Blog Giveaways across the Net!

Good Afternoon Peeps! I wanted to take a minute to share a few giveaways happening at some of my fav. blogs.

Burning Moon is having a giveaway for Jenulence Makeup. She also has another giveaway for bondiband  Hop on over to her blog to take part!

The lovely Diane over at Inmyownstyle is hosting an awesome giveaway for Redi Shade's Simple Fit Custom Shade . She would be thrilled if you visited her blog and entered the giveaway.

And finally Rhoda at Southern Hospitality Blog is hosting a $150 giveaway from CSN Stores .

Please stop by these great blogs and check out whats going on; I've made it easy for you, just click the names and it will take you right to the giveaway!

If you know of any other giveaways, please let me know and I will be happy to include them here.

The little house that could

I was finally able to score some pictures of the little house we'll be moving into and slowly but surely remodeling. Trust me... it needs it!

                                                                                                                                                        

Front of the house - Complete with sad little bushes and a detached porch! I definitely see some paint on the house and the shutters. Possibly gray with black shutters? Who knows...



To the left of the house. The front yard is pretty open. I might plant some trees there.

The right side of the house. According to the MLS listing there is supposed to be a driveway. Yeah...that doesn't exist! I hate parking in the grass; if nothing else we might put down some gravel until we get the driveway poured. 

Back of the house- Its rough back here! The porch is detached from the house; who knows why! Don't know if you can tell but at the bottom of the stairs there is about a 3 foot drop to the ground below. Guess the previous owners had long legs!

There is a fenced in area for a dog and behind that a lot of woods that I hope to clear out. (Not all, but some)

I don't see anyone to the left, lets check the right...

Nope, no one here either!



I'm loving it!!!!

ETSY Love

Introducing a new weekly feature here at IvyRoad!

I created this treasury over at ETSY. Hope you enjoy!

'Im just a girl...' by IvyRoad

All things girly!

NzLbags Handmade - Handbag -... NzLbags $62.00	Melrose Spoon Bracelet Silve... villageboutiqu... $
muse lace necklace whiteowl $	PINK ROYAL CROWN SHABBY CHIC... SaSeaBoutique $
MILLIE Bracelet in Sparkling... sparklybitsjew... $58.00	LOVE red glittered cream bur... funkyshique $20.00
Shabby Chic Headband sweetsimple $24.00	Rennes Lace Necklace FoxAndClover $
Dainty Spoon Ring Orange Blo... dankartistry $	Blue butterflies - Limited e... carambatack $
Nature Girl. Hair Pins MiaBeads $21.50	Personalised map garland of ... bookity $28.00
silent noon - a lacy butterf... thehoneycomb $35.00	Personalized Heart Initial N... cherrycreek $24.00
Sweet Romance Rosette Trio H... Brydferth $35.00	Layers Bracelet Sobre simplymeart $70.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Sopapillas

Another recipe from my writing days at the Online Magazine...this one is great for a quick snack. It is inexpensive and easy to make at home with items you may already have in your pantry.

Sopapillas (pronounced sopapi-as) , are a light, flaky, deep fried flour tortilla, topped with cinnamon, powdered sugar and drizzled with honey. Although they are typically found in most Mexican restaurants, they were actually thought to have originated in Albuquerque, New Mexico, more than 200 years ago. 

Sopapillas, for Four
Three 8" flour tortillas.
Cinnamon
Powdered Sugar
Honey
Canola Oil-- enough to give a depth of 1/8" in the skillet.
 

Heat the oil on Medium.  Cut the tortillas into wedges, each tortilla should yield 8 wedges. (I suggest dropping a small piece in to check the temperature of the oil) Fry 5-6 wedges at a time-- it only takes about 10-15 seconds per side to get them to golden brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Give them a light coating of cinnamon and then lightly toss to evenly distribute. Shake on a generous coating of powdered sugar followed by a drizzle of honey

Gray, How I love you so!

Do you know how surprised I was when Mark said "Ive been thinking about Gray for the walls." I think my jaw hit the floor! For the longest time Ive had a love affair with the color Gray. Whether it be clothes or wall colors; I cant get enough. 

