Petals and Plumes

LuLu & Peeps

2012-01-16T16:27:00.000-08:00

Introducing LuLu & Peeps! :) Actually, I started LuLu & Peeps about a year ago but am just now getting more serious with it. I love, love, LOVE to sew and create! I think every outfit needs a little "fun" added to it. I started off making headbands and am now making dresses and onesies. I am going into boys' vest and bow ties too.

I have an Etsy account, but am still in the process of stocking that shop. I currently sell stuff in Ambrosia Vae Baby Boutique in Three Rivers. Hollie and Amber are two of the sweetest people ever!! :) :) They recently had some photographs taken with a model from Tanzey Models. They are going to use those photographs to make advertisement postcards to send out to the community. I was asked to make a dress and headband for their photo shoot! I was SO excited and VERY honored! How appropriate that the model was "Lulu Belle" and was modeling "LuLu & Peeps. :)

Here are some of the pictures! Enjoy! :)

You can check out LuLu & Peeps on Facebook!

Key Lime Heaven

2011-08-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

Yumm...

Celebrate summer with some yummy key lime cupcakes!
I made these cupcakes a couple weeks ago and they disappeared in no time! I didn't get to try one but everyone said they were delicious! I've had a couple people ask me for the recipe, so here you go! Let me know if you make them! Here we go...

You will need:

TOPPING
~1 box (4 serving size) vanilla instant pudding mix
~1 1/2 c. whipping cream
~1/4 c. key lime juice (or regular lime juice will work if you can't find key limes)
~4 drops green food color
~1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

CUPCAKES
~cupcake liners
~1 box yellow cake mix
~ Oil, water, eggs as called for to prepare cake mix

FROSTING
~1 container fluffy white frosting
~1 tbsp. key lime or regular lime juice
~1/2 tsp. grated lime peel

Step 1.
In a large bowl, beat the pudding mix and the whipping cream with a wire whisk for about 2 minutes. Let stand for 3 minutes. Beat in 1/4 c. lime juice and the food color. Stir in the powdered sugar. Cover and refrigerate.

Step 2.
Heat your oven to 375*F. Add the cupcake liners to your pans. Prepare your cake batter as directed on the back of the box. Spoon the cake mix into the liners. Bake as directed. Remove the cupcakes from the pans and let cool completely.

Step 3.
Now you will need the topping that we prepared in step 1. I didn't happen to have any frosting bags when I made these cupcakes so I transferred the frosting into a gallon size ziploc bag and snipped off a bottom corner. Squeeze the topping onto the top of each of your cooled cupcakes.

Step 4.
Stir frosting in the container about 20 times or so. Gently stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice and the lime peel. Once again, I transferred the frosting to a gallon bag and cut off a bottom corner. Squeeze the frosting from the bag on top of the topping. If desired, you can garnish these cupcakes with lime wedges. I would recommend storing these cupcakes in the fridge until ready to serve!

Dump Cake

2011-07-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered dump cake. yum. yum. YUM! I don't know how I've never heard of dump cake! I love to bake and dump cake is so easy! You can literally just dump all the ingredients in the pan and then just bake it!

I've been experimenting with a couple different fruit and cake mixes. For Fourth of July, I used strawberry pie filling and crushed pineapple, sprinkled some strawberry jello mix on top and used a white cake.

I found some cinnamon swirl cake and apple pie filling in my pantry and have been wanting to make an apple-cinnamon dump cake...sort of like apple pie!

I made the cake last night and took it to work today and everyone LOVED it! I didn't even get a piece! I gave out the recipe to a couple people and decided to share it with you all!

I wanted to do cinnamon and apple but as you will see in the recipe, I added pears and peaches! I only had one can of apple pie filling and it didn't cover the bottom of the pan. I didn't feel like running to the store so I used what I had on hand.

Some of the ingredients are optional - the cake will turn out fine without them. I just added them to experiment a bit and it came out delicious!

You will need:

1 box of cinnamon swirl cake mix

1 can of apple pie filling

1 15 oz. can peaches (do not drain!)

1 15 oz. can pears (I drained the pears about half way)

2 sticks of butter

1 small box vanilla pudding, optional - to taste

Cinnamon, optional - to taste

Brown sugar, optional - to taste

Dump the apple pie filling, pears and peaches into the bottom of a 13x9 pan. I sort of mixed the fruit together while it was in the pan, it saved me from getting another bowl dirty. :) I decided to add a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar on top of the fruit layer. This is totally optional. I also decided to sprinkle some vanilla pudding mix on top of the fruit layer. I didn't use the whole package. I sprinkled it around till I thought it was enough, use as much or as little as you like! Then, you can dump the cake mix on top of the fruit layer. (If you're using cinnamon swirl cake, you might have to use another bowl to mix the cinnamon sugar mixture into the cake mix.) Spread the cake mix around until the fruit layer is totally covered. You will then need to slice the two sticks of butter. Spread the slices on top of the cake mix.

Preheat the oven to 350*F and bake for an hour. For my first cake, I forgot it was in the oven and it baked longer than an hour. The cake was a bit more crispy but still good. I baked my second cake for exactly an hour and later wished I had baked it a bit longer. Again, it's all up to you!

Enjoy warm with vanilla ice cream! :)

Be creative and come up with your own "dump cake"!

Enjoy! :)

half full or half empty??

2010-12-04T13:20:00.000-08:00

is your glass half full or is it half empty?

That thought has been running through my mind a lot these past couple weeks. I have had such a crazy week!! I've had my heat totally go out, we got our first big snow, my car went into the shop and I found out all sorts of things that needed to be fixed, lost some hours at work, got my $600 repair bill when I picked my car up from the shop and 2 hours later I got into a car accident.

WHEW.

I felt like the world was out to get me this week. I really had to stop and think a lot and remember that this wasn't the end of the world. There IS a PURPOSE behind EVERYTHING. God is in control. I could complain about losing hours at work, but I am so thankful that I HAVE a a job! There are so many people that do not have a job or benefits - maybe losing a couple hours isn't so bad after all?? I had to drive home with my window down while it was freezing and snowing, but I have a car!! Yes, I did get into a car accident but the cops didn't have to be called (and yes, I did deserve the ticket!) and my car still runs and unless you really look at it, you wouldn't even notice! I am so grateful that I was really able to learn some things this past week. Life happens. Things do go wrong.

I heard a saying once and while I don't remember what exactly it was, it basically said that no one or anything has the power to ruin your day unless you ALLOW it to. I was really upset when I had my accident and it wasn't anything bad. My dad drove by right after it happened and stopped for me. I started crying and was so upset over my car, I knew it wasn't that bad; but still!! I think at that point, I was just having a rough day! :) I'm so thankful that God is with us at all times - good and bad. We have a friend that sticks closer than a brother, sister, or any friend ever could.

I know this post is a mess of my random ramblings, sorry!! I just wanted to share this quick thought. Maybe it will help someone today! :)

Christmas = cookies.

2010-11-30T18:53:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do is bake. Christmas time rolls around and I find myself stocking up on baking supplies and digging through my recipes. I love making all sorts of yummy treats and sending/giving them to my favorites. :) Alfonso always got excited when I sent him a box of cookies and would hide them in his room. LOL!!

Anyways, Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without some amazing, beautiful, delicious soft sugar cookies. I love the lofthouse cookies that are just soooooo soft & simply a little piece of Heaven on earth. Ok, ok, ok. Maybe just a bit of exaggeration there. :D I really wanted to find a recipe that would turn out like the Lofthouse cookies and this is the closest I have found. Everytime I make these cookies, I always have people ask me for the recipe.

Hope you all enjoy it!! If you have any suggestions/changes/comments, please feel free to share!!

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

1 c. butter
1 c. white sugar
3 beaten eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground nutmeg (I always leave this out for some reason)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 425*F.

2. Mix 1 c. butter and 1 c. sugar. Once that is mixed well, add your 3 eggs and 1 tsp. of vanilla.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine all your dry ingredients. (3 c. flour, 2 tsp. cream of tartar, 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. ground nutmeg).

