Thinking Inking

You Take the Cake

Tonight I've been playing with one of Taylor's new sets, Sweet Celebration. I used some Basic Grey Blush paper for the background since it reminded me of chocolate cake and pink frosting. I colored the image with the following Copic markers: R11, R22, R24, R27, BG11, E37, Y21, Y23, N1, and 0, then cut and dry embossed the image with a Spellbinders Classic Circle die.

For the sentiment, I tried an acrylic-stamps technique, even though Taylor's stamps are rubber with foam padding: I bent the sentiment. It's harder on a rubber stamp , but it will work for a one-line sentiment. I heat-embossed it with a vanilla embossing powder. Ribbon is Sweet Blush Grosgrain by PaperTrey Ink, and button is from Buttons Galore. (Doesn't it look like a flattened chocolate chip?)
___________
Don't despair if you're waiting for me to finish the new blog list!  I had to get some "real work" finished today, but I'll do my best to get more names added tomorrow night.

If you're in need of some real deals on Cosmo Cricket goodies, this is the **last day for the Miss Paper Jane Fall sale.**  There are some seriously good deals there. . . and we won't discuss how I know. . . ;-D Thanks for visiting!

Christmas Snowflake

How about a simple Christmas card tonight?  I'm trying to pick away at this task, and blogging them helps me get it done!  I started with a piece of Cosmo Cricket's Poinsettia paper from the Be Good Collection, and paired it with a Spellbinders snowflake die, used with the Ribbons paper (also Be Good).

Now I needed one more thing--a pretty frame for my giant snowflake--and knew just where I'd get one! I had used a Just Rite Christmas Ensemble stamp on the top of my Bella cookie can a couple of night ago.  The "Merry Christmas" ring looked like a great possibility.  I embossed it in gold embossing powder on PaperTrey Ink's new shimmery gold cardstock. (It's a little paler gold than my other metallic gold cardstock, so the gold embossing shows up on it really well.) 

I then used two different sizes of Spellbinders plain circle dies (one measuring 3-1/4" in diameter from the cutting blade, and the other 2-3/8").  You can see a picture of how I ran them through my Wizard on the left. (I ran both dies through on the same pass.)  Next I used a gold paint pen to ink both the inside and outside edges of the circle before mounting it on the outside of my big snowflake.  Gold ribbon is PaperTrey's Gold Tinsel Weave ribbon--a nice soft ribbon to tie, sometimes a challenge in metallic ribbon.

It's a simple, easily reproducible card--just what I need!

__________
I am still adding names to the new Crafty Blogs to Browse page. I'm guessing that it will take me a few more days to finish.  I'll let you know when I think I have them all done, and you can check your own to make sure it works. :-)  Have a great day!

Autumn Birthday Wishes, Posted on the CLASSroom

Good Sunday morning to you! Today I've posted a step-by -step masking and airbrushing tutorial on the CLASSroom blog.

In other news, I'm adding a few names at a time to the **New Blog List Page.**  You can still feel free to add your name and blog on this post if you'd like to be added! Thanks for visiting.

______________
Product Credits
Stamps: Autumn Splendor by Lockhart Stamp Company; Mixed Messages by PaperTrey Ink
Papers: Autumn and Butterflies from the Cosmo Cricket Gretel Collection
Tools: Spellbinders Long Oval Nestabilities, and Copic Markers and Airbrush System

Melinda: Whiff of Joy

Several weeks ago, Katharina Frei had e-mailed me about her new stamp line, Whiff of Joy. I've had some rubber here for a couple of weeks and just had a chance tonight to sit down and color--you know, coloring therapy! ;-) The Whiff of Joy images are darling, and I certainly enjoyed coloring this one, Melinda Hugging Heart.

I used my Copic markers in the colors shown below. Cardstock is PaperTrey Ink's Stamper's Select White, Sweet Blush, and Berry Sorbet. The Sugar and Spice sentiment is from PTI's Favor It Baby set. Ribbon is Berry Sorbet Stitched grosgrain, and finished card size is standard A-2, 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" folded. I used some Stardust Stickles on Melinda's wings and some Spica glitter pens on her belt buckle and the flowers and stems on her clothing. Background is a Cuttlebug Paisley A-2 folder.

If you are looking for any of these images, here is the European site. When I googled, I found them available in the US as well, at All That Scraps.  Thanks for visiting!

NEW Blog List Page

Important Announcement: I now have a new blog page set up for links to other crafting blogs. You can find the page here, and it contains all of the blog links that my sidebar currently contains. I will be moving the sidebar list off of the default page in a few days to try to relieve some of the visual congestion. I just want to make sure you know where to find that information before I move it!

If you have a regularly updated crafting blog that you would like for me to add to my list, leave a link in the comments section of this post, and I'll add as I have time. If you have a blog listed on this page and want it removed for any reason, or if you have a link that is in need of updating, please feel free to leave me a comment about that too.

Thank you!

