Creative Spirit Creations

First Video! Cleaning grout!

2011-12-28T12:20:00.000-08:00

I have created my first video! This is a tutorial about how to make an effective grout cleaner out of available household products. It is frugal and environmentally friendly. Be kind, it is my first video. I hope to make more to share knowledge in a visual manner. Please suggest topics for future videos!

Trash to Scrapbooking Treasure

2011-12-28T08:35:00.000-08:00

Here is a list to inspire you! There are many ideas collected about turning trash into Scrapbooking Treasure. The tips here could be used as well for cardmaking, paper crafting, Artist Trading Card (ATC) embellishing and so much more. Its amazing what objects we cast aside every day could do for us! At Creative Spirit Creations (Ebay ID Narri) we strive to encourage creativity in all aspects of life. Using every day objects in extraodinary ways is one way to let your creativity soar!

* Worn out hotel key cards - for ATC's or small picture backgrounds
* Mesh onion or garlic bags - makes a great background mesh
* Tags from products for templates - Journaling, photo matting and more!
* Ribbon used to tie products - Fiber!!
* Twine that was used to tie products - Fiber!!
* Fringe that fell off a chenille blanket - Fiber!!!
!* Silver stickers that hold new socks together - stick them on pages for accent!
* Cardboard from cereal boxes - background mats or decoration!
* Leftover nails or hinges - accents and hinges can be used for hidden journaling!
* Clear stiff plastic bags - cut out pieces for shaker boxes or overlay
* Leftover seeds - used in shaker boxes
* Small plastic circles from inside screw top soda bottles - accents
* Paper scraps - serendipity squares or accents
* Found Objects
* Beach Sand - Shaker boxes or applied with glue to letters for texture
* Staples - for accent or shaker boxes
* Used Gift Cards or Phone cards - either scrap the memory associated with them or use them as decorative accents
* Small mementos of life - ticket stubs, teeth, matchboxes, hotel stuff,
* Bottle caps - decorate with or use as a base for pictures
* Coasters from restaurants - accents or backings !
* Tiny bits of paper - recycle into your own handmade paper!
* Lids from jars - use as templates for circles to cut out!
* Baby Food Jars - Storage of small scrapbooking embellishments
* Medicine Bottles - Storage of small scrapbooking embellishments
* Punch out holes from a small hole punch or three hole punch - accents to a page
* Scraps from cropping photos - page accents or add texture to serendipity squares
* Old necklace Pendants - use as an embellishment
* Starbucks Coffee Sleeves - Paint over the logo and use the cardboard in your layouts!
* Makeup Brushes - Apply Chalk OR clean rubber stamps
* Tabs from soda cans - embellishment - can be used as is or painted

Simple Sacred Cooking..Pizza Dough

2011-12-28T04:51:00.000-08:00

Like most things in life, you need a good base to build on. With this dough base, the possibilities are endless. From double cheese pepperoni to veggie pizza and everything in between, it brings us together. Homemade pizza is a delight that brings smiles to all faces. Individual pizzas can be made to perfectly tailor individual tastes.

Pizza Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions
Combine dry ingredients including sugar in a large bowl. Slowly mix in oil and warm water. Kneed together until smooth and elastic dough ball forms. Sit aside for 1 hour in warm environment. Break up into desired size doughballs. Roll out to a thin crust. Dock with a fork or toothpick for best result. Make your favorite pizza on top!

flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired.

** Coming Soon... Topping Ideas........

Simple Sacred Cooking - Toad in the Hole

2011-12-24T20:21:00.000-08:00

I decided to bless my family today, this fine Christmas eve with a new recipe. This is a recipe I have heard about for a long time, but never quite knew what it was. Toad in the Hole is a traditional English dish that is very budget friendly for the frugal minded! Simple ingredients mixed together to make a delicious flavor. The only thing I might change in the future is to double the amount of battter used to soak up the savory juices. Its tangy goodness is a refreshing change of pace. Even my very picky eater husband loved it (minus the onions!)

Try it for your family. They will enjoy it.

The recipe was featured in All You Magazine, December 2011. and can be found here http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/toad-in-hole-50400000117400/ (or copied below for your convenience)

Ingredients
8 chicken or turkey sausage links (about 1 lb. total)
2 onions, quartered (* Note from Kim - I used powdered due to picky eater)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons grainy mustard (*Note from Kim - I used dijon)
1 1/4 cups low-fat milk

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 475ºF. Place sausages and onions in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and toss with oil. Bake until lightly browned, turning once, about 10 minutes.

