My Eyes!!!!

Yes, put your sun shades on.  This project is a little "blingy" for my liking.

Stampin Up used to run these contests for future publications on how their products could be used.  Karina keeps encouraging all of us to enter these contests.  So, this month I even planned on doing it!  I had this project finished by the middle of September and planned to post it to SLC. 

Well, this morning, the last day of September I thought I will post it today and that way it will have the September 30, 2012 postage stamp on it and all will be good!  However, while reading the fine print on the entry submission I find out it had to be in SLC today, not leaving Edmonton (oooops).

So here is my project:

- the card stock color is gumball green

- the tree is made from the Petal Cone Bigz Die

- the snowflakes are stamped with Versa Mark from the Snowflake Soiree Stamp set and embossed with Silver Embossing Powder

- rhinestones in the center of the snow flakes

- the tree decoration is made with the Snow Flurry Bigz Die - the big snow flake is cut from Very Vanilla paper and then Dazzling details rubbed over it, the smaller snow flake is cut from Silver Glitter paper

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Benefit # 10

Today is card # 10 of my Benefits of Cleaning the Craft Room project.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Cranberry Bluberry Muffins

I am not really a fan of fall, what with the dead leaves and not being able to breathe at all...., however, I get very excited when the cranberries show up at the Safeway!

Of course I had to buy a bag today, and this evening I made Cranberry Blueberry Muffins.  So yummy!

The recipe follows:

Cranberry Blueberry Muffins:

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 cup milk

2 tsps. baking powder

2 cups flour

Mix wet ingredients first, add dry ingredients.  Then fold in:

1/2 cup fresh cranberries

1/2 cup fresh/frozen blueberries

 Course decorator sugar for the top.

Bake at 350F for 18 minutes.  Enjoy.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

 

 

Benefit # 9

Here is card # 9 from my Benefits of Cleaning the Craft Room project.  

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Benefit # 8

Here is one of the cards that I made from my Benefits of Cleaning the Craft Room project!

I like this one, I think it looks sort of elegant in its own way.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Thanks Karina!!

My friend Karina attended the Stampin Up Convention in SLC this year and one of things she brought back were these Stampin Up cookie stamps!  I was the lucky recipient to win these as one of the door prizes at Coffee Talk in September.  I ordered the coordinating cookie cutters for these and this weekend I made cookies. 

I used my Most Delicious Cookies recipe for these.

I have heard that these cookies were attempted in the Southern USA, and the comments are that the recipe does not work, one Stampin Up demo credited it with the climate.

If you are going to try this recipe PLEASE READ the recipe (it is a half a block of cream cheese - about 3 1/2 ozs, not the full block), and maybe the fact that I live in Western Canada where I only need one elastic to hold my curls in place does have something to do with it, if you have to add large amounts of flour to this recipe you will lose the cream-cheese after taste to them.  Hope this helps.

I then iced in the hearts with red food glitter gel that was sitting in the cupboard!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Oh S"crap"! It's Monday...

Today's card for Oh S"crap" It's Monday actually came together very easily.

The card base is a black I found in my stash (paper not cookie), a piece of Whisper White on which I used the roller stamp with the paw prints, another piece of black and of course Whisper White card stock for the image.  I used my Copic markers and airbrush system for the grass and sky.

The cat and greeting image are from the Touch of Kindness stamp set in the Summer 2011 Stampin Up Mini catalogue.

Now, the question may be asked why would I make a card with a cat on it?

On April 25, 2011 our family cat of 12 years passed away of renal failure.  I had provided palliative care to him for about a year because I refused to "put him down".  He died peacefully surrounded by his family that he loved and believed he needed to protect (we have had more visitors since his passing as he was MEAN to guests).

Ever since, my son has been asking for his own cat.  My response was always, "NO" because I do not like when cats walk on tables, counters, leave litter on the floor and between their paws, scratch furniture and shed on furniture (okay it's the people that don't vacuum regularly).  There is just something wrong with this for me.

