New Cards and New Technique - Again!

You know by now that I love getting two cards out of one design, and I get excited when it works.  And this time it did.

The card stock is of course from Paper Temptress and combines the shimmery mica with the vibrant pop tones.   I totally forgot to get a picture of the negative until the card was made. As usual, I used the double sided adhesive to pull the left over (negative) pieces off the mat and filled in with iridescent glitter.

The colors used are similar of course but I think they have a different feel and stand on their one,  The card on the right uses the shimmery mica over an amethyst mica to pack a lot of soft glow.  The white flower is from my "need to use up" stash of Prima flowers with a purple rhinestone center.  The white Luster mat along with the flower and thin ribbon gives the card a touch of freshness.

But the part I am most excited about is the Happy Birthday on the ribbon.  It mimics a rub on, but it is actually a piece of laser transparency that was printed, run through the Foilmaster with purple foil, and then cut with the Silver Bullet Professional using the print and cut method.  I was terrifed the acetate would melt when it encountered the very hot temps of the Foilmaster, but it held up beautifully.  I was beyond thrilled as that opens up so many ideas that I cannot wait to try!

The second card with the glittered background was simple to put together. The multi-colored striped ribbon ties the colors together, and again - I used the Foilmaster and Silver Bullet Pro to do make the greeting overlay and pulled the background colors into the tag layers.  The white pearls hide (hopefully) the adhesive dots adhering the transparency!

If you have a Foilmaster, I hope you will try foiling a laser transparency. (I chose laser because I felt it had the best chance of holding up to the heat  of the Foilmaster -mine was set to 155 degrees for best results).


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Low Sugar Peach Crisp......heavenly!!

Have you noticed how sweet and juicy the peaches are this summer?  I mean they are usually delicious, but they are even sweeter this year - or at least they seem like they are!!

I love to make apple crisp in the fall, but often forget that other fruits taste delicious baked with that slightly chewy wonderfully buttery oat topping.  That is my favorite part of the crisp!

I decided that I wanted to try to reduce the sugar in this and I am so glad I did because it tastes just as good as the full sugar recipe but it's healthier (as long as you don't focus on all of the butter that goes into the topping.  Can't win em all!!

I took my inspiration from a recipe on Cooking Classy, substituted the sugar with Truvia Baking Blend and Splenda brown sugar blend, and added a few more spice flavors.  For the final touch, I sprinkled some almond macaroon granola over the top to add a little extra crunch to the topping. I am so glad I did that!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I intend to!! (and as far as I am concerned, peach crisp is not only a dessert, but works well for breakfast with a spoonful of vanilla yogurt on top.  Anytime you want to entice your taste buds with peachy cinnamon goodness is the right time for this!

LOW SUGAR PEACH CRISP

adapted from Cooking Classy

Filling
3 lbs peaches (about 7 medium ), peeled, cored and sliced into thick wedges (about 3/4")
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 cup Truvia Baking Blend
1/2 tsp. LorAnn Cinnamon Baking Emulsion (optional)
2 Tbsp. flour

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup regular oats
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. apple pie spice (optional)
3/8 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cubed in 1/2" pieces
1/3 cup granola (optional - for added "crunch")

Preheat the oven to 350.  Toss the peaches with lemon juice in a large bowl.  Sprinkle the Truvia Baking Blend and flour over the peaches and lightly mix to coat evenly.  Butter a 11x7 or 13x9 inch pan and pour the peach mixture into the pan.

Sugared peaches....

Ready to bake oat topping...

In a food processor (you can do this step by hand, but it's easier this way!), mix the flour, oats, salt, and spices.  Add the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend and the chilled cut up butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.  Pour over the top of the crisp and sprinkle with additional granola (if the taste and crunch is desired).  Bake for about 35-30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and you can see the fruit bubbling.  Serve warm or cold with whipped cream, Cool Whip, or vanilla ice cream.

Fresh out of the oven...

Oh yummmmm....

And a dollop of whipped cream makes it even better...

And don't forget a dusting of cinnamon sugar on top.  You really need to make this now and enjoy every single bite.....  This is now the ONLY way I want to eat peaches!...

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Simple Sympathy Cards

Unfortunately I have needed some sympathy cards lately.  This first card has a background design from Birds Cards cut out of Duck Brand vinyl (it looks marbled).  The card also needed very little as the background was so detailed - just a Prima flower and a stamped sentiment completed it simply.

Once again the Silver Bullet Professional handles the detailed file with ease....

