Darcie Heater

White Chocolate Valentine Cookies

Hi Blog Friends,

I decided it was time for another recipe for the recipe book I featured previously in THIS post, THIS post, and THIS post.  Earlier this week I posted a FREE printable Valentine Heart Box, so I thought you might like the cookie recipe also.  In the past I have featured several free printable recipes here on the blog.  These recipes fit inside the recipe book project, so if you're interested in downloading them, the links are located in the red bar on the right hand side of this page.

To download the recipe you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.  If you don't have Reader, it's available as a free download at Adobe.

Here's the recipe:  (To open it just click on the picture)

I hope you enjoy the cookies and the Free printable heart box!  I'll be posting more info on the new CHA merchandise next week.... check back for more FREEBIES!

:) Darcie

 

Key to My Heart FREE Printable Project

Hi Blog Friends,

Valentine's Day is almost here, so I thought it would be a good time to share a little FREE printable project with you.  The Key to My Heart Belongs to You:

The printable Heart Shaped Treat Box is super simple to assemble. Tonya added a cute tissue paper ruffle to the top edge and a pretty tulle bow to hold the cookie inside the box. 

To download a pdf version of the project, you can do so by clicking HERE for the pink version, click HERE for the blue one, and click HERE for the green one...or you can click on the images below.  (To open pdf files you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.  If you don't have Reader, it is available as a free download on Adobe's website.)

Here's the pink one:

Here's the blue one:

And here's the green one:

I hope you enjoy the little boxes.... I'll post the cookie recipe and instructions before the weekend so you'll have a goodie to put inside.

I'm also hoping to receive some of the new stamp sets to give away before too long, so check back!

:) Darcie

 

Homemade Pretzels

Hi Blog Friends,

I have a friend who gets together with a group of friends each Fall to make homemade authentic German pretzels.  I've always been fascinated with the process, but didn't want to attempt the whole lye bath thing on my own.  I know it's probably not that difficult and that there are tons of places online to get info on the procedure.  However, I am a pretty big fan of the softer "Auntie Anne's" type of American pretzel.  Tonya and I have wanted to make these for about a year now, so we finally got together a couple of weekends ago (NO, not on her honeymoon, lol... after that!) to try them out.  Here's what we came up with:

They turned out to be delicious and we learned quite a bit in the process.  I thought I'd share the recipe with you, since I'm in "Recipe Mode" right now.  (Trying to fill up that Recipe Book I shared with you in a previous post.) It would make a great holiday gift for someone special!

The recipe is in a pdf format, you need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer in order to open it.  If you don't have Reader, it's available as a free download on Adobe's website.

Here's the recipe:

We took a few photos during the process so we could show you some of the steps:

After the dough has risen, divide it into 10 equal pieces.  Roll each piece to approximately 1/2" thick, the longer the better.  Ours ended up being about 18" to 26" long.  For the Auntie Anne style you need to roll the dough strips to about 1/2" thick and about 26" long.

After the dough is the desired length and thickness, overlap the ends to form a twist:

Then take the twist and flip it over onto the loop part of the pretzel:

The one above was made using an 18" length of dough.  Here's one that was made using a 26" length:

It was rolled thinner and longer.  Most of the "Auntie Anne" style recipes online called for dipping the pretzel in a baking soda bath.  Tonya and I experimented with the baking soda wash, with using an egg wash, and leaving them plain.

I wish we would have taken photos of each result.  The plain ones were not as pretty to look at and were not as tasty.  The egg wash one produced a much darker, more traditional looking pretzel, but it was a little tougher and chewier.  We were wanting the soft, bread type.  The best result was produced with the baking soda wash as explained in the recipe above.  It produced a really pretty pretzel that was soft and tasty.  One hint though:  Make sure you dip the ENTIRE pretzel in the water, as some of ours weren't dipped completely and they turned out spotted and not as visually appealing.

