The Ides of March - Link Up &Craftsy Sale

It's the 15th already - beware the Ides of March!

St. Patrick's Day is almost here so I thought I'd share a link back to one of the cards I made last year.  This card was adapted from a free shape in the Silhouette Online Store (remember, they are having a sale with all shapes 50% off right now). The sentiment was adapted from a Lettering Delights subway art file.  You can find the original post HERE.

Today is also the day when the Cricut Explore will be available for sale at retail outlets.  I've been enjoying the machine and if you have a chance to see it in person at a store you can learn a lot more about this machine.

I am traveling again today and will be away for the next week.  I have a few crafty projects planned to do with my sister if there is time.

At the end of my Sixth Anniversary Blog Celebration I asked you to find something that you haven't used and then make something with it...
 
Look around at your supplies and find something that has been sitting around for a long time.  Decide on a way that you can use it - and do it!  Tell me in your comment what you discovered and how you plan to use it.  Be sure to keep a photo of your finished project - I'll have a link up day in two weeks when you can share what you did.  Two weeks - the Ides of March!

The Link Up starts today.  I am using a new (to me) linky service so please let me know if you have any problems.

The linky will remain open for the next week and when I get back I just may have a little prize for one of the people who have posted a link to their project.

Craftsy is having a big Spring sale and all classes are up to 50% off.  There are some paper crafting classes but also lots of knitting, sewing, quilting, cake decorating, fine art and other classes too.  Click HERE to see all of the classes on sale (this is an affiliate link).

Have a great weekend - I hope it isn't too cold when I get to Wisconsin!


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Happy Pi Day!

Today is March 14, otherwise known as Pi Day.  The date 3.14 is the first three numbers of the mathematical constant Pi - the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159.

There are many websites for Pi Day - just do a search and you will find all sorts of great information and creative ideas.  Here is one link  http://www.piday.org/

Math is fun  but I like the other kind of pi - the kind that you eat!

 My husband's family has an apple farm in upstate New York so apple pie is a particular favorite. Here are a couple of favorite apple pie (pi) recipes from our family.

There is nothing like a crisp apple to eat fresh but they also are wonderful baked in pies with lots of cinnamon.  This recipe is a favorite because it can be made pretty quickly (there is no crust) and it always is delicious.  You can use any type of apples - you might want to adjust the recipe for the sweetness to suit the variety you choose.

Robert's Swedish Apple Pie

5 medium apples, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, mixed together
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 egg
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Butter or spray pie pan (8 or 9 inch) and fill 2/3 full with apple slices.
Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of the apples.
Melt butter, add sugar and egg and mix well.
Add flour and nuts, pour over apples.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (until apples are cooked and pie is golden brown)

During one of the Layout a Day challenges, I did a page that shows the steps of making a more traditional pie.  If you want to see larger images of the steps, they are in the post HERE.

This is the apple pie I remember from my childhood.   I got in the habit of making the faster Swedish Apple pie when our boys were young and now they think of that as the more nostalgic recipe.

Here is the recipe

Pie Crust:

1 3/4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of oil (I use canola oil)
3 tablespoons of cold water

Mix flour and salt.  Add oil and stir together.  Sprinkle water over the mixture and mix well until a ball is formed.  Divide into two slightly unequal pieces and use the larger one for the bottom crust.  Roll out between two sheets of waxed paper and flip into the pie dish.  Trim around the edge of the pie plate and repair any gaps with the extra pieces of crust.  Any leftover bits of dough can be added to the second piece for the top crust.

Apple Filling:

Peel and cut up apples into quarters and then thinner slices.  You will need enough apples to yield about 3 1/2 cups of sliced apples.

Mix together:
4 tablespoons of flour
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon.

(You may want less sugar if the variety of apples you choose is sweeter).  Put half of this mixture in the prepared pie crust and then add a layer of apples, stacking the apples neatly in a circle pattern.  Then add the rest of the mixture and another layer of apples.  Dot the top of the apples with butter (optional) and then place the top crust over the pie.  Pinch the two crust layers together and make a scallop pattern around the edge of the pie.  Cut some venting slits in the top crust with a paring knife.

Bake in a hot oven (425 degrees) for 45 - 50 minutes.  You may want to place a cookie sheet under the pie to catch any drips of the apple juice bubbles out of the crust.

This pie had a little of the filling bubble over on the left side but it still tasted delicious!

Have a wonderful day - and maybe some pie for dinner!

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Silhouette Online Store Sale & Subscriptions

 

There is nothing like a little competition to help prices to go down and deals to get better.  The Silhouette Online Store has all images on sale from March 13-27 for 50% off.  This means that most images are 50 cents!  You can access the sale through the Studio software or on the Silhouette website HERE.

This is the free image of the week in the Silhouette online store - St. Patrick's Day is almost here!

