Blog Candy Winner and Our New Addition!

Sorry for the delay in posting my blog candy winner!  You will understand why in just a minute! ; )  Drum roll please........the winner of the vintage suitcase is...........

 Andrea Clopton said...

I added your button to my blog. I absolutely love your work! This summer my hubby and I aren't getting to go on vacation for lack of leave time (on his part) so he is taking me for a long weekend to a scrapbooking convention! Can't wait!

June 21, 2012 11:22 AM

Thank you everyone for playing and sharing your summer plans with me! I have nothing too exciting planned, just BBQ's and swimming by our pool.....and playing with this little gal......

Her name is Myla and she is our new addition to our family.  She is a little peanut of a thing weighing about 4 lbs.  She is a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel.  She has the sweetest disposition ever.

Except for maybe my other little "Peanut" Skippers.  He is my 5 year old Bischon/Poodle mix and he is not quite sure about this whole puppy thing....but he seems to be accepting her, and they are playing a bit in the back yard. : )

........Love this little face......

So I apologize for being late posting the blog candy winner.....but now you know why! ; ) Have a great weekend!!

Crafty Secrets and Vintage Giveaway!

I have a giveaway to share with you today a little further down in my post, but I first wanted to share a card I created using my favorite Rose image by Crafty Secrets. I just purchased Tim Holtz' new Watercolor markers, and I have to tell ya.....I LOVE Them!  They are so much fun to work with! I love the "watercolor" effect that it gives and the depth of color.  

After coloring the roses and leaves, I sponged the entire top of the card with Tea Dye Distress Ink.  After inking it up, I sprayed it with water and dabbed it with a towel.  It gives this beautiful aged, splattered appearance.  To finish off the card, I just added a bit of lace, twine, sentiment, and stick pins. 

I love giving stuff away and making someone's day, so today I have a VINTAGE giveaway to ONE lucky person!

It is a suitcase packed with vintage goodies from my favorite companies! 

A Closer look at what's inside! : )

A Stamp set from My Craft Spot and a mini album from Doodlebug!

Glassine bags filled with flowers, buttons, sequins, journaling cards, and little handpainted/glittered jingle bells!

TWO vintage CD's from Crafty Secrets! The brand new Cuttlebug Poinsettia Quilling kit, and Victorian Romance!

All you need to do is become a follower, subscribe, or post my badge on your blog AND tell me what fun summer plans you have! That's it!  I love hearing about your lives and this is such a great way to get connected with you!  The blog candy will close Thursday night at 10 PM CST. 

Off to a pool party with Cortney today! Have a great day my friends!

Thinking of You....

Good morning! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and Father's Day! I have been so busy with family, kids, swimming,acting as chauffeur....that I haven't crafted in 3 days! eeek! I have lots to catch up on for CHA! So today I will bury myself in my room and check a few things off the list! I have a card to share with you that uses my absolute favorite cartridge, Flower Shoppe!  This orange and black flower was left over from something else and I couldn't bare to waste it.  So it found itself on this card, along with a few leaves, seam binding and a stamped sentiment from My Craft Spot.  ( I ADORE Kimberly's sentiment stamps!!!) 

I did a bit of embossing with my Cuttlebug and added a ruffled doily for a subtle texture. 

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a vintage inspired giveaway!  Lots of fun stuff to give to a lucky winner!

Enjoy your day and thank you for stopping by for a visit!  I know how crazy busy summers can be.....so I truly appreciate it!

Happy Father's Day!

Good morning and happy Father's Day to you! I have lots to do since I am having company in a few hours, but I wanted to share a banner I made last year for the Cricut Circle Blog. My dad is a pretty avid golfer, so this banner was perfect for him!  I used the Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge.  The banners themselves were cut using the Country Life cartridge.  For my little golf bag, I included a little golf towel that I hand cut from a washcloth and affixed with a teeny eyelet. 

Every golfer loves the golf cart.....especially my son....because that's as close to driving as he is going to get for awhile! ; )

And here is the golfer with his crazy golfer outfit.  I don't know if any of your husbands play golf, but dressing is half the fun.  Or maybe that's just my husband? ; ) My husband dresses a bit wacky at times....the more obnoxious the better! So this little golfer was definitely inspired by him!  He orders many of his shorts from a place called Loudmouth Golf.  (The name really says it all doesn't it?)

