...

and used the old gift card to pull the medium across.

I ended up with some great dimensional texture that I left to dry overnight.  The matte Multi Medium has a great, wax-like appearance once dry.

With a quick sentiment stamp and a piece of older Prima Marketing paper, it became a cute card.

These cards are a little more simple than I usually make, but I just loved the detail and dimension that this technique offered.


Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs.

Nancy

Menu Monday

It's Monday again, albeit late for many of you I am sure.  Life has gotten crazy here.  Did I mention that all three children are back to swimming?  Fortunately, they are all swimming on the same team!  woo hoo!!!!  Unfortunately not only do they all swim at different times, they swim at different pools!  lol  The pools are very close together (within 10 minutes) but I have to stop every 10 minutes to drop people off.  lol  So, that is my excuse today for being late.

Can't remember exactly what was which days, so please bare with me.  Here is what we had for meals last week.

Bar-b-que shrimp and cheesy grits!  Yummo!!!  Mackenzie has decided she likes shrimp again, not so much the grits...but it is a start.  hee hee

 Yummy Asian Beef Noodle salad.  Lots of tasty vegetables, cucumbers, peppers, scallions plus rommaine and yummy mint.  I had some Asian wheat noodles in the pantry that I needed to use but I don't know why you couldn't just use thin spaghetti.

 Beef and Chipotle chili.  Also way yummy!  Ainsley of course thought it was too spicy...but she thinks everything is too spicy.  lol

 Macaroni and Cheese from the crock pot with a side of broccoli.  eh...but it works.  And Ainsley doesn't think it is spicey.  lol

And finally....A Beef and Ginger Stir Fry.

This one was so tasty and so easy I think I will share.

Beef and Ginger Stir Fry
1 lb tenderized round steak cut thin
1 bunch broccoli broken into florettes
4 carrots sliced
2 red bell peppers sliced
1 lb snap peas
3 scallions, sliced
1/2 lb mushrooms (I used crimini)
1 tsp fresh ginger grated
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp vegetable oil

Place oil into hot pan, you are going to want the pan good and hot to stir fry. When oil begins to shimmer add beef, cooking in two batches so as not to steam the meat.  Set meat aside.  Add carrots, peppers, and broccoli to hot pan and toss till the vegetables begin to brighten (2 minutes).  Add in snap peas and scallions and toss for another minute.  Finally add mushrooms and toss for maybe one minute more.  I like my vegetables crisp tender, so I don't want them to cook too long.  Add in the ginger, garlic and chicken broth and cover for just a minute or two.  Then add the meat back in to reheat.  I served this over rice and everyone really enjoyed it.

I love that other than the prep of the ingredients it only takes a few minutes to cook.  Definitely something I will make again, although Mackenzie has requested chicken next time.

OK, well...gotta run again!

Hugs.

Nancy

Switch it Up

Today is Switch it Up Saturday over at Sassy Lil' Sketches and as usual we had an amazing sketch to work with.

I turned it on its side and added a third photo to get...

Crate Paper Emma's Shoppe papers, trims, chipboard, American Crafts and Prima Alphas,  Pink Paislee dress form

My girls and a friend being all kinds of goofy.  I replaced the banner with the fun dress form and added lots of other fun embellishments.

So, pop over to the Sassy blog and check out what the other designers have done and link your design for a chance to win a fabulous prize from this month's sponsor,

September Sponsor:

Hugs.

Nancy

Inspired by My Trash

Hi everyone, as promised I am here today with a mini album I was inspired to make for the Your Memories Here blog.  I became inspired when I came across some corrugated cardboard while unwrapping some sheets for Ainsley's room redo.  Guess it is a good thing the sheets had extra packaging.  hee hee Funny the things that inspire us sometimes.

Prima Flights of Fancy, Fairytale roses, mini roses, Sweet Taffy , Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.  

I stripped some of the paper off the cardboard, painted it white and then spritzed on a bit of Glimmer Mist to color the base.  I added some beautiful Prima butterflies from a piece of the Flights of Fancy paper, stickers from the same collection, some lovely Prima flowers,  gorgeous lace, and a bit of a flourish and a Tattered Angels tag that I also colored with Glimmer Mist.

Prima Flights of Fancy and Pastiche papers, journaling card

I filled my mini with more beautiful Prima papers from both the Flights of Fancy and Pastiche collections, fussy cutting many butterflies from the Miss Pretty butterfly sheet.

Prima Pastiche and Flights of Fancy papers, flower, pearl, Tattered Angels tag, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist

I used a few different colors of Glimmer Mist and a paint brush to color my tag to coordinate with my mini album as well as color my seam binding.

Prima Flights of Fancy and Pastiche papers, Sweet Taffy flower

 Just because you only have a small sheet of paper, don't not use it.  This scrap was just large enough to be a 1/2 page in my book.  I think different sized pages help keep things interesting.

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, Prima Stamps, Sweet Taffy Flower, Mni Rose

One of my new favorite things to do is to mist old book pages with a cream glimmer mist and then use some stamps to accent the page.  Since the paper is a little thin to bind, I added a strip of paper to the edge to increase the weight.

As usual, I have no idea what I am going to use the album for, but I loved making it and sharing it with you.

Hugs.

nancy

Sharing

Just wanted to drop in real quick and share a couple of layouts I recently finished....

