Averting a Pinterest Fail

How is your 2013 so far?  Did you have any fun New Years Eve plans?  We have been lazing around the house with the girls for the last two days reading new books, watching fluffy movies, and playing card games with the girls.  It's been lovely!  Oh, and eating.  My husband has decided that he is really into cooking lately (which is great for me!).  He made a whole mess of appetizers, my favorite being parmesan puffs (mmm  fried!), fontina fondue (with green apple was best), and bacon wrapped dates filled with goat cheese.  YUMZ.  Last week, he made Moroccan Chicken with Lemons & Olives, and it turned out very good!

We've been so lucky to have great neighbors on our old street AND our new street (which is right around the corner from where we used to live).  Our neighbors across the street brought over wine & two little stuffed bears for the girls the day after Christmas.  I decided I wanted to make some cute Pinterest New Year's Eve cupcakes for them.  Here are what they were supposed to look like:

Here is what the clock faces looked like after simply following their instructions (not good):

Those Wilton food writers they say to use?  They don't work.  At all.  Maybe they would work better on fondant, but they do NOT work on Oreo cream.  And they were expensive too. 

First off, you need to use a sharp knife to cut off the top layer of cream & Oreo crumbs.  Good thing I bought Double Stuff!  Luckily, I am a huge hoarder of sprinkles & baking products in general.  I pulled out my bottle of Halloween sprinkles containing confetti & tiny nonpareil sprinkles & pulled out all the black ones.  Then I sent hubby out in the snow to a candy shop to get black licorice strings (I'm not that mean-- he had other stuff to get, and it was on the way to the grocery store). 

Here's what I ended up with!  Did not nail it, but not exactly a Pinterest disaster either.  Give-worthy I'd say.

And here are the little labels I made to attach to the top of the cupcake box:

Feel free to use.  You can save these at the original size then paste them into a Word doc or otherwise.  Print out on cardstock or full sheet label sheets and attach to hostess gift bags, boxes of treats, wine bottles, etc., and I left a place to sign your name!  Voila.

Punxatawney Phil

V has strep throat and Q was home due to schools being closed, so we made a little craft from All Kids Network via Crafty Crow:


We used leftover light blue party cups for the sky, decorative green packing tape for the grass ($1.00 section from Michaels), and birds/bugs/flowers stickers from the dollar store. We didn't have popsicle sticks so used drinking straws instead. We were so glad he didn't see his shadow!

Got my craft room cleaned up a bit last week, and I took some photos. Hasn't been this clean since I first decorated!!! As you can see, my wall of creepy cute (or as my husband calls it, the "wtf wall") is coming along swimmingly. This may or may not be a raccoon carrying a kitten:







I will miss this space in the new house. I will have a craft room, but not immediately. Such is life.

Hope you all survived Snowmageddon 2011!

Jean Louise Finch & CONTEST

I have three favorite movies, two of which go together-- one of which does not: 28 Days Later (zombies), To Kill a Mockingbird & Patch of Blue. My favorite books are To Kill a Mockingbird, Geek Love (circus freaks) and The Help. I see a pattern here.

Mary Badham, who played Scout in the 1962 film, appeared last weekend at an old theater in Detroit-- the Redford Theatre. I was SO EXCITED to be able to meet her and get my book signed! Then Ryan and I watched the movie on the big screen which was incredible.


I tried to not get too emotional. I admit I had to choke back some tears when I talked to her. The book has been a favorite of mine, my mother's and my grandmother's for as long as I can remember. I remember watching the movie with my mom as a kid. I received my book copy when I was 15 years old. I cannot watch the movie without crying-- no matter how many times I see it. Needless to say, it will be an experience I will always remember.

A nice lead-in to MLK Day, I must say. I had to laugh when Q brought this home last week.

Isn't it awesome? And who thinks up this stuff? "Let's do a connect the dot that creates Martin Luther King's head!" She did a great job though. Although she said someone had the red crayon, so she had to color his lips purple.

Last but not least, I am cleaning, decluttering, and trashing a TON of stuff in my house getting ready for it to go on the market February 1. Did any of you put a comment in to win Grosgrain's Little Red Riding Hood jacket back in '08? Well, it's up for grabs again! Q wore it once or twice, I think. I think it's about a 3T-4T. I don't know if V will ever wear it, so I will choose a number at random on Friday night.

{photo courtesy of Grosgrain}

So cute, right?? Here's how to win (each method gives you one chance):

• Leave a comment here saying who will wear the jacket.
• Blog about it and leave another comment with a link to the post
• Tweet a link to this post; comment here and give me a link to your Twitter
  
• Become a public follower; comment here and tell me you did

Please only comment if you are within the Continental U.S. Be sure that you either leave an email or that any profile I can link on has your email in it so I can contact you if you win. Happy commenting! :)

Are You Ready????

The shopping's done, the wrapping's done. I think I'm ready! Although the hubby pointed out a very depressing thought-- by this time next week it will be long over. Seems like such a to-do for such a finite period of time, doesn't it?

The girls have been, well, a bit rowdy. I thought Elf on a Shelf would help with the impishness, but not so much. I keep telling V there is still hope IF she can curb the obnoxiousness. This is what she has asked Santa for (with a bit of coaching from Mom):


Post Edit: the above is the Strawberry Villa by Le Toy Van from Amazon (I hope Santa knows V would love it-- hopefully his elves can recreate it) :). I wonder if she will get it. I think Santa may take pity on her.

I just got done finishing up some French macarons we bought last weekend. How have I gone so long without eating these??? My friend told me about a local bakery called Cup.cake that sells them, and I bought 1/2 doz chocolate peppermint last weekend. So delish.



If you haven't tried them, they are like a cross between a brownie and cookie sandwiching a light cream filling. Cup.cake's Facebook page tells you what kind they have every day. If you are a regular blog reader, you most likely have seen various posts about macarons especially from Miss Emily Martin (aka The Black Apple). I think I avoided them for so long because I thought they tasted like meringues. Can't wait to order some for a birthday party! They will be so pretty and tasty.

And speaking of The Black Apple, look! An early Christmas present for me!


It was on sale at Urban Outfitters for 50% off, and I snatched it up for $9.90. Score! It was the last one. My non-crafting, non-blogging friend looked at me like I was nuts when I found the sole copy. She thought I was buying it for the girls. Looked at me even nuttier when I said they would not be touching it, and it would be kept safe and sound in my craft room.

I've been collecting all my home decorating ideas for the new house on Pinterest. Have you all heard of Pinterest? I'm slightly obsessed. Psssst...you can follow me if you wish! I have been finding myself liking the mixture between vintage and modern. But someone PLEASE talk me off the wallpaper ledge! I love it so, and I know it's "in", but I have a feeling I will hate myself later for it. But just LOOK at this wallpaper!


Le sigh.

Anyway, have a wonderful short week leading up to the holidays. :) I'll be back soon. xo

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all those fathers out there especially my own:

And this guy too...
You two are two of the best dads I know, and I'm so lucky to have you both. :) xo
P.S. The graphic above is a vintage card available from Kitsch Cupcake Gal's Etsy shop.

Happy Mom-oo's Day!

And Happy Mom-oo's Day to my own mum, Janet. From her pain-in-the-rear daughter. I'll be celebrating by doing something she loves, gardening! Planning on getting my annuals today and hopefully getting them in the ground today. Love you, Mom. :)

Happy Shamrock Day!!!!

Hope it's a lucky one!

My Eyes Are Smiling!

We are an Irish household. Today was spent tending to the corned beef and cabbage. Hubby needs 3 hours+ to prepare, so we typically do it the weekend before. He eats all the leftovers. We figured it out today, and this is the 12th year of the tradition. Good stuff.

This feat requires two LARGE stockpots. He boils the corned beef with seasonings for 3.5 hours. In the last half hour, he throws in the cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. He pulls the corned beef out, puts it on a baking sheet and coats liberally with honey mustard glaze then broils for 10 minutes. The piece de la resistance is his honey mustard glaze which is just French's yellow mustard and honey. No recipe-- just to taste. Again, good stuff.

So in the wake of St. Patty's Day sneaking up on me, I thought I'd throw out some festive Etsy picks:
Left to right, top to bottom:

1. Irish Rose Green Stud Earrings by Forevermore Creations
2. Vintage Good Luck Care Bear Magnet by Green Clean Toys
3. Mini Green Cowboy Hats by Imagine Art 7
4. The Leprechauns Craving Soap by AJ Sweet Soap
5. My Everyday Rainbow Necklace by Bikimiki
6. Leprechaun Stache by EllieKat
7. Green Beer St. Patrick's Day Letterpress Coasters by The Paper Peony
8. Vintage St. Patrick's Day Cake Picks by Tinsel and Trinkets
9. Pastel Rainbow Pocket Mirror by Starry Eyed Bowtique

Have a wonderful week! :) xo

Almost 2010!

How was everyone's Christmas? Ours was lovely. We spent Christmas Eve at my parents then went to the in-laws. And the girls found this pic when they got home from our trip on the 27th:


That rascally Santa! Q got her unicorn Pillow Pet from Santa. Huzzah! I also got some surprises. One big one was from my bro, SIL and niece:
Yup, that's an autographed pic of all the Glee kids. I'm filled with Gleekiness! I found that I received many gifts suitable for a 13 year old girl this Xmas, but I loved them all. My mother even bought me the Robsessed DVD (I didn't ask for it, I swear). She actually told the Target salesman that it was for her granddaughter. She is ashamed of her woman-child daughter. Ha!

