Experimenting in the kitchen

Something a bit different from me.    A few week ago I made these little buns for a change.  Piping some buttercream around the top and this adding some strawberry jam in the middle.

At the time, my daughter said they would be nice with lemon curd in them ...........

 

...... so having bought some lemon curd, I was feeling a tad bored one evening this week, and knocked up this lemon curd variety, using my little tabletop bun maker and a one egg sponge mix.    I added a drop of lemon flavouring to the sponge mix, as well as the buttercream, and then just added the lemon curd (I probably should have warmed it slightly so it filled the centre better, but they were made just for me.    The buttercream is a bit wonky too - but as I said they were just made for me.

I actually got 8 buns for the mix, but I ate one before I took the photo.   I didn't get to eat all of them, as I had visits from my daughter and my son and his eldest daughter, who all approved of the taste!!!!

I think they will be made again - they make a change from normal fairy cakes.

Paint Fusioned Tool Carousel

I treated myself to this lovely rotating tool carousel.   It is made my Studio Light, and it comes flat packed and you have to put it together yourself.

The design was basically very good and relatively easy to put together, though I came unstuck when it came to fitting the top piece on ..... Seems to be a slight manufacturing fault in the fact that the slot os the side dividers are too narrow to take the dividers.    I had to take a file to it, but it still didn't fit that well, and the top piece was beginning to crack.   (I have since discovered that I am not the only person to have had trouble, and mine is actually less cracked than some other peoples).     This was a bit of a shame.   However, I shall add a bit of "filler" of texture paste to cover up the "iffy" bits.

It comes painted white.   I was going to decorate it with stamps or papers, but I rather liked the white finish - so out came the acrylic paints and I did a bit of Paint Fusion or as it is also known - One stroke painting.

Nordic Elves

 

I had fun with this little MDF piece from Madhatters Lasercut Designs.   The original design was for two wizards, but I wanted to turn it into a Christmas theme with Nordic Elves.

I built the stand and painted it to look like planks of wood, and then added a small stencilled design on the centre of each side.  I added texture paste and ice effects to the top for snow.

The elves were then painted and fixed in place.     For the window element I painted a stone effect around the edge, and painted the star in yellow/gold.  I gessoed the back element and random;y applied red, blue and yellow ink pad ink onto it mixing them with a blending pad.

Another Anniversary Card

 

It was difficult to get a good photo of this card, the topper looks darker than it is in real life.  The border,  corner swirls, and wording are a light gold.    As ever it was created in my "go to" programme of  Craft Artist.   It also has a little glitter added to the cake and flowers.

Anniversary Card

 

A simple (but I hope effective) Wedding Anniversary Card - although it could be for any occasion.

The snowflake die was cut out of the card, and then backed with a piece of Clarity parchment from one of their parchment pads,

I then highlighted the flowers with coloured pencils.

Using up some resin

 I had some resin leftover from Hoots, so I grabbed the nearest molds on the table and poured them.  The top one is a little frame - that may go on a card or a journal page - possible with some Pebeo fantasy paints in it.

The three ovals are star signs - so I need to fill in the recesses of the symbols -either with Posca pens, or am thinking as I type this Pebeo Fantasy Paints.  I will then drill holes in them to take a cord.

The hexagon has a hole in it ready for a necklace, but it is quite plain at the moment - not sure if I will decorate that with something - maybe a peel-off.

Finally a couple of scrolls that were in the same mould as the little frame - these will be embellishments for something in due course.

Resin Owl

I have had another little play with resin - this time it is Hoots- he is a sort of steampunk owl.   I shall do another one eventually (although it is not good weather for pouring resin at the moment as it is too cold).  I shall also have to wait for a new mould to arrive, as we discovered my mold was one that wasn't quite as perfect as it should be - his tail feathers are a bit thin,   No worries, I now have a clear example when I come to dust the next one.

Playing with String Art

 I have had a little play with String Art this week - this is my first attempt - not quite perfect as I think I went slightly wrong at one point.   (Blaming it as ever on the dodgy eyes!)

I have a couple more circles of different sizes to try - so hopefully I will improve.   I can always undo the top silver layer and try and redo it!

Big Five-O card

Just a very simple card for a nephews birthday.  I decided to just keep it very simple.   Created in Craft Artist and mounted onto a red pearlised card.  I added a little glitter effect to the 50.

Finally finished!

Some months ago I shared this MDF Owl plaque, and said that felt it needed something in the top left-hand corner.   Finally a short while ago I purchased a mould for the picture frame.   I made the frame using air-dry clay, and then did some painting techniques on it.   I then took a photo of a water-colour painting my daughter did during lockdown of a butterfly on a buddleia and reduced it in Craft Artist to fit the frame.

The plaque is for my daughter - so it is now completely personalised.

Dreamcatcher

 

I treated myself to a dreamcatcher kit the other day.   Having complete each of the circles, I then used some macramé knots to join them together.  I am still trying to decide whether to add some feathers to it, and maybe some hanging beads.   (The feathers I have are quite large and may overpower it.

This is a close-u[p of the largest ring - I used one of my ickle resin butterflies as an additional decoration, as it matched the bead so perfectly.

In hindsight I wish I had coloured the wooden rings firs -I may try and do that carefully.

Birthday Card

  A simple stamped and coloured card.  The stamps were from the latest Indigo Blu magazine.  Coloured using Clarity Artistry inks as water colours for the balloon and brushed on for the background.

Paint Pouring - Success!

 Yes, I know I have been a bit lax on the Blog this past week or so, but sometimes life overtakes you.  

I shared some paint pouring that I did the other week, and I couldn't get the cell effect that I wanted - at last I have managed to get the effect I wanted.