Madeleines { a french treat !}

For Christmas, my sweet and thoughtful mother in law gave me a lovely Madeleine pan. I've always wanted one of these! I found Julia Child's "Les Madeleines de Commercy" recipe and had lots of fun making, sharing, (& eating!) them. I also learned a few new baking skills!
The recipe is from Hungry Sofia at http://hungrysofia.com/2010/08/06/julia-childs-madeleines-de-commercy/
and the pan is a really nice Wilton non-stick pan. Both the recipe and the pan worked perfectly! Definitely a new favorite.

Happy Birthday to Me! {part 2}

Happy Birthday to Me! {the big 3-oh, part 1}

I had a wonderful birthday this year. I have to admit I did shed a few tears on the night of my birthday eve as I was sad to say goodbye to my twenties and the end of an era in my life. But by morning, I was ready to greet the day and all that lay ahead. My gourmet chef hubby made my favorite fetticine alfredo the night before and it was awesome. I also great presents from my parents.
Then my birthday was a holiday so we had no school or work and got to play as a family together all day. When I woke up I was greeted with one of my favorite breakfasts: oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins, a glass of apple juice and a mug of hot chocolate.
Then I was treated to a lovely pedicure complete with sparkly pink polish.
Then my husband took us out to lunch and on the way home he sat in the car with the kids so I could run into a few thrift stores. So fun! For $1.75 I picked up this 6- glass votive holder thing I'm picturing I could repurpose for organizing cake sprinkles, little craft stuff or art supplies. (any other ideas?) and a rustic looking fleur de les candle holder.
That night we had friends over for dinner and double chocolate cake and ice cream. Yummy and fun!
On Friday some friends took me out to eat at the awesome chinese buffet for lunch.
Then to top it all off, Friday night me and some great friends put on our sparkly shoes and went to mexican for dinner and dessert, then watched "The Help" on blue-ray and finished it off with a virtual nintendo connect dance off! It was such a blast.
Thank you everyone for making my birthday so wonderful! Here's to Thirty and the next chapter!

Kid Craft: Sock Kitties

Supplies: adult size knee-high socks, strong & fast drying fabric glue or hot glue, stuffing, yarn, felt scraps, embroidery floss.
Step 1: turn sock inside out and flatten it with heel on one side. Cut ear shapes from center of toe. Glue or stitch ends together.
Step 2: when dry, turn sock right side out, using a stick or pencil to point the ears. Push stuffing in ears, then stuff the rest just past the heel.
Step 3: cut sock's leg into 3 equal strips and braid to almost the end. Secure the end with yarn and knot. Tie yarn around cat's neck.
Step 4: cut small felt circles, pupils and nose. Glue three 3" strands of floss across back of nose then glue on features.

My Coffee Filter Wreath

Isn't so cute? I just love it. And it only cost $1!

Coffee Filter Wreath Party!

My friends and I decided to get together to make the Coffee Filter Wreath. Last time I made a round white one, which I love, and this time to be different I made a square brown one.
I asked my friends ahead of time if they wanted round or square. I cut the forms from cardboard and wrapped them with white crepe paper just to cover the raw edges and make them look nicer in case you could see them under the filters. Then I showwd them how to make them and we had a great time doing it!
They chose red and pink ribbon for Valentine's Day and they turned out so cute!
To see my original Coffee Filter Wreath and directions, go here http://rebeccasroundup.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-take-on-coffee-filter-wreath.html

Quick Fix Tip: {shaving pills off a rug}

Have you ever had a sweater that after wearing got pills all over it? You know, those tiny knots of textile that wad up all over and make something look worn out and ten years old? Well did you know that you can solve that problem by simply shaving them off with a razor?
I got a new rug from Target last summer. It's supposed to be one of those "squishy soft under your feet" types. Problem is, you can't throw the thing in the wash like a normal rug. On top of that, to my dismay, shortly after using it, it started developing huge pills. I love Target but I am sorry to say I do not love this rug. Consumer rating's going way down in my book!
Well, today I had had enough and decided to use the ol' shave the pills off trick. It worked perfectly!
Whenever using this trick, whether with a sweater, a rug, or whatever else you may find, make sure your victim lays flat and shave in one direction only.
After it was clean shaven (!), all the lovely dirt marks were quite clear. I spot cleaned with an old rag and water, and it's almost like my rug is good as new! (oh wait, it IS still sort of new. Darn thing's less than 6 months old. Oh well, now I know. Stick with the ones you can throw in the wash and don't pill!)
But as always, it's very satisfying to fix a problem quickly, easily, and without spending a penny.
Have you ever found anything needing a "clean shave" around your house?

"Welcome" to 2012: {no cost welcome sign from scrap wood}

Happy New Year!
If you saw my Christmas decor for December, you might have noticed a cute little welcome sign by the front door.
I came up with this idea after trying to figure out what to do with my last wood beam scrap. ( you can see what I did with the last one in my Pottery Barn inspired candle holder here: http://rebeccasroundup.blogspot.com/2011/11/pottery-barn-inspired-wood-tealight.html).
Directions for wood welcome sign:
1. Sand beam. This one is approximately 3.25"w x 5.24"d x 14.5"l. Then spray paint, let dry and sand edges for rustic look.
2. If you have one of those fancy schmancy vinyl cutting machines, it would really come in handy here. For the rest of us, find a font that you like on the computer then print them up and make your own "stencils". Get out the ruler and make sure the letters are centered and where you want them. I left space at the top so I could put a bow around the sign above the word. Find a dull pencil and trace your letters, pressing through to the wood.
3. Using acrylic paint of your choice and thin paintbrush, fill in where you traced the letters, making sure you have LOTS of patience for this part and no kids around to bump the table :)
4. Spray with protective coating or clear varnish if desired. Tie bow around top. You can see I will be changing them out with the holidays/months. I did a Christmas plaid for December and a white sparkly to match my Winter wreath.
And your done!