Challenge Card

I don't often participate in challenges from other people's blogs. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I usually have enough ideas of my own swimming around in my head that I don't get around to using other people's ideas and prompts. One of my favorite card blogs to read, though, is iralamija. Beatriz Jennings has this funky cool style and I have enjoyed looking at her cards and being inspired by them. It was by seeing what she did with her Cricut that I decided I wanted one, too. So when I read that she had a challenge posted on her blog, I decided to give it a look. And because I'm still working on Taylor's shower, I of course had the ability to do said card challenge. Here was the challenge:

Make a card containing some of my favorite things:

at least 1 Heart
ribbon
chipboard
at least one flower
glitter
buttons

And here's what I came up with:


The glitter card came from Joanns yesterday. They had all their Christmas DCWV stuff on clearance, so I got a box of cards and envelopes for $5. The heart playing card (which I just love and didn't know what I would do with when I bought them) is from the Target $pot. The playing cards even came in a cute heartshaped box. The scallop I made with my Cricut. And the 'LOVE' stamp is one I picked up in the $ bin at Michael's on a recent shopping expedition. The chipboard is from a chipboard pack I got at Joanns (colored with my favorite Radiant Rain dauber) and the ribbon and flower are just miscellaneous from Michael's.

Thanks for posting the challenge, Beatriz. I had fun with it! Take a peek at the challenge on Maisymary's blog, too! I hope this card works for the pink/black/white challenge, too!

Don't forget that I also have a challenge going on... You've got until Monday night (2/4) to post a link or email me pictures. I'll pick a winner on Tuesday morning when I post the new Variations on a Sketch challenge!

Observations:

I have two recent observations to note about working under deadlines:

1. When I make an effort to work ahead to get everything made in stages I make mistakes. Bad mistakes. How does that happen? I plan ahead and it all goes wrong. Like me trying to make Dana's recommended frosting. Probably would have been fine, if I hadn't used frozen butter. Oops. Don't know why I didn't think to thaw it and use it at room temperature. So, of course, the frosting didn't set up right. But, unwilling to give up, I decided to heat the frosting in hopes that the butter would melt. It did. And with a little more whipping and about 3 cups of powdered sugar (not part of the recipe, of course) I had the PERFECT frosting. It was like whipped cream, light fluffy, and the perfect shade of vanilla. Yes, I fell in love and may never go back to plain old buttercream. So I put it in the fridge and looked forward to using it on the cakes (that I still had yet to bake). Unfortunately, once refrigerated the texture changed and all of my "melted" butter thickened and made the frosting utterly unspreadable, but perfect for eating with a spoon. =D *sigh* so I'll be making more frosting. As if that weren't bad enough, I made the cakes the next day. I planned on making two rounds and layering them. I mixed everything up, following the directions (all 3 ingredients!) on the box mix. I spread the mix in the pan, thinking the batter was a little stiffer than I remembered. Still, it seemed okay. About halfway through the baking process, I realized that I forgot to put the water in the mix! DUH.... Good thing I had Leif pick up two mixes. I chucked the waterless cake and made the rest of that mix (with water) and another to make 3 cake rounds to layer. I think that will turn out just fine. But why is it that when I carefully plan to get things done each afternoon so everything will come together perfectly that it seems to blow up in my face? Isn't planning supposed to make things easier?

2. When I have specific projects I need to accomplish, I get brilliant ideas for all sorts of other projects to do. And I do them. Here I have a baby shower on Saturday and several projects to finish before then. And while I have done some of those, I have also done a bunch of other projects, start to finish. I have made 3 necklaces, a bracelet, and earrings. I made a flannel board complete with vehicle cut outs to use with it. I made 3 more mailbox and valentine sets. (In my defense, these were sold in my Etsy store, so I really did need to get them finished so I can mail them out tomorrow.) I single-handedly moved Ellie's toddler bed from the basement to her room upstairs. It's really quite ridiculous how much I have gotten done in the time that I was supposed to be doing other things. It's true that the things I needed to get done also got done, but I have accomplished so much more, too.

