Let it Snow..

This summer, on a particularly hot day, I was wondering Target & found half pint canning jars & thought they'd make perfect snow globes!  So I made some for my kids' teachers as Christmas gifts:

I hand painted a mountain scene along the three smooth sides & covered the "Ball" logo with this adorable reindeer from Simon Says Stamp "Merry & Bright" set.  Filled it with a Hot Chocolate Cupcake (seriously amazing!) & top it all off with some pretty silver ribbon :-).

Because these were rather time intensive I only did 4 for their main teachers & did gift bags for the other 12 teachers/ support staff.  On these tags I used a snowman from Lawn Fawn's "Snow Much Fun" set

And like I said the above cupcakes are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G ...quite possibly one of the best (baked) things I've ever made.  I was shocked that I couldn't find an existing recipe for hot chocolate cupcakes - at least not like I was thinking of, there are plenty of ones for all shades of chocolate & several using hot chocolate mix but none that would actually taste like a cup of hot chocolate. So starting with my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe (by Brown Eyed Baker) I started experimenting to find the correct balance of chocolate, creaminess & marshmallow & I think I found it ;-).  I'll have to go back & do proper weight measurements but in the meantime:

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Marshamllow Frosting

For the cake:

1/2 C Coffee [I used Starbucks Christmas Blend]

3 oz Semi-Sweet Choc, chopped fine [I used Scharffen-Berger]

1/2 C Canola Oil

2 Eggs

1 C Buttermilk 

1 t Vanilla

1 3/4 C AP Flour

3/4 C Cocoa [I use Ghiradelli]

1 3/4 Granulated Sugar

1 1/2 t Baking Soda

1 t Baking Powder

1/2 t Salt

For the ganache:

16 oz Andes Mints chopped

1 C Heavy Cream

For Frosting:

1/2 C unsalted butter (softened)

1 t Vanilla

1 C Marshmallow Fluff

3 T Heavy Cream

2 C powdered Sugar (sifted)

1/4 t Salt

1. Place chopped choc in a small bowl, pour coffee over & leave it for the moment

2. In bowl of stand mixer (w/ paddle attachment) mix the oil, eggs, buttermilk & vanilla on low-medium speed

3. Sift flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder & salt onto a piece of parchment paper (or flexible cutting board). Slowly pour into oil mixture @ a low speed.

4. Give the choc-coffee mixture a quick whisk & add to batter.  Turn up to medium speed until fully incorporated.

5. Fill cupcake pans 3/4 full & bake in 350F for 18-20 mins until a toothpick comes out clean

6. Heat 1 C heavy cream in small pan on the stove until it just starts to scald; pour over chopped Andes mints & let set for ~1 min before whisking to smooth consistency & store in refrigerator to cool.

7. Whip butter in stand mixer (w/ whisk attachment) until light & creamy then add in marshmallow fluff & vanilla.

8. Once smooth add in 2 T heavy cream followed by the powdered sugar.  If it's too thick then add in last T heavy cream.

9. Once cupcakes are cool, scoop out the middle, pip in ganache, top w/ frosting & a sprinking of candy canes. YUM!

Tone on tone stamping

Inspired by another crafter's use of tone on tone stamping I created a fun summery card to send a friend of mine:

From top to bottom I blended Pickled Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade & Dried Marigold Distress Ink onto cold-press watercolor paper & then lightly spritz it with water to create droplets.  Then randomly stamped tiny butterflies (by Hero Arts) in the same colors across the full panel.  The trellis I cut from an Alterations die, colored with Brushed Pewter Distress Stain & Hickory Smoke Distress Crayon.  Scribbled Pickled Raspberry & Spiced Marmalade Distress Crayons on my craft sheet, spritzed with water & picked it up with splatter brush for a little texture.  Layered on a simple banner edged in Hickory Smoke before mounting the entire panel on a A2 grey cardstock base, finished it off with an orange twine bow.

**Entered in Simon Says Stamp Wednesday "Things with Wings" Challenge** 

Teacher Gifts

One of my favorite crafts to do is gifts for my kids' teachers!  I have so much respect for the teaching profession - in large because I know I couldn't do it! - education is truly a calling  & I love how the right teacher can make all the difference in a child's life.  This year was particularly special because it was Dillon's 1st year (PK) and Erin had an AMAZING teacher this year after an extremely frustrating last year.

Erin's teacher had a wilderness theme to her classroom with the slogan Children Actively Making Progress (C.A.M.P) and a moose named Maggie as the mascot.  So I made her a wooden "Welcome to C.A.M.P" sign with a moose sitting outside a tent & a card to match - unfortunately I didn't have time to take pictures so you'll just have to take my word that it was cute :-P.

For Dillon's teacher I made a plantar box with some metal pails that could be used for plants or school supplies.  All year I had the phrase "Bloom where you planted" running through my head because Erin had the same teacher but at a different school so while they didn't get the same PK experience it was still a good school career start.  It was even more appropriate because this teacher happens to love flowers and gardening as a hobby.


Again I wish I had time to get nicely staged pictures so you can see all the details!  My husband built the box out of basic poplar (can't see the embellished pails :-( ) and then I did several layers of white washing with dry brush streaks of Hickory Smoke,Vintage Photo & Walnut Stain distress paint.  In between each layer of paint I sanded some paint away & the edges/ corner so that in the end it looked like it was well-worn. I then stenciled wildflowers around the sides with Tarnished Brass & went over it with a wipe to make it look faded.  Finally I hand lettered the phrase on one side in acrylic paint before coating the whole piece in polyurethane for durability.  The pails I got from the dollar spot @ Target, painted chalkboard rectangles on each one, embellished each one with wildflowers (in chalk paint) & labeled them "Love" "Patience" "Time".  All in all this was one of those projects that seems so simple in your head but ends up taking WAY longer then you thought!  So thankfully she loved it lol, said it was going on her kitchen counter as a reminder to herself & her kids :-D.
** Entered to Simon Says Stamp Monday "Summer Garden" Challenge

Bonus:  The pails I made the teachers for Valentine's Day but didn't have a chance to share; both were the same with an embellished heart "You're a hoot!", a Starbucks gift card in holder & a bag of M & Ms :-)


Hope everyone has a great Saturday!

A wish...

"A wish is a dream your heart makes"

This quote/song is one of my all-time favorites and came to my mind when I saw this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge "Make A Wish".  Immediately the idea for a heart shaped dream catcher for my daughters' room came to my mind...but it's already Sunday & I only have a few child-free hours to get teacher gift(s) done so it'll have to be tabled for another time ;-).

Instead I'd like to share the Happy Birthday (wish) card I sent to my Grandma.


I finally got my hands on Tim Holtz's new Distress Crayons & *swoon*  I think I have a new favorite medium.  On this card I used Distress Crayons to color in my Crazy Bird & also for the edging.  I went for an ombre effect through stencil on the background (done with Distress Ink).  I wanted a little bit texture so spread colored texture paste through another stencil & finished off with a hand-lettered "Happy Birthday" musical score.

Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day & remembers those who have given all ;-)