tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67460261124651463822024-03-12T17:39:49.954-07:00michelle laurena 20-something recent college grad transplanted in kansas with a passion for creatingmichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-86639776691576021062014-12-04T11:07:00.000-08:002014-12-04T11:07:48.691-08:00turkey cookie platter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I visited my parents a few weeks before Thanksgiving, my mom dug out one of her recipe magazine's cookie edition. She wanted to show me a turkey platter that was featured in it (funny enough, it was created by my cookie idol over at <a href="http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/2012/11/easy-turkey-platter/">sweetsugarbelle.com</a>. I guess similar taste runs in the family).<br />
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Mom: Isn't this cute? </div>
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Me: Yeah. Do you want me to make you one for Thanksgiving? </div>
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Mom: No. You don't have to do that. But isn't this cute? </div>
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Translation: my mom wanted the cookies.<br />
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Mind you, she is well aware of how time consuming they are to make, so she really was trying to be nice and not inconvenience me. However, the only thing I was able to convince her to let me bring to dinner was pie from the bakery at Chris's work (she only let my siblings bring booze, so at least I scored a food item).<br />
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But the platter turned out quite adorable, so I'm really glad my mom suggested it to me. I'm also learning to better my royal icing technique, which is always good too. Practice makes perfect. Or in this case, practice makes more tasty cookies for my family to enjoy.<br />
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michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-29472672690226889982014-11-29T22:15:00.000-08:002014-11-29T22:15:44.121-08:00return of the chalkboardsIt's been a while since I've worked on any kind of chalkboard, but I promise I haven't completely stopped doing them.<br />
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Since I spent all of Thanksgiving weekend in Lee's Summit, I popped out a Grains & Taps board for Brad. I think it's quite adorable, if I do say so myself.michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-33785453790167003002014-11-25T21:16:00.001-08:002014-11-25T21:23:12.051-08:00#25craftsofchristmas-nights 3, 4, 5This past weekend I got my maximum craft on by hosting craft parties on Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday. (I also attended a craft fair on Saturday where I seemed to accumulate multiple objects of the moose persuasion. Shhhh. We're not going to talk about it).<br />
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The craft party themes were "Christmas Countdowns," "Ornaments," and "Cards." With the help of my friends, we plowed through 12 more crafts! Woohoo!<br />
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Friday night: Countdowns<br />
7. Chalkboard Countdown - (pinspiration from item no longer on etsy)<br />
8. Pocket Advent Calendar - (link to pinspiration no longer working)<br />
9. Santa Beard Countdown (not yet numbered) - this was a shape I purchased from the silhouette online store<br />
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Saturday night: Ornaments<br />
10. TMNT filled with glitter - Allison curated project<br />
11. Cement Light Bulbs and Trees - <a href="http://fellowfellow.com/diy-cement-ornaments/">pinspiration</a><br />
12. String Words - <a href="http://decoratorsnotebook.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/swedish-christmas-tree-decorations.jpg">pinspiration</a><br />
13. Melted Crayons* - <a href="http://onecupatatimeblog.wordpress.com/category/the-nearly-impossible-task-of-entertaining-your-superhero/">pinspiration</a><br />
Bonus Ornament: Melted Snowman with olaf quote<br />
*Only 1 ornament was dropped and shattered on the concrete floor in the making of this craft.<br />
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Sunday ended up being a quiet crafternoon (do you see what I did there?) for Allison and me. We used my silhouette to cut out some simple shapes to make lots of adorable cards.<br />
14. Santa Suit - <a href="http://www.stampinpretty.com/2013/12/holiday-ideas-more-from-friends.html">pinspiration</a><br />
15. Wrapped Packages - <a href="http://holidaysgalore.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/more-ideas-of-handmade-christmas-cards.html?m=1">pinspiration</a><br />
16. Paper Tree - <a href="http://stylowi.pl/20514576">pinspiration</a><br />
17. Ornaments - (pinspiration from item no longer available on etsy)<br />
18. Ribbon Tree - <a href="http://www.scrapbook.com/gallery/image/card/3459273.html">pinspiration</a><br />
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See projects from nights 1, <a href="http://michelle-lauren.blogspot.com/2014/11/25craftsofchristmas-night-2.html">2</a>, 6, 7, and 8.michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-69198446502638057092014-11-13T20:01:00.002-08:002014-11-25T21:24:40.130-08:00#25craftsofchristmas - night 2You know what I really enjoy? Watching my "non-crafty" friends create some awesome stuff. I think they enjoy it too. :)<br />
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Last night I hosted my second night of Christmas crafting with "More Winter Decorations."<br />
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4. Sharpie Mugs - these are alllllllll over Pinterest. However, we used oil based Sharpie paint markers after I read through a lot of tips. Hopefully this produces some long lasting work, because these ladies made some adorable pieces.<br />
5. Paper Snowflakes - <a href="http://m.wikihow.com/Make-a-3D-Paper-Snowflake">pinspiration</a>. I pre-glittered all the paper (of course), which was slightly messy but mega sparkly.<br />
6. Tinsel Trees - <a href="http://howtonestforless.com/2011/11/02/5-minute-tinsel-christmas-cones/">pinspiration</a>. I am totally making a million of these to put everywhere. Soooo sparkly!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #153d52; font-family: 'Source+Sans+Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">See projects from nights <a href="http://michelle-lauren.blogspot.com/2014/11/25craftsofchristmas-night-1.html?">1</a>, <a href="http://michelle-lauren.blogspot.com/2014/11/25craftsofchristmas-nights-3-4-5.html?m=1">3, 4, 5</a>, 6, 7, and 8.</span>michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-70462305552966042112014-11-12T08:29:00.000-08:002014-11-25T21:20:55.968-08:00#25craftsofchristmas - night 1Sunday kicked off the first of eight craft nights I am hosting this year for the "25 Crafts of Christmas" challenge I am completing with my friends.<br />
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For night one, I planned three projects for the "Winter Decorations" themed craft night.<br />
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1. Puff Paint Window Clings - this was an Allison curated project. The Pinterest inspiration (<i>pinspiration</i>. Is that a thing? I'm going to make it one. So just roll with it) can be found <a href="http://www.allfreekidscrafts.com/Kids-Christmas-Crafts/Simple-Christmas-Window-Clings">here</a>. (Please note the age group for this... yeah. Kids at heart?)<br />
2. School Glue Snowmen - <a href="http://www.crafts-for-all-seasons.com/snowman-glue-craft.html">pinspiration</a>.<br />
3. Painted Kitchen Towels - this has been an evolving project. <i>Tutorial coming soon.</i><br />
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See projects from nights <a href="http://michelle-lauren.blogspot.com/2014/11/25craftsofchristmas-night-2.html">2</a>, <a href="http://michelle-lauren.blogspot.com/2014/11/25craftsofchristmas-nights-3-4-5.html?m=1">3, 4, 5</a>, 6, 7, and 8.michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-15504746946847389292014-11-12T07:38:00.000-08:002014-11-12T07:38:33.689-08:00craft night<div>
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It's no secret I am pinterest obsessed. I just love the overwhelming source of crafty inspiration it provides. So when Allison sent me 3 emails in a row with craft projects she had found, I started formulating a plan.</div>
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I love doing crafts, and I love sharing that satisfaction that comes from creating. So as a "Christmas present" to some of my lovely friends, I have decided to work through some of my pins and host "The 25 Crafts of Christmas."<br />
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Yes, that is correct. 25 crafts.<br />
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I am aware I am insane.<br />
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Here's the deal: I'm starting early (typically I am a no-Christmas-before-Thanksgiving kind of girl), I'm spreading it out into multiple craft nights, and I'm keeping it easy. So fingers crossed this works.<br />
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I will be hosting a total of 8 craft nights (or afternoons) for my friends to come join me. I've arranged for 3 or 4 projects each night and tried to have a theme for each set. My friends are invited to come to any nights of their choosing and work on whatever projects interest them.<br />
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It's going to be a blast, and I can't wait.<br />
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michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-56689510459177068742014-09-22T19:27:00.000-07:002014-09-22T19:27:14.207-07:00Royals Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My grandma is adorable. She is such a HUGE Kansas City Royals fan. Always has been and always will be. I think it's because she's actually been around long enough to remember them being good. (In case you were wondering, that hasn't been in my lifetime).<br />
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Grandma has been extra excited this season, because the team has gotten her hopes up that they might "make it all the way."<br />
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I could care less about the team, but it makes her happy.<br />
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So in honor of her birthday this month, I whipped up a batch of cookies celebrating her most favorite pastime.<br />
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Unfortunately, I didn't leave myself enough time to let the colors set while I decorated, so the blue and gold bled horribly before I was able to give them to her.<br />
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But I got pictures of them before that happened, so at least there was some proof they didn't always look horrible. <br />
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Plus, they were delicious. And seriously, that's all that really matters.michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-5496200920584433502014-09-09T06:00:00.000-07:002014-09-09T07:08:00.423-07:00bake cook serve<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have a fairly small kitchen and a fairly large collection of kitchen gadgets. It's safe to say, that combo can be somewhat frustrating. In my continuous effort to organize the space, I've gone through a handful of attempts at corralling all my cooking utensils.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Honestly, I would prefer to keep them all in a drawer. Unfortunately, those are practically non-existant in my house (seriously, the same goes for my bathroom). While I shove as much as possible into the two I have, the easiest solution has been to store the rest on the counter.<br />
