December 2010 Release: Sweet Nothings

The two new, fantastic stamp sets go on sale at midnight Eastern Time on Dec. 1. You're going to love them both! Sweet Nothings is an especially versatile set featuring Dawn's beautiful handwriting.

SWEET NOTHINGS DETAILS: (Available Now)

Set of 11 high-quality photopolymer stamps

8 sentiments and 3 accent images

Full Set Dimensions: 4x6

Price: $10

I Love You:

Stamps: Wplus9 (Sweet Nothings, Ever After, Background Basics II)

Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black); Colorbox (Lipstick Red & Creamy Brown)

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink; Neenah
Markers: Copic (R24, R29, R59, RV32, RV34, V06, V99)

Border Punch: Fiskars

Button: My grandma's stash

 

Check out the rest of the Design Team:

• Dawn (Wplus9 Owner)
• Elise
• Maile
• Jinny
• Kerrianne
• Savitri  

December 2010 Release: So 80's.

Hip! Hip! My camera is now speaking again with my computer. And so, today I'm going to load you up with some cards made with Wplus9's December release stamps. Now, I have to admit something before showing off the card. I have never been able to make masculine cards. I naturally am drawn to flowers, hearts and the color pink when card making. This new stamp set was completely out of my comfort zone, but now that I've played with it...I'm on a man-card kick. I have a box full of cards for boys. Am so excited to finally have appropriate cards on hand for all the males in my life!

SO 80's DETAILS: (Available Dec. 1)

Set of 14 high-quality photopolymer stamps;

8 sentiment builders, 5 background accents, and 1 image

Full Set Dimensions: 6x8

Price: $19

You're So Awesome:

Stamps: Wplus9 (So 80's)
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black); Colorbox (Amber Clay & French Blue)

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink; Neenah

Pattern Paper: American Crafts
White Pen: Uniball Signo Wide

Twine: Divine Twine

Button: My grandma's stash

 

Check out the rest of the Design Team:

• Dawn (Wplus9 Owner)
• Elise
• Maile
• Jinny
• Kerrianne
• Savitri 

Later tonight, I will be posting a card featuring Sweet Nothings, another wonderful Wplus9 stamp set. So excited about that one! 


Also...I will be posting a birthday review in the morning and then a giveaway a little after that for all you Utah locals/visitors! You do NOT want to miss it!

Wplus9 November Color Cue Take 2.

It is time for another Wplus9 release. But, alas, my camera is not syncing with my computer. I've had so much fun with the new sets, too! I'll load those newer project in tomorrow, hopefully. In the meantime, here are some cards I made last week for the color cue. Each design team member chose their own color cues, and I ended up wanting to play along with each and every one.

Today, I'm just showing three of the seven combos.

Maile Belles's Color Cue:

Stamps: Wplus9 (Ever After)
Ink: Memento
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Markers: Copic,
Ribbon: Stampin' Up!
Jewels: Basic Grey

Kerrianne Gwin's Color Cue:

Stamps: Wplus9 (Classic Christmas)
Ink: Memento
Cardstock, twine, buttons: Papertrey Ink
Markers: Copic,
Ribbon, embossing powder: Stampin' Up!

Savitri Wilder's Color Cue:

Stamps: Wplus9 (Woodgrain Silhouettes Bundle)
Ink: Memento, Stazon
Cardstock, buttons, twine: Papertrey Ink
Markers: Copic,
Embossing powder: Stampin' Up!

You're Invited.

I'm a singer. Always have been. I've been involved with choirs, musicals and voice lessons since I was very young. And before that, I would stand on my bed and pretend to be preforming in front of the mirror. Since graduating high school, I haven't had the opportunity to be in many choirs, and I've got the itch. A need to sing and use my voice. (If you know of an adult choir in Utah...let me know!) 

My sweet friend, AnnDee, invited me to be in a choir that will be performing the Messiah this year. It's been a thrill; temporarily satisfying my need to sing. (Will be very sad when it is over.)

I would LOVE for you to come to our concert! Here's the info:

The Pleasant Grove Orchestra and Chorus Present G.F. Handel's MESSIAH.
A community sing-in with soloists.
Conducted by Jim Wilcock.
Friday December 3, 2010
7:00 PM in the Pleasant Grove High School Auditorium.
Bring Your Own Music
FREE TO THE PUBLIC
Sponsored by Pleasant Grove City and Pleasant Grove Arts Commission

Nov May I Suggest: Crafts.

