Christy Lyle Designs Blog

[Winner] Thankful Challenge

2011-10-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

Now that I am finally able to sit down at the computer, I can announce the winner of the Thankful challenge. Well not just yet...let me tell you about my wonderful weekend!!

It was so nice to spend the weekend with family and friends who are like family! We had our Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday because my hubalub had to work on Sunday and Monday. And you know what, I really enjoyed having our big dinner so early in the weekend because it left the rest of the weekend to do other things.

On Sunday, I took the kidlets to the the local pumpkin patch! The kids love going there because there are so many fun things to do and I love to go for the great photo ops...oh yes and because I love seeing their smiling faces when they run through the pumpkin patch! Take a look at my cuties at the patch!

They had a little help in the smile department for this photo. My dad was behind me pretending to drop a pumpkin on my head so the kids couldn't help but laugh at me!!

Then on Monday, we went to go visit our friends who just had their second child a few days before. It's always a joy to cuddle with a newborn, isn't it?! It was the perfect end to a wonderful weekend!

Ok on to the winner! We had 7 comments so lucky you guys that the odds are pretty good for you!! So I plugged the numbers at Random.org and here's what it came up with.

That means that Jenn is the winner of a $5 GC to my shop! Congratulations Jenn!! Please contact me at christy @ christylyledesigns dot com for your prize!! Thank you so much to all of you who entered!

[Giveaway] I'm thankful, are you?

2011-10-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and I'm so thankful to be spending the weekend with my husband, my kidlets, my parents and my close family friends. Hopefully my turkey will look like this when I'm done!

And NOT like this!!

I am thankful that my mom who is coming over early to help me with the bird and her fabulous home-made stuffing!

I am thankful for so many things but now I would love to hear what YOU are thankful for. For every comment you leave below, you will be entered into a draw to win a $5 Gift Certificate to my shop at 9th & Bloom.

The winner will be chosen on Monday, October 10, 2001 at 11:00pm (PST). Any entries received after this time will not be considered. The winner will be chosen using Random.org.

Mix & Bloom: Monster Mash

2011-10-06T23:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog! All of the 9th & Bloom designers have got together with the same colour scheme and theme and created tons of coordinating products PERFECT for all of your halloween layout needs!! These are all small packs that are so affordable so you can buy a bunch of great things for a great price!!

Here's where you'll find my Spooky Wooky Words:

Ok now on to the Blog Hop!!

If you are already following the Blog Hop, you should have come from By Becca's blog and have your fabulous gift from her. And of course I have a little somethin' for you too!

You can grab it HERE for FREE in my shop! All you have to do is add it to your cart and check out and the download link will be all yours!!

If download my freebie, I would appreciate a quick comment below. Thanks so much!!

The next stop on the Blog Hop is Meredith Cardall so be sure to hop on over there and see what she has for you!! If you get lost at any point, you can find the complete list of participating designers HERE. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Recipe Round-up: Um...yum!

2011-06-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'll just say it: I love food. I love it. I love trying new foods (so long as they're not spicy. I do not like spicy food.), I love making new foods, I love food. I wonder daily if I'm instilling that love for food into my boys, especially my younger son, the dreaded Picky Eater! (Dun, dun dun...)

Now, I should say that I know Devin does love food. He really does. He just loves the wrong foods. Cookies, chips, crackers, candy--the four Cs of doom. We'll add some breads, pastas, butter, jam, peanut butter and for some strange reason, veggie corn dogs and veggie 'chicken' nuggets. I hate to be so cliché, but it really is like pulling teeth to get D to eat anything remotely healthful.

Due to D's penchant for junk and the large plastic tub of junk food wrappers that my husband brought downstairs recently, our house has gone on a near complete junk food ban. If it's not healthful, it's not in the house. This means that I need to rethink my recipe arsenal some too as those convenience foods were a big part of how I'd even get D to eat at all.

So what's a mom to do, right? Research! I know, I know...research means work. Research means experimenting. Experimenting can mean failure, lots and lots and lots of failure. Ask me, I know. Too many nights of, "I don't liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike <<insert any food here>>!" tend to grate on the nerves of even the most patient parent. Now, what I'm about to share with you is no guarantee. Your child may hate it. Your child may throw it at you or stop speaking to you for a week. I don't know. My child, my super picky hates everything that touches his lips that isn't mostly carbs, gave this one the highest praies he gives to anything. He saves this praise for his favorite treats: ice cream, slushies, junk...But this time, and maybe only this time, Devin gave a healthful dish an "Um, YUM!!!" when asked what he thought of it.

Honeyed Mango Chicken with Toasted Cashews

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup salted cashews
3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 medium mango, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
Sesame Rice, recipe follows

Directions:

In a large bowl or re-sealable plastic bag, mix together 2 tablespoons of the oil, the soy sauce, and the honey until well combined. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Place in refrigerator to marinate at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add nuts. Toast nuts, shaking pan a few times, until nice toasted, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool. (Can be made up to 3 days in advance.)

When chicken is ready, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and marinade juices and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is browned on all sides and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in mango and cashews and cook until heated through, about

1 minute. Taste and adjust seasoning, as necessary. Serve immediately over Sesame Rice.

Toasted Sesame Rice:
3 1/2 cups water
2 cups long-grain rice
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup white sesame seeds
Bring water to a boil. Add rice and salt and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, to finish cooking, about 5 minutes. Stir in oil and sesame seeds and serve.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ease of preparation: easy

Notes: I added in some sliced zucchini and sugar snap peas just a couple minutes before cooking was done.

Enjoy!! I'll be adding this one into the rotation for sure!!

(No) New Release Friday

2011-05-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Nothing new again this week. Thought I would showcase some of the great layouts our CT has created using Christy's Products.

Too Cute by Leah using A Brand New Day

Sweet On You by Angie using Sugar Pie

by Corrine using E verything Spring Mini

Troublemaker LO by Sherly using Krafty Damasky

Hopefully Christy will be back soon with some more newness for your scrapping pleasure. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Monday Spotlight 5/23

2011-05-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hello my digi-friends, Happy Monday! Leah {paperboutique} here to bring you this weeks spotlight on Christy's Everything Spring Mini. I love the pretty colors in this kit and the wordart. You can find this kit, which was previously sold in the 2011 Bloomfest Grab Bag, and the coordinating alpha over at 9th & Bloom...

And some gallery inspiration...{images are linked}

Hope you all have a great week!

(No) New Release Friday

2011-05-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Christy doesn't have a new release this week but I thought I would showcase one of my favorite kits of hers. I love her A Brand New Day kit. It's so fun, has great elements and papers. It's a versatile kit that is a must in everyone's scrap stash.

Here is a layout I created with it...

Check out all of Christy's Fabulous Creations Here!

Recipe Round-up: .Disaster Recovery Plans...

