tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33152691193105907872024-03-05T22:28:55.858-06:00Country Life in the Big Citydihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.comBlogger189125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-78041043035271783592010-10-01T17:19:00.003-05:002010-10-01T21:07:46.816-05:00moving.......<p>Well, I've needed to do this for a really long time, because my daughter accidentally messed up my Google/Blogger log-in......so I've been using her's for a long time......and needing to move my blog to my own log-in, etc. </p><p>I'm hoping that this will inspire me to post and share more, plus give my blog a much-needed face-lift.</p><p>So please change your links to this new one and follow me there, because I sure would hate losing you all. :-)</p><p>Here is my new address:</p><p><a href="http://countrylifemom.blogspot.com/">http://countrylifemom.blogspot.com/</a></p><p>I hope to see you there soon and please excuse the dust as I do some cleaning.... :-)</p><p><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-76179497227168304742010-08-25T15:36:00.004-05:002010-08-25T15:49:45.099-05:00Finally back and Frosted Banana Bars.....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBEqcuVNSiP9akbwPBiKkdEvvnOhXuS-N09v2VI__nfxxGvWPJhgC16IfXFbuzEDTQAS9HuNSKsvrW1gI1U2js5V8Eogvl-CTjXGBdw2aI2RR9wvSN-3EUa4EZHLTbbDhfkNEefHa8d4/s1600/IMG_4552.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBEqcuVNSiP9akbwPBiKkdEvvnOhXuS-N09v2VI__nfxxGvWPJhgC16IfXFbuzEDTQAS9HuNSKsvrW1gI1U2js5V8Eogvl-CTjXGBdw2aI2RR9wvSN-3EUa4EZHLTbbDhfkNEefHa8d4/s320/IMG_4552.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509451982238961986" /></a><p>Well, it's been forever since I've shared anything here. Lots have happened, some not so great (actually quite terrible) and some awesome.....isn't that life? I'm hoping to get back into posting here. I'm finally getting my creativity back and have lots of projects that I'm working on. </p><p>But for now, I'll share with you a recipe for an awesome dessert bar that I made today. This is one of those recipes that copies went around of when I was working several years ago. We used to have big pot lucks for lunch a couple of times a year and these bars were made one time. They are so good and I had some bananas sitting around that desperately needed to be turned into something yummy, so this is what I made. I hope you enjoy!</p><p>One quick note......this is supposed to be baked in a 15"x10"x1" baking pan and I don't have one, so I used my baking dish that was a bit smaller. Needless to say, when the 25 minutes of cooking time was up, my bars weren't even close to being done. I ended up cooking them at least 15-20 minutes longer. So, if you are using a smaller pan, be sure to add some time and just keep watching them until they are done. :-)</p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#996633;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Frosted Banana Bars:</span></span></p><p>1/2 cup butter, softened</p><p>1-1/2 cups sugar</p><p>2 eggs</p><p>1 cup sour cream</p><p>1 teaspoon vanilla</p><p>2 cups all-purpose flour</p><p>1 teaspoon baking soda</p><p>1/4 teaspoon salt</p><p>2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)</p><p>Frosting:</p><p>1- 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened</p><p>1/2 cup butter, softened</p><p>2 teaspoons vanilla</p><p>3-3/4 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar</p><p><br /></p><p><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add the creamed mixture. Stir in bananas. Spread into a greased 15"x10"x1" baking pan. Bake at 350F degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool.</p><p><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>For the frosting, in a mixing bowl beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Gradually beat in enough confectioners' sugar to achieve desired consistency. Frost bars. Store in the refrigerator.</p><p><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Yum.</p><p><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-19849276927572227092010-05-14T16:25:00.004-05:002010-05-14T16:43:26.570-05:00Crafty Friday - beaded crosses<div style="text-align: center;">Well, I know that I said yesterday that Friday was going to be for paper crafts, but I think that I need to change that to general crafting! :-) I have been given the honor of helping to make the gifts for my daughter's 8th grade class. She goes to a small Catholic school, so there are about 60 kids in her grade. The other day I was given the supplies to make beaded crosses that will be given to the children next week at their Graduation Breakfast. I'm not sure who came up with the idea, but these are too pretty to not share!</div><p>First of all, look at all of these beautiful beads! </p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVd-gE-taV53JDpLhdJOI05IZGKzcghm5w7ElYuyx1yGiCNm8ne5DeDEwlT1QLSdCTCHpFTeZAzL9xqfm8zcfEcqyDzB5vDkDFpK2mstuUtJCcDPCm9V9Ai6gI4AnEHmDO4e3MTUMgpE/s1600/beadcross1.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVd-gE-taV53JDpLhdJOI05IZGKzcghm5w7ElYuyx1yGiCNm8ne5DeDEwlT1QLSdCTCHpFTeZAzL9xqfm8zcfEcqyDzB5vDkDFpK2mstuUtJCcDPCm9V9Ai6gI4AnEHmDO4e3MTUMgpE/s320/beadcross1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471240796529728754" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></p><p> I just love all of the different colors. I am afraid to work on this project, because it might get me hooked on beading and I DO NOT need another hobby! lol But, all of these colors and playing with these beads really looks like so much fun! I have to admit that I'm one of those people who has to keep certain things separated, like all of my food in it's own pile on my plate, things that are similar grouped together just so......so that's why I came up with using one of GG's plastic plates to hold all of the beads. It works perfect for the job that I'm doing!</p><p>And here is what the completed beaded cross looks like......</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYs1oZ4Mwf8BvGgwohal8uepn9XxwTZzwwKb3tI9S1oicVcp9JmgwKYkNSGdJY_Ptk5JUVY3xsCJFgWruhkoq6TNwoxz2ykuSFV0OujLFAnbn_2GR50Hr-OyCPJYKSsZwbo0OnzOEkTVg/s1600/beadcross2.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYs1oZ4Mwf8BvGgwohal8uepn9XxwTZzwwKb3tI9S1oicVcp9JmgwKYkNSGdJY_Ptk5JUVY3xsCJFgWruhkoq6TNwoxz2ykuSFV0OujLFAnbn_2GR50Hr-OyCPJYKSsZwbo0OnzOEkTVg/s320/beadcross2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471240800633431026" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></p><p>The cross is made from wrapping 24-guage beading wire around two toothpicks that are in the shape of a cross. I honestly haven't made any of the actual crosses, they were given to me already made. But, I was told that this is how they were made. You just keep wrapping and wrapping until all of the toothpick is completely covered with wire. Then you start wrapping more wire on and adding beads here and there and wrapping the wire around the beads to secure them into place. It's quite easy and very pretty! As I'm making them this weekend, I will snap some photos so that I can share a tutorial on how to make them. :-) I just thought that these were too pretty to not share with you all today! And, it's what's crafty at my house today.....that and more <a href="http://countrylifeinthebigcity.blogspot.com/2010/02/some-fun-projects-toshare.html">crochet washcloths</a>! lol I am so addicted to making them. They are so easy and a great way to help me unwind after a long day.</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EKXB8nOVtmTZINBsygXa7xqOX5Y4bJtGtXVt9862-MzMs13Qe4cjIfwoMiBbS6CuvytmL2Yvy_K-s3Gsp0_xR1J3DRcID0JTpLt2HeXuqjCWquYUqOJFH_CcwfdxuvPtosPsDEqq3wQ/s1600/beadcross3.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EKXB8nOVtmTZINBsygXa7xqOX5Y4bJtGtXVt9862-MzMs13Qe4cjIfwoMiBbS6CuvytmL2Yvy_K-s3Gsp0_xR1J3DRcID0JTpLt2HeXuqjCWquYUqOJFH_CcwfdxuvPtosPsDEqq3wQ/s320/beadcross3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471240804588153666" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></p><p>I hope you all had a wonderful Friday....it was so beautiful here today and an absolutely perfect day for daughter's Field Day at school! Happy Friday!</p><p><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-67460667077288260702010-05-13T12:25:00.003-05:002010-05-13T13:23:16.327-05:00A new beginning.....<p>I've been wanting to do things different here for awhile and I think that nows the time! So, hopefully you will enjoy these changes and the information I want to share with you all. </p><p>To make things easier, I am going to start having daily themes for my posts. Things are pretty busy here right now with the end of the school year approaching. I have two children graduating this year. One from high school and one from 8th grade! So, I'm not sure that I will be able to share a post each day until things calm down a bit. But, here is what I've come up with as to what I would like to share with you and when. </p><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Sunday- Living the Liturgy </span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;">One of the things that I really want to start doing is to incorporate the daily rhythms of the Church into our daily lives. I plan on sharing the ideas, activities and cooking that I have chosen for that week each Sunday. </span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Monday – Meal Plan Monday</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;">Our weekly menu with some recipe shares and links.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Tuesday – Time with Tots</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;">Another goal that I have is to start doing more organized and planned activities with my little 2 (almost 3!) year-old daughter, GG, so I will be sharing those ideas with you each Tuesday.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Wednesday- Sharing the wealth....</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;">One of the ways that I de-stress at night is to surf the internet for fun blogs with craft project and recipes. I'll share my discoveries with you on Wednesdays!</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Thursday- A Homemakers Tale</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;">A time for me to share how I'm trying to make the most out of being a country girt at heart living in the city and all things homemaking!</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); ">Friday- Papercraft Projects</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;">I'll show you any scrapbooking layouts, cards and other paper crafting projects that I've completed that week.