Kool Crafts and Arts

Projects

2011-06-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

I have been learning to print on fabric. Its a bit fiddly, but the results can be great.

My latest projects have been a bit chaotic as I go from one project to another. We've not had many swaps on KCAA either, and things are very quiet because its (supposed to be) summer. Ha! that seems a bit of a joke being as it never stops raining, is chilly and grey all the time.

Later this month I'll be posting pictures of all the wonderful ATC's some on the members of the forum have made...for now here is my latest piece

Black cotton heart with unique home printed calico topper

Jen

Vegetable and Lentil Cottage pie

2011-05-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

Vegetable and Lentil Cottage Pie

Ingredients:

8 oz Brown Lentils

2 Bay leaves

2 tsp sunflower oil

1 onion finely chopped

4 oz carrots finely chopped

3 sticks of celery diced

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp chopped fresh marjoram (I use dried 1 ¼ tsp)

1 tsp chopped fresh sage (I use dried 1 ¼ tsp)

1 ½ tsp yeast extract

1tbsp tomatoe puree

½ pint lentil stock or water

1 1b potatoes – if they are old or fluffy peel and boil more as they tend to boil away

½ oz Margarine

2 tbsp skimmed milk

Soak lentils for 3 hours minimum

Drain and wash and then cover with water in a large sauce pan. Add Bay leaves and bring to the boil – then cover pan and simmer for 25 minutes. Leave to cool in there own stock water.

Heat oil in a large sauce pan and add carrots, celery and onion and fry gently for about 5 minutes.

Add the cooked lentils and stock, the paprika, yeast extract, marjoram, sage and tomatoe puree and then cover and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until stock is nice and thick. Taste and if necessary add more yeast extract although not to make it too strong or salty. When cooked poor into a large casserole dish

Cook enough potatoes to mash with milk and margarine and cover the lentil mixture in the large casserole dish.

Some people like to sprinkle the top of the mash with sesame seeds – I leave them

This dish takes about 20 mins on a high oven setting and is ready when potatoes are brown and crispy.

Beautiful Things

2011-01-29T12:12:00.000-08:00

Most people appreciate beautiful things. But as they say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." If you appreciate beautiful things and want to grab this award for your blog, you need to copy and past the award below, link your post header to the last blog you looked at (KCAA has linked to Paulashomemadelife) and then name 5 beautiful yet natural (not man made) things.

1: The moon
2: The stars
3: Gentle rain
4: Bird song
5: Grasses swaying in the breeze

KOOL Crafts

Christmas Cards Link Party

2010-11-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

As promised we're starting a series of posts dedicated to all things Christmassy, just to get you inspired and in the mood for this festive season.

From today and until the end of the month we're collecting links to all the fantastic handmade Christmas cards out there. So if you make your own Christmas cards or know someone who does all you need to do to take part is to add the link to the relevant blog post, web site, Flickr pool, etc.

There will be more Christmas related link parties so watch this space :-)

Zentangle challenge

2010-11-09T01:20:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Hope you all had a fun Halloween, we certainly did over at KCAA swapping all manner of things "scary".

Also, we have a winner for the Zentangle Challenge and that's Lisa. Congratulations!

We had 5 entries, 4 from Lisa and 1 from Jen and they are all amazing as you can see below.

Entry 1 from Lisa and the one most voted for.

Entry 2 from Lisa.

Entry 3 from Lisa.

Entry 4 from Lisa.

Jen's entry and the second most voted.

If you've never heard of Zentangles and would like to know more there's plenty of information on the Web starting with the Zentangle Home Page.

Now about Christmas. It is fast approaching so the next few posts will be about all things Christmasy to get you in the mood for the season. Don't forget to drop by :-)

It's scary times at KCAA

2010-10-13T01:41:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again when KCAA members go crazy making all sorts of scary crafts for Halloween.

There's a Halloween card swap going on and Lisa has made this funtastic Halloween plaque. Notice how some of the elements are 3D.

Below are some of the cards made and swapped last year at KCAA in case you're looking for inspiration.

