Category Archives: etc.

Vintage Valentine: Sugar Cookies

February 8, 2012

I think everything is ready for the party. There’s food, there’s decorations and an activity. The girls are going to decorate Valentine’s cookies at the party. I hope my daughter enjoys this little get together. She’s 10 and I’m not sure how much longer decorating cookies is going to be cool.

I’ve baked the sugar cookies ahead of time so that we can spend our time decorating them. Sugar cookies freeze really well. So, there in an airtight container waiting patiently in the freezer. I made a double batch of what I think are the best sugar cookies. This is Lonnie’s Aunt Izzy’s recipe for sugar cookies (hope you don’t mind me sharing Aunt Izzy).

I made quite a few different sized hearts for the girls, so that they can take home a variety. I also picked up these cute brown cardboard take out boxes for them to package up their cookies in. I got the boxes at a restaurant supply store.

Sugar Cookies
2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
4 tsp. milk
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp, salt

With an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter together. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients and mix. Chill dough for at least hours. Roll out on a well floured surface, cut out shapes and bake on parchment lined cookie sheets for about 10 mins in a 350 F oven. Cool on a wire rack.

Come back tomorrow to see how everything came together. And scroll back through the last 5 posts to see more of the party if you’ve missed out.

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Vintage Valentine: Cake Pops and Linzer Cookies

February 7, 2012

There’s something about a party that just gives you free reign to serve and eat way too many sweets. These two goodies don’t only taste fantastic, but the look pretty great as well.

I love to make Oreo Truffles for parties and gifts, but this Christmas my friend Heidi gave me a fun new toy. So, I made chocolate cake pops. I dipped them in red chocolate and topped each with a little sparkly gold sugar. These a perfect bight sized treat.

I also made Linzer cookies. My mom gave me a Linzer cookie cutter set, and I’ve had a lot of fun with it. I adapted the recipe that came with the cutters. I made these buttery cookies with almond extract and homemade raspberry jam (thanks to Lonnie’s mom). They are cute but dangerous, because you really want to eat more then one.

Linzer Cookies
1 cup butter
2 cups cake flour sifted
1 tsp. Almond extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Raspberry Jam

With electric mixer cream the butter, almond extract and sugar. Mix is 1 cup of flour at a time. When the dough is fully combined, place in an airtight container and chill dough for at least 2 hours. Cut out cookies with Linzer cutter or other cutters. Make sure to cut out a bottom and top for each cookie. The bottom is whole and the top has the center cut out (I cut hearts out of mine). Bake in a 350 F oven for about 10-12 min. Watch them carefully, when they are just brown on the very edges, take them out. Cool on a wire rack. Place a tsp. of jam on the bottom cookies and top with a cut out cookie.

You can’t have a party without candy. I filled jelly jars with red hot’s and cinnamon hearts. What says vintage more then Grandma’s jelly jars? I tied a simple piece of twine around each.

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Vintage Valentine: Pom Pom Cake Bunting

February 6, 2012

Here’s a super yummy cake and a very easy cake topper. This pom pom bunting adds a festive touch to the simplest of cakes.

Here’s how to make the pom pom bunting. You’ll need some cotton twine, 9 small pom poms, 2 bamboo skewers, 2 hearts cut out of glittered paper, a large needle, and a hot glue gun.

Using a large needle, thread the pom poms onto the twine.

Space the pom poms about 1 inch apart.

Tie the twine onto the skewers.

Trim the extra twine and glue on the hearts with a hot glue gun

The cake is my new favorite white cake. I adapted a recipe from Company’s Coming Cakes Recipe Book. I filled it with homemade blackberry curd and topped it with butter cream and sprinkled the top with gold sugar. It’s a light, silky cake that is a beautiful white.

These little love birds are available at my etsy shop.

White Chocolate Cake
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup white chocolate chips melted
2 1/2 cups cake flour sifted
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup buttermilk

Sift flour and baking powder and set aside. Cream butter with an electric mixer and then beat in the sugar. Separate the eggs, add the egg yolks and the vanilla to the butter mixture and beat. Then add the melted chocolate chips and mix well.

Add the buttermilk and sifted flour alternately. Mix until just combined. Beat the egg whites till they have stiff peaks. Then fold in the egg whites.

Bake in two 8 inch round pans that have been buttered and floured. Bake in a 350 F for about 25 mins or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

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Vintage Valentine: Book Page Bunting

February 5, 2012

Yesterday I shared my inspiration for Valentine’s Party I’m hosting this week. So, here’s the start of my posts about my Vintage Valentine inspired party. This bunting is a super easy party decoration to make. I love using pages from old books for all kinds of crafts. This copy of Romeo and Juliet has been used on quite a few project. I love the aged color of the pages and the type adds a graphic element.

Here’s what you need: pages from an old book, cotton twine, hearts cut out of glittered paper, and a glue stick.

Cut a triangle out from the bottom of each page.

Glue a heart onto the center of each page.

Fold about a 1/2″ flap along the top and glue the pages to the twine. I spaced my out every 3 inches. Hang and enjoy!

Tomorrow I will have more of the decorations and party food.

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Vintage Valentine: The Inspiration

February 3, 2012

I LOVE to throw a party. I go all out for my kid’s birthday’s and other special occasions. I usually start thinking about my parties months ahead of time. I look for inspiration and write down all my ideas and plans. Inspiration for a party usually starts with just something little, like an image or object. From that a take a theme, color, or feeling. Hank and Hunt just posted her Party Palette and Design Seeds always inspires me. So here’s my inspiration.