HANNAH
I love colorful cardstock all lined up in a row. My favorite brand is Papertrey Ink. I have looked, but have yet to find a brand comparable in quality. I love the vibrant colors and the ultra-thick weight. Seriously fantastic for card making. (Nothing worse than a flimsy card that wont stand when you want it on display.) Also love that these are non-textured. Pretty, pretty, pretty.

KERRIANNE
There are so many wonderful options and tools to make just about anything these days when it comes to crafts. If I had to pick just one brand to say I would suggest – definitely Martha Stewart Crafts. Her timeless elegance can be found in just about every tool; from scissors, punches, and even inks. In my town there is Michael’s just about every 10 minutes so it is also nice to have a brick and mortar store to pick out colors and play with each item before purchase. The prices are reasonable and the products are top notch in quality. And her color choices are always ahead of the trends. My latest favorite is her fabulous circle cutter…no runaway paper!

ERICA
I'm not crafty.  If anything I am artsy.  I do have a lot of friends that are all the queens of crafty and cute...it's just not me.  Anyway, I do love seeing how others get their craft on.  Lately I've been following a blog where this girl takes $1 a day for 365 days and buys a thrifted dress and turns it into something trendy and cute.  Some of the frocks she finds I think  "There is no way she can make this look even remotely cute!", but she does.  Check her out and watch her segment on the Nate Berkus show.

BECKY & SALLY 
Hands Down our favorite thing to use when crafting is GLITTER!  It’s sparkly and fun and makes everything cuter.  We love using glitter on numbers, letters, skeletons, greeting cards … anything really.  And our favorite tip for working with glitter - paint the base of whatever you’re glittering the same color as your glitter!  This way, if your glitter starts to flake off, no one notices!

 
Do you have a suggestion? Please share in the comment section!
Want to know more about May I Suggest? Click Here to read all about it.
Interested in participating in the future? Please email me.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Do you remember making turkeys by tracing your hand and coloring the fingers with brightly colored crayons? My daughter brings one home every year from school, and I always get a kick out of seeing the 5 things she is most thankful for. Last year her top 5 things were "Candy, Mom, Dad, Daddy Rarr (her teddy bear), and Hawaii."

I have so many things to be thankful for. My family most of all. Thanksgiving gives us all the opportunity to reflect on our blessings, and I truly feel blessed today.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

My Wife.

 Hi. Jason here. And this is my first ever blog post.

For everyone following this blog, I have a treat for you.  On her birthday, I wanted to give you an insider's view of Hannah.  

As a professional, Hannah constantly amazes.  She understands style.  She creates beautiful crafts and designs the most amazing blogs, logos and wedding invites.  She built a successful design business from the ground up.

As a mother, Hannah thrives.  She chose to work from home so she could be here for our kids.  With three young children, a busy work schedule and a husband who is never home, she struggles day to day through the many demands on her time.  Yet she still makes time to work on craft projects with our daughter when she comes home from school, volunteers in our daughter's kindergarten class, and takes our boys to the park and library.  Then, to top it all off, I always come home to a home cooked meal, even if it is spaghetti.

As a wife, Hannah is perfect.  She is a never ending stream of confidence that I tap into when times get tough.  She is the best friend I yearned for as a child.  To put it into accounting terms, she is the debt to my credit in a balanced account.  We have been married eight years now and every year gets better.  If I were to take the advice of a disney princess my daughter is fond of, I would dedicate to her the song "Angel" by Jack Johnson because those words are meant just for her.

Happy Birthday, Hannah. Love Ya.

"ANGEL" by JACK JOHNSON

I've got an angel

She doesn't wear any wings

She wears a heart that can melt my own

She wears a smile that can make me wanna sing

She gives me presents

With her presence alone

She gives me everything I could wish for

She gives me kisses on the lips just for coming home

She could make angels

I've seen it with my own eyes

You gotta be careful when you've got good love

Cause the angels will just keep on multiplying

But you're so busy changing the world

Just one smile can change all of mine

We share the same soul

We share the same soul

We share the same soul

Birthday Favorite: Red Lipstick.

I've always loved red lipstick, but never felt that I had the personality to pull it off. I've been on the hunt for three years. I tried so many and always felt uncomfortable. I would leave the house and end up rubbing it off my lips within 10 minutes because I felt silly. Not like myself.

