Get Well Soon

This card was made for my daughter's boss who was in the hospital. The stamp set is Stampin Up- Thoughts & Prayers. I used Stampin Up Markers and use the technique called, "Direct to Rubber". That is when you color the image with different color markers and than righ before you stamp your image onto paper, you "huff" on it to re-moisten the ink. Very easy to do and the results are very nice too. Thanks for stopping by....

Happy Birthday card for my Aunt

This card is one that I made for my Aunt Dorothy. The last five or so years we have been sending each other cards for each others birthday and for the last two years I have been making mine...hope she enjoys receiving them! The stamp that I used is a Stampin Up stamp and if you look really close you can see a shadow behind the stamped image. I was trying something new by using the negative from the Top Note die by Stampin Up...jury is still out on it, don't know if I like it or not. If you click on the picture, it will enlarge it for you. I used stickles on the candle flames. Thanks for stopping by.

Vintage Vogue Card

Good afternoon to all of you! It's been very rainy here since Friday and so far we've had 3.5 inches of rain! So not being able to go outside and play, I've been playing inside of my craft room, YEA!!! The card that is pictured was made with the following Stampin' Up items; Vintage Vogue stamp set, the Very Vintage wheel (this is so much prettier in real life than in the picture), Pretty In Pink and Whisper White cardstock, scallop punch. The half pearl is one that I made using Hot Glue...yep, hot glue that I painted with Perfect Pearls, I found the idea for those on Splitcoaststampers last year. I left the card blank so that if I needed a card in a hurry, all I would have to do it stamp a sentiment on it and be done, FAST! Hope you all are having a wonderful week-end.

Swiss Meat Loaf

Here is another oldie but goodie recipe. My brother shared this recipe with me along time ago. I really like it and it makes wonderful sandwiches with the leftovers, but my family insist that anytime I make meat loaf it has to be my Grandmother's recipe or they won't eat it, sniff..sniff..I like variety. Anyhoo, here is the recipe.

Swiss Meat Loaf

2 pounds hamburger, I always use lean
1- 8 oz. package Swiss cheese, diced or shredded
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 cup onions, diced
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoon salt, you probably could use less, remember old recipe
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup bread crumbs

Mix all of the ingredients together, shape into a loaf and place into a cake pan. If you wanted you could place a rack in your cake pan and than put the loaf on top of the rack to let the drippings fall of the loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour and 30 minutes. Serve 4 to 6.

Dill Dip

Today's recipe that I'm going to share is from the 1980's. It's an oldie but goodie and my youngest daughter just love this! It is good with either fresh raw vegetables or Lay's potato chips. Enjoy!

Dill Dip

2 cups mayonnaise, use only mayonnaise
2 cups sour cream
1 Tablespoon Beau Monde seasoning
1 Tablespoon Dill weed
1 teaspoon onion salt

Mix all of the ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or even overnight. Serve.

Tulip Card

These cards were very popular last year on SplitcoastStampers. They are called flowerpot cards and are really very simple to make. I made this one as a thank you card for my sister-in-law, who brought me around 50 tulip bulbs. They were digging them up where she worked and they told the employees that they were available to anyone who wanted some, so she snagged some for me. This year was the first year that they bloomed for me. She told me that if they were available again this year she would get me some more!

Birthday Card, Pat the Bad Dog

I just love these stamps called Pat the Bad Dog! I made this card for a friends birthday recently, enjoy!

Post-It Notes Holders

Here are some post-it note holders that I made for Christmas last year for my husband's co-workers (well for the ladies, anyway). I found the directions here:
http://www.mychicnscratch.com/2008/01/post-it-note-ho.html. They are so easy to make and not very expensive either!

Donald Duck Presents....

