WHIMAGES

BERMUDAHHHHHH....

2012-08-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

Just a couple weeks ago, after an EXTREME case of buyers remorse we hopped aboard Royal Caribbean's EXPLORER OF THE SEAS. As with most vacations, having a family of five is way more expensive then a family of 4 because you need two rooms. Alas, we put the thought of our empty wallet aside and planned on having a great time. Believe me, we DID!!! There were about 50 people in our group and that made the trip that much more fun. It was AWESOME for our kids to have other kids their age on the SAME vacation! Can you imagine being in high school and going on a cruise ship with a BUNCH of your friends? Life time memories. Totally! It was our first cruise ever and our first time out of the country. Bermuda is GORGEOUS, it's beaches were incredible and the people there were so delightful.

Just about a week before we left, my beloved camera decided to die. URGH!! Taking photos was one of the things I was incredibly looking forward to on this trip. I shipped it off to a little old foreign man (I found him mentioned on a bunch of Canon message boards) in NJ to get an estimate. Luckily for me, my wonderful friend Stephanie was going on the trip with us so she let me accost her camera when my shutter happy fingers got too twitchy. Thank GOD for Stephanie! Enjoy some of the shots I took...

Achilles Bay Beach, if you look closely, our ship is in the distance on the left

My "nephew" Gavin and my daughter Peyton at Horseshoe Bay Beach

Minty painted houses of Bermuda

Cole, Callie and Peyton with Achilles Bay Beach behind them

The dockyard in St. Georges township

Fort St. Catherine

Choplins Cove

Tobacco Bay

Achilles Bay

Road down to Tobacco Bay Beach

Dockyard at St. Georges

Great Stuff By Paul

2012-08-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

I remember seeing an article about this FABULOUS store in Country Living a few years ago and since then I've been dying to visit Great Stuff By Paul in Frederick Maryland! Unfortunately the 3 hour drive kind of put a damper on my enthusiasm a tad. WELL, luckily my wait was finally over! My husband's band had an overnight gig in that area so we made a little weekend vacay out of it! We stopped by the store to do some exploring on our way home. It's a
VISUAL treat for sure! I wish I had a limitless credit card to take there! Here are some of the shots I took...

The color on these church doors is stunning!

Endless shabby armoirs...l

I think this green table would make a FABULOUS kitchen island!

Bread Trays

LOVE this table, would be GREAT in a large kitchen!

I love the color and detail of whatever these carved wooden thingies are!

Dough troughs, these could be made into a cool table or would look awesome on a large sofa table , with a collection piled high inside!

This candle-stand was apparently used in the move "The Last Airbender"!

I'm in love with these tables!

My new sister and a new niece!

2012-06-25T19:31:00.004-07:00

HOW cute are these two? They are real sisters, my dad just got Jezebelle and my sister now has Rosie! LOVE them! They are Pembroke Welsh Corgis and 100% adorable!

Don't let these sweet, innocent looking eyes fool you. Jezebelle is a WILD WOMAN! I have a feeling that it's a good thing she's cute! It should help get her out of some trouble!

Rosie, is a tiny bit more laid back and doesn't seem to want to terrorize the neighborhood yet. I guess we will have to wait and see!

Guest Post: Venetian Mirrors

2012-05-19T17:51:00.001-07:00

Hi! I’m Joanna, a writer for Arcadian Lighting, a go-to source for beautiful LIGHT FIXTURES for the home. I spend my days gathering interior decorating ideas and images and sharing them with blog readers like you on blogs such as Whimages. Thanks so much for letting me share with you one of my favorite décor items, the Venetian mirror.


Dating back to the 16th century, Venetian mirrors were owned by royals and wealthy families. Their fine detailing and intricate beauty make them a stunning piece of art. While a true Venetian mirror is very costly, there are many quality reproductions which are affordable today. Since childhood, I’ve been fascinated by these mirrors with their ornate beveling, etching and cut glass curves. Here, I’ve gathered a collection of some of the loveliest mirrors I’ve run across.

This Venetian floor mirror makes a stunning addition to a sophisticated entry. This space is filled with lovely eclectic pieces.

Accompanied by a mirrored vanity and delicate wall sconces, this breathtaking version makes you wonder if this is an authentic Venetian mirror.

Two simpler cut mirrors flank the sides of a doorway. This dressed down look goes well with the natural elements in the room such as the sisal rug.

Some design professionals think a mirror above a mantel is a no-no, but this mirror looks like it belongs.

An unusual modern light fixture is reflected back into the room by a glistening Venetian above the ornate mantel.

A pretty powder room gets all dressed up with a luminous mirror above the vanity--gorgeous.

A little girl’s room makes the perfect place to hang one of these fairytale beauties.

One of the most intricately designed mirrors I’ve come across is pictured here in a grand entry laden with a demilune console below.

I hope you found these mirrors inspiring! Let us know in the comments! Don't forget to stop by Arcadian Lighting for the perfect lighting fixture for your home Arcadian Lighting

2012-05-17T12:29:00.001-07:00

Chesterfield, oh Chesterfield. How do I love thee...

http://maisonboheme.blogspot.com/

I love LOVE it's velvety lush goodness!

http://www.archiexpo.com
I'm a sucker for monochromatic. Every. Time! This one is SEXY~! Looks like something one of the brothers from the Black Dagger Brotherhood would have! ...or CHRISTIAN GREY!

OHHH this one is DELIGHTFUL!!! ...from google

http://monc13.com/ Classic AND modern. cool.

apartmenttherapy.com

mysectionalcouches.com

from thehappyhomeblog.com

via apartmenttherapy.com

via apartmenttherapy.com
Again with the lush velvety goodness!

http://www.mysectionalcouches.com

Rose Cake and Rose Cupcakes

2012-05-14T06:27:00.003-07:00

You know how some days certain things just don't go your way? Or how something you've done before just doesn't turn out the same way? I had one of those days today. On Mother's day of all days. Urgh. My husband's sweet Grandmother, Lena turned 90 this week and we celebrated it today with almost 40 of her family and friends. I was in charge of the birthday cake and cupcakes. Something that I enjoy doing. I used the "white wedding cake" recipe I blogged about here! It's a GREAT recipe and is fool proof. I promise! Believe me if it COULD have gone wrong with this cake it would have but in the end the CAKE part of the cake and cupcakes was yummy. Moist and delicious! TRY this recipe! Before I tell you about my catastrophe and tell you how I "think" (man, I'm using a lot of " " in today's post!) you can avoid it, I'll share some other info about the process.

