whisk: biscoff knockoff

Soooo, you guys know that I’ve been obsessed with Biscoff and apparently someone has noticed.  If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then the folks at Biscoff should be just that.  Trader Joe’s recently released their own version of the spread and lucky for me, a good friend of mine just shared a jar with me.  He also, kindly, included a few of their chocolate bars filled with biscoff.  At first taste, the Trader Joe’s version is smoother and doesn’t have the same cookie flake consistency that can be found in the original.   This weekend I’m going to play around with the jar a bit and I’ll report back on Monday.  I can’t wait to see how it melts.

Have a great weekend!

Katie

stitch: Chevron quilt progress

One of my creative resolutions this year is to finish my first chevron quilt and I’m happy to say it’s almost finished folks! Yes, it’s taken me 9 months to piece to together the quilt front and back, but that’s what happens when working full time and trying to have a social life in the interim. Regardless, I’m really happy with the way the quilt back turned out and can’t wait to show you guys the final result. Cheers! xo Kristi

drink: frozen drunk arnies

Spring is here and with it those first few afternoons filled with warm sunshine,  good friends and drinks outside somewhere.   There’s not much that I love more than summertime happy hour.  This winter, I tasted a bourbon slush for the first time and my mind started spinning thinking about how it would make the perfect frozen drunk arnold palmer.  After a few different attempts, I finally have the recipe.  This drink is just plain delightful and I’m going to go out on a limb and declare these my cocktail of the summer of 2012.  You can make these in advance and whip them out when needed, plus as a bonus, these are blender free.  So this summer if you find yourself in Boulder, come on over, I’ll be sure to have a batch in the freezer waiting for ya!

The ingredients:

+ Sweet Tea Vodka

+ 3 large cans of frozen lemonade concentrate

+ 10 Black tea bags

+ 4 or 5 quart containers with lids

Boil 6 cups of water and add to 10-12 black tea bags.   Let it steep while it comes to room temperature (about 20-30 minutes).  Then in a large pitcher, pour the tea and 2 cans of the  frozen lemonade mix.  Using one of the empty lemonade cans as your measuring cup, add 2 cans of water and 2 cans of vodka (this will use up nearly an entire 750ml bottle of vodka).  Stir until combined and pour into quart containers making sure to leave a good inch at the top so that it can expand in the freezer.   Freeze overnight.   Then make one pitcher of straight lemonade, according to the directions on the can and refrigerate.  You can make the lemonade just before serving if you prefer.  It doesn’t matter.

To assemble, remove the frozen quart container from the freezer and using a spoon flake it and scoop into a glass.  Then pour lemonade until the slush is covered and stir until they are combined and have a slurpee-esque consistency.  Add a straw, garnish with a lemon if desired and serve.  This recipe should make about 12 healthy servings.

I can’t wait for summertime, may have to make today a sunday, funday…

xoxo

Katie

swoon: Hot Pink Picks

I was looking at my pinterest boards the other day and realized I had been pinning a lot of items with Hot Pink. Chalk it up to the change in weather perhaps? Regardless, the items above are my favorites. And if you haven’t seen the movie Drive, watch is ASAP. It’s amazing. Cheers! xo Kristi

1. Pashmina  2. Earrings  3. Clutch  4. Drive  5. Watch  6. Shirt

make: anchors away!

I’m a sucker for anchors.  Maybe this has something to do with the fact that summer is coming and I can’t believe that I live in a landlocked state (why is the ocean so far away from Colorado!?!).  For the last few months, I’ve been pinning freezer paper transfer tutorials and I finally decided to give it a whirl.  In true Katie fashion, it took me a few attempts to get it right but all of my issues had more to do with my human error (hello paint spills) than the process itself.  This really is so easy, I made the sweatshirt above in about 30 minutes last night.  God I love it.

Supplies:
+ Item of clothing
+ Freezer Paper
+ Scissors
+ Fabric Paint
+ Iron
+Fabric paint brush or foam brush
+X-acto Knife
+ Hair dryer (optional)

Start by deciding what you would like to paint and where you would like to paint it.  I found an anchor image that I liked here.  I printed it out and then using a pen, traced the anchor onto the matte side of the freezer paper.  Then using your X-acto knife, cut out the image.  Remember, you are creating a stencil, so you want to cut the shape you are painting.  So for me, I had to make sure that I cut out the hole in the top of the anchor.