Donald Duck Presents was my oldest daughters most favorite TV show from the time she was a little tot until they took it off the air, a sad day at our house. She use to stand and dance to the intro music, she just loves this quacky duck! So in honor of her birthday in three days, I tried my best to reproduce him after seeing him done with punches on Ellen Kemper's blog,

Church Potatoes

....also known as potato casserole, cheesy potatoes, hash brown potatoes...you get the idea. I made these one time when one of my husband's co-workers was having dinner with us. She was telling her small daughter that "these are the kind of potatoes that the ladies make at church", you know, when they have luncheons after funerals. The name stuck and that is what we have called them ever since.

Chruch Potatoes

2 pounds frozen hash browns, thawed
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded MILD Cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine melted butter, cream of chicken soup and sour cream; mix together well. Add chopped onion, salt, pepper and shredded cheese; mix together well again. Add the hash browns, making sure to blend all very well. Pour into a grease 9 x 13" pan.

Topping:

1 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine and sprinkle over top. Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered.
Serves 6 to 8 depending on serving sizes

One year my husband entered these in the potato division at the American Royal B-B-Q contest and placed sixth out of 250 enteries, which we thought was pretty good! My family like these with meatloaf, ribs or just about anything! Enjoy!

Bella Arcylic Post-It Note Holder

This is an acrylic picture frame that I alter to hold a pad of post-it notes. I usually find mine at garage sales for 25 cents but you can also buy them from Wal-Mart for around $1.00 too. Just cut a piece of designer paper or cardstock to the size frame you have, than add a picture or your favorite stamped image and slide it into the frame. I just removed the paperbacking from the pad of paper and it stuck just fine to the frame. You can also add some embellishments too or make a pen to match. Very easy to do!

Bella Card

Here is a card that I CASE'd from a friend, Chanda, who I meet online at Splitcoaststampers. We've been friends now for over a year and I'm so lucky to have her as a friend! The card was one that I made for my oldest daughter when she adopted Bella from one of her co-workers who could not longer afford to have her. Well, one week-end we dog sat for my daughter because she was having out-of-town company and asked if we could watch her for a couple of day, "sure, no problem". Well when she came to pick her up to take her home she would not go with her! Bella had decided that I was her new mistress and that was that! When my daughter when to to local animal shelter and adopted Mongtomery she said that "he is my dog and you can't have him"!! She was even afraid to let him stay with us for any length of time, she didn't want to lose another dog!

May Day Flower Baskets

Last year I surprised my neighbors with these cute little May Day Baskets. Instead of giving them cut flowers I went to Wal-Mart and purchased flowers that they could plant in their flower gardens or flower pots, that way they could enjoy them all summer long. I found the basket template at Skip To My Lou, she has some really good freebies on her blog. I used inexpensive cardstock but you could easily use construction paper too. The little saying on the basket can also be found with the basket template. The baskets hold six flowers. Why not surprise your friends and neighbors this year! http://www.skiptomylou.org/may-day/

Candy Birthday Cake

Here is a picture of a "candy" birthday cake that I made for one of my friends last fall. SHE LOVES CHOCOLATE (who doesn't). She was turning 85, so I wanted her "cake" to be extra special like she is!

Here are the amounts I used for each layer:
8"-26 wrapped nuggets
6"-20 wrapped nuggets
4"-13 wrappped nuggest with 5 additional added on the top to kind of fill in, in a spoke pattern. Used toothpicks to keep the cupcake standing and cut two of those out so that you can look all the way around the "cake" and it looks the same from all angles. I used a Quikuts die that I found at Archiver's to make the big cupcake with. Have fun making one of these, I did!!
I found the directions here: http://www.wrapcandy.com/candy_cake.php

Cake Mix Sugar Cookies

I found this recipe for these sugar cookies at Skip To My Lou blog, but I know you can find it almost anywhere on the web. If you keep the ingredients on hand, than the next time someone states, "Mom I need cookies for school tomorrow" and it's 8:30 at night, you'll have a quick,easy, great tasting cookie to send to school the next day! I use canned icing for ease, but you can make your favorite too.

