what i'm loving today . . .

A map-ster of disguise

2012-02-15T11:51:00.004-06:00

Let me just start out by apologizing for this post title.... I'm so sorry you had to read that. And even sorrier I wrote it.

If there's one thing Eric and I enjoy doing in regards to home decor, it's getting furniture on the cheap. If there are two things, it's getting furniture on the cheap and then hacking that furniture to make it a little more customized to "us."

If there's a third thing (there's always a third thing), that would be turning someone else's trash into our treasure. Thankfully, a popular television show has reformed "dumpster diving" into "American picking." And that's exactly how our latest project began.

Shortly after the new year, Eric noticed our neighbors across the street were tossing out a big wooden trunk. You already know about Eric's new-found obsessed with old boxes. It was just sitting there, by their recycling bin, teasing Eric through our front picture window. Realizing they were not at home, Eric took the opportunity to scamper across the street, pluck up the trunk and bring it back to our house a full 35 seconds before I witnessed them pulling into their driveway, right next to where the trunk used to sit. This would surely make for an awkward encounter and wouldn't exactly win us the "coolest neighbors on the block" award (though perhaps our obnoxious Christmas lights already knocked us out of the running for the title), but at least he got away with it by the skin of his teeth.

Anyway, once the trunk was rightfully (I guess?) ours, what were we to do with it? We figured, in case we ever do become good friends with our neighbors, we should disguise the trunk as much as we possibly could. Eric got to work right away.

First, he sanded down the trunk and primed it, as the best way to fool your neighbors into believing the trunk in your house was not once part of their garbage is by painting it a completely different color.

In this instance, the color to mask the trunk was Behr's Mossy Green, which we initially bought months ago when planning to paint a dresser in the guest room, but later changed our minds.

Two coats later, it was a nice, shiny change. But we knew it needed more.

To give it a little lift, Eric picked up some wooden legs from Home Depot to attach to the bottom of the trunk.

Then he stained them a deeper color to give them a rich finish.

All together now.

A big change, but once we brought it up to the guest room, where it will live, we agreed it was missing something... It was a lot of green on one piece of furniture, and it needed a little more detail. I scoured stores for pretty wrapping paper to cover the top, but couldn't find anything that would fit with the room's color and the bright green of the painted trunk.

After sitting on the idea for a week or so, it finally popped into my head - a map! A map would look great adorning the "new" green trunk. I just so happened to have a couple of old Ohio maps that, for whatever reason, were still stuffed in one of my car's side pockets nearly four years after I moved away, so I figured what better way to pay homage to my home state than to have a map of it plastered onto a piece of furniture in our house?

I laid the map out on top of the trunk and measured where I'd need to cut. I wanted to fit all the places I lived in Ohio on the trunk, but alas, the distance between my hometown of Greenville and my collegiate town of Athens (Go Bobcats) were just too far apart. The eastern portion of Ohio had to be snipped from the trunk, as including my hometown (located on the west border of the state) was the most important place I wanted to include.

Once I had the map cut to size, I worked on getting it adhered to the top of the trunk. This is where your best friend and mine (I'll fight you for its honor), Modge Podge, came into play. If you've never used Modge-Podge before, it's essentially a slightly-watered-down glue that's a great adhesive and sealant... especially if you're working with paper products. I simply added a medium layer of Modge Podge directly to the top of the trunk, lined up my map all straight, then added a couple of coats of Modge Podge directly on top of the map, making sure to flatten out any bubbles as I went. I also paid close attention to the edges of the map, and made sure they molded to the edges of the trunk to ensure clean lines.

We also added a fun little knob to the lid of the trunk, which I picked up for $1 from a World Market store that was having a store-closing clear out months ago.

Now, while I do like the changes we've made to it, I feel like there's still something missing.... I like it needs a little more. Something stenciled on the front? I'm not sure. But I'm still not 100% satisfied with it, even though the Ohio map on top did turn out really nicely.

Heck, even a little bit of Kentucky and Michigan make an appearance!

One thing's for sure, though, I'm fairly confident that if our across-the-street neighbors came over and happened to traipse into our gust room, they would never know that this bright-green trunk was once considered a piece of their garbage.

Unless, of course, they begin reading this blog.

Dang it.

I want to move to England for this reason only

2012-02-13T13:12:00.000-06:00

As the daughter of an elementary-school teacher growing up, I read a lot of children's books. From the bouncy Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to attempting (and probably failing) to understand the subtext of Animal Farm at the tender age of 10, I always had a great love of reading. However, with all those books my nose was buried so deep into, one author reigned supreme in my eyes: the incomparable Roald Dahl.

I loved every piece of work I'd read by Roald Dahl. I loved his dry humor, his colorful wording and the magical plot lines in each of his books and stories. Throughout my youth, I read Matilda 13 times (and yes, I was that nerdy kid who actually kept track of such things). As a person whose dream was to be a writer from the age of six, Roald Dahl was my ultimate hero.

So when I stumbled across these incredibly awesome stamps recently released by the Royal Mail, I was elated. In fact, part of me wants to take up residence across the pond for a few months just so I can have the opportunity to put to use these stamps honoring my childhood hero.

Did you love Roald Dahl as much as I did growing up? Which was your favorite of his works?

Warm fuzzies

2012-02-11T08:57:00.001-06:00

I've made no secrets about how I'm hopelessly smitten with the ultra-popular chevron pattern at this point. You all know it. I know it. I know it may be becoming a problem - I want absolutely anything that comes in chevron print. Anything. Even this.

For a while now, I've been checking out the blankets section at local thrift stores to find one of those old zig-zag crocheted afghans that grandmas always seem to have tucked away in a closet somewhere, or draped across the back of a cushy chair. Isn't it funny how apparently, out of nowhere, my decorating style is less 20-something-childless girl and more 80-year-old grandma? Ah, such is life.

Anyway, there is always one of these zig-zag afghans at any thrift store I visit. I teeter back and forth on if I really want it, then ultimately decide the colors aren't right, or the blanket it too pilled or the person who last touched this blanket is most definitely dead, and do I really want to cozy up with a dead person's blanket as I catch up on a couple episodes of ~~"My Cat From Hell"~~ ummm.... some kind of awesome, totally hip show that is most definitely not about cats?

I digress.

The other day, I stumbled upon a new Etsy shop specializing in vintage home goods called Wind and Water Co, which happens to be based out of, where else?, Milwaukee! The very first image I saw on their shop was the most adorable, candy-colored zig-zag blanket - the exact one I'd painted a picture of in my head weeks ago, and one that didn't seem like it got lost on the way to the grave of its latest owner. I bought it almost as soon as I saw it, and was happy to not only have my new blanket, but also support a local online shop.

A few hours after my purchase, I'd noticed the shop owner had messaged me, saying they'd seen I live in Bay View, which is very close to their location. The owner offered to hand-deliver the blanket to my home and, in turn, refund my shipping charge ($6) I'd already paid. Wow, I was blown away by such a nice gesture! I wrote back saying I'd really appreciate that, and they were quick to respond, coordinating a time and where to drop of the blanket. You guys, I love Etsy and have never had a bad experience with a shop's owner, but Wind and Water Co really knocked me out with how kind they were. The next day, I received a tweet saying the blanket had just been dropped off at my house - seriously you guys, talk about customer service!

As soon as I opened it, I knew exactly where to put it.

Its bright colors and vintage aesthetic works perfectly in... where else? The French room.

Of course, like anything new we bring into the house, Mr. Pancakes had to give his opinion on it.... especially if it's going to take residence in one of his very favorite napping spots.

His verdict? Comfy, cozy, perfect for cat naps.

The blanket really dresses up the mid-century chair in the corner of the room, and brings out the little pops of orange and green we've got going on in the room. Perfect!

I'm so glad I was finally able to nail down such an adorable blanket, and support local retailers while at it!

The Wind and Water Co shop is still new (I was their second purchaser!), but it's already filled with the cutest vintage pieces (at great prices!). Check it out for yourself. If someone doesn't buy this antique brass bird dish sometime soon, I'm going to. In fact, please don't buy it. I want that.

Please be aware I have not been compensated by Wind and Water Co whatsoever - I was just incredibly happy with my purchase and I like to give a little love to local shops who provide great attention to their customers. I wish them the best of luck in their new Etsy endeavor!

Your Weekly Pins

2012-02-10T14:45:00.000-06:00

Another Friday, another week of pins. Here's what caught my eye on Pinterest this week...

HEY, NEAT!

[These origami garlands were created as decoration for a birthday party, but how fun would they be left up around the house for a pop of pizzazz? (Moms, wouldn't these make a great addition to kids' rooms or nurseries?)

I CAN HAZ STYLE?

[This dress puts a twist, quite literally, on the classic shift. I love where it's gathered, and that kelly green color is beautiful.]

[Another fun spin on the classic shift dress - I love the asymmetrical cowl neck on this one. I love the structured dress with a little something different up top.]

[My style pins have been so work-appropriate this week! This combo is absolutely perfect from head to toe. I think with that embellished tank, I'd go with a more plain cardigan, but either way those colors pair so well together and that skirt is fantastic.]

BAKED GOODS

[Just in time for Valentine's Day, this red-velvet cheesecake looks absolutely incredible. Apparently it is a knock-off of the Cheesecake Factory's version of the cake... and although I've never had their's, I guarantee it'd put me in the happiest food coma ever.]

[When you've got a hankerin' for fudge, but can't choose between peanut butter and chocolate (let's be honest, how could you choose?), why not have both? This double-decker peanut butter fudge makes decision making easy.]

GETTIN' HITCHED

[I am crazy over this bridesmaids dress from Watters. However, I would never make my girls pay $270 for one of these dresses. I think this cut is super flattering and I love the use of a fun pattern, rather than one solid color. This dress is great inspiration to find something similar for (much, much) cheaper.]

[I'm totally crazy over this whole wedding. The bride is absolutely stunning, and their fun, colorful details are just so cute. It almost looks like a photoshoot, but I promise it's real!]

This dessert table was also a part of the wedding above. I love the color palette and the mix of pies and cakes. (We're not doing the traditional wedding cake, either)]

[It seems I had bright colors on the mind this week, because I fell in love with this super-bright, fun bouquet, as well! I really need to make up my mind between soft, muted pastels and super-wild, bright colors. Help!]

[This week, in my "OHMIGOSH I'M OBSESSED WITH THIS STRANGER'S WEDDING," it's a toss-up between the one above and the one detailed here. Holy incredible details. It's so sweet, so small but packed with so many incredible, non-traditional ideas. So amazing.]

FUNNEE

And finally. Yes, reach for the stars, little fella.

There are plenty more where these came from! To see everything I pin all week long, follow me on Pinterest.

Old and new

2012-02-08T10:08:00.000-06:00

One design technique I've always embraced is mixing the old with the new. Vintage with modern. Shiny with shabby. I love the balance it creates and the opportunity it gives the designer to go on a scavenger hunt to find a piece that really makes the space unique.

The biggest example of the old-and-new concept in our house is definitely in our "French" room. Store-bought table, chairs, Expedit unit, but vintage accents like the gossip bench, mid-century sitting chair, Milwaukee neighborhood posters and our record player. We rarely ever buy any of the accessories around our house from the newest stock in any store and really love when we can find something especially unique to put somewhere in our house.

Last weekend, after making a donation to the Salvation Army in West Allis (and a little subsequent browsing), we stumbled across an unassuming shop called the Corner Bazaar. Its windows displayed a few promising-looking items, so we decided to take a gander inside. We were met at the door by an incredibly friendly man who explained the shop a bit more, and made sure to let us know that many of the items' prices are negotiable - the store is run by a nonprofit organization, and comprises numerous vendors selling everything from antiques to crocheted blankets to dolls to jewelry. As soon as we walked in, we new we'd hit the jackpot.

We spent a good hour in the store, lusting after cuckoo clocks, antique milk crates, vintage stereos and quirky cookie jars. For antiques, the pieces were priced very well. If we had more room in our home, we would've made quite a hall that morning. But as it is, we only picked up a couple items. But what we brought home, we both absolutely adored.

I've shared with you all my major crush I have on vintage clocks and radios. There's just something about them I'm drawn to. So when Eric pointed out this beauty to me at the Corner Bazaar, I swooned. I swooned even moreso when I noticed the price tag - $25? Awesome! the swooning was taken to a whole different level when Eric nonchalantly asked the man at the register if he could bump the price down. "Oh, I suppose..." he sighed. "Seventeen?"

Seventeen bucks?!?! We'll take it!

Do I know if it works? I do not. But I do know it fills out the side table in our living room very nicely.

What else did we pick up at the Corner Bazaar? Well, I'm starting to keep on the lookout for lace doilies to collect to use at our wedding. They'll fit my loosely-vintage theme perfectly. So I was delighted to see there were doilies placed all around the store - and they were all for sale! I grabbed about 5-6, price between $2 and $5 each - and so, apparently now I've got a vintage doily collection! If you stumble across some anytime, please send them my way!

My doilies are doing double-duty as wedding AND home decor. I'm going to try my darnedest to repurpose every. single. thing. I purchase (or make!) for the wedding.

As you can see, one doily already found its way onto the "new" radio. The rest are strewn about the house randomly.