2011-05-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

We've all had nights when our grand or even not so grand plans wind up in the trash...literally. A couple weeks ago, I had planned to make one of our family's favorite meals; Salsa Chicken. Super easy, relatively quick and very delicious. The trifecta of meal perfection, right? Wrong---my chicken had gone bad. Oh, the humanity!!! I was in a real pinch, we couldn't go out, it wasn't in the budget. What to do, what to do?? I started scouring our pantry and fridge for ingredients for some hodgepodge dish that would be edible, at the very least. JP suggested sandwiches, D suggested french toast. I nixed both ideas initially, I didn't really want either one. Then, while I was looking at what I did have--EUREKA!!!!!! I'd combine the two ideas and make one of my favorite things ever---Monte Cristos! Oh, dear reader, if you've never had one of these marvels, please, toss out tonight's dinner plans and make them. Forget dinner, make them NOW. I promise that you won't regret it. Seriously, who doesn't love ham/turkey and cheese, sweet french toast with powdered sugar and a bit of raspberry jam on the side? See, I told you!

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

Ingredients:

18 slices bread (I used a loaf of brioche I keep in the freezer for french toast)

6 slices cooked turkey

6 slices cooked ham

6 slices American cheese

6 slices Swiss cheese

Batter

1 Egg
1 – 1 1/4 C. Water
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Flour
1 Tbs. Baking Powder
Vegetable Oil (for deep frying)
Directions
Place turkey and Swiss cheese on one slice of bread and ham and American cheese on another slice of bread. Place third slice in-between and secure the triple decker sandwich in the corners with tooth picks.
Place egg in mixing bowl, add water and beat together. Add salt, sugar, flour, and baking powder. Beat batter until smooth.
Dip sandwich in batter and carefully cover all the sides and surface. Carefully place in hot oil and fry until golden. When sandwich has turned a warm gold color remove from hot oil and place on paper towel. Let cool for a few minutes before removing the tooth picks. Before serving slice into fourths and sprinkle with powder sugar.
Serve with raspberry preserves.
Enjoy!!

Monday Spotlight

2011-05-16T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Scrappers! Lori here with your Monday Spotlight!I was looking through the layouts in Christy's gallery today, and I have to say I found some

really great layouts! Here are some of my favorites!!

This layout is called Play with Abandon using the kit: All American

This layout is called The Number 4 by LizzyFizzy using Christy's A Brand New Day:

This one is called My Sister by Tanyia using the kit: Summer

Brunch

This one is called Surprise Gift by Holly0817 using the Everything Spring Mini

Finally we have this super cute hybrid project by Joana1n using the kit Sugar Pie

Thanks for taking a stroll through the beautiful gallery created using some of Christy's awesome Kits!!

Hybrid Mini Bag!!!

2011-05-11T12:45:00.002-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! Jen (redutedaisy) here to bring you another fun hybrid project! I really love hybrid and have become pretty good at creating cards, favors, etc. But there is one thing I hadn't yet tackled-iron on transfers! I guess I was intimidated. Last week, while walking around Michaels trying to find something to make for Mother's Day, I happened on some tote bags and the fabric transfers. I decided it was time to try my hand at it, and I loved that I could go home and create something myself that could be worn/displayed. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures (I was in too big of a rush), but I decided to do another project that I'm going to show you today.

Michaels has these canvas totes that I thought it would make the perfect bag for taking to church with me. The first thing I did was create my image. I wanted a cluster with some pictures and a quote, so I found my favorite cluster on a template and used that. It was much faster, otherwise it would have taken hours (I'm a perfectionist). Templates make great starting off points, and many have some great clustering! I used Christy's "Summer Brunch" kit-I love the colors and textures.

The tools: an iron, pillowcase, and iron-on transfer sheets
(I used the light fabric transfer sheets because my tote is white)

Be sure to follow the directions on the transfer sheets well. They actually change from one product (the light fabric) to the other (dark fabric). I used the dark fabric on my mother's day totes and the process was different from this one. The image actually came out better on the dark fabric image for some reason. Anyway, here's the final result after printing the image onto the transfer sheet and ironing:

The finished product. For my first time, I was pretty happy with how it turned out. The image didn't come off completely, but it ended up giving it a rustic look. I think I got a little impatient and didn't wait long enough or apply enough pressure! Next time, it will be even better! The sky is limit with these things, and with a good digital stash, you can create a ton of great images!

Fabulous Baileys Irish Cheescake

2011-05-10T06:28:00.000-07:00

So this is a favourite recipe in our house!
Its a traditional Irish recipe that we makde at home since I was small but I found this version online and its perfect. We have it for dessert all the time....

(picture from cheekycooks.com)

3.5oz unsalted butter

8.75oz Graham Crackers crushed.

1lb Philadelphia or another cream cheese.

1 Shot of Baileys Irish cream

3.5oz icing sugar

10.5oz double cream

2oz chocolate (milk, plain, dark whichever you like)

Melt the butter in a pan.
Add the crushed graham crackers and mix until the butter isabsorbed.
Remove from the heat and, while it is still warm, press the mixture (using the back of a spoon) into the bottom of a lined 23cm/9inch springform or flan tin.
Leave to set for one hour in the fridge.
While it is chilling, grate all the the chocolate and set aside in the fridge.
In a bowl, whip the cream until it forms peaks.
In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until it is soft.
Beat in the icing sugar and a shot of Baileys.
Fold in the whipped cream and three-quarters of the chocolate.
When the mixture is smooth, smooth it evenly onto the biscuit base.
Refridgerate and allow to set for at least two hours.
If you leave it overnight, so much the better.
To serve, remove from the tin and decorate.
You can either sprinkle the remaining grated chocolate over the top or add full chocolates to decorate.
You can also serve with a side of cream ot ice cream.

Hope you enjoy!

Star x

Hybrid Notebook

2011-05-04T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody!

My names Star and I recently joined Christy's team.

So I've recently become interested in hybrid and when my notebook for college ran out I decided to try my hand at making a hybrid notebook. I printed it out as a flattened image as its going to be used a lot and didn't want to risk extra elements falling off! and here it is...

I love how it turned out and have gotten some lovely comments on it and a few people asking could I make them one lol

The products I used for this are...

Summer Brunch

You can grab it at 9th & Bloom HERE

Sticker Doodle Words Everyday

You can grab this at 9th & Bloom HERE

Hope you like it!

Recipe Round-Up: The search has ended?

2011-05-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before that I love cooking, right? Especially if it's easy and I can delegate tasks to the family. There's one thing that I make that is mine and mine alone though. I like to experiment with this dish, I'm on a mission to perfect this dish, to find the pinnacle of the dish...

What dish is this? Oh, I'm so glad you asked. You'll probably be disappointed by my answer though, but since you asked...it's a simple roasted chicken. I know! I told you you'd be disappointed. What's that thing that famous and kind of annoying chef always says?? Oh yeah, "This ain't rocket science, folks!" While I might be intrigued by dishes that are much more difficult to master, they don't fit into my easy cooking way of life.

OK, so on to the chicken. This time around, I wanted to move away from the traditional thyme/rosemary/tarragon with salt and pepper, etc...For some reason, I had this idea that brown sugar would be good, and garlic...and a new compound butter was born. And it was good. So good that even my picky eater proclaimed the chicken to be "awesomesauce." So, here it is...

