{Queen Bee} Looking Cute in the Kitchen!

These past few years I have noticed a return of the retro chic aprons. You know what I am talking about, the June Cleaver look, but a little more sexy and very flirty. Well let me say that I am a HUGE fan of this look and I am determined to own several of these adorable aprons in a variety of colors and patterns. These are aprons that give a nod to the past but are made for the modern day woman. Both sexy and sweet...the best of both worlds!

In my quest to find a pretty apron to attain the Mexican Martha Stewart meets Audrey Hepburn meets modern day woman/mom persona that I have always made great efforts to achieve (but still have a long way to go might I add), I have come across numerous aprons to fit every style and taste both online and in my favorite stores!

Carolyn's Kitchen has aprons that have a very retro style that seem to be inspired by the era of the pin-up girl. They come in a variety of colors and prints and are probably the sexiest aprons that you will find! I absolutely love the "Dorothy" apron in red!

 

If you saw the movie Sex and the City 2 then you will probably recognize one of these next aprons. In the movie, Charlotte and her daughter are wearing the famous cupcake aprons from Jessie Steele. I absolutely adore these aprons and want several of them! I even want the little girl aprons, even though I don't have a daughter...yet!

 

Flirty Aprons pretty much lives up to its name! They come in beautiful patterns and similar to that of Jessie Steele they even offer matching aprons for little girls.

If you are an Etsy lover like I am, then you will dash to these sites to view these next aprons! Atomic Aprons is a company that I found on Etsy that carries aprons in very fashionable prints. It is so hard to find a favorite amongst all of these lil' beauties so I am showcasing just a few.

Lastly, you can view fun and retro aprons by Boojiboo on Etsy. These aprons are very vintage inspired but the designers still keep it modern and young for women of all ages.

They have very cute aprons for little girls as well!

I think I would even wear a lot of these aprons as dresses if they had backs to them! 

All of these sites have numerous and gorgeous aprons to choose from, but if you still can't find the perfect one for you, or if you just can't seem to have enough aprons, try looking at Anthropologie or Home Goods. They may have just what you are looking for! 

{Sugar Bee} Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Looking to add a little bit of minty freshness to your cupcakes? Well here is the perfect...and EASIEST way to do just that! Just take your favorite chocolate or devils food cake recipe (you can even cheat and use a mix from a box) and add a little bit of mint extract. It is THAT easy! If you are making a recipe that yields two dozen cupcakes, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of mint extract.

Add some semi-sweet mini chocolate morsels to the batter for extra chocolatey goodness!

Frost your cupcakes with a buttercream frosting. If you feel extra minty, you can add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of mint extract to your frosting.

Finally, garnish the tops of your cupcakes with an "Andes" mint or a "Thin Mint" girl scout cookie. You can even try crushing some "Thin Mint" girl scout cookies and sprinkling them on top.

Now, ENJOY!

{Sugar Bee} Sweet and Simple Shamrocks

To finish off our "St. Patrick's Day" week...and because I was too busy being mommy and waited until the last minute, I created sweet and simple shamrocks! These understated cookies are still beaming with Irish pride in their two shades of green. Perfect for the two Irish (well one is only 1/2 Irish) boys in my life...although the one is still not quite old enough to enjoy these treats!

Note to self for next year, don't wait until the end of the week to make cookies!

Hope everybody had a wonderful week!

{Busy bee} Miss Lovie Wreath Tutorial

Wreaths are such a great way to decorate for holidays year round and I recently came across an adorable St. Patrick's Day wreath by Allie from Miss Lovie that you must take a look at. This has got to be the cutest wreath I have ever seen and what's even better is that the decorations are made to be interchangeable so that it can be used throughout the year for different occasions! Feel like making a wreath just like this? Well, you can! Allie has posted a tutorial on her blog so that even the most novice crafters can create these little beauties. I can't wait to try my hand at this! You should also check out her other creations, they are just as adorable.

Happy Crafting and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

{Sugar Bee} Shamrock Mint Chocolate Covered Oreos

For most people St. Patrick's Day marks the day of green clothes, green beer, and corned beef and cabbage...at least if you are my family! But there is another element to St. Patty's Day that I love...I am referring to the festive treats! Therefore, this year I thought I would start my celebration off early and with shamrock mint chocolate covered Oreos. I know my husband will be in Irish heaven with these sweet treats!

How are you going to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year?

{Party Bee} Sock Monkey Printable Collection

For Christmas my son received the cutest sock monkey onesie from his Aunt Kerry. It wasn't your typical sock monkey design, it appeared to me like what a sock monkey baby would look like...even more adorable than the old school sock monkey. With this in mind, I was inspired to create a whole sock monkey printable collection! And now for your viewing pleasure....the collection unveiled!

The entire collection is $30.00 and comes with the following:

- 2 Invitation options: One with a picture included, one without (envelopes not included)
- 6 circle tag designs. These are perfect for creating cupcake toppers, cookie tags, decorations, etc. With a little bit of creativity the uses are endless!
- 2 Treat bag label designs
- Water bottle label design
- Glass "milk" jar label design
- Happy Birthday banner
- "Let's Monkey Around" banner
- Candy bar wrapper design
- Goody Tent Cards
- Coordinating patterned paper in 4 designs
- Large sock monkey in 4 different patterned background. These are great for on the wall, hanging decorations, centerpieces, etc.
- Cake toppers with 4 different patterned backgrounds.


Just send me the name of the birthday boy/girl, age, party information (i.e. time, place, contact, etc.) and I will send you the files electronically.

Now it's time to go bananas and monkey around!