Saturday Challenges

Feel like doing some crafting this weekend? Here are a few blogs with challenges going on that started today!

• 365 Cards
• All Sorts
• Basic Grey
• Card Patterns
• Crazy 4 Challenges
• Etsy-Inspired
• SCS Inspiration Challenge
• Scrap and Stamp Saturday
• Sensational Saturday Sketch
• Simply Scrapping Sketchy Saturdays
• Sketch Saturday
• The Sweet Stop
• Unscripted Sketches

If you do join in on any of these challenges, please post a comment with link to this post so that we can check out your finished projects!

Creativity Bugs ~ Sue and Sandy

Pencil Lines Birthday Celebration - Sunday

Pencil Lines turns 4 tomorrow and they are celebrating in a big way.

Here are the details:

Tomorrow we are celebrating with sketches past and present. Our design team have chosen a sketch from the archives, and will be sharing with you why they love sketches so much.


On the hour, every hour from 8am GMT, a sketch will be posted along with a RAK from one of our sponsors. That is alot of prizes and alot of inspiration! At 8pm GMT we will post a brand new sketch as normal.

To start the celebrations off, go spread the word and pop our blinkie on your blog, leave your name below, with a link to your blinkie! I will draw a winner on Sunday at 8pm GMT!

Friday Recipe ~ Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-beef-stroganoff/1b3f2c90-0924-4744-a7c2-1b82a4d4e133

2 pounds beef stew meat
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of golden mushroom soup
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of onion soup
1 jar (6 ounces) Green Giant® sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
6 cups hot cooked noodles or rice

1. In 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-quart slow cooker, mix beef, onion, soups, mushrooms, and pepper.
2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until beef is very tender.
3. Stir cream cheese into beef mixture until melted. Stir sour cream into beef mixture. Serve over noodles.
4. Makes 8 servings

Nutrition Information:
1 Serving (1 Serving)
• Calories 400
(Calories from Fat 280),
• Total Fat 31g
(Saturated Fat 15g, Trans Fat ncg),
• Cholesterol 115mg;
• Sodium 810mg;
• Total Carbohydrate 12g
(Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars ncg),
• Protein 24g

Witches Hats

Servings: 32 cookies
Prep: 15 mins
Total: 15 mins

Ingredients

32 Hershey's® Kisses® milk chocolates, unwrapped
1 package fudge-striped shortbread cookies ( 11 1/2 ounces; 32)
1 tube orange or red decorating icing (4.25 ounces)

Directions

1. Attach 1 chocolate candy to chocolate bottom of each cookie, using decorating icing.2. Pipe decorating icing around base of milk chocolate candy.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 95 (Calories from Fat 45 ); Total Fat 5 g (Saturated Fat 4 g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 35 mg; Total Carbohydrate 13 g (Dietary Fiber 1 g); Protein 1 g. Daily Values: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 0%. Exchanges: 1 Fruit; 1 Fat.

Candy Apples

Ingredients

8 wooden craft sticks
8 medium Gala apples
2 (6.5-ounce) packages caramel apple wraps
1 (16-ounce) chocolate bar
16 ounces vanilla bark coating
Orange paste food coloring
Toppings: colored sprinkles, chopped peanuts, black writing gel

Preparation

•  Insert craft sticks into apples. Cover each apple with 1 caramel wrap 
• Microwave at HIGH 15 to 20 seconds. Cool. 
• Melt chocolate bar in a small saucepan over low heat. 
• Dip each apple into chocolate; let dry. 
• Melt vanilla bark coating in a small saucepan over low heat; stir in orange food coloring. 
• Dip or drizzle each apple with vanilla coating mixture. Decorate with desired toppings, and let dry. 

NOTE: For testing purposes only, we used a Ghirardelli chocolate bar.

Southern Living, OCTOBER 2001

Wicked Fun Mini Album class with Marion on Live with Prima!

Thursday, October 14th-Wicked Fun Mini Album with Marion Smith on Live with Prima!

6:30pm PST (7:30pm MDT/ 8:30pm CST/ 9:30pm EST)

Are you ready for this super wicked mini album? This kit is loaded with tons of amazing Prima Halloween embellishments that will send a quiver up you spine! There are plenty of pages for all your precious Halloween memories. We dare you to try and use it all in just one project!



