Cartwheels In My Mind

Pizza Cupcakes Followed by Paper Cupcakes.

Hello hello everyone! I thought it would be a fun little change to share a recipe today. Normally I am not big on recipes but when my sister made these for us in Ohio I loved them so much that I just had to share. And plus, you can't go wrong with cupcake in the title, right?

Ok, so first of all...when Angie (afore mentioned sister) makes them, she uses sausage & bbq sauce...but I hate barbecue flavoring with a bloody passion so i asked her not to put the sauce on mine. It was still delicious, but making them pizza flavored is my little twist on it. She got rave reviews from the bbq lovers though, so if you are a fan you might want to try it that way.

SO, to have it all in one place, i'll do the entire recipe here and then share photos I took of each step after:

INGREDIENTS (makes 8 cupcakes):

1/2 lb of Ground Sausage

1 tube of Grand Biscuits

1 jar of Pizza Sauce

1/2 cup of Mozerella Cheese

Diced Onion & Green Pepper 

PREPERATION: 

(Preheat Oven at 350 degrees)

* Brown Sausage

* Fold in Pizza Sauce

* Add Onions and Peppers (optional)

* Take each individual bisquit and mold it into the (ungreased) Cupcake Pan slots creating space in the center for the pizza ingredients 

* Scoop a couple spoonfuls of the Sausage mix into each biscuits 

* Sprinkle cheese over the top

* Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the cupcakes are slightly brown

* Devour their deliciousness! :D

 

Such a fun take on cupcakes right? I feel like these would be great for parties. Especially parties that involve women, because cupcakes are just the cool thing to like when you are a woman. :D

And as a little related bonus, I wanted to link you to a fun kid's cupcake project that Jessica over at Vol25 did as a FREEBIE for anyone that wants to download it. Once you link your way over there you'll see just how much time and creativity Jess put into it, and I promise you will love it and want to do it with your kids and/or steal someone else's immediately so that you can be a part of it. Don't believe me? Here's a couple previews:

I am in constant awe of this girl's talent. I might even be slightly jealous. Or alot, depending on the day. :) Speaking of...she has just released a new line of blog post templates as well so be sure to check those out while you are over there!! 

Happy Wednesday, my friends!

xoxo, Cheryl

RANDOM FACT ABOUT ME: My favorite TV show is the Canadian show FLASHPOINT about a Strategic Response Unit in Toronto.  It's the perfect mix of crime, phsycology and big bad cop heros. I have never watched an episode that didn't make me cry. My second favorite show is Criminal Minds, and my third is Reno 911!. 

Readers Digest Books Revisited :: A Challenge Layout.

Hello hello!

I'm just popping in quick this morning to share a layout designed by the AMAZING krafty pearl that she created for my challenge last friday. If you don't already know her work, check out her blog right away for some inspiration overload. She just oozes crafty coolness. need proof? see for yourself:

 
 

Next up, I have a couple more book pages challenge projects myself. This first one means the world to me because it is the only photo Gracie ever will have of her and my grandma. I could explain it a little but I think the journaling says it all...

And finally, I have a quick card that I made for my grandma that is still living. She's one of my favorite people in the world so I just wanted to send her a pretty card to say I love you. Because I'd give anything to say it one more time to the one photographed above. 

What's on your mind this week? Have you been doing anything fun and crafty? If you do...please remember to share it on the Cartwheels flickr group so that we can all check it out!

As for me...I'm rearranging my art space, organizing my art supplies, finishing up my digital kits (coming very soon!) and doing some art in between all of it. I'm not going to lie, having a job that requires you to do lots of handmade art isn't all that painful for me. :)

x's and o's, Cheryl

RANDOM CHERYL FACT: I sing all day everyday, everywhere I go. It's a thing my Grandma used to do (hence the topic in the layout above) and it got passed down through her children and now her grandchildren. I'm not going to lie, though...I know for a fact that her songs of choice were in a far far different genre than the Black Eyed Peas I love so much. (Random Fact hidden inside my other random fact...the BEP's are my favorite.)

