Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Time for some sweets for your sweet this Valentine's Day!  Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.  I don't generally post recipes and this is certainly not a food blog.  But I always make something sweet for my four valentines on Valentine's Day.  I thought I would share with y'all tonight.  I do love to bake and I can just call this one a "food craft" right?

This is a store bought cake mix dressed up with some super simple homemade frosting.  First bake your cupcakes according to the directions on the package.  I made regular size and mini ones.  

I found my peanut butter frosting recipe in a magazine years ago.  I scoured the net and could not find this exact recipe.  It is super simple and oh so good!  So let's get started:

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/3 cup peanut butter (you can use chunky if you desire -- I did not)

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 teaspoons honey

4-5 tbsp milk

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl with the electric mixer on low speed.  Add just enough milk to make an acceptable spreading consistency.  Yield:  2 1/2 cups.  

(recipe courtesy of August 2008 edition of electric coop magazine)

Easy right?  Just spread it on.  Then I took some melted chocolate and free handed some piped hearts on parchment paper.  Let them dry and add them to the top.  Oh so yummy!  All of my sweethearts like them too!

What are you making for your valentines this week?  Anything extra special?

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~Thanks for stopping by!~
~Angie~

The Country Chic Cottage

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Valentines Vignette

The finals are up on One Month To Win It!  Don't forget to vote for your fave project!
Time to show off where I put my Valentine's crafts.  My Valentine's Vignette...

I wanted a slight rustic touch to Valentine's Day.  But with some traditional aspects...like hearts!

My love banner and rustic love sign started this "love fest"....

I wanted a unique table cover.  So I grabbed this feed sack from my stash.  It has touches of red and fit in perfectly...

Sheet music rolled up and tied with twine is a perfect filler for milk glass...

I took a ceramic squirrel and spray painted it white.  A pile of shabby rosettes sits beside him.  He is sooo darn cute!

On the other side, is a owl I got off of etsy with some more milk glass...

My daughter made this bowl in art class.  I thought it was perfect for Valentine's decor.  The hearts all came from clearance last year...

So there you have it...a simple, rustic Valentine's vignette!

Maybe I should call this one my Chicken Feed Valentine's Decor!



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~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~
The Country Chic Cottage

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Rustic LOVE Sign from Barnwood

If you have been around here any time at all, you know that I love barnwood signs.  I didn't have one yet for Valentine's Day.  So I just had to make one.  My rustic love sign....

I cut out a heart from brown paper.  The letters came from a pack of post it letters for poster board signs.  

For this one I tried out the crackle finish from Martha Stewart.  It is available at The Home Depot.  I will warn you that the directions say to apply over a primer.  I didn't.  I wanted the barnwood to show through the cracks.

 The Martha Stewart product is THICK.  It needs to be applied like spackle with a putty knife.  I just used my pieces to mask the area off I did not want painted.  I did not even tape them down or anything.

Apply an even coat and then sit back and watch the magic.  As it drys, it crackles!  Lovely chippy paint in one simple step.

 You can see the crackle in this up close pic.  Plus the barnwood peeking though!  Yippee.....I heart rustic...

 I added this to my Love banner and DIY tobacco basket.... 

 I will talk some more about this area and Valentine's Day decor next week...y'all stay tuned!

 Posted at Transformation Thursday on The Shabby Chic Cottage.

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Linking to the V-day party on Hoosier Homemade.

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~
The Country Chic Cottage

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Valentines Day Love Banner

This week is Buntings and Banners week over at One Month To Win It.  The contestant projects will be up for vote in the morning.  I thought I would take tonight and show off my latest banner.

I used some vintage paper ephemera plus some scrapbook paper to make my LOVE banner...

The largest hearts are from a vintage Harper magazine.  The middle pink hearts are from some scrapbooking paper.  The smallest hears are vintage sheet music.  The letters are actually from the Target dollar spot.

I assembled the hearts using some scrapbooking glue then attached them to some pink ric rac using hot glue.

All that was left was to tie it one my DIY tobacco basket....

I have some more posts all about this vignette...so stay tuned!

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~Thanks for stopping by!~
~Angie~
The Country Chic Cottage  

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Make your own Valentine's art

I did a few searches on art to display for Valentine's Day.  It was all so very pink and red.  Yes, yes...I know it is supposed to be pink and red.  But I am thinking of a more rustic Valentine's display.  So instead I searched for some rustic heart images, then popped them into Picasa and added some quotes.  I thought I would post them here in case y'all like them too!  Here is what I came up with as I was playing around...

Y'all enjoy!  Search around and make some of your own. 

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~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~.
The Country Chic Cottage

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Valentine's Book Bundle

It seems that book bundles are everywhere!  Why not put a romantic spin on it....

What do you need?  A book (or books) (I chose one with red), paper doilies (I chose heart shaped), mod podge, muslin, and stamp/ink if you want.

Mod podge those doilies right on to the book...

I made it completely random.  And it helps to stand you book up if you are doing front and back...

I really liked that heart shape for my doilies!!

I added a strip of torn muslin stamped with my fave new heart in a mason jar stamp!

I just did one book but you could of course do a stack....

Loving that romantic valentine's day touch...

Shabby meets elegant...

Do you have any Valentine's Day crafts up your sleeve?  Be sure to link them up at the CSI project!

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~Thanks for stopping by!~
~Angie~

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Valentine's Day Mantle

Valentine's Day decor?  Heck why not!  It is a good excuse to break out the pink!  Yep that is a shelf...I am mantle-less so I improvise!

Another stamped plate??  Yep for Valentine's Day!  They are super easy so why not?

I used my vintage quilt squares to make a bunting swag...pretty in pink...

Some pink candle sticks and a skeleton key add to the theme...

Yep even a shabby book stack...

On the other side....a clearance find from last year got a spray paint makeover in white....

The addition of heart doilies to my lantern transformed it into a V-day masterpiece...

That muslin ribbon is stamped with my new mason jar stamp...I heart that stamp!!

So have you added a touch of Valentine's to your decor?

If so don't miss the Valentine Mantel Party on The Stories of A to Z for even more inspiration!

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~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

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