Leila's Awesomesauce Chicken

Ingredients:

1 Roasting Chicken or bone in chicken pieces of choice

1/4c butter, softened

5-6 cloves garlic, minced or made into a paste

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp smoked paprika

kosher or sea salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F

Rinse and pat chicken dry, inside and out.

Truss the chicken.

Mix butter and next five ingredients in a bowl.

Coat the chicken with the butter, under the skin too!!

Finish with a liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Place in your favorite roasting pan (I used my electric roaster.) and bake for 50 minutes or until meat is 170°F in the legs. Carve. Enjoy!

And there you have it! I do believe this is the best roast chicken I've ever made. My husband did the 'eyeroll of ecstasy' when he tasted it and my kids are asking for leftovers today. Too bad there's nothing left for them to eat!! Until next time...

New Release Friday

2011-04-28T23:59:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone! Happy Friday! This week Christy is re-releasing her FAB kit Summer Brunch!! It is YUMMY!!! It's got great colors, lots of fun elements...you can't go wrong with this kit!!!

Here is a layout I created with it:

Layouts created by the CT:

By Tania

By Sasha

By Lori

Hybrid Home Decor

2011-04-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, it's Tanyia again! I wanted to share with you a cute little project I just did. It is actually sitting in my kitchen on the counter in the back. We are always running out of pens and pencils when we need them, so I decided to customize a little cute pen holder.

That is one of the greatest things about making hybrid products... you can buy a generic, cheaper, plain type of item and customize it any way that you want with all of the digital scrapbooking supplies in your stash! Not too mention when you receive a compliment on something it feels great to say, "Oh, that? I made that."

This one is basically a black cardboard pen caddy I purchased at Target and then designed the front and sides for. I printed it out flat this time as I did not want anything get torn off, since this is something that will be handled often.

I am using Sunday Brunch from Christy Lyle. It is being released at 9th&Bloom on Friday... so you get a little sneak peek here! Keep an eye out in her store on Friday to see the whole kit.

Tada... my pen caddy!

Hopefully, I will get to bring you more fun goodies next month! Until then, Happy Scrappin'!
-Tanyia

Recipe Roundup: Spaghetti with Asparagus, Smoked Mozzarella and Prosciutto

2011-04-25T23:59:00.000-07:00

HI Everyone! I hope you enjoy my first recipe here on Christy's Blog. This recipe was featured on the Today Show a few days ago and it is YUM!!! It's such a quick and easy recipe to prepare and uses just a few ingredients!! Enjoy!

Spaghetti with asparagus, smoked mozzarella and prosciutto

Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
3/4 pound spaghetti
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into strips
6 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, diced (about 1 cup)
6 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Preparation

Cook the asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. With a spider or slotted spoon, remove asparagus from boiling water to a bowl of ice water to cool and stop the cooking. When cool, cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces, and set aside.
Return the water in the pot to a boil, adding additional water if necessary. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add asparagus to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the pasta, and if needed, some of the reserved cooking liquid. Toss to coat. Add the prosciutto, mozzarella and basil, and toss to combine. Turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Serving Size

Monday Spotlight

2011-04-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Scrappers! This is Lori and I am one of the newer members of Christy's CT Team and I am super excited to share my first blog post with you all! Today I am spotlighting one of Christy's older kits that she will be re-releasing this Friday over at 9th & Bloom called Summer Brunch. This lovely kit, is full of lots of great embellishments and beautiful papers... I just LOVE Christy's papers, the patterns are always fresh and look great on the finished page! Check out the layout I did below using this wonderfully feminine kit!

Look for this kit coming this Friday! It will be 20% off for Friday and Saturday only so grab it while it's on sale!!!

I hope you all have a great week!

Hybrid Basket

2011-04-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! Tanyia here again with another fun hybrid product for you! This one I did for Easter ... however, keep in mind you can make little baskets like this for any occasion to hold any sort of seasonal decor!

In this instance I made this to go on my kitchen island and match the color scheme of my Easter Egg tree. I think the eggs looked really adorable!

Here is what I used, Christy's Bloom Fest grab bag! Take a look!

Any of Christy's kits would work great for a project like this, so keep your eye out for one that strikes your creative fancy and maybe matches the colors or a holiday you are decorating for! Here is my sweet little basket. Image linked for complete credit info.

Thanks for looking! I am so excited to come back next month and share some more awesome ideas with you! So, until next time...happy scrappin'!

-Tanyia

Hybrid Fun!

2011-04-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, my name is Tanyia! I am new to Christy's team, and so excited to be here and to be able to share with you one of my projects!

If you are interested in hybrid, Christy's products are so perfect for your projects! The print out beautifully, crystal clear, vibrant and are so fun!

My 9 yr old is a very very girlie girl! She still loves to dress up and make believe, so of course every little princess needs a crown! I made this super cute and fun crown using "A Brand New Day" which is so fantastic and had just the perfect soft pattern and flowers! I used the alpha that comes with the kit for the word, "princess" and then I added some of Christy's "Sticker Doodle Alpha" for the bottom tag line, "of quite a lot"

Here is the kit I used (image linked):

and the extra alpha I added in (also linked):

And here is my precious little Becca Bear ... ummm, I mean Rebecca, sheesh don't tell her I said that! I did print this one out completely flattened, I just upped the shadows for realism, and I did print out 3 extra flowers, cut them and popped them on with a glue dot to give a little bit of dimension to it.

*image linked for full credit*

So super cute right?! I love how it turned out, and a week later and she is still playing with it! hehe.

That is all for today, but I will be back next week with another hybrid goodie to share with you!
Until then ... Happy Scrappin'! -Tanyia

Recipe Round-up: But, Mommy!! You know I don't like...

2011-04-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Anything? Yes, I've got a picky eater in my house and it's not me. Well, mostly not me. My eight year old is the most vexing child when it comes to making dinner. A meal he liked last week has become the most vile thing this week. Case in point: when D was younger, once of his favorite foods was a crock pot meal called Cream Cheese Chicken. He'd eat it with gusto, it's ranchy, ricey goodness being shoveled into his mouth with abandon. Then, out of nowhere, "I HATE THAT!!!" And he does. With a passion rarely seen in children his age. A dish he ate for years now relegated to the ever growing list of things my child won't eat.

What's a mother to do when her child just refuses to eat, well, anything? I don't cater to his food whims. I'd never leave the kitchen if I did. I am more inclined to make a few things I know he will eat more often than I'd be wont to do otherwise. One of D's favorite dishes is the old stand-by--spaghetti and meatballs. It just so happens that the rest of us love it too. Now, I'm sure you all know how to cook pasta and have your own favorite sauce whether it be jarred or scratch made. (Jarred please--Mid's brand. OMG, yum! If you can find it--buy it, use it. Thank me later. Seriously.) But meatballs. Meatballs!! They're a dish that left me stymied for years. No matter what I did, they turned out hard and nasty. Until I borrowed a Taste of Home ground beef cookbook from the library. (Angelic music plays...) EUREKA!! Here's the holy-grail of meatballs for our family. I confess, I'm not the one that makes them, the husband does that. He's just got this magic touch with them that keeps them light and delicious.

