Cards, Cards, Cards...

   I had a chance a couple weekends ago to spend a Saturday with some of my crafty friends. Oh how I needed a "Day Off!" We had an amazing time as the bunch of us had not been all together in one room for over a year. The laughter and creativity of the day was an amazing gift!

   Here are some of the cards I made. Most are posted over on my Instagram account.  My handle is b2bmomblog if you want to check it out.


These are all inspired by other cards I saw on Pinterest. I hope they inspire you!

Coloring fun with Riley Moose Edited 10/30/16

    I will add more to this post when I get home this afternoon but wanted to post this picture of some fun coloring I was doing last night. I LOVE the Riley character from Riley and Co! He is just so darn cute!  All are colored with alcohol markers except the top middle. That is watercolor markers. I think that and the bottom witch are my favorite. Still working on learning to blend but I'm definitely improving.   Now I'm off to my day job!

Finally made some cards with my Rileys...

   This last one was really fun! I tried to duplicate some "Galaxy Techniques" I had seen on YouTube.
It took a bit of work since I did not have nice watercolor paints like the demo's I watched but I used my distress inks and Memento black all stamped onto a clear block I used as a palette then spritzed with water. I struggled to get the white flecks (stars) and ended up using a white pigment ink from a ink pad. I also stamped it onto a clear block added water then flicked it with a paint brush.
   The tree is cut out of tan textured paper from an inexpensive multi pack I got at a craft store. I cut the tree with an older Sizix die I got for a bargain at a garage sale. I gave it dimension with some distress ink using a sponge to apply it.

   The other small elements are punched with an older Creative Memories punch. The pumpkins were punched fro orange paper and I used a Copic marker to create a bit of dimension.

   I hope you feel inspired to play with you craft supplies! I seem to have the most fun when I just start "trying stuff".  Have a great day!

Paulette

Finally a bit of creativity, some backstory and some news.

I have been struggling with my creativity the last few weeks. No wonder with all I have had going on. What have I been up to? Well...
    I am heavily involved with a local booster club and with practice for fall sports in full swing I have had lots of responsibilities. I organized a dunk tank at our local block party. I was in charge of a fundraiser to kick off the season. I have been working with parents new to our sport to help their families feel like they know what is going on. (Putting your child in a new sport you know nothing about can be daunting especially with a combined MS and HS team)
     I was able to fit in a girls weekend about 3 weeks ago and I was so glad I did! It was time much needed with a dear friend!
     Next week I am having my daughters team over for a "feed" You would not believe how much bread and pasta 30 girls can eat!
     Last but not least I have been helping my out of state mom get things in order to move here to my town! Yayyyy!!! It has been an emotional roller coaster that I really can not begin to describe unless you have lived it. My family and I are just so thankful that she will be with us!
     I have lived 1500 miles from my Mom for 17 years and 1000 miles from the rest of my family for 19 years. While I LOVE my mid west life, living far from family does have it's downside especially if you have children. While My husbands family is in our state the closest of his siblings is an hour away. Thankfully my kids have a wonderful relationship with that Aunt and Uncle (Partly because that Aunt is relocated from the west coast so she gets it. She and I are Great friends!) I wish I could say that the kids have a relationship with their grandparents that are 3 hours away but, well... they do not.
    Thankfully I have been able to handle much of the paperwork for her here otherwise thank goodness for fax machines to keep things moving. There is a TON of paperwork for subsidized housing! I got her storage unit rented and took care of setting up her electric service.  Now I am working on getting some staples and a few special gifts to make her feel welcome. If you have any ideas please let me know!

So, for the creativity part of this post... Here is a card I made from one of the colored images from my last post.

I was not sure how much I liked it but it got a "WOAH, That's cool!" from my boy (11). So I guess it is a keeper, or at least it is gift worthy. He said He wishes he would get an awesome card like this for his birthday. Can I just say I love this kid!

I hope you enjoy this card as much as my boy :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Lots of coloring this week :)

A week or so ago I posted about stamping multiple images while you have your supplies out. Well I had some opportunities the last week or so to do some coloring. I used 3 different techniques for coloring. Here are the images I colored...

