Monster Hunter party

We are in love with the Monster Hunter franchise by Capcom. Ever since the series came to Nintendo 3DS we’ve been playing non-stop with a group of friends. Our friends love themed parties as much as we do, so to celebrate the newest Monster Hunter game, we decided to make a small impromptu dinner!

Our amazing friend Paul made pork loin wrapped in bacon, while the hubby and I were in charge of the drinks! If you’re familiar with the game, there are a few potions that you can make in the game. Green potion is for mega health, yellow is mega dash juice for stamina, red is mega demondrug for increase attack and blue is mega nutrients to increase your health gauge!

The drinks were super easy to make – different Fanta drinks poured into milk bottles from the Target dollar spot. I printed out the drink icon symbols onto clear labels and adhered them to the bottles. Remember the Valentine bottles I made for my dude? You can use the same method and Mod Podge over the labels! I also made some matching keychains for each of our friends. I gave some away to a Monster Hunter event at Houston Gaymers’ Handhelds!

This post was written by:

MIJA VERA - (view all posts by Mija)
Mija has been a designer for the last 15 years. She is a paper obsessed fiend and loves working on new projects while listening to her kids and Maine Coon cat chatter around the house. You can email her at mija@mind-speaks.com

Summer Idea – sweet treat

Summer is officially over but fresh tasting desserts never go out of season. This recipe has been my go-to crowd pleaser and as a plus, it looks pretty fancy. This quick and easy recipe is very hands on so it’s nice to do this with kids or a group of friends. So you’re wondering, “Kat, what is this amazing recipe you are talking about?” I’ll cut to the chase.

I found this recipe during Fourth of July and quickly fell in love with it. When it comes to cake I prefer light and delicate compare to typical buttercream iced cakes. The first thing that comes to mind is trifle! This recipe calls for pound cake but I paired it with angel food cake instead, to give it more texture. So enough talking, here is the recipe!

~Mixed Berry Trifle~

Here are your ingredients.

In a stand mixer, whip the cream until stiffed peaks form, then set aside. In a large bowl, beat the sour cream, milk and pudding until it thickens. Fold in the whipped cream and set aside.

Here is the fun part… the assembling! I used glass trifle cups but any container will work out but seeing the layer is a nice presentation. Cut cake into cubes, place first layer of cake then place berries over cake then add pudding mixture – repeat till you fill your container.

Refrigerate for 2 hours then you are all set! This is an amazingly easy way to make a fancy looking item on the cheap!

This post was written by:

KAT VERA - (view all posts by Kat)
Kat is a lead pastry chef. When she isn’t in the kitchen she’s traveling space and time with Doctor Who and solving mysteries with Sherlock. Email her at kat@mind-speaks.com

First Look: Webster’s Pages Planner Girls

I think I speak for my sisters when I say, we here at Mind-Speaks are completely enamored by all things planners. Washi tape, pretty papers, stamps ect.

I’ve been using personal size planners for the past year and I love the new ring based planner system. I thought personal size would be enough for me, and it is for traveling purposes. However, then I was introduced to the A5 ring planner. Webster’s Pages Color Crush A5 Planner to be exact.

 A new craft store has opened up in Houston, A Little Craft Place. Now, my reason, aside from my obsession with planners, for wanting to visit this craft store is because I found out they sold Webster’s Pages. I’ve been wanting a Traveler’s Notebook in mint for the longest time. I even ordered one on Amazon thinking I’d save myself 10 bucks. However, the seller did not communicate with me and I had to ask for a refund. Luckily, this new craft store had what I was looking for and more. That’s when we all laid eyes on the A5 planner, and I’m sure the other Vera Girls will share their opinions later on. Mija bought us each our own and now I’m in love with the size. There is so much room for writing out weekly and monthly plans. Plus, more room for decorating. I try not to go over board, which I find myself doing more in my personal size.

If there is anything we love, it’s matching and pretty colorful things. How could we walk away from these beauties? I mean…really?! Too pretty to walkaway from. So thank you Mija, for convincing me about adding this to my planner family. You can look forward to some planner videos that will go into further A5 detail. I promise to show off my weekly layouts eventually.

As well as a more detailed post on my Traveler’s notebook, I’m still getting used to it, but I’m loving it a lot. I hope you stop by and take a look at what Mind-Speaks will have to share.

Thanks for stopping by

This post was written by:

KIM VERA - (view all posts by Kim)
Kim works as a museum Copywriter and helps out with events from time to time. When she isn’t working or blogging, she is probably off taking a nap. Feel free to email her at kim@mind-speaks.com