Trying Something New for Christmas!

Hello everyone! I have had a rough spell lately with pain, medical treatments, and trips to Mayo, and haven't been blogging much here mostly because I wasn't creating much. I buckled down after Thanksgiving and got to work on Christmas cards. Last year I made over 120 cards, but scaled it back a little this year and only made about 65. I just finish making them, writing out addresses, and slapping stamps on them, so they will go in the mail tomorrow! (later than normal)

I like variety, so I make about 5-10 of each design, based on how much paper I have that matches.

For starters, I tried the marbled shaving cream technique that I have seen everywhere lately. It was messy! The other thing I noticed, is that it probably isn't a good idea to use menthol scented shaving cream, because they cards definitely smell like shaving cream haha I wasn't thrilled with the results, and don't think it looks like the other examples I have seen. I might try it again and see if I can get a different result. Here they are-

The backgrounds drying

The finished cards

Here are the other cards I made this year:

Trying out some new dies

Added some vellum over the top because my adhesive was very sticky!

New background stamp with one of my favorite color combos- blue & silver

Another intricate die cut, that I had trouble with the adhesive. I really need to find a good way to stick these on after cutting them!

New Authentique Paper with fun colors!

Non-traditional Christmas colors

Some quilting fabric leftovers from a friend that I cut and sewed on the burlap

That's all for today! Hope to get back into the swing of things and keep creating. It is time to stock up on some birthday cards too. I have been wanting to try some more new techniques, so hopefully I can share those with you as I learn.

~Until Next Time
Shari

Cooking Up A Meal Subscription (or 10)

Been awhile since I posted here, but I have been hard at work crafting meals! It all started a few months ago when I was offered a free trial box of meals from Hello Fresh. Up until that point, I had never even considered trying a subscription service, but after one box came, I was on a mission to find the best box of meals that I could! I have tried at least one box of all 10 of the following companies. I included notes on our experience with each brand, and ranked them according to our preferences. So without further adieu…..

Every Plate

Hello Fresh and Gobble

Green Chef

Every company reviewed below includes a link to learn more, and most have a discount attached when you use the link.

PRICING below is based on my orders of 3 nights x 2 servings each (All brands offer plans based on the number of people you want to feed, and the number of nights you want meals. If you order less weekly servings, there is higher per meal price.)

