Treme

Treme-a New Orleans neighborhood; an HBO TV series; pronounced with 2 syllables, accent on the second "e", which sounds like a long "a". First "e" is short. Got it?!

Always a little skeptical about TV shows and movies that attempt to depict New Orleans, I was REALLY wary of this one, set in the early post Katrina landscape. But then I watched the 2 hour premiere. Not bad. The accents don't have me cringing...too much. Now that they've gotten a Jazz Funeral out of the way, an episode about voo-doo will complete the ridiculous stereotype, and they can get on with the good drama. Hahaha. Maybe it will be a good series. Time will tell.

Monkey Business

We took advantage of the nice weather during Kevin's week off after Easter and visited the zoo...twice! Our first visit included a trek past Monkey Hill, through the Cajun exhibit and on to Jaguar Jungle, and concluded with lunch and ice cold drinks at the cafe. On our second day, we arrived just in time for the elephant show! We also got a rare treat of seeing the gorillas active after receiving a few treats from their keepers.





But the cutest thing ever was getting to see Menari, the baby orangutan!



Here's her dad, Berani, the escape artist who no longer gets to play with t-shirts in the exhibit. LOL!



These two monkeys were pretty cute too.

April Kit Reveal

As the Serendipity Scrapbooks April kits go up today, the gallery is hopping with design team examples. I had the pleasure of working with the Altered Kit this month, which included the unique designer Star album of quality press board from Kaisercraft. It was a great backdrop for the photos and story of our Saints' run to and through Superbowl XXIV to emerge as champs!

Here are a few photos of my Believe album:







Four more layouts were created with the April Altered kit contents and this is my favorite. Layering an assortment of colorful strips on a white background looks downright beachy! I'm already beginning to anticipate our days in the sand.



Check out the Serendipity Kits Gallery for more projects. I find it amazing how each person creates with the same supplies, such unique and inspiring works!

Cluck, Cluck

It was a busy time, but I was able to eek out a few minutes (or hours) to complete Susan Stringfellow's Poultry Recipe Challenge at the Taste of Serendipity Crop. These were the necessary ingredients:

A Pinch of Flour--use at least one flower
2 T. of Spices--measure out 2 T. of buttons (It's more than you think!)
Chicken--paper piece the chicken presented HERE!

These photos of our post-parade gumbo were perfect! After all, chicken is a primary ingredient of CHICKEN and andouille sausage gumbo. :)

My Lists (Collected)

Lists are my friends. I make them, I add to them, I check them off, and I rewrite them. I have lists for everything!

Do you have an endless assortment of lists in your purse, on your refrigerator, or laying around on the kitchen table or counter? If you're a list maker like me, you do! I love my lists, but wanted a way to keep them together...an attractive way if possible. With a little mini notebook/assignment pad I can write my daily/weekly to-do list, grocery list, etc. and not lose them to the depths of my purse or worse. When one list is done, I can tear it out and throw it away, but the others stay put. And with a little help from my scrapbook supplies, my List Keeper is an interesting piece of collage art as well!

My Emeril Live! Challenge

BAM! He’s done it again. On the strip in Las Vegas, at one of Emeril’s newest ventures, Lagasse’s Stadium, the famed chef has taken the average steak sandwich and kicked it up a notch. Known as the BAM’wich, it’s a mouthwatering 8 oz. of grilled prime sirloin on homemade herb focaccia, dressed with blue cheese slaw, balsamic braised red onions and Emeril’s steak sauce. YUM!



Your challenge is to make a BAM’wich as part of your layout design. Using at least 8 strips of patterned paper (each with a different design), layer them like a stacked sandwich. Tear or cut with deco scissors, space evenly or overlap, cut all the same or of varying lengths, pen-stitch or ink edges…anything goes, as long as the papers are horizontal (not vertical) and there are at least 8 different designs.

Then, just as the “holy trinity” of Cajun cuisine, bell pepper, onion, and celery make up the foundation for great Louisiana classics such as gumbo, jambalaya and étouffée, you will be required to use three of my favorite embellishments on your page: a tag, a ticket, and a journaling spot. You can use pre-made items or stamp, print, cut and make your own.

Additional embellishments are allowed, but each page must have 8 paper strips, a tag, a ticket, and a journaling spot.

Here is my page. I chose papers with colors that coordinated with those in my photo…the yellow, brown, orange, and green of the grass, with a bit of blue and white to compliment my son’s jersey. I tore one paper, cut others varying lengths and widths, and layered haphazardly underneath my photo, adding the tag, journaling spot, ticket along with a couple of leaf embellishments. The title was drawn in paint, then cut and glued directly to the picture. BAM! I love it!

Sweet Taste of Serendipity

Friday marks the start of The Sweet Taste of Serendipity online crop, a virtual crop with challenges and throw-downs inspired by The Food Network and our favorite food celebrities. As Rachel Ray would say...YUMMO! The fun and games, challenges and blue light specials will continue throughout the weekend. I wonder who will be crowned the next Top Chef?!