Day 4 countdown St. Patrick's Day +

Good morning!

An Irish Friendship Wish

"May there always be work

For your hands to do;

May your purse always hold

A coin or two;

May the sun always shine

On your window pane;

May a rainbow be certain

To follow each rain;

May the hand of a friend

Always be near you;

May God fill your heart

With gladness to cheer you."

RUBBER STAMPING

Today I thought we could explore the wonderful world of rubber stamping together. I am still amazed when someone says to me "Rubber stamping? What is that?". I have been rubber stamping since 1983 or so, starting out self-taught as there really wasn't that much information out there about it. I have been teaching rubber stamping classes for a couple of decades! Wow.

In the back of a craft magazine I found an ad for a company named "Bizarro", that had rubber stamps. I saved up my money and sent off for the catalog. I think I may even still have it! The pages became very dog-eared and worn what with me reading and re-reading every page of quirky images.

To illustrate how much rubber stamping can be economical, I still have that original bottle of copper embossing powder I purchased for my first batch of home-made-rubber-stamped Christmas cards. I also still have the stamp I used. Both are still quite usable!

To illustrate how much rubber stamping can be outrageously expensive, I now have an entire room dedicated to my hundreds of stamps, thousands of sheets of paper and cardstock, and dozens of bottles of embossing powders, fun flocking, pearl ex, embellishments....well, the list could go on for quite a while!

How sweet it is!

hand stamped and colored domino magnet by inkspired

"The person born with a talent they are meant to use

will find the greatest happiness in using it."

- Goethe

Let's start with a fun rubber stamping project for any level stamper!

St. Patrick's Day Party Cupcakes

The fun baking part-

To do ahead:

Make a batch of cupcakes, let cool.

Frost with green frosting. If you can't find any pre-made, simply use a can of prepared white frosting, and drop in JUST A COUPLE OF DROPS of green food coloring. Really, just a couple. Mix well. You can always add more food coloring a drop at a time.

Sprinkle frosting with green tinted coconut to simulate grass.

How to tint coconut:

Add a few drops of food color to coconut in a jar; shake until evenly tinted.

The fun rubber stamping part-

Find a simple rubber stamp with an Irish theme - shamrocks are great. The image should be no larger than 1 1/2".

Purchase a good ink pad. Go ahead and invest $7 and get a green one. I like Stayz-on, Brilliance or Marvy Matchables.

You will need a pack or so of lollipop sticks. You can find these anywhere they sell Wilton cake decorating supplies (I get mine at JoAnn's Fabrics).

Now you want circles or squares or ovals of plain cardstock.

You will also need the same amount of green cardstock cut into shapes. 

There are many hand held punches in these shapes.

For more addicted stampers, there are the cuttlebug or cricut machines, etc.

Or you could do the old fashioned but really cheap way, and trace around a bottle or jar for a round circle, and cut out.

Ink your stamp lightly. No grinding, pounding or smacking.

Stamp your simple image onto scratch paper first to practice, then stamp onto the shaped plain cardstock.

Pretty!

Let dry or help it along with an embossing gun to set ink.

No, a hair dryer won't work.

Now make a sandwich:

Shaped and stamped plain cardstock circle face down +

    blob o' glue, with lollipop stick in the center +

        shaped green cardstock.

Press to secure lollipop stick. Let dry.

alternate - you can tape the lollipop stick in place and then glue the green card onto the back.

Or, you can put a dab of frosting on back side of stamped circle, and push lollipop stick into that, then a dab more frosting and squish the green cardstock in place on top.

Go clean your stamp. Using an old washcloth or tube sock, dampen the cloth. Dab your stamp repeatedly onto it and slightly scrub until no more green comes off. Then stamp several times onto scratch paper to make sure there is no more ink leftover. Your stamp should not be wet.



For extra pretty, tie a thin ribbon bow at the base of each stamped circle, around the lollipop stick.

Push one decorated lollipop stick into each cupcake.

Ready to go!



Fun extra - if this is for a school party, you can write the name of each student on the back, plain green cardstock side to personalize!

"If you're lucky enough to be Irish,

then you're lucky enough."

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com



Day 5 all things Irish

Good morning!

"Ireland is where strange tales begin and happy endings are possible."

- Charles Haughey, London, 7/14/1988

sheet music published in 1915.

courtesy of Indiana Music Libraries

Here is another green dress for Liana's paperdoll from yesterday:

and another one, a bit more modern!

Check out Liana's web site for tons more paperdoll models and dresses.

http://www.joechip.net/liana/

more IRISH HISTORY from

Paragon Publishing 2002

In 1541, Henry VIII was declared king of Ireland by the subservient Irish parliament. He was the first person to be so delcared since Edward Bruce. Wishing to bring the whole of the country under his control, he decided that complete Anglicisation was necessary.  Where previous administrators had tried to emphasis the differences between the Gaels and the Anglo-Irish, and so keep them segregated, Henry was intent on dealing with them all in a similar fashion.......

King Henry mounted the first serious challenge to the Gaelic culture in many parts of the country, by insisting on a uniformity of English language, customs and dress throughout the whole kingdom.

Irish Proverb:

"There is no strength without unity."

Today I would like to share with you a recipe made in a crock pot.



Corned Beef and Cabbage

courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens:

www.bhg.com/recipes



ingredients

 *  one 3 to 4 lb.corned beef brisket with spice packet

 *  1/2 small head cabbage, cut into 3 wedges

 *  4 medium carrots peeled and cut into 2" pieces

 *  2 medium yellow potatoes cut into 2 " pieces

 *  1 medium onion, quartered

 *  1/2 Cup water

directions

1. Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut brisket to fit in a 5-6 quart slow cooker.  Sprinkle spices from packet evenly over meat; rub in with your fingers. Place cabbage, carrots, onion, and potatoes in the slow cooker. Pour water over vegetables. Top with brisket.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 - 12 hours or on high-heat setting fro 5 to 6 hours. Transfer meat to cutting board. Thinly slice against the grain. Serve vegetables with a slotted spoon.

Makes 6 servings.

I do hope  you are enjoying this Sunday.

See you tomorrow!

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com



Day 6 St. Pat's Day countdown, paperdolls, mazes and vintage clip

Good day!

"A world of wishes at your command,

God and His angels close at hand,

Friends and family, their love impart,

And Irish blessings in your heart!"

Today is a beautiful day outside. The wind is still, the sun is shining and there are some blue skies peeking out between clouds. My Great Dane Tanner just wants to sit outside in the sun - sniffing the breeze and soaking up the sun, and, well, what ALL Great Danes do - napping!

and one of my favorites - remember, he is napping -

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's spirit remains unawakened."

- Antole France

Here is a wonderful celtic knot maze from Dover:

You can click on any of my pictures and they open in their own little window. You can then copy and paste, or just print.

Please be courteous about copyright laws.

If you didn't come up with the idea, don't say you did.

Try to always give credit where credit is due.

Here is another interesting maze based on Ireland:

courtesy of Dover

For future Crafts:

Time to save an egg carton or two. These need to be made out of the paperboard/cardboard kind, not the styrofoam white ones. Any color will due, as long as it is bio-degradable cardboard type material.

For a SUPER Egg project coming up, please start saving those twistie ties that come on bread or bags of things. You will also need a variety of silk ties to cut up. Not any other kind, just silk ones. I finally broke down and purchased a handful from my local ARC thrift store. My husband had this strange objection to my cutting up some of his ties....go figure.

A silk scarf might work, I'm going try that this year also. I don't know if it will work yet, so don't depend on just silk scarves. Get those ties!!!

For our CD project you will need a hundred or so CDs. That means a pile of them! It does not matter what is printed on the CD at all.

We will be making a purse with all the gum wrappers you are saving. You might want to hook in with a youth group or something to get a good supply of them. Perhaps a junior league baseball team? I kinda' shudder to think one person would chew that much gum themselves!

Here is another paper doll set with an Irish theme:

Liana's Paperdoll Blog is a website with all original (and copyrighted) paperdolls and their fantastic wardrobes. Well worth a check.

joechip.net/liana

Well, I think that's enough for today! I'm looking forward to a recipe for traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage cooked in a crockpot for tomorrow.

"Irish Alzheimer's:

You forget everything except the grudges."

 - Judy Collins



inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com



Day 7 Irish Countdown

Cead mile failte!

(pronounce Kaid meela fawl-cha)

I have just said "a hundred thousand welcomes" to you, in Irish!

