lindaalbrecht

All is calm, all is bright

Only because I finally finished up the Christmas shopping yesterday.  Yay!!  Now I am ready for some relaxing.  But after the turkey is done roasting and I can make up the Cheesy Turkey for croissant sandwiches for Christmas Eve... and after I make 2 Chocolate French Silk pies... and wrap more gifts... and... (well,  you get the picture ;-)

You've all made or had the Cheesy Hot Turkey, right?  Well  if you haven't, it is so melt in your mouth good.  We are also having Spicy Wild Rice Soup and Bacon Cheesburger soup.  Plus several other yummy things.

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Here is the recipe for the Cheesy Hot Turkey sandwiches:

10- 13#  roasted turkey (Save juice after roasting to add to turkey for moisture)
1 onion, diced
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup butter (that's not a typo!)
1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 small can Cream of Chicken soup

Sautee onion and celery in butter then combine with Velveeta cheese and soup.
Pull apart turkey then add above mixture, heat through and keep warm. 
Serve on fresh croissants. 
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Now aren't we hungry?  You should be smelling the turkey roasting all day;-)

I've been thinking a lot this week about Pink Paislee.  Mostly because the design team year is almost over and well, I'm going to miss the excitement that has come with this new company.  I just had so much fun with the product and especially their Christmas papers.  So, amongst all of the busy days I took the time to scrap a Christmas tree layout with my very favorite paper in the Tinsel Town collection, "Fifth Avenue".  I love that pattern and the color (because it is pink ... and not just any pink but a really cool vintagey pink.)  There is just enough of an aged look to the paper that makes it perfect to me. 

So here is my Christmas ode to it's lovliness:

I painted the "White Christmas" background paper in the center and lightly out toward the edges with white gesso then added some Mica flakes before I added the rest of the stuff. 
 

 The chipboard flowers are Making Memories that I painted the color of the Fifth Avenue paper, glittered the outside edges, added a flower center and a piece of ivory fleece that I embroidered french knots onto. 

There is also lots of clear sequins, some snowflake sequins, and a bunch of Pink Paislee Press Ons--both Christmas and otherwise. 

So, before Typepad freezes up again and I lose my post, I'd better let you know the winner of the Framed snowman giveaway.  Denise Lynn who commented on Dec 19 @ 7:36 pm-- you won!  Congratulations, please email me with your mailing information.  Thanks!

Thanks for stopping by during this busy season.  I am excited to see what next year will bring and look forward to sharing many more creative things with you all.

Happy Holidays,
Linda

Fa la la la la !

Only 5 days until Christmas Eve... when all the festivities begin... and we are so excited!  Even though we decided to cut back a bit this year with extended family gifts, the joy mounts and we are counting the days until we get to celebrate. 

I love just being with my family on Christmas-- eating, laughing, and reminiscing.  I love the lights and the smells.  I love Christmas Eve service at my parents church, where the children ring little bells during the hymns and during the singing of "Silent Night" everyone lights a candle.  Then it's just us, the candle glow in the pretty church, and a reaffirmation of our faith.  It's magical.  It tugs at my heartstrings and brings a tear to my eye.  So wonderful... and I really don't need much more to celebrate Christmas than that,  because it fills up every ounce of your soul with joy.

Sniff, sniff.... okay on to other things or I'll just ba a big old ball of mush for the rest of the day ;-)

So, I bet that you want to know who the winners of the last giveaway is.  Did I say winners not winner?  Yes, I did.  It's so so so hard for me to pick only one, so I added one more to the drawing.

Congratulations to:
Amy Duff  who posted Dec 12 @ 9:11 pm -- your prize is some Pink Paislee Tinsel Town blocks that I made.  Remember these?
  You'll get a little something scrappy too!

The other winner is Jeanne Hill who posted Dec 15@ 9:20 am.  You win the Pink Snow Princess from my last post plus something for scrapping.   So ladies, please email me your mailing address so that you can enjoy the snow art before the season is over.   Thanks! 

Thanks also to everyone who posted.  You all are really the best blog readers.  I wish that I could answer every comment, but when the numbers get up there it becomes a little overwhelming.  I read every single one though and appreciate all of you. 

