I love Pumpkins (recipe)

 Well I managed to get all my Halloween gifts sorted out yesterday. The treat bags are stuffed, cards written,  the pumpkin lantern is made and the insides of Mr Franky are cooked up ready to make some 

Pumpkin Muffins

• How to do them: scoop out pumpkin insides discarding the seeds and stringy bits. You can wash and toast the seeds as a snack they are delish but it's a bit tedious taking the shells off.
• put the flesh, 2 tablesppons of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl and microwave for 6 mins or until softened, stir a couple of times while it's cooking.
• Mash the cooked pumpkin or blend in a processor. You can now make muffins or freeze it for later in a poly bag. or Buy a tin of prepared Pumpkin from Waitrose!

Muffin Ingredients

• Divide your pumpkin into 2 equal amounts and find a cup that one amount fits in to fill it, this will be your measure for the other ingredients (you can use shop bought measure cups if you wish just follow that rule)
• put into a mixing bowl,  the 2 "cups" of pumpkin, 
• 3 cups of plain flour
• 2 cups of sugar, I prefer brown
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of each of the following spices, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice or just use 2 teaspoons of Mixed Spice.
• 2/3rd's of your cup of sunflower or vegetable oil
• 3 eggs (beat before adding to the mix)

Mix it all together, put into muffin cases, sprinkle with a little sugar for a crunchy top (I use crushed sugar cubes but regular is fine)  and cook for about 25 mins at 180cent, 350 farenheit or Gas 5  

EAT :-)

they will freeze in a plastic bag or box, reheat for a little while after defrosting to freshen them up

xx

As promised here is the result of my "playday" :-) The canvas is about 10" x 8"

Semi Instructions:-

Prepare the canvas by painting with Gesso or white paint is fine to prime the canvas. Then paint with acrylics, I used Antique Gold and Copper by Americana paints. While the paint is still wet I threw!! some glitter and micro beads over it to add colour and texture.

The Elements as follows-

Copper sheet (real) and Stazon inks are used thoughout.

** For each element I cut a piece of heavy card to make a mount and a piece of copper slightly larger. Place the copper over the card and chosen embellishment if used and then bend the sides under which holds the card in place. Use heavy duty D/S tape to attach the metal to the card and the finished element to the canvas.

The Skull
stick a Tim Holtz grungeboard skull to the card then place the copper over the top. Go round the shape embossing with metal work tools to outline and show all the details. Ink with black Stazon and dab with tissue for the colour add red pearl gems for the eyes.


The House
**basics as before. Run the metal through the Cuttlebug using the Halloween House folder. Edge the piece with a metal tool texture roller. Inked using wet and dry foam with Stazon in Green, Burnt Orange and Brown

Word
Write a spooky word onto the metal with an embossing tool, remember you have to write it back to front so on the right side it is spelt right. Emboss round the word from the from which helps to pop the embossing forward and with a texture tool round the edge. Ink with Orange Stazon

The Pumpkins
Cuttlebug folder used for this one, embossed as before with Orange and Burnt Orange Stazon inks

Halloween
Take a strip of card long enough for your word as the mount. Letters are grungeboard from the basic elements set. Stick the letters to the card I used a strip of d/s tape as it wont show so no need to be neat here its just to hold them in place. Then use a strip of adhesive copper roll or metal sheet if you don't have that. (Its bought from a hardware store in the plumbing supplies section!!) Carefully emboss round it with your tool be careful as it may tear. It helps if you start away from the letter and work towards it so that the copper stretches. If you get a hole its no big deal as the inks will hide it most times :-) Use your fancy tool for the edge again. Then its rubbed over with Stazon Dark Brown and Black for the tops of the letters

Spiders Web

follow instruction for other cuttlebug elements.
Arrange the pieces on your prepared canvas, stick them on with the extra strong tape and that's it:-)

Oh no more Halloween!!!

