Saved the Best for Last

I suppose that title could be subjective but decided it was fitting since I saved my favorite Valentine card share till last:)

Was I right? or Was I right?!!! Isn't this just the cutest little card? I Googled for Valentine card ideas and found this card at Inspiration in Action created by Gretchen Barron! Oh, there is sooo much talent out there just waiting to be CASed (copy and share) and I am just the person to do it!!! For this project I used:

• Real Red, Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Whisper White and Basic Black card stock
• Red Glimmer Paper--have I mentioned how much I LOVE it?!!!
• Wide Oval Punch
• 1 3/4" Circle Punch
• 1 1/4" Circle Punch
• Crop-a-dile
• Small Heart Punch
• Red grosgrain ribbon
• Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder
• Big Shot
• Sentiment stamped with budget stamp purchased from craft store using Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad

The next time I make this card I will move the body up onto the head a little more but love this card nonetheless! 

At the Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack I purchased the Girl Love Bots and Boy Love Bots Valentines for my granddaughter to make for her first grade classmates. They are so cute and were such a bargain. The Girl ones were still available last I checked. Don't forget to check back to the Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack when you have some crafting dollars that need to be spent:)

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed seeing my Ladybug card as much I enjoyed making it. Kat

Okay! Now You Can Look!

Well, now that the Happy Stampers have officially met for the month of January, I can show the rest of the projects. 

This card was a lesson in how elegant simple can be. I ran out of Real Red card stock so decided to try Cherry Cobbler and I think it turned out PERFECT! I CASed (copy and share) this card from Lee Conrey at Stampinglee Yours. The supplies I used for this card are:

• Whisper White and Cherry Cobbler card stock
• Red Glimmer Paper--LOVE it!!!
• 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon in Cherry Cobbler
• Heart to Heart Punch
• Scallop Border Punch
• Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder
• Big Shot

Check back tomorrow for our third project this month. Kat

Hope My Happy Stampers Aren't Looking!

Last week we had to reschedule our Happy Stampers Stamping Club monthly meeting because of snow and freezing rain. I was NOT a happy stamper:( I look forward to my time with the ladies every month and was disappointed I was going to have to wait another whole week to make it happen! I try not to share the stamping club projects with all of you until AFTER our club meets so it is always a surprise to the ladies what they are going to make. However, I can't wait so am going to let you see ONE project and hope the Happy Stampers aren't looking today.

This is a redo of a project I did in December but we haven't done it for stamping club yet. You can see a video on the original Gift Card Holder at Dawn Griffith's website. 


For this Gift Card Holder, I used:

• Whisper White and Basic Black card stock
• Red Glimmer Paper 
• Eyelet Border Punch 
• Heart to Heart Punch
• 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch
• 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch
• Round Tab Punch
• generic red envelope
• retired SU! stamp stamped with Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad. 

The Red Glimmer Paper made a great transition from Christmas to Valentine's Day! Love the Glimmer Papers!!!

The inside has two pockets--one for this cute little note card and one for the gift card! A fun idea for this project is to put TWO little note cards inside--one you write on and one the recipient can use when they regift the Gift Card Holder! 


Now, I hope my Happy Stampers aren't looking but if they are, YES! you get to make this project TONIGHT!!!


I will be back tomorrow with another one of our Happy Stamper projects. Just think Valentine's Day and Red Glimmer Paper!!! 


I am a Happy Stamper today! Thanks for stopping by. Kat

In Search of the Perfect Vegan Pizza

I am searching for the Perfect Vegan Pizza! Which, of course, starts with the PERFECT pizza crust! Last night I made the pizza on the left and it was okay, but I'm looking for GREAT! I used Pesto for the sauce then topped it with fresh spinach, olives, red bell pepper, fresh mushrooms and fresh tomatoes (still from last summer's garden but stored in the greenhouse). I should have used a bigger pan so the crust wouldn't be so thick around the edges. And the oil in the pesto seeped through the crust and made it a little soggy in the middle. The flavor was good. Lots of work yet to be done before I have a recipe to share.


If you have a great Pizza Dough recipe, please let me know. Pizza is on my 10 favorite foods list so making a Perfect Vegan Pizza is important to me.


