tunes tuesday // of monsters and men.

For my first Tunes Tuesday I have decided to focus on my current obsession, Of Monsters and Men. They are a six piece indie folk/pop band from Iceland who were originally compromised of four members who won an annual battle of the bands competition in Iceland in 2010. After the addition of their last two members, the band went on to release their first album "My Head is an Animal" in September 2011.

I heard their first single (a #1 in Iceland), "Little Talks" at the beginning of this year on Spotify, because I had been listening to Mumford & Sons radio. I immediately fell in love with OMAM and have had their album on repeat ever since. If you like Mumford & Sons, you will definitely love Of Monsters and Men. Their sound is unique and really lovely, as opposed to many pop and techno songs on the radio, so it is a welcome change of pace for me at least. So have a listen down below of their hit single "Little Talks" and give the rest of their album a try if you like it! Happy listening!

Little Talks

Of Monsters And Men

MY HEAD IS AN ANIMAL

DIY wood photo blocks.

This project is something that I made as gifts for my parents, best friends, boyfriend, and his mother this past Christmas, but I never got around to making one for myself. I just graduated from the University of Scranton in May and am feeling a little "collegesick", so I decided to theme mine around school.I got 1" wood blocks for this project, so I cut down my scrapbook paper and sized my photos to 1" as well. They make larger blocks, but they get pricy, and this size turns out nice once they're all finished. I chose a black and white theme for my photos and paper to bring out my purple ink color for the letters, but the ability to completely customize these is the beauty of this project. After cutting down your paper into squares that fit your blocks, you can begin applying them to the wood. Use a layer of mod podge on a foam brush to adhere the paper to the sides of the blocks, and then use another layer of MP over the paper to seal it all.

I used 17 blocks and printed 15 pictures, so bearing in mind that I needed 8 spaces on the front for my letters to spell "scranton", I put some of the pictures on the sides as well. Do a test on your photos with the mod podge, because depending on the type of photo paper, the ink may smear (mine did, so I only applied MP to the edges and the back, not on top of the photo). After the paper and the pictures are dry, you can apply your letters. I used clear rubber stamps (similar) and purple ink (I didn't love the type I used, this is better), but you can use rub ons or stickers as well.

After all of the blocks are finished, you can either leave them as they are and stack them up somewhere they won't get knocked, but I am constantly moving things around, so I like to glue my blocks together with yet another layer of Mod Podge. After that last layer dries, you're all finished! I put mine on one of my book shelves and hung my graduation tassel off of the top for a little nostalgic touch.

no-bake cake batter truffles.

On my day off from work yesterday, I woke up on a mission to bake something yummy! I searched my Pinterest board "{{delish}}" for a delicious looking recipe, and decided to stick with something simple. These no-bake cake batter truffles are easy to make, and scrumptious once finished.

Ingredients:

2 cups dry yellow cake mix

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

2 Tbsp. agave

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 bars of chocolate (I used Lindt white/milk chocolate, but would suggest something slightly less sweet)

Sprinkles

1.  Mix together the cake mix, agave, milk, vanilla extract, and some sprinkles in a large bowl. Dough should be a little bit sticky, but manageable. If you find that your dough is too runny, add a little bit of extra cake mix. If you're finding the opposite, add some extra condensed milk to the mixture.
2.  Let dough cool in the refrigerator for 15 - 20 minutes until it seems manageable enough to roll into balls.
3.  While the dough is cooling, lay parchment paper on a baking sheet, and melt your chocolate.
4.  Roll the cooled dough into balls, dip into chocolate and place on parchment paper.

5.  Once the last truffle is dipped, coat them with sprinkles and put in the refrigerator for 25 minutes.
6. Serve truffles chilled, and with a glass of milk!

And that's it! The process was fairly easy and quick, and the end product was delicious!