Char @ Crap I've Made

Lifestyle Crafts: New Holiday Releases!

September 6, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 7 Comments

Today is the day that Lifestyle Crafts releases their new holiday dies (code “CRAP” gets you 20% off). I was fortunate enough to get to try out some of the Halloween line.

Because I’m a giant sucker for the letterpress, I HAD to use that, too. The damask printing plate is quite possibly my favorite thing on Earth. You’ve seen it before on my Easter mantel. I used violet in place of yellow this time and instead of Spring…

DSC_0008-1

you get Halloween.

The bat is one of the new die releases. It comes with perforated fold lines to make it 3-dimensional. I left mine flat, since I wanted to be able to slip them into envelopes.

(Envelope printed using the spooked printing plates)

And since I was busy pressing and cutting, I decided to make some Halloween art for my bookshelves.

The background papers are letterpressed. (You can press regular old cardstock, it just doesn’t get the cool indentations that the fancy paper gives you.) The text is also letterpressed. The witch and the ghosts are part of the holiday release. Cute, right?

***Lifestyle Crafts provided me with some of their new holiday dies. I purchased the letterpress plates on my own.***

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Filed Under: Halloween, letterpress, paper

Giveaway: Riley Blake Fat Quarter Bundle

September 5, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made

First up, I haven’t heard back from the Vinyl Crafts giveaway winner. If your name is Sarah, check your email! If your name is not Sarah, pray she doesn’t respond and we’ll draw again tomorrow. Open-mouthed smile

I hope you’re all enjoying your holiday weekend! We spent our Saturday like this

and then Macy and I saw Mary Poppins. And yesterday evening I had the chance to catch up with some old friends from high school (thanks Michelle for having us). Today we’ve got big plans to clean out closets and the playroom. Woo.

In order to make your Labor Day a little more exciting than that, I’ve got a giveaway for you. And, it’s the best kind of giveaway…FABRIC.

Riley Blake Designs has provided a fat quarter bundle from their Indian Summer line!

A couple of my personal favorites from that line:

(Can you tell I love polka dots?)

I’m gonna make this one quick and easy to enter:

LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST. You can tell me how funny I am. You can tell me you wish I’d stop blogging. You can tell me a joke. You can tell me your shoe size….whatever! Just leave a comment on this post (on the blog, not on Facebook or in response to your email subscription).

Extra entries, if you’re feeling frisky:

1 – Head on over and “Like” Riley Blake Designs on Facebook. Come back and leave a comment on this post saying that you did. A little love on their wall never hurt anybody either.

2 – Go browse around the Riley Blake fabric selection and tell me which line is your favorite (in a comment on this post…don’t call me, I’m busy cleaning the playroom Winking smile ).

3 – Leave a link in a comment to a project you’ve made using Riley Blake fabrics.

Giveaway closes Friday night at 10pm MST.

See you tomorrow!

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Spider Web Plate – Martha Stewart Glitter Paint

September 2, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 43 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked if I’d be interested in checking out the new Martha Stewart Crafts Decorative Paint Line, brought to you exclusively by Plaid Crafts. And, because I’m smarter than I look, I said YES.

And shortly after that a box containing all of this (crappy cell phone picture alert)

showed up at my door.

Delightful, right???

You can find the entire line exclusively at Michael’s stores in the US and Canada starting NOW!

So, why do we need another line of craft paints? Because this is the big daddy of all craft paint lines! It works on all crafting surfaces including wood, metal, glass, ceramic, terra-cotta and fabric. It is indoor/outdoor safe and dishwasher-safe on glass. And, there are 160 paint colors in five finishes (Satin, High Gloss, Glitter, Pearl, Metallic). All come in 2 oz. bottles and are non-toxic!

And the tools? AMAZING. The attachments all screw directly on to your paint bottle and come with a separate bottle for cleaning. That spongy roller thing? Genius. Let’s get on with my project…

Disclaimer: Because I adore Martha’s glitter (totally have the variety pack), I went straight for the glitter paints. The glitter paint is not “paint” like you’re thinking. It’s kind of clear with glitter suspended in it. I found this paint is best used with the Fine Top Tips attachments or as an accent as opposed to being brushed on your entire project.

Supplies:

Plate
Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Glitter Acrylic Paint (I used Obsidian)
Martha Stewart Crafts Fine Top Tips (pictured below)

The tips come in 3 different sizes. The large size is the one recommended for the glitter paint. They appear pretty close to the same size, so look carefully before you put one on.

They screw directly onto your paint bottle…fabulous, right?

Mark a point on your plate for the center of the web. I wanted mine off center.

Take your squeeze bottle and draw a line from that point to the edge of your plate.

Do the same thing 9 more times or so.

Now fill in the cross webs (that’s totally a technical term).

And a couple more rows of those…

Now set it aside and let it dry. It will darken up as it dries.

I cut off the ring part of a spider ring and stuck that on the plate as well.

You’ll be seeing more of Martha’s paints ‘round these parts for sure. Maybe even next week. Winking smile

Full post disclosure here.

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Filed Under: Halloween, paint, review

Tomato Lutece

September 1, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 14 Comments

(Confession: I have no idea what “lutece” means. We’ve call these “Grandma Mary Tomatoes” as long as I can remember. What else do we call them? DELICIOUS!)

Do you have a gazillion tomatoes from your garden? Did you pick up more tomatoes than you should have at the farmers market? This recipe is a family favorite for those super sweet vine ripened tomatoes.

