feeling a little frazzled

hey there ~

TGIF and I really mean it today. Not only is it FWF with Unity {always a great way to end a week} but it is the Friday of school vacation {YIPEE!!!} Don't get me wrong, I love my kiddos with all of my heart but this week has been a bit hectic, and well has left me a bit frazzled and certainly ready for them to go back to school on Monday. See, I am a person of routine and I get all out of sorts when that routine is broken - so having the kids home with me each day when they usually are not is well...a break in my normal routine. I ran out of entertainment ideas at the beginning of the week and all they want to do is play video games and watch tv and that drives me absolutely NUTS!!! So, today's card was absolutely fitting for the mood I am in.

I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #61, CTMH paper and ink and Unity's Sept 09 KOM {go ahead wish}.

I would love to hear from you so, please leave me a comment and then don't forget to head on over to the Unity blog to check out the list of Friends with Flair. You don't want to miss today's inspiration...and...someone has the hidden blinkie, find it to win yourself some Unity goodness.

Have a great day...off to occupy the restless kiddos {and one frazzled mom!},

Tracy

You Rock!

Hey there ~

Welcome to the CTMH Product Spotlight Blog Hop. If you came from Jena's blog you are heading in the right direction. If you are starting with me, then continue on through (you will find the next hopper at the end of this post) and check out the inspiration all of these lovely ladies have for you today.

This month we are showcasing the You Rock Stamp set. This set is fun and versatile and I had such a great time creating my cards to show you all today. I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #60 for the layout and took it from there. This set can be used for anything, but it just so happens that I created Valentine's cards for 2 of the 3 loves in my life...my 2 little love bugs. I hope you enjoy and they give you some great ideas on how to use this fabulous stamp set.

I used the same paper packet (Magic Moments) and Winter Button Collection on both cards. I also used the same sketchand changed the card dimensions up a bit (the 2nd is closer to what the sketch showed) to accomodate the size of the stamps I used from the set. Even with all this "sameness" (yes I know that is not a word) they both turned out completely different and totally perfect for each of my little loves.

Ok, now hop on over to see what Kimberly has in store for you today...and please don't forget to leave me some love...I absolutely adore reading all the comments.

If you get lost along the way, here is a list of all the February CTMH Product Spotlight hoppers:

Wendy K.
Jenifer Benner

Jena DeVries
Tracy Oleksak
Kimberly Smith

Sylvia Jacquot
Mary Eisen
Carol Loftus
Adeline Brill

Thanks for stopping by - have an absolutely wonderful day ~

Tracy

{you rock} materials:
all materials are CTMH (unless noted)
Stamp set: You Rock
Paper: My Reflections Magic Moments Level 2 Paper Pack, White Daisy CS
Ink: Indian Corn Blue, Hollyhock
Embellishments: Craft Buttons Winter Collection, Just Blooms Autumn Daisy (ret), Brads Metal Assortment, Natural Hemp
Tools: Edge Distresser, Scalloped Punch (Fiskars)

Tons of Love on FWF!

hey there!

Since Sunday is Valentine's Day, I figured I would go with the lovey dovey theme today...that and because I have been up to my eyeballs in Valentine's cards these past few days. Earlier in the week, I dared to suggest to my 2 little loves that we run to Walmart to pick out Valentine's for their classmates...you would have thought I asked them to run naked through the snow (although JT might have) their eyes bugged out of their heads so far! I got the "but moooooom, you aren't going to make them?" Ok, so out came the stamps and all the scraps of paper and 52 Valentines later...I am pretty proud of what my kiddos get to send to school today (although JT is home sick on the couch...poor guy).

I used a whole bucket of scraps up with these little 4x4 beauties! They were super simple and came together quickly. The longest part was the coloring but I was able to catch up on all my DVR shows while doing it and the kids loved how they came out. I didn't grab a pick of the inside but the blue cards say "UR2 Sweet", the grey "You're just my TYPE", and the purple "You're the Cherry on Top".

I also had a little fun playing along with the Card Patterns Sketch #50. I switched the circles up with a square center and added the ribbon knots and buttons...I love making a sketch my own. I am sending this sweet little card to my gramma.

I want to get this up so I will post the materials a little later. Be sure to head on over to the Unity Blog to see who else is participating in FWF. Don't forget to visit everyone to see who has the hidden blinkie today for your chance to win some fabulous Unity goodness.

Have a great weekend & Happy Valentine's Day ~

Tracy

P.S. Join me on Monday for a CTMH blog hop featuring the You Rock stamp set.

the return of tasty tuesday...but now on weight watchers wednesday!

hey there ~

I have had alot of feed back regarding my weight watchers wednesday posts...people love them...who would have thought? It is funny as many of us feel alone in our struggle with our weight and weight loss, but it is really more common than one would have thought (I know just from the comments I get from these posts) we just aren't all brave enough (or stupid enough) to talk about it.

