A Recipe to Share

Good Evening All!

I hope you're having a wonderful day!  

I've been extremely busy this week and hubby has been a huge help with creating most of the meals.  Today he wanted to play with the new food processor my daughter bought us for Christmas and decided to buy a head of cabbage and make coleslaw.  So I told him to save the outer leaves and I would make Pigs-In-A-Blanket 

 ... aka Cabbage Rolls 

 ... aka Stuffed Cabbage.

Here are the ingredients I used:

Outer leaves from 1 head of cabbage (7-8)

Ground Meat ( 1#)

Boil In A Bag Rice (1 pkg)

Home canned Salsa (1 pint) ... you can use store bought.

Place your leaves in a large pot, cover with water and boil (about 5-7 min) until the leaves become transparent and pliable (be careful NOT to overcook).

In a bowl combine your ground meat & cooked rice.  

I added a touch of garlic powder & onion powder.

Place 1/2 of your jar of salsa in the bottom of a casserole dish and reserve the other half for over top of your cabbage rolls.

Once your cabbage leaves are precooked ... transfer them onto a cookie sheet covered with paper towels to drain and cool down a bit so you can handle them.

You'll want to remove the center (stem part) from each leaf then cut the remainder of the leaf in half which gives you 2 rolls from each leaf.

Place a spoon full of the meat mixture into one end of the leaf and roll up.  

Place 'end flap DOWN' in the dish to help keep them closed.

I had a few extras so I just placed them on top of the bottom layer.

Once they are all rolled and in the dish, cover with the remaining salsa (might need a little touch of water if your salsa was super thick like mine) ... then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Oh Why Not! 

I added some Mozzarella cheese to the top before baking too!

Place in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes and Viola!

DINNER IS SERVED!

HIS PORTION . . .

MY PORTION . . .

See ... I do more than just make pretty cards!  LOL!

Hope you'll try this recipe and if you do, please come back and leave me a comment ... I'd love to hear from you!  

Thanks for stopping by and as always ...

CDAC GRAND RE-OPENING!

Exciting news!

CDAC is having a Grand Re-Opening today!

Sorry for not getting this info out to you earlier but I've been rather busy behind the scenes lending a hand with this revamp/reopening!  SO EXCITING!!

 

If you haven't ever visited Crafter's Digital Art Center you should definitely drop in.  And if you have been to CDAC please drop in and visit again.  There are lots of new community rooms where crafters can chat and share what they are working on and get advice from other crafters.  

You can chat with digital artists and even request a special image.  You can visit the digi art gallery to find great digi stamps from the CDAC Digi Artists.  And that gallery will be growing in the coming months.  Imagine one spot where you can find digis from many artists.  

 

There are 4 NEW challenges that will run for 3 months.  And EVERYONE that enters a project will get a freebie from the digi company that is sponsoring the challenge!  How fun is THAT?!

I have already made cards for 2 of those 4 challenges:

 

This card uses a digi image from Doodle Pantry and it's for the Inspiration Challenge.

And, this card is for the 1-2-3 Challenge and uses a "priscillastyles" digi image.

What fun ... won't you come check it out and join us!!

Stop in and visit.  Be sure to click to join the rooms so you can visit often.  

And while you're there be sure to drop in at Shelly's Images CDAC group to say hi ... you'll find me there too!  LOL!

As always my friends . . .

BRRRRR  ... it's cold in my cave today!

QKR Stampede Challenge

Hello my friends!  

Can you believe another weekend is upon us?  

It will be spring before you know it!  LOL!!  Well . . . not quite!

Today I'm thrilled to once again have my Guest Designer Hat on for QKR Stampede and our challenge theme today is SNOWMAN/SNOW ...

I've created a card using their digi image called Feeding the Birds (#digi10501).

I know EXACTLY who I'm going to send this card to.  Hubby & I are adamant about feeding the birds during the winter months and we have friends in PA who do the same ... I think they will enjoy this creation.

Recipe:

Papers - white cs, scraps of green cs, red cs, SU 2-sided Frostwood Lodge dp

Sentiment Stamp - Hero Arts

Ink - Versafine Onxy Black

Accessories - Gold Glitter Pen for squiggles, MS snowflake punch, Prismacolor markers, Spellbinder Classic oval dies, x-Press It High Tack Foam Mounting Tape

 After coloring my digi image, I decided to start my creation by looking for a fun sketch and after going through the files at Feline Playful, I found this one . . .