Got a cute set of Hero Arts Halloween stamps at a silly price so they had to be tried out :-) Most of the images are coloured with Copic Pens. I have used the Cuttlebug, Nestabilities and some metal embossed in the bug too. A bit of inking round the edges some of my handmade papers and some designer papers.
I like this angel hair effect paper looks quite spooky
That saying is brilliant :-)
Leaves drawn and cut with my Cricut Speaking of Fall cartridge, coloured with Sakura glitter pens and the green is Copic markers

She is just so cute. The cuttlebug design has been highlighted with a Brilliance White Inkpad

I embossed a part of the Halloween House Cutlebug folder and then dragged a purple Stazon pad over it to highlight, same with the spiders web
This is a Sizzix die cutter, used burnt orange Stazon to highlight the pumpkins and to ink some edges and a bought topper for the wording.

Altered Book

This was a kids board book, these books were 5 for a pound from the charity shop. I just stripped the glossy cover of the pages off and re-used it (its just a chipboard book underneath anyway)

Used lots of Tim Holtz product. The closure is grungeboard and I also used grunge shapes, sprockets, long fasteners and chains. A heart I found in my junk draw!! A variety of Halloween stamps, papers and stickers. The edges are distress inked and verse downloaded from the internet, printed on copy paper and is misted with Mica spray paints.

Being Haunted

O'k so I have gone a bit Halloween Crazy :-) I am having a great time even though I am meant to be doing office stuff, food shopping etc etc. lol who has time to eat anyway!! I know what I would rather be doing :-)
xx

Halloween giveaway

Congrats to Jude who has won this R.A.K
thanks to all who entered for it. I will post another soon
xx

I made this as a thank you "pay it forward" gesture to all my UK blog viewers. I recently was awarded a prize for a card I made so felt the need to give something back.

You will get a Halloween Pocket Album, a selection of Cricut shapes and tags and I may also add a set of stamps to customise this as you wish. All you need to do is leave a comment here and I will draw it in a couple of weeks but will send it in good time for Halloween.

I think it would not arrive in the States so sorry to leave you guys out this time :-( please forgive that.

Penny Slider & Video

Before I get to the slider I wanted to share these bracelets.

I went to a carboot sale on Sunday and found these clear plastic bracelets which shouted at me "Alcohol Inks" So for a bargain 50p for the 2 home they came and 15 mins after getting my supplies out I have these to give away as little presents. I love Alcohol inks as the result is so fast and easy to do.
Before:
After: This one used Cranberry, Currant and Eggplant then add metallic silver, then mixative.
This on uses Pesto and Lettuce, then metallic copper then mixative
Now... I have been trying to get these right for some time and have finally got them sorted out. I think its the way I was assembling them. I now use foam tape to put the mount onto the card and it lifts it high enough to get them to slide. I cut the slider mechanisms and mount with my Cricut, here's the Cut File (it also has another shaped card file I am working on in that selection)

I did a single penny slider first then got carried away and did double and four slide cards but the spider is my favourite, he is just so cute. Wow I also made vids of them as you need to see them working I think :-)

Paper piecing and more of those flowers!!

Had lots of little pieces of this pretty paper left which was about to go in the bin when I thought I might try some simple shape cutting and houses suited the bill. I hand cut the tree trunks and added a few gems and I have a cute little new home card :-)
Not made windmills for ages so when I saw them in a magazine I had to have a play and this card came out of it

Finally I had a bunch of these flowers that I made to practice my Copics on so rather than waste them I made these cards. I promise I will not do anymore for a while. I have some other nice new stamps and although it goes against my beliefs to do Christmas before Halloween there might just be a few appearing!!


Papers - Papermania, Freebies from a magazine, Bloom and Grow, Textured vellum, Cardstock, Co'redinations and K & Co
Stamps - Bloom and Grow, alphabet ones and assorted greetings.
gems, cuttlebug, inks, nestabilities, Sticky Goo punch.
craft room essentials.