So - I am dedicating Wednesdays to weight loss from here on out and promise to post about my never ending (or so it seems) journey to being thin. But since I don't want to turn this into ranting and raving or the same old post each week...I thought I would spice it up a bit and give you a recipe each week along with my progress. This also satisfies those who have asked me to share my menus or "give them the recipe". I only pull my recipes from healthy sources (WW cookbooks & mags, Clean Eating, Cooking Light, etc.) so the recipes are guaranteed to be healthy and we have already taste tested them so I am sharing my family favorites...and with a picky husband and 2 picky kids...they should be sure to please your family as well.

With that all said I will get right on to the recipe since my weigh ins have been all messed up. I haven't been able to make my normal meeting time lately and I just can't seem to find the time to get to another...I will be going tonight but I really don't think it is going to be a stellar performance. Could be the hot wings, blue cheese dressing and beer I HAD to have for dinner at 9:30 Monday night, or the Panera sandwich that was calling my name after I showed up to get weighed in and found the WW center closed...ok, really who puts a WW center between a Panera Bread & Old Country Buffet, next to a Lindt Chocolate store and in the same plaza as a KFC, Burger King, Olive Garden, Bertuccis and a few other yummy places...well, I guess probably a smart person who knows I have NO will power.

Any whoo - off the tangent and on with the recipe:

Oven Fried Chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half or 1 drumstick and 1 thigh)

Ingredients
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 large egg whites, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 chicken breast halves, skinned (about 1 pound)
2 chicken thighs, skinned (about 1/2 pound)
2 chicken drumsticks, skinned (about 1/2 pound)
2 tablespoons canola oil
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine buttermilk and egg whites in a shallow dish; stir well with a whisk. Combine flour, cornmeal, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and red pepper in a separate shallow dish; stir well. Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Dip chicken in buttermilk mixture; dredge in flour mixture.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet; lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 450 (28% from fat); Fat:13.8g (sat 2.5g,mono 6.1g,poly 3.6g); Protein:43.5g; Carbohydrate: 35.3g; Fiber: 1.7g; Cholesterol: 109mg; Iron:3.2mg; Sodium:803mg;
Calcium: 88mg

Julianna Grimes Bottcher, Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2006

I served with mashed potatoes and peas.

Enjoy ~
Tracy

Congratulations to....

lucky #19 Robynccgirl who won a Unity single of her choice for stopping by leaving me some love during my Growing in Unity week.

Robynccgirl said...
Great card! Love that background paper with the whimsical house!
on February 2, 2010 9:16 PM

Congrats...please email me your Unity single of choice and mailing info.

Tracy

P.S. My visitor count is up there and my craft room needs some cleaning so I will be having another give away soon...details will be posted this week. Don't forget to stop by on Friday too for the CTMH product spotlight blog hop!

ending the week with flair!

Hey there!

It is Friday and that means a celebration Unity style with FWF, it also means it is my last day of Growing in Unity, showcasing Unity all week long {sigh}. I have had so much fun this past week and I want to thank each and everyone of you who took the time to stop by and leave so many sweet comments on my blog...I love reading them and it just makes me want to spend more time in my craft room creating (although my poor house has been sadly neglected this week!). As a big thank you...I will be pulling one lucky winner tomorrow from all the posts left this week...you will get a Unity single of your choice just for playing along. I will announce the winner on Superbowl Sunday...so check back to see if it is you.

I have one more card for you today using a couple Unity stamps and a sketch from another great blog I discovered the other day (seems like I haven't had anything else to do this week but play and troll the internet for great sketch sites!). I used sketch 49 over at Card Patterns - check them out, this is another site to add to your favorites!

{Wishes}

Don't forget to go to Angela's blog to check out the list of everyone participating in FWF today! Be sure to visit each blog and look for the blinkie for your chance to win some Unity goodness. Oh, and leave me some love too for your chance to win a Unity single of your choice.

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Tracy
{wishes} materials:

Stamps: Unity ~ Savor the Journey Jan '10 KOM (sentiment); Mix up of Cuteness - Paper: CTMH ~ Magic Moments kit - Extras: Buttons & hemp (CTMH), Punches (Fiskars), 3D Foam Squares

{let's hang out}...with Unity all week long!

Happy Thursday and a great big welcome back to day 4 of Growing in Unity! I can't believe my week to showcase Unity's wonderful stamps is almost over {sigh}. I have had such a blast getting inky, working on my creative side and finding new sketches to inspire me. Plus my card stash has been looking a little empty lately so now I have a good stash to grab from when I need one. I have one more day and I had mentioned I was working on a layout (I started off as a scrapbooker afterall) but that is just not going to be finished as my creative muse has decided to take off on a card making tangent...so I have another card tomorrow...and hopefully some scrappy goodness to post next week. Today I have a fun little card for you that I just love because it is so bright and cheery. I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch (#59) and think that it showcases this great image perfectly.

