Craving Raspberry Cupcakes & Anything Pink

With all the Valentine's Day decor popping up everywhere, I've been craving pink things which usually leads to anything with raspberries in it.  After having just received my giant frosting tips specifically designed for quickly and beautifully decorating cupcakes, it was time to satiate my cravings.

Using a simple white cake recipe, I add a touch of raspberry flavoring.  When the cupcakes are fresh out of the oven (and while they're still hot), I use a small melon baller scoop to core out the center of the cupcakes.  I quickly drop a dollop of raspberry jam (with seeds) into the cavity and put the plug back over the jam-filled cupcake.  Once the cupcakes are cooled, I frosted them with a combination of cream cheese and buttercream frosting with a touch of red food coloring and a generous splash of raspberry flavoring.

These cupcakes are so light, fluffy and incredibly tasty while having a great balance of sweetness (but not too sweet).  They simply taste like a burst of spring...even though it's going to freeze tonight!  Everyone loves them!

My home is going to the birds...

One lady who inspired me in 2011 was a woman who lives downtown in an old (1850's) home that became the McMansion of it's day.  It is filled to the brim (though decorated nicely) with gorgeous antiques and comfortable seating that makes you just want to curl up and get lost in a book.  Her home is furnished with a variety of collections of things from all over the world and despite the many collections, it is simply picture-perfect.  It's one of those homes that just makes you oooohhh and ahhh about repeatedly.  Her personality is just as sweet and warm as her fabulous home too!  However with her abundant collections that include original Julia Childs cookbooks, original framed Audubon prints and antiques the common person isn't used to seeing, I was in awe of her bird-related collection. Nests of all shapes and sizes, blown out eggs, and feathers were all surprisingly displayed in an organic fashion.  To add additional charm, everything had a story and she was happy to tell them.

I soon set out to locate and decorate with my own collection of bird nests, eggs, wings, anything I could find to replicate the warmth and freedom her home exudes.  My collection is still a work in progress, but I'm enjoying my home that I've allowed to let go to the birds!

Pretty as a peacock! Originally from
Z Gallerie, but bought at a model
home auction a few months ago

Wooden eggs painted to look
like Robin's eggs & bird nests
bought at Hobby Lobby with
added mosses.  All placed under
a glass dome from an estate sale 

I got so much flack from my husband when
we were the winning bidder on these two
lots of items at auction.  The swan and wings
just about sent him over the edge but I
think he's just about over it now.

These are a few of my favorite things!

A butterfly I tried to rescue from my car
grill, a ceramic egg and pine cones from
our trip to Pennsylvania in October.

Inspired by sweet Beverly's home, I
wasn't sure I could take the organic
items just sitting out and I'm always
looking for inspiration in filling glass.
These are more of my attempt at painting
little wooden eggs to look realistic.

Having these in the window reminds me
of spending time in my garden and
brings the outdoors in, even in January.

Christmas Decor 2011

Thanks in part to Pinterest, I picked up a few extra decorating ideas.  Who would have thought to hang a Christmas wreath ON a mirror, over the fireplace?

And here it is January 2012 and I'm working on Christmas stockings from a pin I saw on Pinterest.  Burlap, creamy satin and individual type-font wooden letters for the first initial to hang from their respective owner.    I'll post photos when they're complete!

The children's gift to me...they know me well! 

I'm happy to have Christmas packed away, but I do miss the sparkle and the magic and the memories that it brings when it's here.

Christmas Cookies & The Search For The Perfect Shoe

"Too pretty to eat!" everyone said

My favorite decorated snowflake of the 7 dozen I decorated

It was in 2011 that I decided to conquer the art of sugar cookies.  A few years ago, my attempt resulted in colorful words and both wasted sugar cookie dough as well as time.  Either I'm becoming more patient or I'm trying harder to pass on learned lessons to my daughters before they reach adulthood.

Godiva, the world's best white Schnauzer on our wedding day

I also learned that the art of sugar cookie making is just the tip of the delicate snowflake-covered iceberg.  Then there's the art of royal and flood icing!  Having felt I've mastered both in one year, I'm confident to set forth collecting cookie cutters as the sky is now my limit...sun shapes, moon shapes, cloud shapes.......... I was truly giddy when I found a Schnauzer cookie cutter that looked just like my white Schnauzer, aptly named "Godiva" after my favorite cocktail: White Godiva Chocolatini.

If any of you come across the perfect high heel or stiletto shoe cookie cutter, please let me know!  The one at Sur La Table and Hobby Lobby just won't do.  I've seen photos of those amazing high heel cookies, so I know the cutter is out there!  The search continues...

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving day was precisely one of the main reasons I fell in love with our home when we decided to buy it.  I pictured the big, functional kitchen serving the special day's purpose for me and the women in my family getting together to share new and old recipes and a long morning of chopping, mixing, baking, chatting, sipping sparkly drinks and making memories together.

