Pumpkin Bread

I have been making this exact pumpkin bread recipe since I was a kid, I still use the recipe card that I wrote it out on from when I was young - judging by the handwriting I'd say I was 10ish!  Simple quick bread, makes 3 loaves which is nice if you want a big batch recipe (I kept one and gave away two; or wrap the extras tightly in a layer of plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and seal in a gallon size freezer bag). The only thing I do differently from the recipe is to bake for about 10 minutes less, add a little more spice*, and sometimes I top with natural coarse sugar before baking.

3 cups white sugar
1 cup oil (my recipe is so old it calls for "salad oil")
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups flour

Mix all in a big bowl until blended. Divide into 3 greased bread pans. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if you want. Bake 350' for approx. one hour (check it at 50 minutes for doneness).

I gave some to Janis and Patty; Patty called me the next morning and said hers was gone and she loved it, and to "never change the recipe". I didn't tell her that I've been making this for 40 years and am not going to change it now hahaha!!

*I've been upping the spice amounts - 2 1/2 t. cinnamon, 2 1/2 t. nutmeg, 1/2 t. ground ginger; and white granulated sugar on top is also good, it makes the top crackly. 

Pocket Towels

It's that time of year when you might be expecting guests for the holidays - look at this cute idea for your guest bathroom. By folding a hand towel to make a pocket,  you have a simple but ingenious way to make your guests feel welcome - fill the pocket with a washcloth, toothbrush and toothpaste, or with other decorative items (a sprig of fresh smelling eucalyptus comes to mind). Clever and useful - like it.

1. Lay out a hand towel, front side down, and fold up about a quarter of the way.

2. Turn the towel over and fold in the sides so they overlap.

3. Flip the folded towel over again and slide over a larger towel 

hanging on the towel rack. Fill the pocket with whatever you want.

Felt Feather Hair Clips

Had the idea to make my friend some feather barrettes for her upcoming birthday; after researching to get some ideas I stumbled on the idea to make feathers out of felt and glue them to hair clips - these were very simple and quick to make and I love how they turned out so much I made a pair for myself! That's always the sign of a good present right? If you want to keep it :)

downloaded a free feather template, pinned on felt and cut out. or you could just freehand a feather!
for the smaller feather on top I just cut out the shape in second color and then trimmed it down. 

lay the smaller one(in this case it's the brown one)  on top of the  larger (orange) feather, then
sew a simple running stitch down the center to hold them together and for a little extra decoration. 

hot glue a hair clip to the back of the finished feathers. 

geez, maybe I should have combed my hair before taking this picture....

for gift giving I cut out a 4" x 8" (approx) strip of cardstock, fold in half,
cut two little slits in the front and inserted the clip into the slit. then write a
message on the inside of the card if you want. 

yes they're a little home-made looking but I like that!

Crock-Pot Green Bean Casserole

Did you know you can make green bean casserole in a crock pot? I'm telling you, bring your dish-to-pass in a crock pot and the hostess will love you and go on and on about what a genius you are (thanks Janis haha). One less thing to have to go in the oven is a winner (I do this all the time, it's a tried and true method, works like a charm) - AND if you remember to use a liner then even the clean up is easy (yep, I forgot to use one, ugh - but then I did my dish detergent trick - click here for that post - and clean up was a breeze, even though it was the next day!). I forgot to take a picture of course, but this looks like traditional green bean casserole - use an imaginary picture please :)

3 (14 oz) bags frozen green beans, thawed
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2/3 cup milk
1 large jar or can of mushrooms
dash of soy sauce        (really, I don't measure - just put a little in there)
dash of garlic powder (ditto above)
salt and pepper            (")
1 large container fried onions, divided

Lightly spray the pot with non stick spray. Mix everything together (only put half of the onions in for now) in the pot, cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours (I stir it a couple times). About half hour before you are ready to serve them, add the rest of the onions on top and leave the cover cracked open a bit - that helps the top get crunchy.

