Things To Do Before I Die

There is a little list of things I'm determined to do before I die, so here is a taste of my bucket list...

1. Visit Ireland

2.  Be a movie extra

3.  Sleep in a hammock on a beach

4.  Own a emerald green mini cooper convertible

5.  Visit an art museum in Paris

6. Shop at Goodwill in New York City

7. Own an art gallery/bistro cafe

This is just a partial list. Next year I'm determined to do one of these things. I want to inspire you to dream big. It may seem far fetched, but it takes all the fun out of life if you don't dream. So dream my lovelies, dream away! :-)

Photo Credits: 

 http://www.cooltownstudios.com/2006/11/08/art-gallery-20/

http://www.thefader.com/2011/02/23/thrintage-goodwill-chelsea/

http://eduforthemasses.blogspot.com/2009/12/museum-scavenger-hunt-webquest.html

http://www.zuoda.net/search.aspx?q=mini+cooper+convertible&offset=300

http://www.flickr.com/photos/atoftemo/4222226348/

http://etadventures.com/destinations/ireland-tours

http://www.hark.com/blog/2010/09/6-easy-ways-to-meet-celebrities/

A Good Truth, No Matter What Religion

The great way is not difficult

for those who have no preferences.

When love and hate are both absent

everything becomes clear and undisguised.

Make the smallest distinction, however,

and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.

If you wish to see the truth

then hold no opinions for or against anything.

To set up what you like against what you dislike

is the disease of the mind.

When the deep meaning of things is not understood

the mind's essential peace is disturbed to no avail.

(from bamboointhewind.com)

Image credit:http://openwalls.com/image?id=591

Deco-awesome!

While in the midst of one of my thrifting adventures, I happened upon a coffee table for $10. As I currently had no coffee table I quickly purchased it. Only one problem... it's really darn ugly.

I knew whatever I did with the coffee table had to be more special than simply painting it, so I searched myself for other ideas. Then it hit me, somewhere along the line, crafts I used to do as a child were popping into my head and I remembered.... decoupage!!! 

What is decoupage?  You take any type of picture, fabric or paper and use it to decorate an object like this....

or this...

or this...

Pretty awesome right? So I'm going to do this on my coffee table. 

It's really easy to do too. First off, you'll need the paper or fabric you want and the furniture etc. you wish to decorate. Then you need a bottle of mod podge and a sponge brush or paint brush, available at any craft store.

Take the mod podge and brush it on the back of your paper or fabric design, making sure to coat it completely, then stick it to your furniture. After you've finished sticking all your designs on, brush the whole thing with mod podge to create a nice finish. Let it dry and you're done!

Here are some other great decoupage projects I found....

So obviously you can be as creative as you want. Have fun and happy decoupaging!

Image credits:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/millimomo/4335493705/

http://notbeige.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/inspiration-files-decoupage/

http://www.freshdesignblog.com/tag/decoupage/

http://www.wearenotmartha.com/2010/12/make-your-own-glitter-flats/

http://www.donteatthepaste.com/2012/03/modpodge-comic-book-bracelets.html

http://thefrugalgirls.com/2011/05/mod-podge-projects.html

http://www.modpodgerocksblog.com/2011_12_01_archive.html

http://www.madincrafts.com/2012/05/mod-podge-rocks-book-giveaway.html

An Odd Delight

This is curiously delicious, and, well, just plain weird. Who would have thought of putting avocados in a cake? It makes sense, with their smooth creamy texture, but who'd have thought? This recipe comes courtesy pure2raw.com. Hope you enjoy it! 

Pure2raw: Unbaked Mint Avocado Layered Chocolate Cake (gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free)

serves: 6-8

prep time: 15-25 minutes

time to set cake: a few hours

equipment: food processor, blender, 6 in springform pan

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake

• 2 2/3 cups whole walnuts, shelled, unsoaked
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp chia seeds (mila or flax meal)
• 2 tbsp xylitol or sugar (if want to use stevia do about 1/4-1/2 tsp liquid stevia)
• 1-2 tbsp agave or maple syrup

Place walnuts in food processor and pulse till a crumbly texture. Then add in remaining ingredients.  We left our cake more on the less sweet side, so adjust sweetness to taste.  Note: chia seeds gave the cake a little crunchy texture, so if do not like or want crunch use flax meal or grinded chia seeds.

Mint Avocado Cream

• 2 avocados, about 1 1/2 cups pureed
• 1/2 cup +1 tablespoon irish moss paste – about 4oz
• 1 teaspoon stevia, liquid
• 3 tablespoon agave or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1-2 tablespoon sunflower lecithin (optional)
• 1 tablespoon mint extract
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon spirulina (optional, helps with green color)

Place irish moss in blender with agave and blend a little. Next add in the pureed avocados, stevia and mint extract, spirulina, and if you are using lecithin add in now. Blend till smooth and end with coconut oil. Adjust sweetness to taste.

Note: If you desire more sweetness up the agave and/or stevia, and depending how much you add may need to up coconut oil to 2 tbsp. The purpose of the coconut oil is to help the cream get  hard so when you slice cake it does not go everywhere.

Assemble cake:

Line the 6 in pan with wax/parchment paper.

Press about 1 cup of moderately packed chocolate cake batter onto the bottom of the pan. Next top with 1 cup of mint avocado cream.

Set first two layers in the freezer for about 2 hours to set.

Repeat cake and cream layers. Place final cake in freezer for a few hours (about 4-6 hours) to set.

When ready to slice let cake come to room temperature a little (15 or so minutes), will help make it easier to cut.

Keep leftover slices in refrigerator and will last about 2-3 days.