Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Mod Podged Car Coasters

Mod Podged Car Coasters

I gave this set of coasters I made to my brother for Christmas. He liked them so much that he asked me to create a set of six using another image for him.

Mod Podged Car Coasters

I found these coasters for a steal of a price, but I needed to make them a little more presentable!

Mod Podged Car Coasters

My first step was to cover the edges with Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Gesso.

Mod Podged Car Coasters

I then added some of Claudine's Charcoal Black Studio paint and some Extra Time Studio Slow-Dry Medium onto my craft sheet.

Mod Podged Car Coasters

I swirled them together with one of my brushes. I bought the whole set of Ranger brushes at Archiver's and I love them!

Mod Podged Car Coasters

I painted over the gesso with the Studio charcoal black paint. I didn't need to paint the whole coaster because I knew I was going to cover the center with cardstock. I added two coats of paint and made sure it was completely dry before starting the Mod Podge process.

Mod Podged Car Coasters

Before I started my project I chose what patterned paper I wanted to use. This is an older collection from Graphic 45 called "On The Boulevard & Haberdasher" from the "A Proper Gentleman" collection. I love all of their collections! I don't care how old any patterned paper is that I use from any manufacturer. I use whatever fits what I'm creating at the time and what I like. Since I'm a paper hoarder, I have to use what I have!

Mod Podged Car Coasters

I gathered all my supplies to start the Mod Podge process. That handy dandy roller on the top right in the photo is actually something I bought years ago from Pampered Chef. It's supposed to be used to rolling out pizza dough. I think I used it once! One day I needed something to smooth out a project and well, the rest is history! It's become a handy tool in my craft room. I use it alot!

Mod Podged Car Coasters

This is where you have to work quickly because you don't want the Mod Podge to dry. First I spread a layer of  Mod Podge onto the coaster.

Mod Podged Car Coasters

I added it to the back side of the paper I was putting onto the coaster.

Mod Podged Car Coasters

I smoothed the paper on the coaster. I didn't cut my paper to go to the edges since I wanted the black to show. Once the paper was on, I added another coat of Mod Podge.

Mod Podged Car Coasters

I then added the car I had trimmed out and another coat of Mod Podge.

Mod Podged Car Coasters

You can see where it's starting to dry in this photo.

Mod Podged Car Coasters

All four are ready to completely dry.

Mod Podged Car Coasters

I wanted to rough up the edges a little, so I sanded them.

Mod Podged Car Coasters

I sanded them so that the original color would start to peek through. You couldn't even tell that it was pink. After the coasters were completely dry, I sprayed them with a clear acrylic sealer from Plaid.

I love working with Mod Podge! Coming up in another post is a canvas I made for one of my daughters for Christmas.

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!

Products I used for this project: Purchased coasters, Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paint, Gesso & Extra Time, Graphic 45 Patterned Paper - A Proper Gentleman Collection: On The Boulevard & Haberdasher, Mod Podge.

This post is linked to these parties: Made by you Monday, Tip Me Tuesday, Whatever Goes Wednesday

Friday, December 23, 2011

Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge

Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge

I love fudge! My favorites are anything to do with chocolate or peanut butter. I chose this recipe for my husbands Christmas party. Since I'm not a fan of this type of fudge I knew it would be ideal to make so I wouldn't be tempted to have any! Last year I made cappuccino fudge and cinnamon fudge. The post I did  for cinnamon fudge has been one of the posts with the highest hits this year!

I found the recipe for this funfetti fudge here. I'm certain hers probably looks a little better than mine! Her photos are gorgeous!

Here's what you need to make this fudge:

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3.5 cups white chocolate chips
3 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
Rainbow Sprinkles

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Here's a little trick I learned from Pinterest. When you're going to line a pan with foil, turn it over first and mold the foil to the bottom.

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Then it will fit perfectly in your pan. I'm surprised I never thought of this!

Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge

Pour milk and white chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 2-3 minutes, or until white chocolate is almost completely melted. DO NOT OVERHEAT. Stir until completely blended, melted, and smooth.

Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge

Immediately add vanilla and almond and combine thoroughly. I love the smell of almond!

Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge

Stir until all is blended.

Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge

Add a handful or so of rainbow sprinkles and fold in quickly, because they will melt. Work quickly so they don't melt.

Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge

Transfer to an aluminum-foil lined 8×8 inch baking pan for very thick fudge, or a 11X7 pan (recommended). I used the latter. Let set at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge

Once set, peel off foil and cut into cubes and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in a cool place.

This post is linked to these parties: Foodie Friday, Food on Fridays, Free For All Friday.

Thanks for looking!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Pretzels, Pretzels and More Pretzels!

