Mimosa Jello Shots

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I made the Mimosa Jello Shots for the New Year’s Eve party I hosted and was surprised how much of a hit these were. I saw this recipe on Pinterest but decided to put my own twist on it and use Orange flavored gelatin.  I will admit I did not get those perfectly cut squares that they show in their photo, instead I suggest using the clear plastic shots glasses for serving.

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of Orange Gelatin (Jello)
  • 1 cup of boiling water
  • 1 cup of chilled champagne (I used Cava – Spanish Sparkling Wine)

Directions:

  1. Combine gelatin and boiling water in a bowl. Stirring until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Let it sit and come to room temperature.
  2. Slowly pour in the chilled champagne.
  3. Pour into clear shot glasses until they are about 3/4 filled and set in refrigerator to chill, about 4 hours.
  4. Sprinkle with shimmer sugar right before serving. Note, that the sugar dissolves quickly once on the jello.

Enjoying reliving the college days in a more grown up style.

Originally posted here:  http://www.perpetuallyengaged.com/2011/12/champagne-jello-shots.html

Sucker for Stripes

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I’ve been in my house for almost a year and I’m at the point where I’m working on the finishing touches. I’m a sucker for stripes and never get tried of them, so after hanging my TV on the wall I thought they would be the perfect accent. After doing a bunch of research online for the best practices on painting stripes I decided to tackle the project and below is my take on it.

Materials:

  • Tape measure
  • Pencil
  • 3m painters tape
  • Level
  • Disposable roller and paint tray
  • Paint for your stripes (assuming you like the base color already on your wall)

Directions:

  1. Mark out the stripes – Measure the total height of your wall from bottom of your crown molding to the top of your baseboard. It’s best to use odd number of stripes. My total wall height was 90 inches, divide that by 7 = 12.8 inch stripes. If you want bigger stripes divide by 9, if you want smaller stripes divide by 5. Doing odd numbers gives you the ability to leave your base color as the top and bottom stripes, that way you don’t have to touch the crown molding or baseboards when painting. Cuts your time in half. Best tip I found, if you have “leftover” inches at the bottom, it is okay to make that stripe a little bigger, no one will notice! 
  2. Tape out the stripes – I have a nifty laser level but I went old school with this and used just a regular level (I think I just haven’t taken the time to learn how to use the laser level). Just guide the level along the wall as you tape. Tip: I used pieces of tape as “Do not paint” markers on the sections that were not to be painted white.
  3. Paint! Once the second coat of paint is on and the stripe is fully filled in, take the tape off. No need to wait until it is completely dry, otherwise the tape will be glued to the wall.

Use disposable rollers and painter tray, it will only cost you a few dollars and definitely better to just throw that away then taking the time to clean them. I have a bad habit of leaving wet paint on brushes, so I take all measures to prevent this. But it never fails because as I type this it makes me realize I forgot to wash the brush I used to paint the corners (picture me running to my shed to confirm this and immediately putting the brush into cleaner).

In case you are wondering, my base wall color is Benjamin Moore Abalone and for the stripes I just used leftover paint that my trim and ceilings are painted which is Dunn Edwards White (eggshell finish). I still have accessorizing to finish and to hide those cable cords but that will be done in time. I read a quote the other day that I loved and made me appreciate what I have done over the last year and not worry that everything isn’t complete yet…”A home takes time to grow and become personal.” -Sania Pell, stylist/writer

PREP:

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FINAL PRODUCT:

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Lucky 13…

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I have to say that it has taken me a full week to get acclimated to the new year. There is always some time needed to recover from the holidays and the New Year’s Eve party that I hosted. I have so much to look forward this year, like turning the big 3-0 (yes, I’m actually excited about this)! 13 has always been my dad’s lucky number, so I can’t wait to see what else this year has to offer.

My resolutions for 2013:

  1. Continue to build the Likehearted business 
  2. Cook a new recipe at least twice a month – I have all these amazing cook books that I hardly open, mostly used just to make my kitchen look pretty. I cook every day and really enjoy it, but being a single girl who lives alone can definitely make you stick to only a handful of recipes.
  3. Digital Detox – It may be my job to be online all the time, but I need to remember there are other ways to fill my free time.
  4. Have more fun – I’m a workaholic, it’s in my blood, but I always need the reminder to balance and take a little time for myself.

Happy new year!

DIY Bachelorette Invites

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My best friend since 3rd grade is getting married in April and I have the absolute pleasure of being her maid of honor. We are going to Austin, TX for the  bachelorette party and I couldn’t be more excited.  First order of business in planning the bachelorette weekend is the invitations.  I wanted to do something personalize and custom to the Texas theme. I also included “next steps”  on the back of the invite which I printed on white stock paper, cut down to size and secured with the Washi tape.  I’m no graphic artist but I really love the way they turned out!

