Favorite Finds: Creative Market

Whether you're a just a crafter or a serious designer, Creative Market has a huge variety of typefaces, graphics, patterns, and more - think of it as Etsy for digital elements and tools.  

Creative Market is an incredibly useful resource whether your Illustrator skills aren't quite where you want them yet (shamefully raises hand) or if you just don't have the time to make all these elements yourself.  Some files are free, but most are for purchase-only.  Once you've downloaded the files, you can use them in your personal and commercial projects (just make sure you understand the limitations of their Simple License).  

Rustic, hand-drawn elements are huge right now and Creative Market has so many to choose from, like this one:  

There are also TONS of hand-crafted fonts which are also very on-trend, like this one:  

UPDATE 03/23/15:  For a limited time, if you purchase the "Northern Passage" font you'll also get the "Hand-Drawn Rustic Nature Elements"  set (pictured above) as a free bonus - great deal!  

Apple Rose Tarts for Valentine's Day, Inspired by Martha Stewart

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!  

Check out our other Valentine's posts:  

• Toddler Art Valentines
• DIY Valentine Postcards

Toddler Art Valentine's Cards

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!  
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Materials:

• non-toxic, washable finger paint

• paper (we used special finger painting paper as well as white stationery for the card)

• 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.  

| Crayola Finger Paint | Melissa & Doug Finger Paint Paper |

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!

Happy Valentine's Day!  

Check out our other Valentine's posts:  

• DIY Valentine Postcards

• Apple Rose Tarts for Valentine's Day

Favorite Finds: Free Nature Stock Photos

Insert shameless plug here ;)  

My husband Adrian and I love the great outdoors, and he loves taking pictures.  A few months ago this passion launched into little side project called Free Nature Stock, a place where he can share some of the many photos he takes as a stock photo resource for others.  

Everyday a new nature-themed photo is added, and the best part is they are free and can be used in your personal or commercial projects without any attribution.  

Please check it out and don't forget to follow Free Nature Stock on Instagram and Twitter to see what the latest photos are.  

Please note:  The previews of the photos may look a little grainy, especially on Instagram or Twitter, but the downloadable files are high-quality and large.  

Favorite Finds: Couponing 101 Newsletter

I love finding good deals and using coupons when I can but I'm definitely not one of those crazy coupon-people...   

A few months ago I came across Couponing101.com and her daily newsletter, and it can't be beat!  Every night you're e-mailed a simple, free newsletter that rounds up some of the best coupon and deals out there.  I particularly love checking out the Amazon deals that are often listed - some of the markdowns are amazing and if you're looking ahead for birthday or Christmas gifts you can get ahead on your shopping and get some great deals.  

The *one thing* you should always do before you dress your baby.

What's the one thing you should always do before you dress your baby?  It may sound silly, but check their clothing for loose threads.  

Infant clothing is notorious for poor workmanship.  Those adorable outfits and layettes are inexpensive to buy and not meant to last.  Long threads could potentially wrap around a baby's toe causing harm, and loose threads could become a choking hazard if baby were to pull them free and try to eat it.  

You will almost always find loose threads on your little one's new outfits and after the first time they've been washed.  After that, it's a good idea to give their clothes a quick once-over before you dress them to make sure there's no new loose threads or weak seams.  

I always keep a pair of baby nail clippers handy by the changing table, that way I can easily clip any loose threads I happen to see.  

Favorite Finds: Trader Joe's Coconut Body Butter

I know that pregnancy stretch marks are hereditary, and they say there's no escaping them.. but somehow I did.  

Stretch marks run in my family and I was sure I was going to get ginormous ones during my pregnancy but somehow I didn't get a single one (whew!).  My lack of stretch marks was probably due to a combination of slow, steady weight gain, staying well-hydrated, moisturizing, and a ton of luck, but I'm also going give a bunch of credit to Trader Joe's Coconut Body Butter.  

I used this stuff twice a day on my belly and I'd like to think it worked wonders!  It smells amazing, rubs in well, and soothed the awful itching that comes with stretching skin.  I'm definitely recommending it to all my expectant friends! 

First Birthday Party Details

Our little Madison turned one last month!  We had a very low-key, small party with just immediate family invited.  We decided to keep decorations to a minimum and keep it simple and fun.  
Here are some of the details from the little party.  

Her party theme was pink and green polk-a-dots (with some buttons for good measure).  For the centerpiece we used her name puzzle propped up on a plate stand with some birthday balloons added for fun:  

I made the cake myself and kept it easy, to decorate it I added edible sugar buttons:  

For favors we filled pink polk-a-dot paper favor bags with chocolate Hershey's Hugs and Kisses candies, so party-goers could take home "hugs and kisses" from the birthday girl: