In My World

It's Time for Challenge #3 ~ Photos So, your paper is beautifully organized, your scraps carefully stashed or purged, and your desk is gleaming! You are starting to get 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. Photos can be easily damaged and sometimes irreplaceable. Here is an excellent article to get you thinking about how to organize those precious photos before we start to  S.P.A.C.E.  them: https://www.scrapbook.com/articles/organizing-and-storing-your-photos-and-negatives Protecting your photos means making sure your hands are clean and dry. Always hold photos and negatives by the edge.  When deciding where to store your photos you need to think about humidity, temperature and light. Your storage space should be no less than 15% relative humidity and no more than 65%. Dry paper from low humidity can become very brittle. High humidi

Cut off tops of peppers.  Remove seeds and centres.  Cut crosswise into thin slices.  Crisp in ice water.  Dry before serving.

Select firm and long radishes.  With a very sharp, thin knife, cut thin slices crosswise almost through the radishes.  Chill in ice water.  The slices will spread fan-shaped as they chill.

Cut down thin strips of red peel of radishes almost through to stems to form petals.  Place radishes in ice water.  As they chill the peel will curl back like petals.

Select firm red or white radishes.  Wash and scrub thoroughly.  Leave enough stem on to serve as a handle.  Wrap in a damp cloth.  Chill thoroughly in refrigerator.

Use only the tender white stalks showing no discolouration.  The inside stalks are preferable. Wash and leave tips of leaves on stalks or remove leaves from coarser stalks.  Crisp in ice water.  Dry on paper towels before stuffing. Use a pastry tube or a knife to fill grooves with processed cheese spread. Garnish with chopped parsley, green pepper, chives, pimiento, or a dash of paprika.  Chill before serving.

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 season 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. I don't know about you, but I have a lot more than 1" of paper. So 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! If you are a quilter you need to S.P.A.C.E. your fabric. A knitter -- your wool. I think you get the picture. This challenge is for everybody! 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 garag

  Happy Publication Day to RuFF by award-winning author Rod Carley, published by Latitude 46! RuFF is Carley’s highly-anticipated fourth novel. This historical fiction transports us to Elizabethan England, where we witness Shakespeare struggling through a midlife crisis while trying to win a national play competition to secure the King’s business. Hilarious hijinks ensue, with whip-smart dialogue and a captivating tale that touches on salient social issues that persist today, including equality, justice, and censorship.  Humour and incisive wit combine to create a compulsively readable and thought-provoking novel from this Leacock Award long-listed author. We know RuFF will be a favourite book of the year for many.  Praise for Carley: “At times I found myself both laughing and cheering out loud! The dialogue is some of the best I have ever read. The descriptions are transportive. Not only can you see Elizabethan London – you can smell it!” —-Heidi von Palleske You can grab a copy of Ru

Clean shrimp, removing black line from backs.  Chill. Serve in lettuce-lined cocktail cups with cocktail sauce or highly-seasoned mayonnaise.  Finely chopped celery may be added.

This is one of my favourite dips . . .  1 8-ounce package of cream cheese 2 Tbsp. cream 2 Tbsp. French dressing 1/3 cup ketchup 1 Tbsp. grated onion 1/4 tsp. salt Blend the cheese and cream until smooth.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Place in a serving bowl.  Serve with crackers, potato chips or veggies.

I love soup when it is cold outside.  I love all the flavours cooked together to make me happy.  This is a really simple and delicious recipe. Lentil and Vegetable Soup http://www.soscuisine.com/recipe/lentil-vegetable-soup-less-sodium 4 servings Preparation 20 min   Cooking 25 min 180 calories per serving   Ingredients 7 tbsp green-brown lentils (dried)   70 g 1 leeks, thinly sliced   300 g 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed   1 tomatoes, coarsely chopped   120 g 1 stalk celery, cut into very small dices   70 g 1 carrots, cut into very small dices 100 g 2/3 cup broccoli, cut into small florets 80 g 5 tsp olive oil 25 mL 4 cups chicken broth, low-sodium 1 L 1 pinch salt  [optional] 0.1 g   ground pepper to taste     Before you start It is not necessary to soak the lentils in advance. Method Rinse and drain the lentils, then set aside. Prepare the vegetables : finely slice the leek; mince or  press  the garlic; coarsely chop the tomatoes; chop the celery and carrot into very small dices

Chicken Stroganoff http://www.soscuisine.com/recipe/chicken-stroganoff Chicken breast cooked in a creamy tomato sauce with mushrooms. 4 servings Preparation 15 min   Cooking 40 min 310 calories per serving   Ingredients 1 1/3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into 1x5 cm strips 400 g 3 tbsp white flour (all purpose) 24 g 2 tbsp canola oil 30 mL 1 onions, finely chopped 200 g 2 tbsp butter, unsalted 28 g 1 cup chicken broth 250 mL 16 button (white) mushrooms, thinly sliced 220 g 2 tbsp tomato paste 30 mL 1/4 cup whipping cream 35% 65 mL 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce   10 mL 1 pinch salt  [optional] 0.1 g   ground pepper to taste     Before you start Keep the serving plates in the oven at the lowest setting so they are warm when you serve. Method Cut the chicken meat into 1 X 5 cm strips.  Coat  with flour. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Sauté  the finely chopped onion a few minutes until traslucent, then take it out of the pan and set aside on a small plate. Turn th

Turnip sticks or thin slices of turnip which have been crisped in ice water make an excellent appetizer.

Why do we come up with cute, self-deprecating names for our crafts and our craft space?  Why do we not take ourselves seriously? Several years ago I realized the only thing holding me back from taking my art seriously was me. How could anyone else take me seriously when I didn't see my self as a serious craftsperson?  I’m "only" a scrapbooker. A scrapbooker who has been developing her talent for over 25 years, who has taught others, who has written books . . . so why wasn’t I taking my skill seriously? And then I did. I started by ordering 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 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. Wh