Pumpkin Torte ~ Yum-o!

Hi everyone!   As most of you know, my family and I celebrated Thanksgiving early ~ this past Saturday.   Yay, everything turned out well and there were no catastrophes in the kitchen!   🙂

Since we had our meal early, I was able to take a photo of my family’s (and guests’)  favorite Thanksgiving dessert.    I’ve actually been making this for over 30 YEARS — yep, I’m old!   hehehe   This goes way back to when I only needed to bring a dessert along to our family Thanksgiving gatherings … not prepare the entire meal!

It seriously is always a hit.  I’ve given the recipe out to just about everyone who has tried it.   Soooo, I wanted to share this with you.

I guarantee you and your guests will love it!!

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 Pumpkin Torte

  Crust:

1 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs, ½ cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ½ cup butter ~ melted

Preheat oven to 350.    Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar & cinnamon together.  Add butter, mix well and pat into a 9×12 pan – I use a small measuring cup to press it into the corners.  Set to side.

 First Layer:

2 large eggs, ¾ cup sugar,  2 pkgs. 8 oz cream cheese at room temp

 Beat cream cheese until smooth.   Add eggs and sugar and mix until fluffy.   Put on top of crust and bake for 20 minutes.    Let cool.

 Second Layer:

1 lb. pumpkin (2 cups), 3 large egg yolks, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup milk, ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. cinnamon

Mix and cook pumpkin, egg yolks, sugar, milk, salt & cinnamon in a small pan over medium heat until thick and bubbling – about 5 minutes – stirring constantly.   Remove from heat.

1 envelope unflavored gelatin, ¼ cup cold water

In a small bowl, dissolve gelatin in water.   Add gelatin mixture to pumpkin mixture.   Mix well and let cool.

3 large egg whites, ¼ cup sugar

 Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff.  Fold into cooled pumpkin mixture.  Pour into baked crust.  Let set in refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight. 

 Topping:

1 pint heavy cream (2 cups), 6 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, Pumpkin Pie spice

 Whip cream until soft peaks form, add sugar and vanilla.  Top Torte with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice on top.

Try it  ~  you’ll love it!   🙂

Bad hair day!! :)

 

heehee!    Don’t ya love it!?    This is my granddaughter Quinn (born in July).    She has this tuft of “baby” hair that refuses to lie flat – but is totally adorable!   

I FINALLY finished my projects for the next Magnolia Ink magazine — sorry, no new cardz to share today.   Taking a minute to catch my breath and clean up my work area!       But, I wanted to share these adorable photos.   

Here’s another which is an excellent reference for coloring rosy cheeks!     (Just a proud grandma here!)

 

Be back soon with a new card! 

EXTRA Special New Image!!

 

Have you heard the news????!!    

My gorgeous grandaughter, Anna, is now a stamp!    😀   

Yep!   Awhile ago I made a card for Anna (here) and Crissy Armstrong fell in love with her photo!    She took the photo and turned it into a brand new Halloween image for Whimsy Stamps!!    How cool is that??    

Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled to see this ADORABLE image, now available as a digi stamp over at Whimsy!!    I HIGHLY recommend your purchase of this cutie!     (Noo, I’m not biased at all!)   

 

I guarantee you will be seeing a card using this adorable new image VERY soon!   

If anyone does purchase the stamp and make a card … I’d LOVE to see it – PLEASE be sure to send me a link!

 

It’s a GIRL!! :)

Born this morning at 4:28 AM!  

 The beautiful and healthy ~ Quinn Violet!   

(my 7th grandchild!!)   

 

 

 

photo by Transitions Photography

 

Little sis to Hailee & Jordynn . . .

 

photo by Transitions Photography

 

 

who love wearing their cute monkey boots!  

 

photo by Transitions Photography

 

Yay!     🙂

Some Birdy Loves Anna!

 

The minute I saw this gorgeous image, New Friends, illustrated by Elisabeth Bell for Susana’s Custom Art & Card Design, I immediately thought it looked just like my five-year old granddaughter, Anna!    

Here are a couple of quick photos of Anna to show you.    This is one of my favorites from her recent dress-up tea/birthday party  . . .

 

 

and another at the beach, showing a side view just like the Elisabeth Bell image ~ Seriously!  I can’t believe how much they look alike . . .  maybe it’s the cute little noses!    🙂

 

 

Here’s the full card, featuring my Anna!  

