Every Day is an Occasion

Valentines Day is Next Week!

2012-02-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

This entire winter is slipping by rather quickly for our household and I'm shocked that next week is Valentines day. If it slipped your mind too, here is a great source for class valentines. Pauline's
Sweet Muffin Suite's blog has print at home cupid's arrow that you insert a pencil in. So original!

Photo byPauline Grayson/SweetMuffinSuite.com

Pauline also has an Etsy shop where she has more printable valentines to check out, stop on by!

A Baking Party

2012-01-19T06:13:00.000-08:00

As my daughter's 7th birthday approached, I asked her "what kind of party do you want?" She said "a baking party!" My little girl loves to cook with me, making cookies or dinner it doesn't matter what we're making because she thinks it is fun. I tried to come up with some things that would be easy to make in a two hour period (with a bunch of kids!) and came up with pretzels.

I found the hats on BuyCostumes.com and printed out the kids names on iron on transfer sheets to personalize them. I found the directions on how to do this at Passion for Parties blog, where they explain that you need to make a mirror image of the text so that it reads correctly when you iron it on the hat.

I found this great idea to make cupcake wrapper garlands on Hostess blog. It was easy to do and an inexpensive way to add a pop of color.

We found a wonderful invitation and thank you note selection at the Mommies Ink Etsy shop. Jen was fantastic to work with and she altered an existing invitation design to include a brighter pink instead of red for my daughter.

I know you will not mind, I deleted the personal information for privacy. :)

Photo by Stephanie Albanese Photography

We found a great recipe that is similar to Auntie Annes at CDKitchen.com. The children could choose to put salt or cinnamon and sugar on their finished product. I found glassine bags at Paper & Parcel on Etsy, so the kids could eat one pretzel, and take another home!

We also decorated cupcakes...there is my sweet girl enjoying the chance to be creative with icing.

Photo by Stephanie Albanese

The children brought their creations home in clear cupcake boxes that I found on Amazon.com. There is a little plastic insert in the bottom of these boxes, so the cupcake stays in place for it's trip home.

In addition to their rolling pins, and a chocolate bar, the kids placed their creation in these simple bags to bring home. (No plastic junk to have hanging around the house!) I found some great gift tags by Meri Meri that are adorned with a touch of glitter. So sweet!

I really wanted to make cake pops for the party, but found myself running out of time. As I was shopping for the food for the party, I walked past some donut holes and thought, that might work! I came home and looked up some directions and came across Cookie with Sugar's website with some great tips. (Dip the popsicle stick in melted chocolate, then stick it in the donut hole. Let it cool and then dip all holes in chocolate to coat, this way, the balls stay ON the sticks!) The kids loved them, and also took some home in their goodie bags.

I found this printable picture on via Pinterest. (my latest favorite site...more about that later.)

BlessedNestblog.com created this sweet free printable, which you can print too.

Children grow out of these home made birthday parties so quickly, cherish them while they last!

Santa Was Here!

2011-12-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

I know, I know! It's a few weeks until Christmas, and I haven't posted! I'm in the midst of a remodel and it's taking everything I've got. (Another post, another day...)

I found these tags on SmittenBlogDesign's site and couldn't resist these for the kids' presents from Santa Claus last year. I'll post this years presents as soon as I manage to find the time to wrap them! :)

A Lego Party

2011-10-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

My son loves to build things, and truly enjoys Lego's so we decided to make a Lego themed party.
I found these treat sacks on PaperNook's Etsy site. You can order from many different designs and pick the colors coordinate with your event. We filled the sacks with Lego shaped cookies, minifigures, brick and minifigure shaped hard candy and Lego block shaped sugar candy.

I found these block candies on Amazon. My son always buys them when we are at the beach from Candy Kitchen. I thought we would build a bit with them, but we also included them in the favor bags.

I spotted these invitations on SIMONE Made It's Etsy shop. She was great to work with and so quick to get them done. I was a bit late getting this party in the works, so I ended up emailing quite a few.

We used these molds to make ice cubes and also hard candies for the treat bags. You can purchase your own set on She's Crafty's Etsy shop.

I poured some building bricks into these glass vases I had from another party and had the kids guess how many bricks were inside. We also played Creationary and had some Lego Ninjago battles. We also played some pick up the Lego games with chopsticks.

I found these candles on Amazon and the number candle is from Target.

It was the beginning of the school year, so I took the easy way out and ordered cupcakes from Wegmans. Such a relief to just pick them up after making all of those cookies! I found the yellow cupcake wrappers at Michaels and simply dropped the cupcakes in. (The yellow wrappers are made by Wilton.) I was going to put some brick candy on top of each cupcake, but it was a whirlwind of a day and I forgot!

Oh, did I say cookies? Here they are!

Lush with Roses Cake

2011-07-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, this cake just caught my eye and I can't get over how beautiful it is. I found it on the blog I Am Baker by Amanda.

Here is Amanda's tutorial on how to ice the cake:
http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/2011/02/rose-cake-tutorial.html

I am already checking my icing tips to see if I have the correct one!

Even the inside of the cake is special. Imagine showing up to a picnic with this beauty!

Looking further into her blog, I found these sweet rose cookies. You must all know by now my love of pretty cookies. Aren't they just adorable? My children always want the cookies at our local Wegman's with soft icing that gets a bit crunchy on the crust and I'm thinking these might be the ticket. You can be sure I'll be testing out her recipes soon. Thanks Amanda, for allowing me to borrow your photos and link!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

Butterflies

2011-06-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun making these butterfly cookies for a teacher I know. She'll be giving them to her students. How sweet is that? I couldn't resist adding some edible glitter, I thought the students would get a kick out of it. I wish I had some in every color! You can get some for yourself at Country Kitchen SweetArt.

Colorful Easter Eggs

2011-04-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

I was searching through Etsy the other day for Easter decorations and came across these vibrant wooden eggs. They are created with non toxic paint by Erin and her husband Nick and sold in their Etsy store, Imaginationkids. I think they would look so pretty in the birch baskets I posted about earlier. My children love to have egg hunts even when it's not Easter. Sometimes we have them in the house if it's too cold or muddy out, but outside is our favorite! (And a great photo op at that!)

The clean pure colors are so cheerful, they are sure to brighten a rainy spring day!

Birch Baskets

2011-03-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

The snow has melted here on the east coast, and as the grass (yet to be green) appears I am dreaming of spring days without coats. I found these wonderful birch baskets on New Hampshire Creation's Etsy shop. These birch baskets are made by hand from by floral designer Allie and her husband, Chuck. The baskets are made to order from already fallen trees. The pair also make birch vases, grapevine baskets, boxes and accept custom orders.

Can you imagine this basket filled with colorful eggs for Easter? Perhaps it could be a hostess gift of flowers for the center of the table.

These smaller baskets could be take home party favors filled with a few eggs and candy, or for an adult gathering some pretty spring flowers.