Prima products:

860165 – Little Boo Paper “Spooky”

860172 – Little Boo Paper “Fiery Mansion”

860196 – Little Boo Paper “Creatures of the Night”

860189 – Little Boo Paper “Haunted Mansion”

860219 – Little Boo Paper “Eerie Apparition”

518363 – 6x6 Embossed Chipboard Album

840662 – Alpha Stickers

539207 - Eclatte

529604 – Fiesta Flowers Glaze

525132 – SIIC Halloween 1

528836 – Daisy Dreams Key Lime

529895 – Galaxy Stars Copper

See the class here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/primaflower

Hope to see you there!
 
Creativity Bugs ~ Sue and Sandy

PanPastel and Contest at Scrap Time

Christine at Scrap Time has posted a great video to introduce you to PanPastels.

PanPastel™


Virtually Pure Pigment

Available in 80 rich, ultra soft, artists’ quality colors:

- 20 pure colors (mass tones)
- 20 tints
- 20 shades
- 20 extra dark shades

PanPastel™ Colors can be mixed & blended for an infinite palette of colors.

Colors are sold individually and in sets of 5 / 10 / 20 & 80 colors.

Each PanPastel Color is loaded with the highest quality artists’ pigments; and is made using a unique manufacturing process requiring minimal binder, resulting in rich, ultra soft and low dust colors.

PanPastel Colors are the first pastel colors to be tested using the new ASTM pastel lightfastness standards – currently in draft form.

Each pan contains 9ml (0.30 fl oz) of color - 40%* more than the average pastel stick, and yielding approx. 4 times more coverage.

Check out the Scrap Time blog and chance to win 10 Pan Pastels with a Palette and some Sofft Tools

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Luck!                                          

 

Creativity Bugs ~ Sue and Sandy                                    

Digital Freebies

While checking out some of our favorite blogs, we found a few digital freebies that were too cute to pass up.

Meljen Designs has posted a special ribbon of hope for October breast cancer awareness.

Beccy’s Place has posted a wreath of tulips, harvest set,  and an adorable little witch.

GTC’s Crafty Corner has posted on her blog a nativity set. Every day she has been adding a new item to the nativity. The week started (10/7) with Mary and the current post is of King 2.

And just in time for the holidays, 2 Cute Rubber Stamps has posted an adorable pumpkin and several different cupcakes all located here

If you make anything with the freebies, please make a post in the comments with a link to your finished project.

Creativity Bugs ~ Sue and Sandy

Halloween Banner with Cari Fennell on Live with Prima!

Halloween Banner with Cari Fennell

Tuesday October 12th at 6:30pm PST (7:30pm MDT/8:30pm CST/ 9:30pm EST)

Let’s get ready for those trick or treaters and welcome them with this fun banner! We will be creating this banner using Prima Halloween papers from our Little Boo collection, Prima packaging, sparkly centers, colored lace and more! Cari also has a lot of great techniques to share throughout this class using Glimmer mist, paper folds and layering too.

See the class here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/primaflower

Join the live chat as the class takes place-create a free account on ustream.com, log in and start chatting! Moderators are present during the chat to answer any of your questions regarding the class.

If you can't make it to the class-no worries! All shows are recorded so you can go to our channel and watch anytime. Just select the class you want to see and enjoy!

Hope to see you there!

Creativity Bugs ~ Sue and Sandy

Preview Monday – Challenges for the week of Oct 11th

Check out the challenges happening this week at some of our favorite blog sites!

Priscillastyles Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge – a new sketch challenge is posted every Monday

Little Paper Shop – a new color challenge is posted every Monday

There She Goes Clear Stamps – a new challenge is posted every Monday. This week’s challenge is TSG76 - Recipe Challenge .

House Mouse & Friends – a new challenge is posted every Monday. This week’s challenge is #80 Monochromatic.

Mojo Monday – a new sketch challenge is posted every Monday

Dancing in Pajamas – a new sketch challenge is posted every Tuesday

Flouishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge – a new challenge is posted every Tuesday

Friday Sketchers - a new challenge is posted every Friday

The Sweetest Thing – a new sweet Sunday sketch is posted every week

We hope you take the time to join in on a few of the challenges. If you do, post a comment with a link to your blog or the challenge blog so that we can see your finished projects.