 

 

Hopefully, by the time this card is posted here,  it will be on it’s way to her in sunny Florida, letting Anna know how much grandma misses her!!!   

I really had fun with this one – the dp, which I love, is from October Afternoon.  I used Martha Stewart punches for the grass and the “birds on a wire”.   The sentiment is from Impression Obsession.  

Thanks for stopping by today and putting up with my gushing about another of my beautiful grandkids!!  

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Copics Used:   B000, 52; BG01, 72; R17, 20, 30; YR14;  E000, 00, 01, 11, 30, 31, 35, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 47, 50, 51, 53;  W0, 1, 3

A Gorjuss Girl Amore!

 

So, this card is another try at the Sugarbowl Challenge!   Nope, didn’t win last time.  😦    But, maybe this time!    I’ll keep trying.    The challenge is to follow this awesome Sketch and to include some distressing.

 

I flipped the Sketch for my card  …

 

The DP is from the Basic Grey Sugar Rush collection, now in stock at 7 Kids College Fund.   I used Smooch paint in the color pumpkin to highlight the tiny hearts on her dress & boots and the one in her hair.   My distressing is done with Tim Holtz Distress ink in fired brick ~ I also used the Spellbinders Mega Nestabilites Large Deckled Rectangles for the background shape of the main image.

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Speaking of Gojuss Girls, it was my twin granddaughters, Hailee & Jordynn’s seventh birthday this past weekend.   Since they LOVE the American Girl dolls, they spent the day at the American Girl Place in Chicago.   I had to share these pictures of their trip! 

Imagine the reactions of people seeing these two little cuties walking down Michigan Avenue (the Magic Mile) in downtown Chicago with their dolls and shopping bags!   🙂

 

 

 

 

Thanks for popping in today – Hope you’re having a great weekend!

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Copics Used:   RV09, 19;  R000, 20, 30, 35;  E000, 00, 01, 11;  YR12, 14, 18; W0, 1, 3; C7, 10; T1, 3, 5

Christmas Peace

 

I’ve really been neglecting my poor Magnolias lately ~ Tis the season for TOOOO many tasks to be done!   So, I decided to join in the Just Magnolia challenge for this month which is to make a card for someone special.

This adorable Magnolia image is Dalecarlia Coat Tilda. I love the floral design on her coat, and thought it would look nice highlighted with gold embossing powder.

 

 

 I tried to keep my Tilda card a bit more simple to highlight the gold embossing and the rich colors of the DP by K&Company. I did add some gold corduroy foil paper and gold glitter brads. Tilda has been colored with Copics, cut out and popped up with dimensionals. Her Dalecarlia Coat was paper pieced with matching DP from K&Co.

If you’re interested to learn a little about the Dalecarlia style from Sweden, I found this article that provides some information.

We’re in the middle of a HUGE snowstorm here in Wisconsin! My daughter sent me some photos of my cutie pie twin granddaughters playing in the snow this morning and thought I would share a few with you!    (Kinda cute that Jordynn is tilting her head just like Tilda above!  lol)

 

Cool Snow Fort!

Hailee

  

 

Jordynn

LOTS of snow!!

 

Thanks for visiting today. Hope you’re enjoying this Holiday Season and staying warm and dry! 🙂

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Copics Used: R11, 20, 30, 39, 59, 81, 89; BG15, 18, 78; G12, 21, 24; E000, 00, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 30, 31, 34, 40, 42; W1, 3, 4

Blog Candy Winner

 

I want to thank each and every one of you for the very kind words, thoughts and prayers offered for my family and I during the last week.  It truly has meant the world to me to have such wonderful friends.  

My Mother in law, who had been suffering from cancer, passed away yesterday.  Her husband of over 60 years died on November 10th of last year – so it helps a lot to know that they are together once again.

I finally have a minute to post the winner for my recent blog candy.   I’m VERY sorry this is so late.

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 26 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

No. 26 is Danni!!

I’ve always wanted love birds…that stamp might be the only way I get them..LOL! Such a wonderful card, as always!!
Hugs!

Congrats Danni ~ please email me your mailing address and I will get your package out to you asap.

Thanks again to everyone for “hanging in there” with me through this. You guys are the best!!    

Hugz ~ Mary

Tooth Fairy Box(es)!

It’s my turn for an Instyle Stamps Method Monday.   Today I will be making Tooth Fairy Boxes for my granddaughters using Ava, an ISS digital anime image.  