Here are some super sweet gifties from Kat that I received yesterday in the mail.



I actually commissioned a super awesome print for our basement. Once it's up, I will post pics. Thanks, Kat!!! You're sweeeeet.

I have been spending my time yesterday and today recording a Dexter Season 4 DVD for two of my girlfriends to borrow. I made this lovely DVD label on Photoshop! I'm becoming comfortable on Photoshop. It's actually quite fun! Feel free to download and use as a label if you are a fellow Dexterite.

Last night, we saw An Education. It was very lovely. It takes place in 1961 England. The main character, Jenny, is played by Carey Mulligan (who's dating Shia Le Boeuf). The film follows her internal struggle between going to Oxford or marrying an older man played by the creepyriffic Peter Saarsgard.


Next, I want to see A Single Man! It looks wonderful and I didn't know it was directed by Tom Ford. Makes perfect sense because the trailer alone was beautifully styled and looked like a piece of art. I was also happy to see Nicholas Hoult in it who was the kid in one of my fave movies, About a Boy written by Nick Hornby who also wrote An Education!. My useless film trivia comes full circle!

Tonight, we're going to my cousin's house for an early kid-friendly dinner. Then the movie marathon will commence tonight after the girl's bedtime and will last through tomorrow as well. Ryan stopped at Whole Foods, Papa Joe's AND our local Holiday Market today. We have enough food and alcohol to feed an army. We won't be leaving our house or getting out of our PJ's all day tomorrow. Ahhhhhhhh...Happy New Year's!!!

3 Little Girls

3 Little Girls
Originally uploaded by Girl Land

I made these for my mom for Xmas. Bought her a generic necklace (which she got early), a very boring but completely utilitarian Snug cami (invented by a Detroiter!) and then these lovely little girls: V, Q and Cousin Sophie.

She puts little knickknacks up on her windowsill above her kitchen sink, so these will fit in nicely. I am also thinking about making her a shadowbox home too. Maybe for Mother's Day...to be continued.

Crafternoon was yesterday, and it was fun. Not a ton of people, but still a good time and I did sell a little bit. Will be posting much of the stuff in the shop even though some of it's Christmas, and it's a little late for Xmas stuff!

Today was a pajama day. Didn't get out of my pajamas. No shower either (ew, right?). But it was lovely! Painted these girlies, mixed some batches of reindeer food (oatmeal + glitter) and made some reindeer candy canes out of poms, google eyes and pipe cleaners for Q's daycare buds.

Feeling ambitious? You may be after you see this way cute project. My lovely Aunt Judy sent me a link to this felt mushroom tutorial courtesy of Pink Chalk Fabrics. I loves my toadstools!

xo!

Being Thankful for Babies

My mom told me about a trailer she saw last week for a movie called Babies, A Documentary, so I thought I'd share.

Makes me almost want another baby. I said ALMOST, people. No, we're done. Like DONE done. Although, my backup plan was to always to adopt an Asian baby girl. And now that we're done, I do feel a tiny bit of wistfulness that that will never happen. I am so very happy for Lisa over at Little Acorn! She and her husband and adopting a super sweet little girl, and I want to eat her up.

Believe me, I thank the powers that be every single day about how lucky we are and how much I love my family. And especially today! So Happy Thanksgiving all! Happy turkey/tofurkey/ham (?) eating day!!! Gobble gobble.

And I also am thankful for all of you. xo

Christmas? Really?

Look at my newest Target Xmas purchase! They're like matryoshka dolls, but Xmas characters. It has paid for itself already. The girls have been hypnotized.

This guy's my fave:

Also bought this Alexander Henry. Will be making some appliques for the shop (gasp, I know). I thought they'd look cute on a stocking. The top right angel reminds me of V and the bottom right of Quinn. Might make some packaging with "GLIY" on it as in "Girl Land It Yourself". heh.


Only 2 days, 10 hours!!!! Eek. V & Q have just gotten over the flu, and I'm PRAYING I'm not next. Bad timing!!! Send some healthy wishes my way, would you? xo

Happy Hallowe'en!

Hope everyone has a fabulous day full of tricks or treats! Take a look at these cool pics from Steve Chasmar's Flickr page. Above is just one example.

Reminds me of a scene from a really good Halloween movie we watched last night called Trick R Treat. I would highly recommend it. It was apparently made 3 years ago, and it was just released straight to DVD. Don't let that deter you, however, because this horror buff was very entertained. Plus, Anna Paquin is in it, and I adore her.


