Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes... Oh Yeah they are good!

Who doesn't like a yummy moist cupcake, perfectly iced with a huge glob of freshly made frosting?  This summer, my kids and I came up with an awesome recipe for soft and spongy cupcakes that are lower in fat and sugar and still taste AMAZING!!!

Here is what you will need to make my Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes...

 

Ingredients:

1 box of Ultra Moist (low sugar) Devils Food cake mix

2 Vegetarian Egg

2 cups of Almond Milk or Coconut Milk (instead of whole milk or cream)

2 tablespoons of Country Crock spread OR I cant Believe Its Not Butter (instead of real butter or oil)

1 cup of peanut butter (the more natural the better. I used sugar free Skippy this time cause it's what I had handy)

Directions:

Prepare the batch of batter to the specifications on the back of the box of mix.  BUT you need to substitute the regular milk for almond or coconut, substitute the oil for the shed spread.

Instead of using 1 egg, I used 2 for extra protein AND it helps to make the batter fluffier making it a softer finished product.

When mixing the batter, i like using something that adds air to the mix. I use a simple hand held stick mixer but try to leave it a little lumpy. (Trust me, there is a great reason for this - its helps the cake to stay moist).

Once the batter is ready, spoon it into a cupcake tin that has been sprayed down with PAM or another fat free low calorie cooking spray.  Now it's time to spoon in the peanut butter into the center of each raw cupcake.  Put about a tablespoon in each one and then you are ready to bake!

Again, refer back to the box for cooking time and temperature on this one.

Once the cupcakes are baked, make sure that you let them cool down before you frost them.

For the frosting, I make my vanilla creme icing using truvia (or a similar sugar substitute), low fat cream cheese, vanilla extract and a couple tablespoons of almond milk. Here are the measurements...

1 cup of Truvia

1 8oz container of low fat or fat free cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons of Almond Milk

Start by putting the cream cheese into your stand mixer, and slowly add the cup of truvia.  When it has been completely mixed in, add your vanilla and your almond milk. Mix on high till it forms a stiff creamy peak.

I messy frosted mine and added a few sugar free peanut butter cup chunks over the top to finish them off. I have to admit that these are some of the best cupcakes I have ever had. The chocolate cake is soft and moist, the peanut butter inside gives it that smoothness you crave in a peanut butter cup, and the vanilla cream icing really tops it off with perfect fluffy sweetness :-) 

Bon apetit!

Exfoliate - EVERYWHERE! (And I mean everywhere!)

Those that know me, know that I am big on health, and the organic way of living, eating and cleansing.   Which is why I started my own line of bath and beauty products that are free of harsh chemical or perfumes. (www.skincandysoap.com)  I also do a great deal of reading on holistic remedies and natural alternatives to help with common issues that we all face today.

I was recently reading an article on the benefits of natural sugars on skin and how exfoliating those tough dry spots on your body, will help to regenerate new skin.  This is something I have known about all my life.  My grandmother has been exfoliating her skin since she was a young girl in Cuba.  They used simple products that were found in your kitchen pantry.  Like for example, using uncooked oatmeal and making it into a thick paste with a cup of milk and some honey will help to take away facial blemishes and exfoliate without scratching your skin.   This is a remedy that I have been suing on my skin since I was a teenager, and I'd like to think it was the reason that I barely had any pimples, and have extremely healthy skin even today at the age of 37.

Most people think of exfoliating as taking a shower poof with some liquid soap and going to town on your body.  Or using super abrasive scrubs on the "tough" spots on your skin, like your heels, elbows and knees, is all you really need to do to rid yourself of calluses and dry dead skin. These are just two of the major misconceptions of exfoliation.  Proper exfoliation takes certain steps. And you certainly don't want to use just anything to tenderize your parts!  So lets talk about some of the Do's and Don't before we get to a great step-by-step process of my favorite exfoliating recipe and process!

Let's begin with the DON'Ts:

~ Don't use dry scrubs.  Lets face it, you are not dry rubbing a piece of meat to cook! This is YOUR SKIN!  The largest and most sensitive organ on your body.

~ Don't use Sea Salt or anything in the "Salt" category.  Salt is a natural de-humactant. This means that it pulls moisture out of anything it touches.  Just think about this, Salt is used in packing meat to draw the water out of it (so it doesn't spoil) and you aren't a piece of meat!  Your skin NEEDS moisture, and the worst think you can do is rub coarse, drying salt on it.  Just don't do it!

~ Don't use anything you wouldn't eat.  Plain and simple...your skin "eats" or drinks, rather.  anything you put on your skin will be digested and taken into your cells through your pours. If you are putting things like petroleum jelly, baby oil or Castor oil on your skin, you are inadvertently ingesting all these toxic chemicals.  If you would eat any of these products, believe me, you will be running straight to the restroom with crazy stomach and intestinal paid and could land you in the hospital.  So, again, nothing on your skin you wouldn't eat.

