Adornit 'make it merry' BLoG paRty

Adornit had a little blog party this past week to show Christmas products and projects. Now the blog party is almost over - you can click on Georgana's blog to see what we did. I created a lot of the projects - and wrote most of the wording for all the blog posts. It was fun and Christmasey. We had a blog hop on 'Day 3' with 60 bloggers participating, showing Christmas projects on their blogs. I really enjoyed clicking from blog to blog and seeing the wonderful (mostly papercraft) projects they shared. The photos are some of my projects - all the supplies - patterened paper, stickers, ribbon, tags, except the kraft and solid colored cardstock, are made by Adornit. And I can guarantee the words are spelled correctly! Oh, except for one big glaring mistake that I don't want to talk or think about.

Aren't I lucky to work with such enthusiastic girls? In the photos we're celebrating the beginning of our Make It Merry Blog Part. Now the blog party is over and, well, we're glad about that too. Jumping for joy actually!

Adornit BLoG HoP

Hi all you blog hoppers - welcome to Burnt Cookies! I hope you're enjoying this Hop as much as I am! I think it's amazing that so many of us have linked our blogs together - to create one big virtual Christmas chain!

If this blog is your first stop, you need to go to the beginning of the HOP so you won't miss anything. The link to the beginning is here: www.adornitscrapbook.com/bloghop

I work for Georgana at Adornit (big applause for her huh!), and I helped make some of the projects you'll see on Georgana's blog for the next few days. Please be sure to return to her blog over the weekend and early next week because we have a BUNCH of stuff to show you - advent ideas, decorating ideas, cute cute neighbor gifts. I don't know about you, but it sure helps me - jumpstarts me - to see finished projects that I can scraplift.

Now, about my projects. I love Kraft cardstock. (It's cardboard colored.). For my Blog Hop post, I decided to use Kraft cardstock on every item I could. I made cards, a layout, a little candy cone, some cookie boxes and the banner you see above. It's so easy to mix and match the Kraft color with any Christmas colors. It has an old-fashioned look that feels good in our high-tech world. Try it - you'll like it!

Oh, and the little green notebook in the photo is my "pocket Christmas planner." It's a fabulous Moleskine notebook (available at Borders etc.). I altered it with a clear vinyl sticker from Adornit, ribbon and rickrack. I'll carry it with me through the holidays with lists, reminders, sizes, thoughts and notes. It supplements my big Cut the Crazy out of Christmas planner and helps keep me sane during December. My Cut the Crazy blog is on this blog hop too, so check it out!
EDIT - I guess the next blogger didn't get her post ready - but the next blog has a very cute post - here's the link http://www.itsjennytime.blogspot.com/

3 cards in 30 minutes (give or take a few)

Today is the first day of Adornit's Christmas Blog Party. Since I came up with the idea and wrote the words for today's post which is a card making challenge, I thought I'd better participate. (For those who don't know, I'm the editor at Adornit scrapbook company.) So at 10:50, I set my timer for 30 minutes. Then I pulled out some samples of cards by other people that I like ( to get the creative juices flowing. I love all you great scrappers out there that I copy - in scrapper lingo, scraplift). So I made 3 cards - the first two in the thirty minutes, then, since I had everything out and I was having fun, I made a third card. I like them. For the words I used favorite Christmas cardstock stickers from Adornit. Just slapping that already-cute sticker on my cards helped me stay within my 30 minutes.


It took another hour to take the photos, download the photos, crop the photos, upload the photos to my blog, write the blog post, and listen to Scott talk about riding the stationary bike at the gym and getting his heart rate up to 160 and it feeling good. You can imagine how happy I am to hear that kind of talk - especially since I haven't been to the gym for a month.

~ the last best day ~

Check out these fabulous autumn photos that Scott took yesterday - I had to share them because a storm is coming, and I'm SO AFRAID that this is the end of our wonderful fall weather.

