Cinnamon Roses with Pomegranate-Cranberry Glaze

I thought I'd share this elegant twist on a classic brunch treat. Cinnamon Roses are light, sweet, and perfect for summer!

You will need:

Store-bought crescent roll dough (I used Pillsbury)

Cinnamon-sugar

Cranberry-pomegranate juice (or blueberry-pomegranate juice, or just plain old pomegranate juice)

Powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Unroll dough, separating down the middle perforation into two rectangles. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

2. Roll the two rectangles up as so.

3. Using a serrated knife, cut slices about 3/4 inch in thickness and lay them on their side.

4. Pinch the bottom of each roll with your fingers until it's completely closed up. This will cause the center part of the "rose" to pop up a bit. Make sure that all the layers still stay relatively close together and that the center isn't sticking out too much, because this will cause your roses to unravel during baking!

5. Your roses should look something like this. Stick them in the oven and get ready to make the glaze! (Follow the baking instructions on the dough package. I found that while the instructions called for 13 minutes baking time, these only needed about 10. Be sure to check on them!) 

6. Pour about a half cup of powdered sugar into a small bowl. Don't worry if your measurements aren't exact, because all you need to do is add the juice until the glaze is the perfect consistency! Start by adding a tablespoon of juice, and continue adding teaspoons, stirring as you go until the glaze is thin enough to be drizzled. I found that I needed about one and a half tablespoons.

(If you'd like a brighter, more festive glaze, add one drop of red food colouring to the mix!)

7. Drizzle your roses with the glaze and serve warm! :)

DIY: transform a simple jar into a unique, cute way to save money!

The best time to start working towards your goals is today, and saving is usually a good way to get there. However, if all you're looking at is numbers on a piece of paper, you probably won't feel too accomplished. I find that the old piggy-bank system, saving your spare change every day, can be an enjoyable way to help save up. But there's no need to dust off the old pink pig, because all you need is a mason jar, an index card, and some scissors!

1. Gather your materials. Pop the suction lid out of the screw-on cap of the jar to use as a stencil.

2. Using the inner part of the lid to get the sizing just right, cut a circle out of an index card.

3. Fold the card in half and cut two little notches, far enough apart to accommodate all sizes of coins. Then, cut the resulting rectangle out.

4. Unfold your circle and smooth it out. It should look like this!

5. Decorate!

6. Stick the circle into the screw-on part of the lid. You can glue it down if you'd like, but it should stay fine on its own. Besides, if it's not permanent, you can keep using the jar for your next saving endeavor!

7. Screw on the cap and start saving!

P.S. Yes, I really am saving up for a road trip. My boyfriend and I plan to travel around the country together for a month or so, the summer after I graduate. :) 

Strawberry Balsamic Pizza with Sweet Onions, Chicken and Bacon as a welcome back present?

Hello, all! I've taken a bit of a break from the blogging world, as you may have noticed, but I'm feeling happier and more inspired than ever and looking forward to jumping back into things. Posts probably won't be as frequent, perhaps two a week for the time being, and I'll kick it back up to speed once the summer is upon us. :)

Speaking of summer: this heavenly homemade dish was my dinner tonight, and boy, do I wish I could take credit for the recipe, because it's pure genius! I only varied the recipe found here, and it was one of most amazing foods I have ever eaten, honestly. Such depth of flavor! And, of course, you can't go wrong with bacon. This would be the perfect course to serve at a summer garden party with a few friends!

In other news, I've dyed my hair! Temporarily, for now, but I'm thinking very seriously about bleaching  my bangs and dying them blue permanently as my hair grows out. What do you think?

And yes, I am leaving the pixie cut behind... at least, I'm trying to. This is my second attempt to grow out my hair, so we'll see how far it gets me; I'm into the awkward stage now, and I came very close to cropping it all off again over the weekend, but I'm going to try to persevere. I just miss braids and non-terrible bedhead, you know? Especially with all the summery hair tutorials floating around on the interwebs...

