(Title Goes Here.)

How many variations of a Monday greeting can one possibly come up with?  This is a new list I can start, I guess.

But anywhooo..

Here’s a few new layouts for your enjoyment. 

(Click on layout for full credits.)

First up, decorative bookplates – set 2 from Splendid Fiins:

Then there’s these GORGEOUS butterflies from Kitschy Digitals.

I had a moment..  while I was finishing up this first layout, I had another idea come to my mind for another layout…  I can’t decide which one I love more.

 

And then there’s some good old fun, just for fun’s sake from Creativity by Crystal…

I know that my week will have a fabulous start, hope yours does too!

Happy Spring!

It’s just the start of the celebration here..

I was in the mood to bake something cute (and tasty of course) the other day, so I let the first day of spring be my muse (and excuse).

I really wanted to make fondant butterflies.  They are such a sweet, easy touch to any cake or cupcake, and the girls love them.

And the fondant contains marshmallows.

(I have a real thing for marshmallow lately..)

I use this recipe, and I have never gone back.  (It was part of an inspired message one month from my visiting teachers..)  It is just as easy, cheaper, and more tasty than your boxed variety.

And it has marshmallow in it…

(Have I said that already?)

If you are lazy, well then, here’s the recipe:

Marshmallow Fondant

• 8-ounce bag of marshmallows
• 2 pounds of powdered sugar (also called confectioner's sugar or icing sugar; you won't quite use all of it for this recipe)
• 2 tablespoons of water
• vegetable shortening (Crisco) for greasing hands and tools

Put the marshmallows and water in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for about two minutes. The marshmallows should be puffy but will still hold their shape. Stir thoroughly until smooth.

Next, add about 1 1/2 pounds of the powdered sugar and stir with a spoon well greased with the Crisco. The homemade fondant at this point should be a very sticky dough.

Thoroughly grease your hands and work surface with the shortening and knead the fondant, adding a little bit of powdered sugar at a time until the mixture isn't sticky anymore. If it's sticky, add more sugar. If it's dry and tearing, add a teaspoon or two of water and knead it in. The homemade fondant recipe is finished when the dough is pliable and stretchy without tearing.

If you won't be using the marshmallow fondant recipe right away, cover it with a little bit more Crisco and wrap it well with plastic wrap. Seal it in a bag and keep it in the refrigerator, where it will last for several weeks.

You can color and flavor it like you can the nasty boxed kind too.     

After I have colored parts, I roll it out with the help of lots of powdered sugar, and use my tiny butterfly cookie cutter to cut out lots of little butterflies.  I will lay some flat to dry, and others I lay over the edge of a thick edged platter to get that about to take off look. 

I pinch off a small piece of the yellow fondant and roll it like a short snake, then pinch the end for the body.  One year, I got all detail oriented and used my fingernail to make little lines for the segments.

Then you leave them there to dry.  The thinner your fondant is rolled out, the quicker they dry.

I attach the bodies to the wings by pipng a little bit of buttercream using the smallest tip I have.

Then they can go onto cupcakes…

Or a cake…

 

We teased the girls, telling them that we couldn’t eat the cake until 5:21 pm on Sunday (the OFFICIAL start of spring).

Surprisingly, they waited patiently!

I love Mondays, don’t you?

There is just so much good on Monday!  Some people frown down on Monday, I look at it as a new to-do list, more fun to be had.

Oh, and “More In Store”..

See, good!

Just a couple of the new items for today over at Jessica Sprague:

First up, liv.eDesigns with her Needs + Wants: Eyelets Galore.

There are two sets of these babies, 24 different colors, four different sizes of each color.  These red guys are from set number 2.

Now for a confession:

I have SO many of these guys in real life.  I am talking drawers, keepers, and a bunch of packages in a big bowl of other goodies.  So the digi versions of these guys are perfect for me.

Another plus, no hammering!!

Credits for this page:

Eyelets: Needs + Wants: Eyelets Galore liv.edesigns

paper: Warm Wuv & Sofy Hugs - The Kit Papers liv.edesigns

overlay: EZ-PZ Template 06 - Fotocentric No.1 liv.edesigns

frame: Tape It Up! Frames liv.edesigns
border: Squiggle Borders liv.edesigns
stitching: Sew Crafty - messy stitches vol 1 Splendid Fiins

And then there’s those eyelets!
Needs + Wants: Eyelets Galore no. 2

font: my type of font

Next up is a sample for my recent (and strong) love of hybrid..

I already mentioned a bit about the “Mouse Paper Scissors” Class.  Get ready to sign up for this one the next time it comes around!!

