Martha Didn't Lie: 4th of July Pinwheel Royal Icing Cookies

I don't even like royal icing cookies, yet I keep making them.  I'm so weird.  "Hey kids, let's spend 2 hours making cookies that I'm not going to even eat!"  "Hooray", say the kids!  They are way too sweet for my liking; as you may recall I much prefer a sweet & savory cookie like a flaky shortbread for instance.  But really, I just can't help it, they are so darned pretty and let's be honest, impressive.  Especially these patriotic pinwheel ones, claiming to be "easy" on the cover of this month's Martha Stewart Living.  I have to say, she didn't lie, they are in fact easy.  And oh the kids love them!  Instant sugar high no doubt.

I posted a video tutorial on how to use royal icing back in February if you'd like to check it out.  I was told it was a tad too long, but at any rate, I share some tricks I learned along the way to help you achieve a "perfect" consistency for royal icing.  Once you've achieved the perfect consistency, a little practice at a steady hand and consistent pressure is just about all you need to achieve these pretty cookies.          

 You start by outlining the cookie

 Then you just start flooding it in, using your tip to push the icing around a bit to help fill it in

Add some sprinkles if you like, and enjoy.  Royal icing takes about 10-15 minute to set, so you have to work a bit quickly, but you still have plenty of time to get the job done at a nice steady pace.

To achieve the pinwheel effect like Martha's cookies, simply place a dot of royal icing in the center of your cookie, and then 3 concentric circles surrounding it. 

Your icing needs to stay wet so immediately place your toothpick in the center of the dot and drag a STRAIGHT line from the center all the way out to the outer edge. 

 The straight line is the part that was left out in the magazine.  I was imagining I had to draw wiggly lines to get the curved effect, but nope, a straight line is all you need.

Here's what a cookie looks like in the beginning of the process

 Drag your toothpick from the center all the way out

 Easy right?

To get the other side of the wavy pinwheel effect, you start at the outer edge and then drag your toothpick towards the center like so:

 So you're first dragging from the center out, and then from the out into the center

And you just repeat drag out, drag in, all the way around the cookie

And you end up with a pretty spectacular looking cookie!  For the red and blue combo, you start with a blue dot and then alternate red and blue circles.  Taylor's cookie below has a wavy effect if you can tell.  For that effect, as I was dragging out and in, I slightly curved the line to the right.

So even though I may not enjoy these cookies very much, everyone else seems to love them so I'll keep making them.  :)  I'm thinking these would be so pretty in hot pinks and oranges for a girl's birthday party don't you think?  

I'll Be There

I better be there, along with Rachel and Jen, or else we're all in a lot of trouble!  Working with Rachel and Jen to help plan Blog Sugar has almost been like planning a wedding or some other very big, fancy event in ones life.  It seems so far away and like the day will never come, but then all of a sudden the big day is here and you're so excited that you just hope you remember to breathe and take it all in.  That's sort of how I feel about this years Blog Sugar.

I absolutely love blogging.  More than I ever thought I would.  Sometimes I love it so much it's a bit of a problem because I obsess over it.  There are some downsides to blogging, but really at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade in my little space on the web for anything (that's a bold statement, and of course I would trade it in for a million dollars or many other very important things, but you know what I mean).

Anyhow, the thing I love most about blogging is that it doesn't happen in a vacuum.  Blogging exists because we all exist out there, inspiring, encouraging each other, sharing our God given talents on a daily basis.  And I can't wait to meet so many of you out there in real life!  You read someone's blog and you think you know them, but the knowing really comes when you can hug a person, hear their voice, see their smile for real.  That's what I'm looking forward to the most about Blog Sugar 2011.  Sure, there are going to be amazing speakers and uplifting panels to attend, but really, it's connecting with other bloggers in a very real and tangible way that I look forward to the most.

So come on September, hurry up and get here!  But not too fast, because we still have a lot of work to do!

Go visit Rachel to see who else will be there this year :)

Playgrounds & Lollipops - Comfort Revisited

{Pants: James Perse; Top: Ann Taylor Loft; Shoes: Sam Edelman; Necklace: Gift from old coworker; 

Bracelet: Forever 21; Zippered Clutch: American Apparel}

Let's get back to that subject of comfort shall we?  Tim Gunn says that women often fall prey to the comfort trap.  So how as women with busy lives do we stay comfortable and yet still look put together?  The answer for me anyhow, is this: Elastic Waistbands.

There's just something about an elastic waistband that breathes comfort, probably because you can breathe even after you've eaten too much, right?  This has been another favorite outfit of mine in the last couple of weeks.  These pants here have an elastic waistband, and elastic at the ankles and are made of a soft cotton/silk blend, which pretty much just makes them a fancy pair of sweatpants.  They are pretty much like the best pants eva on steroids.  They can very easily borderline on sloppy though if you're not careful, so I try to wear them with something upstanding and lady-like, hence the shiny top.  Oh it may be hard to tell in these photos, but this blouse has tiny shiny lurex threads woven in it, making me feel very fancy.  Yes, I feel fancy in gladiator sandals, glorified sweatpants, and a shiny top.  Go me. 

