WOYWW!

It has been a LONG time since I participated in What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday over at The Stamping Ground.
I am working on a few projects but really wanted to show you my new storage items I got recently. It is amazing what a few new organizational items can do to a room!

First up is my new Cropper Hopper! I actually got two of them because they were on sale for 30 bucks at JoAnns and I also had a 30 dollar gift card to use so that was a double bonus!! My hubby also got me a new label maker which you can see I started labeling some of the drawers already. Very handy indeed!



Next is my storage unit for Copics, prismas and my other tools for blending, etc. I should probably decorate the sour cream container one of these days! LOL!
Picked this up at Hobby Lobby for 6 dollars using a 40 percent off coupon! Don't you just love a good deal?! :)



My loose ribbon was getting out of control so I got one of these ribbon rings I have been seeing around in blogland....LOVE IT and so pretty!! I have it hanging on a floor lamp next to my cutting station.



Finally this is my dollar store find. Perfect for holding those extra small bits of fiber that won't work in the ribbon ring.



Hope you enjoyed taking a peek into my craft room and hopefully it will inspire someone with some organizational ideas!

If you haven't already seen my very important post about my Aunt Jeanne that was diagnosed with breast cancer please click HERE!

Thank you!
-Stacie

Fixed Ornament

Keep forgetting to show this ornament I fixed. During Christmas at my MIL's one of my nephews (only 2) grabbed one of the glass bulbs and it busted to pieces. Luckily he didn't get cut! The ornament was from 1975 and it was the first of my MIL's collection which she started when she got married. I knew she was heartbroken but didn't want to make anyone feel bad so I took it home thinking I could try and fix it. Thank goodness it had the plastic wrap type image instead of the image actually painted on the glass! I spliced the plastic and then the next trick was finding a new glass ball the exact same size. Easier said than done (although after completing this project I found them at Hobby Lobby...go figure)!! So I thought this was a good opportunity to try something unique and I punched holes in the plastic with my cropadile and then weaved this lacy style ribbon through those holes while the glass ball was in the middle so I could tie it up....best part is I didn't even have to glue anything! :) She was very thankful I was able to save her ornament and loved the new design!





*Sorry for the black box reflection you see in the glass ball...it is from the opening of the light box!*

Tasty Tuesday!

Simple Baked Swai



Went to my local grocery store the other day and there was this fish on sale that I have never seen before called swai. Thought it looked similar to tilapia so thought I would give it a try. I usually pan saute tilapia but thought I would try a simple light breading for the swai and I must say it turned out marvelous! Very light and tasty! Went great with some asparagus and a multigrain roll too!

For the baked swai recipe click HERE!

2 Awards!

Received this "love" award from my pal Corry at Free 4 Ever! Thanks girl....love ya too! MWAH!!! :)

I am supposed to pass this onto 3-5 more people but I feel like breaking the rules so whomever wants to grab this and feel the love go right ahead!



Received this "magical" award from my pal Michelle at I Luv Scrapping! Thank you so much my dear!! BIG HUGS!

I am supposed to pick 5 people and say why I like them and their blogs.
Annmaree - For her funny since of humor, inspiring creations, and being like a sister to me from across the world!
Merry - For always being so sweet, for her awesome work with stickers (she is the queen!), and for being the first to accept/follow me on blogland!
Becky - For being so kind-hearted, sharing a love of cooking, introducing wonderful new creative ideas with all her different projects.
Corry - For being so genuine and honest, for your lovely coloring on all your projects, and for "protecting" me! :P
Jacque - For her positive attitude, stunning creations with lots of detail and her gift of always giving to others.

You ladies are ALL fabulous including Michelle that sent this to me. She is so giving and thoughtful and always has gorgeous scrapbook pages.

Thanks again to Corry and Michelle for the awards!!
You all rock!

Hugs!
-Stacie

Tasty Tuesday and Happy Australian Day!

With the huge time difference I do believe Australians are already celebrating and since I have a few very good pals that live there I thought I would wish all you over in Oz a Happy Australian Day!!

To tie this in even further my recipe this week is one I got from my buddy Annmaree at Emu Creations! She even sent me the wonderful Arnott's Choc Ripple Biscuits clear across the world so I could make this recipe!! I can NOT find these anywhere near where I live and I haven't found a good substitute either.....if anyone knows of one I would love to hear about it!!

So here it is....Arnott's Choc Ripple Cake!!!


** Sorry it was already half eaten before I remembered to take a picture ** It doesn't look as pretty as the recipe on the package but it still tastes great!!!

The company (Arnott's) does have a link to their recipe but for some reason it won't work here in the USA so HERE is the same recipe on a different site I found. ENJOY!!!

Glitterbabe Time!

Today our challenge is anything goes with sparkle! You can go directly to the challenge blog HERE!

Our sponsor this week is Pink Gem Designs and the winner will be able to pick out 4 digis as their prize!!
She has some really cute digis just like the one she graciously gave me to use on my card this week. The digi is called Peekaboo Marvin....how adorable!


You gotta be in it to win it so get in those craft rooms and start creating some magic! :)

Challenges:
Totally Gorjuss - Cuddly
Etsy Inspired: Modern Bird - Inspired by green and red colors in this piece of jewelry HERE!
Stamp, Scrap and Doodle Saturdays - Anything Goes
Fab N' Funky - Animal Magic
Paper Sundaes - Fav challenge of last year was #38...something from your stash! I used this paper which was one of the first I ever bought about a year and a half ago when I started paper crafting!
Penny's Challenge - Anything Goes

Tasty Tuesday!

The recipe for this week is Rum Cake!! A big hit around the holidays! You can also adjust this recipe according to how much rum you like....around my house we add a bit more! :P



Click HERE for the recipe!

No! No! Challenge At Stamping Vacation!

* Sorry for the delay my internet was down ALL day yesterday! I realize I depend on it way too much! LOL! *

Ready for an easy challenge? This certainly is it!! All you have to do is NOT do something....so this month it is NO TAGS!! Pretty easy right? You can go directly to the challenge HERE!

This is my card using stamps from our sponsor The Stamps of Life. The set I used is called HappyBday2You and it is sooooooo versatile!! I love it!



I used some scrap paper...cut out the balloons and embossed them with different folders for a unique texture. I didn't have ribbon to match my card so I used rusty hinge distress ink on some white ribbon....seemed to be a good match! Just for a little something extra I used black enamel accents for the balloon strings! I'm pretty happy with how this came out! :)

Before I get to the challenges I just want to thank you all for your wonderful comments ... I read each and every one of them and I appreciate them soooo much!!
BIG HUGS!!! :)

Now for the challenges:
Paper Sundaes - Circles
Top Tip Tuesday - Anything Goes
Tiffany Doodles - Sketch
Let's Ink It Up - Anything Goes
RRR - Something new plus ribbon (new embossing folder)

Tasty Tuesday and Tags!

Welcome back to Tasty Tuesday! Today I want to share something I made for my side and hubby's side of the family for Christmas plus a few extra for neighbors and the postal guy!

First I tried out a few different tags to see which one I liked better and which one was easier to reproduce quickly as I had to make several of them. All of them use the same stamp from Stampin' Up and I spritzed them with a green colored shimmerz. Then went around the edges with distress ink and finally topped them off with a snowflake and dew drop! Voila! Cute little tags to go with a gift! :)

On this tag I used flower soft on the bottom and puffy paint at the top....puffy paint took too long to dry. Yep, I get impatient!


This one uses some kind of glass....not the stuff I just posted about earlier today....but still made out of glass. Sorry can't remember the exact name but got it at Hobby Lobby. This one really sparkles (too bad you can't see it in the pic) and it was hubby's fav but I decided it probably wasn't the best idea to give with food....just in case! Always thinking of safety! :)


These are what I decided to go with ... nice and fluffy flowersoft on the top and bottom! I took a few different posed pics as I was pretty proud of them all! :)








Finally the yummy food!! BEER BREAD!!! I made two kinds....regular and my fav which is whole wheat with garlic and cheddar! YUM!! Goes great with soup during the winter!