Soon I'll get my photos from last weekend on the blog. I had a grand time at a little workshop called SPARK. I spent two solid days surrounded by creative inspiration and fabulous women. And then, to top off the weekend, I got to go to two Primary children's church programs. Talk about wonderful! I HAVE to tell you all about them. When, I don't know.

"The heart of autumn must have broken here and poured its treasure out among the leaves." Charlotte Fiske Bates

[ sweet baby emmett ]

This little guy has stolen the hearts of both his mama and his grandma. I got to spend some time with little Emmett over the weekend cuddling and loving him. He's a little cutie and a little wiggle worm. He can't seem to keep his hands away from his face - one of his best tricks is to hit himself on the face and then cry and cry because it hurt or startled him. His Mom and Dad laugh and laugh at him. (When you're sleep deprived and crazy about your kid, you do that.)

- join the Adornit BLoG HoP -

Blog Hop Details:

Hey everyone!! I'm INVITING YOU TO PARTICIPATE in the Adornit Blog Hop - you just need to create one little "Christmasey" post showing a handmade holiday creation. That can even include cookies! Here’s how:

1. Add the BLog Party to the sidebar of your blog, so all your blog visitors will know they’re invited too. (For this week, your blog has to be an open blog, not private.)

2. RSVP to georgana@adornit.com with your blog address and contact information asap so that we can arrange the Adornit Blog Hop schedule. Georgana will send you additional details and instructions after she receives your email.

3. Create your Make It Merry handmade project – it can be a layout, card, album, home décor project, gift, or even a recipe – whatever you want to share! Get going! Make something this weekend...you'll love it in December when it's done.

Anyone around the world is invited to participate – the more the merrier!

{ handing out happiness }

Mary Englebreit combines wonderful quotes and charming art to make posters, cards and calendars that I've bought and admired for years. I found these on her blog. About them she says, "These are some drawings I’m working on for the 2011 calendar, called “All The Happiness You Can Handle.”

Love the quotes. Love the artwork too. Always have.

no HaLLoween ZEN here last night

So today I saw my friend JoLynn at church and she mentioned that she read my blog last night and I sounded so calm sitting by the door reading my magazine and waiting for trick or treaters. Well, I hope you read this post JoLynn, because I'm going to tell the real story.

In all honesty, I'm a poser. I'm not calm at all, and I never even found my Southern Living magazine. (I was honest about cleaning my porch, windows and door.) This is how last night really was. The trick or treaters started coming at about 4:30. I love opening my door to bunches of little kids in their darling costumes. The costumes nowadays are so so so cute. As the kiddies gathered on my porch with their cute hip mommies, I realized my porch was clean, but boring, so I hauled myself up to the attic and got out two big wooden pumpkins and three wire ones...set them out...and it looked a little better. Answering the door became tricky and panicky because our dog Max runs to the front door and freaks out barking when the doorbell rings. As I'd charge to the door, I'd realize that Max was there - so had to open the door slowly while pushing Max back behind me with my foot, then squeeze out the door and close it. Then I could give the candy without Max barking at the kids. I kept forgetting to tie him up, so this happened over and over until Scott got home to help me.

Then it started to get dark and one neighbor said, "Where's the strobe light you always have?" I realized that the strobe light is a must-have tradition - it makes the house look kind of scary as the light flashes out of the high windows. So in between doorbell rings I started searching our horribly disorganized over-stuffed storage room in the basement. I thought the strobe light was in one of FIVE Halloween boxes (only one of which I even opened this year). I was stumbling over four old violin cases, ugly framed pictures of airplanes that I made Scott take down when we redid the game room, boxes of old Kiwanis award plaques that Scott's dad got forty years ago and we inherited, and loose posters of Aaron and Michael's Eagle Scout projects that should have been scrapbooked years ago. Scott finally came home and pointed to the strobe light - sitting on the workbench with a piece of sandpaper over it. Arghh.