These are my three darlings all set to ride in Stanley Park, Vancouver.  As you can see I am still working through my huge stash of papers.  These are from Fancy Pants, the Happy Together collection.  I managed to use one of the beautiful transparencies as well as a few glitter cuts.  This one will be on Ideas for Scrapbookers as my example of a monochromatic layout.  The huge transparency really made this come together quickly.  Not much need for further embellishment.  hee hee

Fancy Pants Happy Together, American Crafts Thickers.

And here are Phil and Ainsley checking out the glacier from our verandah on the Disney Wonder.  Such a great trip.  Are you tired of looking at my photos yet?  hee hee.....Anyway, Phil was teaching her to use the binoculars.  This was based on a sketch from Once Upon a Sketch.  I didn't use the journaling criteria, and I moved my title, but.....

Cosmo Cricket 1934 Collection, Prima lace, flowers.

Well, tomorrow I am back with a project I made for Your Memories Here.  I am waiting on my Prima grab bag, and I think there is still time for you to grab one too.  I so can't wait to get my hands on the new collections.   Oh and now she has grab bags of the new Ruby Violet!  You know I can't wait to get my hands on that!  hee hee

See you tomorrow.

Hugs.

Nancy

Menu Mondays are Back

Hi everyone...guess what?  It is Monday and I am back to share some food ideas from our past week.  I know I am a little late, but life is crazy busy today.

Let's jump right in....

This year Brighton needed an extra course on his transcript to stay in the charter program.  With three AP courses and 2 courses at the JC I decided I would teach the elective.  Guess what he is taking....Food and Nutrition!  I am teaching him to cook (and Mackenzie).  Don't you love a man who cooks.....Anyway.  He decided to make fettuccine alfredo, sauteed zucchini, and a caprese salad.  Yum!  But I think we need to work on the nutrition portion as I am pretty sure this meal is high in fat.  hee hee.

Tuesday we had chicken piccatta, sauteed spinach with cannelini beans and a caesar salad.  I guess it was Italian week.  hee hee

Wednesday night was quick and easy.  Wednesday is usually salads...BLT!  So super easy.  Lettuce, lots of crispy bacon, and tons of fresh tomatoes from a friends garden.  A few croutons on top.  Delicious and so easy.

 Thursday was another easy dinner.  Grilled shrimp and vegetables with a side of rice pilaf.

 And finally, one of my faves, homemade paparadelle with a duck ragu.

This one was totally yummy and since it was my absolute fave (only 200 calories for all that ragu), here is the link for the recipe at Fine Cooking.  Now, if you don't care for duck, I am sure you could make a very similar dish with chicken thighs and legs.  Super easy too!

OK, well....time to get back to work.  Did I mention it is crazy here?

Hugs.

Nancy

Happy Friday

Hooray for Fridays!  And today is a special one...it is my baby boys birthday!  woo hoo!!!!  16 years ago I became a mom!  Anyway, before continuing with the days work and festivities I thought I would drop by and share this......

A shot of all my lovelies in Seattle just a few weeks ago.  Brighton is getting so big, the top of his head is always getting cut out of the photos.  hee hee  He is just about 6 feet tall now, a good 9 inches taller than me and 4 more than Phil.

Pink Paislee Daily Junque, Prima Marketing flowers, Unknown ribbon.  

And on the topic of things I enjoy.....Last weekend we purchased an outdoor fire pit.  We have been looking to get something since our old one broke a few years ago...but could never quite decide.  Well, we finally did....And it has been great!  We went with a propane fire, which, while not being quite the same as a wood, is much easier to deal with.  Which means...just about every night this week we have been out in the yard enjoying a fire.  I don't think the tv has been turned on once!  And if a few marshmallows and some propane is all it takes to make for some quality family time....I am all for it.  hee hee

Well, anyway...back to work here.  Hope you have a great Friday!

Hugs.

Nancy

Ranger Craft Scrubbie

Hi everyone, Sorry I have been MIA...and even after promising a menu Monday.  It was a holiday, and that is my excuse...I am sticking to it.

I wanted to share with you a new love of mine.  As you know, I recently attended a class with Tim Holtz and learned all about this new(to me anyway) fabulous tool from Ranger Products, called the Craft Scrubbie.  Like many of you, I love my mists and inks and while it doesn't bother me to have hands covered in ink at the end of the day most of the time....sometimes...well, if I am headed out for the night, it just isn't pretty.

Pretty, huh.  That is even after a hand wash.   And that is nothing next to some nights.

After a quick second wash and scrub with this nifty tool which you can find at the Your Memories Here store...

My hands looked like this.

Pretty good, huh?  And it only took an extra minute or two.

So, what did I make that got my hands so dirty?

Bazzil Basics cardstock, Queen and Co. felt ribbon, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, Prima Marketing flowers,  Ruby Rocket chipboard, misc. alphabets.

Just feeling the need to play with some mists and bright flowers.  I misted my paper using a mask made from some old Queen and Co. felt ribbon and a rainbow of Glimmer Mist colors.  I decided to clean the stash the other day and found tons of the stuff.  I added a photo mat of sorts with some gesso and then just went to town with the Prima flowers from Your Memories Here. It is a different look for me, but I think I like it.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by.

Hugs.

Nancy