#craftingnotcoding: The Crafty Card Class [November 2014]

So, I finally made these cards and FINALLY writing out this blog. I've been super lazy these days, winter brings that out in me. This is unfortunately the last of these for the year! The December class got cancelled :( Feel so bad cause I forgot to sign up and they need three people, and only two signed up. Oh well! Waiting patiently for January!


So, still have a few Christmas cards to make? Here are some quick cards that you can put together in a blink and if you head over to Ben Franklin Crafts and Frames, they will help you get the supplies together, they are super friendly!!

 1. The "Asian" themed Card

Can you really fail with a combo of metallic paper and washi paper? NO! This can be used for the Chinese New Year that will be coming up soon too!


The symbol is the die cut on golden paper, the look completed with a strip of matching and some rhinestones on a black card base.

2. The "Elegant" Card

This card reminds me of a formal dress! Already have your Christmas card, well you can use this a thank you card after the holidays.


You really can't make a simpler card than this. Embossed metallic paper and a strip of ribbon on a black cardstock. That's it!

3. The "Feather" Card

How cute is the combination of printed and plain cardstock! 


The feathers are die cuts from plain, textured and metallic cardstock in colors matching the arrows on the printed scrapbook paper. Add a ribbon for a perfect finishing touch.

4. "Washi-ng" You a Merry Christmas

This card is so quick and easy to make you still have time to make a ton of them!


Just a couple of strips of coordinating washi tape and a "merry christmas" sticker. That's it :)

5. The "Gift Card" Card

Did you know that gift cards are the most popular gift? Here's a way to personalize it :)


The gift card envelope is a die cut using Christmas paper, and embellished using twine and matching die cuts. Easy Peasy!

And that's a wrap for this years Crafty Card Classes! Hope to be back with more creations from Coleen in 2015, till then I'll be hanging out at Ben Franklin for more crafting ideas to share with you :)

Happy Crafting!
Farhana   

Don't forget, caring is sharing!
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#footballsunday 14.0 : Seahawks "Pinspired" Cookie List

Seahawks vs Cardinals this week! Huge game as our fate depends on it! Apparently Cardinals have have not lost at home, well the Eagles didn't either till the Hawks came along :D

As I mentioned in my last post, I am still getting back into schedule and hence the "lazy post" today! Yes I am doing an actually "Pinspired" post! I really am not very creative and most of my ideas come from blogs, which I find on Pinterest!

So here are some awesome ideas for Seahawks cookies! And fingers crossed I'll be able to create some of them when the Hawks are back in the Superbowl!!



Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas! 

Go Hawks!
Farhana 

Don't forget, caring is sharing!
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#footballsunday 13.0 : Seahawks "Superbowl" Cookies

So...I was planning to take a week or so off for thanksgiving and finals, but then I went off to Phoenix for a off the hook holiday party, then came back sick and then it got worse. As a result I have been lying around and binge watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. Then I got bored and thought that I need to get out of bed and get back into a schedule. Starting with the blog :) Welcome back!

For this post I decided to merge together Thursday Night Football, Throwback Thursday and my Seahawks posts to share these cookies that I made for the Superbowl game last year.


This was one complicated project, so much so that I didn't make anything else for pretty much the whole weekend, and it'll be a whiles till I attempt to make another set (maybe when the Seahawks are back in the running for the Superbowl again?)

I don't have that many good pictures, so not going to go into details, just sharing highlights and links.

- I used black (to create grey), blue, green and white food color.


- I got a Seahawks cookie cutter, and hand cut the jersey's cause I couldn't find a small sized cookie set.

- The Seahawks logo was made with help from this tutorial.


- I attempted double decker cookes with the 12's on a square cookie.

You can find my favorite shortbread cutout cookie recipe here and how to make and pipe with royal icing here.

Go Hawks!
Farhana    
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#footballsunday 12.0 : Seahawks "Away" Manicure

I was looking through my nail polishes (I have a huge collection, totally obsessed!) And the grey and silver ones caught my eye and I thought why not do a manicure matching the Seahawks away kit.


With the Sounders and Seahawks playing this is going to be a short post. I already have two screens to watch, not adding a third screen :) In other news my Seahawks post match the NFL week count, finally caught up :)


Here's the colours I used to create this look:


All of the colors are discontinued at the stores. But all you need is a tip painter in white, a solid grey and white, silver and blue glitter. Along with your favorite base and top coat.

