Scrap Your Stash - Challenge Five

Do you remember when wood in a scrapbook was a big no-no?  It was one of the top three commandments of scrappers.  It was everywhere, "DON'T USE WOOD, you'll kill your photos!"  And while it probably shouldn't be anywhere near heritage or one-of-a-kind photos, in today's digital-I-can-print-another world, these cute wood embellishments are no longer forbidden.   They're among some of the most versatile items and come in all shapes and sizes:  dark wood, light wood, embossed, colored, stars, word bubbles, animals, words, tags, frames and more.

Aaannnddd, you probably have a few of them sitting around.  Today, it's time to use your wooden embellishments.  Sprinkle them with other wood pieces, or mix them up with buttons and brads, tags or banners.  They are great for grouping and providing texture and interest.

Go. Create.

Scrap Your Stash - Challenge Four

 

Ribbon.  Velvet.  Grosgrain.  Sheer.  Satin.  Thin.  Wide.  Glitter.  Plaid.  Stitched.  Dots.  Floral.  Dang, it's endless.  Unfortunately, so is my supply.  

Ribbon is so easy to use.  Layout a simple border.  Cut smaller pieces of several coordinating pieces, notch an end and lay along an edge for little pennants.  Weave it.  Loop it.  Use it to highlight a photo.  String photos on it.  As endless are the colors, are the uses for it.

Today, use at least three different ribbons on your layout, card or home decor project.

Go.  Create.

Food For Thought

It's been a long time since I shared menu items.  Too long.  Though I've been cooking, most menus over the holidays were easy, simple stuff. . .not new or worthy of writing about.  But I do have a few things from the last month that were worth a note.

If you're undertaking the Scrap Your Stash challenges and need something fast to feed the family while you play, or maybe trying to get yourself into regular menu planning (because, truly, it's worth it) then check out the tried recipes below:

I've become quite the "when it can be made at home, make it" kinda cook.  Poptarts are one of those easy to make at home things, even if you use store-bought crusts (someday I'll figure out pie crusts.)  These Pumpkin Pie Poptarts are easy and tasty.  Me and my pumpkin lovin' clan wanted more.

I often fantasize about sipping a beer on the porch in the summer with hubby, or sitting with some alcoholic-y festive thing by the Christmas tree with him after the kids are in bed.  Fact:  it never happens because when I'm done with dinner clean up, I'm pretty much done with the day.  But that doesn't stop me from pinning a drink or two.  This Apple Cranberry Moscow Mule looked and sounded good.  It wasn't.  I think the ingredients would work, but in different amounts.  There wasn't enough tart cranberry thing for me and the ginger beer was overpowering.  I haven't decided whether to keep the pin and just rework the recipe, or delete it.  For now, it stays.

I love pork shoulder.  It's cost effective, makes a ton and you can do so much with pulled pork.  Like this 30 Minute Pasole.  It came together quickly and had awesome flavor.  Served with a side of Everyday Cornbread it was a good cold-day meal.

I have weaned myself off of Bisquick, but doing so left me without a fast waffle recipe, which can sometimes be multi-steps.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, unless there are five hungry people breathing down your neck on a Saturday morning.  I found this 4-Ingredient Dutch Cream Waffle recipe, tried it, loved it and it will now be my staple.  They were an interesting mix of crispy, yet light as air.  They also didn't get soggy with syrup or fruit sauce.  Good stuff.

Snickerdoodles are a staple at my annual Cookie Bake.  They were my sister's thing to bring, but then she moved to Kentucky.  Now someone usually makes them in her place.  We were well passed the Cookie Bake when I found these Pumpkin Spice Which Chocolate Snickerdoodles.  But I had to try them.  They baked a little long for me, so were more crunchy than chewy; I like a chewier Snickerdoodle.  I didn't really notice the white chocolate chips and the pumpkin spice is what you roll the cookies in, and it wasn't a whole lot different from the straight cinnamon sugar that is typical.  Given that, I'll stick with my sister's recipe.

I'm back in the saddle with menus, so look for more next week.

Happy Friday,

Scrap Your Stash - Challenge Three

Now, hopefully your stash doesn't look like this, but I suppose there's someone's who does.  If that's you, you may be beyond help.

