Featured Freebies for the Week of August 1st

Hello and Happy Monday to Everyone!

Here are this week’s fabulous digital stamp and image freebies found on website and blogs or sent to us from friends and followers:

Foxycrafts is offering a free digital download of a kitty cat

Whoopsi Daisy is getting ready for Christmas with this reindeer digital image

GTC Crafts has a few more freaky critters including a bug, mouse, dog, rabbit, and lion

Altered Scrap has a crocodile hanging ten digital stamp

Bugaboo Digital Stamps has a spaceman digital image

Anne’s Card 4 U offers the happy hour frog digial image

That’s all for this week!

Happy Crafting!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

Scrap-Friendzy Design Team Call

Scrap-Friendzy is looking for a few design team members. Scrap-Friendzy is a challenge based site with a laid-back, friendly environment where everyone is welcome! They focus on inspiring and encouraging their members, as well as, teaching new techniques to take scrapbooking and paper crafting to the next level! 

If you are a kind, energetic paper crafter that enjoys inspiring, encouraging and educating others in our craft, then this might be the perfect place for you!

Chosen DT members will be responsible for:

• Daily posting on the message board
• Creating 2 challenges per month for Scrap-Friendz members
• Participating in the challenges created by other design team members
• Promoting, organizing and hosting events throughout their term
• You will also be asked to promote the sale of the Scrap-Friendz monthly kit.
• In return, Scrap-Friendz will promote your work, blog, etc through their site, blog and facebook page.
• You will also receive one free kit during your term, as well as, discounted kits throughout your term.

The call runs Monday, August 1st through Sunday, August 21st. This call is for a 6 month term beginning September 1st through February 29th.

Send the following information by e-mail to scrapfriendzy@windstream.net to apply:

• Name
• Email Address
• Username (name used on Scrap-Friendz message board)
• Site Most Active On
• Link To Gallery
• Link To Blog (If you have one)
• Please attach photos to the e-mail of at least 3 pages or projects or cards that you feel best describes your style.

Good Luck!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

Arts and Crafts Examiner: Weekly Wrap-up July 31, 2011

This week at the Arlington Heights Arts and Crafts Examiner, I focused on end of the summer classes, events happening in the area, and a crafty idea.

Here are the articles for your reading enjoyment:

CHA Summer 2011 Highlights

Clay Monet – Ceramics and Clay Badge

Dollar Store Craft: Flower Pot and Pen

Antioch Fine Arts Foundation

Morton Arboretum – Nature Unframed

Johanna Gullick’s Art Gallery and Studio

I hope you enjoy this week’s articles. If you have any suggestions for future Examnier articles, please feel free to post a comment or send an email to me at creativebugs2-blog@yahoo.com

Happy Crafting,

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

Stampin' Up! Event

Calling all crafters and crafter wannabes! Are you interested in paper crafts, stamping, or scrapbooking? Then consider coming to a special Stampin’ Up! event this Sunday!

Event Info:

When: Sunday July 31^st

Time:   11am – 2pm

Location: Courtyard Marriot, 505 Milwaukee Ave, Lincolnshire IL

A group of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators are having a special sales event for their customers and are inviting the public to attend. This is a great opportunity for stampers, scrapbookers, and paper crafters to purchase new products and soon to be retired products at special sale prices.

Hope you can make it!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

Recipe Friday: Creamy Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad

George Duran developed this simply delicious recipe for Hunts. Tomatoes, fresh basil and goat cheese are combined to create a creamy dressing for a unique side salad.

Ingredients:

1 can (28 oz each) Hunt's® Whole Peeled Tomatoes, drained

4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped

3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

  Bibb lettuce leaves, optional

Directions:

·         Place drained tomatoes in large bowl; cut into large pieces with kitchen scissors.

·         Add cheese, basil, shallots, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

·         Toss gently.

·         Cover; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

·         Stir gently.

·         Serve at room temperature as a side salad or in lettuce leaves, if desired.

Enjoy this as a light lunch with crusty bread or serve as a dinnertime side dish alongside your favorite entrée.

Bon Appétit!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

National Cheesecake Day July 30th

July 30^th is National Cheesecake Day so why not consider making a cheesecake for those you love!

PHILADELPHIA Classic Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs

3 Tbsp.  sugar

1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

4 pkg.  (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp.  vanilla

4 eggs

Directions:

HEAT oven to 325°F.

MIX graham crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

BAKE 55 min. or until center is almost set. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.

SPECIAL EXTRA…Top with fresh fruit just before serving.

PHILADELPHIA 3-STEP Low-Fat Berry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

2 HONEY MAID Low Fat Honey Grahams, crushed (about 1/4 cup)

3 pkg.  (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Fat Free Cream Cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp.  lemon zest

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp.  vanilla

3 eggs

1/2 cup  sliced fresh strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup  raspberries

2 Tbsp. strawberry jelly, melted

Directions:

HEAT oven to 300°F.

SPRINKLE graham crumbs onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray. Beat next 5 ingredients with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended.

POUR into pie plate.

BAKE 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 3 hours. Top with fruit just before serving; drizzle with jelly.

Lem'n Berry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup  COUNTRY TIME Lemonade Flavor Drink Mix

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup  milk

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

1   HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)

1 cup mixed fresh berries (blueberries and sliced strawberries)

Directions:

BEAT cream cheese, drink mix and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Gradually beat in milk. Whisk in COOL WHIP.

SPOON into crust.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour. Top with berries just before serving.

Have a terrific Cheesecake day!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

Inspired to Scrap – Design Team Call

Inspired to Scrap is looking for designers!! No experience on a design team is required and everyone is encouraged to apply.  Please join the Inspired to Scrap message board so everyone can get to know you.  The term will be for 4 months (September-December 2011).

Designers will be asked to help plan and create sample layouts for classes, teach techniques, create blog posts, participate in challenges, post regularly on the message board, and promote Inspired to Scrap on their blogs and elsewhere. We will also ask our designers to commit to no more than one other design team while working with Inspired to Scrap.

As a thank you, designers will receive a scrapbooking package every other month during their term, one free class following their term, and they will be highlighted on the design team page of the website.

Please submit the following information to stacey{at}inspiredtoscrap.net by August 15th, 2011 with “Design Team” in the subject line.

1.  Your name, mailing address and email address

2.  Your blog and/or a link to your online gallery

3. A list of online communities you are active in.

4. Two layouts plus an additional project (layout or altered item) that reflect your current style.

5.  A blurb about why you’d like to be a designer and what you can bring to the team.

6. A list of other design teams you have been on or are currently on.

Call is open to scrappers in the U.S. and Canada. The new design team will be announced no later than August 20th, 2011 on the blog and message board.

Good Luck!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue