{14 Days of Valentines} Day Three: It's All About the Frosting

 

Lots of people say they have the best cupcake recipe ever.  But I really do! {smile} Thing is, it's not really the cake part that's so amazing.  That's basically a doctored up cake mix. It's the frosting.  I have even bought un-iced cupcakes and put the frosting on them.  My friend and I thought we might sell cupcakes at one point, so we perfected a cake and icing that we thought was pretty amazing. And it was easy.  We made what seemed like a gazillion for Valentine's Day one year {truly a Lucy and Ethel affair} and after hours of baking, frosting, assembling and packaging, we decided it might be a lot more fun just to give them away.  So, our business never made it off the ground, but we did create one heck of a yummy cupcake!  There are two must have ingredients for the frosting- salted butter and marshmallow fluff!  The salted butter gives that salty/sweet flavor to the frosting and the marshmallow fluff gives it a wonderful consistency.
Read more about the cupcake adventure and also how to make this "cup"cake stand to display your delicious and beautiful creations here.

Lucy and Ethel's Cupcakes

1 Box French Vanilla cake mix
1 cup buttermilk
vegetable oil (amount on the box)
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Beat ingredients until mixed and thick, then beat on high for 2 minutes.
Spoon the batter into a gallon zip-loc bag.  Snip a 1/4 inch corner from the bag, and fill the paper liners 2/3 full.  Bake 15-20 minutes until tops are golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Place cupcakes on wire rack to cool.

Frosting
3 sticks salted butter, softened
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted (this makes it very smooth)
1/2 t. vanilla
2 T. marshmallow fluff

Beat ingredients until smooth (about 5 minutes)  Fill piping bag and frost cooled cupcakes.

Have a cupcake, share a cupcake, and share some love!
Y.

{14 Days of Valentines} Day Two: "Cup"-Cake Stands

     I love making cupcakes and a few Valentine's Days ago, my best friend and I perfected our recipe. We were the perfect Lucy and Ethel, thinking we were going to sell our beautiful and delicious cupcakes!  Every time I make the cupcakes, sweet funny memories flood back.  There was the day we put the stick of butter in the mixer with the wrapper still on, and didn't realize it until we tried piping the icing through a paper clogged tip.  And the time we bought a stand mixer and I got the bowl off balance.  Batter went flying all over her kitchen and we laughed until we cried.  After a long night of baking and assembling, we were so exhausted we just gave them away to people we loved!  She was on the board of a women's job ministry so she took them to the ladies there.  I took some to school to share with my co-workers.  Turns out, it was a lot more fun to give them away and share some love that day.
     Unfortunately, my friend had to fight a battle with cancer.  She won by gaining eternity a little over a year ago.  I miss her so, but telling our stories brings me joy.  She would love this post because it includes our cupcake recipe and a creative display piece to go along with them.

     First you need to make some awesomely delicious Valentine's cupcakes to be shared with those you love.

     Next, you will want a pretty way to show them off.  I am so excited about this project, because what I pictured in my mind actually turned out like I hoped!  And it was super quick and easy.

 I found these metal trays at Hobby Lobby and loved the doily look of them.  

 They were perfect for Valentine's cupcakes, but I wanted to tier them.  That's when it hit me... a "cup"-cake stand!  I could use cups to tier the trays!

My friend Cyndy at The Creativity Exchange did something with melamine serving pieces that I thought could be adapted for my project.

Next, I got these cute little cups and my E6000 glue.

I flipped them over, and ran a line of glue around the bottom of the cup.  Then I centered it on the bottom of the tray and pushed it down.  The glue adheres better if you have it on both pieces, so after I pushed it down, I pulled it right back off. 

Then I had a guide to run another fine line on the tray, like this-

I let the glue sit for 2 minutes with the pieces still apart, then squished the cup and tray back together.  I decided to keep these two pieces as stand-alones that can be stacked which allows for more flexibility!

The hardest part came when the instructions on the glue said to let them dry for 24-72 hours.  You mean leave them alone? Verrrry difficult.

But I did, and yes, it was worth it, don't you think?

Thanks Tori for this pretty picture! I know you'll be taking some amazing ones in Madagascar very soon!

Have a cupcake, share a cupcake, and remember you are loved.

He makes beautiful things!
Y.