I wanted to go with a very feminine look and I found these PERFECT pale pink pearls by Wilton and also this lovely itty bitty edible rose colored, heart shaped glitter. Remember that Ghirardelli Fudge Cake I had at our Velata party last week? I never showed you how I made those cool chocolate swirls and chocolate leaves. It's this AWESOME Wilton chocolate mold that I'm in love with that makes them!

I added just a few pink pieces of my candy coating to a bunch of white candy coating to get this super pale pink. The color turned out great and the kids decided on which shape this time. I can't wait to use the triangle or the zig zags! These are an easy addition to your cupcakes, cakes or desserts and they have a big visual impact! A pile of the triangles in dark chocolate would look so cool on a cheesecake!

About the frosting.. On some of the more "designer" looking cupcakes with the big dollop of frosting piled high in the middle but a rim of cake showing around the outside, the cake can become dry if made too early for your event. I can solve that problem for you...DELICIOUSLY! The KEY to this and to a wonderfully moist cake is a buttermilk glaze that I use to seal in the moistness. It is an EXTRA step and I don't do it for every cake or cupcake recipe but there are some cakes like my carrot cake that wouldn't be the same without it! I'm going to share the recipe with you but first here is what the cupcakes look like after glazing. I'll put the recipe at the bottom of the post.

Before you frost a cake, it's best to seal in the crumbs with a CRUMB COAT, a thin layer of frosting that locks in the crumbs and the moisture before you actually frost the cake. You let this layer set until it has a thin crust. Here is a BIG tip I realized after THIS cake. If you are making the rose cake you will want to actually frost the cake with a very thin layer of frosting BEFORE you put the roses on. Invariably you are going to have holes between the roses and you won't need to fill them in as much IF you can't see the cake underneath. If you have white frosting and white roses it will all blend. Or whatever color you are making the roses. I didn't do this and I definitely WILL the next time I make the rose cake. By the way, you need a 1M tip to make the roses on the cake and on the cupcakes. This is a LARGE tip and I don't use a coupler, I just throw it into my 18" pastry bag.

This was the first time I made the rose topped cupcake and I definitely will do them again. They were so easy and quick and are great if you don't LOVE a boat load of frosting on your cupcake. It's the perfect proportion!

Frankly, my cake this time was a DISASTER! I used a decorators buttercream frosting (half shortening, half butter because shortening holds up better in warm weather) but it was still too hot and humid here in Maryland for my cake. Within about 15 minutes the roses on the side of the cake started sliding to the bottom. I'm even embarrassed to show you the photos! You will notice the roses at the bottom of the cake have a flat bottom in the photos. They didn't start out that way! LOL I'm including a photo of the last rose cake I did so you can see a better example although I will next time frost it so I don't have to "fill in" as much as I did.

Back to the disaster, by the time we got to the restaurant (after going to church and leaving the cake in the car) the frosting had totally separated from the sides of the cake! At least the top was still pretty! LOL Positive thoughts! It was only about 74 degrees at this point but I'm guessing it was just still too humid and warm. Next time I will make an all shortening buttercream if I have to take the cake somewhere. Ideally, make this cake for an event you are celebrating at HOME! It doesn't travel well! The cupcakes survived beautifully, even the "chocolate" swirls on top were fine. I hope you found this helpful and maybe someone can learn from my mistakes! In the end Nana had a delightful day and THAT is all that matters!~
Some other cupcake posts that may interest you:
~Fat Free Fluffy Meringue Frosted Cupcakes
~Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes
~White Wedding Cake Cupcakes
Buttermilk Glaze
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
1 Tbl. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a tall heavy saucepan over medium heat. Boil 4 minutes, stirring constantly until glaze is golden. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly.

Container Gardens

2012-05-10T13:36:00.003-07:00

Every Spring I look forward to designing and planting the containers around my pergola on the patio. I start daydreaming in March about going all WHITE with my blooms or planting totally monochromatic flowers in shades of pink or purple. My mind also, for some reason, always plays around with the DUNKIN DONUTS color scheme of PINK and ORANGE, well maybe that's my tummy talking. This year I originally planned on going ALL WHITE. I've never done that before and I've dreamed of it's classic beauty.

However, I will tell you that when I first started picking out my flowers the lush velvety purples of the Petunias and the lipstick pink Geraniums seemed to be whispering my name. But, I stayed true to course. Picking white Petunias, white Alyssum, white Verbena, white Impatiens and white Geraniums. I did throw in chartreuse and plum colored sweet potato vines. Then I came across this FABULOUS "Pretty Much Picasso" Petunia on Pinterest and I fell in LOVE! I was lured in by it's vibrant veined pink and chartreuse blooms but I figured I would never find it in my area. THEN low and behold, there it was with it's happy smiling face at HOME DEPOT! Of course a few hopped into my cart and then I had to add some other pinks and purples to my all white scheme! Another cool little plant I found while checking out container gardens on Pinterest was Creeping Jenny, a perennial. I don't know if I would have thought to add a perennial to my annuals but now I'm so glad I did! My sweet friend Carlene had an overabundance of it so she loaded me

Pretty Much Picasso Petunia

White Impatiens and Creeping Jenny in an antique sap bucket

up with oodles of it! I have it in bunches of my pots spilling over the sides. I LOVE it! I can't wait for my pots to be overflowing with blooms and greenery!

Speaking of spilling over the sides...When you make a container arrangement there are guidelines that you can follow to get maximum visual impact. It's called the THRILLER, FILLER, SPILLER method. You put one upright flower, one slightly smaller, spreading type and then one that spills over the side. Some thrillers are: African Daisies, Geranium, Gerbera Daisy, Snapdragon, Marigold, Dianthus, Impatiens and New Guinea Impatiens and Petunias. Some fillers are: Alyssum (one of my favorites for the scent!) Coleus, Begonia, Verbena, Calibrachoa, Heliotrope (again, so FRAGRANT) and Lobelia. Some spillers are: Asparagus Fern, Creeping Jenny, Bacopa, Vinca, Ivy, Ivy Geranium, Calibrachoa, and Wave Petunia. These sample plants are not set in stone, some of the thrillers can also be fillers and vice versa. If you notice, the Calibrachoa is in the filler and the spiller section because some varieties are more upright than others. Alyssum sometimes tends to spill too! When I don't have room for all three, I'll put a spiller in with one or the other just to make the container asymmetrical for interest. Of course you can just use one of these too! When I do that, I try to put the container with a spiller next to a container with a Thriller or Filler. It's not rocket science, just do what looks pleasing to you! I'm not going to show closeups of my containers yet because they don't have that full and lush look I love.

