Chevrons On The Brain!

I've had this blank canvas around forever and today I finally got some inspiration.  And, it was totally easy and there's basically no way to really screw it up.  


Take a blank canvas...

Choose your color palette...

Paint some rough squiggle lines...

Allow the colors to blend and mesh.  Don't worry about it being messy or imperfect because it adds charm that way, don't you think?

And that's it!  The chevron pattern evidently won't leave my brain!

Pinterest Recipe: One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies For Two

Now this isn't a fancy and new recipe or anything today.  This is just your basic chocolate chip cookie but, it's a mini version that makes only four cookies!  "What? Why would someone only need four cookies?" you may ask. Well, if you're a sugar addict and you're afraid that if you make a full batch that in the next twenty-four hours that you're going to devour the entire batch, this recipe is for you!


It's great for Russ and I because even when I halve a recipe we still had too many cookies for the both of us. That's almost why the people in Russ' office get so many baked goodies so I don't end up eating all of them. That and I love baking and hearing about how much they love my stuff.


Anyways, I doubled this recipe to make a few extra cookies to put in Russ' lunch this week (yes, I doubled a mini recipe... I'm goofy). I'm definitely filing this recipe away for later use because it's so convenient. 


One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies!
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of salt
A pinch of cinnamon
2 tablespoons shortening
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon beaten egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix together the shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the tablespoon of beaten egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Roll dough into four cookie balls and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet (you can also bake them in two lightly greased tart pans, a muffin top pan, cupcake pan, whatever you desire). Flatten them slightly with your hand.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Peek Into My Sketchbook...

Every once and a while I'll be in the mood to draw, paint or just do some goofy sketches.  Here's a little peek into my doodles and things...

Might do this one on a canvas, it could be fun done in acrylic paints. 

Happy Friday, everyone!

This and That

I was going to post yesterday but it ended up being a pretty busy day.  I took Mr. IanPants to the Banfield clinic yesterday for the first time (which, I was quite happy with and we'll be back) for his rabies vaccination. 

He did wonderfully and all of the people in the office just loved him because he was so sweet and friendly.  However, they discovered that he does have a few fleas and needs to have his ear washed out for a week with some medicinal solution.  

Yeah, I did that this morning and it wasn't fun.  I've now learned to put it in his ear with my eyes closed because once it got in his ear canal he shook his head which sent a lot of the solution into my eye.  I thoroughly washed my eye out but it still feels a little irritated. 

So, I've been spending the day washing Ian's blankets and our bedding in hot water and vacuuming like crazy in order to make sure there's no fleas.  He's been spending the day following me around as my adorable stalker. 

And how cute is this?!  Along with the fact that I needed those types of eyeshadow colors, I HAD to buy it because the flag is adorable! 

And these... 

They're for my Valentine's Day treat that I'm going to make for Russ to take into work.  

These... Red Velvet Cake Balls!

From http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2011/02/13/red-velvet-cake-balls/

Can't wait to make these!

Hallway Revamp: Sentimental Art

For the last few weeks I've felt underwhelmed by my hallway art.  It just wasn't doing anything for me anymore.  And that largest frame is still a headache for me because I can't find anything that I truly love for it. 


Yawn.... (I confess that typing that word made me think of someone actually yawning which made me yawn.  Weird, huh??)

So this afternoon I searched my stash of home decor items.  Maybe one day I'll share a picture of my numerous frames, canvases, and tin wall hangings.  

And still... my stash failed me.  Then, I went to my craft supplies and found a cardboard print that my grandma had given me when I had visited Kentucky last year.  I switched out a frame and presto:

Then, I moved my attention to my two black frames.  I was beginning to get sick of the watercolor designs so I pulled out my craft supplies and magazines so I could switch to something that would satisfy my love of change. 

And poo...

My already cracked glass mysteriously broke completely. 

Then I found extra cork and Mammoth Cave prints that I bought on my trip to KY last year in my craft box.  

Wheels began to turn and...

I ultimately settled on this for the hallway (but, there's always the easy option to just change this picture when I get bored):

This photo depicts the vertical shafts which are formed by water entering through sinkholes on its journey to join underground rivers. 

I've also had these two keys lying in my bedside table since I was in Tombstone, AZ back in the beginning of November.  I bought them at the gift shop in the Birdcage Theater because they looked interesting and they were a cheap souvenir. 

After finding some interesting scrapbook paper I adhered them and placed them into the frame.

Luckily the backing is cheap and allowed ample room for the keys to stick in there. 

The end result... 

Still nothing in the big frame! *sigh* I'll come up with something eventually.

Oh, and before I go... before I came up with using the keys I flipped through one of my Psychology magazines (which is surprisingly a good place to find some strange and interesting graphics for framing), I nearly ended up using a photo I clipped out.

It may not have worked for today's project but, I can definitely see it being used in a future project.

I think it's really interesting how my little hallway project is now the home for three sentimental art pieces (and I didn't even set out to make it that way!).  I'd love to have a home with a large hallway where I can do something similar on a larger scale.

I'm not going to mention my hallway switcheroo to Russ... I'm going to see how long it takes him to notice, haha. 

If It Hasn't Moved in Months It's Dead, Right?

The back of our apartment looks out directly at a Baptist church parking lot.  This car has been sitting here since we moved in at the beginning of July.  You can't quite see it from the photo but the entire driver's side is scraped and smashed and the tires are beginning to flatten.  I wonder if we'll move before the car does?

Just a little something goofy...

Pinterest Recipe: Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today it's been rainy, cold, and cloudy.  So what better way to spend the day than to bake some delicious cookies? 


I've made red velvet cookies before but that recipe used a red velvet cake mix.  This one, however, was from scratch.  And this recipe used semi-sweet chips instead of white chocolate chips.


I halved this recipe because I don't want too many cookies lying around and I'm unable to eat them.  


1/2 cup butter1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp red food coloring
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well. Beat in food coloring. 
Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. 

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool slightly before transferring to wire racks.

These were really delicious... however, I think I'm partial to the white chocolate chip cookies just because they came out softer and chewier.  I think I'll have to fiddle around with cooking times and temperature of the oven because these ones came out perfectly right out of the oven but got crispy and hard.  Not really a fan of crispy cookies.

Keeping Ian Octopied

Ian's got a pretty sweet life around here. There's lots of comfy places to sleep... like where he resides this morning (and almost all night, every night now that it's cold here).

He has lots of toys... he's a very spoiled kitty.

I found this on Pinterest and thought a little DIY octopus toy would be completely adorable, especially when he loves his little octopus on a stick he got for Christmas. 

I cut the sock near the heel and sewed together some felt eye balls.

I sewed on the eyes and cut a little hole at the top to sew the ribbon into.  That way I can use it to hook onto one of the poles we have so he can play with it that way too. 

I stuffed him with two plastic shopping bags (instead of fluff, that way it makes a crinkling sound that kitties seem to love).

Then, I sewed close the opening on the bottom. 

Just cut the bottom into strips and you've got an adorable octopus that only took about a half an hour to make.  Ian's gonna love it!