A Favorful Recipe, Some Good Books, and a Freebie

I discovered that this post was sitting as a draft and had never been published for some reason so here it is today...  

I hope that you will find these non-card related blog posts interesting and will want to keep coming back to see what's new. Perhaps I should re-name my blog something like "As the Card Rack Turns and Other Domestic Spin Offs." It has been an evolution as I find that my interests have broaden and want to share what I think is good stuff with you.

I found this recipe on the Bon Appetit website, brought it to book club, and it is a keeper. Super easy too.

Smoked Salmon with Black Pepper Potato Chips and Lemon Creme Fraiche

1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream (I used sour cream)

1-1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon peel (or more--I used more)

16 large black pepper or salt-and-pepper potato chips

1 four ounce package thinly sliced smoked salmon, cut into 16 pieces

Chopped fresh chives

Stir creme fraiche or sour cream and lemon peel in small bowl. Arrange potato chips on plate. Divide salmon among chips. Spoon rounded 1/2 tsp. lemon mixture atop salmon on each chip and sprinkle with chives.

Books

 Here is a list of 21 Great Summer Reads 

by Real Simple.

A friend just recommended Still Alice, by Lisa Genova.

My recommendations are Veil of Roses and the sequel,

Dreaming in English, by Laura Fitzgerald.

Freebie Friday

 6 sheets of kitchen labels

and picture instructions so you know

just how to turn ordinary tins into something special

at Just Something Made

"Friends are the most important

ingredient in this recipe of life."

--Anonymous

I linked this recipe to Tip Junkie

Martha Stewart Inspired

This was one of Martha Stewart's craft ideas from a while back that I remember seeing on her website. I took a piece of heavy double-side American Crafts scrapbook paper as my card base and traced half of a flower right at the top of the fold. 

Opening up the card, I used an exacto knife to cut around the petals.

The sentiment is from the Gina K. set Wishing You Well, stamped in Adirondack Denim.

Border punch--Fiskars Rickrack

Update on my son and daughter-in-law in NJ--Thanks to those of you who have emailed me about them. 

My son had taken Hema to Boston for her birthday but they decided to come home on Saturday. It was a wise decision because there were road and bridge closures on Sunday which would have made it very difficult to get home. There was much flooding in their town of Wayne but they were not without power. It took him an hour and a half to get to work today when it usually takes him 20 minutes, but all is well. 

Hope Your Birthday Rocks

Today is our daughter-in-law's birthday and this is the card I made for her. She works for Castrol, which is a division of British Petroleum, in Wayne, New Jersey.

I took this picture when I was visiting the Museum of Musical Instruments, MIM for short, in Phoenix, several months ago. It is a fascinating place and you can read about it HERE. This Castrol can was part of the African display, one of many examples throughout the Museum of unusual objects being used in innovative ways to create music.

This is an unmounted stamp with a cling cushion by The Stamp Doctor.

I purchased it at the stamp show in Mesa, AZ in the spring.

It sure did come in handy for this card!

Don't you love it when that happens?

 Sorry for no Freebie Friday yesterday but I'll make it up to you next week!

Hope you are having a lovely week-end. Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone on the east coast.

Sending You....

One of my favorite sentiment stamp sets of all times is Big & Bold Wishes by PaperTrey Ink. The stamps are just that, big and bold, so they cover a large portion of the front of the card and then have  coordinating sentiments for the inside, many of which are interchangeable. They are clear stamps that you mount on an acrylic block, so you can see just where you are stamping them.

 

Using several embossing folders, I cut 1-1/8" strips and taped them together. 

Tip:

I cut them longer than what I needed and then ran them through my 

Fiskars cutter twice so that I would have a nice even edge on the top and the bottom.

That way I didn't have to be so careful when lining them up.

Household Hint

Earlier in the year I shared with you my excitement over one of 

my favorite household cleaning helpers--

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers!

Now...here are

20 New Ways to Use Magic Erasers

  that you might find interesting.

Have a great day!

Medallions Interpreted

I just got an email from my son in New Jersey that all is well after feeling the earthquake tremor for about 10 seconds in his office building. It's always good to know that your children realize they need to check in with their parents when something like that happens. No news reports are out yet but let's hope that the damages are minimal.