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Cramming everything into one container wasn't quite working for me, so I conceded and split it all up amongst three of them. I purchased some cheap-o plastic ones from wally world to use.<br />
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And because I have a wonderful Silhouette Cameo, I was able to easily make a few vinyl labels to stick on them.<br />
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Cheap. Easy. Cute. My favorite things!<br />
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As an added bonus, the toy boy* has even commented the labels make it "boyfriend-proof." So there's no excuse for him not to put dishes away too!<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I did not come up with this nickname, but it's been a year and it still makes me laugh so I'm going to keep using it (even if it results in having to do the dishes by myself).</span><br />
<br />michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-36678938663308920552014-09-02T12:54:00.000-07:002014-09-02T12:54:42.269-07:00"new" kitchen table<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Exciting things are happenin' at my place, folks. Stay tuned for more updates on what's going down these next few months.<br />
<br />michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-71439988195911782182014-08-21T20:51:00.000-07:002014-09-05T17:38:34.561-07:00motivational flower pots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I kill everything. Seriously. I cannot keep a plant alive to save my life.<br />
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At the beginning of summer I tried planting sunflowers from seeds. I was actually really proud of myself. I had quite a few growing, and they seemed to be going strong. So I bragged to Chris about how well they were doing.<br />
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"Well yeah. I've been watering them every time I come over to visit you."<br />
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Oh...<br />
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So I guess I'm really not getting better. Does that stop me from trying anyway? Sadly, no. You all know I don't know better.<br />
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My newest attempt has been a quad of succulents. They only need to be watered, like, once a month. That's more my style. Kind of.<br />
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I have a bunch of terracotta pots I intended to use for something else. It didn't happen, so I grabbed some leftover craft paint, glitter, my silhouette and made something crafty.<br />
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You can tell they're already trying to die.<br />
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But they have motivation.<br />
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And glitter.<br />
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And the will to make it.<br />
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I don't think Chris has aided in keeping these going. But they are still alive, so there's always some chance that he's been counteracting my black thumb.michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-31464606340739583202014-08-20T10:18:00.000-07:002014-08-20T10:18:18.667-07:00happy barbara blue birthday! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Up until a year or two ago, my good friend Barb had never gone to have her nails done. She got suckered into trying it out when a friend held a fundraiser at a spa in town. I think it's safe to say, she really enjoyed the pampering.<br />
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Now she, Allison, and myself often go together for some girl time--especially if we have a special occasion to do so. And without fail, she always gets her trademark Barbara Blue polish. It's her favorite.<br />
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So in honor of this week's special occasion (Barb's Birthday!), Allison and I cranked out 7ish dozen of these puppies. And they're all sporting Barbara Blue icing.<br />
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(except the airplanes. They were chromed)<br />
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And the flowers were glittered.<br />
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And the hedgehogs and elephants we just to fun not to make :)<br />
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Don't worry. We took Barb to get her nails done and enjoyed eating these cuties while working on a bottle of reisling. If that's not a good birthday celebration, then I'm not sure what is.michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-79910457089596007192014-08-10T20:53:00.000-07:002014-08-10T20:53:47.241-07:00the doors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the biggest hang-ups I've had in my house was the color of the doors in my entry way. For some reason they were painted the same awful color as the rest of the house.<br />
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Blegh.<br />
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But seriously. I don't know why that was even a thing. All of the other doors in the house match the trim. So these two just stood out even worse.<br />
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It has bothered me so much that "paint doors" has literally been on my to do list for months (yes, I make daily lists and yes, I actually am using "literally" correctly). But since I'm me, I obviously have not gotten around to doing it.<br />
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Finally, I bit the bullet and just did it.<br />
