Random Friday - Layout Kits

Just some randomness about my Time2Scrap layout kits...

1. There are 2 boxes packed with papers, embellishments and cardstock waiting to be turned into layout kits...and I keep buying.  I'll admit it, I have a problem.
2. I see the layout/design in my head when I order the materials - it's gone by the time I get around to working with them :(
3. I usually don't add titles to my layout kits - this way you can customize your layouts to suit your needs.  When I have them, I add letter stickers to the kits to save you having to find coordinating letters.  Other times, I design titles and cut them out on my cricut.  This is time-consuming but fun for me.
4. I have designed 60 layout kits and just finished layout #61...here's a sneak peek. #62 is either glasses or baseball.
   
   
5. Some kits are pre-cut, most are not.  Same as #3, it's so you can customize your layout.
6. Girl themed layout kits are the hardest ones for me since I only have boys and nephews.  Totally working on this though, just had 3 nieces born in the last 2 months!!!
7. Sports themed layout kits are the easiest ones for me.  Any interest in wrestling kits?
8. It's also easier to design multiple layouts per kit than a single layout.  I have more material and embellishments to work with.

Have you tried one of my layout kits?  I'd love to hear some feedback from you.  Suggestions for kits are always welcome!

Happy Lunar New Year!!!

Today is the Lunar New Year eve...traditionally it's the day the entire family gathers together for a meal featuring delicacies of all sorts.  Most family members travel home for this and the celebrations in the following days.  We haven't made it "home" for New Year's in 11 years...I wish we could but the kids are in school and it's just too far and too expensive to travel for a week.  We usually travel in the summer and spend an entire month.  This year, I finally put these cute stamps to use and created Chinese New Year cards to mail to select family and friends.

In this year of the horse,

we would like to wish you

joy, wealth and health!!!

Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal

Anyone else tried making Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal?  I saw this on Pinterest and it didn't really interest me until a friend posted about it on Facebook.  It looked like a great idea for breakfast on the go, especially at crop weekends.  I had all the ingredients on hand so I whipped up 2 batches using frozen mangoes, vanilla yogurt and old fashioned oatmeal.  Results - it was good but dry.  There didn't seem to be enough liquid in the yogurt to properly hydrate the oats but I ate both batches.

A few weeks later, I tried it again.  This time instead of oats, I used granola and replaced the mango with blueberries.  Results - It was yummy but once again a little on the dry side.

I spent a few minutes on pinterest researching the recipe and noticed the addition of milk to the recipe.  Since I thought mine were dry, milk seemed like a great addition.  Next recipe, I added 1/3 cup of unsweetened coconut milk to oatmeal, vanilla yogurt and raspberries.  Results - it was really really bland and sour raspberries did NOT help at all. 

I really, really want this recipe to work so I'm going to give it another shot for my next weekend away.  This time around, I will use unsweetened coconut milk, oatmeal, vanilla yogurt and a sweeter fruit and a drizzle of honey.  I'll update here when I try it.  If you've tried this and have a good recipe, please share!!!

Just Scrappin'

 Looking back, I realized that I didn't blog about our September Just Scrappin' event.  Better late than never PLUS this will serve as a friendly reminder than we have two events scheduled for 2014 - May 30 weekend and Sept 26 weekend AND that we are now taking deposits for both dates.  Your crop fee includes your own 6 foot table, access to our tool table with 2 cricuts, on-site shopping...

one FREE 2 page layout class, optional classes (for a small fee)

 your 2 night hotel stay, meals including this yumminess...

and best of all, a whole weekend dedicated to scrapping to your hearts content with a wonderful group of ladies.  Won't you join us?  

Registration forms can be found HERE in the files tab 

or by emailing me at sluvs2skrap at yahoo dot com.

Weekend Wrap-up

It was a nice change to be home for the weekend after 2 back-to-back crops.  Friday evening saw me on my own, so I took to the roads and headed over to Andover to visit with Jean and the Cool Crops Crew, who were celebrating their 50th crop.  My boys rode with me most of the way (we were on our way to meet up with dad so they could go watch the Celtics game) and we watched the sun set in the mirrors and J got this cool shot of the sunset!

I came home to this...lots and lots of boxes blocking the garage.  And you know what this means right?  Bazzill & Core-dinations are in and I'm seriously stocked up on adhesives and a whole bunch of other goodies!!! 

I spent some time on Saturday unpacking the boxes, sorting papers and putting it all away.  I still have to price and label but that will happen during the week...

home for the weekend means I get to spend my time with my boys.  We managed to fit in 2 basketball games, baseball practice, a visit to the library, a visit to the winter farmer's market and antique/vintage co-op, sunday school, church and a hockey game.  Hubby does this all when I'm away on the weekends...I'm such a lucky girl!!! 

Sneaky Sunday

 Winter Wonderland (2 page layout)

 

I will be teaching this as a class at Cool Crops Andover, Scrap-A-Way Warwick, Ready Set Crop Leominster, and A Crop to Remember.  Limited Supplies...email me to reserve your kit.
Class times TBD.  Cost $10.00.

