A Father's Love...

Hello, my dear friends! I hope everyone had a blessed weekend. :o)

Today I'm happy to share a Father's Day pocket card that I made for a very special dad named Reggie, who is the recipient of May's I Feel the Love Project. Each month the amazing and talented Madison highlights a particular person, family, or organization in need of some extra love and sunshine.

This month we are honoring an amazing father who strengthens and encourages his family during heartbreaking tribulation. He has faced a parent's nightmare not only once, but twice. For the second time he is helping a beloved daughter battle cancer.

I had no sentiment stamp that expressed what was on my heart, so I typed up my own. Since his beautiful children are in on this Father's Day surprise, I wanted them included in the sentiment.

"A Father's love shines through the hearts of his children." In their family, that couldn't be more true.

A closer peek:

After printing the sentiment, I cut it out with a Spellbinders Classic Circle. I used Dried Marigold distress ink to create a small nature scene with a stamp from the Tim Holtz Artful Flight set. I sponged around the circle's perimeter to surround it (and him!) in heavenly warmth. The circle is set upon a scallop base that I cut out with my Cameo, using one of the scallops in a Lori Whitlock Nested Shapes Set.

The patterned papers are from Pebbles and Basic Grey, which I thought worked well for a masculine card. I fussy-cut extra leaves to layer them with foam tape in the corners for extra dimension. The satin polka dot ribbon is from Papertrey Ink.

A little surprise is tucked in the pocket. This card is not only from me, but it will be from Reggie's children, too!

I cut out eight Spellbinders Nested Hearts, layering the small and medium ones to create four main hearts... one for each of his children. They are heavily inked with Barn Door distress ink and secured together with a jump ring. I get the feeling their hearts always beat as one. To avoid difficulty in fitting them in the pocket, only the first heart is adorned with red sparkles.

The four hearts don't merely represent the loving hearts of Ashley, Andrew, Raelynn, and Ryan, but they are also a personalized gift! I lined the backs with a filigree patterned paper, light enough to beautifully showcase handwritten messages. The fronts are bursting with red love, while the backs will be filled with heartfelt words from each kid. I realize the rhinestone one will be a wee bit tricky to write on... but a touch of sparkling love overrides a few sloppily-written words. ;)

The love they have for their father is truly tangible. That's why I wanted to incorporate them into my creation via sentiment and a special little surprise that Reggie can keep wherever he wishes. It will always remind him that his gorgeous love is shining brightly through his family... and that our heavenly Father's love is shining through HIM.

The family, in their Ashley's Angels shirts:

His daughter Ashley is currently battling cancer. She successfully defeated it as a child... but in January, 15 years later, she was diagnosed with a completely unrelated cancer. This month we also have the option of creating for her. While I work on that, my little blog may be quiet for a bit. Although I'll be visiting you all regularly, of course. :o) I have something special in mind for her, but it will take some time as I've never done it before. Cue panic. But the Lord will help me bless her with this special gift. :o)

Thank you for fluttering on by! Have a blessed and beautiful day. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *Crafty Catz~ Anything Goes
 *Crazy 4 Challenges~ Photo Inspiration (The orange stamped central focal point)
 *Creative Cutting Challenge~ Father's Day (The scallop base file was cut with my Cameo)
 *Cupcake Craft~ Lots of Layers
 *DL. Art~ Thankful Thursday May Linky Party (Anything Goes)
 *Fussy and Fancy~ Anything Goes
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *Pause Dream Enjoy~ Happy ______ (I chose Father's Day)

Sew Special: Mother's Day Card

Happy Wednesday, my talented friends! I hope you're having a beautiful week! :o)

I took advantage of some crafty time to make a Mother's Day card for my dear mom. :o) She loves fashion, pearls, and all things textural. I've long wanted to make her a dress form card, so I went that route. :o)

"Sew Special"

She loves a pun and she is sew very special to me. The background paper is a favorite from the Glitz French Kiss collection.. the fabric appearance is spectacular in person. This design began with the dress form, which is a cut file from a Ladies' Accessories collection in the Silhouette Online Store. The top was made from a gorgeous design from the My Mind's Eye Blush collection, which you may need to enlarge to see the prettiness. I used my favorite American Crafts crochet lace trim for the skirt, to which I added a Wild Orchid Crafts pearl strand for extra femininity.

For the middle of the card, I layered Wild Orchid Crafts cream Guipure lace with the same lace as the skirt. I wanted lots of texture on this one!

A little bit closer view to show the dress form and the pearls that accent the entire lower half. (I had serious photography issues with this one.)

The frame beneath the dress form is a cut file from a Princess Silhouette collection. I love everything in that little set! The musical paper is from the Glitz Pretty in Pink pad, while the exterior is the same as the outfit top. Everything throughout this project is inked with Walnut Stain distress ink. The frame and dress form are popped up with two layers each of foam tape for a lot of dimension. I really wish I had a picture from the side... I was too rushed.

