Amanda Coleman Archives - Page 5 of 13

Pumpkin Spice Cards

Sep

‘Tis the season for pumpkin spice everything! The arrival of pumpkin spice goodies is a sure sign that fall has arrived. The deep flavors and rich fall colors of pumpkin spiced baked goods are absolutely irresistible. Amanda here today with some pumpkin spice inspired cards and a super yummy pumpkin cake recipe.

Inspired by a way delicious pumpkin cake I made last week, I thought it would be fun to make some pumpkin spice inspired thank you cards for Fall. I dug through Pebbles’ Harvest collection for deep yellow and orange pumpkin spice colored patterned papers and embellishments.

Really great cards don’t have to be complicated. Attach a journaling card to the front of a card with a clip and you have a super easy and sophisticated card (Amy uses the same technique in this post HERE). Add some texture by adding stitching detail and a jute twine bow.

Adding fibers to a card gives a flat card warmth and dimension. Simply wind some twine around your hand and place beneath an embellishment.

You can also add texture to a card using Pebbles delicious flour sack labels.

Choosing the right adhesive can make or break a project. A little bit of double sided adhesive tape on the back of a patterned paper panel holds everything in place until you stitch the border of the card. Crafty Tip: Strategically place adhesive away from the areas where you will be stitching so you don’t gum up your sewing machine.

Raised sticky dots are perfect for adhering cardstock embellishments to cards. Add a few well placed raised sticky dots to your embellishment and place directly on top of the twine to hold the twine in place.

Adhere bows to cards with a dab of liquid adhesive. This glue also dries clear so you won’t even notice the glue blob.

Now this is what you’ve been waiting for–the pumpkin cake that inspired it all. I recommend making at least two. Yum!

Frosted Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (from Cooking Light magazine)

Cake Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree

Frosting Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 (8 oz.) package 1/3 less fat cream cheese
2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

3. Combine brown sugar 1/4 cup butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, to sugar mixture; beat well after each addition. Add pumpkin; mix well. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter into a 13×9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

4. To prepare frosting, combine 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Spread frosting evenly over top of cake.

Happy pumpkin everything!
Amanda

Supplies:
Harvest Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Fall Time
Harvest Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Let’s Eat
Harvest Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Scattered Leaves
Harvest Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″From My Kitchen
Harvest Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Cook Book
Harvest Flour Sack Fabric StickersPhrases
Harvest Dies 9/PkgTab & Recipe Card
Harvest Chips Die-Cut Shapes 44/PkgEphemera
Harvest Enamel Dots 88/Pkg
Baker’s Twine Value Pack 5yd Spools 24/Pkg
Sticky Thumb Double-Sided Tape
Sticky Thumb Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue 3.3oz
Sticky Thumb Dimensional Adhesive Foam 272/Pkg
Sticky Thumb Sticky Flat Adhesive Dots
Sticky Thumb Sticky Raised Adhesive Dots

Daily Affirmations Frame

Sep

1 Comment

Hi y’all! Amanda here today. Whatever you are, be a good one. Today is going to be awesome. You are loved. These are just a few of the uplifting phrases that can be found on journaling cards in Pebbles’ new DIY Home collection. These are the types of words that I want displayed in my home on a daily basis.

Inspired by the wooden layered frame, I created a place where these phrases could be displayed all of the time. I chose ultra feminine patterned papers and colors as I thought this would be perfect for my nine year-old daughter’s room. How neat would it be to have your daughter (or grandaughter, or neice, etc.) read an inspiring new phrase as she gets ready for school every day?

Adding a gold clip to the frame makes it easy to swap out the message often. You could even add your favorite photographs to the rotation.

There are so many uplifting and positive sayings in the DIY home collection. The Happy Day cutouts with gold foil and the Quotables 12″x12″ are my favorite. The 4″x4″ cards and 3″x4″ cards fit perfectly inside of the frame. Add a DIY Home Minc card to the frame for a lovely piece of decor.

Paint the edges of the frames with a coordinating gold paint before adhering paper or tape to the top of the frames. The more gold the better!

Rather than breaking out the glitter (and making a huge mess), I used the gold glitter scallop tape to create a glittery frame. It was so easy and I didn’t get one fleck of glitter in my contacts.

After painting the edge of your frame, adhere a piece of gold glitter scallop tape to the top of the frame, pressing down firmly on the tape as you go.

Turn your frame over and trim any excess tape with a craft knife. Repeat for all four sides of the frame. TIP: Strategically place the scallops so the wider parts of the frame get covered evenly.

Wherever you go, go with all our heart.
Amanda

Supplies:
DIY Home Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Wood Floors
DIY Home Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Soft Classic Pink
DIY Home Layered Frames 2/pkg10.75″X8.75″
DIY Home Metal Clips 12/pkgGold
DIY Home Decorative Tape 1.5″X3ydsGold Glittered Scallop
DIY Home Specialty Cardstock 12″X12″Happy Day Cut-Outs W/Gold Foil
Minc 3″X3″ Card Set 18/PkgDIY Home

Applesauce Gift Jars

Sep

1 Comment

It’s September! Can I get a hallelujah? Amanda here today with an enthusiastic hallelujah! of my own. I can’t wait to cozy up in a bulky sweater and drown myself in hot chocolate. But here at the farm, fall also means applesauce. While I don’t have apple trees of my own, I have neighbors who beg me every year to take apples off of their hands. If I’m not careful, they’ll leave a box on my doorstep and run.

