Mini Sweets and Pink Ninjas

I had so much fun making these two projects. Probably because they're both for me. So I think maybe I gave myself more permission, if you know what I mean.

DESSERT RECIPE MINI-BOOK

I mentioned earlier in the week that I'd started going through some of my Grandparents' pictures. I intend to get the pics all scanned and then scrapped properly. But, in the meantime, I think a tribute befitting of my Grandma would be a book of her beloved dessert recipes. Now, mind you, I was raised by my grandparents so I am all-too-familiar with dear ol' Grandma's cooking. Let me tell you, it wasn't that good. The woman could not shake two spice jars together to save her life. Blaaaaaaaaand. They were, afterall, from New England circa the Great Depression era. Enough said.

But, that being said, the woman could wield a mean pie pan (or muffin tin, or cookie sheet, or...you get the picture). She made THE BEST chocolate chip cookies, a dreamy lemon meringue pie, and some of the most scrumptious quick breads you've ever wrapped your lips around.

So, here's the beginning of my Grandma's desserts cookbook. I say beginning because I only have in my possession 3 of the recipes I want to get in there. The rest are tucked away in Grandma's well-worn, overstuffed, goldenrod leather cookbook which is in my mother's possession so I have to make the trek over to wrest those away from her.

So far, all the papers are from the Cosmo Cricket Early Bird line. so befitting of a retro cookbook. I'm sure the majority of the rest of the pages will also be from this line, with a bit of other Cosmo Cricket papers sprinkled in as necessary. The chipboard button and tag on the first recipe page are also CC, from my aforementioned QVC kit.

The "wax seal" on the cover is actually about 8 or 9 layers of red embossing powder with a Crafty Secrets stamp imprinted in it. I've done this technique before, but there is currently a good instructional video for it by Jennifer McGuire over on the 2Peas forum.

I was inspired to make this minibook also by a mini made by Beth Perry over on Dirty Laundry HERE. Which, incidentally, is the June "jack" on Scrapjack!! I love Beth's work so it made it just that much more fun to jack this design.

As I add more pages to the book, I'll be sure to post them.

SECRET DOUBLE AGENT NINJA

Another super fun online friend, Euphoria, recently turned me on to The Pink Ninjas site. So much fun and it's intended to be FOR YOU. Not for layouts of the kids, or the holidays, or whatever. It's to have fun with the paper crafts that you love making something JUST FOR YOU. Which, incidentally, has inspired me to make a scrapbook for Heidi...no kids allowed.

The Pink Ninjas posts prompts every Wednesday. Now, I know I'm a bit late on this one but it was so much fun that I couldn't pass it up. This one is from the 6/17 prompt HERE which asked, "What kind of Ninja are you?"

I think most people (fellow mommies, hubby's work friends, acquaintances, etc) think I'm a sweet, quiet, polite person. And, yes, I am. For them. But don't we all lead double lives? Well, most of us? I think some people might be shocked at some of the music I love (it's runs the gamut), or that I can channel my inner sailor like nobody's business, or how I've looked at times in the past. Which brings me to the lovely pic in this layout...

October/November 2010 issue

Now that I look at it in black and white and compare it to what some teens look like nowadays, it looks rather tame. But I assure you when this pic was taken (a drinking age ago!!) it was quite shocking. I mean, we all have skeletons in our past, right? I just happen to be wearing mine on my ear (can you SEE that?!) LOL! Quite a Flock of Seagulls look I've got going there, eh? (I am REALLY dating myself.) I actually took a pic of my yearbook picture - I like the way it came out all pixelated when I blew it up to 4x6. (Which reminds me, do you remember a lot of your high school years? I apparently don't. And, despite what I look like, I never did drugs so that can't be the reason and I was a really good student so it's not like I walked through the years in a stupor...when looking for this pic there were 2 page numbers listed for me in the yearbook: my mugshot and a group pic of the History Club. I have ABSOLUTELY no recollection of being in the freakin' History Club! Maybe I just dropped in for the pictures...)

So, I've titled my layout "Secret Double Agent Ninja". I love the juxtaposition of images and colors which are meant to symbolize the two sides to my personality. Sweet but edgy. Pink but black. You get the picture.

Don't you just L-O-V-E the barbed wire and chained-link fence diecuts? They're Silhouette diecuts. So intricately detailed. Those along with the butterfly are all cut out of gunmetal gray metallic paper. So pretty. And the pink paper behind my pic and on the skull & crossbones is more of that faux handmade paper I made using the SCS technique HERE.

My 5-y-o son just saw the layout and ask who was in the picture. I told him it was me a long time ago, when I was about 16 or 17. He asked how old I was now and he thought for a bit and said laughingly, "Wow, that really IS a LONG time ago." Gee. Thanks. Kids say the darnedest things, eh?

I had a really great time making this layout, though. It's probably the only one I've ever made of ME that I actually like. Probably because it doesn't really seem like me. Oh, well.

Details (recipe book): Paper - Cosmo Cricket, The Paper Company; Ink - VersaMark, Colorbox; Diecuts - Cricut, Silhouette; brads - Creative Imaginations, Stampin' Up!; 7Gypsies board book; Michaels ribbon; Joanns lace; Heart & Home Collectibles vintage buttons; Crafty Secrets stamp; Stampendous embossing powder; Dymo tape; SU! punches; SU! clip; American Crafts felt flower; Cosmo Cricket chipboard; Zig Millenium pen; unknown - twine, apple cookie cutter, green velvet ribbon.

Details (secret ninja): Paper - American Crafts, Best Occassions metallic, The Paper Company; Diecuts - Cricut, Silhouette; Making Memories paint; Diamond Glaze; Zig Millenium pen; unknown rub ons.

Thanks for stopping by today! I had fun sharing with you.

Heidi