( Indie ) Pretty Projects

Pinterest Favorite Five - 1/27/12 edition

2012-01-27T13:55:00.000-05:00

Source: une-deuxsenses.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Every Friday I will be sharing my top five favorite Pinterest pins from that week, everything from inspiration, to recipes, DIY projects, fashion, and home decor - all with that handmade, independent flavor, of course. So, here is this week's Pinterest Favorite Five:

#5: Red Velvet Hot Chocolate (pictured above)

#4: Words to live by:

Source: myrevelment.com via Ashley on Pinterest

#3: Birch log side table - perfect for my bedroom decor plans.

Source: sagegoingongreen.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

#2: Mirror Tile Lighting

Source: lunaandchloeweddings.com via Ashley on Pinterest

#1: Fiber-wrapped bottles! I have so much string, and so many bottles that I can't NOT do this:

Source: penelopeandpip.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I think we're just gonna to have to be secretly in love with each other

2012-01-26T16:06:00.001-05:00

"I think we're just gonna to have to be secretly in love with each other and leave it at that..." - Margot Tenenbaum, The Royal Tenenbaums

This is one of my favorite quotes of all time from one of my favorite movies of all time. There was actually a point in time when I said it to my now husband, who had been my best friend for over two years. It seemed like it could never be anything more than friendship; of course, it was only five months later that we got engaged - I think things seem more dramatic at the time than they really are.

Anyway, I came across this Margot Tenenbaum paper doll print by Claudia Varosio and it made me so nostalgic for the movie.

Claudia has other similar prints featuring actors and characters that I just adore. Besides the Margot Tenenbaum print, she has a Big Lebowski and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind print that I would just love to have on my wall... *sigh*

Custom Shelf Monogram for under $5

2012-01-26T10:38:00.001-05:00

I was so excited to find this metal letter P on clearance at Meijer for $2.50. I had been wanting a monogram of our last initial somewhere in the house, and this was perfect. I do also have a smaller one in our bedroom I will be making over, but nobody ever sees that one but us.

I really wanted this P in the living room, specifically on the shelves that I painted gray and white - the problem was the black metal of the P made it disappear into the shelf, so I decided to spray paint it (I love spray painting things now :).

So, $2.50 for the P, plus a small can of glossy white spray paint for $3.97, plus 40% off of the paint at Hobby Lobby, put this DIY project at under $5.00! For new homeowners, this is just the kind of project we need to keep doing more of to personalize our house.

Remember to:
- lay down newspaper or ads to protect the floor
- wear gloves and even a mask if you can when spray painting
- hold your can far enough away so you don't get globs of painting forming (like mine have!)

Can't find a good deal on a monogram? Most craft stores have these card board letters for $2 - $3 (top photo). You can buy a small can of metallic paint (like mine) in gold or silver, and create a much more expensive monogram!

Pampered Breakfast: 10 Minute Crepes

2012-01-26T09:10:00.000-05:00

This recipe is part of Project: Me. Sometimes doing just a little something special for yourself can make your entire day seem brighter.

Yesterday was starting in a way that could have made it a bad day. The girls were already extra-sensitive and fighting with each other; I had an entire messy house to clean that was really at the bottom of my priority list but... it had to get done.

I just wanted some little magical spark to the morning, something to make me feel like it was a special occasion. I decided putting some effort into my breakfast, outside of toast with peanut butter, would do the trick. Enter: strawberry yogurt crepes with bananas and honey.

Crepes used to seem intimidating, but I made delicious apple crepes in the fall and now I know how easy it is. This recipe in particular took me less than 10 minutes to cook and fill four crepes. I ate two, and really only needed one - I'll know next time.

Tip! On bad days, eat your food on your fine or best china - even drink your coffee from your best mugs! It automatically makes the meals seem elegant, luxurious, and pampered. This is a trick I started when my babies were newborns and I felt like the Creature From the Black Lagoon.

Here's the recipe! Makes 4 crepes

1 egg
1/2 cup milk or milk substitute
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

for filling/topping
8 ounces lowfat vanilla greek yogurt, + sliced strawberries; OR 8 ounces fruit-at-the-bottom strawberry greek yogurt
1 or 2 sliced bananas
honey to drizzle

Directions

Combine egg, flour, vanilla, milk, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Very lightly grease a skillet - I used canola oil. Heat pan on medium heat.

Slowly pour 1/4 batter at a time to make one crepe. Lift the pan and tilt it around to spread the batter thin. Since crepes are so thin, they don't take long to cook. Flip after about 1 minute, and remove after about 2 minutes total. Repeat 3 more times.

Spread 2 ounces of yogurt into each crepe. Add desired fruit filling - I used strawberries. Top with sliced bananas and a light drizzle of honey. YUM!

Etsy Finds by Color: Pink & Orange

2012-01-24T14:17:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my new series! Etsy Finds By Color. With this feature, I use inspiring home decor, fashion, or photography to create a color palette, and search for the perfect handmade or vintage components to make the inspiration a reality.

