Labor Of Love For My Valentines

Hello, there!  I hope you had a wonderful Valentines Day and a nice President's Day weekend.  This year, I wanted to simplify the kid's Valentines Day gifts.  So I started out by making gifts for Jake's friends using all the things I have in my stash.

They were so simple that I finished them a couple of weeks before Valentines Day!

I was not sure what to make for Ryan's friends.  So I started to make these bears for my sons instead.  They turned out really cute and then Ryan wanted to me to make them for his friends.

I couldn't possibly finish 30 bears on time with all the activities we've been having lately and told him to save it for next year.  No, he begged and begged me to do so.

While working on these bears, my husband said he couldn't understand why I would spend the time doing this since some kids (the boys) would not appreciate them.  I told him it melted my heart to see Ryan cared enough about his friends to beg me to do them.  It's "Labor of Love" to me.  The next thing I knew, my husband sat down and asked me, "What can I do?"  That's so sweet since it's the first time he had ever crafted with me!

We finished 30 bears on time to pass them out to the 4th graders and teachers.  They loved them!  Some of the kids ran to me to say "Thank You" after school.  Other kids were snuggling and patting on the bears while showing their parents.  One particular boy, Ismael, emphasized, "Everyone liked them!" when I told him that I am glad he liked it.  I think 4th graders are perfect kids in receiving these bears.  They are not too young to take them for granted and they are not too old to feel embarassed to receive them. :)

My kids love them and can't thank us enough!  Who wouldn't when they are only about 2-1/2" tall?  Even the teachers were excited to receive them.

They are ADORABLE!  Thank you, Patty Bennett, for a great tutorial!

Danee

Mini Bite Brownie Boxes

Well, hello, again!  As you know, I don't normally bake sweets, but my family loves them.  Lately, I have been in the kitchen more - trying out new recipes to give my kids and husband some healthier versions of the sweets out there.  I made some Mini Bite Brownies yesterday.  The kids enjoyed it very much and I thought I pack some for their school snacks today.

These boxes look like cake boxes!  The Brownies are made from black beans, pumpkin puree, and dark chocolate.  I got the recipe from here.

They look like this before putting them in the fridge and wrapping them.  Can you tell I am not too fancy in putting on the toppings? :)

The cute boxes make up for it, right?  To make the box, cut out a 4-1/2" x 7" piece of card stock.  Score 1-1/4" and 3-1/4" on the short side.  Score 1-1/4", 3-1/4", 4-1/2", and 6-1/2" on the long side.  Cut the sides and round the corners of the flap.  Punch a 1-1/4" circle on both the CS and DSP at the top.  For the insert, I use the left over piece and cut into 2" x 2-1/2".  Score 1/4" and 2-1/4" on the long side and punch a hole with 1-3/4" circle to hold the Brownie in place.  Adhere it all the way to the bottom of the box (1/4" high).

I am surprised that they are delicious and healthy!  Hope you will have a sweet day!

Danee

Frog Magnetic Bookmarks

Yesterday, I've shown you Ryan's gifts for his classmates and teachers and the instruction for the bookmarks here.  Today, I am showing Jake's choice.  He decides that he wants frogs on his bookmarks since his class theme this year is Fully Responsible, Organized, and Growing (F.R.O.G.).

He wants to do it all!  So he stamps, punches, and colors all the images.  I just have to re-stamp some of the images with shadows.  Since it's more of a Spring theme, I decide to use {friend to friend} for his friends and "thank you" for his favorite school staffs.  Yes, he is very considerate with this!  All the stamp sentiments are from Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set which fit perfectly into my little projects.  The frog was from the Turtle & Co. (retired) stamp set.

The bookmark snaps closed around the page with the magnets.

When you give a 5-year old a chance to do what he wants, things won't be perfect and he will make himself unique!  I am OK with this as it sure speeds up the process with little helping hands!

The kids are on Spring Break starting tomorrow so have a very happy Easter this coming weekend!  Yeah!

