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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Be Unique, Be Unforgettable, Be You... and Sweet Saturday!

Happy Saturday, my sweet friends! :o) I had every intention of posting before today, but it was one of those stretches. You know what helps with a bit of a trying week? Hugs, making a girly card, and sharing a delicious treat. All those are wrapped up into today's post!

First up is a card I made for a few challenges. I used a new-to-me technique, which is always exciting. :o) My first Criss Cross card was so much fun to create.

"Be Unique, Be Unforgettable, Be You"
Not only was it pure joy making this, but I was finally able to use a few more new goodies that my sweetheart gave me. When I decided to use this marvelous Whimsical Designs sentiment from Stephanie's Whimsical Fun~ Volume 1 set, I knew the perfect image stamp to accompany it. Our creative spirits make us unique, enable us to make sweet projects that touch someone's life, and the journey helps us discover hidden parts of ourselves... tiny morsels that make us who we are. Making a heartfelt creation is truly a representation of who we are, with each style highlighting individual facets. It's one of the reasons I so enjoy visiting blogs. Every designer has their own beautiful creative spirit. :o)

This sweet stamp is an Elisabeth Bell digi stamp, titled Creative Genius. She is perfect! Just look at her crafting to her heart's content. I colored her with Copics and sprinkled in some extra treats: Her slipper is not only sparkly, but I cut off part of a pom-pom to make it fluffy, too. Her headband is dolloped with pearls, used for the flower centers. Star Dust covers her pencil, markers, paintbrushes, and the kitty's bow. One of my favorite parts is completely unseen because I neglected to get a close-up. :( She's drawing a picture of a flower and I colored it Buttercup and sparklified it... for a sappy reason. Because everything created from the heart sparkles like the most gorgeous ray of sunshine dancing upon an ocean. It's just how it works! :o)

The papers are from the Kaisercraft English Rose collection, which I continue to love more with each new pattern I use. The Wild Orchid Craft Guipure cream lace is new, a blessing from my sweetie pie. I LOVE this exquisite lace. The pretty flowers are also Wild Orchid Crafts, which are trimmed in Star Dust. I tucked a 2-tone baby pink Sweetheart Blossom into the mix because the cute creative genius is such a sweetheart. I sewed all of the layers and then pleated crinkle ribbon to make a girly, fluffy trim. And all of the inking is new! It's my first time dabbing into Tim Holtz and I am already in love. I used Victorian Velvet for all of the edges.

The image stamp base is cut from Elegant Edges, the tag from Gypsy Wanderings, and the interior butterfly is a fancy corner from Storybook. The butterfly's trail is sparkly (of course) and I dotted her wings with pearls. It felt so good to craft! :o)

Criss Cross Card Tutorial: Here!

Challenges entered:
 * Crafty Catz~ Favorite Things (Copics, flowers, lace, pearls, pink, ribbon)
 * Cute Card Thursday~ Flower Power!
 * My Craft Spot~ Girly Girl!
 * Paper Sundaes~ Sundae Bar! (I used cream and pearls)

Ready for a treat? Sweet Saturday is all about hugs and cookies. I was searching for a new cookie recipe to bake for my boyfriend and his coworkers... and you won't believe what I stumbled across. Cookies that have HUGS inside them. I waited all of two seconds before whipping up these Hugs Chocolate Cookies.
His coworkers love me. The rich chocolate cookie dough is embracing Hershey Hugs. The original recipe uses the seasonal Raspberry Hugs, but since we're not huge raspberry fans I used regular Hugs. Any flavor would be delicious! The surprise center of melted white and milk chocolate was perfect for Valentine's Day. (Or any day.) The tops are fancied up with a white chocolate drizzle to complement the centers. The cookie itself is rich, fudgy, and decadent... and as is always the case, a Hug makes everything better. If you try these, I hope you love them as much as we did. :o)

Thank you for visiting me! I hope your weekend sparkles with joy, crafting, and chocolate. :o)
***

Raspberry Hugs Chocolate Cookies
Yield: 3½ dozen cookies

Ingredients:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup dutch processed cocoa
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (10 ounce) bag Hershey's Raspberry Hugs candy (or any flavor you desire)
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time. Blend in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix until flour disappears.

