Tuesday, June 30th
"Squish, Squash, Smoosh"
Two new sets tonight in the "Squish" theme. I made so many of the original Squish sets that I am now obsessed with making them in different color combinations. Even though the beads are the same shape the different colors give each sets a different look. Here they are.....
Hot Tamales Squish
and
Ocean Blue Squish
I hope you enjoy the new sets and I'll be back with a new update later in the week. Have a wonderful evening!
Sunday, June 28th
"Yummy Cupcakes"
Yesterday while I was at work my friend Jody stopped by and to my surprise brought me a "Congratulations for getting into Stringing magazine" gift.....CUPCAKES! Not just any cupcakes but the cupcakes from Main Street Cupcakes that I was telling you about a few weeks ago. I was so excited and I wanted to try them all but I withheld and tried two and froze the rest for later. She brought Night and Day (chocolate and vanilla), Red Velvet, Wedding Day, Lemon, Oreo, and Peanut Butter. They are so yummy.....Thanks Jody!
Last week...or maybe it has been two weeks now, my friend Sue brought me some cupcakes that were from a Sprinkles recipe she found online. If I remember correctly she said that the lady that started Sprinkles was on Martha Stewart and she made them on there. They were so yummy and she made them with fresh strawberries and cream cheese icing. You can find the recipe at the bottom of today's update if you want to try it out. These cupcakes are a little dense compared to regular cupcakes because of the fresh strawberries used in them, but I thought it was a nice texture. Let me know what you think if you try making them.
I also have one new bead set for you today with two more to follow next week....maybe more. I have decided to start a "Squish" series and make that style of bead in different color combinations. The first to come is..."Sorbet Squish"
I finished a squish set that is made with teals and blues and I am working on one that is yellow, purple, orange, and red. I know it might sound like a funny color combo but the first few I made are stunning and I can't wait to share them with you next week.
I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the lovely weather!
Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Makes 1 dozen
- 2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
- Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
-
Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.
Frosting
Ingredients
Makes enough for 1 dozen cupcakes
- 1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
- Pinch of coarse salt
- 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
-
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not over mix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.
Tuesday, June 23rd
"Beads"
Just a quick update to list two new sets I made in between all of the "Squish" beads I have been making. The first is a Fourth of July set. If you order this set I will try to get it out next day since it is so close to the fourth....if you are unsure if it will get to you in time please email me and I can let you know.
"Firecracker"
The next set is made with one of my favorite color combinations...pink and black.
"Pixie Dust"
To view each set larger just click on the picture.
I hope you enjoy the new beads. I'm off to send out an email and watch "Deadliest Catch" with the hubby....night!
Monday, June 22nd
"Hot, Hot, Hot"
Today is the most beautiful and day I would give anything to be at the pool. Unfortunately I had to be a responsible mom and wife and go to the grocery store this afternoon instead of swimming all day with Anderson:( Hopefully we'll make it there on Wednesday because after that we are going to get more rain. We had a great Father's Day and basically stayed around the house. We were going to go to the zoo and then decided earlier in the week that we would go swimming instead. It was a nice day but there was a bit of a cool breeze that just makes you chilly when you're swimming so we stayed home instead. Josh went to the driving range and I worked on the patio and finally finished it! Here is a picture of the finished project....anyone up for Mojitos can head on over!
We also spent the day yesterday running around town to find Anderson a sand box. My Mother-in-law said that they wanted to get Anderson one for his birthday but he could have it now for the summer. Apparently they get rid of all the summer stuff and get school stuff in right about now....are you kidding...it's only June! After going to Toys-R-Us, Once Upon a Child, and Walmart, I finally found the last one...literally. They only had one left and I snatched that thing up before anyone could even lay eyes on it! It wasn't the one we had originally wanted for him but it's a sand box and that is all that matters. He spend the majority of the day playing in it and had two baths because he was covered in sand and dirt; one in the evening and one during the day before his nap.
Earlier in the week we were driving over to my moms house and we found a turtle in the road. When I was little my dad always brought us home turtles when he found them on test drives (he's a mechanic) or when he was at his hunting cabin so I thought it was only right to pick one up for Anderson. We drove back to our house and grabbed a cooler, went and picked him up, and then headed over to my moms to let him go close to the woods. Anderson really didn't care for him to much but I did get a few cute pictures. If you look closely at the first picture you can see that his mouth is moving; that's because every time the turtle started to walk away he would yell at it and say "No No!".
