Name: Cut-out cat sugar cookies
Yield: 3 dozen
Ingredients: 1 cup salted butter softened; 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp lemon flavoring; 2 large eggs room temperature; 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour*; ¾ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt

Hello Christmas season! Time to get cozy and crafty! Here's the easiest project to make this weekend. Simply download and print. Young and old will love this this whimsical nativity scene paper project by Made by Joel.

Sunday, December 08, 2024 5 comments

We can all agree that black kitties are equally as cute and Halloween is the perfect time to show off their elegant color and beautiful amber eyes. Let Jasper, the adorable witch’s cat show off his magnificnet fashoon sense with this super cute printable paper doll set from Meri Meri.

Have a fun Halloween!

Saturday, October 26, 2024 5 comments

It's September and it's officially autumn in many parts of the world. One of the cozy things you can do this season is to do autumn inspired baking--cookies for your tea and coffee and all things pumpkin spice. Sugar cookies are my favorite treat, and I have favorite recipes that I go back to every holiday season.

Check out this recipe that I adapted from Joy Food Sunshine. I had to add more flour (plus 1 cup) to make the cookie dough firmer. It makes for a tough cookie which works great with this kind of cookie cutter.

CUT-OUT CAT SUGAR COOKIES

Yield: 3 dozen

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon flavoring
2 large eggs room temperature
3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour*
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 C.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar and eggs. Add vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine 3 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
Combine dry ingredients to creamed mixture.
Wrap dough in cling-wrap and chill overnight.
Roll-out dough on a flat surface. Use cat shaped cookie cutter.
Baker on a silpat lined cookie sheet and bake until light brown. Remove from heat and transfer to a cooling rack.

Tuesday, September 24, 2024 8 comments

Image from Life after Breakfast

September is here! Get into the cozy, autumn mood by celebrating all things wild, earthy and woodsy. Enjoy the beauty of mushrooms and better yet, learn how to paint them yourself. Dust off your sketch pad and watercolors and let Alessa of Life after Breakfast teach you how. Get the tutorial here.

Monday, September 02, 2024 7 comments

My struggle against clutter is real. It's so difficult to live with constant disorganization. If only I can find a magical fairy who can put my house in order in an instant, I'd be forever grateful. How do we even deal with so much stuff and material things that pile up as the years go by?

I am a hopeless sentimentalist and it is hard for me to part with things that I have been accustomed to seeing on a daily basis. Stuffed animals from my childhood years are comforting reminders of a nostalgic time in my life. Books that I have acquired during my 20's still sit on my shelf. As a forty-plus woman, I should have already transitioned to a more minimalistic way of life.

For people with the same problem as mine, fret no more. One of my favorite websites, Apartment Therapy has a solution for all of us clutter bugs. The 14-day Apartment Therapy Decluttering Cure 2024 will be launched on September 16, 2024. We have enough time to get psyched in fulfilling this year's most important resolution-a clean house and a peaceful mind. Sign-up up to get started on the program. Let's do this together!

Wednesday, August 21, 2024 8 comments

I've always loved sewing and making handmade dolls as a hobby. Lately, I've enjoyed pinning cute kawaii-style illustrations on my Pinterest boards for inspiration. Illustrating is another hobby I'd like to pursue. Anyway, while browsing the arts and crafts section of our local bookstore, I found this book Doodle It-All by Boutique-Sha. Just the perfect book to get me started. The drawing tutorials look easy and fun. For a beginner like me, this book is a good start.

Let's see what doodles I can come up with. Till next update!

Monday, August 12, 2024 7 comments

Images from Anthropologie Home

Ok, August. Please don't linger like an endless January since we are all excited for the "ber" months- for September, October and all things fall and pumpkin spice. Here's a sneak peek of Anthropologie Home's Pumpkin and Fall Shop to get you in the mood for our all-time favorite season.

Have a lovely August!

Tuesday, August 06, 2024 6 comments

French Madeleines are a cross between a cookie and a cake and they are so easy to bake for coffee or tea time. Check out this recipe from King Arthur Flour. You can omit the orange juice and add vanilla if you like.

CHOCOLATE MADELEINES

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons dutch processed cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs
2 tbsps. orange juie
Orange zest
2 tbsps. honey
Cocoa or confectioner's sugar

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 C.
Coat Madeleine pan with oil spray or butter. Chill in the refrigerator.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.
Melt butter and let cool for a little bit. Add sugar and eggs. Whisk until well blended.
Fill well of Madeleine pan with 1/2 tsp. of batter.
Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and sprinkle with cocoa or confectioner's sugar.

Sunday, July 21, 2024 7 comments

My uncle gave me some packaged turkey stuffing and I have no turkey bird to stuff it into (it’s not even fall or halloween yet!). I didn’t know what to make out of it so I searched the web and found out that yes, it can be repurposed into a baked casserole dish. So here it goes- a breakfast strata that can be customized. Add chopped bell peppers, sweet onions, ham or sausage if you please.

Check out the basic recipe below:

Breakfast Turkey Stuffing Strata

Yield: 24

Don’t know what to do with leftover turkey stuffing? You can turn it into a filling breakfast strata that’s also wonderful for dinner.

Ingredients

Packaged herbed turkey stuffing -2 cups
5 eggs, beaten
1/2-3/4 cup milk
Chopped fresh herbs i.e. basil and parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheddar cheese

Instructions

Measure 2 cups of packaged turkey stuffing. Put in a bowl and add milk.
Add beaten eggs.
Sprinkle fresh herbs. Combine until well mixed.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with grated cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350F until cheese becomes golden brown.

Tuesday, June 04, 2024 5 comments

Crochet, cooking and flea market shopping with Ame Life

Blogs are not just the only source of arts and crafts inspiration. Youtube is a great resource as well for virtually anything under the sun. I jokingly call it Youtube University! If you like cooking, baking or home keeping there's a treasure trove of great content that's aesthetically produced.

These are some of my favorite lifestyle channels that inspire me to improve my mindset, try a new recipe or redo my space. Hope you find something that you will enjoy as well. Happy watching!