Little Red Wagon #257

Jayne wants us in stitches this week at Little Red Wagon!  Real or faux, it doesn't matter, as long as there is stitching on our project.

I have to say that I absolutely LOVE Saturated Canary images, so I picked up this one called Roses are Red, Violets are Blue to use on my card this week. Then I went to work with my Copic Markers.

It took a while to color up this image, especially the hair, but I loved every minute of it! (Well, except when one of the markers decided to leave a large blob on the first image I tried coloring!)

I decided to go all out on my card this week!  I cut a bracket shaped card using my Silhouette and I even did hand-stitching along the edge of the patterned paper!

Then I pulled out my sewing machine and added more stitching around the image piece.

Some flowers, bling and ribbon gave the finishing touches.

Now we would love to see you in stitches too!  Head on over to Little Red Wagon and check out the great designs that the DT created and then link up your own.  See you there...

Little Red Wagon #256

The temperatures have cooled, some of the leaves are turning color and pretty mums are being displayed on many porches. Signs of Fall are all around us, including Carolyn's challenge at Little Red Wagon this week!  She wants to see a Fall Themed project.

I saw this sweet image from Sassy Cheryl's Stamps called Bountiful Blessing and I thought it would be perfect on a card for this week's challenge.  It brings back memories of visiting the pumpkin patch with our boys when they were younger.

I pulled together a few papers and buttons from my stash and did lots of layering. 

I even pulled out a border punch that I haven't used in forever and I found a clear sticker sentiment that worked perfectly with the image!

So, are you in the swing of Fall yet?  We hope you will join in the challenge at Little Red Wagon this week. Just create something with a Fall theme and then link it up. We will be sure to visit your blog :)

Chicken-Kale Pasta

Today was a good day!  Not only did I get my hair done, but I found a great recipe in a magazine that I read at the hair salon. When I looked at the recipe it had all the ingredients that I love - pasta, chicken, cheese, tomatoes!  Plus, when I realized that the recipe was one of Ree Drummond's (The Pioneer Woman) I knew it had to be good.

So, no, I did not rip the recipe out of the magazine - although I will admit to doing that once or twice in my lifetime - but my hair dresser photocopied it for me.  Then I gave it a try for dinner.

It was absolutely delicious!  The tomatoes and kale are barely cooked, so they stay nice and fresh.  Plus the 'sauce' is just chicken broth, white wine and Parmesan.  Not heavy at all and soooooo good!!

Here is the recipe if you would like to give it a try.

Chicken-Kale Pasta

Ingredients:
1 - 16-oz. package whole-wheat or regular penne pasta
4 (6-oz.) skinned and boned chicken breasts, cut in 1-in. pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. each extra virgin olive oil and unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine
5 oz. kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup (4 oz.) shaved Parmesan cheese
Garnish: shaved Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to Dutch oven; cover and keep warm.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Cook chicken in a single layer in hot oil and melted butter in a large skillet over high heat, without stirring for 1 to 2 minutes.  Turn chicken; cook 2 minutes or until done.  Transfer chicken to a plate.

Add garlic to skillet.  Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds.  Add broth and wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from bottom of skillet.  Simmer 6 to 8 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.  Add kale, stirring until kale wilts.

Add kale mixture to reserved pasta.  Stir in tomatoes, 1 cup Parmesan and reserved chicken; toss gently.  Top and serve with additional shaved Parmesan, if desired.

Little Red Wagon #255

Jan is posting the challenge this week at Little Red Wagon and she wants to see a shaped card.  No boring old squares or rectangles!  She want to see something different.

I found an adorable shaped card on the Silhouette store and decided to give it a try.

Since my Kitchen Aid mixer is one of my favorite things, I just loved the thought of making a card shaped like one!

Of course I had to use pink and some bling and a few candy dots!  Now I can't wait to give this card to someone special.

How would you like to venture out and make a card in a shape other than square or rectangle?  I know you can do it!  Be sure to link it up at Little Red Wagon.  See you there :)

I'd Rather Be Reading

There is nothing better than a good book! A book that you can really get lost in, that keeps you up way past your bedtime. Books where you feel the characters’ emotions, see their surroundings, become part of their story. I discovered this at a very young age as I fell in love with Pippi Longstocking and her many adventures and I still love being pulled into a good story to this day.

In the past few weeks, I have read three wonderful books:  The Orphan Train, Good Grief and Me Before You.

The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline - This book is based on a chapter from American history that I was not familiar with. Between 1854 and 1929, so-called orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children whose fates would be determined by luck or chance. The story moves between a young, Irish immigrant, Vivian, living in the Depression Era, and a contemporary teen, Molly, who is in and out of foster homes. The weaving of a modern day story with a historical one is nothing short of brilliant. I loved, loved, loved this book!

