How to make PERFECT lumpy Cream of Wheat

My Mom never did care about reading directions much less follow a recipe

and when it came to making our hot cereal this was no different! SoOOOooo

we always had lumpy oat meal, Cream of Wheat, Malto-Meal ...

What's funny about this is I LOVE LUMPY HOT CEREALS! The lumpier the better!

To do this on purpose takes a bit of practice.

The most important thing to remember is that you

always add the cereal to the boiling milk,

never to cold milk!

Add the Cream of Wheat to the boiling milk and then don't stir it right away, wait just a minute, turn the heat down and then stir so it doesn't burn.

This is going to make some good lumps!

Oh yes, this is

PERFECT!

Top it of with some butter and sugar and enjoy!

"Stuffed" A Gathering of Softies by Stampington& Company

I got my complimentary "Stuffed" Magazine by Stampington & Company and am pleased, proud and honored!

It's not scheduled to be out until January 1st so...

Keep a watch for it on the stands or pre-order at their site.

I have read it from cover to cover already and took it to the salon with me so my coworkers and clients could see it. As I thought, they loved it and of course they thought it was pretty neat to see my critters featured!

I'm having a blast contacting some of the other artists that were featured!

Page 87 has a little sorry about my creatures and the technique.

If you can't stand waiting till you can buy the issue

you can click on the images here to read what it says.

I hope every one had a peaceful Christmas and Holiday :-)

Have a great 2009! Becci

How to Sew a Creatures Nose by Becci Renfro

What you will need to sew a dimensional face on your soft doll or creature:

• Your Soft doll or creature, of course. You can make one your self , check Goodwill or yard sales etc. or buy a plain one at the craft store already made and then use this technique to spiffy it up with some dimension.


• Long needle. Look in the doll making supply section at your hobby store.


• Heavy upholstery thread to match the face unless you are going to paint your creature with acrylic paint. In that case the color of the thread won't matter at all.
• Pen or pencil to draw in the lines for your nose, mouth, brows or?

I think that's about it...

If you have a question leave me a comment and

I'll get back with you ASAP!

Some tips on needle sculpting:

• After sewing back and forth only a few inches pull the thread. If you sew too long of a row and then pull sometimes it's hard for the thread to tighten properly and the thread can break. ARGGG! It's hard to break upholstery thread but it can be done so just go easy and you'll be OK...
• When pulling your thread you may not need to pull very tight. If you like how your critter is looking then keep it looser. If not then pull as tight as you want! Remember just be gentle.

After my creature is sewn and I'm happy with it's face I'm going to paint him with acrylic paint. Stampington & Company will be launching a brand new magazine titled "Stuffed" … in this new magazine I will describe how I paint my creatures...So0o000o stay in touch!

If you noticed yes, there is a butt on my work table in the background! Cute isn't it? HA! This is the body for the Santa I'm making which I hope to get finished for this Christmas. He is needled sculpted just like the creature I'm demonstrating here in this post. So you see, it's endless what can be done with needle sculpting soft dolls or creatures!

Have a great hair day! Becci

Get Down and Boogie Tonight!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Crusade #25 - Better late than never... is what I say ! :-)

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the articles and the ideas from these articles I have added to my post... They would be super appreciated!

Experiment #one

I painted gesso on this paper, let it dry, then added about 4 more layers! The gesso I bought is so thin and not what I expected at all! But... as I added the layers it did start to build up some neat texture and created ridges in the horizontal stroke I applied it with. I let a dish of the gesso stay in the open air for a few hours and this did dry out enough to give it the thickness I was expecting in the first place. So I blobbed it in the corner and embedded a picture of a candle my Mom drew and painted some time in the 80's. The candle stick was one that my Grandma had in her house as far back as I can remember. I wrote some affirmations onto the gesso using thoughts from an article torn from "The Science of Mind" magazine. I absolutely love this article because I am into the "spring" of the second half of my life and find it hard at times to accept this natural progression with grace!

Geeze!

Click the pages to enlarge them if you'd like to read this.