20121208-085633.jpgMaterials:

1. Paper Bag Foil Printable Invitations – papersource (best part is that Papersource provides a downloadable word document template)

2. Washi Tape – I found this one at Target

3. A7 Paper Bag Envelopes – papersource

4. Downloaded new fonts “Creampuff” and “DS Dots”  from searchfreefonts.com

 

Kale Chips

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Kale Chips are my new favorite snack. They are easy to make, gluten free and healthy. I like to use the packaged Kale from Trader Joes, it is already washed and cut up! Otherwise, I pick up about 4 bunches at the farmer’s market. This snack doesn’t last more than a day in my house.

Ingredients:

  • Kale (4 bunches)
  • 1 garlic clove chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon of  sea salt
  • Olive Oil

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Spread out kale onto cookie sheet.
  3. Drizzle with Olive Oil.
  4. Sprinkle chopped garlic across kale.
  5. Season with sea salt.
  6. Bake for about 15 minutes. Keep a close eye on the kale as it can burn easily. It’s ready when the edges start to brown.

Benefits of Kale*:

  1. Low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat
  2. High in iron
  3. High in Vitamin K
  4. Filled with powerful antioxidants
  5. Great anti-inflammatory
  6. Great for cardiovascular support
  7. High in Vitamin A
  8. High in Vitamin C
  9. High in Calcium
  10. Great detox food

*Source: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4408/Top-10-Health-Benefits-of-Eating-Kale.html

Holiday Decor

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Holiday Decor Essentials
This is my first holidays owning my own home, so it is easy to say that holiday decorating has turned into an obsession.  My style is classic with a little nontraditional mixed in.
Color palette: gray, red, white with pops of black
Holiday Design trends: Rustic, Homemade, Felt, Antlers, Twine
Has anyone else noticed the huge felt trend this year in the holiday decorations? My top pick this year: the felt Garland from West Elm.

Heidi Style

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Thank you pinterest for the hair inspiration this weekend.

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1. Divide hair into 4 sections, separating the front from the back on either side.

2. Braid each section starting, 4 braids total. Note: the braid that will be across the top, start the braid higher up, closer to the roots. 

3. Pull the end of one braid to the beginning of the next braid, going in the same direction all around the head

4. Bobby pin the end of each braid into the start of the braid beside it. Be sure to hide those bobby pins so that it looks like one braid all the way around!!

Originally pinned by: http://treasuresandtravels.squarespace.com/blog/2012/6/21/tutorial-braided-crown.html

“Really” Oatmeal Cookies

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I developed this recipe on accident…I had written it on a recipe card from a cookbook that my mom had and I somehow did not transfer it correctly. Let’s just say the ingredient list had an egg in it but the directions had no use for an egg…So,  I ended up merging a few recipes to come up with the one below. These cookies are much more crunchy granola rather than chewy or overly sweet. This is my ideal cookie.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup of brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup all-purpose gluten free flour
  • Pinch of xanthan gum
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups of quick-cooking gluten free rolled oats (Trader Joe’s has a 32oz bag that are gluten free, wheat free, dairy free!)
  • 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips or walnuts or raisins (whatever you prefer!)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Put butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Mix.
  3. Add egg and mix on medium until well blended.
  4. Add flour, xanthan gum, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix.
  5. Add oats and chocolate chips (or whatever you decided to add). Mix.
  6. Measure 1 ice cream scoopful of dough onto cookie sheet. Using bottom of scoop, press down on the dough ball to flatten.
  7. Cook 15-18 minutes. Or just until the edges are golden.

Weekend Warrior Project # 3 – Side Chairs

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The “before” photo pretty much sums up this project. I instantly saw these diamonds in the rough and knew I had to have them. At $30 a piece it would be hard to pass them up.

BEFORE: Let me repeat, I got these for $30 A PIECE!!

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AFTER:

Here is how I did it:

  • The fabric I found at Joann – the week they had 40% off of designer fabric. For about 3 yards it costed  around $90.
  • I was lucky enough to have a family friend recover the cushions (all it cost me was a good bottle of white wine!).
  • I primed and painted the chairs with Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2x Coverage Primer/Paint in Dark Walnut (satin finish). Each chair took a can and a half, 3 cans needed in total.
  • Total cost of the project: about $170

Paint with Copper

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The new staple in my everyday makeup is copper eye shadow. It seems far from normal color to wear daily, but it gives just enough shimmer (without looking like I’m heading to the club) and makes my ordinary brown eyes pop. Just add black ‘cat eye’ liner and an extra coat of mascara to transition from day to night. I’ve gotten tons of compliments when wearing it!

On the left is MAC’s eyeshadow in Mythology, on the right is Laura Mercier in Terracotta.