Have you heard of cake balls? Well, here is a yummy recipe for cookie balls. A friend gave me this recipe and I made different versions of it. They are sooooo good!

COOKIE BALL TRUFFLES

1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1--14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips, OR chopped Andes mints OR toffee pieces. (You might even try the mini M & M's)
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips (heated in double boiler) and add 1 tsp of cooking oil for smoothness.

Cream together margarine and sugar. Add remaining ingredients, blending well. I use a small cookie scooper and then roll into balls and chill for an 1 hour on a cookie sheet. Melt the chocolate chips with oil. The best way to coat the balls is to just get chocolaty and put on a pair of cooking gloves and roll the balls into the chocolate by hand. Drop onto a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 1 or 2 hours.
**NOTE** depending on the flavor of cookie dough you have, you could instead roll in Dutch Proccess cocoa powder or finely crushed pepermint sticks. I may even try to add peanut butter but will probably need to add a bit more flour. Then dip in chocolate....yummy!

RECIPE

Ok, I had to share this because I made it a few weeks ago and it is YUMMY!
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BERRY FREEZE

Makes 18 servings, prep time 5 minutes, Freeze 4 hrs or overnight

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 can (16 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 container(8 oz) cool whip, thawed

In large bowl, whisk together condensed milk and lemon juice. Stir in marshmallows, cranberry sauce, pineapple,and chopped pecans. Fold in coolwhip. Spread into a 13x9x2 pan. Freeze and cut into squares. Enjoy! Also, I haven't tried this but I guess you could do a graham cracker crust for it if you wanted. It would still be good I'm sure.

Gift Card Holder

So my 9 yr old daughter had an idea for a project. You can tell she's ready for school to start when she says what she's thinking of creating would be a good way to hold gift cards we give her teachers.

Off we go to Michael's and we got a cute painted cup with attached saucer for $2.50 and a $1 wooden picture holder (for 60 cents with the 40% Q). We took the metal picture holder off the wooden part. Then, got some Wilton lollipop sticks, yellow pom poms, florist foam, moss and green florist tape.



INGREDIENTS:
So we used the Gypsy and Cricut and Gypsy Wanderings for the orange, pink and purple flowers. Walk in My Garden for the red and yellow flowers. Flowers were cut in various sizes--2.75, 2.5, 2.25 and 2.0 and layered/glued with Scotch quick dry glue. We cut the lollipop sticks in various lengths and wrapped with the florist tape. Used hot glue to put the yellow pom poms on top of the flowers. The yellow sunflowers and red aster flowers have brown flocking glued into the center of the flowers. We cut and hot glued the foam inside the cup. Hot glued the flowers on top of the sticks and arranged the flowers. Then, glued the sticks into the foam and the moss on top of the foam. Finally, we used florist tape to attach the metal picture holder to a lollipop stick.

So remember I won Elizabeth at 217 Creations first blog candy giveaway? It was all 50 cuts from the Cricut Lite Lacy Labels. Here is a pic I took of all 50. And, I'm starting to think of what to use all this beautiful work for.

My 9 yr old made this one

This I used Tim Holtz distress ink on the edges and a tan and green cardstock

This I attached the label to brown cardstock and then onto silver paper and used My Pink Stamper "Happy Birthday" This I attached the label to the silver paper, then onto aqua cardstock

I decided to do this 12x12 scrapbook layout as a surprise for my 9 yr old DD. She just got back from NY this week. She told me they had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows and made S'mores. And so you have the inspiration for the layout.



INGREDIENTS:
White and dark Brown Bazzil cardstock, tan paper??, Reminisce Smorgyle paper
Angel Hair brown swirl yarn, Dress it Up embellishments, Walnut Stain Distress Stickles.
See full directions by clicking on SCRAPBOOK LAYOUT button above.

Happy Thursday!

Here are a couple of cards I put together.

"You're tea-riffic"

INGREDIENTS:
Gypsy Wanderings cart. Used the Gypsy to flip and weld card. Used hide/contour to hide the design on the cup. Image cut at 5.48 wide x 4.6 high. When welded it is 10.96 by 4.6. Paper is by American Crafts--Blossom Road. Fiskars clear stamp. Use bone folder to fold card


"Thank you a latte"


A2 size card used Gypsy Wanderings again but cut cup at 3" and brown shadow at 3.20. All paper American Crafts-- Blossom Road and backside is turquoise blue. The mug paper is called Sugar Blvd and backside was the brown used for the shadow. Used Fiskars scallop stamp on the bottom. Fiskars clear stamp inside the card. Offray brown ribbon.

**CONTESTS I WON**

So on July 1st I won my first contest. I was chosen to receive 50 cuts from the Cricut Lite Lacy Labels from Elizabeth at 217 creations. Check her awesome blog out because she is creative and informative! This was her first blog candy contest.

Can't wait to see how I can use her beautiful work!