Gobble Pops!

My next project involving sweet treats are turkey cakepops!  I have the cake baking in the oven right now.  I am hoping these will come out as well as the Berger replicas came out.  I am again using my Cakepop book by Bakerella and hoping I can find all the turkey 'accessories'.  Here is a preview of the what they should look like:

How cute are these?  My mom sent me these cute cones she made to hold the pops and also sent me the candy corns.  I am off to find the head, beak and the red gobble, gobble thing.  Sorry this is so short but stay tuned for more fun creations!

Not your average wreath...

A couple weeks ago I showed you a picture of a picture frame with a bow and ornaments used in place of a typical wreath during the holiday season.  This weekend I tried to make my own but using a slightly different color scheme than was used in the picture below:

I came across a frame on clearance at Michael's and decided to try my own frame decoration.  I started by spray painting the frame a jade color.  I wanted the frame I was creating to be bolder and not as country looking as the one above.

I wanted to stay away from Christmas colors and make it fun.  I also purchased ribbon and ornaments from AC Moore.  The ribbon was in the dollar bin and the ornaments were 50% off so it was a great deal!  I also found some gold and red ribbon I had in my ribbon collection at home to use for the ornaments and got to work.

After looking at the ornaments with the frame and deciding on the correct length of ribbon for each ornament I tied all three together.  Next I hot glued the ends of the ribbons to the middle of the frame.  I wasn't sure how they were fastened to the frame I saw online but this was the best solution I could come up with.

Next I made a simple bow for the top and made sure there was enough ribbon on each end to hang over the frame.  I secured the bow on top of the ribbons once again with hot glue.

Now it was time to see how it looked on the door:

I was happy with the outcome and thought it looked like the one I had seen on Pinterest but also just different enough to show my own personal touch in the colors and ornaments.  The total cost for this project was approximately $13 - not bad if you ask me and a fun project to make!

On Monday when I was changing the water for the bouquet I made over the weekend I decided to transform it into a short, small table arrangement.  I have several vases and found the perfect one to hold the shorter bouquet.  After re-arranging the flowers I added a leaf from the previous arrangement to the water and cut the stems:

It is bright and cheery...too bad winter is on the way because this reminds me of spring! 

Until next time...stay creative!!

 

Flower Power

Sorry I have been away the past few days but I have a great post today!  A few weeks back I decided to take flower classes - I wasn't sure where but using my best friend Google I found a few places.  I signed up for a Thanksgiving arrangement class which is next week at Boston Center for Adult Education and then I received an email with an offer to get one class at half price at Twig later that week.  I saw it as a sign and carpe diem kicked in.  I bought it right away but wasn't sure when I would use it.  On a whim Friday I signed up for Saturday's class which focused on hand tied bouquets.  When I got to the flower shop this is what I saw:

(heaven)

(more heaven)

The concept of the shop is that the customer can come in and see all the available flowers.  There is one typical cooler which was very small and had tulips and roses in it.  I was shocked by all the flowers out on the table.  The instructor informed me that the website was wrong and I was actually crashing another class (a more in depth, more expensive class) but I was welcome to stay.  I was so excited to attend the better class.  After waiting a few minutes the other two participants were no shows and I had a private class! The class was designed to go over long and low table arrangements, tall vase arrangements, rose arrangements, and hand tied bouquets. After a history of flowers the instructor took me around the table and told me about every flower there.  I thought I knew flowers - I was wrong.  We both connected right away on our shared dislike for carnations, however the flower shop does carry one type of carnation!

Long and Low Arrangements:

We started with wet block and greens as filler (at this point I had not asked if I could take pictures so not many pics of the process) and then just added flowers here and there.  His biggest instuction was not to be symetrical and put flowers where ever.  I also learned it is best to put smaller flowers in clumps of three or more.

You can see there are clusters of red spray roses and an orchid.  The orchid is actually fastened to a pick as the stem isn't long enough.  Low arrangements are typically used on a table for an event or dinner so the flowers really only need to be good for the day/evening so the orchid will be fine for the day.  By adding more greens to the side you can give the affect of the arrangement being longer.  Next up tall arrangements.

Tall Arrangements:

This arrangement had a very rustic theme.  During this session I was told that when you do a tall arrangement the flowers should be double the height of the vase.  Not always possible but a good rule of thumb.  You also need to be aware of the diameter of the vase so you don't get over zealous and can't fit the flowers in.

First a leaf was added to the vase - I love when leaves are in the vases I think it gives a polished, vibrant look.  Waxy leaves are best to use because they repel water and won't decompose.

Then the arranging began with willow, sunflowers, mushrooms and more!

If you look at the sunflowers closely there is one without petals.  The instructor removed the petals which I think really gives it character.

Rose Arrangements:

I am not a huge fan of roses but this shop had so many varieties and colors there were some I could really learn to love.  The instructor showed me a very simple rose arrangement that can be used for the holidays - very simple but elegant.

Wet block in a simple silver container.

Almost there.

Final product - the instructor added a few rose stems and wire to give it more dimension.

