Birthday Explosion Box

Have you ever made an explosion box? They are really cool and there are lots of video tutorials on how to make and different versions. There is a lot of variety and creativity you can put into it too.They can be gift card holders, or a mini photo album or just a cool card. You can use as many or as little layers as you want.

Really quick, I wanted to post pics of a birthday explosion Box that I helped my dd make for a party we are getting ready to go to. She picked out all the papers and decided that since the friend liked dogs, we needed dogs inside and on top.

Outside(purple is bottom of box)

Inside

Top(lid)

Inside of one of the layers. Each layer has a different dog

Details:

This is just 2 layers--the purple 12 x 12 sheet and then the orange with is 11 x 11. Green for the lid was 8x8

We chose to pick different papers to cut the squares to decorate the outside, the top of the lid and the inside. This will be a birthday card/gift card holder. Dogs are from various carts: Paper Pups, CAC, Nate's ABC's

Food Recipes for Father's Day

Happy Wednesday Crafters! I said in one of my posts yesterday that I would share a recipe I was making tonight for my belated anniversary. It is really YUMMO with EVOO! Any clues where I got the recipe?? LOL

This is Rachael Rae's Vodka Cream Pasta:

Vodka Cream Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 cup vodka
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
• 
  
• Crusty bread, for passing

Directions

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves.

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Recipe #2 is awesome and great if you do breakfast in bed for Dad on Father's Day.

Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound of bacon
1/4 cup of diced onion
1/4 cup of diced green bell pepper
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 eggs
2 cups of milk
1 (16 oz) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

1)Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 7x11 casserole dish
Cook the bacon. Drain/blot and crumble

2)In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. Mix in the cheese,
bacon, onion and green pepper. Stir in the thawed hash browns.
Pour mixture into the casserole dish.

3)Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake another 30
minutes until eggs have set.


So....what are your plans for a special meal for Father's Day?

Scrappin With Cricut Giveaway.

Please go check out my buddy Dusti at Scrappin With Cricut. Not only does she have a terrific blog, she is also giving away a Cricut Everyday Cart when she reaches 500 followers.

Also, go check out her Father's Day Link Party Here And her No card or Layout Monday

Happy Flag Day & Happy 14th Wedding Anniversary 2 Me And 2 Cards

Hello Everyone!
I'm getting ready to head to head off to work. (It stinks I'm working on my anniversary) But we celebrated last Sat) and I'm cooking a yummy pasta recipe I will share tomorrow. It is one of those recipes that your DH, boyfriend or whoever will say..."what would you like me to get you!" LOL

Here are the cards I did for DH.
**Warning** Card #1 is a little "suggestive" so I apologize ahead of time if it offends anyone. I got the idea from a rubber stamp I saw with a woman holding a remote control.

Details:

I just traced my DH's iPhone onto grey cardstock. Then traced again slightly smaller onto black cardstock. Then just measured the square screen area inside and cut onto a thin black paper that has a bit of a shimmer.

All tags inside were cut with the cricut. Used Formal Occasion and welded together.
Font is from Nate's ABC's and welded together. Paper was MS valentine's 4x6 paper pad.




CARD #2

Was from Formal Occasions, and some extra decorations I had from my stash (tree was from sweethearts, bird from GAH, grass from CL, flowers from WIMG, sun from SC.
I can tell you the size of the couple was approx 5" and I altered just a bit. I used hide/contour for the guy's suit and the woman's dress. I didn't want a strapless dress. So I used a dress from another image from Formal Oc. and just made sure it would fit. I decided that by hiding the guys suit (lapel etc) it would look like a long sleeve shirt. Background paper was blue clouds.

The inside of the card was song lyrics I typed out and printed off and printed off. Then attached to BoBunny V-Day cardstock and I tore the edges with a SU tearing tool.
Song Lyrics are from Brandi Carlile.

I Feel the Love Project from Madison at Funky Cards

Please go visit the wonderful Madison at Funky Cards. She is doing a wonderful monthly project where she finds someone who needs support or a quick "pick me up" and is asking for fellow crafters to send appropriate cards to her. Madison will then forward the cards and some other goodies to the person to lift their spirits. I'm going to participate. The first person we will be doing this for is a teacher who has cancer for the 2nd time.

Please go check out Madison's wonderful blog for all the details and consider participating in the "Feel the Love Project."

http://funkycards.blogspot.com/2011/06/i-feel-love-project-kick-off.html