Readers Digest Books Revisited :: A Challenge Layout.

Hello hello!

I'm just popping in quick this morning to share a layout designed by the AMAZING krafty pearl that she created for my challenge last friday. If you don't already know her work, check out her blog right away for some inspiration overload. She just oozes crafty coolness. need proof? see for yourself:

 
 

Next up, I have a couple more book pages challenge projects myself. This first one means the world to me because it is the only photo Gracie ever will have of her and my grandma. I could explain it a little but I think the journaling says it all...

And finally, I have a quick card that I made for my grandma that is still living. She's one of my favorite people in the world so I just wanted to send her a pretty card to say I love you. Because I'd give anything to say it one more time to the one photographed above. 

What's on your mind this week? Have you been doing anything fun and crafty? If you do...please remember to share it on the Cartwheels flickr group so that we can all check it out!

As for me...I'm rearranging my art space, organizing my art supplies, finishing up my digital kits (coming very soon!) and doing some art in between all of it. I'm not going to lie, having a job that requires you to do lots of handmade art isn't all that painful for me. :)

x's and o's, Cheryl

RANDOM CHERYL FACT: I sing all day everyday, everywhere I go. It's a thing my Grandma used to do (hence the topic in the layout above) and it got passed down through her children and now her grandchildren. I'm not going to lie, though...I know for a fact that her songs of choice were in a far far different genre than the Black Eyed Peas I love so much. (Random Fact hidden inside my other random fact...the BEP's are my favorite.)

Readers Digest Books Revisited :: A Weekend Challenge.

Happy Friday Everyone! We are getting ready for my parents to arrive this evening to spend the weekend with us...which means that this week went by at a little slower pace than usual. It seems like whenever we finally get company it makes each day seem like an entire week on it's own. But we're here now (and by HERE, I mean it's 5am and I'm way too excited to sleep!:D) and I thought it would be fun to do a little challenge for this weekend since we haven't had one for awhile.

First of all, let me just start by asking that you please pardon the quality of the images I'm sharing today. My Photoshop needs a little tune-up so I used my iPhone to capture and edit the images.  I think you can get the idea, though.

Ok, so onto the challenge...Do you remember when they used to have readers digest hardback books to buy? Yes? No? Yeah, me neither. :D Actually, I can't even guarantee that they don't still have them coming out to this day. All I know is that when I was moving into my house in Ohio 3 years ago, My mom and I were cleaning out some of the storage in the garage and came upon probably 50 or more of them. And I kept every single one. Let me tell you why: because whenever I find a good black & white/cream scrapbook paper I tend to buy like 10 sheets. Because nothing is more inspiring to me than a great color popping against a black and white accent print. I just love that almost any photo or embellishment can work with the right sheet. So tonight when I wanted to do a few quick cards to send out, I immediately thought of sharing different ways to use pages torn from the RD books. Best part? You can find an old book for no more than 25cents at any thrift store and you'll probably never run out in your lifetime since alot of them have hundreds of pages. I'm trying, though. I actually have three completed projects using them at the moment that I need to photograph and share very soon. But I digress...let's get on with what we came here to do today, shall we?

The challenge, essentially, is to use a page torn from a book on at least 2 different projects in 2 ways.

First up, I made this little owl card in less than 10 minutes using the RD page as the tree. I basically kind of let the first embellishments that caught my eye (the owl sticker {Hambly} and word bubble post-it {Kikkerland} guide me as far as where I took the design. The tree branch that the owl is perched on made a tree trunk the obvious direction to go, and the hot pink letters {Joann's} added a pop of color.

This next card is my favorite by far and took the longest (about 30 minutes total) but it is for my sister-in-law who is due with her forth child but found out for the first time the sex of the baby before her delivery. For this one I just cut the RD page into a square and let it be the backdrop for the nursery rhyme. I love that the typed words give the illusion of a much more complex project without taking away from the main embellishments.

