Thimbles, Bobbins, Paper and Ink

I tied one on...

2012-01-22T14:34:00.006-05:00

...a new apron, that is, and baked some Rolled Oat Cookies. Actually, this is a new apron I made for someone else, but I did tie one of my old aprons on a baked my Grandma Long's rolled oat cookies today.

I love this apron pattern with its angled pockets, bodice and hem. It isn't a fussy apron and stitched together quickly.
The pockets are nice and deep and I added the buttons as embellishment, though they are not functional, meaning they are stitched to the outside of the pocket. I love buttons whether they are meant to be functional or not.
I think this fabric is really sweet. I bought it years ago and purchased quite a bit. I'm not sure what I thought I was going to do with but last summer I made a number of tote bags with it and still had plenty left over for this apron.

And I did make my Grandma Long's Rolled Oat Cookies this afternoon. When I was a little girl I spent many weekends with my Grandma and Grandpa. In the summer, when I'd mow their lawn, Grandma always went straight to her kitchen and made up a batch of her rolled oat cookies. It was the best "payment" for helping out with chores. Grandma always lightly stewed her raisins before adding them to the batter and then, with the raisin stewing liquid, she'd add that as part of the liquid ingredients to the batter. And of course, she added a hint of cinnamon too. She'd laugh that her cookies never turned out the same each time she made them but I'd insist that they always were THE BEST ever! And they were! Today I substituted dried cranberries and white chocolate chips for the raisins and made them giant sized. The mister will have a giant cookie every day this week in his lunchbox.

I learned something today about rolled oats. I always like to look up origins of things (like yesterday's post about Graham crackers and graham flour.) Anyway, I learned thatrolled oats were first produced in 1877 by The Quaker Mill Company and are known for their distinctive cardboard canister with its red, white and blue label. By 1884 the Quaker Mill Company began selling their product, calling it "Quaker Oats". Incidentally, Quaker Oats is said to have been not only the first packaged food in America but also the first product to be mass marketed in the United States.

And speaking about Oatmeal Cookies. The first oatmeal cookie recipes contained just one half cup of oatmeal. The recipes that we see today, that are loaded with oats, are adaptations of a recipe first developed by The Quaker Oats Company during the Second World War. That recipe also used vegetable shortening instead of butter, which was in short supply. So if you see recipes today calling for shortening you now know where that originated. Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/OatmealCookies.html#ixzz1kDbvkaDA

So there is a little history less today too.

Hope you are having a restful Sunday.

Cheers!

Jennifer

Homemade Graham Crackers for Valentine S'mores

2012-01-21T12:36:00.014-05:00

There are a few edible items that I generally think about as only available from the grocery store: things like marshmallows, graham crackers, jello, peanut butter...you know; the common childhood memories of yummy goodness but not ordinarily homemade. But my mind works in strange ways and I thought, Why not make them at home? Last year for Valentine's day treats I made homemade marshmallows in three different flavors. You can find my blog post how to make marshmallows tutorial HERE.

The other day as the Mister was making a S'more in the micro-wave (too cold here for bonfires) using a homemade marshmallow I said to myself, "Self! Why don't you give making Graham Crackers a try." (Because that's how my mind works.) So I set about searching for a recipe as to how to make Graham crackers.
And I found several recipes! Just look at my crispy heartshaped graham crackers topped with pink heart shaped homemade marshmallows, topped with chocolate (heart shaped ofcourse!).
Now what's more fun than heart shaped S'mores for your sweetheart?

Back to making graham crackers. In my search I discovered that whole wheat graham flour is not very easy to come by. The graham cracker was developed in 1829 in Bound Brook, New Jersey by a Presbyterian Minister by the name of Sylvester Graham. The real and true graham cracker is made with a combination Graham Flour which is a combination of whole wheat and white flour and coarse-ground wheat bran and germ. So it is an actual flour you might find at your whole foods shop in the various flour bins. That is, if you live in the U.S. Actual Graham Flour is difficult to find outside of the U.S.A. But one can make substitutions and still come out with a fine Graham Cracker. Here is how I made my HOMEMADE GRAHAM CRACKERS:

Gather your ingredients. They aren't unusual (other than Graham Flour) and you probably have them in your pantry.

Step one: In a food processor or blender place your dry ingredients of whole wheat flour, graham flour, dark brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and pulse a few time to mix the dry ingredients.

Step two: Cut cold butter into 1/4 cubes and add to food processor and pulse until mixture resembles cornmeal.

Step three: Add the wet ingredients (all of the remaining ingredients) and process until the dough forms a ball (about a minute).
Step four: Now you are ready to turn out the dough onto plastic wrap and press into a 1/2 thick dough disc and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight if you've got other stuff to do now. The dough can wait.
Step five: Once thoroughly chilled, remove the dough from the frig and roll out between two layers of parchment paper. Roll until the dough is 1/8 inch thick.
Slide the parchment paper onto a baking sheet and remove the top layer of parchment paper. Now you can cut your graham crackers into traditional square shapes or, as I've done, using a metal cookie cutter cut the dough into heart shapes.
Using a fork, poke holes in all of the crackers on top of the dough. Then pop the sheet into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges just start to darken. And VOILA! I made heart shaped graham crackers!
Here is my graham cracker recipe. I tweeked the ones I found and came up with my own recipe, but you can always look up graham cracker recipes online for recipes from true chefs and bakers.

Graham Crackers Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons of Graham Flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes and chilled
1/4 dark molasses
1/4 cup honey
3 Tbsp. milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Place flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a food processor and pulse a few times until dry ingredients are combined. Add the chilled butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Next, add the molasses, honey, milk and vanilla extract and process until the dough forms a ball. Press the ball into a 1/2 inch thick disc shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or overnight if you prefer.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Unwrap the chilled dough and place it between to sheets of parchment paper and roll the dough out until it is 1/8th inch thick. Slide the rolled out dough and parchment paper onto baking sheet and remove the top sheet of parchment paper and cut the dough into squares (approximately 2" squares for traditional graham crackers) or using a cookie cutter cut into the shape you desire (I made hearts). Poke holes in the top of each cracker with a fork all the way through the dough. Place baking sheet into the oven on the center rack and bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges of the crackers just begin to turn brown. Remove crackers from the oven and set the sheet on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Once cool you can break the crackers into individual crackers on the scored lines you made.

If you don't eat the crackers all up they will save in an airtight container for up to two weeks. But what's the chance of your yummy homemade crackers go uneaten for two weeks, eh? *wink*

Now that you know how to make homemade graham crackers and homemade marshmallows for your homemade S'mores, you need to make your chocolate hearts. For mine, I took a package of Wilton Candy Melts and melted them in the top of a double boiler.

Then, I poured the melted chocolate onto a parchment paper lined 8" X 9" baking pan and let it get cool and firm. Then, to get the same sized heart shapes as the marshmallows with a warmed metal cookie cutter I cut the chocolate into heart shapes.

Note: I didn't have a heart shaped candy mold to use so the cookie cutter method was all I had at my disposal. I highly recommend using an actual candy mold if you have one. It would be MUCH easier to do. Ha ha...I live and I learn.

I whipped up a new batch of marshmallows. This year I added pink food coloring to the batter to make pink marshmallows. Last year I left them white. Either way is fine.

And here is my very own, 100% homemade version of Valentine S'mores.

Next to do is to package them up for Valentine gift giving so I'll post the packages in a blogpost soon once I figure out how I want to package them.

I really hope you'll let me know if you give these a try. I had a blast making these the past couple of days. And now...I've got to go and help The Mister get marshmallow out of his beard.

Cheers!

Jennifer

Penny Black Poppies Sympathy

2012-01-20T10:38:00.003-05:00

Sympathy cards are difficult for every cardmaker, I think. I also think that handmade sympathy cards express heartfelt thoughts and prayers. For this card I used a lovely Penny Black stamp simply titled "Poppies." Usually when I think of Penny Black stamps I think of the darling and whimsical hedgehogs and critters but there are many gorgeous floral images as well and this is one I particularly like. This week on Penny Black Saturday Challenge blog the theme is "Anything Goes" and this afforded me the opportunity to use this beautiful Penny Black floral stamp.
Using a Martha Stewart butterfly punch I created layered butterflies with red cardstock and vellum with pearl bodies.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Penny Black (Poppies) and Papertrey Ink (sentiment)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and image watercolored with Tombow markers
Designer Paper: Autumn Leaves "Pretty Poppies" Mat Stack, card base and images are on Fabriano Aquarello watercolor paper (MY FAVORITE!), red cardstock is from Stampin' Up!
Accessories: Martha Stewart Eyelet border punch and butterfly punch, Nestibilities oval and scalloped oval dies, Tombow markers and tiny white half pearls

I have some Valentine surprises in the works that I hope to be able to post very soon that perhaps you might like to try too. So until later....

Cheers!
Jennifer

All Black and White House Mouse and Friends Challenge # 111

2012-01-16T06:20:00.003-05:00

Are you ready for a new House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge? If so, you'll want to head on over to House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge Blog for challenge #111 for the "ALL BLACK AND WHITE ONLY" Challenge.Sounds simple, eh? Well, technically it is but let me tell you how hard it was not to add color to the cute little mousie. Not wanting to buck the rules on my first challenge with the DT I managed to keep my card all black and white, though I admit to using my copic markers just a wee bit on the mouse using cool grey tones.
And...I tried out my brand new-to-me lacey oval die from Cheery Lynn Designs. I've been seeing so many new intriquite die cuts on cards lately and I just had to try one out. It is a bit trickier running these delicate die patterns through the cuttlebug but the end product is lovely, I think.

I used some black Stickles glitter and on top of the stickles used clear Glossy Accents dimensional glaze on the ink bottle for a real life ink jar effect.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Stampabilities "Amanda Writes" and Papertrey Inc "hello" sentiment
Ink: Versafine Black and clear embossing powder. Copic Markers
Designer Paper: Making Memories "Sabrina"
Embellishments: Cherry Lynn Designs cutting dye, Prima Flowers, Miscellaneous black buttons and machine stitching

Be sure to hop on over and join in on today's House Mouse and Friends Monday challenge #111. As always, there are super prizes to be won and gorgeous sample cards for inspiration from the amazing House Mouse and Friends design team.

Also, I wanted to tell you to Mark your calendars for January 30th. It's the day of our very first BLOG-HOP of 2012 !! You will want to join in the FUN and play along on that special challenge too because it will be FULL of excitement and really GREAT PRIZES!!

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

One stamp - three ways

2012-01-13T15:57:00.004-05:00

Day #4 of the CAS online cardmaking class covered some very interesting ideas for using one stamp in a variety of ways and still create clean and simple cards.

I decided to use a Serendipity Stamps set and use the tennis shoes three different. My first card I used a layout from Day #1 lesson and a very old but loved sentiment stamp from JustJohanna stamps that says You have a certain je ne sais quoi. I have a very limited French vocabulary but this is one sentiment that I just love and it suites so many occasions so I thought I'd play it out on this tennis shoe card. I colored the shoes with copic markers except for the center tennis shoe on which I used some paper piecing to match the sidestrip background.
For my second card I used the friends synonyms words stamp from the set and stamped it over and over in versamark and embossed with white detail embossing powder to create the background. Then I simply stamped the shoes on a scratch piece of cardstock in versamark and embossed it in white detail embossing powder and colored the strings with white gel pen. To make the shoes pop a bit I cut them out and mounted them on foam tape, then added grosgrain ribbon bows to the corners. Voila! Card #2 complete! (Oh my...French written twice in one post. I am about at my limit now.)
Card #3 is a really BRIGHT card even though it is on black cardstock. I stamped only a portion of the tennis shoe stamp one a piece of cardstock and then embossed it with the fushia embossing powder. I rarely use this EP and now that I see how bright and fun it is on black cardstock I may have to use it more often. I tied some bright green grosgrain ribbon around that piece of cardstock and mounted it to the cardbase. Then I stamped Friends Forever from the Serendipity Tennis Shoe set in versamark and embossed in white. The card was kind of flat looking so I colored the shoe strings in white gel pen and added faux stitching with the gel pen too. (WHAT?! Faux...French three times in one post! That really is about the extent I know now!)

This is the Serendipity Stamp set I used and made three different cards keeping them CAS.

Time to go outside and help the Mister shovel snow. We got hit really hard here in Eastern Ontario.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Tickled PINK and on Cloud Nine

2012-01-12T09:15:00.003-05:00

Yes, that's right! I'm tickled pink and floating on Cloud Nine! I received an invitation from House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge Blog to be a permanent designer on their design team! Five new Design Team members were chosen to join this international and fabulously talented House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge Blog and I can't begin to tell you what an honor it is for me to have been selected as one of the five new design team members.

As you know, House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge is a bi-Weekly Challenge Blog that posts a new Challenge to the HM&F MC blog every other Monday. It is a Family oriented TEAM who work together to run it as a real group. The Members are Designers from around the globe that have a broad range of talents, interests and a great love for the adorable House-Mouse & Friends, Gruffies & Happy Hoppers Stamps from House Mouse Designs.

Thanks for allowing me to Toot! Toot! Toot! my own horn but I just have been tickled pink, floating on cloud nine and grinning from ear to ear since I received the news.

Cheers!

Jennifer

Tone on tone pennant birthday card

2012-01-11T15:41:00.003-05:00

It is day #3 of the online card making class and today we focused on tone-on-tone dimensional cards. It is still clean and simple in design, but the dimension from the punched pennants and the Happy Birthday banner give this otherwise monochromatic card a bit of pop.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Sentiment is from Papertrey Inc. Mixed Messages set
Ink: Momento Rose Red
Accessories: Stampin' Up! Pennant punch, cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder, DMC E5200 Pearlescent Effects embroidery floss, half pearls

I bought myself a Crockpot last month and have been having fun trying out new to me recipes in it. Tonight I have Chicken Breasts A' L'Orange in it. If it turns out to our liking I'll share the recipe tomorrow. It was easy to throw in the crockpot this morning and the orange and spices in it are really starting to smell delicious this afternoon as it cooks.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

One layer card: Golden Doilies

2012-01-10T19:43:00.005-05:00

Today is Day #2 of the Clean and Simple Cards at the online card making class that I'm taking. Today's lesson was Perfectly Flat cards, or as are often referred to as OLC's (One Layer Cards).

Whew! Not a button, ribbon, pearl or brad added, but I did it! Knowing me as he does, even The Mister commented tonight that this must be difficult for me! tee hee hee! He's right, it is! But I'm thoroughly enjoying the course.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Stampin' Up! Hello Doily, Delicate Doilies and Wonderful Words
Ink: Brilliance Galaxy Gold and Versafine Vintage Sepia
Accessories: Gold Leaf pen and Martha Stewart eyelet border punch

So here is my OLC in CAS fashion! Are you learning the lingo along with me? I'm looking forward to seeing what our next lesson will be as well as making more cards from Days 1 and 2 from lessons we are learning.

Cheers!
Jennifer

Clean and Simple: Dog Sympathy Card

2012-01-09T14:02:00.003-05:00

For the next few weeks I'm taking an online cardmaking course on Clean and Simple cards, otherwise known as CAS Cards. It seems a bit strange that the hardest cards to make, at least for me, are the clean and simple ones. Oh yes! I can layer onto one card just about every embellishment, glitter and glitz I have, but challenge me to use only cardstock, stamp and ink with blank spots showing...YIKES! I panic.

Today was the first demonstration of sample layouts and cards with an excellent video and samples. I just know I'm going to thoroughly enjoy this course.

My card uses the first layout we were assigned. Because I make and send sympathy cards for loss of pets, I decided to use a dog sympathy card as my focal point.

Card recipe:
Stamps: Cornish Heritage Farms Dog Backgrounder, Papertrey Ink Sentiment, Paw print from Clear Stamps.
Ink: Memento Bamboo Leaves, Versamark and detail white embossing powder
Supplies: White gel pen and foam dots.

If you are interested in online card making courses, go to: On Line Cardmaking.

Cheers!

