Hello from Lake Tahoe & Keep On Voting!

Hey kids! I am on vacation (aka tagging along to a conference with Brent) at Lake Tahoe. It's been quite the adventure getting here. Can we just say repeat of the St George trip fiasco??? UGH.. more details later... but in the meantime, check out this AWESOME place we're staying.... The Village At Squaw Valley.

Keep on voting! I will be back the end of this week and will post the winner on Friday!! If we reach 11,000 hits to the site by Friday, I might just have to throw a little bonus something into the prize package!

Sketch Challenge {003} Entries... VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!

Ok, ladies! Here they are!!!! I received some FABULOUS artwork!! Now, it is up to YOU {Viewer's Choice) to choose the winner.

Here's what you do:
* Check out all the entries.
* Vote for the one you like the best by the name on the photo.
* Votes = a comment left on THIS POST by a UNIQUE user.

(for example... you may post a comment and say "I'm voting for XXXX" If you'd like to say what you love about your choice, please do. I am sure these artists would love to "hear" what you love.)

* You may vote for yourself ONCE.
* I can not change your vote. Once you vote, it's final.
* Voting ends on Friday, August 17th at 8:00 pm (MST)
(Winner will be announced later that evening.)

*******************************************************************************






And this prize package (pp's are better than blog candy) will go to the winner!

10 pages (2 each of 5 designs) of Cloud 9 Cardstock (Ben's Summit Collection)
1 pkg of Cloud 9 This n' That Epoxy Stickers (Ben's Summit Collection)
18" each of 5 Cloud 9 Paper Ribbon Stickers (Ben's Summit Collection)
1 pkg of CTMH Winter Beads (retired)
1 CTMH Mini Inkpad w/Silver Hinges & Brads Packet
1 CTMH Braggin Tags Album
1 pkg of American Crafts Chipboard Thickers (Hatbox)

If you win, I wanna see what you make with your loot

I woke up sick- the photos are coming - working on the post right now.

I'm chugging along on the photos... They will be up shortly!

Thoughts For Thursday

Welcome to “Thoughts for Thursday”… a new feature of my blog where each Thursday I (and various guest bloggers) will highlight or express thoughts on creativity and life. This week my TFT comes from Mary Ihla, a memoir writing consultant, who also happens to be a fellow artist in some online crafting groups I belong to.

Sometimes I am sad when I look through the scrapbooks of my own and friends that have wonderfully embellished pages using the hottest new “blingy thing” or technique, but there is not even a date on the pages, let alone a story. I want to know more!

Thank you Mary for your wonderful insight!

**************************************************************************

The Importance Of Journaling
By Mary Ihla (Used with permission.)

Journaling is what sets a scrapbook apart from a photo album. It's what makes a spectacular layout more than simply a work of art. In addition to the basic "who," "where," and "when," the words on your scrapbook pages perform a variety of functions, including:

* Telling the stories behind the photos.
* Expressing thoughts and emotions.
* Documenting events and activities.
* Recording personal and family history.
* Delving into the details of everyday life.

A catchy title, a name, and a date are seldom enough. So, how do you know if you've done a sufficient amount of journaling? If you add oral commentary when sharing your scrapbooks, you probably need to do more writing. Remember, you won't always be around to talk about your pages.

Your challenge this week is to stroll through your scrapbook pages and see if your pages speak for themselves.

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart..."
~William Wordsworth

ROCKIN GIRL BLOGGER - Yah Baby!

I was reading blogs last night and noticed that Allie G nominated me as a

THANK YOU ALLIE G!!

How cool is that????? K, so now I get to nominate 5 other people... man... tough choices! I have lots of cool Rockin Girl Blogger friends!!!

Ok, here's my list. I can't nominate everyone, even though I do think EVERYONE who I blog with ROCKS... (This is hard... it's kinda like choosing who's in your "top 5" or something. I don't like to choose friends over each other) so I am going to nominate a couple and let you all start sharing the love....

