Christmas Emporium Necklace

I just love Graphic 45, don't you?  I'm such a paperholic and they just keeping feeding my dependency.  So Naughty of them.  Santa probably will still visit them though, because they are awesome.

 I was working with their Christmas Emporium Collection, making this incredibly layered juicy flip book I learned off of YouTube (another addiction, and Pinterest...there really should be a Crafter's Anonymous) when I dropped everything (left a big mess in the middle of the crop room) to run off to Galena for my second ever all day workshop over at Vintaj.  Oh my gosh and goodness.  I learned so much.  Tons.  And I drug along Michelle my scrappy chum/business partner/aunt who had never made so much as a friendship bracelet before.  Bless her, she is always game for a wild hare brained new idea:-)

To dip her toes into the waters of jewelry making, I signed both up for a basic stringing class over at Galena Beads the night before.  While Michelle was whipping up a necklace that has to probably win the Best Necklace by a Complete Novice Ever Award, I whipped up my own necklace from some beads and (yes!) Vintaj pieces.   

I had all those great warm Christmas Emporium Colors that reminded me of Christmas at home percolating in my head.  I wanted the necklace to look like the old glass garland my mom used to put on our tree in the big bay window of old Victorian house.  Reading in old green tapestry chair by the fireplace with a cup of spiced cider and making pomanders out of cloves and oranges to put on the buffet with the Christmas cards.  Amazing how many memories a few mossy greens, rich reds, and aged brass beads can bring up, hmmm.  I even added a little mistletoe on each side of the magnolia leaf bead cap ;-) and a "wreath" closure.  It gives me warm fuzzies and makes me want to sing Holly and the Ivy (which I will do despite not knowing all the words, be forewarned).  Go make yourself some holiday cheer!

Kudos and Typos

I'm so excited!  Why?  I'm now a famous blue ribbon farm girl cook.  Faaaamous.  In Iowa anyway and some of Nebraska.    I just got a two page spread in Iowa Farmer Today.  You can see it here. Well, I guess you will next week.  This week Kay Wohlenhaus is having her moment in the sun :-) Those oatmeal cookies sound good, might have to try them.

Tim came by right on the heals (like the day after) we had our big scrapbook retreat at the Dairy Barn.  I did most of the cooking for that, plus ran a couple classes.  I was a little crazed at the end.   And then I made 6 dozen filled cupcakes in 3 different flavors, chocolate chip cookies, gingersnaps, chicken vegetable soup and foccacia.  Maybe manic might be a better description than crazed, lol.   Unfortunately that meant I had to delegate something, in this case, typing recipes so this lovely man could take them back to his paper fell into my grandmother's lap (bless her heart for helping).  But you know every cook changes something as they go... yep, so my margin notes didn't make it into the final copy.

The recipes are good as they are, but I like the way I do it  :-) So here you go if you want to be awesome and faaaamous in your state.

1) I was born in Iowa, and grew up on the Kansas-Oklahoma border.  On the Kansas side.   I went to college in Oklahoma.  I like cowboys, okra, and ranch dressing and picked up a little accent that I've kept, 'cuz it's fun.  I point this out so nobody in Kansas thinks I'm putting on airs.  This postcard is about 2 blocks and a hundred years from where I lived.  Hmmm, hasn't changed much.

2) Like I said, I was a bit manic and making food.  I took a shower, but didn't have time to do my hair or makeup before caught in action making focaccia.  Sorry about that photo.  Most days I look like this:

3) I did not make Irish Car Bombs for Tim.  He just thought they sounded good.  Which they are. I did make Tuxedos (devils food filled with raspberries and frosted with white chocolate) and Daisies (sour cream yellow cake filled with from scratch lemon curd and frosted with lemon white chocolate)  plus the Pumpkin Spice (which need cute name suggestions).  We weren't done chatting 'til lunch so we had my favorite chicken vegetable soup, focaccia, all those cupcakes, plus my BLUE RIBBON!!! winning Gingersnaps.  I'm just a little in love with those gingersnaps.  Alfie (the dog) likes them a lot too.

