Pear and Arugula Pizza

A year ago my family and I ate terribly.
I was the queen of  Fettucinni Alfredo frozen dinners, convenience foods, processed foods, and going out to eat. A lot. We got sick every winter. Me with bronchitis, Cortney with Pneumonia. I had a cough that would last for months. Cort had a ton of bowel issues. 

Then one day I talked to a lady who works in a cancer center. We talked for hours about nutrition, gluten, and general health. A light bulb clicked. Even though I wasn't heavy, I wasn't healthy. So last June I made a decision to eat better, read labels, and cut out gluten from Cortney's diet. Almost a year later I can tell you that neither one of us has gotten sick this winter. (knock on wood!) And believe me, with the amount of sick kids we are both around, we have had every opportunity to get sick! ;) 

She has had no bowel issues. I cook more, we eat out less, we eat more whole foods, and have cut out processed foods completely. I wish I could say my husband and son are as dedicated as us girls, but I am still working on it! I have to say that I have been experimenting more with my cooking, trying new things, and I think my cooking has improved tremendously. (If I do say so myself!) 

Last summer I had a pear/gargonzola pizza at The Cheesecake Factory and wanted to recreate it at home.

 I gathered these ingredients to create my pizza:

INGREDIENTS:

Gluten Free Pizza dough  (I used Scaar brand)

Gorgonzola Cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Arugula

Pear 

Olive Oil

Toasted Pecans or walnuts

I brushed a bit of olive oil on the crust,piled some Arugula on top.  I layered Mozzarella and Gorgonzola on top of that.  Sliced up my pear and placed it on top.  Sprinkled my toasted walnuts, broken up in pieces.  I finished it off with a bit more Mozzarella and Gorgonzola and a spritz of olive oil. I baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. 

It was absolutely delicious!

Better Late Than Never....

I am looking forward to this weekend because I have Monday off.  And the best part? I am the only one who has Monday off! That means Mama's gonna craft the day away without interruption! ;)

So hopefully, I can take the time to get caught up on some design team stuff and maybe make a card just for the heck of it!  Like this little guy.....It was an old stamp I had in my stash from Inkadinkado.   He was never inked....until now. I think he is just too cute!  I love the expression he has on his face.

He was colored with Copic markers.  I colored his body twice and hand cut it out.  I popped him up with dimensional foam circles.  I gave his whole body a coating of  glossy accents. He was double matted to bring out the orange and pink a bit. I tied coordinating string and a couple of pink clear Dew Drops to the center of the bow. 

I used a Spellbinders die for the background and added a couple more pink Dew Drops and puffy paint.Since the image was so bright, I wanted the card base to be a bit neutral, so I chose kraft. 

We are hunkering down in Chicago once again for another round of snow.  The weatherman keep changing their minds, but the last I heard we are supposed to get around 6-7 inches. 

Super.

Spring is around the corner, right?

Have a great weekend!

Follow Your Heart....

Chicago is back in a deep freeze, and I have to say, I am totally over this winter!  I normally like the coziness of the season.  But honestly, I am ready for more sunshine, warmer temps, flinging the windows open, and getting outside without having to bundle up where the only thing you see are eyeballs!

So I am trying to stay positive and think spring!  I used a Heidi Swapp stencil to create my background.  I used embossing paste and let it dry.  Once it was dry I puffed it up with my heat gun.  I put the stencil back in place and gave it some color with my Copics and airbrush system.  

The leaves are from Silhouette and were cut using vellum.I added pearls to each leaf.

I added a sentiment from SRM stickers, a bit of twine, also from SRM.  I added a few gems, an acrylic flower, and a couple of  circles to "ground" my sentiment. 

Cortney has her last cheer leading game tonight.   In a few weeks she will have her awards ceremony and the season will officially be over.  

I am heading to the kitchen to finish our dinner.....a Spanish Tortilla. Hopefully it doesn't end up in the garbage! ;)

Wanna Smile?

I wasn't going to post this weekend, but I am sitting with my cup of coffee with a quiet house. One thing led to another...and voila! A post!;) 

I've got an exciting day of grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning planned. My younger self would have been mortified to know this is how I spend my weekends! ;)

So let's get to my card. 

I used a stamp set from Crafty Secrets, which I just found out is currently sold out.  Sandy is working on a digital version of it and should come out soon!  

I colored the image with Copic markers. I hand cut the pup out and added crystal effects to make him a bit more dimensional.  

