Blogaversary Giveaway!

NOTE: This is a "sticky post" that will remain at the top of my blog through February 29th. Please scroll down to read current posts - thanks!!

WOW! Can you believe that two years ago this month I started the Scrappin' Becky B. blog...time sure flies, doesn't it?? Thanks so much for taking the time to read my musings and for letting me share my thoughts, projects and ideas with you. I look forward to many more years of blogging, crafting, and making lots of new crafty blog buddies along the way!

To celebrate my 2-year "blogaversary" I am giving away a fun little prize package, which is pictured above. The package includes the following goodies:

• 1 Memory Makers More than a Page book (chocked full of AWESOME paper craft projects!!) 
• 1 yard of printed twill tape that reads "In the garden of life you are the rarest of flowers"
• 1 Close to My Heart "Always in My Heart" stamp set
• 1 package Making Memories Watercolor Brite Funky Fibers
• 1 Close to My Heart Blending Pen
• 1 package Ranger Pop-It! Shapes
• 1 package Close to My Heart Connections Club Stickers

Want a chance to win this prize package?? Well entering is SUPER easy...here's all you do:

1.) From Feb. 20th through Feb. 29th, 2012 leave a comment on this post letting me know what you like most about my blog. (Please leave your email address in the comment as well, so that I can notify you if you are the winner!)

2.) If you'd like to double your chances of winning by having your name go into the drawing twice, then leave a second comment letting me know that you've posted my blog giveaway on your blog and linked it back to me. (Please leave your blog address in this comment, so that I can visit your blog too!)

That's it - easy peasy, eh?? The winner's name will be drawn and posted on my blog on March 1st.

Thanks, again, for your encouragement and for being a part of my little blogging world!

Blessings,

Recipe of the Week...Mike's Chicken Fried Duck Breasts

Mike and Justin love to duck hunt, and one of my FAVORITE meals is Mike's chicken fried duck breasts - YUMMMM! Here's how my sweetie makes this delectible meal:

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 duck breasts, pounded out to 1/4" thickness
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil

Method:
Pour vegetable oil into large cast iron skillet and turn on heat. While oil is getting hot, combine flour and seasonings in a large shallow dish. (We use a glass pie plate). Pour milk into a separate shallow dish. Dip duck breasts into milk, and then into flour mixture, coating each breast really well. Place each piece of meat into hot oil, turning once or twice with tongs during cooking time to ensure that crust cooks to a golden brown and meat juices are no longer pink. Place cooked meat on paper towels to drain. Serve with herb stuffing, rice, or potatoes and veggie of choice. DELICIOUS!!

Have a WONDERFUL week!

Quote Sunday

"Blessed are those who can give without remembering,

and take without forgetting."

~ Unknown ~

Silly Saturday...

Mr. Potato Head updates his FaceBook page...

Have a GREAT weekend!

Special Friend Birthday Card

Just a quick post today...so glad it's Friday!

My sweet friend, Diana P., is celebrating her 45th birthday tomorrow...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DIANA!!

Using a piece of a doily, and some patterned paper, I created the above card for her. I cut the heart out using my Cricut, and then attached a simple, knotted piece of velvet ribbon to it.

Tag - You're It!!

My blogging buddy Justine recently tagged me in a fun game of "Tag - You're It!!" This is kind of a long post, so take a minute to pour a cup of coffee or a glass of sweet tea, grab a comfy seat, and learn some new things about me! First things first, though...

Here Are The Rules:
1. Post these rules  2. You must post 11 random things about yourself 3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post  4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer (this might be hard)  5. Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.

So, here goes...11 random things about me:


1.) I dream of someday living in the country again...wide open spaces, quiet sunrises and sunsets, starry night skies, watching fireflies blink in a pasture at night, sipping sweet tea while sitting on a porch swing with my sweetie, listening to frogs croaking on a nearby pond...there's NOTHING like the country life!

(Photo found on the internet)

2.) I love being at home, and I am never bored there! I always have at least one project that I am working on to occupy my time.


3.) My parents recently gave me a piano, and I am looking forward to beginning piano lessons in the near future! (Thanks, Mom and Dad!!)

4.) I am not gifted at all when it comes to programming electronics, such as DVD players, VCRs, etc. Actually, I am really lousy at it!!


5.) I used to be an avid cross-stitcher, and even won the blue ribbon several years ago at the county fair on one of my projects!