Here's a few ROCKIN GIRL BLOGGERS:

Susan Hankins
Kathy
Korin
Jeanne
Nic

Ok... now email me for your badge and go out and ROCK THE WORLD!

Get Your Game Face On...

Ok friends! I've received 5 entries for the challenge so far. I'd love to see more! Get your game face on and let's play! Send me your entries and post a comment to let me know you've sent them!

For those of you who've already submitted entries... collect up your buddies, have a pep rally, and get them ready for voting this weekend!

Remember,
* entries can be cards or a layout....
* there's a prize pack of assorted goodies waiting for the winner!

Inky Smiles!
Erin

My Sketch Challenge {003} Card

Yes, Christmas already! Gotta cool off from this wicked hot summer somehow!

I drew up this sketch (Sketch Challenge {003}) and then on Friday I got a package from Skipping Stones Design! WOOO HOOO! S* Purses and a couple of stamp sets for me to try out. (soooo coool, btw!) I have been drooling over the Tons of Trees stamp set and decided I had to use it . I used a "new to me techinique" - mixing media... I used FELT on a card... way out of my OCD box. LOL!

The new england ivy cs piece is popped out with foam tag and the Christmas Tree is popped out with foam tape, too. I random stamped the cranberry cs with the polka dot texture tree fomr the set. I love the Thickers from American Crafts. They are self adhesive and so easy and fun to work with! The crystalline stamp set from Skipping Stones Design is way cool. I love Christmas trees and this set "Tons of Trees" is whimsical and fun. SSD has quality acrylic stamps and fun designs. I love how they give a nice sharp image when stamped on any paper. (This set retails for $14.50) I LOVE clear stamps - I cut the Oh Christmas Tree stamp apart before I even used it.

Papers are CTMH & Provo Craft. Stamp Set is Tons of Trees by Skipping Stones Design. Inks - CTMH, Chipboard Thickers "H" & "O" are American Crafts, the tiny star is from Designer Christmas - CTMH.


How's YOUR sketch project coming??? Can't wait to see more coming in this week! Happy creating!!

Sketch Challenge {003}

Here's a sketch challenge for ya! This one will be a contest for you, too! (I am working on my piece o' art and will post it within the next couple of days.) I have a prize pack (aka BLOG CANDY) in mind and I think you will like it!!!

This is a very basic sketch (lines in the dirt) ... use it and show me what you can do with it!

Rules & Guidelines:

1.) Create a piece of artwork, email (inkysmiles@gmail.com) a URL (link) to me to view/download it BY Aug 9th by 6:00 PM (MST). Make sure to post a comment on this post to let me know you've sent something.

2.) I will collect up all the pics of your artwork and post them all in a new post with your name on them on Aug 9th by 8:00 PM (MST).

3.) The contest is VIEWER'S CHOICE. Round up your friends and get them to vote for your piece of art! The artwork with the most votes will win. Votes = comments posted by UNIQUE users for your artwork.

4.) Voting opens once the post is up and will be closed on August 16th (when I get back from vacation). The winner will be announced on August 17th.

5.) Any and all product allowed.

6.) Consider using some of the following:

• something metal
• something "fibrous" other than paper
• something shiny
• some "non traditional" embellishment
• a "new to you" technique

CTMH Retiring Stamp Sets... Sooo Sad!

Just an FYI.....

Get em' from your consultant while you still can.

I got the list of Retiring Stamp Sets from a friend today... kinda sad to see some of these go! Thankfully I have already purchased the ones I love in this list! Get them before they're gone.