Creativity Bugs ~ Sue and Sandy

Donut Pillow Giveaway

Mag at Masterting Everday Crafts is having a giveaway of the most adorable donut pillow.

Here are the details:

This is open to U.S. or Canada residents only. So just leave a comment here and if you want another entry, be a follower of this blog and tell your friends about it.  And please remember leave Mag a way to contact you either through your blog or email. This giveaway will be closed on Oct 17, so you have two weeks.



Good Luck!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

Preview Monday ~ Card & Scrapbook Challenges

Happy Monday! For all you avid challengers, here is a sneak peak at some of the challenges taking place at our favorite blogs this month.

Card Challenges

Card Positioning Systems - New sketches are posted on Sunday mornings along with 3-4 design ideas. More design ideas are posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

There is no time limit. You can complete any sketch at any time. If you do complete a sketch from a previous week, please leave the sketch # in your comment as well so everyone knows which sketch it was from.


Cute Card Thursday - A new card challenge is posted every Thursday

Crafty Cardmakers - Designed for new and inexperienced cardmakers, scrappers and crafters, more experienced also welcome! Challenges every other monday with Q&A and tutorials on alternate weeks. Prizes offered! Any papercrafted project and technique welcome.


Mojo Monday - A new challenge is posted every Monday. 1st Monday of the month is prizes, other weeks is just for fun. Any style is fine, combining OK.


The Pixie Cottage - Challenges are posted every Wednesday and you may combine this challenge with others. You can use any products or stamps (you aren't restricted to just using Pixie Cottage) and entries are due by midnight (EST) on the Tuesday night before the next challenge

Scrapbook Challenges

The Studio Challenge - A new challenge is posted every Sunday

Scrapbook Challenges - Though the challenges are issued weekly, they are not due til the end of the month. : So all October challenges and sketches will be due by October 31st. Of course, that is only to qualify for prizes. You can always go back and do older challenges just for fun!

Better Living Through Scrapbooking - “Favorite Color Challenge”


Create a layout dedicated to your favorite color.
Chose at least 2 of the following:

1. Journal on the layout as if you are speaking directly to your favorite color, and tell it why you love it, and what it means to you.

2. Take a photo of something you love that is in your favorite color, and use it on your layout.

3. Use rounded corners somewhere on your layout.

4. Create hand-doodling somewhere on your page.

5. Make the name of your favorite color a prominent part of your title.”

Deadline to enter October Challenge #1 (and all other October challenges) is midnight EST October 31st, 2010.
 
If you take part in any of the challenges, post a link in the comments section so that we can view your finished challenges and leave you some "sweet" critiques.
 
Creativity Bug ~ Sue

Look what's coming to Creativity Bug!

Changes are coming to the Creativity Bug blog that are sure to be pleasing to our followers. The new schedule for activities are as follows:

Mondays - the blog post will be a preview of what is to come for the week including a list of challenges from other blogs and blog hop information.

Tuesdays - the blog post will feature a how-to, tutorial, or a trash to treasure idea

Wednesdays - the blog post will feature challenges that the Creativity Bugs completed and show & tell items of craft projects. Once the blog has more followers, we will begin to host a Creativity Bug bi-monthly challenge.

Thursdays - the blog post will feature product reviews pertaing to crafting, books, and anything else the Creativity Bugs feel like sharing

Fridays - the blog post will feature an easy recipe or crockpot recipe to try over the weekend. This means freeing up some of your time so you can spend it with your family or crafting.

Saturday/Sunday - the blog will feature an item that the Creativity Bugs sell on Etsy and Artfire with links

If you have any suggestions on how to make this blog more enjoyable, please feel free to post a comment. Also, if you sponsor challenges or blog hops that you would like featured on this blog please leave a comment with link or email us at creativebugs2-blog@yahoo.com

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

World Cardmaking Day ~ Saturday Oct 2nd

Celebrate World Cardmaking Day with Splitcoaststampers!

Splitcoaststampers invites you to join them for a very special celebration on World Cardmaking Day. Spend your Saturday October 2nd in Splitcoaststampers challenge forum, where you can celebrate the power of a handmade card with the community, and just maybe get a surprise or two! Let the countdown begin!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue