Wednesday, June 30, 2010

J's 6th Birthday Pictures - Kiddie Kandids

What can I say about my cute little boy, who is equal parts charmer and troublemaker?  It was fun to get his pictures done and I was excited about how they turned out (especially after last weeks fun with Baby E).  I just love this big boy so much, he is growing up SO fast!  Happy Birthday J!




Tuesday, June 29, 2010

(SSD031) - Blog Hop and New Release PARTY!

Hooray!  It's Tuesday again, and today is a special one, one SUPER near and dear to me, because today is the our blog hop to celebrate the two new sets releasing at Skipping Stones Design this month, Chocolate #2 and Fangs or Fur (a Fabulous Twilight Series inspired set).



Personally, (and I realize this won't be the popular opinion) - I am TOTALLY a TEAM EDWARD kinda girl!  I think Jacob does look pretty good in the last movie (*drool*), and no doubt this new one (which I am dying to see) . . . but Edward is Bella's true love, and I am all in favor of true love.  Plus there is just *something* about Edward that I adore! What about you?  Are you a twihard?  Are you more of a fang girl, or a fur girl?
**********

If you just happened upon my blog today, you’ll want to go back to the beginning at Skipping Stones Design. You should have arrived from Jennifer Ingle's blog.  

We'd love for you to play along with the sketch. Just remember to use the keywords SSD031 if you are uploading to any online galleries or link your card at the Skipping Stones Blog. 

Here is my card with this weeks sketch - I used the polished stone technique and alcohol inks for the background:


And here is the final AWESOME sketch from Teri Anderson (thanks girl, loved the sketches):


And finally, off you go to the next blog on the hop . . . you get to visit Chelsea Van Wyk (she makes some pretty darn cute stuff so be sure to leave her some comments and love!)  Happy hoppin'!!!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Playing With Vinyl

This week I created two new items to decorate my home using some vinyl that I purchased at Piccadilly Peddlar - Etsy store.  I just love the way they turned out, so I thought I would share a couple of quick pictures of them.  The first, a Family Home Evening board.  I have always wanted one of these, but it seems like everyone already has one and they never do these at Super Saturday's anymore.  I just LOVE the way it turned out!


The second was a tile with Pres. Hinckley's BE's.  I thought they would be good for my children to learn about and read as they are growing up.  It turned out AWESOME and literally only took me like 5 minutes (I had to run upstairs and grab a leftover tile from our bedroom included in that time).


Anyway, just thought I would share!  I am in love with vinyl!  Do you have a good site where you purchase vinyl for your home?  If so, leave a comment and let me know where, I would LOVE to check it out!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Making Orange Berry Jam

Tonight I decided to make jam because berries were on sale at the store today.  My sweet hubby helped out a lot and it turned out to be a fun night.  The jam turned out yummy, a little more thin than I would like, but delicious!

Orange Berry Jam (Earlene Ertelt)
Prep: 30 min  Process:  5 min  Yield:  6 Half-Pints

3 c. fresh raspberries
2 c. fresh blueberries
6 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. finely chopped orange segments
2 tbsp. lemon juice
4 tsp. grated orange peel
1 pouch (3 oz.) liquid fruit pectin

Directions:
Place raspberries and blueberries in a food processor; cover and process until blended.  Transfer to a dutch oven.  Stir in the sugar, orange segments, lemon juice and orange peel.  Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly.  Stir in pectin. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat, skim off foam.  Ladle hot mixture into hot, sterilized half pint jars, leaving 1/4 in. headspace.  Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, and adjust lids.  Process for 5 minutes in a boiling water canner (use canning instructions if you have never done this before).

Little E's Pictures - Kiddie Kandids

Poor Little man, he is 18 months old and TOTALLY did not like the idea of some crazy girl with a tickle stick taking his picture, stealing his soul if you will.  He was SO awkward and funny!  It was such a difficult photo session!  We managed to get a couple of decent pictures out of him, one smiling, and one not so much, just to remember this stage.  Enjoy!


