Halloween Cake Pops!

I made cake pops for Halloween and they turned out so cute! There's kind of an art to it. This was actually my second time making cake pops and the most trouble I've had was with melting the chocolate. I ended up buying a chocolate melting pot at Michael's. It was $30, but I had a 50% off coupon, so it was worth every penny. Also, make sure you DON'T use liquid food coloring. If you want to go the easiest route, Michael's sells the chocolate melts in every color, but you can use gel food coloring. 

You need a box of cake mix, a can of icing, lollipop sticks, chocolate for dipping and decorating, sprinkles (optional)

First, bake the cake using the package directions. I've used chocolate both times, but you use whatever flavor. Mine kind of caved in, but that's okay.

And then, crumble it up. I've heard of some people putting pieces of the cake in to a blender or food processor, but personally, that sounds like it would be more trouble than it's worth.

 Add about half of the can of icing and knead it all together. You may need to add more, but keep mixing it until you it holds a shape.

Roll them up in to a ball a little smaller than a golf ball. Dip one of your lollipops in to the melted chocolate. Stick these in the freezer for about an hour. I usually leave mine in over night and decorate the next day.

 Then, dip them in the chocolate. The first time, I just added colorful sprinkles, but this time I used icing bags and more chocolate for the stripes and jack o latern!

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child is an amazing Samaritan's Purse program. I've been leading it at my church since I was in sixth grade, so this is my fifth year! The first year, I collected about 30 boxes and last year we collected 59. It doesn't sound like much, but my church is tiny (we have about 75 active members) and if you think about it, that's 59 kids whose lives are touched, so I think it's pretty amazing! This year Samaritan's Purse's goal is to collect 100 million! So my goal, with the help of my church, is to collect 100. Last Sunday, I started passing out the empty shoe boxes. I cannot wait to get them back and look at the goodies! I seriously have so much fun looking through all the toys. I would love it if some of y'all could put together some boxes and maybe even get some of your friends involved! Here are a few things that are great for the boxes:

• Bouncy Balls, yoyo's, slinky's, stuffed animals, dolls, toy cars and other small toys (they just ask you don't include any war related toys, like toy guns)
• Toothbrush and Toothpaste- I like to buy the set with a plastic pouch. I feel like the plastic pouch is a way for them to keep it clean. You can get the sets at Walmart or Target for $1. It's also cost effective if you're making a ton of boxes.
• Soap and Washcloth- I've heard the kids love this, because they have to share bath water and they feel if they have their own soap and washcloth, they're clean.
• Flashlight with Extra Batteries- A lot of the countries the boxes go to have power outages and flashlights are great.
• School Supplies- crayons, notebooks, pencils, pens, markers, erasers
• Hard Candy- lollipops, smarties, peppermints, and gum are great, just no chocolate or other food
• Hair Brushes, Combs, and Hair Clips
• T-Shirts and Socks

National Collection Week is November 12-19. You can find your local drop off location here and here's more information about OCC.

This Weekend's Crafting

This weekend, I painted a chevron monogrammed canvas. It turned out super cute and I wanted to share! Here's what you need:

1) A canvas panel (I used 8x10, but you can definitely get bigger or smaller panels)

2) Sponge Brushes and a Smaller Paintbrush

3) Paint (I used pink and white, but any color will work!)

4) A ribbon to hang your finished work!

5) A ruler, masking tape, and a pencil

First, I drew a grid with one inch square boxes. If I had this to do over again, I would have just done dots at the intersections, instead of the full lines.

Then, I masked off the top triangles.

The other masking is where I got a bit confused. My tape was to fat to be the masked line, so I ended up cutting it in half and overlaying them so I still got the straight edge. So, I first connected A to B, and the C to D, with their straight edges to the outside.

Make sure you press down on your masking tape. My masking tape was old and wasn't as sticky so I still had some leaking. I did paint the edges with white (my contrast color), so some of it would seep under and dry to form a seal.

Then, paint over the whole thing in your color (mine was pink, of course!) You definitely need to do 2 or 3 coats, especially if you drew the entire line grid.

Then, remove the tape. Next time, I'll paint it all white before and have a dotted grid, so I won't have to go back and freehand the white.

I added a pink circle and then my monogram in white!

Finally, I glued a ribbon on the back to hang it from my door knob!

I also glittered a pumpkin! All I did was coat with half elmer's glue half water (I can't find any modge podge!!!) and then glitter! You might want to add another coat of modge podge, just to make sure it doesn't shed!

Happy crafting!

What Came in the Mail Today...

I got my bubble necklace today! I have been loving bubble necklaces, but I didn't really want to order one from China and I really didn't want to wasn't going to spend $150 on J.Crew's. Trust me, I love J.Crew, but I just can't bring myself to spend $150 on a piece of costume jewelry. My limit for trendy jewelry is $25-30. I found the perfect thing at jeweliq.com. I was so impressed with their shipping. I ordered it Tuesday night and it was shipped out Wednesday morning. The packaging was absolutely adorable! The necklace, plus a pair of earrings, were in a velvet bag, and there was even a handwritten note! I can't wait to order more jewelry from them!

Pumpkin Bread Muffins

These are so easy and so yummy! They're the perfect way to start off your fall! All you need is: a box of Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix, a can of pumpkin, 2 eggs, and a cup of water.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Favorite Nail Polishes

I seriously have a problem. I'm a nail polish addict. Can't you just imagine a bunch of girls in a room, "Hi, I'm _____ and I'm a nail polish addict"? Anyway, I wanted to share a few of my favorite colors.

I absolutely love green nail polish. I'm usually kind of conservative with my clothes and not so much of a risk taker, but I'm more out there with nail polish.

Turned Up Turquoise by China Glaze 

Mojito Madness by Essie

Tiffany Imposter by Finger Paints

Here are a few other colors that I absolutely adore:

Hey Sailor by China Glaze

Pink Friday by OPI

Eva by Julep

My favorite, favorite, favorite nail polish isn't even a nail color. It's a top coat. Top coat is SO important! This top coat is super fast drying and has the perfect shiny finish. You can get Seche Vite at Sally Beauty or Ulta.

Last Day of Summer: Favorite Fall Outfits

As much as I hate to put up my favorite Lilly shorts and Jack's, fall is definitely one of my favorite seasons! Tennessee's falls are absolutely beautiful! Crisp mornings are always welcomed after a summer with temperatures of over 100 degrees. But my absolute favorite part of fall is the clothes. Here are a few of my favorite fall outfits:

This outfit is perfect for a rainy, fall day! I absolutely love this Kate Spade bow bracelet. I just can't decide if I want to buy the silver or gold!

The absolute perfect, preppy outfit for fall! The colors are fabulous and how cute are those Jack Rogers with the tassels? 

I love the look of "gruff" chambray with a pop of color in a polished skirt. I have the skirt in gray and it is super comfortable and the fit is amazing. And Tory flats are the perfect addition for any outfit.

I fell in LOVE with this Vineyard Vines dress. I love the look of the print and the neck tie is just perfect. Topped off with a blazer, it's the perfect polished look.

I cannot decide which Vineyard Vines dress I like more! This outfit is perfection. It incorporated my favorite things: chevron, navy blue, riding boots, Tory, and VV.