Crepe Paper Flower

For those of you who could not get into the tutorial:

What if . . .

What if you had an embellishment that you could use that would be a quick and easy way to add a feminine touch to any of your crafting projects?
What if this embellishment was easy to alter and could be used in a variety of ways?
What if this embellishment seemed to have no limits, in-that it could be used on masculine projects too?
Well you’re in luck! Flowers are a hot trend in paper crafting and you can make your own, they couldn’t be easier. Take these adorable little flowers made from Crepe Paper streamers for instance.

Supplies needed for each flower:
1 yard of (any color) Crepe Paper Streamers
Scalloped scissors
Glue ( I used Scotch brand Scrapbooker’s Glue)
1 brad

You will need to cut 9 circles from the Crepe Paper using the scalloped scissors.

3 circles that are approximately 1 ¾”
3 circles that are approximately 1 ½”
3 circles that are approximately 1”

(The circles do not need to be perfect.)

Glue the circles together by placing one drop of glue in the center of each circle and staking the circles on top of each other largest to smallest.
Let it dry completely.

Punch a hole in the center of the circles, through all 6 layers and insert a brad.

With your fingers crumble the layers for the desired finished look.
 
 

I used the one I made on this card -

Happy flower making !


Each week a DT memeber at Croppin Paradise is in charge of posting a class. This week I'm showing you how to make these cute Crepe Paper Flowers - be sure to check out the tutorial.



I can’t tell you how thankful I am that the weekend is almost here! I have so many new scrappy supplies to play with and two new Cricut Cartridges. Well I‘ve had the cartridges for a few weeks but I have not had time to get them out of the boxes. Plus my birthday present (a new sewing machine) is still sitting here waiting to be used. So many fun things to play with and so little time.


If you’re looking for some inspiration head on over to the Nikki Sivils blog and ck out the awesome projects. I might add that I was totally excited to see the CP Design Teams work featured on her blog. Woo Hoo!

You might also want to check out the Croppin Paradise blog for the Bo Bunny reveals - totally fun supplies to create with!

I'm always looking for a great scrappy deal and I found another deal a day site that you might want to check out: Crafty Steals.

Recent Projects:







Taco Soup

1 pound of ground turkey or lean ground beef
1 large onion - chopped
1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix (small)
1 package Taco Seasoning mix
1 can white kidney beans (16 oz.)
1 can pinto beans (16 oz.)
1 can corn (16 oz.)
1 can stewed tomatoes (mexican style) (16 oz.)
1 can stewed tomatoes (16 oz.)
Brown meat with onion, drain excess fat
Place meat and onion along with all other ingredients in a crockpot for 6 hours
(If you want it a little more soupy add a little water.) 



Randy's Take:

The texture was wonderful -

The flavor was fantastic -

The eating experience was delightful -

In other words I can make it again lol!

I'm sure this will become one of our favorite meals.

40th Class Reunion

I attended my 40th class reunion last night; Shelby Senior High class of 1970. There was something momentous about this occasion. There were a few surprises . . . folks that were rail thin in high school had plumped up considerably. Others who were chunky had illogically thinned down. There was grey hair (mine included), and bald heads, and yes . . . wrinkles. But it was more than a gathering to compare weight gain and weight loss and hair colors and hairlines.


Our class was defined by; hippies, the drug culture, long hair, short dresses, denim, rock and roll and disobedience. It was a time that made us think, express and create in ways that still influence us today.

Way back in 1975 at the first class reunion you could spoof yourself into believing that you were immortal and that you would enjoy an endless succession of get-togethers. But after hitting 58, you cross the threshold of denial . . . it was reflected on the faces around me. Yes, we are aging . . . some more gracefully than others I might add. There were the usual assortment of mid-life health problems. Many were troubled with bad backs, hips and knees. I consider myself very fortunate and blessed indeed to not have any health problems.

Through all the passion and loathing, births and deaths, achievements and failures, the sorrows and the joys of living for 50 plus years . . . these are the people I knew way back when. The nerds, the partiers, the jocks, the clowns, and the dreamers and schemers. There is just something nostalgic about seeing old friends. Why is it that the stories never grow old . . . only the people who are telling them.