Caramel Apple and Christmas Ornament: PTI Blog Hop

Greetings to the PaperTrey Ink Blog Hoppers!I'll try to keep this post as short as I can because I'm about to miss the blog hop deadline.  A couple of weeks ago I was playing with polymer clay (Translucent Sculpey Premo, to be exact), and PaperTrey stamps. I chose the Believe set, inked it with Black Versafine ink, and stamped clay that I had conditioned and rolled fairly thinly.

I then used a craft knife to carefully trim around the outside edge of the clay, holding the knife perpendicular to the cutting surface in order to get straight (rather than undercut or overcut) edges. Next I used some Luminarte's Polished Pigments (ground pigment mixed with mica powder) and a very fine-tipped paint brush to paint the dry powder on the image.  I then baked the images according to the instructions on the Sculpey package, and sealed the piece after it had cooled.

These were pretty simple; the only challenge is in keeping each powder in its area on a small object. I didn't use any binders since the natural slight stickiness of the clay seemed to be enough to keep the powder in place. After reading the directions, however, I saw that their Simple Solution 3 is the binder that is compatible with polymer clay. On the Christmas tree, I went back in after sealing it and added darker leaves with a green Gelly Roll pen, as well as enhancing the berries with a red Gelly Roll pen.
#

#

For the box, I used PaperTrey's Vintage Holiday Prints paper to construct a top and bottom (3-3/4" square with 3/4" sides), then used once 8-1/2" x 11" clear card sheet to make my box sides from. (I cut it in half at 5-1/2", then scored one half at 3/8", 4", and 7-5/8", and cut it at 8", and the other half was cut to 7-1/4" and scored at 3-5/8".) I used redline tape the full length of the 3/8" strips to attach the sides to each other.

I meant to add a gift tag, but the Blog Hop clock is ticking. . . Also, my husband is waiting patiently (or not) for this freshly made Jonamac caramel apple! Thanks for visiting.

Edited to add:  If you are looking for caramel apple recipes, here are a few that I found on Recipezaar:

The Best and Easiest Caramel Apples  (made from scratch)

Crock Pot Caramel Apples (simple)

Caramel Marshmallow Apples (just tried these--melted caramel/marshmallow mixture in the microwave on medium high for under two minutes--loved how the caramel stuck to the apple better!)

Snickers Caramel Apples (I haven't tried these, but my husband says I need to)

Last but not least, my friend Mish had a great caramel apple post not long ago: Caramel Apple Mudslides

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

Sugarplum Wishes: Bella Blog Hop

Two Blog Hops in one day--whew! Shannan Teubner had asked several people if they would like to participate in a Bella blog hop using a winter Bella and creating some kind of gift.  My only winter Bella was Snowbunny Bella, and what a cutie she is! I made some snowballs (date-Rice Krispie balls rolled in coconut and drizzled with white chocolate) and put them in a clear paint can (PaperTrey Ink), covered in Cosmo Cricket Be Good papers. (I put the recipe at the bottom of the post for those who had  e-mailed me about it.)

The  Snowbunny image is colored in Copic markers: R46, R59, E00, E02, E55, E57, BG000, W1, and 0. I  used some white Liquid Applique to add furry trim to her coat and cut and embossed her with a Spellbinders Long Rectangle Nestability.

For the top of the can I pulled out a new Just Rite Stampers set, the Christmas Stamp Ensemble, sized to fit the 3-1/4" Harmony Classic Circle Stamper III handle. If you happen to order this set, you'll probably notice that mine is a little different from yours. . . On the "Hugs and Kisses" center, I decided to tweak the wording. I thought that since I was already using the "Merry Christmas" outer border, rather than using "Holiday Wishes" inside, I'd leave "Holiday" out and put a food term in there. I used letters from my Times New Roman Alphabet to spell out "Sugarplum." Yes, the font is a bit more condensed, but I'm okay with that. I used my Spellbinders Petite Circles Nest to frame my lid, adding some Antique Linen Distress ink to the edges.

Other participants in the Bella Blog Hop include:
Amy Rysavy
Carole Burrage
Jen del Muro
Lauren Meader
Michele Boyer
Shannan Teubner
Taylor Van Bruggen
The Bella Blog
Nicky Manel

I can't wait to see what they've all come up with! I hope to see you again later today for the PaperTrey Ink Blog Hop as well. Have a great day!

#

#

#

Edited to add the recipe:

Coconut Snowball Cookies

Melt: 1 stick of butter
Add: 1 c. sugar
    1 beaten egg
    1 c. chopped dates
Cook on low for 8 minutes. Remove and add:
    2 c. Rice Krispies
    1/2 c.  chopped pecans (optional)
    1 tsp vanilla

While mixture is still very warm, roll into balls and roll  in coconut. (You have to work fast!)

My son said that they needed to be a little sweeter; I thought they were sweet enough, but since I wanted them to look whiter, I drizzled melted white chocolate over them.  He was a happy camper. My husband (who generally likes only his OLD favorites) commented that "Those cookies sure tasted better than they looked!"   Bwahahaha! Just when we think we made something pretty!

Owl Always Love You. . .