4) The Irish Car Bomb and Pumpkin Spice Cupcake recipes are actually perfect.  I had them on file because I made them up and I have a rotten memory for measurements.  Bake them.  You won't be sorry.  Unless you are in AA.  In which case, leave out the booze, you will still be happy.

Now Margin Notes from the Delegated Recipes

5) Chicken Vegetable Soup: Corrections

• Feel free to substitute canned vegetables for fresh.  It's winter.  You aren't getting fresh corn on the cob and if you do you are going to hell for not being a locavore and your punishment will be having corn that tastes like cardboard.  Just sayin'.  ;-) But realistically time and effort is an issue for everyone.  I try to use home canned tomatoes, but when time and pantry don't allow, I reach for the Rotel.  See that part about growing  up on the Kansas-Oklahoma border.  Only ingredient better in the whole wide world than ranch, is rotel.  
• I sometimes throw in pesto instead of fresh basil, because my basil plant is usually naked stems because I made pesto.  It's an addiction, but I don't smoke so it must be okay.  
• I use leftover chicken in my soup.  And sometimes canned.  Shhhh, don't tell.  
• Pickapeppa sauce = Tabasco sauce.  I like a bit of spice.  You can leave it out.  
• I don't blanch my zucchini.  I just peel it and cut it up and toss it in the pot with the corn.  This is an excellent soup to use up the giant zucchini that got away from you in the garden.  Most people eat it and think it's celery.  
• I don't ever thicken it with cornstarch.  That is what crackers are for.

6) Focaccia: Corrections
I think this is my dear grandmama's recipe.  It isn't mine or at least not one I've made in the past decade.  Pesto is involved so it's got to be good.  I'll put a link to my current fave (the one I'm chopping rosemary for in that oh so lovely photo) here just as soon as I retype it, sounds like a goal for tomorrow morning.

Oooky Spooky Class

 This is a class I'm teaching in a couple of weeks.  It's all sold out (I ran out of castles!) but if you can snag the supplies, I've got clear shots of each page if you'd like to make one :-)

 

You'll need: 

Pink Paislee's Hocus Pocus Line, embellishments & papers

Walnut Stain Distress Crackle Paint

Kaisercraft Beyond the Page Castle Album

Black Vine Ribbon

Black Sheer Ribbon

Tim Holtz Rosette Die

Scallop Border Punch

Glue (I like Zip Dry)

 Make a pocket on the first page

 Make another pocket on the back of the page as well

 Punch holes in one of Hocus Pocus clear cards and use it as a page.

  Punch holes in another one of Hocus Pocus clear cards and use it as a page.

 Paint the rooftops with crackle paint.  When it dries go over it with distress ink.

Now go back through the book and apply stickers.  Fun and easy!  Just don't watch spooky movies while you are making it like I did.  I've got the heebie jeebies now!  I think I'll throw a Young Frankenstein Party and put the pictures in this album...

hehehe

Fall Magic WCMD 2011

Happy Monday, everyone!  It is a beautiful fall day, the leaves have changed, the mums are blooming, and the scarecrow is the next thing on my to do list :-)

It is the perfect day to announce the winner of this Fall Magic Box Kit!

Drumroll please.....

The winner is Pamela Young!  Your name literally fell in my lap during the drawing, lol.  Please e-mail me at donya at backroadsplumcrazy.com with your contact information by October 17th, 2011.

I taught this as a class this time last year at Door County Rubber Stamps in Egg Harbor.  We had so much fun!  Everybody made such beautiful boxes.  I think the most popular part was making the paper rose and coloring it with Twinkle H2Os.

Here are the instructions for everyone who wants to try this at home:   Fall Magic Box

Well I hunted and hunted for the diagram I had made for folding the sturdy little origami box that makes up the heart of this project to no avail.  But hurrah! Splitcoast Stampers are the best :-) they had a step by step list of how to make it.  

