Christmas layout

Although I'm not following Journal Your Christmas exactly, the prompts sure have gotten me to think about more of the things in my Christmas, and journal about more things, and scrapbook about more.  Usually I'm happy with my one Christmas layout per year for my 8x8 Christmas Album, but this year I've made 6 or 7 layouts, and have journalling for a few more pages!  Yeay!

Here is my official Christmas Day layout.  This will not go in my 8x8 album- it's too cluttered, and there is too much writing (which will be way too small when printed 8x8.)  So this will go into my Library of Memories Things album (eventually- after I move and unpack my album!)

Left:

 And Right:

{Supplies: papers from the Days of December kit by Cilenia Curtis and Honey Scraps, Christmas trees from the Chrissy Trees kit by Lilly St. Studios at Digital Designer Shop, reindeer- I drew him using my Wacom tablet after googling "how to draw a reindeer" for my son, font: Georgia}

So about those trees... Aren't they cute?  I got to play with it a little bit before it was released, and I made the cutest To From tag. Want to see it?  

Here's how it works:

{Supplies: trees from Lilly St. Studio, green paper by Honey Scraps}


Have fun!

Merry Christmas!

Blessings to you and yours this holiday season!

Christmas letter

Another page for Christmas and Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas 2010.

{Supplies: Days of December paper by Honey Scraps; distress brush by Nancie Rowe Janitz, font: 1942 Report, my handwriting using my Wacom Bamboo Tablet}

being selfish...

I started a challenge over at the DDS forum  inspired by my Journal Your Christmas class at www.shimelle.com.  Want to join in?
My idea is to be selfish, for a change.  I know I'm a mom, and most of our worlds revolve around our kids.  If they need food, we'll go without new shoes. If they need clothes, we'll wear shirts that are covered in stains that much longer so they can have their clothes. And for Christmas, of course we want their dreams to come true.
But what about us?  I have a wishlist a mile long.  It's that tech geek thing where I always want the next best thing.  My DH says I'm a photography geek.  I want a new camera (with super high ISO), several pro quality (read "sick of photos that aren't sharp") lenses (I would love a wide angle lens and a macro lens), a pretty camera bag that doesn't look like a camera bag, Photoshop CS5 (can you believe I'm still using CS2??  I know!!  See- I go without...)  These are all things that I will get someday in the far far future.  As a substitute teacher's aide who's about to move, there's no money in the budget for these things right now, that's for sure!  But it's like that hopes and dreams question "what would you do if you won a million dollars in the lottery?"  In this case, it's what would you ask Santa for if you could.  None of that "world peace" stuff- I know you're thinking that!  Nope, be selfish.  Most of the people who read my blog are scrapbookers- there are always new tools, supplies, and idea books out there.  What do YOU want?

 

{Supplies: paper- the upcoming Happy New Year kit by Teresa Digi Designs of Digital Designer Shop; Santa- the Days of December Elements 1 kit, notebook paper: Ledger Papers kit, and staple: Staples Plus, all by Cilenia Curtis of Digital Designer Shop; font: Didot and my handwriting using a Wacom Bamboo tablet}

Back to Christmas layouts...

I'm happy to be back to Christmas layouts, and working with the prompts at Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas class. I took this picture the day the kids and I put up and decorated the Christmas tree. This is our kitty's first Christmas, and I am expecting lots of excitement (and fallen ornaments.)  So far I have not been disappointed.

{Supplies: The Days of December collection at Digital Designer Shop. It was created by Cilenia Curtis and Honey Scraps.  They work so well together! I think the font was Didot.}

What do you think?  Do you have a kitty trying to steal your precious handmade ornaments, too?

Cookie Week! Day 4- Royal icing

Welcome to Day 4! How are you doing with the cookies? Any questions about yesterday's icing/glazing? Anyone willing to link me up to photos yet?

Today we're going full throttle. We're making the infamous Royal Icing! Most people only use this for their cookies- for outlining and filling, and also for detailing. Since I already outlined and filled, I'm going to use this for details.

Remember I said that this icing is very different from the one we used yesterday? The white is much whiter and brighter, and the colors are much subtler. We need a LOT more gel food coloring to get bright colors.

Here is what you need to make royal icing:

4 TBSP meringue powder (this is a substitute for raw egg whites, which were used in the original recipes for royal icing.)
1/2 c. water
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp light corn syrup
few drops clear extract (the same clear vanilla or lemon go well with my cookies, but you can use any flavor)

I throw all of the ingredients in the mixer, mix to combine, scrape the bowl and then put the mixer on medium for about 5 minutes. 

You want to mix it until you get a stiff peak when you pull the beater out of the icing. This is NOT a stiff peak. It needs a couple more minutes.  That being said, you don't want to overmix, either.  10 minutes is definitely too long!

This is a little better. :)

I fill my bags just like I did yesterday. This icing is easier, though, because it's not as runny- it won't drip out the tip like yesterday's glaze.

I use a bowl and a toothpick to add royal blue gel food coloring. See how much more I'm using today than I did yesterday?

After you put the food coloring in the icing, if you think you need more, use a clean toothpick. You don't want to put that sugar back into the food coloring- it will go bad.

I use a butter knife to mix the color in.  Add more color if necessary. 

When you squeeze the icing out, it comes out nice and pretty.  This is the icing consistency you want when you are outlining the cookies or adding details. If you are filling in an outline, while the icing is in the bowl, add a few drops of water and stir it in.  You want the icing to be less stiff.  The test I've heard of is to lift the butter knife out of the icing and let it sort of drip back into the bowl. You want the drip of icing to blend back into the bowl of icing in about 3 full seconds.  When you do it you'll understand. :)

I don't have any pictures of me actually piping details, because I need both hands for that. Remember yesterday I told you how to roll the bag, hold the bag, squeeze and guide all at the same time?  (Click here if you need a refresh.)  Below are some examples I made. I really like the look of the blue candies in the icing!  It really made them look nicer.

Honestly I'm not the most happy with these cookies. It takes me 5 or 6 cookies before I find a design I like. 

My favorite cookies are the ones on the black plates in the collage below.  I made 3 basic designs, and 3 basic backgrounds- one with no background, one with white glaze, and one with blue glaze, and then I did all the details in white.  They turned out so pretty.

That's it for Cookie Week! I'll make a post in the next week or so with some easy but wonderful tricks and tips! I didn't do anything too fancy on the snowflakes, so I need to show you how to do polka dots, spider webs, and hearts! SO EASY! So come back and visit!


Some more links to check out:
Bake at 350: Royal Icing 102- awesome information and links to even more awesome information at this wonderful website. (There is a link to almond sugar cookies that I'm going to have to try soon!)
I'll add more links as I find them. I have a ton of cookie pages in my bookmarks!

Sweet Sugar Belle has a great post with three videos on the consistency of flood icing and piping icing (and what she calls 20 second icing- which I'd guess is more like I would make the glaze icing from yesterday.)


Links to Cookie Week:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

HAVE FUN!!!!

Cookie Week! Day 3 - Icing day one!

Welcome to Day 3! I may have mentioned that I'm not a professional. If I did this right, I would skip today completely, and head straight to Day 4. But, I'm not! I'm a rebel!
I have two reasons I use this particular icing. Well, it's more like a glaze. One, I think it tastes better than royal icing. Two, I like how shiny and pretty it is as a base layer. This icing doesn't pipe well, so I really ONLY use it for the base layer, if I'm using one. That and my white daisies- this works perfect for those.
One thing to know about this icing is it takes color WAY better than royal icing. A teeny bit goes a LONG way! Do not try to make this and royal icing to match. You'll have to use so much food coloring in the royal icing that you'll begin to taste it long before you have a bright enough color!
Is that enough warning before we start making what I call Cookie Icing?

Ingredients:
2 lb. bag of powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
1 tsp salt
4 tsp clear vanilla (found in the baking section of any craft store or superstore. Do NOT use regular vanilla- it will tint the icing brown)
2 TB milk
5 TB water (for consistency- add more if necessary, a little at a time)
2 TB light corn syrup

Mix all ingredients in large mixer until smooth. Wipe down sides of bowl and then mix again for at least 5 minutes. The icing will be smooth and shiny.
Let stand for 5 minutes.
Separate into bowls and add colors as desired.

Items needed for the icing process:
Food coloring gels (do not use liquid food coloring. Wilton is an okay brand, but Americolor is apparently better- I haven't had the opportunity to buy any.)
toothpicks
Wilton piping bags
I use glasses to help get the icing into the bag. You'll see this later.
Waxed paper to contain mess
several wet paper towels
Scissors
icing tips (I am using #4 round for these cookies- I have several because I use this tip for several colors at a time)
Various sprinkles, candies, etc for your project.

This is a piping bag. You need to cut the tip of the bag off.  How much of the bag you cut will depend on the size of the tip you are using.

Drop icing tip into bag and arrange it in the bottom of the bag as shown.

