My {Current} To Create! List...

Photo by: Kate Boka

If you live in the Northeast then you're aware of the unseasonably warm weather we've been having. It is positively Springlike outside! It's supposed to be in the 60s all week. The 60s! In March! 

Absolute madness.

 I don't know about you, but the sunshine and sheer loveliness of it all has me wanting to create - recipes, gifts, dinner parties, excuses to have an afternoon cocktail with a dear friend. My "To Create!" list seems endless. Here are few things currently at the top of my list:

Make my own stamps. I did this for our Valentine's Day Packaging and had a ball. With a few supplies (easily purchased at an art supply store) and a few YouTube video tutorials, you can create custom stamps to add a little something extra to stationary, fabric, packaging, wrapping, etc. 

Hand-paint-dip wooden utensils. I love this idea! I spied it on my Pinterest feed and just love the simple, eye-catching look it gives ordinary utensils. I think I may try a lovely peach, citron green, or even a neon hue...

Make vats of this divine looking blackberry sage cooler! The recipe can be found on the blog, Scaling Back. It looks to be the perfect way to quench your thirst during an afternoon of baking or crafting...

Make a Lebanese Lemon Cake. Spring always inspires me to bake with citrus fruits. Lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit - the bright, tart zing associated with them wakes us up from the comfort food of the winter. Lately I've been particularly interested in lemon upside-down cakes, and this one looks to be the perfect recipe to try...

Plan a simple, rustic but elegant dinner party or wine tasting. After hibernating all winter long, I'm aching to resume my pursuit of the Hostess With The Mostest title and invite some of my favourites over for good food, good wine, and good company! Perhaps a tasting of refreshing Spring white wines, or a dessert tasting of Butter + Love's upcoming new flavors? I think I could find a guest or two for such an event...

What's on your "To Create!" list this Spring?

The Good Word: Daily Candy

While in the kitchen the other day, I got an email from the editor of Daily Candy New York: He was going to feature Butter + Love and needed to check a few facts as well as request some high rez photos of my cookies. I had to re-read it to believe it,but after I did, I promptly did a happy dance - cookie cutters in the air, twirling my kitchen towel around in circles - and then sped through my remaining tasks in order to get home and shoot off some pics for him to use.

You can imagine my absolute delight, then, the next morning when I woke up to find my inbox full of Etsy orders and links from friends to the lovely, lovely article. To quote from the write up:

"Though RiRi makes finding love in a hopeless place glamorous, we search more conventional spaces. Like the arms of another or, most recently, a cookie jar.

Specifically, one filled with treats from Butter + Love.

[This] Midwestern transplant tweaks old family recipes with fresh local herbs and fruit. The resulting gooey double-decker sandwiches are rich, refreshing, and not overly sweet.

Resistance is hopeless."

Thank you for the kind words, Daily Candy, and for helping to spread the (Butter +) Love...