We Are All Dinosaurs

I finally return! and Garlic Spaghetti with Beans and Greens

2011-09-06T22:49:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm finally back from my adventures. It was definitely a great experience, although I missed scrapping and cooking (and private showers, and sandless belongings, and so on). I've actually been card-scrapping hardcore since I came back, but most of it has been for invitations to my wedding (gasp!). I swear I almost wanted to give up scrapping altogether. But I'm almost done--and plus, the hubbs allowed me to purchase a whole bunch of new stuff to help me. I now have my very own Cricut Expression machine! Yay!

Anyway, today I don't have a card to share with you (because I forgot to take a picture of it before I mailed it out) but I do have a delicious recipe. It's from the "Super Fresh & Easy Meals" issue of Cooking Light. I've already tried several of the recipes in this issue and they've all been great! This particular one is very easy to make and is for those of you who love the taste of lemony pasta. My husband definitely gobbled it up. And you don't have to be exact with the measurements--just use whatever you feel like tastes best.

GARLICKY SPAGHETTI WITH BEANS AND GREENS
(adapted from Cooking Light's "Super Fresh & Easy Meals" issue)

8 oz uncooked spaghetti (I used whole grain angel hair)
3/4 tsp salt, divided
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced fresh garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (or more if you like it spicy!)
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 16 oz can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (I used garbanzo beans and it was great)
5 oz arugula leaves
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or more if you're too lazy to measure, like me)
1/2 cup (2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Place the pasta in a bowl and toss gently with 1/4 tsp of salt. Set aside.
2. Return the pan (the one you used for the pasta) to medium heat. Add the oil, garlic, and pepper. Cook until the garlic is lightly browned. Stir in the remaining salt, tomatoes, and beans. Cook for about 2 minutes (I cooked it a little longer because I wanted the tomatoes cooked down a bit more). Add the pasta; cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the reserved pasta water and arugula, tossing gently to combine. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!

If you're wondering about the extra stuff in the photo up there, it's just a dinner roll from the Commissary and some breaded chicken I like to make when I'm feeling lazy. To make the chicken, just slice a boneless, skinless chicken breast in half (so that you get two thin chicken pieces). You can leave it this way or cut it into smaller pieces if you like. In a small bowl, mix some dried bread crumbs, a bit of grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and whatever dried spices you like (I often use basil, oregano, lemon pepper, etc.). In another small bowl, whisk one egg. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg and then roll it around in the bread crumb mixture, making sure the entire surface is coated. Heat some oil (or butter) in a skillet over medium heat and add the chicken pieces. Turn them over once the bottom is a nice, toasty, golden color. Make sure the pan doesn't get too dry because the crumbs could burn. Sometimes I add a TINY bit of butter or oil once I turn the chicken over, just to help it out. Probably not the healthiest option. Anyway, the chicken will usually be crunchy yet tender on the inside and tastes pretty good. Sometimes I'll slice it into pieces and serve it over a salad.

Okay, I should be updating more often now. Hope everyone is doing awesome!

Hiatus!

2010-10-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in the last few weeks, due to some moving around and other things going on. Anyway, I think it's safe for me to say that I won't be able to make any cards until maybe July next year (and maybe even later). But, I am going to try and post some drawings and paintings, if I have time to do them. We'll see!

Birthday Card for Aileen

2010-09-11T02:09:00.001-07:00

I made this card based off this sketch from Papertake Weekly Challenge. I liked the sketch a lot, although I didn't manage to follow it too faithfully since I was working off my sketch of the sketch... haha.

This is a birthday card for my fiance's niece, who is turning 2 years old in a couple of days. I really wanted to use the cute and pretty card stock I bought during my shopping spree last week and figured this was the perfect chance. I still think the card is kind of boring, though. Needs a... something.

The girl on the card was sketched by me, inked with the help of some Staedtler pens and my trusty lightbox, then colored (messily) with Prismacolor pencils. All relics from my college days! I'm pretty sure the patterned paper is K & Company. The punch is Fiskars but I can't remember the name.