Thanks for stopping by today. Kat

Oh, the Weather TWO!

The storm came in and it started snowing last Tuesday night at 7:00. The snow continued till 2:00 Wednesday afternoon leaving us with 8" of beautiful snow. Then Wednesday evening the freezing rain started and frosted the snow with a layer of ice. FINALLY, the temperature crept above freezing on Saturday and I went out of my warm cocoon to take pictures. The picture on the left is the view from our front door and living room window. It looks beautiful but by this time the snow was super crunchy! As the snow was melting on the roof, it was coming off in huge sheets!

The picture on the right is from the slope behind our house. As you can see, the ice/snow has started to melt off the solar panels and we were thrilled when the windmill unfroze! For three days we didn't have solar or wind power so had to run the generator a bit each day to keep the batteries charged. We were thankful to have our own power when we heard about the power outages going on around us.


Today, we still have ice/snow while the world beyond has thawed and melted. By the looks of things it will likely take most of the week for us to thaw completely. However, the blue sky is wonderful and if I make it to the end of my driveway, the roads are clear and dry:)


Thank you for visiting my little winter wonderland today! Kat

Oh, the Weather!

Last night was supposed to be the Happy Stampers Stamping Club January meeting but the weather didn't cooperate:( Between 7:00 pm on Tuesday night and 2:00 yesterday afternoon, we got 8" of snow. Our little English Bulldog puppy thought he was in Disneyland and our Great Dane was romping through the snow like he didn't have any sense! Wait! The jury is still out on that one!!! Our 11 year old miniature dachshund hates the snow and doesn't even want to go off the porch to do his business!

Needless to say I was very disappointed about stamping club but was able to reschedule for next week. Good thing or I would have had 21 Valentines cut out and ready to go! I will share those with you next week. However, in trying to figure out what we were going to make at stamping club I made a couple of test cards that didn't make the cut--not because I don't like them but because of what was involved.

This card used Pretty in Pink card stock on a Basic Black card stock base. On the bottom piece of card stock I used the Lots of Love Letterpress Plate inked with Versamark Ink and run through the Big Shot. I also used Real Red grosgrain ribbon, Big Designer Button, Red Glimmer Paper, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Heart to Heart Punch and Scallop Border Punch. I CASed this card from Heather Summers at Stamp with Heather but changed it up a big to use what I had on hand. Made in a different color this card would make a great anniversary card.

This second card is the same design as the first but I used a Pretty in Pink card stock base with Whisper White as the second layer. The strip is Basic Black card stock with a Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon  through the middle. My Big Designer Button has a bow made from Early Espresso Baker's Twine. I used Pretty in Pink ink on the Lots of Love Letterpress Plate and ran it through the Big Shot. The hearts stamped at the top are from a cheap set I picked up at the craft store. I used Red Glimmer Paper to punch out the cute little hearts on the tails of my bow.

So glad you stopped by today. Have a great day and a wonderful weekend. Kat

New Year's Resolutions

As I was looking over my Resolutions for last year and deciding what to do this year, I was surprised that I did as well as I did. The success or failure of the resolutions probably lay with Resolution #10: Set goals for each resolution. Since I didn't do that one at all, my success was not as good as it should have been. So, let's see how I did:

1. Organize Craft Room--half done and will most likely have it done by March, 2012.
2. Get up at 5:00 am.--wondering if this one is really necessary since I am retired.
3. Exercise 5 x per week--did really good with this one for awhile but need to get back to it. 
4. Lose 30#--I lost 15# so should be able to lose the other 15 this year.
5. Read one non-fiction book per month--did this one in spades! Sometimes two non-fiction books a month.
6. Make all cards I give this year--very nearly aced this one. We did purchase Christmas cards. I look forward to making ALL my cards in 2012.
7. Become reacquainted with Flylady.net--well, let's just say we have a lot to do on our relationship!
8. Take more pictures--I am taking more pictures because of this blog and because of our new puppy. Looking forward to taking even more pictures in 2012:)
9. Paint, paper and tile kitchen--didn't happen:( Will see if I can muster the energy this year to get it done.
10. Set goals for each resolution--didn't happen.