 

  . . . at Addicted To Stamps.   My snowman and oval panel behind him is actually ONE panel.  I forget the name of that technique but it's where you partially cut out your image then run it through the Cuttlebug ... it's called something like 'outside the circle' ... I'll have to do a little research and get back to you on that.

Here are a few other challenges this card fits:

613 Avenue Create:The New Kids on the Block - Anything Goes

Eclectic Ellapu - Snow Much Fun

Gingerloft Challenge - Christmas or Winter

Crafting by Designs - Snowman/Snowmen
Creative Belli  - Winter/Snowman
The House that Stamps Built - Make It Snow
The Perfect Sentiment - Winter Wonderland

So there ya have it!  I had great fun with both coloring this image & doing the sketch (two things I really do enjoy).  I hope you'll pop over to QKR Stampede ... check out the amazing creations by the design team ... then join in the challenge fun!  See you there!

Thanks for stopping by (REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT MY  BLOG CANDY ... EXPIRES 1-31-13) and As Always . . .

I'm doing Blue & White today . . .

Hello blogging friends and thanks so much for stopping by today!

When I saw the 1st challenge for 2013 over at Joan's Gardens, I just couldn't wait to create something and play along.  Then I gave a peek at Feline Playful and saw a couple other challenges that would be fun.  

I'm in the middle of taking down Christmas in my house but hey ... I deserve a break ... right!  LOL!

The challenge at Joan's Gardens is:

• Created a blue and white card
• Use 4 corner dies
• Make a Thank You Card
• Add a flower

 This is really CAS for me but I like how it came together and even decided to create another (similar) card using the same basic idea & products.
Here's what I've used to make this card:

Paper:  white cs, medium blue cs

Stamp:  StampCraft

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Accessories:  Cheery Lynn Designs B165 Lace Corner Deco E die, Spellbinder Shapeabilities Create a Flake 3, Cuttlebug Swiss Dot EF, Spellbinder classic circle die, Cheery Lynn Designs Create A Flower 2 (leaves),  For Card #2 I also used MS icicle border punch, MS snowflake punch and Tim Holtz broken china distress ink.

My 'flower' was actually made from a Cheery Lynn Designs Lace Pine Snowflake die (DL175).  After die cutting from white cardstock, I simply crunched it all into the middle ... added glue to make a stem ... waited for it to dry then cut most of the stem off to make it sit flat on my card.

Here are a few other challenges these cards qualify for:
Stampavie and more - Blue and White
Creative Moments Bloggers Network - Monochrome/Anything Goes
Penny's Challenges - Anything Goes
Loves Rubber Stamps - Use dies or punches
Creative Creations - Anything Goes

Cupcake Craft Challenge - January Blues

Pikes Playground - Wintery Thank You

Squigglefly - Thank You Cards

The Crazy Challenge - No Design Paper
Whoopsi Daisy - Diecuts & Punches

Okay that's it for me ... time to get back to work!  I have Santas, garland & ornaments EVERYWHERE!  And, it's almost time to make dinner ... yikes!

Thanks all!  And, as always,

Don't forget about my blog candy ... going all all month!  Check out the easy details by clicking the candy photo at the top of my sidebar.  OH!  And ... I've added MORE to the pot just today!!!

The Sisterhood of Crafter's Challenge

Good Morning Friends!

Hope you are off to a good start!

Today I have the pleasure of hosting the 1st challenge of the New Year at The Sisterhood of Crafters and it's an easy/fun & fitting challenge ... at least in my location with the cold temperatures & snow on the ground.  

Our challenge this time around is:

Baby, It's Cold Outside!!!

(make a winter themed card or project).

 
For this card I have used DCWV patterned paper, Martha Stewart icicle border punch, Marianne LR0246 Snowman die, pop dots, Stickles & hand torn white cardstock for the snow panel.

 

This card also uses DCWV patterned paper ... the stamp is from an older SU 'Cardinal Christmas' set.  The border is again Martha Stewart icicle border punch and the large snowflake is Cheery Lynn Designs DL175 Laced Pine Snowflake.  My coloring on both cards was done with Prismacolor Markers.

