Tuesday, November 30, 2010

It's Been A While!

Wow! it's been a while and I've been feeling guilty and so even though I don't usually blog during the week, I had the urge and so decided to go with the flow...So, here goes...

A lot's been happening and yet, not so much really...It's been a whirlwind. The first thing that comes to mind of course, is that we just had a big holiday...but it sort of passed me by! I had to work...I mean I had to work the whole thing. My daughter got home from school the Friday before Thanksgiving and she was home the entire week. Thing is, it feels like I pretty much missed that too.

You see, it sort of went like this. Caitlin arrived Friday night and we spent Saturday together...sort of...you know how it is, as the other kids arrived in town they all had to see each other and then there was the local HS football game, they won, which means they are playing this week at the Ravens stadium for the state championship!

Anyway, then came Sunday and I had to fly to Nashville for a TBCRC (Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium) meeting. This was just an over night trip. Nashville was very cool. I had never been there and we stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and it was decorated for Christmas. It was beautiful. We got to see the Country Music Hall of Fame! It was a great meeting. Very informative, my first one. I returned late Monday night. That set the tone for the rest of the week since that was my day off for the next weekend! So I worked all the way through to the next Monday and Caitlin left on Sunday...bummer...

Now, during the course of the week my blackberry froze, never finished a reboot, got as far as the logo and never got any further...so I stopped on the way home and thought, they will take care of it...Oh, they took care of it all right...I was 3 DAYS OUT OF WARRANTY, yes, you read that right, and no, they could not fix it. So I became the proud new owner of a brand new latest model BlackBerry curve...I had my contacts but nothing else...I told the lady when I walked in that I wasn't up for a new phone, that I didn't have it in me, did she listen? No. She even told the sales person that I wasn't going to cry. I corrected her post haste!

So I spent that entire evening and the next few, off and on, putting the apps that I had had previously, on the new BB...sigh...So, fast forward to the weekend and the internet...for some reason our internet provider decided to crap out on us! No internet! Some days I just hate technology! I gave up...The next day it was back up but barely, it was limping along...tonight same thing...so, you might ask yourself, how is she typing away on her laptop? Well I will tell you how...My trusty new Blackberry, that's how! I have it tethered to my laptop and I am using it as a modem! Take that, Comcast!! Technology, you gotta love it! When it works...

Thanksgiving was lovely, after work, I and my family went over to my brother's house and we had a feast! He has 10 children and there is always a crowd. My parents were there and their newest addition, no not a baby, a puppy was with them and a big hit!

The next day was my birthday and it was no biggie...I worked...but I am happy to celebrate every BD...

I had my mammogram and ultrasound yesterday, not routine, since the scare last year. But in spite of that, all went well. And that, it has been decided, is the last holiday/birthday mammogram I will be having. Enough is enough! I have decided to have another one in 6 months and then have them yearly from there.

16 years of holiday mammograms beginning with the one at diagnosis is more than enough for this woman!

So that's what has been going on in my world...how about you? Aren't you sorry you asked? Oh Wait! You didn't, oh well, it's my blog, and I'll ramble if I want to...

Stay pink!

PS. I've been reading a delightful little series "The Coffee House Mysteries" by Cleo Coyle Give it a click and check it out...you wont be sorry!

French Fridays with Dorie Monthly Roundup


One of my friends, Mimi of Mimi's Kitchen, had a great idea to do a monthly roundup of the French Fridays with Dorie recipes. I liked the idea so well, that I adopted it and decided to do it myself. Without further adieu, here is my first monthly roundup of this month's French Fridays with Dorie recipes.

Without a doubt, Dorie's Roast Chicken for Les Paresseu (roast chicken for lazy people), is my favorite pick of the month. Hmmm...maybe there's a hidden message in there somewhere. Seriously though, it may very well be my favorite roast chicken recipe ever. I know, I say that all the time. What can I say? I find it hard to quell my excitement. I will say that I liked this version even better than Ina's, which is saying a lot.

I think maybe the secret might lie in using a roasting dish that hugs the chicken. Either way, the chicken browned wonderfully, it was moist and tender, and the flavor was amazing. I was more than impressed with Dorie's recipe.