Set up the strobe light and kept answering the door. After an hour I realized that the candy was running low. What - I thought I bought plenty?!? (Maybe the nice weather was a factor.) I talked Scott into tending the door while I ran to get more candy. There were about 40 pieces in the basket when I left. I actually had a secret mission to go to Kohl's and pick up a print that was on sale and then to Kmart for the candy - which I did very efficiently. I hurried home and there were still about ten candy bars left, so all was well. Answered the door a few more times, noticing that the trick or treaters were getting significantly bigger. Still had cute costumes though, so I was happy to treat them.

Mike was at home waiting for his friends to get off work. We were talking about the good old days when it was our tradition to go to grandpa and grandma's house (my parents) to trick or treat every year.


We decided to put on masks and go ring their doorbell. Scott begrudgingly consented to take care of the trick or treaters here. Mike and I didn't fool cousin Michelle who answered the door at grandpa's house, but we were entertained. We visited with them for about an hour, then headed back home. At that point the doorbell had stopped ringing, and Scott had turned off the porch light.

I then started thinking about Sunday dinner and poked through the freezer. So sick of chicken. So back down the hill I went to the grocery store to get a roast, potatoes and veggies. By the time I got the groceries put away and kitchen cleaned up, I was pooped, but still had one more project. So I turned on the TV in the kitchen and found the show Australia, which kept me going for another hour. At 1:00 a.m. I was finishing making sugar cookie dough (another story) and moaning to Scott at how harried the evening had been. He didn't give me a bit of sympathy, just pointed out that it was really midnight (daylight savings time change) and that's not late for me.

Note to self - eight bags of candy - with 22 pieces per bag - is not enough. Needed five more bags. The Mounds are in the freezer behind the year-old hamburger buns. Don't tell Scott.

haPpy haLLoweeN

Scott's sister Mary in her Halloween get-up at work.

Except for a bit too much breeze, it’s pretty good Halloween weather today in Cache Valley! There's a little warmth from the sunshine - enough to propel me to the front porch this afternoon to sweep up the dead bugs and crinkled leaves and windex the side windows. I have a "thing" about having a clean front porch (with a doorbell that's not smudged and a door that 's not dirty and steps that are swept and clean). I learned this from a "home-keeping" expert many years ago - your front door and porch are where the first impressions about your home are made. Now I know the kiddies won't be noticing my front door tonight, but I will - and I'll be happy that it's all so tidy.

I bought (only) eight bags of candy for this year’s trick or treaters and I plan to save the Mounds bars for last, then I'll probably get to eat them. I say only eight, because in the years that our children were small and all the children on our street and in the surrounding neighborhoods were of trick or treating age, I had to purchase, like 24 bags of candy. Now we're all old and youngest kids are in college, and we have grandchildren. I hope I get to see some of my neighbors' grandkids tonight. We'll get out our big strobe light that flashes light out of the high windows in our house and we'll be set for whomever rings our bell. I'll find my November Southern Living magazine (always the best) and sit by the front door, waiting for kids to come by. I wish little Emmett could come trick or treating!

Edit add-on - here's a photo of Scott and his office helpers at the office on Friday. Scott wore a costume to work, which shocked everyone. His patients apparently got a real kick out of his pirate costume. All the girls look cute, but Mary (Scott's sister) in her "Queen Bee" costume won the prize. (She always does, Mary's so creative - plus she's a seamstress - she made her bee costume.)

pumpkin image from Martha Stewart of course

handMade pUmpKins

Urban Paisley Etsy Shop

Martha Stewart - candy buffet

Scraplovers blog

antique collectible

rachaelrabbit.blogspot.com

Kelly McCaleb blog

workingwomansguidetodomesticsuccess.blogspot.com

Decadent Fibers Yarn Shop

kayemoore.com

Martha Stewart.com

I love all of these versions of fall pumpkins - I have made a few pumpkins myself over the years - but back when we put big black eyes and smiles on them. Since they are buried in my storage room in the Halloween boxes that I chose not to open this year, I thought I'd do a little virtual decorating and check out what everyone else is decorating with. Very fun stuff!