C1237 RELAX
C1238 R&R
C1240 SPLISH SPLASH
C1241 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR (SPANISH)
C1242 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR (FRENCH)
C1246 HOLLYDAYS
C1248 WINTER REFLECTION
C1249 WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
C1250 REJOICE
C1253 NUTCRACKERS
C1254 FAIRY WISHES
C1255 JUST BECAUSE
D1002 THE SIMPLE THINGS
D1003 GIRLY GIRL
D1012 CONFETTI AND FAVORS
D1022 BABY
D1023 GOD BLESS YOU
D1025 ALL YOU NEED
D1026 BEAUTY SEEN
D1027 JOY
D1030 WEDDING
D1031 GIFT TAGS
D1032 FALL
D1036 HERITAGE
D1038 CHILDHOOD BOY
D1051 EXPECTING
D1054 SPECKLED BACKGROUND
D1055 BEST FRIENDS
D1060 SANTA'S HELPERS
D1062 ZOO FRIENDS
D1066 ROMANTIC BACKGROUNDS
D1068 POLICE
D1069 ARMY
D1070 MARINE
D1071 FIRE FIGHTER
D1072 COAST GUARD
D1075 NAVY
D1076 AIR FORCE
D1084 LOVE TAGS
D1087 ELEGANT FLORAL
D1090 RETRO FLOWERS
D1091 GROOVY
D1092 FLOWER GIRLS
D1095 CHRISTMAS TAGS
D1096 HOLIDAY BORDERS
D1101 BLUE JEANS
D1102 TEACHER'S PRAISE
D1105 SNOWMAN HOLIDAYS
D1112 SEASONAL CELEBRATION
D1114 CREATE-A-FILE
D1116 BE MINE
D1117 SQUARE ELEMENTS
D1118 CIRCLE ELEMENTS
D1119 EASTER GARDEN
D1120 BRILLIANT BOOKPLATES
D1121 BEAUTIFUL SPRING
D1122 SPRING FLOWERS
D1124 TO LOVE MORE
D1125 THE GIVING HAND
D1129 SLIDE FRAMES
D1132 PLAYFUL TAGS
D1133 SEED PACKETS
D1134 ELEGANT SCRIPT
D1144 DOWN ON THE FARM
D1145 FRESH PICKED
D1147 GRAPEVINE
D1149 TEA PARTY
D1150 GARDEN VEGETABLES
D1161 WITCH'S BREW
D1162 SANTA'S WORKSHOP
D1173 JEWISH REMEMBRANCE
D1180 HAPPY HAUNTING

Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less

So tonight I am wondering what to make for dinner.... Brent is sick of me "not knowing what we want to eat for dinner" until 9 pm... way tooo late for dinner..... so tonight I am searching out some fun, new, easy, and QUICK recipes.... I just stumbled across this way cool article on Food Network by Mark Bittman (author of some cool cookbooks)...

Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less

A lot of these meals are a bit "gourmet" (aka ewww) for my taste buds... but I bet we could take the general idea and run with it.... kinda like scrapbooking... "oooh nice card/layout , but I like this color combo better....." Hehe!

I'm kind of liking #2 with some grilled chicken... MMm MMmMM GOOOD!

2.) Toss a cup of chopped mixed herbs with a few tablespoons of olive oil in a hot pan. Serve over angel-hair pasta, diluting the sauce if necessary with pasta cooking water.

or #15 but substitute some hard salami or blackforest ham.....

15.) Call it panini: Grilled cheese with prosciutto, tomatoes, thyme or basil leaves.

or # 39.. mmmmmmmm Taco Salad is always a winner!

39.) Taco salad: Toss together greens, chopped tomato, chopped red onion, sliced avocado, a small can of black beans and kernels from a couple of ears of corn. Toss with crumbled tortilla chips and grated cheese. Dress with olive oil, lime and chopped cilantro leaves.

and I think we will have #64 on Sunday with Chicken Parmesan (Brent makes the BEST Dutch Oven Chicken Parmesan in the world!!! OOOOOH!! YUM!

64.) Pasta with fresh tomatoes: Cook chopped fresh tomatoes in butter or oil with garlic until tender, while pasta cooks. Combine and serve with grated Parmesan.

or maybe #97.... ooooh!

97.) So-called Fettuccine Alfredo: Heat several tablespoons of butter and about half a cup of cream in a large skillet just until the cream starts to simmer. Add slightly undercooked fresh pasta to the skillet, along with plenty of grated Parmesan. Cook over low heat, tossing, until pasta is tender and hot.


