Everything a Birthday Should Be

Hey there.  For those who may not know, yesterday was my birthday.  And what a wonderfully, idyllic day it was!  It wasn’t a significant birthday, THAT was last year, but it was a low-key sweet birthday. 

The highlights of my day included calls from my sons and from several friends, lot of email and facebook wishes, and time spent with my husband and daughter. 

My husband surprised me with this beautiful floral bouquet!  He is so sweet and knows that I love flowers, and he told the florist that I like pink.    The florist used beautiful pink peonies as a highlight in the bouquet.

I had received my birthday gift early – I purchased an elliptical machine.  The good news is I am building my time on the elliptical and my daughter is also enjoying the elliptical. 

We finished the day with dinner to go (my choice) from the place with my favorite salad, a nap on the sofa after dinner (!), and a quite evening at home with my honey.  What a completely lovely day!

Read more »

Everything a Birthday Should Be

Hey there.  For those who may not know, yesterday was my birthday.  And what a wonderfully, idyllic day it was!  It wasn’t a significant birthday, THAT was last year, but it was a low-key sweet birthday. 

The highlights of my day included calls from my sons and from several friends, lot of email and facebook wishes, and time spent with my husband and daughter. 

My husband surprised me with this beautiful floral bouquet!  He is so sweet and knows that I love flowers, and he told the florist that I like pink.    The florist used beautiful pink peonies as a highlight in the bouquet.

I had received my birthday gift early – I purchased an elliptical machine.  The good news is I am building my time on the elliptical and my daughter is also enjoying the elliptical. 

We finished the day with dinner to go (my choice) from the place with my favorite salad, a nap on the sofa after dinner (!), and a quite evening at home with my honey.  What a completely lovely day!

Read more »

Karina's Chocolate Truffle Cake

Truffle Cake is a flourless chocolate cake worthy of Spring.

The intricate lace of bare oak branches reaching to the piece of schoolyard sky framed by my kitchen window is softening, filling in with bursts of tender green leaves so young and sweet you miss them at first glance. Spring has arrived. The oaks say so.

To celebrate the season of reawakening, I say we bake a cake.

Yes, another cake. I know, I know. I baked a luxurious Coconut Layer Cake for you just last week. But. It was a cake with flour (albeit gluten-free flours). And what do I feel like baking this week? A flourless cake. A cake so rich it tastes like a truffle. Not the infamous pig snuffled treasure. No, Darling. The chocolate truffle. That heavenly impostor, hiding in the guise of that woodsy French piggery fungi. Spoonfuls of deep, dark ganache rolled in cocoa powder (to look like dirt, of course).

And I didn't want just a chocolate cake topped with ganache, either. I wanted to bake the ganache itself. I wanted the cake to taste like a sweet and satiny truffle- I wanted the cake to live up to its name. Truffle Cake inspires expectations. So I fiddled around with my Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe and rustled up a divine and creamy chocolate cake so special you'll want to share it with company. It's simply too good to keep to yourself. Try it. It's shockingly easy to make. Just give yourself time to make it ahead. It is at its best chilled overnight.

Silky satin chocolate cake with a dusting of dirt- I mean- organic cacao powder with a secret ingredient. Raw maca powder.

Throw in a little superfood magic. Why not?


Read >>

Read more »

Karina's Chocolate Truffle Cake

Truffle Cake is a flourless chocolate cake worthy of Spring.

The intricate lace of bare oak branches reaching to the piece of schoolyard sky framed by my kitchen window is softening, filling in with bursts of tender green leaves so young and sweet you miss them at first glance. Spring has arrived. The oaks say so.

To celebrate the season of reawakening, I say we bake a cake.

Yes, another cake. I know, I know. I baked a luxurious Coconut Layer Cake for you just last week. But. It was a cake with flour (albeit gluten-free flours). And what do I feel like baking this week? A flourless cake. A cake so rich it tastes like a truffle. Not the infamous pig snuffled treasure. No, Darling. The chocolate truffle. That heavenly impostor, hiding in the guise of that woodsy French piggery fungi. Spoonfuls of deep, dark ganache rolled in cocoa powder (to look like dirt, of course).