My hanging baskets (which I did not plant, they are from one of my FAVORITE places ever, Grier's Nursery) have a THRILLER, several FILLERS and a couple SPILLERS! Mix up your containers, use the unexpected! Just add a hole in the bottom for drainage! This is an old sap bucket hung from the shelf of our pergola. I love it! It just has a white Impatiens and Creeping Jenny trailing out the front. Repetition can also play an important role in your container gardening. Repeating colors and plants can add a lot of interest and give your grouping a cohesive look. In your groupings, it's often best to use an odd number or "visually" have an odd number. For example, on the back bottom right I only have two pots but the palm leaves visually add the 3rd item to the grouping.

I'm currently obsessing over moss. As you may know from my post all about MOSS! I've always loved the way moss looks in magazines when it's used as filler between stepping stones and pavers. When I found this Scotch Moss at Home Depot, I immediately knew I wanted three pots of it on the pergola shelf. It's a cool moss because it mounds itself and will look great in the little terracotta pots. It's perennial so I won't have to buy it ever again, which is a plus! Between them and the Creeping Jenny, I already have a head start on next years planting! One last little note about repetition AND moss...while grocery shopping at Wegmans that moss sphere and moss covered basket insisted on getting into my cart to come home with me! (on the coffee table and the shelf).

Scotch Moss

Purple Alysum and Creeping Jenny

Hanging planter with the Thriller, Filler, Spiller method of planting

When container gardening, I know many people like to use the typical spike grass and then fill around it. Try something new, give this method a try and see if you like it! I'm sure it'll be a blooming success!

Death by CHOCOLATE! A Velata PARTY!

2012-05-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had a few people over to a Velata Chocolate Party. As you might know, we sell Scentsy and as my may not know, Scentsy just opened a new division called Velata. Velata is the finest, the most rich and decadent Belgian chocolate in an EASY fondue form. It's perfect for parties! We had the Caramel Milk Chocolate and Milk Chocolate. AWESOME! I'm not just saying that! It was sooooo good! You can check it out here: Chocolate Whimsy

As with most parties, this one whipped our butts into high gear and Matt decided we needed new steps to the patio since we were having the party on the patio. Just like Murphy's law states, the easiest jobs sometimes turn out to be the hardest! When we (lol, actually that is HE) removed the old stairs we realized that the ledger board on our house below the patio door was rotted. Good Times, good times! A quick phone call to my father for some help and then double the stair budget later it's all fixed and we have pretty new stairs! Matt was putting the treads on about an hour before the party started! We work well under pressure! The rail is not up but when it is I will post a pic.

The fondue warmer that came in our kit was red and I'm not a big RED fan (GASP!) so I thought I'd have a hard time getting a "table" display that I liked. Then I remembered the AWESOME brown and red Dooney and Burke purse my niece got for Christmas a few years ago and all my problems were solved! I used a piece of burlap angled loosely over a white table cloth and then threw in pieces of red fabric in the form of fat quarters from JoAnn's. (WITH a coupon!) I "borrowed" the antique Coca-Cola crates from Cole's room to give me some height for the table. Height always adds interest! I put the warmers on one crate and a Ghirardelli Fudge Cake on the other. While at JoAnn's, I found this ADORABLE CHOCOLATE MOLD. I put a few swirlies and some leaves around the bottom and voila' it looks like it took me all day! This is a delicious cake with an awesome chocolate butter cream too. Here's the recipe:

GHIRARDELLI FUDGE CAKE

2 Cups flour
3/4 Cup Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Cup butter softened
1 3/4 Cups sugar
1T vanilla
2 large eggs
1 1/3 Cups milk

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour 3- 8" round cake pans or 2- 9" rounds. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Reduce speed to slow and add vanilla and eggs one at a time, scraping bowl occasionally. Alternately add on slow speed, dry mixture with milk, beginning and ending with dry mixture. Blend in vanilla. Pour into the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes (don't mind the not so attractive frosting, it was as humid as pea soup here!

GHIRARDELLI Butter cream I double this recipe

6 T softened butter
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/3 sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In mixing bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl mix the powdered sugar with the cocoa. Blend the butter with the sugar mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with milk. Mix in the vanilla. Enjoy!

Old Mossy Terracotta Pottery! DIVINE!

2012-05-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

Do these images make your heart go pitter patter? Do you get all googly-eyed about aged terracotta pots? I certainly do! Luckily, new terracotta doesn't have to look NEW for very long! All you need is a trip to the grocery for some Activia yogurt, a couple new terracotta or concrete pots, some moss from your backyard and a little chopper or mini food processor or even a blender! Mix it all up, paint it on your pots and stick them in a bag, mist them well with water and seal the bag up for 10 days. Your pots will continue to grow moss as the season wears on. It helps if you mist the pots mossy sides daily. Then, VOILA', terracotta pots aged to perfection in just a month or so!

Last year, I didn't have a lot of moss so my milkshake was very diluted and I also didn't bag the pots. These two pots are examples of what they turned out like last year. Not so bad!

These pots were treated with a very diluted moss milkshake last summer. They were NEW when they were covered in the shake.

This is the kind of moss you should use to make your shake! BTW, I'm in love with my little concrete toadstool from Terraine! I wish I had a couple more!

Put one sheet of live moss and 1 small container of Activia yogurt into your mini food processor and BLEND well!

After painting the moss milkshake on with a brush or your hands, put your pots in a plastic bag for 10 days

You can also paint it on to pots that are already planted, they just won't grow moss as fast.

Day 7 of a new pot

Pergola furniture, finally! :-) YAY!!!

2012-04-24T06:49:00.001-07:00

We've been wanting furniture for our Pergola for several years now. Since we built it actually but it wasn't on the radar. Luckily, Home Depot and our good friend Martha Stewart had a fabulous sale on a set that we liked and wasn't too hard on the wallet! Here it is! BTW, if my terracotta pots look yucky it's because I've coated them in a moss milkshake. Be on the look out for that post if you want your brand new pots to look divinely aged!!

