Meeting the Dragon and the Rays

As you know, a few weeks ago, I took the sweeties to the zoo to meet the Komodo Dragons. It is amazing how big they are!

The red on his back is from a heat lamp. The day we went was cold and rainy. (I know, I'm crazy to go to a zoo in the rain, but we did.) This was the only picture that turned out because I was shooting through thick glass.

There were a lot of excited little people with me.

We decided to pet the stingrays just before leaving.

It was an amazing experience. I was like a kid with my tummy pressed against the wall, my entire arm submerged. It was really fun. They felt a little slimy and very soft.

D, Z, and C were almost as excited about it as I was.

This cute face will fool you into thinking that she is actually happy about the stingray that splashed her. Two seconds before I took out the camera, she was sobbing hysterically. Her sobs set off Q who also decided to chime in. We made quite a scene, that's for sure.

 

This little guy had no interest whatsoever in the stingrays, but found great interest in trying to escape into the machinery behind the scenes while I tried endlessly to get a good pic of each child touching a moving target. Little stinker.

When we were done, everyone was pretty wet and cold. However, this pose is especially dramatic.

I love going to the zoo!

Delicious Chocolate Ice Cream

I know that my last two posts have been about food -- something that I rarely discuss on my blog. I think that I'm slightly obsessing. Ever so slightly.

I'm finding myself thinking about delicious sweet things since I'm trying to cut back on those delicious things so I can shed a few pounds. Okay, a few more than a few pounds...


One of my favorite things evah is homemade chocolate malt ice cream. It is so creamy delicious that I can't even describe it except to say that the first time I tried it, I knew that it must exist in heaven. Seriously, paradise would be severely lacking if it wasn't there.

I don't make it very often because it requires some advanced planning, but when I do... yum.

Here is the recipe, taken from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book (a staple book in every household, of course) in case you too want to taste a little slice of heaven.

3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
1 C sugar
6 T malted milk powder
2 C milk (If you want it creamier use half-and-half. I personally prefer 2%)
2 large eggs beaten slightly
1 C heavy cream
2 t vanilla extract

In the morning, combine the chocolate, sugar, malt and milk in a saucepan and place over low heat until the chocolate melts and sugar is dissolved. Simmer for 1 minute stirring constantly. (Honestly, I'm not so constant as perhaps I should be and I still do a pretty good job). Slowly pour the hot mixture in your bowl with your beaten eggs while you continue to stir. (This is a bit tricky.) Return the mixture to the pan and place over low heat again. Stir constantly until it thickens. (Again, not so constant here. I usually break up a few arguments and pick up a few sad babies during this time.) Don't let it boil or you'll have scrambled eggs and not ice cream. (Trust me, you don't want that.) Once thickened, pour the mixture through a strainer into a clean bowl to get out those scrambled eggs. (Of course, you won't have any of those...) Add the cream and vanilla and cool. Freeze in your ice cream maker and enjoy that night.

I hope that your family likes this recipe as much as ours does! If you do try it, let me know what you think!

My Bookstore

As you may have noticed, I've been working hard on my blog. Trying to make it more a reflection of me. I'm currently reading Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey for inspiration and I'm quite dizzy with new ideas. One new thing that has my feet all dance-y is my very own bookstore! See it there on the right? It is just below my new Search This Blog feature. I know! How exciting! I simply adore books and now I can share them in a nice organized way. I hope that you enjoy this feature as much as I do!

Right now, I've got three categories up: Arts and Crafts which contains my favorite craft technique and inspiration books, Fiction for the Family which contains my favorite stories that are safe and fun to read aloud to the family (meaning there is nothing that would cause you to get all red-faced and stutter-y or that would cause violent nightmares in the very young) and Great Fiction which contains all my favorite mom books (these would be considered boring to my children, but they still won't have you all red-faced and nightmarish) Of course, my bookstore isn't all inclusive and I'll be updating it frequently so be sure to check back every so often.

 

Also, if you have any wonderful books that you think belong, please let me know. Keep in mind that I'm a very sensitive girl. I watched the pilot episode of Lost this weekend and was so afraid that I unthinkingly brought my hands up to my face to shield my eyes, smashing my glasses into my nose and giving me a cut on my noggin. Certain people call me intense, but I prefer to call myself wonderfully imaginative. Needless to say, we will not be putting the next disk of Lost on our Netflix's cue. (giggle...) So, if you have a book that is violent or causes blushing, please keep it on your own shelf because it will put me in a dither. (giggle...) Oh, and I'm not a big romance fan. They make me giggle uncontrollably and therefore do not help me relax after a long day of childcare.