Okay, so isn't this post supposed to be about mixing old with new? Thank you for pointing out that I haven't yet gotten to the point. And yes, it is about mixing old with new. For months now I've been on the hunt for the perfect table lamp for our living room. The floor lamp we have in there now has been bothering me since we moved in, but I just haven't stumbled across a lamp I really liked (that also wasn't more than $100). I always kept an eye out at thrift stores and rummage sales, but nothing ever struck my fancy. So after trying so hard to find a true vintage lamp we could restyle as our own, imagine my surprise as I came across this beauty at Target, of all places.

As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. There was no hesitation as there had been in past affairs with purchasing lamps. This was the one. When you know, you know. I grabbed the natural linen lamp shade to go with it and was ecstatic with my new lamp - emphasis on new. It's okay, I told myself, not everything has to be found at a thrift store.

But as soon as I got the lamp home and noticed the amount of gold accents in our living room, I kicked myself. I had back and and forth with myself at Target over the idea of purchasing this gold chevron lamp shade:

Source.

I haven't removed the plastic from the natural linen lamp shade yet because I'm still not sure which one I should ultimately go with. What do you think? Natural, nunfussy linen or shiny, modern gold chevron? I'd love your input!

Either lamp shade option would work well with our space - the chevron would just modernize things a bit, which is not a bad thing, because, like I've mentioned we've already got plenty of vintage accents to balance out the room.

So, there you have it. A weekend filled with purchases, old and new, for our house. Mixing bazaar finds with big-box goods works in an eclectic home, and gives you the best of both worlds - the ease of finding a piece when you least expect it (after making a mad dash during the launch of the new Jason Wu line at Target... but that's another story), and the work you put in to find something you've been crushing on hard in its original state.

Old and new. Vintage and modern. Shiny and shabby. That's how it goes in our house.

Custom Bookshelves

2012-02-06T14:03:00.000-06:00

At this point, I've shared a few peeks into most of the rooms in our house. But have you noticed this blog has been fairly bare of any master bedroom photos? This isn't because I'm forgetful, it's because, at the moment, our bedroom is... well, forgettable. When we moved in, we had a good idea with what we wanted to do with every room in the house, except the room we sleep in. We're at a loss for major ideas, but are working to make little steps to make it a little more "us."

One of the reasons we're unsure of what to so is because our bedroom 's walls have an incredible slant. The bedroom takes up the entire second floor of our house, and, as a standard Cape Cod, its walls slant at the angle of the roof. Not to mention, all of the walls (and ceiling) are covered with bumpy, unsightly "popcorn." Yeah, it's not pretty.

We're not able to hang anything on the east-facing wall of the room, but it does have some cut-out windows. Below the windows, it looks as though the home's previous owner built some bookshelves for added interest/storage. The only thing is, those bookshelves were doing nothing for me.

This is what we're working with on the east-facing side of the bedroom. Kind of sad, right? We're not able to have traditional dressers or bureaus because of the slant of the walls, so we bought a couple of Expedit units from IKEA to keep some of our clothes in. The left side is mine, the right is Eric's.

One way I thought we could amp up the space is making those bookshelves look a bit more like built-ins. So I set out to paint them white, while adding a little pop of color to make the room a bit more lively.

I started out by removing all the little trinkets from our bookshelves, and sanded them down to remove some of the gloss and rough up the surface a bit so it would hold the paint better.

Once sanded, I wiped the shelves down with a wet cloth and let them dry. Then I got to work on priming them.

After the primer dried, it was time to paint! I used the leftover can of Glidden's Marshmallow White that the previous owners had left at the house - the same color I believe was used on the popcorn-coated walls...

After spending a couple of hours in a bedroom after priming and one coat of paint, I was feeling a little dizzy. Painting is not the best wintertime activity when you're not able to have windows open to air out the room. I had the exhaust fan running in our upstairs bathroom, but the fumes still stayed strong. After that first coat of paint, I definitely needed to give myself a rest from the fumes. I let the first coat dry, then Eric graciously offered to do the second coat to keep my brain from eating itself from too much fume exposure. What a guy, saving my brain and all!

Thankfully, the second coat was finished in the early afternoon, so we had all day to let the fumes dissipate before sleeping up there for the night. The next day, it was time to tackle the backs of the shelves.

When the bookshelves were built, apparently the "carpenter" was willing to make a few shortcuts to get them up quickly, namely: not making any backs for them. Instead, he backed the bookshelves with card board.

To his credit, he did make a fancy little cut-out so the outlet in that area could be accessed.

Now, I'm all about making things easier on ourselves, and I won't dog on the guy too much about the card-board-backed shelves - I mean, you barely notice them unless you're really looking - but at least cover them up with something pretty. To contrast the white bookshelves on white walls, I decided to cover up that cardboard with some pretty wrapping paper, much like we did with another Expedit unit waaaaay back when we first moved in to our house in May of last year.

I picked out some fancy wrapping paper from my favorite little paper store in Milwaukee's Third Ward: Broadway Paper. You guys, I could spend hours in this store (and nearly have!). They've got beautiful greeting cards, designer wrapping paper and the cutest little gifts around the store. It's so fun just to go in an browse.

When looking at wrapping paper, I was immediately drawn to some pretty garden-rose-printed paper by Snow & Graham, but figured Eric wouldn't be wild about pink. So I tried to find a paper that represented a good balance in our taste, and one that would fit the overall feel of the room. I bought four sheets of the above paper (also by Snow & Graham) - not-too-girly flowers for me, green for Eric's favorite color.

I measured the top and bottom space for the back of the shelves, then cut the paper to size, using a rotary cutter (cleaner lines!).

Then I just sprayed the heck out of the cardboard backing of the shelves with some Elmer's Spray Adhesive. I was sure to lay out the paper flat, pressing out any warps or bubbles.

The paper stuck perfectly to the cardboard with the spray adhesive. And a week after the project, I'm happy to report there's been no warping or peeling - things are still smooth!

Even with all my ~~junk~~, ahem, treasures placed back on my shelf, the bright, new paper adds just the nicest little punch to the bookshelves.

Eric's bookshelf has considerably less junk strewn about.

And while these bookshelves still may not look exactly like built-ins, I think they blend in so much better with their new white hue. Hopefully, once we tackle the assuredly tedious task of scraping off all that popcorn from the walls and ceilings (oh yes, that's a major one on our to-do list), the bookshelves will look a little more seamless in the room.

We've got quite a lot of work to do in the bedroom before I share the whole shebang with you, but rest assured we've got a lot of ideas swirling around in a crazy little heads. It's always a struggle to work with oddly-shaped rooms, and we've certainly got our work cut out for us, but once it's done I'm positive the transformation will be the best we've done in the house so far.

For now, the little personalized bookshelves will just have to do!

Your Weekly Pins

2012-02-03T15:31:00.002-06:00

Another Friday, another week of pins! Here's what caught my eye on Pinterest this week....

FOOD

[I've had Thai food on the brain lately, so I pinned this coconut-curry chicken soup the instant I saw it. Sure, it may not feel like perfect soup weather as it's 45 degrees in February, but once the temperatures drop back down, I'll be trying my hand at this.]

[As if I didn't already get my chocolate-chip cookie fix for the week, this recipe jumped out at me. The reason why? It promises the fluffiest, softest cookie ever, all thanks to one surprising ingredient: cornstarch! I'm curious about this one.]

I CAN HAZ STYLE?

[Sunday marks a very important day to many people across the country. Yeah, yeah, sure the Super Bowl is happening, but more importantly (in this girl's mind): The Jason Wu line launches at Target! When Missoni launched it's Target line back in September, it caused pandemonium at stores... I plan to brave the hoards of stylish, frugal ladies this Sunday to score some of Wu's absolutely adorable styles (cross your fingers I make it out alive!). Target, you do NO wrong.]

[It looks like the nautical trend is going to be big this spring/summer - and I'm totally on board (ugh, pun not intended). These adorable sailor knot bracelets are so cute - and check out their anchor clasps!]

[I love the color combination on these Anthropologie earrings. They're so simple, but so pretty.]

[I love the boots-peeking-out-of-socks look, but hate trying to squeeze my jeans into said socks. With this brilliant innovation, there's no uncomfortable bunching issue! Brilliant.]

[This is such a delicate, beautiful cardigan - I absolutely love the detail - it kind of reminds me of a (super chic) doily!]

I WANT

[I kind of have a crush on retro radios and clocks. This radio would look fantastic in our living room - and a bonus? It's totally modernized so you can hook it up to your iPod. Awesome!]

[I also have a crush on anything chevron - but that's not news to you. These little chevron spoons are crazy adorable - they'd make any strawberry sundae an even happier treat!]

GETTIN' HITCHED

[Yes, mason jars are all over the wedding circuit, but god help me I love them, too. This site offers mason jars on the cheap - although the jars are plain (the don't actually have the word "mason jar" on them), if you wrap them in pretty ribbon or burlap, no one would ever be the wiser :)]

[I've seen a few boutonnieres and bouquets using herbs as filler. I LOVE this idea. Just think how great these boutonnieres with rosemary smell!]

[I went head-over-heels over this wedding featured on The Wedding Chicks. I love the color palette, and it was held at a lemon farm, which made this insanely cute home-built lemonade stand dessert table all the more precious.]

[Since we first got engaged (you know, a whole six weeks ago), Eric and I have loved the idea of somehow incorporating little snippets of details and fun facts about ourselves and our specific details around our reception site. Maybe no one would care about our little snippets, but every detail of our wedding is going to have meaning behind it, and we'd like to explain what that meaning is! These "fun fact" napkins are such a good way to share more info about a couple on their big day - and they'd be a great conversation starter around the dinner table (or the bar!).]

[I'm so happy our reception venue has some gorgeous beams hanging across the room - perfect for adding some above-the-head visual interest! I love this grouping of lanterns and paper pom poms of various sizes - a great mix of texture!]

There's plenty more where these came from! To see everything I pin all week long, follow me on Pinterest. I'd love to see what you pin, too!

Almond-Flour Chocolate-Chip Cookies

2012-02-01T14:28:00.000-06:00

With the Super Bowl coming up on Sunday, I figured everyone would be up to their ears in recipes for nachos, wings, dips, bacon-laced treats and generally any other food that is synonymous with football snacking. The thing is, most of these recipes are also gut-busting and full of fat, salt and all things that make food extra delicious, but also extra bad for us.

While I'm not saying you shouldn't enjoy anything covered in cheese (even if you're not exactly sure what it is), I am saying there are ways to somewhat healthify some foods you normally love.... without sacrificing taste. Today, I'm letting all the other experts out there bask in the typical football munchies spotlight, and am focusing on those of us that crave something a bit sweeter. Something classic, that never fails. Something you can whip up quickly, take to a party and pass off on unsuspecting goody guzzlers who would never guess these are healthy.

I'm talkin' 'bout chocolate chip cookies.

But not just any chocolate-chip cookies. Chocolate-chip cookies made with almond flour.

I'd been seeing almond-flour recipes pop up on Paleo and gluten-free food blogs for a while, and was curious about baking with it. Weeks ago, Eric bought this bag of almond flour at a health-food store, but we'd yet to open it. Last weekend, I decided to try it out using a basic chocolate-chip cookie recipe. The almond flour is used just the same as regular flour - cup for cup, you measure it out the same. I was all set to go with my almond-flour cookies, except, when I got all the ingredients out to make them, I realized I didn't have one of the very few ingredients I needed: an egg.

At this point in the day, I'd been painting for hours and definitely wasn't keen on the idea of putting on real, human clothes to run over to the market to pick up an egg. So instead, I whipped up a trusty flax egg.

What's a flax egg, you say? Well, a flax egg is the perfect substitute for an actual egg when baking. Eggs are essentially used as a binding agent when making doughs and batters. If you don't have an egg on hand, all you need is something that will kind of take on the egg's texture to bind all the ingredients together. A flax egg does just that.

Making a flax egg couldn't be easier. Just take a tablespoon of ground flax.

And whisk that up with three tablespoons of water.

Let your water-flax mixture set up for five minutes at the very least. I usually try to let it sit for 15-20 minutes. When it's done, it will have kind of a goopy, thick texture (like an egg!).

This will make enough for one egg. If your recipe calls for more than one egg, simply add enough ground flax and water to make up for it.

The cookie recipe is basically your standard chocolate-chip cookie recipe, minus the flax egg and almond flour substitutions. I also added a pinch of ground cinnamon to the batter, which I always add to my chocolate-chip cookie recipes - I love the added boost of flavor it gives them!

The outcome of my first time baking with almond flour? Delicious!

Though, because of the ground flax, the cookies looked a little different from your standard chocolate-chip variety, they still tasted amazing. They were soft, chewy with a nice buttery, nutty flavor (thanks to the almond flour!). I don't know why I was expecting these to come out harder than the average cookie, but these were so soft and pillowy - just the way I like them.

Baking with almond flour is a great way to make gluten-free desserts. Or good for anyone looking for a great sub for white flour. If you can't find packaged almond flour near you, making your own couldn't be easier - just throw some almonds into a food processor, process away until finely ground, and poof! You've got almond flour!

