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Good morning! Today I have a two-page layout to share with the November Gossamer Blue kits. Usually when I create a two-page layout I will choose 2-3 photos that
are 4×6 and then fill in space with several 2×3 photos. This month, we
had just gone to the pumpkin patch and I had a family photo that I
absolutely LOVED. I wanted the main focus to be on this photo so I
enlarged it to around 6×8 and created my design around it. Because I
used such a large photo, I had to (gasp!) cut it in half. Here’s a
little tip: if you have to cut a photo, try to do so in a way that
doesn’t go right through someone’s face! I was able to cut my photo
right in between my daughters.
Because the focus was in the center of the page, I also used the
entire sheet of grey and cream polka dotted paper in the center. The
green frame helps keep the focus right there.
I built the title right inside one of the Crate Paper fabric frames. The
“thankful” card was in the Life Pages Themed Add-on kit and then I
mixed and matched alphabet stickers including the “fun” wood veneer
piece in the main kit.
On the second page, I used one of the exclusive cut files to cut the chevron card out of orange patterned paper.
Finally, I wanted to add some pumpkin die-cuts so I went searching in
the Silhouette store and found these. I cut them out of the ombre
patterned paper from Glitz Designs. I also cut the pink, orange and navy
stripes out from another piece of patterned paper from Glitz Designs.
The resulting arrows help draw the eyes to the title on the first page
and the photo block on the second page.
Thanks for stopping by today! :)
Good morning! Today I thought I would pretend I am a food blogger. ;) No, seriously I posted a photo on Instagram this weekend of the homemade potato soup I made and I had several requests for the recipe so I thought what better avenue than to share than my blog. (Feel free to pin if you want!) I make a lot of soup around here because I can make adjustments as needed for food allergies, etc. so maybe I will share a few more recipes over the next few months.
Potato Soup
- 1/2 c. butter
- 1-1/2 c. chopped onion
- 3 carrots, shredded
- 2 c. celery, chopped
- 8 c. chopped potatoes (I leave the skins on but do whatever you like)
- 2 (10 oz) cans chicken broth
- 2 soup cans of water
- 2 (13 oz) cans evaporated milk
- 1 lb. bacon
- 2 T. cornstarch (you can use flour but we can't due to food allergies - if you do, use 4 T. flour)
Directions - Melt butter; saute onion and celery until onions get transparent. Add potatoes, carrots, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes, or until tender. Add milk and bacon (reserve some milk to combine with flour/cornstarch). Simmer 15-20 minutes more. Add reserved milk/cornstarch/flour mix to soup, stirring constantly until soup is creamy. Salt and pepper to taste.
A couple of recommendations - I recently began
using low-sodium organic chicken broth from Trader Joe's. It is very
inexpensive and chicken broth typically has a lot of sodium - I would
much rather add my own salt for taste. Also, I am really loving the All
Natural Uncured Bacon from Trader Joe's. There are no nitrates or
nitrites added and the pork is raised without antibiotics. It's a great
tasting bacon and it cooks clean (there doesn't appear to be a lot of
junk and mystery stuff in the grease). I always bake my bacon in a
Pampered Chef stoneware.
Hope you enjoy! :)
Good morning! I have another Stitch Fix review to share with you today! I have actually been sitting on this one all weekend so I will need to make a decision in a hurry today. I asked for the usual polka dots, florals, lace, etc. in the form of dresses, blouses, cardigans and skirts. I mentioned I would like something gold and that I was looking for a pair of dark wash skinny jeans or a burgundy pair. Maggie was my stylist this time and out of the last three fixes, I feel like she understood my style the most. If I do another fix, I will definitely request her again! My items ranged in price from $45-$78.
Here are my reviews for previous fixes:
Stitch Fix Review #1, Stitch Fix Review #2, Stitch Fix Review #3, Stitch Fix Review #4, Stitch Fix Review #5, Stitch Fix Review #6.
Here is what I received this month:
1) Kensie Lavon Dot Detailed Button-Up Cardigan - I love the royal blue color of this cardigan and the polka dot details on the pockets and near the buttons but the fabric is extremely thin and it was almost like a cropped cardigan which is definitely NOT my style. I knew immediately upon pulling this one out of the box that it was a "No!" but I always try everything on. I might need to amend my cardigan request to "boyfriend" style so they are longer.
2) Kut from the Kloth Jennifer 5-Pocket Knit Pants - I really LOVED these pants! They were a great quality fabric and very well made and they should be as they were the most expensive item in my fix. I definitely find it worth it to invest in some quality basic pieces and this is an item with which I would do so. However, I already have a black pair very similar to these and I don't really need them. But I will definitely look into this brand in the future because I really liked the fit!
