DCWV at CHA!

DCWV is one of my absolute favorite paper companies.  They just seem to come up with some of the neatest, most versatile cardstock.  Plus, the cardstock is not only cute but is a really great quality product.  So here's the link to their blog with the video of the winter 2012 CHA booth.  DCWV CHA booth!  DCWV is also the (somewhat) new owner of Blue Moon Beads so there's something there for the jewelry makers too.  :)

Book Number 1

Just a quick little post for you.  I just finished up my first book for my Fifty.Fifty.Me challenge.  There's a post explaining the challenge down further on my blog but the general idea is that I need to read 50 new books and watch 50 new movies this year.  So book number one was The 6th Target by James Patterson.  It was kind of interesting but it wasn't too involved at the same time.  Turns out it was actually the sixth book in his 'women's murder club' series.  I might think about getting the other books from the library.  Now I'm trying to debate whether I should start another book, watch a movie, watch a TV show, or craft!  Oh, and can I just say that I really wish I was able to attend CHA out in CA?  The pictures that Paper Crafts magazine keep adding to their FB page are way too exciting.    

Zumba!!!

So I know I've been lagging behind on posting but I'm happy to report that I'm finally getting my butt in gear when it comes to the exercise.  I did jump on the elliptical twice last week but that's really not too much fun.  Then last Thursday one of the ladies at work (Maggie, you know it's you) said that I should join her at her Zumba classes.  I went to the first one tonight (it's on Mondays and Thursdays) and I think I was pleasantly surprised.  I knew the basic idea of what Zumba is so I had some idea going into it as far as what to expect.  I fully expected to look like an absolute uncoordinated idiot and I'm sure I looked just like that.  About three songs in I wanted to curl up in a corner- my side was killing me and wow did my feet hurt!  However I knew that I needed to keep going.  The only way I'm going to get back in shape is to push through the pain.  By the halfway point I felt like I could keep going and the second half of the class was great.  I'm a bit more tired than I usually am but my muscles are really aching right now.  I'm wondering how they'll feel in the morning!

Christmas gifts...

I'm just the posting queen tonight!  One last post before I call it a night.  Now that Christmas has been over for a few weeks, I thought I would share some of the gifts that I made this year.  I've been making all (or almost all) of my gifts for several years now.  I think that there's something special about receiving a handmade gift as opposed to something just picked up in a store.  So here are a few things that I made this year.

This is a kitchen set that I made for my sister Donna.  I used an old tin for the canister.  I then modpodged all over it and covered it in fabric.  I printed the label out from the computer and then hand cut it.  I inked all of the edges and the coated it in a layer of embossing powder to help prevent the ink from running if it were to get splashed with water.  I also made two pot holders because everybody can use a pot holder or two!

Donna also got this fun apron.  I was really tempted to keep this for myself- I just love batiks!  The reverse is actually the checkered cherry print that used for the canister and pot holders.

I made Grandma this purse.  It's really not too exciting until you learn that this is only part of the purse! 

Here's the rest of the purse!  The purse is designed so that the outside cover can be changed out.  There are magnetic snaps on the purse and on the inside of each cover to hold the cover onto the purse.  And there's a flap that comes down from the top of the purse to hide the top of the cover. 

Mom got this purse.  It was a McCall's pattern that she picked out from my stash of patterns.  I found the main fabric with the dots in the red tag section at the Jo-Ann's that I work at.  I then found the other four fabrics to play off of the first one.  You can't see fabric number four at all because it's the lining for the purse but I can tell you that it's a black tone on tone.

My other sister Mary and her husband Carl got four pillow covers to fit 16 inch pillow forms for their couch.  I could have sworn that I took a picture but I can't seem to figure out what happened to it.  They also wanted hand-knit wool socks.  Problem with that is that I don't really know how to knit.  I have a sock loom but it's taken me weeks to get almost two inches done of it.  So Jim went out and picked up some really warm wool socks from Gander Mountain.

So there you have it.  Some of the gifts that I made this year.  Hope you liked seeing them.  I'm actually still working on one gift- my uncle wanted a pen and ink drawing of his cat, Emma.  I'll post a picture of that when I manage to get it done.  Good thing he's patient about it!  :)  Tomorrow I'll post some of the cards that I made for Christmas.

Crispy Caribbean Veggie Wrappers

When I found this recipe in an old 'Healthy Cooking' magazine, I just knew I had to try it.  I had a bit of a problem though.  It called for sweet potatoes and I absolutely hate sweet potatoes.  So I put out a message on Facebook and asked my friends what I should substitute.  Several of the choices sounded really good and I let my husband pick the final substitute- plain old potatoes.  Other suggestions included acorn squash, butternut squash, pumpkin, zucchini, banana, and mashed cauliflower.  I plan on trying some of these in the future but if you try one, let me know what you think of it.  One thing I really like about this recipe was that it was something that I felt I could play around with and change up so here's my modified version.

Ingredients

• about 1 pound potatoes
• 1/2 c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 c. to 1/2 c. chopped red onion
• 1/4 c. chopped bell peppers- any color
• 2 T. minced fresh cilantro
• 1 T. lime juice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. chopped jalapeno pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 package egg roll wrappers (there should be about 20 or 21 in a package)
• cooking spray
• salsa

Step 2

1. Scrub and pierce potatoes and place on a microwave safe plate.  Microwave, uncovered, on high until tender.  Turn once if using larger potatoes (I used five small potatoes).  When cool enough to handle, cut potatoes in half and scoop out the pulp.  Discard the skins.  Mash pulp in a small bowl.
2. Mix together all of the ingredients except for the wrappers, cooking spray and salsa.
3. Lightly brush all four edges of one egg roll wrapper with water.  (Keep your remaining wrappers under a damp paper towel until ready to use.)  Spread approximately 1 T. (or a little more) along one edge of wrapper.  Roll up tightly folding edges in to seal.  Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
4. Place wrappers seam side down on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Spritz wrappers with cooking spray.  Bake at 375 degree F. until golden brown.  Serve warm with salsa.

Step 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4

Really, quite delicious!

I would have loved to put all of the photos with each step but for whatever reason blogger wouldn't let me insert more than the one in my list.  Sorry about that!  For those of you counting WW points, this recipe clocks in at 1 point per wrapper!  And regular salsa is 0 points so enjoy however much of that you want.  And again feel free to change up the ingredients to fit your tastes.  Maybe you like things less spicy so leave out the jalapenos.  Or maybe you want to kick it up an extra notch with some chili powder or Cajun seasoning.  It's all up to you!  Just remember that if you're doing WW and you change it up, to make those changes in your recipe builder in case your points change.  Let me know what you think down in the comments!

Black Bean Brownies

I know, it sounds kind of strange.  Brownies and black beans?  However, I decided that since I was going to be opening a can of beans for my other recipe, this was the time to try this one out.  I swear that you can't taste the black beans at all.  The good thing about the black beans is that they add a bit more fiber and protein to your brownies so you can pretend that you're eating a healthy treat.  My only complaint with the way these turned out is that the brownies are more cake-like than fudge-like.  This is actually a Weight Watchers recipe- 4 points per brownie.  So here goes!

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 1/2 c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 c. strong black coffee
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 4 oz. (about 1/2 c.) chocolate- the original called for bittersweet but I used semi-sweet chips
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 c. all-purpose flour 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
2. In a blender or food processor, blend beans and coffee until smooth.  Set aside.
3. Melt chocolate and butter together over very low heat.  Stir often.
4. Meanwhile, use an electric mixer to beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.  With mixer on low speed add in melted chocolate/butter.  Incorporate completely.
5. Add black bean/coffee mix, vanilla and salt to bowl and combine on low speed. Mix well. 
6. Add flour to bowl and combine on low speed.
7. Pour into prepared pan.  Bake until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20-30 minutes.  Let cool for at least 20 minutes on a cooling rack.  Cut into 24 pieces and serve.

kind of looks like it's just floating there, doesn't it?

I will say this, I haven't had one of these cooled completely but they were delicious warm.  You could always add nuts or other spices to the mix to customize it.  Just keep in mind that if you add nuts, this will change the WW point value.  Enjoy!

Goal Reached!

I've been very careful to track my eating this week on my plan manager so I knew I was eating right for the most part.  I'm happy to report that I've reached my first goal measurement!  I did go downstairs to use the elliptical the other day but my efforts were thwarted when I discovered that I needed batteries for the display.  So Jim picked those up from the store and I'm ready to go now.  I figure I'll start off with whatever time frame I feel like I can do when I get on it.  So I'm not going to say that I'm doing 30 minutes a day or 45 or 15, etc.  Instead I'm going to start with whatever works for me that day.  After all, every little bit counts!

New Project!