NEW Terracotta with MOSS Milkshake painted on the side, Day 1!

Living in the living room

2012-04-12T10:12:00.002-07:00

We are still in the process of turning our living room into a LIVING ROOM but since our current furniture budget is a big fat 0 I'll have to resort to daydreaming. My favorite daydreaming/window shopping site is HOUZZ. When we actually get to furnish the living room, we actually want to LIVE in it. With 3 kids that we claim on our taxes and a multitude of other hungry young mouths to feed, we NEED a room to house them all in were we don't have to worry about them breaking something. A room where they can kick their stinky feet up and feel at home. Because believe me, when you have a house-full of 16 year olds and some 10 year olds too, you LEARN a lot. AND you realize buying a couple extra pizzas and a few 2 liters of Coke is a small price to pay for what you get back in return! Here are some of my inspiration living rooms from HOUZZ. The first room is the actual paint color we used.

traditional living room design by charleston photographer Julia Ryan

traditional living room design by los angeles interior designer Kim Woods

traditional living room design by kansas city interior designer McCroskey Interiors

traditional living room design by other metros kitchen and bath Wildwood Cabinetry

traditional living room design by nashville architect Norris Architecture

eclectic living room design by orange county interior designer Fluegge Interior Design, Inc.

eclectic living room design by other metros interior designer Seaside Interiors

eclectic living room design by other metros design-build Farinelli Construction Inc

eclectic living room design by minneapolis general contractor John Kraemer & Sons

Party Hats and Comfort Food

2012-04-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

The other day, a friend of mine's sweet little lady turned 1 and celebrated with a fabulous pink and green lady bug birthday party! Turning 1 is a big deal so I decided to make Ms. Paige a birthday hat to go with her pretty party. I've made these hats several times before, if you'd like to check out the tutorial, it's HERE!

These are so fun to make! Try it if you haven't already! I would LOVE to see what you make!

What is it about comfort food that seems to soothe your soul? Have you ever noticed that certain food sort of goes with certain people. For example, when you think of your Great Uncle Fred, you might immediately think of beer. Or wings. Or wings and beer. I often associate specific food with specific people. Grandma's and comfort food go together. I had seen a recipe for a jello salad on Pinterest called Orange Fluff and it totally made me think of my husband's grandmother. Something about Jello salads just scream "GRANDMOM" to me! We had dear little Nana over for dinner so it was the perfect occasion to try out the recipe. It's full of mini marshmallows, cool whip and orange jello all mixed up into a creamy concoction of dreamsicle yumminess! You totally have to make it! The recipe is originally from the delightful blog Six Sisters Stuff Here's the recipe:

Orange Fluff Jello Salad Recipe:

1 large package Cook and Serve vanilla pudding
1 large package orange jell-o
2 cups water
1 16 oz Cool-Whip (lite or fat-free is fine)
1/2 bag mini marshmallows

1 can (drained) pineapple tidbits (Any size, depending on your preference)

2 cans (drained) mandarin oranges (Any size, depending on your preference)

Mix together pudding, Jell-o, and water over medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate until mixture has set (about an hour). Beat until creamy. Fold in Cool Whip, marshmallows, and fruit. Chill about an hour before serving.

On to other schtuff... I haven't shared a Peytonism in a while. She's getting older (very sad face) so they are getting fewer and farther between but this is a GOOD one so I thought I had to share! While early for the bus one morning last week, I decided we had just enough time to squeeze in some additional last minute studying before Peyton's Social Study test that day. They had been learning about some early history of Maryland. We pulled out her review sheet and I began asking her the questions. Luckily, she was whizzing through them and giving perfect answers. I finally asked the last question on the sheet. This is how it went: Me: "Name some of the founding fathers of Maryland." Peyton: "John Calvert, ummm...Lord Baltimore and OH, what's that guy that played Jack in the TITANTIC?" OK, so I'm a bit incredulous at this point not sure where this is going. Me: "Leonardo DiCaprio?" Peyton: "YES! Him!" Before I can correct her, the bus pulls up, she quickly gives me a kiss and hops out of the car. I can't wait to get this test back!?!

Early Spring at Terrain-stunning!

2012-03-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

TERRAIN at Styers. If you live at all in a reasonably drive-able distance to Philadelphia then you simply must make the trip to Terrain. In love with Anthropologie or Urban Outfitters? Then you will lust the enchantment that is Terrain, a charter store owned by the two previous companies. It's located in the pastoral Brandywine Valley of Pennsylvania, nestled nicely between antique stores set up in period homes and shopping centers with Home Goods and DSW Shoe Warehouse and the like. This is a shopping MECCA! I've blogged about Terrain once before, see that post here.

The store changes with each Season, perfectly displaying everything appropriate for that time of year. This was my second early Spring trip and I was captivated as always. Every single display is complete perfection! I could LIVE in this store! On the outside, the complex is made up of ramshackle barns and green houses seperated by gravel paths that have displays of their own. There is also a large nursery area that carries obviously well tended, high quality plants, shrubs and trees.

The real magic happens when you step foot into the main building. It's bucolic and elegant all in one with fabulous antiques and vintage furniture hold intricate displays of all sorts of goodies that you feel you must have! Reclaimed wood and zinc topped tables showcase gorgeous table settings with ideas that you are going to want to remember! There were pretty hickory cutting boards used as chargers and glazed terracotta saucers that I wanted to snatch up. This store makes you wish you didn't have a budget! After you finish shopping, there is a lovely cafe set up in an antique greenhouse bursting with lush plants and flowers. They have a huge collection of various teas, hot and cold and a tea of the day. Hot bread is served in a sweet terracotta pot with a bit of whipped butter topped with sea salt. The bread was so good, I ordered an extra loaf to bring home to my kids! Enjoy the photos!

Rainbow Birthday Party

2012-03-25T10:27:00.005-07:00

My youngest, Peyton is addicted to Pinterest just as much as the rest of us. I've probably mentioned that once or 5 times before. It's so cute because she has some boards that make me giggle: makeup (she just turned 10), nursery, 3 different party boards, cute babies, etc. When it came time to party planning for her 10th Birthday, she had definite ideas about what she wanted. I think she's happy that she has a Momma crazy enough to TRY to accommodate some of them! EDIT: The Rainbow invites are here if you'd like to check them out!

