Cupcakes for Babies

I saved this tutorial months ago and finally had the right occasion to make my some baby cucpcakes, the Sugar and Spice baby shower we threw last weekend.

The white puff in the middle is a bunched up onesie. You could do white, colored, or white with applique designs like I did. The pink portion is a receiving blanket rolled up around the onesie.

A rubberband is placed around the rolled up blanket to keep everything in place and then it is sat inside a coffee filter which looks like a cupcake liner.

I made them a few weeks before the shower and my 2.5 year old daughter would walk by them everyday and say, "yum yum yum". Glad to know they look like a real cupcake!

Sugar and Spice- Party Decor

This past weekend I co-hosted a sugar and spice shower for a former co-worker, Laura. She is having a little girl and that sweet baby has given her a sweet tooth! The co-hostesses and I wanted to honor that with a lot of yummy little desserts and simple sweet decorations.

The bicycle above was the centerpiece of the table- I got great advice for you all about what to put inside the baskets- we ended up filling it with the Dum Dum ball and the guests giveaway- small travel toothbrushes and toothpaste!

The food was the main attaction! The table had a simple white cloth and then runners made from burlap and a pink polka dotted fabric. We added extra pennant triangles to the table and fun paper goods from Sweet Lulu.

In the living room, we placed a few decorations since that is where the group would congregate to open gifts. I made a set of my favorite blocks with the sweet baby's name on them- don't you just love Ella Dane. It is sassy, Southern, and perfect!

Using the same paper as the blocks, I made a simple pennant attaching triangles cut from scrapbook paper to ribbon.

Here is the amazing Dum Dum tree another co-hostess made. She bought a white plastic bucket to go inside the bike and then added a foam circle just a little bigger than the opening of the bucket. She then just poked the Dum Dums sticks into the foam circle. This one was huge, but you could do most any size and make these for lots of party themes. We found this idea on Pinterest.

On the coffee table, we had a diaper cake and these cupcakes. It was fun to have gifts that looked like food on the table.

I'll tell you all about the cupcakes and the sweets we served soon. It was all delicious and these easy cupcakes were fun for the Mom-to-be!

Friday's Foot Fetish: Rain Boots

Do you think if I bought these I could make it rain?

Seriously, I'd love these for the fall and winter. They are an inexpensive version of the Hunter pair I wanted last winter.

Croc rain boots from Old Navy

Sugar and Spice Baby Shower: Invite

I am co-hosting a baby shower this weekend for a girlfriend expecting her first child. How cute is the name Ella Dane! I just love it and am excited to eat sweets all afternoon with our friends.

The invite was made with 2 digital kits (my first time to mix on my own!) from Sweet Shoppe Designs. They are called Sugar and Spice & Bake A Cake if you want to play around, too!

I've created all kinds of inspiration on Pinterest for a sweets shower. See the board here! I'll be back next week with photos from the shower.

Recent Pinterest Finds

Pinterest has given me so many ideas and a long to-do list and wish list!

Here are some recents pins... you can find all of these and links to them on my Pinterest page. If you aren't on Pinterest and need an invite, email me at annajenk at yahoo dot com. I'll invite you!

Aren't these fun for a kids party? Abby Lu's party will be a breakfast/brunch party, so I'm hoping to do this with the milk. I wish I'd had it during her milk and cookies party last year!

I really want to paint my coffee table and my kitchen table. Both are dark wood and haven't managed a busy kid very well. I want to beat them up intentionally!

There are so many fun quotes pinned on my "Don't Quote Me" board. This one is so true- I sometimes take an outfit off to save it for a more important day when I'll see more people. Irrational for sure!

I pinned this on my Christmas gifts board... as a joke! I do love it though and would love to see the view from the top of the ring. It is beautiful!

How smart is this? If I ever build a house, I'd love to have a big laundry room and this would be in there! I hate dragging out the noisy ironing board!

I just love this bedding- it would be so pretty for a little girls room. It is from Neiman Marcus, but pretty reasonable considering.

I created a "Helpful" board for things like this. Or, how to fold a fitted sheet. That is important stuff that I have yet to master.

There are so many recipes in blog land that catch my eye and I love having them all on Pinterest. I need to break them apart into categories because my food board is all kinds of full! This is a grilled cheesecake sandwich- pound cake with cheesecake inside, toasted with butter and sugar. Pound is the operative word!

I love having a holiday board- all kinds of ideas that I don't need for months, but won't find in months. This gingerbread and pumpkin trifle looks beautiful.

My Mother and sister can quilt... think I can talk them into making this for me? Isn't it simple and pretty! I love quilts and happily have a collection of new and older blankets from family that has passed. There is something so inviting and comfortable about a quilt. I really love this one, too!

I'll start sharing my pins more regularly on the blog- it is just such a fun creative place to be right now. Happy Pinning!

Friday's Foot Fetish: Lace Up Wedges

These shoes are hot! I don't own a lot of hot clothes to go with them, but I love them!

The lace up detail on the back is much more visible in this pearly pink color than the black. They also have a silvery green version.

Enzo Angiolini Qamra on Zappos

Pepperoni Muffins

My camera thought the salad was the main attraction at dinner- it was wrong! I made my first random recipe from Pinterest for dinner recently and it was so good. Like, I'll take it to the next party good. And, I'll print out the recipe for my box good.

These pepperoni muffins are quicky, easy, and taste like pizza without being greasy!

Tillman's Roadhouse

My husband and I recently celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary and had dinner at Tillman's Roadhouse in Fort Worth, Texas. It was recommended by a friend who works in FOrt Worth and it did not disappoint. The food was amazing- my chicken fried steak was tender, not a beaten down and flattened piece of meat. The cornbread starter and the popcorn with truffle butter was the best.

The food was wonderful- the decor was more than wonderful. It was rustic and elegant, casual and fancy, country and chic. I'll let the pictures show you....

Love the use of antlers, especially on the feminine lines of the silver iced tea pitcher

This big wall in the bar area looked like a grandmother's home with mismatched pictures and plates, dated wallpaper, and odd shapes. The framed flat screen TVs were genius!

The lighting was such an important part of the decor- four large chandeliers in a row make a real statement. Apart from these crystal wonders, they had simple bulbs hanging down from a thick cord. I love the contrast.

Finally, the wall decor! Behind us was this wall of artificial antlers on a pine boarded wall. Next to our dining area was the birch room with a huge wall hanging of a peacock on top of a pile of twigs. This piece was the length of a table that could seat 8. It was big!

I highly recommend Tillman's Roadhouse if you are in the Fort Worth area!

Best Roast Ever

I came across a recipe for a pot roast here and it was so easy and she raved about it that I had to give it a try. I haven't made another roast since- there is so much flavor in this!

1 3# tender chuck roast ( I buy rump roast)

1 stick butter

1 package dry Ranch dressing mix

1 package Au Jus Gravy Mix (found with taco seasoning)

4-5 pepperoncini peppers (the bright yellow ones often seen at salad bars)

Place the roast in the crockpot. Sprinkle the powders on top. Place the stick of butter on top with the peppers. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Enjoy!

Friday's Foot Fetish:Riding Boots

I love love these boots- the color, the rounded toe, the little detail up top, all of it. I'll never own them- they are almost $500!

There is another reason I'll never own them- I have big calves. I've never worn tall boots. I really want to change that! I have seen wide calf boots and they are either not wide enough or think that I've lost all fashion sense and are cheaply made. I am working hard over the next few months to be able to wear a pair this winter. I am meeting with a trainer soon and that is the goal I want to discuss with her and develop a plan so that tall boots are in my winter wardrobe!

Tory Burch Selma Riding Boot