This is what the final product looks like all packaged up and ready to hand out!


Now for the recipe!! It is soooooooooooooo difficult to make *chuckle*....a total of 3 ingredients!! LOL!! Yep, you read that right ONLY 3 INGREDIENTS!!!
Click HERE for the regular beer bread recipe and click HERE for the whole wheat version (I added some shredded cheese and garlic powder to mine). Now get to baking!! :)

Entering tags into the following challenges:
Top Tip Tuesday - Anything Goes
Whoopsi Daisy - No Designer Paper
Cupcake Craft - New (new technique, new shimmerz)
Phindy's Place - Distressing
Let's Ink It Up - Anything Goes

Distress Ink Chart

Sometimes packaging colors don't exactly match up with what the color looks like on paper so I did this little chart with all the distress ink colors I own. Hope it is useful for someone! You can click on the image for a better view.



I'm off for a grand date with the hubby before the snow storm arrives!! :)

-Stacie

Goodies in the mail! :)

This is what I got from my pal Corry some time ago .... sorry I'm just now getting around to posting it!! Isn't her card gorgeous? And I just love the paper, stamped images, lace and pins with beads! THANK YOU AGAIN!!



Here is a LOVELY stash of papers I got from my other pal Michelle. The papers are soooooo gorgeous and I also drooled over the beautiful flowers!! So pretty! And the stamp set is super cool too! THANK YOU!!!



I won this set of "Sweet Stuff" from Jacque and it was perfect for me as I love to cook/bake. It is a set of cookie cutters! Also some crafty goodness of a Magnolia stamp, ribbon, bling, and flowers! That canister she decorated is sooooo pretty!!! THANK YOU!!! ** Just a shout out that she regularly has sweet stuff on her blog so you might want to pop on over and check it out! **



Awhile ago I saw on someone's blog (can't remember who now) that you could sign up for the Colorbok Club and they would send you a free pack of paper. So I signed up thinking yeah right....just another scam to get my info. for SPAM/junk mail but maybe just maybe one day it might work! LOL! Usually nothing ever comes of it but this time lo and behold I got a pack of paper!!! It is really nice and I love the earthtones! It even has some glitter papers, sticker sheets and punch-outs!! THANK YOU COLORBOK!!!



Hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was filled with dusting, sweeping, cooking, laundry, dishes, etc. The same ole stuff that NEVER disappears! I'll take volunteers if anyone wants to take over the cleaning part for me....I'll even cook!! Anyone??? .............................ANYONE????............PRETTY PLEASE??!!!Yeah, didn't think that would get anyone screaming to come clean for me! It was worth a shot though! LOL! :P

-Stacie

Music Scrap Page

My husband and I decided to rock out with my nephew after his graduation! LOL!
For the upper right hand music note I used a brass embossing plate and just sponged black ink and then topped it off with a little shimmerz. I couldn't help myself I gotta add a little something but I still think it is manly! And next to it in fine print is a stamp saying rock on multiple times with stars between each phrase.
The stickers are popped up for dimension and I added a bit of tissue tape across one of the photos for added interest. Oh and I also used some 3D white enamel accents to add dots every so often on the flourishes. Let me know what you think....I'm still trying to get used to making scrap pages! There is ALOT more area to work with than a card and sometimes that seems difficult, but so far I am happy with what I have done.

Challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - Out with the old (tissue tape, shimmerz)
Delicious Doodles - New (used new items like stickers and 3D white enamel, also new techniques like sponging ink into brass embossing plate)

Snow Bunny!

