Sweet Summertime!

We are taking the summer off but will be back this fall with some new classes and of course a brand new sketch class. Enjoy your summer!

Sketch Challenge

Everyone loves sketches, right?

Sketchapalooza 6 began on Monday the 3rd and I'm so inspired by all the creative layouts that are being posted that I wanted to share an all new sketch with everyone. If you haven't signed up for Sketchapalooza 6 , it isn't too late......we are currently on sketch #2 and it is a work at your own pace class. (Remember in the class you would also get this sketch in a Photoshop layered template.)

Give this sketch a try and post your layout on our Feeling Scrappy Facebook site.

My example:

Happy Scrapping,

This is a favorite family recipe! We have it almost every Mother's Day as a special treat.

Almond-Cream Strawberries

2 pints large strawberries

1 3-3/4-ounce package vanilla-flavor instant pudding and pie filling

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy or whipping cream, whipped

1 teaspoon almond extract

1) Cut stem ends of strawberries. Cut a deep "X" in the tip of each berry and gently spread apart to make petals; set aside.

2) Prepare instant pudding as label directs EXCEPT use only 1 cup of milk. With wire whisk or rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream and almond extract into prepared instant pudding.

3) Spoon cream mixture into a decorative bag with large writing tube. Pie cream into strawberries. Refrigerate if not serving right away.

Approx. 200 calories per serving. Serves 8.

Since we like this so much I've adapted the recipe using 'diet' friendlier ingredients:

Low-Fat Almond-Cream Strawberries

2 pints strawberries

1 package of Fat-Free Sugar-Free vanilla-flavor instant pudding and pie filling

1 cup Fat-Free Milk

1/2 container of Fat Free Cool Whip

1 teaspoon almond extract.

Make as above.

Also great as a dessert parfait with other fresh fruits. Some of our favorites are raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. So YUMMY!

Enjoy!

Congratulations!!

And the winner is .....

 

 

Congratulations to Lisa on winning a spot in Lain Ehmann's LOAD challenge! Not only is Lisa going to enjoy the company of many inspirational and motivational women, and a few Hugh Jackman sightings, she will be well inspired by the 20+ sketches she will receive as a participant in Sketchapalooza6! What a great head-start to 31 days of layout making.

(Lisa, check your in-box for a note on how to join LOAD)

Thank you very much to Lain for holding a spot in your very popular challenge for one of our Sketchapalooza6 participants, we're sure Lisa will love it. And, many thanks to everyone here at Feeling Scrappy who has joined in the class, it's going to be a blast!

Jayne, Becky, Tracy and I are so looking forward to the start of class on May 3rd. If you haven't joined, what are you waiting for? We're looking forward to a great month of inspiration, support, motivation, games, ideas and stories! Aren't you?

Click here to join the class!

Scrapbooking Recipe Challenge

I admit it, I've been in a scrappy funk. One of the best ways for me to get back into scrapping is to take on a challenge. I've made a Scrapbook Recipe Challenge to inspire and jump start your creative juices for the upcoming Feeling Scrappy Sketchapalooza 6! Please post a link to your completed layout or post on the Feeling Scrappy Facebook page.

Here's your Recipe : (Make a layout using the following four products)

1 Cardstock sheet
2 Pattern papers
1 Journal die cuts

1 lace, ribbon or other fiber

3 decorative elements (buttons, flowers, etc.)

1 decorative border (punch, torn edge, etc. Does not have to be used the full width of the layout)

I look forward to seeing your layouts!
Happy scrapping!

Contest Reminder!

Only one day left!

You have until 5:00PM Eastern to register for Sketchapalooza 6 AND qualify for an opportunity to join Lain Ehmann and her delightful group of LOADsters for the month of May.

Check this post HERE for the details.

Happy Wednesday! What are your plans for the day?

Pineapple Bars

I have a really easy recipe for you today! I love that I can keep the ingredients on hand and that I can whip this up in no time. (It would also make a great recipe for kids just starting to cook.) And on top of that - this recipe is low cal and it tastes good :)


Pineapple Bars

1 box Angel Food cake mix
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple in juice

Mix the 2 together by hand (the batter will be a bit frothy) and pour into a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

*For those on weight watchers: cut into 16 servings and each will be 2 points

Here's YOUR chance to WIN!

Win what?

