Claudine, Oui c'est Francais

Circle Journals-finally done

For the third year I have been a part of a scrapbooking Circle Journal with a group of girls from all over the US and even Canada. This time I was the tardy one and was always behnd. But last night I found my mojo and cranked two of them out....

Andrea's theme was color, at the moment my favorite color is Pink, Barbie Pink to be exact. The cover of the book I am reading, Marie Antoinette is ther perfect shade of pink and it inspired me to do her journal in pink....

That is my sweet little Peanut in the background modeling the page for you all...

For Jaclyn's journal her theme was travel. Well that was a no brainer. It was all about Paris for me.

Page one was a photo that my new online buddy Emily took on a resent trip to Paris, she has some of the best pictures of Paris, check them out! The background is actually a vintage map I found online of Paris and printed it on photo paper.

 

Page 2 was a picture of Vesailles, the background is also a vintage map of Versailles, I added the huge French flag to the picture for a little more of that touch of France

Off to dream of Paris....

Martha Stewart Summer Workshop

Are you signed up for the new Summer Workshop at Martha Stewart.com yet?

Head on over and sign up today, it starts on Monday, May 19th.

Here is a peek at some of the projects:

America's Party-Perfect Pattern Invitation Cards

 

Party Pocket knives, love this one!

And how cute are these: Ring Tones

 

Sign up now for a summer packed with outdoor cooking and entertaining ideas. The online workshop will guide you week by week to make the most of the season!

• The best grilling techniques for your outdoor parties.
• An outdoor entertaining plan complete with fresh centerpieces, gorgeous table settings, and personalized party decor.
• Luscious summer fruit desserts your guests will love.
• The ultimate BBQ bash just in time for Fourth of July!

And hopefully the Flag Tart.... I make this one every year for the 4th of July, and Bastille Day I make it a French flag...

So visit Martha Stewart.com and sign up today....

Interuption in the Martha posts.....

So I have a lot of favorites! And most everybody knows them, but I don't know if I have ever mentioned my love of Neil Diamond here before. Neil was my very first true love, my mom always listened to him from the time I was 2 or 3, usually you reach that age when you want to stay away from anything your parents like.... not me and Neil. He will always be my first love,

Now you can laugh at me all you want, but until you have actually seen him in concert you can't fully know the true wonders of Neil Diamond. He puts on one of the best shows you will ever see, and too really freak you all out, he still is in great shape and has a pretty cute butt for his age. I know, I know, my mom has pointed out that he wears polyester old man pants. But how can you not love somebody that wears sparkly shirts......

If I am having a bad day, all I have to do is listen to a Neil Diamond song and all is right in the world....

His new album is out today, I have to wait until tomorrow to get it from Amazon, but I can't wait.....

OK, now that I have scared everybody away, I will be back to Martha, cooking and crafts tomorrow.....

More New Martha crafts

When you try to stop at Michaels 4 to 5 times a week to keep an eye on the Martha Stewart Crafts aisle you are bound to spot the new things right away.

This just in, New Martha punches.

They are now in the a lovely shade of blue, and I love them! I am going to use the branch as a piece of coral. I think it looks like a perfect piece of coral. I love the scallop and the butterflies.... there are a few left for me to buy. But you can only use so many coupons at a time.

Happy punching!

Natl Scrapbook Day

Yes, I know it sounds a little nerdy. But any excuse to spend an entire day in my craft room is fine with me. I roped my sister into it, she hasn't done it before today but she has me "collecting" the supplies. (it runs in the family)

Of course the day started with a stop at a Life's a Scrapbook, they were having a sale!

I planned on making some wonderful Panini sandwiches but I told her she had to get a page done before I would feed her. Bossy, aren't I...

and here she is with her first ever layout....

And all I got done was just one page, well I started a second. But I need to finish my Thank You cards first so I can finly send out my Blogaversary winners there presents.

May Everyday Food

The newest issue of Everyday food is now on the news stands and it is a great one! I have had it for a few weeks and have made quite a few of the recipes for dinner. Here are some of the highlights:

Page 17: Spinach and Brie Chicken, does it say Brie in the title...enough said. I have already made this twice and it is sooooo good!

Page 24: Flank Steak with Snap-peas and Asparagus stir fry. Really good and really healthy. I love snap peas, raw or cooked so this was a big hit.

Page 58: Hamburger and grape-tomato pizza. I made this with the Barefoot Contessa homemade flatbread recipe and it turned out really good. Why order or buy pizza ever again when you see how easy homemade dough is. Give it a try.

Special section: Chicken Goes Global

I have made most of these and they are all great. The Chicken with 40 cloves of Garlic (the French selection) is wonderful, I added quartered new potatoes to the pan as well.

Page 83: Thai Chicken and Noodle Salad. Very good and to make it a little spicier add a little crushed red pepper

Page 84: Grilled Greek Chicken Kebabs with mint-feta sauce. You don't need it to be summer to grill these little gems. Use your Martha indoor grill pan, it works just as well. These were great!

Page 87: Chicken Milanese with Arugula salad. I love Arugula and the combination of the lemon and red onion is great

Page 91: Chicken and Shrimp Paella. I just made this last night and it is waiting for us for leftovers tonight. I had extra Shrimp, Chicken and peas so I really maximized this one for left overs.

Page 103: Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches. I made this while on vacation last week, it is definitely going into the favorite file. My sister came over and tried it and is even making it for dinner tonight at well. For the second night I made regular white rice and served the pulled pork on top of it with some sliced scallions. It was a great way to make the leftovers a little different.

Page 112: Chocolate peanut butter pie, this one looks really good and a speedy dessert option for a Sunday night.