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I've been using an app lately that I just LOVE. It's called Seek, and it instantly identifies plants, animals and insects when you take a photo of them. I cannot imagine having this app as a child, because my gaming loving heart as an adult already wants to fill in all the classifications I haven't identified yet.
It's helped me pick out plants for my yard on my walks, as I take photos of beautiful plants in my neighbors' yards. It tells you all sorts of information about each species you identify - like peak blooming time etc. It identified the little critters that hide on my orange tree. So fun.
One of the types I don't have yet is fungi. I have not seen one mushroom since getting the app, so it's my mission now!
Growing up in the 70s, there was certain artwork that was ubiquitous - on fabric, in our doodles on our notebooks, and on the ever-present appliques that festooned our clothing. One of those was the fairytale-worthy red and white mushrooms, and I've always loved them. In real life, their common name is Fly Agaric.
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*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*
I missed the big strawberry moon the other night - it's intense mosquito season here, so being outside for even a few minutes at the end of the day is pretty unpleasant.
Apparently, I'm like bacon to mosquitos, too, which doesn't help. I've always wondered why someone hasn't come to me to extract whatever it is that attracts mosquitos, and then construct a mosquito trap with it. They could make it very concentrated, so that I could hold this trap when I am outside, and the mosquitos would choose the trap over me and be lured to their final end, while I continue to enjoy the outdoors without getting a mosquito-borne illness.
So I missed the moon. But my cats did not. They've done their normal, insane routine they do whenever there's a full moon - breaking into zoomies all night, fighting on their cat tower at 4 AM, etc.
The new Hero Arts Kit and June release are out today, and they are SO perfect for a month with so many unusual celestial events, because there's a space theme running through all of them. Did you know you can check this site for each month's celestial events? I use it often.
So I was thrilled to see all these fun stamps. The first one is so freaking cool - a color layering wolf! I will never forget when I went to the Fossil Rim Lodge and heard the Mexican timberwolves howling at a full moon.
This set is an add-on this month, so it will stay in the store - check him out in blue! I put him on an ink blended and splattered background, and for the moon, I just stamped the second layer and cut it and the wolf out with the matching dies. The sentiment is from the same set, and I used the edge of the beautiful frame die cut I used below - the cut out part that creates the negative space - I just trimmed it to ground the blue wolf.
But let's talk about this amazing kit before you see my card and technique video! The kit comes with a stunning aurora background stamp in cling (you'll see me using a photopolymer prototype in the video - but that was just a workaround during the manufacturing shutdown - the kit has the cling as shown below), a second clear stamp set with matching dies, 10 coordinating dies, a glow in the dark lacquer pen, star embellishments and BLACK HANDMADE WATERCOLOR PAPER! This paper is also available separately here. So freaking cool. As always, this kit is available only while supplies last. And as Hero is still impacted by the phased in plan in California, please be patient on shipping time - it's worth the wait!
Back in the olden days of stamping, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and I was starting to stamp, woodcut-style stamps were very popular, and still some of my favorite images. So I decided to recreate that look with masking, dies and a background stamp.
First, I stamped the adorable sun from this set onto both my card front and a piece of masking paper. It's a very easy shape to cut out, so I cut the mask and masked the stamped sun. Then I used my Circle Infinity Dies to cut a mask out of more masking paper. I centered that over the masked sun, and ink blended yellow ink onto it with Life Changing Blender Brushes. Leaving both masks in place I then stamped the Waves background stamp over the whole image, pressing at the edges to be sure there was no halo around the edge of the circle.
I removed all the masks, and colored the sun image with Copic markers. The sentiment is from the same set. So cheery and fun, and the woodcut background gives it a retro feel. This set does have matching dies.
As a die-hard X-Files fan, I couldn't resist making an alien card. This is SUCH a fun, large space-themed stamp set - designed to coordinate with the fun Peek-A-Boo dies - they keep coming out with more stamps for these - and the hip little alien is too fun. I first used the Cut-Align and a Pitt pen to draw a horizontal line across my card front. Then I stamped him so that his bottom border blended into that line, and hung the greeting from the line on the other side - love that font. I used the same circle mask as above to give him a little un-stenciled space, and then masked that and the bottom of the card and ink blended gray ink above him with this new stencil.
I know I've been quiet - so I hope you enjoy seeing multiple projects today - I had fun making them!
I have tons of video content coming - it just takes so long to edit it all that I have a little backlog. Also cooking three meals a day cuts into my crafty time! I am doing one hour lives daily in my class group - free for the duration of the pandemic, so you can join those here. On Tuesdays, I co-host Color & Connect with Kathy, and you can access that group and join us here. I'm just trying really hard to keep everyone connected during this strange time, so that means a little less creative time. But I have a really fun new project launching soon, which will be part of my YouTube channel and is completely different! So stay tuned.
But - the good news is that cooking so much means I have more recipes to share with you! Today's is a bean recipe, which is a ringer for the OLD Ranch Style beans - they used to be so good out of the can, but they've changed over the years and aren't quite as flavorful now, so I have been working on recreating what I remember. The latest modification is really the closest! SO delicious. And, if you've never had anasazi beans - find them. You don't need to soak them, and their flavor and texture are a million times better than pinto beans, which I love - so that's sayin' something! :)
Anasazi Charro Beans (my original recipe - normally I find a recipe & tweak, but beans are my jam)
1 lb. dried Anasazi beans, washed and sorted
1 sweet onion, chopped into large chunks (1015 or similar onion)
8 C. Vegetable Broth (I make it with this base my friend Mel uses) + water as needed
2.5 TBS chili powder (I use Ft. Worth Light)
2.5 TBS cumin
3 TBS Mt. Olive diced pickled jalapenos
Bacon grease
8-10 stalks fresh thyme, stripped from stem
2 tsp. salt
Saute the onions in the bacon grease until carmelized and brown to your liking. Add the beans and saute for a moment. Add the broth, thyme, jalapenos and spices, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and simmer for 3-5 hours, depending on the age of your beans, adding water as needed. When they are done, there won't be much broth, so when they start to get tender, be judicious adding water. Add more salt at the end, if needed, but it probably won't be. I use Real Salt, which is much less salty than table salt, so adjust the starting salt if using table salt. And if you can't find Anasazi beans (people have been hoarding beans along with toilet paper), use pinto or black beans.
Such yummy beans. So great with chilaquiles or rice or in a Buddha bowl with roasted sweet potatoes and your favorite veggies.
Now as usual, the team has inspiration for you, and every comment you leave increases your chance to win a $50 shopping spree at Hero Arts.
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
Phone stand for filming link below in the banner - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE
