{Busy Bee} Proudly Introducing Ava Belen

Just days after my beautiful baby girl was born, my wonderful aunt and talented photographer, captured my daughter on film for her newborn photos. Let me just say that she did an incredible job and my baby girl, Ava, looks mesmerizing. Seeing these photographs simply make my heart smile.

Thank you so much, Auntie! These are just absolutely beautiful!

Photography by K.L. Images

{Queen Bee} Happiest Easter

This past month for me has not only been the happiest month but also the craziest month! It is no surprise to anyone that taking care of a toddler and a newborn is hard work, though the little special moments, like hearing your toddler say mama and dadda for the first time or laugh so hard it is contagious or seeing your baby smile at you when you speak...these are the special moments that far outweigh the crazy moments of insanity!

Thus, with my month being consumed of babies, things like preparing for Easter kind of end up being left to the last minute. But although last minute, I don't think my Easter table and chocolate covered Oreos turned out too shabby. What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

My little love bunny and a beautiful dinner with my family was the perfect Easter gift. This has been the Happiest Easter!

And a BIG thank you to my wonderful friend, Dary, for photographing my pretty little girl in her bunny outfit!

{Busy Bee} April Fools' Day Desserts

April Fools' Day is a perfect day to whip out the baking supplies and fool your loved ones with silly treats dressed up to look like another kind of food...such as the icky vegetables that seem to revolt your kids! For inspiration, I have a few examples from some awesome bakers that I thought are perfect and just too cute!

 Bakerella's Hamburger Cupcakes

 

 Hello, Cupcake! Spaghetti and Corn Cupcakes...just too funny!

 The Sweet Adventure of Sugar Belle's Pizza Cookies...LOVE these!

Sweetapolita's Asparagus Cake...AMAZING!

Happy April Fools' Day!

{Party Bee} The Welcome Ava Printable Collection

In honor of my new beautiful baby girl, the Welcome Ava printable collection was created and is now available for purchase! With a color palette of pink, yellow, and gray, and cute flowers all over, this collection is a fun and girly way to celebrate a sweet new addition to your family!

The entire collection is $20 and comes with the following:

- Birth announcement (envelope not included)
- 4 circle design tags. These are great for cupcake toppers, cookie tags, decorations. The uses are endless!
- Treat bags in 2 designs
- Water bottle labels
- Glass bottle labels
- Candy bar wrapper customized with baby's birth statistics. (Designed to fit standard size Hershey Bars)
- Flags in 2 designs to decorate paper straws
- "Welcome___" banner
- Birth date banner
- Coordinating paper in 4 patterns

Just send me the name of the new baby, birth statistics, etc. and receive the files electronically!

{Party Bee} Welcome Ava Dessert Table

After waiting nine long months, my beautiful baby girl finally made her arrival into the world. Seemed like it took forever, but as of March 5th my daughter, Ava, entered my life and my husband and I are truly smitten. But of course, my baby couldn't come into my world without having plenty of treats and printables created in her honor!

Had to have plenty of treats for all of Ava's visitors!

Kisses are a must for my sweet baby girl. And who can resist Dove chocolates...especially when they are wrapped in pink foil.

A very special day in my life.

A candy bar that has all of Ava's statistics...fun, informative, and yummy!

No table is complete without cupcakes...and this table needed pink ones!

Gotta wash all of the sweet treats with coordinating water and glass bottles.

Welcome my sweet baby girl...mama, daddy, and big brother love you!

{Sugar Bee} Valentine's Day Marshmallow Pops

Yesterday for Valentine's Day my son, Jake, visited me at work and brought along a couple surprises for me and my co-workers. He and my husband of course gave me cards, a beautiful rose and heart balloons that I absolutely loved. But even more fun was his Elmo valentines that he delivered to everyone in my office.

You would think that was enough, but nope...he also had a Valentine's Day marshmallow pops bouquet for my co-workers to enjoy! Jake of course had some assistance making these by yours truly, but for kids who are a little older and like to help mom in the kitchen, this is a great project and is so deceivingly simple. All you need are marshmallows, chocolate, sprinkles and lollipop sticks!

Step 1:  Push a lollipop stick into marshmallow without penetrating the top of the marshmallow. Do this for the number of marshmallows you want to dip.

Step 2: Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave. I like to use my small (1 cup) Pyrex measuring cup. When melting the chocolate, use a low heat (at least 50%) and heat in 30 second intervals stirring in between.

Step 3:  Once you get a nice and smooth melted consistency of chocolate, dip the marshmallow 3/4 of the way into the chocolate.

Step 4:  Before your chocolate hardens, quickly add your sprinkles.