Got Moxxie?

Time2Scrap does!  Just got my Moxxie order in and am excited to share what I got in.  Some new collections, some older but a bunch of great themes that you will be excited to see.  They're hard to find themes...

These themes will be packed as collections...some with embellishments, some without PLUS coordinating cardstock!  There are three other themes that I will be designing as layout kits - Baseball, Perfect Smile (great for orthodontist pics) and Seeing Clear (great for glasses/contacts layouts).  Look for them in the store soon!

Smash Albums

SMASH albums...did you get one and put it together?  I love the idea of the SMASH album but think it needs to have a theme.  I wanted to start one for the longest time and couldn't find the right theme/topic for mine until we decided to drive down to Florida for the holidays in 2012.  I packed up some goodies in a small box and armed with my iPhone camera and an app to print to Walgreens, they even printed square pics on 4x6.  I scrapped on the road (in my lap), in hotel rooms and at my in-laws over the holidays. 

 My boys were trapped in the car with me for hours on end, so I had them fill out (answer while I wrote) questionnaires.  I had their opinions, thoughts and even resolutions recorded...SCORE!

Here are a few more pages. 

Oh Pinterest...What's Cooking?

I found a different recipe for a Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken on Pinterest,.  It's a recipe from the Chef Mommy blog and thought I'd try it out.  I even used her homemade Taco Seasoning...so easy and I had all the spices on hand. This dish was yummy and all my boys loved it.  We served it over jasmine rice with salad and avocado.

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders)
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (I used the cream of chicken)
1 cup salsa
1 package taco seasoning (I used 1 Tbsp of Chef Mommy's homemade taco seasoning)
1 cup sour cream
cilantro, for serving (optional) (I also added a little shredded cheddar-jack, black beans and scallion on top)

Directions:
Put chicken, soup, and salsa in slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over everything. Cook on low for 6 hours (I cooked mine on high for 3 hours). If shredding the chicken, pull the breasts out and shred; return back to slow cooker. Stir in sour cream and heat just until everything is combined.  Serve over rice with a side of salad and avocado.

It's Crop Season

It's definitely crop season...and I can tell when every weekend with one or two free has a crop penned in.  Looking for a scrapping event?  Want to know where I'll be for the next few months? 

Jan 31 to Feb 2 - Scrap-A-Way in Warwick, RI. **they still have seats available for this crop**

Feb 14 to 16 - Cool Crops in Andover, MA.

Feb 21 to 23 - Scrap-A-Way MOM'n'ME in Warwick, RI.

Feb 28 to Mar 2 - Ready Set Crop in Leominster, MA.

Mar 8 - A Crop to Remember in Southington, CT.

Mar 14 to 16 - Cool Crops in Portsmouth, NH.

Mar 28 to 30 - Scrap-A-Way in Hyannis, MA.

Apr 4 to 6 - Cool Crops in Portland, ME.

May 2 to 4 - Scrap-A-Way in Warwick, RI.

May 30 to Jun 1 - Just Scrappin' Weekend in Westboro, MA.

All of these dates are on my Upcoming Events tab here on the blog.  Leave me a little shout-out if you're going to be at any of these events!

Weekend wrap up

Spent this past weekend with the Scrap-A-Way Retreats girls in Mystic, CT.  It was a New Year's theme complete with a photo booth.  All the vendors decided to join in and have a little fun...how do we look?

Class was a hit...Thanks to all that joined me in my 4 page layout class. 

And I can't forget to mention the wonderful chocolate fountain spread on Saturday night.  It was the perfect pick-me-up!

2014 Goals

It's Jan 16...it still counts as the beginning of the year, right?  And therefore, I can still be setting 2014 goals for myself and Time2Scrap, right?  So here goes...

• Scrap a layout a week - I used to scrap for myself when I ran monthly all day crops.  Now that my schedule is too busy for all day crops, I haven't been scrapping for myself.  I fit it in with the Make-n-Takes and layout kits I design but it's not the same.  So, I will scrap more for myself this year. 
• Blog more - I have 2 blogs, one is my personal blog and the other is this one.  I have fallen behind on both of them.  This blog has been getting some attention, the other one sadly still needs some work.
• Take at least 3 crafty classes - I am signed up for Stenciled at onlinecardclasses.com and am really looking forward to it.  Also on my list is a Copic class.  The third, I will know it when I see it ;)
• Sign up for Mailchimp for newsletters.  It shouldn't change anything is you're signed up for my mailing list, it will just make the process easier for me.  Keep an eye for it in February.
• Cards for Yan - Last year, at a few crops, I offered a card Make-n-Take and donated the proceeds to a little boy, Yan, who is fighting cancer.  This year, my goal is to keep helping with your help.  I'm working on something and will share it here when I have a concrete plan.

