It's your day {birthday card post}

Traveling the last month left me a bit behind on my craft projects. Taking on the 30 for 30 challenge, trying to get caught up at work, and making an attempt at a social life has left me tapped in the creativity department. I tried numerous times on Sunday to create the MANY thank you cards I need to send to India - I got one started, but the rest are still pieces of paper staring back at me. Throw in 3 birthdays I need to make cards for this week and I'm feeling like I've lost my mojo. Today, I told myself I would tackle two of them (it's always easier to make cards for girls than guys). Getting those creative juices flowing at 9pm must have been the trick, I think they turned out swell.

Materials:
Happy Birthday Card
Paper: Paperbag (Papersource), Polka dots (DCWV paper stack), Purple Metallic (Latte Cardstock by DCWV), Shimmer Gold (Papersource)
Stamps:Birthday Bash Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Eggplant (Colorbox)
Dies: Mat Stack 4 (Papertrey Ink), Mat Stack 2 (Papertrey Ink)
Ribbon: Michaels


It's your day Card
Paper: Berry Sorbet (Papertrey Ink), Pool (Papersource), Peacock (Papersource), Peacock on Paperbag print (Papersource)
Stamps: Fillable Frames #8 (Papertrey Ink), Guide Lines 2 (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Versa Mark, Frost White (Colorbox)
Dies: Mat Stack 4 (Papersource), Fillable Frames 8 (Papersource)
Ribbon: Michaels

Cowboys

It was my girlfriend's birthday a few weeks ago, and I finally gave her my card when she was visiting this past weekend. She is the ultimate sports fan, so it was only fitting to make a sports-themed card. She has been a Dallas Cowboys fan since she learned to walk. I remember many an early Sunday morning in college being dragged (well, maybe not dragged *wink*) to the bar to watch them play. She's still a die hard fan, and loved her card!

Firsts

This weekend was a weekend of firsts. Friday night we had friends over for steak and wine. Ramesh grilled the steak and potatoes and I made chocolate cake for dessert. It's been a while since I've made a cake, and I tried something new this time - a cake leveler. It's a simple apparatus used to cut across the top of your cake to make it level (if I were a professional, this would not be something I would need, but I can't cut level across anything, let alone cake). Leveling the cake made it MUCH easier to frost and stack.  Everyone loved it!

Saturday we were invited to a 1st Birthday Party. It was held at one of our favorite Pubs in Minneapolis. In India, 1st Birthdays are important, so I wanted to make a special card for Myra. I chose Indian printed paper and stamped an elephant to clear the way for her to be successful (in India, the elephant represents the removal of obstacles and makes one's life easier). I finished it off with some jewels on the toes.

Materials:
Paper: Poppy foldover card (Paper Source), Ripe Avocado (Papertrey Ink), India Print (Paper Source), Sft White (Paper Source)
Ink: Memento Black Tuxedo, Stampin' up watercolor pencils
Stamp:India Elephant (Paper Source)
Ribbon: Michael's
Buttons: Autumn Mix (Papertrey Ink)

Rain, Rain go away

I had high hopes when I left for work this morning that the weather would stay nice. We were taking the afternoon off and going to the Twins game. Things looked promising as the noon game time approached, even the walk over to the new field was nice. All was going well until we got to our seats... 

Yes... those dots on the field are the players! But, it was an afternoon off from work, and I was going to enjoy myself. Then the wind picked up and it started to cloud over. One hour into the game and my fingers were turning blue. I didn't last much longer after that first hour. Instead, I left to hit up the craft store for final materials to finish a birthday card for my friend Hadley.


I'm so excited for this card. Hadley is more of a fashionista than I am, and he loves designer anything!  Just recently he invested in his own tux, so I played off that and made him the perfect card (I just hope he likes it as much as I do!). 

Materials:

Paper:  True Black (Papertrey Ink), White (The Paper Company)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Shirt Image: Found online by googling button down shirts

Rhinestone Brads (Stampin' Up)

Ribbon: Michael's

Happy Birthday!

I love to bake... so I decided to bake cupcakes for my husband today (it was his birthday after all). His favorite flavor is chocolate, and he may be a bigger chocoholic than I am!!  

I always bake with room temperature ingredients - it makes all the difference and is worth the forethought. 

 

I would be lost with out my Kitchen Aid Mixer.  It was my grandmother's and it's older than my dad, by it still works like new.

 

We got a pancake pen from Williams Sonoma for our wedding and I have yet to use it, until today.  It made pouring the cupcake batter easy and mess free!

Don't they look delicious??