Life can get busy with family, friends, work, community all vying for time. Nevertheless, when a little person enters the world, it’s a good time to slow down and celebrate his arrival. The ceremony will be lost on the new babe, but the joy and happiness that surrounds the family and friends is that certain kind of special that can breathe new energy into days that pass all too quickly.

This is why, as much as I love to bake and pride myself on making everything from scratch, sometimes the time gets away from me and I must choose a simpler route. These cupcakes certainly don’t look like I cut any corners, and believe me they don’t taste that way either.

Now, I’m going to share a secret with you. Those who read Garden Therapy or know me may very well need to be pinched–but I bought a gluten-free cake mix to make these cupcakes. Sure, I made my own maple butter cream frosting, ordered the gorgeous labels, tags, and coasters in the Lil’ Bug design, and even cut out the free printable cupcake wrappers. Even so I was able to do all of this in less than an hour because mixing the cake took all of 3 minutes.

I really do most of my baking from scratch. If I had the time I would have likely made up a batch of these Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes. There was also the consideration of the many party guests who need or prefer to a gluten-free dessert.

The lesson here is to focus on what is important to you. I don’t mind personalizing where I can and then taking a short cut when I need to. If it allows for more time to spend with family and friends, and the new little ones that brighten our lives, then it’s just smart life management in my opinion.

Oh, and the cupcakes were delicious!

Used In This Project:

• Cupcake Wrappers • Download and print for Free!
• Round Coasters • I chose the “Lil’ Bug” style in Blue.
• Circle Tags • I chose the “Lil’ Bug” style in Blue.
• Collar Labels • I chose the “Lil’ Bug” style in Blue.

More Baby Shower Ideas:

Book-Themed Baby Shower	Marshmallow Kisses	Butterfly Cupcakes	Pie Pops

Shop Our Baby Collection:

Baby Labels Baby Hang Tags Baby Coasters Baby CD/DVD Labels Baby Mint Tins Entire Baby Collection

This treat is perfect for kid guests and perfect to do with kids! All of the guests at our international party, myself included, delighted in using chopsticks to eat them.

Candy Sushi

• ¾ cup butter
• 6 cups Rice Crispies
• 10 ounce bag of mini-marshmallows
• Gummy worms
• Fruit roll-ups
• Swedish fish candy (optional)
• Orange slices candy (optional)
• Parchment paper
• Large bowl
• A rolling pin
• Large serrated knife
• Extra butter for greasing

More Candy Ingredients To Try:
• Circus peanut candy
• Red and black licorice

Begin by melting the butter in a medium saucepan, and adding the marshmallows handful by handful, until smooth. Now, add the rice crispy cereal by about a cup at a time, and stir well, until all the rice crispies are incorporated. With the butter wrapper, or a small amount of extra butter rubbed onto a paper towel, smudged all around the inside of a bowl. Plop the rice crispy mix into the bowl, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Prep your workspace with two 14-inch sheets of parchment paper; one is for the top while rolling, and the other is for your surface. Grease your hands and pat the rice crispy mixture down onto your parchment surface. Place the other piece of parchment on top, and roll until the rice crispies are about ½ inch thick. This is when you can enlist your little helpers, if you so choose. Build a line of gummy worms along the width of one side, about an inch from the edge. I lined by three worms thick—you can also use licorice for this sushi roll filling. Now, pull up on the surface parchment paper, and roll as you would normal sushi. That is, roll tightly around the filling, and clutch your hands over the roll throughout its length, in order to press the rice crispies together. Slice just outside the enclosed roll, pull the remainder of the crispy sheet away from the roll, and then continue rolling until you can achieve that there is no seem in the roll. Wrap the roll with fruit joined roll-ups; they stretch very easily, and connect with ease. Place your roll in the fridge. You’ve made your first Candy Sushi Roll! Creating the “Nigiri” candy sushi is optional, but a really cute look. I used orange slices and Swedish fish candy for the “raw fish” portion that is placed on top. I thought it would be fun to use circus peanuts, because you could shape them— I just couldn’t find any at the store. Bah! I took one fruit roll up and cut it into strips, shaped the rice crispies into little rectangles, then placed the “raw” candy and wrapped the strip around it as if it was seaweed holding the fish atop rice. Place each piece into the fridge, and let it harden slightly for about 30 minutes.

Lastly, using the serrated knife, slice each piece of candy sushi, ½-1 inch thick, with vigorous sawing motions, this helps to maintain the circular shape. However, if any should misshape, its easy to mold back. In Florida the humidity makes these treats break apart after awhile, so I store them in the fridge until I’m ready to give away!

For the get together, I wrapped a bunch of the sushi pieces in a little white box, placed one sealing label in the vivid Astor style, and Gianni labels in a spice. Then of course an assortment for the actual party, and of course everyone was given chopsticks.

