Project Life Pages from February Scrapbook Retreat

I went on a scrapbook retreat in February. Here are sme pages I made for my Project Life album.

Project Life is a new approach for me. It was fun to work with the pocket page protectors & just concentrate on using photos from a 1 or 2 week period for each layout. The emphasis for this album is to include more of our day-to-day activities, that means using whichever photos which capture daily life, even if they are low quality phone photos or screen captures. I like this kind of scrapbooking, it's the first time I've ever made pages that mention my online classes & projects or a photo of myself that made me cringe.

Project Life is coming soon to scrapbook stores around the country and continues to be available to US customers on Amazon. These pages were made with the Olive Edition of Project Life. Project Life On Amazon (Afiliate Link)

Getting Artsy - Mini Art Journal

I used a stencil (Plaid Folk-Art: Fleur) and foam blending tools to create a pattern on Watercolor paper. I used Close To My Heart ink pads in Sweet Leaf, Topiary, Buttercup, Hollyhock, Vineyard Berry, and Indian Corn Blue. Then used the patterned paper to create a mini-book. I learned how to create the book from the class video Art Journaling 101 taught by Erin Bassett at True Scrap 4.
All this stencilng was inspired by Stencil 101 it's a FREE class by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer at Balzerdesigns. I'm also currently taking The Curious Scrapbooker's Field Guide taught by May Flaum at Big Picture Classes, this is the 2nd session I've taken this class because it so inspired me to step into some new areas with my supplies.
 

Next I stamped and embellished each set of pages.
CTMH stamp set Tailor-Made, CTMH Buttons, CTMH Glitter Gell in Stardust. Page sprayed with Tsukineko Sheer Shimmer Spritz in Sparkle

CTMH Stamp Set Chairs To You, watercolor pencils, Tim Holtz waterbrush, CTMH sparkles colored with CTMH alcohol marker in pear. Page sprayed with Tsukineko Sheer Shimmer Spritz in Sparkle. Ribbon CTMH. CTMH Glitter Gell in Stardust.
CTMH stamp set Trees & Things. Washi Tape from Pick Your Plum, flowers by Prima, Bakers Twine from Fancy Pants Designs. Flowers sprayed with Tsukineko Sheer Shimmer Spritz in Silver & Sparkle.
My first art journaling. Now I just need to decorate the outside cover.

Cut Down on Cross Contamination

Great tips for your kitchen from America's Test Kitchen. I already do a number of these, but I still learned some things. When I pound chicken breasts I put them inside a freezer grade zip-loc bag, this way I prevent any splatter from getting on surrounding items.

 

Get Glasses Un-Stuck

I've heard that you shouldn't stack glasses (or glass bowls) while they are wet, because that makes it more likely that they will be stuck together next time you want to use them (something about the water creating a seal.) Here's a tip from America's Test Kitchen for how to safely un-stick glass vessels that have stuck together.

 

One Little Word 2013

I wasn't planning to do a word for 2013. I found in 2012 that I needed to shift words about 6 months in.

In 2010 I did PURPOSE

2011 - PROMISE

2012 - HOME and RISE

As in the past, at the very moment that I declared I wasn't going to do a word next year my word presented itself ot me... 

The word that has come to me in 2013 is RENEW

I think it's a word that can have many aspects as the year goes on.

At the present time I embrace RENEW in the context of this verse which was also the inspiration for the word RISE in the second half of 2012.

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.  

Isaiah 40:31

Happy Holidays

I've said Happy Holidays for years. I like it because I feel it encompasses all of the holidays of the season from Thanksgiving to New Year. It is not a slight to Christmas - but Christmas is now past. It's a touchy point for me that people will now criticize & get all in an uproar whenever I use my favorite seasonal salutation. So now that 's been clarified...

Happy Holidays! 
I hope you had a Merry Christmas.

We had a lovely day with good food, a 3 hour power outage, some nice family time & plenty of holiday cheer.

I got a new camera. I don't know how to shoot in manual mode yet. Here's my first image. 

24 Hour Omelet

This recipe has been in my family since sometime in the 1970's. The note on my recipe card says that I got the recipe from my Mom who got it from Orange First Assembly of God church cookbook, which credits the Missionette girls as having submitted this recipe. This is one of those great casseroles you assemble the night before & baken the morning of your event. For the ham sometimes I just get ham from the service deli so I don't have to buy one of those mini hams. I have them slice it very thick then I cut it into cubes at home.

24 Hour Omelet 

7 Slices of white bread crusts trimmed
Butter (to butter bread slices)
3/4 lb cheddar cheese, shreddd (this amount of cheese is excessive)

8 eggs
2 1/2 Cups milk
3/4 tsp dry mustard (don't skip this adds nice flavor to the eggs)
Salt & cayenne to taste (I never put the cayenne)
Cubed Ham

Butter bread on one side. Cut up bread slices to line the bottom of a 9x13" buttered dish. Place the bread slices in the bottom of the pan buttered side up.

Beat or whisk the eggs on their own first, get them so they look smooth with no visible streamers of just the white this step will keep the egg mixture from separating overnight.  Add seasonings to egg mixture then while whisking, slowly pour in milk this also works to discourage seperation. Pour over bread, add a layer of cubed hame & top with shredded cheese.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bake covered with foil at 325 degrees F for 1 1/2 hours, remove the foil cover for the final 10 minutes of baking.

Cut and serve.

Serves 6-8

Christmas Menu 2012

Breakfast

• 24 Hour Omelet (an assemble the night before  egg/bread/ham/cheese casserole)

The Feast

• Lime Ribbon Salad (my mom always made this I haven't had it for YEARS - it has a creamy pineapple layer in the middle)

• Green Pea Salad (it's warm here I'm not feeling the usual hot creamy holiday veggie choices)
• Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes (I'll probably add in some nice cheese)
• Homemade Cranberry Sauce (because the men in my family adore it & I love the pretty color)
• Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze

• Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider (nothing goes better with ham)

Dessert

• Gingerbread hot from the oven with Cool Whip

Photo is from Christmas morning 2011.