Love Banner Card

The die used for this is named Kensington Branch from Memory Box Company .  I cut off the upper portion of the die cut and used the branch with the large butterfly.  Then I cut the smaller butterfly off the remaining portion of the die cut and adhered it beside the branch.

The larger embossed butterfly was done with Stampin' Up's Elegant Butterfly punch.  The sentiment was printed with Hallmark Card Studio and cut out by hand.

The banner and larger butterfly are pop dotted for dimension. 

Oven Baked Fajitas

 Found this recipe today on Facebook and it looks interesting.  I don't believe that I use this much oil when I prepare fajita meat the traditional way.  This method would be a great way to make larger amounts if you're feeding a crowd.

Oven Baked Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into strips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.

In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt.

Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.

Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Cleaning Up The Smoker

I wish I'd taken a "before" and "after"  photo of DH's smoker that I cleaned yesterday.  It's a Cook Shack similar to this one: 

These are manufactured here in Oklahoma and we have really enjoyed using it for the last few years. 

However, the smoke residue builds up inside quickly and it's a pain in the butt to clean.

We've tried various types of oven cleaners, spray cleaners and degreasers as well as Magic Eraser sponges and none of them have worked as well as the Easy Off Heavy Duty oven cleaner.

I sprayed it onto the inside as well as the racks and the smoke just melted right off.

Since I wasn't 100% sure if it contained any caustic ingredients, I did thoroughly rinse the inside of the smoker with vinegar water.  Vinegar neutralizes acids. Then I rinsed it with plain water to remove any traces of vinegar.

DH and I have had a running battle about cleaning the smoker's interior.  His theory is that the smoke needs to build up to "season" the smoker, sort of like having a seasoned cast iron skillet.

He's used the smoker for too many years without getting it cleaned thoroughly and I felt that the smoke build up was causing the "Q" to have a slightly bitter taste.

He spent a couple of hours using some degreaser to clean it last week but it didn't get all the smoke build up. Yesterday I started out with hot water and a spray cleaner with a Magic Eraser and got a lot more off.  That's when I sent him to pick up some oven cleaner to try.

I sprayed the cleaner inside the cold oven and the smoke residue just melted right off.  Guess I'll be keeping a can of this on hand from now on.  It sure made a nasty job easy and quick! 

****NOTE TO SELF----next time wear gloves!****  I stained my cuticles and nails so badly that it took bleach to get them clean!

Cat Silhouette Card

The cat image is from the Silhouette store, file # 72957.  I wanted it to appear as if the cat was really looking outside so I used the cloud printed paper.

Mississippi Sin Dip

Haven't tried this yet but it sure sounds like a dip we'd enjoy!  I'll have to cut it down by half to serve it to the wine group and probably by two thirds for a smaller group.  The place I found this online suggested using chicken rather than the ham as an option.

Mississippi Sin Dip


24 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 oz chopped green chiles
2 cups cheddar cheese
16 oz sour cream
12 oz deli honey ham, very finely chopped.

1.Preheat over to 250
2. Mix all ingredients together
3. Bake for 30 minutes 'til hot and bubbly
4. Serve with corn chips or any type of cracker you like.

Serves 20+

Patio Shade Solution

We've lived in our home for almost 20 years.  Every summer I try to come up with something to provide shade for the patio in the late afternoon and early evening.  Over the years we've tried bamboo roller shades, shade cloth on a frame and vines.  Because we have such a problem here with winds, the shades and shade cloth didn't work well.

Every spring I plant Moonflowers in the long bed that sits on the west side of the patio.  DH runs lightweight rope from hooks on the edge of the bed to a rod suspended just under the edge of the patio cover.  This has been the best solution for shading the patio.

Putting up the ropes and removing them once the vines die off in the fall is a hassle.  I went online looking for a permanent solution and spent quite a bit of time researching different types of trellises before finding one that I liked.

I wanted one that would fit the size of the bed and each one I found online that could be customized was way out of my price range!

The plans for this trellis were found on an online home improvement site.  I emailed the photo of the finished trellis to DH and he drew up the plans and materials list to build it.

If you include his labor in the cost of the finished trellis, the ones online were priced just about right.  DH is a stickler for getting everything just so and he's spent about 3 full days to complete the project.

I planted my Moonflower seeds a few days ago and they're starting to come up.  I'm anxious for them to spread onto the trellis and see if it looks as I imagined.

 

Dragonfly Card

The die and stamp for the dragonfly came attached to issue 134 of Simply Cards and Papercrafts magazine.

I used the die and cut the shape from white cardstock, then again from vellum.  I trimmed the body portion off of the vellum image and then glued the wings onto the white base.

The stamped image was colored with a SU marker and I used just the body portion. The faux stitching was done with the same SU marker.

The wings looked too plain so I embossed them with a Swiss Dot folder and colored them with a clear star jelly roll pen to add some sparkle and bent them slightly up for dimension.

The tiny stars came from the Dollar Tree. 

Spring Flowers

The first flowers of spring 2015 at our house.

I can never remember the name of this flower.  Pretty sure it's not a Columbine though.

****Thanks to some online friends, I now know that these are Clematis plants.  Thanks for the help! ****

Garden Collection Stamps Card

The bird image is from a set of stamps by Spellbinder that came with Card Making And Papercraft magazine as a bonus.  They were designed to go with Spellbinder's Lacy Circles dies.

I do not own the dies so I used my Cameo and Make The Cut software to size and cut the scalloped circle to fit the stamped image.  The bird was stamped onto a 2 3/4" circle of white cardstock and colored with Promarkers.

This is my version of a card suggestion in the Card Making magazine.

Sriracha - Beef Macaroni and Cheese

DH really enjoys Sriracha sauce -- macaroni and cheese, not so much.  Today was one of those days when I neither wanted to cook or go out to eat dinner so I was looking for something quick and easy to make that DH would like.

A while back I posted a simple recipe using Shurfine macaroni and cheese with chicken.  Today I took that idea and changed it up to include ground beef.  It turned out well and I've added it to my favorite recipes.  

Since I keep all the ingredients on hand, and it can be on the table in less than 30 minutes, I consider it a keeper!


Sriracha Beef Mac and Cheese

1 box Shurfine macaroni and cheese
2 T. Sriracha mayonnaise
1 can mild tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
¾ lb. ground beef, browned

Prepare macaroni and cheese according to box instructions.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Makes 4-5 generous servings

You Rock! Card

I cannot believe how long it took me to get this card designed, cut and assembled.  The first hurdle was doing a print and cut on my Cameo of the rocking chair.  When the images were printed, the color was totally off.  That lead to replacing the color ink cartridge in my printer and spending time getting the printer aligned.

The Cameo did a super quick job of printing and cutting out the chairs once the printer ink was adjusted.

Then I decided I wanted to print "You rock!" onto a star shape and do a print and cut on it also.  There has to be a secret process to print text and cut a shape using Silhouette software---one that I'm not privy to since I could never accomplish that task!

Thinking I'd be able to accomplish it in Make The Cut, I switched software programs and tried one more time.  How hard can it be to cut a star with two words printed inside the shape?  Evidently,  pretty hard since I couldn't figure out how to do it in MTC either.

That lead me back to Hallmark Card Studio software where I was able to load a jpg image of the colored stars and add the text.  Knowing I was only going to make four cards, I just gave up and cut them out by hand.

The stars and rocking chair are pop dotted on the card front for dimension.  The acrylic dots in the corner came from the Dollar Tree.

It's simple projects like this that make me wish there was a decent manual for Silhouette software or a hands on class nearby!

Just Relax Card

The chillin' out chick is a digital image colored with Promarkers.  The acrylic bubbles were found at the Dollar Tree in their craft section.

Design-A-Flower Card

This card was done using an embossing folder and stamp set that came with Papercraft magazine.

I embossed the card front then stamped and cut out the large flower and leaves by hand.  They are pop dotted onto the matching embossed area.

The smaller embossed flowers were tinted with Memento Ladybug Red ink and a dauber. 

I added the sentiment and two small coordinating flower stamps in the upper corner and was done!

30 Minute Card

This is a good way to use up scraps.  I managed to get the lower portion of the card front and the sentiment from a 4 1/2" x 12" piece of left over orange card stock and complete four cards.

