Tuesday, May 31, 2011

A Little Birdie Told Me

Hello and happy Tuesday!

Gosh I haven't stamped in a few days. First it was the cold I caught last week and then it was a band concert last night.
I am hoping to get stamping tonight!

This MFT card was made a while back and I'm pretty sure I have not shared it with you.
This sweet PI girl is called You're So Tweet.
I'm sort of bummed right now....
Canada Post could possible strike as early as Friday! ACK!
How am I going to get all my stamping goodies?!
Bills I can do without....lol
Thanks for stopping by today!

Bloomin Tuesday- Blooming Promises

What is blooming in my garden this week?
Lots of plants are promising blooms.........
Black Elderberry


Milky Way Dogwood



Fringe Tree



Baptista   with a hint of colour


Lady's Mantle

Abraham Darby Rose






Elsa Spath Clematis  is loads with huge buds

Hydrangea , will it be blue or pink this year?

Where oh where  are any blooms?
Finally , Lilac, a new addition to the garden  is putting on  a  lovely show...... 

Monday, May 30, 2011

Natural Oils & The Benefits



Avocado Oil is rich in proteins, minerals, and vitamins A, D, and E. It's an anti inflammatory and excellent for dry and damaged skin including sunburn, eczema and aiding wound healing. Penetrates well into the skin. We here at Babar Too Co. use it in our Baby Balms.


Olive Oil has high amounts of Vitamin E. It inhibits the growth of bacteria on the skin and acts as an antioxidant. Fabulous for all your skin's needs. Heavier in texture.


Coconut Oil used topically helps wounds and boost collagen. It is known to have antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. It's great for removing makeup too! It hydrates skin and is great after sunburn! Check out our Belly & Baby Oil collection where we use fine quality coconut oils!


Grapeseed Oil is a thin light oil great for moisturizing and is loaded with antioxidants. It's an excellent carrier oil (we use it in our temple balms). It also has known anti aging effects and doesn't leave a greasy feeling.


Sweet Almond Oil is loaded with vitamins D & E and is excellent for all skin types. It's particularly fabulous for massage. All of our Bath & Body oils are made with 100% pure almond oil. It's moisturizing and light in texture. Doesn't stain like other oils either!

Daisy Doodles Free Week (hmm ... Coffee)

FOR MY 650 FOLLOWER BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY PLEASE CLICK HERE!!

It's a free week at Daisy Doodles; I made this 'coffee' themed birthday card using the 'hmm coffee' digi at Daisys Digi Doodles

Don't forget there you can still go to Daisy Doodles Creative Challenges and enter your "Memorial Day" project.

To see more Birthday Cards please click here

Asparagus Soup and Crustless Asparagus Pie

I am lucky to live in an area that has premiere asparagus farms.
When  asparagus is  on we eat  it every day in one guise or another  .
This weekend  soup and a crust less casserole.

This soup is my version of one from Epicurious.


4 cups  green asparagus chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
5 to 6 cups vegetable  broth
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in a blender until smooth,  and return to pan. Stir in milk then add more broth to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter. Add lemon juice and garnish with asparagus tips if you  want to  decorate  soup..


Serves 4-6 
Recipe can be halved .



The pie recipe is  based on one  from Zehrs Grocery store. I added the cheese to give more flavour.
With no crust the calories in this dish  is low  .....Approx. 250 per serving.

Crust less Asparagus Pie
1 tsp  Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4  Eggs - Large
1 cup  asparagus, trimmed and cut in 1/2-inch
1 onion, chopped
1/2  sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup 2% Evaporated Milk
1/2 tsp each: salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 cup  grated Parmesan Cheese or mix of cheddar / mozzarella .
Preheat oven to 375°F, Spray  pan.

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook asparagus until tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Drain. Plunge into cold water. Drain again.
In nonstick frying pan, heat oil over medium heat; cook onions and red peppers until soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
In bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in asparagus and onion mixture. Pour into prepared baking dish. I used  my new Fiesta ware  individual baking dishes. These bright coloured dishes   are  a new favourite to use with just the 2 of us..

Top with cheese , used Parmesan this time.


Bake about 30 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting.


Overall loved the soup. The crust less pies needed  a bit more seasoning . Next time I would add  more asparagus and   some  thyme also   use  cheddar as the topper..

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Card Cupids - Ribbon or Fiber

FOR MY 650 FOLLOWER BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY PLEASE CLICK HERE!!

This week at Card Cupids, our challenge is not to use ribbon or fiber. The challenge is sponsored by Digi Doodle.

Card Details: Cardstock (pattern pink, purple, black, white), Digi Image BHK Princess by Digi Doodles, clear 'Happy Birthday' stamp

To see more Birthday Cards please click here

Memorial Day challenge - honouring our vets

Creative Cutter has a great challenge on right now to honour our vets. This challenge came up just at the right time for me! A neighbour is retiring from the Canadian Military after many years of service.



For this card I tried to make a picture of him at work. The helicopter, figure and clothing are all from the Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge. The camouflage paper is by Creative Imaginations. The sky paper is a scrap from my pile. The maple leaf is from the Destinations cartridge and the cloud is from Create a Critter. The stamped face is by Peachy Keen and I covered the helicopter to look like glass with Glossy Accents.

