Gypsy Spot Snow Challenge

This week's challenge at the Gyspy Spot was to use snow or snowmen in a Gyspy created and cut design.  I used my new Snow Friends cartridge along with Accent Essentials and Winter Woodlands to make a Let It Snow layout.

My layout features these two happy dancing snowpeople playing in the falling flakes.  The snowpeople are trimmed in white ink dots and mini pearls.  The blue sweater snowman is trimmed in white pearls, where as the pink and burgundy snow-woman is trimmed in pink mini pearls.  Even snow-women like to be pretty. And don't you just love the striped hat?

The layout title is LET IT SNOW, a cut from the Winter Woodlands cartridge.  The title is embellished with two small silver snowflakes. There are also larger snowflakes falling on the layout.  The largest snowflake was cut in navy cardstock and topped with winter blue cardstock.  The mid-sized snowflakes were cut with a silver metallic base, and a light blue Core'dinations White Washed topper.  The navy sections of the flakes were hand embellished with white pen.

Above is a close up of my snowman doing his winter storm happy dance!

Not to be out done, the snow-woman is doing an Irish Jig as her happy dance!

Bitten By The Bug blog hop - phone challenge

Happy Monday and welcome to our monthly Bitten By The Bug Blog Hop! Now if you have made it here from the blog of the awesomely talented Krista, then you are on the right track! This week our challenge was issued by the fabulously talented Regina, and she asked us to use this cute phone cut from the From My Kitchen cartridge. As soon as I heard the challenge was this phone, the Christmas song "Santa Baby" came into my head, so that's what I decided on. I took the line "Santa Baby...forgot to mention one little thing...a ring....I don't mean on the phone. Santa Baby, hurry down the chimney tonight!" LOVE that song! LOL! I just used scrap paper for the card along with Bazzil cardstock. All the pieces were cut out with my Gypsy that I got from Hallmark Scrapbook. I'm telling you, it is sooooo awesome not to have to dig through cartridges and change them out! Talk about a time saver! And anything that saves me time is a HUGE friend of mine! The frame the phone is sitting on is cut from the Gypsy Wanderings cart that comes loaded on the Gypsy. The word bubble is from George. I also used a Martha Stewart border punch and some faux stitching.

Now for the fun stuff, the blog candy! I am giving away an assortment of stamped images, including some images from Magnolia-licious , Wags N Whiskers, High Hopes, Belles and Whistles, and even some from the highly sought after Hanglar and Stanglar! You will also receive an assortment of charms, and that's STILL not all! You will also receive a set of cut outs (your choice) from Peggy Loves Vintage! Talk about being able to knock out some fast Christmas cards! Just use the awesome Christmas images from Peggy Loves Vintage, and you'll be done before you know it! All you have to do to win is leave a comment on this post before Midnight Friday night, Dec 3rd. That should allow you to receive it in plenty time to make some Christmas cards with your goodies.

Ok, so that's it for me today. Now you're going to head to the most infamous Donna's blog, and check out her fabulous creation for today's hop! I'm telling you, I sure wish I could make my Design Studio and Cricut sing the way this girl can. She makes the most awesome creations ever!!! Don't forget, if you get lost along the way during the hop, just pop back over to Bitten By the Bug to get back on track. Thanks so much for stopping by to see me today, and hope to see you back again soon! HUGS!

Happy Monday!

Happy Post-Thanksgiving Monday!  Have you recovered from the turkey and stuffing feast?  I must tell you, with absolutely NO modesty, that I prepared the best turkey we have ever had!  Really.  I brined the turkey and stuffed it with lemons and oranges, onion and garlic, and finally fresh herbs.  It was THE BEST!  Next time I will use a bigger turkey... We ran out of meat far too soon.

As good as it was, and it WAS GOOD, the turkey was not the highlight of the holiday.  I had all three of my "children" home from their various locations.  Aaron, a teacher in another part of the state, was here for just two days due to a Basketball Tournament at his high school.  Bethany was in from the College of Charleston until Saturday night. And Ian went back to college in Atlanta on Sunday.  We also had our friends the Conrads and their new baby daughter Sophie over for Thanksgiving day.  Doug and I learned to play Catch Phrase and Apples to Apples.  We had so much fun that I purchased the lastest versions of both games at Target on Saturday.

