Seashell Filled Milk Glass Lamp

Sometime last spring I found a milk glass lamp (while treasure hunting) that had a clear glass space in the middle. I didn't get the chance to share my poor little lamp until now, but read on to see it filled with lovely seashells:

New Lamp 

I can remember the exact garage sale where I found this lamp, but not the price.  I want to say it was around $2?  At first I was going to pass it up because I didn't care for the plasticky looking magnolia that was stuffed inside, but then I figured it couldn't be that hard to change it out and so I grabbed it thinking it would be a nice addition to the island in my closet room.

I went back and forth with different filler ideas; flowers, faux jewels, actual jewelry...and then I had a better idea: seashells!  I'm a big bath person and love ending the day with a hot soak, but I don't always appreciate the bright overhead lights of the bathroom.  I had been looking for some sort of smaller table lamp and here this one was right in front of me.  So instead of using it in a dressing room, I relocated it to the master bath...

Bathroom Counter Before

Here is a photo of the bathroom counter before the lamp.  I decided that the two smaller jars of seashells could go away to make some room.  Not only did that clear the space that I needed, but it also provided me with filler material for the lamp.

Side Note:  If you can see the framed photo on the counter, yes that's Husby, yes that is a shark that he caught fishing off of the beach, yes he threw it back and yes it swam away happily 😎

Seashells

I added this photo for a couple of reasons one, it's just pretty 😉 and two, I wanted to point out that no matter how long you have had your seashells, they always have to be cleaned before you do anything with them.  I don't know where they store all of it, but each time you move a seashell it seems like more sand appears!

Newly Filled

The parts to the vase unscrewed pretty easily.  I tossed out the tired magnolia, gave the glass a quick wipe down and refilled the void with the seashells.

I'm still looking for a small lamp for my closet, but I'm glad that I used this one in the bathroom instead.  And I really like the softer light it provides while I'm taking a bath.

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I hope you enjoyed this treasure hunting post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018

Curio Cabinet Restyle

I've had this curio cabinet for about 16 years now; it was a Christmas gift from my parents right after we were married.  I have always loved it -even picked it out myself- but it wasn't too long after receiving it that I began wishing it was painted out in white.  I'm just not a big fan of dark natural wood, so I've spent more than 15 years now imagining how much better it would look if I repainted it.

I was looking at it again a couple of weeks ago (wishing it was painted of course) when I remembered the china cabinet that I painted about a year and a half ago.  It wasn't that hard to do, and I still had paint left over so I gathered my courage and went for it:

It was fairly easy to complete; just clean, sand, clean and paint,
and only took about three days and two coats until finished.

I am so much more happy with it now and I absolutely love how much fresher and clean it looks, even the room looks brighter!  A new coat of paint can really go a long way towards updating a space with little cost 😉

(You can click here if you want to read about the china cabinet that I mentioned earlier)

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I hope you enjoyed this restyle post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018

How to Make a Surprise Cake - Easter Version

Last week I mentioned that when the kids and I colored eggs, we also made a Easter themed surprise cake.

(You can click here if you missed that post)

What's a surprise cake?  That's what I call a cake that looks like a standard cake, but when you cut into it a yummy surprise falls out of the center-
sort of like a pinata but without all of the sticks and beating 😆

Check out how easy it is to make one yourself:

Supplies

We used a boxed mix and pre-made icing along with chocolate bunnies and jelly bean 'eggs'.

After preparing the mix according to package directions we baked in inside of two standard round cake pans.

Step 1

Arrange your bottom layer onto the cake stand or surface that you will be using to serve the cake.

Step 2

Use a serrated knife to remove the center portion of the cake.

Side Note:  The pics in this post might show a bit of hastiness- I had three eager helpers and 3 dozen eggs being colored in the same afternoon so........😉

Step 3

Apply icing to this bottom layer of cake.  I went ahead and iced the center as well, just because I thought it looked a little nicer that way.

Step 4

Have your helpers toss in those jelly beans!

Step 5

Add the second layer of cake on top (I cut the center out of this layer before putting it into place) and fill in the rest of the way with jelly beans

Side Note:  Hang on to the center piece that you have removed, you will need it again in a minute.

Step 6

Remember that center piece?  

Trim it down to a thin layer and rest it directly on top of your jelly bean center.

Step 7

Now cover the entire cake with icing as you would with any other cake.

Tip:  Use care around the patch covering the jelly beans so you don't inadvertently break open the top of your cake.

Step 8

Now decorate!  

After seeing the cake in plain white, we thought it could use more color and raided the baking cabinet to find something pretty.

We ended up using green sprinkles around the bottom of our cake (to create the look of grass) and then added pastel colored confetti sprinkles on top.  Lastly, the kiddos carefully stuck the chocolate bunnies into place.

Bunny Close-Up

Isn't he cute?  He has no idea that his ears are going to be chomped off in about five minutes....😁

Overall, the cake turned out pretty cute.  Though I was a little disappointed that the bunnies were so much taller than the top of the cake.  I was thinking about this when I remembered that I have cake pan specifically designed to be taller, narrower and with an insert that creates a hollowed center....ah well, next time maybe!  😆

Surprise!

Now serve your cake and enjoy the surprise 🍭

Side Note:  Obviously, we used jelly beans, but you could substitute all kinds of candies or even small toys for a birthday party.

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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018