I used the Cuttlebug's Polka Dots embossing folder to emboss the circles to look like dimples in the golf balls. 

Here is the banner in it's entirety.  

I am off to get my food ready and the kids up!  Have a great day my friends!

Father's Day Cards!

I am fortunate to have several special men in my life....and I wanted to make a couple of cards for those particular men who love golf. I used my Cricut and the All Sports cartridge to create two golf inspired cards.  My husband's golf bag is yellow and black and I wanted to match it.  Although though my very informative 15 year old told me, "It looks nothing like dad's bag."  Thanks. 

The tag was cut from the Sentimental's cartridge. The sentiment is part of JustRite's Going Places Vintage Labels stamp set.

I added a bit of "green" with Martha Stewart's fringe scissors.  I  also adhered a few rhinestones.....hopefully the guys don't mind a bit of bling. ; )

I have one more Father's Day project to share with you tomorrow, so I hope you can stop by for a brief visit! Have a great Saturday!

Happy Birthday!

My hubby's birthday was yesterday and I wanted to make his birthday a bit special. I made a card for him, which thankfully, he is very understanding for my obsession with glitter! The card was a bit more girly than I had intended, but he was a good sport about it! I created it with the Fast Food cartridge, did a lot of layering, and used glossy accents and star shaped glitter. The round card came from the Campin' Critters Cartridge.  

The sticker in the center is by SRM. : )

He loves Chicken Picatta, so I made him that for dinner along with sparkling almond wine from Cooper's Hawk.  I also made him a cake from scratch, a root beer Bundt cake.  Which is pretty unusual for me. I am not a baker.  I am the gal who usually runs to the store or bakery for my cakes......but he was worth trying my hand at baking once again.....thankfully the cake turned out!  And I was a bit proud of my effort!

It was delicious! It was a moist chocolate cake with just a hint of the root beer flavor.  I am not a big cake eater, nor do I like frosting much, so this cake was right up my alley....and thankfully, his too! 

Root Beer Bundt Cake

Food Network

1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for the pan

2 cups all-purpose flower, plus more for dusting

2 1/2 cups root beer

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp salt, plus a pinch

3 large eggs, beaten

2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan, tap out excess flour.

2. Heat 2 cups root beer, the cocoa powder, chocolate and 1 stick butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts.  Add the granulated and brown sugars and whisk until dissolved.  Remove from the heat and let cool. 

3. Combine 2 cups flour, the baking soda, allspice and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Whisk the eggs into the root beer  mixture, then gently fold in the dry ingredients. (The batter will be slightly lumpy).

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through. Transfer to a rack. Gently poke the cake all over with a skewer and pour 1/4 cup root beer over the cake; let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert the cake onto a serving plate and let cool completely. 

5. Meanwhile make the glaze: Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup root beer, a pinch of salt, the confectioner's sugar and vanilla in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the cake. 

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I do have a few more Father's Day projects to share with you....so be sure to check this weekend for a couple of more posts! Have a wonderful Friday!!

Father's Day.....and a bit of Golf!

Father's Day is around the corner and I will be the first to admit.....it's a tough "creating" holiday for me.  Why? Because all of my favorite things are out the window. Glitter? Out! Ribbon? Nope! Flowers? Are ya kidding me? So what's a girl to do? Make it simple!  Now on other people, I love simple.  But it's just not me.  I always feel it's missing something.  (Like the ton of crap embellishments I put on my cards usually! ; )

So I did my best.....and this was my end product.  I used JustRite's, Going Places Vintage Labels stamp set.  I stamped it twice and cut out the airplane. I did a bit of embossing, added a bit of twine and added ONE orange pearl.  That's it. Simple. For me anyway. 

And many of you were asking about my golf experience.  Overall it was a good one!  The weather was perfect, I was on a "date" with my hubby, and I was with good friends.  (Which we forgot to get a picture of all 4 of us!) My favorite is our friend, Rich, who is looking for his golf ball in the "rough."  See? I know golf lingo!  

My pain in the butt van is in the shop again. The air has been broken for over a year.....long story. But let me just tell you, having a handicapped van stinks! Nothing about it has been easy or inexpensive. The money we've spent on maintaining it is ridiculous! So I am trying a new mechanic and keeping my fingers crossed that he will be able to fix my air!  
Have a great day my friends!