Cows in bed

2010-09-28T01:43:00.000-07:00

Sometime ago Jen set us a challenge, to post a recipe that we had either invented or given our very own personal twist to and Lisa presented us with this great recipe because as she said:

"I needed something for supper but was tired of all the usual prospects, While this is just a “hamburger” the taste is changed so it does not taste like the “typical hamburger/cheeseburger”. It is completely an original!".

If you'd like to give this recipe a go just follow Lisa's instructions and pictures below to make your own Cows in Bed.

What you will need

1 ½ lb hamburger

1 medium onion peeled and minced

1 pkg of premade biscuits

1-2 slices of Cheese quartered (optional)

hot sauce (optional)

1 knife, 1 cutting board

1 medium sized bowl

1 fry pan and 1 flipper

1 cookie sheet and 1 cooling rack

~mustard and ketchup

Preparation

take 1 ½ pounds of hamburger place in bowl take your minced onions in with the hamburger and with your hands blend well...

then roll into 10 roughly the same size balls, once you have the balls you will need to flatten them slightly (but not too thin) place in your frying pan.

Fry your hamburger for 8-10 minutes flipping once (DO NOT FLATTEN as they are cooking). Once they are done remove from pan and place on the cooling rack that is sitting inside your cookie sheet- this will allow the burgers to cool and drain DO NOT touch them.

Once they are completely cooled about an hour. Then take the biscuits out of the refrigerator and open them as package discribes remove buscuits from its container and seperate them, then take them ONE at a time and flatten them within your hands at the same time you are flattening them you should be also making them bigger once you have done this look at your burgers and find one that looks like it will fit within your buscuit.

Now if you want cheese on them place chees on buscuit then hamburger on top now pull the buscuit around your burger completely covering the burger and cheese. Place on the baking sheet you had them draining on (but first wipe the tray off to remove fat DO NOT wash it).

Once you have done this to ALL your burgers place a tooth pick in all the ones with cheese (I do this step as I am placing them on the cookie sheet so I do not forget.) bake as per directions for the buscuits. Dont worry the time is plenty of time to make the burger hot again.

When they are done remove them from the oven and let cool for a few minutes then place them on a serving platter. I take mustard and ketchup and mix them together (¼ c catsup to 1/3 cup of mustard mixed well) place a dollup of the mixture on your plate and enjoy. You can serve this with what ever side dishes you enjoy- but since this is a “finger”meal I usually serve with chips and carrot and celery sticks or what ever is available.

To reheat do not reheat in your microwave as it makes the buscuit moist again and too chewy I recommend they be placed in your toaster oven or back in your oven. For 10-12 minutes

You do not have to use cheese, if you prefer not too. careful tho as to which cheese you use,because some are wetter then others and this will alter the buscuit, I use what is considered yellow american cheese.

This makes an AWESOME on-the-go food

I wait til the are cooled to place inside the buscuit because I do not want it too cook the inside of the buscuit too much to make mushy,which is also why I drain them. Also,these tend to be filling.

Enjoy :-)

Be inspired: Cross stitching

2010-08-06T01:43:00.001-07:00

Hi, I hope you're all having a great Summer.

Today's "Be inspired" is all about the art of cross stitching and at KCAA we're lucky to have some very talented people who often share with us their cross stitch projects as you can see below.

The 1st set of pictures shows some of Pam's work and the 2nd a sample of Mrs Dag's embroidery. Aren't they just beautiful?

Some of these projects have taken a long time to finish but are so well worth the effort when they're finally done and ready to be shown off.

If you're new to cross stitching and would like to give it a go, have a look at the useful links below.

Learn to cross stitch in 5 minutes

How to cross stitch in 5 steps (with video)

How to cross stitch

How to do cross stitch

And here's a list of places on the Web where you'll find plenty of free patterns.

Cross Stitch Centre

Free Cross Stitch Patterns

Ellen Maurer-Stroh

Cross Stitching

Happy crafting :-)

Be inspired: Handcrafted jewellery

2010-07-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

Today I want to share with you some of the fantastic jewellery Jen and Pam have made. The picture above is only a small sample of what these 2 very talented ladies can do, you'll find more photos of their work on the Kool Crafts and Arts forum.

