Find Your Inspiration

Happy New Catalog Day! It's June 1st and the awesome new and inspiring Stampin' Up! catalog is now live! Last week I had a "New Catalog Pick Up Party" where my local stampin' friends had the opportunity to stop by and pick up the new catalog and do some make & takes.

Everyone who attended received the above goodies created using the new In Colors. One make & take used all the new In Colors and the Thoughtful Banners & Flower Shop stamp sets. More info is here. The other make & take was created using the Sitting Here stamp set and I'll share more on that in my next blog posting.

This years In Color bookmark uses the Bitty Butterfly Punch and the Work of Art and Butterfly Basics stamp sets.

The bookmarks have magnets to keep them in place...I like to keep mine at the beginning of the Color Collection pages because I am always flipping to those pages the most.

To help mark favorite items in the catalog I made these post-it flag covers using the Thoughtful Banners set. The words Inspiring, Amazing & Fabulous describe so many of the new products found inside the pages if the new catalog!

I packaged up the bookmarks and post-it flags along with a 1/2 sheet each of the new In Color cardstock in a Large Cello Bag with toppers stamped using the Timelesss Textures stamp set.

No party is complete without treats and prizes! I made these Ghirardelli square covers using Flower Shop and Thoughtful Banners in the five new In Colors. I invited each of my guests to chose one in their favorite color. After everyone had picked one I brought out my prize basket. Each item in the basket had a butterfly punched out from the five different In Colors. Each person could choose from the items marked with the color they choose. Here's my friend Amy looking super excited about her prize and make & takes.

Here are some of the rest of the ladies at my first session. (sorry I did not get pictures of everyone)

I tried a new recipe I found on Pinterest for these Salted Caramel Buttery Crumb Bars. Oh my!...they were rich, ooey gooey buttery caramely goodness!

It was so great to see everyone and share the new catalog excitement with you all!  If you were not able to make it my event but would like a copy of the new catalog, please contact me and I'll make sure to get one to you.

Enjoy finding your inspiration as you flip through the new catalog!

Mmmmm...I made brownies!

My boys were just complaining, "there's never any good snacks in the house!" Just what you want to hear AFTER going grocery shopping, right? (I even asked if there was anything they wanted before leaving for the store???) So I thought they deserved some nice home made brownies when they get home tonight.

OK...I know what you're probably thinking...She made brownies, big deal. What does that have to do with stamping? Well, these are Chocolate Chip Espresso Brownies...YUM! right?!

They are super easy to make and very low in fat, plus high in fiber. Anyways... I thought I would share my recipe here with you today.

CHOCOLATE CHIP ESPRESSO BROWN "E"'s

Don't they look (e)xcellent! I know...it's kind of mean, but don't you think it's the perfect dessert for a couple of complainers on April Fools Day?

I'm sure my boys are going to LOVE them! I mean who doesn't love a good brown "E" with a cup of coffee or a tall glass of cold milk?

In case you would like to whip up a batch for your family tonight, here's the recipe:

• Chocolate Chip Card stock
• Early Espresso Card stock
• Big Shot
• Typeset Alphabet Bigz Die
• Serif Essentials Bigz Die (retired)
• Simple Letters Bigz Die (retired)

Using scraps of card stock, run thru the Big Shot machine using various "e" alphabet dies. Cut out enough "E's to fill the bottom of your pan. Arrange your "E"s in a non-greased baking dish. Cover with foil. Set on counter and lie in wait of unsuspecting, hungry victims, er, I mean family to help themselves to your "Special April Fool's Day Brown E's"....muwhahahaha. (evil laugh)

ENJOY!

From the Kitchen of

Since my post last week sharing my Sweet Pressed Pumpkin Cookies, I've had several requests for my Mom's Shortbread Cookie recipe. So here it is...

I used the From the Kitchen Of set to make the recipe card and decided to make a cute little recipe holder out of a binder clip, some scraps of Well Worn DSP and the cupcake punch. While I was at it I thought one of the sweet pressed cookies in a cello bag decorated for Halloween would be fun too.

I used Cajun Craze for the topper, along with a strip of Well Worn DSP. The Dark & Dreary set has the spider and Halloween greeting which were stamped in Basic Black and punched out using Wide Oval & 1/4 circle punches. The spiders were glammed up with a Basic Rhinestone each and you have an adorable way to give a tasty treat. Here's a closer look at just the recipe card in case you want to try these cookies with your Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps.

I also added a approx 3 drops of red food coloring (the liquid kind, because that's what I had on hand) and around 8 drops of yellow to the butter & sugar mixture to make my pumpkins orange. I rolled my dough about 1/4 inches thick and chilled over night. I pressed them with the stamp, and then cut them out with a glass the same size as the stamp, rather than rolling into balls and pressing. I sprinkled orange sugar on them before popping into the oven. I had a real easy time with my cookies and they tasted good too. I hope you like them.

Have a sweet day!

