Surface Pattern Design in Watercolor

Hey, Peeps! I've been working on surface patterns in watercolor for digital projects. These will be listed as a collection sometime soon in my Etsy shop. Stay tuned for lots more!

Instant Pot Thai Chicken Recipe

The Magic of the Instant Pot- Thai Chicken

Hey, Peeps. It's been a while, and I'm veering off of the crafting and art trail to bring you news from my newest Non-Art Obsession, which is the Instant Pot. 

Boy, do I love this thing, and I've only made three dishes so far. 

The great thing about this rice cooker/slow cooker/pressure cooker/soup maker/steamer/yogurt maker is that you can do all of these things and more. 

If you just look on Pinterest, you will find SCADS of recipes, tips, and tricks. Here's my board if you're interested:

Instant Pot Pinterest Board

Since I learn better through videos than the written word, I always go to YouTube for instructions and inspiration, especially when I have a new appliance or machine. I just searched for unboxing videos, getting started vids, and tips and tricks and I learned a LOT before I even touched my Instant Pot (this recipe assumes that you know the basics about how your IP functions and if you don't know, just do a little homework first).

So, the goal is to post every time I try a new, original recipe and today, I NAILED it. Yipee!!!

Because I didn't anticipate posting about this (I really didn't know it would be THIS good), I didn't take any pics in process, but quite frankly, you probably know how to chop all of the ingredients and add them to the pot.

Just a note- because of the prep work involved, this is not a "quick dish". However, I love the IP for this recipe for one BIG reason- its PREDICTABILITY!!! After having made this dish, I now know that it will be perfect every time, and I don't have to guess how long it's going to take. This is a game changer for me, Peeps! I love that I can know exactly when dinner will be done so I can time it when I have guests or when Hubby gets home from work. As I'm learning with new dishes, I take notes. Every time I do something new, I'm setting my microwave timer for more than I think the recipe will take. When the dish is done, I look at my microwave timer, do the math, and figure out exactly how long the dish took to cook (after having come up to pressure, etc.). I already know how long my green beans will take, so when I'm taking meat out of the oven or off of the grill, I know when to time my veggie. No more second guessing or waiting for the broccoli to steam while the meat gets cold!

This chicken was perfectly done- moist and delicious. I'm so glad I didn't have to stand over a wok or skillet, and wonder how long it was going to take. Instead, while it was cooking, I did some watercolors, which is MY kind of prep (OK, I couldn't have TOTALLY a non-art related post)!

So, here's my original recipe. PLEASE let me know if you try it and like it. I'd love to hear from you.

And, PLEASE feel free to pin this recipe to your Instant Pot boards!

Instant Pot Thai Chicken

About 2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 c. green onions, chopped
1/2 c. white onion, chopped
1 c. Red bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1-2 T. soy sauce
1 T. Thai red curry paste or more to taste (I found this to be not particularly spicy, so bump it up if you want some kick
1 T. or more of grated fresh ginger
4 minced garlic cloves 
1- 1.5 c. liquid (can be combo of coconut milk and chicken broth, or chicken broth paste and water. I used about 1 c. light coconut milk, a generous teaspoon of broth paste, and about 1/2 c. water)
1 c. fresh cilantro, chopped ( I think fresh is a must if you can get it)
1/4 c. Peanut butter (or more if you want)
1/4 c. + 2 T. Brown sugar

Saute ginger and garlic briefly in about 2 T. oil. in the Magic Pot on Saute. Add rest of ingredients. Pressure cook on high for 12 min., natural pressure release for 5 min,, then vent. Serve over cooked rice or Thai noodles.

Again, please feel free to share this. I love to inspire people to try new things!

Thanks! Fondly, Tami

Shadow Stencil Mini Tutorial!

Hey, Peeps!

Wowsers, I'm excited to be blogging again. I've been designing lots and lots of new stencils, and I'm looking forward to sharing lots of videos and posts with examples of how to use them. Lately, I've been designing a lot of Bible art journal stencils which work perfectly in Bible journal margins, but they can be used in just about any mixed media application. So, enjoy the video and I'll be back with more ideas.

Remember, if you're interested in any of my stencils, they're available at www.howsewears.etsy.com

Fondly, Tami

The final image with a little bit of embelly-ing (I think I just made that up).

The top image is the block lettering stencil. The bottom is the shadow stencil.

Way too fun! I can't wait to show you all of my other ideas of techniques to use with these stencils. Stay tuned!

Cardmaking with Embossing Paste

Hey, Peeps. Here's a Declare and Dash, just to show you quickly what I'm working on. I'm a stencil designer and seller on Etsy, and I have found that I don't really make time to create with my stencils as much as I'd like, so I'm going to change that pronto. I'll be posting some process tutes, including on my YouTube channel, but here's a teaser for now.

These cards were made using my tag stencil, which can be found in my shop here.

In this Hugs card, I used some Dreamweaver's crackle paste, let it dry, and then rubbed some Inka Gold paste in the cracks to give it some dimension and visual interest.

And in this Thinking of You card, I just used smooth white Dreamweaver's embossing paste for a different look.

And as always, please feel free to visit my Etsy shop- Howsewears

Fondly, Tami

Stencil Sale!!!

Hey, Peeps. I have a new sale in my shop. Use coupon code Stencilsale20 at checkout with a minimum purchase of $15 and you will receive 20% off of all stencils. 

I have a wide variety of stencils (over 150 designs), including tag stencils (perfect for A10 tags), masks (great for Gelli printing), and ATC stencils. 

Check it out at www.howsewears.etsy.com

Here are some new stencils just listed within the last few weeks:

So, have fun shopping! 

Fondly, Tami

Clean Your Craft Mat With Skin Peelings- Part II

Hey, Peeps. Here's the long, drawn-out sequel to Part I of "Clean Your Craft Mat With Skin Peelings, Part I", which was here.

Here is the final piece, still stuck on the mat, but dried. The extra heavy gloss gel medium dried beautifully clear.

The reason to lay it on extra thick (see part I) is so that it has "substance" when it's peeled off of the mat. Here you can see that there's something for my credit card to "grab" onto to get the peeling started.

Just find the edge and push to gather it slightly. I did this all around the perimeter of the design.

Here, you can see the edge.

Honestly, Froggers, I didn't expect that this would all come up as one piece. It's about 9x11 inches or so. I thought it would rip or tear at some point, but I must have done a whiz-bang job of laying down the gel medium, because I had absolutely no problem keeping it all together. I just pulled it off slowly and carefully. Here it is, placed on top of a piece of white paper.

There is just SO much yummy goodness.

Here, you can see the hand-carved stamped images.

More hand-carved stamp images as well as painted doodles.

Texture and layers.

And more glittery goodness.

And, because this is essentially "plastic", when you store it, make sure to put it in between two pieces of waxed paper and make sure it stays flat. And, don't let it fold in on itself. You might be able to pry it apart, but I don't make any guarantees.

So, what will I do with this?

Here are some ideas:

Die cutting- I would cut this into smaller pieces (I know- perish the thought!!!), place a piece between two pieces of paper, and run it through my Big Shot.

Cards- cut this into smaller pieces and collage onto cards, perhaps using some patterned paper underneath. I would use gel medium to glue it down, but if I used gel medium on top, I would definitely use gloss, since matte would dull it, and it's SO pretty in its shiny state.

Canvas- need I say more? This would look so pretty on a canvas with some embellies like flowers, buttons, etc.

As a layer on any other substrate, like laminate samples (see my blog post here), tags, old pieces of wood, wooden clipboards, etc., etc.

As a layer on top of gelli prints.

And on, and on, and on. 

When I get the nerve to cut this up, I'll show you sometime, K?

Again, thanks for visiting. 

Fondly, Tami

Declare and Dash

Hey, Froggers. I'm putting myself on an actual schedule today! I really am! So, here's a Declare and Dash post. I have LOTS of new stencils in the shop, so feel free to check them out in my Etsy shop here.

This tag stencil is super for Bible journaling, midori journals, personal planners, and a variety of other mixed media projects.

This one is particularly fun with the Gelli® plate. I hope to have some samples to show you in the next few days.

This "Fanned" stencil comes in 6x6, 8x8, or 10x10 inches.

Sorry to say it, Froggers, but this is another one of my faves. You can all of it or just parts of this "Filigree Arrow" stencil in your journals, doodling, midori notebooks, Bible journals, etc. 

And I'll say it again, these tag stencils are PERFECT for traveling, like waiting in the Drs.' office, riding in the car, flying in a plane, or just pretending you're on an island in the tropics. Yeah, I like that last one.

And, here is my "Surround" tag stencil.

I'm having way too much fun.

That's it for today. 

And again, thanks for visiting! 

Now, on to keeping my schedule. Yups. I'm gonna do it! I swear!

Fondly, Tami