Soon after that he got tired of following it around and began to play with his basket ball hoop that you see in the background.
I also have a question for all of you. I have these flowers that grow in my back yard and I can't for the life of me figure out what they are. I have looked all over the web and in all of my gardening books. The are perennials and each flower has four petals, they also open in the morning and close at night...any ideas.
Thank you to all of my new customers that have found me through the new issue of Stringing magazine!
You have all kept me very busy and I don't think I have ever made the "Squish" set 6 times in one week....haha. I'm going to have dreams about those beads!
I have had a few emails from people saying that they were having a hard time finding the set on my site. It is under the "Mixed Shapes" section but for a quick find you may click here to purchase it.
I'm so happy to have you as my customers and hopefully you can send me pictures of your new "Squish" bead jewelry. I always love to see every ones ideas.
I'm off to get dinner started so I can leave for work when Josh gets home. I'm going in for a little bit so I can get a few orders done so I can stay ahead of my shipping schedule. I hope all of you have a wonderful week!
Wednesday, June 17th
"Our Anniversary"
Four years married for Josh and I today! Tonight we are going out to dinner by ourselves while my mom watches Anderson; which is a rare event so I am really excited to go:)
I have two new sets for you today that I am going to list really fast since Anderson is destroying my office as I speak. He woke up from his nap before I could finish updating so he is down here with me and getting into everything.
Here they are.....
"Adorable"
and
"Sorbet Scrolls"
These two sets look great by them selves but look even better when combined in a bracelet with some Capri Blue Swarovski crystal! I hope you enjoy the new sets and I'll be back soon with more beads:)
Monday, June 15th
"Fun in the Sun"
The past few days have just been amazing! Not to hot or to chilly, not to cloudy or to sunny, just right for my liking, and we have been enjoying every second of it. First I would like to share with you the "almost" finished patio. we still need five more bricks and we need to mulch around the plants but I just planted seeds so that will have to wait a few weeks. Still, I think it is looking pretty nice and my backyard is slowly turning into the relaxing oasis that I have always wanted it to be.
A few weeks ago I bought a baby pool at a garage sale and I finally set it up yesterday. Actually we have been having a lot of rain so this weekend was really the first time we were able to set it up and enjoy it. I filled it up, lathered Anderson up in sunscreen, brought the slide outside, put him in the pool, and then we found a dreaded pool hole! I hate pool holes because there is really nothing you can do about them and even when you try to patch them another one always sneaks up. Needless to say we only played in the pool for about an hour before the water was just about gone....at least the grass got a lot of water. It was fun while it lasted.
Anderson's new favorite thing is ice. Every time I open the freezer he says "ice". Tonight we were watching TV and a beer commercial came on and they were showing the beer frosty cold and he said "ice". Shows you how much they pay attention to every little thing around him. Anyways, I have been giving him ice but he drops it in the dirt and then sticks it back in his mouth. Which is fine since that's what kids do but I can't stand the crunching noise the little rocks make in his mouth and it can't be good for his teeth. So that day we opted for a popsicle instead.
Today we went to the pool with my friend Trisha and her son Chase. Anderson was really unsure of all of the fountains but after an hour or so he started to play in them. He is such a thinker and analyzes everything he does before he does it. Chase was more carefree and enjoyed every second of it; he was wet in five minutes and I don't think Anderson really got wet all day. It's funny how different each child is. We did go in the big boy pool for a while. That is where Anderson would like to spend most of his time but it is just so exhausting holding him above water the entire time and catching him 10 times in a row because he wants to jump in. I admit I am proud of him that he isn't scared of the water; he even jump in and goes under and then I pull him up. He is becoming such a big boy.
Sunday we are planning a trip to the zoo with the kids. I know we just went last month but it was pre-season and all of the animals weren't there yet. I'm sure I'll have more good pictures to share with you then.