So, I've been on a mission to find a color that I feel good in. And guess what? I did it. It wasn't easy, either. I did a lot of research. And I tried color after color after color. Finally, I found one that I love to wear out. A limited edition, discontinued color by MAC that I purchased from All Cosmetics Wholesale. (An awesome store, by the way!) It is called "Full Body." It is a deep red, but it isn't as dark on the lip as it looks in the tube. I top it wish MAC's Dazzleglass in Love Alert, which is a permanent color that you can still get. The Dazzleglass brightens it up.

MY RED LIPS TIPS:
• Red lips are hit-n-miss. You may have to try a few colors before settling on the perfect shade. Buy from a department store so you can return if you don't love it.
• Add a shiny lipgloss over your red lip if you want your lips to look more full. Dark colors tend to make your lips look thinner.
• Pair red lips with neutral eyes. Let your lips be the center of attention.
• Use lipliner or your lipstick will bleed. Not attractive. Not attractive at all. I use a neutral lip color because my MAC expert said to. She said red lips look horrible two-toned, so red lipliner isn't a good idea unless it matches the lipstick exactly.
• Red lipstick always seems to get on teeth, so prevent this by putting your finger in your mouth, closing your lips around it, and pulling it out. Works like a charm.

What is your perfect red lip color?

Birthday Favorite: Crafting.

I love crafting in every form. I love card making, sewing, needle work, painting, paper crafts, jewelry making, book binding, etc. I really couldn't pick a favorite. I can't. I love creating anything. Because I work in the paper-making industry in three capacities, I am more than often paper-crafting. And I have no complaints. I feel so lucky to work in an industry I love! I had great hopes to share two projects I am working on with you, but one is taking a bit longer than expected. It's an advent calendar, so I'm trying to hurry and finish it. I'll post more on that early next week.

Today, I am going to share with you a card I made for Wplus9's All Eyes On series. Dawn asked us to work with Distress Ink. I LOVE distress ink because they are so versatile. I'm going to show you one of my favorite ways to use them: watercoloring.

First, take your ink pad and stamp directly on to a work surface. I am stamping on a craft mat, but you could use a glass plate too. Spritz the inked surface with a little water. (The more water you use, the lighter the water color will be.)

Paint the darker/shadowy areas of your stamp first. (I chose to have that be the outer edges. I am using Wplus9's Classic Christmas ornaments.) Add more water to your color and work your way to the lighter parts. Once it is all painted, you can spray water directly onto the image and blend with your paint brush if it needs it. Cut out and attach to card.

I wanted my card to look like it was snowing, so I inked the edges with white ink and sprayed the entire card with a little water mixed with Perfect Pearls. I finished it off by writing a sentiment on the bottom right.

Check out the other Distress Ink projects:

• Dawn
• Elise
• Jinny
• Kerrianne
• Maile
• Savitri

Birthday Favorite: Children's Books.

When I was a "tween," I used to babysit for my aunt, Michelle. I loved spending time with her family, but what I was most excited for was to read some of her vast children's library. She belonged to a monthly book order club and always had new, beautiful books with crisp pages. Although I have always liked to read, these babysitting weekends helped me develop my true love for children's literature.

I still love children's books. Yes, I like reading them to my children. I love cuddling on their beds at night and reading aloud the adventures of the brave mouse, Despereaux, or relaying the silly antics of everyone's favorite kindergartener, Ramona. But, even if I didn't have children, I would collect children's books...just for me. I love to read them. Good children's books are cleaver, sweet and simple. Often, reading them is just the kind of escape I need. 

I've compiled a list of my kids' and my favorite books.  If you haven't read them, I highly recommend doing so!

FAVORITE PICTURE BOOKS:
Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
Charlie and Lola: Excuse Me But That is My Book by Lauren Child (Family Top Favorite)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Williems
Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss (Family Top Favorite)
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Williems (Family Top Favorite)
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh
Olivia by Ian Falconer
Spot series by Eric Hill
Talking Turkeys by Benjamin Zephaniah
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
The Princess and the Pea by Lauren Child & Polly Borland (Family Top Favorite)
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Ryland
The Tales of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Varda Aardema


FAVORITE CHAPTER BOOKS:
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (Family Top Favorite)
Holes by Louis Sachar
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Ramona series by Beverly Cleary (Family Top Favorite)
Stuart Little by E.B. White
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The BFG by Roald Dahl (Family Top Favorite)
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (Family Top Favorite)
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo (Family Top Favorite)
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

I am sure I am missing some great ones, so please list any of your favorite children's book in the comments.

