Day 16: Handcarved Rubber Stamp

I started out a different project today.  It was one where I had purchased some supplies and couldn’t find the exact thing I needed so I got something close.  Than I broke a leather cord while I was trying smooth out the kinks and bends in it.  I made a hasty trip to Michael’s but couldn’t find replacement supplies.  I need to get the right things too – I learned today that close, in this case, won’t work.

The hot weather is responsible for Rem and I taking a trip to Berkeley this evening.  It was cooler there so while the apartment was cooling off here, we were over there kicking around with time on our hands. We went to BLICK Art Materials and I picked up some blocks of rubber and lino cutting tools, a retractable Sharpie and a new Exacto knife.

This simple tag-shaped rubber stamp was carved while sitting in the car with Rem along the waterfront, near the Berkeley Marina.

The breeze was cool and briny, the view was gorgeous (Golden Gate Bridge straight ahead, Mt. Tam to the right and San Francisco to the left).  I looked up every once in awhile to watch the sunset.

This stamp can be inked and stamped onto scrap paper than cut out for cute little tags (of course), or stamped onto the front of an envelope to define the address space.  I think it would look nice inside a card with a greeting stamped into it.

Now, back home, the fans are in place and blowing cool air.  I look at the clock and think “tomorrow I’ll post earlier”. Ha.

Last year on Day 16 I did a Shrinky Dink Key Ring, and you can too!

Thanks for the visit.

Day 15: Notecards with Lined Envelopes

Take plain envelopes and card stock and dress them up with pretty linings for the envelope and sponged or spritzed ink borders on the cards.

I make a lot of cards for people and buy plain white and cream colored envelopes by the box of 500.  Most of the time I’m fine with a classic envelope and let the card stand out, but sometimes a simple note is called for and it looks awfully plain by itself.  A border around the card and decorative paper lining the envelope steps it up to something a bit more special.

Decorative paper comes in hundreds of colors, weights, patterns, textures, etc.  For this I prefer something that isn’t too heavy.  I traced an open envelope onto grid paper (any scrap paper will do fine) and then cut inside the line a bit to make a pattern.  Try it inside the envelope for size and trim it down if needed.

I think it looks nice if it goes close to the top edge but it will also cover the adhesive on the flap.  A glue stick will work to close the envelope or, if you prefer, you can cut your liner down to keep the gummed flap from being covered up.

Once you have the size for your pattern, trace around it onto your decorative paper.  Cut it out, mark the line for the fold of the flap and fold it down.  Slip it into the envelope  and close the envelope, making sure the liner is folded in the right place. A little adhesive going up the sides of the flap and across the top is enough to keep the liner in place.

You can also use decorative scissors to cut along the top of the liner or around the sides of the flap and top.  This will uncover part of the adhesive on the flap.

Now to dress up the notecards.  An 8. x 11 inch piece of card stock cut in quarters makes 4 notecards.  Cut a piece of scrap paper 1/2 inch smaller and align the scrap paper in the center of one notecard.  If you have an air spritzer tool, you can use that with a colored marker to spray a fine mist of ink along the edge of the paper (the scrap paper covers the rest of the card).

A sponge is also a great tool to use in a similar way.  Instead of spraying a mist of colored ink, you scrub the sponge into a stamp pad or scribble colored ink on the sponge with a marker.  Now dab the sponge along the edge, carefully holding the scrap paper in place, leaving a border of colored ink all the way around the note card.

In the following picture I cut the scrap paper with scalloped scissors and used a sponge dauber (a little hard to see in this photo – the small black plastic piece with the dark, inky sponge on top) to ink over it, creating an inked, scalloped pattern on the notecard.

A set of 4 notecards and 4 lined envelopes makes a nice little gift.

Last year on Day 15 I created Glass Marble Magnets.

I appreciate the visit.

30DoC Status Update + Magic Shell Chocolate Sauce

It’s the 15th of June, the halfway mark for 30 Days of Creativity.  It is going very well for me.  Having plans for possible projects has made a huge difference.  I started copying down ideas along with websites and supplies or ingredients needed several months ago.  A few weeks before the start of June I put them all in a chart.

