Monday, April 19, 2010

Soup Swap - Basil Tomato Soup

That's all that was left in the crock . . . that should tell you how good it was . . . LOL . . .


1 can (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
8 fresh basil leaves, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup and 3 tbsp whipping cream
3 tbsp and 2 tsp butter

In a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil and sugar. Reduce heat to low; stir in cream and butter.

This was my (Pam) contribution to the swap. This was a new recipe but I think everyone really enjoyed it. I served my soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Friday, April 16, 2010

It’s going to be a crazy SCRAPPING week!!

Saturday, April 17th @ 1 pm

Thirty Minute Layouts
Join us Saturday afternoon for 30-minute layouts. Make 4 layouts in 2 hours. All they need is your photos and personal touches to complete. $24.00

In the mood for more scrapbooking? We're have a pot luck dinner after the class and then continuing to scrapbook until we can't scrap no more . . . LOL . ..

Call Joyce 519-631-4352 to register for the class, supper, crop or all three.
Tuesday, April 20th from 10 am to 4 pm

Ladies’ Day Out
Every week we meet at the Grand Central Apartment's Community room just to get away and enjoy adult conversation. Bring an unfinished project or new project or even a crossword puzzle! We have so far seen: painting, scrap booking, card making, needlepoint, knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing, puzzles, reading and genealogy.

This is a open invitation to anyone interested. Please pass it on to anyone (friends and family) that you think might like to join us.

There is a full kitchen to be used, including a fridge, stove and microwave. We even baked fresh cookies a couple weeks ago! There is no cost, but donations for the coffee are requested. Bring your snacks and drinks and come out for an hour or the day.

Come in behind the Grand Central Apartments on Talbot St, St Thomas and park in the parking lot. There are doors marked "mall entrance". Come in and the elevator is directly to your left. Go down one floor and head to your left again.....the first door on your left is the common room (generally you can hear us). The door is closed ONLY to keep the heat in during these cold months....come right in and join us.
Saturday, Saturday 24th from 9:30 am to 11 pm

5th Annual Synchronicity Scrapbooking Day
Supporting London Skating Club, Synchronicity Intermediate
Byron United Church, 420 Bolar Rd.
$45 includes meals and selected make n takes
Classes Available at extra charge. Card Class, 2-page layout class, and extreme class all taught by Pam Hedden
Vendors: Scrapbook Memories, Creative Memories, Close to My Heart and Stamping Up
For tickets contact Barb Fisher 519-289-5725
Sunday, April 25th

Card Class with Jean
Learn exciting card making techniques with Jean Bircham. $8.00

Call Joyce 519-631-4352 to book your seat

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Saturday, April 3rd


What a gorgeous day!! We had the whole Big Blue Team + 1 with us today as we continued to plant boxes that had been pulled for the winter. We have a lot more work to do if we are going to be ready for the Tree Hugger Meet Up here in St. Thomas on May 15th.

Organizing Ribbons and Fibres

Organizing Ribbons and Fibers

It’s essential before you begin organizing your ribbons and fibers to decide how you want them to be organized. Do you want them sorted by colors, by theme, or by manufacturer? Do you want to keep them with matching embellishments or store them separately? Do you like to keep them on their original cards? Think of how you reach for them now and organize them in the way that works the best for you. Also think about the types of ribbons and fiber that you use the most – keep those up front and ready for frequent use. Here are some category ideas:


· Solids and Patterns by Color

· Solids by Color and Patterns by Color

· Each Pattern by Color (Ginghams, Polka Dots, Stripes, etc.)

· Each Type by Color (Eyelash Fibers, Chenille Fibers, Rick Rack, Twill, etc.)

· Theme

· Manufacturer

· Manufacturer Sets (i.e. SEI Granny’s Kitchen, Memories Cosmopolitan, etc.)

Here are some ideas that would work for both ribbon and fibers:

On fiber cards in embellishment organizers

  • In mini embellishment boxes
  • On spools hung on a pant hanger
  • Wound and paper clipped, and stored in embellishment organizers with their coordinating embellishments
  • In small plastic zip bags stored in a photo box
  • Wound around index cards and stored in a photo box

Evaluate your system after a few months, and make sure that it is tailored to your specific needs. If you find that you are using one type more than the others, again, make sure it’s up front and ready to use. If a previous favorite is now being used less, move it to a more suitable spot. Make your system work for you!

