Etsy Shop Announcement!

Friends, this is a big moment for me! My Etsy shop is officially open!

I've been trying to make this happen for years, but the timing never seemed to be right. Maybe it's also due to the fact that I was a marketing major and it's hard to plunge head first into a business venture without weighing all the consequences and work involved. Well, I finally threw my responsibility aside and took the risk. Putting yourself out there creatively is scary, but this has been a passion of mine since since I was old enough to make my first craft project. In the past, my customers mostly consisted of friends and family and I never made them pay, so I'm proud to make this dream a reality. Push myself to grow and learn.

I hope you enjoy! Bows and old keys are two of my favorite things! :)

Thanks to all my friends and family for their support, encouragement, and technical expertise. I couldn't have opened my store without you!

<3 Taylor

Nutella-icious

Yesterday, I received one of my favorite things... a letter... you know one of those handwritten ones. I wish I could say I was better at sending them myself, but I'm a child of technology. I'm working on it, because I realize how much I treasure receiving something special in the mail, so I want to pass that feeling along. But this particular letter came all the way from the forests of Idaho. My Aunt found the most wonderful article about a new "Nutelleria" in Bologna, Italy. Think Starbucks with all things Nutella: pizza, fruit salad, doughnuts. Sounds like my dream. My aunt knows it's one of my love languages. If only I wasn't so health conscious now,  I'd be binge eating Nutella every day like I did in Rome. Luckily, I found the perfect Nutella alternative on this lovely blog that I've been saving for the perfect day (which was yesterday!). Not that it's particularly "healthy", but it's natural and unprocessed and I love that!

I make a mess when I cook. Is there any other way?

Chocolate hazelnut deliciousness!

Since I don't own a food processor, only this dinky chopper, I cute the recipe in half. I also changed a couple ingredients for convenience and preference. Here's my modified recipe:

3/4 cup hazelnuts
2 Tbs. Truvia (instead of white sugar)
1/8 cup + 1 Tbs. cocoa (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1/4 cup organic maple agave syrup blend (once again, TJ's, love it!)
2 Tbs grapeseed oil
1 Tbs almond milk

Chop it up, blend it together and you have homemade chocolate hazelnut heaven. So good on bananas or strawberries. It would also make a wonderful topping for pancakes or waffles, mmm, or crepes. Go crazy!