Just go here: 

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/origami_box/

Supply List Details:

• Stamps are all available at Backroads Plum Crazy or directly from Door County Rubber Stamps
• I used decorative paper from Cosmo Cricket Flueriste Paper (Vineyard & Dew Drops) & Cosmo Cricket Flueriste Cardstock Stickers on the inside of each notecard
• I used the Marvy Embossing Oak Leaf Punch and the McGill Designer Series punches to make the foilage out of vellum.  Since then Spellbinders has come out with some really excellent foilage dies that I would highly recommend.
• I stamped my main image, cut it out with Spellbinders Nested Maple Leaves (S4-228), colored the girl and branches with Copics, then created sky and leaves with a blending tool and distress ink.
• Brown Vine & the Antique Gold Silk Ribbon are from May Arts and are to die for.  Swoon.

That's all for today folks!  If you have trouble with any of the steps or questions, don't hesitate to shoot me an e-mail. Have fun and thanks for visiting!

World Cardmaking Day 2011

Yay! It's World Cardmaking Day! Time for some swag! I'm on the road this weekend, so no card making for me, bummer! I was up until the wee hours making these card kits. Leave a comment for your chance to win a kit and the stamp I used on the top of the box!!!

each kit contains materials to make a beautiful one sheet wonder gift box and a handful of 4x4 notecards. Everything you need is included (well, except glue)

Tune in Monday morning and I'll post the winners names plus instructions for making your own!

Harvest Glow

It is another rainy Monday, but the leaves are starting to change, and I have a bushel of honeycrisp apples and a gallon of apple cider.  Things to be thankful for.  I think I'll go heat a cup of that cider while I tell you about this pretty thing. 

It's hard to see in the cloudy gray light, but the card base is a deep plum.  The rest paper is from the Harvest Glow collection by Reminisce.  I love Reminisce because #1 they are from Iowa, like me, and are therefore super cool, and #2 Reminisce is eclectic.  They have more than one style in their bag of tricks so you never, ever say Oh, yep, that again.  #3 and final is that they made Harvest Glow.  People just about fall over when they see this one in person at Backroads Plum Crazy. It is so beautiful!!! Now there's pretty paper and beautiful paper, this is the latter.  It glows (hence it's name) and is just lovely, classic, and warm like apple pie.  Ach, just impossible to describe so you better just go look here at Reminisce's site. Or better yet, go buy some.  Because it's better in real life, believe me. 

The stamp is of course, my favorite Door County Stamp.  I used Memento Cocoa Brown to stamp her so the lines wouldn't be so prominent after I colored her in with copics.  I think if I make more of them for card club, I'll try it in Potters Clay so she just looks painted.

To make the frame cut and emboss Spellbinders Classic Frame, but leave it in the die.  Stencil Aged Mahogany distress ink through the openings in the die, then pop it out and go over the whole frame with Vintage Photo.  Looks like the Classic Frame must be discontinued since I don't find it on the Spellbinder site.  Pity, it's very useful.  Hope you have one already :-)

Supplies used:
Memento Cocoa Brown Ink
Copic Markers
Kaisercraft mint flowers
Door County Stamp- Blowin' in the wind
Spellbinder Classic Frame Die S5 012
Glitz Teeny Letters
Reminsice Harvest: Harvest Plaid (just one sheet front and back)


Mmm, warm spiced cider and crunchy maple leaves.  Hello fall!

Hot Stuff

It was a rainy day and I couldn't bring myself to venture out to the shop to finish my crafty project for today.  So instead I slept in incredibly indulgently wonderfully late.  And then I baked. 

You really must try these.  So Yum.  Every one of them.  

Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies

at Epicurious

Rustic Raspberry Peach Pie

at King Arthur Flour

Rosemary Shortbread

at Epicurious

I also highly recommend you have one of each with a cup of Berried Treasure tea from the Tea Source.  Mmmm.  I love trying out new recipes for the bed and breakfast.

