Freezing Cupcakes

After my post about my daughter's Minnie Mouse birthday party, I had a few requests for a tutorial on freezing cupcakes.  It's nothing crazy exciting, but it can be a great time saver so I am happy to share my experience with you!

To get started, I am going to confess a little secret to you.  It's my shortcut cake recipe, and truth be told, I love it.

I know what you're thinking...it's generous to call this a recipe.  But, it is a great time saver, and who doesn't want to save a little time?!

Step 1: Pour boxed cake mix into mixing bowl.
Step 2: Pour one can of soda over cake mix (I usually use plain club soda to avoid excess calories.  I think you can use almost anything, but I recommend sticking with clear sodas for light colored cakes.)

Please note the tiny hands helping me with this project.  My toddler is a big fan of whisking.  

Step 3: Mix the soda and cake mix together.  It will be a fluffy consistency, different than the texture you would get if you followed the directions on the box.
Step 4: Spoon mix into cupcake tin -- paper liners work best with this recipe.  You will get less cupcakes out of this recipe, closer to 15-17 cupcakes instead of 24.
Step 5: Bake at 350 for approximately 17 minutes.  All ovens vary, so take a peek around 15 minutes to see how they look.
Step 6: Remove from oven and cool COMPLETELY!  (The cool completely part is important for freezing.)

Now on to freezing your cupcakes:

After your cupcakes have cooled completely, grab two airtight containers, such as Tupperware-style containers or Ziplock-style bags.  Put cupcakes in the container or bag so that they are flat, not stacked on top of each other.

Seal the container or bag, and carry them flat to the freezer.  Make sure you have a space for them to store flat in your freezer, without anything on top of them.  I've stored them for up to a month, but I think you could do even longer!  When you're ready to use them, let them defrost for about two hours, add frosting and ENJOY!

Our daughter is allergic to eggs, so I love having a batch of shortcut cupcakes on hand so that I can grab one for her to take to a birthday party or event where she isn't able to eat the dessert they provide.  And, like I mentioned in the birthday party post, it is a great way to plan ahead for events and save your time and energy for the things that have to be done day-of.  I hope you find it as handy as I do!

Price breakdown:

Boxed cake mix: $1.50 on sale at the grocery store
Frosting (not pictured, but you'll need it eventually): $1.50 on sale at the grocery store

Total for 15 cupcakes: $3

Painted Pumpkin DIY

I love fall!  The colors are so cozy and inviting, and I want to make the most of each day of the season.  This year, I decided to paint artificial pumpkins instead of carving real ones because we will be able to enjoy them all season long (and even next year!) without any of them going bad.

Below is a tutorial of how to create beautiful decorative pumpkins that you can use year after year.

First, I decided what designs I wanted for my pumpkins.  I liked the idea of lots of pattern, and gold to maximize the warm tones.  After landing on polka dots as one of my choices, I found coins that were about the size I was hoping for (one foreign coin I found around the house, and one penny).  I alternated the coins all over the pumpkin in a random design, tracing around the perimeter with pencil.

Next, I used a gold paint pen to trace the outlines.  This process was imperfect, but I tried my best to keep any bumps or unevenness on the inside edges of the circle, since they would get filled in anyway.

Last, I took some gold paint and filled in the gold circles.  The coverage of the paint was a little more transparent than the pen, so I recommend two coats if you have the time.

Here's the finished product.

Here's a breakdown of this project:

Fake pumpkins: JoAnn's - $5.99 to $14.99.  The list price is much higher, but I found them on sale for 60% off!

Gold paint pen: JoAnn's - $2.  Used a 50% off coupon on that item.

Gold paint: JoAnn's - $2.49.

All in, I spent about $33, and I can use these every year!

One quick note on the other pumpkins, I used a stencil for one of the small orange pumpkins, free-handed the large "D" pumpkin, and used the back end of my paint brush to do the pin dot pumpkin.

Thursday Threads

Well, let's get this party started.

Today's outfit is pretty standard -- jeans, a t-shirt, an accessory or two, and a pair of flats.

Clearly still working on my selfie skills.

I don't think there is anything super "wrong" with this outfit, but it is a little boring.  There is definitely room to step outside my usual habits a bit to try new things with fashion, and to get more thoughtful about what I put together.

What I'm wearing:

T-Shirt: 3/4 Sleeve Gold Sequin Dot shirt from Old Navy (last season)
Skinny Jeans: Old Navy (4 or 5 years ago)
Scarf: Amazon.com
Shoes: Sole Society (last season)
Bracelet: Target (saw it in store last night!)

Cheers to trying new things!

