Baptism Day for Carter -

This was a special weekend.  Not only was it a celebration of our country's independence, but in our family, it was also a celebration of Carter's baptism.  It was a very small intimate ceremony- just family and close friends of Scott and Megan -  it was truly a blessed day.

I had been trying to figure out the perfect gift, even though we were told "no gifts".  How can a Grammy not bring a gift??  Nope - not gonna happen! Besides, I had already made it when the "no gift" edict came down - so too late for me!

I found the coolest idea on Pinterest. (how did we come up with ideas before Pinterest?!?)  This is where I got my inspiration. I loved the idea of a printed plaque, but remembered that I had some mirrored plastic (from Darice and Tim Holtz).  I have been wanting to try engraving but I have been such a coward. :(  So I figured no time like the present.  And let me preface the rest of this by saying it's a good thing I had a surplus of mirrored plastic as there is definitely a learning curve with engraving. But I kept trying and finally ended up with a gift I am so proud of and happy to share with Carter.  I had it framed so it would be a little more "finished".  Here is how it turned out when all done. (as you can see in the pictures above, engraving on mirrored surfaces is really difficult to capture in a photo...)

This is mirrored plastic - hard to capture the sheen of the mirror

Can you see his name is spelled out in the verses? That was fun!

A closer look at the engraving - all done in SCAL with the new crosshatch fill

All framed and ready to reside in Carter's room.

Next up was his card.  Back to Pinterest I went.  It was not as much help this time. Tons of ideas for girls, but not so much for little boys!  So I kept it simple using blue and silver and white.  I found a decorative cross on the internet that became the central focus of the card and am happy with how it took shape.

Cut file printed on laser printer and foiled with FoilMaster.

Results of the print and cut...

The finished cross

It was fun to put the FoilMaster to work along with the Silver Bullet.  They are such good partners!!

Embossed background with Stained Glass folder .

To personalize the card and occasion :)

May God bless you always, Carter J...

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A Brusho Birthday Card

I think this may be my new favorite card ever - I mean EVER!!!  For those of you who make cards, you know how much fun it is when you start to put something together and it takes shape on paper even better than you had it in your head.  That is how this process played out.

What did I do before Pinterest?? When I am stuck for inspiration and ALL of the blogs I follow are not quite "directing"  me (don't get me wrong - I have a list of projects that I want to try because of all of them - but wanted something different for the birthday of this friend - just not sure what!)

And then I saw some fun ideas using Brushos and that was all I needed.  I had created some background sheets while playing with them  and wasn't sure what to do with them and this seemed like just the right project. I am still learning and am a bit heavy handed with the sprinkling of the Brushos, but working on that!

I still want to use them to cut out some shapes, but this time I just cut out a simple cylinder shaped background and let the white image on top pop - and I think it does!  This is so simple with just the white and red, but I love how it all came together and am eager to try similar  ideas again.

Love the way the Silver Bullet cuts the thin lines in this image. And look at the fun splashes of color that you get from the Brushos.  This is the Rose Red color.

So not only did the idea succeed (and look at the detail in that butterfly cut), but the stamped greeting was exactly what I wanted.  I know that seems like a no-brainer, but I have rarely had a stamping success like this one. No matter what I do, I either slip with the stamp, or the ink goes down too light in one area or - well you get the picture.  But not this time.  I used my new MISTI tool that everyone is talking about and loving and you can add me to that list.  I was able to position the greeting perfectly and stamp it. The first image was a little splotchy, so I re-inked it and did it again.  Perfection.  You don't have to worry about the positioning being off because nothing moves or shifts and you get a stamp in the exact same spot each time.  I know I will be stamping more now - and loving it!  If you don't already have this tool and you like to stamp -it is an investment worth making. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!

The central image is a png I found on the internet that  I just traced in SCAL.

The greeting is  Hero Arts stamp.

The image has tiny foam squares behind it to give it dimension on the card.

