Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts

A Berry Special Friend Card

I'm having so much fun making these cute pop-up cards using the Everyday Pop-up Card Cricut cartridge.  I used to love pop-up books as a kid and each time I make a card it reminds me of them.  There was one in particular I recall...with sisters dressed in the same outfit but in different colours.  One had the top in one colour and the bottoms in another, and the sister had the opposite arrangement.  I was only about 4 or 5 when we had that book and I can't remember anything else about it except those clothes they had on!  Anyone else who was a kid in the early 70s remember a book like that??

Anyway, this card can be found on page 46 of the handbook.  It would be perfect to give with a container of my homemade raspberry freezer jam!

I cut the card (which happened to be a zig-zag edge just like the last card!), and the phrase (with layers) for the front.  I added some dsp and inked the edges.  I chose the jam jar pop-up and it was much less fussy to put together than the sewing machine card I showed you a couple of weeks ago - but you still have to be gentle when you open it.  I used the graphic illustration from Provo Craft again for reference, and I think I did it right.  The strawberries pop-up but they don't do 'anything'...(eg. move side-to-side)...but I'm not sure if they are even supposed to!  It's cute, anyway!  I added 2 layers of dsp inside cut into a circle (like a table or placemat).  I added some Glossy Accents to the strawberries (on front and inside) and a bit of glitter.  One last thing...the layers are not sized to fit on the pop-ups but I still wanted the jam label on my jar.  I used my Gypsy to size the layer and shift-layer to make them fit and added them to my jar...so cute!

An Unapologetic, Uplifting, & Inspriational Video for you...

I stumbled upon this video and I love it!  I wanted to share it with you...

Coffee Cake Muffins

Everyone who ate one of these muffins said "mmm, these are good!".  The spice mix layer is really yummy and it's great to have that coffee cake taste in a tidy, hand-held muffin!  Enjoy...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee Cake Muffins

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Spice Mix

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon

400 degrees F, 25 mins., greased muffin pan

The Big Shot

You can't say I didn't try not to buy the Big Shot.  After watching both Angie and Patsy use it to cut fabric into shapes for quilt appliques (see videos below), I was intrigued with the notion of using a die-cut machine for this purpose.  Both ladies turned out intricate shapes in seconds, in multiples, and of course the options for designs are limited only by the number of dies you want to buy.  First, I bought fusible webbing and tried cutting some test fabric with my Cricut.  Hmmm...first of all, it didn't cut all the way through the fabric.  Second, even if I could get it to cut well (tried multiple cuts, max pressure, etc.) I would only be able to cut 4 items per loaded cutting mat.  Then I tried running a die through my Cuttlebug with some fabric on top.  Nope.  Didn't work well enough to cut through entirely.  So...I really had no choice but to order the Big Shot, did I?

I was able to get a nice bundle, including the machine, extended cutting pads, a small die, and a bonus Movers & Shapers card kit (a magnetic pad which cuts a card shape and then has a 'window' 4-pane die that can be placed anywhere on the magnet).  It is a very heavy machine and I am really impressed with it.  It worked well the first time I tried it all out, cut paper and fabric with ease, of course.

I am waiting for the delivery of the 2 dies I purchased to use for quilt appliques (a flower, like Angie used, and a flourish like Patsy's).  I have the fabric all set to go to make a flower quilt like Angie demonstrates in the video.  I'm very excited to get started and now that I have the Big Shot I can build up a collection of dies to use with it...including the exclusive ones from Stampin' Up, which up 'til now I've had to ignore.

My Second Quilt

 
Here is the 2nd rag quilt I made (for my other daughter!).  She picked out the colours herself and they look really pretty together now that it's sewn.  This one was really easy to make since I pretty much had the kinks figured out from the first quilt...until I cut the flannel!  I had purchased a nice, big cutting mat and was thrilled to be able to cut several strips without moving the fabric.  Of course I trimmed off the selvage edge first and then cut my first strip at 8".  Unfortunately, I didn't realize until the second strip that I had indeed cut at 8" but had not started at '0'!  So my first 2 strips were only 7 inches wide.  This left me ONE SQUARE SHORT of purple at the end!  So to fix the problem, I just used the 7" purple square to frame my custom quilt label and quilted it onto a left-over green square.  It worked...doesn't really change the pattern noticeably and almost looks like I did it on purpose!  So I guess I am learning...and fixing the mistakes is part of that!  (The quilt shop owner said 'we've all done that before' so I felt a lot better about my dumb mistake!)  The sewing on this quilt was much neater and straighter and the squares are very even on the reverse.  I also didn't get jabbed near as much since I only pinned each row as I went, sewing each row and removing the pins before doing the next.  I am pretty impressed with myself and my daughter is thrilled...you know they like it when they post it on Facebook!  I'm going to make one more rag quilt for myself...here are the patterns I picked out.  I also bought material for a 'real' quilt to make in the fall when I know how to do it!

Tie the Knot Petal Box

 
Here is the first project I made using the new Tie the Knot Cricut cartridge.  The Petal Box is one of the great 3-D items available and one of the reasons I selected this cartridge.  I used my Gypsy to size the box, but it pretty much came out 'fit to page' on my 12x12 textured card stock.  I cut it again using designer series paper so I could decorate the sturdy box base.  I used my Xyron to apply adhesive to the sides and base of the paper, which I cut apart, and that worked really well to get coverage right to the edges.  I inked all sides with Baja Breeze ink.

