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Author Archives: SIMPLISTIC APPEAL.
Homemade Donuts
{This is what you’ll need.}
Back in high school, I took a home economics class where the teacher created most of the recipes we cooked. My older sister had the same teacher several years before I did and started making them at home on Saturday mornings. This recipe is incredibly easy, cheap, and great for brunch with friends.
Toppings include: powder sugar, icing (made with powder sugar and milk), and honey.
{Cut a hole in the biscuit with the lid of the cooking oil and separate. Put in heated oil for several seconds until they are a light shade of gold and flip. They’ll continue to cook a little once you take it out of the oil so don’t leave them in there for too long.}
{Have a plate of powder sugar or your desired topping ready and roll donuts in it directly after they’re done cooking.}
Summer Vacation.
{Stairs leading to our room and palm trees.}
A friend invited us to his beach house for the weekend and we had the greatest time. It was less than a two minute walk to get down to the water and the house (an old bar that went out of business and was renovated) was amazing. Sergent, Texas has the only undeveloped beach left in the state and we took full advantage of having most of the beach to ourselves. We filled our time with grilling, burying our toes in the sand, and relaxing while some of the guys went fishing. It was what every vacation should be. Someone mentioned making another trip down there later in the summer, and if so, I can’t wait.
{An old restaurant directly across the street with this sign in a cute boat.}
{The beach house at night.}
{Muscles and sea shells that were fun to collect.}
{A ship about to pass through the draw bridge right next to the house. This is the spot where the guys did most of their fishing.}
{Picture unknowingly taken by our good friend, Jeannie.}
{Exploring the beach at sunset. Again, thanks to Jeannie for taking this picture. I think this one will get its own frame.}
Getting Crafty: Inexpensive Wall Art
{Paint chips in different shades of one color, cut into triangles and hot glued onto canvas.}
I’m back at my parents’ house for a couple months before I move into my apartment and I’ve been crafting like crazy lately. I’m constantly finding inspiration from magazines and the things around me and it’s helping me think of things I can make for my new place. I’m on a pretty tight budget right now but I still wanted to find a way to dress up my walls. I bought a couple canvases and acrylic paint and picked up some paint chips from Home Depot. Total for both pieces of wall art: $12. 
{“Step outside of your comfort zone.” With black, white, and blue acrylic paint. Black and white mixed together to create the gray. The circle was painted with a stencil and the words were free-handed.}
Homemade Thin Mints
{Andes Mints and Oreos. You can also get the packages of full Andes Mints and break them.}
I hate when Girl Scout cookies aren’t being sold. Or when I have to search high and low just to find some. Last month they were being sold on campus and when I bought a box of thin mints, I was disappointed by how fast they were gone. I decided to make my own and after several failed attempts, I finally figured out a fail-proof way to make it work. I only used two ingredients which are easy to find at the grocery store and aren’t too expensive. If you use an entire pack of Oreo’s, it can make about 60 which is perfect for serving at parties. Hope you enjoy!
{Separate the cookie and take off the cream.You’ll use both parts of the chocolate cookie.}
{Pour a small amount of the mint chocolate into a microwaveable bowl and microwave for 5-10 second at a time, stirring in between. When the chocolate is fully melted, pour in the rest of the chocolate and stir constantly until all of it is melted. It may need to be microwaved a few more times. Put one side of the Oreo into the bowl and coat both sides with chocolate and place onto parchment paper.}
{Keep them on the parchment paper until the chocolate becomes solid again and serve.}
So and So.
This was photoshoot number two with the lovely Vicky while she was in Denton. We both reached for booties and bright, graphic prints and the weather was perfect for it. This parking garage is probably one of my favorite spots on campus and I often go there with Mark late at night and walk around. The school year is coming to an end and I’ve been a little nostalgic lately but I’m very much looking forward to what next year has to bring.
Hey, Hi, Hello.
On Saturday, my friend Vicky and Lacee came into town to visit and look at apartments. We went out to lunch in the square and then walked around campus to take pictures. This building is down the street from me and I’ve been wanting to take pictures in front of it for a while. It’s been closed down for a while but it made for some great pictures. Thanks to the beautiful Vicky for taking these pictures. Check out her PERFECT blog here.
April in Review
{Mark’s first Easter egg dyeing session, ever. He and my sisters did a pretty awesome job.}
I had a pretty amazing month. I don’t get to go home very often but when I do, I enjoy lounging around with my little sisters and doing what very little my hometown has to offer. I love getting a home cooked meal instead of the same dining hall food and getting to see my dog, Sadie. I’m very much looking forward to next month which will include job hunting, the beach house with friends, and a whole lot of moving. Hope everyone has a great April!
{Apartment Town home hunting. Nailed it. Our cute view from the balcony.}
{Waiting on one sister to get out of school while the other sister plays in the water}
{Exotic pet shop. Yes, that is a tortoise.}
{Antique shopping the right way.}
{Fries and special sauce from the place that makes pie shakes.}
It’s in the Bag.
Trying It Out
I’m a Pinterest addict and one day I came across this. I know not everyone has seen it so I thought I’d share and try it out for myself while making a few changes.
You’ll need: a plastic fork or something similar, eye shadow (any color), clear nail polish, something you can mix on and throw away later (I used a playing card from a deck that was already missing some).
Use fork to scrape eyeshadow into small particles and then pour it onto the card.
Drop clear nail polish into the eye shadow until it become a liquid consistency. The more nail polish you put in, the more easier it will be to apply. Use your best judgement. Then stir with your plastic fork so it looks like this:
You get the idea. Tips, stir often so it doesn’t dry out. You can store it in any small container that closes. Put a clear coat over it. Mine literally slid off my nail without the top coat so I had to redo it. Buy a good clear nail polish. I used NYC and it was too thick but that could also be because I’ve had it for a while. Just use something that has a good texture. Enjoy!