This week's photo is a gorgeous pink and orange bedroom for little girls - I would love to do this for my daughters someday. The photo is from Lonny Mag via Caitlin Creer. And now, for the finds!

from left to right:
1. fabric flowers by Jane Joss
2. handmade pendant light by Filigree Creations
3. vintage snail planter from fruitfly pie
4. taupe deer print by eden creative studio
5. rosette pillow by Love of family and home

Project: Me: Allowing myself to be who I really am

2012-01-23T14:32:00.000-05:00

I've been debating whether to blog about this project, but I realized that this may be my most important project of all.

Welcome to Project: Me

Since the beginning of this blog four years ago I have had two children, moved four times between two states, bought a house, and seen my business grow; yet, there is still one of life's projects that I have been neglecting: me.

There's only one of me, and I'm the only me I'll ever have for the rest of my life. That has to be the most self-centered sentence that I've ever written, but it's true! I want to be healthy and happy well into old age, so that means taking action and taking care of myself now.

I gave birth twice in 14 months. I became an emotional eater, finding comfort in sweets and other goodies anytime I got stressed. I was the mother of two babies in a state where I had no friends, and with a husband who worked 60+ hour work weeks with a 2 hour daily commute, I didn't get out much. My appearance, sense of self, my body's health, and my mental health were not doing so great.

What I want out of Project: Me

I want to enjoy exercise

I want to end my addiction to sugar

I want to enjoy more vegetables

I want to drink more water

I want to discover my own personal style

I want to take time to cultivate creativity - to create art that is just for me again

I want to FINALLY lose that 30 pounds of baby & marriage weight

I want to start sleeping more

I want to put more effort into keeping my home clean

I want to look back at my 26 year old self someday and think, "those were the days."

This isn't just about weight: this isn't going to turn into a dieting a fitness blog. This is about me, inside and out. This is about finding my own personal style. This is about unleashing the creativity in me that has been lost for a long time. It's time I find out who I am at 26, outside of my role as a mother.

This is going to take a lot of effort.

I will post my progress, my projects, my tips, my tricks, and my resources. I've decided to make this project public so that somebody can hold me accountable! I hope that you all can encourage me along, because I will need it, and if you need it too, I will encourage you right back.

Now, it is time to let go of the past. It is time to let go of the reasons I became who I am today. It is time to forgive myself for my mistakes. It is time to focus on who I know I can be, and why it is important that I liberate her.

January 19th: Three Things I Love This Thursday

2012-01-19T15:03:00.000-05:00

via Elisa McLaughlin Designs

I love this idea of hanging terrarium gardens! I 've seen them all over lately, featuring ornamental plants, moss, and dried flowers (like mine), I can't believe it didn't occur to me to put a useful plant in hanging orbs, like herbs! I would love to have mint and other herbs hanging in the window over my kitchen sink. Pretty and convenient for cooking!

How cool are these coffee stencils by Cosmic Emotions? They're not even just for coffee - I could see them used with powdered sugar for brownies, sanding sugar on cupcakes, or even edible glitter.

These handmade nail transfers by Kate Broughton are so darling. They are based on her original illustrations - truly wearable art! She has a set of colorful bird transfers that you should see as well!

I love my sister, she loves Tom Hanks

2012-01-19T12:56:00.001-05:00

If there is one person I am not embarrassed to shamelessly promote, it's my sister. She is an amazing singer, and writes original music with her boyfriend Marc in their band The Full Catastrophe.

Photo by Ryan Pavlovich

Just a few weeks ago they released a new EP, Zygomatic, and today was the premiere of the first music video off of that album: "Tom Hanks"!

You don't have to be a Tom Hanks fan to enjoy the song, but if you've seen a few of his movies (Forrest Gump? Big? Toy Story?) then you will have a good time picking out all of the references in the song and video.

So please watch, and if you liked it, share it! My ultimate goal is to get this video in the hands of Tom Hanks (where it belongs). If you really liked the song, you can download Zygomatic here or on iTunes.

Mango Swirl Ice Cream Recipe

2012-01-19T09:30:00.001-05:00

*A quick note from Ashley: I know not everyone has an ice cream maker, but most ice cream recipes can be made at home without one! Read my first ice cream recipe post to learn how to apply Amanda's mango swirl ice cream recipe to the at-home method!

Hi! It's Amanda from The Sweet Details!

This ice cream is a wonderful cool down on a hot summer's day and it's the perfect mix of fruit and cream, it's just all around tasty!

Ice Cream
2 1/2 cups whip cream
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tube Cool Whip

Mix all ingredients together until sugar is dissolved. Freeze/churn in ice cream maker. When the ice cream is to a desired thickness fold in Cool Whip. Put the ice cream in the freezer to further set.

In the mean time start on the swirl!

Mango Swirl (Source)

11⁄4 l blue ribbon vanilla ice cream
3 medium ripe mangoes
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon

Allow ice cream to soften until it can be stirred.

Skin mangoes, cut into chunks and place in a blender. Add sugar and lemon juice and blend until smooth.

Swirl mango mixture through ice cream and refreeze.

Check out more of my yummy recipes here!

4 Year Blog Birthday!

2012-01-18T15:29:00.000-05:00

Ashley Pahl Paper Goods

Wow... I just realized today that Indie Pretty Projects is four years old! My first post goes back to January 7th, 2008. Incredible how time flies!

I looked back over my old posts, and noted two things:

1. My first attempts at product photography were terrible (they're still now only 'satisfactory' to 'okay')

2. I need to feature other artists I love now, like I used to back in the beginning

I intend to feature more indie shops, do more artist interviews, and feature more of my favorite finds in the coming year.

