Understand Blue: 2022

Friday, December 23, 2022

VIDEO: Change the "Season" of Your Seasonal Products with Color!

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Happy Friday! I have a super relaxing watercolor video for you today - and the real point of the video is that you don't have to put your fall-themed products away when spring comes! All you have to do is approach them with different colors.

I challenged myself to take this wondrous fall-themed cover plate I got this summer and take a look forward to spring and summer with it, just by using seasonal colors! It worked - it doesn't look fall-ish at all! In the video I list the Daniel Smith watercolor I used for each element.

I will say - my friend iamvics on Splitcoast helped me out with this card! Without even knowing it! She mentioned in a thread that there was a universal die cutting bundle you could use with any machine, and since I had been struggling with the right sandwiches for a few products, I decided to buy it for myself for Christmas and HOLY COW. It's solved all my problems, one of which is getting great cuts on my cold press watercolor paper with intricate dies like these. Every single element of the bundle is clearly labeled with what to use with what. For watercolor paper, use the normal die cutting sandwich but add a shim and it cuts that 140 lb. watercolor paper like a hot knife through butter! This was some of the best crafty money I've spent all year, so thank you so much my friend!

I fully intended to put this on white or black cardstock, but I grabbed a piece of this beautiful blue and felt like it looked like a springy sky, so that's my card base.

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Don't put those seasonal products out to pasture at the end of the season - just get outside the color box!

I'm really hoping to take a few days away from the computer this week - I don't think I've had a day off all year - so I'm not sure I'll be back before 12/30, but if not - I hope you have an amazing holiday, whatever that looks like to you!

And if the holidays are stressful or bring unpleasant events to mind, I get it. Take some time to do something that brings you peace, and don't worry about what you are "supposed" to do. My dad died in December, and that was five days after a significantly stressful event, and that sort of trauma lasts a long time, so be kind to yourself. If you feel like doing nothing, do nothing. If you feel like doing something, do something. Life is short.

Here's the video - I hope you find it relaxing - I try to end every year with a relaxing video you can just enjoy without thinking too much about.

Loveyameanitbye.

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Tuesday, December 20, 2022

VIDEO: Crafty Rewind - Faux Quilting with Reactive Ink + New $5 Class

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I'm SO loving the Cook's Illustrated mushroom bourguignon! Oh my gosh - I've been eating leftovers for a few days and it's so, so good. I cannot cook from a video though - I usually read a recipe a few times before making it to figure out timing, mise en place, etc. Stopping and starting a video is not ideal. So I transcribed it for you in case your brain works like mine, and you can see that here.

I made it with the NYT creamy vegan polenta - it's just veggie broth and polenta and nutritional yeast if desired. When I first became dairy allergic, I tried a lot of vegan recipes to learn to cook differently, and a LOT of recipes called for this for a "cheesy" flavor. However, to me, it just tasted like mold! I hated it! But in one of my cooking groups, someone who had the same experience shared this brand with me and OH MY WORD does that make a difference! It's so different from the other brands. I use it all the time now. Highly recommend.

Anyway, I have a new video for you today using reactive inks to create a faux quilted look. It's really fun. I have several cards in the video, and all the supplies for the extra cards are listed in the video description. (One is retired, but you might have it since this is a rewind - showing you how to use older supplies instead of buying something new.)

For this card, I wanted to use this darling little girl for a valentine. I used these heart dies for the shape, and this little ink stack. So sweet and easy - even if you are making multiples for your kids - just create a whole sheet of the inked piece and die cut it.

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I also have a new $5 class! Check out all my online classes here.

Here's my video!

I hope your Christmas week looks great! Ours is going to be COLD.

Loveyameanitbye.

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Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Why not PINK champagne?

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I've had song lyrics in my head this week. Yesterday, I was singing "why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near?" and for the FIRST time in my life I THOUGHT about them and how truly bizarre they are!

What if birds showed up every time you saw someone? I'd think they were a witch! LOL! It would definitely be freaky. I don't think it's a good quality in a person to always be showing up with a flock of birds.

Anyway, the other one I thought about while I was making today's card was Hotel California. "pink champagne on ice" - when I was little, I thought that meant they were drinking it with ice cubes, and even six year old me knew that was completely uncouth!