If you like wearing jewellery and you're crafty it might be a good idea to make your own. This way you'll be able to create exclusive pieces for your personal use and at a fraction of the price. You can also make customised pieces to give your friends and family whenever you want to gift them with something special.

The links below have plenty of useful information on how to get started, different techniques, ideas for projects, etc. I hope you find them useful whether you're a beginner or a more experienced jewellery maker.

Beadage - all about beading!

Making Your Own Jewellery

eHow - lots of jewellery making videos

How to make beaded jewellery

Be inspired: Recycling crafts

2010-06-22T05:18:00.000-07:00

It's time for another instalment of the "Be inspired" series of posts and this time I want to share with you some of Donna's fantastic recycling crafts.

I hope her projects will inspire you to reduce, reuse and recycle whenever possible and as a picture is worth a thousand words here are some of the amazing things Donna has made using everyday items she had around the house. Enjoy :-)

Swaps Mosaic

2010-06-09T03:23:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Just a very quick post to show you a small sample of the amazing handmade items we've been swapping at K ool C ra fts and Arts.

There are many more photos on the forum, so just click on the link above to see what we've been up to ;-)

Rota for swaps on KCAA

2010-05-31T08:16:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's more info on the swaps we're having on the Kool Crafts and Arts forum.

If you'd like to join us and take part in any or all of these swaps please click on the link above to register.

We've created a rota for the swaps to be held up to September as below:

Craft Magazine Swap - July

Inspirational Swap - July

Card Toppers Swap - August

Stuffed Envelope Swap - September

Rules and deadlines are posted on the forum.

Be inspired: Wood burning

2010-05-25T04:04:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia describes pyrography or wood burning as the art of decorating wood with burn marks made with a heated object such as a poker.

We're lucky that we have on Kool Crafts and Arts someone that does woodburning and after you see the beautiful projects Lisa has created you might want to try this craft for yourself.

Here are photos of some of Lisa's wood burning.

And if you feel inspired to give this craft a go you can check the links below for more information on tools, supplies, techniques and even patterns.

Pyrography

Carving Patterns

Be inspired: Parchment craft

2010-05-17T05:17:00.000-07:00

Parchment craft is an ancient papercraft dating as far back as the 16th Century in Europe. In this craft you use parchment paper many different tools to create a lace-like effect. It is thought this was a craft used by catholic monks and nuns to create communion cards and also borders for religious pictures.

info taken from www.wisegeek.com

Debs, one of our newest members, has recently passed her exams to become a qualified pergamano tutor and no wonder as her work is truly wonderful as you can see below.

We all admire her talent and she's even inspired some of us to give this craft a go.

Below are pictures of Pam´s first parchment craft projects, aren't they beautiful?

If you'd like to try your hand at parchment craft there are some very useful sites/blogs on the Web with plenty of information on the basic techniques, supplies and even some free patterns.

Please click on the links below to read more about this papercraft.

- http://www.myparchment.co.uk/ (free patterns and tutorials)

- http://www.creativepapercrafts.co.uk/ (techniques, tips and a free design gallery)

- http://www.pergamano.com/ (basic techniques)

- http://www.judithwibberley.com/ (basic techniques in parchment craft)

- http://www.parchmentcraftmagazine.com/ (patterns for free download)

Swaps for 2010 at KCAA

2010-05-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

Spring seems to have given everyone at KCAA a new lease of life after a very long, very cold and very snowy Winter. We also have very talented new members and we're planning lots of exciting swaps for this year. If you' d like to join in the fun why don't you become a member of Kool Crafts and Arts?

Some ideas we had at KCAA for future swaps are:

- Bookmark swap

- Craft magazine swap

- Stuffed envelope swap

- Card toppers swap, etc.

More info on these will be posted both here and on the forum when available so don't forget to check back if you'd like to take part.

Loving boxes

2009-10-25T04:57:00.001-07:00

Just Love making boxes

Dill carrots

2009-04-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite dishes and goes with just about any savoury dish. As you can see, I made some potatoe wedges as well .... just delicious

Peel and slice some carrots and onions (roughly 5 large carrots for 2-3 people and 2 medium sized onions)

Very gently fry carrots and onion in a little oil for around 20 minutes until the carrots look tender.

