Tweet as Pie!

Here is a card that I made for one of Robyn's challenges over at My Pink Stamper...she is ussuing challenges and giveaways for reaching over one million visitors...congratulations Robyn!! So, for this challenge we had to use a bird! I thought this would be a cute idea for a thank you card, which I need to send to a friend!
The bird is from Serenade, the pie is from Country Life and the label is from Lacy Labels. All of the papers are from Basic Grey nook and pantry line! I used a black thin calligraphy pen to write the Tweet as Pie!

Happy Birthday Christopher!!!

Yesterday was my little or should I say big boy's Birthday!!! Happy Birthday Buddy!! I can't believe he is 9 years old already, seriously, doesn't it just fly by!?!?! I had such a busy day that I couldn't post yesterday. I asked him what he wanted to eat for his birthday dinner and he made the menu....chicken cutlets, garlic mashed potatoes, butter noodles and asparagus!! So that is what I made him and the family for dinner. We had my parents over for dinner and cake! Christopher opened his presents in the morning before school and loved them...he got a few lego streetz racing sets. I felt bad because he didn't have time to play, but these things have to be built and between the two of us it will probably take days to assemble...lol!!

So we dropped off cupcakes for school, I was going to make little gum paste geckos for the top of the cupcakes, but it was getting late and the gum paste was not cooperating and it was not cutting nice. Finally at 11:15, I gave up and decided to just make some gecko cupcake toppers. My son wanted geckos...he was going to get geckos. I ran down and started punching the scallops and cut out 25 geckos using the auto fill feature on the E and the LAB cartridge. Then got out my glue gun and started gluing it all together! I think they turned out adorable and the kids loved them at school!!

Christopher's cake was another story....we had a debate in the store. I was going to cheat and use chocolate frosting in a can, but he kept saying that that isn't what he wanted. He said he wanted icing....well, isn't it the same thing? Apparently not....frosting is what you buy and icing is what Mommy makes....according to Christopher. So, I whipped up a batch of chocolate icing....chocolate buttercream frosting (recipe posted at bottom of post)!! He said it was the best cake he's ever had....gosh I love that little boy!!! I used the gumpaste to make 2 gecko cuts and I was pleased this time with how it turned out....I still need a ton of practice, but altogether pretty pleased!! We put some special cupcake sparklers in his cake, but only lit one at a time because I didn't want the house to burn down....Christopher was so excited, it was pretty cool. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTOPHER....MY BIG 9 YEAR OLD!!!!!

Here is the recipe for the chocolate buttercream frosting...it is delicious and is enough to fill and frost an 8 or 10 inch cake!

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2 lbs. confectioners sugar

2 cups white vegetable shortening (crisco)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp meringue powder

5-7 tbsp. water

1 1/2 cups cocoa powder

American Girl!

Here is a layout that I made using a sketch from sketchabilities....unfortunately I was too late to enter it, but that is ok....I still love the sketch and the layout!!! It seems with the kids back to school and trying to get back itno routine, it is so hard to remember everything! So here is the layout that I made:

The first picture came out terrible...the colors are so off, so I am glad that I didn't enter it...lol!! I love how the heart looks like the heart on the outfits and their were buttons on the outfit too, so I put some buttons in the shape of the heart! I love these pictures of my daughter with her American Girl Kit....and looking at these pictures...I love my daughters toothless smile!!! I am glad that I got to play along and hope to continue playing at sketchabilities.....I love their sketches and it is a great way to get your mojo going!!!

She Adores Paris!!

The 'She' in the title would be my six year old daughter Samantha, who loves the Eiffel Tower and Paris and has learned some phrases in French. She has asked me to take her to Paris, but for now the answer is no...she won't fly anyway...lol!! I have bought her a few Paris t shirts and dresses, but I wanted to make her a t shirt! So, I designed this t shirt using the Gypsy the French Manor cartridge and some freezer paper. I love making these, they are so easy and come together so fast....I even went out and bought myself a new pink iron...lol!!! I used tulip fabric paints and the i rock to glam it up! I made a matching hair bow using tulle, ribbon, i rock and I used shrinky dink paper for the Eiffel Tower charm....I love it if I do say so myself, but most important Samantha loves it!!! I entered it into a contest, but was not a winner...but that is just A-Ok, because I was a winner in Samantha's book and that is what counts!!!

Back to School Smiles, Pictures and Projects!!

