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    Food & DIY

    DIY Rose Garland

    September 8, 2014
    I’ve been on a creativity kick lately, which is awesome because I keep saying that I want to make it a priority to work on different projects. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I’ve been keeping myself busy by making fabric flowers. I’ve mostly been using the flowers that I have made to make fascinators and hair clips. However, this weekend I decided to make some flowers that I could incorporate into my home decor. The result was this twine and felt rose garland, which I absolutely love!
    As you can tell, I wrapped the garland around my headboard, and it instantly added a much-needed pop of color to my bedroom. But you can also use this garland as a party decoration, or to liven up any other space around your house. And, the best thing about this garland is that it only costs about $10 to make! Keep on reading to learn how to make your own.
    MATERIALS:
    8 ft of Twine
    Needle
    Thread
    10-12 sheets of felt in any color (this makes about 12 roses)
    Glue and Glue Gun
    STEP 1. To make a felt rose, first you’re going to have to cut out the center petal, 4 small petals, and 4 large petals and a oval to cover the back of the twine. I kind of eyeballed the dimensions, but I’ve included this pattern to help you out if that’s not your thing.
    STEP 2. To make the center of the rose, take the petal with the longer piece attached to it, and roll it up.
    STEP 3. Use your thread and needle to sew the center of the rose together, in order to ensure that it doesn’t fall apart once you start gluing on the other petals.
    STEP 4. Next, start hot gluing the petals around the center of the rose. Start off by using the smaller petals, and continue to do this until you’ve used all 8 petals.
    TIP: While gluing on the petals, try to place them where they fill in the gaps made by other petals. This will make your rose seem much fuller than if you just place one petal over the other.
    STEP 5. Once you’ve glued on all the petals, use your needle and thread to sew together the bottom of your rose. This will secure the rose, and keep it from falling apart much later.
    STEP 6. With the rose still upside down, place your piece of twine over the bottom. Next, glue the oval piece to the back to cover up the twine and thread, and secure the rose to the garland.  Make sure to measure 6-7 inches of twine between each rose. Attach each rose to the garland, and then you’re done!
    I had so much fun making this project, and am glad to be able to share it with you. I hope that you all enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed putting it together, and that you find a way to incorporate it into your home decor! If you do decide to make this project, make sure to use #sweethelengracediy on Instagram, so that I can see it. Have a great rest of the week!
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace
    Food & DIY

    Toasted Coconut and Chocolate-Glazed Doughnuts

    July 16, 2014
    I had never made doughnuts until a couple of weeks ago on National Doughnut Day, and I was surprised at how easy they are to make. I have to admit that I’m not much of a doughnut person, and I actually don’t have much of a sweet tooth unless it comes to chocolate. But, what I really liked about this cake donut recipe that I adapted from About.com, was that it wasn’t overly sweet. Some of my coworkers, who were the lucky recipients of these tasty treats, also raved about the taste and moist texture of these doughnuts. Their praise made me super happy, because what I love the most about making something yummy is being able to put a smile on another person’s face. That being said, I really hope that you enjoy this recipe.
    TOASTED COCONUT AND CHOCOLATE-GLAZED DOUGHNUTS
    Adapted from ABOUT.COM
    INGREDIENTS:
    DOUGHNUT:
    2 cups of flour
    1/2 cup of sugar
    1 teaspoon of salt
    1 tablespoon of baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
    1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
    2 tablespoons of melted butter
    1/2 cup of milk
    1 egg beaten
    1 quart of oil for frying
    CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
    4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
    3/4 cup of powdered sugar
    2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
    3 tablespoons of milk
    TOPPING:
    Toasted Coconut
    1. Heat oil in a large pan at low-to-medium heat. You don’t want the oil to get too hot, or it will immediately burn up the dough–trust me, I know this from experience!
    2. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
    3. Pour in the melted butter into the bowl, and stir it in until the mixture develops a crumbly texture.
    4. Stir in the milk and egg into the mixture, and then knead the dough until smooth.
    5. Place the dough unto an area prepared with flour, and pat it down until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
    6. Use either a doughnut cutter or two separate biscuit cutters (1 large and 1 small) to cut out the doughnuts.
    7. Carefully dip the doughnuts into the hot oil. Fry them for about 3 minutes, turning them over once during that time. Both sides of the doughnut should be lightly browned.
    8. Drain the doughnuts on a cooling rack over paper towels, and let them cool down until they are about room temperature.
    9. For the glaze, mix the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk in a bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Once the doughnuts are at room temperature, you can apply the glaze by dipping them into the mixture.
    10. Finally, just top off the doughnuts with toasted coconut and then you’re done! You can find toasted coconut at some stores such as Trader Joe’s, or you can make your own by toasting 1-2 cups of shredded coconut at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes. To keep the coconut from burning, make sure to turn it over at least once during that time.
    —–
    I mentioned not so long ago that one of my personal goals was to focus more time on being creative. Spending time in the kitchen is definitely one of those activities that allows me to tap more into my creativity. I love adapting recipes and thinking of what ingredients could possibly enhance the taste of whatever it is that I’m making. I also really enjoy working on the presentation of food; with this particular recipe, I had so much fun experimenting with my camera and trying to take pictures that made these doughnuts look as good as they tasted.
    I have to say that I’m so glad that it’s already Wednesday! I’ve been in a rut this week, and am really looking forward to the weekend. Lately I’ve seriously been considering of applying to grad school or moving somewhere else–both are prospects that are super exciting to me! However, I’ve also been doubting my ability to move forward in life. Because of everything that’s going on in my head, I’ve been feeling really sensitive to things that other people say and do, and I’ve been letting them affect my mood in a negative way. I really just need to learn to just brush things off and push negative thoughts out of my mind. But, I guess that is a skill that comes with practice.
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace
    Outfit

    Flowers in My Hair

    June 24, 2014
    Photos by Sarah Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Free People Lace Dress
    Belt (Borrowed from my sister)
    Seychelles Pumps in Beige (Old)
    I featured parts of this outfit in my DIY Floral Fascinator post a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to give the whole ensemble the attention it deserves. After looking for a white lace dress for the longest time, I finally settled on this one from Free People when I found it on sale about a year ago. What I love the most about this dress is that the fabric has beautiful peach-colored embroidery which gives it a very romantic feel. When I originally bought this dress I had planned to wear it with a floral crown to give it a bohemian look. But, let’s be honest, boho chic is not exactly my style. Wearing a floral fascinator with this dress gave my outfit a girly and vintage vibe, which I think better reflects my personal style.
    My sister took these pictures about a week ago because I went to Portland this weekend, and didn’t want to be bothered with having to post pictures from my adventure immediately after I got back. I’m still letting all that happened on my trip sink in a bit before I try to piece it all together on this blog. I am planning to post a couple of pictures later this week, but in the meantime you can catch glimpses of my adventure on Instagram.
    I had been planning my trip to Portland for months, and I’m so glad that it finally happened. Lately I’ve been feeling very unsure about how I want to grow these next few years, and taking a vacation gave me time to really give the matter some thought and gain some clarity. I’ve been feeling very bored and stuck in one place for the past year, and spending time with friends and exploring a new place gave me the opportunity to think about what really makes me happy. In that vein, my weekend adventure also gave me the opportunity to start considering other things and be open to big changes such as applying to grad school, and possibly moving somewhere else. I don’t know what my game plan is just yet, but that’s just what makes new adventures even more fun.
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace