Creating Me

Fall Burlap Banner

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Anita

I shared some Fall Subway Art here a few days ago that I use to decorate my mantel. I also made a fun “FALL” burlap banner to hang across the front of my fireplace.

I followed the instructions found here to make the pennants for the banner. The letter stencils came from Hobby Lobby and are 4 inches tall. They have several different fonts to choose from to get the look you want.

I used regular acrylic paint and a sponge pouncer (similar to these) to stencil the letters on each pennant. The pennants are strung on twine and I knotted ribbon on each end.

This “FALL” banner added just the right rustic touch I was looking for. 🍁🍂🍁

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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Fall Subway Art

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Anita

I love to change my fireplace mantel to reflect the seasons. I’m a little behind in getting my Fall decor up due to a major renovation in our master bath that produced more dust than I could have ever imagined!! Yikes, I don’t know if I’ll ever find all of it!!

I love all the different free printable subway art that is available on Pinterest. I searched under “Fall subway art” and found this great printable. If this one doesn’t strike your fancy, just keep looking…I’m sure you’ll find the perfect one for you!

I printed it on white card stock and trimmed it close. I needed to soften the white background a bit, so I used a stipple brush to lightly apply some brown ink all over the card stock. I then attached it to an 8 x 10 inch piece of orange card stock to fit in my frame. I found this great distressed white frame on clearance at Kohl’s. I use it for each season ~ just change out the subway art. I even store them all in the frame behind the one I am currently using 🙂

Here’s another printable I found here for Fall. There are 10 different ones to choose from on this site ~ so cute!!

I picked the lantern up at Target a couple of years ago, but I recently saw the same thing at Michael’s and you can use your 40% off coupon. 🙂 Fill it with pumpkins, gourds, a candle with coffee beans, or your favorite Fall vase filler. Pair it with your subway art and you have a cute decoration for your mantel or side table.

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Decor, Fall | 3 Comments

Halloween Mail

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Anita

What’s more fun than going to your mailbox and finding a special card addressed to you? I found this stamp from Taylored Expressions and knew it would make the perfect card to let some special people know that I was thinking of them. 🎃

The image is stamped on white card stock with black ink, colored with Copic markers, and layered to orange card stock. Using the swirl embossing folder from Cuttlebug, I embossed a panel of purple card stock and attached it to a white card. I added a strip of patterned paper and then attached the stamped image with pop dots.

Make someone’s day a little special by sending a card just for them. 😊

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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Easy Taco Soup

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Anita

Cooler temps bring on thoughts of yummy soups to fill you up and warm your tummy. This is one of my favorite Taco Soup recipes that I found here on Pinterest and it also freezes well!

I’ve changed it up just a little by using fresh cooked chicken instead of canned and I mixed together my own taco seasonings, using this recipe, instead of using a store bought packet. So here’s how I made this tasty soup.

1 lb fresh chicken breast
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained
15.25 oz can sweet corn, drained
10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup
10 oz can green enchilada sauce
14 oz can chicken broth
Taco seasoning: 2 tsp chili powder, 1 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp onion powder, 3/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp sea salt, dash cayenne pepper. Mix together well before adding to soup pot.

Cook chicken in boiling water 20 – 25 minutes until done. Cool slightly and shred. Then add all ingredients to a large soup pot and heat until warmed through.

This soup is great paired with some fresh, hot cornbread or maybe some tortilla chips with guacamole on the side. Whatever you decide, it will definitely add some comfort and warmth to your day!

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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Pumpkin Cupcake Card

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Anita

When I saw this adorable stamp by Karen Lockhart I just knew it had to come home with me! You can find your very own Pumpkin Cupcake stamp here at Pink Ink Stamp Company. The stamp “have a delicious day” is from A Muse Studio and worked perfectly for this card.

The pumpkin cupcake is stamped with black ink on white card stock, colored with Copic markers, and punched with a circle punch. The sentiment is stamped with black ink on green card stock and punched with the label punch from Stampin’ Up.

To put the card together, I layered panels of 2 different patterned papers and tied a green ribbon in a simple knot over the papers. The whole panel is then attached to an orange card. The pumpkin cupcake and sentiment are both attached with pop dots.