Judy, Cheryl, Me, Pam, Becky

Class of 1970

Wanted to share two layouts I did for the Nikki Sivils reveal at CroppinParadise this month.  The Happy Holly-Days Collection was just perfect for these Christmas pages.

Hamburger Soup

Healthy eating is not about sticking to strict nutrition philosophies, or staying away from foods you like. Its about eating smart. It’s about what and how you eat. Watch for lower fat and higher fiber content. Portion control is important! Remember there is a lag time (about 20 minutes) between your stomach being full and your brain knowing it.


This is a healthy, hearty soup that is sure to please your taste buds and fill you up.

Hamburger Soup
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
15 ounces canned diced tomatoes with chilies
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup corn
4 cups of beef broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
½ cup ketchup
1 cup whole wheat pasta

In a skillet cook the ground beef and drain.
Place the ground beef, onion, red pepper, celery, canned diced tomatoes, carrots, corn, beef broth, salt, pepper, and the ketchup and 1 cup of dried whole wheat pasta in a crock-pot. Cook on low for 6 hours.
Serve and savor!

Makes 12 cups
Per Serving:
105 calories, 1g fat, 3g fiber

school, scrapping and a new recipe

The school year for the agency I work for started last Tuesday, September 7th. If you want to talk about a long and hectic week!


But it got me to thinking and reflecting on my early school experiences. Growing up as a Catholic in the 1950’s, I began every single school day with mass. The mass itself was mostly incomprehensible - what little kid knew Latin!? There was this forty five minute daily challenge of what to do while God was at work up there at the alter, in a foreign language.
The nuns kept a tight lid on fidgeting and/or talking to your peers. I can honestly say that the way the nuns dressed perplexed me. They were all uniformly dressed in distinct clothing called habits, a long robe like dress, starched coifs, veils and a looped rosary.
The only nuns I encountered, close up and personal, were harsh, and not very child friendly. In fact, I was educated by nuns who were cruel and most certainly not loving in any way. I have no idea if the church officially sanctioned slapping children or not, but I was on the receiving end of those holy rights and lefts on more than one occasion and often experienced verbal abuse. My Catholic school experiences made me tougher, wiser and less trusting of people in power than I might otherwise have become . . . maybe that’s a good thing. I do know it shaped my image of the nature of teaching.



In the last month I have acquired a ton of scrappy supplies, some for DT projects and some . . . well just because I thought I had to have them.
So many projects to do, so many cool supplies to play with, and so little time.
Here’s a few sneak peeks using the Happy Holly Days Collection by Nikki Sivis and the Block Party Collection by BoBunny. These will be revealed at Croppin Paradise later this month.

I’m always looking for easy recipes to try and this one is easy as well as delicious! I would have never thought of using Cottage Cheese like this!

Sunrise Pizza
2 frozen whole wheat or multi grain waffles
1/3 cup Cottage Cheese
1 cup strawberries
1 Tbsp. honey
4 dashes ground cinnamon

(I added 2 Tbsp. whipped topping.)

Prepare the waffles accdording to package directions. 
Spread each waffle with a portion of the cottage cheese,
and 1/2 cup of the strawberries. 
Drizzle each waffle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Enjoy!

August 29

In the last three years we have literally stop eating all white flour and white sugar. Although I think this is a step to eating healthier . . . I don’t think it’s the only way.


Randy and I are physically active (going to the gym five mornings a week and usually three times a week after work to lift weights).
Being physically active is a great way to start healthy living, but you also need to eat nutritious foods.

Eating healthier is easier than you think. Here are five steps to get you started:

1) Use up at least as many calories as you take in.
2) Eat a variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups.
3) Check the labels on the foods you purchase for fat and fiber content.
4) Buy healthy foods when you shop. Fresh is best but this does not mean it has to be organic.
5) Learn to cook healthy - use fresh ingredients, use a steamer, or a slow cooker and avoid fried foods.