A little over 2 months ago she decided on a Rainbow theme. As much as I love pastels for little girls and the pink and white shabby colors we've had the past couple birthday parties, I was excited for a bunch of bright colors. The theme was set so the fun began! I started picking up clear containers for the candy at Goodwill. I already had a bunch of milk glass(from GW too!) that I figured that I would use sparingly. The only containers that I didn't get there were the 3 apothecary jars. I already had one, purchased the tall one(peeps) and borrowed one. I bargained shopped candy everywhere I went and online and hid it all over the house. We are a family of sweet thooth's so having candy around meant that we wouldn't have any for the party! I will say when I got it all out a couple days before the party, I was surprised at how much I had! This also happens to me with stocking stuffers every year!

Armed with oodles of coupons, I attacked JoAnn's for fabric and ribbon. First I sewed the felt garland. I had seen a similar one on Pinterest. It was EASY, CHEAP and I will definitely make it again in whatever color I need! I then started on the buntings. I am addicted to them after last years pretty pink one. If I were to do it over again for this party, I would have changed the fabric to small patterned fabric in the rainbow colors instead. Peyton helped sew these and had a blast and did a great job. They are hung high toward the ceiling, you'll have to look for them to see. I used 3M "Command" strips and they took off the paint and drywall paper in two spots on my ceiling. Good thing the kitchen needed it's ceiling painted! From the ceiling we hung the buntings, swirly streamer thingies, pretty tulle poufs, honeycomb balls and paper lanterns. The last "project" for this part was the rainbow tablecloth that is all over Pinterest. I will be the first person to tell you that I am "sewing" challenged. I sew much better on paper for scrapping then I do on any cloth. This project totally put me to the test. It was HARD. As in I'm NEVER doing that again, hard. If I had drawn lines the proper width apart where the rows of colored stripes were to go I probably would have enjoyed the process and liked my final project much better. You live you learn. I MAY do this again in an ombre effect for the twins b-day but now I no what NOT to do!

P and I both wanted to have a rainbow cake (again I know you've seen these too allover you know where) and it was fun to do! Lot's of food coloring but kids and food coloring go hand in hand. Well not always but at parties! Peyton also wanted the cute little rainbow cupcakes using candy sour belts as the rainbow. These were easy but I won't buy these Wilton cupcake cups again. They darkened a LOT in the oven and the cupcakes themselves were really shallow and the frosting pulled away from the wrappers leaving them not very pretty. Sorry Wilton, but as pretty as they were in the box, I think they are a FAIL for me. ;-(

Back to the fun stuff...Here are a few tips I picked up from this party.1. The glasses are recycled TARGET bottled cappuchino. The Starbucks ones no longer work because the label isn't pull off like the Target ones. Cheaper too although this year, I'm saving them for the next party. Even though Cole loves to have to empty the new ones. 2. The little flags on the straws are just strips of scrapbook paper, double sided tape and the ends are cut with the corner of a square punch. EASY! 3. Buy swirly lollipops from Oriental Trading, soooo much cheaper, then add a scrap of ribbon for some flair. Oriental trading will then send you a coupon for 25% your next purchase, then buy the rest of the supplies you need! 4. GW is the best place for clear glass containers! 5. Don't make a rainbow tablecloth without penciling it out. ;-)

I've been long winded enough, here are the rest of the photos! ...oh and one last little tidbit 'bout Peyton. She likes to not be home while I'm setting up her party and then arrive about a half hour before the party starts so she can "be surprised" -those are her words. It's a bit of a lot of pressure! That's her happy little face when she first walked in. I love it!

Here's the birthday girl during her "photo shoot" for her birthday invites you can see here!

Sister Bonding Time and Coconut layer cake with Angel Feather Frosting, the RECIPE!

2012-03-23T09:34:00.003-07:00

These are my girls. Acting silly. I LOVE them to pieces of course and they love each other too. ...but you sometimes wouldn't think so! Peyton thinks that Callie walks on water. Callie thinks (at least a lot of the time) that Peyton exists to annoy her. Except for last night. There was some SERIOUS sister bonding going on here at our home! After Matt finished the board and batten last week (yes, I have yet to show you the completed project, it's coming!) he took most of the furniture to the dump. Believe me, after 15 years it was ready to go. I weeped with happiness as I waved goodbye. Not really but you know what I mean. I was ready to kick it to the curb. It wasn't Craigslist worthy. That's saying something! (It dry-rotted for whatever reason other than it was cheap!) Now the girls have a large open space to dance in! LOL They danced together until 10:00 last night and then they crawled into the shower and into bed. It was so awesome laying upstairs in bed and listening to them giggle and teach each other different techniques! It made my night, week even!

Okay, here's the recipe! It's a bit different then what I used last year for Peyton's Sweet Shoppe coconut cupcakes.

1 C. Softened Salted Butter
1 3/4 C. Sugar
1 C. Cream of Coconut (found where the alcoholic drink mixes are at the food store) SHAKE this! (set aside the remainder of the cream of coconut for use later)
4 Large Eggs
pinch of salt

2 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. low fat vanilla yogurt (you can substitute PLAIN yogurt, full fat, Greek etc.)
1tsp. coconut extract

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Spray 3 8" cakes pans with baking spray. Separate the eggs into mixing bowl, leaving the yolks in a separate small bowl. Beat the first 3 ingredients (not the eggs)until fluffy. Sift the next 4 ingredients until well combined. Mix the coconut extract with the yogurt. Alternating, add the dry ingredients and the yogurt mixture beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. In separate bowl, whisk or beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt till until stiff. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Bake about 70-90 minutes. Check them at 70 minutes using cake tester. Transfer to a cooling rack. Drizzle the remaining coconut cream over the 3 cakes. This is VERY helpful for moistness and flavor! YUM!

Transfer the cooled cakes to the freezer for at least 1 hour up to overnight. After frozen frost immediately and transfer to the fridge for about an hour. You can eat immediately or let thaw to room temperature.

Boiled Frosting (Angel Feather Frosting)

You will need a heavy saucepan and a candy thermometer

1 1/2 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 C. water
4 egg whites
1/2 - 1 tsp. coconut extract
Coconut -if making for coconut cake

Combine sugar, cream of tartar, salt and water in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until clear. Cook, without stirring, to 240 degrees (soft ball stage)

While syrup cooks, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, continue to beat adding 240 degree syrup in a heavy stream. Add flavoring and continue beating just until stiff peaks form and frosting is thick enough to spread. Immediately spread on cake. Makes 7 cups!