Mulled Cider

Trying to think of a hostess gift to take to Janis for having us over on Thanksgiving and I came across this mulled cider recipe - pretty, simple, quick...and I read somewhere you can add whiskey to mulled cider to give it a kick so I'm in. What's not to like?

I used Bobby Flay's recipe on foodnetwork.com and based on reviews upped the amount of spices and put in less orange slices:

2 quarts apple cider
2 cinnamon sticks
2 whole allspice berries
2 whole cloves
1 orange, thinly sliced

put all ingredients in a large pot on the stove, simmer then serve hot in individual mugs. makes 8 servings.

note: I simmered this for about 30 minutes then put it in a big jar in the fridge overnight with the oranges and spices still in. Strained and put into a mason jar to give as a gift. Haven't tried it with whiskey yet but...;)

Zehnders Cranberry Relish

I should have posted this before Thanksgiving  but this cranberry relish is delish year round so I'm sharing it anyway. They make this at Zehnders in Frankenmuth and my mouth waters just thinking about it - a friend gave me the recipe and it's so easy to make it that you can have it any time you can find cranberries. Obviously it goes good with turkey dinner, at Zenders they serve it with their huge family style chicken dinners (oh my goodness, have you ever been? you will not leave hungry, just sayin') and I think it would be great with pork roast or ham too - it's so good I just eat it plain like a salad! I'm not sure if you can get cranberries year round - on the back of the package it says you can freeze them right in the bag they are sold in, I'm going to try that so I'll be able to make this any time of the year for sure.

1 pound whole cranberries

1 pound Northern Spy apples (note my store doesn't carry that kind so I substituted Granny Smith)

1 1/2 - 2 cups sugar

2 whole Naval oranges, peel on

Freeze the cranberries. Add half of them to a food processor and chop until about quarter inch pieces. Then repeat with other half. Do the same with washed, cored, peel on apples. Mix them together in a bowl with 1 1/2 cups sugar. Chop the oranges with peel on to about equal size pieces and add to the apple/cranberry mixture and taste - if super tart add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. I like it tart so tend to go light with the sugar, adjust it how you want.

Happy Thanksgiving 11.24.2016

We are going to our friends house for Thanksgiving dinner and I decided to make rolls and/or bread (not stuffing or "butthole bread" BAHAHA, gross but makes me laugh!) from scratch - I used to make bread all the time (so long in fact, that I won a blue ribbon at the 4-H fair when I was about 10!) but these days I'm trying to not eat so much bread and having homemade bread in the house is just to, to tempting. Anyway - my plan is to make crescent rolls and focaccia, I'll let you know if they work out and will share the recipes if they do!!

I'm thankful and grateful for so many things - among them are my faith, my family and friends, my furry and feathery kids, gravy, the ability to live my life the way I want (filled with making stuff!) and you guys reading my blog of course! Happy Thanksgiving - I hope you enjoy your day whether it's at home, with family, or having "friendsgiving" with friends that are the family you get to choose :).

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

There's so much going on when making Thanksgiving dinner that anything I can do ahead of time is great. I've made these a couple of times now and they are delish - the secret is to not add the butter until you're ready to serve the potatoes. You can make these up to 2 days ahead of time - 30 minutes prior to serving warm them up and then stir in the butter.

• 3 pounds medium Idaho potatoes, scrubbed
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half, heated plus extra if necessary
• Salt
• 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, softened

1. Place potatoes in a large pot with water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a thin-bladed knife, about 20 minutes.

2. Run unpeeled potatoes thru a food mill into a medium bowl. Or, holding hot potatoes with a pot holder, peel them, then place them in a standing mixer and beat until smooth; or place in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer. Add half-and-half and a generous sprinkling of salt to potatoes. Stir, or continue to beat, adding more half-and-half if necessary, until smooth, light, and fluffy.
-If not serving immediately, transfer to a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Or if making ahead, cool, cover, and refrigerate. 30 minutes before serving, microwave potatoes until warm and pour into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or simply warm them in heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water).