These two observations - the fact that I make mistakes when I plan ahead and that I get so much more accomplished when I am working under a deadline - lead me to one conclusion. It's something my dad taught me and something I have lived by for many years (much to my mother's dismay). It may not always be true, but today I conclude that...

Procrastination is the essence of efficiency.

Still, I am going to follow my little schedule and do what I can tomorrow so that Saturday runs smoothly. I may be more efficient when I procrastinate, but I don't enjoy the stress that comes with it. I also know that sometimes the little things get left out when I procrastinate, and I want this to be a perfect Martha style shower on Saturday. That requires the little things to be intact. I'm not making my own marshmallows for the hot chocolate. That is my compromise. I plan to have everything else *just right*.

Right Now

I was tagged by Julie, so here's my right now:

RIGHT NOW... I'm watching Lost.

RIGHT NOW... I'm finishing up an Etsy order.

RIGHT NOW... I'm eating a granola bar.

RIGHT NOW... I'm staring at a pile of laundry that needs to be folded and put away.

RIGHT NOW... I'm listening to Ellie bump around in her room her first night sleeping in the toddler bed.

RIGHT NOW... I'm thinking about what I still need to do for Taylor's baby shower on Saturday.

RIGHT NOW... I'm finishing up this post because it's time to do something else!

More Paperless Crafting

Here's what I spent my afternoon doing yesterday:


... making royal icing flowers to decorate a cake for a shower I'm throwing on Saturday.

Don't look too closely, because they're certainly not perfect, but I think they'll look fine on the cake. I ran out of powdered sugar, so icing wasn't stiff enough for the roses, but I still got a couple I think are keepers. I only have a general idea of what I want the cake to look like, so I just made a bazillion drop flowers in pink and white, some green leaves, and brown lettering so I can sort of pick and choose what I want when it comes time to decorate the cake.

Speaking of the cake, I was going to make that, and some buttercream frosting today. But, that required a trip to the grocery store and when I went to buy the powdered sugar (since I ran out yesterday) I realized that Leif had the car with the carseat in it. Whoops! So he will stop by the store on his way home and pick up my items and I'll have to make the cake and frosting tomorrow afternoon!

5th Week Challenge!

5th week challenges are fun! They happen the 5th Tuesday of any given month (you know how some months have 5 of them while most months only have 4?) and they involve a PRIZE!

So here's January's 5th Week Challenge for you all:

Complete any of the January challenges and post a link in the comments of this post. For every challenge you complete, you'll get another chance at the prize!

The challenges are:

• Variations on a Sketch #1
• Lace!
• Altered Stash Item
• Hot Pink and Acetate!

You can post your layouts/cards/projects online at 2ps or on your blog or email them to me, just get them in by Monday, February 4! I will post the winner when I post the first February challenge on Tuesday morning!

And here's the prize package...


A little mini purse made with Martha Stewart paper and my Cricut Expressions. And it's stuffed to the brim with little goodies! Some for scrapping/cardmaking, some handmade by me, and even some yummies, too!

We've had one submission so far (Go Lauren!), so get crafting and post some links! Let's get this show on the road!

(My Inner Martha 5th week challenge linked to http://stampinwhenican.blogspot.com)

Paperless crafting...

Yesterday I had a few free moments without Ellie to run into Garden of Beadin' (thank you, Leif!!) and pick up a few things for a project I've had in my head for a bit. I picked up a few beads and chain to make this necklace, inspired by Anilu.


It's been SO long since I've made any jewelry, and so much of my crafting lately has been scrapping or card related. So last night I took a break and made the above necklace and this set:



I've had the idea to make this necklace and earring set (and a bracelet that goes with it, but I'm only half done with that) since we went to Alaska with friends a few years ago. In fact, I got the shells while we were in Alaska, and I'm pretty sure I got the chain and hardware to make the set the last time I was in Garden of Beadin'. And... I'm pretty sure that was when I was pregnant with Ellie. Like I said, it's been a while. Here I am wearing the shell set - and of course I'm not smiling because I was tired of trying to get the picture to take well (I'm in front of a mirror), but it at least gives an idea of what they look like on.


