Want to Add a Little Finesse to your Cupcake Skills?
{By Emily | August 21, 2008}
They say that designing cupcakes have a way of bringing out your inner creativity…. Just kidding, I totally made that up, 
but after spending a little time at the Wilton Cupcake Website, I would say that is completely possible!
I don’t like to admit it, but every time I have made cupcakes (that I can possibly think of) I have just slopped on the frosting like it was butter on a pancake. Absolutely no finesse involved in my cupcake baking/frosting! Which is why I LOVED this site.
Not only can you buy these prominent cupcake stands for $13, you can also learn how to decorate cupcakes like it’s second nature (and your guests will never know)! Wilton lists food coloring tips, icing recipes, decorating techniques and classes for making cupcakes and cakes. They will teach you the 101 about designing treats for occassions and parties, they explain icing basics, and help you learn to add fillings too!
Fresh Handmade Finds
{By Emily | August 21, 2008}
Looking for dazzling handmade gifts? For your viewing enjoyment, the two shoppes I am listing today sell handmade and customized gifts that I think have quite the professional touch to them.
With quintessential hand-made items, Kiss My Style is a fun place to shop for funky accessories, hand bags, purses, personalized tags and stylish knobs. Looking good in vintage red and pink, this set of fabric covered magnets (complete with designer tin) is only $12.50. Crisp and fruity, this Apples and Pears Clutch Bag is not only eye-catching; it also keeps your daily necessities organized.
Sweet Discount:
Take $5 off when you spend $35 at Kiss My Style - just use code fiveoff
* * * * *
Cary’s Kids specializes in making custom machine embroidered baby items. You can Monogram your baby’s name or initials on shirts, bibs, burp clothes and towels with colors and designs to fit your style.
Sweet Discount:
Free Shipping from Cary’s Kids when you spend $50.
How to Make Beautiful (and Affordable) Wall Art
{By Emily | August 20, 2008}
This was my posted article for Posh Mama today and I simply couldn’t resist telling you all about it too. This is definitely a MUST SEE project!
I absolutely love finding affordable and artistic ways to add a hint of glamour to my home. Recently, as I was thinking about what I could do to make my walls more colorful, I saw this fun and affordable little wall art project that I thought looked like the perfect solution.
Isn’t this gorgeous? I figured that since I was so excited about it, you may like to know how to make this wall art display for your home too.
What you Need to Get Started: (All materials may be obtained at your local craft store)
Styrofoam: 1″ x 12″ x 36″ blocks of Styrofoam
Other Materials:
Scrapbook paper: 12″ x 12″ (or 12″ x 12″ Photos or 12″ x 12″ squares of fabric)
Ribbon, 1″ or 7/8″ matte ribbon (you will probably need about 12 yds)
Ruler
Sharp pencil
Serrated knife
Thick, white craft glue or Elmer’s Cement Glue
Straight pins (optional)
Nine Sawtooth picture hangers or foam adhesive squares
1-2 hours to complete
{Photo Steps by DIY Maven from Curbly}
- If you want to include photos in your collage, decide which photos you want to use and then crop them to 12″ x 12″ at 300 dpi. You can also go to a photo lab if you need a little help getting your pictures formatted just right. Coordinating colors, black and white photos or sepia tones seem to work best so that your colors do not clash.
- Choose matching colored designer scrapbook papers at your local craft store. (Or visit these links to find cute paper: Luxe Classic Black or Black Berry Paper).
- Buy 12″ x 36″ x 1″ blocks of Styrofoam and cut them into 12″ x 12″ blocks with a utility knife, be sure to keep the lines as straight and perfect as possible. You may want to use foam board for this instead, but if you like the depth, Styrofoam would be best.
- Set the photos and papers how you want them. Spread white craft glue on the foam square (or Elmer’s cement glue may be better - this is supposed to help keep your paper from rippling), center your 12″ x 12″ paper or photo, and adhere it to the foam. Repeat, covering all foam squares. Once you have glued, press the Styrofoam upside down against a flat surface to obtain good adhesion.
- Pin or glue your ribbon around the edges. You’ll want to pull it as tight as possible and once you pin it, you may want to color the pins to match the ribbon.
- Finally, after it’s dry, attach it to your wall: You can either use a small saw-tooth picture hook for the back of each Styrofoam block, or if you want to skip the nails altogether you can attach foam adhesive squares to each corner and press them onto the wall. Foam corners don’t adhere very well to Styrofoam, so you may need to glue them to the Styrofoam for extra strength.
