Sunday, February 17, 2013

Wishing you a Lovely Day


Hi everyone.  ... And I am wishing you all a lovely day!! :)  Here is a card to honor Mary Marsh.  Mary is the Featured Stamper at Splitcoast Stampers this week (FS315 - MaryR197) ... congrats Mary!!  I love Mary's style and found many cards in her gallery that I would like to CASE (copy and share everything).  But when I saw this card, I knew I wanted to get out my brayer ... it is such a beauty!

My plan was to use Mary's card for inspiration, but in the end, it is almost a complete CASE, just changing up the pine tree stamp.  I did some second generation stamping with the two smaller trees (ink stamp, stamp off once and then stamp) to create trees in the background, but I found it hard to do that with black ink and they don't look much lighter in color.  I should have inked the background stamps with gray ink instead.  At least I learned something ... which I do most times I make a card ... always learning, but not necessarily retaining that knowledge :)

I have had fun the past two days, spending time in my studio, creating cards - my favorite hobby!  I took a couple of days off from hospital visits.  I'm finding that my energy is low right now, so staying home for a couple of days has really helped to rejuvenate me.  Today (as with most Sunday's), my kids are coming for dinner.  Gord and I really love that we have this time together with them.  Tonight's menu:  Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding, Roasted Potatoes, Steamed carrots, Zucchini with Parmesan ... and Coconut Cake for dessert.  The recipe for the coconut cake is under the "Baking with Loll" tab above ... and if you love coconut, give this cake a try - it's easy to make and delicious!

Speaking of recipes, I'm going to include a few recipes from our Valentine's Day dinner (I had a few requests).  They will be at the bottom of this post.

On to the card details ...



Stamps:  Large Pine Tree (Stampscapes); Be Happy Sentiments (Amy R)
Paper:  Whisper White (SU!)
Ink:  Bashful Blue, Tempting Turquoise, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Basic Black
Accessories & Tools:  Speedball Rubber Brayer, scrap paper for masking mountains, sponges, Stamp-a-ma-jig, and adhesives



I brayered the sky in this order ... Bashful Blue, Tempting Turquoise, Not Quite Navy.  I ripped a mask from scrap paper and sponged the tops of the mountain range.  I sponged Old Olive ink at the bottom, followed by a little Basic Black at the edge of the bottom.  I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to position my trees.  The two largest are stamped in Basic Black.  The two smallest are also stamped in Basic Black, but after they were stamped off once (tried to create the look of trees in the background).  I stamped one tree on the inside of the card for interest.

I'm having a bit of trouble with the light these days ... my pictures are not turning out very clear (could also be my camera - it's really old).  Anyways, I took a couple of extra shots from different angles so you can hopefully see it better.


Here's more photos:







____________________


Here's a quick run down on how Gord makes Cedar-Plank Salmon ...

Marinate your salmon fillets for up to 4 hours if possible (6-8 oz. per person).  Marinade is a mix of lots of Thick Teriyaki sauce (we use Golden Dragon brand), with a little soy sauce and a pinch of garlic salt.  About 1 hour before you want to BBQ, soak a cedar plank in water (make sure to weigh it down so it is immersed in the water).  You can get cedar planks from your lumber store (cedar fence boards), just make sure at least one side is smooth (not rough cut).  Heat your BBQ to 350 degrees, place the wet cedar plank in the BBQ until you start seeing smoke (approx. 5-10 mins).  Remove salmon from marinade and place skin side down on smooth side of cedar plank.  Close lid and BBQ until desired doneness - don't open lid!  We like ours well done so cook it for approx. 40 minutes.  Remove salmon from cedar plank and remove skin before serving (lots of time the skin sticks to the cedar).  Enjoy!!



Fruit and Nut salad:

Mixed baby greens or chopped Romaine hearts, fruit of choice (I used sliced strawberries for Valentine's Day, but sliced apples, pears or halved grapes also work well), toasted nuts of choice (I used pine nuts, but sliced almonds or pecans work well too), sweet vinaigrette (recipe follows).  Also really good if you add a few ounces of chopped unripened (soft) goat cheese.

My Favorite Sweet Vinaigrette: (shake well to combine)
Equal parts:
Sugar (or to taste)
Grapeseed Oil
White Balsamic Vinegar

plus pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper

Variations:  add chives, minced red onion or mustard to the vinaigrette to bump up the flavor






21 comments:

Laura said...

Hi Loll, Another amazing card! I love everything about it!! I can't wait to get back into my craft room and start brayering. I just hope I can make all my cards look as good as yours. TFS

Stamps and Paper said...