4. Once all of your dry ingredients are mixed well, you will slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, stirring as you go.

5. Once you have your dough, you can roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and use your favorite cookie cutters. This dough is really soft and you can roll this out about 1/2" thick if desired. Try to not add too much flour to keep your dough soft.

6. Bake for 10 minutes or till slightly golden.

I love these cookies, they've always turned out soft for me! Once cooled, top with your favorite icing and decorate!

Two of my passions meet...

2010-08-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

I love to sew, craft, etc. I love kids. The two have met (yay!) with:

(Photo from "Dress A Girl Around The World)

Dress A Girl Around The World!

I don't know about you, but I love to give. There is something so awesome in seeing someone's face when you give them a gift or just the simple pleasure of knowing that you gave.

The thought of "paying it forward" is just awesome. Think about it. How many lives can you touch with your one simple act? It's a domino effect! You hold the power to make someone's day!

Anyways, I stumbled across "Dress A Girl Around The World" through Brown Paper Packages.

The goal of "Dress A Girl Around The World" is to create and send out dresses to girls around the world, many of which live in impoverished countries. Don't know how to sew? Well, guess what ladies? You can still contribute! Donations such as money or pillowcases are needed.

You can head over to Dress A Girl Around The World and learn more. They have several ideas on gathering support, patterns, hosting events, who they are, flyers and other interesting info.

I've decided to join in, hope you do too! :)

COOL treats for HOT weather!

2010-07-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

It has been SO hot here in Michigan. My AC is broken and it can make for a pretty miserable day sometimes. It's too hot to cook. It's too hot to bake. (bummer) It's too hot to sew. It's too hot/humid to even move.

To make these days a little easier, I found some yummy cool treats and thought I would share!

First up, Oreo and Fudge Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 c. hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed

1 (8 oz) tub cool whip, thawed and divided

1 box (4 serving size) chocolate flavor pudding and pie filling

8 Oreo sandwich cookies, chopped

12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches, unwrapped :)

Directions:

1. Pour the fudge topping into a medium bowl. Add 1 cup of the whipped topping and stir with a wire whisk until well blended. Add dry pudding mix; stir until well blended. Gently stir in chopped cookies; set aside.

2. Arrange 4 of the ice cream sandwiches, side-by-side, on a 24 inch long piece of foil. Top with half of the whipped topping mix. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining 4 ice cream sandwiches. Frost top and sides with the remaining whipped topping. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and sides to loosely cover and seal the packet.

3. Freeze for at least 4 hours.

Easy AND delicious! I'm thinking maybe you could add some sort of strawberry filling for a different twist on this recipe!

Rocky Road Freeze

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened

1 c. cold milk

1 (3.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 (8 oz) tub whipped topping, thawed and divided

3/4 c. mini marshmallows

1/3 c. chopped peanuts

1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

25 Nilla Wafers, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Line a 9-in. round pan with plastic wrap; set aside. Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mix; beat until blended.

2. Stir in 2 c. whipped topping and all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the Nilla Wafers.

3. Spoon into pan. Top with wafers; press lightly into cream cheese mixture.

4. Freeze 4 hours or until firm. Remove the dessert from the freezer and let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Un-mold onto a serving plate. Serve with whipped topping, if desired!

ENJOY! Hopefully you all find something to help beat the heat and stay cool!

Refashion-ista!

2010-07-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

I love to refashion! I originally stumbled upon blogs and the world of blogging through looking around on the internet into refashioning clothing. It's a great way to save money and go green! I thought I would share some of the refashions that I have done!

This started off as .49 shirt i got from Salvation Army! It still had the tags on it!

Our Salvation Army has a sale every Saturday and from 5-8pm the color of the week is .49!

This hoodie also came from Salvation Army! My sister bought this for me and it was a Medium so it was a bit too big on me so I took in the sleeves and the sides and it was a perfect fit! The ruffles were from a white shirt that I cut up!

I made this skirt from a man's shirt! I bought the shirt from goodwill.

