Outdoor Movie Night

Hey there!

I wanted to share something fun we did recently before

the weather got too cold for you to do it, too!

We hosted an outdoor movie party and it was a blast!

Even if we did get rained out...boo.

It's so fun and easier than you think!
We used a cheap shower curtain for our screen and clamped it to the back fence.
I only wish I'd gotten one a bit bigger or maybe two.

We asked guests to bring camp chairs and/or blankets...
but we had some available also.



I researched inexpensive projectors with USB
connections and chose this one I found on Amazon.
I won't be the next destination for the Sundance film festival,
 but for $58 it works pretty great!

It does have its own speakers but we hooked up
some computer speakers we had along with a spare woofer,
 and it sounded awesome!

We just connected it to our laptop to play the DVD.

Once you've taken care of all the tech stuff...it's time for food!
Always make sure you have plenty of tasty treats,
but keeping it simple means no stress eats!

In trying to keep with the movie night theme we had corn dogs,

single size candy, and of course, POPCORN!

I think Sara and I made popcorn for almost 2 hours straight in the air popper. Oooof.

I found the NOW SHOWING chalkboard on Amazon,

along with the character concession cutouts and the popcorn bags.

You can find a lot of those things at Hobby Lobby, too.

To add to the fun and let guests participate in the movie choice,

we included a URL to a SurveyMonkey questionnaire.

Invitees were able to vote for their favorite of 3 movies and

let us know what their favorite movie night snack is.

It made it easy to pick a movie everyone would enjoy,
and make sure we had good treats.



Let me say...The Princess Bride in the backyard is so awesome.
As I said, we did get rained out about half way through.
It hadn't rained in our area for WEEKS!!!

Families with young kids went on home...
everyone else helped get the equipment out of the rain
and we finished the movie inside.

Even with the rain...it was totally worth it and so much fun!

I apologize for the dark pictures.
It's not easy to snap pics in the dark ;)
I hope you decide to make a movie night...
even if you have to do it next year.
I think we're starting a new family tradition!

Till next time...

Rolling out the red carpet here:

Crafts a la Mode
AKA Design

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Howdy, howdy!
I told you I had sweet treats in store for you!

Remember once I told you I had a friend with gluten issues?
Well, it was his birthday recently...
and we were headed to their house for Bible study...
and I couldn't very well show up empty handed, now could I?

So...I took some of these babies...and we all chowed down!

They're dark and moist.

Chocolatey and peanut buttery and oh so utterly...

good.

Actually, if you want to know the real truth...

while the cupcakes were pretty good...

I threatened to lick the frosting off of every last one...

Seriously...it was THAT good!

Oh my...I could eat it all day long with a spoon!

Or at least until I made myself sick.

It was the first time I'd made a peanut butter buttercream

and I can tell you...it certainly won't be the last!

The cupcakes were good, but the frosting makes all the difference!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups GF All Purpose Baking Flour {from Bob's Red Mill}
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup PLUS 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup butter, softened at room temp.
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 1 cup warm brewed coffee
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place cupcake liners into muffin tins...you'll need 24.
2. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. 
3. Add butter, oil, egg, and vanilla. Mix until the batter has a crumbly texture.
4.  Slowly add coffee and vinegar.  Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Fill cupcake liners about 1/2 to 2/3 full...you really should get 24. :)
7. Bake for about 20 minutes...until they spring back when gently touched.
8. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack

{This is basically the recipe from Bob's...

I added the chocolate chips because...well, why not?

And I adjusted the temp and baking time for cupcakes.}

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup {2 sticks} butter, softened at room temp.
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar

1. Cream butter until smooth.  Add vanilla and peanut butter and beat until creamy.
2. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, then gradually add more until you reach your desired consistency.

If you want to be able to pipe it, make sure it's firm enough to hold up. 

Use a large open star tip and swirl it on.

Sprinkle some extra mini chocolate chips on top for extra goodness.

My friend was thrilled!

He doesn't get home made GF goodies very often.

I think he may have swooned a little. :)

I took the extras to work and everyone loved them there, too!

{especially the frosting...hee hee}

We've gotten a little reprieve from winter around here for a few days.

It's been sooooo nice!

I hope the same is true for you guys

and that you have a fantastic weekend!

Very soon, I hope to be able to show you what

we did to our old TV entertainment center.

You wouldn't even  recognize it!

Until then...