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I mean, look at that difference. It's just so much nicer.<br />
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Plus, the entire project was free. Since I have no idea what color the trim actually is (let's be honest, it could probably use a good scrubbing anyway), I decided to use leftover cabinet paint. I picked it out to match the gray walls, so I figured it was the best bet for getting a white that worked anyway.<br />
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And you bet it was oh so satisfying to cross that one of the to do list.michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-58598802425834492302014-08-10T11:42:00.000-07:002014-08-11T11:32:22.531-07:00five bucks of fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am basically a small child. I should not be left in a craft store by myself. Somehow, Chris didn't get that memo. Even after I told him he had to physically remove me from the section of fall decor with <a href="http://michelle-lauren.blogspot.com/2014/01/mr-russell-pricklepants.html?m=0#more">hedgehogs</a> all over everything (omg, I almost grabbed ALL OF IT), he still let me wander off by myself.<br />
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In my defense, the cardboard cutouts were 50% off, so the welcome sign only cost me $5. Not bad for going rogue.<br />
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I used the same paint from my livingroom to make it pretty, so the entire ordeal ended up being relatively inexpensive.<br />
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Seriously, it could've been worse.michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-5468627822823258312014-08-06T18:06:00.000-07:002014-08-06T18:06:00.103-07:00coooookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It all started with my Christmas present from Chris last year. He showed up at my house proudly toting a box of 100 assorted cookie cutters for me (smart man). Now if I was a normal person, I'd just use those to make a few fun-shaped sugar cookies, slap some icing on them, and call it good.<br />
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But we all know I'm incapable of normal.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I saw this gift as an opportunity to go above and beyond, to forge a new skill, to wow my adoring recipients (aka, to pin a bunch of gorgeous things on pinterest and fall short trying to do it myself).<br />
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Attempt 1: <a href="http://michelle-lauren.blogspot.com/2014/02/birthday-cookies.html?m=0">birthday cookies</a>. Not too bad for the first go. I even repurposed a Dino cutter to make it into the shape I wanted. I was pretty impressed with myself for that one.<br />
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Attempt 2: boxing gloves. One of my cousins asked if I'd make cookies for her son's boxing themed birthday party. Crazy enough, a mitten was not in my 100 cutters, so I had to borrow one from Allison. Unfortunately, I only took an in progress picture, so I don't have proof of the final thing.<br />
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Attempt 3: wedding cookies. We've established I'm crazy, right? Yeah, well multiply that level of crazy by 200, because that's how many cookies I agreed to make for another cousin's wedding. I don't even have space in my kitchen for that many cookies! I'll seriously need to move to a new house that has my massively huge, wonderful, dream kitchen before I take on something of this scale again ;)<br />
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Attempt 4: perfect square cookies. Fun fact- Chris, the city of Wichita, and I all had perfect square birthdays this year (yay for nerdiness)! Naturally, I had to capitalize on it. This actually ended up being more of a sneaky project than I had originally planned. See, I intended to bake up some squares when I made my last batch of wedding cookies. But I didn't. Then Chris spent most of the day before his birthday hanging out at my house with me, causing it to be incredibly hard for me to make cookies without him noticing. Eventually, I convinced him to leave for a while, baked the cookies, colored some icing, and quickly had three dozen of them decorated before he came back for dinner (I did have to hide them in my spare room overnight to harden up though).<br />
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Attempt 5: star cookies. I got to visit some of my college friends over the fourth of July, which was much needed in my life. I quickly whipped out some basic star cookies after work on the third to bring with me.<br />
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And now the latest attempt: nurse cookies. My cousin with the boxing glove cookies just finished up nursing school, and asked if I'd make some cookies for her graduation party.<br />
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I'm still working on my technique.<br />
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My flooding and piping skills could use some help, but I'm getting better.<br />
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However, my coloring skills are atrocious. I mean, matching skin tone is really hard, but I didn't even come close. These poor things look like Lego minifigs. Sigh.<br />
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I packaged them up and shipped them off to kc anyway. They're included as "bonus" cookies on top of the number she requested. I mean, they'll still taste good, you know. No sense in wasting them.michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-45621705718452992412014-08-05T18:34:00.000-07:002014-08-05T18:42:18.128-07:00one year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As of July 26th, I have officially own my cute little house on Lynnrae for a whole year. I know, it's crazy! This time last summer I was spending ungodly amounts of money on new paint, taking on my first tiling project, dragging my tired self back and forth EVERY night between the house and my old apartment, and moving in all my worldly possessions (aka all the crap I'd accumulated this far).<br />