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Saturday- Sew Wonderful</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;">I'm trying to do more sewing (of all types!) so I keep you posted on what I'm working on and the finished product!</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I hope that you enjoy these changes that I plan on making and if you like what you see, please share my link with your friends. Please let me know what you think and I look forward to sharing with you all! </p> <p></p><p><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-24804148884540581552010-05-08T18:47:00.006-05:002010-05-08T19:18:35.911-05:00a little softie bunny.....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUCWSKBMOH6S9e86oEd6d91qdI4l3uU0ki8Si6ajfqgrG_rl44xIekqmYBxg3xAZRAQfRxQrR-1y146xTIJ9uJB4ZHvs2uEPu8DsPEO1-v2UNq9SS7XDtVxxYMb8CeP4pPREZPEn3HJs/s1600/bunny1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUCWSKBMOH6S9e86oEd6d91qdI4l3uU0ki8Si6ajfqgrG_rl44xIekqmYBxg3xAZRAQfRxQrR-1y146xTIJ9uJB4ZHvs2uEPu8DsPEO1-v2UNq9SS7XDtVxxYMb8CeP4pPREZPEn3HJs/s320/bunny1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469057180170993138" /></a>So, I stumbled upon <a href="http://ninimakes.typepad.com/stitch_vill/2010/03/this-is-sunny-a-free-bunny-pattern.html">this super, cute (and FREE!) pattern</a> for a softie bunny and I knew I wasn't going to be happy until I sewed one up for myself. I raided my fabric scraps and found some flannel check fabric and some cute blue floral fabric and in no time I had a sweet little bunny! If you decide to make this for a baby, I would use thread and sew the eyes, like I did the nose and not use buttons or anything that could be pulled off and swallowed.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRShwnV53Ryr8HhJTf_0jQ0Ic5LY_3XtwqKaidRj0DO6XkzPjPXPUah3-j35LCm5o6XEr2jN7OfD-NvP9dzW62e1Q4KKY7gqOOv8iIw_lMJpCKWZJKPkKCJ0pwVCuqdF4HtOQuKRPblw/s1600/bunny2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRShwnV53Ryr8HhJTf_0jQ0Ic5LY_3XtwqKaidRj0DO6XkzPjPXPUah3-j35LCm5o6XEr2jN7OfD-NvP9dzW62e1Q4KKY7gqOOv8iIw_lMJpCKWZJKPkKCJ0pwVCuqdF4HtOQuKRPblw/s320/bunny2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469056925659285458" /></a><p>I had to give her some sort of accessory, so I decided to make a fabric yo-yo and embellished ith with a button and some "leaves" that I made from ribbon. Now we just need to think of a good name for her........any suggestions? :-)<br /><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-69841511808714382562010-04-26T17:19:00.004-05:002010-04-29T10:17:46.617-05:00Homemade Produce Wash<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6B8xrw4xhQFHq7g30rji3d_TCCgvYWDwPRaskoRd0IpimwjwJHGAg83P8w2c3jncgmKojvMZZenxWoKw8yZtUnHB3fUaIJ1xvGPIDzntZjv_nyoy_mFCKFPmjSIwZyMy-de0g0kjtXa8/s1600/producewash1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6B8xrw4xhQFHq7g30rji3d_TCCgvYWDwPRaskoRd0IpimwjwJHGAg83P8w2c3jncgmKojvMZZenxWoKw8yZtUnHB3fUaIJ1xvGPIDzntZjv_nyoy_mFCKFPmjSIwZyMy-de0g0kjtXa8/s320/producewash1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464577137347312258" /></a>I've been using this all-natural produce wash for a little while now. I made up a new batch of it today, so I took some pictures and thought I would share. It's super easy and WAY CHEAPER than the stuff that you buy at your grocery store. <div><br /></div><div>Homemade Produce Wash:</div><div><br /></div><div>1 spray bottle + one recycled jar</div><div>1 cup water</div><div>1 cup vinegar</div><div>1 tablespoon baking soda</div><div>20 drops grapefruit seed extract - (I get mine at Whole Foods)</div><div><br /></div><div>Put the water and vinegar in a deep pitcher or big bowl. This is why...........</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpvyke034RzWsqYPNLpwdh8gijiN9ypKCnlc-OFXWCQ5pWxiKcMVvkzJ0iNMpDhAi4hK7UkXl2CvHD5OfryGMtdoj3ATmQVgqzFwB7ZyJzDwrzTAbWV9DIhiFhZH-O2nymjbC3fEHXLM/s1600/producewash2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpvyke034RzWsqYPNLpwdh8gijiN9ypKCnlc-OFXWCQ5pWxiKcMVvkzJ0iNMpDhAi4hK7UkXl2CvHD5OfryGMtdoj3ATmQVgqzFwB7ZyJzDwrzTAbWV9DIhiFhZH-O2nymjbC3fEHXLM/s320/producewash2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464577133373281074" /></a>When you add the baking soda, cool science happens! lol The baking soda and the vinegar react and foam up like crazy. I was using an 8-cup measuring cup and it came very close to foaming over the top.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the foam goes away, stir well. It will probably foam up again, but not as badly as the first time. Fill up your spray bottle and if you have any left over, pour it into your recycled glass jar. Be sure to label your jar, so you know what's inside! </div><div><br /></div><div>To use, spray your produce and let it sit on your counter or in a bowl for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse well and eat!<br /><p>For small produce, like grapes and blueberries, I place the fruit in a bowl, spray the fruit real well and mix them up a bit with my fingers, spraying on more wash here and there. Then I let them sit and rinse. </p><p>I found <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Produce-Wash-Make-Your-Own-and-Save-300169">this recipe at Recipezaar</a> and I think it works great! </p><p><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /><br /></p><br /></div>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-83665318029866209802010-04-18T11:30:00.004-05:002010-04-18T14:00:24.981-05:00Game Face - layout<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxNsVDwZYdSydtXo2Uopnloe-19sS4LH4otPXtQyZRwCpD7OqPogm9YORSOWg5MhpbA74L8JRHYSHKOcKtY1KWCYIuo2bHIvi3ytOgbw9hsPwmEp2XXUvXuIxVerbN9d6TB2a4RA0DkU/s1600/gameface1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxNsVDwZYdSydtXo2Uopnloe-19sS4LH4otPXtQyZRwCpD7OqPogm9YORSOWg5MhpbA74L8JRHYSHKOcKtY1KWCYIuo2bHIvi3ytOgbw9hsPwmEp2XXUvXuIxVerbN9d6TB2a4RA0DkU/s320/gameface1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461516064193422466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicU0rjdXSCtjGoHDONSANJvOf2Bmy_RwRUyoOPcUjQD2sF1z29fqlxvRzC4V4EgG1CfP__7NGpoa6UL7rQUTQwo6W_aDuiJnz1Vbc0JP0Uf9adLADJDIc5G2uovzpvO1XRB4u1Ak6Ksfw/s1600/gameface2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicU0rjdXSCtjGoHDONSANJvOf2Bmy_RwRUyoOPcUjQD2sF1z29fqlxvRzC4V4EgG1CfP__7NGpoa6UL7rQUTQwo6W_aDuiJnz1Vbc0JP0Uf9adLADJDIc5G2uovzpvO1XRB4u1Ak6Ksfw/s320/gameface2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461516055052704322" /></a>First of all, I have to say this.........<div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"><b>GO BIG RED!!!!!!!</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Okay, now that I have that out of my system....lol I also have to say that the photo of my kids on the second page (acting like the statues) is by far one of my most favorite photos of my kids ever! lol I have a copy of this on my fridge and it makes me laugh every time I look at it. It's great for those times when I'm grumpy. lol This layout covers a couple of challenges. It was my submission at </span><a href="http://www.practicalscrappers.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Practical Scrappers </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">for their Bling Challenge that was last week (yep, I'm late on sharing mine here on my blog!) and it's also for a sketch challenge at a great Yahoo! Group called </span><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ScrapFromYourStash/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">ScrapFromYourStash</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. The sketch is by Shawn at </span><a href="http://nutsaboutsketches.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nuts About Sketches</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. She has tons and tons of awesome sketches, so be sure to visit her blog to see them!!!!</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Things are still crazy here.....I'm averaging one page a week......which I guess is better than zero! I'm trying to pull out all of my winter clothes right now, pack them up and move in my summer clothes. I need to do that for little GG, too, so I have quite a bit of clothes to go through! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I hope to share more with you soon!</span><br /><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /><br /></p><br /></div></div>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-39736518536181078342010-04-10T14:31:00.004-05:002010-04-10T14:41:57.474-05:00Practical Scrappers Card Sketch<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEORLh2cpTf0AVLkqMzmCcQC98WYLyEJjOYxs_Kgxs_833KHObYI7q7UKx4VMfmcOte1dMQPBxudF26ZFfFfLLsw3L41_o650Jwrf8Uc1EI5hUmPHNCRiDT6dFWY1k0WBkIO4BPS2TH6Q/s1600/thankssomuch.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEORLh2cpTf0AVLkqMzmCcQC98WYLyEJjOYxs_Kgxs_833KHObYI7q7UKx4VMfmcOte1dMQPBxudF26ZFfFfLLsw3L41_o650Jwrf8Uc1EI5hUmPHNCRiDT6dFWY1k0WBkIO4BPS2TH6Q/s320/thankssomuch.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458593897695206786" /></a>The current card sketch at <a href="http://www.practicalscrappers.com/">Practical Scrappers</a> is just awesome! I really enjoyed making this Thank You card.....(I need to mail it! I keep forgetting!). Be sure to <a href="http://www.practicalscrappers.com/2010/04/sketch-friday_09.html">go here to see the sketch</a> and all of the other amazing cards that have been made following this sketch.<div><br /></div><div>For my card, I chose to use a small doily for the main circle. I'm not sure if you noticed, but the scalloped-rectangle piece of paper is a scrap left over from the paper that I used on the layout I shared a few days ago. The title is stamped.....I'm embarrassed to say that I have had that Stampin'Up! stamp set for probably 8 years and I just now cut that stamp out to use on this card. For the flower, I punched out 4 different sized flowers and curled up the edges with a small, wooden skewer. Then I added fine glitter to the edges with some liquid glue and added a small rhinestone in the center. I am really having fun making these 3-dimensional flowers!</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACP0_Bi1JNPT0DKBexOb6OAvfjhDcV3S7uvY8PnGjDkaLIiMm-a4QNBoLcrrTD_BLhNZxDwd2JVgqziIAyhyphenhyphenqpoO4RFNeS0sG1zeylKdCA02rXZpoalUWBvBSJmJlnAB1rVGo5aVzKPg/s1600/thankssomuch_close.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACP0_Bi1JNPT0DKBexOb6OAvfjhDcV3S7uvY8PnGjDkaLIiMm-a4QNBoLcrrTD_BLhNZxDwd2JVgqziIAyhyphenhyphenqpoO4RFNeS0sG1zeylKdCA02rXZpoalUWBvBSJmJlnAB1rVGo5aVzKPg/s320/thankssomuch_close.