Handing out spoons {for frosting!} here:

Embracing Change

Common Ground

Nancherrow

AKA Design

Craft Dictator

Love Bakes Good Cakes

Put A Bird On It

Love Of Family And Home

Crafts a la Mode

WhipperBerry

Horrific Knits

A Peek Into My Paradise

Serenity You

I Heart Naptime

Cheerios and Lattes

Will Cook For Smiles

Made From Pinterest

Reasons to Skip the Housework

Six Sisters' Stuff

Dwellings

Averie Lane

Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

I Should Be Mopping The Floor

The Dedicated House

The Gunny Sack

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Home Stories A to Z

Anyonita Nibbles

A Stroll Thru Life

Cedar Hill Farmhouse

My Craftily Ever After

Upcycled Treasures

City Farmhouse

Savvy Southern Style

Life With The Crust Cut Off

The Turquoise Home

Lamberts Lately

Saving 4 Six

From My Front Porch to Yours

Live Laugh Rowe

Carole's Chatter

Have Your Cake and Christmas, Too!



Did you ever see the movie Babe? 

You know...the one about the pig who herds sheep?

NO?!?!

Well...there's this duck...named Ferdinand...

who finds out a good friend of his

just became Christmas dinner.

Horrifying, I know.

Well, actually it's really funny...

but he flies off squawking

"Christmas means carnage!! "Christmas means carnage!!"

Well, I'm starting to feel like MY goose is cooked!

I've been too busy to finish up some Christmas projects I wanted to show you...

guess they'll keep till next time.

So, I thought I'd share some confectionery inspiration

in case you needed some for all those Christmas parties:

  

Above:

The Santa hat is cake cut to a cone shape

then iced and covered in fondant.

I used a star tip to make the "fur".

The snowflakes are fondant cut with cookie cutters and left to harden.

Same technique here for the "fur" and snowflakes.

The gold buckle was edible dust mixed

with vanilla extract and painted on.

Everything was sprayed with edible pearl spray.

Cupcakes are super easy...and super portable.

These were chocolate with peppermint buttercream.

The presents and the Santa hat were made with fondant.

I've seen people shape toppers out of taffy and other

soft candies when they didn't want to mess with fondant.

There are lots of options.

My crazy busy time is almost done...then I can

relax and enjoy the rest of the season.

Oh boy I can't wait.

Come back in a couple days...I'll be sharing some

yummy tarts and Christmas traditions.

I may even throw in a house tour or two!

Are you almost done with your shopping and gift making?

Not me...but I've got it all planned out!

Have a sweet week!

...and don't forget the secret code:

Baa...Ram...Ewe!!

Whipping up frosting here:

Love Grows Wild

A Stroll Thru Life

 Anyonita Nibbles

Stone Gable

Wonderful at Home

Life With the Crust Cut Off

City Farmhouse

Ivy and Elephants

Lamberts Lately

From My Front Porch to Yours

Embracing Change

Horrific Knits

Craft Dictator

Crafts a la Mode

Put a Bird On It

Love of Family and Home

Whipperberry

DebbieDoo's

Lil' Luna

Will Cook For Smiles

Cheerios and Lattes

Serenity You

Dwellings

I Should Be Mopping The Floor

The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

Averie Lane

The Dedicated House

Saving 4 Six

Confessions of a Spray Paint Addict ~ An Interview With SheKnows.com

Recently, I was contacted by SheKnows.com to be interviewed for

an article called Confessions of a Spray Paint Addict.

Doesn't that sound fun?

You can see the highlight on their site here...

but here you can see all the questions they asked me and my full answers.
Let's get started, shall we?

SK: Do you have a favorite spray paint project that you've completed?

 

Me: I think my favorite project is the update to my KitchenAid mixer.

As much as I love the folding chairs...I get to see and use my mixer All.The.Time.

It makes me smile just to see it sitting on the counter.

SK: What originally got you interested in using spray

paint to renovate and DIY around the home?

Me: Actually, would you believe my first spray paint project was 25 years ago?

Should I admit to being that old? Ha ha.

I made over a lantern I got at a garage sale when

I was in high school and have been hooked ever since.

Spray paint is easy to use and makes for a quick transformation on just about anything!

I have a friend who painted her kitchen cabinets with spray paint...but she's a little crazy.

Maybe it was the fumes. :)

SK: If you had to pick a favorite color right now, what would it be?

Me: Right now I'm totally loving aqua and lighter turquoise colors.

I used some aqua on the walls in my laundry room

where I spray painted my washer and dryer!

Yes, you can spray paint just almost anything!

SK: What finish do you like using the most?

Me: That's something I'm really picky about.

For the most part, I hate glossy finishes.

Satin has always been my go-to finish, but not all colors are available in satin.

But, there's always a topcoat if I really want to take the shine down a notch.

