Paper Pumpkins

Last Saturday we attended the annual Anderson Family Chili Feed in our little cul de sac. Andersons make the chili, the guests supply potluck and drinks. (This is starting to sound like another food post, but it's not...mainly because I don't have pictures of my neighborhood-fave deviled eggs. Maybe another time.)

So, since I don't have photos of the food, we'll go back to calling this a craft blog. I made the little pumpkins below, one for me, one for Barb, our Chili Feed hostess-with-the-mostess.


I used eight strips of Peach Parfait cardstock, four from the In Color Series Paper Pack hostess item, and four from the regular cardstock. The strips from the paper pack have a subtle dot pattern to add interest, but you can't really see it in the photo.

The strips are 1.5" x 6", held together at top and bottom by a brad. The stem is five Old Olive buttons (retired) held together by mini glue dots and mini glue-dotted to top of the pumpkin. I also stamped the leaves from the retired Sage Advice stamp set (I don't have ANY leaf stamps or dies!!!), and cut them out by hand. I'm going to order something leafy soon, I promise!

I'm trying to think of what other shapes or items I could make using this technique. Christmas ornaments? What else? Any ideas?

Thanks for reading!
Julie

Pheasant Marsala

This is quickly becoming a food-and-crafting blog! I can't resist posting the superb supper DH Joe made for us tonight, so it's another food post.

He took Emeril's recipe for Chicken Marsala and turned it into Pheasant Marsala, using the bounty from his recent South Dakota hunt.


Since he couldn't find marsala wine in our little burg, he made his own with cooking sherry and brandy. After eating this marsala, I don't want him to find the real thing!



And yes, it's on a bed of my homemade egg noodles!

I just have to say, being married to a man who cooks like this is amazing!

Thanks for reading!
Julie

Other Creative Pursuits

As I mentioned in my Nov. 2 entry, I spent a weekend in Des Moines with Sarah in October. Not only did we attend a Stampin' Up! regional, but we also went to a pasta-making class at Prairieland Herbs!

Here we are with some of our delicious creations:


And here is the ravioli. Isn't it beautiful? This batch had squash and sweet potato filling.


Did you know that homemade pasta is easy? It's easier than making pie dough (which I've just never mastered, even though baking is one of my favorite past times). And, homemade pasta takes only 1-2 minutes to cook in boiling water. One of my DH's favorites, of course, is the ravioli. I've already made pasta once at home since the class...hope to continue!

Thanks for reading,
Julie

Magnetic Christmas

October flew by! I was busy with two stamping workshops, attending a regional meeting in Des Moines (where I had one of the workshops at my BFF Sarah's house), and a special 10-10-10 event. On 10-10-10 (October 10, 2010), Heidi and I hosted 15 of our fellow stampers at an event where everyone made 10 projects in under 10 minutes each for a $10 fee. It was a hit!

One of the projects (well, actually two) was this cute magnet and matchstick box.


The magnet uses the snowman image from Jolly Old St. Nick, which is a limited-edition set in the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog. I stamped him on Whisper White cardstock, colored him with blender pens and Real Red and Basic Black ink, and then punched him out with a 1-inch circle punch. I put Stampin' Up!'s two-way glue on the back of a clear stone from a mega-pack from dollar store, then stuck the punched-out snowman on it. Then, a small magnet from the craft store is glued to the back of the paper. That glue is amazing! It holds up the stone and the magnet, no problem!

The little box is the matchstick box die used with the Big Shot die-cutting machine. I used Crumb Cake and Whisper White cardstock, then decorated it with Marina Mist ink the the snowflake background stamp, again from the Jolly Old St. Nick set.

I think I'm going to make a little pile of these for stocking stuffers. So...if you're expecting Christmas trinkets from me, pretend you didn't just read that!

I hope everyone got out and voted tonight! And if you're here in Minnesota, you have another hour to get 'er done. Get going!

Thanks for reading,
Julie

Animal Prints!

Hello! So, I went back to my roots and found a way to use something that would otherwise be wasted (thanks, Mom and Grandma!). Read on...

Here are two cards that use an animal-print background, which is not something you can find in the current Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog. You can make your own! Take the leftover rubber from a new clear-mount stamp set, trim it into scraps, and then adhere them to a clear-mount stamp in an animal-print or mosaic-type pattern. Ink it up, and stamp it down! I used clear block D, so I had to repeat the design several times to cover a card.


The "S" card was for one of my Stampin' Sistas on the occasion of her (insert milestone) birthday. I used basic black classic ink on soft suede paper to get a leopard-type look. The layer is soft suede, then very vanilla torn with soft suede on the edges. The accent colors are peach parfait (the polystitch ribbon!) and wild wasabi.


The giraffe card is the demonstration that I showed at a recent workshop. It's more mustard classic ink on whisper white paper. I also used marina mist for a layer, and hemp twine for the accent. It's the Fox and Friends stamp set (a current fave!).

Thanks for reading!
Julie

Cheers to You!

The rain is falling, the wind is whipping, and we're snuggled up with a little trashy TV and wireless internet. Happy Fall!

Here are a couple photos of a project I whipped up last week for a departing coworker. The first picture is the card FOR her, as in, "Cheers to You for following your dreams!" The second is a group of cards I made as her gift, so she could keep in touch with her friends and family here in Minnesota as she moves across the country. Best wishes, B!



This is the "Cheers to You" stamp set from Stampin' Up! I just used Whisper White cardstock, basic black ink, blender pens, various inks, and the two-way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I love the simplicity, and so did she!

Stay dry tonight, especially if you live in Minnesota or Wisconsin (and probably Iowa)!

Thanks for reading,
Julie










e

Monkeys and Giraffes, oh my!

Hi there! I know it's been a little while...no excuses, though! First, how about this beautiful sky view at Bass Lake, near Cohasset, MN, where we spent our Labor Day weekend? Gorgeous!


And here's the stamping portion of the program:


This is a quick card I made for a friend's son. I used the Fox and Friends set from the 2010 "big book," or Idea Book & Catalog, that is, along with card stock in Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie and Marina Mist. The inks are Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, and Marina Mist, and an antique brad and white grosgrain ribbon finish off the card!

These animal motifs are also available as Decor Elements for decorating your kids' rooms. They're between 6" and 8" square. Let me know if you'd like to learn more about those!

And now, I'm up way too late for a work night. Off to bed!

Thanks for stopping by,
Julie