Share your Seahawks manicures on instagram and tag me, I'd love to see your ideas! (@hanasarker)

Go Hawks!
Farhana



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#footballsunday 11.0 : Seahawks at Ben Franklin

If you know me, you know my obsession with Ben Franklin Craft and Frames. Recently I've shared some football/Seahawk themed crafts and treats on the blog, and most of my supplies are from Ben Franklin, and today I am sharing a few snaps of their display dedicated solely to the Seahawks!!


How cute is that tulle skirt! If I were younger I might just have made one for myself! 
Instructions for the pom poms can be found here, banner here and the tulle skirt here.


Lots of bling and flair to add to your game day look. Those scarves will be super useful on windy game days!


Not all that crafty? Oh well you can just buy these ready made ones!


I always have trouble making cards for guys, this is a quick and easy one perfect for any guys of any age.


They have tons of paper and stickers to make cards and scrapbook pages of those games day pictures!


Ahhh...they have baking stuff too! Useful to recreate some of these treats.


Throwing a party with all those treats you made, well there are tons of straws, doilies and streamers to decorate with!


If you do throw a party, don't let your guests leave empty handed! Make some party favors and pack them up in these pretty DIY boxes with cute seahawks ribbon!

Go Hawks!
Farhana 
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Throwback Thursday 2.0 : The "Race Track" Cake

I'm back with another blast from the past. For some reason I still remember the time my mom asked me to make this cake, it was right before finals week and I really wasn't interested in decorating a cake (yes! I have those days too.)


So, I decided to take the easy way out and used this magazine clipping as inspiration. Yes, I still have the clipping too! Trust me I'm as surprised as you are :)


You too can recreate a simple cake like this within a few minutes too!


Details of the cake:
- 10 inch circle cake
- topped with chocolate frosting
- "tracks" piped with white frosting
- "grass" is coconut flakes tinted green with food color
- lastly the "rocks" are m n m's


Enjoy!
Farhana
1 comment:

The PSL Cookie {and a Book Review}

How many cookie cutters do I have? Well I haven't bothered counting, lets just say that I have too many and my collection is ever growing! My friend JUST sent me a care package full of cookie cutters!


One day I decided to start using cookie cutters from my collection and not just hoarding them. And of course I set out to find ideas in the bloggersphere. Which is when I came across Bridget of Bake at 350. She has the cutest and most creative ideas, and using her tutorials I slowly learnt and gained confidence in baking and decorating cookies!


So when I was sent a copy of her latest cookie decorating book, Decorating Cookies Party to review, I was so excited! But given my super busy schedule with school, I skipped the decorating stage, and just used multiple cookie cutters. It was just as much fun baking them! (Note: I did play around with the recipe a tad bit by adding pumpkin emulsion, cause how could I not!)


Each and everyone of her cookie designs are awesome and the tutorials are so easy to follow, that you can recreate them very easily! I had to take a snap of the football cookies, cause we all know my about my obsession with football.


And with a little modification, wouldn't these cookies be perfect for the upcoming release of Mocking Jay!


I'm so excited about winter break coming up and being able to spend more time in the kitchen baking and decorating!


The PSL Cookies
Recipe adapted from Decorating Cookies Party, by Bridget of Bake at 350

 Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp all spice
1/8 tsp cloves
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into chucks
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp pumpkin emulsion

Method
1. Prepare 2-3 cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper (don't use wax paper, there is a difference!)
2. Add the butter chucks to a large mixer bowl and beat in the sugar, till it is a smooth mixture.
3. Add the egg and pumpkin emulsion to the mixture and beat for 1-2 mins, scraping the bowl when done.
4. Finally add the flour, baking powder and spices. Beat until just combined.
5. Roll out between two sheets of wax paper and cut using cutter of your choice. Transfer to prepared cookie sheet.
6. Once a cookie sheet to full, place it in the freezer for 10-15 mins (this ensures that the cookie maintain their shape while baking).
7. Preheat the oven to 350*F and bake each tray for 10-12 mins (time varies depending on oven and how long the tray was in the freezer).
8. Decorate if you wish or enjoy immediately!

Enjoy!
Farhana  
2 comments:

The PSL Cupcakes

PSL = Pumpkin Spice Latte. I don't the like the drink. I don't look forward to it being available.  I don't wish it was available all year around. I love my summer drinks a bit too much, I actually make milkshakes in winter.


Even though I'm a PSL hater, I don't mind fall coming along. I do miss summer, especially the awesome PNW summer. But fall means that its football season, time to start training for snowboarding and PUMPKIN baking season! Except for pumpkin pie, I am obsessed about all other pumpkin desserts out there!


