Wall Gallery Inspiration

With my serious photo obsession, I figured it was about time to start putting up pictures around my house!  There are a few places I want to do a photo gallery style.  Up the stairs, in an awkward "nook" and in the upstairs hallway. 

I am playing with the idea of doing Ana Whites $10 ledges on a framed in wallpaper wall.

Here are a few inspirations I am working with.

Your Nest Design

Ana White

apartment 412

Perfect Sentiment

Remodelista

Deliciously Determined

Centsational Girl

Decorator dozen

Design Dazzle

House to Home

Lilium Designs

Cool Hunting

Cool photo ideas

Carrot Cake Cupcake!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes!!

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Power

2 Eggs

½ Cup Oil

2 Cups Shredded Carrots

1/3  cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Makes 12 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line your cupcake tin with liners

In a medium bowl mix together your dry ingredients.  Flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder.

Flour: 

Brown Sugar 

Cinnamon and  Nutmeg 

Baking soda and Baking powder 

Ahhh - all the dry ingredients! 

Take a fork or something and smoosh it all together. 

Get two eggs. 

Beat them together. 

Then add the oil and keep beating. 

Start slowly adding your dry mixture. 

I did about a cup at a time. 

Shred your carrots.  First time I grated.  Next time I used the food processor and then this machine - did the same thing and saved my arms a lot of work! 

Add them to your mixing bowl. 

Get your nuts - I used walnuts. 

Then your chocolate chips (OK - I used a lot more than 1/3 of a cup) 

Then I put them in the mini chopper and chopped them up. 

Tada. 

Then add it to your mixing bowl.  I have read to stir it in, I am lazy - I just used the mixer - I am lazy! 

See - it's mixing nicely! 

Then pour it into something that won't make a mess when you are filling your cupcake liners.

All filled and ready to go - this makes 12 perfectly. 

This this them about half way done as I turned them. 

Cooling down on the cooling rack.  Don't they look good as is! 

While the cupcakes are cooling – make your frosting.

8 ounce Cream Cheese softened

½ cup butter (one stick)

2 tsp vanilla

6 cups of softened power sugar

• Sift your sugar – then measure your 6 cups
• Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla
• Slowly add powdered sugar, I did about a cup at a time

Use a large tip in a pastry bag – I put mine in a tall glass and poured it into the bag.  Opps – wait – this is where I added food coloring to tint it orange.

Then swirl it on your cooled cupcakes.

I topped mine with some powered sugar.  I put it in my sifter and brought the cooling rack over to the sink – then put it right on – no mess to clean up – and a nice light dusting for an added décor.

The taste – perfection!

Linking up to these parties!

Between Naps on the Porch , Skip To My Lou, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, DIY Show Off Project Parade , C.R.A.F.T. , Dittle Dattle , Making The World Cuter , The Girl Creative , Keeping it Simple , Mad in Crafts , It's so overy Cheri, Remodelaholic, Sew Chatty, Paisley passions, Skip To My Lou, Mad in Crafts , Talkind Dollars and Cents

Mothers Day

So this Mothers Day I asked my mom if she wanted to spend the day with me and my girls.  We went to the movies and then I took her to the cemetery to see her mother.

This is one of my favorite pictures from our trip to her grave.

This is the same picture - just processed a little different.

 This isn't my grandmothers site - but this is my oldest stopping to take a look. This is their first trip to a cemetery.

This is my mom showing her what everything on the stone means.

 This is all three of them getting the flowers ready.  Pink from the girls, and orange from Mikey.

I love this shot - how you can't see my daughter - but you see she's there. 

This is one of my favorites too.  I love how it's her profile, and she almost looks like she is deep in thought praying.  I don't often see her still - so this is very peaceful for me to see. 

 My oldest is slightly OCD - she was very particular about where the flowers had to go, anytime Hayden touched them she would freak out.  Pinks on the outside - and the greenery and orange one in the center.

I love the smile on my mom's face here as she sees her granddaughter with her mother.

 You can see her determination in her eye's as she gets the flowers just right.

 I love how this one turned out - placing the flowers down, and the slightly darker and soft processing shows the special moment it was.

 Love the black and white on this one.

I feel great going to see her with all the girls - this shot makes me happy and sad - all at the same time.