A mayday flower door hanger for your neighbor, or perhaps multiple cones hanging in a row to brighten a celebration?

I'm imagining a great photo prop for a flower girl or just a young child's first Easter. We saw our first robin this weekend, spring can't come soon enough!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

2011-02-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by a wonderful garland on the How About Orange? blog. She made a similar garland out of stiffened fabric. It's just beautiful. I wanted it!!! Since it's a busy week for me, and I didn't have time to visit the fabric store - I sifted through some scrapbooking paper that I already had on hand. I made the heart shapes with a paper punch, and then sewed the hearts together with a sewing machine. (Frankly, the sewing machine is only out because my daughter ripped holes in the knees of her winter PJ's and I can't locate another pair in her size - spring clothes are out in the stores!) Then, because I didn't think about sewing the string of hearts together first, I used a hole punch to connect the hearts with a ribbon.

So now I'll show you the lovely garland by Jessica of How About Orange? The fabric is so pretty and I love that the hearts are more demensional with extra layers.

You can get the complete directions from Jessica here. I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day, and took the time to tell all of your family and friends how much you love them.

Valentines Day is Monday?

2011-02-13T14:29:00.000-08:00

Monday will be Valentines day! How did it arrive so soon? Don't fret, you can find some unique printable Valentine's day cards online that you can print at home. Here are a few of my favorites:

My daughter chose these to give to her classmates:

These sweet valentines are designed by Linnette of Paper Glitter to be labels, but we printed a Happy Valentines Day message onto each and voila, they are class cards.

http://paperglitter.blogspot.com/2010/02/free-valentine-labels-printable.html. You can see more of Linnette's designs in her Etsy shop here.

Aren't these just too sweet? This is what I would hand out if I were still in elementary school!

You can download these cards for free from Northridge Media's site:

http://northridgemedia.net/blogs/create/freebies/free-download-printable-valentines/

My son will be handing these out:

These super cool cards for boys are available on Kat Wright's Etsy shop. Once again, easy as pie to print at home. She even includes envelopes!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/katwright?ref=seller_info

Our son was excited to find a "boy" valentine that wasn't pink and girly. Since he couldn't decide, he will also be giving a few of these to his friends:

These designs are free to download, designed by Samantha Hahn of Maquette.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samanthahahn/2192813085/in/set-72157603708838101/

I love these, and wish our school was allowing a few sweets! Well, we'll just do them for at home anyway.

You can purchase the file print these out at Paper Party Creation's Etsy site. I think Kristie did a great job with these. You can print them out at home on label paper and use a scrapbook punch to create the perfect circles, or get one with a scalloped edge.

Winter Wonderland Snowflake Cookies

2010-12-03T17:43:00.000-08:00

My children's school had a winter wonderland fundraising evening, so I made some snowflake cookies for the bake sale table. I love the robin's egg blue and tiffany blue so much so they were fun to make. I packaged them in clear goodie bags with ribbon for the children to buy.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2010-11-16T17:20:00.000-08:00

This is what I'm bringing to Thanksgiving dinner.

I found the recipe at the Martha Stewart website and followed it to a T. The only change I made was to bake the pies on Silpat sheets instead of parchment paper. Be careful not to over bake them, they taste so good when they are moist. The cream cheese filling is incredibly delicious! What are you making for Thanksgiving?

Autumn Cookies

2010-11-11T09:53:00.000-08:00

Now that fall has arrived, we've been busy getting into the spirit of colorful leaves and brisk nights by baking some cookies. The oven warms the house and the cookies smell so good. I added some lemon to the cookie dough and it tastes wonderful.

What are you doing to cozy things up this fall?

A Vintage Craft Party

2010-10-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

Every since I can remember, our daughter has liked tape and scissors. It was only natural that she wanted a craft party to celebrate her 6th birthday. We started out with the idea that we'd put craft supplies on the table in old blue mason jars, so we used that aqua blue color and pink on invitations. Carli at Dimpleprints found a vintage scissor images and put together this wonderful invitation. (I've deleted the contact info and address for web privacy.)

Colored pencils, scissors, markers and paintbrushes filled the jars. Alongside is some of Elise's original artwork. (hmm, I think she was 3!)

I found these old fashioned striped paper straws on 62cards' Etsy shop, and added the flags to them. Don't they look sweet in the old mason jar? I found quite a few at a local antique shop, and I borrowed some from my mother in law.

We made "windsocks" out of embroidery hoops and crepe paper. I found the directions in Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Elise helped me add ribbon to our cake stand to match the party. I found these little cupcake liners by Meri Meri at a local shop Francesca's Collection at the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley. We purchased petit fours at The Fresh Market.

Some more mason jars with flowers for decoration

A pretty banner from Dimpleprints...

I made some scissor and paint palatte cookies. I left some of the palatte cookies undecorated so that the kids could do it. To keep it simple, I iced the cookies with white royal icing and let them dry. When it was time for the kids to decorate, I piped icing around the palattes so the kids could add their choice of colored sugars.

The kids painted aprons with fabric paint and colored wooden tops, which I purchased from Discount School Supply. We also made paper pinwheels with double sided scrapbook paper and wooden dowels. I found these wonderful printable picture frames at One Charming Party and the kids colored self portraits.

For favors, I purchased shimmery watercolor paint at Discount School Supply. I found packages of colored pencils for $1.00 at Big Lots, along with glue sticks. I added some art erasers, put it all in a cellophane bag and put a sticker on it from Dimpleprints that said "Thanks for Crafting With Me." We also purchased some balsa wood dolls and cars for the kids to decorated at home from Michael's, also for one dollar a piece.

My daughter asked for an angle food cake with cream cheese icing. I tried to talk her out of it, since I am not a great cake baker, so I just covered it up with more cookies! :) She liked it and I guess that's all that matters.

Happy Birthday my little artist!

A Science Party

2010-09-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

It all started with the idea for a science party. My son loves to learn new things and what boy doesn't like to watch something erupt? We found some wonderful invitations on Etsy by Carli of Dimpleprints. She will put all of your information in to a file and email it to you so that you may print it at home, or at a print shop if you prefer. Fantastic for me to get them out to all of my son's friends at the last possible minute! (What can I say, it's the end of summer and school started on my son's birthday! I was a bit overwhelmed to say the least! :)

I did a search for science experiments and came up with the Steve Spangler website. A great resource for experiments, and inexpensive ingredients. We purchased instant snow, glow in the dark powder, a geyser tube and magic sand.

I had my husband bend a regular round cookie cutter into an erlenmyer flask shape and made cookies. I added pearls for bubbles and sprayed the cookies with pearlized spray.

I found beakers and erlenmeyer flasks at Scientific Equipment of Houston. We filled the small beakers and flasks with water and food coloring.

I found plastic petri dishes at Steve Spangler Science. We filled them with Jello and put the sprinkles in to make it look like bacteria growing in medium.

