We are back to the cold weather of Wisconsin

Wow, it is cold here. We want to be back in Florida with the warm sunshine, palm trees, fresh oranges and tangerines, and the beach. It was so much fun, but also a lot to pack in to a very short time. We were only allowed a few short days out of school with all those kids, so we tried to do it all. I think we succeeded!

We did all four Disney Parks, Downtown Disney, a fresh fruit stand, and then off to Cocoa Beach for a day before heading home. I think we all loved the beach as much or more than the parks just because it was so relaxing. The weather was perfect...until we got off the plane in Minneapolis and into the cold. It was 1 degree there but by the time we got home it was -8 degrees. What a wake up!

Here we are at Epcot:And Magic Kingdom:
And here's the whole group in front of some wonderfully landscaped flowers at Magic Kingdom:I have a bunch of new pictures to get scrapped now, I better get downstairs and get going on them :) I have a bunch of new artwork photos to show you in the next few days, too, so stay tuned...

Happy Scrappin'

We're in Sunny Florida!

Oh my gosh-we have been so busy down here in Florida! The weather is a little cool, but we just keep thinking about the sub-zero temps back home in Wisconsin and then it feels a little warmer here :) It has been in the upper 60's to mid 70's, but when that sun goes down, it gets chilly. Today is supposed to be warmer, though.

It has been quite the trip as I get to watch some of these kids experience things for the first time such as plane rides, the ocean, being out of Wisconsin... I love watching them-it's magical!

We have already been to Downtown Disney (met up with Lynn's friend Kathy that we met when we were down here last July-she works at the T-Rex restaurant there), Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Today we are at Epcot and tomorrow we go to Magic Kingdom in the morning and then head out to Cocoa Beach in the afternoon. Yeah, the ocean!

Today I got to sleep in a little and take my time getting ready. The kids have their practice and performance to do today at Epcot. The adults can't go with them, so we are all going to take a shuttle over and meet them when they are done at Noon. It's kind of a nice break from all the kids, too...don't get me wrong, they are great kids, well-behaved and a lot of fun, but it's also nice to have a little quiet time, too :)

Well, I best be off to relax by the pool a little before we leave for Epcot-maybe I'll even eat a nice fresh orange, yummy :) We got to stop at a little fruit stand on our way to the hotel on Thursday. Fresh oranges, grapefruit and tangerines are the BEST!

Sunny Smiles,
Tammy

Demo Board swaps

Here are the Demo Board swaps that I received in the mail yesterday. Aren't they fabulous? We have some terrific artists on our team!

I already showed you my That's Amore demo board artwork. Here is more Emporium artwork, too.

Stardust artwork from Beth

Daydream papers from Heather-I have to say, I think this was my least favorite of the new paper packs, but Heather did a fantastic job with it-I love the paper once it's put to such good use!

And from Sheri, artwork using the Unforgettable papers.

Didn't I tell you we had fantastic artists?? Do you believe me now?

OK, off to finish up what needs to be done before we head out to Florida. 24 hours from now I will be in the air on the way...can't wait!

Happy Scrappin'

Emporium Layout

Here is another layout done with the Emporium paper pack. Once I got on a roll with this paper, I guess I couldn't stop. You will be seeing more with it yet, too. Today I need to work on a technique project. I can show that to you later tonight or tomorrow, just have to get it finished first.

My time is getting short and I still haven't packed anything yet. Me and my daughter are heading for Florida (high school band trip) Thursday morning (I may as well say Wednesday night because we have to be at the school by 2:30 am!!) Yikes! I better be completely ready before I go to bed on Wednesday night or I won't be awake enough to finish it Thursday morning. You won't be hearing from me for a couple of days, but when we get back...look out! I'll bombard you with photos.

I feel bad that I will be missing our Close To My Heart team's Art Day and Secret Sister reveal. That is always such a fun day full of learning and chit chat. Once I get home I will be able to show you some pictures of some of the things I made for my Secret Sister, too. I just haven't dared yet as she might just look here, too (Hi to my Secret Sister if you are reading this :)

OK, off to create some more today...

Happy Scrappin'

National Popcorn Day

Guess what day it is today. OK, besides Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is National Popcorn Day! I know, kinda corny (lol) I had to say that :) I did a little research on some little known holidays. I will bring you a new one each month. Does this mean you have to do a layout about popcorn? Only if you want to. I probably will not, however, it did get my mind thinking about it.

I remember way back when (the 'olden' days if you will) before I was married to my husband. He used to come over to our house some nights and we would just sit and watch movies (yeah, it was cheap). Well, you have to have popcorn when watching a movie. He used to LOVE our popcorn. What was so great about it, you ask? I didn't think anything was so special about it, but thinking back, it did taste the best. We popped it in Mom's old frying pan on top of the stove using oil in the pan. You'd have to keep shaking the pan and sliding it across the burner so it wouldn't burn. Then when it was done, you'd use a ton of real butter on it-and popcorn salt. It did taste pretty good! Dale used to come over and ask if we could make popcorn. It was especially good for a couple of years because my Dad decided he was going to grow popcorn in his garden. Well, if Dad said he was going to do something, he did it! It was really a pain for my sister and I, though, as we were the ones that had to do the work! After we picked it, it had to dry for what seemed like forever. Then it had to be shelled. Do you know how we did that? You guessed it...BY HAND! Do you have any idea how sore your hands would get from shelling all that popcorn by hand? I hated popcorn right about then, but when we finally got to pop some...that was a different story. It was the best tasting stuff on earth.

