Addie playing in the leaves.  The colors in the trees are so beautiful this fall.  We have really been lucky!

j.

Pixie Stick Invitations

Kraft cardstock folded in half, cut into strips and glued on the edges forms this little pixie stick holder.  I first ran it through my printer to print the party info and each kiddo's name.  Finish with a knot of ribbon and a felt pumpkin.  Cute, inexpensive and still homemade!

No fall would be complete without a trip to the punkin' patch.  Big...small...round...tall...we like them all!  Even the little, little, little, bitty ones! 

These were  a recent special order.  I love how they turned out.  They are for twins that are only a week or two old!  So no scary stuff here, just sweet, happy pumpkins with sweet candy corn and only a little bitty "Boo".

j.

Simple Masking

 Materials

2 Pieces of Scrap paper

Sponge

Ink

hole punch (I used 1 1/4")

 

First punch a circle out of one of your pieces of paper.  This will become your "stencil" or "mask".

 

Using your sponge, press it onto your ink pad to load your sponge with ink.  Then using either a pouncing or circular method.  Apply the ink to your stencil.  Being careful to not go off of the stencil or mask.  I found using a pouncing application or the swirl, gives it the best effect.  Hold your mask nice and tight.

 

Lift your mask and you should have a nice round ink mark.

I then added a witch stamp inked up in black and stamped directly onto my masked image.  

This process could be used for many different things.  




Have Fun Masking!

j.

Yes it's true....Megan has her drivers permit!  

SCARY HUH?!  

 

Congrats Megan, we love you and are very proud of you!

j.

NEW CLOSE TO MY HEART STAMPS!!!

The new catalog debuted September 1st and this was a must have stamp set for me. It is adorable. Its called "Childhood Portrait". It includes a child on a rocking horse, a large tree, ballerina, children on the bench, a child with a yo-yo, grass, birds and even a couple of sentiments! This set has the whole sh-bang! (Is that spelled right?!) You know what I mean!

Anyway, the ribbon and green paper are not CTMH, but the cream paper, ink, embossing powder, stamp and blue paper are CTMH. I just love all the textures in these cards. I made them and sold them in under 24 hours! I guess I am not the only one who liked them!



FYI, I have created a new pricing label. I read this week that if you are selling something to the public, that you must have consistent, easy to see pricing and descriptions. One of the biggest turn-offs for a potential customer is having to ask for a price. I found this information very interesting and helpful. Now I have always priced my items, but not in the same manner. For example, I used little white stickers and a black pen. Then I used little round stickers and a red pen, then I had a few special labels thrown in. It is harder for a customer to "know" where to look if it's different each time. So from now on everything gets a little "handmade" label. Now I can never let myself run out of Kraft card stock again! Which is OK with me! :)

j.

My oldest is 15!

Man that just should not be! She was very happy with her gifts, several movies, a phone, nail polish.....you know all the stuff a teenager has to have to survive! :)

Happy Birthday Megan!

Totally cool cake....in fact Megan said it was "awesome"........cool.


Thank you card for a customer of mine. Used the "Whoo loves you" stamp set from Close to my Heart. All paper except the Kraft card stock is Close to my Heart. Sentiment was printed on home printer. Mushrooms were stamped and cut out. Little mushrooms are from the "Dream Big" stamp set from CTMH. Owl and branch were cut out using the Home Decor Cricut cartridge. Lots and lots of sponging chocolate ink. The inside of the card says "I do", along with a note of thanks for purchasing her supplies from me. :)


Anytime notes. I had a dream about this set. I could see the plain white back ground with really bright solid color butterflies all over the front of the card. When I sat down the next day to make it this is what I ended up with! Not my normal style at all. Too.....ummm clean?!




I took a break from scrappin' one day this weekend and made this watch. I have been thinking about the idea for several weeks now and I finally got around to buying the watch part. (I had everything else!) It took about an 1 1/2 hours to complete and was simple as pie. I just love the color combo. Very eclectic.....that's me! I like old...new...vintage...chic....modern...all of it! So the best part about this watch is that the watch part is actually on jump rings, so I can change the beaded band part if I want to later! Very cool!


j.

Girl Scouts giving and learning........

We picked apples at the leaders family farm just east of town. Lovely small red apples, perfect for giving in a basket! Each girl bundled up a basket for their family and one for a friend. Attached was a little recipe booklet with 6 apple recipes. (The muffin one was fantastic by the way...so I am sharing it!!)













Grandparents day @ school.......

Addie is happiest when she is in grandma's lap!










Addie and her friends...Leigh Ann & Sydney.











Apple Muffins

¼ CUP SHORTENING
½ CUP SUGAR
1 EGG
½ CUP MILK
1 ½ CUP FLOUR
1 TBS. BAKING POWDER
½ TSP. SALT
½ TSP. CINNAMON
1 CUP CHOPPED APPLES (PEELED)

CREAM SHORTENING & SUGAR – BEAT IN EGG – BLEND WELL. ADD MILK WITH SIFTED DRY INGREDIENTS. FOLD IN APPLES. FILL GREASED MUFFIN CUPS ½ FULL. TOP WITH BROWN SUGAR MIXTURE.

MUFFIN TOPPING
1/3 CUP BROWN SUGAR
½ TSP. CINNAMON
1/3 CUP CHOPPED NUTS

STIR ABOVE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER. PUT ON TOP OF THE MUFFIN BATTER. BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 20 MINUTES. (MAKES 12 MUFFINS.)
(Recipe courtesy of Nadler's Butchery & Catering Service.....Shelly & Sally Nadler.)

Enjoy!


j.