We have a new challenge at Where Creativity Meets C9 today, and it’s Anything Goes!
I hope you get the chance to join in, you could win a Guest Design spot at the blog or a $25 gift card to Concord & 9th.
Anything Goes
Minestrone Soup – Instant Pot
Here’s an easy recipe for soup, made in the instant pot. I am NOT an instant pot expert. As a matter of fact, this is the first item I made in mine, but someone asked for the recipe, and I figured this was the easiest way to make that happen.
This is made for a six quart pot, FYI.
Ingredients:
- Carrots, 1-2, chopped
- Yellow onion, 1, chopped
- Celery stalks, 1-2, chopped
- Garlic, two cloves, chopped
- Yukon Gold potatoes, 1-2 small size, coarsely chopped
- Cabbage, green, ½ large head or 1 small head, sliced/shredded
- Cauliflower, ½ large or one small head, cut into florets, not too small
- 15 ounce can of chopped tomatoes, NOT drained.
- Kale, one bunch, sliced into strips (sub with spinach if you prefer, it will just be more wilted.)
- Beans, one can. I like cannellini or garbanzo, but choose any that you prefer. Rinsed and drained.
- Corn, fresh if you’ve got it, sliced off the ears. Or a can of whole kernels, drained.
- Small pasta shape, about 8 ounces.
- Water
- Salt, pepper, or my favorite seasoning, Seasonello.
Directions:
- Turn the instant pot on, use Sauté button.
- Once that heats up add about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Let that heat for a moment.
- Add the onions, celery and carrots to the oil, and cook for a few minutes until they start to get a bit of color. Add the potatoes, let them get a hint of color.
- Add the garlic and stir around until you smell the garlic hit the heat. Yummm.
- Add the cauliflower, cabbage, and can of tomatoes to the pot, stir gently.
- Add salt, pepper, any seasonings you would like. A bit of thyme works nicely, as do various seasoning blends. That’s up to your tastes.
- Add the beans, corn, and enough water to cover the vegetables. Make sure to keep under the “max level” line on your instant pot.
- Put the lid on the pot, close the valve to “sealing” and touch the “soup” button on the instant pot. Set for 30 minutes.
- After the soup cycle is over, do the quick release. For me, this went on for more than 30 minutes. Yes, the quick release took that long. Be patient.
- Once the release is finished and you can open your pot, remove the lid, away from you, and put in the kale and pasta, if you’re using pasta. Stir that around; make sure the kale is submersed. Add more water if you think you need it.
- Close the lid. Let that sit for 20 minutes.
- Lift the lid, taste for seasonings, and enjoy!
Thankful Leaves – Concord & 9th Feature Friday
Good morning! Happy Friday to you. I hope you’ve had a wonderful week and have something fun planned for your weekend. Me, I’m cleaning, organizing, and purging. Ask me on Monday if it was fun. 🙂
As for today, I am helping Concord & 9th showcase their Thankful Leaves Turnabout and Die Sets, and I love them. I have so very many ideas to use these sets, I can’t wait to show you more. There might be some place cards being imagined for Thanksgiving, also known as Lisa’s favorite holiday!
This card was very easy to make, honestly. I stamped the turnabout three times, to leave room for a sentiment. The only technique used here is that when I inked the stamp with distress ink, I spritzed it with water before stamping on the white cardstock. Then I let the stamp sit on the cardstock for a few moments before lifting the lid of my MISTI and going on to the next color. I wanted a muted image, somewhat blurry, not too distinct. Not sure why, but it’s just the mood I was in when I was making this.
Once those colored inks dried I stamped the sentiment in black ink. Since this is on watercolor paper I had to stamp it a few times for a good impression. It’s still not perfect, but I’m okay with that as it matches the blurred leaf images. Sneaky sneaky! As a final touch on the card front I used a woodgrain cover die to add a bit of detail and interest. I then adhered this to a matching layer of yellow cardstock with foam tape, and placed that onto a white card base.
The entire Where Creativity Meets C9 team is joining Concord & 9th today, so I hope you’ll check out all of their amazing creations.
Supplies:
 Thankful Leaves Turnabout EH | SSS | C9 |
 Thankful Leaves Dies EH | SSS | C9 |
 Fossilized Amber EH | SSS |
 Peeled Paint EH | SSS |
 Seedless Preserves EH | SSS |
 Onyx Black EH | SSS |
 Watercolor Cardstock EH | SSS | AZ |
 Neenah 110 lb EH | SSS |
 Teflon Bone Folder EH | SSS | AZ |
 ATG Adhesive EH | SSS | AZ |
 Foam Tape EH | SSS | AZ |
 Stamp Shammy EH | SSS |
 MISTI EH | SSS |
 Distress Sprayer EH | SSS |
 Tweezers EH | SSS |
 Paper Trimmer EH | SSS |
Sparkle & Shine – Hero Arts Blog Feature
I’m over on the Hero Arts blog today featuring some super sparkly cards! I hope you’ll click over and check them out.