Unwrap the Hugs candies. Take a spoonful of cookie dough and wrap the dough around the Hug candy, making certain the entire Hug is covered. Place cookie onto prepared baking sheet. Continue wrapping cookies until the dough is gone. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. Do not over-bake. Remove from the oven and let sit on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Place white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and melt. Drizzle chocolate over the cookies. Let cookies sit until chocolate hardens, approximately 10 minutes.

***

Key Recipe Components (for card):
 * Cricut cartridges: Elegant Edges, Gypsy Wanderings, Storybook
 * Copics: E000, E00 (skin); E25, E31, E50 (hair); R81, R83 (shirt, headband, slipper, cup); B91, B95 (jeans, headband, tablecloth, chair); Y21, Y000 (tablecloth, chair); C3, C5 (kitty); B00 (water in glass with paintbrushes)
 * Paper: DCWV, Kaisercraft, Papertrey Ink
 * Ink: Tim Holtz Victorian Velvet
 * Wild Orchid Crafts: 35mm trellis rose, 20mm roses, sweetheart blossom; Guipure cream lace
 * Crinkle Ribbon: Prairie Bird Boutique
 * Miscellaneous: Pearls (Recollections); Stickles

Photobucket

13 comments:

  1. Karen i am always so blessed when i stop by to visit... i love that sentiment.. "Be Unique, Be Unforgettable, Be You" - you are such a blessing.. thank you for sharing your amazing talent with us... AND thank you for just being "you".. AND i am sure your sweetheart's co-workers love you...
    this is just an awesome card, you are so very talented... (i know i probably say this everytime i stop by but you put so much love and details into every card you do.. )
    AND thank you for your prayers my friend... hugs from ukiah

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  2. Very pretty. Thanks so much for joining us at Paper Sundaes this week
    Hugs Julie P

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  3. Me: Oooooh, Hugs Chocolate Cookies!
    Kevin: OH! Is that MY friend Karen?

    Ha ha ha ha! He so has a cookie crush on you! :)

    And I must confess something (aside from my OWN cookie crush, which is already well known): I am a cookie addict. BIG TIME. I don't bake a lot of cookies, because then I EAT them. It's disgusting, really. But THESE? *drools then faints* Totally falling off the wagon for these!

    Your card!!!!! It's so YOU! Beautiful, crafty, sparkly, unique...it just screams "KAREN". I love that. I love that you put YOU in every creation. It just makes me SMILE. :)

    That digi is darling. My favorite part: the kitty that's trying to take part in the creative process. She reminds me of my Perri puppy, who tends to wander over and try to sit on whatever I'm working on. hee hee. So cute!

    As always, my friend, Sweet Saturday has made my weekend better. You are so fabulous! :)

    Nita

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  4. Yaaayyy Sweet Saturday!! Oh Karen, this card is simply stunning!! Everything about it is so fabulous!! Nita is right...it screams "Karen"!! All of the details are spectacular!! (Do you just love the Victoria Velvet or what??!!) The lace is gorgeous!! I'm in the midst of a lace-crush right now :) The little crafting girl and her kitty are precious!! You are so amazing with Copics!!

    I can't even imagine how fabulous the Hugs cookies are. It almost hurts to look at the picture because they look so delicious and I don't have one to try!!

    I hope you are having a wonderful weekend my sweet friend and thanks for sharing Sweet Saturday :)

    Hugs, Lisa
    indymermaid.blogspot.com

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  5. Wow! Another amazing creation Karen:) Every time I visit you I am more and more amazing with everything you create. Just fab. I am going to miss you. Hugs!

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  6. Gorgeous card, and those cookies look so yummy!!! Thanks for playing along with us at Cute Card Thursday!

