Birthday cards...... times four!

I am normally not one to make the same card more than once - but I had some really fun papers that I wnated to try and a birthday word file  that inspired me to cut the same design and see what I could do, Honestly, there is nothing very unique about any of these cards, but I had fun choosing the colors and just playing!

The iridescent and textured papers that make up the colors of the butterfly are origami papers, 

HSN carried them for a while, and I have seen them elsewhere, but have to remember where!  

I wasn't sure if these would cut well because of the embossing on some  the papers, 

but they cut perfectly each time with the Silver Bullet Professional Cutter.

The solid color card bases are from the Mica (Stardream)  line from Paper Temptress and the designs are also the Mica line - but text weight.   the white card base is the Luster line.  The butterfly flourish is an old file form Mamaw's Legacy (I wish she was still making files as they are terrific) - so glad I grabbed then when I could.  And the birthday words are from Miss Kate's Cuttables and they cut with ease.

I still have more August cards to make and September, so stay tuned for more!  Hope you enjoyed these... Pin It Now!

Summer Cards - simple and not so!

I don't know if anyone else has a lot of friends with birthdays in the summer, but I have been flooded with them - happily so.  I love celebrating someone else's birthday . But the down side of needed more than one or two cards is that the creativity does not always line up with the need.  Tell me you can relate to that...
I will share a way I pushed myself through in a later post,but first I want to share these four cards that could not be more different, and cover a wide variety of occasions!


This first one is a simple thinking of you card. The background design is from Totally Jamie.

Design by Totally Jamie

 The papers are from Paper Temptress and the flower layers were run through an embossing dot pattern (Embossalicious petite dot) and layered with pop dots.  My goal was to make it cheery.  The basic design of the center flower is from Birds Cards. I just copied it a few times, making each one smaller so I could get a layered look.   Then the flowers were embossed with a dot folder and assembled using pop dots. Simple, easy, and it makes me happy to look at it.  Hopefully the recipient will feel the same way :)

Papers from Paper Temptress - Pop Tone, Sparkle and Mica

The second card is also simple.  The design is from Birds Cards. Birds files cut beautifully every time, especially with the Silver Bullet Professional Cutter. And the card stock is of course from Paper Temptress.  This birthday card was for a male, so kept all of the frilly stuff off it which is SO hard for me!  I need to work at embellishing male cards in different ways!

More Paper Temptress Pop Tones

Side view with pop dots

The third card is a combination of all things easy and together they make a striking card.   I used a siimple pinked edge circle pattern for the spirelli circles.  I love doing spirelli - it's relaxing.  I just used a variegated metallic thread and wrapped it around the edges for that pop of color. The center is a Prima embellishment that I have had for ages.  (Yes I am trying to use up the stash!!)

Closeup of the spirella wrap with metallic thread . The pinked edges are inked

with a marker to give them a little more depth.

The greeting was simply printed, but could be stamped as well.  Then all were layered on top and - DONE!! This congratulations message was for my daughter up in Fresno who just secured a full time teaching job - and although I think she might have preferred the lower grades, she was "blessed" with sixth graders!  Actually I think they were blessed to get her - but the challenge is that she was hired on Monday morning, back to school night was that evening, and school started on Wednesday!  Yikes.....
I know she will be up to the challenge and am excited for her - so it was the best way I had to let her know!

The fourth card was inspired from a store bought card I have had for ages.  It has foiled swirls coming out from the center - all in different colors with some glitter and it's just really pretty.  I wanted to duplicate the variety of colors and make it look magical.

The store bought inspiration!

 I was going through a stack of papers that I haven't used in a while and found this holographic vinyl.  It is made by Duck Brand and I thought it would be perfect.  I have been collecting files from Miss Kate's Cuttables, and she has a variety of flourishes, so I used one of her sets, took one design and mirrored it and welded it to give me the center piece and added anotherwirl on top.  It sparkles in vibrant colors depending on how the light reflects..  I just love how it looks.  I printed the "happy birthday" first and then applied the vinyl. Then just added little rhinestones to accent the swirls.  I will definitely play with this Duck Fireworks pattern again   - it was too much fun.  This card went to a very special friend celebrating her 70th birthday - and I am not naming names! :)

Gradient printing done on Paper Temptress Luster Silk

Hard to photograph at that angle, but you can see the cuts in the shiny vinyl. 