Tuesday, June 22, 2010

(SSD030) - NEW RELEASES

For today's sketch card, we're gonna take a trip down memory lane and check out a vintage automobile from You Know You're Gettin' Old Birthday  set by Skipping Stones Design and some vintage Basic Grey paper - sublime!  I thought they were made for each other.
I cannot believe how fast time is swooshing by.  I have been told to "enjoy those kids because it will pass so fast, you'll blink and it will be over" and I SO understand what they were saying now.  It really is going by that fast!  I can barely keep up!  That said, it will be no time before this card is really true for me -- *giggles*  I really like how it turned out because I think you could give this to an adult male -- which is (usually) a really hard demographic to design handmade cards for.  YAY!


and here is the awesome sketch by Teri Anderson:


Stamps:  You Know You're Gettin' Old Birthday (Skipping Stones Design)  Paper:  Not Quite Navy (SU!), Solar White Classic Crest (Neenah), Sublime - Vintage Paper Collection (Basic Grey)  Ink:  Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)  Accessories:  Sewing machine (Singer), brown thread (Sulky), Chestnut brown mini brads (American Crafts - Elements), Small Circle Punch (SU!), circle nestabilities dies (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug machine (Provocraft), Copic ciao markers (Imagination International Inc.)

AND HERE IS SOME AWESOME BIG NEWS:  

Buy 3 Get Your Fave New Release Set FREE!!!

First off, I wanted to introduce you to the two new sets releasing at Skipping Stones Design next week . . . so you can save your pennies, or plan next months budget around affording these babies!!  

  

OR, you could just get them for free!!  HERE'S HOW:

Purchase ANY three (3) stamp sets. When you are checking out there will be an option to leave a note to the seller. Please leave a note telling whether you'd like Fangs and Fur OR Chocolate #2 FREE.  The Pre order stamps are shipping right now~ONLY with this promotion.  

Just think, you will be able to stamp along with the blog hop on the 29th as we release these sets if you pre-order NOW!!!  These new sets will not be available in the store to buy until June 29th!  Happy shopping!!!

One last thing . . . if you enjoy
Skipping Stones Design stamps as much as I do -- I added an easy to grab button on the sidebar that you can copy and paste and add to your blog or site!! 

Friday, June 18, 2010

Hot Dog Eating Contest

My crazy, zany, lovable hubby managed to get himself involved in another eating contest at work . . . and he actually WON again . . . who would have thought?  This time it was turkey hot dogs, just the meat, no buns.  He managed to eat 13 in 20 minutes (that was the time limit) and his competition ate 12!  EW!  Here are some pictures of the event!

I like this one cause he looks like he is gonna puke (these were taken on a cell phone, so pardon the quality)

His competition - and a look at how many hot dogs they cooked and did not eat!  LOL

My silly hot dog eating winner - scared for what their next eating competition will be -- me, I vote for donuts!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Baby M's First Photos - Kiddie Kandids

I know, slacker!  She is already 3 months and we have missed that purely innocent baby stage where she did not know how to smile yet, but hey, cut me some slack, I have four kids and LOTS going on.  

Anyway, I wanted to get pictures of all my kids individually, so this starts the series of Wednesdays where I take my kids in to get pictures done.  I figure once a week will not overwhelm them so much.  Anyway, here are M's pictures (or at least the three that I purchased, my faves - apparently the others will be online eventually for me to share).



Tuesday, June 15, 2010

(SSD029) - Do We Dare Take the Chance?

It's TUESDAY again!  And today you get a special sneak peek at a new release set, not quite available yet, but keep checking back to Skipping Stones Design because this one will be releasing REALLY soon!  