Meatballs!

Ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2-3 Tablespoons steak seasoning (that's a guesstimate, I eyeball it.)
1 envelope spaghetti sauce mix
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork

Directions

In a bowl, combine the eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, 3 tablespoons spaghetti sauce mix and salt. Crumble beef and pork over mixture and mix well. Shape into 20-24 meatballs.
In a large skillet, cook meatballs until no longer pink; drain. Stir in your spaghetti sauce of choice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to package directions.

Notes:

On occasion, we'll grate some zucchini into the meatball mixture. When we do this, we usually reduce the number of eggs to one since the zucchini adds enough moisture on its own. It's just one way to get a little bit of veg into my oh so finicky child.

I hope you all try this meatball recipe! And if you think you've got one that's better, please share!! Until next time...

Tips and Tricks

2011-04-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone! Jen (redutedaisy) here to bring you my very first blog post! Wahoo! I don't know about you, but I love learning new things and getting tips that make scrapping even better. Today, I'm going to share a little tip I learned a few months ago. Sometimes when I scrap, I know the exact direction that I want to go. But other times, I have a complete mental block. I'll sit and stare at my page, full of papers, elements, pictures, and journaling and have no idea how I want it to all flow together. Which is why templates are so fantastic. But, there are times that I want to feel like I "did it myself" (much like a toddler, I know!).

So what to do when you don't want to use a template but don't know where to begin? Many people like browsing through galleries to try and find their mojo again. It's a great way to get inspiration, and you may find a layout you love so much, you want to do something with it yourself. There are so many great pages out there, and my problem was trying to remember how they looked. Sometimes, I'd sketch layouts in my sketchbook. Other times, if I was able, I'd copy and paste it into a word document, print it, cut the layouts out, and then glue them in my sketchbook. It was time consuming sometimes, but I absolutely did not want to forget some of the amazing layouts I'd find.

A few months ago, I found a great website that saves all that trouble! Have you heard of it? It's called Vi.sualize.Us. It's a social bookmarking website that allows you to actually save pictures you find onto your account so you never forget them! This is how it works-you go the their site, create an account, and then download their toolbar and install it. The next time you come along a layout that you love, you right click your mouse, as if you were going to "save as", but there will an extra option called "remember on vi.sualize.us". You choose that option, a box will come up allowing you to change the name and add any other details, and then click "post"! It saves it to your account. It's brilliant!

I just did a layout over the weekend using Christy's beautiful kit, "Everything Spring", a part of her grab bag at 9th and Bloom, and put Vi.sualize.Us to good use. I kind of new the direction I wanted to go (I wanted to do a layout for the Vintage Corner challenge at 9th and Bloom), but it was taking me too much time trying to figure out how to fit all the pieces of my layout together. So, I logged into my account, and found this layout by Armi Custodio:

Honestly, this layout spoke to me! Sometimes when I scraplift, I only do a part of it, but I loved this one so much I pretty much used it all. Here's my layout:

I really love this site and hope it will help some of you! Have a fabulous Monday!

New Release 4/15

2011-04-15T05:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! This is one of my most favorite days of the week and Christy's got some brand spankin' new goodies for me to show you. And to make your Friday even better, they're all 20% off today! Check out these beauties...{images linked}

And some Creative Team inspiration using Dated 1.0...

By Sherly

My page...

Hope you all have a great day and enjoy your weekend!

Pinterest addiction

2011-04-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone! Sherly here with some random ramblings LOL...
Unfortunately, Christy has been having some issues with her computer and, hence, does not have any new goodies this week. :( Let us all hope that her computer will behave and be fixed real soon so that next week we can have some awesome goodies coming our way again!

So, today, I'd like to share a bit about my Pinterest addiction. Don't know what Pinterest is? You can check it out at pinterest.com! To me, it's like a virtual pinboard, where, when you see something that you like on someone's website or blog, you can pin it on your pinterest board for you to look at later. Be it some crafts, some fashion styles, some places you'd like to go to, some home inspirations, anything!

So here is a few of what I've been looking at lately... I am thinking of starting to do some crafty stuffs when I move to Beijing later this year, so I started to look for some easy tutorials of pretty handmade flowers, here is what I've found:

Source: befickle.blogspot.com via Sherly on Pinterest

Source: keyka.typepad.com via Sherly on Pinterest

Source: thecraftingchicks.com via Sherly on Pinterest

Pretty, aren't they? I can't wait to get my hands on trying to make those lovely flowers.
So, are any of you addicted to Pinterest like me? If yes, what kind of things that are mostly on your Pinterest board?

Recipe Round-up: Nostalgia on a roll...

2011-04-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a little homesick lately. Okay, a lot homesick. I miss my friends in Madison, I miss all my favorite stores and haunts, too. I know it sounds silly, but I really miss having a Super Target less than a mile from my house. So, I'm feeling homesick for Madison, which, in turn, makes me homesick for New Jersey. Yeah, I said it. Don't judge. I lived there for 24 years. It's my home, my foundation for pretty much everything I know in life--especially food. My ideas on what makes a good pizza, a good bagel, Taylor ham! It all comes from New Jersey and the surrounding area. I managed to find great pizza in Madison, a decent bagel---and no Taylor ham. Here in Cinci, I've found decent pizza, chain bagel shops and Taylor ham (thanks, Jungle Jim's for having a selection so varied!). The one thing that I have yet to find in any of the places I've lived outside of New Jersey (they also include Texas and Florida--neither of which had good pizza or bagels...or the ham) is a Philly Cheesesteak. The soft bread with the crusty outer shell, the warm, greasy, salty meat, the sweet grilled onions...and the cheese, or should I say Cheez? Oh man, my mouth is watering as I type. Like most people who've been to Philly for a true Philly cheesesteak, I have a favorite. I've tried Geno's, Jim's and Tony Luke's as well as a few other smaller places that aren't nearly as well-known or popular. For me though, the undisputed champion of cheesesteaks is Pat's King of Steaks. So delicious, so messy, so bad for you...but oh so good. So what does any of that have to do with today's recipe? Well...years ago, Pat's posted their recipe on their website. It's no longer there that I see, but being the crafty person that I am, I saved and laminated that recipe as soon as I found it. And today, dear readers, I plan to share its deliciously greasy joy with you. Now, let me just say that it won't ever be exactly like Pat's---you'd need their rolls to achieve their version of cheesesteak Nirvana...but it comes dang close.

drooooooool.....