When the 30DoC calendar was posted I was able to look at my chart of ideas and pick out ones that could work with the themes, although that wasn’t a big concern for me.  The themes are fun and sometimes help direct me towards an idea but I don’t focus on them most of the time.

I’m happy to see that I’ve still been flexible and open to other ideas so I’m not completely tied to my chart.  I’ve created three things that were not on the original list (and we’ve still got 15 days left).  What I’m noticing is that even with plenty of projects to choose from, more than enough to get through the month, I’m more affected by the weather than I thought I would be.

I’ve got a Chewy Granola Bar on my list but when I’ve had time to make it, it’s been too warm out to turn on the oven.  Even a project that won’t heat up the apartment but is more tuned to cold weather (a Felt Flower Scarf) isn’t very appealing when it’s 90 degrees outside.  Not that I won’t ever make these things, but they just may not debut as a creation during 30DoC!

Two nights ago I made Magic Shell Chocolate Sauce.  I started to write a post and put some pictures together but I was really, really exhausted.  It was the day after my dad’s Memorial Service and though it went beautifully, it was emotionally draining.  So here is the sauce.  It isn’t a fail but nor is it a big success.  Kind of a “meh”.  Luckily, Rem and I put together the vegcycle that evening so I still had a creation to post!

Attempt: Magic Shell Chocolate Sauce 

Maybe because I was tired and cranky, but chocolate usually makes me happy and this was disappointing.  I saw the recipe here on Whipperberry.  Heather on Whipperberry was adapting a recipe from foodnetwork.com.  Maybe if I used the tip from Aarti Sequeira on Food Network and did it with something besides chocolate chips (she specifically says not to use chocolate chip), I’d like it more.  On the other hand, Heather said she used chocolate chips without any problem.

I tried the sauce the next evening and was still underwhelmed.  It is fairly thick and gloppy.  Not very magic.  It’s still chocolate so it can’t be all bad!

It takes just two ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

8 oz.  Dark Chocolate chopped up in small pieces –  I used chocolate chips

Heather suggests you use a double boiler for melting, but I used a microwave. In a microwave-safe container, melt the coconut oil.  Stir in the chocolate chips and heat in short bursts of 15 to 20 seconds at a time, on 50% power, stirring chocolate sauce after each heating time.

When the sauce is cool, drizzle on your ice cream and watch it harden.  Rah.  Magic.

Ta da!

The flavor of the coconut is apparent in the sauce which for me was fine.  It reminded me of a Mounds Bar.  But keep this in mind if you are serving to a coconut-hater.

I’m glad to be doing the 30DoC again this year.  It does take time and energy but that is really a plus for me in these days after the death of my dad in late May.  Grief ebbs and flows but the crafts give me focus and I’m very comfortable sitting at my craft desk making something.  Creativity also seems to attract more creativity so I’ve been cooking and making things that I don’t blog about.  It is wonderful therapy for me.

Now, I’d best go create something for today, Day 15!

Thanks for sticking with this and with me through the 30DoC.

Day 14: Business Cards

After Jazzercise class I asked a friend if she’d looked at my blog yet.  She said she wanted to but had lost the web address. I scribbled it on a deposit slip for her and mentioned I should “make some business cards”.  Several other women nearby were quite surprised to learn I didn’t have a card and that is how this project came to be.

After I ate some supper I drafted a template of the card I had in mind and Rem printed it on copy paper.

I wanted to do a bit of collage on the paper prior to running it through the printer.  I had scavenged an old Reader’s Digest Condensed Book for this very purpose.  I tore out a few pages from A Star in the Rigging by Garland Roark, copyright 1954.

I pasted torn pieces of the pages onto a sheet of white card stock, holding up the  printed card layout behind the page to decide where to put the torn bits.  After that I rubbed some white ink over the printed page pieces and then dried it with a heat tool.

Rem ran the card stock through the printer and I decorated the page with rubber stamps, ink pens and an ink sprayer.  I cut the page into 10 cards and added a bit of washi tape and a sparkly embellishment to each card.  Homemade business cards for my blog .

Last year on Day 14 I made a Rolled Page Picture Frame.

Thank you for checking out my blog and my 30 Days of Creativity projects.

Day 13: Vegcycle

Theme for Day 13: Bicycle. This was assembled after dinner sitting at the table.