Take that Tim Gunn.

Linking up with Lindsey for WIWW :)

4th of July Mason Jar Luminaries

We got together today for another Group Craft Monday.  I was in charge of the craft, and it being the week before the 4th, I felt obliged to sport the red, white and blue.  I couldn't decide between this craft and this craft, so we did both and the kids couldn't have been more into it.  Although can I say, the finished crafts they display on Martha's and BHG's websites have to be the product of adult hands, right?  I mean, what kid believes in minimalism?  More is more right?  More glitter, more stickers, more paint, more, more more.  So these very neat, pretty, less-is-more finished crafts could not have possibly been made by kids.  That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

Anyhow, it was an awesome day, made even better by the fact that I got to do some crafting of my own.  I made these mason jar luminaries, tricked out for the 4th of July.  I gave a full tutorial back in October for Halloween that you can reference if you'd like to make your own.  They're super easy and cheap and they look so pretty lit up at night.  I think they look even better lit up on a summer night where it's dusk for so much longer.  Gives them a chance to actually glow. 

We're hosting the 4th at our house this year and these will line our walk way for our guests, and serve as some subtle lighting when we're lighting fireworks off at night.  No stumbling around in the dark when these babies are lit.  I realize that I'm posting a lot of pictures here of the same thing, but I just couldn't resist.  They just breathe summer to me and, I just don't think there's anything prettier than outdoor candlelight.

Plus, as I was climbing around on the ground to get these shots, I rolled over onto a slug on the sidewalk.  True story.  If I went through that to get these pictures, you best believe I'm showing as many pictures as I darn well please.  ;)  XOXO  Have a great day friends! 

I'm linking up to Today's Creative Blog Get Your Craft On Tuesday
and Sweet Floweret's 20 Minute Tuesdays 

DIY Seed Bead Necklace Tutorial

This DIY project went through a few transformations before I finally settled on this particular design, and I have to say I love the way it came out.  My original intent was for it to just be a plain clustered necklace that was much shorter in length, lying closer to my collarbone.  But the more I worked with it, the more it just felt a little too mature.  I tried braiding it, and while it looked cool, it also looked too young, almost bordering on tweenish.  Finally this morning, it came to me to attach it to an existing old necklace I had on hand that was missing its pendant, and leave it as a simple long draped necklace.  So while this necklace really only took about 4-6 hours to make, it took over 4 weeks for me to finally settle on a design I loved.

To get the rest of the tutorial please visit here (I've moved the best of my DIY posts to my new blog)!  Thank you!!

PTA Moms Gone Wild

We had a blast :)  We started out here and then went dancing here and then strolled through McDonalds on our way home.  I can't remember the last time I've danced that much.  We had so much fun dancing and cruising in our limo.  We were PTA Moms Gone Wild (not really, okay just a little).  It was a great night celebrating a fantastic girl.  Love you Ali!  So happy and blessed to have you in my life, and so glad you saved the limo for our girl's night.  Thanks for being you.  XOXO

Thoughts of the Week - Limos, Astro-Turf & Glitter Nails

• Taylor's last day of Kindergarten was Tuesday.  I just barely, barely teared up.  Nothing close to the waterworks I displayed on the first day, and the weeks leading up to the start of Kindergarten.  I look back, and I was so scared and anxious, not knowing how it would be having her gone 5 days a week.  Not knowing how she'd do.  Would she make friends, would she like her teacher, would she enjoy her school work?  Add on, me going back to work full time, and it was a perfect storm for a flood gate of emotions.  But she amazed me this year.  She is stronger and more confident that I have EVER given her credit for.  Shame on me.  I know every mother says this, but I'll go ahead and add in, that I couldn't be more proud of her.  Bring on 1st Grade, school's got nothing on us!  So what was harder for you ladies with kinders, the first day or the last?

• With school officially out for both kids Friday beach days are here, starting today.  Since Taylor goes to a year-round school, we only have 6 short weeks to spend with the rest of our friends, so we've got to make them count.  

• We hosted Father's Day here at our house, and the thought of having multiple sets of muddy feet running in and out of the house made me a little nervous.  So Art went to Home Depot and picked up some astro-turf to minimize the mud tracking.  After he laid it down, he came in and declared "Alright honey, your yard's done.  Don't it look purty?"  Try again buddy ;)  We're still waiting on final pool inspection before we can even think about starting on landscaping.  We're still undecided on just how much of a DIY project we're gonna make it.  All depends on how the bids come in I guess.  I'll post some full pool pics next week, not just these little teasers. 

• I went to the gym or worked out 4 days this week.  I've gained almost 15 pounds in the last few months so time to get serious again.  I feel good, and sore, but good.

