Hollywood Squares for a Friend

Yesterday I dusted off an old recipe that I used to make when I was a teen.  It used to be a favorite of my best friend and I and we would make it every once in awhile when we got a sweet tooth.  Oh to have the metabolism of a teenager!  These treats are not one bit heathy! In fact, let's just say I'm too embarrassed to even share the recipe!  

But I was thinking about them this week and thought since it had been years, I would make some.  I needed a thank you gift for a friend too.  She helped bake chicken for Eli's paw patrol party 2 weeks ago.  

I packaged them in one of the Tag a Box gift boxes from Stampin' Up!. These boxes are a great value and you can get many uses out of them!  Remember This box I made for my niece?  A dress fit in it! Anyway, this box was perfect for these squares.  

I wrapped the box with some Best Year Ever DSP from the Sale-a-Bration catalog along with some ribbon.  My favorite part is the tag made with the Handpicked Dies.  They're new and so fun to use! :)  you might not recognize the stamp, but it's from the Num-Num stamp set.  I never thought I'd use this particular stamp because I don't make cake pops, but I found out a way to put it to use!  

Hope you enjoyed these pictures.  Now go wipe up the drool off of your screen.  ;)

Oh, and feel free to pin these! I finally figured out how to add the Pin button on my pictures. :)

-Holly  

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Refresh Renew Rejoice - Prayer Journal

Most mornings I don't get around to my quiet time with The Lord.  I'm not disciplined enough to wake up earlier before the boys do because let's face it, they wake me! EARLY!  Our 8 month old hasn't quite mastered sleeping through the night and his recent ear infection isn't helping.  Needless to say, I'm slacking on my time in His word because I'm so tired.  And I can't say I don't have time to myself because I do.  It's just that I can stamp with noise. 

However, one of my struggles is that I will tell someone I'll pray for them and I forget to add them to my prayer list.  So the thought came to me last night that I should make a prayer journal.  (You know we don't need to always rely on our ipads/computers… we CAN use other forms of note taking.) :)  This way, I can carry it with me and add to it when needed.  

For this journal, I used a new Easter set from Stampin' Up! called Indescribable Gift - perfectly named I think!  I love the look of the flowers!  I stamped the vellum with whisper white craft ink and embossed it with white embossing powder.  I then turned the vellum over to color the flowers with blendabilities.  Not only do the colors not wipe off, you can still see the bright white outlines on the other side without them being colored.  (If you were to color on the embossed portion with blendabilities, it would stay colored.)

I also stamped the background of the journal in crumb cake with the flowers and the "Refresh Renew Rejoice" stamp.  I originally stamped and embossed the saying on the journal in Calypso Coral, but they didn't quite match the calypso coral flowers that I colored on the vellum.  I added some linen thread and dimension to the saying and it's done!

Such a sweet reminder that we can be refreshed & renewed because of Jesus and we can Rejoice in His indescribably gift of love!

Have a blessed Friday!
-Holly

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Dusting off the sewing machine!

My friend just had a baby on Sunday night and we anxiously waited to hear if she had a baby boy or girl.  For some reason I felt as though she would have a girl so I made a card on Saturday to send out as soon as we received word.

Lets just say, it's a good thing I don't bet!! Baby Carson was born on Sunday night and he joins his big brother.  He and mom are doing great! :)

But now I needed to make a boy card.  I knew I had a few baby boy bibs that I made this summer and back in September I wrote this post on stamping on fabric.  I wanted to make something out of the box for a ccreative challenge offered by Shelli Gardner (CEO of SU!).  Well, I didn't win, but I'm happy I tried.  I learned 2 things… 1) don't stamp on fabric if you want to actually use/wash this piece of fabric - it will bleed! and 2) leftover pieces that you find months later can be used for cards! 

I'm so glad I figured out number 2!  I was digging through a drawer for the baby bib that I had sewn and found a scrap piece.  I had stamped the fabric with the little bird stamp in pistachio pudding ink.

It's been awhile since I have sewn on a card, so I broke out my sewing machine and gave the card some extra detail.  I love sewing on cards and I don't know why I don't do it more often!

I wanted to bring in some silver too.  The buttons, silver stars and pistachio pudding cards add the perfect amount of dazzle :) 

The birdie and top sentiment are from the hostess set Hello Love and the "it's a boy" is from A Dozen Thoughts. (Both great sets!)  They're embossed in smoky slate and pool party embossing powder.

The inside I used a scrap piece of the pool party DSP and some washi tape.  Punched out a star and I'm done!  

I thoroughly enjoyed making this card.  I love making them extra special for friends.  Congrats K & D!  We love ya!!

Happy Stampin'!

-Holly

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Facebook Giveaway!

To celebrate hitting 300 likes on my Facebook page, I'm giving away this 

Painted Blooms 5pk of cards!  Click on the Facebook icon on the right and follow all three steps on the giveaway post! Winner will be announced Friday! What are you waiting for?? :) 

Another blog challenge - Friday Mashup!

