A Farewell to Blogging

Do you have a blog in your blog reader that out of the blue there are no more posts on? (I mean besides mine). And it makes you wonder what happened? I have a few of those and I'm always curious to know if life just got busy or if they quit crafting or what. So even though I have only a few followers, I thought I would be nice and share what is going on. In a word -- nothing. Ever since we moved to Wisconsin (2 years ago!), my crafting has been less and less. I have been working numerous different jobs, but I think I have finally found one that will stick! (knock on wood, right?). So maybe this change (with a little stability?) will help me get back to the crafting world? I still love looking at all the blogs in my reader and even like looking at all the crafty stores. I even occasionally buy something -- but that's about where it stops. If you have any hints to get me back to crafting, let me know! But until then, it's a farewell to blogging.
Thanks for sticking with me through the years and for all the nice comments and encouragement!
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A Birthday Treat...

Remember when you were a kid how excited you were to take a birthday treat into your class? Well, as an adult, I'm still just as excited. It's a chance to do something fun and creative! I was going to make cupcakes, but a boy in the class had a birthday this week too, and he brought cupcakes. Since you can't yell at a kindergartener for stealing your idea :) I decided to take a look on pinterest and see what I could see. I found the cutest idea -- Candy Crayons! I added a crayon box to mine (which I cut out using my Silhouette -- thanks Rachel for helping me find a box!). Each kid got six crayons and the labels all started with the letter of their first name. Here is the blog that I found the crayon wrappers on to download.

I used almond bark to make mine instead of the candy melts. When you add any moisture to almond bark, it seizes up. To loosen it up and make it smooth, just add a bit of vegetable oil. I think this makes them melt (after they harden) more then if you just use candy melts, so keep that it mind. I just didn't want to buy 6 different colors of candy melts to use just a little of each. Here's a few pictures of the finished product. They turned out so cute and the kids and teachers all loved them. However, after seeing all the labels and boxes in the trash can, next year I think I'll just make cupcakes! ;)

(Click image to view larger size)
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Strawberry Greetings

Are you having summer-like weather where you are? We are setting record highs here! It's nice, but I hope we do get to have a little bit of spring before summer is here to stay. Cool weather with thunderstorms is my favorite time of year.

Supplies Used: Strawberry Greetings (Unity Stamp Co.), Kraft paper (The Paper Studio), Patterned Paper (Basic Grey Nook & Pantry), Ribbon (May Arts), Embossing folder (Dots, Sizzix), Black ink (Memento Tuxedo Black)
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A Good Book...

There is nothing I love better then a good book!
I made this card for the CardPatterns sketch #155.

Supplies Used: Books A'Flutter (Ippity Stamps), Le Chic (Unity Stamps), 5 & Dime (October Afternoon), Ribbon (May Arts), Circle Dies (Spellbinders), Dot Embossing Folder (Sizzix), Button (SEI), Twine (Jillibean Soup)
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Friday is Pinterest Day

I, like many others, have fallen victim to the time vacuum that is Pinterest. I heard one person say that they "drank the Pinterest kool-aid." HAH! So to celebrate my love (addiction, obsession, fixation, compulsion -- whichever word you'd like) I've decided to call Friday "Pinterest Day" here on my blog...just to share with you a few of the many things that I have pinned throughout the week. And, in case you are wondering if I actually get any use out of my pins, the answer is a big resounding YES! I've even created a board where I post the pins I've actually made. So, without further a-do, here are some of my top pins for the week!

 

Love this apron!

 

I need one of these!

 

Texas Roadhouse Copy Cat Rolls. YUM!

I made this cookie this week. I had to substitute some of the ingredients. It was still yummy!
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Stick 'Em Up!

Another trend that I enjoy is vinyl! It's such a nice and cheap way to decorate your home. Years ago when I bought my Silhouette, I justified it because it cuts vinyl. Last year (only took about 4 years), I decided that maybe I should try cutting vinyl since that's one of the reasons I bought it. Here are some of the places I found to stick my vinyl to.

 First, is one of my scrapbooking cabinets. I used the 3 branch tree by Lori Whitlock. (Silhouette Store)

 Next, is a saying I have in my craft room above some cabinets. This is one of my favorites. I used Count Your Blessings by Loni Stevens and Antique Flourish by Lori Whitlock. (Also both from the Silhouette store)

 Here is my sewing area. I just have a small flower here. Simple, but sweet. (Flower Stalk by Jamie Koay, Silhouette store)

 

Here is a picture frame that I made, and then the close up of the vinyl. This one I'm frustrated with because as soon as I put the vinyl down, the glass picked it up and it's crooked! I haven't found a way to fix it yet without moving every letter individually. Moral of the story -- don't let the vinyl touch the glass until you are absolutely ready! (Family Subway Art by Ginny Nilson, Silhouette store)

This is a shelf in my entryway. It usually has candles on it, but I took down my Christmas ones and haven't replaced them yet. Anyway, it's another simple and sweet one. (Flourish from Silhouette store)
 
 And last but not least is my Bible verse that is above my store in the kitchen. This one I bought from Hobby Lobby from DCWV. I just put this one up yesterday. I love love love it.

