grown up s'mores

if you're like me, you like s'mores more for the experience of the fire and the friends, than the actual taste. the chocolate never melts enough, the marshmallow is always sticky and messy and the graham crackers fall apart with every bite. well, let me introduce you to s'mores on a stick. i think i ran across this on a blog while i was prepping for my party, and i just had to make them.

really REALLY simple to make. start with a bag of marshmallows, a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and a box of graham crackers. melt the chocolate with a double burner or if you don't have one just a metal bowl inside a pan like me. crush the crackers and have them at the ready, about 6 squares. put sticks in each marshmallow. then once everything's ready start dipping and coating. refrigerate to set the chocolate. SO easy and pretty tasty. plus, mess free. this would probably be great for little hands.

the inbetween

one of the things i miss most about brooklyn, and the city in general, is the architecture. everywhere you look there's history and beautiful buildings and detailed artwork. so when i see that here in connecticut, i have to photograph it. i remind myself that there's just as much beauty in new england {i adore you new england, nyc was just a fling, i promise}.

this church is right behind my apartment. well, there's a cemetery between us, but it's not a creepy cemetery, if there is such a thing. i thought it would be a beautiful wedding location, gravesites and all and just yesterday we drove by and sure enough, there was a bride and groom out front having pictures taken.

these churches are amazingly beautiful and i waited patiently for just the right sky to capture them. i think it was worth it. i love how gorgeous the colors in these images are, the blues and the greens are just amazing. i'd like to chronicle all the churches of connecticut maybe just for myself, maybe for a photo book. i'm sure it's been done before, but i like the idea of photo projects, even if i never finish them.

maids of honor

there was this amazing dessert that i spent almost all of my childhood holiday gatherings indulging in. my friends aunt made them and i thought they must have been the most time-consuming ridiculously difficult thing to make. well turns out, they only taste like that.

as you know, i make nothing from scratch, so this is the perfect recipe for me. all you need is some pre-made pie crusts, some raspberry jam/jelly, vanilla frosting and a box of vanilla cake mix.

cut circles from the pie crusts using a cookie cutter (or go ghetto like me and just use the top lip of a glass cup). place the pie in a muffin tin. place a tablespoon of jam in the cup. top with a tablespoon of cake mix (made according to the box directions).
bake for 25 minutes at 350º. when they come out of the oven and cool, top with frosting. i used some cherries for garnish, but you can decorate with whatever you want. i suggest refridgerating these bad boys and eating them cold. so delicious. luckily i have some leftover supplies to make a new batch for the party. these guys aren't making it to tomorrow night.

chirp chirp

more inventory for the party. i just set up the menu today and i'll be starting on some of the desserts later. yum.

match me

i'm still here, i'm just madly prepping for the party. i have to say, i think i'm a little overexcited about this. i have an insane amount of pendants to display and a really good amount of everything else, including newbies like chip clips and makeup pouches.

i'm going to tackle the menu and the shopping tomorrow, but i've already bought all the paper and plasticware and of course, an adorable pink and fushia striped table cloth. the trick will be in the displays...

the matchbook notepads are some of the free fare to be distributed and i'll also be hosting a little raffle for some lucky party-goers, so everyone is gauranteed to go home happy!

computer cozy

it sounds much more comfortable than 'laptop sleeve', no?

the apartment is all a frenzy with piles of fabric everywhere and tiny crafting supplies embedded in the carpet. i'm gearing up for the party next weekend and even though i only have 3 rsvp'd guests (ha!) i'm genuinely excited. anyway, amidst all the crazy, i sat down and spent an hour making an easy laptop cover from some ikea fabric and a recycled blanket for padding. after some freehand quilting to keep the blanket in place, i created an envelope design with an easy velcro opening and voi la. should i make you guys a tutorial?

simple and easy and makes a pretty good lap mat.

the new desk

that used to be an old desk, that i bought for a whopping twenty dollars. now if you add in the 5 cans of spray paint at 2.50 a piece, the final total was 32.50.

it took a few days and ruined a couple pairs of socks, but i'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. and i used mod podge & scrapbook papers on the drawers. which is kind of a waste since it was all covered up with stuff anyway. oh and i forgot about the before photos until i had already started painting the drawers...

recipe for crafty

here's a small project i squeezed in while doing a much larger project that involves red spray paint. don't worry, i'll unveil it soon enough...once it stops stinking up the apartment!

this was an old wood recipe box i had from 9 yrs ago {i only know this because it was a wedding registry gift} that was too ugly and worn to keep out on the counter. a little spray paint, some mod podge and scrapbook papers and voi la. something worthy of display. it just worked out that i purchased some recipe cards from michaels that match that yellow polka dot perfectly. totally unplanned awesomeness.

tinkerwiththis party

so the date changed since something else was recently announced for the 26th. something that would take away a few of my favorite participants, SO, i changed it to friday night instead of saturday. hopefully this doesn't throw too many of you off.

the artwork on this card was done by the talented amy moss who you can find over at eat, drink, chic. i changed the colors though to go along with the shop packaging and design.

i'm planning a bunch of cute decor and setup for all my products and i'll have a bunch of color-coordinated drinks and desserts. it should be a good time! so who's coming?!? email me for the address and directions if you need them.

craft-along twenty ten: project two FINISHERS!

remember this from oh so long ago? well we had a few finishers, so i figured i should wrap it all up official-style.

here's the finishers, if i miss anyone, PLEASE give me your link and i'll include it:

Andrea from Pie Birds, Buttons and Muddy Puddles made an adorable kitchen version blogged about here. check out her blog for lots of amazing recipes and great kids craft projects. she's a housewife whiz.

Kelly from Kandid Kiwi made a bright summer kitchen version here which i think is so perfect for her california sunshiney life. she also just started a new blog about her quilting adventures here. this girl is ambitious, kudos to her.

and of course, i made my own crafty version here. i loved the folksy print so much that i made it into a makeup pouch for the tinkerwiththis party. hopefully someone else loves it just as much and takes it home with them.

for craft-along project three i was thinking something like this. there are a lot of options for a project like that. i'm even thinking of something along the lines of a sale display for my pendants with just hooks. but think of how inexpensive this could be?! an old sign/plaque from a thrift store, some mod podge, a can of spray paint, dowels from the craft store, patterned paper and some hooks. i think there's a lot we could all do with this, and no sewing required. anyone on board??

mark your calendars!

i will be hosting a tinkerwiththis party in my home {apartment, technically} on saturday, june 26th. i'll announce more details later. if you want a formal invite (with all the details and directions), send some mail to tinkerellenATyahoo.com.

i look forward to getting together with all of you and maybe even meeting some new faces!

a modern twist

instead of peanut butter and ritz, this is dark chocolate all-natural peanut butter (i know right! how come i had to move out of the city to discover this manhattan based company that has a full-on sandwich shop where you can order a classic fluffernutter!?) and organic ritz-like flaky crackers. mmm....and it doesn't completely negate the 30 minutes on the treadmill (well, in my mind anyway)!

crafty baby

Some vintage fabric finds from this past week/weekend. I think they'll work great for a modern mom in one of these. I plan to make some once i pull the sewing machine out. Waiting for a rainy day...

Spent some time at a friend's house today modge-podging and creating some more inventory for the upcoming tinkerwiththis party. these chip clips and magnet sets are simple and easy to make. just some modge podge, some good measuring, scrapbook paper and a brush. get to it!

memorial day 2010

here's to hoping yours was filled with good food, good friends, and cute faces. ours certainly was.