DIY: Ombre Roses Shadow Box

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Ombre Roses Shadow Box

Hey guys!

I’ve got a DIY tutorial for you all today: ombre roses in a shadow box. If you follow me on instagram, you might have seen a few versions of this already. This is the latest one!

So I bought a shadow box frame from Homegoods a few months ago and I was obsessed with doing something new and different with it. I’ve used one before to make a photo collage of me and my best friend, which I gave to her as a gift when she got married. But I wanted to do something different with the shadow box this time. I wanted to put flowers.

DIY: Ombre Roses Shadow Box

So I found a tutorial online and made them! The first one was a little botched because I didn’t have the correct varying shades of pink, and so it wasn’t really as ombre as it should have been. But it was a good experiment!

DIY: Ombre Roses Shadow Box

The next one I made for my mother in law. She wanted it in purple and so I found a pack of purple paper, which had 5 different shades of purple in it. I picked 3 of them and made the roses from that. For this one, she didn’t want a shadow box and instead wanted a regular frame. I found one that was similar at Homegoods with a removeable back that was deep enough.

And now I present to you this one: my final piece. This one is for my mom. I really hope she doesn’t read or see this before I see her because it’s her birthday present! I really hope she likes it 🙂

So if you know anything about me, you know that I love pink. And so when I found this beautiful 10 x 18 linen shadow box in Homegoods, I knew I had to buy it. And I knew the roses were going to be pink.

What I love about this project is how easy it is. It’s a bit time-consuming (the roses don’t roll themselves lol) but it’s fairly easy and it ends up looking so impressive in the end. Plus it’s such a nice gift to make someone that they can use to decorate their home.

Let’s take a look how to make this! Continue reading →

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Being an Adult

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So only recently I’ve discovered how much being an adult sucks. Technically, I’ve been an adult since I was 18, but only recently I feel like I’ve had to become a proper adult. I guess leaving home and getting married does that to you!

Being an adult means that I have to consciously make an effort to eat more fruits and vegetables. When I was at home, my parents were constantly on me to more vegetables and lentils (yuck) and I pretty much ignored them. But my dad would usually cut a plate of fruit, in an attempt to get us to consume more fruit rather than sugary stuff, and we would actually munch on it. I don’t know what it is about cut fruit, but I’m more likely to eat it.

Now, I have to make such a conscious effort to eat healthy. Now that my dad’s not here to cut me fruit, I actually have to remember to eat it! I definitely buy it when I go groceries, but it sits in the fridge for a week until I go groceries again and am about to reach for more of it until I remember all the fruit I have left…

Being an adult means that if I don’t do it, it doesn’t get done. I wasn’t messy by any means, but my mom wanted everything neat at all times. So that meant that if I left something on the table the night before, the next morning it would probably be gone. If there was anything I forgot to do or pick up, my mom could send my brothers to go and grab it.

Now, I have to remember to do everything myself. If I forget to do something, I’m the one who has to go and do it. Or if I forget to grab something at the grocery store, I have to go and buy it. It makes me a lot more conscious of my time and all the things I have to do! Cooking is a big example. I love to cook, but sometimes cooking for myself is just such a chore. Sometimes I wish I had someone to cook for me, like my parents used.

Being an adult means becoming more like my mom! When I was younger, I hated doing all the stuff my mom liked to do, whether it was cleaning the house, staying home, going window shopping for fabric, dishes, or other household stuff.

And now I can’t get enough! I love keeping my house neat and tidy (although I don’t get ‘warm and fuzzy’ like my mom does after it…) and my favourite things to shop for are dishes and other household things. It’s the most fun.

But seriously, the older I get the more I feel like I’m becoming like my mom. I find myself judging things on the nature of my mom’s exacting standards. If I cut corners in cleaning or housekeeping, it’s like I can just feel my mom watching me over my shoulder and so I just do it the way she taught me until it’s second nature.

Basically being an adult is realising how much your parents used to do for you. Only after leaving home have I realised how much my mom and dad used to take care off me, even well after I had graduated. The big stuff I’ve been doing for years, but it’s the little things that I’m now remembering. It definitely makes me appreciate them more.

