Quote Sunday

"A heart is not measured by how much it loves, but how much it is loved in return." ~ The Wizard of Oz

Silly Saturday

Another funny summer photo that I saw online...

Have a fun weekend!

Joy of the Lord Canvas

The challenge this week over at Frosted Designs is to create a project using punches. I LOVE working with punches, so my crafty mental wheels immediately began turning and here is what I came up with :

I picked up the artist's canvas, which measures 11" x 14", at a discount store for a buck because there was a slight tear in it. I knew that I could use the canvas, even with the tear, so I painted the edges and then covered it with paper so the tear wouldn't show.

I purchased the thick chipboard J*O*Y letters at Hobby Lobby for .99 cents each. I painted the edges of the letters to match the edges of the canvas. I then misted some coordinating paper with brown walnut ink, let it dry, and then traced and cut out the letters J*O*Y from the distressed paper. I adhered the paper to the letters, let them thoroughly dry, and then sanded the edges for a nice finish.

I also attached a different coordinating paper to a chipboard tag and cut out the word "The" from cream cardstock using my Sizzix and the Funky Brush dies. The chipboard letters and tag are attached to the canvas with Liquid Glass from Close to My Heart.

The cool butterfly punches were sent to me by my blogging friend Kimberly, over at Scrap-it-Girl. (Thanks, Kimberly!!) The butterflies shown on the tag were punched out of cream colored chipboard. I painted 2 of the butterflies with a pearl paint and then stamped an image on top of the paint. I distressed the edges with chocolate ink, and then layered the butterflies. To create the butterfly body, I used 3 sizes of mocha colored pearl bling. I used Liquid Glass to attach the butterflies to the tag and canvas.

The other 2 butterflies are punched out of a corrugated Starbucks carry box, which is a great recycling idea by Kimberly! (You're so clever, Kimberly!!)

I embellished these cuties the same way, but they came out with a completely different look due to the corrugated ridges:

I printed the rest of the Bible verse on vellum, tore and inked the edges of the vellum, and attched it to the canvas using Xyron adhesive. (I think running vellum through a Xyron machine is the best way to get a nice, even adhesive coverage).

I layered 3 different kinds of ribbon, (a gold colored wide satin ribbon, a grey-blue colored lace, and a brown velvet zig-zag ribbon), and stapled the ends of the ribbon to the underside of the wooden canvas frame using a staple gun. I used 3-D dots to attach the chipboard clock to the lower right side, and I tied a bow out of gold organza ribbon and attached to the left side; adding a blinged button to the center of the bow.

The flowers, leaves, etc. were made by punching various flower shapes in coordinating colors, adding pearl paint, distressing ink and mocha pearl bling. I'll be sharing my "stiff-dried paper flower" technique tutorial with you in an upcoming post, so be sure to check back to get all of the details!

Thanks for looking! Have a SUPER day!

Recipe of the Week..."Best EVER Chocolate Cake"

The chocolate cake recipe that I'm sharing with you this week is one of my most requested desserts! My mom gave me this recipe many years ago, and my friends and co-workers love it when I bake up one of these deliciously moist cakes to share with them! (The pan is always scraped clean - ha! ha!)

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" cake pan. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla to dry mixture. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Gradually stir in boiling water - batter will be thin - and pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 stick margarine, melted
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup 2% milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coarsly chopped pecans (optional)

Method:
Stir cocoa powder, vanilla and melted margarine together in medium mixing bowl. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk to chocolate mixture, and beat on medium speed. Add more milk if needed to reach a good spreading consistancy. Spread on cooled cake and top with chopped pecans. Store tightly covered.

Enjoy!

A Blog Award for Me!!

My blog bud Stacie sent me this fun award - thanks, Stacie!! Here are the questions that I am required to answer to accept the award:

Q1) Name your favorite color? Buttercream yellow


Q2) Name your favorite song? At the moment...Luke Bryan's "Country Girl" (Shake it for me)


Q3) Name your favorite dessert? Lemon meringue pie  - mmmmmmm!!