Used In This Project:

• Square Labels • I chose the “Gianni” style in Mint.
• Tall Labels • I chose the “Astor” style in Mint.
• Gift Boxes • I chose the small size in White.

More homemade treats from Zoe:

Edible Button Cupcakes	Apple Cookies	Bird Nest Treats	Root Beer Cookies

Shop Our Food/Craft Collection:

• Food/craft labels
• Food/craft tags
• Canning Labels

I just can’t stop writing about these little noisemakers. This post is similar to a previous post about Stella’s birthday but here are details on how to assemble them.

I remember these from my childhood. How I loved the blast of sound you get when a dozen little kids in a small room blow as hard as they can on these things! As the mom, I am happy to report they don’t last long. But while they do, here is a way to make the party just that much more special, and make the birthday child just that much more the star!

Party Noisemakers

• Noisemakers from the Dollar Store
• Oval tags
• Hole punch

Order the tags with the birthday child’s photo and name, or choose a fun design that is personalized with their name and age. Punch a second hole in the bottom of the tag. Cut the strings in half, tie the tags top and bottom onto the noisemakers. You are now ready for a blast!

Used In This Project:

• Oval Tags • I chose the “Lil’ Bug” style in Green.

More Birthday Ideas:

Molded Sugar Gems	Dirt Cup Desserts	Crispy Cinnamon Toasts	Bug Juice & Critter Snacks

Shop Our Birthday Collection:

Birthday Coasters Birthday Tags Birthday Cards Birthday Labels Birthday CD/DVD Labels Birthday Mint Tins Entire Birthday Collection

Special occasions are those outstanding times that create sparks of memories for life. Little sparks that are strung together, to illuminate days ahead. Just tiny little moments that when days go by, we can remember with sheer happiness, warm feelings and deep gratitude.

(Photo Credit: EnLuce Photography.)

I always begin planning events with the desserts. This may seem out of the ordinary especially for someone who happens to be Gluten Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free and Sugar Free! But I will say, that I love to create my dessert buffets. To me, it is like a white canvas. Each platter and dessert (all home baked!) are choreographed to the symphony of color, texture, taste and design. Tags were made out of personalized labels to garnish cake domes and platters which made eating dessert a creative experience. There are no two dessert buffets the same and as each glaze, drizzle and frosted cupcake takes their place, I step back and delight in the faces of young and old, enjoying something sweet.

(Photo Credit: EnLuce Photography.)

For my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah, the dessert buffet really symbolized her vibrant personality and her inner beauty. I couldn’t quite get enough of sweet little details and added a touch of chocolate to pull all the decor together. This was her special day to be magnified by the little details that I knew she would remember forever. And so it was….a sweet little box of chocolate set in every place setting!

I made little pink truffle boxes, packed with delicious truffles and completed the look with a perfect pink scallop label! I added a little adhesive rhinestone to the label to set the decor for something extra sparkly, shiny and spectacular! A memorable day it was and a start to new beginnings. Mazal Tov to my dear, sweet Bat Mitzvah girl! We Love you!

To see more Bat Mitzvah decor ideas, go to Chana’s Blog.

Used In This Project:

• Scallop Labels • I chose the “Metropolitan” style in Pale Pink.
• Rectangle Labels • I chose the “Renaissance” style in Pale Pink.

More Birthday Ideas for Girls:

Edible Button Cupcakes	Cupcake Mix Favors	Adopt A Monkey Favors	DIY Paper Lei

Shop Our Birthday Collection:

Birthday Coasters Birthday Tags Birthday Cards Birthday Labels Birthday CD/DVD Labels Birthday Mint Tins Entire Birthday Collection

My dad loves sports, especially football, so for Father’s Day this year I decided to dress up his favorite beer with an old photo of him from college. I packaged up the bottles in a 4-pack carrier and also ordered some matching coasters. I know he will be so surprised to see himself on his favorite brew and will want to share stories of playing sports when he was a kid.

Printable coupon tokens are another great gift idea for Father’s Day, especially for kids. Download and print out these coupon tokens to give to dad. He will truly appreciate the extra help with chores, playing a game of catch or getting the biggest bear hug!

Used In This Project:

• Rectangle Photo Labels • I chose the “Football” style in Orange and Maroon.
• Collar Labels • I chose the “Football” style in Orange and Maroon.
• Small Circle Labels • I chose the “Football” style in Orange and Maroon.
• Square Coasters • I chose the “Football” style in Orange and Maroon.
• Square Labels • I chose the “Football” style in Orange and Maroon.
• Father’s Day Tokens • Download and print for free.