I have had a lot of people ask me how they can order the beads on the necklace that is in Stringing magazine right now so I'll just post the details. You may custom order any of the beads in the "Sea Salt" necklace by emailing me what you would like. The twist beads are $3.00, the small rounds are $4.00, and the shells are $6.00. Please email me with any questions.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and I'll have new beads soon.
Oh yeah one more thing, in the past two days Anderson has been spitting out words like crazy. He has said, rock, car, boat, slide, and read....babies amaze me!
Thursday, June 11th
"Cravings"
Not the pregnant kind so don't let your mind start to wander; no more babies for a while! Still I have this super strong craving for cupcakes and I can't get them out of my head. It all started last week when a customer of mine was telling me about this little cupcake shop in Hudson Ohio which is about 45 minutes from my house. She said that they have over a hundred flavors and you literally have to get there before they open because there is always a line out the door. So I did some investigating today and found that they have a website, www.mainstreetcupcakes.com. Just go to the website and click the menu button and be prepared to be amazed at the never ending page of flavors. Whats the best part about this cupcake shop? They put butter cream icing on EVERY one of their cupcakes!!!! I'm going to have to plan a road trip pretty soon to try out this trendy little joint myself. Even though I have never been to one I have also become a huge fan of Sprinkles cupcakes www.sprinkles.com
They have had it listed on their site for a few years now that they are going to open a store in Vegas and every time we go there it isn't open yet:(
Honestly I have never had anyone tell me that they taste good but they designs alone make them mouth watering.
Just look how cute they are!
I think I have found my calling. My new dream job is to open a cupcake shop and serve nothing but those sweet little treats. Just think of all the cute designs I could put on them; just like the designs I put on my beads only in icing...yummy!
OK enough cupcake blab and on to some other things. Anderson slept in a big boy bed for the first time last night. Most of you know but some of you don't that Anderson has been sleeping in our bed for a good 5 or 6 months now. It all started with an ear infection and the only way he would sleep was....you guessed it....in our bed. Well Josh and I just down sized to a queen and two adults and a baby on one bed just wasn't cutting it. So yesterday I converted his crib into a bay bed and bought a bed rail for it. I laid him down at 9:30pm and he stayed asleep until 2:30am. After three attempts of climbing out of his bed I finally got him back to sleep, but I was far from it. I think I dozed off (on Anderson's floor) around 4am and woke up there at 8am when I heard Josh come in to kiss up goodbye for the day. I hope to sleep in my own bed tonight since my back wasn't very happy with me today from all that floor sleeping. I actually just popped him in the car a took him for a spin to get him to sleep because he was fighting it like crazy. I hate doing that but usually once a month I have to because he is just so tired that he wont give up and relax. So the count down begins to see how long he'll sleep...I give it the usual four hours until I have to go in there and shush him back to sleep. Speaking of sleep; I think I'm going to turn in early tonight since I'm bound to be up later. Time to wash my face, brush my teeth, enjoy a little TV after Josh falls asleep on the couch, and then head to bed myself. I hope you have a great weekend and beads are on there way....I have a few new cupcake ideas from all this cupcake talk!
Night:)
Wednesday, June 10th
"I'm on the Cover!"
To my surprise I made it onto the cover of Stringing Magazine! I had submitted a project and knew that my necklace was going to be in the magazine and when it arrived at work the other day there it was on the front page.....How exciting is that? Not only do I have a necklace and two beads featured in the magazine, I also have a customer that submitted a necklace with my beads in it. Stringing has always been my favorite beading magazine and I'm just bursting with joy that I get to be in it as well. Here is a picture of the cover.
My necklace is the one along the bottom of the page with all of the beach beads on it. Yeah!!!!
We also finished the patio this week and decided to wait until next summer to get the gazebo in hope that it goes on sale. I'll try to remember to post a picture of it this weekend so you can see the finished product. We had friends over this past weekend and we all sat out there after dinner and then today my friend Lindsey is coming over while her husband and Josh are golfing. We decided that we would make some green tea and add some fresh mint from my garden and cut up some fruit and enjoy it all on the patio....yummy!
That's all for now. I just wanted to post a quick update so you didn't think I forgot about you:) I have to balance my check book, eat lunch, and package up some beads before Anderson wakes up and we go shopping with my sister. I hope you have a great weekend and I'll have new beads up soon.
-Jen