Halloween Card

HALLOWEEN CARD

Stamp Set: Gift Givers (in Holiday Mini)
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Basic Black (used markers on stamp)
Cardstock/Paper: Tangerine Tango, Frightful Sight Designer Paper
Punch: Decorative Label Punch
Ribbon: 5/8" Satin Ribbon in Old Olive
Accessories: Snail adhesive - Dimensionals

Looks like a donut!!

My son has been into baking recently... wonder who he gets it from! I bought him a baking book called Cake Love by Warren Brown. It's filled with recipes of yummy cakes and he's already made several. This one deserves special attention because he wanted to make a cake that looked like a donut!! He made 2 ring-cakes and put frosting and sprinkles on it. It's a very moist chocolate cake.

Julien's Donut Cake



Forgetful me!!

I mailed my niece's birthday card (see earlier post) but forgot to put her gift inside it!!
So I made this little envelope using the Petite Pocket die.

Stamp Sets: Easy Events, Tiny Tags

Ink: Certainly Celery

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, DSP is retired...

Punches:  1/16" circle handheld punch, 1 3/4 circle, jewelry tag

Accessories: Big Shot, Petite Pocket die, 3/8" Bashful Blue Taffeta ribbon, linen thread, silver brads, paper piercing tool and mat pack, dimensionals. 

Tip: I tied a knot at the end of the linen thread so it wouldn't fray.

A comforting gift

My husband's best friend David is going through chemotherapy so I made him this quilt back in June.

Here's a close-up of one block. David went to LSU so I used LSU and purple & gold fabrics. Also the polka dot fabric is from a line of Mardi Gras fabrics.  

The quilting was done by my quilting bee friend Barb, and she has a fleur-de-lis pattern so that was perfect since David is from and lives in New Orleans!!

Little did I know that the treatment he receives makes him very cold... So it came in very handy and David absolutely loved it!

Note to my quilting friends: this is the "Venetian Dream" pattern featured in Fons & Porter magazine (Fall 2009).

Lemon Chiffon Cheesecake

I found this photo and thought I'd share the recipe with you today. I made this yummy cheesecake last spring. The recipe is from an old Pillbury booklet dated April 1999, but it was still a hit!

Crust
1 3/4 cups gingersnap crumbs (about 30 cookies)
1/4 cup butter, melted
Filling
3 x 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 x 15oz can lemon pie filling (I used a jar of lemon curd)
1 x 8oz container sour cream
1 tsp grated lemon peel
Topping
3/4 cup raspberry jelly
2 tsp lemon juice
2 cups halved strawberries, 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup raspberries
2 kiwi fruit, peeled, sliced
Strips of lemon

• Heat oven to 350F. In medium bowl, combine crust ingredients, mix well. Press in bottom and 1/2 inch sides of 10" or 9" springform pan. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes (I bake a little longer).
• In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar. Beat at low speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reserve 1/2 cup of pie filling for topping, refrigerate. Add remaining pie filling, sour cream, and grated lemon peel, blend well. Pour filling over crust in pan, spread evenly.
• Bake at 350 between 1h 10 min to 1h 20 min. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Combine jelly and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat on low and stir until smooth. Cool completely.
• When ready to serve, remove cheesecake from pan and spread reserved pie filling.
• Arrange berries around the edge of the cheesecake, and drizzle with jelly mixture. Arrange slices of kiwi fruit on top. Garnish with lemon strips.
• Enjoy!

Topics Project Share

The Topics are meeting for a "Project Share" tomorrow. We have to make a card or 3D item using a new stamp set and this is my project. I had to make 20 sets all die-cut, stamped and punched, ready to put together. I hope they like it!

• Pillow Box Bigz Die

• Tempting Turquoise Card Stock
• Whisper White Card Stock
• Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink Pad
• Basic Black Classic Ink Pad
• Basic Black 1/8” Taffeta ribbon
• Fancy Flower Punch
• 5-Petal Punch
• 1/2 “ Circle Punch
• Stampin’ Dimensionals

Pizza Party!!

We watched the Saints/Packers kickoff game last Thursday. I made pizza dough in the bread machine and then we made each added our favorite toppings. Mine is Greek (feta and fresh basil), my son in the middle is Hawaiian (fresh pineapple and Canadian Bacon) and my husband's is pepperoni-palooza!! All topped with black olives. Here it is before going into the oven...

And after....

Question is: Why is Hawaiian pizza called Hawaiian when it has Canadian bacon on it???

Niece Birthday Card

I made this card for my niece's birthday. Size is 6 1/2 x 3 1/4, fits in small open-end envelope.

Stamp Set: Create A Cupcake
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Real Red
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Bashful Blue, Marine Mist
Punches: Cupcake Builder, Decorative Label, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border
Accessories: Cupcakes Wheel, Stampamajig, Snail Adhesive & Dimensionals

So Many Stamps, So Little Time!

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon organizing my Crafts Room. It looks sooo good I may well post a photo to remind me how nice it is when everything is in its place! I was anxious to "play" with my new Simple Letters Alphabet dies so I decided to write this saying and put it on my cabinets...