And while chowing down on your almond-flour chocolate-chip cookies, why not pair them with a cool glass of almond milk? The perfect combination!

For healthy cookies that will impress anyone at your Super Bowl party this weekend, give this recipe a whirl:

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from The Wannabe Chef)

(Makes about 12 cookies):

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 egg (or a flax egg!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
dash of cinnamon
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or silicone liner.

Cream your butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in egg, then almond flour. Next, add vanilla, salt, cinnamon and baking soda and mix until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by the spoonful on the lined baking sheet (you may want to slightly flatten each ball to make more of the "classic" disk cookie shape). Bake for 11-15 minutes. Let cool (or eat straight from the oven, if you're like me), and enjoy!

Have you used almond flour while baking/cooking anything? What did you make?

It's Curtains for the Gauze

2012-01-30T12:33:00.000-06:00

There are a few things that have been bugging me about our guest room for a while. One, I still haven't done anything about that big, blank wall on the south side of the room, and two: those totally sheer, totally cheap-looking, totally gauze-like curtains that were left there by the previous owners. In a room with such light colors throughout, these curtains just made the room look too cutesy, too much like a nursery.... which this room will not be turned into for quite some time. We needed some curtains that would add a more structure, mature look.

After a quiet few weeks on the home-decorating front, Eric and I deemed last weekend "Get S*&#! Done" weekend, and the top priority on my list? Call it curtains on those curtains.

I headed out to Jo-Ann Fabric on Saturday, bringing along one of the pillow shams from the guest room bed. I wanted to find a fabric close enough to the purplish/magenta color found on the comforter. The stars were aligned, because I managed to find some thick, drape-quality home decor fabric that matched the color almost perfectly - and I found it in the "as is" discounted section of the store! When I brought the bolt up to the cutting desk, I asked the woman why it was being sold "as is." She unrolled the bolt and we noticed there was some adhesive residue near the end of the roll. As I knew I'd be making curtains, I said I'd work to get the adhesive off with rubbing alcohol, and if it didn't all come off, I'd do my best to ensure the less-than-perfect portion of the fabric was used on the inside of the pocket rod, once sewn. I ended up getting five yards of this durable, thick, perfectly-matching fabric for $32.

I planned to make these curtains in the same no-sew style as I did for all the rest of the curtains I'd made for the house. But because these necessitated a pocket rod, I needed to pull out the sewing machine to make the pocket. I happily stitched away on my first panel until I noticed I am a complete jackass and forgot to change the color of the thread to match my fabric - bright white stitching on maroon fabric does not look classy, you guys. Now, remember, although I love keeping myself busy with projects around the house, I'm incredibly lazy, and didn't want to spend any time ripping out the long stitch I'd just made to my soon-to-be curtain panel. So I dug through the craft room, opened up my "grab bag" of ribbon I'd purchased from a Value Village thrift store weeks earlier, and found some old rick-rack a shade of sky blue that matched the color of the guest room comforter perfectly. Fantastic! I would cover up my tacky white stitch with some pretty blue rick rack, adding visual interest to the top of the curtains.

You guys, this rick-rack was ~~old~~ vintage. Check out what I found on the inside of its wrapper.

Teenage glamour, indeed.

After realizing I had no idea how to attach rick-rack to anything, I called my mom and she said I should just try stitching a straight line right down the middle.

Not perfect, but too shabby for a first timer!

After sewing the pocket rod pocket, I simply hemmed up the additional sides by my no-sew method - good ol' Stitch Witchery and an iron. I repeated the process three more times, and was elated when I discovered I had JUST enough blue rick-rack for all four panels - with just four inches left over!

The final result:

Before, with the cheesy, gauze-y curtains:

And after, with the much better-looking, matching, handmade curtains.

Ahhh... You guys, I feel so much better. Those sheer curtains not only looked tacky, but they provided absolutely no barrier from sunshine pouring into the room, which I'm sure our overnight guests have not appreciated when woken up by the sun at 6 a.m. They also just fit so much better in the room - they match, they're more "mature"-looking, and they drape perfectly to pool on the floor for about half an inch. And my little "oops" moment when sewing them, with the ensuing recruitment for a strip of rick-rack, turned into a great opportunity to add detail and interest to the curtains - talk about turning lemons into lemonade!

Total cost of our new curtains? $32 for the fabric, and probably about 20 cents for the rick rack, which came in a grab-bag of about 15 different spools of vintage ribbon that I paid $3 total for at Value Village.

I'll keep the gauzey curtains stashed away for a while to see if I can somehow use the fabric in the wedding - creating fabric flowers or table skirting or ribbon or something - never let scrap fabric go to waste!

What "oops" moment have you taken advantage of to create an even-better-than-planned outcome? All it takes the the ability not to freak out, and some creative thinking!

Your Weekly Pins

2012-01-27T13:58:00.001-06:00

Another Friday, another week of pins! Here's what caught my eye on Pinterest this week...

HOME DECOR

[Sigh... how sweet and breezy is this front entryway? That adorable butter-yellow door just looks so friendly and bright. How could you not feel happy when walking in to this house?]

[I'm a big fan of of those industrial-looking cage-light pendants you've undoubtedly been seeing all over the Web (that's right, I said it - THE WEB. Apparently it is 1998). But I LOVE this spin on them - pendant lamps using mason jars! How rusticly perfect.]

[I'm a fan of big graphic letters. It's my dream to stumble across some big, old, standalone letters from an old gas station or retail store... and them somehow find a place for them in our house. But until then, here's a great tutorial for simple faux-metal letters perfect for making a statement (literally) in any room.]

[How adorable are these tea towels? I love their bright colors - not to mention they'd match out kitchen decor perfectly! So pretty.]

BAKED GOODS

[Winter sure took its time to get to Milwaukee, but now that it's here, I can't think of anything more comforting than a nice, warm mug of hot chocolate... oh, except this insane-looking BAKED hot chocolate... Now I need a snowstorm for an excuse to gobble this up.]

[We've got a bag of almond flour that's been chillin' in the fridge (see what I did there?) for a while now, unsure of exactly what to use it for. The answer? Chocolate-chip cookies, of course! I'm definitely going to try out this recipe for almond-flour chocolate-chip cookies this weekend... if all goes well, I'll share it with you all!]

I CAN HAZ STYLE?

[Umm.. how pretty is this outfit?? It would be impossibly not to feel like a dainty, classy lady (even while chowing down on ribs, I'm hoping...) while wearing this outfit. Love the ultra-light pastels.]

[Oh, Anthropologie, how do you know me so well? It's time to push my other 25 cardigans a bit farther back into the closet, because if I owned this baby, it'd be my new favorite, hands down.]

[Oh J.Crew, you're only slightly behind Anthropologie for winner of my fashion heart. This gorgeous purple skirt could be dressed up or dressed down - how would I wear it? With a tucked-in, heather-gray v-neck t-shirt and long, chunky necklace. Of course, while wearing a messy bun.]

[This outfit just screams "me," and not because I definitely already own those boots. But I love that dress and the gray cardigan with bow-detailed pockets - how sweet!A great mix of soft and rugged touches.]

GETTIN' HITCHED

[I am head-over-heels in love with this numbered fabric flag to use as a table numbers. They bring such a fun touch of color and personality. So much more fun than a simple number, printed on cardstock, held up by a wire picture holder.]

[This bouquet is absolutely perfect - not fussy, but romantic and full of interest. The best part? The bride made it herself using flowers ordered from FiftyFlowers.com! It's good to see such a beautiful hand-crafter bouquet... because I'm fairly certain I'll be making my own, as well!]

[At our wedding, people WILL CERTAINLY be breaking it down. Breaking it down hard. So hard it will be physically impossible to continue wearing heels. Therefore, having an adorable option of dancing shoes like these cloth Mary Janes would be perfect - the ladies could protect their feet while still looking cute, without rubber flip flops. I love this idea.]

[First of all, I love this color palette. It looks like an ice-cream stand from a Rockwell painting. Secondly, how cute is the pure look of elation on these girls' faces? I absolutely love how happy this picture is.]

[I know, I know... I said I wasn't going to share any of the dresses I pin (ladies, if you're curious, you can find them on my "Gettin' Hitched - Dresses" board), but I can honestly say I won't be wearing a short dress, so this is an exception. It's sort of a shame I won't be a short-dress bride, because how freaking cute is this one by BHLDN? Those layered lace ruffles are just the sweetest.]

[Do you remember, all the way last summer, when we went to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and I fell in love with this wooden mail-sorter... but had no idea what to do with it? Well... here is your answer. The perfect idea for either a card holder or a guestbook, where your guests leave notes in envelopes! Ugh, I'm kicking myself for not buying that when I had the chance. Such a great idea!]

I WANT TO GO TO THERE

[This one I pinned for sheer nostalgia's sake. The good ol' Maid-Rite, possibly the most famous building in my hometown of Greenville, Ohio. People crave these loose-meat sandwiches like a drug (notice the line of care on the street? The line for the drive-thru is rarely less than five cars deep at any time of day). And their peanut-butter milkshakes are probably the best I've ever had (and I'm not just being a homer when I claim this). Best of all (though, depending on who you ask, possibly grossest of all)? Those little speckles around the building? That's gum. Thousands and thousands of pieces of gum have been affixed to the Maid-Rite's famous "gum wall." If you've been in Greenville and haven't put gum on the wall, well.... then you really haven't been to Greenville at all.]

There are plenty more where these came from! To see everything I pin, all week long, follow me on Pinterest.

Vegan Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

2012-01-23T14:10:00.000-06:00

I've often said if pigs didn't exist, I could easily go vegetarian. I'm sorry, I know that sounds horrible and I'm totally missing the point of vegetarianism (it's not just about not eating meat, it's about the cruelty behind it), but forgive me - pork is my kryptonite and I just can't get past that beautiful hoggy flavor. However, let's say all pigs got wiped off the face of the Earth (this is not an Earth I ever want to exist in) - I'd be armed with a hoard of amazing vegetarian recipes that would keep me happy, satisfied and possibly not thinking about pork ribs for a few months.

This is one of them.

I'd been craving Mexican food for a while, but not enough to put on real human pants and go out to a real human restaurant where I would have to interact with real humans. I also wanted something a bit healthy this weekend, so I looked over to my fail-proof blog, Oh She Glows, for some inspiration. Angela over at Oh She Glows has never posted a recipe that I've tried and haven't loved. She's got a way with making amazing vegetarian, and often vegan or gluten-free, recipes that are filled with flavor and well-balanced nutrition. I'd remembered I'd seen her recipe for black bean and sweet potato enchiladas a while back, so I searched for it and knew just from the list of ingredients it would be a winner.

I'm not going to post the recipe here, because, aside from adding a few different spices, I followed hers almost exactly as she wrote it. There's no need to deviate.

It was a little labor-intensive with a lot of chopping (and wiping your eyes from onion tears), but just look at the amazing color of the enchilada filling as it's simmering on the stove!

The real kicker in these enchiladas is the amazingly creamy avocado-cilantro sauce. Avocado and cilantro are two of my favorite flavors, and all mixed together in a rich, vegan sauce, it's to die for when slathered over the rolled and cooked enchiladas.

The recipe makes four large enchiladas, with plenty of stuffing left over (I recommend dipping tortilla chips in the leftover mix). Eric and I started out with two on our plates, but after we each ate just one, we were stuffed!

This is one of the best meat-free recipes I've made in recent memory - the enchiladas were perfectly spiced and seasoned, and they were so filling. Simply delicious. If you'd like to make these yourself, as I highly suggest you do, check out the recipe over on Oh She Glows, and look around the rest of her blog for more amazing vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free recipes. To die for!

Your Weekly Pins

2012-01-20T14:19:00.000-06:00

Another Friday, another weeks of pins! Here's what caught my eye on Pinterest this week...

HOME DECOR

[When I saw this home's Sneak Peek on DesignSponge this week, I went crazy for it instantly. Every room is filled with so much character, personality and is so well balanced. The gallery above is filled with the perfect amount of kitsch, and I just love the juxtaposition of the gun to the "NO GUNS" sign.]

[Believe it or not, this ultra-girly vanity station is in the same house as the above picture! Those pink stripes are so cute in this space - how could you not feel pretty applying your makeup at that vanity?]

[These chandeliers seriously knock my socks off. There's something somewhat steam-punkish about them (maybe it's their likeness to hot-air balloons?), while they could easily be classed up in any room.]

[What a sweet little room this is - from the wall color to those great drapes framing the window behind that amazing headboard, this room is so well put together.]

[Y'all know I'm quite a fan of chevron, so when I saw this pattern for a woven rug, I flipped! We desperately need a new rug in our living room (our current cream-colored one has just gotten too dirty beyond repair), and this one would look beautiful!]

FOOD

[These s'mores truffles not only look delicious, but they would be a perfect treat at our wedding, considering our proposal story...]

[Being an avid consumer of Asian slaw, I was incredibly intrigued upon seeing a recipe for a spicy Mexican slaw... I've got to try this!]

[My friend Megan knows of my obsession with peanut butter and chocolate, so when she sent me the recipe for this Peanut-Butter-Cup Popcorn, she had to know she hit a home run! I mean, popcorn is one of my top-three foods, and peanut butter cups aren't far down the list, either. I will be making this THIS WEEKEND.]

