Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge

I just happened to be working with the adorable Love Struck line from WeRMemory Keepers, when I spotted a cute Valentine tag. I needed to make a wedding shower card for a lady at work with birds as the theme but I wasn't quite sure how to use the tag. I happened upon the Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge and I had my answer. Just cut off the tag part and I could use the sketch.

I follow the sketches pretty closely, no design team aspirations here but I love how it turned out and I think the recipient will as well.

I'm excited to link up to a new challenge site.

The Dreaded Lampshade

Maya is still on the road to recovery and unfortunately, that includes wearing the dreaded lampshade. Look at that poor sad face.
I'm sure all pet owners go through this at some stage in their pets life. Surprisingly, they seem to adapt to it pretty well, eating and drinking and sniffing the ground. Just can't itch or lick, 2 of her favourite things. Hopefully, won't be for too much longer.
In the meantime, she is getting lots of special treatment, massages, hot and cold compresses and lots of petting and one on one time.

Little Red Wagon Shhhhh! Challenge

This was an easy one for me. The Little Red Wagon challenge this week was to not put any words or sentiments on the front of the card. I never know where to put them anyway.

So, a good friend of mine, who has this thing for owls is having a birthday very soon. I gave her the card ahead of time (blank so she could regift it, ha!ha!) and was finally able to use the birthday cake which was one of the very first things that I cut out with my new Silhouette. The card is pretty basic unless you count the million little pieces in the birthday cake.

I hope you like it.

That's 2 weeks in a row for the Little Red Wagon challenge. I'm on a roll.

Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

I feel like I have posted these cookies before but they didn't show up in a search of my blog so maybe my memory isn't as faulty as I think. These are absolutely the easiest and fastest cookies that you could ever make and there are really tasty.
All you need is a box of cake mix and a few other basic ingredients and you are good to go.

Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
1 package chocolate cake mix (do not prepare)
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips or other add ins (optional)

Mix.

Bake at 350F 8-10 minutes.

Super quick and easy.

Delightful Inspiration - Little Snowman

I decided to get back on track with the monthly challenges over at Delightful Inspiration. If you play along every month, you get the next month's image for free. One of my goals this year it to participate every month. So I purchased this adorable image...

I wanted to choose a non-tradional colour scheme, so even though my card is a little understated, I was happy with how it turned out.

I paper pieced his scarf by running it through the printer a second time and used the Martha Stewart snowflake corner and border punch and glammed up his hat using Glamour dust. AND, I even used one of the sentiments on the inside of the card.

I also noticed that Little Red Wagon has a Frosty theme this week, so I'm going to link up to that challenge as well. A great way to start meeting my challenge goals for the New Year.

14 in 14 recap

Well, I missed my regular 14 in 14 updates but I was still mindful of my goals as the year progressed. Some were successfully accomplished, others were not but life happens and I don't view it as a failure if I don't hit one of the targets. I feel by writing down some ideas I become more focused on some things that I would like to attempt as the year progresses.

So here's the overview and then it is on to a new year....

This adorable Chocolate lab was approved to compete in CKC shows as a purebred Lab. We competed in our first show in Woodstock in November. Boy, was I nervous but Lindor did brilliantly once we got underway. She scored 97 out of a possible 100 and we have completed our first leg in Novice A. She is a really smart dog and loves going out to practise.  I am now a member of CKC and we will be looking for our next show to compete in.

Completed:
Terry Fox run
Started using Green bin
Hosted a major fundraiser (took up most of my free time)
Donated to several charities: The Farley Foundation, Kismutt Rescue, Autism Dog Services, Grand River All Breed Rescue, Danes in Distress
Tried several Pinterest recipes including this one for Browned Butter Chocolate Chip cookies in a cup

They were dry before I even baked them but tasty. I swear these people just PIN images from the Internet and don't actually try the items themselves.

I did some challenges but one of my favourite sites for digital stamps (Sassy Cheryl) decided to drop the Blog challenges and make a private Facebook page. I don't really understand this, isn't the point to have public access to your designs so everyone will buy your product? I do not have a Facebook account and likely never will.

Didn't get to:
Joining a Service Club (seriously, who would have time for that?)
Blood donation (too many colds)
Travel someplace new (well that didn't happen either)
Writing to World Vision child (pathetic, maybe this year)
Read 20 books (too much time on HayDay)
although I did finish the year reading this book recommended by my BFF and it was terrific.

Soon to be a movie, check it out.
I think that sums it up. Stay tuned for the 15 in 15. It's never to late to jump in.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

I love sugar cookies. I always make the traditonal type with just a pinch of nutmeg and roll them out and frost them with buttercream icing. I came upon a recipe on Pinterest for Chewy Sugar Cookies that looked good.
I tried to upload a photo of them but I couldn't get it to work, it's from http://bakingaway.blogspot.ca/2009/10/chewy-sugar-cookies.html
Anyway, my cookies didn't look anything like theirs but they were soft pillows of perfection. I tried rolling the balls in plain sugar, then in coloured sugar to see how that worked. You could use red for Valentine's, green for St. Patricks day etc.

Chewy Sugar Cookies
I cup butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 350F.
Beat together butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and roll in sugar
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let stand and remove to cool.

Christmas Centerpiece

I was given this beautiful fresh floral centerpiece for Christmas by a friend who knows how much I appreciate flowers and greenery in the house. The reason I'm posting it today is because it stayed fresh for over a month and I just dismantled it this morning. I think this arrangement was the reason I had more company over the holiday season so we could sit around the table and enjoy.
You can't really see the details but the bows are burlap and there is a lovely willow nest with a candle that can be used again. I guess this scrapbooking trend to use burlap has also made its way over to the florist world or vice versa.

Pawprint Card

These cards are all over the internet, but I finally got the appropriate shape of dies for the heart and the ovals so I decided to make a few myself. Inside I stamped this sentiment....

This would make a nice card for someone who lost a beloved pet or for someone who was adopting a senior pet. I have been making a bunch of "doggie" themed cards to donate to my favourite Rescue.

Sick Chick

Happy New Year! Don't you love the Christmas holidays? Lots of time to get caught up (and cleaned up) and to enjoy leisurely mornings with delicious breakfasts like this...

I was on the run for most of the Break but I enjoyed a lot of good food and visiting with family and friends. I will be a little more housebound for the next little while because a certain furry friend has injured her leg.

I plan on working on cards and scrapping more if that is possible.

In the meantime, here's a card that I completed using my new favourite images, the Birdbrains from Delightful Inspiration. I like sending a cheery Get Well note when I know people are feeling under the weather. This guy is pretty cute and not too sombre.

And the inside....

Get Well Soon, Maya!