Pretzel Snacks & Dipped Pretzels

By the time I finished dipping pretzels for my husband's Christmas party, I was covered with chocolate! I did all this last weekend because he needed everything for this past Tuesday. Sunday was a loooong day! I started early, forgot to eat breakfast and had a bowl of soup for lunch. By the time dinner time rolled around I didn't want anything to do with food. I was in bed by 8:30 PM. That's way early for me as I'm a night owl.

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I found this recipe on this blog. I think I saw it on Pinterest first and followed the link. I chose this recipe because it's easy, cute and looks festive. I guess you can make them with Rolo's too. I think the mixture of caramel and chocolate sounds wonderful, so I may try making them next time.

All you need are round pretzels, but I think you could use square ones too!

Preheat your oven to 225° . You'll need: Round Pretzels, Hershey's Kisses, Holiday M&M's. Spread the pretzels on a baking sheet. I covered mine with parchment paper to help with the mess.

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Place a kiss in the center of each pretzel and bake for 3-4 minutes, depending on your oven. I only left mine in for 3 minutes.

Pretzel Snacks

Immediately (that's why it's important to have everything ready to go!) place an M&M in the center of each kiss and push it down. I wiggled mine a little so that the chocolate hits the sides of the pretzel. I refrigerated each batch to let them set.

I could have used an extra set of hands while making these. This would be a perfect activity to do with kids.

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Since I had a big mess going on in the kitchen.....

Dipped Pretzel Rods

.....why not dip some pretzel rods and

Dipped Pretzels

some pretzels!

I made enough for an army! That's what you have kids and brothers for! I packed everything up and when they're here for Christmas they can take a bag of treats home with them.

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This post is linked to these parties: Full Plate Thursday, Turning The Table, Sweet Treats Thursday, Delightfully Inspiring. Be sure to stop by these blogs and check out all the wonderful recipes and crafts!

Thanks for taking time out of your day to stop by!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

21 Days Of Christmas Cards - Day 21 - Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

This is the final day of my "21 Days of Christmas Cards". I absolutely adore this collection of patterned paper from BoBunny! The colors are so rich.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing all the cards I sent out this year. I also hope that some of my cards inspired you in your card creations.

Supplies used for this card: PTI in Vintage Cream and Kraft, Patterned Paper from BoBunny: Noel Cheer and Noel Ornaments, American Crafts Ribbon, Hero Arts Pearl Gemstones, Jute, Button, Memento Ink in Bamboo Leaves, Stamps from TPC Studios: Christmas Greetings, EK Success Open Scallop Edge Punch.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes

No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes
These are soooo delicious! I sent these to work with my husband this morning.
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Actually, I sent all of the above with him!
No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes
I love cheesecake and I should make it more often. It seems I never use my cheesecake pans. These were super simple since you just use muffin tins.

Here's what you'll need:
(adapted from Kraft Foods PHILADELPHIA® No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes)
8 oz pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed
12 chocolate sandwich cookies
sprinkles (optional)

No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes

Place cookies on bottom of 12 paper-lined muffin cups.
No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes
Beat cream cheese and sugar until well blended.
No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes
Gently stir in whipped topping.

No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes

Spoon cream cheese mixture into muffin cups. Top with multi-colored sprinkles. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes

I'll be posting the other recipes over the next few days. Stop back soon!

This post is linked to these parties: Made By You Monday, Tasty Tuesdays, Made From Scratch Tuesday, Tip Me Tuesday.

21 Days Of Christmas Cards - Day 20 - Merry Christmas Wreath

Merry Christmas Wreath
I'm getting an early start with my blogging this morning so I can hopefully finish up some last minute stuff today.

This card is secretly my favorite! I was trying not to give favoritism to one card over another, but I just love how this one turned out.

For the background I used a Cuttlebug Embossing Folder called D'Vine Swirls. I made the wreath out of snowflakes. I took two nestabilites and diecut a circle with a very slim edge. I did that so I would have a circle to adhere the snowflakes to. It also helped to keep the wreath round. If I hadn't done that, I know my wreath would have turned out lopsided!

Supplies used for this card: PTI in White and New Leaf, Bazzill in Hillary, Nestabilities, Martha Stewart Snowflake Punch, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Stamp from Inkadinkado, Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls Embossing Folder, Hero Arts Art Flowers, Hero Arts Pearl Gemstones.

Thanks for looking!

This post is linked to these parties: Take-A-Look Tuesday, Tip Me Tuesday, Get Your Craft On! Tuesday.

Monday, December 19, 2011

21 Days Of Christmas Cards - Day 19 - Season's Greetings

Season's Greetings

I'm caught up! This is day 19 of my "21 Days of Christmas Cards". For this one I used a patterned paper from last season called "Jovial: Winter Garden" by BasicGrey. Because I like black, I love the different colored flowers in the background.

I buy alot of paper as most scrapbookers do. I think we're called "paper hoarders". Most of the paper is so beautiful and even though it may not be the latest and greatest, I'll be creating cards and projects with it for years. I don't want to waste it!