For 2012 I am not going to have Resolutions, I am going to have Goals! That takes care of #10 right off the bat! So, for this year my Goals are:

1. Finish Craft Room
2. Finish UFOs (unfinished objects or projects). I could probably take care of next year's Christmas list right here!
3. Sew more
4. Make two baby blankets for Stitches from the Heart and two lap robes or prayer shawls for Hospice.
5. Lose 20 more pounds
6. Exercise 5 X week
7. Visit more--take time for friendly visits over tea or lunch
8. Send more snail mail! Especially to children:)
9. Definitely make more cards!
10. More Blog Posts. Last year I did 87 so would like to double that! That is only 14.5 blog posts per month. Let's see how I do!
11. Make or purchase two Christmas gifts and one birthday gift per month, wrap and tag them. This would make gift giving sooo much more fun and I do love to give gifts! My daughter reminded me to put them where I can find them:)

Okay, I will do an update on my resolutions in March to let you know how I'm doing. 

Have a great day and a wonderful week! Kat

I LOVE My Bed!

I don't know if I've mentioned before that I have Fibromyalgia but I do. And as a result, some days my body just doesn't want to stay upright so go lie in my bed for a bit and all is right with the world again. So the comfort of my bed is important to me. Recently I realized my pillow just wasn't working anymore. My favorite pillow of all time was a down pillow I purchased from Costco about ten years ago. Less than a year ago we decided to go cheap and get a "down alternative" pillow that ended up bunching up in no time at all. Decided to send my personal shopper hubby off to Costco to see about some new down pillows. They didn't have down pillows this time but had Pacific Coast "DownAround" pillows which is like a pillow in a pillow. "Small, springy feathers fill inner pillow for firm support" and "fluffy down-filled outer pillow for soft comfort". The Pacific Coast Feather Company website has them for $35.99 (on sale) and we got two for that price at Costco.


My new pillow is amazing. It is everything the company advertised. There is a zippered outer cover that can be removed for washing but the pillow itself is also machine washable and dryable (add two tennis balls to dryer when drying pillows). They state on the package that the down and feathers are Hyperclean and therefore allergy free. Now, how do they do that?!!! 


If you are looking for new pillows for yourself or want to treat your guests to some really nice pillows, go to Costco for the Pacific Coast Feather Company DownAround Pillows. They have a "30 night comfort guarantee" but as you know with Costco, they will take back just about anything with very little reason. Trust me, you won't need to to take these pillows back but nice to know you could if you wanted to.


Happy napping:) Kat

Newest Knitting Project

One of my resolutions for 2011 was to knit a simple pair of fingerless mittens. I got to December 30 and had not even attempted to make a pair so decided to search Ravelry.com for a pattern and find a pair of size 6 double-pointed knitting needles in my stash (most of which was passed down to me from my Grandmother via my Mom). Well, I got my first mitten finished on January 1 but because I hate to check gauge and I knit loose, it was too big (see it's NOT a waste of time to check gauge). 

So I am calling this my practice mitten:) Off to my stash I went to find smaller needles--didn't have size 4 which I thought I needed so decided on size 5. The needles are so slick and the yarn is so soft I kept losing my stitches off the ends of the double-pointed needles so ended up using guards on the points to keep my stitches on. 


Yesterday my dear husband was out and about so I asked him to stop into a locally owned yarn shop in The Dalles called The Whole Ball of Yarn to purchase me some Bamboo knitting needles in sizes 4 and 5. Bamboo feels smooth but has a bit of tooth to it so the stitches don't slip off but it doesn't snag the yarn--helps keep the stitches from falling off. We'll see if I can get a pair knitted now.

The second picture shows how far I am with the first mitten knitted on size 5 needles--this one felt right when I tried it on. Beside the mitten is my new package of bamboo needles that I will be switching to on the next round. 


When I finish this pair of fingerless mittens, I think I will knit the second sock to a pair I started about 10 years ago. I have always been able to say I could knit "sock" but never been able to say I could knit socks! Who knows, maybe everybody on my list will get socks and fingerless mittens for Christmas next year!


That leads me to one of my "goals" for 2012--to make or purchase two Christmas gifts and one birthday gift every month. I also want to wrap them, tag them and put them where I can find them when I need them.