I have always wanted to know what that meant, and now both of us know!

Welcome to my Day 7 Saint Patrick's Day countdown.

We are celebrating all things green and Irish!



I have had fun this past week going through all my clips and photos to find pictures to post. Soooo many talented people out there.

I think my absolute favorites are the song sheets art. They are such a statement on the times they were printed. I think about all those Irish Tenors that traveled from town to town to make a living by singing in taverns, assembly halls and more.  I think of the women that broke with tradition (get married, have lots of kids, keep your husband happy) and also took their voice on the road, trying to make enough $$ to live with and maintain at least a sense of freedom.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.

Live the life you've imagined."

- Henry David Thoreau

Here is sheet of very silly paperdolls

from origami bears:

see my sidebar of favorite web sites for origamibears addy!

Here is a little bit o' the green with a Creme de Menth Cake!

from my friend Nancy Serres.

Go Basement Babes!

                                                          Creme De Menth Cake

1 white cake mix(pudding in the mix)
1/3 C. green creme de menth liqueur

Topping
1 can Hershey's Hot Fudge
1 extra large Cool Whip
1/3 C. Green creme de menthe liqueur

Mix the cake as directed on the box, but substitute 1/3 c. green creme de menth liquer for 1/3 c. water.  Bake as directed.

While the cake is still hot, spread Hershey's hot fudge over the top of the cake and let it cool.

When the cake is cooled mix the remaining 1/3 c. green creme de menth liquer with the Cool Whip and spread on top of the cake.  Refrigerate.  This cake is best when made the day or night before, serve chilled

Modifications:

How about skipping the hot fudge and use a Cool Whip mixed with a few drops of green food coloring frosting?

Sprinkle with shamrock candies, found at Hobby Lobby, JoAnn Fabrics and Michaels.

Are you remembering to save your old CDs, and gum wrappers? Also you should be building a pile of washed and cleaned juice packs. We will be slicing them open, so if you want you can cut them down the side seam to wash them out better. Also continue collecting retail plastic bags, but not the grocery store bags (they are too thin). I recently went to the dentist, and came home with a great little dental plastic bag, perfect for this upcoming project!

"We have always found the Irish a bit odd.

They refuse to be English."

- Winston Churchill

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com

Day 8 St Patrick's Day countdown, budget home decor craft, quotes n paperdolls

Hi!
Today is Day 8 in our 10-day countdown to St. Patrick's Day!

"May you have warm words on a cold evening,

a full moon on a dark night,

and a road downhill

all the way to your door."

sheet music cover courtesy of Museum of Indiana Published Music.

Refer to my favorite web sites on the right for address!

Here is an antique paper doll of an Irish miss, courtesy of origami bears:



http://www.origamibears.com/PaperDolls1/paperdolls1.html

I adore her site! It is a paper doll paradise, which she offers free of charge. She changes themes about 4 times a year, with all different paper dolls each time.

Wow.

I'm smiling.......

Irish history

Paragon Publishing, 2002

"Saint Patrick is most famous throughout the world for reputedly having driven all the snakes out of Ireland. There are several different legends and tales of this event.....

...The earliest Irish historical document not written in ogham is St. Patrick's own 'Confession', written in untutored Latin. So not only is St. Patrick's 'Confession' the only contemporary narrative telling of the arrival of Christianity to Ireland, it also marks the beginning of documented history...."

A Budget Home Decorating Project:

After making a project with many snips of ribbons and lace left over, I just couldn't throw the snips away - they were so pretty! So, I came up with this budget recycling project -

Wash and dry cleaned StarBucks cappucino drink bottles - the kind you buy at the grocery store. Save lids.

tip: Hard to get the sticky residue off? Try Goo-B-Gone, if you can find it. Check at your local hardware store, or craft store. You can also use acetone (which I only have because my husband is a guy). Fingernail polish remover might work, if it has enough acetone in its' base. Sometimes a little cooking oil will remove sticky residue. Last resort? Try scraping it with a fingernail, and then scrubbing with a dish scrubber & liquid soap. I use Basic H, from Shaklee.

You now have a bottle that very closely resembles those sold in craft stores for scrapbooking and rubberstamping; filled with things like buttons, silk flowers, trims, etc.

They are not cheap...........but yours will be!!!!