Danee

Everybunny Chick Bookmarks

I can't hardly believe it has been a 100 days since my Dad passed away and I miss him so much!  My Mother-In-Law has also become ill recently.  Please say a little prayer for them for me.  Thank you!  My youngest son, Jake, is so thoughtful and reminds me that Grandpa loves rosemary and tangerines.  So he picks the tiniest tangerine from our garden to bring it to the cemetery.  How cute is that?

Let's get start with today's project.  I told the boys that we have to start making gifts for their friends for Easter.  This year, I am making magnetic bookmarks that I got the idea from Julie here because every Spring break, the kids have a Read-A-Thon from school.  I like the idea that these bookmarks snap close around the page.  The boys get to choose a stamp based on Easter or Spring theme. 

Ryan selects the chick from Everybunny stamp set.  He has done a great job at stamping, punching, and coloring.  After coloring a few images, he said that he got too many classmates and asked me to finish it up for him. :)

I get to reuse and recycle expired calendar and advertised refrigerator magnets that I no longer need.  My brother also gave me a whole sheet of advertised magnet he got at his auto shop, too.  So there were plenty for both Ryan and Jake's classes!  Each magnet is cut into 1" square and made sure that they are place on the right polarity by turning the top magnet around until it's stuck hard to the bottom magnet.  You really need to do this step right, trust me. :)  I also use the Coloring Coach for these great dynamic dual colors:  Rose Red/Regal Rose and Baja Breeze/Not Quite Navy along with the Daffodil Delight.

I cut my card stock into 5-1/2"  x 8-1/2" and score at 2-3/4" on the short side.  Then I trim it down to 2-1/8" before I run it through the Big Shot with the Two Tags Die.  Line up the fold in the middle line along with the large tag to cut.  You get 8 bookmarks per sheet.

Have a great day!

Danee

Pinwheels

I saw the idea of pinwheels on Stampin' Success, a magazine exclusive for SU! demonstrators, and had to make some for my niece's wedding.  You might have seen them on the ground surrounding the Sweet Table at her wedding on this post. 

They are actually supposed to be used as photo props, but they were cute there too!  Here are the Bride and Groom.  Congratulations to the newly weds!  Here's to happy memories and many years of happiness!

My kids love them, too.  It was hot that day so everyone ended up loosen up their clothes like them! :)

Here is my model, Gianna, at a different location.

When all the Cake Pops are gone, they got propped on the grass bed.  I use the Flower Folds Die and 2-1/2" and 1-3/4" Scallop Circle punches for the center.

I had trouble fastened them to the dowels and my husband came to my rescue with this idea.  He removed part of the dowel and suggested I use some plastic washers in between.  Brilliant idea!  Thanks, Honey!  They are can spin too.

Follow me on Pinterest here for more ideas and inspirations for this Rustic Theme Wedding.

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Hope your day will carefree and sweet as ever!

Danee

Bride and Groom Wedding Card

I made this wedding card for my niece and her husband.

I found the template on Lynn Pratt's website and pretty much CASE it!  I change a few things to match with the wedding color and theme.  Ignore the buttons as I decided to add it on the jacket instead.  No adhesive residue left behind thanks to the Adhesive Remover!

I also embossed the envelope flap to match the dress.

Follow me on Pinterest here for more ideas and inspirations for this Rustic Theme Wedding.

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Wishing your day is as beautiful as ever!

Danee

Sweet Table

I made the banner to decorate the Sweets table for my niece's wedding.

Here are some close-up pictures of the "Life Is Sweet" banner on an olive tree.  I use the Perfect Pennant Die for this and I wish it was bigger!

Another best part of the Sweets table?  This incredibly beautiful Cake and Cake Pop Stand built by my brother-in-law, Lich Vu, Vy Passetti's dad.  You can see more of Vy's beautiful cake pops here.

Here are the Bride and Groom cutting their cake.

Follow me on Pinterest here for more ideas and inspirations for this Rustic Theme Wedding.

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May your day will be as sweet as ever!

Danee

Candy Labels

I made these candy labels for my niece's wedding and propped them on samples of corks as holders for the bride's selection.  We ended up using the one with the Soft Suede Polka Dots ribbon as seen here.

Here they are at the Wedding on the wood stumps.  I wished I had known what the containers look like, I would have made some differently, but even the bride was not sure!

