Tis the Season- I'm making time for Studio J

Gobble, Gobble.. Ho, Ho, Ho... I am not sure how to start the post.  It is still November but the Christmas season has begun.  I didn't wake up and brave Black Friday at 3:30 a.m. which is my usual routine, but we did go out and go shopping.  Kent's family is here for Thanksgiving and for those of you who know Fran, this won't surprise you.  We left the house yestreday at 10:30 a.m.   We got home last night at 11:00 p.m.  12 1/2 hours of shopping...Yes, the season has begun!

I have been busy, busy, busy and have not had time to blog, scrapbook, facebook or anything.  I'm barely keeping my crops alive- (Facebook- Farmville... I'm addicted).  But, we did have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Our entire family was here.  Yes, I cooked, and Yes, I took photos.

Experiencing  scrapbooking withdrawls, I woke up at 4 a.m. and played with Studio J.  Studio J is our new scrapbooking online program.  It is not available for customers at this time but it is coming soon.  As a perk for attending Leadership 2009, I am able to create fabulous layouts.  And guess what... it is so easy, so fun, and so addicting.

I thought I would share with you a layout that I created this morning.  It kinda gives me a check in all my boxes...

Thanksgiving- Check
Photo Sharing- Check
Scrapbooking- Check
Creating - Check
Networking- Check
Blogging- Check

And the best thing about it... I am caught up with my holiday scrapbooking for the season.  As the easy button says... THAT WAS EASY!

I hope you enjoy my layout.  I can't wait for Studio J to go live and to share it with all of you.  You guys are gonna love it.  It is like no other digital scrapbooking that  I have ever seen!

Holiday Hugs,

Tina

Fourth Of July Layouts

I love the Fourth of July and everything that the holiday stands for! I love my country and my freedom!

This year we spent the fourth on our boat and with some friends. I had fun taking photos of all the festivities, even though my camera battery died before the fireworks. (Can you imagine?) I made a few layouts from the day, that I thought I would share. Enjoy!

Firework hugs,
Tina



This layout really sparkles, even though you can't see it in the photo. The word July is made from our dimensional elements. The letters are sponged in Sunflower and then "glittered" using our prisma glitter. The photo really does not show it justice. If you click on the photo it should enlarge it and you will be able to see the details a little better.

Team Holiday Party

I hosted a team cookie exchange on Tuesday night. We had SO much fun and I ate so many cookies that I was sick. (that is why I wasn't blogging yesterday). We made 3 dozen cookies, ate 1 dozen and took 2 dozen home. Fun, Fun, Fun! Not only can my team scrapbook, they can BAKE! The cookies were GREAT!

After the cookie exchange we did an ornament exchange. Then we created our team holiday recipe albums. I thought I would share my album. It turned out so cute- so photos don't do it justice. We actually had 28 people participate. We only swapped 12 recipes, so I don't have all the photos and recipes scrapbooked. The book actually stands up- like the cover and first page shows. I photographed the recipes flat so that you can see how I put a photo of the baker on the top and the recipe on the bottom. I am so darn excited over this book!

This recipe album makes a great holiday gift and is perfect for cookie exchange parties!

My camera battery pooped out half way through the party so I only have a few photos from the party to share. I am hoping that our team photographer- Rae Bangs will share some of her awesome photos.

This album was inspired by my talented second upline Bren Yule! She made a family recipe book that got me so excited that I had to make one too! Thank you Bren!

Enjoy the slideshow!

Tina



Here are a few recipes to enjoy:


Oreo Snow Balls
By Leah Marlow

Ingredients:

1 package Oreo cookies
1 (8 0z.) package cream cheese (softened)
1 package white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening

Crush the entire package of Oreos (use food processor or blender).

Mix the softened cream cheese into the cookie mixture.

Form into 1 inch balls and put them in the freezer to harden a bit.

Melt the white chocolate and shortening in microwave. Remove
balls from freezer and place on wax paper. Drizzle the white chocolate
over balls or dip them into the white chocolate. Place snow balls on wax
paper and refrigerate. Makes approximately 3 dozen.

ENJOY!

Cherry Chip Cookies
(from Meredith Painter’s great grandmother, Hazel Likely)

2 sticks softened butter 1/8 tsp. salt 4 oz. cherry chips
½ cup sugar 1 egg yolk ¾ cup crushed cornflakes
2 tsp. almond extract ½ cup chopped nuts2 ¼ cups flour

Cream together butter, sugar, egg and extract, add dry ingredients then stir
in chips, cornflake crumbs and nuts. Very thick dough…can add water Tbsp
at a time as needed. Roll into 1” balls, place on ungreased cookie sheet and press
criss-cross with fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Cherry Chips can
be ordered from Gurley Foods (320)325-0600.

