Studio J- Boo Kit

Halloween is nearly upon us, and I just realised I still hadn't put the Halloween photos from 2013 in my son's album. Studio J to the rescue!

This layout is for the Heart 2 Heart Boo! Challenge, which fits perfectly since the kit I used is called Boo.



Even though a traditional American Halloween is not really celebrated here in New Zealand, I still made the day fun by starting off with a spooky breakfast. We then went to a Light Party, which is a local alternative to trick or treating. We finished off the day with some pumpkin quesadillas and spooky stories.

This layout came together so quickly, and I am really pleased with the black and orange as it goes really well with the photos. I love how quick and easy Studio J is!

If you have a Boo inspired project to share, you can join in here!

ABC Blog Hop- U

 
Welcome to the Everything ABC's Blog Hop!

For this hop we will be featuring the letter U. This may be the name of a paper, a stamp set or an embellishment. Whatever the crafter has chosen as their U element will be featured in their post.

If you came from CatScrapbooking then you're on the right track!

U is for Undie Man- a fictional superhero that my boys have created. I am sure a lot of other households with boys have a version of Undie Man too.



My boys are so funny, and I have a lot of photos of them in various poses wearing underwear on their heads. Eating breakfast, hanging out at home, or watching TV- it is always better with undies on your head according to my two.

I used Studio J to create this layout, with the Superhero papers that are only available in digital format. Perfect for boy escapades, this is one of my favourite Studio J collections to work with!

Your next stop on our Everything ABC'S blog Hop is Diana of Farmer Di Stamps.

In case you get lost along the way…go to Scrappy Therapy for a complete list of participants!

Studio J

Today I am so excited to share the November special that Close To My Heart is offering:

Unlimited $5  two-page layouts in Studio J and the opportunity to win free albums and more!

So you've never tried Studio J or online scrapbooking because you aren't sure you will like it, or it might be too hard or... well it could be any number of reasons. Today I am challenging you to just give it a try. Studio J is FREE TO USE! That's right. You simply create a FREE account and start playing. I think you will like it. 

Here are all the details:

November marks the five-year anniversary of Studio J^®, and that means it’s your lucky month, with 5 amazing ways to win through Studio J and Close To My Heart social media!

#1:  Throughout the month of November, all layouts purchased in Studio J are $5! That is a savings of over 25% off of retail! 

#2:  Your second chance to win big must come by sheer luck: every fifth order placed in Studio J during November receives a FREE surprise Close To My Heart accessory in its shipping box! The accessory has a retail value of $5 or more. If luck doesn’t smile on you in that way, you might stumble upon it by finding a little extra something in your Studio J box. 

#3:  Five “golden tickets” will be sent out during the month of November with randomly selected Studio J print orders! This “golden ticket” is redeemable for one of Close To My Heart’s new D-ring albums* loaded with 10 Top Load Memory Protectors™.

#4:  For a fourth chance to win, simply create new, gorgeous layouts in Studio J, select your favorites, and then post pictures of them on Close To My Heart’s Facebook page using the hashtag #ctmhlucky5. After November 30, five lucky winners will be selected from the entries based on their artistry and creativity and each of these winners will receive their own D-ring album loaded with 10 Top Load Memory Protectors!

#5:  And there is one last way to win: take your new Studio J artwork and post a picture of it on Instagram using the hashtag #ctmhlucky5. Just as it is with Facebook, after November 30, five lucky winners will be selected from the entries to receive their own D-ring album loaded with 10 Top Load Memory Protectors!

So if you haven't done so already, hop over to my webpage and create your Free Studio J account.

The Spice of Life

Welcome back to another week with Heart 2 Heart Challenges.

This week, the theme is The Spice of Life: maybe a spicy color combo, a spicy recipe, a spicy night out?

I absolutely love to cook, and so when I created a curry recipe from scracth I was really proud of my efforts. My hubby says this is the best dish I have ever made so it deserves its own scrapbook page!



I used Studio J to create this layout- the paper is Enchanted, which is retired from the catalogue but still available in Digital Format. The spicy colours work really well with the photos.

For those of you interested, here is the recipe.

Roast Pumpkin and Cashew Chicken Curry 
1/4 cup raw cashew nuts
1/2 crown pumpkin
400g chicken breasts
200ml light coconut milk
2 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon minced coriander
10 grinds fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon ground flaxseed (optional)
cooked rice, to serve

Soak the cashew nuts for at least one hour in boiling water then drain.

Chop the pumpkin into wedges and season liberally with salt and pepper. Spray with oil and bake in an oven at 180 degrees C for 30-45 minutes until the pumpkin is golden and cooked through.

While the pumpkin is cooking, prepare your rice. I always use a rice cooker but the usual method you use for cooking rice is fine. 

Once the pumpkin has roasted, leave to cool and then mash with a fork.

Chop the chicken breast into strips. Place in a frypan with some more oil spray and brown. Add the  pumpkin mash and coconut milk.

Place the soaked cashews, coriander, curry, flaxseed, salt and black pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times to break down the cashews then drizzle the oil in and pulse until smooth. The flaxseed is optional- I pulse it into the curry mix for some added fibre. Mix into the pan with the coconut milk, chicken and pumpkin, and add 1/4 cup hot water.

Leave this mix to boil for 5 minutes, then serve over rice.

I hope you enjoy the recipe and my layout! Please feel free to join up your Spice of Life inspiration with us.