Cocoa Warms the Heart and Sweet Saturday!

Happy Saturday, my sweet and sparkly friends! :o)

Amazingly, I have a card AND a teeny tiny treat to share today! When was the last time that happened on my beloved Sweet Saturday? I was supposed to have so many treats throughout the holidays, but things simply have not gone as planned due to time constraints and my unsparkly back. But I am one day closer to being all healed up! :)

I was determined to enter one of the challenges I've been longing to participate in, so that was my main focus for this card. I zipped over to Elisabeth Bell's World a couple days ago and panicked when I saw it was a sketch challenge. Those hurt my brain something crazy. I changed, altered, tweaked, shifted, and second-guessed a million times throughout the creative process. I had to force myself to just STOP and declare it finished. And so, here is my wintry white and blue card... with one of my very first (and favorite) stamps. Finally I got to color her!

"Cocoa Warms the Heart"

A bit of a different style for me, which is why I had so much trouble. I love layered looks and mixing different borders/trims/embellishments/etc... I often admire that on so many cards. But when I try to do it, it kind of looks like my crafty area exploded onto my card base. (Which explains why this is my first time posting one of this nature.) This was hard for me! A challenge indeed.

When I began my Copic adventure a few months ago,  Willow with Hot Chocolate was in my first stamp order. :o) I love this image. When the days are chilly and personal storms are raging, there's solace in a warm mug of hot cocoa. (Or even a glass of chocolate milk, really.) I love how she just seems peaceful. The snowy battle surrounding her no longer fazes her, because she's steady in divine love and chocolate. Is there any better combination? :o) I had some technical issues as I tried to work on my coloring, but I still love her to bits and pieces.

Tying it all together is this fabulous Whimsical Designs sentiment stamp, from the "Snow Much Fun" set. I love it! :o) I held off on coloring her when I saw this sentiment would be part of Stephanie's first release. I pop-dotted the sentiment and Willow for dimension. The sparkling snowflakes are at three different heights to make it seem more authentic, and each is nestled atop a sheer flower. I added some sparkle to Willow, including the designs on her pants. Since winter is so sparkly, I used my Core Couture paper for the doily lace trim, the picot edge circle, and the snowflakes.

Challenge entered:
 * Elisabeth Bell's World~ Sketch

Who's ready for a teeny tiny treat? This would have been a great time to post my hot chocolate recipe, but I wasn't able to make it. I'll be putting the recipe inside this card, however. Given my unplanned lack of baking, near the end of this post I'll be including a recap of my previously-posted favorites that are great for this lovely holiday season. :o)

This week's treat is one of those where you have mere minutes available. One reason I like making things myself is I know exactly what's going in them. And homemade always tastes better, right? That's why I jumped at the chance to make this when I saw a reliable recipe... do you love adding chocolate syrup to ice cream sundaes? Or making chocolate milk? Or adding a splash of chocolate to homemade mochas? Then you need to try this! With only five ingredients and a tad over ten minutes, you have Homemade Chocolate Syrup!

Rich and chocolatey, with no trace of artificial taste or scary ingredients. I made it last night and have so far enjoyed it with vanilla ice cream and this glass of chocolate milk. My straw is way too big for that glass, but it was one of those mornings where you just need to use a stripey straw. :o)

A few favorite recipes that are perfect for the holidays:
 * Cappuccino Fudge
 * Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
 * Gingerbread Cookies
 * Pumpkin Muffins with Vanilla Cream Cheese Filling
 * Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
 * Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling
 * Tuxedo Cake

Thank you for visiting me today! You make me sparklier than the brightest Christmas tree. :o) Have a beautiful weekend, my dear friends!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients:
1¼ cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and cocoa powder and whisk briefly to break up any clumps. Stir in the water and salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Once the mixture reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Store in the refrigerator.

Source: Annie's Eats
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Key Recipe Components (for card):
 * Cricut cartridges: Elegant Edges, Gypsy Wanderings
 * Cuttlebug embossing folder: Swiss Dots
 * Spellbinders Nestabilities: Labels Four, Picot Edge Circles
 * Sentiment stamp: Whimsical Designs~ Snow Much Fun
 * Image stamp: Elisabeth Bell~ Willow with Hot Chocolate
 * Copics: E000, E00 (skin); E25, E31, E50 (hair); R81, R83, R85 (socks, sweater); E31, E33, E57 (pants); BV0000, BV01 (mug)
 * Paper: Core'dinations, DCWV, K and Company
 * Lace ribbon: American Crafts
 * Border punch: Martha Stewart Doily Lace
 * Pearls: Recollections
 * Miscellaneous: Fiskars scallop punch, Prima Fabric Fancies (sheer flowers beneath snowflakes)