{let's hang out}

Don't forget that we celebrate Friday's Unity style around here with Friends with Flair. So tomorrow you will have 2 chances to win some Unity goodness. Remember to leave a comment on each of my posts this week for a chance to win a single of your choice (I will pick the winner this weekend) and don't forget to check out Angela's blog tomorrow for the list of those participating in FWF...one crafty lady will be hosting the special blinkie for you chance to win some Unity goodness!

Have a super great day!

Tracy

{let's hang out} materials:

Stamps: Unity ~ perfect in every way June '09 KOM

Paper: CTMH ~ let's get together paper packet (ret)

Ink: CTMH

Embellishments: 3D foam squares

Growing in Unity...Day 3

hello and happy Wednesday!

Day 3 with Unity and I am so happy to share 3 cards with you today...well 2 different designs but I loved the little puzzle card so much that I had to make 2 and change the sentiment up.

I think I am in love with the Clean & Simple Stamping blog I shared with you yesterday...these cards were so easy to whip up using FTL76...the hardest part was choosing which Unity stamp I wanted to use...because I love them all! So since I really couldn't decide I chose 2 different images (and have plans to recreate the cards with a few more...like the cupcakes, pie, cute little turtles...the list goes on and on).

{perfect pear}

{let's get together}

{we fit together perfectly}

For the above 2 cards, I really wanted the stamped puzzle pieces to pop so I adhered the patterned paper to white cardstock, stamped and then cut it out. I popped them up off the card with 3D strips. Also, I didn't have the perfect sentiment so I typed it up and printed it out.

That is it for today...don't forget to leave me some love for your chance to win a Unity single of your choice. I will be drawing the lucky winner this weekend.

Have a great afternoon ~

Tracy

{perfect pair} materials:

Stamps: Unity - perfect in every way June '09 KOM (sentiment); a pocketful of...July '09 KOM ~ Sketch: FTL 76 ~ Paper: CS - CTMH; Patterned - Making Memories ~ Embellishments: ribbon - Offray; bling - CTMH; 3D foam squares - CTMH ~ Ink: CTMH

{let's get together & we fit together perfectly} materials:

Stamps: Unity - savor the journey January '10 KOM ~ Sketch: FTL76 ~ Paper: CTMH ~ Embellishments: ribbon CTMH ~ Ink: CTMH

Growing in Unity...Day 2

Welcome back for another day of Unity goodness! I am so happy to be participating in Growing in Unity this week as it has given me a chance to break out the stamps, use up some paper, create a stash of cards and just unwind. There is just something about everything coming together when I create that releases a little bit of unwanted stress...and there are those days that everything doesn't just "come together" and the stress builds, but I guess that is just an excuse to play a little longer.

I recently stumbled up a great sketch blog (and there are many) Clean & Simple Stamping. I am sure most people know about it and I am not too sure why I didn't discover this sooner! These sketches are fabulous and I can see myself using them again, and again, and again (you get the picture!). I based today's card on FTL75 and used one of my very first Unity sets Pixie Lane. I fell in love with this set when I first discovered Unity because it is just so pretty and so versatile. Case in point with today's card:

I purposely left a sentiment off of the front because it can be used for just about anything. I figured I would add it to my stash and stamp the sentiment inside when I need to use it..of course it will be on my display shelf for a bit before I can part with it.

Don't forget to leave me some love to be entered for a chance to win a Unity single of your choice! I really do enjoy reading all the comments...they inspire me. I will be back tomorrow with some more Unity goodness and hopefully I can finish up my layout in progress to share by the end of the week.

Smiles,

Tracy

{untitled} materials:

Stamps: Unity ~ Pixie Lane

Sketch: FTL 75
Paper: CTMH ~ Cocoa, Colonial White, Simple Pleasures (patterned)

Ink: CTMH ~ Chocolate, Olive
Embellishments: CTMH Cocoa Ribbon, colored pencils

growing in Unity...day 1

Good Morning and welcome to day 1 of my week to showcase the wonderfulness of the Unity Stamp Co. I {heart} Unity stamps and am so happy to be able to feature them and...drum roll please...give away a free single of your choice to one lucky winner. All you need to do is leave a comment on my blog this week, at the end of the week I will have my adorable assistants (K & J) pick one lucky winner - so come back every day and leave some love to increase your chances of getting your hands on some Unity rubber!

Isn't it funny when you have an idea in mind for a card and it just doesn't end up the way you thought it would? That is what happened when I created today's card. I really liked how it turned out but had something totally different in mind when I first set out, but since I couldn't put my inky fingers on the sentiment I was looking for or the right ribbon...voila!

{you make my heart flutter}

Have a great day and don't forget to come back tomorrow,

Tracy

{you make my heart flutter} materials:

Stamps: Unity ~ Bevy of Butterflies, Following my heart Aug '09 KOM (sentiment)

Sketch: CPS 151

Paper: (Patterned): Chatterbox Rosey Pixie Garden; (CS): CTMH ~ Hollyhock, White Daisy, Olive

Ink: CTMH ~ Hollyhock, Olive

Embellishments: CTMH Blush Polka Dot Ribbon; Fiskars punch