Showing posts with label Crafty Crap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crafty Crap. Show all posts
April 22, 2011
Crafty Crap - April 22
So this is only a minor craft crap item. It is my spice drawer. I use to keep my spices in the pantry on a cabinet turntable and in the door and on the shelves. Wherever they were placed. I tried and I tried to keep them organized. I would alphabetize them on the cabinet turntable but all it took was for PE or Moo to cook one time and that was all messed up. As seen below, this was my solution. I put them in jars and labeled the tops. I cut some ovals out of various patterned paper. No real rhyme or reason to it but I figured it might help locate the spices....just in case the alphabetizing wasn't enough.
The picture above, while blurry, provided a closer picture of the labels. The picture below provides a picture of the whole glorious drawer. Isn't it lovely?
April 8, 2011
Crafty Crap - April 8
PE has six siblings. They have a rotation for exchanging family gifts for Christmas. This is nice because we know in advance who we will be giving a gift. This came in hand in June of last year, when a post appeared in my reader. Stephanie from Under the Table and Dreaming featured Amy from My 3 Monsters. In the post, Amy described how she made some Super Cool Wall Art. I knew right then that I wanted to make this wall art for PE's sister (technically for the family) for Christmas.
I used the links in the post to find the pictures I wanted to use. There were so many options I couldn't settle on just one so I made a bright version and a muted version. While I prefer using InDesign for document design, the computer I was using did not have it so I used Word. I was actually a little surprised that it went together as easily as it did. Word can besuch a pain in the ass quirky sometimes so I was extremely pleased when the graphics fit together so nicely. I did have to do a bit of math to figure out how big the squares should be but other than that. . .easy, easy.
I will point out that her last name works out better than my last name due to length so you might have to play around with it a little by leaving off the EST, finding an "est" graphic (instead of the separate letters), or possibly using all four numbers for the year and not just the last two.
I put them in a document frame and delivered them in a timely manner. Last week is plenty timely. Especially when you take into consideration that his sister just delivered a present two YEARS late to another sibling. Three months really pales in comparison to that, right? Right.
I used the links in the post to find the pictures I wanted to use. There were so many options I couldn't settle on just one so I made a bright version and a muted version. While I prefer using InDesign for document design, the computer I was using did not have it so I used Word. I was actually a little surprised that it went together as easily as it did. Word can be
I will point out that her last name works out better than my last name due to length so you might have to play around with it a little by leaving off the EST, finding an "est" graphic (instead of the separate letters), or possibly using all four numbers for the year and not just the last two.
I put them in a document frame and delivered them in a timely manner. Last week is plenty timely. Especially when you take into consideration that his sister just delivered a present two YEARS late to another sibling. Three months really pales in comparison to that, right? Right.
March 25, 2011
Crafty Crap - March 25
On Wednesday I spent the day with Jabba for her birthday. Instead of the usual sitting around and staring at one another we decided to be productive. I had some wreaths I wanted to make and while she was a bit skeptical she couldn't resist the $3 per wreath price tag I was offering up. Off to the dollar store we went where we found the items we needed (green wreath forms, coffee filters, Easter grass, and ribbon). We ate lunch and then started on the wreaths.
First up we made a Spring wreath using the Easter grass, green wreath form, ribbon, and hot glue. I am sure you will recognize the Dollar Store Easter Wreath I featured in Wednesday's Top Reader Posts.
There weren't really any directions so we sort of just winged it. We drizzled some hot glue on a smallish section of the wreath then grabbed a wad of the Easter grass and pushed it into the glue. We continued on that way and then went back around to make sure we didn't have any thin spots. We sort of just went with the flow. I would shake it off and on to shake loose pieces off. I would then pick up those pieces and add them to the next wad that I pushed into the glue.
For the ribbon we glued it on to the wreath form and put the grass around it (on the sides and a little toward the bottom curve of the front of the wreath). We made a bow and glued it on the front of the ribbon where there was an empty spot not covered by grass. Jabba is the best bow maker.
With the coffee filter wreath we started by gluing the ribbon to the wreath form. We then followed the directions from the Spring Wreath with Coffee Filters (another post from Wednesday's Top Reader Posts). I had pencils with silicone erasers and they worked wonderfully.
