Monday, December 31, 2012

his moustache

I was tickled pink to be asked to be Guest Designer over at Stuck Sketches this month. The first reveal has gone live today.
Love this photo of my eldest with his bubbachino moustache.
 

                              I have used some favourite buttons and a baggie from Greatest View.


                                                            Some Elle's Studio tags.

 
My journalling is hidden in the baggie.

 
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Are you planning on joining a BOM for 2013?

Are you planning to join a BOM or two or three...possibly four?

I found a few I am joining just to keep me accountable for getting my big arse in line. I have been slacking off and having too much quilters ADD and too many UFO's and WiP's...NOT COOL!

The first is with Pat Sloan and the Aurifil Design team for 2013!!!!  They are doing pieced blocks using Pat Bravo's Rock and Romance line this year so I am ALL IN!!!!! To see all the talent for this year ( you are gonna LOVE the line up) click HERE


The second is from Elizabeth at  Don't Call Me Betsy. A paper piecing BOM for stars!!!! AWESOME! There is a small fee but so worth it for these amazing stars!!!! To join this one ( I need to do it TONIGHT) click HERE


The third is from AnneMarie at Gen X Quilters and is the Sisters Ten modern BOM. Slick as shite and looking so forward to this!!!! To join this one click HERE


And there is one more that I will be Alyssa from Pile O Fabric Skill Builder BOM. Learn a new skill or  practice an old one or learn a new way to do the old one,LOL! To join this one click HERE


This should keep my design wall full and me outta trouble...maybe ;o)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Cannot believe that I have not posted since before Christmas, with the kidlets and the in house engineer at home I guess I just have lost track of time and then I have had the cold of the CENTURY! I was kind enough to share with at least two other people of the house so they have been giving me the stink eye for a couple of days now...


2012 was an amazing year for me!


I am over the  moon about the Cathedral Window pinnie tutorial making the Moda Bake Shop 2012 Top Ten List!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!  Go check out the other fantastic tutorials listed...and CONGRATULATIONS to the other designers!!!!!



The best thing about 2012 for me was being able to meet and hang out with so many other sewers. The quilting community is a wonderful place, filled with the most lovely, supportive and FUN people you could ever hope to know and have in your life!

And they make faces like this!


and share screens with you like this

I was lucky enough to have one more sewing playdate at my house right after Christmas. Amy, Katie and Becky were able to come over, hang out, eat cookies! The kids were on best behavior (did I mention there were cookies) and the mamas had a great time chatting and sewing. I look forward the new year and being able to spend time with my friends!





and where else could I find friends like this?



Sunday, December 30, 2012

Puppies, Kitties and Love with TAWS!

It's blog hop and new release time at The Alley Way Stamps (TAWS)!

Last week, I gave you a sneak peek of a cute kitty set - see it here!  Exciting news - there is a puppy set also!!!
Woof! Bark! Howl!

I love this little guy and I'm not even a small dog person.  But never fear, the set also includes a mid-size and big burly dog!!  I love the newspaper, because I can add any type of sentiment inside and the card will work!!

Besides the kittens and puppies, it's also the time of year that cardmakers start thinking about Valentines.  TAWS has a darling new Valentine's set.  (Hopefully you are hopping through the entire blog to see the variety of stamps and sentiments in this set!)

Love is in the Air
Next on your hop is Melissa.  Have fun!

Here's the official blog hop verbiage - AND BE SURE TO KEEP SCROLLING FOR ANOTHER GREAT PRIZE DEAL!!

One person will win ALL 3 NEW SETS!! YEP!! So if you want that person to be you.. 
all you have to do is comment on the hop! 
Here are ways you can win.. You can pick and choose which ones you want to do.. 
but the more you comment, the more chances you have to win.. 

1-Comment on The Alley Way Stamps Blog
2-Comment on the DT girls blogs (below)
3-Post about it on facebook or your blog
4-Like us on Facebook
(leave a seperate comment for each that you do)

 You have until tonight, December 31st by 10:30 PM TAWS time to leave comments.