One other thing we experimented with was the toppings.  On some of them we sprinkled Kosher salt before baking them.  On some of the others, we brushed them with butter and sprinkled the salt on after baking.  And YUM! the best ones were the cinnamon sugar ones:

We dipped them in the baking soda wash, baked them, then brushed them with butter and dipped them in a cinnamon sugar mixture.  Mmmm, mmmm good!

OK, I'll be back from my trip soon and will have some freebies for you, so please check back!

:) Darcie

Owl Drops

Hi Blog Friends,

I decided our little Owl Gift Sack freebie in the last post needed some candy to go inside of it.  And I also decided you needed a few other sayings to go along with the projects. So here's what I came up with:

I have several recipes to share with you over the next couple of weeks or so, all yummy goodness. I'm wondering why I'm torturing myself, though... we're going to go visit our son (who recently returned from Iraq, yay!) in Hawaii soon and I've been trying to diet.  (Yup...still trying to work off the Chocolate Coconut Macadamia balls from the last trip, lol!).  So just so you know... you guys really are worth it!  

(Yep, that's Camille Roskelley's brand new fabric from the Bliss fabric line in the photo... I'm creating a little stuffed owl sewing pattern, I'll share it with you when I finish it.) 

The recipe is quick and easy, but I warn you.... very addicting!  You can click on the image below and the recipe will open as a pdf document, which you can print.  (In order to view a pdf document you need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer.  If you don't have Reader, it's available as a free download on Adobe's website.  Here's the recipe:

The recipe is meant to fit in the Recipe Book project I featured on the blog awhile back. Here's what the book looks like:

If you're interested in making the project, you can click HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE for the posts that featured the book project tutorial, free patterns and recipe card.  For other recipes that fit inside the book click HERE, HERE and HERE.  I'll be adding many recipes between now and the holidays, so that you have a complete project you can hopefully use as a holiday gift. 

AND!  Here's the sheet of owl label cutouts you can use on the clear bag shown in the photo at the top of this post.  Just print the sheet on bright white card stock and cut out the images.  Layer with double sided foam mounting tape, then attach to the clear bag.  The clear bag will fit inside the printable gift sack, or you can use the clear bag of goodies separately as a quick and easy gift for someone special.


Same as above, the cutout file is a pdf.  You can click on it and it will open in a new window which you can print it from.

And speaking of Hawaii.... I'm still trying to decide whether or not to take Ted along again this time.... it was kind of hard to keep track of him at times last year, lol.  For his Hawaii escapades you can click HERE to see what I mean. What do you guys think... should I take him along?   Let me know!   hehehe.  :)

I'll be sharing some Owl Cookies with you in a few days, so be sure to check back!

:) Darcie

Owl Always Love You Freebie

Hey Blog Friends,

I have a little FREEBIE for you here today, just to thank you for being a blog friend!  :)

It's October, and time to start on those baking projects, Halloween and Fall goodies.... and holiday gifts (and new CHA images, yikes....)!

Here's a photo of the FREE printable gift bag project:

You can print the cute little owl bag, the embellishment images and the instructions by clicking on the photos below.   The finished bag is just the right size for some Fall goodies for someone extra special!

Click on the following two photos and the images will open in a separate window.  Print them on 8 1/2" x 11" card stock.

OR, if you prefer to download pdf's of both sheets, you can do so by clicking HERE and HERE.  To view a pdf you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you don't have Reader, it's available as a free download on Adobe's website.  

Just because you're special!  I hope you have a great weekend!  

Darcie

 

Winner, winner.....!

Hi Blog Friends,

I'm a couple of days late posting this.... had a power outage two days ago and computer problems yesterday, sheesh!  We had a big storm roll through here day before yesterday and had hail the size of pennies, yikes.  I'm headed to the computer store today to have the computer fixed... it's completely dead.  Nuts!

The Cincinnati show was very busy and lots of fun.  I posted show coupons on the blog and one of the coupons is the "Come A Runnin'" discount.  If you're one of the first 20 people who come running to the booth when the show opens, you get a discount coupon and a free gift. If you come running and yelling.... well, you get another gift, lol.  These are the wonderful blog friends who came running and yelling "Daaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrcccccciiiiiieeeee" all the way across the convention floor when the door opened:

The sweet gal in the blue standing next to me is Kathy Hales.... one of the first blog commenters when I started the blog last year.  (I've enjoyed getting to know all of you through exchanging comments on the blog, new friends... love it!) 

At the Cincinnati show, Friday evening is a special event where a limited number of people can buy tickets to attend.  There's a buffet, live music and everyone is supposed to dress in a costume.  This year the costume theme was "Super Heros".  Over the years, Marco's paper has always come up with great costumes for this event... but this year was my favorite:

Yup, they get my vote for the best Super Hero costume!  Of course, I might be a little biased...  ;)

Here's a shot of the Stamper's Anonymous booth (after the show closed... you couldn't get near it during the show it was so crowded):

Mario and Darby look pretty happy with the results of the show.  :)

And here's one more in the Stamper's booth after the show closed:

Ted and Tim crack me up in this one.... lol.

OK, now for that winner, winner thing..........!  I was able to round up 8 sets of the charms... so here are your 8 winning comments:

I was concerned that something was wrong since there hadn't been a post. Your family is in my prayers and I hope a speedy recovery comes quickly for your husband and his mother.
Glad to hear that you will be at Stampaway!  Posted by: Kathy JH

OHNO, I'm so sorry to hear about Dan and his mom. I will be praying that everything goes well for both of them and that they heal quickly. I love these new charm necklaces, I would love to win a set of them. Thanks, Darcie, take care! (Hope your ankle is getting better also!)  Posted by: Mary C 

Praying for a speedy recovery for your hubby and mom-in-law. They say: "When it rains, it pours!" Hang in there - give your worries to the only One who can handle it all :)

Love the charms, btw. :)  Posted by: barbrease

I'm sorry to hear of your husband's and MIL's surgeries - they are in my prayers. I love these charms and I'm anxious to order some. Will you be adding these to the website? I can't wait! I keep looking up videos online about that metal clay you talked about, and I think I may be hooked. It looks fairly simple, and sounds like fun. I love that necklace. Yes, I think you should give one away! I'd love to win a set of these charms. Thanks you and may God bless your family! Posted by: Geena Harper 

Can't wait to see you in Carson in November, bring a boatload of these, you're going to sell a ton! Blessings  Posted by: georgina

Bless your heart. I hope all goes well with your hubby and his mom. You'll all be in my heart and prayers.  I'm still so in love with your stamps. I just gush every time I look at them. geeze... Is that even possible?  thanks for a chance to win the charms. They are absolutely beautiful.  Posted by:  Debbie Reaves  

I hope your mom and DH are feeling much better.  I would love a chance to win one of your necklaces!  Posted by: Debbie Fisher

Hope all is well.  I can feel your (their) pain, I too, recently had what I thought was a minor surgery, got a bad infection and it took longer than normal to heal.  Good luck iwth the both of them.  See your headed to OH, so things must be getting better.  Now, on to read your other blog.  Have fun.  Posted by:  Diane Jacobson

OK, if all of you will please send me your mailing addresses, I will send you your charm sets... along with a couple of U-Cuts that coordinate with some of the charm shapes.  :) Please send your addresses to me at [email protected], by next Friday, August 27, so that I can get them right out to you!

See you soon!

Darcie

Light up my Life

Hi Blog Friends,

Well, last week was a really long one for me with the ankle injury... but I got through it and it's finally starting to make progress.  I finally figured out a way to work at my computer and keep the leg elevated.  It's propped up on my desk next to my keyboard with ice on it.  And YES, it looks ridiculous and is killer on the back, but it does help a lot. No, I'm not going to share that picture with you (!), lol. 

But... here's a photo of the new little pond by our front door that my sweet husband just built for me:

It's bigger than it looks in the photo, and has 3 little waterfalls.  We had a huge waterfall and pond at the house we lived in previously (which Dan also built...kind of his thing), and our grandsons loved it.  So I figured a little fish pond by the front door would keep all the little guys entertained.  You can see the little baby koi in the top center.  Dan is going to build a great big one in the backyard... probably next year... one project at a time!  We recently moved into a new house with no landscaping... so it's been a constant project.

