an old bat...

is anyone else enjoying the increasingly chilly weather? i MUCH prefer cooler weather and i always marvel at the leaves changing color - never ceases to amaze me!  couple that with the new season of all the tv shows and i am a happy camper!  i have been checking out some of the new ones - a fave is Revolution.  not so much because it is so good - it is mediocre - but because the whole premise just SO intrigues me!!!  as much of a tech junkie as i am i am also aware that a reset button might not necessarily be a bad thing.  of course i would also like to think if it happened i would be a total bad ass!  truth is i am probably past that stage at this point in my life but i can dream right?!  we also watched the pilot of 666 park avenue - scared the hell out of me!  not sure if i will be able to watch again....i don't do sports OR reality type shows though.  anyone else watching revolution?  i would LOVE to hear your take on it!

fall also means halloween is coming!we were doing a little shopping in Kohls this weekend and kevin spotted a sign in the halloween decor area and said my mom would LOVE it - you can see it HERE.  i grabbed it and was carrying it around and then it occurred to me i could make something that looked way better so i put it back and got to work!  here is what i came up with:

the best part is i didn't spend a dime on my version!  i already had the wooden plaque.  i started by adhering two french book pages across the front.  then i swiped on a bit of gesso in spots to cover some of the book pages.  i sprayed them liberally with water and then added some of the NEW Silks colors from Luminarte - I used Spiced Pumpkin and Sunflower - every one of the new colors just released by Dreaming In Color is absolutely deeLISH!

adding the water helps dilute the paint so it blends easier without diluting either the color OR the incredible shimmer Luminarte is known for.  The areas with Gesso have a lighter color whereas the bare book pages soak in the color and keep it vibrant.  Because Silks are a glaze the wording is still easily visible.

Once dry, I sponged on some pale sage acrylic paint and then added a darker sage using bubble wrap to get sort of distressed looking dots.  I used Black Silks around the edges.  Once everything was dry I cut out the bat silhouette and printed off the wording and added them using matte medium.  i sprayed it all with a sealer to protect it and added a hanger on the back.  i think my mom will love it!  what do you think???  and no, she won't be offended - she is fun like that!

happy halloween! cake time!

hi all!

well the snow has mostly melted.  we will be heading to the vet shortly with one of my older cats, fluffy.  something is really wrong with her.  at first i just thought - hairball.  but that is not it.  she is making weird noises, having a lot of trouble eating and can barely growl at bubba kitten.  she appears to be very uncomfortable yet she is able to jump and go up and down the stairs so i have no idea.....

but aside from keeping a watchful eye on her all weekend pezza and i got out the cricut cake and had some halloween fun!

 ok yes it's a bit plain - i kind of choke near the end and forget the details (like the lustre paint and the colored sprinkles.)  here is the side band:

i CAN say that this was the most pleasing cricut cake experience yet!!!!  i had abandoned it for quite awhile because i had finally gotten it all down using the Cricut gumpaste in the tub and now i have searched and searched and can't find it anymore.  i couldn't find anything i liked the taste of as much and i just can't see spending so much time on something no one wants to eat 'cuz it tastes nasty.

then i discovered Candy Clay while figuring out what i was going to make for Pezza's birthday.  i looked into it a little more and started thinking i could use it in place of gumpaste.  further research on Cake Central and YES i could!!!!!!  holy moly why hadn't anyone mentioned this before?  i mean this stuff tastes freakin' awesome!!!!  all it is  - 1 bag of candy melts, melted and mixed with 1/3 c light corn syrup.  i decide to consult with my cake expert buddy Ann so i sent her an email asking about it.  but do i wait for an answer? no i just jump right in and start mixing up a batch.  i turn it out on wax paper and become a little suspicious:

i mixed and mixed but no matter how much i stirred i had this mysterious puddle of tasteless liquid........

i head to the computer and see ann has answered...her most important bit of info - be careful not to stir it much or it starts to separate and you get a puddle of oil.........ooooohhhhhh.......we decide i should proceed with it so i let it cool and then wrap it and let it sit overnight like instructed.

