Crafts

Friday Flair Link Party // Cupid’s Treat Bag Edition

0 · Jan 11, 2013 · 37 Comments

Friday Flair Link Party // Friday Flair has returned! Have you missed our little weekly party? I've decided to keep our weekly get together for this year with a few little changes. Friday Flair will actually post on Friday morning instead of Thursday night (I know, kind of a no brainer.) Also, I want to make everyone aware of the Friday Flair pin board on Pinterest. Every week I will go through everyone's posts and pin some of the stand out projects. I will have a Friday Flair follow-up post some weeks, but I can't guarantee a follow-up post every week. I hope that doesn't kill it for you… I will do my best!

Here is this weeks inspiration photo… of course we are in full Valentine's Day mode so I thought I would share a fabulous idea from Creature Comforts.

img source // cupid arrow treat bags from creature comforts

Now let's get the Link Party Started

Vanilla Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

8 · Jan 10, 2013 · 17 Comments

Vanilla salted chocolate chip cookie recipe // I don't know anyone who doesn't go weak in the knees when served a nice warm chocolate chip cookie… They are truly mom's love right on a plate. Now, there are many different recipes for this beloved cookie but I have stumbled across THE PERFECT chocolate chip cookies recipe…

I grew up with the classic Toll House cookie recipe that my Mom has made for decades and I'm a fan, but I also felt like there was something missing with this recipe. I stumbled across a chocolate chip recipe on Tidy Mom that challenged my idea of a good chocolate chip cookie. Cheryl's recipe is the New York Times chocolate chip cookie recipe adapted from the original recipe from Jacques Torres. This recipe calls for slightly different ingredients than your traditional cookie, like the addition of baking powder and for the dough to be chilled no-less than 24 hours before baking. The big new ingredient for this recipe is the addition of a sprinkle of course sea salt on top of the cookie before baking. It's kind of like the popular salted caramel concept. I decided to take the addition of sea salt to the next level… Have you ever heard of Vanilla Sea Salt?

I discovered Vanilla Sea Salt or Vanilla Fleur de Sel, last year when I was doing research for my homemade Vanilla Extract. I ordered a bottle because I thought it would be perfect for caramels, little did I know that it would also be wonderful with these cookies. I do believe we can make our own vanilla sea salt, I'm going to work on that and see what I come up with.

Vanilla Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here is my adaptation of this famous New York Times recipe…

2 (minus 2 tablespoons) cups cake flour

1 2/3 cups of All-Purpose Flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon salt salt

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (room temp)

1 1/4 cups of brown sugar

1 cup of sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds of bittersweet chocolate

vanilla sea salt

Directions

In a large bowl mix sift the the dry ingredients together starting with the flours then adding baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and sugars together. Mix on high for 5 minutes until the mixer is really light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on high for 1 more minute. Slowly combine the butter and sugar mixer with the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Add the chocolate and place in a large storage container. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and then place the lid on the storage container. Place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, 72 would be best.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, pre-heat the oven to 350 degree. Prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick cooking mat. Scoop six 2 1/2 ounce dough balls. I used this one ounce scoop and placed two generous scoops together to create one large ball and then sprinkle a pinch of the vanilla sea salt on top of the dough.

Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, just until it starts to brown. When you take the cookie out of the oven it will look slightly underdone. You want them that way. That's what makes these cookies magical…

Let the cookies cool. You will find that after they have cooled a bit, these cookies have a crisp texture on the outside and are still soft and chewy on the inside.When you bite into one you will have that sweet taste of the cookie and every once in a while you will have a lovely burst of salt from that vanilla sea salt and you will be in heaven. Quite honestly this is the perfect chocolate chip cookie in my book!

What's your favorite cookie recipe? Have you found "the perfect" cookie recipe for your taste? Let us know, we would love to try some more idea!