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Even a year later, I am still overwhelmed by all the love and support I got in helping me make my house a home.<br />
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Barb, Allison, and Alex may possibly qualify as the most amazing friends on the planet. Without their constant help, the entirety of my pre-moving to-do list would've taken ten times longer. And goodness knows, there's no way I would've had patience for that.<br />
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My wonderful parents made an extra trip to Wichita just to help tackle the beast of a project of redoing my kitchen backsplash. I absolutely HAD to accomplish that immediately, and I'm grateful they were willing to help grant my wish.<br />
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Chris blew all of my boyfriend expectations out of the water with his constant patience and willingness to tackle my ever growing honey-do list WITHOUT COMPLAINING. If that alone doesn't make him a keeper, I'm not sure what does (that's a lie. I've discovered many reasons to keep him around, but that was the one that completely knocked my socks off). He spent almost every evening he had available working on projects with me, even though it meant both of us had to sleepily make our way back to the north side of town in the rain night after night.<br />
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Finally, I can proudly brag that I had FOUR coworkers + two of their wives who volunteered and showed up to help me move. Seriously, people volunteered. I'm not making that up. Who the heck knows people that willing volunteer for that kind of torture?! Uh, apparently I do.<br />
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Wow, now that I've reminisced on all the awesome things these people have done for me, I feel like I need to make them cookies or something. For real. They are way too awesome.<br />
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Anyway, I know it's been a while since I've posted anything. The grandeur of the one-year milestone kind of got me in the mood to get back to updating this thing. I have a few completed projects I'd like to get on here, as well as a few very exciting (eeeeeeee!) things coming up in the future. So get ready; I'm about to blow your minds with awesomeness.<br />
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<br />michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-63694925824027587762014-03-29T17:06:00.000-07:002014-09-06T06:39:42.033-07:00crazy life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't believe it's almost April! My life has just been a crazy, colorful mess the last couple of months. But I'm excited to finally be slowing down a bit and having time for myself again.<br />
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January-March is competition season for the Girl Scout robotics team I help coach. While it's a big commitment, it's time well spent.<br />
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Especially when my girls do this. I am so very proud of them, which is something anyone could tell by how often I brag about them.<br />
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In addition to robotics, every February my local SWE section hosts a huge hands-on STEM outreach event. Like over 500 kids huge. I convinced some of my coworkers to help out with the marshmallow bridges this year.<br />
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They suited up and went all out. It was a lot of fun.<br />
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On top of all of that, my SWE section hosted a regional conference here in town. While I was busy doing that, one of my Girl Scouts was kind enough to hedgehog sit for me. She, her two younger sisters, another one of my Girl Scouts, and their BFF all came over to love on Russell. I gave them free reign on the chalkboard wall, which is how it's ended up so wonderfully colorful.<br />
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They gave me strict instructions not to put it on Facebook (not sure why). However, they said nothing about other social media :)<br />
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Now that I'm back to my regular grind, I'll be back to crafting and DIYing. Stayed tuned for more posts on how my house is coming together.michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-59731528893616924322014-02-09T21:05:00.000-08:002014-02-11T08:17:47.147-08:00birthday cookiesMy girl scouts are probably the biggest fans of my pet hedgehog, Russell. They're dying to meet him. And since I'm not planning on letting him come to robotics practice any time soon, they are hedgehog deprived.<br />
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Since my birthday coincides with the robotics season, I usually bring in a special treat to share with the girls. This year I went all out.<br />
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So adorable. They took absolutely FOR-EV-ER to make, but I think the end product was totally worth it.<br />
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<br />michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-29064722829327941562014-02-06T19:30:00.000-08:002014-02-06T19:30:00.629-08:00January Project LifeMy life is so busy right now that I'm not sure why I added another project to it. But I started running across Project Life stuff all over Pinterest and became intrigued. I love scrapbooking, but it's usually such a hassle and time sucker that I never get around to doing it. But this concept looked fairly straightforward, so I decided to attempt it for 2014.<br />