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458595844519818578" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><p>I hope you all have a wonderful, crafty day! <br /><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /><br /></p><br /></div>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-6077732463555193622010-04-06T09:33:00.006-05:002010-04-06T09:51:32.778-05:00Markers Challenge @ Practical Scrappers<div>Good morning! This weeks challenge at <a href="http://www.practicalscrappers.com/">Practical Scrappers</a> is to use your markers! I have had the full set of Stampin' Up! makers for many, many years and I must say I can't believe they still work so wonderfully. I guess that's a bad sign that I really haven't been using them that often. ;-) So, I was really excited to see this weeks challenge. I have been trying to use them more and I think that I'm actually really enjoying all of these markers for the first time since I bought them ages ago!</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUSJkJMeJ1AV6FGV08Uk_usd97G27kdlJuRmve-bOPWkSNq0FjbCw0odw6DyMnygwf3QISm72mIHbOJ3EAsf2BaFHLvGLtOV5_r4AymHJiIXMK9vRB6vlncqcR9bFg1WVrWAF-9P2hOE/s1600/welovewholefoods.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUSJkJMeJ1AV6FGV08Uk_usd97G27kdlJuRmve-bOPWkSNq0FjbCw0odw6DyMnygwf3QISm72mIHbOJ3EAsf2BaFHLvGLtOV5_r4AymHJiIXMK9vRB6vlncqcR9bFg1WVrWAF-9P2hOE/s320/welovewholefoods.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457033295574834514" /></a>I really wanted to challenge myself and think of something that I hadn't done before. So, I decided to color on some thick, cotton "ribbon". I'm not sure what this stuff is called, but it's not ribbon, it's more like yarn or flat cotton twine. Anyway, I decided to use blue and pulled out three shades of blue markers. I put some Mono Adhesive on both ends of the twine and stuck it to my work surface, so it wouldn't move around while I colored on it. Then, I just started making lines of different thicknesses for each color and followed the pattern all of the way across the ribbon. Easy as pie and it matches my layout colors perfectly!!!! :-) If you click on the picture, you can see a bigger version of it....I forgot to take a close-up of the colored twine!<div><br /></div><div>Obviously, this layout is about our love of Whole Foods. lol We go there a little too often.... ;-) It can be pricey, but I find that their 360 house-brand is quite reasonable. Really, all that I buy there right now is organic produce, some beauty/bath items, Keifer and organic coffee. That's my one, big splurge. Organic coffee. lol My little one loves Whole Foods, too, especially their cookies! I know that people like to call it "Whole Paycheck" but I really do find that if you buy what's on sale, use coupons, and buy their house-brand, that it's not too bad. Plus, I'd rather pay the extra for things that I know are better for me and my family.....but that's an entire different topic! ;-)<br /><p>I hope you all join in on this challenge at <a href="http://www.practicalscrappers.com/">Practical Scrappers</a>! Please visit us there, check out all of the amazing projects and add your own to Mr. Linky!!!!! It's a wonderful place with wonderful people and a great place to get inspiration to use the supplies that you have!<br /><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /><br /></p><br /></div>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-49693665231055745392010-03-30T12:32:00.002-05:002010-03-30T12:48:16.642-05:00The Joy of the Lord......card<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXLgLFNRO6LKV7V5hfcTuTLMccgiTvLXMrwgb3f6MxKghthc3Gy7XCqiPmLAJmRRQfAM-djOpvzR_PYQZteaLWbZAikNoY0h86BtdUGTALUCYHIXBL2ctZB-2gt_d8wuKU6htGfyQwrU/s1600/lord_strength_card.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXLgLFNRO6LKV7V5hfcTuTLMccgiTvLXMrwgb3f6MxKghthc3Gy7XCqiPmLAJmRRQfAM-djOpvzR_PYQZteaLWbZAikNoY0h86BtdUGTALUCYHIXBL2ctZB-2gt_d8wuKU6htGfyQwrU/s320/lord_strength_card.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454481343545369490" /></a>I made this card last month and I forgot to share it with you all. This was for a dear aunt of mine who lost her mother, who was a wonderful lady indeed.<div><br /></div><div>For this card, I stamped the verse in an olive green and then I went over each letter with a blender pen that I rubbed in some olive green marker. I don't have one of those neat paper edge de-stresser tools, so I carefully rubbed an Exact-O knife along the edge of the paper and the green mat. Oh, I stamped the verse on water color paper and don't tell my husband about my dangerous use of that Exact-O knife! It scares him to watch me cut an apple, because I hold it in my hand, like my mom always did. Anyway. ;-) I used a Versamark pad and stamped the small flowers on the base of the card.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now for the fun part. The flowers! At first I had this great idea to use my flower punch, but punches and tissue paper DO NOT MIX! lol So, I used my Big Shot and a flower die and cut out several flowers and that worked well. I did have to use my tweezers to pull the separate flowers apart, because I ran several layers through my die-cutter at once. This takes a very light hand, because the flowers are very fragile. (Does anyone else say "fra-gee-lay" when they type "fragile"? lol) After I had each flower laying out on my table, I used a liquid glue pen and carefully glued each punched flower on top of each other until the flower was a many layers as I wanted. I used my tweezers for this part, too. I made two different sized flowers, but each flower is made up of the same sized flower, if that makes any sense. ;-) I added a rhinestone in the center of each flower to finish them off.</div><div><br /></div><div>The leaves are punched from green card stock. Then, I placed them on top of a piece of craft foam and used my embossing tool to burnish the center of the leave and to shape each leaf so that it looked more real and dimensional. I'm not sure if I can describe what I did.....maybe I should do a tutorial for you some time! I added some ribbon, because I love ribbon and this one matched my card perfectly, so I had to use it. ;-)<br /><br /></div><div>I've been making a lot of cards lately and it's been a great way for me to do some creative therapy.....now to work on some layouts!<br /><p>Take care!<br /><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /><br /></p><br /></div>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-73452016497300373542010-03-30T12:15:00.005-05:002010-03-30T12:28:25.697-05:00Rub-On Challenge @ Practical Scrappers!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlmmj1NaBNyqbVaPh_reiK_z_99xWqa37BkUVZNCpYHK3swq9vih4y76X5u2hOHXQvCL_QXKQfjqxHxgxHJ0jYyS_Xnau3MwHX3dkTybXo4nxtsUXsbMAgNPcK9bUYM6RM5a_xTyAFOU/s1600/iloveyou.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlmmj1NaBNyqbVaPh_reiK_z_99xWqa37BkUVZNCpYHK3swq9vih4y76X5u2hOHXQvCL_QXKQfjqxHxgxHJ0jYyS_Xnau3MwHX3dkTybXo4nxtsUXsbMAgNPcK9bUYM6RM5a_xTyAFOU/s320/iloveyou.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454477729631581154" /></a>There are always lots of great things going on at <a href="http://www.practicalscrappers.com/">Practical Scrappers</a> and I sure do hope that you make some time to stop by to see all of the fabulous projects that are shared there!<div><br /></div><div>This weeks challenge is to use Rub-On's! I don't have many and it took some rooting around in my stash to find some, but I finally stumbled upon a sheet of rub-on words that all focused on "love". So, I thought of the stamps that I have seen where the words are all fitted together to make a shape and I thought that would be a great thing to try to do with these rub-on's! I crossed my fingers and started rubbing each word on, one by one, and just hoped that it would turn out into a rectangle shape. It worked great and I'm really thrilled with my card!</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wKkHziSNMOqKfBIKIIreYzJcpR3W1JN_kCG3VmWbi7kXuPcnVo7e0lCjJqLYt1_KrqDMT-4AmRrT1xIOkIL7UfG1HvzAj1ROEl9d2pRo44N_VgdTVkEFZwzf3gKyIcdfdgvlvhWzy-c/s1600/iloveyou2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wKkHziSNMOqKfBIKIIreYzJcpR3W1JN_kCG3VmWbi7kXuPcnVo7e0lCjJqLYt1_KrqDMT-4AmRrT1xIOkIL7UfG1HvzAj1ROEl9d2pRo44N_VgdTVkEFZwzf3gKyIcdfdgvlvhWzy-c/s320/iloveyou2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454479955895526626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div>For the flowers, I punched a large flower from three shades of blue, a medium flower in pink, and a small flower in light pink. I crumpled them all up and the unfolded them a bit, stacked them on top of each other and used a small, flower-shaped brad to hold them all together.<br /><p>Please stop by <a href="http://www.practicalscrappers.com/">Practical Scrappers</a> to see all of the great inspiration there for using rub-on's! Join in on the fun and leave a link to share your projects! We sure would love to have you visit!<br /><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /><br /></p><br /></div>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-64916893025020483452010-03-30T10:17:00.005-05:002010-03-30T10:43:26.393-05:00Crochet Laptop Cozy<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OjAEWSqWL4delvV3hcdIXGqte5aRmCJre3xuAyVRB2d2uQvJsOWv5bk3_GgUwnbRcX3BvyNrQwON_FJp1Fp677JfCpRSyHLXVjyNbo0F8tY98uNpo874D5GMY2auQk8mMpPhkwrzp2M/s1600/laptopcozy1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OjAEWSqWL4delvV3hcdIXGqte5aRmCJre3xuAyVRB2d2uQvJsOWv5bk3_GgUwnbRcX3BvyNrQwON_FJp1Fp677JfCpRSyHLXVjyNbo0F8tY98uNpo874D5GMY2auQk8mMpPhkwrzp2M/s320/laptopcozy1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454448922064073186" /></a>As soon as I saw this <a href="http://yoonie-at-home.blogspot.com/2009/11/laptop-sleeve-tutorial-by-yoonie.html">tutorial for a crochet laptop sleeve</a>, I knew that I had to make one for my new Mac! This was really easy and I honestly just kind of stitched away, kept putting it on my laptop to see if it was working, and then stitched some more. I added a stitch for a few rows at the beginning, so that it widened bit by bit and fit around the bottom nicely. This was pure luck that it turned out right! lol I haven't ever done anything like that before, so like I said, I just went with it and kept putting it on my laptop to see if it was working. This is a super easy project and the only really tough part about it is that you are crocheting with THREE skeins of yarn at once, so it does get a little bulky to work with because it starts getting a little heavy and you have to sit with three skeins of yarn in front of you. I actually set mine on the floor in front of me with the ends facing up that the yarn was coming from. I used a light yellow, light pink and then a darker pink of <a href="http://redheart.com/OurYarns/tabid/1281/Default.aspx">Red Heart brand yarn</a>. One big, Super Saver skein of each color was enough for this project.