Jennifer

New Year and New Projects

2012-01-08T17:39:00.004-05:00

It's a NEW YEAR and the first theme challenge at House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge blog is "NEW". Get out your Mouse Mouse, Happy Hopper or Gruffies stamps and create something with the theme of NEW. I have some new sewing projects I am dreaming up and some actually sewn since the 1st of 2012, so I decided to use this cute House Mouse Stamp titled "Alterations Sew and Go" as my take on the theme for all of my new sewing projects underway.
For the inside of my card I used a sentiment from Paper Trey Inc. Quilters Sampler Sentiments.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Stampabilities "Alterations Sew and Go" and Papertrey Inc. "Quilters Sampler Sentiments
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black and Versfine Crimson Red. Image colored with Copic Markers
Designer Paper: Cosmo Cricket
Embellishments: Red, Yellow, Green and Blue Stickles Glitter for the pinheads, Antique Glass Embossing glaze on the mirror, Machine stitching, satin measuring tape ribbon, black buttons, scissors charms, and gold, green and blue glitter gel pens.

Do you have NEW things you are doing, working on, reading, playing, activities (the list could go on and on) that you are pursuing this new year? I'd love to hear.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Happy New Year and Black Beauty too!

2012-01-01T11:33:00.006-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

How did you spend New Year's Eve? I'd love to hear how everyone celebrates the "going out with the old and in with the new." The mister and I had a very low key evening but pleasant enough. We watched a movie and were in bed before midnight. Yep! That's us...the party animals.

I'm a person who likes to make lists. A LOT of lists for all kinds of things. Consequently, I've been making my goals lists for 2012. My list is lengthy so rather than bore you with the mundane, I'll share just two of my goals.

One goal is to read 40 books this year. Last year I challenged myself to read 100 books. I read extremely slowly so this was truly an unrealistic goal. I cut it back to 40 books which is still going to be a very full challenge for me. I belong to GOODREADS, a website for both the bibliophile as well as those of us who enjoy a good read. Goodreads has online reading clubs and I've joined one. The bookclub has a challenge for us this year. We each listed 12 books that have been on our "to read" list and to pick one book from that list each month. This is my list of my "book of the month reading list":

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Christmas on Ladybug Farm: A Novella by Donna Ball
The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation by Elizabeth Letts
Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows

I own all of these books. Many I've even started but have not finished. Notice the first book on my list is Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Last summer my daughter gave me a box of old books that had been mine and she had borrowed. Amongst the books was a copy of Black Beauty that had been given to me by my Uncle Jack when I was about 9 or 10 years old. I loved the idea of owning the book and leafing through it but I had a very difficult time reading as a child and consequently, never read it. But, I kept it all of these years! Now I'm finally going to read it and I know I'm going to love it.
Black Beauty

That's just one of my goals, i.e. to read 40 books this year and the above list will be 12 of that 40. I'm keeping a ticker down my sidebar to chart my progress as the year goes by.

Another HUGE and very important goal, to which I'm seriously committed, is to lose weight. 76 pounds of weight! I won't bore you with the updates on my weight loss journey, but I have also put a ticker graph on my sidebar for my own information to chart the loss as the pounds come off. I know it won't be easy, but as I said to the mister, I have too many big plans for the future and as I approach turning 60 years young, I do not want my weight literally weighing me down. So I suppose the age factor is what jolted me into action. I turn 60 in 2 years. First I need to get this weigh off, which I should be able to accomplish in a year and the then continue to get in shape mentally and physically so that by the big 60 I'll be ready and healthy enough to get on with our plans for the mister's retirement.

Speaking (indirectly) of healthy things to eat, have you ever heard of or eaten JAZZ apples?

Jazz is a relatively new apple variety from New Zealand. It is the result of a cross between Royal Gala and Braeburn. We've only just discovered this variety in the last two month and they are absolutely delicious! They're crisp, sweet and...well...we love them. If you haven't tried them and happen to see them at your grocery store or market, I encourage you to give them a try.

Again, I wish you a happy start to the new year and throughout the year as well.
Cheers!

Jennifer

"The wind of heaven..."

2011-12-31T12:00:00.006-05:00

These past several days between Christmas and New Year's day have been relaxing for the mister, the critters and me. We've puttered about doing hobby things, a bit of organization projects are in progress and we've taken in a couple of movies at the cinema. One that I highly recommend if you get a chance is to go and see War Horse. The cinematography, history about WWI and of course the story of Joey, the war horse, makes for a fascinating movie(albeit very emotional - tissue alert).

After seeing the movie I decided to make some notecards for my own use and used the Bareback set from Stampin' Up! The paper piercing was done with a Spellbinders piercing template and stylist. I love the simple yet textural feel of paper piercing.
I love the sentiment that goes with the which reads, The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears. and stamped it on the inside of my cards.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Stampin' Up! Bareback set
Ink: Versafine Vintage Sepia and Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip
Designer Paper: October Afternoon
Embellishments: Nestibilities rectangle and scalloped rectangle dies, Spellbinders piercing template, machine stitching, jute, Brass hardware from Making Memories.

Do you have big plans for New Year's eve? Do you go out and ring in the New Year with friends? Gabe has gotten a jump start on the way the mister and I party. We are pretty laid back and will most likely toast the New Year around 10 p.m. and then be off to bed. I can't stay awake anymore until midnight. Obviously, neither can Gabe!

Happy New Year, my friends!
Cheers!

Jennifer

Fuzzy and Warm

2011-12-30T19:42:00.005-05:00

"Fuzzy and Warm" is the theme for the final challenge #109 at House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge blog. I'm getting my card made just under the wire for the deadline, but I really had fun making this card. I used one of my Happy Hopper stamps titled Will Knit for Friends. I think this sweet stamp refects the fuzzy and warm challenge requirements.

My chicks are adored with some fuzzy down by using Flowersoft product on them.

The inside of my card is stamped with "Hello Chickie". Hopefully the recipient will get a smile or two from this card.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Stampabilities Happy Hopper "Will Knit for Friends" and Papertrey Ink sentiment
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black and Momento Rose Bud. Image colored with Copic Markers
Designer Paper: Stampin' Up!
Embellishments: Martha Stewart Eyelet Border Punch and Stampin' Up! Doily Punch, Yellow Flowersoft product, pale green, yellow and purple half pearls, Machine stitching.

Another fun House Mouse and Friends challenge will be posted on Monday, Jan. 2nd so if you don't get in on this challenge, be sure to check out their blog next week.

Cheers!
Jennifer

Time's fun when you're having flies...

2011-12-29T22:54:00.004-05:00

Winter most definitely has arrived. We've had a lot of snow over the past week and today the temperature has dipped to 4 below zero...and that doesn't even take in to account the wind chill factor. Suffice to say, it was C+O+L+D outside and a good day to stay inside and putter about. While the Mister worked on some automotive tinkering, I decided to make cards.

Cards for the fellows are always hardest for me to make. This stamp set called Frogs and Flies is a retired set from Stampin' Up! and you've seen me use it before. I think this fun little frog with his jar of pickled flies is a hoot and hopefully the man I'm sending this card to will think it is too.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: "Frogs and Flies" Stampin' Up!
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black and Momento Bamboo Shoots (green). Image Colored with Copic Markers
Designer Paper: K & Company
Embellishments: Stampin' Up! Corner punch and flower punch, Stickles glitter glue, Making Memories (I think!)dragon fly brads.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:14:00.002-05:00

From our home to yours The Mister, Gypsy, Gabriel, Noah, Paige, Tango, Renoir and especially I wish you and your family a very happiest of holiday seasons filled with love, peace and laughter.

Cheers!

Jennifer

Christmas Baking

2011-12-21T22:18:00.005-05:00

What did I get myself into? I told The Mister that I'd put together some simple gifts for him to take to his staff at work. Last summer I did so much canning and preserving I thought I'd give out jars of jam and preserves. Well, as usual, I over think things and decided a jar of jam didn't seem quite right so I decided to make up a plate of baked goodies surrounding the jam.
This is what I came up with. I made 7 different kinds of cookies (pictured above). The only baked goodie that I didn't share are the peanut butter/chocolate balls. The Mister loves those so much so I saved them for him. But I did do a lot of baking!! A LOT of baking. All of the cookies are family traditional Christmas cookies with the exception of two new recipes: the Chai Chocolate Snickerdoodles (that I posted about the last post) and the Cherry Bowties. OH MY GOODNESS! The Cherry Bowties recipe is a new one this year and we love them! I used my homemade cherry jam inside them. This is definitely a keeper recipe.

I used my Michael's 50% off coupon on rolls of shrink wrap and tied up the plates with ribbon. The tag is made from a Stampin' Up! set called "Deck The Halls".

And so......14 gift plates later, I finally finished packaging the gifts. The Mister will take the gifts in with him to work tomorrow to distribute to his staff.

And don't you just know it? After all of the baking I've done, we now do not have any cookies left. Well, none in the photos above. Just his peanut butter balls now. That's fine with me.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Chai - Chocolate Snickerdoodles

2011-12-19T10:40:00.006-05:00

For me, Christmas is all about family traditions. These traditions extend from how we celebrate the Holy day, how we prepare and decorate, and how and what we bake and eat. On December 1st I have been donning my favorite Christmas aprons (future post will be my aprons) and baking a variety of family favorite cookies, pies and cakes. Many of my cookies are the traditional ones that many people bake such as Spritz cookies, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Fudge and jam/fruit filled cookies.
This year I tried a couple of new cookies to add to my holiday baking repertoire and today I want to share Chai - Chocolate Snickerdoodles. I discovered this recipe last year while watching ABC's Good Morning America and went to their website, printed it out but did not make them until I rediscovered my recipe yesterday. These are most definitely going to remain on my annual Christmas cookie favorite list!

My childhood memories of delicious cookies included Snickerdoodles. They are among my favorite cookies. I also love Chai! Years ago a dear friend made for me my first cup of real chai. It seemed to me that he was going to a lot of trouble just to make a cup of tea, but one sip was all it took for me to be a chai drinker. This recipe for Chai-Chocolate Snickerdoodles is a cookie version of my favorite beverage. The key ingredients include ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, all spice, white pepper and vanilla: all of those wonderful flavors found in Chai! And the addition of some cocoa powder adds a hint of chocolate. Yummm!

This is the recipe:

Chai - Chocolate Snickerdoodles
Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup softened unsalted butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Baking Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the first six ingredients (sugar through white pepper) in a small bowl; reserve 1/2 cup in a shallow dish for rolling the cookies in right before baking. Add cocoa to the small bowl with remaining sugar/spice mixture. Stir to blend.

Cream butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the spiced cocoa mixture and beat until combined. Add eggs and vanilla, then add flour and baking powder, mixing at low speed until combined.

Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Roll balls in reserved sugar mixture and arrange 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Cool on sheet pan for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

This recipe was styled by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America.

If you'd like to see the video from Good Morning America's program click HERE.

I know you'll enjoy these!

Cheers!

Jennifer

Christmas Poinsettia

2011-11-25T21:06:00.004-05:00

I gave myself a challenge today. I am way behind in making my Christmas cards to send...waaaaaaaay behind! So my challenge to myself was to try to make cards that are 'clean and simple,' or in cardmaker's lingo that would be CAS. One would think that that would not be a challenge at all, but I have a love affair with designer papers, ribbons, bling and glitz and lots of layers on my cards. Consequently, for me to stamp and color and be satisfied with the outcome is a challenge. I must say, though, I am pleased with this CAS card. I've stamped Merry Christmas on the inside, but it could easily be used as a winter notecard or, perhaps, a thank you card after the holidays.
In order to highlight my little Christmas Poinsettia basket I decided to emboss a design around the image. I used a Spellbinders die from the ironworks set to make the snowflake/doily embossing.

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Bitty Bouquets (1999 hostess set) and inside sentiment is Stampin' Up.
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black. Image colored with Copic markers
Accessories: Spellbinders Ironworks embossing die, Tonic Holly corner punch, red and yellow stickles glitter.

I must admit that I enjoyed making this card. It was hard not to add "just one more element" and the mister was laughing at me as I kept asking him, "what if I just added one more thing."

I'm going to make some different CAS Christmas cards. They are certainly more easily mailable without extra postage requirements due to bulk, and they are fast to mass produce.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Country Christmas Wreath

2011-11-24T16:24:00.005-05:00

I'm always attracted to primitive country designs and I wanted to design a Christmas card that was simple and of a country feel, so I pulled out a favored Stampin' Up! stamp set called Nellie the Nest Lady and set about using the vine stamp and wreath stamp and this is what I came up with.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Stampin' Up! "Nellie the Nest Lady"
Ink: Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip, Tim Holtz distress inks in Vintage Photo, Tea Dye and Aged Mahogany
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Kraft cardstock, Michael's Christmas pack cardstock in green and beige.
Assessories: Cuttlebug tag die, Nestabilities oval and scalloped oval dies, Stampin' Up! Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Liquid Pearls in Ruby Red, Corner Rounder punch, Ribbon and Button are from my sewing box and the PEACE sentiment is computer generated.

I hope all of my family and friends in the United States are enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving day.

Cheers!
Jennifer

Shalom

2011-11-22T15:03:00.003-05:00

It is a very cold, cold day here and the perfect day to stay indoors, sip hot tea and make cards! I was eager to ink up my brand new Shalom stamp for some Hanukkah cards.

This is a very simply made card but hopefully comes across as elegant.

Card Recipe:

Stamps: SHALOM from Stampin' Up!
Ink: Versamark
Cardstock: Dark and light blue from Recollections and the silver is from my local stamp store
Embellishments: Silver Detail embossing powder, cuttlebug embossing folder, foam tape.

We are predicted to get snowfall tonight. I believe it because it is so cold right now. I've got a loaf a Black Forest Pumpernickle bread in the bread maker baking and soup on the stove for dinner tonight.

Stay warm!
Cheers!

Jennifer

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler with Créme Anglaise

2011-11-11T08:25:00.008-05:00

Temperatures are plummeting as we get a pre-winter blast of cold air and for me that means I'm serving the mister hearty meals followed by warm dessert. Last night's meat loaf, carrots and broccoli with buttered egg noodles was filling and good on a cold night but we both wanted something sweet and warm for dessert. Meals like this make me happy that I can pull from the larder a jar of peaches that I canned when they were ripe and juicy and freshly picked blueberries I froze last summer. MMmmmm...peaches and blueberries quickly made into a hot Peach - Blueberry cobbler.
A couple of years ago on our trip to England for my son and daughter-in-laws wedding I made a delightful discovery about British cuisine! My English family and friends serve this wonderful, thick and oh-so-delicious créme anglaise over cobblers, fruit crisps and even chocolate cake. The mister and I were sceptical at first but after one bite of dessert with this heavenly creme, we were hooked!
OK...admittedly I cheat a bit when I make créme anglaise. I'm not sure if Bird's créme anglaise custard powder is available world wide but here in Canada it is the fast and easy way to whip up this heavenly creme.
This is my favorite peach cobbler recipe. The "cobbler" part is light and cake-like and the fruit on the bottom is warmed in the oven prior to adding the cobbler, giving it time for the fruit juice to thicken and not cause the cobbler to be mushy.

PEACH - BLUEBERRY COBBLER

INGREDIENTS:
1 qt jar of canned peaches (if you use fresh peaches you'll need about 8 peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped)
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water

3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 cup ground pecans or walnuts (optional - the mister prefers I don't add them but I like them!)

DIRECTIONS:

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 C)

2.) In a large bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients to make the fruit mixture for the bottom. Toss to coat evenly and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

3.) While your fruit is baking, in a large bowl combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in the water just until combined.

4.) Remove fruit mixture from the oven and drop spoonfuls of topping over the top. Sprinkle the top of the entire cobbler with the sugar/cinnamon (nut) mixture. Bake until the topping is golden brown (about 25 minutes).

ENJOY!!

Jennifer

Rustic Christmas Angel pin and ornament

2011-11-09T11:03:00.004-05:00

If I were to be asked what my "style" is I would have to say it is rustic or primitive. I'm drawn to handmade items and country charm and simplicity. In my effort to create handmade ornaments for our Christmas tree this year I made these little rustic Christmas angels while watching tv last night. These go together in just a few minutes with a simple supplies. I think these angels will look very sweet hanging on the Christmas tree as well as made into a lapel pin to wear on my sweater or jacket.
Here is how I made them:
Instructions:

Materials needed:
One 4 1/2" X 7 " piece of unbleached muslin which will be the body
One 2 1/4 " X 3 " piece of unbleached muslin for the the wings
(NOTE: if you like the more natural/rustic look, tear the fabric rather than cutting it)
Polyester fiberfill for the head (just a tiny 3/4 " ball of it)
Raffia for the halo
Small piece of red fabric or felt for the heart
Thread

Step 1. For the head and body, fold one long edge of the 4 1/2" X 7 " muslin down 1 1/2" and place the fiberfill ball between the layers of muslin at the center of the fold. Using a doubled thread tie tightly under the fiberfill to form the head and pull up the head.