Next up was Good Grief by Lolly Winston – I accidentally came upon this book while on my summer travels. For $4.00 at a resale shop, I picked up this book and was totally taken with the author’s writing style. To be able to write in a clever and humorous way about the grieving process takes incredible talent. The main character, Sophie, becomes a widow at the age of 36. She desperately wants to be a good widow - a graceful, composed Jackie Kennedy kind of widow. But, unfortunately, Sophie is more of a Jack Daniels kind. Downing cartons of ice-cream for breakfast, breaking down in the produce section of supermarkets, showing up to work in her bathrobe and bunny slippers, I laughed out loud a number of times while reading this book. I totally loved this book and am considering picking it for my Book Club selection in the fall.

Most recently I read Me Before You by JoJo Moyes – Thanks to my friend, Carolyn, for the recommendation of this book! It was wonderfully written, I couldn’t put it down. At the heart of this book is a romance between Louisa and Will, but it also involves Will’s struggle to live as a quadriplegic and Louisa’s determination to make him believe that life is worth living. This is one of the few books that actually moved me to tears at one point. I felt the pain of their relationship and their situation so deeply! It was an excellent read that made you think about the story long after the last page was read.

I am currently rereading Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda.  I read it a couple of years ago and then it was chosen as our book club pick for September.  I will admit that I am enjoying it the second time around as much as I did when I initially read it! 

Everybody should believe in something.  I believe I'll read another chapter :)

Little Red Wagon #254

Cork is such an interesting item to work with when crafting, so this week at Little Red Wagon I would like to see some cork creations!

I actually had lots of fun with this challenge.  I picked up a couple of dozen used corks from a little shop while I was on vacation this summer so I decided to use one to create a card holder.  Then I created this card using a cork sheet and a Tim Holtz die.

After I cut the swirl and the flower, I dug deep into my wagon and found this gorgeous pearl flower.  A fabulous addition to my card!  Then I decided to use some corrugated paper as my background to keep with the textured feel of the cork.

Then a little twine bow and it's perfect!  At least I think so :)

Please join in the fun at Little Red Wagon this week.  Grab some cork and create something spectacular and then link it up.  We will be sure to stop by your blog and leave some love.

Fun & Games

Shelby has issued the challenge at Two Scrapbook Friends this month for the September Sketch and Crafty Challenge!  Her sketch is awesome and I enjoyed giving it a try!

I decided to pair her sketch with the new Wild Card line from BoBunny. I just love the colors and patterns in this line and I knew I had the perfect photos to go with it!

My family loves card and board games, with some of our favorites being Scrabble, Cribbage, and Euchre.
 

These photos were taken when my sister, Mary, and her family were visiting a couple of years ago.  Mary and I totally LOVE Scrabble, so it was fun for me to scrapbook some of the photos I took :)

I enjoyed combining some papers from other lines with the Wild Card papers and elements.  I used the dot side from one of BoBunny's new Chevron Papers and I also created my GAMES banner using a paper from BoBunny's Souvenir line.

The dominoes, poker chips and cards were from the die-cut pack.  Such awesome elements!

Of course I added a little camera element to complete the Crafty part of Shelby's challenge.

Now, I know I can't win the $25.00 prize up for grabs this month, but you can!  You can find all the details to join in the challenge at Two Scrapbook Friends by clicking HERE.  Have fun! 

Little Red Wagon #253

It is that wonderful time of year when the school bell starts to ring again!  Going back to school is such a momentous time for teachers, students and parents, so for our Little Red Wagon challenge this week I would like to see a back-to-school card or gift.

I created this whimsical card for a back to school student using my Silhouette.

Isn't he just the wisest little owl ever?

I used a small wooden ruler and then decided the sentiment 'School Rules' was most appropriate :)

Now it is your turn.  Your homework this week is to create something back-to-school themed and link it up at Little Red Wagon!  I can't wait to see what you make!!

Little Red Wagon #252

We have another great challenge at Little Red Wagon this week!  Tracy wants to see some girly projects - pink, bling, glitter, etc.  It's all about the girls this week.

I was more than happy to pull out some pink and create this sweet card for the challenge.

I decided to try coloring a digi image using only grey tones and just a bit of pink.  This sweet girl is from Whimsie Doodles and is called She Has Wings.  Isn't she just a darling?