This is where a glass comes in handy. I drop the tip end into the cup and fold the top of the bag over the cup.  This holds the bag upright and open so spooning the icing into the bag is much more manageable.

I am tinting this icing blue, so I put it into a bowl. I like to use butter knifes to stir the color into the icing. It's a nice size and flat, so scraping the icing off the knife is easier than if I was using a spoon.

Use a toothpick and get just a teeny amount of food color gel.  With this particular icing- by teeny amount, I mean teeny tiny!  This was a little too much dye! Wipe the tooth pick into the icing, and use the butter knife to stir it well. I have a picture of this icing tinted blue, but it's all blurry and gives me a headache to look at, so I'll spare you.

I couldn't take a picture AND spoon the icing into the bags at the same time. Sorry.

Pull the bag out of the glass and lay it on the wax paper.  This particular icing tends to run, so be quick in the following process!

This way may be old fashioned- my grandmother taught me to do it this way when piping bags were paper. I was 7. That was a while ago.  The people on TV hold the bags differently. I can see using a Twixit Clip on the top to hold the icing in and squeeze, but I was taught this way, so that's what I do.

I think I missed a picture.  First, fold one corner in, and then the other.

Then fold the point in.

Then start rolling until you get to the icing. As you squeeze the bag to use the icing, roll the end more and more.

Yes, I roll my toothpaste tube from the end, too. :)

Okay, once your bags are ready, get out the fun stuff.
(Looking back on this project, I won't recommend using this particular type of blue sprinkles- the blue dye bled into the white icing and it looked terrible. That was the one cookie I was too embarassed to take to the bazaar. So my hubby ate it. :)

Okay, this is as close as I can get to showing you how to hold an icing bag while taking a picture. I am right handed, by the way. I hold the icing bag with my right hand, holding the rolled end closed, and holding most of the weight of the bag. I will squeeze with this hand. I will place my left hand around that open part of the bag you see and use that hand to guide the bag around the cookie.
Squeeze right. Guide left.
Got it?

This was my first squeeze. Sometimes I have to add more water. I should have this time, but didn't want to go back, empty out the bag, and basically start over. (See why the pros don't do it this way?)
I had to hold the bag with my left hand to take these pictures with my right, by the way.

Okay, let's pretend the icing is the right consistency, and go for it!  The first step is to outline the cookie.

Then fill in the outline some.  (If you were doing this correctly, with royal icing, you would have "piping" icing, and "filling icing" which you will add water to in order to make it flow easier for filling in.  We'll talk about that tomorrow. Or maybe Friday. I'll let you know.)

Use a toothpick to help the icing fill in the areas within the outline and pop any bubbles.

This is what my background looked like this time.  (See why I should have added a teeny bit of water?  That should be one nice even layer of icing.)  Also, the cookie sticks in the cookie sometimes make a bump (see the picture above).  That's just something you have to work around.

I said this icing doesn't pipe as well as royal icing, but sometimes I use it for lines.  I will show you my daisies below.

This is what the piping bag looks like as you use the icing up. Keep rolling the end up so the icing doesn't come out the back end, and to keep the icing bag nice and full, so when you squeeze it will squeeze through the tip nicely.
(I am trying to give you enough information so you can do this as a beginner. If I am over-explaining, let me know.)

Here are the cookies I used the blue icing on.

I added a few drops of water for the white icing. See how it flows so much nicer?

These are the cookies I used the white icing on.  See the blue sprinkles?  Test your sprinkles on one cookie so you don't ruin all of them if you do this!  The two white cookies below the blue mess- I sprinkled white Wilton sprinkles into the wet frosting. I liked how those turned out- like snow fell on them!

Let the cookies dry at least 3 hours before adding royal icing. I let them dry overnight before doing the royal icing. The icing will dry nice and firm on the top, but below that it will still be soft. Let them dry at least overnight if you are going to wrap them or stack them on top of each other.


Tips:  This icing tastes better when it dries than when it's still wet.
How to use a piping bag by Wilton. {LINK}
Various tips (more about cakes than cookies, but has bags, tips, etc.) {LINK}
Cookie decorating tips by Wilton {LINK}

Links:
Watch these videos. Part 1 and Part 2.  This is where I got this recipe. It is in the comments section of part 2.  Meladig- the woman who posted the videos, paints this icing on her cookies.
While you're there, watch some of the recommended videos on the right side of the page. You'll be there all day. :)


Here are my daisies.  The Cookie Icing I describe above is the only icing I used on these.