Mystery Image Swap

It was time for another mystery image swap. This time, we got this cute little Changito monkey from Stampendous. He is so cute and summery that I just had to pull out the DCWV summer mat pack paper that I picked u at Joann's for half off. The colors are so bright and fun that they went perfectly with this little monkey.

I colored Changito with Koh-i-noor pencils and gamsol and then highlighted the circles on his water tube with stickles. I also put a little Crystal Effects on his sunglasses to make them shine.
I don't remember where I got the flip flop ribbon from, but t was just too fun to not use.

The layout is from one of Laren Meader's Saturday sketches during July.

I love these mystery image swaps. It's so much fun to see what everyone else does.

Stamps: Changito from Stampendous, Sentiment from A Muse
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Neenah White cardstock, Basic Black, Summer Sunrise from PaperTrey Ink, DCWV Summer Glitter Stack
Accessories: Flip flop ribbon from ?, Crystal Effects, Ice Stickles
Tools: Koh-i-noor Pencils, Gamsol, Classic Rectangle Nestabilites from Spellbinders

First Doodle Factory Card

I got my blog candy from Tracy at Starving Artistamps this week and finally got everything mounted. Of course, when I sat down to make a thank you card with it, I drew a blank. So, I used a different Doodle Factory set. I'll just have to work my way up to the Great Outdoors.

I was inspired by this card from Natasha Trupp's blog. I just loved the way the cow's head peaks over the fence. Too cute! I love the polka dots too, but I didn't want to do a complete CASE. So instead, I applied a Taylored Expressions sketch instead -- sketch #24 to be exact.

That was fun and I can't wait to pull out some more Doodle Factory sets this week.

Stamps: Doodle Factory Country, Country Sentiments from Starving Artistamps
Ink: Palette Noir Hybrid Ink, Stampin' Up markers in Green Galore, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black
Paper: Papertrey Ink white cardstock for card base, Whisper White Cardstock, Basic Black, sweet Patterned paper from Stampin' Up!
Accessories: Black organdy polka dot ribbon from May Arts
Tools: Aquapainter, Stampin' Dimensionals, Classic & Scallop Rectangle and Classic & Scallop Oval Nestabilities from Spellbinders

Indulge me a little longer...

We also decided to commemorate the 6 month milestone (one month late) by getting some professional pictures taken. At 3 months, we went to Sears and I wasn't happy with the experience or the pictures. So this time, we went to Kiddie Kandids. I love the pictures that we got, the sales pitch at the end was very casual and low pressure and it was even cheaper than Sears. They gave me some referral coupons, so if you have one in your area and would like to try them out, let me know and I'll mail you a coupon.

Seven Months!

I can't believe another month has passed. My little guy turned 7 months old last Friday, so it was time to pull out another onesie and get some pictures. What a difference a month makes! Last month, he was barely able to sit up and needed one of us to help him stabilize. Not anymore!

If you'd like more information on how I made this onesie, see the six month post here.

I'm planning to stamp tonight, so check back tomorrow for some cards. :)

Greetings from Maine

Hi everyone! Our vacation in Maine is coming to an end. Unfortunately we had pretty gray and cold weather all week, but we still made it out to Acadia National Park at Schoodic Point in Maine.

It's mid-August and we've only had one day this week over 70 degrees! We actually had to go to the thrift store to get our little guy some long sleeved shirts, long pants and a jacket because we did not come prepared.

Did you see that I actually won the Great Outdoors blog candy from Starving Artistamps? I am so incredibly excited about that! All I can say is that I love Tracey's husband. ;)

It's been fun though. I leave you with a shot of our little guy in Grandpa's backyard looking out at the Atlantic Ocean.

My advice

I went to a bridal shower today where we were supposed to bring marital advice for the bride. I never know what to say with these types of things. So, my "advice" was to make this pie often. It's my favorite. ;)

I typed the recipe and printed it out on Papertrey ink white cardstock. Then I stamped this cute pie from the Baked with Love stamp set. I love the Kim Hughes Collection at Cornish Heritage Farms. I colored the peanut butter top with Koh-i-noor pencils and the silver pie plate with a Zig Painty. The chocolate chip on top was stamped in VersaMark and embossed with Chocolate scented embossing powder from Gel-a-tins.

The recipe is from my favorite cookbook, Wanda's Pie in the Sky. Unfortunately, it is out of print. If you'd like to make this heavenly chocolate peanut butter pie, I've posted the recipe below.

Stamps: Baked with Love from Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Palette Noir Black
Card stock: Papertrey Ink White, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Zig Painty, Chocolate Scented embossing Powder
Tools: Heat Tool, Koh-i-noor pencils, gamsol

Choclate Peanut Butter Cream Pie
from Wanda's Pie in the Sky cookbook

For the crust:
1/4 cup sugar
2 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup roasted peanuts
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

For the filling:
10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups smooth peanut butter
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar

For the topping:
2/3 cup whipping cream
6 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 Tbsp corn syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the crust: combine sugar, chocolate and peanuts in a food processor until finely chopped. Thoroughly combine the graham cracker crumbs, and sugar mixture, and butter in a bowl. Press onto bottom and sides of a 10” pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes until golden and firm. Cool.

For the filling: in a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Whip the cream and vanilla in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold the cream into the peanut butter mixture. Spread into the cooled crust. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

For the topping: Bright cream to a slow boil over low heat. Remove from heat, add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Mix in the syrup. Allow to cool until it is beginning to thicken slightly but is still smooth. Pour over the pie. Chill until serving time. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.