Crafts

My favorite Finds from CHA 2012

0 · Feb 7, 2012 · 4 Comments

I am officially ruined! This year was my first venture to CHA {the Craft & Hobby Association} tradeshow in Anaheim, CA… Boy was I smitten. Now, I've been to many different types of trade shows, some that were more interesting than others. When I walked into CHA I felt that I had found my place in this world. This was the trade show that spoke my language… The language of creativity! I wish I could share everything but here are a couple goodies that are up and coming…

Lifestyle Crafts

Start saving your pennies, Lifestyle crafts has all kinds of fun goodies that they are getting ready to release. The Evolution is the follow-up to the ever popular Epic tool and I can't wait until they release that later this spring.

Along with the new Evolution Lifestyle Crafts is releasing a new magnetic cutting tool with an improved cutting mat. I can't even decide which one I am most excited for… The magnetic board is genius and I can't wait to give it a go. We won't have to worry about our dies slipping anymore and wasting paper with a partially cut image! The new cutting mat is stronger and thicker so no more warping when you run it through the machine, YAY!! And I'm super excited for the new EVOLUTION!!

Lion Brand Yarn

I have many craft obsessions one of them being with yarn. I love to crochet, I haven't done much on WhipperBerry, but it is one of my favorite hobbies. I also love to use yarn when I craft, I love the colors and textures and how just a piece of yarn can had such dimension to a project. I also tend to hoard yarn like crazy. My favorite new line of yarn comes from the ever popular Martha Stewart via Lion Brand Yarn…

Silhouette

Silhouette is always a fan favorite and at CHA it was no different. They had people lining up down the eisles to have a crack at dolling up their very own Silhouette bag with the heat transfer material. Everyone loved it!

I can't wait until they release their new 12×24 cutting mat sometime this spring. I promise you guys will be the first to know when that little goodie is up for grabs!

Now I'm left full of anticipation waiting for the release of all these fun goodies. I go to the craft store now and I can't help but get excited about all of the fun items that are getting ready to hit the store shelves!!

Playtime

Now CHA is not all business. It's a great time to get together with great friends and spend some much needed time together. To start off the weekend we headed to Disneyland with a small group and had a MAGICAL time! We were celebrating Tauni's birthday…

From left to right, Mique from 30 Handmade Days, Steph from Somewhat Simple, Jen from Tatertots & Jell-o, Marie from Make & Takes, Kami from No Biggie, Heather from Dollar Store Crafts, Lara from Less Cake More Frosting, ME & Tauni from the Snap Conference!

We had a ball getting reacquainted over a handful of dinners and parties…

Beckie from Infarrantly Creative, Linda from Craftaholics Anonymous, Steph from Somewhat Simple, Yes, I'm the dork with the closed eyes, Kristyn from Lil' Luna and Jamielyn from I Heart Naptime.

We had fun getting to know crafting celebrities. Kristyn and I had the chance to meet Vanna White from Wheel of Fortune. She has her own line of yarn through Lion Brand and We had a ball at the Plaid booth with Cathie and Steve from Creative Juice on HGTV. They have a new line of craft products coming out soon!

Yours truly, Kristyn Lil' Luna, Cathie, Steve, Heidi from Sew Craft Create, Jamielyn from I Heart Naptime & Linda from Craftaholics Anonymous.

And of course if you are spending anytime with Lara from Less Cake More Frosting… We have to do a little more Disney shopping and goofing around…

It's a MUST!! All in all, I had a ball at CHA and can't wait to go again next year!!

What's up today…

I'm over at the International Delights Coffee Talk Community chatting about Pinterest and our kiddos! Come on over and weight in on the discussion…

We have all kinds of fun discussions over at the WhipperCafe…
- Ellie from Vanilla Bean Girls is chatting about Quick Fix Dinner Ideas
- Robyn is chatting about pregnancy… To Find Out or Not to Find Out.
- Tracie from Cleverly Inspired is chatting about… Photo Tips for Pets and Kiddos.

Don't Forget to enter our HeartGram giveaway this week!!

That's just to name a few, hop on over to the WhipperCafe to see all of the fun chats that are happening. We would LOVE to hear what you think!

HeartGrams | Giveaway

0 · Feb 6, 2012 · 39 Comments

Several times a week I am contacted by people who would like to host a giveaway on WhipperBerry and I have to be pretty selective as to who I chose to partner-up with to present to my favorite people… YOU GUYS!! I was thrilled when the lovely ladies from Love Feast Table contacted me to host a giveaway for their HeartGrams!

What a FUN gift to give YOUR favorite people in your life for Valentines day! These beautiful heart shaped velvet plush pumpkins, or HeartGrams as they are called are a stunning addition to any Valentine display. It's a perfect gift to send to Moms, Sisters, Grandmothers, friends and sweethearts! Let's face it Valentine's Day is a perfect day to share our love with all the amazing people we have in our lives, not just our sweethearts.

