Crafting Survey!

clip-art compliments of clipartpanda.com

Could you help me out? Take this survey about your crafting experience.

Click here to take the survey! I would really appreciate your help with this. 

Paper Crafting Pt. 3

So, we have the basic essentials of good card stock, a basic ink (black or brown) some adhesive, a good versatile punch with multiple uses, and a nice DSP (designer series paper). Let's say you'd like to add a simple basic stamp set. One that may do all you need to start (thank you's, birthday, just to say hello). An excellent stamp set to consider is the Butterfly Gala Photopolymer Stamp Set.

This set is versatile - it could be for birthday, the butterflies can be colored for some pizzazz and it's one of my favorites. At the cost of $21 there are many options with set. Photopolymer is a good style to begin with as well since you can see through it when stamping. This eliminates the mix ups and miss stampings that usually happen as a first time stamper (or seasoned stamper like me 😄 ) 

You can click on the name of the stamp above to read more about it or you can click here

Paper/Card Crafting part 2

Basic training part two

After you have the basic card stock, DSP (designer series paper) and the adhesive, you can create almost anything. The next recommended must have item would be a good paper punch, like the one below (and can be ordered here)

This punch is so versatile. You can punch out DSP and arrange that onto a card for a design. You can punch out a light colored cardstock to stamp your greeting and then place onto your card. You can make beautiful labels with this punch as well. A simple investment can take your card crafting to the next level.  

If you plan properly, you can keep your tools and supplies to a cost minimum. I would recommend setting a monthly budget and sticking with it. Only order what you KNOW you can use on future projects, like this punch. Another money saving idea is to attend stamp gatherings. Before the pandemic, I held a monthly Coffee and Cards at my local coffee shop. Everyone was welcome to use my stamps and inks. I also pre made die cuts for embelishments to be used in our designs. 

Part 3 of paper crafting 101 coming up soon!

My Simple Tasty Meal Planning Blog

I made the decision to blog separately for my two direct sales businesses. Please hop over to my meal planning blog  I can't wait to meal plan with you! 

Boredom Busters

Paper Pumpkin offers an inexpensive time filling activity. Great for the kids or for the beginning card crafter. $22 a month or save a little by purchasing a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription. You can suspend your membership, place it on hold or cancel at anytime. Everything you need to complete the projects is included in the monthly box. A stamping block is included in your first subscription and should be kept for future projects. Ink, envelopes (if the project is cards), exclusive stamp set, adhesive and embellishments are included to complete. 

Want to check it out? Paper Pumpkin info here

Here are a few past kits. 

Learning in my business

For the entire summer, I signed up for "summer social boot camp" read more about that here.

I have learned SO much! It has really helped me take my businesses to the next level. Need some help with your direct sales business? I highly suggest you check out Social Synergy Group on facebook or use the link provided above more info. 

New Blog!

I have made the decision to blog separetely for my two businesses. You can find my new Simple Tasty Meal Planning blog here . Please be patient. I will take a few days (and a LOT of work) to separate the two. Thank you for following me!!!

More Road Trip snacks!

Rustic Herb Parmesan Snack Mix Recipe

To check out all the TS products listed shop here

• Ready in: 1 hours, 20 minutes
• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Chill/Cook time: 1 hour

Use what ever snack foods you would like - pictured is 

ingredients

• 5 cups crispy corn snacks, such as Bugles®
• 4 cups mini pretzels
• 4 cups Cheddar cheese crackers
• 3 cups oyster crackers
• 3 cups roasted garlic rye chips
• ½ cup (1 stick) melted butter
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1½ tablespoons Rustic Herb Seasoning (order here)
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Pepper Seasoning (order here) 

Paper/Card Crafting 101

Basic Training part 1.
The essentials - do you need a bunch of expensive product to start making beautiful cards? Absolutely not! Some good quality basic card stock, (I generally use a white base) some colorful DSP, (designer series paper) an adhesive, (I REALLY like Stampin Up new Stamp and Seal) and a BORROWED stamp set and ink (you can borrow that too). That's it! You can create beautiful cards with just basic items.  Part 2 will be posted in 3 days along with a sample of my basic needs card! Need some supplies? Order here

Road trip snack ideasTastefully Simple Style!