So, happy birthday, Indie Pretty Projects! And thank you to all of those who have been reading along, sending me emails, and commenting.

Much Love,

Ashley

Printable Pocket Goal Planner Freebie

2012-01-18T13:15:00.000-05:00

Hello all! Two things I love in the world are list-making and doodling. I decided to put the two together and created this super cute, pocket-sized goal tracker. It's somewhere between a planner and a worksheet book.

I've decided to offer a new one each month - I have a long list of ideas already! I am such a nut for organizers, lists, and jotting down notes - when is a better time to start tracking and brainstorming our dreams than at the start of a new year?

About this planner

Goals have become a big thing for me lately. They don't have to be big ones... they can be what you want to accomplish in a weekend, but maybe they are the big picture ideas. Where do you want to be in a year from now? What do you want to have accomplished in 5 years? What life do you want to be living in 20 years?

This little pocket planner is all yours. I came up with different ways of expressing your goals, from how they feel, to what needs to be done a day, week, or 6 months at a time. Just print, fold, cut, and it that's it. Print as many as you need if you're very ambitious, or hang on to this one little planner if you're looking at the big picture. You can download your copy here!

Directions

Start with your printable spread out on a table:

Fold in half, length-wise:

Fold in half, width-wise:

Fold in half width-wise AGAIN:

Unfold:

Fold in half width-wise, and cut along center fold, from the folded edge (pink circle), ONLY until the meeting of the four creases (orange circle). Do not cut all the way across!

Now you're ready to fold into a booklet!

1. Unfold your newly-cut paper
2. Pinch the left and right edge of the center crease, while you fold the paper length-wise. This will allow the center to stay open at the cut.
3. Still pinching the left and right sides of the center crease, push the left and right outer pages together, causing the opening at the center to disappear.
4. Locate the front cover of the book, and fold the pages shut at the crease on the left side of the cover to form a booklet.

Flip through your book. All of your goals will be in order, with goal #7 as the back cover. Having troubles with folding? Send me an email and I'll help!

Simple and Affordable DIY Packaging Ideas

2012-01-17T08:30:00.001-05:00

Having a hard time fitting packaging materials? Have you run out of your current supply, or are you looking for a DIY re-design? The following are affordable, fully-customizable ideas for making your mark on your packages.

Handmade wrapping paper

It's a winning combination: wrap your packages like presents - it makes your orders feel like special birthday gifts when your customer opens them; wrapping paper designed by you, which gives the paper a custom and personalized feeling when you match it to your branding themes. Below I'm using a roll of kraft paper, which allows you to cut it to the size that you need.

For the first design I used clear leaf stamps arranged on an acrylic block, and repeated the stamping over the paper.

Alternatively, you could use lettering, such as your business name, your slogan, or "Thank You", as I used below:

Instead of black ink, you could use inks in your business colors. You can finish off the package using ribbons in your business colors as well.

Along the lines of using ribbons in your business colors to tie your packages, yarn, twine, or string in your business colors is another very quick, and pretty idea. I once received a package tied in this way, and I never forgot it. The simplicity of this idea, along with the texture of the yarn and the act of untying the yarn, makes for a very sensory experience. You could use multiple yarns in different colors, or find balls of yarn in craft stores that feature multicolored yarn. Choose colors that match your logo, website, business card, etc. - keep it cohesive.

For small packages, try little gift bags. I regularly make these muslin cloth bags, which use a drawstring closure. I actually think they're just as lovely when they're simple and unstamped, but I also love the idea of stamping them in the same motif as your business. You can get a stamp made of your logo on Etsy.

Finally, what about your thank you notes, receipt and business cards? They could go in a drawstring bag, as pictured above, or you could also use a clothes pin to keep them together. It is the simple things that people remember. Sure, it's just a clothes pin and it doesn't seem like anything special, but when you see it used in an unexpected way, it takes on a new spirit.

Urban Plus Forest: Indie Shop of the Week

2012-01-16T12:36:00.001-05:00

When I virtually step into an online shop and I immediately want to buy ev-ery-thing... I have to make it Shop of the Week. I love every piece in Urban + Forest. This shop feels like it was just made for me.

Everything from the wall art to the coasters, to the birch shelf to the wooden tags and photography is just exactly what I've been looking for. I love birch trees. I want to see little reminders of them all over my house, and I think what I love most is the Organic Birch Wood Wall Art:

I can also see the log pile photos framed around my house:

and the birch bark candles upon the shelves in my house:

Urban + Forest is a Maine-based artist, and you visit them online on Etsy, Facebook, Twitter, or visit their main website. More favorites:

So, which is your favorite item from Urban + Forest?

DIY Gold Leaf Wax Decals

2012-01-16T08:24:00.001-05:00

By contributor Rachel Anne Jones

Today I'm excited to introduce to you an arty substance you probably haven't tried (or maybe even haven't heard of) before: encaustic wax. It is one of the earliest forms of paint, and yet we mostly see it nowadays solely in modern and abstract gallery art. Despite it's scary name, it is very quick and easy to use. This project makes a beautiful, professional, and expensive-looking decal that is about 1/16th inch thick that will only take about 10-15 minutes to do once your wax is heated up. Most scrapbookers already have most of the ingredients needed for this tutorial, but the encaustic themselves won't be found at your average scrapbook/craft store.