I LOVE how this came out!!! I used my Koh I Noor Woodless Colored Pencils and Odorless mineral spirits (inexpensive from Walmart) to blend the colors. I love that is looks almost like coloring with alcohol markers. You do also need some blending Stumps to make this technique work. I got mine for around $5 at Walmart. I do plan to work on a video for this but you can find lots on Youtube already.


This Fairy is from Crackerbox stamps










Here are a few more images I colored with this technique

These Two Mermaids  are from Unity Stamp Company as part of their "Angie Girl" line. This one is called "Sammy girl"

This cute mermaid is from Penny Black and is part of her "Mimi" line. This was my first impression with this stamp which as you can see did not come out perfect. I decided it was still just right to practice some coloring.

Next I have one that I used just colored pencils and did not blend...  I am still working on coloring vehicles... It is not as easy as it seems... As you will see in the next photo.

If you have any tips for my on coloring vehicles please let me know in the comments!

This are 2 pictures in this group that I used my Spectrum Noir markers for the coloring. I mostly liked how they turned out. Also I did use come metallic markers from Crayola to try to get the chrome look on the truck. The markers have a pretty blunt tip so it was hard to get the detail right.  I made the light blue shadow with watercolor pencils and water.

Here is Gianna, another "Angie Girl" from Unity Stamp Company. This is my first time trying to color one of these stamps with my Spectrum Noir markers. I did mess up in a few places but overall I like how it turned out.














Next up are some images colored with my watercolor pencils...

These Lighthouses are all from Stampendous.

This Poppy stamp is also from Unity Stamp Company. I was really pleased with how all of these turned out!

I thought it would be fun to try some different colors other that the traditional red for the poppies.




Now to make some cards from all my colored images...



Thanks for joining me!

Happy Home Card...

I had so much fun making this card for a dear friend. I made it about a month ago and wanted to wait to share it until after I had given it to her. This friend and her family has been through a lot the last few years and when it came time for them to be able to purchase a new home they were lucky enough that a house they had admired for years came on the market and was in their budget. I was so excited for their family that I wanted to make a special card to go with a small gift.

Right about the time I heard my friend and her family were purchasing their new home I discovered this stamp set happy home by Sunny Studios. One of my new favorite stamp companies!

This image looks very similar to their new home so I wanted to try to color it like their new home. My first version of this card did not turn out quite how I wanted, the card pictured above is my 2nd attempt and I really like it!  I am still new to coloring with my Spectrum Noir markers and this image with super small details was a challenge for me.

I hope you enjoy this card, thanks for joining me!

Tip... Stamp multiple images while you have your supplies out...

Hi all, Life has been super busy the past few weeks with running kids around and keeping up with things in and around the house. I always seem to forget that just because I am lucky enough to not work at my job during the summer does not mean there is nothing to do.

A few weeks ago I completed version 2 of a stamp positioning tool. You can learn more here... DIY stamp positioning tool

As I was stamping an image for a planned card it occurred to me that I should just stamp a bunch of images while I had everything out so that is what I did.  :)

I stamped 2 of each design with Onyx Black Versafine ink since I have found that that ink lends well to either Coloring with alcohol markers or Watercolor.

The top row is a bunch of new stamps from Unity stamp company
The center row are all from Inkadinkado
The bottom row are both from Cracker Box Stamps.
(all were purchased by me for personal use)

Thanks for visiting!

My "Tess" for the Angie girl Challenge at Unity Stamp Co... Show and tell

Here is my first version of coloring "Tess" for the Angie girl challenge at Unity Stamp co. Show and tell...

I stamped her onto Classic Crest Super Smooth neenah solar white 80# cardstock  with VersaFine onyx black
I colored her with my Koh-I-Noor Woodless Colored Pencils
 The blue highlights around the edges are from distress ink that I applied with a round bristle brush.
I attached the image to some Kraft card stock (Cheap stuff from Walmart) and I lined the inside with some white inexpensive GP card stock (also from Walmart)


This was a fun project to color but I kept it simple, as I often do.

I uploaded this card to the Challenge album over at Unity Show and tell Facebook page

Thanks for visiting!

