Jennifer Fox Designs

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Another Collab Sneak Peek and Win It Wednesday!!!

Jennifer has another collab coming, this time with the fabulous Nikki Epperson. These two amazing ladies got together to bring you a kit that is chock full of fun colors and elements. I totally adore this kit and can't wait to show you the big reveal tomorrow!

Wouldn't you love to win this kit before it even hits the store? Just leave a comment here and tell us a bit about a time you were cranky. We'll pick a lucky winner (or 2...or 3!) before midnight EST, so hurry!

If you'd like an extra chance (or chances!) to win, do one or more of the following. Leave each entry in a separate comment for more chances!

1. Follow this blog.
2. Become a fan of Jennifer Fox Designs on Facebook.
3. Subscribe to my newsletter.
4. Follow jfoxdesigns on Twitter.
5. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page.
6. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.

Phew! You can get up to 7 entries to win!!! How fun! Have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Tidbit Tuesday! Brrrrr....

Can you believe we are almost in the middle of January already!?! Wow! The years always seem to fly by, but I always notice it in December! LOL! It's Jenn (jk703) here to share some tidbits for you this cold and possibly snowy Tuesday!

It is so COLD out... I'm in New Jersey, and we are going to get another 6-10 inches of snow again tonight! O Boy! Snow day at school with a bit of snow sledding... here we come! Waaa Hoooo!

Besides playing in the snow - snow and ice can make me really nervous! I'm usually ok, but we've gotten a lot of snow this winter so far, and the last storm dumped 20+ inches! So, when it is over a foot, I'm a little bit of a nervous nellie - especially driving in it! To make myself feel better, I keep a small kit in my car for all emergencies, but in the winter season, there are a few specific items that stay in my car!

Supplies:
Snow Brush and Ice Scraper -- I have to be able to clean my car, and wipe the snow off the windows. There are actually 2 in my car, lol! I keep a short one, as well as a long one to reach farther.

Windshield Washer Fluid -- Look for fluid that is listed as a de-icer and won't freeze when it gets really cold! I have the RainX version that doesn't freeze up to -25 degrees! Brrrr! During the winter, it seems like I use a lot more windshield washer fluid than any other time, so I keep a full container.

Flashlight/Batteries -- If the battery in the car dies, I think I'd like to be able to see what is going on! Plus, in winter time, the days start to get darker much earlier.

Food and Water -- If I am stuck somewhere, having granola bars, nuts or cereal and water will make the whole situation less stressful! I should put some chocolate in there too! Gatorade is a nice addition to that water as well.

Blankets -- To keep warm inside the car. Just in case... a blanket can also be thrown under a tire to provide a little added traction - it might just get you un-stuck!

Extra clothing -- Additional layers for warmth, as well as dry clothes if my others are wet. Every winter, I go through my closet and pick out things I won't wear anymore. Those are the clothes that go in the car.

Jumper Cables -- In case I need to re-start the engine.

First Aid Kit -- Just in case there are any medical problems or minor injuries if we were stuck.

Flares/Reflective Sign -- To provide a way for others to possibly see you! Reflective signs and flares will allow people to locate you faster!

Diapers and Wipes -- I have small kids, so these are a must. I don't leave home with out extra diapers, so leaving them in the car is easy!

A great site to visit to learn more about being prepared is the American Red Cross -- Click here to check out all the Preparedness Information that they have!

Now... I'm off to get a cup of hot chocolate and whipped cream! YUM! Have a safe winter!
Jenn
(jk703)

Monday, January 10, 2011

Meal in Minutes Monday: Mac and Cheese Soup

During the first few weeks in January, many people are starting a journey to a "healthier me." I'm one of those. And I was thrilled to find in my new Food Network magazine a whole week's worth of light family dinner recipes!

One recipe I'm looking forward to trying and wanted to share with you is the Mac & Cheese Soup. Our almost-seven-year-old is a mac & cheese fanatic! So I'm sure he'll enjoy this twist on the traditional macaroni and cheese.

