Photo Coasters

I made these for Christmas gifts and they were a HUGE hit with my family and Michael's.

I actually found the idea off of Pinterest, you can view here. Trying to be a creative/personal person, I decided not to do scrapbook paper as the coasters; I wanted to use actual photos! So I tweaked the project a little to make it a little bit more from me and a “touch of Lou.”

To begin you will need:

Mod Podge
Finishing Spray
Sponge brush
Hot glue
Felt for the back
Pictures (be creative if you are making them for yourself or as a gift)
Four 4x4 tiles (you can purchase at Lowes/Home Depot – whichever one is closer or you prefer)

Directions:

1. First I began by cutting each picture to fit each tile size; you can cut them a little smaller to give it a slight border like I did.

2. Using a sponge brush, apply Mod Podge to the back of your picture in a smooth, thin layer. Place the picture to the top of the tile smoothly.

3. Repeat step 2 to apply on all tiles you would like to use.

4. Once your pictures are dry on each tile, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge on top of the pictures in an even layer. Make sure you apply to the entire tile to help seal the picture in place. Allow to dry and apply more coats as needed until you get the finishing look you prefer.

5. Once all Mod Podge layers are dry, apply the clear Finishing spray on top of each tile.

6. Cut four pieces of felt (I used black on all of mine) to cover the bottom of the tiles. My mom was thankful for this to keep them from scratching any furniture! On the back of the tiles, apply glue on the ridges. Place your fabric on the glue and let dry.

7. Tie up with a pretty ribbon for a wonderful housewarming gift or keep for yourself!

Now go get crafting “Lou” style :)

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Something that I learned from my grandmother, Muv, is that it is always better homemade. Let me tell you, these homemade Red Velvet Cake Balls are incredible!! I made two huge patches over Christmas and they were gone so quickly. In addition, I will be making them soon again for a co-workers birthday at the end of the month. Be careful though, it is impossible to have just one! So enough talking; get baking:

Cake Ingredients (my mom and I found this recipe years ago in the newspaper):

1 stick butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 ounces red food coloring

2 Tablespoons cocoa (heaping)

1 cup buttermilk

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cake Directions:

1. In a larger bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time.

2. In another bowl, mix red food coloring and cocoa until cocoa is completely dissolved. Add to the creamed mixture.

3. Mix on low speed, add buttermilk and flour alternately. Mix well but do not over-beat to ensure a light fluffy cake.

4. Add vanilla flavoring, mix well.

5. Blend the baking soda into the batter.

6. Transfer into two 9 inch round cake pans or one 9x13 pan.

7. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Once the cake is cooked and cool, break the cake and crumble into a large bowl. Mix one cream cheese icing into the crumbled cake and mix thoroughly. Once mixed, get ready to get your hands messy! Make bit size balls with the cake/cream cheese mixture. Once you have completed the entire batch, you can either a) freeze for an hour or b) refrigerate for two and a half hours. After you think the red velvet cake balls are firm enough, you are ready to dip them in white chocolate! I personally have a Chocolate Pro Melting Pot (that I got 40% off at Michaels). I put White Chocolate Almond Bark into the melting pot to dip the red velvet cake balls. However, you may melt the chocolate any way you prefer; for instance, double boiler, microwave, etc. Place your freshly dipped red velvet cake balls onto wax paper until harden. Enjoy :)

You can also add Sprinkles to the top of the cake balls before they harden. Above you can see I added red and green for the Christmas season!

P.S. Ignore how awful these pictures are. They are old, taken with my phone, and I wish I knew I was going to make a blog when I took these!

Picture Perfect

Up to 500 prints for a penny each! What?! NO WAY!

I know I am not the only photo fanatic around here. I usually use Snapfish to print/deliver pictures right to my door! I absolutely love it; I order small prints, large prints, calendars, books, etc! One of my favorite deals they offer is "A Print for a Penny." Yes, you actually get one 4x6 photo for just one penny! Right now the have the sale going on up to 500 prints! That is 500 prints for ONLY $5!! This is one of my favorite deals and I did this to print out all my engagement pictures for Michael and I, my parents, and his!! So get out of here and go sign up to print pictures you have been meaning to print, update the outdated frames around your place, and tell your friends! Hurry before the deal ends and you're welcome ;)

My life is a creative mess!

Am I crazy to start blogging about my life with the things I do, cook, bake, make, and find online? Perhaps. Nevertheless, I created this to share with family and friends my “creative” messes I always get myself into. They are probably more messy than creative, but they are always entertaining and interesting along the way. I love to cook, bake, and make crafts out of anything. Give me anything you think is junk and I will find a way to make it a treasure. Let’s just say I am one big kid and don’t plan on growing up! There is nothing wrong with that, so I have been told…

So let the adventure of blogging begin!