My Etsy 1/2 Off Sale

I am having items in my Etsy Shop at half off. It is my Pre-Christmas/After Christmas Sale. I have tags that can be saved back for next year at 1/2 off.

Look here

Pink Saturday 2nd Christmas Edition

As usually, I am running late and short on time...and I hope I am doing the correct theme for Pink Saturday this week. I have already deleted the email from Beverly with How Sweet the Sound, so it makes it difficult to check the theme. Here it goes anyway.......

We are to post a favorite Christmas item.

Years ago, when I was first married, I started collecting Santas, snowmen, and reindeers. Some were given to me as gifts, but most of them I found at craft fairs. I love all the different sizes, shapes and the variety of styles.

Now for the sad news...my good friend Lisa is moving! Not just down the street or around the corner, but 10 hours away! For the past year and a half, she has had me parked at her front door every Wednesday begging to come in and scrap with her. Lisa is very talented and inspiring. She is a very fun person to be around.

Lisa you will be missed, but as I have been saying, one day, I will come to your new house on a Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 and expect to scrap! You better be home and the girls better not bark. Ok, the not barking may be too much to ask!

Thank you for putting up with me (and yes, I have tears in my eyes now!) And in closing and quoting part of "Pretty Woman", when Kit is saying good bye to Vivian "I gotta go, cause good byes drive me crazy". (well, it might not be a direct quote, but close enough)

"Pink" Christmas Saturday

I have joined Beverly at "How Sweet the Sound" in remembering our Christmas'. I don't have any pictures of me or my kids when they were little scanned for posting. So, you will have to read one of my stories. (author's note: I am not a writer!)

This is about my dog. She is just about as bad as my kids when they were little and wanting to open presents. After she goes to sleep at night, she is very out of it. That is when Santa makes his appearance and leaves gifts for the boys and our kitty and puppy. When the boys finally get out of bed and are ready to open presents we are always greeted with the "girls" (our kitty and puppy). They are ready for gift exchanging as well. We have noticed that Boomer, our puppy, will sit looking at the tree and when we tell her it is time to get presents, she dives under the tree and will bring out her Peanut Butter Filled Rawhide Candy Cane. Then she prances off into our bedroom, hitting the doors and walls with the large Candy Cane. We all laugh.

With kitty, she quitely waits until we hand her the gifts Santa leaves.

Another give away notice

A fellow twitter is offering free handmade soap once a month for a year. To enter go to DeShawn's blog.

Is it fellow twitter or fellow twitterer?

Another Give Away

This is for one of Megity's Handmade Tassels. I have been following her blog on my Google reader for some time and love her work.

To enter go to Blue Cricket Design for your chance at a wonderful tassel.

Give Away - Go Check It Out!

A $25 gift card from "Get Your Martha On" from Pottery Barn! Wheeeee

World Card Making Day!

I have joined in with a virtual swap for World Card Making Day. The blog that is having the party is Little Birdy Secrets.

This card was made for my cousin's new grandson.

Pink Saturday - September 12, 2009

I have been working and thinking real hard on something I could include with Pink Saturday. Having a house full of boys makes it difficult to find pink. (By full, I mean 1 husband and 2 basically grown boys – ok, grown college age boys) There are only 3 girls around this house which includes our 2 furry babies and me. One of the furry babies is a black Border Collie and most people mistake her for a boy. It may have something to do with her name – Boomer. At the time we adopted Boomer, her youngest brother that asked for her was 12 years old. He didn’t care if this dog was a Chihuahua or a Mastiff, boy or girl, the name was going to be BOOMER. So, this black with white tipped paws, white chin and a little bit of white on her chest Border Collie was named Boomer. Boomer does not like to be thought of as a male. She is always saying she is a girl!

While we were on vacation this summer and looking for the girls’ souvenir gifts to bring back home to them, we found a pink collar with white dots – perfect! Looking through pictures, I found this not so exciting picture of Boomer sporting her pink collar. See if you can spot the collar through all that fur…..

Don't look at the poor tomato plant! We actually got a few tomatos off of it, but they were not very flavorful.


Now to stretch the pink color, here is one of my flowers in a pot on the back porch. It might qualify for hot pink. Still, it is pretty.

And not to make my baby kitty jealous, here is a recent picture of her sunning in one of her favorite windows, which is next to my desk in my "studio". Studio – sounds so professional, doesn’t it….

