Baking with Impressabilities™

WOW! Can you believe the news that topped off my week? I made the Spellbinders™ design team for another year!! What a huge honor and thrill!! I adore Spellbinders™ products and I cannot wait to spend another year creating with the product and all the wonderful people! Check out the announcement HERE!

A.J. Otto
Ashley Cannon Newell
Deborah Young
Gina Hanson
Judy Hayes
Julie Overby
Kazan Clark
Kimberly Crawford
Latisha Yoast
Mona Pendleton

And to all my new teammates-I can’t wait to start working with you!!

I thought for today, I would share one of my favorite ideas and tutorials from last year. Here is how I combine two of my favorite things: baking and paper crafting!!! Yummy!

This is a brownie that has been dusted with sugar, using the Flowers Impressabilities™.

I used dusting sugars that I picked up in the baking aisle at Michael’s. Its a very fine powdered sugar with added color. The brownie was cut with a cookie cutter and then covered in frosting. (the frosting helps the sugar stay in place better, in my opinion)

Place the Impressabilities™ over the brownie, gently pushing it into the frosting.

I placed the sugars in a strainer, so I had more control and even coverage. Tap gently.

You can see how the brownie is covered with sugar. Gently lift the Impressabilities™ straight up, so you do not disturb the sugars. Serve and enjoy!!

We spent the weekend back at “home.” We took in our last UMD hockey series at home and spent some time with the family. It was nice to be back in MN, but so hard to leave again. Things are settling down and I feel like I might be getting a handle on everything again! :) I have been working on getting us involved here-swimming lessons are on the schedule and we found a wonderful pre-school for the fall. My biggest complaint is the townhouse, yes its small, but I can handle that. What we cannot handle, is the smell of smoke. The people who lived here before us must have been smokers. Every time the heat or the bathroom fans run, yuck! Anyone have any suggestions for removing that smell? It has permeated our clothing, so we smell too. Thanks ahead of time for the advice!

hope your week is looking great!! thanks for stopping by!

always

Good Monday morning! I don’t know if I shared this card or not…I like it because it is simple and classy. Perfect for a wedding or shower. The background was letter pressed with a Spellbinders™ Impressabilities™. Still loving the look of letter press, always will! :)

Don’t forget the Spellbinders™ Surprise Party is going on. Here is the line up for the rest of the week:

January 11
Keri Lee Sereika
Kazan Clark
Mary Pfaff

January 12
Karen Hunsaker
Christy Farneth-Kerr
Holly Simoni

January 13
Sherry Cheever
Kimberly Crawford (that's me! :))
Sharon Johnson

Have a super week and thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Spellbinders (Flowers Impressabilities, Fancy Tags), Stamps (Papertrey Ink), Ink (Clearsnap Colorbox Chalk Sour Apple, Lime Pastel), Cardstock (Papertrey Ink-Stamper’s Select White)

need a lift?

The little car on this card came from a pile of left-overs sitting on my desk. I had cut more than one half of my Spellbinders Nestabilities die templates© Label 9 shape off for something else and when I looked down, I thought, hey it looks like a little car! It worked perfectly with the sentiment from Papertrey Ink’s Everyday Button Bits, so I naturally grabbed buttons to make the wheels. The little exhaust is cut from the smallest die in the Spellbinders Nesties (TM) Labels 6 set. The windows were hand drawn, which might be painfully obvious. Hey, that is why I stamp, I don’t draw! LOL! :)

At any rate, I hope it inspires you to look at your scraps and bits and your dies in a whole new way!! Don’t forget to put your name in for the blog candy I am giving away. (The details are on my previous post.) Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Spellbinders die templates (Labels 6, Labels 9, Paisley Impressabilities), Patterned paper (Sassafras Lass Sweet Marmalade, October Afternoon Weather Vane), Cardstock (Papertrey Ink Rustic White), Stamps (Papertrey Ink Everyday Button Bits), Ink (Memento Tuxedo Black), Buttons (Papertrey Ink True Black)

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday

“It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC40)! This week Kimberly Crawford is our challenge host! Kimberly is challenging us to a limited supplies challenge! Our challenge is to combine a colored image, texture or textures, and any shades of neutrals we want. You can pack on the layers and textures just make sure you include an image to color and use only neutral cardstock. Just so you know you can us any combination of whites, creams, blacks, browns, and grays! So make your cards pop with texture and a beautifully colored image! We cannot wait to see what you create!”

