Food

Cre8time Movement // Vanilla Bean Cake

0 · Mar 18, 2013 · 2 Comments

Cre8time Movement // As long as I can remember, I've been a creative type person. To a fault really… If I haven't created something for awhile, I get a little cranky. Ask my husband… he has finally come to terms with this crazy creative side that I have. I know that if I'm feeling a little stressed or blue, all I need to do is find a project to work on. I've dabbled in many different mediums; yarn arts, paper arts, cake decorating, beading, vinyl arts… You name it, I've probably dabbled in it. When Michaels approached me to share about the Cre8time Movement, it was something I knew I could easily get behind.

The bottom line is, our lives are busy. The older we get, it seems the more responsibilities we have and the time we have to be creative starts to disappear. We get bogged down with school, soccer practice, dance rehearsal, dinner, house keeping, work, church… I could go on and on. The first thing that seems to go is our creative time. For me that wasn't a good thing. I have an deep seeded need to create and when I can't, I'm not happy. I'm going through the motions of life, but the joy I find when creating something for or with my family is truly missed. That's what the Cre8time Movement is all about. It's about reclaiming just 8 hours a month to do something creative. Here is a video that explains it all…

Michaels challenged me to reclaim my 8 hours, which wasn't too hard considering I'm a creative blogger. Regardless, I was game in hopes that it will inspire some of you, my favorite friends, to do the same. Here is what I created…

A fun cake for my little guys birthday. I know that Michaels will always have what I need when it comes to my cake decorating needs. I made just a basic white cake with my Simple Vanilla Buttercream frosting with a special addition. I will have the new recipe along with some cake decorating tips later this week on Thursday. I just love how it turned out. My little guy was in awe and I love that he knew that I created that cake just for him.

Are you like me? Do you require some creative time in your life? What inspires you? How are you going to reclaim your cre8time?

Disclaimer

This is a paid post sponsored by Michaels Craft Stores

Friday Flair Link Party // Leprechaun Trap Edition

1 · Mar 15, 2013 · 46 Comments

Friday Flair Link Party // Who's ready for the weekend? Well before we can start the weekend, we need to have a little Friday Flair action! This week we've been having a fabulous time in Colorado visiting all of my favorite places while the kiddos are on spring break. First stop was the fabric shop where my Mom works, Snappy Quilts… best fabric shop in Denver! We've also had to partake in some of our favorite eats here in Denver. Cafe Rio, SmashBurger and Pinkberry to name a few. All of the fun places that we don't have in Lincoln. It's so funny what you look forward to when you return home. We're heading back to reality soon, but we are going to live it up as long as we can.

This week's inspiration photo comes to us from Not Martha…

img source // leprechaun trap cake from not martha

I thought this Leprechaun Trap Cake was just too cute. Megan, the genius behind Not Martha created this fun trap that I'm sure will ensnare anyone's imagination! You should go check out the surprise inside!

Let's Get the Link Party Started

Ham and Cheese Egg Boats // Recipe

1 · Mar 14, 2013 · 12 Comments

Spring Egg Boats // Have you ever had an ah ha moment that makes you feel pretty silly? When I discovered this recipe a few weeks ago, my first thought was… Holy cow, why didn't I think of that!! I've been making all kinds of egg / bread dishes for years. Why hadn't I ever thought of just putting the egg right into the bread itself and baking it just like that. Total paradigm shift for me. What I love most about this recipe is how easy it is to make and yet it presents really well. This would be a fabulous Easter brunch dish idea, your guests will think you are a culinary genius! Yet it's simple enough for an easy weeknight meal as well. It's the best of both worlds.

Ham and Cheese Egg Boats

This recipe is an adaption of a recipe originally found on Spoon Fork Bacon.

Large loaf of french or sour dough bread

6 eggs

1/4 cup whole milk or cream

Tabasco sauce to taste

1 cup of diced ham

3/4 cup of shredded cheese (I used an Italian blend of shredded cheese but cheddar would work fine too.)

Goat cheese (optional)

Directions

Cut a long narrow trough in the bread and scoop out a bit of the bread to make room for the egg mixture and set a side. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, Tabasco (I usually put in about 6-10 dashes, but that's up to your taste), and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Once the mixture has been whisked well, add the ham and carefully pour into the bread. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the egg boat. If you are a goat cheese lover, you can add some little dollops of goat cheese on top as well. I love goat cheese but other members of my family do not. So, I made one with and one without.

Now to bake this, if you are using a full size french loaf can be a little tricky. The loaf does not fit on a traditional baking sheet, so I had to improvise. I turned the baking sheet over and then used aluminum foil to create a baking dish for the loaf. That way if there were any spills, the foil would catch the mess and the inverted baking sheet provided stability. It worked like a charm.

