Hey hey, it's a Shimmerz giveaway!

Hurry up and go check out the Scrapbook Trends Blog for a Shimmerz giveaway!

Peace,
~L

Ginmabread house...

 

 

 

Nate's very favorite thing about Christmas is building a gingerbread house (he says ginmabread which is so cute!) He and Cristina, his therapist, make one every year. This is the third! He decorates it and then the next day, he eats every little piece of candy off of it. He even tries to eat the house!

I am so very sorry that I forgot to post a winner for the Shimmerz Paints. Carmen, email me your address and I will send them out to you! Thank you for the link!

~Blessings,
Lori

Warm Winter Wishes (and a Shimmerz giveaway!)

It is very chilly here in Idaho this week, definitely mitten weather! Here is another card design that we created at my recent Shimmerz Ed class:

 

We used a stipple brush with Pixie Dust Blings on Bazzill Swiss Dot white cardstock on the top of the mitten to give it a little texture.

 

We used Angel Wings Shimmerz on the flowers. Did you know that you can add embossing powder to wet Shimmerz or Spritz and then heat emboss it? Well, now you know! I added clear embossing powder to the wet flowers. I love the way the heat gun curled the edges. Embossing them puts a glossy coating over the shimmer. I purposely left the heat gun on a little too long and burnt the edges for a shabby look.

We stamped a little message inside:

 

I made up a bunch of these cards and plan on giving them to friends and neighbors with some of these:

Here is the recipe for my sugar cookies:

Sugar Cookies

1 ½ cup powdered sugar
1 ½ cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients (I use the paddle hook in my kitchen aid mixer) until well blended. Roll out dough on floured work surface. Cut into desired shapes. Bake for about 15-18 min. depending on the size of your shape, until golden.

Icing

3 cups powdered sugar
1 cube butter, melted
2 tbsp warm milk
1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Chill icing for about 15 min while cookies are baking. Ice cookies while they are still warm. Add sprinkles before icing hardens. Icing will smooth when cooled.

I like to put them in the freezer for 15 minutes to let the icing get hard and then I package them in cello bags.

Enjoy!

Leave a comment here with a link to a recipe for a yummy holiday treat and I will choose from the comments for a winner of two jars of Shimmerz Paints! I've got Green Olive and Candle Light to give away. I will choose a winner on Saturday, December 5th. These colors are perfect for your holiday projects.

I can't wait to start baking. I love being in a warm kitchen in this cold weather!

Keep warm!
~Lori

Shimmery trees...

As promised, here is another one of the Christmas cards we made at my recent Shimmerz Ed class.

We used some finger tip sponge daubers to add some Pixie Dust Blingz to the trees. I love this neutral color and find myself using it more than any other! I love the extra "spahkle" in the Blingz paint!

We then used another finger tip sponge dauber to dust the edges of our patterned paper and the label with Hotty Pink Blingz. I have always been a big fan of using distress ink on my edges but I love using Blingz even more because of the shimmer factor.

Blessings!
~Lori

It's not too late...

...to get yourself some Shimmerz and make some handmade Christmas cards to send to those special people on your list. All this week I'll be sharing with you the cards we created at my November Shimmerz Ed class!

For this card we punched out lots of little hearts from scraps of green patterned paper. We then Spritz them with Bamboo Leaf and dried them with a heat embossing gun. I love the way heat drying makes the ends curl up a little bit to give the tree dimension. We then arranged the hearts upside down to create a tree. You can make it your own by adding bling, garland, buttons, brads, whatever!

I also want to share with you that the Shimmerz Education team has a new blog dedicated to sharing all of our video tutorials with you! You will learn so many new techniques from these videos! I will be posting a brand new video next week so check it out!

Blessings to you this holiday season!
~Lori

Spiced Hot Chocolate

The weather is chilly AND I'm craving something chocolatey!
Gonna make this today for the gals coming to my class...


Spiced Hot Chocolate

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients:
6 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg Pinch cayenne pepper
2 (12-ounce) bags semisweet chocolate chips
Cocoa powder, for serving

Directions:

For stovetop:
In a large pot over medium heat, whisk together milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and nutmeg. Add chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted. Cover and turn heat to low for 5 minutes.

For slow cooker:
In a 4-quart slow cooker, whisk together milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and nutmeg. Add chocolate chips. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with a dusting of cocoa powder.

Stay warm!
Blessings to you,
Lori

Shimmerz Paints Design Team Call

CALLING ALL DESIGNERS!

Shimmerz Paints is looking for designers that love all things Shimmery. Can you think outside of the box? Are you a team player? Do you love to promote products you believe in? Do you want to design with some cutting edge products of the craft industry? If so, we want to hear from you! You can get all the details on the Shimmerz blog.

Pumpkin Scones

I've never been a big fan of scones. They are usually dry and crumbly and not sweet. Well, my friend Wendy has gotten me addicted to the Pumpkin Scones at Starbucks! They are more like little cakes than scones. They are so delicious! I did a little searching online for a recipe and I found one that is the EXACT recipe for these.

I made them today and they are even better than the ones at Starbucks. Pretty much one of the best things I have ever tasted! I doubled the recipe because I knew 6 would not be enough!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg
6 tablespoons cold butter

Plain Glaze
1 cup plus 1 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Icing
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
pinch ground cloves

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon ginger in a large bowl.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half-and-half, and eggs.
4. Cut butter into cubes then add it to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry knife or a fork to combine butter with dry ingredients. Continue mixing until no chunks of butter are visible. You can also use a food processor: Pulse butter into dry ingredients until it is the texture of cornmeal or coarse sand.
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then form the dough into a ball. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1 -inch thick rectangle that is about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide. Use a large knife or a pizza wheel to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough.
6. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes on a baking sheet that has been lightly oiled or lined with parchment paper. Scones should begin to turn light brown.
7. While scones cool, prepare plain glaze by combining ingredients in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed. Mix until smooth.
8 When scones are cool, use a brush to paint a coating of the glaze over the top of each scone.
9. As that white glaze firms up, prepare spiced icing by combining ingredients in another medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.
Makes 6 scones.

Enjoy!
Blessings and Peace,
~Lori

Creative Cuts & More Mega Recipe Blog Hop!

Hi blog hoppers! Weren't Jen's projects fabulous? (If you didn't arrive here from Jen's blog, you don't want to miss what our designers have in store for you! The CC&M Mega Recipe Blog Hop starts HERE.




Welcome to the first day of the Creative Cuts & More Mega Recipe Blog Hop, which will feature the 8"x8" Treasured Family Recipes Kit. There are 24 designers who will be creating recipe book pages to inspire you. Plus we all will be sharing some of our own delicious treasured family recipes. Make sure you check back at http://www.diecutdiva.com/ tomorrow for the Holiday Treats Apron Recipe Kit Blog Hop. There will be 24 designers who will be showcasing their great creations and sharing holiday treat recipes! YUM!

Here is a link to the kit that I used to create this recipe book:

Treasured Family Recipes Kit

As part of the celebration CC&M will be having a great sale. For the next six days, we will offer 20% off the entire store. But act quickly, it is only for six days – this sale will end on Nov 14th. Make sure you enter this code recipebloghop2009 during checkout.

Here are some of the pages I created:

I am going to print out my recipes and laminate them to put in between the chipboard pages. This way I can take them out and use them. I am a messy, messy cook so laminating is key! I also plan to include lots of handwritten recipes of my late mother.

Speaking of my mother, I want to share with you a recipe that she often made for her girlfriends for their card playing nights when I was a little girl:

Nana Pat's Apple Cake

Ingredients:
3 C all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C oil
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/2 C orange juice
4 apples, pared and sliced (not too thin)
cinnamon and brown sugar for sprinkling in pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients except for the apples in bowl. Mix by hand until smooth. Grease a bundt pan with butter then sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Pour in half of the cake batter. Add the apples. Sprinkle with more cinnamon and brown sugar. Add the rest of the batter. Sprinkle with more cinnamon and brown sugar.

Bake for one hour.

Now, continue on our hop and go to Michele Kovac's blog to see what she has done with the kit and what she's cookin'!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings and Peace,

~Lori

Quote for today...