And I didn't want just a chocolate cake topped with ganache, either. I wanted to bake the ganache itself. I wanted the cake to taste like a sweet and satiny truffle- I wanted the cake to live up to its name. Truffle Cake inspires expectations. So I fiddled around with my Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe and rustled up a divine and creamy chocolate cake so special you'll want to share it with company. It's simply too good to keep to yourself. Try it. It's shockingly easy to make. Just give yourself time to make it ahead. It is at its best chilled overnight.

Silky satin chocolate cake with a dusting of dirt- I mean- organic cacao powder with a secret ingredient. Raw maca powder.

Throw in a little superfood magic. Why not?


Read >>

Read more »

Birthday Scrapping and Trying a New Product

I had fun in my scraproom today.  In addition to working on a "to be revealed later" project, I also did some scrapping of the Birthday photos.  I used a new (to me) product on the scrap pages, Fabric Paper by Dear Lizzie and American Crafts.  It is fabric that is backed with an ultra-thin adhesive foam. The fabric paper cuts nicely with my paper trimmer, though I did not try it on the Cricut today.  Don't worry, I have more of the fabric paper and that will be my next experiment.

 

I purchased my fabric paper at Taylored Expressions.  I used two sheets of the 12 x 12 inch fabric paper, removing the middle section with the trimmer (and saving it for later - I am thinking cute cards!).  I also purchased a package of the 6 x 6 inch fabric paper and plan to use it on some cards.
 

I used Base Camp and Storybook cartridges to complete my layout.  I cut the phrase Happy 50th Birthday with Base Camp and attached the letters to the flag banner at the top of the fabric paper. I then cut a two layer tag using Storybook where I matted the computer printed journaling.  My friend Kathy gives me grief for not journaling often enough so I am working to mend my ways!

I cut an extra tag set and affixed it under the edge of one of the HUGE-I-FIED Prima flowers.  The other Prima flower is on the left page, afloat on a field of flowers.  I used three lazer cut pink flowers from my stash of long ago purchased die cuts.  Between die cuts and alphabets that I no longer purchase, I should be saving money... Well, except for those new cartridges!!

I have to say that I quite like the Dear Lizzy Fabric Paper and look forward to using more.  I am not sure where else you can purchase the fabric paper, but I plan to "google" it and find out if there are other patterns.

Read more »

Birthday Scrapping and Trying a New Product

I had fun in my scraproom today.  In addition to working on a "to be revealed later" project, I also did some scrapping of the Birthday photos.  I used a new (to me) product on the scrap pages, Fabric Paper by Dear Lizzie and American Crafts.  It is fabric that is backed with an ultra-thin adhesive foam. The fabric paper cuts nicely with my paper trimmer, though I did not try it on the Cricut today.  Don't worry, I have more of the fabric paper and that will be my next experiment.

 

I purchased my fabric paper at Taylored Expressions.  I used two sheets of the 12 x 12 inch fabric paper, removing the middle section with the trimmer (and saving it for later - I am thinking cute cards!).  I also purchased a package of the 6 x 6 inch fabric paper and plan to use it on some cards.
 

I used Base Camp and Storybook cartridges to complete my layout.  I cut the phrase Happy 50th Birthday with Base Camp and attached the letters to the flag banner at the top of the fabric paper. I then cut a two layer tag using Storybook where I matted the computer printed journaling.  My friend Kathy gives me grief for not journaling often enough so I am working to mend my ways!

I cut an extra tag set and affixed it under the edge of one of the HUGE-I-FIED Prima flowers.  The other Prima flower is on the left page, afloat on a field of flowers.  I used three lazer cut pink flowers from my stash of long ago purchased die cuts.  Between die cuts and alphabets that I no longer purchase, I should be saving money... Well, except for those new cartridges!!

I have to say that I quite like the Dear Lizzy Fabric Paper and look forward to using more.  I am not sure where else you can purchase the fabric paper, but I plan to "google" it and find out if there are other patterns.

Read more »

Spring Steeplechase and Birthday Bash ... What a Saturday!

I have to tell you that I am wiped out today.  Yesterday was such a full and wonderful day.  We attended the Aiken's 44th Running of the Steeplechase, T H E spring event in Aiken, as well as hosted a 50th birthday party my husband threw for me. 

