Craftin' Owl

I can Light the World advent calendar - for kids

Here a great idea for a kid-friendly service advent calendar.  Each day, for 25 days, kids can do an act of service.  This is a great way to show kids the spirit of the Christmas season.  They can also see that they can do small acts of kindness, and make a difference in the world.  

The LDS church started an initiative - #LighttheWorld to encourage acts of kindness leading up to Christmas.  My 10yr old daughter really wanted to participate!  She and I came up with ideas that were kid friendly, so she could do them on her own, or with just a little help. 

We loved the idea so much, I taught a class to make an advent calendar to the 10-12 yr old girls at church.  Here is a simple tutorial of how we made them, so you can make one too. 

First, the girls cut out all the days from the template.  (I added a few blank days, so you can substitute ideas for those that may not work for your family).

Download Light the World

 Download Light the World pg 2

 

Then they taped / glued them to pieces of scrapbook paper I cut into 3" x 2 1/2" pieces.  I love using the Stampin UP patterned paper - there are 12 different patterns per pack, and they all coordinate with each other. (we used a retired pack of Jolly Holiday) 

 

Next they used clothespins to clip them to a 6' piece of yarn.  We used blank clothespins, but there are lots of fancy ones you can buy to glam it up a bit.

I am excited to hear about how their service goes over the next few weeks.  And I would love to hear of different ideas that worked in your family.

 

and here is a link to the Mormon #LighttheWorld initiative  where you can find ideas for all ages.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

Back to crafting :)

Nope, it is not a joke! I am actually posting something!  Has it really been a year since I posted on here?  Yikes!  I think I need to do a lot more crafting from now on!

I have been doing some crafting - you can check out my Facebook pages - StampinWithAmber and CraftinOwl Creations to see all the different things.  But looks like it is time to craft (and post) a little more often! 

What types of things would you like to see me make?  Or do a tutorial on?

 

Retiring Die and stamp set bundles

Here are some great stamp set and die bundles that are retiring.

Apothecary Accents bundle

 

Chalk Talk bundle

 

Itty Bitty Banners bundle

Starburst Sayings Bundle

 

These bundles are available in both clear and wood mount stamps.

Retiring dies and puches - with coordinating stamp sets

I love Stampin' Up Dies and punches! I especially love when there are stamp sets to go with them! 

I had someone ask if there were any sets that were retiring this year.  The answer is yes, and there are quite a few.  So to make it easy, I am going to post pictures of the sets.  I will post a few each day for the next few days.  And remember - these sets are popular, so they will go fast. :)

Apothecary Accents Framelits                     Sketched Birthday       

    

Labels Collection Framelits  - this is a great set, and has multiple coordinating stamp sets.

    

Apothecary Accents

From My Heart

Memorable moments

If you are interested in ordering any of these dies or stamp sets, I would be happy to help you.  And you can always go to my Stampin Up site

 

Retirment Sale

It is that time of year again :)  Retirement time! 

Stampin' Up has released the items that are retiring this year - and lots of them are on sale!  These items are while supplies last, so if there is something you want, I suggest ordering soon - before it is gone!  :)

Download US_retiredList_ENG

Download MDS_US

 

Butterfly Baby Shower Invite

A friend of mine is having a baby girl - so of course, I asked to help with the shower!  She and I designed this card for her invitation.

She wanted something simple, with butterflies.   SUs butterfly punch made it easy! 

Weekly Deals Feb 17 - 23

More great deals this week!

2014-2016 In Color Backgrounds Designer Series Paper Stack Price: $21.95 $16.46	Amped Up Ampersands Kit - Digital Download Price: $9.95 $5.97	Celebration Basics Kit Price: $14.95 $11.21	Daffodil Delight 1/4" Cotton Ribbon Price: $5.95 $4.46
Mosaic Punch Price: $15.95 $11.96	Pansy Punch Price: $15.95 $11.96	Pumpkin Pie 1/4" Cotton Ribbon Price: $5.95 $4.46	What's Up Punch Price: $16.95 $12.71

Sale-a-bration catalog is here!!

It is that time of year for my favoite sale - Sale-a-bration!!  You can earn exclusive free products for EVERY $50 you spend!  There is no limit to how many free things you can earn :)  This is a great time to stock up on the supplies you use a lot, or get that big item you have been eyeing. 

 

Let me know if you would like me to mail you a copy.  Or you can download it here:

Download 20150106_SAB_en-US

Homemade Caramel Sauce - package and tutorial

I have discovered how to make homemade caramel sauce!  I got the inspiration from Sally's blog.  It isn't hard, it just takes a little patience and lots of stirring :)

I made some sauce and gave it as gifts for the teachers for Chistmas, with an apple for dipping.

I also used it to make the BEST cookies - you can get the recipe and tutorial for them - here.

 

 Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 Tbsp salted butter, cut up into 6 pieces
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp salt

Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.  (I used a thick spatula for this)  Sugar will start to form into clumps.

Keep stirring, and the sugar will eventually melt into a thick, amber-colored liquid. Keep stirring - or it will burn.

