Happy Birthday, Mom & Dad!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic day today. I would like to wish our parents a very happy birthday!! Can you believe it? They don't look a day over 45!! (Any younger might look a little suspicious with two 30-year-old sons...)I always thought it was neat that they have the same birthday, just a few years apart. It sure makes it easier to remember birthdays- there are only three we have to remember.
So, in honor of this oh-so-special day, we have a birthday cake to present them. We would have made them a much tastier cake, but the frosting would have made a mess in the box.

Look at all that delicious frosting and the decorations. The stars look like they're 3D. Oh, wait, they are! And the border around the edge- I wish I could get mine to look half that good. Very well-done. Let's slice into it:

Yum! Chocolate cake with a vanilla frosting!

What's this?? the frosting comes off and offers a surprise?? How can you possibly go wrong?! OK, corny, I know. Anyway, continuing with the birthday theme this week, as you can probably tell, it's actually a set of party favors, shaped into a cake.As if you didn't have enough cake at the party, you can take some home with you! How awesome is that?! (And, just so everyone knows, our cake was absolutely delicious. The only problem was that it didn't last nearly long enough)

That's all for today. Thanks for looking, and join us tomorrow for another smashing "Kid-Friendly Friday"! 

Today's Party Trivia:

- After producing more than 15million vehicles, the last Ford Model T was produced 85 years ago.
- Mickey talks! The first cartoon of Mickey Mouse talking was released in 1929.
- Happy “National Macaroon Day”!

A Crafty (Girly) Gift

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far. On the bright side, it's already Wednesday!
Here is today's project:

This is what it looks like from the outside. Doesn't look like much, but can't you tell how much I like making the flowers?! But, you take the top off and this is what's inside:

It's a stationery box. It is slightly taller than a recipe box, but it still holds quite a bit. And it holds everything in quite nicely, so it can be put off to the side and not be a messy eyesore. I based my colors off of the patterned paper- there is a dark green in it, but it's hard to see. The next few pictures are close-ups of what's inside.

The first picture is a sample of what's included. There are five tags (circle) and five notecards (square). The box also holds five greeting cards and envelopes (second picture). It could probably hold a few more of each. Each element is slightly different, either by color or placement. Also included are a small address book and a pocket for your stamps.
This project was actually pretty easy, once I realized that the measurements weren't quite right. No matter how you try, an 8" piece can't go into a 6" box..I'm really excited with how this came out and I have so many other ideas for it!!
Thanks for looking!

To day's Party Trivia:
- Big Ben rang for the first time in 1859.
- The first "Decoration Day" (another precursor to Memorial Day) was observed in 1868.
- A stampede on New York's Brooklyn Bridge caused the death of twelve people. The reason for the stampede?? Someone started a rumor that the bridge was going to collapse.
- The first Indy-500 was held in 1911. (500 miles- talk about long and circuitous...)

An Array of Cards

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend and were able to go outside and enjoy yourselves. We had a nice, enjoyable weekend- not too hot, sun shining, some crafting- can't complain!
Have you ever wondered what kind of card to get (or make) someone, but you come up blank?? That actually happens to us a lot more than we lead on. So where do you find your inspiration? I tend to find mine in greeting card sayings. I look at all of those cute stamps floating around and wonder how I can use them to make a card. So, that's what I've done. Today's post is an array of birthday cards. We have one for everyone- young and old! (There are quite a few pictures...) I'll keep the pictures small, but you can click on them to view a larger picture.
Here are the four cards. The neat thing about these cards is the fact that they are all recessed, which gives you more room to be creative! (That also means that they're pretty bulky, so they don't do well in the mail...) The top two cards are the "adult" cards, more or less. The bottom two are the "kids" cards, but the pink one can really be for any age, though. The rocket, not so much.
(The first picture will be a direct picture of the front of the card. The second picture is a side view, so you can see the layers and details.)

 I'll show you the male cards first. This is the older male card. It was actually the first one I did, which is why there's not as much detail to it. You might be wondering why there is a lawn mower on a birthday card. Well, there are two reasons, actually. First, the inside of the card reads, "And many mower"...get it?? I thought it was pretty funny. And when I have to make a card for a guy, my train of thought is usually towards our dad, who (I think??) enjoys mowing the lawn. It's too bad we made him a card already...This would also be perfect for a Father's Day card in a few months.

 

 The next card is the "young boy" card. This was the last card I made, and it might actually be my favorite. Shocking, huh?? I think it is perfect for a little boy- what little boy doesn't want to go into space?? The details are somewhat cartoonish, which makes it playful. The clouds are also embossed to make them look whispy and whimsical. The inside of the card says, "I hope your birthday is a blast!"