Anyway I enjoyed this. I used the champagne dies from this adorable collection to make this. I used the round dies in the set to punch out bubbles from this pink glitter paper. I glued them onto black cardstock before die cutting the bottle shape. The glass has that little die that cuts out the champagne and I punched some smaller bubbles to float up out of the glass. The sentiment and the mod flowers in the background are from the same collection. You've seen me do this before, but to create the background, I just took the flower dies while they were still all attached together and ran them through to make a textured card front, using double sided adhesive sheets to hold them together and secure them to the card base. When I saw these dies and the champagne it looked like fireworks in the background!

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As you can tell, I haven't cooked much lately! No new recipes to share. I have eaten pizza bagels for a few days, just like the 50 cent ones I survived on in college. If you are in Texas, try the fROSEN's bagels. I get them at Farmhouse here. These are bake at home, so you can bake one at a time and have hot, perfectly chewy bagels - they are amazing.

No shame in the pizza bagel game - they are so good! I like the Sacla marinara with cherry tomatoes in it and I use Miyoko's vegan liquid mozzarella - the ONLY melting vegan cheese I endorse!

It's been so grey and gloomy I just don't feel like being creative in the kitchen. Saving that for my cards!

I hope you have a great week! Loveyameanitbye.

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Friday, December 9, 2022

Kitty Pop-Up Building Card + Weathered Paint Effect

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I'm very concerned about the weather the next few months, based solely on how much my little kittiots are eating! They are eating an insane amount of food - are your pets? The heavy acorn crop combined with this is scary.

I have the CUTEST pop up card for you today! I had so much fun building this and adding the little architectural details from these pop up dies. You can combine a bunch of different scenes - a book store, a bakery, just a house - it's so adorable!

I decided to use a brick Gel Press print I made for the main portion of the die that forms the building. The die includes the little strip above that white molding that covers the rest of the card base, so I just cut that from the same brick print. That little extra space at the top of the card base is what allows the whole card to fold flat for mailing - you'll see that in the second photo. It's a really simple popup assembly - just two score lines top and bottom form the 3-D building. It's the architectural details that make it amazing - the molding detail you can assemble a few different ways - same with the door which I did a fun old-paint technique on - and the paned windows are so cute. I built a little brick flower box for in front of the windows.

BUT, in the bookstore set of dies, there's a CAT, so I could not resist using the little lamp die to shine a spotlight on the deserving little kitty in her townhouse! It's hard to see here, but there is acetate inside for the windows.

I put the lamp down on the cardbase where I wanted it to be, and marked the bottom of the lightbulb with a pencil and then removed it and masked the light beam. I ink blended that with yellow, and then masked that and blended everything around that with gray ink to make it look dark inside.

This view lets you see the box shape at the bottom.

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This straight on view lets you see the flat top of the card base at the top that the whole card folds flat against.

On the door, I wanted it to look like there were layers and layers of old paint on it, so after I glued the three door pieces together, I did a two step process. First I covered it all with clear embossing powder, and after that, I glopped on some gloss medium, making it thick and uneven in some spots. After that was dry, I added the mail slot and door plate, cut from gold foil.

Here you can see the acetate, and the dimension of the card and box shape bottom right.

I love the way the door looks - it looks like an old door on a London rowhouse when they just keep painting over old paint - like this.

How fun is that? Check out the other combos here - lots of fun little scenes you can make - it's just adorable.

Hope you have a great weekend. Ironically - I have some cabinet painting to do!

Loveyameanitbye.

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Monday, December 5, 2022

Deep Space Dreams + Giveaway

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As you saw Saturday, I'm psyched about space themed cards. So now I get to show you the new Hero Arts space themed kit. It's funny to me that we ALL want to go to space - an inhospitable place you would instantly die! But we all want it. The curiosity is just too much! I really think the most memorable shows and movies are the ones with space themes: Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien, The Martian, Armageddon, The Right Stuff, Apollo 13 are just a few.

Maybe it's because there aren't any other people up there? LOL.

Okay I had an accidental discovery on this card! And that is how very fun it is to combine a dye ink with a reactive ink. I didn't think about when I was doing it but I love the look.