*Please click to enlarge so you can see the embossed snowflakes at the top*
Winter Bunny and snowflake stamp I used for embossing are from Lawn Fawn Stamps
Background trees are from Stampin' Up

Challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - Out with the old (polar white flowersoft)
Sir Stampalot - A winter's tale
Lawnscaping - All about snow
Cupcake Craft - White is white
iCopic Color Challenge - Red, brown and cream (R46,E57,E53)
ABC DT Challenge - Baby it's cold outside

Glitterbabe Time!

For our first challenge of the new year we would like to see you follow a sketch!

Don't forget to add something sparkly!! Our sponsor this week is the Glitterbabe herself and she is offering up two images to the winner! And if you haven't already checked out the new store you really should...some fun new images!!! You can go directly to the challenge HERE! And the Glitterbabe's Art Store is HERE!

This is the card I came up with using the Glitterbabe image "cheers to you".



* Wanted to show you the shimmery background and dimension on the sentiment...I also added stickles to the glasses which I thought looked like bubbly champagne! *

Challenges:
Stamp Something - Glitter
Whoopsi Daisy - Anything
Creative Craft - New Year's Resolution (relax and have fun)
Fab N' Funky - Anything Goes
Simon Says - New Beginnings (New Year)
Crazy 4 Challenges - Celebrate
Bee Crafty - New Year
Creative Inspirations - Use something new (new image, new shimmerz, new black dimension glaze)
Paper Sundaes - Something new (same as above)

Vintage Santa 2!

Stamp is from Paper Inspirations

This is the same stamp that I used for Red Santa last week but wanted to make it more vintage feeling so tried black and vintage photo. Used a bit of raffia and that was all....I really like how this CAS card turned out! The best part is this can be reproduced quickly! :)

Challenge:
Fab N' Funky - Anything

Introducing...........TASTY TUESDAY!!

I didn't make any New Years Resolutions but instead I am going to make a list of small and big goals. One of my small goes is this idea. Last year I shared some recipes with you and everyone seemed to enjoy that so this year I thought I would dedicate one day a week to posting a new recipe. So every Tuesday will be TASTY TUESDAY!! :) Let me know what you think!!

Now for todays recipe!
Layered sundried tomato and artichoke spread

* Wanted to add that we tried this heated up and all mixed together and hubby and I both thought it tasted even better! *

You can find the recipe HERE courtesy of Kraft Foods!

Stamping Vacation's Build A Sketch!

The purpose of this challenge is to give you "pieces" to use like a puzzle and put together your very own sketch!

Here is a list of all the pieces you should have at this point if you have been following this challenge. If you are new, these are the pieces you need to cut (or you can just cut the pieces needed for this particular challenge):

#1 Black 5 1/2 x 4 1/4
#2 Gray 5 1/4 x 4
#3 White 3 1/8 square
#4 Black 2 1/2 circle
#5 Black 2 1/2 x 1 1/2
#6 Gray 5 1/2 x 1 1/4
#7 White 5 x 2 1/4
#8 White 3 5/8 x 1 3/4
#9 Black 1 7/8" scalloped square
#10 Black 1/2" scalloped strip
#11 Black 3 3/4 label panel
#12 Gray 3 1/2 x 1 1/4
#13 White 5 1/4 x 2 1/4
#14 Black 3 x 2 1/4 oval
#15 Gray 4 7/8 x 2 7/8
#16 Black 3 3/4 x 2 1/2

There will not be a new piece this time.
For this month we would like to see you use the following pieces:

#1
#2
#3
#9
#14
#15
This challenge is due February 4th. All entries will qualify for the prize drawing each month. You can go directly to this challenge by clicking HERE! I would LOVE to see some more of you over there....pretty please with a cherry on top! :)

This is my card using a stamp set kindly provided by The Stamps of Life, which is our sponsor for this month! The stamps are of great quality and very reasonably priced! The cupcake can be found in the set called "HappyBDay2You".


