Academy Awards Cupcakes

Inspired by the Academy Awards tonight, I created cupcakes each representing one of the Best Picture nominees from the past 85 years.  (Not all of the cupcakes have a close up in case you were wondering)

Star Wars

Wizard of Oz

Mary Poppins

Roman Holiday

Social Network

Indiana Jones

Up

Casablanca

Jaws

Hamlet (with American Beauty in the background)

Citizen Kane

On the Waterfront

Sound of Music

The Sting

Titanic

Pulp Fiction

Happy Halloween!

Halloween has been a busy time around here.  I've been baking and sewing up a storm to get ready for it.

 

 My bakery received an order for a Zombie cake.  I didn't get a photo of the fondant zombies, but here's the smores inspired cake.  It is a chocolate cake with a whipped icing and a graham cracker filling.  Oh and there's some blood on top.... don't worry, it's just raspberry jam.  Though that's homemade too!  I canned five jars of raspberry jam last week.

I had the worst luck with pumpkins this year.  A few friends came over a few weeks ago to carve their pumpkins, then left them at my place.  They became a breeding ground for flies within a day.  Ugh.  Then my original pumpkin (uncarved) molded before I could even carve it.  So here's my final pumpkin!  My inspiration was Inspector Spacetime from Community on NBC.  It's hard to see the hat and umbrella that really make it stand out in this photo though.

We threw a Halloween party and I had to do some baking for it.  It was an apple cider cake with a caramel frosting.  I also made an amazing homemade fall sangria that had apple cider, caramel, all sorts of seasoning, orange juice, brandy, and of course red wine.

Now we move onto my costume!  I forgot to get more photos of it.  I am terrible at that.  I always end up with one group photo and not enough to really show off my costume.  My inspiration was Archer and this photo shows everyone in our group who also dressed up as characters.  And my whole costume was DIY and cost $8.  The "boots" used to be yoga pants that were too small and short to wear anymore.  I cut off the top and sewed them around a pair of heels so they look like thigh high boots now.  The dress was self drafted with a jersey fabric so it was really comfortable all night.  And the accessories were made out of faux leather I had sitting around from a few purses I made last year.  I love DIY costumes!

Halloween

I am usually terrible at coming up with costume idea for Halloween.  In my family, I stopped trick or treating when I hit middle school.  A few times in high school I'd go out with friends, but I'd never go up to the doors cause I felt like I was way too old for it.  But you'd think with my theatre and sewing background I'd love to dress up!  Well... I like wearing costumes, but I hate thinking them up.  I agonize over ideas for weeks and weeks before I often times settle on one at the last minute.  I've only ever put in time/work on a costume once before since I was little (and my mom was making my costumes then, I should try to find some photos of those costumes for everyone... they were awesome and diy!). 

Here I am at my first Halloween!  The family went as a marching band and I was the dance team.  I think the sock tassles are my favorite part.  The next photo is a few years later.  I'm a mommy!  I really hope my mom didn't dress like that... And my brother's costume too!  Though that doesn't look too homemade...

           Here I am as Wendy from Peter Pan.  I am rocking that hair bow and blunt haircut!  Haha.

The next year I went as Little Red Riding Hood.  My mom made the cape for me!  And then a few years later I was a jockey.  I loved this costume!  And my horse was our dog Sheena!

In college, I was in a theatre fraternity where we had a themed dance each year that I had to think up costumes for too!  You'd think I'd be much better than I am at this with my past experience. 

 Robin Sparkles from How I Met Your Mother and Laura Petrie from The Dick Van Dyke Show.

I went as a romance novel character... can you tell I like wigs?  Ok, I really don't, but you can't do much with short hair.

This year I get to participate in a group costume, so I don't have to think too hard!  Too bad I was thinking really hard about it for like a week before this.... but back to the costume!  I am going with a group of friends this year as characters from the TV show Archer.  If you don't know this show, it is an animated show (not for kids though) on FX.  And I get to DIY pretty much every piece of the costume!  More photos of the actual costume will show up as we get closer to the holiday!

What is your plan for Halloween this year?

The Art Deco Bathroom

Today we finish out the design for the 1920s apartment, with my design for the bathroom.  This room looked the saddest when we first saw it.  A boy lived there... ugh.  Boy bathrooms are always the worst. 

Art Deco was a very popular artistic movement in the 1920s.  So I of course had to work that into the design of this apartment.  Art Deco is all about high contrast, minimalism, and those fantastic bold prints.  I love art deco prints.   

Hands down, the most popular color for bathrooms in the 1920s was a light green, almost like seafoam.  To brighten up the room, I would add this color to three of the walls in matte, and in high gloss to the last.  You can also use metallic paint, but it's usually more expensive and doesn't necessarily look as bright as a high gloss does.  The high gloss or metallic will add interest to the space and the light can bounce off of it to make the room feel  bigger.   

Via Pinterest

Via Pinterest

There is a small wall cabinet on the wall that is oddly placed.  It gives more storage room, but it sticks out pretty far right when you walk in the door.  As seen in the kitchen, you can remove the doors so it doesn't feel like it is right in your face when you walk in the room.  Just need to find a couple nice baskets to store your extra stuff in and you can stack your extra towels there too.   

Via Pinterest

Changing out the knobs on the sink cabinet will bring it in line with the rest of the bathroom.  

Via Pinterest

 A new shower curtain with an art deco print will add the biggest interest to the room.  If you can't find a shower curtain that you like, you can always buy a couple yards of fabric.  All you have to do is hem the bottom and create a casing on top to slide the bar through.  And if you hang the curtain from the ceiling, instead of lower like you usually see in bathrooms, it will make the space feel taller instantly.  Just make sure you use an extra long curtain liner!   

Via Pinterest

Via Pinterest

Via Pinterest

And lastly the design would add some metallic elements with a  soap dispenser and toothbrush holder.   Maybe a towel rack.

Via Pinterest

And on the empty wall behind the sink, there would be a large print of the Chicago World's Fair poster.  Yes, this poster is from the 1930s, but it has a great art deco look, mirrors the rest of the colors in the room, and it shows off Chicago's history (which is where this apartment is if you didn't know).   

Via Pinterest

Though you could also put up a black and white print such as this one!

Via Pinterest

Do you have any ideas to DIY for an art deco bathroom?


Previous Posts
Post 1: Inspiration
Post 2: Roaring Twenties Living Room
Post 3: Antique Kitchen

Post 4: Flapper Bedroom

Gourmet Bison Tacos with Cilantro Slaw

A few days ago I made the most impressive tacos to date and I mostly made up the recipes myself!  We bought a pound of  bison at Whole Foods, which was more than enough for my husband and I with all the other additions.  The recipes are all really easy, but you may end up with a lot of dirty bowls from preparation.

Bison Tacos

1 lb ground bison

Spices- onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper

Cook the bison in a skillet.  Add seasoning to your liking with 1/2-3/4 a cup of water.  I used about a teaspoon of everything, two of cumin, and a dash of cayenne.  There wasn't too much kick, so next time I'd add more spice.  Simmer until the liquid is absorbed.  Serve.

Red Tomato Salsa

1 jalapeño

3 cloves of garlic

1 (15-ounce) can tomatoes

2 Tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup onion

salt to taste

Roast jalapeño in oven on broil for 10-15 minutes until the outside is brown and splotchy.  Remove from oven and seed the chili.  Toss the rest of the ingredients into a blender except cilantro and onion.  Pulse until it is mostly a liquid.  Toss in the cilantro and onion.  Stir.  Serve and enjoy!

Cilantro Slaw

1 cup shredded cabbage

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 jalapeño, seeded and chopped

1 T lime juice

1 T honey

salt to taste

Mix everything together and serve.

Peppers and Onions

2 poblano peppers

1/2 an onion, sliced

Saute peppers and onions until soft.  Serve with everything else!

You can also add on some avocado and cheese (montery jack) like we did in the first photo!