Thanksgiving 2011 also inspired me to continue a tradition in my new family.  Always the woman who likes things that have multiple functions, we brought out the "Thanksgiving Tree."  Once again, this lovely little thing wasn't purchased new, but rather came from an estate sale of one of the most lovely women in Austin I've ever met.  My oldest daughter set out on a nature walk and collected the prettiest acorns I never knew we had, large leaves and other things to turn our Thanksgiving Tree into the centerpiece.  We cut out leaf shapes from poster board, painted both sides with bronze, gold and copper paint, punched a hole in the stem and placed ribbon through the hole.   With a brown sharpie marker, I wrote our dinner guests names on the leaves so they would serve as place card holders.  Throughout the morning, the brown sharpie was passed around and each guest wrote on the opposite side what they were thankful for and hung their leaf on the tree before we began our feast.  Some elected to read theirs aloud, while others felt the things they were most thankful for were personal.  Either way, I get to keep those special leaves and remember each and every special Thanksgiving from years past.

The Master Bath Finally Received Some Attention

Having now fallen in love with the bronze and gold glaze paints I used in my husband's office, I decided to take it a step further and use just that paint to paint my bathroom walls.  Yes. Just. That. Paint.  I'm certain I'm doomed for shoulder surgery in the coming years after these projects.  I have a new found respect for those who do faux finishes and glaze walls for a living.

The 75 year old French chandelier was a must in here.  Having purchased it at an auction with no idea what to do with it at the time, all I knew was that I had to have it.  In the midst of trying to restore it myself, I later found out it was not feasible financially to have it rewired.  I pulled the old wiring out, utilized steel wool and a pretty shade of off white spray paint and went to town.  A few crystals were missing, so I was able to replace those from a crystal prism website online and ordered a few extras to hang elsewhere throughout the house.  It is now a "candelier" and when lit, it adds beautiful ambience to our now romantic bathroom.  

Hubby's Birthday Surprise Office Makeover

What to get the man who kinda already has everything and wants for nothing?  How about a functioning office?

It annoyed me beyond belief that our new home was incredibly organized and yet my husband's home office, where he works to provide for our family, wasn't.  It was an eyesore and looked like a catch-all room...a room that we would close the doors when we had company.  At a loss on what to get him for his upcoming birthday and after a few weeks of watching him try to work without a filing cabinet of all things, I began to put my ideas in motion.

My husband has a desire, no, an addiction to coffee.  If I had a dollar for every time he said, "Want some coffee, babe?" throughout the entire day in the short time we've been married, I'd probably have about $700.  The reason I say this, is because it came as NO surprise that the color he chose for his office (out of the many shades of brown) was "Mocha Latte" from the Behr selection of paints at Home Depot.  Once I had that on the wall, I just had to add the bronze stripes as I knew it would completely transform his coffee-coated walls a step further.

It's often said that I'm frugal and my husband is Jewish.  Let your mind wander on that thought a bit and you'll begin to see how much of a low budget I'm on with my endeavored projects.  I keep saying I'm going to host a "Tightwad Housewarming Party" but I never get around to it.  Maybe vicariously, you're invited!

 BEFORE

  AFTER  

   AFTER

A few important things to note here...like most of my home, all furniture was purchased from Craigslist.  The little decorative furnishings were purchased from garage sales, estate sales and an antique mall.  The only thing purchased new was the planter I got on clearance at Home Depot for $12 (marked down from $60).  The two desks and the lateral filing cabinet were purchased for $600.  The rug, lamps, baskets, framed artwork and decor items were purchased for around $120 while $35 worth of paint and a very tired glazing right arm sealed the deal.

New Year, New Ideas, New Addiction, New Blog

It's been recommended to me (time and time again) that I should blog.  Or blog more.  I have had a blog for a few years now about my children and have let it get wayyyy out of date.  My excuse?  I was busy...with the KIDS!  My husband and I have five children: 3 girls ranging from 13-18 and two boys, 7 & 8.  However, throughout the day (and night), my creative juices flow non-stop!  Additionally, my desire for creating beautiful environments and lasting memories for those close to me will never cease.  Those ideas mixed with a love for writing are the perfect culmination for this blog and my new year's resolution of continuously blogging about my two happy places: my kids and the finished results of the abundant creative ideas constantly spinning through my head.

Thank you, God, for Pinterest. 

I described Pinterest to someone as an underground social network for creative people with an addiction to well, being creative.  It's truly inspirational and a creative outlet beyond anything I ever imagined this world would have.

When my husband and I attended holiday parties last year, I was politely reprimanded for starting every conversation with, "On Pinterest, I saw..." or "Oh my goodness!  That reminds me of something I saw on Pinterest yesterday!" and my all time favorite..."Please let me take a picture of that so I can pin it!"

Hope you enjoy my blog as much as I enjoyed doing the things I blog about.  Maybe it will give you inspiration you've been needing and allow you to visit your happy place too!