Recipe for Friendship

What's your "recipe" for Friendship? This New Hero Arts Digie Kit Recipe for Friendship sums it up so beautifully! I fell in love as soon as it was released!

I pop-dotted the Recipe for Friendship and distressed the background with distress inks (Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade, Fire Brick, Weathered Wood, Broken China, Vintage Photo). The fun part was adding the cotton balls for the "whipped cream" and the twines! I added the shine with blue Stickles and glossy Accent on the cooking utensils. Don't you just love the "recipe"?

I was so lucky (again!) to be able to meet Sharon in Ottawa while I visited my in-laws during the Christmas holiday. I met Sharon through Hero Arts Flickr. Sharon came across to me as caring, kind and sweet! And yes, she was just as I thought as soon as I sat down with her.

We chatted for over two hours as we had so much fun talking about all things stamping.  I even  forgot to collect Sharon's autograph for the sign Hero Arts. So ...I guess it will be next time!! Thank you, Sharon for the lovely craft goodies that you gave me! I'm heading to a friend's new house for a birthday celebration tonight. No cooking for me--which means more time to "play" :)

My Coffee's A-ha Moment

Canadians love their coffee! I have now lived in Canada more than half of my lifetime. I have to do what the Canadians do -have their daily cup of joe. Like anywhere in the world, the "invasion" of American Starbucks is inevitable.

 BUT when it comes to things distinctively Canadian, our Tim Horton's coffee (also known as "Tim's" or "Timmy's") has always been a staple. The last time I went to Tim's for my morning fix, I noticed the vintage image on the coffee cup. It's retro, home-spun, and warm -just the perfect image for coffee lovers. Then my "A-ha" moment came...why not transfer these images onto CARDS!

Both cards were made from the same cup!

I plan to mail these to a Canadian friend who now lives in Hong Kong. I sent her two cans of Tim Horton's Coffee this June. I think she will love the cards!

ADDED note: I used the cup that I drank and washed it and dry. THEN I cut up the images out for my cards. The material from the cup are so sturdy! They are perfect for a card. I think I must do this on a regular basis now!

Merry Christmas...(and thank you)!

Hope you are enjoying your day with family and love ones today! I'm visiting my in-laws and had made them a turkey dinner. So that's the agenda of the day--sharing cards of thanks.

 I want to take this time to thank you for the most encouraging comments and feedback that you gave me this past year.

.

On the last note, here's a card that was featured in CREATE blog. The challenge was to use no red and green .

Yes, Virginia....there is a Santa! Hope Santa is good to you!
Merry Christmas!

Wednesday's Cookie/Card Series (Week 6)

Welcome to my LAST installment of the Cookie/Card Inspiration series. I am so thrilled to share the last 6 weeks of inspiration with you. When I cooked up this idea just over 6 weeks ago, I thought to myself: "What trouble have I got myself into!!?". Little did I expect such positive and welcoming responses from my blog friends and followers.You make this such a  treat for me to share my baking and creations! Now, let's get to business! It all started with my home grown herbs. I love having the fresh herbs around and Rosemary is one of them.

I used Martha Stewart's Rosemary Butter Cookies Recipe (see here).

After mixing the dough and roll them into tubes. Wrap the cookie dough up with wax paper and refrigerate the rolled dough for an hour. Then brush the dough with egg white and roll them in sugar.

Love the sugar-coated cookie dough! I added a few extra sprigs of Rosemary to decorate the cookies

And then I bake them for about 15 min. Really easy!

And now...onto the card! I chose the fern image from my most favorite 2010 Hero Arts Stamp set Leaf Prints to simulate the cookies! I also added the Stickles for the sugar-coating effect! Then I added the baker's twine form Twinery...FUN! Who knew making cookies AND cards can be this exciting!!?

I thank you for indulging me in this little series! I thoroughly enjoy every minute of it. Hope that you do, too! This post conclude the series. I am not sure what I will be planning for 2011, but I'm pretty sure this will not be the last inspiration series.

Have a SCRUMPTIOUS day! !!

Gift -Giving!

Hello friends! How are you doing with your Christmas shopping? I am getting there. I find the actual shopping is easy, it's the hand made/home made things that take me the most time and thoughts. I'm sharing with you a few things that I gave away to my neighbors and teachers. To me, they are the most important people during the Christmas season. So I always make sure that I give something from the heart. Two movie tickets (card with pocket) to David's cello teacher

For the piano teacher-some lovely lotion treatment. I used the Young Deer and make my own wrapping paper with the Music Background.

I colored one tree card and stamped a couple for my neighbors who have 4 young girls! I think they would love coloring their own !

For a girlfriend of mine (who is a busy physician herself), I am giving her this set of cards.

Some yummy treats for David's high school teachers!