These PSL cupcakes are a favorite as they are so easy to make (using a cake mix) but you can't really tell because of the pumpkin puree that is added along with the spice mix. As a result the cupcakes are the right amount of moist, spicy and sweet. Topped with a little whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. they are perfect to compliment any fall gathering!


So go ahead, bake a batch, entertain and share. I recommend sharing as this recipe makes 24 cupcakes, that's a lot when we are only two in the house!


The PSL Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Ericas Sweet Tooth

 Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp coffee
1/3 cup oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
1/2 cup powdered sugar
ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350*F and line a regular size cupcake pan.
2. In a small bowl or mug, mix the coffee into the water.
3. Mix the rest of the ingredients, except the whipping cream and powder sugar, in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add in the coffee mix.
4. Using an ice cream scoop, fill the cupcake liners 2/3 way. Bake for about 20 mins, until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack, in the mean while beat the whipping cream and sugar until stiff.
6. Pipe the cupcakes with whipped cream and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon.

Enjoy!
Farhana 
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#craftingnotcoding: The Layered Circle Card

Oh Boy! Its been a while since I've blogged about card making, well I guess that makes sense seeing as I haven't been crafting a lot lately. Between entertaining, job hunting and working on my class project, I really haven't had all that much time to be creative. That is why I cannot wait for winter break! I have so many idea floating in my head that need to be shared.


This card is something I learnt to make at my first Crafty Card Club with Rachel and I just has to recreate it!

Here's what you need: 


- 1 8 x 11.5 sheet of card stock
- paper trimmer
- double sided tape
- small scissors
- 1.5 inch circles from scrapbook paper (I used the die cuts at Ben Franklin Crafts and Frames)

What to do: 
1. Cut the card stock into half, lengthwise. Then score the card stock, leaving about 1/2 inch difference.
2. Put a strip of tape on the shorter edge of card stock. Stick a circle on to the tape.


3. Continue to stick circles onto the card until you reach the end. Trim the last circle so it doesn't over lap.


4. Continue to layer circles, this time by adding small pieces on tape to the individual cut outs, that way it won't show through the gaps. After each line is done, trim the edge. On the final layer you will need to trim the top edge too.


Happy Crafting!
Farhana  
2 comments:

#footballsunday 10.0 : Spinach and Artichoke Dip

We might have lost, but I have a tasty comfort food coming your way to make you feel better! I should have gotten this post out earlier today, but instead of blogging while watching the game, I was studying for an interview and then headed out to a craft class right after (details on this later!). But we all know that all work and no play made Jack a dull boy, so I'm taking a break :)


I had spinach artichoke dip years ago before I even knew what an artichoke was. Then we had it together at a restaurant over the summer and since then its become a favorite and I look for an excuse to make it any chance I get! Appetizers? I got you covered!


I enjoyed making it in my new iron skillet (thanks LL!) but I before I had it I made it in a regular fry pan and it was just as tasty. The crab meat is of course optional and can easily be omitted if you have vegetarian guests. I do not do vegan, so lets not go there :P


This recipe was also shared by a friend (I love it when friends share recipe :) ) and is very easily customization, you can adjust spice and cheese level to your taste. So put all the ingredients on your shopping list and make it for next week's game! Serve it with blue chips and you have a blue and green treat to share.  


Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Ingredients
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
16 oz crab meat
4 Tbsp chopped basil
chili flakes, optional
salt and pepper, to taste
14 oz can of artichoke, drained and chopped
2 x 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup whipping cream
8 oz Italian cheese mix

Method
1. Heat up the olive oil in a large frying pan/iron skillet. Add onions and garlic. Stir until onions are transparent.
2. Add bell peppers and fry for 3-4 mins.
3. Add in crab meat along with spices (basil, chili flake, salt and pepper).
4. Once the crab meat starts to brown add the artichoke.
5. Add in spinach and stir well.
6. Add vegetable stock and whipping cream, allow mixture to come to a boil.
7. Finally, add the cheese and stir well to mix it in.
8. Once the cheese melts, your ready to serve!

(goes well with tortilla chips, pita bread or toasted french bread)

Go Hawks!
Farhana 
1 comment:

#footballsunday 9.0 : Seahawks vs Cowboys Game

I've been wanted to share these pictures with all of you for a while, but just couldn't choose which ones to post from the 100+ pictures that I ended up taking at the game. When you team is losing you have to find a way to entertain yourself :( So today's post is a mash up of Throwback Thursday and Thursday Night Football (whose excited for the thanksgiving game!!).


I'm no pro at taking pictures, but I finally decided to start using my fancy zoom lens. So Enjoy the few "good" shots! Probably the closest I'll get to these players :D
















Go Hawks!
Farhana 
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