Scrumptious Sweet Blog Hop -- Surprise, surprise!! :)

Welcome to the Scrumptious Sweet Blog Hop! 

Well, hellooooooooo to YOU!! :)  I'm so glad you could join me today for this delicious selection of scrumptious sweet ideas sure to leave you hankerin' for a cupcake, slice of pie, or wedge of chocolate!!  This is my kinda hop!! :)  I was absolutely tickled when a special friend (whose talent I've admired since nearly the beginning of my bloggie-land adventures) asked me to be a part of this FUN hop...  Thank you SO much, Yolie -- I hope you LOVE what you've inspired me to make for today!! :)

If you've hopped along from my NEW talented friend (who shares the same name), Amy, then you are in the right place!! If you are just joining me from your dashboard, or reading this via email, please be sure to CLICK HERE to start at the beginning with Angie's blog (cuz starting at the START is what you'll want to do!!)...  When you've finished the rounds, you'll end up at our lovely host's blog (that'd be the beautifully talented Yolie!!)...  :)

Be sure to watch for some sweet-candy-goodness (giveaways) throughout the hop too as there are several stops along the way with FUN gifts to share...  I know you'll want to try your luck for some ooey-gooey-goodness!! :)  Now grab your coffee or cup o' tea (or maybe a big ole glass of MILK!) and settle in for some sweet treats!! :) 

A little birdie told me that one of our very special hoppers is having a BIRTHDAY today, so I decided to "bake" a cake and wish Tammy a HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY (when you get to her blog, please be sure to wish her a Happy Birthday too!!  I'm sure it will mean SO much to her!!)...  Now, Tammy, make a wish...  And blow out the candle to see what surprises my project has in store......

A battery-operated tealight wrapped in taffy cardstock (embossed with the "Floral Fanfare" Cuttlebug embossing folder) sits atop the paper-cake full of surprises....

The finished cake measure approximately 7.5" tall and 6.5" wide...  The top layer is not the only layer to have a surprise...

Two of my handmade stick-pins keep the tag in place...  A variety of handmade flower embellishments and swirling gem embellishments adorn the cake...  When you lift the top layer from the cake.......

An octagon explosion box is revealed!! :)  Room enough for 32 small pictures or other keepsakes, the layers are staggered so that everything is more visible...

Each "petal" of the box has been embossed.  Both sides of the pink layer and one side of the black layer have ribbon to easily slide a small picture behind....

I used the Cuttlebug "Candy Cane" embossing folder for one layer and an unnamed Sizzix floral embossing folder for the other layer....

There's still another surprise in this cake....  Lift the top explosion box layer to reveal....

.... a second octagon explosion box in the bottom layer!!

If you are already a follower of mine, then you may already know that I love creating explosion boxes in all shapes and sizes!!  I have never seen an octagon explosion box before, so each piece of this one was hand-cut and hand-pieced...  Each layer measures 2.5" high....

The entire box took several hours to design and put together -- My hope is always to find a faster way to do one of these so that I can provide some kind of tutorial...  Sigh...  Yes, I'm putting a tutorial for this one on my list too :)

 A few more close-ups to show some of the detail on each layer and each piece....

I always find these surprise or "transformer" explosion boxes a LOT of fun to create -- And I hope you think it's lots of fun too!!

The "Today... is your day!" sentiment is from the "Positive Thoughts" Stamp Art Set from K Andrew Designs... This is my favorite set for encouraging and celebrating friends!! :)

And here is the cake all assembled again!! :)

Thank you SO much for stopping by during this YUMMY hop!!  I really appreciate you joining the FUN!! Now.... Before I send you off to your next stop on the hop...  I have some extra special goodies to send out to one fabulous friend!! :)

 

The "Floral Fanfare" Cuttlebug embossing folder (just like the one I used on the outside of my cake!), a yard of pink gingham ribbon, a sleeve of my handmade flower embellishments, and TWO handmade stickpins (similar to the ones on my cake)!! :)

To be eligible for my blog candy:

• Please leave me a comment answering this question: "What's your favorite sweet treat?"
• Receive a BONUS chance when you "Like" the Love To Crop! Facebook Page!! -- CLICK HERE -- then leave me an extra comment for your bonus chance!)

If you leave your email address (please leave it in SAFE scrapbookingwithamy at gmail dot com form), I will be happy to contact you if you are the winner; otherwise, you will need to check back after Wednesday, September 7th to see if you are a winner. No captcha here, so commenting is quick and easy!! :)

***CLICK HERE TO LEAVE A COMMENT***

Now you can hop on over to your next stop: Celeste!! 

I'll know you'll just love the SCRUMPTIOUS goodies she has to share!!

Here's a list of the entire hop, in case you get lost along the way or want to revisit anyone:

*** Please note that the following links will take you directly to each participants post if you are joining the hop later in the week!! ***

1. Angie at Scrappin' Memories
2. Amy at Aimitup
3. Amy :) at Love To Crop!  You are HERE!! :) 
4. Celeste at Touched By a Butterfly  Go here NEXT!! :)
5. Desiree at P1x3L.F3T1SH
6. Gaby at Gaby Creates
7. Jani at Paper Compulsions
8. Melin at Cooking With Cricut
9. Norma at PinkBlingCrafter
10. Tammy at OBX Stamping and Crafting  The BIRTHDAY GIRL!!  :)
11. Tori at It's Tori's Time 
12. Yolie at JustYolie, JustCreate

Thanks again!!  I hope your day is as SWEET as YOU are!! :)  Until next time,