celebrating blog friendships

 Hello there.

Have you popped over from Rachel's blog? If so, I bet you enjoyed her post!

If you just happen to be stopping by, welcome to you also :-)

What a difference a year makes.

It was just about a year ago that I signed up for Shimelle's Blogging for Scrapbookers class and since then so much has changed. 

With the purchase of our first home (quite the fixer upper!) I have been putting my crafty skills to work in other ways: removing wallpaper, painting, decorating, you know...

And while I LOVE it, all that work doesn't allow for much time to get up to my elbows in paper, adhesive and embellishments. Fortunately we are finally making progress in the house and I should be back to scrapping soon! 

Well, in spite of the plate-load of projects I have been working on at home, that all too familiar scrapping itch has been nagging at me. I just couldn't validate unpacking a box or two of supplies when the house needs so much work. I mean, we have to make a suitable living area first, right? 

Ugh, responsibility. 

BUT....if I scrapbook for a 1 year reunion of alumni from the Blogging for Scrapbookers course then surely it should be okay. Right? RIGHT?

Thanks for backing me up on that one ;-) 

So here it is. The journaling explains it all. Thanks to Shimelle for this great class and Thanks to Jo and Lizzie for organizing this event!

(if you look closely, you'll find just a few of my favorite blogs I discovered via BFS)

Journaling:

I should have known that when I signed up for Shimelle's Blogging for Scrapbookers course that there would be much more in store for me than the course description expressed. 

Yes, I learned lots of tips and helpful hints about blogging. 

Yes, I certainly got some great ideas for scrapbook pages. 

Yes, I looked forward to getting that prompt in my inbox every morning. 

When I handed over my class fee I sort of expected these things to happen. 

What I didn't expect to happen was perhaps the best part of this course. 

I didn't expect the friendships. 

Because of this course I have "met" creative, inspiring women from all over the globe. I stumbled upon a community of crafters who appreciate each other, cheer on the successes of each other and revel in each other's art. 

We are scrapbookers, card makers, writers, photographers. 

We come from all different walks of life, yet so many of us are traveling the same path.

There is wisdom shared, encouragement doled out, plenty of laughter and even some tears. They inspire me with their words and their art.

I look forward to reading their blogs whenever I can and enjoy knowing that they are reading mine.In some ways my blog friends have become a window to the world. 

It's pretty wonderful.

Although I will likely not get to meet these women in person it is good to know we're in this together- connected by our crafts and the internet. 

It's a small (crafty) world, afterall.

Well thanks for stopping by! Next you're in for a treat as you head over to this fabulous place.

And don't forget your letter...you'll need this to complete the phrase for the prize! 

p.s. If you missed any stops along the hop, just pop on over to Lizzie's where you will find the complete list. Enjoy!

tea for two (or four...)

Well hello, everyone! 

It's blog hop time once again, if you can believe it. Time certainly does fly. You might remember our blog-hopping crew from our last endeavor back in December when we brought you lots of delicious recipes and crafty ideas. 

Well, here we are again, this time with lots of ways to celebrate that lovely February holiday- Valentine's day. 

I am focusing on celebrating the ever important relationship in your life- your friendships. So pull up a seat and get ready for a hop full of ideas that will help you celebrate the variety of important 

people in your life. 

So, how to celebrate my ever so important girlfriends in a fun and whimsical way? Tea party it is!  I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon than with with the ladies I love, gathered around a tea pot with lots of good talks and refills. When thinking about a cute way to dress up the table, I remembered coming across a picture somewhere that showed tea bags with different shaped labels. That memory played around in my mind for awhile and evolved itself into a really simple, yet adorable idea:

PERSONALIZED TEA BAGS

MATERIALS:

tea bags

plain or patterned paper in two colors

scissors

letter stickers

heart punches in two sizes(*can also use die cutting machine or cut by hand)

mini- hole puncher

DIRECTIONS:

1. punch one large heart and one small heart from papers you chose

2. adhere small heart to larger heart

3. choose first letter of each guests names from letter stickers and adhere on top of both hearts

4. punch small hole in larger heart

5. cut label off top of tea bag

6. loop string from tea bag through mini hole and tie, cutting off excess

7. put in tea cup, with label resting on the handle of tea cup and, voila!

As you can see, it is a super fast and simple way to personalize and dress up your table for your grown up tea party. And as an added bonus, this can easily be adapted for birthday parties, showers or any celebration where you will be serving tea.

Now that you have one idea under your belt, be sure to stop by and check out the creative genius of these lovely ladies:

 Laura at Cameron Crazy

Sharyn at living artfully

Carrie at Through the Camera Lens

Maya at Basement Chronicles

Happy Valentine's to all of you. May whichever relationships you cherish; be it friendships, significant others, pets, or coworkers, be blessed with lots of love and happiness, not only on Valentine's Day, but each and every day throughout the year :-) 

<3

p.s. sending many happy thoughts your way, Julie! 

so honored & a reminder

Happy Friday, all!

Am I the only one who feels like this Friday is one that took its sweet time to arrive???

Well it is finally here, and it is an exciting one (at least I think so ;-) !) 

Why the excitement? Well, today I am being featured over on the ever so creative and inspiring suzyville as this week's friday fave! Between her quotes of the day and her really cute "things I didn't buy today" posts, I am always entertained by thought provoking ideas and some really good eye candy ;-) 

Be sure to stop over and check it out. And while you're there be sure to check out the link to her etsy shop, she is one talented jewelry maker!

It has been both an honor and a pleasure to contribute :-) 

Thanks again, Suzy! 

...and just a reminder

... the Spread the Love Blog Hop is happening tomorrow at 12:00pm CST (that's 1:00pm for all us east coasters)! Be sure to stop by and see the loved themed ideas we've conjured up to help you celebrate the special ones in your life. 

See you then! 

martha's fast fajitas

So, I will let you in on a little secret...I am slightly addicted to mexican food. We eat it around here at least once a week. From tacos to enchiladas to today's Melissa & Martha post...fajitas!

This recipe is super easy to prepare and you will be sitting down to eat faster than you can say "Ole!"

 I don't care for meat, so mine was strictly veggies but mmb (my boyfriend) said the chicken was great.

I'll take his word for it. ;-)

If you are looking for something flavorful and fast that you can feel good about eating, then give this recipe a try. The freshness of the ingredients lends a crispness to the meal that leaves you satisfied without that yucky too full feeling.

Add some light sour cream and avocado and you are transported to Mexico in an instant!

(Or so I think anyhow, I haven't been there yet...)

On a side note, have you seen all of the great products that CHA is rolling out this year? MellyPea from Two Peas has some great videos on her blog that you can check out to see what is the latest and greatest in the paper crafting world. I knew I was holding on to those gift cards from Christmas for a reason! Oh how I envy people who live in California right now...

And speaking of craftiness, be sure to stop by on Saturday. Some of my crafty blogging friends and I are up to it again...

..and this time it is love themed, just in time for Valentine's Day!

peppermint topped brownies

Place a tray of theses beautiful and delicious treats on any table and you get instant holiday cheer!

The first time I made these brownies I was wowed by the flavor and texture that could come from such a simple thing to make. The chocloate in the brownie is just sweet enough without overpowering your tastebuds and when you combine it's fudgy texture with the creaminess of the ganache and the light crispness of the peppermint topping, you create a dessert made it heaven.

Ingredients

10 tablespoon butter, plus more for pan

6 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, broken into large chunks

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
80 hard, round, red-and-white peppermint swirl candies (17 oz)

1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup whipping cream

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9- by 13-in. baking pan. In a medium saucepan, stir butter and bittersweet chocolate over very low heat with a heatproof rubber spatula until just melted (do not let simmer or boil). Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Slowly pour chocolate-butter mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Into a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, then whisk together. With a clean rubber spatula, gently fold flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined.

