Washi Tape Pencil Cup

When we were going through the house to stage it and make it look like nobody really lived there, I decided this black mesh-metal desk organizer was way too, "someone-lives-here-and-has-a-lot-of-crap."

I still needed to retain a little of the utility in my office, so I found some washi tape and a plastic pencil cup on clearance for $2 and did a super-quick makeover.

I got rid of the lid (and I'm a poet and didn't know it - not above 4th grade humor) and lined up the first row of tape just below the lip on the top of the container. After I worked my way around the first row, I made a cut and lined up the next row like wallpaper. I think I ended up with 5 rows or so. 

At the bottom, I just wrapped the tape around the bottom edge and called it a day!

Or I would have...but it still needed some more color. I grabbed a thinner Kelly green roll of washi tape to finish of the top edge of the container. 

BOOM! Only five minutes to awesome! Throw in some office supplies and NOW you can call it a day. Like I said, super quick, super easy. 

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

I wanted to come up with a healthy dessert option for Mother's Day. We all know where the majority of the calories come from when you eat a cupcake...the frosting. This recipe is already low-calorie and low-fat because some of the butter has been replaced with sour cream (so it is still super moist) and the frosting has been replaced with fruit-based icing and a dollop of fat-free Cool Whip. Making these changes allows this bad-boy to ring in with a calorie count of only 230. So that being said, let's dive in!

The Grocery List:

• 1 stick of salted butter (1/2 cup)
• 1 (8 oz) container of fat-free sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of egg substitute
• 2 cups all purpose flout
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 lb strawberries
• 1 lemon
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Cool Whip Free
• Cupcake liners

The Prep: 

Start by melting the stick of butter and set aside to let cool. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and salt) in a medium-sized bowl with a whisk. Also, while the butter is cooling, now would be a good time to slice up some strawberries for garnish. I only used one slice per cupcake, which came to only about 8-9 small strawberries. Make sure you reserve at least 4 medium-large strawberries for the glaze. 

The Batter:

Now that your butter is cooled (or at least, not HOT), it's time to make some batter! Using an electric mixer, whisk the sour cream and melted butter until well combined. Add the sugar and vanilla. Whisk for an additional 2-3 minutes at medium speed. Add the egg substitute and blend for another 2 minutes on medium. 

DIY: Framed Memo Board

In an effort to get more organized and to clear out some closet space, I wanted to use this frame to make a memo board for my office (a ridiculous work in progress). I used to work at a frame shop so there were tons of deals that I couldn't pass up, so I have a closet full of unused frames. Having these frames around has worked out so far because I change out our wall decor seasonally, but I am in desperate need of more storage space, so it's use-it or lose-it time!

I have always loved this particular frame so I had to snag it when it went unused for a custom frame order and went on clearance. The old world style just doesn't jive with the decor in our house, though, so I had to bust out the spray paint and switch up the look a bit (don't hate me, Mom!).

I sprayed a quick layer of primer, followed by a couple of coats of the white gloss paint. 

I bought an unframed cork-board at a local craft store for about $15. I wanted it to have more of a fabric, memo board look, than the look of actual cork. I had some coarse linen fabric leftover from a previous project that I wanted to glue on the surface of the cork to get that fabric texture. 

Ombré Fabric Napkins

I am in the midst of a ton of spring projects, one of which is a spring table-scape. I was having a terrible time finding napkins that suited my style and the colors that I was looking for, so what better to do then add another project to the pile!

What you need:

1. 4-6 White Cotton Napkins, washed 
2. Fabric Dye(s) of your choice (I used Lemon Yellow and Tan)
3. Salt
4. Rubber Gloves
5. Plastic Tablecloth or Covering
6. Medium Plastic Container
7. Skirt Hanger
8. Dish-Washing Liquid
9. Measuring Spoon

Prep the Dye

• Bring 2 gallons of water to a boil on the stove or in the microwave  (I tried both ways and found it was easier just to use the stove-top so it could be done all at once instead of in several batches).
• To achieve the shade of yellow for these napkins, I used 3 tablespoons of the Lemon Yellow and 3/4 of a teaspoon of Tan, and combined that with 2 cups of water and 1 cup of salt in the medium-sized plastic bin.
• After the water has come to a boil, slowly pour into the container with the dye mixture, followed by a quick squirt of dish-washing liquid. Stir with a plastic mixing spoon until the salt is fully dissolved.

Dye the Napkins

• After you have washed the napkins, if you have dried them, re-wet them. Stack all wet napkins together and clip them together using a skirt hanger. I kept the tags on  mine during the dying process so that I had a reference point to keep them all facing the right direction. The packaging says they are 16x16, however I found that they are not completely square, so i wanted to make sure the ombre ran vertically on the longest side.
• Dip the bottom quarter of the napkins into the dye for about 1 minute, followed by dipping the bottom half into the dye for not more than 30 continuous seconds. If you don't like the effect continue to quickly lift it in and out of the dye until you are happy with the gradient.

