Another delicious cupcake recipe page to share! This time it's from Pamela Clark's Cupcakes book. Try Mochaccinos on page 39. So yum! (Click on the page to enlarge)
We kick off the autumn and upcoming holiday season with a fabulous kawaii giveaway from Modes4U, a super kawaii online store with the largest assortment of kawaii products for kids of all ages. Modes4U is run by Sandra, a lovely Austrian who is based in HK. Together with her Hong Kong Chinese husband and two full time assistants, Sandra keeps the kawaii fever alive by bringing the cutest and most colourful items from Asia to Europe, USA and the rest of the world. Browse the shop to see a wide range of crafts and hobby supplies, accessories,bags, bento boxes, stationery supplies and even fashionable kawaii clothes.
From today until October 11, 2010, Modes4U gives new and old Sweet Tidings readers a chance to win the cute kawaii gift pack pictured above. All you have to do is follow the easy giveaway rules.
Giveaway mechanics:
1. Visit the Modes4U kawaii online shop and tell me what your favorite items are from the shop. Come back here to post your comment.
2. Readers who follow Modes4U on Twitter and Facebook will receive additional entries. Likewise, readers who blog, retweet or share this giveaway on Facebook will also receive additional points. Please leave your links in a separate comment.
3. Please include your email in your comments or in your blog profile so there will be a way of contacting you in case you win. A new winner will be picked in case you win and there is no way of contacting you.
4. This giveaway offer is open to all readers worldwide. Comments will be closed midnight of October 11, 2010 and the winner will be announced as soon as the giveaway sponsor has drawn the name of the winner.
Good luck and happy kawaii shopping!
Comments are now closed. Thank you so much for participating. The winner will be announced shortly.
Welcome to Pysellstafett or Craft Relay in Swedish. I'm so thrilled to be a part of this wonderful autumn craft collaboration organized by the lovely Stina of Sagolikt Pysell. Please visit the wonderful tutorial of the crafter before me. Jenny Bergvall has a whimsical project for creating a magical childhood keepsake frame.
My craft relay inspired tutorial is both decorative and functional. It is a lovey accent to grace a tabletop or bookshelf while scenting the room with the warm, comforting scent of cinnamon.
POTPOURRI CINNAMON TREE
Materials:
Styrofoam ball (4 inches diameter)
Long cinnamon stick
Mini terracotta pot
Potpourri wood shavings
Spanish moss
Red wooden heart buttons
Natural jute twine
Styrofoam ball, cut in half ( 2" diameter)
Glue gun
Directions:
1. Insert the halved 2" styrofoam ball into the terra cotta pot.
2. Incise a long, snug hole in the center of the large styrofoam ball. Apply hot glue on the the tip of the long cinnamon stick and insert into the styrofoam ball. Apply hot glue all over the styrofoam ball and thickly cover with spanish moss. Glue red heart shaped wooden buttons all over.
3. Incise a small hole into the halved styrofoam ball inserted into the mini terra cotta pot. Insert cinnamon stick tree. Fill the sides of the pot with potpourri wood shavings. Apply several drops of cinnamon potpourri oil into the wood shavings. You may also use other scented oils such as cinnamon roll or caramel apple scents. Artisan blended scents for autumn are readily availble on ETSY.
4. Tie a a piece of natural jute twine around the terra cotta pot. Affix a handmade label if you plan to give your potpourri cinnamon tree as a gift.
5. Decorate your desk, shelf or table with your potpourri cinnamon tree. Happy autumn!
Onwards to the next creative, happy crafter Stina of Get Lucky! Happy autumn crafting!
I just stumbled upon the Tokyo Cafe series on Pom Pom Parlour via sweet Angela's Three Buttons blog. I'm just drooling over the delicious petite pastries and creative lattes being served in those cute zakka cafes. Ahh, heaven!
Tomorrow promises to be a sweet Sunday as I have a craft tutorial for all of you. I have taken part in Sagolikt Pysell's Pysellstaffet or Craft Relay celebrating autum crafts. My craft tutorial is scheduled tomorrow so don't forget to check back. Also check out the complete list of Craft Relay participants here.
I also have a mega kawaii giveaway on Monday, September 27 courtesy of the cutest kawaii online gift shop Modes4u.
