For You

Today's card is a sympathy card for a family friend, but I think it would be beautiful for any occasion. I found this card on-line a while back and I'm so sorry I don't know who made it (if you do, please send me a message), but I just fell in love with the layers and the focal point! The person who originally made it used Ruby Red but since I didn't have that particular DSP, I decided to go with something I did have which used Tangerine Tango with Chocolate Chip and Kiwi Kiss. Isn't this a great color combo? I used to have a terrible time estimating the measurements of all the layers on a card I want to CASE, but I just started holding up a clear ruler to my card base to gauge how long and wide the layers should be, and I've been getting a much better product as a result! See, you can teach an old dog new tricks! Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be posting my stamp group's card creations over the next few days so check back!

Cute Shrooms!

After a bit of blog-stalking recently, I found this BEAUTIFUL card on the blog Linda's Stampin Loft! I have always loved shades of turquoise/blue with red & white, and this card really makes the most of that color combination. Aren't those little mushrooms cute?! They are so simple to make. I believe Linda used a circle punch to make her shroomies, but I used SU!'s wide oval and I love the way they turned out. On a side note, my stamping group is getting together on Tuesday night and this is the card I've prepared for them to make. I'm so excited!! I hope they like it. Thanks for stopping by - have a great week!!

Scattered Showers

I think this is one of the prettiest cards I have ever seen and I was so excited that I had the stamp set to make it! Papertrey's Scattered Showers is another super versatile set that is so much fun to experiment with. I really had to punt when it came to choosing a patterned paper to use because, of course and as usual, I didn't pick that element out first! I do that every time I make a card! It would be so much easier if I picked out my DSP first, but I never seem to be that proactive! Luckily, I was able to find something that worked to complete my card. Hope you all are staying cool out there - thanks for stopping by!

Day at the Beach

It's possible that I have made and posted this card before, but it's exactly the card I needed to send to our PTO president and her husband for hosting all of our school volunteers at their beautiful home for an end-of-year party. I was thrilled to be able to attend! There was a delicious Mexican buffet and an even more wonderful margarita bar that I enjoyed tremendously! I knew that Papertrey Ink's Day at the Beach would be the perfect set to use. Papertrey sets have so many images & sentiments and are so easy & versatile to use.

I am so excited to have yet another post to share. I'm actually finding that it is even harder for me to get my cards posted than it is to make them. Crazy! But I am working hard to accomplish more and more each day, and hopefully, my cardmaking will benefit from that goal, too! Hope you have a great week!

Upsy Daisy

This card caught my eye as soon as I pulled up the SCS gallery for Upsy Daisy! Isn't it GREAT?!?! I've put Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and Real Red together before, but Bravo Burgundy seemed a bit of a stretch, but it works! I carefully adhered the 1" x 3.25" cardstock strips side by side to a piece of scratch paper and stamped the flower image. Then, I even more carefully removed the strips and attached them to white cardstock leave a slight space between them. This is a simple but striking format that's very versatile. I can't wait to switch up for another occasion.

I made this card to send to Bailey's guitar teacher who is having cancer treatments in Houston for the next three months. Bailey signed it so sweetly that I cried a little. I told her that I could make him a card with beautiful embellishments, colorful cardstock, and all the bells & whistles I could think of but it wouldn't mean nearly as much as the message she wrote to him. I am so proud of my most wonderful daughter!! Thanks for stopping by!

Wild About You!

My friend, Karen, who I've mentioned here before, has the sweetest son, named Charles, who recently received an award for being the outstanding fifth-grader at his school and since we think so much of this precious family, I decided to make a card for Charles and send him a copy of his newspaper photo. I have a terrible time making cards for boys but I thought Wild About You would be a good stamp set to use. After consulting SCS, I found this adorable card that I couldn't wait to make! I think my version turned out cute and I hope Charles knows how proud we are of him! Have a great weekend!

Happy Anniversary!!

Let me begin by telling you that my parents have been married FOREVER!! Literally - this is not an exaggeration!! Well, maybe a little bit . . . They were married when my mom was only 17 and they were married 16 years before I was born so on June 3, they will have been married 56 years!! Isn't that amazing?! In other news, my goal is to make one card per day. I know this won't happen every day, but I am desperate to get back into papercrafting on a semi-regular basis and I'm hoping this little goal will help me do that. So, today's card is for my parents' upcoming anniversary. I found my inspiration on SCS in the form of this card by Sharon Johnson whose blog I believe I used to follow! I hope my sweet parents have a wonderful anniversary!!

Party Hearty!!

I have so missed my daily stalking of my favorite blog, Me, My Stamps and I!! But today, I needed a birthday card for a friend and I had a little time to make one, so I looked to see what Chat had been up to. After scrolling through several of her most recent beautiful projects, I found this one that I loved and had all of the "ingredients" needed to make it! I love how Chat used the row of party hats to create a banner just by closely trimming them out. Super cute and simple! Thanks for stopping by!!

Welcome Home, Wayward Stamper (part 2)

I know you're tired of looking at those thumbprint cookies! They're pretty, but not very exciting, so here is the card I made today for a friend who recently lost her grandmother. Branch Out is a wonderful stamp set to use when you haven't stamped in awhile, but I still had to consult SCS for an idea. I found this beautiful card and thought it was a perfect sympathy card. I sponged the background instead of brayering it like the original. I love Cameo Coral and Certainly Celery together, but I think Blush Blossom is a non-color and not one I use very often. I might try a different background color if I make this card again. Thanks for stopping by!

A Blast from the Past

I have lived in Knoxville my entire life, except for a brief stint in Greenville, SC, for a year of college. As a kid, my very favorite cookie was the thumbprint cookies made and sold at Wade's Bakery and Fountain City Bakery in town. They were delicate little cookies with shiny, sweet, colorful glaze on top that was perfectly set and very delicious. These bakeries have long since gone out of business and those perfect little thumbprint cookies have been very hard to find over the years. But I recently found a recipe on Comfy in the Kitchen for these little gems and couldn't wait to bake them today. My first batch wasn't very good - a bit dry for my taste. So I added a bit of heavy cream to the remaining dough and the rest of the cookies turned out delicious.

Thumbprint cookies
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 c. margarine or butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour

Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 TBS Karo Syrup
1/8 cup water
Food coloring of your choice... you can also use sprinkles!

For frosting - mix all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth, then add 1 drop of food coloring. You can divide the frosting into several bowls to make more than one color.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and powdered sugar and vanilla then gradually add flour.  If the dough is too crumbly, you can add 1-4 tsp. of milk.  Roll dough into 1/2 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.  With your thumb, make imprint in the center of each cookie. Bake on parchment paper for about 10 minutes (do not over bake).  Once the cookies are cool, fill each cookie with about 1 tsp or more of frosting and add sprinkles, is desired. Let frosting set for about 30 minutes.

These cookies would make BEAUTIFUL Easter treats, especially if frosted with a variety of pastel colors!

More Easter Treats

Since Bailey was little, I've made an Easter bunny cake every year. They are easy to make, but some have turned out better than others. The one I made when Bailey was about 2.5 was especially problematic. For some reason, the color of the jelly beans I used to decorate the cake "bled" into the white frosting, so the bunny's mouth looked like it was literally bleeding. Thus, the Easter of the Bleeding Bunny Cake! Last year, we made a cake to take to our local Ronald McDonald House, and when we got there, it literally fell apart! I was so embarassed! We tried to put it back together, but it still looked pretty motley. Anyway, this year I decided an easier treat might work better, so I made a batch of Rice Krispie treats and cut them out with a bunny-shaped cookie cutter that Bailey can now decorate. I sure hope our friends at RMDH like them!

SERIOUS BROWNIES!

I recently stumbled upon an AMAZING food blog called Comfy in the Kitchen that has a multitude of amazing recipes. This one for Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies yields the most amazing brownies I have even had and that's saying a lot considering my previous favorite brownies were Paula Deen's Symphony Brownies, which are also to-die-for! I made the Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies much, much easier by making Duncan Hines Fudge Brownies first and them following the rest of the recipe for the filling and the topping. I could eat the entire pan, so I am wisely giving some away as quickly as possible!

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

For the Brownies:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For the Peanut Butter Filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cup powdered sugar
2-3 teaspoons milk

For the Ganache Topping:
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1.Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13 inch metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.

2.In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and add the sugar; stir to combine. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Mix in cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add flour and stir until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a cooling rack.

3.While the brownies are cooling, make the peanut butter filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the ingredients and beat until smooth. Add more milk if necessary to make it spreadable. Spread in an even layer over the brownies. Place in the refrigerator until filling is set, about 30 minutes.

4.While the filling is setting, make the ganache, combine the ingredients in a double boiler or in a microwave safe bowl. Melt together and combine. Pour the ganache over the top and spread gently. Return to the fridge until set.

Happy Anniversary!

I've mentioned my sweet friend, Karen, several times on this blog and since today is her and her husband, John's anniversary, I made this lovely toile card that I saw recently on a blog (I'm sorry I can't remember which one!). I think I even incorporated the faux fabric technique that was on Splitcoast Stampers recently. How cool is that? I really love how the embossing folder adds beautiful texture to the stamped image. Come back tomorrow for the very best brownie recipe in the entire world!!