CAUTION: Hot glue is HOT. It will burn your fingers through the ribbon. Use something to help you push the ribbon on to the glue. Jabba burned her fingers when she was gluing on her ribbon and again when she was putting the bow on.
First up we made a Spring wreath using the Easter grass, green wreath form, ribbon, and hot glue. I am sure you will recognize the Dollar Store Easter Wreath I featured in Wednesday's Top Reader Posts.
There weren't really any directions so we sort of just winged it. We drizzled some hot glue on a smallish section of the wreath then grabbed a wad of the Easter grass and pushed it into the glue. We continued on that way and then went back around to make sure we didn't have any thin spots. We sort of just went with the flow. I would shake it off and on to shake loose pieces off. I would then pick up those pieces and add them to the next wad that I pushed into the glue.
For the ribbon we glued it on to the wreath form and put the grass around it (on the sides and a little toward the bottom curve of the front of the wreath). We made a bow and glued it on the front of the ribbon where there was an empty spot not covered by grass. Jabba is the best bow maker.
With the coffee filter wreath we started by gluing the ribbon to the wreath form. We then followed the directions from the Spring Wreath with Coffee Filters (another post from Wednesday's Top Reader Posts). I had pencils with silicone erasers and they worked wonderfully.
CAUTION: Hot glue is HOT. It will burn your fingers through the ribbon. Use something to help you push the ribbon on to the glue. Jabba burned her fingers when she was gluing on her ribbon and again when she was putting the bow on.
March 11, 2011
Crafty Crap - March 11
It seems that if I make a feature out of something I actually post. (Did you notice I had come to that conclusion? If not maybe you need to pay better attention.) This new feature will be Crafty Crap that I have made or will make. To start out it will be biweekly but hopefully I will get more accomplished as the weather warms up. If I surprise myself and I have more to post than I thought I will definitely give you extra Crafty Crap posts.
First up we have some glitter frames at least that is what I call them. More accurately they are framed glitter letters. Ever since I saw this post over at eighteen25 I have wanted to make some. If you remember I don't like to decorate for holidays. . . I prefer seasonal decorations.
For winter I went with BRR. Here's my process:
Yet another example of Sparky's Crappy Photos!
First up we have some glitter frames at least that is what I call them. More accurately they are framed glitter letters. Ever since I saw this post over at eighteen25 I have wanted to make some. If you remember I don't like to decorate for holidays. . . I prefer seasonal decorations.
For winter I went with BRR. Here's my process:
- Purchased dollar store frames (I don't recommend this they are real flimsy and don't all sit the same. I hope to purchase some better ones from Wally World soon.)
- Purchased the letters and white craft paint at Hobby Lobby. (Both items were on sale for $.99 each.)
- Found some snowflake paper and iridescent glitter in my stash.
- Painted the letters.
- Cut the paper to size and placed it in the frames in front of the glass while the paint dried.
- "Painted" the letters (one at a time) with glue.
- Sprinkled the glitter very generously over the letters.
- Pressed down on the glitter to help it adhere to the letters.
- Dumped the extra glitter off.
- Adhered the letters to the paper.
- Then had the thought that I should spray them with a clear coat to keep the glitter from falling off. (Too little too late.)
Yet another example of Sparky's Crappy Photos!
October 15, 2009
168 Cards Complete
108 to go before October 27. 54 to complete before November 10. Then I will be done for awhile. No more swaps for me until after the holidays. Below are is a picture of the cards I completed for the swap. (I took the pictures with my phone but I can't really say that is why they look so bad. I can; however, say that is why I don't take photos of food.)
I used Picasa to create the collage of pictures. I highly recommend Picasa for posting photos to your blog. You can easily create collages and post them directly to your blog with Picasa. Once the picture is posted to your blog your blog readers can click on it and it will enlarge. You can choose the background color and there are different layouts to choose from for the collage. If you have any questions, let me know and I will try to help you out.
If you are interested in seeing what I do with the sketches I mentioned in this post, you can compare sketches 1-12 to the photo above and you can see that I don't always follow the sketch exactly and I usually add extra embellishments. You can also compare the two and if you are a scrapbooker just imagine your photos where I placed recipes (A1, I thought of you when I made these.)