Of course, it's hard to knock a recipe for cheesy and cream-laden potatoes. Dorie's Potato Gratin (Pommes Dauphinois) was in fact a real delight.

How could it not be?

Marie-Helene's Apple Cake was a pick from October that I just got around to making this month. A very moist cake, filled with chunks of apples, and distinct rum flavor, we enjoyed it with a side of apple pie ice cream.

Not only was this cake perfect for the fall season, it would also be perfect for someone watching their waistline. Most desserts don't fit into a diet plan at all, but this one fit in nicely, without all the feelings of guilt. The ice cream, of course, is another story altogether.

And, finally Dorie's Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Flans. I eagerly awaited the day when I could make these without all the critiques of what was going into them. No one in my family appreciates pumpkin or any type of blue cheese. Crazy folk I live with, I know...

The flans had a very smooth and silky consistency, with a strong pumpkin flavor. The gorgonzola paired beautifully with the pumpkin and was a nice contrast in flavor. I do feel like it was the toasted walnuts that made the dish and added a nice contrast in texture. If you enjoy these flavors together, then this would be a fun recipe for you. It certainly is beautiful to look at as well.

**In lieu of my family's finickiness, I skipped the Caramel-Topped Semolina Cake because I didn't think they would enjoy it and I hardly need to eat an entire dessert myself.

Which one do you think would be your favorite? Or, if you were lucky enough to try them all...which one was your favorite?

Cards for Church: What?

Part 2 of a series on Church Card Ministries

In yesterday's post, I discussed the two prongs of our church cardmaking ministry - for church use and for fundraising.  The cards for church use are fully explained in that post.  I am going to focus a little more on the fundraising side.

We maintain THREE card racks.


The racks are stocked as follows: (I am using "section" to indicate one column - so the brightest part of the card rack above, to the left side of the photo, is 2 sections.  I am only including this as an indicator of the relative proportions of the cards that we create. Our proportions have come about by watching "sales" and determining which cards go the quickest.)
  • Birthday (3 sections)
  • Kids (1 section) - includes birthday, congrats, proud of you, etc.
  • Thank You (2 sections)
  • Miscellaneous (2 sections)
  • Sympathy (2 sections) FYI - this section can be difficult to maintain as it can sit for a long time with average "sales", but if somebody passes away in the congregation, the cards will all disappear.  It is a good idea to have a "stash" of sympathy cards.
  • Thinking of You, Thoughts and Prayers (2 sections)
  • Get Well (1 section)
  • Wedding & Anniversary (1 sections)
  • Baby, Pregnancy, Baby Shower (2 sections)
We also have the third rack, hiding in the back of the photo in the shadows, that we pull out for holidays or special church occasions:
  • Valentines Day
  • Easter
  • Graduation
  • Confirmation
  • First Communion
  • Mother's Day - this is a good time to remember the "donation" principle of the church card ministry.  It's heartwarming to see children put in a hard-earned quarter to buy a card for mom or dad!
  • Father's Day
  • Halloween - we keep these fun, not scary
  • Thanksgiving
  • Christmas - Be sure to have these out in early November or else people will already have purchased their cards.  It's actually not our bestselling type of card - so many people buy bulk cards or photo cards, but it would be strange NOT to do Christmas cards in a church card ministry
FYI: We often do a few special cards for some "minor" holidays and occasions, e.g. St. Patrick's Day, 4th of July, or Back to School.  It's also fun to do teacher thank you displays with cards and other fun things like hand-crafted post-it note holders.

The purchase of our cards is on the honor system.  We keep a lock box on a table next to our card racks.  You may want to carefully consider this.  I know of one church that has had their cardmaking money stolen twice.  So far, our lock box has stayed put.  We like keeping it out at all times because we have people drop by all week long for cards.

We request a donation of $3/card or 2 for $5.  I think this is probably underpriced for what you get, and I know a lot of the "buyers" agree as they will donate more than is requested.  So it all works out.  We don't scare away anyone by a high price, but we tend to average higher than the price.

Stay tuned this week for more details on the preparation for the ministry and for the actual event!