<br /><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WfEm2DubXLSzju6J7E096XOQz68pYjvLWF8Q0taiwRbL7YTupNK9RJVBd4i8LjD2IBh4s7P2nxt230FaoGUX0hcqCCBZ_ywMYANZb2Hu0sCImROK7iY2o_cGwzpaHItkDOEL8ecMO4c/s1600/laptopcozy2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WfEm2DubXLSzju6J7E096XOQz68pYjvLWF8Q0taiwRbL7YTupNK9RJVBd4i8LjD2IBh4s7P2nxt230FaoGUX0hcqCCBZ_ywMYANZb2Hu0sCImROK7iY2o_cGwzpaHItkDOEL8ecMO4c/s320/laptopcozy2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454448925892468194" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><p>The end is sewn together, so that you have to slip the top flap over the edge of your laptop. This is nice because it protects the edges of your laptop and just looks a lot nicer anyway. I also stitched around the edge of the flap for two rows, instead of one, because I needed that extra length so that the edges that I needed to sew together fit together well.</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoX9TxGuOXxkRpbB48nQsf7DUrpuUcg2w9EUTScpYxfursux5aihmo8j8yeOiHCTg1y8X1mtuL_yh3KIGJ4TqNnzAoYw1nexhTNXIiUzQETqKrniwQADCYZT9J91LOn6H1f9VIi2dFAk/s1600/laptopcozy3.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoX9TxGuOXxkRpbB48nQsf7DUrpuUcg2w9EUTScpYxfursux5aihmo8j8yeOiHCTg1y8X1mtuL_yh3KIGJ4TqNnzAoYw1nexhTNXIiUzQETqKrniwQADCYZT9J91LOn6H1f9VIi2dFAk/s320/laptopcozy3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454448930616426482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><p>Then I had to embellish it, of course. lol I got the silly idea of putting my initial on it, so I tried crouching with silk ribbon. This was the first time I've ever tried this! I do like how it turned out! Then I made some yo-yo's from some scraps of fabric, added some old buttons and felt leaves. I decided to stitch around the leaves in a lighter color of green DMC floss, because I didn't like how the leaves looked plain, I think it was because the color of the felt was more of an olive tint and not green enough for this project. The light green floss adds that green color that I wanted and also gives the flowers neat dimension. I sewed all of the embellishments on with yarn.</p><p>I LOVE my cozy! lol </p><p>I hope you are all enjoying Spring! Isn't it wonderful????? :-)</p><p><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /><br /></p><br /></div>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-85726255652154919032010-03-23T09:15:00.008-05:002010-03-23T10:29:22.403-05:00Oh where, oh where have I been????<div style="text-align: left;">Whew. Well, I've been gone for awhile, that's for sure. A lot of things have been going on, some good, some not so good..... Right now we have more sickness going through our house. I am so tired of germs! I can't wait until we can get outside and I can open up the windows and let some fresh air in. Spring is here, but here in Nebraska, Winter is fighting w/ both fists to stick around! We had more snow last Friday.....I am so tired of snow! lol</div><div><br /></div><div>So here's a little photo journey of these past two months....</div><div><br /></div><div>First of all......we went to Vegas! I was asked by a dear friend to take pictures at her niece's wedding, so me, my husband and our youngest flew out there on a Thursday morning and came home on Monday night. What a time that was! Wow. The wedding was beautiful and I was totally terrified because I had never done anything like that before (I'm not sure if I ever will again! So stressful! lol). I had a lot of fun playing tourist and took a ton of pictures. My favorite part was Fremont Street. Vintage Vegas is what I really wanted to see and it was something else. We also went to <a href="http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/">Red Rock Canyon</a> and it was so beautiful! The craziest part about the whole trip was that we left home with several feet of snow and freezing temps and stepped off the plane to 50 degree weather, blue skies and green trees! Wow! That was so refreshing! We were totally covered with several feet of snow from the beginning of December until just a couple of weeks ago! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb59iA7sPwiq0xrz0iPgv3G5pUJ0foeMJqRDc9hMKuuUn4ttyY8NQkkGCvuopE33xrOhVhFxjbWF91uqv5IRIXrVLM63hXWRggnGQQV2nzvJX58hHsF9-QVbiHwa2d__7dhstK7t_Iz_w/s1600-h/weddingblog1.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb59iA7sPwiq0xrz0iPgv3G5pUJ0foeMJqRDc9hMKuuUn4ttyY8NQkkGCvuopE33xrOhVhFxjbWF91uqv5IRIXrVLM63hXWRggnGQQV2nzvJX58hHsF9-QVbiHwa2d__7dhstK7t_Iz_w/s320/weddingblog1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451849587966561746" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23Y4kBdFqoYH0D7o-QaaYOaLJlcrVyJWXE44Ikcyw-TVu43YB3sxCWW8MJkZg626PNxaS4GFPXm2yX36O_L7-bTHWdhHVkiBM_3TO-oSUsJVJzotEan9Xy8m3sBm6BrbOBboPbcbJ3Fw/s1600-h/weddingblog2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23Y4kBdFqoYH0D7o-QaaYOaLJlcrVyJWXE44Ikcyw-TVu43YB3sxCWW8MJkZg626PNxaS4GFPXm2yX36O_L7-bTHWdhHVkiBM_3TO-oSUsJVJzotEan9Xy8m3sBm6BrbOBboPbcbJ3Fw/s320/weddingblog2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451849589406571490" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOym2ZNw7ppSotBVa9cw7kY2BMard-1_yQuTeH9f3XxzhtuTw7CPKLJID4CHfB2AYXUMrUkcHqmr3Fc8H7Gp-cKHIC1kx3HJvZ4IvuyJpY0CeIsoWYF1RBIDTbUlneM2zvqHgRSNXFLI/s1600-h/vegas.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOym2ZNw7ppSotBVa9cw7kY2BMard-1_yQuTeH9f3XxzhtuTw7CPKLJID4CHfB2AYXUMrUkcHqmr3Fc8H7Gp-cKHIC1kx3HJvZ4IvuyJpY0CeIsoWYF1RBIDTbUlneM2zvqHgRSNXFLI/s320/vegas.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451842207117772114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdU7QtJ7ae_fHzYIC8lBV6lPuhTK3C4FZTq7rpP7IMCIMUAWnlwMzKS4rTszRe2cDqeupVrObCTZM60gaDmQ4QofDKRJ7sZnA15pb789nOFMVZxvtOSKDyxEdqDFcFfChk9zzxmBCZ1M/s1600-h/vegas2.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdU7QtJ7ae_fHzYIC8lBV6lPuhTK3C4FZTq7rpP7IMCIMUAWnlwMzKS4rTszRe2cDqeupVrObCTZM60gaDmQ4QofDKRJ7sZnA15pb789nOFMVZxvtOSKDyxEdqDFcFfChk9zzxmBCZ1M/s320/vegas2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451842211056211058" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Lent had started while we were in Vegas and we couldn't wait until Friday, because Friday during Lent means: FISH FRIES!!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style=""><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzVfTQnn6cN-0zBFIiWbntDDaagC_AixGMW5m8WBZDB8EllUv_G_1FT1IcScSp_c9WeYLu4qV5_c5foh-EgT7HnJ3DpH12IltbazZCr6FMXgQdjB4QotSag_o1RXSG3SylCALrxjU-mo/s1600-h/fishfry.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzVfTQnn6cN-0zBFIiWbntDDaagC_AixGMW5m8WBZDB8EllUv_G_1FT1IcScSp_c9WeYLu4qV5_c5foh-EgT7HnJ3DpH12IltbazZCr6FMXgQdjB4QotSag_o1RXSG3SylCALrxjU-mo/s320/fishfry.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451843074909284882" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left; ">Yum! Oh boy.....this is the best fish ever....cajun spiced....all you can eat. lol We have really enjoyed going to Fish Fries every Friday during Lent this year. It's an evening full of wonderful fellowship and amazing food!</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDK0fng2pG0jJJRmmVTF-zHyRPsh-zQUcJTIBl47R4CnvzcmK4tG-_0PREsu9oYF6sDFY4VCGatiimbjdmRE4IPFqItnhQCzWWOTVpkTKdsao6ZsEohJ0Vy_aFR1r6fIjjk1YmW77DxIs/s1600-h/green_cupcakes2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDK0fng2pG0jJJRmmVTF-zHyRPsh-zQUcJTIBl47R4CnvzcmK4tG-_0PREsu9oYF6sDFY4VCGatiimbjdmRE4IPFqItnhQCzWWOTVpkTKdsao6ZsEohJ0Vy_aFR1r6fIjjk1YmW77DxIs/s320/green_cupcakes2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451843862506640306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><p>How totally fun is this cake batter? I needed to make some cupcakes for a benefit dinner at church and since St. Patrick's day was close, I decided to make these fun cupcakes. I found the recipe at <a href="http://realmomkitchen.com/1436/lucky-green-velvet-cupcakes-and-fluffy-buttercream-frosting/">Real Mom Kitchen</a>. Oh wow! They are SO GOOD! The frosting is so yummy! These were gobbled up really quick. I had to make extra so that we could have some for ourselves. My kids always get on to me, because I bake all sorts of yummies for bake sales and such and never make extra to have at home. lol So, this time I made a double batch and kept a pan of cupcakes for ourselves. </p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34mzfBVZbivxIGq-VmYbAErOBIKq_rqHB7baRwS0D_uT9EHumvR08wNS2t65jDTjIkNXH-OAE0Q97Y_XpqwTdtKt8HwimD3GnzqyMCTSYo12zlB_I4_WzBzdTv7sjt0RuQg4fPCV-Np0/s1600-h/green_cupcakes.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34mzfBVZbivxIGq-VmYbAErOBIKq_rqHB7baRwS0D_uT9EHumvR08wNS2t65jDTjIkNXH-OAE0Q97Y_XpqwTdtKt8HwimD3GnzqyMCTSYo12zlB_I4_WzBzdTv7sjt0RuQg4fPCV-Np0/s320/green_cupcakes.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451843852554156578" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Aren't they fun????? </p><p style="text-align: left;">Now the really fun part. lol Like I already said, we have had TONS OF SNOW! I mean, TONS! And, now we're paying the price of having our roads snow covered for 2 months. We have potholes like nothing I've ever seen before! I'm talking pot holes that are like the Grand Canyon! Look at this:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5nF8N9w68lxmpS2muDC2o-rnyFncN0qqIOKwpFOXpHvll79moIxp_iwozpeFYCKNIHQ9r_EdI8jSydG4tgeEQsqeafsbjtw43DiJf_eGbvzi38XkJYvt-65etm79kex1sumBt2DxPu0/s1600-h/potholes.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5nF8N9w68lxmpS2muDC2o-rnyFncN0qqIOKwpFOXpHvll79moIxp_iwozpeFYCKNIHQ9r_EdI8jSydG4tgeEQsqeafsbjtw43DiJf_eGbvzi38XkJYvt-65etm79kex1sumBt2DxPu0/s320/potholes.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451845397883581698" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></p><p>Isn't that horrible? And, it gets better. So far we have had 2 flats and a broken drive shaft from hitting a pot hole! You just can't miss them. You can try, but you will either hit another one or hit a car beside you. It's crazy! Driving is pretty stressful and you can't take your eyes off the road or you'll hit one!</p><p>So, that's pretty much what's been going on here. Well, the things that I've gotten pictures of. lol I haven't been able to do much scrapping or any crafting at all. But, I did get one fun project done and I'll share that in another post. It's a crochet laptop sleeve and it's pretty neat! I also started new sewing project last night that I'm really excited about and I'll share more about it soon.