In other Halloweenie topics, did anyone else watch The Office Thursday? I was digging on Michael's dick in a box costume and Ryan the temp as Edward Cullen. No comparison, sir, no comparison!

I'll leave you with a pic of the dumplings as they were headed out to Zoo Boo last weekend. I give you........Pocahontas and Sacajawea!


xo and much candy to yas!

I Want to Be the Girl with the Most Cake

Inspired by Kat’s tune-titled blog posts, I have made my own. Well, except it’s a lyric, not a song title, per se.

But I digress.

Photo courtesy of Paula Wirth via Flickr

Yesterday was my birthday (yay me), and it was the first year in which I felt pretty blah about my birthday. We did go to my parent’s, got to have a date night (on Friday) filled with mojitos and bad movies (ugh, Year One…), and I did get a lovely cake decorated with yellow buttercream roses. But it just wasn’t the same. I’m thinking that maybe I am enjoying the girl’s birthdays so much that there isn’t enough excitement left for my own. I find this pretty pathetic. Here’s to making my special day more of a conscious celebration next year. It will be a Monday, so I WILL be taking the day off.

As for my blog post title, I think I won hands down after this weekend. Blurgh. I am down, ladies and gentlemen, but I am not out! Onward to Jazzercise!!!

And speaking of yellow buttercream roses, I love this ♥ And no fat or calories! Yummy!

Photo courtesy of pbrigitte zombuki via Flickr

Happy 4th!!!

Hope you have a day filled with carousels, sparklers, red, white & blue desserts, fireworks, and FUN! :) xo

Don't Forget Dad!

Don't forget! Father's Day is Sunday, June 21. I just shopped a bit today, and I thought I'd share some of Girl Land's Etsy picks for some great gifties for your fave hubby, pops, or grandpa.

Top to Bottom, L-R:

1. Lotion bar by Portland General Store
2. Sunflower and Pistachio Toffee w/ Milk Chocolate by Vintage Confections
3. Custom Golf Bar Marker by Autumn Leaves Jewelry
4. World’s Greatest Husband vintage mug by EclecticaMiami
5. Robot Tee by Happy Family
6. Vintage Wooden Box for Polishing Shoes by Val Bolen
7. Half Pint of Prose for Fathers by Inspired Letters
8. Instant Vintage Office Set by River Bazaar
9. Gourmet BBQ Spice Rub Kit by Purpose Design

My dad will be receiving the golf markers from the girls that says, "We Love Grandpa Jim". Ryan will be receiving the robot tee, a nice trophy from the girls, and a card featuring a Father's Day interview I found by Let's Explore via The Crafty Crow. It was actually for Mother's Day, but I modified the questions. Best Q answer so far:

"My Dad always tells me, 'Let's listen to the Talkin' Heads'."

Speaking of Q, here are some other recent Q-isms that have made me laugh:

During a thunderstorm at 2:00 am-- "Mom, can you please turn down the thunder???"

After her dad startled her-- "Daddy, you just scared the poop babies outta me!"

With her arms out, shaking her head, naked from the waist down, "I have NO IDEA where my underpants are."

That is all. Off to watch SYTYCD that is being Tivo'ed as we speak!

Love to Mother

Every year, I forget to add these to my Etsy shop. I have a bunch of them in different colors, and they are in mint condition. I love 'em.



So Happy Mother's Day to you all you Mudders out there! Hope you did something fun. I have been sans hubby basically since last Wednesday. He came home Friday night late and had to leave again for work early this AM 'til Tuesday (ohhhh, shush, even downtown voices carry... Sorry, 80s flashback). But my parents came into town, and we went to brunch at The Emory. GOOOOOOOD food!!! We had no rezzies because they don't take them, but we had no prob. I had the tomato & artichoke omelet. TDF!!!

T'was a very handmade Mother's Day for my mom. She's in a bookclub, so that became the unofficial theme. First, this book bag with a quote I found that I love. It reminded me of my mom because I feel like she gets so much out of nature.



With these book pockets for when she loans her bookies out:

And the girls made this bookmark:


Also not photographed were THE BEST lemon cream-filled milk chocolates (her fave!) from Sweet Essentials in Berkley. And some wine tags, of course, because what's a book club without wine, right?

The girls and Ryan got me these loverly flowers-- lavender mums, alstromeria, and hyacinth. I added some lilacs from my garden after I took the pic, and the house smelled divine!


Now I'm off to make an appliqued shirt for Q. She said she wanted a mushroom. What a novel concept. :)

Hope the rest of your weekend was wonderful! xo