The Mystery of the Furry Undercoat + New Aunt Farm Video

*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*

One of the many harbingers of doom this year is small and furry and black, and you've seen her little butt in many a video and zoom this year - little Maddie Bat.

In very early August I noticed something horrifying about her.

her winter undercoat came in

In August. In Texas. This is a full two and a half months before it should come in, and it filled my bones with dread - because I know that means winter will come early and hard. 

The last thing I need right now is a harsh winter or damage to my plants I've lavished all my pandemic attention on for six months. 

But the fur don't lie - and she is as furry as little mammoth. Splotch got his too - but he has much thinner fur than her normally so it's not as noticeable. 

Today brings an unseasonable cool snap, which is welcome. It's cleared out the swarms of mosquitos that have been making it impossible to be outside. 

My mom got me this easel for my birthday, so no mosquitos means I can head outside to paint and enjoy a little nature.

So I'm bringing you a serene nature card today. If you're feeling stressed or taking in too much news - go outside and get yourself this view - it's great therapy!

I used this stunning background stamp over a Distress Oxide background and added this sentiment strip.

We have a new video from The Aunt Farm® for you today - it's my sister's roasted veggie salsa. Fire Aunt never makes a dish the same way twice, and so she's showing you how to take whatever leftover veggies you have and make a beautiful seasonal salsa with it. She's using a new to me herb that she's been raving about!

She also has a knack for finding cool tools for the kitchen, which you'll see. Supplies are listed under the video on YouTube. Enjoy this relaxing process and make some salsa this week!

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
Phone stand for filming link below in the banner - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

The Missing Year

*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*

I keep getting calendar reminders of my 2020 trips. I would have been at my favorite event today - the Artisan Expo in Santa Fe, taking classes from my favorite artists with my sister.

But I'm not. I'm in the same place I've been since March - my office.

And even though in some ways it feels like an entire decade has passed in the last six months, the year has also whooshed by, because there were no milestones to slow it down. No trips, no retreats, just a lot of nothingness.

My garden has benefited for sure. But temporally, it's odd. What would have happened this year? That's what I wonder about. Who would I have met? What new food would I have tried? What would have happened in the baseball games I didn't attend or the cooking classes I didn't take? What's missing from this year is the serendipity of the everyday, if I had to sum it up. Everything is so, so controlled. No room for surprises. 

I'll tell you one thing I've done - I've sent a lot more cards, and I've experimented with a lot more art supplies. So today's card and video are about both of those things.

I've waited basically all my life for a traditional watercolor pencil I could truly say I love, and I finally found it. I bought myself these pencils for my birthday and tried them out, and they checked all the boxes I talk about in the video and I'm tickled pink. The little enevelopes are from this background stamp, and I used this die for the greeting. I didn't add where from, because it's greetings from the missing year...

So here's a link to the video if you don't see the player below, then come back for how I'm virtually traveling :).

My Monthly Hero Kit August 2020 -... [ HA ] DC279 Greetings From Stamp & Cut -... [ HA ] Happy Mail Background :: 6x6 Clear... [ INK ] Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle Pencil... [ BLIC ] Art Impressions 48 PACK Mini Action... [ SSS ] Liebman's Deli | Nationwide Shipping [ GLD ] Lick Honest ice Cream - Ship... [ GLD ] Pre-Cut & Scored Cardstock [ CTC ] Art Anthology BIG CRAFT MAT 24x36 311473 [ SSS ] Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White [ GNK ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSP | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT | UNT ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] LightView 2in1 LED Magnifier for... [ BRG ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Crafter's Companion GEMINI... [ SSS ] Scor-Pal MINI SCOR-BUDDY Scoring... [ SSS ] Essentials by Ellen Storage... [ ELH ] Die Storage - Clear Storage Pockets... [ CHC ] XL Stamp Storage Pockets [ ELH ] Mermaid tidy towel case and glue... [ ETS ] Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045 [ SSS | CST ] Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies [ ART ]

So in the absence of my trips, I've been taking virtual trips through food. You know I have a dairy allergy, and so I had been using this site to get my favorite local vegan ice cream delivered prior to the pandemic, because the store location is kind of a pain with traffic and parking - if you're just DYING to get rear-ended in this town (it's happened to me EIGHT times since I've lived here), then take a drive up South Lamar. But the ice cream is simply the best vegan ice cream - no gums or garbage, and local ingredients. They have dairy ice cream as well. What's cool about the way they sell it online is you don't have to be a local to get it.

The other day, I was on their site and a suggestion popped up for me for a kosher deli in New York I have eaten at many times. Kosher is always safe for me because they are dairy free by definition. And lordy do I miss the food in New York. So I took a little trip via Paypal and ordered some food from the deli and it was amazing. Just like I'd remembered, and perfectly packed and shipped, which had been my experience with the ice cream as well. So I decided to take a culinary trip once a month and visit some of my favorite restaurants around the country from home. I'm not driving, eating out or traveling, so why not splurge and have my favorite matzoh ball soup delivered? Or my favorite bagels? Or knishes, which don't exist here. Life is short. It doesn't have to be boring. Doodle around their website and treat yourself.