I created this card and envelope set with the templates from the class, and goodness from Echo Park.

papers: flower pattern & solid purple- Echo Park Digitals Sprintime Element/Paper Pack #2 , light blue dot & multi-colored dot- Echo Park Digitals Springtime Element/Paper Pack #1

elements: yellow scalloped border, butterfly, circles, & label- Echo Park Digitals Springtime Element/Paper Pack #2 cloud- Echo Park Digitals  Springtime Elements/Paper Pack #1

Other items used to put this card together:

- Tombow dimensional foam adhesive.

- Tombow mulit adhesive.

- Glue Dots memory and craft dots.

- Emery board (to distress).

- Thread & sewing machine.

- Circle punches: 1 inch and 3/4 inch.

- Fiskars “Threading Water” border punch.

Now go and enjoy your Monday!!

The Butterfly Project..

I had mentioned the butterflies would be taking flight, and while it took a bit longer than I wanted for them to take off, they have.
Flight took off a while ago actually, but with all of this moving fun, it took me even longer to get to this post. :)
The first step is to find an outline to use for tracing purposes and print it off in various sizes to get you different sized butterflies.
I used a FREE PhotoShop brush, found here.
I stamped it down on my project sheet, then stroked the outline to get my lines. I printed it off and used one of my favorite tricks to get the lines on to the wood.
You pencil in a wide line over the printed line (sloppiness is appreciated in this step :D).


Then do the same on the back side of the paper.


When you put your paper on the wood, and trace over the lines again, the lead transfers onto the wood to leave a faint, but noticeable line to help you in your cutting.


This way, you don't have to print out your shape, cut it out, and trace repeatedly onto your wood surface.
See, easy.
Then you cut, sand, and paint them the desired color.


I traced some so they were in half, then painted and glued them at an angle so they looked like they were flying off the wall.
You could stop at this step, attach the ribbon bodies and hang away, but I took it a step further..
I used the same tracing technique on the WRONG side of some fabric (same fabrics used in Peyton's duvet cover..) and cut those out.
I then took Modge Podge (this is my new favorite finish of Modge Podge, Hard Furniture, I used it on her nightstand project too.) and adhered the fabric onto the appropriate butterfly.


After letting that dry well, I took my trusty emery board (some people call them a nail file) and sanded the edges so the raw fabric edges were clean.
I measured ribbon to two and a half lengths of the butterflies middle section, folded it in half and looped it through the other end, securing it around the body with a knot.
That gave them some cute little antennae and a great way to hang them.


Couldn't resist the cute quote from one of Merrill's favorite songs.. when it comes to his little girls, he loves this song.. but don't tell him I told you! ;)

More cupcakes...

Are you sick of butterflies?
I'm not.. :)


I don't think butterflies, or chocolate cupcakes for that matter, will ever get old...

Dirt..

Here's a digi of Peyton.. doing one thing she does well, eat dirt.I also made a few cards..
I love love love my butterfly punch.. have I said that before?But I really loved how Maggie Holmes used hers in this month's CK. I scraplifted that :)
And some wedding cards.. 'tis the season!Now on to put the finishing touches on my scrap space, that should have been finished loooong ago.. or to cuddle up and watch a movie? Hmmmmm...

Getting my hands "dirty"..

It is so much fun doing digi..
But I do have a craving for the traditional!
I have been putting-off scrapping these pics, they are from a sweet moment in life that I miss just about everyday. I would be in heaven to be pregnant everyday!! Now Merrill, on the other hand, might not like that so much ;)It's hard too, to scrap them right now, because Peyton is the age Lynn (#1) was when I was pregnant with Ash (#2).. my body tells me I should be growing something right now :(
I kept working at these, thinking, "If I were doing these digi, they would be done already.." But hey, I am getting there!I love the new font!! I tracked down this font (I had American Crafts letter stickers in this font and I loved them sooo much..) it's Hello Kitty Cricut cartridge. Better yet, I found a website that was having a promo last week, 2 cartridges for $50.. so I have another cartridge to go get my hands dirty with!
I also did some Mother's Day cards. Love my butterfly punch.. another Internet hunt-down and find tool..Loving the pop-up dots too!

38 cards..

With the craft room re-do, came a lot of purging..
Most of the purging ended-up being paper that was categorized as card appropriate.
That is where the 38 cards come in.. that, and I finally found some cte butterfly punches!!
Layouts to come :)
My computer was on the fritz for a while.. glad to be back!!

Hallie's cake..

It was my niece's birthday yesterday..
Having fondant that needed to be played with, I made her a cake..
I am so happy with how it turned out!!
I used the grass tip, writing tip, and large star tips.
Oh, and don't forget those cookie cutters!:)