If you sign up to join Sketchapalooza 6 before April 15th you have a chance to win a sport in Lain Ehmann's LOAD challenge running the entire month of May!

In turn, if you join LOAD before April 15th you have a chance to win one of two spots in Sketchapalooza 6, running at Feeling Scrappy from May 3rd through May 31st.

Are you interested in completing 31 scrapbook pages done in 31 days?

If you area like me, you have plenty of layouts in various stages of completion and many ideas you want to capture forever.  Between the 20 sketches being offered at Sketchapalooza 6 and the motivation provided in both the Feeling Scrappy and LOAD communities, this can be a very productive month of May!

Why don't you have a listen to Lain, she can tell you all about LOAD:



So, print your photos, get your adhesive, organize your supplies and start thinking about getting your pages DONE! Be sure to enter for your chance to win a free spot by APRIL 15th!

I can't wait to see you, in both :)

Grilled Halibut with Salsa

This is a family favorite for an easy festive meal.

Grilled Halibut with Salsa
serves 6

ingredients:
2 T. olive oil
2 T lime juice
1/4 t. Tabasco sauce
2 lbs. fresh halibut fillets (I've also used halibut steaks)

Salsa:
1-1/2 cups tomato, diced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
3 T. Canned green chilis, diced
2 T. white wine vinegar
3 T fresh cilantro leaves, minced
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Marinating time 2-4 hours. Preheat oven to broil or prepare grill.
*Combine olive oil, lime juice and Tabasco. Place fish fillets in a non-reactive pan large enough to hold them in one layer. Pour marinade over fish, cover and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.

*For salsa: combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate 2 to - 4 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.

For broiling: Adjust oven rack 4-6 inches from heat.
For Grilling: preheat grill to 375-400 degrees.
Place fish on grill or broiler pan and cook 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until fish flakes easily with a fork, turning once. Serve immediately with salsa.

Weekend Album Project

For many of us this weekend marks the end of activities and the start of another. For our family we have just finished hockey and volleyball seasons and are about to start: football, softball, rugby and dragon boat seasons.

This week I worked on a project for one of the players/coaches on Cole's hockey team as they are moving away. The dad was one of the coaches and a his son, a fellow defenceman who enjoyed just this one season with the team. We are unable to attend the big "going away" bash for them tonight. What were we to do? A gift was in order, but a bottle of wine didn't seem enough for all of the hours and hours of together over the course of the last 10 months! So, I did what I know how to do:

I made an album!

Lucky for me, as team photographer, I had oodles of shots from which to choose, but because I don't have permission to post their photos, I'll just outline what I put together.

The perfect simple, quick and inexpensive project.

This is how it came together:

Cover Page: Photo of Subject, in this case, pee wee hockey player :)
Page 1-2: Team Photo (top) Team Roster (bottom)
Page 3-4: Off Ice Conditioning Photos
Page 5-6: Social Events (in this case summer party and garage sale)
Page 7-8: Season in Review (tournaments, regular season and playdowns with all stats)
Page 9-10: Team Photos with trophies
Page 11-12: Team Photos with trophies
Page 13-14: Lined Card (top): My memories of this season with the Oakville Rangers for player with a photo of player bottom
Page 15-16: Lined Card (bottom): My memories of this season ... for coach with a photo of coach on top
Page 17-18: Lined Card (top): My memories ... for mum with a photo of mum below
Page 19-20: Photos of player
Page 21-22: Photo of player (top) Game, loop and rule details (bottom)
Back Page: Quick personal note to the family from us!

A few notes on the project:

In the case of this album I used a Creative Memories PicFolio. The sleeves are a big bigger than your 4x6 photos, so each had to be mounted on a 4.5x6.5 piece of cardstock. All stats and information was typed onto 4x6 Bazzill white cardstock and also mounted to create consistency.

The colours used were Red, White and Blue which were the colours in the Ranger uniforms. The font used was American Typewriter because it's my current favourite :)

Total supplies used:

• 1 album (you can reduce the cost significantly by using a simple slip-in album you can pick up at the drug store, I just happen to have OODLES of Creative Memories supplies to use up!)
• 1 sheet Bazzill white cardstock
• 8 sheets Bazzill red cardstock (4.5x6.5 is a brutal size!)
• Thickers for title
• 24 Photos (all extras tucked behind mounted photos)

The beauty of this kind of album is that, due to it's construct, there is not enough space for a lot of embellishments. I really prefer a streamlined and clean album and this kind just forces you not to stray too far from that idea. Plus, it adds to the quick part!