</p><p>I hope you all are doing well and that you are starting to feel the wonderful wakening of Spring! We actually have blue skies today. Something that we haven't seen much of for the past 4 months! Talk about depressing weather here! loll I'm so ready for green grass, green trees and to start getting my hands dirty in our new garden that we're planting this year.....Come on Spring!!!! ;-)</p><p><img style="border:0;" align="center" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" /><br /></p><br /></div>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-34591102242834314702010-02-16T01:29:00.005-06:002010-02-16T01:39:20.558-06:00Flowers challenge at Practical Scrappers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQf9cnWKxzDd9sZQIXKR-tx2hPBm2mKn5Y8nyyqpMlXJejv3GC2zeA-e36dbdClb2nHVswkMVXetrvB_cAF53qHX7w_zVvxaYZ4dwIO4uQNa8VrkVVVOxNkr_j6e3NdDO_hgI5s25kegI/s1600-h/blustery_day.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 315px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQf9cnWKxzDd9sZQIXKR-tx2hPBm2mKn5Y8nyyqpMlXJejv3GC2zeA-e36dbdClb2nHVswkMVXetrvB_cAF53qHX7w_zVvxaYZ4dwIO4uQNa8VrkVVVOxNkr_j6e3NdDO_hgI5s25kegI/s320/blustery_day.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438742043543449634" border="0" /></a>This weeks challenge at <a href="http://practicalscrappers.com/">Practical Scrappers</a> is to use flowers! I'm really sick, but wanted to quickly share two projects where I have used flowers.......<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">For my layout I punched out several flowers and added them around my journaling....<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgab16RksZpc5_-hmRG1szlMZ9aRmbt__SELk9Gm2LIa-l7TMisfbP4byj8vb6hH4SCQIUn_0yQMQwpU4v12bWPLH7jqY9oS0XT5are78EQGUOcVdB-UTJRrXu9MJSvZo64dT2oPhMhSac/s1600-h/crochet_floewr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgab16RksZpc5_-hmRG1szlMZ9aRmbt__SELk9Gm2LIa-l7TMisfbP4byj8vb6hH4SCQIUn_0yQMQwpU4v12bWPLH7jqY9oS0XT5are78EQGUOcVdB-UTJRrXu9MJSvZo64dT2oPhMhSac/s320/crochet_floewr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438740322519692946" border="0" /></a>For my card, I added a crochet flower that I had accidentally made while trying to make a round dish cloth. lol I really messed up following the directions, but ended up with this and I knew that I had to use it on a card or layout. Silly, I know, but I think it looks kinda cute!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I hope you all are doing well......I started feeling sick yesterday and it hit me fast and hard. I tried to get some sleep tonight but just couldn't, so here I sit at 1:38 a.m. Ugh......I hate bad, head colds! Take care........ :-)<br /></div></div><img style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" align="center" />dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-57818884915488264652010-02-15T13:23:00.004-06:002010-02-15T13:32:10.828-06:00Card Sketch at Practical Scrappers<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdeBcJfUd7AvIzG4rqRXOzrCvdLH8xFDkuPhItHx22Yh2TOE8pe4ilGXZfPgfRNdC2OdTBS1MW6Uv5fj-X9gMvqOpqha7S8zPu6FEfJMSlK1tkbBhyphenhyphen4g8b9jF87CYRzHRiFy5guI4jVY/s1600-h/February-Sketch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdeBcJfUd7AvIzG4rqRXOzrCvdLH8xFDkuPhItHx22Yh2TOE8pe4ilGXZfPgfRNdC2OdTBS1MW6Uv5fj-X9gMvqOpqha7S8zPu6FEfJMSlK1tkbBhyphenhyphen4g8b9jF87CYRzHRiFy5guI4jVY/s320/February-Sketch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438553114714709538" border="0" /></a>Here is this weeks card sketch at <a href="http://practicalscrappers.com/">Practical Scrappers</a>!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And here is what I did with it......<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyE9IMOWu4kjhPBnxqy5tBRHJhG2r35Yt1makATe3n3udx67O0PGG7jKuQgAcKT_oLHB__KiDaybxq_2nvCBz7Unrk6xwMEwkYEuDEfm6SOIRE9YKpByfif9KwWpfpW1LQDtbLD-7e27E/s1600-h/valentine3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyE9IMOWu4kjhPBnxqy5tBRHJhG2r35Yt1makATe3n3udx67O0PGG7jKuQgAcKT_oLHB__KiDaybxq_2nvCBz7Unrk6xwMEwkYEuDEfm6SOIRE9YKpByfif9KwWpfpW1LQDtbLD-7e27E/s320/valentine3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438554200171802338" border="0" /></a><p>I stamped the title and colored it in w/ a blender pen and markers. I hand-cut the hearts from some scraps of felt and then did a simple stitch around the edges with brown DMC floss. Kinda fun, huh? lol I think I'll try making some other shapes from felt, too.....like flowers!</p><p>We would love for you to play along and show us your creations using this sketch, so be sure to go to <a href="http://practicalscrappers.com/">Practical Scrappers</a> and post a link to your card on the Mr. Blinkie for this weeks card sketch.....you will have to scroll down a bit to get there! <br /><img style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" align="center" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-77232134033372960602010-02-10T01:06:00.000-06:002010-02-11T14:27:48.608-06:00Bake Sale Madness - Valentine's edition - pt 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvzrOxg8kJjgkYNJrmsUehyphenhyphenz5BeKnmeD5Br6tkozgu9Wa7xEiffQJXVBe96unTp0-7PPU2exNSx3z-JaiKJ0BX3Jh9FT5pOgZUMx9NmzuJHVM5Uj8wc8hvP4N0hoOHmvYmVmrasdO5Yg/s1600-h/cookie_pops2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvzrOxg8kJjgkYNJrmsUehyphenhyphenz5BeKnmeD5Br6tkozgu9Wa7xEiffQJXVBe96unTp0-7PPU2exNSx3z-JaiKJ0BX3Jh9FT5pOgZUMx9NmzuJHVM5Uj8wc8hvP4N0hoOHmvYmVmrasdO5Yg/s320/cookie_pops2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437084949840007858" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here is the last thing that I made for the bake sale this past weekend. Cookie Pops. These were A LOT of work! lol It took me 3 days to finish these. I made the cookies one day, decorated them the next, then packaged them on the third. These cookies need a full day to sit after the glaze has been put on them. The glace icing needs plenty of time to dry, especially if you are going to package them in bags, like I did. But, WOW!!!! Oh my gosh! These are the cookies that I drool over whenever I go to our local bakery. I always buy an iced sugar cookie. ALWAYS! lol And, now I know how to make them. It's all in the icing, I tell ya. That's what really makes these cookies taste so awesome!<br /><br />I used the recipes and instructions from the Our Best Bites website. I have to tell you that this recipe site is AWESOME!!!! Be sure to sign up to get their updates! The recipes and ideas shared here are the best!<br /><br />Here are the links for you:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/02/tutorial-valentine-sugar-cookie-pops.html">Valentine Sugar Cookie Pops Tutorial</a><br /><a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/12/sugar-cookies.html">Sugar Cookie Recipe</a><br /><a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/12/tutorial-glace-icing-and-cookie.html">Glace Recipe and Tutorial<br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjp6lk0r1fthk4uaYmkE8TDSNeZjxXCRCKc3Lb8u299_oWBD28ZdkzIUtvO1-zLzTRDJ_jah_4KQUKOpk-qcuz5jNBCIahqVbLzE4QXAX1YeBLL2n-xoYMUIYOqu6z74YTFpJeoZxqLg8/s1600-h/cookie_pops1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjp6lk0r1fthk4uaYmkE8TDSNeZjxXCRCKc3Lb8u299_oWBD28ZdkzIUtvO1-zLzTRDJ_jah_4KQUKOpk-qcuz5jNBCIahqVbLzE4QXAX1YeBLL2n-xoYMUIYOqu6z74YTFpJeoZxqLg8/s320/cookie_pops1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437080111914807522" border="0" /></a>The biggest struggle that I had with making these is PATIENCE! lol I don't have much. Actually, my Mom has always told me that I inherited all of my patience from my dad and he didn't have any. lol But, you have to be patient with the icing, make sure it's set well, etc. I wasn't patient. I went around each heart with the thicker icing and didn't wait long enough for that outline to dry well. So, when I went to fill in the cookie w/ the thinner icing, it all ran off of the edges. At first I was really upset, but then I decided to just go with it and I started drizzling pink and red icing all over the cookies and off the edges, instead of trying to have the icing perfectly on top of each cookie. The other thing that I will do next time, is to use two colors that have a high contrast in them. I used pink and red and they looked pretty, but the two colors we so similar, the cookies just didn't pop like I wanted them to. While I used up some extra icing that wasn't colored, I covered the cookies in white and then drizzled red icing on top. Now that really popped and looks so awesome!!! You can see them in the bottom left corner in the picture above. You also need space for these to sit out and dry. I am lucky enough to have a long counter top in my kitchen, because those cookies were sitting out for quiet awhile!<br /><br />My kids are begging me to make more of these, because I only save a few for us to try. The rest went to the sale. They didn't like that very well! lol St. Patrick's Day is coming up........I just might have to make some shamrock cookies w/ glace icing! I hope you try these.....they really are YUMMY!!!!!!<br /><br /><p><br /><img style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" align="center" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-60784175200610790782010-02-10T01:05:00.000-06:002010-02-11T10:03:21.718-06:00Bake Sale Madness - Valentine's edition - pt 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXRm0Dp8SdRPTU-CDY5PlPgiDKbQ0lwPJ2_5WHljzHvwoMoeEuObQTyzA7Dr8hgkLNOl9Db8Y2rZTkJZWgDaNL07hBz9grJ7ixDj1SBggZTBMocFP2SYyLFx1FDhLVI4u8dCBsDYUfjw/s1600-h/neapolatin_krispies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXRm0Dp8SdRPTU-CDY5PlPgiDKbQ0lwPJ2_5WHljzHvwoMoeEuObQTyzA7Dr8hgkLNOl9Db8Y2rZTkJZWgDaNL07hBz9grJ7ixDj1SBggZTBMocFP2SYyLFx1FDhLVI4u8dCBsDYUfjw/s320/neapolatin_krispies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436884573273073490" border="0" /></a>How fun are these? This is another goodie that I made for the bake sale and perfect for Valentine's Day!<br /><br />I found that the easiest way to press each layer into the pan was to lay a piece of wax paper on top of each mixture and then press. That way the cereal/marshmallow mixture doesn't stick to your hands. I tried buttering my hands and that didn't work as well as using wax paper.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Neapolitan Krispie Bars-</span></span><br /><br />1 pkg (10 oz) large marshmallows - I just divided them up evenly into 3 piles<br />3 Tlbs. butter, divided<br />2 cups Cocoa Krispies cereal<br />1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips<br />4 cups Rice Krispies cereal, divided<br />1/2 cup strawberry jam<br />5 drops red food coloring, optional<br /><br />In a large saucepan, combine a third of the marshmallows and 1 Tlbs. butter. cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from the heat; stir in Cocoa Krispies and chocolate chips. Press into a greased 11x7 inch dish.