3. Stir butter into potatoes until melted. Serve, or cover with plastic wrap and keep warm over simmering water until ready to serve. Makes 8-10 servings.

Note: that's the instructions given with the recipe, I did not warm back up over simmering water but simply microwaved until hot, if you do it that way check if they need more half-and-half to moisten them. Tesha made them last Thanksgiving and after they were mashed with half-and-half she put them in a crock pot to keep warm, then added the butter before serving.

Recipe from "perfect recipes for having people over" by Pam Anderson

Herb Butter

This is a great way to add flavor to your turkey - you can make it a day or two ahead of time and then put it between the turkey breast and skin before roasting. It's really good and kinda fun to do...you can either put the butter in a plastic bag with a corner snipped off and squeeze under the skin or just use your fingers (my preference - why add another step by putting it in a bag?). To separate the skin from the meat gently lift up the skin at the top of the turkey and slide your fingers or a rubber spatula under the skin to loosen it - be careful to not poke a hole in it tho. Then you have a pocket to put the butter in, rub it on the meat the best you can and then press the skin down lightly to make it stick.

HERB BUTTER
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped sage
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 teaspoon chopped tarragon

Blend all ingredients together (you can do in a food processor so it's smooth, or just stir it all together until well blended). Refrigerate until ready to use.

Note: so I gotta be honest and tell you that I don't always make it with this many ingredients - it also works to just blend softened butter with whatever chopped fresh or dried herbs you have on hand, or even just butter mixed with poultry seasoning. It's all good :). Try this when you're roasting a chicken too, adds such good flavor. If you make it according the recipe and have leftover fresh herbs try garnishing the turkey platter with them - so pretty.

Turkey Gravy

My friend Virginia is making Thanksgiving dinner this year for the first time in like 20 years and is worried about the gravy - I told her I have a foolproof recipe that I've been making for years and would share it with her. I posted this last year but since everyone and their mother will most likely be making or eating gravy in a few days I thought I'd repost it...I don't think I've done a repeat to date but gravy deserves an encore posting!! Are you with me? I think these directions are pretty straightforward and easy to follow, I do want to point out that after you cook the flour and fat together for a couple minutes remove the pan from the heat while slowly incorporating the broth (add the broth a little at a time stirring until it's totally mixed into the flour before adding a little more broth - no lumps that way!), then put it back on the stove and stir while it thickens. This recipe makes 4 cups - sounds like a lot I know, but running short on gravy would be a travesty and a risk I'm not willing to take :). Besides, can you have too much gravy?

Making your own turkey broth is pretty easy - I put the bits that come out of the turkey before you roast it (you know, the neck and giblets - yuck) in a pot and fill it up with water. If you have the time and inclination you can add other things to the pot for more flavor; onions, celery, peppercorns... whatever. Bring it to a boil then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and let it cook for a couple hours (obviously watch that it doesn't boil over or reduce too much, add more water if it does).

Here is the post from 11/24/15:

 I love gravy and have followed the same recipe for years with total success......
mmmmmmm gravy.


After roasting the turkey drain off the drippings and measure out 1/2 cup of fat (it's easiest if you have a fat separator but you can separate by  hand - let the drippings rest in a clear measuring cup until the fat rises to the top then spoon it off). If you don't have enough fat add enough butter to equal 1/2 cup total. Heat the fat in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and cook, stirring constantly for a couple minutes to cook off the flour taste. Remove from heat, gradually whisk in 4 cups of broth (I do this very slowly, maybe 1/3 cup of broth at a time stirring constantly until its incorporated into the flour, then add another 1/3 cup... continue adding slowly so you won't have lumps). After all the broth is mixed in, return pan to heat and cook until bubbly, thick, and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 4 cups and its yummy.

Sissy's Spinach Salad

As I think you can tell from some of my posts, my sister doesn't like to cook much and will say she isn't very good at it...I'm leaving that alone haha but she does have a couple things that she makes really really well - this spinach salad is one if them. It's great and we all love it.

