Cotton Anniversary

June 30th just seems like any other day to most people, but to Charlie and I {and in a strange coincidence, my parents} it is our anniversary! It is crazzzyyy that we have been dating for two years now. What?? I guess time really does fly when you're having fun! In anticipation of our anniversary coming up I have been racking my brain thinking and searching for cute gift ideas for Charlie. And after many days of planning and thinking I finally came up with the perfect present for himmmm :)

COTTON!

Now I'm sure many of you are wondering... hmmm, what the heck is cotton? Well before you jump site and start thinking I'm crazy, just wait, hold up and let me explain myself. 

As I'm sure many of you are aware, anniversaries usually have a traditional anniversary gift that goes along with the year.

and if you look at 2nd anniversary you will see that cotton is the traditional gift. So there is my hidden logic behind this strange gift idea. 

What I decided to do with this cotton was to give Charlie a present for each letter, sort of like an acronym.

Each gift correlates with a letter.

C is for Comfy Boxers.

Tommy Hilfigure

O is for One Pack of Socks

Polo Ralph Lauren

T is for Tickets to an FSU Football Game.


T is for T-shirt.

Vineyard Vines.

O is for One and Only.


N is for Next Year's Adventures.


:) I hope this helped you think of anniversary present ideas for yourself and a loved one! I thought this was super cute and a fun way to celebrate with Charlie. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Balls

While us SoFlo girls were off exploring the Mediterranean, my boyfriend Charlie rolled his ankle during a basketball game and possibly broke it :o Obviously, he was pretty upset after so I decided to make him smile by making a "broken ankle blues" kit with some of his favorite treats, which includes some of my freshly baked gooooods! So, with the help of one of my bestest friends Janie, we found the perfect recipe for some Chocolate Chip Cookie Balls from Sally's Baking Addiction. Just a little moment to chit-chat about the amazing Sally: her website is a little piece of sprinkled "fun and adventure" and her recipes are tooo dieee forrrr! She even has a cookbook, one of my dreamssss! So before I go all girl-crush on Ms. Sally and take up this whole post talking about her... Check out her website! Right Here :) I couldn't not share this yummy recipe with you! So without further adeau here is the worlds most delicious chocolate chip cookie ballllssss.

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add in the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix on medium speed. Next mix in the egg and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. In a separate bowl combine the rest of the dry ingredients and then on a low speed mix into the wet ingredients. The dough should be pretty thick! Add in the chocolate chips and continue mixing the dough {I went overboard on the chocolate chips. True Life Im A Choco-holic}. Cover the dough for with tin foil and allow to chill. 

2. Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and allow to cool to room temperature. Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside

3. The dough, once chilled, will be a little crumbly but once you work the dough it will come together. Roll the dough into little individual balls and set onto the baking sheet {if you want cookies don't make the balls so high and allow room to spread, if you want little balls make the balls higher and you can fit more on a baking sheet} Bake for 6-9 minutes depending on how doughy you want them.

4. EAT THEM ALL!

and there ya go some delicious little chocolate chip cookie balls! so delicious :)

Darby Smart

While scrolling through Pinterest one day I came across an extremely fun and simple craft by Lovely Indeed. It was a leather key chain tassel! Being the avid pinterester that I am, I immediately repined the pin to my ".:Crafts:." board and clicked on the link. I was then redirected to Chelsea's adorable blog, Lovely Indeed, where I learned how to make a simple leather key chain tassel. While reading through the post, I kept seeing references to another website called "Darby Smart". So I decided to investigate and thank goodness I did!

Darby Smart has quickly turned into my favorite website! For those of you who have yet to discover the magical world of Darby please continue reading....

Darby Smart puts "today's fashion and home trends at your fingertips." They achieve this by turning DIY projects into DIY kits. "With a Darby Smart kit, you can make and share your own style." 

So basically you can log onto the website, search for pretty much any craft you want and have the DIY instructions and materials send to your doorstep in a few days! Pretty much the best thing to ever happen to crafting.

So on my first trip to the Darby Smart website I purchased the Leather Tassel Keychain a 30 minute Do-It-Yourself Project for only $17.00 with free shipping and free returns. With your first visit to the website you receive a $10.00 coupon on any purchase, so this craft turned into a $7.00 one! 

The project included: Genuine Leather in Camel, E6000 Glue, 2 Gold Key Rings, 2 Mini Binder Clips, and DIY Instructions.

The keychain was quick and easy to make and a great accessory for my boring keys! I loved recieving my "Internet Rehab" in the mail and the package made me smile! 

I am now obsessed with Darby Smart and we hope to be {someday! fingers crossed} featured on Darby Smart as designers ....So go check it out!

Skin care routine

In a recent post about random products that are good for your skin I listed a few things that are probably around your house that you can easily implement into your skin care routine! After trying a few different combinations of these products I have found the perfect combination of products that I really love. Keep reading if you are interested in seeing how I combined the previously mentioned products!

