Another Watercolor Christmas Alternative

Welcome everyone! Today's post will be short and sweet given the long to do list we all have this week.  I am sharing the last of the alternative cards for the Watercolor Christmas Kit.  This kit was a lot of fun and I hope you have all found a little inspiration in the cards I have posted this past week.

One of my workshop attendees last week used the Watercolor Card Kit as an activity to share with her granddaughter this past weekend.  They had so much fun finishing all the cards from our class.  So glad I was a small part of making a wonderful memory for Lori Beth.

The Merriest Christmas Wishes stamp from the set is wonderful as a focal point for this card.  I followed the design of the original card in the kit but changed the color to Tranquil Tide which reminds me of the holly bushes that used to be in my front yard and coordinates well with the holly cut-outs in the kit.  I embossed the Tranquil Tide mat with Stampin' UP's Holly embossing folder.  I like the texture it adds to the card.

The gold envelope liners were repurposed to make a background mat for the card, the sentiment and small dots for embellishments.  I added the holly leaves from the kit and a white card base.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy week to stop by and spend it with me at The Paper Maven.

Do something creative today!

Debi

Saturday Spotlight - Awesome Pumpkin Pie

Welcome to Saturday Spotlight!  It is hard to believe Thanksgiving is almost here.  Where did the time go.  Today I am sharing one of my Thanksgiving traditions, awesome pumpkin pie.  This pie is a bit spicy and not super sweet.  

I am calling it a pie but you may have noticed in the photo there is no crust. I am sensitive to gluten so I do not put a crust on my pumpkin pie.  My family loves the filling more than the crust,  so this works well for us.  I usually top this with homemade whip cream.  Yum!



I also like to use smaller ramekin dishes and bake "mini pies".  They make a great single serving breakfast on the run or a delicious treat for family members to take home and eat the next day.  Everyone is very good about returning my baking dishes.  This ensures they will have a take-home treat next year!


Here is the recipe:

3 cups of cooked or canned pumpkin; 
2 cups brown sugar; 
1 tsp salt; 
2 tsp of cinnamon, ( I often add more cincinnamon)
1 tsp nutmeg; 
1 tsp ginger;  ( I usually double this amount)
1/4 tsp ground cloves; 
1/4 tsp ground allspice; 
4 eggs, slightly beaten; 
1/4 cup of butter melted; 
Mix the above ingredients until well blended
Pour into a 10 inch pie shell or bake without a crust

For a crusted pie bake at 450 for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 325 for about 45 minutes or until center is set.  

For a no crust pie bake at 325 for about 55 minutes.  

Thanks again for stopping buy.  Make sure you visit The Paper Maven throughout the month of December for lots of Christmas cookie recipes; a family tradition that spans generations.  

Do something creative today!

Debi

Water Color Christmas Kit Alternatives

Hello everyone!  Today I am sharing another alternative card to the Water Color Christmas Kit.  There are so many ways to make this kit your own. Since we are all super busy this time of year, it's a quick way to make cards for family and friends.

I really love how this card turned out.  Tranquil Tide works so well with the pre-printed Christmas trees in the kit. I made the base card from Cherry Cobbler cardstock and used Tranquil Tide for the first mat.  I cut the card from the kit into two mats and embossed with a Tim Holtz folder that coordinated well with the theme of the card.  I inked all of the edges with Tranquil Tide Ink and added a piece of matching ribbon. 

I thought the gold envelope inserts were georgous and did not have the heart to line my envelopes that way.  For this card, I punched a few tiny circles from the gold liners.  A small but dramatic touch. 

The original cards are pictured here.  They are so easy to put together.  Everything is cut out for you.  Just stamp and glue.  Check out your stash and see what you find to coordinate with this adorable kit.

Blueprint:

Cherry Cobbler 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 scored at 4 1/4
Tranquil Tide 4 1/8 x 5 3/8; 2 3/8 x 3 7/8
Green shaded card base two pieces 4 x 5 1/4, dry emboss
Gold Metallic pen for stars on trees

Thanks for stopping by today.  Make sure you catch Saturday Spotlight this week.  I will highlight my favorite pumpkin pie. 

Do something creative today.

Debi

Watercolor Christmas Project Kit Alternatives

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by today.  My sister visited last week so I did not get a chance to blog, but we crafted all week. I have lots to share with you over the next couple of weeks.  Where to begin is the challenge.  Let's start at the end of the week.

Last Friday I held a workshop.  My sister helped with the prep work so a big thank you to Cheryl for helping me organize and clean up!