Coconut Cake with Angel Feather Frosting!

2012-03-22T05:45:00.002-07:00

Sweet Ms. Peyton is our youngest child so it's very evident to me that these are the LAST times I will be doing many things like dance recitals, violin lessons and BIRTHDAY PARTIES! I've always enjoyed planning the kids parties for sure. There were a couple years where I wasn't able to do much because their birthdays were right around the times I had my back surgeries. So when Peyton started pinning (yeah, she's as addicted to Pinterest as the rest of us) different parties, I knew it was time to plan! On her REAL birthday she wanted a coconut cake with "marshmallow" frosting. I am short on time this am but will be back later to post the recipe. It has a surprise ingredient! She also loves Cotton Candy ice cream so I surprised her with a cotton candy cake made from YOGURT that I ordered from TCBY. It was AWESOME! I'm working on the rainbow birthday post, it's gonna be a BIG one! So come on back!

Rainbow Birthday Party Invitations and Bubble Gum Favors!

2012-03-11T08:20:00.003-07:00

EDIT: The Birthday Party is HERE!

It's almost birthday season at the Bedsaul House. Our little one, Peyton is in March (turning 10) and the twins, Callie and Cole will be 16 in May. (YES, oh holy COW the twins turning 16 just feels unreal! Where DOES the time go?!) Peyton is just as addicted to PINTEREST as I am. She decided a while back that she wanted a Rainbow Theme Party! I've slowly been accumulating candy and decorations for a couple months. It's easier on the budget that way! I went to Etsy and searched Rainbow party invites and showed them all to Ms. P. I had my heart set on a certain one but wanted it to be her decision. Miraculously (well maybe not, we have similar taste) she choose my favorite! It's a sweet little invite that's bright but still has a bit of a vintage feel. You can see the fabulous seller here. Peyton had some specifics she wanted on her invite (she's a GIRL who knows WHAT she wants!!!) and sweet Paige was happy to accommodate. GREAT seller! I found the lyrics to the song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" on Pinterest and just made it rainbow instead of the plain ochre color it had been. On the flip side of that we put the slumber party instructions. Added a little TINSEL GLITTER from Micheal's and we were done. Oh and we lined the envelopes with a shot of Peyton but I wish I would have desaturated and overexposed it more. Next time I will.

When I was in the dollar tree and saw these little gumball machines at the bottom of the shelf, I knew they would be a GREAT favor. AND soooo cheap too! A bag of gumballs for DT and the machine and you have a 2 dollar favor. AWESOME! I hope to get some tags done for them too. I still have to make the rainbow bunting and the rainbow table cloth that Peyton has requested. I think that girls going to be a party planner to the stars!

I'll be posting more about Peyton's party as I get things done. Come on back!

Luscious Lemon Loaf

2012-03-07T20:36:00.001-08:00

Just like everyone else in the free world, I ADORE Starbucks. Great coffee. That's for SURE. But I've got a little secret? The SWEETS! Sir StarBUCKS-a lot knows how to whip up a batch of just about anything and it's always delightfully yummy. So, when I saw this lemon loaf clone, I jumped on it. It's SO VERY GOOD! Give it a try! I of coarse found the recipe on Pinterest but it's actually from the fabulous blog, Glorious Treats. The recipe is HERE!

I've been knee deep (okay that's sort of a pun that I didn't mean because I was told a few days ago that I will need a partial knee replacement in the near future. fun.) in Rainbow Birthday Party Goodness for Peyton's birthday. Can't wait to show you all the goodies!

Give me a few days for my Pity Party to end, then I'll tell you are my fun news. It's almost as good as being Knee'd in the teeth! LOL Can't stop with the puns tonight!

Warm Fuzzies

2012-02-17T23:22:00.000-08:00

As you may know, we have 2 boxers, Macy and Cosmo. Neither one of them can stand to be cold. Or hot, actually! They are a bit prissy about it. On chilly mornings they can either be found snuggled up in front of the fireplace or laying on soft blankets on the couch. This morning, they looked so sweet that I had to share them with you. We all have gotten into the habit of covering them up when we see them on the couch, and they LOVE it! I think it's obvious that a. They love being cozy and covered and b. They are sooo spoiled!

Cosmo is always hungry and would look like a sausage with legs if we let him. Macy on the other hand, is happy as long as she is getting her way. She's a DIVA! When the welcome heat of Summer comes, they'll be found laying on the cool tile floor or on top of the air conditioning vents! It's a RUFF life.

As cozy as these two look, I am more than READY for Spring. We've had a mild Winter so far but I'm very ready for it to be over! Even the birds around here are a bit confused. On the warmer mornings we can hear them singing away. Speaking of SPRING and birds...look what I got in the mail today!

It's Wellington the duck! I think he is absolutely adorable! He's the first Scentsy Buddy Of The Month, ever! He is so sweet and has an adorable tuft of fuzz on the top of his sweet little head. The Scent Of The Month for March is called Sunlit Morning. It's a delightful SPRING scent! I put his Sunlit Morning Scent Pak in his back and he already smells so fresh and fabulous! I think he will be perfect for the Easter Bunny to bring! Especially because he is on sale in March for $22.50 and he comes with any Scent Pak of your choice! Callie already snagged him for her room. Yes, she's almost 16 but can't avoid the allure of Wellington! Sunlit Morning will be on sale 10% off too. I think it kind of smells like lemons and daffodils but it's described as: "Wake up to warm rays of sunshine. Experience the brilliance of a spring morning with juicy lemon and bergamot, white flowers, and a pinch of earthy sage." I am sure that he's 100% darling! If you want to check him out the site is www.whimages.scentsy.us

Living room board and batten progress

2012-02-17T16:57:00.000-08:00

We (that alone is a funny statement because I have barely lifted a finger!) are making slow but steady progress on the living room transformation. Matt's working hard on it but that boring thing called a JOB is getting in the way of it's progress. The other boring word, BUDGET gets in the way as well! I thought I'd show you a little sneak of it! Here is the last photo I shared.

This is only one coat of the blue and it's on top of that horrible yellow we had so I don't think this is a accurate interpretation of the color. Or something like that.