This school year is coming to a close; only five weeks left, eek! I simply cannot wait for summer to arrive. With all the friends I've made and personal growth I've achieved this year, I have some very happy times ahead of me. :)

Wall Space

So sorry about my silence this week. I intended to be sharing several DIYs with you all this week, but I haven't gotten the chance to get to AC Moore and pick up a few things I needed. So, to fill time, I thought I'd share a few of the ways I fill wall space in my bedroom!

I have a pretty big room, which means lots of empty wall space to fill. In my eyes, empty walls are sad walls, so I'm in the process of fixing them up!

This is my little desk nook. The bookshelf is nestled in the corner, and on the adjacent wall a window lets in lots of extra light. My desk divides up my room so the floors don't look so empty, and is not fully pictured here because it's currently covered in a plethora of craft supplies, journals and lists.

Anyway, the birds adorning my walls are vinyl stick on wall art decorations found at this website. I have another wall-art to be put up above my couch, a white dandelion blowing in the breeze! In the upper left hand corner you'll see some watercolour artwork of mine, and directly in the middle is my calendar and bulletin board, where I've actually been keeping surprisingly organized and planning out my life. 

For anyone who was wondering, this is the quote I painted on my wall! Designed and hand-painted by myself. It was such a fun, fulfilling project to accomplish. I chose this quote because I knew it would inspire me every day with the reminder that nothing is impossible and I have to keep working at my dreams.

A very simple way to hang artwork: clothespins and glue dots! Glue dots can be found at your local craft store: simply stick one onto the back of the clothespin and put it up on the wall! I was getting sick of waiting around to frame and hang my work, so I just grabbed the available supplies and put it all up. I actually quite like this technique, though.

My nightstand is also a bit of a trainwreck right now (I'm in the process of redecorating and organizing my room), but the space above it is worth sharing! Another bit of watercolour artwork hung with a clothespin, and my headphones resting on a thumbtack stuck in my wall. I'm a bit impatient, and I have a very specific vision for my room, so when it takes too long to get something done, I use the next best thing and do it myself.

P.S. Who likes my little keychain Totoro? He's hanging around my lamp, keeping me safe at night. Pete gave him to me for our one-year anniversary. Isn't he sweet?

This is an old shelf right beside my door. When I was young, I kept all my stuffed animals in it, but now I have cameras and my tripod on the bottom shelf, hairbands and other such supplies on the top shelf, and jewelry and perfume on the top of the whole thing. The box on the left was given to me by a close family friend who serves in the military, and got it for me in Afghanistan. And of course, my picture frame/branch necklace hanger is hung up on the wall! That was also a fun project to make.

I hope you enjoyed that little wall tour and perhaps got some ideas for your own spaces! :)

5 Ways To Take Great Product Photos

Hello, all! Today I bring you five handy tips to taking great product photos. These apply to almost any photos you're taking, actually!

1. Create a simple background! I used a lace dress of mine draped over my computer as a backdrop. Make sure it's not distracting and covers the whole background of your frame!

2. Back up and use your camera's zoom. This will ensure a clearer focus and less obstruction of natural light on your subject!

 3. Shoot near a window or door! Even if the sun isn't shining, natural light still beats artificial light or flash any day.

4. Add a pop of contrast to make sure you can see the subject clearly! This white bunny spirit camouflaged right in with my dress, blurring all his edges and making the viewer strain their eyes to see what the picture was actually of. So, I took a red plastic egg and placed it behind him, creating a sharp contrast and a better visual.

5. One of the most misleading things about product photos is, I find, the lack of scale. Especially with a close-up shot, it's difficult to tell how big something actually is. So, make sure to include one picture comparing the size to your hand, your body, or a commonplace object such as a tennis ball. Your potential buyer will then know exactly what they're getting!

I hope you found these photography tips helpful! They're great rules of thumb for anything, not just product photography. Happy shooting!