Cake Mix Sugar Cookies

1 cake mix, your favorite brand, I like to use a white cake mix for mine
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Place all of your ingredients into a medium mixing bowl; mix well and scoop (I use a 2 Tablespoon scoop) onto parchment lined cookie sheet (I use Silpat, LOVE THEM). Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 13 minutes, or until cookie is lightly brown around the edges. Cookies will be soft. Makes 20 to 22 cookies.
If you don't have a scoop than roll out into balls.
After the cookies cool, ice them, than store in an airtight container.

Marinara Sauce

Today I'm going to share a recipe that I received from a friend, her son was a classmate of one of my daughters' in grade school. She was talking one day about the Marinara Sauce that her mother taught her to make, so I asked if she would share it with me. We have really enjoyed it thru the years and it has become a Lenten staple.

Marinara Sauce

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (6 oz each) tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dry basil leaves
1 tablespoon sugar
Oregano optional to taste, I'm not a big oregano fan, so I omit this

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add the diced tomato and juice, tomato paste and water, stirring until combined. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, than lower the heat to a simmer; simmer for one hour. Serve over one pound of cooked hot pasta.

For a vegetarian sauce, add 3 or 4 cut-up zucchini, squash or other vegetables.
For a meat sauce, add one pound of cooked, drained Italian sausage or hamburger.

Serve with a salad and garlic bread.

Altered Clipboard-Mini

Here is a picture of a altered clipboard that I made last year as part of a bridal shower gift for a cousin. I found out what her kitchen colors were going to be and made it to match. I found the directions for the altered clipboards at SplitCoastStampers in their resource section. I put the diecut letters on the side of the clipboard so that when she clips a 4x6" recipe card on it, the recipe card will not have any of the card hanging off the side. I also purchased a small picture easel for her to set the clipboard on so that it will sit at an angle, which will make reading the recipe much easier. I also gave her a recipe box full of recipes and some money too!

Rag Quilt Purse-Horses

Here is another rag quilt purse that I made for one of my friends. She is a member of a group that supports the Mount Police Patrol where I live. On this one I got brave and added to pockets to the inside for her keys and cellphone. She just loved it! I found the fabric at Jo-Ann's when it was on sale.

Crochet Five Petal Flower

Here is a picture of a card that has a five petal flower on it. These were very popular with cardmakers last year. I found the pattern at www.littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com. Stampin' Up sold something similar to this too.

Here is the pattern that I used:

Materials:

Any size hook (depending on what size flower you want)
Any weight yarn or crochet thread or DMC floss

Rnd 1: Ch 5, join into a ring with a sl st in 1st ch.
Rnd 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), work 9 dc in ring, join to top of ch with sl st--10 sts total.
Rnd 3: **Ch 2, work 3 dc in next st, ch 2 sl st in next st** five times. Fasten off.

If you use embroider floss (DMC) use all six strands. When I used crochet thread I used a size 7 hook and maked a 1 inch flower. With DMC floss hooks I used were 3/2.10 mm made a 1 1/2 inch flower, 2/c made a 1 1/4 inch flower. You will just have to play around to see what you come up with. If you use Stampin' Up cardstock, you can use DMC floss to make flowers to match it.

High-Humidity Cake Icing

Here is the recipe for the cake icing that I use. This icing will hold up even in 100 degree temperatures! It does not melt.

High-Humidity Icing

1 1/2 cups Crisco
1/4 cup Dream Whip, dry (I just go ahead and use the whole envelope)
1/3 cup flour, sifted

Cream the above all together. Than add alternately;

2 pounds powdered sugar
2/3 cup milk (I have always used water)

Blend well after all has been added; then add

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract (can find this at Michael's)
1 teaspoon clear butter flavoring (also at Michael's)

Blend in extract/flavoring. Now you are ready to ice your cake!

Tint as needed. Refrigerate any leftover icing. Icing on the cake does not need to be refrigerated.

Yields: 6 to 7 cups of icing

You will not be able to taste the flour.

My girls always were happy when there was leftover icing, as I would spread it on vanilla wafers or graham crackers for them, heck even the big kid in the house liked it this way too!

