Funday Friday - In the Garden

I have to apologize for my post being late today. I had oral surgery this week to start preparing for two implants and I totally thought it would be "no big deal". I couldn't have been more wrong - lol! I am healing well but I have one chipmunk cheek still and am still taking pain meds so I have been out of it a bit this week.

This week is FFC #56 and this week's Challenge is:

“In the Garden”

Create a card, layout or project with a Garden theme!

 Our sponsors this week is:

Stamping Chef & Bugaboo

Make sure to play along this week~

you don’t want to miss your chance for a great prize!

 Starts: Friday, June 27th12:00 AM (eastern time)

Ends: Friday, July 4th 6:00 PM (eastern time)

Here is what I have for this week's challenge:

I colored in the stamped image with my SU markers and then softened the lines with the water color pen. I went back over the flower a little with marker after the water dried to darken up the center to give a little dimension. One of the things I like about this sentiment is it's versatility - you can use it for a birthday, thinking of you, almost any reason you have to drop someone a card to let them  know you are thinking of them.

Make sure to stop by my DT sister's blogs to

check out what they made for this challenge.

Jo'sScrap Shack

Tina'sScrap Corner

MoeCreations

Confessionsof a DeNami Stamp Addict

Mayra'sDesigns

ALittle Bit of Kellie

Craftsby Amanda

  Now my friends, it is YOUR turn to show us

what you can do for this challenge!

Just link up using our link up tool at the bottom of this post for your chance to win top 3 and get entered into our monthly prize drawing.

What do you need to do to enter? The rules are simple…

Challenge Rules

1. Please post a direct link to your card/project post that includes your
challenge, using the linky tool below.

2. Be sure to include a link back to our challenge

3. Three (3) entries per person and you must post a separate blog post for each entry.

4. All entries must be NEW and created for the current challenge.

5. You may combine with other challenges as long as
you link back to us in your post.

 * All entries that do not meet the challenge requirements will not be eligible for
the top 3 or random/monthly wins.

The monthly prize drawings will only be mailed within the US and Canada only

You have until July 4th at 6:00 PM (eastern) time to link up. All winners will be announced on Monday, July 7th.

Have fun and we look forward to seeing what you create!

Simply Saturday

I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday! Here's a cute and quick card I did at the Stampin' Up! fundraiser for my church.

I think this is just too stinkin' cute! I would have never purchased this stamp set prior to making this card....but now it's too cute to not have. And I just love, love, love the googly eyes! There is something about googly eyes that just tickles me silly. And you could put any saying with the card and easily make it in masculine colors and a hat for a guy.

Thanks for stopping by on this Simply Saturday - where Simple can be Stunning!
Joyce

Funday Friday & Some Summer Fun!

It's my favorite day of the week and it's another Funday Friday Challenge.
This week is FFC #55 and this week's Challenge is:

“Summer Fun”

Create a card, layout or project with some Summer Fun!

 Our sponsors this week is:

Stamp Art

Make sure to play along this week~

you don’t want to miss your chance for a great prize!

 Starts: Friday, June 20th12:00 AM (eastern time)

Ends: Friday, June 27th 6:00 PM (eastern time)

Here is what I have for this week's challenge:

So this is not the card I originally had planned. But we all know what happens to the best laid plans...lol! It's been a tough week. I am running my first scrapbooking crop on Saturday and have been going crazy with all the last minute plans. Plus checking and re-checking everything I have together because I want to get it perfect! The seating chart, the food, the goodie bags, the raffle tickets....everything. And I think I am driving myself crazy with it. The next one has to be easier (phew!). Then our a/c died and the new one goes in on Tuesday. So with the heat the past few days I've had to get my mom out of the house every night after work and into a/c for as many hours as I can. (She has plenty of places to go during the day with a/c but insists "she's fine"...and I figure I will be just like her when I'm old too...lol!) 

So I have actually "cheated" and used a card I made about two months ago so I could get you a post for the challenge. In my yard my own flowers are up and blooming so I'm enjoying the beauty that summer brings so that is why I choose this card. The grass was easy peasy to create using the SU fringe scissors. The flowers are made from SU punches and I just used my stylus to draw lines down each petal to create the daffodil look. Cute isn't it! 

Our daffodils may have bloomed and died already,
but our new rose bush is doing beautifully! 

Make sure to stop by my DT sister's blogs to

check out what they made for this challenge.

Jo'sScrap Shack

Tina'sScrap Corner

MoeCreations

Confessionsof a DeNami Stamp Addict

Mayra'sDesigns

ALittle Bit of Kellie

Craftsby Amanda

  Now my friends, it is YOUR turn to show us

what you can do for this challenge!

Just link up using our link up tool at the bottom of this post for your chance to win top 3 and get entered into our monthly prize drawing.

What do you need to do to enter? The rules are simple…

Challenge Rules

1. Please post a direct link to your card/project post that includes your
challenge, using the linky tool below.

2. Be sure to include a link back to our challenge

3. Three (3) entries per person and you must post a separate blog post for each entry.

4. All entries must be NEW and created for the current challenge.

5. You may combine with other challenges as long as
you link back to us in your post.

 * All entries that do not meet the challenge requirements will not be eligible for
the top 3 or random/monthly wins.