The flowers were done with an older EK Success punch.  The petals were scored on a Martha Stewart scoring board and slightly folded for dimension.  The flower center was done with a Bitty Punch.

Using Make The Cut and Marketing Script font, I cut the word "Hello" and attached it into the white area at the top of the card.  Then I added some pen stitching using a Stampin' Up marker.

30 Minute Card

I saw a card similar to this online.  It's a layout that you can use for a variety of occasions by changing the sentiment stamp used.

The first layer is kraft cardstock, then white and the top layer is Stampin' Up designer paper.  The butterfly punch is Elegant Butterfly from Stampin' Up.

The sentiment stamp is part of a set that was attached to a card making magazine from the UK.

Roses Card

The roses and sentiment were done with stamps that came with a card making magazine from the UK. I sure do wish my scanner was working!  I had to cut them out by hand after I colored them.

The white dots were done with a Signo white gel pen.

You Are My Happy Card

Inspired by a card seen in a magazine, I used Pharmacy and Marketing Script fonts and Hallmark Card Studio to print the sentiment. 

The corner embellishment was cut with a die attached to a card making magazine from the UK.

Make The Cut was used to cut the little flags for the banner.

I inked the edges and pop dotted the top layer for dimension.

Floating Fern And Butterfly Card

The greenery is a Silhouette image, Floating Fern #55302. which I slightly modified.  I used a background stamp from Bo Bunny's Stained Textures set and Memento Dandelion Yellow ink to add some texture underneath the greenery.

The butterfly was stamped with Stampin' Up's Papillon Potpourri stamp and punched with the Elegant Butterfly punch.

The sentiment is from the Clearly Collaged Hearts stamp set by Diana Wakely.  The set was a bonus that came with a card making magazine from the UK.

Cardmaking Magazines From the UK

We get the card making magazines from the UK about a month behind, but that's okay, at least you get your money's worth with them!  I'm not sure we even have any card magazines, or scrapbooking magazines, still being published in the U.S.   JoAnn's carries Cardmaking and Papercrafting, Quick Cards, and Simply Cards and Papercraft.  Each issue has some sort of bonus inside the plastic wrapper.  Sometimes it's a stamp set, sometimes a die or a collection of papers and each of the magazines includes projects utilizing the bonus.

Perhaps if the U.S. magazines had included some premium their sales would have stayed high enough for them to stay in business!

Here are the stamp sets and the embossing folder that came with those three magazines.  In my opinion, you're paying no more for the stamps and magazine than you'd pay for just the stamps so it's a good deal.

This set coordinates with Spellbinders dies.  I don't have the dies but am certain I can cut the shape I need with my Cameo.

 I saw this set of stamps online a few weeks ago and have been waiting for JoAnn's to get issue 133 of Simply Cards and Papercraft to get them!

I like that the embossing folder has colors on the butterflies so you can easily see what the pattern will be when it's embossed.  I will probably cut the "Birthday Wishes" sentiment off the stamp and just use the butterfly images the majority of the time.

Summer Wreath

There is a Facebook page dedicated to crafts made with items from the Dollar Tree.  Wreaths like these have been popular for the last few weeks.

Mesh wreaths are all the rage nowadays for home decor.  The mesh is expensive and the wreaths turn out really large.

I wanted a summer themed wreath for the door leading into the kitchen from the garage.  No one (that we know well) uses our front door, they all walk through the garage and right into the kitchen so this is what they'll see now.

The supplies you see all came from the Dollar Tree.  I found a package of yellow butterflies, pink polka dot wire edged ribbon, pink and yellow flowers and chose three colors of bath scrubbies for the netting. 

To apply the bath scrubbies, slice an opening in the styrofoam wreath form then clip the thread in the center of the scrubbies.  You'll have a long mesh tube that slides right over the styrofoam form.  Gather it to your liking and then hot glue the wreath together. 

Easter Themed Table Setting

You have to love the Dollar Tree!  Whenever the wine group meets at my house I do a themed table setting.  Everything you see in the photos came from the Dollar Tree except the forks!  Even the wine glasses were bought there. 

When you total up the cost, it was only $14, and that includes the glasses!  I attached yellow bows onto the wine glasses using glue dots.  That's much simpler than trying to tie bows onto the stems!

The take out boxes are filled with some goodies as a take home favor.

I have enough of the big bunny footprints left over to arrange them on the walkway into the dining room.  They can "hop on down the bunny trail" to our meeting this month!

Three Feathers Birthday Card

This is a card seen in issue 132 of Simply Cards and Papercraft, a publication from the U.K..  Each issue of the magazine comes with a gift attached.  The gift for this issue was a feather shaped die.  There is a set of coordinating stamps and sentiments to go with the die but I have been unable to find a source to purchase it.

The sentiment was printed using Hallmark Card Studio and the background was embossed with a script folder.

The colors are gold, bright pink, teal and navy blue.  The navy photographed as black.

Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese

I found this recipe on the macaroni and cheese box.  It's really good!  I chopped a large Roma tomato and left out the green onions since I don't care for them.

To me, boxed mac and cheese is kind of dry.  The Shur-fine brand is the best I've ever used.  It's much less expensive than Kraft and creamier.  The addition of the Hidden Valley dressing makes it even more creamy.

Since I keep all the ingredients to make this on hand, it's going in my recipe folder.  I believe you could substitute canned diced tomatoes if you drained them well.

Super quick to make!  The recipe "makes 2 servings".  I would say it makes 3-4 generous servings because it's rich and filling too.

RANCH CHICKEN MAC

1 (7.24 oz) package macaroni and cheese dinner
1 (10 oz) can chicken, drained
2 T. Ranch salad dressing
½ cup chopped tomato
3 T. sliced green onion

Prepare macaroni and cheese according to package.
Add chicken, salad dressing, tomato and onion.
Stir gently until warmed through.

Grunge Card

I was inspired by Gwen Edelman's card using Stampin' Up's Gorgeous Grunge stamp set to make this one.  I've wanted that stamp set ever since it was shown in the catalog and have never gotten around to ordering it.

This morning, I went through my stamp catalog and selected multiple "grunge" images to create my version.  I added some straight lines with a Stampin' Up marker over the stamped images.  The oval was punched with a 1 3/8 x 2" punch.

The butterfly is from the Papillon Potpourri set, punched with the Bitty Butterfly punch.  The sentiment is from Whimsical Words stamp set. I used Memento Tuxedo Black, Lady Bug red, Bamboo Leaves green, and Dandelion yellow inks.

Jalapeno Chicken Burgers

JALAPENO CHICKEN BURGERS

1 pound ground chicken breast
1-2 tablespoons dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
chopped jalapeno peppers to taste--I used about 4 tablespoons full

Combine all ingredients.  Form into patties and cook
in lightly oiled skillet until internal temperature reaches
at least 165°.

These are also good if you coat the patties with the
Panko crumbs.

Serve on buns with sliced tomatoes and lettuce.

Happiness Always

The background was embossed using a Swiss Dot folder.  I used two different Stampin Up stamps for the rectangles.  The flowers were done with the Boho Blossoms punch.

Graphic 45 Card

This card was made using three different Graphic 45 collections:  Glimpse of the Past, Eclectic Emporium and All Decked Out.

The sentiment was done using Make The Cut software.

Mickey Mouse Card

Using a Mickey Mouse image found online, I did a print and cut with my Cameo and pop dotted it onto layered white and red circles for a mat.

The white background was embossed using a Swiss Dot Cuttlebug folder.

The circle border was done with an EK Success punch.

Who knew? Hot Water Pie Crust

Guess I've been making pie crust the wrong way all these years.  Every cookbook, cooking show, and pastry recipe tell you to (1) never over work the dough (2) use only cold shortening and (3) cut the shortening into the flour until it makes a crumbly mixture.

This recipe just tosses all those requirements right out the window.  The boiling water as well as the mixing process should have developed the gluten in all purpose flour and made the crust tough--but it definitely didn't!

I made a "fold over" apple pie to test the crust recipe.  While it was baking, I rolled out strips of the leftover dough, spread melted butter over the strips and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on top.  My momma used to do this with leftover crust and it was always a treat for us kids.

