Thursday, February 6, 2014

BFF Open House Link Party #143

The Answer Is Chocolate

Happy Friday Eve! Still recovering from yesterday's record breaking Super Bowl parade in Seattle and I only watched it on TV! Fun to see the hometown pride. Valentine's Day is one week away people! Every body panic and freak out so I'm not alone OK? 

If like me, you've done NOTHING ( sorry honey!) then here are some ideas from last week's party to inspire you. 


Loving this sweet ( literally) idea from Crafty Lumberjacks. Use candy sprinkles, clear votives, and tea lights to make festive decorations. 


Likewise, loving this upcycled wreath from 3 Little Greenwoods. Great way to repurpose those plastic bags!


Almost no sew works for me every time and these adorable pillows from Steph at Silly Pearl are perfect for Valentine's Day or all year round. 

I have two chocolate features for you this week. After all what's Valentine's day without chocolate? 


I couldn't resist this heart shaped display of handmade chocolate peanut butter hearts. Pop on over to Organizer By Day to see how to make your own. 

And if you want to make your someone special an extra special Valentine's dessert: 


Almost too pretty to eat isn't it? For the how to on this Chocolate Hazelnut Tart, visit Karyn at Dieter's Downfall ( still the most accurately named blog I know) . 

Time to get the party started! 










Tuesday, February 4, 2014

21: Vegas Style Birthday Card

Red White and Black Birthday

My BFF and I have done everything together including getting married and then a few years later, having kids within days of each other. We even went to the same Ob/Gyn and delivered in the same hospital. So 10 days after celebrating my baby’s 21st, it was time to celebrate her baby’s 21st.

Since she’ll be celebrating in Vegas, I wanted the card to match so when I saw dice brads at Impress I had to get them and based the card around them.
Black and White 21

I went with a red / white / black scheme to play off of the roulette wheel. Used Canvas Corp diamond patterned paper , layered with an embossed panel using a Cuttlebug embossing folder with a crown at the top.
Black and White Checker

I used my Cricut Expression to cut the numbers 21 out of the diamond patterned paper and layered them with foam dots ( cut 2 sets for each number) and added some glittered gold paper and ribbon to give the card some glitz.  Layered the dice brads onto black and gold papers and embellished the crown with gold rhinestones.

I hope the birthday girl has a great time!

Thursday, January 30, 2014

BFF Open House Link Party #142

The Answer Is Chocolate


Happy Friday Eve all. It's unbelievable to me that we're already at the end of January and that Sunday is the SuperBowl. I am not a huge football fan but can't escape the hometown pride and energy that's taken over the Seattle area so needless to say, I'll be rooting for the Seahawks!  Don't worry, I still like you if you're rooting for the Broncos. 

Here are some highlights from last week's party which was the best turnout ever. 


Love Pottery barn design but not the prices? The Pin Junkie has a great project showing how to knock off the PB picture ledges for a much smaller price. 


Valentine's Day is right around the corner and Jenn at  24 Cottonwood Lane has some adorable printables to share. 


Laura over at Pet Scribbles has a glitter paint project that would be perfect for Valentine's Day or any occasion. These glitter boxes work as gifts themselves as well as to hold a little something special. 

Sit down if you're not already. Don't say I didn't warn you. This week's chocolate feature is um well just let me show you: 

ButterFinger Cup Sundae Cupcakes #thatnewcrush #shop, #cbias

Told you. Butterfinger Cup Sundae Cupcakes. Should come with a warning label don't you think? Go see Life With The Crust Off for the details. If you dare! 

With that, on to this week's festivities! 













Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Tattered Florals Sympathy Cards

Sympathy Card Sizzix

January has been card month for me. Not intentionally, but that’s all I’ve made and it’s been a combination of happy and sad. Birthdays and Sympathy cards. Cycle of life I suppose. Sharing a sympathy card I made and a couple of note cards for other members of the family.

