Banana Frog Summertime Blog Hop...

The sun and the stamps are out in force so what better way to celebrate than with a chance to win some more Banana Frog stamps!! Simply leave a comment below and remember to hop around all the girls blogs and main Banana Frog blog for even more chances of winning! :)

Hop from here on over to Nats blog :)

Home :D

Lovely break, lovely place and lovely new friends - i love Amsterdam!




Will catch up soon but right now things are a little manic! lol

Going away...

Im off at 3am heading to teach my classes in Amsterdam! :)

The angel food cake will be posted next week with the next recipe, i have to admit defeat on this one as i just havent been able to fit it in! lol

Im back on Monday so thought i would post a couple of update pics of another kind of Angel :)
Isnt she growing too fast - 10 weeks already!! eek!

First post as editor.... (even saying it makes me giddy!!) lol

I didnt realise a lot of people didnt even know about this magazine...It is so full of inspiration from the USA with more UK girls making appearances but you cant be in it if you dont submit, same with the new Crochet Trends so im giving a shout out. I really want to see these magazines be a huge success with lots of homegrown talent :)

Do you know someone who you think would be perfect to feature in either magazines? We are starting Crochet Trends from scratch so come on girls lets fill this magazine with what we all want to see!!

Issue one will be in the shops 21st July 2010...

Issue 2 will be 16th September and with the first of 3 trial issues of Crochet trends with it!

I will find out exactly where they will be available and post to let you know asap :)

email me debbie.nicholas(at)pizzazzmedia.co.uk :)

Wohoooo!! :D *happy dance*

Congratulations to the winner of the Banana Frog stamps......

Here are your random numbers:

3

Timestamp: 2010-06-22 15:07:53 UTC

HOWEJAM :) Please email me your postal address to debbie(at)countryheartandhome.com


I have some really exciting news!! You are now looking at the new editor of the fabulous Simply Handmade UK Magazine and editor of a new mag coming out Crochet Trends!

I am so excited, giddy and looking forward to working on these magazines :)

Issue one will be in the shops 21st July 2010...

Issue 2 will be 16th September and will have a free copy of Crochet trends with it!

To finish off with a picture here is my most recent card using Squiggle Stamps - how cute is this little ringmaster!!

Week 25 - Angel Food Cake with Lemon Honey Yogurt Sauce *shopping list*

Shopping list for week 25 :)

This is a cake by one of my favourite bakers and someone who Scott (11) has a little crush on - Giada De Laurentiis! :)

Ingredients
Cake:

12 Egg Whites
1/4tsp Salt
1 1/4tsp Cream of Tartar
1tsp Vanilla Essence
1/2tsp Lemon Juice
5g Lemon Zest (a little extra for garnish)
190g Icing Sugar
135g Soft Flour
Fresh mint Sprigs

Sauce:

245g Natural Yogurt
80g Honey
1tbsp Lemon Juice

Banana Frog giveaway :)

Thanks to Bev at Banana Frog stamps i have 2 lovely sets to give away :) These are tadpole sets so smaller than the normal sets and perfect for cards etc :)

Just leave a comment and i will pick a winner on Tuesday

Happy Fathers Day!

xxxx

Bo Bunny and bargains!

This is the card i made for the boys to give daddy for Fathers Day on Sunday. I used the new Bo Bunny Paradise line of papers and embelishments to give it a funky cool look :)
Lidl store have some bargains in now and again it just depends if you hit it lucky when you visit! So far since our local one opened there hasnt been much to rave about but yesterday we called and they had some fab bargain bits! I bagged a laminator for £11.99 (complete with 30 sleeves!) and 3 of these week planner mats @ £1.49 each....theres 20 pages on each pad so thats over a years space to scribble!!They are flippin huge and will work well as a base for crafting on too! Im in doodle heaven!! LOL

First BBQ of 2010!!

Yep today is our first BBQ of the year! lol The sun is only just going from the garden now and its almost 9.15!! Oooh i really hope we have a lovely summer this year!

Thought i would share some pics i managed to grab of the boys and my hubby while Evie enjoyed her first open air dinner - ok so she didnt have anything but she watched us so that still counts! lol Oldest 2 kids hid when the camera came out so i dont have the full set today!

Ethan mid burger... lolJacob mid tomato! lol Evangeline watching everyone, slightly flushed having just woken up and covered by the blanket i made last year (still need to get on with a little pastel one for her) and finally my gorgeous hubby. :)*sigh*

LIFE IS GOOD!! :)

Chicken Parmesan - week 24

Shopping list is here :) I have amended mine since i needed to cook for 6 but the original list is to serve 4.....ok here goes.

