WINNER....

for the blog hop is CHARITY!!

Contact me with your mailing address, and I'll drop something in the mail for you :-)

Inspire Us! Blog Hop!

Welcome to Lovebug Scrapbooking's "INSPIRE US!" blog hop!! Our blog hops NORMALLY take place on the last Saturday of every month. This month we decided to go a week earlier, so you could get some Halloween inspiration before the holiday :-) Thanks so much for joining us!

If you just happened by this blog and didn't realize a blog hop was taking place, please go back to Lovebug Scrapbooking and start the Hop. You won't want to miss all the inspiration from our members....... or the prizes :-)

Our theme for October is HALLOWEEN!


For my project this month, I had my daughter make some Halloween cupcakes. She saw the idea in a magazine (not sure which one it was now). They were quite easy to make.


For this first one, a mummy, she used tip #104.

Basically, she just make random strips across the cupcake to resemble a mummy.

Finish it off with some eyes :-)

For the monster, use Tip #233.

This makes a nice "furry" look. I love it!

For the eyes, the tip is #12 for the white part and #4 for the smaller pupils.

Dip your finger in a bit of cornstarch and flatten the eyes if they are a bit too puffy.

Not too scary at all :-)

This blog hop will run from today, November 27th until November 29th.
We will be drawing for a winner on November 30th on the Lovebug blog.

Follow along in our blog hop! Your next stop is

Butter Tarts for Thanksgiving

Welcome to Lovebug Scrapbooking's "INSPIRE US!" blog hop!! Our blog hops
take place on the last Saturday of every month. Thanks so much for joining
us!

If you just happened by this blog and didn't realize a blog hop was taking
place, please go back to Lovebug Scrapbooking and start the Hop. You won't
want to miss all the inspiration from our members....... or the prizes :-)

Our theme for September is "THANKSGIVING".

Can't have Thanksgiving meal without some dessert! Here's one of hubby's favourites. It was something his mom would make, so that brings back fond memories for him. His mom would make her own pastry, but I usually buy the frozen tart shells. Much quicker :-)

BUTTER TARTS

1 egg
1 TBSP melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins
12 tart shells

Mix the egg, butter, brown sugar and syrup. Mix well. Add the vanilla and raisins.

Fill uncooked shells with mixture. Don't overfill. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.



This blog hop will run from today, September 25th until Tuesday, September 28th. We will be
drawing for winners on September 29th on the Lovebug blog.

You've reached the end of the hop. Head back to Lovebug's blog and leave a comment!

Cakes, and MORE cakes!

Welcome to Lovebug Scrapbooking's "INSPIRE US!" blog hop!! Our blog hops
take place on the last Saturday of every month. Thanks so much for joining
us!

If you just happened by this blog and didn't realize a blog hop was taking
place, please go back to Lovebug Scrapbooking and start the Hop. You won't
want to miss all the inspiration from our members....... or the prizes :-)

Our theme for July is "HAPPY BIRTHDAY".

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I've been super busy (especially this weekend!) with cake orders. I thought I'd share some of my recent creations :-)

Thanks for looking!

Don't forget to leave a comment if you want to be entered in Lovebug's prize draw!

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This blog hop will run from today, July 31st until August 3rd. We will be
drawing for winners on August 4th on the Lovebug blog

Follow along in our blog hop! Your next stop is the lovely DEE!

Sweet treats for our GRADUATE :-)

Welcome to Lovebug Scrapbooking's "INSPIRE US!" blog hop!! Our blog hops
take place on the last Saturday of every month. Thanks so much for joining
us!

If you just happened by this blog and didn't realize a blog hop was taking
place, please go back to Lovebug Scrapbooking and start the Hop. You won't
want to miss all the inspiration from our members....... or the prizes :-)

Our theme for May is "Graduation".

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I am planning a graduation ceremony for my son Luke for sometime in June. Actually, in our local homeschool group there are 2 graduates this year, so we may combine the event with another family.

I was doing a bit of research online for some sweet treats to make for the graduation. I decided to try these two neat ideas for making the mortarboard -- aka. the cap. Not sure yet which cupcake topper we'll use, but probably the chocolate one -- it tastes better :-)

For the chocolate cap, you'll need:

~square chocolate pieces (I found this yummy Lindt bar and they were the perfect size)

~small Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

~Sour string (not sure the name for it, but you'll need a strip of it)

~lollipop sticks

~either a handful of chocolate chips (to act as a glue) or you can melt a block of the bar

Cut a strip from the sour candy ribbon. I used the yellow strip. You'll need about 2-3 inches.

I snipped one end to make it look like a tassle.


I used a small, sharp knife to "pre-drill" a hole in the center of the Reese's cup. Put the lollipo stick in. and add a bit of melted chocolate to glue in place. You can set in fridge to set if wanted.

Spread a small amount of chocolate on the top and add the chocolate square.

Spread a line of melted chocolate and glue down the tassle. I bent it before sticking it down. Set in fridge for 15-20 minutes to set.

There you have it!

For this next one, I used some fondant, and some black and yellow food paste.

This is messy, but add some paste to fondant and mix well.

Roll some black fondant into a cylinder shape. Add lollipop stick.

For the top, I rolled some fondant out and cut a square shape. If you have a square cookie cutter, use that. Attack to the cyliner shape with a small drop of water.

NOTE: It might be a good idea to made a bunch of the squares and let them dry overnight. That way, they will be stiff and won't bend down on the corners.


Roll a thin piece of yellow fondant. Fringe the end.


Adhere to top of cap with small dab of water.