The next card is a card for the "mature woman". ;) It has an island theme to it, which would be perfect for a summer birthday. The little lady is all ready for a luau, with her coconut bra, grass skirt, and drink, of course! The wave are rolling by, all sparkly in the sun. The inside of this card says, "May your coconuts never hang lower than your grass skirt!" What a nice way to tell a friend they're getting older...

 And finally, the younger girl's card. Like I said before, this card can really be for any age. What little girl doesn't like pink? Or big girl, for that matter!!  It is the most elegant of the group. The flower is handmade, and with a little glitter, because you can't have a birthday without sparkles! The little bow serves as the topper for the cake. The inside of this one says, "May wonderful things come your way today, and always." I am also entering this card into Cooking with the Cricut's "Pink-a-licious" challenge this week- I couldn't not enter a challenge that was all about pink!!

Thanks for looking through all of that today! We appreciate it immensely! Come back tomorrow for another project that's slightly out-of-the-box!

Today's Party Trivia:
- Rhode Island is 222 years old today. It became the 13th state in 1790.
- Wisconsin is slightly younger, becoming a state 164 years ago, in 1848.
- In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay completed their journey to the summit of Mount Everest. They were the first to do so. (And now they have "traffic jams" there...)

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day weekend so far, and took some time out to honor the men and women who serve and protect us. A big "thank you" to our brother, who served the country for five years.
In keeping with the birthday theme, today's project also incorporates the holiday. (A card like would be nice for someone in the military, or when your family has two birthdays that can fall on the holiday.)

The second picture is a side view of the card. As you can (hopefully) tell, the star is 3D. It reminds me of the metal stars you see around. The banner also pops out and has a simple greeting on it. As for the rhinestones, without them, it can easily be for a guy's birthday. It's a rather simple card, but it works.
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the long weekend!


Today's Party Trivia:
- John Muir organized the Sierra Club in 1892. This club has been responsible for establishing and protecting many of our National Parks.
- The first set of quintuplets to survive were born in 1934. (And you thought twins were bad...)
- Noah Webster, of dictionary fame, died today at the age of  85.

You're Invited!

Welcome to another Sunday, which means it's time for another theme! In keeping with the fact that the next week is full of birthdays in our family, we are sticking to the birthday theme. However, this week is geared more towards "everyday" birthdays. (Meaning no more Wonderland- can't wait to have some cake tonight, though!!)
Anyway, getting on with this week's projects. Today's post is an invitation. It's mighty spiffy, in my opinion ;). It's one we haven't done yet. Here it is:

From the outside, it doesn't look like much. But, when you slide it out...

The cake pops up! How cool is that?! On this card, the invitation is written on the background paper. The slider ends at the top, so you can read all of the information. And the birthday cake itself is 3D, which you can see in the third picture. (FYI- "Riley Johnson" is the name I've decided to use for my invitations. It is not a "real name" and I do not know anyone with that name.)

This type of card doesn't have to be just for invitations. I plan on doing more of these in the future. They're relatively easy to do, once you figure all of the measurements and placements out.
Thanks for looking and join us the rest of the week for some more birthday ideas. This week's projects are more like birthday gifts, rather than decorations, like last week's.


Today’s Party Trivia:
- New York City's Chrysler Building opened to the public in 1930. It was the largest man-made structure at the time, standing 1,046 feet tall.
- The Three Little Pigs was released in 1933.
- The Golden Gate Bridge opened to pedestrians in 1937.

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A Sweet Treat

A bonus post! Not something we're used to, huh?! Anyway, after discovering the explosion box, we decided to take the idea and run with it. There are so many different things you can do with this idea. We have another birthday coming up and decided to make a sweet shop as a gift. This post is kind of picture-heavy, but that's because there is just so many layers and parts to it. Here is the outside of the shop:

The door is open- come on in! The sign is greeting customers, and says "The door is always open"! How great would that be, to have a bakery always open?! And then there is the cupcake border around the edges, with the frosting holding everything together! The next two pictures are the sides of the shoppe.

The first picture shows all of the goodies in the windows- all of the cupcakes, because who doesn't like cupcakes for their birthday?? And what's this?? A birthday cake?? With a candle? Let's take a closer look...Pop the top and:

This is the inside of the shot of the sweet shoppe. As you can tell, the shelves are filled with all types of little treats and the cake in the middle is just the icing on top! How sweet is that! As the other picture showed, the cake lights up, so the Birthday Girl can make a wish. (It's also the cleanest way to send a cake across the country) I don't know if you can tell, but there are also little purple curtain in the window, made from fabric.
I think that covers all of the little details. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope the Birthday Girl enjoys it, too! Thanks for looking and join us later today for another project!

