Homemade Pepper Vodka

One way to guarantee an awesome bloody mary is mixing it with pepper vodka. I had regular vodka, but that just wouldn't do. So, I made my own pepper vodka. I have to admit, its better than any pepper vodka I've ever bought! Here's how you can make some too!
All you need is vodka, a jar, and an assortment of peppers. I also got some sour cocktail onions, but that's totally optional.

Slice up your peppers.
Put in jar. Pour vodka over them. Close jar, give it a little shake.
I let the vodka "marinate" for about a week prior to our bloody mary buffet. When making the bloody mary's I used a strainer to pour the vodka into a shaker. Trust me, your bloody marys will never be the same again. Oooh spiceeeey!

Merry Meet

Ever since I started (and finished) my once a month party challenge last year, I can't seem to stop planning little get togethers! I had this idea for awhile now to do a bloody mary buffet, so I decided now was as good a time as any. I invited the girls over for some appetizers and an appetizer in a glass! This would make a fun party with grillin season around the corner!

I made sure we had all the fixins....and an excuse to use my super cute veggie dishes!

I even used my dollar store mirror "vases" to create arrangements of lettuce, cabbage and artichokes.
We enjoyed mini caprese salads too!
My party wouldn't be complete without cookies! I made some to represent veggies and others inspired by the table cloth.
I wanted the "title theme" to be a play on "Mary" but didnt have much success. So I used a common Wiccan greeting, Merry Meet.
I also designed some subway-style art!
On each end of the table was a recipe for a Minnesota Mary or Wisconsin Mary (I'm originally from the real cheese state!)
Mmm...mmm....MMM! Appetizer in a glass!

You Capture: Youth

This week's challenge on You Capture was "Youth". At first, I was unsure about this because my exposure to children is limited. I'm not around them much. So then I got to thinking, children are not the only subject matter that can represent youth. I ended up taking a few more photos than I expected because I was having so much fun!! I also loved the black and white effect too. Check it out....

One of my favorite childhood toys....Troll Dolls!

My very favorite Barbie Doll. I loved her because she wasn't blonde and didn't look like the rest of the Barbies.
Quints! Anybody remember these?
Sweet Secrets....these were my favorite! I carried them everywhere. I also believed them to be magic. I still do. One may end up in my purse now.
This is especially for my friend Robyn. We were obsessed with harp seals, and saving the endangered harp seal. We drew all kinds of pictures and made all kinds of art, all for the love of these seals.
This is actually the original idea I had for my Youth shot. Youth...is fleeting. Now that I'm 30, I'm being shall we say, proactive, about caring for what is now considered my "aging" skin. I am hanging onto my youth by using these products. Clinging to the hope that I will stay young for as long as I possibly can.

Billiard Balls

Here is a recent collection of cupcake toppers I did. Perfect for the billiards enthusiast in your life!

Zebra Fashionista

Recently I made this collection of cookies "Zebra Fashionista" for my dear friend Holly. She has been one of my biggest supporters and loves zebra print. I couldn't resist!
The collection includes:

• Handbag
• Dress
• Shoes
• Bustier (Gotta look good under the dress too!)
• Heart (A true fashionista has a big beautiful heart....like Holly!)
• Music (Fashionistas put their style together while rockin out to the best tunes!
  

Here are a couple of close ups...

Thanks for all of your support Holly!!

You Capture: Emotion in Black & White

This week's You Capture challenge was "Emotion in black and white". I really want to get into more black and white photos, so I was excited. Then I realized, not many people around me enjoy having their photo taken....especially if I'm trying to capture something when they don't realize it. I didn't have a lot of social interaction over the week, outside of work. Creeping around my job trying to capture people's emotions, sure wasn't going to go over well with a bunch of rough neck mechanics!
Then there was an afternoon that I was running an errand to the post office. I walked out, past this line of newspaper boxes. All of the headlines were about the devastation in Japan. It hit me, emotion isn't just on people's faces. Emotions are behind everything we do, say, think, and even read. Looking at rows of newspapers with headlines like these captured emotion for me this week. Its not what I imagined. No children laughing, or sweet elderly couples holding hands. But the emotion is raw, even if its in print.

For Japan With Love

Watching the news is surreal. I can't quite wrap my mind around the devastation in Japan. When I learned about For Japan With Love, I knew I had to join in. My heart goes out to everyone who lost, lived, and is trying to find their way through this tragedy. I am participating in Bloggers Day Of Silence, tomorrow March 18th. Over 300 bloggers will be silent to honor those in Japan who have suffered in such an unimaginable way.
This brilliance began with the ladies at Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours teaming up with Shelterbox to create a fundraising site, For Japan With Love. Shelterbox is an international disaster relief charity that delivers emergency shelter, warmth, and dignity to those worldwide who have been affected by disasters. To donate, or for more information visit For Japan With Love. Spread the word.