Food stylist: Dianne.  Photographer: Rem.  Side note: Rem is also doing 30DoC and all his creations are photos.  It was a team effort. I used tomato slices, asparagus, yellow and red bell pepper, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower and cucumber.  Play with your vegetables.

I tried a DIY Magic Shell Chocolate Sauce but was kind of disappointed.  I’m also tired so I’m calling today done and will write about the sauce another day.

Thanks for stopping on by.

Day 12: String Jar

This nifty string jar has a jumbo eyelet in the lid so the string is easy to use, stays clean (it tended to get linty in the craft drawer) and it looks cute on your craft desk or shelf.  I am pleased to finally do a project that follows the theme for the day on the 30DoC calendar.  I saw it here in a blog written by Cathe Holden of Just Something I Made.  Her site is loaded with great ideas, lots of DIY, and beautiful vintage stuff.  Oh, and lots of freebies too, so check it out!

I used a Mason jar from Kerr and the jumbo eyelet (1/2 inch) is from Stampin’ Up, but I’m not sure if they are in the current catalog.  I’ve seen them in craft and fabric stores and a smaller size will work too.

I used my Crop-a-Dile Big Bite to punch the hole in the lid and to set the eyelet.  Cathe used an eyelet kit you can get at the fabric store, plus a hammer and nail.  I’m probably not the only one who has a fancy tool she hardly ever uses, but if you don’t have a Crop-A-Dile tool, you can get an eyelet kit. Then punch the hole using a nail with a block of wood behind it.  Push the nail through the hole to enlarge it enough for the eyelet to fit.  Put the eyelet in the hole so the back of the eyelet is on the bottom of the lid, use the eyelet tool and hammer to spread open and flatten the back.

I have Aluminum Duct Tape that I used in several projects last year during 30DoC and it was great for a label on my jar. I punched out the label shape, stamped on it using StazOn Ink, (great for non-porous surfaces), let the ink dry, peeled the backing off the tape and put it on the jar.  A Sharpie would work too, and a paper label would be great.  Or no label.

I made a Needle Felted Placemat last year on Day 12.

I hope you are enjoying 30 Days of Creativity, thanks for stopping by.

Day 11: Button Rings

Today I wanted fast and easy.  This was a little fussier than I’d hoped, but it was fairly fast and pretty easy.

I have two button rings that I enjoy wearing .  Sometimes just one little ring can make me feel as if my whole outfit is pulled together.

Both are made from unique, old buttons.  The black button ring was made for my big fingers with a wrapped wire base and the white button is on a bendable size-to-fit base.  But because my fingers are not a size 7 or 8, the white one doesn’t get worn as often because…well, it doesn’t really fit!  After awhile it starts to pinch.

Last summer I did a project with wire.  The memory of that project was enough to convince me that I didn’t want to attempt a wire button ring.  So I found some ring bases to try.  They’re different that the bendable one on the white button ring but I have a feeling I’ll have the same problem.   I think they will make cute gifts or maybe I’ll do a Button Ring giveaway!

I ordered the ring blanks of Etsy and raided my moms button box for interesting buttons.  That was so fun, I went to Jo-ann Fabric and Crafts and bought some more buttons.

Some of the buttons have shanks on the back but I just snipped them off with some trusty nippers.

I also had to adapt some of the ring bases to work with the different buttons.  They had a little rim around the disc on the top of the ring.  For some buttons that was fine but others didn’t fit inside the rim so I cut it off,  cutting through the edge with the nippers than using sturdy scissors to cut it all the way off.  I use a sanding block to smooth the cut edge and than sanded the top of the ring base to rough it up a little, all the better for gluing.

Finally, it was a matter of my good ol’ E6000 adhesive.  It’s a little stinky so be sure to work in a well-ventilated space. I squeeze out a small pea-sized dab on a piece of scrap paper because it starts to set up and I don’t want to waste it.  Then I use a toothpick to apply it to the top of the ring base and the back of the button.  I found it worked best if I let them set up a bit before pressing together.  Any smaller buttons were added in the same way.

The picture of this turquoise Flower Power ring didn’t quite capture the pink color of the center button, but it does show how cute a button ring can be.