CAREFULLY add the butter.  The mixture will boil rapidly, so be careful.  Stir (yep, more stirring) until the butter is melted, and mostly mixed in - about 3 minutes.

Very slowly, drizzle the heavy cream in - while stirring :)  This mixture will also bubble, so be careful - this stuff it HOT!

Boil for 1 minute, continuing to stir.   Remove from heat, and add 1 tsp of salt, stir in well.  Pour into container, and cool.

And now that you have had a great stirring workout - you derseve some caramel!  Use it as a sauce, dip, or just eat a spoonful :)

Store in the refrigerator, and serve cold or warm.

Cookie exchange box - and cookie tutorial

I am part of a really fun cookie exchange every year.  Since moving, I drive almost 3 hours to get there :)   We all make 12 dozen cookies (yep 144!)  and 12 packages.  We pack 12 cookies in each package, and then take home 12 different boxes of cookies. 

This is my package for this year - I wanted to keep it pretty simple.  I used the Paper Pumpkin kit from November for the tag, and a snowflake punch and the yummy All is Calm DSP.

 

And this was my cookie - the Ultimate Turtle cookie.  Complete with homemade caramel sauce!

They were a hit!  I have had LOTS of people ask me for the recipe.  So, I decided to do tutorial and post it here :)  I got my inspriation from Lauren's blog but changed it up a little.

Ingredients:(for the cookies)

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, separated
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Makes 20 small cookies

Combine flour, cocoa and salt.  In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolk, milk and vanilla.  Stir this into the  flour mixture, just until combined. Chill dough in the refrigerator for one hour.

Whisk egg white in a bowl until frothy.  Place chopped pecans in another bowl. Remove dough from fridge and roll into 20 small balls.

 

Roll each dough ball in the frothy egg white, and then roll in the chopped pecans, pressing them in as you go. Place on a greased baking sheet.  

 

Use the back of a small measuring spoon to make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.

Bake at 350 Degrees F for about 10-12 minutes, or until set. As the cookies are cooling,  gently re-press the indentations with a clean, small spoon.

 

 

Scoop small spoonfuls of caramel into the indented cookies.  I used homemade caramel sauce - well worth the extra work to make it!  You can find a tutorial for my caramel sauce here.

(I make the caramel a couple of days ahead of time, and store in the frige.  I scoop it out into the warm cookies, and it melts into them perfectly.)

 

Drizzle with melted chocolate, and let cool.  YUMMY!! 

 

 

 

Great Close-out sale!!

Stampin' Up just added some great deals on their Year-End Closeouts! 

Check out all the deals on my SU site.  It is a hoiday sized Clearance Rack.

This is a great time to get some great deals for your holiday crafting!  And don't forget the crafter on your shopping list.

Extravaganza sale!! Starts today!

Get some of your holiday shopping done early!  Stampin' Up's On-line Extravaganza Sale starts today! 
There are door busters today - Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, the Gift Box Punch Board, and a Card Kit Bundle.

More door busters on Dec 1st - Project Life Bundle, Gift Box Bundle, and Blendabilities Bundle!!

AND - you can purchase 4 different Paper Pumpkin refill kits! 

Remember these are while supplies last! So don't miss out.  You can order from my Stampin Up website, or e-mail me and I can help you put your order in. 

Happy Shopping!!

 

Here is the info with all the items on sale :)

 

Download Online_Extravaganza_Products_US

 

Glow stick favor

This is the glow stick favor we put in the gymnastics treat bags.  I thought it was a much cuter way to give out glow sticks, than just a pack of them.  And this way we could purchase them in bulk :)  These are the bracelet size.

 

To make them, we attached a glue dot to the cardstock, and then put the glowstick on it.  (It is MUCH easier than trying to attach the glue dot to the glow stick first. )

I printed out the words using MDS (but you could use word as well). 

When attaching the word strip to the main piece of cardstock, I recommend using red sticky strip.  I tried snail adhesive and glue dots, and they came up after a few days.

 

Weekly Deals Nov 18 - 24

Here are this week's deals! 

1" Square Punch Price: $15.95 $11.96	1/4" Circle Handheld Punch Price: $8.95 $6.71	Autumn Spice Digital Kit - Digital Download Price: $9.95 $5.97	Blushing Bride 3/4" Chevron Ribbon Price: $8.95
Clear Oval Accent Bigz Die Price: $21.95 $16.46	Daffodil Delight 1/2" Ribbon Seam Binding Price: $6.95	Deco Labels Framelits Die Price: $24.95 $18.71	Early Espresso Cut & Ready Card Bases Price: $4.95 $3.71
Silver Basic Metal Buttons Price: $7.95 $5.96	Smoky Slate Stampin' Emboss Powder Price: $4.95 $3.71	Window Frames Collection Framelits Die Price: $26.95

Patriotic Gift bag

A quick and easy way to make a simple lunch bag into a cute gift bag! 

For this one, I added different size and color stars.  Then I clipped it closed with a clothespin magnet.  We added a balloon to the clothespin for even more fun :)

Paper:  Real Red, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise
Other fun stuff:  star punch and star framelits