So........Happy Birthday to my dear friend, Robbie. I hope she likes this card as much as I enjoyed making it.  Cannot wait to try some other ideas that have emerged from doing this...

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Happy Father's Day!

Sometimes simplicity needs to take over when there are no ideas in your head!  Such was the case with this card.   First of all, I needed a masculine themed card - strike one for me.  It's no secret that I have a hard time with those.  Strike two came when I realized that tomorrow(now today!)  is THE day and there was NO way I was going to get it in the mail and delivered in 24 hours. So that destroyed whatever ambition I had to get it done - which became an overwhelming obstacle for most of the day.

So I gave myself a swift kick (mentally) and vowed to at least get it up on the blog so the wishes would be there and the promise of the delivery in a reasonable time (my definition of reasonable is totally different than the post office) would have to do..........

So..... for my oldest son on his VERY FIRST FATHER'S DAY.....................

A simple print and cut with patterned "Happy" letters - found the idea on Pinterest                           (a treasure chest of ideas no matter what the topic!)

Did a little scoring to give the card some dimension and added cut off brads for interest.

Preppy Carter J!

Carter and Dad - what a pair!

Sending love and hugs and wishes for a great day with that beautifully handsome  4 1/2 month old. 

 The time is flying SO fast!

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Mixed Berry Cobbler Crisp

This dessert coincided nicely with the Memorial Day weekend with the red and blue  (and of course a scoop  of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream would be the perfect touch of white for a patriotic theme.)

Also, at least in CA right now, berries are a great price so I had beautiful fresh blueberries and raspberries in the fridge.   And I played with the original recipe and used coconut sugar to make it a little healthier (gives a lighter caramel taste and you don't get such a sugar rush) and added rolled oats, because they I can justify a few bites for breakfast - right??  I do the same with oatmeal raisin cookies - if they have oats in them, they are okay any time of the day :)  Some call it cheating but I call it healthy eating!  I can rationalize about anything!

Mixed Berry Crisp

adapted from Bake or Break

3 c. assorted berries (I used 2. blueberries and 1 c. raspberries)
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 c. organic all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter (1 stick), softened
3/4 -1 c. coconut sugar (if  you want it sweeter, use the 1 c. as coconut sugar is not as sweet as brown sugar.  I was perfectly happy with the 3/4 c., however)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. rolled oats

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease a 9x6" rectangle pan or an 8-9" round baking dish.

Place the clean and drained berries in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle the lemon juice over the top of the berries - no need to mix.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

For ease of clean up, I prepared the topping in a food processor.  (If you prefer, you can beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until creamy and then mix in the flour mixture until crumbly and proceed).
Place the softened butter, vanilla and coconut sugar in the food processor and pulse until it is nice and creamy and well blended. You may need to scrap down the sides once, but this will blend quickly! Add the flour mixture and the oats and pulse a few quick times until you have a crumbly mixture that is well incorporated.

Ready for the oven...

Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the berries so they are covered evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the fruit is bubbly.

Freshly baked...

This is SO delicious. You could easily double the fruit and use the same amount of topping if you want . And this would be delicious with peaches or apples or apricots or.....  I cannot wait to make it again and doing most of the work in the food processor made it even easier!

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Happy Birthday, Missy...

Today is the celebration of another family birthday - my daughter who lives in northern CA.  I hope she has a wonderful day full of hugs and love from her daughters and all things that make her happy.

This card was an experiment.  My kids tend to be my "guinea pigs" when it comes to trying new card making techniques. I know if the card fails, they will still love the thought.  At least that is what I tell myself...

I have been reading about Brushos all over the internet and seeing amazing things created with them. So this was my first try and I cannot wait to do more.  I want to make pages of colors and cut them out rather than just use them as background.  And next time I would probably use less as this is a bit intense, but I love the colors.  This  background represents just two colors used - look at all of the variations of color that literally explode off the paper.  It's such fun and makes a non artist feel talented!  LOL

Isn't that fun??