As for the time it took: From choosing the photos (from the over 2500 I took this season!), to getting all of the statistical data on the internet, to printing the photos, defining the sequence, typing, cutting and pasting this project took a total of four hours to complete, start to finish.

What a sense of accomplishment when it was finally done. Not only that, but when I delivered it on Thursday, the look on Marilyn's face - and the tears in her eyes, let me know that it was the perfect gift.
So much better than a bottle of wine!

If for no one else, I encourage you to put this kind of album together for your little athlete! Time goes by so very quickly!

Have You Signed Up Yet?

You don't want to miss the biggest scrapbooking event of the Spring! Feeling Scrappy's Sketchapalooza 6 begins May 3 and runs through and runs through May 31st. You'll get an amazing 20 sketches (plus the digital templates if your a digi-scrapper) for only $25. All of this in a private class forum filled with support from the design staff and class participants. Jayne, Lee, Tracy and I are all busy working behind the scenes to make this a wonderful class. Just click here to sign up now!

Baked Ham & Eggs

 

This has become one of our favourite weekend meals. It meets my criteria: easy to make, easy to clean up and tasty. Even better, it's flexible for the little crowd as you can always add a bit of food colour and voila - green eggs and ham! Add an English Muffin and you've got yourself a breakfast sandwich. I've been making this for my kids since I saw it on CanadaAM late last fall and it is a hit every time!

To make 6 servings:

6 round paper thin slices of deli ham (about 8 oz total)

6 large eggs

2 tbsp whipping cream or 18% cream

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

1/3 cup finely diced Gruyère or Swiss Cheese

1. Grease 6 metal muffin cups or 1-cup ovenproof ramekins and line each with 1 slice of ham to create cup.
2. Crack egg into each ham cup. Drizzle cream evenly over eggs. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. Place muffin sheet on cookie sheet and place in 400*F oven until whites are just set but yolks are still a bit runny. This takes about 12 to 15 minutes depending on your oven.
4. Serve and enjoy.

Oh, you might want to run a knife along the edges to loosen the ham. Then serve and enjoy!

Make sure you have on the table: ketchup, hot sauce, sliced tomatoes and extra Gruyère. Serve with English muffins, bagels and steaming hot coffee.

I have been lucky enough to participate in all of Feeling Scrappy's Sketchapalooza classes to date. I can't begin to tell you how inspiring the class is. I personally accomplish so much during the class! During this self-paced class you will receive 5 sketches a week for 4 weeks. Yes, that is a total of 20 sketches. Not only do you get those sketches in a PDF file at the end of the class but you can also download layered templates (PS of PSE) of the sketches for digital layouts! The best of both worlds! This is in a private forum with tons of support from the design team and the participants! The private gallery fills with amazing and inspiring interpretations of the sketches. There will be challenges, games and prizes as well. All that for only $25!

I'm so excited for the Sketchapalooza 6 class to start in May! Currently Jayne, Lee, Tracy and I are all busy working behind the scenes to make this class the best yet. Be sure to sign up if you haven't done so already!

I thought I would share with you some of the layouts I have created during Sketchapalooza 1-5 .

Sketch Challenge Winner!

Thanks to everyone that played along with our latest sketch challenge! From all the lovely layouts submitted, we drew a random winner to receive $10.00 off the Sketchapalooza 6 class coming up in May!

Congratulations to Lisa Harrower Tauzell! (Please email me at feelingscrappy at yahoo dot com for all the details) Here is the beautiful layout she submitted!

Happy Spring!

As you probably already know yesterday was the first day of spring! Is it looking like spring at your house? Spring came a few weeks earlier than normal at my house this, so I had to document what it looked like on the first day of spring. The cherry blossoms and daffodils are almost done. A couple of the rhododendrons are blooming and one is about to (the one that is usually open for Mother's Day!) The photos in the collage below are photos I took in my yard and then used a FREE template from Jessica Sprague to make a fast, fun easy collage. (There is even a tutorial there if you need help getting started).

What does spring mean for you? Lots of flowers in the yard? Baseball gear? Track shoes? Take a few moments to capture your 'spring' photos and create a photo collage or layout. Please share with us by linking through the comments below or on our Feeling Scrappy Facebook Group site.

