DIY Sunburst Mirror

So I've been drooling over this sunburst mirror for a few years now. All the mirrors that I like are way out of my price range {such as this one}. Why in the world is this mirror $449!? I dunno. So I thought it was about time that I attempted to make one myself. Here's what you'll need.

Shopping list:

10" mirror {I got mine at Target for $12.99}

metallic gold spray paint {Michael's $4}

3 packs of shish kabob sticks {Target 99¢ each}

E6000 glue {$2 Michael's}

scissors or clippers

glue gun {already had -->not pictured}

Total cost = around $22

Directions:

- cut your shish kabob sticks into various lengths. I cut around 60-5" sticks, 40-6" sticks, 40-7" sticks and 20- 8" sticks {place in separate labeled piles so they'll be easy to grab when you start the pattern} 

-Fire up your hot glue gun and turn you mirror face down.

-I started by lining up 4 of the 8" sticks with the lines on the front of the mirror. Dab a pea-size amount of hot glue on each point on the backside of the mirror 1/2" from the edge. Place each stick accordingly. 

-start the pattern {see below}

-Once complete, squeeze E6000 glue over the sticks to seal any weak spots that the hot glue gun may have missed.

-Let the glue dry overnight

-spray paint everything the next day {be sure to cover the mirror}

easy as that...

Pattern ^

8", 7", 6", 5", 5", 5", 6", 7", 8"...

Seventh Tea Bar

I heard great things about the Seventh Tea Bar and wanted to check it out. We had a friends birthday coming up so we thought it would be fun to take her to Seventh for a Grand Service. It was gorgeous! They have an amazing selection of tea! We decided on the jasmine pearl green tea and oolong, both were wonderful but I'm a sucker for jasmine. Our server even brought us a timer so we could steep our tea to perfection. 

This place is so cute! Both indoor and outdoor seating are available -- marble tables, bright chairs and industrial looking chandeliers on the inside or tiny cafe tables under a vine covered pergola on the outside. Very charming and relaxing, exactly the place you would hope to drink your tea. 

We were served shrimp rolls with fresh dill, creme fraiche, avocado, and diakon sprouts; fluffy pretzel bread with pesto, house-made apricot jam and ricotta; earl grey truffles; a mini citrus chamomile tart with tangerine curd and chamomile cream and salted caramel mousse cup... all handmade from the Seventh kitchen. Wow! Such a fun experience.

Pictures Via: A Bit of Bees Knees, Seventh Tea Bar Banner, SOCO {last picture}

Fudgy Vanilla Brownies

            

             Fudgy, chewy, vanilla amazingness... basically the perfect brownie for vanilla lovers.

Ingredients
2 cup flour
2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter {room temp}

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cup powdered sugar {sifted}

Instructions

Preheat oven 350F

-Grease and flour jelly roll pan or rectangular cake pan {15x10}

-Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl.

-In large pot, combine butter, heavy whipping cream and white chocolate chips. Stir until the chips 

  have melted and the liquid begins to boil. Remove from heat.

-Add flour mixture to the pot, stirring to combine.

-Stir in sour cream, beaten eggs, almond and vanilla extract, spread evenly in pan.

-Bake 25 minutes or until the tip of your knife comes out clean {poke the center of the the sheet with 

  the tip of your knife}. Set aside to cool.

-Make frosting {blend butter, milk, extracts and powdered sugar together in an electric stand mixer. Start mixer on low speed and end on high speed. Stop mixing when frosting can hold stiff peaks}

-Spread vanilla brownies with frosting

Over The River & Through The Woods

My Mom, Dad, Dan and I hopped into a mini motorhome last week and made the 12 hour trek to Brookings, Oregon to visit my Grandmother for a few days before heading to Halsey for a wedding. Here are some fun pictures that I took along the way. Wedding pics are soon to come...

^Dan relaxing in the motorhome like it's his job.

^The things you can make on a loooong drive.

We stopped at a little cafe to stretch our legs and get some fresh air. I love this picture that I snapped of my mom while we shared a piece of rhubarb pie.

 The Human Bean has the cutest coffee ^ complete with a chocolate covered coffee bean on top!

 Dan skippin rocks

Grandma's new car...

it's going to be a metallic gold with glints of green. She's a wild one.

Burgers on the beach and our last evening with Grandma and Don.

We loaded up the motorhome and hit the road for Halsey, Oregon to help our friends get ready for a wedding on their farm.

My parents rented a little trailer so each of us could have our own humble abode. I loved waking up to a cup of coffee and views of the grass fields -- it's so different from home. Don't get me wrong...I love home, but there is something special about the smell of sweet grass, silence and open land!

I love the 2nd story barn door...one of my funniest childhood memories was when Josh bet Pat that he couldn't pee into a fishbowl on the bottom floor. Josh lost, Pat won. And I was bummed I couldn't partake in this hilarious game...oh to be 6 again. Where were our mothers?

^My great grandparents lived in a farm house next to the grassy hill on the right. He passed away before I was born and she lived to be 99. I love hearing stories about Great Grandma Dodd. She sounded like quite the character. She would hike the hill every morning, can homemade blackberry and strawberry jam by the 100's and crack open crab shells with her bare hands. What a woman!

These little ladies were so sweet. We all became fast friends and enjoyed braiding each others hair, talking about school crushes and taking silly pictures in the sheep run.  

We helped prepare lamb and pig for the wedding. 

^Snuggles with Rosco

Scrubbing potatoes for the wedding!

Check out the Wedding pics!

Vanilla Chai Chia Seed Pudding

It tastes just like a creamy chai tea. This is an incredibly easy recipe and convenient to take with you on the go. I like to make mine in a mason jar and screw on the lid so I can toss it in my purse when the morning gets busy. 

Healthy benefits of chia seeds …"they add fiber to your diet and are loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids which are great for your brain, heart and skin. Chia seeds have a high source of Calcium, Manganese and Phosphorus all of which support healthy bones and teeth. They are chock-full of protein and can fight belly fat" according to The Huffington Post. Sign me up!

Ingedients

1/3 cup chia seeds

1 cup cold milk (or almond milk is you prefer non-dairy)

2 tbsp. condensed milk (or 1 tsp stevia for a healthier option)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. cardamom

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of allspice

pinch of glove

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl or large cup. Let sit for 15 minutes to activate the natural gel that surrounds the seeds. Simple as that.

*I like to eat mine cold so I suggest placing it the the refrigerator until you want to eat it. You can also heat it up if you prefer it hot. 

Italian Iced Lemon Cookies

Italian Lemon Cookies

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup butter {2 stick}
3/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp. lemon zest

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Lemon Glaze

1 cup powder sugar {sifted}

2 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions for cookies

-Preheat oven to 350F

-Combine the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

-Rub the sugar and lemon zest together to separate any clumps of zest.

-Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer on medium speed until fluffy {about 3 minutes}

-Add lemon juice to the creamed butter mixture and stir for 1 minute

-Add eggs to the creamed butter on low speed until incorporated

-Combine dry and wet ingredients, mix on low until batter is evenly combined
-Chill dough for 20 minutes in the freezer.

-Roll dough into 2 inch balls, slightly flatten between your hands and place on a lined cookie sheet {I use silpat}.

-Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cookies will be done when slightly firm to the touch with light brown edges.

-Wait until cookies have completely cooled before dipping the top side into the glaze.

-Set on cooling rack with wax paper below it {to catch glaze drippings}.

Directions for lemon glaze

Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice together until the sugar has dissolved.