Blessings from Goodwill rain down!

OMGOMGOMGOMG.

Look what I got at Goodwill for $25!!

I've already sanded it and am so excited to paint.  I was going to do satin black, but now I'm not so sure.  The room it is going into is black wood/ tan and burlap linens, and blue/gray accents. Thoughts?

DIY Kate Spade inspired wooden necklace

I was inspired by a post in Pinterest to create this adorable necklace, which was itself inspired by one of my favorite modern-classic designers, Kate Spade.
How I Did It:
Wooden beads $1.75 (2) packs
Gold Chain $5.00.
Painters tape
Modge Podge (glossy)
Paint
Tape off beads around center with painter's tape. Paint colors-- acrylic or spray paint-- onto the exposed half. Follow with subsequent coats to make the color pop.   Finish with a coat of glossy Modge Podge to seal.

Ribbon/Bow Headband tutorial

As you already know, I went crazy with the crafts last night.  I promised tutorials, so here is the first!

Supplies: 

1 flat metal headband.  I used one from H&M.

Approx. 2 feet of the color ribbon of your choice

Glue gun/sticks

NOTE: I am using  different color of ribbon, because I didn't take pictures while I was making the black one!

1. Cover the headband with ribbon.  You can either wrap the headband, or do it like I did-- just run the ribbon straight from one end to the other, gluing intermittently.
2. Cut a piece of ribbon about 6 inches.  This is going to be the bottom bow.  Make an "O" shape with the ribbon, connecting the two ends with a dot/small line of glue.

Law School Exam Stress Relief

I have one exam left. One.  I've been studying non-stop since... geeze I don't even know when.  And today, I took my first craft break since at LEAST before Halloween.

And I went nuts.

I'm going to write mini-tutorials for these eventually, but I couldn't wait to share my handiwork!  I'm literally a five year old over how excited I get for craft time.  I was so cracked out on sugar, lack of sleep, and sheer excitement to be doing something that is NOT law school, I was almost jumping for joy.  Shoutout to my friend Marium for putting up with me while we were trying to watch TV.

Here are the goods:

 Gray knit hat (Target) with DIY Pink fabric flower, green flannel leaves.



Inspired by this Pinterest pin, but modified.

Pink and white fabric flowers on gray satin headband

Black simple bow on black satin headband

Closeup bow detail












I also made one more thing, but I'm not posting it here because it is a gift, and that person might be looking! But needless to say, I went buck-wild with the arts supplies tonight.  Fancy Nancy would be proud.

Part II: Pumpkin Butter!

Finally!

I promised my recipe for Pumpkin Butter (using that leftover pumpkin puree from the pumpkin spice latte syrup!) and here it is!  Doesn't it look yummy?

Without further ado: The recipe!

Pumpkin Butter!

1 can pumpkin puree (minus the 4 tbsp you used for the pumpkin spice syrup!)
1 cup apple cider
3/4 rounded cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves

**again, these are all "ish" measurements.  I used a lot more nutmeg because I am OBSESSED with it, but my mom didn't like that much.  

Directions:

1. Throw all ingredients in a small pot/ saucepan (with a top).  Stir well.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil-- it will be going "glug glug"
3. Reduce to a simmer, so that it is barely "glugging." 
4. Put the top on the saucepan and let simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened-- stirring frequently!! 
5. Remove from heat and let cool.  Transfer to containers, and keep in fridge.  

YUMMMMMMM!

DIY PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES without the trip (and $$) to Starbucks!-- Vegan and Organic

Who doesn't' love Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks?  I mean, its pretty much the only reason I am OK with summer slipping away into fall.  But the $3 or so it takes to shell out for a Soymilk-Pumpkin Spice-extra hot-no whip-latte gets to be a little expensive.  And worse than that, the time it takes to pull my butt out of bed, go to Starbucks, parallel park without hitting anyone, stand in line, order my latte, wait for the baristas, get my latte, add extra nutmeg, dodge traffic on my way back to my car, etc. is time that I DON'T HAVE, and could be using to sleep an extra 15 minutes.

Glorious solution to this problem: MAKE IT YOURSELF!!

I have seen a few recipes for this floating around, so I took a bunch of them, mushed them together, and experimented to create the best mashup of Pumpkin Spice recipes for the MASTER latte syrup mix.

And it is SO. EASY. TO MAKE.