Last weekend I gave my son a list of conditions that a cat would have to have in order to be a member of our family (I thought the list was long enough to appear I was a reasonable parent, and yet never get a cat :).

List:

1.  Has to be a Tuxedo Cat.
2.  Has to be a male cat.
3.  Has to have short velvety hair (not the loose, soft, greasy stuff).
4.  Has to be past the kitten stage.
5.  Has to be a lazy Tom Cat.
6.  Has to be in need of a home (rescue or shelter cat).
7.  Has to get along with other animals.
8.  Has to get along with children.
9.  Has to be litter trained.
10.  Has to be an indoor cat.

Well thanks to Paradise Pets and the Barrhead Animal Rescue Society we now have this:

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Fall Card

I recently ordered some stuff from Cose to My Heart (I know, it's contraband - but they have a really neat new Cricut cartridge, and this really cute stamp set among other things).

The card base is Sahara Sand, with a layer of Pumpkin Pie Designer Series Paper, I stamped the image with Rich Cocoa Memento Ink, and then colored with my Copic markers.

I had so much fun making this card!  The buttons I found in my button drawer and I used hemp thread to tie them on.

Happy Fall (officially now), and Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Benefit # 7

Here is benefit number 7 of the Benefits of Cleaning the Craft Room project.

The cookies make me hungry.  Maybe I should go make some.....

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Benefit # 6

This is card number 6 in my Benefits of Cleaning the Craft Room project.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Benefit # 5

Here's card number 5 of the Benefits of Cleaning the Craft Room  project!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Benefit # 4

This is card number 4 that is from the Benefits of Cleaning the Craft Room  project.  

The card stock colors I think were just colors I had on hand at the time, and the oval card front was made by use of my Cricut.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Benefit # 3

This is Card # 3 from the Benefits of Cleaning the Craft Room project.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Last night my son and I made Pumpkin cupcakes.  I found the little pumpkin candies at the Bulk Barn (sorry Lisa...), a few weeks ago, and decided that this was the perfect time to use them.  Now the cupcakes are not just pumpkin flavored, they look like they're from the pumpkin patch!
I have included the recipe that I use for Pumpkin Cupcakes below:

Pumpkin Cupcakes

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups pumpkin  puree

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 tbsp ground flax seed

Mix oil and sugar together.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla and pumpkin puree and mix until smooth.  Mix dry ingredients together and add to mixture by heaping tablespoons, making sure that all flour lumps are worked out.  Bake in 350 F oven for 25 minutes (Alberta time).   Enjoy.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Benefit # 2

Here is Card # 2 from the 12 Benefits of Cleaning the Craft Room project.

The stamp at the bottom is from the Merry & Bright stamp set from Close to My Heart.  The greeting was stamped with clear embossing ink and then heat embossed with Silver Embossing powder.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

 

Kathy

12 Benefits of Cleaning the Craft Room

Ever notice that most self improvement plans come with 12 steps?

Well, last night I decided I had better clean up my craft room because today I am going to the Creative Stitches Show and that likely means I will have more fabric that needs to be "stashed" by end of day.

Now, while I am not a dust chaser (I simply do not allow it into my house), my craft room is rather dis-organized (no dust, and I have a vague idea of where things are).  So, last night I gather sorted and organized everything, and figured out what needed to be given away etc.

While doing this I came across these cards I had started about 3 years ago for my son's class at Christmas, and did not finish because I could not make the tree I wanted look "right".  Of course I didn't throw the cards out, I just put them aside.  Later in my stash of stuff I came across this package of Christmas cut outs (from where - I have not idea).  They coordinate fairly well, with these card fronts, so I now have 12 Christmas cards ready to be delivered!!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Strawberry Shortcake Card

Last evening I realized that my craft room needed to be cleaned up.  I refuse to get rid of stuff by giving it away, partly because I am cheap, also because if I can part with it I probably should not have bought it in the first place.  Therefore, I must use this stuff.

