Jingle Card

I got me some mojo going this morning with this sketch from the blog Mojo Monday. I used the following products from CTMH to make this 5 x 7 card:

• Jingle Level 2 Paper Packet


• Cranberry Designer Ribbon Rounds


• Heartfelt Wonder Die-Cuts


• Adhesive pearls


• C1371 - Holiday Jingle

And from Fiskars: Threading Water punch

Taco Soup Recipe

I enjoyed a great day of shopping and scrapping with some friends on Saturday! We had such a good time together, ending the day with a supper of taco soup. It's quick and easy to make -- perfect to share with good friends. I promised the girls I'd put the recipe on here:

Taco Soup (from the East White Oak Bible Church cookbook)
1 lb. hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can undrained kidney beans
1 can refried beans
1 can undrained Mexican chili beans
1 can undrained corn
1 can undrained diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c. water
1 packet ranch dressing (dry)
1 packet taco seasoning

Brown hamburger with chopped onion. Drain. Combine all ingredients in a crock-pot and simmer on low for at least 3 hours. If desired, garnish each bowl of soup with a spoonful of sour cream, cheddar cheese, and crushed tortilla chips.

My notes: The regular batch will serve 6 - 10 people, depending on how hungry they are! :) I usually double the recipe (make sure you are using a large pot) and freeze some of it for another meal. Sometimes I use Rotel diced tomatoes with peppers instead of regular diced tomoatoes, and I'll often throw in a can of ranch-style beans, too. This is a great, hearty soup and fairly diet-friendly, too -- lots of fiber from all the beans! Enjoy.

Reason #2 to try Stampaganza: It's easy!

Adding to your stamp stash could not be faster, simpler, and easier! It only takes a few clicks to order the stamp sets you want. Just go to my website (I'll make it easy for you -- click here!) and browse for the sets you would like to have. Add them to your shopping cart, check out, and sit back to wait for the big brown truck to pull up outside your home with a beautiful white CTMH box! That's always a happy, happy day at my house. I wonder if the man in brown realizes the joy that he brings? Maybe that's why he runs back to his truck so quickly . . .

Reason #1 to try Stampaganza: Complete a collection

Maybe it's because I tend to be a bit OCD about things, but I plan to take advantage of Stampaganza to purchase the October word puzzle. It's the only one I don't have, and who wants a year without October -- the best month of the year! The monthly word puzzles are being retired at the end of the year so I need to act fast. I just have to find one more stamp set to buy (not a difficult task, I assure you!), and I will get a third one free! That's a pretty sweet deal!

I use the word puzzles a lot. They're great for seasonal cards and scrapbook pages. Another way I like to use them is for calendars. It's so easy to make a cute event calendar for an easy, memorable Christmas gift. Or use my favorite embellish-able (is that a word??) item: My Creations Display Album. I hope to post some ideas using both of these items very soon!

Be sure to check out the list of retiring stamp sets here. These are only available through December 31, 2009, so now is a great time to stock up!

Nov. SOTM Blog Hop: Around the Block

Welcome to the November Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This month's hop features the stamp set "Around the Block," available November 1 - 30, 2009 only. You can take advantage of Stampaganza and qualify for a discount on this set of 26 stamps or even earn it free! If you have come here from Wanda Riley's blog, you're on the right path! At the end of this post, you'll find a link to the next blog on the hop. You can keep going all the way around until you come back to my blog, if this is where you started.


My first item using Around the Block is a card using the Twitterpated Level 2 paper packet. I thought it would be cute to be able to "lift the roof," so I stamped the image on B&T, cut it out, and adhered only the very edges. I cut a slit toward the top so the roof can be lifted to show the message on the attached tab. The windows are paper-pieced, and I stitched the stems of the flowers. I didn't have floss in Sweet Leaf, so I colored white floss by laying it on scrap paper and running the Sweet Leaf ink over it several times. Easy!

Here's a close-up of the flowers and the stitching:

Items used:

• Around the Block - Nov. SOTM
• Twitterpated Level 2 Paper Packet
• Ink colors: Chocolate, Sorbet, and Sweet Leaf
• Basic Brad Assortment
• Embroidery Floss - Neutral Assortment

I also wanted to use the stamp set to scrapbook the pictures of the very first house my husband and I owned as newlyweds. It is the only brand-new house we have ever owned, and we loved to go every day to check on the progress. I used the house to create a journaling space.

I love the Heartfelt Die-Cuts and used the big circle from "Wonder." I wanted to fill it with photos, so I traced a circle onto plain cardstock using the inside of the circle as a template.

After cutting out the circle, I arranged my photos on the circle and laid the die-cut over it to be sure of my placement.

Once the pictures were where I wanted them, I adhered them one-by-one onto the circle. Then I flipped the circle over and trimmed the photos.

I adhered the felt by using adhesive in a few places, then securing it with brads placed around the scallops.

Items used:

• Around the Block - Nov. SOTM
• Delight in the Everyday - National Stamping Month promo
• HeartFelt Die-Cuts - Wonder
• Assorted Dimensional Elements Monograms
• Shades of Chocolate Mini-Medley Accents Collection
• Chocolate ink
  
  

I hope you enjoyed visiting my blog! Now hop on over to Carol Taggio's blog to see the beautiful work she has posted! Enjoy the rest of the hop, and I'll see you next month for the December SOTM blog hop.

Stampaganza! Nov. 3 - 30

It's the most wonderful time of the year . . . Close to My Heart is giving us an early Christmas present! From November 3 - 30, if you purchase two of any size stamp sets (A - E, excluding Stamp of the Month and K-size personalized stamps), you get one stamp set FREE (A - D only)! What a great deal! This is the perfect time to give a Christmas wish list to your family, filled with your must-have stamp sets. You may order directly from my website, or you may call me and place an order.

You can also qualify for the discounts on the Stamp of the Month with your Stampaganza purchases! If you purchased 3 D-size stamp sets at $22.95 each and 1 E-size stamp set at $34.95, you will qualify for two free stamp sets (up to D-size) plus the SOTM free! If you choose two D-size stamp sets for your free sets, the value is $172.65 for just over $100! (Regular s&h charges apply.)

Heading off to make my wish list . . .

Blog hop tomorrow!

Join me for the November Stamp of the Month blog hop on November 1! As always, there are dozens of talented consultants who are sharing their wonderful artwork using the November Stamp of the Month, "Around the Block." This is a circular hop, so you can start here and work your way around through all 60+ sites! Ready . . . set . . . HOP!