Monday, September 20, 2010

A scary sneak peak!


Boo! Are you scared? You will be when you see this very (not so scary) ATC I created for the Spooky Halloween swap over at Fiskateers. This little monster is cut from some fabulous Reminisce Monsters Collection patterned paper (I think I have to go get some more).

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Calendar girls and "soups on"



These are the creations from my daughter's 13th birthday party. What a talented bunch!

Too many tomatoes from the garden? Here is a DELICIOUS recipe to use them all up! Putzy but worth it!

Tomato soup with basil dumplings

¼ C olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
3 C well-seasoned chicken stock
3 pounds very ripe fresh Italian plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 Tbsp gin (optional)

1 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
¾ C torn fresh basil leaves

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot. Add onions and garlic. Sauté’ over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, red pepper, lemon juice, sugar, and chicken broth. Simmer for 15 minutes. Strain out vegetables; return broth to the pot. Puree vegetables in a food processor or blender and return to soup pot. Add tomatoes and gin; simmer for 10 minutes or until soup begins to thicken. Watch carefully and don’t allow it to burn.

Meanwhile-Get a large pot of water to a boil. Combine flour, baking powder, and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Add eggs and oil; beat until dough is sticky. Stir in ½ C basil. Drop dough by ½ teaspoons into the large pot of boiling water. Simmer dumplings, uncovered, until they rise to the surface and then 3 to 4 minutes longer, turning periodically, until they are cooked through. (Test one by cutting in half to be sure the center is no longer raw).

Drain dumplings in a colander, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Set aside until ready to add to the soup. Add dumpling to the hot soup and serve at once. Garnish with remaining basil.

Monday, September 13, 2010

ORANGE Blog Hop Winner(s)!

Yes--"winners". 100 comments!!! A new record! So, I decided to pick 2 winners.


Karin Hall said...
What a great project - very nice. Karin H #6470

joybear said...
Oh so pretty, I know she will enjoy it!!!

Karin and joybear--send me your addresses so I can mail you some goodies!
purplekellystar@aol.com

Thursday, September 9, 2010

ORANGE you glad today is the Fiskateer Blog Hop?


ORANGE you happy to be a Fiskateer? Get ready to bounce through the Fiskateer Blog Hop. If you came from the blog of Debby's Dare, you are in the right place. If not, go back to the Fiskateer blog so you start from the beginning and don't miss a "scrap" of ideas and fun.
Orange you thinking that September is a great time to make a calendar? Orange you ready to see what fabulous Fiskars tools I've used? Orange you hoping I stop over-using "orange"?

Here is my orange creation...I made this calendar as a sample for my daughter and her friends. It was their crafty project for my daughter's 13th birthday party. They all thought they would be perfect for hanging in their school lockers.

I rescued an 11"x17" piece of cardboard from the recycle bin and covered it with 2 sheets of 12x12 paper. I had the paper hang over the edges on the top and bottom and I used a hot glue gun to secure them. You can wrap the sides too, if you like, but I chose to cut it.
Next, I punched circles from cardstock (using my Round and Round squeeze punch)and then placed the negative paper (with the hole) into a scalloped circle punch (Seal of Approval) .
I centered the hole...
and made a "flower".

By mixing and matching punched circles (that I "popped" with Zots) and flower rings, I created a garden. With some Thickers, I spelled out my daughter's name for the top of the calendar. I added a bow too.


I had a blank calendar page (from Close to My Heart, but you could easily print one out from your computer) and slid it into a page protector (that I trimmed to fit on my 11" wide cardboard). You can put another blank calendar on the back side, so that you can lift it up and plan 2 months at a time.

Using my FAVORITE Fiskars border punch, Apron lace, I added some ORANGE patterned paper to my calendar to cover the place where I glued on the page protector to the cardboard. I also made a pocket at the bottom of the calendar to hold notes and other important "stuff". I added a ribbon at the bottom to slide on some paper clips--one more spot to hang notes.

Everything is better when Stickled, don't you think? A little sparkle makes these die-cut butterflies dazzly!
Since I used a page protector to cover the calendar, it is perfect for use with a dry-erase marker. Rachel is thrilled that I had to make a "sample" for the party, because this calendar is now hers. Won't her teacher be thrilled that she is so eager to practice her numbers?

Come back next week to see what the birthday party calendar artists created...what a talented bunch!

NOW, would you like some happy mail? Leave a comment, and I will pick on Sunday at 6pm (via Random.org) a lucky winner to receive some scrappy goodies.



Boing! Boing! Keep on hopping...next stop...Colleen Flathers at http://cleancreate.blogspot.com/.

If by some chance, you just happened to stop by my blog today and you have no idea what Fiskateers are or why I keep raving about ORANGE, let me explain. Fiskateers is an on-line community. Actually, it's a family. No, we are not related, but we have all come together to celebrate our love and appreciation for Fiskars products. Whether you love the endless scrapbooking supplies (squeeze punches, border punches, paper trimmers, micro-tip scissors, stamps), rotary cutters, garden tools, or their famous orange-handled scissors, Fiskateers is a place for you. At the website, inspiration is abundant. The site has a gallery of AMAZING creations by other Fiskateers, games, chats, swaps, tutorials, and 7000+ friends. It is a place for all things crafty (and sewing and gardening too). If you are interested in becoming a Fiskateer, click here. Contact one of the lead Fiskateers: Angela, Cheryl, Rebecca, or Tami (I listed them alphabetically so they think I don't play favorites), and tell them Kellystar sent you over. Your crafty life may never be the same.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Orange you waiting for a blog hop?...a present for me!...and a blog hop winner (is it you?)


First, an announcement of ORANGE proportions! Put on your bouncy shoes, the Fiskateer blog hop starts Friday at 8am. Make sure you start at the Fiskateer blog and then sit down for a long, fabulous ride through 42 blogs of orange inspiration.
Second...I've finally finished my summer project. I've painted lots of funky furniture for others this year, and this one is for ME! It's like a giant furniture zentangle of fun shapes and designs and in my favorite color (PURPLE).




There really is no place like home.

Lastly, from the Scrapbook Challenges Seasons of Change blog hop...thanks to everyone who visited my blog...32 comments...a new record! Kate Heijde...come on down! You have won a prize...please email me your address so I can send you happy mail!

Friday, September 3, 2010

Boing...Boing...Blog Hop


Hoppy September! I'm participating in the Season of Change Blog Hop over at Scrapbook Challenges. If you've never visited Scrapbook Challenges, your scrap life is not complete! Head over there and become a member if you aren't already (tell them Kellystar sent you)!

The blog hop, starts at Pamela's place.
If you haven't been there yet, please start there so that you don't miss a scrap of fun!

If you want to "hop on" and get your own blog in on the fun, read the information at the Scrapbook Challenges blog hop thread.

Here is the sketch we are all following (Pamela's creation)






Here is my version of the sketch. This is an adorable picture of my husband and youngest daughter picking apples last fall. Olive green is one of my favorite colors and worked well with this photo. The "wishies" are a stamp set from Close to My Heart.




Thank you for visiting my blog. While you are here, take a look around! I hope you'll start "following" me. I LOVE comments...if you leave one, you'll be entered for a chance to win some scrap goodies from me. Keep hoppin'! And speaking of hoppin'...one good blog hop deserves another. Come back here next weekend (starting on September 10th) for a fabulous, ORANGE, Fiskateer blog hop!