<br /><br />In a large saucepan, combine a third of the marshmallows and 1 Tlbs. butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from the heat; stir in 2 cups of the Rice Krispies. Press into dish over chocolate layer.<br /><br />In a large saucepan, combine remaining marshmallows and 1 Tlbs. butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from heat; stir in jam and food coloring. Stir in 2 cups Rice Krispie cereal. Press into the dish. Cool. Cut into bars.<br /><br />Here is how I packaged them up for the bake sale. I placed each bar on top of a square of wax paper before placing them in the bag.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BdKGj6RUgvnRynuq0uwNh09D1GO3K70-d17IDEn94NwpBYQrY43wtG1SgtF2TtOGi0eL2taGmoXq5sRpNAeq-x3URqAHChU3b8SiI88rBTisgqzpXmOUZXVeoTeat9cdKY-Fx3QnQX0/s1600-h/neapolatin_krispies2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BdKGj6RUgvnRynuq0uwNh09D1GO3K70-d17IDEn94NwpBYQrY43wtG1SgtF2TtOGi0eL2taGmoXq5sRpNAeq-x3URqAHChU3b8SiI88rBTisgqzpXmOUZXVeoTeat9cdKY-Fx3QnQX0/s320/neapolatin_krispies2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436884577248440706" border="0" /></a>Yummy!!!!<br /></div><p><img style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" align="center" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-2773206996843494772010-02-10T01:01:00.005-06:002010-02-10T11:00:07.150-06:00Valentine's Day Card - crystal glaze hearts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyXU9HvzlK_ANshhu2K65lS7W-xnCjnvDqQdeUcHe9TTTf5SyIiMYedNOcDuF3W48JnvrVsHfms1IAPeUJv2DEm-Gd9xuSB2VhF386TyDcSxSC_ilNMlKB4ncC7lvrvT4MXOcgTbVtdM/s1600-h/valentine2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyXU9HvzlK_ANshhu2K65lS7W-xnCjnvDqQdeUcHe9TTTf5SyIiMYedNOcDuF3W48JnvrVsHfms1IAPeUJv2DEm-Gd9xuSB2VhF386TyDcSxSC_ilNMlKB4ncC7lvrvT4MXOcgTbVtdM/s320/valentine2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436655206125301842" border="0" /></a>Well, this photo sure doesn't do this card justice. lol I had actually stamped these hearts to use on<a href="http://countrylifeinthebigcity.blogspot.com/2010/02/valentines-day-card-coloring-your-brads.html"> the card with the colored brads</a>, but it just wasn't working out how I wanted it to, so I set them aside and ended up with that card done totally different then I had planned. I really didn't like how these stamped hearts looked. My ink is starting to get a little dry and they just weren't rich, red hearts like I wanted. But, I just can't throw anything away! Yes, I have it that bad. I was determined to use those hearts because there was no way I was going to toss them. So, I ended up getting my markers out and I went to work coloring. I rubbed the brush tip of my marker on one of my acrylic blocks for my unmounted stamps. Then, I took my blender pen and picked up some ink and colored in the white areas in each heart. After that, I went around the edges with red and tried to shade the bottom of each heart in a bit. For some reason, I decided to cover each heart with some crystal glaze to make them stand out a bit. And, since I've been a glitter freak lately, I sprinkled each heart with some fine glitter. Like I said, this photo does not do this card justice! It's hard to see the areas that I colored in and the glaze looks cloudy. We actually have sunshine coming in our windows today and it's causing quite a glare on my hearts! I can't complain either because we have had almost no sunshine since the beginning December. All of these cloudy, gloomy days have really gotten me down. It is so wonderful to see blue skies right now!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKZEPA2Ag_WfG5G3w2oMp75dZP7auElrJ70YZK1rgf6fsJFs2e7er83Nnw_Nn7E1E2nvJqF6F91D-oLVxttDHxBqupdSQDMGJ5kBqqP8CwK7GWCkbTk8W1d4hxtJEOGzt9LdNTBgiNa8/s1600-h/valentine2_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKZEPA2Ag_WfG5G3w2oMp75dZP7auElrJ70YZK1rgf6fsJFs2e7er83Nnw_Nn7E1E2nvJqF6F91D-oLVxttDHxBqupdSQDMGJ5kBqqP8CwK7GWCkbTk8W1d4hxtJEOGzt9LdNTBgiNa8/s320/valentine2_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436658490214144722" border="0" /></a><br /><p><br /><img style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" align="center" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-26060247120905880802010-02-10T01:00:00.001-06:002010-02-10T10:18:40.848-06:00Valentine's Day Card - coloring your brads<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVmtvwb4jGxtmYlD1o_XNqxxP5PCbt1AsPusChyphenhyphenF1pkckNG1qkfHSLLBhyphenhyphentB_fKh26pTw2HAk12oPn1XOEsgP6AtTAJ97mUPD51963WCGLNulwrT3qYl39VFHjCMSTE_ZOpxCZmSCOo0/s1600-h/valentine1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVmtvwb4jGxtmYlD1o_XNqxxP5PCbt1AsPusChyphenhyphenF1pkckNG1qkfHSLLBhyphenhyphentB_fKh26pTw2HAk12oPn1XOEsgP6AtTAJ97mUPD51963WCGLNulwrT3qYl39VFHjCMSTE_ZOpxCZmSCOo0/s320/valentine1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436645387778850818" border="0" /></a>Here's a card that I made for the <a href="http://practicalscrappers.com/">brad challenge at Practical Scrappers</a>. It's funny, because this card isn't anything like what my original idea was! I actually used the images that I had stamped for this card to make another card with. Crazy how that happens! lol<br /><br />I have some alcohol inks that I hadn't ever used and I honestly don't know anything about them or all that they can do. But, I wanted to color my brads red! My embossing gun broke, so I couldn't cover them w/ embossing powder......I tapped them in some red Ancient Page ink, but I didn't know if that would every dry.....so then I remembered my alcohol inks! Luckily, I had some red, so I put a couple of drops on a metal lid and dipped the tops of the brads in the ink until they were covered. Then I stuck the ends in a piece of thick foam and let them dry over-night. I was so happy that it worked! lol Like I said, I don't know a think about all that these inks can do and I'm sure that a lot of you already knew that this would work. I really need to do some research on these, because I know that they are a great tool just sitting in my drawer unused. The stamped image is colored in with my Stampin'Up! markers and a blender pen.<br /><br />An easy card for one of my special Valentine's!!!!! ;-)<br /><p><img style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" align="center" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-11547079592017693412010-02-10T00:53:00.006-06:002010-02-10T01:09:11.245-06:00Bake Sale Madness - Valentine's edition - pt 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIajbtdW2uUNDxUMWEFR_dPr98NcS5uyyTEHm8UazAP-b37ddrhRUfj_kzU3Rj_lFDA9G9XzH-p5qrX7ziZBU2WSLO2dQY7Du0BEBwhs0SAv_g1vfXISzKZUqXYV9LNkPLVvSaFIRD540/s1600-h/candy_cane_pops2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIajbtdW2uUNDxUMWEFR_dPr98NcS5uyyTEHm8UazAP-b37ddrhRUfj_kzU3Rj_lFDA9G9XzH-p5qrX7ziZBU2WSLO2dQY7Du0BEBwhs0SAv_g1vfXISzKZUqXYV9LNkPLVvSaFIRD540/s320/candy_cane_pops2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436506327875819426" border="0" /></a>Those of you who have been visiting me since October might remember my crazy bake sale frenzy. lol If not, be sure to go here to read (and see!) all about it <a href="http://countrylifeinthebigcity.blogspot.com/2009/10/bake-sale-madness-part-1.html">here</a> and <a href="http://countrylifeinthebigcity.blogspot.com/2009/10/bake-sale-madness-part-2-salted-nut.html">here</a>. ;-) Well, I did it again. I guess I need to just come out and say it. I'm a bake sale over-achiever. lol I just can't help it. The sale was being held to help my daughter's 8th grade class raise money for the gift that they will be giving to their school/church. So, this is a big thing and I wanted to help out as much as I could.....lol I can bake. So, boy did I ever bake! So, here we go w/ Part 1 of my Valentine edition of bake sale madness!!!!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Candy Cane Pops</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VF6l4m2wcu11SCVvz-JuXiIxZSP91MnVPE7rGO6YPJD2xLrUgbG6eiClQ-1ViFaMgvH3K9ag9DzsjB1DTfCCy9Q_bWZQ1VnsQJfdTBokltqfl_ZM08LET79d1ZT8ujZMJpdZFtdzlJE/s1600-h/candy_cane_pops1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VF6l4m2wcu11SCVvz-JuXiIxZSP91MnVPE7rGO6YPJD2xLrUgbG6eiClQ-1ViFaMgvH3K9ag9DzsjB1DTfCCy9Q_bWZQ1VnsQJfdTBokltqfl_ZM08LET79d1ZT8ujZMJpdZFtdzlJE/s320/candy_cane_pops1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436506320976415714" border="0" /></a>I have two things to say about these. EASY and DARLING!!!!!! Oh my gosh. These were SO EASY!!!! I wish that I had more candy canes, but I only had enough stashed away to make about 14 of these. I had hidden a box of mini candy canes back in December and had forgotten about them. My little Gracie LOVES them, so I had to keep them out of her site or she would have been wanting one all of the time! lol I can tell you for sure that I will not forget about this recipe when December rolls around. I am planning on buying boxes and boxes of mini candy canes so that I can make tons of these. You could even use Christmas sprinkles and decorate them as Christmas treats! I just LOVE these!!!!! You can find out <a href="http://www.pleasant-home.com/2010/01/quick-and-easy-valentines-treats.html">how to make them at the Pleasant Home</a> site. I accidentally found this blog and I am in total love with it already! <br /><br />So, this was the easiest thing that I made for this round of bake sale madness.....now on to Part 2! Stay with me! It keeps getting yummier and yummier!!!!<br /><p><img style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" align="center" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-27852300670822488632010-02-10T00:38:00.003-06:002010-02-10T00:52:27.784-06:00Crochet Valentine Envelope<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtKjtHZVUz58VcP7mKxffo9FJjtSvn6qk1mXNgc_HvcGNDT_rtieDC-J3gFvozk1hY60URmxS_uW2aoXNHi5GG2ZaDG5WV9L4P4w9npgKF6F36SyK8CkRrgIM-jw65_PSZv8PIYmNsX8/s1600-h/crochet_envie1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtKjtHZVUz58VcP7mKxffo9FJjtSvn6qk1mXNgc_HvcGNDT_rtieDC-J3gFvozk1hY60URmxS_uW2aoXNHi5GG2ZaDG5WV9L4P4w9npgKF6F36SyK8CkRrgIM-jw65_PSZv8PIYmNsX8/s320/crochet_envie1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436500783172914354" border="0" /></a>So how totally cute is this????? I made this the other night while my cookies were baking in the oven..... It is so easy and SO CUTE! You can find the <a href="http://cache.lionbrand.com/">free pattern at Lion Brand Yarn</a>. You do need to be a member to see their free patterns. Just search under "envelope" and you'll see this pattern. Like I said, it's super easy! I have mine sitting on my table right now on top of a Valentine's table runner. I think it would look cute with some vintage Valentine's stuffed inside or even some flowers...... I'm new to following patterns and I didn't have any problems. I did have to look up a stitch or two when making the heart, but they have a wonderful <a href="http://cache.