VIDEO: Faux Fresco Hack + Tuscan Bean Dip Recipe

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I will never forget one thing Kim van der Sanden (the owner of MFT) said to me during a very, very hard time. She said ...

"ask for 100% of what you want 100% of time, knowing that no is an option." 

It's funny, because I've been in marketing/sales focused businesses for 30+ years, and this is very ingrained in me when it comes to business. But she was talking about real life. Real, real life. And I never thought of real life that way until she said that - I think because we all think we should just do all the hard things without asking for help. I'd like you just to think about those words. And the no being an option is just as important as the asking, FYI.

I was at a crafty convention in North Carolina when I put this into practice. I was having dinner at a phenomenal Italian restaurant that had this amazing white bean bruschetta appetizer. We actually ended up eating there three times that week. On the last night, I got brave and asked our server if there was anything I could do that would make them share the recipe with me. He said he would ask the chef. The chef was so pleased he came out and talked to us for 20 minutes about his amazing food, and wrote down the recipe. I asked if I could share it, and he said of course. So you will see it at the end of the post. I would have totally understood if he'd said no - but he didn't. Which I wouldn't have found out if I hadn't asked. There's today's lesson.

So speaking of right now - I have a SO FUN card with this new stamp set celebrating home. I scribbled down some notes when I saw this Wherever You Go background and then made my idea happen. Here are the steps: 

1. Stamp the bunny and mask him. 
2. Stamp the background stamp on top of him in Rocky Slope
3. Punch or die cut a circle mask and place in doorway
4. Color the entire background with my fave markers
5. Stamp background on masking paper and cut out doorway and beam of light shape
6. Mask doorway and beam of light on top of masked bunny
7. Use Life Changing Blender Brushes and Rocky Slope Ink to cover the entire scene
8. Remove masks
9. Use release paper from bunny mask and trace shadow with fineliner edge of (coupon code in footer) Graphit marker
10. Color in shadow
11. Shade bunny with Graphit Markers
12. Add sentiment.

So in the spirit of making life easier, I have the most FUN hack for you today of an old video of mine - Faux Fresco. I LOVED this technique, but it involved four steps - dry embossing, coloring, painting, heat embossing and sanding - OH HECK THAT'S FIVE STEPS. I never said I was good at math.

But I cut out the heat embossing and sanding steps in a fun update to the technique, so I hope you like it. 

For both cards, I did essentially the same process - glued the Oak, Ash and Maple die cuts down onto a watercolor paper card base. The die cuts are also watercolor paper. Then I colored them roughly with Derwent Inktense pencils and water.

Next, I applied Snowdrop White Paper Glaze with the biggest mixed media spatula - scraping it off the leaves to show the color. I also did a version below with less scraping for a subtler look.

Here's the version with almost nothing scraped off.

So here's the video. Click here to watch on YouTube.

And then I combined the new tree die with this adorable Halloween set for a very Where the Wild Things Are scene.

Perhaps saving the best for last - this amazing bee stamp set! I used dictionary paper and the new Honeycomb Stencil on the focal point, and the same stencil and Daffodil Yellow Paper Glaze for the background.

Mixed Media Spatulas – Picket Fence... [ PFS ] A Spooky Day – Picket Fence Studios [ PFS ] PICKET FENCE STUDIOS A Tree Die [ PFS ] Peach and Piper – Picket Fence Studios [ PFS ] All – Picket Fence Studios [ PFS ] PICKET FENCE STUDIOS - Wherever You Go [ PFS ] Maple Leaves Die | Picket Fence Studios [ PFS ] Oak Leaves Die | Picket Fence Studios [ PFS ] Ash Leaves Die | Picket Fence Studios [ PFS ] PICKET FENCE STUDIOS Honeycomb Stencil [ PFS ] PICKET FENCE STUDIOS - I Bee Fierce... [ PFS ] PICKET FENCE STUDIOS I Bee Fierce [ PFS ] Derwent Inktense Pencils | BLICK Art... [ BLIC ] Premium Dye ink Pad : Rocky slope –... [ PNK ] Graphit — Marker Universe [ MRK ] Paper Glaze - Daffodil Yellow –... [ PFS ] Paper Glaze - Snowdrop White – Picket... [ PFS ] Life Changing Blender Brushes: 4-Pack... [ PFS ] My Sweet Petunia [ MSP ] Pre-Cut & Scored Cardstock [ CTC ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] 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 ]

It's such a fun release today - you can see the whole thing here. 

Now - you ready for an awesome recipe? Here is the Tuscan Bean Dip from Charlotte, NC. Enjoy.

Loveyameanitbye.

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