Monday, February 23, 2009
We'll be back after this break!
Planning on taking alot of pictures of the party so will post those here. Hee,hee...we even came up with school colors, a mascot and a school song. Can't reveal them yet but be assured you'll die (um, no pun intended!) laughing when you find out.
We're getting close to 5,000 hits! Wowzers!...thanks to all of you who've taken the time to visit. I have a really nice blog candy to give away so when we get closer, I'll post it.
In the meantime, click on the swinging Lily on the top left. The new Pink Cat Fairy Lily debuted today and she's soooo sweet! She's definitely on my wish list. I just love Lily and Billy! Will have some creations coming with them soon.
Thanks for visiting,
Blessings and Happy Stamping!
Charlene
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Comment Q & A
You can sign in any number of ways.
Hope that helps!
Hubby home today and wants cookies to take to work tomorrow so no stamping until late tonight. We're also doing the cleaning prep for our 50's party next Friday night. Wish you could all be there...it's a dinner and a murder. We'll take lots of pictures and share some. Hubby is pretty good with a camera. :-)
Blessings,
Charlene
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Sabrina Gift Set
Blessings and Happy Stamping!
Charlene
Monday, February 16, 2009
Blog Candy Fun!!
I "won" a homemade gift by leaving one of the first 5 comments on Nancy's blog, so now I'll see who my first 5 are. The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you!
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year! (I will get it to you in the next month or so, hopefully - grin).
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. I have tons of ideas, but who knows what it will be? Not you, that's for sure!
5. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same deal to the first 5 people who do leave a comment on your blog! (then come here and post, I WILL check your blog *wink*) The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did, will win a handmade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!
So....who will be the first 5 people?????
Blessings and Happy Blogging!
Charlene
Here's my Nutty Heart
This is a recipe from Cottage Living. I wanted to make something a bit different than pink/red frosted cookies this year and since time was at a premium, these fit the bill.
You can make the dough ahead, wrap it in plastic warp and freeze it up to 4 months. I bet you could also make it into a log then slice and bake to streamline the process even further. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before cutting and baking if you decide to freeze the dough.
Here's the recipe:
1/2 c. chopped hazelnuts, peeled and lightly toasted, plus extra for dipping
(I put them in the microwave for about 5 minutes, dump them into a clean dishtowel and rub to remove the skins. Nicely toasted, too!)
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 t. kosher salt
8 T. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
10 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped (or you can use chocolate chips)
Process 1/2 c. toasted chopped hazelnuts and next 4 ingredients in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground. Add butter, vanilla, and egg yolk; pulse until butter is cut in evenly ad the mixture starts to come together, scrpaing down the sides of machine once or twice. (Dough will be crumbly and may not come together fully until kneaded.)
Remove dough from processor, knead light 2 or 3 times. Flatten into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. (you may freeze at this point). Remove from refrigerator 10 minutes before rolling.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough to a 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut heart shapes with a 2-1/2 inch cutter, and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Gather and reroll dough scraps and cut again.
Bake 10-12 minutes or just until edges turn light golden brown. Remove from oven, transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
Melt chocolate in microwave on high 1 minute at a time, stirring every 30 seconds. Cool slightly. Dip half of each cookie into chocolate and if desired, into finely chopped hazelnuts. Place on waxed or parchment lined baking sheet and chill about 15 minutes or just until chocolate sets. Store in airtight container up to 2 days.
Makes 2 to 2-1/2 dozen
Enjoy!!
Blessings and Happy Baking!
Charlene
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Breakfast, Anyone?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
He did it all by himself!!
The Chocolate Book...Revisited
Happy Valentine's Day!! Today has been a good day. The sun is shining and I got lots acomplished. I made another version of the Chocolate Book for the teachers at high school where our church meets. I used the K & Co. Valentine pack and was determined to use only papers from that pack except for the corresponding back side.
This version uses two DP's butted together and closed with a belly band. The stamp is a Michael's $1 that I stamped twice. I cut the center out of one with my 1" circle punch, sponged the edges and popped it up with a dimensional. The large hearts were cut with the Spellbinders Nestibilities then run through the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder. Hershey bars finish it off. YUM!
The insert is a PDF file that I have available on SCS along with the tutorial. For those of you who may have downloaded the tutorial previously, I've changed it to make it simpler and more generic. It was written specifically for the one I did for the Scor-Pal magazine a couple of years ago so it was due for an overhaul. Please note: this design is copyrighted and may not be reproduced for sale or publication.
Thanks for visiting. Your comments are appreciated and always welcome. Thank you too for all the sweet wishes regarding my back. It will take awhile but is getting better by the day...helps if I keep it iced like I'm supposed to...not my favorite thing to do. BRRRRR....
Happy Valentine's Day!
Charlene
Friday, February 13, 2009
Not Your Average Notepad
Monday, February 9, 2009
Anniversary Sketch Card - Late!!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
I love you Beary much!..Before and After
Friday, February 6, 2009
It's in the Bag!
Papertrey Ink is having a contest that asked us to come up with a bag design or decoration. I had some of these super nice glassine bags and my very favorite Berry Sorbet cardstock and ribbon so I decided to play along. The stamp set I used is Flower Garden. I can't tell you how many times I pull this set out. It's so versatile! I used Versamark ink to stamp the large flower onto Berry Sorbet DP then clear embossed it. I stamped over the center dots with both chocolate and Vintage Cream Palette inks. I stamped the stem in Spring Moss Palette ink onto Spring Moss cardstock then cut it out. The leaf on the left is popped up just a bit to give it dimension. The large flower is popped up on a dimensional in the center. I cut into the petals to give them some form then I stamped the word "smile" in Vintage Cream and clear embossed it as well.
Do you see the little petals falling of the flower? I cut those off one of the smaller flowers in the set. I distressed the edges of the tag and sponged them with Vintage cream as well.
The tag is removable so my friend can take it off and use it on a card if she wants to.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you find time to make a bag too!
Blessings and Happy Stamping!
Charlene
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
You've got to take a look at these new Webster's Pages!