Finally to finish it up I uploaded it into Photo Shop and added the map background and digitally burned the edges.

Isn't this a beautiful picture...


Next experiment

I painted gesso onto a piece of journal sized paper then let it dry. I was disappointed with the gesso because it was so thin and seemed like plain ole' white paint. BUT... when I began adding my paint and doodles to it I was amazed how it felt for lack of a better description. The paint glided on so smooth, the pencil was so crisp and was very, very forgivable and erasable when I didn't like what I did!

Now I am pleased! :-)

Last experiment

First, I let my gesso dry out again until it was thick enough to blob on the canvas. I got one of my photos from a hairdressing contest that I entered then smushed it down so it squished out from under the photo. I also used some rubber stamps to add more texture. My beautiful model is Daisy and is one of my best friends who happens to be

just as beautiful on the inside as well!

Here is the original photo. My son Brian was the photographer that year.

AND...we made it to the top 10 finalists that year!

I deleted the back ground with the "magic wand" in my Photo Shop CS3 then printed it out and doodled on Daisy's photo, as you can tell here...

This is a copy of an article my Mom sent to me at a time of my life when I was really needing to hear this wisdom called "Diamond Dust".

She cut it out from the "Christian Science Monitor", which she read faithfully.

Click on it to enlarge it so you can read this beautiful article.

Then with Photo Shop I made it a layer that was then added behind Daisy.

One of Angela Cartwright's awesome papers is my final background to this finished piece.

I'm too tired to check for typo's and gibber jabber right now

but have a great hair day!

Becci

Another song to share - The Mom Song

This song says SO MUCH! :-)
Paying homage to the hardest working woman in the world … Mom. Patti Harshey sings “The Mom Song,” a light-hearted ditty describing everything Mom says in a 24-hour period. Set to the “William Tell Overture” and played by Tim Tracey and Susan Eissele and Lyrics by Anita Renfroe.


© 2008 Northland, A Church Distributed
530 Dog Track Road ~ Longwood, FL 32750 ~ 407-949-4000

New Magazine by Stampington & Company!

It's a premier issue and is going to be called

"Stuffed: A Gathering of Softies".

That's great news but the better news is that

I have some of my creations featured!

"Stuffed: A Gathering of Softies" celebrates uniquely whimsical characters through page after page of gorgeous photos, easy-to-understand tips and techniques and an endless amount of inspiration. Veteran softie artists and new fans alike will enjoy this playful look at stuffed creatures of all shapes, sizes, colors, and materials.

Here is a link to the web site:

http://www.stampington.com/html/stuffed_w09.html

Have a great hair day! Becci

A Day of Sharing Song

This song moves my soul because...well,because it just does!

:-)

Music can change my soul instantly!

Some kinds of music can turn depression into joy, anger to calmness, hate to love, and fear to courage. Music has an effect on me and it can soothe and take away feelings of frustration and anger.

Music definitely makes a difference in alleviating tension.

Some music can do the opposite when I hear it. It can turn joy into depression and so on if I don't turn it off-FAST! Rap - especially Gangster Rap. I was going to say sorry here but I don't think I will...

The music that affects me in a way that I feel inspired, recharged and lifted is everywhere. There is music that is classic and loved by millions and there is music that is loved by only the one who makes it!

You are the music while the music lasts. ~T.S. Eliot

To enjoy other songs that have been shared by bloggers who love music,

visit LK Ludwigs blog post here:

http://gryphonsfeather.typepad.com/the_poetic_eye/2008/12/a-day-of-sharing-song.html

oh yes, do have a great hair day!

Susan Tuttles New Book!

Her way of using collage to tell a story has always been inspiring to me and now she is sharing her insights with us in this book!

It is definitely on my Christmas wish list!

Thank you Susan!

http://www.amazon.com/Exhibition-36-Gallery-Mixed-Media-Inspiration/dp/1600611044/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207791122&sr=1-3

Visit Susan's Blog for a treat!

http://ilkasattic.blogspot.com/