Woo Hoo! Wednesday: Hat Cookies

Inspired by this post for Easter Bonnet cookies by Bakerella, I made my version for a Women's Clothing and Purse Exchange at my church.  I am well aware that mine don't look a lot like the original...  I have come to a place of acceptance and peace that the projects I undertake don't often look as good as the original.  I have a tendency to do too much versus not enough, restraint and minimalism not being a part of my make up.  And I am okay with this realization!

For my Hat Cookies, I used a recipe for Sugar Cookies by Martha Stewart.  Knowing that the cookies would be extra sweet with all of the frosting, I used 1/4 cup sugar instead of the 1 cup in the recipe.  Each hat is made from two cookies - a thinner, larger one for the base and a smaller, thicker one for the top, so I doubled the recipe also.  To cut out the two circles, I used a plastic piece from the top of our Vitamix for the smaller one and a Japanese tea cup for the larger one.  They were what I found in my kitchen that had the right proportions for the hats.

The glaze for the cookies is a Powdered Sugar Icing (minus the corn syrup, since I didn't have any.)  The funky chartreuse color came from a box of Neon Food Coloring.  I was trying for a fashionable green...  After drizzling the glaze over each hat cookie, I placed them on a cookie tray and stuck them in the freezer to set.

The decor on the hats comes from a jar of vanilla frosting and sprinkles to accessorize.  White for the hat band along with pink and purple flowers (also colors from the box of Neon food dyes.)  My apologies for the smooshed white circles on top of the hats -  I forgot to take pictures until after I removed the foil for transport in the rain.  I can't wait to try this again, maybe a square cookie on the bottom for a graduation party.  The cookies were quite yummy!  And that counts just as much as their cuteness.

Art Inspired Table and Room

I'm joining these parties today:

GO check out the amazing creativity and get some inspiration!This is the focal point of our living room area:

And the color palette for the room comes from this work of art:

I wrapped black jute twine around a pair of candlesticks and topped them with my vintage glass knobs (from our previous home, a 1940s Cape Cod).  With a toddler running around, I don't burn candles often and wanted something different for the candlestick to hold. 

Inside the terrarium are several egg cups I found at a thrift store, holding plastic eggs that I covered with jute twine and turquoise raffia and my cutie-pie mercury glass birds.  

I relocated my wooden pears to hang from the iron holder to the left side of the table - I love re-using my favorite elements and accessories! 

Under the table...

...several decorative balls bought on clearance that I wrapped with the black jute twine,

and a vintage picnic basket, my first purchase ever on Ebay!  It was a local seller, so I saved on shipping by picking it up in an antique store downtown.  I felt a tad sheepish paying $3.00 for my item while everything else in the store was priced mega expensive...but the feeling left as I skipped back to my car with glee!  

Some other elements in the room...  This window is also a remnant from our Cape Cod.  I matted these portraits for an art show (my cuties are at the top and bottom of the window.)  The hooks are for the kids' library book bags. 

These hooks are for my purses and Mr. Nice Guy's bag.

Gold fringe tassels to accent the sheer curtains

Funky fabric covered pendant lamp with gold trim

Decorative pillow

More colorful art:

Voila!  An overview of our art inspired table and living room!

A Peek at the Pink & Black French Fashion Bedroom and Other Projects

The bedroom of my tween daughter's dreams is Pink. Black. French. Fashion. Oh, and with Poodles.  Here are a few of my projects:

I purchased the black curtains (two panels with the valance attached) and hot pink sheers on mega clearance at a Kmart going out of business. My daughter picked out the ribbon at Michaels, and I hot glued it along the edge of the valance...isn't it cute?!?

Also with hot glue, I wrapped fabric that I already had on hand around two pillows and attached ribbon and a boa to hide the seams.  After haunting Craigslist forever, I snatched up a hot pink sphere chair for half price that houses these pillows.  

A plain canopy from her toddler days got some pizzazz added to it with ribbons and trim.

Still a work in progress, a lamp (also from her toddler days) is being revamped...the gingham base needs to be covered over with something more va va va voom.  Something less baby and more "sophisticated tween."  (Whatever that is. Smile.)

My oh-so-very-cool older brother gave me two Persian rugs right before I moved that serve as the inspiration pieces for the living room and master bedroom.  The colors in the rug below (hanging above the bed in place of a headboard) are more golden and teal vs. forest green.  I just happen to have teal and gold embroidered curtains to match and also the ornate candleholders (below) that are hanging on either side of the rug.  The candleholders are actually very light and made out of plastic...and I think they cost 49 cents on clearance at a thrift store.    

I re-covered this hanging lamp with fabric and trim (yes, hot glue again!), and these are the colors of our living room.  Lots of white (since we can't paint the walls in our rental), with dark brown furniture and lamp bases, sheer curtains to let in a lot of light, touches of sage green, a hint of red, and gold from several significant framed art pieces.   

This is one of my favorite touches...these vintage glass door knobs are from our 1940's Cape Cod cottage that I still miss.  A lot.  Sigh.  I kept an original window and these knobs when we updated the windows and doors.     

These are a few of the projects I've been working on since the Big Move.  Please stop by for some more to be showcased soon!  

Work in Progress...

I am so very, very thankful to be in our own space and to have a blank slate to work with, as far as decorating and setting up a home.  The difficult part is in the labor intensive unpacking, sorting and finding a place for everything we hauled across the country.  Storage is at a premium in our new digs, so I am still trying to find budget friendly yet lovely solutions.  And funny how curtain rods that fit previous window widths are all wrong for this place!  

Projects I am working on:

A Pink Paris Poodle room for my daughter.  I found a pair of black curtains with an attached valance at Walmart on clearance for $5.00.  Though they're not wide enough for the entire window, it works out perfectly because all black would be too much.  For contrast, I found a pair of sheer hot pink panels to go on either side at a Kmart going out of business.  Pink and zebra print ribbon trim on the curtains will finish the look.  From Craigslist, I purchased a pink sphere chair for half the price at a store, and we found a Pink Paris Poodle rug at Hobby Lobby yesterday on clearance for $5.00.  I am in the process of creating some original Paris artwork for her walls and am looking for fabric to make a duvet cover for her bed.  It's coming together!

The boys wanted a Sports Themed bedroom.  At Target's Dollar Spot, I found a football rug and soccer rug to put above each boy's bed.  Also on clearance at Walmart were some primary-colored curtains that go with all things sports.  I scored a football and soccer Easter basket on clearance at Target for small toy storage - love 75% off!  

This is just a hint of what I am working on in our new place.  The kitchen is shaping up to have a coffee related bistro vibe...photos soon!