Eat, Drink and Lipsync!

An epic lipsync battle! 

This was the headline for the invitation for my 32nd bday. I wanted to do something special and extraordinary. Hence I had the choice between an Arabic themed birthday or a Lipsync battle. I decided to go for the Lipsync battle as I thought it would be hilarious. I was inspired by Jimmy Fallon and the late night show. See an example here:  http://youtu.be/R4ajQ-foj2Q

How I did it

Naturally I do not have a stage like the Fallon show,  a microphone yet alone the resources to make a show like Jimmy Fallon. I worked with what I have and can afford. I decided to buy inflatable items. They are easy to use and are ready to use once blown up. I ended up getting these items:

I also got some inflatable instruments in case somebody felt too shy to lipsync (didn't need them though!): 

The rules

The rules were simple. Three rounds, where the groups I had organized had to perform a song in each round. The groups would get 30 minutes to prepare for all three rounds.  As I was judging the whole thing, I decided that extra emphasis should be on the performance and the ability to lipsync to perfection (or pretty close, anyway). I was worried about how it would be as some may find it weird, and so on... But it turned out to be a major success! 

I thought I would be off the hook as a judge, but my clever guests made me perform as well.... I nominated myself as the judge so I would not have to perform, and then I ended up having the spotlight all alone...typical ;)

I set the stage with a banner and put up those stars all over the room - as you see on the picture. Here you can also get a glimpse of the yummy dessert I ordered - fruits and a chocolate fountain is definitely a big hit for any party!

I have not laughed as much as I did this evening for a long time. I was so grateful for choosing this theme for my bday, but also that my girlfriends were supporting it. A lot of people cancelled in spite of being invited two months in advance, but the people who came were having a blast, and that was just great! 

Yummy dessert

I always appreciate a good dessert, but did not feel like baking myself this year. I decided to buy some fruits and have a chocolate fountain instead.  As mentioned earlier, that was a big success! Check it out here:

Here's a pic of me at my bday party: 

I hope you feel inspired! 

So would I recommend anybody else to do a lipsync party?! Oh yeah!!! I would recommend you do a lipsync party any day! if you and your friends are up for it of course. I made an invitation for my party and notified the guests about the event and what a lipsync battle is. The rest of the information took place on the evening, and due to some last minute cancellations, I had to rearrange the group members.

The whole competition took about one hour, and I recorded the whole thing with a video camera. I felt so elevated for days after as it was such a success. I don't know how to top this next year! Some of my friends said I should just do the same again - so that must mean that it was a huge success. I hope this inspired you to have your own lipsync battle! Please comment or ask questions in the box below. Have fun lip syncing! 

Homemade and organic cocoa body butter

Oh, the chemicals!

I have been reading articles about different lotions and the number of hormone-disrupting chemicals. It is quite alarming that we daily expose ourselves to chemicals we do not know the exact consequence of. I used to swear to the body shop, but several of their items get "yellow" or "red" warning labels when it comes to content. Reading those articles inspired me to go a more natural route - or put in other ways - make my own body lotions. So today I set out to make an organic body butter.

Cocoa body butter in the making  

I bought raw, organic cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, as well as coconut oil as ingredients for the cocoa body butter: 

The table is a bit messy due to scraping the cocoa butter out :) 

The Recipe

It takes about 1- 1.5 hour. 

Ingredients 

250 mL (app. one cup) cocoa butter

125 mL ( app. 0.5 cup) almond oil 

125 mL (app. 0.5 cup) coconut oil

Instructions

First melt all the ingredients until completely fluid. Either by microwave or a bain-marie. I used the microwave. I started with 20 seconds, stirred, 10 seconds, stirred, and so on, until all ingredients were completely fluid. 

Place the bowl in the freezer until the mixture has hardened again. It should not be too hard, just stiff. For my mixture, that took about an hour. Check your mixture regularly while in the freezer, as the results may vary. 

Once it has hardened, whip it with a electronic whisk or a similar tool, and voila! Organic body butter without any chemicals. I purchased some clear jars to store the body butter in. 