Supplies:
 Florals Rose Stamp & Cut EH | SSS | HA |
 Hero Arts Gold Glitter EH | SSS | HA |
 Antique Linen EH | SSS |
 Intense Black EH | SSS | HA |
 VersaMark EH | SSS |
 Hero Arts White EH | SSS | HA |
 Hero Arts White Satin Pearl EH | SSS | HA |
 Soft Navy Blue Cardstock SSS |
Neenah 110 lb EH | SSS |
Teflon Bone Folder EH | SSS | AZ |
 Clean Color Real Brush Markers AZ |
ATG Adhesive EH | SSS | AZ |
 Powder Tool EH | SSS |
Foam Tape EH | SSS | AZ |
 Embossing Gun EH | SSS |
Stamp Shammy EH | SSS |
 Mini MISTI EH | SSS |
Tweezers EH | SSS |
Paper Trimmer EH | SSS |
So Happy For You – Concord & 9th Feature Friday
It’s Friday which means it’s time for another Feature Friday at Concord & 9th! Today the team from Where Creativity Meets C9 is showcasing the fun So Happy For You stamp and die sets.
Here’s how I made this card:
- Using my Zig markers in greens and aquas, I made blocks of colors on some watercolor paper.
- Used both the large and small needle foliage die to cut shapes from that watercolor paper.
- Using the hoop die, cut a piece of scrap white paper to use as a base for the wreath.
- Used a liquid glue to adhere the die cuts to the hoop shape. I have no tips for this, ha. Just go to town. It will look gorgeous no matter what you do.
- Stamped the floral images with versmark and embossed with platinum embossing powder. Used the coordinating dies to cut those out.
- Stamped the greeting with versamark, and embossed with that same platinum embossing powder and heat set. Die cut that with the banner die from Top It Off. Cut another banner from vellum, and used that to extend the length of the banner to fit across the wreath.
- Used foam adhesive to adhere the flowers and banner.
- Finished it off with some pearl embellishments.
Here’s a close up so you can see all of the dimension from these die cuts. I absolutely love it. I’m not sure why, but dimension like this really makes me happy. It’s like playing with a puppy. Ha!
Supplies:
 So Happy For You SSS | C9 |
 Floral Hoop Dies SSS | C9 |
 Top It Off Dies SSS | C9 |
 Dip-Dyed Cards & Envelopes EH | SSS | C9 |
VersaMark EH | SSS |
 Hero Arts Platinum EH | SSS |
 40 lb. Vellum EH | SSS |
Neenah 110 lb EH | SSS |
Clean Color Real Brush Markers AZ |
 Canson XL Watercolor Paper EH | SSS | AZ |
Teflon Bone Folder EH | SSS | AZ |
ATG Adhesive EH | SSS | AZ |
 Multi Medium EH | SSS |
Stamp Shammy EH | SSS |
Mini MISTI EH | SSS |
Paper Trimmer EH | SSS |
Wishing You Joy
Good morning! We have a new challenge starting today at A Blog Named Hero and it’s a good one!
I used the new Paper Layering Neighborhood die to cut the neighborhood twice. Once out of white glitter paper with both dies and once out of red card stock with just the frame die. I adhered the silver section on top of the cardstock using a combination of liquid adhesive and foam strips. I wanted there to be a bit of dimension, but not in every section. There was no rhyme or reason to this, which sometimes leads to some of my favorite creations.
It’s hard to tell, but you can see a bit of the sparkle and shine from the glitter paper in this photo. You can also see in this photo how the tittle of the j in joy is on the card base while everything else is popped up on various layers.
I used the Stamp & Cut Joy set for the sentiments. I adore these classic Stamp & Cut sets and hope that Hero Arts comes out with more of them. I finished the card with drops of liquid glue and then some Lawn Fawn Prisma glitter. Thought it would look a bit like falling snow. And you know you can’t go wrong with glitter!
I hope you’ll join us on our challenge this month. Sparkle & Shine means we get to use the shimmery stuff, and I know you’ve got some!
Supplies:
 Paper Layering Neighborhood SSS |
 Joy Stamp & Cut SSS | HA |
VersaMark EH | SSS |
Hero Arts White EH | SSS | HA |
 Neutrals Glitter Pack EH | SSS | C9 |
 Gina K. Cardstock SSS | GK |
 Lawn Fawn Prisma Glitter EH | SSS | |
Teflon Bone Folder EH | SSS | AZ |
ATG Adhesive EH | SSS | AZ |
Powder Tool EH | SSS |
 Glossy Accents EH | SSS |
Foam Tape EH | SSS | AZ |
Embossing Gun EH | SSS |
 Scissors SSS | AZ |
Stamp Shammy EH | SSS |
Mini MISTI EH | SSS |
 Craft Pick EH | SSS | AZ |
Tweezers EH | SSS |
Paper Trimmer EH | SSS |
Top It Off – Concord & 9th Feature Friday
Happy Feature Friday to you! I am excited to be here to show you a new stamp set from Concord & 9th. It’s called Top If Off and it’s a fantastic set where you can build your own birthday cake. The die set includes a banner and two sentiment cake toppers. Super fun. However… I took it an entirely different way. 😉
I made the cake layers into books! I read a lot, so I see books in everything I do. As a matter of fact, I saw a video of this month’s release, a little sneak peak, and as soon as I did I thought “Oh, books!”. Ha. Not to say that I don’t also enjoy cake, just to be honest.