Step 5:  Place marshmallow pops in a glass or mug until the chocolate completely hardens.

Step 6:  Finally, package your marshmallow pops into small treat bags and place in a vase. Any kind of candy in the vase helps keep the marshmallow pops in place.

Whoever receives this bouquet will not only enjoy its beauty but will also enjoy how delicious they are! And they will think you slaved all day making it!

Now who can resist this little valentine?!?!

Hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day!

{Sugar Bee} Love and Kisses Cupcakes

Last night Jake and I celebrated my dad's 61st birthday by surprising him with delicious desserts! Because my dad's birthday is always close to Valentine's Day, I thought it would be a great opportunity to show him how much we love him by creating love and kisses cupcakes. So I made strawberry cupcakes with pink tinted vanilla buttercream frosting edged with heart sprinkles and topped with lip and heart chocolate covered Oreos! I also made him large chocolate covered Oreos in the shape of big lips. They are so much fun...not to mention delicious!

Muah! Happy Birthday Dad!



{Busy Bee} Cookies That I Heart!

Valentine's Day is such a fun holiday, mostly because it is filled with hearts, love, pink and red, and of course candy and treats! I love looking at all of the wonderful decorations and desserts made for this holiday and am constantly inspired.

This year I have come across a few "busy bees" who have created many heart shaped sugar cookies that have stolen my heart. If they don't inspire you to want to bake or create something this Valentine's Day, they will surely give you a sweet tooth!

 

 The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle, (probably who I would consider my ultimate "cookie crush") created these beautiful heart shaped cookies. The owl heart is so brilliant and beautiful, and the polka dot heart is so cute in its simplicity. I may have to try my hand at both of these....one day.

 

Bake at 350, cleverly made heart cookies with the names of iconic lovers as well as three-dimensional cookies! My favorite of her iconic lovers are of course Lucy and Ricky!

 

Glorious Treats, created colorful and fun heart cookies! I absolutely love how she cuts out the center of the heart. I also think her garland cookies are super cute, it really is difficult to tell which are the cookies and which is the garland!

 I only wish I had enough time to create all of these myself! I can't wait to get started on my Valentine's treats!

Happy Baking and Treat Making!

{Sugar Bee} Super Big Super Bowl Cupcakes

Being that it is Super Bowl Sunday, I couldn't resist creating a fun and yummy treat to take to my family's annual Super Bowl party. But this year, I decided to go BIG! So because today is so super, I created Super Big Super Bowl Cupcakes! I made jumbo size chocolate cupcakes with a vanilla buttercream frosting, piped to look like grass of course. Then to top off the already decadent dessert, I garnished the cupcakes with large chocolate covered Oreos in the design of a football. It is two GIANT desserts in one!

We are definitely ready for today's festivities!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

{Party Bee} Awesome Super Bowl Dessert Tables

If you are anything like me, Super Bowl isn't such a big deal and you only really watch it for the commercials and the half time show. However, if you are like me, it is another reason to get creative and make something cute and fun to go along with the day! Whether it be baking some football cookies and cupcakes or creating a banner to root for the underdog, I am always up for getting crafty.

The following crafters have put together the most spectacular Super Bowl and Football themed dessert tables that will inspire you to create at least a little something for this Sunday. I know they have inspired me!

Bakerella created this AMAZING dessert table last year for Super Bowl and I am still in awe!

Setting the Mood put together this table for Super Bowl a couple years ago and it is adorable.

Although this table by Shindig Parties To Go isn't specific to Super Bowl, the football theme can easily be translated into your favorite team!

Here is another football theme dessert table by Spaceships and Laser Beams that can work for any Super Bowl party! I love the burger cupcakes!

Wants and Wishes created this fun football party table that works for Super Bowl as well as for any little boy's birthday party.

Did you also get inspired?!?!

Happy Super Bowl Crafting!

{Sugar Bee} Singer Sewing Maching Cookies

This weekend I worked on an order of sugar cookies in the shape of Singer sewing machines for a woman who teaches Quilting. She has been teaching her quilting class for numerous years and for her last class ever she wanted to have these cookies made to give to her students. What a cute idea and what a way to "retire"!  After seeing that the cookie cutter resembled an antique Singer machine, I simply knew that it had to be black and I had to add a touch of bling! With a little time, energy, and pearl dust powder, I was able to create little cookie sewing machines that are sure to make the perfect farewell gift.

Aren't these SEW fun!

