Carrot Cupcakes with Lavender Honey Frosting

BELIEVE IT OR NOT BUT EASTER IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER SO OF COURSE I HAVE TO MAKE SOME DELICIOUS EASTER DESSERTS! RECENTLY I WAS GIVEN ABSOLUTELY COOL AND BEAUTIFUL MARY & MARTHA PAPER BAKEWARE FROM MY FRIEND TAMMY SO NATURALLY I HAD TO THINK OF SOMETHING TO BAKE IN THEM.  THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENT COLOR COMBOS WITH THIS BAKEWARE BUT I ASKED FOR THE ORANGE/PURPLE/GRAY SET BECAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE SOMETHING WITH CARROTS FOR EASTER =)

ALSO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW ME, KNOW THAT I LOVE ORANGE AND PURPLE TOGETHER SO THAT SET WAS PERFECT FOR ME! MY WEDDING COLORS WERE ORANGE BECAUSE IT'S RYAN'S FAVORITE COLOR AND GREEN AND PURPLE BECAUSE THOSE WERE MY FAVORITE COLORS. (MY TASTE HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS THOUGH AND NOW I REALLY ONLY LIKE GREEN AS A FAVE COLOR BUT NOT JUST ANY KIND OF GREEN... I LIKE THE YELLOW-Y GREEN LIKE CITRINE OR CHARTREUSE TO BE EXACT, HAHA.) ANYWAYYYYYS, BELOW IS A PICTURE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL AFGHAN THAT MISS CHRIS (A LADY I KNOW FROM MAIN STREET BAPTIST CHURCH) MADE FOR US AS A WEDDING GIFT. SHE KNEW WE LOVED ORANGE, PURPLE AND GREEN SO IT WAS SUCH A SWEET AND THOUGHTFUL GIFT AND IS DEFINITELY MY ALL TIME FAVORITE BLANKET! JUST THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE =)

BACK TO THE BEAUTIFUL BAKEWARE... AS I WAS THINKING OF WHAT I COULD MAKE IN THESE FOR EASTER I THOUGHT OF AN UNUSAL PAIRING. CARROTS OF COURSE FOR THE ORANGE AND THEN I THOUGHT MAYBE USING LAVENDER (LIKE THE DRIED FLOWER) WOULD BE DIFFERENT AND FUN. I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS EXPERIMENTING AT FIRST BECAUSE I LOOKED ONLINE TO SEE IF CARROTS AND LAVENDER WAS A COMMON DESSERT COMBO BUT I COULDN'T FIND ANY RECIPES REALLY. I DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH IT ANYWAYS AND WAS GLAD I DID! I CAME UP WITH A RECIPE TO MAKE CARROT CUPCAKES WITH LAVENDER HONEY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING. (FOR THE RECIPE SCROLL DOWN) THEY REALLY TURNED OUT SO DELICIOUS!

MY FRIEND TAMMY WHO IS A CONSULTANT FROM MARY & MARTHA GAVE ME OTHER BEAUTIFUL M&M PRODUCTS SO I COULD DO A FUN PHOTO SHOOT WITH THEM. IF YOU NEVER HAVE HEARD OF MARY & MARTHA YOU REALLY SHOULD LOOK INTO IT BECAUSE EVERYTHING THEY MAKE IS SO GOSH DARN LOVELY!  THE PAPER BAKEWARE WAS ALSO A TON OF FUN BAKING IN AND SO EASY AND CUTE! THEY COME IN DIFFERENT SHAPES, SIZES AND COLORS AND CAN BE HEATED UP TO 400 DEGREES! AS YOU SCROLL THROUGH THE PICTURES YOU WILL SEE ALL THE OTHER  GORGEOUS PRODUCTS AS WELL. THE BREAD BOARD AND TEA TOWEL IS A DEFINITE FAVE OF MINE. I AM A SUCKER FOR SOME GOOD LETTERING AND THE THESE BOTH SHOWCASE THE AMAZING ARTWORK BY LINDSEY LETTERS! THE WHITE CERAMIC MUGS, PITCHER AND CAKE STAND ARE JUST DARLING TOO AND THEY HAVE A LOT MORE ITEMS FROM THAT SAME COLLECTION. WOULDN'T THEY BE GREAT FOR A BIG EASTER DINNER!? I ALSO LOVE THE SUPER CUTE HONEY POT AND THE PRETTY JUTE TABLE RUNNER! OH AND OF COURSE I LOVE THE CHALKBOARD! THEY HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO OFFER TOO SO I TOTALLY RECOMMEND CHECKING TAMMY'S WEBSITE OUT AND BOOKING A PARTY WITH HER IF YOU CAN! THE SPECIAL FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL ARE CUTE JOURNALS THAT ARE ONLY AVAILABLE IN APRIL! YOU CAN VIEW THAT SPECIAL HERE.

SO IF YOU WANT TO BOOK A PARTY YOU CAN EMAIL HER AT LOVEMARYNMARTHA@GMAIL.COM OR YOU CAN CALL HER AT 607-431-8517. ENJOY ALL THE PICTURES AND MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT THE RECIPE FOR THE DELICIOUS CUPCAKES BELOW!

BECAUSE I WAS DOING A FULL PHOTO SHOOT I DECIDED TO GO ALL OUT AND TRY MY HAND AT MAKING MACARONS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER SO I COULD HAVE MORE LOVELY ORANGE AND LAVENDER TREATS! I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO MAKE THESE FOR A LONG TIME BUT HAVE BEEN INTIMIDATED BY THE PROCESS AND PRICEY INGREDIENTS. THEY DEFINITELY WERE VERY TEDIOUS TO MAKE AND CERTAINLY LOOK HOMEMADE BUT LET ME TELL YOU THEY WERE DELICIOUS! I HOPE TO MAKE MORE THIS COMING WEEKEND! =) THE RECIPE I FOLLOWED, I FOUND HERE. THE ONLY THING I SUGGEST DOING DIFFERENTLY IS ADD THE COLOR BEFORE YOU START WHIPPING THE EGG WHITES! TRUST ME!  =)

CARROT CUPCAKES WITH LAVENDER HONEY FROSTING

INGREDIENTS:

4 EGGS

3/4 CUP VEGETABLE OIL

1/2 CUP APPLE SAUCE

1 CUP SUGAR

1 CUP BROWN SUGAR

1 8-OZ. CAN OF CRUSHED PINEAPPLES, DRAINED

2 TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT

2 CUPS FLOUR

2 TEASPOONS BAKING SODA

2 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER

1/2 TEASPOON SALT

2 TEASPOONS GROUND CINNAMON

1/4 TEASPOON GROUND NUTMEG

SMALL PINCH OF GROUND CLOVES

3 CUPS GRATED CARROTS

1 CUP SWEETENED COCONUT FLAKES

FROSTING:

1 8-OZ. CREAM CHEESE SOFTENED

2 TABLESPOONS BUTTER SOFTENED

2 CUPS POWDERED SUGAR

1/2 CUP HONEY

1 DROP OF LAVENDER OIL

1/2 TEASPOON VANILLA

3/4 TEASPOON CINNAMON

MILK AS NEEDED

2 TEASPOONS DRIED LAVENDER FOR GARNISH

PECANS OR WALNUTS FOR GARNISH

NOTE: SERIOUSLY ONLY USE ONE DROP OF LAVENDER OIL! IT GOES A LOOOONG WAY! I BOUGHT MINE FROM THE LOCAL HEALTH FOOD STORE. IT ACTUALLY SAYS ON THE BOTTLE FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY, HAHA. BUT I SPOKE TO THE MANAGER AT THE HEALTH FOOD STORE AND HE TOLD ME (UNDER HIS BREATH) THAT I CAN CONSUME VERY SMALL DOSES AT A TIME, LOL. I ATE A COUPLE OF THESE CUPCAKES AND I WAS FINE SO I PROMISE IT WON'T KILL YOU! =) 

DIRECTIONS:

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES. IN A LARGE BOWL, BEAT TOGETHER EGGS, APPLE SAUCE, OIL, SUGARS, PINEAPPLE AND VANILLA. MIX TOGETHER FLOUR, BAKING SODA, BAKING POWDER, SALT, CINNAMON, NUTMEG AND A PINCH OF CLOVES. STIR IN THE CARROTS AND COCONUT FLAKES. LINE A MUFFIN TIN WITH CUPCAKE WRAPPERS OR USE THE CUTE AND EASY BAKEWARE FROM MARY & MARTHA! FILL EACH LINER 3/4 FULL. BAKE IN PREHEATED OVEN FOR 18-20 MIN. LET CUPCAKES COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE FROSTING.