Hand Tied Bouquets:

This was the class I originally signed up for and my favorite part mainly because I will be able to use this again.  The instructor made his own first and then let me have two buckets of flowers and told me to get to work.  It was like my final exam and I think it turned out pretty well!

First you have to hold the flowers lightly and let the flowers lay against each other at an angle (this was new to me). 

Once it is complete you can use floral tape to secure the top and bottom of the stems then wrap it nice and tightly!  Now if this isn't your thing then you can cut the stems and put it in a low vase.

How neat and simple is that.  Now it is my turn!

This was the bouquet I made and was able to take home.  I hand tied it just for the challenge and then removed the ribbon to put it in a vase.  I tempted to cut the stems and put in a low vase.  I mentioned carnations earlier and how much I dislike them well there are carnations in the hand tied bouquet I made.  Do you know which ones are carnations...the green ones! How great are these carnations??  They add so much texture to the bouquet.

All in all I had a great class and absolutely loved working with Rob at Twig.  It was such a great experience and I would love to do it again.  Some key things I learned:

1. You need to change the water for bouquets daily to avoid bacteria (this seems so obvious but I didn't know it was daily).

2. In order to keep hydrangeas fresh in a vase you need to cut their stems diagonally and place them in hot, hot water from the faucet. This was the best tip because they wilt so easily so as soon as you see that you need to cut them and put them in hot water and they will be like new.

3. You want the wet block to soak up the water on it's own - if you run the faucet over it or force it in water you will block the holes and no water will get in the middle.

4. If you push a flower in the wet block too far you need to remove it and make a new hole to ensure the flower is getting water.

5. Not all carnations are bad!

The place also does parties that you can bring your own adult beverages to - how awesome.  That is all for now but if you want more information go to: www.twigboston.com and ask for Rob! 

Until next time...stay creative!

It's not always black and white...but today it is!

I recently made two extraordinary recipes using Oreos that were very easy so naturally I wanted to share them with all of you.  I first discovered Oreo cheesecakes I found in a Martha Stewart cupcake book.  I made them last minute one night and brought them to work the next day...people raved about them, too bad they didn't know how easy they were!

Martha Stewart's Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes Recipe
Makes 30

Ingredients:
42 cream-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt


1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

I actually tried something a bit different the second time making these - I used mint Oreos for one batch and peanut butter Oreos for the other batch.  Oreo has so many flavors you can use all different ones and even use the colored ones for the holidays!

The next recipe I came across was Cookies 'n Cream Oreo Fudge brownies which were equally as good and easy. 

(ingredients)

You literally follow the brownie recipe on the back (w/o the water), add the hot fudge sauce and ice cream to the mix and bake.  It is a great twist of gourmet on the traditional brownie.  Let the layering begin!

First I put half the batter in the brownie pan and a layer of Oreos over the batter.

Next I put the other half of the batter over the Oreos.  This is a bit difficult since the batter is thick but you just need to use a spoon to make sure all the Oreos are covered.

When they come out of the oven they look just like regular brownies until you take that first bite in heaven.

(this picture does not do them justice)

Cookies ‘N Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies
1 box Brownie Mix
eggs & oil (as stated on brownie mix box)
1 heaping half cup (6 oz) Cookies & Cream ice cream (I used Laughing Cow)
1/4 Cup hot fudge topping (chilled or room temp)
Preheat oven & spray an 8×8 baking dish generously with cooking spray. Combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil as directed on the back of the box, but do not add the water. Add ice cream and hot fudge to the brownie batter and stir to combine. Pour half of the brownie batter into the baking dish, layer with Oreos, then top with remaining batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes or as directed on the back of the box.

I used two boxes of mix so I could make a 9x13 pan of brownies but if I did this again I would double everything not just the mix but the ice cream and hot fudge sauce too.

I hope you enjoyed these easy Oreo recipes.  Next up organizing my craft closet - unless a better project gets in the way :)

Until next time...stay creative!!

Can you do me a favor?

This past Saturday we had a bridal shower for my future sister in law.  Her mother planned a great shower at a local restaurant in Boston and we all enjoyed brunch.  Since it is fall time there was a bit of a fall theme.  The flowers on each table were absolutely beautiful!

After a wonderful brunch mixed with bloody mary's, mimosas(not executive ones), and bellini's it was time for gifts.  The bride received many wonderful gifts from all her friends and family.  Everyone enjoyed the shower at the end they received a special favor.  My mom worked very hard baking 40 mini pumpkin breads.  I had picked up mini fall themed ceramic pans from the Christmas Tree Shops back in the summer which were perfect for the bread.  My mom wrapped each bread with a fall themed cellophane bag, ribbon, and a leaf for each bread. 

Before I show you the final product I also contributed to the project by making recipe cards to go along with the bread.  This was my big contribution to the favor (not quite as big as my mom's)!  I used brown paper, leaf stickers, and orange ribbon.  They looked great with the bread.

(the materials)

(the final product)

These combined with the bread made the perfect favor for a fall bridal shower.

