tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256753640192721182024-03-12T21:06:28.629-07:00The Church of What's Happening NowROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.comBlogger202125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-37305615153343607872018-04-08T20:21:00.001-07:002018-04-08T20:21:50.108-07:00Birthday Party themed birthday partyWe are knee deep into planning Henry's 4th, which was a good reminder that I never posted pics of his 3rd birthday. It was photogenic, if I do say so myself. And luckily, it was captured by <a href="https://www.lumaticimagery.com/">Lumatic Imagery</a>. <br />
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I've been pushing this "birthday party" theme for a while--classic party, classic colors, no overt theme--like how a birthday party would look in an old picture book. Now that I'm kinda into balloons, I had the idea to do a crazy balloon arch in the middle of a field. I had this idea from a visit to our fav Indianapolis park, Holiday Park the preceding fall, so when it turned out we were moving across the country about a month after Henry's birthday....that only emphasized just how important it was to make this party happen. We actually showed our house with all these balloons blown up and weighted down under tarps in the back yard. </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IIh52XtEC08/WsrTMpO2_-I/AAAAAAAAT8A/npyDGy0j45EiPcaMYtp4hkyumbQK0LvxgCEwYBhgL/s1600/_GRN7107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="710" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IIh52XtEC08/WsrTMpO2_-I/AAAAAAAAT8A/npyDGy0j45EiPcaMYtp4hkyumbQK0LvxgCEwYBhgL/s1600/_GRN7107.jpg" /></a></div>
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So we went with a chic picnic because of the location. Obvs I had to have animals and dinosaurs with party hats on. I think I got the idea for lots of animal walker balloons from an old Bailey Quinn pic, but I can't find it now. Anyway--these walker balloons were loads of fun. I love <a href="https://www.lumaticimagery.com/">classic gold crowns</a> and to make sure they weren't theme-y, we added capes (from eBay). Black polka-dot balloons were added to keep the pallet from being too sweet. I was trying to keep it picture perfectly un-perfect.</div>
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The picnic tables are sheets of MDF from Lowes (standard size...8ft I think) on top of milk crates. The MDF is wrapped in a vinyl tablecloth. The picnic blankets are large drop cloths from Lowes that we painted stripes onto. The cake was served from a picnic table we had moved to the side.<br />
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I paid slightly too much for these wooden berry baskets that we tucked food into. It got Chick-fil-A nuggets for kids, and packed it up with a juice box, grapes, and goldfish (I think...something to that effect). I found the checked waxed paper on Amazon. There were boxed lunches for adults, too. The confetti is punched cardstock--doesn't blow away quite as much. The cupcakes are from the grocery store, and I added the chocolate ganache drizzle and sprinkles and cherry. <br />
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Tablecloth from Amazon</div>
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We kept it simple on favors--Confetti Lollipops from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/AzaleaCircleSweets">Azalea Circle Sweets</a>. And the capes of course. <br />
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(Confetti Lollies are being reposted)</div>
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I actually rented a UHaul van for this party--we loaded up the van with everything except food, including extra large garbage bags full of inflated balloons. A new level of crazy for me. </div>
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These balloons were supported by PVC pipe in a 5 gallon bucket filled with a 40 lb bag of Quickcrete each. That's a pool noodle arching between the PVC pipe. And it fell over pre-party and post-party (my mom kept guard during the party). On a day that I'm pretty sure no one thought was windy. Now that I live by the water...this will never, ever happen again. But my siblings and I can fondly remember the day they helped make a balloon arch under my super chill tutelage. <br />
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<br />ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-37406683372963559312018-03-04T13:10:00.000-08:002018-03-04T13:10:00.957-08:00Let's talk parties or #crappyiphonepicsaremyjam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been throwing parties, even if I haven't been blogging about them. Working backwards, I did a small party here in West Palm Beach for Molly's 8th birthday. I thought it was worth showing, b/c not everyone is up for a 2 day install (and breakdown). It was also done at the last minute without any epackets from China. <br />
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Our theme was Good Golly Miss Molly. We just got some free clip art from a google search, and made the invites and mailing labels in Word. They were packaged with <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NZYFQQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1">this poodle skirt</a> from Amazon, and mailed in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LVW9VAU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1">mylar bubble mailers</a>.<br />
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I originally wanted to do black tuck-top boxes, but it was cost prohibitive (at least with my time frame, which was Prime) before I went to the post-office, and the mylar made it sort of festive. </div>
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I had to order catering with the VIP lanes, so we decided not to go too crazy on the sweets on just focus on cupcakes and fancy sugar cookies. And since I wasn't doing much else for this party, I figured I would do them. </div>
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I bought the icing and cookie recipe from Sweet Ambs. I spent a lot of time mesmerized by her videos...she'll make you want to be a cookie artist. The cookies are amazing without icing. With icing, kids like them. I like them with coffee. But they are cuter with icing. Poodles were surprisingly easy, and the jukeboxes were SOOOO hard. Not sure I ever made a good looking one. The black icing on the bowling ball ended up bleeding into most of the bowling pins, so I suggest just waiting between colors instead of trying to do it all on one pass. These extra fine Wilton writers are the secret to the Good Golly Miss Molly cookies and the poodles' lashline.<br />
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To keep our 50s theme, we did it at the bowling alley. Now that I live in a tiny house, I'm scouring the county for party venues. We were able to book the "VIP lanes" at the bowling alley in downtown WPB, which just meant you had a private area. The set-up (leather chairs and coffee table or high tops) wasn't great for decor or kids parties or the theme, but the classic car museum was $2000+ so we made due. <br />
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I brought my own tablecloth like a psycho, but it did punch up the space. I did a couple tassel garlands with tissue paper for our large balloons from Party City. If you don't buy tassel garland from aliexpress or etsy, use <a href="http://www.lattesandlavender.com/blog/diy-tassel-garland/">this method</a>. Don't use <a href="https://greenweddingshoes.com/diy-tissue-tassel-garland/">this method</a>--its so much harder.) Warning--the balloons looked generally the same size when I picked them up but one couldn't support the tissue garland and the other could. The third got popped by Kevin on the way into the bowling alley, so suffice to say this is not what was envisioned, but it was fine. I recommend having your balloon place put the tassels on if you can to avoid weird quality problems. </div>
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The downside of the bowling alley is that I have no good photos as it is super dark. But it was very cute to watch all the little girls in poodle skirts running around and bowling. I'm officially a fan of sending out attire for parties. <br />
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We put a small sparkly lollipop from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/AzaleaCircleSweets?ref=profile_shopicon">Azalea Circle Sweets</a> and a pearl necklace (from Target's Sprout line) in these gift boxes with a big satin bow. Definitely made the most of a small favor, and helped fill the table. <br />
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<br />ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-70820256596592498602018-01-07T16:08:00.001-08:002018-01-07T16:08:46.552-08:00Awkward.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VBh8aIZwYTs/WlJWNnsLRKI/AAAAAAAATw8/90NZaexySy8qXzm6ZWQrwFMS5MpnZ8CuwCLcBGAs/s1600/opener.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="420" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VBh8aIZwYTs/WlJWNnsLRKI/AAAAAAAATw8/90NZaexySy8qXzm6ZWQrwFMS5MpnZ8CuwCLcBGAs/s1600/opener.jpg" /></a></div>
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Anybody out there? Yes, it's been a very long time. A little awkward even. I think about the blog a lot--like, I should really do a post on X--all the time. But instead I sleep. Or worse, I sit on the couch scrolling through my phone and then I realize its 11pm and I need to go to sleep. So I do. <div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2tgf2WgbKEY/WlJWcaa0zHI/AAAAAAAATxA/vQ5ZJuTwM_Y_Y_3nC93iw9h1lu77cibCwCLcBGAs/s1600/moving.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="754" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2tgf2WgbKEY/WlJWcaa0zHI/AAAAAAAATxA/vQ5ZJuTwM_Y_Y_3nC93iw9h1lu77cibCwCLcBGAs/s1600/moving.PNG" /></a></div>
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Where did we leave off? Me moving across the country. I think cross-country moves are difficult, but I think downsizing is more difficult. The combination is quite trying. We have 6 people living in 1500 sq ft. It doesn't help with blogging. Nor does it help with sanity. There is less to clean but the mess is more overwhelming. And it seems impossible to do anything without making a mess. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N5BOzjymYXY/WlJfrL7XndI/AAAAAAAATx8/EjHJXqp6yyA0yrq9Q9yz_iyNgeg7gK8aQCLcBGAs/s1600/Molly%2BDevil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="710" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N5BOzjymYXY/WlJfrL7XndI/AAAAAAAATx8/EjHJXqp6yyA0yrq9Q9yz_iyNgeg7gK8aQCLcBGAs/s1600/Molly%2BDevil.jpg" /></a></div>
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Like when we had to make Halloween costumes this year. We made Molly's wings <a href="http://www.firefly-path.net/?p=898">using this tutorial,</a> and it was pretty much accurate. We used a heavier fabric (a stretchy metallic lycra, to match the leotard).</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a7pz1bw1qtU/WlJYe9EaHuI/AAAAAAAATxY/jewVPwD4VDcIpgZXp5KMEON_tFrJy_Y-QCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a7pz1bw1qtU/WlJYe9EaHuI/AAAAAAAATxY/jewVPwD4VDcIpgZXp5KMEON_tFrJy_Y-QCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_0699.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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(early notes to architect)</div>
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We are pretty close to finding a contractor to put our planned addition on the back of our house. So hopefully I'll be blogging about that, soon. We have the architectural plans pretty much done, and are down to a couple contractors who are in the budget, at least on viewing the project. It has taken a very long time...I thought we'd be wrapping up construction now, so yeah....</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G4DCo2hIrWM/WlJel1dOcGI/AAAAAAAATx0/ow0fHKQR-5YgauCTs4SWFhhNILp3m1awQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G4DCo2hIrWM/WlJel1dOcGI/AAAAAAAATx0/ow0fHKQR-5YgauCTs4SWFhhNILp3m1awQCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_2654.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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We did throw some parties prior to departing Indianapolis, and we've even thrown one party here in FL--albeit a smaller one. So I'm working on those posts now as well. But I've been working on my ballooning game...I highly recommend watching the<a href="https://poppiesforgrace.com/pages/tutorials"> Poppies for Grace instructional videos</a>. So, so easy and no special tools required. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cYzuJmJV9BY/WlJWND61Z0I/AAAAAAAATxE/K-TH538_5EAjjS6f4UnwP-YykGzgj5l1gCEwYBhgL/s1600/genMid.RX-10376564_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="665" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cYzuJmJV9BY/WlJWND61Z0I/AAAAAAAATxE/K-TH538_5EAjjS6f4UnwP-YykGzgj5l1gCEwYBhgL/s1600/genMid.RX-10376564_2.jpg" /></a></div>
