My Apologies

Since Christmas, my faulty hard drive decided to go on an unexpected hiatus....  sigh.

While I am in the process of recovering the hard drive and saving the joy of blogging, please, enjoy this video:

                                                                               

                                                                                               (the world's best prankster!)

My Home to Yours

I Can Disney Too!

The Disney Store used to sell THIS:

Cassandra made THIS:

For a whopping 50 cents at Goodwill, I obtained six 3 inch glass ornaments. :)

Directionous Maximus:

                                                             1) Spray paint glass bulbs with glossy white paint

                                                             2) Choose favorite Jack Skellington faces to mimic

                                                             3) When paint is dried, paint faces with black nail polish

THE CRAZY-GO-NUTS FINISHED PRODUCT!  :)

Just because I chose traditional Jack Skellington colors, does not mean YOU have too.  Get jiggy with creative juices!  Jack Skellington on hot pink leopard???  Whaaa! What about blinged out Jack Skellington with press on gems...  OH, I just went there.  

All in all, make yourself smiiiiiile.

Whole Food's Inspired Fig & Almond Baked Brie

PARADISE is eating Whole Food's Fig & Almond Baked Brie!!  Mmmmadkjfoaiwjrcao MMMMMMM!

Since Thanksgiving, the tasty morsels of the flaky, buttery, yet, shimmer of fruity Brie has been in want.  Unfortunately, the stuffed Brie is a holiday special at Whole Food's, and can not be custom ordered year round.  HOWEVER, today, I conquered my food craving and thirst to create a new recipe (note: I barely EVER use recipes)

{{{{I apologize for a low quality picture. I devoured 1/4 of the scrumptiousness before I thought to post on my blog.  With haste, I ran for my cell phone!}}}}

Ingredients:

Phyllo dough

1 egg

Brie- cut to desired shape.  I attempted a circle

Fig spread - Trader Joes has a FANTASTIC spread

Diced almonds

1) Set oven to 375 degrees

2) Wrap many layers of phyllo dough around Brie

3) Brush phyllo with egg (I prefer the entire egg for a rich, buttery taste)

4) Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown

5) Cool for 15 minutes

6) Cover crevices with fig spread and diced almonds

7)  EAT MERRILY!

.......*ahem*  back to stuffing my chipmunks cheeks with this cheesy heaven.

Oh, Peabra Christmas Tree

PREACH IT, Laura...PREACH IT!

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred.  We are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.                    ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura's advice was duly noted. My absolute childhood love for Peacocks and Zebras joined together in holy matrimony & birthed a Peabra (?) themed Christmas tree!  Dare I say another version of the combined words, but I'm....ladylike, fine thank you.  *ahem* 

Plum Zebra Ribbon w an assortment of Peacocks.

Don't stop with your favorite items! Make them pop with a variety of complementing ornaments.

While my stores of choice for home goods are thrift shops, Michael's has AMAZING sales.  I mean, AMAZING! Watch for their sales, & use coupons for an additional discount.  Normally, I save 75% off their products, HENCE, half my Christmas tree supplies.  :)

You can see, I used lavender grapes, green Poinsettias, large white ball ornaments, beige-gold branches, mini purple ornaments, and teal leaves that resemble Peacock tails.

The Peacock ball ornament is my FAVORITE ornament of all time!  HomeGoods is phenomenal for unique, eclectic treasures.

 The magic of creating an elegant Peabra Christmas tree

All Things Merry & Bright

11 months ago, I sat on my brand new home's DIRTY staircase to broadly smile with glee. I, Cassandra, am a real, live homeowner. The stair's view of a disparing living room was a only picture of perfection!   You see, my home was an abandoned, blank canvas eagerly waiting for a new person to love them. I AM T.H.A.T. PERSON! I am FREEEE to unleash years of pent-up creativity.  Thus, on those disgusting stairs, I dreamed of my first Christmas with Christmas Sprites dancing in white, falling snow.

Today, my CLEAN staircase overlooks a warm & cozy living room.  My project-of-a-home has come a long way to make Christmas come alive!  :)

Also on this day, a blog of do-it-yourself projects, interior design, fashion, recipe experiments, photography, etc. is birthed.  More importantly, to share my adventure of connecting to life's exquisiteness, in hopes, that one may find joy from the simple things in life.  :)