I made a little pillow for my chair using felt and light blue string.  I added a bit of velvet ribbon, string, and a pretty clear/green glass pearl. 

I always look at this gal and think she has the most contagious laugh.  I can't help but smile from ear to ear......

Have a wonderful Sunday my friends! Time for Cinderella to complete her chores! ;)

Winner!

Good evening!! Before I head to bed tonight, I wanted to make sure I posted the winner of my giveaway. First, let me say thank you for all of your kind words and advice concerning Cortney. I truly appreciate it! I respect the opinions that you have all shared and I think I am going to forgo the Facebook page. I have tried to contact several modeling agencies in the past and unfortunately, several of them have not gotten back to me, and one of them kindly rejected her and said, "We can not represent Cortney at this time." I will keep trying, but if it is meant to be, it will be. So without further ado....here is the number Random.org picked..... 


It's kind of small, but it was number 55!  That means this gal is the winner!  (I am not sure how to pronounce her name though!) ;)  Thank you everyone for participating! Have a wonderful weekend!

ezwiefelhofer said...

I love anything pink so I love your card! I think If Courtney is able to ask her if she wants to model.

FEBRUARY 19, 2014 AT 11:11 PM 

Stamper's Sampler-Take Ten

Good morning!  This weather here is absolutely crazy!  We have mountains of snow and now it is raining cats and dogs!  I was woken up by the sound of thunder this morning! I am afraid to head down to the basement, since we have flood warnings running rampant. :( 

I was contacted by the publishers of Stampers' Sampler-Take Ten to write a review of their magazine. I gladly said yes.  It has been years since I've picked up a copy and enjoyed perusing through the pages. It was so fun to see all of the familiar names and see their gorgeous work.  And I am in awe of people who can acutually make a card in 10 minutes or under! Because as we all know....that would not be me! LOL!

I liked how the magazine was organized.  Two pages shared a common color theme or technique. I also liked the many ways to use the same stamp.  The style of stamping ranged from CAS to artsy vintage.  My favorite artist from this issue was Caroline Stuart.  She has such a great sense of style and I loved her work! And lastly, the back pages were filled with close ups of the techniques the stampers had used.  It was a cool way to draw attention to something I probably had missed in the beginning pages. 

Was there anything I didn't like about the magazine? Not really.  As with any magazine there might have been projects I wasn't over the moon about, but I still feel like I was able to pick up a technique or sketch I didn't have before. 

You can get a copy of this month's issue in my giveaway below! :)

The giveaway will end tomorrow night at 10PM CST! 

Have a great (hopefully not too wet) rainy Thursday!

Pink and Grey and a Giveaway!

I totally rhymed up there in my title....channeling my inner Dr. Seuss! 

;)

I do have lots to share with you....first a card and then what I think is a pretty grand giveaway down below!  

First things first.....my card was created with some leftover pieces and my new polka dot stencil from Heidi Swapp.  I used embossing paste and once it was dry I sprinkled it with pink Zing powder.  

Then I heat embossed it. 

I love the texture and visual interest it gives to the card. 

 And really is there anything better than pink polka dots?

I had some left over cuts from a publication project using Cricut's new cartridge, Box it Up!  I layered the pieces with dimensional foam circles and added some pink posies, string, and some fluffy silk flowers I purchased from A Pink Swan Etsy shop. 

I framed it with a pink circle....also a Cricut Leftover, and white frame from Spellbinders. 

As a final finishing touch I added a few sequins. 

I've been wanting to do a giveaway for awhile because it is so fun to make someone's day.

I wish I could give more,and to more people, but it just isn't in the budget! ;)

I have all of this to give to one lucky person! 

What do you have to do?

EDITED:  I don't want to scare people away with my giveaway...so if you would just like to leave a comment that is totally fine with me too! :)

Well as many of you know, I have been in a quandary about whether or not to start a Facebook page for Cortney.  Part of me thinks it would be great exposure and maybe a chance for her to be "discovered." The other part of me thinks maybe I'm opening up a can of worms that shouldn't be opened.  And sometimes I think I am completely nuts for thinking anyone would want to use Cort as a model in the first place.  I think she is beautiful, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world feels the same way. 

So I guess what I am looking for is opinions.  If you think I am nuts, please say so! Be honest...but be kind.

I've been on this fence for quite awhile and can't seem to reach a decision.

If you are a new follower, pin my giveaway to Pinterest, Facebook, or your personal blog, please leave an additional comment for an additional chance to win. :)

The giveaway will end on Friday, February 21st at 10 PM CST.

Good luck and thank you!!