LMac's Catered Crops

We've Moved

I'm so glad you've come to visit me here, but guess what. If you're here, you missing the latest and greatest posts. Catered Crop has moved. Please come visit me at the new and improved Catered Crop and visit often! Here's the new address: http://cateredcrop.com

Aye, Bucket Booty for National Talk like a Pirate Day

Aye, tis national Talk Like a Pirate Day. Just in time, too, for our Catty Cruise next Friday. So, of course, I've got some buried treasure for you Land Lubbers - bucket booty.

Isn't that adorable - and easy-peazy, too. I found a bunch of medium-size witches cauldrons at Target, enough for each of my hostess club members to make one of these.

If you visit the Catty Cruise home port, here, you'll find all kinds of great fun for Talk Like a Pirate Day, including my favorite link, top ten pirate pick up lines. "Wanna shiver me timbers?"

Stamp: Twick or Tweet
Ink: Staz-On, Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Fun
Paper: Pumpkin Pie Cardstock, Night & Day Designer Series
Fibers: 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (Black & Pumpkin Pie), Dusty Durango 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Hemp Twine
Tools: Aqua painters, Wide Oval Punch, Cutter Kit

Weighing Anchor at Catty Cruise

Oooo, we're weighing anchor for our Catty Cruise. Our line up of 12 fabulous stampers and crafters will be showcasing their favorite products from the new catalog tonight at 9:00 Central Standard Time. It's an incredible honor for me to be included among these stampers as one of your Stewards on the cruise. Be sure to join us at my new site: Catered Crop.

It's Moving Day

It's moving day for Catered Crop.

I am so excited about my Catered Crop WordPress site. I wanted to move over to a platform that would give me more control and flexibility so I can grow this site to accommodate all our adventures.

But, shew, I've collected quite a lot of stuff over here at the Typepad site to pack up and move: 356 posts with all the precious comments from you dear readers, links, pictures, and behind-the-scenes stuff. I've got it all unpacked and ready to move in over at our new home, Catered Crop.

Believe it or not, there are over 700 subscribers to this little blog. Some of you have been with me since I started in February 2007, and I can't begin to tell you how much that means to me. You've been words of encouragement through the toughest times, and you boost my ego with every sweet comment you make about my little creations.

I'm trying to move us all over to the new site without losing any of you, which would break my heart. But, I honestly don't trust my computer know-how to get us all over there safely.

So . . . please be sure to go to the New and Improved Catered Crop and subscribe, bookmark, tag, or whatever you do . . . just don't get lost in the move!

Yet Another Ikea Makeover

[This is a simultaenous post with the new and improved Catered Crop. I'll keep posting here until everyone gets a chance to move their bookmarks and reader subscriptions to the new site - http://cateredcrop.com.]

Are you starting to think I spend way too much time in Ikea? Caitlin and I love that place. we get visual overload every time We go - picturing all the cool things we could make with all the cheap Ikea stuff.

Last time I was there I grabbed these great Rajtan spice jars, $2.99 for four.

Here's the reveal following my make-over.

I love using torn fabric and tulle for ribbons.

 

Here's the rest of the recipe.

Stamp Sets: The More the Merrier (115322)
Paper: Rich Razzleberry (115316), Crushed Curry (115319) and Very Vanilla Card Stock (101650).  Water color paper(105019).
Ink: Jet Black StazOn (101406), Rich Razzleberry (115658), Crushed Curry (115659), Soft Suede 115657 Classic Ink and Stampin' Write Markers (116329).
Etc.: Linen Tread (104199), and Crystal Effects (101055).
Punches: Word Window (105090), Scallop Circle (109043), 1-3/8" Circle (104401), 1-1/4" circle (104403), and 1" circle (109046).

Ahoy Me Hearties - Catty Cruise is Coming

So, Landlubbers, what is a Catty Cruise you ask?  Well, Catty is our affectionate name for the Stampin’ Up! Idea Book and Catalog.  And our Cruise is a blast of creativity by some of the brightest stars of the Stampin’ Up! blogsphere.

Our crew of 12 crafters (Stewards) will give you a treasure map of the great bounty to be found in the new catalog. Our blogs (or ports of call) will feature cards, 3D items, scrapbook pages, etc., using products unveiled in the newest catalog.  After you disembark onto one port of call, that blog will help you navigate to the next port of call where you can rejoin the cruise.

We’re anchored ashore for now, but bookmark or subscribe to this site to make sure you don’t miss the boat. You can also visit our home port, Catty Cruise Line to stay in touch with the latest cruise information and visit all of our Cruise Stewards and Boatswain (on-deck backup crew). Our ship will leave her port on July 25, 2009. Don’t be stuck in steerage – embark with us on July 25.

Another Ikea Makeover

And now for the big reveal of the new Crop Crib. But first, a little explanation.