[I was gifted some great cast-iron skillets this Christmas and have been itching to put them to use! I can't possibly think of a better way to christen those skillets than with this ridiculous-looking Deep Dish Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. You read that right. Now you may want to dry that drool from your chin....]

I CAN HAZ STYLE?

[I've become a big supporter in this mismatched patterns trend. Mixing stripes and polka dots hooks me in just about every time, and although there's no way I could pull off those skin-tight mint jeans, I'm glad someone else can, because they're just too adorable.]

[A color that's been growing on my lately is this gorgeous kelly green. I love the pleating on this beautiful dress - I have a feeling it'd be flattering on almost anyone (especially you lucky green-eyed girls!]

[Oh, do you think I'd get away with a week where I don't pin a yellow dress? Do you not know me by now at all??? This one SCREAMS "me!" - I love the bright stripes and belt. Can it please be summer so I can wear this NOW (preferably on a boardwalk somewhere??)]

I WANT

[While not exactly the most practical piece of electronics, this keyboard is absolutely fantastic. It's marketed as The Keyboard for Happy People - my thoughts exactly!]

[Speaking of happy products, how adorable are these vintage Pyrex casserole dishes? I love the colors and old-school patterns. These would give life to any potluck!]

CRAFTS

[Yes, yes, mason jars are all the rage - and those blue-tinted ones? Especially popular. The thing is, colored mason jars are somewhat hard to come by - except if you magically tint your own! I am SO excited to try this project out - and to use the finished products at our wedding!

[I've made a few fabric flowers before, but I really love this style - they're perfect for shoe clips, headbands and embellishments for shirts, belts and purses!]

GETTIN' HITCHED

[Weddings are expensive. Paper marketed for use at weddings is marked up to asinine levels. But, with a little work and a handy paper cutter, it's possible to DIY your invites and envelopes and still make them look great. This tutorial for DIY pocketfold invitations is easy-to-follow and gives me hope that, yes, I can do this myself.]

[Obviously I'm pro bunting, here (as illustrated by the banner of this blog), but I don't limit my love to only triangle-shapes flags. Oh no, these DIY paper doily garlands are so, so pretty and look very easy to make.]

[As our venue is a park building, its one drawback is its bathrooms are still open to the public during our reception. I really don't mind too much, and if anyone turns their nose up at our wedding because they have to share bathrooms with happy kids who've just toddled in from the playground, that's their issue. However, I'm going to try to "cuteify" the bathrooms as much as possible - and I love this idea of putting childhood photos of Eric and I under the signs to our respective bathrooms.]

[I know I said I wouldn't post dresses on the blog any longer, but I just had to share this photo. The back of this dress is stunning - SO incredibly beautiful and delicate.]

[Another beautiful photo - how amazing did this one turn out with the shadow of her lace parasol draping across her shoulders? Gorgeous.]

There's more where these came from! To see all my pins, all throughout the week, follow me on Pinterest. I'd love to follow you back!

Painted Chevron Coat Hanger

2012-01-18T12:24:00.000-06:00

One thing our home doesn't have that I constantly wish it did is a mud room. Oh, to be able to freely fling snowy/salty boots, heavy coats and scarves into their own happy home next to our main entry. The good thing about our house is that I've seen plenty of other homes in the neighborhood similar to ours that look like they've built mudrooms of their own to the side of the house. This is something we can do in the future, but for now, we simply rely on a wooden coat hook that the previous owners hung on the wall by our side entrance, on the landing leading down to the basement (or to our kitchen, on the left).

The coat hook serves its purpose, to hold coats and jackets.. But it was fairly plain-looking and, well, just not very "fun." I know, I know - "Coat hooks are supposed to be fun??" Well, in my world they are. Everything must be fun, cute and different. Varnished, simple woodgrain doesn't last long in our house.

So, we took the simple plank of wood, sanded all the shiny varnish off, and removed the hooks. Then, I got to work.

Because I'm still not over the whole chevron pattern craze, I decided to paint the coat-hook board a multi-colored chevron. I wanted it to look hand-painted (read: a little imperfect), but the zig zags still needed to be somewhat straight, so I went ahead and measured every three inches to begin a new zig-zag. Then a tick-mark was made halfway between each three-inch space to signify where the peak of each zig-zag should be.

From there, I just started painting. Using standard acrylic paint that I already have on hand, I went zig-zag crazy. This project took longer than I initially thought it would, because I waited to let each color (each zig-zag) dry before moving on to the next adjacent color. Then, I went over every color with a second coat of paint. The top and bottom of the board were painted plain ol' white.

Eric put the hooks back on and drill the prettified coat hook back to the wall in its proper place.

I really would've liked to both spray paint the hooks white and apply a clear coat sealant on the board after painting, just to seal the paint and give it a shiny finish, but the spray paint and clear coat give off some pretty noxious fumes and I didn't feel like standing out in the cold garage to apply a couple coats of each. So for now, it's bare. If I remember this spring, I'll apply the spray paint and clear coat in a temperature that won't freeze my tootsies off.

I apologize for the blurry photos, but our little landing doesn't have the greatest light, and I was trying to balance on some stairs while taking the pictures.

Here, you can see where the hook hangs above the stairs leading to our basement.

It's a simple little update, but it gives our brokeass excuse for a mudroom a little character, and dresses up the "just for now" bare white walls.

Here's to making simple, hum-drum pieces around the house fun and bright!

Your Weekly Pins

2012-01-13T14:44:00.000-06:00

Another Friday, another week of pins! Here's what caught my eye on Pinterest this week....

HOME DECOR

How cute is this dresser? It's been upgraded from a simple, all-gray dresser to one with pretty knob pulls and each drawer is covered with textured, paintable wallpaper - so cool, right?

[Seriously, I will not rest until I find one of these beauties myself...I MUST have one in our house!]

FOOD

[During football playoffs, can you imagine a better game-time snack than cheddar ale spread?? What's more, this treat is especially perfect for us beer guzzlin', cheese gobblin', Rodgers-worshippin' folk here in Packer Country.]

[After indulging in too much cheddar ale spread, why not lighten things up a bit with these cheesy quinoa cakes? These look SO good to me... I'd love to try one as an alternative to a black bean or veggie burger.]

I CAN HAZ STYLE?

[How freaking cute is this new bicycle-themed dress from Anthropologie? Pair it with a leather belt and a beach cruiser and you've got one of the sweetest little scenes I can imagine.]

[In my book, you simply can't have enough mustard yellow dresses...]

[I absolutely love this pretty, girly ensemble. I love the color palette and love every piece of the outfit. Perfection!]

[How fun is this cute blue dress? And how funner is it with that huge fabric flower?? I'm a fan.]

ADORABLES

Oh hai! This picture absolutely cracks me up. That dog looks too cute to be real.... even if he is just a head.]

[Don't you just want to give this big, fluffy-mained

GETTIN' HITCHED
A programming note: Going forward, I don't think I'll be sharing any of the wedding dresses I pin. Sorry, ladies, but Eric reads this blog and there's nothing more important to me than him being completely surprised by my dress on our wedding day (you know, besides actually hearing him say "I do"). If you're dying to know which dresses I love, follow my Gettin' Hitched - Dresses board on Pinterest, where I'll be pinning lovely gowns to my heart's content. (Eric, you stay away!)

[Style Me Pretty is one of the most, if not definitely the most, beautiful blogs there is. I fall in love with nearly every post, and it's such a great source of inspiration - not only for weddings, but for crafts and home decoration, as well! Their "Best of" 2011 digital magazine is filled with wonderful ideas, gorgeous photography and drool-worthy weddings.]

[What a cute little woodland-themed invitation! I love its illustration, as well as its color scheme. Adorable.]

[I really like the look of this invitation. While it's not exactly what I had in mind, I did sketch out a similar design the other day with that same differing font style. These are a welcome change from the stuffy invites you so often see.]

[I love this chalkboard menu for dinner. It's perfect for a casual, fun buffet style (which ours will be!)]

[While I doubt we'll have a bourbon bar at our wedding, I do love these fellas' boutonnieres... very simple, sweet and unique!]

There are plenty more where these came from! To see everything I pin all week long, follow me on Pinterest.

Snoboy on Wheels

2012-01-12T10:00:00.000-06:00

I believe every person is entitled to have one weird, quirky obsession. Something they love for reasons even they don't understand. Many times, those little obsessions manifest in large collections... or in the beginnings of large collections.

I think Eric's quirky little obsession, aside from his affinity for checkered slip-on Vans, is old fashioned globes.

Since we moved into our house eight months ago, Eric has come home with three different globes. Our first, this awesome beauty that now lives in the guest room.

The second globe Eric brought home was this one, perched atop on a tall stand in our living room (and above one very geographically-curious feline).

Last week, we became adopted parents of yet another old globe. But this one, she plugs in and GLOWS. Though I have no photographic evidence of the soft glow it provides, I assure you, the world looks beautiful beaming from a warm, golden light within.

However, my story today isn't exactly about this new globe, rather what it sits atop of.

Along with the globe Eric brought home, he also brought this old wooden box, with a sweet little "Snoboy" label worn on the side.

Aside from globes (and the slip-on Vans, of course), I'm beginning to think we'll soon be collecting a hoard of old, wooden boxes. Which is fine with me.

Anyway, because we're such fans of the "old meets new" look throughout our house, Eric had a grand idea to dress up this tattered box with some shiny new casters. He went to Home Depot (and since has declared that a Sunday morning spent at Home Depot is man's purest form of ultimate relaxation and simple joy) and picked up four inexpensive casters with gray wheels.

Then he disappeared to the basement for a day and a half.

When we reappeared, he had watched about 14 games of collegiate and professional football, and he had also affixed the casters to the bottom of the Snoboy crate.

Then, Snoboy came to find his new home in the "quite vintage" corner of our living room.

He met his upstairs neighbor, Glow Globe, as well as Victorian Footstool and Old Record Player.

Together, they make quite a fine group of old souls with lots of life stories.

Back to the Snoboy: I'd never heard of the Snoboy brand before, and was curious to see just what it was about. My dear friend, Sir Google, has informed me Snoboy has been trademarked since 1925, and is "a symbol of quality and freshness. . . a nationally recognized brand for fruits and vegetables by grocers, retailers, and consumers alike." The web site also boasts that the Snoboy "has become such a recognizable icon that the Snoboy character has been used on a range of premium and specialty items and is also one of America’s most recognizable brand characters."

News to me. Do any of you regularly purchase Snoboy products?

Further evidence that the Internet is the most supreme source of knowledge to all humans everywhere (with available service to the World Wide Web), Snoboy's web site also informed me that this crate, because of the original Snoboy logo affixed to the side, was made sometime between 1925 and 1960.

So there you have it - we've defaced an historical artifact with shiny, Home Depot wheels.

Either way, I doubt we'd be taking home much cash if we brought the pre-wheeled Snoboy box to Antiques Roadshow, and it looks awfully spiffy in our living room, so I'm fine with our little "upgrade."

And I'm sure there are many more old, wooden crates where this came from... don't be surprised if, in a year or so, Mr. Pancakes will be forced from the house to make room for more crates that we can sit more globes on top of. Sorry, little guy.

Have any of you uncovered something vintage you didn't know the story behind? Or that was actually worth serious money (if you took the time to get it appraised?)

The Venue!

2012-01-08T18:44:00.000-06:00

If you follow me on Facebook, you're probably already aware, but a date and a venue have been set for our wedding! On May 18th, 2013, Eric and I will be having the raddest reception ever at the South Shore Pavilion right here in Bay View - that's right, our venue is less than half a mile from our house!

We chose a date last week after a lot of hemming and hawing about whether we could squeeze a wedding in this year. There are a few circumstances that made it clear we wouldn't be able to have our wedding in 2012, and when we discovered that the venue we had our hearts set on was all booked up for the year through October, we knew we'd have to push it back. It's just that important to us to have this amazing space for our wedding, so even though it seems so amazingly far off and it broke our hearts a little to have to wait, we knew in the long run we'd be happier having plenty of time to plan for the perfect wedding in our #1 venue of choice.

I may be slightly insane, but when I called just after Christmas to check 2012 availability and was informed South Shore was all booked up, I asked when I could book for 2013. The woman on the phone told me if I called the morning of January 3rd, I'd pretty much have my choice of any date of the year. So at 9:30 a.m. on the 3rd, I called. Sure enough, May 18th was all ours.

Did I mention we'd never set foot inside South Shore Pavilion when I booked it for our wedding? I'd done a lot of research up to that point, going through photos online and checking reviews and message boards; and from the amazing photos and the outstanding reviews of the space (not to mention, its price can't be beat!) I was not shy about pulling the trigger before seeing the venue in person.

Our relationship has never been traditional in the way of following typical timeline protocol (i.e. buying a house before getting engaged), so our wedding planning probably won't be too standard, either.So after we had the space reserved, Eric and I thought it'd be a good idea to get a look at it. On Saturday, we went (and took plenty of photos to share with you)!