It's hard to believe another Christmas has come & gone!  Now if we can just get through these cold winter days we'll be doing just fine!  Of course, being retired I don't have to worry about going out unless I really want too ... I guess that's one of the benefits of 'aging'!  LOL!

For this card I have used a stamp that I've owned for probably 5 years and have used MAYBE 5 times!  (That's just sad!)  It is a Serendipity stamp and I've used Versafine Onyx Black to stamp it on white cardstock.  My background panel is a 5x7 embossing folder of snowflakes by Sizzix.  The embellishments are Cheery Lynn Designs ... Sm Fanciful Flourish (B117S), Ornamental Wreath & Bow (DL143) and Anastasia Border (B136) dies.  To add sparkle on the snowy areas, I have used 2-way Quickie Glue and Art Deco Glamour Dust.  

I wish you could see this IRL ... the sparkle is SO PRETTY ... maybe this close up will help.

One of my new years resolutions is to complete the INSIDE of my cards as I'm making them instead of waiting until later.  So, my promise to you is that I will share the inside (as well as the outside) of my cards here on my blog . . . "IF" they are more than just blank! 

Here are a few additional challenges these cards fit:

Card Mania #11 - Winter Wonderland

 Creative Creations - Anything Goes

Creative Stamp Friends - Snowflakes

Lexi's Creations - Anything Goes

Love to Create - Winter Wonderland

Without Words Challenge - Baby It's Cold Outside
Cheery Lynn Designs - Winter White
Craft A Scene - Snowy Cottage Scene
Creative Card Crew - Snow & Ice
Inky Chicks #1 - Anything Goes
Loves Rubberstamps - Use Dies & Punches
Through The Craft Room Door #52 - Anything Goes
NanaVic's New Challenge - Anything Goes
The Cheerful Stamp Pad - White as Snow
Sweet Stampin' Christmas - Cold and Frosty
Crafting By Design - Snowman
Crafts and Me Challenges - Winter Wonderland
Creative Belli - Winter/Snowman
Divas By Design - Anything Goes
Fab 'n Funky - Winter
The House that Stamps Built - Make It Snow
Inky Impressions - Add A Sentiment
Perfect Sentiment - Winter Wonderland

I hope you'll come join in our Sisterhood challenge fun!

Thanks for stopping by and as always . . .

REMINDER:    don't forget about my New Years Blog Candy going on through the month of January!  You can either scroll down for the details or click on the 'candy photo' at the top of my sidebar!   And, I would really appreciate it if you helped spread the word!

More Crafty Secrets Fun . . .

Hello All!

I've been having fun the past couple of days playing challenges and creating with more of my Crafty Secrets products.  (Don't forget about the January Linky Party going on right now at Crafty Secrets ... check it out HERE.) Yesterday I joined in the Try a New Technique Challenge (TLC411) at Splitcoast Stampers which was to go back through the 2012 TLC challenges and create using one or more of those older techniques.  Here's what I came up with:

 I actually pulled inspiration from THREE different challenges: Scallops, Twine It Up and Add Dimension.  

Keeping in stride with my new year's resolution, here's a peek at the finished inside.

For this creation my first decision was to use this lovely image from the Crafty Secrets Birds & Blossoms Creative Scraps.  I did a little fussy cutting around to top of the image to give it a little more dimension vs just a rectangular image.  Then I double matted it with coordinating cardstock.  Searching through my TONS of designer paper, I decided I liked this 6x6 piece from the Prima Nature Garden paper pack.  I chose SU Blushing Bride cardstock as my accent color.

Other pieces & parts used are:

Wilton paper doily, Spellbinder classic circle die, Prima flowers, Stampendous diamond dots, Cheery Lynn Designs Build a Flower 2 (B187) die leaves, SU scallop border punch, Bucket o Buttons heart shaped button and SU pink fiber twine

Another fun challenge I participated in was the current Sketch Challenge (new challenge coming on Wednesday).  Here's a peek at the sketch I used . . .

and here is my card creation:

Another Crafty Secrets image was used as the focus on this creation.  This time it comes from the Homemade Images & Journal Note Booklet.  I ran it through my Vagabond using a Spellbinder Classic Oval die and added Stickles to the heart & wings for added sparkle & dimension.

