Kit Kat Cake

A friend asked me to make a birthday cake for her daughter on the weekend. She was turing 4 and is such a cutie! I have seen this idea floating around on Pinterest and another friend is actually making it for her daughter in March, so I thought I would try it out. It is super simple and quick to make. The perfect cake to squeeze in on a busy weekend.

I used cake mixes, much faster and realistically the kids were only going to care about the candy on top, I knew that. I made one chocolate and one white cake mix.

I trimmed the top of the chocolate cake, just with a big 'ol bread knife to make it level, added a layer of chocolate frosting and put the white cake on top. I used pre-made frosting....I have an almost 4 year old and a 5 month old....I had to be realistic with my time!

Once the cake was completely iced I added the Kit Kat bars. I used regular size bars, breaking them in half so they were in pairs. They just press into the icing on the side, and because of their shape they easily stay put. I used 8 packages of Kit Kat bars, I think, I forgot to count!

The cakes I have seen online used M&Ms, but we are a peanut-free house, so I used smarties instead. It took 2 bags of smarties, the ones you buy in the big candy aisle.

Finally I added a cutesy pink bow and tied it in a knot. I attempted a bow, but it didn't go so well, I think I like the knot better anyway.

The kids loved it and couldn't wait to have a piece. It actually cut quite well using the pairs of Kit Kats as a guide. Definitely a candy-lovers cake!

Perfect Little Craft Corner

My daughter is obsessed with all things crafty. There isn't a package of glitter glue she has met that she hasn't fallen in love with. In an attempt to keep the craft chaos confined to one corner of the house we decided to make her the perfect little craft corner. We knew it had to be good so that she would actually use it! She loves it and spends most of her play room time there. Here is a look at how we did it.

The table and chairs were a gift from Grandma and Grandpa. We love them because they are big enough to be comfy for big people too. 

Her table is in a corner that is a bit dark, so we gave her a lamp with a cord switch. She loves being able to turn it on herself, serious business being crafty!

Art wall- eye hooks screwed into the wall with twine to make an art-line. We change it up every few days but some of the favourites stick around for a while.

Ikea goodies that I brought home from my last trip to Ottawa. I miss Ikea, sigh. Great for holding markers, pencil crayons, "snissors" & clothespins for the art wall. The wooden magazine boxes are also from IKEA, one holds construction paper, the other white paper.

I have a love for glass jars. These are perfect for holding beads, twine and taming the mass of pipe cleaners used for making bracelets. The wooden organizer is also from IKEA and filled with oodles of bobbles and bits for crafty creations.

And last but not least...the happy crafter. She is looking like a bit of a Sears model here, but insisted she needed to be in the photo. She's a cutie :)

Linked up here.....

Branches

Miss V's room is very small, so I am constantly trying to think of ways to give it a bit more "oomph". This idea was meant for the baby's room, but then I decided it would look much better above her bed. In the spring we will replace the snowflakes with something new. We just used a couple of white powder-coated hooks to hang it. The branch is not very heavy so it didn't take any elaborate plans to do.

Heart Shaped Brownies.

Brownie hearts with vanilla ice cream for dessert. I would like to say dinner was creative and wonderful, alas it was just yummy leftovers.

Happy Love Day!

Paper heart creation by Miss V.

Mantle Goodness

I admit that I am really not one that gets that excited about Valentine's Day. I am also pretty anti-store-bought cards. But, the mantle was in desperate need of some love, so this is what I came up with. Our fireplace used to be really nasty red brick, until one late night my poor husband finally caved and agreed to get out the white paint. Days later (he was not amused) it was finally a beautiful white! The mantle is a beam from my husbands grandparents barn on their farm. It was saved when the barn was burned down and I love the history of it, and the look of course.

The X and O were white letters I picked up then just painted using a little paint pot sample you get at the hardware store. I love those.

The snowflakes were Christmas ornaments that I kept up, and just liked how the looked with the mantle. The little pipe cleaner trees are from this tutorial which I found on pinterest.

The felt hearts on skewers were how I kept my 3 1/2 year old occupied one afternoon. We just added them to a jar, filled it with some sand and added it a bit of twine at the top, just because.

Welcome!

Welcome to my little 'ol blog. I sometimes feel like the creative things get lost in the craziness, so I wanted to have a spot to place them all. It also gives me the little push I need to take a moment between feeding and chasing kids....they really do eat 24-7, to have a cup of tea and do something a little more creative than separate the whites from the darks in my laundry room.