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I hope I did not shock anyone too much with the photo. I also hope I didn't raise anyone's expectations too high because that WILL not become a normal occurrence.
I used Picasa to create the collage of pictures. I highly recommend Picasa for posting photos to your blog. You can easily create collages and post them directly to your blog with Picasa. Once the picture is posted to your blog your blog readers can click on it and it will enlarge. You can choose the background color and there are different layouts to choose from for the collage. If you have any questions, let me know and I will try to help you out.
If you are interested in seeing what I do with the sketches I mentioned in this post, you can compare sketches 1-12 to the photo above and you can see that I don't always follow the sketch exactly and I usually add extra embellishments. You can also compare the two and if you are a scrapbooker just imagine your photos where I placed recipes (A1, I thought of you when I made these.)
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I hope I did not shock anyone too much with the photo. I also hope I didn't raise anyone's expectations too high because that WILL not become a normal occurrence.
September 29, 2009
Memories of a Meal We Use to Eat
We ate a freezer meal from the freezer swap for dinner last night and since Cooking W. made a family favorite I am able to share the recipe. (Growing up we always enjoyed this meal and now we both make it for our families who enjoy it too.)
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Creole Franks
from Sparky
Print Recipe
5 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup pineapple juice
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp chili powder
12 franks or 1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper (optional)
To serve fresh: Cook bacon, add onion, stir in remaining ingredients—except green pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Add green pepper and simmer 8 – 10 minutes. Serve over rice*.
To freeze: Cook bacon**, add onion, stir in remaining ingredients, place in freezer bag. Freeze. To serve, defrost overnight, pour into a pan with lid, simmer over medium heat until heated through. Serve over rice.
*We always use a rice cooker similar to this when cooking our rice and it comes out great every time. (I actually use a rice cooker that use to be my grandmother's.) One helpful tip if you own one or purchase one in the future is to spray the inside with cooking spray and clean up is easier.
**An option for cooking bacon is to cook it in the oven. Preheat oven to 400. Spray a broiler pan (some may call it a roasting pan) with cooking spray. Arrange bacon in a single layer on broiler pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes to desired crispness. Drain on paper towel. Put in zip top bag and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
++Leftover rice is great to use in fried rice--many recipes call for refrigerated cooked rice. Another way to serve it is with milk, cinnamon, and sugar--Moo LOVES this--or serve it with butter (PE's favorite).
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The past week I have spent a decent amount of time working on the recipe cards for the recipe swaps in which I am participating. Since I HAVE to work on the cards and I know I cannot cook/bake I think that has been helping spark my motivation to cook/bake. (Sort of like when you are eating healthier and you place restrictions on chocolate/soda/etc. What is the one thing you crave the most? The thing you have restricted of course.) I do get to have a fun day baking/cooking tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it. After tomorrow though, I will be working on cards and only cards (most of the time).
It shouldn't be too bad because I have the design for all 18 cards sketched out. Ten of the eighteen swaps go together and are due first so I am now concentrating on those. I have all 140 bases cut, most of the layers cut, and the recipes formatted and ready to print. Now I have the fun task of assembling all of them. I do have to add the month and some embellishments to ALL of them. 140 cards due October 10. 108 cards due October 17. 54 cards due November 10. That isn't too bad. Besides, I am hostessing the swap that is due October 17 so I have a few days leeway as I have 10 days from the due date to get them in the mail. Again, I ramble. The point of this explanation is to share the sketch files with anyone who might be interested. You can view and print them here. While they are designed for 6"x6" recipe cards, you could easily modify the size of the elements to fit a smaller square card or use a similar layout for making a regular 4 1/4"x5 1/2" card.
Let me know if you have any questions and make sure you go make the Creole Franks.
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Creole Franks
from Sparky
Print Recipe
5 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup pineapple juice
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp chili powder
12 franks or 1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper (optional)
To serve fresh: Cook bacon, add onion, stir in remaining ingredients—except green pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Add green pepper and simmer 8 – 10 minutes. Serve over rice*.
To freeze: Cook bacon**, add onion, stir in remaining ingredients, place in freezer bag. Freeze. To serve, defrost overnight, pour into a pan with lid, simmer over medium heat until heated through. Serve over rice.
