Sunday Funday: New Year Inspiration

1. Looking for a fresh start in the new year: NOW is the time. 
2. It's "Thank You" card time! These cards from Rifle Paper Co. are perfect--just like everything else from Rifle Paper Co. 
3. New Year's Resolution: forget [the bad stuff]  
4. 2013, let's do this 

For more of what's inspiring me right now, follow me on Pinterest

PS: See you next year!

Christmas by Instagram

Sorry that I haven't been doing much in the way of blogging this week--so much still to do before the end of the year! All I have to share at present are some Instagram snaps of our holidays. Here's hoping that you have a happy and safe remainder of the year! 

For more posts (mainly those too nerdy to share on the blog), 

follow me on Instagram @bychloesue

Back to Basics: Black Trousers

I recently bought a pair of pants that I love. Yes, you read that right, friends. I love a pair of pants. For those who do not know, I was notorious for forgoing pants in lieu of skirts, dresses, leggings, well, anything except for actual trousers. In the Pacific Northwest. In the winter. Where it's cold. My legs have still let to regain their ability to sense warmth or cold. 

I still rarely wear proper denim jeans. This is something I am strangely proud of--though my collection of colored 'jeans' seems to be ever expanded. Anyway, back to the trousers. They're from H&M (yep), they're black, cropped and perfect. I feel like Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face when I wear them. You know the scene when she dances around the Parisian coffee shop in her black cropped trousers, black cardigan, and avant-garde attitude? These are those trousers.

They're perfect because they can be dressed up or down. I feel a bit ridiculous for previously not owning a pair (I own a fair number of 'work' trousers, but not of them make me feel fashion forward, much less sexy) they're the perfect staple piece. They are the perfect way to begin this new series which I am titling "back to basics", in which I will style a classic piece, dressed up & dressed down. 

I'm looking forward to it!

Stepping Up My Wrap Game

...I know, I'm sorry, I just can't resist a hip-hop pun. I just thought you make like to see my washi-tape centric wrapping concept this year--I think it would great for procrastinating gift wrappers!

The wrapping papers are all simple patterns, that can be used throughout the year. Themed wrapping paper seems like a bit of a waste to me, because it's not useful for all the presents. Think of all the presents! Adding some seasonal colored accents, using glitter & the Martha Stewart glue pen (my favorite thing) makes these year-round appropriate wrapping papers seem sensationally seasonal.

Sunday Funday

1. If you haven't bought my Christmas gift yet, feel free to pick up one of these ASOS "Amaze" sweaters on my behalf. Please?
2. Coconut Vanilla Bellini? Absolutely! Let's have one right now!  
3. I need more leopard print in my life. That's an adequate New Year's Resolution, right? 
4. Already imagining my happy mouth full of these cupcakes. "French Toast Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream Frosting and Chocolate-Dipped Bacon" is a lot to say with an imaginary mouth full.

For more of what's inspiring me right now, follow me on Pinterest

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

If you're looking for a last-minute gift for neighbors or co-workers, listen up my friends! This is the sweetest (pun intended?), easiest neighbor gift that I've discovered in quite some time. Essentially, this is a multi-project project, but feel free to omit the superfluous elements, if you're short on time. 

But you know that any project that begins this way needs to happen in your house too.

Now, I don't like to play favorites, but I packaged these Hot Chocolates on Sticks differently for different people in my life. For my co-workers (Hi! I love you!) I made personalized mustache cups, and included the cocoa stick within. I used Dollar Store mugs (Tip: if you go this route, make sure the mugs are relatively free of defect; things often end up at discount stores for a reason) and washable, food safe porcelain pens. As I type this post, I am wearing this mustache shirt, so mustache mugs seem an obvious choice for me.

Making your personalized mugs is as easy as it seems on Pinterest. You heard it here first.

For my neighbors, and other folks with whom I don't spend many hours every day, I packaged the hot chocolate sticks in cellophane bags, accented with glittery gift tags and hand-written instructions.

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients 

½ cup heavy cream
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (chopped chocolate bars or chips)
3/4 cup unsweetened baking chocolate wooden sticks

Directions 

1. Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. Heat the cream and condensed milk over low heat until steaming. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate; allow it to gently melt.
3. After about 10 minutes, return the chocolate mixture to low heat to completely melt the chocolate. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is thick and shiny. 
4. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan; shake the pan gently to level. Sprinkle with cocoa, if desired. Set aside overnight to slowly set up.
5. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn out onto a clean cutting surface.
6. Slice into 1 ¼" cubes. Heat a knife in hot water and wipe dry before each cut, for smoothest cuts.
7. Stick a lollipop (or cakepop) stick into the center of each block.
8. Roll in cocoa or crushed peppermint candy, if desired. Add marshmallows. 
9. Wrap in waxed paper, parchment, or plastic wrap to store.

Wear it Wednesday: Hey There, Stud!