I love the Watercolor Christmas stamps and decided that would be a great set to initiate new stampers to card making.  I had everyone buy the Watercolor Christmas Project Kit and the matching stamps.

Images @ Stampin' UP!

Whenever I work with a kit I can't resist changing the cards a bit. The two pictures you see are alternate card designs I used for the workshop. The cards had a Christmas theme and 20 cards seemed a bit stingy for this holiday.  I split the card bases where possible and ended up with over 35 cards per person. 

I will start with my favorite stamp from this set, Oh Joy. 

Here are the alternate cards created from the original diagonally striped card base. I cut the front of the card at 2 7/8 x 5 1/2 and repeated that  on the back to create the cards you see here.

Images @Stampin' UP!

You may recognize the design of the above card.  I used the same blueprint from my gender reveal card for this card.  You will find more information about that card HERE.  Instead of the Stampin' Up! Cable Knit embossing folder I used an old Tim Holtz embossing folder.

The second card is very simple and quick to make.

Blueprint:

Whisper White cardstock 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 scored at 4 1/4
Emerald Envy cardstock
Basic Black 1/4 x 5 1/2, enough to die cut the large oval
Layering Ovals
Black Rhinestones
Gold Sequins
Emerald Envy Ribbon

Do something creative today!

Debi

Glitter Queen's Blog Hop - Home for the Holidays

Welcome to November's Glitter Queen's Blog Hop! So nice to see you stopped by today.  The theme this month is Home For The Holidays and that is exactly what part of my family will be doing this Thanksgiving. 

Those who are staying behind will be spending Thanksgiving with our best friends, Don and Debbie.  Don loves to cook and is also a Harley rider.  My card today is a thank you to Don for hosting turkey dinner while I am away.  He just happens to like Bourbon too!

Next along the hop is Kathie Steffke.   Take a look at the great project she has for you.  Its awesome!  Do you like what you see along the way today?  Please leave us comments to encourage our creativity and sharing.


Blueprint:

Cut:
Cherry Cobbler 4½ x 11½, scored at 5¾
Very Vanilla 4¼ x 5½; 4¾ x 3½
Early Espresso 5¼ x 4
Pumpkin Pie 5 1/8 x 3 7/8
Cajun Craze 5 x 3¾

Stamp Sets:
One Wild Ride
Beautiful Bouquet

Inks:
Crumb Cake
Versa Mark

Clear embossing powder

Thank you for stopping by today.  Mark your calendar and join us every month for Glitter Queen's Blog Hop, same time same day (first Thursday).  Do something creative today!



Dawn Griffith
Dee Slater
Tracy Bradley
Michelle Veller
Debi Galloway        You are here
Kathie Steffke          Up Next
 

Spotlight Saturday My Creative Spirit

Welcome to Saturday Spotlight.  So glad you stopped by today.

My addiction to paper and paper crafts leads me to many websites.  I want to share one of my favorites with you today, My Creative Spirit.  The blog belongs to Clare Charvill.  I mentioned Clare a couple of months ago in Glitter Queens Blog Hop post.  You can find the post here.

Clare shares the prettiest albums and projects made with Graphic 45 papers.  Her current post is an awesome advent calendar that can be made with your choice of paper.  You will find directions and videos to assist you in recreating  scrapbook mini albums and holiday themed projects.  Some of the projects are free, others are very inexpensive. 

I would love to know what you think.  Let me know in the comments section below. 

Do something creative today.

Debi

Gender Reveal Cards

Welcome to The Paper Maven.  Thank you for stopping by today.  Sorry I did not post on Tuesday,  but time is flying by way too fast this year.  My hubby and I have been busy every weekend.  This is usually my time to schedule posts for the upcoming week.  November and December will be busy too but I will try my best to keep in touch regularly.

I love the two cards I made for a gender reveal party a couple of weeks ago.  Our best friends Don and Debbie will be welcoming their third grandchild in early April and my family was invited to the party.

As you can tell from the picture I was well prepared for the event with a girl and boy baby card.  I recreated a card made by Brian King for Freshly Made Sketches but kicked it up a notch. I added an embossed background and made matching envelopes.  I love the blanket effect of Cable Knit embossing folder.  What do you think? Leave me a comment below. 

Here is the blueprint:

Basic Black 4 1/8 x 5 3/8; 3 x 4¼
Powder Pink/Soft Sky 4 x 5 ¼, embossed
Merry Little Christmas DSP 2 7/8 x 4¼
Watercolor Christmas Stamp Set
Special Celebrations Stamp Set
Matching ribbon
Black and clear rhinestone

Almost forgot to share, it's a girl!  The baby's two brothers are thrilled.

