Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you're all enjoying Thanksgiving. We aren't eating until 6:30 p.m., so we have just been having a kind of quiet, relaxing day around home.

Today's card is Happy Mail. My friend Becky sent it to me and I saved it to post on my blog today, because it is just perfect for the day. I'm not sure how she made the background, but it sure is pretty and I can guarantee you it was a messy process. Becky and I tease each other, because she thoroughly enjoys messy techniques and I tend to avoid them. : ) I took the close up shot so that you could see the background better and also the nice shading the Becky did on the pumpkins. The stamps Becky used are from her company My Paper Moon. Becky has free shipping within the USA on orders of $10 or more through November 30th if you use the coupon code: Turkeyo8 at check-out. Go do some shopping!!!

Like most of you, I have so much to be thankful for. But one thing that is really outstanding for me is that my eyes are remaining in remission. I had to have over two years of grueling treatments and some terrible side effects, but I'm happy to say that it was worth it in more ways than one. I have my eye sight and for 10 months now my eyes have been stable. But the best part is that through the hard times I grew closer to God and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!!!!

Is anyone going to brave the big shopping day tomorrow? I don't have enough courage to do so. I'm not much of a shopper even on regular days. But I did see a nice drawer unit that I would really like to have in the JoAnn's ad, so I'm hoping I can find someone that is going that way and will pick it up for me. I'm running out of storage space. I either need to craft faster or quit buying supplies. : )

Have a wonderful day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Goodie Pouches

Brrrrr!!!! It feels like the holidays are here. We have been having alot of cold weather this year. We will definitely get to wear a pretty sweater for Thanksgiving this year. Alot of years we don't even get to wear one for Christmas. The only problem with this is that I'm in the midst of losing weight and I don't have any sweaters in the size I'm wearing right now. Ten more pounds off and I'll be able to wear some pretty sweaters I have. That gives me something to work toward. Meanwhile I need to figure out something to wear tomorrow.

Do you like the goodies pouches? They hold quite a bit as you can see in the second photo. Cut a 7"x 9 1/2" piece of cardstock. Score it at 2 1/2" and 7". Use a circle punch to cut a 1/2 circle in the front panel. Adhere bottom & back flaps closed. I used Provo Craft Terrifically Tacky Tape (double stick red liner tape). Crimp the bottom of the pouch approx. 5/8". Decorate the front panel as desired. I cut a piece of white cardstock, scored all 4 edges with my Scor-pal to make it more finished looking, punched the corners with my SU ticket punch, stamped "Merry Christmas" with a My Paper Moon stamp, adhered two ornaments cut with my Sizzix ornament die and added two bows tied with 1/4 ribbon. I also added touches of Crystal Stickles to the ornaments.

Today's kid's craft is Paper Plate Santas. You will notice that the crafts I'm posting are very simple, but with a bit of thought they can be adapted for a child who needs more of a challenge. You will need: red construction paper, a paper plate, cotton balls, markers or crayons, glue, and scissors. On the paper plate draw santa's eyes, nose, and mouth. Brush some glue above his eyes and around his mouth and add cotton balls to form his eyebrows, mustache, and beard. Cut a triangle out of red construction paper for Santa's hat. Glue the hat to the top of the plate. Glue one cotton ball to the tip of the hat for a pom pom. Let dry.

***For an older child googly eyes would be fun. Also, they could cut a hat shape out rather than just a triangle. They could make Santa's cheeks rosey.

I hope to get a chance to slip on here tomorrow, but if I don't I wish you all a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Autumn Leaves

This week is whizzing by. Thanksgiving day will be here before I know it. The card in the photo above is a napkin card. They're a fun change from stamping once in ahwile. I'm not sure if you can see in the picture that there is a bit of glitter on the card. (If you click on the photo of the card and look at the larger size photo, you can see the glitter.)


I have two more recipes that I want to share with you for Thanksgiving.

Never Fail Pecan Pie

2 eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup dark corn syurp

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup pecan halves

1 unbaked 9" pie shell

Combine eggs, sugar, corn syurp, flour, salt & vanilla. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie shell. Cover pastry edges with foil to prevent excess browning. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 min. or until golden brown. Yield: 6-8 servings


This next recipe is from our friend kathy and we all fondly call it "Green Goop". I've seen similar recipes called Watergate Salad, but Kathy's recipe has a different ingredient and is much better.

