This weeks challenge over on Sugar Nellies Facebook page is "A Piece of Cake" - a pin board showing a whole selection of cakes in chocolate, orange and white colours for inspiration! The challenge over on Sketch N Stash is Free Choice Sketch so I have used Sketch 40 for the design of this card

Now seeing as I like dabbling in both papers and cakes - I was thinking of making some chocolate and orange decorated cakes too - but thought I would cut back on those calories and show a picture from a previous baking session (but they were gooooood).

These gorgeous papers are free from Three Paper Peonies - they are new to my stash - I found them today while looking around the web!! They are so yummy and they were perfect for this Sugar Nellie image. The lace is from my stash and the brown ribbon I have recycled - had it in my stash for a few years now - it came from a box of chocolates from my favourite Middle Eastern Chocolate Shop - Patchi!!!

I am also entering this card in the following Challenges:

Make It Monday

Everybody Art Challenge - Flowers

Oreo Cupcake with Vanilla Cheesecake and Gold Dust

The inside - whole oreo on the bottom, a layer of vanilla cheesecake and dark chocolate sponge.

A little time to blog before I attack the dreaded pile of ironing!!! I am only doing all the uniforms and work clothes etc for the week, but it is a real mountain when you multiply the amount of clothes for each day and four of us in the house!!!

Anyway I really like this digital stamp from All that Scraps and I am entering her in the All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge, which is "anything goes". She is gorgeous and angelic and brilliant to colour. The background papers are from Nitwits Threads and Thimbles collections. I printed out several to make this quilted background. I have layered Birgitta onto pink and black cardstock and onto a doily (from the baking section in the kitchen shop). The lace is from my local embroidery shop and the pink rose from my stash. I have coloured her with promarkers and added some white gel pen effects. Now the sentiment is a peel off - I know they sometimes have a bad reputation for looking cheap and awful but these white sentiment ones I found in my stash, and they suited this topper perfectly!

I am also entering this card into the following challenge:

Crafting when we can - Do it your own way

Card Makin Mamas - Challenge #28 - Digital

Some girlie cupcakes for my friend's daughters birthday party.

It's been back to work week! It has been an early start each day as our son has just started college and has to catch the bus very early! However the early start has made me more organised - I managed to iron a pile of clothes this week (uniforms, clothes etc for all week) so no battling with an ironing board at 6.30 in the morning!!

I have had time this evening to craft, which is lovely!! This little girl is from Sugar Nellie and the layout comes from the sketch this weeks challenge over on the Sugar Nellie Challenge Blog - The Sugar Bowl Challenge.

The background papers I have used is from the Nitwits on a High Note Collection and the foreground strips of paper is from Nitwits Threads and Thimbles collection....which suits the image perfectly! I have added some string (made my own baker's twine using a promarker) and some white gel pen effects. The leaf stamp came with the Sugar Nellie stamp collection. The leaf has been stamped onto rust bazzill cardstock.

I am also entering this card in the following Challenges:

Everybody Art Challenge - #158 - Autumn

My Mums Craft Shop Challenges - Layer it up

Cute Card Thursday - At the Office

Stamp Something - Anything Goes

Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Chocolate Cupcakes, Covered in Dark Chocolate Ganache and a Dark Chocolate Heart (made with Chocolate Transfers)

Hi Ho, Hi Ho.....its back to work I go!! Summer holidays are finished and its back to work tomorrow.....I really should be sorting out the ironing pile and making sure I get all the bags and kits ready but I could not resist the challenge on Sugar Nellies Facebook Page of Less is More!! Firstly its not an easy task stamping directly onto a card blank (so glad I dont do this everyday - I would hate to think of the waste)!! I had to look through my Sugar Nellies to find the stamp with the least intricate details in the hopes that I would get a clean stamp outline on my card. I won this stamp from Sugar Nellie ages ago (two year plus) and she was still sitting clean and new in her packaging.....and today she was perfect for the task!

