Father's Day

There must be something in the water here: I've been crafting again. And not just a little bit this time. Oh no no no. I have been virtually swallowed up by bits of paper, glue sticks, double-stick tape and scissors. Call me crazy, but I think it was fun. I've also been baking up a storm. I can't help myself. It was Father's Day, which sounds to me like "A Good Excuse to Bake Some Delicious Food and Pretend Like It's For The Fathers" Day.

Here's what my oh-so-domestic side came up with for Father's Day:

Banana Crumb Muffins for breakfast

Whole wheat blueberry pancakes with cinnamon, blueberry syrup and toasted pecans

Gift card inside a homemade pillow box (so fun to make!)

Homemade Card #1 (inspired by this from marthastewart.com)

Version #2 (my person favorite)

I found this on the Martha Stewart website and loved it. I changed it up a bit by adding a different color backing, which also made the entire thing more stable. I used folded bits of the backing cardstock for the "legs" which hold it up. Inspiration here.

I am very proud of this one because I took the idea above and made my own template. The photos were much smaller but the end result was super cute! I made one of these for both my father and my father-in-law. It took a bit of time, but it was well worth it.

This is what the back looks like.

A few photos were sacrificed to the cause ...

Okay, it was a "Very Martha" Father's Day. This is yet ANOTHER Martha Stewart Dad Day craft. Inspiration here. Of course hers is a bazillion times cuter than mine, but I get an A for effort.

We added a patriotic twist to Father's Day dessert with perfectly ripe strawberries from our backyard and blueberries (not from the back yard, but we do have some dying blueberry bushes that I want to revive someday). These are vanilla cupcakes made from the Williams-Sonoma Mary Ann Cake recipe, which has become my staple cake. We added a cream cheese frosting and they were perfectly delicious ... but not as delicious as the cupcakes below ....

I know: these ones aren't as beautiful. I'll give you that. But wait until you hear what that topping is: CARAMELIZED WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE. *drool* The middle-right cupcake has ganache atop the cream cheese frosting (good blend of flavors, but didn't do the ganache justice). The bottom left frosting is the ganache and cream cheese mixed together. Check back soon for my blog entry all about the joys of making caramelized white chocolate. It's a miracle. If you just can't wait, you can check it out at David Lebovitz's blog and see some photos that are CONSIDERABLY more attractive than mine!

I didn't even photograph our pre-Father's Day dessert with my Father-in-Law. Just close your eyes and imagine a white plate, drizzled with caramel sauce and topped with a homemade brownie, homemade vanilla ice cream and freshly whipped cream.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I hesitantly stepped on the scale and found that I was a pound or two LIGHTER than I was in the middle of last week! If this kind of eating promotes weight loss, I'm going to be a rich, rich woman when I reveal my secrets!