FTR24 | Catered Crop

Catered Crop Top Chef Design Team

I know I say this a lot, but it's true. The entries we have so far for the FTR24 challenge are just knocking my socks off. It's not too late to enter (or to enter again). If you need any more inspiration . . . here's what our Catered Crop Top Chefs and Guest Chef have cooked up for you to help you spice things up even more.

Our inspiration and recipe is provided by the very talented and second-time winner, Cheryl Gorka, whose helping us celebrate both Fall and Winter.

Playing with us at the Catered Crop "Follow-the-Recipe" linking party is easy as pumpkin pie. Here's how it works:

Use any of the ingredients (themes, colors, techniques, etc.) in Cheryl's projects. You don't have to use all the ingredients or the same brands. Just pick a few ingredients and then add your own spices to cook up something uniquely yours.
Add your project using the InLinkz (froggy) button below and join the party.
Be sure to list your recipe or tell us what ingredient you used from the sample recipe.
Don't forget to link back to this post or include the "I Followed the Recipe" button on your blog (see the side bar to the right).

Here's your FTR24 recipe.

Stamps: girls, banners, farmer, crow
Colors: pink/burgundy, green; jewel tone fall colors
Theme: Christmas or Fall
Inks: Distress Ink, markers
Papers: stripes and polka dots, kraft
Tools: sewing machine, die cuts, circle punch
Embellishments: Fun Flock, seam binding, gemstones, glimmer mists, glitter, jingle bells, lace, buttons, burlap, twine, and cord

It's gonna feel like an early Christmas for some lucky player because Lawn Fawn is in the house!

Fawn Lawn clear stamps are cute, whimsical, and even a bit quirky, but one thing they all have in common is the ability to inspire creativity in everyone. Don't forget to check out their Flickr and Facebook pages, follow them on Twitter and read their blog. They love to feature their customers and give away free stuff!

As always, the winning entry gets an "I Baked it Best" button to put on their blog, will be the inspiration for the next challenge and can be a guest Chef for our QuickFire. And . . . one incredibly lucky, randomly picked player will win a stamp set of their choice from Lawn Fawn.

Without further delay here's what our fabulous Top Chefs and Guest Chef have dished up with the recipe. Just click on the pictures to go to the Chef's blog and get all the details.

Guest Chef Cheryl Gorka

Top Chef Dorcas Designs

Top Chef Peggy Marsh

Top Chef Linda McClain

Please remember that winners of the random drawing must claim their prize by the end of the next challenge. The more you enter, the more your chances are of winning.

Just click on the link below to join the Catered Crop party. You have until Thursday, November 10, 8:00 PM EST to join the party. I can't wait to see what else you dish up for us.

November 6, 2011 | Filed Under: Dorcas Designs, Follow the Recipe, Peggy Marsh Tagged With: Follow the Recipe, FTR24 | 3 Comments

Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.
~ H.G. Wells, novelist

Did I ever tell you how Mr. Catered Crop and I met? It's quite romantic, really.

Back in the early 1980s Mr. Catered Crop was managing a bicycle shop and I was secretary of the local bicycle club. He was sitting under a tree with his plate of food at one of our big club sponsored picnics/rides when some mutual friends introduced us. He gave me a polite smile, we made small talk and then we just went our separate ways to join the rest of the riders.

About mid-way through the ride I got a flat tire and found myself stranded at the bottom of a big hill. Mr. Catered Crop pedaled by and gallantly fixed my tire with very impressive finesse. I was immediately touched by how sweet and unassuming he was – one of those "still waters run deep" kind of guys. And, I'm telling you, not many guys look good in bicycle shorts, but honeys, he did.

I was wishing I'd paid more attention back at the tree.

Flat tire fixed, we got back on our bikes, climbed the hill and chatted some more. I tried to keep up with him, but he could ride a lot faster than I could, and he disappeared again over the next hill.

After that I found more occasions to come into the bicycle shop, usually under the guise of soliciting advertising for the bicycle club newsletter. Mr "still water runs deep" seemed unaffected by my blatant flirting.

