tutorial tuesday: card making

due to the holiday and a few technical difficulties, this week's make it monday has turned into a tutorial tuesday instead. i'll try to be back to regularly scheduled blogging next week :)

today's project:



HOW TO MAKE A CARD

i love to make cards for people using scrapbook paper, stamps, embellishments, etc. i wanted to show you how to make a basic card!

STEP ONE:

get a blank card and envelope.



you can use cardstock to cut and make your blank card, but since i make many cards, i like to buy packages of blank cards so i have plenty on hand.

i have found good deals on large packs of cards or envelopes in the past HERE

next, fold the card in half.



STEP TWO:

find some scrapbook paper for the outside of the card.





(i have a ridiculous stash of paper that i have gathered over the past 6 years :O it can be from a small paper stack, a large paper stack, or just a single sheet that you bought from the store!)


STEP THREE:

attach the blank card front to the scrapbook paper.

you can use many different types of adhesive - double stick tape, glue stick, glue dots, etc.
for this card i used double stick tape.



put some pieces of tape around one side of the blank card, then turn it over and attach it to the back side of your decorated paper.





(sorry it's a little hard to see with the white on white!)

attach it:




STEP FOUR:

cut carefully around the edges to remove the excess paper.



then you are left with a pretty card front!



optional step here that i like to do sometimes is to use a corner cutter to round off the 2 bottom corners of the card.





STEP FIVE:

next you need to find a sentiment for the front of your card. i like to use stamps.

tip: i have gotten many stamps over the years in the $1 bins at michaels!

some of the sentiments you can use: "thank you" "thinking of you" "happy birthday" "congratulations!"

also find some coordinating cardstock to match your card that you can stamp on. i like to layer a few different colors of cardstock.



load up your stamp with some ink, and then stamp it on your cardstock.









tip: keep your stamps clean by using baby wipes to clean them after each use!

trim around the edges, and then use some adhesive to place that piece on your next color of cardstock. trim around that one leaving a border, and then adhere that one on your next color, etc.









once you like the way it looks, place it on your card! you can place it anywhere you think looks good, i usually tend to do the lower right corner but the lower left corner works as well.



sometimes i like to put a thin paper border across the card and then place the sentiment on top of that. it's really up to you! be creative! you can add buttons, paper flowers, glitter, you can emboss your stamps, the possibilities are really endless!

there are also many books out there that have different layouts of cards, as well. this is one i was given for christmas a few years back:



(amazon link HERE)

STEP SIX:



you are ready to fill out your card and mail it to someone special! :)

if you'd like to order any cards, please let me know! i love to make variety packs or take custom orders! here are a few i've made in the past:



send some sunshine in the mail to brighten someones day with a handwritten card! :)

thankful thursday: may 23

this week i'm thankful for:

* chocolate ;)

* cuddles on the couch with my hubby and puppy

* warm sunshine on my face

* possibilities

* time with a good friend

* having a guest bed!

* new mercies every morning

wednesday words: depending

i missed this post last week because i just couldn't decide what to write about. oops.

what's been on my mind lately:

WHO ARE WE DEPENDING ON?

those first couple of years of our marriage when we were in japan, ben was away from me for months at a time, out to sea. he was usually gone 2 months, home for a month, then back out for 2 more. all in all, those first 3 years he was gone 8 months of every year. it's no wonder people always told us we were still like newlyweds even after being married for that long :)

while i was alone for those months at a time, i had to do a lot of things by myself. that was such a learning experience for me. in my mind, i thought "hey, i have a husband now, shouldn't he be doing this stuff for me?" :P not true! the things i learned i could handle myself and the situations the Lord helped me through helped grow me so much as a person, and i had to learn to be dependent on THE LORD and not a person. how easy it is to do that. i still struggle with this.

i'm a people person. always have been. those 3 years in japan were hard. i made a few friends, but it took a while, and they all moved away before we did. i had seasons of extreme loneliness, and sometimes would just lay on the floor and cry in our apartment. but you know what? the Lord was always there for me. and He taught me in those times of loneliness that He always would be.

"God has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” Heb 13:5

a question to ask is: who are we dependent on? other people? a friend? a husband? or are we dependent on the Lord?

one of the biggest learning experiences i had during our first year in japan was about 6 months after we had moved there. ben was sent to california for a month of training, and i wanted to meet him there and have some time back in the US. i decided to go on military hops (standby military flights) and OH. MY. WORD. what an adventure that turned out to be. i still to this day am a bit amazed i did it by myself. i started out in okinawa japan, and missed the first flight i was supposed to go on. it was supposed to be an "easy" trip, getting on there and flying straight to seattle, wa, where i would catch a connecting flight down to san diego where ben was. it's a bit of a long story, but basically everything that could have gone wrong on that trip went wrong, including oxygen masks being used, almost being turned around, being stuck for hours due to a plane malfunction, etc. and what was supposed to be an "easy" trip, took 4 flights, 3 days, and involved sleeping in hotel rooms with strangers, being stranded in guam and hawaii, and ending up in northern california and staying in the airport until my flight to see ben. if you EVER would've asked me if i could've done something like that on my own, i would've laughed! but i did it! the Lord got me where i needed to go, just not in the way i had planned. isn't that always so true of our life? :)

so often people tell me (of my time alone in japan while ben was away) "i could never have done that!" and i always respond: "yes you could!" there were many challenging parts of that journey, and i cried many tears. but the Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle, and more importantly He gets us there each step of the way. it wasn't in my strength that i made it through those 3 years, it was because HE helped me.

in the end i just want to encourage you to depend on the Lord. He is our rock and our strength, and gets us through hard times.

tuesday treat: pepperoni roll

today's treat:

PEPPERONI ROLL

pinterest has been a great source of new recipes, especially since we moved back and i actually have a regular grocery store and a kitchen!

a couple weeks ago i decided to try the pepperoni roll.
it was yum yum!

basically you buy a package of rhodes bread (from the freezer section):


for just ben and i, i used only 1 of the 3 loaves and it was plenty for our supper, but you could do 2 if you wanted more leftovers because we finished most of it that night. if you have 4 or more people, i'd probably go ahead and do all 3 loaves. i served ours with salads.

start with your frozen bread roll, and leave it on the counter lightly covered for at least 3-4 hours at room temp to thaw out.

then roll it out to a large rectangle (she said she got a square, but i couldn't quite get mine to be a square - one side was longer than the other)

top with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and parmesan cheese, and add some spices on top.



i only had basil and garlic salt, so that's what i used and it was yummy!

roll it up and pinch the ends just a bit, then bake immediately.

she says the key is letting it cool most of the way before slicing into it. i let ours cool 10-15 minutes and it was great. still a bit warm, done in the middle.

i've made a goal to try 1 new recipe a week since we moved back, and so far i've been pretty happy with all of them! i'll keep sharing new ones that we think are yummy.

enjoy! :)

make it monday: cakepops

today's make it monday is something i've been enjoying making for a couple of years now. i'm pretty sure that anyone reading this blog knows that i love making:

CAKEPOPS!

although bakerella is the mastermind behind these creations, i wanted to give you a step-by-step on how i make them, in case you've never tried.

STEP ONE:
make a cake.


i have always used a box cake mix to make cakepops, but you can definitely use a homemade cake as well. the fan favorite (and my favorite) cake frosting combo is funfetti with cream cheese frosting. but i have also used chocolate cake, yellow cake and red velvet cake with great success :)

TIP: a 9x13 cake will make approximately 50 cakepops. if you don't want to make that many, you can take 1/2 or even 1/4 cake and freeze the rest until you are ready to make them! just make sure to remember to use less frosting :)

STEP TWO:
once your cake is cooled, you need to crumble it in a bowl.





STEP THREE:
add some frosting. if you did an entire cake, you need to use about 3/4 a can of frosting. if you made 1/2 a cake, use about 1/2 a can of frosting.



mix well.



STEP FOUR:
once your cake is all mixed up with the frosting, roll them into balls, and place them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.





STEP FIVE:
place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes, or in the fridge for 2-3 hours to let the cakeballs chill. you don't want them frozen, but you want them cold.


STEP SIX:

while the cakeballs are chilling, begin working on your candy melts (you can also use almond bark). i always use a mug to melt mine because i think it's easier to dip them in the taller mug rather than a bowl.
follow the directions on the bag to melt them. 1 min at 50% power, then 30 sec intervals until melted, stirring each time. don't over melt, but you want it smooth.

tip: if it's melted but still too thick, you can use a little bit of oil to thin it out :)





STEP SEVEN:
once the candy melts are ready and the cakeballs are chilled, dip a stick into the melts and then into the bottom of the cakeball. you can do them all and then give it a minute to harden. if you have put your cakeballs in the freezer, move them to the fridge and only work with a couple at a time at room temp so they don't get too warm.




STEP EIGHT:
pick up the stick with the cakeball on the end, and dip it straight into the mug. try to not let it touch the sides. lift it straight back up




tap it gently on the end of the mug to get the excess off.


STEP NINE:
while the candy covering is still wet, add any type of sprinkles you desire!


tip: sprinkle them over a bowl to catch the excess sprinkles to save.

let them dry. i use a green floral block with holes pre-punched in them. you can get the floral blocks at the dollar store or walmart for just a few dollars.


once they are dry, enjoy! :)


if you want to deliver them to someone, i recommend putting little bags on each one tied with ribbon. this helps keep them fresh as well as very cute presentation!



tip: although they don't recommend this, i've had great success keeping them in the fridge once they are made to keep them fresh a little longer, plus some people enjoy them as cold treats! :) play around with it to see what works for you.

they are fun little bites of yumminess on a stick and you should definitely make some when you get the chance! :) if you do, i'd love to see a picture! the basic cakeball with sprinkles is definitely the easiest and the one i'd recommend to get a feel for them. but the possibilities are endless. here are a few of the different types i've tried:



happy monday!

thankful thursday: may 16th

things i'm thankful for this week:

beautiful spring weather

sunshine

sitting on the patio



cool morning walks with the puppy

kisses from my husband



little things...
but they make life nicer <3