In my last house all the walls were a light tan color. In the two apartments I lived in the walls have been stark white. You would think I might go wild and paint the walls red or something bright and bold...but nope; Gray it is!

After a trip to Lowes to pick out paint; where I act like a kid in a candy store! We come back with at least eight booklets and ten different paint chips. We spread the paint colors out on the bed and narrowed it down to our three favorites and chose from there. Secret Passage by Olympic won for the walls in the living room, kitchen and probably the hall. Doesn't that name just sound fun?

That was most of the paint chips and booklets I brought home! (Sorry for the not so great picture; my real camera has gone M.I.A.)

What do you think about the color Gray?

Bonus points to anyone who can spot the tattooed arm in the picture...it belongs to Mark.

Frosting

Many, Many moons ago...okay, it was only a year ago, I wrote a dessert column for an online magazine. I absolutely love baking! Cupcake, cookies, brownies. (I'm getting hungry just thinking about it) So, today I thought I would share one of the article that I posted about Frosting.

Hope you enjoy!
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Everyone has a favorite type of frosting. Most people prefer Buttercream; a rich, thick frosting made from butter, powdered sugar and flavoring. Another favorite is Chocolate Ganache, made from some type of chocolate, butter, heavy cream and sugar.

Frosting has been around since the mid 1600’s. The main ingredients consisted of sugar, egg whites and on occasion, flavoring. It was then boiled together and poured over a cake. The cake was put back into the oven and when it was removed the frosting would cool to a shiny glaze. Two hundred years later in the mid 1800’s, frosting similar to what we use today, replaced the glazed variety.

Here are a few frosting recipes for you to try when baking your next cake.

Buttercream Icing

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)

2 tablespoons milk

Makes: About 3 cups of icing.

(Medium Consistency)

1. In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer.

2. Add vanilla.

3. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry.

4. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Re-whip before using.

Chocolate Ganache

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
5 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar

1. Chop chocolates and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate.
3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
4. Add butter and vanilla and stir until combined.
5. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixture and let cool for 10 minutes.
6. Sift powdered sugar into the mixture and beat until combined.
7. Continue to beat with an electric mixer until lighter in color and creamy.

White Chocolate Frosting

7 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

1. In a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, gently melt the white chocolate. Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so.
2. Using an electric mixer beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.
2. Beat in the melted white chocolate.
3. Add the vanilla and 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat at low speed, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar to arrive at the consistency and sweetness you like.

Its official... Im in love!

In love with a quilt, that is! I want, want, want this ruffly (is that even a word?) quilt from Brocade Home.


Isn't it gorgeous?

Sadly, its  $300.00...for the quilt. No shams, no bedskirt, nothing...just a quilt!

I wonder if I could buy a white quilt and add the ruffles myself?

What do you think? Too much work? Or should I just save up and buy the thing?

Home Sweet Home!

It will be about two weeks before we can move into our new home but in the mean time I thought  I would give you a little preview of the house and the surrounding land.

All these woods are a far cry from where I grew up; surrounded by lots of neighbors. Living in the country, on top of a mountain for that matter was something I never pictured myself doing. But for Mark, it was his dream...I'm happy that it's come true for him.

The house sits on an acre of land surrounded by woods. I'm hoping that we'll be able to clear some of the land in the back of the house out in order to build onto the house in the future. (Cross your fingers!)

I don't know if you can tell in the picture but there is a little shed off to the side...that thing has to go ASAP! It is rough! Along with the shed are the front and back porches. They could have been great; had they been attached to the house. Sadly, they're too far gone now to even think about repairing...I was a little hesitant to even walk across the things!

Hopefully in the next few days I'll have some better pictures; inside and out!

Hello World!

Hi! Welcome to my blog, I'm glad you stopped by to check it out. My name is Stefanie and I live just outside of Birmingham, Alabama.

A little about me: I love baking, crafting (of all sorts), jewelry, anything girly or shabby chic and my family!

~ Stefanie