2-4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
1-2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 bag shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 bag spinach


Dressing:
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3-4 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2-3 whole cloves garlic (remove after making the dressing)

Put all in a shaker jar with tight fitting lid (she uses a mason jar) and shake until well blended.

You won't need all the dressing for one bag of spinach, add as much as you want to taste and then refrigerate the rest.


She made it for my birthday (I forgot to take a pic!) and there was some leftover that she was going to throw out since it had dressing on it - I took it home to experiment how it would taste the next day. I packed it for my lunch and added some fresh spinach to it to soak up some of the dressing and put a sliced hard boiled egg on top - I'm pleased to report it was just as good the next day and made an excellent packed lunch!

Fall Decorating with a Glass Block

I've had this glass block kicking around my craft room for a while now waiting to come up with the right project - bought it just because I liked it! Working on Ronda's seasonal display table I decided to make a little sort-of diorama scene using some basic materials. First I found a free Thanksgiving word template online and printed it on cream cardstock. Trim to fit and then put in at the back of the block. Then add some pinecones, paper leaves, feathers, whatever you want. I dangled 2 paper leaves by thread (attached to the top with a glue dot) then covered where it hung over with a burlap ribbon bow. This will now be super easy to change for her table with the seasons - I'm thinking a snowman figurine and fake snow for December.

I found this at the craft store on sale, they have different sizes and stands for it too.

  A look down inside...

Silhouette...by Brooke

Here's another art project Brooke did in school and I love (click here to see the mosaic picture she made) - once again I'm including how she made it in her own words:


so the first thing i did was take a long piece of white paper then drew boarders on it. then i took water color paints and put all the colors on the background! our teacher told us to do warm or cool colors (warm= red,orange,yellow***cool= blue,green,purple) i chose warm colors. then i took a black piece of paper and cut out the object i wanted the shadow to be. then i pasted my shadow/black paper cut out on the piece of paper!



Her inspiration was the movie "UP" so she cut out the shape of the house, balloons, and strings from black paper and glued it on after the base piece of paper was dry - she also added a few circles of black on top of the balloons which gave it dimensions but she was tired of writing directions so left that part out hahah. Good tip about using warm or cool colors. Another great kid craft!

Pets and Holidays - do's and don'ts

With the Holidays coming I thought I'd share this info I saw hanging at our vet's office - I'm going to keep this handy so I can remember what to avoid (not that I could pay Sarge to eat avocado tho...):

I also just received this email from Pet Poison Hotline with a little more info regarding pets and holidays - I didn't realize salt was so bad for them!

Oh, and I just got this email about what to do if your dog eats chocolate (click here).

Fall Circle Garland

For Ronda's Fall seasonal display table I made a circle garland (the last one I made was for my niece's graduation in the spring, click here for that post and see more on how to make these) - this is so simple but makes a big impact. Punch or cut out multiple circles in different sizes and colors, I used a few different ones from Stampin' Up's fall seasonal papers, then sew them together. Unlike last time I didn't make any kind of pattern or use any thought - just tried to not put two of the same color or pattern paper together. This is really easy and quick to make up - then hang it wherever you want! For her table I draped a long chain of the sewn circles around some sticks (the same ones from the Halloween table, click here for that post).

Deviled Egg Short-Cut

I'm either the worlds laziest person or a genius. I just had the 'brilliant' idea to cut boiled eggs in half and smear mayo mixed with a little mustard on top. Haha, yep - it's basically like hardboiled eggs and dip. Not exactly deviled eggs but super fast and yummy - and of course it tastes the same.

This would be a good work or school lunch option instead of trying to pack deviled eggs which get all messy and mushed up in my lunch bag. Just put some mayo/mustard mixture in a little container and keep the hardboiled eggs separate. Easy!