Okay, so enough of my holiday.  The challenge cut at Bitten by the Bug this week is the telephone on the From My Kitchen cartridge.  I used various papers from the SEI Winter Song cardstock set to cut my telephone and accessories.  And WHO would I be calling at this time of year?  Hello, Santa?

I am hoping to put in my last minute orders with the big guy.

I added Prima poinsettias and leaves to my card, as well as Season's Greetings ribbons.  I also used my favorite black pen to add a few dots, as well as a copic red marker.  I used red metallic paper for a few of the embellishing cuts.  I also used the Mini Monograms cartridge to cut the scalloped circle tag. 

The good news about this card is IF Santa's line continues to be busy, the card will fit an A2 envelope so I can drop this cardin the post.  There is still plenty of time for a North Pole delivery before Santa's sleigh is packed..

One additional note, be sure to go by the Gypsy Spot.  Today is the last day to register for the Gypsy give-a-way!!  This is your chance to pick up a free Gypsy.  What a great pre-Christmas gift for yourself!!!!

Flavor-of-the-Month . . . Goin' Retro

For our "traditions" theme, I wanted to share with you guys this very retro Jell-O salad that my mom had on the table at Thanksgiving when we were growing up. Every year, my plate was filled with my dad's smoked turkey, mom's cornbread dressing and this salad.

It's really pretty and a kid-pleaser, too.

I tried to scan my mom's recipe card, but our scanner (despite much yelling and bad language on my part) is not cooperating. So...here is mom's recipe...

Strawberry Creme Squares

2 (3 oz) pkgs. strawberry-banana Jell-O
2 c. boiling water
2 (10 oz) pkgs sliced frozen strawberries (I could only find sliced in syrup, that's ok)
1 (13 oz) can crushed pineapple (only able to find 8 oz, so I guesstimated w/ 2 cans)
1 (8 oz) container sour cream


Dissolve jello in boiling water.

{Don't you love that RED?!?}

Add the frozen strawberries and stir occasionally until thawed. Stir in the pineapple.

Pour half of the mixture into an 8 or 9" square pan. Chill until firm.

Gently, spread with sour cream. (I used an offset spatula....I don't know how mom did it without!)

Spoon on remaining strawberry mixture instead of pouring so that it won't mix with the sour cream. Chill until firm.

{Pls ignore those floury fingerprints on the pan...I guess I was multi-tasking while taking pictures!}

I took a poll on Twitter and December's Flavor-of-the-Month will be...

Cookies!

Share any cookie: decorated, drop, bars, filled...you name it!

{As always, anyone is welcome to link to Flavor-of-the-Month; you don't have to ask. Click here to read through all of the previous posts for instructions.}

Ready to link up? I'll keep the linky open through December 2nd, then close it to avoid spammers.

Thanks for participating...wow...November was so much fun! I loved reading EACH and EVERY one of those pumpkin recipes!!!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

At our house, we eat these a lot as breakfast for dinner. For years, I told my son they were "fall pancakes" because I knew "sweet potato pancakes" wasn't going to go over so well. (He's 10 now, so he can handle the truth!)

Call them what you will...they are yummy!

These are made with canned sweet potatoes. They could certainly be made with fresh cooked & mashed sweet potatoes, but it makes me smile buying that can of Sugary Sam's. :)

Sweet Potato Pancakes

1 ¼ c. all purpose flour
¼ c. chopped pecans, toasted
2 ¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
¼ tsp coarse salt
1 c. buttermilk (or regular milk)
¼ c. packed dark brown sugar
1 TBSP vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (16 oz) can sweet potatoes, drained & mashed

Whisk together flour, 2 TBSP pecans, baking powder, spices and salt.

Combine milk through vanilla; add to the flour mixture. Stir until smooth. Stir in the mashed sweet potatoes.