Tina's Note: These cookies were great. They are worth the hassle of ordering the Cherry Chips. I ordered a box of 12 packages. I am going to impress my Mother - in- law with these. My MIL is a wonderful baker!

Glazed Crackers Cookies
From the Kitchen of…Tina Sutton…Navarre, FL

1/2 Cup Margarine
11/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
½ Cup Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
2 packages chopped pecans


Preheat over to 350 degrees. Combine margarine, butter and sugar. Boil 3 minutes. Add vanilla and pecans. Arrange crackers on two cookies sheets and spoon butter mixture over crackers. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool briefly. Remove crackers from cookie sheets with spatula.

Scrapbook Holiday Party... FUN, FUN, FUN!

I had a holiday party for My Scrapbook Club Members last Thursday night. I am so thankful to my scrapbook club members. We had a holiday celebration on Thursday night and it was fun, fun, fun! I love to cook and I had a Mexcian Holiday Dinner. We ate Mexican Lasagna, Spanish Rice, Ceasar Salad, and Chips and Salsa. For desert we had Cheesecake and White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies. Many requested the recipes so I am going to post them on the blog for all to enjoy. Have fun viewing the slideshow and enjoy the recipes.

I have been making the Mexican Lasagna for 20 years. It is a Weight Watchers Recipe. Of course, I add more cheese than called for ... but hey... it's the holidays. Ho, Ho, Ho!



Mexican Lasagna

12 Cooked Lasagna Noodles
1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey
8 oz. of mild salsa
1 package of taco seasoning
8 ounces of tomato sauce
8 oz. ricotta cheese
4 ounce can of green chilies chopped
1 bag of Mont. Jack Cheese
1 bag of cheddar cheese

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Brown turkey over medium heat. Add salsa, taco seasoning, green chilies and tomato sauce. Simmer. Cook lasagna noodles. Layer noodles, sauce, and all 3 cheese. Repeat 3 times. Bake for 45 minutes. YUM!

White Chocolate Dipped Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sweetened dried cherries
1 1/2 cups pecan pieces- toasted
1 1/4 cups uncooked quick cooking oats
1 bag white chocolate chips

1. Mix butter, sugars, egg and vanilla.
2. Combine flour and rest of ingredients. (except chocolate chips)
3. Drop by tablespoons 2" apart on lightly greased baking sheets.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.
5. Microwave white chocolate in medium sized microwave- safe bowl on high for 1 minute or until melted. Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate, letting excess drop back into bowl. Place dipped cookies on wax paper and let stand until firm. Yield 3-4 dozen.

Happy Eating!

Bag-a-Box... another great holiday idea!

Supplies Needed:

8 1/2" x 11" Cardstock
Circle Punch
Paper Trimmer with scoring blade
Scissors
Stamps
Inks
Ribbon
Liquid Glass
Friskars Scallop Punch

Stamps and Inks Used:
D1317 Feathery Flakes
B1313 Merry Pursuits
D1313 December Word Puzzle
Bubble Gum Cardstock
Bubble Gum Ink
Citrus Leaf Ink
Citrus Leaf Cardstock
Clover Meadow Cardstock
Sparkle colored with Sharpie
Markers for coloring Elf- Bubblegum, Citrus Leaf, Clover Meadow and parchment



Instructions:

1. Random stamp your cardstock with a background stamp. I used Feathery Flakes (D1317) with Bubble Gum Ink and Cardstock.

2. Position your cardstock horizontal. Score cardstock at 2", 5", 7" and 10"



3. Turn your cardstock and position your card vertical. Score at 2" and 7 ".



4. Hold cardstock horizontally with 2" section at top. Use scissors and cut off all but one 2" section on top. This is the flap closure for the box.

Make vertical cuts at the bottom to create 1 1/2" tall flaps. This will be the bottom of the box.

Cut off the left side top and bottom piece. This is the side of the box.



5. Use a scallop punch and punch along 2" flap to create a scalloped edge on box flap.



6. Fold on all scored lines.

Apply liquid glass to side tabs score line.

Fold small flaps towards center of box and large flaps over small flaps.

Apply pressure to box edges and hold until glued.



7. Line up front of box with back of box at top and pinch together. Release.



8. Punch two holes in flap. Pull down to close box and use a pencil to mark where holes in bag should be punched. Punch holes at markings.






9. Thread ribbon through holes at markings. Tie ribbon and decorate front of box.

Enjoy decorating and filling.