We found a local store that carries dry ice. I filled the large beakers and cylindrical vases (found at Michaels craft store.) I filled the vases with Aqua Gems. They come as small spheres that swell up when water is added. I also purchased water proof lights and put them in with the beads. Since the vases were glass, I put plastic containers in the top of the vase with water to drop the dry ice in. (Dry ice can shatter glass.) It looked so cool, especially outside on the table at night. You must be careful that the kids can not touch the dry ice as it can burn their skin.

The kids enjoyed making "tornados" out of two liter bottles and a coupler from Steve Spangler Science.

I think this was the favorite experiment of the night - Slime! We made it with white school glue, water, food coloring and borax. We also added some glow in the dark powder for fun.

It was a hot night, so instead of cake we had Rita's italian ice with sparkler candles. It was the perfect treat to cool off with. (And allergen free for our friends with nut, egg and dairy allergies!)

We also served Izze Sparling Juice for the kids. It's made with juice and carbonation so a bit less sugar. It went over big, since the kids thought they were getting away with tons of soda!

Carli of Dimpleprints created the design for the favor tags. I made them into stickers too and used them on the tops of our slime containers. On Escapade Direct's site, I found plastic test tube and rubber stoppers. I filled these with the snow, sand and gel beads and put them in clear bags for party favors. (Along with some great magnets I found at 5 below, Pop Rocks and the erlenmyer flask cookies

We also sent pictures from the party to Dimpleprints for our Thank you notes. They turned out great, and Cole wrote his notes on the reverse side.

Bella Luna

2010-07-31T05:57:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite stores in Rehobeth. I always look forward to shopping here because it is a visual smorgasboard. No matter how many times I walk through the store, I always discover something I haven't seen on my last pass through.

The displays are just gorgeous. How about this ferris wheel?

Isn't this chandelier pretty? I am attracted to the beautiful blue color, and with the little birds on it, I could picture it in a nursery.

Love this vintage party hat!

Fun pom poms on this purse!

There is beautiful jewelry throughout the store, artfully placed, such as this display with a glass cloche.

This little felt house is so sweet. The store also carried a selection of Eeboo games and coloring supplies.

Bella Luna is located at 127 Rehobeth Avenue. Rehobeth Beach, Delaware. You can view their website here, and their blog here, or friend them on Facebook!

Holy Hydrangeas!

2010-07-01T06:27:00.000-07:00

Oh it's my favorite flower, blooming in abundance in my yard. I love them so much that I cultivate them so I can have even more! Below is my favorite white hydrangea. It's an Annabelle that was given to me in remembrance of my Grandmother. I love that the flower heads are huge, pure white and don't wilt in the heat. The flower in the front is probably 8 inches across.

This is the hydrangea that was at our house when we bought it. I don't know which type it is, but it is a true blue. When I wasn't sure if we should get the house, this bush is what pushed me over the edge.

This is Hydrangea Macrophylla Blauer Prinz - Notice how large each of the flowers are on the flower head?

Hydrangea Macrophylla Ayesha. I find the way the petals cup to be really sweet. I had never seen this particular plant before so I had to snap it up when I saw it on Hydrangea's Plus site.

This hydrangea was a gift to my from my sister in law. My daughter is thrilled by the pink shade. I don't know the variety, but it's is pink every year, and more compact than my other plants.

If you are interested in hydrangeas, I highly recommend Hydrangeas Plus. Their site is very informative and they have many plants to choose from. What is your favorite flower?

Wedding Cookies

2010-06-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

I just finished these cookies for a wedding and thought I should share them with you! They are decorated with royal icing, dragees, pearls and Disco Dust. I found the dragees and pearls at Fancy Flours and the Disco Dust at Sunflower Sugar Art. I spread the royal icing on and let it dry. Then I sprayed the cookies with PME Lustre Spray in Pearl for a little sparkle. I piped on some lines of icing and sprinkled on the Disco Dust or placed pearls and dragees on the intersections.

Cookies to Celebrate a Birthday

2010-06-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

A good friend asked me to make cookies to celebrate his sister's 50th birthday. I found these champagne flute cookie cutter and couldn't resist them. I used edible pearls to make the bubbles. Using more than one size pearl helps the illusion. I had to incorporate some glitter too! (Disco Dust, available here.) I have to share a new find. PME Lustre Spray. (You can purchase it at Country Kitchens Sweet Art.) One quick spray and your icing becomes pearlized and a bit sparkly, but not too much.

Since the party will be around the pool, I tried some summery colors for the rest of the cookies. these incorporate more of a freeform icing style for the relaxed nature of hanging out poolside.

I ended up spraying all of the cookies with the PME Lustre Spray after I took this photo. It pulled everything together with a touch of sheen.

The Best Breakfast: Petit Provence, Portland Oregon

2010-06-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

While visiting Portland, we ate out a many different restaurants, and Petit Provence Boulangerie and Patisserie was the standout. Many a morning I wake up thinking of the display of pasteries, and the excellent breakfast I had there. I had the Risotto Cakes with eggs. So incredibly yummy!

Just to make you salivate, here is the description of this flavorful dish:

Slow simmered risotto rice with bacon, asparagus, mushrooms, red onions and fresh basil finished with cream. The risotto is then formed into cakes, lightly breaded and grilled to perfection. Topped with poached eggs with crowd pleasing provencal potatoes and butternut squash on the side.

The cases at the front of the store were filled with the most beautiful pasteries.

How pretty are the checkerboard cookies?

I can not get over how fancy the script is on these lemon tarts.

The empty trays prove how popular this eatery is with the locals.

This wonderful pear pastry was sublime. I can proudly say there was not a crumb left!

Portland, Oregon!

2010-06-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

I'm just back in from visiting my sister in Portland, Oregon. We saw some beautiful gardens, ate at some wonderful restaurants, shopped at some super cool stores and experienced a few museums. The Hollywood farmers market near her house was a lushness of fresh veggies that I just have to share...

I love the colors of these radishes. They were truly perfect, not a crack among them.

Everything looked so fresh and inviting. If you are in Portland, you must stop by! http://www.hollywoodfarmersmarket.org/

Teacher's Gifts

2010-06-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

The end of the school year is fast approaching so I thought I'd share what I am doing for teacher's gifts this year. I often hesitate to give actual gifts, because no matter how nice you think the item is, it just might not be someone's taste. I picked out something I thought would be useful, yet fun.

I found these wonderful baskets on Etsy at SewCute Thread's shop. These baskets could be used to carry items to the classroom, the beach, on a picnic or the farmer's market. My friend and I went together on these gifts, so we were able to fill them with some flowers and beautiful note cards from Target's Liberty of London line. (On clearance!) What are you gifting your child's teacher this year?

A Thank You to Mothers

2010-05-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

A very happy Mothers Day to all moms out there! It's only my 7th chance to celebrate the occasion, and as such I still think of it for a day to thank my mom and mother in law for all that they do. Especially for what they have done to make me and my husband the adults we are today. Our meal of choice is brunch because is it fun to make (and eat!) I am lucky to have an abundance of pansies in the garden to decorate with so I added them to the watermelon, strawberry and kiwi salad.