I also submitted this to Penny's for their birthday challenge, although I don't know if this counts since it doesn't actually say "happy birthday" on the front.

City Crafter Challenge Week 20

2010-09-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

This card is for City Crafter Challenge Week 20. The theme was "Let your light shine". Actually, this card probably fits in better with the previous week ("I see stars") but uh... hmm. Too late to enter that challenge!

I'm not happy with this card at all. I saw these cute little star charms at Michael's and I wanted to buy them for this card, but they were kind of expensive. I think the next time I am over there, I will go ahead and buy them and just add it after the fact. I want it to hang down from the little bow. I also really want to put some shiny glittery stuff on the card but have no idea how or what to use to do that.

The inside has a bluish vellum rectangle over the dark blue patterned paper so that you can see what you write but still see the pattern in the back... but the inside is ugly too because I totally messed it up. I didn't even take a picture of it because it was so bad!

Oh well, time to think of what to make for my next card.

365 Cards Day 184

2010-09-04T22:18:00.000-07:00

Another 365 Cards challenge, also submitted to "2 Sketches 4 You". This one is for "Day 184 - Opposites Attract" (365 Cards) and "Kazan's Sketch 60" (2S4Y). We were to take the color we liked least and pair it with the color we like most. I used orange, since I tend to actually dislike that color (I don't even have any orange-colored clothing) and blue, which is my favorite color.

I was feeling pretty uninspired with this card. It took forever to cut out the flowers and I'm not very careful or precise with my cutting so they're crazy-looking. Oh well, the end result is still way better than I thought it would be when I was originally planning it out.

On another note, I think I'll probably start posting pictures in this smaller size now. I don't know if everyone's monitor is set to a gigantic resolution like mine is.

365 Cards Day 183

2010-09-04T03:59:00.000-07:00

I did this for 365 Cards Day 183 -- Digging Deep. We had to use the following items:

* An item (not paper) that is at least 6 months old
* 2 sheets of patterned paper that you've never used
* An embellishment that you've had for more than a year
* A stamp that you've never used but you've had for at least a year

This was pretty difficult for me since I barely started making cards less than 2 months ago. But, I did some rummaging through my things and ended up finding a bunch of different items I could use! The 6 month old item(s?) are the beads that are on the little pink bow. I've had those for about 4 years now, back when I was attempting to create jewelry (it wasn't a pretty sight). I'm glad I'm finally able to use them for something. The embellishment I've had for more than a year is that golden heart--I've had it for over 15 years at least!! I don't even know where I got it; all I know is that I have a bunch of them and I've been carrying them around with me ever since I was a kid. This is the first time I've ever even used one of them, that I can remember. The stamp was a tough one... The only stamps I've had for over a year are the ocean life ones that I bought randomly in Monterey a year or two ago. So I chose the sea horse one, since I haven't used it yet. Even though it has nothing to do with hearts. And the patterned papers was by far the easiest; I have a bunch of papers that I haven't had the chance to use yet. Also, I got the chance to use some BRAND NEW stuff that I bought! I purchased a little alphabet stamp set (yeah, I can't stamp for shit) and also a corner punch, which I used on the inside of the card. I messed up so many times on punching the corners... Wasted some good, clean cardstock.

Anyway, after making this card I realized I have plenty of crap left in Phoenix that I could be using on these cards. Finally after all these years of hoarding random objects I can actually put them to good (????) use!

By the way, Labor Day sales at crafting stores are EVIL. I not only spent my monthly scrapping allotment for September, but also spent October's as well. So, I guess I won't be buying anything new next month (hah, yeah right).

365 Cards Day 175

2010-08-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

This card is based off of last Sunday's sketch at 365 Cards. It took me a long time to finish this card... For some reason I kept waffling around on it. No sentiment because I got kind of lazy (maybe I'll attach one later). Also I totally wasn't thinking and when I adhered the backmost paper layer, I folded it down across the back. Which of course means all the words were then upside-down. Sigh.

