Take 10 coupon deal

Here's a peak at a card I'm working on that's from Take 10 Kits! Check out the kit and everything else in the wonderful Studio29 Designs shop and use the code Laura10 at check out to save 10% thru 2/2! I just love the sweeping pinks, oranges and yellows in this watercolor card. But the quote doesn't work with my current layouts so I'm giving it a little extra love. :) What card can't get better with some embellishment especially when it includes some Nebraska love!?! I can't wait to share more with you. It's coming soon, I promise. Check back later this week for the full reveal of my projects with this amazing kit!

Laura's Sneak Peek: "My Story" January 2015

Hello! I'm excited to share my first sneak with you! This month's kit came after the storm of Christmas vacation at our house and it took me some time to get inspired. You know, how sometimes you get a kit and it's beautiful but it doesn't speak to you right away? But I've really fallen in love with this kit as I dug in and made it my own. Because it's very focused on a particular color palate, it makes it easy to mix together with other mediums.

I love these little puffy stickers from Pink Fresh Studio! They add the perfect little pink and orange pop of dimension to the card I'm working on. I can't wait to share the rest of my project with you and see how you use the My Story kit this month!

See my official Take 10 Kit sneak at The Studio 29 Designs blog. 

Creative Team Member

I'm so excited to announce I'm part of the Studio 29  Designs Creative Team for Take 10 Kits!! When I started Pocket Scrap-booking a year and half ago, I began following and gaining inspiration from many different design and creative team members at pocket scrapping companies around the world on Instagram and Facebook.

By the way...
If I say pocket scrapping or project life I mean the same thing! Project Life is what Becky Higgins calls it and she's by far the biggest name and promoter of pocket scrapping out there. The majority of the product I own is by her because I like her style and vision and availability.

So anyhow, I began to get inspired and when January (for most companies) rolled around I saw many people talk about applying for design or creative teams. As a beginner, I in no way felt qualified to apply but it planted a dream. Some day.. I thought.. I'll take that leap and maybe I can be on a team like that. I wanted to use my creativity to grow and meet new people and of course get free product. Let's be serious, if you don't admit that's a big draw, you're kidding yourself! ;) I fell in love with a small scrapbook company called Take 10 Kits so when they did a Design Team call this fall, I thought about it. I had bought a few stamps from them and won a kit giveaway one month so they were familiar and safe feeling. I said no... I'm too new, I'm too busy, there's no chance I'll get it. But on the very last day to apply I figured 'why not!'. The least they'll do is say no.

So I applied with this email and a few pictures of my layouts... My name is Laura and I love Take 10 Kits! I've been doing Project Life since August 2013. I always planned to create a baby book/scrapbook for my first daughter. She's 4 now and I never started. Traditional scrap-booking is too intimidating and I hate to cut up my pictures. So when I heard about Project Life, I was immediately excited and jumped right in. I currently use Project Life or Pocket Scrap-booking as a way to document my babies in a chronological/event based system. I have 2 and 4 year old daughters and a baby boy on the way. Some day I hope to document more current events in our lives but I'm still enjoying the baby years. :) Another thing I love about pocket scraping and particularly your kit club is the affordability. I document on a budget! That doesn't mean I don't drool over all the latest cards and embellishments, but I keep my spreads simple and use what I have creatively.

Well, after Christmas passed and I actually thought I'd missed the deadline so I didn't make it, I got an email... I got it!! YAY! So click on over to Studio 29 Designs LLC to learn more about Take 10 Kits and see my official introduction on the blog! Also come follow me on Instagram to see all my pocket layouts! You'll be seeing a lot more about my love of pocket scrap-booking around here!

Pocket Love

I absolutely love Pocket Scrap-booking and I've never blogged about it! What a crime! :)

  

My start... I've been doing Project Life since August 2013. I always planned to create a baby book/scrapbook for my first daughter. She's 4 now and I never started. Traditional scrap-booking is too intimidating and I hate to cut up my pictures. So when I heard about Project Life, I was immediately excited and jumped right in. My first kit was the Baby Edition for Her from Becky Higgins. And though she's not the only person to do Pocket Scrapping, she has completely blown up her version of it called Project Life. Check out her website!
I currently use Project Life or Pocket Scrap-booking as a way to document my babies in a chronological/event based system. I have 2 and 4 year old daughters and a baby boy on the way. Some day I hope to document more current events in our lives but I'm still enjoying the baby years. :) Another thing I love about pocket scraping  is the affordability. I document on a budget! That doesn't mean I don't drool over all the latest cards and embellishments, but I keep my spreads simple and use what I have creatively.

 

 
This is a quick sampling of what I've done. I still have a lot of catching up to do! But I enjoy the process more than the idea of being caught up. :)

Check out my Instagram for more spreads.

