Raspberry Marble Cake

 Bake a white cake, following directions on box. Cut the top off to make a pourous, flat surface.

Puncture holes into cake with fork or skewer for the jello mix to bleed through.

 Boil one cup water and mix in one 3oz. packet jello mix. Wisk for 2 minutes or until completely dissolved.

 Pour jello mixture evenly over cake, allowing the jello to seep into the pores of the cake.

Cool in refrigerator for at least one hour before frosting.

Turn pan over and release cake onto a cake plate.

 Frost with Buttercream Frosting.

Don't worry about making the frosting perfect. A messy frost will give it a garden chic look.

 Decorate with fresh raspberries and mint leaves. Enjoy!

Hint: Try this cake for Easter, or use lime jello for St. Patrick's Day!



Easy Cheesy Valentine's Day!

What is more romantic than fondue on Valentine's Day? Let me answer that for you-"nothing". It's the perfect excuse to get up close and messy with your Valentine(whether it be your lover or your kids). This oh-so-scrumptious indulgence is the weakness of anyone with taste buds. So pull out one of the ten fondue pots you received as wedding gifts and break it in! This simple 5 ingredient fondue recipe will melt your sweetheart right into your arms.



Cheese Fondue

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb. shredded Gruyere cheese

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Toss the cheese with the flour. Combine minced garlic and wine in medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and slowly add the cheese mixture, one handful at a time. Stir in the nutmeg.
Stir over low heat until smooth and cheese is melted and bubbling. Transfer the cheese mixture to a fondue pot and you are ready for dipping.
Use french bread, sausage, apples for dipping. YUM!

Chocolate Fondue

1 lb. premium semisweet chocolate, well chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp real vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan over low heat bring the cream and vanilla to a simmer. Slowly add the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is melted. Transfer the mixture to a fondue pot and you're ready for dessert!

Use strawberries, cherries, oranges, cheesecake bites, and cubed angel food cake for dipping. Enjoy!!

 

Photo credits: Nugget Market and Indy Posted

Cottage Guest Room

It's important to have a consistent style, but that doesn't mean your whole house has to look the same. Change it up, but be sure to keep a base of similar elements. These elements can be a color, a natural stone or wood, or a metal. In my own home, my consistent element is mirror. I have at least one mirrored piece in every room. This element gives me the wiggle room to play with different styles, from cottage to contemporary, to get the overall look and feel I am looking for. This cottage room started with an antique wing back chair, passed down through my husband's family. I tied it in with several elements found throughout my house, starting with a mirror-framed painting.

This sconce has a mirrored backing and works to tie in wrought iron and black as well.

 Glass elements mimic the reflection of mirror and make the room feel larger.

 Chrome works perfectly as a mirrored element.

 I printed baby pictures of my husband to hang in the room for a homey feel.

The Shoe Closet

The Mission:

 The Inspiration:

 The Weapon:

 The Execution:

 The Result:

I decorate for me. No one else, but me. I choose the things I like and the things that make me happy. Although it may seem like a waste of time to most to paint a closet, it is something I see at least twice a day, and it just brightens my day to pull my shoes out of a giant Tiffany's box! My feet have not grown since I was 11 years old, so over the years I have collected (*a-hem*) a few shoes..... Some of these shoes are 10 years old! Either way, I love them and wear every single pair!

The closet came about when we were newlyweds, with 2 linen closets and no linens! We had 2 towels, 1 set of sheets on each bed, and just not enough closet space. For our one year anniversary in our condo, my wonderful husband built me a shoe closet. When we moved to a larger house, I moved to a larger shoe closet! The closet has become a focal point on our house tour, and it cracks me up to see men's reactions to it! The men love it more than the women, and my husband LOVES showing it off!!

I had the idea to paint the shoe closet when we moved in, but I had many more priorities to take care of. When I found a can of "oops paint" for $5 in the exact color I wanted last weekend, I knew it was a sign that it had to be done! "Oops paint" is paint at hardware stores that were custom mixed for a customer, but the customer decided against it. They then sell them for a deeply discounted price, as low as $1!! They always have fun colors and it's a great option if you're not trying to match something exactly, or not in a hurry for a certain color.