Most of the flowers were some paper flowers I got in a little baggie at the local scrap store, but there are a few where I had to cut the petals myself from card stock (it's pretty obvious which ones). I painted one of the buttons with nail polish again--then accidentally scratched it right afterward. The rest--brads, some ribbon, hole-punchey thing... finally finished. Hope you like it!

Submitted to 365 Cards (late, of course, as always), and The ABC Challenge (B is for Blue!)

Pink & Green Birthday Card

2010-08-23T00:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a birthday card I made for the 365 Cards challenge, "Tuesday Triplets" (yeah, I entered it late, but I'm not really going for the prizes so I guess it doesn't matter) Object of the challenge was to include 3 buttons, flowers, circles, and shades of green. I guess I actually have 7 circles in there; hope that doesn't matter! And of course I still don't have any stamps so I printed out a sheet of paper that said "happy birthday" in a bunch of fonts and then used my light box to help trace over one of them. You're probably wondering why I didn't just punch out the sheet that I printed. Well, it just felt... kind of like... cheating... I'm sure I'll give in some day.

I also submitted it to Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge. It's for "#36 - Pink & Green". I think I actually made it on time for the deadline too!

The cardstock is still that same paper pad from Walmart but the patterned paper is uhm... from some.. pack that I bought; the flowers are still that box of wedding throwy-things; the awesome punched stuff is from a couple more Fiskars punches that I got with my rewards card (I saw them at the store today and holy cow they are expensive), the buttons are actually some orange ones I bought in a pouch from Walmart, but I painted them pink. All my acrylic paints were left in Phoenix so I painted them with... nail polish. Yup. You can still see the orange too. First painted with pearly white, then pink, then coated with a shiny greenish paint. And I still used top coat paint on them, haha! (for protection!).

I totally effed up that ribbon and it's still bothering me.

I didn't make this card for anyone. I guess I'll send it to the next girl I know that has a birthday. I think I need to make more boy-cards.

Incredibly old drawings from a defunct project

2010-08-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

These drawings are almost 3 years old but I don't think I ever posted them anywhere. Back when I was living in Washington, I had a friend who really wanted to write a webcomic. He asked if I wanted to draw it and I jumped at the chance because I felt it would strengthen my skills as an illustrator (since I suck at illustration). Anyway the project kind of died, especially after I left. I would still like to do a webcomic but don't think that's ever going to happen. I certainly don't want to write one.

The girl is Irene and the boy is Julian. The webcomic was supposed to be about college students studying abroad in a post-apocalyptic society (or something like that, I can't remember). I drew a few quick sketches like these to see if the author liked the designs.

365 Cards Sketch - A card for Leah

2010-08-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

Here's another card based on a sketch from 365 Cards. This time I made a card for another of my bestest best girl friends, Leah. She likes purple so I made a purple card. I added yellow since I love the combination of purple and yellow together.

As you can see, I finally picked up some patterned paper! Also I got some of those mystical "punches" that I kept hearing about. I had like a gajillion points on my rewards credit card so I figured I might as well use them.

I learned a lot from making this card. Like, for example, I learned that I really, really need to purchase a glue stick, because using the wet Elmer's glue looks terrible on both ribbons and paper. Plus it makes both the paper and the cardstock bend (I had the same problem on both of the previous cards). I also learned that hand stitching beads to paper really, REALLY sucks. Like a lot. And it doesn't even look good. I thought sewing some green beads onto the card would look cute and add a little more color but I think it stands out way too much. Maybe I should have just used purple or yellow instead. Or just not bothered at all since it was kind of a huge pain for not-great results.

Anyway, the cardstock, ribbon, flowers, and beads are all from Walmart. The yellow circle (which I drew using the compass I found!) was cut from some other scissors I had bought in the set from Walmart. The punch is a "Fiskars" brand and is totally awesome. Both of the patterned papers are from that local scrapbooking store I mentioned before. I don't know the brands of anything. I think the flowers are "K & Company" or whatever. I'm way too lazy to check.

