This is a simple project. One I’d been planning to do for some time, but just didn’t get around to it. Do you have those projects? I’m sure you do. You know, the ones that take no time to actually complete? The ones that you keep putting off? The ones that are so rewarding once you finally just go for it? This was one of those projects!

I picked up these plain white teacups at a local thrift store for under $1 a piece. I knew I wanted to embellish them with some doodles. Originally I’d purchased them to use as vessels for making candles. Since, I am not making candles anytime soon, I decided to use them for a couple small succulents who needed some cozy containers to live in. Perfect!

MATERIALS

Old teacups, bowls, mugs or any vessel in need of a facelift
Paint pens in various colors*
Small succulents
Potting soil
Small rocks or pebbles

*I used Craft Smart paint pens. These are acrylic, non-toxic and water resistant. Ideal for wood, plastic, metal and glass. Purchased at Michael’s.

INSTRUCTIONS

- Wash and dry your vessels.

- Follow directions for paint pen. I had to shake, shake, shake it. Test on a scrap of paper.

- Start doodling! I drew on the teacups without a plan. You can sketch out ideas if you’d like or use a stencil if you aren’t feeling up to freehand. I made mistakes, but that’s ok. Don’t be afraid! Mistakes are beautiful. A lesson I’m learning…

- Let the designs dry. I waited an hour before planting. This was really difficult!

- Place some rocks or pebbles in the bottom of your vessel, and top rocks with a bit of soil in before centering your succulent.

- Hold the succulent in place while packing in soil all around it. Water well, add more soil if needed.

- Now, place you lovely custom planter in a sunny spot and enjoy!

I’m kind of addicted to this project. It’s so simple. What a lovely housewarming gift, no? Can’t wait to make lots more of these! I also plan to doodle on other dishes. It’s so much fun.

Have you tried this? I’d love to see your creations. Send me a link!

Why keep your hats tucked away? Here’s a fun way to both store and display your favorite hats!

I used GRUNDTAL hangers from IKEA, but any hook or large nails/screws would work.

Have a Happy Weekend!

sleep well, originally uploaded by sewtrashy.

Have a restful and relaxing Sunday. After a Saturday full of rearranging my loft… I know that’s all I want today. Oh, and some kettle corn.

Generally, empty toilet paper rolls end up strewn in pieces all over our living room rug after Bonsai (our dog) gets ahold of them. I managed to salvage one for my first challenge for Project Restyle. I decided to make something I could hang by the window. After few snips and hole punches finished off with a simple string it was ready to hang! I love how it turned out. Now, I’m tempted to make lots of them to hang in a cluster. Could be really lovely and fun. We’ll see if I can snatch them up before the dog gets them!

More information on Project Restyle.

Three days before Christmas, our fridge decided it didn’t want to stay cold. I opened the door to find the temperature was at 50 degrees. That is, in fact, the Danger Zone. Quickly, I salvaged all the dairy and condiments I could, and used our vintage Coke Machine as a fridge. So very thankful to have that as a back-up!

Hope everyone has a lovely Christmas Eve! I’ll be making cookies and relaxing with my husband. Can’t really ask for anything more…

I made my first pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, and I decided to go all out by making it completely from scratch, including the pie crust. I turned to Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook, of course! I cannot endorse that book enough. It’s full of wonderful recipes, tips and techniques. It hasn’t let me down yet.

The pies turned out perfect… exactly what pumpkin pie should be. However, I thought it could use an unexpected kick. Maybe a little spiked whipped cream… or a lot if you like that sort of thing. Which, of course, I do! It was the perfect addition to the not too sweet pumpkin pie.

Homemade Spiked Whipped Cream

This is not an exact recipe. Just a guide. You will have to taste and determine how sweet and how spiked you like it.

