Lamb cakes are as Easter as the bunny himself! Make your family and friends a cute-as-a-button lamb cake this Easter with this simple step-by-step recipe.

My friend Meg Wolff hosts a Lamb Throwdown contest each year. She sends lamb cake pans to contestants nationwide who must post finished lamb cake photos on Facebook for judging. For my entry, I made a sweet little lamb with her very own edible (and easy to make) Easter bonnet.

Decorating the lamb cake is key but first you’ve gotta bake it. This lamb cake recipe isn’t a ‘from scratch’ …instead, it’s a mash-up from Wilton of some box mixes with some other ingredients. Usually I prefer to bake from scratch but in this case, I knew I’d be spending a bunch of time on the decorating anyway, and it also made it easy for me and my baking assistant, Elise:

Before I made this lamb cake, I pictured filling each half of the pan, then somehow icing the halves to hold them together. But no! Instead you just fill half, put in a few toothpicks to lend support to her neck, put the other pan on top, and let the heavy cake batter rise into the top pan.

It’s kind of magical, really. You get a sturdy, browned little lamb ready to be decorated.

See my step-by-step instructions below for how to bake the Easter lamb cake …and once she’s all baked and cooled, check out how to decorate your little lamb AND make her a super easy edible Easter bonnet.

WANNA MAKE IT? Step-by-step instructions and supply list for making an Easter lamb cake recipe –>

Continue reading “Easter Lamb Cake Recipe For Beginners” »

If you are anything like me, sometimes you need a little inspiration. This giveaway includes two books from Lark Crafts that are bound to get your creativity flowing.

Making an Impression: Designing and Creating Artful Stamps by Geninne D. Zlatkis is a lovely guide to creating stamps and includes a number of inventive ways to use them. Illustrator Geninne Zlatkis begins with a review of materials and techniques before delving into step-by-step instructions for 20 beautiful projects including the cool embroidered cards above. If you choose not to design your own images, the back pages are filled with handy motifs and templates.

Journal It!: Perspectives in Creative Journaling by Jenny Doh is a great resource for any creative person. The book offers insights from 19 mixed-media artists, everything from pages from their own journals to materials and techniques are shared. Even more fun, the book is full of creativity-boosting “assignments” for you to try in your own journal …or card, or scrapbook, or framed picture, or whatever you please.

Here’s what the prize includes: One copy of Journal It!: Perspectives in Creative Journaling by Jenny Doh and one copy of Making an Impression: Designing and Creating Artful Stamps by Geninne D. Zlatkis.

To enter for a chance to win these two super fun craft books: See that little gray box below? Please log in the box below using Facebook and follow the instructions — I’m using a service for this giveaway called Rafflecopter. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and conditions:
The winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter and announced on March 16, 2013. I will contact the winner and ship the package to your US mailing address via USPS. Please note that neither Kathy Beymer nor Merriment Design is responsible for items lost due to shipping or delivery errors.

Giveaway is open to US residents 18 and older only (sorry international readers!) and is void where prohibited. Odds of winning is based on the number of entrants. This giveaway not associated with Facebook; entrants are providing information to Merriment Design and not to Facebook. Good luck!

Recycle a security envelope into a heartfelt Valentine’s Day card with just a few punches and pastes.

Years ago I saw a design*sponge post from derek & lauren that turned security envelopes inside out that got me seeing junk mail a little bit differently. The packrat in me started collecting some security envelopes and I got hooked on their pretty patterns.

I stamped out some security envelope hearts using a large craft punch.

And used a teeny heart hand punch for the “stamp.”

I’m officially hooked on security envelope patterns.

A special Valentine’s Day card for the important business of LOVE.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free step-by-step tutorial and supply list for making my Valentine’s Day card using recycled security envelopes –>

Continue reading “Make a Valentine Card Using Recycled Security Envelopes” »