Little Boy Valentine

Well I sure hope you are staying healthy and well this Winter.  Knock on wood, I haven't been sick yet however,  I have been flirting with those little germs a bit too much for comfort!  First my daughter had the stuff and now my grandson has it.  Poor guy has been running pretty high temps today.

While he is resting, I thought I would do a quick post of some Valentine cards I made for my two youngest grandsons.

The cards below were made using my Cricut.  I have to say,  I have always loved my Cricut but have been a little disgruntled with them lately.  I tried to use my Gypsy and it didn't work.  The power light comes on but the screen is black. I have had my Gypsy for a long time but have barely used it.

I did quite a bit of research on line.  I actually found a blog where someone had given instructions on how to reboot the machine and it had resolved her issue.  I was elated that I had found the solution to my problem but unfortunately that would not be the case for me.

I sent a message to the Cricut help desk.  Their only suggestion was to send it in for repair.  I am pretty frustrated with the quality of this machine and the short amount of time I actually used it. I think I spent more time getting all of my darn cartridges loaded on the thing than I actually used it for projects. I'm not really sure I am ready to dump another chunk of money into something I don't really love.  They no longer make the Gypsy, so from what I understand, parts used for the repair will not be new.  I have never LOVED this machine other than the fact that it holds all of my cartridges and I don't have to lug them with me when I go to crops. 
I did see that just this week Cricut announced that they are coming out with another machine. I think the company seems to be gearing their new items toward their new online program called Cricut Craft Room.  I am not sure how this works but I am intrigued. I think you can actually purchase one image instead of having to purchase the entire cartridge, which I like.  I also like that you can use the computer screen instead of that tiny screen on the Gypsy.  You can bet that I will be researching my options. When I have some time I plan to work on the Cricut Craft Room site.   I'll let you know what I think.  If anyone has advise or knowledge on this subject I would sure love to hear a comment from you on any advise you might have. I know some of you gals use your Cricut more than I do and are quite experienced.

OK enough whining from me. Back to my project.  

I made this card using the New Arrival cartridge.  I cut all of the images out twice so I could have a front and back.  This served two purposes. First, on the plane, I wanted to put tiny pics of the kids sitting in the windows.  Cute right?!   I was able to stick the pictures in between the to cutout pieces.  Second, I was able to put the string in between the two layers,  giving it a finished look.  Just remember that the back piece will need to be reversed which can be achieved by choosing the flip option.

Well my patient is calling me.  Back to my duties.
Have a great day.

Simple Stamping Technique Without Harsh Lines

I haven't had many posts lately.  My poor daughter has been sick with the flu.   Ugh!  I have been trying to help her out with the kids.  Well, it wasn't technically the flu.  According to her doctor it didn't test positive for the flu but is a virus that acts just like it.  She ran a fever for well over a week, 10 days I think.  Anyone who knows me,  knows that I am a little bit (alot) afraid of germs.  Let me tell you... I have sanitized her house and my hands more than anyone might think possible.  I am trying hard to keep me and the kids from getting this terrible thing. She is starting to feel better now yeah!

Tomorrow is my Mother's Birthday.  Of course I had to find time to make her a card.  This is a special birthday so I didn't want anything silly.  I decided to make a card that is simple and one that hopefully she will find elegant too.  I used a wooden stamp from Stampendous called Flower Field.  I believe I purchased this at Michaels. I used my Distress markers to color in the image right on the stamp block so that I could control where to lay my color. I didn't want to stamp it in black first because I didn't want the harsh lines. 

Use your markers to color in the image on the stamp itself. If the stamp is detailed this may take a while, so once all areas on the stamp are colored in,  you need to "huff" on the stamp.  Your warm breath will re-wet the ink.  Then stamp as usual.  This is a great technique for an image in which you don't want the harsh black lines. Give it a try!  If you have any questions just place a comment and I will try to answer them.

Have a great day!

Yummy Chicken and Black Bean Soup

I found another great recipe this week.  I got this one from SkinnyTaste.com. So far this website is two for two! I made a few changes to the recipe for myself and I will list those below.  You can click on the link above if you would like to see the original recipe on the Skinny Taste website.

 I didn't really change much from the original recipe but thought I would share how I made mine.
The original called for Ancho Chili Powder, I used regular.  I would have added onion as well but forgot.  I made this on the stove top instead of the crock pot............ because I didn't get it done that morning :)  I already had leftover chicken from one that I had roasted the night before.  I followed the directions on how to make the soup otherwise.
When the soup was ready to serve I smashed my avocado with a little lime juice and put a dollop in my soup and served it with a few tortilla chips.  It was DELICIOUS and easy.  By the way... leftovers were even better.  The nutritional information can be found on the Skinnytaste website as well.   I hope you try this.  I know it's going to be a keeper at our house.

• 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 (10 oz) cans Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 red bell pepper, minced
• 4 oz can diced green chiles
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 16 oz (2) skinless chicken breast (shredded)
• 2 medium scallions, diced
• cut limes, for serving 
• 1 medium haas avocado, sliced
• sour cream, for serving (optional)