I just scrapped 4-12x12 pages in my scrapbook...........

I just had to share.......Remember the staycation we had a few weeks ago? Well I decided to print those pics off and scrap them right away. You see, I don't often get to work on pictures for my book. I'm busy getting the kids books done, and figure I can finish our book when the kids have all graduated, which our middle son is graduating this June, so I've spent all my scrappin' time on his book. I have him caught up to his Freshman year, so I think I'll have his book done for grad!

Anyways, here are the layouts I did. I'm definately not a fancy scrapper - pretty plain and straight forward - but they're DONE!


I'm also hoping to copy a project my friend is making this December. It's a Days of December scrapbook. It's a mini book and you just take a picture a day and scrap it.....you know.....like foods, decorations, people, etc. I can't wait to take my first pic tomorrow. I will keep you posted on how it's going!

Christmas is at our house.............

My husband's rule is "no Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving", so on Friday - the decorating began - complete with Christmas music blaring!! I didn't get too far on Friday as my pre-lit Christmas tree decided this was the year not to light. So I left it sitting there, half put together and irritating me. We were having friends for a birthday party Sat. night so I had to face the tree Saturday morning. It took me 5 stinkin' hours to take off all the lights - clip by clip. Each branch had a light running to it that was clipped on! Yikes! My friend Kathi came and she undid the top layer of the tree. By now it's 2:30, I have 8 bins of Christmas stuff open and strewn on the floor, my tree is naked, the table is covered with stuff to be put out, and the kitchen counter is covered with everyday decorations to be stored away. I still have to make dessert and an appetizer, and I haven't even showered. Did I mention they were coming at 5:30? Sometimes I quesiton my judgement! Well I got it all done, I did have to go with the "less decorated Janice look", and pulled the wet hair up into a up-doo. We had an awesome time with our friends - there was much laughter and good food!

Here is the rebellious tree after I put on new lights and whipped it into shape!

I'll post more decorations through the month, it's nothing impressive, but it's home!

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a quick post to say Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends! I am so grateful for all the blessings God has given us, health (which I am even more grateful as I watch my friend deal with her 2nd blow of a cancer diagnosis, children (which I just had breakfast for my whole family at the table this morning with my 20 year old too - I love it!), a beautiful and warm house, a pantry full of food, enough scrappin' and stampin' supplies to keep me busy for months, (possibly years!!), friends galore that make me laugh and encourage me to walk with the Lord, a husband that is so constant and loves me (which at times I don't even like myself a lot), Randy works so hard and is a wonderful provider, but most of all I am thankful for the gift of Jesus Christ and salvation - which is a beautiful segue to why I love Christmas!!!!

Club and Cookies

Last night was stamp club and we made 3 great cards, so I thought I would post them for you to see. I'll show you the first one that I put on the blog a couple weeks ago.......

This card uses Pick A Petal and Wonderful Words stamp sets.

Here are some of the ladies hardly working - oops - I mean working hard..................

Aren't the color combos for this card fun? This card uses the True Friend Stamp set.




We made one more card but I'll save that for the next post.................now on to cookies!

The girls told me I needed to put this recipe on the blog. So here it is!!

CAKE MIX COOKIES

1 box any flavor cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil

Mix ingredients. Bake 10 min at 350 degrees!

These are a great quick and nummy recipe. You can whip them out last minute, and it's very easy - easy enough for kids to make by themselves. I do several variations as taught to me by my niece (thanks Marla!). Here are a few flavor options, but don't limit yourself to these...........
be creative.............

Lemon cake mix /top with cream cheese frosting
Choc. cake mix/creme de' menthe frosting
Funfetti Cake Mix

For last night's cookies I used a white cake mix and added white choc. chips. For Christmas I like to make the white or choc. cake mix, frost them with vanilla frosting and sprinkle with crushed candy canes!

I love leftovers........................

I sat down the other day and decided to make a bunch of cards with the stickers that I had left from the Simply Scrappin' Kit that I made the cards from for the class. These stickers were left after I made the original 16 cards that I have shown over the last week.

So far, I have made 10 mini cards (3x3) and 3 med. cards (3x6 which is the size of the 16 cards)!! Isn't that fun!! I still have stickers left too!!

All this translates into this: If you sign up for the Simply Scrappin' Card class, you will walk away with 16 cards and envelopes, a mini magazine holder plus cardstock to make 4 mini cards to go in the holder (see previous posts), and enough stickers left to make even more cards! See the class details ie: date, time, cost, etc. in previous post.

Just to tempt you all, as a demonstrator I was able to bulk buy textured cardstock in the brown, olive, and red, so if you sign up for this class, I will give you an additional free 12x12 of that to get you going on more cards. That is enough to make 4 - 3x6 cards or 8-3x3 cards, or 2 - 3x6, and 4-3x3, you can do the math :-).