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Set 264 - Yuletide Bits and Borders

I wasn't going to do any Christmas cards this week because I am preparing for our monthly church cardmaking gathering and we did Christmas cards last month.  But, when the SplitCoast Color Challenge came up with River Rock, Real Red and Old Olive and I remembered the Stampin' Up Dashing dsp from a few years ago - all my Christmas stuff came back out!


Someday I am going to learn to photograph glitter.  The red glitter on the snowflake is super sparkly and is a great match to Real Red.  There is also a clear coating of glitter on the snowflake strip that you can't see at all!

The sketch for this card comes from Technostamper.  I really like her sketches.  They are fun without relying on bizarre shapes and angles or on a million layers. 

  • Stamps: Stampin' Up Yuletide Bits and Borders
  • Ink: Stampin' Up Old Olive, River Rock
  • Paper: Stampin' Up Real Red, Old Olive, River Rock
  • Accessories: Art Institute Christmas Red Glitter, Martha Stewart Crystal Fine Glitter, spray adhesive

Monday, November 29, 2010

Cards for Church: Why?

Part 1 of a series on Church Card Ministries

The vast majority of my cards go to our church card ministry.  It's a wonderful ministry to be involved with - it's the perfect excuse to spend way too much time in my craft corner!  In all seriousness...I am doing something that I love, for a church that I love.

It's also an excuse to make cards that I would never otherwise get to make (and, of course, to buy stamps for those cards).  For example, I have two boys - a teen and a tween - but for church, I get to play with girlie cards.  Also...my friends are way beyond child-bearing years (sorry ladies!), but for church, I get to play with baby stuff!

And I LOVE the fellowship time we share when we all get together to make our cards.  It's such a fun time, we even have people attend who are not members of our church!  We all come to make cards and get new ideas and techniques - all without any sales pressure as so often happens in home parties and store classes.

So those are the selfish reasons for a card ministry, but why do we have a church cardmaking ministry?

For church use:
Upon request, our church card group makes cards in bulk.  There are so many reasons that a church may want to send cards, including:
  • Thank you for volunteers, e.g. Sunday School teachers
  • Outreach, e.g. Thanksgiving food baskets
  • Get well, thinking of you, etc. for church members and friends
  • Special occasions, e.g. Graduating seniors, newly confirmed youth
A hand crafted card just adds that special caring touch for each of these occasions.

For fund-raising:
Our cardmaking group meets monthly to create a variety of our cards for our "sale" racks.


These racks are always open - people can buy all week long.  Amazingly, we have people who are not even part of our church drop by to stock up!  We do ask for a "donation" of $3/card or 2 for $5.

It's the ultimate ministry! 
  • Cardmakers get to do something they love.
  • The people buying them get a personal handcrafted work of "art".
  • The people receiving the cards know they are loved and cared for. 
  • All of this - and the church gets a donation!
Stay tuned throughout this week for complete details on how to start and run a church card ministry so you can consider starting one on your own!

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Set 263 - Stipple Celebrations

I have one card to share today.  I deliberately stepped away from scallops, flourishes, flowers and glitter today (although I still used a little ribbon) to be sure that we have a masculine card on our church card racks.


The sketch comes from Stamping 411.

The colors come from the color throwdown.

  • Stamps: Stampin' Up Stipple Celebrations, Inkadinkado Expressions & Frames clear set
  • Ink: Stampin' Up Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, So Saffron
  • Paper: Stampin' Up black, white, Old Olive dsp
  • Accessories: Spellbinders label die, Stampin' Up Black Gingham, Marvy Uchida corner punch

Michael Symon's Italian Braised Beef with Root Vegetables for Food 'n Flix


This recipe is a huge labor of love. However, fifteen hours later you will have the most deliciously tender, succulent, melt-in-your mouth beef roast with a complex and flavorful sauce served over rigatoni. It will make your family swoon. It will make you want to kiss Michael Symon (assuming you never thought of kissing him before).

When my family sees Symon's cookbook laying on the kitchen counter they know they're in for something good. They also know when they see his book it means that I'll be in the kitchen for awhile and his Yia Yia's Sunday Sauce is no exception. Yia Yia was Symon's maternal grandmother and this is her sauce. A rich homemade tomato sauce that simmers for 8 hours, Symon uses this sauce as a base in many recipes throughout his book, including his Italian Braised Beef with Root Vegetables.
Yia Yia's Sunday Sauce
Adapted from Michael Symon's Live To Cook
Makes 2 quarts, freezes well
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tablespoon kosher salt, or more to taste
2 28-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes, with their juice
1 cup dry white wine
2 pounds meaty beef bones (or 2 cups beef broth)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan or large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until transparent, 2 minutes. Add the garlic and salt and cook until everything is soft but not browned, about 3 minutes.

Squeeze the tomatoes one by one into the pan, pulverizing them by hand, and pour in their juice, too. Add the wine, beef bones (or broth), bay leaf, oregano, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to its lowest possible setting, and continue to cook for 8 hours. The sauce should reduce by about one third.

Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Remove the bones (if using) and bay leaf. If not using right away, let the sauce cool, then cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months.


Let's talk about a couple key points in making a roast. The first, and most important step, is picking a great roast. If you don't buy a great roast then it won't matter how long you cook it or what you do with it. Symon says to use a rump roast, but after years of experimenting I like to use a shoulder roast, preferably black angus. The shoulder cut is a flat cut, which fits well into most pans or slow cookers, and has good marbling throughout. Marbling is very important! I always check to make sure the roast is fresh, meaning that the roast itself is bright red and the marbling is very white.

The second step in a great pot roast is to SEAR the roast, on all sides. Searing is one of the keys to great flavor.

Another great tip that I learned from Symon is to make sure that when braising, a third of the meat is above the liquid. The meat should not be submerged, so pot size is important. I found that a 9 x 13 dish was the perfect size for this roast.

In the movie The Ramen Girl, the broth for the ramen noodle soup was the heart of the recipe. In Symon's Italian Braised Beef, the sauce is the heart of the recipe. Full of complex and robust flavors, which have cooked and simmered for hours upon hours, it is what makes this recipe so good.

Italian Braised Beef with Root Vegetables
Adapted from Michael Symon's Live To Cook
Serves 6
3 pounds rump roast (NOTE: I used a 4.5lb shoulder roast)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 small celery root, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup red wine
2 cups Yia Yia's Sunday Sauce*make day before
2 bay leaves

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Season the meat liberally with salt and pepper, as much as a day in advance. (Cover and refrigerate it if doing so and take the meat out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.) Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. When the oil is on the verge of smoking, sear the meat, about 2 minutes on each side. Move the meat to the side (or remove it from the pot altogether if necessary), and add the carrot, onion, and celery root. Brown the vegetables, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a minute or two longer.

Add the wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. Add the tomato sauce, 1 cup water, and the bay leaves (and the pot roast if you removed it). Bring the liquid to a simmer and taste for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 3 hours, basting the meat occasionally during this time.

Discard the bay leaves before serving. The meat can be removed to a cutting board and sliced if you're serving individual plates, or the meat can be pulled apart with a couple of forks right in the pot at the table and served with plenty of the sauce and vegetables.

*Michael's family served their roast over rigatoni, so I did the same.

Notes/Results: A fabulous and soul-satisfying dish, one to be proud of for sure. The sauce on this pot roast is so sensational, a winning component of the recipe. This roast would be great served on it's own, with polenta, or with mashed potatoes. I served this 4 pound roast over a pound of rigatoni and it was gone in record time. Many hands fought over the leftovers the next day. This recipe will be made again in the coming months.

This recipe is being submitted to Ashlee over at Veggie By Season for the bi-monthly Symon Sundays event.

It is also being submitted to Food 'n Flix, where this month's movie is The Ramen Girl.


And also to the Hearth 'n Soul Blog hop, co-hosted by my friend Heather of girlichef.

moments..

This week on the Scrapware blog I am sharing this layout I created a little while ago. I adore that little cherub almost shouting out the heading...I got him from Spotlight, for all my fellow Australian bloggers... in the Christmas department.
For that gorgeous Scrapware chippie giraffe I borrowed some red stickles off the lovely Taryn for his little spots, thankyou thankyou.

In other exciting news I been asked to join the new DT for a fabulous new challenge blog called SHOW US YOUR STUFF here... a chance to show off your hand made embellishment skills and win some awesome prizes. I hope you will join in the fun with me. The first challenge starts Dec 1.
Finally if you are a fan of Tattered angels glimmer mist and glimmer glaze like I am, Handmade by Suzanne here have 30% off all this week, hurry the sale finishes fri 3rd Dec... I don't think there is a layout I create now with a bit of misting...
Till next time...

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Turkey and Cranberry Ravioli


I hope those of you celebrating Thanksgiving had a wonderful weekend. We had a quiet and peaceful Thanksgiving here, with a few food highlights that I'll share later in the week.

It's been a busy weekend, full of shopping, putting up the tree, and stringing the lights. I can't wait for tomorrow morning when everything is back to normal and I can have some time to catch up on what all of you have been making.

I chose Giada's Turkey and Cranberry Raviol for the potluck at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week and the results were out of this world! These ravioli are absolutely fantastic! The recipe is a little messy and somewhat time consuming, but the results are worthwhile and the end result is really impressive. I'm beginning to think that I might make a double batch of this recipe next year and serve it all on it's own for Thanksgiving dinner. It really is that good!


Turkey and Cranberry Ravioli

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis as found on Food Network
Ravioli:
* 1/4 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
* 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
* 2 tablespoons grated Romano
* 1 tablespoon bread crumbs
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 1 egg
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 20 store-bought wonton wrappers
Gravy:
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1 shallot, chopped
* 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons heavy cream
* 1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
To make the ravioli: in a medium bowl, stir together the turkey, cranberry sauce, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, egg, salt, and pepper. Place 10 wonton wrappers on a work surface. Brush lightly with water using a pastry brush. Place 1 tablespoon of the turkey mixture on each of the wonton wrappers. Top with another wonton wrapper. Push out any air bubbles and press the edges tightly to seal.

To make the gravy:
in a medium, heavy skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir until cooked, about 1 minute. Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring quickly to avoid lumps. Add the cream, parley, salt, and pepper and cook, without boiling, for 2 minutes, stirring often.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook until tender but still firm to the bite and the turkey is cooked, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Drain the ravioli into the gravy and stir to coat. Serve immediately in individual dishes, drizzled with the remaining gravy.


Notes/Results: Absolutely delicious! I have to say that I was a little intimidated by this recipe, mostly worried that my ravioli would burst while cooking. I'm happy to say that I had no problems or issues with this recipe. Sure, it was a little messy and a little time-consuming, but so are a lot of other great recipes. The ravioli themselves are really meaty, with a just a hint of cranberry (my husband didn't even notice it), and the gravy sauce is some really good and creamy stuff. I will tell you that if you simply love cranberry, go ahead and add some more to the filling. Either way, you should try this recipe at some point. I really am thinking of making a double batch next year and serving it as the main course for Thanksgiving dinner. It's definitely one of my favorite Giada recipes so far.

Now celebrating the recipes of Giada De Laurentiis.

SCS Featured Stamper 199

Set 262 - Live Your Dreams

Today's featured stamper on SplitCoast Stampers has a fantastic gallery.  It is full of fairly simple cards, but with totally unique touches.

There were many cards that I favorited, but for today, I chose this wonderful butterfly.  Eventually I want to totally copy her beautiful orange butterfly- but I did have to change it up for this challenge.  I chose to focus on the sentiment hanging on the twine.



The vast majority of my cardmaking is for our church card ministry.  We have an active group of crafters that creates cards for the church's use and also creates cards to sell for fund-raising.  We raise hundreds of dollars each month - and simply by doing something that we love to do!!  Stay tuned this week for daily posts on church card ministries.
  • Stamps: Stampin' Up Live Your Dreams
  • Inks: Stampin' Up Melon Mambo, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip markers
  • Paper: Stampin' Up Melon Mambo, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip
  • Accessories: Stampin' Up ribbon punch, label punch, Martha Stewart baker's twine

Saturday, November 27, 2010

"Tee-Hee" Birthdays

I do so many serious birthday cards - probably because I have so many flower/leaf/flourish type stamps.  But sometimes, I just have to focus on the fun!


Pretty on the outside, but...

Take a close look at the words
in the puzzle!!  Tee Hee!

The fun birthday stamps on all of these cards are from DRS Designs.  They also carry a wonderful variety of "serious" birthday sentiments.  Their inside sentiments are my "go to" stamps!


