I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, crafter, and blogger living in rural New England. As seen in Martha Stewart Living, Food Network Magazine, and more! | Tutorials, DIY, crafts, parenting tips, recipes, money saving tips, product reviews, local product features, New England living, intentional living, and more! |
Perusing Pinterest the other day I came across a pin for these Apple Rose Tarts from Martha Stewart and thought they'd be perfect to make for Valentine's Day!
Since this adorable idea was from Martha Stewart, I'll lead you there to see the full directions. However, my one complaint about the article was that it didn't give a lot of specifics, so please read on for my tips and lessons learned.
Apple Rose Tarts: Tips + Tricks
The article suggests buttering and flouring your muffin tin first, which I did, but I can't stress how important it is to really thoroughly do it. I thought I had done a good job coating the pan but when it came time to take the tarts out they didn't come out easy and quite a few had some damage.
For the pie crust I went the easy route and used a box of classic Jiffy Pie Crust mix and had enough dough to line a 12-cup muffin tin.
For the apples I used 3 Gala apples. I didn't have a mandolin and had to hand-cut them.. I definitely think a mandolin would have been a lot easier.
Using 3 apples I ended up with enough thin slices to make 6 roses, and enough left over apple pieces to fill the other 6 muffin cups. (*In summary, 1 apple with make 2 apple roses.. so If you wanted to make 12 apple rose tarts you would need 6 apples)
There wasn't any hint at how much sugar and cinnamon to use, so I filled a cereal bowl about halfway with white sugar (brown sugar would have probably tasted better but it would have browned the apple roses) and probably a teaspoon of cinnamon. When it came time to sprinkle the mixture on the apple slices I was very generous.
The apple slices need to be really soft and pliable in order to roll them well. I had to microwave them until they were soft and steaming in order to roll them without breaking.
Once you start rolling the apple slices, don't stop! Roll them tightly and place right into the prepared muffin pan - make sure it's close by.
Let the tarts cool completely before trying to take them out of the tin.
The Apple Rose Tarts were a big hit! Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!
We decided to try our hand at making our own toddler art Valentine cards to send to family and friends - it was so easy and a lot of fun! | This post contains affiliate links |
heart-shaped stencil (I just used a cookie cutter from the kitchen)
glue
How-to:
For our little one to make her art, I taped some big sheets of finger painting paper to our kitchen floor and let her go to town! This was also her first painting experience, and it's safe to say that she really enjoyed it... though I think she may have been just as interested in trying to pull the tape off the floor.
Even though I was an art education major, I'd never used special paper for finger painting and I was a bit skeptical at first. The paper touts being "glossy and non-absorbent" and I wasn't sure how the paint would stay on the paper or if it would dry well. Nevertheless, it worked great! The non-absorbency and glossiness is perfect for finger painting - a little paint goes a long way since it isn't absorbed into the paper and the smooth glossy surface makes it easy for little fingers to move the paint around. Drying time was pretty fast too and the paint stayed well on the paper, no flaking or peeling.
Once the paintings were dry, I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to trace out the hearts and cut them out.
I glued the hearts onto a folded piece of white stationery from C.R. Gibson, then added a little handwritten note inside and they were done. Now to mail them off to family and friends!
Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe New Years! With a little one now I spent my evening like I do most.. putting her to bed, working on Birch Landing things, then curling up on the couch to watch some TV with the hubby. Pretty wild and crazy, huh? I wouldn't have it any other way.
Reflections
This has been a pretty big year for me, for us: Becoming a new mom with ten million new things to learn (and am still learning), getting into the groove of staying home full-time with our little one, starting this little Etsy business, and getting a photo of our ornaments into Martha Stewart Living, to name just a few of the amazing things that happened this year. We're very blessed and I am so very thankful.
Resolutions
What's New Years without some personal resolutions? 1. I'd love to get back into running. I ran pretty regularly until I was 8 months pregnant, stopped, and then never really got back into it but it's about time I do. 2. Ruthlessly cleaning out and reorganizing the basement and closets is also a priority. We have too much stuff (and I have wayyy too many clothes), it's time to lighten that load. 3. And of course I'd love to grow this little business as much as I can - I have lots of ideas for wedding decorations, decor, and accessories all in a rustic theme. I'm planning on phasing out some items in my shop over the next few months to transition Birch Landing Home into its new identity. You can expect our Etsy shop to officially find its niche in 2015.
I want to thank you all for giving me a great start in 2014 and I'm looking forward to making 2015 even more successful!
Have a gift that's too big to wrap easily? Use a throw blanket (or large piece of fabric) to wrap it! Just "tape" it shut with clothespins or safety pins. This saves paper, is more eco friendly, looks festive, won't rip, and the recipient gets a cozy throw too!
Stephanie over at Newlyweds:North (now called Olive & Tate) just featured our hand-etched maple snowflake garland on her beautiful Christmas mantle! Be sure to check out the full post for more pictures and details.
PS - She's also shared a special coupon code that's good until January 1st! ;)
Stephanie over at Newlyweds:North (now called Olive & Tate) put together a list of some of her favorite Etsy shops and we're honored to say that Birch Landing Home made the cut! Be sure to check out her post and all the other wonderful shops featured :)
This year was the first year my husband and I have been able to get a real live Christmas tree. Before, we were in an apartment, then we got a puppy, then we had a baby... so this year we were finally able to get a real tree!
To commemorate this special event I had my husband cut a slice off the end of our Christmas tree and I turned it into a special hand-etched snowflake ornament for us. It's a little big and a little lopsided, but it'll be a special keepsake of our first real tree. On the back I wrote "Our First Christmas Tree - 2014."
