Pre-order: Art Bin Electronic Cartridge Storage

I think this Art Bin electronic cartridge storage is the coolest ever! 

I am offering it for pre-order only…it won’t be in until late October…for a great price of $14.99 

(tax and shipping to me included, retails for $19.99)

This will be for hand delivery only ie. I can meet you in Worcester or bring it to a crop we're both attending.  Email me if you’re interested in grabbing one or two or even six!    

Order deadline is Wednesday, Aug 3. 

Project 12 share: June 2010

Have you been following along with Project 12?  What's Project 12?  I blogged about it HERE but in a nutshell it's a easy monthly sketch challenge that will result in a complete “year in review” album at the end of the year. I've been working diligently on mine and have a bunch done but will be sharing them on a monthly basis.  Here is the sketch from the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog...

Happy Scrappin!

It's Summer

The first day of summer...the longest day of the year...LOVE IT!  We packed up the league baseball season with a LL runner-up and a AAA champion :)  The AAA'er started summer baseball and we are waiting to hear for the LL'er.  2 more days of school, a few more weeks of baseball...looking forward to this...

With that said, posting here will be sporadic at best.  I will try to post at least once a week but no promises.  Have a wonderful summer...see you in the fall!!!  And if you haven't yet, seats still available for Just Scrappin' Weekend in Westboro.

Hello Sunshine

 It's been a busy month here and I really really wanted to scrap.  When I saw the challenge up on the Scrap the Boys blog, I knew the exact picture to scrap and even the papers to use.  The whole thing came together in under an hour and I even have hidden journaling :)

What's for Dinner?

Hamburgers, french fries and pickles...now that's it's unofficially summer, the grill has been put to work.  Hamburgers are a quick and easy meal be it veggie burgers, turkey burgers or beef burgers.  It's all good and the boys gobble them up, no complaining about these meals.  We are not big fans of pickles and have always happily left them out until last summer...I had an overabundance of dill and didn't know what to do with them.  The only pickles I like are half sours and when I came across this post/recipe, I just had to try it.  I made a batch and fell in love with them...last week, with dill ready for harvesting, I made the pickles again and shared with the ladies at our Just Scrappin' in Sturbridge crop.  Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe...so here it is.


Dill Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients
* 1 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Maui), thinly sliced
* 2 pounds medium pickling cucumbers, scrubbed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds {I used 3 regular cukes}
* 1 large bunch dill, coarsely chopped (stems included) {fresh from my garden}
* 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
* 2 teaspoons whole white peppercorns {only had seasoned pepper}
* 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar {used half apple cider, half white vinegar}
* 1 cup water
* 1 cup sugar
* 3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt {used coarse sea salt}
* 2 teaspoons dill seeds {didn't have any so left it out}


Preparation
* Divide sliced onion between three recycled smuckers jelly jars. Pack cucumber slices horizontally in jars. Top each jar with dill.
* Using mortar and pestle or resealable plastic bag and mallet, crush mustard seeds and peppercorns together. Place crushed spices in medium saucepan. Add vinegar, water, sugar, coarse salt, and dill seeds. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
* Ladle mixture evenly over cucumbers. Leave jars uncovered and chill 24 hours in fridge.
* Cover glass pickle jars tightly with lids. Do Ahead: Can be made 1 week ahead.
* Keep refrigerated.

Spotlight: Petaloo's Color Me Crazy Lines

I discovered Petaloo completely by accident and fell head over heels over their Color Me Crazy line.  It was a natural extension when I discovered smooch spritzes and glimmer mists.  These flowers are made of the yummiest papers that just soak up the color sprays.  They come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, varieties and even in bunches.  Petaloo blog has announced...

so I thought I'd share.  The ideas are amazing...so much more than just spraying the flowers with color.  The Wild Roses are my favorite Color Me Crazy flower and "DT member Lori Gentile has created a beautiful layout using the CMC Wild Roses!!"  Check it out HERE.  I am going to have to give it a shot to make something for teacher gifts,

Just Scrappin' in Sturbridge FALL dates

Jean and I had our last all-day crop on Saturday before taking the summer off.  Fall crop dates have been scheduled for...October 8th, November 12th and December 10th...get them on your calendar :)

Just Scrappin' in Sturbridge is an all day crops running from 9:00am – 9:00pm
at the Hampton Inn in Sturbridge MA
Your $40 includes:
Lunch and dinner, snacks and drinks throughout each day
Plenty of scrapbooking space & use of tools
On-site shopping is available with the latest and greatest scrapbooking products
A welcome gift, door prizes and a GRAND PRIZE drawing

Make n Take - sometimes a project, sometimes a two page layout
Space is limited; you must pay in advance to hold your spot!

