In My World

How did you make out on Challenge #4 ? I hate to admit it but I still haven't come up with the solution to my tool storage woes.  Please post your photos to our Facebook group.  Hopefully I will be able to gain inspiration from you. Once I solve Challenge #4 I will be ready to tackle Chall enge #5 .  Stickers, etc. are another great challenge to me.  I have yet to find my perfect storage solution so once again I will be seeking inspiration from you. Stickers, die cuts, and rub-ons are some of the hardest things to organize because the different sizes and shapes pose many challenges. Rub-ons present their own challenges because if they aren't stored properly, they stick to each other and then they are useless. SORT : time to be ruthless. Consider if you are really going to use these items. If you bought a whole sheet of die cuts just to use one or two tags, why are you hanging on to the whole sheet? Those stickers you bought in 1999 were adorable then, but d...

4 large even chicken thighs 1 egg, beaten 2 tbsp half-and-half 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs 1/2 cup potato flakes 1 tsp garlic salt 3 tbsp melted butter 1 tbsp oil Wash chicken thighs, pat dry.  Set aside. In a small bowl, beat egg and half-and-half. In another bowl, combine the bread crumbs, the potato flakes and the garlic salt. Dip chicken thighs in egg mixture; then roll thighs in crumb mixture.  Place chicken thighs on a baking pan.  Sprinkle with melted butter and oil. Bake at 400F for about 35 minutes.  Increase temperature to 450F.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of thighs, until chicken is tender and done to your liking.  Juices should run clear when pierced with a fork. Serve immediately. Serves 4

Quantity : 2 servings Preparation : 20 min Cooking : 30 min 320  calories/serving Ingredients 1 potatoes, sliced into 1 cm pieces 200 g 2 rutabagas, sliced into 1 cm pieces 300 g 1 leeks, cut into 0,5 cm pieces 300 g 1/2 tbsp olive oil 8 mL 1/2 tbsp butter, unsalted 7 g 2 bocconcini / fresh mozzarella, diced 110 g 1 tsp dried oregano 1 g 1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g ground pepper to taste [optional] Method Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF. Prepare the vegetables : Peel the potatoes and rutabagas (or turnips), then cut them into 1 cm-thick slices. Wash the leeks well, remove and discard about ¼ of the dark-green part, then cut them into 0,5 cm-thick pieces. Dice the bocconcini into coarse pieces then set them aside. Heat the butter and oil in a large pan over medium heat, then add the leeks and sauté 3-4 min, with frequent stirring, until they become translucent. Add the other vegetables, then cook 10 min, with occasional stirring, until they become lightly golden-coloured. Se...

When I read the ingredients for this salad I nearly didn't make it . . . but I'm the kind of gal who will try anything once. I'm really glad I did.  I used blood oranges. Quantity : 2 servings Preparation : 10 min Standing : 30 min 150 calories/serving Ingredients 2 oranges 360 g 1 green onions/scallions 10 black olives 4 tbsp 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 15 mL 1/4 dried chili peppers, minced 0.1 g 1/2 tbsp Italian parsley, fresh, chopped 3 g 1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g ground pepper to taste [optional] Method Peel the oranges with a sharp knife, removing all the white pith from the flesh and saving the juice, if any. Cut the oranges into 7-8 mm rounds. Thinly slice the green onions. Arrange the orange rounds with the onions and olives on a platter. In a small bowl, mix the extra virgin olive oil, reserved orange juice, minced chili pepper, salt, and pepper to taste. Pour over the salad. Allow to stand for at least 30 min before sprinkling with the chopped parsley, ...

I've done the photo challenge so many times over the years and developed a system that works well for me. I always upload my photos to my favourite photo processing site as I go along but I wait for a sale and then order them to be printed. As soon as I pick them up from the store I pop them right into page kits. All done. How did you decide to sort and store your photos? If you are ready, here is Challenge #4 . . . Tools & Adhesives Gather together all of your tools and adhesives into a box and let's start S.P.A.C.E.ing them! Sort : one by one, put each item into piles: FAVOURITES, TRASH, TO SELL, STORE, DONATE. Purge : For the SELL pile: bag up and assign a price and your initials to tools/adhesives that you don't love/use anymore and put them in your garage sale box. Throw out the TRASH pile. Arrange pick-up or drop-off of the DONATE pile. Assign : Store your most used items in a basket or box or other system right on your desk, within easy reach. Divide t...

Quantity : 2 servings Preparation : 20 min Cooking : 15 min 290 calories/serving Ingredients 3 tbsp olive oil, plus some extra to drizzle on the fish rolls 45 mL 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tbsp white wine [optional] 30 mL 1/2 cup canned tomatoes (diced) 130 g 1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g ground pepper to taste [optional] 2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped 8 g 2 tbsp Italian parsley, fresh, finely chopped 10 g 2 tsp olive paste 10 g 2 sole fillets 300 g Before you start Keep the serving plates warm on the stove while you're preparing the dish. Method Preheat the oven to 205°C/400°F. Heat half of the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté, with stirring, 1-2 min, until it softens and becomes fragrant. Pour in the wine (optional), bring to a boil and cook until it has reduced by half, about 1-2 min. Add the tomatoes and gently simmer until they have thickened, 5-6 min. Season with a little salt and pepper (anchovies and olive paste are salty). Transfer the sauc...

https://www.soscuisine.com/recipe/carrots-leeks-fresh-mint Quantity : 2 servings Preparation : 10 min Cooking : 50 min 170calories/serving Ingredients 2 carrots, cut into 1 cm rounds 200 g 1 leeks, cut into 2 cm pieces 300 g 2 tbsp olive oil 35 mL 1/2 tbsp gingerroot, grated 7 g 2 tbsp fresh mint 6 g 1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g ground pepper to taste [optional] Method Preheat the oven to 195°C/375°F. Prepare the carrots and cut them into rounds about 1 cm thick. Prepare the leeks, remove about ¼ of the dark-green part, and cut them into 2 cm pieces. Transfer the vegetables to a baking sheet or dish (do not choose one that is too large, since the vegetables will reduce considerably in size while cooking). Add the oil, minced ginger, salt and pepper. Mix well to coat thoroughly with oil, then put in the oven and bake about 35 min. Finely chop half of the mint leaves then add them to the dish, mix and continue baking for about 15 min more. Garnish with the remaining mint leaves and ...