Things I'm Loving Thursday

I don't usually participate in these "Things I'm Loving" posts because I can't keep up with them every week. But this week I felt like there were a lot of things I was loving, so I decided to share! Enjoy!

1. Mrs. Meyers Honeysuckle Dish Soap and Hand Soap. I am loving this scent! It is a new one (to me anyway). I've always been a fan of the Basil and the Lavender scents, but the Honeysuckle is so fresh and delicious!

{14 Days of Valentines} Chevron Heart Printable

Today, we are kicking of our 14 Days of Valentines. We are so excited to share this with you! Our theme for Valentine's Day this year is "You are Loved." We will have 14 posts leading up to Valentine's Day, each with this theme in mind. What better day to start than one in honor of an inspirational man who said, "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." (It's MLK Day, y'all.)

{Furniture} Thrifty Upholstery

I found a little jewel of a stool in a thrift store and she was peach and had on some pretty awful floral fabric.  I knew there was hope for her, but it had to be cheap! Sorry, but I can't find my before picture.  Just trust me when I say she had good bones and that was about all.

I saw these beautiful stools online and thought that would be a nice look.  I have lost the link, but they were on One King's Lane for over $1,000.  That's all the incentive I needed to see just how thrifty I could be!

 With a little sanding and a coat of Vanilla Paper chalk paint, we were on our way.

Do you see the big drip on the top right?  Not to worry!

Look what I can do!

You don't get a dipsy doodle like that everyday!  

(If you don't get it, look up MADTV Stuart on YouTube. You won't be disappointed.)

I followed up with Annie Sloan dark wax to give it a super distressed look.

Next came the seat upholstery which was my favorite part because it was so easy and so thrifty!  If you are a perfectionist, rule follower kind of upholsterer, you may want to stop here.  Or get hives if you continue...

Welcome to my upholstery workroom kitchen table.  This shows how simple this part is because all your supplies are right here. (along with my Christmas decor still up well into the new year...)  Do you see my expensive padding for the seat?  Yep, it's an egg crate mattress from Wal-Mart!  For $9.99 you can cover lots chair seats!  Lay the chair seat on it and trace with a sharpie, then cut it out.

 "Bumpy," you say?  Heck no!  Just flip that sucker over!

Next, I wanted the best part of my pretty piece of fabric to show. (from Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon!) 

So I moved it around a couple of times, folding it over until I got what I wanted...

and this is what I settled on

 This next part is really difficult and has taken years to perfect. Only attempt this at home if you are highly trained in taking the shortest possible route to get to a finished product so you can have instant gratification. And, it's the second time you need a sharpie in this project. God made sharpies and said, "This is good."  He also made iron on fabric tape.  Sewing? Way overrated. But that's another post.
 Back to work.
I eyeballed how much fabric I needed around the edge and drew a sharpie line for cutting.  I tried to crop out my sleeve in the picture, but I'm busted again.  I love pajamas.  I do my best work in pajamas.  Not everyone understands the concept of pajamas as business casual or after 5.
I digress.

After cutting, I used my staple gun to attach the fabric.  Then my best half screwed the seat on, and there you go!

Total cost?

Stool $4.99

Fabric $5.00

Part of egg crate $3.00?

Paint and wax (had it)

$1,000                 

Under $15








Thrifty and beautiful!  Two of my favorite things!  Now, I think I'll go find a vanity to put with it!

He makes beautiful things!

Y.

{Fashion and Business} Oh Deer, It's A New Year!

Well hello again lovelies,

Today I want to show you my favorite deer outfit (yes, I said deer outfit) and tell you about some exiting things to come in the new year! I'm not sure if you've figured it out yet, but our little family is quite quirky. My outfit today fits that description perfectly. It incorporates florals, sequins, bright white in the winter, accessories, and (my personal favorite) a deer silhouette.

I am obsessed with bright colors, springy prints, and sheer fabrics in the dead of winter. Why you may ask?! Well Texas just doesn't get cold enough for starters. Secondly, I like to feel bright and cheery when it's gloomy outside. My floral pants bring a little color and joy to my neutral colored deer sweater.

Moving on to the "oh, so fabulous" deer sweater. Maybe it's the fact that I grew up in East Texas or that my Daddy took me hunting my whole life or that I'm just plain quirky, but I LOVE this sweater. I love that the sequins on the silhouette balance out the manliness of having a deer across your chest.