And don't forget about our Just Scrappin' WEEKEND in Westboro, Sept 9 - 11.  Go HERE for more details.

Project 12 Share: May 2010

Have you been following along with Project 12?  What's Project 12?  I blogged about it HERE but in a nutshell it's a easy monthly sketch challenge that will result in a complete “year in review” album at the end of the year. I've been working diligently on mine and have a bunch done but will be sharing them on a monthly basis.  Here is the sketch from the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog...

 And here is my May 2010 layout...
Have you been keeping up?  Share yours!

Spotlight: Bazzill Basics Matchmaker

Ever been stumped trying to match colors to your patterned papers?  Well check out the Bazzill Matchmaker site.  Bazzill Basics Matchmaker is a website that "help(s) you find the perfect Bazzill cardstock to coordinate with your favorite patterned papers."  They have a great selection of manufacturers and paper lines.

Hide & Seek

An all day crop, wi-fi and a sketch challenge...I love to scrapbook with a sketch and a challenge in hand.  This past Saturday was no different.  I had brought minimal supplies with me to an all day crop and was stumped.  I decided to search for a sketch online...one of the blog's I visited was Tiffany's blog.  There I found this sketch challenge from the blog Sketches in Thyme.

Here's my interpretation of it...

No quite happy with the journaling...strips are fine, it's the story-telling I'm not happy with.  It's easily remedied so I'll work on it later.  Check out the websites and take the challenge.  Leave me a comment if you do ;)

What's Cooking?

Chicken Dumpling Soup...perfect for a cloudy, rainy and cold day like today (or week).  A recipe I discovered a couple of years back and is a hit with even my pickiest eaters.

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
2 tablespoons butter
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

Preparation
1.  Place chicken, butter, soup and onion in a slow cooker.  Fill with enough water to cover.
2.  Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on LOW.  About 30 minutes before serving, place torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker.  Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.
3.  Shred chicken and serve :)


When I make this...
- I leave out the butter and onions.
-  use only 2 chicken breasts
- use only 1 package of dough and I quarter the biscuits instead of tearing.

Enjoy!

Just Scrappin' Weekend in Westboro

Deposit deadline extended to end of May...seats still available, reserve yours now!!!

 Join us for a scrapbooking weekend filled with scraps, laughs and friends

at the Doubletree Inn, Westborough, MA

from September 9 - 11, 2011

Your crop fee includes…

• Crop Room open beginning Friday at 4pm and close on Sunday at 4pm.
• We will close the crop room from 3am -7am to get some sleep.
• 2 night accommodations
• Saturday morning breakfast
• Saturday dinner buffet
• Sunday brunch
• A  6’ x 30” table all to yourself
• Full use of Tool Table – 2 Cricuts, Big Shot, and more!
• Free Make and Take
• On-site shopping
• Welcome gifts, door prizes, games and daily challenges
• On-site massage therapist (for an additional fee)

Rates:

$375 single occupancy

$275 per person, double occupancy

A $75 non-refundable deposit will hold your space!  

**Deposit is due by May 31, 2011

Full payment is due by August 1, 2011.

For more information, contact:

The Crop Shop - Jean Laporte    jean.lee@snet.net, 860-490-0463

Time2Scrap – Siewleng Hiraldo   sluvs2skrap@yahoo.com, 508-363-3836

Spotlight: Split Coast Stampers

Are you a stamper?  I wasn't until I discovered acrylic stamps and card-making.  I've since learned a lot and teach monthly card classes at the Holden Recreation Center.  One of the websites that got me started and that I still go back to for ideas, tutorials and inspiration is the Splitcoaststampers website.  This site is..."A gathering place for stampers - meet and talk with other members of the stamping community, check out the gallery where you'll find tons of paper craft project samples, share your own rubber stamping creations, catch up on the latest stamp and craft news, tips & techniques, or find out about upcoming events and happenings."

One of my favorites is their Wednesday tutorial...where they feature a new project or technique tutorial, featuring step-by-step instructions and lots of pictures!  Go HERE for a list of all their tutorials.  I am thinking this cute card purse will make a great year-end teacher/aide gift...here's my version of it :)

Share your favorite tutorial link.

What's Cooking?

At a loss for a recipe to share...there's been a lot of evenings spent at the ball field. I know I've said that a lot and if you would like proof of exactly how many evenings, go HERE.  There has been a gazillion quick and easy meals but most are the "open a jar" variety as well as my go-to's that have been featured here already.  I do have a few in mind that I will get to in the coming weeks.  For today, I'd like to link/share a recipe from Becky Higgins for Pesto Chicken with Vegetables that I came upon just this morning.  Planning on picking up the fresh ingredients at the store later today and using up the last of my frozen pesto...yes I freeze my own, recipe found HERE. 

If you try it out, let me know how it goes.  And if you have any yummy recipes to share, you know where to find me ;)

Spotlight: Get It Scrapped

Get it Scrapped is a "is a resource with lots of information about the creative AND practical aspects of memory keeping.  It’s like the Home Repair book my husband goes to when the ice maker breaks and he doesn’t want to pay someone to fix it. He also goes there when he decides to do a project to pretty up the place.  The thing is — Get It Scrapped! is not a static resource like that book of my husband’s. We’re continually adding to the information here–so it’s like a magazine on top of a how-to manual!"

I've been exploring this website for a bit and find the information/articles very eye opening.  On top of information, there are classes as well as sketches and a neat forum that I have yet to delve into.  Two articles on scrapbook design that I found interesting are "Tap the Power of Three" and "The 4 patterns that make mixing scrapbook papers a snap".

And this article on 2-page layouts led to this...

What's Cooking?

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!  This is a recipe I discovered at Shaw's, one of their free recipe cards that I have since lost.  It's a recipe for a TACO CASSEROLE that no one in my house complains about when I place it on the dinner table :)  It's a quick, simple and yummy meal that's cooked in the oven.  I've also prepped it in advance and come home to slip it in the oven.

Ingredients
12 Taco shells
1lb ground beef or turkey
1 cup shredded mexican mix cheese
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can refried beans
1 12oz can diced tomatoes
1 4oz can chopped green chilies
chopped fresh cilantro, to taste

Preparation
1.  Cook ground meat until no longer pink.  Add seasoning, 1/3 of diced tomatoes plus juice and cook following instructions.
2.  Mix together refried beans, remaining diced tomatoes (drained), green chilies and cilantro.
3.  Spray 9x13 pan with a little oil and spread bean mix evenly in the pan.
4.  Heat oven to 400F
5.  To assemble casserole - sprinkle cheese in the bottom of taco shell, spoon in meat and stand taco in the bean mix. Continue until pan is full :)
6.  Sprinkle more cheese on top of tacos.
7.  Cover with foil and place in oven.  When mean mix is bubbly (about 20 minutes), remove foil and cook for another 5 minutes, or until tacos are crunchy.
8.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with sour cream and guacamole if you like.  Enjoy!!!

May Scrappy News

Hi all!

Spring is finally in full bloom here and life has gotten even busier.  Baseball season started and we're spending every evening and weekend at the ball field.  The vegetable garden is in, the yard needs work and the house needs cleaning *sigh*...it never ends, does it?  Scrapbook retreat season is winding down, memory making season is ramping up :)  That seems to be how it goes with us, how about you?

A few things to go over...
1.  Just Scrappin' Weekend in Westboro
Seats for our weekend crop has been filling at record speed.  If you would like to save your seat, please send in your deposit ASAP.  We are extending the deadline to May 30th and have a few seats available.  For more info, go HERE.  The flyer and registration form is also attached for your convenience.

2.  Just Scrappin' All Day Crop in Sturbridge
We have two dates left before we take a break in the summer...May 14 and June 4.  Both dates have seats available if you would like to attend.  $40 gets you a seat, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks, a welcome gift, free Make n Take as well as awesome games with prizes to be won.  Contact me for more info.

3.  Card and Layout classes at the Holden Recreation Department.
I have been teaching at the Holden Rec for over 2 years now.  The place is great, easy to get to from I-190 and the people in the office very helpful.  If you've been thinking about taking a class with me there, please do not hesitate.  If you would like more info on the classes, feel free to contact me. 

Going Bananas Card Class
Get your very own stamp set and learn to crate 3 different cards using just the one stamp set.  These cards are so cute, you'll go bananas over them!
Class date: 5/12 (6:30 – 8:30pm)                Cost: $20

A Stitch in Time Layout Class
Ever wante to try stitching on your layouts?  We will stitych our way through 2 two page layouts using several different techniques using fake and real stitching.  We will be using the lovely Basic Grey Kioshi line for gender neutral sping themed layouts.
Class date: 5/26 (6:30 – 8:30pm)                Cost: $20

4.  Relay for Life Scrap Therapy Fundraiser
I'm headed to Pittsfield, MA for a great cause...spreading the news for the crop. 

All Scrap Addicts Welcome!
Relay For Life Scrap Therapy Fundraiser
Scrap Doctor's Orders:
Diagnosis: Scrap Addict's Syndrome
Treatment: Attend Scrap Therapy!
Doors open May 21st at 8 a.m. and close at midnight.
$45 'Co-Pay' includes: lunch, dinner,
Non-alcoholic beverages, giveaways and...
(4) Relay For Life Luminaria Bags (value $5 each)
Everyone gets their own table!
Call today to confirm your appt.
Jody - 413-464-3098 or email jody@rockbusiness.net

Last but not least, if you haven't yet, head over to facebook and "like" my Time 2 Scrap page.

Spotlight: Cool Crops

Cool Crops hosts the ultimate scrapbooking weekend retreats.  It's run by Cris and Cara. 

I have had the pleasure of attending/working at half of their events throughout the course of my traveling scrapbook store career.  I spent this last weekend with them at the Bayside Resort on the Cape and had a wonderful time.  When you're at Cool Crops, you can expect yummy treats...
Special services by Cara...

Great shopping...

And crazy, laugh your a$$ off games...

Head over to their website and check out their upcoming events.

Project 12 Share

Have you been following along with Project 12?  What's Project 12?  I blogged about it HERE but in a nutshell it's a easy monthly sketch challenge that will result in a complete “year in review” album at the end of the year. I've been working diligently on mine and have a bunch done but will be sharing them on a monthly basis.  Here is my April 2010 layout.

Do share yours with a link or a pic in an email.

Spotlight: My Creative Classroom

My Creative Classroom is an "online arts and crafts learning center. Our interactive and in-depth courses are instructor led and filled with wonderful projects and techniques to help you get the most out of your supplies."  Head over and check it out. They have classes from beginner scrapbooking to how-to use your gypsy to copic coloring, etc. 

I've only heard good things of them and in fact, am just finishing up a course with them...Sketch Support with Allison Davis and had a great time.  Everything went smoothly, I got a ton of pages done and learned a LOT about sketches and how to get the most out of them as well as some great scrapbooking tips.  We were given a sketch at the beginning of every week along with a sample page by Allison.  She talks about what she did to change the sketch, the thought process, photos placement, embellishment choices, paper choices etc.  Each week was a different topic with an assignment and challenge.  Once we have finished our assigments, we shared in an online gallery and got feedback from her and everyone else in the class.  Sharing and finishing assignments wasn't compulsory.  Here's an example from week 4...learning how to embellish.

My interpretation of the sketch...assignment was to create a layout and adjust the title, journaling and/or embellishments to fit what you want to use. 

And here is my assignment challenge layout.  The challenge was to "create your own embellishments!"  I had a hard time with this and finally settled on stamping the turtle, cutting out a shell from patterned papers and making the turtle x-ing sign from an embellishment I had on hand.

Happy Scrappin!

Spotlight: The Perfect Title

Ever been stumped for the perfect title for your scrapbook page?  Hah!  I'm always stumped.  I browse through magazines, layouts etc and there are always such cool titles.  A website that I head to over and over for title ideas is The Perfect Title.  They have titles, quotes and sayings.  AND the best part is everything is categorized.  So easy to search/browse for the perfect title.  Enjoy!

What's Cooking?

Rav'n Ravioli...a yummy meatless meal that my family enjoys.  It's also quick and easy to pull together.  It's a recipe from an old Pampered Chef recipe book...Main Dishes (copyrighted in 2000).

Rav'n Ravioli

Ingredients:
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 (26-28oz) jar of spaghetti sauce
2 packages (9oz each) refrigerated ravioli
1 1/4 cups water
12 French bread baguette slices
1/4 cup butter, melted.
4 oz mozzarella cheese
1 oz fresh parmesan cheese




Preparation:
1.  Preheat oven to 400F.  Chop bell pepper and onion.  Heat olive oil over med-high heat.  Add bell pepper, onion and garlic.  Cook 2-3 mins or until veggies are tender.
2.  Stir in spaghetti sauce, ravioli and water.  Bring to a boil and let it simmer ~10 minutes.
3.  Slice french bread, melt butter and dip bread slices into butter, tossing to coat evenly.
4.  Spoon half of the ravioli mix into a baking pan.  Top with mozzarella cheese and the remaining ravioli mix.
5.  Arrange bread slices, slightly overlapping around edge of the baking pan.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese over bread and ravioli mix.
6.  Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until ravioli is heated through and bread is crisp and deep golden brown.

