RECIPE CARD: ombre sugar heart cake.

I'm perpetually late for things. I can't help it. Case in point: I had initially wanted to make this cake for Valentine's Day. Well, here we are, in May. But really, these sugar hearts are cute enough to make at any time. I think that I originally saw them used on a wedding cake!

 

What You'll Need:

2 cups sugar (or more, depending on the number of colors you want), divided

4 teaspoons egg white or liquid meringue (1 teaspoon of meringue powder mixed with 1 tablespoon warm water)

Paste food coloring (found at local crafts store)

Large cutting board, baking sheet, or other flat surface, lined with silpat or parchment paper

Baking sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper

Ateco aspic cutters or small heart cookie cutters

Cake

Royal icing

How-to:

1. Place ½ cup sugar in medium bowl. Add a small amount of paste food coloring and mix thoroughly. This will be your darkest color. Add more if needed until desired color is achieved.

Add 1 teaspoon egg white or meringue liquid and mix thoroughly until the mixture resembles wet sand. Be careful not to add too much liquid or you will dissolve the sugar.

2. Empty contents onto silpat or parchment lined cutting board or baking sheet. Spread with hand or spatula and pat down, then roll over mixture with rolling pin to compress. Ideally, the flattened mixture should be as compact as possible and level, about ¼”. Press heart cutter into mixture and lift up. Place hearts on lined baking sheet. If cutter will not release heart, gently tap with the back of a butter knife. Repeat 10-20 times or as many as desired. If hearts will not hold their shape, add more egg white or meringue liquid in small increments and mix thoroughly. If sugar builds up in cutter, rinse with warm water and pat dry before continuing.

Pour remaining colored sugar back into bowl and proceed to Step 3.

3. Add ½ cup sugar to colored sugar from Step 2 to lighten. Mix thoroughly. Add 1 teaspoon egg white or liquid meringue. If desired color is not achieved, continue adding additional ½ cup sugar plus 1 teaspoon egg white or liquid meringue and mixing thoroughly until desired color is achieved.

Repeat Step 2.

Continue with Steps 2 and 3 until desired shades and number of sugar hearts are achieved. Leftover sugar can be stored in ziplock bags for future use.

4. Heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat hearts in oven for 10 minutes. Allow to harden overnight. Sugar hearts will be the consistency of sugar cubes.

5. Attach sugar heats to cake using royal icing.

(recipe credit)

JEWELS: going native.

I'm beyond happy with the way these beautiful antique tribal pendants turned out... They needed a lot of love, but with some satin cording, howlite crosses, blue jasper, and vintage rosary beads, they pack a punch.

These come in both large and small sizes, and are currently available on Etsy and in my webstore here!

JAG LEVER : giveaway!

The beautiful Rachel-Marie, of the blog Jag Lever, is giving away one of my jewelry pieces! How amazing does she look in my CYNOSURE copper quartz collar?

Just visit her blog & enter the giveaway here. The best part is that YOU decide which jewelry piece you'd like! Hurry up and enter now.

[all images belong to jaglever.com]

JEWELS: hitting the right notes.

These harmonica necklaces were a bestseller on Warped Tour last summer & I had to bring them back again. They actually play (!!) and are on vintage chain with a vintage feather charm. 

They are now available in my webstore and also at Highway Robbery in Pittsburgh.

VAGABOND STYLE: tent display.

It's approaching that time again... Craft fairs, flea markets, and tour season. Most of my shows will be outdoors, and won't require this type of  indoor setup, but I really wish that the couch was practical enough to bring with me. That would just be so cozy.

My good friend Rainelle loaned me this vintage mannequin, then ended up giving it to me as a gift! I'm so in love with it. I covered it in vintage handpainted pins, tissue paper poms, a hand painted tiara (this was from when I was Snowball Queen at a high school dance. Way to repurpose things, right?), and several of my geode pendants.

The tapestry, rugs, and suitcases are all vintage! The tapestry is from my Aunt Chris, rugs from Ebay, and thrifted suitcases from Goodwill. The suitcases are great for carrying all of the jewelry in and out, but they also look so colorful and decorative when not in use.

Stacks of thread wrapped bangles and friendship bracelets, embellished with hand painted vintage jewels, that make me feel ready for spring!

I did some tissue paper garlands (hung on fishing line), floating jewelry frames (DIY here!), and of course, my velvet couch. 

RECIPE CARD: pear mimosas.

My standard brunch sidekick. Very refreshing and simple enough for even the laziest weekender to make. The hardest part was finding the pear nectar (FYI - try the aisle for mexican food!). I served these up in some DIY glitter champagne flutes. A little Martha Stewart glitter glass paint is an easy way to jazz up any cheap cocktail glasses.

What You'll Need:

2 bottles Champagne/Prosecco (or ginger ale for virgin drinks), chilled

4 cups pear nectar

1 lime cut into wedges

For each serving, pour 3/4 cup of Champagne (or ginger ale) into a flute and top with 1/2 cup of pear nectar. Squeeze and drop in 1 wedge of lime.

original recipe from real simple