Step 2. Now you have a head and need some arms. The arms are merely knots. Pull up and tie one corner and knot close to the head. Repeat for the other arm.

Step 3: Cut out a small heart and glue it or rough stitch it to the angel.

Step 4: For the halo, wrap a piece of raffia (Spanish moss would work well too) around your finger to form a ring and roll it off of your finger and shape like a halo. Stitch (or glue) the halo to the back of the head. (I hand stitched the halo.)
Step 5: For the wings, take the remaining 2 1/4" X 3 " piece of muslin and make tiny fanfolds from the long edge to long edge. Tie tightly in the center with a doubled piece of thread. Sew or glue the wings in place on the back of your angel.

Step 6: To make your angel an ornament, tie a piece of ribbon or jute (I used jute to keep with the rustic look) to the angel's back. If you prefer to wear your angel as a pin, glue or sew a jewelry pinback to the back of your angel.
Feel free to use and share my little angels. I hope if you make these angels you'll link back here let me know and show me yours.

I am going to make up a few more for little gifts. I have some more ornaments I'm making that I'll show you soon.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Victorian Button Ornaments

2011-11-07T19:39:00.010-05:00

Have you discovered Pininterest? It is a wonderful site filled with creative ideas for crafts, apparel, food, books...you name it. I can spend hours browsing through the inspiration found on this site and that is exactly what I did today.

You see, our Christmas tree is very ho-hum. Every year it is uninspired and less than festive. This past weekend I decided that this year we would have a tree and home decorations that are handmade, creative and handmade with love. While looking through Pininterest I came upon a blog called French Larkspur and on it she had posted glass ornaments filled with buttons that she had found at a flea market. I knew immediately where I had stored some clear glass bulbs that I bought several years ago on sale at Michaels and they were just waiting to be embellished. I got them out, along with my button jars, lace and hot glue gun. I was ready to begin creating!
(above) This is the first ornament I made. I probably could have filled it a little more full, but hey! It was my first attempt and I was happy with it.
Second I made another white with lace but added more buttons on the outside. This is fun! Let's do more!!
So I decided to try these with a bit of color. What do you think of the red plaid ribbon with buttons?
Or how about green? I'm on a roll now!
I could give you a long drawn out tutorial but that just isn't necessary. I think the photo above explains it all. Merely take the top off a clear glass ornament. Remove the wire from the brass top and slip the prongs through a large button and then thread the wire back through the brass top. You've just created the button top!
Then you will fill your glass bulb as full as you wish and replace the top. Tie ribbon or lace and add a button and that is it! A five minute project that has endless possibilities.
While searching through Pininterest archives I found so many handmade Christmas ornaments that I'd like to try. I think this year our home will be filled with a handmade Christmas...just the way we like it.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Shalom

2011-11-04T12:29:00.004-04:00

I'm on a cardmaking roll this week! WOW! Two posts in one day. Actually I have quite a few holiday cards in various stages of completion on my work table.

I wanted to share this Hanukkah card. It's very simple but I think it is pretty. The Menorah stamp is from the Stampin' Up! set titled Hebrew Holidays. Using Versamark I stamped the image and then embossed it with silver detail embossing powder. I used silver leaf pen for the mat borders and colored the small portions of the Menorah with metalic silver as well. I happen to have the soft blue crystals which I used for the flames and in the center of the Star of David. I was going to use crystal clear crystals but these matched nicely with the cardstock. The silver eyelash yarn is a Martha Stewart yarn. I'm still debating if I like it on this card or is too much? Let me know what you think.

The inside sentiment is computer generated. I wanted a little more than Happy Hanukkah in the greeting and didn't have any sentiment stamps that were suitable. I thought this sentiment goes nicely with the front image.

I'd better get back to my cardmaking table...

Cheers!

Jennifer

"Age and treachery will triumph over youth and skill."

2011-11-04T08:32:00.006-04:00

When you need to make a funny geezer card the first stamp company I think of for classic geezer images is Art Impressions. Just their facial expressions alone will make you smile and the sentiment stamps are typical geezer wisdom.

The mister requested I make a get well card/thinking of you card for a very good friend of his who just this week had triple bypass surgery. I saw the worried and anxious look when my mister got the news about his friend and I am very relieved to report that his buddy is out of surgery and is expected to pull through the operation in good form. These two men would never dream of sending one another a 'mushy' and sentimental card so I pulled out this geezer guy stamp and some pearls of wisdom: "Age and treachery will triumph over youth and skill." which is stamped on the inside of the card.
I couldn't resist adding some ivory colored Flower Soft to this geezers tufts of hair, eyebrows and chesthair peeking through his shirt. His glasses have a small dab of Antique Glass dimensional glaze on them. Tee hee...I think he's all ready to hand out advice to his buddies, don't you?

My mister laughed out loud when he saw the finished card and said it was just what his buddy would enjoy to help him on his road to recovery. I was glad I could help out.
Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Happy Hanukkah - Telescope card

2011-11-03T12:01:00.004-04:00

The "Wednesday Tutorial" for this week at Splitcoast stampers, and beautifully demonstrated by Beate, is how to make a telescope card. I enjoy making interactive cards and I thought the telescope card would make a fun Hanukkah card.

"What is a telescope card?", you might ask. It is an expanding card that is made in layers and each layer is connected with a brad that will allow it to swing open. I made my Hanukkah card with various layers of circles using three swiveling layers. When closed, the card looks like the photo above.

Are you wondering how it opens? Look at the photo below and you can see how it opens by swiveling on the blue crystal brads:

Once the card is open it looks like this:

The dreidel and Star of David stamps are from Stampin' Up! set titled "Hebrew Holidays". The small Menorah from Inkadinkadoo. The Stampin' Up! set does have a lovely Menorah in the set but it was too large for this particular card. "Happy Hanukkah" is computer generated.

If you are interested in seeing Beate's tutorial for a telescope card you can find it HERE at Splitcoast Stampers.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Time's fun when you're having flies...

2011-11-01T08:32:00.006-04:00

Don't you just love a fun find? Lately, I've been far more attracted to some of the older, retired stamps and stamp sets. Perhaps the hunt for ones I missed out the first time they were available is the appeal. In this case, I couldn't have been more excited to find this very old retired Stampin' Up set titled "Frogs and Flies."
Isn't she just the most lovely frog lady? hee hee! I am just tickled pink to have found this set and immediately applied ink to rubber and made several cards.
Typically, when I make cards, I stamp and color more than just one at a time. Invariably I'll mess one up or decide I don't like color choices. This time, though, I decided to make two cards the same. I know I'll use them. The only difference being I added the 'thank you' tag to the first and ribbon to the second.
The inside sentiment reads, "Time's fun when you're having flies...". It makes me giggle everytime!
The second main image stamp in the Frogs and Flies set is the handsome gentleman frog doing some fishing while sitting amongst the lily pads. It appears he's enjoying some "pickled flies" to snack on while he fishes. Do you think he bought the flies from the lady (above) selling them?
I stamped a second lily pad and popped it up for a little lily pad dimension and added the same sentiment, time's fun when you're having flies..., to the inside.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Stampin' Up! FROGS AND FLIES, "Thanks" sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Momento Bamboo Leaves, Stampin' Up! Chocolate, Images colored with Copic Markers
Designer Paper: Bo Bunny and K & Company
Accessories: Martha Stewart border punch, silver dragonfly brads, green crystals, pop dots foam dimensions, miscellaneous ribbon and button, Stampin' Up! bakers twin, Making Memories brass brads, machine stitching, Stickles glitter in Diamond, baby blue, baby blue and pink, and liquid pearls in pink.

This is a set I'm going to thoroughly enjoy using and I hope the cards will give the recipients a good chuckle too.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Fall!

2011-10-24T08:36:00.007-04:00

Fall has definitely arrived and as I look out my window I see a very cold, blustery day, just like these House Mice are experiencing.

This is my last week this month to be a guest design team member for House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge blog for October and the theme of this week's challenge is FALL.

When I think of Fall I think of leaves blowing about, beautiful colors of nature, and crisp textures in leaves, corn husks and bare rolling hills. These are the elements I wanted to portray in my card for this challenge so I used my paper crimper for the leaves and background panel for the rolling hills effect and added rafia for dried straw or corn husk look and added distress ink in autumn shades.

Card Recipe:
Stamp: Stampabilities "Floating on a leaf" # HMJR1005
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink in peeled paint, antique linen and dusty concord. Image colored with Copic markers
Designer paper: Bo Bunny
Accessories: Brass eyelets, Paper crimper, Nestibilities die, raffia and Stickles glitter in copper and diamond.
Punches: Martha Stewart Leaf and fern punches. Tiny Maple Leaf punch by McGill Craftivity
If you enjoy House Mouse and friends stamps then be sure to check HOUSE MOUSE AND FRIENDS challenge blog and play along with this week's FALL challenge.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Trick or Treat

2011-10-10T07:46:00.005-04:00

Trick or Treat! These cute little mice are all dressed up for a night of trick or treating.
The House Mouse and Friends Challenge blog gave me a real TREAT (and it wasn't a trick either) when they asked me to be one of the guest designers this month. In keeping with the challenge theme, this is the card I made for challenge #106 and we want to see you creating projects with these COLORS: Black, Orange, Yellow & Green with an optional Halloween theme. This allows for those countries who celebrate Halloween to make Halloween cards/projects, and those that don't celebrate it, to get creative with these fun colors!Card Recipe:
Stamp: Stampabilities "Bewitching Pumpkins" HMTR1025
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Image colored with Copic markers
Designer Paper: K & Company
Embellishements: Martha Stewart "Trick or Treat ribbon, yellow button from my button jar, Miscellaneous sheer ribbon, Yellow Stickles glitter on jack-o-lantern face.
If you enjoy House Mouse and Friends stamps you'll want to be sure to hop on over to HOUSE MOUSE AND FRIENDS CHALLENGE BLOG and join in the fun with this Black, Orange, Yellow and Green Challenge.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Jingle all the way!

2011-10-06T09:44:00.005-04:00

The latest House Mouse and Friends challenge # 105 is to see a lot of SPARKLE ON CHRISTMAS CARDS. This little card really sparkles and shines. I used Mica chips for the snow, clear dimensional glaze on the bells and diamond Stickles glitter glue for added sparkle. I found a bag of teeny-tiny silver bells at the dollar store and added it to the center of the bow. The snowflake border is made with my Martha Stewart snowflake border punch. I like this edge!

Another wonderful challenge blog, The Paper Players is also having a challenge this week with the theme of music! Now this is a challenge I love, and if you have a new musically inspired card be sure to hop on over to The Paper Players and submit your card too!

Finally, a third challenge site that I'm posting to this week is to the Simon Says Challenge site. Simon Says Challenge is featuring Sparkle and Bling and Stampabilities stamps too! How fun since my card is featuring this darling House Mouse stamp which is made by Stampabilities.

This is a very simple card to be used either for Christmas cards or gift thank you notes at holiday time.

I have some new sewing projects in the works and need to get into my sewing room now.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Hey Diddle Diddle the Cat and the Fiddle...

2011-10-03T19:44:00.007-04:00

Hey Diddle Diddle the cat and the fiddle,
The Cow jumped over the moon.
The little Dog laughed to see such sport,
And the Dish ran away with the spoon.

This past weekend we have been celebrating the birth of the mister's newest granddaughter. I knew immediately that I wanted to make a set of cards using this Close to my Heart set simply titled, "Hey diddle diddle."

These are very much the clean and simple layout and style of cards but I think it makes a great set of cards that can easily be used as thank you notes or birth announcements or any baby related party need, such as shower invitations.

I made a set of twelve cards (three of each design) and thoroughly enjoyed the cardmaking process.

These cards are colored with copic markers, a little stickles for sparkle on each card, a variety of coordinating ribbons, and of course my nestibilities dies and cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder.

I think my next project with these stamps will be on onesies. Wouldn't these make darling onsies?

Cheers!

Jennifer

Sweet Halloween

2011-09-21T12:45:00.004-04:00

The Autumnal Equinox is this Friday and finally I feel it is ok to get out my autumn stamps. I'm thinking Halloween and pumpkins and of course, CANDY CORN! Oh I love candy corn. If there were such a thing as a candy corn tree I'd most certainly have one growing in my yard. And what fun to learn that this week's IMPRESSION OBSESSION weekly challenge is "Is it Fall Yet?" This Candy Corn tree stamp fit the challenge perfectly!

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Impression Obsession Candy Corn Tree H2264 and the sentiment is Impression Obsession Sweeet Halloween A5473
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Versamark and the image is colored with Copic Markers.
Designer Paper: K & Company
Embellishments: Stickles Yellow glitter glue, White gel pen for the candy corn tips, miscellaneous button from my stash, and polka dot ribbon from Offray and Scorepal for the scored edges of the image.
I am having fun making a lot of Halloween cards this year. Do you send Halloween greetings? Getting a sweet treat is the best at this time of year and what makes a better low calorie sweet treat than a handmade card!?

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Make a wish

2011-09-20T17:03:00.004-04:00

What's more festive than balloons, confetti and birthday wishes? In honor of the HOUSE MOUSE AND FRIENDS Monday Challenge Blog's 3rd anniversary of the site, House Mouse and Friends design team is throwing a blog hop party and the theme is birthday and flowers. Be sure to check out the site for all of the blog hop details which include loads of prizes. You'll not want to miss out on it!
I tried something a little different for this card and actually stamped the sentiment on a balloon. I used Stazon black and it worked quite well without smudges. The air going out of the balloon is from some left over bridal flower stems I had on hand. I really wanted to go all out on the glitz and sparkles for this party card, so in addition to the floral spray crystals I added Rhinestones to the flower centers and a lot of stickles glitter to the confetti. The balloon is covered in clear dimensional glaze.
I'm off to the blog hop party and to view the other entries and party prizes. Come on and join the fun.

Cheers!
Jennifer

Baked Doughnuts

2011-08-29T15:00:00.005-04:00

A month or so ago I bought a doughnut pan. Since then I've been trying out different recipes for baked doughnuts. What a surprise it was when I looked to see what the new House Mouse and Friends Monday challenge is. The challenge is to create a recipe card using any House Mouse and friends stamp. So rather than doing the Monday morning house work I should have been doing, I jumped at the opportunity to ink up this cute doughnut munching House Mouse stamp.
The recipe card went together very quickly. I printed my recipe from the computer. It took me a couple of tries to size and space it correctly so that I could then stamp the House Mouse image in a proper proportion and placement. Next, I colored the image with copic markers, added some clear glossy accents to the frosting and then sprinkled pink and red microbeads on the wet glossy accents. From there it was a simple matter of mounting the recipe on cardstock. I found an old doily that was begging for a purpose so I added it. There was a bit of too much blank space in the upper right corner and so I took that as a sign I needed to use my new Stampin' Up! doily punch. The finishing touch was adding a button and some DMC embroidery floss.

After the recipe card was completed it seemed almost criminal not to give the actual recipe a try, so I whipped up a batch of the baked doughnuts. This recipe is a white cake with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove in the batter. It tastes wonderful! And YES! I ate a couple. Well, you wouldn't want me to recommend a recipe that I hadn't yet tested, would you? They are very tasty! This recipe made two dozen doughnuts so before frosting all of them I am putting a dozen in the freezer to pull out and frost another day.

If you don't have a doughnut pan you can easily bake these in muffin tins.

Until next time,
Cheers!
Jennifer

I'm linking this recipe and post to

You're too kind!

2011-08-26T11:36:00.004-04:00

I bought this yarn with the hopes of knitting either a scarf or hat from it. And while I consider myself to be very experienced and knowledgeable about many of the fiber arts, knitting is something I just cannot grasp. My sister, however, is a fabulous knit-wit...oops, I mean knitter! She knits the most beautiful and amazing apparel and artwork, so I asked her if she would knit me something if I sent the yarn.