3) Ezra Bobbie Polka Dot Skirt - It might be difficult to tell in the photo but the skirt is navy blue with tan polka dots. I really liked the fit and style of it but I had trouble finding things in my closet that could go with it. I think the fabric and colors are universal enough that it could be worn for all seasons. But I don't know that I like it enough to keep it.
4) Fun2Fun Addie Belted Zig-Zag Tribal Print Dress - I love the silky fabric of this dress and the colors are beautiful - the dark trim is navy with gold and gorgeous colors throughout the fabric. I don't have anything like this in my closet as my fall and winter dress options are lacking. I like this one a lot with tights and boots as it's a little on the short on me.
5) Tulle Anila Floral Print Flutter Sleeve Blouse - I always ask for something floral and I was very pleased with this piece! I love the flutter sleeves but they are a little difficult to conceal under a cardigan if wearing this in cooler months - a blazer might be a better bet. The floral has pink, purple and red accents and the styling card suggested a red skirt with it. I have a pair of red capri's that I could wear with it in spring and summer. I like the versatility of carrying pieces through seasons and I love the fit a lot. It's definitely a blouse that could be dressed up or dressed down with jeans.
Had I an endless budget, I would seriously consider keeping 4/5 pieces (I know the better deal would be to keep the whole box) but I will only choose one. I am leaning towards the floral blouse but also love the dress. I will not be receiving a box in December and am actually feeling pretty good about my wardrobe these days. I might treat myself to a fix in January for my birthday.
Note: This post is not sponsored by Stitch Fix. I used my own money for the styling fee/items. But, I do earn a referral credit if you sign up via my referral link.
Happy Friday! Today several of the designers at Webster's Pages are blog hopping with Christmas cards we created using either the "It's Christmas" or "A Christmas Story" collections from Webster's Pages. You should be visiting me from the very talented Erin Blegen's blog. I created my card using "It's Christmas" collection and centered it all around the "Merry, Merry, Merry" sentiment on the 3x4 card.
I put some gold glittered cardstock behind the card and a little green patterned paper inside the Christmas tree clip.
Your next stop on the blog hop is the very lovely, Emma Trout. You can follow along on the blog hop here and make sure to leave comments along the way as Webster's Pages is giving away several amazing Christmas prize packs! Winners will be announced on Friday, November 22nd! Have a great weekend!
Good morning! Today I wanted to share a two-page layout I have up on the Webster's Pages blog using the "It's Christmas" collection by Allison Kreft. This layout highlights quite possibly one of my favorite Christmas traditions - our North Pole Breakfast on December 1st. I set the table with a pretty tablecloth and Christmas place settings. We start our Advent calendar and Buddy the Elf brings a couple of Christmas movies and fun little Christmas gifts like a craft to do and a pair of socks. It's a fun way to kick off a month of fun. (And I'm already planning our breakfast for this year!) I love the "It's Christmas" collection so much and challenged myself to do some stamping and heat embossing.
I love the "It's Christmas" collection so much and challenged myself to do some stamping and heat embossing.
The circle stars were stamped on cardstock and heat embossed. I also tucked some gold glitter paper inside the star clips.
I created a sequin pocket to highlight the date of our breakfast by layering a black "December" month transparency and a red number "1" transparency.
Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back tomorrow with a Webster's Pages blog hop!
Good morning! I have another layout to share with you using the November Gossamer Blue kits. This fall, we had family photos taken by my talented friend, Carrie Krupke. I love these photos of Glen and me and had to get them on a layout right away. I pulled out the colors in our clothes from the products in the kit and got to work layering a few things here and there.
I love the rhinestone clips from Crate Paper and the navy and green card beneath is a Gossamer Blue exclusive.
I love the gold mixed with this color scheme and little pops of pink here and there too.
Thanks for stopping by today! I'll share my two-page layout using the kit tomorrow.
Good morning! Today I have my first layout to share with the November Gossamer Blue kits (the main kit and Life Pages main kits are still available and there are a handful of add-ons still in the shop!) My layout today focuses on Miss Nora and I journaled all about her personality! This layout uses only items in the main kit and was very quick to put together. The background is just one piece of patterned paper from the Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party collection.
The "sequins" are actually rub-ons from Heidi Swapp and they are a fun way to add a splash of color! The numbers and hearts and from the exclusive printables in the kit!
I love creating layouts like this every so often to talk about what each of the girls is up to and funny things they do/say.
Thanks for stopping by today! I'll share another layout from the kit tomorrow! :)
Please e-mail me at cornellgj(at)yahoo(dot) com with your mailing information and I'll have Carta Bella get your kit out to you!
Congratulations to....
Bianca Boscaljon said...
Inspiring as always Jill!
