{No Bake} Cookie Dough Balls

I know I have been lacking on my posts for the past two weeks, but I am back!
I feel like a lot has happened since my last post...let me tell you in short:
- I took a trip up to New York for my mom's birthday 2 days before Valentine's Day {1 day before that super blizzard} and ended up staying an entire week! Why did I have all this time off? I decided to change jobs and had 2 weeks off in between...
- I got a new job! You're looking at the new {and only} Assistant Buyer for ThinkGeek!! I am back in the fashion industry, sort of.  So far I am loving it there, and the lack of suits required to wear to work.
- I found this new recipe that allows you to eat all the raw cookie dough you want, with no risk of salmonella! It uses applesauce instead of eggs, who knew? You can also bake them if you want a delicious cookie without the eggs. 

What you will need:
2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks) butter, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
¼ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
6 blocks chocolate-almond bark

In an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, applesauce and vanilla together until smooth.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together, and with the mixer running, slowly add to the butter mixture.

Scoop out the batter using a mini ice cream scoop and roll it into balls. Place the dough balls about an inch apart on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and transfer them to the freezer for 30 minutes to let the dough set up.

While the dough is chilling, melt the chocolate-almond bark in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.

Remove the chilled dough balls from the freezer. Using two spoons, dip the balls one at a time in the melted chocolate, rolling them to coat fully.

Returned the dough balls to the wax paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Swap Box

First off, Happy Valentine's Day blog world!  This is my first Valentine's Day as a blogger, and my first swap box!

I was matched up with Tabitha from A Hundred Tiny Wishes.  As we emailed back and forth I was able to learn a lot about her, and I have made a new friend in blogland!
Some things I learned about Tabitha:

• She was born and raised in Indiana and still lives there
• She has been married for 4 years and has a 3 year old boy, oh and he was born in the same hospital that she was!
• She has lots of pets- a dog, cat, and a tortoise
• She loves owls and moose
• Her favorite color is pink
• She loves Starbucks, pink moscato, scented candles, and Benefits mascara

What Tabitha got me:

 I love owls as well, coffee and chocolate!

 These fuzzy socks are so cozy!  And the lotion and spray smell so girly!  
Cannot forget my own personalized wine glass!

Valentine's Day Kindle Special

For Valentine's Day, check out these 9 great authors' Kindle books for only $0.99.

P.S. my mom's book is The Dead Game

The Dead Game by Susanne Leist
Irretrievably Broken by Irma Fritz
Online Innocence by Jamie L Kaplan
D-E-D, DEAD by Larry "Animal" Garner
Death is a Machine by Zebulon Grey
Here There Be Dragons by Michelle O'Leary
Organize The Nancy Way by Nancy Roe
The Raven Affair by Steven Nedelton
Reclamation by Stu Griffith

Conversational Heart Cookies

While I was shopping the other week I spotted this great heart-shaped cookie cutter and knew I had to use it for Valentine's cookies.

For the cookie, I used the same recipe as my Touchdown Football Cookies {which were a hit at our Superbowl party, 3 dozen gone in a flash.}
Once the cookies cooled, I mixed the confectioner's sugar with hot water and added a drop of red food coloring to give the glaze a pink color.  Then I either added lovey dovey saying or tiny sprinkles. 

Enjoy!

Classic Oatmeal Cookies

I absolutely love oatmeal cookies!  I have been using this recipe for years making them!  I got the recipe from my mother's recipe box, but not sure exactly where it had originated.  You can also add chocolate chips, raisins, nuts or whatever else inside them too! I personally love chocolate in anything, but I skipped it this time to hopefully be a little healthier.

What you will need:
½ cup butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cup instant rolled oats

Yield: 2 dozen

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease the sheet.

Beat butter and sugars until creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add to the butter mixture, mix well.

Stir in oats.

Using tablespoons, roll into balls.  Place the round cookie balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.  Flatten the cookie balls with a fork.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Let the cookies stand for 1 minute, then transfer to racks to cool.