I love using this ornate cross from Mamaw's Legacy (no longer available) - it is one of the most elegant crosses I have found and cuts like a dream.     There is little I need to add other then the sentiment. 

The paper is the incandescent from Paper Temptress.It has beautiful subtle slivers of gold through it...

 Just some simple pearls adorn the cross.

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Cinnamon Bread aka Snickerdoodle Bread

One of my absolute favorite cookies in the world  is the snickerdoodle - and fresh out of the oven makes it literally irresistible.  I think it is the perfect combination of butter and sugar and cinnamon and all things good.

But for those times when the cookie jar is empty (perish the thought) and you are craving something a little more satisfying that will make your cup of coffee taste that much better, this is the next bread you need to bake.Trust me on this one - it is fluffy and delicate and comforting and it's delicious too!

And making four little loaves so you can share makes this even more perfect -  a taste treat that many can enjoy (or keep them all and store in the freezer for when the craving hits!)

CINNAMON AKA SNICKERDOODLE BREAD

adapted from Lil Luna

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2  tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. LorAnn Cinnamon Bakery Emulsion (optional but sooo good)
1 c. butter (2 sticks), softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. plain Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
1 c. King Arthur Flour mini cinnamon chips

Topping
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon

Cream butter, sugar, salt and dry cinnamon until fluffy and light.  Add eggs one at a time and mix well.

Add cinnamon baking emulsion, vanilla extract and yogurt and mix well.  In a small bowl, mix the flour and baking powder.  Add to the other ingredients and mix lightly until well blended.

Stir cinnamon chips into the batter and pour into 4 small mini loaf pans or one large pan, until about 2/3 full..
Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the loaf batter.

Bake the mini loaves at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  Let cool before removing from the pan.

Loving the little loaves...

Look at that luscious layer of cinnamon and sugar over the top...

Cinnamon inside and out!

YUM.......

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Birthday cards...... times four!

I am normally not one to make the same card more than once - but I had some really fun papers that I wnated to try and a birthday word file  that inspired me to cut the same design and see what I could do, Honestly, there is nothing very unique about any of these cards, but I had fun choosing the colors and just playing!

The iridescent and textured papers that make up the colors of the butterfly are origami papers, 

HSN carried them for a while, and I have seen them elsewhere, but have to remember where!  

I wasn't sure if these would cut well because of the embossing on some  the papers, 

but they cut perfectly each time with the Silver Bullet Professional Cutter.

The solid color card bases are from the Mica (Stardream)  line from Paper Temptress and the designs are also the Mica line - but text weight.   the white card base is the Luster line.  The butterfly flourish is an old file form Mamaw's Legacy (I wish she was still making files as they are terrific) - so glad I grabbed then when I could.  And the birthday words are from Miss Kate's Cuttables and they cut with ease.

I still have more August cards to make and September, so stay tuned for more!  Hope you enjoyed these... Pin It Now!

Summer Cards - simple and not so!

I don't know if anyone else has a lot of friends with birthdays in the summer, but I have been flooded with them - happily so.  I love celebrating someone else's birthday . But the down side of needed more than one or two cards is that the creativity does not always line up with the need.  Tell me you can relate to that...
I will share a way I pushed myself through in a later post,but first I want to share these four cards that could not be more different, and cover a wide variety of occasions!


This first one is a simple thinking of you card. The background design is from Totally Jamie.

Design by Totally Jamie

 The papers are from Paper Temptress and the flower layers were run through an embossing dot pattern (Embossalicious petite dot) and layered with pop dots.  My goal was to make it cheery.  The basic design of the center flower is from Birds Cards. I just copied it a few times, making each one smaller so I could get a layered look.   Then the flowers were embossed with a dot folder and assembled using pop dots. Simple, easy, and it makes me happy to look at it.  Hopefully the recipient will feel the same way :)

Papers from Paper Temptress - Pop Tone, Sparkle and Mica

The second card is also simple.  The design is from Birds Cards. Birds files cut beautifully every time, especially with the Silver Bullet Professional Cutter. And the card stock is of course from Paper Temptress.  This birthday card was for a male, so kept all of the frilly stuff off it which is SO hard for me!  I need to work at embellishing male cards in different ways!

More Paper Temptress Pop Tones

Side view with pop dots

The third card is a combination of all things easy and together they make a striking card.   I used a siimple pinked edge circle pattern for the spirelli circles.  I love doing spirelli - it's relaxing.  I just used a variegated metallic thread and wrapped it around the edges for that pop of color. The center is a Prima embellishment that I have had for ages.  (Yes I am trying to use up the stash!!)