I coloured her with promarkers and then outlined a shape around her which I coloured in with a blue promarker.....so she would at least look grounded. A border with a black fineliner and some not so good handwriting completed the look!!

Lemon Cupcakes with white sprinkles and some gold edible glitter!

I have had the most wonderful week - Our middle son did us proud by playing trumpet beautifully in the youth orchestra for the Lights Down Theatre Company's Wiz production. It was one week of many round trips to rehearsals, but the end result was absolutely amazing. We also enjoyed some days away which allowed us to relax and to meet up with so many of our amazing family and friends on the weekend - something we will continue to reflect on for many weeks.

Last weeks challenge from The Sugar Bowl Challenge is a sketch along with the theme One for the Girls. I love this stamp from Sugar Nellie as it allows me to indulge in my favourite colour mixes of pinks and browns from my promarkers and the must have white gel pen!! The light pink papers are from Nitwits, Threads and Thimbles collection, the dark pink from an edition of Papercraft Essentials Magazine, and brown card stock, gems and flowers from my stash.

Nut Free Blueberry Bakewells Tarts (Puddings)

I am not sure if you can call a bakwell tart, a bakewell if it is almond free? But the man of the house has a nut allergy, so I decided to bake these nut free ones. I made a rich shortcrust pastry and filled the cases with blueberry conserve and a vanilla victoria sponge cake mixture. When they were baked and cooled I decorated then with a swirl of royal icing an a fresh blueberry! I know its not the best of pictures but they didn't hang around long enough for me to try taking pictures from various angles.

Today its dull and gloomy, and a perfect day to be at home! The boys are busy doing their little projects - oldest son practicing music for his forthcoming performance and the little one has hijacked the pegs, some of my papers and sellotape and making puppets!! The challenge over on Stamp Something this week is to create a thank you something! I have made this thank you card using an Elisabeth Bell stamp which I had from Funky Kits a long time ago, coloured with my trusty promarkers, red cardstock from Crafters companion and these gorgeous background papers from Nitwits Cherry collection. The lace comes from a local haberdashery shop, which I must admit manages to make me go weak at the knees when I go there and behave like a child in a candy shop!!

Vanilla Sponge, with Swiss meringue buttercream and raspberry conserve, wrapped in

Belgian Chocolate Paste and topped with fresh raspberries!

These were so yummy. I have a tin in which I bake these individual rounds of sponge cake. I split them in two and filled them with some raspberry conserve and a little swiss meringue buttercream. The buttercream was also spread around the outside to hold the belgian chocolate paste in place. A piping of swiss meringue on the top and these local fresh raspberries, and they vanished from the kitchen within minutes!

Anyone who know's me well enough, will know that I love to bake (calorie wise I cant do it on a daily basis)!!! When I saw this free digistamp at Paper Garden Projects, I knew it would be perfect coloured as a chocolate sponge with layers of pink frosting! I coloured the image with promarkers, decoupaged the frosting so that it stood out from the card (ahh no photo) and it looked pretty good If I must say so. The papers came free with an edition of Papercraft Essentials Magazine, the sentiment stamp from Craft Stampers, ribbon and cardstock from my stash and some faux stitching. What better way to layer a cake card than on a doily - just perfect! Having finished the card, I toyed with the idea of adding some "sprinkles" - it's a cake after all......so I tried some glittered stars, they looked good but just didn't seem right, so I scraped them off. I hunted through my box of stash, but nothing seemed to fit......then I had an idea...... real cake sprinkles - white non pareils (posh name for hundreds and thousands), mixed with some clear glue and yes, they complimented the card perfectly! My seven year old thought I had really lost the plot "What! Sprinkles on your cards?" he exclaimed as he walked past!!!

Ice Cream Cupcake!

I had a go at baking these some time ago, but just came across the pictures again! The sponge was baked inside the cones, cooled and then iced with vanilla cooked flour butter cream, cadbury's flake chocolate and sprinkles. These cones were the smallest I could get in the supermarket with a flat base so undoubtedly, they contain too much cake for a little one, but they could be filled with less cake mix, a load of chocolate and then the buttercream - yeah they would go down well with most little ones!! The cones managed to stay crisp for several hours, although the one I kept until the next day (just to see how long the cone would stay crisp for), was rather chewy!! Best advice - Bake and Eat on the same day!!!!

The Inside!

This week has been about keeping it simple! Sometimes we spend so much time rushing backwards and forwards, that we don't know when to stop and appreciate the more finer things in life. I am proud of my roots and we were lucky to be gifted some St Helena Peaberry Coffee, which is available from here - the aroma flowing from the cupboard was amazing and this little bag of stuff don't come cheap either - £15.50 for 125g!!! I however am not a coffee or tea drinker, so the oldest guy in the house took it to share with work colleagues who said it tasted exquisite!!

Card making this week has been productive - started making some christmas cards (a bit of a mass production) and some clean and simple cards. I love these tulips which came free from Paper Garden Projects and the sentiment was free from Create with TLC. Some purple cardstock, and promarkers for colouring with some purple gems, finished of this sleek and simple card.

It was my birthday this week - just two years off a very big number now!!! The guys decided they wouldn't/couldn't bake me a cake. I was offered a lump of cheese by the youngest guy in the house though...which was clever and funny! I did however in the evening give in to my weakness for baking and baked this moist spiced apple cake, layered with a cream cheese frosting, which tastes even better the day after!!

St Helena Coffee

The past two weeks have past in a rush since we broke up for the summer holidays. We we able to catch up with our family who we hadn't seen for five years........and it was wonderful. Many nights of chatting until late over numerous cups of tea (which I don't drink)!!!

I am slowly finding my way around my craft stuff and finding my way around some of my favourite blogs online......only to see more nice things which I can only add to my wish list!!

This weeks challenge from Cupcake Craft Challenges is Sew Mad - Stitching either real or faux!! The youngest son had a birthday party to attend so it was the perfect opportunity to use Birgitta from All that Scraps for this card. I have coloured her using promarkers and some finishing touches with a white gel ink pen, the papers came free with Papercraft Essentials Magazine, the brick wall cardstock is Kanban (found in stash), and the sentiment is a digi download....but I didn't save the link where I got it so it remains nameless for the moment. The lace is from the local embroidery shop. Oh and my stitching faux of course....the sewing machine is still on the wishlist!!!

Inside with a mini Birgitta and handwritten sentiment.

Chocolate Cupcakes with a Belgian Chocolate Wave and a Elizabeth Shaw Dark Chocolate Mint Crisp.

My guys sometimes look at me and wonder what's all the fuss is about - my obsession with little pieces of paper - mostly in shades of pink. I am love with all things from Nitwits....so many papers in the most awesome hues and patterns. I really enjoyed making this card....its taking ages to get my thinking cap on and to think out of the box creatively after a long break, but I hope the receiver will be pleased with it. The image is a digistamp from the Greeting Farm called Kissy Kissy. It is adorable and fantastic to colour. The challenge this week at Allsorts Challenge Blog is free and easy which really suits me. I have used papers from Nitwits Threads and Thimbles collection, roses, black gems, fiskars border punch, promarkers, black card stock, lace and the digi sentiment, which I recoloured before printing comes from here. The photos aren't great...dark days really hamper good photos inside.......and its suppose to be summer!!!! Now onto the next challenge..........housework!!

Hello Kitty makes an appearance in buttercream on a Vanilla Sponge!