Fifty.Fifty.Me

For those of you who don't know me that well, I love to read.  I've been reading since I was a wee one (said of course in an Irish accent).  Seriously though I think I got my first library card when I was around 4 or 5 years old (Mom, you want to chime in on that?).  I've always seen reading a new book (or rereading a favorite book) as a way to see into another world.  My current reading selection is by my all-time favorite author Anne McCaffrey.  She just passed away on November 21, 2011 at the respectable age of 85.  I've been aiming to get my box of books out of storage since then so I could read the "Dragons of Pern" series all over again.  Even if you aren't a fan of fantasy books, I highly recommend that you take the time to pick up a couple of these.  You can start with the first one she wrote "Dragonflight" published back in 1968 or you can start with the chronologically first book "Dragonsdawn" published in 1988.  I'm not including short stories or novellas just the actual full length novels.  

So this brings me to my new challenge.  I've joined up on a site called Fifty.Fifty.Me.  It's a year long challenge to read 50 new books and watch 50 new movies in 2012.  Rereading books and rewatching movies doesn't count towards the final total.  Each time I watch or read something new, I'll write a little blog post about it.  I encourage you to challenge yourself and join in.  You don't have to keep a blog.  Also feel free to comment on my blog posts whether or not you've joined in to read and watch in 2012.

Quick update...

Just a quick update on my WW.  I haven't started to work out yet but I swear I will soon!   Having said that, I did my weigh in today and I've lost another pound since last Wednesday.  That's a total of 11.4 pounds since the middle of Sept.  I don't think that's too horrible since I wasn't tracking much for a good bit of Oct., Nov., and Dec.  I was still watching what I ate but I honestly still expected to gain weight during that time.  At this time I'm 1.9 pounds away from the first goal that WW set for me online.  My personal goal however is to lose at least 1.5 pounds a week until that vacation in June.  If I do that, I'll have dropped (roughly) 30 more pounds for the beach.  I'm also going to get my husband to help me take measurements of my body like my chest, waist, hips, thighs, etc.  I've read on multiple occasions that when you're working out and eating to lose weight that much of the time you'll see a difference in your measurements when you aren't see a difference in your weight change.  I don't think that it's a matter of "muscle weighs more than fat" because a pound is a pound.  I do think it's a matter that one pound of muscle is more compact than one pound of fat so you may weigh the same but look better.   I'm going to sign off now and figure out what to have for dinner.  

Mason Jar Tag Tutorial

Here you go!  A video tutorial using stamping techniques.  I hope you enjoy this project.  Please let me know what you think and if you have any questions feel free to ask me in the comment section.

And here's a list of the products you'll need:

• manilla tag
• double sided adhesive tape
• Tim Holtz Distress Inks by Ranger (broken china, peeled paint, vintage photo)
• Tim Holtz Distress Stain by Ranger (broken china)
• applicator tool
• a small circle punch tool or a thumbtack
• scissors
• stamps (I used stamps from Unity Stamp Company's Dec. 2011 Kit of the Month)
• brads
• mini mister by Ranger or another small spray bottle for water
• non-stick craft mat
• ribbon and lace

The first full size quilt...

I know that I planned on this post being a papercrafting one but I can't find batteries for my camera to take some new pictures.  I guess I could show you an old paper project but honestly this picture was one of the first photos in the list of what's on my computer!  :)  This quilt is one that I finished way back in August for one of my good friends.  I met Danielle way back in college (ok it wasn't that long ago but it sure feels like it sometimes).  She got married back in August to a wonderful man (Jeff) and I wanted to make something really special.  I absolutely love batik fabrics so all but one of the fabrics that I used for the quilt top are batiks.  When I asked Danielle about colors she mentioned red and sunshine colors so that's why I went with red, orange and yellow fabrics.  The binding and the back are done with a dark berry color that matches one of the tones from one of the fabrics.  I also picked a pattern that I knew would be easy to piece together and easy to quilt.  With this being the first time I made a large quilt I wanted to make sure I could get it done in time.  If I remember correctly the final quilt wound up being approximately 90 inches square.  I also used a simple stitch in the ditch for the quilting and did it by machine.  Let me know what you think! 