Closeup of the spirella wrap with metallic thread . The pinked edges are inked

with a marker to give them a little more depth.

The greeting was simply printed, but could be stamped as well.  Then all were layered on top and - DONE!! This congratulations message was for my daughter up in Fresno who just secured a full time teaching job - and although I think she might have preferred the lower grades, she was "blessed" with sixth graders!  Actually I think they were blessed to get her - but the challenge is that she was hired on Monday morning, back to school night was that evening, and school started on Wednesday!  Yikes.....
I know she will be up to the challenge and am excited for her - so it was the best way I had to let her know!

The fourth card was inspired from a store bought card I have had for ages.  It has foiled swirls coming out from the center - all in different colors with some glitter and it's just really pretty.  I wanted to duplicate the variety of colors and make it look magical.

The store bought inspiration!

 I was going through a stack of papers that I haven't used in a while and found this holographic vinyl.  It is made by Duck Brand and I thought it would be perfect.  I have been collecting files from Miss Kate's Cuttables, and she has a variety of flourishes, so I used one of her sets, took one design and mirrored it and welded it to give me the center piece and added anotherwirl on top.  It sparkles in vibrant colors depending on how the light reflects..  I just love how it looks.  I printed the "happy birthday" first and then applied the vinyl. Then just added little rhinestones to accent the swirls.  I will definitely play with this Duck Fireworks pattern again   - it was too much fun.  This card went to a very special friend celebrating her 70th birthday - and I am not naming names! :)

Gradient printing done on Paper Temptress Luster Silk

Hard to photograph at that angle, but you can see the cuts in the shiny vinyl. 

Cuts like butter!!

The beautiful colors in this vinyl really show in the light here and below -

different angles produce a different array of colors.

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Birthday Brunch Bake! - Part Two (the food)...

Well it was a great weekend here...... all of the kids were together to celebrate Rob's birthday (my youngest)

Rather than do our usual birthday dinners, we had a special brunch that was actually really fun and a much easier way to entertain!  Why did it take me so many years to figure that out??  Good grief....

In the midst of getting breakfast/brunch on the table, I totally missed the photo of this awesome breakfast treat.  It's one of those that you have to take the photo quickly because it deflates pretty quickly. By the time we sat down to eat it looked more like topography map of a valley surrounded by mountains! (that is the extent of my geographic terms!)  But........ once we all overcame the visual, the actual taste was FABULOUS!  Oh my gosh........ it was like eating dessert for breakfast - but the eggs and bread made it "legal"  - right??  The best description I can come up with is..... it tasted like a cremé brulee topped bread pudding.  Is that decadent enough?  If not...... well, will have to work on that one!  Just trust me - it was delicious!

Bacon and a fresh fruit salad rounded out the meal and it was just fun to have the three kids and two and 1/3 grandkids with everyone laughing and talking at the same time.  I don't know what is more fun than an animated family gathering! :)  I loved every minute as the times we are all together are few and far between and I cherish every one of them!

French Toast Bake

adapted from Butter with a Side of Bread

Base:
1 loaf of Hawaiian bread, cut in 3/4" strips
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla bean crush (KAF)*
1 tsp. butter vanilla bakery emulsion (LorAnn)*
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
===============
Topping:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. flour

Place the strips of bread in the bottom of a buttered 13x9" baking dish.  In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.Pour over bread slices.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350.  Then combine the butter, brown sugar and flour in a medium sized microwave safe bowl.and heat in the microwave for intervals of  30-45 seconds  for several minutes, or until the mixture is completely melted.  Pour over (it can be thick so you may need to spread it quickly) the bread and place it in the oven for 45-60 minutes.  It will come out beautifully tall and deflate as it cools.

The directions say to cool for 5 minutes...... I would say at least 15 or warn your guests as the brown sugar mixture is HOT!!!  But........it is oh.....so.......good!!

* Or use 2 tsp. vanilla extract in place of the extract and emulsion

Early prep....

Hot buttery brown sugar mixture as it goes into the oven...

Fresh out of the oven...one hour later....

The sunken wonder!! LOL  You can't tell, but the candle was sitting in a glass star holder and it sunk into the middle of the bread!! Rob had to blow that flame out FAST!!

So..... just to be sure you are paying attention - did you catch my reference to the "odd number" used in reference to my grandchildren??  Yes there is news.........

Scott and Megan are expecting their first child the middle of February. 

We are all quite excited - thrilled - elated - and more!! Pin It Now!