My Favorite Finds

My Paint Round project for the One Artsy Mama craft contest. Thanks for your votes! I made the next round-washi tape!

Another awesome week!  I'm so thankful it's Friday, and we have a long weekend to look forward to!  Then, just three days of school next week and our summer can begin!  I'm super excited about summer, and I hope you are too!

June 1 starts our summer party here on My Favorite Finds!  I'll be doing a bit of traveling, so sprinkled in with my regular posts will be some of my {FAVORITE} bloggy friends sharing their beach, Disney, and other summer fun posts!  Can't wait!  Also, we're kicking it off with a super cute Disney themed giveaway from some very creative ladies!  Disney themed iPhone accessories, hairbows, and t shirts are all going to be up for grabs!  Not to mention, you can look forward to a giveaway from Thirty-One here on the blog, too!  I can't wait for my Large Utility Tote to come....so I can share with you how much I love it {because I know I will} and then let you have a chance to win some Thirty-One for yourself.

In case you need to catch up on this week's posts, here is what you'll want to check out:

Five Must Dos Outside the Disney Parks

Rolo Cake {from my super awesome dessert contributor}

Best Nap Spots at the Disney Parks

Also, I have a Pinterest Board dedicated to all my posts and contributors.  You can catch up on all the fun on the My Favorite Finds and the My Favorite Finds Contributors boards.

Oh, and one more thing....I made it to Round 2 {Washi Tape} in the One Artsy Mama Craft Competition...and I got accepted to be a Looksi Curator!  That means I get to scour blog land and find the BEST of the BEST to bring to you!  Haven't checked out Looksi yet, you need to!

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I can't believe May is almost over....and that means school is just about out. Woot! Summer vacation will be here before we know it...and I can't wait. Disney and the beach are calling my name! For now, enjoy last week's most viewed links, and then get ready to share your creations, recipes, crafts, and other awesome ideas!

My sweet youngest sister graduated from college with her MBA recently.  That is such an awesome accomplishment!  And definitely worthy of celebrating!  But, I didn't want to get her the typical graduation gift....money, gift cards, etc.  Although those would come in handy, I really wanted to make it personal.  And, since she has a talent and love for photography, I knew a photo gift would be perfect.  So, I made her this Black and White Photo Quote Canvas using a picture of her and my children from her wedding day-and her favorite quote!  She, and my mom, have both taught our children the lyrics to the refrain of  "I Love You, a Bushel and a Peck".   This project was so easy!  But, it turned out so cute!

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Pinterest is becoming so overwhelming lately...for me anyway!  But, at the same time, I'm hitting my "Pinterest to do" list harder and harder as summer is coming.  So that's awesome!  I'm finding that I like using Pinterest on my iPad...smaller screen, less ideas to distract me!  Anyway, speaking of Pinterest, I am so excited to share my {FAVORITE} Pinworthy Projects with you today!

Don't forget, you can check out all our features on our Pinworthy Projects Party Features page.  Sam, Shannah, and I pin our features on here each week, and you can catch up on past week's as well!  This will be a board you want to follow....it's the best of the best!  

DIY Kate Spade Tipsy Shoes @ Southern State of Mind

DIY Hanging Mobile @ She Turned Her Dreams into Plans

Chunky Frame Adorable Kitchen Art @ Homemaking Expert

Magnet Photo Board @ The Princess and Her Cowboys

See you back here tomorrow for another Pinworthy Projects Party!

When planning a trip to Walt Disney World, it's so easy to focus on getting the most out of your time in the parks.  Planning to arrive at Rope Drop, touring the parks until lunch time then heading back for a break, making sure you get FastPasses for all the  headliner rides....plus the other details can really take over your planning.  But what about the fun Disney has to offer outside of their parks?  In fact, you could spend a whole day just doing fun activities and not even have to use a park ticket!  In fact, that is typically the plan for our family on one day of our trip.  We set aside one day {usually our arrival day} to explore our resort, the pool, and other parts of Disney that aren't in the parks.  So, for today's {FAVORITE} Disney Tip, I want to share our Five Must Dos Outside of the Disney Parks.

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Sarah from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes back again for a little dessert sharing. Last month, I shared my daughter’s pick for her birthday cake and this month, I’m sharing my son’s pick for his birthday cake. He turned six in March and decided that he wanted a Rolo Cake.  This cake is awesome – it’s a butter cake with a caramel swirl topped with a very delicious chocolate caramel buttercream. Plus you garnish it with Rolos! The butter cake was my favorite part of it though. It was very moist and flavorful.

Rolo Cake

Recipe from Cookies & Cups
What you need:

For the Cake:

• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 sticks salted butter, room temp
• 1 cup milk, divided
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup caramel, divided

For the Chocolate Caramel Frosting:

• 18 oz. milk chocolate chips (about 3 cups)
• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp, cut into cubes
• 2 Tbsp. caramel, plus some
• Rolos candies

Directions:

For the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350* and whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
2. Add the butter and 3/4 cup milk and beat until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla. Add this to the flour mixture.
4. Pour batter into two 9-inch pans that have been greased and lined with parchment paper..
5. Swirl 1/2 cup caramel into each pan.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Let cool completely.

