So sorry for my absence....

I guess I just needed a break or ran out of things to say. (I guess that one is hard to believe).  Then, a few days ago, I got locked out of my google account and couldn't get into my blog. Well, I am set now and expect to be much more regular about posting. I take my hat off to those of you that manage to post daily and keep it interesting. Speaking of interest, I have been spending a lot of time on Pinterest. I am a very visual person and I enjoy having a place that I can keep the cool stuff I find on the web and share it with friends and family. If you haven't checked Pinterest yet, you really need to try it. It doesn't take long to become addicted! Okay now for some cards:

Supplies all from Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, Not Quite Navy and Whisper White. Ink: Basic Black and Night of Navy Classic. Designer paper is retired "Green Tea". Stamps: "Fifth Avenue Floral."

 

Supplies:

Cardstock: Stampin' Up!'s Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, and Whisper White. Stamps: Retired  incentive stamp (mouse in cup), and Delightful Dozen stamps. Ink: Early Espresso and Pumpkin Pie.  Retired DSP, "Autumn Vine". Stampin' Write Markers.  Generic brass star brads.

Supplies All from Stampin' Up!

Cardstock: Not Quite Navy and Whisper White,  Designer paper is Paisley Petals . Stamp is from "Four Frames" which fits the Decorative Label punch. Ink is Not Quite Navy. Accessories: Bashful Blue grosgrain ribbon. SU embossing folder Finial Press.

Thanks for visiting!

My first fried green tomatoes...

My daughter Carol gave me some beautiful Brandywine tomatoes that were still green so I decided to try making some fried green tomatoes. Now I had never tasted these so I was taking the word of the southerners I know that they were a real treat. The green tomatoes were so pretty I had to take a photo. I found a highly rated recipe on the web and started cooking. (or should I say frying?) Fried foods are not seen too often at our house so you can believe me when I tell you, I went through a roll of paper towels, draining and blotting these babies off. Truth be told, they were delish and we totally enjoyed them. The other photos show the tomatoes after frying and some of my tomatoes I have canned. Note to self: plant fewer cherry tomatoes next year. Thanks for checking in at my blog. I will have some cards next post.

If you would like to try this and have some green tomatoes, here is the recipe I used .

Ingredients

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices
• Vegetable oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation

• Combine egg and buttermilk; set aside.
• Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan.
• Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.
• Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375°. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt.

3 Cards from my last workshop...

Last weekend I had a workshop focusing on sponging and reverse masking. We made three clean and simple cards using those techniques. We all had such a good time making these, I will definitely do another workshop using sponging.
First is a simple birthday card. Sorry about the glare on the black cardstock. Black does not photograph well. I always seem to get a glare. I used painter's tape to mask off the edges of the sponged area. Make sure you get some of the "sticky" off the tape first by putting it on your clothing or an old tee.

All from Stampin' Up! Cardstock: Basic Black, Very Vanilla. Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes, Petite Pairs. Ink: So Saffron, Cajun Craze and Basic Black. Ribbon Black and White checked Gingham (Ret).

 Next a super-simple thinking of you card. You could use different colors of ink to suit your taste instead of the pinks. I think this would work really well in the sunset colors. Painter's tape used again.

Supplies all from Stampin' Up! Cardstock: Whisper White and Certainly Celery. Stamps:  Autumn Days and  Three Little Words. Ink: Perfect Pink Pirouette, Pretty In Pink and Rich Razzleberry. Basic Rhinestones accents.

 This last one is a sympathy card. I think it is very serene and calming. I used torn paper to do the masking for the hills. Another clean and simple card.

Supplies all from Stampin' Up! Cardstock: Whisper White and Wisteria Wonder. Stamps:  Just Believe and Thoughts and Prayers. Ink: Perfect Plum and Elegant Eggplant. Basic Pearls accents.

Monster 'maters....

The garden has turned into a jungle! I can hardly turn around in there.

The cherry tomatoes especially have gone wild. Note to self: next year, only plant one cherry tomato. It is not the size of the tomatoes that makes them monsters but the vines have taken over three trellises. The good part of dealing with the jungle. Maters, beans and carrots. Yum!

Butterflies in the grass.....

I have to name all my cards that I photograph for my gallery so there will be some way to organize them if I need to find them again. I've noticed that some stampers seem to come up with such clever names for their cards. Me, not so much. So here is another card with a lame name "Butterflies in the Grass"

Supplies all from Stampin' Up! Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Pretty In Pink, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White. Ink Old Olive, Basic Black, Pretty In Pink, and Cherry Cobbler. Stamps: Inspired by Nature, Butterflies in Flight, and sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes. Ribbon- Old Olive Satin 5/8 inch. Punches: Word Window and Modern Label, and Scallop Edge Border.

I made pesto yesterday...

I had a lot of basil in the garden and I just didn't want it to go to waste. I love pesto but DH doesn't so I put it in mini muffin pans and put it in the freezer. Then I popped them out and stored the individuals servings in a zip-lock bag. I am growing Summer Long basil and the leaves are tiny so it took me a long time to pull 4 cups worth off the cut bunches. So worth the effort though, and the kitchen smelled so good all day. I love the smell of basil! Here is a pic of the basil before I made a big mess in the kitchen.

I also made zucchini relish this week. I got a kick out of the fact that everything except the onions came from my garden. My zucchini plants, the two of them, look like they are about finished for the season, so I cut them back and I will remove them in a couple of weeks.  We sure have enjoyed the zucchini!  I got 14 jars of the relish put up for the coming year.

I will post a card for you tomorrow. I haven't touched anything from the new Stampin' Up! catalog yet, and there are a lot of cute stamps and some great new colors. I just need to carve out a little crafting time. Take care and thanks for visiting.

Super simple little card...

I call this one Cupcake Shoppe. Super easy, just a little coloring, and a bit of cutting. Another card from my last Stamp-A-Stack.

Supplies: Stampin' Up! Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White. DSP Candy Lane (retired). Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes, and Perfect Punches. Sentiment is an incentive stamp. Ink: Basic Black Punch: Round tab punch. Stampin' Write markers: Pink Pirouette, Pretty In Pink, More Mustard and Crumbcake.
Red Stickles for the cherries.