Add a tsp of dill seeds (I prefer not to use the dill seeds as they are hard to find, so it is optional but if you do use them, it does add a lovely flavour) and continue to fry for another two minutes.

Dilute 1 heaped and one ordinary tsp full of Marmite or any yeast extract in 2 cups of off the boil water and add to the carrots.

Continue to boil fast until liquid has boiled down to at least half and then simmer until the liquid is thicker and stronger looking.

Viola!

Kool Crafts and Arts

Loving boxes

2009-04-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

I just love making boxes. Here is my first try using a template from this wonderful site. Check it out for all sorts of projects:

things-to-make-and-do link

Envelope pops up to become an Origami Paper Box

2009-04-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

These were an origami project I started, stopped, started again, stopped .....

Then a friend asked me if I could make one for her friend. So a bit new to making these right now.

Celebration Boxes

2009-02-16T04:57:00.000-08:00

These might be good for Mother's day as well as other celebrations:

For more of Paula's great stuff (see below) visit her blog:

Paula's Blog

Tutorial - How to turn an old frame into a display

2008-11-20T04:19:00.000-08:00

This is a display I made to show off some of my handmade hair clips.

I used an old frame I bought at a jumble sale for 20p. The frame was dark blue so I sanded it and painted it white and then sanded it again to give it the look you see in the photo. Then I took the back and used a nice wallpaper sample to cover the wood. The last step was to tie some elastic around the back part of the frame and mount everything back again.

This is what it looked like after assembly and before I put my hair clips on it.

For bigger displays use larger frames.

Stone Painting

2008-10-31T16:46:00.000-07:00

Art

2008-10-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

Plus a little something for Fall made by tmarie.

The painting is by Alfie

Little Birdie Secrets: world card making day card swap

2008-10-25T06:39:00.000-07:00

Little Birdie Secrets: world card making day card swap

Our Talented Members

2008-10-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

Just a few of our members latest creations

Lisa: Wood Burning

Paula: Felt Gift Tags

Halloween Swaps at Kool Crafts

2008-09-23T17:04:00.001-07:00

Halloween Swaps

2008-09-23T16:59:00.001-07:00

New Swap Below

2008-09-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

Lots of swaps going on on Koolcrafts:

Here's a new, fun challenge, the Scrap It Challenge.

The aim is for a person to send his/her partner bits of scrap left over from other projects or bits and pieces that can be recycled/reused. The partner makes a card using the items received and the finished card is then sent back.

Kool Crafts Photographers

2008-08-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

We have some great photographers on Kool Crafts. Some reside at Mother Earth (see side panel for the link). Here are some of the latest pictures: The unnamed one is by Alfie - 2008

A Taste of Photography

2008-08-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

2008-08-03T03:37:00.000-07:00

These were made for me in a card swap. Just beautiful don't you think.

The first one is by tmarie who resides at the TinCat Forum (see the TinCat link)

The second one is a collage by Paula (see Paula's cards) at the side here.

2008-08-03T03:32:00.000-07:00

Tea bag folding can become addictive and folding boxes can be like a drug you need to take at least once a day.

Some of the gift boxes

2008-07-07T04:36:00.001-07:00

These were made after watching the video below, hope you also have fun making them:

Make a gift box using old Christmas Cards

2008-06-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Video Link:

Origami Gift Box

Don't forget to visit our Forum:

Kool Crafts and Arts

For Home made Rubber stamps below

You will need:
A Milk bottle top or any plastic top
Crafting Foam

Glue

You can either make a stencil by stamping out a shape in card and then drawing inside

the shape onto the crafting foam and then cut out the shape. Or just draw your own designs straight onto the foam.

Stick glue is fine for sticking the shapes onto the tops - if you want to wash them and use them over and over, a stronger waterproof glue is of course best. Happy Stamping:

Home Made Rubber Stamps

2008-06-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Kool Crafts and Arts Blog

2008-06-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

Kool Crafts and Arts is a side kick for our Crafts forum. Hope in the future to update this with pictures and links of interest for crafters and Kool Craft forum members.

Kool Crafts and Arts