Kathy's Green Goop : )

4 serving size instant pistachio pudding

Mini Marashmallows, according to how many you like

1 lg. can crushed pineapple

1 cup sour cream

12 oz. cool whip

Mix all ingredients together well and chill overnight.


If you have any questions, email me at webe34him@bellsouth.net or leave a comment.


Have a terrific day!!!!


Inky hugs!
Shelly

Thanksgiving Preparation

Are your plans all made for Thanksgiving? My sister-in-law always very graciously hosts the family dinner at her home. We're invited, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to bring yet. I guess I better find out pretty soon. : ) Usually she asks me to bring squash casserole, because my mother-in-law loves it. Today I'm going to share my recipe for squash casserole with you and give you several links to other blogs that have some great Thanksgiving recipes and crafts.


Squash Casserole - Serves 6
2lb. Zucchini Squash, diced
1/4 C chopped onion
1 C Shredded carrots
1 C Sour cream
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 lb. butter, softened
8 oz. pkg. Pepperidge Farm bread stuffing
Cook zucchini & onions 5 min. in boiling water. Drain.
Combine carrots, sour cream & soup. Mix well with squash & onions.
Mix soft butter & stuffing.
Line 8x13 pan with 1/2 of zucchini mixture. Top with 1/2 of stuffing mixture. Repeat layers.
Bake at 375 Degrees for 35 minutes.
This delicious recipe came from my Aunt Diane and has been a family favorite for many years. If you are watching your cholesterol, be sure to use low fat versions of the soup, sour cream and butter. I usually use low fat versions of the soup and sour cream, but for Thanksgiving I splurge and use real butter.
One of my favorite blogs to follow is Heartfelt Greetings. Amy on Heartfelt Greetings has been sharing some wonderful Thanksgiving recipes lately and I'm going to pass the links on to you.
This first one is for Crockpot Stuffing, so you can make extra stuffing without taking up space in your oven.
And this link is for Make-Ahead Gravy. A recipe for delicious gravy that you can make ahead of time, because we all know that there is never enough gravy.
The last link I want to share with you is from Donelda's blog, Wiggy's World. Donelda made some beautiful treats for at each place setting for her Thanksgiving table. When I saw these I thought that they would make nice place cards by adding a name to the tag.
I haven't asked in quite awhile, is there anything special I can pray about for you? If so, please email me at webe34him@bellsouth.net or leave a comment.
Have a fabulous day!!!
Inky hugs!
Shelly

They Look Good Enough to Eat

Hello friends. My daughter has been baking here today and it made me think of these gingerbreadmen ornaments that I like to make. They are fun to make. I like to make at least several of them at once if I'm going to take all of the stuff out. So I cut a sheet of cork to fit my Xyron and run it through, so that the back of my cork has adhesive on it. If you don't own a Xyron, you can use a sheet of double stick red liner adhesive or Peel n Stick Double Sided Adhesive by Therm O Web to add the adhesive to the back of your cork. Adhere a piece of tan cardstock to the back of the cork. Use cardstock that is 110# or heavier. Now it's time to cut your gingerbreadmen out with a Sizzix Gingerbread Man die. I used sharp scissors to cut my cork into individual pieces that fit better in my Sizzix before I cut the gingerbreadmen out. Next, use your favorite eyelet setting tool to add an eyelet at the top of the little guy's head. Now the fun part begins! Let your imagination go and decorate your gingerbreadmen. I'll share with you what I used. I chalked my around the outside edges of the body to make the little guy look "browned". The eyes are black beads that are flat on the back, the mouth is drawn with a permanent extra fine red marker, the cheeks are chalked, the trim at the wrist and ankles was done with Holly Stickles. The heart "buttons" are red heart punches with Icicle Stickles on them to look like sugar. Don't forget the gold cord for hanging your ornament on your tree. If you're sending these in the mail, be sure to put some stiff cardboard on each side, so that they don't get damaged. If you make some of these, please send me a link to the pictures. I'd love to see your version. : )

Here are instructions for an easy holiday kid's craft. Sorry I don't have a photo, but I think you can get the idea easily enough from the instructions.