*The ticket and sentiment are from Whimsy Stamps.*

Challenges:
Crazy 4 Challenges - Celebrate Something
Creative Inspirations - Use something new (new ticket die and stamps)
Paper Sundaes - Use something new (same as above)
Kaboodle Doodle - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Your newest stamp (I have several new stamps and these are some of them).

Fresh Brewed Thank You!

Close-up of glossy accents on vase.

Image is from Fresh Brewed Designs

Challenges:
Aud Sentiments - Anything
Digital Tuesday - Anything
Cute Card Thursday - Thank You
C.R.A.F.T - Thank You
Allsorts - Thank You
Phindy's Place - Give Thanks

I've Been Tagged!!!

I have been tagged by Michelle and Annmaree! Thanks girls!! :)

Here are the answers to my 4 things list:

4 shows that I watch:
I pretty much DVR everything as I don't always have time to watch TV. Sometimes if I am home I do turn it on just for background noise but couldn't even tell you what was on! LOL!
Shows that I DVR: American Pickers, Pawn Stars, Hoarders, The Doctors and Hell's Kitchen! oops...that is 5.

4 things I'm passionate about:
Food, family, friends and crafting!

4 words/phrases I use alot:
Whatever (hubby hates that one!), I'm going to ponder on that, Holy Smokes, Seriously?

4 things I have learned from the past:
Value your "true friends" because they are hard to find
Treat others as you would want to be treated
There are consequences for what you say and do
Being happy is important physically and mentally

4 things you are looking forward to:
Finishing our new house
Getting more organized
Hopefully a vacation with DH this year
Making a list of goals and actually doing them!

4 things I did yesterday:
Made a card
Stayed in my jammies all day (hey I was on vacation and it was New Year's Day!)
Catched up watching some shows on the DVR
Made dinner (grilled pork chops using my new panini grill, sweet and sour red cabbage and twice baked potatoes....cookie/brownie and rice krispie treats for dessert)! YUM!

4 things I love about Winter:
The fireplace
Snow
Time off from work
Hot caramel apple cider with cool whip and cinnamon (yes, during the holidays I have a BIG sweet tooth!)

4 Places I would like to visit:
Australia
Africa
Alaska
China

Now I'm suppose to pass this on to 4 people!
Anyone that wants to give this a go please do so and leave a link so I can go visit you! :)

Hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about me!
Hugs!
-Stacie

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Wishing everyone a VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!!
Hope 2011 is good to all of you!

Pressies! PICTURE HEAVY POST!!!

Wanted to share pictures of the Christmas presents I received from family and friends.

This is from Stef (Glitterbabe)
* Such fun bits and bobs! THANK YOU for thinking of me! *


Cards from some blogging buddies!
* Thank you Dawn, Karen, Merry and Curt!!! You are all so sweet! *



This is from my hubbies grandma...we weren't supposed to get gifts for each other this year but she surprised us and had this over at my in-laws house! I have been wanting one since last Christmas and I have already used it and love it!!



This was my Chinese Christmas gift I took to my hubbies side of the family. Two years ago we decided to stop drawing names and do this instead. The first year I think it was a little mixed up because most of us really didn't know what kind of stuff to buy so this year I had a great idea! I found this funny saying online and stuffed money inside the cardboard of a TP roll and wrapped it up! Needless to say everyone wanted that gift and I was lucky enough to end up with my money back! :) Always take a gift that you want back! LOL!



This is from my DH! I have wanted to try making my own pasta for some time....not sure how well it will work but I hope it is something we can do regularly! If you have any pasta making tips please let me know!! :) The best thing about this is that he even said he would make it with me so that is a bonus to spend some quality time with the man I love doing exactly what I love....cooking!! And yes, those are choccies that you see! I have had the Belgium shells before but not the others....can't wait to give them a try!



This is from my MIL and FIL. I also got two gift cards which I didn't take a picture of but the best part of all was the lotto tickets!! The first one I scratched off I won 100 dollars!!! WOOT WOOT!!