Cuts like butter!!

The beautiful colors in this vinyl really show in the light here and below -

different angles produce a different array of colors.

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Birthday Brunch Bake! - Part Two (the food)...

Well it was a great weekend here...... all of the kids were together to celebrate Rob's birthday (my youngest)

Rather than do our usual birthday dinners, we had a special brunch that was actually really fun and a much easier way to entertain!  Why did it take me so many years to figure that out??  Good grief....

In the midst of getting breakfast/brunch on the table, I totally missed the photo of this awesome breakfast treat.  It's one of those that you have to take the photo quickly because it deflates pretty quickly. By the time we sat down to eat it looked more like topography map of a valley surrounded by mountains! (that is the extent of my geographic terms!)  But........ once we all overcame the visual, the actual taste was FABULOUS!  Oh my gosh........ it was like eating dessert for breakfast - but the eggs and bread made it "legal"  - right??  The best description I can come up with is..... it tasted like a cremé brulee topped bread pudding.  Is that decadent enough?  If not...... well, will have to work on that one!  Just trust me - it was delicious!

Bacon and a fresh fruit salad rounded out the meal and it was just fun to have the three kids and two and 1/3 grandkids with everyone laughing and talking at the same time.  I don't know what is more fun than an animated family gathering! :)  I loved every minute as the times we are all together are few and far between and I cherish every one of them!

French Toast Bake

adapted from Butter with a Side of Bread

Base:
1 loaf of Hawaiian bread, cut in 3/4" strips
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla bean crush (KAF)*
1 tsp. butter vanilla bakery emulsion (LorAnn)*
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
===============
Topping:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. flour

Place the strips of bread in the bottom of a buttered 13x9" baking dish.  In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.Pour over bread slices.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350.  Then combine the butter, brown sugar and flour in a medium sized microwave safe bowl.and heat in the microwave for intervals of  30-45 seconds  for several minutes, or until the mixture is completely melted.  Pour over (it can be thick so you may need to spread it quickly) the bread and place it in the oven for 45-60 minutes.  It will come out beautifully tall and deflate as it cools.

The directions say to cool for 5 minutes...... I would say at least 15 or warn your guests as the brown sugar mixture is HOT!!!  But........it is oh.....so.......good!!

* Or use 2 tsp. vanilla extract in place of the extract and emulsion

Early prep....

Hot buttery brown sugar mixture as it goes into the oven...

Fresh out of the oven...one hour later....

The sunken wonder!! LOL  You can't tell, but the candle was sitting in a glass star holder and it sunk into the middle of the bread!! Rob had to blow that flame out FAST!!

So..... just to be sure you are paying attention - did you catch my reference to the "odd number" used in reference to my grandchildren??  Yes there is news.........

Scott and Megan are expecting their first child the middle of February. 

We are all quite excited - thrilled - elated - and more!! Pin It Now!

Birthday Brunch Bake! - Part One - (the card)

The brunch description and recipe will be part two of this post, but  first, the birthday prep began with the making of a card - of course!  It's so hard to realize and accept  that "my baby"  has reached his mid- twenties.  I am not "that old"...... how could he be???  It still seems like yesterday when I brought Rob home for that first time...... my  how fast it all flies by!

So what does one do for a birthday that marks a quarter of a century??  Yes I should have done something with a "quarter" theme, but of course that didn't come to me.  I was focused on the "25" - so that was it -- a very simple card,  but sometimes simple is the best.  The sun ray shape (not sure what to properly call it)  was a free clip art image and I just cut the numbers from a font and added a shadow layer - easy peasy!  The gold background was run through a 6x6" embossing folder from  Embossalicious called, not surprisingly, "Happy Birthday".  I know..............  The papers are all from the Paper Temptress mica line.

