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Tuesday, November 29, 2011
What We're Eating: Triple Berry Turnovers
Recently I purchased a huge bag of frozen raspberries because I had this amazing idea to make about a million raspberry cream cheese muffins and send them to people as "I'm thinking of you" gifts. It was a sweet idea, wasn't it? Yeah, it was! But all the sweet ideas in the world are just frozen raspberries if they're never made into muffins.
Last week, I bought ANOTHER bag of frozen berries, this time a raspberry-blueberry-blackberry mix, for Thanksgiving. The hubbster doesn't like pumpkin pie or pecan pie (the two kinds of pies being provided by my mother-in-law) so I decided to earn some pie-points and bake him his own non-Thanksgiving-themed pie.
So I went to my freezer last night, and I had two half-eaten large bags of frozen berries. I was running out of room for all of my other freezer stuff (like the 10 boxes of Weight Watchers frozen desserts I've got in there). Something had to be done- and fast.
I did my normal problem-solver: www.foodnetwork.com, of course. And that's when I found heaven in the form of Triple Berry Turnovers- adapted from this recipe by the Neeley's.
WARNING: This recipe makes WAY too much filling for just 8 turnovers. We were happy about it, because we like berry stuff to accompany our vanilla ice cream once in a while. If you don't want extra, cut first six ingredients in half.
Triple Berry Turnovers
Servings: 8
Weight Watchers Points Plus Value per serving: 4
Weight Watchers Points Plus Value per serving: 4
Ingredients:
- 4 1/2 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds) frozen raspberries
- 4 1/2 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds) frozen mixed berry blend (blackberry, blueberry, raspberry)
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1 egg, beaten
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium pot, combine the first 6 ingredients and mix well.
- Cook on medium heat until berries are thawed and mixture is syrupy.
- Allow to cool in refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle on a well-floured surface and cut into 8 squares.
- Place onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Brush the edges of the square with the beaten egg.
- Place about 2 1/2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the square, leaving 1-inch on all sides clear.
- Repeat until all the puff pastry is used.
- Fold the turnover into a triangle, seal edges with fingers.
- Brush egg wash on top of each triangle.
- Bake the turnovers until puffy and golden brown, about 16-20 minutes.
- Dust with confectioners' sugar.
New Layout: From Smiles to Snark
I swear, when Aaron turned 3, he turned snarky. No lie.
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New Layout: Meeting Big Brother
We got some adorable photos when the kids met for the first time.
I made this layout for this Two Peas in a Bucket challenge.
I made this layout for this Two Peas in a Bucket challenge.
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A New Baby = A New Scrapbook
Abby was born in August- that means I get to start her scrapbook! Here's the first layout:
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Friday, March 25, 2011
Giveaway- WE HAVE A WINNER!
On Monday, BowDacious Babes offered a giveaway so that one lucky commenter could get their hands on one of her bows FOR FREE!
Congratulations to Jessica! Check your email for BowDacious Babes' contact info and send her your address to get YOUR FREE BOW!
Thank you to all who participated!
And, of course, a VERY special thank you to BowDacious Babes for being featured and for being so giving.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Featured Artist: BowDacious Babes Rockn' Hair Accessories
I know, this is my scrapbooking blog. I know, I don't really talk about anything except scrapbooking here- but I just had to make an exception today. I am so excited about this brand new store- and all of the possibilities for little ones and their hot mommas offered by it- that I couldn't keep it to myself!
I got to sit down with Crystal, the owner/operator of BowDacious Babes recently- here's our interview:
ShellinaScrap: Crystal- this new store is awesome! Tell us about how it came about.
Crystal: In the beginning though all the inventive Ideas were flowing for months, BowDacious Babes Rockn' Hair accessories was officially created in January 2011. I was always a fan of hair bows and head bands for me as well as for babies and toddlers..all ages really, but, I was never a fan of how big, identical, and ordinary and expensive they were. So as the months went by of sheeting all my business plans, stores like Joanns, micheals and whatever other stores were of my interest became my daily to do list, except, it was more like Idea list. So one day, as I was walking through the gates of paradise in other words, Joanns haha, I walked to the fabrics and it hit me!!Custom fabric head bands and bows!