We have entered this project into the Bitten by the Bug 2 Bakery Challenge.

Cupcake Saturday

Well, it's a little more than a cupcake. It's a whole cake today! What kind of Alice in wonderland birthday party wouldn't have a cake?! And since our birthday is tomorrow, we needed a cake anyway. So here it is, our Un-Birthday cake. (I have to say, it's probably the most elaborate cake we've ever had for our birthday. OK, it IS the most elaborate.) I think it looks pretty good for being amateurs. So glad we figured out the best ways to use our Cricut Cake machine. (Remember our carrot cupcakes? The carrots didn't look so hot...)
Can't wait for all of the possibilities for Cupcake Saturday!

I think we got everything or part of everyone in. Well, we had planned to. Cheshire Cat and White Rabbit didn't make it. There was a lot less room than we thought there would be! Which is a good thing, because it means less cake to eat. We made the top layer Alice's dress and bow, both of which came out pretty well, I think. And before I forget, I bet you're wondering what kind of cake it is. It's a White Chocolate Strawberry cake: white chocolate cake, strawberry filling, and white chocolate butter cream frosting. I hope it lasts until tomorrow!


It's been a wonderful week in Wonderland. We hope you had as much fun as we did!

I also decided to (try) to enter this into a challenge at Bitten by the Bug 2. I know it's a little outside of the box for a challenge, but I figured that since it was made in the kitchen, using the Cricut Cake, that it was worth a shot!

Today’s Party Trivia:
- The first witch hanging took place today in 1647, in Hartford, Connecticut.
- In 1783, the town of North Stratford (now Trumbull) celebrated "A Great Jubilee Day". It was held to celebrate the end of fighting in the Revolutionary War. It is considered a precursor to today's Memorial Day celebrations. (How cool is that?!)
- Bram Stoker's Dracula was first published today in 1897.

Kid-Friendly Friday: Wonderland-Style

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all had a great week and will be able to enjoy the weekend. Here's a quick craft to keep those little hands busy while mom enjoys some "me" time.

Materials:
Paper plate
Pencil
Markers, crayons, or colored pencils (black, pink, purple)
Scissors
Tape
Small dowel or popsicle stick

What To Do:
Step One:
Using your pencil, draw an outline of the Cheshire Cat's smile and nose. I chose to use a paper plate for this project because it is much easier to follow the rounded lines of the plate. (I'm no free-hand artist. I use any help I can get, even if it is from a paper plate!) I outlined mine with black marker so it would be easier to see. Feel free to do the same.

 Step Two:
Color him in! I used pink marker for the area around his mouth, and purple for his nose. Make sure to add those teeth in! He definitely needs a big toothy grin.

Step Three:
Time to cut him out. Cut along the outside lines, making sure not to cut his nose off!

Step Four:
On the back, attach the popsicle stick or dowel. I find tape is easier, quicker, and neater, but I'm sure you could use glue.

Step Five:
Enjoy your new smile! You can make him appear and disappear anywhere!

I couldn't help but smile behind it, even though I know you can't see it!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to stop by tomorrow for some Alice-themed cupcakes! Can't wait to share them with you!


Today's Party Trivia
- Jesse Owens broke three track and field world records as a college student at Ohio State.
- Oprah's last showed aired last year. 9Such a sad day...)
- Happy National Tap Dance Day! (Get those jazz hands out!)

What an Idea. What a Mad, Crazy, Wonderful Idea.

Welcome to another day in Wonderland! We only have a few more days left on this journey, so we’ve made a project to remember it. OK, so, we made a scrapbook layout featuring all of our favorite characters.

This is an 8”x8” double layout. Alice is standing in the corner, looking for her next adventure. Maybe she’ll meet the White Rabbit down the hole again. The Mad Hatter’s, well, hat, appears out of nowhere, up in the corner. And who knows which way to really go in Wonderland?? Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction. Right?! One of our favorite parts is the sparkly flower in the corner. It reminds me of Alice’s dress. And it has such fun leaves on it, too. 

The picture above includes 'close-ups' of most of the images on the page.

Thanks for looking and join us tomorrow for another kid-friendly project. Bring your smiles!!

Today's Party Trivia:
- Alice may have had a White Rabbit, but Mary Had a Little Lamb was first published today in 1830
- After 14 years of construction, the Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883
- Igor Sikorsky (who would have celebrated his birthday tomorrow) performed the first successful flight of a single rotor helicopter.