Daily Archives: July 29, 2007

Beyond the Pale…

I have a card sample to share with you from one of today’s Dare to Get Dirty Challenges. πŸ™‚ JanTink’s challenge today is “Beyond the Pale”…making a pale card. No dark colors…just pale pastels and very light neutrals. I couldn’t use my Close to Cocoa or Chocolate Chip! LOL But seriously…I love the look. It is one I’ve done in the past and really should use more often.

Are you playing along with the Dare to Get Dirty Challenges? Another EIGHT cool challenges today! If you’d like to play along, make sure you check out…. DTGD Sunday challenges! πŸ™‚

Pale Dahlia

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So we’re back with another Dahlia design! πŸ™‚ I guess I really should have chosen a different set for my sample but…. Well, I tell you the truth. I made this design first. Was very delinquent in getting yesterdays done in time. Went back to get it done, I tried using different sets but….this one just kept calling my name. I gave in…as you can tell. πŸ˜‰ And so, you get the same set on two different samples two days in a row. I’m hoping you won’t care. πŸ™‚ It is one of my favorite sets and I just love both the cards and how different both technique are. πŸ™‚

For this design, I stamped the dahlia onto a piece of very vanilla cardstock with Versamark and applied Blush and Pretty in Pink Stampin Pastels on the image for a soft look. Using my Itty Bitty backgrounds stamp, I randomly stamped a texture over top with River Rock. The edges of all the layers were also sponged with this soft neutral and on the image layer, I added some extra distressing around the edges.

Quick Tip: With a soft, pale card…add lots of texture for interest and to help define the layout and layers.

On the middle layer, I stamped my new favorite background stamp Tres Chic with Versamark and chalked it as well. Before adhering the layers together, I pulled out my mat pack and pieced every third hole around the image. i then used Linen thread to sew around it to add more texture and interst. I love soft pretty look combined with the texture of the thread. The sentiment comes from a retired SU shell set A Beautiful Day and is stamped across the image with River Rock.

To finish up, I added some pretty embellishments. A corsage pin attaches the pale pink dotted organdy ribbon to the design. The Prima flower is from the Cherry Blossom collection and is attached with a beautiful pearl brad from K & Company.

This card design is actually paler in person and so subtle and pretty. I had to darker it up a little so that the details would show on-screen. I hope you enjoy it and hope you’ll take the time to try out the challenge! Happy Sunday!!

Pavlova {C’est Bon}

OK…soooooo! πŸ™‚ Today I’m shakin it up a little and not sharing one of my favorite tools or goodies, I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes! Pavlova{C’est Bon} (it’s good) πŸ™‚ !

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I don’t remember the first time I ever had this dessert…it is something I grew up on. My mom, aunt and “Nany” (grandma) all made it for special occasions and it was always a favorite. My aunt gave my a hand-written recipe for it at one of my bridal showers, eighteen years ago and I’ve pulled out the recipe card, many times since. πŸ™‚

Now if you haven’t tried Pavlova…you simply must! It really is worth making. So light and airy, made of a crisp meringue crust with a slightly soft center, topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit….it is a perfect dessert for summer. I love making it all year and if berries aren’t in season, I top it with sliced Kiwi and well-drained mandarin oranges.

Pavlova is named after the ballet dancer Anna Pavlova and originated in Australia or New Zealand….both lay claim to it. πŸ˜‰ This dessert is extremely popular in Britain and it is so interesting to see how many of my relatives and their friends from Northern Ireland make it as well.

Pavlova is really easy to make. I baked this up on Friday morning as I needed a dessert to bring for a BBQ I was going to. Actually, I doubled it and made two…one disappears rather quickly at a large get-together. πŸ™‚ There wasn’t a crumb left. :)It doesn’t take long to whip up the bottom and put it in the oven. Make sure you do have time for it to cool properly though. It is really quick to make but it does take some planning ahead. One of the things I like best about this dessert is the very basic and short ingredients list… egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, whipping cream and berries.

Pavlova Recipe

Heat oven to 275Β° oven. cover cookie sheet with heavy brown paper or parchment paper.

Beat 3 egg white and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar in smallmixing bowl until foamy. Beat in 3/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do no underbeat.

Shape meringue on paper into about a 9 inch circle with back of spoon building up the side about a good inch in depth. Bake 1.5 hours. Turn off oven and leave in oven with door closed 1 hour or overnight. Cool at room temperature. Beat up real whipping cream and put on top ofΒ  base. Top with fresh fruit.