This heavy coat button with pearl beads is a true knuckle duster.  I think it would even fit the trendy title of “statement ring”.

These three started as pretty buttons but really look finished when second button is added.

Now if only I didn’t have such large fingers, I would have a whole new wardrobe of rings.  Once the adhesive has cured, I’ll see if I can adjust the size enough to squeeze one on and give it a test wearing.

Last year I did a project using buttons on cards.  My Day 11 project was not quick or easy, but it was pretty awesome: a Miniature Paper Dress.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Day 10: Vegetable Potato Salad

It was HOT out today.  Salad weather.  Sit in the shade with a fruity, icy drink in your hand and do nothing weather.  Well, as it happened, it wasn’t a do-nothing day.  But somewhere along the way I decided to make potato salad to eat tomorrow.

I went to the Marin County Farmer’s Market this morning with the idea that I was going to take a bunch of yummy photos to make a photo montage.  But it was hot and crowded and most of the the gorgeous fruits and vegetables were in the shade.  I did get a shot of some cherries and updated my blog header.

I also saw some new potatoes and then some green beans and I thought of this recipe.  This is one of those non-recipe kind of recipes.  It is a series of guidelines and suggestions and it’s the kind of dish that never comes out exactly the same but is always delicious.

This is one of my favorite potato salads.  It is a combination of new potatoes and fresh vegetables, some raw and crunchy and others tossed in with the potatoes near the end of their cooking time, cloaked in a mayonnaise-yogurt dressing, and has more veggies than potatoes.  It will make a lovely supper with a deviled egg or two on the side.

Vegetable Potato Salad

Ingredients:

About 1 lb. new potatoes

a small crown of broccoli

a handful of green beans (about 5 oz. before trimming, or 1 heaped cup after trimming)

kernels cut from 1 ear of corn

2 carrots, peeled and sliced into coins.  If large, cut in half.

2 stalks celery, sliced

2-3 green onions, sliced

1 cup frozen petite peas, defrosted

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons dijonnaise

1 to 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

Directions:

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and drop in potatoes.  Cook until just barely tender.

While potatoes are cooking, trim the ends of the green beans and cut into 1 inch pieces.  Trim stem off of broccoli crown and peel, then slice into discs.  Cut broccoli into small florets.

When potatoes are nearly done, drop green beans into the pot with the.  Set timer for 2 minutes.

When time rings, add broccoli to the pot and set time for one additional minute.  When timer rings, pour contents of pot into a colander in the sink.  Run cold water over potatoes and vegetables to cool them down. Drain well.

In a large bowl, combine the carrots, celery, green onions and peas.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into cubes.  Add the potatoes, cooked green beans and broccoli to the bowl.

Spoon Greek yogurt, mayonnaise and dijonnaise onto potatoes and vegetables.  Sprinkle on red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.  Stir together to coat salad.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

If you like dill, by all means, add some dill.  Some chopped hard-cooked egg would be good though I like eggs in a different potato salad so have mine on the side, deviled.  I’m sure other vegetables would work too, this is the combination that I find works and I usually have most of the items on hand.  I imagine black olives would be tasty in here.

I also picked up apricots and cherries and can attest to the fact that they taste sublime with Lemon Custard Ice Cream!

Last year the theme for Day 10 was neon and I took a photo of these hot neon flames coming out of a toaster.

Stay cool and thanks for stopping by.

Day 9: Glass Tile Pendants

This is a wonderful project for anyone who has beautiful paper and wants another way to use it.  Of course it only uses small amounts but that’s ok.

This is yet another creation I originally saw on Pinterest.  I followed the link to a great site, Simply Modern Mom, read the tutorial and purchased supplies on Etsy from Sun and Moon Craft Kits: the glass tiles, silver bails (little loops for hanging) and the ball chains in different colors.

It was easy, inexpensive and fun.  I already had Diamond Glaze, paper, E6000 adhesive and all the paper I could possibly need.  Until I see something else that I want.

The glass tiles are 1 inch in size and have slightly rounded corners so trim the paper just a little smaller and round the corners.

Tiffany at Simply Modern Mom uses toothpicks but I found I worked best just using my finger to apply the Diamond Glaze.  I did use a fair amount of paper towel and I had to go to the sink to wash my hands every few minutes.

