My Etsy pick of the week

Spring bling!
Beautiful rings, earrings, necklaces and hair pins by Liz Hutnick.

Recipe of the Week: Spring Cupcakes

For the cupcake:
1 package of Trader Joe's Vanilla Bean Cake Mix
1 stick of butter (or 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup apple sauce)
1 cup cold low fat milk
2 eggs

For the top:
2 cups shredded coconut
1 and 1/2 cups confectionery sugar
dash of milk
Cadbury Mini Eggs

Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Prepare batter and bake according to box.

Spread coconut on a baking sheet.
Put in the already heated oven for about 5 minutes or until starts to brown. Remove and let cool.

Mix a little milk into the confectionery sugar so that it's glaze-like in texture. When the cupcakes are cooled, cut a bit off the tops to create a flat surface. Put glaze onto the flat top and then sprinkle with the toasted coconut around the edges to form the shape of a nest.

Dip the bottoms of the chocolate eggs into the glaze and place in the middle.

Makes about a dozen.

My Etsy pick of the week

Whimsical wall decals from Simple Shapes.

Liberty of London

at Target!

Amazing prints just in time for spring!

Recipe of the Week: Guinness Cupcakes

• 1 cup Guinness Extra Stout
• 3/4 cup unsweetened chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 3 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring Guinness and butter to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not boil.

Add chocolate chips to hot stout/butter mixture and whisk until chocolate melts. Remove from heat and let cool.

Add sugar to chocolate mixture and whisk to combine.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs and sour cream with a mixer on medium speed.

Add stout-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and combine on medium-low speed until well blended.

Slowly add flour mixture in thirds to chocolate mixture.

Place cupcake liners in pan and divide batter into cups, filling them about 2/3 of the way up.

Bake for 18-24 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch.

Let cool on wire rack and frost.

For frosting, combine cream cheese, confectioners sugar and Bailey’s Irish Cream.

Mix using hand mixer on medium speed.

My Etsy pick of the week

milk, sugar and a sweater please.
not only are these coffee sweaters adorable, but they're green.

small paul

I've liked Paul Frank since i bought my red vinyl Julius wallet almost 10 years ago. it started as a wallet company, but has expanded into things like apparel, watches, accessories and most recently, kids stuff...branded Small Paul.

Olivia has a blanket a few hoodies and some pjs, but her collection is growing.

Why not wallpaper?

A UK company, wallpaper space, has made wallpaper stylish again.

What a fun way to update your nursery or kids rooms.

I'm thinking of one of these for an accent wall in Olive's room.

My Little Olive Team (Melissa, Mom and Olive)

My Etsy pick of the week

Make common rules and chores fun in your house with these prints. $20 each or four for $70

Making baby food made easy

There are some great organic baby food choices out there, but there's something really rewarding about making Olivia's baby food. I know exactly what's in it and the fruits and vegetables maintain their bright colors and taste.

I love the Beaba, which is an all in one steamer and food processor, designed specifically for making baby food. So far I've made apples, pears, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and carrots. It's most efficient to make one big batch and freeze in cubes.

The Beaba available at Williams Sonoma for $149.95.
They also carry BPA free freezer trays and silicon spoons.