sweet treats: inside out chocolate strawberries

hope everyone had a great weekend!  mine was pretty low key...caught up on some of my shows, created some new pretties, colored my hair...AND made some delish sweet treats!
now we all know that i love anything sweet and because i've been so into valentine's day this year (why i have no idea), i wanted to make something that would be cute as a little vday gift, so i made

INSIDE OUT CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRIES

don't you hate when you eat chocolate covered strawberries and you take a bite and the chocolate falls all over the place...nothing romantical about that!  these are a fun little twist where the chocolate goes on the inside...much easier to eat, and so cute!



all you need to do is cut off the tops of the strawberries and then scoop or cut out most of the inside.  then add melted chocolate of your choice (i used pink wilton candy melts) and use an empty egg carton to store your strawberries in.  i also added some edible glitter to the top to make them a little more fun!


since i had some leftover chocolate i made some chocolate covered red vines as well!  is it just me, or do red vines taste way better than twizzlers?




don't these make cute little gifts for vday?  let me know if you try them out!
we also have our Yellow Heart Art giveaway winner...
Elizabeth Stevens!!!
thanks to everyone who participated and stay tuned for more giveaways next month!

be pretty~melis







fashion friday: short, but sweet

ok so lets be honest...
i make hair pretties...at home...all day long...
which means i wake up, shower and get pretty, and then end up back in my pj's...i mean why put on real clothes if i'm not really leaving the house?  this also means that sometimes when i do have errands to run, even if it's just running out to get more starbucks, i tend to dress up a little more because i'm so used to being in pj's...oh the life of a work from home pretty maker.







can i also point out that i cannot bend over in this skirt....or really sit down...this is definitely a stand only skirt...that probably shouldn't even be worn in public, but that's why i paired it with bows...
short, but sweet!

headband: mila rose designs
bow cardi: urban outfitters
arm candy: mila rose designs
chain necklace: lori's 
chambray button down: gap (similar here)
skirt: forever 21
shoes: calvin klein 

also today is the last day to enter our yellow heart art GIVEAWAY!!!  so go win some fab swag!!

be pretty~melis

yellow heart art giveaway!!

i'm super excited today!!  why you ask??  well....
a) this is my first official giveaway on the blog
AND
b) it's from the amazing leonora from Yellow Heart Art

via



i mean if those faces don't prove that she's the coolest girl ever, i don't know what to tell you...
well, except that she's a graphic design genius...hello have you seen my logo?!?
plus she makes some of the cutest prints (of which i own more than i would like to admit), plushes, jewelry, and now stamps...i mean what can't this girl do?

and because she's so awesome she's giving away some of her goodies
(minds out of the gutter people)
to one lucky winner!!

one person will win:

the "hello gorgeous" blowdryer print
(which i totally own and am obsessed with)


AND
the wooden bow necklace
(which i totally want to own and am equally obsessed with)



want to win?  fill out the form below!  good luck!  
(giveaway is open to US residents only and will end Jan 25th)


i've got a flare...

over the weekend i was going through my closet and realized that about half of my closet consists of all things black and gray.  now normally this would not be a problem because winter would be in full swing back in illinois and i would basically be living in black and gray because it would be cold and depressing.  however i'm finding myself conflicted because apparently "winter" is ending in san antonio  and it's warm...and sunny...and i just feel weird wearing so much black....but i couldn't get rid of it completely...so i just added a little flare...







hair ponies: mila rose designs
necklace: thrifted
cardi: gap
top: kensie
bracelets: mila rose designs
bow ring: henri bendel
jeans: hudson from twist boutique
shoes: jessica simpson from macy's

be pretty~melis

mini deep dish pizza

yes i know it's friday and i should be doing a fashion friday post, but i've been a little sickly for the past two days and i'm just not feeling any picture taking...so this friday is going to be a 
FOODIE FRIDAY!!!

it's no secret that i love food...probably a little too much...and pizza is one of those foods i could eat every day.  one of the biggest things i miss about chicago has got to be, deep dish pizza.  i'm telling you, it does not exist in san antonio and it makes me want to cry.  i mean, how am i supposed to live without my deep dish pizza?  that's like asking me to live without bravo and the real housewives...i just can't do it.

so last week instead of ordering gross yucky pizza, we made our own little mini deep dish pizza's, and while it was no lou malnati's or giordano's, they were delish!!




