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Yep, I’m Actually Posting a Layout of an Event that Happened Recently!

July 29, 2009 By 2 Comments


Coldplay!, originally uploaded by krisalis903.

Here’s the layout I put together for the Coldplay concert. Since I didn’t have a very good camera with me, my concert photos didn’t turn out great (except for the ones taken before sunset). I figured I would just put a picture of the band in place of the missing concert photos :) Same effect.

And BTW, I totally love this butterfly transparency overlay. I wasn’t even thinking about Coldplay when I purchased it on that shopping trip back in May, but it ended up being perfect since I picked up one of the confetti butterflies leftover from their "Lovers in Japan" performance. The colors are a little effeminate but oh well! :)

Filed Under: Flickr

I Promise I’m Still Alive!

July 28, 2009 By 2 Comments


Hello!, originally uploaded by krisalis903.

Yes, I promise I’m still on the face of the earth. I’ve been slowly working on small craft projects here and there, one of them being this card. I’m still trying to figure out how to work in a smaller space than what I’m used to since Jabari has taken over my other table :( Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out one day soon.

Supplies: Kraft cardstock, Pumpkin Pie Cardstock (Stampin Up), Chipboard border (My Mind’s Eye Laundry Line), K&Company die cut, White gel pen, Adhesive pearls from Kaisercraft (LOVE these), Eclectique stamp set (Chatter Box).

Filed Under: Flickr

Everything But the Kitchen Sink

July 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

If you know me in real life, you probably have heard me rave about how much I love my iPhone. The only thing that rivals it is my love for my dog. Oh and for Jabari :)

Today, it saved me from a particularly catastrophic kitchen investment. I was at Target this evening pondering the purchase of an electric skillet for this luncheon I’m hosting at work this week. There were 2 skillets I was trying to choose between: a 16″ Rival Electric Skillet with Removable Pan and a 16″ Presto Electric Skillet. Both skillets were equal in size except one had a completely removable, oven-safe pan. The other one? Well it was just $2 cheaper and came in 2 pieces (the pan and the heating element). It really didn’t appear all that great to me actually so I was really leaning more toward the completely removable pan.

Rather than trying to make the decision by myself, I pulled out my phone and asked Amazon which one would be better. The Amazon app is very convenient, letting me search their store online for reviews and pricing (or even purchasing).

The Rival Electric Skillet with removable pan turned out to be a huge dud. Reviewers complained of uneven heating, uneven pans, and food sticking to the supposedly non-stick surface. And believe me, I don’t let a few 1-star reviews scare me away, but for this pan, there was an OVERWHELMING amount of 1-star reviews (47 1-star reviews vs. 3 5-star reviews). Either Rival was the victim of a particularly successful smear campaign or their design team was off their game that day.

So that was a big disappointment. I figured I would check out the reviews for the Presto 16″ Electric Skillet, which were much favorable. Not perfect, but better. I mean, how can you deny 108 5-star reviews to 4 1-star reviews? Of course I ended up going with the Presto cooker. The great thing? It came in a smaller box, was more solidly-packaged than the Rival electric cooker (I picked up that box and I could feel the parts moving around inside), and was $2 cheaper. Yipee! Of course the real test will be when I actually put it to use so stay tuned ;)

Man, where were we before we had easy access to online reviews? Crazy.

Filed Under: Journal Tagged With: ,

Chicken Masala-something

July 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment


Chicken Masala-something, originally uploaded by krisalis903.

Yep, stinkin up the office with my food again.

Usually when I find a region of food that I really like, I’ll try to make it myself at home. Indian food, however, is one of those cuisines I have yet to conquer successfully.

I’ve been watching Manjula’s Kitchen on Youtube and as amazing as some of the dishes look, they require so many different spices and have such long prep and cook times that I would much rather just order takeout on my way home from work than spend tons of time and money on ingredients and spices that I’ll only use every once in a while.

I picked this up from the indian restaurant that I drive past on my way home every day. It’s some kind of chicken masala-something. Basically, it’s ground chicken in a tomato sauce with ginger, garlic, cilantro, onions, and potatoes. It’s very good, but definitely one of those dishes I’d rather pick up at a restaurant.

Filed Under: Flickr

My Own Personal Cookbook

July 25, 2009 By 2 Comments


My Own Personal Cookbook, originally uploaded by krisalis903.

I’m doing some crafty stuff today. I’ve missed it honestly. The last couple months have been so crazy that I haven’t really felt like sitting down to do much. Now that I can relax though, I’ve been able to sit down and do some creative stuff at my craft table.

A few months ago, a friend of mine gave me an idea for this scrapbook. Not long after that, Peachycheap was selling these recipe scrapbook kits from American Crafts at dirt cheap prices. I think it was fate so of course I snatched up a couple.

Each kit came complete with a customizable 6×6 album, dividers, 10 sheet protectors, 10 ready-to-use pages, a book of cook’s rubons, as well as sticker alphas in both black and white. How could I pass up a deal like that? My sister gave me the Basic Grey book plates that I used on the front cover.

Supplies: American Crafts 6×6″ Modern D-Ring Album, American Crafts 6×6″ Sheet protectors.

Filed Under: Cards and Scrapping Tagged With:
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