I’ve used a metal tin for the Tooth Fairy Box:

My first step is to trace the cover of the tin onto some heavy card stock to make a template for the top of the boxes:

 

Then I used this circle template to trace onto my DP.  I also used a marker to color around the edges of my cut circle and glued this to the top of the box:

 I then cut a thin strip of DP for the sides of the bottom, again colored the cut edges with my marker, and adhered it with some double-sided sticky tape:

I wanted the inside to be a little sparkly and special for the girls, so I traced the bottom of my box to make another template:

Using some poly foam in a one-inch width,  (found in the section of the craft store with products used to stuff pillows, etc.)   I used this template to cut out a circle of foam:

And, for the sparkle, I cut a circle, slightly larger than my foam piece, from some white felt with glitter on it:

 

 I applied some double-sided sticky tape to the inside bottom of my tin, gathered the felt material around the foam piece and pressed it down.    You now have a sparkly, secure “pillow” for a tooth!:

And, finally, the fun part ~ Decorate your Tooth Fairy box as you wish, color and cut-out Ava and attach her to the top!     Here’s the finished box:

Of course, since my granddaughters are twins, the boxes needed to be the SAME except for the colors!  Hailee’s favorite color is Pink and Joydynn’s is Purple!   🙂

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Copics Used:   R11, 81, 83; RV000; BV00, 02; V000, 12, 91; E000, 50, 51, 53; YR00; B00, 23, 24, 29

Design Paper:  rouge de Garance – Fly Fairy Fly & Wish Come True.

The day after …

We had a few friends and family over to celebrate the 4th yesterday, and I thought I would share a photo of a cake I made!    (rather Martha Stewart-like!)   

 

 

And, here’s a picture of what was left the next day!!    🙂

 

 

Drat!   I like leftovers!    lol        Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Happy Birthday to my DD ~ Jennifer!

Happy Birthday to you!  

Today is my oldest daughter ~  Jennifer‘s birthday!  (click to read her blog Tribute to her Dad on Father’s Day)  And, although she is just slightly older than this adorable Tilda image…I always think of her (and my other daughter, Jessica) at this age when I see some of these Magnolia stamps.   Yes, they were the cutest….still are, of course!   And, they both now have little Tildas of their own!     🙂

Birthday Blessings

This Tilda is from one of the older collections, called Sitting Summer Tilda  from the Shabby Chic Collection.  Did you know that 7 Kids College Fund now carries many of the older Magnolia images??   Of course, they also have all the newest images available too!   Better check them out.   🙂

I’ve also used some of the older Basic Grey Perhaps paper, which I love,  for the background.  The background die combinations are from the Spellbinders Nestabilities dies – Labels Three and the plain Square shape.  

Unfortunately, my daughter lives in Florida, so we won’t be celebrating her day together ~ I will, however, be visiting at the end of July when I get to attend  CHA in Orlando!!!!!    I’m super excited!!   Yay!    So, we will definitely celebrate in July!

Thanks for visiting today.   Have a great day!

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Copics Used:   R000, 11, 20, 39, 81, 83, 85; E000, 00, 50, 51, 53, 93;  W4

Supplies Used:  Magnolia Sitting Summer Tilda; Computer generated sentiment; Neenah cs; Basic Grey Perhaps dp; Memento black; Distress tea dye; Metallic rub on paste; Kaiser pearls;  Misc. primas & ribbon; Spellbinders Nestablities, Labels Three & Squares

Teacher Thank You

Hello!   Hope you are having a great weekend ~ and the sun is shining in your neck of the woods.  🙂

My DD, Jessica, asked me to make some thank-you cardz for my twin grandaughters’ Kindgergarten teachers.   We thought this bushel of apples from the Whimsical Autumn stamp set by Carolyn King at Gina K. Designs was a perfect image to thank Hailee & Jordynn’s awesome teachers.

Thank you teacher!

Jessica actually found this sentiment and felt it was perfect for these cardz, and they were such great teachers, they deserved a BUSHEL of apples!    

Thanks for stopping today ~ Hope you can come back tomorrow for TWO challenges ~ House Mouse Monday AND Copics Creations challenges!   Needless to say, it’s been a busy stamping weekend for me!