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What am I scrolling on my phone for hours? Well, sometimes just Pinterest, but I'm also obsessed with Palm Beach real estate. I think its important to know where you would spend your Power Ball winnings, just in case. Many of the million dollar properties are whomp whomp, but every once in a while you find someone with good taste AND money, and its such a pleasure. </div>
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<a href="https://www.marthastewart.com/851402/decorating-shells?slide=3374998">via Martha</a></div>
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How am I finding the time now? I am home with a broken ankle, and my kids are at the beach. It is too cold for swimming, but they are shelling. Molly is sure that this is the next phase of our <a href="http://churchofwhn.blogspot.com/2015/05/rhinestones-and-empty-cans.html">Sparkly Cans</a>. And while I was skeptical, these showed up on 1stdibs for just under $1K</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FlNYxaMgrJI/WlJeeeTLM6I/AAAAAAAATxs/PFLbi9flsRQo_aUtON-2Kt3iv8DG3UzlwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2251_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FlNYxaMgrJI/WlJeeeTLM6I/AAAAAAAATxs/PFLbi9flsRQo_aUtON-2Kt3iv8DG3UzlwCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_2251_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.marthastewart.com/851402/decorating-shells?slide=3374998">via 1stdibs</a></div>
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To me, the question is whether we strive to keep it strictly found shells, or do we supplement with a few orders from China (or our local souvenir shop)?</div>
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ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-234892092500464082017-07-11T20:19:00.001-07:002017-07-12T05:43:13.054-07:00Surprise, I live in Florida now.Yeah, so there was a sort-of good reason for the radio silence. Turns out selling our house, buying a house, commuting out of state every other week and finally moving a family of 5 across the country really, really, sucks. <br />
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Obviously, there is a lot to discuss. Like the fact that my new address is on the Dixie Highway. And Circa Who is a walk away, next to my new cupcake place. And the fact that I am renovating a 1953 mid-century house. And I renovated my old kitchen prior to selling the Indy house. And I threw 2 birthday parties. And then I took 3 children to Paris for a week at the end of March and there was a more recent Montreal/Quebec City summer vacation. A lot to keep going, let alone blog about considering I don't have my shit together on a good day. <br />
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But let's talk about the Indy house, because like it or not that project is over. And it was just the best house ever (i.e., WPB is expensive). I really wanted to have shelter-mag style photos taken, but I didn't really have time and wasn't really cool spending the money since I did not consider it "finished" or even close. Compromises had to be made for listing purposes. But I do have some real estate photos, and as much as they are your standard wide-angle photos that highlight the floors we all make fun of, they are the only house tour we've got. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rKSnqhV0fbk/WWV9Efc5o3I/AAAAAAAATck/kVEkoUVGu2s0oSvOr10gR-T4zIY28UmkQCLcBGAs/s1600/house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="665" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rKSnqhV0fbk/WWV9Efc5o3I/AAAAAAAATck/kVEkoUVGu2s0oSvOr10gR-T4zIY28UmkQCLcBGAs/s1600/house.jpg" /></a></div>
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Living room . They really wanted me to repaint it gray, but I refused. Kevin and I decided that if you came in that living room, you could tell that it could be a great room even if blue walls aren't your thing. Plus that couch, chairs and mirror weren't going to look good with gray. I wanted to cover the red coffee table with black python auto vinyl, but it didn't happen. Well, really I wanted to commission a custom table from my trusty wood worker/labor lawyer Chuck. Oh, and don't get me started on the fact that no one fixed my pillows on the striped couch. I had a call during the photos and FREAKED when they came in. We had to reshoot the kitchen b/c all the papers and magnets were left on the fridge. But the house sold anyway, so I guess I won't kill anyone. </div>
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I wanted to do a crazier cushion in the dining room, besides my grand plans for the drapes, but I didn't want to deplete my hoard of <a href="https://www.insidefabric.com/p-733115-2430-gwf-97-la-fiorentina-wine-ma-by-groundworks.aspx">La Fiorentina</a> just to leave it behind. If you live in Indy, I got a cushion/slipcover lady for you. Just convo me for digits. </div>
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We'll talk about this later. </div>
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Henry's room....I never loved the green. It had it's moments, but just wasn't optimal. So this gray was in the works for a while, to be paired with a ceiling <a href="https://www.wallpaperdirect.com/us/products/ralph-lauren/collection-north-hemisphere/135877?gclid=Cj0KEQjw7pHLBRDqs-X8hZ3Mgp0BEiQAXIo9rsNfXjCXtnvFGBnpuSv8Tez-uIUcvQfadSXcNz4bdzkaAjQz8P8HAQ">wallpapered to match</a> his closet/changing nook. Obvs I'm not wallpapering a ceiling right before I list my house. I love that paper so much that I took it with me to paper his ceiling in the new house (hopefully that happens in the next 3 years). That rug is Ikea and I love it. Very soft and plush, 8x10 ish. </div>
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Ah, the girls room. We were forced to finish the canopy bunk bed because I didn't want to take down the hardware that we installed in the ceiling a year ago. A special thanks to churchmember Stacia for sewing the panels. The valance and the inner valance each took me a full morning/half day. That chartreuse dresser was going to be the end of me...it was supposed to be neon yellow but neon spray paint is not furniture quality. Probably for the best, since that might have photographed odd. (Odder?)<br />
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While I didn't have a full photo documentary done of the house, I did schedule family photos in the house. While we talked a long time about a full on Wes Anderson styled shoot (so we could have a corresponding yet totally different Wes Anderson styled shoot in FL), I did not have time to style it and get by-in from the kids (although my fav Design Crisis literally did just that as part of her kitchen reveal--<a href="http://erinwilliamsondesign.com/design-crisis/one-room-challenge-kitchen-edition-week-six-reveal">so check it out</a>). I was travelling and got in at midnight before the shoot....it was overcast, started raining during the outdoor shots and Henry was in a very bad mood BUT my trusty photog at <a href="http://www.lumaticimagery.com/Indianapolis-Photographer/Indianapolis-Photographer.html">Lumatic Imagery</a> seriously delivered. Having lived through it, I have no idea how there are any shots of all of us or any of Henry. <br />
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Yes, Henry is eating a giant sparkly lollipop as a bribe to be in the shot. Sailor dresses from H&M. Henry is in Janie & Jack + crewcuts (at 3 times $$). ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-72120209619061345002017-05-29T18:11:00.001-07:002017-05-29T18:11:52.985-07:00So I threw this party.....This has been in draft for MONTHS. But I've got a 3 hr layover (in the C Terminal of Reagan--yuck), so without further ado....<br />
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So back in February, I threw a little Valentine's Day party. It was very, very pink. I <strike>needed</strike> wanted to practice a balloon installation, and it was high time I got to have a party. The starting point was a desire to use this cool silver dessert tray my brother gave me (Two's Company, via EBTH) and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01L73TEMS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1">a pink sequin tablecloth </a>I saw on Amazon.<br />
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I made the cupcakes and I bought the macaroons. We dressed up some favorite junk food in fry boxes. The roses are from <a href="http://www.wholeblossoms.com/wholesale-roses/garden-roses/spray-garden-roses-80-stems.html">Wholeblossoms.com</a>. I bought them by color (cheaper than variety). I bought a few bunches of the different "pink" colors (light pink, dark pink, coral) but I would recommend sticking with just one category. My bunches didn't blend together as well as I had hoped, so I stuck the different colors in different arrangements/locations. Also, the tablecloth is just OK. Not as sparkly as the pictures on Amazon. Those are plastic tablecloths framing out the sequin tablecloth for extra width and light blocking--it is covering a set of french doors (it makes sense for traffic flow).</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">The big story here are the balloons. Hundreds and hundreds of pink balloons. I used this tutorial from<a href="http://thehousethatlarsbuilt.com/2014/07/balloon-arch-tutorial.html/"> The House that Lars Built </a>and hooked a chicken wire frame to the wall (on preexisting hooks or nails, etc.). I also used <a href="http://www.partycity.com/product/clear+decorating+strip+25ft.do">this balloon tape</a> for the balloons over the window bench. Mostly b/c I wanted to try it--I think it is perfect to keep around for a more casual balloon install. The balloons came from eBay, aliexpress (those marbelized ones!), and Party City. We had 3 ft balloons partially filled, lots of 18" balloons, hundreds of standard 11" balloons, and then 5" balloons to fill in the gaps. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Balloon-Portable-Inflator-Decoration/dp/B00A78GZOA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496106016&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=balloon+pump&psc=1">This balloon pump</a> is required. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Overall, blowing up balloons and installing them, took AT MOST 8 hours. But I was working solo. Also, I left it up for a full week and besides a few of the glue dots failing, it looked perfect. So this is one install that can be done ahead of time (at least indoors). One of the random things delaying this post was that I meticulously counted all the balloons, by size, used in the LR installation. And someone threw away my sheet. I was sure no one would toss such an OBVIOUSLY important document, so I thought for sure it would turn up. But no dice. I can only say I multiplied the length of the install x 6 (i.e., 6 balloons per foot) and then used their expected diameter to come up with how many I needed. </span><br />
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The dining room installation was a last minute decision, but I enjoyed the excess. <br />
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We had plenty of champagne, Diet Dr. Pepper, and La Croix. Because it was my party. And yes, I had napkins printed. I'm too lazy to find a detail shot but they said "You Look Fabulous". </div>
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And what did we do? We made Valentines, naturally. <br />
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Photos by <a href="http://www.lumaticimagery.com/Indianapolis-Photographer/Indianapolis-Photographer.html">Tyler Hromadka/Lumatic Imagery</a>. And a styling credit to Charlotte (who assembled favors and foiled all my tags) and churchmember Sarah, who flew in from NJ to help set up. <br />
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<br />ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-23339053023916523732017-03-30T05:08:00.002-07:002017-03-30T05:08:49.550-07:00I'm still alive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey all. I've been travelling quite a bit and in the middle of that I had my entire digital life erased/compromised and decided to list my house. So it has been madness. But I'm hoping to post some party pictures from a massive balloon installation I did soon (by Sunday). In the meantime, I would be remiss not to mention that this month's AD and House Beautiful are worth picking up. <br />