FROSTING:

IN A MEDIUM BOWL COMBINE BUTTER, CREAM CHEESE, POWDER SUGAR, HONEY, VANILLA, CINNAMON AND ONE TINY DROP OF LAVENDER OIL. BEAT UNTIL THE MIXTURE IS SMOOTH AND CREAMY. ADD MILK AS NEEDED. TOP WITH DRIED LAVENDER AND CHOPPED WALNUTS OR PECANS!

ENJOY!

3rd Anniversary Photo Shoot

I FINALLY GOT A CHANCE TO POST THIS AMAZING PHOTOSHOOT THAT OUR WONDERFULLY TALENTED FRIEND, LEE PFEIL, TOOK OF OUR 3RD ANNIVERSARY! WE STARTED A TRADITION FOR OUR 1ST ANNIVERSARY WHERE WE CAME UP WITH A THEMED PHOTOSHOOT BASED ON THE TRADITIONAL ANNIVERSARY GIFTS WHICH ARE LISTED IN THE PICTURE BELOW.  

SO LET ME EXPLAIN. THE 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY GIFT IS PAPER SO WE DECIDED TO MAKE A PAPER KITE AND HAVE A PHOTOSHOOT OF TRYING TO FLY IT. YOU CAN VIEW THOSE PHOTOS HERE. THE 2ND ANNIVERSARY GIFT IS COTTON SO WE HAD A PILLOW FIGHT! YOU CAN VIEW THOSE PHOTOS HERE.

SO THEN THAT BRINGS US TO THIS YEAR. THE 3RD ANNIVERSARY GIFT IS LEATHER. SO THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT OF WHEN I THOUGHT OF LEATHER WAS BOOTS WHICH THEN MADE ME THINK OF COWBOYS AND THEN THAT MADE ME THINK OF INDIANS (I KNOW TOTALLY NOT PC) HOWEVER, AS I WAS THINKING OF NATIVE AMERICANS, HAHA, I STARTED TO THINK OF LEATHER MOCCASINS, AND HOW THEIR TEEPEES WERE ORIGINALLY MADE WITH ANIMAL SKINS AND LEATHER. AS I CONTINUED EXPLORING THIS IDEA, I REALIZED HOW CUTE OF A THEME IT COULD BE. AND THEN I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS WITH TRIBAL ART DETAILING ON THE FRONT AND KNEW EXACTLY THIS WAS THE THEME FOR US! SO IN THE PICTURES YOU CAN SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS WE MADE WITH LEATHER. I FIRST MADE A NUMBER 3 FOR OUR 3RD ANNIVERSARY OUT OF STICKS AND LEATHER CORD. AND THEN MY BROTHER IN LAW, DENNIS SO GRACIOUSLY HELPED ME MAKE A BEAUTIFUL DREAMCATCHER OUT OF LEATHER. (I WAS STRUGGLING WITH THE WEB, HAHA) I ALSO MADE A LEATHER HEAD BAND, HAD LEATHER SANDALS, RYAN HAD LEATHER MOCCASINS, AND THEN WE TIED OUR HOMEMADE TEEPEE WITH LEATHER CORD. SO WE DEFINITELY INCORPORATED LEATHER AND I THINK IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS. 

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN SHOOTING IN THE WOODS BEHIND MY PARENTS HOUSE. MY AMAZING HUSBAND LOVED ME ENOUGH TO CARRY A WHOLE TEEPEE ON A 10 MINUTE HIKE TO THE PERFECT SPOT IN THE WOODS! HAHA. HE TOTALLY WAS NOT LIKING THE SITUATION BUT STILL DID IT FOR ME <3 THAT'S TRUE LOVE. :P MY NEPHEW, CALEB AND NIECE, JULIA ALSO HELPED US CARRY OUR PROPS THROUGH THE WOODS WHICH WAS TOTALLY HELPFUL AND FUN! SO ENJOY THE PHOTOS AND HOPEFULLY THIS GIVES YOU SOME GOOD IDEAS FOR YOUR NEXT PHOTOSHOOT! I AM ALREADY PLANNING NEXT YEAR'S SHOOT WHICH WILL BE BASED ON FRUIT AND I BET YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO =) YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE!  