If you would like to join Pink Saturday in the future, please visit Beverly at "How Sweet the Sound" .

Happy Pink Saturday!

Blog Giveaway

This blogger is offering some beautiful banners to one lucky blogger. Please go to Cherry's Jubilee to a chance to win.

Etsy Shop Hop

Check out these cute cards on etsy

Lisa's shop

Amy's card

I have an Etsy shop

I have finally opened an etsy shop. Now I have to learn how to put the icon on my blog. Until then, I will just post when I have updated my shop.

This is an item I listed today and the link

Chicken Strips

I have been telling my friends and coworkers about this recipe. Mr. B, the boys and I love these chicken strips. After the 3rd time of making them and not getting grease on my shirt, Mr. B said - I finally learned how to fry something. Truly, I don't fry - anything! Too many stories about my Aunt that fried and burnt her kitchen 3 times!

My change on the chicken strips - I didn't add buttermilk to the flour mixture. I put the flour/dry ingredients (which I also added garlic powder) into a ziplock bag and added the buttermilk soak chicken strips into the bag and then shook them real good, then fry those babies.

I am planning on making them again next week - they are great with Ranch dressing or Honey Mustard to dip them into.

Here is the recipe at "Pioneer Woman"

Give them a try and hope you and your family enjoy them as much as we do.

Is it really that close to Halloween?

It may still be 2 months away, but it time to start dusting off the cobwebs (or maybe leave them on!) and getting things ready for Halloween!!! Spooky thought!

Here are 3 cards that I stirred up this morning along with a pot of bat lip stew. Ok, no bat lip stew, but hey, it sounds scary.

First a little pat on the back - I made that digital stamp (you go girl!) First one! (I sound kind of proud of myself, don't I) There are 3 little bats above "Halloween".

The paper I purchased at CKC this past weekend, except for the one on the left - that has been in my stash too long! The black cat paper and the pumpkin paper are from Reminisce and the pumpkin and spider paper is by Bestcreation.com. The black ribbon was on sale at Hobby Lobby.

Hope to be back soon and participate in Pink Saturday.

Fat quarter give away!

If you love fat quarters, there is a give away for a $50 gift certificate from the fat quarter shop at p.s. i quilt! Give it a look see!

Pink Saturday - 07.11.2009

Happy PINK Saturday!

Welcome to my blog and celebrating a wonderful, and hot, Pink Saturday. Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at "How Sweet the Sound". Please start with her blog to catch all the pretty pink things in the world.

I have finally had a chance to take pictures of my hibiscus. They are celebrating their 6th birthday in my yard. I just love their big smiling faces.

Recipe Time

I am joining an Ultimate Recipe Swap group this week, which is hosted by the blog "Life as Mom". Each week has a different theme and the theme of the week is CHICKEN.

This is a recipe my family has enjoyed in the past but seems to have made it to the back of the recipe book. About 6 weeks ago my father-in-law passed away. My brother's wife (also known as a sister-in-law, but not to be confussed with the father-in-law) insisted on bringing my family dinner one evening after the funeral. I kept telling her it wasn't necessary, but she insisted. Was that dinner a welcome relief. I had to work that day and throughout that day I kept saying to myself, "now, what is for dinner? Oh, that is right, Diane is making us dinner. GOOD." That dinner tasted so good.

So, I am sharing this chicken recipe with you. Hope you enjoy.

Swiss Chicken Casserole

3 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

Swiss Cheese

Pepperidge Farm bread crumbs

Season chicken with garlic, oregano, basil and pepper. Cover and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Tear or shred chicken and place in the bottom of a casserole dish.

Cover chicken with Cream of Chicken soup.

Layer Swiss cheese on top of soup.

Layer with Pepperidge Farm bread crumbs. Dribble a little melted butter on top of the bread crumbs.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I baked the chicken the night before I actually made the casserole.

My First Pink Saturday!

I have joined a fun group that celebrates PINK! each and every Saturday. This Hydrangeas is one of the new plants we put in our front garden. It looks like the heat is already getting to it. Until my Hibiscus starts blooming, this will be my "pink". The Hibiscus is getting real close to blooming.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy a beautiful pink Saturday.

Picture of the Day!

You just never know where a smiley face will appear. On Memorial Day, while watching my son, his friend, my nephew and my husband swim, I noticed this cute little smiley face. Nobody drew it in the table, it just happened.