SK: Would you be interested in sharing a photo of one of your projects with our readers? If so, could you briefly explain (1-2 sentences) a little about that project?

Me: We had acquired some ugly folding chairs, and while useful,

I hated to bring them out for parties because they were so blah.

I saw a photo of some colored chairs somewhere and that gave me the idea

to use spray paint to freshen them up and make them party-ready.

SK: Any tips you'd like to share?

Me: Besides the basics, like always have good ventilation

and don't paint in your church clothes...

Don't be afraid to make a mistake!

Take your time with nice even coats to minimize dripping.

But in the end...for a few dollars a can, you can always

start over or change a color you decide you don't like.

********

Did you enjoy that?

Then, please check out my other spray paint projects:

DIY Wonder Woman Boots

Snowball Fight in a Bucket

Custom Frames



Washer and Dryer Makeover

Wicked Good Treats Pail

Hope you have a great fall week!

Putting down drop cloths here:

City Farmhouse

The 36th Avenue

From My Front Porch to Yours

Life With the Crust Off

Saving 4 Six

Live Laugh Rowe

Ivy and Elephants

Embracing Change

Stone Gable

Crafts a la Mode

Love of Family and Home

A Peek Into My Paradise

Jennifer Rizzo

Remodelaholic

Whipperberry

Lil' Luna

Serenity You

Cheerios and Lattes

Will Cook for Smiles

I Should Be Mopping The Floor

Dimples and Pig Tales

The Dedicated House

Home Stories A to Z

Love Grows Wild

Dwellings

Wonderful at Home

Lamberts Lately

Obsessive and Creative

DIY Showoff

Thrifty Decor Chick

$200 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

Happy Monday peeps!

I am super excited to share this with you!

I am helping Anyonita from Anyonita Nibbles

celebrate 1,000 likes with a giveaway!

I know...that's a lot of exclamation marks!!!

Check out the other fabulous blogs and enter to win

using the Rafflecopter widget below!

Enter by liking any or all of the Facebook

pages and/or following on Twitter!

Good luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sharing here:

Ivy and Elephants

From My Front Porch To Yours

Living Well Spending Less

Crafts a la Mode

Serenity You

Vanilla Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Wow...is that a long name for an ice cream or what?

I know, I know...

two ice cream recipes in 3 weeks.

Well, it IS National Ice Cream Month.

Sorry.

The truth is, the project I was hoping to share with

you this week is NOT going according to plan.

I've had to undo parts of it and start over.
{this project}

Let's just say that sometimes what I picture in my head

doesn't always look as good as I think it will.

*Insert sad, pouty face here*

So, we're gonna go with ice cream for now.

 Vanilla Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tbsp. {or more} grated semi-sweet chocolate

Combine melted butter, vanilla, sugars, and salt.

Add in milk and cream and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Chill for an hour or so and freeze according

to your ice cream maker's instructions.

Add in grated chocolate about half-way through the freezing process.

Eat it right away as soft serve, or store in an airtight
freezer container until frozen like you like it. :)

While I've been drowning my DIY woes in ice cream,

what have you been up to?

Enjoying National Ice Cream Month?

Messing up makeovers...or is that just me? :)

What have you had to start over because

it didn't turn out the way you wanted?

 Here's hoping your week is fabulous and filled with ice-creamy goodness.

In line for seconds here:

The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

Dimples and Pig Tales

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Cedar Hill Ranch

The Dedicated House

Home Stories A to Z

Anyonita Nibbles

Love Grows Wild

The 36th Avenue

Crafts a la Mode

Serenity You

Cheerios and Lattes

I Heart Naptime

I Should Be Mopping The Floor

Saving 4 Six

A Peek Into My Paradise

Carole's Chatter

Butter Black Walnut Homemade Ice Cream

Well, I'm sure you noticed I didn't post last week.

We were on vacation...

and once again, I wasn't prepared.

There's a shocker.

To make up for it, I made you

some homemade ice cream.

I hope you like black walnuts.

No?

Sorry, my mom will eat your scoop. :)

I found these at Sprouts.

(I just noticed what the package says...hee hee.)

The little buggers are not that easy to come by.

Unless you happen to have a 

 black walnut tree in your yard...

Like my uncle...but he lives in Ohio...far, far away.

Sometimes he sends some to my mom in the mail.

She happily sits on the porch and cracks

them open with a hammer and a brick.

I remember doing that as a kid on my uncle's porch, too.

Anyway, this ice cream is smooth and creamy.

Kinda like Butter Pecan, but NOT! :)

It did not get rock hard when completely frozen either.