Basic Grey Little Black Dress Paper

The floral paper is from the Basic Grey Little Black Dress collection. Other papers are a metallic silver and chocolate glitter.

Sizzix Framelits
Tim Holtz Tattered Florals

For the sympathy card, I used Sizzix Framelits to cut out the main card  focal and also used a  Tim Holtz die ( Tattered Florals) to make the flowers for the main card and the notecards.  I cut the flowers from the silver metallic paper and then used the end of a paintbrush to curl the edges of each layer of the flowers.

Sympathy Note

Used coordinating scraps from my stash and scraps of the chocolate glitter paper for the notecards.

Sympathy Note Tim Holtz Flower

Added black rhinestones to the center of each flower.

Sympathy Card Sizzix

For the sympathy card, I inked the edges of the oval die cut, stamped the sentiment, added a floral rub-on and edged it with a gold ink pen.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Red Hot Goodies from Pick Your Plum

I'm still in little bit of a Blump ( aka Blogging Slump) but some of these goodies from Pick Your Plum might just help snap me out of it so I wanted to share them with you too. (Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links). 

Valentine's Day will be here before you know it. Between school parties and goodies for family and friends it's easy to be festive without breaking the bank:


Baking Cups (perfect for chocolate cupcakes)  24 for $2.99


Red and White Paper Straws 50 for $3.99 (perfect for a paper straw wreath) 


Red and White Striped Treat Bags 40 for $3.99 

And a few more red delicious goodies! Just remember that when they're gone, they're gone so you don't want to wait to check out today's deals. 




Thursday, January 23, 2014

BFF Open House Link Party #141

The Answer Is Chocolate

TGIFE....Thank Goodness It's Friday Eve! Hope you have had a great week and those of you in the East aren't buried under too much snow.  Another fun party last week and clearly people are getting ready for Valentine's Day. It's so hard to believe the first month of the New Year is coming to an end already. 

I love old windows. I have to stop myself from buying them when I find them because they'd be everywhere. Diane from An Extraordinary Day has a gorgeous Valentine's window idea. 



If you do happen to be covered in snow, you have to check out this idea from Debbie at One Little Project At A Time...make your own ice luminaries! 


Winter is hard on hands but Trisha from Momdot has a fun sugar and shea butter recipe that would also be great as a Valentine's gift. 


This week's chocolate feature is this delicious looking marble pound cake from Spindles Designs.  I could go for a huge piece of this right now! 

OK let's see what everyone's been up to this week! 







Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Warning: Mushy Post! Happy Birthday College Boy

21 years ago today, the most creative project I've ever made came into the world. There was no Mod Podge or glitter or hot glue involved. There wasn't even any chocolate. Our baby, who's no longer a baby, was born.

It still doesn't seem possible that it's 21 years later and that he's officially an adult! He's been an old soul since the day he was born, always older than his chronological age in some ways and completely age appropriate in others.

We tried not to read too much into the fact that by all accounts I had an easy labor. My BFF never lets me forget that I delivered wearing earrings and even a little lipstick.

What did that mean for the days ahead? Turns out that pattern continued. Sure there were all the normal childhood boundary tests and moments of counting to 10 before saying something (us, not him). Even middle school, which I think is the hardest age as kids really test their boundaries in that limbo stage between being little kids and burgeoning maturity wasn't too bad. HS, we've since come to learn, was far more stressful than he ever let on (and from what we knew it was stressful enough), a testament to his very cool calm demeanor. We are still not sure where that comes from!

In college he's come completely into his own. From the nervous guy we left in front of his dorm ( and the parents who were a wreck in the car driving away) to the confident young man who still chooses to come home on breaks and hang out with his parents.

Whatever the future holds, we know he will meet any challenge head on with a smile, quiet confidence, and a focus on what's important. We've now entered the stage of parenting where the student is often the teacher.

Every parent feels like they couldn't be more proud of their child and we are no exception. It's been an amazing 21 years and we can't wait to see what lies ahead.

Happy Birthday College Boy!