6 Gorgeous Cake Pop Recipes

We are huge fans of cake pops here at Two Cheeky Monkeys HQ (come on, who isn't?) and I would probably make these all the time if they were a little less fiddly.  Today I'm sharing a recipe roundup of six cake pop recipes you're sure to love, with something for everyone of all ages, including a great no bake version!

1. Planet cake pops - perfect for a budding astronomer!

2. Minion cake pops - need I say more?

3. One for those who love coloured sprinkles - funfetti cake pops

4. Got to love a no bake cake pop recipe - mint slice cake pop!

5. Lemon cake pops are not too sweet.

6. I'm in love with strawberry cake pops!

A special wine glass charm order

I recently worked on a large custom order which, while a little daunting, was something I am pleased I had the opportunity to do.  My customer wanted wine glass charms emblazoned with the logo of her about-to-be-opened homewares store on the NSW central coast.  These charms were to be used at the store's launch party/opening as a promotional gift to all attendees.

I love the simplicity and elegance of my customer's logo and we're both very happy with how the wine glass charms turned out.  I did, however, suffer a fair bit of stress making such a large number in such a short time frame.  Which was not helped by Australia Post's abysmal mail service which saw my supplies for making the charms take over a week to reach me in Melbourne from the next state of NSW.

But it's all done and dusted now, much to everyone's relief.  And I can't wait to see the charms in use at the launch party (as you can see, my customer decided to use a few of the charms as tags on her business card wallet)!

Lest we forget

In remembrance of all those who have fought so that others may be free.  Let us learn from the mistakes of past wars and not repeat them nor waste the efforts of those who have given so much in their service.

Image sources: stained glass window, ceramic brooches, porcelain flowers

Flashback to a button headband tutorial

I've been feeling a little nostalgic after taking the Cheeky Monkeys shoe shopping and finding that my once little babies are now sporting shoes the same size or larger than mine!  So today I'm flashing back to a tutorial from five years ago when I made rainbow button headbands for oldest Monkey's rainbow-themed birthday party.

These really are very easy to put together and will earn you "best ever" status from appreciative little ones who love colour, colour, colour!  Follow the link to find my tutorial and try it out.  You could even make a more sedate version for teens and older women!

Late to the tassel game...but better than never!

I know that tassels have been on trend for some time now, and although I love them about as much as any other trend-obsessed woman out there, I have yet to use them in any of my Two Cheeky Monkeys or Domum Vindemia creations.  I have finally rectified that problem with my latest, and possibly most favourite, creations: two locket necklaces featuring the cutest tassel charms!

There will be The Princess Bride and Jane Eyre versions - each version featuring possibly the most beloved quote from the respective books.  And my absolutely most favourite part?  The sweet little tassel charm which comes in five different colours for customers to choose between.  Which one do you prefer?

7 Modern Takes on Macrame DIY

If you grew up in the 1970s and early 1980s, you will have probably been indundated with all manner of macrame items both store bought and handmade.  And while many of the macrame specimens from that era look outdated and a little kitsch, there are many fantastic modern takes on this age old creative art.  Here are seven of my favourite tutorials - enjoy!

1. Add some boho-inspired fun to your walls with a feather-adorned wall hanging.

2. Macrame isn't just for the home, you can wear it with a modern take, such as this ombre dip-dyed necklace.

3. Grew up with memories of hanging pot plants in macrame hangers? You'll love this mod-looking Josephine knot vase hanger.

4. Add macrame to your wardrobe with this clever t-shirt refashion!

5. One of my favourite uses for macrame - funky bracelets!

6. Got some free time this weekend?  Then try whipping up a comfortable macrame hammock so you can relax in style.

7. Cover up unsightly lighting cords (such as this Ikea bulb and cord combo) with macrame knots!

Storybooks and Dragonflies

Yes, yes, I am definitely revelling in the child-free hours I've had this week now that my Cheeky Monkeys are back at school (not enjoying the uniform washing and lunch making though).  I finally found the time to sew up a few new storybook buntings as well as working on new dragonfly creations with the last of my dragonfly scrapbooking images.

My favourite creations of this batch are defnitely the dragonfly wine glass charms!  I love dragonflies (does anyone not???), and these charms are so distinctly different from each other that no one will be mixing their glass with someone else's.  Which new creation do you love best?

As you wish

I think I've mentioned before how much the Two Cheeky Monkeys family loves The Princess Bride.  We also love, love, love to quote lines from the movie in response to life's various situations (admittedly often out of context!)  So after creating some The Princess Bride- and other literature-themed pieces for a friend's wedding last year, I was inspired to add some of this iconic book and film to my store.

