Titanic Toilet Paper

I found this idea on Pinterest and decided to recreate it myself.  While my boyfriend took a nap, I grabbed some sharpies and got to work.  He woke up sometime later, and the house echoed with his laughter when he discovered my art. 

I've been dying to do this in a public restroom, but so far, I've only come across rolls without the perforations between squares.  *sigh*

Random Acts of Kindness

Last week was my golden birthday. I turned 31, on the 31st. Awhile back I stumbled across this idea about doing random acts of kindness (RAKs) to celebrate your birthday. One for each year of your life. I found a few blogs and websites with ideas.  I got more and more excited about this. I've had 31 very blessed years, so giving back in small kind ways was the perfect way to celebrate.  Today I'm sharing my list.  Here were my parameters....first, I didn't want everything to be about money. I am not financially rich, so I had to keep costs within a reasonable budget. Let me tell you, I could have spent a lot more money! Giving was so easy, I just wanted to keep doing it!

Second, the ideas had to be something I felt good and comfortable doing. There were some great ideas out there for families, but not all of them felt like good ideas for a random adult to do alone. And lastly, 31 things didn't have to be different, I did a few things more than once because they were fun!

Here's how I celebrated....

1. I purchased a food donation bag at Cub Foods. These donations support local food banks and shelters.

2. My intention was to pay for the person in line behind me at the drive-thru. Unfortunately while I was paying, no one was in line behind me! I opted to purchase a $5 gift card and asked the cashier to use it on the next person that comes in line. I saw a truck pull up as I was pulling out. I hope they got to take advantage. 

**My boyfriend's response was "Wow, you know that cashier just pocketed that gift card  right?"

   My response to him: "Well, if he needed it, then I'm glad I could help."

3. I donated a few bags of healthy dog treats to the Minneapolis Animal Care and Control. I follow them on Facebook and my heart breaks for the poor dogs there. I cant foster (I've got my hands full already with my 2 dogs) so I donated some things they mentioned they needed.

4. I baked a dozen cookies for some RN's.  My friend Kelly is a nurse, so I sent a box of homemade cookies with her to work and asked her to share with her RN friends.  RN's do so much, hopefully you haven't needed their care, but when you do, you'll be grateful to have them. 

 5. I made a financial donation to Midwest Animal Rescue. My Caesar was rescued by them. Its because of that group's compassion that my boy was taken from the conditions he was in and brought into my life. He's changed me in ways that words could never describe.

6. I sent my sister a gift in the mail. She actually forgot some things at my house on her last visit. We lived 6 hours apart, so the next time I'd see her wouldn't be for quite some time. I chose to mail her the items and included a gift to enhance the feng shui in an area of her home where she needed some assistance. 

7. I sent a dozen home baked cookies to a complete stranger using Gift A Stranger

**Technically this RAK failed. The recipient refused my package and it was returned. But the fact is, I tried to bring some joy and deliciousness into their lives. 

8. I donated toys, treats, and a gentle leader harness to the Animal Humane Society.  Our Sookie was adopted through them. She was our first pup, and stole our hearts! Who knew 5 pounds could change 2 people do much?!

9. I delivered dog theme cupcakes to the wonderful vets and staff at Broadway Robbinsdale Hospital. Caesar has had a lot of health issues in recent months and they have taken fantastic care of him.

10. I put quarters in the candy/toy machines at a local store. Hopefully a curious child will get a fun surprise!

11-12. I put quarters in ziplocks with a "Please Enjoy this Random Act of Kindess" card that I found HERE and taped them to soda and vending machines.

13. I helped an elderly woman with her groceries.

14. I taped coupons onto items around the grocery store. Wow! I just noticed that this item was even on sale! Gosh I hope someone scored a great deal on that!

15. I baked cookies for our mailman. That guy delivers our mail (mostly junk too!) in all kinds of awful Minnesota weather! He deserves a cookie (or 10!)

16, 17, 18. I left scratch off lottery tickets, with a RAK card on random windshields. Hope someone got lucky! 

19. I made a financial donation to Save A Bull Rescue. They are a local pit bull and bully breed rescue group. My Caesar is a Staffordshire Terrier, which is a "bully-breed". I've experienced people reacting negatively to him before, so I wanted to show support for a group that is trying to save other dogs like him. 

20. I made a financial donation to The Pet Project. They are a local group that provides assistance to families who have fallen on hard times and need help keeping their pet in their home. They provide things like good food for pets all while keeping the pet in the home, while the owners get back on their feet.

21, 22, 23. I left happy post-it notes in random places.  Like a public ladies room mirror, and on my friend Snoopy here at the airport.

24. I sent an email to the store manager at Cub Foods about an exceptional employee. An employee named Ryan helped me when I was frantic, in a hurry, and needed to pull off something last minute. He was super nice, even though I was probably a bit of a nut. He helped me solve my problem and gave me a discounted price. 

25. I made a purchase from Bad Rap.org They are a pit bull rescue group that's mission is to break the stereotypes surrounding pits and bully breeds. Technically this one benefited me too. I ordered some items and the proceeds benefit the group.  However, I also get some cool pit bull awareness stuff!

26, 27, 28, 29. I sent out Hello! postcards to some friends I haven't talked to in awhile. Snail mail is such a delight to receive....but sshhhh, technically the recipients haven't gotten them yet!

30, 31. I made 2 comfort care packs for the homeless. Each pack includes a scarf, thermal socks, gloves, goldfish crackers, shampoo, mouth wash, Vaseline, hand sanitizer and wipes. Technically I haven't handed these out yet. The packs are in my car. I often see homeless folks in this area of town I run errands in.  But I haven't seen anyone in a few days. Hopefully they don't go to waste!

A few other things I tried to do were simple, like smile at people, give out genuine compliments to friends and strangers, and try to be a courteous and patient driver. 

I hope you've enjoyed my list and perhaps felt a little inspired! I'd love to hear if any of you have done something like this before or do so in the future! What kind of things have you done? Did you get good reactions? 
These joy dominoes may become an annual tradition!  "Joy dominoes?" you ask....yep! My hope is that one kind act sets in motion another kind act and the joy dominoes keep on falling!

Smooth Sailing

Ahoy there mateys! Oh wait....I'm not a pirate. But I did just get back from sailing on a giant ship. It might have been a cruise ship but that didn't stop me from "arrrrgggghhh-ing" at people.  (yes, arrrghhh-ing is totally a verb).

I'm back from vacation and would like to share a few fun pics with you! 

 

David and I in Jamaica with an awesome view of our ship

 Mmmm...ship tastes gooood.

 I went to Hell for my birthday....here we are in Hell, on Grand Cayman Island.

 Baby Sea Turtles!!

 Elegant night....what can I say, that lobster was outta control. I had to attack it.

Chillin on the Lido Deck with a frozen drink....how else would you spend a sunny afternoon on a cruise ship?!

Oh and Grumpy smurf came along. He loved his Red Stripe.

Our vacation was awesome! Stay tuned for some great projects and inspiration!

Top 11 of 2011

As the year closes, lets revisit some of the highlights from 2011!

1. The completion of my Party Challenge.

I completed 1 party every month until I turned 30. This came to completion at the end of January 2011.

2. Grapefruit Cake

This became my favorite cake of the year! I made this so many times, and its just as delicious every time!

3. Our Valentine's Day Table and Red Rosette Cake

4. Happy Birday Cookies

5. Champagne Wishes and Strawberry Dreams Cupcakes

6.  A Royal Affair

7. Designer Inspired Frosted Glass Mirrors

8. How to Clean Graffiti

9. Burberry Inspired Puppy Party

10. Wonderfall Wine Tasting

11. The Reindeer Run

2011 has been a great year! Thank you so much for following along on my blogging journey!
May you have a blessed new year! Happy 2012!

