Layouts Available for Purchase

The following layouts are available for purchase. Contact me if you are interested. Payment is through Paypal unless you come and pick it up (which is a good deal since you don't have to pay for postage, either).

The first LO is one I thought would be fun for a little ones first Halloween. I could change that portion of the title, if necessary. There is lots of layering, the cutest paper, machine stitching, lots of embellies such as the little ghost charm suspended from the flower center in the lower left, a fairy bear, and machine stitching. Look at all the details in this LO. You can see the large size of the circle will accommodate a couple of average photos or even one very large one. Look at that precious bear! Is she cute or what? She's holding a candy apple.


My First Halloween Price: $8.50

Here is a closeup of the flower detail:



The next LO uses a very detailed cut background mat which has all Halloween words on it. I thought it was very unique. I added a cute little bear holding a sign that says, "Grown With Love." The row of ghosts is a satin ribbon that is filled with some sort of polyester to make each ghost puffy. I've clustered sewn buttons and added a hidden journaling tag that is beneath the mat. It is large enough for another photo. In the upper left corner is an embellie that says, "Happy Haunts." There is a plastic bread tag next to the bear that says, "Scary."



BOO CREWPrice: $7.50

The next one was fun to make! I fell in love with the colors. You cannot see the edges of the black CS background sheet, but I have punched them using a picket fence punch. I would want something bright behind it, so when you put it into your page protector, you might want the opposite page to be orange on the back. This would allow the punched border to show. I machine stitched the PP to the black cardstock. There are two nicely sized photo mats and a third smaller mat that would be fine for a smaller photo or even the journaling. I made the little bear that is holding his pumpkin costume in place. He has on a matching hat with two tiny green leaf-shaped gems by the stem. I've added flowers, and used a punch that looked like a bat's head to me. Isn't that purple paper fun? You can see that the pumpkin is made of glittered cdardstock.


Boo to You!Price:$7.50

The final LO, in my mind, was one that I thought would work for those "tweens" or teens (or partygoers) this Halloween - those kids are too old for the really cutesy type stuff but still like to get dressed up. The large photo mat says, "trick or treat" in very pale letters printed on the PP. It is suitable for a nice group photo! There are four small photo mats for journaling or additional photos. Between each is an acrylic embellishment. The hinges are grungeboard that have been treated to look like antique silver. I added some raffia, a glittery skull, and the cutest metal photo corner that has a spiderweb and ghost in it. There are lots of layers and every layer has been inked and distressed. The PP is a heavy duty weight. The colors are black, green, eggplant, and cream. I love how this turned out. I kept thinking of what a "tween" would like to have their photos on.


Dressed to Chill Price: $7.50

This is another version of a previous LO. Some of the details have been elevated to add dimension to the LO. There is machine stitching, a large photo mat, lots of layering, a journaling tag, and the cutest Airstream Trailer charm! I've added some inking as well to help define shapes.


Camp Sweet Camp Price $7.50 SOLD

Those are the LOs I currently have available. I'll be working on some Fall looking layouts very soon. I'm hoping to pull a Thanksgiving theme into each.

Remember, these are one of a kind creations. I am trying to provide a good deal without trying to make a ton of profit. I figure what I'm saving in ebay fees is to your advantage!

Mailing Info

The total postage for mailing within the US is $5.50, USPS First Class Mail. If you purchase more than one, the shipping fee will remain $5.50! Mailing fee would be higher if mailed out of the USA. I'd have to find out the cost and then let you know after you've committed to purchase. Payment is made through Paypal. It's just easier that way. We are both protected! Of course, if you live nearby, you can always come and pick it up and save on those mailing fees! That makes it an even better bargain for you!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you liked my designs!

Have a great week!

XO,
Chris

Fire Up Those Slow Cookers!

Fall is the time to fire up the slow cooker! The house gets filled with the delicious scents simmering away all day! I think it is my second favorite small appliance! My favorite is my immersion blender! Just stick that into a pot of soup and whirrrrrrr away!