here is what you need to make these mini bites of goodness...
ingredients:
olive oil
flour
pizza dough (store bought or homemade)
spices
shredded mozzarella 
pizza sauce
desired toppings (meats, veggies, etc.)

directions:
preheat oven to 450 degrees and brush a muffin tin with olive oil.  on a floured surface roll dough pieces into a 6 inch round and place into muffin tin.  make sure and press the sides and bottoms into the tin...now i was lazy and just used store bought dough, but feel free to make your own.  

to make these like real deep dish pizza we put the sauce on top for some of them...so once dough is in tins fill them up with desired toppings.  we did green pepper and onion, pepperoni, and just cheese and then place your pizza sauce on the top.  sprinkle with your fave pizza spices (we LOVE the pizza seasoning from penzeys).

then bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes and let cool 2 minutes before removing.  super easy and super mouthwatering!  happy cooking!!


be pretty~ melis



fashion friday: maxed out

this week has been rough.  i've been working really hard on some side projects that i'll be sharing soon and trying to ignore the feeling that my face is going to explode.  apparently in san antonio it's cedar allergy time...and of course i'm majorly affected.  it sucks...big time, but i put on my happy face because it is FASHION FRIDAY and since i'm totally "maxed out" i thought a maxi skirt would be the perfect comfy cute look!








headband: mila rose designs
swing sweater (similar): h&m
 ponies/bracelets: mila rose designs
chiffon maxi: forever 21
MIA leopard sneakers (similar): lori's

be pretty~melis



hearts and ponies

the "big love" sequin heart headband is BACK!!
i must really love you guys because each of these little sequins is sewn by hand...
one by one...
over and over...
you get the point...
so show me some love and rock this pretty in...



and because you were asking we added some new sets of ponies!  
i still don't understand how you could wear these all day and not get any creases or weird funky lines in your hair, but you don't...and that makes me happy!  woohoo!!

be pretty~melis

well isn't this lovely?

well, we made it through xmas and new years and now it's time to prepare for chocolate goodness, sugary sweetness, and mushy gooey love....
i'm a big fan of dressing up for holidays...i do love that little element of cheesiness...and valentine's day makes it so easy.  i mean it's red and pink and hearts...a girly girls dream!
so for anyone else that loves to wear their heart on their...um head...then we made this for you!




quantities are limited so stock up!  available here

be pretty~melis

white chocolate chip chocolate cookies

say that three times fast...
since i've moved to texas i've been a baking machine!  i loooooove baking...it totally relaxes me, and it's a perfect distraction for when i need a little mrd creating break...i mean you can only sit for so long and hand wrap headbands...and sometimes you just need a spoonful of raw cookie dough.  yum!

so today i whipped up some amazingly yummy...


it's okay to drool a little...they are that good...and super easy to make!

here's what you need to make this chocolate goodness:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened 
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
a bag of white chocolate chips (get the ghirardelli brand...so much better)

and now the fun part:
preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (less dishes that way).
in a large bowl mix butter and both sugars until well blended.  beat in eggs one at a time and then beat in vanilla.  in a smaller bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.  stir flour mixture into the butter mixture just until blended and then fold in white chocolate chips.  
drop by rounded tablespoons full onto baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.  cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely...then eat away!!




be pretty~melis




fashion friday: singin' in the rain

i know i keep complaining about the weather, but seriously it's been so gross out.  now don't get me wrong...i LOVE a good rainy day to just cozy up inside and watch movies and create, but i thought when i moved to texas there wouldn't be this ugly winter time...you know where the sun doesn't come out, and your hair gets all full of static, and you just don't feel like putting on real clothes because pjs just fit with your mood...oh the winter blues...i'm over you.

on a happier note, as i attempt to be more consistent with the blog, i thought i would attempt weekly outfit posts...
three cheers for
FASHION FRIDAY!!
(i'm a nerd, i know)
what makes this even more interesting is that i haven't bought any new clothes in the longest time!  partly because i keep thinking that i'm going to get into shape...which means i should probably stop eating cookies for breakfast...and partly because why buy new clothes when i'm inside making pretties all day and can stay in pjs...right?

and even though it was an ugly gloomy yuck day, i was secretly happy that it was raining because that meant...fuchsia hunters!!









sweater: h&m
layering slip: free people
leggings: gap
wellies: hunter
bag: nordstrom

be pretty~melis