Tipful Tuesday - Stamps

Alcohol Free baby wipes are a perfect solution to clean rubber and acrylic stamps.




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Quote of the Week

'This day is a journey, this very moment an adventure.'

~Rebecca Pavlensko

Fabulous Food Friday's

Fuel-Up Fun Bars

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Servings:  24 bars

Ingredients:

• 1 pouch Betty Crocker peanut butter cookie mix - water, vegetable oil and egg called fro on cookie mix pouch
• 6 Nature Valley pecan crunch or oats 'n honey crunchy granola bars (3 pouches from 8.9 oz. box) finely crushed
• 1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, water, oil, egg and crushed granola bars until soft dough forms
• Press dough in bottom of pan
• Bake 15 - 18 minutes or until edges are light golden brown
• Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over bars.  Let stand 2 minutes to soften chocolate; spread chocolate over bars
• Sprinkle with baking bits
• Refrigerate about 30 minutes until chocolate is set

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Valentine's Wreaths

I found some AWESOME buys at the local Dollar Store.  This Grapevine Heart Wreath was $1.00....I should've got more. I went back for another, and they were gone.   L

I had the ribbon in my stash; and my daughter had the letters in hers.  She wanted a wreath for her bedroom door so this is what she made. 

I learned however; not to let a five year old use a glue gun even if they say they are OK and know how to use it.  J

For the second one, I had the little styrofoam ring in the stash.  She hot glued all the marbles and used a ribbon from the stash to hang it with.  The marbles are a reddish/pinkish shade and were a $1.00/bag.  SCORE....LOL

Two Valentine's Wreath for $2.00....can't beat that and I didn't even have to do anything.  J



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Simple and FABULOUS

Simple Stories is finally revealing their releases........

you should really check out Day 2......direct from the Simple Stories page.....

"{a simply fabulous collection that's all girl}

Be Fabulous. Be Amazing. Be You! Our newest collection, FABULOUS, brings you all of this and more! Girly, frilly, hip, modern and totally adorable...naturally it's all about YOU/HER! From toddlers to tweens and teens...this collection is absolutely perfect for "All About Me" albums or projects capturing that fun, fabulous girl in your life! Sweet and sassy colors + bold and bright designs = easy, breezy projects. So go ahead and be just who you are!"

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Many more pictures of the collection on the Simple Stories site....I seriously can't wait to get my hands on this collection!!!!!

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WOW-O-WOWZA Wednesday {4}

Happy Wednesday!!!! I hope you are all having a WONDERFUL week.  It's been a little cold here in PA but I don't mind.  ♥ ♥ ♥  I really like the change in the seasons.  J

I didn't have a lot of time to browse this week; but these really caught my eye.

This Felt Rosette Wreath from East Coast Mommy is just gorgeous.....

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How about this Catch All Frame made with chicken wire by Always in Wonder......

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And these look too good to pass up from Today's Mama.....

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Tipful Tuesday - Frames & Mats

Frames and mats on your scrapbook layouts and cards establish a focal point for your project.  Typically frames have an opening and is placed over your photo and a mat is placed behind your photo.  Be creative with your mats and make your mat a different shape than your photo. 



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Quote of the Week

'For memory has painted this perfect day with colors that never fade, and we find at the end of a perfect day the soul of a friend we've made.'

~Carrie Jacobs Bond

Fabulous Food Friday's

I made this for my hubby for his birthday last month and he really enjoyed it.  We had so much leftover that he shared with the guys at work.  They have now requested another batch.  We shall see!  :)

Seafood Lasagna

Prep Time:   30 minutes

Cook Time:  1 hour 30 minutes

Servings:      12

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pound baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 2 (16 ounce) jars Alfredo-style pasta sauce
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound bay scallops
• 1 pound imitation crabmeat chopped
• 20 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• black pepper
• 6 cups shredded Italian Cheese blend

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2.  Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Sautee garlic and mushrooms until tender.  Pour in 2 jars of Alfredo sauce.  Stir in shrimp, scallops and creabmeat.  Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, or untiil heated through.  In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg and pepper. 

3.  In a 9x13 inch baking dish, layer noodles, ricotta mixture, Alfredo mixture and shredded cheese.  Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ensuring that there is shredded cheese for the top.

4.  Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 45 minutes.  Cover, and bake 15 minutes.

I modified this recipe a bit for my family's liking; I didn't use the garlic or the mushrooms; therefore I didn't use the olive oil.  Instead of Alfredo Sauce I used a Marinara sauce (I make my own). 

The recipe can be found here.

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WOW-O-WOWZA Wednesday {3}

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!!!  This week I've found some Valentine's Day Projects to get you in the mode for LOVE Day!!!  ♥ ♥ ♥

First up however, is the gorgeous wintery wreath from A Pumpkin and A Princess. 