~ Don't scrub so hard!  To get a good exfoliation of any part of your skin, all you need to do is rub the scrub with just a little pressure in a circular pattern.  If you scrub too hard, you will scratch the good skin and can cause irritation to your epidermis.


Here is what you should DO to properly exfoliate your skin:

~ Always exfoliate on wet skin, using a moist exfoliator.  Whether you are using a loofah with some softening lotion, or you are using a natural sugar scrub, make sure that it has good oils in it, like olive oil, coconut oil or grape seed oil (that also has loads of vitamin E)

~ Use Sugar based scrubs that are made with natural brown unrefined sugar.  Sugar is milled in a finer fashion that salt, and it won't dry your skin.  It's also in amazing anti-fungal and anti-bacterial!

~ Use dairy or coconut products whenever you can to add moisture to your skin.  Using plain yogurt, full fat whipping cream, coconut oil, or even coconut milk as your liquid additive adds and lock in moisture and because of the natural lactic acids, it helps to nourish your skin!

~ Use a natural lotion after exfoliating to protect the newly exposed healthy skin.  Do this especially if you are going to be in the sun for the rest of the day. Using products that contain REAL Shea Butter are best since Shea Butter provides a natural SPF to protect against sunburning.

So here is my recipe and regimen for healthy and proper exfoliating for anywhere on your body!

Here is what you will need to make the scrub: (This will work for any skin type)

*2 Cups of Natural Organic Brown Sugar

*1/4 Cup of Grape Seed Oil (For Vitamin E)

*1/4 Cup of Coconut Milk (for moisture)

*2 Tblsp of Coconut Oil (Organic expeller pressed is the best)

*1 Tsp of Jojoba Oil or Sweet Almond Oil (for Protein infusion) Optional

Take all of your ingredients and mix them together to create a thick paste.  This makes enough for 3 applications of a full body exfoliating process so you might want to purchase an airtight glass container to store this in. Make sure to put it in the either the fridge or a cool, dry, dark place. Since it contains Coconut Milk (and coconut milk has water) it can get moldy if left in sunlight or in a humid bathroom!

To begin the exfoliating process, I first prep the area.  I typically do this in the shower. I bathe first, shave any areas that need shaving (ie, legs, underarms, my who-ha :-) and so on...)

Once I am clean and shaven, I begin on the toughest spots like my feet (particularly my heels), then work up to my legs.  And yes ladies, I even exfoliate my woman parts (on the outside only),  especially if you shave!  I do my arms and elbows and tummy and chest (very lightly here). The last portion I exfoliate is my face and neck, paying special attention to my chin, nose and areas around my hair line.  These are the places on your face that seem to gather the most dirt and oil.

When I finish exfoliating, I rinse everything off with luke warm water and pat my skin dry with a nice soft towel.  After I'm nice and dry, I use my Creamy Coconut Lotion - https://www.etsy.com/listing/127069912/creamy-coconut-moisturizing-lotion

to ultra moisturize all my body parts!

I usually do all of this before going to bed at night.  It really is the best time to take care of your body and skin.  It allows your skin time to soak up all the good stuff you just fed it :-)

I hope you found this entry entertaining and educational!  If you would like to share your comments on your favorite exfoliating recipes, please feel free to share.

Happy Exfoliating!

Turn your worn out yoga pants into a cute skirt!

If you like to sew for fun and crafting, this project is really easy and literally only takes 20 minutes to accomplish with a basic sewing machine. Here is what you will need...

- Yoga pants of what ever length you have
- A good and sharp pair of scissors
- Thread color to compliment your fabric
- Sewing machine

First, take your pants and lay them out on a flat surface.  Make sure that you have them nice and stretched out and all the seams are even.  You are going to start by cutting the inseam of your pants down both legs.

Once both sides of your inseam and the crotch joint is cut and opened, fold your pants in half at the center seam like this...

Now you will take your scissors and cut from the point on the inseam that it starts to curve out.  You will cut upwards in a straight line towards the pant waist to cut off the triangular portion on the center seam that is pointing out. Make sure to cut as straight as possible so you won't have any funky bulges at the front and back of the skirt when it's finished.  You want to create and nice straight sewing line.

Once that portion is cut, unfold the pants and start to sew the edges closed.  I used a standard straight stitch on these. After sewing both sides to close up the skirt, I wanted to add a little flair to them so I cut the sides of the skirt to form two slits and I sewed the seams with a #5 zig-zag stitch. What this did, was bring in the fabric to create these pretty ruffled edges.  You can opt to leave it as is and it's the perfect maxi skit to couple with any cute top you might have!

I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial and wish you luck in your crafting adventures!  If you upcycled your own pants into a trendy skirt, I would LOVE to see your variations of this project!  Send me an e-mail at mojogirl76@gmail.com or leave a comment with a link to your photos or blog.

Remember to subscribe to my blog for more cool crafts, recipes and more!

XOXO - Melissa :-)

Tip of the day - How to get the most out of your favorite candles!

How many times have you purchased a candle that you absolutely love and you burn it so often that it doesn't last very long before the wick burns out and the wax left looks like this...

