13 October 2011

DS Kitchen // Cake Pops


A couple weeks ago I made some cake pops for my best friend's baby shower. She's having a little boy, and I wanted to make some cute treats to share. The ingredients are simple, you just need to give yourself enough time to complete each step and allow for the cake pops to set.

What you'll need:

1. Your choice of cake mix - I chose a simple, white cake.
2. Your choice of frosting - I went with vanilla.
3. Lollipop sticks - You can purchase these at a craft store, like Michael's.
4. Mini cupcake papers 
5. Melting chocolate - I chose baby boy blue and dark chocolate.
5. Sprinkles - this is optional. Feel free to decorate however you choose.
6. A large bowl to mix your ingredients, and later to mix cake + icing.
7. Wax paper
8. A sheet cake pan and a baking sheet.
9. Styrofoam block

Instructions:

Prepare your cake mix following the instructions on the box, and bake. Once your cake has finished baking and cooling, crumble the cake into a large mixing bowl. You want to crumble the cake into a very fine texture. I recommend slicing the top 'crust' off the top of the cake, and using only the inside of the cake. The outer crust is very hard to crumble down, and leaves chunks in your cake pop.

Next, mix in spoonfuls of icing into your bowl of crumbled cake. You're looking to create a Playdoh-like texture. There is no need to use the entire jar of icing, you need just enough to be able to roll the cake mixture into balls. These treats are very, very sweet, so I recommend that you use the icing sparingly.

Next, line your baking sheet with wax paper. Roll the cake mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball. Once all your cake balls are formed, you'll need to chill them so the mixture can set. I usually keep them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.


Once your mixture has set, warm up a portion of your melting chocolate in a microwavable dish. Then take a lollipop stick, dip the end in the melting chocolate, and insert the stick about half way through each pop. Repeat the chilling process until the melted chocolate has hardened and the stick feels secure. I usually put them back in the freezer for another 15 minutes.

Once the melted chocolate has hardened enough to support the pop, you can begin melting the remaining chocolate in your microwavable dish. Then coat each cake pop with the melted chocolate, using a spoon or knife to smooth off the excess. After this step add sprinkles while the chocolate coating is still soft. When your pop is fully coated, secure the lollipop stick into the Styrofoam block. This block is really important because it will allow the chocolate to harden and maintain the shape of the cake pop. 

Place the Styrofoam block of cake pops back in the freezer for 20 minutes. When the chocolate has hardened, place each pop in a mini cupcake paper and arrange on a tray for serving.



 I wanted to personalize these pops, so I printed up some tags on sticker paper and added them on at the end. Enjoy!

10 October 2011

Steal the Look: Padma Lakshmi



photo from The Vogue Diaries
I've created a copycat look based off of Padma Lakshmi's appearance on "Extra" at The Grove in Los Angeles, CA. I saw this look posted on a blog that I love called The Vogue Diaries. This could be a great look for fall with a slight footwear change!
           Steal Her Look: Padma Lakshmi

Here are the items I chose for this look: 

09 October 2011

Engaged // Janelle + Casey



Two of my friends are getting married next summer. I had a blast celebrating their engagement last weekend at a party hosted by the bride's family. I decided to make a few note cards for Janelle + Casey because if there is one thing a newly engaged couple needs---apart from more hours in the day to plan a wedding---it's thank you notes.


Congrats, Janelle + Casey! So happy for you both!


07 October 2011

Follow Friday // Black*Eiffel



blackeiffel.blogspot.com
Welcome to an occasional Friday Series called Follow Friday. Since first impressions are very important, this series is leading off with one of the design world's heavy hitters. Introducing: Black*Eiffel, a gorgeous blog with a monopoly on great design finds. If you love clean lines, this blog interface alone is worth the visit.

Graphic designer Rachel Jones is the curator of this blog, exploring creative design and lifestyle topics on a daily basis. She's also in the inner circle--you know, the Martha Stewart Circle--so she knows her stuff.

If you're looking for a well-rounded blog, that touches on graphic design, interior design, art, food & drink and all things lovely - I recommend subscribing. You won't regret it!

Still want proof? Let the Black*Eiffel eye candy begin:


black eiffel: grady mcferrin


black eiffel: ink + wit
black eiffel: design story


black eiffel: dancer vs. ballerina


black eiffel: elegant macaroons


06 October 2011

New Series: A Look into My Google Reader



flickr: kim klassen
If you're on twitter, you know the hash tag #ff. It stands for Follow Friday, and across the twitterverse, users share their recommendations for who you should be following. I thought I'd bring the spirit of #ff over to the blog and let you in on which blogs I follow. I'd love for you to comment below on some of your favorite blogs!

When it comes to my RSS feeds, I'd like to think of myself as an equal opportunity subscriber. I follow everything from graphic design blogs (duh), to fashion, food, home & lifestyle, humor, news & politics, satire, and a random single topic tumblr or two.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the start of my Follow Friday series. I hope you enjoy it and pick up a few new subscriptions along the way!

// Worth noting: A majority of my single topic tumblr feeds are LOST related, thanks to a certain family member of mine. Have you seen jackimals? Terrible photoshopping + random animals + Jack from LOST = a beautiful thing. //




05 October 2011

The Look For Less


This Look for Less was created Here are the items I chose to recreate this look for less:





04 October 2011

Bundle Up!



{ photo from pinterest }
Fall officially began a little over a week ago, but here in Virginia we had yet to feel a Fall-weather day. Until this past weekend. The cold weather finally crept in, and while I'm sad to say goodbye to summer, I will not miss the heat and humidity. Plus it's time to start wearing my favorite season's clothing - warm sweaters, boots and scarves! I wear lighter, more gauzy scarves in the summer, but my my favorite ones are the cozy, heavy scarves for fall/winter.

This brings me to sharing with you one of my FAVORITE fashion blogs, - Wendy's Lookbook, shared to me by my sister-in-law.  Not only is Wendy Nguyen an amazing fashion blogger, but she has a remarkable story. I love her fashion videos because you really get a sense of what a fun, kind person she is. 

Long story short, Wendy recently put out a video tutorial on 25 ways to wear a scarf. It's a great video, and I am looking forward to trying these different styles with my fall scarves!


 

{ See More from Wendy's Lookbook by visiting her channel: HERE




03 October 2011

DS Printables: Halloween Cards



DS Printables: Halloween Cards
Hello, friends! It's time for the third installment of DS Printables! Since Halloween is right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to make some Halloween cards for you to print and share with friends.

Click HERE to download a PDF of three different Halloween Cards: SPOOKY, SWEET and SCARY. I hope you enjoy!

And don't forget to "Like" Delighted Studio on Facebook so you don't miss exclusive giveaways!