A “Goodnight” kiss

As soon as I saw this Sarah Kay,  Stampavie image from 7 Kids College Fund, I was completely reminded of my beautiful granddaughters!  Hailee, Joydynn , Anna and even Elia….the newest who is only 9 months old ~

Elia ~ 9 months! (Helping make banana bread)

Talk about having fun!?!  (She gets this from her grandma!)  In this picture, Elia was helping her Mommy make banana bread ~ She had a pan of flour to play with!??    hmmmm….sounds pretty messy to grandma!

Just a quick side-note, my DD, Jennifer, has started a blog (not for cards) about the trials and tribulations of being a SAHM of FOUR kids…in addition to  homeschooling them!!   Whoa….DD does NOT get this from her mom! 

If you have few minutes, please stop by and say hello (I’ve been her only, lonely visitor for a week now!!)  LOL  I’m VERY proud of her, she’s quite gifted in her ability to tell stories and live her life by her faith and trust in God.  Hope you can say hello!  🙂

So, back to my card!   I totally fell in love with this Sarah Kay image …

Awwww....

 

 

 Thanks for listening to me go on about my adorable granddaughters and amazing daughter! 

Happy Wednesday….we’re getting closer to the weekend!  🙂

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 Stamps:  Sarah Kay, Stampavie, My Sweet Lili

     

Paper:  Neenah, Solar white cs;

             Memory Box, poppyfinch dp

            Bazzill, mint & grape cs

               

Ink:     Memento, black;

            Colorbox, mint

 

Accessories: Spellbinders Nestabilities, Scalloped ovals &

                    Curved rectangles; Kaiser self adhesive pearls;

                   Accent Depot Daisy brads; unknown ribbon;

                   MS lace punch; primas; Pop it dots

                                          

Copics:   V00, V04, V12, V15, V17, V91, V95, E00, E33, E50, E51,

               E53, R11, R20, YR00, YR20, YR23, YR31, W2, W3, W4

It’s Gone!!

I’ve lost it….my mojo (as they say) is gone!!    Can you help me find it??   I made TWO cardz tonight and I don’t like either of them!!   Yikes! 

I do have something important to share with you though….have I mentioned how VERY talented my grand kids are???   (I’m sure they get this from their grandma!)  lol

Hailee, one of my six year old twin granddaughters is in kindergarten this year….her artwork was chosen to be displayed at the local library.  😀    There was actually a ceremony held for the unveiling of the artwork!!     Ahhh…finally someone to give ALL these HM stamps to, since neither of  my daughters are interested in them!  

A star is born!

Check out the bling on that leaf!!!   🙂     And the colors!!   Amazing!   lol   I do think it’s so cool how kids seem to love rainbows and really do such an awesome job making them.

Hopefully,  I will recover my creative muse very soon….I’ll keep ya posted!

Happy Big “3” Caleb(ee)! :)

3 years old!!!

It will soon be my 2nd youngest grandson’s birthday!!  He’s going to be the big “THREE …”!      🙂     (his name is Caleb, but we’ve always called him Calebee…it just seemed to fit!)   

Caleb(ee)

I totally thought of him when I saw this cute little dragon!   I added some Glitz Stickles in Mermaid!   (We won’t tell him the name!) 

Happy 3rd Birthday Caleb(ee)

Mr. Caleb lives in Florida, and his grandma misses him terribly!   The big plan is for grandma to go to FL at the end of July (hmmm…not the best time to visit FL)  but his little sister (who grandma has not yet met!!!!) will be ONE!!!   🙂     Big Sigh.   Can’t wait!!

It’s Friday once again!!  All I can say is TGIF!!!!     (Can you tell I’m ready to stay home full-time to work on cardz???!!!)    🙂

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Stamps:  Stampavie, LeLo Design, Dragon Party

     

Paper:  Neenah, Solar white cs;

             The Paper Studio, Aqua Diagonal Stripe;

             Bazzill, lime green & teal

               

Ink:     Memento, black;

            Distress, broken china;

            Colorbox, Lime Pastel

 

Accessories: Spellbinders Nestabilities, Large Pinking Circles & Circles;

                     Stickles Glitz, Mermaid!!!;

                     Sugar’ n Spice, ribbon;

                      Pop It! Dots; Pinking sheers

                          

Copics:   Dragon  – YG00, YG03, YG06, YG23, R20

                 Shirt  – Paper Pieced, BG10

                Toe nails/claws – E31

                Balloon – BG09, BG10, BG15, BG49

                Outlining –  W4