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4.11.2011

Wooden Words

A couple weeks ago I was asked to decorate the display window in our Relief Society room at church. Hmmm, sure! As I thought about what I wanted to do, I knew I wanted to somehow reflect the unity and sisterhood of Relief Society sisters. I thought of those painted letters that spell words like, "Laugh," "Simplify," or "Family." I thought for sure I could find one that said, "Sisters."

But, to no avail! I decided I should stop wasting my time looking and just make one myself. So after a quick trip to Hobby Lobby I had all the supplies I needed to make this:



I bought each letter individually (I don't LOVE the font. Different craft stores have other options, I just didn't have time to keep looking). I then needed to find something to mount the letters on. I found a pack of three small wood slats just the right size. I simply used a foam brush to cover each piece with acrylic paint. After everything was dry, I used the glue gun to carefully attach each letter.



I used a solid color table cloth and a matching patterned quilt for the backdrop and an easel with a framed picture of Mary and Martha, a spring bouquet of silk flowers and these little painted letters to tie it all together. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the finished product, so you'll just have to use your imagination!

Maybe there's some word you wish you could find to place on a shelf in your home or office (like your name). Not to worry, you can easily make it yourself!


4.04.2011

Mixed Nut Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes last weekend and they turned out so yummy!! So, I thought I'd share.


I baked the cupcakes - Betty Crocker Butter Pecan flavor - the night before and stored them overnight in the refrigerator.

The next morning I whipped up some frosting. I didn't use a recipe, I just mixed together a lot of butter, powdered sugar, a little half & half (or milk works fine) and my secret ingredient - almond extract.

I filled a frosting bag with a star tip and chopped some walnuts to sprinkle on top of each frosted cupcake.
The combination of nut flavors was delicious! Cupcakes are so versatile and fun to experiment with since you can make little mistakes and they still turn out beautiful and delicious. The possibilities are endless - so get the creative juices flowing and think of your own kind of cupcake to create!!

4.02.2011

Spice Drawer

I like nice clean counter tops without the clutter. Therefore, I am not a huge fan of a spice rack sitting out taking up my precious counter space. For those of you who want a different way to store your spices, and happen to have an extra drawer laying around, this is a great, inexpensive option!


Luckily I had this extra drawer laying around...

Here's the drawer insert (search online for "spice drawer organizer" or something similar - there are a lot of different options depending on the size of your drawer).

Now all you have to do is line your spices along each angled shelf. BEAUTIFUL!! (If you look closely, you will notice I organized my spices in alphabetical order to locate them more quickly - left-brain, I know!)
Happy organizing!