It's Not A Bath Puff! [Craft Fail]

What do you get when you mix a bath puff, pom pom and a speck? My newest craft fail!

Gaudy Halloween Wreath

I've got my eye on you (insert evil laugh)...

Check out this beauty. It cost me all of $6 and was loads of fun for my little guy and myself to put together. Even I am surprised that I chose gory eyeballs - considering my laser eye surgery experience. I'll save you the long story. But let's just say taking a small dose of Valium 5 minutes prior to surgery is pretty much as effective as chugging a glass of apple juice - another words it didn't help. Although I did have a nice nap on the car ride home (I wasn't driving). All I remember is the doctor yelling at me to get back in the chair - apparently I tried to escape. Then the worst part: the torture devise they put on your eye to hold your lids back and open. Oh and to add to the horror, the surgery room is separated from the waiting room by get this - clear glass. So everyone waiting can see what goes on and could see me trying to jump ship. My hubby who was waiting and watching said there were some chuckles at my expense. I shutter just thinking about it. Okay, so back to the eyeball littered Halloween Wreath... I purchased the items at our lovely local dollar store. They have such great Halloween stuff.

Camp Crystal Lake Sign

I LOVE scary movies. The more traditional scary movies like the original Halloween and Friday the 13th NOT the torture movies like Saw or anything made by Rob Zombie (yes, in my opinion he ruined Halloween by remaking it). I'm digressing... Okay, so while watching the original Friday the 13th on television a few months back I saw the infamous "Camp Crystal Lake" sign in one of the scenes. I thought it would make a great Halloween decoration. So I made one!

Unique & Bold Plant Stand Side Table

Alright folks, I've kept you in suspense long enough. Here it is:

Go Gaudy or Go Home {Sneak Peek}

UPDATE: See the finished project here.

I have a tendency to take it up a notch to level "Gaudy". I know it. I'm not ashamed. 

Paradise Twilight Pond in sunset by Art Gallery

This fabric is beautiful. I love everything about it. The colors... the boldness...the huge flowers. I grabbed a yard of this delightful woven beauty and have been waiting for just the right project to display its purple goodness.

So here's a hint. The project's main component besides the bold and beautiful Twilight Pond material is an old (re-purposed) plant stand.

Stay tuned for the reveal tomorrow. It's quite lovely. I promise you!

Cheers,

Melissa

DIY Sunburst Mirror

I'm jumping on the bandwagon my friends - the sunburst mirror bandwagon. Yes, I know I'm late. But I've been refusing to pay hundreds of dollars for a sunburst mirror just in case it is just a passing fad. Oh, who and I kidding. Fad or not, I love the retro look of sunburst mirrors.

[Super Strong] Custom Wall Hooks {Tutorial}

I've seen so many cute wall hooks that use pretty knobs. I had some leftover knobs from another project and I wanted to make a wall hook too. But I needed my wall hooks to be strong enough to hold a 10lb backpack and 60lb diaper bag. Okay, so maybe I exaggerating the weights, but you get my point. I needed something sturdy. A picture hanger holding it to the wall just wasn't going to work for my needs. So I thought, "Hey, why not anchor the entire wood plaque to the wall with sinkers? That outta hold my bags filled with concrete."

It's super easy. See the circle piece with the letter on it? That's hot glued over a hole I drilled to insert the screw and sinker.

Keep Reading for Tutorial, Supply List and Pictures...

Whole Wheat {Healthy-er} Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are delicious! They are a great replacement for full-fat, white flour chocolate chip cookies. Served warm, they are melty and super yummy!


Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies:

3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini-chips)

In a bowl, mix together the following dry ingredients: oats, flour, flax, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a standing mixer, beat butter for a minute or so until a little bit fluffy. Add oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy (this is the important step that will keep the cookie from getting flat). Add the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

I used a mini scoop to dish out the cookie dough onto the pan. The mini scoop holds about ½ tablespoon of cookie dough. Be sure to use a non-stick cookie sheet or Silpat so the cookies don't stick. I baked them at 350 degrees for 7 minutes, but if you’re using a regular cookie scoop, which I think is about a full tablespoon of cookie dough, you’ll need to increase the baking time by a few minutes.

This recipe makes 48 cookies at less than 50 calories a piece with 1 gram of protein and 1 gram of fiber. They tasted incredibly close to full fat, white flour cookies. They are really chocolately so you don’t miss the greasy fat from a traditional 2 stick o’ butter chocolate chip cookie recipe.

This recipe is really good as is, but I'm still going to try to perfect it. I'm thinking of trying to reduce the sugar content, switch out the butter for maybe peanut butter so at least some protein and vitamins come along with the fat and using 70% cocoa dark chocolate chips to get an extra anti-oxidant boost.

When the cookie is cooled, store in an airtight container.

Halloween Lanterns

For some reason, I feel that fall is coming. Not that the weather is cool here whatsoever. It seems like once the kids get back in school next thing you know it's Halloween. I love Halloween. I love corny, campy scary movies and I love that the weather begins to get cooler (in the evenings at least) once Ol' Hallow's Eve rolls around.

Mimi's Chocolate Cake

I call this cake "Mimi's Chocolate Cake" not because this was her recipe, but because this was her favorite dessert I made. So I named it after her.  She loved sweets - a lot! But this cake she always raved about. She once told me she hid it so other people wouldn't eat it and that she ate it for breakfast. I gave her a mini cake for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day (along with the chocolate covered strawberries that were tradition between her and I for Valentine's). Sadly, she passed away suddenly right before our first child was born. As a tribute to her I make this cake for her birthday every year. We eat it and and tell funny Mimi stories. She once told me I was pretty when I wore make-up. She wasn't trying to insult me whatsoever. It was funny and still is. Whenever I wear make-up (which isn't often) my hubby will laugh and say, "You look pretty when you wear make-up." She once told me she watched a great movie called the Whispering Horse (aka the Horse Whisperer). She was funny even though she wasn't trying to be. She was beautiful. She always worked hard. She loved purple onions, glitzy jewelry, bread and butter, Rum and Cokes with tons of cherry juice and fruit cake. But most of all, she loved her family and we love her. 

Here's the recipe. Be sure to share it with someone you love.

Mimi's Chocolate Cake:

Boxed Dark Chocolate Cake Mix
1 box Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding
3 Eggs (room temp)
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Seltzer Water (room temp)
1 tsp Espresso Powder
1 tsp Vanilla
Dash of Cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together thoughly except the pudding mix and cake mix. Make sure everything is room temperature. It makes a difference, trust me. Shift in cake mix. Again, this makes a difference. After all the cake mix is sifted in, add the jello and whisk just enough to combine. Do not over-mix. Again, trust me on this. Bake the cake according to the box directions.

Now for the frosting... no canned goop is good enough for this cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

1 stick of salted butter (room temp)
3 ounces of cream cheese (room temp)
1/4 cup Milk Chocolate Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
2 tbsp whole milk with 1tsp Espresso Powder desolved in
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups Confectionery Sugar
Dash of salt

Whip up the butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and cocoa powders. Mix until well incorporated. Add some of the milk mixture if needed. Add in the sugar 1 cup at a time and alternate with the espresso powder milk mixture until your desired consistency. Once the icing is whipped, add a dash of salt and whip again. It makes a difference, again trust me!

It's a great cake. It's still my go to Chocolate Cake. Vanilla cakes I make from scratch with a great Buttermilk recipe, but trust me this Chocolate Cake is AMAZING even though it comes from a box!

Cheers,
Melisa