Strawberry Freezer Jam... B2B inspiration

This is about 3 pounds of berries. We picked a total of 9 pounds

Yesterday The Boy and I went to pick strawberries at our amazing local (20 minutes away) U-Pick farm. There were other moms there with their smaller children and it reminded me of my first trip to pick berries with my children. Picking those berries and making jam was some of my first inspiration for creating this blog. So many people have no idea how easy it is to make something so simple yet ads such joy and satisfaction. Yes it was a bit more work but including picking it only took about 4 hours to make all this jam. I worked pretty slow since the berries were small and I let the boy off the hook from helping with the berries since (I needed his help in other areas around the house :)

I used Pomona's universal pectin this time. I like it because you can use less sugar.
I followed the recipe in the box for a cooked jam but instead of canning I put it in the freezer.

The Freezer Jam I have done in the past I made in this way.

The first batch I used 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup sugar. FYI the honey recipe will always be a bit more runny but my family is fine with it.

For the rest I use a Cane sugar I got from Aldi last week and it looks like it has jelled nicely.

YUM!!!

Mermaid Card....

I am sooooo excited about how this card turned out!

Scroll to the bottom of this post to see a video of me making another Mermaid card just like this.

The Stamp is from Unity Stamp company
The stamp is designed by Phyllis Harris

I stamped with Black StazOn onto Neenah solar white 80#  and fussy cut out the mermaid but only her body and head. There was no way to get all her flowy hair. I added some post it glue stick to the back. You could use post it tape or paper but I did not have any.

I then stamped the mermaid onto my 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 card base.
Lay the mermaid mask on top then placed my new Dina Wakley "Mighty Wave" stencil on top and taped it down.

I used 3 distress inks... Salty Ocean, Peacock Feathers and Broken China
I applied them with a sponge blending tool moving my stencil between colors. After removing the stencil I filled in any white spaces with a "light touch" using the broken china color and let the whole thing dry well.

After it is dry I carefully colored in the mermaid with watercolor pencils and a water brush. Be careful  not saturate the paper too much since the distress inks will blend when wet. I let each section of the mermaid dry between coloring. To do the hair I traced each strand and with my water color pencil then with the tip of my water pen and the tiniest bit of water traced again. The colors do blend a little bit but not too much. Let the whole thing dry well or you can use a heat gun to speed things up.

To get the water mark effect I splattered water with a paint brush, adding a little at a time until I got the desired look.

I Stamped the Dolphin on to a scrap of the Neenah solar white and colored in with my grey and black watercolor pencils. Use a fine tip water brush to blend. I let dry completely and fussy cut it. I added it to the card with some fun foam and double sided tape (foam tape would also work).

To finish off the card I used some small blue gems and come clear chunky glitter attached with Tombow mono multi glue applied with the tip of my stylus. I then trimmed up the card a bit and mounted it on navy  then white card stock and placed on a teal card base.

Done!

I am also going to try this on watercolor paper to see if I like the results any better. I liked how the water did not move too much on this card stock though.

Here is the video...

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!!!

Crafty Haul Video #2 and a peak at a new Grad card

My Simon Says Stamp and Unity Stamp Co Haul Video

What happens when you follow other crafty people on Facebook and You Tube? You fall victim to late night shopping sprees...

I can not wait to play with these stamps!

Experimenting with Watercolor

I have been dabbling with watercolor for a few months but always using a rubber stamp as the base. To learn some techniques I have been watching LOTS of crafty You tube videos and decided to play around a little today.

Here are the supplies I used...

Watercolor Pencils ...                                     

Watercolor Paper... 

A piece of Acetate... (I used a clear bag from some packaging)

 I used the bag to rub my pencil and add water to get the color flowing.

A Watercolor brush and clean water.

FYI All the supplies I used I purchased with coupons from Michael's. The Water color paper I got on a Great sale Michael's does in March. Everything was at least 50% off.  The pencils run about $15 on Amazon. They are a step above crayola but not near as spendy as the artist grade. I am happy with them so far.

Here are my results...

Not too bad if I do say so... :) 

My advice... If something peaks your interest give it a try even if you don't think you can. You tube is a great resource for all types of information and instruction.

If you like crafty stuff please check out My Back2Basics Mom You Tube Channel

I also want to mention that I have NO training in art. Everything I do is either self taught, learned from experience or from ideas on You Tube. Just because I post about how I have done something does not mean it is the "best" way to do it. Please experiment and find what works best for you!

