More Attempts

Ok.  I am going to try a few more pics.  I have changed the file size so that they are more manageable for blogging.  

This is my sister-in-law, Sandy.

The pretty young lady is my niece, Carissa.

Christmas Pics (or another attempt to blog from my IPad)

Ok.  I am putting on a couple of Christmas pics now that I may have figured this out.  Wish me luck.

IPad Try to Upload Photos

Okay.  Supposedly I can upload to Picasa and then to my blog.  Here goes nothing.

                                    

Skyping Julie Anne while opening gifts.

Ok. I will be trying to blog from my iPad. Let's see if this works.

Big

Okay.  So I took my life in my hands and jumped off the edge.  I have never, ever tried to do something like this.  I'm not sure if it works totally, but it was fun and now I know that I can do it.  The canvas is 36" x something.  To me it's huge.  I had seen an article in Somerset Studio about just doing circles.  I loved that, but wanted to do something for Mom as she wanted something for her bathroom.  The leap to bubbles was easy.  The feet came after I stepped out of the shower one day.  Inside the larger bubbles are copies that I ran of different pictures and items that I have from the past.  There is a V-mail envelope, part of a photo receipt, the copy of a birth certificate; stuff like that!  I circle punched the copies with various sized punches then placed them on the canvas (which was gessoed) with MP.  I painted around them with paint and some with modeling paste mixed with paint, smudged some ink around the bubbles, added some bubble wrap bubbles and then some jewels, beads and stones.  The feet are mine from a tracing/pattern (remember, I can't draw).  The red nail polish is so my mom.  I love that.

Does anyone remember those pictures you could get that would have an additional 'bonus' print that was smaller ?  We always got those.

My sister in Colorado a long time ago.  To the right, my grandmother.

Will's birth certificate.

If you know my mom, you know that she always has her toes painted.  I wanted a kind of caricature look for those and think it actually works.

I put modeling paste around some of the bigger bubbles.  I am addicted to that stuff.  This is a picture of the arch before they put on the top.  Some of you may remember that, circa 1965.

The top right large bubble is a copy of a photo album my dad got from Japan.  It is beautiful.

The 'whistle shirt' is from a shirt my brother, Ed, had that had different whistles all over it.  What a hoot.

Christmas Recipes

I have had a special request for some Christmas recipes so here are a few.  The fudge I make every year and it is one of Julie's favs.  The Jewish Cookies are an easy bar cookie and guys love them.  The Peanut Blossom Cookies are the ones with the Hershey Kisses in them and the Peanut Clusters are a super easy candy to make, but be aware, it makes a lot!  Have fun!

FUDGE

I got this recipe from Nancy, but I think it came from my grandmother, Elcy.  Where she got it, I do not know.

Special equipment needed:

Candy thermometer

Recipe:

4 cups sugar

¼ lb butter (1 stick)

1 large can evaporated milk

1 bag (12 oz) milk chocolate chips

1 jar marshmallow crème

1 cup chopped nuts

1 t. vanilla

Cook the sugar, evaporated milk and butter until the soft ball stage. 

Remove from heat and add the milk chocolate chips and marshmallow crème. 

Mix well and add 1 cup chopped nuts and vanilla.  Stir until mixed well and starts to thicken. 

Pour into well buttered or sprayed pan.  Let harden.  

Lick spoon and cooking pan before cleaning. 

JEWISH COOKIES

This is from my grandmother, Elcy, Nancy’s mom.  She always made them at Christmas time and they were one of Bucko’s favorites.  They are low in fat and guys really like them for some reason.

ATTENTION:  You will need to have the icing ready to go as it needs to be poured over the cookies while they are hot.

Special equipment needed:

Mixer (stand or hand)

Recipe:

4 eggs, beaten

1 lb box brown sugar

1 ½ cups flour

1 t. vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

Mix ingredients well and pour into a greased and floured 12 x 16 inch pan.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. 

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 t. cinnamon

Milk

Mix powdered sugar and cinnamon well.  Add milk to make a thin paste that is kind of runny.  Spread over cookies while they are hot.

PEANUT BLOSSOM COOKIES

I can’t even remember where or when I first got this recipe and used it.  It is an absolute staple for Christmas and I always make at least two double batches.  The recipe actually calls for Hershey’s Kisses as the chocolate in the center, but I use Brach’s chocolate discs decorated with red, green and white sprinkles for a more festive look.

Special equipment needed:

Stand mixer – dough is too thick for hand mixer

Cookie sheets

Recipe:

½ cup shortening (Crisco)

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 T milk

1 t. vanilla

1 ¾ cups flour

1 t. baking soda

½ t. salt

Beat shortening and peanut butter.  Cream with sugars.  Add milk, egg and vanilla.  Beat well.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Mix thoroughly.  Shape into balls.  Roll in granulated sugar.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.  Remove and add chocolate kisses or candies.

FYI: 

-I never make a single batch of these, but always a double. 