My daughter helped decorate the table with more pansies. Very elegant.

My husband treated us to his special handmade crepe recipe. I especially love the crispy edges!

A strawberry coulis for an angel food cake. I just threw some strawberries, lemon juice and a pinch of sugar in a bowl and pureed them with a stick blender.

I made some simple drop scones to tide the kids over until breakfast was ready.

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
1/2 cup chocolate chips. (Or white chips, dried cranberries or raisins)

Heat oven to 375 degrees, grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients well. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add orange juice, peel and milk and stir until just moistened. Stir in chocolate chips and drop by heaping teaspoonfuls on greased sheet. Top each scone with cinnamon and sugar and bake for 8-10 minutes. Serve warm.
*adapted from Pillsbury The Complete Book of Baking.

Some pretty gerbera daisies, one bouquet for each mom.

The grandest gift of all, handmade cards from my children.

Here's a bit of Inspiration for you....

2010-05-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

Stephanie Nielsen is an amazing, inspiring woman who had made it through some huge life trials. Just watch this short video and see if it doesn't give you a new perspective on your day today, as it did mine. You can read her wonderful blog here.

Yummy Easter Cookies!

2010-04-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

I just had to share some of the Easter cookies I made to to bring to a family dinner. I had so much fun decorating them with the bright colors of spring!

Spring!

2010-03-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

Things are rapidly turning green here on the east coast after much rain. Here are some lovely things I've found while staying dry in the house...

Katya Trischuk creates Pysanky eggs in addition to being an established artist in Toronto. You can find her beautifully detailed eggs at her Etsy store, Ukrainian Easter Eggs.

Look at the amazing details! Each egg is drawn on with wax, then dipped in a color dye, usually the lightest, then more wax and another color and so on. When the artist is done with the dyes, the wax is melted off to reveal the final design.

I love the simplicity of this black and white egg.

This sterling silver necklace is available at Just Jayne's Etsy shop. A darling gift for the Easter basket!

You know I love the whole concept of print at home. It's like instant gratification for those
of us who have so many things going on that a few things slip through the cracks every now
and then. Click on over to Andrea and Katie's Print Your Party Etsy store and you'll have a
file emailed to you. Print, glue and you are done! Andrea and Katie also have a blog where
they share all of their latest creations for celebrations.

Spring cookie

2010-03-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

My mother in law asked me to make some cookies for a friends mom's 100 birthday party. How amazing it that? Imagine the things this woman has seen in her lifetime. Since it's been so beautiful out, I was inspired by the bright green shoots that have been emerging after long, snowy winter.

Enjoy your day and get out there and soak up some vitamin D!

Rising to the Occasion

2010-02-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

We'll, we're having another snow storm here on the east coast, what to do? I remember as a child, my mom baked bread from scratch. We would eat it fresh out of the oven, hot with melted butter and a drizzle of honey. Mmmm. Since the kids and I are stuck in the house, I decided it's time to overcome my fear of baking bread and the great unknown of yeast products. I typed in "easy bread recipe" in google and came up with this recipe from Allrecipes. It mixed up fast in my Kitchenaid mixer and it's now hopefully rising by the stove.

Yes! I was so excited that my dough actually rose that I forgot to get a photo of it! I split it into two loaves, covered it again and waited for it to double in size again and here they are. It actually worked and the loaves are ready to bake.

They look just like mom used to make, and taste good too! I'm so glad I tried this, it actually was easy and I encourage you to try it too.

Valentines for Sisters

2010-02-13T06:36:00.000-08:00

Way back when my sister and I were in high school we started a tradition of giving each other a little something for valentines day. (You remember the days when perhaps you didn't have a special someone for that big holiday?)

My mom would give us each a small heart shaped box of chocolate or a few flowers. As we got older, Karen and I would send each other a little something at college, maybe a heart shaped frame or charm. Sometimes it was just a pretty card. Life has gotten busy and we've sent a lot of pretty cards. This year, the kids and I made some heart shaped cookies. We're ready to box them up and ship them across the country. Hopefully, in time for Valentines day.

We found something really new and exciting for decorating. It's called Disco Dust! Can you see in the photos, that it's like glitter for cookies? Disco dust comes in every color in the rainbow. I shake it onto wet icing and it stick like glue. It looks best with just a small amount of glitter, so I iced the cookies and let the dry. Then, I go back and draw details in with and icing pen or piping bag and add the glitter to that. It's magical!

Happy Valentines Day to all, and don't forget to share a little love!

More Valentines

2010-02-04T07:41:00.000-08:00

I can't seem to stop myself from looking all over the internet. I keep finding so many wonderful ideas for kids valentines to exchange. Kristin at Bunnycakes has done it again!

Her boys will be passing out some fun old-fashioned treats, Hammonds lollypops with a fun, playbill styled card.

Your children can pass these too and there is plenty of time to get personalized cards at Bunnycakes Etsy shop. After purchase you will receive a pdf file to download so that you can make as many as you need on your home printer. If your child prefers to sign his or her own name, you can download the card at her blog.

Valentines for kids...

2010-02-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

I am amazed at the creative valentines I've found online for kids. I love the way these fold and have the little wrappers to hold them closed. My kids like that they aren't too mushy and gushy!

You can find these valentines and more at Juniper Jefferies Etsy shop. These are printable cards - can you tell that I love this concept? In a few minutes you can print and cut these cards and have unique cards for your children to hand out at school.

Valentines for the class?

2010-02-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

Do you have children in school? Mine need to bring valentines in for each student in their class.

These three printable valentines are available at Bunny Cakes Etsy shop. Kristin will add your child's name to save you some time and you can print out as many as you need at home. (She will email you a pdf file.)

This is my pick. I like the conversation hearts, since they remind me of my childhood.

Aren't these fun? Perfect for either a boy or a girl.

Celebrating My Sister

2010-01-09T19:01:00.000-08:00

Today is my sister's birthday! My goodness, we've known each other all our lives, but it seems we're learning more about each other every day. Who knew, back when we were teens, how much we'd value the time spent with each other? In honor of my sister, here are a few quotes - just for her!

Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship. ~Margaret Mead

What's the good of news if you haven't a sister to share it? ~Jenny DeVries

In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips. ~Author Unknown

A sister is a forever friend. ~Author Unknown

When mom and dad don't understand, a sister always will. ~Author Unknown

There is no better friend than a sister. And there is no better sister than you. ~Author Unknown

We've been though many good times and bad, thick and thin and through it all we've been there for each other. I'm glad you are my sister, and I am blessed to call you friend.

Happy Birthday Karen!

Wrapping up the Holidays

2010-01-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

I hope you had some wonderful times with your family and friends over the holidays. We spent some time with my sister, visiting from Oregon. I know it's after Christmas, but I just had to share some holiday wrapping with you!

I found the initial tags at Martha Stewart. My son loves green and my daughter loves pink. The kids knew exactly which presents were theirs when they came down the steps. The wrapping paper was from Target.

A Pine Cone Garland

2009-12-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

The holidays are fast approaching, and I must admit that I am not ready. I need to decorate! I came across this great pine cone garland and instructions on how to make it at Twig and Thistle.

Since I have some large pines in the yard, I am heading out right now to gather some for my mantle! I may spray mine with a little silver paint for a touch of glimmer. Our living room is a tad dark and I think that shimmer may brighten things up and add a touch of holiday magic!

Gift Tags for the Holidays

2009-12-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

While shopping on Etsy last night, I came across these wonderful gift tags by Susan of Qdesigns. They have a feel for the past, with a sparkle towards the future! What a nice way to top a gift. You can find them at her Etsy shop, http://www.qdesigns.etsy.com

I love these Season Greeting tags with chocolate brown ribbons. The brown is so rich, and the mistletoe are a nice added touch.

These old fashioned feather trees speak of Christmas's past, while embellishments of red crystals give a nod to the present.

I think these tags would be perfect for a man's gift with the barber shopish striped ribbon. A little something handmade brings Christmas back to me, how about you?

A Refreshing Thanksgiving Salad

2009-11-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

We all know that we will be eating some tasty, yet rich foods for Thanksgiving, so here's a light, crisp and clean salad to clear your palate...

You can find this recipe at the Foodnetwork. I might just add some dried cranberries for added color on Thanksgiving, but it sure was delicious for lunch! A very Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T12:14:00.000-08:00

I do so look forward to Thanksgiving. It's a wonderful day spent with family, sharing a meal, great conversation and laughter too. I don't go overboard. In our family, one person makes the turkey, and the other families that are coming make the sides and deserts so it is an easy day for all.

I found these sweet little place cards on Martha Stewart's website:

Martha Stewart offers a free printable pdf file of these place cards. Simply print, cut and write. (I love the tray too!) You can find the instructions here.

A Candy Bar For Kids

2009-11-06T12:36:00.000-08:00

My daughter was looking over my shoulder when I was on the computer checking out some visual blogs. She saw a wonderful photo of a candy bar at a wedding and declared that this was what she wanted for her upcoming fifth birthday party. Well, it was just so cute, that I had to give it a try. I started by searching for images with google to get some ideas. There were so many great displays it was hard to focus and come up with scaled down version. (Kids + Sugar?)

Photo by Stephanie Albanese

I had some great apothocary jars I purchased a few years ago from a store that was going out of business. I added to them with one from Michael's and another from Marshall's. The rest of the glass items I found around the house.

Photo by Stehanie Albanese

We hung quite a few balloons from the trees with fishing line. The effect of the light coming through them was fantastic and the wind was gently blowing all day. (We're lucky to have an air compressor, which helped to get all of these balloons up in no time.)

Photo by Stephanie Albanese

I found these cute little favor boxes in the clearance isle at Michaels. My friend tells me to always check the clearance isle, so I did and it certainly paid off. We filled the boxes with cupcake shaped lipglosses from WishingFish and these cute little necklaces I made. (Magnetic clasps for safety.)

I found the perfect invitation on Etsy at Littlebean Boutique. I purchased matching thank you notes and stickers for the favor boxes.

I made these cones to fill with candy with scrapbook paper. (they remind me of the take out cones you get fish and chips in!) I just twisted them into a cone shape and glued them. I think this is a great way to continue with your theme as there are so many papers to choose from. I was a little torn on which way to go, as I had found some popcorn box templates online and many other types of boxes that can easily be assembled at home.

Photo by Stephanie Albanese

I found cupcake and ice cream shaped cookie cutter at Crate and Barrel. It was so much fun decorating them! (Use Royal Icing, it gets hard, unlike regular icing. You can purchase meringue powder or Just Whites if you are concerned about raw egg whites.)

Photo by Stephanie Albanese

Don't forget some snacks for the adults! We had some cheese and crackers and this lovely selection of fruit for all.

Photo by Stephanie Albanese

Ever since my friend had petit fours at her bridal shower, I have been enamoured with them. They are so delicate, colorful and pretty. Yummy too. So I picked some up at our local Fresh Market to add to our sweets table.

I was inspired by this picture of marshmallow pops. In the end, I came up with pink strawberry flavored marshmallows dipped in white chocolate and various sprinkles. Of course the morning of the party I was trying to figure out how I would make them stand up. Since I didn't have styrofoam to cover with candy, I used sugar.

Photo by Stephanie Albanese

I picked up various types of sprinkles so the kids could decorate their own cupcakes. Thanks Wegmans!) We also played pin the candle on the cupcakes and twister. The kids had fun keeping balloons in the air and simple free play. We had a fabulous day and enjoyed the crisp fall weather.

A special thanks to my very good friend Stephanie for taking the beautiful pictures! You can check out her website here and her blog here.

Halloween is Fast Approaching...

2009-10-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's almost Halloween. Just when I think I've seen it all, I find some new and very creative ways to celebrate the day.

I found these sweet cookies at Better Homes and Gardens. I love the stylized spider web. It looks so pretty, yet it's easy to do. Ice the cookies with white icing, while it's still wet, swirl a line of black icing in a concentric circle. Then pull a toothpick through the icing from the inside out to the edge.

These pumpkins remind me of intricate paper cuttings or pierced pottery. You can learn how to make them at Martha Stewart.

I think these vintage postcard cookies are classic. The designs are available in wafer sheets that you place on top of icing. Details are available at Fancy Flours.

I found these on LoveObsessInspire. This is a free, downloadable design by Karly of Ocscar + Emma Design. I love the refined style and all of the flourishes. An elegant Halloween!

Celebrating Chocolate as Art

2009-10-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

This past week, I was driving on route 78 with my daughter when it occurred to me that I had read an article about a Patisserie in Hellertown, Pennsylvania and had yet to visit it. So we pulled off the Hellertown exit and into the parking lot at Dolce Patisserie.

Inside the shop, there was a glass case filled with these most amazing little chocolates. They were perfectly formed, shiny, almost luminescent. It was hard to choose just a few. From front to back, we have dark chocolate, sugar cookie, pumpkin and creme brulee. We also sampled coconut, and we're sorry to say it didn't make it to be photographed, as we just had to eat them all! Pastry chef Alan Piotti was busy making some yummy looking apple tarts but he took the time to explain that the science of chocolate is how he makes such perfect pieces. These little treasures are so beautiful, they would make a great little gift. I picture them at each place setting over the holidays. Stop in Dolce Patisserie and see the masterpieces for yourself. I'm sure you will not leave empty handed!

Cool Kid Present

2009-09-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

Cole is always excited when Aunt Karen comes to visit. She always comes up with something special we've never seen before.

Knowing Cole's interest in crystals and gems... Karen found this very cool box with maps on the outside.