Wrapping up a mason jar full of homemade delights is a cinch. Simply wrap the jar with a strip of paper and add a printed tag. Maximum specialness with minimal effort. No time for homemade? Dress up a jar of treats from the store to give it a homemade feel.

The Harvest collection is so full of cozy fall textures. The flour sack fabric stickers are my favorite. The coarse weave and slightly frayed edges add a warm, homespun feel to just about any project. (And what about the bright red applesauce? It’s flavored with red hots. YUM!)

Canned goods and gingham lids to together like peanut butter and jelly. Cut a circle from gingham paper and wrap it around the top of the jar. Make it look even more adorable with red baker’s twine and a chalkboard tag. Awww!

Don’t forget the tops of the jars. This is a perfect place to add a label or other fun embellishment.

Crafty Tip: Use a Slick Writer marker to write on, well, slick surfaces like stickers. It works like a dream and won’t smudge one bit. I rubbed my finger all over this label and you Can’t. Even. Tell.

First of all–PEBBLES WOOD STAMPS! Okay, now that it’s out of my system, I’ll get some stamping tips.

Stamping Tip #1: Apply ink directly to the stamp rather than tapping the stamp on top of the ink pad. This will allow for better ink coverage.

Stamping Tip #2: Press down firmly on the stamp. Don’t He-Man smash it, just press it evenly. Also, don’t rock or roll the stamp. That’ll just leave a weird black ring around your image.

Stamping Tip #3: Clean stamps using regular ol’ baby wipes. This may require an explanation if a friend catches you in the baby aisle at the store (true story). They’re just for stamps, I swear.

Happy Fall, y’all!
Amanda

Supplies:
Harvest Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Apple Crisp
Harvest Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Utensils
Harvest Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″From My Kitchen
Harvest Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Hand Towel
Harvest Flour Sack Fabric StickersPhrases
Harvest Labels 6/Pkg
Harvest Wood Mounted Stamps 8/Pkg
Harvest Baker’s Twine 50yd Spool
Slick Writer Marker Medium Point Open Stock

Geometric Summer Fruit

Aug

2 Comments

Hello Pebbles Fans! Amanda here today. Most of the time I don’t eat as much whole fruit as I should, but during the summer that all changes. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as diving face first into a slice of watermelon or stuffing my cheeks with fresh grapes. Inspired by Pebbles’ bright patterned papers, I set out to make some cute, geometric summer fruit to display all summer long.

I couldn’t resist turning back to my favorite Pebbles watermelon paper. The only thing that makes me sad is that I can’t eat it. The shape of these fruits may cause you to think abstractly. I have never seen such an angular lemon, but it is charming. Each of these fruits is made with patterned paper from a different Pebbles collection.

Add a rolled paper stem and a hand cut leaf to oranges, apples, or even little cherries.

This watermelon box looks yummy enough to eat. Adhere a strip of green paper to the base of the box to create the rind.

While these geometric fruit boxes would make lovely décor or a centerpiece, they can also be used as little treat boxes. Fill the boxes with yummy treats before you adhere the last opening.

All of these boxes were made using a triangle score guide. Simple insert the triangle score guide into any score board and you can score perfect triangles from which all of these different shaped boxes are created.

After the triangle score lines are created, follow the instructions in the manual to cut out the shapes for each box. I quickly drew the cut lines on the inside of the paper I was using. No need to draw pretty lines–you’ll make them nice and straight when you cut out your shape.

Use a white pen or chalk pencil to trace the cut lines on a dark piece of paper.

Happy creating!
Amanda

Supplies:
Boo! Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Jack-O-Lantern
Fun In The Sun Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Watermelon
Fun In The Sun Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Cherries
Home Grown Double-Sided Cardstock 12″X12″Partly Cloudy
Triangle Score Guide

Pool Party Candy Packets

Aug

2 Comments

Hi everyone! Amanda here today. I’m not one to make much of a fuss over gifts, but every once in a while I wish I had a little treat on hand to help wish someone a happy birthday or to express my thanks. And nothing says happy birthday or thank you quite like candy.

The fun, summertime pool themes in the Fun In the Sun collection make for a bright and cheery gift. Package up your favorite treat in a photo sleeve with some fun paper and die cuts and you have a sweet treat at the ready. And just like grandma, you can also tuck a few of these in your purse for the little ones.

Pool party candy packets are easy to put together. You’ll need some plastic sleeves, patterned paper, embellishments, candy and a Fuse tool. If you don’t have a Fuse tool, you can easily secure the closure with a piece of transparent tape.

The beach balls on this paper make perfect DIY embellishments and can be punched out perfectly with a 1 1/4″ circle punch.

Start by embellishing your patterned paper inserts. Slide the patterned paper into the plastic sleeves, add candy and, voila! You’re all done! Get the kids involved and they’ll do it for you.

After your sleeve is filled with paper, embellishments, and candy, fold over the top and fuse it to the back of the sleeve with the Fuse tool. TIP: Always use metal ruler to fuse the straightest lines and protect your fingers from the hot, HOT tip!