This card is made with the medallion stamp by Stampin' Up. It is stamped with Barn Door Distress Ink by Tim Holtz.

I stamped it a second time and used only the center. I layered it

with the same designer paper as what I used to layer the larger medallion, 

then popped it up with pop dots. 

Some added bling seemed appropriate!

I couldn't help but be reminded of the ceiling medallions

that are used in home decorating so I looked

around on Pinterest and found these two interesting

DIY projects. Aren't people creative?

 Ceiling Medallion Re-Do by Savvy Southern Style

Ceiling Medallion Wall Clock by Positively Splendid

Bonjour

It's another easy-to-put together card I have for you today. I guess you could say that is definitely my niche. I just don't have much patience to spend a long time on one card, I have decided. There's too much going on to do that! It's just not practical!

  The inks I used on the clear stamp were Tim Holtz Distress Ink Barn Door,

 Adirondack Lettuce, and Stampin' Up Pacific Point. I paired them up with 

the Designer Series Paper pack put out last year by Stampin' Up.

I used a 1-3/4" punch on the colored squares and a Spellbinders 

classic square dye 

for the white squares after I stamped the flower.

I should have positioned

the left one differently so it didn't look so much like the middle one.  

Bonjour stamp--Rubber Romance

Punches--1-1/4" & 1-3/8"

Tip

Here's an idea for organizing your ribbon. 

The idea was sent to me by a friend who's daughter emailed her the picture. 

Both ladies are very talented. Thanks Pam and Jennifer for passing it on!

Books

I was in the library the other day and wandered around the shelves with nothing really in mind. 

We are reading The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain for our next book club discussion, and I was waiting for that to come back in. (Just got the notice today that it is in.) 

Today I found on the Real Simple website a wonderful list of book recommendations for great summer reads that I will share with you tomorrow.

I also have a yummy appetizer that I brought to the book club last Monday that I will tell you about. 

Have a great day!

"Wherever you are,

it is your friends

who make your world."

--William James  

A Card to Give You a Lift

Paper Craft Magazine really has some wonderful templates that you can download for free and make some interesting cards. Here is one that I made with a hot air balloon pattern from their March/April 2011 edition that you can find HERE.

I cut out all the pieces and ran them through the Xyron 150
ratherthan dealing with glue. 

The Xyron 150 is the orange create-a-sticker and I find it very handy for
cleanly affixing small pieces. 

You don't have to worry about glue smudges or glue seeping out around the edges.

It is very inexpensive and one refill lasts a long time.
It is one of my favorite craft supplies!

And while we are on the subject of hot air balloons, I just have to share with you 

this precious Halloween costume!

 You can even find the directions to making this creative costume HERE.

What Halloween costumes have you made for your kiddos?

I've made the Statue of Liberty, a clown, a giant pumpkin,
Raggedy Ann and Andy, a magician, a princess, an astronaut.

Hmm. I'll have to think some more---

A Kitchen Tip

This is a kitchen tip that I used just the other day and have been meaning to share. If you don't know about it, it is worth remembering

Do you ever want to re-use a bottle or jar and have difficulty getting off the sticky residue from the label? If so, peanut butter works better than any other product that I have ever tried!

    Any kind will work--just smear it on and leave for a few hours. Scrub it off--it may take a little elbow grease. Sometimes I even have to leave it on overnight, but it works!

Now it's ready to re-use for a homemade product such as salad dressing 

or herb vinegar!

Don't you just love recycling?

It just makes you feel so good!

It's Freebie Friday--I haven't forgotten.

Click on "Follow me on Pinterest"

on the top of the right sidebar.

When my pin boards come up, click on "Printables"

and have your pick of anything that sounds good to you.

Let me know if you find something you really like.

I'm always adding to it.

"Accept what people offer,

Drink their milkshakes,

Take their love."

--Wally Lamb

Thank You, My Friends

Do you ever have doubts that the cards you make are not being appreciated by the recipients? I think that we are do at some time or another. But know that the ones that are appreciated are deeply appreciated, like these two that I recently received from two very dear friends.

They are just too nice to keep to myself so I am sharing them with all of you too.

 Is that die cut not the cutest? 

Wonder how Pam knew that green, black and white is one of my favorite color combos?