Mantle Update - Fall 2014

When you enter our home, one of the first things you see is our fireplace.  We have a big, chunky white mantle, and I love updating it with the seasons to bring a fresh touch to a main focal point in our house.

As you can see from the before picture, our summer decor was looking pretty tired.  One of my favorite techniques for home decorating on a budget is "shopping your own house".  It's an awesome way to update your spaces, but sometimes (as was the case here), it can leave spaces looking a little picked over if you don't replace items you borrow with new ones.

Luckily, fall is officially here, so it was a perfect time to start thinking about new color palates and updated decorations.  As always, budget was a factor.  My goal was to complete the project for under $50, and I made it with cash to spare!

I am loving the warm tones for fall.  Doesn't it just look like you should grab that book and a cup of tea and relax?

Below is a breakdown of items, prices, stores, and a couple tips for completing your fall updates on a budget.

Wreath: JoAnn's - $20.  I was so excited to see this, and even more excited to see that it was 50% off!  If the in store promotion is over, you may be able to still score this wreath at a good price using one of their many coupons.

Chalkboard: Target - $24.99.  I bought this for redecorating my laundry room, but I hadn't hung it on the wall yet, so it was fair game for me to borrow for the mantle!  But, since it was brand new, I'm including the price here to keep things fair.

Clock: Pottery Barn - No new cost.  I borrowed that little cutie from my husband's home office.

Wine corks: Random bottles of wine - No new cost. 

Candle: Had it for a while, can't remember the source - No new cost.

Silver Tray: West Elm - No new cost.  I used it as a service plate for my daughter's birthday party, and just hadn't had a chance to put it away yet.

Picture Frame: Pottery Barn - No new cost.  Got it as a wedding present.  Don't you love gifts that you end up using forever?!  I did order a new print for the frame, so you can add a couple cents to the total if you're a stickler.

Lantern: Marshalls a few years ago - No new cost.  Bought it for a front porch makeover a while back.  With a good washing, it was all ready to use indoors.

Total cost: $44.99 and about 15 minutes of time.

Minnie Mouse 2nd Birthday

This month, my darling girl turned 2!  I can't even believe it.  Her party theme was "Minnie Mouse".  There is something so sweet about letting her be little.  I love choosing a theme that captures the joy of being a child.  After it was all said and done, we had such a blast and felt so blessed by all the family that joined us to celebrate!

Fun pink drinks, courtesy of my sister.

Party favors for cousins - age specific for kids 0-9 years old.

Some fun Minnie Mouse Oreo cookies.

Dessert table.  Found this amazing cake topper on Etsy.  You can find more fun creations from
Les Pop Sweets here.

Polka dot table runners made by my mom.  

Found the fabric at JoAnn's at 40% off thanks to a coupon.

Tips and tricks from our Minnie Mouse party:

1.) Balloons, balloons, balloons!  Balloons are such a great, inexpensive way to frame a party and make a theme feel more complete.  We purchased balloons from amazon.com and displaycostume.com.  My parents own a helium tank, so they were gracious enough to let us use it for the party.

2.) Carry the theme throughout.  Our theme was Minnie Mouse, and we were able to incorporate that theme throughout each element with polka dots and bows.  The tables, buffet, railing, and dessert table all blended together really well.

3.) Keep your budget in line with your event.  It would be absurd for us to spend a fortune on a 2nd birthday party.  It's a kids party, not a wedding.  While I don't have exact figures, I kept the budget under control by doing most of the work myself and planning ahead.  Example:  Purchasing cupcakes for a party costs at least $30 for 24 cupcakes (up to $80+)!  Making your own cupcakes costs about $6 for 24 cupcakes.  And, since I knew time would be tight in the days leading up to the party, I baked them a month in advance and froze them.  I added the frosting about two hours before the party, and no one was the wiser.

Well, Hi!

Welcome to It's Your Beautiful Life!  For a while, I've been dreaming of ways to share things I love with people who read my blog.  Over the course of the summer, I started mapping out a way to do it -- and here we are!

It's Your Beautiful Life a way to bring you different ideas, inspiration, tips, tricks, and the occasional project that you'd love to have but don't have the time to create yourself.  Think DIY meets your actual life.  The reality is that most of us don't have time to accomplish all those projects and add all those special touches that we find during those five precious minutes of personal time before bed.  My job will be to tackle some projects (with you and sometimes for you!), to make your home more "you".

Let's be clear -- all this is just stuff.  There are far more important things in life, but I do believe that when we love the space we live in, we approach each day with a better outlook, and that makes a difference.  I hope that this blog can be a welcome distraction for you, and a vehicle to make your day a little brighter.

I can't wait to get started on this adventure, and I'm so honored you're joining me!

Cheers!

Dani