Let's play a game

Can you guess what the following images have in common?

They're all paintings... Yep! Photorealisitc PAINTINGS. Artist Steve Mills is insanely talented. It's awe-inspiring, right?

Easy and delicious baking

There's been a lot of buzz on Pinterest lately surrounding an easy cake mix recipe which calls for 1 box of mix and 1 can of soda. Ditch the eggs, the water, the butter and whatever else the original recipe calls for and substitute the ingredients for a can of soda. How can such an easy recipe taste so delicious?

I must admit I had my doubts, but I had to give it a whirl. I decided to mix 1 can of ginger ale with a box of spice cake mix.  Most people were suggesting diet soda, but I don't like messing with aspartame so I went with regular.

The result: ahhhh-mazing.  Seriously, it was one of the fluffiest yet moist cakes I've ever eaten.  Unfortunately,  I attempted to make cupcakes w/o properly greasing the pans first so I ended up with a bunch of cupcake tops. That's when my creativity stepped in and I turned the tops into whoopie pies w/ a cream cheese filling. They were divine.  I'm bummed I didn't take photos... I was too focused on devouring my creation. I'll try to snap some pics next time.

Other cake mix + soda ideas:

• Chocolate w/ Cherry Coke
• Devil's Food w/ Dr. Pepper
• Vanilla w/ Orange
• Dark Chocolate w/ Root Beer
• Butter Pecan w/ Sprite 

Doggy bow ties

I think this little guy...

my pup, Louie

...needs one of these:

[via]

SO adorable, right? If you're as obsessed with these canine bow ties as I am, peruse Etsy for a bigger selection.

Paper hearts

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching! Have you already swapped out your Christmas decor for heart-shaped tchotchkes and pink/red accents? If you have, you're way ahead of me. I do, however, have some lovely heart bauble strands for sale on my Etsy shop.  Check 'em out!

Paper heart bauble strand

Keepin' up with time in 2012

Happy New Year! Whew, I can't believe another year has just begun! Anyone make resolutions this year? I'm not usually one to make resolutions since I know I'll inevitably break 'em anyway.  I am, however, setting goals (a less intimidating word than resolution) for myself, which are: write more, create more and explore more.

I recently read an article in Script Magazine about Jerry Seinfeld's productivity technique. He apparently sticks to his goals by marking a big, red X on a calendar every day he accomplishes his task. Jerry found drawing the X to be so rewarding that he deemed it a technique called "Don't Break the Chain." Once you start to create the ongoing chain of X's, you won't want to break the pattern and eventually your daily tasks become habit, thus setting you on the fast track to reaching your goals.

I like Jerry's idea so much that I think I'll give it a whirl. (Hopefully I'll find drawing the X as rewarding as he does). Here are some fun items to help keep us all on track to reaching our goals in 2012:

2012 Mayan Calendar Cards

Eclectic Desk Calendar

Valentina Bird Wall Calendar

Poster Calendar

Letterpress Calendar