A new Challenge - Something New with The Crafty Pad

It's Sunday again folks!

Where does the weekend go?

And just why does it go by tens times faster than the week days!

Anyway ... Being Sunday means a new challenge at 

The Crafty Pad!

This week we would like you to show us 

Something New 

- So new baby, new house, new job ect ect

There is a few expected babies due to arrive around me soon so I took the opportunity to get a head start on some baby cards.  I have not made a tag and envelope in forever so I went in that direction today!

Above - Envelope Front

Above - Envelope front & tag 

Above - Envelope and tag back

I am soo in love with this paper (I brought like 10 sheets of this!) and you might recall it from a card only a few days ago that I blogged, but it is so gorgeous and easy to play with! Love those papers when you find them, don't you? 

My image today is the beautiful Rocking Horse from The Crafty Pad Designs (It is also on sale atm for only £0.42) and I have colored it with my copics, blinged it up with some little sparkling blue gems and I off centered it on the diagonal for something different for a change, and I have to admit I really like the slight change and the different feel it gives the card.  The little baby foot brad is from my stash that I brought over a year ago and have not even used and I added some punched butterflies from blue cardstock that I distressed and the large fluttering butterfly is one from my swap that the too cute Ms Ali sent me!

I've also added some silky brown ribbon with a blue flourish print, some twine to help close the envelope and I could not resist adding the swirl with the pearls from the flower to really give it that 'antique' feel.  There is also a button on the back of the envelope to wrap the twine around for the envelope to close.  And the sentiment is another from Gingers House.

This week The Crafty Pad has another awesome random prize up for grabs! 

Joanna Sheen is offering one lucky winner a £10 voucher.

And who really can honestly say they don't love Joanna Sheen!

So come along and join in the fun with us this week!

We would love to see you and stop by your creation(s) and share some love!

Need a recap on the rules ? 

You are welcome to enter the challenge using any image 

(though a TCP image we would love to see)

You are welcome to enter the challenge as many times as you like - 

- provided you follow the theme.

You must leave a link back to The Crafty Pad Challenge Blog.

We do not allow back links prior to the date of posting the challenge.

And the challenge closes Saturday at 8pm GMT - 

So heaps of time to play along!

There is also no limit on challenges you can enter!

So now ... I hope to see you there this week!

Thank you for dropping in on me,

and I hope you will join us this week and take up the challenge!

Challenges this creation is entering with the help of the Feline Playful Girls:
Card Making Mamas -  With a child / For a child (1/2)
Crafts 4 Eternity - Embellishments starting with 'R' - Ribbon, roses, rocking horse (image)  (1/3)
Crafty Catz - Fancy Folds - envelope (1/1)
Delicious Doodles - Things that flutter (2/3)
Stamp Something - Pretty Papers (-)
Totally PaperCrafts - Dies and Punches - The image and swirl is are die cuts and the envelope has punched butterflies (-)
Wags 'n' Whiskers - One for the boys (-)
Crafty Purple Frog - Favourite Things - The paper! and flowers and bling!
Dutch Dare - For the boys (1/2)
Shelly's Images - Boys/ Men (-)
Diva's by Design - Anything but a card (1/2)
Papercraft Star - S.T.A.R. = Special little person, Tag, Antique Animal, Ribbon Roses (-)
The Paper Shelter - Punches and Die Cuts (1/3)
Simon Says Stamp - Flowers, Brad(s), Sentiment (-)
Try It On Tuesday - Include a tag and a butterfly (-)
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GDT with {Cupcake Inspirations}

Woo Hoo! It's Sunday!

I have been busting for today to come all week!
Why ? You ask?

Well this lucky chicky is very fortunate to be a Guest Designer
crafting along with the totally talented girls from ....
{Cupcake Inspirations}

*Happy Dance* is inserted here!

I also could not of wished for a more lush-a-licious inspiration pic to play along with either!  Just have a look at this!

Wowzers! Isn't that the prettiest picture!
All those spotty textures and the swirls on the leaves and those way to cute little lady bugs just jumped right out at me when I saw this!
Maybe that is why I craftingly went like this ...

That gorgeous pink ladybug DP and way to cute image is from this weeks sponsor,

 Amber Ink!

Thank you ever so muchly for letting me have a play with these!

I had way too much fun!

For playing along with {Cupcake Inspirations} this week, she has ever so kindly donated to one lucky winner a $15 gift certificate to her store!  Thank you!