*We always use a rice cooker similar to this when cooking our rice and it comes out great every time. (I actually use a rice cooker that use to be my grandmother's.) One helpful tip if you own one or purchase one in the future is to spray the inside with cooking spray and clean up is easier.
**An option for cooking bacon is to cook it in the oven. Preheat oven to 400. Spray a broiler pan (some may call it a roasting pan) with cooking spray. Arrange bacon in a single layer on broiler pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes to desired crispness. Drain on paper towel. Put in zip top bag and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
++Leftover rice is great to use in fried rice--many recipes call for refrigerated cooked rice. Another way to serve it is with milk, cinnamon, and sugar--Moo LOVES this--or serve it with butter (PE's favorite).
~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~
The past week I have spent a decent amount of time working on the recipe cards for the recipe swaps in which I am participating. Since I HAVE to work on the cards and I know I cannot cook/bake I think that has been helping spark my motivation to cook/bake. (Sort of like when you are eating healthier and you place restrictions on chocolate/soda/etc. What is the one thing you crave the most? The thing you have restricted of course.) I do get to have a fun day baking/cooking tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it. After tomorrow though, I will be working on cards and only cards (most of the time).
It shouldn't be too bad because I have the design for all 18 cards sketched out. Ten of the eighteen swaps go together and are due first so I am now concentrating on those. I have all 140 bases cut, most of the layers cut, and the recipes formatted and ready to print. Now I have the fun task of assembling all of them. I do have to add the month and some embellishments to ALL of them. 140 cards due October 10. 108 cards due October 17. 54 cards due November 10. That isn't too bad. Besides, I am hostessing the swap that is due October 17 so I have a few days leeway as I have 10 days from the due date to get them in the mail. Again, I ramble. The point of this explanation is to share the sketch files with anyone who might be interested. You can view and print them here. While they are designed for 6"x6" recipe cards, you could easily modify the size of the elements to fit a smaller square card or use a similar layout for making a regular 4 1/4"x5 1/2" card.
Let me know if you have any questions and make sure you go make the Creole Franks.
September 25, 2009
Who Wants to Cook Dinner for My Family?
I must be all baked/cooked out. It has been so difficult to get myself motivated to make dinner this week. I have made dinner; however, it has been very begrudgingly.
Monday we had breakfast for dinner (pancakes with syrup and over easy eggs).
Tuesday I didn't cook because we ended up not getting home until 9:30 so we ate drive-thru fare with KLB.
Wednesday night we had spaghetti with Meat Sauce (leftover Meat Sauce mind you).
Last night we ate the BBQ Chicken Pasta I made for the freezer club last month--PE heated the BBQ Chicken and cooked the pasta. It turned out better than anticipated so I will share the recipe below. I am also sharing the recipe for the Chicken Biscuit Casserole since I gave Cooking W. the recipe in the first place.
Tonight PE is taking me on a date up the canyon to eat bratwurst and s'mores by a fire. I can't say I have any definite plans for the kids' dinner, we will see how motivated I am when I get home. Such a change from a couple weeks ago.
If nothing else I will definitely be cooking on Wednesday (September 30) as it will be Moo's birthday and I promised her I would make Aebleskivers. I will also get to make her a cake, she hasn't requested a certain kind as of yet, I will be having her make the decision over the weekend. I know she wants steak for dinner so I will also get her to decide on some sides. Isn't she such a lucky girl that parent teacher conferences fall on her birthday this year? She sure thinks she is.
Moving on. . . I am going to share a file with you. I created a 2010 monthly calendar for the Christmas gifts I will be making and I thought I would share them. They do not have the months at the top as I am planning on stamping the month and adding some embellishments. Also, the format alternates between odd and even months. Odd months are portrait and even months are landscape. I wanted to give myself some options when making the calendars. Click here to view the calendar in Scribd. From there you can print or download the calendar. If you would like the month at the top, I could probably be talked into/bribed to add them.
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BBQ Chicken Pasta
from Dinners in the Freezer
Print Recipe
2 cans chicken*
2 cups onion, chopped
4 Tbsp vinegar
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
5 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 Tbsp mustard
2 cups water
1 cup celery, chopped
cooked pasta
Combine all ingredients and pour into freezer bag. Freeze. Thaw, bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve over pasta.