Tracking points with WW

So with the new year, I need to do a much better job of tracking my points with Weight Watchers.  In addition, I need to actually start working out instead of just thinking about it.  I've got a goal to work towards.  My in-laws are taking my husband, sister-in-law, her husband, my baby niece and themselves on a vacation June 9th-16th to Myrtle Beach.  The last time I was actually in a bathing suit was back during my senior year of college and I think it's time to work towards fitting into one again.  That's not to say I couldn't fit into one now, but I sure wouldn't look decent in it!  So I tracked my points for today and stayed on target.  My current points goal is 30 a day with an extra 49 for the week.  As I write this, I'm sitting at 28 for Wednesday.  I'm going to do my best to not use up those 49 each week because that will help me out even more.  Also, with WW, you get extra points for doing exercise/activities.  I'm going to try to avoid tapping into those points as well.  I'll weigh myself in the morning since I've been up eating and drinking for the last 15 hours or so.  My points target could also change then depending on whether my weight goes up or down from the last time I weighed myself.  

I think that there will be a few difficult things for me to get used to.  First off, is doing the exercise.  I'm so out of shape right now that it's not the least bit funny.  So I'm thinking I'll start with the walk at home DVDs that I have.  I sure don't want to be out walking with the temperatures what they are and with the snow on the ground!  The next hard thing for me will be weaning myself off of the sugary foods.  I like chocolate and I love Haribo gummy bears.  I'm not really a big fan of dark chocolate but I know if I'm going to eat chocolate, then that's the way to go.  I'm also going to have to work on making separate meals for myself so that I don't consume as much butter and other fats.  I'm going to get back into the habit of eating yogurt twice a day- once for breakfast and once for my break at work.  Oh, and I've got to find some juice that won't put such a dent into my points each day.  I love fruit juice but with all the added sugars, it really adds on the points.  

So at this point, I've covered two of my three main blog topics.  You got a peek at my "needle" earlier with my video post about my quilt.  And then this post definitely touched on my "spoon".  Maybe when I get up tomorrow, I'll see about doing a post about one of my paper crafts to cover the "stamp" aspect.  Guess you'll just have to tune in to find out!  :) 

My first video post!

An Introduction....

So, honestly I'm going to cheat just a little bit here.  I had originally started my blog over on another website and I wasn't happy with the idea of having to pay extra for certain things (like posting a video directly to my blog without having to go through YouTube).  So I made the decision to jump on over here to Blogger and in the process I've also decided that I don't particularly want to rewrite my introduction so I'm simply going to employ that useful little tool known as 'copy/paste'.  Without further ado... my introduction.

A brief look into what I hope you’ll be able to find here on my blog. As most of my friends know, I like to do a little bit of crafting every now and then. Okay, maybe a lot of crafting. Papercrafting, sewing, painting, etc. I love to create. There’s very little that makes me as happy as I am when I’ve got ink all over my fingers and a new project sitting in front of me. It probably wasn’t the greatest idea for me to get a job working at Jo-Ann Fabrics, but I like my job there. It gives me an opportunity to help other people with their projects. Of course working there means two things- that I always see a fabric or paper that I want and that I always have a million and one ideas floating around in my head. So, after all of that, you can expect to see some posts on here about my crafts. Sometimes I’ll just post a picture of a project that you can pick up in my artfire.com store (which will be open soon). Sometimes I might post a DIY so you can have some fun. Or maybe I’ll post a technique or two. We’ll see!

I also love to cook and bake. But more cooking than baking which is kind of funny since I’ve been doing a lot of the baking lately. I also joined Weight Watchers back on Sept. 13th (my 29th birthday). My first WW goal was to lose thirteen pounds. I’m halfway there. It’s been hard and kind of frustrating because sometimes all I want is a candy bar or a few slices of pizza and I know that it’s not good for me. So my diet is slowly changing and I’m discovering new foods/recipes along the way. My end goal is to lose almost 100 pounds. I’d like to be at least halfway there by my 30th birthday. I’ve also got a few friends with dietary restrictions (such as needing to eat gluten-free). So you should expect to see some recipes on here and some adventures in the kitchen. I’ll post about things that I like and interesting recipes that I find. I’ll also try to make a note if a recipe is gluten-free.

You might also find me posting about just random, silly stuff. Or maybe posting about something- like an image or poem- that’s inspired me. I hope at some point to have a few contests, particularly when it comes to crafts. Maybe I’ll post a picture and ask you to create something inspired by it. Or how about a card sketch every once in a while. Or I might just have a fun giveaway just for the heck of it. I can promise you one thing, any contest or giveaway that I have will have a completely random winner. 

Now that’s quite a bit for my first post! Please follow me and enjoy the journey we take together in crafting, the kitchen and life.