Now, onto my unfinished piece from my Petit Dolls class taught by Suzi Blu. I highly highly suggest this class. I'm learning so much that I can't even believe it.

Can I just tell you that I simply adore her nose? I think that it might just be the best nose in all the world. Isn't it lovely? Let's just admire her nose for a few minutes...

She still needs a lot of work, but that's the whole point of works-in-progress. They are a bit like the ugly duckling that just needs a bit of time. I'll be sure to post her again when I've finished. I've never posted a WIP before because...well...usually they are so awkward, but I figure I'm among friends. And friends can handle awkwardness without too much embarrassment. Right?

Whipped Cream

Have I told you that I have a massively major sweet tooth? I love dessert especially when it contains whipped cream. The real kind. Not the kind that you can buy in a plastic container. The kind that you whip up yourself.


I remember very vividly one Thanksgiving, my aunt, a fantastically daring cook, made cinnamon whipped cream to put on the pumpkin pie. I was probably 12, but I remember it like it was yesterday. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted in my life.

When I lived in Belgium for a summer, I decided to make whipped cream (for the first time) for my host family. In my naivete, I didn't know that if you whip too long it becomes butter. You can just imagine my extreme disappointment when I discovered that little fact of life... bummer.

Anyway, I think tonight I'll whip up a little whipped cream for my hot chocolate. And if I'm feeling particularly daring, I'll lace it with a little cinnamon. I'll be transported instantly to heaven...

Playing Around with Pearlz

I've been playing around a lot with my new Shimmerz Pearlz, getting to know the product. I did this art journal page using Pearlz as the background. I incorporated some My Little Shoebox papers, letter stickers and overlays too.


You can see some of the details in my close-ups. While my Pearlz were drying, I spritzed them with some Shimmerz Spritz in Chickadee just to add a little more interest. I like the subtle color.


My journaling was a bit too obvious, so I toned it down with a layer of Pearlz. Now it is all pearly too. Love that!


Materials: My Little Shoebox papers, overlays and letter stickers; Shimmerz Spritz, Pearlz and Paints; Heidi Swapp crown stamp; Autumn Leaves stamps; Encore and Stazon ink pads; charcoal pencil; vintage buttons; Sharpie pen; Prima bling

Home Mini-Album

My home mini-album is really a project straight from my heart. When I was preparing for this project, I culled all my bins and drawers for images, stamps, colors and bits that made me think of HOME. It was really enlightening to see what ended up in my pile: birds, eggs, flowers, hearts, children, keys. All of my favorite things.

I got the idea for this album from an article in Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine. I can't remember the artist's name, but it was a great article. (Almost every article in that magazine is great.)

The bones of this album are pieces of cardboard that I saved from Christmas gift packaging. I adhered a piece of paper cloth to the front and back of my house. (Before I adhered the paper cloth, I sewed on it.) I did a two-part video of how to make paper cloth here.

Here is a picture of the front.


A side view. The rings that I had on hand are too small. Hence the reason why my album is pretty wide. I really need to get bigger ones, but I haven't quite gotten to the store yet.


Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a momma. I wanted to have a large, boisterous, energetic family and I do. It makes me happy. (And tired, too.)


In order to do the drips on the background, hold your cardboard vertically and spray your Shimmerz Spritz in Mudpie really close. Let it run and run.


I think that I use sequin waste on every single project. I love it so much.


A close-up of the tags.


On this page, I tested out some pastels and stamps that my sweet momma gave me for my birthday.


I used a lot of GCD Studio's Artsy Urban leftovers on this page.


I combined my own writing with stamped letters on this circle page. Love how it turned out.


This rose is a piece cut out of some lace that I had in my stash. I blinged it up with Shimmerz Blingz.


I adore everything about this page.


Isn't that image so precious? It is from Crafty Secrets.


This image is also made by Crafty Secrets.


The back cover.

This project may look very complex, but it is actually a series of very simple steps. It all starts with a coat of paint, some Shimmerz Spritz and some stamps. Very doable. Really. I promise. Would you be interested in learning how I did the backgrounds? I'm considering doing a video, if there is enough interest. Let me know.

Speaking of videos, if you liked my first videos, I am sure that you will be pleased to learn that I'm working on a few more. I'll be doing video reviews for The Scrap Review, some Basics videos for Shimmerz Paints as well as a few more just because. Be on the lookout!

Also, my CHA-W faves will be on The Scrap Review tomorrow afternoon. You'll get a peek into what I'll be playing with shortly!

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

Grubby Angel

Because of the new release of Shimmerz Pearlz, I got a little behind last week and wasn't able to get my paper cloth projects up as planned. (You can learn how to make paper cloth right here.)

(There are some really rocking examples of Pearlz on the Shimmerz blog, by the way. You're going to want to check them out. I was totally inspired to get painting last night...)

I took the photo for Grubby Angel this summer at a family picnic. When I took the pic, all I saw was how beautiful E looked with her flushed cheeks, bright eyes and smiley face, I completely missed her runny nose and soda mustache. Later, of course I noticed those things, but I still wanted to use the picture because her eyes are so soulful. Putting in in B&W helped a bit, but not completely. So, I decided to embrace the flaws and do a page on my Grubby Angel.


Materials: My Little Shoebox papers, overlays and chipboard letters; Stamps by Stampin' Up!, Heidi Swapp, Inkadinkadoo and Fontwerks; Shimmerz Blingz in Pixie Dust and Shimmerz Spritz in Chickadee, Cotton Candy, Sea Foam; Ruby; Fashion Jewels, StazOn and Encore stamp pads, Gesso; cheesecloth, unknown manufacturers of the ribbons; Sharpie pen; Prima flower

The title is My Little Shoebox chipboard letters painted with Shimmerz Blingz. I love the chunky look.


You can see the beautiful iridescence on the paper cloth in this pic.


More Blingz on the wings. (hehehe. I'm a poet!)


I think that cheesecloth should become a staple in the scrapbooker's diet. I absolutely loved working with it. It takes color beautifully and pretty much stays in place without much glue. I love the soft, dreamy look it gives too. I'm going to be stocking up on this material. Just need to get to a fabric store.


I'm really excited that Martin Luther King Jr. day is tomorrow. The kids and I have plans to go to the Phoenix zoo and see the new Komodo dragon exhibit. I don't think I've seen a Komodo dragon in real life, have you? I'll take lots of pics so we can enjoy the exhibit together. Okay? I'm also pretty excited because Cam is a major animal lover and he is now old enough to actually get something out of a zoo visit. Can't wait!

I'm working on my blog again. What do you think?

xoxo
Bethany

Big Release at Shimmerz

Shimmerz Pearlz have been revealed! There are 5 gorgeous colors that you're going to love for your soft pages. (The blinkie has most of the colors in it.)

If you want to win the entire collection, run over to the Shimmerz blog to find out how! There will be 12 winners today!

Good luck!

Heat Embossing on Tissue Paper

As promised, here is my technique video on heat embossing on tissue paper.



You can see how cool the tissue paper looks on my paper cloth. (You will find a video tutorial on how to make paper cloth here.) The tissue paper just disappears and all you see is what I embossed. I love the results!


I also have a little secret...it is called Pearlz...


Shimmerz is having a grand reveal very very soon. You won't want to miss it! I'm working on projects right now...

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

Technique Video: Paper Cloth with Shimmerz Spritz

I'm practically bouncing while I'm typing I'm so excited to tell you that my first technique video is up on the Shimmerz Ed Team blog!





If you have some time, I'd love for you to check it out and leave your comments here on things I did well... Things that perhaps I need to improve...

Tomorrow I'll post my video on how to heat emboss on tissue paper. It is the same as embossing on regular paper, but if you've never done that, perhaps my video will give you some confidence to try it out?

Later this week, I'll post the projects that I did using paper cloth along with a more in depth discussion of my process.

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

Easy Felt Food for Children

I am very proud of my very first technique video. It is on making really easy felt food. I hope that you enjoy it!



I learned tons by doing this video. For example, I am a bit long-winded (I never suspected such) and I talk a lot with my hands. A lot. There is much to be improved upon...

Blog of the Week

I am so proud that I was named Blog of the Week by Scrapbooking.com last week.



I was also published here and here in Scrapbooking.com's latest ezine.

I also appeared in Scrap 'N Art's November/December issue quite a bit. Cool, huh? I'm pretty excited...

Happy Creating!

xoxo
Bethany

Quilt Top

Ever since I finished the cutest skirt ever last week, (pics coming soon) I've been totally obsessed with sewing. So I got busy and finally pieced together this wall-hanging for my master bedroom.


I've been embroidering the hands for a year. (I took about 10 months off in the middle for some strange reason. I told you that I needed to work on my start-finish gap this year!)