    Julie

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  7. Awwww! The little girl and the kitty are adorable! I love her fuzzy slipper! These cookies look UNBELIEVABLE! Thanks for the recipe! :)

    Karen
    craftedwithlovebykaren.blogspot.com

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  8. *dances around your sweetest blog leaving trails of chocolate hugs everywhere* WHEEEEEEEEE!!! It's Sweet Saturday everyone!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

    *dances happy Sweet Saturday dance with my precious Sunshine* SQUEEE!!!

    Um sis? This is way beyond a Sweet Saturday post! This is like Sweet Saturday PLUS!!! OMJ! Treats AND a cardness?!?!?!? Both on the same day?!?!?! AHHHHHH!!! *is in complete sparklie chocolate heaven* TEE HEE HEE!

    I think I am in love sis. *tackle squishers your cardness and cookies foreever* OMJ! I am just floating I am so happy!!! SQUEEEEE!!!

    Everytime I look at your card Sunshine, it just keeps getting more and more and more beautiful. I have officially decided that that gorgeous stamp is 100 percent YOU. Yeppers. They SO used you as the model for that stamp. Who else could be that squishable? *hugglers you something silly*

    You realize that I will now be craving hug cookies all week long until you bake me some, right sis? TEE HEE! I can almost taste that oooey gooey burst of huggness in the middle. OMJ! Pure bliss. Can we bake some tonight sis? I seriously need one right this second...or two...or three. WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

    I LOVE YOU SUNSHINE!!!!!!!! God bless you for delivering non-stop huggles to all our weekends. Did you know you are the bestest ever?!!!!!!!!!!!!

    *super huggles you beyond huggleness*
    ~~~Christina :)

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  9. Aaaaw, your Elisabeth Bell digi is just adorable. You did a fantastic job on the coloring-I seriously need some lessons from you:)The colors are perfect and I just love the flowers and the crinkle ribbon trim!!Your criss cross card turned out perfect Karen:)
    Now for this yummy treat...I swear I gain 5 lb just visiting your blog. I always want to make ever recipe you post but then I will eat it all,yikes! No kids around anymore to eat this stuff up:) I have made actually a few of your recipes and everyone so far has been AWESOME! Thanks for sharing your recipe and your card is beautiful as always. Have a great night my friend:)
    Sherrie K
    http://sherriescraps.blogspot.com

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  10. Absolutely beautiful criss cross card.Love that image and the beautiful butterfly.
    Jayne x

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  11. Your criss-cross card is gorgeous, Karen! All your little details are fabulous! I especially like the flowers you've added. They are stunning against the stitched paper! How clever to add tabs to the inner card as well!
    Your cookies look delicious and my mouth is watering! I have a similar recipe in which I tuck Rolo chocolates. (I'm not sure if you have those or not, but they're little button chocolates with caramel inside.) The cookies are always such a hit! I'll have to try flavoured Kisses or Hugs sometime too.
    Karen, thanks so much for your kind words on my blog. You made my day when I read them! I was away at a conference over the weekend so the timing was perfect. It was a good, but exhausting, time so your boost really did bring cheer to my day!
    Thanks so much for playing along with us at My Craft Spot!

    Kate
    Small Bits of Paper

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  12. Karen, How did I miss Sweet Saturday??? Your sweet card is just so precious! That trim is just so beautiful! Your coloring is just incredible and I Love every inch of this sweet sweet card!
    Raspberry Hugs Chocolate Cookies, I mean are there sweeter words than this..... My Hubby just said do we have any cookies? I said, Look at these...we can make some....
    Somehow I missed the original post but I will say that this definitely put a smile on my face tonight, just when I needed a hug. How about that, I got one from my sweet friend Karen.
    Have a SWEET night! Thank you for making my bloggy world so Beautiful & YUMMY!

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  13. How I've missed your inspiring creations my sparkly friend! This is just amazingly gorgeous! Your criss cross card turned out perfectly. The colors are so soft and delicate. I love the lace and flowers and the sweet image you stamped and colored is perfect! You are so talented my crafty friend!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving some love! Have a beautifully blessed day. :o)

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