It's readily available, but you might need to visit your local art supply store to find encuastics (or go online to places like dickblick.com). I personally like the Enkaustikos brand "Hot Cakes", since it comes in convenient tubs that are easy to heat with a candle-warmer. For art supplies, they aren't expensive--a small tub of clear 1.5 oz (which is more than plenty for the average crafter) is about 6 dollars, and when you buy it in the bigger tubs, the cost per ounce goes down a lot - pigment tubs are more depending on the color. Yet, why is it so much more than normal beeswax?

Encaustics aren't just plain candle-wax. They're a mix of pigment, damar resin, and beeswax. If you get clear medium like I do pigment is left out. Encaustics allow wax to paint with a brush; allows them to attach to paint and porous boards; and be painted upon with oil mediums (and acrylic although it's less permanent). The resin gives it a hard coating and a beautiful glaze when fully dried.

I got the clear wax medium for this project, but you can use any color of wax, since it comes in as many colors as paint. The difference between encaustics and oil paint is just two ingredients. I get mine clear since I can just paint on top of it with other paints.

Materials

-a tub or block of encaustics wax medium (preferably a tub. I've never used them in the brick form so I can't tell you how those work, but cleanup for encaustics in a tub is as simple as turning off the heat and putting the lid back on.)
-a candle warmer or a portable pancake griddle you will never eat food on again that you can set to the lowest setting.
-a hair dryer
-a panel to paint on (or anything else, let it be a jewelry box, a decal for the wall, or a cabinet, a frame, a cover of a fancy book, or etc, etc.)
-cheap-o throw-away brush
-fluffy brush for applying gold/metallic leaf
-gold/metallic leaf (I use leaf, but you can use a sheet or a powder or even a metallic paint if you wanted)
-plastic stencil

Directions

Prep work is pretty easy: The board I used was just a slab of masonite. I prefer painting on masonite because it's cheap, doesn't warp, and has no grain. I used white gesso to prime the base, but you can also glue on a sheet of fancy paper (or a map or an old dictionary page) and then seal it with a clear medium like hodge-podge or acrylic.

Then, heat the tub on the candle warmer. It could take several hours if you have a huge tub.

1. Using the cheap brush, paint the wax over the stencil onto your board. This was my Christmas present stencil I bought for myself - worth it. It'll be quite thick, and you'll get some really juicy paint strokes. As you take off the stencil, you might want to hit it a little with the hair dryer to make sure you get as much wax as possible on the board and not stuck to the stencil. It won't be perfect, but that's part of the charm.

2. As the wax is sticky, place some foil on the wax and press it down with your finger. Then, take your fluffy brush and lightly brush away excess foil onto other waxy parts and also off of the work area. (I use a body-glitter brush that came with my J Lo glitter in High School. Yeah, I wore that for like 4 days). I like to have a piece of paper near my work to sweep my excess foil onto so I can collect it when I'm done.

3. Reheat with the hair dryer when necessary to make the wax sticky again--but remember it doesn't need that much heat--just a second or two--we don't want our wax decal to loose it's sharp shape and paint strokes. I felt like only covering half of my decal, because I like the open clear spots so's to keep people guessing how the hell I did it, but you can cover it entirely in gold if you want.

4. You're completely done! Now you can display it and brag about it. Pretend that you painstakingly carved it and molded it and soldered gold to it.

After they're cool, wax decals can be pretty hearty, but don't leave it out of the sun and don't let the kids lick them. Don't clean them except for lightly dusting them off with a damp rag maybe.

To clean your stencil, heat the wax with the hairdryer and when it's soft, gently scrape it off with a palate knife to put it back in your tub. Don't bother to clean your cheap-o brush--there are ways but, eh--throw it out.

House Tour: Before

2012-01-13T13:40:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my "Before" house tour! Over the next few weeks I am going to get my butt in gear and finish some of the projects around the house that I have been meaning to get to. I've done a little bit to the living room, a lot to the dining room, and virtually nothing to my kitchen and bedrooms. There won't be any major renovations, just a lot of DIY decor and paint projects, which I will share with you.

So here is the dining room, about 85% done. I still need to fix up the pendant light, and I have a decor project in mind for that blank wall in the corner. I would love to have a buffet in here someday, probably under the mirror, but we're a budget right now. If you want to see the before picture, see Plans for the Dining Room.

I haven't done anything with the kitchen yet. The picture below is actually from the Realtor website from before we bought the house, and I can tell you that nothing has changed! Okay, one thing changed - we didn't get to keep the fridge, so we have an all-black one now. I have major plans for the entryway; I also plan to do something with the back splash, and I want to put in some new lighting some day. Actual renovations, like the sink and probably the stove (it's 35+ years old!) will come later.

I have plans for the living room that I just didn't get around to. I painted the back of the shelves gray (they were white), and started priming the shelves themselves, and just stopped. It's time to finish! I will be tackling this room first.

I am still debating whether or not to paint the mantle and paneling. I think painting it white would modernize it a bit, but my husband likes it because it is original and has that mid-century modern feel to it. What would you do?