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I just love the vintage look of these Philly Inspired Valentine Blocks from Bliss Images and Beyond. 

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An elegant yet simple Valentine's Love Canvas from Crap I've Made.

 

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 101 Handmade Valentine's Day Ideas from Everything Etsy....do I need to say more?  J

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Check out these awesome t-shirt's from Mrs. Gilchrist's Class.  My daughter's school has a big party on the 100th day of school.  I so want to make her one of these.  There is also a Kindergarten Rocks which I want to make for her teacher. 

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Tipful Tuesday - Torn Edges

Torn paper edges give texture and depth to your scrapbook pages and hand made cards.  You can tear your paper to create a border or make an embellishment in an abstract shape and give your project character.  I personally like to use the Fiskars Tear Edgers.  Happy tearing!


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Quote of the Week

'My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever-changing view.'

~Carole King

Finally......

I was able to get some crafting done.  It may not be much but while cleaning my scrap / crafty space I found some charger plates that I picked up at Wal-mart....3/$1.00.  Not bad, heh?  Along with them I found some stickers (which I forgot I had) oops.  L

So, I know have three charger plates for next Christmas and one for Halloween.  My daughter was more than happy to play with the stickers. 

PS.....sorry for the glare....

I still have a silver charger that I haven't decided what to do with it yet.  My daughter and I also made some button ornaments; but I haven't had time to take a picture yet.  Stay tuned.....

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Fabulous Food Friday's

Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Can you say YUMMY!!!!!  My family absolutely LOVES this cheesecake and it's not that difficult to make.  

(image from Hershey's Kitchens)

Servings:  12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup HERSHEY's Cocoa
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 3 packages cream cheese softened
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
• 1 2/3 cups REESE's Peanut Butter Chips, melted
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE (recipe below)
• Whipped Topping
• HERSHEY's MINI KISSES Brank Milk Chocolates

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 300 degrees.  Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa and butter; press into bottom of 9 inch springform pan.
2.  Beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar until fluffy.  Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, then melted chips, until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.  Pour over cruse.
3.  Bake 60 - 70 minutes or until center is almost set.  Remove from oven.  With knife, loosen cake from side of pan.  Cool.  Remove side of pan.  Garnish with CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE, whipped topping and chocolates.  Refrigerate until cold.  Store covered in refrigerator.


Chocolate Drizzle:
1.  Melt 2 tablespoons butter over low heat; add 2 tablespoons HERSHEY's Cocoa and 2 tablespoons water.
2.  Cook and stir until slightly thickened.  Do not boil.  Cool slightly.
3.  Gradually add 1 cup powered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, beating with whisk until smooth. 



Printable recipe can be found here.

ENJOY!!!!!

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WOW-O-WOWZA Wednesday {2}

January is National Get Organized Month...who knew right?  I am a rather organized person (IMHO); but I am always looking for ways to be better organized. 

Last week I shared the Declutter Calendar for 2012 here. 

These monthly checklists are just the thing I need to stay get organized.  I love the feeling of crossing things off; to me it's a sense of accomplishment. 

 

Has anyone heard of manilla?  Does anyone use it?  This sounds like a GREAT idea.  I'd like to try it; but I'm always a little hesitate to go for it until I've heard that others love like it. 

I'm all about no paper clutter, no late fees and one password; how about you?  If you have any feedback I'd love to hear it. 

Directly from the website....."Get your bills, statements and balances instantly organized in one secure place online. Finally, one easy way to manage all of your accounts, subscriptions and loyalty programs."

 

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I've seen this NEAT little gadget advertised all over the place.....Neat Desk Digital Scanner and Filing System.  Wouldn't it be nice to get ride of paper.  No more filing.....YEAH!!!!!  However, this little beauty is a little on the pricey side (at least for my budet).  I'll have to save my pennies!!! 

From the Neat website "NeatDesk is a high-speed, duplex desktop scanner and digital filing system. Scan receipts, business cards and documents in one batch while the software identifies, extracts and organizes key information. Includes Neat software."

I've also been seeing Lemon.com advertised everywhere as another way to organize your life; however, I can't tell if it's just receipts and a way to track expenses or if it will pay bills as well.   This may be something similiar to manilla or the Neat Desktop Scanner.  I'd love to hear your feedback.  

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Have you heard of Project Life?  I have started this for my daughter's many many school assignments, projects and progress reports.  I am using the Clementine Core Kit; Big Envelope Pages, Photo Pocket Pages Design A.   I"m also using the flash cards and journaling cards from the Simple Stories Elementary Collection. 

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Tipful Tuesday - Punches

Are your punches not working as well as they used to?  If your punch is getting stuck, punch wax paper to "lubricate" it.  If you punch is getting dull, punch aluminum foil to "sharpen" it.  Happy punching!


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