Berry Themed Bridal Shower Brunch

SO HERE IS PROOF TO SHOW I HAVE BEEN TOO BUSY TO POST ANYTHING LATELY! MY SISTER AND HER FIANCEE DECIDED TO MOVE THE WEDDING UP A BIT AND HAVE IT AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS NOVEMBER INSTEAD OF NEXT SEPTEMBER. SO THAT MEANT WE NEEDED TO PLAN A BRIDAL SHOWER FAST! 

WE HAD A BRUNCH OF SORTS WITH DELICIOUS BREAKFAST FOODS AND OUR THEME WAS BASED ON BERRIES SPECIFICALLY BLUEBERRIES. MY SISTER'S FIANCEE AND HIS FAMILY OWN A BLUEBERRY FARM (CHECK OUT THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE) AND THEIR WEDDING HAS A BLUEBERRY THEME SO WE THOUGHT WE WOULD INCORPORATE THAT INTO THE SHOWER AS WELL. 

I CREATED THE SHOWER INVITE ABOVE BUT CANNOT TAKE CREDIT FULLY BECAUSE I MODELED IT AFTER A BEAUTIFUL SHOWER INVITE YOU CAN PURCHASE HERE THEY ENDED UP BEING A BIT TIME CONSUMING SINCE I PRETTILY HAND ADDRESSED 65 ENVELOPES BUT IT WAS DEFINITELY TIME WELL SPENT IN MY OPINION =)

ORIGINALLY I WAS THINKING I COULD BE THE PHOTOGRAPHER BUT WASN'T THINKING HOW I NEEDED TO BE A HOST TOO SO I AM SO VERY GRATEFUL FOR MY FRIEND, HEATHER MORRIS WHO TOOK MOST OF THE PICTURES BELOW. YOU CAN CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE HERE

THE MENU 

(ALL HOMEMADE BY THE BRIDESMAIDS, FAMILY OF THE BRIDE AND OTHER FRIENDS)

 A YOGURT PARFAIT BAR WITH HOMEMADE GRANOLA 

SAUSAGE, GRAVY AND BISCUITS 

BROCCOLI QUICHE AS WELL AS QUICHE LORRAINE WITH BACON

A VARIETY OF HOMEMADE DONUT HOLES 

MINI POTATO CASSEROLES

HOMEMADE BLUEBERRY MUFFINS WITH HONEY BUTTER

SUN TEA AND BERRY MINT WATER

AS WELL AS BLUEBERRY COFFEE

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, A DELICIOUS LEMON BLUEBERRY CREPE CAKE (I WILL POST THE RECIPE SOON!)

THE CAKE WAS MY BABY THAT TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE AND I WILL GO INTO FURTHER DETAIL ABOUT ALL OF THAT IN A LATER POST BUT ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS THAT I ROYALLY MESSED UP PUTTING THE CAKE TOGETHER AND IF IT WASN'T FOR MY BROTHER IN LAW'S, BROTHER, DAVID KROPP (PROFESSIONAL CAKE MAKER) WHO CAME TO MY RESCUE THEN I WOULD HAVE BEEN SCREWED!!!

THE VENUE

I ONLY HAVE AMAZING THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THE VENUE! IT WAS WONDERFUL BOOKING IT AND HOLDING THE PARTY THERE. IT WAS AT THE CANO GALLERY WHICH IS THE OLD WILBER MANSION ON FORD AVENUE IN ONEONTA, NY. IT IS A BEAUTIFUL ART GALLERY THAT FORTUNATELY AT THE TIME OF OUR SHOWER, DID NOT HAVE ANY SHOWS UP SO ALL THE WALLS WERE COMPLETELY BARE AND WHITE WHICH GAVE US LOTS OF SPACE TO BE CREATIVE WITH OUR DECORATIONS. THEY EVEN REPAINTED THE WALLS BEFORE WE GOT THERE! IT REALLY WAS A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE AND FOR A GROUP OF 60 PEOPLE IT IS A PERFECT VENUE THAT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ANYONE! CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE! 