3. Spread batter evenly in the baking pan. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until brownies are firm, beginning to pull away from sides of pan, and a toothpick inserted in center emerges with only a few crumbs clinging to it. Let brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

4. Reduce oven temperature to 300°. Line a level, rimmed 11 1/2- by 16-in. baking sheet with parchment. With a pencil, draw a grid of 1 3/4-in. squares on parchment (5 rows of 8), leaving about a 1-in. border, and turn parchment over. Place a mint in the center of each square. Bake 15 to 25 minutes, or until completely melted into 1 large sheet, but remove before candy begins to turn yellow. Immediately score peppermint squares with a pizza cutter, using pencil lines as your guide. If scored lines don't hold, rescore quickly. Let candy cool completely. Gently break into squares along score lines. Arrange, bake, and score remaining 40 candies the same way (you'll have extra squares; pick the prettiest).

5. In the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over simmering water, combine chopped semisweet chocolate and whipping cream. Cook, stirring often, until melted and blended. Remove from heat and let ganache cool until just warm.


6. Pour ganache over cooled brownies in pan and allow to set until firm, about 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator.

7. Place peppermint squares bottom side up on ganache, leaving enough room between squares to cut brownies. Cut brownies into squares along edges of peppermint tops, wiping knife clean between cuts. Remove brownies from pan, discard (or eat) scraps, and return brownies to pan. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure wrap does not touch peppermint, and refrigerate 3 hours (to soften candy a bit). Serve slightly chilled.

                                                          original recipe found {here}

*And a cheat note....if you are short on time or just want an easier way to make these irresistable treats, you can used boxed brownie mix and canned frosting!

Next you'll be visiting Sharyn again for another wonderful project. I am sure you loved her first one, so get ready for this one!

By the way, have you visited the others and seen their wonderful projects today? Wow! What a team! I have had a blast working with Sharyn, Maya, Laura, Carrie and Julie and have come away with so many great ideas to fiull up the rest of the season (and file away for years to come), I hope you have too. A sincere thank you  for allowing us to share our passion for creativity with you.
Thanks for hopping with us! 
Happy Holidays!

...and p.s. the "Blogover" is coming soon, I hope you'll come back and visit to see what I have been up to!

crayon rollups

When I was a little girl, I never went anywhere without my crayons. I would stuff them into my pockets, my backpack, or even just carry them in my hands. I can only imagine my mother would have appreciated having something like this crayon rollup for me (just thinking of all the melted crayons that ended up in the laundry still makes me feel guilty!). That memory led me to believe that my girlfriends who are already parents might like to have one of these crayon organizers for their children. They are great for trips on the go, just throw it in your purse and you have hours of creativity for your little ones at your fingertips.

This year, all the children on my list are getting one of these fantastic portable and easily accessible rollups. This one in particular is for our friend's super adorable daughter, Chandrea.

Perhaps you have a child in your life that might enjoy one, too.

This project is inspired by a tutorial I found on the Fiskars website. I have adapted it to make it feasible for "non-sewers" like myself.

Materials needed:

1/4 yard of fabric one (my floral print)

1/4 yard of fabric two (my polka dot print)

1 yard ribbon

coordinating thread

crayons

*there are many really good etsy stores that sell fabric that would be great for this, just do a search for fabric under the "supplies" section

 

1. Cut two 6x21 inch pieces from fabric one and one 7x21 piece of fabric two.

2. Set fabric one aside.  Fold fabric two in half lengthwise (it should now measure 3.5 x 21) and iron to crease.

3. Use your sewing machine to topstitch a ¼ inch inseam along the long 21 inch edge next to the folded crease.

4. Lay one piece of fabric one (right side up) and line up the fabric two piece on top (right side up also, so that the bottom edges line up)  Pin to secure.