I used a clip art pattern for the dandelion image and great mica paper from Paper Temptress.  It's a whimsical card, but I am happy with it - I hope she likes it. :)

I love the fine detail...

Love this dandelion image...

A print and cut with the greeting that was foiled...

I love the rhinestones but they are really hard to capture in a photo - 

they are scattered throughout the background...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISSY!

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Sending Words of Sympathy

I have talked about it before.... making a sympathy card is without a doubt the most difficult card to make.  And there are certainly situations that make it even harder.  This was one of those times.

I have been blessed to have a lot of warm and wonderful people enter my life.  The dear lady who is the recipient of this card is truly one of my guardian angels. She came into my life when I moved back to CA after having lived in Arizona for 12 years.  I was not in the strongest physical shape and needed a part time caregiver.  That is when this special woman created a "forever spot" in my heart.  She not only helped me for a year (I was in wheelchair at the time and couldn't drive) but she challenged me to live - really live and reach for all that I could do.  Over time and a lot of tough love on her part, I found the will and the strength to leave the wheelchair behind and fight the system to drive again.  She saw the strength inside of me even when I couldn't, or didn't want to.  I owe her so much.  And even though we mutually ended the employer/employee relationship, we have remained close friends for the past ten years.

A week ago I received a very short email from her. She is now in her 80s,  but living a full and active life. Sadly she shared that her oldest son had recently passed away and that the healing would now begin.  My heart ached for her and I felt/feel so helpless.  So this card is for her - this special lady who was a transforming light in my life.   I hope it reminds her that she is dearly loved...now and forever...

God bless you and your family.....

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Amazing Morning Glory Muffins~

I have seen all sorts of recipes for Morning Glory Muffins on the internet so a not sure why this is the one I chose to try, other than I have had GREAT results with recipes from Sally's Baking Addiction.  The muffins especially never let me down.......and this one was NO exception.  Wow.

Morning Glory Muffins

adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

2 c. white wheat flour (freshly ground)
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking spice (Penzey's Spices - great combination of complementary spices)
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. ground flax (optional)
2 large eggs
1/2 c. coconut sugar (can use light or dark brown sugar)
1/4 c. honey
1/3 c. melted coconut oil
1/3 c. applesauce
2 tsp. orange zest
1/4 c. pineapple orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. dried cranberries
2 c. shredded carrots
1 c. grated apple (about 1 apple)

Preheat the oven to 425.  Spray a muffin tin or use cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and flax together until combined. Set the mixture aside. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, coconut sugar, honey, coconut oil, applesauce, orange zest, pineapple orange juice and vanilla together until well blended.  Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until most of the ingredients are mixed, then add the cranberries, apple and carrots and fold everything until there are no remaining dry ingredients. Do not overmix.

So much fresh goodness...

A great way to disguise veggies and fruit!

Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling to the top.  Bake for 5 minutes at 425 and then lower the temperature to 350 and continue baking for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan  for about 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling

These are delicious and moist and don't taste "overly healthy" even though they are (!) and I am eager to make them again using a variety of combinations including grated zucchini and mini chocolate chips, zucchini and crushed pineapple, grated apple and pumpkin, raisins and shredded carrots and pineapple, and on and on!

These muffins make you say OMG YUM with the very first bite!  I made them twice in one month and am ready to make them again with some different ingredients.  So many fun options - shredded zucchini, crushed pineapple, blueberries, raisins (black or golden), chopped nuts, pumpkin, dried cherries.... what would you try next??

This recipe takes healthy to a whole new level of deliciousness!

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Happy Mother's Day!

For those of you who are still blessed to have your Mothers, I hope you are able to spend some time with them today.  And for those of you who are Mom's, I wish you a day full of love and happiness and time with those you love.

 

File is from Birds Cards.  

The beginning - two of these were cut and colored vellum 

was sandwiched in between the flowers and leaves.

