inspiration: bows.

I am a hugely visual person.
Photographs inspire me on a daily basis.
I would love to share my inspirations with you,
and then the following week I will share

what I created from these inspirations.

Want to play along?
I'll be linking up your creations through inspiration very soon.
It's simple.
Use my inspiration photographs that week in a creative way,
and we will all share what we made.
Fun, creative, and a bit of a challenge each week.
Let me know in the comments if you are thinking of playing along!

Note:
Last time, I blogged about bicycles as my inspiration.
I'll combine my posts next week to show you what I have made. :)
xo!

Happy Thursday!
xo!

{all photos via weheartit}

idol excitement!

I am a HUGE American Idol fan.
This year is no exception!
In my opinion, the show is better than ever.
Love the judges, love the contestants,
and I think it is seriously hard to pick a favorite.
But if I must,
here are my top picks as of now. :)


Lauren Alaina
She is the cutest thing ever. Seriously. I adore her country voice and think she is already amazing! Plus, the girl has nice hair. {Blonde on top, dark underneath??? Sounds familiar and lovely. ;) }

Casey Abrams
He is the funniest looking guy, but his voice is incredible. Plus, he is semi-local, being that he is from Idyllwild. Gotta root for that. :)

James Durbin
He is my fave among faves, for sure. If I have to pick an overall winner, James is it. I love his story, love his voice, and love his super cute face. He is so comfortable on the stage and I always feel like I am already watching a star!!

Pia Toscano
She is just so amazing- super strong voice and she is gorgeous. Bright career ahead of her? I think so! :)

Not that I don't like others,
but these are probably my stand out picks so far.
Who are your favorites?
Thoughts about the season so far?
Happy Wednesday!
xo!

easter goodies!

New Easter goodies
have been added to the shop!

Stock up on tags and supplies for the holiday next month
and feel super prepared when the week of Easter comes along! :)
Let me know if you need to set up a custom order
and I'd be happy to help you!


{happy brown paper bunny rabbit cutouts}
These fabulous little bunnies would be darling for your kids to use in crafts and art, they would be great tied to an Easter gift or teacher's gift as well! :) So many uses for these little guys!


{brown paper tags - bunny silhouette}
Ah, I adore silhouettes, and nothing is cuter than this cute bunny on brown paper tags. Maybe the Easter bunny could write a little note on here for your kids?! :)


{sweet white Easter gift tags}
I love, love, love the motif on these tags. These will be what I use to wrap up Andrew's teacher gifts. {More on that soon.} :)


{brown paper tags - funky chicks}
Chicka, chicka, chicka. These sassy little birds need a place in your craft room, am I right?! :) I love these!

Happy Easter planning to you all!
I am planning some cute teacher gifts and kids crafts
that I will share with you very soon.
xo!

sugar jumbles.

The rain has hit us in Southern California once again.
What happened to the warm springtime?! :)
I do love stormy weather though,
and am making the best of it by baking!

Sugar Jumbles are the easiest little cookies to make, and they are so delish. From the old Better Crocker Picture Cookbook that was first printed in 1950, these cookies can be made a million different ways. Here's the basic recipe, which I adore.



Sugar Jumbles
{from Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook}

Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix together thoroughly:
1/2 cup soft butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together and stir in:
1 1/8 cups sifted Flour
1/4 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until delicately browned (cookies should still be soft). Cool slightly then remove from baking sheet.

Simple, yummy, and perfect for a not-so-sunny day.
These are also perfect to whip up for an after-school snack for the little ones. :)
Happy Monday!
xo!

PS.
Participate in Life Made Lovely Monday!
These cookies are making my life more lovely for sure. :)
These, and a cup of coffee.
Yum.

happy friday!

It has been beautiful here in Southern California this past week.
Sunny days,
blue skies,
and a touch of a warm spring
has arrived.
Makes me want to twirl around in a fluffy dress! :)
{Although I hear rain is imminent this weekend as well... hmmm.}
Hope you all enjoy a fantastic weekend!
xo!

let's do our part!

