My Sweet Valentine Lemon Cupcakes with Sweetheart Topper Featured on Made By Me #67 Linky Party Features

Joining link parties is very new to me. But I had so much fun joining them. I never knew that joining the party could gain exposure to my blog posts. And for sure I am starting to have a comments here and there.  Also I am able to check other fun crafts and projects from  other bloggers which are very inspiring and hoping that we could become friends through blogging.

I am still learning on how to manage and arrange as to which post goes to which party and how often should I do it. So this is another learning process for me. All and all I am happy that I am pretty much know how to join and where to find the party. 

"To Q at JAQS Studio; thank you so much for featuring my Sweet Valentine Lemon Cupcakes with Sweetheart Topper on Made By Me #67 Linky Party and Features." 

To those of you who might not remember which post it is; here is a hint.

Be sure to check on below link for fun crafts ideas at JAQS Studio Linky Party Features.

Please click below;

Made By ME #67 Linky Party and Features

Okay, I am going to a Linky Blog Party now! Bye.......!!
And,
thank you for visiting!

Puerto Rico Holiday {February 2013}

I am very sorry that I have not posted anything for a while. We went to Puerto Rico for our yearly holiday with Steven's parents.

I found it hard to post a story in a blog while vacationing. Although I have all the software that I need in our laptop I just could not find the time to do it.

Well, let me start by saying that beach in Puerto Rico are beautiful. Everywhere you go; the beach and the water is blue and clean. Our first staying was at Isla Verde. We want to be closed with Steven's parents. The beach is parallel with the street that filled with 5 stars hotels and local restaurants. Staying around this area is not my idea of vacationing; it is way too many people. But Steven's parents love it there. So after spending two days with them we moved to a secluded resort where the beach and islands are spectacular. And there is nothing around the resort complex but nature and beautiful beach.

Steven knows that vacationing in Puerto Rico for me is to look for dead shells laying on the beach. So I was very excited about it. But when we checked in at El Conquistador Resort; I was disappointed that the beach has no dead shells at all. In the past we stayed at the Grand Melia not too far from El Conquistador at Fajardo and I found many dead shells on the beach there.

If you have not been in El Conquistador, I recommend that you check this place out. It is so beautiful. Our room was at a section called Las Casitas. Las Casitas means "cute little houses" in Spanish. Since all of those houses built on the top of a hill by the cliff; our room has fantastic 180 degree view of the ocean. So beautiful!

I love Puerto Rican food. I love Ropa Vieja {the shredded beef with sweet fried banana and black bean}, Camarones Al Ajilo {garlic shrimp} and I love empanadas; a savory pastry with either chicken of beef inside. They have these delicious snack almost at every local restaurants and they are all delicious. I also love their coconut ice cream. Everywhere we go; I always look for this coconut ice cream. For desert you can't go wrong with Cream Caramel or Vanilla Flan. Hhhmmm....so silky smooth, sweet and delicious.

The beach and the bluest water......

Happy Valentine Everyone.......I hope you will have a lovely valentine celebration with 'your love one'! 

This small flowers I picked on the ground. They were falling from the tree. I took them to the room and arranged them then took this picture. 
{Oh no! I forget to put the picture. My apologize....}

Thank you for stopping by!

Valentine Giveaway {Limoges Cake Stand + USD 25.00 Target Gift Card} - CLOSED

Hello !

It is time to give a giveaway again.

In celebration of Valentine, I am giving away a set of vintage Limoges plates Cake Stand from my Etsy store {here} plus USd 25.00 Target Gift Card.

the deet:

1. 1 point for following on Facebook, or

2. 1 point for following on Twitter, or

3. 2 points for signing in Google Friend 

4. This is a  must ! Leave in a comment in the bottom of this post mentioning about which of the 3 above  you followed. This is because there is no way I will know what you have done unless you mentioned it. And it will make it easy for me. I am very sorry if I am taking much of your time and from the bottom of my heart, "thank you, thank you and thank you!" I did this in the past and you can check it out comments post here.

(Note: You can do all of those three for the total point of 4. Points means the number of name appear on the list. If you followed all three that means the number of your name will appear is, 4 times.)

5. 2 points for putting a comments on the last 4 posts if you already a follower on the above, such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Friends Connect.

 Put VGA at the end of your comment so I know that you are entering this giveaway.

6. Please be 18 years or older!

7. For US & Canada residents only !

Giveaway will start Feb. 07th, 2013 at 0:30 am EST and will end Feb. 21st, 2013 at 0:30 am EST.

1 winner will be chosen. A real email address  required and will not be made public or used for other purposes.

 The winner will be contacted the same day through email and must reply with home address within 4 days. Failure to reply after 3 days; we will draw another winner.

Best of luck !

And The Story is Happening - A journal and collage art book

During my last visit to Anthropologie {here} recently I bought an art book called "And The Story is Happening" by Sabrina Ward Harrison. I immediately drawn to it when saw it stacked up on the sale rack. I put down Paul and Joe magazines and settled for just this pretty journal and collage art book.

The pages inside are packed with collage, hand drawings, lettering, composed in a dreamy, fun and playful way of expressing her story of art. I love how what it seems soft water color media flows together with line of pencil or ink drawing. It is soft, gentle and story telling.