Hurray! She eagerly agreed to help me out, so today I'm sending her this ball of yarn and am going to let her work her magic! I wanted to include a note and a thank you in the box, so I made her this thank you tag to attach to the yarn.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Taylored Expressions "Knit wit" set and inside sentiment is Stampin' Up! "Whimsical Words" set
Ink: Brilliance Pearl Jade and Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip. Image colored with copic markers
Accessories: Nestibilities Dies, DMC thread, safety pin and Sakura Gelly Roll pen

Off to the post office now to mail out the yarn. I'm looking forward to sporting a very pretty hat or scarf from this yarn.

Cheers!
Jennifer

An Apple a Day

2011-08-23T08:35:00.006-04:00

As summer begins to wind down and a definite crispness is in the air, I'm beginning to see that the signs of autumn are appearing. Fall apples are arriving at the fruit markets and this little happy Hopper bunny has found an entire basket full to enjoy!

The current House Mouse and Friends challenge #102 is to get "Fruity." Scamper on over to the House Mouse and Friends site and join in the challenge using any of your favorite House Mouse, Happy Hopper or Gruffy stamps that involve fruit in any form.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Stampabilities "An apple a day" Happy Hopper HMLR1047
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz distress ink in Aged Mahogany, Peeled Paint and Antique Linen. Image colored with Copic Markers
Designer Paper: K & Company
Embellishments: Nestibilities Frame Die, Cuttlebug floral embossing folder, Fiskars photo corner punch, Stampin' Up small oval punch, Baker's twine, Glossy Effects dimensional glaze, a button from my stash.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Home is where the heart lives.

2011-08-21T13:45:00.006-04:00

I love, love, LOVE primitive art. In my home nearly every lithograph, print, framed needle work and the decor is primitive art. My favorite artists of this genre include Jane Wooster Scott, Charles Wysocki and Warren Kimble.

This wonderful stamp set is from Cornish Heritage Farms, which sadly is no longer made. The set contains the individual trees, sheep, houses, hills and sentiments. Setting up scenes with this set is so much fun! It does require a lot of masking but is such fun once the scene begins to take shape.

For this card there is not only a lot of masking but also a lot of sponging of ink colors. When I say I'm getting inky today, this card is a prime example. The sheep are done with a product I found in the $1 store years ago and I can no long get. It is this goopy "white snow" product, they called it. It actually almost looks like frosting. Sadly for me, I used it all up on my sheep so I'm all out of it now.

I have a special someone I want to send this card to. She relishes anything primitive too.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Love, Honor, Cherish

2011-08-20T17:12:00.004-04:00

"Darlin'! We need to leave in 15 minutes!" said the Mister. YIKES! I had the shower gift all wrapped up and just knew there was something else I needed to do before this evening. Yep, the gift card...I still hadn't made it. So here is my 15 minute card. It's not fancy but it made up in a jiffy.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Anna Griffin sentiments (All Night Media)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Designer Paper: Making Memories
Embellishments: Making Memories ribbon (Love, Honor, Cherish), Prima Flowers, Nestibilities Dies, Swiss Dots embossing folder, Pearl centered brad from BRIDES magazine wedding collection, pop dots.

Fast and simple it was. The bridal couple's kitchen gadgets and linens are in a very elegant black and white color scheme so I was happy to have this paper, ribbon and flowers on hand.

I hope you are enjoying a fabulous weekend.
Cheers!

Jennifer

Hey there, Punkin'! I pick YOU!

2011-08-14T11:21:00.006-04:00

My little pumpkin patch is providing me with 5 (and possibly 6) LARGE and beautiful pumpkins. I've always had a fascination with pumpkins. Love to eat them but I also just think they are such a beautiful squash-like fruit. But now I'm faced with a question: How do you tell when a pumpkin is ripe to pick?
I found my answer and today we cut and harvested our first pumpkin of the year and it is a doozy too!
This is what I've learned about pumpkin "picking":
1.) Color is a good indicator. Chances are if it is orange all the way around, the pumpkin is ripe.
2.) Give them a thump. If it sounds hollow, it is ripe and ready to be picked.
3.) The Skin is hard. Use your fingernail and if the skin dents but doesn't puncture, then it is ready for harvest.
4.) The stem is hard. The stem above the pumpkin starts to turn hard, the pumpkin is ready for picking.
But you cannot "pick" a pumpkin. At least not the same way as you do a tomato or green bean. You'll need to use a sharp knife to harvest your pumpkin.
And when you cut the pumpkin, be sure to leave at least several inches of stem attached to the pumpkin. This will slow down the rotting of the pumpkin.
You'll want to disinfect your pumpkin too. After you harvest your pumpkin, wipe it down with a 10% solution of bleach. This too will help prevent premature rot.
But this is only August and I would like to show off my pumpkin for Halloween. How do I prevent it from rotting before then?

Here's how: Keep your pumpkin out of direct sunlight (I'll keep mine in the basement). If you've followed these steps for properly harvesting your pumpkin you should be able to store the pumpkin for many months until you are ready to use it.

MMmmmm...I think I smell some pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin desserts, pumpkin muffins and so many other pumpkin-y goodness in the future!

For a good article on Pumpkin harvesting check out this link HERE.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Purple Bean Blossoms

2011-08-12T09:41:00.011-04:00

Very early this morning, my faithful dog Spot (aka: Noah) and I went out to the garden to putter about. I took my camera with me because it is such a beautiful morning and I've been wanting to take pictures of the purple bean blossoms.

Do you know why these are Purple Bean Blossoms and not the usual pretty white bean blossoms? Because these are Burgundy beans. AND, they are magical beans! Trust me and follow my story and you'll see what makes them magical.
Aren't they pretty?

And purple bean blossoms means purple beans grow!

This is a white bean blossom (DUH! You can see that, eh?!) White blossoms mean green beans will grow.

See? White blossoms = green beans. Purple blossoms = purple beans. Stay with me now. There is a point to this essay on purple vs. white bean blossoms.

Back in the spring I had planted all of my beans (green beans with white blossoms). They were beginning to come up great. One day, my faithful dog Spot (Noah) and his big brother Ruffus (aka Gabe) decided to do some plowing in my garden. My garden IS fenced but Spot (aka Noah) and Ruffus (aka Gabe) can jump fences with amazing elegance...much like they have a bit of equestrian blood in them. This dog plowing took place over half of my rows of beans and some of my broccoli plants. Consequently, I had to replant and hope they'd still come up. But alas, I could not find one single package of bean seeds ANYWHERE! Seriously, they were all sold out. Sold out, that is, except this one last package of burgundy beans. The package says that they will turn green when they are blanched. HMMmmmmmm, I thought. Sounds like they are trying to sell me Jack and the Beanstalk magic beans. But since I really wanted to replace the damaged plants, I bought this packet of beans and decided to give them a go.

So this morning, after admiring the bean blossoms I realized that FINALLY the beans are coming on the vine and I picked the first handful and took them inside to see if they really are the magical beans the package promised. I washed them and trimmed the ends...

...and then I blanched them for just a minute in boiling water. See the beans going in the water as purple (burgundy) beans?

And suddenly (and I mean SUD-DEN-LY!!!) they turned from purple to green. VOILA! There you go! Just like magic! Green beans!

I plunged them in ice water and then...

...drained them. They are ready to either eat now or freeze for later use.

Isn't this the most amazing story you've read this morning? *snort* *smirk* *wink*

I thought it was awesome.

By the way, did you know that there is a town in Indiana called Bean Blossom? Yes there is! I wonder if they grow magic beans in Bean Blossom, Indiana? I'll have to find out.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Dancing Candles

2011-08-10T09:21:00.006-04:00

August is a big month for birthdays for my family and friends. (There are 5 birthdays this month! And, ummm, yes! Today is my birthday. :-)
These cards aren't for me, but I hope the recipients will be as excited about their birthdays as the happy, dancing candles seem to be! *smiles*
This is a stamp I've had for years and I always think it makes such a festive birthday card to send to either a man or a woman. The stamp is made by "The Artful Stamper".
It has been a very long time since I've painted with Twinkling H2O's so these were a lot of fun. I stamped with Versamark and embossed with antique gold on watercolor paper. Then I painted with twinkling H2O's. I stamped the image and colored a few images and then cut out random candles and used dimensional foam tape to make some of the candles "pop" right off the page.
The inside sentiment, "The More Candles the bigger the Wish" is from Stampin' Up! and seemed perfect for these inside of these happy dancing candles birthday cards.
Hope you are having a super day!
Until next time,

Jennifer

A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Lee Dugard

2011-08-09T11:04:00.002-04:00

A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Lee Dugard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to give Jaycee Lee Dugard 5 stars for the courage to write down and share the incomprehensible horrors she endured for 18 years. This isn't a book one can judge by way of writing style, story line or any of the usual ways we rate a book.

A Stolen Life: A Memoir is not for the faint of heart. Jaycee Dugard's life during her 18 years of captivity, her journal entries, and her reflections are honest and straightforward.

What one is left with after reading Jaycee's memoir is that of hope, strength and the power of love.

View all my reviews

Cinnamon-sugar topped Muffnuts

2011-08-07T10:01:00.013-04:00

Yes, you read that right. Muffnuts! The name is the Mister's idea and here's the story about these yummy breakfast or coffee break treats. I love donuts. I especially love cake donuts but I don't have a deep frier anymore. But recently I discovered a donut baking sheet/pan and had to have it. YES! HAD TO!
The thing is, even cake donuts are usually fried, so I began a search for baked donuts. But you are still wondering what a Muffnut is, right? Well, this morning I made my first batch of baked donuts. I mixed the batter and put it in my donut baking pan and popped them in the oven to bake.

Fifteen minutes later I turned them out on a tea towel to cool.

But before they got completely cool I brushed them with butter and dipped the tops in cinnamon sugar.

LOOKIE!! A dozen baked cinnamon-sugar topped donuts.

Are you drooling yet?

So when I fixed the mister's plate for breakfast I added a freshly baked cinnamon muffnut to his plate. Am I not just the trophy wife? *snort!*

Now, back to the term Muffnuts. Well, these baked donuts are delicious. TRULY THEY ARE! But they actually are more the texture of a muffin and not quite as dense as cake. So the mister said, "These are really good but I think they are more muffnuts (muffin/donuts) rather than donuts." Hence, the term muffnuts was coined and labeled to my new creation.

You can make these in mini-muffin tins if you would like tiny muffins more along the lines of donut holes (sort of).

Here is the recipe for you:

BAKED MUFFNUTS
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cinnamon-sugar mix for topping

In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

In another bowl beat egg to blend with milk, butter and vanilla. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir just until the flour is blended in and moistened. (Do not over mix).

Spoon into well-greased donut or muffin pans.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes.

Turn out baked donuts on cooling racks or tea towel. Brush with melted butter and then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Or, frost with icing in your favorite flavor and top with sprinkles and chopped nuts. Let you imagination lead you.

Next time I'm adding a handful of fresh blueberries to the batter. MMMMmmmmmm!

We have some left over and they are fresh. Come on over and I'll put a fresh pot of coffee on!

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

I'm linking with:

and with:

A happy marriage...

2011-08-03T07:40:00.011-04:00

I would like to invite you to the union of TOMATOES and RHUBARB.
A marriage of flavors you may not have expected, but most definitely will live happily everafter together.
How did Miss Tomato and Mr. Rhubarb meet? They met at the Chutney dance and ended up being the perfect flavor couple. I wanted to find some new uses for my tomatoes which I have in abundant supply and was intrigued when I saw this recipe for TOMATO -RHUBARB CHUTNEY.
I made several jars last weekend of Tomato - Rhubarb Chutney and we tried it out Monday evening on grilled chicken. Oh yes! SO GOOOOOOD!
This chutney is not overpowered by either the rhubarb or the tomatoes but the combination of the two flavors is mild and lightly sweet and the perfect side topping for grilled chicken or cheese. I know I'll be putting this tomato-rhubarb chutney on top of baked brie and crackers.

Yesterday's lunch was delish! I was making grilled swiss cheese sandwiches with fresh lettuce from the garden and it struck me. Why not spread tomato-rhubarb chutney on the grilled swiss? It was a perfectly delicious on grilled cheese sandwiches.
Tomato - Rhubarb Chutney

1 1/2 cups chopped, seeded ripe tomatoes (3 medium)
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup coarsely chopped red sweet pepper
1/3 cup dried cherries, dried cranberries, or raisins (I used dried cranberries)
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespooon lime juice or lemon juice (I used lime juice)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground giner
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch pieces or 1 cup frozen cut rhubarb, thawed and drained (I had rhubarb chopped and frozen so I used frozen.)

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the rhubarb in a large pot. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat and simmer covered for 25 minutes.

Stir rhubarb into the tomato mixture and simmer (covered) for 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer 5 more minutes or until thickened.

Ladle hot chutney into hot, sterilized 1/2 pint canning jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims, adjust lids.

Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes (start timing when the water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner and cool on a wire rack.

Bon appétit!

Jennifer

She Relishes it...

2011-08-02T07:38:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I posted about the "PICKLE" I've been in: dill, sweet and bean pickles, that is. Today I want to show you some more goodies I just RELISH! Apple - Corn with Caraway Relish and Sweet Cucumber Pickle Relish.

This is the Blue-Ribbon Corn Relish with a delightful twist and that is the addition of apples and caraway seed to the fresh corn and peppers. Can't you just practically taste this sweet corn relish on roasted pork or salmon fillets or dolloped on a grilled sausage? This recipe includes a couple of Granny Smith Apples mixed in as well as a couple of teaspoons of caraway. This is going to be a favored side dish or topping with holiday roasts, for sure.

Next in my canning pot is a relish I make every summer when the cucumbers and sweet peppers are abundant like they are this year and that is Sweet Cucumber Pickle Relish.

Now I don't know if you get excited about pickle relish, but one taste of this one will have you raving! The Mister always makes this a special request when I begin putting up goodies from the garden. It is so colorful and fresh and delicious!

Several people have asked me how I learned about canning and preserving and where I find recipes and food safety tips and advice. While some of my knowledge comes from my grandmothers and mother, I always say the best resource is the book that accompanies or is sold by the canning jars or products you use, such as BALL, MASON or BERNARDIN. I also follow bloggers like Anna Wight's Sassy and Sweet notes blog. (Yes, I'm an Anna groupie!) And this summer I have discovered a new special interest publication put out by Better Homes and Gardens: CANNING from the editors of the best selling Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. You can read more about it HERE.
As you can imagine, the shelves of the larder are beginning to be filled but I have a lot more to put up before the summer is over. The tomatoes are just now rippening in full and rapid force it seems (do vegetables ripen with force? *wink* ) I've just begun working on putting up tomatoes now that we can't keep up with the amount that are ripening and I hope you'll stop by to see some of the salsas, sauces and chutney's I'm making.

Until next time,

Cheers!

Jennifer

She's in a pickle...

2011-08-01T14:13:00.006-04:00

My little garden has been working overtime, it seems, with its produce.
My cucumbers, green peppers and beans took off first and I began picking them early last month.
Inasmuch as we love eating them from the vine, the quantity I have been picking means finding more uses for the cucumbers and peppers and green beans too!

PICKLES!!

First off I made Dill Pickle Slices. I love a good dill pickle and these dill pickles I've sliced so you can lay them across a sandwich or burger. Or, if you are a dill pickle truest, you can eat it out of hand too.

But some people don't care for dill pickles. I've got the answer for those folks and made some yummy bread and butter pickles.

Do you know how I like to eat bread and butter pickles? On a peanut butter sandwich, that's how!

I've been picking green beans for nearly a month now and they are still producing!! I've been freezing bag upon gallon sized freezer bags of green beans. In the words of Scarlette O'Hara, "As God is my witness, I'll never go hungry again!"

So while I'm making cucumber pickles, what better use of excess green beans than to make Dilly Beans! They are just like eating a dill pickle except that they are made from beans. You've GOT TO try these sometime. They are a surprise to bite into a green bean and taste the tangy dill. YUMMY!

I like this Dilly Bean recipe because you make them by the jar. If you have a lot or just a few green beans you can always make the exact quantity of jars you'd like.

