So glad.

My hubby is in the Ukraine for the next several days helping a church with some of their sound and technology. Just got to video chat with him- my first time ever using video chat. After about a half hour of finally getting it to work (all on my end, I didn't have him to fix it for me ;)), we were able to chat for a little bit and catch up. He is loving his time and the people there. So grateful he could go, but missing him, of course :) Definitely can't wait to hear more about it and see pictures :) Yay for technology!

Food: Sesame Chicken with Broccoli

I made this fabulous dish the other night - Sesame Chicken with Broccoli. Am a fan. But then again, we love pretty much all Asian-type food :) Pair it with hot rice and maybe an egg roll and yummy :)

Sesame Chicken with Broccoli

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth, divided

1/4 cup soy sauce, divided

2 Tbsp. cornstarch, divided

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium head of broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stalks peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Whisk 1/2 cup broth, 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. cornstarch and sesame oil in a medium bowl. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, and 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil. Toss to coat. Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken (about 5 minutes), transfer to plate and set aside.

Add broccoli and remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth to skillet and cook, covered, until broccoli begins to soften. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Add ginger and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Whisk sauce to recombine and add with chicken to broccoli in the skillet. Cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over hot rice. Enjoy :)

Adapted from Cook's Country Magazine.

Complete: Vacation Travel Journal

My travel journal is complete. It is by far one of my fave-est journals I've ever done. I must admit, though. I took it with us and began writing in it and decided to journal in my sketchbook instead and then transfer and put it all together once we got home. I had so many ideas of how I wanted it to work together and decided it would be easier to do it in that manner.

*Edited per questions in the comments: 

+ My journal is 5"x7" - I wanted to use a larger size than my typical 4"x6". 

+ I printed all of my photos at home on my Epson R320 Printer, using 8.5x11 Epson 27# presentation matte paper. (I also use their 44# matte presentation paper - which is more of a cardstock.) I have always loved the quality of my Epson inkjet and their paper (kind of pricey, but worth it - especially when you can find it on sale) -- and in my opinion, sometimes feel like these prints are better than having them printed at any local photo developer. The only downside is that they do take a lot of ink, and of course, cartridges are expensive. However, out of all Epson printers I have owned (I've had several over the years through school, etc. and have upgraded several times, there was nothing wrong with each actual printer), to me, this one is the best with ink usage. 

+ To print the large size 2-page photos, I enlarged them to 10"x7" in a layout program, printed them on the 8.5"x11" paper, cut them out and then in half to 5"x7".

+ Paper used in the journal: I used a lot of Kraft cardstock, which is available at most craft stores (I purchased a 50 sheet pack for $2.00 at Michael's using a 50%-off one-item-coupon - normally $3.99 which is still pretty cheap). I also used lined paper that I cut from one of my journal/notebooks, as well as vellum that I sewed white computer paper to (fancy, I know ;)). I included one envelope at the back and then used chipboard for the back cover which you can purchase packs of 25 (12"x12") online here. For the cover, I used the Kraft paper and a transparency.

I collected flat shell pieces each day while on the beach. A beach shell confetti window! :)

working on.

Finishing my travel journal from our recent vacation. Will share the final soon :)

*Per Jenny's question in the comments: It is a Fiskars cutting mat - 24" x 36". I actually purchased it at Wal-Mart awhile ago for about $25.00. It is double sided (yellow on one side, green on the other). I absolutely love it and highly recommend it :)

Eco Craft :: Giveaway Winner

Home again, home again.

We made it home safely from the beach yesterday afternoon. It was a fabulous trip, and I am still relishing all of the wonderful family time. Lots of laughs, giggles and squeals from our two sweet sons. Lots of wonderful hang-out time with my hubby each evening. So grateful for our sweet family that God has blessed us with. So grateful to take off for a week with no schedule or plans except to be together. 

Although it was hard to leave, it was great to get back, get everything washed and (almost) put away, put the boys to bed in their own rooms, and write down my to-do list (which includes checking/responding to the most emails in my blog/business account I have ever seen, lol ;)). 

Now also begins the work of deciding which and how many photos to print for my travel journal. I had 500 photos last night. I now have about 250. Narrowing it down. Haha :) Will share soon.

In other news:
+ Today marks the first official day of Autumn! Yay! I am working on my own Autumn Art Journal and will also share that soon. If you still need one for yourself, go here. I only have a handful left :)


+ I will be picking a random winner for the Eco Craft book giveaway sometime this weekend, so stay tuned, and enter if you would like a chance to win! :)


+ I am working on putting together Christmas items (say what?! it's that time of year already?!) and the 2011 Christmas Art Journal kit. These journals are perfect for documenting your holiday season, especially if you are participating in Ali Edwards' December Daily. If you are interested in pre-ordering one, please shoot me an email at thecreativeplace {at} gmail {dot} com for more information.