Burrito / Chimichangas Casserole

Ok, another recipe. This one is so super dooper easy! It makes going and getting fast food seem slow.

Burrito Casserole

1 (32 oz) package beef and bean burritos, El Monterey brand (I also like the Chimichangas)

1 (14 oz) can mild enchilada sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 small can sliced black olives, drained (ok, I use a regular size black olives, the more the better!)

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

4 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

Line burritos or chimichangas in a single layer in a dish. Cook as directed on package (or can be microwaved instead)

Once cooked, pour enchilada sauce over burritos. Sprinkle cheese over enchiliada sauce and return to oven until cheese is melted. Spread olives, tomato and lettuce over burritos. Serve immediately.

I found this recipe in Sandra Lee's Premier issue of Semi-Homemade magazine.

Recipe Time

Ok, I am being a lazy girl today! I have promised my friend some recipes for a long time, however, I am too lazy to set up the good scanner and the scanner on the printer/copier/scanner doesn't want to cooperate with me. (Probably has something to do with the user!)

Angel Hair Chicken Pasta

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

4 tablespoons butter

1 (7 oz) package dry Italian salad dressing mix

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 can condensed golden mushroom soup

4 oz. cream cheese with chives

1 (8 oz) package angel hair pasta

In large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add package of dressing. Blend in chicken broth and mushroom soup. Blend in cream cheese and stir until smooth. Heat gently. Arrange chicken breasts in a baking dish and pour sauce over. Bake in preheated oven at 325 for 60 minutes. When the chicken is nearly done, boil the pasta in salt water and drain well. Serve the chicken on top of warm angel hair pasta.

Another Birthday Card

Just a quick post. It has been a long time since I have posted anything. Work has been REAL BUSY!

This is a card I made for a nephew. He turned 17 in April.

I can't remember who the sketch is by (sorry!)

Stamp is by The Cat's Pajamas

DP by K & Company

Coloring with Prismacolors, Copics and Sharpies

Thanks for looking and have a nice day.

Save Chuck

My Sweet Be Kitty

I was walking around outside taking pictures of flowers, when I noticed my sweet kitty sitting in the little side window by the door. I just had to take her picture.

One of these days, this side window will have a stained glass piece in it. The other side already has the stained glass put up. I am just waiting for hubby to finish the other side.(actually it is glue glass??, not stained glass)

Hubby is the stained glass guy and watercoloring guy - he just doesn't have a lot of time to do the fun stuff!

What do you mean, Easter is over!

Better late than never?

I am finally posting my Easter wreath I made. I found this post on a fellow blogger. Seems like she has a great group of crafters that like to get together and make cute things. Thanks Cindi for sharing your work! Seems like we have a few things in common, like crafts and kitties. Check back tomorrow and see my baby...

Have a happy today.

Unity Blog Hop

Unity Stamp: Oh! Spooky Day

DP: DCWV; Heidi Grace; Hobby Lobby

Coloring: Prismacolor and Gamsol

Cuttlebug folder: Spider Web

Embellishments: Crystal Stickles and Diamond Glaze

Thought for the day: Love people and use things and don't get them backwards.

Next blog here: http://teela1974.blogspot.com/

z-fold card instructions from this blog.

Sweet Baby Card

This sketch is from Amy of Prairie Paper & Ink. Amy used a giraffe and it reminded me that I had never used the giraffe stamp I have. So, I pulled it out of the stash and used the giraffe stamp.

Story time: My oldest niece and oldest son are 18 months apart in age. So, my son always had to have the same things his older cousin had. She had a yellow giraffe made by Gund. The giraffe's name was Jerri. Then my oldest son had to have one and since they were with each other so much, his giraffe had to be a different color. His giraffe was blue and named Jerri (pretty original, don't you think!) Then my niece had a white stuffed kitty, guess what we had to have, yep a white kitty. I don't remember my niece's kitty's name but our white stuffed kitty was named Marshmellow. Now that, I thought, was an original name.

Thanks for looking. I love comments (hint, hint - don't we all?)




Card Stats: Stamp by imaginisce - Snag 'em
Paper: Unknown - last of the batch; Bazzill
Coloring: Prismacolors and Gamsol
Embellinshments: Prima flower; brad by Kaiser colored with a pink Sharpie; added Stickles on top

Doing the Bunny Hop

Looks like Fluffles is ready for spring! She is doing the bunny hop. This design is based on the sketch by Amy.