As previously mentioned using these products can leave your skin red or irritated for an hour or so after using them so I recommend doing these things at night when your skin will have time to recover before applying makeup. 

MY ROUTINE:

Remove make up with an olay face wipe {4-in-1 daily face cloth} before using any of these products. Removing makeup from the skin is like starting with a clean slate and will allow the products to actually clean your skin and get into your pores instead of simply removing the makeup. Once my skin is free of most of my makeup I cleanse my skin with my cleanser recipe.

My cleanser "recipe": Combine a quarter size amount of Cetaphil cleanser with two drops of lemon juice and gently apply to skin in circular motions. Rinse off with luke warm water.

Now that my makeup is definitely all gone, the next step is to exfoliate. Your skin type and sensitivity will determine how often your skin should be exfoliated. Some people can exfoliate daily without any irritation and some can only exfoliate once a week. With my skin so dry at the moment I have been exfoliating every other day.

My exfoliator "recipe": Combine 1TBSP of baking soda with a few drops of warm water and a drop of Vitamin E oil. Rub this combination all over your damp skin {avoiding your eye area} in circular motions for as long as you feel necessary {don't exceed 5 minutes}. Once you are done exfoliating rinse your skin with luke warm water and make sure none of the baking soda granules are still on your skin. 

Now that your pores are open and clean, use some kind of toner to do a last cleaning and close the pores to avoid dust or dirt getting back into your pores. My favorite toner at the moment is by simple and it is a "soothing facial toner" that is 100% alcohol free.

I apply this with small gauze pads as they are not as absorbent as cotton balls. I was noticing a while back that a majority of my toner was being absorbed by the cotton ball and wasting the product before I could even apply it to my skin. 

Once I have toned my skin I like to apply a moisturizer Vitamin E combination to help moisturize my skin and reduce acne scarring. The moisturizer I am IN LOVE WITH right now is the Clinique "moisture surge extended thirst relief" it is quite pricey but it is so thick and it absorbs straight into my skin which I love. If you go to any Clinique counter they will give you a sample to try before committing to the product. I use about a dime sized amount of moisturizer and a TEENY TINY drop of vitamin E oil. The oil is incredibly thick and sticky so you really only need a small drop. Before applying the combination to my face I rub the moisturizer and oil together in my fingers and then apply all over my face.

After applying the moisturizer {and letting it soak in!} I apply a combination of baking soda and lemon juice to any pimples or problem areas on my face. Depending on how many blemishes you have on your skin will determine the amount of "zit zapper" that you need but make sure the consistency is thick and pastey. I leave this on my skin all night to help reduce inflammation and clear out my infected pores.

When I wake up in the morning I use my cleanser recipe to remove the "zit zapper" and any dust, dirt, or bacteria my skin has accumulated throughout the night!

Thanks for reading xo

*none of the above photos are our own*

Not-So-Common Products For Your Skin

If you are anything like me, this crazy polar vortex {huh?} that has been encompassing the country has left your skin and lips very dry. I have been researching many different kinds of natural exfoliants that can help with acne as well {two birds, one stone}!

The first not-so-common products that I have discovered is baking soda it has TONS of uses beyond what you expect in the kitchen.

• Baking soda can be used as a face wash when combined with warm water, it will create a thick paste that is perfect as a gentle cleanser. 
• When rubbed into your skin in gentle circular strokes it also acts as an exfoliant. If you have dry skin at the moment this is the perfect way to help rid your skin of dead cells and dry skin. If you already have a cleanser that you love {or you need a little more strength than just water}, add a little baking soda to the cleanser before washing your face. 
• Last but not least I have found that if you leave the thick paste {of water and baking soda} on your face for 5 to 10 minutes it acts as a face mask; helping fight acne and remove black heads!

Next up, lemon juice! The acidity in lemon juice is perfect as a natural astringent to help unclog pores.

• Use lemon juice as or in your cleanser. Consuming lemon juice orally hasn't been proven to be as effective as direct application to the skin. 
• The acidity in lemon juice also acts as a natural exfoliant as it helps remove dead skin cells and unclog pores. This is the perfect exfoliant for someone whose skin is too raw to use any kind of exfoliator with texture.

My new favorite is Vitamin E. Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin which means it can easily cross the cell membrane and and absorb locally. I bought pure Vitamin E oil at CVS or Walgreens for less than $8.00 and it will last me FOREVER. I have been using it for about 3 months now and you can barely tell I have used any at all.

• Vitamin E {like many other vitamins} is great not only just for acne but for your body in general. Vitamin E is associated with healthy skin and reduced inflammation.
• Vitamin E has also been proven to help reduce scarring {including acne scarring}.

