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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.

Until next time, enjoy every bite!

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Taste Test Tuesday– Chocolate Souffle vs. Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

By KariV on May 21, 2013 in Dessert, Favorite Things, Holidays, Inspiration, Recipes, Taste Test Tuesday, Valentines

It’s a great day. Not only is it Taste Test Tuesday, but my Dad is here for a visit! I knew that there needed to be CHOCOLATE for him. And he agreed to be a taste test panelist. (I may have gotten my love for taste tests partially from my Dad…we have been doing taste tests at home ever since I was a kid!)

So this is a special edition of Taste Test Tuesday. The taste test results will be posted next week, but today I am sharing the recipe for “Foolproof Mini Chocolate Souffles with Sauce.” Oh. My. Goodness. These little souffles are amazing. I got this recipe a couple years ago from my co-worker, Aubrey. (Hi, Aubrey!) And I’ve made them only a few times for special occasions, but these are some of the easiest and BEST Chocolate Souffles I have ever eaten!

I’m going to challenge these homemade Souffles to a taste test versus homemade Chocolate Molten Lava Cake! (I’ll share this recipe next week.) The Chocolate Molten Lava Cake is a favorite recipe of my daughter, Amber. (Hi, Amber!) They are both amazing recipes that I honestly don’t know which one will be crowned the winner!

I will have some more pictures and results for you next week. Until then, try this Chocolate Souffle Recipe. You’ll either be glad you did, or you’ll be cursing me for sharing such a tempting dessert that you crave weekly! 🙂

Foolproof Mini Chocolate Souffles with Sauce

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Chef’s Note:

This recipe may look intimidating, but it is rather simple, with just a few ingredients. And it is Foolproof. The first time I made it (for Valentine’s Day a couple years ago), I left the vanilla out of the souffles, so I added it to the chocolate sauce instead. They still came out delicious…proof: my husband ate TWO of them!

I like to serve mine with a little whipped cream and a strawberry on top, but if you’re a chocolate purist then you can certainly leave this part out!

Tip:

To help get the soufflé dishes out of the oven easily, bake them on a cookie sheet and then simply lift the cookie sheet out of the oven.

You may have noticed that one of the choices I categorized this under was “Inspiration”…if you are in need of a little inspiration, I’m convinced that these souffles will do the trick. Chocolate can be very inspirational, right?! 😉

I can’t wait to post the results. Until then, Enjoy every bite!

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Valentine Candy Pockets & Free Printable

By KariV on February 12, 2013 in Freebies, Holidays, Paper Crafting, Valentines

Here’s an easy Valentine idea for boys or girls. I have more nephews than nieces and so I created these more “masculine” valentine pockets and included some Pop Rocks candy!

They are super easy and fast to put together. Here’s what you need:

Scoring Board, washi tape, brown ink, adhesive, printable tag, large circle punch (not shown), corner rounder punch (not shown), valentine paper, and pop rocks.

I have put together a little video on how to put together these pockets, and here’s some written instruction: (the video will help!)

1. Cut your valentine paper to 4 1/4″ by 6 1/2″

2. Score your paper at 1/2″ and 3 1/2″

3. Turn paper and score at 1/4″

4. Fold on score lines, trim corners

5. Cut a notch in the top front of the pocket with circle punch

6. Adhere tabs and fold pocket together

7. Round the corners on your printable, ink the edges, adhere to front of pocket

8. Wrap washi tape around bottom of pocket

9. Insert Pop Rocks into your new pocket! Deliver…and you’re done!

I hope my two nephews in Utah don’t see this post…I just dropped some of these sweet Valentines in the mail for them! I know this little pocket filled with Pop Rocks will inspire some smiles.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Enjoy these free printables to make your own and please leave a comment if you enjoyed this post.

you rock valentine printable pdf