Inside she placed shaved wood and selected some really cool rocks for the treasure inside. A rock and mineral book to identify them all tops it off. The snake was inside guarding the gems!

An Indiana Jones Birthday

2009-09-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

My son is turning seven, and he has asked for an Indiana Jones birthday party. Well, I have to admit that I am not much for character parties with premade plates, cups and napkins. My one concession was the invitation. I found these on Baysic Design's Etsy shop. You send a picture of your child to her and she sends a file back to you that you may print or email. How simple is that?

Cole was so excited when he saw the finished invitation. You can get your own here.

I founds some inexpensive fabric at Joanne Fabrics to make a tent like structure. My sister found some rope at our local hardware store to hang from the trees above our deck.

We wrapped some snakes in the ropes, since Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes. (The snakes were part of Cole's present from his Aunt Karen... more on that in the next post!)

We had an easy activity to start with. The children broke up into groups and took turns wrapping each other into mummies! They were giggling and having so much fun. We certainly got our money worth out of a few rolls of toilet paper!

I made this little pillow pouches myself. I found the paper at Michael's in the scrapbooking section. The template for the pouch was at the Got Crafts blog here. I put the paper in my printer and printed the template on the back. Easy cutting and gluing and voila. Now I have to tell you that I made these pouches because I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, and I didn't have enough time to have something shipped. If you are not into making things, or simply do not have the time, you can find some wonderful boxes at LilithEvy's Etsy shop. We filled ours with magic tricks from the dollar store.

We found "chalices" on line at a floral supply house. I purchased jewels with stickers on the back at Oriental Trading, and glitter, gold and silver markers at Michaels. While the kids were decorating their goblets, my friends hid treasures in the yard. (Thanks Robin and Tara!)

It was important to me to find jewels that looked real. The kids were so into them!

I made these pyramid boxes to hold faceted "jewels" that I also found on Etsy. My son picked out colors for each of his friends, we filled the boxes with shredded wood and one large jewel. I wrote each child's name on the box and we hid them around the yard for a treasure hunt. Here is the link to the pyramid box template I found online.

To keep the kids busy, we had another activity. Originally I thought I'd send these home with the kids, but they had great fun being archeoligists digging out egyptian treasures. The Pyramid Dig Kit is from Oriental Trading.

I found some edible jewel decorations on Fancy Flours to decorate the cupcakes, and some "crystal" skulls too. We ordered plain cupcakes at Wegmans and decorated them a few minutes before the party.

My Sister is flying across the country...

2009-09-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

and we are so exciting to see her! Whenever I have an overnight guest coming to visit, I like to make sure they feel very welcome and at home in our home. A few little unexpected touches are sure to warm their heart.

Nicely folded extra thick towels in white feel fresh and lush. A little gift on top is an idea I learned from my sister. We often exchange new products that are small and easily fit in a carry on bag. Some of our past gifts have been the new Butter nail polish that is formaldahyde free, soaps, cute nail files, a sample of No Frizz by Living Proof. (perfect for the humid east coast!) In this case, it's peach soap by Provence Sante and a sample size No Frizz.

It's nice to have a carafe and glass for fresh water in the guest room. I bought this set a few years ago from Entertaining at Home. Just these small extra touches make your guest's visit more comfortable and extra special. I'm sure they'll know you want them to visit again!

Stunning Cookies

2009-09-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

A while ago, I came across these very pretty cookies on Etsy made by Amber at SweetAmbs. The detail on them is amazing, the cookies are like little works of art.

The gold icing on these Fleur de Lis cookies simply wowed me.

These Mad Tea Party cookies are so whimsical, aren't they?

These would be just perfect for an elegant tea party.

I think I may need to send these as a gift to someone special.

Look at all of the brush strokes it takes to make these flowers, almost like lace fabric.

These monogrammed cookies have such painstaking details - so special for a shower or wedding favor. Amber also had a blog where she posts about all things beautiful. Amber truly is the princess of pastry!

Timeless Paper

2009-09-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

Aren't these butterfies beautiful? Can you imagine them at a reception on every glass? For that matter, at an exclusive bridal or baby shower? How about a nice tea with your best girlfriends?

The butterflies look so delicate, as if they landed on each glass...

I must have this font! Flourishes abound!

So much more interesting than a flat table card. I love that they are three demensional.

These paper creations are fabulously special and decadent. Emily at Timeless Papers creates them and more at her Etsy shop. Menu cards, place cards, table numbers and napkin rings are also available. Currently, Emily has peacock, dragonflies, pumpkins, acorns and leaves as options in her Etsy store. I am sure that she could execute almost any theme, as she is wonderfully creative. The creme de la creme? There is a labor day special going on right now!

Bake it Pretty!

2009-08-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

I came across Bake it Pretty while searching for unusual baking cups...

These parisian style tulip cups could make some wonderful, elegant cupcakes for an evening party.

From fun and colorful, plaid, and gingham baking cups? Maybe for a picnic?

Another wonderful way to individualize your cupcakes is to put little sugar decorations on the top. These button posies have a kind of retro feel. I would play off the colors to create a fun look. (Red and aqua?)

Love the sugar buttons, so cute. Baby shower?

There are also some amazing silver jimmies. Hmmmm, how posh. Remember these for New Year's Eve!

Watermelon drinks for a hot day

2009-08-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

Well it is in the nineties today with a heat index of 100. The air is thick, and it is the perfect night for a light fruity drink. I put some watermelon in the blender and mixed it up. Below are two options to cool off.

For the kids I mixed the pureed watermelon with Wegmans blood orange soda and ice cubes.

For my husband and myself, I mixed the puree with seltzer and Tangueray gin on the rocks. The sun is setting, the temperature is dropping. What a relaxing evening.

An Initial Cake Topper

2009-08-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, you just have to visit Studio D Sharp. I love love love everything this woman does creatively. (So much so, that my daughter had one of her birthday tiaras for her first birthday party, more on that later! :) Denise Sharp has a shop over at Etsy here, and a blog here. Many of her creative projects consist of paper with the most wonderful vintage style german glass glitter.

How about this fantastic cake topper? It's elegant and unique with a vintage flair. So pretty.

She makes the most delightful birthday crowns and tiaras. You can order a custom crown for your occasion, perhaps a first birthday or anniversary?

These two beautiful replicas of the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa are actually candy containers. A great way to present an extra special gift. Perhaps a ring? What a wonderful keepsake.

You can check out her wonderful stamp garlands for cakes on her Etsy site. There are a variety of colors to choose from.

These tailored letterpress buckles are sure to dress up any gift. Stop by her sites, and I am sure you will find an occasion to use these special adornments.

Make Your Own Lighted Garland

2009-07-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

I found some really interesting lighted garlands on Once Wed. You can personalize them however you would like. It's a wonderful idea for a wedding, and could be made in any color of your choosing. Imagine your child's name in lights! A camping themed party or movie night in the yard! Go over to Once Wed for the full set of easy directions and have at it!