I managed to get some of the stash out this week - spent most of the time hunting for papers, card and embellishments as I had forgotten what I had stashed away (or how much I have stashed away). This week over on Cupcake Craft Challenges is a celebration for reaching 150 challenges, with the challenge to create a card or project from one of the previous challenges. As I ease back into crafting I thought I would go simple and go for Challenge number 61 - Going Girly. These gorgeous papers are from Nitwits collection, I love them. Some faux stitching and a handwritten sentiment with some flowers to finish the card. The stamp is an ex Sugar Nellie by Elisabeth Bell, called Scattered Love. I am seeing my niece for the first time in 5 years next week and as I missed her birthday, I have made this with her in mind.

Lemon and Coconut Cupcakes with Lemon Cooked Flour Buttercream and Toasted Coconut

It's been months - I've almost had to have a tutorial to find my way around my own blog!! But my Diploma course has been completed after many, many hours of hardwork, lack of sleep and juggling family and work too. I now have some spare time on my hands and hope to begin my journey through the mountains of stash I have stored over the past months and to get out the sprinkles and do some mass baking....but not Eating! Since seeing myself in a photograph at Easter.......I have embarked on a healthier eating and more exercise programme with a person who is very dear to me....so we can laugh, moan and cry (well not yet) about our weekly success! I have had cake...not weekly though......but I havent had a packet of crisps since Easter!!! The only thing I am really missing is the sunshine - it's suppose to be summer - so what's with all this rain and cooler temperatures!!!!

Weightloss This Week One and half pounds - Cakes Eaten - 1 (As Above) - Cards Made 0

Total Weightloss - Eleven and half pounds!

It's been a good week for crafting for me.......its been good getting out the craft stash! This is one of my favourite stamps by Elisabeth Bell, originally from Sugar Nellie. She has been promarkered, and glamour dusted and I couldnt decide if I should go with pink or purple to mix with the brown so I went with both! The challenge over at Stamp Something, this week is flowers.....which I am sure most crafters have in every shape or form. The pearl dots are Woodwares pearly stuff which works brilliant and is available in many colours. I didnt have a purple rose so I coloured this one with a promarker! I even managed to put some cupcakes with flowers with mine LOL (ok not freshly baked today, but photo from a few weeks ago when I baked them).

Materials used:

Promarkers, brown and pink cardstock, glamour dust, Woodware pearly stuff, lace and ribbon, Cats Life Press - sentiment stamp, Mulberry Roses (one coloured purple with promarker)

I know that getting the craft stuff out would be a.......good (bad) idea.....its so addictive!! I should be studying - at least thats what I just told the lovely man of the house I would be doing for the next hour or so......but will squeeze some time in to blog first:) but I will be studying afterwards!! Cupcake Craft Challeges has a challenge of cakes and Icecream for this weeks challenge......cakes I love creating....not such a big icecream fan, but this little girl from Elisabeth Bell (ex Sugar Nellie) is gorgeous.

Materials Used:

Elisabeth Bell - Summer Icecream

Promarkers - will note the colours for next time

Background paper from Nitwits Just a Note

Lilac cardstock

white corner peel offs, Doily, flat back pearls

Pink Roses from here

For the first time in months, I have had time to do some proper crafting. Oh how I like getting all the craft stash out and using the stuff I have forgotten I had! The challenge over on Allsorts challenge blog is Inspired by Nature, and I thought this little girl with a peeking bunny would be just perfect!

Close up of the image

The Inside

The Back

Materials Used - Promarkers

Stamp - Elisabeth Bell (Ex Sugar Nellie)

Kanban and Bazzill Cardstock

Just for you circular sentiment from The Beary Scrap Paper

Diamond Dust

Ribbon from Mic

Flowers and Leaves from Here

I haven't blogged in such a long time - July 2010!!! Happy New Year!! I have made so few cards and cakes overs the months......but I have an excuse.......I have been taking care of all my family duties, I have been working, I've been studying, and I have been really, really busy!
I intend to continue with my hobbies when the time allows as I love crafting and baking and the satisfaction I get from pursuing my hobbies. Whether I will be entering any competitions and challenges soon.....will be determined by the amount of time left over after helping our boys to forfill their dreams and my studies....... but its going to be so worth it in the end.