Tonight I wanted to play with my CHF  U R A Hoot owls and Mocha Chica paper.  I stamped a branch and some leaves from the Landing Pad directly onto a patterned paper with Memento Brown ink and colored it with the Copic Markers shown below.  Next I stamped the owls and a few extra leaves to cut out and raise with foam tape.

When I finished, the main image seemed a bit small for the card, so I sewed around it to give the card front a visual border and make it seem a smaller. Finally, I added a length of PaperTrey Ink's Aqua Mist ribbon and some Autumn Leaves Foof-a-La Buttons.

Card size is standard A-2--4-1/4" x 5-1/2". Thanks for visiting!

Season of Friendship Meets Gretel

We're back from a long weekend of birthday parties; it's always good to go somewhere and equally good to come home! Although we weren't gone for long, the leaves were noticeably changed in our back yard when we looked out this morning, mostly green still, but tinged with golds and reds.

It seemed like a great time to pull out a new SU set, Season of Friendship, as well as my Cosmo Cricket Gretel paper. I pulled my color cues from the paper: Red Brick, Mango Madness, Oasis Green, Pumpkin Spice, and Jumbo Java Versamagic inks. The papers that I chose were Butterflies and Autumn. Mini brads are Making Memories Antique Copper, and ribbon is May Arts Ivory silk. I used a Spellbinders Long Rectangle die to cut the main image, then used a double-ended tag trio die to cut the sentiment label.

I adore Fall--crisp mornings, glorious colors, and an occasional faint whiff of wood smoke from the outdoor furnace--sheer loveliness!

Masked Christmas Card on the CLASSroom

A wonderful Sunday morning to you! I've posted one of my Christmas cards on the CLASSroom blog today. Although I did some masking and airbrushing, it was still an easily reproducible card, something that I need to keep in mind for Christmas.

____________
Stamp Credits
Stamps: Aged Sheet Music and Christmas Expressions by Cornish Heritage Farms

Jack's World Toddler Cards, Boys Day

I told you about our four upcoming family toddler birthdays a few days ago; tonight I'm sharing the boy cards. For both of these I used Cosmo Cricket's  Jack's World papers, blackboard, and adhesive die cuts.

For Grant (age 1), I chose the monkey blackboard and adhesive covering, along with Animal Friends and Playtime papers. Twill is a natural twill, stamped with PaperTrey Ink's Birthday Basics set. Buttons are Autumn Leaves. This card was a little tough for me--I struggled to get a layout that I was happy with. The next card was my favorite of the four.

This is Alex's (age 2) card. I chose a little dump truck for him, and I even mounted the dumper so that it would pivot on a mini brad and tilt to reveal the happy birthday sentiment. :-) (You can see the sentiment in the top picture.) I chose Playtime, Wake Up, Lessons, and Blanky papers to go with the dump truck blackboard and adhesive covering. The little length of ribbon that lifts the dump truck bed is also from the Jack's World collection.

I don't make many kid-cards, but I have to admit that these were fun. I love Jack's World!

Hey Sugar Meets Eastern Blooms: CPS82

This week's CPS82 Sketch was really a fun one! If you like bling, circles, and symmetry (and I do), what's not to like? I had just gotten a new SU stamp set, Eastern Blooms, a few days ago. Every time I looked at it I thought of my Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar/Honey paper. They were meant to be together! Not only that, but our CPS sponsor this week was Kandi Corp, with their hot fix tool and crystals. (As much as I love rhinestones, this could be a new addiction.)

I stamped the large flower three times in two colors of Versamagic ink, with the darker color of each pair in the center and the lighter color toward the outside of the flower: Pumpkin Spice/Thatched Straw, Pink Grapefruit/Red Brick, Oasis Green/Aquatic Splash. I pulled these colors  from the Hey Sugar paper, and luckily, they also coordinated with the Caribbean Assortment of crystals. I used the hot fix tool to attach the crystals to the centers of the flowers. I hadn't used a hot-fix tool before; I've normally glued my crystals on (even the hot-fix variety). It wasn't hard to get used to, however. I really liked that there was no oozing glue and no drying time before I could count on the crystals staying in place. When I got a couple of the crystals slightly mis-placed, it was very simple to touch it again with the hot tip and wiggle it over a bit.

The other thing that I tried the hot fix tool and crystals on was glass.  I had made a couple of soldered pieces and wanted to use rhinestones on top of the finished glass; however, I didn't think that glue would be likely to affix them permanently. The hot fix tool worked like a charm for a solid hold with no tell-tale glue residue.

The flowers didn't stand out quite as much as I would have liked, so I used my Spellbinders Nestability Plain Circle dies to make Dark Chocolate backgrounds for them. The "mother" sentiment is from PaperTrey Ink's Mixed Messages set. I used a Fiskars Threading Water punch to cut the scalloped edge that the flowers sit on--very similar to SU's scalloped punch from what I can tell, except that this one punches holes in the centers of the scallops.  Finished size of this card is 6-1/2" x 3-1/4", sized to fit a tag envelope.

Thanks for visiting!