Steeplechase is a day of tailgating, horse racing, sun (!), friends, food and beverages.  We had such a nice time attending with a few friends, my mother, and two of our three children. We took our E-Z up canopy, tables & chairs, and tailgated from the backend of my minivan.

We then came home and set up a couple of round tables with chairs in our backyard.  We served a selection of food, beverages and of course, birthday cake and ice cream.  We finished the night off with funny rounds of Catch Phrase and Apples to Apples.  It was seriously so much fun.

Today is my actual birthday and it has been a slow lazy day... Now that I am 50 apparently I need a recovery day! LOL. 

I just wanted to share some of my birthday weekend fun with you.  I hope that you will stop back on Monday for the BBTB2 new projects (hint - BBTB2 is celebrating with me also).

Read more »

Spring Steeplechase and Birthday Bash ... What a Saturday!

I have to tell you that I am wiped out today.  Yesterday was such a full and wonderful day.  We attended the Aiken's 44th Running of the Steeplechase, T H E spring event in Aiken, as well as hosted a 50th birthday party my husband threw for me. 

Steeplechase is a day of tailgating, horse racing, sun (!), friends, food and beverages.  We had such a nice time attending with a few friends, my mother, and two of our three children. We took our E-Z up canopy, tables & chairs, and tailgated from the backend of my minivan.

We then came home and set up a couple of round tables with chairs in our backyard.  We served a selection of food, beverages and of course, birthday cake and ice cream.  We finished the night off with funny rounds of Catch Phrase and Apples to Apples.  It was seriously so much fun.

Today is my actual birthday and it has been a slow lazy day... Now that I am 50 apparently I need a recovery day! LOL. 

I just wanted to share some of my birthday weekend fun with you.  I hope that you will stop back on Monday for the BBTB2 new projects (hint - BBTB2 is celebrating with me also).

Read more »

A Couple of Gypsy Cards

I found a few minutes last Friday night to further explore and play with my Gypsy. I needed a couple of birthday cards to have on hand just in case they were needed (it was my husband's birthday and I suspected that the kids might forget to grab cards).

I love the cupcake cuts in Gypsy Wanderings, both the solo cupcake and the border. I thought they might make a cute card. I used the Happy Birthday cut from the same cartridge.

The second card used the owl from Gypsy Wanderings as well as letters from Gypsy Font.

Both of these cards were simple as I made them in a bit of a hurry, but both came out cuter than the photos show.

Read more »

A Couple of Gypsy Cards

I found a few minutes last Friday night to further explore and play with my Gypsy. I needed a couple of birthday cards to have on hand just in case they were needed (it was my husband's birthday and I suspected that the kids might forget to grab cards).

I love the cupcake cuts in Gypsy Wanderings, both the solo cupcake and the border. I thought they might make a cute card. I used the Happy Birthday cut from the same cartridge.

The second card used the owl from Gypsy Wanderings as well as letters from Gypsy Font.

Both of these cards were simple as I made them in a bit of a hurry, but both came out cuter than the photos show.

Read more »

Christmas in May?

I must say, today was like Christmas in May for me. I arrived home from work and found two packages waiting for me. The first, a box, I suspected was my Provo Craft special two cartridge purchase, but I had NO idea what that big padded bag contained. The label said "Cricut Replacement Parts." I took both the box and the padded package back to my scrap room... and THAT'S when it hit me: LYRICAL LETTERS from the Chirp!! So... today I received Lyrical Letters, Home Decor, Jubilee, a Juke Box, and the basic set of cricut pens!! If not Christmas, then at least a second birthday... without that whole aging thing!!!!

So yes, I did have to play with the cartridges. I cut some elements for a layout I am scrapping, but it is not ready for public viewing yet. I can share a birthday card I cut and assembled. It is for one of my chocolate loving co-workers.



Next, I finished some cards for stamp club. We have a card swap at our stamp club meetings. I guess I will have to wait to post the stamp club cards until Sunday. Sorry.

Finally, while using my nesties I spied my cute little bird shapebilities. I just had to make a card using the birds. I really like the simplicity of the bird shapes; they seem to "pop" off of the printed background.



I am not sure what is up with my color choices. I seem to be very attracted to aqua this week. I especially liked the softness of the aqua with the intensity of the deep browns.


I should have more to share tomorrow...

Read more »