Nov May I Suggest: Entertainment.

HANNAH
Am in love with a new (to me) blog: Fresh Home. The editors of the Fresh Home magazine post fantastic design ideas, products and how-tos. I especially love the posts about turning your closet into an office, Thanksgiving platters and this chair re-do. Fantastic inspiration!

BECKY & SALLY 
One of us likes to soak in the bath tub at the end of the day and one of us spends hours of her life at car pool.  What do we both love to pass the time?  A good magazine!  From fashion mags to decorating to cooking to celebrity rags there’s a magazine for everyone.  Stick one in your purse and the next time you have a few extra minutes to yourself, wind down with a magazine.
 

KERRIANNE
I love reading news on the web and especially blogs…but I always seem to gravitate back towards magazines and books. It is just so relaxing to sit on my porch and flip through a magazine, and I love columns that include advice. If I had to pick a favorite it would definitely be “Real Simple.” If you haven’t checked out this magazine – you are missing out! It has everything from fashion, home decorating, money saving ideas, and even organization tips. I always learn something new – or some new way to make my life simpler. And we all can use some simplification in these crazy times.

ERICA
It's the time of year where the weather makes you desire the indoors.  To don chunky sweaters and wool socks and cozy up with a cup of hot coco and watch a great show or movie on the tube.  I have four shows that I can (and do) watch over and over again without getting sick of them.  Gilmore girls = that intellectual banter and Lorilei's clothes get me every time.  Arrested Development = never fails to make me laugh...really really hard.  30 Rock = Tina Fey is a genius. Modern Family = So many lines my husband and quote and text to each other on a daily basis


Do you have a suggestion? Please share in the comment section!
Want to know more about May I Suggest? Click Here to read all about it.
Interested in participating in the future? Please email me.

Birthday Favorite: Bubble Baths.

I don't get the opportunity for alone time very often. When I do get a rare quiet moment alone, I often spend them taking bubble baths. I especially love them with Bath Fizzies. Have you ever used them? It's like bathing in soda; yummy smelling and bubbly. Combine this with a good book, and I'm in almost-a-spa heaven.

I love finding ways to combine my favorite things, so making bath fizzies not only lets me bathe in luxury, it also lets me get in a little craft time. They are simple to make. Like...SUPER simple. And fun. And they make your house smell divine.

01. Gather your supplies. I love using the oil from DoTerra. It smells fantastic. (I didn't notice my cute baby smiling at me in the background until I loaded the picture on the computer. I didn't have the heart to crop him out.)

03. Mix all the dry ingredients.
04. Divide into 1/2 cup portions.
05. Add water and 6-8 drops of food coloring to a small spritzer. Spray the dry ingredients and stir after every spray. (You don't want the dry ingredients to start fizzing.)

06. Once the mixture remains formed when you squeeze it between your fingers, stop spritzing.
07. Add 8-9 drops of your favorite essential oil to each 1/2 cup portion. (My yellow fizzies are lemon, blue fizzies are lavender and green fizzies are peppermint.)
08.  Press firmly into mini muffin tins.
09. Let sit for 2 hours. Gently remove and store in a dry location until ready for bathing. Each bath fizzie is good for one bath.

These would make a fantastic Christmas gift for all your girlfriends! I also love giving pink or blue ones to new mommies who are usually in desperate need for a good, calming soak.

*This recipe was adapted from Martha, who taught me to make it on her show many years ago. I've recently rediscovered the recipe in her Craft Encyclopedia, which, may I add, is AMAZING.

Giveaway: Symbols of Christmas.

Interrupting the Birthday Favorites event to bring you a super fun Christmas giveaway!

A Sherbet Blossom reader contacted me last week about doing a giveaway, and I was excited to share her new business venture with you! Chris, owner of "Pickup Pattern Shop" developed a pattern to make ornaments that teach children the true meaning of Christmas. The pattern is made out of symbols we see each holiday.  The little ones are sure to love this fun tradition! I can't wait to make mine.

Chris is generously giving away two prizes! One lucky reader will win the pattern and the other will win a ready-made set.
Please comment on this post by Monday, November 22nd to enter.