Pat's King of Steaks Cheesesteak

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons oil (Soybean oil is recommended)
1 large onion, sliced
24 ounces sliced rib eye or eye roll steak
Cheez Whiz; American or Provolone
4 crusty Italian Rolls
Sweet green and red peppers, sauteed in oil (optional)
Mushrooms sauteed in oil (optional)
Ketchup

Directions:

Heat an iron skillet or a non-stick pan over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan and saute the onions to desired doneness. Remove the onions and add the remaining oil and saute the slices of meat quickly on both sides. Melt the cheez whiz in adouble boiler or in the microwave. Place 8 ounces of the meat into the rolls, add onions, and pour the store-processed cheese over top. Garnish with sweet peppers, mushrooms, ketchup.

Put on the theme song to the first Rocky movie and enjoy.

Do yourself a huge favor--try the Cheez Whiz. It's the standard at Pat's, for a reason. If you're ever in Philly--give cheesesteaks a chance, try a few of the places listed here.

Monday Spotlight 4/4

2011-04-04T06:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! Gosh those weekends just fly by, don't they? Personally, I think 3 days weekends should be made mandatory. We just finished our spring break here, so technically our weekend was already extended. But it's back to the real world today - the kids are back to school (*sigh of relief*) and I am here to bring you a pretty sweet spotlight on one of my favorite kits - A Brand New Day by Christy Lyle. You can find this kit, along with more of Christy's gorgeousness over at 9th & Bloom.

And here's some pages I found while perusing through the gallery... {images are linked}

Well I hope you all have a great week and that the sun is shining (and it's not snowing) wherever you are!

Today's Re-Release

2011-04-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

Did any of you get fooled today? Or, did you fool someone? So far, I've been safe but who knows what my 8 year old will conjure up while he's at school. We shall see!
Today, Christy has a re-release of a couple of paper packs. I find the kraft color very useful for your scrap stash. Remember, you can get these paper packs for 20% today!

krafty dotty

krafty damasky
CT inspiration by: Sherly, Leah and Star

Another Sneakie peek!

2011-03-31T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hi! Sherly here just quickly to show you what Christy has prepared for this week release! It's a couple little goodies that are soooooo versatile for your stash! Here is the peek:

Get the hint yet? Well, either way, stay tune for the reveal tomorrow :)

Recipe Round-up: Eat Your Veggies

2011-03-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

Lately, my husband and my older son have been asking for a lot more vegetables. For a veggie-hater like myself, this is akin to asking me to tear out a tooth without any sort of numbing agent. That's not to say that I won't eat veggies, I will! I'm just not eager to do so. In an effort to appease their more herbivorous natures, I'm introducing vegetarian meals to our menu at least once a week. I figure that for the first week or two, I should just dip my toe in the waters. I'm not the only veggie-hater in this house! So, I'm starting with the following recipe--cream cheese, pasta, lemon...what's not to love?!

Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce
recipe © and courtesy Vegetarian Times magazine

Ingredients:
8oz dry linguine (I'll use a full 16oz package, the husband loves pasta leftovers)
½ cup light cream cheese (I'm using regular since I don't keep light on hand)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon, juiced, plus 1 Tbsp zest, grated
½ cup chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Cook linguine according to package directions in pot of boiling, salted water.
2. Warm cream cheese, oil and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice in saucepan over low heat.
3. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water. Stir reserved cooking water into cream cheese mixture. Add pasta, lemon zest, and parsley; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Nutritional Information (per 1 cup serving): calories 343, protein 11g, total fat 14g (5g sat), carb 45g, cholesterol 21mg, sodium 294mg, fiber 2g, sugars 4g (for those interested--this dish, as written, is 9pts through the Weight Watchers Points Plus program.)

And that's it!! I know, you're wondering where the veg is, right? Have no fear, it's covered. I'm serving one of the few veggie dishes I can truly say I love: Parmesan Roasted Broccoli!! Add some crusty bread and enjoy!!

Creative Team Spotlight

2011-03-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's a start of a new week and I'm back today bringing you spotlight on one of Christy's Creative Members. Let's get to a little personal (not too personal) about the go-to lady, Christy's right hand woman, our Creative Team Lead, Kat Stokes.

Here is the mini questionnaire I sent over to her with her answers:

What is your digital scrapbook background? When did you first hear about it?
I started paper scrapping about 6 months before my 9 year old was born. I wanted to have albums ready to go when arrived so I could just stick some pictures in and call it done. However, I didn't get many pages done. I spent more time shopping for supplies than actually scrapping. LOL!!! Anyways, I was visiting 2 Peas in a Bucket for inspiration when I stumbled upon some digital layouts. I thought "Well I can do that", so I bought a copy of Photoshop Elements 3 and haven't looked back. I have since then given all of my paper supplies to my mom because she can't grasp the whole digital thing.

What program do you use to create your layouts? Is it the same program you started with?
I currently use Photoshop CS4 but I started out with Elements 3.

How much time a week do you spend creating your layouts?
Not enough. My pages take me so long to do. I guess I'd have to say I scrap about 5 hours a week.

Do you print your layouts or make photobooks from them?
A little of both. I have two albums from Shutterfly and 3 that I have had prints done through Costco. I am REALLY BAD about printing my pages. I'm probably 3 years behind....

What's the one element that you use over and over again on your layouts? Buttons. I love buttons. I also like staples.

Just some questions to get to know you little more ... and because I'm nosy! haha

Describe your dream vacation.
Sitting on a beach in St. Thomas, sipping on a yummy drink with no one to wait on (aka my hubby and kids).

Do you have any quirks?
I have a hard time keeping my hands out of my hair when I'm talking to people.

If there is one food, be it a snack, meal, or a drink that you can't live without, what is it and why? Mexican Food! I love all of the flavors

Who would you like to meet if you had the chance? Anyone on earth or in heaven.
I would love to see my grandparents again. <3

What color socks are you wearing?
Boring ole' white. LOL!!!

I enjoyed reading her answers and getting to know a little about my fellow creative member. Now, let's take a look at her wonderful work created with Christy Lyle Designs:

Baby R

CREDITS:

Special Delivery by Christy Lyle Designs
Template by Katrina of Tiny Toes Desgins

Birthday Girl
CREDITS:
Sugar Pie by Christy Lyle Designs
Stamp It: Circle Dates by Christy Lyle Designs
Templates 86 by Cindy Schneider at SSD

Happy

CREDITS
A Brand New Day by Christy Lyle Designs at 9th and Bloom
Template - Grow with Love Kids by Crystal Livesay

Today's New Release

2011-03-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, folks!!! You know what Friday means around here! New releases from Christy, of course. Did any of guess what the theme of her new releases were from yesterday's sneak peak? If so, that's awesome. If not, these two kits are all about birthdays. Guess what else? These two kits were collaborated by two talented women, Christy Lyle and Jennifer Fox. Even of my rambling and let me show off these fabulous kits along with the creative team's awesome layouts. Go check it out while they're on sale for 20% off!

Birthday Bash: Girl

Birthday Bash: Boy

Sneak Peek!

2011-03-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hello hello!
Sherly here again bringing you exciting sneak peeks for the goodies Christy has prepared! This week, Christy has worked together with the wonderful Jennifer Fox to create NOT one, but TWO awesome kits!!!

Ready to see them? Here they are:

Like what you are seeing? Come back tomorrow to see the full previews of the gorgeous and fun kits!!!

Calling all Scrappers!!

2011-03-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

If you are unable to see the above image, here is the info:

I’m looking for some inspiring, enthusiastic and creative scrappers and hybrid artists to join my Creative Team!

As part of my Team you will:

- create one layout or hybrid project per product (minimum three per month)
- post your layouts and projects in four online galleries - one being 9th & Bloom
- post twice monthly on the Team blog
- participate in my team forum and 9th & Bloom forum regularly
- promote me around the digi community
- accept three month term (April to June)

If you love my designs and think you would be an amazing addition to my Team, send an email to call@christylyledesigns.com

with the following information:

- your full name and username(s) you use online
- a link to your gallery you feel shows your best work
- a list of your current Creative Teams and requirements
- why you want to be a part of my Creative Team

Applications accepted until Sunday, March 27, 2011
Invitations sent out by Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Good luck!!

Recipe of the Day: Alfredo Sauce

2011-03-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is Heather (aka. Ther) sharing this week's recipe, which happens to be a new favorite of my family. I am a mom to five little ones and that alone keeps me on my toes so when it is dinner time I just don't have a lot of time to cook. So, I am always looking for quick delish options that are affordable and that my family will eat...we have some serious picky eaters. For instance, we LOVE Alfredo sauce especially from Olive Garden but we can't afford to go there as often as we would like. I have not been able to find one in a jar that we like and most recipes just aren't as good...until now. Hopefully you family will love it too.

(Picture taken from myrecipes.com)

1/2 c. butter

1 pkg cream cheese (8oz.) - The last time I made it with the Philadelphia Cooking Cream and it worked great.

1 c. half and half

1/3 c. Parmesan cheese

1 T. garlic powder - I like garlic so I substituted two minced clove of garlic here.

Pepper to taste

In a sauce pan, melt butter. When almost melted add cream cheese and stir until creamy. Add half and half, Parmesan and garlic. Stir till mixed and pour over noodles, use as a pizza sauce or simply as a dip for bread sticks (that is what we do with the leftover sauce).

I hope you enjoy it. I think I know what I am making for dinner tonight. :)

We have a WINNER!!

2011-03-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the very first Colour Inspiration Challenge winner...Jenn!! Jenn, please send me an email at christy@christylyledesigns.com so I can send you your prize! Here is Jenn's winning scheme:

I just love how much this scheme makes me think of spring!! And with spring just around the corner, I couldn't resist making a kit with this scheme! So look for it in my shop very soon!!

Thanks so much to everyone who played along! Since we all had so much fun with this contest, I'll be having another one soon so stay tuned!!

Christy

St. Pat's Sneak Peek!

2011-03-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Sherly here bringing you this week's sneak peek of Christy's awesome goodies!

Here is my layout, showing of the goodies in action! Like what you're seeing? Grab it tomorrow at Christy's shop!

Have a great St. Patrick's day celebration, everyone!!! See you again soon. :)

Recipe Round-up: What's for dinner?

2011-03-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

That's the BIG QUESTION, isn't it? I try my best to plan ahead, but tend to fail miserably by the second or third dinner. Then I'm left with that BIG QUESTION again. What a pain in my neck! It doesn't help that, even though I love to cook, I'm a lazy cook. I like easy. I like quick and dirty meals that require minimal preparation and thought. I really like recipes that allow me to delegate most of the work to my boys and/or my husband. For recipes that fit the bill, I turn to breakfast! Andrew makes some really amazing waffles, JP's old enough to scramble eggs, and Devin's a pro at getting the bacon onto a cookie sheet and into the oven. All I have to do is sit back and wait.

Now, I'm going to ask you to trust me with this recipe. It might sound a little out there, it might not even sound good to you. This is where the trust comes in. Trust me! These waffles are the BEST. WAFFLES. EVER. Period. End of sentence. Stop looking for another recipe...unless you're the one person on the planet who doesn't like bacon. If that's you, move along. Nothing to see here...

Crispy Cornmeal-Bacon Waffles

Ingredients:

8 bacon slices
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal (buy a fine ground cornmeal, please.)
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk (I use Saco buttermilk powder and make it according to the package directions. Saco buttermilk powder is great! No need to rush out and buy buttermilk on some random Tuesday night)
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled
Additional melted butter or nonstick vegetable oil spray
Additional pure maple syrup
Brown sugar and or cinnamon/sugar

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper, lay out out bacon strips. Sprinkle liberally with brown sugar. Feel free to add some cinnamon sugar if you like. We skip the cinnamon, I'm allergic. )^; Put bacon into a cold oven, set the temperature to 400°F and walk away. Come back 15 minutes later. Is the bacon just crisp? Yes? Take it out. No? Walk away for two more minutes, check again. Once it is just crisp, take it out and allow it to cool just enough to avoid burns. Crumble and set aside.

Whisk flour and next 3 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and 3 tablespoons maple syrup in medium bowl to blend. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; stir just until blended. Fold in 1/4 cup melted butter and crumbled bacon.

Preheat waffle iron (medium heat). Lightly brush waffle iron with melted butter or spray with nonstick spray. Working in batches, spoon batter onto hot waffle iron, spreading evenly over grid. Close waffle iron and cook until waffle is brown, crisp, and set, about 6 minutes, depending on type of waffle iron. Transfer waffles to plates. Serve with maple syrup. Eat, enjoy. Thank me profusely. Name your next child after me. Go ahead, you know you want to...

Join me again next week for another yummy recipe! TTFN!

Leila

Sneak Peek!

2011-03-10T22:45:00.000-08:00

Angie here bringing you this week's sneak peek ! I know I am a little late but I wanted to get a LO done so you could see today's release in action! SO go check what Christy's has for you today at 9th and Bloom! An Alpha and some Everyday Moments wordsnips!

here is a litte LO I did to show them in action!

Colour Inspiration Contest!

2011-03-09T23:06:00.000-08:00

It's time for a fun little contest!! If you're anything like me, I love colour and am inspired by it in so many ways! I discovered the fabulous site Design Seeds and I'm sure you will agree that there is some serious inspiration to be found there! Here are a few of personal faves:

So my challenge to you is to pop on over to Design Seeds and pick your favourite colour scheme the come back here and post the link to fave scheme in the comments below. From the enteries, I will choose the scheme I love the most and make a kit for the one who choose the scheme! So get those entries in by Thursday, March 17th at noon PST and I will notify the winner right here!

You may enter up to five times but you'll need to leave each entry in a separate comment.

I can't wait to see what colours inspire you!

Recipe Round-up: Chicken Parmesan Rollatini

2011-03-08T00:04:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those days? One where you're sure the entire world is out to get you, nothing is going your way, the kids are on their worst behavior, etc., etc.? Yeah, me too. I can usually handle all of that, but then throw in trying to figure out what to do with yet another package of chicken breasts, well, sufficed to say it becomes that proverbial straw to my camel's back. As much as I love to cook, I hate figuring out what to cook as much, if not more.

