Another Favorite...

The technique I used to make this card was shaving cream & reinkers. This was another of Krista's classes. Now I have done this technique for years, mostly with kids. I have them make the covers of Fold Out Albums. I have always taken the shaving cream off with paper towels. Lots and lots and lots of paper towels. Well, in class I learned a new easy way to take off the shaving cream...with a metal pancake turner. Who knew? No more paper towels for me.

Lime Light Cards for Troops

Yesterday I uploaded 5 out of 20 cards that I have made for the Cards for Troops as a member of the Lime Light. (Green button on right)

The card above is my latest favorite technique I learned at Krista Thomas Technique class. In fact I have an entire book full of great techniques she has taught - 22 in all.

Here's how we did it: RUBBER CEMENT RESIST -Drizzle rubber cement over glossy cardstock in a crazy pattern or a decidedly thunk out pattern. (Like that? Thunk?) Anyway let the rubber cement dry then ink the brayer and quickly brayer over the cardstock. Let the ink on the cardstock dry. It won't really dry on the rubber cement, so blot & wipe the wet ink off the rubber cement before you rub it off the cardstock. The effect is so cool.

Check out Krista's blog (button on the right). Her classes are great & I learn so much every time I go. Sometimes the techniques she uses I have used in the past, but even those I get new tips to make the techniques even better.

What I have been doing this week...

It doesn't look like much, BUT I blanched & skinned 12 pounds of Roma tomatoes to make 6 pint jars of Marinara sauce. So worth it.

The other jars are pickles, pickled jalapeno pepper, & the fresh tuna we brought back from the coast. That had to be done in the pressure cooker.

Add this to the 15 jars of pickles & the season has just begun. Next I am freezing our corn OFF the cob.

I also finished & uploaded the Scrapbook Fun Fest website this week. It's getting easier, & I redid the class page to show all classes on one page. The photos of all the projects are on the next page. I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Check it out. Just click on Scrapbook Fun Fest button on the right.

Off to the claim for today & tonight. Keep your fingers crossed we find a lot of gold!

Slowly getting back into creating projects other than cards. I decided to do the House of Mouse class at Scrapbook Fun Fest in Oct. I have two more sample to make.

PS - Went to see "Time Travelers Wife" yesterday. It was good, and a lot of naked bottom shots, but I am still contemplating if it is a must see. However the butt shots are really nice!

Back Up & Running

Fair is over & we are getting our lives back. I want to share a photo of my favorite thing I created for the fair.

This is the giant Birthday Cake I made for the centerpiece of the building. A lot of great minds came together to come up with all the parts, like making it 3 tiers, how to decorate, Dougie, our mascot coming out of the top of the cake, etc. I had so much fun taking all the ideas and actually executing it.

Now I need to get back to doing things for me. I am madly making cards for our adopted troop for Limelighters. This month we are all making cards so our soldiers can in turn send them home to their loved ones with a message inside. I love doing anything for our guys & gals in the military.

Dredge Season

Here is the long ago promised photo of our gold dredge in the river. It is like a giant vacuum that sucks up the (hopefully) gold from the river and forces it on a sluice box. Since gold is heavy it stays on the carpet in the sluice box and is then panned out.

We have only been able to go once so far this season because of me being sick for the past two weeks & then our partner's wife got sick and company visiting, etc. Fair is next week and both Rod & I will be working during the fair. Today was my last day to get up at 6:15am!!!! Friday & Saturday we take in entries for the Exhibit building. I am in charge of crafts & Rod is taking in Food Preservation entries. Sunday everything is judged. Monday it's over to the Floral building where I am also in charge & we take in entries for cut flowers, potted plants & arrangements. Afterwards we have 4 judges coming in.

What is so funny is I know nothing about flowers or plants. I told them at the fairgrounds when they hired me. I can do a lot with flowers AFTER they have blossomed, but if I touch a plant or flower it will probably die. Good thing Rod has such a green thumb. He plants a stick and it grows into a tree. Really!

FINISHED!

Twinchies are completed & will be sent off tomorrow. I am please with how they turned out & I can't wait to use them on cards. I made 100 of 5 designs. There are 50 people in my Group and each person receives 10. With my Twinchies they receive 2 of each design.

Here is the final product:

MIA, I know!

Yes, I have been MIA - Missing in Action. Who knew that working 4 - 5 hours a day at the county fairgrounds would be, well, so much work? It's fun work, but work. I have also been Cricut-ing lots & lots of stuff to decorate the Exhibit building & I still have to cut things for the floral building.

I have also been working like mad to finish 500 Twinchies for a Swap due Aug. 1. What was I thinking?

Anyway enough, boo hoo, I thrive on this much chaos! Rod has started designing his scrapbook pages he will enter in the County Fair this year. I am not looking because I want to be surprised. He is also going to enter his plants, produce & our canned tomatoes, tuna, pickles, apple pie filling, apple butter & pickled jalapenos. Did I mention he loves to can with me & this year he planted an even bigger garden. Usually we give a lot to the assisted living residence where his Mom lives, but they just informed him that they can't take anything that isn't USDA approved. So, he is looking in to donating stuff from the garden to UCAN which is our local food distribution outlet for people who are in need.

What's really sad is he can't bring to the residents at the assisted living facility tomatoes from the garden either. At least once or twice a week he would make up several small bags of tomatoes for his "girlfriends" & his Mom. They are going to be so disappointed.

Off to twinchie!