Fill your bottles. You can spray paint the lid to match your decor, or decoupage a flower clipping on to the lid.

Be creative! Use up those dibs and dabs that are always left over after projects.

Wouldn't these look great with a big silk daisy hot glued onto each lid?

I have one recycled bottle filled with white buttons. I have another filled with all those lovely ribbon and lace snippets. I also have ones filled with color groups of decorative string, yarn and embroidery thread. Coordinate these with the color of your room! They look so pretty sitting on a shelf together.

Other ideas for 'filling':

small wooden spools with or without thread

decorative buttons

silk flower parts - the green stuff!

bobbins for your sewing machine

foreign coins

layered colored sands

bottlecaps

fish tank colored pebbles

flattened marbles

dried flower pods

......the list could go on and on!

Let me know what you have filled your recycled bottles with!
dominoes@myinkspired.com

Here is a treasury I have put together with wonderful recycle artists:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ca215aa0d0c6d91e02cef9a/word-of-the-day-recycle?index=23

A kirigami card I have made, layering 2 different designs.

"Eat oranges
Hear the larks
Wait on the sun."
- John Muir

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com

Irish History and Blessings, St. Patrick and a Kirigami dye project

Welcome!

Today is Day 9 in our 10 day countdown to St. Patrick's Day.

"May the Lord keep you in His hand

And never close His fist too tight."

- Irish blessing

Here's a leprechaun and a Celtic knot for you to color, or use it as a beading pattern, or applique quilting, or....

Dover Publications

Irish History

Paragon Publishing, 2002

"Saint Patrick's mission to Ireland appears to have lasted abut 30 years and its impact was immense.  AD432 is the date traditionally given for the start of his mission. It is probable that there was a small number of Christians in the country before this time, as Ireland had considerable trading links with both Roman Britain and continental Europe."

sheet music art, courtesy Indiana museum of vintage song sheets

Let's do a fun sweatshirt project!

A one-of-a-kind kirigami sweatshirt
You will need:
   * a washed sweatshirt, with NO FABRIC SOFTENER
   * a few 'trial' t-shirts, washed, with NO FABRIC SOFTENER
   * various spray bottles
   * kirigami pattern(s) of choice, cut out of scratch paper

tip: Pick one with bolder lines rather than one with a lacy design to start.

   * a cardboard insert to go inside your sweatshirt
   * waxed paper and scotch tape
   * fabric dye in a liquid form

tip: Try fabric paint that has been watered down a bit.

   * clean rags, paper towels, etc.
   * plastic craft gloves, if desired
   * various colors of puff paint or dimensional paint

Let's get started!
> Place newspapers on table surface and floor to cover.

> Place a trial t-shirt on papers, with front facing you.

> Cover cardboard insert with wax paper. You can tape the wax paper on, with the tape on the 'back' side. This will prevent bleed-through onto the back of your shirt. Insert inside t-shirt, wax side up, smoothing out any wrinkles.

> Mix up fabric dye to a consistency that will spray well from the spray bottles. Pour into spray bottle(s). Remember, you aren't filling the bottles, just mix enough for this project.

> Place your kirigami pattern on top. Tape in place with rolled up scotch tape, so no tape is showing from front.

tip: NOT the time to use double stick tape!

> Practice your spray inside your spray box, or an area that is well covered with newspapers. Try to make an even spray from the top, so the spray doesn't continually  go under the kirigami pattern.
> Start spraying your t-shirt, concentrating on the blank spots left open from the kirigami pattern, and the edges. If you want to use more than one color of fabric dye, keep the first color at a mist and not too heavy. Repeat with second color, making sure that all edges have dye on them.
    Tricky Part:  Lifting off the pattern -
> If you have 'pooled' fabric dye on your kirigami pattern, you can dab to absorb with a paper towel, without smearing the design on the t-shirt. Now, loosen the rolled up scotch tape, and lift to remove pattern.
Worst thing? Some extra, creative dribbles of fabric dye splat on your t-shirt design. Simply make these part of your design.
> Follow the fabric dye's information on how to set. Some want you to press with an iron. Some want you to wash & dry a certain way. Let fabric air dry first, then remove the cardboard insert if you have to go and set it. Otherwise, leave the insert in place so the dimensional paint doesn't bleed through.
> Finish with dimensional paint to accent. Add dots, short lines, etc. Let thoroughly dry before handling.
> Repeat with your sweatshirt. Go ahead and do some more 'trial' t-shirts too!

tip: I would definitely wash my just painted shirts all by themselves, or maybe with dog towels, or something that I wouldn't care if it got new colors on it!
This is a project that even your grumpy teenagers that don't like anything you suggest - will like! Adapt the kirigami pattern for something 'lightning' shaped and get your guys to join in!