We put a little extra moulding around the inside of the boxes to make it a bit more formal since it is the living room. It is still going to get a cap piece but Home Depot no longer carries the oak bull nose I love that we used in the family room.

*** Here is a little sidebar that just happened while I was working on this post.***
Lately, we've been teasing my oldest daughter Callie about a Euphemism she mixed up. When discussing a certain boy in her grade, she said, "he's not the smartest porch light on the block" instead of brightest porch light on the block. Tonight I had a total blonde/Polish (bottle blonde, half Polish) moment and said something really quite stupid. I then mentioned that I'm "sharpest" in the morning because it's about 7:15 in the evening as I type this. While referencing the "not the sharpest knife in the block", Cole then said (all in good fun, of course!) that I wasn't actually even in the knife block. I was actually more like a butter knife. (remember here friends that I am on pain meds for chronic pain in addition to the blonde-ness and the Polish-ness). Then my sweet husband chimed in that if I was a butter knife in the morning then I must be a plastic knife at night. Yes people, this is what I have to deal with!**

Back to the living room...I think it's so amazing how moulding can transform a room! It already has so much more character and some of the furniture is sitting in the middle of the room draped with drop cloths. I can't wait to see the finished project!

Here is the photo of the living room that I fell in love with. We are using this exact paint color! It's similar to our family room but Home Depot no longer carries Ralph Lauren paint. It was called Impressionist blue and I still LOVE it several years later! We may move these leather couches into the living room and get a new set for the family room. The rooms will be a bit similar but I hope to put a little bit more of a polished spin (that was polish as in polish not Polish as in Poland) in that room and there won't be a T.V. either, thank goodness! A nice, quiet room! ...except when it will be full of 16 year olds!

Inspiration room from houzz.com I LOVE this room!

Our family room. This is the Ralph Lauren Impressionist Blue. That mirror is actually a salvaged piece. It's mahogany and it come out of a Gentlemens Cigar Bar in Baltimore that was being demolished. We have several pieces of trim that we were able to get before the wreaking crew came in! Some is used in the Nook on the surrounding moulding.

Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

There is something that I need to share with you. I really need to get this off my chest. Here it goes...

I'm a PINAHOLIC. Yes. That's correct. I am utterly and completely addicted to pinterest. I already expressed my love for Ben and his fabulous site when I showed you the BEST tasting cupcake ever! If loving Pinterest is wrong than I don't want to be right! (I think I just used that cliche' a couple posts ago. Oh well.)

I have seen sooo many brilliant ideas for Valentine's. Since the big kids are too BIG to give them out, I showed my overflowing Valentine inspiration board on Pinterest to Peyton and she picked the one with the lollipop. I'm sure most of you have seen it, it's super cute for sure! Here's how I did it just in case it isn't obvious. Because sometimes the most obvious things are not obvious to me! Also, let me apologize for this snapshot-ish photo, we were in a hurry because...well, I am a procrastinator! Jeez, pinaholic, procrastinator, what's next?!

take a photo with your child
holding their clasped hand out

Play with the image a little in
Photoshop and then send
it to picnik for even
more fun goodies!

This is the one we had printed for
the class Valentines. You just punch
a hole at the top and bottom of the hand
Easy Peasy

I never ever ever should have
taken this photo with one of the
vertical boards in our board
and batten family room
growing out of her head

Partying here:

Kids these days...

2012-02-07T11:28:00.000-08:00

Before I regale you with a story about my progeny I NEED to share this with you. It must be seen if you have not already!

Source: jezebel.com via Robyn on Pinterest

Okay, now that you all should have a smile on your face and cheer in your heart I would like to tell you about the faucet snobs that I have raised. "Faucet snobs?" you say? Why yes. That is what I said.

*You might want to raid the fridge and make yourself a cup of tea. This is gonna be a long one!*

As all good stories should, we'll start at the beginning. It began early one Monday morning. Early, while the morning is still cloaked in darkness but you feel the promise of the sun about to sweep the dark away. We are a house of coffee drinkers. Our Keurig is a dear friend in the morning. It's a delightful machine for sure, but sometimes I do miss having a big ol' pot of hot coffee waiting for me to claim. Our Keurig sits on the counter just beside the sink, appropriately far enough away to look...appropriate. This is where my son, Cole enters the story. I'm going to give you a bit of background on Cole because I may not have mentioned in recent months or a year or so that Cole seemingly ingested fertilizer and burst forth a giant. Maybe not exactly, but my sweet little guy is suddenly 6'3" and wears a size 15 shoe. We are all still getting used to his transformation including Cole. He truly does not yet realize his size and strength. Sometimes when he closes my Jeep door, I'm afraid it's going to implode into the car. Just like every other morning, Cole begins to make himself a cup of coffee. The Keurig has a large water reservoir that needs to be filled. It happened to be empty so Cole thought he would use the spray attachment from the faucet and reach across and fill it that way. Sounds like a fine idea. However, Cole ripped the sprayer hose clean out of the plumbing apparatus thingy under the sink. Obviously now we can't use the faucet because water will just gush under the sink. As Murphy's law states, Home Depot doesn't carry the part needed for a quick fix. We need a new faucet. Bummer. There was not the kind of faucet on display that I wanted so we ordered one on line. I REALLY wanted a bridge faucet. I also really wanted to win the lotto. Luckily, HD had a bridge faucet online but it would take 5-7 days to be delivered. As a family of 5, we could not be without the kitchen sink for a week, so Matt picked up the CHEAPEST he could find to get us through until the other was delivered. It was $17.39. It was quickly installed.

This entire time we of course did NOT discuss the matter of the faucet with the kids because who in the world would think that they gave two hoots? The next morning, Callie went to use the sink and just kind of stood there for a second and looked at it. Being the smart*ss Mother that I can be, I asked her if she liked the new faucet. I gushed about it's lovely plastic, Crystal-like handles and it's lovely clean lined silver painted plastic spout. It's MODERN and stylish design was the perfect addition to our kitchen. Callie didn't look too convinced. She was polite and told me it looked nice. A few moments later, Cole came down and also noticed the new addition. He was NOT so diplomatic. He said that we HAD to be kidding. We could NOT keep that faucet. He even said, "What am I going to tell my friends?"! He walked away muttering that he could never have friends over again and was going to move out.