Christmas Randomness

Now that I've shared my Christmas Table and Hot Cocoa Bar, I'll share with you a few more random photos from my holiday weekend.  Then I promise I'll move onto another subject!

This is a photo of the ornament I gave my boyfriend this year. (He gets one every year). I was experimenting with my holiday photo taking, and I really like how this shot turned out.

This is one of my Christmas displays. I guest blogged about this over at Life in the Thrifty Lane!

Again, working on my holiday photography, this is my Caesar int front of the Christmas tree. I love how this turned out!

Same shot...different dog. This is my Sookie.

Santa Caesar

And Sookie the Elf.

Rocking my Santa Leg Warmers in front of the Channel 45 Yule Log.

My tortilla pinwheel Christmas Tree.

My cranberry candles

My Dollar Store Nutcrackers

And finally, my Christmas Tree.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this photo tour of my holiday weekend!

Fairytale Frosting Meets Twitter

OK its official. I've joined Twitter.  I have hesitated for so long, feeling a little overwhelmed with the whole social media thing...I mean its always something new right?  However I decided to jump on board, so come join me!

 You can follow me HERE

In honor of my new Twitter, I also whipped up a few blue bird cookies!

I hope you'll come check out my Twitter account, I need some Twitter love! Ha ha!

Heading to the Lone Star State!

Just wanted to let you know, there wont be posts from me this week, I am heading to Texas!

Don't get too excited, its a work trip. I'll be back next week with some more fun posts!

Enjoy your week!

Stop Spreading Hate.....Start Spreading Love

This post is a little different from the material I normally share. This week, I have experienced some real disappointment with the blogging and other online communities. I feel compelled to share my opinions on the subject...and a few other semi related subjects.

Let me start by saying this:

LADIES...STOP WITH THE BITCHY!

This week I have been exposed to a lot of negativity, hating, and slandering in online communities (not of myself thankfully, but others I know and respect).  I don't understand this.  Each of us are sharing our personal craft.  We are taking pieces of ourselves, our souls, our very being, and creating something beautiful and having the courage to share it with the world.  That is real bravery in my opinion.  Bravery that should be met with support from other artistic women in our online communities.  Unfortunately, I've been witness to a lot of ladies tearing each other down.  Ladies going to extreme to slander other people online, and even on other people's blog comments.

I work full time in a male dominated environment (I am one of two women on a staff of 100+). It may be 2011, but women still have a lot to prove in the work place.  We still have this culture of "I had to work extra hard to get where I am, so I'm going to make that other woman work hard too".  We need to stop this madness!

Ladies, we need to bring each other up, not tear each other down.  Support your fellow female in her journey, not try to throw boulders in her path!

If you don't like an artist's work, that's OK.  Every one's tastes are different.  But keep your negativity to yourself.  How are you helping anyone by telling another artist how much you hate her work?

Think before you act.  Ask yourself, what productive result will this bring if I say or do this?

Leaving mean comments, slandering people on message boards, and trying to "get people on your side" just doesn't have a place on my blog, in my business, or in my relationships both online and in person.

Start spreading the love, stop spreading the hate.

Which brings me another all important topic....Credit.  I don't mean those credit cards either!  I mean, giving credit where credit is due.  I do my best to make sure to give proper credit to those who have inspired me.  This is a popular topic in the blogging community, and instead of rehashing the subject, I'd like to direct you to this post by Kristan, the brilliant mind behind Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.  She discussed properly crediting your sources in a way that really expresses how I would have said it myself!  Another valuable read is her post on Blogger Code of Ethics.  A must read for any bloggers, especially newbies.