Someone asked how to make the Pink Snow Princess.  I used 3 sizes of styrofoam balls, painted them light pink, sprayed on adhesive, then sprinkled on the  Pink Paislee Pixee Stix Cotton Candy glitter.  I used a 12" silver pipecleaner to connect the balls.  Just add a dab of glue to the top of the largest ball and push the pipecleaner into it about 2 ", then string the smaller ones onto the pipecleaner.  (I didn't have to make the holes first, but if you feel more comfortable doing that you can.)  Then add the other embellishments.  Oh, and the silver pipecleaner that is left sticking out of the top of the head is used to hang it with.  Just make a little hook or curl with the pipecleaner.
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I've created a few more Snowmen since I last posted.  I just love snowmen.  They make me smile and they add the sparkle that I need to get through the winter without getting cabin fever.  Sparkle can do that you know;-)

  This snowman is made from Sculpy clay.  I used some Pink Paislee "Jack Frost" paper for the background, then added some other sparkly embellishments and lots of Mica flakes.  Mica makes me swoon.  Although, I must admit that it is a little messier to work with than glitter, but I love it anyway.

 
This one is made from paper mache and sits on a candlestick pedestal.  I finished it by painting it black, adding crackle medium, then white paint and again, lots of Mica flakes.  Maybe it is a little too sparkly.  It'll lose some of it when I pack it away, so then it will be perfect, right?

That paper is from My Mind's Eye.  One of my very favorite paper manufacturers-- it's from the Be Merry collection.  I LOVE the colors and the dots and well, every other paper in that collection.

Okay, I need to go get ready for Cort's Holiday Concert at school .  That is always a fun experience.  I already realized that he forgot his shoes to match his outfit.  I found them in the closet when I pulled out the vaccum this morning and it was too late to run them to school before the morning concert. 

 Yesterday he double checked his backpack to make sure that they were in there -- even after I had told them they were.  I said, "Don't you trust me?"  He said, "I'm just making really positive that they're there."  Oops, I am in BIG trouble when I bring them to him before the afternoon session.  I'll use the excuse of,  "Since when do you decide to put your shoes away in a closet? --  I thought that they were in the backpack still."  Think that will work? ;-)

I will probably be back once more before Christmas.  Well, I'll have to be,  because I'm going to do another "Winter Cheer" giveaway!!!!!! Yep.  More cheer...YIPEE!!!!! 

I'm going to make another one of the Framed Snowmen and you may just be the one to win it.  Can't wait to see what you think of him.

Have a joyful weekend and check back on Monday to see who wins,
Love,  Linda

Jingle, jingle, jingle...

...Christmas time is here.  It's my favorite time of the year for creating, buuuttttt.............
it's also the busiest time of the year. I've been gone so long that my Typepad "New post " page doesn't even look the same.  Uh oh.  I hope that it works the same, because I don't have time for being confused.  So cross your fingers and let's get this done! ;-)

I know that you really want to know the winners of the "Give away" from my last post so I'll get that done first.  Sorry that you had to wait so long.  The winner's are: 

Natalia - who posted November 18 @ 8:38 pm
Kat - who posted November 19 @ 12:54 pm

Congratulations ladies!!! Please email me with your mailing address so that I can get these off to you within the next day or two.  Thanks!  And thanks to everyone who commented and said such nice things.  I truly appreciate that you do that.

So if you feel bad that you didn't win this time, you can try again real soon because I am participating in a little "Winter Cheer" giveaway. 

Carolyn Peeler started this and will also be giving away some fun stuff on her blog, so you can just hop from blog to blog and comment to try to win.  Yay!!!!  

So, I will draw a name from the comments on this post and will announce the winner next Friday, December 19.  There, now I am committed to post in a week ;-)  I'm not exactly sure yet what I'll give away, but it'll be a BIG one.   Some scrapbook supplies and a handmade item probably.  Fun!

Okay, so a few things about my kits for sale at The Scrappy Gourmet.  My Skate Box  kit sold out in 3 days--wow!!!  So thank you, if you purchased one.  I'm busy cutting out more skate sets for this kit so there will be a few more available and shipping around the middle of December so if you want one head on over there and reserve it.

I have a new "Christmas Memories" kit that should be shipping soon. 
 It contains the makings for a mini album, a layout, and a My Minds Eye gift bag.  Most of the supplies are from My Mind's Eye and Kaiser Craft along with some Daisy D's, Melissa Frances, and buttons and rub ons galore!  It was a fun one to create.
 
 
 
I'm trying to remember if I created anything recently that I can share... have been working mostly with new unrealeased product for CHA in January.  Oh, yes-- I created a funky little ornament for Pink Paislee.  Don't laugh, but she is a pink snowgirl.  
   I think that she likes being pink... or maybe she's just cheesed off about it by looking at that smirk on her face.  :-)

Okay, I need to get away from Typepad before I lose this whole post because something is not working right. 

I'll be back next Friday to announce the winner of my Winter Cheer prize.  Hope that your holiday season is happy!
Linda