Fire Crackers

• Ready in: 10 minutes
• Prep time: 2 minutes
• Chill/Cook time: 8 minutes
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ingredients

• Saltine crackers
• Fiesta Party Seasoning (order here)
• Olive oil non-stick cooking spray

directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Place as many saltines as you would like on a nonstick baking sheet. Spray crackers with olive oil non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with Fiesta Party Seasoning. Use just a little for less heat and more for spicy crackers. Bake for approximately 8 minutes. Fast and delicious!

Handy Tools continued

The Simply Shammy!

  

Yep, it's just a lavender square! It will be fairly soft when it arrives to you, but after that and with use, it will begin to dry out. The solution is to rinse it till it softens again in WARM water. It will get filled with ink from cleaning your stamps, but most will rinse out. You can store your shammy (moist) in an unused stamp case. Reuse again and again! Order one here

147042

Price: $8.00

This reusable stamp cleaning cloth makes stamp cleaning effortless. Just add water, then wipe stamps on the shammy. Durable, thick shammy easily cleans ink from narrow grooves. No lint, no chemicals—just clean! (Ink will stain shammy but won’t transfer to your fingers or other stamps.) With its portable 5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.8 cm) size it fits neatly in a stamp case.

Summer Veggies on the grill (or a campfire)

Summer Veggies Recipe - I do love me some grilled veggies! To modify this recipe for campfire, double wrap in foil and place in hot coals, turning frequently. 

Order your Tastefully Simple spices here

• Ready in: 30 minutes
• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Chill/Cook time: 15 minutes

ingredients

(use whatever veggies you like, I would add onions)

• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 yellow summer squash, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cubed
• 1 (8 ounce) package baby bella mushrooms, quartered
• ½ bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut into thirds
• ½ (10.5 ounce) container grape tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons Roasted Garlic Infused Oil  (order here)
• 1 tablespoon Onion Onion Seasoning (order here)

directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a gallon freezer bag. Seal well; toss to coat.
2. Prepare grill to medium heat. Place grill basket on grill. Empty contents of bag into basket.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are crisp-tender or desired doneness, about 15-20 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Make Ahead: Prepare step 1. Refrigerate up to 1 day. Continue with step 2

Got to have tools for my crafting!

It's a simple tool, but one I absolutely need. Stampin' Up's Take your pick tool! It's just so handy.

Here is a video demonstration

Item number 144107    Price: $10.00

Order here

Multipurpose pickup and precision tool simplifies meticulous tasks. Tacky putty end easily picks up sequins, paper accents, and other small objects; twist to dispense more putty. Other end has 2 changeable, double-ended tips with paper piercer, mini spatula, small stylus, and large stylus. * Includes protective end caps * 6-1/2" (16.51 cm) long

Camp Fire Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Foil Packets

I LOVE cooking on the campfire (IF I don't burn the meal 😂). As a Girl Scout, I remember calling them "hobo" meals. Ground Beef with seasoning, some onion, a few slices of potatoes, maybe a little bit of gravy, double wrapped in foil and placed in the coals of the fire. They always tasted amazing! Now that I'm an adult, my palette requires up scaled flavor. This is easy to achieve with Tastefully Simple sauces and seasonings. I posted Saturday about the Vandalia Onion dressing. Today I'm incorporating TS seasoned salt, rustic herb seasoning, onion onion seasoning and our roasted garlic infused oil. These packets can be made ahead of time,wrapped and ready for your campfire! Recipe below the photo. All products can be ordered here Enjoy!

• Ready in: 30 minutes
• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Chill/Cook time: 15 minutes
• 
  

ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli florets
• 6 baby sweet peppers, sliced into rounds
• 6 (18x15-inch) pieces heavy-duty aluminum foil
• 3 tablespoons Roasted Garlic Infused Oil 
• 1 tablespoon Rustic Herb Seasoning 
• 1 tablespoon Onion Onion Seasoning 
• 1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt 
• 1½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

directions

1. Prepare grill to medium heat. OR use camp fire coals (do not place over flame)
2. Divide chicken, broccoli and peppers among pieces of foil. Drizzle with Roasted Garlic Infused Oil. Sprinkle with Rustic Herb Seasoning, Onion Onion Seasoning and Seasoned Salt. Top with cheese.
3. Bring together 2 sides of foil; seal edges, making a ½-inch fold. Fold again, allowing space for heat circulation. Fold each side to seal.
4. Place foil packets on grill. Grill, rotating packets occasionally (do not flip over), until chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read food thermometer (measured through the foil), about 20-25 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Serve with a green salad.