Yes, I have been busy! Are you excited about Week 6 Cookie/Card Inspiration this Wednesday? It's my last one for this year! Hope you make time for it!

Etsy Inspired Challenge #119

Welcome to Saturday's Etsy Inspired Challenge! Our shop Ling Glass was featured on Moxie Fab 11/3/2010! Winner gets a $10 Gift Certificate! How AWESOME! Please check her shop as they are full of amazing inspiration! Our Sponsor is the new and upcoming stamp design from Wilson Designs Stamps 

Prize: Wilson Designs Stamps are high quality photopolymer clear stamps for the modern crafter!They are made here in the US and hand drawn with care! You can shop here. One lucky winner will receive our Snowy Wishes set which is great for paper piecing or creating a fun winter scene! Wilson Design is kindly offering $2.50 shipping to anyone who mentions they came from EI Challenge Blog in their purchase description when you check out. Wow!
 I drew my inspiration from this gorgeous pendant set. (This is a reversible pendant made from the paper of Chinese red envelope. It is sandwiched between 2 clear glass and soldered the frame with lead-free solder. Photo shows the 2 different patterns of ONE pendant.)

 I give it a little twist and came up with this birthday card. It's been a while since I used the Asian Flower set from Hero Arts (Asian Elements) and came up with  this....

Please check out my fellow DT as they always knock my socks off!

!Ashley  Heart Hugs Designs

De  Bella Luna {Paperie}
Emily B. branch out designs
Emily N. Emmie-Lou Who Stamps &You
Joy  Crazy for Daisies
Kerry Capturing Creativity
Savannah  Savannahland 2
Stephanie Ingenious Inkling
Virginia Yes, Virginia... (me)
Dec. Guest DT  Laurel Beard
This will be the LAST Etsy Inspired challenge for 2010. We will take a holiday break from the challenge! Can't believe Christmas is just around the corner! Please link back your project here. Have a GREAT weekend!

Wednesday's Cookie/Card Series (Week 5)

Can you believe this is the week 5 of my Cookie/Card inspiration series!? I am so happy that I did this as I am at least on top of the holiday baking! As I was struggling to choose the right kind of cookies to be inspired by. I decided to do a non-Christmas/winter-themed cards. So Lemon Squares seems like the perfect choice! I used Martha Stewart's recipe as I had made these yummy squares numerous times and they do not disappoint! See recipe here. Starting with about 2-3 lemons and work on the crust first. Mix the crust ingredients and then bake without the lemon mixture.

Then you work with the lemon mixture (see photos-clockwise). Add the mixture to the BAKED crust and put the whole pan back to the oven to bake some more...That's it!

It is really easy to make and well worth the effort! So...for the card, I used the Hero Arts Row of Houses and Screen Shadow. The yellow yarn/twine works perfectly for the "sun".

With the heavy snow outside, this sure is a pleasant sight. Hope you enjoy these Lemon Squares and the inspired card. I think this will warm someone special's heart on his/her birthday.  Have a SCRUMPTIOUS day!

Share the Joy of the Season!

Since  I just had my birthday, some of you probably are curious about what I ATE for my birthday dinner. I thought it would be appropriate to...."share the joy of the season".  I chose my favorite local French bistro as I often do in the past. Here's what we ordered. I had Duck Two Ways- braised duck breast and fried duck leg along with beets, snow peas, mashed potatoes and Brussels sprout. SUPER yum!

Dr. John's favorite--8 oz. Beef Tenderloin, Stephanie had half of that.

David's Creamy Pasta with Scallop

Then the Flourless Chocolate Sin cake

I had my old favorite-Creme Brulee!

I'm also sharing the cards that I made over the weekend. A friend of Stephanie ordered 20 Christmas cards from me. These are the two designs I came up with.

One funny thing happened during our dinner out...

I was bothered by the loud noise at the restaurant. Right after hearing my complaint, Dr. John popped the case out with the ear plugs ! The way he opened it ( I had a little flashback of the Edward/Richard Gere opening the jewelry case for Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" ...)as if the case contains BIG DIAMONDS!! Then he said: "Happy Birthday!"(with a sneaky grin)....I laughed so hard while I was staring at the ear plugs! That, to me...is priceless!

EtsyInspired Challenge #118

Welcome to Etsy Inspired Challenge! Our Shop of the week: Tzaddi Shop (see here ). You must check out the amazing handcrafted precision glass that made into necklaces and ear rings. Each piece is gorgeous!
Winners:  prize #1--Prize 1 for TzaddiShop $35.00 and Prize #2 for TzaddiHome $25.00

Sponsor: Clare Dempsey

http://www.scrapguild.etsy.com/

http://www.scrapincovers.etsy.com/

Winner prize - $15 Gift Certificate to either of her shops.