The sweet little chick astronaut whizzing through space on her star is from the main kit. To create the background, I first blended Hero Hues inks - purple blue and pink. Over that, I used the new layering galaxy stencil - first with Soft Granite dye ink which reacted with the background in SUCH a cool way! I was expecting dark streaks through it but they reacted with the base layer and gave sort of a lift look that I love! The next layer I used unicorn ink. This is a very cool stencil. For the moon, I just used my Circle Infinity dies and markers to create craters, and then used the sentiment from the kit.

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Here's what comes in the kit:

This beautiful moon phase die is one I wish my dad could see! It's STUNNING. All I did was run it through with black and holographic cardstock, and then piece the holographic pieces back in. It's so beautiful in real life and SO quick and easy to make.

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Yesterday's card features a new Peter Max style space background cling that comes in the kit. I thought it would be fun to do something that was very popular back in the late 1900s with the sun from the main kit, and that was to stamp the outline in a complementary color, rather than black and then just color it carefully. The little cloud dies are from the kit too.

Here are the add-ons!

Of course there's a giveaway as always and tons more inspiration for you! Leave me a comment to be entered! Start at the Hero Blog for the rest!

Hero Arts

Hero Arts Creative Team:

Channin Pelletier
Dana Joy
Daniel West
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Kelly Taylor
💙💙💙 Lydia Fiedler 💙💙💙
Maria Willis
Michelle Short
Mindy Eggen
Seeka

Special Guests:

Jennifer Kotas
Meg Brooks
Nichol Spohr
Rebecca Keppel

Loveyameanitbye.

Saturday, December 3, 2022

You're a Star - REALLY

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Happy Caturday! I learned this week that cats can SMELL your central nervous system! I'm sure dogs can too. But little changes in your hormones and nervous system - they can smell them! It explains a big mystery I've always wondered about. My kitties FREAK OUT and paw my face when I have a laughing fit! They think I'm crying. Which tells me the hormonal changes in laughing and crying must be the same. Fascinating. Makes it hard to watch funny shows though. They literally jump on me and meow and paw my face and are so stressed out. I wonder if it's the smell of tears, because I cry when I laugh.

My Nobel prize awaits, I'm sure.

Anyway, I used to tell my dad all my kitties' quirks - he loved those stories. And so I thought about him when I was making the cards I'll show you on Monday from the Hero Arts kit, because they are all space-themed, and no one knew more about celestial things than my dad.

Here's a little peek. Somehow I made this card extremely hard to photograph. So I have another view you can see below with the cloud detail a little better.

The other thing that made me think of my dad is this Peter Max style background - it's so fun and has a coloring book style that I love and is sort of retro.

I used a foil background, because - you know - SPACE.

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Here's the better view of the cut/emboss cloud dies.

I'm running around doing all sorts of things this weekend, including painting some cabinets.

Prayers appreciated LOL.

Have a great weekend. I'll see you Monday.

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Thursday, December 1, 2022

VIDEO: Mixed Media Double Shimmer Technique - Splitcoaststampers

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The first tutorial for Falliday Fest was phenomenal! I'm normally busy working on moving the challenge cards, working on the challenge forum, etc. so I don't always have time to do the tutorials DURING the challenge - I usually try them afterwards in the catch-up period, but this one - I had to try it! Also, as you'll hear in the video, it justified me hanging onto some of my very oldest craft supplies! Wait until you hear how old!

The original tutorial is here and it's STUNNING. I looked around to see what I could use aside from trees because I didn't feel like I could approach how beautiful hers was, so I decided - 'tis the season - why not a poinsettia? I used this poinsettia die, and I cut it from Parsley and Ballet Slipper cardstocks. The items you will see in the video are pigment powders and gilding flakes and two-way glue, as well as a little scrubby finishing tool. The background I made with a snowflake cover die and gold gem stickers, and the sentiment is from this set.

If you want to make a bunch of these, I recommend adding the glue to multiples all at once - as you will see in the video - it dries really fast, but I think assembling multiples would be so much easier if they were all coated with glue at the same time.