On a recent day when all I wanted was for Calgon to take me away and never bring me back, I stumbled upon the following recipe. Chicken Parmesan Rollatini. I need you to be aware of something: I'm a sucker for chicken parm in pretty much any form it can take. I've had it on pizza, I've had White Chicken Parm, I've even made a chicken parm pasta. It's truly one of my favorite foods. So I printed this recipe up and showed the kids--and when Debug, my exceptionally (and somewhat irrationally) picky eight year old said, "Oh, Mommy, that's looks super-de-dooper delicious!!", I just knew it would be on my table. So, without further ado, the dish that made my Debug eat tomato sauce and green things (and polenta...)....

Photograph by Antonis Achilleos

Chicken Parmesan Rollatini

courtesy of and copyright FoodNetwork Magazine

Ingredients

1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 14.5-ounce can crushed San Marzano or fire-roasted tomatoes 5 or 6 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 thin (1/8-inch-thick) chicken cutlets (4 ounces each)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg white
Cooking spray
Instant polenta, for serving (optional)

Directions

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Cook the broth, garlic, tomatoes and basil in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper; place smooth-side down on a work surface. Sprinkle with the parsley and mozzarella. Starting at the short end, roll up to enclose the filling. Secure with a toothpick.
Mix the parmesan and breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Put the egg white in another dish and beat until foamy.
Mist a cast-iron skillet with cooking spray. Dip the chicken rolls in the egg white, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place in the skillet, seam-side down. Sprinkle with any remaining breadcrumbs and mist with cooking spray. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve with the tomato sauce, and polenta, if desired.

Per serving: Calories 355; Fat 14 g (Saturated 7 g); Cholesterol 105 mg; Sodium 848 mg; Carbohydrate 15 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 44 g

I hope you all enjoy this one as much as we did. A small confession: I bought a couple rolls of precooked polenta, sliced it up and gave it a quick sauté in a skillet with some butter and olive oil. Debug thought they were corn cakes--who am I to argue? (^;

Until next time!!
Leila

3/4 Re-Releases

2011-03-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

Hi all! It's me, Christy, here to show you what's "new" in the shop this week. If you missed getting All American and Woodgrain Alpha and Frames when they first came out, I have added them to my shop at 9th & Bloom! And don't forget, all new releases are 20% off Friday and Saturday!

All American

Check out these layouts by my fabulous Creative Team!!

Woodgrain Alpha

Woodgrain Frames

And some more layouts from my Creative Team:

Thanks so much for stopping by today to check out this week's re-releases! Take care and I'll see you soon!!

Christy

Sneak Peeks!

2011-03-03T15:02:00.000-08:00

Yay for Christy's new shop at 9th and Bloom! I really can't wait to see what she has in store for all of us! Well, today, I want to show some sneak peeks of what's coming to her shop this week:

Are you liking what you see? I sure do! Stay tuned to see the reveal this Friday!!
See you soon!

Big News!

2011-02-18T17:18:00.000-08:00

Here's the big announcement you've all been waiting for!

You can now find my digital designs at 9th & Bloom!! I'm so thrilled to be joining the fabulous team! Check out the other 5 new designers making their debut this week!

Make sure you stop by the shop to snag the 30% off sale on all new releases today and tomorrow only!!

Speaking of new arrivals, I have a new kit call A Brand New Day which is only $4.89 for today and tomorrow so grab it quick!

Just for stopping by today, click ---> HERE <--- for an awesome quick page using the new kit! Enjoy!!

Lastly, I have brought over two old kits which are included in the 30% off sale so if you don't already have them, now would be a FABULOUS time to pick them up at a great price!!

Special Delivery

Sugar Pie

Thanks so much for stopping by today! See you soon!

Christy

Technical Difficulties

2011-01-07T00:13:00.000-08:00

We've had a few technical difficulties with the site and the store is down while we attend to those matters. Thanks so much for your patience!

Sunday Spotlight

2010-11-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!!! Sherly here bringing you another Sunday spotlight! =)
I've been going through galleries to look for some awesome LOs using Christy's goodies and voila! I found this simply-beautiful LO by Nikki:

Isn't it pretty? I love her clustering and those pictures are just perfect! She used Christy's Sugar Pie.

I personally love this kit. It's sweet and pretty... and yes, I have a soft spot for those beautiful papers!!! So, what are you waiting for? Grab some of Christy's awesome goodies HERE and who knows next time you'll be spotlighted here!

Recipe Round-up: Grammy's Cranberry Jello Salad

2010-11-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving readers! We're celebrating here in the States and I (Leila) thought I'd come and share my favorite holiday dish with you all. For years, this jello salad was the highlight of my holiday meals. I sat at the kids' table though, so by the time the pan got to me, there was barely a bite left! My Grammy finally decided that it was time to make an extra batch of this scrumptious combination of ginger-ale, cranberry, pineapple and lemon jello for our table alone! She really was the greatest, so in her memory I give you:

Grammy's Cranberry Jello Salad

1 (20 ounce) can pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple

2 (3 ounce) packages lemon Jell-O gelatin

7 ounces ginger ale

1 (16 ounce) can cranberry sauce

8 ounces cream cheese

1 (2 ounce) package Dream Whip

½ cup pecans, chopped

Directions

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add water to make 1 cup.

Boil; add Jello, stirring to dissolve.Stir in ginger ale.

Blend pineapple and cranberry sauce.

Fold into Jello.

Pour into a 9x9 or 9x13 baking dish and chill.

Make Dream Whip according to package directions.

Beat in cream cheese.

Spread over Jello and top with chopped pecans.

You may add 1/4 to 1/3 cup powdered sugar to topping, if desired. I find it needs that touch of sweetness.

Skip the nuts if you don't like them. Also, make this the night before or your frosting will be runny!

I hope you'll all give this spin on Thanksgiving cranberries a try! I promise you won't be disappointed!!

Hybrid--Matchbook Mini-Notebook

2010-11-16T23:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday!!! Yay, we're half way through the week. Amanda here, and I'm so thrilled to be bringing you another round of hybrid fun with Christy's amazing designs.

Today I've got a matchbook mini-notepad, perfect for jotting down those things you need to remember. I've got this one all dolled up & looking Christmas-y, perfect for putting all those things your kidlets run around saying they want for Christmas.
Can you tell that I've got a mini-child in my house, who thinks they 'need' any & all toys they see advertised on TV?!

I'm working in PSE 5, but it shouldn't matter, which program you're working in because that part is super, super simple.

I started out with a blank canvas, that was 2.5 inches wide & 6 inches long. Then I put in a little brain work & decided that my matchbook would be about 2.5 inches tall when it was done. I created my layout by placing some guidelines at 3/4", 1 " & 3.5" . This separated my book into the sections I would need to design, this is going to be the cover for our little note pad.

**Note that the top section is going to flip up, so you'll need to design it upside down.

Added some papers & embellies & wah-lah, beautiful!! You can fit more than one of these on a sheet, but I've only done one for today.