My last subject on this post is about finding your value.  In addition to all the negativity I've already talked about, I've been experiencing a struggle with the value of my work.  More and more I am having clients ask me to do things at a discount, and then becoming offended when I refuse.  I would like to say this, a cookie is not just a cookie.  A cupcake is not just a cupcake.  Styling a dessert table is not just setting things up on a table.  There are hours of brainstorming, sketching ideas, preparing ingredients, baking, and designing. That cookie you just bought, and complained about the price, and then shoveled into your mouth, was my art. It was not mass produced and pulled out of a freezer.  It is something that I created, explicitly for you.  It generally takes a few hours (at a minimum) to prepare, bake, and decorate a cookie.  That cookie that deemed not worth its value by you questioning my pricing.  To my fellow artists out there, whatever your craft, know your worth, and stick to it.  Determining your pricing, determining your product's value is a very personal and difficult decision. Know that you create something out of love and passion.  If you're like me, you work full time, and come home to go to work again because you love it. You enjoy what you do.  There is value to that.  Don't allow someone who knows nothing about your craft to devalue it.

I encourage you to read these posts over at the One Tough Cookie Blog.  This post is about pricing and this one is about discounts.  They are both well worth the read no matter what your craft is, whether is baking or something else.

OK, I'll step down from my soapbox now.

Candied Eggs & Bacon

Recently I saw this post on Celebrations at Home about a breakfast bar. I could have died from the cuteness when I saw the chocolate/pretzel eggs and bacon! If you've been reading my blog you know I already have a soft spot for plays on bacon and eggs. Click here to see what I mean. With that said, I couldn't wait to try my own....check them out!

Of course, I had to do my own spin on it too....

Wouldn't these "green eggs" be awesome for a Dr. Seuss themed party?! Easy and fun to make!

All you need to do is place two pretzel sticks on wax paper, dollop melted white chocolate on top of them, and pop an M&M on top. Let it set for about 30 minutes, or pop in the fridge for 10 minutes, and viola! Bacon and Eggs!

Goodbye 20's....Hello 30's!

Today is my 30th birthday. I am the kind of girl who embraces birthdays, so I throw myself a party every year, sometimes more than one. This year, there are two. I went to Milwaukee over this past weekend for party number one. (Party number 2, here in Minneapolis is this weekend...it will be featured next week!)
This is a milestone birthday that I've been reflecting upon for a few weeks now. Several friends have also turned 30 this month. Seeing how they handle it and their insights on it has been interesting and quite different from my own perspective.
Let me say something about my 20's first. It was a wild ride. There were so many life changing experiences for me. To name a few...
College and all the crazy experiences that go with it. Living on a tiny budget, eating ramen noodles, going to class or not going to class, living without real rules or guidelines, partying too hard for my own good, and forming friendships that will last a lifetime.
Traveling, on all different levels. I did the travel on a small budget, hustling from hostel to hostel, trying to squeeze in too many sights in too little time. Then I evolved into more focused travel and not staying in a hostel with a shared bathroom (yuck!).
The "Quarter Life Crisis" ....don't laugh. Its no joke. Its got to be one of the most challenging emotional times of my life.
Moving to Minneapolis, the different apartments, jobs, friends, and experiences rolled into one.
Committing to a serious adult relationship (going on 5 years now!) and facing life head on together.
Adopting my dogs and buying a house....and all the responsibilities that come with both!

Those are just a small few of the lessons and experiences I've had in this past decade.
Friends of mine were nervous about turning 30. Suddenly we are old and real adults and its too sad to say goodbye to our former selves.
I say, *F* That! To my 20's, I loved ya, but I have a full and bright future ahead of me and I can't wait to see what is in store!
I told one of my more nervous friends to look at it like this: We still have so much left to experience. Weddings, babies, career changes, and my passport is nowhere near full enough for me to be satisfied. Only now, I'm a little bit wiser, a little bit more thankful and aware of my blessings. Aging is inevitable and I don't want to hate the journey because I'm scared of the destination. If I am going to get older, I am going to earn my laugh lines by spending the decades to come laughing and loving every minute of it.
To 30....bring it on baby, hit me with your best shot!

Friday Giggle

This made me giggle out loud....at my desk....at work. People in the cubes next to me probably think I'm a crazy person. Thats ok, I am not in denial about that fact. Wonder if I could get my boyfriend to drink from a mug like this. Hmmmm......

Enjoy your Friday!