Such a fabulous card Loll and what a beautiful scene you have created...I have used my brayer for a long time but you have fired me up to do so

Anne

Kristie Goulet said...

Beautiful card. Awesome brayering. :)

Bonnie said...

What a gorgeous scene, Loll! It should be framed! How nice that your family can all get together each week! That's a treasure! Off to look at that coconut cake recipe.

Susan said...

Loll, I LOVE this gorgeous card! Any idea where I can purchase this stamp? I could totally CASE this beauty!

Chris Olsen, Glowbug said...

Loll, this is stunning!! What a gorgeous scene!! Your brayering is flawless!! Gorgeous work!!

Susan said...

Your card totally speaks to me of British Columbia - we are so lucky to live in such a gorgeous part of the world! I love how you did the mountains and sky.

And your dinner menu had me drooling even though I ate a very good dinner myself. I must make that coconut cake - it sounds delicious. I scrolled down through all your recipes - the strawberry mousse tarts look wonderful!

Danielle Vincent said...

Oh WOW Loll this is fabulous!! I belong to a card exchange group that meets once a month with a different challenge each time. This month we have code words (much like the ATCAS does) and mine is "mountains". I have literally been stumped for nearly 3 weeks trying to figure out what to do with that as I'm not a terrible outdoorsy person - nor do I have many stamps that portray nature. I do however have a tree stamp and am very excited to CASE you now. I'll let you know how it turned out :o)

BTW - when can I come over for dinner. I could be free every Sunday - sounds so Yummy! Thanks for the recipes.

Lisa Lara said...

Mmmmmmmmmmmm...salmon yum. Oh this is absolutely amazing Loll.

Loll said...

Hi Susan. The large pine tree is from Stampscapes and you can purchase on-line. They are based in California. I haven't bought from them for a while, but in the past have received great customer service and even email/chatted with the owner of the company. Loll xx

Loll said...

Hi Susan ... I totally agree. This looks like the North Shore mountains to me. We definitely are so lucky to live in "Beautiful British Columbia"!

Try the coconut cake - you won't be disappointed!! The mouse tarts were my own invention ... of course, you can't go wrong with Mascarpone cheese! Loll xx

Unknown said...

Absolutely gorgeous card Loll. Just love how you've brayered the mountains - just stunning. Popped over to see your inspiration and, to be truthful, I def prefer yours........!

Karen x

Grace said...

Loll your scene is just gorgeous!!! I am in awe of your brayering skills! Love how you stamped off a couple of the trees! Beautiful effect! I also would love to try your recipes! Sound yummy for sure!!! TFS!

My Paper Epiphany said...

Wow! Your card is amazing - a work of art! I would love to learn how to do this. I'll have to look for some tutorials.
I know what you mean about needing time to recharge. My brother has just had surgery for bowel cancer and my 91 yo Uncle has been in rehab for 4wks after a hip replacement. Last year my M & D took turns in hospital for 4months. You do have to take time out to look after yourself! Take care.

nancy littrell said...

OMG Loll......LOVELY, LOVELY brayered tree scene. Wow! TFS your plank salmon and salad too. I make a similar salad with greens, craisens, pear or orange slices or apple with feta cheese and key ingredient..pickled beets. Serve with poppyseed dressing diluted with fresh squeezed orange juice. Cranberry dressing is good too.

We sure have fun sharing my friend, with love...

Darnell said...

What a stunning job you've done with the brayering on this beautiful card, Lolly! Amazing. And thank you so much for remembering and sharing the recipes!! Now about that Baked Lemon Pudding? I'm not seeing that anywhere on the blog, or have I missed it? xxoo Dolly

Sue said...

Stunning card, Loll. Brilliant brayering and stamping, outstanding. Sue x

Anonymous said...

Stunning !!!!!! Loll this is a masterpiece and deserves to be framed. Your techniques are amazing my jaw literally dropped open when I saw this beauty. Thanks for the recipes too...mouthwatering .

Marie

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous Loll! Love the tree stamp and your inked scene! I need some sympathy cards and this is a great idea... saving it! thanks again!

Charlene Merrick (LilLuvsStampin) said...

I ran across your card on Pinterest and had to come tell you how absolutely beautiful it is, Loll! Your brayering skills are awesome.

Charlene Merrick (LilLuvsStampin) said...

I ran across your stunningly beautiful card on Pinterest, Loll. Your brayering is awesome. So beautiful.