A Pinkalicious Party

2009-07-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

My daughter just loves Victoria and Elizabeth Kann's book Pinkalicious. So when it was time for the fourth birthday party, this was an obvious theme.

You can visit the Cupcakes for All website for printables and party ideas. It's very pink! You can purchase the book at Barnes and Noble, one of our favorites haunts!

How easy is that, go out and buy everything Pink? I found pink Hershey's Kisses in honor of the breast cancer awareness. At Target, I found pink M&M's in support of the Susan G. Komen Brest Cancer Foundation. I picked up a bunch of pink roses and pink carnations at our local grocery store. I chose pink plates, cups and napkins at Party City.

I had these adorable little tea cups packed away in the attic, so I pulled them out, filled them with floral foam and carnations. Didn't they turn out well? My sister and I used to have cups at tea parties with our grandmother. They bring back some wonderful memories.

I found this lovely little suitcase styled box at Home Goods. They even have sterling handles! (Oh, my - I hadn't taken the wrapping off the silver for the shot! :) The organdy pouches were found at Party City. We filled them with lip glosses & nail files.

Of course, I had to make some cookies. I made these little flowers with stylized "e's" for my daughter's name and some luster dust for extra sparkle. You can find luster dust at Global Sugar Art.

A simple mint julep cup and three roses makes a beautiful centerpiece on the sweet little ice cream table and chair set. My mom and I found the table and chair set at an antique show and sale. Well, if you must know where, the Pottersville Antique Show and Sale is the place!

I had these wonderful cupcakes made at our local Wegman's to save myself some time. I think they turned out great and they were moist and delicious.

I found some pink tulle at Joanne Fabrics. I draped it around for added decoration.

We searched high and low for an all pink pinata. This one fit the bill. It was a wonderful event, with simple old fashioned games like putting the clothes pins in a bottle, and an egg race. A fun and wonderful theme that can be adapted from almost any favorite story. Happy celebrations!

A Bug Party

2009-07-13T06:12:00.000-07:00

My son has been into bugs ever since I can remember. He wants to be a "bug scientist" when he grows up.

I saw this amazing Nordic Ware pan and I immediately knew what the theme for his next birthday party would be.

The cakelets were a little challenging to decorate, but well worth the effort! (I was so lucky that my sister was in town to help.) We made a double batch. We spread them with icing and let the sugar fill in the details.

I also picked up some plain cupcakes at our local Wegmans. I found some sweet little sugar bugs online at Fancy Flours.

I found these cute little bug houses at Oriental Trading. Don't they look great on the ribbon clothes line? I filled them with bug erasers, bug finger puppets and temporary bug tatoos.

I found the bug nets on Ebay. I put some sand in galvanized buckets so they would stand up straight. They worked wonderfully as decorations and take home favors.

We had easy games for the kids where they had to forage for toy bugs in the yard, a pinata, and some bug coloring pages to lure them in for the cakelets. Boys and girls alike had a wonderful time at this party.

Happy Fourth!

2009-07-04T09:18:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous Invitations

2009-07-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, you probably enjoy picking out beautiful paper invitations to send to your guests. You most likely don't have a lot of time to get said invitations out in the mail. Introducing Paperless Post, a new custom online invitation service that can send wonderful invitations right to your guests' inboxes.

Not only are these invitations classic and rich, they are green. The classic formal looking invitations truly look like traditional heavy card stock. The card arrives in a guest's email box and appears as a creamy envelope, which opens to show the invitation. The Paperless Post service also keeps track of responses. Go check them out, you will be amazed.

Present for a wedding or baby shower...

2009-06-30T05:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a little something I made for a cousin's wedding. I've been making paper cutting for years, in the past they were a little more authentic to the pennsylvania german Sherinschnitte. I would tea dye them and frame them in wooden frames.

This bride is a little more modern, so I stopped over at Pottery Barn and picked up a cream colored frame. I found some acid free paper in the scrap booking section at Target. I folded some onion skin paper in half and sketched a patter on one side. Then I cut the design out with embroidery sissors. Then, with the cutting upside down, I ironed it flat. Flip it over and then sketch the words you would like lightly in pencil.

Then with an acid free pen, write the words you would like. I found a great little pen of acid free glue by Martha Stewart Crafts, perfect for small spaces at Michael's.

Center the cutting in the frame and glue it to the acid free paper. You are done!

I just love the monochromatic tones for this piece. It should work well in the bride's new house where she has tone on tone colors in the living area.

Here is another example of a cutting I did for a baby. (I took out the full name and exact date for privacy.)

Now for the best part, wrapping! Would you believe that I found this great ribbon at Old Navy? It was only 49 cents after the holidays! I love the way gossamer ribbon catches the light.

Here's the perfect card by Papyrus fromTarget to top it off.

My Favorite Recipe to Bring to your next picnic...

2009-06-28T09:52:00.001-07:00

Every year, when it gets hot out, my sister calls me to ask what she should bring to her neighborhood block party. There is always the stipulation that is it extremely hot and she doesn't want to heat up the house with the oven. Well, here you go Karen! It's a fabulous recipe for Skewered Greek Salad by Giada DeLaurentiis. It's made with cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and feta cheese. (Let the cheese come to room temperature so it stay together.) You can grab the recipe here at the Food Network. I found a pack of 100 wood skewers at Wegman's grocery store. I can't wait to bring it to the Fourth of July Picnic. Imagine how pretty all the colors will be set out on a platter!

Unique Handmade Decorations.

2009-06-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

There is something special about a child's first birthday, and one of these crowns is the icing on the cake! I stumbled upon the Monkey Moo shop at Etsy.com and kept adding items to my favorites.

Doesn't this crown just make you sigh? It's so fun and pretty. Just imagine the pictures in a child's baby album with this little beauty on.

Monkey Moo, over at Etsy makes crowns and party decorations that are sweet and fresh.

She makes delightful banners. Here's one that says Make a Wish.

I think the cupcake toppers are my favorite. They really dress things up.

How about these sweet little bunnies for a baby shower? I also love the idea of the cookies instead of cupcakes. French Style Macaroons?

Donna also makes personalized banners, invitations and will customize colors upon request. Visit her shop on Etsy soon.

Picnic in the Park...

2009-06-23T13:58:00.001-07:00

I just have to share a superb idea with all of you. We have a group of moms and kids that could be pretty big to have at one house. My friend invited everyone to meet at a park near her house. She supplied a lunch of sandwich wraps for the moms and pizza for the kids, along with a fruit tray and frozen fudgesicles. All had a great time, and no one had to worry about making a mess or cleaning up. The creme de la creme? A huge bowl of salt water taffy. Doesn't it look festive? Thanks Kimberly!

Planning A Fourth of July Celebration?

2009-06-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

The Fourth of July is just around the corner, so now is the perfect time to start gathering your picnic or party decorations.

