LMac's Catered Crops

Confessions of a Digital Scrapbooker

Okay, just the other day I was saying to someone that I really don't care that much for digital scrapbooking. Oops, then I stumbled upon Sprapblog.com and their scrap blog builder. Oh my. It was so easy, and I had so much fun. I mean, really, in less than an hour without even looking at tutorials, I made this:

That was so much fun, that I made this:

These are, of course, of my beautiful daughter, Caitlin, and our Irish Setter, Mailey Dog. I've been missing her while she's in Hong Kong, so it was fun making these as a tribute to her. I'm in trouble now - digital scrapbooking, here I come.

Edited update: While creating these pages was a lot of fun at Scrapblog.com, I latered discovered that printing them is another story. The site doesn't have the printing feature running yet, though they say it's coming. You can save your creations to a .jpg file, but the resolution is so low that the results are disappointing.

It Takes a Village

No, I'm not channeling Hillary. But, yes, it does take a village to keep me out of trouble and off the streets. Here's a big shout out to the villagers that showered me with kindness this week.

To Vivian Swain over at "Florida Stampin' with Vivian" for including me among her "Blog Finds of the Week," not once, but twice. Dang, I'm on a roll.

To Susanna Boyd, a.k.a. Barefoot Stamper, at "Card of the Week" for her shoutout about my chocolate cakes. Really, ladies, you have to check out her site. She is amazing!

To Frances and Marie for helping me make 300 butterflies, thirty-some pink icing tops, a dozen bottle tags, . . . but, more importantly, for their sweet friendships. I mean really, girls, my husband and I have been so joined at the hip for the last 25 years, raising our kids,working, taking care of parents . . . that a lot of my other friendships just kind of atrophied. The best thing about stamping is that it helped me meet some beautiful ladies, because, yes, I'd forgotten how really important it is to have girlfriends. Husbands are great, I highly recommend them, but having girlfriends to share pizza and my most private craziness - yes, Priceless!

To all of you for your very generous comments. Keep 'em coming - I love all of them.

We're off to Dallas this weekend to pick up my daughter from the airport. She's coming home from Hong Kong and there are rumors of gifts. To celebrate her return, we're going to Tom Colicchio's Craft restaurant. If you watch Top Chef, aren't you jeolous!? Stay tuned, I'm working on some chinese take-out boxes to share with you when I get back from the Big D.

California Dreamin'

Woo Hoo - I never enter contests for blog candy, but Dianne Shiozaki's was so tempting, so, you know, I plunged. Greeting me this morning was her e-mail - I won! Woo Hoo! Check it out!

If you haven't been to Dianne Shiozaki's blog, Catchin' the Stamp Wave, it's a gnarly surfin' trip. She lives in California and she's so much more hip than I am (I bet she doesn't even say gnarly.) I love this Stampin' a Surfer Birthday card she made with the All in the Family and Crab & Company stamp sets.

Thanks, Dianne - I am California Dreamin' Today!

For the Free and the Brave

I wanted to get this card finished and to you before the Memorial Day finished, and, well, didn't quite make it. It's hard to find a way to somehow express my gratitude to the soldiers and families who make such supreme scarifies for our liberty. This stamp set is called "The Free and the Brave," and this card is my heartfelt thanks to the brave who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free.

 

The recipe:

• Stamps: The Free & the Brave, French Script
• Paper: Western Sky designer paper, Sky Blue Textured, Blue Bayou, Whisper White
• Ink: Versamark. Ruby Red, Creamy Carmel, River Rock, Close to Cocoa, Ruby Red watercolor crayons with aquapens.
• Misc.: Black embossing powder, Chipboard, Meadow and Spotlite Making Memories acrylic paint, Delta Crackle, 1-3/8" and 1-1/4" square punches.