Challenge #3 So, your paper is beautifully organized, your scraps carefully stashed or purged, and your desk is gleaming! I've posted my photos in our Facebook group .   For Challenge #2 I decided to sort out more themes from my paper pile . . . Travel, Wedding, and Black & White. And that is done. My patterned papers and cardstocks are the basis for my page kits. Photos, ephemera, embellishments, sketch ideas are added to the page kits so when I get a chance to scrapbook I am ready to go. Even the photos are in many of the kits, ready to scrap. You are starting to become organized. Doesn't it make you feel creative? Don't you want to get cropping? Well, you CAN'T scrapbook without PHOTOS! Our third challenge is to organize our photos. Here is an excellent article to get you thinking about how to organize those precious photos before we S.P.A.C.E. them: https://www.scrapbook.com/articles/organizing-and-storing-your-photos-and-negatives SORT: Gather t...

An interesting discussion on our Facebook group yesterday.  A few of us have been doing the challenge every year since forever so, while we are still interested in going through the various organization challenges, we are also interested in things that might get missed in the process. Finished layouts are something we've never included in our challenges . . . until now.  Even if you don't have albums available or if your layouts are randomly done and not chronological, you still need to protect your finished layouts.  I'm not the only one who has noticed that improperly stored layouts are prone to damage and missing pieces. I suggest storing your layouts in pizza boxes, iris cases or some other safe environment where they won't be constantly handled and damaged . . . until it is time to put them in an album. So Challenge #2A is to find a safe way to store finished layouts.

How did you make out on the first challenge?  It's not too late to share your photos.  Doesn't it feel great to start the new year with a clean work surface? Let's move on to the next challenge . . .  Challenge #2   Did you know that a 1” high stack of patterned paper equals as many as 250 sheets of patterned paper?    That’s a lot of paper. Here is this week's challenge: Your challenge this week is to  S.P.A.C.E.  your paper - - and I mean ALL of your paper: cardstock, patterned paper, specialty papers, and all those SCRAPS! SORT : Bring all of your paper to one area. Sort it all into piles: KEEP, SELL, DONATE, TRASH PURGE : bag up, and assign a price to paper bundles that you want to SELL at a garage sale or online, and put the bags in the garage sale box. Throw out the TRASH pile. Bag up the DONATE pile and immediately make arrangements for drop-off/pick-up or put in your vehicle. ASSIGN : separate your paper int...

Why do we come up with cute names for our workspace? Several years ago I realized the only thing holding me back was me. How could anyone take me serious? After all, I’m only a scrapbooker. A scrapbooker who has been developing her talent for over 20 years, who has taught others, who has written books . . . so why wasn’t I taking my skill seriously? And then I did. I started ordering my business cards with my name and title, Paper Artist and Blogger. And my crop room became my studio. I may never become rich or famous but that doesn’t change the fact that I am an artist and what I create is very serious and very important to me. Organizing your creative space should be taken seriously too. Constant clutter will block your creative energy and keep you from doing your best work. So it is time to do a little day dreaming. What would your perfect studio look like? How would you improve what you currently work in? Start jotting down ideas and making sketches. Go through so...

Over a year ago my grandmother gave me a package with some crocheted squares and a pattern book and asked me if I would finish off the project.  It has taken quite a while . . . but . . . my new Cathedral Window tablecloth had place of honour on my dining room table over Christmas.

Challenge #1 The first challenge is to clear off your crafting work space. Maybe you have a desk committed as your craft space, maybe you have an entire room, or maybe you have taken over the dining room table. Wherever you craft, completely clear off the entire surface of your work space, dumping everything into a big box. Give your surface a good scrub and polish, removing every speck of paint, adhesive, and uh.... is that chocolate????  Take a photo of your newly scrubbed craft space and  upload it to your blog or other online sharing site and send the link to ou r  Facebook  gr oup.  Or if you like to keep things simple just post your photos directly to our group album .     Okay, now let's get to work on that big box of stuff.  Now is the time to learn that you need  S.P.A.C.E.  to craft: *  S ort   *  P urge   *  A ssign   *  C ontainerize   *...

Welcome to our annual Craft Space Organization Challenge . . .  No, this is not my studio . . . LOL Getting organized is probably the biggest trend for 2019.   It's a New Year so I know everyone is anxious to get their craft space in order, and as a result get more accomplished and get more enjoyment out of their crafting time.  The information in these challenges can help both new and veteran scrapbookers to get organized.    It doesn't matter if you are st arting a new craft room or you need to dig out from one you don’t recognize anymore, you are not alone.    It doesn’t matter if your space is a room, the kitchen table, a designated part of a room, or a closet.    These challenges were originally set up for scrapbookers but they work quite well for just about any type of crafter which is a good thing for me.  My studio is set up for my paper crafting, quilting, stamp collection, lette...