Tuesday, November 30, 2010
New Baby Box
A very close friend of our family is expecting her first baby in early January. I am really excited and made this cute (I think) little box. I popped a Walmart gift card inside for Diapers, as I always give a new mom diapers, but as she lives in Alberta - I wasn't paying postage on diapers!! She is expecting a girl, so I hit winners and picked up 3 fabulous outfits to go with the present as well. Girl stuff is sooo cute! Loved the vintage look of the paper. Funny thing is that I made the box a while ago and then saw a card made from the same paper on my crafty buddy Kim's Blog - great minds and all that....
Monday, November 29, 2010
Finished Birthday Calendar
This is the finished Product of the calendar I featured at our monthly 'Crafty night'. It is a perpetual calendar as it has dates, but no days of the week. You can put down Birth dates beside the corresponding date and each month as you flip your calender you can see at a glance whose Birthday is coming up. I just love the usefulness of this calendar. I laminated mine, so that it can be used for a long time, and it can just be written on with Whiteboard ink.
I also want to send out a great big thank you to my crafty ladies what a fun night as usual!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Birthday Calendar preview
As promised for my crafty ladies - this is a bit of a preview of the birthday calender we will be making this weekend. This is just a preview - the finished product will be much more detailed (including all 12 months!)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Book #132
As most of you know, I took up a challenge at the beginning of the year to read 144 books is 2010. This works out to 12 books a month! Believe it or not I am on track, I am in the middle of book #132 which is what I need to be by the end of November - If I can get in another 1- 2 before the end of the month that will take off the pressure for December. Of course this means my crafting has fallen behind, but I have just really been in a 'reading' mood this year.
For those of you who have read the Twilight series and Sookie Stackhouse series, I have another FABULOUS vampire 'porn' (that is what I like to call it!) series. It is the Black Dagger brotherhood series by J R Ward - I couldn't put it down. It starts with the book 'Dark Lover' (they all have lover in the title) and there are 8 so far.... Hope you enjoy it....
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Stampotique - Girly Girl Challenge
I am entering the card below on the Stampotique designers challenge . It is a 'Bella' (can't get much more girly than that!)as I don't have any stampotique stamps YET....
The pants that she is wearing are cut out of the same paper as the background. I colored her top with prismacolor markers and then 'stickled' it. I love the bright spring colors mixed with the earthy green - all colors that we will not be seeing for a while here in Halifax! I'm not sure what flavour her Martini is, but if it is pink it has to be girly, fruity, and fun. Cheers!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Daylight savings My A$S
I have to admit - I love to sleep. Have never been a morning person - even as a child my dad would wake me up on Saturdays to see if I wanted to watch cartoons with him - I would opt out! My poor father.... On the other hand I am a night person and as many of you know suffer from insomnia, which makes those mornings all the more difficult. Previous to having a child, Daylight savings was my second favorite day of the year - rivaled only by Christmas! It even beat out my birthday. Unfortunately, no one told me that Daylight savings no longer exists with small children - they sleep x amount of hours no matter what the clock says. Why did no one mention this phenomenon? I must admit it is my biggest disappointment with motherhood (admittedly my life is pretty great if that is my disappointment!).
So here I am blogging at 1AM with no sleep in sight knowing that my precious son will be up in 5 or so hours no matter what the clock says! Not that I want to rush time (he is growing up way to fast as it is) but I do wonder if he will sleep in during his teen years? Believe me I will not be one of those moms (like mine) whipping open his door at 10 AM telling him he is sleeping the day away, but knowing my luck (when it comes to sleep) it will be the other way around....
So here I am blogging at 1AM with no sleep in sight knowing that my precious son will be up in 5 or so hours no matter what the clock says! Not that I want to rush time (he is growing up way to fast as it is) but I do wonder if he will sleep in during his teen years? Believe me I will not be one of those moms (like mine) whipping open his door at 10 AM telling him he is sleeping the day away, but knowing my luck (when it comes to sleep) it will be the other way around....
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Helpful Epicure hints
I have posted this before, but made a couple of little updates for those new to my BLOG...
At many of my parties people say they wish they could remember all of the little 'tips and ideas' I give, so here you go....
Remember these are just little 'extra ideas' all these products can be used in many ways. If you have some helpful hints or favorite easy recipes, please feel free to send them to me and I can pass them on to the group. I must say I have picked up several of these tips from you, my friends- so a big thank you to all of you out there - you know who you are.