That's it...2 that needs to be accomplished ASAP and 3 that will be year-long goals.  3 are more business related and 2 that are crafty...all of them do-able. Better go get my scrap on...I'm already behind on the scrapping goal.  Do you have any crafty goals for yourself?

Teacher Gifts

 Once upon a time, I taught card classes at a rec center.  There weren't always full so I had quite a pile of supplies left over.  The supplies looked sad sitting in baskets waiting to be turned into cards.  When it came time for teacher gifts, I hunted high and low for something that would be useful.  And so the teachers got card sets for X'mas.  Each year as the holidays got closer, teachers I bumped into in the hallways would stop and tell me "I'm so looking forward to your cards this year" and "I love the cards you gave me last year"...and a tradition was started.  Fast forward a few years and I stopped teaching at the rec center.  Now I design and make cards just for the teachers!  Packaging them is just a simple bit of twine plus a tag.

And if you would like to see what they got...here are the cards.

 

Oh Pinterest!

I have such a love/hate relationship with it.  I spend way too much time browsing it for ideas but love the fact that I can "pin" bookmarks and ideas visually.  I have decided to share my attempts at pinterest inspired projects, both successes and failures, here on my blog and call it "Nailed It Wednesdays!"

My first project of 2014 was to get myself organized enough to keep up with this blog.  When I say Elise Blaha's cork board calendar, I had an AHA moment.  The magnetic white board that is right next to my desk would be perfect for this and is currently a HUGE mess of papers and magnets.  Armed with two rulers and a roll of washi tape, I set to work taping out a calendar grid...easy peasy.  Then I wrote down what I wanted to blog about on post-it notes and stuck them on.  I'm on post-it note #10 and am loving it.  Pinterest Project SUCCESS :)  

It's that time again!

Bulk Buy time!!!  This time around I will be offering two bulk buys - one for Tim Holtz's Distressed Core'dinations cardstock and one for the usual Bazzill cardstock.  New to my cardstock bulk buy?  Here's the scoop...

• You will receive 60 sheets of cardstock, 5 sheets each of 12 different colors.
• Price includes tax and shipping to me.
• Price is for local hand delivery only - It does NOT include shipping to you. We can meet up or deliver at an event (check my schedule here).  Cardstock will be available for delivery starting Jan 31 (if all goes as planned).
• Mailing from me to you will be actual USPS cost.
• Order Deadline is noon Wednesday, Jan 15.  Email me (sluvs2skrap@yahoo.com) to purchase. 
• Payments in advance by check are appreciated or cash upon delivery.  No CC's or paypal please.
• Does not apply towards prizes or rafffles at crops if you take delivery and pay me at an event.

Bazzill Bulk Buy - $25.00 (includes tax and shipping to me).

Core'dinations Tim Holtz Distressed Cardstock buy - $23.00 (includes tax and shipping to me)

Weekend Wrap-up

Spent this past weekend with the Cool Crops Crew in Hyannis, MA.  Class was a big success...everyone loved the 'Tis the Season layout class.

And the pajama party was the coolest part of the weekend.  Everyone was dresses in PJ's, slippers and an accessory (stuffed animal, night cap, rollers, eye mask).  

Thanks for a great weekend Ladies!!!

Sneaky Sunday

Who's ready for another Sneaky Sunday?   Here's a peek in to the store...all NEW Winter themed collections in stock.  Love them all and finding it hard to pick a favorite, so I got them all!

What's Cooking

This is not a quick and easy recipe nor is it a meal.  It's a typical Puerto Rican dessert that my MIL makes over the holidays.  This year, I had a terrible cold that led to laryngitis and then a sinus infection meaning I couldn't taste or smell anything the entire holidays.  Getting back home, I dug out my handy "Puerto Rican Cookery" cookbook and got to work.  It came out awesome, if I do say so myself and when I posted it on facebook, I had multiple requests for a recipe so I thought I'd post it here.  

 Puerto Rican Rice Pudding (Arroz Dulce or Arroz con Coco)

1 cup medium grain rice
1 can coconut milk (shake can thoroughly and then set aside 3/4 cups)
3 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 cinnamon sticks
pinch of ground cloves - optional
pinch of nutmeg - optional
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 - 1 cup raisins (as much or as little as you like)

1.  Rinse rice and soak in water to cover for 2 hours.
 2.  20 minutes before rice is ready, combine remaining coconut milk, water, salt, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg and ground cloves in a heavy pot.  Bring to a boil over high hear.  Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3.  Drain rice thoroughly and add to the pot.  Mix and bring to a boil over medium heat (I took it to mean bubbling).  Reduce heat to low and cook until rice is completely dry.  Do NOT stir.  This took about 30 minutes for me.
4.  Add sugar and raisins, mix and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.  Do NOT stir.
5.  Add reserved 3/4 cup coconut milk and mix.  Turn heat to medium and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until rice dries again.  Turn rice over occasionally and scrape bottom of pan.
6.  Remove cinnamon sticks.  Spoon rice onto a flat serving platter.  Allow to cool at room temperature before refrigerating.
7.  Enjoy!!!