I am also entering this card at Fantabulous Cricut for their sky and cloud challenge.

Coolest Chick

Happy Sunday!

Be sure to check out the Verve sale going on right now!!

Hope you are having a great weekend!

I've been busy stamping some upcoming DT requirements but I do have a card to share with you that I made last week.

This is a card made using the Viva La Verve May Week 5.

I used a cute Verve set called Chicks Rule.
Stamps: Chicks Rule; Cardstock: White, Black, Echo Park Summer Days DP; Inks: Memento Black; Accessories: Copics, Nesties, Ribbon, Spica pen, Sewing, Dimensionals

Donna has been so sweet and spotlighted me on her blog today....please stop by and say a hello to her!

Have a great day!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Cupcake!

This week's challenge at My Sheri Crafts is a recipe, something I've never done before. Use:
1 Button
2 Designer Papers
3 Flowers

So, I made a LO to commemorate my littlest DD's first experience with cupcakes! She was, and continues to be, a little girl who doesn't enjoy unusual textures on her hands, so she kept her hands well out of the way and devoured this chocolate yummy by sticking out her tongue and leaning forward. What a great idea, I think I might try it next year on my birthday! Not sure how many people would want to share my cake after I did it, though!






Supplies:
1 brown button
2 papers: K&Co Tim Coffey Tuscan Sunflowers
3 flowers: by prima
trim ribbon: K&Co BW Flora & Fauna Vellum Adhesive borders
cuts: frame is from Paper Lace by Cricut; title font: Adore
tags: unknown brand, sprayed with Glimmer Mist Sunflower

My Little Love Bug

A while back I had to get this image from Stamping Bella for Chloe.
She has always had this fascination with VW Bugs.
You know the game....
Punch Buggy Blue....no return?
OMG....years later and we still play it....BUT no punching!
I bruise easily ;)

When I found this in the stash I knew I had to use it for the Sweet Stop Sketch #110.
Isn't she a cutie!?!
I added some Spica glitter pen to the hearts and some Glossy Accents to the wheels and headlights.
I have a super busy weekend ahead! I hope I can get all my DT commitments finished by late Sunday so I can watch the Nascar Race. I may not be coming up from the basement ALL weekend! LOL!
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Father's Day Card

FOR MY 650 FOLLOWER BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY PLEASE CLICK HERE!!

This cute 'Father's Day' Card is perfect for any golfer Dad!
Card Details: Cardstock (brown, white, pattern), golf bear digi stamp by the clip art fairy, 'Happy Father's Day' clear stamp.

Challenges:
aud sentiments - sentiment/card for a male
charisma cardz - boy oh boy
do it with digis - its all about the boys
paper crafting journey - anything goes/ Favourite ... (male digi)
do you stack up (DYSU) - animals
catch the bug blog - grads, dads, other summer celebrations
To see more Father's Day Cards please click here

Happy Father's Day TESC139

Happy Friday!
Thank goodness it's the weekend!
This week has been INSANE busy but a good busy!
I had meetings for for work with everyone from Toronto to Vancouver.
Good times!

Today I am sharing my sample using the TESC139.
I used the super fun Taylored Expressions set called Boys Will Be Boys.
Designer paper comes from MME Lime Twist - Fly A Kite.
My corners were rounded with the Corner Chomper....love that tool!
Be sure to stop by the TE sketch crew blogs to take a peek at what they have created this week!

Movie Night

It's friday, which means it is challnege day over at Flaunt it Fridays. The challenge today is to use any cut from the Robotz cartridge. I decided to use my very favorite thing from that cartridge the FONT!! Don't get me wrong, I love the robots, they are really cute, but I think the font rocks :) Here is a simple layout I made, using this font.







I am so far behind with my scrapbooking!! The baby in these pictures is now 5 1/2!! The page is about a Family Movie night we had when Cars first came out. It was a surprise for my son, and as you can see from the pictures, he was happy!

So come on over, play along with us! Have fun with the Robotz font :)

A la prochaine...
Free Forum Sigs

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Tree Peony

My tree peony is only  2 years old   . When I bought it only about 6 inches high. I have pampered it every winter with a burlap blanket ... this year I have been rewarded with  4 giant blossoms and the plant is now   1 and 1/2 feet tall.....


Bud




Slightly open




Fully open 



See the rain drops....  a wicked  thunderstorm went thru last night,  we had a deluge of water, yet again .
I did save the name of this  peony but can I find it right now?   No.

650 Followers - Blog Candy Giveaway


Help me get to 650 FOLLOWERS
BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY
(prize will be awarded at 650 followers)

I am so blessed and thankful for all my followers.   So I wanted to reward you with some candy.

So here’s the fun part - 3 EASY WAYS TO ENTER
(please leave a comment for each entry!!)

1. Follow my Blog (or continue to follow)
leave a comment
2. Post this giveaway on your blog or website with link
leave a comment w/ link
3. Visit my etsy shop and post a comment with your favourite item
 leave a comment

Prizes
1. One follower will win $10 GIFT CERTIFICATE
to my ETSY SHOP
2. One follower will win a $5 GIFT CERTIFICATE
to my ETSY SHOP

My Ontario friends ... Don't forget to check out the MADE BY HAND SHOW; Vendor applications are now being accepted.