Nutella pop-hearts

February 3, 2015February 9, 2015 ~ Annie Allodi ~ Leave a comment

If you’re like me, anything with “Nutella” in the title already has my attention. These cutie patooties are so simple to make and only contain TWO ingredients! (or three ingredients if you’re getting fancy)

You can easily make these the day of a party and “wow” your guests when they bite through the buttery crisp of the pie crust to the ooey gooey Nutella center.

Preheat oven to 350°. Roll out the pie sheets and use the cookie cutter to cut out an even number of hearts. Place half of the shapes onto a cookie sheet. It’s okay if the shapes are close together because they won’t spread when you cook them.

Put a big scoop of Nutella into a plastic bag. Cut the corner of the bag and squeeze a generous amount of Nutella onto half of the hearts. Make sure to leave enough space around the edges so chocolate doesn’t ooze out the edges when you press them together.

Using a fork, gently press the edges of the heart together. This will help hold the dough together as it cooks.

Bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before decorating.

Prep time 10 minutes, bake time 10 minutes.

You will need:

– 2 pie crusts
– Heart shaped cookie cutter
– Jar of Nutella
– Icing/melting chocolate optional

Makes 21 pop-hearts

“LOVE”

February 1, 2015 ~ Annie Allodi ~ 1 Comment

Happy February 1st!

LOVE (literally) my new pillow decor that is just in time for Valentine’s Day! Aren’t little gifts from Mom always the best?

Cynthia Rowley blanket, Serena and Lily diamond quilt pillow, blue diamond, LOVE, and pearl pillows from Home Goods

Sugar cookie sandwiches

January 23, 2015February 8, 2015 ~ Annie Allodi ~ Leave a comment

The post holiday depression kicked in so I’m escaping the Chicago wind for a weekend and jetting down to Florida for a girls trip.

We’re celebrating three birthdays, which was the perfect excuse for me to whip up these delicious, bite-size cookie sandwiches.

I used the Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix because it makes super soft cookies and only requires 1 egg + butter (two items always in my fridge).

Follow mixing instructions for your dough and scoop 1 teaspoon of cookie dough and roll into a ball. The cookies will be tiny but remember they will double in size when you sandwich them together with sugary bliss.

Bake at 350° for no more than 7 minutes. The cookies will not be browned on top but should be slightly darker on bottom. Let them cool on a rack then start pairing cookies similar in size.
I added a few drops of food coloring to my icing and scooped it into a ziploc bag. Cut the corner of the zip bag and squeeze a generous dollop of icing onto the bottom of one cookie (more or less depending how big your sugar tooth is.)

If you don’t have a ziploc bag/piping bag – not a problem! Use a knife to scoop and spread the icing.

Gently press the the iced cookie against its pair. Sandwich just enough before the icing starts to ooze out the sides.

Have a bowl of sprinkles ready and carefully rotate the cookie in the bowl so that the sprinkles stick to the icing.

How easy was that?! I love these treats because they stack easily and stay put during travel.

Make sure you hide a few because these guys will get eaten fast!

You will need:

– Sugar cookie mix + ingredients
– Icing (I used Pillsbury)
– Sprinkles
– Food coloring (optional)

This mix will make about 35 sandwiches

“Pretty in a pinch” pine cones

January 21, 2015January 31, 2015 ~ Annie Allodi ~ Leave a comment

One of my favorite (and cheapest) holiday crafts this year was glitzing up pinecones into beautiful, sparkling decor! I had a large bag of Christmas scented pine cones sitting on the bottom shelf of my apartment. Instead of throwing them out I added a few strokes of paint paint and a dash of glitter to each to fit the color scheme of my apartment.

This DIY is so easy and impossible to mess up!

To half of the pine cones I painted the edges with different shades of blue, green and some white. Wait for them to dry and that’s it! I arranged them in my Christmas tree to add more color.

I’m a sucker for anything that sparkles and decided to add glitter to the second half of the bag. With a paintbrush, add a dollop of any type of glue (I used mod podge) to the outer parts of the pine cone. Immediately sprinkle glitter of your choice and repeat until the entire pine cone is covered.

You can customize this DIY for holidays or as an easy fix before a party.

You will need:

– Pine cones
– 2 to 3 paint colors of choice
– Paint brush
– Glitter (I used the Martha Stewart set because it appears extra shimmery)
– Glue

Is it Spring yet?

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 ~ Annie Allodi ~ 1 Comment

This 30 degree heat wave in Chicago calls for fresh flowers!

Use wine glasses for a creative table display – turn glass upside down and place a tiny vase or mini (hand painted) jar on top like the one above!

Cross Stitch Pegboard

January 5, 2015January 18, 2015 ~ Annie Allodi ~ Leave a comment

In the dead of winter in Chicago I needed something to brighten up my tiny apartment and this floral cross stitch idea was a surprisingly simple solution.

I loved making little cross stitch designs when I was still crafting with Lisa Frank products but unfortunately, they have been collecting dust in my closet over the years. (To be fair, they were not the most pleasing of patterns to begin with). I came across the pegboard cross stitch idea from another blog and am obsessed now because you can customize the colors to suit your home and even frame it to make it look elegant and expensive.

I found 2 x 4 ft white peg board at Home Depot. They cut it in half for me to fit my pattern but you can leave it larger if you’re doubling up on this pattern or using one of your own. Everything else was found in a quick trip to Michael’s (although I could easily spend hours in there).

You will need:

– 2 x 2 sq.ft pegboard (or 2 x 4 and cut in half)
– cross stitch pattern of choice (Rose pattern)
– paint (optional)
– yarn for background color
– yarn in 2 colors for leaves
– yarn in 4 shades for flowers
– plastic needles
– tape and hot glue gun

1. The board was already white but I painted over it so that I could cover the edges as well. I mixed a variety of patterns to create the one above. You can make your own on graph paper and adjust the pattern to the size of your board.

2. The plastic needle makes the work much easier and I doubled up the yarn to make the stitches thicker and more visible.

3. I started threading with the background color because it was the most used and would help outline the shape of the flower but of course you can start with whichever you prefer. Next I filled in the leaves and proceeded to work inwards.

4. Depending on the amount of thread you cut you will have a good amount of loose ends hanging off the backside of the board. As a quick fix, I taped the ends to the board then later on I went back and hot glued the ends or looser pieces to secure them.

5. And Voila!