Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Class Project Feature by Kyla Hunziger

We are creating all sorts of Holiday goodness during our current class "Simplify the Season" and when I saw this take on a project we taught during class I just had to share it with you. This beautiful gift was created by Kyla Hunziger. Great job Kyla - we love it!
You can learn more about Kyla and see more of her projects on her blog The Keative Life.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies


We are getting the cool fall days and fresh baked cookies seem to really hit the spot!!

This is our favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe!

Ingredients:
2 c . whole wheat flour
1/2 c. oatmeal
1 1/4 c. unsalted butter
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
1 package milk chocolate chips

Cream your vanilla, butter and sugars in a mixer. Add eggs. In a separate bowl combine all your dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix well. Now add your chocolate chips. Roll about 2 tbsp of mix into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 375^ for 10 minutes. Enjoy!!!


Sunday, September 27, 2009

Fall colors

I love the rich colors of fall! Here's a blog post with some great fall color schemes to inspire your creativity.
Fall colors
How do you integrate fall colors into your home decor?

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Fall-take a drive!

I love fall and I love to see the changing of the colors. Do you ever take a drive to see the beautiful changes? Maybe you live near one of the top fall scenic drives in the country. (We don't...but there's still some wonderful scenery!)

Best fall foliage

Here's an idea: Take a drive and stop for some fun fall photos with your family or friends...then use the photos on a layout using some of the rich colors you find.

I hope you will take time to enjoy the change of seasons and the cooler weather.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Childhood Moments

Today I wanted to share a few layouts that celebrate being a kid! I think it is so important to make layouts not just about the events in the lives of my children but also about the little moments that I want them to remember. I hope you will use these layouts as inspiration to make a few of your own!

Jayne's layout:

Stacey L's layout:
Happy Friday!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Who Says Your Card had to be a Rectangle?

I LOVE making these fun little shaped cards! It is as easy as 1 - 2 - 3 as long as you have a die cutting machine and some fun dies.
First figure out what size you would like your card - now set your card (or folded piece of cardstock) on your die in the position you are happy with, making sure that your creased side is inside your die - this way your die won't cut through your card. Now run it through your die cutting machine as you normal.

And voila an awesome shaped card!

Really this works with any shaped dies. How about a scalloped circle?


Or a small heart?

Now who wouldn't love getting this sweet little card?

This same concept works to make some very cool borders - just fold your card stock back and forth and place it on your die - remember to keep the creases just inside the die - to do this you will need your folded piece to be about an 1/8" smaller than the die shape that will be cut.


I hope this little "how-to" helps you to think outside the box because who said your cards have to be rectangular?

Monday, September 21, 2009

Tex-Mex Lasagna

This is a yummy dish I have been making for a few years now. We all like this in our family. You can make it spicy by using hot salsa and tomatoes with peppers if you'd like.

Tex-Mex Lasagna


¾ cup bottled salsa
1 ½ tsp ground cumin (I use a little more)
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
6 no-cook lasagna noodles (I like Barilla)
1 cup frozen corn-thawed
1 can black beans-drained and rinsed
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese (or anything you have on hand)
¼ cup chopped green onions (optional but good)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Combine the first four ingredients. Spread 2/3 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 8 inch square casserole dish.
3. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce. Top with ½ of the corn and beans, ½ cup cheese, and 2/3 cup sauce.
4. Repeat layers once and top with remaining sauce and cheese.
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until noodles are tender and sauce is bubbly. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with green onions.

I hope you enjoy this!!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

A Few Blogs to Share

Today I wanted to share a few blogs from my reader that I enjoy everyday. They are not about scrapbooking or crafting, they are not heavy with written content, and they only take a minute to look at each day but I the important thing is that they make me smile. Both focus on beautiful photos and positive messages. I hope you enjoy!

Kind Over Matter

Pretty Good

Friday, September 18, 2009

Fun double page sketch

Here is a great way to get many photos done is a really nice way - this sketch was done by me (Stacey Curry) for our July sketch class.

My layout:

Jayne's layout:

Hope you give is a shot and if you do let us know! Have a great day! For more great sketches check our sketch classes!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Featured Scrapbooker

This month, I'd like to put the spotlight on a great scrapper who has taken several Feeling Scrappy classes. We have enjoyed seeing her work in class and it's been fun learning more about her. Our featured scrapper this month is Karen Perry!!


1. How and when did you first start scrapbooking? I actually began keeping scrapbooks when I was in 2nd grade. I created and maintained a yearly scrapbook of my school years through high school. Like many - I took a break during my college years and early adult life, but returned to scrapbooking 12 years ago when my 3rd child (DS who is now a Senior in high school) entered 1st grade. I finally had the create time once again to resume working on the growing accumulation of photos and memorabilia I had saved from my early years of marriage and having while my children were very small.

2. What is the most important aspect to scrapbooking to you? Scrapbooking is my creative outlet that allows me an artistic medium of preserving precious family memories.

3. What are your favorite pages to work on? I enjoy any page that involves my kids, from everyday moments such as cooking together, sports and family outings to large extended family gatherings. I enjoy documenting where we travel and the sites we get to see.

4. What, if anything, do you find hard to scrap? Including memorabilia in an eye-appealing layout frequently challenges me. I always save some bit of memorabilia when we travel, but often times do not include it in my layouts.

5. What kind of camera do you use? Do you love it or hate it? I have several cameras and use all of them, but my primary camera is a Canon digital Rebel Elan xti. I also have several lenses which I enjoy using, depending on my photo subject. I truly love my camera and would really like to upgrade to a professional model.