Betty Wright

Cindy Haffner

Dee Jackson

Makiko Jones

Silke Ledlow

Today’s challenge was my idea. I was wondering one day what it would look like to make the entire card the same color and make the image colored. It forced me to get creative with my cardstock. I started by embossing my card base with the Flourishes Impressabilities from Spellbinders. Knowing that I could not add any more color, I used my Versamark Watermark inkpad and rubbed it over the embossed parts of cardstock. I also used it to ink the edges. Its a great tip to keep in mind, anytime you need to add depth, but don’t have the right color, use the watermark ink. I stamped each leaf on Flourishes Ivory cardstock and colored them with Copics. They were foam mounted to the card. To add one last touch, I grabbed my favorite May Arts burlap twine and tied it around the top of the card. Pretty fun, I must say! :) Challenge yourself. Limit your supplies and see how creative you can be! We would love for you to play along! Make a card following the challenge and link it up at the Flourishes Newsletter (blog). Each week we give away stamps! :) Can’t wait to see your projects! thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps (Flourishes-Falling Leaves), Cardstock (Flourishes-Classic Ivory) Ink (Tsukineko-Versamark Watermark, Memento Tuxedo Black), Spellbinders die templates (Flourishes Impressabilities, Classic Long Rectangles Small), Twine (May Arts Burlap), Copics (Y21, Y34, Y38, E55)Cardstock (Papertrey Ink-Kraft)

Impressabilities Tutorial: Glass Etching

Good morning! Its another exciting post for me, as I can share with you this fun technique with Spellbinders Impressabilities! I used glass etching cream and a small mirror to create a beautiful candle plate.

For this tutorial, I am going to show you on a glass ornament, which also takes the glass etching cream beautifully! (hey, there is another great Christmas present idea! :))

You will need:

• Spellbinders Impressabilities
• Gloves to protect your hands
• Glass Etching cream
• Foam brush
• Repositionable adhesive (recommend 3L)
• Glass object
• Paper to protect your work surface

Start by placing repositionable adhesive on the back of your Impressabilities. I am recommending the green dot runner from 3L because it comes off easily when you wash the glass etching cream off at the end of this process. Make sure that you have the Impressabilities COMPLETELY adhered and flat against your glass surface.

Put gloves on to protect your hands and work in a well ventilated area. Apply the cream thickly to the entire glass surface. This will not harm your Impressabilities.

Look at the pile of cream in the top left—see how thick it is? Your ENTIRE glass surface should be covered like this. Leave the cream sit for several minutes. The directions say less, but the longer it sits, the better the pattern from the Impressabilities appeared. Once time has passed, wash the cream off the glass and the Impressabilities. The glass will be permanently etched.

Here is another view of the glass etched mirror. Hope you had a good long weekend! Tomorrow the little man starts pre-school, so its a busy day making sure we have everything ready to go for the morning. I am excited for him and his new adventure, but we shall see how I really feel tomorrow after I drop him off! :) thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Spellbinders Impressabilities (Flower), Glass Etching Cream (Michael’s), 3L Adhesive (Repositionable Dots)

Video Tutorial: Letter Press with Impressabilities

Here it is. My first video tutorial. I cover; Letter Pressing with Impressabilities, a cool way to letter press and emboss with a die template, and how to letter press with a single piece of an Impressabilities.
Let me know what you think, as I am learning the best way to share and your feedback will be invaluable!! And, go ahead and laugh at my unstyled hair and my SAHM outfit! :)



Some of you have mentioned not being able to hear this. I visited my blog and played it without issue. There is a volume control on the tool bar where you can turn the volume up. It is located next to the time. I hope that helps. :)

If you cannot get the video to play, here is a link:
Letter Press Tutorial

have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!

*NEW* Impressabilities Technique

Permission has been given and I am SO thrilled to be sharing with you a brand new Impressabilities technique!!! I came up with this idea while playing around with my tools several months ago. I love using my Colorbox Stylus tool to ink the edges of my paper. But as I was staring at it, I thought, what can I do with the foam end? Then I remembered that Colorbox used to sell molding plates for the foam tips. Not having those, I looked at the Flower Impressabilities laying on my desk and thought, a ha!

Start by heating the black foam tip of your stylus tool. I use my crafting light. It does not take much heat to make it pliable.

Push the heated foam tip onto the Impressabilities. I chose the flower that would fit my tip before I did this.

Here is what the tip looks like. The image will not go away until you re-heat the tip.

Ink the foam tip, just like any stamp.

Here is the image stamped onto a Petite Oval die cut.

Here is a look at the image used on a card.

And here is the completed project. Isn’t that fun? Let me know what you think and I would LOVE to see what you create with this!! thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Spellbinders Die Templates-Classic Ovals Large, Petite Ovals Small, Nested Butterflies, Flower Impressabilities, Colorbox Stylus Tool, Patterned paper-Chatterbox (Fabulous), Cardstock-Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream, Dark Chocolate), Stamps-Hero Arts (Everyday Messages), Ink-Clearsnap (Colorbox Chalk Chocolate and Blueberries Que), Ribbon-Creative Impression, Twine-Wright’s, Gems-Hero Arts, Pearls-Kaiser Craft (Pewter), Buttons-Papertrey Ink (New Leaf)

Something else pretty cool will be on my blog tomorrow, my first video tutorial!! I can't wait to hear what you think!!