Card Stats: Stamp by Stampendous - Fluffie Hop

DP: DCWV & Bazzill

Ribbon: unknown; Dew Drops; Stickles & Photoshop Word Art

Dog Daze

This card was created using the Mojo Monday sketch. This image reminds me of our pup Boomer, except, it is a reverse Boomer. Meaning, Boomer is black with a little white and this pup is white with a little black. This is how you will find Boomer in our house. I am sure she is watching "Animal Planet" on the TV.

Card Stats: Image by Clear Art Stamps "Dog in Chair"

Paper: Bazzill and Hobby Lobby

Colored with Prismacolor

Ribbon by American Crafts

Is it Valentine's Again?

This was the card I made for my oldest son for Valentine's Day. Not the traditional valentine colors, but probably good for a 22 year old.

Card Stats:

Stamp by My Favorite Things "Cupcake Flopsey"

DP: K&Co.

Bling by Heidi Swapp

Cupcake Kind of Birthday

I am playing along with a cupcake theme on the Burnin' Rubber blog. I really wanted a crochet flower that seems to be really popular right now, but I didn't find any on my outing today and I can't crochet! So, here is my Cupcake Tuesday birthday card. The top flower is an old punch I have had for years and probably got at Hobby Lobby and the second flower is a template from Mel Stampz.

Card Stats:

Stamp set: The Cat's Pajamas

DP: Making Memories and cardstock HL

Ribbon: American Crafts

Brad: HL

Valentine's Day Gift Set

My youngest son has a (gasp) girlfriend. I asked him if I could make a little something for him to put candy in for her. I made this purse like Mel does in her blog and like the one Lisa made for my birthday.

I am always afraid of trying things like this. I am a little hesitant it won't come out right. But, to my great surprise, it worked and it worked well! I just have to keep telling myself, in Lisa's famous words, it is only paper.

The card was created using a WRAK image and using the Sketch Challenge on SCS. The DP is by Making Memories and the brads are HL.

My Sweet Kitty

This is my sweet little kitty. I took this picture in our entry way on an icy morning. At the time, I was taking pictures of some cards I had made, when I had a little visitor. I think she was telling me to take her picture, so I did!

My friend at work said my kitty was saying "look at me, I am pretty". I agree, she is pretty.

Right now, she is walking around me and the computer room. (She better not go after Jones)

Here is another sketch that I did with the Taylored Expression challenge. This sketch was designed by Ana.

Card Stats: DP by Making Memories - Sabrina

Stamp: Stampin Up (I think)

Colored with Prismacolor and Gamsol

Bling by Heidi Swapp and Rub on by CTMH

Mojo #71

This is my take on the sketch for Mojo Monday #71.

Thanks for looking! (Have to watch some football game, or at least the commercials!)

I've been busy!

I have been busy working on some sketches with Taylored Expressions.

This sketch was from Jamie's blog.

Stay tuned, more cards to follow in a few days.

Thanks for looking!

Card Stats:

Stamp: Bella (Content-to-be-a-Bella) Image was a WRAK item

DP: DWWV

Embellioshments: Prismacolor; Gamsol; Prima Flowers colored with chalks; HL Brads.

You're a teenager

Ok, I cased the entire card including the title. This card design came from Sassy & Sweet Notes. Miss Sassy is so talented and I enjoy looking at her blog daily. I also enjoy her stories about her life on the farm with the animals.

This image is a doodlebat from scrapNfonts. The balloons were punched out from paper punches. I placed them in the VersaMark watermark stamp, dusted them with Kaledoscope Transparent embossing powder and then embossed with the heat gun. The wording is computer generated from MSWord. The sentiment is (outside) "Your a teenager..." (inside) "...in turtle years".

Baby Boy #1

The card was based on the sketch by Amy.

Card Stats:

DP & Embellishment by: Autumn Leaves: Paper Choo Choo, Paper Charming & Sticker (Snips & Snails)

Also used: Bazzill

Other Embellishments: Dew Drops; Cuttlebug Forest Branches

Stamps: Studio G

Opps A Daisy

Would somebody please tell Fluffles these are flowers and not catnip? Looks like he has gotten himself into a mess again! Poor Fluffles. Once again, just like my kitty.

