from our haunted house to yours...

Today I made a Halloween treat to share with the neighbors.  This recipe is from the Kids from Haiti Cookbook that QuicKutz published a few years ago.  It has become a family favorite.  I will share it at the bottom of the post for anyone who might be interested.  And don't let it scare you...it is all done in the microwave!!

I used the new haunted house QK SHAPE-044-2.

Gathered my supplies...you really could use any kind of container...I just happened to have these boxes on hand...you just might recognize them!

I added this Halloween wish.

The finished product!  Happy Halloween to each of you!

Marshmallow Caramel Corn (shared by the Carroll Family)

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

4 cups mini marshmallows

2 bags microwave popcorn (popped)

Melt butter in bowl in microwave.  Stir in brown sugar.  Microwave 2 minutes.  Stir in 2 cups marshmallows.  Cook 1 minute.  In large bowl mix 2 cups marshmallows and popcorn.  Pour sugar mixture over popcorn and mix well.  Enjoy!

Creative Kick-starts for QuicKutz Chipboard

There are so many ways to embellish die cuts that you create using the QK chipboard sheets (ADH-SHEETS-06). Here are nine ideas to get you going:

1. Wrap it! Wrap your shape with twine, ribbon, string, or fibers. The adhesive side will help hold the fibers to your shape.
2. Cover it up! Cut your shape with chipboard and cut it again with patterned paper, then layer the two shapes so the patterned paper is on top.
3. Bring on the bling! You can dazzle by adding gems, rhinestones or pom poms to your chipboard shapes.
4. Add texture! Use your QK embossing folders to add fun textures to your shape. Make the texture stand out more by inking or painting over it.

5. Glitter! Expose the adhesive side of your shape and layer on the glitter for a grand effect.
6. Gloss! After you cover, ink, or paint your plain chipboard you can give it one more level of dimension by adding a layer of gloss (such as Glossy Accents or Diamond Glaze) to make it shine.
7. Pour on the paint! Acrylic paint, craft paint, or even Distress Crackle Paint add custom color and texture to your chipboard shapes without warping them.
8. Flock it! Use loose flocking or crushed velvet texture to add warm fuzzies to your chipboard creations!
9. Spritz it! Spray your shapes with Glimmer Mist or Maya Mist for a fast even color coating.
There you have it....nine tips to get you started! With 18 sheets of chipboard in each package, you'll have enough supplies to come up with 99 ideas! Can't wait to see what all of you post in the QK Community Gallery! If you want your shapes to appear even thicker, you can cut multiple die cuts and layer them on top of each other. Sometimes it helps to remove the foam from your shape before cutting to get a cleaner cut through the chipboard.


Have fun!

Joyce McCall
QuicKutz Ambassador

da da da da....snap, snap!

We're creepy and we're cooky, mysterious and ooky...really, all-together spooky...the Adams family!

This week we have been decorating for Halloween around here and I thought it would be fun to take some spooky (okay, silly) photos of all of us.  The kids loved the chance to be goofy for the camera.  

I printed the photos off on regular white copy paper, which added to the vintage look that I had in mind.  Then our 5 year old got to "decorate" the photos with some fun Halloween details...oh, you should have heard the giggles!


 

I framed them in the frame from the recent Halloween release (CC-SHAPE-045-1).  I cut the frame out in dark brown cardstock and ran some black ink over the edges.  Next I mounted them on some foam core and stuck them to the wall using some removable sticky tack.  

Of course the project wasn't complete until I added cotton spider webs.  It was a fun project for us to do together as a family.  Try it with your little spooks!!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Congratulations to our lucky winners! Stay tuned for more fabulous QuicKutz contests.

Kirk's Disneyland Layout Titles:

DeniseB said...

#1 "WITCH way to Disneyland?"
#2 "The wonderful thing about Tiggers...."
#3 "Princess for a Day"
#4 "Who's the big duck in the middle?"
or, "Duck, Duck, Goose"

Amy's Embossing Folder:

Winner #1:

"Hello! I just received my new epic 6 tool recently...my very first die cutting system the only problem is I only have one embossing folder and one die cut plate. I would love to have the embossing folder that you used in your layout the retro diamond. Thanks for this chance." Angela

Winner #2:

"I'd have to say the spiderweb border or the graveyard folder because I just LOVE Halloween!"

Contact us at designteam@quicktuz.com to claim your prizes!

Homemade Leaves

Fall is one of my favorite times in Michigan. The leaves are changing color, the weather is a bit brisker and I love energizing walks that provide a bounty of nature’s color to enjoy.

