Living Room Blues

I don't know about you guys, but I'm SOOOOOOOO ready for spring.

Seeing as I live in Alberta, I'm know I'm going to have to wait another 2 months.

That doesn't stop me from feeling the spring vibe!

I want light turquoise pants!

I want to plant a garden!

I want to paint every room in the house!!

Probably can't get away with the first two, but I'm on the hunt for the perfect hue for our open concept living/dining/kitchen area.

The same neutral tan colour is making me feel Blah.

I went to the paint store this afternoon and found a few that I like. I'm pretty much leaning towards 19 different shades of the same pale blue-green colour.

Typical.

Now I just need to narrow it down to something bright, but not cold, light enough that it will not turn my cabinets a pinky hue, and warm enough that it will still match my existing furniture, drapes, hardwood etc.

Here are the colours I'm 'feelin', in no particular order:

1. Titanium, 2141-60, Benjamin Moore

2. Crystalline, AF-485, Aura 

3. Moonshine, 2140-60, BM

4. Green Tint, 2139-60, BM

5. Stonington Gray, HC-170, BM

 This a old pic of the dining area, but the colour is still the same, Wilmington Tan from BM.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, I'm all ears!!

Gardening Cupcakes and Gardeners Hand Scrub

A couple of weeks ago, a dear friend called my mom and asked her if we'd make a cake for a birthday party that 2 of her friends shared.

Ummm ok!

We pretty much had free reign over the project, except the flavours of the cake and the theme.

Gardening.

If you know me at all, you'll know that I have killer plant instincts.

Seriously. I kill plants.

But fake chocolate plants, I can live with.

My mom made the chocolate zucchini cupcakes, chocolate cream cheese frosting, carrot cake and the whipped cream filling for the carrot cake cupcakes. Oh and the orange cream cheese frosting.

Basically, my mom made it all. I just got to play and decorate!

A nice change of pace and less dishes.

I melted some green chocolate melting candies. 

Piped it on to a parchment lined cookie sheet to look like sprouts and carrot tops.

Let sit to harden.

I piped the chocolate cream cheese frosting and used some crushed Oreo crumbs to fill in the edges.

I got some green candy leaves from Winners of all places and topped the cupcakes with them and the chocolates sprouts.

SO cute!

The carrot cupcakes are topped with crushed lemon poppy seed cookies and a dollop of orange tinted cream cheese icing.

I let that set up in the fridge a bit before sticking the chocolate carrot topper on.

I made garden stakes with scrapbook paper, vellum and some brads and some plastic garden stakes from the Dollarama.

Here's the delivered cupcakes over at CoCo's house.

This woman KNOWS how to do a dinner party.

Let me tell you!

Each setting had fresh flowers, the two guests of honor had themed gift baskets.

I want a birthday party from CoCo!

As a little bonus for the birthday ladies, I made some gardeners hand scrub.

Easy peasy, people.

Fill a mason jar 3/4 full with sugar.

Dump it out into a mixing bowl.

Add a big spoonful of coconut oil, and a generous squeeze of hand soap or dish soap.

Mix it all up until its nice and pasty.

You don't have to, but I added a splash of lemon extract.

I used left over birthday tags and tied it around the jar.

Happy gardening all.

I'll be in the chocolate patch if you need me.

Carrot Cupcakes with a Side of I'm Sorry

Hi all.

 Remember me? 

You faithful blogger-turned-OCD-Party Planner?

I'm back.

After getting in poo-poo from several faithful followers this morning for my absence,

 I decided that I need to post again!

So I'm sorry that I've been gone, but these should help.

There's cream cheese in them after all.

Isn't that an apology requirement?

Here's what you need to make Carrot 'Carrot' Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 box of Carrot cake mix. Old fashioned if you can find it. It has raisin and shredded carrots included.

Canned cream cheese frosting. If you want to get all Martha on me, you can make your own.

Orange food coloring

Green food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Make your boxed carrot cake according to instructions on the box.
3. Let cupcakes cool completely

4. Meanwhile divide your frosting into 3 separate bowls, 2 small ones for the orange and green dye and one medium bowl for the white.
5. Tint one bowl orange
6. Tint the Second bowl green

7. Grab a chopstick.
8. Insert it into each cupcake and move a round in a small circle, leaving the tip of the chopstick stationary, Like you're making a cone.

Pipe your orange frosting into the hole of each cupcake.

Frost with white icing.

Pipe a green little flower or leaves to resemble the carrot top.

That's it! Cute hey?!

I originally saw someone make this on Pinterest. If you want to see my idea boards, click ------> Here.

Bejewelled Eggs

Ben had been gone for a few days last week, framing a house in Pigeon Lake.

This left me with  a lot of time after 7:30 to kill.

I had a few options available.

1. Do something productive. This would include any of your typical house-wifey duties like laundry, dishes, floors, bathrooms......etc.

2. Read a book. Not a magazine, a real live book. I should mention that I love reading, it just takes me longer to get into a story, which is why I love series so much. So I'm trying to start the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Insert push up glasses motion ---->here.

It's a well known fact that I'm a geek. 

You might as well accept it now.

And lastly,

3. Bejewel close to 30 plastic eggs with a 1 lb bag of plastic gems.

The choice was obvious.

But I did manage to incorporate a bit of 'reading' into option 3 as well.

While I stayed up to 11pm two nights in a row, listening to the audio books of Harry Potter....

shuuuut iiiittttt..... 

 I sorted plastic gems and bejewelled eggs until my neck kinked and I had glue gun carpal tunnel.

3 days later they were done!!

And not a burn to be found, although I had a close call with hot glue on my nail bed, which did burn, but didn't hinder my jeweling progress.

I love the glitter eggs that Martha does, but I was happy to make something that was even MORE sparkly and I could call my own.

Lemon Meringue Cookies....It IS Spring, Right?

I don't know where you are in the world right now, reading this, but where I am it is NOT Spring.

We have had more snow last week and this week, than we've had all winter, and maybe ever.

That not an actual fact, but it really feels like it.

It takes a lot to tarnish a silver lining in my little world, but dang it!

Mother Nature has some SERIOUS making up to do.

So, to squelch my dark, winter-hating brood I had goin' on, I whipped up some perky cookies.

Here's what you need to make Lemon Meringue Cookies:

1 box of Lemon cookies

1 box of lemon meringue pie mix

6 egg whites

3/4 cup of sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350.

First, follow the directions on the box of the lemon meringue pie mix to make the filling.

Keep filling in a container in the fridge until it sets up.

Make your meringue by whipping your egg whites until soft peaks form, then slowly add sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. 

(don't try and be hero like I did by doing it by hand...)

Whip until stiff peaks form.

Spoon meringues on to parchment paper into cookie sized blobs.

Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes, but watch them closely !

Stir up the set lemon pie filling until smooth, then spoon onto cookies. (or pipe it on :)

Once the meringues are baked and cooled slightly, top your lemon cookies with meringues.

Devour.

I ate 10.

And I don't even like citrus-y things. 

But my mood perked up and the snow just keeps on falling.

Yay!! Giveaway Day!!

OK all, my apologies for not doing a fabulous St.Patty's Day post :( 

Me being part Irish and all, as well as the fact that I live for themes!! 

I just didn't have it in me to make a mess of my kitchen/house (you know how I cook right?) cause we had a realtor open house in the morning.

So, to make up for it......I'm doing a GIVEAWAY!!!!! 

Easter themed, of course, seeing as now that St. Patricks Day is pretty much over, I'm ready for the next holiday!

It's a Cupcake Kit. 

3 different cupcake liners

1 jar of matte white pearls

1 jar of THE most gorgeous disco dust, Peony.

2 Piping bags (cause y'all know I like to pipe ev.er.y.thing.) with a large star tip, of course!

All in a cute french/spring-y little box!

I realize that this is a pretty feminine gift, as well it may only appeal to bakers.....

But, what a great first day of spring gift! Or mothers day, or just for no reason! 

So all you men followers.... you can enter too and look like the best husbands ever!

Here's some pics!

This is what you will receive in the mail....

and when you open it up....GASP!

It's Spring in a Box!

Now if this edible glitter doesn't just get you jazzed....

Bunny not included.

All you need to do, is:

1. Become a follower.

2. Leave a comment about what you think the best thing about spring is.

3. Tell a friend....Well that's not really a requirement, but it's nice to share.

I will do a random draw on Monday, the 21st. I will notify you all of the winner by posting, so check back!!