I apparently have too much time on my hands, or it's the fact that the cold temperatures and feet of snow outside, but I'm feeling quite comfortable in my craft room :) I was browsing some blogs and came across another challenge this morning from Friday Mashup. This week you can either do the sketch challenge, an "in flight" theme, or mashup the two and do both.

Here is the sketch:

So I don't quite have the layout for the sketch, but I just so happen to finish this card this morning for my niece and I think a hot air balloon counts as "in flight".  Her birthday is Monday and her card will certainly be late, but she'll be in Disney anyway, so it'll be there waiting when she returns :)

I wanted to use the balloon framelits but did not necessarily plan on the hot air balloon.  But I'm glad I switched gears to match the clouds from the Sweet Dreams DSP from Stampin' Up!  This DSP is cute huh? :) I used crisp cantaloupe and early espresso door the card base.

To get the glitter look I took a sticky round and added strips of the DSP leaving space for glitter. I got this idea here from Jane Lee.  And like she said, you get to wear glitter all day, week, year, eternity. Haha! I think I'm starting to hate glitter as much as my husband.  But hey, it adds a little extra sparkle and what 7 year old doesn't like sparkly stuff? :)

The words I made with the alphabet rotary stamp. It's so worth $10! I've used it many many times lately! The possibilities are endless!

I hope you this inspired you today to get creative!  Try the sketch out yourself! Have a wonderful day!

- Holly

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

I. Am. A. Robot.

Just a quick post this morning.  It's frigid here in New England (-12 when I woke up)... And while I've been making springtime cards hoping they will melt the snow, I thought I'd try his new "Boys Will Be Boys" stamp set from Stampin' Up!  As a mom of three boys, I knew I would want to have it :)

To get the background look, I stamped the robot on whisper white cardstock with my staz-on black ink and then colored between the robots with my smoky slate blendability marker.  (You can earn a free pack of blendabilities markers with a qualifying sale-a-bration order) :)
 I cannot take credit for this - I found it on Pinterest!

Isn't it cute?  And masculine/kid friendly?  Those cards aren't always easy to make!

Have a wonderful Saturday! 

-Holly

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Fab Fri 58 - my first blog challenge!

So I've been trying to venture out and try new sketches, color combos and techniques, but I haven't tried a blog challenge yet.  I've been following a stamper named Mindy for a few years now and she posts a Fab Friday Challenge every Friday.  I have absolutely no idea why it has taken me this long to play along, but today was the day! Why not? :)

So here is the sketch for this Friday's Challenge:

Here is the wedding card I came up with <3

I knew right away that I wanted to use the new Your Perfect Day stamp set for the circle part of the card.  This little wreath worked out just perfect I think :). I used some of the Painted Blooms DSP as the background and paired it with Calypso Coral chevron ribbon.  I absolutely love this DSP.  I'm usually a hoarder when it comes to paper, but I've made 5 cards since Tuesday using this DSP.  :)

I added a little extra touch with pearls and small flowers.  The flowers are from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack. 

I also stamped the envelope to coordinate with the card.  

I hope you enjoyed this card!  It's going straight in the mail because it's already overdue! :(

Happy Stamping and happy Friday!!

-Holly

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Using Your Framelits to the Max :)

My friend got engaged over the weekend and I just so happened to get a new stamp set (Your Perfect Day) and new framelits (Handpicked) in the mail Tuesday so the timing was perfect with this card I had on my mind... Except one problem.  The words I wanted to use didn't quite fit in the bread tag that I wanted to use.

So I got to thinking about a trick my mom once taught me.  And honestly, I'm not sure who was the first person to discover this, but if you're reading this - thank you!! :)

The way to elongate the bread tag is simple.  In this picture you'll see the original size, what it looked like stamped on the original bread tag and then the final look.  

After stamping the sentiment on some crumb cake cardstock I ran the framelit and paper through the big shot but ONLY enough to cut the top.  Then I turned the paper and framelit around and only ran it through halfway again - this time only cutting the bottom half.  I did have to use my scissors to clip it a little but it worked!!  

I hope this is a new trick that you will remember and use someday! Enjoy!

Here's another sample using a different tag and the Endless Birthday Wishes set.

Happy Stamping!

-Holly

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

The Boy's Parties

Edit: This post is lengthy, but lots of pictures.  Think of it as a child's picture book - I won't be mad if you just skim through.  But you might miss my amazing ability to narrate our life :) hah!

Someone once told me I should be a party planner … and that someone was my conscience.  But when my sweet sister told me this week that I should be one, I thought maybe that's something I really could do?  I LOVE planning and hosting get-togethers and have so well before pinterest came around.

