purple onion designs - more sweets & treats

It got a little crazy in my kitchen when I was working on my projects for Purple Onion Designs...cookies, cake, hot chocolate, and wine were involved:)

First up, I used the Coffee & Tea set to make this little tag for what I was hoping would be fluffy peppermint marshmallows.  This is what I get for not paying attention to my stand mixer...I completely overwhipped my homemade confection and ended up making peppermint taffy instead of marshmallows.  Um...they still tasted good though:)

Next, I showcased the little gingerbread man from Merry Thoughts for tags on cookie packages.  The cookies were almost too big to fit in my white lunch bags.  I think anyone would be happy to get such a yummy gift.  So easy to put together, too.

Up next -- a set of wine glass tags since we want to make sure we know which glass is ours, right?  No need to buy those metal charms, these will do just fine.  Plus, they're cute and colorful.  A perfect addition to little get together over a bottle of wine.

Lastly, I made a 6" round carrot cake from leftover batter from a previous baking gig.  I decorated it with Holiday Border Tapes adhered to a couple cakepop sticks.  I thought the dimensions of the border tapes would work really well with a small round cake.  My housemates appreciated it and devoured the cake.

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season.  Thanks for stopping by!

purple onion designs - holiday sweets and treats

I had a lot of fun using stamps from Purple Onion Designs to make decorations and packaging for some baked goods.  The stamp images are so cute and whimsical, they just make me happy:)  First up, I baked red velvet cupcakes that are great on any day, but the striking red makes them even better for holiday gift-giving and celebrations.  The cupcake toppers were made with Merry Thoughts, a fun set containing a combination of wintery images and sentiments.

I also made almond tea cookies aka Mexican Wedding cookies.  I have made these cookies for baby and wedding showers, but I love making them around the holidays because they look like snowballs.  The simple sign was made using Merry Thoughts.

Finally, snowball cookies in a bag with a cute little snowman in the front, using Winterberry and Winter Wishes! sentiment set.

Baking orders have picked up and I'm excited to be in the kitchen and get to work...though when you enjoy something this much, it really doesn't feel like work.  So thankful that I have the cute Purple Onion Designs to play around with.  They really do elevate a simple treat into something super sweet:)

Check out Purple Onion Designs' holiday sale going on right now.  All stamps are 25% until December 10th.  Yes ya'll, ALL!

Thanks for stopping by.

owl I want for Christmas...

Oh, how I love puns!!!  And, oh how I love the movie Love Actually!!!  And, so does my friend Gary, who asked me to make Christmas cards for him this year.  When I saw Lawn Fawn's Winter Owl, I just *knew* this would be perfect for him.

See, Gary is a Mariah Carey fan, and not your average fan who enjoys one of her tunes from time to time.  Gary owns her piano books, has been to her concerts, and even had a Mariah (or Gariah) -themed birthday party one year.  We all had to prepare Mariah songs to sing at a karaoke spot.  Memorable!

When I showed Gary this stamp set, he said he loved it.  He then proceeded to ask me if I could make his Christmas cards have Mariah Carey on them with her arm extended, on which the winter owl would be perched.  I said no...that this would have to do.

This card will be submitted to Lawnscaping Challenge, where we had to incorporate polka dots into our project.  Thanks for taking a look!

Supplies:
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Into the Woods, Winter Owl
Inks: Versafine (onyx black)
Dies: Lawn Fawn Winter Owl
Other: Lawn Fawn Into the Woods, Peace Joy Love, kraft paper

sparkle and shine

It's been a while since I've made any cards, the reason which I'll blog about another day.  All I know is that I have a bunch of thank you/you're amazing cards that I need to make to show my gratitude.  Happy to be back in the groove of things and to be participating in CASology's challenge where we have to incorporate the key word "bell" into a card.  Here's mine:

I used one of my favorite holiday stamp sets: Winter Wonderland by Mama Elephant.  The sentiments stamp out soooo clearly and sharply.  And, I didn't even think you could strike a balance between cute and classy, but Mama Elephant figured it out.

