Cupcake toppers

I love the little cupcake toppers that have been all over the place lately, but I don't really have the spare cash to spend on something like that (aka- my husband would kill me if I spent money on something so frivilous). So I decided to make my own and I thought that I would share a quick tutorial on how to do it! I used microsoft publisher because I know that not everyone has Photoshop (I wish!!).

The first thing that you do is open up a blank page in publisher.  Use the auto shapes to make a circle on the page.

Next right click on the circle and go down to "Format AutoShape". Click on the size tab and set the height and width that you would like. I did 3 inches. Then check the "Lock aspect ratio" box so that if you need to resize anything, your shape will stay in a circle.

Now copy the circle and paste it back down, then resize it to just a little bit smaller and place it inside of the larger circle.

Next I opened up a second publisher document and inserted a picture from file of a sheet of scrapbook paper. For this I used paper from Shabby Princess. They have a ton of cute papers and they are free-ninety-nine. Sweet! Decrease the size of the paper to a similar size of your circles. After it is resized, right click on the image and click on "Save as picture". Repeat this step for a second coordinating paper.

Now right click on the larger circle and click on "Format AutoShape" again.

Under the "Colors and Lines" tab, click on the arrow for the fill color and click on "Fill Effects".

Now click on the "Picture" tab and then click on the "Select Picture" button.

Find the picture of the downsized scrapbook paper and select it. Then hit ok.

It should now look like this.

Repeat these steps for the inner circle with your coordinating paper. Now your basic circle topper is made.

Now insert some cute text inside your circle. I used a font called "Lima Bean" that can be found here along with a ton of other cute fonts. Again, free. I love :)

Then add a fun little graphic to make it uber cute. This tree comes with the holiday magic pack from Shabby Princess. (The paper is from the same pack.) I also changed the font color to match.

Then I did a quick select all and copied the image then pasted it multiple times for the amount that I needed.

Then print those babies off and cut them out. Easy Peasy and super cute, and FREE!! Whoo-hoo! Give it a try for your next party and get a look exactly how you like it!

New Family Pics

We got some family pics done recently at a Ghost Town in Montana. It was pretty cool there and Ruth did an awesome job with the pics. There are a lot so be warned :)

Super Delicious Maple Butter Blondies

If you ever go to Applebees, you must try the Maple Butter Blondies. They are so incredibly delicious and will cause you to eat so much that you may or may not need to unbutton your pants to be comfortable, or to possibly make room for another Maple Butter Blondie. They are that good.

Well, a couple of months ago Food Network Magazine came out with a copy-cat recipe for this fabulous treat and it tastes just as good as the original. It has become my job when my family gets together at my mom's to make the Blondies. It is a blessing... and a curse. I've created some Maple Butter Blondie addicts, and it is a hard and tasty habit to kick, and I honestly don't think that they are trying very hard to do it. So tonight I will be making another batch of goodness and passing this burden on to you, so that you too may have some addicts in your homes. I mean, seriously, where did they find these things? Heaven?

Almost-Famous Maple-Butter Blondies

Ingredients

For the Blondies:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature,

plus more for the pan

1 cup walnut pieces

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

6 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

For the Topping:

1/3 cup maple syrup

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

1/2 cup walnut pieces

Directions

Make the blondies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter the foil. Pulse 1/2 cup walnuts in a food processor until almost fine (do not overprocess). Whisk the ground nuts, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat 10 tablespoons butter and the brown sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate and the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the blondies are light brown around the edges and spring back when pressed, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack.

Meanwhile, make the topping: Place the maple syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the mixture bubbles and thickens, swirling the pan, about 6 minutes. Add the cream and continue to cook until the mixture is the consistency of caramel.

Use the foil to lift the blondies out of the pan, then cut into large bars. Serve warm topped with ice cream, the maple-butter sauce and the walnuts.

Original recipe can be found here.

The Boys of Fall

My latest project. We are in full swing with football season here in my little town. That means every Friday night you can find the boys and I up in the stands cheering on our team while my husband lends his hand down on the field with the rest of the coaches. I thought that the jerseys were neccessary Finn & Big D absolutely love them. They're ready to get out on the field themselves!!