What drew us to South Shore Pavilion, aside from its proximity to our house, is its beautiful brick walls, amazing beamed wooden ceiling and the breathtaking arched windows that look directly out to Lake Michigan.

South Shore Pavilion is part of the Milwaukee County Parks system, and is an incredibly popular venue for wedding receptions (as I'm sure you can see why). One of the parks managers, Jim, met us at the pavilion Saturday morning and could not have been more helpful in answering all of our questions. He was such a nice guy and gave me so much peace of mind with how easy the parks department will be to work with right up to the wedding day. We spent over an hour at the pavilion talking and looking around, and Jim was happy to answer any question we had (and beyond!).

Aside from the beautiful main room of the pavilion, it's got a great smaller room up front, filled with plenty of small, round tables, which will make for the perfect space for a cocktail hour - or a little getaway for guests to gather and talk if they don't want to get down to the awesome tunes that will be bumping from the main room (or if they need to take a break from all the dancing!).

The smaller room also has beautiful arched windows and French doors that open to the park outside.

Back inside the main room, if you were to peer out the arched windows, you can see right out to the shore of Lake Michigan.

Right now, we're debating on whether we'll hold our ceremony at this space outside. The rock sculpture in the photo above looks like it was made to be an altar to be wed at.

My only concern about an outdoor wedding is, obviously, the weather. Wisconsin is a fickle lady when it comes to spring weather. It could be 80 degrees or 40 degrees on May 18th. It could be a gorgeous, blue-skied day, or drizzly and wet. While I dream of a sunny ceremony right by the lake, I worry so much about inclement weather. All I know is the photos would be gorgeous if everything went our way.

P.S. Can you believe the green grass we have in January?!? The weather has been nuts so far this winter!

Oh, and did I mention there are little sandy beaches on both sides of the pavilion? And there's an amazing view of the Milwaukee skyline and the nearby marina.

Going into the appointment to see South Shore Pavilion, I had very little doubt that it would be the perfect venue for our wedding - but after the appointment I had NO doubt. Because it's a park building, we bring in all our our services - caterer, bar staff, DJ, decorations, table linens, etc. It's going to be a lot of work for us, but I wanted to do all the work/planning myself anyway, so I'm up for the challenge. I love the idea of a blank slate and the freedom to do almost anything we want. The ideas are already swirling around my head!

Oh, and just to give you an idea of what it has the potential to look like after it's all dressed up, here are a few photos I've found online.

Source.

If I wasn't excited enough already before, after being in South Shore Pavilion has sent me crazy cuckoo bananas about the wedding.... even if it is a year and four months away.....

Your Weekly Pins

2012-01-06T13:57:00.000-06:00

Another Friday, another week of pins! Here's what caught my eye on Pinterest this week...

HOME DECOR

[These built-in bookcases are fantastic. I love their openness, but that diamond pattern on the glass adds so much more visual interest.]

[Oh, Anthropologie, what can't you do fabulously? I'm on the hunt for a great table lamp, and if this one were in my price range, I'd buy it up right away.]

[I can't stop looking at this kitchen. I want that subway tile backsplash, for sure, but will you get a load of that antique-looking range? And how about the cabinets that look like they're fronted with chicken wire? Don't even get me started on the island and its beautiful wooden counter.... my face is as green with envy as the color of that island. Awesome.]

[This is one of the cutest mud rooms/entryways I've ever seen! That dusty sage wainscoting is adorable and everything looks so polished with the crown molding above the windows and doorway.]

FOOD

[I'm not afraid of spicy food, and I'm definitely not afraid of spicy foods that's stuffed with other delicious food... these stuffed jalapeno peppers are a must-make. I'm thinking Super Bowl app?

I CAN HAZ STYLE?

[Every time I try on one of these big-bow-fronted blouses (ew... raise your hand if you hate that word, too), I feel like I'm trying too hard. And yet I continue trying them on... how can I not when I'm confronted by such adorable outfits as this?]

[I absolutely love the simplicity of this dress with that hot orange color. It's no frills, but still grabs attention. So fun.]

[Another attention-grabbing, fun dress! This bright-yellow one would look doubly awesome with fuchsia tights, no?]

GETTIN' HITCHED

[I haven't given a ton of thought to the color palette of our wedding, but nearly everything I'd gravitated to so far has been a muted, dusty color. I always thought I'd do the yellow/gray combo, but I'm kind of digging the idea of throwing in some sea-foam green or dusty blue, as well.]

[Playing into the color scheme above, here's an impossibly sweet table set up I love. I've already envisioned milk glass and mason jars strewn about the tables, but if I could tie in these colors, that would be even better!]

[More on the mason jar/milk glass front. I really like these simple wildflowers as well. Though I love peonies, wildflowers would be more cost-effective and laid-back.]

[This is a photo from one of my favorite weddings of all time.I bookmarked the wedding about a year ago (you know, way back before I became obsessed with Pinterest) and, until last week, hadn't looked back at it. The entire wedding is so darn cute it makes me want to barf up kittens and sparkles. I also love that sweet little table runner! It would be simple to make and would create a really fun look to the table.]

[Another shot from the fabulous wedding. I also love their use of milk glass (I have that exact same vase!) and those flowers are SO cute!]

There's plenty more where these came from! To see everything I pin, all week long, follow me on Pinterest!

New Year, New Additions

2012-01-02T21:02:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all rang in 2012 awesomely and safely. I spent my New Year's weekend back in Ohio, celebrating a late Christmas with my family and spending New Year's Eve with some of my oldest friends from back home (and one of their babies!) - it was such a nice few days... it was kind of hard to come back to Wisconsin!

When we did get back, we had the depressing task of taking down all the inside Christmas decorations... down came the tree, the ornaments, the snowmen and pom-pom Christmas trees... our house looked so bare and empty once everything was put away!

So, we spontaneously started on a project that's been on the back burner for a couple months now, no matter how small it is. Remember the dresser and mirror located in our living room? The one we upgraded once already?

Well, for weeks now we've been collecting old frames and quirky prints to create a frame collage around that mirror hanging above the dresser. I wanted to wait to put everything up on the wall until we had a couple more pieces, but after flipping through some pages of my new "bible" we got the itch to start working on it...

So up it all went!

Everything is thrifted or from Etsy.... such as this cute "Here Comes the Sun" print.

While this quasi-old ladyish 3D piece was found by Eric at a thrift store. The egg-blue color matches our couches so well, and the gold ties in with the dresser and the large mirror, as well.

And since we have so much love for Milwaukee posted around our house, we thought it was appropriate to show a little love for my home state... Eric gave me this "I Love Ohio" print for Christmas (one of the gifts I opened right before he proposed).

This cute woodland-themed cross-stitch may be my favorite thing on the wall, purchased for only 65 cents at the thrift store.

There's a big gap above the mirror I'd like to fill soon, as well as finding some not-so-rectangular pieces to hang in the mix, too. But even though the wall is only half filled, I already like it way more than the mostly-bare wall we had going on before. These hangings just add so much more life to the living room.

Not bad for a completely spontaneous project tackled after a six-hour drive home from a long weekend away!

I'm so happy we kicked off the year checking something off our 2012 to-do list. the more we get done before I go wedding-crazy (as if I haven't done so already....), the better!

What's on your 2012 to-do list? Is it home related? Fitness related? Career related? All three??

Your Weekly Pins

2011-12-29T12:00:00.000-06:00

Weekly Pins are back! My apologies if this week's is a little wedding-heavy.... what can I say, I tried not to pin anything until I was engaged and when the trigger was pulled I went hog wild.... I actually may keep many of my wedding pins private; as the closer the day comes the more I'll want it to be a surprise for everyone. But as for now, here's what caught my eye on Pinterest this week!

HOME DECOR

[How amazing is this fireplace? That swirl reminds me of "Starry Night." Simply awesome.]

[I absolutely love everything in this space - the rug is adorable, the vase of flowers is pretty and that green chair is so cute. But that DIY dresser is to die for.]

[This kitchen is so full of character, from the wall color to the chalkboard hung with burlap to the funky, vintage yellow chair. the cabinets, open shelving and that hanging pole above the sink just set the bar on this room even higher. Love it.]

[Oh, to have an apron sink. I absolutely love these big, deep sinks reminiscent of old farmhouses. I particularly like it with the addition of that beautiful butcher-block counter... if I can squeeze out a kitchen reno something in the near future, these would be my top two must haves!]

I CAN HAZ STYLE?

[This is another one of those outfits that I've pinned only to realize I pretty much already have all these pieces in my closet... But it's so cute! That floral dress is adorable.... and I like how the leather boots kind of rough everything up a bit.]

[You can't even see the bottom part of this outfit but already I'm absolutely obsessed with it. that sea-foam ruffled shirt, the cardigan, that awesome chunky necklace... Seriously, Lauren Conrad rarely misses a step.]

[How fantastic is this aqua dress? It kind of reminds me of a brighter version of the dress Kate Middleton wore after her engagement to Prince William was announced. The gathering at the waist would make this dress flattering on anyone.]

GETTIN' HITCHED

[ I don't even need to see the front of this dress to be completely wowed. The back is simply stunning.]

[I've really been drawn to lace dresses, especially those with little cap sleeves. This dress fits the bill, and that veil is beautiful, too.]

[I pinned this fantastic dress about two seconds after I saw it. And then I kept going back and looking at it. It is gorgeous... so simple and classic... I really can't stop thinking about it.]

[And just to prove to you that I can like something that's not covered in lace, this dress with a ruffled bottom is completely gorgeous.]

[On to reception decorations! I love hanging decor, and these brightly-colored lanterns would be a really fun addition.]

[For a more muted variation, I also like these twine balls for hanging from the ceiling, as well. I could easily make these myself, too.]

[I'm a long ways away from choosing wedding colors, but I'm liking this bride's idea of just using a bunch of different colors - the bridesmaids all lined up in a rainbow of colors definitely make a statement!]

[I really like a variation on the idea above - using chalkboard paint on mason jars and using those are the place cards/seating numbers.... and then everyone drinks out of their mason jar all night!]

[I don't know if we'll have a traditional cake or not, but this tree-trunk one it so totally awesome... it reminds me of one of my favorite books growing up, The Giving Tree. A very cool idea.]

[When i first envisioned a head table for a wedding, this is almost exactly what popped into my head. It's very simple, but completely my style.]

[I'm flower clueless. I know nothing about flowers. But what I do know is this bouquet is fantastic - I love all the colors, the mix of flowers and succulents, and of course I'm a sucker for billy balls... so this one wins me over.]

[This next bouquet is a bit more muted, but equally beautiful. Simply billy balls and succulents... I love it!]

[Obviously I'll ask my bridesmaids' opinions on what kind of dress they would like, but this one is so cute and classic... I think I'd be jealous of my bridesmaids seeing them wear this cute dress without me!]

ADORABLES

[Could there be a sweeter little dog than the puggle? that squished nose, those floppy ears... this little guy just stole my heart.]

[Awww... ol' floppy. I wonder how often he trips over those things?!]

[I swear there is nothing cuter on Earth than a puppy with radar ears... Corgis are slowly inching toward the top of my favorite dogs list.]

There's plenty more where these came from! To see my pins all week long, follow me on Pinterest.

A look back and a peek ahead

2011-12-28T12:21:00.001-06:00

At the end of last year, I shared 10 things I’dlike to do in 2011… I’d list them all here, but I’ll spare you because Ibasically did none of them…. Or maybe, like two or three. I’m no math major,but that isn’t a high percentage.

In my defense (scraping for excuses here, people), Ihad a few distractions. There were a handful of things that popped up in 2011 Iwasn’t prepared for… but as the year went on, it continually got better.

For instance, and this is something only a very,very small handful of people were ever aware of, throughout the month of January Iwent through a series of tests and biopsies to determine if I had breastcancer. A lump was discovered, and it was a big one. It was an incredibly scary, emotional experience and I’m so glad that,at the end of it, I was lucky enough to hear the words “You don’t have cancer.”Not everyone gets such happy news at the end of these tests, and I can’timagine the run of emotions they must feel. I have a whole new perspective on anyone who is diagnosed with any kind of cancer and hope I can go through life without another scare like mine again.

Shortly after my good news, Eric and I found a houselisted for sale online that we absolutely loved. We decided not to look furtherinto buying that house, but it did spark our interestinto buying a home. And on May 12^th, we closed on ourcute little house you’ve seen so much on this blog.

The next few months were essentially spent focusingon house projects – givingthe kitchen a facelift, going rummagingand thrifting for quirky decorations and going through not one,but twodining room tables. Hold on to your hats, folks, because there’s plenty moregoing into our home in the coming year.

In October, I went to a whirlwind of baseball games as my Milwaukee Brewers entered the MLB postseason as the National League Central Division champs. Sadly, they didn't make it to the World Series, but it was quite a ride watching them fight their way through!

And finally, the icing on top of a cake that justgot sweeter as it went on, the greatest dude I know askedme to be his dudette for life.

Let’s just say 2011 came in like a horriblebeast-lion and went out like the happiest little lamb there ever was.