So all you readers out there still living with your parents: enjoy it while you can! Because you’ll definitely miss it later.

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Brownie Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting and Sea Salt

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Brownie Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting and Sea Salt

Have you ever noticed how a contrast can help you realise how amazing something is?

I made 2 cupcake recipes over the past 2 weeks, ones that were just okay and ones that were so good they blew my mind (guess which one this recipe is?). The week before last I made a batch of chocolate cupcakes with a white chocolate frosting. Me and my hubby had been invited to one of his friend’s house and I wanted to make something for his kids.

Brownie Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting and Sea Salt

The frosting was not at all what I expected and making it was kind of tough. The white chocolate just did not want to melt and the end result was just okay. They tasted fine, and I even went ahead and did a photoshoot for them. I think I even went and edited the pictures, thinking that I would post them. But something kept holding me back. They were okay cupcakes, but nothing amazing. I was still debating about whether I wanted to post them when I made these last week. Holy COW.

One bite of these cupcakes made me realise everything I was missing with the other cupcakes. And yes, they’re a completely different recipe, but they made me realise that I didn’t want to post a recipe that I didn’t love. Because if I don’t love it, then how can I tell you how amazing it is?

Brownie Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting and Sea Salt

So let’s talk about these cupcakes. OMG. If you love chocolate, my friends, these cupcakes are for you! I’ve been experimenting with chocolate ganache lately and I finally made it as a frosting for these cupcakes. Again: holy cow. I want to dunk my face in this frosting. It was SO good. Rich and chocolatey, this frosting is not for the faint-hearted. Because it was so rich, I sprinkled some sea salt on top (aka my new best friend) and it was the perfect compliment to the decadent flavour.

The cupcake itself was so fudgy and chocolatey. It’s a brownie cupcake, so it’s a little more dense than your regular cupcake. Just like brownies, the trick to these cupcakes is to slightly underbake them to get that fudgy factor. If you overbake them, then you’ll get dry, cakey cupcakes, which no one wants.

Brownie Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting and Sea Salt

The best part of this recipe is that it only makes about 8 or 9 cupcakes. Why is that the best part, you ask? It means there are less cupcakes to consume because trust me, you’re going to want them ALL. One bite of these and my husband told me I couldn’t have any, because he wanted them all. -_-

Let’s take a look at the recipe!

Continue reading →

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Friday Things

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macarons

Hey guys!

What’s new and exciting? How was your week?

Today I had one of those days where I actually got a lot accomplished. Lately, I’ve been feeling so unproductive. I write myself a mountain of a to-do list but only get one or two things done. Today? I checked everything off! It’s just so satisfying to be able to check everything off your to-do list. Today I actually felt productive. So productive that I have enough spare time to write this post on a Thursday night. 😛

I took a macaron making class last weekend and it was the best. I’ve looked at the recipe for the classic French treat several times but I just backed away every time because it seemed so daunting and precise. But I found a class somewhat close to me and went on Sunday to learn how to make these delightful pastries. And I know you might hate me for saying this: but it’s not that hard at all!

It just requires a LOT of precision. You need to use a scale to weigh the ingredients, not measure them by cup. That already throws me off because everything I bake comes in cups and teaspoons. But not macarons! They also require some specific ingredients that you probably don’t have lying around in your kitchen. It’s also a lot of ‘just knowing’. Like you can’t overmix the batter or your wafers will come out hollow inside. You can’t overbake them. You have to slam your trays on the counter to get the air bubbles out. Your batter needs to be just the right consistency to get the little ‘feet’ to form. You get the idea…

Call me crazy or maybe it was because we had a chef showing us numerous times, but it actually wasn’t that difficult. Of course I have yet to attempt to make them at home, so let’s see what I say when I have to make them by myself. Also, I’m ITCHING to make them again but I need to buy a whole host of things before I can even dream of getting started. Oh, and you need to age the egg whites for at least a week! Crazy right? But despite the meticulous nature of the recipe, I enjoyed making them. It was challenging, and I’ve missed being challenged. Regular cookies and cupcakes seem like such a breeze compared to these.