This is pretty common for natural soy candles (like the ones I make which are shown throughout this post).  Clearly, there is so much wax left that it would be a total waste to throw it out at this point.  Here is an easy and inexpensive way to continue to use your candle until the majority of the wax is used up and how to re-wick the candle so you can continue to burn your favorite scent!

First, you need to purchase some cotton wick.  I use the 100% cotton braided flat.  It's all natural and will burn clean.  You can purchase the wicks where they are already pre-measured and cut or buy a roll at your local craft shop.  It's fairly inexpensive, especially when you consider how much a new candle will cost you!

To melt down the rest of your candle wax, simply place it in your microwave and cook it on 100% power for 30 second increments until it's fully melted.  ***Important Note! - ONLY microwave the candle if it is in a glass container. PLEASE DO NOT MICROWAVE if it's in a metal container!!!!

If your candle is in a tin, or other type of metal based container, use a shallow cooking pot and place about 2 cups of water in it (or just enough to reach the mid point of your candle jar when submerged in the pot).  Set it to a boil and wait for the candle to melt.

Once your wax is completely melted, make sure you clean out any refuse left over from your old wick, so you have a nice clean candle to use when you are done.  At this point you should cut your wick (if it's not pre-cut) and measure it to just about an inch above the rim of your jar.  This will allow you to drape it over either a dowel, utensil, or something else long enough to go across the top of your jar to hold the wick straight up in place. Once you position properly and set the wick, leave it undisturbed for several minutes to ensure that it hardens evenly.

Once it has hardened completely, you will want to trim your wick down to a 1/2 inch from the top of the wax. And now you are ready to continue burning your candle.

**Another quick tip... once you have burned this NEW candle wick out, don't re-melt the wax.  You should never burn a candle all the way down to the bottom of the jar.  It can cause the glass to burst or if you have a tin jar, it will cause it to warp and open and could cause a fire.  Please discard your candle when you have 1/4 inch of wax left.

For more great tips, how-to's, tutorials and fun commentary, please subscribe to my blog!  If you would like to purchase these great natural soy moisturizing candles that I make, go to my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/trendytrinketsbymely

or at my website www.Skincandysoap.com.

Crafting To Relieve Stress (or just because i'm bored)

Hi!  My name is Melissa Neyor. I am a habitual crafter, and have been since the age of 5.  It all began when my grandmother grave me a square pot-holder loom for Christmas one year.  I turned a cheap gift into an all out business, and by the time I was 8, I was became a flourishing entrepreneur making and selling all kinds of useful crafts!  From pot holders to purses, my sewing, knitting and creative skills became highly developed at a young age. So instead of just making plain old pot holders with the set, I started sewing them together to make pencil holders, hand bags and change purses.  Little did I know that I started to shape trends not only at my local school level, but created some really cool stuff that transcended into the overall fashion market!  By the time I hit Junior High I had already sold hundreds of dollars worth of my pencil bags and purses, (and of course the good ol' pot holder), and I realized I was getting a little bored of that look, so I started on a whole new one...

When the market got stale for those cute pot holder weaves, I decided that I has to start making something that people could use every day, on themselves... maybe a bracelet!  So I took all of those unused nylon colorful loops and started creating unique woven designs to fashion them into bracelets.  Of course I didn't stop there.  I went from bracelets, to necklaces, to hair ties and headbands.  the possibilities of these little loops were endless, and every time I got bored, I created something new with them. But true to form, nylon loops weren't enough anymore.  Just like styles change in the fashion world for adults, tis the same for the younger consumer. 

This is me and my little sister. Yeah, she is wearing one of my earlier creations in plastic fashion jewelry. I was 10 here and she was about 4.  My how far we have come from the 80's... or have we?

So now at the age of 38, I have experienced so many fashionable, (and not so fashionable) trends.  I have seen them come in and out of style, and some come full circle. I am currently a professional jewelry designer attending art shows all over Florida and selling my wares to a much broader crowd of people (world wide actually) and enjoy the diverse group of people I deal with on a daily basis.  

Yes, I still get bored of the mundane. And, I strive to keep creating new things all the time to keep myself at the tippy-top of the fashion industry, as well as to keep my sanity!

This blog is dedicated to all those people out there with vision.  People who LOVE to craft and create as much as I do, and who share my passion for fashion!  Follow me and I will periodically post nee trends I've discovered from across the globe, to local finds that you can easily make at home for yourself, (Or if you want to expand on it and make it your very own!).

I will be posting video tutorials from my Trendy Trinkets workshop, as well as gem finds on youtube, or other locations on the internet that my readers need to know about :-)

Lets embark on this life long journey... Lets share ideas... and lets keep it TRENDY!

Visit my website to check out EVERYTHING I do at www.TrendyTrinkets.net.

Visit my Youtube channel and subscribe to see all the new tutorials as well as showcases of my newest fine jewelry pieces at http://www.youtube.com/user/trendytrinkets

AND visit my Etsy store to get your hands on some cool stuff!  https://www.etsy.com/shop/trendytrinketsbymely