Sesame Street Card

As promised here is the card that I made to go with the birthday cake that I posted yesterday. It is done completely with punches. A very happy card! Here is the link to the blog where I found the idea, she even has a video on how to make them:

First Birthday Cake

Today I will share with you a cake that I decorated for my little buddy's birhtday last year. I made a 9 x 13 inch sheet cake that I decorated with Sesame Street characters. I used mainly star tips to decorate it. The little cake at the top was for little buddy to smash and eat! Tomorrow I will share the card that I made to go with the cake. I've been decorating cakes off and on for 25 years now. I'll have to share my icing recipe with all of you, it's so good!

Happy Birthday Card for Mother

Here is a card that I made in January for my mother's birthday, for a friend's birthday and also for a "Thinking of You" card who just got done with her chemo. The stamp is from a Stampin' Up set called "Dear Friends", it is an older set that has three different flowers and a sentiment "Dear Friend". I really like it because you can use it for many occasions.

Sock Monkey Birthday Card

When I was a little girl growing up in Iowa, I had a sock monkey that my mother made for me. It was put into the cedar chest and "saved" until I had children of my own. When my second daughter saw my sock monkey from my childhood, she latched onto it, thus began her love affair with all things sock monkey. She still to this day, has one on her bed, as decoration, and she also has sock monkey pj bottoms. So I made this birthday card for her. I found a card for inspiration, made by Valerie Willioms, but I could not find anywhere if she has a blog to reference back too. Sock monkey is made with different punches. The stamp is a Stampin' Up stamp. Thanks for stopping by!

Basic Deviled Eggs

Hmmm..your thinking, deviled eggs, everyone knows how to make deviled eggs, but you would be suprised had how many people do not know how to make this simple dish that seems to always be well received when you take them to a gathering. I found this recipe at Southern Living Magazine back in 2002 and everyone really seems to like the way they taste. I like them just plain and simple, no fancy ingredients for me!

Basic Deviled Eggs

6 large eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise, no salad dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon prepared mustard, think French's
1/8 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
paprika for garnish, optional

Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan; add water to depth of 3 inches. Bring to a boil; cover, remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes. Drain immediately and fill the saucepan with cold tap water. Tap each egg firmly on the counter until cracks form all over the shell. Peel under cold running water. Slice eggs in half lengthwise, and carefully remove yolks. Mash yolks; sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss yolks; add mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, and mustard; stir very well, you want it to be a smooth texture. Spoon yolk mixture into the egg white. Garnish, if desired.

Now it is important that you make the deviled eggs while your eggs are still warm, the yolks absorb the flavors better while they are warm, they will not taste as good if you hard-boil the eggs one day and devil them the next day.

Hawaiian Pie

The recipe I'm going to share today is one that I received many years ago in one of those mailing where they want you to sign up for a series. This is the free recipe that was in the mailing, nope I didn't sign up but this recipe is SO EASY and "Oh, It's So Good". It is a recipe from Mr. Food.

Hawaiian Pie

1-5.1 oz. package INSTANT vanilla pudding and pie filling
1-20 oz. can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup, UNDRAINED
1-8 oz. container sour cream
1-9 inch graham cracker pie crust (think little Elf)

In a large bowl, combine the undrained crushed pineapple and sour cream; stir until combined, than add the vanilla pudding mix; stir until well blended. Pour mixture into pie crust.
And Your Done!! Cover and chill 2 hours before serving.

Note: Don't make the vanilla pudding according to the package directions; just add the dry mix to the other ingredients. If you like, and we like, decorate the pie with whipped topping (Cool Whip), flaked coconut and maraschino cherries for that tropical look!

Now for another cool tip: Don't throw away the plastic cover from your purchased pie crust, remove the paper and the glue that holds the paper to the plastic, wipe the plastic off; flip it over and TA-DA, you have an instant cover for your pie now!! Crimp the foil pie plate in a few spots to hold the cover in place!