I used my warm grey Copic markers and I will admit it was a bit challenging going all monotone.  Even with the bit of pink, I felt that she still needed something, so I pulled out my white Poster Paint pen and added some dots. Then I put some Diamond Stickles on her wings (which for some reason is photographing more blue than irl) to add some sparkle.  The little heart rub-on is from eons ago and I just happened to find it in the bottom of my wagon so I added it also :)

Now it is your turn to create something girlie.  Be sure to link up your creation over at Little Red Wagon and we will make sure we stop by your blog.  Have a great week!

Little Red Wagon #251

Jayne has issued the challenge over at Little Red Wagon this week and she wants to see confetti on our project!

I saw this cake shaped card on the Silhouette store and I immediately thought how yummy it would look with some confetti sprinkles on it!

And what better than pink icing?  lol

My stash of sequins came in handy for the confetti and a little bit of black and white ribbon for the base was just perfect!

We would love if you would play along with us this week!  Just pop over to Little Red Wagon and link up your confetti project!  We will be sure to visit your blog and you might even be featured next Tuesday!  See you there :)

Destination: Happiness!

Every month, Two Scrapbook Friends issues a Sketch and Crafty Challenge!  One of our Design Team members designs a layout sketch and creates a layout based on the sketch that also includes the crafty part of the challenge.

This month, Jayne created this awesome sketch.

Her crafty challenge is to use a summer photo(s) on your layout.  I decided to play along with the challenge and this is the layout I created.

Jayne's sketch showed a vertical pattern paper that I decided to interpret by creating a geotag background.  I used my Silhouette to cut out geotag shapes and then I added 1-inch circles cut from pattern paper.  In some cases I used flair buttons to give it interest and dimension.  (The pattern paper and buttons are from Chic Tags.)  I also added some paint splatters to the background paper.

Since my photo was taken in Mexico, the travel themed papers were perfect.  I also added a die-cut airplane and hand stitching with twine for the flight path.

 I created my title/journal card using Photoshop and I printed it on photo paper.

For a final touch, I added some messy machine stitching, and I used a glaze pen to draw a thin line around the border of my background paper.

Why don't you play along with us at Two Scrapbook Friends?  You have the chance to have your name added to a draw for a $25.00 gift certificate to the store!  Just click HERE for more details.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Apparently my blog has become a card/scrapbook page blog and nothing else!  That was never my intention as I have always wanted to share more than just my paper crafting when I started my blog.  But, as busy as life is, and as much as I have to share, I just never seem to find the time to sit down and post anything other than my cards and pages.

Today, though, I am sharing my recipe for Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip Cookies.  This recipe goes way back, long before the internet was a household item.  My sister Dianne, who had always wanted to open her own bakery, found this copy-cat recipe and we have enjoyed our own version of Mrs. Field's cookies for many years!

These cookies are just the perfect mix of crispy/chewy and the added ground oatmeal makes them extra yummy!  You can also add chopped nuts if you like and as much chocolate as your taste buds crave!  Here is the recipe for you to enjoy.

Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4 cups oatmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4-cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2-cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions
Cream butter and sugars.  Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Take 1-1/4 cups oatmeal and blend small amounts at a time in food processor until it turns to a powder.  Combine oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Add dry ingredients to butter/sugar mixture and mix well.

Add chocolate chips and nuts and mix.

Place golf ball sized amounts on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 375 degrees for 11 minutes or just until golden brown.  Remove from oven, let rest for 1-2 minutes and transfer to rack to cool.

Note:  One batch will make approximately 22 cookies.  You will want to at least double this recipe.  These will go fast!

Little Red Wagon #250

Rosanne issued the challenge at Little Red Wagon for us this week.  She went easy on us with a Birthday theme!

When I was browsing the Silhouette Online Store, I came across this sweet little giraffe and I thought it would be adorable on a card for a little one.

I used an embossing folder to create the background and then I simply added the die-cut giraffe.  A few sequins added just the right amount of fun detail and the printed sentiment was created on my computer.

So now it is your turn.  And no excuses! lol  Everyone needs a birthday card sooner or later, so whip one up and then link it up at Little Red Wagon so we can see what you created :)

Little Red Wagon #249

Jan has issued a fun challenge this week at Little Red Wagon.  She wants to see some embossing used on our card.  Either wet or dry or both!

I made up a set of note cards for this challenge that includes some embossing on the card base.

I combined some hot pink and lime green cardstock, ribbon and flowers with black/white dotted paper. 

You can see in this photo the Swiss Dot embossing that I added to the card base.

I left the cards blank so they can be used for any occasion. 

Be sure to stop by the Little Red Wagon blog and visit each of the Design Team Girlfriends to see what they created for this challenge.  I am sure you will be inspired.  Then link up your own creation.  We always love seeing what you create :)