Happy Friday! Today I am joining in on the Frosty Festivities Blog Hop with a bunch of other talented ladies. (You should be coming to visit me from Jacky's blog). I want to share a project that I created soon after the girls' 1st Christmas and it's one of my favorite Christmas projects I have ever made! I got this wooden house at Hobby Lobby once upon a time and made it all shabby and fun with cream paint, a crackle medium and cream buttons.
Inside each "window", I either embellished with patterned papers and stickers or a small photo that I sized to fit.
The majority of the supplies are from Melissa Frances - always and forever a huge fan!
Here's a look at the roof and a rusty jingle bell!
If
you comment on all the blogs in the hop, finishing at
www.jennifergracecreates.com to let Jennifer know you've been all the
way around, then you'll be in with a chance to win a jolly seasonal
prize of Simple Stories December Documented and Elle’s Studio Noel items,
worth over £28! All entries must be received by Monday the 11th of
November at 10.59pm GMT.
Your next stop along the hop is Katherine.
Feel free to also leave a comment on this post to win the Wildflower collection kit from Carta Bella.
Good morning! Today I have a couple of fun projects today using the brand new "Wildflower" collection from Carta Bella. This collection is a gorgeous collaboration of fall colors and eclectic patterns = I love it! The girls just happened to be wearing orange, pink and black plaid shirts to the pumpkin patch and the colors went great with the collection. I focused on those colors exclusively for the layout and added a little gold sparkle here and there.
I'm becoming such a fan of gold (you will see a lot from me around Christmas this year with gold!) and I like how it looks with these colors. One thing I absolutely love about Carta Bella's patterned papers is the texture! It's a thick piece of paper with an orange peel texture = very durable and fun to look at.
Isn't that sticker sweet?! I used several of the arrow stickers to draw the eyes to these smaller photos of each of the girls.
While I was at it, I created a quick and easy card using one of the sentiment stickers. I simply cut down a journaling block to fit the card and added a strip of paper. Three stickers and some stitching and that was it!
And now for something fun! Carta Bella is giving one of my readers a "Wildflower" Collection Kit! Just leave a comment here and I will choose a random winner on Monday, November 11th.
Good morning! Today I have a layout to share using the brand new Daily Grind collection from Simple Stories. I
love how easy it is to capture everyday moments with this collection. I
was inspired to scrapbook about our morning routine. My daughters are 4
years old and I know that our morning routine has varied greatly over
the past 4 years. It certainly doesn't look the same as when they were
babies or even 2 years old. So I snapped a couple of photos - I like to
get up before them and have a little coffee, check my e-mail and a few
blogs and read/pray a little a bit. When they get up, I make their
breakfast and we get the day going.
I
used a couple of 4x6 cards as photo mats and they make it look like I
went to a lot of work to put them together. I added a few stickers and
my alphabet sticker title. I love the new die-cuts in this collection
and I used one of them for my journaing.
Finally, I cut out a "days of the week" section from patterned paper and adhered it to the bottom of my layout. Perfect for a layout about the everyday!
Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are inspired to capture part of your day with this collection.
Happy Monday! Today I have a couple of layouts to share that were on the American Crafts blog to wrap up Halloween week. American Crafts put out a collection exclusively at Target so I used a lot of it here plus a few items from last fall's collections. My girls went as ballerinas last year and I had not had a chance to scrapbook their costume photos yet.
I used a spider web cut file in the Silhouette online store for this
layout and added patterned paper behind each section (almost like a pie
chart).
Look at those sweet faces! :)
I also made a Halloween "bucket list" full of fun activities to do the month of October. We just about made it through this list. There were a couple of activities we didn't get to do because of illness but it was definitely a fun month! We even did a few things that weren't on the list. I found making a list helpful so I didn't look back and go "Oh, no! We forgot to do something!" I will certainly do this for Christmas too!
I made a background block by trimming down a few sheets of the 6x6 paper pad and then embellished with a few stickers and sequins. I love those sequins!
Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back tomorrow with a layout for Simple Stories and their new Daily Grind collection!
Happy Friday and Happy November 1st! Where has this year gone? I can't believe we are getting so close to Thanksgiving and Christmas! Today I have a new layout to share for Webster's Pages featured the Recorded collection. I took these photos of the girls very early this fall. The light was so pretty and I was able to capture the sun spots. They were just playing and holding hands and we loved it!
I even did a little stamping with the Polaroid stamps in the collection by stamping the same image in different colors - I used American Crafts ink.
And I did a little stitching in pink to match the pink transparency I used as a photo mat.
Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to comment on my Simple Stories album giveaway below - the giveaway will still be open over the weekend!
I'm off to head to the YMCA this morning and run a few errands. Have a great weekend!
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