Once you have cut the image out, trim the freezer paper so that you have about 2 inches of excess paper around the stencil.  You will have some paint around the stencil, so make sure you give yourself the room.  Then place the the freezer paper, shiny side down, on the piece of clothing and iron in place.

Then using your foam brush or paint brush, paint in the stencil.  Make sure that the paint layer is even.  Let the paint dry for about 2 hours and paint a second coat.  If you are impatient (like me) you can speed up the process by drying with your hair dryer.

Once you are done painting and it has dried, carefully peel away the stencil.  Then place a scrap piece of fabric over the painted design and iron to seal it.  That’s it!

I love this and I can’t wait to start embellishing everything.  Wonder if I can pull of a monogram… Be sure to let us know if you make one!

xxoo,

Katie

swoon: St.Patrick’s Day Parade Outfit

St. Patrick’s day is one of my favorite days of the year. Spring is approaching, the weather is great and everyone is in good spirits. I’ll be heading to the big Greenville Ave parade early in the morning to celebrate with friends and will be wearing a touch of kelly green and turquoise. Cheers! xo Kristi

1. Earrings  2. Tank  3. Scarf  4. Clutch  5. Shoes  6. Jeans  7. Ring  8. Bracelet

swoon:Vacation Getaway recap

Cheers to vacations, beaches, sunrises, fishing, playing dominos and laughing with family and friends. xo Kristi

live: serial monogrammer

My name is Katie and I’m a serial monogrammer.  If it can sit still long enough for me to get my name on it, I’ll monogram it.  Styrofoam cups, jewelry, my license plate, you name it, I’ve done it.  Surprisingly, one thing I haven’t monogrammed are my sheets and I think it’s high time I did something about that.  I’m on the hunt for the perfect set and here are some of my favorites:

Images from: Top Left: Pinterest, Top Right: Ralph Lauren, Bottom Right: Elle Decor, Bottom Left: West Elm

swoon: Vacation Getaway

I’m en route to the coast of Guatemala as we speak for a much needed mini vacay. I have to say, beach vacations are my absolute favorite trips simply for the fact that I’m an extremely light packer. Just throw in a few suits, dresses, flip flops, a good book (Games of Thrones series is great!) and I’m good to go. Vacation getaway here I come!

1. Sunglasses  2. Dress  3. Hat  4. Book  5. Shoes  6. Bag

whisk: salted caramel rice krispie treats

When I was in college, I had a boyfriend whose southern grandmother would glaze her Rice Krispie Treats.  At the time, they were the best Rice Krispie Treats I’d ever tasted.  Last night, that all changed.  I made Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats.  These decadent treats are unbelievable.   As I’ve proved earlier, salty sweet is my favorite.  In fact, I tend to lean more towards salty than sweet with my cravings.  So to me, the addition of creamy lightly salted caramel takes what is already a great dessert and makes it delicious.

Here’s what you’ll need:
+ 1/2 c. sugar
+ 6 T unsalted butter
+ 1/2 c. heavy cream
+ 3/4 tsp of Maldon
+ 1 bag of marshmallows
+ 6 cups rice cereal (rice chex or rice krispies)

Start by making the caramel sauce.  I made my favorite caramel sauce (previously seen in the crack brownies).   Place 1/2 c. of sugar in a dry skillet over medium heat.  Stir with a fork until the sugar starts melting.  Then stop stirring and start swirling the pan until the sugar is melted and has an amber color.  Add 2 T butter and stir until melted.  Remove from head and add the cream.  Stir until cream is blended.  Pour into a bowl and set aside to let cool to room temperature.

In a large sauce pot, melt the butter of medium low heat.  Add the entire bag of marshmallows and stir until melted.  Pour the cereal into a separate bowl and add the melted marshmallows.  Stir until combined.  Then stir about 1 tsp of salt into the caramel and stir into the cereal mix until combined.

Press into a buttered and/or lined pan, cover and let set for a few hours.  Remove from pan, cut, serve and stand back.

xoxo

Katie