Oh Yummers - Chocolate Cake Box

Did I tell you I'm going to Salt Lake City for a Stampin' Up! Convention in July? I know I did, but I'm so excited. You'll hear me talk about it a lot. This is just one of the projects I'm taking with me for a Splitcoast Stampers swap group, "Dream Swap Convention 08", Group 4 (you will only be able to get this link if you're registered as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator on Splitcoast). Each of my fellow swapees will get one whole cake. Yep, I'm making 11 of these babies - that's 110 slices of cake, 330 butterflies!

Here's my recipe.

Chocolate Paper Cake

Serves ten. No calories, (no nutritional value, either). Preheat heat gun . . .

• Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink
• Ink: Pretty in Pink Classic, Chocolate Chip Classic, Mellow Moss Craft, Very Vanilla Craft
• Stamp Sets: Twill, Priceless
• Tools: Mat/Paper Piercing Kit, Priceless Classy Brass template, Bone Folder, Sponge, Stapler, Scor-pal, Paper Snips (detail scissors) 
• Fibers: Tulle, Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon 
• Adhesive: Pop-up Glue Dots, Two-way glue, Crystal Effects, Tombow, Snail
• Misc: Basic Grey Magnetic Snaps, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Tearing Ruler, Dazzling Diamonds, Flat-back Pearls (Pretties Kit),  

Prepare I cup (30) butterflies by stamping the butterfly image from Priceless 30 times on Very Vanilla cardstock with Mellow Moss craft ink and embossing with iridescent ice powder. Cut them out with Paper Snips detail scissors. Add flat-back pearls using Crystal Effects as a glue.

Prepare 1 cup pink icing (10 slices) by cutting ten, 2-3/4" x 7-1/4" pieces of Pretty in Pink cardstock, scoring it them 2-3/8", and then using a craft knife to create the triangle tip from the score line. Stamp the swirl image from Priceless onto the pink icing with Very Vanilla craft ink and emboss with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. Using the paper piercing pattern on the Priceless brass template, paper-pierce swirls for the top of each cake piece.

Prepare the buttercream icing for the ten large scallops by stamping the swirl image from Priceless with Pretty-in-Pink classic ink randomly onto Very Vanilla cardstock. Cut this 2-3/4" by 2" and score at 1". Use the circle Coluzzle to make each 1" side of the fold into a large half-circle. 

Prepare the buttercream icing for the sides of the cake by tearing 12" Very Vanilla cardstock into ten 1/2" by 12" strips. Add two score lines 1/4" apart, and, using two-way glue, add diamond glaze to the edge of the strips.

For the cholcate cake, itself, download this template: Piece-a-Cake. Print the largest template ten times onto Chocolate Chip cardstock and cut and score. Stamp with Twill background stamp using Chocolate Chip classic ink for cake texture, and sponge Chocolate Chip ink on the edges.

I know you can't tell by the picture, but the pink flap at the end lifts up and the box opens to put in a treat. The flap is held down with the magnetic snaps (Velcro would also work).

Here's the top of the cake, so you can hopefully see all the embossed and paper-pierced swirls.

One more picture because I'm just so pleased with this (that, and it took a lot of work).

This is one cake that is still on my diet. Bon appetit.

Mom's Favorite

My cousin, Elaine, sent me this. How to tell you're Mom's favorite . . .

 

Which reminded me of this from the Smothers Brothers in the late 1960's: Mom Always Liked you Best (sound clip).

Which then reminded me of this - my adorable twin and me (from the early 1960's).

Yeah, that's me on the left holding my skirt so lady-like while my adorable sis enjoys all the toys.

Thank's 'Lanie, for the giggles.

I'm Blushing

I'm so tickled, my buttons are busting with pride. Susanna Boyd selected me on this week as one of her "card of the week - best of the blogosphere." You can check it out here, along with all the other incredible creations she highlighted. Thank you, Suzanna! I truly am honored to be included with such amazing artists.

McCalls Apron Pattern

I've had several requests for the template to make this little apron recipe holder. It's not really a McCalls sewing pattern, but, well, it's the best I can do tonight. I love this Summer Picnic paper so much that, before I cut into it, I played with some scrap paper to make a template. While it's not pretty, I scanned my working draft for you tonight. If you click on one of the following links, you can download the pattern.