Curvy Keepsake Box Turkey

Last week I made a little scarecrow out of a Stampin' Ups curvy keepsake box die cut thing, now I made a super cute (well, I think it's super cute anyway!) turkey. These boxes are only a couple-three inches big so I made it much bigger by adding a tail using scraps of Ronda's fall themed papers and some corn husks. His little face is just a piece of orange cardstock beak with a scrap of red felt underneath, and 2 googly eyes glued on top of 2 light brown circles. Put a piece of burlap ribbon thru the handle and he's done. You could make this without the box if you want, he could be more one-dimensional by making the body from a flat piece of brown cardstock and either hang him up or lay him on your table - one on each place setting would be adorable for Thanksgiving.

One-Dish Spanish Rice

Flipped thru an Allrecipes magazine that came in the mail (it keeps saying this is my "last" issue - but I didn't pay for it and it just keeps coming!) and this recipe caught my eye. Yes I was hungry and that's never a good time to decide what's for dinner - we don't eat very many "casserole" type dishes, but this seemed fairly healthy so I wanted to try it.

SPANISH RICE BAKE
allrecipes november 2016

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
      (1/4 cup)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1/2 cup chile sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Cook beef in a large, ovenproof skillet (with a lid) over medium-high heat, breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion, green pepper, tomatoes, water, rice, chile sauce, salt, brown sugar, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir once, then cover tightly. Don't stir it again or take the top off. Cook, covered, over low heat 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375'.
3. Uncover rice mixture, stir, and sprinkle with cheese. Transfer to oven and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serves 6.

per 1-cup serving: 350 cal; 19.1g fat; 18.5 pro; 24.9g carb


It's a very easy recipe and after doctoring it a little it was a great dinner. I don't know what chile sauce is compared to chili sauce, didn't see chile sauce at the store so went with chili sauce. I thought it was a little bland so added 1 heaping Tablespoon of Mexican seasoning (I found it at the local grocery store, it's just called "mexican seasoning" and I add it to lots of things), a scoop of salsa, and salt and pepper. The other thing I did differently is just put the cheese on top of the rice and put the lid back on until it melted - I didn't put it in the oven (the original recipe is named "spanish rice bake" but I didn't bake it so changed it to "one-dish" haha). Served with a side salad of shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced avocado, drizzled with a little olive oil and lemon juice. Yum, it was a hit.

Because I love leftovers for breakfast I reheated this the next morning and topped it with a basted egg - Dave said it was like spanish hash and I just made up a new thing hahaha! It was delicious!

stir once before putting the lid on tightly...

melt cheese after the rice is cooked. 

Caramel Apple Shots

I assure you I'm not an alcoholic, although I can't explain why I have so many flasks...


Sometimes when it's really cold out and you are forced to stand outside (ahem, annual Light Parade I'm talking about you) it's nice to have a little sip of something to warm you up - this caramel apple drink is perfect for that. It's just equal amounts of Buttershots (butterscotch schnapps) and Green Apple Pucker - pour it in a little flask and tuck it in your purse/pocket/glove and you're good to go.

Mosaic Magazine Project...by Brooke

Brooke made this very cool paper project in art class at school, I love it and asked her to blog it for us - here is what she did in her words:

"so first thing i did was cut white poster board into squares. then i drew on the non shiny side of one of the squares the object i wanted to make. so after i had my flower drawn i took magazines and cut the pages out that had the color i wanted for my flower. then after i had those pages i cut the colors i wanted into many different triangle shape for my project. then i would put down some mod podge on the flower drawing and use the bits of magazines and put them where they would go and where the mod podge was!"


I asked if she put mod podge over the entire picture when it was done but she said nope, the teacher said that's just a waste of mod podge. She just brushed some on the picture and then stuck on the little pieces of cut up magazine page - normally when you decoupage the piece of paper gets mod podged on both sides and also on the surface where you are laying the paper...seems to have worked just fine doing it her way though! Isn't this a fun idea? Great kid craft!


I like this project so much I laminated it and hung it up in the rv - original artwork in the camper :)

Baked Egg Cups

If you have a few extra minutes to spare for breakfast (or lunch, or dinner!) try making these egg cups, they're easy to put together and take about 20 minutes to bake.