Here's a close-up:

Only 3 ingredients! Big Shot, Decor Elements Sheets (Chocolate), Simple Letters Alphabet. And a little patience.

After that, I started working on the treat containers we'll make at my upcoming Halloween Stamp Camp on September 23rd.... Spooky!!

60 sucks!

I made this box filled with 60 "suckers" and matching card for my friend Sheila for her 60th birthday (no date!).



Supplies: SU ribbon & paper retired, colors still current: Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, SU punches. Photo and foam from Hobby Lobby, Cricut Base Camp cartridge,

Birthday Medallion

I made this card for my friend, her birthday's tomorrow. A little disappointed in the photo...it doesn't show how bright it is in reality.



Stamp sets: Medallion, Perfect Punches

Ink: Melon Mambo, Elegant Eggplant

Cardstock: Whisper White

Accessories: Stampamajig, Dimensionals, Big Shot, Scallop Square Die, XL Oval punch, White 5/16" Jumbo Brads, Sponge.

Stamping Tip: Apply Melon Mambo ink evenly all over Medallion stamp. Then use sponge and Elegant Eggplant ink to apply in random areas over Melon Mambo. For sentiment, I inked the stamp on Melon Mambo then used Elegant Eggplant marker over it randomly.

Thanks for the Texans tickets!

Last night, our friend gave us his pre-season tickets to the Texans game! We actually went to cheer for the Saints (who lost!) but we still had a good time. So here's the Thank You card I came up with. Too bad the punch is discontinued...

Stamp Set: none!
Ink: none!
Cardstock: Real Red, Whisper White, Night of Navy
Accessories: Snail, Big Shot, Timeless Time Junior Alphabet Sizzllits Dies (what a mouthful!!), Large Star Punch, retired :-(
Note: fits in Small Open-end envelope

Le Comptoir des Savonniers

When I went to France in June, I took a picture of this beautiful soap store in Biarritz.

Long story short, I'm going to be representing this soap company in the Houston area! My son loves their Mango soap, and I still have to find one that's my favorite... I like too many of them.

Lovey Dovey Brownie Bites

Yummy! I made these a while back (must have been around Valentine's day!). Looking at them makes me go "YUM"! They are simply homemade brownie bites covered with pink icing and raspberries.

Cards for new recruits

When I joined Stampin'Up, I also joined my upline's stamping group called the TOPICS (Touching Others with Paper, Ink, Creativity and Stamps). When a new recruit joins the TOPICS, we all send her a welcome card. This is the card design I came up with. I thought "the sky's the limit" was the perfect sentiment. Check My Stampin' Up website for more details on Stampin'Up products and specials!

Stamp Set: Up, up and Away!
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Basic Black.
Cardstock: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Basic Black
Accessories: 1 3/4 Scallop Circle Punch, 1 1/4 Circle Punch, 1 3/8 Circle Punch, Big Shot, Top Note Die, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Stampamajig, Dimensionals, Snail

The Gallatin River, Big Sky MT

I filmed a few seconds of the Gallatin River flowing. We heard it from our lodge, it's so peaceful and pretty.

Montana

We had a wonderful time in Montana last week. We went horseback-riding, rafting, kayaking, visited Yellowstone NP... more photos to come!

Graduation card!!

I made this card for my niece's high school graduation. Brown and beige are her school colors. It opens up:

She really liked it!

Honorable Mention

The West Houston Quilter's Guild hosts a Quilt Show every 2 years. This green quilt was my very first entry, ever, any show. I was awarded "Honorable Mention" for this quilt I call "Green at 40"!



It was quilted by Barb Knoblock who belongs to my Bee and here's the story: Back in 2007 when I turned 40, I ask my quilting bee friends, and my friend Kim, to each make me a green block. It had to be 12" and they had to use their favorite shade of green. I was amazed by their talent! It took me a while to finally put the blocks together but it got done in time. It is a very special quilt to me, and the fact that it was recognized by the judges makes me even more appreciative of the work my friends did for me.

Cookies

I love baking!!
I made a batch of jam sandwich cookies and brought them to Penny's Valentine's Stamp Camp!

 

Here's the recipe:

• 1 cup butter (or margarine), softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

 Beat butter a medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

Add sugar, beat well. Add egg and vanilla, beat well again. Add flour and salt gradually, beat until blended. Divided dough in half, cover and chill for an hour at least.
Roll each portion to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out shapes. Make 2 batches: 1 plain and 1 with the cutout shape of your choice.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are barely browned.
I use parchment paper so I can slide the cookies on my countertop and they cool quickly.
To make the sandwiches, just add about a teaspoon of jam in between. I like to sprinkle powdered sugar to make them pretty (and extra sweet!).
Enjoy!

 

Another card for another nephew

I made this card for my other nephew, last December. All supplies from Stampin'Up! also.

Credit to Dawn Griffith of Dawn's Stamping Thoughts blog.

My nephew's birthday

This a card I made with the Cricut for my nephew last October. His initials are on the drum. All cardstock is from Stampin'Up!