My inspiration and tutorial information for this project came from two helpful sources. The top photo is courtesy of Myra from We Make Three and Moon and Back Studios. I loved her personal touch to this wall art collage with her family photos included and I thought that her hands-on tutorial was really thorough. The second photo comes from Dow Crafts, where they also include a basic tutorial and list a variety of additional craft projects that you can make out of Styrofoam.
P.S. If you do this project at home, I would LOVE to see your pictures too.
Venerable New York Stationer - Having a Sale!
{By Emily | August 20, 2008}
Dempsey & Carroll, the timeless New York stationer, is known for its vast library of elegant and beautiful engraved images and truly offers something for your every moment and occasion. You can find flower designs to sport iconography to simple note cards that hold a special meaning.
“Since 1878, Dempsey & Carroll has been providing the finest quality engraving on natural fiber papers to political leaders, the social set, and Hollywood icons. They use hand-engraved steel dies and copper plates made to specification, the finest inks, and the most luxurious cotton-fiber papers available.”
Currently, Dempsey & Carroll is having an amazing annual sale that lasts until August 31st. You can save up to $35 (50%-75% off) on boxes of notes and cards and buy them for as low as $10! Truly impressive, especially considering the quality products you will receive and the reputation of this paper company!
Uptown Liz
{By Emily | August 20, 2008}
As you know, I feel strongly about giving back in some small way and I love writing about places where your shopping can really make a difference. So today, I wanted to spotlight a website that also lives by retail philanthropy (the opportunity to purchase quality products that benefit worthwhile causes). Uptown Liz is a wonderful resource that was founded to promote products from companies whose proceeds directly give back to charitable organizations.
Ramona, the founder of Uptown Liz, created this company in memory of her 28 year old sister who died from a long and painful battle with breast cancer. To help fulfill her sister’s dreams, their mission is to “build a bridge between compassionate consumers and concerned companies in order to improve the world.”
A feature that I love about this site is that you can finds shop or stores by “cause” or by “product” - that way if you feel strongly about a particular cause, you have a list of all the places that support your similar goals.
We Heart Our Fridge Farm
{By Emily | August 19, 2008}
Do you have one of these? The Leap Frog Fridge Farm is currently a house favorite! My little toddler loves to help out in the kitchen and when he gets bored of helping us with dishes, this is a perfect toy to keep him entertained. Many of you reading this probably already have one (and know all of the songs by heart), but if not, it comes highly recommended.
{Leap Frog Fridge Farm ~ $17.50}
First of all, it’s award winning, second of all, it sings and teaches through singing. Your toddlers can match up animals and it will tell them if they made a match in a sing-song kind of way. And we laugh because everytime an animal is mis-matched…the toy acts shocked and says: “A Horse Cow?” and then sings about their new animal invention, we think it’s hilarious.
Do You Keep a Journal?
{By Emily | August 19, 2008}
I remember my very first diary in elementary school, it had a lock and key on it so that potential diary thieves (my brother) wouldn’t get to it. As years passed, he definitely found his way through one or two of them, but that didn’t stop me from continuing to write.
I loved to write in journals to express my daily and deepest thoughts about life. I now have a stack of journals from childhood through marriage that my family and I cherish. We read through them from time to time and laugh (especially at my funny artwork), learn from my experiences, and re-live memories.
A new book that recently caught my attention called Note to Self, is all about journal writing and how it’s worth every minute. It helps us to really check in with ourselves and learn to express what’s inside. It also motivates us to see that when our thoughts come alive on paper, they become both meaningful and profound.
I’ve recently had the opportunity to interview the author, Samara O’Shea and wanted to share with you just a few things that she had to say:
……….
Me: “What inspired you to write this book?”
Samara: “My love for the written word inspired me to write this book. My first book was all about letter writing and how pen and paper can help you communicate with others, and I thought a book praising journal writing and how pen and paper can help you communicate with yourself should be the next step.”
Me: “What is something you hope that readers remember most about it?”
Samara: “I hope readers walk away with a strong desire to get to know themselves better.”
……….
How about you… Do you keep a journal? Have you noticed that it’s been a worthy pursuit in your life?
Making Gates Smarter, One Sign at a Time
{By Emily | August 19, 2008}
Now I know that this post may be a little unique, but what would life be like without a little randomness? I was introduced to “Dog in Yard” signs a few weeks ago and thought that these would be perfect for families who heart their pet.
{Dog in Yard Sign: $16.95}
As you know, to protect your dog, yourself and the mailman, it’s helpful to put up a post to notify everyone that you have a dog. So instead of stating: Beware of Dog, this simple sign nicely provides the heads up to everyone around.
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