Notes:
- I usually leave out step 1 entirely...my picky eater takes too long picking out all the greens.
- I've left the ravioli on the stove (turned off) and continued with the rest when we got home from practice/game/etc.
- To save a step (and a dirty bowl), I don't melt the butter...just slather it onto the bread slices ;)

Spotlight: Imaginisce

Imaginisce is one of my favorite scrapbooking manufacturers and at Winter CHA, I think they outdid themselves with these TWO lines...Happy Camper and Berrylicious.  Both lines have yet to hit the stores and I can't wait to get them in stock.  Click on the links and check them out...then come back here, leave me a comment on which one you like better and if you would like to be able to pre-order either of these packs.

Besides the two really cool line, they have a great tutorial on their blog on how to use clear stamps.  Very informative. 

Spotlight: Sketch Savvy Blog

     Another sketch related spotlight...Sketch Savvy.  Can you tell I love sketches?  This blog is maintained by Susan Stringfellow and looks like she posts a sketch plus sample layouts on a daily basis.  Occasionally there are also SCAL (Sure Cuts A Lot) cut files that can be used with the cricut machine.  

I have been scrapping at home the last few weeks and am going to attempt a layout today using Sketch Savvy's sketch for today.  I'll share here once I get it done.  update:  layout done.  I managed to even dig through my stash and use some really old stuff I've been hanging on to for way too long!!!

Just Scrappin' Weekend in Westboro

 Join us for a scrapbooking weekend filled with scraps, laughs and friends

at the Doubletree Inn, Westborough, MA

from September 9 - 11, 2011

Your crop fee includes…

• Crop Room open beginning Friday at 4pm and close on Sunday at 4pm.
• We will close the crop room from 3am -7am to get some sleep.
• 2 night accommodations
• Saturday morning breakfast
• Saturday dinner buffet
• Sunday brunch
• A  6’ x 30” table all to yourself
• Full use of Tool Table – 2 Cricuts, Big Shot, and more!
• Free Make and Take
• On-site shopping
• Welcome gifts, door prizes, games and daily challenges
• On-site massage therapist (for an additional fee)

Rates:

$375 single occupancy

$275 per person, double occupancy

A $75 non-refundable deposit will hold your space!  

Deposit is due by April 30, 2011

Full payment is due by August 1, 2011.

For more information, contact:

The Crop Shop - Jean Laporte    jean.lee@snet.net, 860-490-0463

Time2Scrap – Siewleng Hiraldo   sluvs2skrap@yahoo.com, 508-363-3836

Project 12 Share

Here are my Project 12 layouts as promised.  What's Project 12?  I blogged about it HERE but in a nutshell it's a easy monthly sketch challenge that will result in a complete “year in review” album at the end of the year. Here is my January 2010 layout...

February 2010 layout ...

and March 2010 layout ...

I'm looking forward to seeing your layouts.  Leave a comment with a link or send me an email with the layout attached.

Siewleng's April Scrappy News

Good Morning all!

I know it’s not quite April yet but I am going to be away at Cool Crops Portland on April 1^st and wanted to get a jumpstart.  I have been scheming and plotting for a month and am bursting to tell you guys all about it.  Are you ready for it?...*drumroll please*...Jean and I are hosting a...

Just Scrappin' WEEKEND CROP 
September 9 - 11 at The Doubletree Inn, Westboro, MA

For more info, email me (sluvs2skrap@yahoo.com)

Now back to the regularly scheduled program...

1.  I have one class at the Holden Rec Center this month.  A sneak peek of the class can be found HERE.

April Showers Card Class

Let’s create 5 unique all occasion cards using paints and mists.  Be prepared to get your hands dirty.

Class date: 4/14 (6:30 – 8:30pm)                Cost: $20

2.  Bazzill Bulk Buy
10 colors, 5 sheets of each = 50 total for a great price of $23.00.  Deadline to order is Monday, April 4 at noon.  Colors are Evening Surf, Mexican Poppy, Lime Sherbet, Maraschino, Cashmere, Citrus, Smokey, Cream Puff, Dawn and Impatiens.  More details can be found HERE. 