I've already added an asymmetrical set of quote cufflinks to the store, featuring Westley's enduring "As you wish" and Vizzini's hilarious "Inconceivable!".  Ladies will not be missing out, of course, with an "As you wish" locket necklace in the works.  This necklace will feature a cotton tassel adornment in a choice of five colours, as well as the option to personalise it with an initial charm.  So what do you think?

Freedom!!!

As much as I love my Two Cheeky Monkeys, after two weeks of school holidays I am lapping up the wonderful feeling of freedom!  Yes, we are back to the routine of school lunches, after school activities and trying to keep up with the loads of dirty school uniforms, so my freedom is limited.  But this does also mean that I will hopefully now be back to creating and blogging more and sharing more fun tutorials with my beautiful readers.  Those of you who are parents/carers for kids: do you prefer the school holidays or the boring but predictable routine of back to school?

Image source: http://kevquirk.com/blog/oh-freedom-ive-missed/

Baking, Baking, Baking Roundup

As the Easter school holidays come to a close, I thought I'd share some of the baking we've been doing here at Two Cheeky Monkeys HQ.  We do love to bake, though as I am conscious of the need for me to eat more healthily, I often try to make our recipes a little healthier.  I hope you enjoy our eclectic collection of cooking attempts!

This basil pull-apart bread recipe is a winner if you're a fan of Mediterranean flavours! And we made it even more delicious and healthier (at least we think so) by using a wholewheat and spelt pastry dough instead of the white bread dough given in the recipe.

Okay, so there's no way I could attempt to make this Funfetti cake mix cookie recipe any healthier, but hey, it was so ridiculously simple my Cheeky Monkeys could have done it on their own (but they insisted I join in the fun).  And you have to have some treats in life every now and then...just not every day.

Samosas...drool, need I say more???  The recipe for these darlings came from Annie Nichols' book Potatoes.  I love that it's a vegetarian recipe, so great for getting vegetables into veggie-haters.  We tried baking the samosas instead of the traditional method of deep frying and, while they're not really as pretty or dripping with deep fried oily goodness, these samosas still tasted great and are better for your waistline.

Love and Believe - Custom Typography Work

I had the pleasure last week of working on a custom stacking bangle order for a local customer, made all the more special by the subject of the request.  I've been a huge fan of typography-inspired jewellery pieces for the last year or so, and I was thrilled when my customer asked for "love" and "believe" bangles to give as gifts.

The words for each bangle came from vintage copies of Roget's Thesaurus or Collins and Oxford dictionaries.  I'm really pleased with the results and can't wait to see some "in action" shots from my customer!  And in the mean time, I'm dreaming up new typography bangle designs to add to Two Cheeky Monkeys.  Which words would you wear?

7 DIY Creative Bonbonniere Ideas

Traditionally, small sweets such as sugared almonds and chocolate hearts have been given to wedding guests as little thank you gifts (aka bonbonnieres, bombonieres and wedding favours).  And while I do love my sweet treats, my favourite bonbonnieres were always the creative and slightly different ones; something which was useful or heartfelt and reflected the married couple and their tastes and quirks.  And since I have a lot of customers and readers who are busily prepping for their weddings, I'm sharing a roundup of fun and creative DIY bonbonniere ideas you might want to use.  For those who aren't the DIY types, Domum Vindemia has plenty of fun and unique bonbonniere ideas ready made for you. :)

1. Wedding decor as bonbonnieres

Add a little boho chic to your wedding decor with macrame-adorned Mason jar floral hangers.  And at the end of the day, invite your guests to take one home with thme as a reminder of your special day.

2. Recycled bonbonnieres

Are you or your beloved wine buffs?  Save up/collect old wine or champagne corks and turn them into handy dandy keyrings for your guests.  Simply add a label of thanks to the keyring and you have one quick, affordable and useful wedding favour!

3. Nature-inspired

This is another fun idea for turning wedding decor in to favours for your guests.  Create centrepieces with gorgeous succulents in decorated jars and leave a note for your guests to take one home with them when they leave.

4. Science and fiction-inspired

Book and science geeks rejoice!  Place card holders made from tiny jars filled with "polyjuice potion", "unobtainium", etc is genius!!!  This idea is a fun way to give guests a quirky, edible treat to bring home with them.

5. Something for the little ones

Although this idea was originally intended as Valentine's Day gifts for kids, it could easily be adapted into favours for little guests at your wedding.  Even better, the contents can keep smaller guests entertained through the "boring" parts of your big day (e.g. speeches).

6. Edible gifts

Are you or your beloved renowned for your mad jam- or sauce-making skills?  Why not make up a jar of your most famous jam or sauce for each of your guests to take home with them!

7. For those without green thumbs

Mini terrariums make great gifts for both big and small guests because they are fun, completely personalisable and very, very hard to kill if you use the right plants (such as tillandsia, aka air plants).