Interview with an elf...

or so Deborah thought! I cracked up when I read her blog post HERE. Deborah is a former Hero Hostess with Hero Arts who recently contacted me for an interview. So sweet! Please check out the interview and her other "Wednesday Wonders", a great feature where she interviews and features the work of some amazing papercrafters.
The interview also references my favorite recipe ever, Crockpot Lasagna. I got this recipe from my friend Shelley Dodge. It's awesome! Here's the recipe:

Crockpot Lasagna
8-9 "no-boil" lasagna noodles
26 oz. jar pasta sauce (any flavor)
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 lb. ground beef
16 oz. jar alfredo sauce
3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1. Spray large oval crockpot with nonstick spray. Spread about 1/2 c. pasta sauce in bottom of crockpot. 2. Cook ground beef in large skillet until no longer pink; drain. Stir in remaining pasta sauce and 8 oz. tomato sauce. 3. Layer 3 lasagna noodles over pasta sauce in crockpot, breaking as needed to fit. 4. Top with 1/3 of the alfredo sauce, 1 c. mozzarella, and 1/3 of the ground beef mixture. 5. Repeat layers twice more: noodles, alfredo, mozzarella, ground beef; noodles, alfredo, mozzarella, ground beef. 6. Sprinkle 1/4 c. parmesan cheese over top of last layer. 7. Cover and cook on LOW for 3.5 - 4 hours.

Look at these cute little Valentines!

Check them out HERE. Are these not adorable! If you think you might just HAVE to have these cute little critter stamps (The set is called "Love Bandit") please contact my friend, Michele Stinson. She is a Stampin' Up demonstrator in Norridgewock.
Also, please check out the other posts on Becky's blog. I am a "follower" of hers-her projects are just too cute!

An elegant birthday card

I made this birthday card for my mother-in-law. At first, I didn't think this was my usual style. After all, it doesn't feature any cute little critters! But looking at each of the details, I can definitely see where it's got my own little touches.

For example, it features a mix of patterned papers. If you're not confident about mixing patterns, go with coordinating papers from the same manufacturer/line. That's what I did here. I've used three different patterned papers, all from Cosmo Cricket. They work well together because one has a bold print (the cream floral on the bottom) while the other two have more subtle, tone-on-tone prints. These subtle patterns work as solids, but with a little "oomph." Love the "oomph".

Next, it features some 3D elements. The chipboard label is from Technique Tuesday, and it makes a great accent when inked and stamped. The gray border is also 3D, as it is pleated and stand just slightly above the rest of the card. Very easy to make-just start with a 12" long piece of patterned paper, then score and fold at regular intervals for a polished, formal look. Or, for a fun look, fold at random intervals.

Finally, it has ribbon, sewing and stickles, three things that I find I use constantly on my projects. The ribbon is stitched along the front of the card using little loops of orange thread, which worked well with the coral patterned paper. Kind of spiced it up a bit, I think, but in an elegant way. I left the ribbon extending beyond the edge of the card. I've been doing that a lot lately-adds a little personality. And of course I added stickles! My collection of colors keeps growing. They're the perfect touch for cards-they add sparkle and personality without bulk.

Hope you enjoyed this card. I've got lots more to share soon!

Some fun Valentine's Day cards...

to share with you today. I made these mini cards using up some spare stamped pieces and scraps. So easy!

First, I started with one white A2 size card (4.25" x 5.5"), then I cut it in half. The result: two 2.75" x 4.25" mini cards, already folded. More bang for your buck, as you're making two cards from one. Plus, the smaller surface makes them perfect for using your scraps!

For each card, I adhered a small scrap of kraft cardstock to the top, then a small punched border directly below that. I adhered a scrap of ribbon around the card, letting the ends extend beyond the card. (The ribbon is not tied-just adhered.) I also added a button with thread tied through on top of the ribbon-just attach it with a glue dot.

For the images, I stamped the frog and the owl (both from Hero Arts) on patterned paper and cut them out. I added some pink chalk to the frog's cheeks, and used a red colored pencil and a white gel pen to accent the owl. I wanted to add fun touches to each image, since these cards are for my kiddos. The frog got a little tiny heart "kiss" on his cheek-the heart is actually a tiny heart left behind after I used a Martha Stewart heart border punch. I used a glue stick to attach it to his cheek, then added a bit of Fruit Punch stickles. For the owl, I also added some Fruit Punch stickles to the wing, but the fun part was adding the pink, eye-lashed googly eyes. I found these at JoAnn Fabrics. So cute!

You can add whatever you'd like for sentiments near the top. My "Happy Valentine's Day" stamp is from Studio G, while the "I" and "you" are from Technique Tuesday. The heart is from Hero Arts.

I'd love to see what you come up with for mini cards using your scraps. If you'd care to share, email me a link to your card and I will share the link on my blog. Be brave-we'd all love to see what you create!