• For one second dip the bottom three quarters of the napkins into the dye and immediately rinse them in cold water, making sure to rinse them from the top, down, so that the dye rinses toward the darkest part of the napkin.
• After they are thoroughly rinsed so that the water runs clear, hang them dry with the darkest part of the napkin at the bottom. If you have 4-6 skirt hangers, they will dry much faster if they are hung separate.
•  Once they have completely dried, run them through the wash with cold water and dry them. You will most likely need to iron them as well.

Adding the Blanket Stitch

I wanted to add a little something extra to make these a little more fun. They looked good without the stitching, but I thought the stitching added what I was looking for to make a more unique look.

I used two bundles of thread (brand: DMC, color: 959) to run the blanket stitch on just the top and bottom. I also used the full thickness of the embroidery thread to get a bolder line with the stitch. It had been quite a while since I have done a blanket stitch, so I used the following diagram as a refresher:

aaand....you're done!

Valentine’s Day Dessert: Chocolate Lava Cake

With all of this love in the air, I figured what better time is there to make a seriously decadent, delicious desert to share with my sweetie. I have actually wanted to tackle a molten chocolate lava cake for some time and haven’t had the excuse to do it. Enter Valentine’s Day!! This is a variation of a Ghirardelli recipe. I made a couple of changes for both taste and convenience that worked well for me.

Ingredients

• 6 oz 60% cocao bittersweet baking chocolate bars
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 8 Tablespoons butter (1 stick)
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yokes
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cake flour
• 12 ounces of unsweetened frozen raspberries, thawed
• 1/2 cup simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water melted)
• Fresh raspberries and mint leaves for garnish

Let’s get baking:

1. Melt 2 ounces of chocolate and cream in a double boiler. Whisk until smooth. Put the melted mixture in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or until firm. After the chocolate mixture has set form into 6 balls.

To make these little beauties with ease, I used a wet teaspoon (wetting in between each scoop) to drag across the bottom of my double boiler until the ball was formed. The water helped release the chocolate from the spoon without any messy sticking. After portioning out the chocolate, refrigerate until needed.
2. Prep for the cakes: preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray six 6 ounce ramekins with baking spray. For cakes that I need to release cleanly from their baking vessel, I always use cooking spray with flour such as Baker’s Joy.

Christmas Eve: Healthy Appetizers

I'm not sure how it started (sorry Mom!), but my family has always opened Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. It was weird to think of it any other way when Tony and I got married, but it did work out when it came to the obligatory splitting up of family time during the Christmas season. Our family would gather every year right around dinner time to open all of our presents, which ended up making dinner a challenge. We (the kids) wanted to get strait to opening presents and would hardly touch our food or if we waited until after the presents to eat we rushed through opening presents because we were all starving.

My mom decided the solution to this predicament was to do a ton of finger foods to put out in the living room to snack on during the present opening. Now every year that is our Christmas Eve meal... a TON of appetizers (and a couple of cocktails). There are so many great appetizer recipes that our eyes always end up being bigger than our stomachs (or some of us just keep eating until we explode). This year I am hosting Christmas Eve at our house and I am having a terrible time narrowing down the options. I have decided that we are going to try some more healthy options (but still kid friendly) than we normally do because we are the ones that are going to be stuck with the leftovers and I am not interested in buying bigger jeans this year! These are 10 of the yummy recipes that I am considering:

Crabmeat Fondue

Harvest Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tarts

Getting Ready for House Guests

The Christmas season is in full swing! I can't believe that it has come so quickly and now it is about to be over...I feel like we just finished decorating (who am I kidding? I'm NEVER finished decorating!) At any rate, it's time for the house guests to start funneling in next week, so I am trying to prepare this week. Washing the linens, giving the guest bathroom a good scrub, and making sure the entire house is in order, and...if you're neurotic like me...cleaning out all the closets.

I LOVE to entertain people! I'm a complete dork about it.We have a guest room and it never gets used, so I get really excited when we get the opportunity to host something.  I like to add personal touches wherever and whenever possible just to make my guests feel more at home.

Just in case....

My favorite thing to do for any overnight guest is to provide a basket of things that are considered necessities. Bathroom products that are a serious bummer to forget or not have on hand. Most people have travel sized items from their own travels (don't act like you haven't stolen a mini bottle of shampoo or two!) or samples from going to the doctor or dentist. You can have a generic basket of things available in the guest rooms at all times for your unexpected over-nighters, but I like to personalize the items for my planned guests. Consider their age, gender, and then things that are more specific to that person. I am going to be lucky enough this Christmas to have my grandmother stay at our house, so I have some products that are more for a woman. Here is a list of what is specifically in my basket of goodies:

• 3 washcloths
• 1 Exfoliating sponge 
• 1 medium sized bottle of body lotion
• Saline 
• Contact case
• Floss
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Mouthwash
• Mini manicure kit
• Disposable razors
• Shaving cream
• Lip balm
• Deodorant
• Make-up remover wipes
• Small containers of both Advil and Tums (I mean, it's the holidays!)

Now these are just the things that I used, but there are loads of other things that you can add based on the type of people that regularly stay at your house. I also like to make sure that I have organized the cabinet in the guest bathroom and removed anything that wasn't meant to be seen (doesn't everybody go through people's medicine cabinet?).