Here are the DT Blogs to visit


But this isn't the only way to win great prizes this month with TAWS!  Because TAWS is celebrating its first birthday!!

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We will be having a 13 day GIVEAWAY Birthday Celebration.. TAWS is turning 1!!! eek... we hope you join us. For a chance to win a random stamp set, place this banner on your blog and/ or share on FB  or PIN it.. make sure to link it back to TAWS. Then head to the TAWS page yourself and add your name to MR. Linky or add a comment. That's 2 chances to win..




NEWSPAPER PUPPY:
  • Stamps: The Alley Way Stamps The Gane
  • Paper: Echo Park Woof Words dsp, Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate Chip
  • Ink: Memento Espresso Truffle, Copics
  • Accessories: Stampin' Up Curry ribbon, Bella Blvd Dog Flags
LOVE IS IN THE AIR:
  • Stamps: The Alley Way Stamps Lighter Than Air
  • Paper: Imaginisce dsp, Stampin' Up Basic Gray, Cherry Cobbler
  • Ink: Memento black, Copics
  • Accessories: Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler twine, Fiskars squeeze cloud punch, Papertrey Ink Aida Impression Plate
  • Challenge: retrosketches

Sichuan Shredded Beef with Peppers

 Thin strips of beef marinated in soy sauce stir-fried with colorful strips of bell pepper, thin slices of chile, and lots of garlic.  Makes for a delicious and colorful meal served over rice.

This is my very last post of the year.  I wish you all a very happy new year with lots of adventures in store for 2013.

Sichuan Shredded Beef with Peppers
Adapted from Step-by-Step Cooking
by Madhur Jaffrey
Serves 3-4

12 ounces flank steak

For the Marinade:
2-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 small egg white
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 bell peppers 
4 garlic cloves
3 to 4 fresh hot red or green chiles
4 scallions
4 teaspoons Chinese rice wine veingar
2-1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons soy sauce
vegetable oil, for frying
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Cut the beef against the grain into wafer-thin slices, about 1/16 inch in width.  Then stack a few slices at a time together and cut the meat into thin strips 2-1/2 to 3 inches long.  Put the meat into a bowl.  Add all the marinade ingredients and mix well, ensuring that you break up the egg white.  Cover and leave to marinate for 1 to 2 hours, in the refrigerator.

Cut the bell peppers into long julienne strips, the same size as the beef.  Peel and finely chop the garlic.   Cut the chilies lengthwise into fine strips.  Cut the scallions into 3 inch lengths, then shred them lengthwise with the tip of a sharp knife into long fine strips.  

Combine the rice wine, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauces in a cup.  Mix well and set aside.

Put 1 teaspoon cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat about 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium heat.  Add the bell pepper strips and stir-fry for 5 minutes our until crisp-tender; remove with a slotted spoon.  Add the beef, turn off the heat, and stir-fry beef until barely cooked through. With a slotted spoon remove the meat to a bowl and sprinkle the cornstarch over the meat.  Toss the meat to distribute the cornstarch.  Increase the heat on the wok to high and return the meat to the wok, stir-frying for about 1 more minute.  Drain the meat on paper towels.  

Add more oil, if necessary, to the wok and add the garlic.  Stir-fry the garlic for 30 seconds.  Put in the chiles, stir once, then add the scallions.  Stir quickly, then add the meat strips and bell peppers.  Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the rice wine sauce.  Stir rapidly for about 30 seconds.  Serve over rice immediately.
Theme: Red and Green

Amazing, Fantastic, Extraordinary, Wonderful

I spent this morning preparing ahead (fingers crossed, knock on wood).  My 16-year old son has had a tough few years.  Of course, you couldn't pay me enough to go back to my teen years so I can totally relate.  Just this year, he enrolled at Lutheran High School for the significantly smaller classroom size and the Christian environment.  It's been a perfect fit!!  He went into mid-terms with straight A's (and a great attitude!)  But one of the things that developed over the last few years is a severe test anxiety - so it's always possible that his nerves got the better of him on his mid-terms.  The results come out at the end of this week and I want to have a card ready to go - so I can immediately hand it to him and he will know that I have faith!

