Bombshell DT Time and the Birth of the Digital Diva

Bombshell Stamps has announced their new design teams! That's right..."TEAMS". They have 2--one full-time DT (aka Bombshell Girls) and one monthly guest DT (aka Pin-ups). I have been promoted to the ranks of full-fledged Bombshell Girl!!! A hearty HUZZAH to all the new and returning designers!!

We bid adieu to 4 fantabulous artists who are retiring from the DT-- Cheryl, Mary, Meredith and Milo. I'm sure we'll be seeing them down the road...'cuz once you're a Bombshell, you're ALWAYS a Bombshell!

Here's a listing of the Bombshell Girls along with links to all their FaBuLoUs blogs:
Kathi (aka el Capitan)
Alaine
Alison
Anam
Emily
Katie (aka Glittery Katie)
Kelli
Mary (aka Sparkly Mary)
Rachael
Stempelientje
Torrey (aka Digital Diva)

We also want to welcome the new guest DT Pin-ups!!!!
Ms April - Teresa (aka Mommamea)
Ms May -  Jennie (aka Pirate Jennie)
Ms June - Kim (aka Crafty Pink Anchor)
Ms July - Susie (aka LittleMe)
Ms August - Jodi
Ms September - Lizzie (aka Oh Snap Lizzie)


I have also been given a new "title" here at Bombshell Stamps. I am now the "DIGITAL DIVA"...I guess it's because I like to play around in Photoshop a LOT. So, for my first assignment as the "Digital Diva" I was asked to design badges for Bombshell Stamps for various things, including their design team. I figured just ONE generic badge would not do.

No siree.

So I designed one specifically for each DT member--customized both to their personality (by my observation) and to their favorite color.  As for the guest DT...since they are each assigned a month, I decided to devise monthly "themed" badges. I wanted to keep them semi-uniform without them being identical.

About the color thing...beware when asking a bunch of artists their favorite color. One of the DT members (who shall remain Sparkly...but nameless) waxed poetically for an ENTIRE paragraph about her favorite colors. This made my day (being that I am, after all, Chroma Girl). Then there were a few DT members who handed me Copic Codes for their colors...R59, BG57, RV43,586....do they NOT REALIZE I am NOT a Copic Girl??? They may as well have told me in Chinese.

There were a surprising number of DT members who like the color TEAL. So, I had to come up with several iterations of TEAL--each a LITTLE different shade. My favorite color is purple; or various shades of purple. I like red-violet, aubergine, periwinkle...but did I make my personal badge purple?

No.

I know what some of you are probably thinking..."If you're such a Chroma Girl, Torrey...why is yours brown?" Well, I'll tell ya. After I finished coloring mine in (in yummy shades of aubergine) I realized that it needed to be...sepia. Not only sepia, but distressed too--to look vintage. I must admit. I like her in sepia tone.

So, here they are, grouped together in sort of a collage. There are 2 missing, but as soon as I hear from the last two designers as to their color choice, I'll whip 'em out.

Design Team members aka "Bombshell Girls"

Guest Design Team (aka monthly Pin Ups)

My favorite is the August Pin Up. I just love her shades and cherry-covered bathing suit!!! I used Bombshell's own "Bombshell Angel" stamp and then I went HOG-WILD using all the digital outfits they have to dress her up. It was EXACTLY like playing with paper dolls. You can find the outfits here: Paper Doll Clothing Collection Then, it was just a matter of me playing in Photoshop to color them all up.

So much fun!

Fancy Folding

Hello people! It's time for another challenge over at CCCC and is sponsored by the folks at Milk Coffee! This week's challenge is "Fancy Folds". Technically, it means our cards had to have more than ONE fold...but you know me. I don't do anything half-way. My card is a variation on an "explosion" card. It's a mix between Origami and cardmaking. Oh, and it has 14 folds. I know what you're thinking..."Torrey, you're insane". Insanity is SUCH a loose term these days.

Here is my card in its closed/collapsed state. Coming up with a way to keep this sucker closed was...challenging. At first I tried clips...but thought they looked tacky. Then I thought about using photo turns but decided they'd just look odd hanging out by themselves on the side panels. I finally settled on a "belly band" (that strip of polka-dot paper around the bottom of the card)-- a belly band is an encircling band of coordinating patterned paper that slips on to hold the card closed, then easily slides off to allow it to be opened. It's not fancy, but it works.

And here is the card open. It collapses in on itself sorta like a complex accordion. Pretty nifty, eh? I also learned a very important lesson when creating this card. I USUALLY color my image FIRST, then choose paper to match. This can be VERY difficult (as was the case with this card). So, I took a hint from my bestee, Jodi, and from now on...I'll choose the papers FIRST then color my image to match. So effective, so logical, so SIMPLE (which is probably why I didn't think of it on my own). Thank you, Jodiwan Kenobi. You are, indeed, my crafty mentor.

Ingredients:
Image - Milk Coffee (Charlotte and Her Love Letter)
Nestability dies - Spellbinders (Lacy Circles, Scalloped Oval)
Patterned paper - Scenic Route
Prismacolor colored Pencils
Distress ink - Ranger (Walnut Stain)
white gel pen- Sakura
jute
cardstock


Ciao for now, and thanks for stopping by!

tarte d'amande d'abricot

Why is it that everything sounds better when you say it in French? Especially food. One can take even the most mundane things; say it in French; VOILA! You have a culinary masterpiece. "Le poulet frit avec les pommes Chantilly et haricots vert avec beurre blanc" sounds a WHOLE lot more appetizing and snooty patutie than "Fried chicken, mashed taters and green beans with butter".

So, tonight I got a wild hair (or it that hare?) when my mom plopped 3 cans of canned apricots on my dining room table. What does one do with canned apricots? I mean...I LIKE apricots, but canned? And then I remembered a WONDERFUL dessert I had when I was in Paris. It was a tart with a shortbread crust topped with a decadent almond custard and laden with fresh apricot halves. It was TDF (to die for, for all you acronym-challenged folks).

That's when I decided I would try my hand at making my own--with canned apricots. Why not? So, after perusing the internet, I came up with my own version and  added  "Torrey flair". Here is the result.

 Torrey's Apricot Almond Tart

Yeah, it's as good as it looks. SOOOOoooooo yummo. But looking at it now, the apricots look surprisingly like egg yolks. I promise they aren't. I served this, warm, to my family. They each had more than one piece, so I'm guessing it was a success!


Torrey's Apricot Almond Tart
 
Equipment:

• 1 tart pan with fluted sides and removable bottom (see pic below
• parchment paper
• softened butter to grease pan

Ingredients:
 
Crust:
8 Tbs (1 stick) melted butter, cooled
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 c finely ground almonds (yay food processor) divided in half.

Filling:
1/2 cup half and half (can use heavy cream)
1 large egg (slightly beaten)
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs honey
1 1/2 Tbs Wondra flour (can use regular flour if you don't have Wondra)
2- 15 oz cans canned apricots--drained

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
• Butter sides and bottom of tart pan generously. I put parchment paper on the bottom of mine cut in a circle to the size of the pan. I've come to learn how invaluable parchment paper is for baking.
• For crust: In bowl, combine melted butter and sugar until blended. Add remaining ingredients (only half the ground nuts), and stir to form a cookie-like dough.
• Press dough into tart pan evenly covering bottom and up sides--about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. NOTE* You'll probably have some left over. I just made cookies out of my left-over dough.
• Bake crust for 15 min until light golden brown. 
• Let crust cool COMPLETELY. Important note: to ensure a crisp crust your crust and filling must be the same temp when adding them together...i.e. hot crust + hot filling....cooled crust + cooled filling. If you mix hot crust and cold filling (or vice versa) you get a soggy crust.
• In separate bowl, combine filling ingredients (except apricots) and whisk until smooth.
• Sprinkle remaining ground nuts evenly over cooled, baked crust (this will help prevent crust from getting soggy too)
• Arrange apricot halves, cut side DOWN, on tart crust. I started with a circle around the outside and worked inward.
• Carefully pour filling over arranged apricots.
• Bake the filled tart for 55-60 minutes until edges are browned, custard is set and apricots are soft.

Serves: 12 (yeah right). I sliced mine into 12 pieces. It's a very rich tart, but I KNOW people will want seconds!

Bon appetit, y'all!

SIDE NOTE: We had this for breakfast, cold out of the fridge. It was WONDERFUL.

Chroma Girl

Color is SUCH an important part of my life. I mean, for me, it's not a luxury...it's a necessity. It's what I'm drawn to...more than form, texture or any other quality. Color is a HUGE part of my world...and, thus, my well being and happiness.

I discovered something about myself today. Something, that I have suspected for a long time but never knew there was an actual "term" associated with it. I believe I am a Tetrachromat. I know, you've never heard of this before, have you? Neither had I...until today. I stumbled upon this "term" whilst browsing the web. A Tetrachromat is someone who possesses (by way of genetics...via the X chromosome) a fourth type of cone in their eye. The cone is the type of cell responsible for color-detection.

Most humans only have three...

red, green and blue. 

But, it is estimated that approximately 2-3% of WOMEN have a fourth type of cone that lies somewhere between the standard red and green...so it's sorta categorized as...orange. Yep... it's only seen in WOMEN--'cuz it's a dual X-chromosome thing and guys only have one X chromosome--sorry guys. This mutation endows its possessor with an EXTREMELY fine-tuned sense of color perception . What this means in the practical world is that Tetrachromats are akin to those who have "super-smelling"  or "super-tasting" abilities. What it means to me is that...I am SUPER picky when it comes to choosing color schemes, as I can detect even the slightest of shade variation. This often times drives me NUTS...cuz finding just the RIGHT shade of a color is daunting for me. Too many choices. And, more times than not, I find that the colors I end up with for a project always seem a little "off".  *sigh* I've learned to accept it. I don't like it...but I accept it.