Products used for this card: PTI in Pure Poppy and Ripe Avocado, Patterned Paper from BasicGrey: Jovial: Winter Garden, Memento Ink in Lady Bug, Baker's Twine, Stampendous Dot Sparklers, Hero Arts Clear Stamps: Joy To All - CL460.

Thanks for stopping by!

21 Days Of Christmas Cards - Day 18 - Peace On Earth

Peace on Earth

Day 18! Actually this is day 19 and I'll be posting that card next! I'm behind by a day! I'm nearing the end of my Christmas cards. This one uses a Stickeroo from Penny Black from the Christmas at Dusk sheet. I love the colors on the black background. Obviously this doesn't fall in with the traditional holiday colors, but I love it!

Products used for this card: PTI in True Black and White, Penny Black Stickeroo: Christmas at Dusk, Bazzill in Cardinal, Stamp from TPC: Christmas Greetings, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black, Ribbon, Stampendous! Dot Sparklers.

Thanks for looking!

American Cancer Society: Birthdays

We all want to have alot of birthdays. We all know people that have beaten cancer and will have many more birthdays to look forward to. Take time out during the holiday season to remember those loved ones who had fewer birthdays, but made the most of them. My family and I will be remembering my mother who passed away at the age of 59 from ovarian cancer.


Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by American Cancer Society.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

21 Days Of Christmas Cards - Day 17 - Rejoice

Rejoice
This is my second to last card to share that used Stickeroos from  Penny Black. I'm really happy with how they've all turned out. Each sheet gives you several options. You can make multiple cards from each one. I did pick up some non-holiday sheets that I'll probably use for birthday's etc. The patterned paper is the Wonder Collection from Authentique.

Supplies Used: PTI in New Leaf and Pure Poppy, Wonder Collection from Authentique, Stickeroos by Penny Black - Joy To The World, Jute, Stampendous! Dot Sparklers, Stickles in Stardust.

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, December 16, 2011

21 Days Of Christmas Cards - Day 16 - Poinsettias

Poinsettias...Christmastide
This card is so simple yet I'm very happy with how it turned out. This is another Stickeroo from Penny Plack and the patterned paper is from the Wonder Collection from Authentique. In one of my previous posts I lied....! I said I was done using the Authentique Wonder Collection. As I write my post I realized how untrue that was because I still had several more cards that I used it on.

Supplies used for this card: PTI in True Black, Pure Poppy, Viva Pearl Pen in Red, Wonder Collection from Authentique, Stickeroos from Penny Black - Joy To The World, Stickles in Stardust, Stampendous! Dot Sparklers.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

21 Days Of Christmas Cards - Day 15 - Peace

Peace
The cards for the next few days are ones using Stickeroos by Penny Black. What an easy way to create cards!

For this one I backed the sticker on black cardstock and used my EK Success punch for the edge. The background pattern is from the Wonder Collection from Authentique. I finished it off with some stickers on the stars and Baker's twine.

Supplies Used: PTI in Pure Poppy and True Black, Wonder Collection from Authentique, Baker's Twine, EK Success Open Scallop Edge Punch, Stickles in Stardust, Stickeroos by Penny Black - Joy To The World.

Thanks for looking!

This post is linked to these parties: Share The Wealth Wednesday, Show and Tell Wednesday.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

21 Days Of Christmas Cards - Day 14 - Holiday Cheer

Holiday Cheer
Here's my final card using the Wonder Collection from Authentique. It's also another super simple design. I still have some patterned paper from this collection that I haven't even used yet. Since I love it so much, I'm going to have to think up some designs using it.

Supplies used: PTI in Kraft, Hero Arts Pearl Gemstones, Hero Arts Art Flowers, Authentique Wonder Collection, Ribbon, Stamp from Penny Black - Holiday Cheer- 3735D.

This post is linked to these parties: Whatever Goes Wednesday, Share The Weatlth Wednesday.

21 Days Of Christmas Cards - Day 13 - Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas
Whoops! I forgot to post my card yesterday! I should probably take advantage of automatic posting, but I prefer to manually do it myself. I have my posts ready to go, I just have to remember to post them!

I really love how this card turned out and it's one of my favorites! I did use Stickles on Santa's hat, cuffs and the bottom of his coat. I'm not sure if that shows through on the photo very well. The patterned paper for this card is from the Authentique Wonder Collection. It's such a wonderful collection. If haven't seen or used their paper, I highly recommend checking it out.

Supplies used for this card: PTI in Ripe Avocado, Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo, Felt Flower, We R Memory Keepers Glitter Brad, EK Success Open Scallop Edge Punch, Bazzill in Red, Authentique Wonder Collection, Stickles in Stardust, Stamp from TPC Studio - Christmas Greetings.

Thanks for looking!

This post is linked to these parties:  Tip Me Tuesday, Get Your Craft On! Tuesday, Tuesday Confessional.
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