Other pieces & parts used are:

SU Blushing Bride cardstock, Pixie Press & DCWV designer paper, Martha Stewart doily lace border punch, Offray pink satin ribbon, Bow Easy, Paper Piercer, red Zig marker for faux stitching.

AND LASTLY (thanks for hanging in there with me, lol)

is a wedding card using another adorable Crafty Secrets image.  This time from the Little Dolls Images & Journal Notes booklet.  I have used both pieces ... the main image on the front of the card and the 'journal note' for the inside card panel.

(aren't they just the cutest!!)

The inspiration for this card came from a similar card I spotted on Pinterest using multiple embossed panels.  I thought I had repinned it so I could share it with you ...but evidently not ... sorry!

Other pieces & parts used are:

Black and White cardstock, Sizzix swirl EF, Cuttlebug swiss dot EF, Cheery Lynn Designs Small Fanciful Flourish die, Kaiser pearls, peach organza ribbon, pop dots, American Crafts wedding clear stamp set.

SHEW!  Okay ... that's it for me today.  Sorry it was such a long post but I just had so much to share with you!!  I hope you've found inspiration in my work and PLEASE ... feel free to leave me a comment.  I'd love to hear from you. 

REMEMBER ... I HAVE BLOG CANDY THROUGH JANUARY ... CLICK ON THE IMAGE AT THE TOP OF MY SIDEBAR FOR ALL THE DETAILS.

Thanks again ... and as always ...

Crafty Secrets Linky Party

Hello my friends and I hope your NEW YEAR is off to a fabulous start!

Since it's the 1st Monday of the Month, that means it's time for the CRAFTY SECRETS LINKY PARTY and DT Challenge.  Today the team is creating projects/cards using the 'Creating with Vintage Patterns' CD.  This is my first time using this CD and I went a little crazy ... ooops!  LOL!

First I created an altered box using some of the beautiful papers from this CD.  I was in need of a gift item for a friends upcoming birthday so this will work perfectly!  One of the wonderful things about using digital papers is that you can print them in different sizes.  As you can see on the top portion of the box I used a smaller version of the same paper as the bottom.  The ladies from the bottom portion were larger so I did a little 'fussy' cutting and glued them here and there on the front.  The 'lace' on the side panel is actually the top from another paper panel, and I've used two other papers to finish the inside.

I've also created some greeting cards for my friends birthday.  It was so much fun and really so easy to be creative in the making of these cards.

I've made these cards by bring & manipulating the images/papers in Microsoft Word 2010.  Everything on this card is computer generated.  The only addition I've added is the Crystal Effects on the right corner rose broach.  Unfortunately you really don't get the full effect in my photo ... it truly looks REAL!

It's really hard to believe that this card is ALL paper!  Again I've added Crystal Effects to the broach and luckily you can see in this photo what wonderful dimension it has added to my already fabulous creation.  I have to tell you . . . I did alter the color of the frame & the lace in Word to match my paper better.  And yes, those corner embellishments were computer generated from the CD ... don't they look awesome!

If you notice on this card . . . the lace is the 'same' lace as the previous card.  Again, I have altered the color via Word to match my frame color (which was also modified slightly from the original image file).  Doing digital creations is a whole new adventure for me and these Crafty Secrets CD's are FABULOUS for this new crafting wave!  The possibilities are ENDLESS!!!!!

Do check out the creations made by team mates ... what amazingly talented ladies. 
You are sure to be inspired!!

Vicki Chrisman Team Leader
Michele Kovack
Melissa Bove
Rebekah Faries

Please come join in our Linky Party fun!  

YOU could be the random $50 Winner!! 
You have all week to enter and post any sample you have created using our products or just come and browse.   Every person entering will receive a $5.00 coupon for our www.craftyvintagegirl.com store and random.org will pick 1 lucky winner for a $50.00 Gift Certificate!
 I can't wait to see what you have made!!

If by chance you don't have any of these AMAZING images or papers yet, you can check out the following links . . .