My favorite treats are these Billy Ball Cake Pops on the grass bed container designed by Vy Passetti.

Follow me on Pinterest here for more ideas and inspirations for this Rustic Theme Wedding.

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Enjoy!

Danee

Embossed Wedding Card

My talented sister, Michelle, can knock down anything in the house and rebuild/remodel it, but she has no patience for making cards!  She asks me to make her a card for my niece's wedding.  So here is what I made for her.  It is similar to another card  I saw on Stampin' Connection or somewhere on the Internet awhile ago.

I used the Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder, Teeny Tiny Wishes, and lots of pearls!  I also embossed the envelope flap with the same EF.  She loves it!

Follow me on Pinterest here for more ideas and inspirations for this Rustic Theme Wedding.

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Have a wonderful day!

Danee

Food Labels and Corks

I decide to enter these Corks as Food Label Holders in the Late Night Stampers Challenge 180 - Go Green with Recycled Items.  It's my first time to enter a challenge ever!

I saw the idea of corks being used as place card holders on the Internet.  I made mine slightly different to hold these food labels for the wedding.  One side of the buffet table has food label holders with double wine corks as shown above and the other side has single champagne cork as shown below.  I cut a slit in the middle.  I also use tacky glue and let it dry so it will temporarily stick down to the linen.

Follow me on Pinterest here for more ideas and inspirations for this Rustic Theme Wedding.

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Have a wonderful day!  We did at the wedding!

Danee

College Graduation Cards

I made these two cards fast - completely CASE them from Dawn Olchefske here.  Thanks, Dawn!  I used the Perfect Pennant Die, Stripe Embossing Folder, a couple of square punches, the new Itty Bitty Banners stamp set and Bitty Banners Framelits Dies from Stampin' Up!.

We went down to Southern California last week to celebrate our 2 nephews' graduations.  Congratulations, Patrick and Minh!  While we were there, we decided to visit Mickey Mouse.  It was late when we finally found Mickey.  Here is Jake with Woody from The Toys Story.

This is the first time my kids went to Disneyland and they were really excited!  The new Cars Land at California Adventures were absolutely amazing.  They recreate the whole scene from the CARS movie like real!  The down falls?  Extremely long lines to get to the ride!  It was worth it though.  Lightning McQueen was absolutely shiny and charming! :)

Have a wonderful day!

Danee

Residency Graduation

Since Fox and Friends stamp set is on the retiring list, I was looking through my photos and found this card.  This card was made for my niece who finished her residency last year.  I got the idea from Lynn Pratt (Thanks, Lynn!) and just hand-drawn the scrub.  They have a slogan as "Who will deliver your baby?" at the hospital where she did her residency.  Since she was born in the Year of the Monkey, I thought I stamped all the characters from Fox and Friends on the envelope to tease her. 

Have a great day!

Danee

First Communion Thank You Cards

I hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! We did! We had dinner at Backyard Boiler in Union City.  It was messy, but really fun!

These are thank you cards for Ryan's First Holy Communion using the Crosses of Hope stamp set and Adorning Accents Edgelits and Framelits Dies.

The cross was stamped first.  Then I sponge the inside of the Framelit negative with Bashful Blue, stamp a mosaic background in Versamark ink and heat emboss it.  Doesn't this give the feel of  stained glass?  The mosaic is made from leftover rubbers.

Until next time, have a wonderful day!

Danee

First Communion Favors

I made these Thank You favors for my son's First Holy Communion party.  Inside the box fits a pack of Wrigley's gum.

The angel on the cloud acts as a locking mechanism.  It swivels downward to open the flap.

Decorative Label, Cupcake Builder, and Corner Rounder punches are used.  The cross is from Crosses of Hope stamp set.  Sincere Salutations and Clearly for You stamp sets are on the Retiring Stamp list and available only until May 31st.  Click HERE to see the Retired Stamp list.  The Retired Accessories list can be found HERE and it's available while supplies last.

Here I am with my son, Ryan, on his special day.  Congratulations, Ryan!  We're so proud of you and love you!

Have a wonderful day!

Danee