Project Updates!

Tonight we want to update you on some of the projects we've started over the past few months!


In one of our very first blog posts, both Girls Team members started knitting these scarves. I planned on turning my scarf into an infinity scarf, and now am searching for a pretty, matching ribbon to tie the ends together for some added flare.

After dropping a few stitches and deciding she was past the point no return, my mom's scarf ended up here: 

Let's be honest, crafting isn't always easy or perfect - there are bound to be a few casualties along the way! 

In January, we planted Paperwhites and basil to grow indoors this winter. Our basil never sprouted, but our Paperwhites each took on a personality of their own! I brought my bulbs to work. Only one bloomed, and then took a sharp right turn...literally:

My mom's bloomed in a more normal fashion, but my dad didn't appreciate the scent, so the vase was moved from the kitchen window sill to the front porch.

Recently, we made these marble magnets, as seen on Pinterest. Since then, I've made quite a few in different prints and themes for friends as gifts. After seeing them on our blog, one of my coworkers asked me to make Girl Scout themed magnets for a new info board at the office. I made 21 magnets this weekend. 

Just a quick update for tonight! Thanks for catching up with us each week. So far the Girls Team is having a great time trying new, unique projects. If you have any questions about any of our other projects, or suggestions for future ones, leave them in the comments section below! 

Baby Baked Goods

Later this week, my boss Kelly will head out on maternity leave to welcome a baby girl into her family! I wanted to celebrate with her at work, but didn't want to make a big over the top statement. My mom and I decided to make mini cupcakes and mini chocolate chip shortbread cookies to brighten up her work day with some tiny treats!

Monday was a holiday, so my mom and I ventured out to Hobby Lobby in Roseville. Hobby Lobby, in the old Mervyn's building, is basically the product of Michaels craft store, Joanne's Fabric store and Home Goods home decor store all mixed together. In Hobby Lobby you will find scrap booking materials, baking accessories, a large selection of fabric, fake flowers galore, hundreds of candles, baskets in various sizes, holiday decor, furniture (??), dinnerware, frames (frames and MORE frames)...are you tired of reading this yet? Because I'm exhausted from just listing the amount of items for sale within Hobby Lobby. If you plan a visit, make sure you have hours to spare and a snack or two to keep you fueled up!

Fortunately, my mom and I left the store with just a few items including purple food coloring, edible pearl sprinkles, purple napkins and adorable baking cups that resembled tulips.

Decorative supplies, including my new favorite discovery - food coloring! 

Vanilla cupcakes, baked per the directions on the back of the box :)

I made Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting from scratch, following the same recipe I used when I made the Christmas Cupcakes in a Jar.

Then I added four drops of purple food coloring. The color was perfect - fun, bright and girly!

Frosting 40 mini cupcakes.

The green edible pearl sprinkles were a unique and unexpected touch.

Ready to transport to work! 

As I was baking the cupcakes, my mom was busy baking Shortbread Chocolate Chip cookies. Click here for the recipe. We LOVE this recipe in our house. Discovered by my mom's coworker, we've incorporated these cookies into our family recipes. 

Dough and mini chocolate chips.

Wrap the dough in Saran Wrap and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Mom rolling the dough about 1/2 inch thick.

Butterflies.

Flowers.

After waking up earlier than usual and having great luck with the traffic, I made it to work before Kelly and was able to set up the sweets and flowers at her desk. Throughout the day, coworkers came by to say hi and congrats to my boss and grab a sweet snack. My coworker Lesley brought a cheese and cracker platter later in the afternoon that was a huge hit too! 

Even though we didn't bake anything new this week, it was fun to make mini cupcakes and mini chocolate chip shortbread cookies for a special occasion. Sometimes it is nice to have a few sweet staples to fall back on when you want to make a special (and tasty!) treat for a good friend.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This Valentine's Day, the Girls Team decided to make sweet treats for our loved ones, friends and coworkers. Putting our baking skills to the test, we made Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies! Click here for the detailed recipe. The recipe outlines two steps - the cheesecake layer and the brownie layer. I made the brownie layer and my mom made the cheesecake layer. This helped a lot because it cut the prep time in half.

 

Lola trying to weasel her way on the girls team help us bake.

Prepping to bake.

Dry ingredients for the brownies.

Food coloring fun :)

Mixing the brownie dough. The consistency was a little thicker than normal brownies would be, but that's ok, it's supposed to be like that!

Cheesecake batter.

The brownie layer goes in the pan first, topped with the layer of cheesecake.

3/4 cup of the Red Velvet Brownie incredients are mixed with milk and added to the top of the cheesecake. Use a knife to create a marbled pattern.

After baking for 30 minutes, the brownies are ready to go!

The brownies were pretty thick and required both a cookie cutter and knife to remove from the pan.

But the process leaves a lot of leftovers for the bakers to sample :)

Marbled, bite size Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies, warm from the oven!

Boxed and ready to deliver!

The recipe for these brownies was very easy to follow. Prep time took about 30 minutes, and the brownies bake for 30 minutes. Cutting out the brownies was a little more time consuming than my impatient self had imagined it would be. But, once the heart shapes were cut and boxed, it was worth the tedious job! Both Girls Team members agreed that the brownies looked better than they tasted. They weren't as mouth-watering as traditional chocolate brownies, nor were they as sweet as regular cheesecake. But, for a fun and festive Valentine's Day treat, they hit the spot.

We hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day with lots of love and sweets :)



Prepping for Valentine's Day

Quick post tonight! In celebration of Valentine's Day, we made homemade Valentine cards and treats. After some Pinterest browsing and a trip to Michaels, we were all set to go! 

Stay tuned for next week's post! We are making a secret sweet treat in honor of the Day of Love :)