Lil Duckie Arts

Shower Petal Card

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Shauna

Hi there!

I’ve been working on organizing a wedding shower and bachelorette for my best bud, Sara – with help from the other bridesmaids, of course.

Seeing as how I love all things made out of paper, I had a lot of fun making the shower invitations. We mostly did invitations by email, but I got to make some real, tangible ones for her family peeps. I’d fallen in love with the idea of a petal card, so I just had to do that.

Of course, I didn’t like any templates I came across, so I built my own. Mostly so I could get it the right size. I just used Microsoft Word, some ovals and a square. Next, I pasted in the adorable birdies from Digital House Design. Seriously, they’re so so cute!

One petal card accomplished!

For the pdf (outline and birdies only), click here.

Cheers,

Posted in craft, Invitation | Tagged birdies, Invitation, Shower | 6 Comments

Hugs to you!

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Shauna

Hiya!

Ummmm.. apologies for no cards in the last forever? Yes, I do think I’ve fallen off that wagon a bit. I’m trying to scramble back on; have no fear!

Today’s card is a mostly digital one that I made for the latest sketch challenge over at Everything But the Kitchen Sink. Like usual, I had just acquired these papers and needed to put them to use!

I just adore the colours, and those birdies – oh my!

Materials:

Stamps – ‘Hugs’ – Hero Arts
Inks – Memories (Momento) – Artprint Brown, Tim Holtz Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink
Paper – All from Digital House Design Studio – April Papers by Jen Allyson
Accessories- Buttons – Basic Gray, hemp string, Border punch – Martha Stewart

And the sketch (I rotated and flipped it a bit.. artistic license?)

Have a fabulous weekend!

Posted in Any Occasion, challenge, friendship, love, sketch, Thinking of you | Tagged birdies, buttons, challenge, friendship, hugs, love, sketch | 6 Comments

Potato salad with mint, fennel, and vinaigrette

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Shauna

Hi there! Well, today I have a recipe that I’m itching to share. This was my very first try at making potato salad, and I’m head over heels in love with it. I sort of made up the recipe, with some help from Fine Cooking.

Some highlights in it: Apple and fennel, eggs (a must), and some goodies from my herb garden: mint, chives and thyme. I can’t believe I used to loathe mint in anything other than dessert and gum! This is so tasty and pretty darn healthy, considering it has a vinaigrette dressing.

Potato Salad

Serves/Yields: Serves 8 as a side dish

For the Dressing

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 cloves garlic, pressed or mashed to a paste
1 tsp. honey
2 tsp. finely grated lime zest
1-1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

For the Salad

1 tsp. plain rice vinegar
kosher salt
3-1/2 lb. medium waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold or red (or 3-1/4 lb. baby potatoes), scrubbed clean
1 cup thinly sliced celery and chopped celery leaves
1 cup thinly sliced fennel (quarter and core the bulb, then slice crosswise)
1 cup small-diced Granny Smith apple
4 large hard-boiled eggs, diced
3/4 cup chopped fresh chives
3/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Make the Dressing

Whisk the balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Slowly whisk in the oil until combined.
Whisk in the garlic, honey, lime zest, cumin, and thyme.

Make the Salad

Combine the rice vinegar and 2 tsp. salt in a large bowl.
Let sit to dissolve the salt.
Put the potatoes and 2 Tbs. salt in a 6-quart pot and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch.
Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.
Cook the potatoes until barely tender when poked with a fork or skewer, 20 to 25 minutes.
If the potatoes aren’t all the same size, remove them as they are cooked. (Baby potatoes will take 5 to 10 minutes.)
Gently drain the potatoes in a colander and set aside until just cool enough to handle.
Using a paring knife, peel the potatoes by scraping off the skin. (Skip this step if using baby potatoes.)
Cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch chunks. and add to the bowl with the vinegar and gently stir with a spatula to coat. With your fingers, pull apart any pieces that are stuck together.
Gently fold the celery, sliced fennel, apples, hard-boiled eggs, chives, and mint into the potatoes.
Whisk the vinaigrette back together and fold enough of it into the potatoes to generously coat them (you may not need all of the dressing).
Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve while still slightly warm, or at room temperature.