Whenever there is a free shape like this one, you can take apart the design and use the individual pieces in new ways.  Just select the image, right click and select "ungroup" from the drop down menu.  You might have to ungroup more than once, depending on how the designer assembled the design.

The pieces can then be combined to make new designs or enlarged and cut apart from the subway art design.

Silhouette also has a new addition to their subscription plan - custom subscriptions.  These can start as low as $4.99 a month for $10 in downloads (12 month term) and go up to $99.99 a month for $1500 in downloads (12 month term).  I can't imagine using up $1500 in downloads each month!

It seems likely that these changes in the Silhouette subscription options are a reaction to the new Cricut Explore which also has an optional subscription program.

There are differences in the two subscription packages.

The Silhouette subscription now has a wide variety of price points with a minimum term of three months.  If you buy a subscription, you are committed for the term of the subscription.

The Explore subscription has two choices, $9.99/month or $99.99/year.  You can stop your subscription at the end of the current term and skip a few months before you sign up again.

With the Silhouette subscription, you choose images and purchase them.  They are added to your account and are yours permanently.  You can't choose images to try out for a design without purchasing them with your subscription. 

With the Explore subscription, you can access and design with the entire library of included images.  You will not have to pay anything to cut a design if it is included in your subscription or is on a cartridge that you have purchase and linked.  At the end of the subscription, you no longer have access to the images that you have not purchased.  You have access to a huge number of designs but only for the term of the subscription - similar to a Netflix subscription.  When the subscription ends, you will not be able to cut any designs that you have not purchased outright.

I have been surprised by all of the images that are available to me in the three month subscription that came with my new Cricut Explore.  It is fun to be able to use some designs that I wouldn't buy and I have discovered a few image sets that I might purchase to own permanently.  I have a LOT of cartridges and will still be likely to renew my subscription when the three free months end (more about that another day).

If you are a Silhouette user this is a great time to add to your library at half price (or less if you have a subscription).

Believe it or not, I have only one more day at home and then I head to the midwest to see my sister and brother-in-law in Wisconsin.  My brother-in-law had knee surgery today and she is still recovering from hip surgery.  I figured they could use some extra hands, especially these first weeks post-surgery).  I will try to catch up with all of the emails and comments before I leave but it may take a little longer.


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True Stamp Registration Deal Expires Soon

The train ride from Williamsburg to Boston was fine but it is a very long trip.  I was traveling for the entire day and we arrived later than scheduled due to weather and other delays.  It was a quick visit with my sister and brother-in-law and we got a lot done at their new house - now I need to catch up at home!

The special price for True Stamp will expire on March 17th. Here is all of the information that I posted earlier this month - I hope you will be able to join in the fun. 

The True Stamp event is presented by the incomparable Lain Ehmann, the producer of LOAD (Layout A Day), True Scrap and many other great events.  I participated in True Stamp 2013 and I learned a lot about stamping and also had fun.  These events are part live and part recorded.  If you miss the live presentations, you can always go back to catch up and watch the recordings - you have access to them as long as Lain keeps going and she is like the Energizer bunny with new programs and classes in the works constantly.

True Stamp 2014 will be held on April 5th - when it should finally be spring!  This is an online event.  You meet by logging in to a web room and see high definition video presentations by some great instructors who are also there live to answer your questions.  There are some make and takes, a live chat room, prizes and digital goodie bags.

Here are the instructors for True Stamp 2014 along with the topics of their classes.  Click HERE to go to the page with more information about True Stamp.

“A Little Bit Rock & Roll: Adding Visual Interest to Solid Stamped Images” 

(co-taught with Kryssi Ng)

Nichol-Magouirk, Mama Elephant

“Stamping Kaleidoscope: Color and Texture for Every Day and Everywhere”

Bev Grey, Technique Tuesday

“What’s Cookin’? Creative ingredients to whet your appetite for WOW!”

(co-taught with Kim Ziehr)

Bobbi Lemanski, Raisin Boat

“What’s Cookin’? Creative ingredients to whet your appetite for WOW!” 

(co-taught with Bobbi Lemanski)

Kim Ziehr, Raisin Boat

“SWAK! Stamp Kissing Made Simple”

Kim Hughes, Paper Smooches

“Stamps and Dies that Work Together II”

Shari Carroll, Simon Says Stamp

“Moving and Shaking: Adding Interactive Elements with Stamps”  

(co-taught with Chari Moss)

Kelly Marie Alvarez, Lawn Fawn

“Moving and Shaking: Adding Interactive Elements with Stamps”  

(co-taught with Kelly Marie Alvarez)

Chari Moss, Lawn Fawn

The price for all of this stamping goodness is set at $97 (about $16 per class) and right now there is an even better deal.  I have a special code that will save you almost 50%.  Just use the code LOVE at checkout and your price will be only $49 - that is around $8 per class, not even counting the make & takes and the goodie bag.

This special price will expire on Monday, March 17th.

Click HERE to go to the information page to see more descriptions of the event and to register (this is an affiliate link).