This half of the living room needs help! We want to turn it into a library and reading nook area - put a reading chair on the red ikat rug in the corner, take out the kids toys ;-), put in some bookshelves, and I have two photographs from Ara133Photography to hang on that bare tan wall.

This is our room. I actually don't want to do too much with it. At first I was going to paint the walls gray, because I kind of hate decorating with blue. Then, I found this photo, and changed my mind. I do have a project to add a birch effect to that monogram P. I have a few gold frames that I want to add as well.

The windows desperately need some curtains. There is an even bigger window facing the bed, and some flowing white curtains would give them some oomph.

This is the "master" bathroom - just a half-bath in what I swear used to be a second closet. The entire wall behind the sink is mirror, so it was tough to get a photo. I really don't want to change much about this room, besides hang a little storage on the wall.

Brace yourself -things are about to get scary. This is the current state of my office / studio space. I apologize for ruining the dream of perfection and everything the home office can be right now, but this is what happens when you are designing new collections for your shop. I do have plans to reorganize, though! All is not lost.

Here's the main bathroom. It needs a lot of love, but it's at the bottom of the to-do list. That mirror cabinet over the sink is just terrible. The bathtub itself is a lame design (hard to clean), I dislike the cabinet over the toilet, and the sink faucet is in bad shape. I would love to tile the floor someday, and replace the counter top, but that will be a ways down the road.

Brace yourself again - here is the girls' room. It doubles as the play room. There is actually a little room in the finished half of the basement that will eventually be the play room, but I don't trust little legs on stairs yet. Right now it houses a crib and toddler bed, but I see a bunk bed and desks in there some day.

Here is the front entryway. I'm not a huge fan of the green slate tile, and it needs some color! I can also see a little console table to the right of the closet. I also don't know what to put in that little room divider - maybe some plants?

These are the hallways. I need to paint the background of the shelves some color - something to make the items pop out. I will probably leave the walls white, to help things seem brighter, but I will definitely hang some art eventually.

Here's the back yard - we finally got some snow last night!

And here is a view of the front from the bay window:

Finally, here is the family room in the basement. I know for sure that I will paint the paneling, and paint the brick white. It needs to be brightened down here. This picture is also from the Realtor - currently we have a light brown couch, two end tables, and a TV down there.

The rest of the basement has my husband's "man cave" which is his space, so I won't share it here, but there is also a little empty room that will become the play room; a laundry room, and the furnace / workshop room.

Thanks for taking the tour with me! I will share the finished results as they happen.

Meet: Cinderella Accessories

2012-01-13T11:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! I would love to introduce you to Cinderella's Accessories Shop, our newest Indie Pretty Projects sponsor. Cinderella is full of charm and whimsy, from the wide range of gift wrapping and packaging, to the sweet selection of crafting materials.

If your craft of choice is baking, Cinderella has entire sections devoted to twist ties and goodie bags

I also enjoyed browsing Cinderella's packaging supplies - I just love these, "Especially for you" stickers, and the Valentine-themed washi tape.

Or maybe you're interested in making your own thank you cards or gift tags... this darling little stamp set would be perfect!

I hope you stop by Cinderella's accessories shop - if you do, there is currently a special for qualifying orders:
Pick any 5 or more Items ▶ Get 5% off item total
Pick any 8 or more Items ▶ Get 10% off item total
Pick any 15 or more Items ▶ Get 15% off item total
Pick any 20 or more Items ▶ Get 20% off item total

If you're interested in becoming an Indie Pretty Projects sponsor, please check out the Advertising page for the details!

Chocolate Syrup Pecan Brownies

2012-01-12T13:15:00.000-05:00

Hi! It's Amanda from The Sweet Details!

This is a yummy brownie. Not my favorite of all time but still a really good one! I give it a 4 out of 5, only because I like a fudgier brownie. It's easy to make and it's nice because you can use your own homemade chocolate sauce and make it nice and rich if you want. Oh and the icing; so good!!

BROWNIES
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 (16-oz.) can chocolate-flavored syrup
1 1/4 cups All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

FROSTING
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9-inch pan. In large bowl, beat sugar and 1/2 cup margarine until light and fluffy. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla, eggs and chocolate syrup; blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour; mix well. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Spread in greasedpan.

Bake at 350°F. for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Melt 1/4 cup margarine in medium saucepan over medium heat. Blend in cocoa; heat until mixture just comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Cool slightly. Stir in powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and enough milk for desired spreading consistency; blend until smooth. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Spread carefully over cooled brownies. Cool completely; cut into bars.

Check out more of my yummy recipes here!

Three Things I Love This Thursday 1/12/12 edition

2012-01-12T08:28:00.001-05:00

This week, I fell in love with this necklace by Boorashka. If you click on it, you might find out that it is sold. I loved it so much that I bought it. That's right, I bought myself a Valentine. Support handmade! :)

I can't decide if I want these chocolate-covered caramels for me or for my husband for Valentine's Day. Another gift to myself? No, I'm supposed to be cutting back on sugar. I do want to smell them at least though. The great news is that through 1/14/12, you can get 15% off at Nicole's Treats with code PREVALENTINE15.

Finally, I just love these arrows from Verlaivans. I've been an admirer of their handcrafted arrows for some time now, but gosh I would love to see a set of these hanging up during Valentine's Day!