There's no question that this lady loves a spike, a stud or any other manner of punk-grown-up embellishment. For this week's edition of Wear it Wednesday, I chose to pair more badass and embellished pieces with more traditional or paired-down pieces.

Chocolate-Covered Mashmallow Cookies

I know the posting has been light around here lately, and for that I apologize. This weekend wasn't really a time for blogging, more like time for hanging out with my babes and giving them too many hugs. Hug your babes.

Anyway, here are some cookies. Make them for your babes.

Martha says that these cookies are perfect for both holidays and bake sales. Who am I to disagree with Martha? Come on, you know that there isn't any point in disagreeing with Martha. Mostly because they're amazing! Seriously amazing.

Martha Stewart's Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow Cookies 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for working
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 9 large marshmallows, halved
• 9 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on high, scraping down bowl as needed, until light, 4 minutes. Add egg and beat to combine, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.
2. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls, 3 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. With the bottom of a measuring cup dipped in flour, flatten cookies to 2 inches in diameter. Bake until dry and set, about 7 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Remove from oven and top each cookie with a marshmallow half. Bake until marshmallows are soft, 2 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and, with a metal spatula, gently flatten each marshmallow. Let cookies cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
4. Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted, 2 minutes. Remove bowl from pan. Place one cookie at a time on tines of a fork, submerge in chocolate, then tap fork on edge of bowl to remove excess. Place on wire rack set over a baking sheet. Let cookies set in refrigerator, about 10 minutes.

Wear it Wednesday: Don't Embarrass the Kids

Mamas have a collective fashion reputation, and while I don't know if stepmamas automatically fall into this less than savory fashion pigeonhole, I would prefer to not. I mean, "mom jeans" are presumably called such for a reason. I don't want that reason to be me.

Now, let me stop this train right now, and say that I personally know a lot of fashionable moms! Lots! You know who you are. You're hot. I try to be one of them. At the very least, I try not to embarrass the kiddos.

Since we're currently in the season of holiday musicals and class parties, it's time to consider some fashionable, yet appropriate attire. No one wants to be deemed the slutty stepmama, and since I happen to have a fair number of visible tattoos, I try to keep my necklines high and my sleeves long. I also try to keep the jewels to a minimum, because somehow they always seem to end up off of me and on the dudes. Figures.

Sunday Funday

1. Katie over at Skunkboy Blog always creates the cutest things. These sequin acorns are no joke.
2. This drop cloth, turned canvas, turned faux fireplace is hitting all the right notes in my heart. 
3. Martha Stewart Living makes me want to learn all the new skills, because these felted ornaments are crazy fantastic, and need to be in my life now. 
4. Thank you Julia

For more of what's inspiring me right now, follow me on Pinterest

The Other Stitch in the Sea

If you want to know what I get up to when I'm not blogging, check out the new listings on my Etsy shop (aptly named) Stitch in the Sea

Wear it Wednesday: Holiday Party Style

It's that time of year again! Holiday celebrations are beginning to creep into the daily routine, and it's time for all the sequins to come out to play. If your family is anything like ours, you may be experiencing a bit of a seasonal identity crisis. That is, if you married a non-practicing Jew, and are raising two children who insist that they must celebrate Hanukah in addition to Christmas, all while believing deeply in Santa Clause.

...seasonal identity crisises are no joke. 

This year I am planning ahead, prepping for Christmas and Hanukah. I have the golden wrapping paper and the silver. I have the ornaments and the candles. All I need is this insane sequined red dress and DVF bag to complete my multicultural planning!

Really.

Homemade Holiday Cards

Homemade Holiday cards have become a bit of a tradition for me. I've never been too big of a traditional store-bought card fan, primarily because I tend to think that store bought cards are either a bit cheesy or exorbitantly priced (or both). Not to say that store bought cards are bad, but rather, that I find that I can more easily achieve a look I want by making my own cards. I also am able to express the sentiments dearest to my heart at this time of year: peace and compassion, without having to also endorse mass consumerism. Win/win!

Another reason that I am a huge proponent of DIY cards is for the personal element that a homemade card provides for the recipient. Homemade gifts for every person on my holiday card recipient list aren't always an option, however, with a homemade card, I feel like I'm giving something special to my faraway friends and family. 

Making your own cards can be incredibly simple. For this project I used kraft paper cards (and envelope sets) that I found at Hobby Lobby. Using various washi-style tapes--did you know they sell "paper tape" at Target? It's true!--and some inexpensive, festive scrapbooking embellishments, I was able to decorate these cards without any mess or hassle. 

PS: I feel like I need a 'blog sign-off' at the end of each post. Any ideas? 

Sunday Funday

1. I learned about December Daily yesterday, and now I wish more than anything else that I had enough time to work on it! These pages are hugely inspiring. 
2. So tempted to forgo cookies (or other similar, traditional holiday baked goods) in leu of these Rum Truffles.  
3. I've been learning a lota bout crewel embroidery work this week. Related: these crewel brooches are sick. 
4. These gold porcelain ornaments are inspiring me to make less, um, borderline gaudy Christmas ornaments this year. 