More Father’s Day Ideas:

Homemade BBQ Sauce	Rustic Spice Rub	Crochet Beer Cozy Pattern	Triple Cheese Beer Spread

Shop Our Father’s Day Collection:

Father’s Day Labels Father”s Day Gift Tags Father’s Day Coasters Father’s Day Notecards Father’s Day CD/DVD Labels Father’s Day Bottled Water Shop Entire Father’s Day Collection

Compound butter, which is a mixture of butter with additional ingredients such as herbs, citrus, garlic, and spices, is really simple to make, and effective at enhancing the flavor of food. Personally, I’ve had a lot of success with savory compound butters in the past, and often melt them over my meat dishes, vegetables, and sometimes even air-popped popcorn. It was only recently that I started experimenting with compound butters mixed with fruit preserves for a sweeter alternative to use over pancakes, French toast, and other breakfast-type foods, and it’s no surprise that butter mixed with jam, a classic combination, would be perfectly delicious.

Because I have an abundance of blackberry jam this year, I’ve been making lots of blackberry compound butter, and storing it in the freezer for breakfast gatherings. It’s a good way to use up some of our excess, especially when a jar of preserves is almost empty, and it makes a great hostess gift for brunch and breakfast dates.

Berry Butter

• 2 sticks of salted butter
• ¼ cup berry preserves
• 2 half-pint jars with straight sides
• Wax Paper
• Wrapping Paper
• Personalized Labels from Evermine

Set your sticks of butter out to soften until room temperature. Place in a stand mixer fixed with a whip attachment, and begin beating at medium speed until the butter has softened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add your fruit preserves. Mix on low, scraping the sides of the bowl down as necessary, until your berry preserves are swirled throughout. Don’t worry about mixing it in all the way.

Line two small half-pint jar with wax paper, and press your berry butter into the jars until full. Refrigerate for one hour, and remove. Grabbing the sides of the wax paper, gently remove the butter molds from their jars, and wrap the butter completely in the wax paper.

Using butcher paper or wrapping paper, create an outer wrapping for your butter, and seal with personalized labels. I used burgundy colored labels in the style Rococo.

Used In This Project:

• Scallop Labels • I chose the “Rococo” style in Burgundy.
• Small Circle Labels • I chose the “Rococo” style in Burgundy.

More homemade gift ideas from Lindsay:

Hot Cross Buns	English Muffins	Caramelized Onion Dip	Pumpkin Butter

Shop Our Food/Craft Collection:

• Food/craft labels
• Food/craft tags
• Canning Labels

Please welcome guest blogger, Cailie! Cailie works at My Own Labels in our shipping and housekeeping departments. She is a mother and crafter and loves camping and spending time with her family. Today she is sharing her latest creative idea, Alphabet Magnets!

My son just turned 4 years old, and my house has been buzzing with all sorts of new developmental milestones and new things that he is learning. I have been trying to think of fun ways to incorporate his new-found love of words into our daily life. A friend and I ordered these refrigerator magnets with each letter of the alphabet on it. Together we had a set of six of each letter that we split and took home to our kids. We have been doing all sorts of fun things with these exciting letter magnets. It is a great way to get some fun letter practice in while I am working in the kitchen, and bonus, it keeps him distracted and busy while my hands are full!

We have given some away as birthday presents whether it is just the child’s name in magnets or a complete alphabet set with one of each letter. There are all sorts of fun things that you can do with them! I chose four different colors to use in the Metropolitan style: purple, royal blue, lime green and pink! These would make great gifts for the holidays or party favors with each child’s name on them. It has been so fun getting to try all sorts of different ways to use them.

Used In This Project:

• Button Magnets • I chose the “Metropolitan” style in Purple, Royal Blue, Lime, and Pink.

More D.I.Y. Ideas:

Pressed Fern Wall Art	Edible Button Cupcakes	Baseball Theme Birthday	Personalized Savings Jar

Shop Our Button Collection:

Photo Buttons Holiday Buttons Wedding Buttons Entire Button Collection

Ok. So here’s my thing about ice cream parties. I LOVE THEM! So easy and oh so fun to make!

“Shavuot” is the name of the Jewish holiday celebrating the receiving of the Torah (Ten Commandments) on Mount Sinai. It is customary to eat dairy products such as blintzes, cheesecake and ice cream. And honestly, this is one custom we are oh SO ‘religious’ about. We will create a delicious ice cream bar with various toppings including, but not limited to: SPRINKLES!

Why is it that these tiny little sprinklings of color bring back such carefree, sandal wearing, sunny memories of when I was little? Was it the moment the sprinkle landed on the creamy cold scoops of smooth deliciousness? Or was it the colorful rainbow that magically appeared while mixing furiously both ice cream and sprinkles attempting to make home-made soft serve?

