Quick update

Hi everyone. I love creating and blogging. However, things have gotten kind of hectic right now with preparing for the move. If I don't blog, know that I am going to continue after the move, but right now I am focusing on packing up our apartment to move to the big city. Stick with us though and we will be back with great recipes, tutorials and adventures around the city.

Thanks!
Jenn

DIY Easy Paper Banner

 Our days are numbers in our apartment and while we pack up, things are getting into boxes or in some cases, rediscovered before getting put into boxes. I found some scrapbook paper and decided to make a festive banner that will go with us to our new home. It's a really easy how-to so I thought I would share how I made it.

What you need:

• Bunting template from online or make your own. It helps if it has a fold over portion 
• scrap book paper, I had three different patterns
• scissors
• string/baker's twine
• tape (not pictured)

Use your template to cut out triangles. I cut out nine total.

Fold over the excess at the top to create a flap to hide the string.

Tape the flap down and make sure the string is under flap.

And there you have it! Simple, easy and fun paper bunting.

Vintage Cocktail Recipe: the Moscow Mule

Have you ever had a Moscow Mule? It is delicious and pretty easy to make. However, having it in a copper mug adds a degree of deliciousness, so I would recommend buying a pair.

To make a Moscow Mule you need:

• 2 ounce of vodka
• 8 ounces of ginger beer (this is a soda, not an alcoholic beer)
• 1 tsp of simple syrup
• 2 ounces of lime juice
• ice
• mint and lime to garnish

Put ice in the copper mug and pour vodka in first. Next put in the lime juice and simple syrup. Lastly top off with ginger beer.
Delicious!

Enjoy and drink responsibly. 

Our new hobby

For a few years I had been thinking about buying myself a record player. But I couldn't really justify- I had no where to put it, it was pricey, I had music on my computer, etc. When my grandpa passed away I noticed this awesome yellow record stand in his basement, and took it. So, for awhile I put plants on it, and a lamp and all that, but it didn't feel right without a record player. So I bought one for my big birthday this year and I have loved it!

So, I got the record player for my birthday with only two records I found at a thrift store for 99 cents each- Cabaret Soundtrack and a sampler with several blues-y songs. So then Keith got me three records for my birthday- new and newer music. Every since, we have such a great time record shopping.

This is our collection since end of January. We barely ever buy them new and full price. We get a lot of them at thrift stores or at used record store or antique shops. Most thrift shops have a record bin or box located near the books. Usually they are between 99 cents to two dollars. We have picked up several great gems from thrift stores, loads of classical music and some like the one below:

The hunt is so fun to find a record that you really can't wait to listen to. We have different tastes, so our collection really shows that. Also, Keith looks like he is a weirdo in this photo. he's not.

I have the problem of when I listen to the radio, cds or music in the car I don't listen to the whole song but skip around. I cannot do this easily on the record and it allows me to really enjoy a whole album. I have been noticing that not only will I listen to the record the whole way through, but will replay it twice in a sitting sometimes. I love the record player.

But seriously, record shopping is probably my new favorite hobby. I love sifting through the racks to find the gems. I cannot wait to keep expanding the collection.

DIY Gift for Mom!

Wow! It's been a really long time since I blogged. It is completely my fault and I promise to not do it again (for awhile). K and I are still transitioning to our new lives of commuters and spend about 4 hours in the car each day. Sometimes that goes up to 5+. SO, we are searching for apartments, which is harder then it sounds in Chicago. We have our eyes on two in particular, so fingers crossed we will have one of these as our new home soon.

Anyway, because I have been so busy I thought I would come back with a good Mother's Day Gift tutorial. My dear friend April, made me a jar of Bourbon Vanilla Tea Bags and a bag of Birthday Cake Tea Bags for my birthday. It was a such a sweet and tasty gift, so I did some digging and found out how to make my own teabags for all my loose leaf tea. Of course, April made hers way better then mine, but here's my tutorial below.

What you need:

• Coffee filters
• Loose leaf tea- do NOT use cut tea bags, usually those leaves are too small
• Cardstock
• Scissors
• twine
• stapler

So here's how!

Cut the filter paper so it makes a rectangle.

Put two small scoops of tea in the rectangle, with space in the middle. Then fold up both sides of the rectangle to the middle, so the tea is closed in.

Once you fold both sides to the middle of the rectangle. Place your finger in the middle of the two tea piles and fold the ends up to the top. (Can you see the tea forming now??)

The tea should be pretty secure with all of your folds, so fold the open top into a triangle. Then fold the triangle down so that it lays on top of the teabag.

Cut a fun shape with the card stock. Attached twine by tying then stable to top of the teabag.



I made my teabags out of apple cinnamon chai and gave them to Keith to take to work. I'm sure he loved all the hot pink hearts I made for the tags.

Happy crafting! :)
 

A Warm Up Weather Recipe

It's warm! Today reached 70. I can feel summer in the air and it's glorious. I celebrated by buying and planting new plants while listening to records today. It was magical. This weather gets me so ready to go for walks, camp in the woods, eat on the porch and of course, enjoy nice tasty popsicles!

Keith and I invested in a Zoku Quick Pop Maker. And, it's amazing. I toyed around with it for a bit, and thought I would share my favorite recipe: Orange Julius Quick Pops.

What you need:

• 6 ounces of thawed orange juice concentrate
• 1 cup milk (I used fat free)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingriedents in a bowl until well blended. Pour into the Zoku and wait about seven minute, until frozen. Remove with the tool and devour.

Enjoy the warm weather (and the delicious Popsicles!) 

Recipe: No bake cookie butter cookies

Have you tried Cookie Butter yet? I tried it at my old office and it is delicious. I think I could probably sit down and eat it out of the jar, but I am trying to be a little more civilized, so I decided to make some really easy no-bake cookies.

What you need:

• 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1/2 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• a pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup of cookie butter (we got ours at Trader Joes)
• 2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 3 cups of quick cooking oats

I started by cutting up the butter and putting the butter, milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan. I heated it until it started to boil, stirring frequently. After it reaches a good boil, do not stir for about one full minute and then remove from heat. Stir in the cookie butter and the vanilla. After that's all blended, stir in the oats. All of the liquid should be soaked up by the oats. One wax paper scoop out a large tablespoon of the cookie butter/oats/butter/delicious mixture. Let them set until fully cooled and enjoy!

seriously guys, these are DELICIOUS.