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
Phone stand for filming link below in the banner - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

Hey Boo! + Flourless Black Bean Brownies

*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*

Sometimes you have to do a card you love twice, right? If you get some detail off from what you imagined? 

That's the story of this first card. I knew exactly what I wanted, and I screwed it up a few ways the first time  - I had a dark green in the grass that looked awful, and I used too dark a marker for her shadow, and I tried to give her white claws with my non-existent drawing skills and that was the final straw - it was time to start over because I love this little stamp too much to not get it right.

The sentiments in this new set are STUNNING, and perfectly sized for my little kitty and her bat friends. I used my Graphit Markers (coupon code below) for the grass and her shadow after stamping the kitty. Then I used one of the Wreath Builder dies that came with my original set to cut some Masking Magic, and I placed that over her face before using Life Changing Blender Brushes and Wild Wisteria Ink to create the sky - leaving it a tad bit lighter around the moon. 

I used my neon Karin markers for her eyes (you can use the same coupon code for those) and made her nose a dark pink. The bats are from the same set.

This kitty looks a LOT like Alicia's cat Honey, so I'm thinking she's the inspiration for this kitty! This set is part of Gina's new fantabulous fall kit - it has three stamp sets - this is one - a stencil, two sets of dies and cardstock. And it's all so beautiful. I struggled to decide which card to put first, but I think we all know black cats rule. 

Here's a picture of the kit! Isn't it cute?? Now the cat and the spiders are a single stamp, but I cut the spiders off for this card - one of my favorite freedoms with clear stamps!

She also has this Beautiful Bees set - I had so much fun creating this scene. People could sell me bee sets forever and ever - I am quite certain I've bought every one I've ever seen. This set does have coordinating dies.

I decided to pair it with the Wreath Builder, and the original Wreath Builder stamp set. I set up the little hexies from Beautiful Bees and stamped them in the Wreath Builder in Honey Mustard, Wild Dandelion and Sweet Corn - I love that trio. Then I used the little leaf from the Wreath Builder as well as the dotty circle. I colored the bee with two Graphit fineliners.

Also included in the kit is this gorgeous botanical set, which I used twice. First, I used a white gel pen to add little dots to the silhouette wildflower image. I die cut it and added it on top of one of my shimmery Gel Press prints - you can see the video for this print HERE. A few sequins, and this quick and simple card is done! 

In the same stamp set, there are some stunning leaves. I decided to continue my autumn rainbow streak, and do on-stamp ink blending for the trail of leaves across my card. If you want to see how to do that technique, you can watch THIS VIDEO. 

I went back to that stunning sentiment set for a simple fall greeting.

Here are all the supplies I used today! Come back for a crazy recipe you won't believe.

Festive Fall Card Kit - Gina K Designs [ GNK ] Clear Stamps- Hey Boo - Gina K Designs [ GNK ] Clear Stamps- Beautiful Bees - Gina K... [ GNK ] Beautiful Bees Die Set - Gina K Designs [ GNK ] BUNDLE Stamps and Templates- Wreath... [ GNK ] Gina K Designs - Wreath Builder... [ SCR ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Red Hot... [ GNK ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Honey... [ GNK ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Wild... [ GNK ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Sweet... [ GNK ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Key... [ GNK ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad-... [ GNK ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- In the... [ GNK ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Blue... [ GNK ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Wild... [ GNK ] Graphit — Marker Universe [ MRK ] NEW! Karin Brushmarker Pro Neon 12... [ MRK ] Life Changing Blender Brushes: 4-Pack... [ PFS ] Gina K. Designs Masking Magic Sheets... [ GNK ] Pre-Cut & Scored Cardstock [ CTC ] Sakura CLASSIC WHITE Fine Line 05... [ SSS ] Art Anthology BIG CRAFT MAT 24x36 311473 [ SSS ] Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White [ GNK ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSP | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT | UNT ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] LightView 2in1 LED Magnifier for... [ BRG ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Crafter's Companion GEMINI... [ SSS ] Scor-Pal MINI SCOR-BUDDY Scoring... [ SSS ] Essentials by Ellen Storage... [ ELH ] Die Storage - Clear Storage Pockets... [ CHC ] XL Stamp Storage Pockets [ ELH ] Mermaid tidy towel case and glue... [ ETS ] Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045 [ SSS | CST ] Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies [ ART ]

This is just part of her release tonight - you can see the rest of it here.

Now - I tried a crazy recipe last night and it was GOOD. Don't scream when you read it.

Flourless Dairy Free Black Bean Brownies

No - I'm not crazy, and yes they are delicious. They're even better after sitting in the fridge for a day. Its insane. 

This recipe comes to me from Fire Aunt (my sister). I just ate another one. They are amazing.

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
Phone stand for filming link below in the banner - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE