Jelly Bird Cookies

I've been re-visiting my vintage Betty Crocker cookbook and pulled this recipe out that I haven't made in a long time - probably since Carrie was little.

Aren't these fun?

Thumbprint Cookies

1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. shortening
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 egg, separated
1/2 t. vanilla
1 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. finely chopped nuts *
jelly or jam *

* I used shredded coconut instead of chopped nuts,
and jelly beans instead of jelly or jam.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix brown sugar, shortening, butter, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix in flour and salt until dough holds together. Shape dough into 1-inch balls.

Beat egg white slightly. Dip each ball into egg white; roll in nuts (or coconut). Please about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet; press thumb deeply in center of each. Bake until light brown, about 10 minutes.

Immediately remove from cookie sheet; cool. Fill thumbprints with jelly. *

* I used a tube of decorating gel and squeezed some onto the center of the cooled cookie for "glue" to hold the 3 jelly beans on.

xo

Flowers ~ a spring tutorial

I've had a couple of requests for step-by-step instructions on making layered flowers and I am happy to oblige. Plus, it gave me an excuse to make more flowers - something that I am loving right now!

♥ ♥ ♥

Here's how it goes down ~

Gather some paper scraps. I used cardstock and book pages, but have also used patterned paper before. It's fun to use different papers and textures for this project.

Next, get yourself some punches. I have a few flower punches, and some circle punches in different sizes. My favorite punch for flowers is the scalloped edge punch because it gives a nice petal edge right from the start. If you don't have punches, you can certainly cut your own shapes with scissors (but I recommend you treat yourself and at least get a scalloped edge punch!!!).

You'll also need some store-bought flowers to mix in, as well as some buttons, brads, and/or rhinestones for the flower centers.

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:

Step 6:

Step 7:

In fact, I loved it so much I sat outside (where the light was good for photos) for 3 hours playing with paper and punches. What a great Saturday afternoon!

There are so many possibilities for this type of flower making! I'd love so see what you come up with!

♥ ♥ ♥

PS: I will do another tutorial sometime soon with instructions for making the flowers that are scrunched and ruffled looking. They are a little different and require additional photos and instruction. :o)

That extra something...

I couple of weeks ago I won a blog giveaway from Lizzie. I received my package in the mail the other day and just couldn't have been more thrilled. Not only is the book fabulous (SO well put together and professionally made) but everything was packaged up so sweetly. And! She included some handmade flowers - which of course, I am loving right now! :o)!!!

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Now, it's one thing to put something in the mail and send it off, but it's another thing to add some thoughtful little touches. Everything was wrapped in silver tissue paper tied with a pretty bow and a lovely note enclosed. Thanks so much, Lizzie. Your little extra touches were greatly appreciated! xo

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PS: You can visit Lizzie's Etsy Shop to see more of her beautiful wares.

And when I'm not making flowers,

I'm sewing camouflage.

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I know, it seems kind of crazy to me too. I have a very strong background in hippy-chick-yoga-gypsie-whimsy. Doug has a very strong background in hunting. But I love him, he loves me, it works. :o)

♥ ♥ ♥

When we "camp" we stay at our property in Young, Arizona and there's a small [hooray-for-mouse-proof] building that Doug and his brothers built where we sleep and keep all of our stuff - inflatable air mattress, camp stove, etc. So when he and I "go camping" for the weekend we pack food and a change of clothes and we're outta' here.

The past few times we've gone camping I noticed Doug's "change of clothes" in a plastic grocery bag. (I know. It's embarrassing. It gets worse.) Last weekend when we went camping I asked, "Honey, what did you bring your clothes in this time?" His response? "Nothing. I just grabbed a few things and threw them in the backseat."

~sigh~ Deb to the rescue.

So, apparently, hunters wear camouflage so the deer won't see them, and orange so other hunters will. And somehow, someone figured out that deer can't see orange so it's a perfect combination. Plus, does anything really match camo?

Somehow, Whiskers, I don't think you'd really like
camping that much. Sorry, buddy.

xo

Flowers - Class Prompt/Assignment

FLOWERS.
~sigh~

I was happy when I saw Friday's prompt for Shimelle's class, "Something from {Almost} Nothing." We were to use flowers from our stash and to acknowledge the good things that surround us. I chose a couple of photos taken in a field near our northern property where we camp (sometimes just the two of us, other times with friends and family). The photos just take me back there...

I have been on a bit of a roll with making flowers lately. I made a bunch of them over the past week while I was off work. (Ironic now that I think of it; I was supposed to be using what I had on hand, not making more to add to the stash! Oh well. I had fun.)

Anyway! I decided to combine some handmade elements and mix in some flowers I've had on hand for a long time. I used brads for the centers on some, buttons and rhinestones in others.

I was having so much fun constructing these flowers that I made a few too many to go on the page. This is my idea of some yummy leftovers! :o]

Good times.
~ ♥ ~
How does your garden grow?

Just a quote for Friday

Me. A little out of focus. NYC. 2006

"If you think you can,

and if you think you can't,

you're absolutely right."