I came across this package of pre-printed squares that I had purchased about 3 years ago at the Creative Stitches show in Edmonton from Scrapbook Memories & More as they were doing Make & Takes with the Flower Soft product line.  I have used this product since that time, however, have still not used it for these cards, so last night was the night.

The card base is Real Red, layered with a piece of strawberry paper I found (from where? --- no clue), then a layer of Gumball Green and then the Strawberry Shortcake Recipe square.

Flower Soft of course is the whipped cream, and I used some Real Red 1/4" Stitched Gros Grain ribbon to make it look a little more "Top Drawer".

The inside has the coordinating piece of paper that comes with the recipe square so I added it to the inside.

I might have to try some of these recipes before I give these away....

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Knitting in the Toyota

It's that wonderful time of the year again, when every parent out there has the privilege of waiting for their children at extracurricular activities.

I started this basket weave kitchen towel yesterday evening while sitting at swimming, and continued on this evening while sitting at horse riding.

Possibly may have this done by the end of the week as I still have art and piano to sit through.

For this towel I am using a Lily Sugar'n Cream yarn (love this stuff - it is a good quality cotton, made in Canada yarn that is cheaper to buy in the USA), and basket weave stitch.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Perfectly Preserved a.k.a the Apples 5 Card

When I saw the Perfectly Preserved stamp set and the Orchard Harvest Designer Series Paper in the Stampin' Up Mini Catalogue, I knew I had to get this.

If you follow my blog at all you know that I love to cook, bake, preserve, and in general love things with a back to nature and simplicity component.

Last night I decided to take this set out and play with it.

This is what I came up with, and I think it is back to nature and simplistic in design, therefore, classic.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Card Keeper

I finally decided to start using my Summer Smooch fabric the other evening, and this is what I made.  A card keeper!!

I took it to Millet with my swaps the other day, and it fit perfectly 20 of my Snow Man Swap cards.

I used fusible interfacing to the wrong side of both fabrics before sewing together to make it a little more sturdy, and it works perfectly.  Plus, I got lots of complements on it!!

The pattern is from the Fall 2012 Scrap Sensation.  I did manage to use all Stampin Up product in this project with the exception of the sewing thread and of course my Sapphire 875 (that I think is the possibly the BEST sewing machine EVER).  

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Oh S"crap"! It's Monday...

This task I have given myself of using up all of my scrap pieces of card stock and Designer Series Paper is getting harder every week.

If it were fabric I would make a rag quilt or better yet a hopscotch quilt and large amounts of fabric would disappear quickly and into a usable format.

However with paper this is not the case.

I hate to be defeated by anything, yet I might have to take this into a local school or play group and see if the kids want it, as alas I am getting no where fast.

This is today's creation made very early this morning.

It is nothing like what I had originally intended, but it is what it is.

The card stock base is Calypso Corral, with a piece of Designer Series Paper from the Spring 2012 Mini Catalogue.  I cross stitched the border with Bakers twine, and colored the You are Loved design with my Stampin' Write markers.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Millet Swaps

Yesterday some friends and I attended a Stampin Up event.

These are the swap cards I made for this event, and will also likely be one of the Christmas cards that I make with my friends later this fall.

The base is Chery Cobbler card stock, layered with Whisper White that was embossed with the Snow Burst Folder (now retired , sigh......), although no one was mean enough yesterday to remind me of this.

The banners are made from the Snow Festival Designer Series Paper of which I used the 1" square punch to make the flag ends.

Next a layer of Gumball Green card stock, and the Snow Much Fun image is stamped on Whisper White and colored with my Stampin' Write Markers.

To make this project a little more top drawer I used Crystal Effects on the boots and hat so that they would shine!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Halloween Photo Tray Board

For the past month or so, Stampin Up has been running a recruiting promotion for getting a photo tray Halloween Display Board.  Now, since I will never recruit anyone, I decided to make my own board.