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Because everything is so compartmentalize, I can easily get the few supplies I need out and plop down in front of the tv and put together a spread in less than 30 minutes. It's really a nice mental break from everything else I have going on.<br />
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I'm doing weekly one-page spreads, and just completed my final January week last night! Go me! (Please forgive the picture quality. I use my phone and am still working on eliminating glare :/)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Week 1</span></b><br />
(<i>December 29 - January 4</i>)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Week 2 </span></b>(<i>January 5 - January 11</i>)</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Week 3 </span></b>(<i>January 12 - January 18</i>)</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Week 4 </span></b>(<i>January 19 - January 25</i>)</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Week 5 </span></b>(<i>January 26 - February 1</i>)</div>
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<br />michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-86728767056734526242014-01-30T21:32:00.000-08:002014-01-31T06:49:11.048-08:00Mr. Russell PricklepantsI got a new roommate this past weekend. He's shy and sleeps all day and can get a bit prickly at times.<br />
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Behold: Mr. Russell Pricklepants.<br />
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There's obviously a back story to how this happened, so here it is (beware, it's a long one).<br />
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My sophomore year of college I took a multimedia art class. One of my projects involved using charcoal and newspaper print to create various rubbings. Once I gathered a collection of textures, I was instructed to use those to create whatever I felt like.<br />
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And that's where my projects usually go downhill. Giving me that much freedom tends to stress me out.<br />
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But somehow, I produced this.<br />
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And I am so proud of it, so it's been out on display in every place I've lived for the past 5 years.<br />
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I have no idea where the owl idea came from, but I will remind you that five years ago they were not popular. So when my friends did find some kind of owl novelty in a random store, they'd buy it for me.<br />
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And then owls became trendy.<br />
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And the gift buying didn't stop.<br />
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Now I can't completely blame my friends for my exploding owl collection.<br />
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I've bought some too.<br />
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But I'm pretty sure I could successfully prove that at least 85% of the total lot was given to me.<br />
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At least.<br />
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So I had to put a ban on the owl gifts. I love my friends and I love that they're so kind, but I had to draw the line at some point.<br />
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So they determined I needed a new animal to start a collection of. The platypus, flamingo, and hedgehog were all the big contenders.<br />
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The platypuses have not made an appearance yet (I looked up that plural. Apparently "platypi" is not colloquially correct).<br />
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However, I do have a handful of flamingos.<br />
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And even used it as inspiration for my Halloween costume.<br />
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But the hedgehog initiative gained some ground last November. At our quarterly ice cream party (oh, the perks of being an "adult"), the idea of getting me a pet hedgehog came up. Not thinking my friends would take me seriously (rookie mistake), I told them they could get me one for Christmas if they could even find one.<br />
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Apparently, they are no longer difficult to find. My friends had located a place to get one by the end of the evening.<br />
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Knowing that I wouldn't be able to back out of this, I convinced my friends to at least wait until after the busy holidays.<br />
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And then my friends all became busy, so the new pet acquiring kept getting pushed back.<br />
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And then I did something awful.<br />
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<br />
I did this.<br />
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When trying to put away some wine on top of my cabinet, I had a bottle of red wine cannonball onto my precious glass stove top. The $8 bottle of wine was unarmed, but my nearly new appliance didn't fare so well. Needless to say, I was verrrrrrrrry upset.<br />
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After calming me down and helping me get things sorted out, my friends determined getting me my new pet would be the much needed pick-me-up I could use.<br />
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And it totally is. Focusing on getting Russell settled in has been way better on my emotional well being than fretting over my savings-draining appliance repair.<br />