The monthly prize drawings will only be mailed within the US and Canada only

You have until June 27th at 6:00 PM (eastern) time to link up. All winners will be announced on Monday, June 30th.

Have fun and we look forward to seeing what you create!

Simply Saturday

Today is a very simple scrapbook layout that I have gotten a lot of compliments on. To me it's just simply sweet :) 

I usually don't buy laser cut layouts. Partially due to the cost and partially due to the fact that I usually only see them at the Scrapbook Expo when it's in town and I am so overwhelmed on what to buy they somehow fall to the end of my list! But at the Buggies and Buds Shop Hop last year our last stop was Forever More Scrapbooks in Gettysburg, PA. Earlier in the year my friend and I had a Groupon to go to the Hershey Museum for a chocolate taste tasting - talk about chocolate overload - it was heaven! I have never done chocolate shots before...I am getting in a chocolate ramble...  Anyway when I saw this layout I just thought it was super cute and would make a perfect addition to the many pictures I had taken that day.  The journaling is on another page as the whole weekend became a four page layout. 

Enjoy the simple side of life! 

Joyce

Funday Friday!

Happy Friday the 13th and welcome to another Funday Friday Challenge. 

This week's Challenge is:

“I Love You Dad”

Create a card, layout or project for your dad!

 Our sponsors this week is:

Bugaboo

Make sure to play along this week~

you don’t want to miss your chance for a great prize!

 Starts: Friday, June 13th 12:00 AM (eastern time)

Ends: Friday, June 20th 6:00 PM (eastern time)

Here is what I created for this week's challenge:

I choose the adorable dog block set from Bugaboo to create my card. Ironically, my background paper is some Cloud 9 paper from my stash called Sparkle Kitty Circles...guess it works great for dogs too...lol! I made three slightly different cards and ran into a slight problem...my dog knocking my favorite card off the craft table while the stickles were drying :(  Well I guess I learned my lesson on that one and have smeared stickles to show for it. He is ultra curious so I should have known better. But here are the other two cards I created.

As you can see...smeared stickles on the first block :(   This one is one solid flap instead of individual flaps. 

All the dogs on the top flaps have black stickles on their noses since dogs have wet noses. I was going to use my Glossy Accents but couldn't find my new bottle.

I realized I don't have a Father's Day sentiment stamp, just a teeny, tiny "Dearest Dad" stamp so I left room to add a Happy Father's Day stamp (which I will need to go buy...). But I wanted to make something that would be cute for a kid to give their dad for Father's Day. When I thought of what types of cards were fun when I was a kid I thought of the ones that had a flap to look under, so I created flaps on the front of my cards. Plus the dog block set comes with so many cute blocks I wanted to use them all! I used all but one of the blocks that came with the set.

Make sure to stop by my DT sister's blogs to
check out what they made for this challenge.

Jo'sScrap Shack

Tina'sScrap Corner

MoeCreations

Confessionsof a DeNami Stamp Addict

Mayra'sDesigns

ALittle Bit of Kellie

Craftsby Amanda

  Now my friends, it is YOUR turn to show us

what you can do for this challenge!

Just link up using our link up tool at the bottom of this post for your chance to win top 3 and get entered into our monthly prize drawing.

What do you need to do to enter? The rules are simple…

Challenge Rules

1. Please post a direct link to your card/project post that includes your
challenge, using the linky tool below.

2. Be sure to include a link back to our challenge

3. Three (3) entries per person and you must post a separate blog post for each entry.

4. All entries must be NEW and created for the current challenge.

5. You may combine with other challenges as long as
you link back to us in your post.

 * All entries that do not meet the challenge requirements will not be eligible for
the top 3 or random/monthly wins.

The monthly prize drawings will only be mailed within the US and Canada only

You have until June 20th at 6:00 PM (eastern) time to link up. All winners will be announced on Monday, June 23rd.

Have fun and we look forward to seeing what you create!

Tasty Tuesday

This has become one of my favorite quick and easy lunches. The picture does not do the taste justice!

I'm sure you're wondering - what the heck is it!! And it's a very small portion! Have no fear, it's at least half eaten if not more. I totally forgot to take a picture when I first prepared the dish....and honestly, I didn't expect to really enjoy it...lol! It's a combination of pear, brie cheese and dates with a basil balsamic vinaigrette drizzled over the top. There were a few crackers on the side but those are long gone...I love my carbs. This came about because I have been trying different food delivery companies like Taste Guru, Nature's Box and Graze looking for different types of gluten free products and snacks for my mom. In the Taste Guru box one month we received a package of dates. When I saw it I thought...yup, dates are naturally gluten free but what the heck am I going to do with these??? I am not really a "date person"....pitted or not pitted. But luckily for a me a few recipes came with my box. So Sunday afternoon I decided to try the recipe and see how it was. My philosophy is...I'll try almost any recipe and if it doesn't work out, that's what pizza delivery is for! (And boy does my niece have a story for you of my worst failed recipe...) This turned out to be really tasty and it's definitely on the "make again" list. Just cut everything up and drizzle with the vinaigrette. I think would be really good with some of the different gourmet vinaigrettes on the market now too.  Even if you're like me and not a "date person" you definitely want to try this recipe!

