Friday, October 30, 2009

A Christmas Card & another recipe!

Happy Friday everyone!

There’s such a wonderful feeling about Fridays I think… the start of a couple of days off where we get to relax a little and do some fun things together.  YAY!!   Tonight I’m taking a group of ladies for some card-making at our church.  We only have about 15-20 minutes to make one card, so I am really hoping that I don’t go over time!   Here’s the card I came up with for the class

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This will also be one of the cards I’m making at my Christmas Class next week – yes next Thursday, not the 12th as I’ve stated on my previous post… Sorry!  Phone me if you’d like to come along – details are on the side of my blog.

I’m really getting into this home baking (eating it as much as anyone!), so here’s another recipe for you to try out.  I’m always finding that our boys won’t eat the weet-bix crumbs, and I end up throwing them out.  Now, I’ve found a way to use them in a delicious recipe in the microwave. 

Terri-Lee’s Microwave Chocolate Crunch

125g buter, 1 cup self-raising flour, 2 Tbsp cocoa
1 cup weeb-bix crumbs, 1 cup coconut, 3/4 cup sugar

Melt butter & mix in remaining ingredients.   Cook on high for 6-7 minutes.  Ice & cut while still warm.   This crunchy slice is really crunchy, so make sure you don’t overcook it.

Have a fabulous Friday – I’m off for lunch with friends!

Michelle

Thursday, October 22, 2009

NO PRESSURE Christmas Classes for you!

Good morning everyone!

As I have had so many lovely people asking about Christmas Card Classes, I have decided that I’ll hold two classes next month. The details are below.

If these dates don’t suit then please give me a call, as I am also available for classes on other dates, so if you would like to get together a small group (or a larger one!) then I’m happy to come to you at a time that suits us both. Details for this NO PRESSURE Christmas Class are the same as below, with a minimum of six people attending. I’m happy to come to your place, (there may be a small charge for mileage depending on where you live), or I can host it at mine.

DETAILS :

Thursday 12th November and Wednesday 25th November 7.30pm.
We will make 9 cards – 3 each of 3 designs.
Cost $20 per person
Phone me on 06 7533736 / 027 3711420 or email
o2bstampin@hotmail.com to register.

Oh, you may be wondering about the NO PRESSURE part of these classes… I know some people are intimidated by pushy sales-people at events such as these trying to sell them a whole heap of things that they never end up using – well, I’ll guarantee you that this won’t happen at my classes! I’m no longer selling any stamping products (except cardstock by the piece if you need some) so there will be no need to worry that you’ll end up walking out with a huge bill! $20 is all you’ll need to bring.

Here’s one of my Christmas Cards that was inspired by the lovely
Sarah Klass. Thanks Sarah – I just love your style!

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Enjoy your day – it’s pouring here, so I cancelled everything for the day, and am enjoying a day at home.

Michelle

DELISH COOKIES :
Oh, I’ve been baking lots recently (funny that!), and have a wonderful recipe to share with you all – keep reading if you’re interested in a great biscuit recipe that makes a whole heap of biscuits, and even a Non-Biscuit-Baker like me can make successfully!

These cookies are called the $250 Urban Legend Chocolate Chip Cookies – this IS a legend, with no truth what-so-ever behind the emails that are circulated on a regular basis, but the cookie recipe is delicious anyway, and the story kinda makes the cookies taste ever so slightly better, I’m sure!!

1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 cups oatmeal or muesli
350g chocolate chips
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

Blend the oatmeal (I used old muesli that no-one would eat, as it had gone a little stale, and it was perfect) in a food processor until it is a powder. Cream the butter and both lots of sugar. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Roll into balls and cook at 190 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Deeeelish while still warm, but still a fabulous cookie for days after – if they last that long!

The ingredients listed are halved from the original recipe, as this makes heaps anyway. These cookies freeze well.

Enjoy, and don’t eat them all yourself before the kids come home from school…

Here is the Urban Legend in full detail

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Creative Kids Class Tomorrow

Good morning!  

It’s so great that it’s warmed up a little again – it’s been absolutely FREEZING here for a few days.  It seems that Spring has run, and Winter is nearly coming back again!   Stink – school holidays are more fun when you can be out and about doing things!  Anyway, if you children are a little bored, then bring (or send) them along to my Creative Kids class tomorrow.  I have two sessions – the first is from 10am-12noon, and the second is from 1pm-3pm.  Children can come to both or one of the sessions.  If they are coming to both, then they are welcome to stay with me for the lunch break as well.

If children are staying by themselves, then I would suggest age 7 and up, or if you would like to come and stay with them and help them with the projects, then I’m happy to take any school age child.

Here is one of the projects we made last week.  It was a fun project to do, and even the adults all took templates to make one at home!  I have to thank CHERIE, my fabulous friend, who  made one of these for me last Christmas, and I managed to gently pull it apart and take a template from it to make.  Thanks so much Cherie – you’re just wonderul!!

Kids Class Oct 09

Each session we make different projects, and usually we make at least 3 projects per session, depending on difficulty! 

Give me a call or email if you would like your child to come along.

Have a great day!

Michelle

Monday, October 5, 2009

Faux Alligator Purse & Matching Card

HelllllooooO!!  I’m here.  Finally.   WE Stamp has finished today, so the late night stamping is now a thing of the past.  For now!    I want to share with you some of the projects that I created for WE Stamp – these are all now available for you to purchase as a individual PDF Tutorial for just NZ$5 per project.   I’ll be uploading them over the next week, but if you can’t wait, just send me an email, and I’ll send you my bank account details so you can get it asap!  

It’s not too late to join WE Stamp – all of our projects will remain on the blog for downloading or printing until the end of November, so you’ve still got lots of time.   Just click on the WE Stamp blinkee on my sidebar to go to the blog and join up.  Today I shared a Faux Alligator Purse, and when I was photographing it, I realised that it matched perfectly with one of my favourite cards, so I’ve put them together as a lovely gift set.

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This was such a fun purse to make – I’ve never done this technique before, and was amazed that it worked first time for me – that’s a first!

Well, the good news is that I now have a “To Do List” that has only 3 things left on it.   AMAZING!!   I always struggle with my list, and it frustrates me, as I seem to add to it more than crossing it off.  My office is now 99% in order (I may just post the “before & after” pictures!) and I’m loving being in my office once again.  There’s nothing worse than sitting down to create only to have to shove all the other things off your work area because you are too scared to file anything away in case you never see it again… YKWIM???  

Tell me your BEST de-cluttering tip as a comment on this post, and I’ll pick a random commenter and send you one of my PDF’s (of your choice) for free, just to celebrate being so much more in control of my life again!  

Happy Monday!

Michelle