Mini Album from TP rolls

Well, inspiration comes from EVERYwhere!  Would you believe these little pages are made using toilet paper rolls?  Mash 'em flat, cover with patterned paper and embellish as desired!  Add a tag to slip inside and...voila!  I used all scrap papers on these pages.  I have rings to bind them into a little album (I'll post a completed pic).  These are so fun and quick to make and will make terrific stocking stuffers or Teachers' gifts for the school kids.  (For a tutorial, go here ).  This album uses 3 TP rolls, the first is a pic of the fronts, then one of the backs.

This is the first page - or cover. I made a little pocket on the front for an additional tag.

Then page two.

And finally the last page - back cover.

Bleach Technique Challenge card

This is a card I made using the bleach technique for a challenge at InspireSwapChat.  I used SU's Lace background stamp and stamped on cranberry cs.  On the same color cs, I stamped the flourish (Inkadinkado).  I did a running stich on the lace background with black embroidery thread.Trimmed both images and framed with black cs then adhered to SU Ruby Red cs (as card base).  I stamped the kanji (Inka Stamps) using SU classic black ink pad.  I liked the way it turned out.

Recipe Cards for swaps

Here are a couple of more recipe cards for some swaps I'm in.  I'm really addicted to these things!  In the past month or so, I've made 119 recipe cards - 6x6.  I'll keep some and some I'll make into cookbooks with my Bind-It-All and use as gifts. These recipes are for Christmas candy/treats swaps:

Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge Blog Candy

I've been a big fan of Peachy Keen Stamps for several years. In that several years, they have greatly expanded.  When I first heard of them, I think the only stamps they had were the face stamps for the die cut dolls.  Got a couple sets of them (so much better than trying to draw them in ).  Now, they have an incredible selection of wonderful and adorable stamps!  You ought to check them out if you've never been to their site.
They also have this super, duper Blog Candy on their blogspot: There is a gadget to the left you can click on to trasport you there ;)  The winner will be announced on Saturday, 10/24 so hurry to enter if you haven't already!

Here's some of what is included in the candy:

4 packages of Miss Elizabeth's Scrapbook Papers: Braun, Lodge, Jewels, and Fairytale Princess(6 pages per package)

Peachy Keen Stamps PK-303A Tubular Star Snowman Small

Peachy Keen Stamps PK-320 Snickerdoodle Gift Elf

Peachy Keen Stamps PK-311 Snowmany Thanks

Peachy Keen Stamps PK-404 Sugar n Spice Gingers Small

12 Ice Stickles: Gold, Crystal, Arctic Ice, Grape, Blueberry, Lime, Cherry, Strawberry, Silver, Coffee, Lemon and Mint

12 Offray Grosgrain Ribbon Spools 3/8": White, Cranberry, Island Blue, Ant White, Black, Lt Pink, Shock Pink, Blue, Lemongrass, Lemon, Yellow Gold, Oatmeal (two of these are at the bottom of the stack behind the long acrylic block)

3 SUPER acrylic blocks with grid lines and finger grooves, Sizes: 3.5" round, 4.25" round and 8" x 2.5"

Wanda

Blog Award

I just received this Fabulous award from my dear friend Jessie.  She's been a great inspiration to me and has turned me on to many challenge sites and blog candy sites.  She lives in such a lovely place, too...rich in history and culture!  We share a love for recipe cards and fried ice cream (Hey Jessie...got a great recipe for ya).   The rules of the award are that I have to share 5 things with you that I am addicted to and then pass on the award to 5 other blogs that I love …..

1. paper crafting

2. soap making

3. crocheting

4. reading

5. my family

And now - drum roll please - the five fabulous blogs that I am honored to pass this award on to are:

1.  Janice

2.  Jen

3.  Lucinda

4.  Paula 

5.  Karen

Congratulations, ladies :)

Family Halloween party door prize

Every year for our Halloween party, I supply the door prize.  Usually it is something I've hand crafted.  One year I made soap, lotion and powder and made up a bath basket.  Another year I made canister candles.  This year it's a copycat recipe book.  It's 6x6 and has 22 copycat recipes in it plus additional white cs pages in the back for what ever :)  Here is a pic of the cover and 3 of the 22 recipes.

Callenge card

There was a card challenge at InspireSwapChat using the colors pink and orange.  Here was my entry.

2010 May calendar page and cover

I'm soooo proud of myself.  I'm in a "stash overload" challenge where I create things using my stash and/or scraps.  Been at it a couple of weeks and I've made quite a few things...and even completed some swaps I am in!  Here's my list of items so far:

67 6x6 recipe cards
30 ATCs (NOT including the ATC Jams I an finishing up)
2 6x6 scrapbook layouts fpr grand daughters' albums
1 TP roll gift tag
38 8x8 layouts - I've posted two of them - Thanksgiving Bounty and January 2010

Here are the May pages for the calendar and the cover (had to make two covers because I'd taken two spots).

Here's the tag I made out of a toilet paper roll.  There is a great tutorial at a-scapaddict.blogspot

and it's really easy.

I'm still working on items...a 6x6 recipe book is in the works and, of course, finishing up my grand daughters' little albums.  Got to get ready for the holidays!

2010 Calendar Page

Here's a pic of an 8x8 calendar page for January 2010.  I needed to make 12 for a calendar swap. I'm working on the month of May now (took 2 spots in the swap).  I love the little polar bear!

Christmas Traditions Bar Cookies

Another memorable recipe are these bar cookies.  I remember my mom making them when I was a little girl.  I asked her for the recipe and she had lost it during moving from one state to another. I searched years for this recipe.  I found it shortly after she passed away in 1996 - after nearly 20 years!  I've been making them every year since and they are as good as I remember them!! 

Christmas Traditions Wassail

With the upcoming holidays quickly approaching, I find myself remembering the warmth and love of my family's gatherings. We would all gather at our parent's house, each bringing a special dish or treat.  We would open gifts while the turkey cooked, "ooh" and "aah" over the candy, cookies, pies...  Today, when we gather, we remember those days.  Both parents and a sister have passed on and so the "gathering place" has been at one of my brothers house.  We still share the love of family with new additions that never got to meet their great grandparents or great aunt.  We have started new traditions and carried on with old...but the spirit of giving and loving is never-changing.  I've been making recipe cards to hopefully bind into books for each of my siblings. Each recipe is one of the special dishes that have been brought to the holiday table for many, many years and passed on to the next generation.  This recipe for Wassail is one I've been making for over 20 years, and is still in demand at the gatherings. Hope you enjoy it as nuch as my family does :)

Wanda

(Watch for more recipes to come.)

Stash projects

I am in several swaps for 8x8 pages and ATCs.  When I join a swap, my first response is to go shopping for supplies.  As a result, I have tons of papers and embellishments that I'd forgotten I have (sound familiar?).  My self-challenge is to make my seap items with supplies I already have on hand.  I have made 6 8x8 two-page layouts and 20 ATCs...so far.  I'm working on 12 calender pages and will post them when I finish them :)  The Paisley shapes on the Minnie ATCs are cut with the Spellbinders sets.

First I have a Thanksgiving Bounty swap...I chose Recipe Traditions: