A Seasonal Favorite...

One of the things my daughter and I like to do during the season is host a mother/daughter craft class for our friends and neighbors. A couple of Sundays ago, we did just that. This year we opened it up to mothers and sons too--and I'm glad we did! We spend a little while planning the crafts together, and searching through different idea catalogs and magazines and websites. Then we gather materials, invite people, and set the environment up for success. Snacks and apple cider are staples, of course...
We had 5-6 stations set up around the house and on our patio (thankfully it was a nice day!). People roamed freely making crafts, and moved from place to place taking their creations as they went. I highly recommend Oriental Trading Company for things like this--their kits come with instructions and if for some reason someone had to leave, they just took the kit from that station and moved on.
Of course, I also had to take photos of each mother/child so I could in fact pass those on to the moms...
It really is a fun thing to do--and it doesn't take much. Something as simple as a ghost card had them playing and creating--and they were so proud of their creations! We had 10 crafts to complete--and I'm happy to say everyone finished in under 2 hours.
My dear friend Jen also pointed me to this site. We do "boo" our neighbors every year--and this year is no exception. Feel free to click on the link, print it out and play along in your neck of the woods too.

And last but certainly not least, this book is by far my children's favorite for Halloween. I know the whole thing by heart--and I can honestly say I still love it too. And for those of you who enjoy it, don't forget about the sequel--There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie...
If you have any favorite Halloween traditions, please feel free to share--I love hearing what you all are up to!

Have a wonderful day!

Melted Witches

A sweet gal by the name of Laura Manning shared this idea with me last week, and I became obsessed. Laura is a local gal and is also a student in the Sweet Treats class, so when we were mulling over some of the projects for the class in my home last week, she shared this one with me...First, line a cookie sheet with the Halloween Oreos. Dip a Bugle into melted chocolate, and stand it on top of the Oreo. Stick them in the frig to harden a few minutes. These are the hats.

Next, put some shredded coconut into a baggie with a few drops of food coloring and blend it all in so it turns yellow. This will be part of the witch's broom...
(Now, I was lucky enough to find some green colored chocolate at Michael's. It is sort of neon green--but you could use any color. In Laura's sample, she used white chocolate.)

Melt your colored chocolate and put a blob on the waxed paper. Put the hat into the melted chocolate.
Before the chocolate sets, place a pinch of the colored coconut into the chocolate, and a stick pretzel for the broomstick.
Thanks so much for sharing, Laura!! I'll be making these for my children's upcoming Halloween parties for sure...

This and many other ideas are available for download immediately at Get it Scrapped. The class will be ongoing through October, and I hope to see you there!

Have a great day everyone!

what's on your playlist?

hi ya'll...it's emily here.
i love music.
music moves me.
when i hear a good song, it takes all that is within me to not get up and shake...cry...shout...smile...whatever.
i thought i'd send you to some of my absolute favorite songs right now. songs that i can't get enough of...and then, please list some of yours in the comments section. pretty please. i love new music.
k, here ya go:
Coldplay-A Warning Sign
Phil Wickham-Yours Alone
Coldplay-Fix You
Augustana-Boston
Gomez-Notice
Blue October-Congratulations
and ones i don't have links for-
Flaming Lips-Do You Realize
Regina Spektor-Samson
Dido-Here With Me
Ben Folds-Late

all right, well that's all for now...like i said, tell me some of your favorite songs right now!
thanks...and happy music listening :)

Another Layout using the October Main kit

Hi Everyone!

This week I am knee-deep in boxes, crumpled old newspaper, and packing tape as I prepare to move this coming weekend. YIKES! I've forgotten how much work it is to move all your stuff. Phew! Do you have any great moving tips for me? LOL! Maybe it's too late for that.Your more than welcome to come by and help me if you'd like, too! ;)

Well, I couldn't keep my fingers off of the October Main kit and decided to make another layout. We have a birthday tradition in our family that the birthday person gets to choose where they would like to go for dinner that night. My son always chooses pizza at the bowling alley. :D I think it is his way of sneaking in a family activity as well. LOL! Sadly, I am the worst bowler in my family. Even worse than my kids. *blush, blush* My son told me that next time I didn't have to come because he felt so bad for me that I was such a terrible bowler! Gotta love that kids tell it like they see it!