True Stamp 2014 is sponsored by these six stamp companies.

I am planning to participate again this year - I hope you will join me for this unique, educational and fun event.  

It was fun to hear from many of you with some of your memories of model train sets.  It is a very interesting hobby and my brother-in-law will have to decide if he has a future as a model railroad operator!

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Trains

 

I'll be on a train most of the day Wednesday - heading home from Virginia to Massachusetts.  It's been a good visit and we got a lot done on getting things settled at my sister and brother-in-law's new place.  Their new home is wonderful and it came with a not-so little something extra - a train set that takes up half the bonus room (or FROG - Finished Room Over Garage).

There are five different trains that circle this incredible layout.  You can crawl under and stand in the open middle section to adjust the trains.

There are lots of tiny scenes with streetlights and other lights in buildings to make it all look more realistic.

There are so many tracks - it is very complicated to figure out how to run everything and avoid crashes!

I can't imagine how many hours the former owners spent working on this project.  The backdrop of mountains along the wall was painted by the wife and her husband did the electrical work and model building.  I think it was the little train set that grew...

The mirror along the end wall reflects the scene making it look even larger.

When you are done operating the trains it's just a short flight of stairs to get back down to join the rest of the family.  My niece's children enjoy watching the trains run - and so do the adults!

When I was young, our Dad ran a train set with larger cars.  He usually got it out around the holidays.  The tracks were on a sheet of plywood that we never got around to decorating.
Do you have a train set or memories of a train set from your childhood?  They can be pretty fascinating!

It will be nice to get home and catch up with some crafty projects - we've been doing bigger projects here - painting and rearranging furniture.  The new craftroom is starting to take shape but there are still lots of boxes to unpack!

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Endless Variations - Many Designs from a Single Image

The arrival of the Cricut Explore machine and Design Space software has rekindled interest in the Cricut system and image library.  If you have been working with Cricut machines for a long time, you may have felt left out if your friends started trying other machines and software programs that allowed them to draw and create original designs.

While the Cricut software options have never included drawing tools that allow you to create a free form image, the ability to weld and to hide lines within a design gives you a lot of creative freedom to alter designs until they are completely transformed from their original look.

Back in September, 2009, I went on a trip to Italy.  This was during the first year of my resolution to post on my blog every day and I did some pre-scheduled posts to cover the days that I would be out of the country and possibly unable to access my blog online.

I decided to choose a single image on a key from a cartridge and try to see how many different cards I could make by either using "hide contour" and/or welding.  This is the image I chose to use for my project.

This image is from the Wedding cartridge and you can see it highlighted on the keypad above.

There is an additional image layer, but I did not use this in my designs.  There are also shadow and blackout layers.  If you start adding these into the designs there will be many more variations.

The designs started simply and became increasingly complex.  Here are the first 6 days of cards that I made by manipulating just that one image in the software.  The only additional cuts are some initials that were from the Storybook cartridge (you could also stamp the initials).

These designs were done with Design Studio (the old original program for working with Cricut images).  I believe the downloads for the Design Studio files may still be active (these will work only with the old Design Studio software).

These are the cards from the second six days.  The smallest changes in showing or hiding a cut line in the design can produce very interesting results.

I called this set of card variations "AFADWIAA" - for "a file a day while I am away." If you want to see the series of posts, click HERE to find the posts labelled AFADWIAA!  (they will show in backwards chronological order so scroll down to the bottom and work your way to the top of the page).  Can you figure out how I changed the image in each day's card?

I am keeping very busy helping my sister with some of the settling after her move.  We are working on setting up a craft room in a spare bedroom.  I'll be back home soon - I hope I can avoid this latest winter storm - will Spring ever get to New England?  Virginia is beautiful now...

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Williamsburg and Weather Vanes

Several people wrote to ask me where I took the photos that I posted on Saturday.  They were all taken in Williamsburg, Virginia, where I have been visiting family for the past few days.  I am helping my sister and brother-in-law get settled in their new home.  My niece and her family live here too so it's been fun to have the time to get to know my great nephews and niece a little bit better.

This photo of a weather vane in Williamsburg made me think of a project I did a couple of years ago.  You can find design inspiration in so many places. I always try to have a camera with me to capture things that appeal to me.

I worked from this photo of a weather vane and created several variations of a design that were increasingly complex.  You can see the original post showing the process I used to create a cutting file from this photo HERE.  I came up with a few variations on the design and showed them HERE.

This complex design is yet another variation of the weather vane shape.  It was cut from gold glitter paper and was one of the pieces in the show I had at the community center a couple of years ago (see more about that HERE).

Here is another sign I saw in Williamsburg.  Can you think of some ways to use it as inspiration for a paper crafting project?

It sounds like we are in for same more crazy weather.  Very warm at the beginning of the week and then much colder with the chance of more snow - doesn't anyone realize it is March!

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