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/pg.cgi?page=learningCenter.html">learning center on the Lion Brand Yarns site</a> as well! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUg-AJ97i0vEDjygG_tvfZj4wj-hyQ-0iD6a32y2i62vFvR-5gtRnC0OujVOcPKb5nrPS2GtkMffvXdRrEqyIbuyWMATItBz4IELI_3L170YlDodfy8u711dYDd7cygxrr5NbqfVEoX8/s400/crochet_envie2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 356px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUg-AJ97i0vEDjygG_tvfZj4wj-hyQ-0iD6a32y2i62vFvR-5gtRnC0OujVOcPKb5nrPS2GtkMffvXdRrEqyIbuyWMATItBz4IELI_3L170YlDodfy8u711dYDd7cygxrr5NbqfVEoX8/s400/crochet_envie2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>These would be fun to fill with goodies for your children, a special friend, co-worker or even a teacher! Too sweet!!!! I just love Valentine's Day! ;-)<br /><p><img style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" align="center" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-53027392799321127692010-02-09T12:00:00.005-06:002010-02-09T12:17:54.709-06:00Easy-Peasy Valentines<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eqHrX4XRdMm71VlA4ASJYeADrx1itY0_wXvyKdWyEfNZhpU_QwQwBgQrOu8wtD3WTZl0YMG_F31sxUckgtustieIA6lbKRjXHeOpqczokHBUL3r-O-t7kOsArf0mARgb2GOWZ5qyQJQ/s1600-h/valentines2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eqHrX4XRdMm71VlA4ASJYeADrx1itY0_wXvyKdWyEfNZhpU_QwQwBgQrOu8wtD3WTZl0YMG_F31sxUckgtustieIA6lbKRjXHeOpqczokHBUL3r-O-t7kOsArf0mARgb2GOWZ5qyQJQ/s320/valentines2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436307864518887586" border="0" /></a>I wanted to share these super-easy, home-made Valentine's with you. I absolutely LOVE Valentine's Day. Well, I love all of the fun, crafty ideas out there, the reds, the pinks.....everything! lol I am so amazed w/ all of the fun projects that people are sharing all over the web. I wish that I had all of the time in the world to make them all! But, for now, I'm trying to save them and file them away in my Valentine's Day folder.<br /><br />All that I did for these Valentine's was to measure the size of the wooden block that the stamp is on and I used this as my guide for cutting the card stock that the image will be stamped on. Then, I cut a mat out for each piece of card stock in red. Each image was stamped in black ink and then I used my set of<a href="http://stampinup.com/"> Stampin' Up!</a> chalks and a blender pen to color the images in. I have finally caved and I have started buying <a href="http://copicmarker.com/">Copic markers</a> and I had two shades of green, so I used them to color in the alligator. I have no idea how to use my new markers, but I fun playing with them and I'm anxious to learn all about how to properly shade. But, for now, it's okay for this fun, little alligator! I have to admit that I can do a pretty good job at shading with my set of Stampin' Up! markers and a blender pen.....and I probably really don't NEED to buy Copic markers.....but....(there's always a "but" isn't there? lol)....my 13 year old daughter is an amazing artist and she has been using my set of SU! markers. She almost always has them with her, so I guess it's time to let her use them and I'll start buying <a href="http://copicmarker.com/">Copics</a> here and there. So, that's how I'm justifying that. lol<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3l1ZTtESZuAwM2T-BVqbG3y4x8AVqnHzSXtDlUuei_KT4mJdq_qalINJ9uw9sZXvLqF3i85u5RleDOGhc_AqkJLOsgknhBnzIvx3cUOQww_4011V8Qx6eBF0Kq9B3vlFbMOBGtRU-mU/s1600-h/valentines1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3l1ZTtESZuAwM2T-BVqbG3y4x8AVqnHzSXtDlUuei_KT4mJdq_qalINJ9uw9sZXvLqF3i85u5RleDOGhc_AqkJLOsgknhBnzIvx3cUOQww_4011V8Qx6eBF0Kq9B3vlFbMOBGtRU-mU/s320/valentines1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436307869405599474" border="0" /></a>Anyway. lol After I colored the images in, I adhered the colored image onto the red, card stock mat and then I used a medium-sized hole punch to punch out two holes for the sucker to slip through. Oh, before adding the sucker, I used a stamp that came with this set on the back that says, "Happy Valentine's Day! To:____________ From:_____________" This is an old <a href="http://stampinup.com/">Stampin'Up!</a> set called "Animal Valentine's" that I bought years ago. I'm not sure if they still carry it in their catalog, but they might!<br /><p>My daughter helped me make these one year to pass out to her class on Valentine's Day. She was in second grade and had a lot of fun coloring them it and putting the suckers on them. So, this would be a great project for your little ones!</p><p><img style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" align="center" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-28102987421596389652010-02-09T10:21:00.007-06:002010-02-09T11:27:26.126-06:00Brad challenge at Practical Scrappers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljd_2-ZHQFwoBUAHNmuYWeHDMfHGdfZ4APggrdIthqELmHG461xJakoV1ah5eoWSGmiDnm0jyufs-gXr1fPmWdVrjmMXSnn2vtXQuCf-NHZQAV0-zmUa3KgxR84JIFsNiCoBKwVrx_Ko/s1600-h/brads_sniff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljd_2-ZHQFwoBUAHNmuYWeHDMfHGdfZ4APggrdIthqELmHG461xJakoV1ah5eoWSGmiDnm0jyufs-gXr1fPmWdVrjmMXSnn2vtXQuCf-NHZQAV0-zmUa3KgxR84JIFsNiCoBKwVrx_Ko/s320/brads_sniff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436280042914537954" border="0" /></a>This weeks challenge at <a href="http://practicalscrappers.com/">Practical Scrappers</a> is to use brads! I had so many ideas running around in my head on how to use them for some samples, but I just didn't have the time this past week to work on much of anything crafty related. I did get one layout done, that I'm sharing with you today. <br /><br />For my layout I put a brad in the top two corners of the patterned paper and then holding a strip of fabric on that's at the bottom edge of the patterned paper. I knew that I had to pep those brads up a bit, so I ended up putting a small, blue rhinestone on top of each brad to give them a bit a razzle-dazzle. lol This is a super-simple layout of my little Gracie when she had her first cold. She looked so pitiful. And, now that I'm sitting here looking at this layout, I forgot to add my journaling! I told you it's been a crazy week! lol Guess I had better go do that!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77ng0iKcSdgvCexWGsYBYVR3WGjOCyeso8N5Bukh0Q14rAH4jktINcLxMRjVBz_eR1pXxT_MIqMGEcI1QXPBVLnP5sjt98qmCp15tHujQ8Nb_taTLPbAz4xZc4FCzwR5i1zbg2nK7h3k/s1600-h/brads_sniff_closeup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77ng0iKcSdgvCexWGsYBYVR3WGjOCyeso8N5Bukh0Q14rAH4jktINcLxMRjVBz_eR1pXxT_MIqMGEcI1QXPBVLnP5sjt98qmCp15tHujQ8Nb_taTLPbAz4xZc4FCzwR5i1zbg2nK7h3k/s320/brads_sniff_closeup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436296520949870002" border="0" /></a>Please be sure to visit <a href="http://practicalscrappers.com/">Practical Scrappers</a> to see all of the amazing projects that are being posted by the design team and the wonderful people who submit their creations with Mr. Linky. All of the inspiration there is absolutely amazing! And please join in on the fun, too, and share your creations using brads this week!<br /><p><img style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" align="center" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-77340232789584589752010-02-02T00:40:00.005-06:002010-02-02T00:51:24.610-06:00Die-Cut Challenge @ Practical Scrappers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhj2qqUKizsUZegV3mbD4YiAgxcKVbZTQTe068QIdC3LhtTHOEPada0jn9nnw9Zgiz6P2RwJZj_QHiE_wma_w5gIXMcGN_71YMRfWaLN_tG9Ru99g7AYzx5QnFNr9cg9q_xGL9Kx1WhG4/s1600-h/diecut_card.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhj2qqUKizsUZegV3mbD4YiAgxcKVbZTQTe068QIdC3LhtTHOEPada0jn9nnw9Zgiz6P2RwJZj_QHiE_wma_w5gIXMcGN_71YMRfWaLN_tG9Ru99g7AYzx5QnFNr9cg9q_xGL9Kx1WhG4/s320/diecut_card.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433532522960755666" border="0" /></a>Here is a card that I made for this weeks challenge at <a href="http://practicalscrappers.com/">Practical Scrappers</a> to use your die-cut machine or store-bought die-cuts. I used 3 different Cuttlebug dies and added some small rhinestones in the center of some of the flowers to jazz it up a bit. lol I stamped the phrase in black ink and then went over it with a light pink marker and blender pen.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GJkb9fVqFFLMLbeMAnEkNYEJ90Bl1fwpur6H7_izAGJ4bBCU7Pp0D0keEAHrWQOohkb6MU0PR0Cj2vsb0WyoR1eV9MI9kQH_Vxa9ZifsJ6k4lUgYpM9FV1Uy_qrt3b_Fk5J3Ze5uiTw/s400/diecut_bookmark_hope.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GJkb9fVqFFLMLbeMAnEkNYEJ90Bl1fwpur6H7_izAGJ4bBCU7Pp0D0keEAHrWQOohkb6MU0PR0Cj2vsb0WyoR1eV9MI9kQH_Vxa9ZifsJ6k4lUgYpM9FV1Uy_qrt3b_Fk5J3Ze5uiTw/s400/diecut_bookmark_hope.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I also made this bookmark that's created using the corner of an envelope. I have been wanting to share this idea for awhile, so I went ahead and did up a tutorial for you all. You can find it in <a href="http://countrylifeinthebigcity.blogspot.com/2010/02/envelope-bookmark-w-tutorial.html">the post below this one or just click here</a>. I used a paisley die from Cuttlebug and cut out three colors of cardstock. Then, I mixed and matched the pieces to make colorful paisleys to decorate my bookmark.<br /><p>I have more to share, but I'm buried under tons of Girl Scout Cookie paperwork right now! lol I need to be working on it, but I keep getting distracted by sharing new projects here and working on layouts. That's not good! So, off I go......time to work.....it's just 12:50 a.m.....eek. It's going to be a long night!</p><p><img style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" align="center" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315269119310590787.post-25481036832192947142010-02-01T19:46:00.006-06:002010-02-02T09:29:08.864-06:00Envelope Bookmark w/ Tutorial<div style="text-align: center;"><center><a border="0" href="http://todayscreativeblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ScrapToMyLu/getYourCraftOnResized.gif" /></a></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68F2YLSbTwK5XttUlGoEOxxB5lfpPrVLH8mfzek5rDiv7Y42iTpTtGyOBsJX8VCZ7d_yJyJas4sN9fZFQydWgXpghAp5twfKFTnoxHSoKl7wWyl2BW9EIQknyfODHbIpIjMin0R4RLlA/s1600-h/bookmark.