Etsy to the rescue:

Little side projects have been a nice distraction during these last six months. Normally I don't have time for much, between day job, hospital runs, and my active 2 year old, but I made it a point to find the time and help a friend who needed ideas for her daughter's birthday party. I had less than a week to round up the details to bring it all together! Thank goodness she fell in love with a theme I already had in my Etsy Shop!

 

You can get this design here!

Let them eat cake:

It was so exciting to celebrate Victoria's First Birthday. We decided to capture this special ocassion with a cake smash session. My friend Denise from Denise Cruz Studio truly captured the moment, and Victoria's very vibrant personality. We also wanted to thank everyone who donated to the March of Dimes in Victoria's honor. It is because of their on going research that preemies have a chance at life!

Miniature cake by The Posh Nosh Cakery

Sweet Tooth:

Are these not the most beautiful cookies you've ever seen? I can't wait to start planning Victoria's birthday parties to have an excuse to purchase them!

{Find them via Etsy seller TS Cookies}

Mercier's:

Have you ever had one of those days when you just want the day to be over already? And then out of nowhere someone does something that makes it all better? I was having of those days on Friday. Then I received a call from a good friend, who wanted to stop by and visit me at work. Upon arriving at my office he handed me a most prized little package - - a box containing Apple Pies and Fritters from Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge, GA. I absolutely love this place, not only can you get a variety of apples, but you can pick fresh cherries, get homemade jams and ice cream, and a ton of other delicious treats! Sometimes the best gifts do come in small packages!

Blog Love:

My very talented best friend Linnette from PaperGlitter and I, are always sending eachother design sites, new blogs, stationery sites, you name it. We are constantly emailing eachother new reasons to be inspired. Half of the time though, I can never keep up with the amount of amazing designers that are out there. It's always such a treat to discover something new. Last week she sent me a link to the adorable site Bakerella. I dont know how my creative radar missed this site (maybe because it involves the kitchen!). It was love at first sight! But dont take my word for it, explore her site for an abundace of creative projects!

Modern Cupcakes:

Attention all bakers! Have you seen these neat little edible sheets to place on baked goods? A great alternative to intricate icing!

{Ticings}

Happy Mother's Day:

Happy Mother's Day to all those wonderful mothers out there. I had a wonderful day with my mother and all the other special moms in my life! Here is a peek to my completed mother's day project. I hope they all enjoyed my baked goodies.

{Visit Think Garnish for supplies & ideas!}

Sweet package:

I'm so excited to have received my Think Garnish goodies yesterday. I'll be a busy bee on Saturday baking and putting the gifts together. I had a little bit of a technical problem since the kraft loaf molds I ordered are smaller than the baking molds, but I think it will be okay.I'll have to put my creative thinking cap on! I cant wait to share the finished products!

Test Drive:

So I decided to embark on my baking adventure this weekend. I searched everywhere for the mini loaf molds, Macy's, Target, Crate & Barrel. None of those stores carried them, so I finally decided to go to Williams Sonoma knowing they would have them. I headed to the grocery store list in hand, and as I turned the corner to the baking isle, there they were, staring right back at me. Mini loaf molds in every size and configuration, and for a third of the price. I don't know why I didn't think of looking there! I rushed home and began my test run.

Recipe:

If you feel inspired to do a Mother's Day project similar to mine, I've designed a generic recipe card for your use. You can do something similar to what I'm working on, or if you are giving someone a kitchen/baking related gift, this is a nice way to get them started. The recipe card is available for download!

Work in Progress II:

My little project in progress has been compromised. I can't seem to find mini loaf molds anywhere in Miami. How is that possible? I guess that makes it that more of a challenge? I decided to design some favor tags to match my recipe card.  I'll add pictures later once everything is put together, if I ever find the molds! Here is a sample of what they look like. You can download them here if you'd like to use them in your own Mother's Day project!

Work in Progress:

Mother's Day is two weeks away. This means I need to have a test run of my little project in case it goes "Bust!". I'm a compulsive list maker, so aside from the obvious grocery store supplies, here is my little to do list of the essential items I will need to order to put the gifts together!

{Items 2-4 can be found at Think Garnish}

Old Recipe:

So after much soul searching, I think I figured out an idea for my Mother's Day gifts. When I was younger, my parents would take my sister and I to visit my Dad's aunt and uncle who lived in Sunny Isles, Florida. His aunt was a very elegant lady who always dressed to the nines. On every visit she would bake her Orange Date Coffee Cake because she knew I loved it, and on one of those visits she gave me the recipe. Sadly, shortly after that she died in a plane crash. I'm not much of a cook, but I'm going to attempt to make mini cakes for all the moms and share her recipe with this recipe card I designed.

Palette of Colors:

We finally managed to get some lovely weather down in Florida, clear blue skies and sixty-degree weather. It's the kind of weather that lures me into a pastry shop to have a cafe au lait with my hubby. As we faught the mall crowds we managed to sneak into Paul's for some yummy treats and to relax our feet. As I ordered my usual Raspberry tart, my eyes couldn't help but to glance over at their beautifully colored macarons, so I had a order a couple, and they were delicious! Now I cant wait to use them as favors!

You can also order them from here and have them shipped to you!