Valentine's Candy Jar - Tart & Tangy

Supplies:  Jar from Crate & Barrel, Stampin Up Ribbon, Stampin Up Red and White Paper, Sentiment printed on home computer, Stampin Up Tart & Tangy Stamp Set, Circle Punch, Stampin Up Yoyo Yellow Ink and Glitter, Stampin Up Sparkle Brad, Quickutz Heart, Glue Dots, Lemon Candy

I made this little candy jar this afternoon.  It is a Valentine for one of my friends - I hope she likes it!  These cute little glass jars are from Crate & Barrel.  I purchased this one at Christmas - hopefully they still carry them.  This would have been cute if I would have inked the white banner around the edges in red, but didn't think of that until it was too late.

Enjoy - and please post a comment if you have a question or want to share some love!

Archiver's Vintage Valentine Card Workshop

I took the Vintage Valentine Card Workshop at Archiver's this Wednesday.  It was a great class!  I always enjoy learning new techniques.  The new techniques I learned in this class were:  stamping on linen, torn images, and working with the McGill flower punch and tools.
If you are noticing tears in my card, no worries - they are supposed to be there!  Remember, the cards are supposed to look vintage, worn, and antique.
The cards were designed by Archiver's.  In class, we do the stamping, coloring, and assembling.  The class took between 2 and 3 hours.  The flower card took an hour - it was by far the most difficult card.  Using the punches and tools is very time consuming, but it wouldn't be if you were doing this at home, because you wouldn't have to share the tools.  I did change the ribbon design on the flower card and added my own little twist.
Enjoy, and please leave a comment if you have a question or wanna leave some love!

Class at Archiver's Very Valentine Mini Card Workshop (part 2)

Here are the final 4 mini 3x3 cards we made at the Archiver's workshop yesterday.  Archiver's designed the cards, and we stamped, colored, and assembled the cards.  The handmade rose card took about an hour.  At home, I think I could make one in 30 minutes, but we had 4 ladies that had to share the McGill flower punch and tools to make the flower.  So, that added some time to the class.  The other 3 cards were not as time consuming.  I really enjoyed making the rose.  It was tedious and time consuming, but not difficult.  I haven't decided if I will invest in the McGill flower items for home.  How many flowers like this would I make?  :-)  The card would be difficult to mail.  If I do send through the mail, I will wrap it in foam, and place in a bubble envelope.  I also love the 24-7 card.  The tickets pull out of the little envelope - so cute!
Enjoy!

Class at Archiver's - Very Valentine Mini Card Workshop (part 1)

 

I took a class at Archiver's today!  The class was the Very Valentine Mini Card Workshop.  It was wonderful!  Out of all the classes I've taken at Archiver's, this is my fave so far.  Not necessarily because of the content, but because our teacher was so patient and helpful.  It makes a big difference.  We made 9 mini 3x3 cards.  I am showing 5 of the cards today, and I'll post the remaining 4 tomorrow (or soon).  All cards were designed by Archiver's and I assembled and made the cards during class time.  These little guys were pretty time consuming.  We spent 4 hours making 9 mini cards (mostly due to a very detailed handmade flower you will see on my next post).
My favorite from this batch is the umbrella card.  I think it's quirky and romantic - and love the white boots!  I bought this stamp set, so I could make more at home. Unfortunately, they do not have any more of the heart paper.  So I purchased some polka dot paper - hopefully it will look similar.
Enjoy!

Nutmeg Cake

My Nutmeg Cake

While nutmeg adds a subtle note to many desserts, it claims center stage in this traditional spiced Armenian cake. We based this recipe on one in A World of Cake by Krystina Castella (Storey Publishing, 2010).
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for pan
3 cups flour, plus more for pan
4 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Heat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 5" x 12" cake pan; set aside. In a food processor, combine flour, nutmeg, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until pea-size crumbs form. Add brown sugar, sour cream, milk, and eggs; process until smooth. Add walnuts; stir in with a rubber spatula. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 45–50 minutes. Transfer to a rack; let cool. To serve, unmold cake, top with a cake stencil, and dust top with confectioners' sugar. Remove stencil; cut into squares to serve.

SERVES 8–10


This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #134

I made this cake for Christmas Eve, as I like to incorporate Eastern European recipes during the holidays.  It was very good - everyone loved it.  However, I used a normal-sized cake pan, and am very glad I did.  I have to wonder if the 5 x 12 cake pan listed in the instructions is a typo.


Enjoy!