Early Summer Delights

Today I felt like the first glimpse of summer peaked its way into our home. Doing Saturday chores was interrupted by a commotion from the stream in our front year- a favorite mamma duck in our complex finally took her chicks for their first swim! splashing and learning this new family brought only one thing to mind- spring is ending, making way for summer. After this amazing start to the day I could think of nothing better than spending the day scouring goodwill stores for antiques and cooking a light summer dinner!

{the new addition to our complex}

{Duckling inspired feather outfit}

{Vintage Feather Fluff}

Homemade Italian- With a Twist

After a dinner of homemade pasta with meat sauce, I didn't know what to do with the huge amount of pasta sauce we had left over. Today, while grocery shopping, I had a brilliant idea- Homemade pizza, using the sauce. I would make some homemade Crostinis from a Rosemary Garlic loaf I found in the fresh baked section, paired with a Lemon Feta Dip as an hors d'oeuvres. The main event would be an oven baked pizza made with a red wine reduction meat sauce (left over), caramelized onions, a little olive tapenade and sliced salami. While it took a tiny bit more prep than I had planned for the evening, the out come was a yummy meal, perfect for a Sunday night in.

{Rosemary & Garlic Oven Baked Bread}

{Sliced & Painted with EVOO}

{Ready to Dip}

{Warm Feta Dip}

{Homemade Pizza Dough- Patience}

{Oven Ready}

Four Things Found- Put a Spring in your Step

Found these four items and fell immediately in love. One of the best things about spring is the whimsical items you can find! Whether its for your home, closet or jewelry box these items will lighten any and all aspects of your life.

{All Eggs in One Basket}

{Whimsy}

{Any and All Furniture}

{Lovely in Pastel}

Strawberries & Cream

Last week I went on a berry overload to say the least. I bought a huge amount of the best looking strawberries I had seen in a long time. It was one of those impulsive buys where you see them, they're staring at you and practically begging you to take them home...so they end up in your basket! Realizing that we were not going to be able to eat all of these berries before they went bad, I decided to do the only thing that made sense- make cupcakes! French Vanilla Cupcakes filled with a fresh strawberry preserve topped with a vanilla butter cream, sprinkled with edible pearls.

{French Vanilla Cooling}

{Filling time!}

{ Letting Set }

{Swirls & Pearls}

Can Never Have Too Much Coach

I love nothing more than Coach. Nothing. Everything they have is classic, memorable and dripping with luxury. Seeing Coach products remind me of summer shopping sprees, birthdays and special occasions. My current wallet has served me well as an everyday card carrier, a sophisticated clutch and a trendy holder. The one thing I have realized about their products is that they're addicting! When I see one, I want to snatch it up before someone else does, even if its just to display on my closet shelf or jewelry box.

{Summer Lovin' Sandal Studs}

{Classic Colors for All Occasions}

{Travel Light & in Style}

{Girls Night Out}

Four Things Found- Let it Pour

I am ashamed to admit that the weather today is my favorite weather. It's the kind of weather you need to cozy up by the fire, hide out under a fortress of blankets or, in my case, pull out of storage your favorite rainy day accessory- rain boots. There are so many things that are comforting about rainy days. It's as if this weather permits you to snuggle all day, eating treats and sweets while watching your favorite movie or show. Days like today come with a complimentary get-out-of-jail-free pass allowing you to set aside work, erase thoughts of your calorie to gym ratio for the day and turn into a whimsical couch fairy. Some rainy day must haves for you.

{Boat Race Anyone?}

{Warm Vanilla Chocolate Drizzled Latte}

 

{Classic Trench Perfect For The Rain}

{Dainty Fairy Tale Desserts}

Childhood Delight

Today while at work I was privileged enough to sample one of the best cupcakes I have ever eaten. It was from Crumbs Bake Shop. It was at a catered event, so not directly from one of their bakeries, but it was still fresh, decadent and delicious. The cupcake I experienced, and yes I am saying you can experience a cupcake, was the Squiggle Colossal. It took me back to my childhood full force. I felt like I was 12 again, riding my bike down to the Seven-11 for a Hostess Cupcake. I would split them with my sister- eating the outside while she ate the inside. This cupcake was in fact filled with a vanilla butter cream filling, tasting better than my favorite childhood treat.

{Squiggle Colossal Cupcake}

After having this cupcake I knew I needed to research how I could get another one as soon as possible. I found that there were actually many other delicious cupcakes from Crumbs. Here are a few I would love to try.

{Raspberry Swirl Colossal}

{Half & Half Colossal}

{Peanut Butter Cup Colossal}

All photos taken by Crumbs Bake Shop.
All cupcakes can be found here.

Four Things Found

Feeling relaxed and looking forward to the weekend I thought I would take a few moments away from my large list of chores to cozy up on the couch. Sitting, I realized that some things truly make me happy, no matter how small and dainty. Some of these things, lately, have been vintage-esque (a word?) and incredibly trendy in a way.

{The perfect Feminine Bobby Pins}

{The Elegant Nerd is Back}

{Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend}

{Flowers For All Occasions}

All items can be found here.

Waiting for Spring to....Sprung

Since winter seems to be rearing its ugly head longer than usual this year, I decided it was time to take control of the weather inside our home. Heading to Home Depot I was looking for a flat of perennials to plant along our patio, or an arrangement of succulents to pot on the porch. What I ended up finding made my day brighter than I thought possible and turned into a continuous craft/gardening project.  These seedling eggs were so cute, just waiting for me to take them home and grow them. Super easy, I would recommend this project to anyone. It was the perfect thing to put a spring back in my step and chase those winter blues away. 

{Home Depot bought Eggs}

{Crack Eggs Open with the Back Side of a Spoon}

{Water your Eggs}

{Watch them Grow!}

 I will keep you up to date on the progress of my spring flowers! The instructions suggest that they receive full sun and should start to sprout within seven days. I am looking forward to them blooming and hope it is soon. 

Always Time for Cupcakes

I have started a bakery, not just any bakery, a small boutique cupcake bakery called Britty Bean Cupcakery. Sometimes the cupcakes I make go to big dinner parties, and sometimes just to family and friends. I have always loved baking and found out this past summer that when I try, I am actually pretty good at it. Below you'll see everything from French Vanilla Butter Creams to Hazelnut Cream Cheese filling.

Here are some of the creations of 2011, more to come in 2012.