6. What do you enjoy most about scrapbooking? Scrapbooking is my creative outlet. It’s very therapeutic to me. Regardless of how exhausting my day or week may have been, I get completely lost once I sit down to my work table and begin a scrapping project. I enjoy the blending of colors and the ability to highlight special memories captured in photographs. As my scrapbooking circle of friends continues to grow - I am amazed at how much people have in common. It’s such a privilege to “see” into others lives as we share our photos and craft through scrapbooking.

7. Tell us a little about your family. I am married to Allen, who is a National Account Manager and product support specialist in the gas pipeline industry. He travels extensively (at least 75% of the time). We have been blessed with three truly wonderful children, Kristi, who is married and lives in the Dallas metroplex area, is 24; Ashley, who is a junior in college and recently turned 21, which is the subject of many of my current layouts; and Travis, who begins his senior year of high school this fall and is 17. Ashley is a very artistic and creative young lady and enjoys scrapping along with me. She goal is to be a professional chef and to own and operate a small deli/bakery. Travis is an all-around outdoorsman who loves to fish, hunt, play on the water and just spend time with his friends. As for me - I work full-time as a legal assistant in an 8-attorney law firm and have been in the legal field for 24 years. I have been in my current job for 8 years and enjoy working with a wonderful group of Christian people. We handle transactional matters, do estate planning, probate and real estate work. If I every have the opportunity to take some photography classes - I would love to be a sports photographer!

8. Tell us about the things outside of scrapbooking that you enjoy. My favorite activity is sports, especially football. I have season tickets to our local high school games and won’t miss a game, even if my husband is out of town! We also enjoy traveling a great deal. Upon Travis’ graduation from high school and going off to college, I look forward to being able to join Allen more often on some of his many trips.

9. Tell us something about yourself that your Feeling Scrappy friends do not know. Our family activity for many years was riding 4-wheelers together. We enjoyed having a travel trailer and would take extended trips with our quads and several other families, to enjoy the sand, scenery and time together. I still need to scrap lots of these photos! I think I would enjoy having a motor home so we could continue our travels all across the United States while affording me the privilege of scrapping as we drive along. Wouldn’t that be a dream come true for a scrapbooker!

Here are a couple of her favorite layouts-




I hope you have enjoyed getting to know Karen!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Class starts Monday!

Just a quick reminder that our Simplify the Season Class starts Monday morning! We have a great class lined up - so if you have been thinking about joining us we hope you do! You can still sign up for this class until this coming Friday! For those of you that have already registered - lets get scrappy! :)

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Falls Coming


I love fall - the smell, the sunny days and cool evenings, and of course the beautiful fall colors. Have you ever taken a drive just to see the beautiful fall leaves, to photograph the beauty?
Here are some sites to help you plan your fall drive:

http://www.weather.com/activities/driving/fallfoliage/


http://www.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors/index.shtml

http://www.foliagenetwork.com/

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/features/fall/fall.htm

Friday, September 11, 2009

Edge punches

I love using edge punches to add a fun border to a page or element! Here are some pages we have created using edge punches. I hope they inspire you to pull out those punches and scrap!

Layout by me:

Layout by Jayne Jones:


Layout by Stacey Curry:




Thursday, September 10, 2009

Winner!!!

The winner of our Simplify the Season class is....

Cheri said...
New to your site. I'm an online class junkie, so I'll have to keep this in mind when I'm looking for a new class!

September 8, 2009 5:40 PM

And since I always feel bad for those that don't win...anyone who left us a comment trying to win can e-mail me: feelingscrappy at yahoo dot com by Saturday night for a $5.00 off coupon!!

Congratulations Cheri! Please e-mail me and I will get you all set up for class! :)

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Class Give Away!!

When you check out Ella Publishing's new E-zine be sure to look for your favorite scrappy girl in the pages! :wink: To celebrate our part in the E-zine we are offering a give away to those Ella readers stopping by our blog for the first time as well as all our loyal readers!

Just leave a comment on this post by Wednesday night for a chance to win our Simplify the Season Class for free (a $25.00 value!) We will announce the winner by random drawing on Thursday! Good Luck :)

If you haven't checked out Ella yet just click the button below to have a look!

ellapublishing


Monday, September 7, 2009

Stuffed Mushrooms


This is a family favorite for sure!! They are sure to show up at any party or bbq the big family has!

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 package bacon, cooked and crumbled
16 ounces fresh button mushrooms, cleaned and stem removed

Mix bacon and cream cheese together until well blended. Stuff each mushroom. Place on in a baking dish with stuffing side up. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Enjoy!!!


Sunday, September 6, 2009

School lunches- add a note!

To add a bit of fun and love to your children's lunches, try adding a little note. you can simply scribble a note to them, make it cutesy with some scrappy supplies or print out a pre-designed one. Here are a couple of sites you can print out free notes.
http://www.alenkasprintables.com/lunchboxnotes.shtml
http://www.kidprintables.com/lunchboxnotes/

Saturday, September 5, 2009

School Lunches

With the kids back in school, I thought it would be fun to share some creative lunch box ideas. Here are a couple of sites I found with some great ideas. Even though my kids aren't in school full time yet, we still often pack lunches to eat while we are running errands or will be out during lunch time.

http://www.school-lunch-ideas.com/
http://www.thevisualguide.com/recipes.htm

Do you have any fun and easy ideas that your kids love in their lunch boxes?

Friday, September 4, 2009

A new sketch!

We have a new sketch for you today, along with a few examples of pages using the sketch. If you use this sketch we would love to see it so be sure to stop back by and let us have a look! Love to use a sketch for a quick start on a page? Check out our next Sketchapalooza class!

Jayne's page:
Stacey C's page:

 Have fun!