Lots of Cupcakes and Some Exciting NEWS!!!!

Happy Monday Morning Everyone,

Okay - apology in advance: This is going to be one, big long post! Ged ready!!!

Happy March !!! Just a quick shout out to my highschool buddy Lisa and my dear blogging friend and fellow PaperCraftPlanet DT, Tammy Hersberger of Stamp Happy Tammy - both of whom celebrated their birthdays yesterday! Happy Birthday lovely ladies!!! I have been a slacker in sending out birthday cards - I love making them - but its always hard to go to the Post Office with two kids - it always ends up the same - either one or both of them end up in a puddle of tears on the post office floor... and speaking of March - I suddenly wondered how is it suddenly March - time is just flying by! Speaking of time flying by - are you ready for a Christmas card?!! LOL! I am part of a group called Christmas Stampin' All Year Long, that was started by one of my dear blogger friends Maria Bell of Stampin Inspirations, where we create Christmas cards and projects weekly throughout the year. Maria sends us a sketch or a challenge requirement for the challenge and it is so much fun to not only make a card but see everyone else's beautiful cards! I love doing this because it allows me to avoid the Christmas insanity of making a billion xmas cards just before mailing it out right before xmas.

This week's challenge was a sketch challenge and also a requirement challenge where we were supposed to use at least 3 "eyelets" as the main embellishment - (no ribbons, no brads, no primas, nothing else) with the sketch. I am so happy that this was the challenge - because truth be told - I am not a big eyelets fan - its just so much easier to put a brad through... but after I make a card with an eyelet - I am always like -- hey - I should use these more often! LOL!

Here's Maria's awesome sketch:


And here is my card based on the sketch and challenge requirement (I kept wanting to put ribbon on the card and had to actually resist the impulse a few times to keep within the challenge requirement of only using eyelets for embellishments).

I totally loved every single second of making this card. I had sooo much fun - my DH took the kids out and I cranked my fave mix and stamped away! This stamp set is from Taylored Expressions... and as some of you know - I am in love love love with her stamps - they are just too cute!

This image comes from Taylor's Year of Sweets 3 set and the paper is from her Christmas Key Ingredients. This cute cuppie was stamped with Stazon-Black onto water color paper (thanks to my friend S. who recommend which kinds to buy ;) I painted everything (created a little scene for Cuppie with a wall, table, and a candle on the mantle) and then paper pieced the rest - there are a lot of dimensionals (on the letter to Santa, cookies) for a bit of depth. The sentiment is from the set A Year of Sweet Sentiments. I put the eyelets as hooks for the stockings.

Join the fun by making your Christmas card based on the sketch/requirement challenge and link your blog to the post on the Christmas Stampin All Year Round site, where your card will be also posted in the group's photo album.

So now for some really exciting news - I am just so excited! Seriously - I have been on cloud 9 or cloud 99!!!!! I almost dropped on the floor and fainted when Taylor VanBruggen asked me to join her Baker's Dozen Design Team!!!!!!!!!! I had to pinch myself a few times! I have totally been in love with Taylor's company and her Friday Cupcake sketch challenges and all her cute Cuppie stamps and so it was just a dream come true!!! And I couldn't believe the Design Team that she has assembled - these ladies do amazing work and I am so honored to be part of this wonderful company and team!!! Thank you so much Taylor!! (I still have to pinch myself!!!) Please check out all the members of the Baker's Dozen Design Team here.

Taylor is releasing her newest stamp sets this week! And trust me they are just tooooo cute!!! Tuesday starts our preview fiesta where all the ladies on the Design Team will be showing some sneak peeks from the new release!!!

I wanted to show some more of her cute cute cute cupcake stamps and realized that I haven't yet posted all the cupcake cards that I made for her one year anniversary where she had a challenge for us to do 9 sketches - so I thought I would post them here. The funny thing is that I was trying to get them done before the deadline in January - but the deadline was the day that we were to leave for Florida - but did I pack instead of stamping? No way! Not when there are cutie cupcakes involved!!! LOL! I got it done just in the deadline - and then went off to hurriedly pack! In the middle of travelling and vacationing - I didn't post these - so here are my 9 cuppie inspired cards - you can read more about Taylor's One year Celebration of the Friday Cupcake Challenge here.

HOlly day cupcakes using Jackie Pedro's sketch

Sweet Friend card Using Donna Baker's sketch

Love Muffin card Using Monika Davis's Sketch

Love is Sweet Card Using Stephanie Hargis's sketch

Happy {Heart} Day Card Using Sherri Siemen's sketch

Happy V day card (sentiment from TE) Using Jami Sibley's sketch

Love is in the air card Using Ana Wolfhart's sketch

These two cards below I have already previously posted - but I thought I would keep all 9 together -so here they are again :). This one I already posted here and it is from Taylor's Friday Cupcake challenge #52.

This little guy I aready posted here using Vickie Chrisman - but had to post him again :)


Are you hungry for a cucpake yet? I totally am! Nothing like a cupcake and chai for breakfast --- now, all I have to do is get out of my pajamas and make some!

Thank you so much Taylor for this awesome opportunity! Please check out her awesome company Tayored Expressions and her simply sweet blog and check out all the awesome ladies in the Baker's Design Team!

Thank you all so much for visiting my little corner in the cyber world - I am so happy to be blogging again (after almost a month of being away from home) and its so great to meet so many new friends and catch up with all my awesome blogging friends!! Thank you all for always inspiring me!!!!

Cupcake hugs and sunshiney smiles :)
Sankari :)