Closeup of the greeting.  The layer in the background

is colored with clear Wink of Stella brush marker 

which makes the words appear to be sparkling

Happy Mother's Day!

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Birthday Cake Celebration!

You thought this was going to be a food post, didn't you?!?  Surprise!  No food here - not this time.  But there is birthday cake, made from beautiful colors of paper from Paper Temptress. :)

My youngest granddaughter is 9 today.

File is the Birthday Cake from Miss Kate's Cuttables. I cut out extra candles and stars to get" nine" on the cake, plus added the number "9" for one of the stars at the top of the cake to set off her ninth birthday!
It is a lot of detail cut and it all went beautifully thanks to the Silver Bullet Professional.

You can see how detailed the cuts on the candles are. Two of the layers were run through an embossing machine to get the swirled look.

I wish I could bake a cake that looked like this!

"Haley" is cut out of vinyl to help personalize it more.  Really happy with how it came out and hope she loves it too...

The vinyl cut beautifully and I really like that font.

This was a really fun card/cake to make and there are many things you can do with the design of the cake. I used all of the layers, but you could certainly simplify it, which is one of the things I love about making my own cards. There are so many ways to personalize it with "your special touch".

A side view to see the image attached to the card with foam dots.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HALEY!!!

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Pressure Cooker Beef Stroganoff

So I already shared that the family enjoyed beef stroganoff while celebrating my oldest son's birthday. Some of you have asked for the recipe, so here it is.  I will apologize in advance for the lack of photos (the ones below are recreated from leftovers - thank goodness for leftovers!!)  LOL  I am not good at remembering to take photos when I am trying to get plates of food onto the table and juggle the timing of all to keep each component hot.  So oops on that. But trust me - this was fabulous - tender and scrumptious.

Beef Stroganoff in the Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot)

adapted from Pressure Cooking Today
2 lbs grass fed beef (you can use anything from chuck to sirloin) cut into 1" pieces
1 Tbsp expeller pressed  coconut oil (this variety has NO coconut flavor) (canola oil is fine too)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (I love using the microplane fine grater for this or a garlic press)
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 c. beef broth or stock
1 Tbsp. beef base/bouillon (for added depth of flavor)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lb combination of sliced white mushrooms and sliced cremini mushrooms (in whatever proportion you like)
2 Tbsp. cornstarch (I like to use arrowroot starch)
3 Tbsp. cold water
1/2 c. sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
sprig of fresh thyme (optional)
Cooked egg noodles
Fresh chopped parsley to garnish

I like to freeze the beef for about an hour as it makes it much easier to cut.  After cutting, season it well with salt and pepper.  Set the pressure cooker or Instant Pot to brown or saute (same results, different features) and heat the oil.  When hot, add the beef and brown. Do not overcrowd the beef.  It took me about three batches to get it all browned - just remove the browned pieces to a plate and add more cubes until all are brown.

Once the beef is done, add the chopped onion and cook, stirring frequently so it won't burn.  It will take about 4-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook another minute.

Now add the beef broth with the dissolved beef base and cook another minute, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pot.  Add the browned beef and any juices on the plate....  Set pressure on HIGH.  Set the timer for 18 minutes.

While the beef is coming to pressure and cooking, heat the butter in a skillet, add the sliced mushrooms and cook until golden.  Season with salt and pepper.

When the beep goes off on the pressure cooker,turn it off and  let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.  After that, use the quick release to let the diffuse the remaining pressure. When the valve drops, remove the lid.

Combine the arrowroot starch and water and mix until smooth..  Add the mixture to the broth in the pot stirring constantly.  Select Simmer and bring the broth to a boil, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Add 1/3 c. of the gravy to the sour cream and mix until well combined.  Add the sour cream mixture to the gravy and stir until well blended.  Add the sauteed mushrooms and pour over the cooked noodles.

Sprinkle with the fresh chopped parsley and serve.  DELICIOUS!

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