Friday Food: Soup Storage

I love soup in the winter. The only problem I tend to have is the size of each batch. I want enough to last for a few days. But the problem is....it lasts for a few days. A few too many once life gets in the way and dinners change. I tried freezing them in individual ziploc bags. Filling them up and lying them out on a baking sheet to freeze flat. This was okay, but often messy. Leakage from unlocked tops. Small tears in the bags. Even the frozen wrinkles were a pain when thawing.

The solution...use the bowls I eat the soup in originally. Well, the ziploc bags are still there, but better. Finding the right size bowl was easy for me since I have such a mish mash of kitchen goodies.

Simply put a serving of soup into the bowl and place inside a freezer zip bag. Then, well, freeze. note: it's easiest to label your bag before the initial freeze.

Removing them from the bowls was tricky at first. But if you treat it like an ice cube...slight twist & pop, then it's easy peasy.

I am usually able to pop the frozen soup out right inside the bag. Much cleaner than popping them out and having to get them back into the bag without getting your fingers all ooky.

You are left with frozen bowl shaped popsicles of soup. When it's time to eat, just heat and serve.

If you want to save on bags, just freeze (carefully) with bowls sitting on a baking sheet...they shouldn't be in there long enough for freezer burn. Then pop the 'sicles into one large bag.

Now I am off to figure out what soup I will cook up this weekend :)

Digital Scrapbooking Addiction

Yes, I added another crafty addiction of sorts. It started out innocent enough. I just wanted to make some blog buttons, new banners for the shop & blogs...maybe an ad or two. I didn't think I'd wind up scrapbooking. I guess you could just call it graphicing (okay, not a real word) too. After all, I am not doing traditional scrapbooking. No family photo books or anything. Yup...keep telling yourself that Theresa...keep telling yourself.

The other day, about the same time we got our new computer, I was trying to make more Deal of the Day "signs" for my Tilt's Creations blog. I use Picnik lots, they have some fun collages now. But I wanted my own. I love my GIMP for photo editing & I knew you can do a lot with graphics also. So i started looking around for clip art. Duh! Get Print Shop. But that still is not quite what I want. It is still too formatted.

Okay, so I start thinking "Hey, I see all these cute buttons, ads, banners & blog backgrounds that look like scrapbooks. Perfect". There is freedom in designing in my own space on GIMP (or Paint Net) that Print Shop doesn't have. Plus, I already have those programs. But I set out on a digital scrapbook software hunt anyway. Thank you cNet! There is a ton out there.I got 2: Scrapbook MAX (trial version for now) and Digital Scrapbook Artist (got the free compact version...for now). I have played with both. Not sure which I prefer just yet.

my 1st one

Then I wanted to find out how people make blog backgrounds, Twitter backgrounds, etc. First I found Kevin and Amanda's scrapbook blog background tutorial. Opened up even more. Now I have been visiting All Things Digital Scrapbooking, The Scrap Girls University, Cutest Blog on the Block, and DigiScrapDepot which led me to tons and tons of fabulous scrapbook blogs & designers. So cool!

Gonna go play some more, but first, I have a question. I don't want to go all pirate & do things I am not supposed to with these scrapbook pieces (still learning the lingo). Do you know any easy to follow, in plain English - not lawyerese - on what you can do with all this stuff? I understand personal use is well, personal. So can I use the freebies & purchased pieces to make my own ads, banners, backgrounds, etc. without having to list all the places I got the pieces from? I realize each place may be different & I am trying to figure out the best way to know which lets you do what. I know I saw one place that stated you can even sell the final design as long as you credit them for the graphic pieces (I am not talking about quick premade templates,just using the pieces).
Nevermind....I read more of the text TOU documents that came with the freebies & I think I have a better grasp. You can't sell/give the parts that make up the scrapbook/graphics but you can use the final, flattened image that you create from the elements. Nor can you take credit for the parts - just the final piece...but best to give credit to the creaters of the pieces within. Okay, so 1 or 2 ask you not to use their stuff, even final creation, in any "public" place (like your blog or banner) without permission. I just deleted those so I don't accidentally use them wrong.
In one creation I play with pieces from a variety of designers...guess I'll need to keep a running tab on who I use each time, just in case.

Okay, I am rambling now...bye :)

Almost forgot, one other thing I found - via my Etsyblogger forum thread - a tute for making favicons & adding your own signature to blog posts: Designed by Jen.

Next to learn...how to create the graphics :) It's inevitable.

Art Fire BlogFire: How-to

I have recently joined the BlogFire guild on Art Fire and right off, I have a blog carnival. The theme is "How-to". I wish I could have thought of a how-to of my own in time, but alas, there was not enough time. I do plan on doing one very soon though and will be thinking of my BlogFire buddies when I do it :)

We also had the option of sharing a how-to of someone else's that we have found helpful. This is great, now I don't feel like I wimped out. And bonus - the tutorial I will be sharing was one of the winners of my One World One Heart Giveaway.

I ran across her site during this great event (if you missed it this year, there is always next year). She makes great quilts and shares some great tutorials on her blog, Lola...again. The tutorial I want to share is her Binder Cover Tutorial. I have seen many tuts on this, but none that have the quilted aspect to it. This is what your final project will look like when you are done:



So what are you waiting for? Hop on over to Lola...again and get crafting!