Zig Zag! Just a fad?

Chevron. Zig Zag. Whatever you call it, I'm obsessed!  I don't care if it ends up being a fad, I want it and I want it now!  I'm going to sew some pillows for my patio furniture, but I have to decide which color.  So many choices and they are on sale at Fabric.com

Beauty & The Department

I found this great new site on a friend's blog!  It's The Beauty Department and one of the contributors is none other than LC!  [Lauren Conrad for those of you living under a rock...(If you don't know who Lauren Conrad is than my further explanation that she was on Laguna Beach or The Hills probably won't help you either)]

Anyway, I can already tell that this will be one of my favorites!  They share basic beauty info, tips & tricks that we all need or want to know about it!  Add it to your Google Reader subscriptions... you'll be glad you did. :)  Here's a trick that I can't wait to try when I get home!

For the love of food....

Anyone else out there love food as much as I do?!  My husband would probably say no. :)  I'm always the first one at the office to say "Hey, what are we doing for lunch?"  Anyway, Caroline over at Shammy Says shares my lust for food.  Her entire blog is dedicated to it.  From new recipes she tries, to exploring restaurants and menus in Tulsa, she leaves your mouth watering! Oh, and she's funny too!  I still enjoy her blog, even though I don't live in Tulsa anymore.  She will inspire you to go try new places in your own city.  So hop on over and check her out...

DIY Cloche

I can't remember where on the wonderful web I saw this little idea, but I just had to try it myself.  And it was so easy I thought I had to share!  I found this little cheese board and dome and this crystal candlestick at Goodwill, totaling $4.

I know, they look pretty gross. But, thanks to Gorilla Glue, I can give this trash a new purpose!

Simply glue the candlestick to the bottom of the wood plate.  Gorilla Glue expands so you won't need too much.  I used the glass dome to weigh down the candlestick while the glue dried overnight.

 Then use some spray paint primer and an enamel color.  The color I had wasn't enamel finish so I just sprayed a clear glossy coat on when the color was dry.  Voila!

You can put anything in here!  I like the nest and eggs for easter, or some moss stones would be cute too for spring. 

ENJOY!

Red Velvet Cake

So, here's the secret family recipe!  Not so secret anymore, huh? I promise, this is THE BEST red velvet cake.  It came from my great grandmother Hazel Wilson.  It's listed in our family cookbooks as Waldorf Astoria Cake, because everyone said the recipe came from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.  My mom insisted that to get the best final product you had to buy all your ingredients fresh.

I always start with the frosting.  Crazy, I know, but the first step needs to have time to cool.
Begin with 2 cups milk, 1/2 cup flour and a pinch of salt in a saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk constantly or else you'll end up with lumps.  Cook until the mixture gets thick and then set aside to cool completely.

You can see how thick it gets by how it's sticking to the side of the pan.

Now for the cake!  In your mixer, cream together 1/2 cup shortening (we'll just call it Crisco from this point forward) and 1 1/2 cups sugar.  You'll get a snow like mixture that looks like this:

(I usually use the whisk attachment instead of this paddle)

Then add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla:

And now, the main character!

Yes, TWO bottles of red food coloring.  Don't skimp.

Mix in the food coloring, and then begin sifting the dry ingredients in a separate bowl: 2 Tablespoons coco, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 Cups Cake Flour.

Don't use just regular ol' flour, girls!

Add 1 cup buttermilk to the batter.

Then add your sifted dry ingredients and beat for 2 minutes.  You'll end up this beautiful velvety cake batter: 

In a bowl or glass, measure 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 teaspoon soda together.

It bubbles up pretty high, so don't use anything too small.

Fold the vinegar mixture into the batter slowly, don't beat.

Grease two round cake pans with Crisco and then flour them:

Bake @ 350 for 30-34 minutes. 

Don't over cook. (Toothpick test for doneness: if the toothpick has batter on it when you poke in it the center of the cake, then it needs another minute or two)  Let cakes cool in pan for a couple minutes before transferring them to cooling racks to cool completely.

Frosting: In mixer, cream together 2 cups sugar, 1 cup shortening, and 2 sticks butter.  (My recipe actually says 2 sticks oleo.  I called my mom or sister from the store one time trying to find this mystery ingredient, but found out it was just my great grandmother's word for what we now call butta...)  Beat at high speed until fluffy.  Add the cooked mixture from before with 2 teaspoons vanilla.  Beat thoroughly at high speed.

It's get's really thick and fluffy!

Place one cake round on your serving dish and cover with a layer of frosting.  Place your second cake round on top and also cover with frosting.  This recipe makes plenty of frosting so you'll have enough to cover the side completely and some extra to attempt piping.  Mine didn't turn out too pretty, but it tasted delicious!

ENJOY!

Happy Heaven Birthday, Mom!

Today is the 5th anniversary of when my sweet mom went to heaven.  Although the date on the calendar shouldn't have such an affect on me, it always does.  I try to do special things that remind me of her in celebration of her wonderful life! 

I made her linguini and clam sauce this week, which is a fave at my house.  I'm wearing her diamond earrings today and I've got red painted nails like she always did!  One thing my mom instilled in me was to make things special and to be joyful.  So, every year on her birthday and her heaven birthday I make her famous red velvet cake.  Life is too short to not celebrate! This recipe has been handed down in my family for years, long before the red velvet craze of recent times.  (I promise to share the recipe soon.)  It's everyone's favorite and no other recipe or store bought replica holds a candle to this baby! 

HERE'S TO YOU, DEBBIE DILL! HAPPY 5TH HEAVEN BIRTHDAY!

Let's take things to the next level....

I know I haven't updated the blog since the holidays!  My Santa paintings were a big hit and kept me so busy that it has been nice to have a little break.  But I'm excited to share that I am opening my own booth April 1st at Showplace Market!  Here's a sneak peak at some of my recent crafting projects in preparation for my booth inventory... Enjoy!

Book Page Wreath, close up

Flower embellishment, Ruffle X Pillow, distressed turquoise chair

flower pillow

ruffle basket

Pray Continually art

The husband says no....

So, I've been wanting some comfy seating on our back porch since we got married.  My husband thinks the dining table and chairs we have out there is good enough.  But it's just not as comfortable as sitting back with a cold drink in hand on this:

My friend over at The Steen Style brought this awesome set to my attention!  It's currently on sale at Home Depot for $299.99 and FREE SHIPPING!  Did you read that? FREE SHIPPING!!!  I emailed it to my husband and he still says no. :(  Will I ever get the comfy seating my little heart desires?  I mean, a girl needs a place like this to read her girlie books and drink Skinny Girl Margaritas, right?!

UPDATE: He realized we'd never find a deal as great as this and finally agreed!  Actually, I think he was just tired of hearing about it....  Either way, momma's happy! Haha!

It's official...

I am now a vendor at Showplace Market!  I've been working really hard the past 6 weeks getting ready for this.  My evenings and weekends have been filled with arts-n-crafts, trips to Home Depot, sewing, and even more trips to Hobby Lobby!  I'm am very glad to be starting this new chapter and can't wait to see what's in store in the future.  Here's a few pics of my booth....

Goodwill! Good Find!

So, a couple weeks ago I drove past a Goodwill store and decided to run in real quick.  I came across this square wood end table.  It had two stickers on it: "50% Off" and "$19.99".  I thought, surely $19.99 IS the half-off price, but I was wrong!  The sucker was $9.99!  "SOLD!" I said.  Here it is getting some primer:

After a solid white coat of primer, on goes the yellow...."Here comes the sun... doo, doo, doo, doo...."

Then, to bring out all the detail of this little beauty I added a brown glaze.  Van Dyke Brown from Sherwin Williams is my fave.  If you are new to glazing, it's super easy.  Just paint on and wipe off.  Don't mess with buying cloth rags for the wiping.  You know that old t-shirt of your husbands that's been around longer than you have?  That'll do!  Here's the finished product.

I absolutely love the original hardware!  Total cost: $17.00 Total time: 2 hours.  Whadya think?