Wow, what memories National Popcorn Day has stirred up for me. Hopefully it will do the same for you.

Happy Scrappin'

Layout using Emporium papers

I was downstairs again today creating. Well, actually, today I 'had' to create as my club girls will be here tomorrow :) This is the layout they will be creating tomorrow at club. It uses the new Emporium paper pack. This is my favorite of the patterned papers in the kit.
Well, we are off to see some friends tonight.

Happy Scrappin'

Challenge page

It is even colder today than it was yesterday -27 degrees here. Brrrr! Sounds like another day to stay in and scrap :) There was no school yesterday because of the cold and wind chills, but so far today, school is just 2 hours late. My daughter is kind of whining right now as schools all around us have canceled today. I guess I don't blame her.

I got a lot accomplished yesterday. It was a very creative day around here! I can't show you all the layouts I got done yesterday, though. Here's why...One of the swaps I am involved in has us scrapping someone else's photos. That was fun to be able to scrap the events in someone else's life. I won't show those pages to you as it is to be a surprise to those people next weekend. I can show you afterwards, though. I am really excited though because one of them uses a technique I learned from our Art n Soul webisodes shown on my website. If you have not yet watched them, you need to go to my website and click on the CTMH TV link. There are many great tips, techniques, and projects to be learned there.

Here is one of the pages I got done for myself. This one was for another challenge I am in. My friend Katie got a group of scrappers together and started a 6 week challenge. We each pay $5 to join and have to create 2 layouts per week for 6 weeks. If you fail to complete them, it is a $1 charge per page not done. Not a huge money issue, but it gives us the incentive we sometimes need to get it in gear. For every page you do finish, you get your name thrown in the 'hat'. At the end of the challenge, we draw winners for cash prizes. In addition to this, we sometimes put other challenges into play. This week's challenge was to create an all white layout (using just a little bit of color if needed). This is what I came up with yesterday. It's hard to see in the photo, but the "C" has liquid glass on it and them sprinkled with just a little prisma glitter. I was going to add a touch of color to it, but decided to just leave it as is.

In fact, I challenge you to come up with an all white layout yourself. Email a picture of it to me (tammyhellstern@myctmh.com) and you will receive some blog candy from me :)Happy Scrappin'

Flip Album Recipe Book

Holy Smokes! It is soooo cold out today that they even canceled school. Our thermometer says -26 degrees. Factor in the windchill and they are telling us that it is -45 degrees! Brrrrrrrr!! Sounds like a good day to stay inside and scrapbook all day :) That is my plan. I may not even go outside to get the mail...the bills can wait :)I thought I would share a flip album that I made into a recipe book a while ago when my friend Carol retired from work. I used recipes contributed by a bunch of different people that we work with and included a photo of them with the recipes where I could. I made one of these for Carol, but since it was turning out so cute, I just had to make one for myself to keep, too! It is really an easy little album to make once you figure it out. I would be happy to share the instructions with you, just contact me and let me know you want them. I can also do this album as a workshop for you and your friends. I am here to make it faster, simpler, and easier for you!Also, since it is so cold, here are a couple of recipes to warm you up:

Spicy Cranberry Warmer

3 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 whole allspice
4 cups apple cider
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 cups cranberry juice

Simmer spices and apple cider, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and simmer 5 more minutes. Add cranberry juice and heat. Strain before serving.


Hot Buttered Rum

1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Cream all together and add:
1 pint softened vanilla ice cream

Freeze. To serve you will need
1 shot rum
2-4 Tbsp. mixture
fill cup with hot water

This one is sure to warm you all the way to your toes...just what we need on a day like today.

Happy Scrappin'

Valentine's Card

Isn't this a cute Valentine Card? It used some non-traditional colors for Valentine's Day. I used both the January 2009 Stamp of the Month"Moments in Time" and also the January special "Key to my Heart" papers and stamp set.

I also have another recipe for you. I made a wonderful Artichoke Dip. It is so good with beer bread or Wheat Thins crackers.

2 cans artichoke hearts (drained)
1 small can green chillies (diced)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

Mix together and spread into shallow dish. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Happy Scrappin'

Busy weekend

Whew, what a busy weekend. I had lots of different things going on and will have to share a little at a time or this post would end up 3 pages long :)

We had a great time yesterday when we went to see Dale's brother. He is in a group home and we really only see him once a year. His birthday is December 24 so we combine visits and bring him lots of presents. He loves to open them! This is Dale and his Dad with Tom.

Here is a simple little recipe for some cookies that I brought along to Tom's place yesterday.

Pumpkin Cookies

16 oz. can of pumpkin
2 spice cake mixes
1 bag of chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients and spoon onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Frosting:

1 stick butter
8 Tbsp (1/2 can) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup brown sugar
Cook till sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Let cool. Then add:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix and frost cooled cookies.