The beans, cucumbers and green peppers continue to produce in great quantity. And now, my tomatoes are ripening faster than we are able to consume them, so I know you can guess what I've been up to! Yes! I've been making delicious preserved food and I'm looking forward to sharing you some of my new discoveries of recipes for ways to make delish preserved food items.

So until next time!
Cheers!

Jennifer

...You are what you eat!

2011-07-25T07:21:00.004-04:00

Avoid Fruits and Nuts...You are what you eat!

That is the sentiment I've stamped inside this card. *giggles*

If you have a fondness for House Mouse and Friends stamps you'll want to be sure to scamper on over to the HOUSE MOUSE AND FRIENDS blog for this week's 100th Challenge Blogspot Celebration that is going on. This is my card for the 100th challenge which requires the use of a House Mouse stamp (of course!) Buttons, Bows and Bling.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: House Mouse by Stampa Rosa and Stampabilities
Designer Paper: Making Memories
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copic markers
Accessories: Nestibilities rectangle and scalloped rectangle dies, Offray ribbon, Ink Essentials Glossy Accents, pop dots foam, red crystals and buttons from my miscellaneous stash and machine stitching around the edges.

Until next time,
Cheers!
Jennifer

Morning Star the Unicorn

2011-07-21T10:48:00.003-04:00

When my daughter was a very little girl she used to love to carry a My Little Pony in her hands at all times. If I remember correctly (though these days the memory wanes a bit at times) one of her 'ponies' was a unicorn. When I discovered this adorable stamp I immediately thought of Stephanie and her little ponies.

This stamp is from the Enchanted Hollow series made by The Stamp Barn. The unicorn is named Morning Star. I also have a very sweet looking dragon as well as a Pixie Fairy named Capri. It is such a fun set!This little card is intended to be more of a gift tag to go along with a little gift for the mister to give to a special little princess. She too loves My Little Pony figures and unicorns too.

Card Recipe:
Stamp: "Morning Star" from the Stamp Barn (part of the Enchanted Hollow series)
Ink: Stamped with Momento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic Markers
Accessories used: Nextibilities octagon shaped dies, stickles glitter in Red, Green, Silver and Waterfall, Purple gem stones and Prima Flowers.
Until next time,
Stay cool!

Cheers,
Jennifer

Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

2011-07-14T21:43:00.007-04:00

I scream! You scream! We all scream for ICE CREAM!
I treated myself to an early birthday present and it is something that the mister has wanted me to buy for a long time! Hang on a second...isn't this MY birthday present? *smiles* I gave myself an ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchenaid and today we decided to give homemade ice cream a try. Oh my!! Mission accomplished. I've never had such rich and creamy ice cream before this.

We decided to make our first batch Vanilla. Since I like trying new things I suggested we make our first batch of homemade vanilla ice cream to be Vanilla Bean ice cream. I have never purchased vanilla beans before so this was a lot of fun for me to do a little research on vanilla beans as to how to use them. THIS is a vanilla bean (actually three vanilla beans) and they came in this clear, plastic wrapped package. After I bought these I have now discovered Vanilla Beans at my local grocery store and they come in clear viles (tubes). Either packaging is fine. The first step in making vanilla bean ice cream is to carefully cut open each bean and scoop out the seeds with the tip of the knife. The seeds are super-duper-tiny! Add the beans to the mixture of heavy cream, 1/2 and 1/2, sugar and just a scant of salt that you have mixed together in a pan on the stove top. After you've scrapped all of the beans of their seeds and added the seeds to the cream mixture, drop the bean pods in too. Now it is time to heat this mixture while stirring constantly just until it begins to simmer. In another bowl whisk two eggs. Now pour very slowly and whisk very quickly the cream/vanilla bean mixture from the stove. You want to add the hot cream mixture slowly and whisk constantly soas not to end up with scrambled eggs. Now add the whisked contents of the bowl back into the stovetop pot and heat to about 170 degrees whisking constantly. You don't want this to boil so watch the temperature. Through a fine sieve, pour the hot mixture and you'll be left with a very creamy custard in the bowl. Cover the bowl and chill this mixture in the refrigerator for several hours.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Do NOT throw away the vanilla bean pods. Just rinse the pods off carefully and dry them and store them in a cool, dark place. Even though you've removed the vanilla bean seeds, the pods still contain some wonderful vanilla flavor and aroma. You can mix the dry pods in a bowl of sugar for a light vanilla sugar flavor or perhaps grind them up in your coffee grinder and add them to your coffee grounds when you set up your next pot of coffee for a mild vanilla flavor coffee. Definitely reuse the pods. This has been a public service announcement to save the vanilla bean pods. OK. You've twiddled your thumbs for several hours and it is time to take the cold custard out of the refrigerator and put it into your ice cream maker. Follow your ice cream maker manufacturers direction. For mine, I just turned on the machine and slowly added the custard. Twenty minutes later.........VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM!! Yum! Yum! And lots more yum! We had our ice cream in waffle bowls. I had these beautiful raspberries just begging to be placed in my bowl of ice cream. Oh my! So rich! So good! So filling! I confess, my dogs got to eat the waffle bowl because I just couldn't eat another bite. Gabe, Paige and Noah were most grateful!

I improvised on THIS RECIPE from EPICURIOUS for their Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

I know we will be making a lot of different kinds of ice cream and sorbets this summer. Because I have some fresh raspberries and strawberries I think a cool berry sorbet is next in line to be tried.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Rhubarb ! Endless possibilities

2011-07-11T20:28:00.010-04:00

Last Saturday the mister and I went to the farmer's market where, much to his delight, we found RHUBARB! The mister is a huge lover of rhubarb and he likes it so much that he'll eat the pieces right off the cutting board. Ewwww... but to each their own, I 'spose.

I do like rhubarb and immediately set about making rhubarb/strawberry jam. This jam turned out Deeeeeeelishous! It was very simple to make and only made 4 half pint jars so we won't be overwhelmed with jars upon jars of rhubarb jam...unless, of course I make more which I most likely will. Especially after putting a dollop on top of vanilla ice cream (see first photo...oh what a yummy sundae!) Back to the Rhubarb jam. Ingredients are simple:
3 cups of rhubarb chopped into 1/2" to 1" pieces
1/2 cup water
2 cups fresh strawberries, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup honey
1 pouch liquid pectin (85 ml size)

Prepare and sterilize your jars for waterbath canning.
Bring rhubarb to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until rhubarb is very tender.

Add strawberries and the lemon juice. Cover and allow to simmer until the mixture is soft (5 - 10 minutes)

Add the honey and bring to a boil. Stir constantly to avoid sticking.

Add the pectin and boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, ladle into HOT jars and leave 1/2 inch at the top for headspace. Place jars in the canner, cover canner, return water to a boil and process. Boil filled jars for 10 minutes or as per manufacturer's instrustions, and then remove jars.

Cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours.
Well, that is pretty, eh? Oh and it is absolutely wonderful flavored jam. I like the use of honey rather than a boatload of sugar in this recipe.

Now for the pies. The first rhubarb pie is called an Amish Rhubarb pie. This is a basic rhubarb pie recipe but rather than using a top crust, it has a crumble topping with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg mixed in the flour/sugar/butter crumble mix. For this pie fill the bottom pie crust with the rhubarb mixture (any basic rhubarb pie filling will work). The mister does not like to have his rhubarb pie adulterated with strawberries and requested his pies be entirely rhubarb, so that is what I made for him. After filling the bottom crust with the rhubarb filling, top with the crumble topping. Bake it up until nice and golden and bubbly. The second rhubarb pie I made is similar but has the tradition two crusts. This is the pie the mister cut into first: I had about 5 more cups of chopped rhubarb remaining after I made the jam and the two pies so I froze the rest of the rhubarb for future use. I plan to make some rhubarb crisp and cobblers at a later date.

I must say though, the jam is my favorite is wonderful not only as a biscuit or roll topping but adding a dollop to a ball or two of ice cream is just wonderful. And a light drizzle of chocolate was the perfect complete touch.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Mary Engelbreit Print Fabric Jelly Roll Quilted Tote

2011-07-02T15:45:00.007-04:00

Last summer I bought my first 'Jelly Roll'. No, I'm not referring to the kind of jelly roll you eat, but rather, a fabric jelly roll cut used in quilting. I was in an apron swap where the theme was Cherries, Cupcake and Mary Engelbreit. You can read about that swap HERE. For the hand towels I used a couple strips from the jellyroll to embellish them with a Mary Engelbeit design. But what do I do with the rest of the jellyroll?

Inspiration struck! I was reading one of my favorite quilting blogs, CLUCK, CLUCK, SEW written by Allison Harris. Allison creates many wonderful tutorial and THIS ONE is for an easy double Hour Glass design. When I saw it I knew what I had the perfect quilt pattern to use with my Mary Engelbreit jelly roll. I set about matching up complementary patterns and colors from the jelly roll in order to have some semblance of a design and pattern. Following Allison's tutorial I cut my pieces and assembled them, finishing them with a simple wide zigzag stitch and the addition of satin rose buds handsewn between each block. As I normally do, I added a couple of pockets to the inside of my tote bag as well as a key clip.

I lined my tote with denim and added red webbing for the handles. I rather like the outcome of the tote. It is going to be put to use tomorrow when the mister and I head into Ottawa to the Farmer's Market. I'll be filling this with farm fresh vegetables and perhaps a fresh loaf of bread from the Boulangerie.
I hope you are enjoying a beautiful Holiday Weekend. Here in Canada we celebrated Canada Day yesterday (July 1st.) Monday, in the United States, is Independence Day (July 4th.) A lot of National pride, celebrating and fireworks going on on both sides of the border this weekend.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Carrot Harvest

2011-06-28T14:39:00.005-04:00

Oh to have such good helpers in the garden! My *garden helpers* are of the very large, furry, four legged canine variety who would dearly love to chase these mice and bunny!

Today's card is for two challenges. This week's HOUSE MOUSE AND FRIENDS challenge is to create a summer card with any House Mouse, Happy Hopper or Gruffies stamp. This carrot harvest House Mouse stamp says SUMMER to me, especially as I wait most of the year in anticipation of working in my garden. In addition to the House Mouse and Friends challenge I used this week's MOJO MONDAY layout sketch shown below. I chose to use the square layout since this is a fairly large stamp. Isn't the detail in the scene fun? If you look closely you'll see a tiny ladybug crawling up the carrot leaves. So instead of a flower at the bottom of the layout I decided to play along with the ladybug theme and give my card another ladybug crawling amongst the carrots tops. The carrots I have growing in my garden are coming along quite nicely. Luckily, I have not had a ladybug problem, or (touch wood) any type of vermin or buggy critter problems this year. As you can tell though, the carrots in my garden (below) are not ready for a harvest quite yet. But they are doing well - and definitely need thinning out! Card recipe:
Stamp: "Carrot Harvest" from Stampabilities
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, and Tim Holtz RANGER "peeled paint" Distress Ink. Image colored with copic markers
Embellishments: Michael's tiny spools satin ribbon, Martha Stewart fern punch, wooden ladybug, and machine stitching.And in other news let's all shout Yippeeeeeee Skippy! The Canada Post postal strike has ended and, supposedly, we are to begin receiving mail and I can also FINALLY mail the stack of cards I've had ready and waiting to mail. Three weeks is an awfully long time to be without mail delivery!

Until next time!
Cheers!

Jennifer

Dogwood Stripe in Denim - Sleeveless Top #3

2011-06-27T14:34:00.005-04:00

This is probably my favorite of my three simple sleeveless tops that I made this past weekend. You can down load this pattern from Colette Patterns FREE right HERE.

I just love this beautiful Laura Gunn fabric designed for the Poppy Collection for Michael Miller fabrics.I used this same fabric last fall to make one of my "ALICE TOTEBAGS" which I sold on etsy. You can see that post HERE about my Alice bag. Today I wanted to use the fabric in an entirely different way. This top is going to be great with jeans and denim, khaki slacks, skirts or capri pants. To make this top a bit different from the other two sleeveless tops and also to use embellishments of items I had in my sewing stash, I found just enough lace trim to add to the box pleat down the front. Then I added three buttons at the top that just the right color. Instead of using a contrast or store bought seam binding, I made my own self binding for the neck line and used a narrow binding of a khaki color that I happen to have just enough of for the armholes. I actually like the armholes bound this way better than having the extra bulk and accent around the armholes. Less to draw attention to the size of my arms!I think I'll stop at three sleeveless tops for now. It was so quick and easy to make these tops and to use up bits and bobs of embellishments in my sewing cabinet drawers. Plus, summer appears to be with us for a while now, so these tops are already being worn to keep me cool and comfortable.

If you enjoy sewing your own clothes I hope you'll try out this pattern and let me know what you made.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Bloom in Bark Sleeveless top

2011-06-27T14:18:00.004-04:00

When I find a pattern that fits well and suites my tastes I tend to make several of that item. Especially in a top as versatile and simple as the Colette Pattern's SORBETTO TOP which you can download FREE right HERE.

For this top I used this gorgeous Joel Dewberry fabric called Bloom in Bark. My sister commented after I made the black, grey and yellow top that she preferred browns and teals. I knew I had to make up this top in this fabric and I love it.

The only difference, or change I made in constructing this top is that since the fabric is bold, bright and didn't need extra embellishments I didn't add buttons on the front box pleat. Also, so as not to detract from this yummy floral pattern, I made my own bias tape rather than using a contrasting color of bias tape. It is so simple to make your own bias tape and I think it adds a lovely finish.
So here you have it: Sorbetto Top #2. Are you ready to see a third? Yes I did make three. My summer wardrobe is very limited and because this top is so easy to whip up, takes a minimal of fabric, and can be made unique with the addition of trims and buttons I am making a small wardrobe of simple sleeveless tops for myself in a variety of styles and colors.

Cheers!
Jennifer

Simple Sleeveless Top

2011-06-25T10:25:00.007-04:00

Yesterday we got a MUCH needed downpour of rain. A real gullywasher! My garden needed the rain and since I was confined inside for the day, I got the opportunity to sew. I love rainy day sewing! This is the simple sleeveless top I whipped up yesterday afternoon and I am so pleased with it. It will be perfect to wear with black slacks or skirt on hot summer nights when I want to wear something a little dressier than a tank top. Are you drooling over the fabric? I wish computers had touch sensory because this GORGEOUS fabric called Bryant Park and designed by Khristian A. Howell for Anthology Fabrics feels like silk or satin. The heft is just enough that I don't feel like it is 'see through' and yet it is lightweight and cool to wear. The pattern I used for this top is a free pattern from Colette Patterns and this particular simple sleeveless top is called "The Sorbetto Top." Don't you love the design, how it flows, the pleat in the front and the simplicity of the pattern. This is a two piece pattern (front and back), has front darts, a center pleat that you can dress up or leave plain if you choose, and the shoulders and armholes are bound with bias tape. You can make your own or purchase a package from your local fabric shop. Are you REALLY loving this pattern now that you know how simple it is? You can download it FREE HERE! <----Click
I turned my top inside out so you can see how simple it is to construct. I didn't want any bulk at the shoulder seams so I used french seams (don't know if you can see that in the photo though). For the side seams I used a simple serged finish. All you have to do to construct this top is staystitch the neckline, insert the box pleat on the front, sew the darts, shoulder and side seams (finish as you wish), bind the neck and armholes and hem. VOILA! You are finished. It takes all of a couple hours TOPS to make. The top doesn't have any closures. Just slip it on over your head. It is loose fitting enough that it easy to get into and yet not so floppy as to be revealing or sloppy. And the pattern sizing was perfect. I'm not the easiest person to fit and this pattern fits me perfectly. I didn't have to make any adjustments at all. If you are looking for a rainy day project and something new to wear, check out your fabric stash and see what you might have onhand and then download the free Colette pattern for this Sorbetto Top. I'm going to make another one this week using a different fabric and make my own contrasting seam binding for a whole new look.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Snail Mail for YOU!