2. While sausages are baking, whisk flour and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs, mustard and milk in a large measuring cup, add to flour mixture; whisk until smooth. Carefully pour batter into baking dish with sausages and continue to bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes and serve.

A Christmas Blessing

2011-12-24T14:29:00.000-08:00

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.

~Author Unknown

Batik Fun

2011-12-23T14:26:00.001-08:00

Batiking is a fun, intricate artform where you take wax and dyes and create patterns on fabric. The result is a wonderful, distinctive looking design to your fabric. Simple supplies needed for a lot of fun. Especially perfect for crafters who like to sew or quilt to have unique fabrics to suit their perfect needs.

How to Batik
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/howtobatik.shtml
http://www.craftown.com/batik.htm
http://www.homemadesimple.com/en-US/Crafts/pages/beautiful-backyard-batik.aspx

Batik with Children
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/dyeblog/C1093657698/E20071005091634/index.html

Star Wars Snowflakes

2011-12-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

These are the neatest snowflakes ever. Not only elegant, but truly embrace creativity at the highest level of geek chic! Hats off to Anthony Herrera Designs for allowing such creativity to soar with this.....

Star Wars Snowflakes

http://anthonyherreradesigns.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56:star-wars-snowflakes&catid=34:anthonydesign-blog

Christmas Crepes (for all seaons)

2011-12-23T05:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas is nearly here. In my household, Christmas morning means two things: Wrapping paper covering the living room door so my kids cant get in there before me and crepes!!

Every Christmas morning, making a holiday breakfast while we wait for Grandparents to arrive to open presents we cook breakfast as a family. The most important thing on the menu is crepes. Those thin, Delicious french pancakes that just melt in your mouth. They are inexpensive to create, easy to make and truly could make any experience a special one.

Crepes

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine eggs, salt and flour. Mix in milk. Mix in butter. Batter should be smooth and runny, but may have a few lumps. That is fine!

In a wide, flat frying pan put approx 1/4 cup of batter in the center. With a twist motion to the pan, allow the batter to swirl out to a large, circular crepe.

Cook for approx. two minutes until browned. Sweep the edges with your spatula and then flip. Cook for one minute on the opposite side. Roll up for stoage.

Now there are filling ideas!

There are sweet fillings...

Cream cheese whipped with powdered sugar

Blueberry or Cherry pie filling

Pineapple and cream cheese whipped together

Maple Syrup

Fruit Chuney

Sliced bananas

Or savory...

Scrambled eggs

Scrambled eggs with sausage

Chicken salad

Ham salad

Tuna Salad

Cheese

Organic Garden

2011-12-23T04:36:00.000-08:00

Take the time to stop by The Organic Garden. A wonderful site filled with organic gardening, organic living tips and tricks. There are also product reviews and other great information. The site is beautifully laid out with lovely photographs.

http://www.theorganicgarden.us/

Clairity Inspiration

2011-12-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

“Clarity of painting comes from clarity of vision. A painter has to be emotionally right out there and present, both to perceive and to express.” -Kate Palmer

All About Sock Monkey

2011-12-22T16:53:00.000-08:00

My Dad loves Sock Monkeys. They seem to be popping up everywhere nowadays. Here are some cute and creative crafts having to do with sock monkeys!

Kim

Learn How to Sew Your Own Sock Monkey with a Pair of Socks http://www.craftbits.com/project/sock-monkey
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Sock-Monkey

How to Make A Sock Monkey Costume
http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2010/08/diy-sock-monkey-costume/

Knit a Sock Monkey
http://www.favecrafts.com/Knitting/Sock-Monkey-Knitting-Pattern-from-Red-Heart#

Make Sock Monkey Cake Pops
http://sewellphotography.typepad.com/weblog/2011/03/domestic-diva.html

Simple Sacred Acts... Cleaning

2011-12-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

To be sacred is to hold reverent in your life; a special importance and connection within your life. Why shouldn't you make simple acts special and uplifting? Create spiritual and uplifting experiances instead of just dull, every day must do's. You can incorporate these everyday acts with any faith, religion or set of beliefs. Today we will look at: Cleaning

Oh, a chore most of us hate. Cleaning the house, hearth, home. It is an endless, thankless task that we overlook or take granted most of the time. Every time we turn around there is another task to be completed. Another dirty dish, piece of laundry, cobweb to conquer!