Tasty Blessings!
Joyce

Simply Saturday

I think it's time for a "Simply Saturday". Now I'm sure you're all wondering, what is Simply Saturday? If you're like me, I love digging in and getting inky up to my elbows in cardmaking and papercrafting. I could spend hours on just one project, card, layout or 3-D project - and I truly have! But some days I prefer to have a quick card to make. Something that I don't have to think too hard on, especially after a long day. But the crafting always relaxes me, so a quick card or project is the perfect way to end the day some days. 

Here's a quick SU card I made at fundraiser for my church. 

I think it's very simple, but very lovely at the same time. It's the same stamp on each side of the card, just in opposite directions. And the butterfly is punched from matching cardstock. Add few pearls down the middle of the butterfly and a simple sentiment - perfect! 

Thanks for stopping by on this Simply Saturday - where Simple can be Stunning!
Joyce

Funday Friday - And Anything Goes!

Welcome to another Funday Friday Challenge. 

This week's Challenge is:

“Anything Goes”

Create a card, layout or project of your choice!

 Our sponsors this week is:

Paper Nest Dolls

Make sure to play along this week~

you don’t want to miss a chance for a great prize!

 Starts: Friday, June 6th 12:00 AM (eastern time)

Ends: Friday, June 13th 6:00 PM (eastern time)

Here is what I created for this week's challenge:

It's really a simple card - and it was soooo much fun to make! I love using the Fringe Scissors from SU. I just took a range of shades and snipped it with the scissors. I left about a 1/4" or so at the top of each so each layer was easy to adhere to the card. The very top layer I trimmed off a little bit and added the ruffled ribbon to cover up the edge. Add any sentiment, a flower and some bling...and presto...an adorable card!

Make sure to stop by my DT sister's blogs to
check out what they made for this challenge.

Jo'sScrap Shack

Tina'sScrap Corner

MoeCreations

Confessionsof a DeNami Stamp Addict

Mayra'sDesigns

ALittle Bit of Kellie

Craftsby Amanda

  Now my friends, it is YOUR turn to show us

what you can do for this challenge!

Just link up using our link up tool at the bottom of this post for your chance to win top 3 and get entered into our monthly prize drawing.

What do you need to do to enter? The rules are simple…

Challenge Rules

1. Please post a direct link to your card/project post that includes your
challenge, using the linky tool below.

2. Be sure to include a link back to our challenge

3. Three (3) entries per person and you must post a separate blog post for each entry.

4. All entries must be NEW and created for the current challenge.

5. You may combine with other challenges as long as
you link back to us in your post.

 * All entries that do not meet the challenge requirements will not be eligible for
the top 3 or random/monthly wins.

The monthly prize drawings will only be mailed within the US and Canada only

You have until June 13th at 6:00 PM (eastern) time to link up. All winners will be announced on Monday, June 16th.

Have fun and we look forward to seeing what you create!

Latte Love!

So I just have to share my latest toy with everyone...a new kitchen gadget! The Mr. Coffee cafe latte. My sister subscribes to (I think) the Kindle specials of the day and grabbed this delicious machine for only $20 for me!

 And here is the cafe latte out of the box on my counter...making my first two lattes!

 Yes I made myself a double, we are serious coffee drinkers around here. Although it is 8 pm so I could be up half the night...lol! It's the easiest latte maker, just add any milk to the fill line in the pitcher and any type of coffee or espresso in the top, water in the back - and presto - a delicious latte!

And here is my cup of heaven :)

It also came with a recipe book with lots of recipes and even hot cocoa recipes. I can't wait to try each and everyone one of them!

Love you all a Latte!
Joyce

Tasty Tuesday

Want a quick fun dish both you and the kids will love? There is something about corn dogs that I just love! It's like being a kid again when I eat these :)

Delicious Corn Dog Muffins

And here is the recipe right from the Tastefully Simple website....

Ingredients

• Perfect Parmesan Biscuit Mix 

  add to cart
• ⅔ cup cold water
• ⅔ cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 oz. Velveeta®, cut into 24 small cubes
• 4 hotdogs cut into 6 pieces each or use 12 mini dogs cut in half
• Mustard of your choice

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine first 3 ingredients; stir until moistened. Divide mixture evenly into 24 greased mini muffin pan cups. Press 1 piece of hot dog and 1 piece of cheese into batter of each muffin cup. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with mustard. Makes 24 mini muffins.

Tips and Hints

• It's very easy to chop hotdogs if you cut them into 4 strips lengthwise and then chop them the short way.
• If you'd like to mix it up, try a different type of shredded cheese. If you love spicy try some pepper jack!
• There's a ton of flavor because of the cheese so if you don't like mustard don't worry about it!
• These are great breakfast biscuits with breakfast meats mixed in. The next time you want a quick, yummy breakfast, mix in some different meat, and serve them with a side of scrambled eggs and orange juice!

I hope you enjoy this Tasty Tuesday as much as I do!
Joyce