Our Army Life (according to the wife!): Decorate

A couple months ago, I took a quick 12 hour trip to Paris with one of my neighbors, her daughter, and my pal Becky. I absolutely loved Paris! In fact, I went back with The Fam just a few weeks ago for a longer, 5 day trip (you can check out the first installment of my Keep Calm and Go To Paris series if you want!).

Our 12 hour whirlwind was an early birthday present for my friend's daughter, Jaden. She wanted to see Paris, and especially the Eiffel Tower, more than anything.

Hanging in Paris

Now that her actual birthday date has rolled around, her mom wanted to commemorate that trip with the cake.

Before we get started, let me tell you that I am definitely not a pro at cake decorating. My only experiences are the cakes I make the Hubs every year for his birthday. But that's why this post is so great for the average person like me. Seriously peeps… if I can do this, you totally can too! It's super basic.

Eiffel Tower cake

See, it doesn't look too complicated, does it?

The cake is a standard box mix. And the icing is the kind you buy in a can at the grocery store. The only technique here is a bit of flair with the icing and creating a chocolate Eiffel Tower on top. Lemme show you how to make the tower...

I began by looking for images that I could trace in chocolate. I found this one that worked well, but I had to print it in several sizes until I found the one that would work on top of this cake. If you were doing a sheet cake, you could easily choose a larger size to work with. Download the PDF file here if you want to try it yourself.

Eiffel Tower template

Once you print out the appropriate size, lay a piece of wax paper over your image. Then (this is important, peeps!), tape the paper down to your countertop to prevent it moving while you trace.

You'll notice that the wax paper allows you to still see the image well. You can use this technique with any image you want on a cake, not just the Eiffel Tower here.

Fill a piping bag with some melted and slightly cooled chocolate. Couple tips:

1. If you don't have a piping bag, use a ziploc bag with a small piece snipped off the corner.
2. The chocolate will be quite warm, so wear some kitchen gloves.
3. If you don't have kitchen gloves, you can do what I did… use your winter mittens!
4. Practice piping on a spare piece of wax paper before tackling your design. It's not hard to do, but this will give you a feel for how fast the chocolate will come out, etc.
5. Your chocolate doesn't have to be fancy. I used plain old chocolate chips that I melted over low heat.

Then, trace your design with your chocolate "ink".

Easy, yes?

Then, let your chocolate cool. I use the fridge for mine, it speeds things up a bit. Very carefully remove the design after it has hardened, and place it on the cake. The bottom side of the chocolate will be quite smooth, without the lumpiness you see above. Place that side up on your cake for a nicer look.

I was making a small tower, so it was easier to remove in one piece. If you're making a larger cake, I suggest making your tower in sections. Print several images and trace only a section of each. When putting it on the cake, put the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle.

See! You can totally do this.

I added some detail with a set of piping tips and colored icing, and then I sprinkled some pink sugar pearls on top. Easy peasy, my friends.

Do you have any tips for DIY birthday cakes? Share below in the comments!

Until next time my friends, happy baking!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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In the beginning, there was woman... and she liked her bathroom decorated in purple, with soft, romantic flowers. But then... there was man. Man wooed the woman, and eventually reached an elevated status as the Hubs. The Hubs did not approve of purple flowers in his bathroom, but he endured for many, many years.

UNTIL...

...one day, the woman and the Hubs moved into a new space, where there were two bathrooms instead of one. The Hubs entertained daydreams of a new master bathroom, but this was not to be so. Instead, woman crushed his dreams, and placed all the new furnishings in the guest bathroom. The Hubs was devastated.

The new guest bathroom

Both woman and the Hubs loved the new guest bathroom. The master bathroom looked old and boring in comparison, but still the woman would not redecorate.

Time passed, and the woman grew tired of purple flowers. The old decorations didn't look the same in their new space. Visions of a new bathroom plagued her. The Hubs encouraged these musings, until one day the woman went shopping with a friend, and the vision took root...

Okee dokee, let's get real here. We all know that I am the stubborn woman who refused to redecorate her bathroom. Naturally, my buddy Becky (remember her from our New York City weekend?) was the shopping influence which changed my mind.

All rooms need a little refreshing once in a while, or so I am told. The scheme of our master bathroom actually pre-dated the Hubs. Pretty pathetic, isn't it? As we moved from place to place, those decorations never really changed, even if they didn't fit our new space as well as they should have. After much badgering from the Hubs about having a more manly bathroom, I finally took a good look around and realized... he was right.

That hurt to say, just a little.

Ok, a lot. But I'm already moving past it, and so should you.

I'm going to take a huge risk here, and show you some 'before' photos of the master bathroom. Please don't judge me.

