Little Red Wagon & Cutting Cafe Reveal!

I sit here typing this post and I can hear a robin chirping outside. Like him, I am longing for Spring to actually arrive. I know the calendar says it is Spring, but it sure doesn't feel like it. The last few days have included SNOW! Let's hope that the last part of the week brings warmer temperatures :)

Today is reveal day for Little Red Wagon and the Cutting Cafe. I combined the challenge for LRW with the file that I used for the Cutting Cafe and I think the result was pretty amazing.

This week Janice (one of the girlfriends from LRW) challenged us to be a 'negative nellie'! She wants us to use the negative of a die-cut! Love this challenge. I chose a really cool file from the Cutting Cafe called the Tall Ice Cream Shaped Card and combined it with the String and Button Envelope! Here is what I created!

 

I used an embossing folder and my Cuttlebug to create the textured on the cone.  I used my favourite ribbon and twine to embellish, along with a tiny tag!

I stitched the 'ice cream' and added a button with some twine for the 'cherry on top'!

For the 'negative nellie' part of the challenge, I cut some balloons out of the front of the envelope and placed a piece of matching striped paper behind them.

I added some twine for the balloon strings and embellished with a small button.

This is the reverse side of the envelope.  I used brads for the closure and more twine to match the strings of the balloons.

Here is the complete set!  I really like how this turned out!  I like combining challenges......I hope the results are inspiring :)

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to visit the Little Red Wagon girls and see what they have created and also check out the post later today on the Cutting Cafe blog and see what the rest of the team did with these amazing cutting files.

I hope you will visit again this week, as I reveal my first layout using the 'Project Life' style of scrapbooking.

New Recipes to Share!

It has been so long since I have posted anything on my blog that did not have to do with scrapbooking or cardmaking!  I love both of those things, so it makes sense that I post about them a lot, but I do other things too.

This past weekend I had my family over for Easter.  It was nice to visit with everyone, but it was a little different than our normal Easter because my Dad was missing :(.  I have been missing him so much lately, especially with all the Ranger games during playoffs.  I would love to share all the excitement with him.  I know he is watching from above and he would be so proud of his team (and me for travelling to the games in Guelph), but it is just not the same.

For my Easter dinner I tried a few new things.  I made 2 new salads that were totally amazing (I will get to that in a minute) and I learned a new way to cook bacon that I just have to share.

On Pinterest I saw how to cook bacon in one batch without the splatters and burns - this would make my life so much easier.  I had to give it a try!

 

It was a complete success!  I was worried it would make a mess of my oven, but it didn't.  It was completely mess free!  I will never go back to my old way again.  You can check out the post here!  There are over 100 comments and they all say exactly what I did.  It's amazing.

Now, on to the salads!!!  I recently received a few new recipes from a good friend, Lori!  She is an amazing cook and an even more amazing person.  They were both delicious so I thought I would share her recipes here (I know she would totally approve).

Strawberry-Orange Salad

• Romaine lettuce (I also mixed in some baby spinach)
• Mandarin oranges (I used canned, drained)
• Thinly sliced fresh strawberries
• Thinly sliced white onion (I used green onion)

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup mayo (I used Miracle Whip)\
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Beat together all the ingredients for the dressing and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.  Toss together the salad ingredients and generously coat with dressing.  

Broccoli Delight

• 1 lg bunch of broccoli
• 1 cup raisins (I replace this with dried cranberries)
• 1/4 cup diced green onion
• 10 strips bacon - fried and crumbled (I used my new method above)
• 1 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing:

• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup mayo (I used Miracle Whip)
• 1 tbsp vinegar

Mix ingredients together for dressing and refrigerate.  Cut broccoli into bite size pieces and place in salad bowl.  Add remaining ingredients.  Toss with dressing.

Hope you enjoyed this post......I really must get back into doing this more often.  Stop by again soon.

Just Because & Smile - 2 Post Today!

Today I have 2 cards to share with you! The first one is for my Little Red Wagon challenge. Joanne has a colour challenge for us! Love these.

 

Here is the card that I made!

 

I pulled in the greens and reds and used a new flower that I purchased on the Silhouette online store.  I added some green ribbons and a sweet tag tied on with twine.

I also played with my sketch pens in my Silhouette!  I think I have a new addiction.  They are so fun to use and the possibilities are endless.

I hope you will visit the 'girlfriends' blogs and see what they have created using Joanne's colour challenge.....and maybe even play along.  You can click on the links on my sidebar to visit them.


The second card I made is for this weeks project for The Cutting Cafe! I am in love with this file. I used the Polaroid and Camera Fun set!

 

Here is card that I created using this set!

Isn't the camera adorable?  I think I will use this over and over again.  There are so many possibilities.

I also played with a template and some texture medium to create the backdrop for my sentiment.  I tinted the paste with some Mister Huey (with the help of my BFF).

I also had more fun with my sketch pens and used them to draw the polaroid on my background rather than using it as a cutting file.  So much fun!!!

I hope you will visit the Cutting Cafe blog later today and see what all the other ladies have created using this awesome file.

Thanks for visiting!

LRW Easter Card

I had so much fun making my card for this weeks challenge with Little Red Wagon! Jayne issued her first challenge and it was to make an Easter card. This was the perfect opportunity for me to use some of the new files I purchased from the Silhouette online store :)

I used a file to make a Center Panel Step Card.  I have seen these made but have never tried one myself.

I used my oval shape tool (on the Silhouette) and made my own basket.  I am having fun making my own cutting files.  I cut strips and layered them to make it look woven and then used my oval tool to make some eggs to fill my basket.

I found just enough of this green check ribbon  in my stash to wrap around and tie a knot (there wasn't enough to make a bow).  I added some twine and this little carrot embellishment that I had leftover from last year.

The grass and tulips are pieces from other files I had purchased in the past, but they worked perfectly for this card.

Thank you to Jayne for issuing this fun challenge and I hope you will visit the Little Red Wagon blog and see what everyone else creates.

Green Apple Card

This week at The Cutting Cafe, we are focusing on the colour green! We had three different file sets we could choose from and I picked the Apple Box Set!

No file is just what it seems to be. I love to dissect the contents and see what else I can make. The obvious would be to make a box, but I went outside my box and created a card.

I used the PDF version of this set and took a snapshot of the apple and then opened it in Paint.  Next I saved it as a jpeg and then imported it into my Silhouette software.  I traced the image to create cutting lines and VOILA!!!!  It was now an apple cutting file.

I cut the apple twice, once in kraft cardstock and then again in the green floral pattern.  I cut the stem off the green floral apple and then layered it on top of the kraft apple.  This way I have a kraft stem and a green apple.  Clever huh?

I added this 3D flower (from the Silhouette online store) and a Dew Drop in the center.  I tied a bow out of my favourite ribbon and then added some stitching out of twine and a button for fun.

I embossed the white background using my Swiss Dot folder and added a sweet little tag for my sentiment.

I hope you will visit again tomorrow for my Little Red Wagon reveal.  Our challenge this week is Easter.

Thanks for stopping by!