2011-06-21T09:14:00.006-04:00

Canada Post's strike continues! ARGH!! The strike has impacted me, as a greeting card maker. I have a stack of cards for various occasions to be mailed out but I cannot until the strike ends. The word is that the strike will (HOPEFULLY!) be resolved by the end of this week. In defiance of the strike, I used these stamps, from Papertrey Ink to create a snail mail for you card.
This week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge is the layout below and that which I used for my card. I used a Martha Stewart design paper stack (I think it was Martha Stewart...) for the background paper which matched so well with my Stampin' Up! cardstock in a pail orange. I also had coordinating grosgrain ribbons in the green and orange. I added a little machine stitching and found a button in my button jar to tie a piece of bakers twine to and attach to the punched doily at the top. The doily punch is my new punch from Stampin' Up! I think I'm going to have a lot of fun using this punch!

This was a quick card to make an assemble. I just hope the strike ends soon so I can resume sending snail mail cards.
Until next time,

Cheers!
Jennifer

Rest in Peace pretty Camilla

2011-06-20T13:38:00.007-04:00

I have made sympathy cards for animals to include dogs, cats and horses. This is the first time I've made a sympathy card for the loss of a chicken. A sweet friend's most prize hen was killed by a coyote and my friend is heart broken. My friend said, "Camilla was a wonderful momma and she raised my whole flock. I'm in tears that in spite of all the precautions we took when we saw a predator in the area he dug in under the fence apparently and got my lovely hen. I miss her spirit, her protectiveness, her diva personality. I feel dumb for loving a chicken, but I do..."
I don't think it is dumb at all to love one of God's creatures, no matter what kind of animal it is, so I wanted to make a special card in remembrance of Camilla for my friend.For this card I used a Stampin' Up! set titled "Roosting". It is a retired set and I'm so glad I have it as it has lovely stamps of a beautiful rooster, baby chicks, an egg basket as well as this lovely stamp of a hen. I tried to color the hen as close as possible to match my friend's lovely Camilla hen using copic markers. The background chicken wire is a background stamp by Darcie's. I stamped the chicken wire with versamark and then embossed with ultrafine antique gold embossing powder. Camilla's name is computer generated and I punched out the image and name with my spellbinders nestabilities oval and scalloped oval dies, added a bit of raffia and some burnished bronze brads and a bit of sponging and spritzing of walnut ink to age it and finish it off.
In the past two weeks I've made and sent 12 sympathy cards for the loss of pets. So sad... I hope it will be a long while before I find the need to make more sympathy cards.

Until next time,
Jennifer

Western Reining Competition - The Kemptville Slide

2011-06-19T12:18:00.026-04:00

Yeeeeee Haaaawwww! Yesterday the mister and I attended a Western Reining competition in Kemptville, Ontario. It was called "The Kemptville Slide." In Western reining competitions the competitors have patterns they are required to ride as well as spins and the slide! It is very exciting to watch. One thing I absolutely love about Equestrian events is that men and women compete together. There are no men's events and women's events exclusively. The second thing I absolutely love about Equestrian events is that they are so varied. You have English style of riding which might include events such as Dressage, jumping, cross country, just to name a few. In western there are reining, cutting, western pleasure, western showmanship, just to name a few. I love them all!
So that is enough chatting from me today. I wanted to share my day with you in a photographic montage. This is post will be very picture heavy but I hope you'll enjoy the photos of my day at a Western reining competition.

And that was the day. I hope you enjoyed my photographs.
Until next time,

Cheers!
Jennifer

Grazing horses

2011-06-16T11:06:00.011-04:00

This card is also for the Teapot Tuesday Challenge to make get well cards for Jessica who fell off her horse and was seriously injured. And, as I mentioned in my previous post, we were instructed to use horse images and flowers on the card. Since I jumped at the opportunity and challenge to use my horse stamps I made two cards using the challenge requirements. The grazing horses stamp is from one of my most treasured Stampin' Up sets called "Bareback" and I've used it a million times...at least! *wink* For this card, since the previous challenge card was of a more elegant card, I wanted this to have a more outdoors-y/western theme. Below is the teapot that inspired the horse theme for this week's Teapot Tuesday challenge:I have been having a lot of fun lately using my Pierceabilities templates. I have a few but up until the past few weeks haven't used them much. The piercing at the bottom of this card is made using the piercing template and I thought it had a western feel to it.

I stamped the image as well as the background which is another Stampin' Up! stamp, called "weathered". The flower I made was with a Stampin' Up! flower punch. The corners are also punched and then I ran the corners through my Cuttlebug with a floral embossing folder to give the "photo corners" a bit of texture.So this card was inspired by my Gyspy mare. I was out at the barn yesterday morning to be there for her visit with the farrier. Oh my, she was enjoying the sweet grass and the breezes that were blowing. She'd rather be grazing than be in the barn to have her hooves trimmed.
After her visit with the farrier it was time to take her back out to the field. Call me crazy but I think my mare has the best looking bum of any horse ever! And yes, I even took a brief video of her as she was led back to the field. Just watch her swish her tail and sashay away:

Time for me to get out in the garden. I'll leave you with this goodbye photo of the Gypsy mare as she heads out to graze with the rest of the horses.
Until next time,
Cheers!
Jennifer

Horses and flowers get well

2011-06-16T09:18:00.008-04:00

This week's Teapot Tuesday challenge at Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) is;
A horse is a horse of course, of course.
But now and then, a horse is the source!
The source of a flower of course, of course.
Picked by a horse, of course, of course!
And this is the teapot that inspired the challenge theme:

This is my first time participating in a Teapot Tuesday challenge and I'm really excited to join in. These challenges afford one the opportunity to mail their card to what the Teapotters refer to as "destination station." Now you might be wondering what horses, flowers and a destination station all means and has to do with this card. Well, I'll tell you! One of the "teapotters" daughters fell off her horse recently and is suffering severe injuries. She fractured her skull in the back of her head, fractured her right temple and has two fractures on each side of her spine by her pelvis. She was riding her beloved horse, Max. So we are making get well cards with horses, get well sentiment and including flowers.
You've seen me use this stamp before. It is made by Coronado Island Designs & Stamps and is called "Three Graces". I stamped the image with Momento Tuxedo Black ink and then covered the image with double sided sticky paper/film. Next, I poured ultra fine crystal glitter over the top sticky paper. It really gives a wonderful shimmer.

For the flower requirement I added a polka dot silk flower and stamped "Get Well" (from Papertrey Ink) for the center portion of the flower.
Canada is in the middle of a postal strike so my card may take a while to get to Jessica.

I hope to participate in more Teapot Tuesday challenges at SCS. What a delightful group of stampers. They are talented, FUNNY, and generous with their artwork.

Until next time!
Cheers!
Jennifer

Blueberry delight!

2011-06-14T13:15:00.002-04:00

This House Mouse stamp is titled "Blueberry Delight" and this little fellow certainly looks like he's taking much delight in his dessert. This week's House Mouse and Friends challenge #97 is to use lots and lots of bling and to adorn your card with jewels.

For my card I pulled out my light blue crystals for the scalloped oval edges as well as on the bottom right. Then I used a 'diamond' centered brad in the middle of the polka dot blue bow at the upper right corner. But you know me.....I just have to add as much sparkle to my cards as I possibly can so each blueberry has a tad of blue stickles glitter on them as well as being covered with clear dimensional glaze to give shine and texture.

I used my cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder for the white panels and my paper crimper for the center blue panel. The dark blue cardstock is actually a metalic blue high shine cardstock but I'm not sure you can see that from the photograph. I matted the panels with Kraft cardstock. The image is stamped with Momento Tuxedo Black in and then colored with Copic markers.

OK...I can't stand it anymore. I've just got to get in the kitchen and make a bluebery pie or torte or something! This little guy is making me hungry.

Until next time!
Cheers!

Jennifer

A tour of my garden after one month

2011-06-10T15:05:00.012-04:00

It has been one month since I posted about my "Three Gardener's Extraordinare" post HERE in which I was preparing the soil in the garden and getting ready to plant my vegetable garden...all with the help of my three Newfoundland dogs. Well, this morning, after seeing Anna Wight's post on her blog of a video tour of her garden, I decided to play monkey see...monkey do and follow Anna's lead and make a video tour of my garden. I've gained so many tips and ideas following Anna's blog, not only in the gardening arena but also in cardmaking and stamping too. So I hope you enjoy my take on a gardening tour via video and photos. Please accept my apologies on the jerky motion in the video. I hope it doesn't make you sea sick to watch it. *smiles*

Part I and II of my garden tour videos are in the back yard. Of course I have the dogs to stand guard over the vegetables. As you can see in the following still photos of my "salad garden" as well as some of the flowers which are all in the front yard, I have my orange cat, TANGO (sometimes refered to as Mr. T) keeping guard from an upstairs window.
Below: Chives. I recently read that the chive blossoms are great to add to olive oil to flavor it. I may give that a try this summer.

Spinach:

Lettuce:

Green onions:

And just a few photos of some flowers. I LOVE pansys! So bright and colorful!

Below is a brand new hydrangea that I've added this year. I am really looking forward to seeing it bloom. It is supposed to be a blue hydrangea, though from what I understand the color is sometimes determined by the acidity of the soil, so we'll see how mine does and what color it blooms.

I ALWAYS keep geraniums in pots on my front porch:

My roses are really starting to grow. I have 7 different varieties of roses. Here is the first little yellow tea rose to bloom.

Thanks for dropping by for my little garden tour. I'm amazed at how much things have changed in only one month's time. I'll be keeping a monthly update on the garden this summer.

Cheers!
Jennifer

Faithful friends leave pawprints on your heart

2011-06-06T14:28:00.007-04:00

The sentiment reads, "Faithful friends will always leave pawprints on your heart." The inside closure sentiment reads, "With heartfelt sympathy on the loss of your beloved companion."

As you probably know, I have three Newfoundland dogs. I belong to an internet group of Newfoundland dog owners and it is a wonderful site of friendship, information and support. This past week seven (7) Newfoundland dogs from our site have passed away. Seven! Some were senior citizens and had lived a good long life, and some were still young and are gone too soon. We members of the site grieve for one another and know the heartfelt pain when one loses a beloved companion.

I wanted to make special cards for these members who've lost their beloved Newfs. This is the card I've come up with. The sentiment stamps are from Papertrey Ink from their "With Sympathy: loss of pet" set. I use this lovely sentiment set far more often than I wish I needed to.

The Newfoundland dog stamp was a gift to me from a dear friend. Unfortunately I cannot read the maker of the stamp but I believe it is a company who makes dog stamps of many breeds. It is a deeply etched red rubber stamp mounted on wood. I stamped the image with Momento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers.

I used my Spellbinders Pierceabilities die and piercing tool to create the edge cut and as a template to pierce the swirls. The pawprint satin ribbon is Michaels (I think it is Offray).

Seven beloved Newfoundlands gone in one week. It really has left many heavy hearts on our owners site. But as one person posted, the circle of life continues and a couple of new Newfie puppies have come home to new owners. So life continues and as we mourn the losses, we also rejoice in the new births.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

So Glad We're Friends

2011-06-04T06:52:00.006-04:00

The current challenge at House Mouse and Friends is to create a card using your favorite football team for inspiration. Now before you ask what these two buddies have to do with football, I'm using the jersey colors of my favorite team, the GREEN BAY PACKERS! Green Bay Packer colors are green and yellow.

I would never be able to pick one out of my House Mouse stamps as my favorite, but I must say that this stamp, simply titled "Fish Bowl" is high on my list. Too cute! The sentiment stamp is from Stampin' Up! set called "Best Yet."
The "gravel" in the bowl is a product that is fun to play with. It is a product from Art Glitter called Gala Glitz. It contains a variety of micro beads in various colors and mica chips. Once I put it in place on the card I then covered the entire fishbowl with clear Glossy Accents. Then it was just a matter of waiting for it to dry and my card was ready to assemble.

I used my Cuttlebug circles embossing folder to give the appearance of bubbles in the background.
The weekend is here and before it rains I had better get outside and do some yardwork. Hope you have a super weekend.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Land of the Free

2011-06-03T16:23:00.003-04:00

The month of May flew by for me. I spent the entire month on sewing and gardening projects, as well as getting all of the paper products made for my brother's wedding. Consequently, it has been ages since I've stamped. This week's Mojo Monday 193 sketch challenge rejuvenated my card making mojo! Below is this week's Mojo Monday sketch. I chose the square sample:

I just received my new Stampin' Up! stamps and Land of the Free is one of the sets I'm thoroughly enjoying and plan to use for Independence Day cards. I used scraps and bits for this card. The designer paper is a tiny scrap in my bin and I have no idea who makes it as there was such a small amount. I love the teeny-tiny star brads. I've had them for ages but have never used them. Why is that, I wonder? The striped grosgrain ribbon was a 6 inch scrap left over from some long ago project. Again, it worked out perfectly, I thought.

Until next time,
Cheers!
Jennifer

Memorial Day: a time to remember and honor

2011-05-30T06:45:00.013-04:00

Today, in the United States of America, Memorial Day is observed. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Last week, while I was in my hometown of Michigan City, Indiana, I visited my father's grave. My father served during WWII and continued serving in the Army Reserves until he retired in the 1960's attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. While my sisters and I were at the cemetary the grounds keepers were already preparing for today's memorial services by marking all military personel's graves with flags.In addition to the stone marker, there is a marker set in the ground documenting the service member's military service.
Today services will be held all over the United States remembering and honoring fallen soldiers. A very moving and poignant part of services held at Arlington National cemetary, not just today but throughout the year, is that of the Caisson Platoon.

The following videos are of the Caisson Platoon and their service to honor the fallen soldiers as well as the history of the playing of Taps.

Caisson Platoon:

Final Honors - Caparisoned Horse:

Taps:

Until next time,
Jennifer

Canadian Geese on the Rooftop

2011-05-28T08:41:00.005-04:00

I live in Canada so seeing Canada geese in abundant masses is not an unusual sight to see at all. However, last weekend when we were in Indiana I saw a sight I have NEVER seen in Canada. The geese were lighting and walking on top of people's houses. Can you imagine what that must sound like to the people living in these homes? These geese are not little! Woooo weeee baby! They are HUGE and I couldn't even let my great big Newfoundland dogs near these monster birds. Anyway, thought it would be fun to post a photo(s) of the day to share with you, Canadian Geese on the Rooftops in Indiana.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

A new book for your summer reading pleasure

2011-05-27T10:06:00.005-04:00

It has been a while since posting about books I've been reading. I have a lot of books to recommend but I especially want to share with you today a new book that I feel confident you'll want to add to your reading list. The Midwife's Confession, by Diane Chamberlain, is a page turner that will grab you on page 1 and you will not be able to put it down until you turn the final page. I read The Midwife's Confession in the car last weekend on our 13 hour drive to Indiana. The car ride flew by and I was completely captivated by this story, only pausing from my reading to talk the Mister's ear off about what was happening next in the story.

GOODREADS REVIEW: 'I don't know how to tell you what I did.' The unfinished letter is the only clue Tara and Emerson have to the reason behind Noelle's suicide. Everything they knew about Noelle - her calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her family - described a woman who embraced life. But they didn't know everything. Because the unaddressed letter reveals a terrible secret...and a legacy of guilt that changes everything they thought they knew about the woman who delivered their children. A legacy that will irrevocably change their own lives - and the life of a desperate stranger - forever. Diane Chamberlain gets to the heart of the story.

MY THOUGHTS: Diane Chamberlain captures her readers' attention on the very first page and through a series of twists and turns reveals the secrets that Midwife Noelle Downie harbored that affected the lives of many. The reader will think they've figured out some of the plot twists but I highly doubt that you will know the true answers until you've turned the final page.

I was completely captivated by this story. The character development of each one of the many people involved in each of Noelle's secrets was well established. The story is told chapter by chapter through the viewpoint of the various characters. The story is fast paced and truly a page turner.

If my enthusiastic description is not quite enough to pique your interest in The Midwife's Confession, then perhaps this video book trailer that might also pique your interest:

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Back home again in Indiana

2011-05-25T09:18:00.004-04:00

May has been a very busy month and lest you think I've been idle, that most certainly has not been the case. I've done a lot of sewing...so much so that my 30 year old Viking sewing machine broke down and I had to quickly purchase a Singer backup machine until the Viking is repaired.

In addition to sewing I've made all of the wedding invitations, reply cards, thank you notes, napkins, bubble wand tags, placecards and table numbers for my brother and new sister-in-law's wedding. Fun times and really busy.

