Fashion Color Palette #1

Fashion Color Palette #2

Fashion Color Palette #3

Fashion Color Palette #4

Here are a few of my favorite blogs!  Watch out…you can really whittle away time on these!  Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

J’s Everyday Fashion Blog

Putting Me Together 

Lilly’s Style: Pinterest

Carah Amelie

Thank you so much for stopping by today and checking out my last post for SP!  Although it has been short, this experience has been a creative and inspirational highlight that I will not soon forget!  Let’s keep supporting one another in the gallery! Love~Em

Now I actually have quite an aversion to chalkboards and chalk.  In my non-scrapbooking life I am a middle school English teacher who used to have to write on chalkboards ALL. THE. TIME!  I despised the chalk dust and the screech-ey, scratch-ey noise fingernails and chalk can make on a chalkboard (I seriously just got goose bumps writing that sentence!).  I was so relieved when they replaced my chalkboard with a white board.  So obviously, when this trend of schlepping everything in sight with chalkboard paint emerged, I was less than thrilled.  I realized however that I truly did enjoy certain elements of the chalkboard look: the dark frosty background, the contrast of the white chalk against the dark background, and the way colors pop against it as well.  It dawned on me that digital scrapbooking was the perfect way to jump on the chalkboard bandwagon without getting any chalkdust on my pants! Whoo hoo!  I looked through my past layouts and found a layout that used a dark, chalkboard-like background and white text and I knew I had been subconsciously percolating this whole chalkboard idea for awhile.  Let’s do this!

SP has several papers that work perfectly for that chalkboard look and feel.  Here are direct links to the kits right in the shoppe!  Yours Truly, Wonderful, Occasions, Modish Girl, Clementine, and Brrrr.

Here are links to some of the best chalkboard fonts out on the web.  I could have listed dozens more but I had to say, “WHOA” at some point! LOL!  They are all free to download for personal use only.

The chalkboard fonts work AWESOME with the great Tips and Tricks post from lego a few weeks back!  Be doubly inspired!  Also, Lindsay shared a great blog link that shows how to get a cool chalk effect using Photoshop!  Check it out HERE!  So much chalkboard-inspiration-goodness! 

Keep scrolling to see some stellar takes on this whole chalkboard trend from our a-mazing Shabby Artists! Be patient as they load ~ I inserted them as full-size images to really make the chalkboard look visible!

 First up is the ADORABLE layout from Amber ~ She applied the trend to perfection with a school-themed layout!  It goes perfectly with her element cluster and inspired title!

Next up is a breathtaking layout from Kylie ~ Her use of the chalk effect with the floral brush work is beyond inspirational!  The button elements add so much to the overall effect too!

 Take a look at this stunning example from Kim ~ She has expertly added this trend to her title work and it brings her layout focus and undeniable style!

I cannot tell you how much I enjoy this layout from Casharina!  She was able to apply the effect to a holiday layout!  I doubly love that her picture background pulls double duty as her chalkboard look!  The font just pulls it all together!

Lego has also produced a stunner!  She went with the traditional deep green chalkboard background color and it is set off perfectly by her choice of paper strips and spot-on chalk effect fonts!  Look at those chalk snowflakes!

Finally ~ Here is my take on this whole “I can’t stand real chalk, but I sure do love the look” trend!

Look for all of these layouts from the Shabby Artists in the gallery if you would like to know credits and such.  Please make this chalkboard trend your own and post it in the gallery!  I can’t wait to take a peek!  Thanks for taking some time to be inspired here on the Shabby blog!

I seriously had to take my time as I made my way around this treat-filled layout!  First off, I am so thrilled with the use of the Gracie kit with holiday photographs.  I am always looking for ways to take themed kits and make them look everyday and to also take everyday kits and make them work for themed layouts.  JoyontheJourney has done a beautiful job with this!  On top of her perfect kit use, she has done a stellar job clustering elements to create a gorgeous border along the bottom of her layout.  Finally, her use of the Not So Shabby Penelope template and adding her own artistic style (3 pics instead of 2! LOVE!) to it must be praised!  The hanging frames backed by the classic chevron pattern all make this layout such a treat!

Thanks SO much for sharing this beautiful page with us, JoyontheJourney, and be sure to check your email for your $10 gift certificate to the Shoppe! (Don’t forget to check your spam folder!)

Be sure to check back in tomorrow as Kim shares a product spotlight!

Regardless of the turkey aftermath, we still need to eat and enjoy today!

