Treasured Times Rubber Stamps Blog Hop

Welcome to the Treasured Times Blog Hop! 
The Blog Hop begins today and ends on August 7, and our new Challenge begins August 3rd. You have the opportunity to win prizes in both!

 Rules- can't live without 'em, but I promise there are only a couple.

• Visit all eight participating blogs/FB page.
•  Leave a comment at each. 

Easy, right?! You will finish at the Treasured Times blog and leave a comment for Jody letting her know that you completed the Hop & left comments at each blog to be in the running for this prize:

 

 I'm number #6 on your hopping journey, so if you are arriving from Gelsomina's blog you are in the right place. 

 I made three projects using the Sugar Skull stamp by Tracy Moreau to share with you. The first one is a card I created using a technique called Soot Stamping. To do this technique you need a household candle, glossy card stock, a clean stamp, and a spray sealant. There is a video tutorial HERE

Pass the card stock quickly over the candle flame, glossy side down, to cover the surface with soot. Carefully press the stamp onto the blackened area. Next, lightly spray the image with sealant to protect it from smearing.

I had so much fun soot stamping and liked the striking results. I decided to make this card all black and white, so to give it extra visual interest, I added texture by embossing white card stock, adding a small doily and using sheer loopy-edged ribbon. 

I will be mailing this card to one of you who leaves a comment on this post!

For my next project I decided to use the stamp in more traditional Cinco De Mayo colors.

 This is a double easel card made with Spellbinders Nestabilities Label Nine die cuts. You can watch a tutorial on how to make a triple card HERE

I followed Kim's directions but just made two easel sections. The card folds flat for mailing.

Do you like the bright, happy colors? After I embossed the skull image with red embossing powder, I colored it in with markers. I also used pearls, glitter, chipboard and a Basic Grey flag to decorate it. The doily was white before I spritzed it with Heidi Swapp Primrose mist. Here is a side view -

My last project using the sugar skull stamp is the 'sweetest' of all! Haha! I repurposed a match box for Halloween. The first thing I did was paint the interior with white acrylic paint and let it dry. Next, I covered all surfaces with decorative paper. I used a bead and brad inserted in one end for a drawer pull. 

I stamped the sugar skull in black and distressed the edges with Ranger Orange Marmalade ink. I used purple and black bakery string as an accent and adhered a bright orange flower and glittery spider near the top.

The gold tile is a piece I made from air dried clay, which I painted and stamped. Here is a closer look at the drawer pull

What do you think is inside? 

Four 'fun size' Snickers bars fit perfectly!

Somebody is going to be happy, happy, happy when they open this Halloween greeting!

I stopped at three projects, but can't you just picture this stamp being used for a pirate themed card or creation?

Now head over to
 Adriana's Facebook page

She's next on the Blog Hop.

  Carol Salisbury – http://scrappydayz.blogspot.com/
Elisabetta Monnini – http://www.lizziebusyhandmade.blogspot.com/
Franca Marzi – http://piccolepassioni.blogspot.it/
Nadja Robbins – http://nadjarobbins.blogspot.com/
Gelsomina Mori – http://romanticherie.wordpress.com/
  Adriana Ortolano – https://www.facebook.com/adriana.ortolano.9?fref=ts

Tea Time Brings Longevity

Ever since tea was discovered, it's been thought to have many health benefits and it's interesting that modern research is proving many of these claims are true!  For afternoon tea today, I made a pot of Harney & Son's Oolong and served it in my special wicker basket teapot.  Have you ever seen one of these?

 The basket acts as a natural cozy to keep the tea piping hot - perfect for an autumn picnic or summer patio tea.

 When I purchased this colorful teapot and basket, it came with matching cups. Lucky me! It's fun to sip from these delicate cups without handles. Remember, no pinkies in the air -  that is an etiquette faux pas.
Click here for a handy teatime temperature and steeping chart.