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68F2YLSbTwK5XttUlGoEOxxB5lfpPrVLH8mfzek5rDiv7Y42iTpTtGyOBsJX8VCZ7d_yJyJas4sN9fZFQydWgXpghAp5twfKFTnoxHSoKl7wWyl2BW9EIQknyfODHbIpIjMin0R4RLlA/s320/bookmark.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433457817721973474" border="0" /></a>Something on my mind....I -heart- Books<br /></div>I've been wanting to share with you how to make these super-easy and totally fun bookmarks for quite awhile now. I made one for this <a href="http://practicalscrappers.com/">weeks challenge at Practical Scrappers</a> (which is using a die-cut machine of any type) so I decided to take pictures as I went along making it and now I can finally show you how to make them!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINL_jeASPf4GQfC_TIeGPL30TBAQtZvu4lh7rQAEYkMDjmFTjt0RxnLTFBKEoRuJQyzCu6nEw1GFciHle84o2wjnbYHVLSbHoXIiysNdxdKmHwl-q_c3l26Kp-5-LoAvr-y2BmSR235g/s1600-h/envie_bookmark1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINL_jeASPf4GQfC_TIeGPL30TBAQtZvu4lh7rQAEYkMDjmFTjt0RxnLTFBKEoRuJQyzCu6nEw1GFciHle84o2wjnbYHVLSbHoXIiysNdxdKmHwl-q_c3l26Kp-5-LoAvr-y2BmSR235g/s320/envie_bookmark1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433456856300040578" border="0" /></a>The base of the bookmark is made from the corner of an envelope. You can use any size, I have a business-sized envelope and a card-sized envelope pictured above. You can use regular-sized envelopes as well, but your bookmark will be smaller. These work the best if you know that you'll be using your bookmark in a small, paperback book. So, you might want to think about what size you need (how big or small your books are) before you start. For my bookmark, I used a business-size envelope.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS67-yTEb9gGZOezEzfl5xhyphenhyphenuY08ZJ63yT2RCULZMuObmnrqsTUGGReBzfsXjtaxs0HM5_cpc7-zFZ13xC4yeiOH_UXIm7i3p12QgeHWC32DmFaOad_5knHY3NSYFqQ2YEThLwZQxazPQ/s1600-h/envie_bookmark2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS67-yTEb9gGZOezEzfl5xhyphenhyphenuY08ZJ63yT2RCULZMuObmnrqsTUGGReBzfsXjtaxs0HM5_cpc7-zFZ13xC4yeiOH_UXIm7i3p12QgeHWC32DmFaOad_5knHY3NSYFqQ2YEThLwZQxazPQ/s320/envie_bookmark2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433456863126884274" border="0" /></a>Seal the envelope first. Then, make a cutting mark with pencil as shown above:<br /><br />*business-size envelope mark at 3 3/4 inches at the top and at one side<br /><br />*card-size envelope mark at 4 inches at the top and at one side<br /><br />I'm sorry, I don't have the measurement if you use a regular envelope. Just measure the envelope and see how tall it is and make your marks about 1/8-1/4-inch smaller than your measurement.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QUu7Ww9K1i7ojn2uV7Ux1_d5h30F927OJxYbYOvytRPhob9GNXS4vhdLFpmDDurLxD3nExdqaeT6YF3FK63fZnaNib5hCEL4VAwdSAtVqPIlfByzHBvm-5D_2I9E61VlEi3lfc4ZRyA/s1600-h/envie_bookmark3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QUu7Ww9K1i7ojn2uV7Ux1_d5h30F927OJxYbYOvytRPhob9GNXS4vhdLFpmDDurLxD3nExdqaeT6YF3FK63fZnaNib5hCEL4VAwdSAtVqPIlfByzHBvm-5D_2I9E61VlEi3lfc4ZRyA/s320/envie_bookmark3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433456871648668194" border="0" /></a>Place the envelope in your paper cutter so that you can see the cutting mark lines. Center the lines in the center of your paper cutter and then cut the envelope. If you don't want to use a paper cutter or don't have one, simply draw a line from one pencil mark to the next and then cut. You can also draw the line and then cut it with your paper cutter. This helps if it's hard for you to see exactly where you need to cut your envelope.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSpEfG_KhfM3UvZh2VIn0lWu7Vuat450tBimfR3glC1-15TYQMRpuCzqHPGnPTUkN1FyyjFzT0ljQmrPl_Lh2Dv7wx7z-r74oZ0HTq4INqreQfoSVwLpJ_piUobMfaT2VYA4oMVVfugo/s1600-h/envie_bookmark4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSpEfG_KhfM3UvZh2VIn0lWu7Vuat450tBimfR3glC1-15TYQMRpuCzqHPGnPTUkN1FyyjFzT0ljQmrPl_Lh2Dv7wx7z-r74oZ0HTq4INqreQfoSVwLpJ_piUobMfaT2VYA4oMVVfugo/s320/envie_bookmark4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433456875123660130" border="0" /></a>You will end up with a triangle, that has one open side, like a pocket. I forgot to mention that you can sometimes make two bookmarks from one envelope, if it's long enough to cut the corners off of each side! This would also be a great recycling project. You could use junk mail envelopes, because we will be covering the envelope with paper and that would hide any printing, etc.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULtNP9_nio2Dqoa-AKL8Qt5F_LmQNb3cZ3x86chyjXjyCYTdY2L112SX_8VYGZYkPyi6AOf7p2XMyj_KYxCa4Log4suXv1DzukR3lTqqxFu_GoM3dgk-YnUFjWm_8ryfOKUCECOReImE/s1600-h/envie_bookmark6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULtNP9_nio2Dqoa-AKL8Qt5F_LmQNb3cZ3x86chyjXjyCYTdY2L112SX_8VYGZYkPyi6AOf7p2XMyj_KYxCa4Log4suXv1DzukR3lTqqxFu_GoM3dgk-YnUFjWm_8ryfOKUCECOReImE/s320/envie_bookmark6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433457013398048002" border="0" /></a>The next thing that I did was to figure out how I wanted to decorate my bookmark. You can do this first, of course, but I usually get my bookmark base done first and then I start pulling out things that I think I might want to use to decorate my bookmark with. Sometimes I already have an idea, but a lot of times I don't. This time I didn't, except that I knew I needed to use a die-cut for the <a href="http://practicalscrappers.com/">Practical Scrappers Challenge</a> and I was leaning towards using my paisley one. So, I pulled out my sticker binder first and started flipping through it. I knew that I wanted a word of some kind on there and I found this sticker w/ a Bible verse on it. I liked that it was about "hope" because I really need to be putting my hope and faith in God better, so that's when the rest of it came together. I started going through my paper scraps and found the paper (one pattern for the front and one for the back), then I went through my blue color drawer and found some paint swatches. I liked this one because the name of the paint was "Inner Harbor" and I thought that was pretty fitting for a bookmark about hope.....God is my Inner Harbor. Whatever you decide on, just be sure to think FLAT. You don't want to use buttons, brads, eyelets, Prima flowers, etc., because this will be too thick. You want you bookmark to be flat so that it lays nicely in your book and doesn't blemish or mark the pages of your book.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUpUkuzJcZUcrjIwGk0Wl09XEO16_h5sJl4A-zP3PnS6PCld48Fd15DlF4oZhiw9tiE6Afkq2uwUycLh_vxlMvDMOkWwcKKh4GvCEyMr0QAJxvEi6NiDhm1I3OdTBRCUrHscu1-xbB1o/s1600-h/envie_bookmark5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUpUkuzJcZUcrjIwGk0Wl09XEO16_h5sJl4A-zP3PnS6PCld48Fd15DlF4oZhiw9tiE6Afkq2uwUycLh_vxlMvDMOkWwcKKh4GvCEyMr0QAJxvEi6NiDhm1I3OdTBRCUrHscu1-xbB1o/s320/envie_bookmark5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433456879971756562" border="0" /></a>Next you need to cut your patterned paper to cover the base with. You can either measure it like you did above for the envelope, or place your base on the corner of the patterned paper and use it as a template to mark the patterned paper. Cut one triangle from each piece of patterned paper, or two of the same.....or just one for the front. You don't have to cover the back really, unless you want to! lol Adhere the patterned paper to the front and back (or just front) of the bookmark base. I use a glue runner and I run the glue all the way around all three sides, as close to the edge as I can. I don't like the paper to gap between the patterned paper and the envelope base, if that makes any sense. It also keeps it nice and smooth and stays together better....helps keep the edges nice and flat.<br /><br />For this bookmark, I cut a piece of the patterned paper that I was using for the back that was about 1/2-inch thick and then cut along one edge with some scallop deco scissors. I then put it on the side of the triangle where the opening pocket is. Then, I turned it over and trimmed off the excess.<br /><br />So, here is my finished bookmark. I really love how this one turned out!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GJkb9fVqFFLMLbeMAnEkNYEJ90Bl1fwpur6H7_izAGJ4bBCU7Pp0D0keEAHrWQOohkb6MU0PR0Cj2vsb0WyoR1eV9MI9kQH_Vxa9ZifsJ6k4lUgYpM9FV1Uy_qrt3b_Fk5J3Ze5uiTw/s1600-h/diecut_bookmark_hope.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GJkb9fVqFFLMLbeMAnEkNYEJ90Bl1fwpur6H7_izAGJ4bBCU7Pp0D0keEAHrWQOohkb6MU0PR0Cj2vsb0WyoR1eV9MI9kQH_Vxa9ZifsJ6k4lUgYpM9FV1Uy_qrt3b_Fk5J3Ze5uiTw/s320/diecut_bookmark_hope.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433457015773581058" border="0" /></a>Find Rest, my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. - Psalm 62:5<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And here are some other bookmarks that I have made as some more inspiration for you!<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYvMPxzNEdpF2XPD4976pNZZRb4Hv7EJbrhkOsU0UD9Jqy45pVKD1PonAfLHBEwlWKtge8pMi2AYZHSSJTSf1Y1G4WWA7DxAfv4Pg2-OFLvGna9rJG13NSmfUneHfcu2JFjd2C2kcQag/s1600-h/abbys_bookmark.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYvMPxzNEdpF2XPD4976pNZZRb4Hv7EJbrhkOsU0UD9Jqy45pVKD1PonAfLHBEwlWKtge8pMi2AYZHSSJTSf1Y1G4WWA7DxAfv4Pg2-OFLvGna9rJG13NSmfUneHfcu2JFjd2C2kcQag/s320/abbys_bookmark.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433457819312321266" border="0" /></a>This is my spot<br />I made this one for my 13 year old daughter who has her nose in a book as much as I do....all of the time! lol<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXTBDLsepDYcQxQXpwBYYjnTYs0_7AhhUKBJqzvuMTTIfLykPavr1eAZXiLXMpx7OADsRmFQTEC6dD-mHH7kGZ-xCmVtuHP2D0v80heCAKkCORX57ERwynFbyYeaHPST0MPBXKlB1fFw/s1600-h/time_books_bookmark.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXTBDLsepDYcQxQXpwBYYjnTYs0_7AhhUKBJqzvuMTTIfLykPavr1eAZXiLXMpx7OADsRmFQTEC6dD-mHH7kGZ-xCmVtuHP2D0v80heCAKkCORX57ERwynFbyYeaHPST0MPBXKlB1fFw/s320/time_books_bookmark.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433457824591793826" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">There is a time....for everything (Thomas Edison)<br />especially BOOKS<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that it all made sense! If you have any questions, please ask! I'll do my best to help! And, if you make one of these bookmarks, I would LOVE to see them! Share you link in a comment here!<br /></div></div><p>Take care my friends and happy crafting!<br /><img style="border: 0pt none ;" src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/DianneF/sig_banner2-1.jpg" align="center" /><br /></p>dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06733740005850979794noreply@blogger.com10