millergoodman

"Prepare to be amazed" is the first line on the back of the box of millergoodman's ShapeMaker blocks.  We could not agree more!  We were so amazed at the quality, craftsmanship and innovation of this toy when we first cracked open the box and continue to be the more we play with it.  This set of blocks is destined to be a classic in our household.  For now, Avery enjoys the different animals and designs that we form with the blocks but it won't be too long before she creates some of her own!

Here is a description from millergoodman's Shhhop site: "Winner of a gold award at the 2009 Practical Pre-School awards. ShapeMaker is a set of 25 colourful, geometric design, hand printed, beautifully crafted, environmentally friendly hardwood blocks made of rubber wood - a replenishable wood. The blocks can be excitingly arranged to create a menagerie of thousands of surprising creatures and tons of sparkling, imaginative, engaging images that guarantee to delight children of all ages. The blocks perfectly illustrate millergoodman’s commitment to combine function with the highest design principles, producing beautiful, sensitive New Classics in the children’s market."

We purchased our set of ShapeMaker blocks from The Wooden Wagon.  Click here to see more creations and here to see the ShapeMaker blocks in action. 

august

I can't believe it's August already! We're more than halfway through the summer.

I've gotten into the habit in the last couple of years of buying ilee's calendar, which is hand printed using letterpress, silkscreen and foil stamping.  I love how she distills the essence of each month into a lovely and engaging illustration.  Browse her etsy shop and you'll find something you like!

mimi the sardine on the mini social

Guess what everyone, select Mimi the Sardine eating accessories are on sale at The Mini Social!  Only 26 hours left on this sale, by the way!  Mimi the Sardine products are made of stain-resistant, acrylic-coated organic cotton and you can easily wipe them clean or throw them in the wash.  Messy baby bibs are being offered at $15 (original price $24) and lunch bugs are $14 (original price $24)!  They also have a few great-looking placemats and tablecloths.  The tablecloths can double as art mats so your kids can feel free to get messy while experimenting with paint and other media.  It’s a great opportunity to stock up for your children, or for gifts (think Christmas)!  Our household is stockpiled for this year's birthdays and Christmas. :D

Click here for an invitation to join The Mini Social.  Check out their other sales.  They have new and interesting clothing and toys all the time!

are you a lazy baker?

I discovered The Lazy Baker on jasmere.com.  The Lazy Baker is a delicious and convenient concept.  Instead of buying multiple ingredients like flour, sugar, baking powder, etc., to make a batch of cookies, you buy a Lazy Baker cookie mix and depending on which one it is, you just add butter or butter and eggs, drop your dough onto cookie sheets and bake.  Voilà! Cookies in half the usual time.

It's great if you bake only once in awhile or just don't feel like crowding your pantry with tons of baking supplies.  These are The Lazy Baker's Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with a vanilla malt frosting sandwiched in between. The description on Lazy Baker's website, "Rich and decadent, this explosive blend of cocoa and Callebaut semi-sweet chocolate chips is perfect for the Choc-o-holic" could not be more true!  The cookies were very chocolate-y and had a beautiful and rich mouthfeel and texture.  Everything was a snap to make and the mix yielded almost twice as many cookies as the instructions said it would!  (I also added maybe a half cup extra of chocolate chips which might have helped a bit. ;)  Extra chocolate chips or not, I think the mix does give you more cookies than the stated 2 dozen.  It also depends on the size of cookie you decide to make.

And if anyone's wondering, the fun green and white cupcake liners are from Bake It Pretty, the cellophane bags are from Paper Mart and the ribbon is from IKEA.  Bake It Pretty is one of my go-to sites for everything pretty for baking!

cupcake

I was looking through archived images from the past year and thought I would share this one. It's a cupcake that I baked for Avery's first birthday that she never got to have (she ended up having a cupcake from Susiecakes).  I just love the way this photograph turned out.