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POOCH CARDS
My terrific pen pal sent me a pic of a thank you card that she made recently and it made me smile from ear-to-ear!

STAMP SET:

Puppy Power (CLassic Collection)

from

Cornish Heritage Farms

I love the saying with the background paper!

I searched the web and couldn't find this set available.

Now...I'll be on the search for dog DSP then

I can create the saying on my computer!

....and here are a few more cute dog cards I found

on Pinterest recently:

Original Pin HERE

Original Pin HERE

Original Pin HERE


Original Pin HERE

Original Pin HERE

Original Pin HERE

Original Pin HERE

Here's my 1st of  modified versions
of the above cute card:

I do love cards with lots of

white space...and since we have

a new baby girl next door, I made
a version of this card for her big sister:

Congrats to Corrine!...and while I had everything out,

I made a get well card and one last 

thinking of you card:

I couldn't decide if I liked the black stitch

lines best and decided to add them:

...and after I added them, I think I like the less is more look. I do like the rounded corners, though, as compared to the square corners on the get well card above!

Stamps:

Fluffles the Cat by Stampendous

and Friends SSC217

Also, to get the string to go behind the paw of the cat, to get a light brown color on the cat on the darker brown paper AND to prevent the markers from bleeding through to the inside of the card base, stamp the cat once on the background/card base, stamp it a second time on white card stock, color it with copics and then fancy cut it out so it can be glued over the cat image on the card front.

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CALORIE-FREE CUPCAKES
Last week, Splitcoast Stampers featured a cupcake box project for their Wednesday Tutorial HERE by Caroline Hallett. She included this photo of her cupcake boxes in the tutorial: 

Original Pin HERE

Since I had just reorganized my stamping supplies recently and re-discovered my stash of paper flowers that were quite the trend many years ago, I knew they'd be PERFECT for this project! I went to Michael's and bought a package of six 3-inch (76mm) balls, and thankfully, I already had the perfect size of paper cups to cut down to make the cupcake wrapper/base. (Cups were cut down to about 2" to 2 1/4" high.) Here are some of the boxes I made:

 

I used pins to hold the yellow flowers in place...then I tried

something different on my next two cupcake boxes:

After attaching the flowers to the foam ball using hot glue,

I used 3D Shiny Bright Yellow Paint by Scribbles

for the centers in the above two cupcake boxes.

The tops come off and open to reveal a space that can be used to hold a small gift. The inside of the foam ball cut in half is covered with a circle of medium weight DSP. (Circles were cut with Classic Circles Nesties.) To adhere the DSP circles, I used a 1" glue dot to cover the cut surface on some and I also used a low temp hot glue gun on others. Both worked just fine:

Check out the gallery on SCS dedicated to these cupcake boxes HERE...and for cupcake cards to give with this cupcake gift box, check out these Pinterest ideas HERE and my Pinterest cupcake board HERE. Plus....for the ultimate theme in gift giving, you'll want to make up a set of black-bottom cupcakes to go with your box and card! Check out these recipes HERE and my family's favorite recipe for them below and HERE! I also like to add 1 t. of orange zest into the cream cheese mixture because we're big orange chocolate fans and it also looks nice with the orange flecks! No frosting needed for these decadent treats full of deliciousness! I've provided the recipe with the orange zest modification below:

Ultimate Cream Cheese Black Bottom Cupcakes

Yield: 18-20 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• orange zest, 1 t. (optional)

Instructions

1. Make your filling first. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, egg, sugar and salt until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and orange zest. Set aside. 
2. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cocoa in a large mixing bowl. Add in remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Line a cupcake/muffin tin with liners and fill cups 1/2 full. Add one heaping tablespoon of filling into center of each cupcake.
3. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. 

My boss's wife made these for me when I first started in the office on July 3rd, 1979! They are heavenly and one of my most requested recipes!

http://hugsandcookiesxoxo.com/2014/01/ultimate-cream-cheese-black-bottom.html

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COLOR ON BLACK CARDS

My talented friend and neighbor, Katie, came up with the wonderful design for this card below and I got to make one for my dear FIL's birthday last week --- PLUS I already had a matching bag in my stash of gift bags! Oh! I love when that happens!

I didn't have the die cut for the letters used to make HAPPY, but I did have a small butterfly punch, so I tried making a few similar cards like this:

SENTIMENT:

Elementary Elegance (SU)

The sentiments in white on the above cards are heat embossed and that - along with the colors on black - really makes these cards pop when seen in person! I recalled seeing other black and white cards on Pinterest recently and this one called out to me:

Original Pin HERE

I'll have to try cutting strips of black card stock to make one just like this, but I did have some black and white striped paper already and CASED this idea to make this card:

SENTIMENT:

Heard from the Heart (SU)

LEAVES Made with a

Martha Stewart Punch

Here's one last variation on cards using strips of color and butterflies. This is my next card to make using SU's small butterfly punch and their Papillon Potpourri set. I'll try it using a black card base, too!

Original Pin HERE

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Envelope Punch Board Easter Baskets

I needed a craft project to hold some Easter treats and here's what I created thanks to a few Pinterest pins and my envelope punch board:

A small and large version!