So, let’sjust hope 2012 keeps up the awesome streak – I’m not sure how 2011 could betopped, but here are a few ways the next year could continue to be awesome:

For the love of God, finally get that1:55 half marathon! Imissed a PR at my last half by seven seconds, something that was pretty hard toswallow… but it was only three minutes longer than my 1:55 goal, and I’d onlybeen running for nine weeks after a three-plus month hiatus from running atall. So this year, I’m ready to get serious about training and knock my goalout of the water.
Seriously, get a least one articlepublished in a magazine (I said this last year...). I need to start brainstorming article ideas soon and start sending outqueries. I’ve got to use that Journalism degree sometime!
New updates to the kitchen. Hello new backsplash and (doublehooray!) a dishwasher!!!
Begin plans for finishing the basement.This is going to bea long, drawn out process, but Eric and I are so excited to get started on it.
Plan the coolest wedding there everwas. This is no easytask, but I can’t wait to get seriously planning with the wedding – ideas arefloating around in my head and I can’t wait to see them in action.
Get married? Eric and I aren’t sure if thewedding will take place in 2012 or if it will need to be pushed back to 2013.So there’s a big question mark here that will, hopefully, be erased sometimewithin the next couple of weeks.

So, youknow, nothing too big planned for the next year….. But seriously, if only thelast two things on my list get accomplished next year, I’ll still be onetotally happy lady. If I conquer everything above? Just call me Wonder Woman.

What are your goals/resolutions for2012? Or are you just forgoing any life changes because the whole world’ going to end anyway?

The Real Christmas Surprise

2011-12-27T06:33:00.000-06:00

Welcome back, everyone! I hope you all had at least half as wonderful of a Christmas that I did.

Last week, I shared our Chocolate Christmas Surprise with you all. Dont' get me wrong, this stuff always ends up tasty, but little did I know when I was making this candy mash up that I'd be getting a surprise for Christmas that is WWWWAAAAAAYYYY better than Cheerios covered in chocolate.

If you follow me on Facebook, Twitter or even on Pinterest you may already know the news, but in case you're not as obsessed with the Internet as I am, here it is....

Eric and I are engaged!!!!

You know how the song goes, first comes house, then comes marriage..... or something like that.

But, yes, it was the most incredible, spectacular, wonderful surprise I've ever had in my life. I absolutely had no idea this was coming, and even when it came I still wasn't sure what was going on!

So, here's how it happened: Last Friday morning we were headed up to Eric's hometown to spend Christmas with his family. We woke up early to get the car packed, and also to exchange our presents before hitting the road. Now, Eric had had my gifts wrapped and under the tree for a week, and for the life of me I could not figure out what was in these four odd-sized boxes. We traded turns opening presents, and Eric brought mine over to me, one by one. Two cute prints to put up somewhere in the house and an avocado cuber I'd added on Pinterest. I truly liked these things, and when he brought over the last present, I was curious to see what was in it.

Now, to help you understand the background on my last present: Do you remember when I shared about these two cute S'mores ornaments we bought for the tree this year? Mine had popcorn on it and Eric's was a baseball player. We loved our new, sweet little ornaments!

Well, my last Christmas gift I opened from Eric was this new S'mores ornament.

I was really confused, because this was definitely not our first Christmas together, but then it finally clicked that the characters were a bride and a groom, and, you know, the whole fact that at this point Eric had gotten down on one knee and was asking me to marry him.... after all that, it finally registered with me.

He had told absolutely no one of his plan. He wanted it to be a surprise not only to me, but to everyone else we knew. On top of that, he had no help on choosing the ring, either. I'm definitely not the kind of girl to drop hints about what kind of ring I would like (and I purposely never pinned any rings because I never wanted him to feel pressured), so the fact that he chose such a beautiful ring that's totally unique makes it even more special.

A beautiful round cut encircled with sapphires, and a diamond-lined band.

I don't know anyone else with a ring that looks like mine... I love how different it is! And hey, I already have my "something blue!"

We don't have a date set yet, but we've been doing some thinking and some researching over the weekend. Even though I've been busy looking at all things wedding all over the web, I still feel like it's not real! And although we've been together over three years, I just can't believe we're actually engaged. Eric is my best friend in the whole world and the fact that he kinda likes me back and wants me to be his wife makes me feel so incredibly lucky.

I'm going to do my best not to make this blog turn completely wedding-centric. I can't promise I'll keep ideas and inspirations off the blog completely, but I know some of you may not even be interested in the upcoming nuptials. All I know is I'm ready to plan one of the most fun, personal weddings imaginable.... And then have the most fun, awesome marriage there ever was.

Let the fun begin! :)

The 12 Pancakes of Christmas

2011-12-23T10:40:00.000-06:00

[No Weekly Pins this week, friends. Believe it or not, I've been too busy to pin this week!]

At this point, you're well aware of the Christmas spirit that lies within both Eric and myself. We are 100% Christmas nerds and not ashamed about it. Well, apparently this runs in the family, because yesterday I caught Mr. Pancakes red-pawed tearing into his Christmas present early. The little snooper's nose sniffed out his toy from all the presents under the tree!

Mr. Pancakes just can't wait until Christmas is here. As this is his third Christmas ever, he's learned what to expect when the holidays roll around in our house. He's also learned to expect the camera pointed at his face at any moment so we can capture all his holiday spunk (or lack thereof).

So, in honor of our festive little guy (and to punish him with embarrassment after his little snooping incident), today I bring you....

The 12 Pancakes of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas, my Pancakes said to me, "What in the heck is this leg thing doing in the window anyway?"

On the second day of Christmas, my Pancakes said to me, "Seriously, that cat looks nothing like me, you guys."

On the third day of Christmas, My Pancakes said to me, "That Scrooge guy really had the right mentality about all this Christmas stuff."

On the fourth day of Christmas, my Pancakes said to me, "...Buuutttt, I mean, these ornaments are kind of fun...."

On the fifth day of Christmas, my Pancakes said to me, "I never realized how beautifully my fur glows in these holiday lights...."

On the sixth day of Christmas, my Pancakes said to me, "Oh hey... Christmas means.... BOXES!"

On the seventh day of Christmas, my Pancakes said to me, "I love boxes...."

On the eighth day of Christmas, my Pancakes said to me, "OK, those boxes make me do naptimes now."

On this ninth day of Christmas, my Pancakes said to me, "If you just let me sleep, I'll let you buy me a new Christmas outfit."

On the 10th day of Christmas, my Pancakes said to me, "This was not the Christmas outfit I had in mind...."

On the 11th day of Christmas, my Pancakes said to me, "Is not even the right size, humans...."

On the 12th day of Christmas, my Pancakes said to me, "I really hope that's not another sweater for me..."

Don't let Mr. Pancakes fool you, he really does love Christmas. And to prove it, he even made a Christmas card for all of you. So, as a bonus, I'll share it with you all.

Have a merry Christmas, everyone! I'll see you next week! :)

Chocolate Christmas Surprise

2011-12-21T20:30:00.002-06:00

Today's post isn't so much of a recipe as a "What we do every year with our leftover melted chocolate" sharing. Eric and I used 36 ounces of chocolate chips while making our Buckeyes and Martha Washingtons last weekend, and had just enough melted chocolate left over to carry on what has become one of our favorite holiday traditions: Chocolate Christmas Surprise.

Chocolate Christmas Surprise really lends itself to the maker's creativity. It also lends itself to whatever happens to be in your pantry at the time. There are no mistakes when making Chocolate Christmas Surprise.... only, well, surprises.

First, scour your pantry. What do you have? Pretzels? Potato chips? Nuts? Cereal? Marshmallows? Bacon?

Throw it all in your chocolate!

I highly suggest adding something salty in the mix. Ever since I just wrote the word "bacon" a minute ago, I'm really sad that we didn't think to add bacon to the mix. But we didn't have any on hand... so that would be cheating.

OK, so once you have all your ingredients thoroughly mixed in the chocolate (ours included pretzels, Tasteeos, chopped peanuts, coconut and M&Ms), dump it all out on some wax paper.

Make sure it's obnoxiously festive by adding plenty of Christmas sprinkles.

And then boost it up even further by adding some more Christmas-colored M&Ms.

Let it cool, break it up in chunks, and enjoy.

I promise, there is literally almost no way to screw this up. Unless you add something fancy to the mix. Please keep this as low-brow as possible, folks.

You wouldn't be the only ones...

Classic Decorated Sugar Cookies

2011-12-20T20:45:00.001-06:00

This post is dedicated to my mom, who, all throughout mylife I begged to make her beautiful, delicious frosted sugar cookies eachChristmas. They are one of the things I look forward to most each year – they’realways so bright and so prettily decorated. But, up until I tried tackling themmyself a couple years ago, I never realized just how much work she put intothem. Mom, I'm sorry for unknowingly giving you so much added stress every Christmas. I owe you one (or, like, 90 dozen at this point).

Baking the cookies is simple – make the dough, roll it out,cut out your shapes, bake and let cool. It’s the coloring of the frosting andthe decorating that takes time…. Time as in hours…. Or days. For real. It maytake a toll on your back and your hands (I’m convinced piping frosting oncookies is the best hand-strengthening workout there is), but in the end I promise it’s actually a fun, creative process.

This will be my first year ever not being home at Christmas,not grabbing one of my favorite cookies to gobble each time I pass through thekitchen. So, in lieu of my mom’s cookies, I thought I’d make my own.

Now, I’m far lazier than my mom, so I made only about twodozen (probably a third of what my mom makes each year), and mine are actuallyfar less intricate than hers… but I still had a fantastic time frosting whilesinging along to Christmas records in the kitchen. If this doesn’t get youinto the Christmas spirit, nothing will.

This year, I made four different festive shapes.

They all turned out fairly well, but I think I liked my snowmen the best.

When I reached the end of my decorating, I still had the tiniest bit yellow frosting left. I hate the idea of wasting anything so scrumptious and sugary as thick frosting, so I asked Eric what he thought I should do with it.

This was his idea:

That's right. A snowman that's been peed on. This is the man I've chosen to live with, everyone.

(Actually, don't tell him this, but this little fella, no matter how off-color he may be, might just be my favorite cookie of the year.)

Now, I prefer my Christmas cut-out cookies on the softer side, which is the way my mom makes them. If you like a crispier, harder cookie, Martha Stewart has a great recipe here. But, with my mom's blessing, today I'll share her recipe with you.

Soft Sugar Cookies (Mom's recipe)

1 c. butter

2. c. sugar

t tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 c. milk

at least 3 c. flour, probably more

Cream butter and sugar then add eggs and vanilla. Combine baking powder, baking soda, salt and add to creamed mixture. Alternate adding flour and milk; add enough flour to make stiff dough to roll out- probably more than three cups. Bake 6-8 min. at 400°.

Frosting

½ c. butter

½ c. Crisco shortening

1 tsp. vanilla extract (you can use almond, too)

pinch of salt

4 c. powdered sugar

Mix together then use food coloring to portions as needed. Decorate to your heart's delight.

If you hurry, you have just enough time to make these just time time to put out for Santa (and don't forget Rudolph's carrots!)

What is your hands-down favorite Christmas cookie? If you don't have a favorite cookie, what's your favorite Christmas treat?

Christmas Swirl Cookies

2011-12-19T20:58:00.001-06:00

For me, Christmas is all about tradition – I’ve got quite afew I stick to every year (like watching about 10 different Rankin & Bassmovies, listening to the Oak Ridge Boys Christmas album – hey, don't judge until your heart has been warmed by their spirited tune "Christmas Carol" –and, of course, making Buckeyes and Martha Washingtons), but I always try toincorporate something new into my Christmas habits each year.

This year, I tookto Pinterest to find some new holiday inspiration, and when I stumbled acrosssome beautiful, Seuss-like cookies, I knew I had to try them for myself.

I wish I could claim this recipe as my own, but alas, Icannot. The blog where it was pinned from is right here. I followed theirrecipe exactly and didn’t run into any snafus, although I was certain I'd fail on rolling the dough into a log - I'd never made a rolled dessert up to this point!

The great thing about these swirly cookies is that they're slice-and-bake. You cake make the dough, roll it up into a swirly log, roll the log in sprinkles and then freeze the whole darn thing until you're ready to bake. They're not very time consuming or difficult, but if you're set on serving fresh-baked cookies at a holiday party, these would be simple to prepare ahead of time.

These are a crisp, buttery cookie that aren't overloaded with sugar. They're not the most over-the-top-tasting cookie on Earth, but they look so incredibly pretty it's fun just to dress up a cookie platter with them. If you'd like to make them yourself, just click here.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for a look at my all-time favorite Christmas cookies - ones that take just a bit more time to make than these....

Double-Dipped Fun: Buckeyes & Martha Washingtons

2011-12-19T08:01:00.000-06:00

I was pretty busy over the weekend drowning myself in a serious dose of holiday cheer. On Friday, Eric and I checked out the MillerCoors Holiday Lites Show at the Miller Brewery, which is always a fantastic spectacle. Then, Saturday we enjoyed an incredibly festive turtleneck party, complete with live-band karaoke. The event birthed what may be my favorite photo ever taken of myself (thanks, Mike!), and was the closest experience I'll ever have to being a rock star.

But between looking at lights and taking the stage, Eric and I had a fun-filled day of making our favorite Christmas treats. Each day this week, I'll share a different treat that was made over the weekend, but today I'll share two favorites, dipped in chocolate: Buckeyes and Martha Washingtons.