(Caterpillar & Snail: Sassafrass; Blue Letter Stickers: Making Memories; & sticker: K&Co; Mushroom Rubons: Heidi Grace.)

For this next one I decided to try out the cream printed page against white cardstock for a subtle effect. Less subtly, I wanted to represent something really happy in an effort to show just how sorry I was...and the happiest thing I could think of was butterflies and flowers mixed together to make a new species that I invented called butterflowers. Not to be mistaken for a higher calorie version of cauliflower. ;)

(Butterflies: Hambly; Patterned Paper: Scenic Route) 

This last one is just a collage style card using the book paper for the balloon and random bits and pieces from my scrap container.

(Butterfly Stickers: Hambly; Blue/Green Contact paper: Vintage; Lined Blue Sticker: Studio Calico; Red Letter Sticker: Joanns)

That's all I've got for you today, my friends! All this card making has me in the mood for some serious scrapping...but alas I'll have to wait till next week because we've got company coming. Anyways, I really hope that you join me in the challenge this week. If you do, please make sure you share it in the Cartwheels Flickr Gallery so I can share it here on the site. I hope you all have as great of a weekend as I know mine is going to be! :)

xoxo, Cheryl

RANDOM CHERYL FACT: I am right now obsessed with the circus. I have never been to one in my life, but I just finished watching the 6-hour mini-series CIRCUS from PBS (on Netflix) and am in awe of the talent, work ethic and the gypsy lifestyle. Not to mention the costumes and bright colors. I am dying to do some circus inspired art!

Reader Submissions Thursday.

So it's Thursday...and that means it's time for a new batch of art shares from readers that took the time to post to our flickr group. Don't know about it? Just click here and check it out...it's easy and everyone is welcome! Today I decided to share art from two different contributors whose work I love. We've got three pieces of art apiece, so prepare to be inspired! 

First up, Miss Kate O'Brian. Kate was one of our very first guest authors here on the site (you can see her AMAZING mini-album tutorial here.) There is this subtle edge to Kate's work that just draws you in and makes you want to make some art straight-away. The colors, the white space, the minimalistic appeal? Incredible. Intriqued? Then let's see some art! 

See what I mean? Just incredible! And this is just a sneak peek...be sure to check out her other work. I swear you will thank me later for linking you up. :)

To see more of Kate's work, check out her blog: diaryofarenegadescrapbooker.typepad.com;

or you can find her on flickr under the name artsychic75 here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44928072@N00/.

Next up we have Julie Ann Shahin. I feel like in two words I would describe her style as ABSOLUTELY FEARLESS (ok, that's actually 3 words). The colors and the way that she mixes patterns and textures is way beyond what alot of us would be able to pull off, but she does it flawlessly and to perfection. Even without reading what it say or looking at the photos, everything is so inspiring. But when you do get close, you realize that there is meaning and heart in each of her pieces as well. LOVE IT!

Want to see more of Julie Ann's work? Let me tell you how:

blog: julieannshahin.blogspot.com 

flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/julieannshahin/

Thanks so much, ladies, for sharing your art with us!

What are all of you working on today? Don't forget to post it to the group flickr site. We are always looking for new talent...whether it's to share for a reader submissions post, a guest designer spot or even to join our team. :)

x's and o's,

Cheryl

Living Room Decor :: Vintage Yellow Cabinet.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

It's so gorgeous here in Baltimore...kinda makes it hard to stay inside and work.  But alas, somebody has to to it... :)

So, for today's post (sorry, you're stuck with me two days in a row again!) I thought it would be fun to share a little corner of our home.

