mighty tasty mini lasagnas

I like lasagna.  What I don’t like is how long it takes to make.  How long it takes to bake.  How much it makes…. I know you could freeze it, but once a dish finds it’s way into my freezer – it is never to be found again.  So when I discovered this twist on the classic dish I was sold!

Here’s what you need…

marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, won ton wraps, Italian seasoning and ground beef/sausage if desired

You can find won ton wraps in the produce section in most grocery stores.

Simply spray the cupcake pan with Pam & place one won ton wrap in each cup.  Next layer sauce & cheeses, then repeat.  Sprinkle with Italian seasonings & bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes & pop out with a knife.  Depending on your appetite, figure 2-4 cups per person for a hearty dinner.

For more tasty recipes made in a muffin tin check out this wonderful recipe book, Muffin Tin Chef. (I can’t wait to make the fish tacos next!)

punchy pink party invites

Hour Detroit magazine always puts on a fabulous party to celebrate their Best of Detroit issue & it’s the perfect event to celebrate with our team.  For fun we chose to invite our catching fireflies & yellow door gals to the party by sending them pink heels through the mail.

The idea came to me when I was shopping for shoes at the thrift store for a decoupage project.  I managed to score the shoes for about $4 a pair, then proceeded to cover them with a couple coats of hot pink spray paint.  After an afternoon of drying I wrote the message with a thin black sharpie marker & added the address on the bottom of the shoe, leaving enough room for the postage.  I was really happy how they turned out & they only ended up costing around $5 a shoe including postage!  That’s pretty inexpensive for a guaranteed surprise smile :-)

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best dressed

We must admit, we were thrilled to hear that we were named Best Gift Shop by Hour Detroit voters for the 6th year in a row!  We truly have the BEST firefly fans & are honored to carry this fantastic title.

I love the circus theme they chose for this year’s edition & wanted to use the cover image in a creative way.  Since the talented Tessa will only be with us a few more weeks before she heads home to Germany, I asked her to partner with me to make the display for our Berkley store window.

We both went to town styling our paper dresses & I was delightfully surprised how fantastic they turned out.  It’s funny because neither of us had defined ideas or drawings how our dresses would look, but after playing around a bit ~ it all came together!

It’s been wonderful having Tessa be my partner in creativity this past school year.  Considering she’s only 16, I gotta feeling she’s got quite the bright future ahead of her.  Putting together display windows won’t be the same without her.

Doesn’t it look like these gals are ready to have a grand time at the Best of Detroit Party?

Thanks again for all your votes firefly fans.  You truly made our day a LOT brighter!

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paint your sidewalk pretty

One thing that is synonymous with summer is sidewalk chalk.  I love it when I’m out walking Gus & we stumble upon a creative kid’s colorful drawings. 

It’s easy enough to find a bucket of colorful chalk at any dollar store & start doodling, but I love these clever spins on this traditional activity…

All you need is some cornstarch, water & food coloring to whip up some sidewalk paint.  Get this great recipe at Mom’s Crafty Space.

If you’re going for more of an abstract look, how about adding some sidewalk chalk spray to the mix?

So I know you can buy sidewalk chalk for cheap, but if you’re looking for a fun crafternoon project to do with your kiddos… how about actually making your very own chalk?  I Never Grew Up walks you through this cool process step by step.

Here’s a great answer to when you kids say to you “I’m bored” – Why not invite the neighborhood kids over for a sidewalk chalk party?  Keep it simple by serving lemonade & popsicles then let the kids color your driveway & sidewalk to their hearts content!  Get more details at My Kids Eat Off the Floor.

I love how Michelle from Burgh Baby created chalk drawings that incorporated her daughter.  You need to go see all her clever hand drawn backdrops for all seasons!  What a unique & whimsical way to capture childhood memories.

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bring on the bean dip

I love black beans & simple recipes that taste great so when I stumbled upon this Gracious Pantry post it was a no brainer.  Warning: this recipe makes a LOT of dip (at least 8 cups) but since I was assigned to bring chips, dip & salsa to our family’s Memorial Day going away party for Tessa, I made the full batch. (we still had left overs so taco salad is on the dinner menu this week)

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 cups dry black beans
6 cups water
1/2 cup salsa
3 tbsp. cumin
3 tbsp. garlic powder
3 tbsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. seasoned salt
1 lb frozen corn

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot.

Cook on high for approximately 6 hours, or until the beans are cooked through.

Serve hot or cold

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marvelous shoe makeover

Our German exchange student, Tessa only has a few more weekends in the USA so I suggested doing something a little different than the typical movie night.  So we began our adventure by heading to the local Salvation Army to hunt down some shoes…

After the 3 of us found our Cinderella slippers, we searched the web for images we wanted to put on our shoes.  I went with a pink floral theme, Rebecca collected a variety of colored posies & Tessa found inspiration from her pinterest page.  I created collage sheets of the images & had color copies made.  Then we headed to the studio to makeover our thrifty finds.  Armed with foam brushes, mod podge & scissors… we were off to play!

