Mom’s Homemade Bread Mini Album Tutorial for Crafty Secrets May Linky Party

NOTE: This is my second post for today.  If you are looking for Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge #7, please scroll down, or click HERE.  Thank you!

Hello, Friends!  Are you ready for the Crafty Secrets May Linky Party?  With Mother’s Day just a wink away, I have a fun idea for a last minute gift for Mom.  I created this Mom’s Homemade Bread Mini Album with digital papers, Creative Scraps and Booklets from Crafty Secrets.  I’ll share a detailed tutorial below, but first let’s take care of the details.

To play along in the May Linky Party, just create a card, mini, layout, off the page, mixed media, or off the page project featuring Crafty Secrets stamps, digital, or printables.  If you don’t have any Crafty Secrets goodies in your stash, just visit the blog and look in the sidebar for the links to our free downloads.  So no excuse not to play along.  You’ll have until 11:59 PM Pacific Time to link your project up to the Crafty Secrets blog.  The design team will pop over to take a look and leave you some nice comments on your project, and then ONE lucky participant will be chosen to WIN a $50 shopping spree at our online store.  EVERYONE who plays along will be given a $6.00 credit at the store!   Now, here are the links to rest of the design team.  Pay them each a visit, leave them some love and then link up your project so you can win!

Kathy Clement, DT leader (you are here)

Vicki Chrisman

Michele Kovack

Darlene Pavlick

Sheila Rumney

Elizabeth Lincoln

Cherry Nelson

Sandy Redburn/Crafty Secrets blog

Mom’s Homemade Bread Mini Album Tutorial

Today’s tutorial shares tips for aging digital papers and adding a vintage look.  Many people think you can’t do this with digital papers, but I’ve been experimenting, and I’ve found some techniques that seem to be working really well for me.  First, let’s take a look at the finished project.

This mini album is made with one of the Crafty Secrets Wood Clipboard Albums.  These are so much fun to work with!  They measure a generous 8 3/4″ x 6″ and come complete with instructions, samples and the binding rings.  And…I can’t even believe this…they are on clearance for only a dollar! You can’t beat that!!

Here are the materials I gathered for this project. (I will link to each product as it is used in the tutorial.)

To begin with, I printed off my digital papers from the CD.

 I printed on a light weight cardstock with a smooth finish.  My printer only prints 81/2″ x 11″ papers, but the CD allows you to size the papers all the way up to 12″ x 12″….or as small as you want them to be!  I trimmed up the papers and then set the ink with my heat gun.  I hold the gun about 4″ away from the paper’s surface, and keep it moving all the time so that the paper doesn’t scorch.  I do this for a minute or two on each page.  I find that using this type of paper and setting the ink in this way allows me to age the papers.

To do this, I “smoosh” my Distress Ink pad directly to my craft mat.  Then I use a fine mist sprayer and spritz the inked area until the ink begins to bead up.  Then I lay the printed side of my paper onto the ink for just a second and lift it.  You can see the inked paper on the left hand side of this photo.  Don’t drag the paper through the ink, or you run the risk of smearing the printed pattern.  Just lay it down for a second and gently tap it with your fingertips.  The key is to be fast, and to have your heat gun ready to dry the paper immediately.  I love the aged look this gives the papers.

This is the cover of the file folder.  I inked all around the edges of both sides with Vintage Photo Distress Ink before gluing the papers on. Trace the album cover onto the back side of your papers, then trim to fit.

This is the paper I selected from  Creating with Vintage Illustrations CD 2 for the album cover.  I love the red and white border and the vintage stove.  Perfect for my recipe album!

Now that my paper is nicely aged, I spread Studio Matte Multi Medium all over the back of it using a foam brush.  Then I use a bone folder to smooth out any bubbles.

This is the inside of my album cover.  I used washi tape, red plaid ribbon and a doily to lay the foundation.

I tore out bits and pieces from the Homemade Vintage Image and Journal Notes Book and added some illustrations from the Domestic Goddess Creative Scraps.  I love, love, love all the vintage aprons in this set!  I have lots of little bits and bobbs in my stash, so I got those out and added them to the mix.  I love the retro kitchsy kitchen vibe of the cover.