For extra entries: (A new comment for each entry must be left for these extras to count.)

• Tweet, Facebook or Blog about and link back to this giveaway.

The winner will be announced on my birthday, November 23rd. Good luck!!



Pattern Winner: Tate-Family-Fun
Ready-Made Set Winner: Kristen
Please email me your information and I'll get you your winnings! Congrats!

Birthday Favorite: Dating My Spouse.

I live for Date Night. We don't have a lot of time or money, so being creative to keep things exciting is a must. We occasionally do the stay-in-and-watch-a-movie night, but we also believe it is vital to a marriage to do new things. We don't want to lose the spark that we had while dating, and these dates "kindle the flame." Some of our favorite memories are our silliest dates. After 8 years of marriage, my heart still skips a beat when he walks in the room. I love being with J more than ever.

Here are some of our favorite cheap date night ideas:
• Drive to the local scenic outlook. Bring a picnic and eat while enjoying the lights of the city.
• Go shopping in a mall, each with $5. Give yourselves a time limit and buy something (our usually end up being silly) for your significant other. (We've done this twice. I love my silly trinkets and keep them on display. They bring back great memories.)
• Bake cakes. Then decorate them. (We did this once blindfolded with spatulas. It was hilarious.)
• Grab a book. Sit under a tree and read together.
• Carve pumpkins.
• Go on a walk through the city. Window shop.
• Go on a compass hike.
• Bake cookies.
• Run through the sprinklers. (I am serious.)
• Rent a bike built for two.
• Jump in rain puddles.
• Play croquet.
• Put together a puzzle.
• Have a ping-pong tournament.
• Go bird watching. Don't forget your camera and a bird-book.
• Fly kites.
• Go bowling.
• Play racquetball.
• Go to a park and throw a Frisbee.
• Skip stones on a lake.
• Go on a nature hike.
• Eat a sunrise breakfast in the mountains or park.
• Go visit a nearby waterfall with a picnic.
• Go on a bike ride through the canyon.
• Feed the ducks.
• Go for a drive with no destination in mind. Bring treats and keep the radio off.
• Hunt wild flowers.
• Spend a "survival day" in the wilderness.
• Visit a state or national park.
• Play checkers.
• Go to a store and play "The Price is Right."
• Go to the zoo.
• Watch a movie at the library.
• Visit a historical site.
• Visit a museum.
• Go to a summer theater.
• Visit a bird refuge or aviary.
• Visit an art gallery.
• Attend a ballet or theater performance.
• Go on a progressive dinner date; eating each course at a different restaurant. (I highly recommend sharing each course. This can be expensive and a lot of food.)


We like to keep a jar of ideas and pull one out when we want to be spontaneous. I hope this gives you and your spouse/boyfriend some good ideas! Our next date is tomorrow night....we are going to see HARRY POTTER. I am way too excited...

Birthday Favorite & Giveaway.

My birthday is a week from today. I wanted to celebrate on my blog for a week. Yes, I am throwing my own party! I am turning the big 2-8. Every day for a week, I am going to be talking about some of my favorite things. Today, I'm kicking off my favorite things with a giveaway!
Sigma makes my FAVORITE makeup brushes. I like them better than most I have tried and every bit as much as MAC brushes. In fact, the main difference between these brushes and MAC's brushes is that Sigma's brushes sport an amazing price! They are super soft and very high quality. I LOVE their shade brushes and the pencil brush is too perfect.

If you haven't experienced the joy of applying makeup with brushes...Sigma is where you should start. Their brushes are priced affordably. You can get the entire set pictured above for only $99!

On to the exciting giveaway: Sigma is generously giving away one Complete Kit with Brush Roll in Black to a lucky Sherbet Blossom reader.


Please comment on this post by Monday, November 22nd to enter.


For extra entries: (A new comment for each entry must be left for these extras to count.)

• Tweet, Facebook or Blog about and link back to this giveaway.

The winner will be announced on my birthday, November 23rd. Good luck!!
Congrats, Jacob!
Please email me your information and I'll get you your winnings!

Loaded Pretzels.

When I was a college student, living with a bunch of junk-food-loving girls, one roommate taught me to make these lovelies. Loaded Pretzels are decadent, beautiful and easy. The perfect combo of sweet and salty. They are easy to customize to taste and event. I made them last weekend for the ladies I visit teach, and decided to share the goodness with you.