The cocoa butter is as a great homemade gift. I would be very happy if someone gave me a homemade jar. I smeared some on my arm, and it melted away like butter, and I could really smell the cocoa for many hours after. Best of all, the scents are all natural and unprocessed/ unrefined. I think I will start making the body butter as gifts for friends and family. I think it's great to use on babies as it is the purest you can smear on them. I will definitely use it for my own children. That I yet do not have 😁

This inspired me to make more variations like shea butter, mango butter, etc. What kind of body butter would you make? Please comment below or ask questions if you have any :-)

Cinnamon dusted almonds with a layer of chocolate

I spent the whole day with me, myself, and I yesterday. And my music of course. It was perfect and inspirational. I really recommend doing so - it's good to spend time with  yourself sometimes :-) I started the day by seeing ballet dancers at the Royal theatre rehearse. I then went on to Magasin where they had samples of some delicious almonds, which were sold for 189 kr. a can. I decided to make them myself. It took some practice, as I want a perfect finish. Here's the outcome: 

The recipe is quite simple, but the amount of time it takes depends on how thorough you are. I always want a nice finish, and the first batch was too messy looking for my taste. So I was not satisfied. After some research, I found out how to make the best ones. I did not include any measurements in the recipe below, but I made about 5 handfuls of almonds and used about 125 g of chocolate. 

Chocolate covered almonds - recipe

Almonds  

Melted chocolate 

Cinnamon powder

Melt the chocolate and put in a few almonds at a time in order to ensure an even coverage. I like a nice finish, but if you want a "messier" look, you can put in all of them at once. 

Once you have covered them in chocolate, put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes or the freezer for a shorter time, if you are in a hurry. 

When the chocolate covered almonds have set, pour the cinnamon powder in a bowl with a lid or food wrap, or a plastic bag, and shake until the almonds are evenly covered. That's it! 

Tip! You can also roast the almonds in the oven for 10 minutes on about 180 degrees Celsius. Keep an eye on the almonds, so they do not burn, and turn them every now and then.  This will help the melted chocolate to stick on the almonds. 

Wrap it nicely in a clear glass with a lid, a nice ribbon, and put a smile on somebody's face with these cinnamon dusted chocolate almonds. Give them as a host/hostess gift, for a housewarming, etc. 

Here's my end result: 

I used milk chocolate for my almonds. You can experiment with dark, white, orange chocolate etc. There are no limits - only to your taste buds :-) 

Please comment below if you have any questions or comments :-)

Garden party accessories

I was decorating for a garden party, and wanted to spice it up a little. So I chose to buy some spray paint and make the vases pop more. I went for ombré black/bronze, ombré green/purple, and plain gold. I really liked the result: 

One of the glasses also served as an excellent straw holder. Even the see through glass was also a nice straw holder. 

Overall, I was quite pleased with the result, as it was a quick and easy way to spice up food cans and glasses/jars. I simply used the spray paint, which was bought here http://www.biltema.dk/da/Byggeri/Maling-og-Fugemasse/Spraymaling/Sprayfarve-med-3D-effekt-2000033943/.

This kind of spray paint is actually called 3D spray painting, due to the effect as seen above. You can quick and easily use them to spice up old metallic dishes, your pot plants etc. the possibilities are endless. How would you use it, and is there anything in particular you would like to paint? Let me know by commenting below :-)

Garden decorations for your summer barbeques

Summertime is great for barbeques and outdoor parties. I really enjoy the late summer nights as the sun only sets around 10pm here. Gives perfect opportunity to enjoy the summer in full effect :-) I here present some ideas that are relatively easy to spice up your garden party or barbeque. Have a look: 

This set of a table and two chairs I randomly found in a small deco shop. I absolutely love it, and every summer I'm reminded why. :) Can't wait to spend time here with a good book, the sun, and a chai latte :-) My aim was to create a "sanctuary" that looks inviting and intimate. You can do the same with similar garden furniture comprising of a table and two chairs :) imagine eating dinner out here with your loved one. A few dimmed lights will make this a nice place to sit and enjoy the summer evening. 

This pavilion tent was supposed to be a safe place to take cover in case of rain. I wanted to spice it up, which I think I succeeded in. I simply bought some decor from Søstrene Grene (a Danish accessory/crafts shop) for about 10 dollars in total. It included the streamers in plain colors as well as the pastel colored ones. It gave a really nice effect to an otherwise plain pavilion. See more pics below: 

I also made some vases with spray paint as part of the table setting. I will share that with you shortly. Also, what's a garden party without garden lights? I absolutely love lights, and will also share some easy tips on how lights can be used differently to spice up your party. Stay tuned! :-) Feel free to comment or ask questions below. 

Welcome to Mint & Pepper

I would like to welcome you all to my blog. I enjoy spending time being creative. Follow me here into my creative world and get inspired. My passion is to bake and making creative home decor /table settings, etc.


I will thus post different home decor tips and baking recipes that hopefully will inspire you. I will try to find unique yet easy recipes and tips that are not too time consuming, as I am also a busy woman :)

I also have a passion for setting tables, and will share my ideas and tips with you. If you need advice for specific occasions, please do not hesitate to let me know. Stay tuned!

 Meanwhile, you can help me with choosing a logo - which one do you think is better. The one with the cupcake is #1, the other one is #2. Please comment below :)