If you're wondering where the obvious shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, etc. are, I keep them in the shower for regular use. These are the products that people are comfortable using that have already been used. Having things in the basket like deodorant or razors, prevents them from doing any, "has this been used?" second guessing before they use it. I also keep a number of things handy for them under the sink in the bathroom. I have a couple of bins there that are labeled so that it's clear what they are: hair care, first aid and...the feminine products (let's avoid and embarrassing situation, people!).

Some other things to consider:

Food

Stock the pantry and the fridge with foods that your guests enjoy. The food should be easy to grab and go. As a guest it's so easy to feel like an inconvenience to your host by asking where cooking utensils or even glasses are when they are trying to entertain several people. So your guests don't have to feel like they are a bother to you, stock things like:

Sweet Treats!

• Bottled or canned drinks (those individual Crystal Light packets are really handy too).
• Pre-made snacks like carrots and dip or pre-cut apple packs that are available in the produce section. 
• Make or buy some sweet treats that you know they like.
• Have a make-ahead meal stashed in the freezer, because you will always run out of time during the holidays. 

Make everything easy for your guests. Display them in clear jars on the counter or label them in the fridge or pantry. 

Technology

Another one of the many creature comforts that we have all come to know is accessible technology. I like to leave a welcome note thanking them for staying that also includes our Wi-Fi password so that they can plug it into their tablets, cell phones or laptops. If you have a TV with cable access in the guest bedroom, you may also consider including a channel list (available on your providers website). I know most people use the guide, but it is nice to have a go. Another nice thing to have in there is a back-up phone charger. The fantastic thing about Apple having the monopoly over cellphones and tablets and MP3 players, is that we all have the same charger (unless you have one of the new models...so annoying!). Leave a spare charger in the nightstand and they will have it if they need it. 

These are just a few things that will insure that your guests have an easy and welcome stay at your little bed and breakfast! Do you have anything special that you do to get ready for guests? 

DIY: Paper Ornaments

These ornaments can be easily customized to match your decor. In addition, you can add some personal touches by using different types of paper material. You can use a map of a place that you traveled to this year, photocopies of pages from a favorite book, or sheet music for a favorite song. The option to personalize this project also makes it a great gift option. Keep in mind, whatever paper product that you choose, the thinner the paper is, the better. I don't suggest using anything thicker than a standard piece of scrapbook paper or it will be impossible to get the strips to lay flat.

Here's what you will need:

• glass or plastic ornament
• paper
• scissors or a paper cutter
• Mod Podge
• paintbrush or foam brush
• shallow plate or dish filled with water
• glitter (optional)
• acrylic paint (optional)
• acrylic gloss medium (optional)

1.   Cut the paper into small strips that are about 3/8" x 6". I like to cut the strips in various widths smaller than or equal to 3/8" just to mix it up a bit. The number of strips that you need will vary depending on how you arrange them on the ornament, but you should not need more than half of a 12 x 12 sheet of scrapbook paper. Once you have cut 12 or so strips, place them in the water to saturate them (if you are using something thinner than scrapbook paper, it may be better to saturate the sheets as you use them instead of soaking them).

Top 10 Ingredient Substitutions

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year and you're anything like me, you have forgotten some ingredient that you thought you had or skimmed over in the recipe when you were making your grocery list. You can't very well leave all of the other things that you have started cooking and, well-intended as they may be, if your guy isn't the one who regularly cooks or does the grocery shopping, whatever he comes back with has roughly a 20% chance of being exactly what you need. One of my favorite cook books, especially around the holidays, is the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. It has a ton of product recommendations and pictures so that  you know you are getting the desired results. One of the awesome things this book has to offer is a list of emergency substitutions for ingredients that you may not have on hand, check out the top ten below. I wish you all happy, safe, and sane cooking!

To Replace	Amount	Substitution
Baking Powder	1 tsp.	1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (use right away)
Heavy Cream	1 Cup	1 cup evaporated milk (only use this for soups and sauces)
Fresh Herbs	1 Tbsp	1 teaspoon of dried herbs
Sour Cream	1 Cup	1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (and visa-versa if you forgot yogurt)
Buttermilk	1 Cup	1 cup milk + 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar (Let stand to thicken, about 10 minutes. Not suitable for raw applications such as buttermilk dressing) Also - this really makes you think twice about cooking with butter milk - no?
Wine	1/2 cup	1/2 cup broth + 1 teaspoon wine vinegar (added just befor serving) 1/2 cup broth + 1 teaspoon lemon juice (added just before serving) Vermouth makes a good substitute for white wine (But really, if you forgot wine just give up now!!)
Confectioners' Sugar	1 Cup	1 cup granulated sugar + 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ground in a blender (not a food processor) - Works well for dusting over cakes, less so in frostings and glazes.
Cake Flour	1 Cup	7/8 cup all-purpose flour + 2 Tablespoons cornstartch
Dark Brown Sugar	1 Cup	1 cup granulated sugar + 2 Tablespoon molasses (pulse together in a food processor)
Unsweetened Chocolate	1 Oz.	3 Tablespoons cocoa powder + 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil 1 1/2 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (remove 1 Tablespoon sugar from the recipe)