Everyone seemed to like them a lot - I just hope they tasted as good as they looked but knowing my mother they were fabulous.  Hopefully the recipe will be put to use again too. If anyone wants to try it at home this is the recipe:

Pumpkin  Pecan Bread    

Ingredients     

                        10 T. unsalted butter melted                     1 1/2 cups flour

                        1/2 cup packed brown sugar                    1/2 tsp. baking powder

                        1 cup granulated sugar                              3/4 tsp. baking soda

                        3 eggs lightly beaten                                  1/4 tsp. salt

                        1 cup pumpkin puree                                 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

                        3/4 cup  chopped pecans                          1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

                              or chopped walnuts                              1/4 tsp. allspice

                                                                                                  1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven 375    Grease and flour 9x5 inch loaf pan 

Mix together butter, brown sugar, sugar, and eggs.  Add pumpkin puree and mix well.  Mix all dry ingredients together then add to batter.  When everything is well blended add nuts.

Put mixture in 9x5 inch loaf pan.  Bake 30 - 35 minutes.

After the shower the real fun started in Newport, RI. There were 14 girls and we all had a great time from cake pups to a lingerie line to Seaman!! A few pics from the weekend:

From G rated

To PG-13

(please don't be upset future sister-in-law).

Next up what do you get when you mix all these ingredients together:

Until next time...stay creative!!

The Final Product

It is the night before the bachelorette party and I have finally finished the cake pups.  I am very happy with how they came out and hope I can transport them without losing an ear, an eye, or a nose!  So let's start from the beginning. 
After I baked the cake and formed the cake balls I left them in the refrigerator overnight.  Once I was ready to make the pops I selected peanut butter candy melts as the outside coating.

I melted them in the microwave and started dipping.  The trick is to dip the stick in the melted coating and then put the stick in the cake ball...let the dipping begin!

And then....

Once I dipped the cake pop I let the excess peanut butter drip off the pop.  The best method is to hold it upside down, as seen in the above picture, and tap your wrist that is holding the pop with your other hand.  Ensure all the excess coating is off because I found pops with too much coating cracked as they were drying.  They tasted just as great just didn't look the best. 

On to the puppies - my favorite part.  I made the nose out of half a mini M&M, the ears, eyes and mouth out of foundant.  I thought in order to ensure they didn't break foundant was the best thing to use - I will let you know how it goes at the end of the weekend.

And after many ears...noses...eyes and mouths, oh and collars, I have the cake pup:

I added a few chocolate mint pups to the litter :) 

Obviously I can't bring the pops on a piece of styrofoam so next up was a stand.  I looked at stands that places such as Michael's and AC Moore sold but they had poor reviews.  What was a cake pop diva to do??  The lightbulb went on...

I decided to create my own stand with a little styrofoam, spray paint, and ribbion...taa daa

I was pretty happy with outcome and if they don't taste good at least we will all get a good laugh!! I owe Berger for the inspiration - Aunt Taryn is going to be good to him this Christmas.

Tomorrow is the shower and bachelorette party - more details and projects to come...until Sunday.

P.S. I tried the sock curls last night that I read about on Pinterest and it worked pretty well.  I suggest if you have long hair you Google it ASAP.

Until next time...stay creative.

Berger, no not Burger (sneak peek and more)!

I decided to share with you my semi-finished cake pup I am making for this weekend.  Don't worry they can be made a week ahead of time and have been stored in the refrigerator so they will be fresh!  My inspiration was Berger...ok if you are reading this and don't know who Berger is my husband would be very happy.  Berger has been in my life for over 4 years and sometimes makes Sean jealous haha.  Berger is my future sister-in-law's dog and I think when my brother proposed Berger was no longer my brother's 'buddy' but his puppy too.  They both love him like a child and he is like another person in our family.  I decided since Berger can't be at his momma's bachelorette party I will bring some of Berger to the party.  No I am not bringing locks of his hair, don't think that didn't cross my mind though ;) 

Ok so here we go - this is the 'ruff' draft of Berger:

So Berger is missing something, at first I couldn't pinpoint it but now I know...a collar!  I will have to add one tomorrow.  This is my mock up and I will see how it survives the night and then complete them tomorrow night.

I have been thinking about the holidays lately and how could I not; every store you go into is piped with Christmas music and have decorations everywhere!  Here are a few things to look forward to:

and

You are probably thinking what's so special with these two items?  Well in my spare time I like looking through magazines and other blogs(Pinterest) to get inspiration and when I came across this picture I knew I had to try it this holiday season.

The frame I found today on clearance and hope to pick up the other items, if I don't have them already, in the next few weeks.  I think this is the perfect alternative to a typical wreath.  Don't worry Mom I will still hang my wreaths with the bows you made me a couple years ago!

And then I have this as inspiration:

I love the silver theme and I already have a tree my mom gave me as well as a silver deer I picked up at Target in the $2.50 bin!  I have seen lots of these items already on display at TJ Maxx and Marshalls...and much cheaper than the picture above!

Stay tuned for the finished cake pups, bridal shower favors and yummy treats using Oreos!

Until next time...stay creative