Oh, and last but not least - here is my new little grandson Emmett in the Halloween cap that he got - on his BIRTH day. The cap was crocheted by the nurses in Labor and Delivery. who make them during their down-time for all the babies that are born in their hospital. It's special that he was born on Oct. 21st, so he could get the extra-cute pumpkin hat.

{ "the world needs more happy pictures }

I don't even remember how I stumbled onto this artist - you know how it is when you click, click, click. But I really enjoy looking at his artwork - I want to go to all the places in his paintings. The artist is Doug Bird and his website is http://holyroodstudios.com/ - he's located in Newfoundland.

Here is what he wrote on his website about this painting - which is titled 'Saturday Afternoon.'

"I owe a lot to this fun painting as it was my first step towards making art for a living. It has been a very successful print. I guess the world needs more colourful happy pictures."

Open edition mini print, image 4.5 x 10 inches, $14.95

ten little fingers...

Really it's hard to describe the happiness and relief at the arrival of a little grandchild. It's one of those life moments that's rare and beautiful.

Little Emmett Scott Grewe was born to Becky and Pitt last evening at 8:01 p.m. He weighed exactly 8 lbs. He is the cutest little guy - bringing constant, beautiful smiles to both his mommy and daddy. All four grandparents and Aunt Aimee were pacing the hall together waiting for his arrival. It didn't take long before we got to welcome him to the world with loves and a barrage of camera flashes. Because of flu precautions we had to space out our visits - only one of us at a time in the room.

One word - precious.

cookbooks make great gifts!

Here are two COOKBOOKS that I can personally recommend! Either one is a great gift idea. Maya Angelou's book is part recipes and part memoir. I love her writing, so I enjoyed her essays at the beginning of each chapter. The recipes are probably good, however I haven't felt a need to cook from this book. But to sink into my favorite reading chair and read about Maya cooking - now, that's pure pleasure. Non-fattening too. This book is on clearance everywhere right now.

Here's what a reviewer said about the book: "Maya Angelou is renowned in her wide and generous circle of friends as a marvelous chef. Her kitchen is a social center. From fried meat pies, chicken livers, and beef Wellington to caramel cake, bread pudding, and chocolate éclairs, the one hundred-plus recipes included here are all tried and true, and come from Angelou’s heart and her home. Hallelujah! The Welcome Table is a stunning collaboration between the two things Angelou loves best: writing and cooking."

The best thing about this book is the pictures! Every recipe has a great photo. Of course the recipes are great too. With Paula Deen as their mom, these boys couldn't help but have a collection of recipes for hearty, everyone-loves food.

Just order a book or two - right now, for Christmas - they'll come in handy as a gift for someone special. Maybe you can even slip one into your own Christmas stocking.

++ quick cookies ++

I made cookies today - and nearly, but not quite, burned the first batch. Wait a minute - it's usually the last batch that I forget and leave in the oven too long. Anyway, putting cookie sheets in and out of the oven for an hour made me remember some very good advice I picked up this past summer.
Scott and I were riding our bikes (something we really loved doing this summer) - it was in July - and we stopped at his brother's house for a quick visit. It was a Sunday evening and Melanie was just pulling some Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies out of the oven. Talk about timing! Oh yummm - I still remember how good they were, hot and buttery/chocolatey sweet.
I love being around Melanie because she's always full of good ideas that I take as advice from a very wise person. She told me that she gave up making chocolate chip cookies in favor of making 'blondies.' She figured out that the bar cookies taste very similar to regular cookies and for much less effort you get the same effect - hot, yummy cookies.
I think she's right - the only problem is the 'all or nothing' factor. If you're going to burn them, you burn the whole bunch. (My photos are from July when I went right home and practiced. I sat by the oven so I'd take them out right on time. (yummmmmmm)