School Birthday Treats

Suraya’s birthday was last week on Wednesday. She turned 9. Happy Birthday Suraya! For her school treats she wanted chocolate covered pretzels. That’s easy enough. Out to the grocery store I went...

Cupcake Baking & Decorating

Suraya and I joined our friends Veronica, Victoria, and Valerie (yup, that’s 3 V’s!) for some baking fun… and of course decorating! Meet our little bakers [slash] decorators…. The mischievous two,...

Cupcake Liner Carrots

What does a girl with a huge cupcake liner collection do with her cupcake liners? Make carrots! I can’t begin to tell you how many cupcake liners I have… I just can’t help it. I see a new color or...

Healthy Eats

Despite all the sweet treats I’ve been sharing with you, I have been doing well at sticking to eating healthier. My health kick is still going… and I’m in it for the long run! Well, that’s the...

“Hop” Chocolate Bar

Since my nephew heard about my hot chocolate on a stick that I made for my hot chocolate themed craft party last year, he’s been asking me to make him some. He’s my sister’s son and they live in...

Bunny Treats [Homemade Marshmallows]

Yes, I’ve finally had success with making homemade marshmallows… but not out of vegan gelatin. Yup, I did end up giving up on vegan gelatin. It was just not doing the job. If you recall from my...

Spring Flower Pot Cakes

I had come across this pin on Pinterest, and it has inspired me to get my flower pots out… baking pots that is. I had purchased them about four years ago from King Arthur Flour. They came as a pack...

Homemade Gumdrops

A couple months ago I came across a recipe for homemade gumdrops made by Trish over at Mom on Time Out. Her gumdrops looked AH-mazing… and so did her pictures!! I just had to make some too… and so...

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

I’ve been on a health kick these past couple of months. Working out and trying to eat healthier. Ha! Yup, this is the sweet toothed gal talking here. I’m totally in motivation mode especially in...

Tea Time Spring Vignette

Spring is a season that tends to inspire tea parties. Does anyone else feel the same way? Maybe it’s all the flowers that makes me think of pretty floral printed teapots and teacups. Or maybe it’s...

Tea Bag Container

Do you prefer coffee or tea? For me, coffee is definitely preferred in the morning and early afternoon, but tea is my preferred choice in the evening. I’m not a fan of fruit flavored teas and no...

Spring Mantel

It’s still winter outside, but it’s spring in the OTI home. Bringing out my spring decor doesn’t mean I’m trying to shoo away my beloved winter. Nope, not me. It just means it’s now March, a month...

Getting Ready for Spring

Here I am preparing for spring and we get a late February snow storm in Chicago. That’s Chicago for ya… and I’m loving it! It’s been kind of a pathetic winter here and I believe this was our...

Book Pages Flower

A few days ago I was browsing 1001 Layer Cake blog. I don’t recall what lead me to this site, but whatever it was, I’m sure glad it did. As I was browsing the site, I came across this wedding...

Spring Wreath

I hadn’t planned on making a new spring wreath because I still love the one that I have. I made this one a couple years ago and been using it since then. However, inspiration has struck which has...

More Valentine’s Day Ideas

Valentine’s Day is only a few days away. Just in case you were looking for more ideas, I thought I’d share just a few more. I’m always a sucker (no pun intended!) for mustache crafts, so of course...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe: The Best or Just My Fave?

I bet you thought I was done with cookies. Not quite yet, but this time it’s chocolate chip cookies! My favorite kind of cookie. Back in my Cookies & Milk post, I had mentioned that I’ve been...

Vintage Love Valentine

Now that I’m done with the Valentines for Suraya’s classmates and teachers and with a cookie decorating itch, what do I do with the extra cookie dough? Well, make more cookies of course and do some...

Grade A Valentine

In my last post, I shared Suraya’s class Valentine’s. Today it’s all about the teachers… Suraya’s teacher and aid. As I mentioned, I was in the cookie decorating mood. Other than the little birdies...

Love is in the Air

Last Valentine’s Day, I made chocolate dipped spoons for Suraya’s class Valentine’s. This year, I was in the cookie decorating mood. So I made these little birdies. I thought it would be cute to...

Weekend Activities

Over the weekend I joined my friend Veronica for an Annie Sloan paint demonstration over at Nest Vintage Modern. I haven’t had the opportunity to use Annie Sloan paint yet, but I have seen so many...

Upholstered Folding Chairs Makeover

I do believe that almost anything can be transformed from “blah” to “pretty”. Including these ugly folding chairs. All you need is some nice fabric and spray paint…. and Voila! The most difficult...

Valentine’s Day Cookie Stamping Tutorial

Valentine’s Day is not so far off… it’ll be here before we know it! Last Valentine’s I shared a cookie stamping tutorial as a guest post over at the Artsy Girl Connection, and realized that maybe I...

So Sweet!

Boy have I been MIA! Not just from blog land, but craft world as well. Wait. I take that back. I did do a couple of crafts while on my hiatus… but only a couple. One was a gift and another a...

Happy Holidays

Silence and Support for Sandy Hook

Gift Basket Making With Anthro!

On Wednesday I participated in another Anthropologie workshop. This time it was a gift basket making workshop. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one or what it included, but nevertheless I...

Fabric Scraps Gift Box

I can’t believe it’s already mid-week! Yikes. I have to confess I’ve been a bit of a slacker in the craft department for the past few days. Instead I’ve just been chilling and getting into some...

Table Centerpieces: From Fall to Winter

I did some quick and simple swap out for my table centerpieces… from fall to winter. My dinner table centerpiece went from a bowl of gourds to a bowl of pine cones. I spray painted the pine cones...

Winter Wonderland Vignette

When it snows, ain’t it thrilling, Though your nose gets a chilling We’ll frolic and play, the Eskimo way, Walking in a winter wonderland. Since I put this vignette together, I can’t seem to get...