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Seriously. It's hard to be too upset when this guy's around to cheer you up.<br />
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Granted, once I finally get through the customer service line to figure out what I need to do to get the stove fixed, I may need to get an entire pet store. Cross your fingers that's not the case!<br />
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<br />michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-55681532679644100572014-01-24T06:44:00.000-08:002014-09-05T17:37:10.239-07:00hello!I have officially now painted every room in my house. So I'm done painting now, right?<br />
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Ha. Hahaha. Of course not.<br />
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Unfortunately, both my front door and door in from my garage need some serious TLC. I'm not planning on tackling either of those any time soon, so I needed to do something to hold me over for a while.<br />
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Silhouette to the rescue!<br />
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Simple. Quick. Adorable. :)<br />
<br />michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-75968220009808379912014-01-08T20:05:00.003-08:002014-09-06T06:39:33.791-07:00A Not So Subtle HintLast Friday my boyfriend brought me something. No, it wasn't flowers or chocolate (although I do receive those more often than I deserve), and it wasn't tasty beverages in adorable bottles (that was earlier this week). Alas, I received another chalkboard. ;)<br />
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His store uses a few for displays, and he has been a big fan of my work lately (because he's a sweetheart like that). He asked if I would do a valentine's day one for him with the directions of: "I dunno. Put candy on it or something."<br />
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Helpful.<br />
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So I came up with this:<br />
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I figured I could use it as a suggestion. Great idea, right? <!--3-->michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-43834805648389300312014-01-06T08:24:00.000-08:002014-09-06T06:39:23.946-07:00Boards for BeerI've mentioned before that my brother started his own business last year, and I was nice enough to decorate a<a href="http://michelle-lauren.blogspot.com/2013/11/small-business-saturday.html?m=0"> chalkboard sign</a> for him over Thanksgiving.<br />
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Well I was home for Christmas and he asked if I'd do a few more for him. And being the wonderful sister that I am (and having absolutely no other plans whatsoever while I was in town) I happily obliged.<br />
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I made up their three main boards to list out their beer, cider, and wine menu. I made the styles look all snazzy, but left the menu items in an easy to read, easy to replicate typography for the boys to adjust as needed.<br />
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My mom and I also made multiple trips and used multiple coupons at Hobby Lobby to purchase him 3 smaller chalkboards for in front of his counter. I made a hops board, a yeast board, and a board for them to list out their upcoming events.<br />
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I think I did a pretty good job at whipping out SIX BOARDS in one weekend.<br />
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Granted, I did have the dog keeping me company, so that's always helpful.michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-19366841513907053722014-01-03T06:07:00.001-08:002014-01-08T09:50:30.200-08:00Painting the "Storage Closet"After looking at dozens of three and four bedroom houses on my search to find my home, I decided that a two bedroom house was more reasonable for my needs. Unfortunately, since I've moved in it's been more like a "one bedroom house with a really big closet for storing all the extra crap I haven't unpacked yet."<br />
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Yeah, not exactly what I intended it to be. And this is actually a picture taken after I picked up enough junk to be able to walk into the room. It was embarrassing.<br />
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My first to-do item for the room was to get rid of the awful paint color. You know, the one that was in every single room? It's dark and drab and makes everything feel smaller. I stayed neutral and did two base coats of Valspar's Moose Mousse (speaking of which, WHO GETS TO NAME THESE THINGS?! I totally want that job).<br />
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Then I did some very intense measuring, taping, and leveling.<br />
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I next took my Moose Mousse and sealed the tape to the wall to make sure I would get a nice, crisp line.<br />
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Once that dried, I painted two coats of Valspar's Cream in My Coffee in the stripe (same color swatch as Moose Mousse, just two shades lighter).<br />
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VoilĂ !<br />
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This is actually a bit different from the looki was going for, but I'm hoping that once I get the furniture arranged and decor up it'll come together like I imagined. Worst case scenario: it gets used as a storage closet again :P<br />
<br />michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-43193894152824331642013-12-17T20:38:00.001-08:002014-09-06T06:51:37.085-07:00Hot Chocolate PartyA hot chocolate party. Is this not the cutest idea ever or what? I mean, really. It's perfect for all ages. Who doesn't love enjoying a big, steaming mug of chocolaty goodness?<br />