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
4 ounces elbow macaroni (1 cup)
Cooking Spray
2 plum tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 half-inch thick slices baquette
Freshly ground pepper
3 shallots
1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 3/4 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups 2% milk
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450*. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook as the label directs; drain.
2. Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the tomato and baguette slices on it in a single layer; season with salt and pepper. Bake until the bread is golden brown, about 7 minutes.
3. Mince the shallots, carrot and celery in a food processor. Mist a saucepan with cooking spray. Add the vegetables and cook over medium-high heat until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the broth and bring to a boil; cook, stirring, until thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Add the milk, cheeses and macaroni and stir until the cheeses melt. Season with pepper. Top the toasts with tomatoes; serve on the soup.

Serves 4.

Per serving: Calories: 476; Fat: 20 g; Cholesterol: 64 mg; Sodium: 636 mg; Carbohydrates: 46 g; Fiber: 2 g; Protein: 27 g.

Let me know if you make this and like it! My son is going to Florida this week with this grandparents, so I won't be making it until he comes home. I'd love to hear how you liked it!!

Kristin

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Scissors Sunday: Quick Card

Joana here on this Scissors Sunday to show you a quick and easy hybrid card I made using Jennifer's awesome collab with Amy Stoffel, A Fresh Start. This kit is fantastic for beautiful hybrid cards with its gorgeous papers and large doodled flowers and hearts. I love the light yellow scalloped border and knew I wanted to incorporate it into my card.

I used a card template for the general design and clipped the green papers to the template. I added a pink strip and the yellow scalloped strip and then selected the big green flower for my focal point.

I laid everything out on an 8.5x11 canvas so I could print it out. You'll notice the extra pink rectangle - when I print cards, I like to print extra paper so if I decide to add a sentiment or make a paper flower, I already have a matching scrap and don't have to go digging through my cardstock scraps looking for the perfect matching shade.

I printed out the page and started cutting. I decided to add the "Be Happy" sentiment from the labels2use stamp set by The {Stamps} of Life. I also found a couple of flowers in my stash, along with a bee brad that I added to the large flower. I popped up the sentiment and green flower using 3-D foam to add some dimension.

Voila! A clean and simple card that anyone would be happy to receive!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Saturday School: Font Facts

Happy Saturday! I'm Jenn (jk703), back again to share a little knowledge that I find useful! I just hope that you do too! I've recently been working with a lot of alphabet sets, and fonts in my layouts and that got me thinking! I don't really know much about font, the types or basic info. I do know that I like to use fonts on my layouts for titles, journaling, or even a little creative background. There are THOUSANDS of fonts out there, so many to choose from - it is such a big part of digital scrapbooking today! So, I'm going to share what I found on my little crash course in FONTS!

Typeface or Font?

Many people are often unsure of the difference between these two, as it seems that the terms are both widely used. To clear it up, my basic understanding is that a typeface is a family of fonts (such as Helvetica Regular, Helvetica Italic, Helvetica Bold, Helvetica Black, etc.). A font is one weight or style within a typeface family (such as Helvetica Regular). When I looked it up, font was defined as: a noun, is basically defined as an assortment or set of type or characters all of one style and sometimes one size. I have found there are three basic font types or classifications: Serif Fonts, Sans Serif Fonts, and Decorative Fonts. There are numerous classifications, but those seem to be the most common.

A serif font is one that has the little line at the top or bottom of a font such as: Times or Garamond. These lines are supposed to help to keep your eye moving along the page.

Fonts without serifs are called sans serif fonts (literally, “without serif," isn't that the most ingenious name? lol). The most common sans serif font is Arial.

Decorative fonts are for, well, decoration. These are the fancy fonts that are designed to make a visual impact rather than to be easily read. Fonts that look like cursive script or handwriting fall into this category! These are the ones that I find most often on my layouts! Here is an example of one by Larabie, called Minya Nouvelle:

Some great resources for fonts, free and paid:

LetteringDelights.com

kevinandamanda.com

As I was roaming around the internet, I found a fun, cool quiz that you can take! I would love to know "What Font Are YOU?!" Here is a link to the quiz, from PBS:

Fun Font Quiz from PBS

Another fun site to check out is Wordle. Wordle is text that you've typed in, turned into a "word cloud." Try it out -- it's fun and pretty cool! You can mix it up, color and font choices too!

Wordle

Hope you all have a great weekend! Share your favorite font sites, or even the font themselves! I love them! Thanks for visiting!

Jenn

(jk703)