Spellbinders art work

I am SO excited to share these projects with you!! This first Spellbinders project is featured in the New Release catalog and highlights the totally fabulous Letter Press technique that is all the rage. By inking an Impressabilities, placing cardstock over the top of it, and then running it through the machine, you get this gorgeous, and I mean gorgeous, inked and embossed pattern.

Supplies: Spellbinders Die Templates-Flower Impressabilities, Rectangles Large, Scalloped Rectangles Large, Nested Butterfly, Patterned paper and sticker-Chatterbox (Fabulous), Ribbon-Creative Impression, Ink-Clearsnap (ColorBox Chalk Pumpkin Que, Chocolate and Blueberries Que), Cardstock-Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream, Dark Chocolate)

This is the card that is featured on the Circle Cut Impressabilities packaging. That still amazes me!!! This card also uses the Letter Press technique. Isn’t that background groovy?

Supplies: Spellbinders Die Templates-Circle Cut Impressabilities (available early September), Labels 4, Stamps-Hero Arts (Everyday Messages), Ink-Clearsnap (Colorbox Chalk Black), Cardstock-Papertrey Ink (Stamper’s Select White, Raspberry Fizz, True Black)

And finally one more project featured in the New Release catalog. This is a baby shower ensemble that utilizes the wonderful new Borderabilities. I used the Eyelet Borderabilities to create a napkin ring, the bottom border of a name place card, the border of a flap of a treat box, and the decorative ring around a cupcake holder. So much fun! :)

Supplies: Spellbinders Die Templates-Eyelet Borderabilities, Patterned paper and Stamps-Crate (Lil Sprout), Ink-Clearsnap (Colorbox Chalk Pumpkin Que), Cardstock-Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream), Twine-May Arts, Buttons-Papertrey Ink

Have a terrific day and thanks for stopping by!

Oh, a quick reminder, I LOVE when you ask questions, BUT, leave me an email so I can respond to you!! :) You can turn your email on in your Google profile, or leave it at the end of your comment. I feel so badly when I cannot help you out!!

And one more thing, Happy Birthday to my FIL!! :)

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday

“It's Tuesday which means it's time for another Timeless Tuesday challenge (FTTC27). This week, your DH might even get excited about the challenge because it's all about hardware! And, when we say hardware we mean metal of any kind. So, let's see how creative you can get - frames, eyelets, paperclips, staples, brads - you name it! If it is metal, it works!”

Check out the rest of the team:

Betty Wright

Cindy Haffner

Dee Jackson

Silke Ledlow

Here is my take on the challenge. Isn’t that background the coolest? Read on to learn how to create the look. One thing I did want to point out was the background of the cardstock, it is stamped, but it didn’t photograph well. The background is stamped with the butterfly from Butterfly Moments.

To create the copper background, I used Royal Engraving Art Board in Copper. I ran the Butterflies Impressabilities and the board through my Wizard. Then, I sanded the black surface off the board and the copper finish comes through. (you should see the new Impressabilities with this stuff-wowee!)

In honor of their second birthday, Flourishes is starting something that you are going to FLIP over!!! :) F=Flourishes, L=Loyalty, I=Incentive,P=Program. Check out all the details on the Flourishes Newsletter Blog!!

Flourishes birthday month, yes, they need the whole month, is so packed with fun, you won’t want to miss out, so make sure and visit the Newsletter daily!!

I am starting to get into the groove again, so you should finally get some more cards and things this week. thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps-Flourishes (Butterfly Moments), Spellbinders Impressabilities (Butterfly), Royal Art Engraving Board (Copper, oooh, love this store, check out all their other stuff!!), Cardstock-Papertrey Ink (True Black), Ribbon-May Arts, Hope metal piece-my ancient stash

Impressabilities Possibilities

I just wanted to share a couple of really fabulous ways to use your Spellbinders Impressabilities. I went ahead and broke down and cut apart my Impressabilities. Yes, you may gasp. But, once I cut, it was so freeing! LOL! :)
Letter press has become my new obsession. It is a look that is used in high end stationery and is so elegant. The flower on the left card was created using the letter press technique. Push ink all over the piece of Impressabilities you desire to use. Place your paper over the top, followed by the embossing mat, and then run it through the machine. A beautifully inked impression is left behind.
The card on the right is highlighting using a piece from the Impressabilities as an accent. (The colors on it are a reflection of my kitchen.) I added some gems to the center of the flowers.
So, go ahead and cut your Impressabilities apart and have fun! :) thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Spellbinders-Flower Impressabilities
Cardstock-Neenah (Solar White)
Ink-Clearsnap (Colorbox Chalk Primary Que)
Patterned paper-My Mind's Eye
Stamps, Ribbon-Papertrey Ink
Gems-Hero Arts