You know how some people are not for animals to be in the house? Well, I don't like plants in the house! Strange, I know. I love hibiscus plants, outside. Beautiful flowers. I found at a garden center a pretty hibiscus and the trunk was braided. Brought it home, put it outside and it started to die. I decided it was too hot outside for the plant, so I brought it inside. I paid $35 for this plant, I didn't want to just throw it away. A few months later, I noticed chew marks on the leaves - guess who, yep, my "fluffles". I got on the internet to see if the plant was bad for pets and it said it causes depression in pets! Go figure. My kitty was acting funny, like staying under a bed and even looking mad. I told my kitty to stop eating Jones. (Yes the plant's name is Jones, nearly everything in this house has a name) Kitty doesn't eat Jones anymore and she doesn't act depressed!

This sketch is from MoJo Monday

Thanks for looking. Have a great day!

(Ok, change on 2/7/09) it is not Opps but Oops as my sweet sister pointed out. Only a sister would tell you such a thing! I have a mental block on the word "Oops".

Card Stats:

Stamp: Stampendous - Flower Fluffles

DP: K&Co., HL Cardstock & Bazzill Pajama

Embellishments: Unknown

Font: MSWord

3 Year Old B'Day Card

My husband's nephew turned 3 yesterday and today is his birthday party. We are giving him the DVD Wall-E.

Here is the card I made him along with the inside.

Card Stats:

Stamp: Changito B-day colored with PrismaColors and baby oil

DP: DCWV (probably) - RAKed to my by Lisa - thanks!

Hobby Lobby cardstock

Embellishments: Stars are Cuttlebug die cuts tipped in Crystal Stickles; Brad - Hobby Lobby

"Whee You're 3" Font by ScrapNFont. Inside font: MS Word

Corner punch by Stamp' Up!

Verve Challenge #2

I actually made it twice and the first card I had picked out a different stamp. I liked the card, but it didn't have enough layers for the challenge on Verve Stamps. The deadline for this challenge was 12 p.m. Mountain Time, so I got up this morning to remake the card and I stamped the same butterfly as the previous card.

Card Stats:

DP: Studio D - The First Blush

Cardstock: Hobby Lobby

Stamp: Merci by Stampin' Up!

Ribbon: American Crafts

Black Bling: Heidi Swapp

Verve Challenge #3

This card was a challenge for Verve Stamps and their new release party. The card looks better in person than the photo. I tried to take the picture outside, but the wind kept knocking the card down. I had photograph the card on the dining room table and the colors are not very good. I like taking my pictures outside. Thanks for looking!

Card Stats:

DP: Studio D - The First Blush

Cardstock: Hobby Lobby

Stamp: Merci by Stampin UP! and sentiment Snag'em Stamp "Thank you"

Ribbon: American Crafts

For the Bride and Groom

I received an email today from my friend Lisa asking if I had made any cards recently. I responded by telling her that the little amount of "mojo" that I have must have left. I played around yesterday trying to make a card, and nothing seemed to work except I messed up my room! Lisa suggested I try the Jacksonbelle Embellishment challenges. The first challenge is due tonight and it involves "ringing" in the new year. One of the examples Jacksonbelle gave was to make a wedding card - as in wedding "rings". I remembered that my husband and I are invited to a wedding this coming weekend and maybe I might try to make the couple a wedding card.

Most everything on this card is from Hobby Lobby except the "Best Wishes" stamp is a Studio G stamp that I received as a surprise in the mail. The "Mr. & Mrs." is computer generated and the ovals were made with Creative Memories cutting system. The black bling is by Heidi Swapp.

Now I could really use some help! I have only sent birthday cards to people that I have made and most of those are close friends and family. My husband was so-so on this card and so am I. Would this card be one you would really and truly use for a wedding? Does it look too "homemade"? Please leave me an honest comment on if you would use this card to give to someone for their wedding. Thanks so much. Have a great day.

Waiting on Spring?

I titled this post "Waiting on Spring?" because this card doesn't look very springy! This image is actually a font from ScrapNFont and their DoodleBat collection. I colored the image with PrismaColors and in the center of the flowers I used my new gel pens in black for the sparkle. The pens were a gift from my sons for Christmas. The dp was from my stash and I don't know who made it. The colored cardstock is Hobby Lobby along with the brads. The sentiment is by Inkadinkadoo Clear Mini Stamps and it is embossed with black embossing powder. The card design is from Poetic Artistry . Thanks for looking. Have a good day!