ShellinaScrap: What made you choose to use Facebook as your selling platform as opposed to other crafty selling sites?Crystal: I chose to open and sell my product using Facebook for now because I feel its a smart move as a new small business, not to mention it provided me with everything I needed to build my clientele as well as my store front, provided by 'payvement' (sponsored by paypal) so that all my customers can conveniently shop just by allowing the app. Starting this way enables me to do **FREE Shipping** and allows me to constantly be able to tend to all needs and/or requests.
ShellinaScrap: We love awesome customer perks. It looks like you've got a lot of sales going on- who's helping you get all this work done?
Crystal: Because I am so particular as others would call, a perfectionist, my husband is the only one who helps me on occasion(when hes not on duty for the military) and he is a great help.Other then that its just me, myself and I that makes and ships all orders, and I'm darn good at it!ShellinaScrap: You're such a confident business-owner. What do you love about owning your own business?
Crystal: I love owning my own business because instead of giving pieces of your hearts desire into someone else's goals, you can put all your hearts desires into your own career and its path, it just depends on how high you want to make your mark.Taking the bull by the horns as I like to say, metaphorically of course!
ShellinaScrap: Okay, the question everyone is asking- How did you come up with that awesome name?
Crystal: The name BowDacious Babes was created by me and my amazingly talented sister! For days we conversed about what the name should be and because my bows and bands are for all ages I didn't want a name that was going to give the impression that it was only for their little angel and not for them. I want all my customers, whether they're mommies or not, to enjoy my product for themselves as well, because nobodies too old to make their hair BowDacious!
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After our interview, I asked Crystal if she would be interested in offering a giveaway- and you know what? She was more than happy to do one! BowDacious Babes will send one lucky ready two custom bows- one for momma and one for baby- FOR FREE! Comment on the post telling us which bow you love the most in Crystal's collection, and a random commenter will be chosen on Friday March 25! (see example of custom bow below)
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Like what you saw here? Contact BowDacious Bows at the following links- and share them with your friends!
Facebook: http://www.facbook.com/
Contact Email: BowDaciousBabes01(at)Gmail(dot)com
A very special thanks to Crystal from BowDacious Babes!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Giveaway- WE HAVE A WINNER!
On Monday, Runner Girl Creations offered a giveaway so that one lucky commenter could get their hands on one of her cards FOR FREE! Congratulations to Patti from Easton Place Designs! Check your email for Runner Girl Creation's contact info and send her your address to get YOUR FREE CARD!
Thank you to all who participated- come back Monday for yet ANOTHER giveaway!
And, of course, a VERY special thank you to Runner Girl Creations for being featured and for being so giving.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Featured Artist: Runner Girl Creations
Hello readers! This week we have the privelege of meeting an amazing traditional scrapbooker/card-maker, Runner Girl Creations. Not only do we get to meet her, but she's been gracious enough to provide us with a tutorial as well! But first, a little bit of info:
Runner Girl Creations creator is passionate about her work. She has numerous physical fitness degrees, a diverse background in health and fitness, and named her business after her love for all things healthy. In December 2010, she received a card from a deployed friend in the Army. Inspired, she began making her own cards. She keeps busy doing it, too- as a full time artist and the sole employee at Runner Girl, she's enjoying the ability to create and have the freedom to do whatever comes to her mind.
With so much dedication and love for her work, it's no surprise that she has many tips and tricks to share with us! In the following images, she'll show us how to make a card from beginning to end.
How fun- and creative!
And we're NOT DONE! Runner Girl Creations has a giveaway for one lucky reader- simply comment on this post, and on Friday March 18, a random commenter will be chosen to receive this gorgeous card! Get commenting!
Thank you, Runner Girl Creations! :)
Like what you saw here? Runner Girl Creations can be found at the following links:
Friday, March 11, 2011
Tutorial: Black and White Photo Conversion
Black and white photos can be breathtaking. Their ability to focus a picture, introduce new elements unnoticed in color, and simplify decent photos into masterpieces is widely known. However, changing a photo from color to black and white effectively is not so well known. Never fear- you’re about to learn how to easily (and beautifully) black and white your color.
