Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with cabbage for dinner

When I was growing up I preferred raw vegetables over cooked so my grandmother left a wedge or two for me when she made a dish of cabbage. Last year I went to an authentic Irish dinner at the church I worked for that served delicious potatoes, unlike anything I had previously eaten in my life. This year I will make my family that dish called colcannon potatoes. I got this recipe from “Taste of Home Holiday”. Dear son will be cooking up a traditional corned beef with cabbage as well. Dear daughter has some special request too, so we will be trying more new recipes.
Speaking of her, she had her first shipment of Avon come in and it’s like Christmas! I’m so excited about her business taking off here and her website is doing well too.
My scrapbook layout was picked at the Scrap Attack Scrapbook site so I am Star for the Day today! I used one of the photos I scanned and cleaned up. The tulle seems to have been the key element. Over the weekend trip to JoAnn’s Fabric to pick up a sheet of foam padding for the breakfast nook seat I spotted this soft shade of tulle the lady ahead of me was having cut. On a whim, thinking it might look great on a scrapbook page, I picked up a yard for me. Glad I did. The tulle worked perfectly for the challenge to use one of the “old words” from the Irish and to add a shamrock to the page. Although the sparkly shamrock really doesn’t show well in the photograph, it is a nice little touch to the page. I used a heart stamp, applied it three times with Stampin’ Up craft celery ink, coated with Heat & Stick, then sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds.
Will you be having any special foods Wednesday? I’d love to hear about your recipes and any special activities. Remember, the folks in Ireland don’t really drink green beer - the pubs are usually closed because it is a religious holiday to celebrate the spread of Christianity by St. Patrick. But, here in America anything goes!
May the luck of the Irish be with you as you enjoy St. Patty’s Day.

Caribbean Sunset

My scrapbook page for today is for the Sketch #94. The photo was taken from the ship when we were in the Caribbean returning home from Nassau.

Scanning Old Photographs

Going through some boxes that had yet to be unpacked after the great move south, I decided it was time to revisit some old photo albums before placing them on a shelf. A trip down memory lane, but it was more of an urgency to take care to prevent total destruction, is always fun.
Having offered to scan photos for a friend so she would have her copies on a CD rather than just a paper copy, I knew it was time I did the same for photos that I value. What about those old albums or boxes we kept? How safe are they from the elements should something uninviting happen to our collection? Today our memories are a lot safer thanks to digital photography. I personally have some photos uploaded to external sites because I order prints that way. It was a goal of mine last summer to upload the camera to my laptop, then upload to the online photo printing service at the end of each day or two. I didn't order the prints yet, but I figured if I lost the camera or the laptop I still had those great, irreplaceable shots.
Yesterday I spend hours scanning photos into Photoshop Elements. At first I took the time to enhance the photo, then when I realized the huge pile, I decided I better get the scanning done first and come back for the task of fixing them up.

Now here is a really old photo - can you guess who?

Another St. Patrick's Day card

Here is another fun card I made last night. I wanted to use some glitter and so I got out the Heat and Stick jar of powder from Stampin' Up. I used VersaMark with a heart stamp to create the shamrock look then added the delicate green glitter. Now my stamp table will have an occasional sparkle surprise as it is impossible to recapture them all.
I used a marker on the shamrock part of the main stamp and repeatedly stamped a border. Since the "Go Green" sentiment reminds me of the theme of recycling, I thought it cute to add the pop top.


Next card is a photo card I made with an inspiring quote I found from Mother Teresa.
"Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness". I used a photo I had taken of candles and worked it u p in Adobe PhotoShop Elements. I cut the photo down a bit and matted it to white cardstock. Because it is on glossy photo paper it was hard to photograph without glare.

Etsy Shop Up

In the wee hours of this morning I put up some cards in my new Etsy Shop. It would be so fun to put these cards to good use and pick up a little cash to buy more supplies with. Getting up for church went better than I thought after such a late night at the computer.
I'm excited about the St. Patrick's Day card design I came up with - hope someone besides friend and DD like it too. The stamp (from Stampin' Up) seemed just right for this recycled pop top to be used as a buckle.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/JoyAnnDesigns

Hello and welcome to my blog!

The first post, like with any first impression, is tricky. Keeping it casual prompts me to just dive right in and share a little of myself. Like winter in Florida there is hope of better temperatures one day soon, so I trust my posts will become sunny and inviting if you care to return for a visit.
The overall view from my day is to find something crafty to do or to take pictures of, so if one day you do not find the craft I present to your liking, please try me another time. I'm sure I will have started something else to blog about.