VIDEO: Zebra Madness + Watercolor Smudging

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You know how there are some categories of images that you can't resist? Here are some of mine:

• Mail themed stamps
• Leaves
• Bunnies
• Text stamps
• Owls
• Big florals
• Platypi
• Zombies
• Monsters
• Zebras

So I'm in trouble today, because this sassy little zebra is out and he's RIDICULOUSLY cute. The set he's in has some baby themed elements, but I didn't make baby cards and I could not stop putting zebras on things!!

This first card was so fun to make. I stamped all the zebras, and then used the matching die + masking paper to mask them all off. I ink blended Sprout all over them, and then at the very edges of the card, ink blended Buttercup to make the center of the card glow. EEK they are cute. The sentiment is from this set. PS - they have a sale going on ink cubes and full sized ink pads FYI.

Now the technique on the next two cards is what I show you in the video below so I won't bore you with the details - it's a technique I have another video for, using a different medium, and that video is linked in today's video. It works great with either medium! This new amazing lattice style die I cut with white cardstock and glued it onto a black card base to tie in with my sassy zebra. The sentiment is from the same set. Love the little halo created by masking with the die cut here and smudging with these watercolor crayons, too.

This card was done with the same technique, but with Post-it tape and watercolor crayons instead of a die cut. I love this look so much. The sentiment is from this set. You'll see this in today's video as well. The way I do it, there's "light" in the center of each section, making it look sort of rounded.

I love a good literary quote too - that's sort of this week's theme! So this beautiful botanical set was perfect for a clean and simple card with one of my favorite writer's quotes. I just stamped and die cut it for a little dimension and stamped the sentiment.

Here's the video - come back for an amazing quick cucumber salad recipe if you're a cucumber fan! 

Here are all the supplies I used today:

Marabu Art Crayons | BLICK Art Materials [ BLIC ] Safari Friends Bundle [ C&9 ] Seasonal Branches Bundle [ C&9 ] Triple Step Blooming Heart Bundle [ C&9 ] Plaid Card Front Thick Die [ C&9 ] Plaid Card Front Thin Die [ C&9 ] Sprout Ink Pad - Concord & 9th [ C&9 ] Buttercup Ink Pad - Concord & 9th [ C&9 ] Ink Cubes Bundle - Concord & 9th [ C&9 ] Adhesive Remover [ C&9 ] Scotch 3M POST-IT MASKING Labeling... [ SSS ] Avery 6465 Removable Multipurpose... [ AMZUS ] Pre-Cut & Scored Cardstock [ CTC ] Art Anthology BIG CRAFT MAT 24x36 311473 [ SSS ] 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 ] Storage Envelopes, Medium 25pk,... [ ELH ] CheckOutStore Stamp & Die Clear... [ CHC ] Extra Large -50 pk, Avery Elle Stamp... [ ELH ] Mermaid tidy towel case and glue... [ ETS ] Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045 [ SSS | CST ] Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies [ ART ]

Okay - I believe you need to know yourself in the kitchen - and what I know about myself is there are some processes I don't have the patience for, and one of those is canning (with limited exceptions - I do love making marmalade.) But I found this AMAZING process for making a cucumber salad that is now a favorite. It's basically a quick and dirty pickling process - but you pickle haters - it doesn't make pickles - it makes a sweet/tart cucumber salad sort of like those you find in Japanese restaurants - or at least the ones here. I love it. This was in our old 4H cookbook from junior high, and I copied it into my "cookbook" that I really need to update - it's a notebook with page protectors that has a bunch of stuff I'll never cook from magazines and stuff - I need to just whittle it down to my faves and probably get it all into google drive.

But anyway - here's how it goes.

• Thinly slice two cukes - I've used regular cukes and English ones - just whatever you like or have.
• Thinly slice a red onion. (Don't sub another onion - onions are very task-specific)
• Season the cucumbers and onions with a teaspoon of salt (I use Real Salt - it's much less salty than table salt, so you may have to adjust) for an hour in a salad spinner or colander. I wear gloves and toss the veggies and salt to be sure the salt is evenly distributed. Toss the liquid after an hour or so.
• In a small saucepan, mix 1 C. white vinegar, 1/2 C. water, 1/2 C. sugar.  Heat on high and stir until sugar is dissolved and it's clear - 3-5 minutes.
• Pour over the veggies (yes, while it's hot), and stir in 2 TBS fresh dill, finely chopped. Cover and stick in the fridge, if you don't eat it all when it gets to room temp. So yummy.

This dish is great with something with a high fat content, like brisket or pulled pork, IMHO. Or anything fried, or with dumplings, etc. One of my fave Chinese restaurants in the late 1900s served something similar to this except with chiles in it prior to every meal.

But let's talk about dill for a moment. Despite everyone's grandmother in Texas growing dill and using it in their pickles, I have NEVER been successful growing dill - it literally dies as soon as I get out of the car after buying a plant. Is there a native Texas variety I'm missing? I have a very green thumb, so this is frustrating, and with the exception of basil, herbs do very well here - as a matter of fact, they are the only things in my yard that survived #SixDaysinTexas. So I'd love your Texas dill tips.

Loveyameanitbye.

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