I found these festive tussie mussies at Paper Eclectiques etsy shop. I love the retro colors tinsel handles and glitter stars. Fill them with treats and hang them from a tree at your upcoming picnic. If you don't have a tree or your party in indoors, you could hang a ribbon and clip them up in clothes line fashion. Imagine how pretty these would look in the evening near fairy lights!

I came across this set of patriotic decorations on Paper and Cake's Etsy site. For one very reasonable purchase, you can download a pdf file that allows you to print out Invitations, place mats, cupcake wrappers and picks, pinwheels and more. I love that you can do this at home, for those of us that wait until the last minute. Here you see the cupcake wrappers and snack boxes.

Here are the invites, some fun party picks and cupcake toppers.

These pinwheels would make a fun craft for the kids, or you could make them ahead and have them spinning in the wind. (Perhaps in the garden, along a walkway or decorating a buffet?) If you are working with a subdued palate, you can print on cream paper. I just can't get over how many things you can make!

Fresh Summer Invitations

2009-06-18T06:48:00.001-07:00

I am so excited to have come across wonderful place to download some fresh summer invitations - Heirloom Papiere. Candis Ellis has this great idea - Template Tuesday, when she posts a new template to download. She had some cute Easter cards and spring labels that were posted previously. I've subscribed to the blog to see what comes next, but you don't have to wait until Tuesday! Candis also has a shop at Heirloompapiere.bigcartel.com with custom stationary, announcements, silhouettes and if you are lucky enough to live in Utah, you may book a photo shoot of your child.

Beautiful Notes

2009-06-11T13:25:00.000-07:00

I just found these lovely notes on the Wisker Graphics blog. They are by Whitney, a graphics designer who runs the Etsy store Wisker Graphics. Free to download. How many times have you been caught at home in need of a thank you note or a gift tag? With these beautiful tags, no one will ever know! Check out her Etsy site where you can order note cards and even editable notes you can download as pdf files. So pretty.

Celebrating the simpler pace of life...

2009-06-08T05:59:00.000-07:00

After a weekend of wonderful weather in the 80's, it is Monday again. The last full week of school for my son begins with field day. Do you remember your field days? The day began with the discovery of a turtle in the back yard. The kids were so excited, and I am anticipating the lazy hazy days of summer and all the bugs, frogs and toads that will be found. A quick breakfast of Fage yogurt and fresh watermelon on the deck is so good. Fage is Greek yogurt that is thick and rich. (like sour cream) It's not overly sweet like regular yogurt and it has more protein. Better yet, it is preservative free. I add fresh berries and a little cereal for crunch and I am full until lunch.

The Tooth Fairy

2009-05-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

At 6 years old, my son lost his first tooth. For me, of course it's a reason to celebrate!

I found some really cute things on the internet. The printable envelope is so sweet, I found it on DailyCandy.com. It is easy to cut out and glue together. The tooth fairy certificate was on the dentistry.about.com along with many others. A hint of fairy dust (glitter!) in the envelope added to the excitement in the morning.

We discovered Marilyn Scott-Water's website The Toymaker. Marilyn has a book out by the same title filled with magical toys you can make out of paper with your children. Some of them are on her website. We've filled many rainy days assembling some of her unique paper crafts found there. Above is her tooth fairy gazebo. The details on it are amazing.

You can find some really inventive things out there, with just a little advanced planning... I found a stamp of the tooth fairy's postmark on an Etsy store called Terbear Collectibles. Who would have thought? What child wouldn't be excited to see a "real" letter from the tooth fairy? There's just something magical about childhood milestones. They make us all remember a simpler time in our lives, and bring a smile to our hearts.

Just For Fun

2009-05-31T16:16:00.000-07:00

My daughter's preschool has a read to me program every year. This year they concentrated on books by Lindsay Barrett George. At the end of the year, they read the book Alfred Digs. It's a sweet little story about and ardvark named Alfred and his pet ant, Itty Bitty. Alfred loses his pet ant and has to dig for him in the dictionary. The shape of Alfred is a lot like a rabbit, so I used a rabbit cookie cutter and some royal icing to make Alfreds goggles. Did you notice Itty Bitty on his ear? I found the sugar ants at Bev's Cakes shop.

A Flower Party

2009-05-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

When my daughter turned three, I wanted a girly party for her without licensed characters, so I came up with this open theme. It is easy to work with and can become pretty much what ever you desire. Imagine it with all daisies, or a different color theme - it can become more casual or very formal.

This is where the whole party started. I found the directions to make these flowers on Martha Stewart. I found some beautiful tissue paper at Michael's Crafts. I varied the petal edges and which colors were in the center. I also made smaller flowers for variety. Here they are hanging from our chandelier. Some were hung in the corners of the rooms and backs of chairs.

Here are some of the smaller flowers added to balloons on the front porch. It's always nice to have something out front so guest know this is where the party is!

I chose orange and pink to go along with the tissue paper flowers, and incorporated it into the remaining decorations.

We had boys and girls at the party, so I found these sweet little bead kits by Bead Bazaar at Piggy Roo. They had flowers, butterflies, whales, bugs - something for everyone. I love the idea that the children will have something creative to do when they get home.

I love to make cut out cookies and decorate them for birthdays or holidays. Since the beads seemed a little small, I made a bag of cookies for each guest. I kept them pink and orange to go with the tissue paper flowers. I found some wonderful luster powder at my local cake decorating shop Bev's Cakes. The powder is totally edible, and generally is mixed with alcohol and painted onto fondant. I put mine in a fine sieve and dusted it over royal icing. It has a wonderful glitter effect. The luster dust is by CK Products.

My daughter loves brownies and requested brownie cupcakes. So I made Ghiardelli brownie mix into cupcakes and topped them with cream cheese icing. I found the little sugar flowers at Fancy Flours. Take a peek at their site, there are many things to choose from, whatever your theme may be. The cake stand is by Two's Company. I found this set at Home Goods.

Mother's Day Brunch

2009-05-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

It is finally nice enough to have a Mother's Day brunch outside! It's so exciting after being cooped up all winter, and everything always tastes better al fresco! I decided to make things a little elegant this year and used my grandmother's silver.

I decided to make things a little elegant this year and used my grandmother's silver.

I recently aquired a new pan to make filled pancakes from Williams Sonoma. They take a little longer to make, but the results are well worth it. We filled ours with Nutella, applebutter, or apricot jelly. These pancakes are called ebleskiver in Denmark. Other suggested fillings are lemon curd, fruit or cheese. I could imagine making a savory version, perhaps with herbed goat cheese and serving these as appetizers.

The main course - Linguine and Prosciutto Frittatas, a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis of the Food Network. They are so incredibly delicious and easy to make with Linquine, proscuitto, eggs, various cheeses and a hint of garlic.

We also opened up a bottle of Champagne and added some orange juice to make some yummy mimosas.

I just love this compote. It makes anything look a little extra special, doesn't it? The blueberries and strawberries were super sweet, so I didn't do a thing to them.

Ah, newly mown grass and a white table cloth. A nice balance between casual and extra special.