DIY: sunglass pinboard

i have this problem where i lose and break sunglasses all the time. just the moment 

i decide to finally invest in a nice pair, i lose them, forcing me to go back to my $10 ones!

for those of you who have this same problem, i have found a solution that will help (at least a little)!

a do-it-yourself sunglass pinboard. for keeping your sunnies safe and sound and all in one place.

inspired by this

total time: 10-15 minutes

what you'll need

pinboard, any size or style

pretty paper (if desired)

there are great options at paper source

pushpins (cute or simple will work)

scissors

wire

your collection of sunglasses

instructions

1. first, assemble all the supplies you'll need.

2. lay out your sunglasses on the pinboard to get a feel for how they'll all fit.

for example, do you want the pinboard to sit horizontally or vertically?

3. measure out your cute paper (if using) and fit to the corkboard section of your board.

mine slipped right under the edge of frame, holding it in place.

if yours doesn't stay in place, no worries. the pins we'll put in later will help.

4. measure out your wire to stretch across your board, allowing 4-6" extra inches to work

with on either side. twist the wire around the push pin tightly and then trim off ends. 

measure it across the board again, in your desired location, and do the same for the second pushpin. stretch the wire across the board and secure the pins in place. you'll want the wire to be taut.

5. repeat step four until you have all the wires in place.

i laid out my sunglasses again after i had the first wire in place 

to be sure i had the right amount of room between my two wires.

6. feel free to put your sunnies in place while the corkboard 

is still laying flat and then move to desired location.

7. feel free to rotate out seasonally appropriate paper patterns 

or place pins replace sunnies with jewelry of all kinds.

mother's day gift ideas

here you go my friends,

my top ten mother's day gift ideas!

1. bouqs

i've ordered flowers from a lot of different flower shops 

and NONE have compared to this one.

2. new summery technology cases

3. for the cook/food lover in seattle

really enjoyed this book! (and the restaurant!)

4. for the dog lover

5. for the writer/deep thinker

who doesn't love a gorgeous new journal?

6. for the jewelry wearer

love the delicacy and boldness of this monogram necklace

7. for the traveler

a magazine subscription that keeps them dreaming all year long!

8. my current favorite scent

9. for the green thumb

a charming new set of pots for all their summer succulents

10. for the mom-to-be

the cutest little set of moccasins for when the baby arrives

 

buttered popcorn cookies

prepare yourself for cookie madness on the blog.

i've been baking 1-2 batches a night prepping for the holidays!

i think baking cookies is a little bit like dating.

you have to try a lot of recipes before you find a really great one.

it's amazing how many seemingly legit 

cookie recipes i try that just don't end up amazing.

this was one of the good ones :)

recipe via my new smitten kitchen cookbook

ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup popcorn kernels

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

directions

1. pour the oil over the bottom of a large saucepan that has a lid, 

and add the popcorn kernels, shimmying the pan around 

so the kernels land in one layer. 

cover the pot, heat it over medium-high heat, 

and once the kernels begin to pop, 

keep the saucepan moving until all the kernels have popped. 

toss the tablespoon salt and then the melted butter over the popcorn, 

then transfer it to a bowl so that you can fish out any unpopped kernels. 

you should have about 4 to 4 1/2 cups popcorn. let cool

2. preheat your oven to 350 degrees. in a large bowl, 

cream together softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, 

egg and vanilla until smooth. in a separate bowl, 

whisk the flour and baking soda together. 

stir the combined dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture. 

fold in the cooled popcorn so that it is evenly distributed through the batter - 

which will seem like a ridiculous instruction because there is 

SO much popcorn and so little cookie batter BUT it works :)

don't worry if the popcorn breaks up a bit. 

the mixed-size pieces are part of the cookie's charm.

3. scoop heaping tablespoons mounds 2 inches apart 

onto a parchment lined baking sheet. 

bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are light brown. 

let them cool on the hot baking sheet for a few minutes 

to firm up before transferring them to a rack to cool.

these cookies were a bit different. i mean, obviously.

popcorn + cookie?? it was delightful.

and kind of reminded me of these.

enjoy!

stawberry pie cake

i love trying something new.

and HELLO, how cute is this idea?

and so easy.... store bought cake mix,

store bought pie crust... perf.

ingredients

cooking spray

1 18.25-ounce box vanilla cake mix, plus required ingredients

3 cups quartered fresh strawberries (about 1 pound)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

pinch of salt

2 12-inch rolls refrigerated pie dough

all-purpose flour for dusting

coarse sugar, for sprinkling

vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

(recipe via food network)

directions

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

spray a pie plate with cooking spray.

2. make the batter; pour into the pie plate until three-quarters full.

bake until set around the edges but slightly wobbly in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

***cook your cake until it's 99% done. if not, it will be kind of mushy in the middle***

3. meanwhile, make the strawberry filling.

toss the strawberries, granulated sugar and salt in a bowl. let sit 20 minutes.

4. unroll 1 piece of pie dough on a lightly floured cutting board.

cut into 1- to 1 1/4-inch-wide strips with a knife. set aside.

5. unroll the remaining piece of pie dough.

cut three 1-inch-wide strips from the middle of the round and press the strips together,

end to end, to form one long strip. (this will be used for the pie crust rim.)

6. transfer the partially baked cake to a rack; cool slightly.

drain the strawberry mixture and spoon it onto the cake,

pressing the berries into the top to hold them in place.

increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

7. arrange half of the pie dough strips in parallel rows over the strawberries,

about 1 inch apart, using the shorter strips on the ends.

8. fold back every other strip halfway.

lay one of the remaining strips across the center of the pie, perpendicular to the others.

unfold the strips over the perpendicular one.

repeat, alternating the strips you fold back, to create a lattice top.

trim the overhang.

9. drape the long pie dough strip around the edge of the plate,

on top of the lattice ends. Trim as needed and press the ends together.

tuck the edge of the dough under itself, then crimp decoratively with your fingers.

10. sprinkle the lattice crust with coarse sugar and return the cake to the oven.

bake until the crust is golden, 10 to 15 more minutes.

(cover the pie rim with aluminum foil if it browns too quickly.)

serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

bonbons.

sometimes you just need a little extra something.

an extra shot in your morning americano

an unforecasted ray of sunshine

a compliment from a stranger

...

this week i found my inspiration here

ingredients

6oz semisweet chocolate chips
2.5 tablespoon coconut oil

topping suggestions
sea salt

cinnamon

nutmeg
lemon or orange zest
ground coffee
coconut
sprinkles

recipe via not without salt, adapted from bon appetit

directions

1. in a medium bowl combine the chocolate and coconut oil.

microwave in intervals of 30 seconds stirring between each.

once melted remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

2. while the chocolate is cooling scoop some ice cream onto

a cold plate then place in the freezer until ready to dip.

3. with a scoop of ice cream on a fork spoon the melted chocolate over the ice cream.

using another fork gently slide the chocolate covered scoop of ice cream

onto a plate and sprinkle with any number of toppings.

work in small batches and quickly return ice cream to the freezer.

let set for at least 10 minutes before serving.

my toppings included sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg,

instant coffee grounds and cayenne pepper.

my fave by far was sea salt and nutmeg :)

4. enjoy!

okay, they don't look perfect :)

but they tasted AMAZING!

here are some tips:

*the truer the ice cream, the better the results.

(i used slow churned, but i think a thicker ice cream may have worked better)

*although i wanted to make my bonbons miniature,

their size made them hard to work with.

i might think about making them ice cream scoop size on the next go-around