6.) I LOVE to organize things - really!! - it makes me happy to see things all neat and tidy in bins, baskets and cubbies; labeled and in alphabetical order! Ahhh - such simple joy - ha! ha!

7.) I am only 5'2" tall...but I have always wished that I could be 5'7" tall! I'd looooove to have long legs! (Note: my hubby is 6'4" and my son is 6'3" - so I look like such a shortie standing next to them unless I wear heels!)

8.) I have a goal to lose 10 lbs. by my birthday in May...which means losing 1 lb. a week for 10 weeks.


9.) I would like to learn to speak Italian, and then travel to Italy someday.

10.) I enjoy reading/studying WWII history. (Yes, I learned to embrace my "inner nerdom" a long, long time ago - LOL!)


11.) If my son ever has a daughter, I would like for him to name her Molly - that way I would have my very own "Unsinkable Molly Brown" - hee! hee! (Justin is NOT keen on this idea at all, so my chances of having my very own "Unsinkable Molly Brown" are slim to none - RATS!)

Margaret                                           (Molly) Brown
(Photo of Mrs."Molly" Brown, survivor of the Titanic, found on the internet.)

Here are the 11 questions that Justine asked me, along with my answers:


If you could be anyone for a day who would you be? Hmmm...that's a tough one...maybe Princess Kate?
If you could visit anywhere in the world where would you go? England
What was your most memorable birthday? My 40th! My co-workers gave me a surprise party at work, then my sweetie organized a fun dinner with a few friends and family...it was such a fun day!
Do you have any siblings? Yes, one sister - Sarah - who is 3 years younger than me.
What household job is your least favorite? Washing dishes
Chocolate or Vanilla? Definitely CHOCOLATE!!
Give one word that you would use to describe yourself? Supercalafragalisticexpialidocious!
What's your favorite movie of all time? Ferris Bueller's Day Off..."Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Quote from Ferris Bueller
Iphone or Blackberry? Iphone
Did you do anything special for Valentine's day? Enjoyed a nice, quiet evening at home with my sweet hubby.
When did you start your blog? February 2010


Here are the people that I am tagging to play along:

Lisa
Ann
Barb
Tammy
Stacie
Gloria
Kimberly
Pam

And, here are my questions for you...


1.) What is your favorite kind of music?
2.) Are you a dog person or cat person?
3.) City mouse or country mouse at heart?
4.) What is your favorite children's book?
5.) Morning person or night owl?
6.) What is your favorite season?
7.) If you could change professions now, what would you like to do?
8.) What Girl Scout cookie do you love the most?
9.) What is something new that you would like to learn to do?
10.) Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert?
11.) If you could travel back in time, what era/century/decade would you want to visit?

I look forward to seeing your answers and getting to know you better!

Have a WONDERFUL day!

Quote Sunday

"Miracles are everywhere,

you'll find them in the tiniest of moments of every ordinary day."

~ Unknown ~

Silly Saturday...

Frosted Designs Challenge...Brads/Eyelets

Happy Friday!! Today is my last time to post a Fabulous Friday Challenge as a Design Team Member for Frosted Designs. I have truly enjoyed my time on their Design Team, but have decided not to continue for another term. (I am going to begin piano lessons and watercolor painting classes in the near future; and I would also like to take cake decorating classes while I am on summer break, so I didn't think I wanted to juggle being on 2 design teams as well).

Anyhoo...this week's Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday Challenge is to incorporate eyelets and/or brads into a project. As you can see, I incorporated both elements into the layout above of Justin and his beloved beagle, Hunter. (You can click on the layout for a larger view to read the journaling blocks). I did a lacing technique on the middle of the layout using eyelets and torn muslin; and used brads to attach the journaling blocks around the outer edge of the layout.

Click HERE to go to the Frosted Designs blog and to get all of the details for entering a project and winning a prize!

Happy Scrappin'!!

Simple Flower Pot Card Tutorial

Above is the cute flower pot card that I made for my friend Cristi. Although I added a Valentine's Day sentiment inside, this card could easily be used for a birthday, Mother's Day, etc. Here's how I made it:

Start by adhering a piece of decorative paper to a 4" x 5 1/2" card base. Cut a piece of tan cardstock into a rectangle that measures 2" wide x 3" tall. Trim the 3" sides so that they taper to look like a flower pot:

Sponge brown ink around the edges of the flower pot and fold the top down to create the lip of the flower pot, securing the lip with a piece of adhesive. Attach a scrap piece of ric-rac or ribbon around the flower pot for a little extra decoration:

Attach the flower pot to the card with adhesive. Cut out 2 leaves from felt and attach at an angle from the flower pot using Glue Dots:

Layer 3 fabric and/or paper flowers and attach a decorative brad to the center of the flowers to hold together. Using Glue-Dots, attach the flower to the card above the flower pot:

Stamp a sentiment onto a scrap piece of white cardstock; cut out; and attach to the front of the card with 3-D dots. That's it - easy peasy - your super cute card is now complete! Here's another photo of the finished card:

Have a blessed day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Just a quick post this morning to wish you all a very happy Valentine's Day! I've been in a card making mood lately, so here are a few of the Valentine cards that I made over the weekend:

This card is actually an anniversary card for my precious sis-in-law and brother-in-law, Sandy and Don. (Happy Anniversary - love you guys!!) They were married on Valentine's Day, so the cards that I make for them always have "Valentine's look"...

Here's a card that I made for my best bud, Jamie:

And for my terrific pal, Tracy:

And my dear friend and co-worker, Gina:

Tomorrow I will share the cute card that I made for my sweet friend, Cristi...but for now I'm going to show you the Valentine goodie bags that I made for my student library aides:

Didn't they turn out adorable?? I found the little heart-printed zip-loc bags at the Dollar Tree, along with the white crinkle shred that I tucked inside each one. I then filled them with minature chocolate bars; folded a small paper doily in half; punched two holes in the doily and bag; and tied it all up with a red grosgrain ribbon. I love the way that the doilies dressed up a simple bag, and it was soooo simple to pull together!

Have a wonderful day!! Be sure to take the time to tell/show the special folks in your life how important they are to you and how much you love them!

Blessings,

Recipe of the Week...Just in Time for Valentine's Day...Strawberry Fudge

I spotted this recipe for Strawberry Fudge on Pinterest and happened to tell one of our student library aides about it, and she said "I'll make some and bring it to school for you tomorrow, Mrs. Brown". Well, she did, and it was really good! (We have AWESOME student aides at our school!!!) This fudge is reeeeally rich and tastes kinda like strawberry milk or the crunch berries in Cap'n Crunch cereal. I recommend cutting it into small pieces,though, since it is so rich. Why not whip some of this fudge for Valentine's Day tomorrow? Click HERE for the recipe.

Have a GREAT day!

Quote Sunday

"The secret of life is not finding someone to live with...

it's finding someone you can't live without."

~ Unknown ~

Silly Saturday

Have a fun and safe weekend!

Heartfelt Birthday Card

Thank goodness it's Friday!!! My friend, Carol G., is celebrating a birthday today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAROL!!! Above is a photo of the card that I made for her...I really love the cheerful look of blue and red together, don't you??

Gotta run for now...have a WONDERFUL day!!!

Scrap-It-Girl Prize Package...

Check out the AWESOME prize package being offered by Kimberly over at Scrap-It-Girl!! (You can click on the photo for a better view). Here's a list of what's being given away:

• Green Webster's Pages Trim
• Pink Paislee crystals
• 2 sets of power puff chalks
• 3 Jenni Bowlin Bingo Cards
• Anna Griffin Trims
• Maya Road Pins
• 3 Flower embellishments
• Button Stackers
• Floss
• 5 mini tickets

To be eligible to win, click HERE to link up a "Show Some Love" project before the end of the month!

Happy Scrappin'!!

Must Read! "World War II Remembered"...

Last night while watching the the World News on NBC, the broadcaster did a story about a book scheduled to be released on Feb. 8th called World War II Remembered. It is a book written by several residents of a retirement home, all part of the "Greatest Generation", in which they each tell their stories of WWII. Some from the perspective of being on the battle front, some from the home front, and some from Japanese interment camps. I am a bit of a WWII history buff, so this sounds like a marvelous read and one that I will have to purchase soon! You can click on the photo of the book above to go to the Barnes & Noble link to pre-order a copy, if you'd like.

Have a WONDERFUL day! 

Recipe of the Week...Crescent Pepperoni Rollups

One of my new favorite recipe sites is the Plain Chicken. I discovered the recipe for Crescent Pepperoni Rollups there, and made some last night for Mike and I to snack on while we watched the Super Bowl. They were really yummy, and so easy! Click HERE for the recipe and enjoy!!

Have a blessed week!