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This blog hop will run from today, May 29th until June 1st. Lovebug will be drawing for winners on June 2nd .

Follow along in our blog hop! Your next stop is Teresa!

Just for Dad! - Lovebug Blog Hop

Welcome to Lovebug Scrapbooking's "INSPIRE US!" blog hop!! Our blog hops take place on the last Saturday of every month. Thanks so much for joining us!

If you just happened by this blog and didn't realize a blog hop was taking place, please go back to Lovebug Scrapbooking and start the Hop. You won't want to miss all the inspiration from our members....... or the prizes :-)

Our theme for April is "Mother's Day/Father's Day".

What Dad doesn't like CHOCOLATE!??! Here's a nice treat that a child can make for his/her Dad on his special day :-)

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TRIPLE TREAT CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE


1 cup cold chocolate milk
1 large scoop chocolate ice-cream
1 Tbsp chocolate syrup


Combine ingredients in blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Sprinkle with grated chocolate if desired. Makes about 2 cups.

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This blog hop will run from today, April 24th until April 27th. Lovebug will be drawing for winners on April 28th

Follow along in our blog hop! Your next stop is the lovely Margo!

Eggs in Nest - "INSPIRE US"

Welcome to Lovebug Scrapbooking's "INSPIRE US!" blog hop!! Our blog hops take place on the last Saturday of every month. Thanks so much for joining us!

If you just happened by this blog and didn't realize a blog hop was taking place, please go back to Lovebug Scrapbooking and start the Hop. You won't want to miss all the ispiration from our members....... or the prizes :-)

Our theme for March is "EASTER".

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For my cooking project, I decided to make some "Eggs in Nest". I've done these before and used boxed chocolate mousse, but this time I made mousse from scratch. It is DELICIOUS!! More time-consuming, but well worth it :-)

Here's what you'll need for the mousse:

Chocolate Mousse

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 1/2 Tbs. butter
8 egg yolks
2 cups whipping cream
4 egg whites
1/4 c. sugar

Melt chocolate chips on stove or in microwave. I did mine in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring each time. They might not look like they're melting, but they are! Be careful not to scorch.

Melt butter and mix in egg yolks. Add this egg mixture to the chocolate, stirring constantly (you don't want lumps!). Let cool a bit.

Whip the cream -- soft peaks :-)

Whip the egg whites to soft peaks, then start adding in the sugar gradually. These should whip to stiff peaks.

Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate, then fold in the egg white mixture. Refrigerate.

Now, for the nests. First, prepare some small bowls -- these will make the rounded nest shape. Grease them and cover with plastic wrap.

Melt a bag of semisweet chocolate chip as you did above, for the mousse. Let cool a bit then spoon into piping bag. Pipe over the bottom of the bowl and then make random pipings to create a nest. Let chill in refrigerator until firm.

Remove from refrigerator and release the "nest" from the bowl/plastic wrap. You might need to warm a few minutes or the chocolate may crack. If it does, no fear -- just melt and redo :-)

Fill nest with chocolate mousse and add some chocolate eggs for decoration.

ENJOY!

Thanks for looking! Leave a comment and I'll enter your name to win Taste of Home's Casseroles Recipe Cards magazine.

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This blog hop will run from today, March 27th until March 30th. We will be drawing for winners on March 31st.

Now, head over to Margo's blog and see what she has to share with you :-)

Rainbow Cake -- "Inspire Us!" Blog Hop!

Welcome to Lovebug Scrapbooking's "INSPIRE US!" blog hop!! Our blog hops take place on the last Saturday of every month. Thanks so much for joining in the fun!

If you just happened by this blog and didn't realize a blog hop was taking place, please go back to Lovebug Scrapbooking and start the Hop. You won't want to miss all the inspiration from our members....... or the prizes :-)

Our theme for February is "Leaps and Bounds".

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Nothings says SPRING more than a rainbow :-) and let's face it -- if we want to see a rainbow, we have to put up with a bit of rain. It's worth it, though!

The recipe I want to share is one I found on a blog I visit. Jessica actually made one for a cake sale, so I wasn't able to get a picture of it when cut, but the people who bought it were so impressed. This cake looks fabulous and is such a surprise!

She did another using her Easy Bake Oven cake pans. I think those at 4-inches across. Here's how it looked when cut:

It's very easy to make. We used 2 white cake boxed mixes. These were made according to directions on the box.

Separate the batter into 6 bowls and add food paste to make the colors of the rainbow -- purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.

Bake in 8-inch round cake pans for about 20 minutes, at 350 degrees. Let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely before frosting.

When frosting the cake, spread some icing between each layer. You may need to trim the cakes slightly if some rose a bit higher than others. Set in refrigerator for about an hour to set the icing. This makes it so much easier to frost around the outside of the cake. Finally, spread icing all around the cake.

Here's a frosting recipe. You'll need to double it for this cake -- especially if you're like me and want more icing :-)

Butter Icing

1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
approx 3 cups icing sugar
2-3 tsp milk

Cream together the butter and vanilla. Add icing a bit at a time. Add milk and beat until smooth.

There you have it!

I'd LOVE some followers :-) So, if you're interested in cooking/baking, please sign up. I'll put the names of my followers in for a prize drawing -- a "Taste of Home: Simple and Delicious" magazine. It's a GREAT magazine, the recipes are easy to follow and there's a photo of every recipe.

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The Lovebug Blog Hop will run from today, February 27th until March 2nd. There will be a prize drawing on March 3rd.

Follow along in our blog hop! Your next stop is Tanya at "The Adventures of Us".