Using these products can leave your skin red or irritated for an hour or so after using them. I recommend doing these things at night which will allow your skin time to recover before applying makeup.

Mama's famous chocolate torte

A holiday favorite in our house is our mama's chocolate torte! This easy to make dessert is always a hit at any holiday party & is VERY easy to make.

Ingredients:

• Graham crackers
• 1/2 pound of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 pound of dark chocolate chips
• 5 tablespoons of rum {optional}
• 5 tablespoons of liquid glucose 
• 32 oz of heavy whipping cream
• Spring loaded pie tin {pictured below}

This easy to make dessert is always a hit at any holiday party & is VERY easy to make.

Begin by crushing the graham crackers in a zip lock bag to create the crust. 

Next, sprinkle the graham crackers in the spring loaded pie tin.

Combine chocolate, rum, and glucose into a bowl and melt the chocolate {be careful it doesn't burn!}

Whip the cream to a point where it is stiff, but not as fluffy as whipped cream.

Fold the melted ingredients and the cream together and then pour into the tin on top of the graham cracker crust.

Then freeze for 48 hours!

Bon Appétit

xo

Christmas Candle Craft

So here we go…. with another mason jar craft! This Christmas craft is perfect for a table centerpiece, a gift, or as a holiday decoration. All the supplies you need for this project you may have laying around the house {if you are crafty} or you can buy them and reuse them for a TON of seasonal projects. Once Christmas is over remove the candle, ribbon, and cranberries and create something new for the next season.

This adorable craft came to only $8.00 and took only about 5 minutes to create!

Materials you will need:

• Mason Jar
• To fill: Cranberries, glass beads, small christmas ornaments, pine cones, nuts {the options are endless}
• A candle
• To decorate with: ribbon, garland, twine {anything!}

To create the jar you need to place a few of your filler decorations {we used cranberries} to slightly raise your candle. 

Then, place the candle and add a few more filler pieces around the candle! 

Next, add your ribbon or garland to the top of the jar and add the spin top to finish it off! 

This is another cute way to do the Christmas candle mason jar! Show us your mason jars:)

Mini Apple Pies

This recipe makes 12 deliciously adorable apple pies in about 40 minutes!

In a bowl, mix together the cinnamon, flour, sugar, lemon & salt

Peel, core, and cut the apples. Make sure when you cut that the apples are in small pieces {because the pies are mini!}

Now add the cut apples with the mixed dry ingredients and mix. Make sure to mix well so that all the apples are covered evenly.

Cut circles out of your pastry and line your cupcake tins with the dough. Make sure the bottom layer of pastry is larger than the top so you can squish the edges together.

Next, pile the apple filling onto the dough. Make piles in the middle of the dough so that when the pies cook, the apple filling doesn't sink and cause depressions.

Cut out more circles of pastry for the top of your pies and paint on a small amount of whipped egg to the perimeter of the circle {this will make the top and bottom stick together}

Use a fork to create the edge detail {this assures that the pie is closed}. Then cut two small holes into the top of the pies so they can breath while cooking.

Dust the top of the pies with brown sugar and the whipped egg. The egg provides a glossy look and the brown sugar glazes the pies.

Cover the pies with aluminum foil for 15 mins and then cook uncovered for the last 5. This will allows the apples to cook through while not burning the pastry. Our house smelled DELICIOUS while they were cooking!

If you like your pies EXTRA full of apples we suggest preparing 9 apples {instead of 6} and warming the diced apples on the stove. After preparing the apples we put them into a pot to cook on low heat for about 15 minutes. We wanted them to get softer {but not completely soft} so when we put them into the pastry we could fit more into the pies. Remember not to cook the apples to much because they will still bake once in the over. Once you have cooked your apples {and tasted to see how soft they are} strain the water from them and combine them with the dry ingredients as usual!

Thanks for reading & happy baking

xo

{f}ixing an office space

Turning spaces like these into organized, functional, and easy to access spaces can be quite daunting for some people. We are here to tell you that you shouldn't be so intimidated by such a project! With a few spare hours you can organize this space with a few baskets & bins.

The wicker baskets were found at Target for a great price and they are the perfect depth for the bookshelf. This space was intended as a storage space for art supplies and craft projects. Each of the wicker baskets has different craft supplies that can easily be removed from the shelf and returned when the project is finished. The large white bins on the top shelf are from T. J. Maxx and are the "finished" and "almost finished" bins to keep projects off of the table and stored safely. 

We then added some picture frames and mason jars to add a more personal touch to this functional space.

Other places we visited to complete this project were HomeGoods, Target, Staples, and the Container Store. The entire project {from beginning to end with shopping time} probably took 4 to 5 hours and in that time the room was quite a mess! If you commit yourself to a project like this for an afternoon {or a day!} you are guaranteed to find great results! 

As always, please send us any pictures of projects you do like this!

xo