Can something be TOO pink?

A little cupcake creativeness for a friend's baby shower:

I overloaded the pink a bit BUT made up for it with the filling. Is that...could it be? NO. Did she bake a chocolate chip cookie inside a cupcake??? Yes friends, it's true. No idea where she got the idea but Leica was over a while ago and gave me the lowdown on how to do this. Best. Idea. EVER. Seriously...who wouldn't love a bite of moist chocolate chip cookie tucked inside some frosted cupcake goodness? Wonderful. I have always looooved baking cupcakes. The decorating ideas are endless. But lately I have been especially inspired by Saucy and her never ending stream of Martha-ness that makes me happy. Hop on over to Saucy's Sprinkles and get inspired. Have you baked for your loved ones today? xox

Another Saucy-tini anyone?

But of course! Saturday night I stayed out waaaaay too late carousing with some sweethearts of the blogging world. Did I just hear you snort? We are SO sweet, just never mind. We convened at Saucy's place where she was shakin' her thang in the midst of some a.MAZ.ing cocktails. That girl can mix a cran-tastic drink let me tell ya. I was not partaking of the alcoholic type that night but that didn't slow Saucy down for a second. Virgin Saucy-tini coming up. Sigh. It was wonderful. I mean come ON...who doesn't like a pink drink with floating fruit?!? Sigh me up.

And this is a creation I will be trying (and I use that term loosely) to recreate in the very near future. Brie cheese topped with a mouthwatering combination of brown sugar and berries. Baked on a cedar plank surrounded by toasted buttery bread. Oh you heard me.
I had 3 little golden toast rounds with this concoction on it...felt guilty afterwards and loved every minute of it!

So I do have other photos...but they aren't mine to post and the conversation was too good to bother getting much in focus. I will learn to use this darn camera properly one day, I swear.

These girls are such a riot. We laughed and hollered until the wee hours. I haven't had that kind of raucous good time in a long while. Much needed. Much appreciated! Thanks Saucy girl...you understand the desired Martha-ness of my world and inspire me to create even more good things.

Stop the love. Oh my word. {Don't worry...you aren't supposed to get that. But I bet Karen just burst out laughing.}

Share the love, don't just throw it in the trash

For those of you who don't know, I started a free scrapbooking class for underprivileged children when we lived in the North. I also used my own supplies to teach card classes to 150 gradeschoolers for every single holiday. That went on for over a year before some friends and internet acquaintences started sending me donations of scraps. Then Leica Forrest's layout Girl With A Cause was featured in the winter 07/08 edition of Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine and boxes started rolling in from all over the country. That is how my classes stay afloat. I am now volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club and soon to be with the Canadian Mental Health Association as a scrapbook teacher. I certainly don't get paid and we don't have a budget. I am forever trying to come up with creative ideas using little product or using my own money to augment our stash. So you can imagine how enraged I was when I saw this:

But Kate...why are you showing a big pile of garbage covered in pink paint??? That is pink paint...but it's not garbage. It's many, many, MANY packages of very sought after Heidi Swapp/Advantus scrapbooking product. And this is just what Lauren Ferguson was able to rescue from a dumpster at a scrapbooking show in the States. She and 3 of her dedicated friends brought it home, cleaned it up and donated it to worthy causes. Bless your hearts ladies. You are a shining example at a time when apparently SOME people (namely large companies who deem this stuff garbage) need a lesson in charity. Not to mention reduce, reuse, recycle. For the full story GO HERE and check out Lauren's blog. Show her some love! I will have to think very seriously if I will continue to support companies who have such ignorant and apathetic attitudes. Put some effort in people. The scrapbooking world is not going to stand for this.