*I will only use the chicken I canned. You could also use chicken breasts (whole or sliced).
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Chicken Biscuit Casserole
from Organized Home
Print Recipe
3 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
3 cups chicken broth
4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1-inch thick
1 onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, sliced 1/2-inch thick
8 oz mushrooms, fresh (optional)
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup peas, canned or frozen
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1⁄3 cup cold water
10 biscuits, uncooked (home-made or canned)
Bring chicken broth to a boil; add carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic; simmer 10 minutes. Add cubed chicken meat and peas; simmer 5 minutes more. Mix cornstarch with cold water in measuring cup; add slowly until chicken mixture has consistency of gravy. Remove from heat; cool. Pour into gallon size freezer bag and freeze.
To prepare: thaw casserole before cooking. Place in 400-degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and place uncooked biscuits (either from tube or scratch) in slightly-overlapping circles on top of casserole. Return to oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until mixture is bubbling and biscuits are golden brown.
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I will end the post with a funny from Bob. Each night at bed time Bob tells us, "Good night, don't let the bed bugs bite." Well the other night he switched it up a bit and said, "Good night, don't let the squirrels bite your little acorns off." Where do kids come up with such things?!
Monday we had breakfast for dinner (pancakes with syrup and over easy eggs).
Tuesday I didn't cook because we ended up not getting home until 9:30 so we ate drive-thru fare with KLB.
Wednesday night we had spaghetti with Meat Sauce (leftover Meat Sauce mind you).
Last night we ate the BBQ Chicken Pasta I made for the freezer club last month--PE heated the BBQ Chicken and cooked the pasta. It turned out better than anticipated so I will share the recipe below. I am also sharing the recipe for the Chicken Biscuit Casserole since I gave Cooking W. the recipe in the first place.
Tonight PE is taking me on a date up the canyon to eat bratwurst and s'mores by a fire. I can't say I have any definite plans for the kids' dinner, we will see how motivated I am when I get home. Such a change from a couple weeks ago.
If nothing else I will definitely be cooking on Wednesday (September 30) as it will be Moo's birthday and I promised her I would make Aebleskivers. I will also get to make her a cake, she hasn't requested a certain kind as of yet, I will be having her make the decision over the weekend. I know she wants steak for dinner so I will also get her to decide on some sides. Isn't she such a lucky girl that parent teacher conferences fall on her birthday this year? She sure thinks she is.
Moving on. . . I am going to share a file with you. I created a 2010 monthly calendar for the Christmas gifts I will be making and I thought I would share them. They do not have the months at the top as I am planning on stamping the month and adding some embellishments. Also, the format alternates between odd and even months. Odd months are portrait and even months are landscape. I wanted to give myself some options when making the calendars. Click here to view the calendar in Scribd. From there you can print or download the calendar. If you would like the month at the top, I could probably be talked into/bribed to add them.
~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~
BBQ Chicken Pasta
from Dinners in the Freezer
Print Recipe
2 cans chicken*
2 cups onion, chopped
4 Tbsp vinegar
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
5 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 Tbsp mustard
2 cups water
1 cup celery, chopped
cooked pasta
Combine all ingredients and pour into freezer bag. Freeze. Thaw, bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve over pasta.
*I will only use the chicken I canned. You could also use chicken breasts (whole or sliced).
~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~
Chicken Biscuit Casserole
from Organized Home
Print Recipe
3 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
3 cups chicken broth
4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1-inch thick
1 onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, sliced 1/2-inch thick
8 oz mushrooms, fresh (optional)
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup peas, canned or frozen
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1⁄3 cup cold water
10 biscuits, uncooked (home-made or canned)
Bring chicken broth to a boil; add carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic; simmer 10 minutes. Add cubed chicken meat and peas; simmer 5 minutes more. Mix cornstarch with cold water in measuring cup; add slowly until chicken mixture has consistency of gravy. Remove from heat; cool. Pour into gallon size freezer bag and freeze.
