Birthday Blessings

Two postings in the one day, this will be a first...this card is for my mother-in-law for her 80th birthday.  It's another cased card by another favourite blogger No Time To Stamp; thanks Sharon.  She does some amazing cards and and has some great stuff to add to your wish list.  But I think her biggest favourite is her love of beautiful ribbons which are a delight to work with.  The one opposite is 1.25" Ivory pure silk and I used the large bow easy to make it.  If you zoom in you can see it is a double bow.

This was a large card (base 14 x 21 cm) due to the 'birthday blessings' sentiment (9 x8.5 cm) which was stamped in Night of Navy on Very Vanilla c/s.  The DSP is called Blue Awning and Sharon has the matching adhesive flowers which really do the card justice.  The little cut out in the top LH corner was a spellbinders die called Vintage Dies, there are 4 in the set and each are 2" x 2". I have been wanting to have a go at these for a while; they are excellent and to make it even better I purchased some time ago a little machine called a Xyron that turns them into stickers.  It takes cut outs up to 1.5" wide and you simply drop your cut out, right side up, down a little slot, pull on the tape at the other end and it draws your cut out through and places adhesive on the back of it....absolutely brillant for these fiddly little morsels.  I also had a go at using my new scallop trim punch too....just on the corners.  On the inside of the card I placed a strip of the blue poka dot DSP across the bottom, about 3cm in width, and placed in the centre of this a repeat of the spellbinder cut outs.  So yes as you can see I've had a great time in my little space of the house.

Thanks for dropping by, take care and keep smiling.....Ann

Just for you...Just Believe

My goodness it seems that long since I've actually made a card and posted on my blog, that for a minute there I completely forgot the process....has that happened to you??  DH has been away with work and of course I took the opportunity to stay up until midnight most nights catching up on some cleaning, ironing and more importantly creating, reading and learning how to use some new additions to my growing stamping collection.

This gorgeous simple card was made using the SU set called 'Just Believe'.  I absolutely love it!  This little creation was cased from one of my favourite sites Me, My Stamps and I, also found in the blogs I follow; thanks Chat.  It was Chat's October kit which I purchased and reproduced just to get back into the knack of making a card again.  Presently I'm feeling pretty flat, just tired, but so want to create and find casing a card for me, is the best way to go....at least something gets made.

Both these cards are exactly the same.  Both use the Woodland Walk DSP.  Products used were Very Vanilla as the base card, then topped with Kraft and then Very Vanilla embossed using the square lattice folder.  The four squares were Chocolate Chip c/s with the lovely Woodland Walk DSP.  It's topped off with the centre floral stamp and I used flowers from another set which I cut out and topped with an adhesive pearl, but Chat has used the itty bitty punch for her flowers - mine's in the mail!  The centre piece is also raised with a dimension as is the scallop oval on the top centre piece.  The top centre piece is made using the oval and scallop punches with the modern label punch carrying the sentiment.  It all comes together with a little chocolate chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon.  Hope you like it.  Take care and keep smiling....Ann

Happy Birthday - Let's rock!

Let the music rock on....a birthday card for a special son who loves his music and does DJ-ing as a sideline.

A very simple design and I would have loved a little more time to play.  The base card was black cardstock highlighted with the music theme DSP purchased locally, some black grosgrain ribbon with the beautiful spellbinder die made from some at home rusty red cardstock, then the cirle and scallop necessability cutouts were added with a dimension and of course a couple of black adhesive pearls to help balance it all out.

I jazzed up the back flap of the envelope with the DSP. Just place a little glue to hold paper on flap and then trim around.  Really makes a difference.  Another idea I've tried is to run the envelope flap through my bigshot placing the flap in an embossing folder, now that really does look nice!

Another alternative design to the above would be to do a card around the 10 or 12 cm square, just play around with sizing to see what suits you.  Place the DSP on two-thirds of the front and place a series of scor lines on the black cardstock at the bottom.  Attach your ribbon and centre pieces.  This way I think the card would be more balanced and it would soften the starkness of the white background of the DSP.  What do you think....would love to hear your ideas?

Thanks for stopping by....take care and keep smiling...regards, Ann

Happy Father's Day

Oh how good if feels to make a card after what feels like such a long time.

It's an exciting time for DH and me as our eldest son is celebrating his first Father's Day on Sunday. The cards are made using the SU Build-A-Roo stamp set which I love. The text on Mark's card (right) was done in MS Publisher using the WordArt feature.  I had intended typing Happy First Father's Day but didn't want to take the limelight away from his partner Amy.  My hubby's card uses one of the arched quote stamps - the set comes with a great assortment of extra stamps for versatility.

The colour of the cards is real red with a textured grey cardstock; I'm disappointed with the photo though as they look more orange than red, but believe me the colour combo looks great - zoom in on them and they'll almost jump out at you!