Man, I had fun doing this. If you want to try it, it's the inspiration for the MIX-Ability challenge this week too! Just use keyword MIX514 in the gallery or on social media.

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Here's the video:

Did you see the amazing cookie recipe Jen Timko shared with me? If not, you MUST try it. It's SO delicious! Note her instructions!

Here is the recipe.

Loveyameanitbye.

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Monday, November 28, 2022

VIDEO: Drop Shadowing with Layering Die Cuts + Falliday Fest

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

It's Falliday Fest time at Splitcoast! We kicked off our two weeks of challenges and tutorials today, so I hope you join us. It's going to be a creative two weeks!

Today, you're getting a sneak peek of the final challenge of the event on the 9th - but there's a twist. And I'm going to torture you by not telling you anything about the challenge - just showing you the card. I'm mean like that!

Thanksgiving was very quiet, as it's been for a few years. We did a small prime rib roast with a few favorite sides. The best part was - no leftovers! I know that sounds like heresy, but I hate the fridge we bought a few years ago - the configuration is stupid and it doesn't leave a ton of room outside of condiments and staples for leftovers. So if I do have leftovers, they go straight into the freezer. I still have a bit of leftover fried rice, some wings from the weekend and stuff to eat for several days without cooking.

Speaking of wings, which I LOVE as an upstate NY native - it's basically the only thing I ate in college - I have a recipe for you at the end that is SO VERY GOOD.

I wanted to show how I like to create drop shadows easily with simple ink blended layering die cuts. This card features my wavy dotted cover plate, these poppy dies and a sentiment from this beachy set.

The background uses Sea Glass ink, and the inks I used for the poppy are: Red Hot, Wild Dandelion, Fresh Asparagus, Licorice and Rocky Slope. I finished with these iridescent rainbow gems.

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Here's the video!

Now I posted the recipe for some BBQ Korean wings at this post, but the real star of that recipe is the Kimchi ranch! This weekend we made classic Buffalo wings (with the extra-hot Franks) and this ranch is SO good with them too! You MUST make it. Now I'm very fish-averse, so I get the vegan kimchi - if you're in Austin, I love the locally made Casper Fermentables vegan kimchi. If not, I also use WildBrine vegan kimchi - so yummy.

It's super easy - just blend up the following.

Kimchi Ranch:

1/2 cup kimchi
1/2 cup Kewpie mayo
1/2 cup sour cream I used Kite Hill vegan sour cream
1/4 cup tbsp green onion, minced

I hope you have a great week and come join us for our challenges!

Loveyameanitbye.

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Friday, November 18, 2022

VIDEO: Maine style Northern Lights + Discount Code + Date "Snickers" Recipe

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I have an EASY northern lights technique for you today, inspired by the one and only time I saw them in Maine, where I lived for the summer after my undergrad.

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Before I get started, please note a NEW bigger discount code for Glassboard Studio for you this week - UNDERSTANDBLUE25 will get you 25% off from today until 11/29 at midnight mountain! I ordered scads of new magnets. So don't forget that this week - a glassboard would be a nice Christmas present. Just sayin'.

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Trust what I say about ink layering when you watch the video! It may not look like it, but there are four inks used to create this card: Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn and Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks.

I used this stamp set and dies, just coloring the little penguin. I splattered the background with white acrylic paint.

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Here's the video:

I had forgotten about one of my fave dairy-free desserts until my BIL made them! Most vegan sites refer to them as "Snickers" and they are so freaking delicious! Just stuff fresh dates - please do not use the Sun Maid dates - get real fresh dates - with unsweetened peanut butter and salted roasted chopped peanuts, and coat in dairy free melted chocolate (I use Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips) and more chopped peanuts. Absolutely decadent, despite being a very clean, non-factory food :)

Here they are before coating

Here they are before popping in the fridge to set the chocolate:

I used to make these for holiday parties and they disappear in SECONDS.

Dates are very underrated.

What are you cooking next week?

Loveyameanitbye.

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Thursday, November 17, 2022

A Few Thoughts on Rules + Winter Squash Card & Recipe!

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Something very strange is happening to people's brains.

This probably isn't news to you, if you consume media of any kind. There's some feral-ness about. But in particular, something odd is happening around rules and how they apply.

