Birthday Cupcake To Go

Without making a special trip to the store I usually don't have enough ingredients for a whole batch of birthday cupcakes. Fortunately this this two cupcake recipe only calls for one egg, two tablespoons of butter, and a few other things I almost always have on hand.

I used this recipe to whip up a birthday cupcake for my friend Claire. (I put a few chocolate chips in the batter, because I happened to have them, and I used a mixture of butter, powdered sugar and peanut butter for the frosting.)

I transported the cupcake to Claire in a carrier I made by taping two clear plastic Chinet cups together. 

I highly recommend having a stash of clear plastic cups on hand - they can be used for a multitude of things, like organizing a jewelry drawer.

I put a candle on the cupcake and I taped a match to the inside of the cup.

I also taped a short birthday message to the outside.

This carrier fit perfectly in my car's cup holder which made transporting it especially easy.

Got a bunch of cupcakes to carry? Check out the carrier I made to transport 12+ cupcakes. 

Organized Jewelry Drawer

I keep my jewelry and makeup in the top two drawers of this little dresser in my bedroom.

I'm very organized but this drawer was not.

I decided to change that.  Here's how it looks now:

I made a point to only use supplies I already had: a 1/4" dowel, wood glue, two cardboard egg cartons, eight clear plastic Chinet cups, a foam insert from a paper jewelry box, a few white plastic drawer organizers, and a tester pot of pale blue paint.

This is what I did:

1. Emptied the drawer and got rid of the jewelry that I didn't really like and/or couldn't see myself wearing again.

2. Removed the wooden drawer dividers, lined them up, and made corresponding marks (for where the dowels will go) about two inches apart.

3. Picked a drill bit that was about the same size as my dowel (about 1/4").

4. Drilled holes halfway through the thickness of each divider in the marked spots.

5. Cut the dowel, glued the pieces between the dividers and glued the dividers back into the drawer.

6. Painted the inside of the drawer with a sample pot of pale blue paint.

7. Hung all of my fish hook earrings and clasp bracelets on the dowels. 

8. Cut the top off two cardboard egg cartons and painted them to match the inside of the drawer.

9. Sorted my hair doodads into clear plastic Chinet cups.

10. Lined up my stud earrings in the foam insert from a paper jewelry box.

11. Arranged the rest of my earrings in one of the painted egg cartons.

12. Corralled my small necklaces in the second egg carton and put my big bauble necklaces in more clear plastic cups.

13. Sorted my makeup into six white plastic drawer organizers that I labeled Eyes, Face, Blush, Lips, Perfume, and Lotion.

14. Arranged the organizers to fit in the second drawer of my dresser.

15. Stepped back and did a little happy dance.  

Check back early next week, I've got a post in the works about a clear to-go box I made to carry a single birthday cupcake.

A Fast Fix for Faded Wood Cabinets

The base cabinets in my kitchen lost their luster from years of wear and getting wet. As a renter I didn't think there was anything I could do so I've been living with them like this for the five years I've been in my place.

   

On a whim one day last week I decided to try wiping the cabinets with some Old English Scratch Cover.... and OMG the result was awesome:

This project only took five minutes:

Step 1 - Squirt some Old English Scratch Cover on a rag.

Step 2 - Rub the rag on your cabinets.

Step 3 - Step back and admire how much better your cabinets now look.

Step 4 - Kick yourself for not doing this five years ago when you first moved in.