A peek at the sentiment and spool of thread:

The computer-generated sentiment is cut out with a Tiny Tag metal die from My Craft Spot. I circled the hole with tiny pearls and threaded it with the floss I wrapped around a Spool of Thread cut file. For the needle, I used a fancy Wild Orchid Crafts pearl crown pin.

Lastly, I created a corner flourish of sorts with Recollections pearls, attempting to mimic some pretty Prima ones I've seen online. I sewed around the card's exterior, which I always love but especially wanted to incorporate given the theme. I hope my mom loves her card. :o)

Thank you for fluttering on by! I wish you a sparkly day of sunbeams and blessings. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *Celebrate the Occasion~ Mother's Day
 *Craftin' Desert Divas~ Linky Party: Puns!
 *Created With Love~ Mother's Day
 *Cut It Up~ Mother's Day
 *Love to Create~ For Mom or a Special Lady
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *My Craft Spot~ For Mom
 *Papertake Weekly~ Anything Goes
 *Pretty Little Ribbons~ Lace
 *Silhouette Challenges~ Anything Goes

Sweet Saturday: 1 XXL Chocolate Cookie

Happy Saturday, my dear friends! I hope you have a wonderful weekend planned. :o)

Chocolate cookies are innately amazing... but sometimes you want one that's massive in size. Massive as in *just* under six inches in diameter:

This is pure decadence. The first time I shared it with my mom... the second time, with my sweetheart. Everyone is wild about this cookie. I love giant cookies because there's so much gooey interior to enjoy. The inside of this one just so happens to taste like a fudgy brownie. :o)

With such a small amount of each ingredient, this comes together quickly (NO mixer required), and before long you can satisfy that persistent chocolate craving. It also makes for an impressive treat without hours of invested time. Sometimes you need these types of recipes. :o)

Plus, this treat is simply fun. Especially when topped with bright sprinkles of happiness. :o) There's something so beautifully sweet about sharing a dessert with someone you love... soon I'll be sharing this with my niece. :o)

Thank you for stopping by! Have a sweet weekend! :o)
*****

1 XXL Chocolate Cookie
Yield: 1 large cookie (or four smaller cookies, if desired)

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar (or dark brown)
2 Tablespoons beaten egg (crack an egg, beat it, and use 2 Tablespoons)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips + 1 Tablespoon, divided
Sprinkles (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, mix the softened butter and sugars together with a spoon or fork until creamed. Mix in the egg and vanilla.

In a separate small bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Fold in ¼ cup chocolate chips.

Place the dough in the center of the baking sheet and mold into a tall ball using a spoon. (Dough will be sticky.) Dot the top of the cookie with 1 Tablespoon of chocolate chips. Add sprinkles on top, if desired.

Bake for 14-15 minutes, or up to 16 minutes. (Mine is always perfect at 14... do not overbake this beauty!) The cookie will appear very soft, but will firm as it cools. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet.

Note:
You may make four smaller cookies using this recipe. Simply divide the dough into 4 smaller mounds on the cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Source: Sally's Baking Addiction

Hello Kitty Hugs!

Hello, my sweet friends! Happy Tuesday! :o)

I am so thankful I was able to squeeze in my last card for this month's I Feel the Love Project recipients! We've been creating this month for a grieving young family who recently lost their father/husband to cancer.

This card is for sweet Mady, who is 3 years old. :o)

I wanted to make her a colorful card of happiness. :o) The Bouquet Hello Kitty is a fabulous free cut file from Ruthie at September Ninth. To add extra oomph to her bouquet, I layered three Prima flowers in place of the ones in the cut file. Each bloom is centered with a tiny yellow button to coordinate with the background.

Since she's on her way to a very special little girl, I made her a hair accessory in place of the one in the file. I layered a fun polka dot Prima flower with a solid one and secured them with a super sparkly brad. The gorgeous brad was part of a prize pack I won from my dear friend Sherrie.

The cheery papers are freebies from a Papercraft magazine that my sweetheart bought me on Friday at Barnes and Noble. Talk about divine timing! These are just perfect. I centered a few of the daisies with rhinestones for extra sparkle. I didn't have any yellow ones, so I colored clear stones with my Y15 Copic marker. The gingham paper is trimmed with the Martha Stewart Doily Heart border punch. Sunshiny hearts were a must for this creation.

For the sentiment, I once again turned to my beloved Tiny Tags 2 and matching metal dies from My Craft Spot. I'm sending her so many hugs! :o) The card base is from a nested shapes set from the Silhouette Store, which I remembered to actually nest this time! ;) I used a sunshiny yellow for the base to engulf Mady with the warmth of my and God's love.