Burlap is the New Black

I ordered in these awesome stretched burlap canvases from Canvas Corp for the shop.  Having made this project, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going to be able share the boxful.  They are awesome.

 I had fun in the cornfield taking pictures of my little project.  So handy.  Hope the renter doesn't mind if I bent a few of his ears are artistically arranged.



 Supplies Used:

• Canvas Corp 12x12 Burlap Canvas
• Prima Alder Regent Flowers
• Prima Pearls and Roses Swirl
• Tea Dye Distress Embossing Powder
  
• Graphic 45 Magic of Oz Paper-  Scatterbrained Scarecrow, The Magic of Oz, There's No Place like Home
  
• Alphabet Stencil & Black Paint
• Vintage Photo & Black Soot Distress Ink
• Foam Dots
• Dried Wheat

 Directions:

1. Fussy cut out  Scatterbrained Scarecrow paper.  Stencil the burlap canvas with black paint.

2. Add a little distress embossing powder in a pleasing manner.

3. Add some pearly swirls

4. Give the Dorothy quarter of There's No Place Like Home Paper a little rough love.

5. Then a little rub with distress ink to make it all better.

6. Fussy cut out Dorothy and the Scarecrow.  While your are at it cut out the Magic of Oz banner from The Magic of Oz paper.

10. Glue the red No Place Like Home square you just distressed to the Magic of Oz banner.

11. Tuck a little wheat behind.

12. Add the straw colored flowers and a little more wheat.

And there you have your very own!  Have fun :-)

Magic of Oz

I grew up in Kansas.  It wasn't black and white.  Sometimes it felt pretty sepia toned, especially when I was in high school.  I have to say I'm glad to be living in full technicolor now.  I think that Iowa (where I live now) might still be stuck in an episode of Green Acres. That isn't all bad, what with quirky characters and the occasional adorable pig.  But sometimes, just sometimes, it's time to run away to Oz.

Handily, I ust got the new Graphic 45 Magic of Oz paper.  Sometimes you need one of everything.  Especially Graphic 45 anything.  In which case you might need two of everything :-)

I made me some home decor.  I think Dorothy is your happy medium of happiness and good wholesome Midwesterness.  And then like little good and bad angels on each shoulder, you've got your witches.

Glinda makes my teeth hurt. But you have to give her points for character.  Not just everyone can carry off a crown that big.  Takes serious Personality (with a capital P)

The Wicked Witch rocks.  Everybody loves a bad ass :-) and the flying monkeys.  That's just genius.

And of course you must have fabulous shoes.  Must.

Supplies Used:

Graphic 45 Magic of Oz Collection-

• Parcel Post
• Goblin Gazette
• The Magic of Oz

Door County Rubber Stamps-

• Trick or Treat Witch
• Trick or Treat Fairy

Misc.-

• 8x10 Oval Mat
• Tim Holtz Rosette Die
• Ruby Stickles
• Vintage Photo Distress Ink 

I don't have a Work Desk this Wednesday

Last night I got the Spring Cleaning bug.  I think they look a lot like ladybugs, but they bite.  You know the cleaning urge that hits about the same time as the sun comes out and temperatures reach the 50 degree mark.  So I don't have a work desk today.  Today it is buried beneath things that used to be on the store displays.  Lots and lots of things.   It should be put back together soon, freshly scrubbed, vacuumed, and rearranged in a more Feng Shui manner.

In the meantime I'll share my work desk from this weekend at Vintaj:

Alcohol (ink) was involved.

Polymer Clay Bezels and Faux Enamel & Patina

My inky pieces.  Two of these are polymer clay we modeled from the metal.  So cool.

Shortly after this I got so involved I forgot my camera, so, you'll just have to be patient while I assemble al the pieces into finished works and post them :-)

You can see more class pics on the Vintaj blog HERE.  I'm the one with the crazy buns and the green shirt.  Or to see some arte metal hammering mayhem (about 20 people hammering at once) check this video out.

