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Friend is Another word for Love

By KariV on February 13, 2019 in Paper Crafting, Valentines

Hi again! Today I have a sweet little Valentine card for a friend. I used the Gina K Design Wreath builder to stamp this sweet little bird four times to create a circle. The bird is from a cute little set I got from Gina K at Creativation called “All You Need is Love”. (Thank you, Gina!)

Originally, I was going to color the birds like a little robin and I started out with the red Copics, but then I thought I’d go all out for Valentines! Why not? Pink birds are fun, right? 🙂

The sentiment is also from that sweet bird set called “All You Need is Love.”

I die cut the word “Friend” from satin mirror cardstock from Tonic. It’s my new favorite paper! It’s not super shiny because of the satin finish, but it has a sheen to it that is just lovely! It’s difficult to get the effect in a photo. Here’s a close up:

The little “feather” the bird is carrying is actually a branch from the Holiday Wreath Builder stamp set and is stamped with Catherine Pooler ink in Party Dress (love that color!) I thought this branch really did look like a feather! How perfect for my card.

Isn’t this a fun little Valentine for your favorite girlfriend?

To finish up this card, I matted the bird wreath onto black paper and then grey paper and adhered it all onto a white 110# card base.

I hope you enjoyed this project today! Happy Valentine’s day….tomorrow!

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You’re a Sweet Heart

By KariV on February 7, 2019 in Paper Crafting, Valentines

Hello! Today I have some fun Geometric heart cards to share with you. I’m on the Hedgehog Hollow blog again today to talk all about how I made them, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek here! I used the same Distress Oxide colors on both cards: Worn Lipstick, Seedless Preserves, and Weathered Wood.

Same colors, different techniques.

Check out the interest in that card on the left…in the geometric heart I added some “extras:” gold sparkle paint, Stardust Stickles for the glitter, and Glossy accents! It makes that heart look so magical in real life.

So, which card do you like better? Are you TEAM SILVER or TEAM GOLD?

Head on over to the Hedgehog Hollow blog here to read the details! Thanks for stopping by!

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Valentine Snail Mail

By KariV on February 4, 2019 in Holidays, Paper Crafting, Valentines

Hello! Today I have the cutest Snail Mail to share….delivered by snails! This new set is from Trinity Stamps and I just adore this little guy.

He’s called Mr. Snailman and in this card I made him “Valentine snail”….notice his colors. 🙂 The heart confetti is called “Skip-A-Beat” (eep…that’s too cute!) and it’s also available today.

I was having way too much fun coloring him up, so I made another card using some creative masking. I couldn’t resist a matching envelope!

TIP: for your envelope…if you want your stamp to stay crisp and not smear in the transit, heat emboss it with clear embossing powder! Here I used Versafine onyx black ink and embossed in clear. I did not color up the image because that envelope is already a nice red.

I love this Snail Crew! Delivering happy hugs, no doubt. I love the pink sky…it just feels like a hug.

Hooray for snail mail! Well, that’s it for me today. I hope you enjoyed these projects.
For more information, please visit the Trinity Stamp blog. Happy Day!

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One stamp, Five Polar Bear Valentines!

By KariV on January 11, 2018 in Favorite Things, Paper Crafting, Valentines

These MFT Polar Bears have got to be a new favorite! If you follow me, you already know that I have a soft spot in my heart for bear stamps (of any kind!) so I can make cards for my Dad…it’s become a thing. So yeah, I collect all the bear stamps I can find that I think he might like.

This year, I purchased this set called “Polar Pals” from My Favorite Things. When I got it in the mail, my 3-year-old nephew was with me and when he saw them, he exclaimed “Oh, I love polar bears!” Then he ran off with my stamp set! Lol. So I thought I’d better make a Polar Bear valentine for him.

I ended up making FIVE different valentines, using this stamp set and Stitched Alpha dies as the common theme. Here they are!

This was the card that started it all! I woke up one morning with the idea to have a bunch of Xs and Os in the background (white on white). Yes, I did quite a bit of die cutting that day!

Then, this cutie became one of the “Os” in this card. I colored up all the bears with Copic Markers. It may be hard to see…I used red glitter paper behind the die cut Xs and Os on this card, so it has a glittery pop!

