Valentine's Day Strawberry Brownie Hearts {Low Fat!}

I made the most delicious low fat chunky fudgey chocolate brownies the other day.

I also bought some new heart shaped cookie cutters (and a bunch of other fun stuff) with my Amazon gift card score from Christmas! I was thinking I would make some cute heart cookies, but what I was craving was chocolate, and when I think of chocolate I usually think of brownies, so I put two and two together... and there ya have it folks, an adorable Valentine's Day dessert was born!

Branching out!

It's been a long while but I finally have my jeweler's bench set up again and ready to do some more metalwork! My jewelry work is mostly wire forging and wire wrapping, but now that I've got the bench pin and jeweler's saw back in action, be on the lookout for some different style designs. I can't wait to share!


Meanwhile, check out what's new in the shop - a new pair of interchangeable hoop earrings. I LOVE them, what do you think?

This gorgeous style is available in both sterling silver and gold filled, as well as with or without the gemstone charms.

See all my interchangeable hoop earrings and earring charms now!

Low Fat Chunky Fudgey Chocolate Brownies {Recipe}

I am so excited to share this delicious LOW FAT chunky fudgey brownie recipe with you! As you can see from the photo, there's no shortage of chocolate in this batch of brownies, nor is there any shortage of flavor!

Thanks to replacing the butter with non-fat Greek yogurt, this decadent treat will satisfy your chocolate-craving naughty little sweet tooth for about half the fat of some butter-filled brownies of the same size. See bottom post for complete nutrition info.

Choosing Necklaces for Necklines

Choosing Necklaces for Necklines by imogenl on Polyvore

It's not always easy to choose jewelry that fits well with every outfit, and certain necklines are more challenging than others when it comes to accessorizing with necklaces! I hope you enjoy this visual representation of choosing the best necklace for various shaped necklines. Read more from the creator of this image here - she goes over each of these neckline shapes in detail. 

Ready to find your next favorite necklace? 

Happy New Year!

 

Wishing you all a safe and Happy New Year!
May you look back on 2013 with pride and happiness, and look toward 2014 with hope and joy!

♥ Jess

Handmade Christmas: Feather Prints by Jody Edwards

One of my resolutions for 2014 is to fill my empty walls with art. I am so picky that I end up just leaving walls bare instead of throwing any ole thing up there. I always think to myself that I'll make something to fill up this space and paint something to fill up that space, but then guess what? I never do. It's just too much pressure. It's like the whole blank canvas syndrome - where to start?

So when I discovered Jody Edwards' beautiful paintings on Etsy, I felt like it was a sign! When my darling husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I showed him these feather prints and he said, "Those are awesome, let's get a bunch!" So we did, but it's only the beginning of our collection :)

Click on any of the photos to see them on Etsy:

Aren't they just gorgeous? The first four we got as 8x10 prints and the last two on greeting cards. I think they will be a beautiful start to a picture wall. Now to get some frames!

All images © Jody Edwards from http://jodyvanb.etsy.com

Handmade Christmas : Owl Fingerless Gloves

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas! I sure did - my sweet hubby indulged me with lots of awesome handmade gifts from Etsy, including these adorable grey owl fingerless gloves which were a custom request from Coco and Cocoa! I love them so much - I even wear them inside the house :)

I am excited to see that they are available in the shop now so I can share them with you!! Gloves are handmade to order so you can get them in your favorite color.

I have always loved Julie's cable knit owl hats with vintage button eyes - I've written about them before - and when I saw the new fingerless gloves she's been making recently, I thought they would be so cute with the owls on them too. Well, aren't they??

What were your favorite gifts this year?