3.  Just Scrappin' in Sturbridge

Our next crop is April 9 and there are limited seats left if you'd like to attend.  $40 gets you a seat, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks, a welcome gift, as well as awesome games with prizes to be won.  Future dates are May 14 and June 4.  Contact me for more info.

4.  Special Requests

This month, I can be found at two Cool Crops events, Portland and the Cape.  I will also have my store at our Just Scrappin' event in Sturbridge and at the Scrappin' Sistas crop in Plymouth.  If there is anything you need or would like to have, feel free to email me and I can get it for you or have on stock for you for that event.  Not attending any of these events?  Stop by to say "HI" if you're in the area.  

5.  Last but not least, if you haven't yet head over to Facebook and like Time2Scrap.  We'll have a fun giveaway when Time2Scrap reaches 100 likes!!!

Spotlight: Bazzill Matchmaker

What do you grab first when you start a layout?  For me it's the photos, then the patterned papers and then the difficult process of finding cardstock that matches my patterned papers.  Lately, I've started adding cardstock to the paper packs I carry to make it a little easier and time-saving for you, my customers.  After all, I am all about maximizing your scrapping time.  This week's spotlight is a website by Bazzill (my all-time favortite cardstock manufacturer) called BAZZILL MATCHMAKER...it has (almost) all the paper lines and their matching cardstock colors!!!  You read right...the paper lines and their matching Bazzill colors.  Check it out and let me know what you think!  And if you have to have a certain color, let me know too and I'll add it to my bazzill stash.

And if you haven't had enough of Bazzill, I am taking orders for my next Bazzill Bulk Buy.  Here is a pic of the colors

and here is the nitty gritty...
A Bazzill Bulk Buy is an opportunity to stock up on Bazzill paper at a reduced price.

• The cost of this quarter's buy is $23.00
• The colors are (see photo)...
  
  • Evening Surf - blue
  • Cream Puff  - neutral
  • Maraschino - red
  • Dawn - pink
  • Lime Sherbet  - green
  • Citrus - orange not shown in photo
  • Impatiens - purple not the sample shown in photo, it's a lighter purple (almost sorta like the one next to the red sample)
  • Mexican Poppy - yellow
  • Cashmere -brown
  • Smokey -grey

• You will receive 50 sheets of Bazzill cardstock in 10 different colors. 5 sheets of each color.
• Price includes shipping to me and tax.
• 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). Mailing from me to you is an additional $7.50 via USPS.
• Order Deadline is noon Monday 04/04/11.

Email me (sluvs2skrap@yahoo.com) to purchase.

April Classes at the Holden Rec Center

A busier month this month so only 1 class, but it's one you don't want to miss.

April Showers Card Class

Let’s create 5 unique all occasion cards using paints and mists.  Be prepared to get your hands dirty.

Class date: 4/14 (6:30 – 8:30pm)                Cost: $20

The Fine Print

• All classes are taught at the Holden Recreation Center in Holden, MA.
• You have to call them at 508-829-0263 to reserve your seat.
• If there are not enough students, the classes will be canceled.  So make sure you bring some friends with you ;)
• Space is also limited, so call and register early.
• Please bring adhesive (tape runner is preferred), mini glue dots, 12’ paper trimmer and scissors.  All other materials and tools will be provided.
• Question?  Leave a comment and I will reply in the comments section.

What's Cooking?

Stuffed Shells...a freezer meal that has become a fave of ours.  I found the recipe at "A Bear in the Kitchen" blog a while back after hopping from blog to blog.  I love that I spend an hour in the kitchen prepping the shells and get TWO meals out of it.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Shells (Freezer Meal)

1 package of jumbo shells (40)
4 cups or 2 lbs small curd cottage cheese (or ricotta)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 jars spaghetti sauce - one now, one for later

Preparation:
Cook jumbo shells for half the recommended time on the package, until just limp. Drain and cool in a single layer on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.

Combine cheeses, eggs, parsley, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper; scoop mixture into a ziplock bag and snip one of the corners off the bag and use like an icing bag to fill each shell with about 2 tablespoons of filling. Lay shells back on wax paper covered cookie sheets and freeze. Once shells are frozen put into ziplock bags (2 bags with 20 shells is how I portion it out).