Since I was on a roll with the jewelry last night, I also repurposed the beads from a necklace I didn't really like to make a bracelet that I really do like! It's simple, but it didn't cost me anything new since I already had the beads. Plus it will go with another set of jewelry that I wear a lot! Sort of win-win there....


So there you have it. My paperless crafting from last night.

I have been doing some other papercrafting, too, but I think I'm going to save it with a couple other things I'm planning to submit to a magazine this week. So you'll just have to wait on that! But in the event that it doesn't get picked up, I took pictures of the process and plan to share a little tutorial on it with you guys. So that will be coming sooner or later. (Later, I hope, because that means I'd actually achieve my goal of getting published this year!)

Stay tuned for the 5th week challenge tomorrow! There's a prize involved!

More Hambly Cards... and a tutorial of sorts

I told you I've had a lot of crafting time lately... well, here's some of what I've been doing. I'm ALL ABOUT the Hambly cards lately, though so far they've managed to steer clear of my Valentine's obsession. Anyway- here are 3 more Hambly transparency cards and a tutorial:




To make these Hambly cards, you'll need...

one silver Bohemian overlay

one sheet white/kraft Journaling Bits


white Vintage Rub-ons
and a Dymo labeler.

Here's what you do:

Trim the information edge off the overlay. Cut the overlay into thirds so you have three 4x12 strips. Fold the strips in half so you have three 4x6 cards. (hint: It doesn't matter which way you cut the overlay, since the design doesn't have a right or wrong way to go.)

Trim chosen journaling bits out of the kraft paper, following the curves of the design. For these three cards I used the 3 small circles with swirlies, the 3 small squares with flourishes, and 3 of the larger journaling bits, including the "Q" circle, the tall rectangle, and the large square.

Put the large journaling bits on the inside of the cards, and the small squares on the card fronts. Place the small circles on the inside or fronts as they fit best.

Add rub-ons and rhinestones to finish off the card front designs and type greetings out on the dymo labeler.



Here are three more cards I made using the same idea, but with the hot pink overlay and an "Out on a Limb" screenprint.


I love what these cards look like and think I'll have to put in an order for some of the orange overlays and screenprints next. Ooooh... or maybe the lime green Bohemia with the lime on white dandelions.... I can see fun things in my future with these ideas!

(Hambly Overlay Card Tutorial linked to http://stampinwhenican.blogspot.com)

And the day just keeps getting better!

I won! I won! I won!

And I didn't even know it until Julie commented about it on my blog. Thanks, Julie! That's what happens when my internet is down for hours upon hours in the afternoon. That and a whole lot of crafting, which I will show you later. Right now it is time for bed. But before I go, wanna see what I won??

I won this beautiful flourish set from Cornish Heritage Farms! Isn't it gorgeous! Thanks CPS! I can't wait until I get to play with it! I guess this means I will need to get back to finishing up my stamp organization and storage system!

EEEEEEEEEEK!

Can you tell my excitement???

I JUST JOINED THE GINA K COPIC MARKER CLUB!

Their phone lines opened this morning at 10 and I was right there calling in like a crazy woman! I didn't get in on the first Copic Club since I was just thinking about getting into these markers, but I made it for this round - I am one of 40 lucky members. Woohooo! So Gina K will be getting $25 of my craft budget for the next six months and I will be getting 6 copic markers each month. At the end of that time I will have the whole Ciao A set, with a case for them. I'm excited!

Now all I need to do is get myself a blender pen. I didn't see one at HL when I was there last, but I might have overlooked it.