Also, in case you haven't noticed yet, if you go to www. epicureselections.com the Click on RECIPES and click on SEARCH RECIPES, if you use the drop down menu, you can choose any spice, dip mix etc. and several recipes will pop up that use that ingredient. That is my First Helpful Hint!!!
*FRENCH ONION or 3 ONION dip mixes - 2 Tablespoons of either is equivalent to 1 package of onion soup mix - use in anything you would use onion soup mix in
*HERB and GARLIC mix : Boil pasta add a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with Herb and garlic and toss - perfect pasta - If you want to get super fancy sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
* Louisiana Hot and Spicy Dip Mix - Perfect sprinkled over sweet potato fries before baking
*Hummus dip mix: Quick and easy salad: 1 Can Chick Peas (can add black beans or kidney beans too if you wish), Chopped Cucumber, some frozen Peas defrosted, Little bit of Mint (fresh if you have it in your garden) sprinkle with lemon juice and hummus seasoning
* Lemon Dilly dip mix: The best in Tuna salad, also great in mashed potatoes
* Dijon tarragon OR Sun-dried Tomato OR Roasted Red Pepper: Make homemade shake and Bake: use one of the aforementioned spices add bread crumbs and salt and pepper to taste
*Pueblo Bean dip mix - add to black beans and a little sour cream - mix up in food processor or blender. Spread on wrap shells top with grated cheese and roll - excellent high protein lunch. I also like to substitute this in lieu of chili powder in most recipes.
* Summer Berry, Tropical OR Lemon Chiffon FRUIT DIP MIXES: Add to Fat Free Yogurt and Fat Free Cool whip then use as a topping for angel food cake. OR pour into a graham wafer crust (you can buy pre made ones at the store) and pop in freezer for a chiffon pie, OR warn some cream cheese in microwave, add dip mix stir and use as bagel spread OR use as a rimmer for drinks like daiquiris or lemonade
* Maple Spice Fruit Dip: mix with orange juice and/or soy sauce and a little bit of oil and use as marinate for salmon or chicken.
*Salsas: use instead of pizza sauce for a Mexican inspired pizza
*Apple Pie OR Pumpkin Pie Spice: Fabulous on porridge, in granola and I use in lieu of just plain cinnamon that extra flavor
*Beef and Steak: our MUCH lower sodium version of Montreal steak spice (and just as flavourful)
*Harissa: Very Spicy - mix with lime juice and olive oil to dip pita OR add to any dish to give it extra kick - use sparingly!
*Taco Seasoning: Use 1 - 2 Tablespoons instead of package mix. Instead of adding water either sprinkle it on your meat 'dry' or use a tomato based product (juice, paste or tomatoes) to make it more 'saucy".
*Tandoori - mix with yogurt and spread on fish or meat - how easy is that!!!
*Chili Lime sansel: cut pita into wedges, brush with olive oil, sprinkle generously with Chili lime (this also works with Greek spice) and bake in oven until crispy. Also yummy on corn on the cob and Pineapple!
You can marinate shrimp in a combo of Chili Lime Sansel and lime juice and then BBQ - Fantastic
*Red Garlic Sansel- mix with butter and spread on garlic bread OR sprinkle over popcorn OR use as a substitute for seasoning salt.
*Pesto Herbs: Add to Cream cheese or Mayo to spread on bagels, stuff in mini pita pockets, or spread on wrap add some veggies and roll for a healthy and tasty lunch. Adds extra Zip to Tuna casserole - just mix in a couple of dry Tablespoons.
*Focaccia bread spices: Add to some balsamic vinegar, olive oil and marinate Asparagus and then grill asparagus - fabulous! Substitute for Rosemary in many recipes for added flavour.
*Caesar Salad Dressing: Add to ground beef when making burgers OR make your own low fat Alfredo by adding a couple of tablespoons to a can of fat free evaporated milk, a table spoon of butter, some Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste, Also yummy when made up and mixed with Smoked Spanish Paprika and cooked on chicken for a 'smoky chicken Caesar salad'
*Greek salad dressing: mix with olive oil and lemon or lime juice and marinate chicken or pork. A new favorite of ours is Greek salmon: Put salmon on tinfoil, squeeze a little lemon juice directly on fish, mix broken up feta cheese with a little olive oil and Greek dressing mix and spread over salmon - bake or BBQ - it's that easy!