Have a fabulous weekend :) Enjoy the official start of Autumn. Now hopefully the weather will cooperate and cool down :)

Eco Craft :: A Book Review and Giveaway

Recently, Sterling Publishing contacted me to do a review of one of their books, Eco Craft by Susan Wasinger. The gorgeously-designed book is full of DIY projects about recycling, recrafting and restyling everyday items around the house that would otherwise go in the trash (like plastic bags, coffee bags, bottles, cans, etc).  I loved a lot of the projects - they all varied in level of difficulty and time required, from super easy (like creating ornaments from old magazines)  to super intense (like creating a decorative screen out of wood and old 6-pack can plastic ring things). I didn't care for every single project because of my own personal taste, but I think that marks a good craft book - a diverse group of projects to appeal to a bunch of different people.

All in all, I recommend this book. It is full of great DIY projects and inspiration and ideas. I am excited to do some of the projects and to also have it on my bookshelf.

So, would you like to own a copy of this book!? They sent me an extra copy to give away :) If you would like to enter to win a copy, simply leave a comment on this post with your email address. I will pick a winner sometime this weekend :) International entries welcome.

**COMMENTS CLOSED**

*Disclaimer: Sterling Publishing sent me a free copy to review and keep as well as a free copy to give away here on my blog. I am sharing my honest opinion, and would not recommend it if I didn't think it was a good book to have or read :)

currently: at the beach

Currently enjoying a wonderful family vacation in the Outer Banks, NC. After a rainy start this weekend (with lots of games played, books read, donuts eaten, and an aquarium visited), we had a fabulously warm day today and visited a lighthouse and hung out at the beach all afternoon.  

Excited for the remainder of the week. Excited to continue having great family time. Excited to complete my travel journal to remember our trip :)

Heading out of town.

We are headed out of town today to the Outer Banks for a family vacation. Our first one in a long time, and our first one as a family of four. Excited to soak up time (and sun) with our little family. I threw together this little mini as a travel journal. It's not my typical journal-style I have used in the past, but I wanted to try something different.

Basically, I made a cover (inspiration found here) from kraft paper (and a transparency sheet) with paper squares- vintage sewing pattern paper, a beach scene from a vintage dictionary, graph paper, a vintage map of the Outer Banks (from an atlas), and a paper round with the title. I adhered the squares, sewed a couple lines, and called it finished. Inside, I included white blank sketchbook pages, lined pages, some sewn vellum and paper pages, kraft pages and an envelope or two. I plan on journaling while we are there, maybe putting some momentos in here and there, and then adding pictures after we return. My goal is to keep it simple and clean.

Be on the lookout for some update posts next week as well as a book review and a giveaway :) Have a fabulous weekend!

DIY :: Frame and Twine Inspiration Board

I am all about creating new ways of displaying ideas and inspiration in my work area. I've had this beautiful old picture for a couple years now - I found it at a local thrift store awhile back and finally decided to use it for this project - a Frame and Twine Inspiration Board. 

I like the large picture frame (16"x20") for this concept of an inspiration board, but you could easily use a smaller frame. 

All you need for this project is:

+ an old wood picture frame (the larger, the better)

+ hammer and nails

+ twine (I used hemp jewelry-making twine)

+ scissors

+ miniature clothespins (available at most craft stores)

I took the frame apart, took the pins out that were holding the glass in and went to work putting in new nails to hold the twine.

I measured off and marked every 2 inches all the way around the inside of the frame.

I nailed in a nail everywhere that I had marked - be careful not to drive the nail through the frame to the front (I may or may not have done this. Twice.). This part was the most frustrating and took the longest (probably because I'm not that good at using a nail and hammer). I then tied small knots in the twine and wrapped the knot onto the nail and tightened it. I cut the twine after measuring each length across the frame (and added some length to account for the knot that was to be tied). I pulled the twine as taught as it would go when tying them onto the nails, but was happy with the fact that in the end, they weren't completely taught.

I completed the horizontal rows first and then wove each of the vertical rows in and out of the already-tied-on rows (does that makes sense?!).

After finishing tying them all on, I trimmed off the excess and voila! A fun Inspiration Board! I used some miniature clothespins and clipped on some fun bits and pieces of inspiration. 

It fit perfectly right above my desk, near my dry erase picture frame and my bulletin board. Love it.