Cheers and Beers

A friend of ours celebrated her big 5-0 this weekend and I was commissioned to put together a cupcake display for a Cheers and Beers to 50 years party. Her favorite beer is Bud Light, and I saw some similar displays on Pinterest using the cans as holders and I have to say this really did turn out super cute and was not particularly difficult beyond just the tediousness of having to make a lot of cupcakes with a variety of flavors- her favorite is coconut which is not always the most popular so I had to do a couple of batches.

The Fondant beer mug toppers came from Etsy, and were adorable, as was the Cake topper.

Mini shot size solo cups with Bud Light

 

This was my first foray into Coconut flavors for cupcakes.. I combined two recipes from Pinterest and have to say, they turned out surprisingly well considering that I don't love coconut myself. Here is my recipe below (modified to be Gluten Free).

Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting

Cake

• 1 3/4 C Gluten Free Flour
• 2 t Baking Powder
• 1/2 t Salt
• 3/4 C Coconut milk (full fat)
• 3 large Egg Whites
• 1 1/2 t Vanilla exract
• 1 stick Unsalted Butter
• 3/4 C Sugar
• 1 C Sweetened flaked Coconut 

Frosting

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 3 C confectioners sugar
• 1/4 C Coconut milk (full fat)
• 2 t Vanilla extract
• 1/2 t Coconut extract
• Sprinkle of salt

Flamingo Me Crazy

I'm a little flamingo crazy these days. They seem to be everywhere this summer, and something about them and their pink shade just makes me happy. I am determined to find an excuse  to host a flamingo/pineapple party before the summer's end! These are some of the cutest flamingo inspirations floating around my Pinterest for summer right now..

Flamingo Pool Float

Straws

Flamingo Tote

Earrings

Ice Molds

Art Prints

Glitter Toppers

Devil's Food Cake with Marshmallow Creme Cupcakes

I keep saying that I need to stop baking, but then I seem to keep finding good excuses to get right back to it. I made these for a work party, and they turned out super delish. To make these, I pulled from a couple of similar Pinterest recipes and then free styled a bit.

Recipe
Prepare one box of Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake mix and divide easily (I find that this mix makes for around 16 cupcakes). I bake mine usually for a few minutes longer than directed since I do them at 325 degrees. I cheated for the icing and went with pre-made whipped milk chocolate to keep things easy with a few white chocolate chips for garnish.

The Creme Filling
Mix together the following and then spoon into a scooped out center of the cooled cupcakes.
1 container marshmallow cream
1/2 C softened butter
1/3 C powder sugar
1 T water
1/4 t salt

Every time I have used this mix people comment on how incredibly moist the cupcakes are. I love all of the Betty Crocker Gluten Free mixes and find that they are easy to modify for new flavors and really don't taste noticeably different from standard baked good mixes. Having these mainstream mixes be so readily available in normal grocery stores is huge for someone like myself with Celiac, but honestly I would recommend these mixes for anyone.

The Jameson Room

This post is inspired by our sweet Cockapoo Winnie's recent Insta fame compliments of Z Gallerie and Z Gallerie Pets!

I recently tagged an Instagram pic of Winnie relaxing on our newest guest room bed, the "Jameson" from Z Gallerie after I discovered that they love people's pictures of their furry friends among their products. Imagine my delight to see that they re-posted it on their Instagram feed, as well as a Pinterest link! Eek! People were both in love with the bed and the dog, which delighted me since I get really excited about home decor- both my own, and seeking inspiration from others. Last check, the picture had over 5500 likes!

Winnie's Insta fame pic

When we decided that it was time to go ahead and furnish our second guest bedroom this spring, we wanted to do it without spending a huge amount of money. I looked around at some less expensive beds that I had seen some interior bloggers recommending that were either tufted or with the wing back headboard, but some variable reviews and questionable fabrics steered me back to Z Gallerie for another bed. Our first guest room has the Jacqueline in the Bella Grey and it is sophisticated and a great color. Both bedrooms have Sherwin Williams Practical Beige for paint. so the grey pops out very nicely against that neutral. I hesitated about getting another grey bed worried about the matchy factor, but in the end the styles are distinctly different and you can't see them in the same eye line with the way the rooms are situated. Now it did take us three beds to finally get one in the Jameson that wasn't damaged, but the Z Gallerie customer service was very good throughout that process.