1. Green Chef - Best healthy meal options and my personal favorite. There are recipes catering to a variety of diets like Keto, Paleo, etc. Wider selection of grains and greens than most companies. Our first box had fresh produce, and the recipes were super flavorful. Competitively priced with other brands, but cost more than I would spend on a weekly basis. They do have a once per month option. I contacted customer service to clarify something, and had a good experience. Only negative I encountered, is that they are the only company that requires you to call them to cancel. (Hello Fresh owns Every Plate and it recently bought Green Chef too!)  $9.99 per serving and $7.99 shipping Learn more about Green Chef
2. Every Plate - Best value on a budget. Fresh ingredients, simple recipes. We liked and kept all 3 recipes in our first box. One of the cheapest plans, but less meals to choose from than some others. A few weeks after trying this, we received a “come back now” email with free boxes for friends, and a $2.99 per serving price for us, so I gave it another try. When they shipped an unexpected box on Thanksgiving, a quick chat with customer service, gave us a refund of that box, and the next box free. (Side note- they asked me to fill out a survey at the end of my chat, which is how I found out that Hello Fresh is the parent company. All 3 brands owned by Hello Fresh had the best customer service.) I will likely keep this company available for days we need to supplement easy meals.   $4.99 per serving and $8.99 shipping Learn more about Every Plate
3. Hello Fresh – Best Incentives. Great customer service experience. Any freshness issues were replaced AND refunded. I would say the recipes were mostly okay, but hit or miss on freshness. One of the best prices, and TONS of opportunities to earn and share free/discounted meals. We ordered several times from Hello Fresh because of all the offers that made it cheaper than grocery shopping. (As already noted, Hello Fresh purchased Every Plate offering a cheaper meal alternative, and Green Chef, a meal kit company focused on organic, vegan, gluten-free, paleo, and keto-friendly meals. Since Hello Fresh is the parent company, all of these “brands” have very good customer service if you have any issues.)  $8.99 per serving and $6.99 shipping Learn more about Hello Fresh
4. Sun Basket - Fresh Ingredients -also  recommended. All very fresh ingredients in the box. One of the better experiences with food freshness and variety. Wide options like paleo recipes, and a wider variety of veggies than some of the cheaper places. (They used things like kale, brussels sprouts, and carrots and not just the white potatoes and zucchini that virtually all the other places include in just about every recipe. However, the first 3 recipes we tried weren't fantastic, so I would not make those again. One of the most expensive companies, so we won’t be using them without some great discount codes. This was the only place that included a high quality booklet with ALL the week’s recipe choices in it, almost like a high-gloss catalog. First, I am guessing that raises the price for everyone. Also, it makes it more difficult to find the recipe you are making, just by flipping through all the pages and looking for it. Lastly, it is a thick, stapled catalog, so it doesn’t really lay flat while you cook. Flat recipe cards are preferred IMHO.  $11.99 per serving and $6.99 shipping Learn more about Sun Basket
5. Gobble - Best option if you need dinner quick. Recipes are easy, because prep work is done for you (things are washed, chopped, etc). Meals are ready in just 15 minutes. Not many options as far as recipe choices, but they were good. More promo emails than anyone else, to the point of being annoying. Our box came with two free chocolate chip cookies to bake with our first box, which was a nice surprise. Unfortunately, one bag with pre-cooked meatballs was sliced open, and the meatballs were just rolling around in the box. I was immediately refunded the price of the whole box, but left with ingredients for a meal, and no meatballs (I improvised and made my own). If you live in California, they will get replacements to you, but cannot do that further way. Fast, polite customer service. I don’t mind food prep, so this is not a plan I will stick with, because it is one of the more expensive. If you are short on time or don’t know how to cook “fancy” meals, this company is for you, if you don’t mind the price tag. (Found out they started partnering with Walmart in 2018.)  $11.99 per serving and $6.99 shipping Learn more about Gobble
6. HomeChef - Overall it was okay, not great for the expense. Average quality/freshness. Recipes were just sort of mediocre and forgettable. Quality was decent. We did not have quality issues, so I did not talk to customer service. Only tried one box, and might give it another try if I were offered a good deal. (Owned by Kroger)  $9.99 per serving with free shipping on orders over $40 ($10 shipping for smaller orders) Learn more about Home Chef
7. Plated - Recipes were ok, nothing special, not much seasoning, and mostly bland. (ex. Enchiladas with no sour cream or toppings, except shredded radish) Quality issues: (ex. First meal, had a bell pepper that was mushy/half bad. Second meal had one green onion, and it was wilted with no greens.) Fast and good customer service. Our second box was damaged by the shipper, which was super inconvenient! (It was supposed to arrive the day we got home from Mayo Clinic, and I had no groceries. The shipper had returned the damaged box to sender, leaving us to scramble for a meal.) Plated made up for it with a refund and a free box. They do not make extra boxes each week, so could not reship the meals. Third box had a moldy sweet potato, which was the main side dish for one recipe, and they gave me a partial refund on the box for that. One of the most complicated recipes/more steps and equipment than most (only time I needed a blender). **NOTE- Plated just closed its subscription business effective the week of Thanksgiving, but prepared meals are available in stores. Was $9.99 per serving and free shipping on orders over $60 ($7.95 for smaller orders) Learn more about Plated
8. Blue Apron - Bad recipes, mediocre quality/freshness. Since the meals were so unhealthy (like a greasy burger dripping with fake cheese sauce, on a white bun), I didn’t complain, because I didn't want a free box! The veggies weren’t very fresh, and in hindsight I would have called to get a refund like other companies offer, but this was the second company I tried, and didn’t realize how responsive most of the companies were at trying to make it right.  $9.99 per serving and free shipping Learn more about Blue Apron
9. Martha & Marley Spoon - Our first box had wilted veggies, and tasteless tacos. Second box also had bland recipes, wilted veggies, and mushy/moldy inside bell pepper, so I called customer service. Worst customer service experience of all the companies. I contacted them about the bad produce, and they just cancelled my account because I was unhappy, saying “Sorry Marley Spoon isn’t for you.” Recipes were ok, but they have bad quality control. That combined with the horrible customer service experience, price, and the misleading ads (see below), I would not recommend them.  They have some false advertising. I received a postcard with an offer for 3 free meals, but when we went to use the code, it discounted the price by 3 portion sizes. The website does say 2 portions, for 3 nights is called “3 meals”, but I did not get 3 free meals. Customer service was less than helpful trying to clear that up too. I cannot recommend this company based on our experience.  $8.99 per serving and $8.99 shipping Learn more about Martha & Marley Spoon
10. Dinnerly- Cheapest plan of all. Simple meal prep due to limited number of ingredients in their recipes. Their recipes were not the healthiest of choices. It seems that the cheaper plans tend to have recipes with lots of carbs, starches, gravies, etc. Our box had wilted green onions, a soft/bendy carrot, and mushy tomatoes. I didn’t contact customer service, because I didn’t want another box. One recipe had 3 chicken drumsticks as 2 servings!?? They are the only company that doesn’t include any paperwork or recipes in the box. To keep prices low, recipes are online or in the app only. They pack their meat well though (in a cozy, sealed, bag with lots of ice packs) and it was the only company that got the meat to me still frozen. (There were a couple boxes of other brands where the meat was close to refrigerator temp (or warmer?) that made me a little concerned!) Note- I discovered this is a more affordable brand owned by Marley Spoon.  $4.49 per serving and $8.99 shipping Learn more about Dinnerly