5. Machine stitch along bottom to secure.

6. Place piece from step #5 right side up on top of other piece.  Cut ribbon into two 18 inch pieces and pin about 2 inches in from right side.

7. Stitch 1/2 inch around all edges, leaving the left side open.  

8. Flip right-side out. Iron.

9. Fold edges of left side in, pin and stitch to secure.

10. Mark at 1 inch intervals on fabric two, using a fabric marker or pins.

11. Stitch at the marked or pinned interval points (only on fabric two).

12. Trim threads.

13.  Fill with crayons.

14. Watch recipients eyes light up when they receive the customized gift they can take anywhere with them!

This crayon rollup is a really fun project that can be used not only as a holiday gift, but also for birthdays and other special occasions.

It it great for parents and caregivers because it provides convenient entertainment for the kids.

It is great for you because you get to make a meaningful gift you know will be helpful.

It is great for the kids because you are encouraging their creativity.

And I cannot think of a better gift than that.

Next up you're heading to Sharyn's blog where you will no doubt find a fabulous idea you will want to give a try. Enjoy yourself!

Let the blog hop begin!

 Good Morning. The big day is here!

 Are you ready for 12 hours of homemade holiday loveliness?

The 12.12.12 Holiday Blog Hop has finally arrived and we have been working as hard as a bunch of little elves on projects to bring you on this much anticipated day.  It is our hope that the compilation of holiday gifts and recipes that will be coming your way every hour for the next twelve hours will bring you some inspiration for those last minute projects, or ideas you can file away for the next holiday season.

It has been an honor to work with these incredibly talented and imaginative ladies. I have no doubt that you too, will find their creativity refreshing and motivating. Please join us by visiting each link while we make the holiday a little more inspired, one project at a time.

Enjoy!

The schedule is as follows:

(all times are CST)
 
9am: Laura at Cameron Crazy

10am: yours truly at sunlight & simplicity

11am: Sharyn at living artfully

12pm: Carrie at Through the Camera Lens

1pm: Maya at Basement Chronicles

2pm: Julie at just our story

            then we begin it all again with 6 brand new posts....

3pm: Laura at Cameron Crazy

  4pm: Yours truly at  sunlight & simplicity

5pm: Sharyn at living artfully

6pm: Carrie at Through the Camera Lens

7pm: Maya at Basement Chronicles

8pm: Julie at just our story

Here's to filling our holidays with gifts from the heart! 

can you feel the excitement?? (& some explanations)

We'll start with the explanations first...you may have noticed that things are looking a little strange over here at sunlight & simplicity lately. Things are changing, moving, being added, removed, etc... Well that is all for good reason. When I started this blog is was going to be a tester to see if I was going to be able to "get into" blogging. Turns out, I did. Got hooked in fact. I have "met" so many wonderfully talented and inspiring bloggers and I can't turn back now! So now, since I have decided to keep s&s going, I have been tweaking it a bit. Big changes coming soon, I hope you'll enjoy the new look of my "blogover". I don't want to give too much away, but if you're patient, I'll see to it that you get on the "nice list" this year. Thanks for bearing with me during these changes!

And while I am on the subject of thank you's, I just want to say thank you to everyone who stops by to visit and check out what is going on over here at sunlight & simplicity. I truly appreciate all of the kind comments you have made and enjoy visiting all of your blogs as well.

You have been so kind. I hope you will continue to visit often.

And now, on to the excitement!

It's almost here! Only one more day until the...

Saturday 12/12

12 hours

12 posts

6 Lovely ladies

Start time: 8:00am CT

That's right; on the hour, every hour, for 12 hours there will be a holiday spirited post coming your way in the form of a blog hop between myself and 5 very talented ladies. Be prepared for inspiration to bust out your aprons and scissors and glue guns and so much more. It promises to be a day filled with inspirational ideas to put the homemade back into the holiday season. 

 

I do hope you'll join us.

Check back later today for details!

And to all who are celebrating today, Happy Hannukah!