Created by JB: July 2013

Diagonals + ME Stamps

Morning! Today I am sharing a traditional layout using the Full House set as the centerpiece. I repeated and flipped the house border to create the pattern behind the photo of us.

I've seen alot of layouts using a diagonal element behind the photo, so had to give it a try. This is really stepping out of the box for me, as I tend to keep things straight.

Hope you enjoyed this layout. Have a great day!

Posted at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Morning! Today I am sharing a PL page over on the Mama Elephant blog, so wanted to share it here too. This page is scrapbooked in a traditional way. The 3x4 pockets have the same card to create a complete background, then I built on top of them to make my page. The house border from the Full House set worked great to create a border on my photo. I liked how it looked, so randomly chose other parts of the page to stamp them.

Still lovin' the Water Blooms set:

Hope you enjoyed my pages today! Be sure to keep checking back here to see more inspiration using ME's July release!

Posted at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hero Hostess Summer Picnic Blog Hop!

Hi there! This is your second stop on day 2 of the Summer Picnic Blog Hop. If you've been following along, you've just arrived from the sweet and talented Cheiron Brandon! If you are new to the hop, you can find details on the Hero Art's Blog.

Summertime here in Iowa makes me dream of someday walking on a beach (something I have yet to do). We do not have beaches around here (other than those found on the Mississippi and they do not count in my opinion). ;-) Here's a beachy card to share with you today:

Hero Arts Sending Smiles CL444, Friends CL351, Clouds S5215, Four Leaf Grid S5141 & HA Sailboat for Silhouette Cameo.

Hero Arts will be awarding prizes from randomly drawn comments. For a chance to win, simply comment on ANY of the stops along the hop on ANY day, including each day’s starting post at the Hero Club Blog. The more comments you leave, the better your chance of winning! I would love to hear from all of you!

I also would like to do a give away, so please be sure to comment here & I'll award one lucky winner with a stamp of their choice (as long as it's still available through the Hero Arts store).

If you find a broken link, you'll find a master list of the hop links at the Hero Arts Club Blog. Also, please report broken links to [email protected].

Your next stop is the blog of the super talented Suzanne Czosek!

I also have a recipe to share. My go-to dessert for summer picnics/events are my Caramel Bars. They are to-die-for and you must have a go at making them. Bon appetite!

Caramel Bars from Jenn Biederman

Melt: 45 caramels

10 T. evaporated milk

Set aside.

Mix: 1 1/8 c. melted butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 ½ c. flour

1 ½ c. oatmeal (I use rolled, not quick)

¾ t. salt

¾ t. soda

Reserve ¾ c. mixture for topping. Spread & pat in 9 x 13” pan

Bake at 350° oven for 10-12 min. (Ovens vary, mine bakes somewhere between 15-18 minutes-looks golden brown when done)

Remove from oven. Sprinkle 1 ¼ c. milk chocolate chips over bottom layer. Spread caramel mixture on top. Sprinkle ¾ c. remaining dough over top. Reduce oven to 325° and bake for 10-12 minutes longer. (Again, ovens vary and mine takes longer and oatmeal mixture looks golden brown)

Enjoy!

Posted at 07:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (153)

ME's Stamp Highlight: Light's Out

Morning! Today's highlight stamp is the set Light's Out. You will love this set! I do!

I'm really loving the look of glossy accents on the bulbs...

Be sure to check out what the other design team member's have done with this set here.

Catch you later!

Posted at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Come Blog Hop with ME's July Stamps!

Welcome to the Mama Elephant July Design Team blog hop! Our July release is now live and available for purchase in the store.

You should have arrived here from the talented Geralyn Sy's blog. If you are just arriving to the party, be sure to start out on the Mama Elephant Blog! A complete list of the hop is at the end of this post.

I love the Lights Out set and had fun using glossy accents to make the bulb really shine on this card:

To celebrate the new release, Mama Elephant is giving away 3 gift certificates worth $20.00 each to 3 lucky people! Winners will be chosen at random from the collective blogs in the Stampede. Winners will be announced on the blog on the last Stamp Highlight day.

Here's how to qualify to win (leave a separate comment for each):

1. Leave a comment on this blog post
2. Become a follower of the ME blog
3. Like/share us on Facebook
4. Follow/tweet us on Twitter

Your next stop is Cheiron's sweet blog!