The wedding took place last weekend in the town I grew up in: Michigan City, Indiana. Oh how WONDERFUL it was to be back home again in Indiana. My hubster and I plan to retire in Indiana in just three more years and I cannot wait until that day arrives. In fact, we did look at a couple of "hobby farm" properties for sale while we were there. Just looking and getting an idea for what is available.

Looking at Indiana's countryside and farm houses and barns has a special place in my heart. Indiana has a very large number of round barns that was a popular style of barn architecture around the turn of the century and beyond. There are still many round barns standing and this round barn is just outside of my hometown. Of course it has had some loving help to preserve it and is not in use as a barn anymore, but I just love to drive past it and the memories of seeing it as a child flood my mind and heart.

Isn't it gorgeous? Indiana isn't the only state where round barns were built and used, but it still has a lot still standing. Sadly, though, far too many of the original round barns have been destroyed or not maintained. They really were fabulous barns and an interesting piece of architectural history.

On my next trip to go back home again in Indiana I want to drive around to more of the round barns and photograph them. Due to the commitments and time restraints we had this past weekend, it wasn't condusive to a lot of "barn shoots" but there are so many round barns and each one is unique.

If you are interested in seeing more photos of some of the round barns of Indiana check out this link of the book The Quiet Path: Round Barns of Indiana . The link should allow you to turn pages through the book to view the photos.

My garden is growing nicely, but now that I'm home I'm spending the rest of the week weeding and putting up pea netting for the peas to climb on. It is also finally warm enough that I can work on the front flower beds. And the dogs are in desparate need of grooming. They had a blast at the kennel last weekend and came home muddy and matted to prove that how much fun they had on their farm stay. It's all good! :)

So posts of cardmaking and sewing and gardening to come. Oh, and some book reviews too. I had 13 hour car drive to get to Indiana so I had plenty of time to read.

Until later!
Cheers!
Jennifer

My Three Gardeners Extraordinaire!

2011-05-02T09:16:00.006-04:00

My first daffodils opened this week and it won't be long before the tulips bloom (I hope.) I decided it was safe to begin preparing the vegetable gardens (there are four) but I needed to get truck load of garden soil to till in along with some manure before I can begin planting. It took a lot of work hauling the soil from the truck in a wheel barrel to the back yard, but as you can see, my "helpers" made sure that with each dump of the wheel barrel, no one stole the fresh soil. These photos are from first getting started on my task and only one of the smaller veggie areas. Nevertheless, my three goofy Newfies, Noah, Gabe and Paige, love 'helping'!

Left to right: Gabe (4 years old), Noah (my wee pup who is now 1 year old) and on the right, Paige (2 1/2 years old)

Noah and Paige keep a vigilant watch for dirt thieves. The only time they moved was when I brought a new wheel barrel full of soil so they could lay on it!

Gabriel is a self proclaimed foreman of any work operation. He loves to survey his staff!

All three were exhausted by the end of the day. It is very hard work to protect new soil in the garden, doncha know?

Cheers!

Jennifer

Le Poulet Six Pocket Tote Bag

2011-04-25T08:27:00.006-04:00

About a year or so ago I saw these wonderful fabrics and knew I had to have them. The fabric is aptly called "Le Poulet" and is by Whistler Studios for Windham fabrics. These yardages also come a deep rusty red shade, too.
I really wasn't sure what I'd be making but I just had to have it! I think in the future I'll be making some kitchen curtains and aprons. I have a small church bench that could use a cushion, pillow or throw over it. Perhaps a small quilt will be made as well.

A few weeks ago I came across a 6 pocket totebag. I loved how simple it was to make and the outside cover with the straps divided the outside of the bag with six pockets. Perfect for tossing your cell phone, ipod or notepad into while the inside was not too large but certainly large enough for wallet, keys, tissues and any number of items we must have at hand.

As I usually do with totebags that I make, I included a key clip as well as inside pockets. I just do not like standing at the car digging to the bottom in search of my keys or shopping list when it is so easy to have them right at hand with the inclusion of a couple quick pockets and addition of a key clip.

I found the instructions for this simple 6 pocket tote bag HERE. With a little conversion of the pieces you cut you can make it larger and I think that if I make another one I'll include a magnetic snap at the top.

I'm thinking that maybe something along these lines might make a good gathering tote in the garden out of another fabric or canvas or even for gathering eggs with a few tweeks to the pattern. The original bag is show in gorgeous Amy Butler fabrics but I wanted to keep mine a bit more simple with the "Le Poulet" country theme.

The sun is out today! YIPPEE!! I'm going to spend time today outside in the garden preparing it for planting. It will still be a month until we are past frost and freezing but once the warmth hits we have to take full advantage of each spring day.

Cheers!

Jennifer

Easter Blessings!

2011-04-24T08:53:00.004-04:00

Easter Blessings to you and your family!

Today I'm fondly remembering happy, HAPPY Easter days celebrated when my three children were little. Dressed in their Easter finery we were just getting ready to go to church to celebrate the day (Photo circa 1985).

I hope you are enjoying memories of Easter past and especially creating memories and traditions today!

Hallelujah! The Lord is Risen! HALLELUJAH!

We're having Carrots for Easter!

2011-04-23T16:37:00.005-04:00

Yes! We're having carrots for Easter afterall! Not the edible variety. Today, quite by chance, I happened to stumble upon Clare's blog aptly titled Clare's Craftroom and I discovered these oh-so-sweet fabric carrots to make. Clare was gracious enough to sketch out the pattern and give a tutorial to share. You can view and make your very own fabric carrots by clicking to her instructions HERE.
I had no intention of spending the afternoon making carrots but when I saw Clare's instructions were very sucinct and easy to follow...well, one thing led to another and I found myself looking through my fabrics and fat quarters to see if I had anything to make cute carrots with. I've discovered the my fabric stash is lacking in cute ORANGE fabrics but I did have these on hand so off I went and spent the afternoon whipping up a batch of carrots to use as our table decorations for Easter.

Doesn't it look like the Easter Bunny delivered this basket?

I've posted previously this month the instructions for the plush bunnies (below) and the fabric eggs in the photo provided by more very generous fiber artists who have generously shared their creative talents. What fun it is for me to find these patterns and lovely ideas for holiday decorations online to make. Thank you ladies!

Now I must finish up the Easter preparations that I had intended to do today. My bunny, chick and flower sugar cookies cutouts are baked and I just need to frost and decorate them. I hard boiled a few eggs for the mister and myself to color later this evening.

Easter blessings to each and every one of you!

Jennifer

One yard Easter gifts

2011-04-22T15:07:00.008-04:00

A week or so ago I posted photos of the purple and pink rose fabric Peter Cottontail Bunny and eggs (see the post HERE) that I made for a very special little two year old friend of mine. **smiles** I really love the fabric and only had one yard of it to play with. The stuffed bunny and eggs only required 1/2 of a yard and I just had to use the rest of the piece for something special. I decided to make a little smocked sundress as the perfect solution for the useage of the rest of the fabric. I found these instructions for the smocked top dress and at the end of this post I'll share the You Tube video.

This dress is definitely one that beginners in sewing or those who just want to make something very quickly and simply can do. The smocked top is actually not done by the traditional and time consuming method. This sweet dress is smocked using elastic thread in the bobbin. VOILA! Smocking on your sewing machine made by rows of stitches. Again, if you are interested in the 'how to' just watch the video at the end of this post.
My photos are not very clear but hopefully you can get an idea as to how simple and sweet this little dress is. And it is only 1/2 yard of fabric! Of course, the dress I made is about a size 3 little girl size, but by using more fabric you can actually make one for yourself or adults.

So here are my ONE YARD EASTER GIFTS that I will be wrapping up in a basket along with some bunny shaped frosted sugar cookies using my Grandmother's Rich Cookie dough recipe. I remember as a little girl (about 150 years ago) my Grandma coming to the house with a bowl of her freshly baked sugar cookies. I've never tasted better than hers, no matter who puts their name or gourmet label on them.

If you'd like to view the Martha Stewart video to make the summer smocked sundress, take a peek:

I had better get in the kitchen and mix up Grandma's Rich Cookie Dough recipe so I can roll them out and decorate them tomorrow.

Until later,

Cheers!

Jennifer

Sending you Sunshine

2011-04-21T06:59:00.005-04:00

I sure wish someone would send some sunshine and flowers my way! *smiles* We are still having days of snow, sleet and freezing rain and as of yet, no flowers have bloomed. sigh....... I'm so tired of winter! ESPECIALLY when the calendar says it is spring. But it isn't here yet.

So to stay away the winter doldrums I made this card using the smiling sunflower faces to cheer me. The sunflower stamp is another from Whipper Snapper Designs newest release set called "Garden of Friendship."

Garden of Friendship

The sentiment, "Sending you Sunshine and Flowers" is also from the set and really is what I need to read on these frosty cold days.

Not only that, but just look at all of the sentiments and detail stamps, as well as larger images that come in the set. The newest Whipper Snapper Designs releases are filled with stamps to keep your creative juices flowing.

That's all for today. I'm headed out to the barn this morning. It is the day the farrier comes to give all the horses their pedicures! **wink!** There is always lots of fun chat and interesting news shared between the other horse owners so it will be a good day, despite our cold temperatures.

I hope your day is filled with sunshine...and some flowers too!

Cheers!

Jennifer

Garden Fresh from Whipper Snapper Designs

2011-04-20T11:28:00.007-04:00

I want to show you another Whipper Snapper Designs stamp set that has been released this week. I can't help but wonder if Anna Wight illustrated these stamp designs just for me?! I am going to be using this set for tags and labels for all of my canning and preserving this summer, as well as for cute cards.

Garden Fresh <------ Click on the words to take you to the site where you can purchase your very own set! **smiles**

I made a couple of cards to accompany some of my gift jars of jams, salsa, tomato sauce.
For a bit of a homespun touch I added ruffled lace and a safety pinned tag.

I tend to produce an overabundance of tomatoes from my garden each year. Last year my larder was full of jars of tomatoes, salsa, chili sauce and spaghetti sauce too. The following card will fit the bill for giving family and friends baskets and jars of canned yumminess.

For this jar, rather than coloring it, I decided to paper piece the "fabric" look jar topper and label and used some cotton thread to tie the lid.

I hope you are enjoying the new Whipper Snapper Designs stamp releases as much as I am. I have more cards to show you in the coming weeks. I hope your interest is piqued.
Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Recipe card and companion set

2011-04-19T06:14:00.011-04:00

I'm really excited about the four new stamps sets that were released yesterday by Whipper Snapper Designs and illustrated by Anna Wight. Today I want to show you two more of the new sets in this new release. Keeping with the gardening, preserving and cooking theme are the recipe card stamp and the companion set to use with it:

Recipe Card <----- Click to take you to the site

Recipe Card Companions Set <------ Click to take you to the stamps

These two sets combined will make your recipes not only attractive but just think of the beautifully creative gifts you can make and give! Once I made the recipe card I realized how fun it would be using the companion set to the recipe card to create a card envelope to contain and present the recipe. I made a simple criss cross card (click HERE to view a simple criss cross card tutorial.)

See how your recipe card slides into the envelope? You could present several cards of different recipes in the same envelope. Or have you made a dish that your friends and family have been begging for your secret recipe? What a great way to present the culinary treasure to them! *smiles*

Because I make a variety of jams and preserves each summer I decided to use the specific fruit at the top of the card to make easy identification of the jam recipe.
I'm over the moon about Anna Wight illustrations for these sets!

For the tab at the top of the cards I used a Stampin' Up file tab punch. This made a great category identifier (as shown in here with DESSERTS) to keep your recipe card box orderly. The Companion set contains all categories as well as a variety of images.
Now just imagine how many times you are going to use these two sets! For myself, I'm just thankful you can't wear out rubber because I know I'll be making set after set of recipe cards. Some great gift giving ideas might be:

Bridal Shower gift

Children leaving the nest and needing Mom's good cooking help

Hostess gifts

Organizing your canning and preserving recipes in a special file (I KNOW I'm going to be doing this!)

Adding a cute recipe card to a homebaked bread or dessert or casserole.

You get the idea!

Tomorrow I'll present another of the new WHIPPER SNAPPER DESIGNS April release set.

Cheers!
Jennifer

Garden of Friendship

2011-04-18T05:56:00.005-04:00

Today is the day for the April Whipper Snapper Designs cling mount stamps release. There are four new sets and I know you will enjoy them just as much as I am! Each of the four new stamp sets released this month are of the gardening and cooking and preserving theme. I'll be sharing cards with you throughout this month using these wonderful sets. The first set I want to share is titled, "Garden of Friendship" and Anna Wight has done it again with her whimsical garden girl. Absolutely adorable.

One of the things I love about Whipper Snapper Designs is the huge selection of stamps and details included in each set. So many adorable detail stamps and sentiments to create unique and individualized cards. For this particular card I used copic markers to color and added a sweet almost calico print designer paper to the background from The Thrift Shop collection of October Afternoon designer papers.

Garden of Friendship

I'll have a lot more cards to come using this set as well as highlighting three more newly released sets. I know they will be well loved and used stamp sets.

Until next time,

Cheers!

Jennifer

...Peter Cottontail hopping down the bunny trail

2011-04-14T12:51:00.011-04:00

"Here comes Peter Cottontail, Hopping down the bunny trial. Hippity, hoppity Easter's on its way." Yesterday I discovered this free downloadable pattern, created by The Polka-Dot Umbrella HERE for this sweet bunny. Being impulsive, I printed the pattern and put all other chores aside for the day to make this darling bunny. He's so sweet and cuddleable that I made him some soft eggs to deliver in matching colors.
For the most part I followed the directions given. However, the designer didn't line or interface the ears, and while one definitely wants them floppy, I decided to line the ears with a flat quilt batting. They are still quite floppy but don't hang limply from him. And for the face and hands I used ultrasuede scraps instead of felt. I just love his sweet embroidered nose and mouth. The buttons were in my stash of buttons and matched the fabric perfectly. A couple of weeks ago I posted some soft bunnies and eggs that I had made. The eggs were designed by Retro-mama and you can find the directions on her blog HERE. Ooohhh...and look at his cute little cottontail. Actually, his tail is white felt and using a satin stitch attached it to his puffy bum. Isn't the purple floral fabric yummy?! I love it. It is "Sonoma" by Franchelle Contreras for Henry Glass Fabrics. Tomorrow I'll show you another sneak peek using this lovely fabric. I really enjoyed making this bunny. And just wait until tomorrow to see the rest of the Easter Accessories that will accompany him. Until then, Cheers! Jennifer

Quilted Laptop Bag

2011-04-12T13:07:00.007-04:00

Last summer my sister asked me if I might be able to make her a carrying case/totebag for her new laptop computer. She had seen some beautiful Vera Bradley quilted bags that she liked a lot and I didn't see a problem at all to replicate a Vera Bradley knock-off design using some lovely floral quilted fabric. So Mary Kathryn went to JoAnn's and found this GORGEOUS floral striped quilted fabric. The reverse side of the fabric is solid purple floral (no stripes) and that is the inside of the case. I didn't think this should be a difficult tote to make but since she lives in the U.S.A. and I'm in Canada, I didn't want to guestimate sizes and construction because we aren't close geographically to "fit" or make adjustments once I began cutting and sewing. I did, however, find this wonderful Simplicity Pattern # 3889 for a variety of sizes and styles for laptop computer bags and decided to use it. The inside of the computer bag has pockets for pens and pencils as well as a pocket to slip cords or the mouse into. I just love the purple floral inside of the case just as much as the striped outside. This laptop totebag closes with two zippers that run from the center top around to the bottom. The outside has a large pocket on both sides to drop a notepad, tablet or books.

This was a lot of fun to make. It wasn't terribly difficult, though I would not recommend this for a beginner to sewing. Some of the instructions on the pattern rely on the needleperson to intuitively, or through experience, know how to apply binding, zippers in an inconventional useage and manner. Also, I wouldn't recommend this project for a sewing machine that wasn't, shall we say, substantial. There are a lot of layers, cord and fabric that needs to go through the machine. The layers where one is sewing through the front, inside and pocket layers gave my machine some groans. All in all, though, it went together fairly easily and I would love to make another one. In fact, I'm considering the envelope style pouch for my KOBO e-reader. Now I'm off to mail the bag to my sister. I've put this off for so long and she's not complained once that I haven't gotten it mailed to her.