It was hard to figure out what to do for him as I have pretty much hit all of his interests over the past few years, but hopefully the effort was appreciated.  Will have to start working ahead of time to get more creative next year!  If I can ever master my coloring skills, then that would broaden my options and I could take on an Animé character!!  That would be fun and he would love that.  Better start practicing!

The sun ray was placed in an Embossalicious folder - Chevrons.  

So if the thin rays look uneven, it is because of the embossing as it distorted their shape a little!

Pop dots behind the numbers to give them a little dimension

The final product!

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Low Sugar "Healthy" Zucchini Carrot Cake

Still working on the overflow of zucchini here, with two more giant zucchinis in the fridge!!  Going to have to get really creative soon.

In an effort to make my way through the zucchini I have actually made this recipe twice. Yes it is THAT good.  It is moist, healthy (in my mind!), has just a touch of sweetness in the frosting that but not so much that it will stop you from eating it for breakfast.  This is truly a cake that can be eaten any time of the day or night!

Zucchini Carrot Cake

adapted from Eat What You Love Everyday by Marlene Koch

2 cups flour
2  1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. Penzeys baking spice
1/4 c. applesauce, natural (no sugar)
1/4 c. oil
2 large eggs  
1 tsp. vanilla extract (I use KAF vanilla bean crush )                                                                    
5/8 c. Truvia Baking Blend
3/4 c. buttermilk, reduced or low fat
1 1/2 cup grated carrots
1 1/2- 2  cups grated zucchini, blotted dry with paper towels
1/2 - 3/4  c. raisins (based on your preference and optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13x9 inch pan with non stick coating spray..

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and ginger in a small bowl and whisk well.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, applesauce, oil and vanilla and whisk well.  When mixed, whisk in the Truvia baking blend and buttermilk. Then fold in the grated zucchini and carrots and raisins and mix gently until the ingredients are well distributed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick in the center comes clean. Let cake cool in the pan on a wire rack.  When completely cool, frost with the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting (below) and store in the refrigerator.

This cake is moist and delicious!

Cream Cheese Whipped Frosting

1/3 cup reduced fat whipped cream cheese
2 oz. reduced fat  block cream cheese
6 packets (1/4 cup) Monk Fruit sweetener (Truvia or Stevia work as well)
1 1/2 cups light Cool Whip
1/2 tsp. cream cheese emulsion (optional but adds to the wonderful flavor)

Beat the two varieties of cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add the monk fruit sweetener or Truvia and continue beating until well combined, about a minute.

On slow speed, beat in about half of the Cool Whip until fluffy and combined. With a rubber spatula, fold in the rest of the Cool Whip.  Will easily frost a 13x9" pan - and it's so good I would definitely use it for other cakes!

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Birthday Card - July friend - Fail and Success!!

July was a big birthday month for me - I had many friends with birthdays and am trying not to get too far behind.  (UPDATE: I started this post a week ago, my computer then decided to go on vacation and leave me high and dry, so I am beyond far behind.  But I am doing my best to catch up!!)

The idea for this card changed several times along the way. Initially I cut the flower image and used double sided adhesive so I would be able to make two cards from one cut!  I so love that.  All was going well...

Main piece for the first card idea

Negative pieces left on the mat

I worked with the main piece and adhered a shadow image of double sided adhesive to the negative pieces.

All ready with the adhesive for another card!

That part is safe and awaiting a project.  But something happened along the way with the main piece and I just didn't like it  It was ok, but the adhesive was buckling and it was my fault for not getting even coverage

Just not happy with how this turned out and the more I tried to make it better the worse it got.  

So it sadly went into the trash.  Just trust me that the "final product" didn't look anything like the 

card above after I got through trying to make it look better. What a mistake!!

