crafty weekend: gift tags and note cards

Did lots of crafting this weekend. I made gift tags, book plates and some note cards printed on my gocco printer. So much fun! Except for the BBQ invitation I'll be adding these into my etsy shop.


1. holiday gift tags, 2. holiday gift tags, 3. holiday gift tags, 4. BBQ invitation, 5. little drummer boy holiday card, 6. book plate, 7. flourish gift tag, 8. vintage skates gift tag, 9. mitten gift tag

we've been boo'd

we've been boo'd
Originally uploaded by purlyshells

Look what we found on our doorstep tonight -- halloween goodie bags! Every year at this time we get "boo'd" and find a treat on our doorstep. They didn't sign their name but we're pretty sure who it's from. We have some friends who are really into the spirit.

What fun, here's what the note says:

You've Been Boo'd

The air is cool, the season is fall
soon boo's will come to all

The treat that came with this special note
is yours to keep, enjoy them both.

The fun comes with friends like you.
Now copy this and make it two.

Then others here among our friends,
will give warm fuzzies that will never end.

We'll all have smiles upon our face,
No one will know who Boo'd each place.

Just one short day to work your fun,
Or a big ZAP will strike so run!

And don't forget a nifty treat,
Like something cute or something sweet.

Please join the fun, let's really wear it,
And spread some BOO'S and lots of spirit.

chocolate "cup" cake

I stumbled across this recipe for a chocolate cake you can make in 5 minutes, in the microwave:
http://www.dizzy-dee.com/recipe/chocolate-cake-in-5-minutes

I told my pregnant friends all about it. If they were overcome with a chocolate-pregnancy-craving this would be the perfect fix. It wasn't overly sweet, perfect for 2 people (or one hungry person with a baby in their belly), and it only took a little over 2 minutes in my microwave.

I made some minor changes to the original recipe after reading everyone's feedback on dizzy-dee's blog post. It turned out awesome! My kids thought it was so cool that we made it in the microwave. Here's my version (but make sure you check out the original recipe!):

Ingredients:

2 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp all-purpose flour
4 tbsp sugar (trust me, it wasn't too sweet even though this sounds like a lot of sugar)
2 tbsp cocoa (baking cocoa, not hot chocolate mix)
1 tsp baking powder
handful of chocolate chips (optional)
1 small egg
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:
1. In an over-sized mug, mix all dry ingredients
2. Add egg, milk, and olive oil. Mix well.
4. Place mug in the microwave. Cook for 2 to 2.5 minutes on high.

On the original recipe she says cook for 3 minutes on high, on an 1000 watt microwave. I have a 1500 watt microwave. My cake started rising after 2 minutes, then I let it go for another 30 seconds for a total of 2.5 minutes. When it started to rise I had to do the cooking-oatmeal-in-the-microwave-thing. What, you don't know what I'm talking about? That's where you stop and start the microwave so the oatmeal doesn't overflow in the bowl!

I've been Tagged: 6 Secrets About Myself

I belong to a group called Etsy Bloggers and was tagged by Girl with a... to talk about 6 secrets about myself. I'm afraid I don't have any juicy, tabloid secrets to share but here goes!

1. I'm addicted to my "i-Things"
I have almost 30 gigs of music on my iPod. And in my free time, if I'm not listening to music on my iPod, I'm checking email or surfing the web on my iPhone.

2. I'm terribly shy
People that know me would probably be surprised to hear that because I really work hard to seem confident and outgoing. In reality, I often feel very self-conscious and awkward around people. My husband on the other hand, is very comfortable around people. He can strike up a conversation with ease, with anyone in almost any situation. I wish it came that easy for me.

3. I love paper
I used to have a stationery collection when I was in elementary school, and I've always collected books. I have some really nice leather-bound copies from my favorite authors such as Charles Dickens, Somerset Maugham, Robert Frost, and Edgar Allen Poe.

4. I'm a design geek
I love good design. My favorite thing to do lately is look at beautiful fabric, typography, stationary, or illustrations in my flickr stream or in my fellow EtsyBloggers shops :)

5. I think I'm too nice sometimes
I often do things even if i really don't have the time or don't want to, because I don't want to disappoint or hurt anyone's feelings. Sometimes I find I end up taking on too much. I am learning to push back and take on only what I'm really able to do. I think trying to find a good life balance is important.

6. I love 80s music
Maybe I'm just being nostalgic over the songs I grew up with, who knows, but I love the music from that era all the way from New Edition to The Cure. Speaking of which, the 50 First Dates soundtrack has some cool 80s covers! One of the cover songs is a remake of "Friday, I'm in Love" -- one of my favorite songs from The Cure.

Now here's who I tag (I hope I did this right)!
Tilt Creations
JT Stitches
Down the Street Creations
The Spotted Sparrow
Curly Monkey