This isn't a refashion but thought I would share it anyways :) This was my first pattern. ever. (besides the ones we used in home-ec in middle school) I got it from Joann's during one of their .99 sale! The fabric was purchased from Walmart for 1.00/yard! My mom purchased this fabric awhile back and it's just been sitting in a closet. I used it since it was my first pattern and not that big of a loss if it didn't turn out.

I made this belt using leftover material from my skirt, some ribbon I had on hand and some 1.5 inch wide elastic. Super easy to make!

Hope you enjoyed my refashions!

Thing's I'm Crushin'!

2010-07-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

I'm crushin' on...

Bubble Petal Sleeve Top from Forever 21

Chiffon Petal Trimmed Tank from Forever 21

This would be easy to duplicate!

Yes, I love Forever 21! I used to work there and they hold a special place in my heart!

And, who DOESN'T love Anthro?

Embraceable Tee from Anthropologie

I think this will be my next re-fashion! I have just the shirt!

Twist of Fate Cardi from Anthropologie

Anthro is my love.

Someone should host a shopping spree giveaway to Anthro.

They would be my best friend.

My up-do for the night!

2010-07-09T23:43:00.000-07:00

aI am/was pretty much in love with my hair tonight. It's my fave style yet for my hair.

To me, it's so classy, elegant and simply gorgeous!

This is a side view, pretty much all pin curls.

This is the front view. Yes, I took these in my car. I was waiting for people and wanted to get pictures before the night was over so I whipped out my laptop and took them using photobooth. :) lol.

This is the back view, it was all pulled over to one side. I've been wanting to do hair for prom, weddings, etc.

And YES, I do have very long hair. I'm proud to say it's never been cut, dyed, etc. I'm a pretty natural girl :)

Bridal Shower...from last year...

2010-06-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

So last year I was asked to be the Maid of Honor in my friend April's wedding. As a full-time college student, I was dealing with a pretty low budget. Everything was pretty much DIY and I had the help of my amazing mom. :) I was looking through some pictures on my computer the other day and I found some of the decorations I made. They turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself! Here they are!

Sorry for the very low quality picture, this was taken on my phone :(

These flower puff balls were made with tissue paper(you can scallop it yourself or buy it scalloped - Martha Stewart also has a kit I believe) and floral wire!

These candles were purchased from the Dollar Store and I embellished them myself. The ribbon was bought from Wal-Mart and glued on with hot glue. The cool part is - afterwards, the ribbon can be peeled off super easy. I had a ton left over and I repurposed them for my own room. lol.

I used ribbon and bright pink fun fur as the "table runners" and sprinkled chocolate kisses down the table. I loved the colors together and it turned out so fun. This was my first "party" I had ever planned and hosted and I must say that it was a success in my book. Everyone loved the decorations and the bride had a good time - all that matters, right?

I give credit to my mom, planning and decorating genius. She helped a lot and gave ideas and tips. She's pretty awesome :)

SUMMER!

2010-06-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but summer is my FAVORITE time of the year. I've lived in Michigan my whole life and after the first week of snow, I'm sick of the cold, dampness, cleaning off my car, and of course - NO sunshine. C'mon now. It makes for a depressing time. :) Everything seems so cheery in the summer! The other day I was outside and I have this bush or whatever you want to call it outside my bedroom window and I had to take a picture of it. This is one of the reasons I love summer!

Gorgeous! :) Of course, the dogs love the summer too! Paris loves to dig holes, dig holes, and dig some more holes! We got a new puppy recently too. Isn't she the cutest thing ever?

Everyone, meet Maggie. :) She's the sweetest thing EVER!
What's your favorite thing about summer?

Felt Fortune Cookies

2010-02-03T22:06:00.000-08:00

So I was looking around on the internet and was looking to make some cute and original to send to my boyfriend for Valentine's Day. I stumbled across Martha Stewart's site and found an idea for felt fortune cookies. I attempted to make them according to her directions but I just wasn't happy with they turned out so I looked around some more and got another idea! They are so cute and so simple to make! I made little "fortunes" to stick in them and they are all set now!