Since we opted for the slightly more expensive bed, my mission for the rest of the room- which is quite small- was to find some accents and decor that gave it a finished enough look without spending a ton more money. The bedding I got on final sale clearance from Pottery Barn, and the throw blanket was a steal on sale from West Elm for $10. I knew that I wanted a mirrored side table like we had done in the other room and tried to find a deal on one, but couldn't really beat the quality of the ones from Lamps Plus.. I started with a cheaper option from Overstock which arrived completely shattered so ended up spending the extra just to get a decent piece. The lamp was a clearance item at Home Goods, and then I picked up the mirror at Target, which in person has a bit more of a champagne silver finish than would appear from online and worked well with the lamp.

The acrylic tray and flowers are also Home Goods. Originally I was going to do yellow for a pop of color, but in the end I preferred the softer hues after seeing the room coming together. I've become a little obsessed with the tray on the corner to the bed after seeing some super cute styling of them on Pinterest and the like. I used ours to set out bottled water and little treats for our guests this spring which helped to create an inviting welcome!

There is a large open wall across from the bed that could use a little love one of these days to better finish off the space. My dream is for an original piece from Erin Gregory. I'm not always such a fan of the still life genre, but the colors she uses are just stunning, and I absolutely adore them.

For a guest room wall that can't really be seen unless laying on the bed, I'm not sure that I could justify the price point for one of her originals, so I might be willing to settle for a reprint on canvas like this one below that One Kings Lane carries.

Let Your Inner Sparkle Out

Every girl needs a passion, right? One of mine is definitely sparkly and fun or unique accessories. I am always on the lookout for new pieces that will add a little something to an outfit or make an otherwise plain ensemble seem a little more special. My collection has definitely evolved over time as my aesthetic has also, and so I tend to rotate pieces in and out of favor. We don't have a particularly large closet, but installing simple hooks to the wall allows for a cute display along with the acrylic monogram trays, and then I can easily rotate my pieces depending on what my current favorites are.

Here are some links to a few of my favorite sites to go looking for inexpensive statement pieces. Most of these I have stumbled across from reading fashion bloggers that feature them. The quality can be somewhat variable at times, but the price points are great for something that you only want a few wears out of.

Jane
Bauble Bar
Mindy Mae's Market
Swell Caroline
Love Stylize
Purple Peridot
Ily Couture
Fornash

I love Kate Spade, Lilly, and J. Crew jewelry (as clearly evidenced above) but I refuse to really buy any of it at full price. The quality is certainly nicer than the more discount sites, but at times is actually still not worth the price point I think that they try and charge for some of it. I have purchased several branded items off Ebay and occasionally Amazon will have really good prices on Kate Spade as well. J. Crew Factory is another great place to get good deals on pieces that are similar to what is in the J. Crew stores. Also, I like that Factory has tended to air more on the preppy side of late while J. Crew is going through a bizarre boho evolution that is too funky for me. Kate Spade has good sales every few months which also feature their outlet products and Lilly has an annual sale in the summer. Bloomingdales is another place to get some great prices on Kate Spade because when they have promotions they don't exclude that as a brand from them.

My original love for statement jewelry really developed with an introduction to Etsy which happened for me about five years ago when it was still relatively under the radar. I went through a period of time where I was looking for unique one of a kind pieces, almost towards the vintage style and Etsy is awesome for that. Also, there are some jewelry makers in Israel that do stunning pieces- many of the stud earrings in my collection are EldorTina and Iloniti. I would buy so many more combinations from them if I could, and the quality well exceeds their price point.