We purchased this humongous Ikea Pax/Komplement wardrobe for daughter Caitlin for her loft apartment in Dallas.

It worked perfectly for her in her loft, but when she moved to a more traditional apartment, she could only get one of the three big components to fit. These suckers are over 7-1/2 feet tall and 24 inches deep. So, I graciously volunteered (commandeered) her cabinets for my craft supplies. Check it out.

At first I thought the pants hangers would have to come down, but turns out they work great for ribbon storage.

Those deep drawers are great for storing punches, embellishments, tools, and paper:

I wouldn't have purchased the wardrobes for the Crop Crib, but now that I have them I love 'em. Since I have a rule that I can't buy more than I can store, you know what these big cabinets mean . . . More Stamps!

 

She's Published

You know what's even more fun than being published? Seeing your daughter in print!

Check it out! Caitlin turned this old Ikea coffee table:

 Into this:

 And her new table got published on this site: Design Sponge, which, by the way, looks like a freaky cool site. Caitlin has absolutely no inhibitions when it comes to creative endeavors - she's my inspiration!

Albert Einstein Life Lessons

If A is a success in life,
then A equals x plus y plus z.
Work is x; y is play;
and z is keeping your mouth shut.
                     - Albert Einstein

What a genius that Mr. Einstein was!

I've been working a little too much, playing a little too little, but, at least where the Catered Crop blog is concerned, I've definitely been quiet. I don't think that's what Mr. Einstein had in mind, though.

I've been busy gallivanting around Central Texas inspecting nursing homes. May and June were just brutal. But, I brought my trusty lap top with me and I've been working on my new blog site. It still needs a little behind-the-scenes work, but I'm finally ready to share it with you. Please go check it out and let me know what you think. It's at http://cateredcrop.com.

I'll still be posting to this site and the new site for a while, but if you subscribe through a reader or e-mail, please be sure to subscribe to the new site.

Ooo, and I've been remodeling my craft room during the few days I've been home, so I'm anxious to show that to you. Hang with me . . . it's coming.

Extreme Makeover - Catered Crop Edition

After playing with this blog for 2-1/2 years I think I finally found some graphics that represent the spirit of Catered Crop. So - even without the help of Ty Pennington and his crew - Bus Driver - MOVE THAT BUS. 

I know, no tears - it's not all that dramatic. 

Now, really, in my mind's eye, this is just the beginning. Hang on tight with me, because my goal is to migrate this blog into a WordPress.org website/blog so I can customize it even more to grow with my Stampin' Up! organization. Well, it's a goal anyway. I have to find a place to host my site and I'm just learning WordPress. I even bought a book, "WordPress for Dummies." If any of you have created a WordPress.org site, boy, I'd sure like to hear from you. 

Sneak Peak - Pool Side

Shew - In the past two weeks I've hopped from hotel to hotel, partly for work and partly for our family reunion/vacation. Like my Dad used to say, we're like cows heading for the barn. One more night in Dallas visiting our daughter, Caitlin, and then I get to sleep in my own comfy bed. 

This is a card I made a couple of weeks ago, but just haven't been able to get it posted. After all our travels these past weeks, it seemed appropriate to shoot it in front of the pool.

This is a revival of this card, and a CASE of this card at Crafty Girl Designs. I'm freakin' loving this new Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series paper and the new colors. Since all these colors are new, I don't have buttons to match them, yet. No problem - I made my own button. 

1. Cut out a 1" x 1" square of the designer paper.
2. Dab some Crystal Effects on the square paper.  
3. Lay one of our Clear Buttons on top of the paper. 
4. After the Crystal Effects dries a little, use a large needle or paper piercing tool to make the button holes. 
5. Thread our linen thread through the button holes to tie the button to the ribbon. 

Oooo, and if you haven't heard, I have VERY exciting news for you. Our new catalog will have a package of markers in the new in-colors. So, to stamp the sentiment, I was able to use the markers to color right onto the stamp. 

Here's the rest of the recipe.

Stamp Sets: Scene in a Garden (113246) and Smarty Pants (115070)
Paper: Razzleberry Lemonade designer paper, Melon Mambo and Crushed Curry cardstock available July 1; Whisper White (100730) cardstock
Ink: Soft Suede and Melon Mambo Stampin' Write Markers
Etc.: Clear Buttons (115447), Linen Tread (104199), Soft Suede Polka Dot 1/2" Grosgrain Ribbon (111372), Stamp-a-ma-jig (101149), and Crystal Effects (101055).

Our clear buttons come in a package of 3 each of 3 sizes: 3/4" circle, 1" circle, and 1" square. You can dress them up by applying Rub-On images, stamping on them with craft ink or, like I did, by attaching a cut-out shape to the button.