The basic recipe is to spray small glass ramekins with non-stick spray, line with 2 or 3 thin slices of ham, and break an egg in the middle. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake at 350' until the egg is done to your preference - I do about 20 minutes and the white part is cooked thru and the yolk is set but soft (not runny).

Variations: sometimes I add some chopped spinach and a little cheese before adding the egg, or skip the cheese on top (it tastes fine without but the egg looks weird, see my pics). Change it however you want!
Easy, healthy, and something different for breakfast.

without cheese on top - I know they don't look it but they are cooked thru!

ham and egg baked with cheese on top

see, the egg looks better with cheese on top - but taste wise it doesn't need it. Your call!

Karen's Peach Cobbler

I met a new friend earlier this year that lives in the south and she shared her famous peach cobbler recipe with me - since she's in the best area for peaches she should know what she's talking about! I will not pass up the opportunity to beg people for good recipes ;)

I'm going to be honest with you - I have not had good luck making this, tried twice and while both times it tasted great it just isn't right. (click here for my post on how to easily get baked on peach cobbler off the dish!). First time I think I used a baking dish that was too shallow and it went over the sides - I also added blueberries (because of course I couldn't leave the recipe alone, duh what was I thinking?) and maybe that changed it. I did use the full 2 cups of sugar and found that too sweet for my taste, so the second time I reduced the sugar amount... maybe that's why it didn't work this time either? Maybe I should just follow the recipe exactly?!

What I really like about this recipe is that I've never seen this technique for making cobbler before and it's interesting. You melt the butter in the dish, pour the batter over the butter without stirring, add the fruit topping without stirring. When it bakes the batter puffs up all around the fruit so the fruit ends up on the bottom and the top is now the cobbler crust part. Pretty cool.

Karen sent me a picture of her cobbler and it was beautiful of course - so don't let my botched attempts stop you from trying this...but maybe just follow the recipe as is!

first try...

second try...tastes good but still not right. 

PS: her nickname is "Turkey Karen" because she works for the National Wild Turkey Federation, I had no idea there even was such a thing! Judging by the number of wild turkeys we have in the neighborhood I'm thinking their conservation goals are working haha!

Kitchen Tip...make cleaning baking dishes a little easier!

I attempted to make Turkey Karen's famous peach cobbler again (will post that later) and the results were again less than stellar - I do not know what I'm doing wrong - but what I did get is this post about how to remove baked on food a little easier so it wasn't a complete failure. Always lookin' on the bright side hahaha...

Dave's aunt shared this tip with me years ago and I do it ALL the time - maybe you already know it but I didn't so I'll share. Rinse out as much food as possible (without scrubbing too much, it's not necessary!), add a big squirt of liquid dishwasher detergent (not dish soap, use the kind that goes in the dishwasher) and fill up the dish with cold water covering as much of the baked on part as possible. Let it sit overnight (I don't know how long it actually takes, I just always do overnight it seems) and the next morning the burned/baked on bits will just wipe right off - seriously, how great is that? Sometimes it requires a little elbow grease to get it completely clean but usually I can just wipe it right off. Try it peeps, it's a good thing :)

add liquid dishwasher detergent and cold water

ta da! 

Fall Ball Jars

Made these for Ronda's Fall seasonal display table - planning to fill them with popcorn kernels and a tea light. All I did is wrap a corn husk around a small Ball jar and hold it in place with a piece of masking tape (it's about the same color as the corn husk, you can stick it with whatever you want tho). Tie a piece of burlap ribbon over the corn husk . Glue letters (I used some letter die-cut things and the Big Shot and punched out the letters  "F.A.L.L." from Stampin' Up paper that Ronda gave me - you could cut them out by hand of course). Because I don't know when to quit I also stuck in a couple cute little feathers I had left over from another project and were still sitting on my desk -- yup, I haven't been following my new "finish what you start" rule and there's stuff everywhere hahaha. Oh well, in this case I was inspired by the feathers that I was too lazy to put away...so that's a good thing. Just this once :)