I just got this one in my inbox from Inspiration Peak and I had to share:

Creativity is your birthright. You miraculously appeared from nowhere. The Unseen that gave you Life is still nourishing you - and, if you remain open, it will inspire you endlessly.

Metta Zetty
American Author and Spiritual Mentor.

Love it!!

November happenings...

Hey there!
I am so excited that November is here. I kind of do a little happy dance on November 1st because I am not the biggest fan of Halloween but I love fall, Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas!

I wanted to fill you in on a couple of things that I have brewing for November...
I was asked to be a guest designer for Creative Cuts and More for their Favorite Recipes Blog Hop. This is so "up my alley" because I love to cook and I love to create. I have been wanting to create a recipe book for quite some time but put it off. Well I received a fabulous kit in the mail from Creative Cuts and More and I've been working on it since it arrived. It's totally got my mojo flowing!

Make sure you check back here and their blog next Monday for the finished projects. I can't wait!

Also I have another Shimmerz Ed class this month! I will be teaching you to create four Super Shimmery Christmas cards!

Where: My home in Eagle, Idaho
When: Saturday, November 21st from 2pm to 5pm
Cost: $15.00

October's class was so much fun. I got great feedback from all who attended. I will post the projects and some fun stuff about that tomorrow!

If you are interested in the November class, please let me know by November 12th so that I can prepare enough kits. I will have a special Shimmerz gift for all who attend. My email is lorirenn at msn dot com. Space is limited so it is first come first served!

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween! I survived it!

Blessings and peace,
~Lori

House Tour...

I just ADORE this house!! Take a photo tour! You'll be glad you did!

click here!

So inspiring!

So, what did you think??

xoxo,
L

Sneak Peek...

It's beginning to look very pink and shimmery around here! I'm excited for my class here Friday night! Here's a little sneak peek of one of the cards we will be making...

 

 

:0)
Lori

Quote for today...

"A smile is nature's best antidote for discouragement.
It brings rest to the weary,
Sunshine to those who are frowning,
And hope to those who are hopeless and defeated.
A smile is so valuable that it can't be bought,
Begged, borrowed, or taken away against your will.
You have to be willing to give a smile away
Before it can do anyone else any good.
So if someone is too tired or grumpy to flash you a smile,
Let him have one of yours anyway.
Nobody needs a smile as much
As the person who has none to give."

~Dale Carnegie

Fall Foliage...

 

 

 

 

Today is the most beautiful fall day here in Idaho. It is truly my favorite time of year! Blessings are abundant and God is so good!

Love to you!
Lori

Shimmerz Pink Challenge...

For the whole month of October, the Shimmerz Blog will be showing off Pink projects created the Design Team. We want you to get involved too! We want you to create projects using ANY Pink Shimmerz or Spritz that you have! Any shade of pink. Then, upload it to the Shimmerz Flickr Group! Make sure and tell us what Shimmerz product you have used. Each Design Team member will choose their favorite project, and each winner will receive something Pink from Shimmerz! We are excited to see your Pink creations.

Here are a couple of cards that I made for the Challenge. I used Ruby, Cotton Candy and Licorice Spritz on these flowers. I was inspired by the beautiful flowers that Jeni B. made on her Shimmerz tutorial video.

 

 

 

 

We will definitely be making some of these pretty flowers at my Shimmerz Ed Class on the 23! Hope you can make it to that. In the meantime upload your pink creations!

Blessings and peace,
Lori

Birthday Cupcakes...

Natey loves anything with cinnamon so I decided to make him Snickerdoodle cupcakes from the Martha Stewart Cupcake book. They taste just like the cookie only better, because they are frosted!

I don't really like the frosting that Martha calls for in this recipe (seven-minute frosting) so I made a cream cheese frosting instead and then sprinkled the top with a little cinnamon-sugar. You can find the recipe online here.

Try them sometime!

My Baby is Six!

Six years ago today, I was lying in bed at Chandler Memorial Hospital in AZ, loving on my newborn and watching baseball playoffs! Nothing has changed! My baby and I will be sitting on the couch for the next few weeks watching baseball playoffs! He's just a little bit bigger now!

Happy Birthday, Nate and Go Red Sox!!

xoxoxo