Finally on to the accessories. I have on a pair of spiraled loops with turquoise and rhinestone accents and a set of gold bracelets with thick tortoise shell bangles.

Everything pictured is from our store, Blithe Boutique.

Now for the good stuff! Many people have resolutions for the new year. Not this girl. It just sets me up for failure! I usually think of things that I could do better in the next year, but I don't actually make a resolution. Lately my thoughts have been on aging and how to prevent it! I know, I know you can't be young forever, but I can certainly make an effort!

This is where Rodan + Fields comes in! Tyler and I have recently become consultants with this great skincare line.

This line of skincare products is clinically tested and created by Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields, who also happen to be the creators of Proactiv. Heard of it? Tyler and I both used Proactiv growing up and both just sort of outgrew it and never really looked for anything to replace it. These products WORK, y'all! Whether you have sensitive skin, acne, sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles or just average run of the mill skin, there is a regimen specifically formulated to treat your skin. How cool is that? We are so passionate about this and we would LOVE to talk to you about it!

In the meantime: Want to find out which product is right for you? Take a Perskinality Test to find out. Already know what kind of skin you have? Check out the products on our website.

Now is the time to get in on the ground floor of this fabulous company, and we would be thrilled to have you as a part of our team! If you're interested, visit our business website to read more, send an email to me (jessica@blitheboutique.com) or Tyler (tyler@blitheboutique.com), call us at the store (936.238.3602) or just stop by and see us! We would be more than happy to tell you why we love Rodan + Fields and know that you will too!

-Jessica

{DIY} Splatter Painted Cowhide Rug

When we first opened Blithe Boutique, we were seeing cowhide rugs with gold splatter painting on them everywhere. I'm sure you've seen them too. And if you've seen them, I bet you've seen the price tags! We desperately wanted one, but refused to spend that kind of money on something we were certain we could do ourselves.

This ones for Africa...

So, if you haven't noticed yet we have a little section called Madagascar Monthly. I mentioned in our first post that I would be moving to Madagascar in April and now I want to give you a little more insight into what I do and how this all came about!

How my love of Africa started...

Summer before last, I spent 3 months living in an orphanage in Jinja, Uganda. It was after my sophomore year of college and after I had a radical life change. I had truly fallen in love with my Savior instead of just going through the motions (highly recommend it).

{For the Littles} Little Dude Swag

 Okay, if we are being honest, I have no idea what "swag" really means. Tori tells me that Knox has swag. Okay, thanks? I don't even know if I used it in the right context in the title of this post. So now that we've gotten that out of the way (and you've all gotten a good laugh at how little I know about cool sayings), here is my post for the day!

{DIY} Painted Mantel Makeover Done in a Day

This antique mantel in a friend's salon has been patiently waiting since last summer for her update.  She's quite old, but still has good bones, don't you think? 

{Fashion} For the love of leather.

Hello lovelies! So I may have a small obsession with leather, but I can't quite bring myself to buy the real stuff! I have searched high and low to find an alternative that doesn't look like the dreaded "pleather"! I have two outfits to share that include a piece that looks expensive, but was actually very reasonable. 

{Printable} The Little Gentleman

UPDATE: Do to the overwhelming amount of pins of this print, I've moved it over to my Etsy shop! You can now find it here: Printable: The Little Gentleman!

Since Knox has been old enough to play, his toys have literally littered our living room (say that five times fast). With his birthday and Christmas being four days apart, we acquired a LOT of toys in a very short amount of time. I decided to take all of the "unnecessary" furniture out of his room and move all of his toys in there. It's still a work in progress, but I'll do a post on that when I'm done!

{Refinishing Furniture} Toddler Play Table

Mom has told you before that she and I share a love of color. We also share a love of giving old, beat up furniture a second chance. A sweet friend gave me this little toddler table and set of four chairs for Knox with the warning that it needed a LOT of love. It's been sitting in the shop ever since waiting to be refinished. Now that Knox is old enough to actually use it, I decided it was time to give it the love it deserved!

{Printables} Ready, Set, Go!

Bring it on 2013!

Today has been one of reflection on leaving 2012 and what 2013 holds for our family, our faith, and our finances.  My best half's prayer this morning was for God to be glorified in all of it.  So, that has me pondering.  Have we allowed Him?