What you need:
1 pkg. (10 oz.) pretzel rods
1 pkg. (14 oz.) caramels
1 tbsp. evaporated milk
1 1/4 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 c. butterscotch chips (or green mint chips if you feel like being festive)
2/3 c. toffee, chopped
1/4 c. chopped walnuts, toasted

How to:
1. Break the pretzel rods in half.  (This not only makes them cuter, but it also allows the eater to actually finish their treat. These are very rich. Half a rod is a manageable amount of sugar.)
2. Melt caramels and milk in a saucepan. Be careful not to overcook or the caramel will get too hard.
3. Dip the pretzel rod half, broken end first, into the caramel. Then, roll in the chip/toffee/nut mixture.
4. Devour. Or giveaway. Or both. (My husband likes to use his rod as a hot chocolate stirrer. He loves the way it tastes with all the chips melted in his drink. Mmmm.)

Leftover Chip Tip:
When I make recipes like the Loaded Pretzels and I have leftover chocolate/toffee/butterscotch/etc chips, I dump them into my "Chip Bag." Then, when we are making chocolate chip cookies, we pull out this bag. We love how the mixed hodge-podge cookies turn out.

Wplus9 November Color Cue.

This month, Dawn, the owner of Wplus9, asked each of us on the design team to come up with our own color scheme. I chose a combo that I love at this time of year: Classic Red, Baby Blue, Kraft and White.

I used Dawn's Poinsettia Patterns and Classic Christmas stamp sets on this card. I love the pretty ornaments that Dawn illustrated.  I especially love them with a little Martha Stewart glitter. I stamped the ornament on white paper, colored and shaded with Copic markers, then filled in the stripes that I wanted glittered with a Versamark marker. Then, I added heat and stick powder, heated with my heat gun and poured on the pretty red glitter.

INGREDIENTS:
Stamps: Wplus9
Ink, Buttons, Cardstock, Twine: Papertrey Ink 
Ribbon: Offray
Markers: Copic, Versamark
Heat and Stick Powder: Stampin' Up!

I'd love to see you play along with the Color Cue this month! There are lots of color combos to choose from, so head over to Dawn's blog to check them out.

Don't forget to look at the other design team member's blogs:

• Dawn (owner)
• Elise
• Jinny
• Kerrianne
• Maile 
• Savriti

Nov May I Suggest: Kitchen.

HANNAH
Meet my 10-year-old whisk. Older than all three of my children combined, and yet looking brand new. Made finely by OXO, the measly $9 is well worth the money. I have a hard time using other whisks now. The handle is comfortable and the metal is sturdy without being too stiff. Highly recommended. It is my partner in baking crime.

ERICA

First up a question I'm always asked because people always hear me saying how much I love eating artichokes is how to eat a whole artichoke.  We're talking a whole steamed artichoke and none of this dip nonsense (good nonsense though it may be).  There's no better way to eat an artichoke, in my opinion, than steaming it and dipping it in a little vinaigrette dressing.  Check out the step by step way that I prefer to eat this beautiful vegetable.  Try it, I dare you

Second kitchen item that I just adore are latte bowls.  They are eye candy and I swear make anything you eat in them taste ten times better!  They also can double as some cute kitchen decor as well.  Anthropologie has my favorite hues and the price isn't too shabby...you'll be surprised!

BECKY & SALLY 
Choosing our favorite thing for the kitchen was hands down the hardest choice we had to make.  Do we pick a recipe?  A tool?  An ingredient?  And then, it hit us … SPRINKLES!  From cupcakes to cookies to rice treats (you know the ones), sprinkles make everything look like a party!  And, they usually make you smile.

KERRIANNE
When it comes to the kitchen, I have one leading lady I always turn to – Paula Deen. If you have ever watched Food Network or been to Savannah, GA then you have definitely heard about this fabulous southern Belle. She is absolutely amazing in the kitchen and truly an icon for all women cooks. Her recipes are rooted in southern comfort and usually involve at least a stick of butter. One of my favorite recipes by Paula Deen is her delicious Green Bean Casserole. I had the pleasure of meeting her at a book signing and show earlier this year and she was just as hilarious and charismatic in person. And her desserts are just heaven!!

Do you have a suggestion? Please share in the comment section!
Want to know more about May I Suggest? Click Here to read all about it.
Interested in participating in the future? Please email me.