*Bouillons: SO much less sodium it is almost unbelievable! Use as base for rice or couscous instead of plain water
*Pepper Jellies: melt and use as glaze on pork or poultry, melt and use for dipping egg rolls and chicken wings, serve over cream cheese or warmed brie, spread on inside of grilled cheese sandwiches - zippy
Some Seasonings to try with specific dishes:
Chicken: Cuban, Fajita, Greek, Jamaican Jerk, Louisiana hot and spicy, Poultry, Oven roast, Red pepper Jelly, Tandoori
Rice: Kaffir lime leaves, Lemongrass, Mild smoked Spanish Paprika, Spanish Saffron, Star Anise, Veggie Seasoning Any of our Bouillons
Fish: Cajun. Lemon Dilly, Spanish Saffron, Taco, Teriyaki, Thai
Potatoes: Cheese, chives and Bacon, Chives, Curry, Garlic Potato topper, herb and garlic, 3 Onion
Pork: Cuban, Dijon Tarragon, jamaican jerk, Maple fruit dip, Teriyaki
Beef: Asian Stir fry, Beef and Steak, Cajun, Fajita, taco, teriyaki
Just so everyone knows - I am not getting kickbacks from the olive oil company although I probably should!!!
Hope this is helpful
thanks,
Kelly Eelhart
At many of my parties people say they wish they could remember all of the little 'tips and ideas' I give, so here you go....
Remember these are just little 'extra ideas' all these products can be used in many ways. If you have some helpful hints or favorite easy recipes, please feel free to send them to me and I can pass them on to the group. I must say I have picked up several of these tips from you, my friends- so a big thank you to all of you out there - you know who you are.
Also, in case you haven't noticed yet, if you go to www. epicureselections.com the Click on RECIPES and click on SEARCH RECIPES, if you use the drop down menu, you can choose any spice, dip mix etc. and several recipes will pop up that use that ingredient. That is my First Helpful Hint!!!
*FRENCH ONION or 3 ONION dip mixes - 2 Tablespoons of either is equivalent to 1 package of onion soup mix - use in anything you would use onion soup mix in
*HERB and GARLIC mix : Boil pasta add a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with Herb and garlic and toss - perfect pasta - If you want to get super fancy sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
* Louisiana Hot and Spicy Dip Mix - Perfect sprinkled over sweet potato fries before baking
*Hummus dip mix: Quick and easy salad: 1 Can Chick Peas (can add black beans or kidney beans too if you wish), Chopped Cucumber, some frozen Peas defrosted, Little bit of Mint (fresh if you have it in your garden) sprinkle with lemon juice and hummus seasoning
* Lemon Dilly dip mix: The best in Tuna salad, also great in mashed potatoes
* Dijon tarragon OR Sun-dried Tomato OR Roasted Red Pepper: Make homemade shake and Bake: use one of the aforementioned spices add bread crumbs and salt and pepper to taste
*Pueblo Bean dip mix - add to black beans and a little sour cream - mix up in food processor or blender. Spread on wrap shells top with grated cheese and roll - excellent high protein lunch. I also like to substitute this in lieu of chili powder in most recipes.
* Summer Berry, Tropical OR Lemon Chiffon FRUIT DIP MIXES: Add to Fat Free Yogurt and Fat Free Cool whip then use as a topping for angel food cake. OR pour into a graham wafer crust (you can buy pre made ones at the store) and pop in freezer for a chiffon pie, OR warn some cream cheese in microwave, add dip mix stir and use as bagel spread OR use as a rimmer for drinks like daiquiris or lemonade
* Maple Spice Fruit Dip: mix with orange juice and/or soy sauce and a little bit of oil and use as marinate for salmon or chicken.
*Salsas: use instead of pizza sauce for a Mexican inspired pizza
*Apple Pie OR Pumpkin Pie Spice: Fabulous on porridge, in granola and I use in lieu of just plain cinnamon that extra flavor
*Beef and Steak: our MUCH lower sodium version of Montreal steak spice (and just as flavourful)
*Harissa: Very Spicy - mix with lime juice and olive oil to dip pita OR add to any dish to give it extra kick - use sparingly!
*Taco Seasoning: Use 1 - 2 Tablespoons instead of package mix. Instead of adding water either sprinkle it on your meat 'dry' or use a tomato based product (juice, paste or tomatoes) to make it more 'saucy".
*Tandoori - mix with yogurt and spread on fish or meat - how easy is that!!!
*Chili Lime sansel: cut pita into wedges, brush with olive oil, sprinkle generously with Chili lime (this also works with Greek spice) and bake in oven until crispy. Also yummy on corn on the cob and Pineapple!