Celebrate a Woman You Admire!

Did you know that March is Woman’s History Month?

My challenge to you: scrapbook a page about someone famous (or should be) and how she has influenced you. Or scrapbook about a woman you admire; or an influential woman you would like to meet. Be sure to journal about why you admire this woman, or why you would like to meet them, or why you think they should be famous!

Here is my layout:

The journaling reads: In my life there was no one more supportive, loving or protective than my father's mother, my Nanny. I was so fortunate to be the recipient of her determination and unwavering commitment to family. She taught me, first hand, that doing right has nothing to do with being in the majority; if you're going to raise your hand you better do your best; and, nothing is more important than the children you raise. I hope to live up to her example. Every day.

And, if you're a sketch collector, like me, here is one you can use to base your own tribute:

Be sure to share your layout on the Feeling Scrappy Facebook Gallery.

Super Simple Cookies

Delicious, inexpensive homemade cookies made so easy that anyone can do it! And there is no need to wait for butter to soften! You can choose your own gourmet flavors too. The secret? Start with a cake mix. Yes, you read that right. A cake mix.

Cake Mix Cookies:

1 standard size cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 c. vegetable oil

approx. 3/4 c. additives of your choice (chocolate chips, raisins, coconut, nuts, etc.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all the ingredients together until well blended.

Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheets

Bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes. Yields about 3 dozen cookies

Flavor suggestions:

Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix and Pecans (pictured above)

Carrot or Spice Cake Mix and Raisins

German Chocolate Cake Mix and coconut

Chocolate cake mix and white chocolate chips

White cake mix and chocolate chips

Give this a try and let us know the flavor you made in the comments section below!

Is that Spring in the air?

I don't know about where you are, but here in Southern Ontario (Canada, outside of Toronto) we can sense Spring is almost here! I am already thinking of planting my pots of flowers and tomato plants; putting out the patio furniture and washing all the windows. I will still have to wait another month or more for any of that to happen.

So, in the meantime, I don't want to waste this feeling of energy and anticipation! To celebrate the departure of winter, I can do things inside to herald the arrival of sunshine and happiness!

My idea of fun? SPRING CLEANING!

What is your favourite thing to do? Do you like to tackle big projects or start small? I go through my entire house, from top to bottom and make a list of all the big and small projects in every room. It is  an overwhelming, but necessary, task. Sometimes, intimidation rears it's ugly head and I find it hard to get motivated so I start with something small. Once that’s done, I always realize it really didn’t take too much time at all and ultimately carry on and get far more accomplished than I expected. It is such a wonderful feeling. Pure bliss.

So, this weekend, in anticipation of Spring, I am going to dedicate some time to cleaning out my bathroom drawers: toss all of the old makeup, expired medications, combine or toss all of the bottles with just a smidge of product on the bottom and give all of my towels a good wash - they're all white, so a good soak in bleach alternative too! I bet (other than the laundry) it will take me less than 15 minutes to get it all done. A quarter hour well spent!

Head over to these sites for great Cleaning and Organizing ideas:

Peter Walsh

Martha Stewart

Flylady

Let us know what you manage to accomplish. I'll be posting my "before" and "after" photos over on the Facebook page. Be sure to check it out on Monday!

New Sketch Challenge!

We have a brand new sketch for you today made by the talented Stacey Curry! Be sure to check out her blog for some awesome creative inspiration. Anyone who completes a layout using this sketch and posts it to our Facebook gallery by next Friday (March 19th) will be entered into a drawing to win 1/2 off our next sketch class! Have Fun! :)

Straight Border Punch on a Curve

Do you love border punches as much as I do? Do you ever with you could make them go around a curve, oval or circle? Now you can! Here is an easy way to do it!

1) Punch your border punch along the full length of your paper.

2) Trim your punched edge, leaving enough width to work with. Mine was 3/4".
3) Clip your border edge between each repeat of the pattern.

4) It should bend and curve easily, but not fall apart.

5) Trim a piece of paper with a curve. (Circles and ovals work as well). 6)Generously apply adhesive to the curve you plan to put your border edge on.

7) Working from the front adhere each section of your punched border edge.
8) Your ready to apply the curving border punched edge to a layout or card.

Completed cards:

I hope you give it a try! Please share your projects with us either by posting a link in the comments here or on the Feeling Scrappy Facebook Page!