Q4) What annoys you at the moment? People who refuse to be accountable for their bad choices


Q5) Your favorite pet? My beagle, Hunter, of course!


Q6) Black or White? Okay...I'm going to assume that this means clothing! I actually like to combine black and white for a crisp, clean, classic look in clothes.


Q7) Your biggest fear? Losing a family member


Q8) Best Feature? Eyes and smile


Q9) Everyday attitude? Usually positive and upbeat...especially now that I'm back to working in a school library - ha! ha!


Q10) What is perfection? God


Q11) Guilty Pleasure? Cute shoes!


Q12) When you're upset you? Talk to Mike and/or my best bud Jamie!


I am passing this award on to the following bloggers:

1.) Ann - November Rose
2.) Andrea F. - Scrapality
3.) Beverly - Scrappin Thread
4.) Tammy - The Stamper's Cottage
5.) Gloria - Scraptabulous Studio

Please be sure to check out these talented ladies' blogs, as well as Stacie's blog - All Things Crafty! I know you'll come away with lots and lots of inspiration from them just like I do!

Wishing you a wonderful day!

A Few Wedding Snapshots to Share...

We had a WONDERFUL time at Megan and J.T.'s wedding and reception on Saturday! The ceremony was beautiful and elegant...complete with a string quartet. Meg and J.T. are such a lovely couple and we wish them a very long and happy life together! We had so much fun dancing and dining at the reception, which was held at the Overholser Mansion in OK City. Here are a few snapshots that we took:

The happy couple, Meg and J.T.:

Mike's sister, Lea Ann  (Meg's mom) and her hubby John (Meg's step-dad):

Mike, Justin and me in the garden at the Overholser Mansion:

Mike's other sister, Sandy and her hubby Don:

Sandy with her son, Ryan, and daughter, Kari:

Sandy's son, Ryan, with his sweet wife Ashley and their adorable kiddos, Ian and Kayle Ann:

 

Justin said that only for his cousin Meg would he wear a suit and tie - ha! ha! Here's a photo of them together at the reception:

Three generations of the "Brown Men"...Justin, Mike and Logan:

Me and Meg:

Meg and J.T. cutting their wedding cake:

The happy couple enjoying their first dance as husband and wife:

Meg and her dad, Mike Cooper, dancing to "Isn't She Lovely":

John twirls Meg around the dance floor:

Thanks for letting me share our family celebration with you! Have a wonderful week!

Blessings,

Quote Sunday

This week's quote is in remembrance of the 10 year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on America:

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, TO ASSURE THE SURVIVAL AND SUCCESS OF LIBERTY." ~ John F. Kennedy

God Bless America!

A Celebration!

Today we are attending the wedding of our beautiful niece, Megan! We are so happy for Meg and her wonderful sweetie, J.T.!! To kick of this lovely day, I thought I'd share a few of their engagement pictures with you:

We are so thrilled that J.T. is joining our family - he is a terrific guy and is so good to Meg!! Thanks for letting me share my excitement with you...I'll share some wedding pics with you in the near future!

Have a blessed day,

Just Bragging a Little...

Submitted Photo: Team effort
Justin (left) and Mike Brown won the father-son competition at the Christian Skeet Shooters Tournament. Mike Brown, the father, was the skeet champion.


On Saturday, August 27th, Mike and Justin competed in a shooting competition where they won several awards. Above is the photo that was published in this week's issue of the Broken Arrow Ledger newspaper. You can click on the following link to check out the entire article:

http://baledger.com/sports/brown-top-shot-for-css/article_01ef8c90-d954-11e0-b58d-001cc4c002e0.html#user-comment-area

Thanks for looking and letting me brag a little bit about my fellas!
Blessings,

There's Blog Candy Over at November Rose!!

My blog pal, Ann, over at November Rose is giving away the fun blog candy shown above. Click HERE for all of the details and to enter by the Sept. 10th deadline! While you're visiting her site, be sure to check out all of her fantastic crafty projects...she is such an inspiration!

Wishing you a blessed day!