 The sentiment is home made on my computer and I added the white brads to follow the textured spots in the pic - they were originally a tacky purple from my stash that I changed with some heat embossing. The ribbon I had to have to carry through the spots and the swirls on the leaves, well... I just could not resist.  I even threw in a ladybug embellishment that I picked up the other day from a bargain bin (didn't think I would be using them this soon! Woo Hoo! ) and I could not help but add the faux stitching and all the doodling as doodling is what ladybugs do!

I hope you will all find something that catches your eye and inspires you to play along with {Cupcake Inspirations} this week. If you need a little more inspiration, pop by the {Cupcake Inspirations} blog and I am sure the work from the DT will more than get those creative juices flowing!

Thank you for dropping in on me,
And thank you to the girls at {Cupcake Inspirations} for having me!

Challenges this creation is entering with the help of the Feline Playful Girls:
Delicious Doodles - Things that flutter (1/3) 
Fairy Knoll - Sparkle - I have gems and the ladybug image is glittered
Just Some Lines - Spotty Dotty (-)
Simple Create - Things with wings  (-)
C.R.A.F.T. - Stitching (1/5)
Digi Doodles Shop's Best - Stitching (-)
Crafts And Me - Bling (-)
My Mum's Craft Shop - Spots  (1/3)
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Things With Wings (-)
Creative Card Crew - Ribbon and bards (-)
- - - - - - - - - - -

Cake In A Jar - Tutorial

Cake In A Jar Tutorial

If you haven’t already heard of this great gift idea or in my case ‘care package item’, then you are in for a real treat today!  I recently stumbled across this idea while looking for home baked gifts to send to hubby and our military mates.

So what exactly is it? Well it’s just like the name says - It’s a mini cake inside a mason jar and it arrives moist and fresh and is delicious and the best part is ... It’s homemade! 

Getting The Cake Into A Jar

You will need –

A cake mix – (packet mix works just as well)

Jar(s) – Please see my experimental notes at the bottom on best option(s) to use.

Items to decorate jar(s) – For this tutorial I have used, cardstock scraps, paper scraps, double sided sticky tape, embellishments – button(s), plastic spoon(s), ribbon and the following digital images from The Crafty Pad Designs  –Fabulous Friend Ticket, Thank You Muchly Ticket & Daisy Chains of Summer Circle Sentiment. 

Making the Cake in the Jar - Method -

1. Make the cake batter according to instructions for the recipe.

2. Sterilize your jars by boiling in hot water.  I additionally then place them on an over tray in a hot oven for 5 mins (this allows the water to evaporate).

3. Grease the jar(s) by liberally spraying the inside with cooking spray.

3. Fill jar(s) no more than half way with batter.

Looks like Mummy is on the right track so far!

4. Place jar(s) on oven tray and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  This stage is extremely important!  Do not under cook the cakes or they will spoil and possibly cause food poisoning to the recipient.  If anything slightly overcook them if you are unsure. 

5. While baking, boil jar lids in a pot of water.  (I again place these in the over after-wards to evaporate the water)

6. When cake is cooked, take one jar at a time and cover with hot lid.  Screw on tight.  If using canning jars the lid will seal as it cools and you should hear a ‘ping’ when it seals.  If you do this stage while the cakes are still hot, condensation will form on the cake inside and cause it to spoil, so ensure the cake is cooled.

7. As the cake cools it will pull away from the jar, this allows it to easily slide out.

8. Do NOT frost the cake in the jar! This will result in the cake spoiling.  You will need to send the frosting separate, though I tend to make this mix with plenty of chocolate chips in the mix so that frosting is not as necessary.  

10. Decorate the jars.  I find they look adorable with a decorative strip around the middle and something added to the lid. 

11. Don’t forget to add some plastic spoons or forks, I like to try and accommodate these onto the top of the lid by tying them on with some ribbon.

9.  Wrap the jar(s) well (bubble wrap is preferable, but newspaper or clothing and other items will protect it also) if you are posting them.

My experimental notes on jars – It is recommended to use mason jars (canning jars) but as these are extremely hard for me to find in my small town I did experiment with jars in my first trial run.  I found lids with a rubber seal worked best and also adding a thick layer of glad wrap (plastic food wrap) between the lid and jar also worked.  Both produced the same result in still keeping the cake fresh and moist for 10 weeks.  Lids with no rubber seal but covered with a glad wrap cover still resulted in the cake not spoiling but they were not as moist as the others.  All my experiments were also subject to all the elements they would endure by going through the post - They were placed on the floor of my car in a box to roll around in the hot sun, under cover, through heat and cold.   If you do use canning jars the cake should stay fresh for up to a year, I only need my cake to stay fresh for no longer than 12 weeks and therefore and am happy to use the other jars.  My hubby also (most of the time) has enough sense to not eat or continue to eat something if it doesn’t taste or look ‘right’.  The kids and I all scoffed down on the test samples and I didn’t manage to kill them (*shucks* lol) or me and we are all still fine and normal or as close to normal as what we ever where.  **Please note I am not an expert in any form on ‘canning procedures or food preserving’ and these results are based solely on my own experimentation and canning jars are the preferred option for use with this recipe**

How to decorate the outside of the jar(s)

Materials needed

Adhesive – doubled sided tape, hot glue gun

Cardstock (mine is from my scraps)

Paper (Designer paper is again from my scraps)

Images – The Crafty Pad Designs  –Fabulous Friend Ticket, Thank You Muchly Ticket & Daisy Chains of Summer Circle Sentiment. 

Embellishments – Ribbon, plastic spoon(s), button(s), bling, flowers  ect

Measure the middle circumference of the jar and cut paper matted onto cardstock to required length.

Adhere adhesive to back of cardstock and stick to jar, making sure it is centered around the whole jar and the ends kiss together.

I like to place my image over where the ends have kissed to hide this and it makes a gorgeous embellishment to the jar as well.   

For the lid, I like to cut another circle of Designer Paper that has been matted onto cardstock and adhere that to the center of the lid.

Thread some ribbon through a button and affix in the center of the lid with hot glue. 

Tie your spoon onto the top of the lid with the ribbon.

Additionally you can add ribbon or twine around the lid of the jar, the decoration options are endless according to your own taste and style likes.

Here are a few I have previously made to give you some inspiration. 

 I hope you enjoy this tutorial as much as me!
Please come back and leave me or the fabby girls at
The Crafty Pad Challenge Blog a link back to your creation!
We would love to see your makes from this!

We are only mid-week into this weeks challenge at The Crafty Pad as well
so there is still plenty of time to join us for our
Just Because Challenge
and this would make a perfect entry!

Here Comes Summer GDT with Anything Goes Challenge Blog

Woo Hoo Tuesday! 

Again this fortnight I am extremely honored to be playing along with the girls from

Anything Goes Challenge Blog

And this fortnights challenge is a HOT one that you don't want to miss out on!

Here Comes Summer!

I sure could use a touch of summer here in Oz as we are settling into our winter and it sure is chilly here!  I think that is why I had so much fun making this card and playing with these colors, you can't help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  I can only wish to be sitting back or should I say snoozing back in a deck chair beside the pool with this radiating sun beaming down on me!

The Hello Sunshine sentiment is a freebie from Pink Cat Studio Digi Stamps called PCS_Hello Sunshine and once again this week I have been playing with my feathers (so in love with the feel of these at the moment), the flowers in the bottom right corner are metal and from another old and broken necklace and the butterfly is from my rubber stamps (sorry unsure of brand) and I have stamped it onto the card and additionally popped another stamped butterfly on top with some 3D tape to lift it up off the card for some dimension.  

I also have a Candy Winner announcement to make from last fortnights Anything Goes Challenge Blog Hop & Candy - Thank you to all that played along 

and the lucky winner is .... 

Here are your random numbers:

6 

Timestamp: 2011-06-13 12:44:51 UTC

And that is ... Dawn from Daily Scrappin Inspiration 

 Please reach out to me through my email address thenavywife@y7mail.com 

with your contact details and I shall get your prize in the mail to you!

This week there is an awesome prize up for grabs, 

for all the details please check out the 

Anything Goes Challenge Blog 

While you are there why not give some love to the Design Team who have done an outstanding job with this weeks challenge and I am sure will give you some inspiration to play along with us!

 

Thank you for dropping in on me,

and I hope you will join us this week and take up the challenge!

Challenges this creation is entering with the help of the Feline Playful Girls:

Creative Cowgirls - Summertime Fun (1/2)

ECP - Inspiration Pic - I can't help but focus on the yellow, orange paints on the left of the photo! My eyes just keep going there as they are so warm and inviting to me!

Crafty Ann's - Use more than one image (-)   *** EDIT*** Made top 3!