So....... I decided to try something I never had.  (not always a good idea when you are already late - right??) I tried to make the same design with a frame attached, but I blew it!  I didn't weld the right pieces to the frame so that part was a huge failure, initially  But I still had the pieces of the  flower that cut out beautifully.  I tried making the frame from the same paper as the flower since that was my initial intent, but something was missing.  So I covered the frame piece with a different color (Paper Temptress Glimmer ), and put foam tape on the bottom to give it dimension, like a shadow box. I backed the flower cut  with the Paper Temptress mica line and then sprayed it with an iridescent glitter to give it some sparkle. Then it was just a matter of putting the frame and flower together and adding some pearls. Even though my original idea didn't work, I am happy with how this mistake transformed and it was a good lesson in not giving up!!

I used my Brother labeler (with the satin silver tape that I had never used before) and created the Happy Birthday greeting. I will definitely use that again. I am really happy with how this card turned out (and I still have the negative pieces on adhesive for another card project!!)

More to come soon......... :)

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Cinnamon Zucchini Bread with extras

Still working on the zucchini overflow in my refrigerator.  I still have two huge (and I do mean HUGE) zucchini) and noticed that my plant is beginning to blossom again - so in another week or two I will have more if they all make it!!

I am not sure how much more zucchini bread, cake, muffins, etc. I can make, but I will keep trying to come up with new things to keep everyone interested.  My friend, Nance, sent me a recipe for a Chocolate Zucchini Bundt cake that has a chocolate ganache glaze, so that will be a definite make soon!

I made this bread last week and it was FABULOUS.  This , so far, is one of my favorite zucchini breads. I love anything with cinnamon - I think it takes me back to my childhood with cinnamon-sugar toast!! :)  YUM!  So in addition to the cinnamon IN this bread, I put a nice coating of cinnamon sugar over the top and let it bake in.  That made it pretty perfect!!  That is one step you need to be sure to remember!!

Zucchini Cinnamon Bread

adapted from Chocolate, Chocolate and More

1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 c. canola oil
1 1/2 c. zucchini, shredded
1/2 c. toffee bits
3/4 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil.  Add the egg mixture and the shredded zucchini into the flour mixture.  Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir together until the ingredients are well mixed and moist.  Fold in the bittersweet dark chocolate chips and toffee bits.

Pour the batter into a loaf pan, coated with a non stick spray.  Bake at 350 for one hour or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack and remove from the pan after 20 minutes of cooling.

A good shot of that luscious cinnamon sugar crust!

Another yummy view...

You can easily see the generous sprinkling of of the dark chocolate chips.  So good....

And yes, this was good to the last bite!!

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Iris Folding with Ribbon

This was so much fun to make

I love iris folding. I find it relaxing and creative and just plain fun.  I used to always use paper when I filled different designs, but of late I have enjoyed using ribbon for the variety and different textures that it can add.

The back of the iris folding is not pretty, but is well hidden in the final product!

I needed to make a baby card for a special friend who is having a little girl any day now.  The papers are from Paper Temptress (Pop Tones) and the design is the cute little ducky from the SCAL shape library, along with the rounded square that finishes the piece.  The printed paper is a scrap piece!

Before assembly...

 A closeup of the right side of the iris folding...

The iris folding pieces are all ribbon, and the duck is accented with a little oval rhinestone for the eye.  The background pink paper is embossed with the Stardust folder from eBosser.

A happy duck to welcome a new baby girl!

The second card uses the same image just reversed and a pattern filled with ribbon too.

Another detail shot of the iris folding. The middle piece is sparkly - like a holograph

The card base is from Paper Temptress - the BASIS line and it was embossed with the eBosser using the Embossalicious folder - Petite Dot.  The printed cardstock is a scrap and the iris folding was done with three types of ribbon.  A small blue rhinestone brings sight for the little ducky!

Another closeup of the iris folding pattern...

The letters were cut out of vinyl with the Silver Bullet -  you can see how fine some of those letters are - incredible, and shadowed with Paper Temptress Mica.

I love the detail of the fine lettering

I used the cutout of the duck on the inside of the card - I don't normally decorate the insides much, but this one was extra special!

A little ducky peeking out of the inside...

If you haven't tried iris folding, I highly recommend it.  

It's a great stress reducer and looks great with minimal effort.  Hope you enjoy it!

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