Some mega fun crafting goodies from my mom, dad, sister, brother in law and nephew! Just look at all that goodness!! Excited to try my new Martha Punches that punch all over the page and I got some cool ones that have stamps included!! Oh and in case you have never tried the TH scissors...THEY ROCK!! I have been using them like mad for two days and they just cut like buttah through EZ Mount and rubber!!
* A BIG THANK YOU TO MY FAMILY AND HUBBIES FAMILY!!! :) *



This is from my bestest pal Annmaree over at Emu Creations!
I love it all ... even the gag gifts! LOL!


....and she even sent some hard candy made right in her hometown! Very tasty...so far my fav is the mixed fruit and orange! YUM!

* THANK YOU SO MUCH MY DEAR FRIEND!! *




BIG HUGS TO ALL!!!!!!!
-Stacie

Beer and Wine Christmas!

Image is from Glitterbabe's Art
Digi paper is from the Snow Fun pack of JLJ Designs

I told you I had a lot of stuff to share so hopefully you will stick with me through all these posts today!

Fragile...Must Be Italian!

Leg Lamp is from Glitterbabe's Art
Tag is from Lawn Fawn

This is the card I made for my hubby at Christmas! My husband and I love "The Christmas Story" movie and one of our fav parts is when the dad gets this prize! So of course if you have seen the movie you understand what I'm talking about with the sentiment on the front of my card and on the inside I put.....must be Italian! LMAO!! Too funny!! :P

I also want to mention that over at Glitterbabe's Art there are some new images and new freebies!! I have a link under my card to go to the shop!! Go check it out!

Challenges:
Digital Tuesday - Anything goes with digi
Aud Sentiments - Anything goes

Red Santa

Stamp is from Paper Inspirations

A card I made for a blogging friend! :) I decided to stamp santa with fired brick distress ink and then go over the bag with gold stickles to make it stand out a bit. Then added black flowersoft to his belt and colored his buckle gold. Put a piece of shiny gold ribbon behind the main image and some snowflake pieces in the corner with gold dew drops on top!

Challenges:
Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes
Southern Girls - Anything Goes
Meljens - Cold and Snowy
Stamping Vacation Color Combo - Red and gold

Simple Gift Card Holders

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Mine was really nice and I plan on sharing pics in another post later on to show you some pressies I received!
As promised I also still have some last minute Christmas stuff to show you...yeah yeah I know Christmas is over but I just have way more stuff to show you than I have time to post so it kind of gets dragged out a bit. There are worse things in life right?! :P

It has been awhile since I posted so I will start you off with something so simple...these gift card holders! Just cut a 4x7 piece of paper and I just guessed where to fold (that is how easy this is!!). Of course you will glue the bottom part you fold up...just the side edges though and NOT across the top (made that mistake a long time ago...doh!) Used a border punch to make it look a bit nicer and of course just stamped Merry Christmas on the top! You can do this for any occasion and it just makes a nice little way to present a gift card!



Sentiment is from a Lawn Fawn set

Please Read!

One of my blogging buddies, Nikki, recently lost her mother. You can read about it in her post HERE. What an amazing woman and so beautiful!! Truly an inspiration to live your life doing good for others!

Merry Christmas!!

This is our Christmas tree. The picture isn't the greatest but it was the best I could get. I had to basically get down on the floor because the tree is so tall and wide....and yes we have a ceiling fan in the way.....drives me bonkers!! But it won't be a problem in our new house...I will make sure of that!! LOL!

The rest of this week is pretty busy for me so I wanted to go ahead and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!! If you don't celebrate Christmas than I wish you a wonderful Happy Holiday whatever you may celebrate!! .... AND for those of you that don't celebrate at all then just have a happy day or if your one of those grouchy people I have seen at the store then bah-humbug back at ya!! I mean that as a joke of course!! :)

When I come back I have lots of stuff to share!! Cards, tags, recipes!!! Yes, there is always food in the equation with me! HEHE!

Okay, have fun and be safe everyone!!
-Stacie