~ author unknown ~

Stickers - Class Prompt/Assignment

Oh boy. I knew it was coming and I was still unprepared. I never - like, ever - use stickers when I scrapbook. That could be why I really don't have many stickers in my collection of scrapbook stash (probably the only thing I don't have much of in my stash...).

I realize there aren't a lot of stickers on this page, but I dared not to go out and purchase more stuff for Shimelle's "Something from {Almost} Nothing" class, so here's what I came up with:

The numbers and the word "Me" are white stickers I've had for...well...a long time. I stuck them onto some black cardstock and trimmed around them, trying to get them to work with my "Celebrate Life" album's color scheme.

While this challenge hasn't sparked an interest for me to use more stickers on layouts in the future, I am very much enjoying the challenges this class has presented so far. It's good to be pulled out of the scrapbook rut I'd been in!

xo

This could be the reason...

...I had a tummy ache on Monday.

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When we camp at our northern property we eat things that we never do at home. Because when we camp, we love ourselves some carbs and starch!

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I thought it would be fun to show you how we eat when we don't think about calories and junk like that. This was our meal for dinner last Saturday evening...

{hash brown potatoes and ranch style beans}

My one redeeming side dish of healthy morsels:

{mmmmmm....we love avacados!!!}

♥

{pork chops cooked over juniper wood coals...oh. so. yummy.}

{and it tastes even better when eaten outside!}

Yeah...I'm not done yet...

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Being the resourceful camper that I am, I like to plan ahead where meals (and dirty camp dishes) are concerned. When I cooked breakfast on Saturday morning, I cooked the full package of bacon and reserved some for the next morning. On Saturday night, I cooked the full package of hash browns and saved the leftovers for the next morning.

The next morning? Use the leftover bacon and hash browns, add a couple of scrambled eggs, some cheese and salsa, wrap in a flour tortilla and you have the best breakfast burritos ever.

This week's menu at home?

Salad.

Page Protector Sheets - Class Prompt/Assignment

Shimelle's prompt for "Something from Almost Nothing" on Monday was to use a page protector to create a scrapbook page.

Two firsts for me today: 1) I cut up a page protector and used it on a scrapbook page; and 2) I used my sewing machine on a scrapbook page. The page protector was a little tricky to sew, but I'm really hooked on sewing on a page now!


These were tough photos to shoot - hard to get an angle with no glare off the page protector. So I don't know if you can tell that some of my embellishments are sewn underneath the plastic, and others are either sewn on top or secured with a brad (yes, I'm on a roll with metal!).

I'm sure there will be a prompt in Shimelle's class for buttons so I was holding out...but I could wait no longer to use them! (love buttons!!!)

♥

And since we're on the subject of page protectors, here's something else I've done with them in the past.

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I had a bunch of small packages of acrylic stamps and was looking for a way to keep them organized and visible. I used 8-1/2" x 11" page protectors, sewed some seams, cut the front layer and there you have it.

I also have full page protector sheets in the front of this three-ring binder with larger sheets of stamps, and in the back are these, sewn in fourths:

Now if I would just use these a little more often...

♥

The road less traveled...

...is usually the one we take.

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This past weekend Hubby and I set out to our northern property in Young, Arizona. One of the things we enjoy most about our weekend get-aways is the drive there. We're all about "enjoying the journey" and this is a drive we'll never get tired of. I thought I'd share a few of the pictures (413 in total) I took this weekend.

The desert is really green this time of year with all the rain we've had lately. You can see Roosevelt Lake in the background below the mountain ridge.


Climbing the mountain...these narrow roads are a little scary at times with blind curves and no pavement.

The next few shots were taken during our Saturday afternoon hike. You really have to watch where you're going, even in the high desert. This cactus blends in with the terrain, and was among the trees where we were walking. I took this shot at eye-level. Yikes. Being stuck by a cactus is NO fun!

If there's a random water hole, Hubby will find it. Here we looked for animal tracks and antlers. We found lots of critter tracks, no antlers. (temperature in the high 60's and I'm wearing 3 layers!)

My mountain man. ~sigh~

The trees in this area are interesting. We have mostly juniper trees on our property, but this is a type of oak tree that grows in this part of Arizona.

We stayed at the north end of our property - different fire pit than the one I posted for my Friday quote a few days ago. Behind the fire you can see the flat land where we will build a cabin someday, and the drop off to forest service land - a beautiful valley with hills and trees.

And on our way home, more green hills and cactus...

We had a nice relaxing weekend, and the only thing that made it easier to come home is knowing we're going back with our camping group in a couple of weeks.

♦ ♦ ♦

PS: The office where I work is closed this week so I have a whole week off to catch up on blogs (and other stuff I need to do this week that are non-craft related). Wishing each of you a fabulous week!!!

xo

Hopping to a mailbox near you...

♥ !

Congratulations, Emilie!!! You are the winner of my Easter giveaway! And yes, this little bunny would love to move to Louisiana!!! It was so fun to read the comments in the original post to hear where each of you are from. I'm in awe at times when I think about the vast circle of friends I have been so fortunate to gain through blogging. Go figure - I love to blog and the bonus is friends from all over the planet.

So...send me an email, Emilie and I'll mail your prize right away! My e-address is paperturtle[at]cox[dot]net.

Hooray!!!
♥