Each HeartGram is lovingly created with great attention to detail. The unique addition of the one-of-a-kind pumpkin stem is what gives every HeartGram it's distinctive style. The HeartGrams are packaged in a simple Kraft paper gift box with a fun postcard to personalize the gift for your loved ones…

Chris Ann and Kristin from Love Feast Table have been super generious and have offered one lucky reader a set of two beautiful HeartGrams for you to share with a loved one or keep for yourself!

BUT… don't wait to long to order yours!! The last day to place your order to send to someone you love is on February 9th if you want them to arrive by February 14th!!

Here is what you need to do to enter the giveaway…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, but don't wait too long to order a set for yourself and for a loved one. You're going to LOVE them!!

Friday Flair Features

1 · Feb 5, 2012 · 6 Comments

Wowza… Can I just say there are some aaaamazingly talented people out there. You guys have blown me away again this week during our Friday flair. Some many amazing projects to share… here are just a few that caught my eye.

Lace cookies from Sweet Sugarbelle

Brownie Bites from A Pumpkin and A Princess and Valentine goodie boxes from Papervine

Upscaled dish towel from Flamingo Toes and Valentine Countdown from Makoodle

Love Potion no. 9 from the Idea Room and Valentine Light Bulb from Saleena Marie

DIY Succulent Garden from Jessica N Designs and No Bake Berry Oreo Cheesecake from Lil' Luna

Vacation Memory Jar from Echoes of Laughter and Origami Hearts from Moments with the Montano's

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos from Crumbs and Chaos and Healthy Super Bowl Recipes from Whole New Mom

Fabric Letters from Little Things Bring Smiles and Popcorn Cupcakes from Live Laugh Rowe

White Hot Chocolate from The Seven Year Cottage and Love Potion Floats from Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats

Aqua and Red Bedroom makeover from Angry Julie

Turkey Meatball Subs and Rosemary Turkey Quesadilla from Made Famous By

Valentine Cupcakes from A Little Inspiration and Chocolate Caramel Sandwich Cookies from Beurrista

Matchbox Valentine from Pure Joy Events

I have some fun stuff set for this week, starting with a great giveaway on Monday from The Love Feast Table Shop. Make sure you come back tomorrow to see their fabulous Valentine goodies! Also, a big congrats goes to Nancy B. who won the Downeast Basics giveaway out of 1195 entries!!

Make sure to stop by WhipperCafe this week… We have all kinds of fun chats going on.

Friday Flair | Link Party

0 · Feb 2, 2012 · 38 Comments

Hey guys… Happy {almost} Friday!! I have to admit it's my favorite day of the week. I get to sit back, grab a cup of Choffy and enjoy what you guys have been creating. I had so much fun with some amazing people at CHA last weekend and plan to give a wrap-up of that next week. It's always so much fun getting together with friends who share the same passion.

Right now I'm gearing up to start a bit of a home makeover and I'm finding more and more of my time is spent on Pinterest looking for ideas. Here is a fun one that I would LOVE to create in my home, but I don't have a great wall that it would work on unfortunately. I love the barn door look and it would be soooo fun to incorporate into a house someday…

I found this on Pinterest via My Home Ideas. I love the combination of the old vintage door coupled with the chalkboard wall. What a whimsical way to add some character to your home.

As for last weeks Friday Flair I will post the features this Saturday with the features for this week on Sunday. Sorry to have to piggy back like that.

Now it's Time to Party!!

Vanilla Bean Heart Doughnuts | Recipe

0 · Feb 2, 2012 · 18 Comments

Ahhhhh… can you feel it? Love is in the air. As promised I have the recipe for the Vanilla Bean Heart Doughnuts that I featured last week with our Gift Gloss post. These little gems are perfect for any Valentine goodie or gathering. Don't worry, you don't have to make them heart shaped. Any good donut baking pan will do.

I found my heart doughnut pan at Target if you want to make the heart shaped variety or you can find a good ole' round doughnut pan large or small at your local baking store or online. Here is the recipe that I used.

Vanilla Bean Doughnuts

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean

2 eggs slightly beaten

3 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spry pan with non-stick cooking spray

In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add buttermilk, vanilla, eggs and butter. Cut the vanilla bean length wise and using a knife scrape out the vanilla seeds and add to the mixture. Mix just until combined. Fill each doughnut cup 1/2 full and bake accordingly.

large doughnut pan or heart shaped pan 10-12 minutes

mini doughnut pan 4-6 minutes

The top will only slightly brown and the doughnut will spring back when touched. Let doughnuts cool in pan for a few minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Now my little secret is… I dip the doughnuts in melted chocolate to create that lovely glazed look. The funny thing is I now prefer my doughnuts with a chocolate topping! I used the red colored candy melts along with some white jimmies from Sweet baking & candy making supply. I prepared the chocolate according to package directions and then added a tablespoon of canola oil to the chocolate to thin it out a bit. You'll have to check the consistency of the chocolate and may need to add a little more. Just start slow until you get your desired consistency. Don't worry, the chocolate will still set-up with the oil. Carefully dip the doughnuts into the chocolate and then sprinkle the top with the jimmies. Put doughnuts into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes until the chocolate sets-up. The lovely thing about the chocolate is that it makes it super easy to package your goodies without making a huge mess and they taste aaaaaamazing!!