Anatomy of a Product Launch

2012-01-12T01:11:00.000-05:00

If you're launching a new product, a new collection, or an entire shop re-opening, then you've already put in a bulk of the work. You've done product sketches, prototypes, researched what's already out there, tested the market, product photography, product descriptions, and you've done the handiwork. Now, it's time to launch.

You want to create awareness and hype. You want the world to know that you've got something fresh to offer. So, where do you start, and how do you handle the potential flood of sales?

1. Begin by documenting your journey. Whether you are a blogger, rely on Facebook, or have a Twitter following, share what you are planning with all of those already interested in what you do. Let your subscribers and followers share in the excitement of a new idea, or the pain of a completely failed one. Show them your progress, and tell them when the big launch date will be.

2. Create hype. Get in touch with your favorite bloggers, or bloggers in your style niche, and ask them for a product feature. Perhaps, you could offer pre-sales, or share sneak peeks of the finished products. Send out postcards with photos of your coming-soon collection in your packages. Get interviewed. Get the word out there (but try to refrain from being a total spammer AKA irrelevant and obnoxious).

3. Send out a newsletter. If you have a newsletter sign-up set up, you can make sure to stay in touch with the people who really care about what you do. They went through the trouble to sign up - they'll be interested in your new work! You can find free or paid-for newsletter services. Mail Chimp is a popular service, and Mad Mimi has a free option.

4. You've set the date, you've gotten the word out - it's launch day. Find a way to create some fanfare and celebration! Hold a contest to name one of your new products. Create a poll to ask fans which new product is their favorite. Give one of your new items away! Offer a promo code for free shipping on launch day, or offer a free gift. Just think - what would interest you? What would evoke emotion in you regarding someone else's new collection?

5. Be prepared! Have all of your supplies ready for the big day. You might see no difference in sales, you might see a trickle of an increase, or you might see a flood - you never know! My preparedness includes:
a. bubble mailers
b. packaging materials
c. thank you notes (handwritten!)
d. a business card or a free goodie (I do organizational bookmarks with each order!)
e. shipping labels, and relevant USPS forms

6. Which leads me to: get acquainted with PayPal shipping, if you haven't already. This is such a time saver and a money saver, since there's a discount for buying postage online. You're probably already being paid through PayPal already if you're selling online - why not just print the postage from there, too?

7. Keep an inventory of everything you've made and have listed for sale. This may be a total "duh" for some people, but keep note of quantity of everything you've made, adjust the quantity when you sell one (or three!), and keep track of the materials you have available if you need to make more. One sorry lesson I've learned in the last four years is to not agree to a custom listing or a higher quantity of an item until you've checked how much material you have left! It's a painful thing to tell someone you can't actually make something for them, or that it will take longer while you wait for materials to arrive.

8. When preparing orders, separate orders into piles, boxes, or cubbies if you have them available. Start with how many orders must go out; lay out that many mailers. Place a thank you note, business card, freebie, etc. on each one. Sort out the ordered items onto a mailer. If you get a ton of orders, it may help to print out a receipt as a checklist. Address the mailers before sealing them so you don't forget whose they are!

These are my best tips for launching a new product line. Since it's the beginning of the new year, have any of you begun to do the same? What are some useful tips you've discovered through experience?

5 Handmade, DIY Calendars for 2012

2012-01-09T12:01:00.001-05:00

I have a secret - sometimes, I procrastinate. That's mostly why I don't have a 2012 calendar yet, which I NEED because I don't do the Smart Phone thing. Yesterday I thought, why do I need to buy a calendar? I mean, I always buy handmade calendars for myself, but why can't I make my own? And even better, what if I never have to make a new one again? So, for my Going Home to Roost guest post this week, I wrote about my dry erase calendar project.

I was inspired both by my previous DIY dry erase project, and the paint chip calendar, below. It's so easy to do, you just need a shape you can stamp with, like a round wine cork, or a square sponge. I used paint with my wine cork, and in 3 colors: yellow, cream, and silver.

All you have to do is fill it out at the first of each month, erase, and repeat! Just make sure to add enough days for a 31-day month that starts on a Saturday. For the full tutorial, head on over to Going Home to Roost!

I spent a good half hour looking for interesting DIY calendars before I came up with my idea... here are some of my favorites out there:

Perpetual calendar at Design Sponge:

Chalkboard wall calendar at Momtastic:

Paint chip calendar at Hey... Things Change:

Design-your-own owl calendar at My Owl Barn:

So, which one is your favorite?

Color of the Year contest: Tangerine Tango

2012-01-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

via Flauntme.com

Chronicle Books has had a running contest (which ends today!) in celebration of Pantone's color of the year for 2012: Tangerine Tango.

via Chronicle Books

I only found out about the contest last night, and hurried over to Pinterest to get my entry started. You can head over to Chronicle Books for the specific rules, but basically, the contest will be judged by 1) how closely your pins match the color Tangerine Tango, and 2) the quality of the photos you pin. You need to tag with #PinPantone. There are a whole list of prizes, including:

Grand Prize
1) 1 Pantone: The 20th Century in Color
2) 1 Pantone Color of the Year Journal 2012
3) 1 Pantone Color of the Year Journal 2011
4) 1 Pantone: Pantone Chips Journal
5) 1 Pantone Notes: 20 Assorted Notecards and Envelopes
6) 1 100 pack of Pantone postcards
7) $100 gift card to West Elm

Plus more for the runner up!

