Menu Monday- Even Later

First, let me apologize for the lack of posts and layouts recently.  I’ve been working hard on things I can’t show just yet.  There’s a lot coming up in September, I promise!  Here’s my menu and reviews for the week ahead.

Wednesday: Crock Pot Veggie Lasagna

Thursday: Baked Ham and Sweet Potatoes

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday/Sunday: We’re on the road this weekend, so this could end up being just about anything.

Monday: Pizza Rolls (made with leftover ham)

Tuesday: Ham Sliders

Wednesday: Salmon Frittata (nope, still haven’t tried this one.)

Reviews:

Artisian Bread- Loved it!  It was delicious and as easy as the recipe claims.

Overnight Peach French Toast: A little disappointing.  Not bad, but bland and not much texture.  I thought it was a little too custard-like for breakfast.

Man-pleasing Chicken:  Overall, pretty good.  I realized too late that I used the wrong syrup, and that took it down a notch.  Next time I’ll make sure to use the real stuff (I had some, but used Mrs. Butterworth’s by mistake.)  Mine didn’t brown like the picture… not sure how to fix that.  Maybe 2-3 minutes in the broiler next time.

Menu Monday

Yes, it's Menu Monday on Tuesday again.  Oh well.  It's still good food, which is ok in my book any day of the week.  Here's my menu for the next week.

Tuesday: Grill Pork Loin with Grilled veggies

Wednesday: Biscuits and Gravy

Thursday: Enchiladas (with leftover pork)

Friday:  Breakfast Pizza

Saturday: Oven Chicken

Sunday: German Pancake

Monday: Salmon and Spinach Frittata (I never got to this one last week, so it's back on the rotation.)

Reviews from last week:

Grilled Cabbage:  Awesome.  As in rock your world, can't wait to eat the leftovers awesome.  I will be making this again, and again.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothies: Double Yum.  Another keeper for sure.

Chicken Burritos: Another good one.  Don't skimp in the cheese, trust me.

Rostisserie Chicken:  This one let me down.  It was lacking in flavor, something that surprised me.  I'm going
to keep looking.

Honey Sesame Chicken: This turned out ok, but it was NOT this nice reddish color at all.  In fact, mine turned out a weird grayish-brown color.  But the flavor was pretty good.  I'll add some diced carrots and broccoli next time.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip: This one tasted terrific, but it didn't set up well, and turned into a puddle when I dumped it out of the mold.  I mixed it all together and it tasted great, so all was not lost.  I will have to investigate the setting issue next time.

The Skirt That Started It All

I’ve been on a huge Crate Paper kick recently (just in case you hadn’t noticed!) and working right alongside the Crate has been my Want2Scrap goodies.  One of the products that the Want2Scrap DT is using is the Crystal Lacquer and Pearl Powders from Sakura.   I covered the Chubba Bubba letters on this page with the lacquer, which I mixed with the Pearl Powders.  The way the lacquer works with the powders and forms this metallic sheen is really amazing. 



I know it’s hard to see in the photos, but there is a lovely metallic luster on those chipboard letters.  So much fun!

On a side note, the skirt was a gift to my daughter from her best friend, and the two girls have been matching their outfits, and swimsuits, and everything else, ever since.  They LOVE anything that matches the other.

Thanks for coming by!  You can find the products I used HERE.
~Alyssa~

Ten Tries

I love this layout!  It came together in 20 minutes (odd for me) and it actually looks as it did in my head.  This photo was taken of my son about 3 weeks ago.  It took 10 blurry photos to get this one clear one- hence the title. 

I used mostly Crate Paper’s portrait collection here.

Thanks for coming by and taking a peek!

~Alyssa~

Stamping with Mist

I have a new tutorial up at Pretty Little Studio today.  It is my last post as part of the Design Team.  I will miss this fantastic team and Melissa’s amazing products!

You can check out my tutorial HERE.

~Alyssa~

My Superheroes

My kids took swimming lessons for the first time this summer, and they got new goggles.  All of that led to this photo, which makes me smile every time I see it.  They kind of look like posing superheroes, don’t they? 

I had a lot of fun with this page, masking and painting and misting.  My Want2Scrap products are always perfect for digging out the art mediums, so they made an appearance too. 

Thanks for taking a peek!

~Alyssa~

Want2Scrap Supplies:

Sprightly Sprockets Nestaboard

Chubba Bubba Chipboard Letters

Say It With Bling, Navy Blue

Menu Monday (on Tuesday)

Ok, so yesterday I was grocery shopping, so Menu Monday was delayed.  Now that I know what I have on hand, here is this week’s menu:

Tuesday: Sesame Chicken

Wednesday: Rotisserie Chicken

Thursday: Peaches and Cream French Toast

Friday: Chicken Burritos (made with the leftover chicken from Wednesday)

Saturday: Tomato Cheese Alfredo (yes, again!)

Sunday: Grilled Pork Loin

And there you have it.  Let me know if you try and love any of these, and I’ll report back next week.

