Fourth of July Flag Cake

I first saw this cake on Sarah's blog and knew I had to give it a try!  Elissa at 17 and Baking (and her father) are the creative genius' behind this beautiful cake.  

Since I was trying this for the first time (and wasn't sure if it would turn out), I used a basic white cake mix and poured it into three 9 inch round cake pans.   

The recipe directions are per Elissa at 17 and Baking...
To make the cake, you use three layers of white cake.  Using food coloring, one layer is dyed blue, one red and the last layer is kept white.  The three layers are leveled so they are all the same height.  Each layer is about 2 inches tall.

Using a serrated knife or cake leveler, slice the red and white layers horizontally in half. So you have a blue layer (2″), two red layers (each 1″), and two white layers (each 1″). Set one white and one red layer aside, those will be the bottom two stripes of the flag.


You only want a square of blue in each slice, not an entire layer. Stack the blue layer, white layer, and red layer on top of each other. Using a serrated knife, cut a large circle through all three layers. I used a bowl as a guide. Now you have a ring of blue (2″), a ring of white (1″), a ring of red (1″), and three inner circles in each color (the blue is 2″ and the other two are both 1″).  Save the inner circle of blue and the outer rings of red and white.  I'll explain why in a minute...


To assemble the cake, frost the bottom two layers together – set the uncut white layer on a plate and spread with frosting. Top with the uncut red layer. Spread the uncut red layer with frosting, then set the blue ring on top. Use a spatula to spread a very, very thin layer of frosting around the inside edge of the blue ring. This will help keep the blue layer and the two top stripes together.


Place the white inner circle on top of the uncut red layer, inside the ring of blue. Frost, and top with the red inner circle. Frost the entire cake and voila, it’s a flag cake!


So, back to why you keep the parts you cut away.  Once you cut the layers, there is quite a bit of "waste" involved with this cake.  Don't throw it away!  You can save it for serving with ice cream, making a layered cake trifle with whipped cream and berries!  Be creative!  :)


Okay, now for the frosting... the best part!  When making the frosting, the cream cheese can actually be used straight from the fridge, no need for it to be at room temp!  Here it is, plain, but the flavor combinations are endless… add zest or juice or grated ginger or extract or whatever you’d like! 

For the frosting:

16 oz. cream cheese

10 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 t. vanilla extract

4 c. powdered sugar, sifted

Place the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer. Cream together until well-combined and fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing very well to combine and make a smooth frosting.

The frosting can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Be sure to allow enough time for the frosting to come to room temperature before using.

The best part about the frosting is that you can use cold cream cheese... straight from the fridge!  Here it is, plain, but the flavor combinations are endless… add zest or juice or grated ginger or extract or whatever you’d like!  

It turned out great and it is so delish!  Now, if you don't mind, I've attached several pictures of this patriotic masterpiece!  My family and I LOVE fruit so I donned her with raspberries and blueberries!  YUM!  Hope you try it out! 

I'm linking up to Rhoda's Home May'd Recipes Link Party!  

Before and After: Metal Tile Transformation

I'm excited to share one of my favorite transformations with you.  As I mentioned in a previously post, I purchased these four tiles at Kirkland's a few years ago.  At the time, they were the perfect colors for the room and went well with my window panels.  Well, let me just say... this girl needed a change.  In my opinion, the red was too bold for such a big room.  I wanted a more relaxing space, it's true what they say about color, it can go a long way toward setting the mood and energy in a room.

I knew I wanted to keep the tiles because of their size and style.  I've seen old architectural tiles at local antique shops and thought I could give them a similar look.  First, I started by priming the walls.  I needed to start with a clean slate to know just what color to use... that's how I roll.  My daughter helped me prime over the red... princess style!  :)

For the walls, I chose a beautiful grey blue by Behr called Silver Tinsel.  I love this color! It's the perfect shade! After two coats on all three walls, I knew painting the tiles an off white would make them pop! Helpful tip: When painting over red (or any dark/bold color), use a tinted primer that is 70% of your new wall color.

