Technique Challenge from Scrapbook Challenges

I've done it. I've completed a challenge.

Hosted by Jolanda Simons at Scrapbook Challenges, this challenge was to use misting / masking on a layout or card.

My layout is fairly simple, but my goal was to get on this challenge, finish it, and like it. I do like it. Took me 20 minutes to figure it out, mist & paste photo.

Used: Glimmer Mists in Lemon Merigue and Riptide, Maya Misst in Pink Grapefruit Metallic, Mickey & Friends Cricut cartridge and the stars on the edging of We R Memory Keepers line, Yankee Doodle - Celebration. I used a few extra embellishments I had from a Disney mini-album and I used a journal die from Hambly.

Almost Vegan Hamburger Cake

I was inspired by this hamburger cake and before the inspiration passed, I was in the kitchen baking one up for Father's Day 2011.

I have baked many an "art" cake over the years for various sons' birthday parties, but it had been a while since I tackled one. If I hadn't been in such a rush to harness this unexpected inspiration, I would have found a tutorial for this particular cake here at Coco Cake in Vancouver. Needless to say, there is no ganache in the middle of my cake. Yummy, with or without.

So, it's almost vegan, because true to form, I borrowed elements from more than one resource. I was able to make all 3 layers of this cake with one batch of this cake recipe from A Farm Girl's Dabbles. I used the Chocolate "Wacky" Cake recipe but did not add the cocoa. Instead, after the batter was mixed, I poured 2/3 of it into 2 rounds. Then I mixed in 3 Tablespoons of cocoa into the remaining batter and poured it into a third round. The batter is vegan (using cocoa without dairy).

If you want to stick to a vegan cake, you can make "buttercream" frosting using vegan butter and some additional flavoring like lemon. Just a few drops of lemon in addition to vanilla cuts adds a dimension to the hydrogenated oils of the vegan butter without actually tasting like citrus. Here's a quick and simple buttercream icing recipe from the Food Network.

And here's my finished sculpture! It's different to be making a cake with the icing in the middle.

Sign Ups are Open!

Sign up at Our Paper Place for these upcoming graduation-themed classes. The techniques apply to ANY event like a birthday or baby shower, and the Grad class itself is suitable for boy or girl, pre-K through college.

Classes fill up quickly, so get your name in early. The cost for each session is only $20!

For those of you looking for an inspiring place to be for National Scrapbook Day, join me for loads of fun, goodies, make n takes and page making on May 7 at Our Paper Place.

Grad Class...Sneak Peek...

Here's what I'm thinking...
I have THREE grads this year.

Dessert Table Staging...coming soon...

Today is the Day!

Today is the day! My First of "Simply Fast, Simply Amazing" series - Mother's Day class. If you can't make the class between 11 am - 2 pm, come by and pick up a kit! I have a few extras.

Happy Day!

ONES OWN SWEET WAY: DIY Bracelet!

I'm feeling crafty, but not in a typical paper way. Sometimes, when you are surrounded by boys, you wonder what you can do with "boy stuff". Here's a cool, twist on "boy stuff" - nuts actually ... the tooling kind...made girlie. I can do this!

ONES OWN SWEET WAY: DIY Bracelet!

PTI is Never Wrong...

It's true. PTI (Papertrey Ink) gets it right EVERY time. I love, love, love their lines...their designers...the ingenius way you can keep building upon every stamp they put out. And, I heart the way they read my mind. This month's release answered my week's noodling over "how can I make doilies so that I can use specific designs and colors"? Yeah, it's not your everyday question, but I threw it out to the universe. And back came, Dawn McVey with ... Delightful Doilies.

There are dies, and stamps, and edgers! Look out 2011, the 70s are coming back to paper.

Make It Monday ... I Did It!

There's a new challenge at one of my ultimate favorite haunts, Papertrey Ink. I jumped into Monday today and made my card for the contest. I'd love, love, love to get a GC because my wish list adds up to about $1390...so I'll need help chipping away at it.

Since I don't own too many texts that were included in the tutorial by Erin, I made do with what I had. This card will end up among the others I made for the hubby's in my Scout pack that graciously bought boxes of chocolates from my son for their wives. The wives get a box of See's candies and a Jen-made card and my son gets to go to Science camp.

Enjoy!

What I Used: Up, Up & Away Sentiments Stamp Set by PaperTrey Ink (PTI), Up Up & Away Stamp Set (PTI), Sweet Love (PTI), Everyday Button Bits (PTI), Felt (PTI) with PTI Cloud Die Cut, Heart Embellishment from Michael's, pink shimmer cardstock from Bazzill, printed scrap paper from My Little Shoebox.

The 1st of this Year's Blog Challenges and ...Resolutions.

Happy New Year! Resolutions anyone?
Lots of people joined a gym, I joined a Scrapbook Challenge forum.

This is the first year I didn't have resolutions ready at midnight. I did so great the last two years completing 90% of the resolutions I put out there. Did I get lazy this year?

Well, there's plenty motivation out there. My friend, Judy, sent out a challenge and made a special wager with me on the number of scrapbook layouts we could complete...this month? I can't recall the details. I do know that before the 19th I will have to be somewhat productive or I'll be buying Ms. Judy some sort of Venti Dream at Starbucks.

So, I guess that's one resolution. Get some pages done.

Assignment #1 - I barely got something done. It was past 11 pm, it was a "school night", it had to get done.
My "Do What It Takes" attitude on auto pilot.

Voila! 8x8 for the Blog Hop Sketch challenge.