Great project idea for boys/girls clubs, girl's pajama parties, Basement Babes, etc. as long as everyone wears "paint clothes" and socks. Put the shoes far, far away, unless you are including them in your dye project!

An example of a 'bold' design of kirigami, made into a greeting card by me.

To use as a pattern for the dyed sweatshirt, I would not add colored paper behind parts of the design (purple and pink).



"May your day be filled with blessings

Like the sun that lights the sky,

And may you always have the courage

To spread your wings and fly!"

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com

Butterflies, Fairies and Shamrocks

Hello!

"May the roof above us never fall in.

And may the friends gathered below it never fall out."

- Irish Blessing

I am starting a 10-day countdown to Saint Patrick's Day, March 17.

We'll be doing a bit o' green each day!

This front cover of sheet music is from one of my favorite web sites:

http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/inharmony/welcome.do

Bit of Irish History

Paragon Publishing Book, ISBN0-75256-139-1

Around AD600 the Irish imported books and copied them in their monastaries. They also took these books with them wherever they went.

An important library was established at Bobbio AD613.

If you are still working on your fairy wing mobile from March 6th blog, here is a web site that has MANY full color butterflies to be inspired by and to gaze upon:

http://www.insectframes.com/ButterfliesThumbnails.htm

Here is a vintage Irish fairy for you:

If you would like to give a live shamrock plant for the holiday, here is a site I found on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Shamrock-PlantFlowersOxalis/dp/B000NUB2HM/ref=pd_bxgy_ol_text_b

I have always loved the delicate shamrock plant with white flowers. Browsing around, I have found there are several different types of shamrock plants. So, do some shopping and pick which one you like best!

image from:

27249-irish-womans-hand-holding-a-green-shamrock-clover-by-the-stem-over-a-white-background-stock-photo-image-by-anastasiya-maksymenko[1]

Altered Paper Doll Wing Project:

Let's make an Irish Fairy Altered Paper Doll!

Take a look at the butterflies on the web site mentioned above.

Put  your Green Oz Glasses on, and envision them in green!

Here is a base doll to get you started:

This is one of Tom Tierney's paperdolls from Dover Publications.

http://store.doverpublications.com/index.html

Here is a dress to go with her:

BUT....I want you to turn her into an Irish Fairy!  So, get out those pictures of wings, and play. What style looks best on her? How about detachable wings so she can have new wings for every day of the week?
I bet velcro would work? A sewing hook and eye?

Do I want to make the wings glittery? Refer to the tutorial on Fairy Wing Mobile and apply the glitter/paint suggestions.  Ranger's Stickles would also work great!

Have fun with your Irish fairy altered paper doll. Add some green crepe paper. Add a bit of green lace, or an interesting button. Cover her in shamrock stickers!

You can print out the base, and glue it onto a sturdy piece of cardboard (yeah - cereal boxes!).
What about gluing the base doll to a thin piece of balsa wood? You can cut this with your x-acto knife fairly easily. Balsa wood can be found in Hobby Lobby, or other craft stores.
OR -
Use just the outline of the doll to get you started. Now you can make the face or clothing style any way you want. Give her wild red wire hair!!! Give her dried moss for hair, and twigs for her arms and legs!  Add tiny white silk flowers at her wrists and ankles.  Does she need a proper white lace shawl around her shoulders? Use a bit of an old handkerchief with lace border.

I would love to see your Irish Fairy Altered Paper Dolls. Send me a picture!

Stamped  with Peddler's Pack rubber stamp.

I am so looking forward to getting a new printer/scanner soon. Right now I can't scan any of my projects to show you; I am relying on "old" pictures and clips.  Ah, such a reliance on the electronic age. Once you have it, you think you can't live without it. And perhaps we can't...

"There are only two kinds of people in the world -

the Irish, and those who wish they were!"

- Irish saying

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com