I take a lot of selfies so that I can send my latest acquisitions or combinations to my sister to see. It's silly and our husbands think we are ridiculous, but we have fun with it. One of my favorite parts of the J. Crew pieces is their ability to be layered together, which is what I have been playing around with a lot lately. A staple piece has definitely been the Factory multi strand pearl necklace combined with one of the simple crystal pieces or my gold monogram necklace. It has been featured in a variety of ways a lot already so far this spring and summer.

Happy accessorizing!

Secrets to a Picture Perfect Cupcake

I can't quite remember when I actually fell in love with baking cupcakes, but it has honestly become one of my favorite creative outlets. I think it originally began with needing to bake gluten free treats that I would be able to enjoy- back before a lot of places were really into including gluten free options on their menus or in stores. That has come along way over the last couple of years for sure, but I still enjoy trying out my own variations and new ideas for flavors and combinations that I come across on Pinterest.

My all time favorite easy cupcake to make uses the Betty Crocker Gluten Free cake mix, and I often substitute almond flavoring for the vanilla to give the cake a slightly more unique and homemade flavor. I've learned that cooking them at 325 and for a little bit longer than the box calls for goes a long way. For more custom flavors, I keep an array of recipes on a Pinterest Cupcakery board so that I have new options whenever the occasion calls for.

There are so many recipes for different homemade frostings and I am not sure that I have found my favorite yet. I tend to be a little of this, a little of that baker which I have found does not really work well for homemade icing- it's much more necessary to be precise than for some other recipes. My secret to creating the great picture perfect swirl comes from using the Wilton Dessert Decorator Plus
I have gone through a number of these now, and it is easy to use and only moderately tedious to clean. The trick to making it look good is definitely getting the precise thickness in the frosting. Too thick, and I have broken the handle trying to get the frosting through, but too thin and it just makes a big mess on top and runs down the side. Most store bought frosting actually has a great consistency to go with the Wilton and I have been known to use it mixed in with some custom color gels or additional cream cheese to take away the canned taste without requiring a full homemade recipe. I will say that another thing to know is that the Wilton goes through more frosting for each cupcake than you might be ready for- on average I can only get 3-4 cupcakes frosted from each load into it so I always need a really large batch. In general, cream cheese based frosting while delicious is much more difficult to get looking really fluffy and high swirls in comparison to a buttercream type recipe.

Etsy has some fun wrappers when looking for a specific theme, as well as great topper options that I have used for several parties. I have also learned, though, that when it comes to the papers you do have to be careful with what you pick because the colors will run, distort or face once baked. Doubling up can help combat this, but grease proof liners are the best when really wanting the paper to still look fresh after baking. I have also used silicone baking cups- like the tea cups below and they are very cute but for parties you have to be prepared to not get some back because people throw them away without realizing that they are reusable.

And finally, put them in on a cute stand- Home Goods has super cute options- put them in some good lighting and take cute pics!

Tea cup cupcakes for a neighbor's Alice in Wonderland themed first birthday party

Not Your Average Bear

Let me introduce you to one of my few Midwest obsessions. There are very few midwestern items or traditions that I have honestly become attached to in my time here, but the Albanese Confectionary is a solid exception to that statement. I originally found the gummy bears on Amazon a few years back while searching for some rainbow colored candies for a birthday party. They had a variety pack with a bunch of pretty pastel colors, and then I noticed that the same company made cute flower and butterfly shapes, so I ordered several batches which made for very cute additions to a candy buffet display. Only later did I realize that the company was actually based here in Indiana, and that the local grocery stores actually use Albanese bears in their bulk gummy selections. You can tell an authentic Albanese bear by the subtle "A" on their tummies. Coming home from a business trip this week in Chicago, the hubs was sweet enough to make a little detour to the store and bring back some fresh yummies directly from the source. The chocolate covered bears were to die for.. Hence, there are no pictures of them because I inhaled them. Their chocolate is so rich and delicious! I highly recommend for your next party!!

Gummy Cubs
Gummy Butterflies
Awesome Blossoms
Chocolate Bears
Milk Chocolate Dried Blueberries
Milk Chocolate Caramel Corn