So so worth taking the time to try. If you do, let me know what you think!

Posted in Recipe | Tagged dinner, Potato Salad, Recipe, side dish | Comments Off

Project 52: Camping

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Shauna

Hiya,

This weekend was a whirlwind of activity! Some call it camping.. I like to refer to it fondly as “the place where you get all dirty and smell like smoke within the first 5 minutes!” Doesn’t that sound like fun to you?

Nathan and I headed out on Friday morning to camp the weekend away with a group of friends. We ate great food (s’mores, anyone?), chatted a whole lot, and swam in the coldest water I’ve ever been in.

That’s right, it was freeeeeezing. The kind of cold that you don’t “get used to.” Instead, it just hurts your bones more and more. But hey, I did jump in 3 times! Can I please have a river that is NOT glacier-fed next time? Thanks.

All in all, good fun. And Nathan – the non camper – actually wants to go camping again!

Now head on over to Simply Modern Mom to see her and others’ dates this week to get some ideas.

Posted in Project 52 | Tagged date night, Project 52 | 2 Comments

Project 52: Bike Ride!

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Shauna

Hiya,

Nathan and I DID do a date last week, and it was the kind of which I’m oh-so-very fond. Something athletic/physical. This date was quite a feat for me.

Now there’s something you should know about me. I have not ridden a bike in at least 12 years. That’s a long time in the land of biking! You know the saying “it’s just like riding a bike” ? Well, getting back on and having it go smoothly is not so easily done after TWELVE YEARS! We had to take baby steps.

We started on the quiet streets near our condo. I practiced balancing, changing gears, and signalling. At first, I couldn’t even take a hand off the handle bars.

Next, I graduated to the amazing bike path that goes across the city. We really only went about 5km, but this was a big step for me. I conquered a hill, passing other cyclists and pedestrians, all the while keeping my balance!

It was definitely a fun date. Nathan was very encouraging and gave me some tips. I felt pretty accomplished! I still don’t think I’m ready for riding on the streets and dealing with traffic.. how do you build up to that?

Oooh, and that wonky, old, and overly big helmet is no more. I got myself a very brightly coloured new one!

To check out others’ dates, head on over to Project:52 at Simply Modern Mom.

Posted in Project 52 | Tagged date night, Project 52 | 4 Comments

Braided Headbands – a continuation

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Shauna

I’ve been dabbling in crafty things.. in a very random style. My Stampin’ Up! goodies have arrived, so I can start hosting parties. Check out my site and store for more info!

I’ve also been playing with those braided headbands. Check out what I came up with!

These are so much fun to make! For the “untidy ends,” I wrapped a piece of ribbon around them, thanks to my friend Jana and a great tutorial for the suggestion.

These are now available in my Etsy Store!

Back to card making soon, I hope. Sometimes you just have to go where the inspiration takes you :-)

Posted in craft, sewing | Tagged craft, headband, rosette, sewing | 1 Comment

Krafty Headbands

Posted on July 10, 2010 by Shauna

I’m having a headband obsession type thingo.. I got inspired by my friend Jana who made a scrappy headband based on a tutorial over at Smile and Wave. I decided I’d give this a try with some upcycled t-shirts!

At first, I really liked the white idea…

And then I decided to try some colour!

So far, I’ve made these 3. They’re such a good use of scraps, and pretty easy to make, although my sewing machine didn’t much like sewing the ends.

I think I’ll give these a try with some different fabrics, like quilter’s weight cotton, to get a different look.. and how cute would they be with a little rosette? OK, doing that now!

look, look, look!

Tada!

These will be for sale in my Etsy Store soon!

Posted in craft, sewing | Tagged craft, headband, rosette, sewing | 5 Comments

Unscripted windows

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Shauna

Hello again!

Today I had some time to participate in challenge 98 over at Clean and Simple Stamping. The sketch was a lovely little window frame type of thing.

I had just printed off some digital papers from Design House Digital and had to use them. So here we are, bright pink all over again.

I hope everyone’s enjoying summer. I’m looking forward to splashing around in some refreshingly cool water on Sunday, as we tube down the river. Divine.