Last year, a TV station out of Salt Lake City, ran an investigative report regarding the lead in kitchenware. During that series, they covered the lead found in crockpots. It's in the glaze. My crockpot was so old that I just knew it probably had that glaze. So, after investigating, I got an All-Clad Slow Cooker. I love it! It does have some issues that I wish I had considered prior to purchase. It gets hot on the handles, lid, and stainless exterior. For that much money, they should have had the wisdom to use something that was heat resistant. There is no lead, though! If ever you want a slow cooker that is supposedly lead free and an economical buy, check out the Hamilton Beach line with white liners. The white ceramic is supposed to be the safest regardless of who the manufacturer is. I like the All Clad because the removable liner can be used on the stovetop to brown the meats, saute the veggies, etc.

Here is a cooking hint for you when using your slow cooker - You know how all that condensation drips and drips into what you are cooking? Sometimes, that is a good thing, and sometimes, it can create too much moisture. Well, if it is creating too much moisture, just put a clean dish towel over the uncovered slow cooker and then place the lid on top of that. The lid will hold the towel in place, and the towel will absorb the additional condensation!

Here's a recipe for your file:

Slow-Cooker Cheeseburger Soup
Be sure to brown the ground beef before adding it to the slow cooker. Browning helps keep the meat from clumping and adds extra flavor.

Makes: 6 servings (8 cups)

Total time: 3–4 hours (low heat)

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 lb. ground beef sirloin
1 cup diced onion
3⁄4 cup diced celery
1⁄2 cup diced carrot
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1⁄2 cups milk
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups peeled and diced russet potatoes
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Ketchup
Prepared yellow mustard
Chopped dill pickles

Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add sirloin; cook until meat begins to brown. Stir in onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and basil; cook 5 minutes.

Add flour, stirring to coat meat; cook 1 minute. Stir in milk until mixture is smooth. Bring mixture to a boil; cook 2 minutes. Transfer soup to a 3- to 4-qt. slow cooker.

Stir in broth and potatoes. Cover soup; cook until potatoes are tender, on low-heat setting for 3–4 hours.

Add Cheddar just before serving, stirring until cheese melts. Season soup with salt and pepper; garnish each serving with ketchup, mustard, and pickles.

Steps to Success

1. Brown the ground beef in butter, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, then add vegetables.

2. Stir in the flour; cook 1 minute to remove the raw taste and to coat the meat and vegetables.

3. Add cheese at the end of cooking time so it doesn’t curdle. Mild Cheddar and American work, too.

Now for scrapping. Here are two LOs that I recently did. Nothing amazing, but nice for the memories.

The first one is of DH on his 60th birthday! He's still as gorgeous as the day we met 34 years ago! His favorite meal in the world is Beef Wellington - a GOOD Beef Wellington! I asked the chef/owner of our favorite restaurant, The Garden House, if he would make it for DH. He did, and it was the best! There is a photo of it on the LO, too. Look how pretty it is to look at! There are skewered shrimp, tomato roses, asparagus, a squash medley, and sculpted potatoes! The artistry and symmetry! There is even a little heart at the top of the puff pastry crust! If humans could purr, DH would have done so (and I'm pretty sure I heard him purring anyway)!

The LO is based on a sketch we were given during a crop last week. I stamped the bird, used older papers, did lots of pleating and clustering. I really liked the sketch. I can't recall whose it was, though. It wasn't Becky Fleck's. I found the utensil brad and thought it was just too cute and perfect for this LO. The things I have in my stash, LOL!


A Birthday Beef Wellington

The next LO probably doesn't look that thrilling to you because of the photo. The original photo was almost black! It took me about an hour and a half of Photoshop to pull what you see in the LO. It's a photo of my holding DS just hours after he was born.


So Fresh

This is the photo before I was able to rescue it. I honestly thought there was no hope.



The next LO was done for a challenge. We had to use a photo bigger than 5 x 7. I made mine 11 1/2 x 9 3/4. I asked DH if he had a photo of Yosemite and this is what he gave me to use. I loved the photo because of the view, the waterfalls, and the valley floor. I used BG Marrakech.


YOSEMITE

Well, I've covered slow cookers, a recipe, and some layouts! Hopefully, something there had to be interesting!

Blessings to you,

Chris