So there is some craftiness I've been doing (and has been done for awhile). What do you think of the vinyl craze? I think I still have a few walls and picture frames that could use a little something extra! I love my Silhouette for cutting out the vinyl, but the store bought vinyl (such as the DCWV) is really cost effective as well (Hobby Lobby often has 50% off sales.)

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A Little Cupcake Love

I know, cupcakes are all the rage right now. And I just can't help but jump on the cupcake bandwagon. They are so cute and look so good. I have always loved the cupcake, but now that they have become a trend, I think I love them more. I'm not generally a trend follower (mustaches?? yuck!) But in this case, pull the bandwagon over, I'm jumping on! And of course, we can thank Pinterest for this growing obsession of mine. Here are some of my favorites!

Cherry Coke Cupcake -Annie's Eats

Orange Creamsicle Cupcake -- Home Is Where the Holmans Are

Oreo Cupcakes -- Annie's Eats

33 Delicious Looking Choices!
I hope you enjoyed the cupcake inspiration today. I actually DO have some crafty things to share and should be back soon. HOORAY!
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Life's Too Short

I love this Itty Bitty from Unity Stamp Co. Life's too short to match socks! I think instead of matching socks, we should all craft instead! I'm going to try and make a better effort to not only craft, but to blog more too. I really enjoy sharing my creations. And I have about 100 things that I've been thinking of that I would like to make/do. Anyway, on to the card!

Supplies Used: Unity Stamp Co., Jillibean Soup (Blossom Soup) patterned paper, May Arts ribbon, Circle Nestabilities, Sizzix Dots embossing folder **This card now available for sale in my Etsy store!**
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Starting Out Okay

Well, I'm starting out the year well. I made not one, but TWO challenge cards! Thank you CPS for making a nice easy sketch to get me back in the game!

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Happy New Year!

Hopefully this year I'll get back to creating and blogging! :) Have a happy and blessed 2012!
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No Butts About It...

I've been gone for awhile, I know. Last week I went to the One of a Kind Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Show. It has been awhile since I have done much of anything crafty, and my husband thought it would be good to go. Maybe spark a little creativity. Apparently he is in need of some cards to send out. :) I bought these adorable stamps and scalloped circle cards from the show.

Supplies Used: Stamps (Inky Antics), Cardstock (The Paper Cut), Ribbon (May Arts), Embossing Folder (Sizzix Dots), Markers (Bic)

Supplies Used: Stamps (Inky Antics), Patterned Paper (October Afternoon), Cardstock (The Paper Cut), Markers (Bic)

Supplies Used: Stamps (Inky Antics), Cardstock (The Paper Cut), Ribbon (May Arts), FlowerSoft (Toffee), Watercolor Pencils (Stampin' Up)
Thanks to everybody who has stuck with me and my blog. It is going to be sporadic for awhile yet, but will hopefully be back to creating and blogging soon!
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Old MacDonald Had a Farm...

E-I-E-I-O. Remember awhile back I showed you some invitations for a baby shower? Well today, I am going to show you the matching cupcakes that I made. I just recently joined Pinterest and just like everybody said, it is a wee bit addicting. But on the plus side, there are lots of great ideas. That's where I found the recipes for the cupcakes. You can see the recipes here. I had a hard time picking just 2 of the 33 different recipes she had. I made the Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Filling and Milk Chocolate Glaze (however, instead of baking the preserves into the cake, I cored out the cupcake after and put it in then. That way it wouldn't sink to the bottom). And I also made (Jon picked this one out) the Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate Ganache. It tasted like a peanut butter cookie. YUM.

I was concerned that the malt ball on top didn't look quite...right. That's why I made sure it was placed in front of the animal and not behind it's backside...no animal droppings on my cupcakes, please! ;)
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1...2...Buckle My Shoe

I made these for my Etsy store and they sold quick! Just thought I'd share them here too. What do you think?

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How About Some Invitations?

Even though I have kind of given up the card making for now, I had a request from a friend to make some baby shower invitations for her. I decided since I had the stuff to do it, I might as well. She wanted a farm animal theme. Pretty much everything on the card was cut with my Silhouette (talk about easy).

Don't you just love the little tush on the back??
The hardest part was my Silhouette wouldn't read my registration marks on any of the cardstock except the yellow. It was weird. I tried manually setting it up, but it wasn't centering it very well. So here's a trick I figured out. I did the printing using a plain white piece of paper. Then I loaded that into the Silhouette and had it read those registration marks. Then I pulled out the white piece of paper and put in the colored cardstock and lined up the registration mark with the cutter. It cut perfectly almost every time. However, it was a pain. So you can see I used a lot of yellow cardstock. :) I tried changing my ink cartridge to a new one, I tried printing the thickest, darkest registration marks that I could, but nothing would work. Anyway, they turned out pretty cute anyway. I plan on making some cupcake flags using the little animals for the party too. I think they will be cute.
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