Cooking Instructions:
Thaw shells and spaghetti sauce in the fridge overnight. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cups sauce on the bottom of the dish. Arrange shells on top of sauce and pour remaining sauce evenly over the shells. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Uncover and if desired sprinkle with some shredded mozzarella cheese and parmesan; return to oven for a few minutes until cheese melts. Remove from oven and allow to stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:
- to cook from frozen, follow directions as above (just using frozen shells instead of thawed) and increase cooking time to 1 hour.
- this recipe either makes 1 or 2 meals depending on your family size. I do 20 shells in a 9x13 pan with 1 jar of sauce for my family of 4 served with garlic bread and fresh salad.
- perfect for meatless Mondays and Fridays

Beyblade Birthday Party

As requested, here is the nitty gritty of my little guy's Beyblade Bash to celebrate his 9th birthday.  The details for the invite are HERE.  Armed with this handy dandy rule book and with the help of my boys we came up with the coolest party ever, if I do say so myself ;)

We set up our living room with the 3 battle arenas they had, and hung up streamers with Arena 1, 2 and 3 labels on them so the competitors would know where to go.  I stayed with the primary colors, red blue and yellow.

 The boy and I spent over an hour coming up with the battle schedule.  We had a regular season - everyone battled each other, followed by the playoffs and ending with a championship game.  The regular season was spread out over the 3 arenas.  Each contestant battled in an arena no more than 3 times.  Each battle also had a referee...contestants that didn't have a battle at the time and a Dad where needed.  Battles in the same slot started at the same time so those that finished early could watch the other battles.  AND each battle was best of 3 to make it more interesting.  Here is my master schedule with the referees handwritten in on the side.

To make it smoother and easier for the contestants, each one also received a laminated copy of their schedule.  Laminating was done using the Xyron 510 machine and its laminating cartridge.

Battle Schedule

Playoff brackets

The cake - the Bakugan colors were perfect so I had the bakery at Walmart make me a cake following the Bakugan theme without the toys and added my own.  I cut out the Beyblade logo from a Beyblade toy package and added a real Beyblade on the cake. 

 Last but not least, I bought a trophy from Target's dollar spot and decked it out with a Beyblade print.

For more on the party, go HERE.

Spotlight: Page Maps

The spotlight of this week is one my all time favorite sites to head to for sketches.  I have been reading/using the sketches from this site from way back when.  If you haven't heard of the website or blog, I'm sure you've seen their books.

Head on over to the Page Maps website and check out all of their cool free sketches.  They also have a Page Maps blog that has contests all year long.  Here is an excerpt from their welcome page...

Yo sketch dawgs! Welcome to PageMaps, a sketch resource for scrapbookers and page artists. We all hit a creative wall from time to time, staring at piles of photos, papers and embellishments, wondering how to put it all together. (For me, it's usually a double semi truck and I don't stand a chance.)

But with a click of the mouse, inspiration is yours to find among the many sketches found here at PageMaps—from graphic and shabby to linear and asymmetrical—there's sure to be a map that fits your style. And hey, if there isn't, just turn one of those suckers on its side or upside down! Cardmakers will also find a collection of designs just in time for that last-minute birthday card. After all, does Hallmark really need your hard-earned $3 bucks? Personally, I'd rather buy a latte (double shot, hold the foam, please).

PageMaps are free for you to download and print for your personal use, but please read the {yawn} Terms of Use to make sure I don't have to send one of my friends after you for map violations. I know this dude, Guido, and he's running a special on knee caps this month...

Project 12 update

There are ten more days to the end of March.  How are you doing on your Project 12 challenge?  Anyone decided to jump on the bandwagon with me on this?  I have January and February done.  Planning on working on March and maybe even April at an all day crop* at the Greendale People's Church this Saturday.  If you haven't started, there's still time to get on board.  I'd love to see what you have :)


*side note: there are seats available at this no-frills all day crop.  Interested? Email me for more info!

Spotlight: Jillibean Soup Blog

Got in my order from Jillibean Soup just this week and their stuff is so much better in person!!!  I am desperately trying to carve out some time to play with their new line Spotted Owl.  My spotlight for this week is their blog, aptly named Bean Talk, that is filled with ideas and inspiration for layouts, cards and more.  The following images are from the Jillibean blog.   Love love the simplicity of this layout.  I am so scraplifting this...

and this one.

My little guy is turning 9 on Friday...I think I may have to burn the midnight oil to make one of these for him!!!