Contempo Christmas

I had a workshop today, and met some new fun ladies.  This is one of the cards from the workshop.  I based it on a card I got from my dear friend Patsy Waggoner at Founder's Circle (Hi Patsy!!!).  I changed the ornament and I also used a different embossing folder, but other than that it's Patsy's card.  I love the colors and using the new Spice Cake DSP.

Stamp Set: Contempo Christmas

Paper: More Mustard, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Spice Cake DSP

Ink: Wild Wasabi, Soft Suede

Misc.: Pool Party Ruffled ribbon (I love this stuff!), Petals a Plenty Embossing folder, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing folder, Pearls

Today is the last day of September can you believe it?  Don't forget this is the last day to get a Thank you card for orders you place in my on-line store for September. Also don't forget about my Country Dozen Rewards.  Thanks so much for your orders, I really appreciate it.

Well I gotta git.  I have to design my class for this weekend.  I have been so busy that I didn't get it figured out yet.  Hey, stop shaking your head and tsk-ing me! Ha!

Have an awesome Friday and thanks for stopping in.

 

I'm Hooked

Yesterday after I left the salon and headed back home cause of the fire they had, I called MAMMa just in case she had an appointment too, so that she also did not go in only to be sent home.  So this morning MAMMa emailed me and said she had an appointment at 10:00 today and I was like hey mine is at 11:00, how fun that I got to see her, it has been too long. We both got all blinged up on our toes, she gets blingy on her nails too, but I just keep those plain, I have however switched over to a subtle sparkle in the white tips that I absolutely love.

Here is another card from class this past weekend.  This card is based on a card I got from Kristin Kortonick at Founder's Circle. (Thanks Kristin!) I simplified it for class, so it was easy to do.  When you are doing 10 cards you have to do that.  I love how it turned out though.

Stamp Set: Petite Pairs, Christmas Lodge

Paper: Real Red, Garden Green, Whisper White, Freshwood Lodge DSP

Ink: Garden Green, Real Red

Misc: Oval punch, Modern Label punch

So the other day I said I had started a new book called My Blood Approves and it had me mad in spots cause it reminded me so much of Twilight, cause I was like how can someone write a book and have it be kind of similar? I mean a character's name is Alice even, the Mum-ish character is Mae where Twilight was Esme and then there was a Riley character too, or was that an animal, not sure but there were similarities.  In fact the main character kept trying to guess what the person was and she would guess everything but a vampire, yet she would mention listening to music by current singers and everyone knows about Twilight, so why would she not guess a vampire?  But anyway enough blabbering, so now I got the first book read, and I hate to say it...I love it, and I am on the second book now and I am loving the characters, I even told MAMMa today (and she totally loves Edward's Rob Pattinson - sorry MAMMa now everyone knows...ha!) that she needs to read the books.  I have them on my Nook so it's not like I can give it to her later to read, but she does have an Ipad so she can get them on that.  

Well that's enough of my blabbering...oh wait I said that already.

I gotta get some shut eye, so I can be bright eyed and bushy tailed at my workshop tomorrow afternoon.

Have an awesome Thursday and thanks so much for stopping in.

All in a Row

I had a mani-pedi appointment today and headed over, I almost called cause I thought I was going to be late and I almost made the appointment for another day when I called the other day to set it up, seems like I should have listened to that little voice in my head (who I lovingly call Poppa), when I got there the place was a mess, there was a fire last night and luckily they had a sprinkler system and it put it right out, but all the sprinklers went off and the place got all wet.  So I have to go back tomorrow.

So I came back and started to clean up from my classes this weekend.

Here's the scrub pads rinsed and drip drying in the sink.

Look what I did tonight...

...I put the Finial Ruler Decor Elements on my cutting station counter.  I only did it up to 48" even though the Decor Element goes to 72".  I could have used the whole thing but I didn't want to.  I think it looks so cool.

Here's another card from my 10/10/20 Christmas card class this past weekend.

Stamp Set: Welcome Christmas, Curly Cute

Ink: Jetblack Stazon

Paper: Crumb Cake, Riding Hood Red

Misc: Basic Black striped ribbon, Striped embossing folder (it's hard to see but it's on the Riding Hood Red piece of cardstock - you can see it better on the first picture)

Well I'm gonna sign off and make it quick.  I have a workshop on Thursday and need to get stuff ready for that.

Have an awesome Wednesday and thanks for stopping in.

 

 

Italian Love Cake

Today was the last day for my 10/10/20 Christmas class, it was a smaller class than yesterday and everyone liked the cards.  I did get my swap done last night before I went to bed and I ran it over to UPS before everyone got here.  Thank Goodness the GoDiva's are a talented bunch cause it cost almost $38.00 to second day air it to make sure it gets to Robin by Wednesday.

This is the card I did.

Stamp Set: Snow Much Fun

Paper: Early Espresso, Marina Mist, Shimmery White, Real Red, Letters to Santa DSP

Ink: Jetblack Stazon, Marina Mist, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Wild Wasabi

Misc: Vintage Trinket button brad

This is the card I was working on when I was at Founder's Circle, I gave a few watercoloring pointers to a few Demonstrators that were sitting with me...Hi Stella & Angie!!! If you want to learn how to watercolor with ink refills I have a 7 page PDF for sale.

