Friday, December 28, 2012

Holidays!

Here are some tidbits from my Christmas! Photos by Tino South.






Happy Christmas Tree

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Sushi Party

Obviously my family has a fondness for theme parties.

Uhni, the birthday girl, really summed up the party accurately, "Thanks all. The theme of my bday party was multi-Asia. haha Japanese sushi, Chinese food, Indian-ish curtain and a half Korean baby."

We decided to throw a sushi/mixed Asian themed birthday party for my brother's wife (who's from Korea). There are so many cute sushi-themed ideas on Pinterest, we had no shortage of options.

Here was the spread! Real sushi, sushi cake, candy sushi, and Chinese food.



My mom made this awesome cake! We kind of followed this idea, but we couldn't find any green Fruit Roll-ups. She ended up getting sugar sheets from Hobby Lobby. The rice is actually coconut and the roe is made of pomegranate seeds.


There are tons of good candy sushi tutorials online. I kind of followed a combination of several to make a cute, delicious, and relatively easy snack.



World Market is a great place for international-themed parties. I found chocolate covered fortune cookies and cute little Asian Harajuku-like cards and boxes.


Ta-da!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Oppa Sherlock Style

This weekend there was a fabulous melding of my husband's Sherlock Holmes-themed birthday, my brother's return from South Korea, and Thanksgiving. My family planned some fabulous Sherlock activities, including props, some weird board game that I immediately lost at, and a giant book!

We had a polka dot cake in chocolate. My spouse doesn't like his desserts to creative. This was as far as we could take it.


Korean socks truly are the best socks I have ever had the pleasure to experience. Typically, I hate socks, but Korean socks are the perfect texture and always embellished with some fun person or animal. Sometimes they even have noses or tails. It also makes it easier to keep track of them!

Gangnam Style socks brought back from Korea - chocolate AND vanilla.


PSY CD actually from South Korea!


Hat, pipe, book, and Korean Jesus (not pictured, but always watching).


Sherlock Holmes board game - now featuring the Time Machine!

 


Monday, October 22, 2012

Campfire Birthday

My family arranged a lovely birthday party for me this weekend. I told them I wanted a campfire theme, because I've been extremely into s'mores for... ever. It was executed splendidly! It was cloudy/rainy/windy, so we had it inside. 


Obviously, this is what you wear to a camping-themed birthday party. Flannel/plaid, army green, and red Keds. It's the uniform.

The setup.


Wine and fancy sodas from around the world!


Custom-stamped wrapping paper by my mom.



Personal mac & cheese bakes. Just mix cooked noodles, shredded cheese, bacon, hot dogs, jalapenos, queso, whatever you like. Then bake!


And of course, s'mores! The snack that started it all. And not just any s'mores, we had 3 kinds of graham crackers, 3 kinds of chocolate, 2 kinds of marshmallows! After eating 3, I realized I should have made a bacon s'more. Maybe next time. Someone else give it a shot, k?

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Applefest

My amigo and I headed to Weston Applefest a few weeks ago. I hadn't realized until the past few years how INTO AUTUMN people get around here. Like, seriously! In August people were already constantly fantasizing about pumpkin lattes and boots! Anyway, autumn is pretty great, especially when you attend festivals!

We learned how apple butter is made! That is, after I realized he wasn't making salsa.


(By the way, Joe, I put the long spoon in the apple butter).   


Then we ate apple dumplings. I didn't really know what an apple dumpling was, but it came with ice cream so I was game.



In general, Weston has lots of crafts and specialty items. My favorite booth there was the candle booth. The scents, and their names, were fantastic! Some of my favorites were clean undies, handyman, and pub.


I picked candy corn. I don't regret my choice for a second.


We wore quite similar outfits to this event. I guess gingham puts you in an apple mood... apple puts you in a gingham mood? 




Monday, October 15, 2012

Black & Blue

One of my besties got married this weekend, and it was truly a blast. I loved how much personality it had. My friend has always been casual and no-nonsense, and the wedding was just that!


Firstly, we wore Chuck Taylors, which is truly the signature shoe of the bride and groom. 

 I gave myself an accent nail to tie everything together.


Ta da! The whole look (with a side ponytail of course).

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Drinks in the Sink

This weekend was the bachelorette party for one of my besties. She gets married in just over a week! Her only request was to ride a mechanical bull. We made that happen {twice}, which resulted in very bruised thighs for all who partook.

We stayed at the lovely Aladdin. This Kansas City boutique hotel is my favorite - close to the party scene, cute, and usually priced the same or less than others in the area. The only problem is that it doesn't have a mini fridge... which means...


...we have to keep the dranks in the sink. Which is just fine! I have a new-found love for RumChata. I'd love to put some in my Cinnamon Toast Crunch.


We made some cute party favors.


Streamers were also involved.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Cupcake Cookies

The Sister's Bakery was back last night to celebrate the birthdays of 2 sisters! We decided to make dessert themed cookies, of course.


  Cupcakes and ice cream cones!


 We also made moscato cupcakes.




^^^Yay for birthday goodies!!^^^

Sunday, September 16, 2012

How to Transfer a Photo to Canvas

I've been wanting to try transferring a photo to a canvas, especially since my wedding. I decided to give it a try, and it turned out pretty dang good for a first try. Try it yourself by following the 6 steps below. As you work, keep in mind that the end result is supposed to look somewhat rustic and imperfect. Don't stress!

Original photo by A Shafer Photography

You'll Need:
• 8x10 canvas
• 8x10 ink or laserjet print (reverse image before printing)
• gel medium (like Liquitex or Mod Podge)
• foam paint brush
• acrylic paint
• spray bottle filled with water


 1. Spread a thick layer of gel medium over
the canvas with a sponge brush.


2. Place your photo ink-side-down onto
coated canvas and smooth out wrinkles. Let
it set for at least 4 hours.


 3. Use the spray bottle to wet the entire canvas
and allow to soak for just a few minutes.

4. VERY GENTLY rub in a circular motion
using your finger tips to remove the paper.
This process requires patience, and some of
the transfer may rub off.


5. After all paper is removed, use acrylic
paint and a sponge brush to touch up edges
and spots that rubbed off. Allow to dry for a
few minutes.


 6. Spread a final layer of gel medium over
the top of the canvas and allow to dry. You’re
done!