Irish Stovetop Skillet
Serves 6
Each serving: 142 cal, 2 gm fat, 4 gm fiber

1/3 cup water
3 cups thinly sliced raw potatoes (I leave the skins on)
1 ½ cups chopped onions
3 cups sliced cabbage
1 ½ cups shredded carrots
2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1-8 tsp black pepper
3 (2.5 oz.) pkgs Carl Budding Lean Corned Beef, shredded

Put water in bottom of a large skillet. Arrange sliced potatoes in water. Layer onion, cabbage, carrots, parsley and pepper over potatoes. Top with the corned beef.
Cover and simmer over med heat for 20 minutes. Mix well before serving

I've had a little bit a free time this weekend, enough to work on some necklaces that I found on the Big Picture Scrapbooking Big Idea Festival taught by Georgana Hall.  I just changed them up a little and added some rub-ons and inked the edges.  These turned out so cute that I could be making them in ever color:)  And can you believe these are made from a wahser, scrap paper, Mod Podge and some cording?!

August 27

Another summer gone . . . Halloween candy and costumes are out in the stores . . . Where oh where has summer gone? Summers seemed longer when I was a kid! Does time move more rapidly the older you get? Maybe it’s because instead of looking at one l o n g year I tend to block it off . . . New Years to Valentines Day, then Easter to Mothers Day and Fathers Day. Then July 4th to Labor Day. Then Halloween to Thanksgiving and then Christmas . . . and before you know it the whole year is gone. I think I have enough summer photos of the grandchildren to scrap to help keep me in the mindset of summer for at least a little while. These are the latest layouts for their albums.

Every time Randy and I take a cruise we say that we wished we would have taken some dance lessons so we could knock everybody’s socks off on the dance floor.

So we finally took the first step - literally! Two weeks ago we went to our first “Ballroom Dancing” lesson. OK if we would have known that it was this much fun we would have went before!

We have learned (or should I say are learning) the Waltz, the Foxtrot and the Cha Cha Cha. I think my favorite is the Waltz - a smooth progressive dance characterized by long, flowing movements, continuous turns and rise and fall steps. I think you are suppose to be able to glide around the floor effortlessly . . . I’ll just say we need to practice!

Talent Show Project

This week at Camp Paradise the DT is showcasing their talents. Make sure to stop by and check out the awesome projects.
I love using my scrapbooking supplies for home decor projects.  For my talent I'm sharing a wreath I made for our family room.

Materials:

Brown wrapping paper ( the kind you use for mailing packages)
Cricut machine
Serenade Cart
Foam wreath
Glue gun
Pencil
Patterned paper for the butterflies



I used brown postal wrapping paper (the kind you buy on a roll for mailing packages) for the flowers. I cut the paper into 12X12 sheets and ran them though my Cricut machine.

 I used the scalloped flower on the Serenade cart and cut them at 2 ¾”. When I had a nice size pile of flowers (several hundred) I folded them in half to find the middle.

I then used the eraser end of the pencil and pressed it into the center of each flower till it folded up.

I put a dab of hot glue on the middle of the bottom of the scalloped flower and stuck it to my wreath.

I then cut out butterflies of varying sizes using the Serenade cart and added them to the wreath. I attached a piece of ribbon to the back of the wreath for hanging.

Summer Camp

Camp Paradise has definitely offered you your fill of fun challenges & games each week.


. . . And it’s still not to late to join in the last weeks of camp.

Campers have been able to bring out their inner creative star by participating in the activities:

Arts & Crafts

Cabin Life

Camp Fire

Camp Spirit

Mess Hall

Music

Outdoor Education

Sports & Recreation

Wildlife

with new and exciting “get you out of your box” challenges offered every week (not to mention prizes).

We’ll wrap up the final week starting Wednesday 8-11 with the finale and some special activities. Hope you can join in the fun!

Here are my takes for this weeks Camp Spirit and Outdoor Education challenges.

using the camp banner colors

it's all about the clouds