summer is still alive!

It may be September and while fall may be my favourite season, I'm holding onto every morsel of summer I can get. That's why with temperatures in the 30s today and a long weekend on the horizon, summer is still very much alive in my mind.

Fall can wait until next week!

{All images found via my Pinterest board}

whimsical pleasantries

I must be in a baking mood these days because I baked these beauties for my boss' birthday yesterday (A+ for alliteration). The cupcakes are from a box (holla Duncan Hines!!) but I made the icing myself. Don't ask me how, because it was a little of this, a little of that until the right consistency was achieved. Just use lots of icing sugar, some butter, vanilla extract and splashes of milk/cream. 

I had the most fun creating these darling designs. Take a peek:

Flowers because we work at a garden centre. 

Because her name starts with an "N."

Because her favourite colour is green.

Because I love this pattern. It would be super cool for halloween decorating with orange and black!

I'm adoring this green and pink colour scheme. How sweet would it be for a little girl's birthday party? Hmm... I have a niece who will be turning 2 in October. I might have to whip these up again! 

It's that time of year again!

You know, that time of year when the leaves are just beginning to change colour, the evening air is crisp, and you are grasping onto any fragment of summery goodness. Nothing puts me in the mood for apple pie more than the promise of fall on the horizon. I snagged a copy of Kraft's "What's Cooking" publication from a co-worker, and they had a multitude of drool-worthy recipes, including a sinfully delightful dutch apple pie recipe. Add that to the fact that one of my 12 goals before 2012 is to bake a pie from scratch, and you have the perfect conditions for a bake-athon. 

Here's how it went down:

The stars of this recipe. I know I have 5 apples out, and the recipe only calls for 4, but I thought since some were smaller I might need to compensate. Turns out I only needed 4, but you'll just have to adjust that according to your apples. 

I'm lucky enough to have a mom who freezes her homemade pie dough. I know I wanted to make my pie dough too, but in my defence, I have made it before, and technically this crust is still homemade!

Roll out the pie dough and place it in your pie dish. This is where I had to call in the big guns (Mom)- I caved! I just wanted to make sure that nothing would seep out of cracks. After one failed attempt, I had a semi-decent pie crust. 

 Pie crust with crimped edges. You can really do any type of "edge" with your pie crust though.  

Beat the softened cream cheese and add granulated sugar.

Add an egg and vanilla extract.

Spread the cream cheese filling over the pie crust.

Peel and thinly slice the apples. Mix them with a couple tablespoons of flour, some granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Pour the apples over the cream cheese layer. 

To make the crumbly topping, add oats, brown sugar, and cut in margarine. The recipe calls for butter, but I try to avoid fatty butter when possible- it turned out just fine with margarine.

Fresh outta the oven! Still bubbling- see that?!

First slice of heaven. 

There ya have it. While the three-part recipe is kind of tedious, it is de-lish, and it looks so rustic and is perfect for an autumn afternoon. Not only did I satisfy my apple pie craving, but I can also cross off another item from my 12 Before 2012 list! booyah!

words of wisdom

{image via/ text edits by pinkazaleas}

Just a few wise words that I love today before I run to work after a long working weekend. Saturday I worked, then yesterday I spent the day sanding, priming and painting for my parents. Let me tell you, I am EXHAUSTED! There's no rest for the wicked, eh. I never feel better or more accomplished after a long hard day's work though. I hope you all had a relaxing weekend, and are geared to go for this last "unofficial" week of summer! 

What I'm Wearing

This is how I do the summer-to-fall transition with my wardrobe. A couple of new purchases this time. I'm wearing a new long sleeve tee I bought at Walmart for $9! The purple clutch is a new purchase from my road trip to St. Jacobs, and so is the bangle watch. The clutch came with a chain, so it can also be a purse, and only set me back $25. The bangle watch was only $12! Such a cheap way to infuse some interest in your wardrobe. 

My new bangle watch. 

Playing with different pieces is so much fun. The crisp air and sunny days are the best. I love this time of year! 

road trip recap

I had a blast road trippin' it up at St. Jacobs with my mom and sister yesterday. We went out for lunch, did a ton of shopping and saw some cool scenery and weather! Not only was it a great girl's day out, but I managed to cross off two items off my 12 Before 2012 list! I visited a flea/antique market (TONS of inspiration there) and I crossed off the clothing items I wanted to purchase. A successful day if you ask me!

What we wore.

We stopped in a furniture store and they had the most awe-inspiring displays and items. If only I had more money...

My dream bedroom. One day it will be mine.

A unique corkboard/whiteboard find at the antique store. I thought this would be a great DIY idea, and it could probably be done for way under $75. 

Of course we had to have num-nums. A strawberry and cream cheese roll up. Delish.

I think I did some really smart shopping. We went to an outlet mall, and I was able to get my winter coat for less than half price! A gorgeous black wool peacoat was originally $185, and marked down to $69.99. Of course I nabbed that up, along with a turquoise short sleeved sweater (for $15), and a great pair of statement earrings (for $1.99)! The clerk was even shocked at the low prices- talk about self-gratification! I also bought a structured jacket, a "pleather" jacket, a large clutch, new watch, 2 sweaters, and a professional yet fun laptop bag.... which I will share with you later. The day ended with a tornado warning, and my mom, sister and I spent the evening in our basement. A fairly eventful day!

nail art DIY

So you all know about my addiction to Pinterest by now. Well, when I happened upon this pin, I KNEW I had to try it out! Judging by the pictures from this tutorial, I tried to master it myself!

Before (crappy quality)

After text (crappy pic)

Up close! 

Here's how you do it:

1. Cut strips of newspaper with lots of text. Make sure it will cover your nail, and make the strip large enough that you can easily pull it off your nail. 
2. Paint on a base coat and let it dry.
3. I did two coats of a grey coloured nail polish- "Cement" by Joe Fresh Style to be exact. Make sure nails are completely dry before proceeding with the next step. 
4. Dip fingers into rubbing alcohol for 5 seconds (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi...) 
5. Press the newspaper strip onto your nail and gently peel it off.
6. Paint on a layer of topcoat.

That's it! It's fairly simple, and the results are so trendy! What about you- have you tried any funky nail art that I need to try? Have a fabulously trendy day, loves!