The last few months have been full of transition.  In recent weeks, I have felt unmotivated to blog.  So, I decided since everything else in my life has changed, maybe my blog needs to go in a new direction as well.  I will be transferring only my favorite posts over to the new domain, posting more frequently, and posting a greater variety of content – if it inspires me, it’s going on the blog!  I hope you stay tuned  Click here to check it out.

I always enjoy changes in holiday seasons – mainly for the new selection of holiday candy.  When I saw Dove Hearts in the store, I knew I had something new to put in a thumbprint cookie.  

Roll out tablespoonfuls of dough.

Press your thumb into the dough to make a "thumbprint."

When the cookies are fresh out of the oven, press a chocolate heart into the center.

Allow the cookies to cool and the chocolate to harden before storing.

I had a friend over for dinner on Friday night, and it just seemed like a comfort food kind of an evening.  I’m a big fan of The Lyndale Tap House in Uptown, especially their shells and cheese.  Only one problem: It is super greasy and I always feel really guilty for eating it.  I decided to try to make it at home.  I substituted turkey bacon and tried to use some pasta water and less cream.  Don’t get me wrong: this will NEVER be a Weight Watchers recipe. However, when you put the leftovers in the fridge, you will see noticeably less grease.  For that reason, I will chalk the recipe up as a success.

Any thoughts on how to decorate REALLY large walls?

So, what do you do when life gives you lemons?  Go eat key lime pie!  I’m here in the Florida Keys for 5 days.  You can look forward to plenty of recipes for key lime pie, cookies, cupcakes, etc. in the near future.  Posts will return to a normal schedule by next week.  In the meantime, enjoy the sunset!

So, today I whipped up a batch of green mashed potatoes and turkey meatballs.  It was almost as good as Froot Loops!

Linking to The 36th Avenue.

Somehow I stumbled upon some super cute Jimmy Choo leather coffee cup holders that sell for a mere $165.  Can anyone please explain why anyone would need a $165 coffee holder?  The design seemed simple enough, and I got inspired to try my hand at making coffee holders.  After a trip to a local fabric warehouse, I returned home with yellow vinyl, silver vinyl, and gold leather.

I started with a cup of Starbuck’s green tea.  The cardboard coffee sleeve can be used to make a template for your leather ones.  However, you can skip this step and print this template.

Trace the template onto the back of the leather or vinyl and cut with a rotary cutter.

I picked up some metallic brads in the scrap booking section of JoAnn Fabrics.

Now you have to bust out the sewing machine – or in my case, steal your mom’s sewing machine.  I used a number 14 leather needle and all purpose thread.  I have seen tips that suggest using tape to help keep the vinyl from sticking while you are sewing.  I didn’t have a problem with anything sticking though.  Maybe it was because I had so little actual sewing to do.  All it takes is one seam to connect the two ends of the coffee holder.

I have a few leftover coffee sleeves, so they’re up on Etsy – in case you don’t want to go the DIY route on this one.

Linking to Today’s Creative Blog; Momma Hen Scoop; Primp; Savvy Southern Style; Sew Much Ado; My Girlish Whims; Sugar and Dots; Blue Cricket Design; Stuff and Nonsense.

I saw these cute silver cups from Pottery Barn, but didn’t think they were worth $24.  Oh, Pottery Barn, why must you tease me so?  I thought they would make a great DIY.  How hard can it be to jazz up a silver cup?  Well, save on crafts saved me the hassle.  These mint julep cups are $8 each, or $7.50 each when you buy 4.  What a deal!  Now, I just have to figure out how to engrave – or use stickers perhaps?

]]> http://icouldsomakethat.com/?feed=rss2&p=794 3 http://icouldsomakethat.com/?p=806 http://icouldsomakethat.com/?p=806#comments Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:18:28 +0000 aimee http://icouldsomakethat.com/?p=806 Continue reading →]]>

Two college students in one apartment with no bookshelf in sight leaves for mass chaos.  It all started with this…

This is what two law students are capable of doing to an apartment during final exams.  Everything on the island was from exams, but everything on the table (on the far right of the picture) had managed to find a permanent home there.  I thought I was going to lose my mind among all that clutter.  I began by clearing everything away and moving the table to the opposite wall.  I decided I wanted a shelf on the newly empty wall – a sort of “landing spot” for Mike’s school things.

I didn’t want to spend a whole lot of money, and Mike has forbidden me from making any more Ikea purchases (“I don’t want our apartment looking like an Ikea catalog.”).  I have seen bookshelves made from cinderblocks, but saw two problems with this approach.  1) Cinder blocks are 16 inches tall.  This is just too big for the kind of shelf I wanted.  2) When I think of cinder block shelves I flash back to college dorm and fraternity rooms.  So, on a cold December day, I wandered the garden department at Home Depot. I found pavers that were about 2x5x8 for the rectangles and 2x4x4 for the squares.  Perfect!

I had some pine 1x10s cut 40-inches long.  Luckily, we have been blessed with an incredibly warm winter so far in Minnesota.  I was able to stain the wood out on my patio, although I’m sure the neighbors were wondering what this crazy chick was doing.  I must admit, my setup was a bit odd.  I thought the white trash bags gave an extra classy touch.

I used Minwax Wood Finish in Jacobean 2750 (one coat) and Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane in Clear Satin (two coats).  Just follow the instructions on the can.  This was my first attempt at staining wood, and I’m pretty pleased with the results.

Next came the pavers. I rinsed them off well and let them dry.  Then I began stacking.  I used a ruler to make the pavers they were exactly 2 inches from the edge of the board.

The rectangle pavers went on the first two levels, and the square pavers finished off the third level.  I may still add more square pavers to the top shelf if I want to be able to store textbooks there as well.

It was nearly impossible to get a picture that didn’t involve Pippa.

Ultimately, I’m pretty pleased with the end result.  I think the total cost came in somewhere in the $40-45 range, although I could have saved a bundle by going with cinder blocks.  If I decide I need more storage space, I may buy and refinish something bigger, and move this shelf to the patio for gardening.  I have also contemplated painting the pavers.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

Linking to: Crafty Lassie Tuesday from Sew Stylish Boutique; Thrifty Nifty Tuesday from Coastal Charm.