Here’s a simple step-by-step plan to easily transform a color photo to black and white masterpiece using Photoshop CS.
Step 1: From the “Image” drop-down menu, select “Adjustments”, and then “Channel Mixer”. This is the most difficult part of the whole process. First, check the box in the bottom right corner that says “monochrome”. Next, slide the “red” slider to zero. You’ll notice your preview goes black. No worries- slide the “green” slider up to about 65%, and the “blue” up to about 60%. Move the sliders up and down until you reach the perfect black and white combo- you’re the judge on this one.
Step 2: From the “Image” drop-down menu, select “Adjustments”, and then “Brightness/Contrast”. Adjust the contrast to the desired level, in this case 30. You want true blacks, and true whites- play around with the slider til you find the perfect combo.
Step 3: Select the “Blur” tool from the tool panel. Make the brush size maneuverable for the photo, I used 231. Set “Mode” to “manual”. Set “Strength” to 100. Blur out anything that is not the primary focus. In this case, I blurred the background as much as possible, but especially the books in the bottom left corner. Eliminate any distractions.
And now you’re done! Your color photo is now a black and white photo- modern and eye-catching.
Have questions about other photo-processing techniques and would like to see more tutorials? Leave your suggestion in the comment area- we hope to see you again soon!
Also: Don’t forget about the huge CONTEST going on until Friday March 11- you could win a whole bunch of free digital scrapbooking stuff!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Featured Item: Celtic Wonder Paper Pack
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner. While I personally don’t have any plans for that evening, I know many do, and I KNOW the kiddo and I will be doing at least one shamrock-themed craft that day. And when we do, I’ll be able to scrap the memory- now that I’ve designed this classic, deep hue, Celtic symbol paper.
When I think about Ireland, I think of misty mornings and heavy fabrics, warm drinks and bagpipes. (It might have something to do with Braveheart.) At any rate, I imagine beautifully dressed women in long gowns of blue velvet and green emeralds, men in their kilts, and beautiful jewelry and symbols. With that in mind, I designed my Celtic Wonder paper set- a five piece set designed especially for those Celtic themed layouts. Check it out:
This pack is now on sale at ShellinaScrap- just in time for St Patty’s Day.
And now, an Irish blessing to bring you a smile:
(Click the quote to find more Irish blessings!)
Happy Scrapping!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Freebie: Layout & Template
When I was in fifth grade, my teacher told me something that would stick with me forever:
“Always KISS- Keep It Simple, Stupid!”
Now, while I don’t support teachers who make a habit of calling their students stupid, I can attest to the fact that simplicity, whether it be in life, in writing, or yes, even in scrapbooking, is an excellent way to make a bold statement.
Often, as scrappers, we find ourselves with a whole slew of pictures from our most recent exploit, but really only one good one. In my case, I’ll have 800 pictures from any given event, and I might keep three of them. (I’m a little shutter-happy.) So when I get home, and I’m sorting through hundreds of pictures, and I pick my one keeper, I then find myself saying something like, “Oh dang it! A one-photo layout?! Lame!”
And to that little voice, I then respond, “NAY! A great layout can be made with just one photo!”
I did it, and you can too, with a little help. Sometimes the best layouts feature one beautiful photo that tells a beautiful story- and the layout just helps it shine more. For example, this layout:
Notice how the whole layout seems to frame the focal point, and serves to draw the eye right to the kiddo? By choosing to keep the page free of elements, putting in just a little bit of well-placed journaling, and triple framing the photo, the beholder automatically is drawn to the photo- the whole point of the layout.
Now it’s YOUR turn! Here’s a freebie for you- the template (shadows and shapes included) for you to add your own papers, photos, journaling, and title work and make a beautiful simple layout. Just go my website, and use the access code FREE01 to download.Feel free to share your layout with us! Put a link to your layout in the comments, and I’ll pick one to feature later this week.
(Just CLICK HERE, and use the access code FREE01 to download.)
And hey- do you like the papers used in the layout shown above? They can be yours! The Iron and Wine paper pack from ShellinaScrap is available now at my shop.
Happy Scrapping!
Also: Don’t forget about the huge CONTEST going on until Friday March 11- you could win a whole bunch of free digital scrapbooking stuff!
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