Rebecca cut many of her flower pictures into thin strips & applied them in a row.

Didn’t they turn out stunning?!  She did an amazing job & I have a feeling she could have a pretty successful side job decoupaging shoes for others.

Tessa’s technique was applying square images which gave her pump a more patchwork look.

Tessa also added lovely orange ribbon around the edge for a striking accent.  I love the fact that these pumps represent a cool collage of postage-stamp-sized images Tessa loves.  No doubt these will turn heads when they’re on her feet.

I covered my shoes with pages from a book first, then applied carefully cut flower shapes.

I don’t know why, but I love the look of text & like how it peeks out behind the flowers.  I’ve only worn these shoes out once so far & got crazy compliments on them.  I think I might need to make a few more pairs to add to my selection of soles.

The girls had a great time creating their wearable masterpieces & this project cost less than a movie ticket!  Shoe makeovers are a great crafternoon activity for any group of creative gals who like fabulous shoes.

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need some lovin?

I first discovered Pomplamoose 3 years ago through a random twitter link & fell in love with their quirkiness & soothing sound.  Fast forward to 2012 and while strolling through spotify, I found them again!

Seriously… could they be any cuter?  The song that’s on the top of my playlist currently is “If You Think You Need Some Lovin”  Take a listen & you’ll see why.

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countdown to the berkley art bash

This time of year another ball gets added to my juggling act ~the 11th Annual Berkley Art Bash.  I’ve been spending extra time promoting the event & learning more about some of the talented artists that will be lining 12 mile on Saturday, June 9.

After sorting through photos & links from over 100 artists the past month, I must admit I have a few favorites…

I already own numerous recycled sweater scarves from Martha, but I haven’t added one of these pretty pillows to my couch yet.

Katie is brand new to the art bash & I am truly smitten by her whimsical watercolor world.

I’ve been admiring Christy’s work at Yellow Door Art Market for a while & am really drawn to her personalized constellation necklaces.

Brandon’s soap has turned me into a suds junkie.  His scent combinations & presentation are top notch!

I’m an admitted summer skirt-a-holic & I swear if Karen made an adult size of this up-cycled tee-skirt I might have to buy it!

Dini has been doing the art bash for many years & I never tire of her delightful girls.

Kezzie is another new art bash artist & I like her pairings of fun fabrics for beautiful bags.

I have a weakness for flowers… real ones, fake ones, paper ones & even ones made out of zippers like this cutie created by Heather.

So you know I have thing for skirts and flowers… well add scarves to that list too.  Isn’t this crocheted scarflette by Allie simply lovely?

I could go on because we have SO MANY fantastic finds to pick from… but I’ll let you see them all for yourself & let you make a list of favorites.  Or better yet, mark it on your calendar to come see it all in person on Saturday, June 9th, 2012!

whimsical wall flowers giveaway

Attention all flower lovers…  after filling your pots, planters & window boxes with blooms this spring, make room for some pretty posies in your home with our hand crafted wall flowers that last all year long.

So how can you get a bouquet of three of these in your home for free?  (up to a $120 value)

We’ll draw a lucky firefly fan’s name on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 and the winner will be listed on this post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have fun, good luck and thanks for playing!

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no bake mini cheesecakes

I had the pleasure of having my mom & mom-in-law come & visit us on Mother’s day this year.  We went out for lunch, but returned home to enjoy a little dessert.  I whipped up these babies with some help from Tessa the morning of & they got rave reviews by all.

I do love the dessert jar trend & this recipe would work great for that, but I since I decided on making these at the last minute, I made mine in  small flower dishes by R. Woods & also some cute ramekins I received recently as a gift.

Here’s what you’ll need to make 8 mini cheesecakes:

(recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction)

Ingredients
3 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (approx half box)
1 stick butter melted
1/3 cup sugar

24 ounces cream cheese; room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
2 tablespoons of vanilla
sliced strawberries or other topping of choice

Crush graham crackers & mix them with a stick of melted butter & 1/3 cup sugar.  Press them into small bowls or ramekins.  Leave a half cup of graham cracker crust for later use.  You could also set the crushed graham crackers aside & use them parfait style in a dessert jar.

Beat cream cheese, sugar & vanilla together until smooth & fluffy.  Set aside.  In another bowl, beat heavy whipping cream until light & airy.  Slowly fold whipping cream into cream cheese mixture until evenly blended.

Dollop the mixture in your graham cracker crust serving bowls & smooth out with a butter knife.  Edge the top of  the cheesecake with remaining graham cracker crust.  Place in refrigerator for 4 or more hours.  Then top with your favorite fruit. (see… there is at least ONE healthy ingredient ;-)

Enjoy with family & friends.  Happy Mother’s Day moms!

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