Happy Easter

I found this great papier-mache Easter egg project on Not Martha a few days ago and thought it was a great way to hide some Easter goodies in.

A simple project using liquid starch, water balloons and colored tissue. For full instructions, click here.

Happy Easter!

Little.Bites.Of.Heaven.

These tasty little guys truly crack me up. Micah and I have made these M&M cookies hundreds of times, and whenever family and friends catch wind that these cookies are coming out of the over, by evening... we get visitors :).

We've been having some rainy weather and when Micah woke up asking to bake these cookies, I thought it was a perfect idea- all ingredients, always on hand. Next to bread, butter and rice, M&Ms have become a staple food item in our household. Since I primarily use them as a teaching tool for counting, sequencing, etc... we usually have a huge bag from Costco in our pantry. Micah loves giving gifts to people, and these cookies wrapped up and tagged, have always been a hit to make someone's day! We met up with Daddy for lunch and Micah brought these as a gift, and you would've thought we bought him a new car... he ate 7 in one sitting! These cookies never fail, and you will ALWAYS hear after one bite, some kind of Mmmmmm from whoever is eating them. Whether you're 4, in your 20's, 30's or 60's, these cookies will sure enough make someone's day special!

* On Easter, we use the pastel colored M&Ms and on Christmas, we use the red and green colored ones.

Adapted from here

Yields approximately 30-36 cookies

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup M&Ms + 2-3 to top for each cookie
• 
  

1. In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 1 cup of M&M candies.
2. Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking.

DIY Paper Hydrangea Flower Balls

When I came across these beautiful hydrangea flower balls this morning while blogging, I did a double take because I couldn't believe they were made of paper.

Hydrangeas are some of my most favorite vase flowers. My parents have an amazing hydrangea garden of various colors growing in their yard, and every Spring, I sneak over and trim a few stems each week. I have sweet memories of my childhood girlfriends pulling them from neighboring yards and carrying bunches of them, pretending they were wedding bouquets. They are such stunning flowers.

These paper hydrangea balls were used as centerpieces for a pink themed baby shower featured on Frog Prince Paperie. The complete step-by-step tutorial can be found on Pizzazzerie- the great entertain in style website.

The perfect decor for any baby shower, bridal shower, or wedding. Who could ever imagine something so pretty could be created from the simple materials of styrofoam, paper, a Martha Stewart punch, and corsage pins!

The Royal Wedding Invitation

I think I was excited about Prince William and Kate Middleton's engagement mostly for the anticipation of what the royal invitation would look like, and today was the day the elegant invitation was revealed.

Approximately 1,900 of these gold embossed invitations were sent to king, charity leaders, family, friends and prime ministers around 
the world. The thick white cards measure at 10x6 and the edges are beveled and then gilded. In addition to the gold writing, a matching insignia of Queen Elizabeth was included, in whose name the invitation is sent.

I have always admired the English for their social graces. I truly believe they set the standard of etiquette in every aspect. And although most would comment why such a simple design for such a historical event? I believe the invitation is fitting for the occasion. It's traditional, yet bold, and pretty much speaks for itself.

On the other hand, when I had read that Prince William and Kate Middleton's save-the-dates were sent to European royal families by fax, I started to question my comment on social grace. But according to tradition, these leaders must be given earlier notice than the other guests, and apparently faxing is a very common, efficient and polite way to inform such guests as quickly as possible. With that said, I am no longer questioning the English on their etiquette :)

Photograph taken by the Associated Press

Fresh Fall Colors

A sneak peek of the latest Fall baby shower invitation that we just completed. I instantly fell in love with the colors- chocolate brown, teal, and accents of orange. Fall couldn't be more fresh!

October Traditions

At our house, Halloween time begins on October 1st! Micah pulls out the holiday box, the ghosts come out and the entire month is dedicated to pumpkins and goblins!

These yummy mummy dogs are the latest addition to our family Halloween tradition. They are incredibly easy to make and Micah loves finding these packed in his school lunch. They are also a big hit on trick-or-treat night when you need a fast bite to eat before heading out. I've found that adults like them as much, if not more, than the kids do! Definitely give them a try!

With my late grandpa being an author, books mean the world to my family. At least once a week, the library is on our agenda. It's great to see Micah roam the isles, browse the shelves and pick his bedtime books for the week.

"My Monster Mama Loves Me So" by Laura Leuck has definitely been one of our favorite books to read during Halloween time. In this adorable tale, a little monster tells the readers through rhyme, how much his mama loves him:

"When I wake up, she tweaks my nose,

tickles all my pointy toes,
combs the cobwebs from my bangs,
and makes sure that I brush my fangs."

As the story ends with the little monster falling fast asleep, so does my little monster. It's the greatest goodnight book to read during Halloween time!

Just a couple of our family's October traditions. Happy Halloween!

The Art of Stationery

In a world that's moving quickly toward a technical direction (email, social networks, etc.), the question of high prices for what is better known to most as a "paper" has always been a mystery... 'til now.

To a designer who creates with paper, fine stationery is truly a work of art. A wedding invitation suite can take anywhere from 24 to 24+ hours of manual labor to assemble- depending on the intricacy of the design. Each piece is hand cut and hand mounted, and no two are ever alike. So as a bride chooses her wedding dress for the big day, the process of creating a wedding invitation ensemble is quite similar... everything begins from scratch. The only difference being, one is created from fabric, the other from paper.

Crane & Co since the beginning of their existence, has been known as the "gold standard" for fine stationery. Publishing the Crane's Blue Book of Stationery, which no doubt sits on the shelves (or in my case, right next to my Mac) of almost all in the fine stationery industry, solidifies this title. Captivated since I was a little girl, I would walk down the small isles of the Crane & Co store and simply gaze at their beautiful letterpress pieces made of the most luxurious cotton paper. It caught my attention back then, and it still does to this very day.

I was always one who was much slower to embrace the fast evolving technological world. I love receiving my emails, etc., but there is nothing more special than receiving a hand written card by way of pony express... snail mail. Below is a video clip by Crane & Co demonstrating their gilding process and the amount of work it takes to complete a batch of their legendary stationery. I completely appreciate this clip as it truly shows how fine stationery are masterpieces through the eyes of the creator, and heart of the recipient.