SO!  I was able to get a lot of work done this weekend toward the new CHA releases, which I can't wait to share with you.  Soon.

In the meantime, I promised you a peek at another one of the new Spring releases.  Here's the stamp set:

This set is #JCS0117 Light Up My Life, and it retails for $24.95.  Here are a few of the projects that Tonya made using this stamp set:

I love the way the letters look on this one.  Here's another card:

And another card:

I'll share the dimensional projects from this set with you on Wednesday and give you some more details.  AND I'll tell you how you can WIN THIS RUBBER STAMP SET FOR FREE!  

In the meantime, I promised to randomly draw some names from recent post comments and give you prizes!  I'll continue to do this throughout the month, so be sure to leave a comment when you stop by and you'll be eligible for the drawings.  OK, the randomly drawn winners are:

Lynn Stenzel said:

Loved the Arlington show. Sorry to hear you hurt your ankle. Hope your up and around soon. Lynn

Connie Ludwig said:

Loved meeting you at the Arlington Show, and learning about your web page and your crafts. Loved looking at all the neat things on your pages. Found it very easy to look around. Thanks for thinking of your customers. Oh yes and THANK YOU for the cute Make and take...... So easy and cute.

D'Arcy said:

Your products and booth were fabulous at GASC! I visited every day so I wish I had access to a printer for those fabulous coupons! ;-) Thank you for being so helpful and friendly. Joyce was very nice and patient with me, too! Looking forward to the new site and I am so excited about finding your blog! I am SO making the little ornaments we made at your booth for Christmas presents! D'Arcy in Shreveport, LA

Woohoo!  Lynn, Connie and D'Arcy, please email me with your mailing addresses and I'll send you a free sampler pack of some of my newest papers.  You can email me at [email protected].

Thanks so much friends, and thank you for all the well wishes, I really appreciate it!

See you soon!

Darcie

  

Shine On!

Hi Blog Friends,

I thought I'd share a quick and easy little printable freebie with you.  I'll be showing you more about this stamp set and there will be a Stamp Set GIVEAWAY when I get home from the Arlington, Texas Great American Scrapbook show.  (Be sure to check back on Wednesday if you will be attending the show, there will be coupons for you here.)

Here's the little Gift Bag:

If you want to download the printable pages in an easy to print pdf format, you can click HERE, and HERE, and HERE.  To open a pdf document you need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer.  If you don't have Reader, it is available as a free download on Adobe's website.  When the website opens, just click on the tab that says "Get Adobe Reader".

OR... you can click on each of the images below and they will open in a new window.  You can print the pages from the new window.  Here's the pages:

Print each of the pages on a bright white cardstock.  It's pretty quick and easy to assemble and makes a great way to present someone special with a little homemade treat, or a small gift.

Be sure to check back, I'll be showing you the stamp set that coordinates with this project and will be having a FREE DRAWING for that stamp set.  Sometime in the next couple of weeks I will also be randomly drawing names from comments on various posts and having an instant winner freebie, so be sure to leave a comment on the recent posts to be eligible for those drawings.

I hope you enjoy the project and I'll see you soon!   

:) Darcie    

Smooch!

Hi Blog Friends,

Thought I'd share a quick and easy little project with you.  This little acrylic project is from my new line of acrylic frames.  

 
This little "Bella" Shape is item # ACR15 and it retails for $2.99.  The shape comes like this:

It includes a piece of backing chipboard, an acrylic shape (covered with blue film to protect it in the package).  The holes are pre-drilled.  If you want to add more holes, the Big Bite Cropadile will punch through the acrylic.  You can embellish these little frames any way you want.... use beads and wire or ribbon to make a little hanger or dangle beads or gems from them.  

If you're interested in other shapes, all of the new Acrylic Frames are featured in the newest flyer....which is available as a free download. Click HERE or on the icon below to download the Spring Accessory Flyer (which features these frames.) 