On other pages I can see texture from layer of paints just like an old forgotten wall brick with scattered of sketches of lettering and words randomly placed on the surface. I smile each time I turn the page again and again.

This beautiful book comes with vellum pocket filled with paper ephemera, which makes me even more in love with this book.

Right now this book is on sale for USD 9.95

Let's take a look inside the book.

Do you see the vellum pocket contain the paper ephemera?

I love how this picture turned out to be after photographed them. Then I got a little creative by adding layer of other elements like that green flower and words 'A haunting purple bloom; in grey sea'. I was having fun doing it using photoshop. Can't help myself to add something to the pretty washed out simple greyish creamy page. I hope you like it!

Thank you for stopping by !

Sweet Valentine Lemon Cup Cakes with Sweetheart Cake Topper {DIY}

I think I am way too much  using these washi tapes {here}. But I must admit that I love working with them and photograph them. This time I am trying to create a sweet valentine cup cake toppers out of them. This Lemon cup cakes are super easy to make because it is a pre-mix cake out of the box. I am not a fan of pre-mix cake but sometimes it is practical and with a little bit additional of lemon juice, vanilla, it tastes as good as like when you are making it out of scratch.

Cake Topper tutorial.

What you need.

 Start cutting and design the washi tape to put on the heart shape cut outs. You can use your imagination on the design. You can make vertical or horizontal design and alternate the pattern of washi tape or you can use one pattern of washi tape entirely. It is up to you.

 

 hen finished cover the entire surface front and back of the two heart cutouts then using sewing machine; sew them to join them together. Do not sew all the way down to the bottom of the heart cutouts.

 Using glue gun, put a glue on the tip of the tooth pick and insert in between heart cutouts.

 

::Recipe::

Sweet Valentine Lemon Cup Cakes 

Cake.

~ 1 package lemon cake mix

~ 1 cup sour cream

~ 3/4 cup water

~ 3/4 cup oil

~ 4 eggs

~ 1 small package lemon instant pudding

~ 1 tsp lemon juice

~ vanilla

Frosting.

~ 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, soft and room temperature

~ 6 - 8 cups powdered sugar

~ 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

~ teaspoon grated lemon zest

~ a drop of vanilla

For the cake. Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Mix with electric mixer on medium speed for about two minutes. Pour into lined cupcake tins. ake at 350 deg. for 15 minutes. Don't overbake or the cake will be too dry.

For the frosting. Place the butter in alrge mixing bowl. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar, then the juice and the vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining powdered sugar. 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to of good spreading consistency. (Do not refrigerate and it will last in a covered container for about three days)

~~~~oo00oo~~~~

Garlic Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon and Rotisserie Chicken

Tonight I am making this super easy and delicious meal for my husband "Steven." This is one of his favorite pasta dish. Steven loves rotisserie chicken and often from the left over of the chicken I would make this dish the next day.

He loves having this pasta dish with sautee garlic broccoli rabe. The combination taste of both dishes are delicious light and not heavy like most pasta dish. The bitterness of broccoli rabe and the tangy lemon  garlic angel hair pasta are just perfect having them together.

::Recipe::

Garlic Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon and Rotisserie Chicken

~ 4 cloves garlic, chopped

~ Rotisserie chicken breast; cut in thumb nail pieces

~ 1/2 tsp of lemon juice

~ Basil, chopped

~ Angel hair pasta, enough for two people

~ Parmesan cheese

~ Enough olive oil to sautee  garlic about 4 to 6 tablespoons

~ Salt to taste

1. Cook pasta and drain. 2. Heat olive oil and with medium heat sautee garlic about 3 minutes. 3. Put rotisserie chicken pieces in the pan and cook more for about 3 minutes. 4. Sprinkle enough salt. 5. Take the pan off the heat and wait for about 1 or 2 minutes and put in pasta and stir. {Do not put pasta while pan on top of heat. It will fry the pasta.}  With very low heat put the pan back on and put  lemon juice and chopped basil. Stir well and serve with sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

~~~~oo00oo~~~~

Thank you !

Sweet Heart Packaging and Vase Washi Tape {DIY}

Happy Monday Everyone !

I hope you had a wonderful week-end and enjoyed the Super Bowl game last night.

Today I am playing with washi tapes that I received and bought from Etsy {here}. They are the cutest tape and you can create almost anything with this pretty tapes.

I added a small heart embellishments I bought at Michaels.

Remember the flower arrangements I did last Saturday ? {Here} I taped one of the flower arrangement too and I think it's pretty !

For Sweetheart packaging and the tutorial.

And what you need.

1. Create as many heart shapes with different sizes {depending on the package sizes}. I am using an art paper because it is thicker than regular paper. I am using two for one heart shape card. 2. Take your washi tape and start taping the two card hearts together. You can use the same tape to cover one heart card or you can use two tapes or three by alternating them. It is entirely up to you. Have fun with it ! 3. Using double tape put the heart card on the package and start tie the package together.

"Sssssstttt....I am going to wrap a special gift for my husband just like this one." "Please don't tell him!"

~~~~~~oo00oo~~~~~~

Thank you for stopping by !