 

oolong is a semi fermented tea principally produced in China and Taiwan

Do you recognize any of the Chinese characters on the cups or teapot? This one represents longevity

 

This symbol - for Shou- is near the spout.

I looked through some of my tea books and learned that tea bushes were planted in Taiwan, previously called Formosa, around 300 years ago.

I snacked on grapes as I watched 'our' little cottontail drop by for his daily carrot. Remember when he climbed into my parsley pot? He doesn't mind sharing the backyard with me, so I finished my tea. 

Do you see the kimono clad cat?

 

 It was a gift from a friend when I was studying Urusenke, Japanese Tea Ceremony, with my sensei Mrs. Koizumi. 

If you have only had black tea and want to try going 'green', you can start with a quality oolong before moving to a typical green tea. All tea comes from the same plant, but it is the processing (fermenting, rolling, drying, cutting) that gives it it's characteristics. It is a big adjustment for some palates to go from drinking black to drinking green teas. Ha ha!

I found bamboo place mats at Michael's craft store in the dollar section, of all places! I think it looks perfect with this tea set. 

Do you like greens and oolongs? Have you tried them iced? I enjoy all tea and have even baked shortbread with matcha - a powdered green tea.  

sharing this post with:
What To DO Weekends 
Freedom Fridays 
Time Travel Thursday 
Share Your Cup 
You're Going To Love It 
Tuesdays At Our Home 

Marthas Favorites 

Artful Affirmations 
Bernideens Tea Time 
Rose Chintz Cottage 
Tea In The Garden
Amaze Me Monday 
Twirl and Take A Bow 
Inspire Me at A Stroll Through Life
Cottage Style Party 
 
 Brag About It 
 
Show Me What you Got

Mamarazzi

I'm teasing you with a sneak peek of one of the projects I made for the upcoming Treasured Times Blog Hop on July 31. The other design team members have been working on fun projects to share with you too! We also have a Challenge starting on August 3rd, so check out the link above to get the challenge details and see photos of the challenge and blog hop prizes.

  I took a break from my Scrap Room and did a photo shoot with College Girl. She needed some updated pictures of herself, and being a scrapbooker at heart - and a doting mom - I was only too happy to oblige!

I can't wait to print out some copies and make a layout!

She is photogenic so I basically gave her a few directions, then started clicking away! I like 'just caught' looks, which are not so stiff as facing straight into the camera. Since it was mid-day it was pretty bright out, but we wanted shots of her wearing sunglasses. Keep the time of day in mind when taking portraits outside - to alleviate squinting, shoot earlier or later in the day, when it is overcast, or in some light shade. I liked the look of the empty road and open hills in the background, which works great for teens and young adults. 

 

I took about 40 photos. Gotta say I am a digital camera convert although I originally drug my feet! Love the ability to shoot, save or delete. Which photo should I scrap first?

 College Girl has been working on faux armor for her cosplay/Halloween costume, so she started a blog to document her progress. It's amazing what you can do with fun foam, styrofoam and paint! She also made a necklace and shares other crafty stuff. Check out her progress:
Managing Her Mischief 

sharing this post with:

Photog SHow and Tell
Amaze Me Monday 

Busy Week

Let's see - in the past 6 days we have nursed a cat while she recovered from dental surgery and complications, celebrated a birthday, shopped for a new garbage disposal and had a surprise backyard visitor. Oh, and College Girl kicked herself for not getting tickets to Comic Con after she learned that Tom Hiddleston made a surprise appearance, in costume and in character - LOKI!

Nothing fancy shmancy for Handyman. He likes a home-made angelfood cake  with plain  buttercream icing like his mom used to make - no food color, no chocolate, no haute cuisine flavors. And he likes extra icing, so I usually put that down inside the cake center. It's not a pretty cake, but it tastes great! I use an old recipe from a vintage cook book that belonged to my mother in law.