I'm not sure at this point if I should be proud that my children have a strong aesthetic sense for all things "home" or should I be appalled that I raised these children to be so snobby as to notice a cheap faucet? Have we brought up a couple of home decor monsters? The truly ironic thing is that I'm relatively sure that this is the faucet style we had on our kitchen sink growing up! I'm truly surprised that I survived after having that faucet in my home and subjecting my friends to its disfigurement! As well as it's complete lack of style.

Photo Fun

2012-02-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

In the past I would post photos here all the time. Now I can't even meet my own "photo a day" challenge even when I changed it to "photo a week". Slacker. That's what I am! Okay, so not really. Well, sometimes. Like when I don't feel like folding clothes so I turn the dryer back on for awhile. They didnt' feel all the way DRY. Yeah, that's what happened! I'm going to make up for lost photo a week time with a bunch of photos!

Sorry but you may have to put on your pity party hat here for a moment...As I've mentioned before, I am no longer shooting "professionally" because of the chronic pain I am in from failed back syndrome. I've had 4 spinal surgeries (2 fusions and a fusion revision), 1 cervical (neck) and 3 lumbar. Because of this I have not done anything for whimages in several years. I of course still LOVE photography! I want to share a few photos of my children and the children of friends that I have taken over the past year or so. Some of these are total snapshots but I like them! I hope you enjoy! (this is also my sneaky way to be able to get photos onto my "photos" board over on pinterest! Peyton is dying for me to put her Halloween costume photos up! )

Callie in an abandoned chicken coop! There is often FABULOUS light in unexpected places!

My sweet niece and nephew. AGAIN in the chicken coop!

Sneaking a bite of a peach while we were picking them!

Peyton with peaches!

My other "daughter" Bethany...she lives across the street.

I've always loved the color of Callie's eyes!

just a snapshot of my kids..very little cooperation when they are all together!

I love this photo!

A vintage finished photo of Peyton.

Peyton and I put this Halloween costume together with bits and pieces of things we already had and a few feathers from the craft store! Easy and so cute!

My friend's sweet little man

I just ADORE his little toes!

Cosmo's paw

I hope you liked them!

sticky buns and cupcakes, oh my!

2012-01-26T12:47:00.000-08:00

So obviously I'm not all that good at this Photo A Day thing. Sorry! Forgive me please. I'll give you a virtual sticky bun...here you go! Or would you rather have a gingerbread latte cupcake? Both of these are ULTRA yummy. The sticky bun is a slight alteration of a recipe I found on Pinterest. (BTW, it's probably Pinterest and that super sweet guy Ben's fault I can't blog more often. I'm stuck over on Pinterest!) Here's the original, mine is basically double the sticky stuff! She has more photos too. Please forgive my very POOR photos, it was cold and rainy out so I had to use the dreaded flash!

First, let me tell you about this incredible, SUPER, sticky bun recipe. I think I've made this about 5-6 time since Christmas. It's truly DELISH! It uses Grands biscuits. I love shortcuts like that especially when you can't tell it's a shortcut!

Here's what you do

2 lg. tubes of Grands LAYERED biscuits
6T. melted butter
1 C. pancake syrup
2/3 C. packed brown sugar
1tsp. cinnamon
nuts or raisins are optional

Preheat Oven to 350
Mix the Syrup and butter till smooth and incorporated. Mix cinnamon and brown sugar and other optional ingredients. Pour half of the syrup mixture into a BUNDT pan and spread around. Layer the biscuits in the pan overlaping to form a circle. Pour remaining syrup mixture and then sprinkle the brown sugar mixture. Bake for about 40 minutes

My daughter Callie is on her school dance team (MARYLAND STATE CHAMPS!) and right before Christmas they had a little Holiday Soiree. The party seemed to call for something extra special. If you have teenagers in your home, then you KNOW they love everything about Starbucks. So when I came across a recipe for Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes, I knew they would be party perfect! I made some changes to the original recipe for the frosting. Here's what I did...

Gingerbread Cupcake:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1/2 cup strong, very hot coffee
1 teaspoon baking soda
To make the cupcakes:
1. Add flour, the ground ginger, the cinnamon, the cloves, the allspice, and the salt in a bowl and sifc.
2. Add 1/2 stick of the butter and granulated sugar in bowl and beat until mixture is pale and fluffy. Add molasses and egg beat until the mixture is smooth. In a measuring cup combine the baking soda with 1/2 cup very hot strong coffee water and stir until baking soda is dissolved. Stir the baking soda mixture into the molasses mixture (the mixture will appear curdled) and the combined molasses and baking soda mixture into the flour mixture, stir until ingredients are well combined.
3. Fill cupcake liners halfway. Bake the cupcakes on the middle rack of a 350 degree °F. oven for about 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. (Cupcakes will be flat on top.) Transfer the cupcakes to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

* 8oz cream cheese softened

*1/2 C butter softened

*1-16oz package of powdered sugar, sifted

* 1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine cream cheese and butter, beating till very smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla: beat until VERY light and fluffy

Stabilized Cinnamon Whipped Cream

2 T room temp milk
2 T instant vanilla pudding
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

If using a stand mixer, use whisk attachment

Chill mixing bowl and beaters or whisk for at least 15 minutes before using. Put the milk and the pudding powder in a small bowl and mix till smooth.
Remove bowl and beaters from refrigerator and pour in cream, sugar, pudding and vanilla extract.
Beat on high till stiff peaks form but no longer (you'll end up with butter)
Use immediately

When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with a relatively thin layer of cream cheese frosting. I broke up a bunch of the Pepperidge Farm Gingerbread Men and smashed them into crumbs. Roll the sides of the cream cheese frosted cupcake in the crumbs. Then using a pastry bag with only a cupler, make large swirl only in the center of the cupcake. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Top with a gingerbread man right before serving. (otherwise his legs will fall off, no kidding!)

...not all bubblegum and unicorns!

2012-01-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

So much for my photo a day, huh? I lost it two days into the year! Let's just say that my January hasn't started off so great in the Whimages household. I've had kids sick with weird mysterious illnesses (totally not kidding, but every one's okay now) and appliances going haywire like crazy! I only have a minute to blog this but I promise I'll be back later today to "really" blog! Until then here's a photo to chew on. (AHA!) It's from my niece, Grace's birthday party at Sass Cupcakes...more photo's to follow.