We always make my Grama’s famous buns when family is going to be home. They are a special treat and the smell brings me right back to my childhood. We always do a knot for these buns. But I thought it would be fun to change it up and try something new for Spring.
There were a couple of different “styles” of bunny buns that were circulating throughout Pinterest that caught my eye. One type simply rolled the dough into a ball. Then you snipped two ears in the top of the bun. This was done with some scissors and the you added two eyes with skewers.
The other method was rolling the dough into a long strip and then folding it over itself and then twisting to make the ears, and adding a little ball of dough for the tail.
We decided to go with the roll and twist for our bunny buns this time. It took a little time to get into the swing of things and get the shape just right. It proved a little trickier than we thought. Needless to say, some of the bunny buns were beautiful and perfectly smooth bunnies and others were well bumpy, lumpy, lopsided bunnies!
At the end of the day, the house was filled with the wonderful scent of homemade buns and even though some were not perfect looking they all tasted delicious!
The season of Spring represents new beginnings and growth. It is a time of new buds, raindrops, and flowers blooming. I always find that Spring is an opportunity to get excited about warmer weather and getting to see nature start to green up after the long winter.
I love adding Spring decor items to our home. A vase of fresh tulips on the table, new greenery and florals on the mantle, and a tiered tray to display Spring themed things in the kitchen.
Mixing old and new curiosities is a great way to add details to these arrangements. I have collected quite a few different tiered trays over the years from both antique markets and home decor stores, and like how their height shows off my arrangements. I have a few cupboards that I keep my seasonal collections in (well, maybe more than a few, if you ask my husband). These cupboards are my go-to when I am creating a seasonally themed display.
I have collected many vintage items over the years for all the seasons, but some of my favourites are for Spring. I found a vintage mini watering can ornament at an antique market last year, as well as an old wire egg basket, to add to my collection.
I usually always make my decor trays different from the year before. It is a pretty organic process, where I start selecting items and then just play around with placement and adding items here and there. I am super pleased with how this year’s Spring tray turned out. Whenever I look at it, I’m reminded for a wonderful moment of happy Spring things.
Last year I wrote a blog post about updating my front door wreath for Spring, and this year I’m looking to change it up again. I’m using a more expensive green wreath as a neutral base so that I can update and change it in many different ways.
Last year I chose to use yellow flowers and yellow and white faux spring buds, but this year I decided to go in a different direction. On a trip to Micheal’s I was looking up and down the aisles for something that would catch my eye. Low and behold I spotted a lovely basket filled with faux oranges and greenery. The mini oranges looked like mandarins and looked good enough to eat.
I chose three sprigs to add to my wreath and then thought it needed one more simple step. I ended up finding a beautiful open weave orange ribbon that was just delicate enough for a bow.
So, in two simple steps I created an entirely new look for this Spring!
I am so excited to announce my Etsy shop launch! Introducing to you made by mum market, a place to find handmade creations made with intention by me!
Just over a year ago, with lots of family support I began my blog – made by mum. I have loved writing blog posts and creating content that I am proud of. The etsy shop just seemed like the next natural step in this adventure.
As with anything new, there are always worries about how it will go, will it be successful, what if I fail? But as we always tell our kids – you need to try. I am surrounded by so much support and love and no matter how this little shop turns out, I am proud of myself for trying something that I never thought I would have the courage to do.
So if you want to go and check out my little market at made by mum market on etsy that would be wonderful.
What do you do with a bunch of stale croissants that you couldn’t eat fast enough? Well of course, you look up on Pinterest what to make. I was quite surprised to find that there are actually several things you can do with them. Bread puddings, croutons, French toast, and the list goes on.
We decided on French toast. I landed on Dinner then Dessert’s recipe called Croissant French Toast Bake. This was an easy to follow recipe and I had all the ingredients that I needed on hand. I altered the recipe slightly by adding in some frozen mixed berries.
This smelled delicious while it cooked in the oven and made the perfect weekend lunch with a dusting of icing sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup! Yum!
Both my parents have had milestone birthdays in the last 6 months. My Dad turned 80 in November and my Mom is turning 75 this week! When I look at them both I don’t really see them as older. They walk everyday, do their own groceries, love taking Milo for walks, and are both in good health.
I wanted to get my Mom a card to mark this birthday but was having trouble finding one that I liked, so I decided to make my own.