Print it out on card-stock (I just used, regular ol' white card-stock). Cut out & fold up, where you had the guides in your designing program & we're almost done.

Take a blank sheet of paper, maybe 2 or three depending on how thick you want your notepad & cut it into squares that are small enough to fit in the book, about 2.25". You'll need to score the cover in four places before inserting the papers. Score the cover at .75", 1", 3.25" & 3.5 ", I don't have a fancy scoring tool, so I use the back of a tiny pair of scissors, cutting mat & ruler.

Stack them neatly, place them inside the match book, staple near the center.

Fold the little short side up over, secure it with a little glue, or if you want the rustic staple on the outside look, you can staple it, I didn't do either & just left it as is. Flip the top cover down, tuck in & there you have it, a super cute, little matchbook notepad for all your notes on the run.

Created using A Year in the Life: December . Get it here or purchase it with the entire Year in the Life Collection here.

Come back & link us up to your little matchbooks & we'll leave you some love!

~Amanda

Tips and Tricks Tuesday

2010-11-16T06:21:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Kim here bringing you today's Tips and Tricks Tuesday!
I sometimes hear from fellow scrappers that they're finding it hard to scrap with patterned papers. I personally love patterned papers, my pages wouldn't feel complete without them! I cut strips from them or I use them as a mat for my page or I sometimes even use the entire patterned paper as a background. Today I wanted to share a tip on how you could use them differenty.
Instead of just cutting out strips or rectangles or circles from them, have you ever tried the custom shape tool in Photoshop? You could use any custom shape as a clipping mask for your papers!

In the example below I used the rounded rectangle tool. You can find that tool in the dropdown menu of the rectangle tool. To draw a rounded rectangle, you need to set the radius of the rounded corners first. (in the top menu bar) In my example I set it to 30 points (type 30 pt). Then you make a new layer and drag with your tool to draw the rounded rectangle (hold shift to make a rounded square). Then, drag a patterned paper on top of that layer, right click and choose: make clipping mask. And that's it! Repeat with different patterns and arrange them in an appealing way. For the outlined rounded rectangles, I first drew my shape on a separate layer, then I selected the shape, made a new layer and made a stroke around my selection on the new layer (Edit/Stroke). Then I deleted the original shape layer.

You could also experiment with other custom shapes, Photoshop has plenty of them!
I hope this tip was useful to you!

This page was created using Sugar Pie by Christy Lyle.

And the kraft polka dot paper is from the Krafty Dotty paperpack.

Sunday Spotlight

2010-11-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

Good Morning to all this Sunday morning! I'm Corinne excited to be here on Christy's team and write my first blog post for her. Today, I'm bringing you Spotlight Sunday where we showcase someone of something. That something today is Christy Lyle's new release since she opened her store on November 1. It's a Halloween themed kit titled, The Haunted. For those who have yet to scrap this year's Halloween pictures (like myself) this is a great kit to have to showcase those scary and not so scary costumes, trick or treating, Halloween parties, ghouls and goblins, and everything associated with the October 31 holiday. Of course, I left with inspiration from the creative team who made some spooky layouts with The Haunted. Thank you for stopping by!

Recipe Roundup

2010-11-11T09:36:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone!!! It is Heather here with your Recipe Round-Up. I must admit that I am not a huge cook….not that I don’t want to be but never learned. Growing up we lived on boxed meals. After all, my mom only knew three seasonings (garlic, salt, pepper, and did I already mention GARLIC?). That little glove (Hamburger Helper) was family and we spent our time baking instead. Thank goodness my husband cooks or else we would either starve or be sick to death of things that come from a box. LOL

So for today I want to share one of my absolute favorite recipes that I received when someone brought my family dinner after I had my first son. The meal was fabulous (creamy chicken enchiladas) but really I live for dessert so the recipe that I am sharing is for the most fabulously scrumptious chocolate chip cookies. These are perfect as an after school snack or to make an ice cream sandwich just add your favorite flavor. To make it perfect for the holidays, peppermint ice cream is awesome with these….and a little chocolate syrup on top is heavenly if you need a little more chocolate. Crushed candy canes make the perfect garnish too.

Now on to the recipe….

1 c. Butter Flavored Shortening
¾ c. Brown Sugar
¾ c. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
2 ¼ c. Flour
1 bag Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream sugars and shortening. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Sift together soda, salt and flour and add to mixture. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 11 minutes.

That is it! Enjoy! Can’t wait to hear back if you made these little beauties and how they turned out.

Hybrid Hotness: Cards!

2010-11-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday! Joana here to share a few of the hybrid cards I've made with Christy's fabulous kits. I am SO excited she's back in the digi-designing business!

Have you seen the wonderful kits from the A Year in the Life collection? I love these - they're great for 365 projects, calendars for yourself or for gifts for the grandparents, and also for hybrid projects such as cards!

I used A Year in the Life: May for this card.

This card was made with A Year in the Life: January. I love all of the purples and blues in this kit!

And finally, this card was made with Sugar Pie.

All of the stamps on my cards are from the Flowers2Share set by The {Stamps} of Life.

And we're live!!!!!

2010-11-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard already, Christy Lyle Designs is open for business!!! And it's a great sale too - 35% off!!!! So hurry, there's an amazing new Halloween kit for all those pictures you took last night. Plus the A Year In The Life Collection that is perfect for making those calendars for your loved ones for the holidays. And we can't forget about Sugar Pie, All American and those Krafty Damasky and Dotty paper packs!

We are all looking forward to this new adventure with Christy! Have fun shopping and we will be back with more in store for Digital Scrapbooking Day this Saturday!

The countdown is on!

2010-10-28T17:45:00.001-07:00

Only 4 more days!!!! Mark your calendars!!!!!

Wow! I feel so loved!!

2010-10-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who sent in their applications and other emails of congratulations that I'm coming back! Again, I have the tough job of picking a handful of new Creative Team Members from the ones who applied! I will be sending out invites later tonight so if you applied, stay close to your inboxes!! Thanks again for making me feel so loved!!

I just couldn't stay away!!

2010-10-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

After taking a short break from digital designing, I am ready to come back! I'm extremely excited about starting this new chapter in my life - digital scrapbooking store owner!! I have been busy putting the finishing touches on the new site and I can't wait to open up shop so you to see it! I hope that you will join me in celebrating my grand opening very soon so stay tuned right here for more details about the official Grand Opening date and events!

In the meantime, I am looking for some new Creative Team Members so if you are interested in using my designs, I have this for you:

If you are unable to see the above image, here is the info:

I’m looking for some inspiring, enthusiastic and creative scrappers and hybrid artists to join my Creative Team!

As part of my Team you will:

- create one layout or project per kit within a week of its release
- post your layouts and projects in two online galleries
- post monthly on the Team blog

If you think you would be an amazing addition to my Team, send an email to:
call@christylyledesigns.com
with the following information by Friday, October 8, 2010

- your full name and username(s) you use online
- a link to your gallery you feel shows your best work
- a list of your current Creative Teams and requirements
- why you want to be a part of my Creative Team