By RosellaResin via Pinterest

By AmandaCatherineDes via Pinterest

Even if you don't win, it's still a really fun way to spend an hour or two. Want to see my Tangerine Tango board? Head over to Pinterest now!

Mocha Mud Pie - made from scratch!

2012-01-05T14:35:00.000-05:00

Hi! It's Amanda from The Sweet Details!

Now mud pie is my all time favorite dessert and I've had it right a couple of times (one being back home) but I find it's very hard to find a place that does it just right (to my standards at least, and I'm pretty picky when it comes to this!) so I decided for my birthday this year I was going to try and make it (I thought that would be a good idea now that I have an ice cream maker!).

I searched high and low for a good recipe but most of them weren't very good or sort of cheated using premade ice cream so I came up with my own, with a little help from here and here.

I couldn't be happier with how it turned out and I kid you not it's the best mud pie I have ever had! (And I'm not just saying that because I made it. I'd be honest if it sucked! ha ha)

It's pretty easy to make:
1) Make the crust, press down into 2 3'' spring form pan (I'm sure this would also be enough for a 6'' or a thinner cake in a 9'')

2) Make the ice cream and spread over crust
(I had some store bought hot fudge sauce that I put a spoonful of right in the middle of the crust before I poured the ice cream in. It was a nice treat to discover that when eating the cake after. I haven't found a good recipe yet to make it at home but at soon as I do you bet I'll be posting it!)

3) Set in freezer at least over night

Mocha Ice Cream

1 cup whip cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
2-3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1/4 cup chocolate syrup

Preparation:

Combine ingredients. Stir until sugar and coffee granules dissolve. Freeze according to ice cream freezer's directions.

Chocolate Syrup
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 dash salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
Stir together.

Boil 2-5 minutes, stirring rapidly, until sauce begins to thicken.

This must be stored in the fridge.

Crust
13 Oreos
1 tbsp Butter

Preparation:
Take 13 oreos & 1 tbsp butter, grind up, smooth it out in the spring form pans

(The toppings are just whip cream and store bought caramel sauce)

Check out more of my yummy recipes here!

Success: A Goal or a Feeling?

2012-01-04T10:00:00.003-05:00

Almost a year ago I wrote a bit about what success means to me, and how I will know if I am successful or not. At that point, I was identifying success by accomplishments, honors, mentions, or goals met.

I still think it is important to measure success by meeting the goals we set for ourselves, or it can even be a certain number of sales or dollars earned. Recently though, thanks to The Spark Kit (aff. link, but more on that later!), I'm beginning to see success as a feeling.

It's not even a question of how I will feel successful, but when? I will feel successful when I feel a certain way in my life. After writing a long string of consciousness, I identified the words "content", "productive", "meaningful", "important", and "creative" as sort of goal emotions or states of being.

but

how do these words feel? Content feels happy; productive feels useful; meaningful feels like depth in my work; importance feels like respect; and creative feels expressive and innovative.

To me, this says that I will feel successful when I feel happy, useful, deep, respected, and like I'm truly expressing myself and being innovative.

Going further, having meaningful work; being a productive, useful person; and being innovative will garner me respect. Feeling respected and expressive will make me happy and content. When I am happy and content, then I will feel fulfilled. They're all connected in a way, but when it comes down to it...

I will feel successful when I feel that I am respected for what I do, and when I feel like a fulfilled person.

Last year's post about being approached by a book author to feature my work as my version of success was honest, although I didn't fully understand my emotions at the time. It wasn't about the money for me, and it still isn't - although I can't lie: I want my work to be fruitful.

Being published in a book makes me feel like I must be innovative on some level - she did, after all, pick me over someone else. It makes me feel a little important, and it makes me feel like my work must have meaning outside of myself. What I really felt from that experience was respect: someone respected my work enough to write about it, and someone respected me as a creative individual enough to ask me to describe my process and inspiration.

So again, I ask you: what does success mean to you? What is it that you need to feel to be successful? When will you know you have attained your version of success?

Handmade Stationery 2012 Sneak Peek!

2012-01-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, friends! Today I thought I would share with you a sneak peek of my 2012 line of paper goods, including many love notes and Valentines. I even decided to go for a professional photographer - the photos are supposed to be done this week. It will be launching January 11th!

I've been working on these for quite a while. I've been creating my hand-illustrated, papercut postcards for quite a few months now, but I wanted to find a way to dress them up a bit. That's when I decided to introduce my passion for calligraphy to the world of papercut greeting cards. All of these cards started with a calligraphy pen and my own imagination. I then cut out the calliphed words by hand, layering them under with soft and luxurious card stocks. I am incredibly pleased with the result.

Thanks for taking a look at just a few items from my new line. I'd love to know what new items or product lines you will be introducing in 2012. Any exciting news or sneak-peek photos out there?

My 2011 in review

2011-12-31T10:37:00.001-05:00

This has been one of the most incredible years for me. So many opportunities and life events that I would have never even imagined. I think the most exciting moments in life are those that you don't seek out, and that take you by surprise.