Harvest Chex Mix

I just love this chex mix! I just sends me straight to thoughts of fall. I got it at from my mom a few years back and it's been a favorite ever since. Though I don't often make it... It makes a big batch that's best shared and all these ingredients don't add up to a cheap snack. So I look forward to enjoying it once or twice a year!

Harvest Chex Mix Recipe:
1 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1T cinnamon
Combine above ingredients in a small sauce pan until the butter is melted and you have a sauce. Do not boil.
1 box Crispix
1 box Honeynut Chex
1 can mixed nuts
1/2 bag pretzels
3 packages apple chips
Mix together in a large bowl. Then pour over butter mixture while still warm. Spread on 3 cookie sheets and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with M&Ms

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I just love this recipe for chocolate chip cookies! It's what I grew up with. They're always soft and they freeze really well too. This recipe is from the good old white (because there's another yellow cover version) Bethesda Mennonite Cookbook. All the ladies in the church submit their recipes and you end up with an amazing cookbook full of home cooked goodness and traditional Mennonite foods. I believe it's out of print but you can always find a copy floating around Christmas gatherings. It's a real hot item for those group pick and swap type gift games!

The Recipe:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1 4oz pkg instant vanilla pudding
2 eggs
12 oz chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts, optional
Combine butter, sugars, vanilla and pudding; beat till smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Add flour and soda; then stir in chips and nuts. Drop onto baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. For chocolate chocolate chip cookies use chocolate instant pudding. 1 batch = approx 3 dozen.

My husband sometimes asks for 'regular' chocolate chip cookies. You know, the recipe on the back of the bag. That's what he grew up with. These have a cake-ier quality that's good but different than those. But I don't make them very often. I find them dry, crumbly and crunchy after they cool off. But I've heard that if you have a good seasoned cookie baking stone they're better. This particular time I made these cookies was for AWANA Cubbies at church and my daughter really wanted M&M cookies. Because of the possibility of allergies, I couldn't go with my monster cookie recipe so I decided to experiment. So in this doubled batch I put 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of mini M&Ms. They're just as yummy! And of course, we tested the M&Ms for quality before adding them. :)

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Oreos for Dessert!!

I love to browse Pinterest. Love it. I have lots of boards with tons of pins. But I don't actually have a house that is that clean or decorated that well. I don't make all those beautiful crafts or wonderful dishes. Oh well. I don't think action is actually a required part of Pinterest. So I'm rather proud of myself for trying a few things off Pinterest. I like to make desserts and needed one for flock this week. I wanted to try something new and Oreos were on sale at Super Saver. I made these Oreo Cheesecake Bars yesterday and they turned out yummy..

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars

Yield: 24 bars

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 50 min

I adore these bars from cookbook author Beth Lipton. They're quite addicting.

Ingredients:

CRUST:
1 (1 pound) package Oreo cookies
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
FILLING:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides (I spray mine with cooking spray).
2. Make the crust: Place 28 Oreos in a food processor and process until finely ground. Pour into a large bowl, add the melted butter, and stir with a flexible spatula until all crumbs are moistened. Place the cookie-crumb mixture in the lined pan and, using your fingers, press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom. Bake 10 minutes, then remove to a wire cooling rack (leave the oven on) while you make the filling. Snap the remaining Oreos in half, put them in the food processor, and turn on and off quickly a few times, just until the cookies are roughly chopped.
3. Make the filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese and sugar until well blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a flexible spatula and beat again until uniform. Beat in sour cream, vanilla and salt. Scrape down the bowl and mix again. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. After beating in the last egg, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat one more time, to make sure the mixture is fully combined. Stir in chopped Oreos with the same spatula.
4. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the baked cookie crust, smooth the top with the spatula, and bake for 40 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but still slightly wobbly in the center when you gently shake the pan. Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. When cool, cover it with foil and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours. (I chill mine overnight)
5. To cut, use the foil overhang to lift the cheesecake out of the pan and place on a large cutting board. Use a sharp chef's knife to cut the cheesecake into bars, rinsing off the knife with hot water and wiping it dry between each cut. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Tips:

*These work best served on flattened out cupcake papers w/ a fork stuck on top.
Source: RecipeGirl.com (Reprinted with permission from You Made That Dessert?)


This delicious recipe brought to you by Recipe Girl            
http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/09/13/cookies-and-cream-cheesecake-bars/


I had to go through about 6 blogs that adapted this recipe from her but I think this is the original recipe. My oven took the full 50 mins but it's usually slow. And my cheesecake was a little brown on top so I drizzled chocolate syrup on top to make it pretty and a little yummier. :) Usually when I make cheesecake in my springform pan, the recipe calls for a water bath to bake in so I'm also going to try that next time.
Enjoy!