Ladle about 1/4th cup batter for each pancake onto a non-stick griddle. Turn when edges are cooked and top is covered with bubbles.

Top with maple syrup....

...and maybe a little more syrup...

and sprinkle with remainder of pecans.


Related posts:

• lemon-blueberry pancakes
• homemade, whole-grain pancake mix

Flavor-of-the-Month link up is tomorrow, November 30th!

Magnolia Christmas frame card with Waiting Tilda and Martha Stewart border

Happy Saturday everyone! Hope all my friends in the US had a wonderful Thanksgiving! And for those of you that ventured out yesterday in seach of the perfect bargain, I hope it worked out for you! Me? Nope, I don't even touch Black Friday. I have to get up for work every week day at 4:30, there's no way I'm getting up that early on a day off. LOL! My sleep is worth more to me than the bargain I might find out there. Now onto my card, this was so much fun and easier than I thought it would be, and I totally love the effect. So I will be making more of these frame cards, that's for sure! I first saw it over on Dawny's blog for our Papertake Weekly challenge and fell in love with hers, and I was lucky enough to have the day off, so I could immediately start on one of these frame cards. You can find the pictorial on how to make one yourelf right HERE. It was put together by our very own talented Claudia for a previous Patertake Weekly Challenge.

I tried so hard to show you the dimension of this with the camera, but I really couldn't capture it very well. The Magnolia house is in a frame that is recessed a full 1/2" from the front of the card. The effect in real life is awesome! I used three different Magnolia stamps which came from Magnolia-licious. I used Waiting Tilda, Large Sled, and #9 house. They're colored with Copic markers and then cut out. The DP is Basic Grey and cardstock is Bazzil. On the house, I added some liquid applicque and some beads for some sparkle. Around the edge of the frame, I added a border made with a Martha Stewart punch, and in the corners, I hid the meeting points with a MS snowflake punch adorned with a Kaiser pearl.

I hope you enjoy this card as much as I enjoyed making it, and I'd love it if you would try one for yourself. Thanks so much for stopping by to see me today and hope to see you back again soon! Big hugs!

Wags N Whiskers Challenge #4

Good morning and happy Friday! This week went WAY too fast for me as I had the week off. Now it's back to reality and work on Monday. Oh well...it let's me buy more playthings, right? With today being Friday, that means it's time for a new challenge at the Wags N Whiskers challenge blog. This week, the challenge is from the awesomely talented Jeanette, and she is asking us to use traditional Christmas colors. I chose to use this adorable stamp, Zoe and Gemma's Snow Fun. Isn't it adorable?? And she' available right now at Wags N Whiskers!

The quality of these stamps are truly remarkable!!! The deep etched rubber makes a fabulous impression! I stamped it with Memento ink and then colored it with Copic markers (pic below for markers used). I also used some white fun fluff on the hats and the snow. I love adding fun texture to my cards, and the grandkids love the feel of it too. I also used a word circle stamp from The Cutting Cafe' called Merry Christmas. It's a huge word circle that comes with different sayings to put inside it. I down sized it just a bit to make it fit the way I wanted to. That's the amazing thing about Regina's digital images. You can resize them to whatever you need for the moment. I love it!!! I just used the outside word circle this time, and cut it out with circle Nestabilities.

Added a nice big red silk bow along with a gorgeous snowflake charm that came from Lacey at Stamp and Create. Oh, and I used one of my new Martha Stewart border punches. Isn't it cool looking? The papers I used are Basic Grey and the cardstock is Bazzil.

That's about it for this card! Please be sure and join us over at the Wags N Whiskers challenge blog and play along with us! The only stipulation is that you must use a Wags N Whiskers image to win. So if you don't have any of the images yet, then what in the heck are you waiting for?? Just go HERE and have fun shopping! Thanks so much for stopping by to see me today, and hope to see you back again soon!!! HUGS!

Little Pumpkin

I've made lots of what I call "baby face" cookies over the past several years....


In the back of my mind, I've always wanted to make a "little pumpkin" version. (As a matter of fact, I just tried to talk someone into them a few weeks ago for a fall baby shower.) :)

Well, my sister was kind enough to oblige me by having a baby on Wednesday!!! Isn't that nice?

Want to see him?

His name is Tony and he is the sweetest! He IS a little pumpkin!




I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was filled with new baby, family, lots of food and football. I am thankful to have a sweet new nephew and thankful for all of YOU. Thank you so much for joining me here on the blog!

Giving Thanks

While a day on the calendar indicating we should stop to give thanks shouldn't be the only time we do so, it is a wonderful reminder to take a moment to reflect on the things in our lives for which we are grateful.

Among the things I am thankful for today is you. With so many blogs populating the world wide web, thank you for making Under A Paper Moon one where you chose to spend some time; I am humbled and honored you do.

Jonny Valiant

For those of you celebrating today, I hope your Thanksgiving is a very happy one filled with love and lots of wonderful food!!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones with Maple Nutmeg Icing

Gluten-free pumpkin scones with maple nutmeg icing.

Take a deep breath. Stop. Sit. I understand. I get it. And I know what you're craving. Because I'm craving it, too. After all the pre-Thanksgiving hubbub, after scouring the Internet for gluten-free recipes, after all the planning, the lists, the shopping at six different markets because one store never has everything you need (that would be too simple), the label reading, the patience (dug from somewhere deep and zen and maybe even vaguely transpersonal) to explain (again) why scraping the pumpkin filling off a wheat pie crust does not a gluten-free dessert make, what you crave (besides alone time with a freshly cracked book and your favorite mug filled to the brim with your beverage of choice) is something indulgent.

But not overly indulgent.

Continue reading

Papertake Weekly

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! Hope you're having a wonderful week, and to my friends in the US, If your anything like me, you're busy getting ready for a fiest on Thursday. For the Papertake Weekly challenge this week, the fabulous Dawny has asked us to make a favorite Christmas card, and it's being sponsored by the fabulous Simon Says Stamp!! I know I've said it before, but I truly love gingerbread peeps! It's one of my favorite holiday symbols. So when Regina over at The Cutting Cafe' came out with this ADORABLE cutting file Gingerbread Boy or Girl, I thought I was just going to jump through the roof! Is this not the cutest card??? And Regina makes it so easy for you! If you have a cutting machine, you can just use the wpc file and your machine will cut it right out. If you don't, just use your handy dandy pair of scissors and cut it out yourself. Either way, it makes the most adorable shaped card, don't you think?? I used Bazzil carstock for the base, PTI polka dot paper for the gingie, and more Bazzil for the decorations. The only thing I used that isn't included in the set is the Martha Stewart snowflake and a rain dot in the center of it. Oh, and a little ribbon too. So please pop over to Papertake Weekly and join in on the fun with us. You could win a fabulous prize from Simon Says Stamp. Thanks for stopping by to see me today, and hope to see you back again soon! HUGS!

Another Cupcake Wrapper - to Enhance Your Holiday Buffet

I know, I know - I'm late!!  It is Tuesday and I did not post my new Custom Crops project yesterday.   I had one new project this week, Poinsettia Cupcake Wrappers. 

I am going to be honest and tell you that this is my favorite cupcake wrapper to date.  They are cut with Plantin Schoolbook and Winter Woodland.... And are just SOOO festive.  I am picturing the top layer of my triple layer server filled with poinsettia wrapped cupcakes!!!  The cut file and complete instructions are available at Custom Crops - just follow the blinkie at the left to my articles at CC.  As a bonus, the cupcake and frosting recipes were also included...... And they are SUPER YUMMIE!!

By the way, today is Pink Tuesday at Custom Crops.  Pink Tuesday is CC's answer to Black Friday... Earlier and prettier!! Be sure to do a little shopping while you are checking out the new projects.

And finally, I wanted to share a photo of the flowers I received today from my husband for our anniversary.  Aren't they beautiful?  He knows I love pink roses.... But not as much as I love him!!!!