Splish Splash!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Henry. :o) I took him to a parent/child swim class this spring, and he loved splashing in the water so much we knew we'd have to get him a pool as soon as the weather permitted! We picked this one to tie into the whole dino theme we have going with him. We fill it on the floor of our screened porch so that it's always in the shade. Enjoy!

Many Thanks!

I created a batch of these cards to send as thank you's for the gifts Henry received on Saturday. I love the bright colors, and I thought these three colors lended themselves well to the contemporary feel of the stamps. I also like the added touch of a bit of ribbon. It helps to give the card a little dimension without adding too much work (key when creating cards in quantity)!

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Let's Party, Much Appreciated

Paper: Whisper White, Lovely Lilac

Ink: Lovely Lilac, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black

Accessories: Marvy Mega Scalloped Circle Punch, Marvy Giga Circle Punch, Gingham Ribbon.

Happy 1st Birthday Henry!

Here are some photo's from the party. Enjoy!

Cookie Monster Cupcakes!

I made these cupcakes for Henry's first birthday party today. They really were quite simple to put together. Each cupcake has a small ball of chocolate chip cookie dough in the center, so there's a little hidden surprise too!

Chip Lover's Cupcake Recipe:

Found in a recent Taste of Home magazine...

1 pkg white cake mix

1/4 c. butter, softened

2 T. Sugar

1/3 c. All-purpose flour

1/4 c. confectioners' sugar

1/4 c. miniature semisweet chocolate chips (I used the regular size though, and they worked fine)

Prepare cake batter according to package directions, set aside. For filling, in a small mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Bear in flour and confectioners' sugar until blended (this doesn't really work well with a beater - it's very crumbly. You might have to do some hand mixing). Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill 18 paper-lined muffin cups half full with cake batter. Drop filling by tablespoonfuls into the center of each; cover with remaining batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For the frosting I just used two containers of Pillsbury's "Classic White" mixed with 1 c. powdered sugar, approximately 1 - 2 t. Cream of Tartar (to cut the sugary taste) and about 40 drops of blue food coloring. I sprinkled Wilton's blue sugar sprinkles over the top. The cookies are mini-Chips Ahoy cut in half. The eyes are Wilton Vanilla wafers (for making candy) and a chocolate chip. I melted the bottom of the choc. chips a little to get them to stick and make the eyes up ahead of time so they could set.

It really sounds more time consuming than it is! The worst part was actually the dough that went inside the cupcakes!

Cookie Monster Invites - Yum! Yum!

Progess continues on the preparations for Henry's first birthday party. We're expecting about ten people - not too big, but not too small either.

We're planning a "Sesame Street: New Beginnings" theme (i.e. "baby" muppets), and I made this cookie monster card as the party invitation. Overall, I'm pleased with the results.

The inside of the card reads, "Henry's One!", and then lists all of the party details (time, date, place, etc.).

Recipe:

This three layer card is made with SU! basic black as a base, whisper white as a middle layer, and close to cocoa as the top layer. White paper is stamped with Karen Foster snap stamps in SU! Chocolate Chip classic ink. Brown paper is stamped with SU! Chocolate Chip wheel, and edged using a sponge pounced on the same ink pad.

Cookie Monster is made using Marvy's Mega scalloped circle punch. I punched white paper and then sponged it with SU! Brocade Blue ink. Eyes are made with 1/4" circle punch (black paper) and 3/4" circle punch (white paper). Mouth is 1" punched circle cut in half. Brown grosgrain ribbon to finish.

And so it begins...

Not only does my life as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator begin this week, but so does my life as a blogger. And I can honestly say I never thought either day would come. As I sit here typing, I feel a bit like Doogie Houser when he would type his little blurbs at the end of each episode. I only hope that on occasion I can be as witty.

About Stampin' Up!... I have received my starter kit, and am in the process of mounting my stamps. Once fully mounted, I expect the creativity will begin its unending flow. Let's hope so anyhow! My next task is to make a quantity of invites to send, inviting friends and family to my first class.

Meanwhile, preparations are in place for Henry's first birthday party this weekend. We're full to the gills with baby sesame street decorations, and are hoping for good weather so that we can have the festivities on the porch... or should I say "lanai"? I believe that's the southern term for "porch" and it just sounds so much nicer, doesn't it?

"Meet me on the lanai at sunset..." ;o)