I have played around with watercolours before but I am so happy with how this turned out! I outlined 75 and then started filling in the white space with watercolour flowers and leaves. I let the flowers dry in between adding more layers and this definitely helped to give it a little more depth.
The final step is to outline the numbers with a permanent marker. I was going to erase the pencil line, but I think that I could mess up the line. I don’t want to take any chances.
So the next time you are searching for the perfect card, maybe you should just make your own!
A little glimpse of our Christmas cookie baking and decorating. A few years ago my daughter and I went to a cookie decorating evening with my work. My co-workers’ mom had her own cookie business and she ran a little evening workshop. We learned tips and techniques to create the perfect cookie.
I am usually pretty good at trying new things and on my first attempts I did not do very well. This is so much harder than it looks. You need a steady hand and a lot of patience. I honestly don’t know how these small business’ crank out hundreds of intricately decorated cookies.
As a family we decided to try cookie decorating at home. My adult kids loved it so much that we now do it as a yearly Christmas activity. Our skill levels are all over, and sometimes one cookie turns out amazing and the next is a flop. We continue have our yearly cookie decorating evening and there are always lots of laughs.
Also as an insider tip – sprinkles fix everything!
On Thanksgiving weekend, we attempted to make ‘pumpkin buns’ by modifying our regular ‘Grama Buns’ recipe. We usually shape the buns into a ‘knot,’ and instead, we used butcher twine to create pumpkin-like ribs. (Fun fact: each of a pumpkin’s ‘ribs’ correspond to a set of seeds inside the pumpkin!)
After mixing the dough and kneading it, we let the dough rise (1st rise), then we measured it out into individual buns. Next, we shaped them with the twine, and let them rise again (2nd rise). We then baked them with the twine on. After cooling, the twine was removed, leaving behind some adorable pumpkins.
This process looked super cute, but removing the twine was definitely tricky. Perhaps next time, soaking the twine would have helped it remove a little easier. Regardless of this small hiccup with the twine, they were cute and tasted yummy!
I love to watch the Magnolia Network’s show Zoe Bakes. It is a lovely curly haired lady who bakes delicious recipes in her magnificent kitchen. She is down to earth, funny and uses ingredients that you would have in a well stocked pantry.
The local blueberries this season were so delicious. They were full of flavour and sweet. My daughter and I wanted to bake something with our extra berries and came across the Zoe Bakes’ recipe for blueberry bars.
This recipe was a little more complicated than I normally attempt; however, my daughter was on hand to supervise me. She prepped the ingredients and gave hints and tips as I went along and we made a pretty good team.
The bottom crust was a shortbread cookie crust and we added fresh thyme from the garden. The middle was a homemade blueberry filling, and the top was a lattice top crust made out of cream cheese dough. I have never made any type of pie dough, but it was much easier than I thought. The trick to having the lattice top be manageable was to freeze it once you had woven it and then it was much easier to handle.
When we pulled the final product out of the oven it smelled so good. The blueberry filling was gooey and bubbling. The next time I make it, I think I will leave it in the oven for a tiny bit longer so that the middle was more golden brown. As we sliced into our homemade treat and cut it into bars, it sliced perfectly.
The next part was to taste it! The first bite was amazing, not too sweet but so yummy and delicious. I would highly recommend trying these blueberry bars and adding the recipe to your collection. It is definitely a recipe I will make again!
Summer is in full swing and we are now able to enjoy many fruits grown by local farmers. This time of year is amazing because everything tastes so fresh and delicious. I enjoy going to farmer’s markets and fruit stands at the side of the road.
I am usually a creature of habit and like to have the same breakfast every day; however, the last week or so the fresh fruit has been calling me.
With so many choices I decided that making a summer fruit yogurt bowl would be a nice breakfast alternative to my normal bagel.
I started out with a few large spoons of greek yogurt in the bottom of the bowl. I find that greek yogurt has the protein you need to feel full. Next, I cut up a variety of fresh fruit. There are so many combinations that you can experiment with. One of my favourites is strawberries, bananas, and blueberries. Another combination that I enjoy is bananas, blueberries, peaches and yellow plums.
Topping your bowl off with homemade granola or store bought adds the necessary crunch. Adding a final drizzle of local honey or maple syrup adds that touch of sweet.
Will you try this breakfast bowl?