I scuffed up each tile with a 220 grit sand paper to help the primer stick.  Then, I gave each one 2 coats of Sherwin Williams Dover White.  I decided to distress them to give them that shabby vintage feel.  I took a rag and put my beloved Ralph Lauren Smoke glaze all over, then whipped it off.  Are you ready for the before and after?  Okay, one more time...  Here's the before:

And the after:

The room is still a work in progress, but toning down the walls with a more relaxing color made a HUGE difference. I'll give you a peek of how it looks now (minus the Christmas tree, of course).  I haven't done anything but hang panels.  Stay tuned to see what I plan to do with this room!

On a recent trip to Goodwill, I discovered this clock for $3 dollars!  I've been searching for a wall clock for our master bathroom.  I love the detail!  Come back and see what I did with her!  Hope you're having a great day!

Flower Mirror

Happy Monday to you!

So I promised a post about some projects I've done in our home and can't wait to show you what I did with this round mirror I found at Hobby Lobby for 50% off!  Woo-Hoo!

We're using the nursery furniture in our daughter's room, it's very gender neutral, so part of it is still in our son's room.  We purposely purchased two dressers so we could split the set for the two kids.  The dresser we moved out of the nursery did not have a mirror, so I knew once I found the perfect one I'd give it some girlish charm.

Her room has a floral theme - Pottery Barn Kids "Mallory," so I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this mirror as soon as I saw it's shape and size.  After spray painting her with Krylon's "Ballet Slipper," I centered her above the dresser.  Then, I took some 12x12 sheets of card stock and cut random petals for my template, making sure the petals were the right size for the mirror.

I placed them around the mirror with tape and began tracing each one until I liked the spacing.  Then with my coordinating paint, Valspar's High Noon, I began painting each petal, using my pencil lines as a guide.  I kept the mirror in place as I painted each petal, so as not to lose the center.  You'll have to forgive my lack of pictures, I'm still new at the whole "document as I go" process.  :)

And here she is!  I'm so thrilled with the outcome!  The mirror ties in with the bedding and is the perfect finishing touch for the room.  I've searched for a picture of the bedding and unfortunately do not have one available.  The lamp shade shows you the fabric that inspired me.

I hope to create a gallery wall of pictures and her art on the adjacent wall.  I've been collecting frames of different sizes at my local thrift shops.  As soon as I complete my collection, I'll be posting the reveal.  Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a great week!

         I'm linking up to the Home May'd spray paint party at Thrifty Decor Chick

I love your feedback.  Let me know what you think!

Sneak Peeks...

Hope you all are having a great weekend!  It's in the mid-70's here, perfect weather for doing some much needed yard work!  I wanted to share a few pics with you, to give you some insight as to what I'll be posting in the following weeks.

Here is a mirror I found at Hobby Lobby for 50% off!  She was a steal at $12!  I know, not very exciting right now, but stay tuned to see it's new makeover and where her new home will be!  

This is one of four tiles I purchased at Kirkland's several years ago that no longer work in my home.  Their colors were gold, brown, red and green.  They worked well when the room shared those colors, but I have since gone in a new direction and they needed a change!  I love the designs of each tile, so I knew with a little sanding, painting and distressing they would be perfect!  A few of my friends have the same ones and have asked me to help them revamp theirs too!  Stay tuned to see what I did with these beauties!

Well, I'm off to do some more yard work while the little one is snoozing.  Hubs and I are taking turns doing outdoor chores and entertaining the kids.  It's my turn to dig in the dirt! Be back soon to share my reveals!

Let's Get To Bloggin'!

Now that I have this blog thing underway, I'm so excited to share the many projects I've been working on.  Projects relating to painting, building storage, revamping and my latest Craigslist find!  In the next few weeks, I hope to share my ideas, inspirations and my works in progress.  Stay tuned...