Miniature Key-Lime Pies

These tiny treats are not only delicious, quick, easy, and filling, but healthy, too! In fact, this recipe totals up to less than 200 calories--not to mention all the protein and nutrients in the yogurt!

Ingredients:
-key lime Greek yogurt
-mini graham-cracker crusts
-whipped cream

Directions:

1. Spoon yogurt into the pie crust until it is level with the edge. I used about half the container, which is maybe half a cup of yogurt.

2. Squirt whipped cream over the whole thing.

3. Enjoy! These little pies are ready to eat right away.

Alternately, make these pies with lemon Greek yogurt, or any other flavour of your choice! :)

As you may have noticed, I'm on a bit of a recipe kick lately! As well as a health kick - nutrition is fascinating me at the moment. While I get my spring cleaning done and resettle into daily routine, I probably will be posting less/mostly outfits and recipes. After these next two weeks I'll most likely be back on track, with lots of cute DIY ideas!

Zucchini Muffins, anyone?

Hello, all! This morning I am here to share with you one of my absolute favorite bread recipes from the, er, well-loved family cookbook. Zucchini muffins may sound disgusting to you, but as the world's pickiest eater it is some of the most delicious bread I've ever tasted, so I'm sure you'll adore it. Plus, it's a much healthier snack substitute than what you may usually munch on!

Ingredients: 

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini

¼ cup cooking oil

1 egg

¼ tsp finely shredded lemon peel

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line muffin tin with paper baking cups (or, if making zucchini bread, grease and 8x4x2-inch loaf pan).

2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. 

3. In another mixing bowl, combine sugar, shredded zucchini, cooking oil, egg, and lemon peel; mix well.

4. Add dry ingredient mixture, stir until just combined.

5. Pour batter into muffin tins, about ¾ full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (if making zucchini bread, bake for 55 to 60 minutes). Cool before eating.

Enjoy!

DIY Map Lampshade

I've had such a strong sense of wanderlust lately, which has spawned an obsession with maps of all kinds. My bedside lamp was always painfully boring to me, so I figured I would make it unique with an old roadmap!

What you need: lampshade (white or other pale color), an old map to cut up, strong double-sided tape or other adhesive.

First, you need your lamp! Make sure it's not plugged in and not still hot from being on. It would probably be significantly easier to just take the lampshade off the lamp, but I didn't think of that until afterwords.

Put your map up to the lampshade and cut a piece in the shape of one of the sides.

Use your adhesive to line all of the edges of the back side of the cutout.

Now, making sure there aren't any air pockets or creases, stick it on!

Repeat the same process with the other three sides. It is very important to make sure that the pieces do not overlap! If they do, they will create an opaque line when the lamp is turned on in that spot.
I found it helpful to use binder clips to make sure my maps stayed in place while I was tracing and cutting!

Ta-da! You're done! Plug it in and enjoy the soft orange glow!

The difference between a lit lamp and an unlit lamp. Keep in mind that you'll be able to see what's on the reverse side of the map!

Nutella Pudding!

I've had a bit of an odd craving for pudding lately. In a fit of creative daring today, I decided to attempt a Nutella pudding from scratch. As everyone knows, Nutella is the eighth wonder of the world, and it seems only fitting to combine it with all other concoctions of chocolatey goodness. (A Nutella hot chocolate recipe can be found here). So, here goes nothing!

Nutella Pudding

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups whole milk (if you don't have whole milk, add a bit of cream or half-and-half to your milk)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons Nutella

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the ingredients, adding the milk last. Make sure there are no clumps of dry ingredients or Nutella at the bottom of the bowl.

2. Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes on high. Take it out, stir it, and then continue cooking at 1-minute intervals, stirring in between. The pudding should be thick and shiny after about two or three minutes. 

3. Pour into small cups or bowls. Careful, it will be very hot! If you don't like a skin to form on your pudding, cover it with plastic wrap before refrigerating it. The skin is my personal favorite part of puddings, so I just stuck it in the fridge as it was.

4. Serve once cooled with homemade whipped cream and enjoy!