Make Ahead & Freeze: Prepare through step 3. Place foil packets in 2 (1-gallon) freezer bags. Seal well, label and freeze. Thaw completely. Prepare grill to medium heat and continue with step 4.

World's Greatest Paper Pumpkin

• 
  
• 

  ABOUT THE AUGUST KIT

• Kit contains enough supplies to create nine cards and coordinating envelopes.
• Card size: 4-1/4” x 5-1/2” (10.8 x 14 cm)
• Envelope size: 4-1/2” x 5-3/4” (11.4 x 14.6 cm)
• Coordinating Colors: Bumblebee, gold, Mint Macaron, Pacific Point, Soft Suede, white
• The kit’s stamp set includes Distinctive stamps.

      

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

Subscribe to the August 2020 Paper Pumpkin Kit from 11 July to 10 August at paperpumpkin.com!

Note: Supplies may be limited toward the end of the subscription period.

You can order yours here

Campfire cooking

When we visit our cabin in the woods, we tend to cook most of our meat on an open campfire. The husband loves that smoked flavor on the meat. The best chicken we have eaten has been marinated in vandalia onion dressing. Keeps the chicken moist and full of flavor. Order yours here tastefullysimple.com/web/pash1 

#chicken #tastefullysimple #essentialswithpenny #dinnerissolved #vandaliaonion #foodie #imhungry #itswhatsfordinner

July 2020 list of opportunities

I have two DS businesses. Stampin Up (for those that do not know, I teach card/craft making) and Tastefully Simple (I help you with recipes, meal planning/prepping and freeze ahead meals). In July, I'm offering new to me/my business online card workshops, card kits (purchase ahead) and a facetime freezer meal prep. How does this sound to YOU? 

It's taking some planning and I hope to have everything in place by the 3rd week of July. Stay tuned and be sure to follow me on facebook. You are welcome to join my groups. 

Stampin up group or my Tastefully Simple Meal Planning Group. Each of these groups offer group only offers, games/prizes and tips and tricks. We would love for you to join.

Being a mom

It doesn't come with an instruction manual. We have to wing it. Some do it better than others. Some make a lot of mistakes. Either way, we do what we gotta do. We are not perfect, but we are human. All I can do is love my girls unconditionally. They will make choices and mistakes that I will not agree with, but my hope for them is that they are compassionate, kind, love Jesus and forgiving. Nothing else really matters. Today is my youngest daughters 14th birthday. Where has the time gone? Happy Birthday kiddo. She's so silly!

Christmas in July? YES PLEASE!

It's almost time! The Stampin Up Holiday Catalog will be released. I always enjoy the Holiday catalog. Of course my wallet does not! 😂 Here's a sneak peak at the cover for the 2020 catalog.

Independence Day

May your day be filled with fun, family and friends. 2020 has tried to steal my joy. But my joy is stronger, better and more resilient than ever. Happy 4th of July. 

#independenceday #2020 #essentialswithpenny #keepingthejoy #summertime 

My favorite things

Did you get a copy of the 2021 catalog? No? Click ⬆Catalog Request⬆ above to get one. 

It is HARD to pick just 5 (and MERCY the holiday catalog is coming in August) but I'm featuring these 5 items as my favorite (for the week 😉)

Top left - Jar of Flowers, top right - Boho Indigo bundle, left middle - new stampin seal adhesive, middle right - sunflower stamps and dies, and finally the bottom photo is our new stamp cut and emboss machine (this is the regular sized one, but we have a mini with it...)

You can view all these items online via my site - essentialswithpenny.stampinup.net

consider joining my group on facebook for a monthly product open house showcase 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/EssentialswithPenny/

Earn in July, Spend in August FREE!