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Bon chance. ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-24118712555832658802017-02-14T09:55:00.001-08:002017-02-14T09:55:40.477-08:00Happy Valentine's Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My kids were greeted by these adorbs mice from Steiff.</div>
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Happy Pink & Red Day! I put my Valentine's efforts into a crazy balloon installation and crafting party this weekend. Panoramics below; hoping to have some good pics next week or so and a breakdown on how to install one in your own home. Because I'm sure everyone wants to. Also--how groovy are panoramics? Kind of want one of all my rooms.....</div>
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If you haven't checked out <a href="http://benkling.com/valentines">Ben Kling's portrait Valentine's</a>, you should. James Polk might be my favorite (the obscurity really adds a few points in my book). <br />
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Hope you consume plenty of sugar!<br />
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ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-57534205945625540952017-02-03T02:00:00.000-08:002017-02-03T02:00:11.890-08:00Tile....The main thing I checked out at the Kitchen & Bath Show was Tile. I am longing to shop for tile. And more tile. <br />
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There were a ton of Chinese companies there, adding legitimacy to my almost purchase of brass mermaid tile off of Alibaba years ago. Honestly, the quality was really nice. Stone and glass mosaics.<br />
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My major find was <a href="http://barbiekennedydesigns.com/gallery/">Barbie Kennedy.</a> A small booth by the back, the designer (Kate, not Barbie) has all the mosaics waterjet cut in Central Florida. <br />
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Designs are scalable, so you can size up or down (custom) based on the application. The mosaics use a variety of stones, wood mirror and metal, and her new line incorporates agate. No agate on her website yet, so this is as good a photo as you'll get.<br />
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This is my new favorite wood floor (with that agate hexagon mosaic on top as my new backsplash/bathroom tile of choice).<br />
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Walk Zenger is Walker Zenger. Fabulous. And Ann Sacks....it was all so lovely, just as you would expect. I was, however, happy to see this in person as I've been trying to imagine it. <br />
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While the tile is lovely, I was not a fan of the pattern w/seams--so close, but not quite loving the grout interruptions. Reasonable minds could differ. These two are remaining on my daydream list:<br />
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I talked to the guy from Merola tile (operating under several trade names, including SomerTile), which is supplying Home Depot with all of its cement tile knock-offs. The guy said that porcelain tile might run you $8/sqft vs $40 for cement. And you have to reseal cement on the regular--maintenance is not my forte so cement tile may go in the same basket as soapstone and carrerra marble....nice for other people. <br />
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They had a ton of patterns in both ceramic and porcelain. This is my new fave front porch tile.<br />
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I'm pushing tile for outdoor spaces (you'll need porcelain tile or cement tiles). I've been looking at Moroccan courtyards and decided that pavers are sad and overrated. But if you are doing pavers, do these guys:<br />
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<b>Tumbling block 4EVA.</b></div>
ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-91340886786222720092017-01-31T08:05:00.000-08:002017-01-31T08:22:17.985-08:00Kitchen & Bath ShowSo I accidently found myself at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Orlando earlier this month. I was there for the International Builder's Show, which focuses on residential new construction. I was just there, supportin' the business and all in my branded attire. No one even mentioned that the shows were joint--each exhibit hall was split roughly in half, with builders on one side and kitchen&bath on the other.<br />
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First highlight was definitely <a href="http://www.smegusa.com/">SMEG</a>. I mean, SMEG. I'm not even sure I had seen one in person (I'm racking my brain...maybe its all shelter mags?)...and by "one" I mean adorable European fridge. I was happy to see the expanded size, for people who don't walk to the market everyday to see what inspires them. And they make small appliances and stoves, also in adorable enamelled colors. Not pictured were some high-tech, stainless fridge + stove set-ups. Apparently SMEG runs the gammut. <br />
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The only other appliance news was Suzanne Kasler's licensed colors for La Cornue. They are pretty, and she has excellent taste, but this seems a little hokey for a $20K stove. Otherwise, fancy appliances are just that--fancy. So, so fancy.....<br />
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Faucets at Kohler showing all their finishes was lovely marketing. Lots of big names were offering colored faucets (and kitchen sinks). Everyone was pushing a black finish.<br />
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A lot of kitchen sinks had these sliding work spaces--the sinks were enormous, and had cutting boards and colanders incorporated/drop-in. I remember the first time I saw one of these on Divine Design (so that should say something) and I was pretty skeptical....but I think the designs have improved. Also, as one rep mentioned, its much more efficient use of linear space--if you can chop at your sink, you don't need separate prep counterspace. Somewhere near the fancy sinks I saw the Property Brothers, but was so exhausted I wasn't going to fight for a selfie. Plus 90% of my selfies have crazy-eye, so there is a good chance I'd have to delete it anyway. But I didn't really take a great pic of the sinks as I was distracted by the debate. <br />
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<a href="http://carlaaston.com/designed/kitchen-and-bath-trends-at-kbis-2017-sinks-and-faucets">via Carla Aston</a></div>
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Carla Aston has some good coverage of the sinks <a href="http://carlaaston.com/designed/kitchen-and-bath-trends-at-kbis-2017-sinks-and-faucets">here</a>.<br />
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The other technology that was cool and I have, like, no pictures of is the high performance ceramics. They look more like stone (or concrete, if that is your jam) than any quartz I've ever seen. They are so strong and heat resistant, you can have your induction cooktop built into/under your counters. So it looks like you have no range, but that pot on your counter is boiling water. And before you're all like "that's dangerous", remember that induction only works when the pot is touching the surface and only heats the pot...so accidental burns are unlikely/impossible. Or so the charming Italian man told me. Major downside--seams. They max at 8ft or so. Not that I have more than 8 ft of continuous countertop but you know.....<br />
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Sorry for the bad pic, but I have a point: The hardware is extra "tall" so there is more space between the handle and the door....resulting in less contact between your dirty hand and the cabinets. And if you saw my painted cabinets right now, you would know why this matters....so gross around all the handles. Oil is a dirt magnet. <br />
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Some beautiful marble from Italy....in trend with the busy stone/deco vibe people are tagging.<br />
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And random good ideas.....these floating shelf brackets. Genius--available in custom sizes from <a href="http://www.shelfology.com/"> www.shelfology.com</a>, which is where the photos are from 'cause mine aren't great. Superstrong, welded brackets. And they are selling kits (i.e., with the wood ready to go) soon.<br />
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And blackboard and whiteboard surfaces from Formica.<br />
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Stay tuned for tile!<br />
<br />ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-20504282418971356962017-01-25T19:11:00.001-08:002017-02-04T04:13:39.784-08:00Sugar Magic (i.e., DIY Lollipop Tutorial)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For Molly's Gingerbread Party favors, I decided to delegate the candymaking to my brother. But because everyone doesn't have a Walter handy, church member Sharon was nice enough to photograph this tutorial from Walter. Because lollipop making is pretty magical and simple enough to try at home, there is plenty of time to kick some Valentine's Day <span style="background-color: transparent;">ass. </span></div>
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What you need to make the lollipops pictured here:</div>
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<i>We got most of these supplies at Candylandcrafts.com. Amazon will also have everything and your local Michaels will have everything except molds (at least that is true for mine). </i></div>
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Capital Investments:</div>
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<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Molds (we got our's <a href="https://www.candylandcrafts.com/index.shtml">here</a>) (This recipe yield is 12+ 2.5" diameter) </li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Candy Thermometer</li>
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Hard Candy Base: </div>
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<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Sugar</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Corn Syrup</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Water</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Vegetable Oil (for mold release)</li>
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<i>Some people like to use Isomalt (in lieu of sugar) but we find it doesn't taste as good and it is A LOT more money than sugar. And it's a laxative. Also, glycerin is the gold standard for mold release but vegetable oil works well (it was used here because Walt was out of glycerin). </i></div>
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Awesomeness:</div>
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<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Candy flavoring (we recommend 2 bottles of flavoring per batch--these are tiny bottles, btw, "drams" from LorAnn Oils). </li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Candy coloring (<u>not</u> food coloring)</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Disco dust </li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Star Sprinkles (Wilton)</li>
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<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Edible-Glitter-Stars-Ounce/dp/B003KK9HD8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485220234&sr=8-1&keywords=wilton+stars">These little metallic stars</a> work well and look awesome. In our experience, "Sequin" type sprinkles work well--like the little snowflake sprinkles they sell this time a year. Decorations made out of sugar should be good, but watch out for decorations made of wax. One batch of Christmas lollies ended up a brownish black mess when the red and green jimmies melted into the sugar.</i></div>
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<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lollipop sticks</span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Candy bags and twist-ties are handy</span></li>
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Step 1: Get your molds ready</div>
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Clean your molds and clean them again. Dust, hair, etc. are not good. Paint the molds with vegetable oil or glycerin. Decorate the molds with glitter and stars (or other sprinkles if you are doing your own thing). Lay out the sticks.</div>
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Also, get a large bowl of cold water ready--large enough that you can put the bottom of your saucepan full of molten sugar in the cold water.</div>
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(not pictured, adding the sticks)</div>
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Step 2: Boil the sugar</div>
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Add sugar, water and corn-syrup to a pot and boil--2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup water, 2/3 cup of corn syrup. Bring it to 260 degrees. Add coloring and glitter (eye-ball it, but 1/4 tsp sounds right). Don't stir, the bubbling of the sugar mixes the glitter and coloring in. Get to 300 degrees, take off stove and add flavor (2 drams) Put bottom of pot in cold bath, wipe it off well (don't want to drip water in the lollies). </div>
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The cold bath stops the temperature from continuing to rise. By 310 degrees, your flavoring will have burnt off, and the sugar will caramelize (darken) so it is a not a good step to skip. </div>
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(A standard candy thermometer works just fine--no need to steal one from your immersion circulator.)</div>
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Step 3: Pour the lollies. </div>
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<i>First, a safety warning--hot sugar will burn you very badly as it envelops and sticks to your skin at ~300 degrees. So make sure kids are a safe distance from the molten sugar. And don't think a little drip on the counter is exempt--as pretty as the sparkly sugar is, it feels lava until it is semi-solid. If you do get some on your skin, stop the heat source (cold water) but only as long as it takes to make the sugar cool/wash off. Otherwise, the longer you leave it in ice water the more it will hurt (per the internet). After that, follow standard burn first aid. Terrified? Prime yourself some <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie%3DUTF8%26keywords%3Dsugar%2Bwork%2Bgloves%26tag%3Dgooghydr-20%26index%3Daps%26hvadid%3D51169668665%26hvpos%3D1t2%26hvnetw%3Dg%26hvrand%3D17264211242476550240%26hvpone%3D%26hvptwo%3D%26hvqmt%3De%26hvdev%3Dc%26hvdvcmdl%3D%26hvlocint%3D%26hvlocphy%3D9016140%26hvtargid%3Dkwd-102969640025%26ref%3Dpd_sl_5vnv95jy2r_e&source=gmail&ust=1485299847459000&usg=AFQjCNHj2kr63SZu0KA1yvKjbicJt1w1Yg" href="https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=sugar+work+gloves&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=51169668665&hvpos=1t2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17264211242476550240&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016140&hvtargid=kwd-102969640025&ref=pd_sl_5vnv95jy2r_e" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">sugar work gloves</a> used for pulling sugar or some <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HDFBTDQ?psc%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1485299847459000&usg=AFQjCNGUCgMl49Cqa1ACQ4GXCqBPLTd0dg" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HDFBTDQ?psc=1" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">weird grilling/heat proof gloves</a>. </i></div>
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There are <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Edible-Glitter-Stars-Ounce/dp/B003KK9HD8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485220234&sr=8-1&keywords=wilton+stars">fancy candy pourers</a> you can buy, and some people transfer to a warmed pyrex measuring cup, but if your hand is steady you can pour straight from the saucepan. If you use a second container to pour, warm it up in the oven first. Even with that step, just know that the outside will start to crystalize and you'll loose some hard candy that way. Per online resources, you can remelt the sugar in a 250 degree oven, but we haven't tried it. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YYThNqW0dxY/WIalMkH27fI/AAAAAAAAS1Y/KY5ImCNz_QIx4fo6aZcXQ3UQoONwe5hGwCLcB/s1600/pouringsugar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YYThNqW0dxY/WIalMkH27fI/AAAAAAAAS1Y/KY5ImCNz_QIx4fo6aZcXQ3UQoONwe5hGwCLcB/s1600/pouringsugar.jpg" /></a></div>
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Typically, 10 minutes is enough for the lollipops to set, but it will depend on the temperature and humidity. The harder the candy is (i.e., the closer to fully set) the more likely you are to get them out of their molds without warping or fingerprints (yuck). However, if you overfilled the mold and want to try and save the lollipop, if you carefully remove it while soft you can use scissors to trim the blobby edge off. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eqS0rYMNWz4/WIamB5GLgII/AAAAAAAAS1c/5otjzNde8EIjY4fPZbdiRN9lIN0iFAdTACLcB/s1600/finished%2Blolli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eqS0rYMNWz4/WIamB5GLgII/AAAAAAAAS1c/5otjzNde8EIjY4fPZbdiRN9lIN0iFAdTACLcB/s1600/finished%2Blolli.jpg" /></a></div>
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You want to wrap the finished lollipops in plastic bags. Walter recommends a stiffer, thicker plastic if you have a choice. Lollipops can be stored a long, long time, but only if you keep them in a dry place. Humidity is not their friend. </div>
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See, you can do it!</div>
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P.S. Walter posts his lollipop adventures on Instagram under <a href="https://www.instagram.com/azalea_circle/?hl=en">Azalea_Circle</a>, the name of his freshly started <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/azaleacirclesweets">Etsy shop</a> (should be stocked next week). </div>
ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-42278260209838910892017-01-11T15:24:00.005-08:002017-01-11T15:24:52.251-08:00Looking back....I'm trying to figure out where to put my decorating dollars this year, so I'm perusing a few best-of round-ups....<br />
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<a href="http://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/trends/news/g2873/interior-design-trends-2016/?thumbnails&slide=20">Elle Decor's Top Decorating Trends of 2016</a>: Yay granny florals and black stainless steel. Boo for bidets and ginormous bathrooms.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fUIUcSu3_bM/WHa8ZDXCLyI/AAAAAAAASuc/zjlwUyk8tkgOXUIKrex3E_fz8L_88b9KQCEw/s1600/gallery-1446241372-calyssarosenheck2015-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fUIUcSu3_bM/WHa8ZDXCLyI/AAAAAAAASuc/zjlwUyk8tkgOXUIKrex3E_fz8L_88b9KQCEw/s640/gallery-1446241372-calyssarosenheck2015-17.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.mydomaine.com/mydomaine-pinterest-dream-home/slide6">Domaine made a dream home</a> out of the top pinned rooms from their Pinterest feed. Food for thought.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oW_14ZsA_EY/WHa8ZSVvFDI/AAAAAAAASuo/NI0olKwRprwiBLZje0nRuDskPr_hVCj-ACLcB/s1600/this-is-the-ultimate-2016-dream-house-according-to-our-pinterest-1835244-1468425369.640x0c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oW_14ZsA_EY/WHa8ZSVvFDI/AAAAAAAASuo/NI0olKwRprwiBLZje0nRuDskPr_hVCj-ACLcB/s1600/this-is-the-ultimate-2016-dream-house-according-to-our-pinterest-1835244-1468425369.640x0c.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">My living room made big strides in 2016, now we need some finishing touches.....although </span><a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/the-best-living-rooms-in-ad/all" style="text-align: start;">AD's Top Living Rooms of 2016</a><span style="text-align: start;"> is probably just material for discontent.</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0OK8QeU9BXc/WHa8ZIHf0tI/AAAAAAAASuk/fuy1lxYd61AFF6UUa2gByzTNBekLSSTnwCEw/s1600/alberto-pinto-paraty-brazil-house-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0OK8QeU9BXc/WHa8ZIHf0tI/AAAAAAAASuk/fuy1lxYd61AFF6UUa2gByzTNBekLSSTnwCEw/s1600/alberto-pinto-paraty-brazil-house-2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.elementsofstyleblog.com/2017/01/33507-2.html">Elements of Style</a> has some predictions for the next year....</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zasDltXMl94/WHa8ZBdxgUI/AAAAAAAASus/XvciNprex1Y1jVw83SdfLjaByrBjZt5ZgCEw/s1600/060916_BrettHeyman_29-e1483315016675.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zasDltXMl94/WHa8ZBdxgUI/AAAAAAAASus/XvciNprex1Y1jVw83SdfLjaByrBjZt5ZgCEw/s1600/060916_BrettHeyman_29-e1483315016675.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Mark Sikes</div>
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And this roundup has nothing to do with year end or year beginning, but <a href="http://www.vogue.com/slideshow/13414411/libraries-rooms-vogue-photographs?crlt.pid=camp.gl4vUP3FPL9R#2">the best libraries in Vogue</a> is a great slideshow......</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RxPee0sDm8w/WHa9RBULziI/AAAAAAAASuw/sV68_bnZJnMdhzc3OpVab3IRQLl0-hOEwCLcB/s1600/Screenshot%2B2017-01-11%2B18.18.34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RxPee0sDm8w/WHa9RBULziI/AAAAAAAASuw/sV68_bnZJnMdhzc3OpVab3IRQLl0-hOEwCLcB/s640/Screenshot%2B2017-01-11%2B18.18.34.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Carolina Irving</span></div>
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ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-83232841583058126702017-01-07T12:18:00.003-08:002017-01-07T12:18:55.315-08:00Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy New Year!! I've had this image forever (from a tumblr link that is no longer good) but it's never relevant, so I thought I'd pretend it perfectly summed up my attitude about 2017. <br />
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Did everyone have a good holiday? My company shuts down for the week so it is a very nice break. Sadly, I did not plan my break very well and spent the first two days in a post-hosting stupor, then had 1 productive day, then got some flu/cold thing for the remainder and desperately regretted not doing anything Monday and Tuesday. I did see <i>LaLaLand</i>, which was excellent, but grand plans of organizing the basement, sewing curtains, finishing the dollhouse we started last December, and finally moving this blog over to SquareSpace.....not even started. </div>
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But there were small victories. We cleaned up the Christmas mess and I have a <a href="http://www.mochithings.com/products/62699">2017 planner</a>. <br />
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(mine is green), from Mochi Things<br />
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I organized my batteries in a tackle-box like thing which warrants mentioning only because it makes me ridiculously happy. We made <a href="http://www.blueistyleblog.com/2016/01/UpdatedRestaurantKitEatingOutKids.html">a restaurant emergency kit</a> because Henry is in a difficult dining phase. I'm mentally prepared to do the <a href="http://goop.com/the-annual-goop-detox-2/">Goop Cleanse</a> in 2 weeks.<br />
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<a href="https://www.thuglifeshirts.com/products/your-diet?pp=1">via</a></div>
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I'm starting a new "100 goals for 1000 days" list. I lost the last one I made but it was good priority check, and I love the time period--low pressure. I also fixed my Mac (finally) and tested my new Silhouette machine. So ring-a-ding-ding....<br />
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Stay warm!<br />
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<br />ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-26555924533813527932016-12-26T08:45:00.000-08:002017-02-04T04:21:43.855-08:00Book ReportI've been reading a little, but mostly looking at pictures. So here are my notes on some good tomes to curl up with this winter. Also remember your public library--you might be surprised, but the tax dollars keep going there even though most of us don't. But most have design books!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Parish-Hadley-Tree-Life-Intimate-Legendary/dp/1617691704/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481338363&sr=1-1&keywords=parish+hadley+tree+of+life">Parish Hadley Tree of Life</a><br />
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This was hard to put down. All of the alumni of Parrish Hadley write about their experiences, which is published surrounded by their own designs. Genius! Its like a short story collection. And while I thought I knew plenty about the firm's history, I definitely learned a ton. The eye candy is no joke either--it is really amazing to see how well good design aged. <br />
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Not what my 80s looked like....</div>
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This one is both educational and enjoyable.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/House-Country-Peter-Pennoyer/dp/0865653291/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481338389&sr=1-1&keywords=A+House+in+the+Country">A House in the Country</a><br />
