Lookie!! I’m Stamping!

The last time I stamped it was with a rubber stamp, probably a rose or a fairy or a tag frame, and I was trying to get the perfect angle on my rainbow ink pad.

But stamping sure has changed. I had to look up some YouTube tuts on how these clear stamps work. Then I sat my pregnant butt down in the isle of clear stamps in a PNA store in some Cape Town mall and went through every single one of their stamp sets looking for the perfect chrysanthemum… which I never found. Although a few customers took me for an employee and were quite aloof and almost cold when they asked me about a particular product. And quickly showed all smiles and understanding when I explained that I’m excersizing my right to self-service in a store clearing lacking.

Eventually I found a nice floral symetric type stamp and some orange ink. Course had to get a block too. I’m trying to make cheap no frills, nice cards to hang my earings from. I used some paper upcycled from what was leftover from Princess Lili’s 3rd birthday party. This looks like the start of a beautiful new hobby ;)

Turning kids art into a key holder

Base coat is dry

It’s all about pink

Is that a strawberry?

Gilding board corners

Added some definition

When it doubt: staple gun!

Panel pin nails become hooks

Link Parties!

It’s about time.

I’m nervous. Really nervous. I haven’t touched flat nose pliers, jump rings or faceted beads in over a year. I was stuck in a non-creative rut. At first not wanting to come out. Thinking that it doesn’t matter, me enjoying this hobby doesn’t make a difference. I didn’t even want to try to get out of that slump. Then after a while I was too afraid to try. Making excuses about my tools being packed away and just having no time to unpack them… Not making time. I avoided all the craft shops, blogs, magazines, shows. Didn’t want to be reminded that I could be creating something special for a friend – no matter how flawed – something custom for my daughter, something pretty just for me.

It’s taken a while for this apathy to thaw out, and it’s going slow. But today, right now, after posting this, I’ll be making a few earring sets.

It’s about time.

Monthly Free Printable: Calendar Bookmark 2012 – February

February 2012

I had these up for sale on etsy, but decided to rather share them for free. I’ve given them as Christmas gifts and they seem to be a hit!

I wanted to make bookmarks with  real African flair; drawing inspiration from townships, villages, metropole, landscapes, places I’ve lived at, people I’ve met. And not a leopard pattern or safari theme in sight. So each month is different, some designs might reflect that month’s international or local theme: like Valentine’s Day or Women’s month.

February is the month of love. It is also our hottest one here in the Southern hemisphere. I wanted to use white to depict the blistering, blinding heat on desert sand. I drew inspiration from the sensual white and turquoise Moroccan designs. The red shweshwe heart reminds us to make loved ones feel extra special.

Every end of the month I’ll upload the following month’s bookmark calendar.

Click on the image for the full version, save and print.

Click here for previous months.

Link Parties!

Recipe: Banana Oreo Shake

It’s Friday evening, turbo-smurfette is asleep, it’s still baking hot outside.
And I’m craving a milkshake. The only time I’ll have a banana shake is when I make it myself; I really hate (h.a.t.e) banana essence/flavouring/fake.

Here’s what I used:
* 2-3 big scoops of Vanilla ice-cream
* half glass of Milk
* 1 Ripe banana
* 3 Oreo cookies… I ate the 4th one.
* Blender/food processor

Blitzed it all in a mix-n-store. Enjoy :)

Tried a Tutorial: Rock Candy

I found this great tutorial from Mom’s Crafty Space via pintrest. The colours looked so summery and fun, just had to try. Here’s my attempt at rock candy.

You can follow the step by step process from the tut, I’m just posting our pics.

Handy hubby cut the bamboo skewers down to size.

Sugar coating the soaked skewers

You really need to make sure the skewers are properly soaked, generously sugra coated and dry-dry-dry when placing in the syrup. { learn from my fail } I let the sugared skewers dry in a glass of wheat.

Making the syrup

I used a 3:1 ratio of white sugar to water. I did this two weeks ago, so can’t really remember how much sugar i used… around 4 cups?

Colour and flavour

I found some edible fairy dust still left over from Big sis’ last party. I added some flavouring to the colours too. Green almond, pink rosewater, glitter pink, plain vanilla, plain caramel…and decaff coffee. {had to be decaff cause #2 is on the way}

...we wait...

I put the glasses in the spare room where they can get some sun – After handy hubby roofed the outdoor braai, the kitchen has lost a lot of direct light, but at least it’s a lot cooler in there now as well.

It's science!

I grabbed my old Biochemistry textbook and even hit the wiki, but this preggy brain is too full of fluff to understand exactly why the crystals have these cuboidal shapes. I just know it pretty, and so cool!

Ready to eat

You’ll notice some colours missing… that’s what I meant by making sure there is a generous amount of sugar coating on the skewers. But all that syrup isn’t wasted, i have some new ones baking all sciency.

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Parties I’m linking to:
List
Get your craft on Tuesday

Welcome to Tracy’s Topics!

I had the whole launch planned. Not down to the tiniest detail, but the broad feel of it, you know? I had an idea what I wanted the banner to be, and maybe a striking, yet simplistic, background. Deciding to approach the new Tracy’s Topics blog from a whole new angle, or build on the old version, but refining the posts and flow of it. Definitely dropping the 101 in 1001 challenge. A 2.8 year commitment to a list deserves more thought than copy/paste from other people’s lists and maybe 10 that are slightly more personal. Nothing wrong with setting goals, the 101 list just wasn’t for me. So I’m dropping that ball. I’m still crafting, and stuffing up tutorials from well meaning tutorial writers. I’m still trying out new recipes and learning life skills with my toddler. (Number 2 is on the way so help me).

…and it’s been about a month now. I just can’t seem to get around to actually sit down and have a productive two hours and just WORK on it. And this frustrated me up the walls and back down. I would have an inspired moment, and nowhere to blog it down! I was shaking my fist at every distraction and time robber that crossed my path. I would let out a little *sob* and promise myself that as soon as it’s up and running, I’ll get around to posting that idea, or tut or recipe or rant.

And today, while planning my week and trying to fit my blog re-opening into this week’s evenings, I just stopped. I realized that if I can’t even get the welcome post ready and adhering to my expectations, how will I ever post any other entry. This is who I am. Rough around the edges, not nearly polished enough, dabbing off perspiration, definitely not punctual, and always scouting for a place to sit my tush down if it looks like a 5 minute wait.

So here it is: Welcome to the new Tracy’s Topics blog!

New entry: soon… hopefully earlier.

Monthly Free Printable: Calendar Bookmark 2012 – January

January 2012

I had these up for sale on etsy, but decided to rather share them for free. I’ve given them as Christmas gifts and they seem to be a hit!

I wanted to make bookmarks with  real African. flair, drawing inspiration from townships, villages, metropole, landscapes; places I’ve lived at, people I’ve met. And not a leopard pattern or safari theme in sight. So each month is different, some designs might reflect that month’s international or local theme: like Valentine’s Day or Women’s month.

January I used patterns seen on Ndebele nurals. I tweaked he colours a bit and it looks like a ribbon that is wound around.

Every end of the month I’ll upload the following month’s bookmark calendar.

Click on the image for the full version, save and print.

Click here for previous months.