This would be a fun card to attach to a Halloween cupcake for a special little treat 🙂

I hope you have a delicious day!

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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Cinnamon Crumb Banana Bread

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Anita

I was going to a women’s fellowship for church and needed to bring a snack. Being lazy and not wanting to make a trip to the store, I started searching my “Sweets” Pinterest board for something yummy ~ and for a recipe that would use what I already had in my pantry.

Banana bread is always a good choice when using pantry staples, but I wanted a little something more. This Cinnamon Crumb Banana Bread was just what I was looking for! You can find the recipe here. It was very moist with a yummy, crunchy crumb topping. It was super easy to make and I think the ladies enjoyed it.

Here it is fresh out of the oven…

Just a note: I didn’t have buttermilk (and of course wasn’t making a trip to the store) so I did the next best thing. I added 1/2 teaspoon vinegar to a 1/2 cup measuring cup and then filled it with milk. Mix it together and you have a substitute for the buttermilk.

After adding a dusting of powdered sugar…

I love cinnamon and the next time I make this I may even add a little more to the batter and the topping 🙂

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Recipes | 2 Comments

Pumpkin Smile

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Anita

Here’s a happy little card that is sure to make the recipient smile! This cute jack-o-lantern has the sweetest grin that just says “Happy Halloween”!!

The jack-o-lantern, from an older set called Autumn Harvest by Stampin’ Up, is stamped on white card stock with black ink. I colored the image with markers, punched it out with a circle punch, and layered it to a scalloped circle punched from green patterned paper.

Using the swirl embossing folder from Cuttlebug, I embossed a panel of purple card stock, tied orange striped ribbon around the panel, and attached it to an orange polka dot card. The stamped image is then attached with pop dots over the ribbon.

This little card works up quickly…make several so you can send out lots of Halloween smiles 🙂

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Cards, Fall | Leave a comment

Halloween Cutie

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Anita

I’m not into all the spookiness surrounding Halloween, but I do like the cuteness that can be found ~ and the candy isn’t bad either 😉

This little cutie is a from a stamp set by Inky Antics. The set includes this stamp along with a full view of her, a cute kitty, owl, and several sentiments. You can see the entire set here.

She is stamped on white card stock with black ink, colored with Copic markers, and trimmed close. She is then layered to the purple circle with the pumpkin border, which is die cut from the Nestabilities S4-331 set by Spellbinders. The tiny pumpkin from Darcie’s is stamped with black ink on an orange card stock panel. The panel is layered onto patterned paper that is punched along both edges with an edge punch from Fiskars and then attached to a green card. The stamped image is attached with pop dots.

No spookiness here ~ she is certain to make you smile!

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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Candy Corn Tag

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Anita

I made these little Candy Corn Treat Bags featured on this post as a fun Fall treat. Here is a sweet Candy Corn Tag to add a special touch. Super easy to make and super cute with the treat bags!

I was inspired by this post from the blog all i create to create my Candy Corn Tags. Using the Petite Pennant Punch from Stampin’ Up, just punch the pennant from white, yellow, and orange card stock. Then emboss the pieces with the swiss dot embossing folder from Cuttlebug. Trim the yellow and orange pieces and attach to the white piece to form the candy corn. Stamp “a treat for you” (stamp from A Muse Studio) with orange ink on white card stock and punch it out with the word label punch from Stampin’ Up. Punch a tiny hole in both pieces to attach some twine and tie it to the treat bag.

Personalize this little tag with the name of that special person you want to give a bit of Fall cheer.

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Fall, Gifts, Tags | Leave a comment

friendship is a sheltering tree

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Anita

I have been blessed with some of the most amazing friends! I had lunch with one of them last week and needed to send her a thank you note for a very thoughtful gift she gave me. This set from Stampin’ Up was just perfect!

First I stamped the grass in olive ink on white card stock. The tree is then stamped with brown ink. The leaves are stamped twice; once in olive ink and a second time in celery ink. You can get the same effect by stamping once in olive ink and then stamping again without reinking your stamp. Finally, the sentiment is stamped with brown ink. I trimmed the stamped image, attached it to green card stock, and attached the panel to a white card.

It’s a simple card, but with a heartfelt sentiment. Thank you, friends, for being you!

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Cards | 1 Comment