pezza and i got to work the next day - the pile of candy clay (also known as modeling chocolate) was HARD AS A ROCK.  but i started kneading it and sure enough it quickly warmed and became the consistency of playdoh - perfect!  we used some coloring gel and made our colors and then rolled it out just like gumpaste using a mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch to keep it from sticking.  it cuts like a dream!

now i will tell you right now as you can see in the picture - way too much cornstarch powdered sugar mix on top there.  after i put it on the mat i put it in the fridge for about 10 minutes to stiffin up a bit and then cut it.  of course my ever-present small helper was by my side as usual...helping...

i love the powdered sugar on the nose! of course i needed a cake to decorate.

1. mix up cake mix from box  
2. look for 8" cake pans and remember you forgot to ever buy them  
3. use the 10" pan
4. pour batter in and realize you did the butter but forgot the flour  
5. send hubby to the store for the second box of cake mix and heavy whipping cream i forget EVERY time

eventually we had a cake frosted with the BEST buttercream EVER - Rick's Special Buttercream.  now here are a couple things i learned along the way.  

1. thinner is not better - i rolled the white out much thinner and it did not work quite as well.  it needs to be just thin enough to fit under the roller.  
2. you do not have to make it with white and then add color - you can make it with the colored candy melts which is what i did with green.  of course if you don't need an ENTIRE bag of one color doing it with white and then mixing in the coloring is better.  
3. one bag of melts is more than enough to cover 2 12x12 mats.  
4. it does NOT need to sit overnight in order to work well.

here are some close ups:

the one thing i did not like was the little bit of raised -ness on the edges.  i also read in the chirp recently that they recommend cuts be 3" or larger - my ghost, cat and pumpkin are only 1 1/2" and they were a bit difficult but still turned out pretty well.

i also did not like all the powder on top of my cuts BUT if i am more careful next time or perhaps wipe them a bit with some butter it will be better.  when we do Pezza's birthday cakes i will be painting the cuts with lustre dust and sprinkling them with colored sugar so it won't matter as much.

what i DO love - it tastes AWESOME!  just like the candy but better.  last year at pezza's party the kids were all freaked out by the gumpaste even though pezza kept insisting it was good.

BTW - i took a break in the middle of writing this and went to the vet.  Fluffy will be fine.  vet is not sure what happened but she is full of gas from gulping air - perhaps from a throat infection causing pain.  so she got a shot of antibiotics and one to help with the gas and should feel better by tomorrow.

so what do y'all think?  anyone else ever messed with modeling chocolate/candy clay?  hhhmmm i may need to go get a piece of cake......

pumpkin picking pezza style...

hi all!

we've decorated for halloween!  what do y'all think?  i am also trick or treating...trick or treating for the lost dog and cat foundation!  if you would like to donate CLICK HERE and be sure to put my name in the notes section!

we've also been getting ready for halloween around the house and this past weekend it was time to get our pumpkins.  now y'all remember the LO i already began creating...you know using SVGs and cutting with my new Black Cat?  you know all ready for fab pictures from a local farm with hayrides and lots of pumpkins?

well for starters i still haven't figured out how to cut it out.  i also didn't have photo paper to print any pics out OR ink in the photo printer either.  yea my whole i am going to get back to scrapping goal has been a bumpy ride.  i HAVE been very busy but it's all stuff for the magazine (which is our hugest ever!)  plus a secret project i have been working on for someone but i can't post THOSE pics until the person sees it first.  the good news is i did get comfortable with Make The Cut again and i am ready to cut my layout pieces...

but first we needed the perfect set up for pictures.

me: Pezza, do you wanna get your pumpkin today?
Pezza: YES!
Me: ok we'll go to the pumpkin farm
Pezza: NO.  i don't wanna get it there.
Me: oookkaaaaayy.  where do you wanna get your pumpkin?

wait for it

YUP...she wanted to get her pumpkin at target......

so being the dedicated scrapper i am (and totally determined NOT to waste the SVGs i have been working on)  i threw my camera in my purse and off we went...