Get signed up now - the deadline is Friday!!

Here's a closeup of the cards in the top picture, just so you can get a better look-see. (is that a word?)

#4/4 Simply Scrappin' Card Samples

Here are the green cards! I sure hope I've completely convinced you that you need to come to this fun and productive class!

Here are the details one more time....... I forget to mention that if you sign up for this class and sign up a friend too (someone that isn't a regular customer of mine :-) you will both get $5 off the class fee!!!

WHAT: Simply Scrappin' Card Kit class
WHEN: Monday, Dec. 1st @ 7pm
COST: $25 for kit to make 16 cards with envelopes, mini magazine holder, 4- 3x3 cards and lots of leftover stickers and patterned paper to make lots more cards. If you want to make cards with your leftovers, you can buy cardstock from me by the sheet at the class, or you can bring your own (red, old olive, choc. chip & white are the colors in the kit).
For $35 you can get enough for 32 cards plus lots of leftovers for extras just like above.
RSVP: Please email or call me no later than Friday, Nov. 21st!

Thought I'd post a picture of our Friday night dinner table that I set for our Staycation. We had barbequed ribs, smashed potatoes, swiss green beans, and of course - Crusty Bread. Have you made the bread yet?

#3 out of 4/Simply Scrappin' Card class samples........

Here are the red cards. So far I have shown the brown and white, so today is red, and tomorrow will be green. Isn't this fun?!?!


Since the kids were home yesterday, we had a nice slow start morning - I love those! I decided to make something I had seen on the web. I love cute little things, and this falls right smack dab into that category!!


It's a mini magazine holder - how cute is that? It holds 3x3 cards perfectly, so everyone that signs up for the Simply Scrappin' Card Class will get to make one of these too. So, with all the sticker scraps you have left I will give you enough card stock to make 4- 3x3 cards to put in your mini magazine holder! It would make a great gift - if you can bear to give it away!

For you that are new to the blog, the Simply Scrappin' Card class are cards that are made from a Simply Scrappin' Kit - we add a few touches, ie: a little stampin' of course, ribbon, and punches. These cards are a blast to make, require little to no skill and they go together quickly!

So here are the class details!

WHAT: Simply Scrappin' Card Kit class
WHEN: Monday, Dec. 1st @ 7pm
COST: $25 for kit to make 16 cards with envelopes, mini magazine holder, 4- 3x3 cards and lots of leftover stickers and patterned paper to make lots more cards. If you want to make cards with your leftovers, you can buy cardstock from me by the sheet at the class, or you can bring your own (red, old olive, choc. chip & white are the colors in the kit).
For $35 you can get enough for 32 cards plus lots of leftovers for extras just like above.
RSVP: Please email or call me no later than Friday, Nov. 21st!

The night always includes goodies on the tables (usually choc.) and a dessert and beverage, along with lots of laughter and fun! Besides the obvious perks of a night out not having to answer the phone or the "mom" calls (you know - the ones that call from anywhere in your house!), you get to be productive and go away with a bunch of Christmas cards to keep for your own use or give to someone else to use!

More Simply Scrappin' Card class samples........

What a beautiful Monday morning! The weekend was actually not so bad. We hosted a "staycation" at our house this weekend and we actually had coffee on the patio both mornings and sat out there one evening. (A "staycation" by the way, is a new buzz word - it's when you vacation at home. We usually go away in the fall with our friends to celebrate birthdays, but decided it would best to not spend money we didn't have :-) This is what was on the door when they arrived.........................

Coffee on the patio Saturday morning - complete with fireplace and cinnamon rolls!


Alright, enough stalling, and reliving my fun weekend......here are the brown cards from the set we will do! Again - this is my version of these cards, you can do whatever you like, or just come and copy!

With my post tomorrow I will give all the final details. For now, save Monday, Dec. 1st to come to this class!

Crusty bread recipe.................yes you can :-)

Ok, I'm a day late with the recipe, but here's what I've been doing.....................

The projects never end. My hands are killing me today (in fact typing isn't even easy), and I've got the last row to do. My dear hubby has to cut those tricky ones for me - I do cut the straight cuts, but I can't cut in the middle of the tile around things - that's what hubby is for!!

Anyway, here's the bread....NOW- before you ignore the recipe because you "just can't do bread", I haven't had anyone not be able to make this right, I was even nervous and I bake a ton of bread (not bread that weigns a ton!), but my friend Marla gave me the recipe and brought me a sample and I was hooked. My friend Kim has made it several times after being very apprehensive, and her family is loving it!