Rita certainly has the all-around border mastered and I love how she put it over white.

She knows how much I love baker's twine 

and the color combo is one I wouldn't have thought of but really love.

"Hold a true friend

with both your hands."

--Nigerian proverb

A Three Year Tradition

You've heard of Christmas in July, right? Well, for the last three years, we have been celebrating Thanksgiving in August. Long ago we decided that the traditional turkey dinner was just too good to have only once a year, plus it never hurts to be reminded how much we all have to be thankful for.

So we gather the group of guys that my husband plays golf with on a regular basis and their wives and have a modified dinner. Don roasts a large turkey on the gas grill, I make mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and we provided the beverages. Everyone else brings a dish, so it really is not all that much work.

Choosing the date is one of the first things we do at the beginning of the summer and everyone looks forward to it. Unfortunately there are always a few couples who have other obligations and are unable to attend. Last night we had 13 here.

Ten days ago Don broke three ribs so our entertaining plans for last week-end had to be canceled. That is why I did not have any new recipes to share with you this week--I did not make them! 

But he insisted on going ahead with the Thanksgiving plans, and honestly, he improved a lot by the middle of the week. The turkey was grilled to perfection.

His secret to keeping it moist is to stuff the cavity with oranges, grapefruit, apples, lemons, limes--quarter pieces. Additionally add garlic, celery, fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage--whatever you like.  

Rub olive oil on the outside. If it starts to get too brown, cover with foil.

Everything was yummy from the deviled eggs to the four pies, 

but the yam casserole was one I want to share with you.

However, it looks a lot like baby poop so I am not including the picture!

I promised the cook I wouldn't!

Heh, what do you expect, it's yams?!

It IS delicious though!

 Yam Casserole --she must have doubled this

2# yams

5 T. butter, divided

1/3 cup + 2 T. light brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 T. dry light sherry

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced

Cook yams until soft, then peel.

Puree all EXCEPT apples and 3 T. butter.

Layer in following order in 9" baking dish sprayed with Pam: !/2 puree mixture, then apples, then remaining 1/2 puree.

Dot with 3 T. butter.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

I always make plenty of gravy so we'll be having a turkey pot pie this week with Bisquick biscuits, and the turkey carcass will be frozen for future turkey soup. 

You can get a lot of mileage out of one ole' bird!

Have a wonderful, relaxing Sunday. 

I'm playing mah jongg--yipee!

Sunflower-Inspired Shadow Box Card

Is it not true that much of what is created is inspired by something else that already has been created by someone else?

Such is the case with this shadow box card that I recently made. You see, I saw this pillow on Pinterest and thought that the sunflower was just lovely.

 Don't Disturb This Groove

Brandi, in turn, had been inspired by this

which wasn't a sunflower at all, but a

dahlia felt brooch--lovely too.

I remembered that I had purchased the Spellbinders Sunflower last year

because I had fallen in love with a card that I just HAD to make!

Umm--never made it, or any other for that matter.

So it seemed like a good time to break open the box.

I started with 2 pieces of cardstock--5 x 5, but you can make them any size you want.
They do not have to be square. A standard size card will work.
If you want to write a message on the back use a solid color.

On the front piece, I used the Blossom die for the opening.
On both pieces, I scored the sides at 1/2" and 1,"'
theb adhered the pieces with sticky strip.
Fold at score lines to form a box.
I applied a paper rick-rack border
on each edge.

The sunflower was cut and colored with markers.
A Fancy Tag and SU sentiment
complete a simple card to put in the mail
to a sunflower lover.


What purchase have you made that you just had to have and
still have not used?

Come on, you know you'll feel better talking about it!
We're all friends and have all done it!



 

If The Shoe Fits...

Buy It in Every Color!

Happy Birthday!

This card was made from a Fashionista pattern that was in 

Paper Crafts Magazine back in May 2007.

Since I did not have blush paper for her leg, I gave her a stocking instead,

which I think turned out to be much more fun!

I am going to be making more and have black and white

and glitter paper in mind.

Here are two other fun DIY shoe embellishment ideas

complete with tutorials:

   

Dressed Up High Heel

Source: Roberts Arts & Crafts

Flouncy Flower

by jonesdesigncompany