I'm linking up with…

Today's Creative Blog

Luxe Business Cards from Moo.com // Giveaway

0 · Jan 9, 2013 · 82 Comments

WhipperBerry's New Luxe Business Cards from MOO.com // I am one of those girls that goes a little ga-ga when I see a company that has branded themselves really well. When I set out to rebrand WhipperBerry for 2013 I wanted to make sure that my new branding carried over not only on the blog but throughout my digital and paper footprint. First, I selected some amazing design elements created by the talented Rhonna Farrer from Rhonna Designs and then went to work to create my new look. Once I figured out the overall design scheme, I knew that I wanted to create some amazing business cards for the 2013 blog conference season.

I was contacted by Moo.com to take their Luxe Business Cards for a test drive and to be completely honest, I wasn't too interested. I had ordered some business cards from Moo a few years ago and was not happy with how they had turned out. I actually ended up not using them at all and wasted a decent amount of money with the failed business cards. To be fair, I used my own design and it just didn't work at the size of the business card. I was disappointed that their quality control didn't contact me before printing to say that the images weren't going to work. So, when they asked if I would be interested in a review and almost said no, then I decided to give it another go to see how it went. I didn't let them know about my previous experience because I wanted to have a typical experience and I am thrilled to report the whole process was AMAZING!!

The Design Process with Moo

Moo has several types of business cards to choose from, but I wanted to try out the Luxe Cards. They are a rich, luxurious card that looks almost like a classic letterpress card and I thought it would look fantastic with my new look. I also decided to go the self-designed route again (gulp!) I created my business card design and submitted it for printing, hoping that everything would turn out alright. Much to my surprise, I was contacted by a representative from Moo to let me know that the images weren't as crisp as they would like and then she guided me though the process of how to make them print quality for the cards. I LOVED her!! She didn't make me feel dumb, she kindly helped make sure that the cards turned out their very best. We actually emailed quite a bit and had a lovely e-chat. I couldn't help but smile when I opened my cards and there was a card inside the box with her photo and name on it, it was so nice to put a face to the wonderful lady who help make sure my business cards turned out the best that they can be!! Needless to say, my opinion of Moo.com has been changed forever, thanks to Doreen. Doreen, you're the BEST!!

Shipment of my Moo Cards

When I finalized my card design with Doreen, my cards were printed and shipped within three days. Seriously, I had them in hand within just a few days. Another plus!! I can't tell you how many times I've been chatting with someone at a blog conference and when we went to exchange cards and they sheepishly have to say… "I don't have any, my cards didn't arrive in time." What a bummer is that? No worries of that with Moo!!

When my shipment arrived, I was blown away. Check out the packaging…

How fancy is that? Seriously a wax seal? Nice touch Moo!! I felt like they were just as excited about my new cards as I was. There is nothing more disappointing that having your cards arrive from other companies in a crummy cheap box that hardly stands up to the rigors of shipping. It really makes you feel like they don't value your cards at all. That's not the case with Moo at all! I almost didn't want to open the box at all because it was so pretty, except for the fact that I REALLY wanted to see my new cards. I wanted to see if they had turned out better than my first experience… I was blown away!!

My New Luxe Cards from Moo

You may not think that business cards are all that exciting, but I do. When I opened my lovely box of new cards, they took my breath away. They looked even better than I had imaged. Seriously… LOVE THEM!!

The Luxe business cards from Moo are made with the highest quality paper and have the look and feel of the best business cards out there. I know that when I hand out these cards, I am going to be putting my best foot forward. Why on earth would you spend all that time and energy on your business and go with a cut-rate printer to create your business branding? I know I never will again!! Moo has my heart forever!!

Luxe Business Card Giveaway from Moo.com

Moo.com would love the chance to win your heart forever too! They are giving away 100 Luxe Business Cards to THREE lucky WhipperBerry readers!! Wowza, I'm thrilled about this giveaway. All you need to do is follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure Statement

A Heart So Broken by Christene Houston // GIVEAWAY

0 · Jan 7, 2013 · 1 Comment

A Heart So Broken Giveaway // I am over the moon and tickled pink all at the same time today! My sweet friend Christene Houston has published her first novel and I'm so exited to introduce you guys to her and her fabulous book. It's true… Christene is one of my dearest friends, but I kid you not, I would promote this book even if she were a stranger on the street. It's a fabulous fun read for these cold months while we are hibernating in our little nests.