Prairie Fairy Fridays - Summertime fun (-)

Tottally Papercrafts - Summer (-)

Aud Sentiments - Summertime (-)

Thomas and Ashley's Wedding Card

Miserable Monday to you all! 
Home alone again :(

I have a super quick post to share with you today as I am not much in the happy and chatty mood.

Hubby has been home this weekend for a huge big 64 hours! and on the drive home from the airport he so ever kindly told me I had to make him a weeding card to take back with him!  Well ... I have to give him some credit as he gave me a kind of direction and style to go in ... 

She's just like you! so if you like it, she'll love it!

Well ... too easy! That calls for all my favorites! So it was out with the Pink and Choc papers, some lace, pearls, posh pins, handmade flowers and some of my fav brought ones at the moment all topped off with a splash of glimmer mist!

This is what I crafted-ly created yesterday while the whole family had a vegi day, watching some moves and just hanging around the house like normal families do of a weekend :$

Really do love how well this one finished! 

And ... Well ... if it was any other quote than a wedding one 

I would not be parting with it!

I sadly popped hubby back on the plane for his 'other home' this morning so I am off to craft my blues away for a while.  Thank you for dropping in on me and I hope you liked what you saw.

On a side note - For anyone interested in the Cake in a Jar recipe from my post HERE last week ...
As I have received quite a few 'how to' comments and emails ...
Stay posted for this Wednesday (15th June 2011) for a Tutorial here and on The Crafty Pad Challenge Blog.

 

Huge thanks as always to the  Feline Playful Girls as they do make finding challenges just so EASY!

Catch The Bug - Pearls & Lace(1/3)

Craft Your Days Away - Monochrome (-)

Just Some Lines - Monochrome (-)

Totally Gorguss - Flower Power (-) 

Clearly iStamp - Distressing (1/1)

Frosted Designs - Stitching (-)

Guylou's Inimitability - Monochrome (1/1)

The Poodles Parlour - Anything goes (1/1)

4 Crafty Chicks - Handmade Flowers - The 3 feature flowers are handmade (-) *** EDIT*** Made Top 3 Crafty Chick!

Art Impressions - Monochrome (1/1)

Crafty Sentiments - Add some sparkle (1/1)

Pals Paper Arts - Your signature style (-)

Shelly's Images - Anything goes (-)

Crafts & Me - Stamp Something (-)

Little Red Wagon - Mist it (-) Glimmer mist used on whole surface of card.

The Paper Shelter - Celebrate (2/3)

- - - - - - - - -

Just Because I CAN with TCP

Happy Sunday folks! 

And that means time for a new challenge with ...

The Crafty Pad!

Now if Mr Blogger is playing nice you should be reading this while I am off enjoying a short 64 hour visit home from DH! 

This weeks challenge The Crafty Pad girls and I would like to see you make something 

Just Because YOU CAN!

So make a creation for no special occasion - That mean's no birthday's!  It is really nice to randomly receive things unexpected in the mail and that is what this challenge is all about!

Lets see what you can do for that someone special in your life to brighten their day!

This is what I made as a surprise little post pressie for my Mother in law.

I made a gorgeous little desk plaque and a matching envelop to send it in!

I really enjoyed playing with my parchment paper! I have not played with this in ... well too long!!! over 3 years!  All my images are from the lovely Debbie at The Crafty Pad Digital Stamps HERE and they are Roshell Ducky and Eggward, Laugh with the Sun ticket and With love ticket. 

I used two techniques on the images- for the ducks and the tickets I did some parchment work with my embossing tools and I also added some color with my parchment pens and blinged up the flowers with some rhinestones.  I also added some hand stitching, ribbon, little flower and the feathers.  

This week we have an awesome prize up for grabs!

Creative Craft World is giving a $10.00 to spend in store! 

Please check them out, 

they have some lovely things I know you will want to add to your stash!

We would love to see you this week so please come along and have a craft with us!

A Crafty Pad Image is not required to play along though we love to see them if you have them, and you have till next Sunday to join us!

I hope you take the challenge this week and join us and  thank you for dropping by !

 

Huge thanks as always to the  Feline Playful Girls as they do make finding challenges just so EASY!

Card Creations & More by C - Shaped cards (1/1)
Frosted Designs - Stitching (-)
Moving Along With The Times - Anything but a card (2/3)
Rainbow Lady's - Ticket to ride(1/2)
Shelly's Images - Anything goes (-)
Digistamps 4 Joy - Wings (-)
Pixie Cottage - Sketch and or shaped card (-)
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