Taking care of a home is a dynamic task. Shift your perspective on cleaning your home.

Change each act cleansing personal space into one of honoring your own self and family.

Sweep away negativity.

Wash the residue of life off your dishes and let it flow down the drain.

Clean windows to have them shine positive energy in.

Make your home a clean sanctuary away from chaos of life.

Feel peace through your actions.

Make every action a sacred act that honors yourself, your family and your spirit. Before long you will not only have a clean house, but a peaceful spirit.

Sweet Potato Bread

2011-12-22T11:39:00.000-08:00

This year sweet potatoes were inexpensive, so I found some new and exciting ways that we could serve them to strech our holiday budget. This bread flew off the plate. Everyone was not only asking for seconds, but for the recipe!

Be the hit at your next party.

Special Sweet Potato Bread

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan or muffin tin.

Mix together the sugar, oil and eggs. Combine thoroughly. Stir in the mashed sweet potatoes. In another bowl the combine dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, salt and spices, thoroughly. Slowly add dry mixture to the wet mixture.

Bake until starting to brown and bread has firmed.

How to Remove Latex Paint from Carpet

2011-12-22T11:28:00.001-08:00

I just was repainting my bathroom for the holidays. My 7 and 8 year old boys graciously offered to help. Of course that turned into a bit of a fiasco which included paint getting on the hall carpet!

So here are some simple tips I have learned about getting latex paint off of carpet:

* Act quickly, place a paper towel or rag over as soon as possible to pull up the wet paint.

* Soak a rag in warm water and lay on the paint for about 90 seconds before gently rubbing with a circular motion. Replace the rag or paper towel every time you are starting to smear rather than pull up paint.

For very stubborn paint - Try a small bowl with warm water and 1/2 tsp of dish detergent. Rub in a circular motion until the last of the paint disappears.

Quick Home Deodorizer

2011-12-22T11:24:00.001-08:00

Guests are coming and you scortch something on the stove. You can clean up the mess quickly, but that smell! Yuck. Complete giveaway that can dampen your party.

To have a fresh home just throw together two cups of water, and sprinkle in some lemon juice, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. Allow it to come to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer. In less than 10 minutes, your house will be smelling festive and fresh, ready for guests.

Big Bubbles

2010-01-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

In my life experiances, I have found the secret to making the best and biggest bubbles lies in the pharmacy! A simple bottle of glycerin will strengthen and increase bubble size for maximum giggles! Here is one special recipe below..

Big Bubbles Recipe

1 Cup Slightly Warm Water
2 Tablespoons Liquid Detergent
1 Tablespoon Glycerin
½ Teaspoon Sugar

Stir together all ingredients.
Use bubble wands, toilet paper tubes, etc. to gently blow large bubbles!

Happy Crafting!

Kim
Check out my crafting books, patterns and more

Simple Sacred Acts...Cooking

2010-01-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

To be sacred is to hold reverent in your life; a special importance and connection within your life.

Why shouldn't you make simple acts special and uplifting? Create spiritual and uplifting experiances instead of just dull, every day must do's. You can incorporate these everyday acts with any faith, religion or set of beliefs.

Today we will look at: Cooking

Cooking is a sacred act. Cooking is not just creating nutrition for the body, but nourishment for the soul. It is an opportunity for creativity and love, as well as a practical skill that most people use! If you are making a quick stir fry with precut veggies or a four course turkey dinner with all the trimmings, just remember your goal. You are creating nourishment for the mind, body and soul.

Paying attention to what kind of fuel for mind and body is being created and consumed can make a positive difference in both spiritual and physical existence. Try to spice up your culinary tastes with new fresh or frozen vegetables and tastes. Try to be creative to fuel the temple that is your body. Change cooking from a chore, to an opportunity to expand your well being. Challenge yourself to try a new dish. Work with a new vegetable. Revel in the culinary wonder of variety that is around us. Be thankful for the ability to try a bounty of different fruits, vegetables and other taste sensations.

The act of cooking itself can easily infuse love, calm and serenity into the food. Think of all the cutting, stirring and mixing to be acts of love. It is something you are doing for the wellbeing of you and your family’s mind, body and soul.

Make your cooking area special. Adorn it with items that make you happy and bring calm serenity to your mind. Some individuals like to light a small candle before beginning the process. This sets the tone that a special event is taking place.