On Shavuot, ice cream on it’s own is a divine (excuse the pun) treat, but seriously…the sprinkles are the cherry on top!…just a wee bit smaller. So, I am thrilled to offer cute little bags of sprinkles for our party, in all different colors, shapes and sizes for sticky little fingers to open up and sprinkle on! Each smile of delight will surely be the icing on my cake…or rather, the sprinkle on my ice cream. So ‘sprinkle some fun’ on your next ice cream party using this label and personal quote for that special moment!

Used In This Project:

• Square Labels • I chose the “Champagne” style in Lilac, Turquoise and Coral.

More Party Ideas:

Edible Button Cupcakes	Baseball Themed Birthday	Cupcake Mix Favors	Bird Nest Treats

Shop Our Food/Craft Collection:

• Food/craft labels
• Food/craft tags
• Canning Labels

Make a gift of thank you cards for family members or special friends. This is so fun and easy, you can cross off everyone on your Christmas list if you plan ahead. Now is the time to start thinking about it, because this involves taking photos of whatever it is that makes their home – or them – special: flowers in the yard, vegetables in the garden, a feature like a gate, a doorway, or a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter. Or the home itself at a special moment – in a snowstorm, in the spring with flowers blooming, at dusk. It could also be a photo of the children, or pets, or of a special celebration at their home like Christmas or Passover.

You Will Need:
• high resolution photos

Choose a style, import the photo, and specify a time to get it delivered. That’s all there is to it!

Used In This Project:

• Photo Note Cards • Choose your favorite style and upload your own photo.

More homemade gift ideas from Jeanne:

Photo Gift Tags	Packaged Chocolates	Gift Coasters	Packaged Gift Cards

Shop Our Note Cards Collection:

Personal Stationery Photo Note Cards Christmas Photo Cards Shop Entire Note Card Collection

I first saw this idea on Pinterest, and from numerous sites— however, since my bout with Royal Icing for the Apple Cookies, I knew I had the foundation for creating these cookies without much instruction. All I needed was a heart-shaped cookie cutter and a lot of practice. These cookies are so pretty for my friend Melody’s bachelorette party!

At first, I thought it would be necessary to use an icing bag, and icing tips, but I’m happy to tell you that with little practice you can manipulate a few ziplocks to do just what I did. The trick is to remember that your outline goes on second, and that you can be creative with matching pairs. Use your favorite sugar cookie or shortbread recipe, cut out an even amount of hearts— one for the top and one for the bottoms.

Royal Icing Ingredients

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• A small bowl of lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon flavor
• Food coloring

Follow the same principles I used previously in order to flood the cookies. Take small portions into a separate cup, add your food coloring to desired color, then add half-teaspoon increments of water at a time in order to achieve the consistency that melts back into the mix between 5 and 10 seconds. Load the mix into a ziplock bag and cut the tip at largest an 1/8 of an inch. Flood by piping the cookies first, then fill in the blanks by moving a toothpick in shallow circles to join the lines. I enjoyed trying the “wet on wet” technique by mixing two different colors, flooding one color on, then dotting the second color, in order to melt into seamless polka dots. Allow this stage to dry for at least two hours.

The detailed, frilly, lacey piping is so simple! Portion off a small amount, and add coloring if you like, but do not add additional water. Prep as many colors in as many ziplock bags as you like. Bags that can stay closed work best in between mixing (like ziplock) because this version of royal icing hardens very fast. Also, this lends to cutting the tip of your detail bag very small, and going slowly. The thickness is nice to work with, because once you get the hang of it you’ll be able to hover ahead of the piping line, slightly, in order to create a very smooth line. Experiment with lines both on top of the flooded color, and extending from them.

Absolutely the hardest part of these cookies was deciding on the designs, and I can tell you from experience that even though you think one set is not your best (like the first set), there will be someone that appreciates it, it may even be their favorite.

I wrapped each boudoir set in a large square glassine envelope and adorned them with labels made especially for Melody in the style of none other than Lace and a little thank-you message to seal each envelope. I really am going to try these for just about any occasion that works; for instance, a beach party is next!

Used In This Project:

• Glassine Envelope • I chose the large square size.
• Large Labels • I chose the “Lace” style in Pale Pink.
• Heart-Shaped Labels • I chose the “Soft Hearts” style in Pale Pink.

More homemade gift ideas from Zoe:

Edible Button Cupcakes	Bird Nest Treats	Key Lime Mounds	Green Tea Mochi

Shop the Wedding Collection:
Save-the-Date Cards Wedding Invitations Response Cards Enclosure Cards Thank You Cards Wedding Place Cards	Wedding Labels Wedding Favor Tags Wedding Coasters Wedding Buttons Wedding Stamps Mint Tins	Wedding Place Cards Wedding CD/DVD Labels Wedding Address Labels Wedding Bottled Water Labels Favor Packaging