We have a little nook off the side of our living room and for the longest time we just sort of let anything we needed to fall in that space. But when I found this amazing yellow cabinet at my favorite vintage shop, I just couldn't resist. SO...I brought it home and got to work. And let me tell you...there is nothing more fun to me than a little home decor project! :) The only thing about me and home decor is that I'm constantly adding, subtracting, painting...you get the idea. Nothing stays the same very long around here. So even though you may notice a few problems here and there (aka the tape paint around the inside edge of the mirror where I taped it to spray it yellow, the knobs are now small clock knobs from anthropologie, and all the art supplies are INSIDE the cabinet instead of being all around it) it doesn't look EXACTLY like this anymore, but it's still really close. And I still really love it.

 

First of all, let me just say that I LOVE the yellow color of the cabinet. I know that alot of people like to spray paint old things to make them look a little newer, but I like them to look as old as possible. It just fits my style and makes me feel like it has more sentimental value to it. Secondly, in order to lay out the room for you, I think I need to first share a photo of the colors we are working with:

The green color was one that I had them mix up especially for me at Lowe's (FACT: If you ask them to do a custom color for you you don't have to pay any extra.) and the highlighting colors are white (trim), orange and yellow. This photo shows the green a little more yellowy and the orange a little more obnoxious, but in real life they are really fabulous deep colors.

So for the cabinet display, I painted the decorative mirror (purchased painted red for $3 at a thrift store) yellow and then just simply leaned it against the wall. I love that when you are standing in the room and look into the mirror it makes the room seem bigger. It's also the first thing you see when you walk in the door so I wanted it to really give off a good vibe.

For the black chandelier I just used wall stickers from Target. They are so so great because you can take them off the wall and reposition if you don't like the way it lays at first. (Fact #2: After i did this project I was watching Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami and noticed that they used these exact same wall stickers in their Miami Dash Store.) 

Then I just gathered a few things from around the apartment and added them to the top of the cabinet...but only after putting down some colorful teatowels to add to the vintage effect but also because I love that they have all the colors of our living room. And also because a doilie or table cover would be too predictable. :)

And that's all there was to it! Such a fun little display to greet us when we walk through the door, and even though it fits the living room's color pallette, it kind of has an attitude of it's own...and I love that. OH! and best part...it gave us a bunch of new storage...which I (obviously!) high-jacked to wrangle in some of my art supplies. We do keep extra diapers in one of the doors, though, so it wasn't totally selfish on my part. Just mostly...:)

Just a couple side notes & supply credits: A. The decorative balls are from HomeGoods and came in a bag of 13 for $10.99. B. the lamp is also from Home Goods and was $29.99 C. The "I LOVE YOU" sign in the photo was just a prototype (you can probably tell by the way you can see right through it! :). It actually has been made into a canvas from Ritz Photos. I was just too lazy to retake the photo. D. The thing holding the "I LOVE YOU" sign is a plate holder...also from Target. I bought a blue one on clearance last year after Easter and spray-painted it white.

I think that's it! All this lovely weather has me in such a happy mood. I've been working on art from the second I wake up till the second I go to sleep (with a few hours in there spent playing with the babies of course!). There's just something about spring that puts me in the mood to WORK. Which is why I'm putting in lots of extra hours in order to keep up with my ever growing list! 

Which Reminds Me: what would YOU like to see more of here on Cartwheels? Leave a message here in the comments or shoot us an e-mail to: [email protected] and we'll 
see what we can do to get it here for you. And always remember, we are happy to answer any questions you might have about the projects we share here. All you need to do is ask, and if we know the answer we'll make sure you get it! 

In the meantime, want to see a sneak peek of what I'm working with as part of the last finishing touches to the nursery? (pardon the photo quality, it was taken from my iPhone.)

Yep, it looks like maybe we need to do a nursery week. What do you say? Because I've got way more than just one day's worth of art to share from inside that room. 

And with that, I leave you. But only till tomorrow...

xoxo, Cheryl 

RANDOM ME FACT: Whenever I see an ambulance or a life-flight helicopter I pray really hard for the person inside...because I have more than once been the one fighting for my life inside of emergency vehicles and I needed every prayer I could get...even from a stranger. I also always cry and pray at the site of car accidents...for the exact same reason.