365 Cards Sketch - A card for Myra

2010-08-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

This card design was based on a sketch from 365 Cards. I finished it WAY after the week's deadline, but oh well.

I had such a hard time with this card. I don't know why, but I'm hella retarded with measuring and lining crap up to be straight. And then, I was lamenting the fact that I didn't own any patterned paper (since I had only bought solid colored cardstock at Walmart) so I decided to use the few stamps I owned to make some semblance of a pattern. And THEN I decided it would be a good idea to put something circley in the middle, so I drew a (pretty wobbly) circle and cut that out. And cut another one out with some fancy edge scissors (also from Walmart). Then I realized I had to put something in the circle. I don't really have any stamps since I find it hard to justify spending money on them when I can just draw it myself. Also it would feel weird to use somebody else's drawing. So I drew some flowers to match the ones I put in the corner. And then I colored them with Prismacolors. I'm not good at coming up with sentiments so I just wrote "Hello" (I don't know why it's crooked, because I actually wrote it before I even cut the circle out. I guess I just glued it on crooked). ALL IN ALL... the effect was unbelievably shitty. But I was so proud of myself for putting together a not-entirely-flat-card! And I made it for Myra, one of my bestest best girl friends ever. It was supposed to be a surprise. Maybe she won't see this post before I get around to mailing it to her.

The cardstock and rhinestones are both from Walmart. The flowers are also from Walmart and are actually from this huge box of flowers that I think you are supposed to throw at a wedding or something (or maybe decorate a table? I'm not sure). The twine is from the local BX and I am not really sure why I own it. The stamp I used on the upper left is actually a bunch of bubbles and came from some set I bought a long time ago at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You can't really see the stamps I used on the lower right, but they came from a used set I got from a rummage sale at a local scrapbooking store. The leaves were also purchased from that same store. And again, the flowers in the circle were drawn and colored with some crap I still had laying around from the good ol' AIPX days. Man I didn't even realize I had so much random art stuff from back then. I swear I would have stayed up all night drawing if I didn't have to go to work the next morning.

By the way, immediately after I cut out those crooked circles I looked into one of my art boxes and totally found a drawing compass. WTF! So Myra, I sincerely apologize for the super lopsided circles. But now that I found my compass it won't ever happen again!

The beginning of a foray into cardmaking

2010-08-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I really did anything artistic. Work is so draining and it's so easy to let my job run every aspect of my life. So, I've really been itching to get back into art as a consistent hobby. We're back on 12 hour shifts so I've had to sacrifice some sleep, but it feels so good to do something creative again. I can't wait to start painting again, but for now, I've been dabbling in cardmaking. I'm hopelessly bad at it right now, but I'm hoping to get better. Now that I've been browsing some other cardmaking blogs, I can see that there is a TON of stuff that goes into it. I mean, I never even heard of this "stamping" business... and "brads" and "buttons" (okay I've heard of both. But never in an artistic manner). And punches? And "stickles"? I still don't know what that is! Anyway, with my limited funds I can't really run around and buy a ton of supplies, but I'm still having fun with the stuff that I do have.

Damn, that was a lot of rambling for such a simple card. I wanted the first card I made to be for something special, so I made one for Kevin's 22nd birthday, which was at the end of July (still haven't mailed it to him... it's a surprise). It looks pretty crappy but I hope he likes it anyway. Those who know me should recognize the fish. Made entirely from Walmart supplies, haha.

Starting over.

2010-08-15T00:54:00.001-07:00

I don't know how many times I've tried to redo this sketch journal. This most recent attempt was constantly delayed because I was trying to figure out how to make it look pretty with my limited knowledge of HTML/CSS/blogging code. I finally decided "eff it" since I'll never get anything done if I keep operating with that train of thought. So here's hoping for some more constant updates. My sketching is so rusty now; hopefully I can post more consistently so that I can improve. Been a long while since I have drawn or painted anything.