Happy Holidays!

Wishing you the happiest of holidays this year and hoping that the coming year is filled with fun!
We will be getting back in the grove with lots of scrappy goodness after the 1st - be on the look out for a Feeling Scrappy design team call and our new winter class schedule. See you soon!

The Worlds BEST Fudge

This is a family favorite!!! I even entered this recipe in to the fair for 4-H when I was in grade school. I, of course, got a blue ribbon!!! Probably because of the bazaar secret ingredient.

This makes a HUGE batch.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Butter or Margarine
1 lb. Velveeta Cheese (yes really)
4 lbs. Powdered Sugar
1 c. Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
1 tsp. Vanilla
Chopped Nuts (optional)

In a saucepan melt butter and cheese. Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa. Add melted mixture to the powdered sugar mixture, along with the vanilla and nuts. Mix well and spread evenly into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Cool and then cut into pieces.

This work really well to pour into small gift tins lined with parchment paper - makes an awesome gift!

Enjoy!!

Stacey

Cowboy Caviar

With the holidays comes entertaining and with that comes food. I know many of you (including myself) are trying to eat healthier. This is a great healthy appetizer that even those not on a diet will enjoy. I think there are many variations out there on this recipe, but here's one we have made and enjoyed. This is great with chips or wrapped up in a tortilla (or just eaten with a spoon! Yum!)

Cowboy Caviar

1 can of corn (drained)

1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

2 tomatoes (or more) diced

1-2 avacados diced (depending on your preference)

2 bell peppers diced (I used red and orange)

1/2 onion diced

Sauce-

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBS jalepeno jelly or fresh jalepeno

The juice of 1 lime

Cilantro to taste (I used a lot)

salt and pepper to taste

Combine sauce ingredients and mix well. Toss sauce with the other ingredients and enjoy! (I might have addded cumin and a couple of other things...I am not very good at sticking to a recipe! LOL)

Easy Gift Idea

I know this isn't scrap related but I also know that many people are trying to finish up last minute holiday gifts so I thought I would share this great deal with you! Amazon has a full year of the Oprah magazine on sale for just $5.00. You can not bet that price! Just go here to see the details. I got one for myself and one for my mom :) Enjoy!

Easy flower embellishment

Add a little something to your typical flowers with an easy ribbon or fabric layer. All you need is a strip of fabric or ribbon and some adhesive (I used phototape).

Gather your supplies-


Put adhesive on the bottom back of the ribbon or fabric-

Gather the fabric or ribbon together using the adhesive to hold it-

Layer your creation on some flowers and add an embellishment in the center. Easy! (I also trimmed a little around the edge of my fabric after scrunching it up to make the edges a little more wavy.)

Zesty Tomato Soup

I decided to share the soup I am making for dinner tonight with you. Paired up with a salad and warm bread - it is a perfect weeknight winter meal. So easy to make!

Ingredients:
1 medium onion (chopped)
2-3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp cumin (or more to taste)
48 oz bottle of spicy hot V-8 juice
1 can diced tomato, undrained
1 can chicken broth (about 2 cups)
green onion (chopped)
monteray jack cheese

Instructions:
Cook onion and garlic in olive oil until tender in a large pot. Add cumin, V-8, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to boil then turn down heat and simmer for about 30 minutes to blend flavors. In bowls place a small amount of cheese, pour soup into bowls over the cheese and garnish with green onion.

Here is a layout I did for my kitchen album that features this recipe:

Enjoy and keep warm!

Family Fun with Games

Speaking of traditions.....one of our families favorite holiday traditions is games - we play every year on Christmas and the day after.


(My sister, my aunt and I getting ready to play A to Z last year at Christmas)

My parents and grandmother's favorites are Tripoly and good old fashioned card games.

Others we love include:

Balderdash - oh the definitions we can come up with - it is a challenge to keep a straight face - such fun!!

Read my Lips - no talking is aloud - yeah my Grandma's a big cheater here - keeps us in stitches!!!

Scattergories

Taboo

We create so many memories each year with the fun of games! You too should make it a new family tradition - good fun will be had by all.

Holiday Traditions

Have you documented your family holiday traditions? Here are a couple of pages from the DT about our traditions.
This one, by me, is about baking our gingerbread cookies each year.


Here's one from Stacey Curry about one of their traditions.

Happy Friday!!

Paint & Painter's Tape

I love to use painter's tape to get a nice clean line on my layouts. You can use it any way you would like (it makes a great custom mask!!) Here is an example of one way to use the tape:

1.) I use a ruler and pencil to mark so that my tape will be even.

2.) Then I just place the tape wherever I don't want the paint to go.

3.) Add paint.

4.) Let dry and then slowly remove tape.

5.) You end up with a nice clean border :) Just finish your layout!

Finished layout:

Hope you give it a try - it is super easy and the possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you and yours a happy day! :)

Crustless Quiche

This is a yummy and easy meal you can eat for breakfast or dinner! (We usually eat it for dinner.)

Crustless Quiche
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (I use skim)
1/2 cup biscuit/baking mix
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup cooked ham or bacon, chopped up
1 cup shredded cheese
1-2 diced green onions

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine the first four ingredients and beat on low speed until well blended.
Pour about half of the mixture into a greased pie pan.
Sprinkle the rest of the ingredients on top and then pour the rest of the mixture over it.
Carefully transfer it to the oven (it will be very full) and bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand a few minutes before serving. We like to top it with sour cream and salsa. Enjoy!

Page About You by You

So often we forget to scrap pages about us - a page about you by you.....I know I used to forget all about pages of me - I was so focused on everyone else.. I am getting better - remembering to leave a little bit about me - my story for my children and their children to come.

Topics might include:
What I am thankful for
What I dream about
My Bucket List
My Favorites
A fun childhood memory
Me today (and do a page each year - because of course things change.

So today here are a few examples to get you thinking of ways to scrapbook you.

Jayne's Layout:



Stacey L's Layout:



My Layout:



Hope you enjoyed! If you want to share layouts about you please leave a comment here with a link to your layout!

Tips for using sketches

We are in the last week of Sketchapalooza and I have been working with a lot of sketches lately. I love sketches because they are a great starting point and inspiration for my pages.




Maybe you already use and love sketches as much as I do. But maybe they scare you. Or maybe you feel limited by them. If this describes you, (and even if it doesn't) here are a few tips for working with sketches.



1. Use a sketch as a starting point and don't feel bound to it.
2. Use the elements as inspiration...feel free to pick and choose only some parts of the sketch to use. Don't be afraid to make changes. Take away papers, elements, etc. or even add some.
3. If there is a flower or other object on the sketch, it is generally representative of any embellishment so be creative!
4. Turn or flip the sketch to fit your photos better.
5. Don't feel like you have to use the exact number of photos on the sketch. I actually rarely use the number called for. I use the photo "areas" as a guide and use the number of photos I have to scrap.
*Finally, have fun with it and scrap away! It's totally fine if the end result doesn't even resemble the sketch. The most important thing is that you are documenting important memories.

I hope you try some of these tips on the next sketch you use! Check out my post from last Friday for a new sketch to inspire you. :)



Happy scrapping!! And I hope to see you in Feeling Scrappy's next Sketchapalooza!

November Featured Srapbooker

This month, I would like to introduce you to Angela Huckins. We have gotten to know her through several Feeling Scrappy classes - it has been great seeing her work and fun getting to know her better. (Wait until you read about her families Thanksgiving tradition!! YUM!)

How and when did you first start scrapbooking?
I was visiting a neighbor in June of 2004, who showed me her CM albums. I told her that would be nothing I'd have time to do. After some thought and online browsing, I decided to give it a try. Of course, I couldn't start with the basics...needed all those CM tools too!

What is the most important aspect to scrapbooking to you?
The important aspect for me is telling the story. I try to stay current so that those stories can have all the details that do tend to get forgotten.

What are your favorite pages to work on?
My favorite pages are about everyday life. I love all the antics the kids do!

What if anything do you find hard to scrap?
I find my wedding and honeymoon album hard to tackle. It has been over 14 yrs and I'm not sure how I want to start.

What kind of camera do you use? Do you love it or hate it?
I have a Panasonic DMC-TZ5 Lumix and I love it! It has a 10x zoom and it captures pictures fast. I love that it is very portable and small.

What do you enjoy most about scrapbooking?
Scrapbooking is my time! Relax, re-live, and create! I love the hands on creating with paper, ink, tools,...you name it. I also love to swap, still very addicting for me.

Tell us a little about your family.
I've been with my DH for 17 yrs and married for 14 yrs. We have 4 kids: Kyle 11, Shawn 9, Jacob 6, and Emily 4. I have been able to stay at home with them, which has been great. My DHs parents have a farm just around the corner from us. At the farm we raise our own beef and pork, also we have a large garden there. We were able to sell a lot of produce this year. At home we have a hen house with 30 birds and sell our eggs. My DHs family gets together every Saturday night for 'bean night'. My MIL bakes beans and fixes supper. The ever-expanding family gathers and any birthdays that week are celebrated that night. We also have an 8 month old yellow/fox red lab whose name is Todd.

One Huckins family tradition is on Thanksgiving. PIES! Everyone looks forward to this day each year. Not just a couple of pies, but sometimes as many as 92 if not more! The more pies the better. The variety varies a lot! Yes, this is a day of eating. The following day is 'pie breakfast' where all the extended family and friends come, usually bringing more pies. The most pies that I have made was 19 (6 pumpkin, 4 apple, 3 frozen peanut butter, 2 custard, 2 apple/blueberry crumb, and 2 chocolate pudding). Just thought I'd share :)

Tell us about the things outside of scrapbooking that you enjoy.
I use to quilt a lot before scrapbooking. Currently I'm crocheting the kids some hats. I enjoy reading historical romances, listening to country music, making arts&crafts with the kids, volunteering in the schools for crafts once a month in 1st & 3rd grade, and enjoying the outdoors.
Tell us something about yourself that your Feeling Scrappy friends do not know.
I'm not sure, sharing layouts tell a lot about my life. I'm rather a quite/shy person. Being a SAHM keeps me home, so I don't really get out much. I don't have any local scrapbook friends, so I ventured online to meet some. Creating and sharing my work, then reading the comments is wonderful! My only commenters are my immediate family who don't scrap. My life is basically a simple country life, with many home-bound adventures :)

Here are a few of Angela favorite layouts:

A new sketch!

I created a new sketch to get your creative juices flowing today...hope you like it!


Here's a month summary page I created using the sketch.


Here's a super adorable page Stacey C. created using the sketch.


We'd love to see any pages that you create with this sketch so I hope you will share in the comments. Have a wonderful Friday!

Russian Tea

This is one of our favorite cold weather treats. It is a perfect mix for gift giving and it is so easy to make.

Ingredients:
1 18 oz. jar of Tang
6 oz. instant lemonade mix
1/2 c. instant tea
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight container. To serve mix 2 - 3 spoons to a cup of hot water. Stir and drink. Yummy!!!

Thankful

November is here and that means Thanksgiving is right around the corner. This is the month to be mindful of how blessed we are - to be reminded of all that we have to be thankful for.
Here are a few really cool projects you can do this month to be mindful of your blessings.

Thankful Wreaths

Thankful Tree

Thankful Turkey

Thankful Necklaces

If you and your family decide to do one of these projects please post a picture on your blog and share the links with us here.

Have a wonderful day!

Thankful :)

November is here and with it the start of the holiday season! Today we are sharing a few layouts about being thankful. Hope they inspire you to make one of your own this month!

Thankful by Stacey Lokovic:

Give Thanks by Jayne Jones:

Happy Friday!

Altered tin

Gather your supplies:



Apply a really heavy duty adhesive liberally to your tin:



Now attach your paper:



Add a trim and some embellishments if you would like:



Now trim out with ribbon and grommets and add a ribbon handle:



There you have it - a quick afternoon project - a perfect package for gift giving. Next Monday I will provide the perfect recipe to add to your altered tin.