Okay... off to get the dishwasher emptied while I'm in a really good mood! Even dishes can't dampen this one... =D

Spinach Craisin Salad

I could have titled this post "Oh, How I Love Oil & Vinegar..." because really, that's what it's all about. I went to refill some of our O&V bottles today while I was out running errands. Leif was working from home while Ellie napped, so I had a few precious moments in town by myself! I forgot how wonderful it is to go into a store like Oil & Vinegar without little toddler hands trying to grab every breakable item in sight! I also forgot how wonderfully relaxing it is to sample the oils and vinegars there.

While the lady was filling my 3 bottles, I sampled yet another vinegar and asked her what it would be used for. Her answer sounded so marvelously delicious that I ran back out to the car to collect 2 more bottles to be filled! (We had 7 or 8 total, but I didn't get them all filled... only most of them!) So I tried her suggestion with dinner. It was amazing! Here's how it works:

Soak craisins in spiced pecan vinegar and microwave for 30 seconds, until craisins have plumped slightly. Sprinkle craisins over a spinach salad and drizzle with roasted walnut oil.

That's it! Super easy and REALLY good. I might just start eating salads again....

And that is why I love Oil & Vinegar today. (Oh - that and because she told me today how to package up the bottles so they'll go through checked luggage next time I go to Texas!)

From That to This...

I have a Target $pot addiction. I admit it. Especially when it comes to their scrapbooking supplies. So a while back I got some Prima-style paper flowers there for $1. You can't beat that! When I put the flowers away, though, I was left with this container that they came in:

Now, I couldn't just throw it away... I was sure it could be used for something!! I didn't have a lid, but I kept it anyway. And then an idea struck me... with a little shrink wrap, it would be perfect for homemade chocolates! And so it went from THAT to THIS:




And with my recent penchant for Valentine's things, I added a little I Love You and gave it to my sweet love.


Of course, after I made one I realized I had another two (I told you I had an addiction!) containers sitting in my "find a way to alter" pile (Oh, there are LOTS of things in that pile!) and thought that they'd make a nice looking wedding cake if stacked on top of one another. So this idea is for future reference, if I ever throw a wedding shower again. Wouldn't it make a cute centerpiece?

If Martha Were A Gamer...

... She'd have made these


Or these!


... But since she's not (that I know of!) they were made by Hello Naomi instead. Almost makes me wish Leif would have gaming parties so I could turn out cute treats like these!!

MIM Wild Card Challenge!!

Are you ready for this week's Wild Card Challenge?? I'm hoping to see some truly wild cards from this! It's a combination challenge, so here you go:

Make a card using hot pink and acetate!

Now a little background on my inspiration for this one... Hot pink is NOT my color. But in my love of all things Hambly, I purchased a Bohemian overlay in - that's right - hot pink. I have loved it, but never known what on earth to do with it! In a different Hambly order, I received several free screenprints, including a limited edition sheet of "Out on a Limb" in kraft / hot pink. Again, cool, but what would I use it for? So the other day I happened to pull them out and put them on the table next to eachother. *dingdingding* A light went on!

So here are my challenge cards:



Have fun!!

(Wild Card Challenge linked to http://stampinwhenican.blogspot.com)

and the winner is....

SANDY!!!!

Congratulations, Sandy! I'll get these stamps in the mail to you!

Thanks for playing, everyone!

And now for something completely different....

So here is one of my first attempts at a layout using my new Cricut Expression! Everything was cut with it, including the scalloped paper. It's very different from my typical scrapbooking style, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It seems I'm not quite out of the shabby chic world yet. It keeps creeping into my projects! But that's fine. Soon enough I'll move on to my next "look" and it'll all be good. As I told a friend this morning, it's a good thing I don't scrapbook chronologically or it would be very clear what phase I was in when!

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for a new challenge - It's Wild Card week!!!

HOW DID I MISS IT??

I swear it was just yesterday that I looked at my blog counter and it said 2800-something. I remember thinking "Oh, only a couple hundred more people and then I will hit the 3000 mark! Woohoo!" I only get about 50 people who check my blog a day, so I figured it would take a few days. I looked just now and it says 3012!!! WOW! I've had 15 people check so far today, so it must have turned over this morning, but HOW DID I MISS IT?? I don't know.