For more of what's inspiring me right now, follow me on Pinterest 

DIY Pom Pom Wreath

I was going to hold out on the Christmas until December. Really, I was. I'm so bothered by the over-Christmasification of the last 5 months of the year (true story: saw Christmas trees in August this year), but yet, here I am, in November, with a very merry wreath on my door. Maybe you would like a very merry pom pom wreath too. 

This is one of those "blame it on Pinterest" projects. It's also a 'blame it on easy access to a plethora of pom poms' project. Yes, I know it's a bit crazy. It's not a super traditional take on the holiday wreath, but then again, I'm not a super traditional girl. Like, at all.

Plus, just between us, the holidays kind of bum me out. I have to infuse my life with some crazy explosions of color, so that I don't find myself crazy and explosion bound come December 20th.

Pom Pom Wreath DIY 

Supplies: 

1 foam wreath base (I found a flat-backed wreath base at Target's Dollar Spot just before Thanksgiving) 

Pom-poms of varying sizes and colors 

E-6000 or hot glue 

Wreath hangers 

Start by forming multiple clusters of larger poms at various points around the wreath. Viewing the wreath form as a clock face, I made my initial larger pom clusters at 12 o'clock, 3, 6, and 9. I used straight pins to hold my first clusters in place before gluing them, because I have craft commitment issues; but it's not necessary to pin, if you would rather not. 

Fill in empty spaces with medium-sized poms; continue to fill with smaller poms. Voila! The cheeriest wreath I've seen in a while. 

Wear it Wednesday: Trends to Try!

If you see me on a regular basis, you may be aware that I've never met a pattern I was unwilling to try. All the patterns. All over my body. All at once. I'm into that. I'm also currently into the dark floral jeans, but I've yet to find any that don't look ridiculous (read: short!) on my 5' 10" frame. One of these days. The animal motif trend is high on my must-try list right now. I'm a "horse person", but this horse shirt from F21 is still killer. I think the combination of the two would be the perfect level of "too much is just enough" when combined with a neutral cardigan and nude pumps. 

Another trend I'd love to try, but doubt my success with, is the color of the season: oxblood (or maroon, for those of you less inclined to ox murder). I don't know if I've ever seen a redhead attempt to rock this color, but I'd be willing to try it out for all of us, if it meant being able to wear this sick dress from Topshop.

Pumpkin Meringue Cupcakes

This post could also be titles "Cupcakes So Good You Won't be Able to Take a Picture Before Someone Eats Some"

I modified a recipe from How Sweet it Is (favorite food blog? Favorite food blog!) to make these pumpkin mini cupcakes. They were such a hit, I'll absolutely be baking these again!

Pumpkin Meringue Cupcakes 

Cupcakes:

1 1/3 cups loosely packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup milk

Fudge Ganache Filling: 

4 ounces chopped milk chocolate
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Meringue Frosting: 

4 large egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with mini liners.

To make the cupcakes, whisk egg and sugar together in a large bowl until combined and no lumps remain. Add in vanilla extract and butter, then whisk in pumpkin puree. Add in flour, baking soda, powder, salt and pumpkin spice, then add in milk and stir until combined and smooth. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter on top of each graham cracker crust, filling the liners 3/4 of the way full. For mini cupcakes bake for 13-15 minutes, or until cupcakes are set and spring back at the touch. Let cool completely.

While cupcakes are baking, heat the heavy cream until warm. Pour over the chopped chocolate in a large bowl, then use a spoon or whisk to stir until melted and combined. Let sit until cupcakes are cool, then fill a pastry bag with the chocolate and insert the top straight down into the cupcake, squeezing the ganache inside. (Here I kind of overfilled--it's okay, embrace the chocolate)

To make meringue, beat egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Continues to beat egg whites until fluffy and increased in size. Add sugar, cream of tartar, and vanilla, continue to beat until peaks form. Fill a pastry bag (gently) with the meringue, and pipe onto cupcakes. Bake cupcakes at 325 degrees for approximately 8 minutes, or until the meringue is golden. Allow to cool to the touch before serving.

Sunday Funday

1. The only snowflakes I want to make this year are Star Wars snowflakes--old school only, no Clone Troopers allowed on my watch.
2. Is anyone else thinking about their choice in wrapping paper yet? No? I didn't think so. Anyway, I love this one on Etsy. 
3. This glittery, stitched paper garland from rubyrockwell on Etsy would add the perfect amount of holiday sparkle. 
4. This year is going to be the year of the rosemarry Christmas tree in our house. I can feel it! 

PS: Crud, I can not longer ignore Christmas/Hanukkah by obsessing over Thanksgiving. Sad day.