Peter Pilotto for Target Has Arrived!

As I impatiently awaited for the Peter Pilotto for Target collection to launch on the Target website at 12 am this morning, it never went live!
I was on the phone with my mom and sister {3 way call with my mom holding her house phone with me on the other end and her cell with my sister at the other end} trying to figure out our plan of attack.  As we were researching, we found that the collection would launch sometime in the "wee hours of the morning," whatever that meant.
We decided to wake ourselves up as early as possible to check.  My mom called me at 5:30 am that it had launched!

This is what I ordered, fingers crossed that none of it gets backordered!

I decided to not even bother the trek out to one of the stores this morning, knowing the mad house it will be even though I really wanted the purple floral print sleeveless dress {not sure if it's worth the $70, but Target made that decision for me!}

What were you able to score today?

Valentine's Day Tunnel of Love Printable {free}

I decided to give it a shot and make my own printable for Valentine's Day.  I always use PicMonkey to edit my photos for my blog, so I figured making my own art wouldn't be that hard.  I used some royalty free clipart found online and a little creativity.
What's more romantic than the tunnel of love?  It reminds me of innocent, young love at a county fair or carnival.

Click below to print or download my printable, then hang or frame anywhere!

Click here for PDF

Enjoy!

The Liebster Award!!

Yesterday I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Tabitha from A Hundred Tiny Wishes, my new blogland friend and Valentine's Day Swap Box Bloggertine {but more on that later!} I am so excited to have been nominated, this totally made my week!

For those of you who do not know what the Liebster Award is, it was started by bloggers to nominate new bloggers in order for them to gain recognition and a boost to keep them going.


The Rules:

• You must link back to the person who nominated you
• You must answer the 11 questions given to you by the nominee before you
• You must 11 pick nominees with under 200 followers to answer your questions
• You cannot nominate the person who nominated you
• You must tell the nominees that they have been nominated by you

My Questions from Tabitha:

How long have you been blogging?

I posted my first blog post on November 5th, 2013.{check out the post here} However, I officially joined blogland a month before that. It just took me that long to make it look perfect before my first post went live! I read up on HTML coding and formatting in order for everything to run smoothly.

What is the story behind your blog name?

I named my blog The Dreams Weaver, where dreams become reality. I work all day everyday, and nights and weekends are me time to do what I want to do and not have to answer to anyone. And let's be honest, when I get home from work all I want to do is be lazy. The “Dreams” is for my weekly dreams of what I want to do creative/crafty/DIY/fashion and never have time to accomplish, thus a dream until the weekend rolls around. The “Weaver” is for the fashion designer in me for sewing and designing {which I have yet to show on my blog.}

Who is/was the most influential person in your life?

My mom was definitely the most influential person when I was growing up. She was always there for me when I needed someone; she helped me with school dilemmas, broke up sister fights, and gave good fashion advice.  Recently, my mom wrote and self-published her own book The Dead Game, and has gained followers.  She's taught me that you can do anything you set your mind to.
 Still till today I sometimes need her even though we're 150 miles apart.

Do you have any pets? Tell us about them.

Yes, we rescued a black “Shepherd mix” {or so they called him} from BARCS {Baltimore Animal Rescue} in August of 2012. When I laid eyes on him, I knew I wanted him. When I met him, they told us he was just brought in the day before off the streets of Baltimore. The shelter named him Happy Feet, and for a good reason! When we took him in the play room at the shelter, all he wanted to do was play ball or tug of war with me. I wanted to take him home that instant and get him out of the uncomfortable and noisy kennel he was placed in, but we were told that there was a 3 day hold period incase his prior owners came looking for him. I impatiently waited until he was mine.

We decided to name him Jet; it's an easy name for a dog to catch on to and short when you need to set him straight. He has also grown into a new meaning for the word; he jets around the house like a wind up toy with no end. He is almost 2 years old, and I figured he would be leaving his “terrible 2s” as you call them, but he still has as much energy as when we first got him.