I belong to a LOT of groups. One of my favorite groups is a squirrel group. My next favorite groups are centered around cooking and true crime.

I think there's a perception out there that the true crime community is somehow more difficult than other communities and I'm here to tell you it is NOT.

No matter what the interest group, people are very, very strange about rules.

I am the youngest child, and a Virgo, and so rules are a big deal to me - especially in other people's spaces. For example, if you go to someone's house and are asked to take off your shoes - I would never DREAM of saying no to that request. I'd sooner leave than break someone else's rule in their space, and I'm CERTAINLY built with the boundaries and sass to leave if a rule makes me uncomfortable. That's just as important. Because if you go to someone's house and they ask you to take off your UNDERWEAR, obviously, that rule would lead to a hasty exit.

But it sure seems like all that has gone out the window lately. People come into groups that are not their own, agree to the rules, break them, and then make a HUGE scene, often threatening the admins or calling them terrible names before getting kicked out. I've seen this in squirrel groups - one vegan cheese group that gave me PTSD, and in groups centered around appliances like the Instant Pot and Foodie air fryer. I'm not kidding. It's weird.

So what has changed? What makes people feel comfortable breaking basic rules that hold communities together and keep things civil and comfortable for other humans? I'm someone who believes you are the same person online that you are in real life. I do not believe social media makes people bad. I do think it enables bad people to do more bad in bad places, but that's not what I'm seeing. To me it feels like some social contract has been broken, and I'm trying to figure out the why, when and where of that.

For all these reasons, art is very important. Art is a place where there are no rules. It's just you and your tools. I have wondered if maybe not enough people have a space where no rules apply and they can have all the freedom they can stand to create, and because they don't have that, they feel the need to yell at people in vegan cheese groups. I guess that's one of the reasons I feel like it's important to teach art, and to teach it early in life. So people have somewhere to go when they have intense feelings about cheese.

Anyway - you know what's great? Winter squash. Of ALL kinds. Not only is it one of my fave foods, it's one of my fave art subjects. Pumpkins are beautiful shapes to paint, draw and practice shading with. So today I have an art pumpkin and a soup recipe!

First up - the pumpkin fairy house dies, which I colored simply with OLO Markers and put together on an ink blended background with this sentiment. I added a bit of Posca pen. It's hard to see in this pic - but the spots on the pumpkin are embossed with the die. I added some dark shadows before putting the die cuts down - it gives it such a nighttime feel! LOVE. Makes me want to work on a real fairy house.

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Here's a quick stop motion of the process. There was nothing complicated about the coloring, so I thought just a quick video would be fun.

One of the BEST soups I've eaten in a long time is creamy, vegan butternut squash soup with warming spices. The trick of using cashews to replace dairy has been so life-changing for me. It's depressing sometimes not being able to just have cheese and crackers, but little tricks like this for things I LOVE to cook like soup makes up for all that! Here's how beautiful it looks in my blue Staub pot I recently bought in a HUGE sale. It has a glass lid, so it's great for soups. This was a recent purchase, and I feel like all the pandemic cooking taught me just how important it is to INVEST in great cookware. I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff I thought was a bargain at the time, only to realize I should have just spent that money once and well, rather than over and over.

I'm a subscriber to New York Times cooking, and it's worth every penny. But this was one of their free recipes, and you can find it and my modifications here.

Try that cashew trick any time a dish calls for cream. You won't be sorry.

Loveyameanitfollowtheruleswithoutcomplainingbye.

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Friday, November 11, 2022

Be a Light!

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I have SUCH a fun lightup gift card holder for you today! You can't just go making fun dies and not expect me to do something weird with them though - I think we all know that. My brain just isn't right.

I looked at this beautiful set of lantern dies, and immediately put this together in my mind - the shapes are so harmonious and pretty AND because they form a lantern when you cut two of them - with that tab - the tab works perfectly to seal the holder! SQUEE!

The beautiful stained glass die for the front panel - I ink blended two panels and cut with the die twice from those, and pieced it together. The little lamb and stars I cut with glitter paper and pieced all but the light up star that I put an EZ Light behind. I popped that up with clear dimensional tape so the light would escape - you can see the video of that below.