After baking the strips less than 10 minutes at 350°, I was surprised just how flaky the crust turned out.

This short cut method for making crust is now going to be my "go-to" recipe.  I used my Kitchenaid mixer to blend the boiling water into the shortening, then stirred the flour in by hand.  I did add some additional boiling water to get the dough to the right consistency to roll out.

 HOT WATER PIE CRUST

¾ cup shortening
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. milk
¼ cup boiling water
2 cups all purpose flour

In a large bowl, combine shortening,
salt, milk and boiling water.  Whip with
fork until smooth and creamy.

Add 2 cups flour and stir with round-the
Bowl strokes until all flour is incorporated.

Makes crust for one double crust pie.

Cutout Heart Card

Seems like forever since I've made a card!  It's been over a month since I've had either the time or energy to work in my craft room.

This card was inspired by one seen online.  Using my Cameo, I cut the heart opening in the dotted cardstock. The heart shapes were embossed with the Brocade Cuttlebug folder.   Then I added a shadow layer to the heart out of the darker pink cardstock, a couple of flowers and a bow.

After adding the pink and off white cardstock underneath the cutout I decided it was too plain so I added some pen work and Pearl Pen dots.

Tax Season 2015

Since I closed my business almost five years ago I've spent my time doing things I want to do when I want to do them.  Most of my days have been spent making cards for Operation Write Home and spending time with the light of my life, Cooper, our three year old grandson.

It occurred to me that being at home and not around people was the main thing I missed most since retiring.  Since I've done accounting and tax work for over 40 years and had worked for H & R Block in the past, I decided to work during the 2015 tax season.

In order to become up to date with all the new tax laws and changes I spent about two months taking online courses and tests and began working in the local office in January.

Going from doing virtually nothing all day to working 8-9 hours a day has been quite a change.  There is a great group of people in the office and the owner is a good man to work for so it's been fun although tiring.

Tax season is winding down now and I'm looking forward to getting back into my "no routine".  It's been a pleasure to work with my co-workers and I've enjoyed the challenge but I'm ready to get back into spending my days being retired, again!

An Old Favorite Cookie Recipe

My momma used to make these.  Fred's mother did too.  They're one of the easiest cookies to make and the recipe calls for ingredients I always have on hand.  Since Fred really likes these, I made a batch this afternoon.

CHEWY CHARLIE COOKIES

1/3 Cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4  cup corn syrup
1/2  cup milk
1 1/2  cups sugar
1 1/3 cups peanut butter
1/4 cup margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups rolled oats

In a heavy saucepan over low heat mix first
5 ingredients.  Bring to a rolling boil.
Boil 1 to ½ minutes.  Remove from heat
and stir in peanut butter, vanilla, margarine
and oats.  Stir well.  Drop by rounded
teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper and allow to
cool and become firm.
Makes 40 cookies.

Meatball Pie With Biscuit Topping

A super simple, fast recipe that is very filling.  Makes 4-5 generous servings.  I fixed it tonight and "cheated" by using canned biscuits rather than making them from scratch.

If you use canned biscuits, start by cooking the meatballs at 450° as the recipe says, then lower the heat to 400° when you put the biscuits on top so they don't burn before they're completely baked. 

Tonight I heated the carrot, potato, sour cream and soup mixture in the microwave until it was hot before pouring it over the meatballs.  I didn't think it would heat thoroughly in the short time it would take to bake the canned biscuits.  Had I made scratch biscuits, I wouldn't have lowered the oven temperature or heated the mixture up.

I also used a cookie scoop to make the meatballs.  I placed them in the bottom of the pan directly from the scoop, much faster than shaping them by hand!

You can substitute two cans of mixed vegetables for the potatoes and carrots.  Drain one can and use the liquid in the second can. 


MEATBALL PIE WITH BISCUIT TOPPING

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. dried parsley
6 T. sour cream, divided
1 can Cream of Celery soup
1-16 oz. can sliced carrots
1-16 oz. can sliced potatoes, drained
Biscuits for topping

Heat oven to 450°.
Mix beef, onion, parsley, 3 T. of the sour cream, salt and pepper
and shape into 1" meatballs.
Place meatballs in 13 x 9 pan and bake 8-12 minutes.
Mix remaining sour cream, undiluted soup, drained potatoes and 
carrots with juice and pour over meatballs.
Place biscuits on top of meatball mixture and bake 15-20 minutes 
until biscuits are golden brown.

