cactus pinata tutorial

It's officially fiesta season, well at least it is for me. I was going through some of my party pictures from last year and wanted to share how I made this cactus pinata last year for a fiesta themed birthday party.

Learn how to make the cactus pinata here and also check out how I made my super large donkey pinata here.

april 2014 birchbox

The April birchbox arrived and there are quite a few goodies in this box. Plenty to keep you busy on a rainy day. Out of the five samples provided I usually only end of loving about 2 of them, usually the make-up items. I already have so many different lotions, creams and shampoos, but love new and different make-up.  In this April box I loved 3 items.

The first being the dark purple eyeliner from . This went on very smoothly and lasted all day and was a bit of a challenge to remove at night. If you are looking for fun colors and for a no-budge eyeliner this is the one for you. I even wore it to Taekwondo practice and didn't smudge or remove.

I wouldn't normally wear a nail polish of this color, I opt for dark vampy colors for fall and bright and fun colors for spring and summer. This reminded me of my prom dress I wore to my Junior prom, it was this exact shade of pistachio green. I like trying new things and tried it out. I was worried it would make my fingernails look like I had some some nail fungus, but luckily it was pretty, subtle, and fresh looking.

Last, and certainly not least, I loved the Kind bar. I like Kind bars, it has a bit of protein, sometimes a bit high in sugar, but this one was really delicious and I must find them.

earth day 2014

Every year we celebrate earth day in Connecticut at our favorite University, Quinnipiac, and this year the day was beautiful so we were able to have the celebration outside. Here are just a few photos I snapped while I had a quick break.

easter baskets

I am working on easter baskets this week and I had lots of fun making these. These only took a few minutes to make with the following supplies:

• Bird's nest baskets. These I bought from Michael's Craft Store
• Assorted spring ribbons.
• Chocolate eggs in pretty foils and acrylic eggs to put fun little gifts and candy.
• Green shredded paper or moss.
• Stuffed bunnies or chicks or chocolate bunnies.

First, added the green shredded paper to the bird's nest baskets.

Next, add the bunnies, chicks, eggs, and chocolates to the baskets and I added a few flowers on the basket.

I added chocolate filled acrylic eggs.

I replaced the traditional red ribbon on the Lindt Chocolate gold bunny with pastel colored ribbons.

Have a beautiful day and thanks for stopping by!

easter peanut butter cookie

Ingredients - Makes about 3 dozen (depending on the size of your cookie cutters)

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla
• 1 egg (I substituted with egg whites)
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Mix butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until thoroughly mixed.
2. Add the egg and beat on medium speed until mixture is creamy and fluffy.
3. Add the baking powder and add the flour in little by little.
4. Wrap dough in clear wrap and chill in refrigerator for 45 minutes to an 1 hour.
5. Once dough is chilled and has firmed up a bit, roll out dough on floured counter top and press down with cookie cutters. 
6. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. 
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms are slightly golden.
8. Once out of the oven, place cookies on wire racks to cool completely.

These peanut butter cookies are quickly becoming my favorite cookie to use for shapes and they are so yummy to eat. Tie a pastel colored ribbon around their necks or put them in cellophone bags with a ribbon tied to put in easter baskets.

Thanks for stopping by.

strawberries dipped in chocolate

One of my favorite treats are chocolate covered strawberries. They are so easy to make. Today I am going to show you the quick and easy steps to dip strawberries in chocolate.

First wash each strawberry and dry with paper towel. Once the strawberries are clean and dried, the fun begins.

Next, melt chocolate. I simply will add chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl and on high for 30 second intervals, mixing for every thirty seconds. Once I see the chocolate getting shiny and soft, I then mix it together and get a nice smooth finish. Make sure you don't over heat it, if you overheat the chocolate it will become too thick and you will not be able to use it for dipping.

Next, dip the strawberry in the chocolate.

Please the dipped strawberries on parchment paper and place them in the refridgerator.

Enjoy! These are so good. I can't stop eating them.

every day blush

Today, I am going to share with  you my absolute favorite makeup. I love blush. It's the one makeup item I can't live without.

My favorite right now and for quite a while is Bobbi Brown's Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks. Currently, my favorite color is "Pale Pink". I simply dab 3-4 spots on the apples of my cheek and a little on the cheek bone and then blend it in.

I also pat a little bit on my lips for a pale nude pink color. That's what I love about this one from Bobbi Brown is that you can carry this in your purse and you have a lip and blush color.

It's such a perfect pale pink color for all skin tones. I have more of a yellow-based skin tone and this pale pink works perfect in the winter and summer months. It's creamy and it lasts all day. It's not too bright, but if you want a brighter shade then you just add more.