decorating

Create Edible Masterpieces with Artisan Cake Company’s Visual Guide to Cake Decorating by Elizabeth Marek-Giveaway

April 16, 2015 by Kathryn 62 Comments

Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved cooking and baking. And perfecting new techniques when it comes to creating delicious dishes is always a fun experience. A few years ago I broke away from traditional iced birthday cakes and tried my hand at creating a fondant masterpiece for my son’s Super Mario Bros. birthday party. And I went from sloppily iced cupcakes to more intricate creations like spring cupcakes with “grass” frosting.

But my cake techniques still have a long way to go, and so I couldn’t resist the chance to check out the book Artisan Cake Company’s Visual Guide to Cake Decorating by Elizabeth Marek. This beautiful book isn’t just packed with decorating ideas. It also features useful recipes, lists of essential tools and step-by-step tutorials! [Read more…]

Canadian Tire is Spreading Joy to Children’s Hospitals Across Canada-Giveaway

December 10, 2014 by Kathryn 223 Comments

Christmas is the season of giving, but it’s also the season of giving back and this year Canadian Tire has embraced that spirit in a very special way: by bringing holiday cheer to children that aren’t able to spend the season enjoying festive activities with friends and family. The company recently decorated nine children’s hospitals around the country to help add holiday joy to the lives of sick children everywhere and the results were spectacular.

From Newfoundland to British Columbia, children will be waking up to a winter wonderland instead of a dreary hospital environment this Christmas thanks to this fabulous program. I was so excited to see that the Pediatrics Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon was included on the list of hospitals undergoing a holiday transformation. I can just imagine how much joy the festive display will bring to the hospitalized children in our province!

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It’s a Snap Decorating for the Holidays with HP and Snapfish #GiftingMemories

December 20, 2013 by Kathryn 284 Comments

I love making Christmas decorations at home and with the right materials, they can look every bit as good as store-bought decorations too! This year, HP Canada challenged me to create gift tags, decorations and cards using some of the easy Print at Home options from Snapfish that would add professional style to my décor with the great homemade touch I loved!

To help me with my quest, I received an assortment of HP products including the HP Envy 5530 eAll-In-One Smartphone and Tablet Printer. This printer features wireless connectivity and is web connected with access to HP printables to make holiday printing fun and easy. I decided to design a Christmas card using pictures of Zackary and Benjamin on our recent trip to Beaches Negril in Jamaica. The templates at Snapfish made designing the card so easy! I just chose the photos I wanted, inserted them into the template and customized the text and photos as I wished.

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Three Easy Tips for Creating an Appealing Outdoor Space

July 24, 2013 by Kathryn 7 Comments

In my opinion, nothing makes a house more appealing than a great back yard. In warm summer weather, it really becomes an extra part of the house and our family considers it the absolute best place to be. So how do you turn your back yard into a haven the whole family will enjoy? These are my top three tips for creating an inviting back yard space.

boys lemonade stand

1) Make a Place for the Kids

A yard isn’t any fun if the whole family can’t enjoy spending time there. If you want to make a long-term investment, consider a large play structure or swing set that will be used for years. If your budget is limited, smaller items like a plastic sandbox or an assortment of balls, Frisbees and other outdoor sports equipment can provide hours of fun for children. [Read more…]

Celebrate Warmer Days with this Easy Spring Flower Cupcake Recipe #LMDConnector

March 27, 2013 by Kathryn 12 Comments

One of the things I love about spring is that time after the snow has melted and there is green grass and new little flowers everywhere. Here in Saskatchewan, that’s not something we get to enjoy in March too often. And this year has been especially miserable with the snow still taller than me out in the yard and temperatures that have only just started to reach the melting point in the last day or two.

I may not be able to enjoy green grass and sweet smelling flowers for another month or two, but spring is here and I want to celebrate! So I decided to create some fun little cupcakes for the family that captured the things I most love about spring. Taking my inspiration from the recipe for Spring Flower Brownies on the Life Made Delicious website, I treated my boys to Easy Spring Flower Cupcakes!

Easy Spring Flower Cupcake Recipe [Read more…]