Blue Card With Red Flowers

The overlay  is vellum embossed with a Cuttlebug folder.  I added some white gel pen dots and used Pearl Pens for the flower centers.

Baby Girl Card and First Birthday Card

Zero Carb Pizza

This would be worth trying!

White Bean and Chicken Soup

WHITE BEAN AND CHICKEN SOUP
1 lb. Ground chicken breast
¾ cup diced onion
2 stalks celery, diced
2 small carrots, diced
1 can Great Northern beans
1 can Swanson chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. oregano

Brown chicken with onions, celery and carrots.
Add beans, undrained, chicken broth, garlic and
oregano.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer 15-20 minutes.

Pinwheel Birthday Card

The paper I used for this is from Making Memories, Sarah Jane, Children at Play.  I'm pretty sure Shirley and I picked this up at Tuesday Morning a couple of years ago since I have so many sheets of the same design.

I fussy cut the pinwheels from the reverse side of the striped paper and stamped the candles and sentiment.

The sentiment and the pinwheels are pop dotted for dimension.

Blossom Punch Card

The flowers were done with SU's Blossom Punch.  The stamped image is from the Mixed Bunch stamp set.

Beef Tips and Noodles

It's a cold, cloudy, dreary Sunday and comfort food sounds like it would hit the spot.  Beef and noodles seemed like a good option so I experimented with my usual recipe.  The recipe calls for Worcestershire sauce, which I am not a big fan of in beef dishes.  It makes a recipe taste too sweet. I tried various combinations of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and red wine and decided the soy sauce and red wine was the way to go.

Then I had to tweak it a little more and tested it with seasoned salt and garlic powder.  After numerous combinations I came up with the following:

BEEF TIPS AND NOODLES

Dredge cubed beef in flour, salt and pepper.
Brown beef in hot oil.
Add 1 can Swanson beef broth and
   1 can Campbell’s French Onion soup
   1 can Campbell’s Beef Broth
    ½ can water
Dash of Seasoned Salt
½ cup Lambrusco wine
5-6 drops of Soy Sauce
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Let simmer until beef is tender.  Add egg noodles and cook
until noodles are tender.

We prefer having the noodles cooked in the broth rather than serving the beef mixture over cooked noodles.

Microphone Card

The vintage microphone and the music symbols are clip art images found online.

Coffee Bean Card

The background paper is from Graphic 45.  I stamped it with a coffee bean stamp.

The sentiment was done using Silhouette software print and cut. 

I traced the coffee cup and did a print and cut on it also. 

The cut out shapes were shadowed using the offset feature in the software.

This card could be used for just a note or maybe even a Valentine.

Candy Hearts and Cupcake Card

Make The Cut has been my preferred software program ever since I began using it with my Expression.  I love how easy it is to use and got comfortable with its capabilities.  Even after I purchased a Cameo, I continued to use Make The Cut rather than learning how to use Silhouette software.

Since doing print and cut has become so popular, I've decided it's time for me to get serious and learn as much as I can about the Silhouette program.  Thanks to a Facebook friend, Kat Schrieber,  the past couple of days have been really fun since she spent some time teaching me shortcuts and tricks.

It still takes me quite a while to do things I want, but it's getting easier.  This card uses what Kat taught me yesterday.

I traced the cupcake image, did the print and cut and then I traced it again and was able to separate the cupcake liner from the top and did another print and cut of that image.  That gave me the cake portion to pop dot onto the full image and provide more dimension to the card.

The candy hearts are also clip art images that were done with print and cut.

I embossed the white mat underneath the cupcake with a heart folder and added a pink and brown mat.

Everything is sitting on top of a paper doily.

The dimension of the card shows up better in this photo. 

I know I have barely scratched the surface of what the Silhouette software can do.  For now, I'll continue working with clip art, doing print and cut, and learning how to break apart and color clip art images.  Once I have that process down, I'll move on to something else---like maybe point editing.  Right now, that just sounds too complicated!