Thanks for stopping by the cottage today!
I h ope you all are having a wonderful week. Today I am announcing the winner of my Coastal Candle Giveaway, and the winner is...
Congratulations!
I will be in touch with you soon to get your prize sent out.
Thanks to everyone who entered to win, and don't worry- you will have another chance to win next month!
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Have you ever been to one of those fancy bakeries and ordered a muffin or cupcake in the oversized parchment paper tulip cups? Well, I love that look and figured out a way to make them at home...
First, unroll a large piece of parchment paper.
Then, I cut the piece down the middle length-wise.
Next, I put the two strips of parchment on top of one another and cut them into rough squares- I "eyeballed" all of these cuts, so sorry- I have no measurements. But that's the great thing about these parchment tulip cup liners- they are supposed to look homemade and NOT perfect...I love projects like that!
So here are the parchment squares- you will need two per muffin/cupcake.
Now, to make the shape of the muffin cup, I used a small juice glass and wrapped the paper around the bottom of it to form a "cup"
Next, take a second piece of parchment and wrap it around the bottom of the glass- I turned the second square of parchment to not overlap or perfectly match the first parchment square, this will keep your batter from spilling out when filling your cups, AND give them a fuller, more finished look.
Then I placed my newly formed muffin cup inside the muffin pan and gave it one more good press down with the juice glass inside the pan...this really set the shape!
As you can see, I mixed these in with regular muffin cups because I was running low on parchment paper, but you could fill all the pans with the parchement paper cups if you wanted.
Now of course, just fill the cup with the cupcake/muffin batter of your choice.
I made lemon blueberry and cinnamon crunch muffins...yum!
Even though they were just "jazzed up" box mix muffins, they looked extra special- like they were from a cute bakery!
I will have to share with you all my recipes and for fall, I can't wait to fill these adorable muffin cups with my Pumpkin Spice Crunch muffins! Stay tuned...
a few more photos...
thanks to this post, now I'm craving muffins!
Hope you have a great week...
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Today's Scripture:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9
I'm a planner. A list maker. Structured (but hopefully in a nice way!). I'm just not a spontaneous-fly-by-the-seat of my pants kind of gal. Recently, though, God interrupted my "plans" with plans of his own!
My sister in law had planned a very special trip to Colorado with my oldest daughter- a week of outdoor adventure and fun, not to mention a nice break from the oppressive heat and humidity of Florida in late August. The morning of their flight, while carrying her bags downstairs, my sister in law suffered a bad fall. A trip to the ER confirmed that she would NOT be able to go on their trip- she had broken one leg in two places and badly sprained the other ankle!
My daughter and her aunt were devastated and disappointed. (My 12 year old daughter was particularly upset- it seemed that nothing had been going right for her this year and she had been eagerly anticipating this special trip for weeks, and now it looked like that would be ruined too!)
My dear, tough-as-nails-determined husband wouldn't have it...he decided he was going to get his girl to Colorado one way or another- and it was decided that I would get to be the chaperone! After a few hours on the phone and internet, I was able to clear my schedule, reinforcements were called in for our two younger kiddos, Flights, hotels and other reservations were miraculously rebooked and less than 24 hours later, I was on an airplane with my sweet girl heading to the Rocky Mountains!
Now let's be clear, I am not exactly an "outdoor adventure girl", and probably would never have planned a week long trip like this to the Rocky Mountains, (a relaxing Caribbean cruise is more my style!!) but I had never been before and decided to go because that's what my daughter really wanted to do.
You know what??
We had the time of our lives!! This city-slicker interior designer went white water rafting, horseback riding and hiking with her adventure loving 12 year old daughter and loved every minute of it!
You see, God's thoughts were higher than my thoughts...God knew that the years were starting to go faster and faster for us, and we needed a special trip like this- just mother and daughter. It was a special, precious time that I will always cherish and God planned it...not me!!
Thanks for joining me today for Scripture Sunday!
In addition to being a blog that inspires readers with home decor and recipes and diy's, it is my prayer that Starfish Cottage will also become a place of inspiration and encouragement for your spirit.
Through the years, God's word has been a powerful source of strength and comfort...His promises have consistently provided me with hope when I felt hopeless, strength when I was weak, peace in the midst of chaos, and comfort in times of great sadness. I believe that God's word is alive and able to inspire and encourage us on a daily basis.
If you would like to contribute your special verse and story/thoughts, please send it to me by email at [email protected]
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Sticking with my "Coastal Greys" theme this month, I thought I would feature a few items in the "driftwood" category. Driftwood is hot right now, it's distressed, washed-out finish is perfect for coastal decor, check out these gorgeous grey driftwood items:
Sources:
2. Photo Frame- One Kings Lane
5. Driftwood Side Table- Crate and Barrel
Thanks for stopping by Starfish Cottage today and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!
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You may have noticed that I have a slight obsession with candles.
In fact, I think I have at least one candle in each room of our cottage (except the kiddos rooms because, well, that would probably be rather dangerous!)
As a professional interior designer I use candles everywhere in clients homes. Here are a few of my favorite ways to decorate with candles:
1. Adding height and interest to coffee tables.
2. For centerpieces on dining tables...
3. Adding sparkle and light to bookshelves...
4. For a coastal touch mixed with sand and shells in glass hurricanes...
5. For a touch of ambiance AND fragrance in the kitchen...
There are so many wonderful ways to incorporate candles into your decor...I hope these ideas will inspire you to find a place or two to add some candles to your home, and dont forget to light them regularly to add ambiance and set a peaceful mood in the evenings (not to mention save energy!;)
If you haven't already, be sure to enter to win my Starfish Cottage Coastal Candle Giveaway. I'm giving away this gorgeous burlap and sand dollar pumkin spice scented candle this month. All you have to do to win is make sure you are a subscriber (if you aren't, simply enter your email address in the box at the top left of this page) then make a comment on any post this month followed by #coastalcandle. I will announce the winner next Wed Sept 16th...good luck!
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