Tealight Christmas Cards

Following on from my chocolate window cards I have changed the sizes and made cards for my work colleagues with some glittery frankincense and myrrh tealights in.

We don't give each other presents normally or do secret Santa anymore due to our team always changing and getting smaller (grrr to restructuring) but I thought I'd make cards with year with some little scented tealights in. They worked out really reasonably priced too as the candles were on 3 for 2 in waitrose (2 candle tins for me and got the tealights free technically for the cards, they were on £4 anyway for 12). The card was from the free members gift a few months ago with Creat and Craft TV and the decoration was from Crafters Companion magazine and Papercraft inspirations magazine.

I'm really please with these. I will too them off with a bow to hold in the candles at the top.

By using Kanban card it helped as its longer than A4 cards and I used the too black bit from the card as the flap to stick down. My cards were 12 cm tall so the perfect height for my 3 candles.

Now I just have to make box envelopes for them....or slip them into bigger envelopes.....so hope I get a Crafters Companion Ultimate Pro for Christmas!

Please excuse the paper clips in the photo, they're just there while the cards dry completely.

My First YouTube Video - how to make window cards

I've just made my first YouTube video on crafting! The video give brief details on how to make and put together a window card.

I must admit its not great but I thought I'd give it a try. Think I remembered most things but if you have any questions please drop me a note and I will respond.

Off to decorate my cards now! Then upload later

Chocolate Treat Christmas Cards

I saw on a YouTube video a while back some cards which had a panel in the side for candles and sweets so I thought I'd have a little go myself. I made a quick candle card from some old scraps and it seemed easy enough... So I decided to make some special cards for a few people/children.

I've done two with side panels and another that opens to reveal a giant chocolate coin. Below are pictures of the two side panel cards (I didn't get a chance to take a photo of the giant coin one before writing with a glitter glue pen on the front and know I'll smug it if I move it!) - On another note, if anyone is looking to get glitter glue I'm selling a bunch on eBay for just 99p per tube. They are so easy to use, just follow this link and look at my items: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/saraleighuk/m.html?item=170940206542&ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

The two cards below have also been glitter after the photos with the recipients names on. Chocolate teddies are for the girls and coins are for the boys.

I hope you like them

 

 

Stork Baking Liquid Review

Please note that I brought this myself as I wanted to try it, I've not been paid or asked to do this review.

I love baking cakes and offered to make cakes for a meeting at work off my own back as we no longer are able to claim expenses or get refreshments for our meetings.

I always use stork for my cakes as my Nan always used to and she was always making cakes with me as well as my Mum (who was a professional cake decorator). I saw the stork baking liquid and just thought it was a fad but always forget to get my stork out to soften so thought I'd give it a try. It did work out more expensive than normal stork but thought it was worth a try.

It comes in a bottle and you use the same weight as you would for normal stork/butter/margarine.

I use the sponge recipe my Nan always swore by, her 6663 recipe:
6oz stork/butter
6oz caster sugar
6oz self raising flour
3 medium eggs

She would also replace 1 tablespoon on flour for corn flour to make it much lighter.

I simply replaced the 6oz stork for 6oz if stork baking liquid.

Usually I beat the sugar and stork together with a mixer but with the liquid I just beat it by hand which was so easy. It looked really yellow and runny which was worrying but I carried on and folded in the flour and eggs. It all seemed too easy....

The cake batter seemed really runny and sloppy so was hard to spoon into the cake cases (it got messy!)

I put the cakes in the oven and went off for 12 minutes to iron and then came back and put them on for another 5 minutes. When they came out they were perfect! Better than any I'd made before and raised evenly.

The proof was in the eating so I tried them prior to the meeting and they were amazing and they went down so well at the meeting.

I will be using Stork Baking Liquid always from now on!

Yes...I was baking in my dressing gown!

The Stork and Sugar mix

The Stork and sugar mix

Cupcake batter ready to go in the oven

Straight out of the oven and onto my cooling rack

All decorated

Airy and very yummy