Sweet Orange breakfast rolls

  So for those of you who follow my Easter posts you know
that I make these Bunny rolls that my family loves...

 Recipe Here...


Well this recipe makes A LOT! so I have started making 2 bunnies per person (8) then with the rest of the dough I make breakfast rolls.



 Who would not want this deliciousness... 

 Start by mixing 3/4 cup of sugar with any remaining zest from the orange you already used or 1 Table spoon from any orange (Keep the orange as you will use its juice in the icing!). Let your sugar sit while you roll the dough.

  Generously butter the pan in which you will cook your rolls. I use aluminum pans since I often freeze my rolls for a later date.

  I roll the dough as if I were making cinnamon rolls so I roll the dough out to  approximately a 12 x 18 rectangle. (dough should not be less than 1/4 inch thick!)

Melt a tablespoon of butter and brush on dough. Spread sugar mixture over dough leaving 1 inch at the top clear.

Roll dough from the long side up. I cut my rolls with dental floss or thread. Cut a piece  12-18 inches long, Slide it under the rolls then pull each end of the string toward each other so it cuts the dough. Rolls should be 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches thick. Place rolls in the pan to rise until they are double n size.

At this point I either bake them or freeze them. Usually freeze since we already have our bunny rolls for Easter.

To bake I take the rolls out the night before and let them sit on my counter uncovered. In the morning bake at 350 for 12 - 15 minutes.

Let cool a bit then frost (recipe below).

Frosting:
This recipe is different for me every time as I never measure so I will do my best to get you simmilar results.

Soften 1 tablespoon of butter and add 1/2 cup of confectioners (Powdered) sugar. Mix well. Add 1 Tablespoon of orange juice from your zested orange. add 1-2 teaspoons of granulated sugar. Whisk or mix well (I do this all by hand in a small bowl. You can use a hand mixer as well).  Add Confectioners sugar until you get the desired consistency. You do not want it runny but do not want it super stiff either, it needs to be spreadable.

Easter Breakfast...

I Love Easter Breakfast!

I admit I am missing my homemade candies from previous years but it was still an amazing Easter breakfast. As a family we decided not to color eggs since the kids do not really like hard boiled eggs, instead I made cheesy scrambled eggs. 

YUM!!!

DIY sponge daubers for stamping / papercrafting

I have been having lots of fun crafting and trying DIY projects and wanted to share a favorite...
Sponge daubers from cosmetic sponges and PVC tubing!
Half inch PVC with the thicker wall's is best. The wedge sponges work well but I prefer the round. See attached photos...

Note... I posted this on my Facebook page last fall and forgot to post here. Enjoy!

Playoff season snack Win!

Since it's football playoff season and our team is doing pretty well I decided to try a new snack and oh man I am Sooooo glad I did! Have you ever had a food buzz? I have now, these were one of the best things I have ever eaten. My Hubby and the Girl agree! (as of this writing the boy has not tried them. He is glued to his tablet today, I'ts -10 outside so I'm giving him a pass :)

I started with a basic recipe on Allrecipes here...

Ingredients:
1 packages Little smokies (I used Cheddar)
1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar
1 pound bacon (I used low sodium)
tooth picks

  Line a baking pan with a lip with tinfoil or Parchment to make cleanup easier.
  If you have a cooling rack that will fit your pan use it to elevate the smokies for more even cooking. Spray rack with no stick cooking spray or oil depending on what you use.  If you don't have one definitely use parchment paper and turn the smokies half way through your cooking time.
   Blot Little smokies with paper towels so they are not so wet.
   Cut the bacon into 3rds. I just lay the package on a cutting board and cut through the whole package trying to get 3 equal lengths. Keep the sections you are not using in the fridge for easier wrapping,
  Add the brown sugar to a zip top bag (I used a quart size) Toss about 10 smokies at a time in the bag.
   Wrap with the bacon and secure with a tooth pick. Place on rack.
    I added a bit more brown sugar on top before baking.
   Bake at 325 for 40 minutes.
    After 40 minutes turn them over if you like crisp bacon and cook another 10 minutes or so. Again if not using a rack turn them after 20-30 minutes so they are crisp all around.
    I kept them in a Crockpot on low to serve.

Sooooo GOOD!