I bought these boards at Hobby Lobby in Billings, MT during the summer, because they looked like something I could use.  

The frame is black, however, I did use some Crackle Distress paint that I had left over from other projects to "age" and "witch" it up.

Stamp set used in this are:  Border Banter, Toxic Treats, Jack of All Trades, and Sweets for the Sweet.

I had so much fun making this!!!

Here is a close up of each frame:

Googly eye are required for everything!

I sewed around this block to get the "crow" foot prints.

 The broom is made from grosgrain ribbon (cut off the edge and it will fray).

 More googly eyes for the mystery monster!!!

 A collection of all the Halloween sayings.

Candy........

Crows on the fence post.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Coffee Talk Swaps

Tonight is Coffee Talk at Karina's!  A bunch of us get together to make some cards and of course swap some of our creations as well.

This is my swap card, it is also one of my planned cards for my Christmas Card get together with some friends a bit nearer to Christmas (although it might be feeling like Christmas soon enough - the rabbit eating grass on the boulevard this evening had white haunches!!!).

I used all Stampin Up product for this card (even the adhesive - what a challenge for me).

The card base is Gumball Green on which I stamped a Snow Swirled snow flake in Whisper White and heat embossed it.

The house paper is from the Snow Festival Designer Series Paper.  The stamped and colored house is from the Christmas Lodge Stamp set, and of course the snow is glittered all over it!!!

I had a lot of fun making this one.

Hope this inspires you own creativity...

 

Kathy

Stamp of the Month Club

These are the cards I got along with my Stamp of the Month Club from Karina.

I'm not completely "sold" on the flower yet, but I like the greetings and think that they will come to good use.

Hope this inspires your own creatvity...

Kathy

Cupcake Cookie Jar

This is my latest cupcake project.

It is another cookie jar (one can never have too many cookies).  I painted if after my birthday at Crock a Doodle in Spruce Grove.

It is currently filled with the ginger cookies my mom made last week, but they are disappearing (mystery).

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Cupcake Cake for Happy Blog Day

I bought this cupcake cake pan at Bulk Barn back before my birthday but never got around to using it.

So, I used it today to celebrate Happy Blogday!  Today is my officially one year of my daily blogging!

I decorated it with Buttercream Icing.  Half of the batch I added Bernard Callebaut cocoa powder for the chocolate base.

The top is decorated with my biggest icing tip, and then some left over pink buttercream from the fridge.

We found the small colored chocolate balls at Bulk Barn as well, and since they looked like sprinkles for a giant cupcake we sprinkled them all over.

Yummy!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Oh S"Crap"! It's Monday...

 Happy Labour Day everyone.  

This is what I came up with while playing in my scrap box today, in an attempt to tidy up the craft room a bit.

Both cards use Real Red for the card base, and whisper white for the gingerbread men.  The card on the right was embossed with the Snow Burst Embossing Folder.

The card on the left the gingerbread people are stamped directly on, the card on the right I cut them out after stamping using the new Framelits Dies that Stampin Up has come up with (shhhhhh they're like Spellbinders, except that they come with matching stamp sets).  

I used my Stampin' Write Markers to "ice" the gingerbread and Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details for the buttons.  

Two left over pieces of ribbon finished if off. 

Hope this inspires your own creativity..

Kathy

Waffle Sunday

It's Waffle Sunday.  There were still blueberries left over even after the making of pies, so I used them in waffles this morning. 

These were the last two, so not the best pictures, but the others had already disappeared.......mystery.

Below is the recipe I used for them.

Blueberry Waffles:

2 cups flour

2 1/4 baking powder

1 2/3 cups buttermilk

3 eggs

1/4 cup melted margarine

1 cup fresh blueberries

Mix wet ingredients together then add to dry ingredients.  Fold in blueberries.  Pour into waffle iron as per waffle iron instructions.  Enjoy!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Baking with Grandma Day 5

Today for Baking with Grandma, my mom and son made blueberry pie using fresh blueberries.

Yummy!!!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy