top post of 2011

By a landslide, the #1 most popular post on Elizabeth Lauren in 2011 was ...

'Sweet as Cotton Candy'.  

With it's sweet treats, cotton candy color scheme, and vintage charm the Cutie Patootie's 5th Birthday party was one to remember!

Click HERE to check out the original post!

With whimsy~

Ikat Dream Canvas

Details:

12x12

Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

Extras: pewter 3 dimensional paint

sealed with a clear matte varnish

Custom options:

change the text

add child's name

change color palette to coordinate with your unique space

This canvas even looks great with out text.  What a fun (and super trendy) way to add interest and texture into any space.  

Find this canvas in my Etsy Shop HERE!!!

With whimsy~

Whimsy Words: 32

image from here

With whimsy~

A is Alligator......Z is for Zebra

Details:

30x40 gallery wrapped canvas

Acrylic

This fun and colorful painting was created for an inquisitive and creative little boy.

His Mom, one of my closest friends, wanted something with the entire alphabet and animals that started with each of the letters.

Love this painting? 

 contact me HERE to get started on your Alphabet painting today.

With whimsy~

whimsy words: 31

image from here

with whimsy~

Snowman Soup

It's official... the kids are out of school until the new year!

I assembled these cute Snowman Soup Kits for the Cutie Patootie's classmates.

A clever twist to an ordinary hot cocoa packet.

 What's inside the bag?
hot cocoa packet, candy cane, hershey kisses (plain and caramel), mini marshmallows, a fun swirly candy cane straw (found at Hobby Lobby)

 The Poem:

With whimsy~

Custom Birth Announcement

This sweet little canvas is the perfect gift for parents welcoming a sweet child into their family.

Details:

Size: 8x10 

(other sizes available - 11x14, 12x12, 16x20)

materials: acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

other:  coordinating grosgrain ribbon attachment

This canvas can be customized to any color/design scheme!

Email me HERE to start your custom order today!

With whimsy~

Candy Cane Mice

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.



A dear friend of mine created these adorable Christmas Candy Cane Mice for her daughter's Kindergarten classmates.  Soooooo CUTE, right?

Click here for an easy step by step tutorial.

Thanks for sharing, Amy!

With whimsy~

Away in a manger

This Christmas craft  is great for all ages.  Easy enough for tiny hands but still fun for grade school kids . Enjoy!!!

materials needed:

construction paper 

glue

raffia (or other material for straw)

Popsicle sticks

felt (1"x2" square)

crayon 

with whimsy~

J is for Jesus

This sweet little treat is the perfect way to spread Christmas cheer to a large group. It's perfect for class gifts, playgroups, etc.  The poem makes it more meaningful and creative than a regular old candy cane.

Materials needed:

Paper

scissors

glue stick

hole punch

mini candy canes

ribbon

The Poem:

J is for Jesus

The candy cane 

turned upside down

is the letter J.

To remind us of

baby Jesus,

born on Christmas day.

With whimsy~

Whimsy Words: 30

image from here

With whimsy~

Cinnamon Sugar Snowflakes

What's crispy, warm, buttery, and festive with cinnamon sugar all over?  

Why cinnamon sugar snowflakes, of course!

1. Fold flour tortilla into 1/4

2. snip around the edges 

3. Voila!

4. brush on melted butter

5. sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, sprinkles, etc.

6. Bake at 375 for 5-7 min. (or until cinnamon sugar is bubbly)

M insisted his snowflake was a dinosaur mask... Rarrrrrrr!

They were a hit!

With whimsy~

Whimsy Words: 29

image from here

with whimsy~

Nativity Craft

The Cutie Patootie just finished working on this adorable Christmas craft.  While making the craft we talked about the the story of Christmas and the importance of Jesus' Birthday.  

Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus

Materials Needed:

Toilet paper Rolls- 2

Construction paper

fabric

yarn

tape

Directions:

Mary and Joseph:

wrap toilet paper roll with construction paper

cut out a circle and color or draw face (we used a 2" circle die cut)

attach face to top portion of paper roll

tie the fabric swatch to top of the roll with string

baby Jesus:

roll a piece of construction paper into a small tube. (secure with tape)

add face.

wrap with fabric and tie with yarn

What's next?  

We plan on making the three wise men to add to C's nativity.

With whimsy~

Custom La Ballerinas: 3

They're back!

My little 'La Ballerinas' have been customized again!

Bright, cheery and full of whimsy these ballerinas were inspired by Pottery Barn Kids' Brooke Bedding collection.

image via Pottery Barn Kids

To see the original 'La Ballerinas' paintings click here.

Want to see other 'La Ballerinas' CUSTOM orders?

Click HERE & HERE.

To order your own set of 'La Ballerinas' paintings for your tiny dancer email me HERE for a price quote!

With whimsy~

FREE Christmas Printables

Here are a few of my favorite and FREE Christmas printables this year:

1. Advent Calender

Freebie via Living Locurto

2.  Organize Your Christmas

Freebie via Tip junkie

3. cupcake toppers:

freebie via bake it pretty

4. Gift Tags

freebie via whisker graphics

image via design editor

5. Reindeer Food Label:

freebie via TomKat Studio

6. For Santa:

freebie via the sweet spot candy bar

With whimsy~

Whimsy Words: 28

image from here

with whimsy~

Holiday Canvas

I LOVE it when my customers send me photos of my paintings.  Here is a look at a recent custom holiday door canvas I created:

(Thank you, N, for sharing your beautiful photo!)

Click HERE to see more details on this custom Happy Holidays door canvas.

Door Canvases are a great and creative alternative to the traditional wreath.

My custom door canvases come in a variety of sizes and are perfect for any occasion:

Birthdays

Birth Announcements

Special Events

All Holidays

Contact me here to get started on your custom door canvas!

With whimsy~

Cranberry Salsa

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I wanted to share a recipe that I shared with my family over the break.

Cranberry Salsa!

I originally discovered this recipe from, where else, Pinterest via Jamie Cooks it Up.

Want to make it?

Ingredients:

1 12 oz. package of fresh cranberries

1/4 c. green onion , chopped

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

1-2 jalapeno peppers

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 t cumin

2 limes, juiced

dash of salt

2 8oz. package of cream cheese (optional)

Directions:

• Add fresh cranberries, green onion, cilantro, jalapenos, sugar, cumin, salt, lime juice to food processor and PULSE until desired consistency.
Refrigerate in an air tight container for at least 4 hours.
• Optional:  Spread cream cheese in shallow serving dish and pour salsa over the top.
• Serve with wheat thins or pita chips

image via Jamie Cooks It Up

*tips and tweaks*  

you may notice that my ingredients and their amounts may vary slightly from Jamie's original ingredient list.  

• Sugar: Jamie's recipe calls for 1 1/4 c.  I actually made mine with only 1 c. (it was still too sweet). The next time I make this I plan on adding only 1/2 c.  ......  the sugar breaks down the cranberries the more it sits. I actually made this salsa one day in advance.  It traveled well!

• Jalapeno:  Jamie's recipe only calls for 1 small jalapeno.  I like a little more heat, and with all of the sugar the heat was lost. The next time I make this I plan on adding 2 small jalapenos (with out their seeds, of course. )

• Lime vs. Lemon:  Being a Texan it only makes sense to add Lime juice vs. Jamie's suggested Lemon. (Either would work, I  just prefer the lime)

• Crackers vs. Chips:  What to serve with this salsa?  If you plan to layer the salsa over cream cheese I would serve this with a wheat cracker (wheat thins) or a pita chip.  If you plan on serving the salsa by itself a traditional tortilla chip would be tasty.

I love this recipe!  The cranberries add a fun and festive twist to traditional salsa.  

With whimsy~

Whimsy Words: 27

image from here

With whimsy~

Canvas Christmas Card Organizers

Available NOW in my Etsy shop are these festive canvas Christmas card organizers.

For the...

Merry Christmas Chevron design click HERE

Joy Trellis design click HERE




With whimsy~

Mama Like: the-go-anywhere-high-chair

 OK, Seriously.... 

WHERE WAS THIS PRODUCT WHEN I HAD TEENY TINY BABIES?!

I love this!

How convenient is this portable highchair by Ciao! Baby? It folds up just as easy as those portable chairs we drag out to our kids soccer games. :)

It's light weight, PERFECT for travel, convenient, easy to carry, great for outdoor activities, the list goes on.

image from Ciao Baby

image from Ciao! Baby

image from Ciao!Baby

image from Ciao! Baby

This chair is not yet available in stores, but will be for sale January 2012...... they are accepting pre-orders now, though! Click here

At $67.99 this chair is priced a little steep, but you absolutely cannot beat the convenience factor and its easy portability, especially those of you who travel often, or spend a lot of time outdoors.

If my kiddos were younger I would definitely be purchasing this puppy. :)

With whimsy~

Happy Holidays Door Canvas

Details:
Custom Holiday door canvas
size: 18x24
materials: acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas,  clear matte interior/ exterior varnish, 4" wired rimmed ribbon.
Extras:  metallic chevron accent.


It's not too late to get your Holiday order in!  Contact me here to get started on your custom order today!


Happy Holidays!

With whimsy~

Whimsy Words: 26

image from here

with whimsy~

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Halloween night was filled with friends, trick or treating, and pumpkin dump cake.

image via cookies and cups

A dear friend of mine sent me a link to this recipe from Cookies and Cups, shortly thereafter I started to see it plastered all over Pinterest.

So, obviously, I had to see what all the hype was about.

Let me tell you...... it was super easy to make and delicious!

Click HERE for the recipe.

This recipe is a keeper!




With whimsy~

Whimsy Words: 25

image from here

With whimsy~