Sundays With Lorraine

Hello and happy Sunday to all my crafty friends. I just returned home from our first Scrapbook Expo of the year and I’m happy to report that a fun time was had by all! Talk about inspiration! Lots of the new releases that we recently saw at CHA are starting to surface so there was definitely some must-have shopping on the show floor. Spending some creative time with our friends in Texas was a wonderful way to begin our season. I hope to see you at a Scrapbook Expo in your area. I’ll meet you at the Creativity Center!

Gettysburg by Tracee Provis

First up we have a sweet layout designed by Tracee Provis. Blue is my color, so it was pretty much love at first site when Bo Bunny’s Calendar Girl Collection was released last month. I absolutely love what Tracee did with all the yummy patterned papers; she has some serious skills when it comes to layering. It’s not always as easy as Tracee makes it look to successfully layer patterned paper. Thanks, Tracee, for showing us how it’s done.

Do you know about Bo Bunny’s challenge time? Here’s how it works in case you are new to this fun challenge. Each month they share a new sketch and what one of their very talented designers was inspired to create with it. I highly recommend stopping by the Bo Bunny Blog to see all the different variations of this month’s sketch – you’re going to love ’em all. Happy scrappin’!

Showers of Blessings designed by Amy Kolling

Shaker cards are all the rage right now so when I discovered this adorable card on the Stamp-N-Paradise blog and I knew I had to share it with you. Amy Kolling really knocked it out of the ball park with this sweet baby shower card. I was so inspired by Amy’s design that I’m going to use this design as the springboard to create the perfect cover for a mini album that I am making for a friend’s baby shower. Thanks, Amy, for being such an inspiration to your fellow paper crafters.

I know many of you have fallen in love with this card and are wondering where to find the dies and sequins. Not to worry, I have your back!  Just CLICK HERE and I will bring you over to the Pretty Pink Posh site so you can take a look around at all the treasures they have. For those of you who were eyeing the gorgeous sequins, Amy used Pretty Pink Posh “Sweet Pea Sequins Mix” with a sprinkle of their Mini Iridescent Star Confetti mixed in.

Happy Birthday My Dear Friend designed by Loll Thompson

As I mentioned earlier, blue is my happy color so naturally this gorgeous Happy Birthday card just jumped out at me and I’m honored to pass the inspiration forward. While the gorgeous inky background steals the show, it’s also the perfect background to support the simple white embossed trees. Don’t you love it when a card this beautiful comes together so quickly?

Would you believe that the blue background was made long before Loll had the vision for this sweet card? Loll makes several different backgrounds at the same time while experimenting with different techniques and coloring mediums. That way when she needs a background for a project she always has several to choose from that are dry and ready to go. I love this tip because if we don’t play with our art we will never truly know what we are capable of. So the next time you’re in a creative slump, cut up some A2 size pieces of water color cardstock and create like no one is watching! 😉  They won’t all be masterpieces like this one, but not to worry, that’s how we learn what works. The secret is to just have fun with your art! Thanks, Loll, for being such an inspiration to your fellow paper crafters.

DIY: Jar Lamp

Do you share my love of mason jars? Then you are going to love these adorable hanging lamps that you can easily make yourself.  Who would have thought that there would be so many uses for a simple glass jar? I use them for everything from organizing my craft room to creating many (many!) different crafts with them. If you’re familiar with our Tips of the Day, I’ve filmed quite a few using masons jars, so make sure to do a search for mason jars on Weekly Scrapper.

Here’s a bit of Mason Jar Trivia for you, did you know that in 2013 Ball celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first “Perfect Mason” jar?  To pay tribute to these well-crafted jars they released the limited edition line titled “Heritage Collection.”  These are a series of beautiful vintage-inspired mason jars. The first to be released in 2013 was the vintage blue followed by the Spring green and ending with the gorgeous purple in 2014. Who say’s we can’t have it all, right? Now we can have the vintage look without breaking the bank on purchasing antique jars. Not to worry if you’re a collector like me, there is always room for more mason jars. Old or new, we love them all! If you need these jars in your life you can click HERE and I’ll take you over to the Ball site so you can order your own. I have also seen them at Walmart and sometimes, if I’m lucky, I find them at my grocery store. The pint sizes are pretty easy to find now, but if you see the big dogs (the quart size), grab them because they aren’t very easy to find and they’re no longer in production, so once they are gone, they’re gone.

Cajun Honey Mustard Chicken

This Cajun Honey Mustard Chicken can be grilled or cooked on the stove top. It marinates for 1 hour up to overnight – so no matter what your time situation is, you can whip up this tasty dish in no time. I’m not kidding – it takes less than 1/2 an hour (5 minutes prep time & 12 minutes cook time, which doesn’t include marinating time). Pretty amazing, right? This is my kind of recipe! That means my family is full and happy and I have a bit more time in the craft room. 🙂

For all the yummy details, click here and I will escort you over to the Carlsbad Cravings Blog so you can print out the recipe. You might want to print out a few copies, because people will be asking you for the recipe!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!