I was never looking for my husband when we met in 2003 - in fact I was already dating someone else - but I can't imagine my life without him. Our second daughter was a complete surprise, but she's just pure joy in our life that makes every day so much sweeter. I was never seeking out the chance to have my work published in a book, but the opportunity presented itself to me, and I took it. This year was all about surprises, and the fruit that comes from grabbing a chance and just going with it.

January

Stemming from a little comment I made on her blog, I started posting drink recipes on Going Home to Roost. That 6-week guest series has morphed into a weekly DIY series that I absolutely love doing. Bonnie is such as pleasure to write for, and the material on her blog always has me striving to be a better citizen of this world. I love being part of her blog.

February

A well-known author in the creative world asked to feature some of my paper cut post cards in her upcoming book about stationery design. This was one of those things that just came out of nowhere, but turns your life upside down. The book isn't published yet, and so I haven't seen an increase in traffic from the opportunity, but the whole idea has pushed me to work harder and raise my standards for my own work. I'll likely be writing more about this experience as it unfolds in 2012.

March

In 2008 we moved to Chicago, and then to the surrounding suburbs in 2009. In February, 2011, my husband came home from work and indicated that he was ready to move back to Michigan and buy a house. We were originally planning on moving back into the city once our lease was up in September, with our little family of 4. My husband's job was a killer though - 60+ hours, work to do once he got home, a long commute, working the weekends in almost every month of the year. He was ready to move back to Michigan, our home state, and get some stability in our lives. In March we decided at what was essentially the drop of a hat to start looking for homes to buy.

April

Okay, I was born the year that the original 5 members of Duran Duran broke up in 1985, but they're my favorite band, and though most other girls my age think that makes me incredibly lame and/or old-fashioned, I don't believe that they understand the level of talent, creativity, authenticity, and fashion that is the aesthetic band, Duran Duran.

I had seen them live in concert in 2005 at the Palace of Auburn Hills, which is this HUGE stadium that the Detroit Pistons play in, and we were in the nose bleed section. In April, Duran Duran was playing at the House of Blues in Chicago, and my husband got us tickets as an anniversary present. The House of Blues has no assigned seating - it's standing room only - so I was able to wedge my way up close and experience the entire concert from 20 away. Those guys are still producing amazingly original music, and it was one of the best nights of my life. They still look damn good, too.

May

I made homemade ice cream - without an ice cream maker - for the first time. It seems silly to be a highlight, but I had always wanted to make my own ice cream. The best part was that it was so incredibly delicious, a real success.

June

I started to go house-crazy in June. We were planning our house hunt for the first weekend of July, so I had been spending most of my free time on Zillow and Trulia. I thought I had found our dream home - perfect price, perfect size, perfect location, so I had also been collecting decor ideas and inspiration with that home in mind. We got in touch with our Realtor, and the idea of buying a house became a reality.

July

In early July we drove to Michigan, dropped the kids off at the grandparents' house, and went on our 1-day, 12-house viewing extravaganza. We sent our Realtor a list of our favorite houses, with our dream house for the first stop of the day. We went in and loved it, although the basement was a little iffy, and the yard was really small - but what can you expect from a 1940s house. The rest were all a little scary or just too expensive, until we saw the last house of the day. It was perfect in every way, from the fenced-in yard to the finished basement. We decided to place an offer on that house, instead of our dream house. It was lucky that we made that choice - had we gone with the original house, we would have been in a bidding war and possibly lost. About a week later, after days of offers and counter-offers, we got our first house. I started packing up our tiny apartment immediately.

August

The house became ours on August 15th, and we moved 5 days later. My husband still had 3 weeks left at his job, so he was commuting back and forth on the weekends - it was terrible. The house was amazing though - I finally got my own work and creative space that was NOT designated to the dining room table or living room coffee table. No more creative clutter around the house!

September

I started remodeling the house. I had never even painted a room myself before, so it was a big challenge, but so worth it. In the next week I will be sharing the final results of my dining room makeover, although I am sure I will tweak it from time-to-time. We also enjoyed some off-time with my husband, who had a couple of weeks off between his old job and new job. We got to do fun things like go to the zoo, throw a party, and refinish the deck.

October

October was a busy time - my first baby turned three years old, and I opened a second stationery shop: Nature Party. I was also prepping for the holidays like crazy, and we took some time to re-discover our old/new town by visiting a local pumpkin patch, going on walks downtown, and visiting the MSU campus.

November

November was all about planning for Christmas. I was stocking up ideas for homemade treats and handmade gifts. I had so much fun driving the relatively short distance to my hometown to see my sister's band perform, or to have family game nights again. Thanksgiving weekend was a bit of a blur - there is always so much family to see and multiple Thanksgiving meals to eat.

December

Like always, December is insane. I started the month off with an entire weekend visit from my sister. We baked, cooked, knitted, made candles, and did all sorts of crafty holiday projects. It was like being kids again, living in the same house. That same weekend we had a small birthday celebration for my second daughter who turned two years old. The rest of the month was filled with traveling, holiday parties, family, baking, and making holiday orders for my shop. We just got back into town on Wednesday and are getting ready for New Year's Eve.

So what is your best memory from 2011? Did you experience any major life events, or was it just smooth sailing for you? When you look back on 2011 say, 30 years from now, what will you remember? I know for me it will be our first home and the dreams of what it might be that go with it.