Download and print this retro style milk carton favor box from Papercrave. Mine turned out on the tangerine side making it look like the freshest, cutest juice box. Fill your favor box with cookies, treats and other surprises. Enjoy!
Just updated the Sweet Tidings Shop with cozy and earth friendly finds for your autumn table. The non-endangered, sustainable Acacia wooden items are only available this season so scoop them while you can.
Meanwhile, enjoy a dose of sunshine on Christen (formerly of Indie Icing)'s happy new blog Good Day Sunshine . Giveaway week has just started so better visit Christen's blog for a chance to win a slew of pretty, pretty handmade goodies.
Remember the health adage, "Don't put anything on your skin that you can't eat?" I love making my own body scrubs whenever I can by using natural ingredients easily found in the kitchen. Here's one of my favorite body recipes:
Brown Sugar Body Scrub
1 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 cup massage oil ( I use lavender, sweet orange, and Himalayan cedarwood blend)
Pinch of cinnamon
Blend well together and store in a recycled jam jar or apothecary jar. Also try the Lemon Honey Scrub which you can whip up in a jiffy.
Also check out Bloomize.com's special feature What Travels with You. Every week, Clara takes a peek into the travel bag of her favorite bloggers to uncover their 4 or 5 most important essentials. My travel bag essentials are featured as of the moment Have a look!
I'd love to know about your travel esentials too. To join, just send Clara your packing list via email (mail at bloomize.com) and a high resolution landscape photo of your 4 to 5 travel essentials. See you on Bloomize!
Hey crafty friends, I've got a new desktop wallpaper for you! Download it right here. The next Sweet Tidings newletter is coming out pretty soon. Don't forget to subscribe for exclusive tidbits, tutorials, downloads and more.
One side of me likes crafting and sewing but the other side loves cooking and baking more! Visit my good old food blog Kitchen Samurai where I post food related topics, recipes and musings. See you in the kitchen!
What a delight to discover Jinjerup's amazing treasure trove of the most adorable and unique (not to mention free) weekly printable offerings. I'm in love with the Tropical Punch Bookmarks that feature my favorite tropical fruits. There's lychee, mangosteen, papaya, pineapple, watermelon and even the notorious durian! Durian may have an overwhelming scent but trust me it tastes so divine in candy form.
I've printed a few sets of these fruity fun bookmarks to adorn my cookbooks and to keep tab of some few special recipes. By the way, click on the second photo pictured above to see the yummy sticky apple tart recipe from the book Scrumptious Pies and Tarts by Linda Collister.
Wondering what to do with your fat quarter fabrics? Make a cute poochie bag with Monica Solorio Snow's fat quarter friendly freebie pattern from her blog Happy Zombie. As the holidy season is fast approaching, why not make some poochie bags using Monica's Holiday Happy fabrics from Lecien?
I love visiting Minitoko's colorful and happy place! It's Japonais with French flair. I just love looking at the pretty French inspired cakes at her micro site Cake-o Rama.
I'm dreaming of the soft and sweet palette of autumn colors. Enjoy the rich and subtle shades and textures of this gilded season in this ETSY treasury I've created. Hope you can stop by and leave a comment. Thanks a bunch!
Having a hard time getting motivated? Download this free desktop wallpaper from Mary Kate McDevitt. Mary Kate has a wildly successful ETSY shop that offers charming and retro style mini goals chalkboards, cards and illustrations. Her handmade products are simply too cute and inspiring to pass up! Also check out Mary Kate's adorable Mini Goals Notepads which are availble on Amazon.
Have you seen the amazing bento art from Sakurako Kitsa? Browse her bento Flickr set for delicious and inspired bento art creations.
Here are some great links to get you started on this fabulous Japanese food art:
Just Bento- great bento recipes, tips and more Natsuriku on ETSY- cute and affordable bento supplies Japanistic- kawaii BPA-free bento lunch boxes and accessories Lunch in a Box- top tips for building a better bento Yum-Yum Bento Box- must have bento craft book for everyone Bento Fun- simple and attractiive ideas for kids lunch boxes
Yozo Craft, the one stop shop for everything kawaii and zakka is now open with a new shop section. Check out the dollar shop with fabulous offerings at $1, $2, $3 and more. And oh, isn't this natural wood collection box the cutest thing? Happy zakka shopping!