• Our New CraftyVintageGirl Store!
• CraftySecrets.com
• Our ETSY Store
• Our Shopatron Store
• Join Us On Facebook

REMINDER:    don't forget about my New Years Blog Candy going on through the month of January!  You can either scroll down for the details or click on the 'candy photo' at the top of my sidebar!   And, I would really appreciate it if you helped spread the word!

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll be looking for you at the Linky Party!
Until next time . . .

Sassy Lassy . . .

Before I get ready to go to dinner with neighbors, I wanted to share this little creation with you.

As you know I LOVE making cards and I'm sure you've seen my name (and face) all over the place!  LOL!  One of those places is Paper Craft Planet and it's been way too long since I've joined in the fun over there.  SO today I decided it was time to play along.

The Sassy Studio Group offered an awesome freebie on Friday and that is the focus of my creation.  If you've not seen the digis offered at Sassy Studios, you can check them out HERE.  I will also be sharing this creation over at their Sassy Studios Designs Challenge Blog where their current challenge is "Something Old and Something New".  The OLD on this card are the flowers (had to blow the dust off them before I could use them on the card, lol) ... the NEW is the Cheery Lynn Designs Tropical Flourish die.  I've used Prisma markers for my coloring and the design paper is Imaginisce.

For my design layout, I have used this sketch which is for the current Sketch Challenge at Paper Craft Planet.  (trying to kill 2 birds with one stone, lol)

(Oh no ... I just noticed that I forgot to put my GEMS on either side of the focus image.)  I will have to take care of that and hopefully redo the photos.

 I've made a New Year's Resolution to finish the INSIDE of my cards at the same time as the fronts ... so in TRYING to keep up with my promise ... here's a photo of the inside of this card.

I'm thinking maybe this would be a good card for hubby on Valentine's Day but then again ... since my 'curves' aren't what they used to be (unlike this gal) maybe I'm best to buy him a box of chocolates and call it a day!  LOL!

Well I'd better get away from this computer and go get ready for an evening out with our friends.  Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

A few other challenges are:

2 Sisters Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar Challenge - What's New?  (new CLD die)

Avadares Challenge - Valentine's Day or Love

Crafts 4 Eternity - Something New (new CLD die)

Jellypark Challenge - Old and New (old flowers, new CLD die)

Sweet 'n Sassy - Something New (new CLD die)

Totally Paper Crafts - Something New (new CLD die)

Cute Card Thursday - Something New (new CLD die)

OH YEA . . . don't forget about my New Years Blog Candy going on through the month of January!  You can either scroll down for the details or click on the 'candy photo' at the top of my sidebar!  Hope you'll join in!  Thanks for stopping by and As Always ... 

NEW YEAR'S CANDY TIME!

TWO PRIZES BEING GIVEN AWAY NOW!!!


Hello my friends!

As mentioned at the end of a recent post, I'm thrilled to have gone over 100,000 visits  as well as over 550 followers ... now if I could just get a few more subscribers, my day would be complete!

With that being said, I am offering the following candy to one lucky winner who  

becomes (if you're not already) a follower/subscriber.

After becoming a follower/subscriber, just add your name to Mr. Linky at the end of this post.

(If you already follow or subscribe to my blog, add you name and leave me a comment telling me you already follow/subscribe.)  It would be wonderful if you'd add a link to my blog candy on your blog sidebar to help spread the word ... but not required to win ... thanks!

This candy will run through the end of the month and a winner will be chosen on Feb. 1st.

This candy includes:

Homemade Altered Tablet using Crafty Secrets digital papers, Webster's Pages Vintage Silhouettes, Inkadinkado Butterfly Scroll Mini Clear Stamps, Recollections Black Swirl Brads, K&Company Botanical Purple Floral 3d Adhesives, Inkadinkado Holiday Greetings Clear Stamps

I have added these items to Prize #1

AND HERE IS PRIZE #2

Consisting of:

Recollections Handmade Floral Embellishments, JoAnn Scrap Essentials Brushed Silver Oval Bookplates, Teresa Collins Book Platez, Chipboard Snowflake, Set of 8 chipboard coasters, 2 sheets of Peel Offs, 1 pack of 50 self-sealing clear bags (A2 size), 1 sheet Reddy Creative 3d Card images

Thanks for stopping by and GOOD LUCK!

As always . . .