beautiful day

The weather was gorgeous today. Everything was just beautiful and it made me extremely happy. I had the pleasure of getting my bike out of the garage and riding it to class today! I  haven't been on my bike since the beginning of winter so it was quite a treat. Hopefully the next few days I will be able to ride my bike as well. Only in Iowa, where the weather is indecisive!



I also had some free time this afternoon to decorate some cake pops! Here is some inspiration for Valentine's Day treats!

365 days

365 days, 365 inspiring photos

Starting Wednesday February 1st I am starting a book just like the one in the photo and I will be filling it with a picture each day. I thought it would be an eye opening/ awe inspiring idea to take a moment each day and take a photo of something that inspires me and put it in a book. So, 365 days from this Wednesday I will have compiled a book of inspiration to look back on.

I challenge all of you to join me in this project and in 365 days I would love to see how it turned out for you.

cake pops

Friday morning always seem to end up being my baking time. This morning I made cake pops for the first time! I bought the babycakes cake pop maker which I give an A+. It works really really well! This weekend I am going to Okoboji for the winter games. I am so excited to spend time with my lovely boyfriend and my amazing best friend and all the other people I will see. So of course I needed to make something delish to bring with me. These turned out so beautiful! Luckily I had the other Abby offer up some colorful marshmallows to crush up and sprinkle on top of them. Props to her for the adorable idea!

Recipe:


1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C. butter (softened)
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. milk
2 tbsp. cocoa


1. combine flour, baking powder and salt. set aside
2. In a separate bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla
3. Alternately blend in flour mixture and milk into butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
4. Add 2 tbsp. cocoa
5. (if making in babycake maker) fill each reservoir with about 1 tablespoon of batter
6. Bake 4 to 5 minutes
7. allow to cool and decorate as desired.


(recipe is modified from the babycake book that comes with the maker)

best mail ever

Mail is one of my favorite things! I love when I get mail whether it is a card from my grandparents, a magazine, and especially packages! Today I received a cookbook I ordered through Amazon. Guess what kind of cookbook?? Cupcake!!! It is Betty Crocker's 'big book of cupcakes' and I am in love <3 I can't wait to put these recipes to use!

you are you

Here is a little inspiration from Dr. Seuss. Nothing could be more true than this quote. A little reminder to be proud of who you are and don't change for anyone. Keep this in mind whenever you need a little spirit lift!

 Found via Pinterest

have your cake and eat it too

Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes! I love love love them! Obviously you can tell that I am a little obsessed with cupcakes. However, I have a legit reason why I made these (not that you need to have any reason at all). You see, the thing about being an elementary education major is that we get to bring snacks to class! Today was my day to bring snacks for the entire class and of course I chose cupcakes! This class is in the morning and so I thought why not mix some type of breakfast food and cupcake together. Cinnamon roll cupcakes! Ta-Da! I cannot take all the credit for creating these though... the other Abby helped me make these since I had to make so many of them.

the process to make these is quite time consuming because you have to put a layer of batter in and then put the cinnamon mixture in and swirl it then repeat another layer of batter and cinnamon.

This is what it looks like when you swirl the cinnamon mixture in!

Found via Bakingdom

Indigo Wild

(image from Indigo Wild website)

Zum bars... Enough said. If you don't know what these are you're in luck because I am here to tell you about them. Zum bars are all-natural soap bars made from goats milk. (sounds iffy right?) I'm a big fan of all natural products so I frequent the co-op here in Ames, Iowa. It is fantastic! Which is where I found these Zum bars. I thought I would give them a try to see if they were as cool as they look. Lets just say I will never switch back to any other kind of soap. I LOVE this soap! I highly encourage you to seek these out and get one or a hundred for yourself!

They have many different scents, my personal favorite is the oatmeal lavender (picture below). Not only do these soaps feel amazing, they look really cool! They are made with multiple colors and some of them have a swirl effect.

Check out their website here

(image by me)

(image by me)

(image by me)

A talented friend of mine

Today I am going to share a little inspiration from my best friend's perspective. Another very talented lady by the name of Abby has put together these masterpieces to brighten up her room. 

She made two very large posters with magazine cut outs. One of the posters is covered in black and white magazine clips and the other is covered in color clips. 

Find Abby on Facebook for questions on how to make these for yourself! 

Contact Abby

Yarn Bowl...Get Creative!

If you have a bunch of random yarn scraps lying around this will be the perfect project for you!

This magnificent looking bowl is simply made from left over yarn. Such a creative idea! 

Check out Carolyn's Homework to learn how to do this project!
Found via The Crafty Crow

I challenge you to be crafty for an hour and put together this neat bowl. Share your pictures in the comment section of this blog post.

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Cake time :)

 

Hello lovelies! Today I had the pleasure of doing some baking. This weekend is my Grandma's birthday party and with my love of decorating I volunteered to make a cake. 

 

I even had enough batter to make a few of these little pretties <3 

Cake Recipe

Frosting Recipe

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Juicing

 A great healthy way to start your day is to get your fresh juice in! Imagine all the vitamins you can get from doing this. This is one of my favorite things to drink in the morning. It is SO refreshing! Usually I put in clementines, apples, grapes, and carrots. Sounds kinda weird huh? Don't knock it til you try it! 

Green Plate Rule has some great recipes for juicing! Hope you enjoy some fresh juice soon!

Recommendation for a juicer: 

Jack LaLane!

I own this juicer and I LOVE IT! It gets the most amount of juice out of the fruit that it can and it isn't too pricey! :) I bought mine at Best Buy.

New Beginning

Welcome to infinite illumination. I have been inspired to take my blog in a different direction. This blog has changed from the Abby's Originals blog to a blog about inspiration and my journey. My jewelry business will still be part of this blog because it is an important inspiring part of my life.

It is at that moment when you realize everything is lining up in your life that you come to terms that you no longer need to worry about the future. It is important to focus on today and let yesterday be a thing of the past. I have been inspired everyday by the beautiful life around me. I have made it my goal to continue to try new things and take every opportunity I get to do something that will amaze me.

Infinite illumination? Where does this name come from? The literal meaning is endless light. These two words put together have a very important meaning in my life; that I am living in the light of inspiration. I continually find inspiration around me and it is incredibly amazing and humbling. I hope to shed some light on the things that inspire me and hopefully inspire you to inspire others. <3