So Many Candles

The layout comes from Mojo Monday.

  • Stamps: DRS Designs
  • Ink: black
  • Paper: Stampin' Up East Coast Prep dsp, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Wild Wasabi, PaperTrey Summer Sunrise
  • Accessories: PaperTrey Summer Sunrise Twill, Quickutz birthday candle die

Sense of Wonder

The colors come from Inkspirations.

  • Stamps: DRS Designs
  • Ink: black
  • Paper: Stampin' Up Pear Pizzazz, Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquoise, white
  • Accessories: Stampin' Up Pear Pizzazz ribbon, rhinestones from Michaels, Cuttlebug embossing folder
  • Copics: RV69, V09

Geriatric Puzzle
  • Stamps: DRS Designs (I actually find the outside phrase, but the word search is there)
  • Ink: PaperTrey Ripe Avocado
  • Paper: PaperTrey Ripe Avocado, MME Out and About
  • Accessories: Sizzix Movers and Shapers cupcake, Prima flower

Friday, November 26, 2010

not again!

Happy Black Friday! I hope you got some killer deals and a lot of your Christmas shopping done. We did pick up a few items, but our big purchase for the day was this:
water heater
I’m SO excited! (Add major sarcasm.)
A few years after we moved into our home, our furnace went out on Thanksgiving day. As you probably know, a service call on Thanksgiving--or any holiday--is very expensive. The next year, our furnace went out AGAIN on Thanksgiving day! True story. We now have our furnace checked every year in the fall, before it gets cold.
Fast forward to this Thanksgiving. Our furnace is doing nicely, but the water heater goes out. Seriously! It’s almost funny, except we had to buy a water heater today and it was twice what we expected with the new codes/installation. NOT what I wanted for Christmas. You would have thought there would be some great deals on water heaters on Black Friday. I guess it’s just not a hot selling item. Go figure.
I have invited the repairman and his family to Thanksgiving dinner next year so they can all be together and dad only has to walk down the stairs instead of drive across the county.

Friday Focus: Shimmer Paint

Do you want some easy shimmer and shine on your projects?

Stampin' Up sells Shimmer Paints which are actually Tsukineko's All Purpose Ink.  You can find Tsukineko's paints all over the internet, with more colors, and significantly cheaper than Stampin' Up, but I have to say that Stampin' Up has selected three of the best colors!  I have created samples of cards using each of their paints in a variety of ways.  Have fun!!



FROST WHITEa sheer wash of very sparkly color.

1. Apply on top of any color ink to make that ink sparkle!

I have previously published this card and instructions, but it is a fundamental technique to all of the following cards.  If you have seen this before...skip it and keep reading!



Here's how!

Shake the bottle well. Remove the cap and
apply a small amount to a sponge dauber.

First, ink your stamp with your chosen color,
then simply tap the dauber over the ink.
That small amount of paint will easily cover this stamp.

All the details on this card can be found in this post.

This technique of using a dauber to get paint from the cap of the bottle is used in virtually all the following techniques.

2. Paint on any colored cardstock to add sparkle.


The little turquoise bird is punched and then painted over with Frost White.

All details on this card can be found in this post.


3. Mix Frost White with Crystal Effects


Mix your Crystal Effects (or Ranger Glossy Accents) and a drop of Frost White in a separate pallette. It only takes a drop of Frost White.  Apply heavily to your stamped image with a paint brush.  You will get a more subtle shine instead of the glassy look.



4. Paint onto ribbon for a nice shine.

FYI - Tsukineko markets their All-Purpose Inks as fabric inks.





Edited to Add:

5. Faux Mother of Pearl -

Months after I put up this post, I found another fun technique - creating Faux Mother of Pearl.  Here's the card, details are here.




6. There is one thing that, in my opinion, does NOT work - painting onto white cardstock.  It doesn't stay sheer - it becomes almost gray.



CHAMPAGNE MIST - somewhere between a sheer wash of color and an opaque color.

1. Use on the edge of stamps or paper.




On this card, I inked the stamp and then daubed the Champagne Mist along the edge of the stamp (using the same techniques as outlined at the beginning of this post).