See, simple...if your oven works properly...side story here: I was making some Blu'bana Bread (look back to about October for that recipe) a couple of days ago and when it was baking it, it wouldn't get done. I had it in the oven about 20 minutes longer than usual and it still wasn't anywhere near done. I was getting so frustrated as I have been making this for years. Aarrgghh! Finally I decided that it must be my oven. I called our local appliance dealer and told him the problem. He was at my house less than 10 minutes later dropping off his thermometers that he used to check oven temps. He said he didn't have time to stay and adjust it, but he told me how to do it (just an electronic/push button deal). I proceeded to set my oven at different temps to check it out and lo and behold, it was off by 50 degrees! No wonder things weren't getting done the way they should and everything was taking longer than normal! I adjusted it and now it works perfectly! Thank you Dan!

On our way home last night, we stopped at our favorite little restaurant for supper with Dale's parents. Bona Casa has the most fabulous Italian pasta on earth. Everyone around our area goes to Bona to eat and loves it. In fact, they even sell their pasta by the roaster-full and lots of people around here have that for graduation or confirmation type parties. Yum! We even have our leftovers in the frig for dinner today :)




























Happy Scrappin'

Calendar card

Here is what kept me busy the other day-I made this cute little calendar card using the January Stamp of the Month from Close To My Heart. It is called Moments in Time and has all the months, days, years, etc. included. I used all the different months to create this little calendar card. You just turn it around to get to the next set of 3 months then flip it 'inside-out' to get at the other 6 months.

Supply list:
D1339 Moments in Time
B1319 Four Seasons
x7103B Aspen Level 2 Paper Pack
X7094B Paper Garden Level 2 Paper Pack
X74101B Magic Moments Level 2 Paper Pack
X7082B Expedition Level 2 paper Pack
and lots of coordinating inks

As always, all of these products are available in our catalog or you can contact me to get them. Click on the Idea Book and Catalog on the left side of my blog to contact me.

Happy Scrappin'

That's Amore artwork

Here is the artwork I made for our demo board swap. I took some pictures before I mailed it out to our swap coordinator, Liz. I used the new paper pack "That's Amore." It is some beautiful paper and I can't wait to use it on some more projects.

12 x 12 two page layout:6 x 6 card:4 1/4 x 5 1/2 Standard card:4 x 4 Mini Album using our Metal Foundry Frames:Here's the inside of the mini album showing the pockets/tags:I will show you artwork using the rest of the new paper packs when I receive the swap back.

Happy Scrappin'

Our new family member

We have a new family member in our house. I know, I know, I said no more and once our Punkin was gone, that it! No more pets! I guess my daughter and husband had sad puppy-dog eyes and made me cave. Well, really I felt sorry for little Barney. Here's the story...
One day when Rhonda and Dale were delivering hay to someone, they came home with a mamma cat and her kitten. Well, that was just fine with me as we really did need a mouser or two out in the barn. That was worked out great for a couple of months...until last weekend. While they were out loading up a big load of hay, the mamma cat got run over. Here's the part where I felt sorry for little Barney. He lost his mamma. Now who wouldn't feel bad for the little guy. He is so friendly and cuddly. (Yes, these are some of the things I heard from Dale and Rhonda.) Well, I caved and let him in the house last weekend.

Now, if we can just get him litterbox trained. It is going well, I think we've done it. I did say that if that didn't happen, he was going back out! He is so snuggly, in fact he's sleeping on my lap now as I post this to my blog. We just have to reassure the other cat that we still love him, too :)









I have been busy working downstairs and I promise, I will post pictures of the swap I am finishing before I mail it out (either later today or tomorrow).

Happy Scrappin'

My 2009 calendar is complete

This was so much fun to put together and really easy as the pages are all swap items that I received back from the group. I made 12 of the January page (and page topper) and sent them in to our swap coordinator and received back one of each month. How's that for thinking smarter not harder. I absolutely love doing our team swaps. We have some awesome artists in our group-they always amaze me. I am always getting new ideas from them. So, without further ado, here is my 2009 calendar:



I made the January page and my friend Sheri made February.








March was from Jennifer Z. and April by Anna.











I'm not sure who did May as there wasn't a name on it and Sheri did June.







Jen B. made July and Val made August.











September was made my Jen B. and October was from Lynn.







Kim sent in November and again, I'm not sure who did December as there wasn't a name on that one either.

Isn't this some great artwork?







I was so inspired by all of this artwork that I also put together my 2009 weekly planner. Here are some pictures of that, too. I used the Perfect Day paper pack for the cover. I didn't like this paper so much when I first saw it, but boy, I sure like it now. The more artwork I see with it, the more I like it (as is true with a lot of the papers for me).





Here is a peek at the inside of my planner. I did the whole thing using the monthly word puzzle stamp sets.


In fact, this has spawned a new idea for me. I'm thinking about doing a Calendar Days workshop for you to be able to make a calendar such as this for yourself. I will have to think a little more on it and get back to you with the details about it.

Happy Scrappin'