 

Click HERE or on the icon below to download the new Spring flyer featuring all of my new rubber stamp sets and papers:
 

The project shown above was embellished with one of my new stamp sets, JCS0113 Talilah Turtle, shown below:

  
This set retails for $24.95.  (The actual size of the whole set is 5 1/2" x 8 1/2").

If you're interested in ordering any of the products shown here, you can do so by calling our toll free number 1-(800)-945-3980.  The newer items are not shown on the website, as it is under construction, we're starting over with a brand new site.  

OK, now for that Freebie you're wondering about!  Thanks so much for all the nice comments, I really appreciate you guys taking the time to comment on the posts!  Ok, I used the random number generator and here's the winning comment:

I bought some stuff at the stamp convention at Southfield this past weekend. I hadnt seen your store in a while. Wowza! You sure have changed!! I love my older stuff but you sure did a 360 on some of the items and I am loving it. Even my daughter who doesnt like a whole lot of stuff bought some. So glad I took her shopping.

Posted by: Jan Scholl | 05/18/2010 at 09:19 PM

Sooo, Jan if you will email me with your address by Friday May 28 to claim your prize, I'll get it right out to you.  You can email me at [email protected].

OK, stay tuned for more projects... and another Freebie, coming soon!

:) Darcie

Wedded Bliss

Hi Blog Friends,

I thought I'd share this stamp set with you, since it's getting to be that season.... summer weddings!  This set of Cling Mounted Red Rubber stamps is from my new Spring batch of stamps.  It's JCS122 Wedded Bliss, and it retails for $24.95.  Here's the stamp set:
 
Here are a few of the samples Tonya made with this set:

I really like this car with the bridal veil flying out the window.  Tonya added stitched accents and the acrylic gems to most of these projects.  Here's another one:

And one more card:

Cute, simple and quick.  Here's another project using my Bottle Sack Pattern.  The Bottle Sack Pattern includes 3 sizes of bags and is the perfect way to package a bottle of wine or champagne for the special couple.  The Bottle Sack Pattern is item #TBX12 and it retails for $6.99.

And here's one last idea for this stamp set.  This one uses my new Acrylic Shadowbox Frame #ACR20 Raine Large.  This frame measures 7 3/8" x 7 3/8" and retails for $7.99.   Really? Really, $7.99!  I think it's an amazing price (and manufactured right here in the USA).

The frame includes the backing chipboard, three layers of chipboard in the shape of the frame (these are the "shadowbox" layers), the acrylic front (which is protected by blue plastic that peels off), and the frame clips.  Here's a photo of the frame without the embellishments:

There are so many ways to use these frames.  Be sure to download the Spring Flyer, if you haven't already done so, it contains dozens of ideas.  You can download it by clicking HERE or if you want to take a look at all of the flyers available for download, they're listed at the top of the red bar to the right.

Here are the papers used on all of the projects shown here:

  

Each of the papers are available in four different sizes:

PA's are 8 1/2" x 11" text weight paper - .47¢ each
PAC's are 8 1/2" x 11" printed card stock - .89¢ each
PTW's are 12" x 12" text weight paper - .85¢ each
SPAC's are 12" x 18" printed card stock - $1.39 each  

If you're interested in ordering any of the items shown here, you can call toll free 1-800-945-3980.  (We're still hoping the website will be done before TOO many more months go by!  We're starting over from scratch on a new one.)

AND NOW....I'll bet you're interested in who the lucky winner is for the Bird Song set of stamps that was featured in last week's post.

OK, I used the random number generator to choose a name.... and the lucky winner is.....

Julia Diane said:

Spring is such a lovely time of year. I woke this morning to the sound of light rain falling and the birds singing their praises. What a fabulous way to wake up. These projects are gorgeous!! I love this stamp set... lots of versatility... and I would be thrilled to win it. Thanks so much for the opportunity.

Sooo.... Julia, if you would please contact me by Monday, May 17 to claim your prize, I'll get it right out to you.  Please email me your address - [email protected].

OK, I'll be posting information on another FREEBIE later this week, be sure to check back for details!

See you soon!

Darcie