A new look for Cupcakes & Sunshine! ♥

A new year and a new age in my life means my blog is getting a new look as well!  I have been figuring out the layout that want and how to make changes to it for a couple months now, and it is finally pretty much where I want it.  And now I have put together a new header too!  Something that is a little more "Lea" current, but still encompasses my love of the cupcakes and sunshine name.  That will NEVER go out of style!  So, I hope you like it!!

Well, I am full on into love/valentine's mode now that my birthday is over, and I have a couple cards to share with you today!  This first card covers a few challenges actually.  It is (loosely) based on Taylored Expressions Sketch #98, fits the theme for 365 Cards: Tea for Two challenge, and uses the colors for Stacey's Curtain Call Color Challenge 12 (chocolate chip, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red & Very Vanilla).

"You Make Me Bubble" supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Paper: K & Company

Ribbon: Michael's brand

Stickers: Target brand

Stamps: Renaissance by Design (Coffee and Tea set, Coffee and Tea add-on set)

Ink: Clearsnap (Pigment: chestnut, razzberry, cranberry & Chalk: pink pastel)

Jewels: Creative Cafe (red) & Darice Inc. (pink heart)

Border Punches: Martha Stewart Crafts

Corner Rounder: EK Success

Instructions: Fold chocolate brown cardstock in half to make card base, and round the bottom corners.  Round the bottom corners of a block of striped paper and adhere to the bottom.  Round the top corners of a block of vanilla cardstock and adhere to the top.  Punch a heart border to a block of heart paper and adhere at the seam.  Punch a scalloped heart border to dotted paper and cut into a thin strip.  Adhere to the front.  Tie ribbon around the bottom of the card, and accent with two glitter heart stickers.  Stamp the sentiment, mugs and heart to the vanilla cardstock block.  Accent with jewels. 

And this card isn't based on any challenge.  If it isn't clear by now, I love this hearts stamp....so I get the itch to use it a lot!  ♥

"Be My Valentine" supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Paper: Imaginisce

Button/Paper Frill: Doodlebug Designs

Ribbon: Michael's brand

Twine: Darice Inc.

Jewels: Westrim Crafts

Rub-on: Making Memories

Stamps: Kitchen Sink Stamps (Plaid Plus! set)

Ink: Clearsnap (Pigment: Cranberry, Razzberry, Pink)

Corner Rounder: EK Success

Instructions:  Fold white cardstock in half to make card base, and round the top left & bottom right corners.  Add red paper frill to a strip of heart paper and round the top left corner.  Adhere to the left side of the card.  Add the sentiment rub-on to the lower right corner.  Stamp the heart stripes to the front of the card, and accent the bottoms with heart jewels.  Tie ribbon around the left side of the card, and attach a button to the middle of the bow with twine.  Add a heart jewel to the top of the button.

Now to life stuff! ♥  I have had some great birthday filled days!  On Wednesday night, I went to dinner with my family at Lydia's in Butte. I opened my gift from my family after we ordered.  They got me a super adorable top, and a new pair of skinny jeans.  Skinny jeans are a necessity when you wear cute fuzzy boots a lot during winter, and I really needed a new pair.  So, thanks mom!!  (They fit too, so no need to exchange!  Yay, I didn't have to go a size up! Hee hee!) Then dinner came.  It is a neat dining experience...and all these extras come with your meal order.  The table gets appetizer to share, and you get a salad.  Then spaghetti and raviolis come with your dinner order, and everyone gets ice cream for dessert.  It was very yummy!  Here we all are at dinner together.

And this was my yummy ice cream, with a candle in it!  Everyone else got "turtle" ice cream....but I went with huckleberry.  You can't get huckleberry ice cream in very many states....and it is SO good.

Josh and I drove home on Thursday morning, which was my actual birthday.  We had a fun day hanging out together, and we went to see this in 3D at the theatre.

It. Was. Awesome.  Everything about it.  Just an amazing movie, and the CGI was top notch.  Considering pretty much everything was computer generated on the movie....just awesome.  They did a fabulous job with the 3D work as well.  I highly recommend seeing this in the theatre...and I am normally not a big fan of watching things in 3D.

And I got a little surprise at my door yesterday!!  Dwight & Vanessa, my mother and father in-law, had these delived to me.

Aren't they so pretty?!  They are so fresh and springy, which is a nice feeling in this dull and dismal weather.  It has just been grey and yucky here, so these are a little beacon of light in this blah time.

So, do you want to know what my present is from Josh?  I get to go on a little scrapbooking product shopping spree.  I did recently purchase a couple new stamp sets, which are on there way to me in the next couple days!  But, I am waiting to buy some new release items from CHA.  Pretty nice little gift, huh?

So, I have been a spoiled little girl this week.  But, considering I turned the not so fun number....I think I deserve it.  Tee hee! 

Well, I am going to get going for now! I hope your Saturday has been whatever you have wanted it to be....fun, peaceful, restful, lazy.  All of it!  Talk to you soon! ♥

Until later,

~Lea