I guess it doesn't really matter that I didn't actually see it hit the 3000 mark. The important thing is that it DID! And THAT, my friends, is cause for a celebration. So how 'bout a giveaway?? Leave me a comment and I'll draw a random winner tomorrow (Monday) night!

The prize will be two Purple Onion stamps from my stash. They are brand new and have never been used. They have been trimmed and "tacked" and are ready to use! One is a set of journaling lines and the other is a negative script block. Here are the images:


Happy posting and thanks for reading my blog!! If you are a subscriber, let me know how (Feedblitz, Google Reader, Bloglines, whatever you use) in your comment for an extra chance to win!

(Giveaway linked to http://stampinwhenican.blogspot.com)

Valentine's Mail Box!!

This is the mailbox I was working on making the other day. I used a half sheet of the same Loveland paper that I used on the Mom and Me Valentines. Even though the mailbox won't be part of the class, I thought it would be fun to display them together at the open house and in the store. I like the combination so much, in fact, that I went and bought a few more mailboxes at the Target $pot so I can make some for Etsy! The mailbox itself is pink and the front detaches. To the Loveland paper I added some lace, flowers, rhinestones, and stamping to finish off the design.





I saw everyone making these little mailboxes last year and I thought they were cute, but couldn't for the life of me figure out what you would do with one. I've never been one to get all excited about Valentine's Day, so it just didn't make sense to me. But this year I seem to be in the "Valentine's spirit" and making all sorts of Valentine's projects! I don't know what's up with that, but it did get me started on this project, so I guess it's a good thing, right? This is my first attempt at altering a mailbox and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It reinforced in my mind a love for two things: 1. My Xyron. It made this project SOOOO much easier. 2. Scenic Route scrap strip paper. That stuff is amazing. I love it. Makes me glad I stocked up on some of it a while back. Now I'll have to add this to my collection, too. =D

TODAY...

Let's talk about today, shall we? First off, we started the day by driving to Billings to celebrate my father-in-law's and brother-in-law's birthday. I realized on the way out there that it is also Eliana's 18 month day. We got a late start, and the road conditions required that we drive slower than normal, so we got to Billings late. Before we met up with the family for lunch, though, we stopped by the new Hobby Lobby.

Hobby Lobby... aren't those just beautiful words?? We've had one in TX forever and every time I've been back since we moved away I have to go to HL and shop. It's just so much better than Michael's! *sigh* I've longed for the day when we, too, will have a HL. Bozeman doesn't have one yet, but Billings finally does - that alone warrants the 2+ hour drive over there! Anyway- that's amazingly wonderful thing #1 about today.

While at HL, Leif got some mats cut so we can hang pictures in our basement. I was over in the seasonal and scrapbooking sections snatching up new colors of flocking powder and Cuttlebug dies. I also learned that the Billing HL carries QK dies. Sweet! Didn't get any, though.

While Leif was over in the framing section he gave me a call and said that.... he was standing there looking at a display of Copic Markers! Now, I have been drooling over these silly markers since I started reading Debbie Olson's blog. That woman is amazing!! And dangerous to read.... she has sold me on more things (like Copic Markers and PaperTrey Ink sets) than anyone else! But I digress.... so I ran (almost literally!) over to the framing section and ooohed and aaaahed over the markers. Now, Copics are not cheap. They're like $6 per marker. But HL was having a sale and I got them for $4.50 each! Jackpot!! I will go back at some point and get more once I know exactly what colors, etc, I need for better blending, but I got 8 to start with. A couple blues, a couple pinks, a brown, a gray, a light yellow, and a peachy/pinky one. The blues and pinks blend well, and the gray compliments the others nicely. But I will be back - you can almost bet on it. That is, if I don't decide to join Gina K's copic marker club first.