Spread a bit of Diamond Glaze on the back of a glass tile.  Put your trimmed paper onto the glaze, making sure the surface you want showing goes face down on the glass.  Press the tile down on a nonstick surface (I have a little pad for using with a hot melt glue gun, but wax paper was suggested by Simply Modern Mom and I imagine parchment paper would also work) with the paper side down.  This will press the paper to the glass and smoosh out any excess Diamond Glaze.

Quickly wipe excess glaze off the edge of the tile.  I took the corner of a wet paper towel and carefully wiped off the sticky edges of the tile that inevitably resulted.

It sets fairly quickly but isn’t really dry yet.  Now you want to protect the paper with a layer of Diamond Glaze to cover it including the edges. If the paper you are using is thin or has a lot of texture you may want to put a layer of another, sturdier paper over the thin paper or yet another layer of glaze over the textured paper.

One the glaze is dry, you can attach the bail with the E6000 adhesive.  Check the front of the pendant so you are sure to put the loop at the top so the pendant hangs correctly.

Once it has dried, your pendant is done and can be strung on a ball chain, cord, ribbon or other necklace.

In the one pictured below I made a tiny little collage of purple paper, a flower rubber stamped image, and some vintage sheet music.

The other one is a beautiful little scrap of origami paper.

This is a little messy but the tiles are small so it is small-scale mess.  Glue on your fingers probably means you are being creative!

Day 9 last year: Pink Glass Earrings.  Is Day 9 the day for glass? Interesting.

As always, I appreciate your visit.

Day 7: Lemon Custard Ice Cream

I’m ending the first week of 30 Days of Creativity with a delicious dessert: rich, creamy Lemon Custard Ice Cream.  I saw the recipe at Good Life Eats who adapted it from Tartelette.

Before I went to work in the morning I put together the base – in two parts.  The first part is a combination of lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar.

The second part is 4 egg yolks (guess who had scrambled egg whites with spinach and mushrooms for breakfast – yup, me!) combined with warm milk and heated again until thickened.

Heavy cream is added and the  two bowls go into the fridge to chill and I go off to work.

Before going to Jazzercise I blended the two mixtures and tasted the creamy results.  Oh, my.

Pour the cold ice cream base into your ice cream maker and watch it turn into a sweet, lemony ice cream.  I put it in the freezer so it could get a bit firmer and had a dish after dinner.  So good!

We’ve made a custard style vanilla ice cream in the past and it was delicious but this particular combination: the bright  hint of tartness, bits of sunny lemon zest and the richness from the heavy cream and egg yolks  really stands out as a wonderful dessert.

Update: I’ve added links (above) to Good Life Eats where I saw the recipe that I adapted and to Tartelette where Katie Goodman from Good Life Eats saw the recipe she had adapted.  When I went to Tartelette I saw that with the *changes I made, I had pretty much made it back to the same as Helene at Tartelette but without a pinch of salt.

* Changes: I didn’t use any half and half (I didn’t want a container of heavy cream and another of half and half in my fridge) and I omitted the xantham gum that Katie added to keep the ice cream from being too icy and hard.  I didn’t have any xantham gum in my pantry and maybe my freezer just doesn’t freeze as cold because it wasn’t a problem with the batch I made.

 

Lemon Custard Ice Cream

Ingredients:

finely grated zest from 3 lemons

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

4 egg yolks

1 cup milk (I used 2% milk as that is what I have)

2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar in a glass or other non-reactive bowl and refrigerate for an hour or two (or in my case, all day).

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks slightly.  Heat the milk in a large saucepan on medium until it is just starting to simmer and pour slowly over the yolks, beating until well combined.  Return the milk and yolk mixture and heat gently until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon. I strained the mixture at this point because there were some lumpy bits, but that is optional.

Combine the thickened milk and yolks in the bowl with the heavy cream.  Chill at least an hour but several hours would be even better.

Combine the lemon juice and sugar mixture with the cream mixture and pour into your ice cream maker.  Process as directed by manufacturer.  Get ready to enjoy this luscious treat!

Last year on Day 7 I created Refrigerator Word Magnets.

Thanks for stopping by!