Swirly Cakes!

Good morning everyone! Hope you all are enjoying a gorgeous day!

One of my new found loves is baking, and I'd like to share that with you all today. I started baking for my children's birthday's. Then I was asked to make a cake for something or other, then I was asked by a stranger, and that is how things escalated. I didn't really start getting into the baking thing until December 2010. But after I found I really enjoyed it, I just couldn't stop!

I even took some classes this past summer to learn some different flower techniques. The classes were spendy (you had to buy a certain brand no matter if you had the product already)...So I stopped doing the classes and found YouTube! They have absolutely everything to do with baking on tutorial, and I've learned quite a bit from them...

I won't share all the cakes I've made since I started, but here is my most recent order. I constructed a carousel cake using rice crispy treats, dowels, cake, buttercream and Amaretto mousse for the inside. I painted a wood base to match the theme of this baby shower cake. I made sugar cookies and piped royal icing to match the invitations of the party. The order also included 30 cupcakes-half lemon with lemon buttercream and half Neapolitan {white cake, chocolate filling and strawberry buttercream}...



Chat with you all soon!

Gina K Designs September Stamp Release!!!

Hey Everyone! Just wanted to pop in quick and share some new illustrations I created for the new Gina K Designs September release! Be sure to pop on over and get yours ASAP! In the "Falling For You" stamp kit is perfect for fall, but also has many other uses...images in this kit I created are: Bird, Branch, House, Tall Flowers, Camera, Frog, Ferns, Rooster...The "My True Love Gave to Me" set would be so super cute to use these images for all your Christmas cards!!!

Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Buttercream

Hello everyone! Hope you all are enjoying the start of the school year!

This is my absolutely most favorite time of the year. I love everything about fall. Colors, sweaters, breezy sunny days. Crisp clean air. Football, tailgating, game time food!!! Even the acorns showering my house like hail! I wish it could be like this all year long!!!

We had a 30 degree temperature drop yesterday within the span of 3 hours. It went from super hot with AC going to super chilly, house shut tight and me in my sweats after doing Zumba in my living room! Crazy, but I just love the feel of falling asleep snug as a bug wrapped up tight in my blanket and sweats!!!

Anyways, for me, to kick off fall, I hoard up tons of ideas for crafts, baking and decorating. A few times a week, I pull out a few of my stashed ideas and put them to good use!

So today, I'd like to share with you one of my most favorite recipes! Also a great way to use up your last 2 very ripe bananas!!! Guarantee these will taste delish and not last long...you may even have to double the recipe!!!

These are my Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting. The recipe makes a scant 12 count. For more frosting, use another 1/2 recipe...If you have a stand mixer, this recipe literally only takes 5 minutes to make! Super easy peasy!For the cupcakes:

1/4 c. Butter at room temp
1/3 c. Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1-1/4 c. Flour
1-1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 Ripe Bananas, mashed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with liners.
2. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in your egg and then add vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
5. Mash up your bananas in another small bowl.
6. Add flour mixture and bananas to your egg mixture in alternate batches (I don't pay too much attention to what you begin or end with, doesn't matter too much).
7. Fill your cupcake liners about 1/2 full with batter. (The batter is thick, I use an icecream scooper and only fill it up 1/2 way with batter for each cupcake...)
8. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Honey-Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

1-1/4 c. Powder Sugar
1/2 c. Butter at room temp.
1 Tlbs. Honey
1/8 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tlbs. Half & Half

1. Cream butter till fluffy.
2. Add powder sugar and cinnamon.
3. Add Honey & Cream until smooth and desired consistency. (For thinner consistency, add 1 Tlbs. of Half & Half.)

Hugs, Heather R.

A Year in the Making...

Hello everyone! Long time no talk! I've been MIA for almost a year now. I took a time out for me and my family. Concentrating on us and trying to reconfigure me and my thoughts. I was getting burned out on paper crafting. After 6 months of not creating a card. I went to my stamp room, sat down and tried to make 2 birthday cards for my niece and nephew. The factwas, I had no creativity. No mojo. So then I figured 6 months wasn't long enough. After 9 months of stamping celibacy, I tried again. No such luck. I figured out that my heart and soul is not in the cardmaking and scrapbooking ventures anymore. I just plain stink at it. Seriously, I know it sounds strange, but it is very true!

So now, after nearly a year later, and several attempts to get back into my crafty side, I've come to the conclusion that I have to give that part of me up.
So over the past year, here is what's new, what I've discovered and what my plans are.

The same day I stopped my crafting ventures, I found out I was pregnant with my 3rd child. This was a complete and total surprise to us because we were told we could never have children the old fashioned way. Our first 2 were conceived on fertility and the last time we got pregnant the old fashioned way, it didn't stick. So I tried to eliminate all stress. I stopped working out (which I did virtually everyday sometimes twice a day). I stopped all things that were starting to stress me. No crafting. I even stopped illustrating for a little bit.

When we found out we were pregnant, I was already 2 months along. That was new because with the first 2, I knew before my 4th week that I was pregnant (fertility narrows down a date!)...I just didn't want to jinx this pregnancy. We weren't sure we wanted a 3rd child, but after finding out we were pregnant, we got over our fears pretty quickly and decided God wanted us to have a miracle baby! And boy did I baby everything about this pregnancy. I knew it would be my last if I carried to term. So I cherished every bite of food, every pound, every flutter, every kick, every inch, even every ache. I was in love and the baby wasn't even here yet.

In December, we found out we were having our 3rd boy. Was I disappointed? A tad. I had dreams and visions of prom shopping, wedding shopping, weekend shopping, phone calls, doing hair and buying dresses. I was scared to death of having a girl, but I never had a mother to do these things with, so I thought I needed a girl so I could have what I never had. So when we found out we were having a boy, I wasn't convinced, but I was over-joyed.

So finally, this past May, when we delivered a healthy bouncing baby boy (Jack Mathew, born May 18th at 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 20.25" long), I was in total awe of him and the fact that I had ever wanted to go prom shopping! Those thoughts left my head and I knew it was soccer, football, camping, fishing, hunting and all those boy things from there on. I've always been more of a boy in hobbies anyways. Lance & Adam were also in love right off the get go! They have been on baby Jack like glue since the day he was born! He is one spoiled baby with all the love they give him! Here are some pictures of our new family taken by my fabulous SIL Marissa!


Anyways, after finding out that my hobby in the crafting industry was at a pass...I found some new loves. Family. Reading. Baking. Cooking. Illustrating. So, I'm re-purposing my blog to better fit me and my new loves. I understand if some of you leave, but I appreciate even more those that stay. I love writing and hope you will enjoy all my new found loves and listening to me ramble. Weather it be with inspiration, new genius ideas I've found and want to share with you all, or pictures of cakes I've designed for people or a new recipe I've tried out or can't wait to try out...It's just me and my everyday normality's...That's the new me...