Stickles-an old favorite!

We probably all have at least one bottle of Stickles. Some of you might even have the entire color collection (or close to it! LOL). If you are one of the rare few who doesn't actually own a bottle of fun yet, maybe you'll be inspired to pick up a bottle or two next time you are in your local craft store.

After my initial excitement with this glittery goo, I began to neglect these colorful bottles of fun. I've recently revisted my bottles of Stickles and wanted to share a few ideas for using them.

You can use your Stickles to...

..."paint" the petals on your flowers.

...cover the center of a flower.

...trace designs on your paper.

...dab over painted chipboard elements.

...add shimmer to the center of a button.

...adhere small embellishments (just put a glob on the paper and push your button, dew drop or other item onto it! It will squish out around the sides for a fun effect.)

...add dots around papers and photos.
...add a bit of color and shine on a stamped image.

...brush over the top of letter stickers.

Here's a card I made using Stickles on my chipboard, flower and on the design in the patterned paper.

I love how the stickles give the pattern a slight raised and shimmery look.

**Remember to allow plenty of time for your Stickles to dry.

Last but not least, here's a storage tip. Store your bottles upside down so they are always ready to be used. This reduces the chance that you will have an air bubble pop out and mess up whatever you are working on. Here's how I store mine:

I hope you'll have as much fun playing with stickles as I have been lately. They add such a fun element to scrappy projects!

Yummy Diet Soup

I got this recipe about a year ago at my Weight Watchers meeting. It is perfect for a cold winter night and very filling. It also makes a perfect quick meal for those days when you are scrapbooking and can't be bothered with making a complicated meal. My whole family enjoys this soup - no need for them to know it is diet! :)

8 Can Soup

1 can whole kernel corn
1 can green beans
1 can veg-all
1 can sliced or diced potatoes
1 can diced tomatoes or rotel (Mexican tomatoes)
1 can chili w/out beans
1 can chili with beans
1 can vegetable soup

Do not drain any of the cans. Just open then and dump all into a soup pot, bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 30 minutes.

One cup = 1.5 points
Note: If you are concerned about sodium, look for low sodium products or drain the cans and refill with water to help lower the sodium content.

Enjoy!

New Year - Good Eats!

In just about every culture, there are traditional foods that are prepared on New Year's Day to bring luck and prosperity in the upcoming year. My family growing up and still today always has black-eyed peas and cornbread on New Year's Day, but I have heard of others who eat everything from pork to cabbage to winter greens as a meal to welcome the new year. I found a neat article on Epicurious.com that discusses some of these traditions. Some are very similar to some you may have heard of, while others are fairly exotic. Why not incorporate one (or more!) of these ideas into your own New Year's menu and start a new culinary tradition to ring in 2009?

Happy New Year from all of us at Feeling Scrappy!

Post-Holiday Tips

Now that Christmas has past and New Year's Day is just around the corner, the task of taking down all of those decorations and reclaiming our homes from the post-holiday clutter is upon us. I always tend to put off taking our decorations down until after Epiphany, but there are a few things I always do beforehand to ensure that next year's decorating goes as seamlessly as possible. I thought I'd share a few of my post-holiday tips with you today to help save you some precious time and energy when you pull those decorations out again in 2009 and start your preparations for another amazing holiday season!

1. Take pictures of your decorations and displays before putting things away so that you remember exactly what goes where when it comes time to decorate again. Jot notes on the backs of the photos if there are specific things you need to remember, and then file them away to use as a reference for next year. You'll be amazed at what a time-saver this is when you are sorting through box after box of decorations after they've been stored away for an entire year!

2. Jot down a list of recipes you made and where they are located while this information is fresh in your mind so you don't have to search high and low for them next year.

For the above two ideas, I actually have found that creating a file specifically for Christmas-related items is really handy. In it, you can place your Christmas card list, gift lists (it is always nice to have these to look at next year to ensure you don't give duplicate gifts!), and any other pertinent information to have at your fingertips the next time you need it.

3. Use tape to label strands of lights outdoors so you know exactly where they go next time (north roof line, south roof line, etc.). Replace any bulbs that are burned out now, while you still remember which ones need attention. Take time as you are packing them away to loop them nicely, and then secure with twist ties. Trust me: you will be thankful next year that you took the time to do all of this when you aren't struggling to untangle endless light strands with too many spent bulbs to count!

4. Take inventory of things you lacked this year, and see if you can hit up some post-holiday sales to pick up those items while they are deeply discounted. Pack them away with the rest of your decorations to be at the ready next year!

5. If you have children, help them clean out their toy box before flooding it with their newer things (and therefore creating lots of clutter!). Have them find a particular number of things they would like to donate to charity. If there aren't any toys they are ready to part with, try boxing up a few things to put away in storage to pull out again later, after the newness of their Christmas gifts has faded. It is amazing how much a month of not seeing a toy can revive a child's interest, and it will help ensure your home isn't overrun by so many gadgets and gizmos!

RAK winner!

Merry Christmas! I hope you are having an amazing day with family and friends.

As promised, here is the winner of my RAK!! I used random.org again then counted down to the winner....

Snichols said...
Wow, love this blog! And an awesome rak Stacey!! Well the only really fun thing I did this weekend was bake Christmas goodies!
December 23, 2008 12:42 PM

Congrats! Email me at mrslokovic@yahoo.com with your mailing address so I can get your goodies out to you!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you a joyous holiday filled with many happy memories! Looking forward to reliving them with you through your scrapbook pages!

Fondly,
Your Feeling Scrappy Team

Red Chile Enchiladas

As a native New Mexican, Christmas Eve dinner has always been about New Mexican food: posole (a traditional hominy stew made with pork and red chile), tamales, and enchiladas. Red chile is the focal point of each of these recipes, and although it might seem exotic or intimidating at first glance, it is a very easy and versatile ingredient to work with! Here is a recipe using dried New Mexico red chile pods you can find in the Hispanic food section at your local market that I thought I would share. Try and and see what you think! The smoky flavor of red chile is something unlike anything else in the world!

Stacked New Mexico Red Chile Enchiladas

Prepare red chile sauce according to directions below. To assemble enchiladas, spray your plates with non-stick spray for easy cleanup. (Each stack of enchiladas is made on an individual plate.)Spread a bit of sauce directly onto the plate, and then layer one corn tortilla on the sauce, followed by a layer of chopped onions and then a layer of sharp cheddar cheese. Top with another ladle of sauce. Repeat layers as many times as desired (I usually make these in stacks of three) and then top all layers with a final layer of sauce, topped off generously with a final layer of cheese. Bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven until bubbly. Serve with a dollop of sour cream alongside some Mexican rice and black beans.

Red Chile Sauce

1 5 oz. package dried New Mexico red chiles

Water

Rinse chiles, removing stems and seeds. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then lower temperature and simmer 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove chiles promptly, reserving boiling water. Place chiles in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add 1/2 cup cooking liquid, and process chiles until smooth. Continue to add liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, and process until puree is the consistency of a rich tomato sauce. If desired, strain puree to remove any course membranes that remain. Set puree aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium sauce pan. Add 1 heaping tablespoon flour, and stir into a roux. Press in 2 cloves garlic, and cook until garlic is fragrant and flour smells toasty, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup chile boiling water, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Add 1 cup water and 2 teaspoons beef base, and whisk until smooth. Stir in chile puree along with 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste). Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until flavors blend, 10-15 minutes.