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I think we all remember the AD coverage of Katie Ridder and Peter Pennoyer's country house. I mean, that atrium? Best. Skylight. Ever.<br />
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The beginning is a little more about them working together which was both sweet and not what I was looking for off the bat. But it reads well overall, and it is interesting to think about the possibilities of collaboration (says a control freak). The garden is pretty amazing, too. <br />
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Katie Ridder and I share a love of color and pattern, so it is no surprise this is one I plan to reference often. Because in my plans I'm out of touch with reality and forget that time and money are the problem not a lack of ready color schemes and fabric picks. <br />
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If you like this one, I do recommend Katie Ridder's last book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Katie-Ridder-Rooms-Heather-MacIssac/dp/0865652724/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482510893&sr=8-1&keywords=rooms+katie+ridder">Rooms</a> too. And now I know I'd totally hire Peter Pennoyer if I could afford it. He is dead on--Greek Revival is an under-appreciated style. <br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-All-American-Decorating-Timeless-Style/dp/0847848922/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481338414&sr=1-1&keywords=mark+d+sikes">Beautiful</a><br />
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For me, this was the "should have checked it out" buy. I love Mark's blog, and it is hard to find fault with his level of taste. But its hard for me to take away a lot of lessons. I do seek out books that are not quite me but that I feel will stretch my design sensibilities, but I'm not sure this was it. That said, it is a solid tome of eye candy. <br />
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For me, I'm not sure you want to do this look unless you have a shit ton of money. Because if you piece it together with Ballard and Potterybarn it will not be pretty. Your upholstery better be on fleek, and you should be punctuating the space with some heavy antiques. Like a-year-in-state-school-at- least antiques. <br />
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It is both more approachable but less "me" than Suzanne Kasler's work....which seems like a good topic to discuss in therapy. But for those who are way too afraid of color to dive into <i>A House in the Country</i>, this may be exactly what you need to inject some boho-free California vibes into your library. And a deeper study may teach you how to avoid looking liking a pottery barn catalouge while wrapping yourself in neutrals. It's all in the details and layering of finishes.<br />
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Next on my reading list: <br />
the new <a href="https://www.amazon.com/domino-Guide-Stylish-DOMINO-Books/dp/1501151878/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481338312&sr=8-2&keywords=domino">Domino </a>and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cecil-Beaton-Home-Interior-Life/dp/0847848779/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481338336&sr=8-1&keywords=cecil+beaton+at+home">Cecil Beaton at Home</a>. ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-3749758487813369582016-12-22T18:43:00.004-08:002016-12-22T18:43:48.086-08:00Last minute baking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, how 'bought some cookie talk? Here were my cheats--<br />
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Trade Joe's Ginger Molasses Cookies. They come out nice and large, and I rolled them in melted white chocolate and sprinkles. Literally. Melted the chocolate in small batches on a paper plate. I'm loving the new Ghiradelli's melts. They actually taste good. Gingerbread is an acquired taste, and I find most people (and kids) really just want ginger molasses cookies vs. real gingerbread cookies. Which is cool.</div>
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Sprinkle Sugar Cookies. I've made these a lot. Betty Crocker sugar cookies mix--standard prep. Take your ball of dough and roll it in sprinkles. You can also roll it in coconut, brown sugar and chopped pecans, sanding sugar....adjust based on your audience. These were sprinkle people, and I respect that. We used a custom mix, and some Sweetapolita Whoville sprinkles. I'll try to add some more pics, but they are not transferring right now and its almost bedtime. So check back if you are confused or don't believe me.<br />
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Peppermint White Chocolate Oreos. I love a chocolate covered Oreo. I did them in gold glitter for the Circus Party. Typically, I use a double stuffed Oreo on a long lollipop stick. However, for this party I knew I didn't want the long sticks based on my buffet setup, but the stick makes the chocolate covering much easier (dip it). So you can imagine how happy I was to see that white chocolate covered Oreos were at Meier. This elusive cookie is only out in the winter; if you have the will power, you should hoard some. Shelf stable and easy to style. I dipped the tops of the already coated cookie in some melted white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint. They looked pretty cute, and a chocolate covered Oreo never tastes too bad. </div>
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Homemade--<br />
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I used the Pioneer Woman's <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/gingerbread-cookies/">gingerbread recipe</a>. It was pretty good, definitely classic, but got a little bit hard quickly (despite following her tip of making thicker cookies, wrapping them, etc.). But it was a gingerbread party so I needed some gingerbread, and I don't really expect kids to like the gingerbread so I wasn't too upset that they were more looks than taste. It was a good amount of dough, though, and out of the oven it was delish.</div>
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Cake. </div>
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I had a few firedrills at work that week, so we ended up with a mix. I really like the Immaculate Baking Company--it is just the pre-mixed dry ingredients. Still need your soft butter and eggs. The filling was supposed to be whipped ganache, but I wasn't paying attention and didn't let the ganache set up before I started whipping it.....so we just made it into a buttercream. So I don't have a recipe for you. But for the pink buttercream, this is the ratio I remember using: You never know how much sugar I inhaled (the new mixer was a little difficult), so adjust until it seems right.</div>
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<ul class="simmer-ingredients" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.28px; line-height: 25.2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li class="simmer-ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 20px;"><span class="simmer-ingredient-amount" style="box-sizing: border-box;">4 1/2</span> <span class="simmer-ingredient-unit" style="box-sizing: border-box;">cups</span> <span class="simmer-ingredient-description" style="box-sizing: border-box;">powdered sugar</span></li>
<li class="simmer-ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 20px;"><span class="simmer-ingredient-amount" style="box-sizing: border-box;">1 1/2</span> <span class="simmer-ingredient-unit" style="box-sizing: border-box;">cups</span> <span class="simmer-ingredient-description" style="box-sizing: border-box;">butter, at room temperature</span></li>
<li class="simmer-ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 20px;"><span class="simmer-ingredient-unit" style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.28px; line-height: 25.2px;">3 tablespoons</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.28px; line-height: 25.2px;"> whole milk</span></li>
<li class="simmer-ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 20px;"><span class="simmer-ingredient-amount" style="box-sizing: border-box;">healthy dash of flavoring </span><span class="simmer-ingredient-description" style="box-sizing: border-box;">extract (we used vanilla)</span></li>
<li class="simmer-ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 20px;"><span class="simmer-ingredient-description" style="box-sizing: border-box;">pinch of salt</span></li>
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I made 2 batches....1.5 may have been enough. Remember to keep it at room temp for spreading, and don't forget to do a crumb coat first. There is no rushing a proper cake. It reminds you why we all love cupcakes these days. <br />
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Anyhoo, happy baking my pretties!<br />
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**Gingerbread party pics from<a href="http://www.lumaticimagery.com/Indianapolis-Photographer/Indianapolis-Photographer.html"> Lumatic Imagery</a>. ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-86911634249990386252016-12-19T21:04:00.001-08:002016-12-22T18:03:38.231-08:00I Heart Gingerbread Houses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey you guys--we had a gingerbread party! I've always wanted to have a gingerbread house making party, and Molly's winter b-day provided a good excuse. Believe it or not, this party was executed pretty easily because it had to be. With October and early November booked solid there wasn't much time for prep before Thanksgiving weekend (party was following Sunday). Loyal church members may notice that these party pics include a sneak peak of the new living room rug. All photos by my fav <a href="http://www.lumaticimagery.com/Indianapolis-Photographer/Indianapolis-Photographer.html">Lumatic Imagery</a>.</div>
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We kept the decor pretty simple--just homemade paper garlands. We did a dessert buffet, naturally. </div>
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Christmas cookies, gingerbread house cookies, and white chocolate covered Oreos rounded out the pickings. I'll try to do a separate post on baking but--spoiler--the spread was 50% homemade and 100% embellished. Some of you are cringing at the pointsetta on the buffet--yeah, not ideal but it created the necessary height to balance out the cake after my set of three stacking cake plates lost their larger, bottom layer to clumsiness. A close call, but I thought that side needed something. And about that cake......</div>
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Molly's favorite part of the party, the cake sort of stole the show (and arguably made those Christmas cookies look a little dowdy). Inspired by <a href="http://www.katherinesabbath.com/">Katherine Sabbath</a>, <a href="http://www.thepartyparade.com/p/build-cake_24.html">the Party Parade's Build-a-Cakes</a>, and freak cakes generally. I used a basic/fake buttercream (butter and confectioner's sugar, as opposed to a classic french buttercream with egg whites) and <a href="https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2016/04/drip-cake/">this recipe/instructions</a> for the chocolate drizzle. As long as your ganache has cooled a bit, and your buttercream has been in the fridge (I did 2 hours), it will not all melt together into a party-paralyzing puddle. And no, I didn't know that until noon the day of the party but I trusted the Internet. Practicing is a good idea, but not always possible. I found this <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Decorate-Smart-Icing-Smoother/dp/B007E8KCJA/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1482208570&sr=1-1&keywords=wilton+icing+smoother">icing smoother</a> and a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016BPTSU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">turntable </a>real game changers for getting the buttercream smooth. </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">We had red aprons for everyone. I thought that would be a nice favor, but really it is like sending dirty laundry home. Ideally they would have been personalized, but the printable iron-on paper was tricky on the textured cotton duck. Molly's teetered on the edge of usable, so I decided not to risk it on the others. If you have the budget, embroidery would be a nice option. </span><br />
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I pre-assembled all the gingerbread houses (Wilton kits from Michael's) on cake boards 10x14 cake boards. I did that Wednesday night, wrapped them in cling wrap and put them on top of the kitchen cabinets; we added a ice cream cone tree form but didn't glue it down for ease of icing it and creative freedom.. We had extra candy for the kids to use--peppermint sticks, mints, marshmallow snowmen, kisses, etc. and lots of sprinkle options. The polka-dot cups hold a bag of royal icing (from the kit) for each kid. </div>
