Sundays With Lorraine

Hello, my crafty friends, and welcome back to Weekly Scrapper! Summer has officially begun and in Southern California, we can have days that can exceed 100 degrees so if I’m not at the beach, I tend to navigate to my happy place, which is my nice air-conditioned craft room.  Since you are here with me that must mean that you, too, have found a little “me” time in your happy place, so let’s get started with today’s creative therapy.

Walk By Faith Canvas By Suzanne C

This whimsical canvas really spoke to me and I hope you find it as inspiring as I do. You all know how I love a nice hand-painted and/or inked background. The combination of this along with the stenciled texture and the gorgeous crackle embossing paste really takes this canvas to the next level.  Add those gorgeous butterflies with a little help from our creative friend, Suzanne, and you too can create a real work of art.

Pulling off a project with a lot of negative space is quite a challenge and big hugs to Suzanne for showing us how it’s done. I love how all those beautiful butterflies look as though they’re ready to take flight right off the canvas. I hope you’ve been inspired to break out a blank canvas and create your own work of art! I highly recommend stopping by the blog Suzz’s Stamping Spot any time you are in need of some serious inspiration. Suzanne is the queen of paper crafting and she has prepared a tutorial that shares step-by-step instructions on how she designed this project.

Are We There Yet By Tamera

Isn’t this a perfect card to mail someone that needs a little pick-me-up? After all, isn’t that why we put so much love into our handmade treasures? Sending a handmade card is like sending a hug through the mail. Many thanks to Tamera for sharing how easily this adorable card came together.  Click here and I will take you over for a visit so you can follow along as Tamera shares easy-to-follow instructions.

Kudos to you for sharing those smiles one handmade card at a time. I hope you’ve been inspired to break out those Distress Inks and Distress Crayons to create your own customized backgrounds. Be sure to stop by Tamera’s blog Plays Well With Paper for more great tips and techniques.

Heat Embossing Basics By Julie Ebersole

Heat embossing is one of my favorite techniques to share. I love it when I break out the heat guns and embossing powders in the Creativity Center – it makes my heart sing to see those faces light up when they experience the magic for the first time. It’s a beautiful thing! Whether you have been heat embossing for years or it’s your first time, Julie has some really great tips to share, so be sure to check out her video on Ellen Hutson’s Blog; you’ll be glad you did.

One tip that I would like to repeat is the fact that you don’t have to limit yourself to using Vera Mark for heat embossing. I’m almost embarrassed to admit how many years I thought that was our only option. I love my Versa Mark and I use it often. Because it’s a thicker watermark ink it stays wet longer which gives you more time to add embossing powders. You can basically use any pigment ink for heat embossing; you just need to remember that the pigment ink will dry faster so you have to apply the embossing powder before the ink drys. This will open all kinds of options for you, as long as you have clear embossing powder you can heat emboss with all your yummy pigment ink colors. Have fun!

Shrimp Cakes By Skinny Taste

You’re going to love these light, pan-seared shrimp cakes. They are moist and tender, covered with a crispy panko crust. Not only are they tasty but also much healthier than what you would expect. For those following the Weight Watcher program, they count as 7 points or a mere 265 calories. I almost forgot to mention that you can have these delicious shrimp cakes on the table in under half an hour. What’s not to love, right?

Gina is the queen of preparing light, fresh meals you and your whole family will love! Click here and I will be happy to escort you over to her amazing food blog Skinny Taste so you can print out the recipe. While you are there make sure you check out the “need it in your life” cookbooks. Big hugs to Gina for sharing with us that eating healthier doesn’t have to be painful.

I do hope you will take a minute or two to visit the individual blogs I have shared to see more details on these wonderful projects. Hugs to all who have shared the inspiration for today’s post. Have an amazing week and I’ll see you next Sunday.