A Sassy Baby Shower: Appliqued Onsies

One of my friends (who I've known since 4th grade, crazy right?) is about to embark on a new adventure, called Motherhood. Valerie is an adorable expecting momma, and a few of us got together and threw her a baby shower. One of the decorations for the shower was personalized onsies hanging on a clothesline. My other friend Erin and I got together and made several each. Let me show you the three onsies I made.

In case you were wondering how I did it, don't worry I took pictures to show you! First I ironed all the wrinkles out of the onsies. I then sketched some tie shapes, until I found the right size and shape I was looking for. I cut them out of my notebook and laid them on the onsie, just to be sure.

Satisfied with the shape, I then cut those same shapes out of fusible interfacing and ironed onto my chosen fabric.

After doing this, I then cut the shapes out of the fabric, removed the backing, lined them up on the onsie, and ironed them on. I then set my sewing machine to a zig zag stitch with the stitch length at zero. I then very slowly worked my way around the edges of the tie, making sure that I covered the full edge of the tie. And voila....you get...this!

And finally the onsies displayed at the baby shower. Look how cute.

Hey you want a s'more? Some more what?

That's right, I went there. I pulled out a quote from Sandlot. If you haven't seen that movie...shame on you. I used to love that movie when I was a kid. Okay, I admit it, I still love it.

I'm going to tell you bloggy people something I haven't told you before. I coach High School Tennis, no joke. Tennis has always been a big part of my life. I've been playing tennis since I was 7. I played in High School, College, and now I coach. I love Coaching and sharing my knowledge. Last weekend was the 4A High School Regional  Tournament. This tournament is a BIG DEAL. It determines whether or not they go to State.

Can you guess which one I am? I totally look like a High Schooler. :-)

My girls all played fantastically, but only two qualified for the State Tourney. It was nerve wracking. Ever point I watched had my stomach in my throat and by the end of the weekend, I had my first official case of HeartBurn. I literally had to go out and buy some Tums on Saturday afternoon.

If you can imagine, I have 6 High School Girls, who will eat you out of house and home, but only out of the stuff that is terrible for you. If it was boys, I would expect them to eat that much, but these girls will put it away. No lie. But do they prepare ahead and bring enough food to last them two full days at a tournament, of course NOT. They're High Schoolers. So this is where Castle's Magical Bag of Treats comes in. One of the treats that I made for the girls was S'mores Bars.

They're made the same way as Rice Crispy Treats, but with different cereal. Let me give you the break down.

Ingredients Needed:

• Golden Grahams Cereal
• Bag of Marshmallows
• 4 Tablespoons of Butter 
• Milk Chocolate Chips

Directions to Delicious S'mores goodness:

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat
2. When the butter is melted add in bag of marshmallows, stir constantly
3. Once the mallows have melted and there is no lumps, remove from heat and quickly add in the cereal
4. Mix as quickly as possible and press into a buttered pan
5. Melt chocolate chips in microwave, drizzle over treats
6. Let the cereal and chocolate set completely before cutting and serving

I made 3 pans of these and didn't have a single one left after the weekend. They were a big hit and gave the girls plenty of energy to play their hearts out. I'm excited for the State this weekend. I'm sure my two Seniors will do a great job!

P.S. Here's a funny tidbit for you, related to tennis. I look very young for my age, I recognize this, but nothing rubs it in more than when I take my tennis girls to a meet, and inevitably someone will look right at me and say "Where's your Coach?" and then I have to say "No really, it's me, I promise." True story.

Obsession Alert: Cute Dresses

For those of you who know me well, then you know my main obsession is, Shoes. And for those of you who don't know me well enough, it's true, I do have a closet soley for shoes. (Did you see what I did there? I crack myself up.)

But I have another confession...I L-O-V-E sun dresses. Any shape, size, length, color, you name it, I have it, and I love to wear them during the summer. So simple, cute, and easy. But they also transition perfectly into fall. Top them with a cute cardi, add a belt, tights, and boots, and VOILA, I'm set.

My downfall is that there are so many super cute dress tutorials out there. You've seen where I try my hand at dresses here and here. I'm not lying, they are so cute, easy, and cheap! For example through Pinterest, this super easy tutorial was brought to my awareness. If I could have found the fabric she used for her long dress, you'd better believe I would have made the exact same one. However, I didn't so I followed her tutorial and came up with the following. It's quirky and fun, and I love it.

As you can see, I paired mine with a chunky belt for the day. I also made a long sash, but decided the belt was a better option for a day at the office.

Also, I'm going to share with you some ridiculous photos. This is what happens, when I ask my co-worker to take one photo of me. He keeps taking more photos, while I'm being ridiculous. Although, I'm not sure it's that much of a surprise.

Anyways, this was a super easy dress to whip up. I've never used elastic thread before, and it may be my new favorite thing. Even though I did have to drive all over the city to find it. *eye roll* I think I might give it a go on a short dress. We'll see.

Pinterest Challenge: Fire Pit

So, if you've been following along, then you know that Valerie's Pinterest Challenge ended on Sept. 30. I'm late in getting this post up, but I promise it was done well before the deadline.

As you know, I had 5 projects that I was going to attempt to complete. Really, I made it through about 3.5 of those projects. As you know...I completed the two organizing projects. I'm about to introduce you to the Fire Pit, and I've got the chairs 1/2 way done.

Anyways, onto the Fire Pit! You may remember my inspiration....

Source: alwayschasinglife.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

 

Let me introduce you to my backyard.

As you can see, I have a giant brush pile. I'm lucky enough to have a big backyard, with lots of old growth trees. The problem with that is, I have lots of GIANT branches that fall out of my trees. And I have no way to get rid of them...hence the idea for a fire pit. Oh yeah, I'm a smart cookie.

