Inspiration Friday

This might be the most random Inspiration Friday ever...

1.Cowls from Taylor House

I'm working on knitting a cowl right now, but I'm much better at crocheting than knitting, so its going pretty slow.

2. This sweater from Ruche

I'm going to try to make one like it...it probably wont look like this

3. Irene Suchocki Photography

I love her photography so much, I would buy a few of her prints, but I can never decide which ones I want because they are all so amazing

4. Mattias Adolfsson

5. Willow Smith

Will Smith's daughter, she is only 9 and she is way cooler than I have ever been or ever will be. Judge me if you'd like, but I've had Whip my Hair in my head for days

-Ana Kristina

Squidart Discovery

For a long time, Kathleen Frank, the cutie behind Squidart Photography on Esty, had been one of my favorite artists. I think her fanciful vintage photos capture the real world, and make it seem just a little bit more magical. I was browsing her etsy site the other day when I stumbled upon this:



I couldn't believe it. I almost fell out of my chair. Kathleen is from Florida, and yet this pic is of an ice cream parlor in Madison, WI where I live. And it's not just any old ice cream place. When I was little my great aunt used to take me here during the summer to get me ice cream and let me ride the carousel. It's one of my favorite childhood memories, and I couldn't believe it had been captured on camera by a woman in Florida. Of course, I bought the print, and emailed Kathleen immediatly to tell her about my story. Now, I'm very IMPATIENTLY waiting for it to arrive in the mail. I can't wait to hang it on my wall as a reminder of one of my most favorite experiences as a little girl.

If you are a fan of the print I bought, you should check out the rest of the Squidart site. All the photos are amazing- some of the best eye candy around.







I think my next purchase will be one of the amazing 2011 calendars she has available. There are three to choose from: vintage portraits, vintage fine art photographs, and animal love (features tiny plastic aminals hanging out in fields, on typewriter keys, etc. They are all super cute- I have no idea how I am going to choose just one!







-alison

[photos: squidart]

The Cookie Project- Volume 5: Marshmallow Caramel Bars

I cheated a little bit again on this week's installment of the cookie project. The recipe I made was not from Martha Stewart, but from a fantastic little site called Sugarlaws. I had been eyeing her recipe for Marshmallow Caramel Bars for the longest time, and when I found out that I needed to make a dessert to bring to our annual church hayride, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give them a try.

Warning: When you read this recipe, you might feel like you are having sensory overload. It seems pretty intense. Just calm down. Yes- there are a LOT of steps. Yes- it will take you a LONG time to make. However, it isn't hard at all (just labor intensive), and the result is sooo worth it.

Bonus: Part of this recipe requires you to make homemade marshmallows. So, really it's like learning two recipes in one. It was way easier than I thought it was going to be, but I got a lot of oohs and ahhs when I told people I made them myself. You will too. I guarantee it.

So without further commentary from me- the recipe.

Actually one more comment. Because this takes so long to make, I would recommend getting yourself a good snack to eat in the meantime. Trust me- you'll need it.




Marshmallow Caramel Bars

INGREDIENTS
For the shortbread crust:
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk or cream

For the caramel layer:
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp dark corn syrup
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the marshmallow layer:
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp corn syrup (light or dark works fine)
2/3 cup of water
2 packets of unflavored gelatin
1 egg white

For the chocolate ganache:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS
For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, and flour until evenly crumbly. Add the egg and milk, mix to form a dough. Press into a buttered 9″ by 9″ or a 10″ by 10″ baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes and set aside to cool in the pans.




For the caramel layer:
In a 2 quart saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the caramel layer. Bring to a boil, stir until the sugar dissolves, and then stop stirring. Continue to boil until a candy thermometer reads 230 degrees. Remove from heat and pour over the baked crust. Set aside the caramel layer to cool.




For the marshmallow layer:
In a small saute pan, heat sugar, vanilla, corn syrup and 1/3 cup of water on high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then stop stirring. Heat the mixture until it reaches 240 degrees using a candy thermometer, about 8 minutes.

While the mixture is heating, dissolve the gelatin into the remaining 1/3 cup of water. Also, in a large mixing bowl, whip the egg white to soft peaks.

Once the mixture has reached 240 degrees, pour it into the gelatin and water (you can do this in a medium-sized, heatproof bowl) and stir to combine. Allow to cool for about 3-4 minutes, and then pour the gelatin/sugar mixture in a slow stream into the whipped egg white, whipping constantly to incorporate. Continue whipping mixture until stiff peaks form. Then, pour on top of the cooled caramel layer, and spread it out evenly. Allow to set in the refrigerator until marshmallows are much less sticky, about 2 hours.



(Get one of these. It will change your life.)

For the chocolate layer:
Melt chocolate and cream together in the microwave for about 20 seconds, and then stir. If the chocolate is not fully melted, heat for another ten seconds, and stir again. Repeat until you have a smooth, chocolate ganache.



Pour the ganache over the marshmallow layer on the bars, and allow to set in the refrigerator for another hour or two.

Once the chocolate has set, cut the bars using a large, very sharp knife. Serve immediatly, or store in fridge to keep them cold until you do.


So like a fool, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, and I felt a little bit bad about shamelessly lifting a pic from Sugarlaws, so I suggest you just go see it for youself here. She probably did a better job that I would have anyway.

However, as a consolation prize, here's a cute pic of the husband and I at our hayride- pre marshmallow caramel bar indulgence. :)



-alison

{recipe: sugarlaws]

Glitter Pumpkins (Or- The Best Craft Ever)

It happened a little later this year than usual, but I finally got around to glittering pumpkins. This is easily my favorite craft of all time, and I look forward to it every year. Not only does it involve two of my favorite things- glitter and pumpkins- but it is seriously one of the easiest crafts of all time. All you will need in addition to the above mentioned supplies, is Elmer's glue, and a good sponge brush to apply it. Just paint the glue on (I do about 1/2 the pumpkin at a time), and start shaking the glitter on. That's it. That's all it takes.







See how awesome they are? Big payoff for such little effort. Go get yourself some Martha Stewart glitter (hers really is the best) and some pumpkins, and get to work. Seriously. Right now.

-alison

Buttons!

A few weekends ago, I finally had some time for crafting. I didn't have a lot of supplies on hand so I decided to make some fabric buttons. I bought some earring backs and used most of them to make earrings.

The glue I used made my tiny dorm room smell really bad, so I looked like this all night. Two weeks later, I still think I can smell the glue sometimes.

These silver ones are my favorite, I had some really cool pink ones too, but I lots them before I could take pictures of them.

I also had some zebra print ones that I made awhile ago, but didn't make it into the pictures. This might be my favorite craft ever, its so easy and fun.

-Ana

Angella Eisman Design

How cute are these rose pillows from Angella Eisman? I love all the fun colors they come in, and the fact that they are all made from recycled materials. I really like the idea of bunching a group of brightly colored ones together like they did here in the Daily Candy shoot. Seeing these makes me realize I have a serious lack of frill around my house- a situation I plan on remedying immediatly. Perhaps with a couple of the bright red colored pillows?





-alison

[photos: that funky boutique]