• Tonight I'm celebrating a dear friend's birthday.  A group of us are taking a limo out to LA for cocktails and dancing.  I'm wearing the orange skirt.  None of us have been to the depths of LA in a while so we're a bit nervous because it's such a different scene than what we're used to.  Nothing like the safe confines of Long Beach ;)  But we vowed to not play it safe so we have a list of places to try and we've got a limo till 2 am.  The limo was won at a school auction for her Kindergartener.  For some reason I just think that's awesome.  A group of women in their mid 30's hitting up LA for a night of dancing, in a limo, won at a school auction.  Classic.  

• A night in LA calls for a bit of glitter don't you think?  I'll be trying this combo tonight.    

So do you guys have any plans for the weekend?  How's summer going for you all?  See you guys next week, where I will FINALLY reveal the seed bead DIY I've been working on for over a month.  Have a great weekend!

Bathroom Remodel Reveal

A few of you showed an interest in seeing pics of the bathroom where I shot this hair tutorial, so I thought I'd show you all the end results of the kid's bathroom redo, that we completed almost a year ago!  If you recall from a post a long time ago, my inspiration was loosely based off of this image here.  Overall, I love the way it all came together.

Aside from painting the kid's rooms and adding bead board, this is the only project we've tackled inside the house.  We're still so undecided on what we want to do with this house, but we knew from the beginning that we were going to want to update this room, as it's the not only the kid's bathroom, but the only guest bath as well.  The old cabinet was situated in an odd way around the plumbing pipes, leaving the drawers only able to open half way, so we knew we wanted to replace the cabinet to get fully functioning drawers. 

The light fixture was HUGE and looked oddly out of place in this very tiny bathroom.  The bathroom measures 9'x5', so at 4' long, it took up almost half the bathroom

The medicine cabinet was functional, but needed to be replaced along with the cabinet to match.

The sink was very old and had a constant leak not only from the spout but from one of the handles as well.

Rundown of what we wanted to tackle:

• Replace cabinet unit along with sink & fixtures
• Replace lighting
• Replace medicine cabinet
• Replace shower & tub fixtures
• Paint 
• Add new baseboards

What we were leaving As Is:

• Floor tile (not our favorite, but definitely could live with it)
• Shower tile (it was simple clean, white tile that we knew we could live with)
• Toilet (in good condition, with a couple of chips at the bottom, but still functional)

To save costs on this project, we did a few of the things ourselves as well as used some unconventional methods.  

Here's a breakdown:

• We installed the baseboards & door casings ourselves
• We installed recessed lighting ourselves
• We traded services to get the sink, bathroom cabinet and medicine cabinet essentially for free

My husband is a computer network engineer, and it just so happened that the plumber and cabinet maker we were working with needed some computer work completed.  My husband fixed their issues and in return built the cabinet & medicine cabinet and installed the sink at no cost.

In the end, what we paid for was:

• Fabrication and installation of the Caesar Stone counter top
• Painting the cabinet and bathroom
• Faucet fixtures
• Artwork & accessories 

 The new cabinet had fully functional, full size pull out self-closing drawers with plenty of storage underneath

 The rectangle sink is nice and deep, minimizing splashes by little kids

I love all the little pops of color throughout

This hoop art was from Jenn over at Ruffled Sunshine.  She was my partner for Heather's hoop art swap a few months back.  Little did she know that "You Are My Sunshine" is the song we sang to both kids when they were babies.  I love it so much.

There's nothing like big white baseboards.  These are 6" which were a bit of a challenge for Art to cut with his miter saw, but he figured it out.

 The trash can and tissue holder were originally white, but I added some paint for a bright pop of color.

Product Details:

• Counter tops are Caesar Stone and was a remnant at the yard (great way to save some money)
• Sink is from Kohler, Ladena model
• Faucets & Towel Rack are American Standard straight from Home Depot shelf
• Towels are by Amy Butler from Bed, Bath & Beyond
• Tissue Holder & Trash Can are from Home Goods originally white painted coral
• Toothbrush Holder & Porcupine Nail Brush are from Urban Outfitters
• White tray is thrifted, originally gold spray painted white
• Artwork is from The Wheatfield on Etsy, frames are from Target
• Clock, Shower Curtain & Rug from Target
• Mirror is from flea market, originally gold spray painted white
• Paper Banners were made by me
• Paint color of cabinet is Sunken Pool & walls are Whetstone Gray, both from Martha Stewart Hope Depot paint collection

The only thing I would have done differently is to paint the medicine cabinet the same gray as the walls to blend in more, and buy a larger mirror.  It looks a little small over the sink.  If I ever come across a larger one I like I'm buying it because it was a simple DIY project.  And that's about it!  What do you think?  My goal was to make it fun for the kids, yet keep a little bit of sophistication for grown ups as well.  I also wanted it to be somewhat unisex in feel since it's a boy & girl bathroom.  Thanks for taking the tour and let me know if you have any questions!