For the Frosting:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and water to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes.
2. Reduce to medium low heat and slowly add heavy cream, stirring until smooth.
3. Place chocolate chips into a bowl and pour heated mixture over the top. Stir until the chocolate iscompletely melted and smooth. Refrigerate for one hour.
4. Remove from fridge and beat in butter. Refrigerate for another hour. *Note: bring to room tempbefore frosting your cake.

For Assembly:

1. Trim two layers to even out for stacking.
2. Place one trimmed layer onto a cake plate or whatever you are using.
3. Dollop a healthy heap of frosting onto it and spread. Add 2 Tbsp. caramel and spread within an inch of the edge.
4. Top with other cake and frost it and the sides. Garnish with Rolos and drizzle with caramel sauce!

Thank you Carrie & MFF readers for letting me steal a moment of your time today! Hope you enjoyed today’s dessert and I’ll see you next month for very cute dessert that is perfect for summer.

Even in the magical Walt Disney World, our little ones always need a nap. Actually we all need a nap, but when you have kids of multiple ages, that’s not always going to happen. Like it or not, your toddler or preschooler will need a nap during the day. I was blessed to have a child that slept in a stroller. But, I have to do some tricks to pull this off! I want to share these with you today!

Magic Kingdom-

There is so much to do in the Magic Kingdom, but by about 1:00, my son is cranky, hot, his belly is full from lunch, and this is prime time for a nap. In this park.. I don’t leave him in the stroller. I always go and get onto the Peoplemover AKA The Tomorrowland Transit Authority, or as some people say just a good ride to rest your legs. If you catch this at a good time, you can ride and your little one can get a nap. There is a good breeze, air-conditioned in the indoor areas, dark, not too loud. With a smaller one, this works well.

EPCOT-

By far the best scenery to stroll with a sleeping child, The World Showcase. I always take a stroll around the World Showcase when my little one is napping. I can actually see things, go in and out of shops, and I don’t have him crying and wanting out of the stroller! I can usually walk thru the entire thing, because as long as I’m moving he stays asleep!

Hollywood Studios-

I always use his naptime to hop over to Hollywood Studios from EPCOT. We take the walkway and walk between the parks. It takes about 25 minutes to walk it, but it is an easy walk! There is a pathway between the two parks, and it’s even lighted at night. It’s a perfect naptime and you know all you Mom’s and Dad’s want to do a little more walking!

Animal Kingdom-

As long as your child is a stroller sleeper, I would suggest Pangani Forest Exploration Trail in the Africa area or Maharajah Jungle Trek in the Asia section. These are great walks that will take a little while to go thru and also help entertain some older siblings.

Always remember, if you can fit a break into your schedule I always advise a small break time back at the resort, let the older kids go play in the pool with one parent, and younger have a quiet/nap time in the room. This will overall make the trip a little more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Angela is a Disney Vacation Specialist and Orlando Travel Expert with Destinations in Florida. She specializes in traveling with young children, and children with food allergies. She would love to plan your next vacation! You can contact her on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaDestinationsInFlorida or email at angelas@destinationsinflorida.com

Hey there, friends!  I'm excited to be back again with more style tips.  Recently, as I was reading People magazine, I saw the "What's in my bag" section and thought why not do something like that with my makeup bag for this month's post?  So here it is...

A quick note before I start unpacking the bag: This post is not sponsored in any way by any of the companies I'm about to mention except for the sunscreen at the very end.  You'll see that I'm not loyal to one particular brand; I've shopped around and found my honest favorite of each thing, so I'm telling you what they are.  No one gave me anything free {darn!} or paid me {bummer!} although if anyone wants to send me something now I wouldn't say no!

These are the honest to goodness things I use every day.

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Whew!  I can't believe it's Friday!  In case you missed it, this week I shared......

3D Paper Flower Wreath

10 Easy DIY Disney Vacation Countdowns

S'Mores Monkey Bread

Easy Hammered Earrings

Also, my Minnie Mouse Centerpieces made to the Top Twenty in the One Crafty Contest at One Artsy Mama!  Now it's on to compete in the other rounds.  If you stop by and check out the projects on One Artsy Mama, vote me me, K?  But, I can't tell you which one will be mine.....

I'm also pumped because I had two projects accepted to Looksi this week-my Distressed Beach Sign and my 3D Flower Wreath!  If you haven't checked out Looksi yet, you really need to.  It's super awesome for inspiring creativity.

The spring season is in full swing, isn't it? Are you sprucing up your home and getting your spring crafts going? If not, maybe you'll find some inspiration at this week's party! Last week's most viewed links were:

How to Make A Milk Bottle Prop at Shaken Together Life 

Brownie Ice Cream Sundae Cups @ Heather's French Press

Let's Party!  Show us your best creativity!  We can't wait to see what you come up with!