Notice the Details: Dec. SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to the December Stamp of the Month blog hop! More than 60 Close To My Heart consultants are sharing their creations, so be sure to "hop" all the way around! This month's hop features the stamp set "Notice the Details," available December 1 - 31, 2009 only. This is a darling set of 41 stamps, perfect for cards, calendars, and journaling! If you came here from Lori Brown's blog, you're on the right path! At the end of this post, you'll find a link to the next blog on the hop. You can keep going all the way around until you come back to my blog, if this is where you started.

I used the stamp set to make a dry erase board. It is super easy to do! Make a 12 x 12 page, and place it in a scrapbook page frame. I got mine at Michael's. They go on sale pretty often, so I usually pick up a few when they're 50 percent off. Write on the glass using a dry erase marker.

Items used:

• Notice the Details - December Stamp of the Month
• X7102B - Notebook Level 2 Paper Packet
• Ink colors: Desert Sand; Black
• Z1300 - White Daisy Variety Pack Just Blooms Paper Flowers
• Z1216 - Winter Cozy Brad Assortment
• Scrapbook page frame

I hope you enjoyed the visit to my blog! Now hop on over to Sarita Schraeder's blog to see the beautiful work she has posted. Enjoy the rest of the hop! I'll see you back here next month for the January Stamp of the Month blog hop. The Spring Idea book will be available January 1, so you won't want to miss the hop with all the new products!

Jingle Card

I got me some mojo going this morning with this sketch from the blog Mojo Monday. I used the following products from CTMH to make this 5 x 7 card:

• Jingle Level 2 Paper Packet
• Cranberry Designer Ribbon Rounds
• Heartfelt Wonder Die-Cuts
• Adhesive pearls
• C1371 - Holiday Jingle

And from Fiskars: Threading Water punch

Taco Soup Recipe

I enjoyed a great day of shopping and scrapping with some friends on Saturday! We had such a good time together, ending the day with a supper of taco soup. It's quick and easy to make -- perfect to share with good friends. I promised the girls I'd put the recipe on here:

Taco Soup (from the East White Oak Bible Church cookbook)
1 lb. hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can undrained kidney beans
1 can refried beans
1 can undrained Mexican chili beans
1 can undrained corn
1 can undrained diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c. water
1 packet ranch dressing (dry)
1 packet taco seasoning

Brown hamburger with chopped onion. Drain. Combine all ingredients in a crock-pot and simmer on low for at least 3 hours. If desired, garnish each bowl of soup with a spoonful of sour cream, cheddar cheese, and crushed tortilla chips.

My notes: The regular batch will serve 6 - 10 people, depending on how hungry they are! :) I usually double the recipe (make sure you are using a large pot) and freeze some of it for another meal. Sometimes I use Rotel diced tomatoes with peppers instead of regular diced tomoatoes, and I'll often throw in a can of ranch-style beans, too. This is a great, hearty soup and fairly diet-friendly, too -- lots of fiber from all the beans! Enjoy.

Reason #2 to try Stampaganza: It's easy!

Adding to your stamp stash could not be faster, simpler, and easier! It only takes a few clicks to order the stamp sets you want. Just go to my website (I'll make it easy for you -- click here!) and browse for the sets you would like to have. Add them to your shopping cart, check out, and sit back to wait for the big brown truck to pull up outside your home with a beautiful white CTMH box! That's always a happy, happy day at my house. I wonder if the man in brown realizes the joy that he brings? Maybe that's why he runs back to his truck so quickly . . .

Reason #1 to try Stampaganza: Complete a collection

Maybe it's because I tend to be a bit OCD about things, but I plan to take advantage of Stampaganza to purchase the October word puzzle. It's the only one I don't have, and who wants a year without October -- the best month of the year! The monthly word puzzles are being retired at the end of the year so I need to act fast. I just have to find one more stamp set to buy (not a difficult task, I assure you!), and I will get a third one free! That's a pretty sweet deal!

I use the word puzzles a lot. They're great for seasonal cards and scrapbook pages. Another way I like to use them is for calendars. It's so easy to make a cute event calendar for an easy, memorable Christmas gift. Or use my favorite embellish-able (is that a word??) item: My Creations Display Album. I hope to post some ideas using both of these items very soon!

Be sure to check out the list of retiring stamp sets here. These are only available through December 31, 2009, so now is a great time to stock up!