I have always known that I have an UNCANNY sense of color perception. I mean, I feel like I have super-human-color-detecting-abilities. If I were a superhero, I think I would be Chroma Girl--able to detect even the slightest differences of hues at a single glance. Who needs paint chips when you have CHROMA GIRL!!! So, this is what I think I'd look like as Chroma Girl (yeah, I'd have a tiny waist, but hey...this is MY fantasy). Move over, Wonder Woman...Chroma Girl is in the HOUSE! My weapons would be my "Mighty Paint Brush of Destiny" and my "Chromatic Palette Power Shield"! With these, I'd ward off drabness and fight back the evil overlord of darkness...Achromatron. He's kind of black and grey and...well...that's it. He doesn't kill people or anything...but he sure does make things depressing.

So, do YOU think you have super-human-color-decting-abilities? Find out by taking this test...(click on the link below)

Color Sensing Test 

This is what the test looks like...just to dangle a virtual carrot in front of you...all you have to do is arrange (click, drag, drop) the colors of each row...in order...from the color on the left to the color on the right (the colors on either end are stationary). Easy? Try it. The LOWER the score you get...the more adept you are at sensing colors.

What was my score?  Well, it was 0. It took me about 7 minutes to complete the test.

Come on...TRY IT!!!! Let's see who amongst my artsy friends will join me on the Mount Olympus of color!!!

Happy Little Hello

Here it is, time for another challenge at CCCC!

This week's challenge is "Feathers & Fur" and is sponsored by Robyn's Fetish. This means our projects had to have something furry and/or feathery of the animal persuasion in them.

I chose this cute trio of unlikely friends. This image may be cute, but it also sends a statement of tolerance, acceptance and the transcending of social prejudices and boundaries. Who knew a little image of puppies and kitties could be so deep? Now, let's all join hands and sing Kumbaya.

I paper-toled the image into 3 layers. And, for my friend Jodi, I tied floss in the buttons--because I'd hear about it if I didn't. And whatyaknow...the image is titled "Friends Forever" and the patterned paper is from Recollections' "Friends Forever" line...coincidence? or destiny? You choose.

Ingredients:

Image - Robyn's Fetish (Friends Forever)
Dies - Spellbinders (Nestability labels Two, Ribbon Tag Trio Two)
Prismacolor Colored Pencils
Patterned Paper - Recollections (Friends Forever collection), Scenic Route
sentiment stamp - Hero Arts
Cardstock
silk ribbon - Creative Impressions
wooden buttons
woven ribbon
embroidery floss - DMC
Distress Ink - Ranger
foam tape

Star Treknology -- it's here!

Wow, am I slacking. My poor blog is so neglected. Poor blog. It sits here, patiently, waiting for me to write on its virtual pages with my imaginary pixelated pen. Now that last sentence just sounds silly. Can you imagine someone from, say, 50 years ago reading that? They'd be scratching their head and wondering what type of coded message that was and whether or not it was meant to send secrets to the Russians.

Technology has made exponential leaps in the last few decades. Today I read an article about a car from Germany (yes, it was a Mercedes) that they totally covered in LEDs on one side and had a camera hooked up to the opposite side (facing outward) so that the camera's image was projected on the LED-covered side. What this means is...that the car was stealthed...like a Klingon warship (or is that Romulan?). It was pretty amazing to see. I know this is a crude version of stealth-technology, but ya gotta start somewhere! Click HERE for a fascinating article and video about this.

Ok...so here is the pic of the car in stealth mode. Can you see it? It's just to the right of the road in front of the trees.

Here it is with a colored image in front of its camera so that it projects that image to the front side of the car...

Scientists at Duke University are also working on "cloaking" devices that employ the use of electromagnetic doohickies that somehow make objects undetectable to certain wavelengths of light, e.g. invisible.

There are other Star Trekkian technologies that are being realized. Wait, I don't like that term..."Star Trekkian Technology" too...cumbersome...I think from now on I'll dub it "Star Treknology". Yeah, that's better. Anyway, the medical tricorder may soon be in production with the recent advances of virtual radiology and flexible imaging screens. We already have el-giganto versions of it (PET scans, MRIs, etc)...but soon there will be hand-held models.


And, we already have communicators...DUH...look at our cell phones (especially the older "flip" models).

And Uhura with her ever-present ear communication thingie that looked like a honey dipper? I'd say that's a Bluetooth, wouldn't you?

 Believe it or not, they already have transparent aluminum. Remember, from the movie Star Trek IV--The Voyage Home? Scotty used transparent aluminum to create a giant aquarium for the whales because it was stronger and lighter weight than any other polymer out there? Well, someone out there really has developed transparent aluminum. It's called ALON (aluminum oxynitride), and it's being manufactured by the Surmet Corporation. And, the government (of course) is testing it for use as armor...and guess what? It actually works. It's lightweight and very resilient--even wards off armor-piercing bullets. Who knew?

 -Now, if we could teleport people and have a food replicator, we'd be set.

Oh, and a holo-deck. That would be awesome.


Live long and prosper, my peeps!