Last month we celebrated our middle son's birthday with family in PA.  Remember  these construction invitations ? He and his older brother are ALL BOY and when their Uncle Corey bought them this tonka truck for Christmas I knew right away that I wanted to have a construction theme for him. 

The day was a rough one - all three boys caught the flu (we didn't know until AFTER the party that it was the flu and not a bad cold…) but I guess our family does share everything.  The background for the  table was a roll of construction tape I bought off amazon and the chalkboard banner I purchased from Stampin' Up!.  

Chocolate "rocks" and the boys trucks helped with the decor.  I made the construction signs/food labels with cardstock and DSP from SU! again.  Andrew had a great time with his cousins opening presents.  You can tell he loved his plush doggie (Rubble).  He held him all day.

Then this past weekend we celebrated our oldest son's birthday.  I can hardly believe he's 4 already.  I'm so proud of the little man he's become.  He's a great big brother and has such a caring and loving heart.  He's my big helper, sous chef, stampin' buddy, diaper fetcher, baby soother, cuddle bug, etc.  I should note ALL my kids are amazing - Eli just wants to be around his momma the most.  Drew is the dare devil, do-it-himself, little comedian, would rather be playing cars than hang out with mom. (Of course unless mom has food) :)

Eli wanted a Paw Patrol themed party - and I would guess unless you have kids or grandkids under the age of 5, run a preschool, teach kindergarten, or babysit small children, you probably have no idea what Paw Patrol is.  It's a show on Nick Jr. about 6 little pups that help solve problems around "Adventure Bay".  They cheer "No job is too big, no pup is too small!" :)

Now I'm a pretty frugal mom, so I wanted to do as much as I could myself.  Saturday I spent all day in the kitchen making puppy chow, cake, cookies, rice krispy treats, chopping fruit and veggies and prepping for our party Sunday.  I did ask my friend Jess to make the chicken and I called my local grocery store bakery for icing because I was short on time.  ($3 for a HUGE tub of cool whip frosting… I will be doing that again!)

I served the food in dog bowls that I bought at the dollar store.  I made the fire hydrant out of an old tea canister, paper towel roll, ribbon spool and an old plastic bowl. 

 

These are the cookies I spent about two hours making.  But they're yummy and adorable and Eli loved them! Made it worth it to see his excitement :)

I made dog bone Rice Krispies treat bags for the kids with the Best Day Ever stamp set from the Sale-A-Bration catalog and used the Alphabet Rotary stamp for the "Marshall's treats" part.  

For the arrow sign I stamped the Hardwood stamp on some baked brown sugar cardstock and punched the arrows out with the Whats Up punch.  And you may have noticed again that I used my chalkboard banner.  I love it! :)

The boys had a great time with cousins and friends at their parties.  Eli told me Sunday night that it was the "best day ever" which made the long day on my feet worth it all.

Now it's time to plan our youngest boy's ONE year old party.. But I have a few months to go! :)

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Eli turns FOUR!

Our oldest son turned four yesterday and guess who didn't have a card ready to go?! Yep, me... Oh did I feel bad :( my husband told me at the store " you could just buy one... " - don't worry, I gave him the look. Haha! I couldn't NOT make one, so I snuck off to my craft room while he played with his new birthday present.

I used the Dear Heart, Big Day and Balloon Bash stamp sets to make him his card.  I knew making this wouldn't mean much, I'm sure he won't remember it, but when I handed it to him and he looked at it and said "did you make this?", it all mattered <3

It was such a bittersweet day yesterday.  It's hard for me process time - some days it feels like I've been a mom for more than 4 years and other days it feels like it was only yesterday when we brought our sweet Eli home.  

He was a little stubborn but I also know he wasn't ready to grace us with his presence a day earlier.  I was induced on the 9th at 7am and on the 10th at 12:34p, Eli was born.  Yes, 29.5 hours of laying in bed, 2.5hrs pushing... Thanks, kid! :P

He was our Alaska born baby who now lives in Rhode Island.. The biggest to the smallest.  You can say the cold weather is in his blood ;) 

Eli is our world! He made us parents for the first time. He has such a big heart and an infectious smile.  (Those dimples <3)  He loves his cars, planes and trains - McQueen has a special place in his heart.

He loves fishing with his daddy, baking and cooking with momma too, and he loves to sing (current faves are Paw Patrol theme song, Start a Fire by Unspoken and he knows all the words to 10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord) by Matt Redman).  

He's so smart already that I can only imagine he will go far in life!  He loves to read! Some mornings he when he wakes up before everyone else, I hear him flipping through pages in his reading nook.  He's has my creative bug - loves to stamp and draw.  Seriously, he's been drawing this cat and these smilies for the past 4 months! :) I was so proud the first time he drew this cat! 

He loves Sunday school, preschool, being a big brother, playing outside, picking veggies from our garden and so much more.  He's such a sweet happy kid and we look forward to the year The Lord has in store for us! 

We love you Eli! Thanks for making me a mom!