The old master bathroom

My eyes! No one would look at this and think a grown woman and her husband share this bathroom. Ugh. I promise this looked way cuter in the first bathroom these decorations graced. I used to have a claw foot tub, and an antique sink. I also used to live without the macho influence, so purple flowers were acceptable.

After several moves with the Hubs though, certain items were lost or damaged as well. For example, that green rug is hideous. That rug used to be a beautiful eggplant color, and it was thick and delicious-feeling on your feet. I don't even know how we came by that green rug in the first place. I'm ashamed of how far we've fallen, really.

I'm not normally a person to make rash decisions, but the bathroom situation has changed me. Perhaps the idea had been simmering in my brain for a while, and simply chose an opportune time to surface. Or perhaps I just couldn't take it anymore. Whatever the reason, I went shopping with Becky one day as she searched for a few items, and somehow I wound up with new stuff.

Sort of.

Usually people would pick out their shower curtain first. After all, the rest of the bathroom scheme would revolve around that color/pattern.

Not me. Uh-uh. No way. I just gotta be different.

With no shower curtain, and no idea how I really wanted to decorate, I bought these while wandering around World Market:

Peacock Bath Accessories

Cute, right?

Of course, I had nothing to go with them. While I pushed the cart around the store, I envisioned them in my bathroom. Almost instantly, I just knew I was going to create a beachy oasis for the Hubs. His favorite color is orange, but blue is a close second. The beach isn't too girly, and I felt we would both love this idea.

With that in mind, I also snagged a hurricane glass and a scented candle (Mediterranean Sea, of course!)

Hurricane glass and candle

And that was that. I took the items home, the Hubs loved the idea, and I promptly set them aside until I found just the right shower curtain.

Here is where we encountered the problem.

None of the shower curtains I looked at were very appealing. They were boring! I couldn't settle on one, so the few pieces I'd already purchased were collecting dust. Frustration set in.

I wanted something new, different... something no one else would have. Something colorful, perhaps. The beach theme was slowly being replaced with a new vision. I searched online and in stores. I asked my friends and family for their ideas. Old, indecisive me was back. UNTIL...

I saw this.

Aqua Burn Shower Curtain by DENY Designs

Hallelujah! This was The One. Not only would my recent purchases fit in, but the Hubs would have both blue and orange in his bathroom. I was ecstatic.

Of course, a bathroom needs more than just an amazing shower curtain. It needs doodads and doohickies, stuff for the walls. I started a stockpile of bathroom items, and added to it every time I found something new.

For several weeks, I searched through local stores, looking for just the right accents. I returned to World Market several times, but I also found some interesting items at Hobby Lobby, Walmart, and Bed Bath and Beyond. Amazon helped me fill in the gaps. Here's a look at some of the accessories I purchased (a full link list will be provided at the end):

Accessories

With all my doodads in place, it was finally time to put it all together. This is not as easy as it sounds! Hanging the shower curtain was easy. Deciding where to put everything else? Not so much.

But I persevered, and eventually the thing was done. Our new bathroom was complete. Not too girly, not too macho... just right.

Drum roll please.....

Here it is!

The new bathroom

It's not easy to take photographs in a bathroom, but I did my best for you. I had such fun arranging all our new items. I feel awake when I walk in this bathroom every morning, the colors are so vibrant.

So, what do you think?

Sometimes, we're in a rut without ever realizing it. Making over a room can be a fun way to add something new in your life. I know I had a great time on this project. And while the Hubs is delighted with our new space, there is one problem...

Now I want to make over all the other rooms too!

So, happy decorating my friends! If your husbands want to know why you're spending money to redecorate all your rooms too, it's ok to not mention this post. Blame it on the sun, moon, and stars, but please don't blame me :)

UPDATE:
I recently replaced the orange vase with a beautiful Amberina one that my Dad gave me as a Christmas gift. Check it out:

I also added a framed art piece that I found at Ikea...

But those are all the changes I've made (for now, haha)!

If you see something you like from this post, here's a link list to help you find it! Also, there is a handy, dandy tutorial at the bottom if you want to learn how to fold your towels "fancy":

Aqua Burn Shower Curtain by DENY Designs

Peacock Bath Accessories

Mediterranean Sea Mottled Candle Collection

Adorn Glass Hurricane Collection

Mexican Pumpkin Mottled Candle Collection

Hanging Glass Jars (the larger sizes can be found in stores)

Square Tealight Holders (can be purchased individually in store)

  Tall Glass Bottle (Orange) (various sizes can be purchased in store)

  Square Glass Bottle (Blue) (various sizes can purchased in store)

  Square Glass Bottle (Orange) (various sizes in store)