Today was the first day back to school for my kids...Samantha is a first grader and Christopher is a fourth grader!! Where does the time go, my goodness! We had an exciting morning of picking out the perfect outfit and brand new shoes, making lunches and talking! I could tell that Samantha was starting to get real nervous. We got some great pictures on the steps of the school and went in to find their class rooms! We brought Christopher up to meet his teacher and I kissed him and sent him to find his desk...he turned around, looked at me and started to cry....yes my BIG fourth grader is a mush, he said he was scared, poor baby. I kissed him and assured him that he was going to have a great day! Then we went back down to drop Samantha off and she wouldn't go in, then her friend looked up at me and he started to cry....so I brought them both in to meet their teacher! Samantha was so excited once she saw that she had her own desk with her name tag and a coloring work sheet in front of her. We kissed her goodbye and she seemed to be doing fine! Mom on the other hand left in tears with such an upset stomache..lol!! After a long summer of fun, it is time to get back into a routine and we are all looking foward to that! So here is a layout that I created to just stick their pictures in....I used Imaginisce apple cider paper and my cricut. Mickey font for the letters and Country Life for the apples!Here is my big first grader.....BTW...she is wearing her American Girl Kit outfit..she picked it out all by herself!
Here is my big fourth grader!! His taste is changing and he is gaining his own sense of style...he is not so much into polo shirts anymore, but he wanted to look nice for his first day of school!
The kids are so good to eachother and I know they will take care of eachother and smile when they pass by in the hall!My big first grader sitting at her very own desk with her work ready to go!

Smell the Fall air!!

Oooohhh it has been so chilly here the last couple of days and it is just delightful!!! I love the Fall...the cool crisp air, pumpkins and apples, fairs and festivals and most of all roasted corn at the farmstands!! So here is a Fall card that I made...I made it for a cricut contest, but didn't get it in on time. I used Imaginisce apple cider papers, jenni bowlin letters, ribbon, MS border punch and the cricut Celebrate with Flourish cricut lite cartridge!! This is an easel card and was just so much fun to put together! The card measures 4x6. Thanks for taking a peek and there will be many more Fall projects coming...including apple pie recipes, layouts and pictures!!!

In Memory of 9/11!

Today marks the 9th Anniversary of September 11, 2001! We were all affected by that day and the tragedy. In memory of 9/11 My Pink Stamper was issuing a challenge to create a project for someone who serves our country or community. My Husband is a Volunteer Firefighter in our village and we are very proud of him. It takes a brave man to serve and protect and we are proud of all that he has done. I created a frame for him....Our Hero!

I used K&Co paper to cover a wood frame from Michael's and some 3d embellishments. I used my cricut to cut some images....Create A Critter for the firehat, Independence Day for the banner and Cherry Limeade for the letters! I had so much fun creating this for him and if I hadn't checked My Pink Stampers blog, I would never have thought to create a special project to thank my Husband for serving in our community, so thank you Robyn!

Lunch With Daddy!

Here is a layout that I created for a cricut contest...we had to make a layout about something that we did over Labor Day weekend. Well, we did nothing!!! My husband had to work double shifts, so we made him fresh salsa and chips ....he eats his with wise chips...I think that's odd but maybe you don't. LOL!!! So we met up at the park for his lunch break and the kids got to visit with him for a little bit...as you can tell by their hugs and kisses, they were all very happy! Well, my son's expression maybe not so much, but he gets very upset when he has to leave his Daddy!! So here is the layout that I submitted:

I got this layout done in an hour with printing my pictures....so for a quickie I am pleased with how it came out. Using the DCWV green stack, the whole earthy park theme came together so easily! I used my gypsy to size the cuts....cuttlebug divine swirls for the tree....Just Because cards for the tree....and Country Life for the banner and the letters!!! That little beaver, the grass, and the clouds were alll part of the printed paper...isn't it cute!!??! I thought it worked well for the theme of the layout!! So, thank you for looking and have a great day!!!

Preparing Lunch For Back To School!!!

I know most kids have already started school, but my kids don't go back until the 13th. ....so in preparation for them going back to school, I made them a cute lunch box note set....I hope this will bring a little smile to their faces while they are eating!!

During the first half of the month at Thoughts2paper, you will find many Back to School ideas so be on the look out for those! For this project I used a plastic sandwich container...it was actually lightening mcqueen which my son is not into so I immediately thought to convert it!!! I used Create A Critter cicut cartridge for the animals and shapes. This cartridge is so fun, It has really become my go to cartridge!

The notes are all 4x4 with rounded corners and I tried to stick with primary colors. You can find the Create A Critter cricut cartridge and most of the other items I used for these cards in the Thoughts2paper store...there are also some newly loaded goodies there too!

