Why I havent been stamping

Well. This is my why. I am FINALLY, after 10 long years, redoing my ugly kitchen. The days of staring at my lovely almond and green faux tile paneling has come to an end bringing visions of  "farmhouse chic" in its place.  We're traveling down a long, and often dark, path with this renovation.  $$ won the battle so this is a true DIY adventure. I'm kinda handy with some tools so I figure, why not? We're not doing anything major like moving gas lines or rewiring circuits. It's just a really time consuming face lift :)

In actuality, it hasn't really taken me all that long to get where we are today.  Ok, it's taken about 6 weeks BUT I'm really only working on it during the weekends because my day job schedule has been kind of crazy. We've had some random setbacks (like who installs cabinets on the subfloor? Really??) And then there's my fear of large power tools so I've done all my cutting and trimming to date with hand tools. Thank heaven for my Dremel or I'd still be trimming out the bead board.  That said, the novelty of washing dishes in the bathroom and eating out most nights is quickly starting to lose its charm.  So I'm kicking it into high gear. This girl wants her kitchen back...well, the new kitchen. Not the old, ugly one!

My stamp room, while currently free of stampers, has gotten quite the workout.  My class tables have made a great work surface to paint my ceiling tiles.  I really want a faux tin look ceiling without the faux tin ceiling price.  I found some pretty nifty 12x12 fiberboard tiles that have the pattern I was searching for and I'm using a combination of gray and silver paints to create just the right amount of patina.  People talk about having an accent wall.  I'm going to have an accent ceiling!

I've been taking before, during and after shots so I can create the "kitchen book" when I'm done. I can't imagine not scrapbooking this adventure once it's over. If you've been looking for crafty things from me but haven't seen them lately, this is why. It's crafty, just in a different way.  Now I'm off to go finish paining some ceiling tiles so we can get one step closer to getting my cabinets in!!

Lotus Blossom meets my brayer

If you've been on Pinterest at all in the Stampin' Up! world over the last month, you've seen the Lotus Blossom EVERYWHERE! Talk about a popular stamp set. It's beautiful. There are so many great ways to combine color and texture. I've seen really beautiful cards made from this set.

I wanted to get my inspiration for this card somewhere other than good ol Pinterest. Sometimes I feel like there isn't an original idea in my own head when I spend hour after hour cruising that beautiful idea site. Instead, I turned to Google. I googled "lotus blossom" and clicked on Images. I think the best Inspiration truly does come from nature. First thing I noticed, lotus blossoms float. I need water. Second thing I noticed, lots of pinks and purple. Bring on Wisteria Wonder! Since I've got a Brayer Basics class on the horizon I might have found just the right bit of inspiration for this project.

I will be using this card as one of my class projects. It is a fun way to show how to blend similar colors to create a lovely graded background and highlights. It also incorporates a couple fun techniques that I think make this card stand out. Learning how to use your brayer makes this a relatively quick card for as detailed as it looks, too. I made a dozen of these as a swap with my stamp club in under 3 hours. What is that, 15 minutes a card? Not bad :-)

Visit my Meetup group at www.meetup.com/kellistamps4u and register for Brayer Basics. You will learn how to make this card and others using that magic rubber roller that takes your card making to a whole new level. Want your own Lotus Blossom stamp set? Make a $50 purchase during Sale-A-Bration and choose it as your free stamp set. That's the only way to get it. When SAB is over, it's got forever!

Gluten Free Almond Meal Pizza Crust with Turkey and Spinach Topping

We're constantly looking for new, exciting and tasty ways to explore healthy food in my house.  Myself, I have a gluten sensitivity (which I tend to ignore) that makes me feel kind of icky. We also have heart disease in my household so low fat, low sodium dishes are a must for us.  Low sodium, low fat, no gluten...no flavor, right?? Definitely not the case in my kitchen most of the time.  I love to try new recipes but even more so, I like to throw some stuff together and hope for the best when it's time to eat it.  That's kind of where we went with tonight's meal and I couldn't be more pleased with the results! We had "pizza" tonight that was low fat, low sodium, gluten free and totally delicious. What I loved the most was the crust has four main ingredients and combined in a bowl, no mixer required.

Gluten Free Almond Meal Crust (makes 1 crust)
2 cups almond meal/flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
2 tsp olive oil
2 egg substitutes (mine was 1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 375 with a pizza stone in the oven to preheat as well.  Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with a spatula. It will come together quickly and should be moist and slightly sticky.  Place the ball between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out to 1/4" thickness. Mine is never totally round. I like to call it rustic :) Remove top layer of parchment paper.  I prefer a bit of an edge on my crust so I folded over the outside by about a half inch. Pick up the parchment and place in crust in the oven on the stone.  Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, add toppings, bake again for 10-12 minutes or until edges start to brown or cheese (if you're using any) starts to melt. The crust is thin, crispy and delicious!

Turkey and Spinach Topping (makes two)
20 oz lean ground turkey
1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
2 tbsp stone ground mustard
1 tbsp no sugar added pickle relish
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/4 cup dehydrated onion (if you don't have these on hand, dice a small white onion and brown with the ground turkey)
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less based on heat level desire)

In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey and drain any grease.  Add remaining ingredients excluding cheese and heat slightly.  Add half of the mixture to the top of your warm crust.  Evenly spread cheese over the top. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is starting to brown.

Your left over topping would freeze well or use it to make a second pizza while you devour the first. My family also likes to eat this mixture with fresh baked corn tortilla chips as well!

While I haven't yet tried it, I think this crust would hold up well to having added spices.  Some Italian seasoning would be a lovely addition to give it some more flavor.  It would also hold Parmesan cheese well but would likely require a little additional oil to retain the moisture.  I will most certainly continue to experiment with additions to this crust because I am in LOVE :)

I'd love to hear about your experiences with this recipe!  Use the comments or email me :)

Hey, Party Animal!

Have you heard? It's From The Herd! I know, I know. I'm a goof but I really do like the stamp set. I think it's adorable. I mean, do you have another stamp set that lets you color a blue goat?? Didn't think so.

My Koloring Krew starts on Thursday and this will be one of our projects. We will be working with Stampin' Blendabilities and learning more ways to blend color and shade images using these amazing markers. I'm excited to give my stampers an evening of nothing but coloring time so they can work to perfect their skills and turn out beautiful paper crafts.

Koloring Krew meets the fourth Thursday of each month and will feature a fun coloring method each month. We will certainly do a lot with Blendabilities but we will also explore the use of blender pens, watercolor, and other coloring methods all using Stampin' Up! products. If you want to join us, check out the sign up specials linked on my blog and visit www.meetup.com/KelliStamps4U to register.

It's a Lovely Day

I've been having quite a time playing with my brayers. Nothing too crazy or complicated, just some simple color layering to brighten up an otherwise dreary day.

There are so many ways to use your brayer. So many ways to add texture and layers of color to your cards and scrapbooks. My Lovely Day card, for instance, uses six brayered colors, four different brayered mediums, and two brayer techniques. Your brayer is a great tool to get to know and love. Join one of my Brayer Basics classes to learn to make a your own color layered creations. Head over to www.meetup.com/KelliStamps4U to register.

Sheltering Tree from the Occasions Catalog provided the focal point stamp. The words are from the ever versatile set Endless Birthday Wishes. The Irresistibly Yours designer paper from Sale-A-Bration provides the cool vine background.  It is pre-embossed white on white making it the perfect candidate to use with your brayer. You can get a pack for free with your $50 order. As a matter of fact, that's the only way you can get your hands on this cool paper ;)

Happy Stampin'

Perpetual Calendar

Project that solved two issues.  I needed a desk calendar and I also needed a cool stamp club project.  Enter my fabuloso perpetual calendar featuring the new Stampin' Up! Perpetual Birthday Calendar stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog!

Never mind the mess on my desk.  It happens.  I'm a creative. There is no creativity in a clean desk :) This fabulous perpetual calendar is designed to fit a 4x6 photo frame.  The one shown is a Tolsby frame from IKEA. We simply used the super cool background stamps from the Perpetual Birthday Calendar to create 4 themed backgrounds per 4" x 6" sheet of cardstock. Simply flip it around to change the month, add the correct calendar page and VOILA! You've got a calendar for all year, every year for the rest of forever!

I have a digital file ready to roll for anyone who wants to create their own 4" x 6" Perpetual Calendar that includes calendar layouts with the 1st starting on each day of the week and having both 30 and 31 days in the month.  Simple instructions are included to create your own calendar project (including cutting instructions) with examples of how to use the Perpetual Birthday Calendar set. This file is available at no charge to all of my current customers! If you've placed a minimum $25 order in the last 30 days, simply email me and ask for it.  Not a customer yet? Visit my shopping site, order your very own Perpetual Birthday Calendar stamp set (or whatever else suits your fancy) and get your very own copy of the calendar file.

Full disclosure, I also used the Project Life Day to Day stamp set on my project.  I really like the font that stamp set offers. I didn't use it for all of  my months and you certainly don't have to either.  Mix it up. Have fun! As long as you've got a great calendar that you don't have to change year after year, you've got beauty and function rolled into one happy package!

Brayer Basics

Have you played with your brayer lately?  I have.  I LOVE my brayer. I really want you to love your brayer, too.

By popular request, I'm bringing back my Brayer Basics class.  In this informative technique class, you will learn how to use your Speedball rubber brayer to create beautiful graded color backgrounds, textured elements and more.  We will walk through using your brayer step by step, getting you ready to create amazing works of art all your own.

This class comes with a brand new brayer for you to use during class and take home when you’re done.  Already have a brayer?  You’ll find out during this highly anticipated class that having more than one is a very good thing!!

You will receive written, full color instructions to reference after class. You will also have an opportunity to practice your new brayer skills by participating in a post class brayer card swap.

I am offering two different dates - Saturday, March 6 at 9:30am and Monday, March 8 at 7:00pm.  Advanced registration is required for this class.  Reserve your spot today for $30 by visiting the Kelli's Korner Meetup page at www.meetup.com/kellistamps4u or by emailing me directly.