Materials:
Cardstock – Melon Mambo (Stampin’ Up!) and digital papers (Design House Digital)
Stamps – Hero Arts and Amuse
Inks – Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories – corner rounder punch

And here’s the lovely sketch:

Enjoy the sun!

Posted in Any Occasion, birthday, challenge, sketch | Tagged birthday, butterflies, challenge, sketch | 1 Comment

Project 52: Family Dinner

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Shauna

Another week, another date!

This week, a bunch of Nathan’s family is in town, so we trekked over to his parents’ place (oh so far.. like a 20min drive :p ) for a delicious family meal out on the patio.

Here I am enjoying my wine, with Nathan “being cute.” Check out the headband I made that morning from some scraps!

Nathan’s aunts and uncles got together to make a giant plate of gooey cheesy scallopped potatoes – easily the best I’ve ever had, an amazing ham, and some pan-fried cabbage. We washed this down with wine and finished off the meal with my MIL’s famous peanut butter ice cream cake. I’m getting hungry thinking about it!

All in all, a great meal. It was nice to reconnect with family who we hadn’t seen since our wedding last summer.

Head on over to Simply Modern Mom to see what others did on their dates for Project 52: Date Night.

Posted in Project 52 | Tagged date night, Project 52 | Comments Off

Stampin’ Up! and a sketch Challenge

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Shauna

Hi there,

It’s been a while since I posted a card. I’ve been preoccupied with thoughts of school, friends, sewing, and joining Stampin’ Up! as a demonstrator. That’s right, I’m now officially a demonstrator! I haven’t received my starter kit yet, but I’m so excited to start!

I got my SU website all set up, so you can contact me there, shop online, get ideas, and set up workshops. There’s so much fun coming my way!

To celebrate, I made this fun pink card using Stampin’ Up! materials.

The card fits into one of my favourite challenges – Sketch 97 over at Clean and Simple Stamping. Head on over there to see what others have done.

I just love the simplicity, and of course, the vintage book paper. Don’t read too closely, it’s something about a dog taunting a cat whose head was stuck between window bars. But the cat got away! Happy ending ;-)

I’m anxiously awaiting my Stampin’ Up! starter kit. In the meantime, I will play with these discontinued items I just *had* to have before they were gone. Please let me know if you’d like to set up a workshop with me, and we’ll figure that out :-)

Here’s today’s challenge sketch

Materials:

Stamps: Embrace Life set (paper pieced) – Stampin’ Up!
Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Razzleberry Lemonade paper (Stampin’ Up!), and vintage book paper
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, Antique Linen distress ink
Accessories: Hemp thread, button (Basic Gray), dimensionals.

Posted in Any Occasion, challenge, sketch | Tagged buttons, card, challenge, flowers, sketch, vintage book | 3 Comments

Strawberry-Watermelon Deliciousness

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Shauna

I made an exciting purchase yesterday. But first, try this recipe. Seriously.

I am so crazy for this recipe that I just had to share! It’s for strawberry-watermelon slushie, or pops. I originally got it from Our Best Bites, and have made a few modifications.

Photo from OurBestBites.com

Strawberry Watermelon Slushie

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (or lime’s good too)
1/3 cup splenda (do not use 1/3 cup from the packets – they’re a lot more concentrated!)
about 2 cups watermelon cubes
about 3/4 pint fresh or frozen strawberries
some ice cubes
vodka (optional) – about 4 oz

Blend everything but the ice and vodka, until smooth, then add cubes with blender running, add ice cubes, one at a time. Stir in vodka, if using.

Photo – OurBestBites.com

Omit the vodka, and freeze them into these yummy pops. I’m in heaven.

My exciting (to me) news? I got myself a sewing machine yesterday! After much searching and reading reviews and talking to people, and reading more reviews, and looking at sales, I got this one! The Babylock Grace. I’m in love. Now I need to learn to sew. My first project was to hem some tights, and I must say, they turned out lovely.

Posted in Recipe | Tagged drink, popsicle, Recipe, sewing, strawberries, watermelon | 1 Comment

Photovisi

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Shauna

I just received an email request to do a quick blog post on a web-based tool called Photovisi, that allows you to make photo collages on the site, then download them to your computer.