Waiting for Hurricane Earl!!

We have been preparing for days for the arrival of Hurricane Earl! We put things away, cleaned up the yard, put gas in the car, got bottles of water and batteries for the flashlights!! It can be quite a process! We thought it would be here earlier, but we have waited all day and now it is 7:40 pm and still only rain...no heavy winds as predicted....yet!!! So we took the kids down to the beach and I went to take a picture of the water and the camera read.....'no more memory'...oh poop, I left the camera card in the computer...lol!!! I was so upset, but I wanted pictures and there were local camera crews from the news there all set up, etc. So I ran home for the card....good thing we are only 5 minutes from the beach. I got some great pictures and we were caught in a terrential downpour for a few minutes. I have to say it was exciting to be down there at the beach with the news stations and lots of people!! My DH was taking a picture of the kids and I and a lady from a local news station came and asked to speak with the kids, I said "sure!!" They loved it and sure enough they were on the NEWS!! They were so excited. My Mother called and asked if Sammi was wearing a pink jacket and if Christopher was wearing blue shorts.....yes, yes, and yes....she saw them on the news!!! She was a little upset that we took the kids out, but it was only a little rain, not bad winds and it wasn't like we were going swimming! We came home just in time to see them both on the 6:00 news and they were so excited to see themselves.....did anyone see them on T.V.????

Interested in joining the CRICUT CIRCLE family???

Hello friends!!! I just got word that the Cricut Circle...an online forum for cricut enthusiasts...is OPEN for new members! There is a fee to join, but with that fee comes rewards....there is an exclusive cricut cartridge every three months, an online magazine filled with inspiration, a wonderful forum of the most supportive friends, Cricut swarms galas and meet ups and special perks here and there!!
If you join now, you will be all set for the big IMAGINE reveal on HSN on September 14th and the special deal that is being offered to those who are in the Cricut Circle!! This invitation is only open until September 13!!
So, If you missed out on the first round of ivites and are now ready to become part of the circle, please contact me at J9CJ@optonline.net and I will get you the information that you need!!!

Madness with Martha Stewart Products!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful afternoon!!! Today I have some projects that I made using some wonderful Martha Stewart products!! I guess you can say that I am an enabler....lol!!! Here is the Martha Stewart scoring board, now I have nothing to compare it to because I do not own the Scor Pal, but I have to say that I love this new board and it is so simple to use!! I used this score board for some of the following projects!

Here is a box that I made using the score board and the instructions...the box is a good size at 4x4x2 inches. I made this for my Daughter to keep some of her little trinkets in!

I used the Sweet stack by DCWV for the box and the ice cream cone was cut using my cricut and the Sweet Treats cartridge. I added some clear glze to the ice cream and the strawberry and then sprinkled some clear micro beads to look like sprinkles ( I wish I had a different color) but I love the texture.

Here is the little box that I made for my son and all of his 'doodads'...all those tiny little peices that are all over his dresser...it drives me nuts, so here is what I made for him.

I used the My Minds Eye 'Lil Robots' paper kit and I embossed the robot and the tag and inked the edges! I think it is just adorable!!

Now to change it up a bit.....here is a A2 gatefold card that I created using the score board, some Halloween paper and some MS punches!The adorable double sided paper is from DCWV Spook~tacular paper pad. I used the spooky fence and spider web corner punch from MS and a littel $1 stamp. The candy corn girl was cut using the cricut and Mini Monsters cartridge, I think she is adorable!

Here is a card and matching envelope with liner that was made using the ever so handy MS score board....yes, I had so much fun with this handy tool!

For this card and envelope, I used some Basic Grey scraps and the new MS punch around the page 'Laurel Leaf' to make this card! The envelopes are so easy to make using the score board...isn't it nice to have a matching envelope for a beautiful card?!? I think so.

So that completes my projects for now using the MS score board.....I just wanted to share how much I love this new tool and how simple it is to create with it!!

Now for some more MS enabling.....check out this new punch that I bought at Michael's called 'Laurel Leaf'........this is my all time favorite punch, I just love it and it is perfect for all of those Fall layouts soon to be made. Check this out........

I just had so much fun punching the other night....I couldn't stop. I wanted to use it on some different colored cardstock that would be perfect for some Fall layouts.....I did 4 different sizes! I can't wait to make some projects with these!

Well, that is what I have fo now, thanks for looking!! We are expecting a terrible hurricane on Friday, so we are off to the store for batteries, water and snacks!!! have a wonderful day~~