Love you a Latte Friendship Card and Sweet Saturday!

Happy Saturday, sweet friends!

Today I have a coordinating friendship card and treat. How fun is that? :o) For starters, a happy little card bursting with autumn and caffeinated love:

"Love you a Latte"

More Copics practice! How I adore our sweet Kiki and her beloved latte. In my exhaustive admiring of Copic-users over the past few months, I would guess 99% of them leave these types of stamps as is. However, I have a feeling that by the end of the day I'll be adding a tiny expression to her face. Just personal preference. :o) One of the challenges I had in mind for this card required the use of Gypsy Wanderings, so I decided to exclusively use this cartridge for all my cuts. I welded together two shadows of the jack-o-lantern (which keeps making me think of an apple) and added a couple layers to the vintage cream base. I was going to faux-stitch around the cream, but then decided to do a fun whip-stitch trim instead! It's my first time sewing on a card and it was such fun. For a touch of elegance I used the Victoria cuttlebug folder and covered the card in Shimmer Spritz. (As well as everything within a few feet radius since I didn't know it spritzed so powerfully. Fun!) The large heart extends beyond the base because the love of a friend transcends boundaries. :o) The sentiment-carrying heart and Kiki are pop-dotted. As a last-minute touch after sparklifying Kiki's shoelaces, I outlined the latte cup with Stardust because special beverages like Pumpkin Spice Lattes are magical. ;)

There's usually a little something extra sappy on my cards, and this one can be found at the very bottom. On the path, I sprinkled yellow, light green, and orange rhinestones within the two-toned autumn leaves to portray one of the most beautiful aspects of friendship: how friends help you find the buried treasures even on the toughest of journeys. :o) (Side note: I'm officially considering this a pumpkin/apple card. It looks like both, thanks to the shape and the super deep terracotta shade. That makes me laugh.)

Challenges entered:
 * More Than Favors CCCC~ Gypsy Wanderings
 * My Craft Spot~ Friends are the best!

This week's Sweet Saturday treat was thrown a curve late last night. To go along with this spicy-colored pumpkin latte card was going to be the beloved Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte concoction in dessert form. How cute of a duo would that have been for a friend?! Alas, my city is out of pumpkin puree. I was shocked! The shelves were cleared at both main grocery stores, with sad signs like, "Libby's Pumpkin Temporarily Unavailable." I only had a few minutes at that point since it was so late, so my mind frantically went through every caffeine treat I've tried and loved that could still pair well with our Kiki. Naturally my mind went to chocolate, even though the original treat (which will be made later) was not. A nice consolation, I'd say... Cappuccino Fudge!

I was going to make and post this closer to the holidays because they make great little treats for goodie bags and festive gatherings. Plus, it's fun and easy! I do not like coffee except the super sugary "girly" kind like lattes and frappuccinos, and yet I love this fudge. It's a beautiful blend of rich, creamy chocolate and coffee. I highly recommend using espresso powder, as it seems to amp up the coffee component nicely. Any coffee lover would certainly appreciate this tiny gesture with a special handmade card. :o)

Thank you for visiting me today! I hope you have a sparkly weekend of love, joy, and chocolate. :o)

Cappuccino Fudge

Ingredients:
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow cream
½ cup sugar
⅔ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 (12 ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Line an 8-inch square baking dish with aluminum foil. Set aside.

In a 2 quart saucepan, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, heavy whipping cream, butter, espresso powder, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Place on cutting board and cut into 36 squares.

Source: Annie's Eats

Key Recipe Components (for card):
 * Cricut cartridge: Gypsy Wanderings
 * Cuttlebug embossing folder: Victoria
 * Stamp: C.C. Designs Latte Kiki La Rue
 * Copics: E000, E00 (skin); E25, E31, E37 (hair); V12, V17(dress, shoes); YG11, YG13, RV13 (latte cup)
 * Sentiment: Computer generated
 * Paper: Papertrey Ink
 * Ribbon: Papertrey Ink
 * Miscellaneous: iRock, Shimmer Spritz (sparkle), Stickles