My inspiration came from this

I made TWO one layer cards from this inspiration.

and this

Please check out my fellow DT as they are always super creative and they inspire me time after time!Ashley  Heart Hugs Designs
De  Bella Luna {Paperie}
Emily B. branch out designs
Emily N. Emmie-Lou Who Stamps &You
Joy  Crazy for Daisies
Kerry Capturing Creativity
Savannah  Savannahland 2
Stephanie Ingenious Inkling
Virginia Yes, Virginia... (me)
Dec. Guest DT  Laurel Beard

Please link back your project here. Have a GREAT weekend!

Tuesday Trigger...again!

I am embarrassed to post another card about Tuesday Trigger (All the Glitter)  as I was NEVER right on the target. But this photo is just too "delicious"...I can't let it pass me by.

Wish I could say that this is what I'm getting for Christmas! But, with that said, I'm just as happy to get a few new sets of Spellbinders and stamps. I'm happy woman-what can I say!? I told me DH that he is the luckiest guy as I'm so low in maintenance. I make a card, then I'm happy (so true)!

So what do you think? All that glitter is pure eye candy, huh? I used the Martha Stewart Score Board to make the folds. I have been doing that a LOT since I got that gadget!

Then I used the Japanese washi tape that my DD Stephanie bought me in Singapore to tie it all up. The Scalloped borders was embosses and distressed. The sentiment was embossed in white in silver card stock. I used the SRM Sticker sentiment to make the final statement. Adding the gems and ribbons was the fun part! I'm loving all that glitter, are you?

PS: Thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes for my birthday.....I feel so LOVED!! xo

Hero Arts Blog Hop and...Happy Birthday!

Here's something you don't want to miss---a fun-filled, inspiration-packed blog hop featuring ALL NEW stamps from the upcoming 2011 Hero Arts Catalog on Dec. 10, 2010! I'm excited what's in store for us!! Now onto my 2nd agenda here....

Today is my 29th birthday! Yup, I'm a December baby! I want to take this opportunity to thank you for stopping by my post. I thought it would be also appropriate to share a birthday card that I made recently for the Moxie Fab World Favorite Cards Occasions-birthday cards (see here).

I applied the SRM Stickers onto the plain cream-colored ribbons and then I added the embossed button images and flowers with gems. The background is stamped with the Hero Arts Screen Shadow background with sherbet-like colors!

Today my two girlfriends and I will be going out to breakfast! Then my DD Stephanie is coming home from college! We will be heading to my favorite French bistro on Friday for the birthday celebration. Can't wait :)

Wednesday's Cookies/Card Series (Week 4)

Ready for more Wednesday's cookie/card inspiration? Since I started this series 4 weeks ago, I have received overwhelmingly positive responses (from family--yup, somebody HAS to do their share of work!) and your sweet sweet comments. I actually look forward to doing this ongoing project now as I find myself daydreaming about cookies and cards....Without further ado, we are onto this week's cookies called Milk Chocolate Fudge Crackles. There are many versions of these simple yet so striking-looking  chocolate cookies. Martha Stewarts' version is here.Some people also call these types of cookies as Chocolate Crinkles.  I used this recipe that came through the fliers in the mail and I am really happy with the yummy results.  I tried Martha's version before, but I thought this one is actually the best kind I made so far.

Milk Chocolate Fudge Crackles.

1/4 cup Crisco all-vegetable shortening ( all butter is also fine, I used half butter, half shortening)

1 cup semi-sweet Chocolate chips

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup Eagle Brand regular/low fat  Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

3/4 cup icing sugar

1. preheat oven to 325 F(160C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (not a must...I skipped this step, as long as you greased the pans)

2. In glass bowl in microwave, melt shortening and semi-sweet chocolate chips on Medium (50%). Add sugar and then eggs one at a time, sirring well after each addition. Let cool 5 min. ( I melt mine in a stainless bowl over boiling water in a pot and it works really well also).

3. Mix in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Then add flour, baking powder, salt, milk chocolate chips. Mix well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours up to 8 hours.

4. Between palm of hands, roll pieces of chilled dough to form 1 1/4" (3cm) balls. Drop balls into icing sugar and toss lightly until well coated. Repeat with the remaining dough and icing sugar, spacing 1 1/2 " apart on baking sheet. 

5. Bake each sheet in preheated oven for 11-13 min. or until just beginning to feel firm when pressed in center. Let cool in baking sheet on wire racks for 5 min. Transfer crackles to wire racks to cool completely.

Steps (starting from left corner, clockwise)

So....for the card, I drew the inspiration from the colors--white, brown and gold (from the plate). This is such a great color combo. Very sophisticated, I find. I made THREE cards with this inspiration. I used this floating Garden stamp.

Thinking of You

You Make Me Smile

Hello

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do in creating these yummy cookies and cards! More photos from my DD Stephanie. I LOVE how my cookies look in her photos...just had to share!

Have a SCRUMPTIOUS day!