 Do something creative today.

Debi

Last of Halloween

Happy Friday everyone!  Thanks for stopping by.  I have not posted all week, so sorry.  My fall cleaning is getting in the way of blogging.  To make up for my absence I am sharing three cards as my farewell to Halloween posts for this year.

Toady's cards are all standard A-2. This card was made with Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, Smokey Slate, Black and Spooky Night DSP paper.  I also used My Favorite Things Blueprints and Creep It Real stamp set.  I traced the outline of the stamp and then fussy cut around the image.  I like the look!

This card was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest. I used the same paper as the card above.  I added dimensionals to two of the flag tails and a little sparkle with black rhinestones. The sentiment is from Labels To Love stamp set and the stitched rectangles are from My Favorite Things. 




The third card was inspired from a card made by Dawn Griffith.  If you have not visited her site you MUST!   I added Pumpkin Pie glitter paper, a spider doily (retired) and a different punched edge.  The sentiment and adorable mouse are from Spooky Cat stamp set.  The ovals

If you have not finished your Halloween cards yet, try one of these.  My favorite of this group is Creep It Real.  What is your favorite?

Do something creative today!

Debi

Saturday Spotlight - Happy Anniversary

Good morning everyone.  Thanks for stopping by.  Today's post is a bit different.  It's all about love!  Andy and I have been married 34 years today and I just want to shout out Happy Anniversary to love of my life.  It has been the best 34 years of my life.

Today's craft is all about spending time with those you love.  Believe it or not I was up early this morning to get ready for this big day with my hubby.  We are going to breakfast and then on to various events throughout the day ending with a dinner downtown and a spectacular light show called Blink. You can see the event HERE 

See you next week when I am back in my craft room! 

Spend time with those you love today!

Happy Owl-een to You

Hi everyone so glad you are joining me today.  October is so much fun.  I love making cards when I know the recipients.  The process is so much more engaging for me. 

Two individuals who will receive cards this Halloween really love owls.   So my Halloween card crafting always include at least one owl card. This year I have two owl cards planned.  The first one I am sharing today was inspired from a card made by Dawn Griffith.  I kicked it up a notch with black glitter paper, Stickles and rhinestones. 


The card size is A2 (Basic black cut at 5½ x 8½ scored at 4¼).  
Pumpkin Pie mat is cut at 4 x 5¼.
The owl is cut from Spooky Night DSP (3 x 3) and the black glitter mat is cut at 3¼ x 3¼.
The striped mat (1¾ x 5) is backed with black glitter (2 x 5)
The moon is stamped with the Owl from Spooky Cat stamp set and covered with diamond stickles.  

Thanks for joining me today and please do something creative today!

Debi

Is Witch Really a Bad Thing?

Good morning and happy Tuesday.  What a great Autumn day.  So glad you stopped by!  Does the word Witch make you think of bad things?  Well, today's card might.

I was sorting through leftovers from last year's Halloween cards and came across this adorable witch hat that I had cut out but never used on a card.  

I like the background stamping on this card. It looks like black rain.  Very appropriate for the season.  The Pumpkin Pie glitter paper gives it a bit of sparkle which I love on cards.  Of all the Halloween characters, I like witches the best, especially on their brooms.  This sentiment from Funny Bones stamped on the inside of the card says it all.  

The card is a standard A2 size (5½ x 8½ scored at 4¼)
Mats are cut at 4 1/8 x 5  3/8 and 4 x 5 ¼.
Fishtail is cut at 1½ x 4 
Witches hat is die cut twice. The images are offset slightly.  
Sentiment is popped with Dimensionals.

Other Supplies used: 
     Basic Black cardstock
     Spooky Night DSP
     Labels to Love stamp set
     Everyday Label Punch
     Banner Triple Punch 
     Gorgeous Grunge stamp set 
     Stickles
     Twine


Thanks for joining me and don't forget to do something creative today!

Debi 
  

Saturday Spotlight Halloween Popcorn Balls

Thanks for stopping by today!  My blog on Thursday (Glitter Queens Blog Hop - Halloween)  promised a quick and easy recipe for the yummy popcorn ball I posted.  The wait is over. The recipe is below. 

This sweet is my favorite memory of Trick or Treat.  As a child, I would roam many neighborhood blocks for the best popcorn balls. I knew the houses that had the really good ones.  I did not care about how many chocolate bars I had stuffed away.  I cared about the number of awesome popcorn balls I could collect before curfew.