AND THE WINNER IS:
19.) Chinese tomato and eggs: Cook minced garlic in peanut oil until blond; add chopped tomatoes then, a minute later, beaten eggs, along with salt and pepper. Scramble with a little soy sauce.

LOL! #19 inspired me..... I just sent B off to the supermarket to fetch some fresh veggies...

We're having Fried Rice!


What's on your menu?

Inky Smiles!
eRiN

7/30/07:: Email Subscriptions SOLVED (I hope...)

LOL! Ok, so I think I have it solved now. Seems there was some problem with the html... well, that's what the Feedburner folks said anyway... so I reloaded the subscribe tool and tested it on a friend and looks like it works! YAY! Isn't technology lovely?

Inky Smiles!
eRiN

7/29 Fantabulous Girlfriends Swap Results.... Oh my!

This is PART ONE of this two part swap, the brain child of our hostess Alisha Trussell.

• Part 1 - Create a card with Random Stamping, Make It Tight, Have Fun

• Part 1a - Create 8 each 5x7 pieces of the same Random Stamped paper that you used on your card and send in with your cards.
  

• Part 2 Co-Create- (In development in each artist's studio) We will each receive 1 piece of everyone's Random Stamped 5x7 paper. We need to create 1 card with the original artist's RS paper and then send it back to Alisha. This is a FABULOUSLY fun swap! I can't wait to see what everyone does with my personal "designer" paper and can't wait to play with theirs! We have a month to complete Part 2 & I will post those results sometime in Sept.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our swaps are in everyone's hands now and so I can officially post the cards I received. (I already posted my card previously.) I am overwhelmed by the talent of these girls. Their artwork is FABULOUSO!

All cards are made with CTMH products. Please DO NOT COPY these ladies' artwork for ANY sort of publication or contest purposes.
Let's keep art sharing fair. Click on each photo for a larger view.

Alisha Trussell - our fearless leader.. she has to be fearless because she's dealing with 7 crazy ladies and 4 little monkeys at home! Can you believe her card??? She SEWED it with gold thread over the random stamping and then hand pieced the gold thread around her stamped flower on the sentiment piece. The sentiment is stamped over the top of a layer of cardstock, then mulberry paper which is stamped with the flower, then covered with a double sided adhesive sheet, then the flower & stem is lined with gold thread (had to have taken HOURS) and then covered in UTEE and heated and melted. She stamped Thank You with Staz On. WOW!



Barbara Lamunion - WOW! WOW! WOW! (You're gonna read a LOT of WOWs in this post!) This RS paper is something else! She used LOTS of various stamp sets in her RSing. This is a FABULOUS card and I wish I had GOBS of her RS paper to play with. I think it would make the most fabulous B&T patterned paper!! Her flower is something else, too! It looks like leather! I just want to run my fingers over it and feel the texture!



Terri Howard - TERRI! Sneak in a little bling... I love the GINORMOUS (yes that's a real word..) Grommet from Making Memories with a little spring bling popping out from CTMH. I love the ribbon tied across the card, drawing your eyes to the bling. AND the random stamping is something else! It looks like color emerging, but it's not... It's kind of a cool tye dyed effect RS. LOVE IT!





Brenda Harmless - OOOOH la la!!! I have got to "get me one of them Cuttlebug thingies"! She embossed the dark green paper (NE Ivy?) and then reversed the paper when she adhered it to the page so the bubbles point DOWN rather than up... soooo cool. I love how she made the sentiment look just like a fishing bobber... and the tails on the fish are hand cut with a craft knife and popped out with a little pop dot - 3-d tails, watch out!





Tiffany Cheney - OOOOOH WOW! This picture does not do the RS on this card any sort of justice at all! You can't really see the very background stamp on the large square RS piece. It's a word stamp (Romantic Backgrounds?) done in , I think, Bamboo ink. Very subtle, but very elegant! She added just a touch of my fav embellishment, Liquid Glass, to the blue focal point flower.