pezza insisted that daddy pick out his pumpkin first from the bin of larger ones.  so as he is digging around i pull out my camera (remember we are in target) and i say hey honey, and this is what i get:

the look on his face says it all dontcha think????  let's just say he was thoroughly disgusted with me.

next pezza wanted to pick out a baby pumpkin from the other bin:

and...

at which point hubby is telling me how completely embarrassing i am.  honestly, i don't know how he can be surprised by anything i do after this many years....and yes, those are going on the layout.....

so trev got most of his stuff moved yesterday.  he will be back today for the rest and Pezza and I are going to go check out his place.  i have had a number of people comment that i must be sad but really i am not.  i mean this is the goal of parenting.  they are supposed to leave!  my mom gave me some excellent advice a long long time ago.  she said the goal of parenting should be to become as useless to your kids as possible.  i believe in this.  my job is to teach them how to live in the world on their own.  now i AM glad he will be close by so i don't have to miss him!  and to be quite honest we have plans for his room and bathroom - no shrine there in case he comes home NOPE!  a guest room and then we will have pezza take over his bathroom and move her out of ours!  she wants it to be decorated with frogs and ducks :)

so am i the only one who got their pumpkins at the store?  i feel like this whole have to make a trip out to the farm and spend an arm and a leg and make it a big production thing is kinda new.  i never remember doing that as a kid OR doing it with the boys?  is it just a novelty where i live maybe?  lemme know!

SFYTT - but bags - studio G blitz!!

in honor of all of the stdio G goodies i FINALLY finished shipping out (with the exception of a few) i decided to do a Studio G project using Jen's SFYTT (before the new one hits tomorrow - sheesh i feel like i have been under a rock). So instead of a card i used the sketch to make two gift bags for our neighborhood "BOO" games. each year our neighborhood does a little game where you get a surprise goody bag on your dorrstep and you have to make two goody bags and secretly pass them on to two other neighbors without getting caught. once you have been boo-ed you hang a sign in your window so you don't get boo-ed twice. and so here are my two bags:

This one has a piece of paper from the DCWV halloween glitter stack. the black piece is stamped with a spider from Inkadinkado All Hallow's Eve set using winter rust and golden mist opalite ink - i wish i could have gotten a better pic of the shimmer......the three squares are stamped using studio G stamps from various series and they are stamped using the studio G inks which work wonderfully! i edged each square with orange ink using a foam blender. the pumpkin cut out is done with cricut paper dolls cartridge and then covered in studio G halloween glitter - i did the black and green details first, let dry and then filled in with the orange.

next up - background is also from the DCWV stack. the next layer was done by little miss pezzy herself - yep that's right - not even two yet and already crafting (OK with a BIT of help from mom....see below). Again the stamps are various Studio G stamped using studio G inks. I highlighted a bit on the hat and the "poof" with my spics pens. potion jar is cut from the cricut paper dolls cartridge and covered in studio G halloween glitter glue.

for the background i took a piece of black cardstock and cut it in half. i helped Pezzy squeeze winter rust, emerald and orchid opalite reinker randomly around one side. layed the other side on top and then let her smoosh it with her hands and roll it with my brayer. then pulled them apart. the shimmer is much better in person.

Pezzy made quite a few backgrounds recently so they will be showing up here and there :)

Now that the market has been flooded with studio G stamps i have seen a lot of posts about being unable to get a clear image with these. yes they are only a buck but i have ALWAYS gotten crisp clear images by using the following tips:

1. sand your stamp LIGHTLY with fine sandpaper before initial use (some people use emery boards, others use erasers but that has not worked for me consistently.
2. USE PIGMENT inks - the best i have found are versamagic, brilliance and versafine as well as the studio G inks. DYE inks do not work as well on alot of acrylics and i have noticed SU inks are especially bad with studio Gs.
3. Place a piece of foam/cusion under your paper - i use the piece that comes in the CTMH sets.
4. PRESS LIGHTLY - these stamps are soft - acrylics generally need a lighter touch than traditional red or gray rubber.

i hope you all are having fun with your studio Gs as well - and for those who have not received theirs yet i hope they arrive SOON!!!!

stay tuned - you'll want to see my post tomorow!!!