Buckeyes are a traditional candy to native Ohioans, such as myself. Though I've been displaced from the Buckeye state for a few years, I still make the candy each Christmas. Now, I am quite the purist when it comes to Buckeyes - the candy can only be called a "Buckeye" if the peanut-butter ball is dipped in chocolate only enough to let a little button of peanut butter peek out at the top (thus, resembling the actual Buckeye nut... which is the state nut of Ohio, for those of you who may not be aware/care). Any other ball of peanut butter, whether coated completely in chocolate or only drizzled in it, is NOT a Buckeye... it is merely a chocolate-covered peanut butter ball. Please do not confuse the two. Just.... don't.

The Buckeye recipe is a simple one, and I always follow my mom's recipe, as hers always turn out delicious.

Basically, you just mix up 2 cups of peanut butter with 1 cup of butter and 1.5 cups of powdered sugar.When that gets combined well, you just start rolling the mixture into balls. My peanut-butter balls usually end up to be sized anywhere between a large marble and small golf ball (though I'm pretty sure all golf balls are the same size...). Then, I put all the peanut butter balls in the fridge for about half an hour to an hour to let them firm up - this is imperative to ensure a smooth dipping process.

While the peanut-butter balls are chilling, melt up 12 ounces of chocolate in a double boiler (I've always had more luck with this method, as compared with melting chocolate in a microwave), and while you're at it, melt a 3" square of paraffin wax in with the chocolate, too. The paraffin makes the chocolate smooth and gives a beautiful sheen to the chocolate when it's set.

After the chocolate is melted, take out your chilled peanut-butter balls and dip them into the chocolate using a toothpick. I like to go in at an angle to try to cover up as much of the toothpick hole as possible. Dip only enough to leave a small peanut-butter button peeking out at the top. Like I said, it's only a Buckeye if that little bit is left uncovered!

And that's it! Let the Buckeyes set up until the chocolate it hard, and you're done!

While I was working on my Buckeyes, Eric was busy in his corner of the kitchen making his favorite Christmas candy: Martha Washingtons. I'd never had a Martha Washington until I started dating Eric, and now I can say they're another treat I look forward to every year. If you like Mounds bars, you will love Martha Washingtons!

To make them, dump a can of sweetened condensed milk, two cups of sweetened coconut, 2 pounds of powdered sugar, a cup or two of chopped walnuts (or pecans) and half a stick of melted butter in a bowl. You can go the clean route and use a mixer to combine everything, or you can use Eric's method of using your hand to mix everything up - he says the hand method is the best way.

Once everything is nice and combined, start rolling the mixture into balls. Eric's were about (you know, standard) golf ball size.

Then, chill in the fridge for half an hour to an hour. While chilling, melt 12 ounces of chocolate chips and a 3" square of paraffin wax in a double boiler (since we were both using dipping chocolate, Eric and I just melted a large 24oz bag of chocolate chips and half a slice of paraffin wax together. We are good at sharing). When it's all melted, dip away!

With Martha Washingtons, you dip the entire sugary, coconut-y ball completely in chocolate, using a toothpick.

When they've set, they're a shiny, beautiful chocolate-covered ball!

But there's a sweet, coconut surprise when you bite in!

Mmm.... delicious.

Either of these candies can be made any time of year, but they're extra special around Christmas time. the amount of each I've ingested since Saturday afternoon is... well, not attractive. BUT, I dare you to make them and not do the same!

Come back tomorrow for a look at another contributor to my weekend-long sugar coma, sure to leave you dizzy with holiday spirit.

Your Weekly Pins

2011-12-16T14:37:00.001-06:00

Another Friday, another week full of pins! Here's what caught my eye on Pinterest this week...

HOME DECOR

[I love this multi-level bedroom. I've always had a thing for sunken dens, but I really like the idea of the sleeping area being raised above everything else... unless you trip down the stairs on a mid-night bathroom break in the dark, which is something I could very easily picture myself doing...]

[I absolutely adore this herringbone ceiling. It's got this fantastic 3-D effect, and is totally unexpected. Super creative way to bring a bold pattern into the home.]

[Speaking of herringbone, how spectacular is the pattern in these neutral, earthy shades on this wall? That is, if you can pull your eyes off the absolutely spectacular library card catalog... One day I WILL own one.]

FOOD

[There are few things in life that bring me more joy than a perfectly-baked chocolate chip cookie... unless it somehow morphs into a super cookie of sorts, like this salted-caramel chocolate-chunk cookie. I can't even say that cookie combo out loud without drooling all over myself...]

[Eggnog is a very polarizing taste - you either love it or can't stand it. I only developed a taste for it just a couple of years ago, but now that I'm on board with the traditional holiday beverage, I'd like everything to be spiked with its flavor throughout Christmas. So when I saw this eggnog fudge, I knew I had to try my hand at it - a perfect Christmas treat.]

I WANT

[How awesome is this idea of stackable makeup brushes to use while traveling? That way you don't have to carry all your different brushes, and could simply throw the assembled brush wand in your bag and go?]

[Way back in the day, I played guitar. It's been a while, but seeing this guitar-pick punch kind of makes me want to get back into the game. Create picks out of the credit cards you've maxed out buying vintage Fenders!]

[Now, this one cracks me up. When I saw it, I thought it was one of those crazy Japanese inventions, but as I looked at it I realized how useful it would've been when I was in college, trudging to class, clasping an umbrella that would never shield the horizontal-falling rain from my face and hair. The umbrella dome, you guys, is GENIUS.]

PRINTS AND PRETTIES

[I've got no desire to go to France. Like, none. If the closest I ever get to Paris is via a Google Map on my treadmill, that's fine by me. But I just thought this was the prettiest picture - the mutest tones, the whimsical balloons... just very pretty.]

ADORABLES

[Don't you know exactly what this puppy is saying in his mind right now? He wants a walk, he toddles up to you and with one little cock of the head, he looks up (or two opposite sides of the room...) and says, "Baroo?" Instant heart meltage.]

[This may be the most adorable news story of 2011. This baby seal (you guys, his name is LUCKY) broke into a house through a cat door, hopped up onto the couch and hunkered down for a cozy little nap. I read this story about six times yesterday and "awwwww"ed my whole way through.]

[You didn't think I'd get out of this section without pinning a French Bulldog puppy, did you? That is 3.5 pounds of "aawwwww" right there.]

FUNNEE

[Guys, did you have the Gravitron at your county fair? Did you even enjoy your county fair? I sure did, but I definitely was never as awesome as this dude while riding the Gravitron... in fact, I was probably way too busy trying not to barf to even think of pulling off a stunt like this. Well done, sir.]

[I wasn't exactly sure whether to put this in the "Adorables" or "Funnee" board, because it is the perfect amount of both. Poor kitten just wants some toasty 'tocks! How's he supposed to know laptops weren't made to keep kittens cozy?]

[I really can't get enough of all the Ryan-Gosling-themed Tumblrs that have popped up over the web recently. Maybe it's because I can't get enough of Ryan Gosling, but either way, to a DIY crafty girl, this is pretty much as good as it gets.]

[And keeping up with the whole Ryan Gosling craft theme...]

[YOU GUYS, IT'S NEVER NOT FUNNY!]

There's more (Ryan Gosling) where these came from! Follow me on Pinterest to see what's caught my eye all week long.

Tread on me all you want

2011-12-13T16:46:00.000-06:00

When we were kids, Christmas lists were often comprised oftoys and playthings that would keep us busy for hours. Somewhere along theline, we saw fewer toys underneath the tree and more clothes, gadgets and, ifyou’re me, household items.

However, this year is the return of the toy.

Back on Black Friday, I was doing a little online shopping(I refuse to step foot in a big-box store the day following Thanksgiving) and stumbled across an incredible one-day sale on something I’d been goingback and forth on buying for quite some time: a treadmill.

You see, while I love running, I’m slightly fair-weather aboutit. I get too scared running in the dark alone, and I’m not one for tip-toeingaround snow piles and slush puddles – here in Milwaukee, winter means it’s darkat 4pm and snowy sidewalks are unavoidable. So, with PRs to cross off in the2012 running season, either I had to suck it up or invest in a machine to helpme along.

So when I saw that the Pro-Form Performance 1450, a treadmill that hasreceived rave reviews for its price range, was being offered for 60% until 3pm on black Friday only, I decided to bite the bullet. This was a Christmaspresent to myself. My new Christmas toy.

My toy arrived exactly one week after I’d ordered it. Ericrecruited some incredibly nice coworkers to help him bring it downstairs to ourbasement to set up (the package was 250 pounds!). Then, the next morning webegan setting it up. Seven hours later, we were done.

That’s right. It took us SEVEN HOURS to put together thecontraption (granted, we took a couple sanity breaks within that time frame). And on top of that, I developed a pretty nasty migraine just 10minutes into its assembly. Not the most joyous day of my life.

The reason it took so long to assemble is that a few of thepre-drilled holes in the machine seemed way too small for the screws thecompany provided in the box. We were using the right screws, the holes werejust way too small. Eric tried a few different options and finally though aboutgreasing the screws to help them go in – the combination of extra elbow greaseand actual grease helped things along a bit. Unfortunately, it took us a coupleof hours to realize this solution.

I won’t go into all the dirty details, but itwas a completely frustrating day and the fact that Eric and I made it throughwithout even raising our voices at each other pretty much means we can getthrough anything. High fives to us.

So, let’s get into the actual fun stuff: the gadget/gizmoawesomeness of the treadmill.

The reason I refer to the Pro-Form Performance 1450 as a toy and not merely apiece of exercise equipment is that it has some fantastic toy-like gadgetrygoing on. It’s WiFi enabled, which means that while I’m working out I can alsodo a little Facebook stalking. Or do a little re-pinning on Pinterest. Or watchthe latest viral video on YouTube.

You guys, the future is awesome.

Another incredible feature of my new treadmill is that italso works hand-in-hand with Google Maps. So I can just draw a running route onGoogle essentially anywhere in the world, choose that saved map on my treadmill, andthe treadmill will automatically adjust its incline to any hills along theroute – it reads the map’s topography. Guys, it's topographical.

I can also use Google Street View toactually see the street-level view of where I’m running – whether it be throughCentral Park in NYC, along the impossibly gorgeous Road to Hana in Maui orthrough the streets of Copenhagen in Denmark. I’ve run all three routes, andlet me say that running in “Hawaii” when it’s 15 degrees outside is prettttyyy, prettttyyy, pretttyyy incredible (even if it's only Hawaii via my 10" touchscreen monitor).

The treadmill is enabled to work with iFit Live, which is aprogram for registered users that includes different training programs forvarious-distance races, video workouts and specially-planned workoutsdeveloped by (or, more likely, marketed with their names attached) superstar trainer Jillian Michaels and, for some reason, “The View”co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck. If you’re not into following a trainer’s program,iFit Live will just track your own manual treadmill workouts and keep alog of them online – pretty useful to have when I’m logging my workout ontoDailyMile and need to reference my actual time and distance when I’m away fromthe treadmill and don't want to jot things down in a notebook afterward.

The treadmill is fantastic – although I suffered a littlebuyer’s remorse after actual purchase, I got it at an incredible price and it’sjust going to be another great workout tool to have around the house. The way Ilook at it, I don’t have a gym membership, so figuring the price I would payfor that versus the total price of the Pro-Form Performance 1450, I’d have my money’s worthin less than two years. Totally worth it!

Anyway, I can try and describe the awesomeness of thistreadmill in my own words, but the real selling point for me was watching thisenticing video. After seeing this, I couldn’t walk away from the awesome pieceof equipment. Check it out for yourself.

Whether at the gym orin your home, what’s your favorite piece of workout equipment? Obviously, mineis my new treadmill, but before that I loved working in hard spinning sessionson our bike trainer. When I had a gym membership (years ago now!) I had alove-hate relationship with the step mill (you know, those tall, rotatingstairs that always seem to be empty?); it’s such a tough workout on thatmachine – about 10x harder than a Stairmaster, if you ask me!

The Chair Affair

2011-12-12T12:10:00.001-06:00

Taking a break from all the festive Christmas posting, I thought I'd let you in on another example of how patience in home decorating pays off BIG TIME.

As you might already be aware, the seating situation in our French room has changed a few times in the seven months since we moved into our home. We started our nixing the idea of having a dining table in our house, then decided we'd try and make our own rustic table.

Then, we decided to upgrade to a sturdier, bigger table from World Market.

A nice improvement, but as you can see we were still working with two rickety folding chairs we picked up at a thrift store just so we'd have something to set our butts on while using the table. Not exactly the most stylish option.

Months ago, I'd had my eye on some metal Tabouret stacking chairs for sale at Overtsock.com. As far as pricing for four dining chairs goes, they were relatively inexpensive, at $200 for the set. But I still couldn't bring myself to plunk down two Benjamins for a few chairs. I held off on purchasing the chairs, hoping I'd find them somewhere cheaper.

And while we were buying our Jackson table from World Market, we were tthhiiiiiiiiisss close at buying the matching set of Jackson chairs to go with it. At the time, furniture was 25% off, so each chair would have been marked down to $82.50 from $110. Not bad, but still a little too much I'd want to pay for a bunch of chairs.

