making your way to fun & fancy gifts, favors and recipes for every occasion

DIY Art Coasters

A favor idea for your next party: add your own art coasters! This is a neat idea for a party or get together for children or adults. Order some coasters, supply pens and then watch the creativity flow. At the end of the party you can round them up and perhaps take a few photos to share with all the party goers- or send them home with guests as a reminder of the time they spent with you. Sometimes being asked to be creative on the spot can be daunting. To aid guests who might feel a little shy … [read more...]

Wedding Mints

Mints have been a classic wedding favor since the nineteenth century, when they were given in the form of peppermint candies as a luxurious sweet in the days when white sugar was rare and costly. Today, mints are still the sweet of choice for American brides, and you can add a personal touch by making them yourself and adding a personalized label. Ingredients: • 12 oz. cream cheese • 3 lbs. powdered sugar • 6 drops peppermint flavoring, or as desired • food coloring Put all ingredients … [read more...]

Membrillo

You may notice that this is the second quince paste recipe on the blog. My friend Barbara made the first one, and my taste buds know how wonderful her quince paste turned out. But I made some too, and packaged it up differently from hers, so you can pick which version you want to make and package it up her way or my way. Or do something completely different - and if you do, please let us know! Barbara and I met over quince paste and membrillo. She calls it quince paste; I call it membrillo, because … [read more...]

Valentine Candy Flowers

My son is in first grade and his classroom is going to be having a Valentine's Day party soon. It's a traditional affair where the kids will hand out valentines to all of their fellow students and eat some sweet treats, probably do some arts and crafts too. He's really excited to show all of his friends how much he loves them, and I thought it would be fun to make something, instead of buying the paper print outs you'd find at the store. We came up with an idea to turn heart shaped suckers into flowers. … [read more...]

DIY Valentine Cards

Ah, February- when the weather is dark and dreary (and very wet if you live in Portland). What better way to cheer up the gloom than crafting at home with a cup of tea or even better with chocolate and a good friend? These handmade valentines were a blast to make and very easy. Supplies: • MOL labels, of your favorite styles and shapes with valentine words. I used Bible verses, but lines from poems ("Red is the Rose", "Shall I compare Thee...", "Roses are Red...") or classic valentine sayings … [read more...]

DIY Crayon Heart Garland

While searching for decoration inspiration, I recently came across this tutorial for Crayon Hearts, and knew I had to make them for my friends and family to give as party favors for my Valentine’s Day party this year. I made as many crayon hearts as I could, using all of the festive colors (reds, purples, and pinks) that I could find in my old crayon box. Then, once my hearts were cut and ready, I strung them together with embroidery floss to be hung near windows for a stained glass effect. I really … [read more...]

DIY Heart Bookmarks

After reading this tutorial for heart bookmarks on Martha Stewart, I decided I wanted to make them for my friends and family for Valentine’s Day this year. Instead of gluing two pieces of cardstock together as the tutorial shows, however, I decided to simplify things by using personalized heart-shaped labels from My Own Labels. This turned out really well, and made the whole process super simple! If you’d like to make your own heart-shaped bookmarks, you’ll need: • A heart template, … [read more...]

Jasmine Green Tea Soap

Walking into my grandmother’s bathroom was akin to visiting a shrine to femininity. All the surfaces were decorated to suit her sense of beauty and womanhood; lavish flowers, sensual perfume bottles, fragrant soaps, and distinctly female-inspired art on the walls. However, it was never too much, always just enough. Every visit, I thought, this is what its like to be a woman, this is what she keeps for herself; aside from raising children, supporting her life-partner, and keeping the home. My mother … [read more...]

Magdalenas

These Spanish sponge cakes are also known in France as Madeleines; but whatever they are called, they are eggy, buttery and light with a hint of lemon, and one of my favorite breakfasts. Magdalenas have been made since the Middle Ages, and they probably have something to do with the pilgrimage route through Northern Spain, which was a highly popular activity centuries ago. When my daughter Lorraine and I were there on our pilgrimage a few years ago, Magdalenas were everywhere. These days, they are … [read more...]

Baked Clay Ornaments

My husband and I are really fond of Christmas, so we always decorate our home just as soon as Thanksgiving dinner is over. This year, after all of our Christmas decorations were up, we realized that our Christmas tree was looking a little sparse. Perhaps some of our old ornaments were broken or lost, or maybe we never had that many to begin with. Either way, we decided we needed more decorative attire for our tree, and came across this fun idea for baked clay ornaments. We went to the craft store … [read more...]