{Bungalow Bee} DIY: Refinishing Furniture

 

 As my due date quickly approaches my need to nest vastly increases! Thus, my husband and I have taken on many projects to prepare for the arrival of my little baby girl. First up was refinishing the dresser that was given to us by my aunt and uncle. The dresser that was given to us wasn't necessarily an unattractive piece of furniture, but the color just didn't go with the rest of our decor. Thus, we had to refinish it... and by we, I of course mean my husband, since I cannot work with the fumes that come with paint and oil-based primers. But both men and women alike can easily do this. The steps to refinishing a wood dresser are so very easy, all you need is a little time.

You will need:
Wood dresser/piece of wood furniture
100 grit sandpaper
Oil-based primer
Flat latex paint in the color of your choice
Water-based polycrylic protective finish in a clear gloss
Decorative hardware- if you plan on changing out the knobs or handles.

Start with finding a dresser at a thrift store, garage sale, or perhaps you have an existing dresser you want to refinish. My personal preference when determining a good piece of furniture to refinish is looking at the lines of the piece. I typically like clean and sleek lines that appear nice and modern. That is unless I want to do something more shabby chic.

Step 1: Take out all drawers and set on a painting cloth or newspaper, etc. Remove all knobs, handles from drawers. If the knobs or handles do not come off, tape them off with painters tape (that is only if you want to reuse the knobs or handles, if not, give them away).

Step 2: Determine what kind of surface with which you are working. Is it actually wood? Is it varnished wood or is it unfinished, etc? If you aren't working with real wood, these steps will not work. If the surface is shiny/glossy or varnished, you will need to give it a light sand using 100 grit sandpaper. If it is unfinished or has a flat paint you can skip the sanding process.

Step 3: Wipe the wood clean with a damp cloth. Let dry.

Step 4: Apply one coat of an oil-based primer to ensure that the paint sticks and no stains come through and ruin your finished product. Make sure you use a good quality brush. You don't want to have long hairs stuck in your paint from a cheap brush nor do you want to use a roller as they are known to leave little bubbles. This coat of primer doesn't have to have a perfectly even application, but just as long as the entire piece is covered then it is ready for step five.

Step 5: Using a good quality paint brush, apply two coats of a flat latex paint. Be sure to use long brush strokes going in the same direction. This will help the surface appear smoother and any visible strokes will appear more like wood grain lines as opposed to choppy brush strokes. Make sure that your first coat is completely dry before applying the second to help create a smoother finish.

Step 6: After the paint is completely dry. Apply two coats of a water-based polycrylic finish. The exact brand we used was Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic Protective Finish in Clear Gloss. You will notice that the finish goes on kind of milky, but don't worry it dries completely clear. Again, make sure the first coat is dry before applying the second.

Finally, after at least 48 hours when it is completely dry, add your decorative hardware and put your drawers back into the dresser. Now you can place your beautifully refinished piece of furniture in your home and enjoy! Just think...with a little bit of work you can take an inexpensive piece of furniture and make it look like you spent a fortune at the store.

Happy Decorating!

{Party Bee} Luck O' the Irish Printable Party Collection

Want to throw a party for a special lad or lass that has the lucky spirit of the Irish? Well new to the Sugar Bee Bungalow's printable collection is the Luck O' the Irish printable party collection. With four leaf clovers and a color palette of the Irish Flag; green, orange, and white, this collection is perfect for Irish themed birthday parties or for a St. Patrick's Day bash!

The entire collection is $20 and comes with the following:

- Invitation in 2 design options (envelope not included)
- 4 circle design tags. These are perfect for cupcake toppers, cookie tags, decorations. The uses are endless!
- Treat bags in 2 designs
- 2 water bottle label designs
- Mini candy wrappers (designed to fit Ghirardelli squares)
- "Happy __ Birthday" banner
- Large Shamrocks in 2 design patterns. These are great for on the wall, hanging decorations, centerpieces, etc.
- Shamrock decorations. Can be used by themselves or combined to create a shamrock banner.
- Coordinating patterned paper in 4 designs.

Just send me the party information (i.e. date, time, place, contact, etc.) and the name of the lucky lad or lass!

Receive the files electronically and print out as many as you need!

{Sugar Bee} Treats for an Irish Themed Birthday Party

With the start of 2012 I have tried to do less baking and sugar crafting and more resting. Especially with my baby belly getting to be the size of a basketball and causing all sorts of back and foot pain and difficulty functioning on a daily basis! But it is hard to resist creating little goodies altogether, particularly when they are for family. So of course, I created a few dozen Chocolate Covered Oreos and Chocolate Covered Nutter Butters for my mother-in-law's surprise 70th birthday party packaged with the perfect printables that went along with the Irish themed birthday party. From what I was told, they were enjoyed by all, most importantly by my mother-in-law!

Happy 70th Birthday, Mary!