Fresh Look For Spring

I'm so happy that spring is finally here! The weather's been gorgeous here in Jersey.

Feeling the need to freshen up my look, I decided to give myself some red ombré highlights.

Even though it was a very looong multistep process, I love the results and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

First thing I did was purchase all of my supplies. I bought them from Sally's (S) and Target (T).

You'll need:
•Clairol Born Blonde Maxi Blonding Kit (although the Radical Bleach Kit is pictured below, I did not use it here) - T
•Feria in deep burgundy (or any color you desire) - T
•Latex gloves - S
•Bleach/tint brush - S
•Disposable cup/container (to mix the lightening product in) - T or S
•Vaseline - T
•Protective cape - S
•Magic eraser (optional-used for cleaning up drips and spills on bathroom counters/floors) - T

Next I put on some old clothes that I wasn't worried about messing up. I always have tons of old t-shirts lying around, which worked perfectly.

If you have light bathroom surfaces like I do, you'll want to protect them with old towels and have a magic eraser nearby in case you have any spills or drips.

Don't forget to put your cape on! After all you are...Super DIYer...hehehe, get it? Okay, very corny!

Next I applied some Vaseline around my hairline to protect my skin from any product getting on it.

Now time for the lightening part of the process. I followed the directions on the Born Blonde kit, only applying the product to the lower half of my hair. I used the brush for this part so I could be more precise with the application. Also, the brush helped to "feather" the product so I didn't have such a harsh transition from the black to the red. Since my natural hair color is so dark, I had to leave it on for the maximum amount of time indicated.

After rinsing it out, I fully dried my hair with a hair dryer since the directions on the box of Feria said my hair needed to be clean and dry. At this point my hair was a very light brown color. Not exactly blonde, but that was okay.

Next it was time to tint the lightened part of my hair with the red. Following the Feria directions, I applied the tint to the lightened lower half. I wasn't worried about getting some of the red on the dark part of my hair - it didn't show at all when it was all done. It was important, however, that I fully covered the brown lightened parts with the red tint.

I left the red tint in for the time indicated and voila! I had red ombré highlights! Love the way it looks, especially when I'm standing in the sun because the red looks so brilliant!

What do you think? Not too shabby, right?!

Mini 'Cake-in-a-Can' for your SWEETheart!

I don't know about you, but the weather here in Jersey has been absolutely frrreeezing! So we decided..no better time than the present to do some BAKING! Plus the little boy spotted a container of frosting in the fridge and was asking for a "cupp-take".

So, with Valentine's Day just around the corner, I came up with this cute idea of making individual Valentine's Day inspired "cakes in a can." It's a great activity for the little ones to get involved in because they're super easy to make and most people already have the ingredients lying around in their pantry.

To get started, you'll need a can. The 15 ounce ones work just fine. With the amount of Chef Boyardee my little one eats, there was no shortage of those lying around in my recycling bin! Make sure you run a can opener over the top to get rid of any sharp edges that may be left. Don't forget to wash it out really well, too! Then, you'll want to spray the inside with some oil and lightly dust it with flour.

In a small bowl, start adding the ingredients listed below. I usually don't have buttermilk, so I made some just by adding a little lemon juice to regular milk. If you prefer chocolate cake instead of yellow, add a little bit of cocoa powder to your batter! Mix up the ingredients really well, pour it all into your prepared can, place the can on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. You'll know it's ready when a skewer inserted all the way in comes out clean.

After you've let it cool in the can for about 5 minutes, run a butter knife along the inside of the can to release the cake. Turn the can upside down on a wire rack and let it cool for another 5 minutes. Then, use a serrated knife (that's a knife with little teeth on it) and slice off the "hump". If you want a two-layer cake, slice your cake in half and add icing in between your layers!

Place it on your plate with the cut side down.

Put a big glop of icing on the top and spread it working your way down.

Decorate with red sprinkles, sugar, or hearts for Valentine's Day.

And enjoy!!! So easy and yummy! My sweethearts really enjoyed this project!

Cake Ingredients (yields 1 cake in a can):

1/2 c flour

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 c sugar

3 tbsp buttermilk (or a little less than 3 tbsp regular milk with a dash of lemon juice)

1 egg yolk (plus a little bit of the white if batter is too thick)

3 tbsp melted butter

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp cocoa powder (optional if you want chocolate cake)

Kitchen Reveal

If you're a regular follower of my blog, you might have noticed that I've been gone for quite some time. There's no real excuse for it, as there are many dedicated bloggers out there who, despite any circumstance, 'keep on keeping on'. In my case, my disappearance from bloggerland could be blamed 10% on pure laziness, another 10% on health (two major sinus infections and general malaise in between), 30% on keeping busy with projects within the house, and finally the rest can be attributed to just wanting to spend time with the family!

In any event, I'm back (at least for now) with what will hopefully be a 'worth your while' post...I'm finally revealing the end (again, at least for now) result of my kitchen. (Yes, I can be extremely fickle, hehe).

If you recall, back in March I began my mini kitchen renovation. This involved transforming my outdated Tuscan inspired kitchen into a more modern, sleek, and brighter space, doing all the work by myself (meaning no contractors) on a very, very tight budget.

I promise - in another post, of course - to breakdown all of the materials and costs for this project. But for now, here are the before, during, and after pics. Enjoy :)

First, we removed the metal cabinets, boxed out the cabinet above the stove, added crown molding to the top of it all, painted the cabinets, and replaced the sink. Read about that process here.

Next, we installed new kitchen counters and a white subway tile backsplash.

Then, I recruited the help of my daughter to paint that ugly orange a lovely shade of gray.

I swiftly switched out the boob light with a cheap chandelier I found at Home Depot. To spruce it up, I hung some crystals from it with fishing line.

Next, it was time to do something with that island. To add a little contrast in my now light and bright kitchen, I painted it black and distressed the edges a bit with sandpaper. I also found some wooden stools at the thrift store for unbelievably cheap and sewed some slipcovers for them.

And now, I am proud to show off my new kitchen...

I love how it turned out. There are still a few other little touches I must add to it, but for now I am quite pleased :)

Before:

After :

P.S. There is one other thing I'd like to mention, as some of you out there might notice the date that this is published and make a connection. If you read my 'about' section, you will discover that I'm from Jersey. We recently (like, 5 days ago, recently) suffered a major hurricane in our state. The devastation throughout the area is truly heart breaking. So many have lost so much. We were extremely fortunate in our case and suffered little damage to our property. Most importantly, our family is safe and sound. I could not post this without making mention of Hurricane Sandy and it's devastating aftermath. My heart goes out to all those who were affected and I will continue to pray for you.