Well, if you read my blog, you most likely know how BAD I am about getting things out in the mail. I swear I am trying to get better. It really is an awful thing I have going on with that. I have a stack of mail, sitting here, waiting to go postal (TODAY! I SWEAR!).

The problem is most of it is always to heavy to just slap on a stamp or sometimes even two, so I can’t just  stick it IN the mailbox-KWIM? I have to GO IN.

Anyway, I made a super long to-do list, since I have been UBER busy, and I have gotten several things, crossed off! YEAH!!

This next project was one, of the many, that I wanted to get done, before a year had past! LOL! It also made me realize how many I have NOT got done. Oh boy!

Especially For You Juanita

I wrote a few weeks ago (wow time flies) that Juanita sent me What’s in your tin 1, after reading I was kicking myself for only getting set 2! I was so touched by her sweet gesture. I knew I had to make her, her very own tin! So away I went with this tin, and notecard for her.

Now not knowing people, and their favorite things, can make creating something for them difficult. I decided I would go with whatever I thought was pretty! LOL! So I turned to some of my favorite things!

I LOVE altering things, so that was of course so FUN for me! The set she sent me-What’s in your tin 1, Chatterboxpaper, Bridal Confetti flowers (LOVIN those in case you have not noticed), my Martha Stewart butterfly punches, Faux Dew Drops :D, acetate, my Cuttlebug Red Tag alphabet, White StazOn, Vellum cardstock, brads by SEI, and one of my all time FAVORTIE floral sets Beautiful Blooms 

EDITED TO ADD: HERE is my link for the dew drops. I color mine with my Copic markers to change the color!

The Close-ups

I so LOVED the softness this card portrayed. I stamped the leaf from Beautiful Blooms, in bashful blue ink. It was a bit harsh, so I layered Vellum cardstock OVER it, to soften the look! Pretty NIFTY huh? It will immediately soften any color you layer it over. Sometimes if your ink is a bit too harsh, just give this a try. It HAS to be the cardstock, not vellum paper! Vellum paper is very thin, and to me useless. I LOVE vellum cardstock. You can get it at some stamp store or through Stampin’Up!

I then layered on my bridal confetti flowers, and my hand made dew drops for the centers!

My butterfly is punched 3 times-bashful blue on bottom, vellum cardstock in the middle, then the patterned paper on top 😀

The rounded corners were done to match the tin! Plus I love the floating, and soft look it offers to this design. No HARSH edges.

 The tin

Not sure WHAT to put in there? Open to suggestions 😀

Well I used the same papers, and the set she sent me. Same flowers/butterfly as above. Maybe overboard with the flowers? Oh well. I colored the “leaves” blue. I tried to keep it balanced. One wasn’t enough, two was an even number and looked odd. Scattering them across the tin didn’t work either. I did need “something” and this was the end result. Has that “home-made” imperfect appeal I guess.

What I LOVE on this is the “J”. Can you see it? I just die cut my acetate with my Cuttlebug, and stamped just the corner of the “J” with white StazOn, using the floral image from the Simple Little Things set from Papertrey Ink (note: set was earned and not for sale). I also did this because “J” is the first initial in her name, and the “just” is at a slant, so I like that too. The letter is attached under the stamped white corner with a glue dot. LOVE those things!!

So that is it for today!

I am definitely off to Michaels today! I haven’t been in like 2 weeks. I hear they have new Martha Stewart stuff-so I’m all over it.

I hope I find some neat little thing to put in here for her, before I go to the post office!

As always, thanks for checkin in today.

Tomorrow is going to be a 2 poster day! I have my blogger’s challenge, and later in the day is the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop!! So hope you come back then. I can’t wait to see what everyone has up their sleeve’s for that.

Till then

Lauren

It’s Thirsty Thursday! OK Kidding!!

 I cannot believe how S-L-O-W this week is going by. I took the kids to the park for 3 hours yesterday. It  was a perfect 86 degrees here. We got there at 10 am and the playground was all shaded. By the time we left at 1pm, it was getting a bit HOT. I called in Pizza Hut’s new Tuscan Pasta meals for lunch, and grabbed one for dinner ( they have 2 choices)-GO LAUREN!! with the fabulous, no cooking ideas! If you are wondering if the new Pasta dishes are good and worth it, yes the kids LOVED them. They mostly loved the cheesy garlic bread though. Each one fed all 5 of us (hubby included) with leftovers for him. Its not a HUGE amount you get, but for $11.99, worth not cooking in the heat 😀 Heck anytime I dont have to cook is great!

I got some fabulous recipe’s that have saved me many night’s last time I asked! I printed them out, and used many of them a couple times! HERE is that thread if YOU want to print them out. I aslo added a Recipe’s category! So for future reference, you can check them out.

Now that the weather is getting HOTTER (not complaining) I know I hate cooking, so figured this is a great time to share those summer recipe’s for NO COOKING, or perfect BBQ or grill/summer types of foods, pasta salad’s, salad’s, and whatever other yummy summer favorite’s, and even party dishes!

You can even shoot us a LINK to a place with the recipe so you don’t have to type it! LOL!

I do have a re-vamped 7 layer dip recipe that I thought the kids would NOT eat, but scoffed down!!

Now my kids HATE taco’s, and Nacho’s with the “fixings”-salsa & melted cheese-yadayadayada. But THIS NO COOK 7 layer dip was a HUGE hit.

So you layer in this order:

 refried beans

 Guacamole (I made mine with the new Tastefully Simple Giddy Up Guacamole-OMG! let me tell you, it was really good!!!!! if you make it you need 2 Avocado’s) (you can buy it pre-made from the store too to save time)

add the Sour cream -but BEFORE you do-mix in 1/2 ot 3/4 of a packet of Taco seasoning mix (wow did that make a difference)

 then add salsa, lettuce, tomato’s, cheese then the black olives! (OK I counted and its an 8 layer dip! LOL!)

DONE! Scoop some into a plate with Naco’s (even Doritio’s work) and you have a QUICK, no cook meal!!

I have a TON of Pampered Chef stuff I love too! I highly reccommend buying the Season’s Best books they sell for like a $1!! Those end up being my favorite!

I LOVED this one, and am always asked to make it for every function we attend! I buy a pre-made Bread Boule for it-and its good ALL year!!

Hot Artichoke Dip  Ingredients: 2   jars (6.5 ounces each) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped 1   package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained 1/2   cup sour cream 1/2   cup mayonnaise 3/4   cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese 1   garlic clove, pressed Fresh vegetable dippers (optional)  Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine artichokes, spinach, sour cream and mayonnaise in Classic Batter Bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and garlic; mix well and spoon into Mini-Baker. 2. Bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Serve with fresh vegetable dippers, if desired. Yield: 3 cups (24 servings)Nutrients per serving: (2 tablespoons dip): Calories 70, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Carbohydrate 2 g, Protein 2 g, Sodium 140 mg, Fiber less than 1 g ————————————————————————————————————-

I will be right back with some eye candy! I just wanted to keep this seperate 😀 That and I need to edit my photo’s! LOL! I know this was so NOT stamp related, but you know what, we ALL have to eat, and have busy lives right? So why not share. Plus if these tips, can save us TIME, that MAY allow us more “MYTIME” to stamp right?

Be right back. I’m waiting to read these yummy recipe’s!

Oh yeah, and feel free to ASK for a certain one, if you are looking, in the comment’s section. Maybe someone know’s of one you are looking for.