Next week I am throwing a little Valentine’s party for my daughter and her friends. It’s going to be a cookie decorating party. I took my inspiration from this Vintage Valentine I bought at an antique store. The colors for the party are mostly red and gold with a vintage feel.

I’m really happy with how the party is coming together. Over the next couple of days I will share DIY’s for the decorations, favors, and food.

It’s this the sweetest little Valentine? I paid $2 for the Valentines and then I found this sweet little polka dot hanky for $3 at the same antique store. Both items will serve as decor for the party.

I’m a very visual person. Where do you get your inspiration?

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Valentine’s Apron Giveaway!

So, it’s been a while since I’ve had a giveaway. How about a handmade Valentine’s Apron made by yours truly (there on available at my Etsy Shop).

The contest will end Monday, February 6th, so that it can be shipped to you ready for some Valentine’s baking.

This cute apron has a handy two section pocket in the front that has be hand stenciled with a metallic gold heart. A great Valentine’s day gift or just something special for a cook you love. The apron also features an adjustable neck strap and waist straps that are long enough to wrap around to the front.

Here’s how you can enter:

1. Subscribe to Oleander and Palm. Just enter your email address in the “Follow By Email” box on the right hand side of the blog. You will receive email updates with what’s new on Oleander and Palm.

2. If you have already done this, then you can “like” me on Facebook, follow me on Pinterest, or share this post on your facebook.

3. Now just leave me a comment on this post letting me know which of the 2 above choices you completed and tell what the best Valentine’s Day gift is that you ever received.

If you want to better your chances, visit my good friend Maya’s blog, Alaska From Scratch, and you can enter again.

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Metallic Heart Shirts

February 2, 2012

I thought the twins (Olivia and her cousin Carolina, who are only 3 days apart) needed some matching Valentine’s T’s. These are simple and can be worn long after Valentine’s Day has past. Actually, I kind of want one as well.

I used my favorite new trick and made a heart stencil on freezer paper and painted the shirts with a metallic gold and silver. You can read more about the technique here and here.

I might put a couple in my etsy shop.

And here’s my very cute model. This shirt shows off her cute round figure (not sure how long she’ll be able to wear it).

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Monthly Memory Verse: February

February 1, 2012

February is here! And I have a new Free Printable Download for you. If you missed out last month, you can read about my Monthly Memory Verse here and download January’s verse.

A new month and a new memory verse. It’s a simple verse, but so important. Isn’t it amazing how great God’s love is for us, I am overwhelmed by it. Loving the way Jesus loves us, now that’s an example to live up to. And for the design, I just couldn’t help myself, I had to go chevron. I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of it these days.

Click HERE for the Free Printable Download.

If you printed this Monthly Memory Verse or just think it’s a fun idea, please be a friend and “follow” my little blog. If you already are a follower, please “like” my facebook page, share this link with others, “Pin” it, or just leave me a comment.

This is intended for personal use only.

(Note: The text at the bottom of the image may print, but it is not within the 8 X10 measurement. When you print, do not scale the image)

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Burlap and Chevron Message Board

January 31, 2012

Well if you are out there pinning on Pintrest, there are two things that seem to be super popular these days: burlap and chevron.

So, I’ve combined the two and made something useful. This is my new message board that hangs in my laundry room. This is the room we come in and out of our house through. So, it’s the perfect spot for important reminders, family photos, and more.

I bought the old frame at the Rose Bowl Flea Market years ago for a couple bucks. It’s been sitting in my garage collecting dust and waiting for the perfect project. It was in terrible shape, so I sanded it and painted it a nice creamy white.

Then I measured the frame opening and cut a piece of foam core board (from the $ store) to the exact size.

Then I cut a piece of burlap 4 inches wider and longer then the foam core. Using 1 1/2″ painters tape, I began taping off a chevron pattern on the burlap. My pattern was easy because I wanted it to be irregular and random. Then I took it outside and spray painted the whole thing with Metallic Gold Spray paint (that’s another trend I’m seeing a lot of: Gold). When it was dry, I removed the tape to reveal my pattern

Using a hot glue gun, I wrapped the burlap around the foam core and secured the edges to the back. Then I just fit the board into the frame and used a staple gun to attach it to the frame.

What do you think? Anybody think they would like to make one of these? Would you like pictures of the step by step? It’s a pretty simple project, but I’m a visual learner and I understand that reading instructions without pictures can be hard to understand.

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Home Tour: The Living Room

Besides the kitchen, this is the room we spend the most time in. This is the first room you enter when you come into our home. I really do not have a specific style (or at least I don’t think I do). This room really shows my taste, is a mixture of a whole bunch of things that work together for me. I like modern lines (my linen sofa/sectional), pieces with history (Lonnie’s Grandma’s cedar chest that serves as our coffee table), things from my world travels (art, baskets, artifacts) , textures (leather and throws), and comfort (lots of pillows, a soft wool rug, and stove for warmth).

The fire place wall has a mantel the extends the length of the room. We have mounted our TV on the mantel, giving us more floor space. On one side of the fire place is built in book shelves and on the other is a pull down desk and more storage. These are the nice things about having an old house. I love original features like built ins.

This green chair is one of the first real pieces of furniture we bought. It’s really no longer my style, but I still love the color and super comfy. So, until I find the perfect replacement, I will still enjoy this chair. Above this chair is a collection of prints, watercolors, photos and paintings that we have collected from Alaska to Italy and some place in between.

We have no official entryway. The front door just opens to the living room, but I wanted to define it as an entryway with a piece of furniture. My thrift store dresser does the trick. And yes, I know that my family silhouette needs to be updated with our 5th family member.

You can see more of our little 1920 California Bungalow here.