In December last year I baked sugar cookies for my blessingway/baby shower and felt like I’d discovered cookie gold! I couldn’t have been happier with the results. A year later, with our mammoth trip and our son’s Lucia concert approaching, I tried to organise thank you gifts for his teachers in the midst of packing, cleaning, keeping up with…
Decorating
"NICE" REFINED SUGAR-FREE APPLE PARSNIP GHOST & MUMMY CUPCAKES WITH "SLIGHTLY NAUGHTY" VEGAN BUTTERCREAM (plus Halloween/All Souls' round-up with links to recipes & FREE templates!)
Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, All Hallows’ Eve, Alla helgons dag/All Saints’ Day… yes, it was a big weekend for many people around the world. Here in Sweden, the “American version” of Halloween is a relatively new celebration, and not one as yet embraced or understood by all Swedes. Case in point, my husband’s grandmother called from the…
DIY FRANKENMALLOW POPS (chocolatey, marshmallowy, easy-to-make treats… perfect for little monsters)
You don’t need an oven (or a 19th century Gothic laboratory!) to create these little guys. Just a few ingredients, a little assembling and you’re minutes away from having homemade treats on hand for when the ghosts and ghouls coming knocking at your door tonight! WHAT YOU NEED Lollipop sticks Green candy melts Dark chocolate…
POSSIBLY THE EASIEST PUMPKIN CARVING TEMPLATE IN THE WORLD (FREE for download here!)
No Halloween decor up yet? No time? No pumpkin carving kit/fancy knives/special tools? No previous pumpkin carving experience? No idea where to start? No worries! This is the Jack-o’-Lantern design you’ve been looking for! My husband, our two and a half year-old toddler and I decided to do a last-minute, first time (!) pumpkin carving on…
DIY DAY OF THE DEAD SUGAR SKULL TREAT BOXES (they're spooky, sparkly & perfect for Halloween!)
What an amazing time of the year this is! Autumn landscapes and harvest festivals, Halloween, Thanksgiving… so many things to celebrate. Here in Sweden, All Saints’ Day (Alla helgons dag) is traditionally a quiet day of sombre reflection… dignified (in a typically Scandinavian fashion). Lighting candles at family grave sites is a widely practised custom. I…
CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES LITTLE HANDS CAN HELP WITH (even those belonging to small toddlers)
As Christmas drew near, I was determined to find activities that my 21 month-old L could join in with (he was already filled with the Christmas spirit and had been singing “Bingle Bells” for weeks prior to Christmas!). This is a post about a small selection of activities that we found highly enjoyable and little hands-friendly…
DIY CONFETTI (it's so easy… I can't believe people sell this stuff on Etsy!)
This post is going to be very short… mostly because this is one of the easiest craft projects I have ever undertaken! As part of Project Pinterest, The Blessingway Edition I decided to make my own confetti to sprinkle on table tops, in gift bags, etc. I chose two paper punches for this purpose from…
DIY FONDANT FLOWERS & BUTTERFLIES (AKA making sugar paste even sweeter!)
One of the first creative tasks I undertook as part of Project Pinterest, The Blessingway Edition was the making of cupcake decorations from sugar paste in the form of butterflies (my chosen blessingway motif) and flowers. I own the Wilton Ultimate Decorating Set (which I love, by the way), so many of the tools I needed for…
TISSUE PAPER FLOWERS (pretty & easy DIY decorations)
I am determined to apply DIY motivation to as many aspects of the upcoming blessingway/baby shower as possible, and the decorations are no exception! Thank goodness for Pinterest and my wonderful Project Pinterest board, onto which I had pinned this fabulous tutorial for gorgeous paper flowers. I have modified the steps somewhat as I am using…