No matter what, enjoy yourself while cooking. That bright attitude will help bring you closer to your inner self and all of those around you. It will also bring you a closer connection to your spiritual self. That self needs nourishment as well!

Limitless Living: Beating I'm Not That Creative...

2010-01-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

One statement I hear over and over again is "I am not creative enough to do that!"

Never limit yourself by that statement! You are creative enough to try any project. If the instructions you have found are not clear enough, ask questions of the author or search around for someone else who has better ones. Crafty and creative people are usually overjoyed to share the passion of their crafts. Find all the information that you need in order to compete your project and find success!!! A little digging can bring you a lot of satisfaction.

Its a lesson that can be learned and applied to many aspects of our lives. Just dig a little deeper and anything is possible.

Happy Crafting!

Kim
Check out my crafting books, patterns and more

Clean Home 2b - Steam Room Deodorizer

2010-01-04T09:53:00.000-08:00

Steam Room Deodorizer Additional Info:

A wonderful person asked if apple cider vinegar could be used... Here is my experience...

White works the best for a fresh clean scent..
Apple leaves a bit of a sharp scent..
If you want really, really nice sweet scent and can afford it, use a red wine vinegar..

Experiment and find what works best for your home.

Kim
Check out my crafting books, patterns and more

Luxurious Smoothing Skin Bath Recipe

2010-01-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

Luxurious Smoothing Skin Bath Recipe

1 Cup Powdered Milk
1 Cup Corn Starch
½ Cup Oatmeal, Finely Ground in food processer

To create baby smooth skin that is amazing to the touch, start with some regular oatmeal. Pulse in your food processer until it is a very fine powder. Combine together with powdered milk and corn starch.

Add ¼ cup of the mixture to your bath.

Happy Crafting!

Kim
Check out my crafting books, patterns and more

Clean Home 2 - Steam Room Deodorizer

2010-01-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

It is easy for a room to get very stuffy in the dry, closed in weather of winter. Don't buy an expensive bottle of air freshener, just use some simple pantry ingredients to not only moisten and revitalize your air, but freshn as well!

Steam Room Deodorizer

1 Cup Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg

Combine the ingredients in a microwave safe dish. For safety, add a wooden skewer to the dish to avoid over heating the water. Warm in the microwave until nearly boiling. Place in the room that is to be deodorized. The steam from the hot water will quickly deodorize the room.

*** Optional - throw in some citrus rinds or splash of lemon juice for extra freshening!

Kim
Check out my crafting books, patterns and more

Clean Home 1 - Grime Cutting Glass Cleaner

2010-01-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

Cleaners that you create yourself have many advantages over store bought combinations of mystery chemicals. As the consumer, you have control over the quality of the contents as well as the exact mix to suit your needs. It is super inexpensive and each bottle can be made for pennies on the dollar with ingredients you already have on hand.

This is a simple one to start you out with. This one will work better then your standard bottle of window cleaner! Fill a spray bottle from the dollar store (or empty bottle of window cleaner) with the following recipe:

Grime Cutting Glass Cleaner
3 tbsp. Ammonia
½ Cup Alcohol
¼ tsp. Liquid Dish Washing Detergent
Water

Mix the ammonia, alcohol and dish detergent together in a clean spray bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle with water. Use just like commercial window cleaner.

Kim
Check out my crafting books, patterns and more

Fun Soap Crayons

2010-01-02T05:14:00.000-08:00

Fun Soap Crayons

1-Cup Soap Flakes
Food Coloring
2 Tablespoons Hot Water

Note: Soap Flakes may be purchased or created by finely grating
a bar of a mild bar of pure soap.
Get one big bowl to mix the base mix in and one smaller bowl per color that is to be made. Also, gather clean ice cube trays or other containers in the shape that the soap crayons are going to take.

Pour all of the soap flakes into a bowl. Add the hot water to the soap flakes. Stir until the mixture has been thoroughly saturated with the water. The mixture will be very thick.

Place a few spoonfuls of the soap base into coloring bowls. Place several drops of food coloring in the smaller bowl over the soap mixture. Stir to combine. The mixture should be the consistency of a thick paste, not runny. If the mixture gets runny, add a pinch or two of soap flakes and stir until the desired consistency has been reached.

Spoon the mixture of soap into the molds. Place in a dry place to harden. This can take anywhere from 2 days to 1 week to happen. When the soap is hard enough to handle, remove from the mold and place top down onto a hard surface. Allow the soap crayons to harden for 1 – 2 more days before using to ensure that it is completely dry.

