Friday Favorites: April 8, 2011

Can you believe it is April? Easter is right around the corner! Our church and our household are getting very excited for our Easter church services at the Bren Center at University of California, Irvine! Come join us if you live in Southern California!  You can find out more info at http://compasschurch.org/.

This week I've been playing around on the website called Pinterest. It is an amazing site where you pin pictures onto online "boards", and it saves them for you by category. For instance, I am planning an owl baby shower, and I have been "pinning" owl ideas on my board for the baby shower. I have boards called "Future Craft Possibilities", "Fashion", "Photographs", "Food Displays", "Books Worth Reading" etc. It is a lot of fun. If you have a creative personality, you have to try pinterest. It is an invite only site, but if you go request an invitation, you will most likely get invited to join within the month--that was my experience. Tidy Mom did a great spotlight and explanation of Pinterest, including pictures of her amazing board samples--check it out here. Have fun!

Now enjoy these amazing and creative posts from the week:

 A Day with a Domestic Engineer made homemade salsa.  Living in Southern California, it is always a good
idea to have a homemade salsa recipe on hand.  Mexican food is such an integral part of life here, and I'm not complaining!  I can't wait to try this--it looks delicious!



I loved this post from Sew Many Things to Say.  She recently got married and did her own small wedding in every detail.  Read the words.  She is in the midst of some financial trials, but she gives God thanks and praise for every blessing in her circumstances.  Plus, her wedding was beautiful--what a great attitude and a talented lady!



The Frosted Gardener remade a dresser for a client.  She refinished it beautifully, and I love that she kept the original hardware.  It works perfectly!  I have two distressed, black pieces that need to be refinished on the top due to scratches.  I need to get the guts to try!



Tip Junkie gave us a post highlighting crafting rooms that were beautifully done.  Oh, these are awesome!  Someday, when the boys go away to college, I can take over a room, paint it robin's egg blue and sprinkle it with fabric and an idea board.  For now, though, I am thankful to just enjoy these lovely examples and give cuddles to my boys.


Infarrantly Creative redid her bathroom.  I love the softness in the final room.  Plus, she used lavendar.  My new house has no lavendar, and I miss it.  I was able to have plum kitchens in my last two houses, but this new house is less colorful due to the open floorplan.  Go enjoy her soft plum bathroom with beautiful paneling.



North Dakota Kitchen made "Cracked Egg" Cupcakes using white chocolate, cupcakes and lemon curd topping.  Beautiful and so fun!



Gluesticks made cinnamon bunny rolls.  They are extremely easy and amazingly cute.  I know my two little guys would gobble these up in a minute!



Savvy Southern Style revealed her new kitchen.  I love the fact she mixed beauty and function so well with her personality and style.  It is breathtaking and fun all in one.



Simply Julie gives a great tutorial on wrapping paper ribbons.  Someone wrapped a gift for Carter with one of these and I loved it.  I found this tutorial the next week and saved it!  Plus, she uses directions of folding things like a "hot dog" and "hamburger".  Oh, I felt right at home--back to the days in my classroom.


Does anyone else love chocolate lava cake?  If you haven't discovered the easy, small ones you can buy and quickly make in the cake aisle (I think by Duncan Hines), then this is even BETTER!  Days at Buttermilk Cottage offers a great chocolate cake in a mug recipe.  She even puts some nice dollops of ice cream on her final product--delicious!


Finally, I should Be Mopping the Floor shared her resurrection rolls recipe!  They are easy and are a great, sweet alternative to the resurrection cookies (which I can NEVER get to be hollow and can never whip the eggs correctly).  This recipe is FOOLPROOF!  I'm switching to this method the night before Easter!  My kids will absolutely love it--though Carter will lament the fact his marshmallows are gone (he absolutely LOVES marshmallows!--I'll save a few on the side so we can still understand the picture of Jesus's empty grave!)


Have a great week, everyone!  Enjoy all the creative juices and have a blessed and fruitful week!