 
Putting it all together was fairly easy. I just went to Home Depot, bought the stones and followed their natural curve to make the circle fire pit. Let me show you my new fire pit!

Sometimes all the wood/branches don't fit in the pit, but you know what....IT MAKES AWESOME S'MORES. I've been having little bonfires here and there, and I'm starting to put a big dent in the HUGE brush pile.

And here's a little sneak peek on the chairs...

Eventually those chairs are going to end up by the fire pit. But for now, they need another coat of spray paint and some finishing spray. I promise I'll show the end result soon.

Oreo No-Bake Cheesecake Bites

I've posted about my love for Yummy Delicious Goodness on multiple occasions. I love all things yummy, but more than that I absolutely L-O-V-E everything Oreo.

However in my world, I have to qualify that I only work in Double Stuff Oreos. I remember when they came our and they had the most filling in the middle, well I maintain that over the years, Nabisco has gradually pared down the filling until, now a Double Stuff Oreo is really a regular Oreo and a regular Oreo is a 1/2 stuffed Oreo. What, okay, I'm getting off the soap box....onto the yummy goodness.

When preparing for Brandon's birthday at work, I really struggled with the question do I make the Mountain Dew Cupcakes or these. See Brandon loves Oreos as much as I do, but I think he leans towards the Dew more so I went with the cupcakes. But I couldn't not make these, so here they are. These may become a much demanded dessert, because the pan I brought to the office very quickly disappeared.

With no further ado.. I give you...drum roll please........ OREO NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE BITES

·         2 ¼ cups heavy cream

·         1 pound cream cheese, softened

·         2/3 cup sugar

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         1 tablespoon lemon juice

·         2 teaspoon vanilla powder

·         ¾ cups Oreo Cookies, crushed

Instructions:
1. Beat heavy cream until medium peaks form. Set aside.
2. Add cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla powder, lemon juice to a bowl and beat with a paddle attachment until smooth (approximately 3-5 mins). If you do not have a stand mixer or a paddle attachment a hand beater will work as well, but will take twice as long to achieve a smooth consistency.
3. Add cream cheese mixture to heavy cream and beat until incorporated.
4. Gently fold in Oreo cookies.
5. Place an Oreo cookie in the bottom of each cupcake liner (makes about 24), spoon/scoop filling over the top
6. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set or overnight for best results.
7. Remove from refrigerator and smooth top to level with edges. Serve with whipping cream and garnish with mini Oreos.

A Birthday Celebration: Mountain Dew Cupcakes

I love to bake delicious yummy treats. I'll take any excuse to eat delicious yummy treats. Birthdays give me the perfect excuse to experiment and try new recipes. Imagine my excitement when I came upon the perfect birthday treat for my coworkers birthday. 

Brandon loves anything Mountain Dew. So when I came across this recipe for Mountain Dew cupcakes, I knew that I had the perfect birthday treat for him. So I assembled my supplies, and got to work.

First I zested. And then I zested and zested some more. I hate zesting and this recipe calls for a lot of zesting. Let's face it, I zested my butt off. But, it's worth. I followed the recipe, and finally came up with some delicious looking treats to take into the office. Brandon and all our coworkers were happy! The boys in the office all love Mountain Dew, so it was definitely a big hit. 

Mountain Dew Cupcakes **

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3/4 cup Mountain Dew
1/4 cup of lemon and lime juice (juice from 1 lemon and 1 lime)
zest from 1 lemon and 2 limes (separate into 2 piles, one for buttercream)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Beat butter on medium for 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar and lemon, lime zest. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, Scrape sides of bowl in between additions
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to mixer bowl. Turn on low for 5 seconds.
5. Add the Mountain Dew, lemon/lime juice, and lemon extract . Mix to combine.
5. Scoop into cupcake papers about two-thirds full.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Mountain Dew Buttercream

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Mountain Dew
Juices from half of 1 lemon and half of 1 lime.
Lemon and lime zest (rest of zest from cupcake recipe. Or zest from half of 1 lemon and 1 whole lime)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
neon green food coloring (yellow and blue if you dont have green)

1. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment
2. Beat butter at medium-high speed until creamy
3. Add half of the sugar, turn mixer on low for 5 seconds.
4. Add the Mountain Dew, zest, and lemon extract . Beat until combined.
5. Add food coloring to the desired color.
6. Gradually add remaining sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

**Just a note. This batter is very heavy and did not rise as I expected. Therefore I had some little short cakes in attendance. I'd recommend filling the cupcake liner to the brim. 

Pinterest Challenge: Purse Hoarder

Hi, my name is Amy, and I'm a purse hoarder. Okay, I admit it, I hoard shoes too. But at least my shoes are organized. My purses are not. I'm assuming most women are like me. They love purses, love to switch often, and hate to get rid of the old ones. If your not like me, please tell me how you do it.

I have purses stashed all over my house. And alot of them are stacked inside one another, making it hard to see and locate what I want. So when I saw this idea on Pinterest, I knew it was for me. 

Source: bhg.com via Amy on Pinterest

This is what purse hunting used to look like for me. Dig through 3 closets, open up big purses to see little purses, and never ever find the one I was looking for.

Awful huh? So on the Target trip I bought a shower curtain rod (the short one made for stalls) and some double sided curtain hooks. I installed it in my closet and hung up my purses. The hardest part about all this was hunting down all my purses to hang them up.

Drum roll please.........
The final finished product.

Now I can see all my purses, and choose exactly which one I want. The cost break down on this is as follows:

Shower Stall Tension Rod from Target   $4.99
Slide Glide Shower Hooks from Target  $6.99
                                                            $11.98

All together this took me about 30 minutes to do and I was able to organize 18 purses with room for more. Yay!