I *think* those are bells on deers antlers?  My roommate says they're ornaments, but I looked really closely and the bell images have the tiny little notches on the bottom...you know, the holes in the bells that let you hear them ring.  Bells or ornaments...I'm going with bells.

Hope everyone is doing well.  Thank you for stopping by.

Supplies:
Stamps: Mama Elephant Winter Wonderland, No Peeking
Inks: Mama Elephant (ocean, winter); Versamark (onyx black)
Other: Wink of Stella glitter brush (clear)

holiday cupcake boxes

Here's a quick post to showcase these cute little cupcake boxes I made that feature the Holiday Border Tape Set from Purple Onion Designs.

I used the holiday sentiment borders to serve as bands around the little boxes.   And they really are little...just the right size to hold a mini cupcake.  I sprinkled a few sequins in there just for a size reference.

I've been asked to make favors for weddings and showers; these borders can work for holiday themed favors.  I think party guests would be so happy to take one of these home.

Thanks for stopping by!  Check out all the goodies at Purple Onion Designs.  Their holiday stamps are so much fun!  And, if you want some inspiration, check out the design team's creations on the Purple Onion Design blog.  

it's your birthday!

I was asked to make yet another cutesy birthday card for a 13 year old, so I went right back to my Femme Frames dies from Mama Elephant.  I think these will become my go-to die duo for feminine cards.  I do love them so.

This card will be entered into the CAS(E) this Sketch challenge that uses this sketch.

My card design might be a very loose interpretation of the sketch, so I hope it still qualifies for the challenge!

I threw in some sequins and a bit of glitter because nothing says happy birthday like a little sparkle:)

Thanks for taking a look!

Supplies:
Stamps: Mama Elephant Party Kit; Lawn Fawn Year Three
Inks: Mama Elephant (ocean, winter); Memento (tuxedo black); Memento Luxe (pear tart, rhubarb stalk, sweet plum)
Dies: Lawn Fawn Stitched Journal
Other: sequins; Wink of Stella glitter brush (clear)

bonjour

Bonjour!

What a day, what a day, what a DAY!!!

I'm floating and feeling great.  First, it's marathon Sunday, my favorite NYC-day of the year...thousands of runners test their strength and endurance, and take to a course through all five boroughs, while even more thousands cheer them on.  I love it...makes me feel inspired and reminds me how strong and connected we all are.

Next, I was asked to be part of a very special scavenger hunt for two of my friends that ultimately ended up in a wedding proposal!  I got to give a hint along the way...my friends came to visit me at the chocolate store where I work, where I gave them 2 cupcakes that had the clue to the next stop.  Even though I wasn't able to make it to the last stop on the hunt -- the proposal stop -- I was just happy to be part of this beautiful day.  Love is wonderful thing.

And finally, one of my idols came to the store.  MARTHA STEWART!  I love her!  She came by 2 years ago on a super busy day, but I still managed to break away and take a picture with her.  Today wasn't so busy, so Martha and her grandkiddies were able to just hang out for about 20 minutes, unnoticed and unbothered.  In fact, I think I was the one chatting it up with her the most!  Haha!  Won't pass up a chance to talk to her...we chatted about turkeys, cookies, construction in the neighborhood...we even fixed a wobbly table that had led to one of the grandkiddies to tip a little cup of chocolate milk.  Got everyone cleaned up and I got another picture with her.  When she and the kids left the store, I let all my giggles go and a customer asked me why I was so giddy.  I told her that Martha had just left the building and she and other customers couldn't believe they didn't see her.  I guess it's better that way.   Got more time for my chat with her haha! I'm such a nut!

So in the spirit of love, I made this...

Since most of the fun today took place at the French chocolate store where I work, I used my Bonjour set from Avery Elle.  I wanted to make the tag look like the ornate tin ceiling in the store.  It adds to the charm of the whole place, so to mimic it, I embossed and added some glitter.  Here's the sketch I used:

This card will be entered into the Avery Elle October Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stamps: Avery Elle Bonjour
Ink: Tim Holtz (antique linen, vintage photo, worn lipstick); Versamark
Other: Ribbon