From Searchlight Recipe Book, 1931

1 cup egg whites, 1 and 1/4 cup sugar, 1 cup cake flour, 1 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tablespoon of water, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Sift flour and sugar.(measure after sifting) whip egg whites lightly. Add salt, water and vanilla when half beaten. Sift in cream of tartar, continue whipping until whites hold their shape. Divide sugar into fourths, fold in each fourth with ten careful strokes of a spatula. Divide flour into fourths and repeat. Pour into un-oiled tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool upside down in pan.

I bet many of you have squirrels visit your yards, but we never have! We've had road runners, opossums, skunks, a bobcat, and packs of coyotes close by, but nary a squirrel. I just happened to see this spotted fellow when I glanced outside at the bird feeders.

 I made this card for my sister's birthday this week. Love the pink and green ribbon. It's Lily Pulitzer-esque, don't you think? The cupcake is mounted to a decorative acetate square which I adhered with foam tape for dimension. 

Later this week we are having a blog hop at Treasured Times Rubber Stamps. There is a great prize for the August Challenge winner, and our design team is going to have creative ideas for you on each of their blogs. I can't wait to show you what I've been working on! Come play with us~

sharing this post with:

You're Going To Love It
Cottage Style Party 

A Shady Corner

“Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” 

H. James

Finches enjoying our sunflowers

 Settling into a small shady corner of our backyard, I placed a floral applique napkin on my lap and reached for a veggie 'turkey' sandwich. College Girl poured a bit of liquid Sugar In The Raw in her iced tea - it dissolves much quicker and easier than granulated sugar, so no clanking spoons!

 Embroidered pillowcases adorn our rush seated ladder back chairs and I used a lace tablecloth with teapots on it. 

I found the floral napkins when I was getting the pillowcases out of the cabinet, and a thought came to mind. Why save all the pretty things for company or 'special events'? So the scalloped floral napkins were put to good use, and I hung the star quilt on the fence for ambiance!

 

I bought this cheery quilt from QVC a few years ago. Love the pink, blue and green stripes and checks.

I've shared this elegant cup and saucer before, but since we were using iced tea glasses today I thought I'd share them again - especially since we were seated next to lovely ferns! 

 

I like being able to look through my hot tea and see the fronds resting at the bottom of my cup.

 We used these embroidered bee napkins as coasters under our iced tea glasses.

The weather forecast calls for hotter days ahead, so we enjoyed an outdoor afternoon teatime before the mercury rises.  

  

 The last couple of days have been worrisome. Our sweet kitty had to have a dental cleaning and extraction, which meant full anesthesia. Poor thing hasn't been herself. She did manage to eat today, which was a relief. 
Update* We awoke to find kitty's eye was beginning to cloud after being dilated from her procedure. Made a quick trip to the vet to find she has an ulcer in her eye. Scary, but she won't loose her vision.

sharing this post with:

Share Your Cup

Martha's Favorites 

Artful Affirmations 
Tea time Tuesday 
Favorite Thing 
Cottage Style Party 
Tuesday Cuppa Tea 

A Return To Loveliness
Amaze Me Monday 
Time Travel Thursday 
Photog Show and Tell 
Pink Saturday 

Magic In The Air

Here in California we enjoy seeing hummingbirds all year long. They are not shy like so many other birds. As a matter of fact, we have one of our hummingbird feeders hanging next to our kitchen table window. We watch them feeding every time we sit down to eat!

 

Recipe for Hummingbird food:

• 4 cups of filtered water

• 1 cup of granulated sugar

Bring clean water to a boil, stir in sugar to dissolve. Let cool, then fill bird feeders. 

Keep remaining nectar refrigerated.

 This is an easy recipe that you can make quickly at home. 

  Never add food coloring- if it's not good for you, it's not good for the Hummingbirds!

Check the feeder each week for mold. Feeders can get dirty, especially in the summer heat. Wash with a drop or two of bleach and warm water, rinse well.

sharing this post with:

Mosaic Monday 
The Chicken Chick 
You're Going To Love It 
Photog Show and Tell