Have a great week!
Jana

Eleven Things.

1. Dina Wakley's Art Journal Class at Get it Scrapped. This is really out of the box for me, and I can't wait to start this class in a couple of weeks. I've been a huge fan of Dina's for some time, and this is going to be a real treat! Click on her name to check out her adorable blog.
2. This bears repeating. Sign up for the Martha Stewart Halloween workshop. I'm so making these cookies...
3. Libby Lohnes sent me this adorable idea and wanted to share. She whipped up a bunch of decorative glass jars using the Imaginisce rub ons. Aren't they cute? Thanks for sharing Libby!
4. I'm officially hooked on the Karen Russell Narritives Easel albums. This is my 4th one, and I love them...
I created this book for a dear friend that I've known forever, and had her send me a list of several of her favorite things about her 21 month old daughter. I did a big photo shoot of Sophia when they were here in August. I can't wait to give it to her...
5. The October Zany Zinnia kit. Seriously. Listen, not only is Stacy a wonderful gal (who does a bang up business with her mom--I love that), but it is a great value. They just added two wonderful gals to their DT--and I can't wait to see what they do with the kits! Congrats Jennifer & Jamie!!
6. I'm loving the hell out of CZ's class and have forced myself to scrap these last couple of days.
7. This Etsy Shop. Aren't the necklaces cute? My daughter loves them...

8. The Zombie that adorns my morning room. We got him at Michael's, and it is activated by motion or noise. My kids love showing him off to people who stop by. We call him Mr. Schmooky. Don't ask.
9. Kids crafts. We had a bunch of moms and kids over last weekend for a kid's craft class, and it was really a lot of fun. More on this later on in the week. I ordered most of the stuff from here.
10. Apple crisp. Made with apples we picked. Topped with caramel. You know you want some.
11. Next Saturday, October 11th, is my annual Croptoberfest at the Waterbury Community Center. If you are interested in attending, please email me at Turay413@gmail.com. The cost is $25 and it includes lunch and dinner (in a pumpkin, to be exact). It runs from noon until midnight--and there are 5 seats available. Hope to see you there!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend...

All Decorated for Fall...

I love decorating our home for the holidays. I grew up with a mom who always made every holiday festive--even if the decorations consisted of cardboard pictures we hung in the window. When I became a teacher, my classroom was always decked out and festive--no matter the season. I can't help but to fiddle and create--and I know you crafters out there understand...

Our foyer, seen from standing at our front door...Our dining room...
The kitchen light...
Our front porch...
Our fireplace...
My mom started collecting these Halloween ornaments for me a few years ago. I love them now, and look forward to getting a couple every year from our local Hallmark.
In Ohio, all the mums are in full bloom now. I love planting them all over the yard.
I also love the seasonal changes. By the time I get sick of gardening, it is time to pack it all up and prepare for the winter. I love that continual evolution.
This year, my daughter and I created this banner for our morning room. It was a kit from Making Memories, and we had fun adding pictures from former years to it.
So, I was asked by a couple of people to offer a few tips for decorating. I'm not sure I'm qualified to hand out such advice, but here is what I can say about what I did to our place.

1. Work with what you have and start there. Most of our house is accented in red decor--and that is enhanced during the fall and Christmas seasons. Play on that and go with it.
2. Instead of buying a bunch of items that you like, pick one and repeat that element. I have several identical fall foliage garlands throughout the house--and the theme is carried out throughout the whole first floor.
3. Scale is often under-rated. If you have a large home, go with an over-sized accessory and play that up. Don't be afraid to make a statement with one piece.
4. Add something every year, and remove something every year.
5. If you don't have the energy or the $$ to do your whole house, do one area--a foyer, your fireplace, your front porch.
6. Enjoy the process!!