Then, after some aimless online shopping on Cyber Monday a couple weeks ago, I found my way over to Overstock.com and clicked on their furniture deals, just to see what they would have on sale for the day. I was absolutely shocked to see that those metal chairs I'd originally seen and wanted to buy months ago were now on sale for $99 for the entire set of four! They were marked down from the O.co "today's price" of $250 to $99! What a steal!!! Without missing a beat, I clicked "buy." Then, I searched through my e-mail inbox for a $10 off coupon I'd received from Overstock when we moved into our house. So, with my coupon and Overtsock's free shipping and no sales tax policy, all four chairs were mine for $89.95... that's $22.49 per chair! To further prove that I can still somewhat do math (with the help of a calculator), that's nearly 65% off the original price. I could not believe my luck.

So, after waiting only one week from purchase, the chairs were delivered. It's amazing just how much more polished the French room looks with these new chairs.

The metal on the chairs is just slightly lighter than the metal on the table legs, but you really have to look to even pick out the difference. For less than $23 per chair, I was willing to overlook the difference in shades...

The chairs themselves are great. The sit at the perfect height at our table, and the arms actually fit underneath so the chairs don't have to sit awkwardly around the edges of the table. I actually love that the have arms, too!

I simply cannot believe the amazing deal I pulled on these chairs. I felt bad buying something for ourselves around the holidays, but there was just no way I was going to walk away from such a great sale. They balance out our mid-century/modern rustic French room so well!

And, just for fun, here's a little "can you spot the lazy cat?" photo... Our home's version of Where's Waldo.

P.S. The chairs are "on sale" right now on Overstock for $195.... A far cry from how cheaply I got them, but four dining chairs for under $200 is still nothing to scoff at. So far, the chairs are great - sturdy, comfortable and great looking. I'd recommend them to anyone looking for that industrial dining area look.

Your Weekly Pins

2011-12-09T14:17:00.001-06:00

Another Friday, another week of pins! Here's what caught my eye on Pinterest this week...

HOME DECOR

[I've got a thing for French doors (hence, why our "French room" is my favorite space in our house), so when I saw these beautiful airy doors opening this bedroom to its patio, I had instant room envy.]

[Is this not the sunniest, happiest kitchen you've ever seen? That yellow subway title is incredible and I'm totally digging those amazing bar stools. I love it all!]

[I don't even know what to say about this space. The high, beamed ceiling, the rustic feel... and that reading loft. Oh, that reading loft! I don't think I'd ever leave.]

BAKED GOODS

[Behold, the recipe that simultaneously brought me the most joyous and the saddest moment of my life. The most joyous because this is the most delicious 5-minute chocolate cake in a mug recipe on Earth. The saddest because, well, if you had seen me scarfing this puppy down at 10pm last Saturday night, you'd have thought it was quite sad, too.]

[How adorable is this tangled-Christmas-light cupcake?? So different from your typical Santa and snowmen treats you see over the holidays. I love it!]

I CAN HAZ STYLE?

[Oh hey! Another lace dress! (Used to be available at ae.com, but has since been taken down)]

[....Aaannndddd, another one. What can I say? I'm a one-trick pony.]

[I absolutely love this scalloped, almost fish-scaled dress. If I were super fancy and did totally chic things on New Year's Eve, I'd totally wear a dress like this. With black tights and brightly-colored heels. But I am not chic, so jeans it is!]

A CHRISTMAS STORY

[The colors in this vintage Christmas print are amazing. I'd love to hang this somewhere in our house over the holidays!]

[And speaking of vintage Christmas, how adorable are these kitcshy, retro decorations? I've been looking for a few of those old deer figures for a while - I think they're so sweet!]

[I love advent calendars so much, and I love the simplicity of this one. Framed, cute little pockets for storing tiny goodies!]

FUNNEE

[Why leggings are not pants. Seriously, girls.]

There's plenty more where these came from! Follow me on Pinterest to see everything I love, all week long!

Handmade Holiday Crafts, part 2

2011-12-07T06:24:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I shared the first installment of my “I wentcrazy and did a whole bunch of Christmas crafts” series. Today, I wrap it upwith a couple of projects that I actually had to leave my house and, therefore,put on real pants to get supplies for. Life is so hard when you have to put on properhuman clothes to go out in public.

My first project was a Christmas wreath to go on our frontdoor. No matter if said wreath has not yet made it to the door, it still looks fun and pretty.

I’d already perfectedmy yarn-wrapping skillz a couple of weeks ago on my “ER project,” so I knew wrappinga circular 10” foam wreath form would be cake compared to completing thatcardboard “R.” While fairly simple, it was slightly tedious – all in all, ittook about an hour and a half to wrap the thing completely. From there, it waseasy: I picked out a few coordinating Christmassy ribbons and wrapped a band ofeach around the right side of the wreath.

Then, I attached some sparkly wreath embellishments to thewreath, and covered up how I bound them with some big, red pom-pom balls. Justto make things a bit more whimsical, I fashioned a little peppermint swirl outof a candy-cane-striped pipe cleaner. The pom-poms and pipe cleaner were allaffixed with hot glue.

I didn’t really have a set plan when I sat down to work onthis project – I just kept adding things as I went and was happy with thefinished product.

My final project was inspired by a holiday decoration I sawin a store somewhere and I thought, “Hey, I could make that!” Two happy, puffyChristmas trees made from different-sized pom-poms.

I started out with two Styrofoam cones (found in the floralarrangement department at craft stores) – one large, one small. I startedapplying the pom-poms by painting on tacky glue to the cone and then pressingthe pom-poms on, but they didn’t adhere to the Styrofoam cones at all. So I did the totally non-ghettothing and grabbed a couple sheets of plain printer paper and stapled themaround the cones.

The pom-poms stuck so much better to the paper.

The project was really simple (a small child could do thisone easily), but just took some patience. When I finished the larger tree, Idecided it needed a topper, so I just cut out a star from yellow constructionpaper, painted it with glitter, attached it to a toothpick and stuck that tothe top of the tree. It’s not the classiest topper, but until I make a feltedyellow star to set on top, it will do for now.

These trees are a perfect not-so-serious decoration to add alittle fun around the house. If I had a mantel, I’d definitely stick these ontop. Since our home is mantel-less, these trees have taken a tour of the house betweensitting on our coffee table, a side table and their current residence atop ourdining table. Who knows where else they’ll end up this season!

So, there you have it. Between yesterday and today’s posts,there are five easy, cheap Christmas decorations you can knock out on aweekend. No excuse for spending loads of money on decorations when you can makethem yourself!

What crafts have youtackled this holiday season? Do you have a favorite Christmas craft of alltime? When I was in kindergarten, I made an ornament tying frayed yarn around ajar cap ring to create a fluffy wreath and thought it was the coolest craftever. It still hangs on my parents’ tree every year!

Three Quick Christmas Crafts Made with Stuff I Had on Hand

2011-12-06T07:24:00.001-06:00

When we were decorating for Christmas a couple of weeks ago,I realized that now that we have a house, the Christmas decorations that usedto holiday-up our apartment just fine don't seem like enough. I have a fewlittle snowmen characters and some cute fabric Christmas trees for decoration,but in keeping with our ongoing “More is Always Better” theme this holidayseason, I wanted to add on. But most importantly, I wanted to make the rest of our holiday decor myself. Last weekend, I busted out five different holiday crafts in just two mornings.

This first installment of my holiday crafts are those I madewith supplies I already had at home. They were all super quick and easy tomake, and though they’re small, they add a nice little touch throughout thehouse. Tomorrow, I’ll share the two other projects I made that I had to go outand purchase supplies for.

My first “already had the stuff” project was essentially twoyears in the making. A couple Christmases ago, I found an idea I wanted to try,bought the materials at Michaels, and then did not touch them. At all. For twoyears. It’s not like it’s a tedious project – it’s actually incredibly easy andquick! This jingle-bell door knob wreath took me just about 30-45 minutes tomake while watching a rerun of the second-season opener of “The O.C.” (OMG canyou believe Summer is has a new boyfriend?! And Marissa is messing around withthe gardener!? And Caleb gets arrested?!). I grabbed my now toddler-aged packageof jingle bells, along with some wire and grabbed some ribbon I already had onhand. Then I just determined the size wreath I wanted, cut the wire to thatsize, then simply strung the jingle bells on. I hid the spot where I tied offthe wire with the ribbon, fashioned a little bow and, voila! One prettyjingle-bell wreath that makes a perfect jingle-jangle sound whenever the dooris opened.

The next craft was probably the easiest project I’ve everdone, completed in less than 10 minutes for both pieces. I had a bag ofminiature cinnamon-scented pinecones in our Christmas decorations container, soI grabbed some of those and dumped them in two rectangle-shaped clear vases (thered berries and green sparkly star were also in the bag of pinecones). Then Icut some burlap to wrap around the base of each vase, and tied some greenraffia ribbon around the burlap for a pretty, rustic finish. The two spicy-smellingvases currently sit on a shelf in our main-floor bathroom. Again: such a simpleproject.

My third project was, again, incredibly easy and made fromthings I already had stashed in my craft closet. Eric and I agreed that ourtree topper, Baby Sinclair, while festive, need a little boost. So I cut out afew triangles from construction paper, wrote a little holiday message on themin red glittery puffy paint (puffy paint has never gone out of style, no matterwhat anyone tells you), and glued them to two pieces of green-and-white baker’stwine. Now, Baby Sinclair wishes a joyful “Merry Christmas!” to all who spothim atop our tree.

Remember to come back tomorrow to see the other two (slightlymore detailed) Christmas projects I completed last weekend!

"It Reminds Me of the Fourth of July!"

2011-12-05T10:29:00.001-06:00

Last week, I alluded to the fact that our house has been dubbed the Winter Wonderland of our block. I thought it might have been a little premature, and that the rest of the block would catch up with our outdoor light display a little closer to Christmas, but here we are on December 5th, and it seems Eric's coveted title of "most-decorated home on the street" is, indeed, ours.

We began our journey weeks ago at Home Depot, where we picked up a few strands of lights and some special characters from beloved Christmas classics "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown" and, my personal favorite, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

After that initial purchase, Eric found a festive ribbon-and-bells display at a thrift store that would fit nicely above our picture window out front. And I picked up some blue-and-white snowflakes to hang from the gabled awning at our front door.

And, because it is the holidays, we though we'd reintroduce an old friend of the neighborhood.

That's right, good old Mr. Bear promised "I'd be Home for Christmas," and was moved from the backyard to be the center of our Christmas light display out front, complete with a festive hat and all (We've already gotten pleased comments about his triumphant return).

We finished things up with some net lights to throw on the bushes that line our walkway. And, just because we didn't think we'd quite hit our stride in obnoxiousness, we lined both sides of the yards will some crazy blinking candy canes.

Eric worried that what we'd purchased, even though we'd already dropped hundreds of dollars on Christmas stuff already (that is not an overestimation, people), would not be enough. But, alas, the season had arrived, and we still had gifts to buy. Besides, this is our first Christmas of decorating outside - we'd build upon our display in the years to come.

So, here it is. Every evening at 5 o'clock, our home lights up and fills our otherwise cheerless (or, maybe slightly less tacky?) neighborhood.

You can see our house from a couple blocks away.

Why yes, we did bring our old fake tree outside to add just a little more light and cheer. And yes, we are fully aware of the irony of having a real tree inside while taking our fake tree outside.

And, of course, what kind of "A Christmas Story" superfans would we be if we didn't have a leg lamp displayed in our front window, providing the neighbors with the "soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window."

"It reminds me of the Fourth of July!"

Now, honestly, I don't think we have an overabundance of lights outside our house. I grew up being best friends with the girl who lived in the most-decorated home in the entire county, which I always loved. Our house doesn't have the size acreage to compare to their true, beautiful winter wonderland, but we're working with what we've got. Eric is still scheming for ways to add to the display. One day, we'd like to somehow decorate those two large pines out front with oversized Christmas tree bulb ornaments and, of course, encircle the trunks with more lights.

But as for now, we're happy with the display we've got. There certainly is no question who are the biggest Christmas enthusiasts on our block.

what i'm loving today . . .

A map-ster of disguise

I want to move to England for this reason only

Warm fuzzies

Your Weekly Pins

Old and new

Custom Bookshelves

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Almond-Flour Chocolate-Chip Cookies

It's Curtains for the Gauze

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Vegan Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

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Painted Chevron Coat Hanger

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Snoboy on Wheels

The Venue!

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New Year, New Additions

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A look back and a peek ahead

The *Real* Christmas Surprise

The 12 Pancakes of Christmas

Chocolate Christmas Surprise

Classic Decorated Sugar Cookies

Christmas Swirl Cookies

Double-Dipped Fun: Buckeyes & Martha Washingtons

Your Weekly Pins

Tread on me all you want

The Chair Affair

Your Weekly Pins

Handmade Holiday Crafts, part 2

Three Quick Christmas Crafts Made with Stuff I Had on Hand

"It Reminds Me of the Fourth of July!"

The Real Christmas Surprise