Construction Paper Stockings: You'll need holiday color construction paper, cotton balls, glitter, scissors, glue, hole punch, ribbon or yarn. Cut a stocking shape out of construction paper. Brush glue on the top portion of the stocking and adhere cotton balls to make it look like fur. Make glue swirls and shapes on the stocking and decorate with glitter. Punch a hole in the top of the stocking and add ribbon or yarn as a hanger. ***For older children, you could cut a front and a back to the stocking and show them how to glue it together around the edges.

I'll try to add instructions for more simple children's crafts throughout the holidays. I know moms and grandmas are usually looking for something different for the kids to do when they are on school vacation.

Have a great day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Java Time

Hello everyone. I hope you're finding time to craft even though things are starting to pick up toward the holidays already. Seems hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only 9 days away.
The picture above is of an envelope that I made recently. Nothing fancy, but very cute. I use wallpaper samples to make the majority of my envelopes. Our local wallpaper store gives their old sample books away for free. It's an economical way to make envelopes and I'm keeping the sample books from going to the landfill. I use The Kreate-a-lope template by Green Sneakers for making my envelopes. It's so user friendly. You can visit their website at http://www.greensneakers.com/ . For envelopes like the one above, I use a printer label horizontally on the back side to address the envelope so that I don't ruin the picture. The post office accepts them just fine that way as long as you have your stamp on it. : ) If you want to address an envelope so that it would be vertical, it does cost extra to mail it that way.


The background paper for this coffee theme card was made by spraying a sheet of off white paper with water and crumpling it up. I smoothed it out and let it dry. Then I lightly ran the surface of my Sepia dye ink pad over the paper. The paper picked up the ink in the folds where it had been crumpled. Next I stamped coffee beans all over it with a stamp from My Paper Moon. Then I stamped Java with a stamp from Anita's and last came the Spatter stamp from My Paper Moon. I used sepia ink on all of the stamps. Everything else on the card is pretty self-explanatory. The inside of the card is stamped with a stamp by Heart & Soul Rubber stamps that says, "Java Happy Birthday!". I don't know who the rest of the stamps on the card are made by, because I received them in an image swap. An odd fact: I love the smell of coffee, but don't like the taste of it. I do enjoy using my coffee theme stamps though.


Have a terrific day!!!!


Inky hugs!
Shelly

Family Photos

I'm popping in here for a few minutes tonight to share some pictures of us with you. These were taken when we went out to celebrate our daughter, Lydia's 22nd birthday this week. In the lower photo Lydia and her dad are laughing about pinching each other. The upper photo is Lydia and me. We refrained from pinching each other. : ) In case you are wondering, Lydia is very tall, but not as tall as the shoes she's wearing in these photos make her appear.

If you have emailed me and I haven't replied, I will as soon I'm able to. I don't want anyone to think I'm ignoring them. Things have been a bit crazy around here. Life is going at a pace I am barely keeping up with even with using my strongest pain medicine.

I have a challenge for you this weekend. Go out of your way to do something nice for someone in your family and someone outside of your family. It can be something as simple as smiling at a tired sales clerk or complimenting someone that needs to be uplifted or maybe you have the means to do something that costs money for someone. That part doesn't really matter. What matters is that when you give from your heart to someone else, you will both be blessed.

Have a fantastic day!!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

P.S. Just out of curiousity, which one of us do you think Lydia looks like? To me she doesn't look distinctly like either of us, but more of a blend of the two.

A Celebration & A Memory

Happy Birthday to my daughter, Lydia. She's 22 today and a very special young lady. I am so proud of her.

This ATC is one that I made a long while back, but I saw the picture of it last night and it reminded me of a story about Lydia. When Lydia was a baby she was sick and the Dr. kept insisting it was cholic. Even as first time parents we knew that wasn't right and later found out that she was lactose intolerant and what I ate was making her sick, because she was nursed. But anyhow, one day I took her to get some of her early baby shots and she kept throwing up all over the two of us. I don't mean just a bit of baby spit up, I mean plastering us. I glanced up and noticed a couple watching me trying to cope with this and said, "Mom never told me there would be days like this.". It gave the whole waiting room a good laugh and helped relax me.

Have a wonderful birthday, Lydia!!!! I love you.

I need to run and finish up a few things in preparation for our little celebration for Lydia tonight. Among other things I have to declutter the living room so we can take birthday pictures. : )

Have a great day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

The Book of Me

Hello. I hope you have had a good day. It was a gorgeous day here in Florida. In fact it got up to 80F in the house this afternoon and I had to turn the air on.


This is a book I made for a swap recently. It is about "100 Things that Make Me Happy". I've always thought it would be fun to do something like this, but just never got around to it before. It was even more fun than I had anticipated! I ended up with over 100 things and had to make myself stop, because I had other projects that needed finished. The alphabet on the front of the book is a favorite - Rebecca Sower Nostalgiques Typewriter ABC set from EK Success. The stamp on the back of the book is from Heart & Soul Rubber Stamps. I like that saying. I believe you can find joy in a situation if you just look for it.

The first inside shot shows the book fully opened. It is a six page accordian book. The second inside shot shows a view of what a few of the pages look like close up.

After I was finished with the book and it was already promised to someone my daughter got to looking at it and wished she could have it. So I guess I'll get a chance to make another one. : ) It will be even more fun to make one knowing it is going to my daughter. There will be alot of things I can add to it that would be too hard to explain in a book for someone else.

I received the sweetest note from Martha about my blog today. Thanks Martha. You were so uplifting to me.

Have a terrific day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Christmas Packages

I can't beleive I let a whole week slip by without posting. It didn't seem like a week as busy as I've been. At this rate I won't have anybody reading my blog. The package above is a Christmas version of the gift package I told you how to make in an earlier post. My packages contain Homemade Oatmeal Milk Bath in different scents. If you would like the recipe for the milk bath, email me at webe34him@bellsouth.net or leave a comment. This package holds 1 1/4 oz. of milk bath.

These two packages also contain milk bath, only larger amounts. They're store bought boxes that I added pretty embellishments to. Inside I added a small loofah, shimmery paper shreds and instructions printed on gold mica paper.

I'll try get back to posting regularly. Though I won't make any promises, because I don't want to break them. : ) We have alot coming up. My dd turns 22 this week, then we go into Thanksgiving and preparation for Christmas.

Have a fabulous day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Metal Magnets

Happy Monday! I hope you're off to a great start to your week. Today I want to share with you the instructions for making metal magnets. Mine is made of copper, but you could use any type of metal that you can buy in sheet form.

Be sure to read the instruction all the way through before you start your project.

1. Using the Sizzix Slide Mount die, cut 1 slide mount out of a sheet of copper.
2. Run the copper slide mount through your Cuttlebug using the Tiny Mosaic embossing folder.
3. Cut a square of off white cardstock the same size as the slide mount.
4. Use a stipple brush to apply Sepia ink to the cardstock square.
5. Stamp your saying on the cardstock so that it will be centered in the window of the copper silde mount. I used a saying from the TAC Little Tidbits set.
6. Apply Terrifically Tacky Tape (double sided red liner tape) to the back of the copper slide mount.
7. Adhere the slide mount to the cardstock.
8. Cut a piece of brown cardstock slightly larger than the copper slide mount.
9. Apply Terrifically Tacky Tape to the off white cardstock on the back of the copper slide mount.
10. Adhere the brown cardstock to the back of the copper slide mount.
11. Cut around the edges of the brown cardstock with decorative edger scissors.
12. Attach 2 Prima flowers together with a coordinating brad.
13. Use E-6000 craft adhesive to adhere the flowers to the front of the copper slide mount.
14. Apply a self-adhesive magnet strip to the back of the copper slide mount.


If you have any questions, feel free to email me at webe34him@bellsouth.net or leave a comment by clicking on comments at the very end of this post.


I have some exciting news to share. Nancie Waterman of Vamp Stamp News Magazine asked permission to quote me in this month's issue of her magazine. Of course, I said yes. And guess what??? I won the drawing for 8 back issues of Vamp Stamp News!!! I'm really looking forward to them. They will keep me busy reading and trying new things for a long time. Thank you, Nancie.


Have a terrific day!!!


Inky hugs!
Shelly

More Fall Fun

I couldn't resist greeting you with this cute scarecrow today. He is from Avon and belongs to my daughter, but he happened to be at my house one day and I fell in love with him, so I took his picture. You'll notice that he's from the south - he says, "Y'all". : )

This card from Becky gave me a good laugh and it had a surprise inside for me too. The little ghost pops up when you open the card. Isn't that neat? I love Frankenstein's clothes. His pants are shimmery and so are the lapels and pockets of his jacket. : ) Thank you for the awesome happy mail, Becky.

Inky hugs!

Shelly