I pray this card brings a smile to this beautiful child. Since Hello Kitty is so wildly popular, I hope she sometimes remembers this card when she sees the plethora of HK items in the stores... and maybe her heart will once again fill with the love I've packed into this. :o) It's been a joy to create for her and her family.

Thank you for fluttering on by! I wish you a day of all things beautiful. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *Charisma Cardz~ Polka Dots
 *Crafty Ribbons~ Anything Goes with Ribbon
 *Little Scrap Pieces~ Buttons and Bows
 *Love to Create~ Punches and/or Dies (Border punch and Tag dies)
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *Simon Says Stamp~ Anything Goes
 *The Cutie Pie Challenge Blog~ Lots of Layers

Surf's Up!

Happy Monday, my dear friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. :o)

Continuing with my contribution to this month's I Feel the Love Project recipients, my new card is for 11-year-old Ryan. He, his three younger siblings, and his amazing Mom are dealing with the recent loss of their father/husband to cancer.

As was the case with the sand pail card I made for Kyle, I created this card to honor the cherished memories the family made during frequent trips to the beach. Since Ryan is older, I tried to make a beachy card that wasn't quite so kid-like. I created a fun little summer scene for him. :o)

Surf's Up! (And hopefully spirits will be up, too.)

The middle surfboard is a foiled green:

I took my patterned paper cue from these beautiful family pictures:

I chose fun Hawaiian-type papers from Kaisercraft's Chapter One collection, which reminded me of Debbie and Ed's swimwear and the family's summery adventures.

The card base is a nested shapes set from the Silhouette Store... which I forgot to actually nest. (Sigh!) The sunshine is a cut file from Bird's Cards, which I set atop an embossed blue pattern. I like to think of it as sun rays shining through the pretty blue sky, with a touch of embossed whimsy. :o) The edges of the rays are heavily inked with Mustard Seed distress ink for extra sunshiny warmth. I used Hawaiian Shores ribbon from Papertrey Ink as a divider, with the dots serving as little whitecaps dancing atop the ocean.

I thought Ryan might enjoy surfboards, so I used the Surf's Up collection from Spellbinders. The solid one was used as a stencil, in which I inked the embossed areas with Tumbled Glass and Mustard Seed distress inks. I nestled them beneath some popped-up sand to make them 'stand up.' The sand is embossed with Swiss Dots for a sandy texture.

I used Spellbinders Nested Lacey Pennants to make a little flag for my computer-generated sentiment. I inked it with Tumbled Glass and made a yellow pole to coordinate with the sunny sky and inked surfboard. And about those few little sparkles on this boy's card... it's not my fault! A few sunbeams danced down from the heavens. :o)

I love this family with my whole heart. It's my last day to create for them and I still have one card left to do. I'm tempted to panic, but I know God will help me make a sweet little card for 3-year-old Mady so she knows how loved she is. I need to give her a piece of my heart, too.

Thank you for surfin' on by! Have a sparkly day. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *Card Crafter's Circle~ Boys to Men
 *Crafty Ribbons~ Anything Goes with Ribbon
 *Cupcake Craft~ All at Sea
 *Love to Create~ Punches and/or Dies (Surfboards and Flag/Banner are dies)
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *Paper Playtime~ Emboss (Sand and surfboard are embossed)
 *Papertake Weekly~ Weather With You
 *Simon Says Stamp~ Anything Goes

Sweet Saturday: Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecakes

Happy Saturday, my dear friends! :o)

Despite the recent shortage of new sweet treats, I've done a little baking this month! I'm ecstatic, as I adore the entire process of transforming simple ingredients into marvelous confections. Since the sporadic Sweet Saturdays due to busy weeks were bothering me, I opted to get a wee bit ahead before posting. No more unsweetened Saturdays in the near future! :o)

This week I'm sharing with you a dessert I made for Easter. :o) Shortly before the holiday I was blessed with a mini cheesecake pan, so I eagerly put it to good use for our celebration. I love the removable bottoms in each well! I had a plethora of recipes already bookmarked, but in the end I decided upon one that my mom and sweetheart would especially love.

Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecakes! Aren't they cute?! :o)

For anyone who loves the classic chocolate-peanut butter combination, this is positively dreamy. An Oreo crust is topped with a creamy peanut butter cheesecake, which is scrumptious all on its own... but when there's an opportunity for a ganache topping, I always take it. ;) I used a french star tip to pipe it on all pretty. (I'm pretending I intentionally piped the front one off-center.)

The cheesecake portion is slightly dense and perfectly peanut buttery, which was enjoyed by my entire family. I love these as a mini dessert because it is the ideal portion for this indulgent treat. :o) I'm looking forward to using my pan for all sorts of cheesecake varieties! I suppose it's only natural for me that chocolate needed to be involved with my first use. ;) If you're a cheesecake or peanut butter lover, or know someone who is, I hope you'll make and enjoy these bites of joy!