And because I am so late in mailing this to her, I'm tucking in an apology card. My sister knits beautifully so I thought she might forgive me if I apologized for my tardiness with this "sorry to be such a Knit Wit" card.
Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

Jennifer

Blue Delft Tile card

2011-04-10T13:06:00.007-04:00

A couple of weeks ago at Splitcoast Stampers, the Wednesday Tutorial was how to make a Delft Tile card. I've always loved Blue Delft Tile and while I do not own any, I admire it greatly. Delftware, or Delft pottery, or Blue Delft tile refers to blue and white pottery made in and/or around Delft in the Netherlands and the tin-glazed pottery made in the Netherlands from the 16th century. This is an example of Blue Delft tile: The process to make the card was quite simple and involved a large background stamp (I used a Stampin' Up! Floral background stamp) and stamped it in blue ink, scored the image into a tiles and then added a bit of grey highlights to replicate the grout between the tiles. You can find the complete tutorial presented at Splitcoast Stampers HERE. My center stamps is also a Stampin' up stamp from an old and well loved little set called "Flowers of Gratitude." The sentiment is from Stampin' Up! as well. Finally, after mounting the image I added some blue pearls. In the centers of the flowers I added tiny light grey pearls. I thought the pearls added the ceramic and shiney look of glazed tile. What do you think? This Delft tile technique was a lot of fun to make. In fact, I found some other background stamps that I think will be a lot of fun to make a Delft Tile Card with.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

A little denim jumper

2011-04-01T14:06:00.006-04:00

The other day I was sent a picture of a little denim jumper and asked if I thought I could make something like it. The photo was of a ready made jumper and retailed for $38 and that price is before taxes and shipping were added on. "WHAT??!!", I exclaimed! "Over $40 for a simple little jumper for a toddler? That's outrageous! I can make that for a couple of bucks and have it ready to wear in a couple short hours."

The gauntlet had been thrown and now it was time for me to set about doing exactly what I claimed I could. For all intents and purposes, this little jumper looks identical to the expensive designer outfit. I didn't have a pattern and quite frankly, I didn't know exactly how long it should be or even what our little sweetheart's chest size and shoulder width is. You see, once I get an idea into my head I just start cutting and sewing and "winging it."

All the rage in little girls' summer frocks appears to be the Pillowcase Style garment. As I looked at the photo of the designer jumper I decided that that is all it was, i.e. a pillowcase dress made of denim with a casing and a self drawn tie for to create the shoulders and to tie into a bow. An advantage of the casing style with the sash drawn through it is that as the child grows you merely loosen the drawn sash to expand the chest breadth.

The photo in the magazine of the ready -to- wear version had a cute apple fabric for the hemmed trim, pockets and sash. I didn't happen to have the identical in my fabric but I did think this tiny butterfly print in green, blue and a bit of pink would work perfectly. The patch pockets were created from the bottom of my spray bottle sitting on my ironing board to create the rounded edges and then I cut the top straight. I always line my pockets. They hang better on the garment and are more sturdy.

For the hem trim I interfaced with a medium weight interfacing. It is made with a long piece of fabric folded in half and then half is interfaced and the rest is folded to the inside, then showing no raw edges. Because the demin has a bit more heft, I knew that the cotton fabric would need support of a good interfacing. I was tempted to post side by side photos of my little dress and the expensive online version, but decided that I didn't want to give free publicity to the company selling and making them.

This really did go together in less than two hours. I spent a lot of time looking at the photo of the ready made jumper and visually and mentally disecting it until I had a plan.

Our special little friend just received it this morning so perhaps I can get a photo of her modeling it. She is going to go to part time pre-school this fall and I think (I hope!) this will be an easy to wear and fun jumper to wear to 'school.'

OH! I have two little tiny antique metal butterfly buttons. I started to sew them on at the top of the jumper and then kept changing my mind. They match perfectly with the print, but I didn't know if it would be too much with the drawn sash tie at the top. As well, perhaps for safety reasons one shouldn't put metal buttons on toddler's garments? I don't know. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

Jennifer

Enjoy the moment

2011-03-28T06:01:00.012-04:00

Where has March flown to? It may be an exceptionally cold and wintery month for us, but it sure seems to have gone quickly. Today is my last day to join the HOUSE MOUSE AND FRIENDS team as a guest designer. I've thoroughly enjoyed being a guest DT member and will continue to participate in the challenges each month.

Are you ready to get out your House Mouse & Friends stamps and participate in Challenge #92 ? It is my favorite type of challenge and that is a sketch challenge. Here is it (above).
Card Recipe:
Stamps: Stampabilities "Lavender Bouquet" and Papertrey Ink sentiment
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black and Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Dusty Concord
Image colored with Copic Markers
Designer Paper: Stampin' Up!
Embellishments: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, Flower Soft, Martha Stewart ultra fine glitter, lavender colored sheer dotted organza ribbon.

For anyone who enjoys using Flower Soft have you tried making bouquets with it like my sweet Gruffie bear has here? It is very simple to do: Using approximately a two inch piece of fine wire heavily coat one end about 3/4 inch up the wire with a thick glue (I used Aileen's but Flower Soft does have their own brand). Sprinkle heavily with Flower Soft and then stick the opposite end of the wire in a dry sponge to let it stand up and dry for an hour or two. Once the strand was dry simply tie a pretty bow with your favorite ribbon and adhere the bouquet to your card.

My photos appear to be showing the Lilac bouquets as quite a dark purple but in real life they are a soft proper lavender color.

I'm looking forward to seeing our Lilac bushes in full bloom and I know when that day comes I'll be sure to "Enjoy the moment" just like this Gruffie is.
Cheers!
Jennifer

Blowing Kisses

2011-03-25T12:07:00.003-04:00

Wouldn't this be a fun non-traditional Valentine card? The stamps are more from WHIPPER SNAPPER DESIGNS, designed by Anna Wight. The Fish is "Feelin' Fishy" and the sentiment is from "All things with Love." Both are new releases from Whipper Snapper this month.

I stamped the fish and sentiment on watercolor paper using Versamark. Then I embossed with Antique Gold embossing powder. To color the image I used Tombow markers and a wet brush for a watercolored look. The images and sentiment were cut out with Spellbinder Nestibilities dies and mounted on a fun Velum print that I found at Michaels. I added some machine stitching and some crystal brads in green to carry out my non-tradition Valentine colors to match the fish. That's all there is to this card. Easy-peasy!

I'm sad to report I'm still freezing here. Spring is nowhere to be seen. We've gotten more snow this week and while today is a clear, sunny, blue sky kind of day, the temperature is below freezing! Brrrr.... Come on SPRING!

Until next time,
Cheers!
Jennifer

Little Dresses for Africa

2011-03-23T08:18:00.004-04:00

You've heard and read it before; the ancient African Proverb that states, "It takes a village to raise a child." In these times of plenty for a few and stark deprivation for many, it has made me wonder how I can, even if only in a small way, help be a part of the village to raise a child in need.

I've discovered a way and I'm using this post as a means to call out to my friends and family to help me meet a challenge and join me in making and sending 50 dresses and/or shorts to send to children in need in Africa. YES WE CAN HELP!

Little Dresses for Africa is a non-profit 501c3, Christian based organization which provides relief to the children of Africa. Simple dresses are made out of pillow cases and distributed through the orphanages, churches and schools in Africa to plant in the hearts of little girls that they are worthy!

I have committed to donating 50 simple pillowcase dresses and/or shorts. If this is a project you'd like to donate your help to I would love to have YOU as a supporter and contributor.

Here is how you can help. Sew a simple pillowcase dress or a pair of elasticized simple shorts for a boy and send it to me. Or make two or three...or 5. Each and every dress will be going to a child in need. And the beauty of this project is that the pillowcase dress is simple to make and is a beautiful sundress style for the heat of Africa.

Before you say, "I DON'T SEW" please consider sending to me a pillowcase of your choice. I will make the dress for you and add your name to the list of donors when I send the package. You see? You don't have to sew to help.

I would love to have your help. CLICK HERE for some photos of children receiving their dresses in Africa. Please note too that you may add pockets, trim, embroidery or leave the dresses plain. Every dress will be appreciated! PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT USE BUTTONS OR ZIPPERS on the garment as these are not easily repairable.

Here is a pictoral sample of how to make a pillowcase dress: http://www.littledressesforafrica.org/blog/?page_id=477

And this downloadable pattern, through the courtesy of Nancy Zieman at Nancy's Notions is one way to make a pillowcase dress: http://www.nancysnotions.com/text/pdf/LittleDressesforAfrica_pattern.pdf

THE DETAILS:

1.) You want to contribute and you may email me at thimbles3 (at) hotmail (dot) com and I will send to you my mailing address for you to send to me your completed dresses or pillowcases that I will construct in your name. In your email, please tell me how many dresses or pillowcases you would like to send.

2.) Read the details about Little Dresses for Africa at their website to gain further understanding of how these simple pillowcase dresses help the little girls in need at their website: http://www.littledressesforafrica.org/blog/

3.) I would like to mail these to the Little Dresses for Africa organization no later than June 1, 2011 so please send me your dresses or pillow case if you want to donate in that manner as soon as you've completed it. I will package the dresses per size as the instructions state and mail them a complete list of all of the wonderful people who've helped contribute. In addition, I'll email you photos of our completed dresses and boxing them up to mail. I want you to know that it is because of your generosity, support and help that makes this worthy project a go!

4.) Please note I will not accept monetary donations. The Little Dreses for Africa does take donations and if you choose to donate in a monetary means that would be wonderful but you must do that through their secure site.

5.) I am VERY committed to meeting my goal of 50 dresses to send to Little Dresses for Africa and will send them by June 1st. I do hope you'll help me reach my goal.

6.) If you have family or friends who sew or who would like to send me a pillowcase please spread the word.

Thank you for reading this post and, hopefully, joining me in this most worthwhile cause. I look forward to hearing from you soon if you can contribute and will keep in contact with you along the way.

Remember, It takes a whole village to raise a child!

Cheers!
Jennifer

Peter Cottontail and a basket of colorful eggs

2011-03-21T11:07:00.007-04:00

This past weekend I decided it was long past time to clean my sewing room. As the case usually is, once I started looking at fabric and notions that needed to be tidied up, I stopped the cleaning process and began sewing. I had seen these darling plush bunnies online at Betz White's blog HERE . Betz made her bunnies out of repurposed cashmere garments for the ultimate in plush bunnies. I happened to have in my fabric stash three different colors of polarfleece and decided the bunnies would be soft and cuddle-y out of fleece. Another of my cleaning projects was supposed to have been to organize by color and stack my fat quarters of quilting fabrics. But once I knew I HAD TO make these plush bunnies I started going through fat quarters for the perfect inside ear treatments. Once you make one bunny, they begin to multiply. I began my first bunny (the pink one) at noon. By suppertime they had multiplied to three bunnies.

One of Betz suggestions is to felt a heart on the hip of each bunny using roving and felting needles. I just so happened to have a little bit of roving left from a wool bag I made and felted and so I felted a heart on each rabbit. I think next time I'll probably applique a heart but the felted heart is really an lovely touch.

And where you find the Easter bunny, you'll surely find colorful eggs. Just look at the basketful of eggs. Aren't these fun and colorful? The fabric eggs pattern is from Retro Mama's blog and you can find it ---> HERE. My stash of fat quarters came in handy again and I quickly began laying a dozen eggs! Ok... I sewed them up.

NOTE: The mister said I should call these not Fabergé eggs, but rather, FABRIC-J eggs. Ha ha ... get it? Fabric and J for Jennifer? He's such a card!
I feel like a child again. I made these for a special little someone's Easter surprise, but I've been having such fun playing with them (and removing them from three big bear dog's mouths) that I think I'll keep these for myself and I'll be making some more to give.

If you want to make a calorie free Easter basket treat, hop on over to Betz White's Blog ----> HERE for the bunny tutorial and to Retro Mama's Blog ----> HERE for the egg tutorial.

Cheers!
Jennifer

Thinking of you

2011-03-19T08:36:00.006-04:00

Good Saturday morning to you. Brrrrr....the frost is on the already snowcovered ground this morning. I was really, REALLY hoping for some major snow melt this weekend, but it doesn't appear it will be happening quite yet. So...what to do? Make a thinking of you card filled with flowers and a spring/summertime scene.

The fox and woodland stamps are from Anna Wight's designs for Whipper Snapper Designs cling mount stamps. This set was just released last Monday and it is such a versatile stampset. For this card I stamped with Momento Tuxedo black ink and colored with Copic markers. I added a touch of ivory Flowersoft to the fox's tails and chest and then added just a touch of sparkle to the leaves, flowers and little Miss Fox's bow using Stickles glitter glue.

FOX FRIENDS

The sentiments are from the newly released ALL THINGS WITH LOVE set and this too is a versatile set: one that you'll reach for with all types of cards. The tag, Thinking of you, is from this set. In addition, I want to point out to you the background words you see in the background of my card. It is a continuous lines of friendship words and phrases. I used it in place of designer paper and while the main image covers much of it, it does give a warmth of loving thoughts from the words visible. I really, REALLY like this stamp and this type of background wording stamps.

ALL THINGS WITH LOVE
Be sure to check out these new stamp sets and then let your imagination go free with ideas!

It's Saturday morning, the mister is making a list of building materials he needs to pick up in town for projects he has started, so I think I'm going to spend much of my day doing some sewing. Later, I want to take a trip out to the barn to see my Gypsy mare and give her a thorough grooming. I'm eagerly awaiting the winter thaw so I can ride her when the footing gets better.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Cheers!

Jennifer

Sorry I was CRABBY

2011-03-18T09:13:00.007-04:00

Good Morning! It is almost "balmy" outside this morning but the weather forecast says that will change later today and the temperature will drop toward freezing again. Hopefully the slightly above freezing temperatures will thaw and melt all of the snow we still have. And at this time of year, I get CRABBY! The calendar says spring will arrive this coming Sunday, but the out-of-doors looks like winter.

I will probably get a lot of use out of this card and sentiment. Yep! This is another Anna Wight stamp design for Whipper Snapper Designs new cling mount Feelin' Fishy set. Isn't it a hoot?!

Feelin' Fishy Cling Mount stamp set

I don't know exactly why, but I have been designing all of my cards lately using Versamark on Watercolor paper and embossing the image in Antique Gold detail embossing powder and then watercoloring with Tombow Markers and a wet brush. It is a bit different look but I think it gives the sea world designs of fish and crabs and fun and water-like look. Using embossing powder does help hold the watercolor within the lines of the image.

The background designer paper is from K & Company. I added some machine stitching around the edges and some fun zig-zag stitches randomly around the crab. Maybe I was too crabby to stitch the entire circle? tee hee!

I love this bright and bold orange and blue color scheme. When I showed this card to the mister, his response was "WOW!" I'm not sure what his "wow" meant exactly and I didn't chance finding out what he was thinking.

Hope you aren't crabby today and have a glorious weekend.

Until next time,

Cheers!

Jennifer

Hello, hello, HOWDY

2011-03-17T16:20:00.006-04:00

Just for fun, doesn't this card make you giggle? This is another of Anna Wight's designs for Whipper Snapper Designs new releases of "Feelin' Fishy". When I saw this week's layout over at Julee's MOJO MONDAY challenge #182 I knew I had to use this layout for one of the fun fish.

Below is the Mojo Monday layout design for this week:

Once again I stamped with Versamark on watercolor paper and embossed with antique gold. Next I used a wet brush with Tombow markers to color.

Isn't this collection of fish in Anna's "Feeling Fishy" set whimsical and fun? I'm having a blast playing with them.
Feelin' Fishy <----- Check out the set at Whipper Snapper by clicking.

All Things with Love <---- You can check out this delightful sentiment set by clicking its title.

The designer paper is from a new stack I just purchased from Cosmo Cricket. I cut it as per the layout design and added some gold crystals for a little added bling. The bubbles have a layer of dimensional glaze to give them a bubble effect.

I hope you'll check out all of the latest release sets designed by Anna over at Whipper Snapper Designs. You won't regret it!

Cheers!

Jennifer