Long Format Birthday Card

While re-organizing my craftroom (AGAIN), I discovered some forgotten-about, long, blank cards from Making Memories. Although Ben Franklin Crafts no longer carries this product, I thought that the long rectangle format would be something fun to work on for a change from the standard card shape. The inner card slides through the the band cut in the outer card. I used a The Greeting Farm stamp ( I don't know the name) because the card is for someone special who loves cats (and the color turquoise). The image was colored with Copic pens and the die-cut cardstock embellishments are from either Martha Stewart or K and Co. The fun part is when you slide the inner card through the band, the secret message (Stampendous stamp) is revealed. If you decide to make a card like this, be sure to make the part of the card that slides thorough the band free from any thick parts as they will stick in the band. Oh, the 'It's Your Birthday" is a stamp from a Hero Arts set. The bottom photo shows more clearly how the card looked before it was decorated. See how simple it is? You can easily make this card base. I recomment using sturdy card stock if you are going to add a lot of embellishments. Break out of your card rut and try making this card. Thanks for visiting this blog. I love hearing from you, so leave a comment if you have the time.

Banana Breakfast Cookies

Cookies for breakfast? I'm there! When I read a recipe for chocolate chip banana cookies, I thought that they sounded like they would be great for quick breakfasts .....if only they were healthier. The following is the recipe for cookies that are nutritional and yet still have the original flavor:

1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup butter (room temp.) (reduced by 1/3 from original recipe)
1/4 cup Splenda Blend sugar (actually only 1/8 cup of real sugar)
1/4 cup Splenda Blend brown sugar (actually only 1/8 cup of real sugar)
1 large egg
1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 over-ripe mashed banana
1 cup multi-grain rolled oats
1 cup bittersweet large chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Whisk together the first three dry ingredients and set aside. Cream sugars and butter. Beat in egg and add vanilla. Stir in mashed banana. Blend in dry ingredients, oats, walnuts and chocolate chips. Using two spoons, scoop out dough to form 16 - 18 cookies on two parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 14 to 15 minutes until cookies are a yummy brown. Cool cookies on a rack and enjoy!
The cookies did not flatten out like most chocolate chip cookies (because the recipe has less butter) but you can flatten them before baking and they will look more traditional (baking time will be less). This recipe is great for using up that one last banana that no one wants to eat. LOL! I hope that you will try this recipe and resolve to eat healthier. I heard a sobering statistic: It is predicted that 1 out of 2 people in Hawaii will be diabetic in the next generation. Take care of yourself and your family so you can live long, happy lives.

No-Halloween-candy caddy boxes

Every year I can't resist sending my too-old-for-Halloween sons some candy. They always say,"Stop it MOM!". This year I'm mailing them Halloween caddies with Post-It note pads and mini-pens. Hmm-mm-mm the Martha Stewart treat bags would be perfect to send some non-candy treats like tea or li hing mui... hee-hee LOL! The caddies were constructed from a Sizzix die-cut chipboard upon which I glued Halloween paper before cutting. By swapping the two parts, two different looking caddies were made. The plastic skeleton keys are Jolee's stickers and the labels used die cuts from a huge K and Co. package. You can find lots of Halloween embellishments at Ben Franklin Crafts but you need to hurry 'cuz Halloween is just a couple of weeks away. Shh-hh! don't tell my boys that their silly old mom is going to send them Halloween stuff again......but it's not candy!

The Uncomplicated Autumn Necklace

Remember the last autumn necklace photo I posted? I made that necklace for myself after unsuccessfully trying to make one for a gift (just couldn't figure what style to make). Well, I finally came up with a simple wire strung bead necklace with a cool leaf clasp. The beads from Ben Franklin Crafts are a perfect choice because the recipient really loves glass beads after going to Murano, Italy. I know she bought some beads there. I scanned old photos and searched my memory to remember the styles and colors of jewelry that she wears. I feel confident this easy front closing necklace will please her. The photo below shows the last of my extra card boxes decorated for autumn and filled with the necklace (in a ziploc bag so the necklace won't fall out). The Sister Stamp image was colored with Copic pens. The umbrella and kimono were paper pieced. The words were stamped using a Dandelion Design stamp from Ben Franklin Crafts. The ribbon and autumn leaf washi paper are from BFC, too. I can't wait to give this gift because it took me so long to decide what to make and I'm excited to see if I guessed right about her taste in jewelry. Happy autumn crafting!

Christmas Cards for Kris

I haven't really taken out my Christmas craft stuff (still working on autumn) but since I was testing out my latest holiday purchases I decided to turn the tests into cards for Kris who will give them to her aunt to go with her stuffed dolls for sick children. This is Kris' blog site address:(http://klusivekreations.blogspot.com/2011/09/make-child-smile-this-christmas.html). You can donate too, but you need to send it to her by Nov. 1st and don't put any glitter on your 4x4 card (no envelope needed). Mostly I was playing with the Sizzix embossing folders (see photo below) which I used on paper from the Whitewash pack, available at Ben Franklin Crafts. The embossed designs were lightly sanded to bring out the under-color. I really like the two packages of K and Co. stickers (also from BFC) because of their vintage look and the fact that one set has layered die-cuts and the other has foil highlights. I hope that all you wonderful, generous crafters in blogland will help Kris out (she needs 150 cards). Thanks for reading this and please stop by again.

Thanksgiving Place Cards

After looking at my extra undecorated candy box cards (others were decorated for Halloween in a previous post), I decided that they would make great place cards for our Thanksgiving dinner. Using the Thanksgiving Hero Arts clear stamp sets (see previous post), some border punches, and faux autumn foliage I purchased from Ben Franklin Crafts, it was easy to assemble the card boxes. Filling the boxes with autumn themed chocolates will help to stablize the cards so they will stand up on the table. The guest's name could be attached somewhere on the place card (unless you are having a dinner for hundreds) and a small personal note or the menu could be written inside the card. Thank you for stopping by and I hope I've given you an idea to spice up your Thanksgiving dinner. Gobble, gobble, gobble!

Stamp Fever!

Every year I promise myself that I won't buy new stamps, but when the holiday stamp designs come out I lose my will power. Here are some of my irresistible purchases from Ben Franklin Crafts. I love autumn leaves and cute Thanksgiving stamps are hard to find; so these two Clear Stamp sets from Hero Arts were easy decisions and basically jumped into my shopping basket. The G Studio stamps are always a bargain at $1.25 each so when I saw these adorable Xmas sets (some with crystal stickers) it was a no-brainer purchase. I got extras for stocking stuffers and card add-ons. That's all for now.....stamp, stamp, stamp......stamping all the way!