The news coverage about Japan is making me so extremely sad.
I feel like there is so much to do there, and so much help to give,
yet I am feeling a little helpless myself.

So I am going to do my small part to help in whatever way I can!
That is why you will find brand new Easter greeting cards in the shop...
all proceeds will benefit Red Cross in the earthquake relief!!



These fun little bunnies are hopping in to help as well!
Again, all the proceeds to these listings will go straight to the Red Cross
to help out in the little way I can.

Please do a little benefit shopping...
we can all do a little something
that might add up to a big something in the end. :)
My little donation through these orders may give
a little more hope
to all of those people who are suffering,
and I am feeling pretty good about that.
We are so very fortunate, so it's nice to give what we can.

Hope
is faith
holding out its hand
in the dark.
~George Iles

xo!

peanut butter smooches.

I needed to figure out a way to use up the leftover Valentine's Hershey kisses I had sitting in my pantry,
so Andrew and I decided to toss them on top of some easy peanut butter cookies!
This seriously is the easiest recipe ever created. :)
You've all seen a variation of this cookie, but here's my take on it...



Peanut Butter Smooches

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 bag of Hershey's chocolate kisses

Stir together peanut butter, sugar, and the egg in a medium bowl until blended and creamy. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 to 10 minutes. When you remove the cookies from the oven, add a chocolate kiss to the center!
That's it?! Yep, it is seriously that easy.

Happy baking, and happy eating! :)
xo!

funny bunnies. :)

These cute little chubsters have popped up in my shop!
Wouldn't these look adorable tied onto your child's Easter basket?
Or used as Easter favor or gift tags?!
I can't stand how cute that little bunny is.
Let me know if you need more than three tags
and I'd be happy to post a custom listing for you! :)

Happy Wednesday!
Now I am off to have a fun dinner date
with a certain handsome six-year old man. ;)
See you here tomorrow for a yummy and easy recipe!
xo!

a change of plans.

The inspiration post will have to wait until next Thursday.
There was a slight change of plans as of yesterday evening.

Andrew got his first set of stitches!!
He was riding his bike in the neighborhood and crashed into a palm tree.
Sounds not-so-bad?
Well...
the sharp pointy palm tree leaves seriously sliced into Andrew's cheek!!
Enough that an urgent trip to the emergency room was in order!
So off we went...

Yuck, yuck, yuck!!!
This had to hurt.
Poor little Andrew was so brave,
and sat for hours in the emergency room
waiting for someone to stitch him up.


Eventually someone came to the rescue!


Andrew thought he was going to be fully put to sleep for the procedure,
so he was shocked when he learned this was an awake sort of thing. :)
He did wonderfully though, so so brave!!!

And seven blue stitches later....

...here is my little boy!!
His new nickname is "Stitch."
I've been using it, and he thinks it is quite funny.
He is in no pain, on some antibiotics to curb any infections,
and is in very happy spirits that he gets a few days off from school.
His only concern is looking in the mirror.
That is not jazzed about.
We will avoid all mirrors for a while... :)

We told Andrew to tell his friends that a werewolf attacked him.
The palm tree story is cute,
but the wound looks pretty animal-like to me.
:)

So I hope everyone else is staying well and not enduring any ER trips.
We will be safely relaxing today, no crazy palm tree bike rides for us.
Happy Thursday!!
xo!

sweet & happy.

I love when Andrew is quietly crafting.
So sweet and he is so darn happy with a few markers, a bit of paper, and stickers.
I love to snag up some of those dollar goodies at Michael's or JoAnn's to keep on hand for afternoons that we need a little craft time. Andrew loves to be surprised by these goodies, too! Perfect idea for rainy days when momma needs to clean the house as well! ;)


That face is just the sweetest, right?!
Andrew, be still my heart.
Love, love, love. :)

And here is another sweet little item to hit the shop...