My first instinct was “blah, spam!” But then I read the email and thought about how I have no collage-making software right now, and since I host my own blog (ie: I don’t use Blogspot.com or WordPress.com), I don’t have built-in collage software. I decided to take the leap and click on the link. I don’t know about you, but I was surprised that I actually liked what I found!

What I like about Photovisi

It’s Web-based (no program to download)
It’s super quick and easy
They have different collage templates to choose from
You can edit (rotate, resize, omit) pictures in your collages

Here’s a collage I made of my last set of cards:

Check out a quick photo-tutorial after the jump (It’s pretty self-explanatory, but hey, who doesn’t like a tutorial?!)

Continue reading →

Posted in tutorial | Tagged photo collages, review, tutorial | Comments Off

Project 52: Cooperative Meal Double Date

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Shauna

Hi there,

So I missed last week.. We’ll just have to do some extra dates ;) It’s not that Nathan and I don’t see each other. He works from home. He’s 20 feet away from me for most of the day! We even do a whole lot of activities together – something at least every second day.. I just can’t always call them “dates.”

This weekend we had a double date, and it was so much fun, and so relaxing!

I spent Saturday with my bestie, Sara, shopping our little bottoms off. Our last stop was groceries to make us and our boys a fabulous dinner. We rushed back to her place, and the cooking began. The boys even helped! They chopped, they stirred, they grilled.

On the Menu:

Garlic Bread (multigrain and delicious)
Sara’s potato salad
Shauna’s garden salad with pear, grapes, walnuts, craisins and a honey citrus vinaigrette
char grilled chicken with an herb glaze and another with a honey bbq sauce
caramelized onions and mushrooms
strawberry rhubarb pie (we had to buy this one pre-made)
sangria
rosé

Yum!

Our fabulous dinner was followed by a fun wordy game called Buzzword.

This was definitely a date I’d do again and again.

To check out others’ fun dates, head on over to Simply Modern Mom and click on the Project 52 category.

Posted in Project 52 | Tagged date night, Project 52 | 2 Comments

Patterned Thank you set

Posted on June 27, 2010 by Shauna

Hey there!

I’m not dead, I promise! I’ve just been out of the house a whole heck of a lot (and am finally feeling better)! I started this set of cards, knowing exactly what I wanted to do, on Thursday. Yes, it took me that long to finally sit down and get them done.

I absolutely adore little cards, so what could be better than a set of wee cards? These guys are 2.75” x 4.25” (half the size of your standard handmade greeting card). And I heart them. I’ve put them up on my Etsy shop, if you’re interested.

From some random fluke, I think these guys work for two challenges this week. They were initially my idea for this week’s challenge over at Just Add Ink – it was to use patterned paper.. I think I succeeded ;-) And it sort of works for the sketch challenge #96 over at Clean and Simple Stamping (see image at end of post)

Everything’s edged using Tim Holtz’s Distress inks. The butterflies are punched using a Martha Stewart punch on vintage book paper. The wee button’s by Basic Grey and thank you is from a fabulous set by The Stamps Of Life.

Thank you ;-)

Posted in challenge, sketch, thank you | Tagged butterfly, buttons, challenge, pattern paper, sketch, thank you, vintage book | 7 Comments

Scrapbooking Overload

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Shauna

Hey there,

Well, I’m still scrapbooking the wedding album. We’ll have been married a year August 1st, and I still haven’t finished this! Luckily I’ve gotten to honeymoons (we went on a mini one after the wedding, then a real trip in January). This has sat on the back burner for many months now, so I figured today was a good day to pull it out.

As you can see, I’m doing pretty much the bare minimum, as far as scrapbooking goes. Hey, I used pretty paper, and rounded my photo edges! But yeah, no layouts, no layering, no embellishments. If you’re lucky I might add a few stickers or something ;-) And hey, I promise to label the pictures and even do a bit of journaling!

I love having albums, but I’m more of a card maker, so the whole fancy-amazing scrapbook thing doesn’t happen much with me.