There is a 1/2" difference between the two sizes in all directions as shown in this picture below:

I used doilies from Martha Stewart. At first, I was folding them in half and using one per side, but then I made so many baskets that I had to cut the doilies in half so they'd last for all of the baskets I ended up making!...and here is the pin that started me on my journey to find measurements:

Original Pin HERE

The measurements and steps to make the small and large size baskets are listed at the very end of this post, and Linda Parker provides a terrific video tutorial with such a lovely accent at:

tinyurl.com/minibasket

I also made a few modifications to her instructions to make things easier and I also listed them with the instructions below....and here are the cards I made to go with these baskets after I saw this pin:

Original Pin HERE

INSIDE VIEW

I felt the card needed a little bit of a boost of color and interest so I added a border at the bottom:

Oops! I realized I left off a background element in the upper right corner!

I added it using Grape Jelly ink, but I like the color I used on my original card (shown right after the pin for this card above) where I used Crumb Cake!

INSIDE VIEW

Stamp Set: SU Butterfly Basics

Ink: SU Lucky Limeade and Crumb Cake,

Memento Grape Jelly and Basic Black

Copics: V17, 15, G29 and G24

Flower Center: Scribbles Bright Yellow

Dies: Rhone Butterfly Wings by Memory Box

and Nesties Labels Four

Large Basket:

1) Start with an 8" square piece of medium weight DSP

2) Place the upper left corner at the 2" point, punch and score

3) Repeat Step Two on the remaining the edges of the 8" square

4) Turn the paper over and repeat Steps Two and Three

5) Fold along all score lines with a bone folder

6) Make two cuts up to the first score line as shown in the video

7) Make the same two cuts on the opposite side

8) On the right and left sides where cuts were not made, score across the flap as shown in the video (NOTE: This step is not necessary with the small basket size as the flaps can be folded over without the score and speeds the process along if you are making multiples!)

9) On the flaps where cuts were made, fold the right and left flap over and secure with glue or a glue dot, then bring the middle flap up and mark with a pencil where the score line needs to be made to bring the flap up and over.

10) Cut a handle 1" x 8.5" out of the same or coordinated DSP and attach with glue dots to the inside of the basket AFTER embellishments - such as doilies - are applied.

Small Basket:

1) Start with a 6" square of medium weight DSP

2) Place the upper left corner at the 1.5" point, punch and score

3) Proceed with Steps Three through Nine listed above

4) Cut a handle 1" x 11.5" and follow direction in Step 10 above

OTHER MODIFICATIONS:

I like to cut off the right and left flaps (on the no cut flap sides) as it gives a nice clean look to the finished basket:

 3D Embellishments on the handle from K&Co.

I also used this technique to mark the score lines for the flaps in the center:

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BOX CARDS

I saw a wonderful new way to make a clever box card and I knew it could be modified to fit any occasion:

Original Pin HERE

At Valita's Designs and Fresh Folds blog, she provided a nice how-to video HERE. (I've listed the measurements further in this post.)

I used SU's new Butterfly Basics set and the butterfly thinlet called Rhone Butterfly Wings from Memory Box to create my box that held a tea bag inside:

Measurements to make a 5" x 9" card:

11" x 12" medium weight DSP

Along the  11" side score at:

2.5", 4", 7" and 8.5"

Plus...use your bone folder to mark

a point at the top and bottom

at 5.5"

Along the 12" side score at:

1.5" on the left and right sides

I also used the same stamp set and thinlet to create this card:

Be sure to put the sentiment low enough so that it can be seen below the box folds. Click HERE and HERE for a few more card box design ideas.

PIN IT FRIDAY FAVS: The Very Best of Recent Pinterest Pins

GIFT CARD HOLDERS
     I needed a quick and easy gift card holder and found this wonderful idea on Pinterest...

Original Pin HERE

...but when I clicked on the pin to take me to the site for exact measurements, the instructions were in another language...so...I looked closely in the picture and figured out what measurements were needed and modified the final size for the gift card I made. Here are my measurements and instructions:

When closing the gift card holder, the center of the

left side fits between the notches on the right side.

A sticker is needed across the seam to hold it closed

...and here is one of several gift card holders I've made:

I purchase decorative stickers in circles and squares/diamonds

from Staples in their wedding invitation section!

PIN IT FRIDAY FAVS: The Very Best of Recent Pinterest Pins

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VERSATILE VALENTINE BOXES WITH TREAT BAG:
AKA Half Sheet Boxes/Bags

I've got all of my Valentine treats done already, but here's a wonderful (and easy) Valentine's Day idea with a how-to video from Frenchie that I'm going to modify for Easter!

ORIGINAL PIN HERE

The measurements are below along with the video:

BOX:

5 1/2" x 8 1/2" card stock

Score along the 8 1/2" side at:

1 1/2", 4", 5 1/2" and 8"

Score along the 5 1/2" side at 1 1/4"

CANDY WRAPPER:

1" x 3" lightweight DSP

To complete the treat bag insert for this box, place four Hershey's Nuggets into a clear envelope bag, bring the sides of envelope together, adhere with a glue dot or two and tie the bag with a ribbon at the top.

Here's my version for a birthday:

Fold the right side over onto the left side as demonstrated in the video, then I folded the small flaps in, the flap with the glue dots on top of that and finished with the flap with the two strips of sticky tape. 

THANK YOU, FRENCHIE!

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SAYINGS AND SENTIMENTS

I have a board on Pinterest called "Sayings and Sentiments I Love" and here are a few of my recent pins that made me happy:

Randy Pausch wrote one of my favorite non-fiction books of all time called The Last Lecture. It's a must read for everyone!...and here are two of my most favorite quotes:

Visit my Pinterest board for more sayings and quotes HERE.

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