I adore these brown paper cardstock heart cutouts! :)
SO many ways to use these...
you might need a pack or two in your crafting collection.
I know Mr. Andrew already snagged some from my office. :)

Happy crafting, and stay tuned tomorrow for my inspiration post!
{Did you make anything inspired by bicycles this week? I did!! Can't wait to share!}
xo!

personalize it. :)

Another sweet addition to the personalized collection in the shop! :)
These would be SO cute for a number of things...

weddings

anniversary parties

save the dates

envelope confetti

bridal showers

or...
You can personalize it with one initial as well for baby showers or birthdays!
Anything you can think up would be so much fun! :)

Find them here.
Convo me for custom orders, I would love to help you out!

OK, back to work for me...
I've got a billion orders to catch up on!
Happy Tuesday!
xo!

inspiration: bicycles.

I am a hugely visual person.
Photographs inspire me on a daily basis.
I would love to share my inspirations with you,
and then the following week I will share
what I created from these inspirations.

Want to play along?
I'll be linking up your creations through inspiration very soon.
It's simple.
Use my inspiration photographs that week in a creative way,
and we will all share what we made.
Fun, creative, and a bit of a challenge each week.
Let me know in the comments if you are thinking of playing along!

Last week, I blogged about the inspiration of rainbows.
Here's what I decided to make....

{bright rainbow umbrella cutouts!}


{bright rainbow butterfly cutouts!}

-------------------------------------------------------

Up next for week number two's theme:
Bicycles.
I adore the shape and colors of vintage bicycles.
The idea of using a bicycle as transportation
makes me happy and it seems so romantic.
I think they are gorgeous.
Is that just me?? :)

Enjoy my inspirations...
and create something from this.
...and what inspires you this week?














{motorbike print on rome street map found here}





happy thursday!
xo!

{all images found via weheartit}

fancy coconut cake!

Birthdays are alive and well around my house at this time of year.
This past weekend we threw a birthday party for my grandma,
and today is my sweet boyfriend's birthday!
{Happy birthday, babycakes!!!}

Which in turn means that there is
a lot of birthday cake around the house as well. :)
{Hey, I am not complaining!}



I am a huge fan of baking cakes from the box, thank you Mrs. Crocker. :) But for the party this past weekend, I wanted to jazz up the white cake and frosting deal and make it a little more special.

Fancy Coconut Cake

What You'll Need:
1 Box Better Crocker White Cake Mix
2 Cans White Frosting
1 Bag of fluffy Coconut

Bake the cake as directed on the box, with one exception. I have learned from my mom to substitute olive oil for vegetable oil. It makes the cake super moist and delish! After the cake is baked and cooled, frost it completely. This does not have to be an award winning frosting job, since you will be covering the entire thing with coconut.

After it is all covered in lots of frosting, take small handfuls of the coconut and gently press it all the way around the edges of the cake, being careful to cover the whole surface, sides and all. After it is covered, go around the edges and clean it up to make it all look pretty. Easy, right? And the cake looks much more impressive than the time it took to whip it up!

Happy cake eating to you all!
I am off to bake another one for the boyfriend! :)
{Did I mention I love birthdays?!}
xo!

happy hearts day! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!
Hope you all have a day filled with love. :)
I feel so lucky to share this year with
my super darling little Andrew,
my amazing boyfriend John,
and I am so thankful to have a life filled with lots of love.
I wish that for you all as well!
extra xo's for you today!!

{image via weheartit}

inspiration: rainbows.

I am a hugely visual person.
Photographs inspire me on a daily basis.
I would love to share my inspirations with you,
and then the following week I will share
what I created from these inspirations.

Up first for week number one?
Rainbows!
The colors are spectacular, whether muted or bright.
Rainbows are everywhere, whether literal or not.

Enjoy my inspirations...
and what inspires you this week?








{tissue paper pom poms found here}


{photograph print found here}

I look forward to next week when I will share more
inspiration,
creativity,
and ideas! :)
xo!

{unless otherwise stated, all images found via weheartit.}