Stamper's Dream Dreamy Challenge 7

May's challenge is a three part challenge! A color challenge, a challenge to use texture, and a challenge to use bling. SO fun! Tosha picked the best colors to work with:
Blush Red Dark, Island Mist Medium, Birchtone Light Accent with either Suede Brown Dark or Ivory. I think they are gorgeous together and I will definately be using that combination again!


Well, the color part is fairly obvious... For texture I did two things. The first one was embossing my Island Mist medium cardstock with an Impressabilities. I also added a Birchtone Light Accent cardstock frame. I inked the embossing details to make them stand out a bit more. The bling is sparce, but I added some Zva crystals to the centers of the chipboard flowers and to the letter i's in the sentiment.

Here is a close up look at the chipboard. The Maya road bird chipboard set is gorgeous. I love that it comes with different branches, birds, and wings! I wanted a springy looking branch, so I added some flowers. The bird wing and flowers were stamps with part of a flower image from Penny Black. The chipboard is covered in patterned paper (edges sanded) and the branch was painted, cause let's face it, no one needs that stress! :)

We cannot wait to see your take on the challenge! Remember there are 3 parts-color, texture, and bling. Use colors as close to the originals as possible. Label your card SDDC7 in SCS. Then, for a chance to win a prize, link your project back to the Stamper's Dream blog.

Check out the rest of the team's creations:

Carolyn King
Charmaine Ikach
Denise Marzec
Laurie Schmidlin
Michelle Rodgers
Tosha Leyendekker

thanks for stopping by! :)

Supplies:

Cardstock-Prism (Blush Dark Red, Island Mist Medium, Birchtone Light Accent, Seude Brown)

Stamps-Penny Black (Thinking of You), Impression Obsession (Anytime Messages)

Gems-Zva Creative

Chipboard-Maya Road (Birds, Flowers)

Spellbinders-Labels Four, Classic Frame, Flower Impressabilities

Ink-Clearsnap (Colorbox Chalk Dark Brown, Blue, Creamy Brown)

Paint (Making Memories)

I have a giant smile on my face today!! I created a pop-up gift card holder for Paper Crafts magazine. I am incredibly proud of it because I worked so hard to make the template work and match my idea. Today, Paper Crafts is featuring on their blog, Paper Crafts Connection!!!! :)

JustRite week at Stamper's Dream

Just a simple and beautiful gift to be able to give a teacher to say thanks. I created a handmade box that holds a frosted and sugar dusted brownie. I love the darling little teacher saying and thanks from JustRite's new set, What's Cookin.

The cover of the box was made with acetate and then I placed the die cut heart piece of patterned paper over the top.

I created a tutorial about how to get the brownie decorated like that with a Spellbinders Impressabilities. You can find it here: BROWNIE TUTORIAL. or just scroll down to the next post.

Make sure and check out what the rest of the team has created:

Carolyn King

Cindy Motherway
Denise Marzec
Michelle Rodgers
Tosha Leyendekker

have a wonderful weekend! thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps-JustRite (What's Cookin)

Patterned paper-My Mind's Eye (Freebird)

Ink-Colorbox Chalk Ink (Chestnut Roan, Creamy Brown)

Cardstock-Papertrey Ink (Pure Poppy, Vintage Cream), Crystal Clear cardstock

Spellbinders Die Templates (Classic Circles Large, Classic Scalloped Circles Large, Classic Scalloped Heart)

Ribbon-Offray

Pearl Hearts-Hero Arts

Baking with Impressabilities

I love the photo of this brownie! :)

To create the dusted sugar brownie, I used a Spellbinders Impressabilities, dusting sugar from Wilton, and a frosted brownie. The brownie was cut into the heart shape using a large cookie cutter.

Try and place the frosting on the brownie as evenly as possible, so one side of the brownie isn't higher than the other. By doing this, you create a much more even surface to place the Impressablities upon. Also, make sure that you are using a BRAND NEW Impressabilities because you are handling food that will be consumed. Do not push the Impressabilities into the frosting, or the frosting will come up when it is removed.

I placed the sugar into a small collander and gently tapped it to lay the sugar on the Impressabilities.

I coated the brownie very evenly with sugar and then very carefully removed the Impressabilities.

Here is the finished brownie in a hand made box. Have fun creating!

thanks for stopping by!