Kellso Collage

Spoon Pendant How-to

Last month, I hosted a craft party at my house, and I promised a tutorial on how to make these spoon pendants.  I have seen these made with resin, which dries crystal clear and is very strong, but very smelly and takes 24 hours to dry.  However, I needed these done in less than an hour!  UTEE (Ultra-thick embossing enamel) to the rescue!  Here is the quick version of the directions:

1. Trim and bend spoons.  I bought the spoons already ‘halved’, and most of them were the right length.  If you were to buy antique spoons, trimming them would not be difficult.  I had to trim one spoon just a bit-I sawed it a few times with Matt’s hacksaw, then was able to bend the spoon with pliers and it snapped right off!  The best method I found for bending the spoons is to use 2 pliers, one at the center of the handle, one bending the end of the handle, moving closer and closer to the base.  Make sure it curves enough to keep a chain with in the loop, and WEAR GLOVES!!

2. On a flat top stove, lay a strip of tinfoil half on, half off of the burner.  Do not turn on…yet.2.  The materials-To decorate your spoon, you can use anything that is not heat sensitive.  I gave my guests options such as stained glass, glass beads, watch gears, glitter, and alphabet letters!  Many just added their choices randomly, my cousin Missy turned a watch hand and some stained glass into a flower-stunning!

3.   Once your spoon is decorated, scoop some UTEE to a slight ‘dome’ into the spoon.

4.  Place the spoon on the tinfoil above the burner.  Use metalic items, such as screws, to balance your spoon if necessary.  You want to be sure that the ‘butt’ of the spoon is touching the tinfoil, but you don’t want your UTEE to spill out the front of the spoon!   Sometimes, the spoon will begin to wobble once the heat is turned on-just us a kitchen tool to still it, and it will be fine!

5.  Turn on the burner to medium heat.  As the UTEE begins to melt, lower the heat.

6.  Once the UTEE is melted (goes from white to clear and smooth), slide the spoon off the burner using the far end of the tinfoil (the end of the strip of tinfoil that is NOT on the burner.)  Leave spoon for several minutes until set and cool.

First DT order of business…

I have received my first assignment and paper pack as a Design team member of Mystic Paper!  I had a chance to meet fellow DT members Surina and Holly, as well as our fearless leader, Patty.  I did not have a chance to meet fellow team member Sherri, am excited to see what she comes up with-her class samples are all so beautiful!  Each of us received Christmas paper, and not a moment too soon.  Can you believe how quickly the season has come upon us?

Truth be told, I have already completed my project and am ready to turn it in this week, but I will make you wait a day or two to see what I made.  What would you make with this pretty, pastel Christmas paper?

Fall craft night

This weekend was the 2nd annual Fall Craft Evening!  I have so enjoyed getting friends and family together to chat, eat, and build something beautiful.  I had, in the back of my mind, been keeping an eye out for just the right craft to do with a group:  Inexpensive, quick, not too intense, and widely appealing.  I had seen spoon pendants a couple of places online, and when I saw the spoon ‘heads’ for cheap on etsy, I knew I was getting close.  With a bit of experimenting, I came up with a technique using UTEE, directions to follow in a later blog post…

I didn’t get pictures of everyone that was there, but I was so happy to see everyone!  Thanks again to everyone who attended, it was such a blessing to have you in my home!

In the spirit of the season, I made a pumpkin cake from a recipe that has been circling around our church.  I made a bit of an adjustment to the recipe (I used a cup of applesauce instead of a cup of oil (!)), and while I know worrying about health while eating cake may be beside the point, you can’t ignore the fact that it cuts out 150 calories and 14 grams of fat PER SLICE!!!  And it was good!

Pumpkin Cake

Courtesy of Amy Williams and Lissa Booker

4 eggs

1 2/3 c sugar

1 c APPLESAUCE, (you can split the cup b/w applesauce and oil, if you’d like)

16 oz can pumpkin

2 c flour

2 t baking powder

2 t cinnamon

1t salt (optional)

1 t baking soda

Mix all ingredients.  Pour into 9 X 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Frosting:

3-4 oz cream cheese

1/3 c butter

1 t teaspoon vanilla

2 c (or more) powered sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add Vanilla.  Sift powdered sugar into mixture and blend until smooth

Frost when cool.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Can be frozen.  Makes 16 generous slices.

Big Girl Bed!!!

