Getting Crafty

In case you were unaware, I am your typical domestic housewife...minus the husband. HGTV is my constant companion, my idea of a good read is the Pottery Barn Fall Catalog, and baking is more often than not therapeutic and rewarding. More recently, I've had the opportunity to get crafty and work on a few projects that had been pushed aside due to lack of time and making the move to Brentwood in May. Since I've been failing at keeping up with this blog, I figured sharing some of my projects would be a good way to ease back into it. Enjoy!



Really excited about this one. I have all these earrings that aren't doing any good sitting in my drawer, so I found this old frame in my parents basement and decided to make my jewelry a work of art. It was beyond easy: simply use a staple gun to hold the 3/4" jewelry wire in place on the back of the frame and VOILA! A handmade jewelry tree that also functions quite nicely as a piece of art!



Next up, another steal from the parents basement of treasures! An antique over-sized seat that was in desperate need of some new fabric. After ripping of layers of tattered and worn fabrics that should never be a part of your decor, I added new batting and recovered the seat with a simple cotton fabric. To match all my other furniture, I painted the frame black. The final product:




Now onto food! I have a slight obsession with cupcakes and cheesecakes, both of which I believe are to be enjoyed on a regular basis. Luckily, I HAD to make both desserts in one week making THIS girl pretty stinkin' happy! The first were cupcakes made for my co-worker's birthday who happens to love peacock feathers. The cupcakes were from a box, dark chocolate Betty Crocker cake mix with homemade frosting using Magnolia Bakery's fabulous vanilla frosting recipe, which I found here. Not only were they delicious, but fun and beautiful as well!


Later that week, one of my roommate's needed a special dessert, which is obviously code for cheesecake! The plan was a pumpkin cheesecake, however, not one single grocery store in the greater Nashville area carries canned pumpkin pie filling in July. Who knew? Our misfortune turned into a deliciously rich, extremely fattening, yet artfully beautiful success!
This Rasberry Cheesecake and all of its 2 1/2 pounds of cream cheese comes highly recommended!
And last but not least, a few cards that just happen to be some favorites. I've never gotten to make cards celebrating births and it seems I'll be making a lot more in the near future! The baby card is for my friend Sara in England who should be having the baby any day now and I couldn't be more excited for her and husband Adam!



There ya go! An update on my craft-centered life...and maybe a little inspiration for you to get in touch with your inner Martha Stewart.