When we first brought him home, he looked 100% lab {not sure why they called him a Shephard mix}, but as he's gotten older he has some boxer characteristics and mannerisms. For now, we classify him as a Boxador, but who knows, his features may change in another year!

If you could attempt to do something, and not fail, what would you attempt?

I would have followed through with my application to the Fashion Design school at the Fashion Institute of Technology instead of Fashion Merchandising Management. Ever since I was little it was my dream to go to the Fashion Institute and study to become the next great designer. However, when I got to high school and college application time rolled around, my dreams were shattered. I was told that in order to apply, I needed an entire collection designed, sewed, and completed for an in person interview.
While I had taken every Summer class that the Fashion Institute offered for high school students, a 1 month timespan to magically whip up an entire collection during my senior year and 3 AP classes was definitely {as Tim Gunn puts it} not a “Make it Work” moment.
If I could go back in time, and know that whatever I threw together would get me in the design door, graduate, and become a great designer, I would definitely jump on that!

What is your favorite memory?

When I was growing up, every Summer my family would go down to the Jersey Shore the week before my sister and I started school again. We would stay at the same hotel at the end of the Wildwood boardwalk right off the ocean. During the days we would either go swimming at the pool, hang out on the beach, or take a ride down to Cape May and go shopping.
My favorite part was going to the boardwalk at night. There were store after store selling anything you can think of from souvenir type items to tattoos to expensive jewelry. There were also 3 piers of rides. Till this day I can still hear the tram car that went up and down the boardwalk saying “Watch the tram car please.”

If you had to choose between makeup and hair products (shampoo, etc. not included), which would you choose?

I would hands down choose my hair products! Most days I don't even where makeup, so I can definitely live without it. On the other hand, my hair products are my essentials. You cannot manage curly hair without some mousse or frizz serum, or straighten my hair without heat protectant spray.

Do you have a significant other? How did you meet?

Yes, my husband Ari. We met 6 years ago when I was a senior in high school and he was in undergrad in NYC. My friends and I decided to go into the city for a holiday party at a college where we knew some people. That's where I met him, we hung out a little bit. We didn't really talk much after, just Facebook messaged back and forth until he decided to finally ask me on a date the following month...and the rest is history!

Favorite animal?

Dog, no maybe cat....I really love all animals and its hard to just choose one. Maybe a tiger, they are so graceful when they walk and just beautiful to look at. If I could have a tiger as a part I probably would!

Do you have any hobbies, besides blogging?

I love drawing, sketching, and painting sceneries; it really relaxes me. I also like to design my own clothing {or dog clothing!} and sew it.
My new found talent is baking. To me, it's like edible art which is way tastier than regular art. If it would stop being so cold and icy out I would love to go horseback riding, hiking with the hubby and pup, or go swimming.

Top three favorite blogs/bloggers.

My mom's blog The Dead Game  
The Princess and Her Cowboys
IHeart Organizing

My Liebster Nominees:

Melanie @ Melanie Gets Married
Ashley @ Pioneer Momma
Lindi @ Sweet Southern Sparkle
Darcy @ The Ruffled Stitch
Amanda @ Mommy is Coocoo
Kayla @ Say Not Sweet Anne
Elizabeth @ Real Inspired
Jacqueline @ Creative Outpour
Kylie @ Absolutely Arkansas
Katie @ The Fashion Bite

My Questions to the Nominees:

1. Why did you start your blog, and what does the title mean to you?
2. What is your dream job if you can do anything?
3. Where would your ideal vacation be?
4. What is your go to outfit that makes you feel great?
5. What is your guilty pleasure?
6. What is your favorite season and why?
7. What is your favorite TV show/movie?
8. Do you like shopping? If so, what and where?
9. What is your favorite meal to make?
10. Who do you look up to?
11. What advice can you give to new bloggers?