Place in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until the egg has fully set. Let the egg boat cool for 10-15 and then slice into sections for your family or guests. I served mine with a lovely salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, goat cheese and pine nuts with a bright lemon vinaigrette.

Now that I've found this gem of a recipe, I can't wait to try all kinds of different variations. I can see all kinds of fun combinations with mushrooms, spinach, sausage you name it… Anything that would normally work in an omelet would be lovely. What combination would you try? Leave a comment and share and let's see what other amazing ideas we can all come up with!

Dear Lizzy 5th & Frolic // Giveaway

0 · Mar 13, 2013 · 96 Comments

Dear Lizzy Giveaway // What girl doesn't love a shinny new toy to play with? Better yet, new craft supplies to tinker with? I know this girl does. Not too long ago, I was given the opportunity to play with the new 5th & Frolic line from Dear Lizzy at American Crafts and I was thrilled. I had a chance to meet Elizabeth Kartchner, the talented designer and creator of Dear Lizzy, last year at SNAP and immediately fell in love with her style. She is one talented lady for sure! I decided I was going to make some new room decor for my daughter Emily's room with her new 5th & Frolic line…

Supplies

Old frames
Krylon spray paint in Watermelon
1-2 pieces of vellum or tracing paper
Dear Lizzy paper pack
Dear Lizzy tags
Dear Lizzy decorative brads
Dear Lizzy paper garland
Dear Lizzy burlap bows
Dear Lizzy glitter ribbon
Mod Podge
Glue Dots

Instructions

This project was sooooo easy! Emily and I found some fun room decor pieces at Target in their Valentine's Day clearance section last month…

I loved the shape of the pieces, but didn't love the whole motif. I knew with a little spray paint and some fun design elements these little goodies could be transformed into something really fun, so I stashed them away waiting for the perfect project. Along came Dear Lizzy, and knew it was a match made in heaven.

I spray painted the frames with the Krylon Watermelon gloss and then let it sit over night to cure. The next day I traced the raised elements of the frames using some vellum and cut the templates out. I then used the templates to cut out my paper that I would then decoupage onto the frames with Mod Podge. A little trick when you are decoupaging… lightly wet the paper you are using with water before you add the Mod Podge. You won't have any issues with air bubbles if you do that.

Once the Mod Podge was dry, Emily and I set to work decorating her frames. We had so many fun options to choose from…

Tags, brads, glitter tape, burlap bows… So many fun things to choose from. Our favorite was the paper garland. It was so cool how you could magically pull the garland out of the paper and not have to sit for hours cutting little triangles and sewing them together. LOVED IT!!

Emily and I had a ball! This whole project took about and hour once the spray paint was cured. What made it so easy were the stylish papers and design elements from Dear Lizzy's 5th and Frolic line. Everything looks stunning together, so it was impossible to go wrong. The only thing that made me a little sad were the other fun goodies we didn't get to add to our project. Here are a few more of my favorites..

I can't wait to play around with the stamps and the Dear Lizzy day book. The line is truly a joy to work with.

Want to play with some Dear Lizzy 5th and frolic of your very own? It's available at American Crafts now, or from JoAnn Fabric & Craft stores nationwide on March 17th. BUT… you could also win a $50 prize pack here on WhipperBerry from American Crafts!!

All you need to do is follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter box below…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Flair Features

3 · Mar 11, 2013 · 7 Comments

Friday Flair Features // Happy Monday everyone! We were surprised by spring blizzard yesterday so, our Spring Break has started a bit chilly. No worries, we can have fun in the snow too! You know what's warmed me up… Checking out everyone's spring posts from last week's Friday Flair! There are so many fun spring post out there. Here are a handful of my favorites…

rainbow cookies // lizy b

lucky charm printable // create.craft.love

rainbow jell-o // mom on time out

leprechaun clue book // blissful roots

mac & cheese muffins // lemon drop shop

grasshopper pies // a pretty life in the suburbs

treat bag printables // make life lovely

st. patrick's day goodies // choux-choux

lucky buddy printable // pink polka dot creations

lucky sign // it's always ruetten

spring mantel // christina's adventures

speckled eggs // homework

easter printable // the diary of daves wife

bunny tail napkins // sophisticated yellow

hoppy cottontails // caramel potatoes

sofa table // twelve o eight

arrow pillow // making home base

thai peanut soup // half baked harvest

superhero room // sugar tot designs

Aren't they all so fun?! There are so many more, if you haven't already you should go check out the Friday Flair post or visit the Friday Flair Pinboard on Pinterest. I can't wait to see what you are up to this week!