Here is a little more about Christene and her book in her own words…

It’s one of those rare Vegas days when the rain is falling and everything feels cozy and warm inside. A fire is going in the fireplace, logs crackling, flames snapping, and I’m doing one of my favorite cold day things. I’m curled up with a book, enjoying the feeling of being cocooned away from the wintery blast. Do you love reading like I do? When we knew we would be losing Heather to Nebraska, we did what any good friends would do. We stockpiled our favorite books for such a cherished friend and sent her into negative degree weather knowing she could cuddle up with some warm Vegas love whenever she liked. Heather and I are big fans of this lovely pastime, though we enjoy different paths in both our general taste and methods of consumption. I’m a hands on, leafing-through-the-pages kind of girl, while Heather enjoys all mediums, with a special affection for audiobooks. Heather often reaches for gritty, true to life books while my feet are most often planted in the blossoms of romantic fiction. It’s no big shock that when I decided to follow my passion for writing, it took me in just that direction. After an incredible journey, my debut novel, A Heart So Broken, is finally on cyber-shelves nationwide, available through both Amazon and BN.com. I am so thrilled to see my cover popping up in the most beautiful places!

A Heart So Broken is the story of 17-year-old Jenna Tucker who suddenly loses her father during his service in Iraq. Without his stabilizing influence, Jenna’s world tips out of control. She soon finds herself exiled to tiny West Junction for the summer, holding fast to her misery despite the tender care of her Aunt Lilly. When a vivid dream revives her spirits, Jenna is surprised to find handsome Cooper Turnage at every turn. The electric attraction between them is undeniable, but Cooper harbors a secret that will reopen tender wounds and force Jenna to decide between the comfort of bitterness and a chance to heal at last a heart so broken.

WhipperBerry is giving away a signed copy of A Heart So Broken to one fabulous reader and three digital copies of the book to three more readers!! The reviews have been stunning, and I can’t wait to add yours to the list. Follow the direction in the Rafflecopter box below to enter the giveaway…

A Heart So Broken Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you can’t wait for your copy to arrive, get A Heart So Broken today at Christenehouston.com in all e-book formats. Light your favorite candle, tuck your toes under that fleecy blanket and let the snow fall while you spend the summer with Jenna Tucker. I hope you enjoy her adventure as much as I have.

LDS Primary Classroom Signs

35 · Jan 6, 2013 · 28 Comments

LDS Primary Classroom Signs // My friends, I’m back! I had a lovely holiday with my little family and enjoyed just spending some quite time with my kiddos while they were on vacation. We slept in, snuggled, shopped and worked on little projects together. A couple of them I will be sharing here in the next couple of days. First, I’ve had a little request… Saturday night I was sharing some of my projects I was working on for my church assignement on Instagram. A few of my friends asked if I would share some Primary classroom signs that I had created for our new classroom assignments at church here, and I am happy to share! I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons) and our children’s program at church is called Primary. For those of you who are members of the church you will recognize the class names…

How to Use the Door Signs

For our Primary, I printed a set of signs on cardstock and took them to have them laminated. The lamination is the beauty of the sign. You use a dry erase marker to list the teacher and classmembers on the sign. Any changes are super easy to make with just a quick addition with the dry erase marker. I also added some magnets to the back of the sign to easily attach them to our door frames at our building. Ours are metal, so the magnets work like a charm. You will have to check on your own building to see what application process will work the best. Below you will find the files to download for your own Primary…

Printable Primary Door Signs

Click HERE to download the Primary Door Signs

I have also used a great printable from the lovely ladies at Eighteen25… It’s a great Articles of Faith printable punch card to help the kiddos learn their Articles of Faith.

img source // articles of faith punch card from eighteen25

Click on the link above to visit their site and download the punch card. Isn’t it so much fun to help each other out with great ideas? What other fun ideas do you have for your Primary classes this year? Leave a link in the comments so that we can all check them out!