ARTISAN CRUSTY BREAD

1 5/8 c. warm water (just make it the same temp. as your wrist)
1 tsp yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 c. flour

In large bowl, stir together water yeast and salt, then add flour. Stir until ingredients are mixed. Place lid on bowl and let rise 6-24 hours (it doesn't raise to be huge). 1-2 hours before baking, scrape dough out onto floured surface (it will be very sticky) and cover with flour and shape into ball. Let sit on counter 1-2 hours.

Place glass casserole dish with lid in oven and heat to 450 degrees. The key is in heating up the dish before you put the dough in it. When oven reaches temp, take the dish out and spray w/oil and drop dough into dish, you will hear it sizzle. Put lid on dish and bake 30 min. with lid on, then remove lid and bake another 15 min. The hotter you the bread the crustier it is. It is best if you can wait at least 30 min.-1 hr. It is even better if you can have it done 1-2 hours before - then the crust isn't so hard.

This is great bread for dipping in oil & balsamic vinegar!! It also makes great toast and grilled cheese!! Or just spray with oil and a little garlic and broil - nummy!

Ok girls - let me know if you try it - you'll be addicted and your family will think you are a "bread goddess"!

Have a great weekend! We're doing a staycation this weekend - I'll blog about it next week.
More Simply Scrappin' card samples to come.............................

Two posts in one day?!?!?! Read on for more stampin' time....

As my dinner was in the oven I was on my blog posting for you all this evening. When I was pulling the dish out of the oven - I thought to myself "Janice you need to share this easy recipe with all your stampin' folk (ok, maybe that's not what I actually thought...) so they can spend more time stampin' and scrappin' and less time in the kitchen"! So, for the first time EVER , I took pictures of my food!


It doesn't look nearly as good in the picture as it did sitting on my counter. It's called Stove Top Easy Chicken Bake. It's one of those that was in a magazine for a Stove Top ad and I decided to make it one night. My family eats it up! Everyone has at least 2 helpings and hubby stopped after his 4th helping! There's a bit left for lunch tomorrow - wonder who will get to it first!

STOVE TOP EASY CHICKEN BAKE

1-6 oz. pkg. Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 can cr. of chicken soup
1/2 c. Sour Cream
1-16 oz. bag. frozen mixed vegies, thawed & drained

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare stuffing mix per package, set aside.

Mix chicken, soup, sour cream & vegies in a 9x13 dish and top with the stuffing. I add grated cheese to the top - I mean - why wouldn't you?

Bake 30 min.

I've also learned to make a fantasticly (if that's a word) easy Crusty Bread. I'll post that recipe tomorrow, or this will get so long you'll quit reading soon!

Something to look forward to...a card class is coming

Ok, I sat down with my friend Sherri on Monday, and we made cards from the Simply Scrappin' "I Wish" Kit. I will post the samples over the next few days with the class details. I do know the class date will be Monday, Dec. 1st - YIKES is that scary close or what? I haven't determined exactly the cost or all the other details, but those will be soon to come.

Here is Sherri working diligently - not knowing I was snapping a shot of her! Wow - we worked pretty tidy didn't we! Of course you'll notice our big red Starbucks mugs with nice hot Pumpkin Pie latte's in them - yummmmmm! We enjoyed a day together and were productive - what could be better than that?

There are 4 colors of textured cardstock in this set. Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White and Old Olive. Today I will show you the white cards and tomorrow we'll see if I'm in a green, red or brown mood!

Check your calendars and make sure you can come to this class. Last time we had 8 gals and we had a blast! You will get at least 20 cards from a 1/2 kit and 40 or more from a full kit. These are a great size - 3x6 and would make a great gift for someone - or use them as your Christmas cards!!

Today was a beautiful fall day - I hope you enjoyed it. It's supposed to rain all weekend, so let's get scrappin' and stampin'!

November Stamp Club - Card #1

Ok FINALLY I got to spend some time in my stampin' studio. This is the 1st of 3 cards for our November Stamp Club (which by the way, if you didn't get the email, has been moved to Thurs. Nov. 20th).

This card was totally copied of the Stampin' UP! Demonstrators Website. I changed the colors a little to make it more fall colored, but otherwise - it's copied!!

The Stamp sets used were Pick A Petal (pg. 128), & Wonderful Words (pg. 153). I picked Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie and Confetti White CS, and I used those same colored inks including Old Olive. For the scalloped edge I used the scallop edge punch (pg. 188) - I love this tool!!

This card can go horizontally or vertically - whichever way you choose! More samples to come soon!

Has anyone tried the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins?

DON'T FORGET - STAMP CAMP THIS THURSDAY AT 7PM - SEE YOU ALL THEN - DON'T FORGET TO RSVP BY NOON ON THURSDAY!!!!