So... Copic Markers in hand and a huge smile on my face, I made my way back to the scrapbooking section. I picked up a few cool American Crafts papers (that I can't get at my LSS and were on sale 12x12 for 5/$1!!) and headed over to the foam and acrylic stamps section. And there, to my delight, I saw this:


It's a way cool Autumn Leaves stamp set (by Katie Pertiet) that I once saw online and liked. I don't like to pay shipping, though (I'm a cheapskate like that!), so I didn't get it. I haven't seen it anywhere since until today! You know that went right into my cart... $15 gone so easily, LOL! But I'm looking forward to using it and coloring it in with my Copics!

We left HL and ate lunch with the family at Texas Roadhouse. It was fun. It's always disappointing, though, when I stop counting calories for a day so I can just enjoy a meal out for a special occasion. I split a meal with Leif - we shared a Caesar salad, steak, chicken, and I got a baked potato. Here's the disappointing part - I gave myself no calorie restrictions and ate the glorious food ... until I realized that my stomach has shrunk and I can't eat nearly as much before I'm full now! It's a good problem when you're trying to lose weight. But it's sort of disappointing when your potato fills you up and a lonely piece of delicious chicken is still staring you down. *sigh*

Oh - I forgot to mention that I came *thisclose* to meeting a fellow blogger, too! Julie Koerber was attending a demonstration with my mother-in-law just a couple blocks away from us! I would have loved to pop in and meet her, but the framing at HL took much longer than we expected so it didn't happen. Maybe another time. In the meantime, she'll have to settle for a little cyberspace "HI JULIE!!!" and a little visit from those of you who head on over to see her work!

Whew! So with full bellies and goodies in hand, we headed back to Bozeman. The roads were clear, the views beautifully flocked, and we made good time. We pulled up to the house and what did I see on the porch??

MY NEW CRICUT EXPRESSION!!!!

It arrived! I wasn't expecting it until Wednesday, and am oh-so-excited!! That baby went right down to the basement (amidst the mess!) and went to work right away, LOL! There are lots of tricks I'm still learning, but it's easy to use and fun to play with. I've made a bunch of little bags and a couple scrapbook pages so far... and I'm sure a TON more playing to come!!! Even if the whole HL/Copic/Stamps excitement hadn't happened, this would have made my day! As it is... today is that much better!


And so I share with you this layout I made of Ellie today. The pictures were taken exactly a year ago, on the day she turned 6 months old. The corners were cut with the Cricut, the title and journaling block stamped with the Frolic set, colored with my Copics (except for the yellow - I actually pulled out my brayer for that!! I don't think I've used my brayer in a couple years...). This layout is the culmination of an amazing day all in one! Lots of fun and it's one more layout done.

Well, it's been a good day, so I'm going to go back to my playing. Happy scrapping!!!

There's a storm brewing....

... A crafting storm, that is! I have been in the basement today creating, creating, creating! I've been working on getting my class samples finished, altering a mailbox as a valentine display for the open house, making baby shower invitations, and altering two frappuccino sets. And of course I've got all these projects going on at once because I can't possibly focus on one thing at a time. Oh - and that clean craft room I had going not too long ago? Uh-uh. Not any more. BIG MESS. But a big mess I had fun making! I should be able to clean it up again around the end of the month, when I've got all of my little projects finished. In the meantime, I'll be crafting up a storm!!

Karen Day wants to Say ...

"Purple Monkey Dishwasher"
http://karen-day.blogspot.com

If Martha were a biology teacher...

But really, what would make someone think to do this? I admit... I loved dissecting frogs in school. And I really do enjoy knitting. But to combine them...?

I'm pretty sure it would take me FOREVER to knit this. I'm still perfectly content to knit scarves, baby blankets, and the occasional hat. That's about it. Still, the frog does have an odd charm about it and I do think it's cool. I don't think I'll sign up to be on the waiting list, though. If you want to, though, you can get your very own knitted frog dissection here.