This card is very clean and simple, and I like it so very much. I chose four ink colors and stamped the images in a way that they look like they’re on a bookshelf. The last image I stamped in a leaning fashion, as if it were on a real bookshelf.
To finish the card I stamped the sentiment and then used a stitched die around the border before adhering the panel to a card base.
Supplies:
 Top It Off SSS | C9 |
Top It Off Dies SSS | C9 |
 Red Hot SSS | GK |
 Sweet Corn SSS | GK |
 Jelly Bean Green SSS | GK |
 Blue Lagoon SSS | GK |
Intense Black EH | SSS | HA |
Neenah 110 lb EH | SSS |
Teflon Bone Folder EH | SSS | AZ |
ATG Adhesive EH | SSS | AZ |
Stamp Shammy EH | SSS |
Mini MISTI EH | SSS |
Paper Trimmer EH | SSS |
Happy 3rd Birthday Concord & 9th
Good morning! Today is the 9th of the month which means we have a new release to drool over at Concord & 9th. And even better than that, it’s the day we celebrate three years of Concord & 9th awesomeness! Happy Birthday Dear Concord & 9th. I am so thankful that you have entered this craft industry with your innovative and creative products.
To help celebrate this special day the design team from Where Creativity Meets C9 is helping Concord & 9th highlight their new sets this month. Each Friday we will be posting to show you the new goodies.
First up is the Birthday Dies and Birthday Balloon stamp set. These are both part of the earned rewards program that Concord & 9th offers when you shop from their store. Customers that spend $60 or more in the shop will earn Birthday dies free. Customers that spend $120 or more in the shop will earn Birthday dies plus Birthday Balloons stamp set free.
It’s a fun stamp set featuring this giant balloon and a couple of small images. I used the star and confetti images to create a background using distress oxide inks. I wanted this to be bright and cheerful and applicable to anyone celebrating a birthday. I often find that I make very specific birthday cards, and I wanted one in my stash that I could use for anyone.
After I stamped the background I die cut it and popped it up with fun foam onto a colored cardstock background. Fun Fact, the Gina K. Plum Punch cardstock perfectly matches Distress Oxide Seedless Preserves. 🙂
I stamped the balloon and tie images onto cardstock with a mixture of Twisted Citron and Peeled Paint oxide inks. I knew I wasn’t going to get a perfect image, so I thought I could help that by mixing the colors. This way it sort of looks like a balloon when you hold it up to the light, how it’s more opaque in some places than others. I heat embossed this with clear embossing powder to give it a bit of shine. I trimmed this by hand and adhered it with foam adhesive to the card front. I tied a bit of twine around the balloon tie first, just to make it easier for myself.
I used the Birthday Dies with the Summer Glitter cardstock for the sentiment. That blue works well with the Salty Ocean oxide ink on the background. I adhered the “happy” onto the balloon and the “birthday” I put on a piece of black cardstock, to help it stand out a bit on the card.
Here’s a closer look at the shine on the balloon, and the sparkly glitter. I love the quality of Concord & 9th’s glitter paper. Make sure to get some next time you’re shopping and you need some help getting to free shipping. I know I’m not the only one that shops that way. 😉
Our challenge this month at Where Creativity Meets C9 is one that I know you’re going to love. Anything Goes! As long as you use product(s) from Concord & 9th, you can enter. Make sure you read the Challenge Rules to qualify.
Thank you so much for stopping by today, I’ll be back soon with more paper crafting!
Supplies:
 Cracked Pistachio EH | SSS |
 Twisted Citron EH | SSS |
 Seedless Preserves EH | SSS |
 Salty Ocean EH | SSS |
 Wild Honey EH | SSS |
 Worn Lipstick EH | SSS |
 Peeled Paint EH | SSS |
 Summer Glitter Pack C9 |
 Hero Arts Clear EH | SSS |
 Zig Zag Rectangle Stackables EH | SSS |
Neenah 110 lb EH | SSS |
 Plum Punch SSS | GK |
Gina K. Cardstock SSS | GK |
 Twine EH | SSS | AZ |
Teflon Bone Folder EH | SSS | AZ |
ATG Adhesive EH | SSS | AZ |
Powder Tool EH | SSS |
 Be Creative Tape, 1/2″ EH | SSS |
Glossy Accents EH | SSS |
Foam Tape EH | SSS | AZ |
Embossing Gun EH | SSS |
 Craft Foam SSS | AZ |
Scissors SSS | AZ |
Stamp Shammy EH | SSS |
Mini MISTI EH | SSS |
Craft Pick EH | SSS | AZ |
Tweezers EH | SSS |
Paper Trimmer EH | SSS |