Thanks for letting me share our home with you!!

YAY FALL!

I am so excited that it is Fall. This morning is crisp and I can actually smell Fall. Some of you are already in Fall, but it takes a while in Atlanta for it to really show up. But one morning you will wake up and there it is!!

One of my most favorite things about fall (aside from the colors, and smells, and decorations) is the food. Food changes for fall...more apple things, more root vegetable things, pumpkins piled up at the grocery store, and the stews and soups that you can start to make again. That's my favorite part...there is nothing better than sitting in a warm sweater and fuzzy socks eating a hot bowl of hearty soup and a piece of warm crusty bread wrapped up in a quilt. Or, if you are me, you are wrapped up in the Fall Rag Quilt that your mom made you last year.

Ahhhh....heaven.

Here's one of my favorite fall soup recipes
Chicken Vegetable Soup

2 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup pearl onions (or 1 small onion, chopped)
3 carrots, halved and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 large russet potato, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 medium zucchini, halved and chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
2 (14.5-ounce) cans chicken broth

In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add onion, potato, and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in zucchini, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Serve with warm crusty bread and one fall quilt. Best if eaten while wearing a sweater and fuzzy socks.

~Colleen

Modern Day Time Capsule

I've never been lucky enough to be involved with any kind of time capsule project, so when I saw a post about a photo time capsule from Photojojo I was intrigued. The idea is to have photos from your past (a year ago) e-mailed to you. You will need to have a flickr account for it to work, since Photojojo is doing this in conjunction with flickr. Once you sign up, you will be sent an e-mail twice a month with a selection of your photos from a year before.

What does this have to do with scrapbooking you ask? Well my plan is to use these blasts from the pasts to do a mini-album. I figure I might be really surprised at whatever photos turn up and that they will remind me of events and even special moments I might have forgotten. And this way I will actually scrap some photos I might never have scrapped otherwise! I just signed up so I won't get my first e-mail until the 15th, so look out for another post from me around that time with the first pages of my time capsule mini-album.

If you have a flickr account, do consider signing up as well, we can do this together! And I also highly recommend signing up for the Photojojo newsletter. It always comes full of neat ideas like this one, or tips on how to take better photos, as well as how make better use of all those photos we are always taking!

And the winners are...

Thanks for the sweet comments you guys!

Okay, freebie class winners for Sweet Treats for Fall:

Lenore and Tara!! Please email me at Turay413@gmail.com and I'll get you set up!

And freebie Halloween package sent to an enrolled student of Sweet Treats:

Christy Gambell!! Please email me your address and I'll get that out to you asap!

Congrats to you all!!

Back later today for more fun...

October is here!!

And you know what that means, don't you? Among other things, here is what it means for me...

--Sweet Treats for Fall starts TODAY over at Get it Scrapped!! Can I tell you how excited I am to share all the wonderful projects I've been creating for the past 6 weeks? It's not too late to sign up at all--and if you join us by midnight EST tonight, I'll be picking a winner of an amazing Halloween package that is filled with tricks and treats!! Hope to see you there!
--The October WIP Main kit and Project kit newsletters have been sent out to all customers who purchased the kits. If you did not receive one--please drop me an email at Turay413@gmail.com.
--The WIP Design Team did a KILLER job on this month's gallery. I was not able to post all of their creations because of space constraints, but be sure to check out the flickr gallery for even more ideas and inspiration...
--My home is officially decorated for Fall. I'll be sharing some pics and ideas on the blog this weekend. Thanks for the nudge ladies--you know who you are!
--The WIP Etsy site has been updated, and I will continue to add a few items here and there throughout this week. Those of you in the Sweet Treats class will know what to do with a lot of those containers now...hee hee...
--As an added bonus...leave a comment below and I'll draw a name randomly tonight to win the Sweet Treats for Fall class for free!! Woohoo!

Enjoy your day...