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Hindsight is 20/20, but gingerbread on kraft-paper does not make for a dynamic photo.</div>
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So many masterpeices. In addition to the dirty aprons, we sent folks home with some themed lollies. Gingerbread men are from Oriental Trading, and the clear sprinkle and red glitter pops are courtesy of my brother. I figured he needed a new hobby. </div>
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The birthday girl was pleased and so we will file this as a W. </div>
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Both Charlotte and Molly stepped up to help with the party. Molly & Char baked most of the Christmas cookies, and those circle garlands don't punch themselves. And a set-up credit is owed to Charlotte--she is earning her stylist stripes: steaming out all the linens and backdrop, punching the favor tags, setting up the candy and generally cleaning like a demon. <br />
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Sources:<br />
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Milk Bottles: Target dollar spot.<br />
Candy for cake: Cracker Barrel, Party City, Wilton gingerbread embellishments (Target, Michaels), Fresh Market<br />
Red polka-dot paper: Paper Source (on buffet) and Michael's (runner on dining table)<br />
Buffet backdrop: Blue table cloth (Amazon) and plastic table cloth as drape (Party City--roll)<br />
Aprons: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Opromo-Colorful-Cotton-Canvas-Aprons/dp/B015CGTXNG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482207859&sr=8-3&keywords=red+cotton+apron+child">Amazon</a><br />
Clip Art (used for Molly's Apron, Lollipop tags and the not pictured invites): <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/483984618/gingerbread-man-gingerbread-house?ref=shop_home_active_3">Emily Peterson Studio</a><br />
"Molly" glitter topper: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/PaperMailParty?ref=l2-shopheader-name">PaperMailParty</a>ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-68801494390902863052016-12-14T04:00:00.000-08:002016-12-14T04:00:13.472-08:00A few more things I'm into right now....These are a little non-sequiter, but its what I've been searching this week:<br />
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Pagodas. But for Pets. DIY opportunity?<br />
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<a href="http://www.shopsocietysocial.com/products/pagoda-pet-palace">Society Social</a></div>
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No good link...can't find it anywhere!</div>
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If you want to pay a lot for a pet bed, but don't share my penchant for chinoiserie, <a href="http://www.kellywearstler.com/pet-accessories-decor/juxtapose-dog-house/HPE0022.html?cgid=pet-accessories-decor&dwvar_HPE0022_color=AS#start=1">K. Wearstler makes a modern version....</a><br />
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Mermaid Tiles. Need these somewhere.....Why aren't they ubiquitous? Totally works.<br />
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<a href="https://www.brit.co/fish-scale-tiles/">There is a whole round-up over on Brit + Co.</a> </div>
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Emily Henderson Design</div>
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<br />ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-6049437379110657952016-11-29T20:20:00.001-08:002016-11-29T21:02:28.271-08:00Weekly Devotional: 11.29.16Did everyone have a good thanksgiving? I didn't travel and I didn't host and it was .....magical. I did pretty much all my Black Friday-ing online. I always hit Gap/OldNavy/BR, J Crew, Kate Spade, and Lands End. Every year. What are y'alls go to's? Who am I missing? (Amazon doesn't count anymore). <br />
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Don't worry if you spent all your money. Other people have plenty of it. And we can just look at their homes. If living in Notting Hill isn't sweet enough, these guys killed it on the interiors. <a href="https://www.1stdibs.com/project/notting-hill-family-house-london-gb/4863/">Via 1st Dibs</a>.<br />
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A lovely NY home by an architect. I think this first appeared in AD, but maybe I'm crazy. It's on <a href="http://www.cottages-gardens.com/New-York-Cottages-Gardens/May-2014/Architect-David-Howells-Gramercy-Park-Apartment/">New York Cottages & Gardens</a>. <br />
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How 'bout some farm houses?<br />
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One from <a href="http://www.ruemag.com/home-tour-2/a-new-old-18th-century-home">Rue</a>:<br />
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And one from <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.com/2016/09/juniper-studio-cabin-project-great-room-kitchen-and-guest-bedroom.html/">LGN</a>. Well, this is more cabin than farmhouse but still.<br />
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Truth be told, I'm only so-so on farmhouses. Although the amount of tile in the kitchen is truly impressive. One thing I don't have to caveat? A lacquered ceiling with a huge chandelier. From the Southeastern Designer's Showhouse in ATL. <br />
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<a href="http://www.sarahsarna.com/">via</a></div>
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Switching gears to non interiors offerings, if you had forgotten about your wanderlust problem, try this collection of photos <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/national-geographic-travel-photographer-contest-winners_us_577ba636e4b04164641090e2">on Huff Post</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A8X6um7giY0/WD4Wul2l7OI/AAAAAAAASh8/aJkCwFYbato4Lc7buV_YzMlABEb8cVe8QCEw/s1600/577ba83419000025002194d1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A8X6um7giY0/WD4Wul2l7OI/AAAAAAAASh8/aJkCwFYbato4Lc7buV_YzMlABEb8cVe8QCEw/s1600/577ba83419000025002194d1.jpeg" /></a></div>
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And for some self improvement, here are 8 amazing TED Talks every woman should watch in her 20s. And they are good for those of us who were 30 when TED Talks started. <br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZE8bCTCUESc/WD4WxIE6gdI/AAAAAAAASh8/Od1fKPzuboob00A70dD2bxU3A7k98ku0wCEw/s1600/best-ted-talks-for-women-070715-624x468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZE8bCTCUESc/WD4WxIE6gdI/AAAAAAAASh8/Od1fKPzuboob00A70dD2bxU3A7k98ku0wCEw/s1600/best-ted-talks-for-women-070715-624x468.jpg" /></a></div>
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I'm writing this while waiting for Charlotte's ballet class to get out. The class in the studio by the waiting room is playing a piano rendition of <i>I Dreamed A Dream</i> from Les Miserables. Is it just that I spent too much time at an performing arts boarding school, or does that song make everyone SO SAD? Not sure and need to test it? Here is<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmHcDWrMH-8"> Anne Hathaway</a> and here is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p6OH7FoWoQ">Ruthie Henshal</a>l<br />
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(for those who ONLY kick it West End style) <br />
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Yep, I'm a little rusty at these devotionals but I'm sure its just like riding a bike.ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-78287860730203871412016-11-15T07:04:00.000-08:002016-11-15T07:04:01.592-08:00New favs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RRjqFX6bhmo/WCsiVltReGI/AAAAAAAASf4/efUSYXgwGw8Ygv8SuA8TqHf9tmUUkSDuACLcB/s1600/b1319d1b9ee54744aa0acc0c4b7d43fb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RRjqFX6bhmo/WCsiVltReGI/AAAAAAAASf4/efUSYXgwGw8Ygv8SuA8TqHf9tmUUkSDuACLcB/s640/b1319d1b9ee54744aa0acc0c4b7d43fb.jpg" width="554" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">La Sylphide du Bolshoi <a href="http://lasylphidedubolchoi.tumblr.com/post/134127168310/photo-by">via</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">We had a busy weekend with lots of ballet and an Ikea run. Looking forward to Indy's new Ikea (2018) so I don't have to drive 2 hours for affordable pillar candles and throw-away rugs. But I had some new favorites I need to declare:</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><a href="https://www.houseofhackney.com/midnight-garden-velvet.html">New favorite upholstery option:</a> House of Hackney's 'Midnight Garden' cotton velvet.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: calibri, sans-serif;">Chic. Hides stains. I'm declaring it the chic-est kid friendly fabric ever. </span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: calibri, sans-serif;">Too bad I can't afford it. In my head, I'm slipcovering my sofa in it (or buying a <a href="https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/category/products.jsp?categoryId=cat80012">RH Belgian Track Arm</a> and slipcovering it....also delightful on trad roll arm varieties). Wouldn't that be the most? </span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: calibri, sans-serif;">Probably out of place in South Florida and Cali, but the rest of the country can enjoy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><a href="http://degournay.com/%E2%80%98deco-monkeys%E2%80%99-design-part-custom?return_url=L3dhbGxwYXBlcnM%2FY29sbGVjdGlvbj1lY2xlY3RpYyZkZXNpZ249YWxsJmNvbG9yPWFsbCZyb29tPWFsbCZwYWdlPTA%3D">New favorite powder room or entry wallpaper</a>: de Gournay's 'Deco Monkeys'</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lZTqsJXf82A/WCozAt8aEmI/AAAAAAAASfg/RM-xopjzvJU-2MSZUsqgYRLGYuQzYH25QCLcB/s1600/61199-6471525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lZTqsJXf82A/WCozAt8aEmI/AAAAAAAASfg/RM-xopjzvJU-2MSZUsqgYRLGYuQzYH25QCLcB/s640/61199-6471525.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: calibri, sans-serif;">This is a category that is generally boundless, but right now these monkey's are bringing it with their art deco era charm. Not as over-exposed as some of my chinoiserie favs. Other colorways available, but this custom sterling leaf background is amazing. Didn't bother to price it b/c, you know, de Gournay. Probably costs as much as a year of college, and I'll have 12 of those coming up so will power.</span></div>
<br />ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-73344371657830537182016-11-10T15:10:00.001-08:002016-11-10T18:19:48.341-08:00Hey there, #pantsuitnation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FxPmpX8LQEs/WCT6FnoL8fI/AAAAAAAASeo/gza9brsaID0nh9j8yQtLoAbbrJLDAqy0wCLcB/s1600/PattonOswaldCapture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FxPmpX8LQEs/WCT6FnoL8fI/AAAAAAAASeo/gza9brsaID0nh9j8yQtLoAbbrJLDAqy0wCLcB/s1600/PattonOswaldCapture.PNG" /></a></div>
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Holy. Shit. I'm not sure where you all are in the grieving process. I for one have stopped ranting in my head about racism, and the overwhelming despair has lifted to an even-keeled, generally functioning depression. I've largely stayed off of the internet these last few days, but my better half recommended <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-a-difference-2-percentage-points-makes/">this piece from the 538 blog</a> and I agree--math is always there when you need logical perspective. Or you could read t<a href="http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/11/bittersweet-funny-election-tweets-to-get-you-through.html">his round-up of funny election tweets</a>--they're just OK, my fav being "<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c2022; font-family: Helvetica, Roboto, "Segoe UI", Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">I predict that zero babies will be born 9 months from tonight.</span>" </div>
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But do you know what always makes me feel better? Balloons. You can't be mad at balloons. So I've rallied my best balloon pics to cheer you up. </div>
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Geronimo Balloons via Instagram</div>
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Oh Happy Day's 10 year anniversary party; via Instagram</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOxd7-zGaOc/WCT6fFRGYwI/AAAAAAAASe0/bmAVRMqgbX4lk-UDdqIJBR1i3BzyaVbsgCEw/s1600/PoppiesForGrace2Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOxd7-zGaOc/WCT6fFRGYwI/AAAAAAAASe0/bmAVRMqgbX4lk-UDdqIJBR1i3BzyaVbsgCEw/s1600/PoppiesForGrace2Capture.PNG" /></a></div>
