this pink rooster: Around the Farm

Showing posts with label Around the Farm. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Have an Egg-cellent Day

I've always been smitten with our eggs..fresh and unspoiled...and new, each day. And I'm also quite taken with Memories in the Making...the newest Project Life by Stampin' Up! collection. So...of course I had to do this...

because they just seemed to belong together!

So, you may ask...how did this...

become this?

Easy! I created the tag using one of the 4x4 cards included in the Memories in the Making Project Life Card Collection...and another for the tab. I added an enamel dot from the Happy Times Project Life Accessory Pack...and a tiny sentiment from the Endless Birthday Wishes Stamp Set.

And...I feel like I can't say it enough..this Memories in the Making collection is truly amazing...

with so much to love...like

100 cards in three sizes
accessories...including wood veneer die cuts, gold foils, watercolor paper die cuts, 2 x 2 cards, stickers, washi tape, and enamel shapes
a coordinating stamp set
AND a Bundle & Save 15%
AND the FREE Sale-A-Bration Specialty Card Collection (available with a qualifying purchase)

As always...

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Jam Day..and Packaging...Five Ways

Monday was strawberry jam day here. A day I LOVE... 'cause there's truly nothing like seeing a pantry full of homemade canned goodies...made with love...right here in my little kitchen. I've been making jam for years...and while I'm not an expert...I've learned a bit about getting a great jam. So...in addition to following all of the canning rules (and those rules are super important for the safety of you and your loved ones), I thought I'd share a bit of my own jam wisdom:

I use a modified Martha Stewart recipe...
I don't use pectin...you will definitely have a thinner jam, but that's just fine with me...and it's also fine with me that it takes a bit longer to cook...
I use less than half the sugar Martha's recipe calls for...typically I use 8 cups of sugar for 20 cups of berries...it may seem like a lot of sugar, but many recipes call for equal amounts of sugar and berries...
in deciding whether the jam is done I use the "if it stays put on the chilled plate it's done" method...
I don't add fresh lemon juice for brightness...it tastes just great without it, and it still looks like strawberries on my toast...
I pick up fresh berries on sale...year round...and clean and hull them and stick them in the freezer ...labeling the quantity on the bag...so, for today's jam I grabbed 3 huge bags...20 cups in each bag...
20 cups of strawberries = 8 pints of jam...
okay...I think that's it...for now.

I've blogged before about my love to gift homemade goodies, including jam...and this batch is different...so I made sure I mixed in a couple of these little cuties...4oz. jelly jars...and I couldn't stop with just one packaging idea...so there's four!

One...for the guy (or gal) who just wants to dig in and eat it by the spoonful...

one for anyone celebrating Mother's Day...

one with a sweet, gold embossed note...

and my favorite...one to enjoy if you love something a bit more elegant.

So..that's four, and the post title says five. Here's five...

a fun tasting tag...super sized for a larger jar. Bigger jar = more jam...and that's a good thing!

As always...check out the project supply list below, and...

Mother's Love Wood Stamp Set

$41.95

Mother's Love Clear Stamp Set

$30.95

Mother's Love Photopolymer Stamp Set

$24.95

Teeny Tiny Wishes Wood Stamp Set

$36.95

Teeny Tiny Wishes Clear Stamp Set

$26.95

Num-Num Wood-Mount Stamp Set

$24.95

Num-Num Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$17.95

Stacked With Love Designer Series Paper Stack

$6.95

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$8.50

Strawberry Slush 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Soft Sky 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Wisteria Wonder 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Strawberry Slush Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Polka Dot Tag A Bag Gift Bags

$3.95

Snail Permanent Adhesive

$6.95

Glue Dots

$4.95

Stampin' Dimensionals

Crisp Cantaloupe Thick Baker's Twine

$3.50

Strawberry Slush Thick Baker's Twine

$3.50

Old Olive 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon

$5.95

Calypso Coral 3/4" Chevron Ribbon

$8.95

Painted Blooms Cotton Twine

$6.95

Neutrals Designer Buttons

Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder

Banners Framelits Die

$26.95

Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies

$39.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Non Stampin' Up! Supplies: Nestabilities Heart Dies, Papertrey Ink Tasting Tag Die and Wooden Tasting Spoons

Monday, December 15, 2014

Introducing...Everyday Extraordinary

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little "extra".

It's true...and that's what Everyday Extraordinary is all about...that little "extra"...something you can add any day and in so many ways, including in my favorite way...Love Notes!

Love Notes are those adorable little 3x3s...so fun, and perfect any time of the year...for a special occasion...or any day. I often share our fresh eggs with friends and neighbors, and I'll add the Love Note "extra"...something special tucked underneath a bit of twine or ribbon...added just to say hello...or thank you...or thinking of you. And then there's the bread...I make more bread than you can imagine...also often shared with my favorite little "extra"!

I wouldn't feel ready for the holidays without making a few of these little guys to have on hand...ready to tuck into gift bags or lunch bags or to use as tags.

These are so cute...and super simple to make! I cut the 3x3 squares from Whisper White card stock, embossed a few images from the Project Life December Wonder stamp set and rounded the corners. Then I used the Envelope Punch Board to make the coordinating envelopes...using All Is Calm Specialty DSP.

Envelope wraps are hot right now...and I thought it would be fun to add a coordinating wrap to my Love Notes! So...for the wrap's front I stamped and embossed the larger snowflake from the same stamp set and punched it out using my 1 3/4 inch Circle Punch.

I then cut a 4 1/4 x 1 1/4 piece of Soft Sky card stock, scored it at 2 3/4 and stamped and embossed the to:/from: sentiment...also in silver. I so LOVE the look of the wrap!

I have to gush a bit about the December Wonder stamp set...it's A.MA.ZING and perfect for more than just the holiday season. The snowflakes and the "Winter Wonderland" sentiment are so lovely for any winter project...and the little frame image is be adorable for any occasion...year round! It's available through the Holiday Supplement mini catalog...but only until December 31st!

As always...