Seriously, how cute are these little hands? Each child wrote his/her own name, if possible. (Obviously E and Q didn't.)

I know that Quinny's hands look a little alien, but he was so extremely difficult to hold in place that I did my best tracing possible and quickly released him back into the wild. Poor tortured child.

I can't wait to finish this! I already love it. Don't you?

Shimmerz Vibez Coming Soon

Shimmerz has some very fun stuff coming out at CHA! I can't wait! Here's a sneak peek of the new Vibez.

I know that they've got even more up their sleeves. Stay tuned!

Bittersweet Decision

It is always hard for me to say goodbye to something wonderful even when you know it is the right decision.

Today, we announced the closing of The Next Step and my feelings are so bittersweet. On one hand, I feel a sense of great freedom because now I can dedicate my time to creating projects whereas before I spent a lot of time on the computer doing administrative work. Yet, on the other hand, I'm sad because TNS was my baby and I really enjoyed working with Lucy, Gayle, Tricia and Jamie. I loved reading the comments from other artists who were inspired by something that I had posted.

You know that feeling that you get when you are on the brink of something new? Something in you tells you that you better get ready. Your path is about to take a little turn. You need to get serious, to focus, and go for it. That is how I feel right now. So that is what I'm doing. I'm getting serious, focusing and reaching even higher than I initially thought possible. Who knows, maybe I'll even reach that star that I've had my eye on...

I hope that you'll be with me. I'm gonna need a cheering section.

Here's to an exciting new journey.

xoxo
Bethany

New My Little Shoebox

You've got to check out the newest My Little Shoebox releases. I'm so excited! They are seriously adorable. Especially those little cars! I've got the most perfect picture for that line!

Have fun!

xoxo
Bethany

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone! I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year's Celebration!

We counted down last night at 7 PM as it was midnight in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. When the new year came we jumped 7 times and threw (Prima) flowers. (According to my Brazilian source (aka google.com) it is a tradition there.) I'm pretty sure that Prima never thought of that use for their flowers! (giggle...) The kids enjoyed jumping and tossing flowers so much that we ended up doing it about 10 times. This may become our new tradition.

As it is the new year, I've thought a lot about 2009. It was a challenging year for my extended family and I and honestly, I'm really glad that 2009 is over.

In 2009, I injured my knee resulting in a 2 months of pain, surgery and 5 more months of beastly physical therapy. (Not fun.) I'm just now using it normally-ish again.

My mom injured her same knee. (Apparently, knee injuries are contagious.)

My grandmother-in-law broke her hip. (Ack!)

My mother-in-law fell and broke her leg twice. (Double Ouch. She wins the award for worst injury. Congratulations K!)

I'd say we've contributed enough to the orthopaedic surgeon fund. What do you think?

On a happy note...because aside from the challenges, we were also very blessed in 2009.

My brother had his first baby giving me my first nephew that lives near me. I love seeing Nate as a daddy.

My other brother got engaged to a wonderful woman. I can't wait to get to know her more!

The kids and I spent a fun-filled week in Cape Cod with my family.

The entire family had a lovely trip to Utah to see Todd's family.

We got a backyard.

All the kids are healthy and happy and doing well in school and life.

Todd has a wonderful job and because of that I'm able to stay home to raise the sweeties.

I feel that my art continues to improve and I'm pleased with the path my design career has taken.

Despite all of the bodily injuries, the year was a success. However, I'm still glad it is over. I'm very excited to start afresh.

Speaking of starting afresh, I've got a few goals this year that can be shared without too much personal embarrassment...

1. Decrease the gap between project-start-date and project-completion date. In December 2009, I finally completed a few projects that I started in January 2009. I've got to do better with that.

2. Organize my life. We moved into our current home in March 2008. I had baby Quinn in October and hurt my knee January 2009. With all of these major events, the house and my studio have suffered greatly. It's time that I take control of my environment. On the same note, I'd like to beautify my surroundings. I'll be spending a lot of time on home decor projects this year.

3. Find my place in the art world. I've been bouncing around a lot and I'd like to focus more and take on projects that bring me happiness and personal fulfillment.

So here's to a New Year!

To all of you sweet readers...thank you for visiting my blog this year. I'm really honored that you would take the time to read my ramblings. It has been really fun getting to know all of you and reading about your projects and thoughts. I know this is a little sappy, but it is quite fulfilling to "meet" other women with the same interests, goals and sometimes the same challenges. All of you are amazing, amazing people and I just love having you come visit me.

Have a wonderful New Year!

xoxo

Bethany