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via Poppies for Grace</div>
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via Buzzfeed</div>
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<a href="http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/clemence-poesy-glamour-uk-february-2012">via</a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kmgiyAC5iuI/V7DICPrW9sI/AAAAAAAASC0/Gwixh3yTM0Ihf6bqQoHaYQ89AfdwuB2WACLcB/s1600/8e93fd33f386da569efe4ac71ca85d78%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kmgiyAC5iuI/V7DICPrW9sI/AAAAAAAASC0/Gwixh3yTM0Ihf6bqQoHaYQ89AfdwuB2WACLcB/s1600/8e93fd33f386da569efe4ac71ca85d78%2B%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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via Babble</div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BGGQDznC0qJ/">via</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/bubblegumballoons/product/three-foot-confetti-ballonn">via</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2015/12/5-balloon-diys-for-your-holiday-party.html">via</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/236927219/6-sets-of-36-inch-large-balloon-tassel">via</a></div>
<br />ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-67413395314252175402016-11-01T00:00:00.000-07:002016-11-01T00:00:14.887-07:00Happy All Saints Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hope you guys had a Happy Halloween! So you know about the cowgirl, and to round out our loose theme of "classic Halloween" is a firetruck and a genie. One more of that firetruck.<br />
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Adorbs. It's like a cheesy ad for the portrait studio.</div>
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So this has been a crazy few months. And mostly I neglected you, but I did try to post last week and apparently my laptop died of neglect. I still have to spend some time at the Genius Bar--I'm on borrowed assets right now, but I had to send a message to the faithful. </div>
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Since we last spoke, I interviewed and hired a new nanny. She seems nice. We had a trip to Florida planned and hurricaned out. I've been to New York, Chicago, Charlotte and Nashville. My basement continues to mysteriously flood at the slightest amount of rain. After much nail biting and walking around with swatches, I bought a rug and a couch. We did our annual Halloween photos, obvs. I co-chaired the 5th grade renaissance fair because why not. And some more stuff, but I'm already boring myself so I'll spare you.</div>
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So what was fun? NY (and Chicago, for that matter) made me feel a little old. So I bought some stuff to weird up my wardrobe. </div>
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Glasses, TopShop. Coat, Zara.</div>
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Also, I went to CB2 in Soho....and it was surprisingly nice. Way nicer than I remember. I mean everyone loved the Peekaboo tables, but their upholstery was a little....suspicious. In person, <a href="http://www.cb2.com/cue-chair-with-brass-legs/s121511">these chairs </a>were smokin'. They also have a good selection of upholstery material. RH could take notes. </div>
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I also think this bathroom set might be worth buying, even though I have 2 sets of uninstalled bathroom hardware in a closet somewhere.</div>
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I also checked out <a href="https://www.draperjames.com/">Reese Witherspoon's store</a>, Draper James, in Nashville. It was very cute, and had an AMAZING Lindsey Adelman chandelier. </div>
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The clothes were a little pricey, but really lovely in person and seemed like good quality. Lots of kitschy cocktail napkins, which I'm on the fence about. It's like a bumper sticker--how long will it be funny? That is a lot of pressure for embroidery. But they give out free sweet tea with a cute paper straw and a paper wrapper that takes care of your cup sweating, so they get props from me. It's also next door to Sprinkles. </div>
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As for Chicago...<a href="http://www.hm.com/us/product/47350?article=47350-C#article=47350-A">these monkeys</a> stole my heart. I was weighed down with kids clothes, so I had to leave them behind but I may send for them by mail. </div>
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<br />ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-22400326335029148992016-09-29T19:58:00.000-07:002016-09-29T19:58:01.018-07:00Well shit.<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, I was trying to research how genies are portrayed in popular culture. When did they become harem girls? This is not an easy question to answer. </div>
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But then my nanny gave me her 2 weeks notice. She is going to be a journalist, lest anyone think I ran her away. So I have work to do. Like finding another nanny. Well shit. So I was thinking about my favorite nannies....since my main requirement is driving Charlotte to ballet, none are actually suited for the position. Ironic?</div>
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<br />ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-3036813624910229332016-09-26T18:58:00.000-07:002016-09-26T18:58:50.798-07:00Nudie<div style="text-align: justify;">
So you guys may have thought there was some weird reference/disjointed writing in the last post, it was because I thought I had already hit publish on this one! </div>
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But anyhoo, the 40s cowgirl costume appears to be based on the iconic work of Nudie Cohn. I threw down a Nudie Cohn reference in my house and it was not picked up. So on the chance that you are missing this piece of new world design, here you go.</div>
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudie_Cohn">Nudie Cohn, via Wikipedia:</a><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Nuta Kotlyarenko</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">, known professionally as </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Nudie Cohn</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> (December 15, 1902 – May 9, 1984), was a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Ukraine">Ukrainian</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">-born </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="United States">American</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailor" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Tailor">tailor</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> who designed decorative </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinestone" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Rhinestone">rhinestone</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">-covered suits, known popularly as "Nudie Suits", and other elaborate outfits for some of the most famous celebrities of his era.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rhinestone_1-0" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudie_Cohn#cite_note-rhinestone-1" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[1]</a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudie_Cohn#cite_note-2" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[2]</a></sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> He also became famous for his outrageous customized automobiles.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><a href="http://www.latoiletteetseseffets.com/nudie-cohn-farwest-etincelant/">via</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nudie may have started out making undergarments for showgirls (and what tailor named Nudie wouldn't go there first?), but it is his suits are what he is remembered for. Nudie's most famous suit is the $10,000 gold lame suit that Elvis donned for an album cover.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 22.4px;">But the gold lame number is not exactly a "Nudie Suit". Nudie Suits are the crazy embroidered and embellished numbers favored by country music stars. Including the band The Burrito Brothers, who I have never heard of but by the time you read this I will be fully versed on their catalogue and history. He started out with country music, and while he dabbled in other things in the 70s and 80s, country is what he did best. He started making stage wear for country stars in the mid 40s, after moving to California. (Oh, and I think he came up with putting giant bull horns on the front of your Cadillac). </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">A sampling of Nudie Suits.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.timegoesby.net/weblog/2015/01/elder-music-nudie-suits.html">Hank Williams</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.timegoesby.net/weblog/2015/01/elder-music-nudie-suits.html">Roy Rogers</a></div>
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<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/66/3a/66/663a662403b15c9ff9d22815f5a72753.jpg">Merle Travis</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.latoiletteetseseffets.com/nudie-cohn-farwest-etincelant/">via</a></div>
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Patsy Cline</div>
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A dress for Patsy Cline</div>
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A dress for Dale Evans on the Roy Rogers show</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">He did all of Robert Redford's clothes for the movie Electric Horseman.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">Nudie Suits are pretty collectible. After 1963, Nudie added a bolero to the girl on the label. Buyer beware.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UcbL1M7XMt8/V-CYri5nyUI/AAAAAAAASSs/WnYQd2Wegjk5gYjZiwzKF6HenBh8QextwCLcB/s1600/160128173117-nudie-rodeo-tailors-exlarge-169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="359" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UcbL1M7XMt8/V-CYri5nyUI/AAAAAAAASSs/WnYQd2Wegjk5gYjZiwzKF6HenBh8QextwCLcB/s640/160128173117-nudie-rodeo-tailors-exlarge-169.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span></span>ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-48951877963131256482016-09-25T20:26:00.000-07:002016-09-25T20:26:10.676-07:00Where have all the cowgirls gone?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wondered what the context was for my Nudie Cohn reference? Well, it's Halloween time and Molly is going to be a 40s Cowgirl, <a href="http://www.chasing-fireflies.com/-2740s-cowgirl-costume-for-girls/194297">as imagined by Chasing Fireflies</a>. I clicked buy, and then bought some red cowgirl boots at Target b/c $60 for "costume" quality footwear on Chasing Fireflies seemed high. A true win would have been these Stella McCartney Kids cowgirl boots.<br />
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Killing it.<br />
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I did a little research for hair and makeup purposes. Now what makes a costume "40s cowgirl" as opposed to "50s cowgirl"? Nothing. Other than Halloween teaching our children that the 50s are about sock-hops and grease. Children might be confused if we shove too much into one decade.<br />
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Dale Evans is probably queen of the vintage cowgirls. Married to Roy Rogers, she had plenty of reasons to wear crazy western apparel that is absolutely impractical for actually being a cow hand.<br />
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<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d1/c5/44/d1c544bfd3c9feb6aa368a798e7d05a1.jpg">via</a></div>
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One of her Nudie Cohn dresses :)</div>
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Need more vintage cowgirl to start your day? No problem. <br />
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Yep, Veronica Lake in Western wear. You're welcome.</div>
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<a href="http://dakota-rodeo.blogspot.com/2011/12/honky-tonk-angels.html">via</a></div>
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THESE BOOTS!!!</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TRk5-4svTkQ/V-Cgj2p682I/AAAAAAAASUg/SCimX4CowFUcbX5iq7GQGPAghypnq64wgCLcB/s1600/cee34ba81f411ee2ec29f3869d66268f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TRk5-4svTkQ/V-Cgj2p682I/AAAAAAAASUg/SCimX4CowFUcbX5iq7GQGPAghypnq64wgCLcB/s1600/cee34ba81f411ee2ec29f3869d66268f.jpg" /></a></div>
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OK, this is a "Texas Circus", but it seemed visually similar</div>