I stamped the inside of the box with the 4 images from the Eat Chocolate stamp set (SU) in Chocolate Chip ink.  Remember those paper fortune tellers we used to make as kids with messages under each flap?  That's what inspired me - have a little message on each panel as a surprise when you open the box!  I added in some mini-chocolate bars and then folded up the petals.  I tied a piece of striped Baja ribbon gently around the petals.

 

I stamped the 'for you' from the Punch Bunch stamp set in Baja ink and punched it out with the Scallop Circle punch.  I stamped it again in Poppy Parade and used the circle punch to punch the centre out and popped it up in the middle with dimensionals.  I put a touch of Dazzling Diamonds glitter in the centre of the flower.  Finally, before adding it to the box, I cut some strips of dsp in Poppy Parade and lined the bottom of each panel.  Ta-da!  A very cute favour box.

Cricut Rewards

Do you know that you can collect (and redeem!) Cricut Rewards points by purchasing cartridges?  Each full-size new cartridge contains a rewards certificate, usually in the amount of 90 points (I think it's 50 points for a 'lite' cartridge).  You simply save them up and enter them into your account at www.cricutrewards.com until you have enough to redeem - starting at 200 points.  It is very simple to shop with your points: you just pick out what you want and can 'afford', depending on what points-level item you choose, add it to the cart, and check-out.  A small shipping fee is charged and your item is sent.

I have received two rewards items so far, and I chose cartridges both times.  (Although some of the other selections are fun - markers, key chains, logo items - I enjoy collecting cartridges and believe I might as well pick something I can use with the Cricut.  The items are more varied and useful now than they were in the past, with more choices and more points levels, so that's a bonus if you haven't yet redeemed any of your accumulated points!)  I received a Christmas and Designer Calendar combo cartridge pack the first time, and I just received the Tie the Knot cartridge.  Even though I'm not at the wedding stage with my kids quite yet, I picked this cart because of the cute 3-D boxes & packages it has.  It also has great Creative Features: tag, invitation, card, and monogram, plus their shadows.  There are some versatile images and lots of words and phrases too!  So even though it's specifically themed, there are a lot of choices with this cartridge!

It doesn't take too long to accumulate Cricut Rewards Points to trade in for a free item...it just depends on how patient you want to be to save up for something big!  You can get an Expression bundle for 8,000 points...hey, that's only about 89 cartridges you'd have to buy...a mere $4,000 spent (with an average cartridge price of $45, give or take)!

You Hoo! Paisley Cricut Cartridge Card

On my last trip to Michael's I had to pick out a Cricut cartridge because they were on clearance for $25.  I chose the Paisley cartridge because it had lots of cute icons, a card feature, and words.

Here is the first card I made with it.  I thought the owl on page 42 of the handbook was so cute and would make the perfect element for a card.  I used my Gypsy to get the size right - 3.25.  I cut all his layers, and the shadow.  After I assembled him (I used In Colour card stock and dsp from SU), I added the flower bling and googly eyes.  I used foam squares to pop him up on a circle cut with the Custom Cutting System by Creative Memories.  I added a strip of card stock edged with the Martha Stewart Loops border punch and I stamped a branch on it.  I used the MS branch punch to add some greenery.  I stamped the greeting and punched it out and layered it on circles and a scallop.  Inside the card I added a matching large circle of white card stock to write on.

Jefferson Memorial Scrapbook Layout

 
I had all my Boston photos laid out on the table...but forced myself to put them away and get back to work on my Washington album instead.  I am so close and know I will feel better about completing one project before starting on the next.  It will be so good to change papers and themes!

So here is the last (I think) memorial I had to scrapbook.  The location of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial is on the shore of the Potomac River Tidal Basin, and is really spectacular to approach at night-fall.  The marble open-air building houses the bronze statue of Jefferson and the walls are engraved with passages from his writings.  Another breath-taking monument to visit in person - and to photograph!

I started with 2-12x12 sheets of designer print paper (from the Reminisce Power Palette, if you recall).  I cut out some feathered flourishes from a different sheet of paper and popped them up with dimensionals in the corners over my photos.  I cut a border using the new Border Maker System from Creative Memories with the Frame Chain Border Maker 'punch', which I added on one page, and a strip of co-ordinating paper on the other.  (I'm getting pretty low on paper at this point!)  I added 3 paper flowers as accents and a journal box for notes about the site.  Two other notable things I did on this layout was to cut a photo in half, round the top corners, and put 1/2 on one page and 1/2 on the other.  They line up when the pages are adhered to the album and 'join' the two pages together.  I also cut out a photo of the statue using scissors and popped it up on dimensionals - a very effective and commanding technique when it's the third President of the United States you're popping up!

I think I only have two more museums worth of photos to scrap, and some miscellaneous 'around town' snaps and I'm finished with this Washington album!  I have never taken this long (exactly a year!) to get holiday photos done since I started scrapbooking in 2001.  I'm supposed to be in the stage of life where I have more time to pursue my hobbies...but more hobbies seem to be competing for those leisure hours!  I guess it's a good problem to have!

Poppy Seed Loaf

This moist and tender Poppy Seed Loaf is tasty just the way it is, but you can jazz it up by adding maraschino cherries and/or a sweet sugar glaze...either way you're going to get poppy seeds stuck in your teeth!  I share the basic recipe in the video below...enjoy!

Poppy Seed Loaf

1/4 cup poppy seeds

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp lemon juice

2 cups all purpose flour

2-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, well drained and halved (optional)

350 degrees F, 9x5 greased loaf pan, 1 hour

Brown Sugar Glaze (optional)

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp cream or milk

1-2 Tbsp crushed nuts

Combine sugar, butter and cream in small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 mins. Spoon over hot loaf. Sprinkle with nuts.