This treat has been part of my Halloween ritual for many years. I went from collecting them to making them.  I got this recipe from one of my old neighbors who used to make them at Halloween for all us kids.

I made these popcorn balls for school Halloween parties for more than 15 years. As I was making these the other night I thought my oldest children would get a kick seeing popcorn balls all over the kitchen again.  So, I text these pictures to my oldest daughters.  Kristy sent a text back first saying "I need that recipe!" Kelly sent a text saying "If I give u a fed ex number can you mail me 15?" Priceless! 

The recipe is simple and quick.  The clean up is sticky but the treat is oh so worth the mess. If you are lucky to have a hubby like mine, he will do most of the clean-up for you! Thank you Andy; you are the best!

1. Combine 2 cups of Karo syrup, 1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla and a stick of butter (cut in cubes) in a large pan and bring to a full rolling boil.  The mixture will rise a bit as it boils.  Boil for 2 minutes.

2. While the syrup is heating, pop 10 quarts of yellow popcorn.  The popcorn needs to be warm when you add the syrup.  I heat the oil for the popcorn as I am measuring ingredients to boil. Add the popcorn to the oil once the butter melts and you should end up with warm popcorn from the pan just after the syrup is ready.

3. Poor the hot syrup over the popcorn in a extra large container that will allow you to stir the popcorn and the hot syrup until it coats the popcorn well.

4. Butter your hands and mold a large handful of coated popcorn to form a 3 or 4 inch ball.

5. Wrap the ball in wax paper or plastic wrap.

Enjoy and save some popcorn balls for the kids!

Do something creative today!

Spinner Birthday Card for Favorite Grandson

Hello fellow crafters.  This week is my adorable grandson's 7th birthday.    I don't see him as often as I would like,  but my daughter sends pictures and videos that keep me connected to his everyday moments.  Happy birthday Luke!  Nonni and Poppy miss you very much.

Luke loves to play with Fidget spinners.  When I found a version of this card on Pinterest I was so excited because I thought it would be perfect for his birthday.  You can find my inspiration card HERE. However I kicked it up a notch with  embossing the white mat and the creating a unique inside design.

Luke likes to golf with his Dad so I used the back side of the Polka Dot Basics embossing folder which resembles a golf ball.

Supplies used:
Number of Years stamp set
Polka Dot Basics Embossing Folder
Large Number Framelits
Whisper White and Basic Black cardstock
Lemon Lime Twist cardstock
Dark Navy cardstock
Orange cardstock
Fidget spinner

Do something creative today!

Debi

Glitter Queens' Blog Hop - Halloween

Welcome to Glitter Queens' Blog Hop!  So nice of you to stop by again.  Are you ready for some spooky inspiration?  Creep along with us to see all the amazing projects the Glitter Queens have waiting for you. Be sure to share our posts with all your friends.  It's a great way to get everyone in a ghostly mood!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  I always send  handmade Halloween cards to the kids and "kids at heart" in my family. 

The base card is cut from 12 x 12 Very Vanilla at 11½ x 5½, scored at 3 and 7¼. The pumpkin die from Patterned Pumpkins Thinlits was perfect for the tea light portal.   I love the ghosts floating skyward from behind the pumpkins.  

I think my second project turned out really cute!  I could not make the popcorn balls small enough fit a Stampin' UP! treat holder; so, I got creative and made a box using Simply Scored Tool,  Designer Series Paper, Layering Circle Framelits and ribbon.  

I love the peekaboo windows that make the popcorn ball visible to the recipient, yummy!  The popcorn ball is wrapped in plastic wrap which I pulled through the top of the box after cutting semi circles in each corner of closing flaps.  The protruding plastic wrap keeps the box closed nicely and I like the look!

Visit my blog for Saturday Spotlight this week where I will be sharing the recipe for these awesome popcorn balls.  Very quick and easy to make. My hubby said they were the best popcorn balls I have ever made.  LOL, I added more butter this time.

Creep along to Susie next and all the other Glitter Queens.  You will be sorry if you miss anyone!  Thanks for stopping by. See you next month.  Have a wonderful, spooky Halloween! 

Dawn Griffith

Tracy Bradley

DeeSlater

DebiGalloway

                 SusieElder Barber    NEXT

DavetteStrange Miller

Other Supplies used:

Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black cardstock

Home Sweet Home Thinlits (Ghost)

Spooky Cat and Sweet Home stamp sets

Spooky Night DSP

Copper Metallic Thread

Black Mini Sequin Trim

Do something creative today!

Debi