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This stuff is still floating around vintage shops, just waiting to be restyled by hipsters.<br />
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And where did all the cowgirls go? Pills & booze. Skin cancer. Plane crashes, car crashes and horse crashes. It was a hard life. <br />
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<i>Unless otherwise marked, images from Google Image Search for <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=flowers+and+fringe+on+vintage+western+wear&espv=2&biw=1440&bih=759&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi6_vao75zPAhVDOz4KHXtFAtsQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=_">"flowers and fringe on vintage western wear"</a> and <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/mrsvicki72/vintage-western/">this</a> Pinterest board. </i><br />
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ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-37360213352284810512016-09-19T18:43:00.004-07:002016-09-19T18:43:57.726-07:00Life in Plastic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_sQpJlOyHpk/V-CI8mJ1cMI/AAAAAAAASQA/mI6-OHnJqRQI9AzGqmgJSbA4Nkvv1kkbACEw/s1600/Screenshot%2B2016-09-19%2B20.22.36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_sQpJlOyHpk/V-CI8mJ1cMI/AAAAAAAASQA/mI6-OHnJqRQI9AzGqmgJSbA4Nkvv1kkbACEw/s1600/Screenshot%2B2016-09-19%2B20.22.36.png" /></a></div>
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via Charlotte Olympia's Instagram Feed</div>
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So I don't know about your social media feeds, but Charlotte Olympia's #letsgobananas fashion show was lighting up mine. As well it should--<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BKgqPl5gbES/?taken-by=charlotte_olympia">girls in sequin bathing suits, dancing with bananas</a>. That's my kind of show. But did you know, just weeks ago, the Charlotte Olympia Barbie dropped? Along with her Barbie inspired foot wear. Vogue coverage <a href="http://www.vogue.com/13472497/charlotte-olympia-new-collaboration-barbie/">here</a>. <br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">I want this Barbie. So. Bad. I'd be one of those weirdos who leave them in their box and just stare at it. I priced it, thinking maybe Charlotte would want it and justify my purchase. $125 from her site. A little rich for Christmas. Le sigh.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.livinggazette.com/page/3/">via</a></div>
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I mean, she has a tiny ceramic leopard! It reminds me of the ceramic leopard I had to pass up while antiquing on vacation....I have a lot of non-purchase regrets. I remember all of them. But let's talk about the shoes. While I consider most of her shoes too impractical for me, they remind me of my old shoe-buying self. <br />
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<a href="http://www.livinggazette.com/page/3/">via Living Gazette</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And in other news of my morning instagram wormhole, did you know there was a HUGE Barbie exhibit at the <span style="line-height: 38.016px;">Musée des Arts Décoratifs</span> in Paris? It closed Sunday. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/en/exhibitions/last-exhibitions/barbie" style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">via</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There was a Barbie exhibit here in Indy at the Children's Museum a few years ago. I wasn't expecting much, but it turned out marvelous--full of Jonathan Adler furniture and ghost chairs. Plus, there were some pretty cool Barbies...which no one would stare at with me because of all the activities there were. But if I thought the curation was good here....from what you can catch online this was mind blowing.</span></div>
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Malibu Ken and Malibu Barbie! <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3484259/Are-glamorous-Barbies-Iconic-dolls-dressed-catwalk-models-Marie-Antoinette-display-Paris.html">via</a></div>
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I really love the vignettes. <br />
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Where can I buy tiny gold chivari chairs for the girls Barbies? Where?</div>
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Here is an excerpt <a href="http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/en/exhibitions/last-exhibitions/barbie">from the Musee write up on the show</a>:<br />
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 19.36px; line-height: 28.072px;">Directly inspired by the German advertising doll Lili, Barbie was launched with her own mythology : born in Wisconsin, Barbara Millicent Roberts has a family and clearly identified friends, but her age has deliberately never been specified so that she can embody either an adolescent or a young woman. She successively has been a high school pupil, university student, nurse and airhostess before exercising more than 150 professions, from the most traditional to the most avant-garde. Barbie has been a vet several times, a palaeontologist, computer scientist, racing driver, schoolteacher, doctor, ballerina, policewoman, and even a presidential candidate four times and an astronaut before Neil Armstrong in 1965. Her ever-present boyfriend, Ken has become just as famous. Barbie is more than just a doll, she is a life.</span></blockquote>
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P.S.: if you missed it, we are about to embark on a new era of normal Barbies--they come "curvy", "petite", and "tall". I assume they mean 2 types of fat and short legged. But yay!<br />
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<br />ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025675364019272118.post-89306486872819379122016-08-28T14:24:00.001-07:002016-08-28T14:24:07.561-07:00Better Living through Pinterest: Unicorn Bark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'd seen the Unicorn Bark here and there. And bark, as a candy, seems like a good place to start--no intimidating molds. Fueled by the chards of interesting chocolate needed to make a freak cake, I figured we should try it out....practice for some party down the road. So we rounded up some supplies....</div>
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(not pictured, pop rocks....they do add a little something)</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Wilton Melts are fine and good, but let's be real: they taste like shit. Coating a cake ball or Oreo is fine, but on their own (e.g., bark) I figured it would be gross. I've been itching to try coloring chocolate, and this seemed like a good excuse. I had used the new Ghiradelli melts at the Circus Party (chocolate covered Oreos) and they were super easy (no tempering) and seemed to taste pretty good so we bought a ton of the white chocolate melts. To color chocolate, you can't use water based food coloring (i.e., normal food coloring). You'll need oil based food coloring, also known as candy coloring. I haven't explored the science of this yet, but it seems that people use oil based coloring in hard candy as well (artisanal lollipops are on the docket).</span><br />
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After perusing Youtube and the internet, it was hard to find a definitive recommendation on the candy coloring. So we tried oil based powder, and four kinds of liquid/gel oil based coloring:</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000VLRR4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Lorann Oils Powder Food Color</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QEXONGO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Lorann Oils Liquid Food Color</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BCQ8O0E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">ChefMaster Liquid Candy Color</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006FWVX/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Wilton Candy Colors</a></div>
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I liked ChefMaster the best, followed by Wilton. The intensity of both were good, but the Chef Master squeeze bottles are more convenient than pots. The Lorann Oils were pretty good, but the liquid initially freaked me out looking separated (worked find) and the powder I found really difficult to fully incorporate in the melted chocolate (supposedly its great with fondant). Note that Americolor gets rave reviews, but it was not Prime-able, so we have yet to grab some.<br />
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I reviewed these instructions (<a href="http://studiodiy.com/2016/06/22/summer-fun-white-chocolate-pocky-bark/">Studio DIY</a>, <a href="http://www.hellowonderful.co/post/MAGICAL-RAINBOW-UNICORN-CANDY-BARK">Hello Wonderful</a>), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xCFCgTrU08">this Youtube video</a>, and the <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/1043580/chocolate-bark-recipes">Martha Chocolate Bark instructions</a>. I agree with Martha--you'll want to do about a pound of chocolate per pan. That gives you a nice thick bark. For cake decorating (or freak shakes), it could/should be thinner. And that is it. Lots of clean-up, but a relatively easy and forgiving edible project.<br />
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Start with your parchment sheet over something firm (used a jelly roll pan/sheet pay with sides)<br />
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Batch #1 after marbelizing, before sprinkles.<br />
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Batch 1 results.<br />
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Last batch, with sprinkles and disco dust.<br />
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Last batch results.<br />
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A few tips:</div>
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<li>I melted the white chocolate in separate bowls, ready for the different colors. Watch over-heating the chocolate--they break easily (it will be almost melted, and then you pull it out again and it looks dry and crumbly in the middle). For bark, I found that whipping really hard can bring back a partially broken batch to usability for bark (maybe not for a coating....). </li>
<li>We went with a formula of white or pale base, with three medium or bright colors to swirl. The same number of sprinkles (just so they didn't use ALL the sprinkles....).</li>
<li>This was a kid project, and sometimes kids are slower than the chocolate allows--if you put your oven on low (I used 200 degrees), you can put the pan of un-swirled chocolate in there to keep it soft....for those times someone wanted one more color to add or had not figured out their sprinkle game yet.</li>
<li>Online, people claimed they swirled it around with a spatula. They must have mad spatula skills, as that looked terrible for me. It blends the colors quite a bit, which is a slippery slope. We used skewers to swirl and marbleize the chocolate.</li>
<li>Disco dust makes everything better</li>
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Even with Ghiradelli, I am not a huge fan of plain white chocolate on its own. From a taste perspective, our middle batch was my favorite: we put a layer of dark chocolate down, stuck it in the freezer, and then poured our Unicorn Bark on top. You do have to watch pulling the dark chocolate up with your swirling.</div>
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Also note that we forgot about the purple and started marbleizing; because the dark chocolate had started to pull up already, Molly opted to splatter/drizzle it over the top.</div>
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Warning, it is super addictive...which is why we made three batches. I think it would be fun for a party or party favor, or a class Valentine. <br />
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A word on sprinkles: they add up quickly. Making the perfect mix of sprinkles is key for unicorn bark, and the current trend for cupcakes and cakes, but it not easy if you don't have access to a professional pastry store. But blogger Sweetapolita has recognized this problem, and sells an enormous number of "Medleys" on her store. They seem expensive, but trust me when I say you'll spend more making the mix yourself (esp. if all you need is one party's worth of cupcakes or bark).</div>
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SPRINKLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</div>
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ROKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00472941692160664140noreply@blogger.com2