Trying Something New

For the next set of Keepsakes classes I'm trying something new. Maybe it's that Ellie's getting old enough that I want to do projects with her. Maybe it's that I miss teaching kids and was reminded of that during my recent substitute teaching stint. Whatever the cause, I decided that it would be fun if there were scrapbooking classes at Keepsakes for moms to do with their kids. So I proposed one and got it accepted for this quarter's schedule!

The class will run for a couple hours and during that time each mom/kid pair will make 10 valentines - two each of the five designs above. They'll learn some simple techniques like paper tearing, decorative scissors, inking, and line drawing, and hopefully have a lot of fun along the way! Thanks to Scenic Route's Loveland collection, it's easy to get five totally different designs (and 10 cards) from a single sheet of their scrap strip paper. I love these for card making!!

Okay... I'm off to alter a little mailbox in which to display the valentines at the open house next weekend! Ta ta!

What's for dinner??

I took a little advice from Martha tonight and made one of her dishes for dinner. Now, for as much inspiration as I have gotten from Martha, it's rarely in the cooking department. She tends to make things that don't appeal to my tastes or the amount of time and effort I care to put forth in my meal preparation. But yesterday I got a HUMONGOUS stack of old Martha Stewart Living magazines from Freecycle and I pulled out the February ones to read now. There are tear-out recipe cards in them, so I took a peek and thought the "Mediterranean Chicken" from January 2005 sounded good. And that's what we had for dinner tonight. It was wonderful!!

Though she had other side dishes listed, I opted to serve the chicken on a bed of spinach. Then Leif got the brilliant idea to wrap it all up in a tortilla with some feta ... Mmmm! I pulled out my cast iron skillet for this one and I will be sure to make it again. Here's how it's done (my way... I had to alter it a bit since I don't like capers!):

1 /2 pint grape tomatoes
16 black olives
2 T. (garlic infused*) olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1. Preheat oven to 475*. Toss tomatoes, olives, and 1 T. olive oil together in a bowl and set aside.
2. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat until hot. Add 1 T. oil and heat until hot. Place chicken in skillet and cook until deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn chicken over. Add tomato mixture to the skillet.
3. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until chicken is cooked through and tomatoes have softened, about 18 minutes.

It's pretty easy, doesn't use weird ingredients, and tastes amazing! And it's relatively healthy. My version (just what you see above, not counting the spinach or tortilla) has 320 calories and 20 grams of fat. The fat comes from olive oil and olives, so it's "good" fat. Oh, and did I mention that it tastes great, too??

*To make the garlic infused olive oil, fill a container with olive oil and drop a few cloves of garlic in. Let it sit for a few days and you'll have really good garlic flavored olive oil!

I feel famous!

I just found out that Debbie Olson has me linked on her blogroll! I feel like a ROCKSTAR!! *dancing around in a happy little circle*

MIM Challenges - Week 3 Cards

It's the first MIM Card Challenge!! I had fun with this one, and I hope you do too. Here it is...

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to take an item from your stash that you can't find a use for and alter it for a card.

We all have them - you know, stashes of things that we like, but just haven't got a use for. Or we had a use for them but had way too many to use and now have several lying around without purpose. Whatever it is, pull it out, alter it, and use it on an awesome card!!

For me it was Heidi Swapp chipboard hearts. I like them, but I had several. Then I got tired of them. So they sat in my bin. Tonight I pulled one out and it went from this (the bottom one):

... to this! I'm pretty excited about its transformation. I sanded all the red off, inked it with Versamark, embossed it with pink powder, sanded it again, stamped on it with Staz-On, inked the edges, and VOILA! a completely new look for this little heart!

Now.... show me what you've got! Don't forget to give me a link in the comments so I can see your creations!!

(MIM Card Challenge linked to stampinwhenican.blogspot.com)

Lace Challenge Layout

Here is my layout for the Lace Challenge. I really like how it turned out. I've had these Little Davis letters for a loooong time and I finally used them (for the word LOVE). My favorite thing about this layout, though, has to be the little file folder tied to the picture. It slips out from under the ties and hides my journaling:



Tomorrow I'll be back with a card challenge! See you then!!