8 firm ripe tomatoes
1/4 c chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp prepared mustard

Wedge tomatoes into about six pieces. Combine remaining ingredients in small jar; cover. Shake well. Pour over tomatoes. Cover lightly; let stand at room temperature at least 20 minutes before serving. (Grandma Mary says: I like to sprinkle the parsley over after pouring sauce over tomatoes.) Keeps for use the next day.

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Filed Under: recipes

The Waffle Iron That Changed My Life

August 31, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 22 Comments

Have I mentioned that I have THE BEST friends on Earth?

Because I do.

And, a few weeks ago, one of them sent me a waffle iron. Not just any waffle iron, THIS waffle iron.

(Image from Cuisinart)

I KNOW, right??? (She was thanking me for something that really didn’t require thanking for.)

Things I love, in no particular order:

It makes 6 waffles at once. I have a lot of hungry kids around here and I’m sure the hunger level is only going to get worse when they’re all teenagers.

See that nice slopey non-grooved bottom? It cleans up like a DREAM.

It cooks really, really quickly. You know how with some other waffle irons you get so bored waiting for the waffles to cook that you go do something else and forget you’re making waffles and then they’re burned? No? That’s just me? Embarrassed smile No time for that with this baby, which brings me to my next point…

There’s a cute little beeping noise when your waffles are done. There’s no guessing or peeking and ending up with half cooked waffles stuck to both sides of the plates (not that I’ve ever done that Winking smile ).

The waffles were WAY fluffier and WAY crispier, using the same old recipe (mix) I always do.

So, that’s how a waffle iron changed my life.

***Cuisinart has no idea I love their waffle iron, I just do.***

And why am I talking about food so much this week? No idea, but I’ve got another recipe for you tomorrow involving tomatoes. See you then?

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

August 30, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 19 Comments

I’m sure you can find healthier and fancier options out there, but the quick/easy factor of this version makes it one of our favorite Sunday night treat recipes!

Cookies:

2 pkg devils food cake mix
1 1/2 cup shortening
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Combine ingredients. Roll into 1 inch balls. Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Filling:

1 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
Beat together until smooth.
I like to pipe the filling with a big star tip so that it looks fancy when it smooshes out.

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Filed Under: recipes

Back to School 2011-12

August 29, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 18 Comments

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Mary Poppins

August 28, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 3 Comments

Do you love Mary Poppins? (I hear Tam does…)

Are you in Utah?

Did you know that Mary Poppins is coming to Utah September 1st – 25th?

Now here’s the best part…

Thanks to Today’s Mama, you can get 2 for 1 tickets to Mary Poppins for select shows opening weekend!

Shows eligible for the discount:

Thursday, September 1st, 2012 (Matinee)
Saturday, September 3rd, 2012 (Evening)
Sunday, September 4th, 2012 (Matinee and Evening)
Ticket pricing:
Thursday, 9/1/2012-$62.50 and $42.50 ($31.25 and $21.25 with discount)
Saturday, 9/3/2012-$85 and $65 ($42.50 and $32.50 with discount)
Sunday, 9/3/2012-(Matinee) $85 and $65 ($42.50 and $32.50 with discount) and (Evening) $75 and $55 ($37.50 and $27.50 with discount)
TO GET THE 2 FOR 1 PRICING:
Click on over to ArtTix to make your purchase and use code “utahmama”.
If you decide to go Saturday night, keep an eye out for Macy and me!
***I was provided with 2 tickets to share this promotion with all of you***

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Py(rannasaurs) Rex

August 24, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 36 Comments

The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?

(And that’s not even all of it.)

(It’s not even all of it in that room.)

So, what do you collect?

How do you display it?

Do you use your collection or is it just for looks?

Any pictures you can link me to? I’d love to see!

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Sewing A to Z with Nancy Zieman

August 23, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 72 Comments

True confession: Back when I was newly married and I hadn’t sewed in years, I used to watch Sewing With Nancy on PBS on Saturdays. And by “watch”, I mean that if BC even looked like he was going to try to talk to me, he got shushed. So, when I was given the opportunity to review here new book, Sewing A to Z, I jumped at the chance.

Thing #1 that I loved straight out of the box? The book is spiral bound and lays flat (and stays open) on your work space.

Thing #2 I loved? The alphabetical table of contents. In other sewing books I’ve used, things have been grouped in ways that didn’t make sense to me. The fact that in this book I look under V if I want to know about sewing vinyl makes me really happy. Guess where you’ll find the section on sewing with a double needle? Under D. Nice, right?

Thing #3 I loved? The diagrams and illustrations. Sometimes when you’re sewing, you just really need to see it, right? I think it’s why we all read blogs and love tutorials so much…the visual aids turn previously scary techniques into something you know you can do!

Are you brand new to sewing? This book would be a FABULOUS reference. It has basics on everything from garment making to quilting. It even talks about sharpening your shears and being organized in your sewing space. (I should probably re-read that section another 4 or 5 times.)

Are you a not so beginning sewist? I took my first sewing class in 9th grade. We’re not going to get all mathematical here, but let’s just say I’ve been sewing for more than 20 years. Surprised smile I’d still recommend this book as a reference when you need a little refresher (because if you’ve been sewing for 20 years, you’re old enough that you might be losing your mind just a little Winking smile ).

If you’d like a sneak peek into the book, Sew Mama Sew is offering a free download of the ENTIRE Seam Finishes section. You can click on over here to check that out.

AND, to celebrate the release of her new book, Nancy has put together a prize package worth over $450! Nice!