You are Wonderful
I have had this set out on my desk for awhile because I wanted to play along with Avery Elle's AEI♥U Challenge to create a project summing up my personal style.  I love clean cards - either white or I also love kraft.  I love including something that is unique or different - in this case, the button, and the fun sketch from retrosketches.  (I'm also a big challenge player!)  I don't tend towards patterned papers and if I use it, it's usually just a dash.  I love stamps that can stand alone - in this case, the variety and arrangement of fun fonts makes the sentiment interesting all by itself.

  • Stamps: Avery Elle Framed Fonts and Bright Days (the sun rays)
  • Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake and Island Indigo, MME Indie Chic Nutmeg "Hanging Out"
  • Ink: Stampin' Up Summer Sun and Island Indigo
  • Accessories: A Flair for Buttons Etsy Shop, Paper Crimper, Corner Rounder, Stampin' Up Island Indigo twine

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Have an Epic Year!!

It's a big day in my house - my youngest is a teenager!!  Yes...I'm old.  (Actually older than you might think.  Erik, the new teenager, came home from school with a story that he thought was funny.  A teacher was talking about the first moon landing and how long ago it was - so long ago that the student's parents wouldn't even remember it.  Wrong!)

My kids get to pick their special meal on their birthdays - either home cooked or dining out.  Erik is usually quite fun as he is a foodie.  He likes new and unique food experiences and unusual restaurants.  He went an entirely different direction this year - - Golden Corral's breakfast buffet - - seriously!!!???

2012 13th Birthday


I am so uncomfortably full as I write this because I couldn't possibly say "no" to the second serving of biscuits and gravy!!

Then we wandered across the parking lot of Golden Corral to the bowling alley.

2012 13th Birthday

None of us even broke 100!!

Then I had my husband take a picture of my boys and I.

2012 13th Birthday
The shortest one is the birthday boy - a new teenager!  The biggest one actually has a birthday in a week - he'll be 17!  If anyone knows the trick to making a teenager smile, let me know.

After seeing the picture, I decided the boys needed haircuts - they both look like they have had bowl cuts.  But the only way to get Erik there was to bribe him with the extra treatments - it's $5 for that warm towel and head massage - but he loved it!!

2012 13th Birthday

Now we are home and Erik is settled into the recliner,  hair a little shorter and spikier, PS3 remote in hand, playing a new game.

2012 13th Birthday


With this picture, you can see why I went the direction that I did with his birthday card!!


Epic Year

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.  I found this one really hard - that square piece under the circle gave me headaches.  But that's why they are "challenges"!


  • Stamps: Papertrey Trey Ink Boy Basics: Game One, Grunge Me
  • Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake CS and dsp, Pacific Point CS, Black CS
  • Ink: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Pacific Point, Basic Gray
  • Accessories: Stampin' Up Star Brads, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Nestabilities Circle dies


Friday, December 28, 2012

Instagram 2012....

Do you use instagram? I love it and I wanted to record me favourite memories from 2012, I decided to use a couple of Heidi Swapp Memory Files, a regular size and 2 minis.
I started by covering a plain clipboard with Sugar Chix pattern paper.
I then began with a sugar chic file folder and a mini vintage chic file folder.
My very good friend Chantalle designed my "2012 recorded on instagram" banner, thanks so much Chantalle.




 The mini Memory File opens up to reveal the first couple of months.
I used Heidi's digi month words, cut them on my Cameo and spritzed them in Mustard ColorShine.



  Inside the large Memory file, another banner created by my friend Chantalle.



A flair and baggie from Greatest View.

  Inside the baggie  more photos

Another Mini Memory File.




My most favourite and exciting Memory from 2012.


 I used PicMonkey a free online photo editing site to make my collage. I created several liftable flaps using pattern paper.








These photos sit on an acetate banner.
 
 My last page includes one of Heidi's  downloadable Christmas freebies.


Thanks for visiting, I'm excited to be sharing that later this week I am  flying out to  LA to attend my very first CHA, along with the other Media Team girls and Heidi, what an incredible experience. Im just sooooo honoured, I can't wait to share my memories with you all.
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