Happy Birthday Julia Child!

I just want to take a minute to wish one of my idols, and sources of inspiration a Happy Birthday. So, Happy 100^th Birthday Julia Child, although you are not here to celebrate with those who adore you, food bloggers and lovers around the world are celebrating your birthday.

When I realized what today was it was too late. I didn’t have enough time to bake anything in Julia’s honor. However had I had time I would have made something delicious and chocolate. Perhaps a simple chocolate cake or better yet a Chocolate Bavarian cream pie. A project I hope to complete in the future.

Her infectious laugh and no-frill approach to cooking is what makes Julia so loving. Not to mention she is obviously a GREAT chef and legendary woman. I hope that someday someone will refer to my cooking as decadent and delicious.

In true Julia fashion……

Bon Appetite

-Courtney 

How to make your cricut mat sticky again....

About a year ago I was in desperate need of a new cricut mat but did not want to spend money on a new one. I started researching and found that I could use the same cricut mat repeatedly if I bought Aleene's tack-it over and over glue, a sponge brush and a small jar.  The steps area really easy and this hardly takes and time at all.

Gather your supplies.

Mix equal parts of glue and water. 

 Brush the mixture over the whole mat.

Let the mat dry over night. 

When the mat is dry pat your hands over the entire mat, if you don't the mat will be to sticky!!

Make sure to seal the jar tight so you can use the left over mixture next time. Also rinse the brush really well. I hope this was helpful! Spoil yourself with the money you saved. :D 

-Courtney

Lemon Crisps

All right guys this post is being brought to you because I had a friend request a post on lemon bars. While these turned out delicious, I quickly realized there is a difference between lemon bars and lemon crisps. A crisp is more flat while a bar has more height and has like a jello texture to it.

Oh well here goes!

For the crust you will need :

1 ¾  cups Flour

1 tsp. Baking powder

2 sticks Margarine or Butter

For the filling:

Pinch of salt

6 Tbls. Lemon juice

4 Eggs beaten

2 cups of Sugar

2 Tbls. Sugar

½ cup of Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Combine the crust ingredients together and mix until crumbly. Press into an 11X15 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes

Then combine the filling ingredients and pour over the crust. Bake 20-25 minutes longer.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

Let cool and cut! 

Wine bottles turned flower vases

All right my wine loving friends! I have a fun and easy craft for you. 

All you need is a wine bottle some spray paint and some embellishments of your choice. 

The first thing you will need to do is to remove the label on the wine bottle. I did this using WD40. I used hot soapy water to remove the grease left behind from the WD40.  

Next spray paint your bottle. This will take a few coats along with some creativity it you’d like to paint the bottom. I did not want spray paint all over my hands so I hammered a nail into a piece of wood I had laying around and flipped the bottle over onto that. (The nail prevented the bottle from smashing into the ground.)

Let the paint dry completely before adding the next layer and be sure to hold the can away from the item while spraying. This will prevent run marks. ( I obviously did not take my own advise.)

When you are done spraying the bottle, embellish them however you’d like. I chose to leave mine plain however I toyed with the idea of stenciling words onto them along with wrapping some twine or burlap around each bottle. 

These would look great anywhere. Image a cute little entry way table or a table with snacks on for a party! CUTE! 

I have a sweet treat for the next post! Stay tuned! 

-Courtney 

Okay, it's official I suck at this blogging business.

Well, I sure have been MIA haven't I? It's been a weird few months for me, my schedule has been all out of whack. I haven't been baking crafting, using my camera or even sticking to my fitness routine. I miss it though and I really need to get back to it. Yes, all of it, even working out. 

Okay here has what I have been up to: turning wine bottles in to vases, checking out a few wineries,  traveling to Monterey Bay, getting engaged and starting to plan a wedding! 

Yes you read that right! I'm engaged! We haven't set a date yet. We're waiting on an important phone call to set the date. 

I took a few pictures from our Monterey Trip that I would like to share with you all in this update. 

We got engaged. 

went to dinner.  

spent sometime with the jelly fish at the Aquarium. 

drove back down to southern california on highway 1. 

fed the squirels some spicy pretzels. ;) 

ALright guys one more thing. I am looking for some photo editing tips, and software. I am hoping to take our own engament photos and could use all of your advice! I am looking for software that is compatible with my mac! 

I'll be back soon with those wine bottle vases! 

-courtney

Spray Painted Flats!

Hey guys a few months ago I bought an awesome cream colored dress. I really wanted to accessorize them with red. I searched high and low for the perfect red flats and failed. So I purchased some extremely comfy black flats for $11.00 and a can of red spray paint and went to work. 

I guess that this technically isn't spray paint it is floral spray. 

It worked well enough though! 

Stuff some news paper inside of your flats and tape off any portion that you may not want painted. 

Hold the can several inches away form the shoes and spray lightly. Let each coat dry COMPLETELY before applying the next coat. Reapeat until you get the look you want. 

Let dry for a few day (just incase). 

Then ROCK your new shoes!!! 

A few tips, I would use an older pair of flats some that are well worn. I feel like my shoes lost a lot of flexibility after I sprayed them. I would also use a canvas like material. 

I'd love to see pictures if anyone tries this!!! 

-Courtney

Photography part 2!

Alright guys here are some pictures from my beach trips this year. I will keep posting pictures from adventures we go on, enjoy!

Sunset in San Diego

La Jolla Beach, CA 

There were seals everywhere! La Jolla, Ca. 

Torrey Pines State Beach

Sandy Shoes. Don't wear flats, wear tennis shoes if you plan on hiking. 

my typical reflection picture. :D