You will need:

Heavy whipping cream
Liquor (I used orange Triple-Sec, but also love Coconut Rum or Amaretto in this.)
Sugar

Pour some heavy whipping cream into the bowl of your trusty KitchenAid Stand Mixer with the wire whisk attached. Start whisking on medium-high until soft peaks form. Turn the speed down. Now begin to add some sugar and your liquor a little at a time. You can turn the speed back up for a few seconds after each addition until you find that perfect flavor.

I tend to let mine get thicker than most because I like it like that, and it softens a bit as it sits. However, I doubt it will “sit” for very long! Use it to top your pies, ice creams and coffee. Or, just eat it by the spoonful. It’s that good!

We’ve also used it in Frozen Chocolate Chip Amaretto Whipped Cream Sandwiches in place of ice cream. Simply put some whipped cream between baked and cooled chocolate chip cookies and freeze on a baking sheet. Wrap each individually once frozen. So delicious!

How would you use spiked whipped cream?

More information on making homemade whipped cream can be found here.

Growing up in the South, we always made turkey, mashed potato, gravy sandwiches with our leftovers. Thanks to my husband and his Mexican roots, I have now been awakened to the gloriousness of that which is The Thanksgiving Leftovers Burrito. It’s pretty amazing. You must try it.

Friday afternoon, we made a small post-Thanksgiving meal for just the two of us. We brined and cooked a turkey breast, made mashed potatoes, gravy and had some yummy rolls we snagged from our friend’s Thanksgiving leftovers. The meal was wonderful, but it’s really all about the leftover burritos.

The burritos I made for my husband consist of shredded turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and I threw in a little Jalapeno Asadero cheese we picked up recently in El Paso at Licon Dairy. With every bite, he was in heaven. “I love this cheese,” he exclaimed. These are also extremely tasty with a little dressing and even cranberry sauce if that’s your thing.

The key to a perfect burrito is to NOT OVER STUFF THE THING. A little goes a long way.

Try these. Today. No, really. Try them.

Hope your Thanksgiving was full of friends, family, love, fun and good eats! Living miles and miles from our families is always sad around the holidays, but we were blessed this year to spend our Thanksgiving with many new friends and a sweet old dog named Ruby. It was a perfect day, with a perfect meal and way too many (fabulous) desserts.

Here’s to the start of the holiday season. My wish to you? May you remain in a state of peace and serenity in the midst of insanity.

XO ~ Whitney

Pictured: Homemade Pumpkin Pie with Orange Liquor Spiked Whipped Cream

Just wanted to share a quick and easy addition to your upcoming winter soups.

I always save leftover, unused puff pastry bits. Why not utilize those extra bits to make croutons?

These couldn’t be simpler, and they add a lovely, buttery addition to tomato soup. I imagine this would be quite nice on many other soups, too. Also, it’s a bit unexpected if serving to guests. It’s a little pillow of buttery, flaky goodness. Mmmm…

Cut your frozen pastry bits into whatever shapes you’d like. I chose small rectangles. Place on a baking sheet. Season with your favorite seasonings. I used an Italian seasoning grinder. Bake until puffed and golden in a preheated 400 degree oven. About 10 minutes. Just use your judgement since these are small. You don’t want to overcook them!

Yesterday, we made our way to a local Salvation Army to drop off a load of items for donation. It was so amazing how much we stuffed into our little ‘72 Super Beetle that even one of neighbors who say the pile of junk before we loaded it up said, “You guys fit all of that stuff in there?!”

I had high hopes of finding something wonderful between the Salvation Army and the nearby Goodwill store, but it was such a let down. We’ll have to check out some other areas of town before we find our gold mine.

I did score this nice lampshade in spectacular condition for a whopping $4.50, so it wasn’t a total bust. I think it replaces our ratty old ORGEL shades from Ikea nicely! Those shades that have lasted us through five moves over the last five years. What do you think?

Now, I just need to score another nice lampshade for our second ORGEL lamp and I’ll be a happy lady.

I’m also not sure where I’ll place this “new” lamp yet. I have been moving it around our new place hoping it will speak to me when it’s found it’s home. It hasn’t spoken yet.