A while ago I was watching the Food Network and I think it was The Diners and Drive In show and they had a cake on there that was the Italian Love Cake and it looked so good so I searched for the recipe and found it and I made it today.

Look at my gorgeous dish.  My dear friend and faithful blog reader Barbra and her adorable little boy Will sent it to me, wasn't that the sweetest thing?  It has a cute wire holder it sits in when it comes out of the oven.  I thought the cake would be awesome in it.  It is a marble cake so this was the white batter.

Look at the cute roosters on the side.

Then of course you add your blobs of the chocolate batter.

And swirl with a knife to get that marble effect.

Of course I was using fresh eggs from the girls...yum!

After you do all the swirling of the chocolate batter, you need to beat up the ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs and other stuff together, and then you pour that on top of the cake batter. I kinda tried to spread it carefully, but a bit of the chocolate peeked through.

Then I baked it for an hour, look how yummy it is.  I wish I had cooked it about 5 minutes more as I found out later there was a bit of a spot in the middle that was not all the way cooked through. Not like it's raw meat or anything, or we were having the Queen over, but still.

Then you want to let it cool.  I probably could have let it cool a bit more, but I was antsy to try it.

I mixed up the pudding and then added the cool whip to it.

This I licked the bowl clean, it was so yummy!!! This is what you will frost the cake with.

Ta!Da! And then I barely had the spoon licked off from the icing bowl and I was already cutting the cake to try a piece.

It was so good.  Now the recipe says to refrigerate it, and I am not sure if it means to keep what you don't eat in the fridge, or to refrigerate it before you eat it, so I will try a cold piece and let you know if it was better.  I did think it was freaky how the ricotta cheese mixture ends up on the bottom of the cake when it actually got poured on the top...it was not like you flipped the cake over either...weird eh? 

Here's the recipe.

Italian Love Cake

Marble Cake Mix (box mix)

3.9oz instant chocolate pudding

2 lbs. Ricotta cheese (it's in a plastic container)

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup white sugar

4 eggs

1 cup milk (for pudding)

8oz. Cool Whip

Mix marble cake according to box directions and pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Mix eggs, cheese, sugar, vanilla and pour over cake mix.  Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Cool cake.

Mix pudding mix with 1 cup milk, beat for 3 minutes. Add Cool Whip and mix well.  Spread over cake. Refrigerate cake.

Let me know if you try it and what you think.

Well I'm gonna go to bed a bit early tonight.  I am reading a new book called "My Blood Approves" and it reminds me so much of Twilight it makes me mad at times but yet I really want to keep reading it cause it is different too.

Have an awesome Tuesday and thanks for stopping in.

 

Sweet Genius...

...how about Sweet Freakiness?  I could not even make it through one full episode.  I do not like the host, he is almost scary and then they have that Minute to Win It computer woman explaining the items they have to use.  I love Chopped and those other shows but this one is just ugh.  I think they really need to take it back to the drawing board. I mean that's my two cents...have you seen it? What do you think?

I wanted to show another card that the girls...and boy - yep I had my first boy at class today, or I should say young man at class today, and he was a cutie, the tallest 13 I ever seen and he did awesome.  His older sister could not make it so he took her place.  We were saying she was going to be jealous when she saw the cards. It was fun seeing him and his Mum stamp together.

For this card I cased the idea from my friend Robin Merriman, (Hi Robin!!) I changed it by adding the DSP and I think the ribbon I can not find the original card so I could totally be wrong.  I also used the new Simply Scored Scoring Tool (SSST) to score the card. This tool is awesome. I have a class coming up where you will get the SSST when you come to class. If you live in Arizona, make sure to check out my class schedules. If you don't live in Arizona and you are interested in ordering your own Simply Scored Scoring Tool, the item # is 122334 and you can get it in my on-line store. I love that it has the metal scoring tool, and that it also has awesome place markers so once you figure out your scores you just score score score without always having to look.  It has a cute storage area in the top for additional markers if you order them (it comes with three) and you can also order an extra stylus (it comes with one), a secret stash of chocolate for those late night snacking and scoring parties will fit in the storage area too. (chocolate sold separately...ha!)

I laid the cardstock on the board and on the 11" side, I scored it at 2 3/4 and then 5 1/2.   Then I cut the cardstock in half on the 8 1/2 side and I had two cards ready to go.

Then you just decorate the inside, I used the beautiful Letters to Santa DSP, and then a quick greeting on the front.  Tie some ribbon around the flap and attach your greeting only to the one side so you can swing and open your card.

Here's a view from the top.

Neat eh?

Stamp Set: Merry & Type

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Whisper White, Letters from Santa DSP

Ink: Riding Hood Red

Misc: Riding Hood Red Striped ribbon, ( I got the ribbon off the clearance rack for only $1.99 a spool, but it is while supplies last...run I say run!), Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Rhinestones

Well speaking of Robin, her GoDiva swap is due Wednesday that means I gotta get it done tonight, so I can run it to the PO and over night it and get back home before my morning class...

Have an awesome Monday and thanks for stopping in.