Susan Hankins - This card is sooo fun and sassy! (Kinda like the artist!!! *grin*) This is a very cool color combo, too! I love the little boingy centers of the buttons (CTMH craft wire) and the clip that she created from cardstock. Love the little ribbon tucked neatly behind the flower!




Pam Klassen - Our resident Canadian... WHOA... WOW... WOW.... What is that lovely sparkley glob of glittery bling in the center of the rose, you ask??? It's a variety glass beads piled onto what looks like a big old lovely lump of Liquid Glass. These photos do not really show the sparkly effect well at all. I love Pam's RS It's done over textured cardstock and looks like watercolor painting. Pam finished off the edges of her papers with her trademark paper rolling technique. I LOVE how it works with the rose and leaves!

Harry Potter Poll

Just a few days left to vote on my Harry Potter poll. I'm just curious to see what people think of the latest/last book.

Sneak Peek (from July 2) Revealed

I promised I would reveal the entire card. The Hostess from the swap this card is in has sent the cards out and I received mine this afternoon. WHOA NELLY! They are soo cool! Anyway.. Here's my contribution to the swap.

Our rules (more like guidelines, anyway) were:
1.) Random Stamp *
2.) Make it tight.
3.) Have fun.

* I am not a huge fan of random stamping... I think mostly because it's such a challenge for me.... and then having to use it on a project... that's another thing. This was a LOT of fun to make and I'm not so leery of random stamping anymore. YAY! Alisha did say that she wanted us to all "think out of our boxes". It worked!



Details:
Standard size 4.25x5.5"

Supplies:
Stamp Set - Snap, Crackle, Pop - CTMH
Stamp Set - Let Freedom Ring - CTMH
All inks by CTMH unless otherwise noted.
Antique Linen Distress Ink by Tim Holz (Ranger)
Versamark ink for embossing by Tuseniko
Outdoor Denim & Gold embossing powder by CTMH
Silver embossing tinsel by Ranger
Embossing Buddy by Stampin Up!
Liquid Glass & Glitter from CTMH
Write N Rub Pen by Tonertex Foils, LTD
Gold eyelets by Making Memories
Gold star brad by Making Memories
Circle punch by Creative Memories
Crop-O-Dile for eyelets
Foam Tape
Cork
Gold elastic ties from supply store
Xyron adhesive
Scotch ATG Gun & Gold adhesive
Cranberry & Outdoor Denim cardstock by CTMH.
White Cardstock (base) & Cream cardstock by Provo Craft.

Techniques:
Paper rolling (along center of card)
Direct to paper ink distressing
Sanding
Stamping
Paper Piecing


*FYI: Cork does not run through a Xyron machine worth a hill of beans. Hehe!

Strawberry Jam Recipe (No Pectin Added)

I used this recipe for my first batch and then the Pectin added recipe which you can find in the box of powdered Pectin. The no added pecting recipe takes quite a bit longer than the pectin added one, but they both taste fabulous. So, the recipe choice is really in the taste buds of the person making the jam :)

Strawberry Jam (No Pectin Added)

Ingredients:
2 quarts fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
6 cups white sugar

Directions:
In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in small batches. Be careful not to make too much juice because too much liquid can cause jelling problems. I crush the strawberries one layer of berries at a time with a potato masher. You can also slice the berries and smash with a fork or your fingers, too. Don't stack a huge pile and try crushing them all at once.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries & sugar.

Stir with a rubber spatula over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C).

Transfer to hot, sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe any excess jam off the top of the jar and place a sterilized lid on the jar. Screw down a ring to hold the lid in place while processing.

Process in a boiling water canner for at least 10 minutes (depends on altitude). (If you’re going to eat it right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate.)


JELLING TEST
Place three plates in a freezer... after about 10 minutes of boiling place a tsp of the liquid of the jam onto the cold plate. Return to freezer for a minute. Run your finger through the jam on the plate... if it doesn't try to run back together (if you can make a line through it with your finger) it's ready to be canned.