When Life Gives You Lemons

When life gives you lemons ....make SCONES!  Our little Meyer lemon tree has been very generous to us this year.  Usually, I cook up some lemon curd with our lemon crop, but this year with the price of eggs (each batch requires 6 eggs!), I decided that Martha Stewart Lemon Scones would be a better choice (only 1 egg needed).  There were a few steps in the recipe that I didn't follow like brushing the unbaked scones with cream (they were going to be glazed anyway).  Also, I cut my scones into squares not triangles...easier to store.  The extra tablespoon of sugar that was not sprinkled on top of the unbaked scones was mixed with the lemon zest.  I used white whole wheat flour to be healthier but regular white flour might have made the scones lighter colored.  I am very pleased with the taste of these scones and will surely use this recipe again even when I don't have an abundance of lemons.  

Like crafting, baking has a very rewarding purpose.  Making small changes to recipes results in an outlet for my creativity.  Don't forget that HM Ben Franklin Crafts has a large supply of baking equipment and edible supplies for making cookies, cakes, candies, etc.  Go and check out the kitchen department of HM Ben Franklin Crafts to get your cooking creativity inspiration! 

Origami Paper Resin Earrings

After making the confetti resin earrings (see March 22 post), I began to look for other things to include in my resin earrings.  Since I have lots of origami paper scraps in my craft room, I decided that they would be the perfect addition to my earrings.  I started by pouring a little resin ( Padico UV-LED) into the earring mold and curing it under the UV light.  This hardened clear piece became the template that I used to trace the earring shape onto the origami paper.  I cut out the paper shape and pierced a hole where the hanging hole should be.  It was a little difficult to get the paper around the silicon template peg (that makes the hole) but washi origami paper is strong and can withstand the poking and prodding.     

To form the resin earrings I poured a little resin in the mold and placed the cut out paper on top of it. More resin was added to the mold before it was cured using the UV light (1 min.). Then the mold was turned over and cured for another minute.  Once the pieces were popped out of the mold, jump rings (included in the Resin Earring Kit) were added and the earring hooks attached.

For the second style of earrings, I used the head pins in the kit to attach Swarovski crystals to the origami paper resin pieces before connecting them to the earring hooks..  I really liked the look of these earrings especially because they allowed me to use a few of the crystals that I had in my enormous stash of Swarovski crystal beads...gosh, I really am a hoarder!  Because these earring only require a tiny piece of origami paper (so many colors and patterns to choose from) and a minimal amount of resin, it is an economical craft.  Also Japanese paper is gorgeous so it isn't difficult to make one-of-a-kind jewelry that is good enough to sell or give to a special friend.  I hope you'll try this resin craft and impress yourself and your friends with your creativity.  

As mentioned in the previous post, I wanted to make Winnie-the-Pooh tags for my jars of honey that I plan to give away to friends.  Using a Hero Arts Infinity tag die and my Big Shot machine, I cut out tags from a 12x12 Bella Carte printed card stock sheet.  Next, I stamped the words using my Misti tool to align the words and to insure that I could restamp if necessary. On a piece of white card stock, I stamped the Pooh images and colored them with Copic markers.  After fussy cutting out the Poohs, I attached them to the tags with foam adhesives.  For added interest and texture, I tied the tags onto the honey jars with rustic looking yarn.

These tagged honey jars make me smile and I will happily present them to my friends and family.  Even though they will surely adore the Alan Wong Adopt-a-Beehive honey, I hope the tags will bring an additional sweetness to their lives. 

                                        

Pooh and Piglet Honey Jar Tag

 

Like the card in the previous post, this tag was made using  La-La Land clear stamps and In The Forest paper.  The tag was started by die-cutting the shape with a large Little B tag die (from a set). The tag die was a little wider than I wanted the tag to be so I centered the paper and made a thinner tag.  As with the card, I stamped the words with permanent black ink using my Misti tool to ensure a clean image. Pooh and Piglet images were stamped on white card stock and colored in with Copic pens before fussy cutting and adhering with foam adhesives. I found a warm and fuzzy piece of yarn in my scrap bag that was perfect for tying the tag to a jar of honey. I recommend honey from Alan Wong's Adopt-a-Beehive project.  Loved this tag so much I need to make lots more for honey jar gift giving.

Pooh and Piglet Friends Forever

Winnie-the-Pooh has been a favorite character of mine after reading the A.A. Milne books.  When I discovered the series of clear stamps by La-La Land Crafts, I knew I had to purchase the Pooh-like images and philosophical sayings.  I also found a 6x6 paper pad 'In The Forest' by La-La La Land that coordinated well with the stamped images because the scenes had a animated cartoon-like quality. The papers are printed on both sides with different scenes, some of them are half sheet designs and others are quarter sheet designs. I used my Misti tool to align the words and allow for restamping if necessary. It was super easy to stamp the images with permanent black ink and color them in with Copic pens. I drew in the clothes for Pooh and Piglet. Lastly, I fussy cut the characters and adhered them to the card with foam adhesives.  Super easy and fast!

                                         

Because the Daiso envelope (in a large pack) had some Japanese red stamp position marks, I felt implored to cover them up with washi tape.  Luckily, I had some Winnie-the-Pooh washi tape which added a special coordinated touch. Because this card was so easy to make and turned out very attractive, I know that I'll make lots of cards like this in the future.  Card making should be a relaxing and gratifying craft....it is for me!

Little Chick Easter Basket

I discovered the i-Crafter die for this project in a stack of stuff and I don't remember when I bought it or why it was where I found it.  I am a hoarder aren't I?  Oh well, I was excited to find it especially since Easter is around the corner. It was an easy project that only took a few minutes to complete and I made it using just scraps from my desktop pile.  The die package had every part needed except the handle but that was easily fashioned from two strips of paper.  For the base of the basket I used a sparkly card stock scrap from a 12x12 paper pad. I decided to use a real ribbon instead of using the die to cut a paper ribbon so that the basket would have a more realistic detail.  This paper Easter basket will make a great holder for some jelly beans and chocolate bunnies.  I also think it would also be really cute as a party favor for a baby shower....because of the hatching chick!  I know that the i-Crafter company is no longer in business, but you may be able to find some of their dies still being sold at HM Ben Franklin Crafts. Do check at HM BFC for other brands of paper dies to make an Easter basket. Happy Easter crafting!