One Sharp Card!

My sweet friend, Karen, who I've mentioned on my blog before, had a birthday on March 25 and while I had good intentions of getting her gift to her on time, it simply didn't happen. But, it turned out to be a pretty neat gift that she really liked. Best of all, her card coordinated with the theme of the present! Karen & I have taken a cooking class together and we're going to take another one next month called Knife Skills. Chris's uncle makes beautiful wooden cutting boards, so I asked him to make one for Karen and then I made her this ADORABLE apron card to go with it!! I haven't made one of these cards in ages and had actually forgotten they existed until I rummaged through my inspiration stash and found one my friend, Cele, made for me years ago. I just love it when a plan comes together!!

A cool sip of Green Tea

My dear sweet mama placed a card order and it was just what I needed to get a little mojo flowing! I went to my fave blog and found this card. I LOVE the Green Tea designer series paper - blues and greens have always been my favorite color palette - cool & refreshing. This layout is simple and striking and would adapt to any occasion. Have a great week!

A Little Quilty

I need several cards this week for various occasions and while stalking another of my favorite blogs, Inking Idaho, I found these beautiful quilted cards that inspired me to create my own. I've made this type of card before, but it's been awhile, so it seemed new to me! I love this color combo - Baja Blue and Chocolate Chip - and using a 1.25" square punch makes this card a cinch to reproduce. I like to build my card on a piece of copy paper so I can trim the edges or cut the quilted piece into a shape like the last card in this post. So many ways to be creative with just a few simple supplies! Have a great day!

A little blog-stalking . . .

So I've gotten back into blog-stalking and I am finding that I have missed so much during these last several months!! I found this card on the Inkadinkado website (not sure how I found my way there!). I just love cards that use some that designer paper I have laying around. I've been hoarding it for far too long, too afraid to cut those gorgeous 12x12 sheets for fear of not having full sheets when I scrapbook, but I have banished those thoughts from my pretty little head. I can't wait to dig into new papercrafting adventures! Thanks for stopping by!

Inspired by Archivers

Since Miss Morgan was born in September, I have done very little crafting because any mojo I can muster has been used on other projects, like cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the young 'uns! So, needless to say, when we decided to go to Atlanta for a few days over Spring Break, I knew a trip to Archiver's was a must! I found so many amazing stamps & cool tools to add to my vast collection and rekindle my crafting mojo! I was instantly attracted to this cute Easter bunny stamp set and coordinating honeycomb paper that you can cut into any shape imaginable. It's pretty pricey at $6.50 per pack, but I couldn't resist buying all the items I needed to make this sweet little 3-D carrot inside my card! Notice the grass? It was made using Martha's Stewart's new grass/fringe scissors. They rock in a whole new way! I absolutely love them! If you've ever tried to make grass using regular scissors, you know it is impossible to create uniform blades. Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!

Ultimate Mac & Cheese

I LOVE macaroni and cheese! It is the ultimate comfort food, and I love trying new recipes for it, searching for the perfect one! The cooks on Food Network make it look so easy, but my mac & cheese never turns out correctly - the sauce is always grainy or chunky instead of smooth and it just lacks SOMETHING! I also love Tyler Florence. He is so handsome, he's from South Carolina (love me some Southern boys!), and besides being a fabulous cook, he also seems to be a really good guy. So when I found the recipe for his "ultimate" mac & cheese, I knew I had to try it. Since I never have any luck making this dish, I decided to read the comments for pointers and I am so glad I did! One home cook wrote that in order to achieve a smooth sauce, it's important to remove the milk mixture from the heat and very slowly add the shredded cheese, whisking until the cheese is melted and incorporated before adding more. This technique TOTALLY works! I am amazed! To take it up a notch to almost gourmet proportions, I added some chopped Benton's bacon, the Holy Grail of pork, to the mix. And Panko . . . Panko makes everything magically delicious . . . so I sprinkled a bit on top for crunchiness. I am literally chomping at the bit to get a heaping helping of this mac & cheese and I have a big ol' batch in the oven right now. I think it might just be the ultimate - thanks, Tyler!!

Be Still, My Heart!

I don't know how it happened: it was a busy day of church (Morgan was christened), lunch out with my sweet parents, a few errands, and Morgan's micro-nap, but I actually made a card!! I have a very, very dear friend whose husband passed away almost a year ago, so I wanted to make a special card to let her know how much we love her and miss her husband. I haven't been blog-stalking much lately, so I went back to my old favorite, Me, My Stamps and I, and found this card that I thought I could CASE in some form or fashion. I like the combination of Old Olive & Ballet Blue and, since my flowers were a little hinky, I was glad I had clear crystal brads to put in the centers. Thanks for stopping by!