Using Tags

Welcome into the Green House on the Hill.  I am back to scrapbooking today.  The layout that I would like to share with you today started with a tag.  A few weeks ago, the super talented Kim Watson held a class at Club CK.  This is what I made...

This weekend, I decided to use one on a layout.  And here is the result!  A very quick layout about my two older girls' relationship.

The patterned paper is from Hambly, the fabric tape from Studio Calico and the super cute brad came from Crate Paper.  The doily I found at Target one year when they were clearancing Valentine's Day stuff.  Most everything else is K & Company. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Yummy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Today we are baking in the Green House on the Hill.  I had a hankering for oatmeal cookies the other day, so I set out on a quest to find a really yummy recipe.  I pulled out 5 or 10 cookbooks from my collection and scoured them for a bit.  I thought that Martha Stewart would have the perfect answer, but sadly her recipe results in a lacey cookie.  While that might look pretty, it just wasn't the direction I was headed in.  I was looking for a nice meaty cookie.  Something that I could sink my teeth into.  So I perused the Food TV site.  Surely Paula Deen must have a really great cookie, right?  But again, disappointment.  Finally, I headed to my favorite source of recipe info, allrecipes.com.  I love this site because you can see real photos of food (not the one's the food stylists would like to make me believe that I can create).  On top of that, there are always a ton of reviews with suggestions on how to modify or improve the recipe.  I read through a few and I settled on Clementine's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I've linked you back to the original source of the recipe, Ghiradelli's Chocolate Company.  Here is my version.

I used Old Fashioned Oats, as opposed to the quick cook variety, although I think either would be fine.  Unsalted butter is generally all I keep on hand, so that is what I used.  I happened to have a bag of Ghiradelli Semi Sweet Chocolate chips, so they went into the mix too.  The batter was a bit drier then most cookie batters, but perhaps that was due to the 3 choices of light brown sugar that I had on hand; rock hard, sort of hard and just a bit dry.  I used the least hard of the three, but I did pick up a bag of nice, fresh light brown sugar from the grocery store on my next visit. 

Now for the really important part .... the reviews from the family.  They all gave them a resounding 5 thumbs up (no they don't each have 5 thumbs, instead all five of us gave them one thumb up).

So dig out that mixer and get baking!  Thanks for stopping into the Green House on the Hill today.

And the Simple Scrapbooks Winner Is...

And the winner of the copy of Simple Scrapbooks is ....

Miss Summerson Apr 24, 2012 09:09 AM

Who said...
"I love the embellishments you used on your page! Thanks for the chance to win."

Please email me at patty dot cieri at gmail dot com with your name and mailing address so I can get the special issue to you!  Thank you to all who visited me this week!

Inspired by Simple Scrapbooks, a Giveaway and a Blog Hop

Welcome into the Green House on the Hill.  Wow there is alot going on here again this week.  Another fun blog hop and another fun giveaway!  But first, today I am taking my inspiration from the latest special issue from Creating Keepsakes titled Simple Scrapbooks.  I created this layout using just some basic supplies and a few extras.  With a few pieces of double sided patterned paper, stickers, twine, circle punches, some washi tape, an ink pad and a scoring board, I created this fun layout of my youngest daughter opening her birthday gifts.

I used the Martha Stewart scoring board to create the flowers from scraps of the patterned paper that I used as the base for the layout.

And now for a little fun, the wonderful folks at Creating Keepsakes are giving me the opportunity to give away a copy of Simple Scrapbooks.

You can purchase a copy of Simple Scrapbooks here.  Click here to see some of the online extras associated with this issue!  To see a sneak peek inside the issue click below. 

And now for the giveaway!  If you would like the chance to win this issue, please leave a comment on this post.  I will randomly pick a winner from all the comments received by Friday evening (4/27/2012).  If you would like additional chances to win this issue please visit the blogs of the very talented ladies lists below.  They are each giving away a copy too!  Heck, you should visit them anyway ... since they always have super fun stuff to share!

    Mou Saha

    Autumn Baldwin

    Susan Mintmire (Paper Crafters Corner)

Thanks for stopping by the Green House on the Hill!

And the Winner Is.....

The winner of a copy of the May/June issue of Creating Keepsakes Magazine is ...... EMILY H! Congratulations! Please email me at patty dot cieri at gmail dot com with your name and mailing address. We will get the copy of the magazine in the mail to you!

And a big thank you to the folks at Creating Keepsakes Magazine for allowing me to give away a copy of this very fun issue.

Blog Hop, My Take on P365 and a Giveaway

There is a lot going on here today.  First I would like to share an ongoing project.  Back in 2009, I eagerly joined the Project 365 bandwagon.  For those who aren't familiar with the project, the idea is to take a picture every day, documenting the stuff that makes up our everyday life.  While I am happy that I completed the project, I learned from the process that trying to find something different to take a picture of each day is stressful for me!  By the end of the year I had lost the joy of taking photos.

My desire to still document our year in a quick manner, coupled with the fact that I have collected several very cute calendar kits over the past few years (that I had the best intentions of giving as gifts) gave me an idea.  I decide to turn the calendars into annual albums. 

I started with a calendar kit that I purchased.  Basic Grey, My Minds Eye and Recollections are a few of the companies that make these kits.  The one pictured below I found at Michaels. 

The kit that I used for 2010 was made by My Minds Eye.  When I bought it, there were a few pieces missing and one of the pages was misprinted, so I had tossed it aside.  Eventually, I will add a sturdier chipboard page in front of the page below, but for now this is what the cover looks like.  

And here is what the month of April looked like back in 2010!

Some months are busier than others, so when that happens, I just add another page inbetween.  I was able to punch the holes using my Bind-it-All (with a little practice to get everything lined up properly).

This is what it looks liked opened all the way.

And then the backside of the page, of course.

I hope I have inspired you to find a way that works for you when documenting your daily life.  And maybe even to find a new use for an old product.
And now onto the Blog Hop and Giveaway ... each stop along the way is giving you the chance to win a copy of the May/June issue of Creating Keepsakes Magazine.  So the more blogs you visit, the more chances you will have to win a copy.  I have had my copy for about a week.  It is full of lots of scrapbooking inspiration.  Click here to view the online content.  There are some free downloadable journaling spots that I know I will be using on a project in the near future.

Before you go, please leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a copy of the May/June issue.  I will randomly select a winner on Friday, April 20th in the evening.

Please visit these super talented ladies' blogs for 3 more chances to win and tons of inspiration!

Mou Saha

Autumn Baldwin

Susan Mintmire (Paper Crafters Corner)

Or you can buy a copy here right now!