The set is called Chocolate #2!  Mmmmm! Chocolate!!  Need I say more?  This set is just SO stinkin' adorable!  If you are a chocolate lovin' girl, (which I am) it is an absolute MUST OWN!!!  The sentiments are funny, you're gonna LOVE them!  I had fun playing with this square sketch today . . . for some reason I find myself always in the 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 card making rut, and it was fun to bounce out of that and create this card!


and here is the awesome sketch by Teri Anderson:


Stamps:  Chocolate #2 (Skipping Stones Design)  Paper:  Pale Pink (The Paper Studio - Hobby Lobby), solar white classic crest (Neenah), Blush - Tease (Basic Grey)  Ink:  Rich Cocoa Memento (Tsukineko)  Accessories:  Sponge, sewing machine (Singer), brown thread (Sulky), red gingham ribbon (SU!), copic ciao markers (Imagination International Inc.), Large scalloped Border Die (Papertrey Ink), Pink Rhinestones (Kaiser Scrapbook), Chestnut mini brads (American Crafts - Elements)

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Zucchini Frittata (From FamilyFun Magazine)

My awesome friend Melissa gave me 3 zucchinis from her garden (*thank you*) for this recipe since for some odd reason, our local walmart had NONE!  I was excited because they were SO fresh and that is always YUMMY!  

Since it was Saturday and the baby needed to be fed right when I needed to make dinner (isn't that SO how it goes?) - I asked my sweet hubby if he would make dinner and he said he would and took on the challenge of zucchini frittata!  It was SO delicious and I was SO impressed!  Like a crust less quiche -- Mmmmmm!   He's a keeper *smiles*

Here is the recipe for you to try out!  ENJOY!

Ingredients:

2 to 3 small zucchini
6 eggs
8-10 large basil leaves, chopped or torn
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
salt and pepper
3 slices bacon (we used turkey bacon)
1 small, ripe tomato, seeded and diced
4 scallions, chopped (we used green onions)
1 tablespoon butter

Instructions:

1. Coarsely grate enough of the zucchini to make 2 1/2 cups and place it in a medium size mixing bowl.  Lightly salt the zucchini and toss it gently to season it evenly.  Let it sit for 10 minutes, then use clean hands to squeeze the zucchini, pressing out the excess water.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until they are evenly blended.  Whisk in the basil, parsley, about 1/2 the parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8th teaspoon of pepper.  Set the mixture aside.

3.  Heat a 10-inch ovenproof non-stick skillet on the stove top.  Add the bacon and cook it over medium heat until crisp, about 6 minutes.  Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.  Spoon all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat out of the pan.  Heat the broiler.

4.  Add the grated zucchini to the skillet and saute it over high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  While the zucchini is cooking, chop or crumble the bacon into small pieces, add it to the egg mixture.

5.  Add the diced tomato and scallions to the skillet and saute the vegetables until they are soft, not mushy (about 2-3 minutes).  Add the butter to the skillet in pieces and stir it into the vegetables.  Use a fork to loosely arrange the vegetables in an even layer in the pan.

6.  Whisk the egg mixture again, then slowly pour it over the vegetables, covering the entire surface.  Do not stir the mixture.  Instead, gently shake the pan to help settle the egg.  Cook the frittata over medium heat for 4 minutes without disturbing it.

7.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top of the frittata.  Place the pan under the broiler about 8 inches from the heat source and broil the frittata for about 2 minutes.

8.  Remove the pa from the oven and poke a fork in the center of the frittata to see if it's done.  We covered the hot handle with a heat resistant silicone sleeve, but you can also use an oven mitt -- place it over the skillet handle while the pan is out of the broiler to remind you that it's hot.  If you see liquid egg around the fork, place the pan back under the broiler for another 45-60 seconds.  When the frittata is done, transfer the pan to a cooling rack.

9.  Let the frittata cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully slide a flexible spatula around the edge to loosen it.  Once it's free, gently lift the frittata with the spatula, tilt the pan and slide it onto a large serving plate.  Let it cool at least 5 more minutes, then slice it into wedges and serve.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

(SSD028)

Welcome to yet another sketch challenge with Skipping Stones Design!  