This is the first double page spread in the mini.  The photo on the left is Mom.  She’s taking golden loaves of homemade bread out of the oven.  Mom baked all our bread…and it was the best bread I’ve ever tasted.  She had made so many loaves that she never even measured the ingredients….she just added until it “looked right.”  When she lived with us, I made her measure the ingredients so that I would be able to make the bread myself.  I’m so glad I did.

I used pages from an old recipe book, aging them in the same way I aged the printed paper.  Then I used more of my digital papers to create a pocket on the right hand page.  I printed out Mom’s bread recipe and tucked it into that pocket along with some sweet tags made from the Homemade booklet.  And, yes…that’s a photo of Mom’s bread tins.  I still use them today!

The next two page spread contains a photo of MY homemade bread, Mom’s tins and a recipe card with my healthy whole grain bread recipe.  The photo on the right is Mom, just a couple of years before she died.  She’s with my big brother, Dave in this photo…and yep.  She’s baking bread.  Both Mom and Dave are in heaven now…and I think they could give the angels a run for their money when it comes to baking bread!

Obviously, I can’t give this to Mom for Mother’s Day.  So I’m giving it to myself as a reminder of all the love, laughter and lessons she shared with me throughout my life.  I wanted to make something to celebrate her life, wisdom, work ethic, creativiy, and many happy memories of growing up with her by my side.  I still miss her….but whenever I bake her bread, I feel connected to her and so thankful that she was my mom.

I’m sharing both home made bread recipes at the end of this post, just in case you want to give it a try.  I think making an album like this featuring a favorite family recipe or event would be a wonderful Mother’s Day present…and even though it’s a little early, I want to wish each and every one of you a blessed Mother’s Day.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you were inspired.  If so, then I’m happy right down to the tips of my crafty little fingers.

Cheerio,

kathy

Mom’s Original Bread Recipe

In a cup or a bowl: 2 Tablespoons dry yeast in ½ cup warm water in which you’ve dissolved  4 Tablespoons sugar. Stir and let rise.

1 ½ cups of milk heated and poured into a good-sized mixing bowl.

1 section of oleo cut up into the milk, stir to melt it. Add scant Tablespoon salt and ½ cup sugar and stir well.
Add the yeast mixture.
4 cups of white flour, 1 cup at a time, beating after each cup is added. This is the point where you must use your own judgment. The dough should gather nicely, but will not be right to handle. Add ½ cup more flour and knead it in the bowl. Turn it out on a lightly floured counter and continue kneading.

 

Kathy’s Whole Wheat Oat Bread

2 cups of organic old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups boiling water
1 cup orange juice
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup Spectrum Organic non-hydrogenated shortening
½ cup organic honey
3 tsp. salt
1 level Tablespoon dry active yeast
6-7 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour

In the bowl of your Kitchen Aid mixer, place the oats, honey, salt, and shortening. Pour the boiling water over it and let it set for about 20 minutes. Add the orange juice and

buttermilk. Stir well. Add 2 cups of flour and 1 Tablespoon of yeast. Beat with the paddle attachment for about 3 minutes, or until little elastic strands begin to form. Add 2 more cups of flour and beat for 2 minutes on low speed. Remove the paddle and add the dough hook. Add in 2 more cups of flour and knead for 5 minutes. If the dough is still sticky, add the remaining cup of flour a little at a time, until the dough is soft and moist but not sticky.

Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 3 more minutes. Add olive oil to the bowl; place the dough back into it, turning to cover the top with oil. Cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Punch down, shape into 3 loaves and place into greased tins. Let rise for another hour, or until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Turn out onto racks to cool. Butter the tops.

If the dough is still a bit sticky, add flour sparingly until it kneads silky. Coat a mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon of liquid shortening. Put the dough in it and turn it over so it is oiled on all sides. Cover with a dish towel and put in a warm place to rise. When it has doubled in bulk, turn it out on your counter, knead it a few times, divide it in half and shape it into 2 loaves or about 36-40 rolls. Grease your tins, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Bake in a 350degree oven for 40 minutes. Check it at 35 to make sure it is not getting too brown. Turn out on a cooling rack and butter the top if you want a tender