THE DECORATIONS

WELL IT WASN'T TOO HARD TO DECORATE AN ALREADY GORGEOUS SPACE! BUT WE DID HAVE TO BE CREATIVE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE A TON OF MONEY TO WORK WITH. WE HAD TASSEL GARLANDS MADE FROM TISSUE PAPER BY MY AMAZING AUNT. WE HAD BEAUTIFUL PAPER TRIANGLE GARLANDS MADE BY MY SISTER, AMY AND BRIDESMAID, ABBY. ABBY, WHO I WORKED WITH AT THE FLOWER SHOP FOR SEVERAL YEARS, ALSO PUT TOGETHER OUR FOLIAGE WALL AND SUSPENDED WREATHS (WITH THE HELP OF MY NIECE, JULIA!). THEY TURNED OUT ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL AND UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T THINK THE PICTURES DO THEM JUSTICE! WE BOUGHT A VARIETY OF FOLIAGE FROM CODDINGTON'S FLORIST AND IT WORKED OUT PERFECTLY. ONE OF THE CHEAPEST DECORATIONS WAS THE BIG ENGINEER PRINTS I GOT FROM OFFICE MAX FOR ONLY $8 A PIECE! I PRINTED OUT A HUGE PICTURE OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM AS WELL AS A HAND LETTERED PIECE I MADE. BOTH WERE 3 FEET X 4 FEET WHICH TOOK UP A LOT OF SPACE AND REALLY MADE A STATEMENT AT SUCH A LOW COST!

EVERYTHING CAME TOGETHER AND IT ENDED UP BEING SUCH A LOVELY TIME. ENJOY THE PICTURES BELOW AND HOPEFULLY SOMETHING WILL INSPIRE YOU FOR YOUR NEXT PARTY! FEEL FREE TO COMMENT WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

THE PICTURE ABOVE IS OF MY TWO SISTERS AND ME. I AM ON THE RIGHT, MY SISTER, AMY IS ON THE LEFT AND MY SISTER, BETHANY, IN THE MIDDLE, IS THE ONE GETTING MARRIED! I <3 MY SISTAS!

BELOW IS THE HAND LETTERED PIECE I DID FOR THE ENGINEER PRINT. I AM SO PUMPED FOR MY SISTER AND NATE (HER FIANCEE) I CAN'T BELIEVE THEIR WEDDING IS IN LESS THAN 3 WEEKS!! I PRAY A SPECIAL BLESSING ON THEIR WEDDING DAY AND MARRIED LIFE TOGETHER! <3 <3 <3

Save the Date Postcards

My beautiful best friend, Jessica got married this past April to her fiance, Josh. They had a lovely ceremony on Virginia Beach where they live now (Oh, how I miss her!) Because the ceremony was a small civil union with only their immediate family, she and Josh decided they still want to have a big wedding this coming summer with all their friends and extended family. The really cool thing is that Jess asked me to be her matron of honor! I am very excited about it and honored she would ask me!

So the first thing she asked me to help her with was to make her Save the Dates! I had so much fun doing them! She picked out a few Save the Date postcards she saw on my favorite stationery website, Minted to show me the style she liked and let me create from there. The picture is from their engagement photos that were taken in a botanical garden near Virginia Beach. It was pretty cool receiving it in the mail! I am so excited for these two and can't wait for their big day! 

Reusing Big Jars

I am one of those people who are crazy about mason jars. I love them! Originally I was going to do all my wedding centerpieces for my 26 tables with all of the regular sized mason jars filled with flowers but then I realized that was going to get pretty pricey pretty quickly. Fortunately I found these awesome HUGE mason jars from Walmart for only $10! (I believe you can find them at Target as well but unfortunately we only have a Walmart in my city) So for several of the centerpieces I took large pillar candles and placed them in the jars with moss in the bottom and tied twine around the top. They looked beautiful and were extremely inexpensive! When I found the giant mason jars I also found these huge cookie jars with lids for only $10 as well! I realized quickly I could use them for the lemonade stand I wanted at our reception! Both the centerpieces and the jars for the lemonade turned out great and I loved them. But the coolest thing I love about these over sized jars is the many ways I can keep using them at home! I gave several of the jars to family members so they could use them if they ever wanted to and one day I went over to my parents house and my mom had her flour in the giant cookie jar. It looked so lovely and I thought it was such a clever idea so I did it too! Over the past year and a half of being married I have come up with other ideas to use these jars and also have gotten inspiration from blogs and Pinterest! So I am saying all of this to tell you that you should definitely use these jars for your next party, wedding, event, etc and then you can take them home afterwards and keep enjoying them!! 

 

Below are pictures I found of other weddings also using these jars for punch

Below are pictures of how I used these jars in other ways in my home.

And of course you can use them for cookies =) But look at all the other ways you can use these jars! I love the last picture with the jar full of crayons!

Great for a housewarming gift too!