It is cold and windy here, so I am enjoying some time in my craft room while thinking about the changes going on around me. I've recently created some fun backgrounds that are perfect for die-cutting fall leaves. I would like to share this technique with you today.

Let's first assemble our supplies:

Light cardstock- creams and tans work (cut into 4x4 and 2x2)

3-5 Ranger distress inks (orange, green, yellow, brown, and red shades provide a nice palette)

Mini mister or spritzer bottle filled with water

Craft mat, or other non-poruous work surface that you can apply inks directly onto

Heat tool of some sort

QK tool

Assortment of leaf dies

Step 1:

Directly apply your ink to your craft mat. I like to place the ink-side down, apply a bit of pressure, give a ½ turn and lift. Apply a second color close to the first (but careful not to touch the two colors, thus avoiding transfer of the first color to your pad.) Then apply a third color.

Step 2:

Lightly mist the ink. (It will bead up a bit.)

Step 3:

Pick up a piece of your textured or smooth cardstock and place it in the center of your misted inks. While keeping it down, twist and turn it to transfer the ink from your work surface to your paper. Take a peek, if it's not completely covered with ink, place it back down and twist again. Your cardstock should now be wet with the blended ink. If you prefer more color, you may repeat the first step, but be cautious that you don’t end up with a muddy brown.

Step 4:

With a dry paper towel, wipe the remaining ink off your work surface. Dry your cardstock using a heat gun.

I like to prepare a selection of backgrounds before I cut my shapes. You can achieve different looks depending on your ink selection, paper color and texture.

Step 5:

Choose your die(s) and assemble on your platform, apply paper, cover with your cutting mat and turn the handle.

You will soon have as assortment of leaves to use on your fall projects!

I need to take care of some “Mom Duties”, but I will meet up with you in the Community Gallery later to share a layout or two using my leaves.

Hope you enjoy!

Off and running,

Sandy, QK Ambassador

Paper doll fun

I have been given the fun task of blogging. I don’t normally blog, so please bear with me!

First off—just a little bit about me. I’m a Taurus, I like long walks on the beach, and I like to find the essence from within… No, seriously, I am a Taurus and my wife and I love taking walks on the beach. (Who doesn’t?) We just celebrated our eighth anniversary, and we are expecting our first child (a boy). I am new to QuicKutz, but I have been doing sales and retail for over ten years, so even though QK is new to me I feel right at home.

Since my wife is expecting, my sister threw her a baby shower where one of the activities was to make paper dolls from our new October release. This activity was a chance for me to receive great feedback on both the Epic 6 tool and our new paper doll release from women who are new to QK products and scrapbooking.

And the response was great! I had two of our Epic 6 demo tools there for the women to use and they spent a couple of hours cutting away and making some cute dolls….and some “interesting” dolls, too. : )

These women had a lot of fun being creative and mix ‘n matching the clothing, as only women can do! One of the ladies had a great idea to put magnets on the back of both the doll and the clothing so she could put them on her fridge and let the kids change the clothes as often as they want. Great fun was had by all, and I was once again reminded how versatile QK products are in every situation.

Holiday kick-off

Wow! I can't believe we are already in October! My how 2009 has passed. I know 2009 has brought about many changes for most of us on a personal and a professional level. Our company has gone through many changes and challenges, too. But things are looking better than ever, and we’re excited for the holiday season and the great items scheduled to arrive in our warehouse over the next couple of months.

Our new L Letterpress will be arriving. We have a whole slew of Epic Six tools coming into our warehouse. The 2009 Holiday Gift Sets will be announced at the beginning of November and I think you’ll find these will be the most versatile sets yet. Exclusive products for Thanksgiving and Christmas will soon roll into our warehouse, as well.

My family and I decided to kick off this holiday season by going to Disneyland and visiting Jack Skellington and his band of spooks. We had a great time visiting Mickey and friends and seeing the fun clash between Halloween and Christmas. We saw pumpkins with Christmas caps and skeletons with fun little gifts. It was truly enjoyable to be with my family and to de-stress a little.

Upon returning from our fun-filled week in Southern California, the stress soon returned as I looked at our photos and couldn't come up with good titles for our scrapbooking pages. For this reason I am coming to you—I need your help in assigning titles to our Disneyland photo layouts. Please look through these photos and let me know what you think. If I end up using one of your titles, a free QuicKutz die is coming your way! :)

Happy holidays,

Kirk