Organizing Embellishments

Organizing Embellishments

Embellishments are like the icing on the cake, adding certain flair to your layouts. It’s important to find a system that will help you store all your embellishments in a way that won’t overwhelm you and is visible enough that you don’t forget to use them.

As always, first you must bring all of your embellishments together, touch every piece that you have, and sort through them, determining what to purge and deciding how to sort them in a way that makes sense to you.


Some ideas for sorting your embellishments:

· By category (buttons, brads, alphabet charms, etc.)

· By color

· By manufacturer or lines within manufacturers

· By type (metal, acrylic, tin)

· By theme

For alphabet embellishments, there are different considerations.

· Separate your alphabets by letter and have an “A” section that will store your metal, button, tin, eyelet, and game board letters together.

· Sort each type of letter separately (i.e. your alphabet buttons in one place with each section devoted to a different letter).

· Sort each color separately and then separate the letters.

Most importantly, the organizational plan has to make sense to you and the way you would use your alphabets.


Now that you’ve decided how to sort your embellishments, the next step is deciding how to store them. Which embellishments do you find you use the most? Those should be the

closest and most easily accessible to you. Do you crop away from home often? If you do, your embellishment holders should be portable enough to be able to toss in your Cropper Hopper and go, without your having to stop and transfer them to another container.


Some ideas for storing your embellishments:

· Cropper Hopper Embellishment boxes

· Tackle Boxes

· Watch tins

· Spice jars

· Magnetic office supply containers

· Photo Boxes

· Stored in their original packaging in baskets, peg boards or small drawers

Don’t forget to label everything – labeling is the key for easy retrieval and clean-up! Whatever system of storage you choose, review it from time to time to make sure it’s still working for you. Is it still easy to find exactly what you need? Is it easy to clean up after a scrap session? Is it easy to put away new purchases? If you answer no to any of these questions, it may be time to tweak your system a bit. Remember, being able to maintain your system is one of the most important aspects to organization!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Some area scrapbooking crops . . .


Type:
Date:
Tuesday, 06 April 2010
Time:
10:00 - 16:00
Location:
Grand Central Apartments Social Room

Description

Every week we meet at the Grand Central Apartment's Community room just to get away and enjoy adult conversation.

This week we are enjoying a pot luck lunch. LDO will provide a lovely ham so you just have to bring a side dish or dessert. Please let us know what you are bringing.

Bring an unfinished project or new project or even a crossword puzzle! We have so far seen: painting, scrap booking, card making, needlepoint, knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing, puzzles, reading and geneaology.

This is a open invitation to anyone interested. Please pass it on to anyone (friends and family) that you think might like to join us.

There is a full kitchen to be used, including a fridge, stove and microwave. We even baked fresh cookies a couple weeks ago!

There is no cost, but donations for the coffee are requested. Bring your snacks and drinks and come out for an hour or the day.

Come in behind the Grand Central Apartments on Talbot St, St Thomas and park in the parking lot. There are doors marked "mall entrance". Come in and the elevator is directly to your left. Go down one floor and head to your left again.....the first door on your left is the common room (generally you can hear us). The door is closed ONLY to keep the heat in during these cold months....come right in and join us.

I've been invited to teach at the Synchronicity crop . . . reqested are a card class, 2 page layout class, and an extreme!! class. Looking forward to designing these classes and meeting lots of new and old friends. I'm hoping to stay for the day to crop as well.


Type:
Date:
Saturday, 01 May 2010
Time:
09:00 - 18:00
Location:
Southwold Public School, Fingal Line, St. Thomas

Description

Join us for a Scrapbooking Day at Southwold Public School in St. Thomas.... and help us raise funds for the Grade 8 Graduation at the same time!

Cost is $30 and includes:
- continental breakfast
- lunch
- gift bag
- door prizes.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Hope you can come!


Good Friday

We started our long weekend out the RIGHT way . . . Letterboxing!!!! We found 401 Westbound - Woodstock: Best Friends quite easily. Loved the carve and the funny clues.

We then headed back to St. Thomas. On the way we stopped to replant London Calling which we'd pulled for badly needed first aid.

Our next stop was to replant Carr's Bridge which we had pulled for the winter. This letterbox has been hidden in a new location so even if you've found it before it would be fun if you came and found it again.

Hopefully we will have more sunshine this weekend so we can replant more of the boxes we had to pull for the winter or for repair.

So what did you do this weekend?