I started with a 8-1/2" by 5-1/2" piece of Bashful Blue cardstock. The bottom 2-1/2" inches fold up to make the pocket, which you can tape into place with the 1/2" tabs. The oval Stampin' Up! Colozzle is great for cutting out the arm holes.

Apron Template as .jpg file
Apron Template as .pdf file

McCalls will not be hiring me as their pattern maker, but I hope this helps.

Happy Homemaker

Today I took enjoyed a step back in time, pretending I was the domestic goddess my mother was. I even pulled out my Mom's Kenmore sewing machine. The antique we used when I was growing up was so hard to thread that I'd have to call Mom to the basement to help me every time it came undone, which was often. By the time I graduated from high school, Mom upgraded her machine to a 1978 Kenmore "Zig-Zag Sewing Machine," with it's built-in cabinet. I'm too embarassed to tell you how long it took me to figure out how to work the prized Kenmore (I never did get the fancy zig-zag feature to work), but here it is . . . that little bit of stitching on my paper apron.

Here's what it looks like with the recipe card outside the apron pocket.

Here's the card recipe:
Stamps: Tart & Tangy and From the Kitchen Of
Paper: Summer Picnic Designer paper, Old Olive, Bashful Blue, and Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Old Olive, Bashful Blue
Embellishments: Blue Bingham Ribbon, Bashful Blue buttons, 1/4" Polytwill Old Olive ribbon
Tools: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle Punches, Fiskers Embellishing/Border Punch, Cuttlebug folder, and Mom's 1978 Kenmore

You'll notice my recipe card doesn't actually have a recipe, so I thought I'd offer you one of my favorites, my Uncle Gerald's Tamale Pie. Uncle Gerald was a salesmen for Del Monte in Indianapolis during the 1970s, so, well, get out your can opener.

1 lb. ground beef
1, 12 oz can whole kernel corn
2, 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic chopped
1 tsp. sugar
dash salt and pepper
1 or 2 tsp chili pepper
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/2 cup olive chopped
Cornbread batter (follow your own recipe or follow the directions on two packaged corn muffin mixes)

Cook the meat, onions and green peppers in skillet until the vegetables are tender and the meat is done. (You do not have to brown the meat, just cook it until it's done.) Drain the grease off the meat; add the corn, olives, tomato sauce, and seasonings, but not the cheese. Simmer this for 20 minutes until it thickens. Add the cheese and stir it until it melts.

Put all this is a 9" by 9" by 2" glass dish (sprayed with Pam). Spread the uncooked cornbread batter on top of the meat/vegie/cheese combination and bake it at 375 degrees or until the cornbread is brown.

So, whether you're a fab career feminist or the SAHM of the new millenium, I hope you enjoyed our trip down happy housewife lane.

Water Logged

Water logged? Get it? This is my blog log about my water bottles. I crack myself up sometimes. Watch out - I'm on a roll.

Q: Why did the blond stare at frozen orange juice can for two hours?
A: Because it said concentrate.

So, what do you get when you cross the Tart & Tangy stamp set with a water bottle? This:

The incredible genius that is Nancy Riley posted these on her website iStamp. Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Tart & Tangy
Paper: Summer Picnic Designer paper, Old Olive, Bashful Blue, and Whisper White
Ink: Pumpkin Pie
Embellishments: Gold Brads
Tools: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle Punches
Supplies: Stampin' Dimensionals

I found the Crystal Light packets at my HEB grocery store in packets of ten. Nancy added this note of instructions: "The water Bottle tag measures 2" x 7 3/4", and scored at 2" and 6". Coordinating designer paper is wrapped around the water bottle to cover up the brand label." You may want to extend the length of your tag depending on the size of your water bottle.

What did the little chick say when its mother laid an orange? "Look at the Orange Marmalade?"

Okay, I've run out of juice . . . orange you glad!?