Playing Cupid

I hope you all enjoyed your Valentine's Day yesterday! I had so much fun stopping by and surprising some of my family and friends with some homemade Valentine goodies. I made some delicious M&M cookies and packaged them in ziplock baggies...of course I stamped them with White Stazon first! (the baggies, not the cookies!) I made some cute little 3x3 cards...if you look closely you can see that on one of those cards I changed the wording. Instead of reading "to an unforgettable friend", I eliminated the word "friend" and wrote in "aunt" instead.

I gave the mailboxes to the little ones of a friend of mine. They just loved them, and noticed right away that their initials were on them. They were so sweet...they gave me a couple of Hershey kisses they got as treats in school.

I must say, those cookies were really good! I tried a recipe I found online. It's almost the same as what is on the chocolate chip bag, but a little different. They came out crispy on the edges and nice and chewy in the middle. I used dark chocolate M&M's and also added semi sweet chips. I thought I'd share the recipe here:

M&M Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt - I used only about 3/4 teaspoon
1-1/2 cups candy-coated milk chocolate pieces (I used 3/4 c dark chocolate M&M's and 3/4 c semi sweet chips)

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, shortening, and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.
Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking.


I promise...this is the last Valentine's Day oriented post from me until next year! Hope your day is a sweet one!

Fiesta!

Last night we had family over for a Mexican Fiesta...complete with homemade salsa and margaritas. We had such a good time! The food was so good...I'm still stuffed! We were celebrating a birthday, so I came up with this card to go with the Mexican theme of the evening.


I wish Stampin Up! had some southwestern themed stamps, but since they don't, I had to use this chili pepper stamp that I picked up a while back. The colors used are: Wild Wasabi, Ruby Red and Pumpkin Pie. I think they worked well together for this Mexican themed card. I also got to try out my new photo corner punch...I love that thing! I think I'm going to have to add a wing onto my craft room just to house my punches!


I think the best part of our dinner was my homemade salsa!
A friend of mine makes the best salsa, and I watched her make it again this past weekend. I decided I should attempt to try making it again. Last year I made some but it just wasn't as good as what Brenda makes...this time it was just as good, maybe even better. (but don't tell Brenda! hehehe)
It had to be my homegrown Roma tomatoes (with a few other varieties mixed in) and Jalapeno peppers that went right from my garden into the salsa...doesn't get much fresher than that! The other ingredients I had to purchase: garlic, sweet onion, cilantro and lime. This is what it looked like when I was done - makes you want to grab some chips and dig in!

I made a huge bowl, and after last night there is hardly any left...so I guess I'm not the only one who thought it was good.

The boys are gone and I've got the house to myself this afternoon, so I'm heading downstairs to stamp. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some new creations to share.

Sell-A-Brate Good Times!

Yesterday was my SAB Open House. It was also Super Bowl Sunday and one of the coldest days of the year so far. I think both of those factors cut into the attendance, however, I had a fun day because some of my favorite stampin' family and friends did make it and we had a good time visiting and stamping. I think everyone liked the make & take projects and the door prizes I had for them. First, we did a 6x6 scrapbook page using the Delight in Life stamp set. The next project was a Valentine card using the So Very stamp set. Keeping with the Valentine theme, our next project was a Red Hots candy pouch using the 2 tag punches and the Tags So Much stamp set. Finally, we finished our afternoon of stamping by creating an all occasion card using the Happy Harmony set.

Everyone who attended received a door prize. The first prizes chosen were the "sweet" little tin mail boxes that I had decorated with stamped paper and filled with Dove chocolate, Lindt truffles and Hershey kisses. Who doesn't like chocolate, right? That's why I also made a "So Very Sweet" wrapped Hershey bar for my little cousin Julia who I knew was coming.

Everyone loved the homemade vegetable soup I made for lunch. It sure was the perfect weather for soup, and I think it warmed everyone up. I used my Aunt Roberta's Famous Minestrone Soup recipe and many asked for the recipe, so here it is:

Aunt Roberta's Famous Minestrone Soup

Spoon 3T “Better Than Bouillon” vegetable base to a 4-quart Crock-Pot
Add 1c hot water and stir until blended.
Add the following ingredients:

2 - 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
2 – 15 ½-ounce cans kidney beans
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (or 30 turns with a pepper mill)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 medium zucchini, scrubbed, quartered into ½-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced

Cover; cook on high 4 to 5 hours.

I made a few changes to this recipe. First, I couldn't find the Better Than Bouillon vegetable base so I used vegetable broth and eliminated the water. I used Del Monte Italian style diced tomatoes which have garlic and herbs in them so I eliminated the marjoram and the minced garlic. I also substituted frozen cut green beans for the zucchini.

As they left, everyone got to take a cute little Nugget Purse as a thank you for attending my open house. I made these using the large tag punch, the Spot On wheel, Little Pieces and Fancy Flexible Phrases stamp sets. I found the excellent instructions to make these adorable little purses posted at another stamping blog.

I hope everyone had a good time!