Long time no blog/Nail Kit

Hello everyone! I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have blogged and I am going to change that right now. I suppose it is harder than it may seem sometimes to keep with a blog and to keep posting new and interesting content. After a long hiatus though I am willing to give this another go.

I wanted to start off my showing you a neat idea my mom and I found while browsing Pinterest around the holidays last December. We decided to make a nail kit to give a cousin for Christmas. The first jar we bought was to small since we got carried away with all of the items we purchase to include in her gift. It turned out really cute and she loved it!

We added some rub ons to decorate the outside and made a rosette for the top.

Flavors of The Season (Sponsored by Torani and SheSpeaks)

Recently I was sent two bottles of Torani syrup to test through the SheSpeaks panel blogger society. *Note: While this is a sponsored post the following oppinions are my own completely honest thoughts and I didn't recieve any compensation for them.* I recieved two bottles of syrup towards the end of last month and I was excited to see which seasonal flavors I would be sent. I decided to have Torani send me one sugar free and one regular. They sent me a bottle of sugar free salted caramel and a bottle of gingerbread syrup.

We decided to try them first in Italian sodas. I am not usually a fan of sugar free syrups but since my mom drinks them and so does my diabetic brother who was home for Thanksgiving I requested one sugar free bottle. After trying them in Italian soda we quickly decided these flavors are not well suited for this type of beverage.

After that we mulled over some more ideas in our head for a while and finally got the opportunity today to try out a couple of our ideas. We decided to try making a salted caramel whipped cream to top hot cocoa and other seasonal drinks. And we also added some gingerbread syrup to our sugar cookie batter. The hot cocoa with whipped cream as well as the gingerbread sugar cookies are quite tasty! I think if I was a coffee drinker I would enjoy these two syrup in lattes. I really enjoyed this program and can't wait to try out more recipes using the great syrup Torani sent us.

 

Plum Kuchen

I decided to try out a recipe from Cooking Light the other day. I have quite a sweet tooth so any time I see a dessert recipe that while satisfy my sweet tooth but doesn't have as many calories in it-I am willing to give it a try. I think that it turned out pretty taste and looks good too!

Here's a link to the recipe incase your interested in trying it out. I think it would make a great cake for a special occassion. Plum Kuchen recipe from Cooking Light.

Mushroom Growing Kit

Last month I entered an earth day contest on twitter with @TheMushroomChannel and won an oyster mushroom growing kit.  The kit is made by a company called Back to The Roots, you can find more info here: Mushroom Kit Info . 

The first step was to soak the mixture in water for 12 hours and then after that all you have to do is mist it twice a day and after 10 days you harvest the mushrooms. I am on day 2 of mushroom growing. I can't wait to see the mushrooms pop out of my box. :) Plus, after that I can turned the box around and open that side up and get a 2nd harvest. Here's what my kit looks like right now. I will keep you updated as my mushrooms start growing.

Etsy Pastel Finds

I hope everyone has a very Happy Easter tomorrow. The Spring and Easter season reminds me of pastel colors and flowers blooming. So I decided to an Etsy feature on these soft but pretty Spring time hues. Enjoy!



FRAMED CHALKBOARD Shabby Chic Nursery Pastel Chalk Board Candy Bar Sign Picture Frame Vintage Style Kitchen Chalkboard - Any Color by ShugabeeLane



Pastel Seaglass Necklace, Rare Sea Glass Jewelry, Beach Glass by BeachGlassMemories



Pincushion Rabbit Amigurumi - Pastel Yellow by minibytes



Sweet French Macaroons. Affordable Art. Home Decor. Kitchen Decor. Pink Lemon Violet. Pastel Colours. Fine Art Food Photography 5x7 by happeemonkee



Clutch floral print pastel colors expandable lined magnetic snap by CraftStall



Pastel Rainbow Crocheted Rag Rug by elevensides



OOAK - Vintage Flower Hair Clip or Brooch - Pastel Peach Pink Satin Flower - Floral - Whymsical - Spring Flower - Israel by BelleBlooms

Raspberry Cream Pie

Hello Everyone! Sorry for the delay in blogging-I am going to try and blog more often during the rest of 2012. :) Basically I was in a bit of a creative rut for a while and I also had a cold for a few weeks. I am feeling better now and I wanted to share the recipe for the raspberry cream pie my mom made for my birthday (feb 24th) this year. It was pretty tasty. Here's the link: Raspberry Cream Pie from Taste of Home

The Dawn of a New Era for the HodgePodgery

The HodgePodgery is back and better than ever at it's new location- 1320 N 3rd St Harrisburg, PA. This great shop is chock full of handmade items made by local artisans. They have hair accessories, jewelry, soap, hats, magnets, and so much more. If you're looking to buy a unique handmade gift for yourself or a friend/family member this is definitely a place you should check out. Best of all you are supporting a local business! You can visit and peruse the wares on Thursdays and Fridays from 11 am-7 pm and on Saturdays from 10 am-5 pm.