Pop, Pop, Pop!

Every year, my brother has an amazing Halloween party. He gets so into it; it's cute! He chooses the theme by the end of the Halloween party the year before! He is already planning for next year. This year, though, the theme was "Evil Carnival". Well... I don't like being anything 'evil' and scaring the kids, so... I was... an 'evil' box of popcorn!


I bought four 2' x 3' foam core boards, trimming them down to exactly the same size. My wonderful husband helped me by trimming (with painter's tape--be careful peeling it off!) and painting the stripes. Then, I covered each panel with Mod Podge. I bought a piece of white poster board, traced a plate, cut it out and drew "POP CORN" inside the circle. I glued the circle to two of the foam boards-- for the front and back of the box. Once they were glued, I colored in the letters. I let that all dry overnight. The next day, I cut out two holes for my arms on the sides opposite the "POP CORN" cirlces. I used hot glue (thanks, Grandma!) and duct tape to attach the sides together. I slightly cheated in buying the popcorn accents from work (thebookbag.com). I hot glued them to the top of the box...and voila! a popcorn box!


This was a very inexpensive and easy project! Just a little time consuming putting it all together. It was fun, though, because I got to work on it with my husband! Thanks for all your help, babe!

Thanks for looking!

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Sooo, my very best friend, Meghan, sent this recipe over to me a few weeks ago. Since then, I've been DYING to try it! The first picture isn't mine (have to give props to "Cook Like a Champion"!).


Here is my attempt:


I wish my bottle were cuter! I got it from the Goodwill so it was cheap. I really wish I had one like Cook Like a Champion!

...and... the recipe!

Pumpkin Spice Syrup
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin purée

Directions:
-In a small pot over medium heat, dissolve sugar in water.
-Once sugar is dissolved, add remaining ingredients. Allow to cook
for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not boil.
-Strain mixture using cheesecloth or a tea towel.
-Pour into a small (8-10 ounce) bottle and store in the refrigerator.
-To make a pumpkin spice latte, simply add about 1 1/2 tablespoons
of syrup for each shot of espresso.
-For an iced latte, stir together syrup and espresso
before adding desired amount of cold milk.
-For a hot latte, add frothed milk and stir to combine.
Top with whipped cream, if desired.

I added a little more pumpkin syrup than the ratio she states above. My homemade PSL was delicious!!! Let me know how yours turns out! Enjoy!

Cupcake Gift Card Holders

My sister (One Star Away) made a gift card holder resembling a cupcake for a wedding gift. I thought it was adorable and begged her to send me the tutorial she used. After briefly looking it over, I got an idea of how to make it. Instead of using the tutorial step for step, I decided to make it my own! Below are the pictures of the wedding cupcake GC holder that I made for my friend Erin (who got married just this past Saturday- congrats again!) and also one that I made for our wedding photographer (who got married last month).

Cupcake GC Holder for Erin:


Cupcake GC Holder for Tori:

I've decided I'm going to make a whole bunch and keep them around for whenever I may need them (birthday, wedding, just because!) =)

Thanks for looking!

Call Me Mrs!

Kevin and I got married!!! Yay!

Here's a picture of us saying "I do!":


Here's a picture of the beach in Jamaica! (view from our hotel)

The wedding & reception were perfect! The honeymoon was wonderful! Loved coming home to family and friends to share pictures and stories!

They Grow So Fast...

It's hard to believe that it was only a few weeks ago Kevin and I noticed that our pond geese had babies!! Here is a picture of them only a few days old:

Photo taken April 30, 2010

And now... they are getting SO big!!! I can't believe it. I hadn't seen them for a few days between my busy schedule and the rain. Here's a picture of them today:

Photo taken May 23, 2010

They grow up so fast... =)

Hair Trial

I went yesterday for a trial-run for my wedding updo. I've NEVER gone anywhere or paid anyone to style my hair. All through high school, (I went to every dance) my sister always styled my hair (and did a fabulous job!). So, I decided... for my wedding... I am going to spend money to get my hair done. Here's how it turned out after 1 hour, lots of hairspray, and 70 bobby pins:

From the back:

From the side:

I LOVE it!!! I think she did a great job! Can't wait for July... =)

A Few Pictures...

Here are some of the additional pictures we had taken (by Kevin's mom, no release needed!!)...


and...

This last one makes me smile! I love it! PLUS, I got a super sweet deal on customized postage using this picture ON the stamp! I ordered them Friday so I should be getting them soon! =)