Gather all your ingredients.Start by pounding the chicken breasts until they are approx 1.5cm thick. Heat the oven to 180 degrees c.Pop the bread slices into a food processor and blitz until small breadcrumbs.
Sprinkle onto a tray and place in the oven until lightly golden and crisp.
Whisk the eggs and milk together in one container...
in another container mix the flour, 1/4tsp salt and 1/4tsp pepper...
and in another container mix the crisp breadcrumbs, paprika, 1/4tsp salt, 1/4tsp pepper and oregano.
First coat the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour, then dip in the milk/egg mix, finally coat with the breadcrumb mix.
Place the coated chicken breasts in an ovenproof bowl and cook for approx 15 minutes to brown the coating and lightly cook the chicken.
Remove from oven and turn up to 220 degrees c. Pour over the marinara sauce, covering all the pieces to prevent burning.
Top with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese and return to the oven for a further 20/25 minutes.
Serve with salad or fries, we sprinkled more parmesan on ours to add more cheese flavour! It was absolutely delicious, albeit a little rich (thanks to choosing Lloyd Grossman tomato & basil sauce) so have been told this is only a once a month dish to add to the menu! lol
On the theme of cooking, Jacob (7) won a competition at school.........design a cupcake!! LOL He has obviously been taking notes as his cupcake was layered blueberry, strawberry and chocolate cake with cream and sprinkles! LOL
The whole school had to draw and describe their cupcake and the winning design would be created.......he came out of school tonight with such a huge smile and his cupcakes for us to try!! (very nice they were too!!)He had won a prize too, silicone cake cases, paper cases and animal shaped cookie cutters! :) Well done son! :)

Week 24 - Chicken Parmesan *shopping list*

Ingredients
4 slices brown bread
85g mozzarella cheese
1 jar Marinara sauce (good quality tomato, onion & herb sauce approx 750g)
4 skinless chicken breasts
85g plain flour
125ml skimmed milk
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp grated parmesan

Addicted to stationery!!

Is this something that comes hand in hand with crafts? Im not sure about you but i almost need to breathe in a brown bag when im in an office supply store or (...be still my heart!) the stationary section of TK Maxx or Home bargains! My ambition is to hit Japan one day as they hold the motherload of paper goodies!! LOL

These are some of the bargain goodies ive managed to pick up lately...
Packs of 8 cards from Home Bargains £1 each...
TK Maxx £7.99 reduced to £2 (arent those sentiments just fab!!)...
I love these boxed cards from TK Maxx - £2.99 a box...
Buddhist Mandala Colouring kit - book explaining all about the symbols is so beautiful! £5.99 instead of the retail price of £18.99!! Also i bought a little box that i thought had flower note cards in reduced to £2 but it is actually a boxed set of 4 notebooks! :)
Plus look at this gorgeous canvas i picked up at the market on Saturday!! Its about 4ft tall and was only £10 - it may only be a print but i couldnt even buy a blank one for that price so im really pleased with this stall and they had loads of different ones including those fab camper van canvases etc!! I cant wait to get the boys bedrooms painted again and decorated! :)

My mini album using the Mama-Razzi line from Bo Bunny was featured on their blog on Friday - i love it and im really pleased i made all the photos black and white as it blends in with the fab colours of the paper a lot more :) Thanks for all the sweet comments over on the blog too as i know a lot of you are big Bo Bunny fans :)

This weekend is my second feature on the Squiggle Stamps blog and i made a card for Ethans birthday (not until December but no problems in planning ahead! lol) using the little boy dressed in a Dinosaur outfit! He is too cute, remember to go check out their blog and apply for the design team position before the end of June!!

Papertrey Winner...s!!

Ok so i neglected to tell you i have 4 spare sets of the anniversary edition of Papertrey Stamps so im going to give 2 away today - the other two are winging there way to some unsuspecting owners - i love sending RAK's! :)

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

50
4

Timestamp: 2010-06-11 12:08:27 UTC

CONGRATULATIONS TO Sandra Houston and Sarah Jane x

Please can you both send me your addresses to debbie(at)countryheartandhome.com and i will get your stamps out to you :)

Ive fallen pray to my middle of the night Create & Craft schedule and bought myself a brayer!! LOL What the heck do i do and how the heck do i stop getting roller lines?? Someone save my sanity...ive made one project but it was simply a case of inking up the roller and going for it! LOL Love the sentiment so just wanted a little reminder :)

This weeks Twisted Sketches challenge was Acrylic and the only thing i had on hand was one of these journalling blocks. I dont tend to have a lof of embellishements as i like to make my own etc so i think i did well! LOL I used the new Echo Park papers too which are absolutely gorgeous and so colourful against the black and white photo! :)

My first card while being a guest on the Squiggle stamps blog went live on Saturday - how cute is this little girl!! She fit perfectly with the DeLovely papers!! Check in this Saturday too for another cute stamp and a chance to win a spot on their design team :)

When i grow up......

...I want to be in a band!! Look i can play the guitar...
...no, honestly, I can, look...
...ooh hang on i think im 'lergic to the guitar...
...erm excuse me im being serious here...I can finger snap too, look...
...in fact i think i might just be a princess...
...ooh a princess, i like that idea! :)

Key Lime Pie - week 23! *step by step*

Shopping list here :)

Gather all your ingredients. *you dont need this many eggs, its just a while since i showed my little egg filled nest and i think its cute when full!* lol Crush the biscuits to crumbs and melt the butter. Combine both together and press into a deep loose base tin. Bake at 180 degrees c for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. While the base is cooling put the egg yolks and lime zest into a mixer and whisk on high for 2 minutes (you can use a hand mixer etc too) until the yolks are firming up. Pour in the condensed milk and whisk for a further 4 minutes. Now add the lime juice and whisk to combine. Pour onto the base and pop back into the oven for 20 minutes or until slightly springy in the middle. Take out leave to cool and then serve with a sprinkling of icing sugar.Very nice and all the better as the kids arent keen, its quite tart but would work well as a grown up desert :)