Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Chicago Getaway

Here are a few details from this weekend's Chicago trip including my Valentine's Day look. We had such a fun weekend! Back to reality today...


 Skirt: Express (same skirt in a different color), Shirt: Forever 21, Heels: Christian Louboutin, Clutch: Tory Burch








Coat: Zara (not available online but available in stores), Sweater: H&M, Jeans: Nordstrom (similar), Wedges: similar here and here, Bag: Tory Burch, Hat: H&M

All of these pictures were taken at our gorgeous hotel, The Palmer House Hilton. This ballroom was absolutely gorgeous!
Thanks for reading!

XO,
SJR


Monday, February 16, 2015

Black & Grey








Sweater: almost identical, Leggings: Nordstrom, Boots: Hunter, Boot socks: Hunter no longer available similar here, Necklace: Love Stylize, Bag: Celine similar, Hat: Forever 21, Sunglasses: similar, Lips: MAC 'Rebel'

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend & a wonderful Valentine's Day.  I am loving having today off for Presidents Day to catch up and recover from the weekend.  Zach and I went to Chicago and had a blast. With all the freezing weather we have been having, the warmest clothes possible have been necessary, like these fleece-lined leggings, faux fur boot socks, and fuzzy sweater.  The one thing I like about cold weather and snow is the possibility of a snow day.  This look is from one of those snow days. I'm hoping for another one this week :)
Thanks for stopping by!

XO,
SJR


Friday, February 13, 2015

Cake Pop Tutorial

I have done one other cake pop post, but I have had several questions about how to make them so I thought I would do another.  I also wanted to post a few tips about using sticks since on my other post I didn't use sticks.  You start off my baking a regular cake (any flavor-white cake pictured here
in a 9 x 13 inch pan. You can make it from scratch or a box, depending on what you are most comfortable with. 
Once the cake is cooled completely, crumble it up into tiny crumbs (this is the fun part). You can discard (or eat), the edge pieces so there are no hard pieces in your cake balls.
Then you mix in the frosting with the crumbs. Once again, you can make the frosting from scratch or use store bought frosting.  You need about a cup of frosting. 
Roll the dough into 1 inch or 1 and a half inch balls.
Next, you are ready for the sticks. I like to use festive straws as sticks sometimes also (seen here).  I use Wilton Candy Melts, they are the best and come in so many different colors. Melt them at 50% power for 30 seconds at a time until completely melted.  I like to dip the end of the stick in the chocolate before placing it in the cake ball to keep the ball from falling off the stick when dipping it in chocolate. Then place them in the refrigerator until the chocolate is hardened.
The last step is the trickiest. It takes awhile to get the hang of it, but once you do they are pretty easy to dip.  It's helpful to tilt the chocolate container on an angle as you dip the cake pop in.  Shake off the extra chocolate before decorating and setting aside to harden.  You can decorate them however you want, but if you are using sprinkles it helps to twirl the cake pop as you sprinkle them on for more even coverage. I usually put them in the refrigerator for a little while to make sure they are hardened before I put them on a platter or package them up. Then enjoy!






Let me know how your cake balls turn out! And if they don't turn out you can always order some from me :) Check out my 'Sweets Selection' tab to learn more about sweet treats you can order from me!

I also wanted to share these super easy treats to make with candy canes and chocolate.  It is also perfect way to get rid of extra candy canes you have lying around from Christmas. All you have to do is melt chocolate (or use whatever you have leftover from the cake pops) and pour it between two candy canes (regular sized or mini) on parchment paper and sprinkle with any decorations you want.  Let it harden and you're done!  You could also add a stick if you want to create a sucker. They are seriously so easy and they look adorable!
Thanks for reading!

XO,
SJR

PS: I wanted to share these fun Valentine's I made for my first graders :) I 'mustache' you to be my Valentine.  Happy (almost) Valentine's Day!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Blushing












Sweater: H&M not available online but still in stores, also love this and this, Jeans: almost identical here and similar here, Shoes: Forever 21 (similar here), Coat: H&M (similar here and here), Bag: Tory Burch also LOVE this and this, Earrings: similar here, Sunglasses: Nordstrom, Bracelet: Mindy Mae's Market, Hat: almost identical here

Blush is by far my favorite color right now. I am so ready for spring! I am so sick of the cold weather. Unfortunately, the MI winter is going to last quite a bit longer :( I'm wearing this sweater today for my our first grade Valentine's Day party in my classroom. It is so festive, and I love the sequins! My students have been so excited for our celebration and have been telling me all week about the valentines they have made. I love Valentine's Day and I love being able to celebrate fun holidays with my first graders.