My brother didn’t believe that I made these. I sent him the same picture above and he was like which bakery did you steal this picture from… I don’t think he believed me even when I sent him a picture of the cookies in progress! And my mom still doesn’t understand what these are; she always calls them macaroons and was confused when I sent her the picture. She was like, where’s the coconut? Lol.

Oh and did I tell you guys that I’m on a diet? But that didn’t stop me from having one every single day since I’ve made them! Seriously, I cannot stop myself! They’re just so delicious and I keep telling myself who knows when I’ll get around to making them. And so I keep making excuses to myself before I have one. I just washed a lot of dishes, so I need one. I’m having a bad day, so I definitely need one. I have a weird taste in my mouth, better wash it out with some macaron flavour. Do you see what I mean? But now I only have one left and I’m trying to save it. I don’t know what for, but all I know is that once it’s gone, there will be no more macarons. 🙁

In other, unrelated news, I’ve started working a new project that is taking up pretty much all of my time. I wish I could tell you guys, but it’s got to stay a secret for now. But know that as soon as I can, I’ll be sharing the news here. And no, there’s no baby coming for all of you who are immediately going to think that! -_- Every single person I’ve told this news to, automatically thinks I’m about to share THAT kind of news, after I tell them I have something to tell them. Seriously though, after you’re married, that’s the immediate conclusion people draw. Can’t there be other good news a girl can share?

But anyway, this new project is exciting and thrilling and lots of work. So if you don’t me around here so much, it’s because I am knee-deep in said project. I’ve had to re-shift some of my priorities as well because of this, so no more working out (it didn’t take me long to quit) and no more baking (for now).

I recently started this really amazing Netflix show called Daredevil and it is SO good! My brother has been recommending it to me for ages but I kept putting him off. (I really should listen to him more.) Then finally one night me and my hubby were looking for something new to watch together, since we have such different taste in TV, when my brother mentioned it again. I finally watched the trailer and we were hooked! If you like masked vigilantes, you will LOVE this show. It’s got a great cast of characters who have some serious baggage, including the hero who’s a blind lawyer, and a crazy sick but interesting villain. It’s not for the squeamish though (aka me) so be warned that there’s lots of blood and guts flying everywhere. At least for me. The best part is that it’s a Netflix original show and so all the episodes are there so there’s no waiting for new episodes. Season 2 was also just released and we’re trying to go through it slowly, because after this it’s waiting a year. >_<

Anyways, that’s it from me for this post! Hope you all have a good weekend.

Thanks for reading,

Ikhlas

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Recipe: Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt

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Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt

By now, you all must know how obsessed I am with the Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re my ultimate comfort food. I make them when I’m craving something chewy and chocolatey. As a creature of consistency, I like sticking to the recipe that has held through thick and thin for me. But now things have changed…

GUYS, I think I’ve discovered the secret to the most amazing chocolate chip cookies. And they involve chocolate chunks, not chips! Yes, that might seem like a fundamental thing to change, but trust me on this. It’s SO much better!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt

When the chocolate chunks melt, they create these rivers of chocolate through the cookies that are absolutely delectable. Instead of having dried up chips, you have this gorgeous chocolate pooling throughout your cookie and it’s just amazing. And because of their size, you can probably still have a pretty good chocolate to dough ratio, if you’re big on that (like me)…

Adding chunks instead of chips (or in addition to, if you’re a chocolate-nut like me) might seem like an old hat. Ok, fine, it’s not that revolutionary. But add a sprinkle of coarse sea salt? And your cookies are suddenly on a whole other level!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt

I love the combination of sweet and salty, and it is absolute perfection in this cookie. The salt provides a contrast to the sweetness in the chocolate and works to heighten it, if you can believe that. It’s just the perfect combination of sweet and salty.

Also, can I just make a small comment here about how photogenic these cookies were? I seriously felt like a photographer on Canada or America’s Next Top Model, going “Work it, girl!” “Give me that pouty face!” “Ooh, these angles on your face, girl!” Seriously though. These cookies were so beautiful with sparkly coarse sea salt sprinkled atop their gorgeous chocolate chunks. They were calling my name throughout the whole photoshoot. But I resisted. (Except obviously for that small bite I took for the purpose of these pictures. You’re welcome.)

Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt

Okay, enough of my rambling. Let’s get to the recipe! Continue reading →

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