A great experience.  If you ever get a chance to take one of their workshops, jump at it.   It was about a semesters worth of art jewelry technique in one day.

Bonus!  Finished Project from last Wednesday:

I'll be teaching this May 8th at Backroads Plum Crazy.  If you're in the area, stop by!  If you are not in the area, I know a great bed and breakfast, haha (I live and cook there, if you are new to the blog ;-)

To see more fun work desks, go to the Stamping Ground and join in!

On my work desk; a Summer Fantasy

Has it been a week already?  Craziness.  I've been a busy bee this week, making banners of various forms out the whazoo.  I did manage to back off from having taken over 4 tables and a counter at the shop and am back down to my usual two.  Definitely an improvement. Gold star for me :-) !

The banner on the table is the last one to be finished of a seasonal series I'm going to be teaching at Backroads Plum Crazy.  This one is Summer.

Antique Linen Crackle Paint makes pretty good sand!

The Old Lace Glimmermist on the canvas word doesn't show up too well in person or in the photo.  I may paint over it, or maybe leave it as is, with the barest hint of glitter.  More is less and all.

A few pretty beachy flowers. Positively minimalist compared to the other seasons, but it helps keep the airy feel.  None of this is glued down yet as I ran out of hot glue and wasn't brave enough to ransack the office in search of a fresh stick.  I get the urge to organize whenever I go in there.  And by "organize" I mean take everything out of the lawn like a TLC show and put a great big "Free to a Good Home" sign on it. I'll try and sweet talk Michelle to get me one out later today.

In other news, this weekend I'm going to Galena.  What is in Galena you ask?  Nothing less than Vintaj, darling!  Oh, and a lot of other cool historic things, but mostly (for me) Vintaj.   I'm going to take their Art Metal Workshop.

And maybe a dash over to a stamp store ;-) I'm so, so, so, excited.Plus I'm staying a the Irish Cottage Boutique Hotel (ooh lala) which has a fairy ring and Woodchuck Cider on draft.  Perfect for just before St. Patty's day.

Lil' Sprout

Here's the baby cards for card club, made just in the nick of time.  I was drying the stickles with a embossing gun just as the first car rolled in, lol.

The stamps are from Rubbernecker, a great little stamp company.  I especially like their Goddess stamps.  They remind me of Alphonse Mucha paintings.  Lovely and unusual.  Now that I think about it, I bet they'd look great with Graphic 45's Steampunk Debutante collection.  Anyway, train of thought back on the rails, you can check out everbody else's cards here.

Workdesk Wednesday

Here's what my table looks like today and most days :-)  This is actually the second table I'd made a fine mess of.  I'll be doing an uber ten second tidy before card club tomorrow for sure!

I'm working on a banner for Door County Rubber Stamps, where all these little girl stamps are from.  Oscar in Door County is a few weeks behind me here in northern Iowa, seasonally so I thought she could use a Happy colorful Spring banner.  I need it, too.  I clued in about 7:00 when my fingers started getting really cold that the furnace had been out for about 2 hours.  Brrrr!  I must have gotten a little wrapped up in my project if I didn't notice a 10 degree temperature drop.

 

My iPad playing an old Live With Prima show while I work.  If you haven't watched these, go, do, they are so amazing.  So much technique it makes me a bit giddy with inspiration when I watch.

  

Panel 1 was pretty much together already, I just added some flowers today.

 This is my favorite one so far.

 I had planned to use these flowers on another project, but they fell on this one and I kinda loved them and glued them down, so I'll be needing another package.  Darn! (hehehe)

 Put it all together and whaddaya got?  HAPPY!

I'm planning a little kite flier for the last panel and am toying with the idea of some stripy paper ruffles and lace along the bottoms... It's so hard to stop embellishing!

And here we have what I had really meant to work on today- Baby themed cards for Card Club tomorrow night.  Don't they look great? lol.  I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow if I can tear myself away from that darn banner!