I stamped the image twice using Staz On Jet Black which always gives a crisp result, and then glued the top roo on but left the hands, ears, nose and tail end free.  The hearts are stamped onto real red and then snipped out and adhered with a SU dimension and then the finishing touches of the self adhesive red kaiser pearl and stay put bow - this link will show you a great tutorial on the stay put bow http://wannastamp.blogspot.com/2007/11/stay-put-bow-video-and-blog-candy.html

Thanks for taking a peep and I hope your Father's Day is a memorable one.....Take care and keep smiling, Ann

Lamb Shank & Vegetable Soup

Another quick but delicious recipe.  It is a full bodied soup that is just wonderful for those cooler winter nights or ideal for a weekend when you want a little more time for you.  I made mine on low in the slow cooker which made it so simple.  Just prepare and press the button. 

Ingredients (serves 6)

4 lamb shanks, french trimmed
3 celery sticks, trimmed, cut into 1cm pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1 cm pieces
1 (about 300g) swede, peeled, cut into 1cm pieces
1 (about 160g) parsnip, peeled, cut into 1cm cubes
2 x 420g cans condensed tomato soup
1.5L (6 cups) cold water
1/3 cup loosely packed coarsely chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Combine lamb shanks, celery, carrot, swede, parsnip, tomato soup and water in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 2-1/4 hours or until lamb is tender and falling away from the bone.

Remove from heat and stir in parsley.  Use tongs to remove the bones.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Ladle soup into bowls and serve with crusty bread, if desired. 

If you can't get the french trimmed shanks use untrimmed but you will find there will be more fat in the soup.  You can let it stand overnight if preferred and then scoup this off.  I serve it with a sliced turkish loaf topped with grated parmesan cheese which has been lightly grilled.  Bon Appetite!

Home made oven-baked muesli - yummo!

Gosh where has the time gone....my apologies but life has been a bit hectic, as it is for us all at times.  I haven't made a card in what seems like months; actually bought one the other day for my son's birthday.  I must have enough pretties to make enough cards for family and friends for the next 20 years! LOL ...  I have been spoiling myself with some special purchases from the US to add to my ever growing stash so keep posted...oh how I love to see a parcel on the doorstep when I arrive home.

Spring can't come quick enough for me; the flowers are blooming, birds chirping happily, the air gets warmer, clothing layers can be lessened after being hidden under cozy wool sweaters and jeans for months and months, and there's a certain excitement in the air and of course daylight saving....I just love that extra hour after work. 

I have been wanting to convert more into using homemade cleaning products and to see if they worked as well as the ones I buy with all the chemicals.  I had a go at making my own washing powder - super easy - and yes it does work.  I used vinegar as my softener and the towels were lovely and soft.  Oh how I wish I'd known about this when my children were young - I would have saved thousands!  I got the recipe from 'Down to Earth' which is here http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2007/08/various-recipes-for-green-cleaning.html.  The silver cleaning with the aluminium foil is amazing too.  I also use vinegar in my mop bucket now in place of purchased floor cleaner.  I also would love to have a go at homemade soap, so that's on the list of projects as well.  I've joined a couple of beginner knitting classes at Jellywares on Marshall recently; a great shop to call into and you can always be assured of a warm welcome from the owner Jodie.  I persevered  and made my first hat, for my granddaughter Millie who is presently holidaying in NZ with her parents.  I'll add some photos when they arrive home.  The pattern came from the book at the side of my blog called Baby Beanies and was a great one to start with first.

Anyway enough rambling on....I have a couple of  favourite recipes to share with you because I have been feeling guilty about neglecting my blog.  We enjoy this muesli each morning with a big dollop of vanilla yogurt.  It is delicious and very filling. We have been eating it for a few months now and still look forward to its scrumptious taste and knowing that we are eating a bowl full of healthy goodness.

Basic Recipe:  Makes 5-1/2 cups

1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
1/3 cup orange juice
2 cups traditional rolled oats
1/2 cup bran cereal
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sultanas
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots

**I triple the recipe, add almonds, flax seeds (linseed) and two or three extra cups of oats.  This makes three large jars which store very well and gives us a good supply for a couple of months.  I don't always put in the orange rind but when I do you can taste a hint of citrus flavour.

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 deg C/180 deg C fan forced.  Line a large, shallow baking dish with baking paper.  Place honey, orange rind and orange juice in a saucepan over medium low heat.  Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until honey has melted.

Combine oats, cereal, coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds in a large bowl.  Add honey mixture.  Toss to combine.  Spread mixture into prepared dish.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and crisp.  Cool on tray.  Add sultanas and apricots.  Stir to combine.  Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

If you are looking for a healthy and filling breaky I urge you to give this a try and adapt it to your own tastes. We love nuts so it suits us. It takes a little bit of time initially but is worth it.  I use a pair of metal salad spoon/fork to toss it when baking so I get an even colour.  If you like your muesli a little soft don't cook it for very long - if you like it crunchy like me then cook for a little longer.  Try a bit as you are cooking.  After a few tries you will know exactly how long to cook it.   I have two large bowls - one filled with the pre-cooked muesli and the other to tip the cooked muesli in so I can reuse the tray for the next batch.  Your house will smell of hone for a day or so once you have made it.

Enjoy and I'd love to know what you think!  I have found a similar recipe that you make into a muesli bar so when time permits will have a go at this also.