Kim
Check out my crafting books, patterns and more

Thrifty Scrapbooking Ideas

2010-01-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

Thrifty Scrapbooking Ideas

There are lots of products out there to aid us in our scrapping pursuits. There are stickers, metal pet tags, commercial 3D embellishments, patterned paper and vellum quote books, decorative scissors, much more. If you can imagine it, it probably is out there!

The problem with most commercial scrapbooking embellishments is price. It is not uncommon to pay $1-5 for just a couple of embellishments. Especially with these economic times, it can be difficult to justify spending that much. We can still enjoy scrapbooking while not spending much or any money! There are simple ways to embellish your pages for pennies on the dollar! Here are just a few.

Rubber Stamping
Pull out those rubber stamps! You know, the cute one with the paw print you bought a while ago. That chicken you couldn't live without. What about that butterfly one that was too cute to resist? Dust them off and start decorating. The possibilities are endless. You can take a plain background page and stamp, stamp, stamp your way to a festive background. Use a little embossing powder on cardstock and you have instant custom embossed paper. Or stamp your image on scrap paper and cut out, adhere to the page with a pop dot for a fun dimensional embellishment! Create borders with stamped images. Create picture frames with stamping an image into a square and cutting it out. Ink, Paper, Scissors and a good stamp or three will leave you with endless possibilities.

Paper Piecing
Ah, my favorite. Paper piecing is one of the most inexpensive ways to add a lot of wow for pennies. Find a pattern that you like, or create your own, cut and assemble. Many times you can create a paper piecing with scrap paper! Add embellishments to your paper piecing such as ribbon, gems, glitter, pen lining, inking, or fiber for that extra flair. Again, most of the time you only need a small amount of the embellishment, so you can use a scrap!

Acrylic Paint
Most of us have bottles of craft paint around the house. Mostly gathering dust since our current obsession is scrapbooking. Pull out those paints and get stroking! Create dazzling custom colored pages with just a few brush strokes. If you take the time to learn Donna Dewberrys One Stroke Painting Technique, it will make your creations even more brilliant with much less time (or talent!) required! When your paper has dried, you can die cut it, cut it into frames, use as background paper, cut into strips and use as a boarder and anything else your imagination can come up with.

Found Items
Open your eyes and look around your world. Onion bags can be used as mesh or net; a fake credit card that come in the mail can be altered for amazing embellishments; hinges from old jewelry boxes or the hardware store can make books or hidden journaling on your page; The possibilities are endless.

Scrapbooking is only limited by your creativity. Just about anything can be put into a scrapbook or be used in a way never intended by its original creator. You just need a little creativity, patience and an open eye to the world around you.

Happy Scrapping!

Kim
Check out my crafting books, patterns and more

Adventures in Batik

2009-12-31T14:59:00.001-08:00

So my latest crafting adventure is Batik. What is Batik? Is that a specialty store that you go to for designer clothes? No! Its a beautiful Indonesian artform used to put some bold and intricate designs in their cloth. The crafter puts a resist of some nature, usually wax, upon the cloth in a design and then applying dye to the cloth. Wherever there is no wax, the cloth will be dyed, but where the cloth is protected will remain the original color.

Honestly, the approach that I am coming to favor is a bit different. My children are still young and enjoy crayons, which means they enjoy BREAKING crayons! I had pure white delicious cloth and a bunch of broken crayons. There was a small metal paint tray with little divits for the paint in my crafting drawer. Perfect. I broke up each crayon into little pieces and filled several divits. Warming the whole tray in a steamer basket double boiler on my stove. As soon as I achieved liquid wax, dipping a paintbrush in and painting quickly I achieved a beautiful and colorful desgin. They key was to do it in very short strokes so the wax would stay very HOT upon the brush. After the wax cooled, I placed the cloth between newspaper (I keep a roll of newsprint paper purchased cheap from my local newspaper)and cardboard and then used my iron to warm the wax,wicking it onto the newsprint. It took several changes, but finally I had bold colors and beautiful designs.

I have tried adding pariffin to the crayon for a more diffused color and using just straight clear paraffin resist and dying the cloth too. I plan on picking up some beeswax from a local beekeeper and trying that for a resist! All of the methods are fun, easy and relaxing adventures in crafting!

This is going to be one bold new way to allow MY creative spirit to fly..

Kim
Check out my crafting books, patterns and more