I will update you on how I did (or didn't do) with some of my 2011 resolutions (goals) in a future post. I also want to share more of my goals for 2012. Doesn't "goals" sound better than "resolutions"? 


Thanks for stopping by today. Kat

Great Giveaway!

I enjoy discovering new blogs and just discovered i love scrapping today! Sooo many cute ideas, especially if you are a Cricut user. There is a great giveaway at i love scrapping and you have two chances to win. The prize???

THIS CRICUT CARTRIDGE!!!! And check out what's in it...

I could really enjoy this cartridge. Need to dust off my Cricut and start using it again anyway! 

So hurry on over to i love scrapping and enter before January 15!!!

Mark THAT Restaurant Off My List!

 

Let me start off by saying that we live at least an hour away from any town that has more than 1500 people so nice restaurants are a luxury for me. Last week my husband and I went to the Tri-Cities (a two hour drive) and were planning to have a late lunch. P.F. Chang's was the place I wanted to eat. I love the atmosphere. The service is good. And I remembered the food being good. 

We are vegetarians and typically have an easy time ordering in Asian restaurants. We are frequently able to order even meat dishes and just have them leave the meat out. At P.F. Chang's we found there to be a very limited Vegetarian section so I decided to order from the Rice/Noodle section only to find out that all rice and noodle dishes (even without meat) have oyster sauce! I know a lot of non-vegetarians who wouldn't want oyster sauce in their food!!! We ordered Spring Rolls (which I love), Mao Po Tofu and another tofu dish. The food was delicious but I have decided that on those limited occasions when we are able to eat out together, we will choose another restaurant with a better selection for vegetarians!

Since I am on a rant--well, not really but I could really get worked up to one on this subject--WHY, oh why would a company roast nuts in PEANUT OIL when there are so many people allergic to peanuts! I am allergic to peanuts so am a label reader for my own protection. I LOVE roasted cashews but find that most of them are roasted in peanut oil:( Some roasted nut labels say whatever "oil OR peanut oil". Really now, should I take that chance?!!! My hubby did find roasted cashews for me at Trader Joe's that use Rice Bran Oil. Thank you Trader Joe's! I also like Moose Munch but they also have the "or peanut oil" on the package. 

Thanks for stopping by today! I don't rant often so don't let it scare you off:) Have a great day. Kat

Got THIS in the Mail!

We LOVE persimmons!!! And fortunately my sister-in-law lives where they give them away:))) We just received a package from her with 22 beautiful persimmons wrapped so carefully in the box. Hubby ate THREE of them yesterday! I finally ate one this morning. Decided I'd better get to it or I wouldn't get any!!!


We are hoping to make it down to my sister-in-law's next year when the persimmons are on so we can come home with a whole carload:)


Did you know that:

• You wait till the leaves fall off the tree to pick persimmons? 
• Persimmons are the most eaten fruit in the world?
• The American Persimmon (above) is higher in Vitamin C and Calcium than the Japanese Persimmon?

My favorite fruit would be mangos or peaches. It's always hard for me to choose. When I'm eating mangos, it's mangos. When I'm eating peaches, it's peaches:)

I was watching the Nate Berkus Show yesterday and was reminded that eating the whole fruit has way less calories than drinking a glass of juice. And for me it tastes better too!

Have a great day and resolve to make good food choices this year. I am! Kat

Happy New Year 2012

I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! My mind is awhirl with ideas for the new year and for my blog! But more about that later:)

Today I went out to the garden to see what I could salvage for dinner. Well, the cold weather we had a month ago didn't hurt the carrots, beets or parsnips at all! We have the rows covered with about a foot of straw and they were just nice and comfy cozy down there waiting to be used. This is going to be one delicious meal! We have a lot more where those came from as long as temps don't get down below zero for any length of time.


My hubby is eating raw carrots and feeding them to the dogs as I'm typing this. Our dogs LOVE carrots! They eat them raw but when you cook them up they will practically do back flips for them. Of course the carrots are really good for the dogs as long as they aren't salted or have a sauce on them--just plain ol' carrots!


Thanks for stopping by. I hope you make wise food choices in the New Year. Kat