-Make sure you press in the candies while the cookies are hot or they won’t stick.  -If you use a small candy it kind of melts and you will have to let the chocolate firm up before you store the cookies.

PEANUT CLUSTERS

I really don’t remember where I got this one, but I make them every year.  They are really easy and very yummy.

Recipe:

2-12 oz. packages milk chocolate chips

2 lbs. almond bark (white)

2 lbs. salted, roasted Spanish peanuts

Microwave chocolate chips and almond bark on high for 1 minute.  Stir and then return to microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each one.

Add peanuts and mix until well coated.

Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper or parchment paper.  Let harden and store.

FYI:

-You may use one package of semi-sweet chocolate chips to make the clusters a little less milk chocolatey.

-You can freeze these, although I prefer to keep them in covered containers.

-You will need a really big bowl to mix these in.

New Canvas Gift

Here are the pics from my new canvas that I just gave to someone today.  I don't think the person will see the pics before Christmas so here they are.  I really like her.  The chain on her boots I got at JoAnns and it is a trim. I love that the best I think.

Ornaments

Ha.  I just made a couple of ornaments to give at our ornament exchange at our Scrapaganza Christmas party tonight.  They turned out alright, I think.  I just hot glued some twine as the hangers and it would be better to have eye screws on the top, but these are small enough that it should be okay on the tree.  Any bigger and it would def need those eye screws.
I also finished a Christmas gift for someone, but obviously cannot post until after the holidays.  Don't worry, I will.

Modeling paste = snow.  I also added glitter over the top.  No paint was added to the modeling paste.

Modeling paste around the edge with glitter. Again, no paint added to the modeling paste.  These are leftover scraps from the ties on my lights.  The brad is from some Echo Park bling from one of this year's Christmas lines.

Fun Idea!

We did this at school today.  I have 5 year old boys (5 of them) and it was a blast.  It is a Santa Count Down to Christmas.  You snip off a section of his beard for each day closer.  Number from the bottom up.  I used my Cricut (Doodlecharms) to figure out the pattern.  Then I just wrote down numbers on return address labels.  That way the boys could just label each section of beard with their correct number.  Since I just saw this on Pinterest this morning and quickly did it for today, there were a couple of bugs.  I would definitely write the corresponding number on each beard level and have them cover it with the correct number sticker.  That was probably the main thing I would do differently.  It was fun and the boys were very proud of them.  They can't wait to start cutting off his beard.  I was very careful to remind them to ask permission to use the scissors.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Snickers Salad

Lauren wants to make this for her Thanksgiving dinner.  Enjoy!

SNICKERS SALAD

Julie got this salad recipe from Diane Moran, Emma’s mom.  I lost it a couple of times and she had to keep getting it for me.  We have this at Thanksgiving.

Recipe:

1 small package French vanilla instant pudding

1 cup milk

8 oz container of Cool Whip

4 Granny Smith apples, chopped

3 Snickers Bars, chopped

Mix together pudding and milk, add Cool Whip.  Just before serving, add cut up apples and cup up candy bars.  Mix well.

FYI:

-This is best if you can serve it all at one sitting.  It can get a little soggy otherwise.

Altered Art Baby Book

Okay.  I gave my friend, Kelly, her gift last Saturday and now I can put up the pics.  Beware!  There are several.  I did a lot of pages for her, so there was a lot to document.  I tried to choose the most interesting ones.  I used a regular art journal and modge podged 3 pages together for each 'page'.  That helped to give the pages more strength for all of the ephemera that I added.  Most pages are also gessoed so that the paints will go on more smoothly and will be more vivid.  I used a lot of PanPastels, cheap acrylic paints, Claudine Helmuth (love), sprays and alcohol inks.  Most of the papers are the 6 x 6 type as the prints are smaller.  Roller stamps, tons of rub-ons, image transfers...you name it, I tried it.  One of my most favorite effects is the striping I did for the shopping page.  It's definitely bold!  I hope that you enjoy these pics.  There are quite a few.

I love the little piece of tape (dots) from 7 Gypsies.  This is part of the cover.

The picture on the right is an image transfer.  The word 'home' and the white flower are actually stickers that I Modge Podged over to make certain they adhered!

Spec is their dog!

Probably one of my fav techniques!  I love alcohol ink on gesso.

Ok, the picture that I put on the left page is actually from the Crate and Barrel catalogue.

Image transfer of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.  I would have liked it to be brighter, but I didn't let the ink dry long enough. You have to jump through some hoops to flip the words for Word.  This page also has glow in the dark paint on it.

Star punchinells (sequin waste) that I got from a cool little website called Sky Blue Pink

Yeah.  Another use for the Apothecary Emporium papers from Echo Park.  You will prolly see these again.

Love this harlequin stencil from Crafter's Workshop.

Couldn't help myself.  She loves the movies too.

Loved that I could use my new music roller stamp.

Burlap on the circle.  I Modge Podged twine around it.  The background paper is tissue paper from 7 Gypsies.

Yeah.  They are from Michigan, but live here and attend as many games as they can.  The big letters are colored modeling paste.