Eden has graduated from her crib!  She is growing up so fast, which can only mean one thing…Just a few more months of diapers at the Kellso house!!!  WHOOOO-HOOOOOO!!!  (That is the ONLY thing I am antsy for, believe me!)

Eden is such a sweet little girl…well, this week has been a bit of a challenge because (I think) she is still adjusting to the new bed!  However, when she is all caught up on sleep, she is simply a joy.  She refers to her brothers as ‘Boys’, never by their individual names.  Jonathan and Noah try to encourage her to say their names, but I assure them that she will get the hang of it someday, and until then, we can appreciate her own, special title.  She has become quite adept at our family-invented game, Buttcrack.  The rules are simple:  When you see buttcrack, say ‘Buttcrack!’.  Noah invented it, but Eden definitely has the hang of it.  She will say ‘Hi’ and wave to strangers when we are out in public.  They always seem so flattered, I don’t have the heart to tell them she does it to everyone!

We love our little girl!

Fleur de Sel Caramels

I have made these Salted Caramels for 2 recent Women’s Ministry events, and…well… all I do is follow the recipe, but the recipe is GOOOOOD!  Alexis Myers is seriously considering being buried in a vat of these little treats.  The caramels are also scheduled to make an appearance at next week’s Discovery Dinner!

Here is the recipe, from epicurious.com .  I used Kosher Salt, not fancy french salt, and it was wonderful! Enjoy!

Etsy, the world’s most dangerous website.

Look what I bought today!!!  I find joy in the most random things…

The vintage typewriter balls are just RAD, I mean, you can’t argue with that.  And at $1 a pop, BARGAIN CITY!!  The spoons came in a lot of 25, along with 25 half-forks-all for $5!  My husbands response?  ”Wow, who wouldn’t want a big bunch of old spoons?”  Exactly.  Actually, I’m brewing up an idea for another Fall Craft Evening…Are you in?

Design Team!!

Well, its official!  I have been invited to take part in Mystic Paper’s design team!  I am so excited to work with new product, stretch my creativity, and be a part of the best Paper arts store in Arizona!  You can read all the details Here!

Eden Elizabeth

Here is my design team submission scrapbook page.  It features a lovely picture of my lovely Eden.  

The Portland book…

This last March, Matt and I were blessed with a trip to Portland to celebrate our 11th anniversary.  The trip was a bonus for a very difficult February at work to say ‘thank you’ for a job well done.  We enjoyed the gorgeous, rainy (but not TOO rainy) weather, eating at delicious restaurants, visiting friends, and mostly just reconnecting as 2 adults who have the capacity and ability (though not often the opportunity) to finish thoughts, sentences and conversations.  It was so fun….

The book itself is crafted out of a cigar box.  On the cover is the title (Our weekend in Portland) and a silhouette of Mt. Hood etched into the red paint.  I applied wax and Perfect Pearls glitter all around the back and up around the cover.  I love the ‘Pulp’ look to the back-it is a map of Powells bookstore-a giant used bookstore in the heart of Portland where we spent much of our time. (Nerds!)  When it comes to collage, if I see a scrap of paper or a little metal doo-dad, I never throw it away.  It always seems to come in handy sometime!  The inner cover of the cigar box features a fork I ‘twisted’ a few months ago, and now finally found a use for.  It now displays a list of the restaurants we visited on our trip.  Each page of the book is a pocket, containing an insert that coordinates with each page.  Featured in the book are our trip to the Portland Japanese Gardens, Stumptown coffee roasters, the Pittock Mansion, and the Beverly Cleary Tribute Fountain.

I have entered this book as my submission to try out for Mystic Paper’s design team.  I was very purposeful in my choice of what project to submit.  As always, I want each of my crafts to be personal to me and my loved ones.  I hope the thought that goes in to each project is meaningful to us long after it is being admired and observed by others.

Sweet Tweet!

These photos are LONG over due to be shared- (LONG overdue seems to be a running theme of my blog these days, but that’s another story). I made this birdhouse for my sister’s birthday. She shared a quote with me about ‘The Martin Bird’ that she loved, being a Martin and all. I don’t know if she actually expected me to do anything with the quote, but I ran with it. After a bit of research about the Martin Bird, the pieces of the birdhouse began to fall into place. I went with green as a main color to match her house. The ’shingles’ on the roof are cut from an antique Girl Scout handbook, the pages are the requirements for the Bird-watching badge. All of the paper on the house is waxed to give it an antique finish. I love finding inspiration in unlikely places, and was so excited to make a gift for Sarah that meant something to her, and came from the heart!