Dinnerly

Plated and Sun Basket

Home Chef, Martha and Marley Spoon, and Blue Apron (the ones I forgot to take pictures of!)

Other NOTES

*ALL have upgraded/premium meals and available add-ons (like bread, dessert, etc.) If you are using a promo code/credit, be careful ordering these items because they will be charged to you. They are exempt from promos.

*Most are easy (or fairly easy) to skip a week, change the number of meals, and some let you just pause your account without cancelling. Some websites are a little more complicated (at least for me) to figure out where to click to change your delivery dates, recipes, number of meals, or even cancel or pause your subscription, but all have pretty good search results and help centers to make it easier.

*Several offer great deals to come back after you cancel. Hello Fresh (and their other brands) offers lots of enticements, and even freebies for friends.

*All offer some sort of reward system so that the more you order, the more discounts or free boxes you can offer to friends. Most offer discount codes to try them, and I have linked to those discounts above.

*Most offer discounted pricing if you order more servings per week, or use a family plan. *NOTE* “family plan” is usually considered 4 people.

*All offer menu options that include things like: quick & easy recipes, vegetarian or vegan options, variety in protein options, and several even offer low-carb, keto, paleo and other diet plan recipes. You are able to choose your recipes, and view the menu online before you order, but if you miss the cut off date to make changes, then you will receive the standard selected meals for that week.

*Almost all let you view recipes before signing up, and ALL do let you see the recipes before ordering so you know what you need to do. Most recipes assume you have oil, butter, salt, pepper and sometimes flour, with all other ingredients being included in the box.

*One company had a tip that I found VERY helpful! When the box arrives, check to be sure all the ingredients are included (one box was missing an apple, which was a main ingredient for a side dish, and I didn’t catch the problem until I was making dinner). Also, remove items like tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, or even canned goods that are fine at room temps, and may even ripen a bit on the window sill and not in the fridge.

* All have tried to use as much recyclable packaging as possible, but there are still a lot of little plastic bags that end up in the trash.

*Serving sizes are pretty adequate, but some were small enough to add a side salad and dessert (like the night with 3 chicken legs to split. No leftovers, which is one of the biggest downsides for me.

*There are more meal subscription plans, like Freshly ($9.99/serving with free delivery), that send prepped meals, that you just heat up and eat, but I did not try any of that kind. (like TV dinners, but usually fresh, not frozen.)

Well, that’s a wrap! I would love to hear from you if you had a different experience, or if you try the pre-cooked meal plans. Bon Appetit!

It is time for me to stop cooking, finish making Christmas cards, and get them sent!

~Until Next Time
Shari

Shirts Done 3 Ways

Hello! Father's Day is just around the corner, and I like to get a head start! I have three cards to make this year, and I don't like making them exactly the same. Even though our two fathers, and one stepfather don't see each other's cards, it's just more fun to make them with an individual touch.

Today I decided I would use a shirt and tie theme like I've seen online. I used the same paper pack, and stamp set, but got three different cards.

I made my own template for the ties to fit the cards, and used the shirt collar ideas I have seen in the past.

I sewed the buttons on the collar. The aqua blue marker was used to add "stitching" to the pocket on the plaid shirt. My CTMH Father's Day stamp set, along with Tim Holtz Alterations die alphabet, add sentiments inside and out. Three different, but similar cards, and they took less than an hour from start to finish (and by "finish" I mean that everything is all put away again, because I like a VERY clean crafty space!) Easy peasy!

So, that's all for today! What style Father's Day cards are you planning this year?

Until Next Time~
Shari

Doing It The Hard Way

It is no secret in my house that I can be very stubborn. My whole life has been spent doing things the hard way, when I could have easily chosen an easier path. Today's mini album project is no exception!


I got the idea of doing a mini album with toilet paper rolls on Pinterest last year. I pinned the idea away, saved some toilet paper rolls, and forgot about it (like most of my Pinterest projects haha). I recently saw a different person share another toilet paper album, and went back to the tutorials I had pinned. This is the beginning of where my problems started.

I had several pins with different designs that I liked. I started the mental planning phase by picking bits and pieces that I liked, and began thinking about how I could fit them together. (note to self, not all ideas work together)

I looked at a lot of photos, and read a couple words (there were SO many words). Here is where I messed up. I thought to myself "I will just figure it out as I go" and I dug in. Well, I got one thing right! I did figure it out as I went, but not until I messed up several steps, and had to undo things.....a couple times!

In the end, I ended up with two mini albums, since I liked both the hole-punched version and the accordion fold binding version, and found out those two items don't really mix, at least not with the small, stiff toilet paper rolls. I managed to get a couple cute projects, but honestly, beside looking cute, they don't seem very useful to me. They are super small, and I am not sure that I would really use them for anything.

Thankfully, I made them with a cereal box, cardboard, some old scrapbooking paper and of course, toilet paper rolls, so it was a cheap, fun, recycling project that taught me a lot. I may have learned some lessons the hard way, but I guarantee they will not soon be forgotten! Take my advice though, save yourself some trouble, and just read the instructions on the tutorial blogs! 😂

Since they turned out ok, I decided to go ahead and share them here for the Mini Album Makers Blog challenge. You can check out the Mini Album Makers Blog Challenge here

So, here are the pics you've been waiting for!

Here is when I got the first album all glued together, AND hole punched before realizing that I glued them wrong! The pages didn't open further than this. Also, I realized a hole punched paper tube, can't really be glue-bound too. So, I disassembled it all, and started over.

Second time is a charm, as I left spacing and glued the folded binding inside the tube, not on both outsides like the first time.

Here it is assembled with the cereal box cover.

Looks more like an album, AND the pages open now haha

Now I have to remove the black paper and cover all the holes I punched.

Final albums: one with glued accordion-fold binding, and one hole-punched ribbon-tied.

Here is a glimpse at a few of the pages inside the two albums.

I added some pull out sections, pages, envelopes, and tags.

Each toilet paper tube has a pull out tag.

Well, that's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed seeing these, and hopefully you are smarter than me, and can learn from someone else's mistakes! Trust me, don't be stubborn and do things the hard way. 

Any ideas what to do with these? Tempted to scrap them, and try a bigger "mini" album. 

What are you work on this week?

Until Next Time~

Shari

Spring Snow

Hello! I have spent the day outside enjoying today's sunshine and warmer weather, because tomorrow we are expecting 1-2" of snow here in the Chicago suburbs. Sighhhh

I made this "thinking of you card" earlier in the week, and thought I'd share some blue paper to celebrate today's blue skies!

What are you working on today?

Check out this month's stamp of the month set at Close To My Heart (CTMH) only $5 when you spend $50!

Lastly, you should check out the "Made With Love" mini album kit too! There is still enough time to get it, and assemble it for Mother's Day coming up on May 12th. What a beautiful gift of memories for you mother, sister, or friend! Save 25% on the kit right now.

Until Next Time~
Shari

Check me out on Pinterest (@painedcreations) and Instagram (@pained-creations) too!

Masculine Birthday Cards

Sometimes I find making cards for adult men to be a little difficult. I do like a rustic, distressed look, but frequently use colors that I don't think men would appreciate!

Today, I have 2 simple style masculine looking cards to share. Enjoy! (and share what you are making in the comments)

Until Next Time~

Shari

Hello Birthday!

I am still creating during National Scrapbook Month, although I am caught up on pictures and scrapbooking, you can never have too many cards!

I am STILL using up scraps (yes, I know I have a real hoarding problem, but how can you throw any little, pretty pieces away!?!) First up is a birthday card using

I had two of these white open-ended envelopes with a window, so I made 2 "Hello" cards, to show through the opening. I will mail these in a vellum envelope, decorating the white sleeve inside, so it shows through in the mail!

The second card is simply a patterned paper background, with a doily and sentiment added. I left the inside blank, so this could be used for any occasion. 

These cards are made using mainly Close To My Heart (CTMH) paper, ink, and stamps. (Some of the paper scraps are old and I don't remember who made them!)

I just started selling CTMH, if you are interested! Check out my shop here. 

CTMH is having some fantastic sales currently! 

Paper packs are Buy One Get One 50% off

Save 35% on Pocket Cards

Get the Stamp Of The Month for only $5 with a $50 purchase!

What are you working on to celebrate National Scrapbook Month?

Until Next Time~
Shari

Happy Mom and Pop Days!

Last post for this week! I thought I'd end the week sharing last year's cards I made for our father's and my mother-in-law. We still have a few weeks to start making this year's batch, but still trying to get caught up and keep up!

First time trying to shade. First, the black ink wasn't dry all the way. Second, I need a LOT of practice!

 That's a wrap! What are your plans this weekend?

Until Next Time~
Shari

Conglomeration!

We are heading back to Mayo Clinic today, so I thought I'd give you a conglomeration of many occasions! Cards for congratulations, thanks, thinking of you and even get well wishes! While the cards are made for many random events, the common thread is my hoard of scrap bits of paper, and the fact I needed to make a bunch of cards using them.

So, let's take a look-



Congratulations-

Sorry this is blurry!

Closer look at this clean and simple card

I stamped some scraps, die cut flowers and then used a pen to doodle the flower leaves and centers (Left card)

 A few get well and sympathy cards using mostly scrap paper pieces (of which I have WAY too many!!)

Inked edges

Simple card with flowers for sympathy

Backgrounds from paper pieces

Some thank you cards-

Tried my hand at watercolor pencils. I managed to make a bit of a mess!

Bought these mini tags at Goodwill, and soaked them in tea! Found this background design on Pinterest and tried it out. A lot of work, but makes for a pretty card with just cut paper scraps and adhesive.

Lastly, some all occasion/thinking of you cards. I like to have a bunch of these on hand for any immediate card need. Some times I will stamp a sentiment on a piece of white cardstock and add it to the front of a card as the need arises, but mainly just use the notes inside to convey the message needed.

New idea from tea bag cards I saw

That's it for today. Planing to share last year's Mother's and Father's Day cards on Friday. Thanks for stopping by!

Until Next Time~
Shari