And it is perfect to make with another one of my favorite things-- PUMPKIN BUTTER! (THIS WILL BE MY NEXT POST)

Literally, it is so easy to make these 2 together, and would be crazy not to.  Pretty much the same ingredients, and it works out that you only need one can of pumpkin.

Without further ado, here is the FIRST of the two recipes:

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE SYRUP:

• 4 tablespoons of pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• couple dashes of ground cloves-- up to 1/2 tsp
  ***NOTE-- use organic ingredients if you are on an organic diet, and add to soymilk if vegan.

The front pot is my syrup :)

1. Take your 4 tbsp of pumpkin puree, and set the can aside (it creates the perfect amount to make the pumpkin butter I am going to tell you about later!).  
2. Combine everything in a pot.
3. Put on the stove on medium-high heat, and stir.  Stir that puppy for 5 mins so it doesn't boil.  After 5 mins, check to make sure the sugar is dissolved-- if not, keep heating and stirring until it is dissolved.
4. Turn off heat and let cool for 15 mins.
5. Pour into a container.  DONE.  BAM.  

I use it with 1/2 cup coffee, the rest soy milk, and about a tbsp of syrup.  It's yummy!  And perfect for sharing :)

**note-- all measurements are "ish--- use as much/little spice as you want.
**ALSO-- this is SUPER easy to make ORGANIC, for all of my Boulder friends :)

Goodwill Lamp Makeover

Being a law student, I am poor.  I'm living on loans.  So decorating an apartment and making it feel like home is kind of trickier than it is for people with oh, I don't know...a job.

It is NOT impossible.

Armed with Google and a little imagination, I turned an ugly lamp into a beautiful one for less than $20.  How awesome is that?

I started at Goodwill. Lamps are usually easy to find there.  You usually can find those ugly ginger jar lamps-- like the one I found for $5:

 

Admit it, it's pretty ugly.  That's why I decided to coat it with the silver spray paint you see there.  It is a primer/paint all in one, an has a "hammered finish" for some texture.

I taped off the cord to prevent it from getting sprayed:

I then took it outside, where I spread out some newspaper.  I taped the bulb socket the same way I did the cord.  I sprayed a nice coat of silver spraypaint, let it dry, and then coated it again:

I let it dry for about 30 minutes (so it wasn't tacky to the touch), and then took the lamp inside. I then had to get that pesky wire topper off.

I don't have any pictures of this part because I had n idea what I was doing, but I simply peeled back the felt on the bottom of the lamp and unscrewed the top part, unclipped the metal lampshade holder, and screwed everything back together (make sure you have someone with little arms for this part!). 

I went to Target and found a nice burlap lampshade on sale for $9.  Placing that on top was the icing on the cake!

Voila! High class on a law school budget. Totally easy, totally cheap.  Not going to lie-- I am pretty proud of this.

Thoughts? 

Law School Hummus

Ok.  I know very few grad students (or 20-somethings in general) that dislike hummus.  Its a great source of all kinds of good nutrients to help you keep cranking-- the good fats, protein, carbs-- and it's just plain yummy.  But it can be so expensive!  And law students are so poor!  So.....drumroll please:

I invented/merged a few recipes to make my very own version of hummus for very cheap!  And-- because I love sharing-- I am sharing it with YOU.  All of these measurements are estimates-- I am a big "dash of this" kind of cook.  Also, if you are out of any of the spices, don't worry-- just use whatever you have.  This is a "whatever is lurking in my cabinet" kind of thing. NOW, Without further ado, DIY Law School Brain Pump Hummus:

2/3 can Garbanzo beans/chickpeas
3 tablespoons plain low fat yogurt
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 clove garlic, chopped into chunks
1/2 tablespoon lime juice
2 tsp parsley
2 tsp garlic powder
1tsp curry
1tsp tumeric
salt and pepper

1. Drain most of the water out of the chickpeas.  Pour chickpeas into food processor, with a splash (about 1/4 cup) of water from the can.
2. Add EVOO, Yogurt, lime juice, and garlic into the food processor. 
3. BLEND THAT STUFF.  Blend it until it's a puree.  Then blend it/food process it some more.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients.  KEEP BLENDING! It should be smooth and kind of creamy.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste :)

Oh yeaaah you (and your brain) can thank me later...

I may be a law student, but I'm a damn crafty one

Check out this JCrew inspired necklace I just created.  It's made of pearls, ribbon, and some thread.  Who said being a lawyer was no fun?

This will go nicely with a little cardigan.