~Alyssa~

You Can Wish…

But not all wished some true!  Thank goodness for that!  This layout was made for the Pretty Little Studio Sketch Challenge, and this is the sketch:

And here is my layout:

You can see more of the sketch challenge and play along HERE.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

~Alyssa~

From My 'Stashe to Yours

Today I'm bringing you a little tag I made with some stamps from The Craft's Meow.  Designed by Nina Bracket, my set of Fun{tache}tic stamps is delightful!

I paired the stamps with (what else!) Want2Scrap products.  I used the Manila Tags, stamping on one, and staining another.  The I added some paint, a new silhouette, and a few fussy cuts.

Here's my tag:

Don't forget to head over to see Jean Martin next.  She's got another delightful project to share with you today!  Oh, and before you go, leave a comment here (by Aug. 12) for a chance to win!

Want2Scrap Products:

Sleek Strips Pearls White

Manila Tags

Partner Products:

Fun{Stashe}tic stamps from The Craft's Meow

Color Box Archival Dye ink

More Lucky Pennies

I’m popping back in to share another project using the newest kit from Little Black Dress, “Lucky Penny.”  This one features mostly Echo Park, with a lovely vellum sheet from Dear Lizzy in there too.  The letters were added by me, but pretty much everything else is straight from the kit.  Fun stuff!

You can see more of the kit HERE.

More soon!

~Alyssa~

Lovely Cousins

I'm up today on the Want2Scrap blog, with a new project featuring Heartfelt Creations and a lovely stamp I received from them.  Here's a little peek:

You can see the whole post HERE.
Thanks for coming by!
~Alyssa~

The Unforgettable Adventures

Time for another Crate Paper Color Challenge!  I love these challenges because Tara picks the most amazing color challenges.  I always end up sorting through my ginormous Crate Paper Collection and falling in love again (I can’t wait for the new releases!).  This month’s inspiration board looks like this:

My layout looks like this:



I finally feel like I have some MOJO!  It’s pretty nice, actually. Thanks, CP for this inspiration!
~Alyssa~

Lucky Penny

The newest Little Black Dress Kit has arrived, and it is aptly named “Lucky Penny.”  I created 5 projects with this kit, and have plenty left for more later on.  Here’s a peek at the kit:

And here’s my first project:

Thanks for taking a peek!  I’ll be back with more Little Black Dress projects soon!

~Alyssa~

It Happened One Day

Many of you probably know of the lovely Ronda Palazarri.  Well, interestingly enough, being Facebook Friends recently led us to playing the “Scamble with friends” app for the iPhone.  When we first started playing, it was obvious to me that she had much more experience with the game then I did, and she beat me soundly over and over.  It became my goal to someday beat her… and then scrapbook about it.  While getting beaten over and over, I learned how to take a screen shot with my phone in preparation for the event that I hoped would eventually come. 

Ronda is a very kind and encouraging person, and she often pointed out when I did well, or when I was gaining on her, and if it hadn’t been for her pointing it out, I probably would have missed this photograph-able moment. 

I used Crate Paper for this layout, mostly from the Random Collection.  Thanks for the fun, Ronda!

Thanks for taking a peek!

~Alyssa~

Scrap Room Renovation!

I’m so excited to be sharing this post with you!  I thought it might never happen, but I finally have a proper scrap room.  It’s really one end of the living room, but I have about 13’x10’, I I think it qualifies as a room.  Originally, this area was designed to be a dining area, open to the living room. 

This is my former work space.  It wasn’t usually this messy, but why not go for the full effect?  lol

I started with some furniture I bought at a garage sale last summer.  At the time, I wasn’t entirely certain what I was going to do with them, but the price was right.  They started out like this (and now I am kicking myself for not checking my photos before I started the reno.  Oh well.

After stripping, sanding (lots of sanding) and 4 coats of paint, they now look like this:

Cost Breakdown:

$60 for both pieces

$45 paint and supplies

$30 for hardware

Total: $135

Gotta love that!  Some of the drawers are still empty, so I have lots of room to grow.

Next, I bought these chairs at our local university’s salvage shop:

I did more sanding, then painting, and refinished the seats (there are two chairs in my new space), and ended up with this:

Cost Breakdown:

Chairs $10 ($5 each)

Paint $15

Fabric $10

Padding $5

Total Cost for 2 chairs: $40

Then, there was the need for a computer desk.  The space the remained was awkward, so my (awesome) husband designed and built one just for me, to fit the space:

Cost Breakdown:

Wood: $50

Husbands labor: priceless

Total cost for desk: $50

After those main items, the rest of the cost for the redo was minimal.  The tabletop came from the same salvage store as the chairs, and we added legs for a total of $31.  I spent $10 on baskets at Goodwill, and reused and reinvented items I already had for the rest.  There were a few miscellaneous costs for things like a cord protector (since my cords run under the rug), and some casters for the bottom of the chairs, etc.  Total cost for the renovation: $276.

I am so happy with how it turned out!  I love working in this space.  It’s bright, and cheery, so much so in fact that it can be hard to photograph.  I’m okay with that.  Here are a few more photos.

Thanks to everyone who has shared photos of their spaces and designs recently!  I gained a lot of inspiration from you, and I hope you find the same in my space.

Thanks for taking a peek! 

~Alyssa~