This one HAD to hold up a heart! So, using that same glitter paper, I die cut a heart for him. Added a couple Xs and Os colored with the same Copic colors as his scarf, and put him standing on top of a snowy hill. The stencil background is a favorite of mine from Penny Black. And that frame is a new favorite from Our Daily Bread Designs.

This ice skating bear has got to be one of my favorite images from the bunch. I love it when a stamp set includes great images….so great that you love them all! Here, he is skating on a silver glitter “pond” with trees and snow in the background. I popped up the trees in the forefront so there is some good dimension to this card. Those Copic Colored Xs & Os really pop on the pink inked background!

And of course I had to make a shaker card! The cutest little red heart sequins are inside, along with a Valentine mix of sequins sure to make the recipient smile (I hope)!

I really enjoyed thinking of different ways to make a Valentine card with one stamp set! I hope you enjoyed and got inspired to make some of your own. 🙂

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Taste Test Tuesday — Chocolate Molten Lava Cake Recipe (versus Mini Chocolate Souffles)

By KariV on May 28, 2013 in Dessert, Recipes, Taste Test Tuesday, Valentines

This Taste Test Tuesday was very exciting and quite close! In fact, both of these recipes are SO delicious, that I would recommend trying them both out for yourself! Last week, I posted the Foolproof Mini Chocolate Souffle with Chocolate Sauce recipe. And today, I will review both contestants for you and share the Chocolate Molten Lava Cake recipe. Does this sound delicious or what?!

I can hardly wait! First, let me share with you this delicious little Molten Lava Cake recipe. I got it from my daughter, Amber, and she made it as one of her goals last summer. She was working on her recipe book (getting ready to leave the nest…which I was not happy about). But I WAS happy about her sharing her delicious recipes with me, including this gem of a chocolate dream recipe. 🙂

I call these the darlings of all mini cakes…I mean, just look at that cute little cake! It’s adorable with it’s crown of whipped cream and sprinkle of powdered sugar. I added a strawberry, too, since it was competing with those little Chocolate Souffles and needed to be on a “level” playing field.

If you were to compare the ease of whipping these Lava Cakes up versus making up the Mini Chocolate Souffles, I’d say the Lava Cakes win. All you have to do is melt a little butter with the chocolate (in the microwave!), add the powdered sugar, eggs, vanilla and flour and Voila! You’ve got your batter all ready to put into the oven. Then you just cook them up for 12-13 minutes, pull them out and invert onto a little plate. Easy. (Note: I let them cool for about a minute before inverting them onto the plate)

If you add the whipped cream too early, it melts a little down the sides, but these Molten Lava Cakes are BEST when eaten warm and fresh out of the oven!

Doesn’t that still look so yummy!? I really don’t mind that dripping whipped cream. Just let me at it!

The insides of the cake are all gooey and molten. So smooth and chocolatey. Wow.

These little darlings are delicious with whipped cream and/or ice cream! Yep, you can put a scoop of ice cream right on the top and sort of let it melt down into the cake. So. Good.

But before you make these yourself, a little note of WARNING: do not overbake these. Really. It is easy to do (not that I would know), and it RUINS these cakes! They become dense and spongy and not delicious. Seriously. It’s bad. The last batch I only cooked for just over 11 minutes to make sure the inside was still melted and yummy. You will know these are just about done when the sides of them look cooked (like cake) and the insides are still a little soft, but not jiggly. Every oven is a little different, so you’re gonna have to test this out for your oven.

Ok, so here’s the recipe. Are you going to try this one?

**RECIPE HERE

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Now, with all that delicious description done, I must now announce the winner of the taste test! I didn’t forget. But I must remind you that BOTH of these recipes are so good, and the winner only barely edged out over the other.

They both have a delicious chocolately flavor. They both have melty amazing centers. They both are just exactly the right size. They both are perfect for a special occasion dessert.

But the winner was the one with a little sugar coating on the outside, and an amazing ganache center. It won out a little bit because the cake part was delicious, but then pushed over the top with an addition of the melted chocolate to make it so smooth and so decadent…(my mouth waters a little). And the winner is still delicious the next day…it can be refrigerated and then warmed up again and it tastes just as good as the first day!

I guess the extra effort for the chocolate souffle really did shine in this competition! Congratulations to the Mini Chocolate Souffles with Chocolate Sauce. While I still love the Chocolate Molten Lava cakes, I love these more (and the other judges agree). Try the recipe here and see if YOU agree.