You can marinate shrimp in a combo of Chili Lime Sansel and lime juice and then BBQ - Fantastic
*Red Garlic Sansel- mix with butter and spread on garlic bread OR sprinkle over popcorn OR use as a substitute for seasoning salt.
*Pesto Herbs: Add to Cream cheese or Mayo to spread on bagels, stuff in mini pita pockets, or spread on wrap add some veggies and roll for a healthy and tasty lunch. Adds extra Zip to Tuna casserole - just mix in a couple of dry Tablespoons.
*Focaccia bread spices: Add to some balsamic vinegar, olive oil and marinate Asparagus and then grill asparagus - fabulous! Substitute for Rosemary in many recipes for added flavour.
*Caesar Salad Dressing: Add to ground beef when making burgers OR make your own low fat Alfredo by adding a couple of tablespoons to a can of fat free evaporated milk, a table spoon of butter, some Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste, Also yummy when made up and mixed with Smoked Spanish Paprika and cooked on chicken for a 'smoky chicken Caesar salad'
*Greek salad dressing: mix with olive oil and lemon or lime juice and marinate chicken or pork. A new favorite of ours is Greek salmon: Put salmon on tinfoil, squeeze a little lemon juice directly on fish, mix broken up feta cheese with a little olive oil and Greek dressing mix and spread over salmon - bake or BBQ - it's that easy!
*Bouillons: SO much less sodium it is almost unbelievable! Use as base for rice or couscous instead of plain water
*Pepper Jellies: melt and use as glaze on pork or poultry, melt and use for dipping egg rolls and chicken wings, serve over cream cheese or warmed brie, spread on inside of grilled cheese sandwiches - zippy
Some Seasonings to try with specific dishes:
Chicken: Cuban, Fajita, Greek, Jamaican Jerk, Louisiana hot and spicy, Poultry, Oven roast, Red pepper Jelly, Tandoori
Rice: Kaffir lime leaves, Lemongrass, Mild smoked Spanish Paprika, Spanish Saffron, Star Anise, Veggie Seasoning Any of our Bouillons
Fish: Cajun. Lemon Dilly, Spanish Saffron, Taco, Teriyaki, Thai
Potatoes: Cheese, chives and Bacon, Chives, Curry, Garlic Potato topper, herb and garlic, 3 Onion
Pork: Cuban, Dijon Tarragon, jamaican jerk, Maple fruit dip, Teriyaki
Beef: Asian Stir fry, Beef and Steak, Cajun, Fajita, taco, teriyaki
Just so everyone knows - I am not getting kickbacks from the olive oil company although I probably should!!!
Hope this is helpful
thanks,
Kelly Eelhart
Friday, November 5, 2010
Stampsmith Oval-icious Challenge
I made this card for the The stampsmith challenge hopefully it earns me some Free rubber!
It may be a little difficult to tell from the angle, but they are Spellbinder Ovals behind the Fairy. As for supplies.... The solid paper is SU, the patterned from my 'stash', The fairy is from a clear rubber stamp set, but I don't remember what company (my bad!)and she is painted with twinkling H2O's which didn't photograph very well. Prima flowers, ribbon from Micahels, back oval is embossed with cuttlebug plate.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Crafty Night Project
At our last monthly crafty night , my friend Julie demoed this fantabulous (yes, I said fantabulous) little box of drawers. We all brought our own paper and embellishments and this is how mine turned out. I believe Julie has a link to her demo on her blog.
Supplies:
4 matchboxes, 2 coasters (Dollarama)
Patterned Paper: Le Jardin (SU)
Embellishments: Peeled Paint Distress Stickles, Hodgepodge Hardware (SU), Pearls, Mulberry Paper Flowers (Botique Fleure)
 |
| Cute little side drawers |
 |
| the drawers are made out of match boxes |
4 matchboxes, 2 coasters (Dollarama)
Patterned Paper: Le Jardin (SU)
Embellishments: Peeled Paint Distress Stickles, Hodgepodge Hardware (SU), Pearls, Mulberry Paper Flowers (Botique Fleure)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Cowboy Owen
Owen decided that he wanted to be a cowboy again this Halloween. Easy for me as I made his costume last year! We just needed to buy a new hat and a new Sheriff Badge and GTG. I made the Chaps and vest. Owen had a great time trick or treating, but about 1/2 hour and he was done. He wanted to eat several of his treats when he got home (what kid doesn't!), but has not asked for them again! Hope you think he looks as cute as I do...
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