Nominees, please leave a link to your post in the comments I would love to see your answers after!

Valentines' Day Shadowbox Card

Today I am participating in the 14 Days of Valentines hosted by Britney from The Princess and Her Cowboys.

For this Valentine's Day I wanted to make my husband his card, and I wanted it to be something with meaning behind it and not all those lovey dovey poems that are all so generic! The idea for my card came from the setting where my husband proposed to me. It was a gorgeous nature preserve out on Eastern Long Island in New York in early Fall. The trees canopied over the trail and the rays of sunshine peeked through slightly. I wanted to recreate our magical day in a shadowbox 3D effect card. There is nothing better than giving the one you love something homemade and from the heart. This card can be personalized with your Valentine's initials 'carved' into the tree. Check out my easy tutorial for the perfect Valentine's Day card! 

What you will need:

1 sheet of red card stock

2 sheets of white card stock

Ruler

Glue stick

Craft knife

Velcro {optional}

Download the below PDFs; the first page on red card stock{the red outer card}, and the last two on white card stock.

Using a craft knife and a ruler, cut along all the dotted lines on all 3 sheets.

Score along the remaining solid lines of each of the three pieces. The scored lines will be on the interior of the shadowbox and will not be seen.

Fold the outer red card cover with the printed lines towards the inside. The larger rectangle tab should be on the outside and glued over the smaller tab.
Tip: Personalize your card further by writing a message along the inside of the red cover. If you choose to write a message like I did, close the cover using velcro strips instead of glue so your card will be able to open and close.

Place the smallest white section {folded sides facing down} inside the right side of the larger white piece. Add a little glue to the left and right tabs of the small white piece {do not add glue to the top and bottom 1/4″ of each side- leave it glue free as the tabs from the larger white piece will need to be glued into it.} Add glue to the outside of the right side tab of the large white piece. Close the box and press all sides that have glue. The right side tab of the large piece of white paper should be tucked under the larger rectangle tab from the opposite side. Close the top and bottom, adding glue to all the tabs. The tabs should slide in between the inner and outer pieces of paper.

You can also cut out a small red heart by hand and attach it to the tree trunk in the center of the card (and personalize it with your initials!)

Now, patiently await only a short 11 more days for Valentine's Day to really surprise the one you love!

Touchdown Football Cookies

My husband and I were invited to our friend's Superbowl party today. I want to just put it out there, neither one of us are the biggest sports fans. But, we decided to go to be good sports and sociable. It's a potluck dinner too! {that could also be one of the reasons why we agreed to it, good food good company!} I agreed to bring a dessert. What better for a Superbowl party than football shaped cookies! {I hope there's nothing better} I left out any team colors or logos as to not offend anyone's team! I hope they're a touchdown tonight!

What you will need:

For the cookies:
1 cup margarine or butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder

For the glaze:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
3-4 tsps baking cocoa
4-5 TBSP hot water
Cake Mate white icing

In a large bowl, cream margarine and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla.

Combine in the flour and baking powder, gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours, or until easy to handle. I refrigerated my dough overnight.

Once the dough has set up, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly flour the surface to roll the cookies out onto. Roll the dough to roughly 1/8" in thickness. Cut with a football-shaped cookie cutter, or free hand cut with a knife. Place the cookies 2" apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.

For the glaze, combine the confectioner's sugar, cocoa, and enough hot water to get a good spreading consistency. Beat the glaze until smooth.

Spread the chocolate glaze over the top of the cookies using the back of a spoon. Let the glaze set up on the cookies before adding the white lace detailing.

For the white lacing, I used a tube of Cake Mate white icing, and piped the lace detailing onto the cookies.

{You can also make your own the same way you made the chocolate glaze- mix the confectioner's sugar and hot water until smooth, set aside 3 TBSPs of the white glaze for the laces then add the cocoa to the remaining glaze. Add the white glaze to a bag, cut the tip off and pipe onto the cookies}

Enjoy!