Scrappin' without Scraps

Too Many Books

The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read. ~ Mark Twain

 

I love to read and summer is a great time for that but my pile of books is getting too big!  Either that or there are just not enough hours in the day. 

 

I just finished Chaim Potok's The Gift of Asher Lev which I had put off reading for some odd reason.  It's one of DH's favorite books and I can see why.  The writing is deceptively simple - short sentences, not much in t he way of description but his ability to portray relationships is amazing.  You really feel like you know the characters even though little is written about them directly.  This one I might have to re-read (something I rarely do) at some future date.  Maybe when I finish the rest of my list.

 

On my list is The Spirit of the Place by Samuel Shem.  This is the same author who wrote House of Godwhich is a classic among the medical profession for the portrayl of internship year in a Boston teaching hospital.  The reviewers have said that the intervening years have mellowed Shem a bit but that he manages to portray the frustrations of current medical practice.  Along with this is How Doctors Thinkby Jerome Koppelman - the title alone is intriguing.

 

Then there's The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler which was given to me by a co-worker.  I've read a few bits in it but not the whole thing.  But given the title maybe I should put off reading this for too long! 

 

 

Some New Post Cards

A couple of new ones I made recently.  Simply click on the title and you can download the full size copy for printing!  And if you want to try your hand at making your own post cards here is the tutorial - Make Your Own Post Cards

Be a Friend

Credits: Illusive by Corina Nielsen; photo by Stock.xchg; frame and flowers from Life Lessons by Karen Lewis and Danielle Engebretson; doodle frame by Vera Lim; paper with clips by Tracy Ann Designs; font is Big Ruckus.

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The World is Round

Credits: OBoy by OScraps (collaborative kit);  font is Teen Angst

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Be Someone

Credits: Catalina by Lynn Grieveson; font is Big Ruckus

Post Cards Part 2

A couple of you have asked it I would be willing to share some of the postcards I have made.  Sure!  I would be happy to and I'm glad you asked.  The title has a link to the download so just click on the title to get the full sized version which you can then print.  And here is the tutorial for Making Post Cards in case you missed it.

Cat Post Card

Credits: 

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Fortune Post Card

Credits: August Shadows by Miriam Lima

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Sasha Post Card

Credits:  Teen Spirit by Kim Hill; fonts is Genius of Crack

Finish Each Day

Finish each day and be done with it.  You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities crept in – forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day.  You will begin it well and serenely, and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old mistakes and nonsense.    

 

 ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Post Cards

You can make your own post cards - really!  It's easy!

Every summer my DDs go off to camp and of course getting lots of letters from home is important.  Writing a full sized letter every day is hard - there's not that much news and too much chatting about home might make them too homesick so I hit upon sending them post cards. 

Here's a complete Tutorial on Making Post Cards. I like to include quotes on mine - Teen1 did a college course/camp for 2 summers and used them to decorate her dorm room and door.   I love them because they are small enough to write just a bit and cheap to mail - it's easy to send one every day.  I print them on card stock, scribble on the back, add a stamp and I'm done!  You could get them printed out as photos too if you wanted a more polished appearance.

They make terrific party invitations or save the date notices.  You could even use them to make advertising postcards (but you'd need commercial permission from the designers first.)

Here are some I made tonight.

Credits: August Shadows by Miriam Lima; I scanned some fortunes and added them

Credit: Teen Spirit by Kim Hill; font is Genius of Crack; the dog is my standard poodle who needs a haircut.

Credit: Say What by Amy Teets; flower and words from OScraps grab bag; stamp from Picnic in the Park by Kim Hill; file tie by Kim Hill; buttons. ribbons and tag by Corina Neilsen; bent frames by Khristy Schmidt

Enjoy!

I Scream, You Scream...

We all know the ending...we all scream for Ice Cream!  It's going to be hot and humid today in NH.  This summer seems more tropical than usual but excuse will work for ice cream. 

Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month?  Here's a great fun thing to try with your kids.  This is always a big hit with my kids - even as teens. You can find lots of  fun ice cream facts here plus some science and history behind ice cream.

Make Your Own Ice Cream

Credits:  Bring It On free kit from The Digi Chicks; fonts are Batik and j.d.

Happy Eating!!!

Happy Fourth of July!

Recipes for the Fourth of July

It's almost here, the Fourth of July! I don't know about you but for us it means dinner.desset and fireworks.  Our town shoots them from a barge in the middle of the lake and we have a great view.  Here are some of my favorite recipes for that day.

I know Potato Salads and  Pasta Salads are traditonal but I'm scared of the mayo and warm weather combination that can make people very ill. So both the Brown Rice Salad and Asian Salad can be safely served in warm weather. 

Brown Rice Salad

 

Credits: Spilled Spagetti by Lorriane Yuriar, font unknown, recipe card template from FxFoto Recipes

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Asian Salad

Credits: Summer Cottage by Shabby Princess; fonts are Batik and Handage

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Dijon -Taragon Grilled Chicken

Credits: Oboy collabrative kit at Oscraps; fonts are Augie and Offshore Banking Business

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Strawberry Banana Bread

Credits:  A Thing Called Spring by Karah Fredricks; Chirstine Nash circle stitching; fnot is j.d. and Juice

More of Mom's Recipes

Some more recipes from Mom. The quiche is a long standing family favorite and yes, it does freeze well.  When my girls were younger, they called it egg pie which is a fitting name when you think about it.

Mock Champagne Punch

Credits: Summery End by Corina Nielsen; fonts are Parisian and Lucinda Calligraphy

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Quiche 

 

Credits: Spilled Spagetti by Lorraine Yuriar; fonts unknown

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Garlic Scallops

Credits: Krafty Summer kit by Katie Pertiet; bent clips by Vickie Fowler; recipe brushes by Scrap Girls;star strings by Corina Nielsen; fonts are Willing Race and Augie

New Endeavor

Nobody starts a creative endeavor without a certain amount of fear; the key is to learn how to keep free floating fears from paralyzing you before you’ve begun. 

 

~Twyla Tharp