I also edged each cardstock layer with the paint:



2. Apply directly to a stamp for a subtle background.


I had intended to use the heart/flourish background stamp across an entire background but I did run into a problem.  I daubed the paint across the entire background stamp and then tried to stamp it.  Only half of the image stamp.  Apparently the first half had dried before I was ready to stamp.  I did try it again with a paintbrush and working very quickly - but the paintbrush leaves blobs of paint.  So, for this card, I simply cut out the stamped part and used it as an accent panel.

Also on this card, I inked the jar stamp with Crumb Cake and daubed the Champagne Mist on top just as I did on the cards in the Frost White section.


3. Painting directly on the paper.

I didn't get a card made with this technique, but I have a tidbit to share - the cardstock makes a big difference when you paint with Champagne Mist.


The bird on the left is Stampin' Up Whisper White cardstock which is semi-glossy.  The paint didn't stick so I got streaks and globs.  The bird on the left uses a different white cardstock which has some tooth to it and gives better coverage.


PLATINUM - shiny and opaque

This paint is VERY different from the first two.  It isn't sheer and sparkly, rather it is shiny and opaque.

1. Use on the edge of stamps


First I inked the stamp with Pacific Point, then I used a dauber to apply the Platinum paint to the edges.



2. Apply directly to the stamp - you get great silvery coverage.


All the details on this card can be found on this post.


In this case, I applied the paint only to the dove.

All the details on this card can be found on this post.


3. Paint onto chipboard.



This is an absolutely terrible picture because the card is actually white.  But I wanted to show you how much the Platinum paint shines and I don't have the photography skills to get the white AND the shine.  Sorry!

All the details on this card can be found on this post.

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I do hope that you have found some fun new ways to play with paint!!  I certainly had fun experimenting - now I am off to shower and wash my clothes due to the sparkles that cover me from eyebrows to jeans!

Some of the above cards were found in earlier posts and are linked to that post for the details.

Here are the details for the new cards:

Gently Falling with Crystal Effects - Set 257 for my goal of using all of my SU sets
  • Stamps: Stampin' Up Gently Falling
  • Inks: Stampin' Up Baja Breeze
  • Paper: Stampin' Up Baja Breeze
  • Accessories: Tsukineko Frost White, Ranger Glossy Accents, Martha Stewart snowflake border, Sizzix embossing folder (with a birthday set), Stampin' Up Whisper taffeta
Very Merry Shimmer Ribbon - Set 258 for my goal of using all of my SU sets

The layout for this card comes from Just Add Ink.


  • Stamps: Stampin' Up Very Merry
  • Inks: Memento black
  • Paper: Stampin' Up Sage Shadow
  • Accessories: Tsukineko Frost White, Stampin' Up white grosgrain, Stampin' Up embossing folder, Martha Stewart snowflake border punch
  • Copics: RV91, RV93, YG93, YR00, B0000, E42, C00, Prismacolor brand PM-191 (matches sage)
Champagne Mist Ornaments - Set 259 for my goal of using all of my SU sets

The layout for this cards comes from clean & simple stamping.


The colors come from colourQ.

  • Stamps: Stampin' Up Tree Trimming, "Joy" is from a Clear Dollar Stamps set of snowflakes
  • Inks: Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler, More Mustard, Early Espresso
  • Paper: Stampin' Up Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla
  • Accessories: Sizzix embossing folder, Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Nestabilities, Tsukineko Champagne Mist, misc gold brads.
Thanks from the Heart in Guava - set 260
  • Stamps: Stampin' Up Thanks from the Heart, background stamp (old and unknown name)
  • Inks: Stampin' Up Groovy Guava, Mellow Moss, Crumb Cake
  • Paper: Stampin' Up Groovy Guava, Mellow Moss, Crumb Cake
  • Accessories: Stampin' Up Mellow Moss Gingham, Tsukineko Champagne Mist
Pacific Point Snowflake - set 261
  • Stamps: Stampin' Up Snowflakes, sentiment from Taylored Expressions
  • Inks: Stampin' Up Pacific Point
  • Paper: Stampin' Up Whisper White, Pacific Point
  • Accessories: Tsukineko Platinum, misc silver ribbon, Stampin' Up punch, gemstone snowflake from Joann