Finally, one day, I dressed in high heels and a great pencil-shape skirt with a slit up to here. If small talk didn't do the trick, maybe my long legs would. Of course, I couldn't walk in heels then any more than I can now, and I tripped as I crossed the road into the shop. I hobbled on in, hoping he wasn't watching and didn't noticed my skinned knee.

Finally, he asked me out.

Mr. Catered Crop says he wanted to ask me out all along but he was too shy.

I say slow and steady wins the race.

Catered Crop Follow the Recipe

Once again, you guys are knockin' my socks off with your entries for our Catered Crop FTR24 party. There's still time to enter, and you definitely want to because Lawn Fawn is in the house! I followed Cheryl's FTR24 recipe with a banner, the color pink, markers, polka dots, kraft paper, sewing, circle punches, and glitter.

I've been saving this stamp set from Lawn Fawn for four months waiting for this week. The Lawn Fawn blog has a fantastic video, here, to show all the fun things you can do with this set – it's an amazingly versatile set.

InLinkz.com

Almost thirty years later I'm still cruising with the sweet, unassuming, "still waters run deep" guy. He's not so shy anymore.

November 5, 2011 | Filed Under: Card Gallery, Copic Markers, Lawn Fawn, October Afternoon, Summer Tagged With: Copic Markers, FTR24, October Afternoon | 9 Comments

It's the time of the season when the love runs high.
~ Time of the Seasons, The Zombies, 1968

It's Party Time again! But, before we get to that, we have some unfinished business from our last party, FTR23. Congratulations to:

Janette! You won the random drawing. Contact me at cateredcrop@gmail.com to claim your amazing prize packet from Copic Markers.

Oh my goodness gracious gravy. All the entries for our last party were just crazy amazing! Something in the air must be bringing out all that amazing talent. Maybe it's the change of the seasons from the hottest, driest summer (at least in Texas) to the crisp Autumn air. Oooo, and I hear some of you here in the United States got Snow this week.

Once again it was hard to narrow down the choices to just one win – so we didn't, sort of. We choose two projects by one person, the very talented Cheryl Gorka whose going to help us enjoy both Fall and Winter.

Playing with us at the Catered Crop "Follow-the-Recipe" linking party is easy as pumpkin pie. Here's how it works:

Use any of the ingredients (themes, colors, techniques, etc.) in Cheryl's projects. You don't have to use all the ingredients or the same brands. Just pick a few ingredients and then add your own spices to cook up something uniquely yours.
Add your project using the InLinkz (froggy) button below and join the party.
Be sure to list your recipe or tell us what ingredient you used from the sample recipe.
Don't forget to link back to this post or include the "I Followed the Recipe" button on your blog (see the side bar to the right).

Here's your FTR24 recipe – hold on to your hats because it's a fun one!

Stamps: girls, banners, farmer, crow
Colors: pink/burgundy, green; jewel tone fall colors
Theme: Christmas or Fall
Inks: Distress Ink, markers
Papers: stripes and polka dots, kraft
Tools: sewing machine, die cuts, circle punch
Embellishments: Fun Flock, seam binding, gemstones, glimmer mists, glitter, jingle bells, lace, buttons, burlap, twine, and cord

It's gonna feel like an early Christmas for some lucky player because our Sponsor for this challenge is, well, only one of the hottest stamp companies on the planet right now . . .

Yes! Lawn Fawn is in the house!

One peak at the Lawn Fawn shop and you'll immediately fall in love. Their clear stamps are cute, whimsical, and even a bit quirky, but one thing they all have in common is the ability to inspire creativity in everyone. Don't forget to check out their Flickr and Facebook pages, follow them on Twitter and read their blog. They love to feature their customers and give away free stuff!

Just click on the link below to join the Catered Crop party. You have until Thursday, November 10, 8:00 PM EST. Swing back by here next Sunday when our Catered Crop Top Chefs will dish up their culinary delights using Cheryl's recipe.

October 29, 2011 | Filed Under: Follow the Recipe Tagged With: Follow the Recipe, FTR24 | 6 Comments