Thursday, June 23, 2016

July Class

Hello Everyone!  

I am having a class in July. Want to join the fun? I only have a few spots left. Monday and Tuesday classes are full! Three more people can join the Thursday, July 14, class at 10:00 a.m. We will make a total of 5 cards for $20.00. Full written instructions (to take home) are included as well as envelopes. Three of the cards in the class are ones I made for the Stampin' Up catalog party that I had on June 4th. At this moment I am not sure what the last two cards will be, but I am fairly certain that they will also be from the samples that day.  

This one is so easy, you will not believe it! But it looks amazing and still fits into a regular A-2 envelope! 

Love the sparkle on the Happy Birthday die cut! (I need a manicure...)

But then when you open it up there is a surprise pocket for a gift card or cash! Love all the balloons. What a party!! :)

This one also has a surprise!!

Isn't that fun!! Almost expect confetti to fall out! 
If you want to join the fun, send me an email at elstamper@cox.net. 
Until next time- take good care!

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Brownie Cheesecake Recipe

Hello again!
I'm here with a recipe, not cards. I had this dessert at the party I had at my home on June 4th. The ladies all seemed to love it, and I promised the recipe. This is a rich decadent dessert, not gonna lie. 
I promise that you didn't gain an ounce looking at that photo. However if you make this and don't have at least 10 friends to help you eat it, you might be looking at some weight gain!! :)
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Brownie Cheesecake
1 box of brownie mix, and the ingredients needed to make package
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
8 ounces of whipped topping
1 cup mini chocolate chips
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Prepare the mix according to package instructions. I used Duncan Heinz fudge brownie mix and on the package it said for more cake like brownies, add an additional egg. I did that and it did make the brownie more cake like. So much so, that no one could believe that it was a brownie mix!
Pour the mix into a greased spring form pan. (this pan is used for presentation purposes, it your crowd isn't the fancy type I really don't think you need to make this in a spring form pan. An 8 by 8 square pan or a 9 by 9 pan would be fine, I believe. Just serve from the pan! I don't own a spring form pan, but was able to borrow one.) Bake according to package directions. ( I followed the round 9 inch pan directions because the package didn't have a spring form pan listed) Allow to cool completely. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. (I think I would use 1/2 cup of sugar or maybe 3/4 cup rather than one full cup. This was extremely sweet. I don't think less sugar would be missed) Fold in vanilla and whipped cream, then fold in the chocolate chips. (I also think it would have been perfect with half of the whipped cream) Spread over the cooled brownie in the spring form pan. Decorate with more chocolate chips or fresh fruit or leave plain. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Remove pan and set on a pretty serving plate.
 Enjoy! 
Let me know what you think and if you make this, how did you like it??
Until next time, take good care!

Monday, June 13, 2016

So much die cutting going on!

Hello dear friends~
In my last post I said I was going to try to post again the next week...well here I am just about 4 weeks late! I really do hope I get better at this!

In May I had a class that was going to be the last one of the year. The ladies loved the cards. 

This one was a bit of work because they had to "build" the teapot. I have a die that cuts all the pieces out, but in order for the teapot to be supported, they needed to cut it twice (once in plain card stock and once in decorative paper) and glue the floral layer on top of card stock. The teapot is popped up on dimensional foam.
It is hard to tell but there are clear "bubbles" in the center of the flowers. The flowers are cut out using a punch. In order to get the clear bubbles, the class had to scrape off the white backing and adhesive. Then the bubbles were adhered with glue dots to the centers of the flowers, which sort of magnified the centers! This was a favorite card among the gals. 
This card was stamped first in black ink, which you cannot see, and then it was painted with a brush and Stampin Up ink rather than paint. Then they had to carefully glue on the white die cut piece over the coloring, covering up the stamped image. The tag was colored with a matching marker on the edge to give the illusion of a mat. The color matches the rose and the card stock mat.
This is called a shaker card. This was the very favorite card of the day. There is a window of acetate on the biggest balloon and behind it are sequins and metallic glitter bits. A very festive card!

The last card was one that looks complicated but in truth is quite easy. This is a gate fold card. It has a "belly band" which is the white patterned piece at the bottom. To open this card, the recipient pulls off the band and then the card opens on both sides.
Quite different don't you think?? They loved it! The big trick on this one was to get the vine die cut to line up across both front folds. (easy once you know how!!) They succeeded quite well!! This card came in a very close second to the shaker card. 

There is a rumor that I am going to have another class in July. It looks like there are quite a few people who are interested. These cards would be from the samples I shared at the party I had on June 4th celebrating the new Stampin Up catalog. If you would like to join our fun group, please contact me and let me know!! I will most likely have classes scheduled for the first or second week in July. 
Until next time~ Take good care! 
ellie