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I came across this idea earlier this fall and stowed it away for the Christmas season. I'm a sucker for the holiday and love sharing it with others, so this was the perfect theme for a Christmas get together.<br />
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I debated whether or not to add anything to the gathering: cookie exchange, ugly sweater party, white elephant gift, etc. But I decided to keep it simple, and sent out a festive evite to some friends:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
BYOM (bring your own mug) and get ready for a tasty evening. I will be providing all of the fixins for you to create the perfect hot chocolate concoction, so be prepared to get creative. If you would like to bring a treat to share, please call dibs in the comment section. *Embarrassing Christmas attire is optional, but you better believe I'll be decked out. </blockquote>
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I made two batches of <a href="http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2012/12/polar-express-hot-chocolate.html">Polar Express Hot Chocolate</a> and one batch of <a href="http://m.foodnetwork.com/recipes/36988">Paula Deen's White Hot Chocolate</a> for everyone to start with. The white hot chocolate was a lot more popular than I thought it would be. I probably could have made two batches of it as well.<br />
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The next station had a selection of wonderfully tasty liquor to add in--aka whatever I had in my cabinet to dig out (this was an adults only party, for those of you wondering).<br />
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For fun, I provided an array of fixins to toss in as well. For my adventurous friends, I even included a few spices to experiment with. The cayenne pepper really packeda punch. I'd recommend a milder one if you have it to avoid burning your face off.<br />
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I made the candy cane dust by throwing some crushed candy canes in my food processor.<br />
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Some of the add-ins weren't necessarily provided to alter the drink's flavor profile, but there's something very liberating about adding more chocolate to your chocolate drink :)<br />
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Probably the best part of the entire spread was the marshmallows. My good friend Cassie made two kinds of deliciously flavored homemade marshmallows for the evening.<br />
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Seriously. Those things were fantastic.<br />
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A close runner up to the marshmallow selection was the whipped cream options.<br />
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I made a traditional batch with just cream and powdered sugar, a <a href="http://realmomkitchen.com/9839/peppermint-whipped-cream-and-marshmallow-whipped-cream/">peppermint</a> flavored one that was a festive treat, and a <a href="http://anightowlblog.com/2013/11/smirnoff-cinna-sugar-hot-chocolate.html">Smirnoff Cinna-Sugar</a> recipe that was fun for something different (although it definitely was boozy tasting).<br />
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Then I provided a few options to stir everything together.<br />
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To finish the assembly line off, I included some Christmas sprinkles. Gotta throw those in somewhere.<br />
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This was a very nice, laid back Christmas party. I really enjoyed getting to hang out and relax while everyone took care of making their own tasty drinks. Definitely a win win :)<br />
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michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746026112465146382.post-81819649767574890362013-12-17T19:29:00.001-08:002014-09-06T06:39:08.259-07:00Deck the Wall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Chalkboard writing is my new passion. I'm so glad I decided to take the leap and paint <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_838998276"></span>the wall<span id="goog_838998277"></span></a> in my livingroom with black chalkboard paint. It's such a huge addition to the space, and I love it.<br />
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I felt like I really set the bar high with my first creation. I think I had the added bonus of exceeding everyone's expectations, but the reactions I got from my friends and family were so flattering.<br />
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So I knew I really had to do something special for Christmas.<br />
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Which meant I procrastinated.<br />
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Christmas is almost a week away and I'm finally getting a new design up.<br />
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But it's really something special.<br />
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I put a bit more of my personality into this one and it has made it that much better.<br />
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Because Baman and Piderman making their debut on the wall? Priceless.<br />
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I have a feeling I'll be admiring this design well past December 25th. At least I have (somewhat) of a game plan for this next time around. Maybe I won't procrastinate as much...<br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;">Thank you to <a href="http://www.thepinjunkie.com/?m=0">The Pin Junkie</a> For allowing me to share my project.</span><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00573928289515733847noreply@blogger.com0