Regardless, buttons are a staple.  They're inexpensive, colorful and come in all sizes and shapes.  Some are wooden and add a nice down-home feeling, glitter ones for that touch of bling; they're a great pop of color in any shape and size.

 

Today's your day for pulling out the packages, drawers, jars or whatever you store you buttons in and use them.

Go. Create.

Scrap Your Stash - Challenge Two

Does that sound still echo in  your head?  Were you ever unable to complete a layout because the sound would wake the sleeping souls in your house?  Did you have to warn a fellow scrapper, who may have been writing, before pounding the daylights out on the table?  Ever forget the setting pad, or maybe you being too lazy to dig it out, thought, "What could happen?" and then realized you'd punctured the table?  

If you were lucky, you had one of these.  The best thing to happen to eyelet setters everywhere.  Though, there was something to be said for taking out a little aggression on those little metal donuts.

If you answered yes, you probably had boxes of eyelets.  Maybe you still do (cough, cough.)  They were inexpensive.  The came in 100's of colors, and unfortunately 100's to a box.  Then came the shapes.  Oh the shapes.  

If, like me, you still have these and haven't used them in a while, it's time to dig out a box and get them used on your layout, card or maybe you're making some home decor piece, like a banner and want to reinforce the holes.  Whatever your creative undertaking today, don't forget the eyelets.  And pound away.

Go.  Create.

Scrap Your Stash - Challenge One

We all have it.  Some have big ones.  Some have small ones.  Some occupy an entire room.  Some are contained to just a few drawers or totes.  Some are well organized.  Others, ah, not so much.  But we can probably all agree, it'd be nice to use it and reduce it.

I'm speaking, of course, of our stash of scrapbooking products that we hoard have on hand.  Let's face it, it's fun to collect the stuff.  It can actually be fun, and inspiring, to reacquaint ourselves with what we have.  But, it can also be hard to use up.  Hard to get rid of.  It can weigh on us, creatively and figuratively.

There are ways to reduce what you have on hand.  The first, and obvious, is to be honest about what you use now and what you don't.  What still holds appeal and what no longer rings your bell.  If you're looking for ways to clean out your stash, check out this series of posts on reducing and organizing your stash.  Letting go is freeing.  

But this is about using up that stash, making a dent, even if it's a small one.  If, as you're digging through your products, you find something you don't like, don't want, won't use, don't, DON'T, pass it by, pull it out and put it in a box to give away.  

Now, today's challenge, find some of your oldest patterned papers and use them.  I may, or may not, have some of these lines from companies who are no longer with us.  Can you identify them?

 

Starting at the top left:  Pink Paislee, although they are still around, their aesthetic has changed; Sassafrass Lass, Chatterbox (who didn't love them), KI Memories (did they invent pink in Christmas lines?), Lily Bee.  What are some other companies, who we loved, who are gone, but not forgotten because you still have their paper in your stash?  Now go use one!

Go. Create.

Back from Break

Why, oh why, is it so hard to get back into routines that you didn't ditch completely, or for that long, even?  I didn't do a lot of menu planning during the holidays, nor did I put a lot of effort into the meals I actually managed to get to the table, but dang, you'd think I was starting from scratch with how hard it's been to get back into the swing of it.  Cleaning the house seemed pretty pointless most days.  It was like trying to shovel an ongoing avalanche with all the kids off AND home.  Nobody had anywhere to be (nor did they seem inclined to wear more than their pajamas), so laundry was an was an all week, instead of a two-day, affair.  We won't talk about the need to get up in the mornings during the break.

But three of the four are back in school; Girlie goes back up this weekend for classes on Monday.  When I tackled cleaning on Monday, I started to declutter the house of Christmas stuff, and that helped.  I made my menu up on Saturday because I told a friend I'd share it with her to help her get into the whole menu planning thing.  I made the week's meals quick and easy items, which helps with the getting back into it thing.  As the kids have trickled back into school, the daily sloughing of items in their possession dribbled throughout my house during the day has been stemmed.  The need to get the 7 y.o. to school took care of lazy mornings.  So I'm more or less back on track, except for creative time, which is always a struggle, no matter how important I rediscover it is when I've had a taste of it.

Starting next week, I'll be posting some challenges to use your stash this month, so look for those, as well as a return to a more regular posting schedule.

For now I'll leave you with a peek or two from our holidays.  Or 14.

Happy Get Back to Work, aka Thursday,