Thank you for fluttering on by! I wish you a sweet and sunshiny weekend! :o)

Note: Based on comparisons with recipes that were written specifically for mini cheesecake pans, I only baked the crust for 5 minutes.

Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecakes

Yield: 24 mini cheesecakes if using a muffin pan OR 12 mini cheesecakes if using a mini cheesecake pan

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (I used Oreos)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

For the cheesecake:

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

¼ cup sour cream

½ cup peanut butter

⅔ cup sugar

1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

Dash of vanilla extract

Pinch of coarse salt

For the ganache:

4 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

½ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 24-well mini muffin pan (or 12-well mini cheesecake pan) with cooking spray. Set aside.

To make the crust, combine the chocolate cookie crumbs, melted butter, and sugar in a small bowl. Mix with a fork until evenly blended. Divide the crust mixture between the wells of the prepared pan, about 2-3 teaspoons each. Press the crumb mixture into a flat layer on the bottom of the well. (The bottom of a shot glass or flat utensil is great for this.) Bake for 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300ºF. To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and well-blended. Add in the sugar and mix until incorporated, about 1 minute more, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Blend in the egg and egg yolk, vanilla, and salt. Continue to beat until the mixture is complete smooth. Divide the mixture evenly over the cookie crumb crusts and slightly smooth the tops.

Bake just until set, about 22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Once completely cool, transfer the pan to the refrigerator and chill thoroughly, at least 3 hours.

Once the cheesecakes are well-chilled, carefully remove them from the pan. To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, remove from the heat and immediately pour over the chocolate. Let stand 1-2 minutes.

Whisk in small circular motions until a smooth ganache has formed. Whisk in the butter until completely incorporated. Let the mixture stand at room temperature until slightly thickened for piping onto cheesecakes. (Speed this process in the refrigerator or freezer, but be sure to whisk every 10 minutes or so.) Once the ganache has thickened, transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and pipe onto the cheesecakes. (I used a french star tip.) Cover and refrigerate until the ganache is set.

When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator for a few minutes to let the chill subside a bit. Ten minutes was perfect for me.

**If using mini muffin pans, the silicone variety lends themselves to the easiest removal of cheesecakes. If you don't have a silicone pan, you may want to consider using mini cupcake liners for easy removal.

Source: Barely adapted from Annie's Eats

Sand Pail Card

Hello, my crafty friends! I hope everyone had a sparkly week! :o)

Today I have another card to share for this month's I Feel the Love Project recipients. I'm racing against the clock, but am trying to create a card for each grieving family member. If all goes as planned, you'll be tired of me by Tuesday. ;)

I made this card for 9-year-old Kyle. Upon remembering that their late father loved taking his family to the beach, I opted to create a fun little sand pail card for him. :o)

The sand pail card base is from a cute beach collection from the Silhouette Online Store. I used sparkly paper for the sand, which is embossed with the Swiss Dots folder for a sandy texture. All of the patterned papers are from the Kaisercraft Chapter One collection. I wanted to make the shovel a pattern for extra fun, so I chose a coordinating striped design. The papers are inked with Tumbled Glass distress ink.

The ocean goodies are from Lettering Delights' She Sells Seashells collection. (A different shell is an interior surprise.) I used sparkly green paper for the bases, which looks nice in person but was hard to properly capture via photograph. And even though this is a boy card, I added a few pearls because they work so well for ocean-themed projects. I liked the added textural element, too.

The cute crab is a Miss Kate Cuttables design, purchased at the Silhouette Store. I gave him a sweet Peachy Keen face for some character, faux-stitched around him to help him stand out, and tucked a double-dose of love in one of his pincers. :o) He's so excited to deliver all of our love to Kyle. The tiny heart is an old punch and the larger is a die cut.

For the sentiment, I once again turned to my beloved Tiny Tags 2 and matching metal dies from My Craft Spot. :o) The happy message is stamped atop the same striped paper as the shovel and is backed with the same green as the oceanic treasures. I secured them with a My Mind's Eye Tres Jolie button and sky twine from My Craft Spot. Everything on top of the sand pail is popped up with foam tape for dimension.

I hope this card brings a smile to Kyle's heart... I made it to honor the memories they made during their sunny beach adventures.

Thank you for visiting me! I wish you a beautiful weekend of love and blessings. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *Card Crafter's Circle~ Boys to Men
 *Craftin' Desert Divas~ Linky Party: Photo Inspiration
 *Created with Love~ Call of the Wild (I hope crabs are wild enough)
 *Divas by Design~ Inspired by a Movie (The Little Mermaid. Under the sea... under the sea!)
 *DL.Art~ Thankful Thursday Linky Party: Anything Goes
 *Love to Create~ Bingo (Stitching-Die Cuts/Punches-Tag)
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *Papertake Weekly~ Weather With You
 *Simon Says Stamp~ Anything Goes