New Items in my Etsy Store . . .

Joanie Fascinator

I was a busy bee over Thanksgiving, and I posted new items to my shop and took new pictures with my Nikon of all my items. Take a peek and see what I've been working on . . .

Abigail Bridal Headband

Viola Beaded Lace Fascinator

Betsey Fascinator

What do you think, dear readers? Like what you see so far? I'm awaiting some birdcage veiling from England, and some feathers, so keep your eyes open for new items coming soon . . .

It's beginning to look a lot like . . .

I decorated for the holidays the day after Thanksgiving, as usual, but this year I got to put up my new tree. Squeee!!! Ever since I was little I have wanted a themed tree, and this year I finally got one, in my favorite colors of turquoise, silver, and white. The holidays can officially begin now; bring on the music, hot chocolate, and Jingle cookies . . .

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's my birthday! I'm taking the day off, so there won't be any more posts today, and I apologize if I don't respond to comments or emails right away. Off to eat some cake;)

Recipe Fridays!

Cake Pops

This recipe comes from the wonderful Bakerella, and after having tried it once, I'm ready to try again! They're not easy, especially at the dipping-coating stage, so I think I'll need some practice to get them right. I used a strawberry cake mix and frosting (my favorite), and pink candy coating, but this would work with any mix. It just takes practice to get them looking nice!

1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)

1 can frosting (16 oz.)
Wax paper
 candy melts (1 lb. pkg.)
Lollipop sticks

Directions

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. (I use the back of a large spoon, but it may be easier to use fingers to mix together. But, be warned, it will get messy. Also, you may not need the entire can of frosting, so start out by using almost the entire can and add more if you need to.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50)
4. Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. (30 sec intervals, stirring in between.)
5. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls. (Insert a little less than halfway.)
6. Place them in the freezer for a little while to firm up.
7. Once firm, carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too.
8. Place in a styrofoam block to dry.


Note: I think cake pops are a little more difficult to make than the cupcake pops because of trying to get the candy coating smooth. So, If you haven’t made them before, check out this post for red velvet cake balls and this one for cupcake pops.

I am thankful . . .

Images courtesy: We Heart It

This Thanksgiving, I have so much to be thankful for. Regardless of the stress of the last few months, today is a day to remember the wonderful things we have, and express our gratitude. I am thankful, first, that I have a job that will pay the rent and bills, and also to be able to do the creative things I love.

I am thankful I have a roof over my head, and that I am not homeless as the weather turns colder. I have food and shelter, and that is so important.

I am thankful for my family, those related by blood and those I chose as my brothers and sisters. I could not get through the day without them.

Finally, I am thankful for my friends. Just a few years ago, I had very few people I counted as friends, and now they seem as numerous as the stars in the night sky. I will never truly be able to express my gratitude for how they surround me with love.

This Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for?

In the (cell phone) weeds . . .

I'm trying to pick a new cell phone and carrier, and right now I'm looking primarily at two phones, each on different carriers and plans:
-The Droid with a Verizon plan
-The MyTouch 3G with a T-Mobile plan

There seem to be pros and cons with each company, and with each phone, from what I've read and what I'm hearing from friends. The Droid is the new, sexy phone from Motorola, and it does seem to have a lot of features, but that makes the plan relatively expensive per month (not to mention the price-tag of the phone itself!), and because of its newness there are very few reviews that can speak to its long-term performance.

The MyTouch 3G is less expensive and I like the price of the monthly plan better, but T-Mobile has less coverage than Verizon, and there are complaints about the performance of the keyboard on the touch-screen (there is no physical QWERTY keyboard on the MyTouch).

This is the phone I plan to take with me to California and hope to have for several years, so I don't want to skimp on quality or service, but I do want to keep my monthly bill under $100 a month, if possible. So, I'm throwing it out to you, dear readers. Does anybody have any experience with these phones or carriers, and can give me some advice?

Favorite Site Tuesdays: Wanna Hava Cookie!

Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Peanut Butter Filling

This week's favorite site is Wanna Hava Cookie, a New York bakery started by Marissa Angebranndt out of her love for, what else: cookies. I share a similar love, so I sympathize;)

And talk about yummy! One of her main staples is the whoopie pie, something I discovered while I was going to school down south and have never quite gotten over. She makes them in Chocolate, Vanilla, and Red Velvet varieties, with all manner of fillings. I'm getting a craving already. And, that's to say nothing of the cookies, brownies, and other edibles she makes.

I'm definitely impressed, and I'm definitely getting ideas . . .  Head on over to Wanna Hava Cookie and check it out for yourself;)