To prepare: thaw casserole before cooking. Place in 400-degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and place uncooked biscuits (either from tube or scratch) in slightly-overlapping circles on top of casserole. Return to oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until mixture is bubbling and biscuits are golden brown.
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I will end the post with a funny from Bob. Each night at bed time Bob tells us, "Good night, don't let the bed bugs bite." Well the other night he switched it up a bit and said, "Good night, don't let the squirrels bite your little acorns off." Where do kids come up with such things?!
September 6, 2009
The Time Has Come
Every year for Christmas I make my family and a few friends birthday/anniversary calendars for Christmas (eight calendars total). Prior to last year they were all computer generated. I would make a background and then I would add the dates and birthdays/anniversaries. I have always had to make two calendars because Nana prefers her week to start with Monday. So I format one for her and then I format another one for everyone else. (Lucky for her she gave birth to me so I don't deny her this request.)
Last year I stepped it up a notch and started making them using crafty crap (stamps, cardstock, and various other embellishments). I made the actual calendars using InDesign. I formatted them so they were 8 x 8 so I had to cut each 8 1/2 x 11 sheet before adhering it to the 12 x 12 background and adding the embellishments. Needless to say it was a big task (8 calendars multiplied by 12 months totals 96 pages). I am not complaining--I enjoy making something for my family and friends that is useful to them.
This year I am simplifying a little. The calendars are 8 1/2 x 11 so I don't have to cut them and so they are bigger--the 8 x 8 size made it so the font was pretty small, not to mention that my printer quit printing the colors correctly and when I took it to a local copy center two of the colors printed so light you could barely tell there was text. Last year I centered around four colors and had many small elements on each page. This year I am using more colors with fewer elements. I think they will look a little classier. I am excited for what I have planned and I hope everyone likes it.
I started the calendar pages this week. I have the format for both complete. I am now in the middle of adding the holidays and then I will get to work adding the birthdays/anniversaries. I have to decide on the colors for each month so I can color the birthdays/anniversaries to match. This year I will be using darker colors so I don't have a problem like last year. Maybe this year I will even make one for myself (I haven't made one for myself for several years).
I have very high hopes that I will be finished with these long before the the week before Christmas; however, I never know about me. I do have some recipe swaps I am in and I have to make 6 x 6 cards for them. I just did the math, I have 300 6 x 6 cards to complete. The earliest and largest set is due October 17 with the last one due November 1. That gives me over a month to work on nothing but the calendars before Christmas. I am feeling pretty good about that.
I will now end this boring post I am sure no one really wanted to read. Have a great Sunday!
Last year I stepped it up a notch and started making them using crafty crap (stamps, cardstock, and various other embellishments). I made the actual calendars using InDesign. I formatted them so they were 8 x 8 so I had to cut each 8 1/2 x 11 sheet before adhering it to the 12 x 12 background and adding the embellishments. Needless to say it was a big task (8 calendars multiplied by 12 months totals 96 pages). I am not complaining--I enjoy making something for my family and friends that is useful to them.
This year I am simplifying a little. The calendars are 8 1/2 x 11 so I don't have to cut them and so they are bigger--the 8 x 8 size made it so the font was pretty small, not to mention that my printer quit printing the colors correctly and when I took it to a local copy center two of the colors printed so light you could barely tell there was text. Last year I centered around four colors and had many small elements on each page. This year I am using more colors with fewer elements. I think they will look a little classier. I am excited for what I have planned and I hope everyone likes it.
I started the calendar pages this week. I have the format for both complete. I am now in the middle of adding the holidays and then I will get to work adding the birthdays/anniversaries. I have to decide on the colors for each month so I can color the birthdays/anniversaries to match. This year I will be using darker colors so I don't have a problem like last year. Maybe this year I will even make one for myself (I haven't made one for myself for several years).
I have very high hopes that I will be finished with these long before the the week before Christmas; however, I never know about me. I do have some recipe swaps I am in and I have to make 6 x 6 cards for them. I just did the math, I have 300 6 x 6 cards to complete. The earliest and largest set is due October 17 with the last one due November 1. That gives me over a month to work on nothing but the calendars before Christmas. I am feeling pretty good about that.
I will now end this boring post I am sure no one really wanted to read. Have a great Sunday!
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