If you are new, WELCOME -- please join us and when you upload your card to the galleries (Papercraft Planet, or Splitcoaststampers) please use the keywords SSD028 so we can see all your awesome work!  

I spent some time browsing this weekend and leaving some comments and love.  FUN FUN!!!

I was aiming for a funky, and fun birthday card today -- not my typical style necessarily, but I think I did okay.  I love this sentiment from the set You Know You're Gettin' Old (Funny) Birthday from Skipping Stones Design. 

Hope you have fun stamping and thanks again to Teri Anderson for the awesome sketches we get to work with this month!

Here is the sketch we are working with today:


Stamps:  You Know You're Gettin' Old Birthday (Skipping Stones Design)  Paper:  Baroque Burgundy (SU!), Pink Passion (SU!), Basic Black (SU!), Solar White Classic Crest (Neenah), Fire Funky Stripe (KI Memories), Taylor (Daisy D's Paper)  Ink:  Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)  Accessories:  Self Adhesive Rhinestones (Kaiser Scrapbook - Papertrey Ink), Cornice Edge punch (Martha Stewart), Black with white dots organdy (The Paper Studio - Hobby Lobby), Circle nestabilities dies (Spellbinders), cuttlebug machine (Provocraft), copic ciao markers (Imagination International Inc.)

Friday, June 04, 2010

Shake 'n Make Ice Cream

My oldest E asked me if we could make this recipe she saw in her magazine.  Each month our church put out a magazine for kids called "The Friend" and it was in it.  She was so excited and we actually happened to have everything on hand to make it, so I said yes.  

My only recommendation outside of the recipe instructions is to wear gloves while shaking the bag.  We almost froze our fingers off.  This makes a soft serve ice cream, but if you pop it into the freezer for awhile after you make it, it hardens up!  Super yummy!  My kids had so much fun we might have to do it again later in the summer!

From "The Friend" magazine - June 2010

Ingredients:
ice
6 tablespoons rock salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 sandwich size bag
1 gallon size plastic bag

1.  Fill gallon bag half full with ice, then add rock salt.
2.  Pour sugar, milk and vanilla in the sandwich bag and seal it.
3.  Place the small bag inside of the large bag.  Seal and then shake gently for 5-7 minutes.  Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

(SSD027) and CC273

Good afternoon and happy Tuesday!  Things have been  I N S A N E  lately at my house, but I did manage to get a few minutes to play with this awesome sketch by our new sketch designer this month Teri Anderson!  She has some awesome sketches that I just know you are gonna LOVE to play with - just wait and see this month (every Tuesday as usual!)  I also incorporated the color challenge colors from Splitcoast (Barely Banana, Garden Green, Close to Cocoa).

With my card today, I wanted to play a bit with texture.  I used some woven fabric I had because I thought it worked with the cat tails/bull rushes, whatever ya wanna call 'em!  What do you think?  I also added the extra circle (which holds the sentiment) which was not in the original sketch!  Now it is your turn - GO PLAY with the sketch, and then post it in a gallery (like splitcoaststampers) and use the keywords SSD027 and I will come find it!!  Show us your fabby work -- we want to see it!!!


and the original sketch for you to play with:



Stamps:  Whispering Wings (Skipping Stones Design), Handwritten Notes (Papertrey Ink)  Paper:  Close to Cocoa (SU!), Barely Banana (SU!), Pinot Noir - Periphery (Basic Grey), Solar White Classic Crest (Neenah)  Ink:  Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko) Accessories:  1 3/8 and 1 1/4 circle punches (SU!), circle nestabilities dies (Spellbinders), sewing machine (Singer), white thread (Gutermann), white brads (The Paper Studio - Hobby Lobby), copic ciao markers (Imagination International Inc.), loose woven burlap (Target - leftover from seeds packets from in the $1 shop)