CUTE, CUTE, CUTE!

Christmas Card Classes Great Success

I finished teaching my Christmas Card Classes for the season! They were a big success. I taught over 100 students how to make Christmas Cards this year. OH HAPPY DAY! Many mailboxes will be filled with beautifully handstamped cards this year!

Last night I had my last class. I took a few photos and I was thrilled by the expressions on the ladies faces. I had to share.

Tomorrow is Scrapbook Class. WOOHOO! I just love my job.

!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas- and we are decorating the blog. Hit the arrow button and watch us Boogie!

It's Starting to Feel a Lot Like Chistmas!!!

The weather is turning cooler, the Christmas Trees are up, I had my Christmas Card workshop last night... so you know what that means... It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. YIPPEE! Christmas is my favorite time of the year!

My Pages Talk Christmas Ornament

I love CTMH's product- MY PAGES TALK. This is a way to not only preserve the actual event but also the storytellers voice. This recorder can be attached to layouts, picture frames, boxes or made into ornaments. It records up to 30 seconds over and over. I LOVE THEM.

For Christmas I made an ornament of my dear friends little girl Faith! She sings Jingle Bells on the recording and I altered the front of the voice recorder. I am so tickled with the results. I wish I could turn the sound on to let you hear how cute it is.

Here are some other ways to use our voice recorder-

* tape a babies heartbeat during a sonogram.
* send a message to a military member.
* put a message in a greeting card.
* record a story from a family member. (My dad is a Pearl Harbor Survivor so I am going to have him tell his short version story).
* record family members singing songs.
* the possibilities are endless.

If you have any great ideas... post them under comments for all to read!

If you haven't ordered one of these voice recorders yet... DO IT SOON! You will love it!

Recipe for Ornament-

My Pages Talk
Evensong Level 2 Paper Packet
Sparkles- clear sparkles colored with a red sharpie marker
December Word Puzzle Stamp Set
Gratitude Stamp Set
Cranberry Ink Pad
New England Ivy Ink Pad
Cranberry Grosgrain Ribbon
Liquid Glass for attaching ribbon to back of box
Holiday Collection Ribbon
Bonding Memories Glue

Whew... I did it! Thanksgiving Dinner was a success!

We did it! We cleaned the house, cooked dinner and had everything ready when the family showed up at 4! Our meal was wonderful and the kitchen is cleaned... all in time to watch Grey's Anatomy!




Our dinner was wonderful. Our menu included Smoked Turkey, Dressing, Mashed Potatoes, Pineapple Casserole, Cranberry Relish, Homemade Rolls, Pumpkin Cobbler and Turtle Pumpkin Pie! Yum!

The Turtle Pumpkin Pie was THE BEST! For those of you who love to cook... TRY THIS RECIPE!

**********

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1/4 C + 2 Tablesppons carmel Ice Cream Topping
Graham Cracker Pie Cruse
1 Package Chopped Pecans
1 Cup Reduced Fat Milk
2 Boxes (4 serving) Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
8 ounces of whipped topping

Steps:
1. Pour 1/4 cup of th carmel topping into the pie crust. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the pecans.
2. Whisk together milk, pudding mixes, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the whipped topping. Chill at least one hour.
3. Top with remaining 1 1/2 cups whipped topping and 2 tablesppons EACH of carmel topping and pecans just before serving. Makes 10 servings!

**********

Enjoy the recipe. I am off to watch Grey's and then to bed. I'm getting up at 4 a.m. Tomorrow is Black Friday and I need to help support the economy! WOOHOOO!

Have a Great Thanksgiving!

Tina

Thanksgiving Morning

Today is Thanksgiving and I feel so blessed. My Mom and Dad, My Aunt and Uncle and cousin Christan will be coming over for dinner this evening at 4 P.M. Right now it is 8:06 A.M. Dinner is in 8 hours. I couldn't resist showing a few photos of my house.

Yesterday my Handy Dandy DH pulled up the carpeting in our bedroom. All of our furniture is in the laundry room, the kitchen, the hallway, the back porch! Yes... here we go again. We are installing wood flooring in our bedroom this weekend. Kent was off from work yesterday, so he decided to start the work the day before Thanksgiving. Yikes!

8 hours... Kent is outside swinging his golf club and I am blogging... will dinner be on time? At least the table is set! I'm not even going to attempt to explain why we won't be eating in the Dining Room!

Happy Turkey Day!

Tina

Check out Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a week away! I thought I would share something that touched my heart!

Check out Thanksgiving Here!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from The Sutton Family!