I must make a confession: I have an obsession with all things pastry related.  I seriously used to be on the donut-a-day-diet!  I love-love-love cinnamon rolls (You are not helping Amber with your Cinnamon Roll post! LOL! ), caramel rolls, donuts, and the like.  However, most of these yummies are pretty labor intensive to make (worth it–but labor intensive just the same!)  I have TWO recipes that quench my craving for a pastry sweet that are quick and easy to whip up.  I make these so so often I could probably put them together in my sleep with one hand tied behind my back!  I have to make BOTH at the same time because half of my family prefers one and the other half prefers the other.  They are so quick and easy that making both is really no big deal. Gracious! – I have rattled on enough.  Let’s get to it!  Read on to find out how to make our delicious Yummy Buns and Caramel Pull-Apart!

Both of these yummy breakfast treats use very similar ingredients…part of the reason they are so easy to create together!

• 3 tubes of buttermilk biscuits
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 8 ounces of heaving whipping cream (NOT half and half–I made this mistake waaay back and it is NOT good)

1. Cut the tubes of biscuits in half which will yield 16 half biscuits x 3 tubes.

2. Spread the 1 cup of brown sugar evenly on the bottom of a 9×13 pan.  Press it down with your fingers.

3. Place cut biscuits on top of brown sugar layer, tightly nestled together.  The biscuit layer should completely cover the brown sugar layer.

4. Pour the heavy whipping cream evenly over the biscuit layer.

5. Allow the whipping cream to seap between the biscuits down onto the brown sugar layer.

Bake at 350F for about 17-20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown on the top and the cream/brown sugar mixture is bubbly and gooey!

6. Allow pull apart to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes.  Then (very carefully) place a cookie sheet on top of the pan and quickly FLIP the whole thing over (my hubby also does this part for me…he’s pretty much my hero!)—the pull apart should leave the 9×13 pan and land on the cookie sheet (7) in all its gooey glory! Enjoy!

• 3 tubes of buttermilk biscuits
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-2 TBSP cinnamon
• 1 stick of butter or margarine
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla (forgot this in the ingredient pic! apology!)
• 2 TBSP milk

1. Cut all the biscuits in half.

Place the sugar and cinnamon in a gallon sized baggie and mix thoroughly.  Add more or less cinnamon to taste. (no pic for this one…make it your own!)

2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and milk.  Microwave in one minute increments, stirring in between, until melted together.

3. In a bundt pan or angel food cake pan, pour about half of this mixture on the bottom.

Place about 8-10 biscuits into the baggie with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.  Shakety-shake until they are well coated with the mixture.  (How I missed all the baggie-cinnamon-sugar-goodness pics, I have no idea!)  Transfer the biscuits from the bag to the bundt pan.  Repeat until all the biscuits are coated and placed in the bundt pan.

4. After all the biscuits are placed in the bundt pan, drizzle the remaining microwaved mixture on top.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-22 minutes or until the top biscuits are a deep golden brown.  Remove from the oven.

 6. Very carefully place an oversized plate on top of the golden biscuits in the pan, grip firmly (use potholders!…again this is where I call in the hubby reinforcements!) and FLIP! (REALLY hard to take a picture of this process! )

7/8. Again, gooey goodness abounds! Enjoy!

Check out the TWO downloadable recipe cards below!  Long live pastry…and gooey goodness!

This blog post and recipe cards were made using one of my favorite kits, Clementine!  I love the rich, fall colors and thought they went perfectly with these recipes that I tend to make more often during the fall and winter holiday seasons.  The recipe cards were made from templates from the oh-so-adorable, Muffin Man Recipe Card templates!

Thank you so much for taking a peek at my first Food Friday post! Be sure to come back Monday to help us honor another Layout of the Week!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Her beautiful layout is stunning in its simplicity, but I honestly get lost looking at all the perfectly placed layers!  I am so proud of her for trying out Lego’s stamping technique and for doing such a gorgeous job bringing it to life in this layout.  The photograph is expertly framed by the wonderful paper layers, the brushed background and the dynamite stitching!  I get giddy looking at each small detail, from the stapled hearts to the font choices for her title. LOVE!  Share some love by commenting below on this stellar layout!

Congratulations rache77 on being chosen for LOTW!  Please check your email (don’t forget to check your spam folder) for your $10 Shabby Shoppe gift card.  Happy Shoppe-ing!!

Thanks again to everyone who uploaded to the gallery this week.  You made my first post here…

So. Much. Fun!!

BE SURE to check back tomorrow when Shabby Princess shares some new goodies!