Christmas Cheer

Just a few pics for the season.  I'll be decorating the house today with the kids, we're getting in the spirit. :)

 

 

 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/340092209332272080/

 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/207306389071016400/

 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/175147872981909608/

 

 

 

 

http://weheartit.com/entry/43075112/via/Bella_Quotidiano

Sebastian's First Modeling Gig

I just had to show off my handsome furry boy!!   We used him to model a new dog collar for our Etsy shop, didn't he do great?    He was a good sport and even modeled the girly one with flowers.   And the best part is that he works for treats and behind the ear scratches. 

Have a wonderful weekend my blogging friends!

Buttery Yummy But Not Pretty Blueberry Muffins

 

 

Good Morning!  It's a rainy Monday here in PA.  A good day to sit with a cup of coffee (or tea if that's your thing), flip through a decorating magazine and indulge in these muffins!   I found this recipe a few months back and after making them a couple times, have decided this recipe is a true keeper.   Mine don't come out as pretty as I'd like but I'm a messy baker so that could be why.  They still taste great though!

 

 

Be sure to use grease proof liners for these beauties, as you can see I didn't and the paper cups lost their pretty.  I increased the amount of blueberries by about a handful.  How's that for a measurment?   Enjoy!!

 

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/to-die-for-blueberry-muffins/

 

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg

1/3 cup milk 1 cup fresh blueberries 1/2 cup white sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup butter, cubed 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2.	Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3.	To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4.	Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Hometalk

 

 

 

 

Do you ever go on Hometalk?  I "like" them on Facebook and the pics always make me smile.  So many fun ideas and great inspiration!  You can find the website here:  http://www.hometalk.com/

 

All these pictures came from them, credit to Hometalk.   Check it out if you haven't been there before.  Be warned though, it's kind of like Pinterest.  You can get sucked in for hours!  Have fun!

 

 

 

 

Bird Nest Treats

Happy Spring everyone!!   In honor of getting through a snowy winter, I made these bird nests for the kids to eat.   So easy and super adorable. 

 

 

All you need is a box of shredded wheat, milk chocolate chips and chocolate Mini Eggs.   Add about 4 cups of shredded wheat to a large ziplock bag and crush it up till it's nice and shredded.  Melt the chocolate (I used a whole 11.5 ounce bag) in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between each time you take it out.  

 

When your chocolate is good and melted start adding the cereal.  I found it was easier to add the cereal to the chocolate a little at a time and stir until it is all coated and you can't see the cereal color anymore.   Also, my cereal measurement is kind of approximate.  I used the very precise "eyeball it" method on these. 

 

Scoop a tablespoon of your mixture into cupcake liners and use the back of the spoon to make your nest shape. 

 

 

Press a few mini eggs into each nest and let set.  You can pop them in the fridge for a bit to harden faster.   I don't like coconut in my desserts but I'm sure you could add some of the shredded variety in with the cereal if that's your thing.   

 

Easter is almost here, which means warm weather is coming soon I hope!  

Painting with Vaseline

 

 

 

 

Happy Wednesday everyone!  The sun is shining here, I think it finally feels like time to get the Easter decorations out.  I've been a bit of a slacker on that!   I had this unfinished plate that I wanted to make pretty.   Having read about using Vaseline to distress paint, I thought this little plate would be my guinea pig. 

 

 

I started out by brushing on some dark aqua and brown paint randomly around the edge....

 

 

 

Let that dry and glob on a bit of regular old Vaseline.  Depending on what look you want, you can use more or less.  I used more to get the paint to really look chipped and worn.  If you want it to just crackle a bit, use less.

 

Brush on your topcoat....

 

 

 

 

You can see in this picture how the paint isn't adhering as well in the areas of Vaseline...

 

I was bummed when I uploaded pics and this one came blurry.  By the time I realized it I had already passed by this step.   You can make out where the paint is rubbing right off.  Now at this point you can call it good and stop if you like the look.   I opted to do another coat of paint to whitewash over the sanded areas again. 

 

 

 All in all I used about three coats of paint, sanding inbetween to get a layered, worn effect.  

 

 

I love how it looks naturally timeworn unlike the crackle medium which to me just doesn't come out with a truly vintage look.  

 

 

After I was satisfied with my paint I cut a circle of chalkboard vinyl.  Have you used that stuff?   Amazing, love it!  So easy and it washes up beautifully.   And much less work than chalkboard paint...although I still use that too. 

 

 

I've been experimenting with Elmer's glue too.  I'll post about that after I mess around a bit.  So far I'm finding the cheaper glue works better for that method.  More to come....

One Year, 9 Months and 26 Days...

That's how long it has been since my last post on this blog.   I always intended to come back to it but so much has changed in my life that the blog went to the end of the list.  So let me give you the short and sweet version to catch you up....I'll even make bullet points so it's an easy read:


~ I'm getting a divorce. 

~ My kids have gotten bigger!  A whole year, nine months and 26 days bigger!  Hailey is 12 now, Ella just celebrated her 11th birthday and Emidio is 7. 

~ I've learned that tweens are fresh, little boys talk about poop a lot and it's super uncool when I sing Taylor Swift in the car.

~ I'm still in The Yellow House, although projects have come to a halt with all the life changes.

~ I've gone from being a stay at home mom, blogger, decorator to working again.  I've had a couple jobs but that's a whole other blog post for a whole other time.  

~ I've learned that I'm the creative type through and through.  It's what inspires me, makes me smile and keeps me challenged.  And I've passed it on!   

~ I've also learned that dating is completely different in your 30's with kids than it is at 20 and carefree.  Not in a bad way though, life is pretty darn good.  My kids have adjusted well, I have a boyfriend that makes me happy and a supportive, amazing set of parents.  A girl could do worse!

  
Love these crazy kids!

 

So what will I post about now?   Food, clothes, craft projects, girly tween drama....I'm not sure, but what I do know is that it's good to be back.