So you don't have to worry about breaking your spoon when you

go to sneak a few bites sometime in the middle of the night.

Not that I would know anything about that.

Butter Black Walnut Ice Cream

• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1 cup chopped black walnuts
• pinch of salt 

• 1 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• pinch salt
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

 1. Melt the butter in a medium skillet.  Add the walnuts and a pinch or so of salt.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the walnuts are golden.  The butter will probably brown, that's okay...it's good. :)

2. Strain the nuts from the butter, allow the nuts to cool.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the milk, brown and white sugars, and a pinch of salt.  Mix until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the heavy cream and vanilla.  Chill in the fridge for an hour or so.

4. Get  your ice cream maker ready, prepare according to your maker's directions.  Add the nuts and drizzle in a little of the browned butter about 5-10 minutes before you're ready to turn it off.

5. Store in the freezer in an airtight container...if there's any left. :)



This was SoOoOoOo tasty...I really do

wish I could have shared it with you.

But it probably would have melted on the way.

Hope your week has started off great!

I'm looking for my motivation to get goin'

 on my extremely long list of projects.

So, if you see it anywhere, would you please send it my way?

Thanks.

 Handing out spoons here:

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Love Grows Wild

Cedar Hill Ranch

Anyonita Nibbles
Hickory Trail
The 36th Avenue
Lil' Luna
Clean and Scentsible
Saving 4 Six
From My Front Porch To Yours
Ivy and Elephants
A Peek Into My Paradise
Redfly Creations
Love of Family and Home
Crafts a la Mode
Life With the Crust Off
I Heart Naptime
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Serenity You
Cheerios and Lattes
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
The Dedicated House
Reasons to Skip the Housework
Embracing Change
Carole's Chatter

Pink Poker Night ~ Girls' Night In

Looking for a fabulously fun night with all your BFFs?

Host a pink poker night!

A couple of weeks ago we had a girls' night in at my house.

I decided to do pink poker night cuz it sounded fun.

Not that I'm a great card player.

On the contrary...I just make up the rules. :)

Kinda like everything else I do.

I found this kit on Amazon.

But you don't need it...just find some pink poker chips and cards.

Bicycle brand has several pink card versions.

I got these chips on Ebay.

Don't forget all the frills...

tiaras and feather boas are a must!

Make sure everyone gets in the spirit!

The box kit included invitations, but those would be simple to make.

It also suggested having everyone bring one fun item

to make up a "bling" pot for the last hand.

You could make it whatever you wanted.

Oh, and if you just happen to have some pink

spray painted folding chairs, be sure to use 'em!

Striped straws...don't they make you smile?

I actually found these in the party aisle at Hobby Lobby for about $3.

Oh, that's where the tiaras came from, too.

Of course you need some fabulous finger food...

including pink peanut butter hugs.

Below are some peanut butter pretzels

drizzled with pink white chocolate.

Does that even make sense?

We had some pink sangria, but I was having so much

fun, I forgot to take any pictures of that...or of

anyone enjoying the party for that matter.

Oh well...I guess having fun was the bigger priority. :)



The sangria was delicious and easy!

1 - 2 liter bottle of 7up Zero

1 - bottle white zinfandel

1 - bottle white cranberry strawberry juice

sliced oranges to float in the pitcher

All chilled and mixed together

SoOoOo yummy and refreshing!

Even if your sister dumps a whole glass on her chair...

and doesn't at least use a straw to suck up what she can.

Oh, look...there's one cookie left for me.

My mom showed up with these beautiful roses.

Love her. :)

We had all sorts of other finger foods, some store bought.

No need to tire yourself out getting ready!

You need to save your energy for all the laughing

and carrying on that's sure to happen.

{shrimp cocktail is easy and hey, it's PINK!}

I'm also thinking...watermelon,

strawberries, pink lemonade...

It was so much fun and definitely what everyone needed.

A whole night of just us girls with a whole bunch

of laughing and goofy shenanigans!

But I have one little confession to make...

We never actually got around to playing poker!

We were having too much fun NOT playing.

:)

The next day I got texts or emails from everyone

thanking me for such a fun night!

I said next time, we won't even pretend we're gonna play.

Does this sound like a great time to you?

Check out the Pink Poker Night Pinterest board I started.



 If you host a pink party, send me pics...

since I forgot to take my own.

Ha!

Dealing a perfect hand here:

I Should Be Mopping The Floor
I Heart Naptime
Love Grows Wild
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Home Stories A to Z
Lolly Jane
The 36th Avenue
Live.Laugh.Rowe
Embracing Change
A Peek Into My Paradise
The Dedicated House